The Sportsletter - Touchdowns, Anyone?

BY JEFF YODER

SEPT. 23, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

Did your NFL or fantasy team seem out of sorts this weekend? You’re not alone. We spotted a trend taking shape when fantasy points and box scores were falling short of the oh-so-popular “projections.” It’s the lowest-scoring NFL weekend in almost a decade.

Meanwhile… I watched my old high school football team play last Friday and a 17-year-old drilled a 60-yard field goal. If you come across some great high school sports highlight, send them along. I'll be here doing my own kicking (kicking my feet up for a Monday Night Football doubleheader). Let's do some sports.

Letter Rip!

NFL

Week 3: Touchdowns, Anyone?

Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images

NFL Week 3: Offenses Sputter in the Lowest-Scoring NFL Week Since 2014 (5 Teams Remain Undefeated)

Where did the touchdowns go? Something strange happened in the NFL. Sunday’s slate of games was, at times, a lackluster display of ugly, early-season football. The highest-scoring team in Week 3 was… the Panthers?! When we saw a dozen teams fail to score more than 17 points by Sunday night, we did some original research.

Original Research: Touchdowns, Anyone?

NFL teams averaged just 18.1 points per game (so far) in Week 3. That would be the lowest-scoring week in nearly a decade (Week 15, 2014), but there are a pair of Monday Night Football games left to be played.

Records or not, defenses shined against the top teams. The Saints, Bucs and Texans (who were all 2-0 with the most points through Week 2) scored 12, 7, and 7, respectively. The Cowboys offense was also unrecognizable for three quarters. And the undefeated club fell from nine teams to five teams in an afternoon...

The Undefeated Club (5 Teams Left)

Only five teams remain unbeaten after three weeks. The Chiefs (3-0) have won all three games by one score nail-biters. The Vikings (3-0) blew out the Texans (34-7) yesterday while the Seahawks (3-0) buried the Dolphins (24-3) and the Steelers (3-0) stifled the Chargers (20-10). The Bills (2-0) will play their Week 3 game tonight.

NFL Week 3 Scores & Highlights

Jets def. Patriots (24-3)

Broncos def. Bucs (26-7)

Steelers def. Chargers (20-10)

Eagles def. Saints (15-12)

Vikings def. Texans (34-7)

Packers def. Titans (30-14)

Giants def. Browns (21-15)

Colts def. Bears (21-16)

Panthers def. Raiders (36-22)

Seahawks def. Dolphins (24-3)

Ravens def. Cowboys (28-25)

Rams def. 49ers (27-24)

Lions def. Cardinals (20-13)

Chiefs def. Falcons (22-17)

Tonight (Monday Night Football)

Jaguars at Bills (7:30 pm ET, ESPN)

Commanders at Bengals (8:15 pm ET, ABC)

Read More

SI: Week 3 NFL Takeaways

B/R: NFL Week 3: Top Takeaways for Every Game

CBS Sports: NFL Week 3 Winners & Losers: Vikings Are for Real

CFB

AP Poll: The Next Manning is Here

Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images

In a Week With Little Drama, Arch Manning Gets 1st Win & Colorado Brings the Chaos

If you didn’t know by now, the Texas Longhorns are cruising through the college football season despite losing their No. 1 quarterback, Quinn Ewers. Enter Arch Manning — the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning — for a 48-point win over lowly UL Monroe this weekend. Arch wasn't perfect, but the ceiling is extraordinarily high. The top-10 in college football was unaffected by zero upsets, but that didn’t mean Saturday in Week 4 was drama-free. Colorado, per usual, made headlines. The Buffaloes pulled off a major comeback that included a hail mary, a goal-line fumble, and overtime to beat Baylor (38-31, OT). Here’s a quick recap of Week 4:

CFB Highlights (Notable Games)

#1 Texas def. UL Monroe (51-3)

#3 Ohio State def. Marshall (49-14)

#5 Ole Miss def. Georgia Southern (52-13)

#6 Tennessee def. #15 Oklahoma (25-15)

#7 Missouri def. Vanderbilt (30-27)

#8 Miami def. South Florida (50-15)

#18 Michigan def. #11 USC (27-24)

#12 Utah def. #14 Oklahoma State (22-19)

BYU def. #13 Kansas State (38-9)

#24 Illinois def. #22 Nebraska (31-24, OT)

Colorado def. Baylor (38-31, OT)

College Football AP Poll

1. Texas (4-0) | —

2. Georgia (3-0) | —

3. Ohio State (3-0) | —

4. Alabama (3-0) | —

5. Tennessee (4-0) | ↑1

6. Ole Miss (4-0) | ↓1

7. Miami (4-0) | ↑1

8. Oregon (3-0) | ↑1

9. Penn State (3-0) | ↑1

10. Utah (4-0) | ↑2

FOX Sports: 2024 Heisman Watch: Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart & Nico Iamaleava

CBS Sports: Inside the Comeback: Shedeur Sanders’ Hail Mary & Travis Hunter’s Heroics Fuel Colorado Stunner

MLB

1 Week to Claim October Tix

Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images

7 Spots Remain for 12 Teams in MLB’s Final Week

It’s magic number week! While October hasn’t officially arrived, a number of MLB teams can consider this week win-or-go-home territory. The Cleveland Guardians locked up the AL Central last week to become the fifth team to clinch a postseason berth, but now we're coming down to the wire. Seven remaining spots — the AL West and all six wild cards — have yet to be claimed. Twelve teams are vying for those seven spots with one week left. And while the Orioles, Astros and Padres shouldn’t have much to worry about, there’s a lot at stake this week. We’ll highlight the key series to watch tomorrow. For now, here’s a playoff bracket preview (*denotes clinched teams).

American League

East: Yankees (92-64)*

West: Astros (85-71)

Central: Guardians (90-67)*

WC1: Orioles (86-70)

WC2: Tigers (82-74)

WC3: Royals (82-73)

In the Hunt: Twins (81-75), Mariners (80-76), Red Sox (78-78), Rays (78-78)

National League

East: Phillies (92-64)*

West: Dodgers (93-63)*

Central: Brewers (89-67)*

WC1: Padres (90-66)

WC2: Diamondbacks (87-69)

WC3: Mets (87-69)

In the Hunt: Braves (85-71)

MLB Quick-Hitters

WNBA

Unanimous: Wilson Claims 3rd MVP

Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images

A’ja Wilson Wins 3rd WNBA MVP — Becomes 2nd Player to Win Unanimously

On the opening day of the WNBA Playoffs, Aces’ A’ja Wilson claimed her third league MVP award to no one’s surprise. She had one of the best seasons in WNBA history, becoming the first player to score 1,000-plus points in a season (1,021 points). Wilson also joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the only players to win MVP by unanimous vote. Cooper’s ’97 campaign was the WNBA’s inaugural season. Napheesa Collier (Lynx, 2nd), Breanna Stewart (Liberty, 3rd) rookie Caitlin Clark (Fever, 4th) and Alyssa Thomas (Sun, 5th) rounded out the top five vote-getters.

Wilson’s 2024 Season Stats

26.9 ppg | 11.9 reb | 2.3 ast | 1.8 stl

*4th player to win MVP 3+ Times

After Wilson’s award announcement, the WNBA’s first four-game playoff tip-off took place.

WNBA Playoff Highlights (Round 1)

G1: Liberty def. Dream (83-69)

Leonie Fiebach (21 pts) Goes 4-for-4 on 3s

G1: Sun def. Fever (93-69)

Alyssa Thomas (12-13-10) Tallies Triple-Double

G1: Lynx def. Mercury (102-95)

Napheesa Collier (38 pts) Catches Fire

G1: Aces def. Storm (78-67)