The Sportsletter - Champ Streak & MLB Four-Square

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 8, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Kansas City sports fans are waking up smiling after a great Monday. Both the Chiefs and Royals were winners late last night. The Chiefs have now won 11 straight games dating back to last season. Meanwhile, the Royals (and Tigers) made sure all four MLB Divisional Series were squared up at 1-1 — that’s a first in MLB postseason history. Plus, the Utah Hockey Club arrives on the scene tonight.

Let’s celebrate some Week 5 awards before the highlights, shall we?

Letter Rip!

PICKS

NFL Pick 'Em Leaderboard

Congrats to this week’s pick ‘em winner, Dan Skiddell! Dan was one of four players to hit 11 of the Week 5 games and land the tiebreaker to within just six passing yards. A huge group of roughly 50 players came close with 10/13 correct picks. The top five just earned playoff spots while Dan gets the weekly spoils. More picks await!

Leaderboard (Week 5)

1. Dan Skiddell (11/13) *Tiebreaker

2. Janet Martin (11/13)

3. Ashton E. (11/13)

4. Larry McClain (11/13)

5. Karen Margitan (10/13) *Tiebreaker

Play The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em (Week 6)

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

NFL

The Champs' Streak Continues

Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Chiefs Quiet Saints on Monday Night Football (26-13), Extend Win Streak to 11 Games Dating Back to 2023

Monday night’s Chiefs-Saints matchup had all the ingredients for a high-scoring shootout, but this Kansas City team is writing a new narrative. The Chiefs shut down the Saints (26-13) without WR Rashee Rice and RB Isiah Pacheco. Their offense of misfit toys relied on a clutch Patrick Mahomes to orchestrate plays while the defense played lights out. Not only did they double-up New Orleans on the scoreboard, they doubled the Saints in first downs (28–14), total yards (460–220) and time of possession (39:56—20:04).

The Champ Streak: The Chiefs are now 5-0 to start the year despite a number of close games. Monday night actually marked their only two-score win of the season. But they’ve also won 11 straight games dating back to last December before the Super Bowl LVIII run.

Saints Go Marching Downhill: To make matters worse for the Saints, QB Derek Carr left the game late with an oblique injury. New Orleans has a short week before hosting the Bucs, and they’ve lost three in a row after that hot 2-0 start.

QB Comparison

P. Mahomes (KC): 28/39, 353 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT

D. Carr (NO): 18/28, 165 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Other Top Performers

WR J. Smith-Schuster (KC): 7 catches, 130 yards

RB K. Hunt (KC): 28 touches, 117 yards, 1 TD

WR R. Shaheed (NO): 4 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD

TE T. Kelce (KC): 9 catches, 70 yards

Watch: Chiefs Extend Win Streak to 11 Games With MNF Win Over Saints (26-13)

FTW: Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy Adorably Hands Touchdown Ball to His Mom on MNF

SI: Bill Belichick Seemed Completely Fed Up With Taylor Swift Cam on ESPN’s ‘ManningCast’

POLL 📊

The Week 5 Game Ball Goes To...

You know the drill. The top performers (from winning teams) at each offensive position are vying for the Week 5 “Game Ball” — and we saw some big QB numbers this week. Two Bears and two Falcons made the list. Let’s tally! (click to vote)

QB Kirk Cousins (ATL): 509 yards, 4 TDs

QB Lamar Jackson (BAL): 403 yards, 4 TDs

RB Tank Bigsby (JAX): 129 yards, 2 TDs

RB D’Andre Swift (CHI): 120 yards, 1 TD

WR Drake London (ATL): 154 yards, 1 TD
WR D.J. Moore (CHI): 105 yards, 2 TDs

MLB

Four-Square in the Divisional Series

Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images

Tigers & Royals Fire Back to Bring All 4 MLB Divisional Series Square at 1-1 for 1st Time in MLB History

Baseball fans couldn’t ask for a more competitive second week of the postseason. Ironically, it's the most competitive October has ever been. After a weekend of Game 1s saw three of the four higher seeds take 1-0 leads, we’re now all square in all four (four square!). It's the first time in MLB history all four series started tied 1-1. The Tigers got a game-winning home run from an unlikely hero, and the Royals claimed the second win of the night for Kansas City sports teams. The Divisional Series are best-of-five, so get ready for some drama as all four series shift cities.

ALDS G2: Tigers def. Guardians (3-0)

Kerry Carpenter Hits Decisive 9th-Inning HR

After a Game 1 blowout by the Guardians, Game 2 was a pitcher’s duel where soon-to-be Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was spotless for the Tigers (7 IP, 8 Ks, 3 Hits, 0 ER). This one was scoreless for eight innings and change on Monday night until the bat of Kerry Carpenter lofted a three-run home run in the top of the 9th that proved to be the only scoring play of the evening in Cleveland. The blast came against Guardians’ star closer Emmanuel Clase, no less. It was Clase's first run(s) allowed since August. They’re all square in the AL Central clash heading back to Detroit. Series Tied (1-1)

ALDS G2: Royals def. Yankees (4-2)

4-Run 4th Inning Enough to Bring KC Even

The Royals found their footing in Game 2 after a shootout in the Bronx for Game 1. Kansas City fell behind 1-0 despite a strong start from Cole Ragans (4 IP, 5Ks, 3 Hits, 1 ER). The Royals strung together a four-run 4th inning that made the difference, complete with a solo HR from Salvador Perez. Now, with the series even, Kansas City gets a home game (Game 3) for the first time in more than two weeks. Kauffman Stadium is about to be rocking. The Royals haven’t hosted a home playoff game since their World Series run in 2015. Series Tied (1-1)

Tonight’s Schedule (NLDS)

G3: Phillies at Mets (5:00 pm ET, FS1)

G3: Dodgers at Padres (9:00 pm ET, FS1)

The Ringer: Extremely Accurate Predictions for the Rest of the 2024 MLB Playoffs

NHL

Hockey Begins in Utah 🏒

Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

NHL’s Opening Day Features Nightcap in Utah for Inaugural Season

Season-Openers, Part II. After the NHL welcomed back the season in Prague over the weekend, the North American openers begin tonight with a three-pack (see today's must-watch list). The last of which will bring the Blackhawks to Salt Lake City for the first-ever regular-season game for Utah. The team’s nickname is still a work in progress, so they’ll simply go by the ‘Utah Hockey Club’ for the upcoming season while repping black and blue colors. Branding an entire pro sports franchise (logo, jerseys, mascots, etc.) shouldn’t be taken lightly, after all.

660 Miles, 3,000 Feet Up

Despite the new franchise, the team doesn’t look completely brand new. Utah acquired the assets to the Arizona Coyotes franchise and moved the team, coaches and executives back in April. They’re still coached by Andre Tourigny, and they still have some of their top stars like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller. It’s a move that's roughly 660 miles north of Phoenix and 3,000 feet up in elevation. Hockey in the Rockies always made more sense than the desert anyway, right? I’m sure we have some sad Coyotes fans, though.

Last year’s Coyotes finished seventh in the Central Division, so don’t expect a Year 1 Stanley Cup celebration in Utah. But hey, we love a good underdog story.

Utah’s 1st NHL Game

Blackhawks at Utah HC (10:00 pm ET, ESPN)

The Athletic: Utah HC 2024-25 Season Preview, Playoff Chances, Projected Points & Roster Rankings

FOOTBALL STORYLINES

🏈 Winners & Losers of NFL Week 5

Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes—but he ended the day as a loser. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott’s three turnovers didn’t stop him from ending the night as a winner. Welcome to ‘Winners and Losers.’ (The Ringer)

🏈 The CFB Playoff Picture

The chaos that unfolded on Saturday shook up how we view the College Football Playoff picture. The path to the new 12-team postseason bracket may have shifted, but Alabama and Tennessee still control their own destiny. (Bleacher Report)

🏈 Week 6 Fantasy Pickups

Each week, we highlight the top potential fantasy football waiver pickups who remain available in at least 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. If you find yourself with roster needs entering Week 6, these names deserve attention. (Yahoo! Sports)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Patriots Safety Jabrill Peppers Charged With Assault & Drug Possession (ESPN)

🏈 Buccaneers Leave Early for Road Trip Against Saints With Hurricane Approaching (CBS Sports)

🏒 Florida Panthers Cancel Stanley Cup Ring Ceremony on Opening Night Due to Hurricane (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Vanderbilt to Auction Off Upset Items From Alabama Game: Pylons, Pieces of Goal Posts & More (B/R)

⛳️ Caitlin Clark to Play in LPGA Event at Annika Sorenstam’s Tournament (SI)

🏁 Massive, Historic NASCAR Crash Wiped Out Nearly the Entire Field Sunday at Talladega (SI)

🏈 Bengals Fear Season-Ending Torn ACL for CB Dax Hill (Yardbarker)

🏀 ESPN Signs Shams Charania as Senior NBA Insider to Replace Adrian Wojnarowski (FOS)