The Sportsletter - Action Jackson & The NBA Tip Off

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 22, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

The October overload continues tonight with a new sports season. The NBA is officially back! Before we tip things off, there was a double-dip of Harbaughs on Monday Night Football. Both Jim (Chargers) and John (Ravens) were on the road in primetime, but only one was a winner.

Stat of the Day: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson now has 20 touchdowns and zero (0) interceptions in eight career starts on Monday Night Football. He’s the only quarterback to throw for 5 TDs twice on MNF.

Letter Rip!

NFL PICKS

Week 7 Pick 'Em Champs

Congrats to this week’s NFL Pick ‘Em champion, Marc Rose! Marc was one of seven who correctly picked 13 out of 14 games in Week 7. No one was perfect this week, and the tiebreakers came into play once more. Check your email later today, Marc. These five just made the playoffs.

Week 7 Pick ‘Em Leaders

1. Marc Rose (13/14)

2. Thomas Johnston (13/14)

3. Stephen McGovern (13/14)

4. Joey P. (13/14)

5. Karen Koptis (13/14)

Play The Sportsletter NFL Pick ‘Em (Week 8)

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

NFL

MNF: LJ's Ravens Fly to 5th Straight

Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Monday Night Doubleheader: Lamar Jackson Throws 5 TDs as Ravens Roll Bucs (41-31) / Cardinals Escape Chargers on GW Field Goal (17-15)

Week 7 in the NFL came to a close last night with a five-touchdown MVP performance from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens before a walk-off field goal for the Cardinals in the nightcap. There’s a messy logjam in the NFL standings as we step into the final two weeks before the trade deadline, but Jackson is making a strong case for MVP. And his Ravens are making a case for the NFL’s best team after a five-game win streak. A Monday Night Football two-for-one? It happened like this:

Ravens def. Bucs (41-31)

Monday’s main event saw Baker Mayfield and the Bucs take a quick 10-0 lead before Lamar Jackson (333 yards, 5 TDs) and Derrick Henry (182 yards, 1 TD) flipped a switch and went nuclear. The Ravens ran off 34 unanswered points in a would-be rout. It was 41-18 in the waning minutes before that pesky Mayfield engineered two touchdown drives, but it was too late. Bucs WR Chris Godwin suffered a gruesome leg injury in the final minutes, too. On the winning side, the Ravens (5-2) officially eclipsed Tampa for the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL (31.1 ppg). Jackson had as many touchdowns (5) as incompletions (17-for-22), and Baltimore is now 5-2 after an 0-2 start.

Cardinals def. Chargers (17-15)

Another AFC-NFC inter-conference showdown took place out in the desert between a pair of mid-tier teams fighting to stay relevant. The Cardinals and Chargers played a low-scoring chess match that saw five lead changes. Justin Herbert (349 yards) actually threw for over 200 yards more than Kyler Murray (145 yards) in a losing effort. The Chargers just couldn’t finish drives. L.A. took a brief lead (15-14) with two minutes left before Murray led a game-winning drive to set up a walk-off field goal for Arizona. The Cards (now 3-4) might have saved something from this season.

🚑 Week 7 Major Injuries

WR Chris Godwin (Bucs) — Leg Injury (TBD)

WR Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) — ACL/MCL Tear

QB Deshaun Watson (Browns) — Torn Achilles

Check tomorrow’s edition for the latest standings update and Week 8 power rankings.

AP: Kyler Murray Runs for TD, Leads Cards to Game-Winning FG Drive in Win Over Chargers

POLL 📊

The Week 7 Game Ball Goes To...

No receiver options this week. There were too many running backs who cut loose in a Week 7 track meet (and few wideouts who went over the century mark). Derrick Henry might be runner-up for a third time thanks to his own quarterback. Saquon Barkley also flirted with a career-high against his former team, and Jahmyr Gibbs had a buck-fifty and two house calls by halftime. Take your pick. (click to vote)

QB Lamar Jackson (BAL): 333 yards, 5 TDs

QB Josh Allen (BUF): 324 yards, 2 TDs

RB Saquon Barkley (PHI): 187 yards, 1 TD

RB Derrick Henry (BAL): 182 yards, 1 TD

RB Jahmyr Gibbs (DET): 160 yards, 2 TDs

RB Tank Bigsby (JAX): 118 yards, 2 TDs

NBA

Welcome Back, NBA!

Photo: Steven Ryan / Getty Images

NBA Tip-Off: A Boston Repeat? Finally for Philly? Dallas Breaks Out? The 2024-25 NBA Season Starts Anew With More Questions Than Answers

Fear no more, NBA fans. The Association returns tonight after a fun Olympic gold-medal summer and a bevy of offseason roster changes. We’re just four months removed from the Celtics’ record-setting 18th NBA title, and the big question becomes: Who can dethrone the champs? We took a long look at the trendy teams and ascending players to craft preseason power rankings and the early MVP ladder, and remind everyone of the biggest moves from the offseason. We won’t have regular, weekly NBA power rankings, so soak this one up until the in-season tournament and playoff races take over. Ready for some basketball?

NBA Tip-Off Power Rankings

1. Boston Celtics

2. Denver Nuggets

3. Dallas Mavericks

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

5. Philadelphia 76ers

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

7. New York Knicks

8. Milwaukee Bucks

9. Phoenix Suns

10. Orlando Magic

Teams 11-20: 11. Indiana Pacers, 12. Miami Heat, 13. Sacramento Kings, 14. Los Angeles Lakers, 15. Memphis Grizzlies, 16. Cleveland Cavaliers, 17. New Orleans Pelicans, 18. Golden State Warriors, 19. San Antonio Spurs, 20. Los Angeles Clippers

Teams 21-30: 21. Atlanta Hawks, 22. Toronto Raptors, 23. Chicago Bulls, 24. Houston Rockets, 25. Utah Jazz, 26. Charlotte Hornets, 27. Detroit Pistons, 28. Washington Wizards, 29. Portland Trail Blazers, 30. Brooklyn Nets

Preseason MVP Ladder

1. Luka Doncic (Mavericks)

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)

3. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

5. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Other Players in MVP Watch: Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Kevin Durant (Suns), Joel Embiid (76ers), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), LeBron James (Lakers), Steph Curry (Warriors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Domantas Sabonis (Kings), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)

Offseason Review (Notable Moves)

Paul George (Clippers → 76ers)

Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves → Knicks)

DeJounte Murray (Hawks → Pelicans)

Julius Randle (Knicks → Timberwolves)

Klay Thompson (Warriors → Mavericks)

DeMar DeRozan (Bulls → Kings)

Russell Westbrook (Clippers → Nuggets)

Chris Paul (Suns → Spurs)

The season tips off with a doubleheader tonight!

Tonight’s NBA Tip-Off

Knicks at Celtics (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Timberwolves at Lakers (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

The Ringer: Increasingly Bold Predictions for the 2024-25 NBA Season

NBA: 10 Clues for a Truly Unpredictable 2024-25 NBA Season

STORYLINES

⚾️ Expert World Series Predictions

The 2024 World Series is finally here. After hundreds of games, thousands of pitches and more than a few IL stints, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will face each other before the cold, dark winter. (CBS Sports)

🏀 NCAA Preseason All-American Team

This year’s men’s preseason college basketball All-America team is more intriguing than most. Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg has all the hype. The rookie Blue Devil joins a list of juniors, seniors, and fifth-years with Final Four hopes. (Bleacher Report)

⛳️ Tiger & Rory’s Simulator League

The much-hyped TGL simulator golf league finally has a launch date. The brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy begins Jan. 7 after a year delay, but PGA stars are locked in. Woods and McIlroy will compete on Jan. 27. (Sports Illustrated)

NEWS 📰

🏈 MRI Confirms Browns QB Deshaun Watson Suffered Ruptured Achilles (ESPN)

⚾️ Yankees’ Aaron Boone Names Gerrit Cole Game 1 Starter in World Series (CBS Sports)

🏀 Pelicans & Trey Murphy Agree to 4-Year, $112 Million Deal (ESPN)

🏀 Rockets & Alperen Sengun Agree to $185 Million Extension (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Nuggets & Aaron Gordon Agree to $133 Million Extension (FOX Sports)

🏈 Lions WR Jameson Williams Suspended 2 Games for Violating NFL Substance Policy (SI)

🏈 Saints Address Receiver Injuries by Signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling (CBS Sports)

🏈 Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy Blasts Troy Aikman for Criticisms (B/R)