The Sportsletter - NFL Blitz & NBA Vibes

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 5, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

The NFL wrapped up Week 9 with a loaded news cycle and an overtime thriller on Monday Night Football. Yes, the Chiefs are still undefeated (8-0) thanks to a coin toss. One team fired their head coach. One team lost a quarterback. And the NFL Trade Deadline is coming quick. Plus, we’ll take a vibe-check of the NBA after the first two weeks before tonight’s quiet sports calendar.

Letter Rip!

NFL PICKS

Week 9 Pick 'Em Leaderboard

Congrats to this week’s Pick ‘Em champ, Richard Kinka! Richard was one of four players to correctly pick all 14 games, but he called the tiebreaker to within 16 yards. The top five are going to the playoffs, and we’re ready for Week 10 (below).

Week 9 Leaderboard

1. Richard Kinka (Perfect)

2. Bill Sager (Perfect)

3. Donnelly Sherrill (Perfect)

4. Craig Schmitt (Perfect)

5. Patrick Ruff (13/14)

Play The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

NFL

4 Downs: The NFL's Manic Monday

Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images

Chiefs Stay Perfect Despite OT Scare, Saints Fire Dennis Allen, Dak Prescott Out & The Trade Deadline is Looming

Multiple NFL stories converged for a perfect storm on Monday to wrap up Week 9. Another Chiefs’ win (in overtime), another head coach firing, and another major injury ring in trade deadline day. Expect some big moves in the hours ahead. Here’s a quick catch-up on Monday’s big NFL news and highlights before today’s deadline:

1st Down: Chiefs Stay Perfect

Chiefs Hold Off Bucs (30-24, OT)

The Chiefs stayed perfect last night (8-0) thanks to an overtime win against the Bucs in Arrowhead (30-24, OT). Kansas City scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to flip a 17-10 deficit to a 24-17 advantage before the Bucs forced OT with a clutch two-minute drill. The Chiefs won the coin toss and marched down the field for a punch-in, walk-off TD by RB Kareem Hunt. The Bucs never possessed the ball in OT. Patrick Mahomes (291 yards, 3 TDs) outdueled Baker Mayfield (200 yards, 2 TDs), and the Chiefs are unblemished through nine weeks.

2nd Down: Saints Sack Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen Fired After 7-Game Skid

Remember when the Saints started 2-0 and put up 91 points in the first two weeks? Yeah, that team is in shambles. New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday after the team’s seventh straight loss — a 23-22 defeat by the Carolina Panthers. Allen was just 18-25 in 2.5 seasons with the Saints, and New Orleans had only scored 116 points in the last seven games (16.5 ppg) after those first two wins. The Saints go marching into rebuild mode.

3rd Down: Cowboys Collapse Continues

QB Dak Prescott ‘Out’ With Hamstring Injury

After another loss on Sunday, where Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was caught on camera mouthing “we suck,” it's more bad news for Big D. The team’s $240 million quarterback will miss significant time with a hamstring injury. Prescott left Sunday’s 27-21 loss to the Falcons with the injury, but he’s been downgraded to “out” for “multiple weeks” after an MRI revealed a bigger issue. The Cowboys are crumbling.

4th Down: NFL Trade Deadline Day

Who’s Moving by Today’s Deadline?

Buyers and sellers are coming to the table today. Will it be a quiet deadline day or a busy one? We’ve already seen multiple major receiver moves, including WR DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs), WR Amari Cooper (Bills) and WR Davante Adams (Jets). Expect some teams to call the Panthers, Jaguars, Saints, Browns and Titans in an attempt to poach some top talent. NFL Trade Deadline: Today, 4:00 pm ET

NBA

Early NBA Vibe Checks 🚨

Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images

All 30 Teams in Action Last Night — No Games Today — So Who’s Off to the Hot Starts?

The first two weeks of NBA action have given a glimpse into the season ahead. A lot can change over 82 games, but the first 10 percent of the season is almost gone. Two unbeatens remain, and two surprise bottom-dwellers are in trouble. There are no games today due to the league’s effort to encouragement voting, but that meant all 30 teams hit the floor last night. We sat and watched all 30 to get a good idea of each team's current vibes. A lot of teams should feel good after two weeks. Others? Implosion. Let’s take a look:

🔥 Firing On All Cylinders (Hot Starts)

Cleveland Cavaliers (8-0)
Oklahoma City Thunder (7-0)
Boston Celtics (7-1)
Phoenix Suns (6-1)
Golden State Warriors (6-1)

Analysis: The Thunder, Celtics and Suns don’t surprise me. I expected those lineups to shine this season. Few thought the Warriors would look this good without Klay Thompson, but here we are. And don’t look now, but the Cavs are perfect with five double-digit wins and a roster that might be good enough to go the distance. They look ready to challenge Boston for East supremacy.

📊 Still Processing (Big-Market Questions)

Los Angeles Lakers (4-3)
Dallas Mavericks (4-3)
Denver Nuggets (4-3)
New York Knicks (3-3)
Chicago Bulls (3-3)
Miami Heat (3-3)

Analysis: I don’t mind what I see from some of the large-market teams with a lot of pressure. The Lakers, Knicks, Mavs and Bulls all appear to be competitive, but maybe not thriving, yet. Dallas was my pick to win it all, and L.A. is still adjusting to J.J. Redick’s style of play. It looks like the Nuggets and Heat — the NBA Finals from two years ago — are pacing themselves. The jury is still out on the big-market squads.

❄️ Something’s Wrong Here (Cold Sweats)

Philadelphia 76ers (1-5)
Milwaukee Bucks (1-6)
Utah Jazz (1-6)

Analysis: The Bucks and 76ers have problems right now. Injuries and late-game blunders have plagued both teams early on. The Sixers are producing off-the-court headlines at a rapid clip, and the Giannis-Dame experiment in Milwaukee might come to an end sooner than later. Maybe Doc Rivers ain't it.

*If your team wasn't mentioned, they're somewhere between 2-4 wins in the middle of the pack.

NBA Highlights

Suns def. 76ers (118-116)

Kevin Durant (35 pts) Sparks 4Q Comeback

Cavs def. Bucks (116-114)

Jarrett Allen Blocks Damian Lillard to Save Win

Pacers def. Mavericks (134-127)

Tyrese Haliburton (25 pts, 12 ast)

Nuggets def. Raptors (121-119)

Nikola Jokic (28-14-13) -- 3rd Triple-Double

Full NBA Scoreboard (All-30)

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒 NHL

Kings def. Predators (3-0)

Devils def. Oilers (3-0)

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: #6 Gonzaga Buries #8 Baylor (101-63)

M: UCF Upsets #13 Texas A&M (64-61)

M: Ohio State Tops #19 Texas (80-72)

W: #1 S. Carolina Holds Off Michigan (68-62)

W: #5 UCLA Survives #17 Louisville (66-59)

W: #3 USC Escapes #20 Ole Miss (68-66)

Juju Watkins Hangs 27 Points on Rebels

STORYLINES

🏈 NFL Team Needs

Every team has a weakness after Week 9, but some are more critical than others. Here’s what every NFL team needs before today’s trade deadline at 4:00 pm ET. (Bleacher Report)

⚾️ The Juan Soto Sweepstakes

Last year, it was Shohei Ohtani’s rumor mill. This offseason, Juan Soto is the free agent with the hottest ticket to a mega contract. Can the Yankees keep him? (CBS Sports)

🏁 Breaking Down the Champ 4

All four of the drivers this year—Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and William Byron—have three wins apiece. None have led more than 600 laps this year. (FOX Sports)

NEWS 📰

⚾️ Yankees Keep Pitcher Gerrit Cole on 4-Year, $144 Million Deal (Yahoo! Sports)

🎙️ Jason Kelce Responds to Incident Where He Smashed Fan’s Phone on Video After Gay Slur (B/R)

🏀 Hyped Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg Drops 18 Points in Debut Performance (Sporting News)

🏀 Mitch Johnson to Coach Spurs After Gregg Popovich Suffers Health Issue, Out for ‘Indefinite Period’ (ESPN)

🏈 49ers Officially Open Practice Window for RB Christian McCaffrey (NBC Sports)

🏀 Pistons Players Were Forced to Take Subway to Nets Game Due to NYC Marathon (SI)