Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, MLB, and NBA Preview

Sunday, Sep 20, 2020

The second week of the NFL season offers fourteen games on the Sunday schedule. Ten games kick things off at 1 PM ET. The national game on CBS in the first window of games showcases the New York Giants traveling Soldier Field in Chicago to play the Bears. The Giants look to rebound from their 26-14 loss on Monday Night Football while Chicago hopes to build off their 27-23 upset win at Detroit last Sunday. The Bears are 5.5-point favorites with the total set of 42.5 at (all odds are courtesy of BookMaker).The national game on Fox for the 1 PM ET slate of games sees the Atlanta Falcons travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys. Both of these teams will be desperate to avoid starting the season with an 0-2 record after Atlanta lost at home to Seattle by a 38-25 score while Dallas lost in Los Angeles to the Rams last Sunday night by a 20-17 score. The Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites with the total set at 54.The second window has three games on the schedule starting with Washington traveling to Arizona for a 4:05 PM ET kickoff. The Houston Texans host the Baltimore Ravens at 4:25 PM ET. The nationally televised game for this slate of games is on CBS with Kansas City traveling to Los Angeles to play the Chargers making their debut in their new SoFi Stadium home. The Chiefs opened the new NFL season two Thursdays ago when they defeated the Texans by a 34-20 score. The Chargers eked out a 16-13 win at Cincinnati by a 16-13 margin. Kansas City is a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 50.5. The matchup for Sunday Night Football on NBC sees the New England Patriots travel to Seattle in a prime-time showdown with the Seahawks. New England won their first game in the post-Tom Brady era with a 21-11 victory at home over Miami. Seattle comes off their 38-25 win on the road against the Falcons. The Seahawks are 3.5-point favorites with an over/under of 44.The Western Conference Finals continue in the NBA playoffs on Sunday with the Los Angeles Lakers taking the first game of this best-of-seven series on Friday with their 126-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are -7.5-point favorites for Game 2 with the total set 215.5. TNT has the broadcast with the tipoff taking place just after 7:30 PM ET.MLB has sixteen games on the Sunday card with one doubleheader between Washington and Miami. TBS televises the final game of the Yankees/Red Sox series at Fenway Park at 1:07 PM ET with Deivi Garcia getting the start for New York against Boston’s former 1st round draft pick Tanner Houck. The Bronx Bombers are priced as a -180 money-line favorite with the over/under set at 9.5. ESPN has the San Francisco Giants on the road in Oakland against the A’s at 4:10 PM ET. The Giants give the ball to Tyler Anderson with the A’s countering with Mike Minor. Oakland is priced as a -155 favorite with a total of 8.5. The Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN sees Minnesota Twins play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field at 7:08 PM ET. Jose Berrios goes for the Twins with Yu Darvish on the mound for the Cubs in this pitching duel. Chicago is a -150 favorite with an over/under of 7.5.

NCAA Football: Louisville/Miami-Fla Preview

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Sep 19, 2020

The prime-time game on ABC TV on Saturday is an ACC clash between Miami and Louisville at 7:30 PM ET. The Hurricanes enter this clash ranked 17th in the nation while the Cardinals are just being them with their 18th national ranking.Miami won their opening game of the season on September 10th in a 31-14 victory at home against UAB where they were 15.5-point favorites. This was the debut of quarterback D’Eriq King for the Hurricanes after he transferred from Houston in the offseason. Second-year head coach Manny Diaz identified the Miami offense as the area that needed the most improvement after last year’s disappointing 6-7 campaign that ended in a 14-0 shutout loss to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. Upgrading the quarterback position was one step to address this problem. The second significant move that Diaz made was to hire Rhett Lashlee from SMU as the new offensive coordinator to install his up-tempo spread offense. Lashlee is a Gus Malzahn disciple who coached the high-scoring offense for the Mustangs in the last two seasons.Miami looked more prolific on offense last week against the Blazers as they generated 492 yards of offense in the victory. King completed 15 of 23 passes for 141 yards while adding another 83 yards on the ground from 12 carries. The Hurricanes rushed for an eye-popping 337 yards against UAB last week. The Miami faithful has to be encouraged how this new-look offense will gel with what appears to be another stout defensive unit. The boxscore reads that the Blazers managed only 295 yards. Going beyond the numbers, UAB had only drive that gained more than 34 yards. Louisville looks to build on their 8-5 record last season in the first year of head coach Scott Satterfield. The former Appalachian State head coach was awarded the ACC Coach of the Year by overseeing a six-win improvement over the Cardinals’ record in 2018.Louisville picked up where they left off last Saturday when they defeated Western Kentucky as a 13.5-point favorite in their opening game of the season. The Cardinals are also excited about the possibilities with their quarterback as Malik Cunningham completed 19 of 34 passes for 343 yards while leading an offense that gained 487 total yards. Louisville’s offense was explosive against the Hilltoppers with four plays that gained 40 or more yards. The final score indicates that the Cardinals allowed three touchdowns but a closer look beyond the 248 yards that Western Kentucky gained tells a better story for the Louisville defense. The Hilltoppers had two touchdown drives of one and four yards after the Cardinals had one punt blocked while another punt attempt ended with the snap dropped by the punter. Miami won the meeting between these two teams last year when they handed Louisville a 52-27 loss at Hard Rock Stadium on November 9th. The Hurricanes were 7-point favorites in that game with the total set at 50. BookMaker has the Cardinals installed as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 64.5.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics/Heat Game 3 Preview

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Sep 19, 2020

The Boston Celtics look to avoid falling behind by a 3-0 margin in the Eastern Conference finals tonight. The Celtics raced out to a 17-point lead in the 2nd quarter in Game 2 of this series on Thursday. However, Miami responded by outscoring the Celtics by a 37-17 margin in the 3rd quarter to take the lead which propelled them to a 106-101 upset victory as a closing underdog at +2.5 points (with the total dropping to 207 in some locations after opening at 210. Head coach Brad Stevens has to be concerned with his team’s inability to maintain double-digit leads in this series. The Celtics could just as easily be the ones up 2-0 in this series. Boston had a 14-point lead in the 4th quarter of Game 1 in this series on Tuesday before letting the Heat rally to force overtime before they eventually pulled out a 117-114 victory. Frustrations mounted in the Celtics’ locker room after their second blown double-digit lead which led to their second-straight upset loss in this series. It was reported that Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown got into a shouting match before things calmed down. Will these outbursts rally the team together for this critical third game? Or were the verbal altercations that took place after Game 3 evidence of a team imploding amidst two months of practice and playing every-other-day in the Orlando bubble?Help may be on the way for Boston with Gordon Hayward being upgraded from doubtful to questionable with the injured ankle that has kept him out of the playoffs since his injury in Game 1 of their opening-round series with Indiana. A Hayward return to the court could jumpstart the Celtics’ offensive attack that has struggled against Miami’s use of a 2-3 zone. However, how rusty will Hayward be with his shot if he can play tonight?Stevens will not have the services of Romeo Langford on his bench tonight as he has been ruled out with a hip injury. However, Javonte Green has been upgraded to probable after dealing with a knee. The Heat should have Andre Iguodala available tonight with him being upgraded to probable with his sore back.Game 3 is scheduled to start at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN. BetAnySports has the Celtics as a -3-point favorite which is interesting since Boston was -a 2.5-point favorite in most spots in the first two games of this series. BetAnySports has the over/under set at 207.5.Looking ahead, Game 4 of this series is set for Wednesday of next week with both Eastern Conference teams getting three days off to accommodate the Western Conference catching up with its Nuggets/Lakers series. ESPN has the game with the game time scheduled for 8:30 PM ET.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAA Football, MLB, NHL and NBA Preview

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Sep 19, 2020

The College Football slate features fifteen games between FBS opponents. Six games kick off the card at noon ET with Navy traveling to Tulane being nationally broadcast on ABC being the premier event. BetAnySports has the Green Wave as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 48.5. ESPN has Oklahoma State hosting Tulane with BetAnySports listing the Cowboys as a 23.5-point favorite with an over/under of 66. UL-Lafayette travels to Georgia State as a 15.5-point favorite at BetAnySports with the total set at 57.5 with ESPN2 getting the broadcast. ESPNU has the noon kickoff with Liberty traveling to Western Kentucky with BetAnySports posting the Hilltoppers as 14.5-point favorites with the over/under down to 52.Notre Dame hosts South Florida at 2:30 PM ET with the USA Network getting the rare telecast with NBC privileging their US Open coverage. BetAnySports has the Fighting Irish as a 25.5-point favorite with the total set at 48. Perhaps the highest-profile non-conference game of the rescheduled season takes place at 3:30 PM ET with Central Florida traveling to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. BetAnySports has the Knights as a 7-point favorite with a total of 62.5. ABC has the broadcast. ESPN2 has Troy at Middle Tennessee at 3:30 PM ET with the Trojans being a 3.5-point favorite at BetAnySports with the over/under set at 65. Appalachian State travels to Marshall for another 3:30 PM ET kickoff on CBS. The Mountaineers are a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 59.5. The slate of games under the lights in college football tonight starts at 6 PM ET with SMU traveling to North Texas for a game that will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. The Mustangs are -13.5-point favorites at BetAnySports with the total listed at 68.5. The premier matchup this evening takes place in Louisville where the Cardinals host Miami (FL) in an ACC clash that is the ABC prime-time game at 7:30 PM ET. Louisville is a 2.5-point favorite at BetAnySports with an over/under of 64.5. Louisiana Tech travels to Southern Mississippi at 7:30 PM ET with this game being broadcast by ESPN2. The Golden Eagles are -5-point favorites at BetAnySports with an over/under of 58.5. ESPNU broadcasts the Texas State game at UL-Monroe at 7:30 PM ET with the Bobcats a -5.5-point favorite at BetAnySports with a total of 62.The NBA playoffs continue tonight with Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami took a 2-0 lead in this series on Thursday with their 106-101 upset victory over the Celtics. BetAnySports has Boston installed as a 3-point favorite with the over/under set at 207.5. Tip-off is scheduled for just after 8:30 PM ET on ESPN.Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals begins tonight between the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning. BetAnySports has the Lightning as a -160 money-line favorite with the total set at 5. The puck drops at 7:40 PM ET on NBC TV.Fifteen games are on tap today in MLB with the one afternoon game of San Francisco playing at Oakland beginning the card at 4:10 PM ET. The nationally televised game on Fox TV tonight features the Atlanta Braves playing at the New York Mets at 7:15 PM ET. FS1 TV will broadcast the Tampa Bay/Baltimore AL East clash at 7:30 PM ET.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA and MLB Preview

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Sep 18, 2020

The NBA and MLB offer the main attractions for the Friday card. The opening game of the NBA Western Conference finals begins tonight with the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Denver once again rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference semifinals to upset the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday by a 104-89 score. For the third straight game, the Nuggets rallied from a deficit to upset the heavily-favored Los Angeles team. Denver outscored the Clippers in the second half by a 50-33 score to stun Doc Rivers team as a 7.5-point underdog. The victory did offer the Nuggets with their first two-day rest since play began for them in the bubble on August 1st. Denver also rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Utah in the opening round of the playoffs.The Lakers have had five full days off to rest in the bubble since they closed out their series with Houston on Saturday. Los Angeles defeated the Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals by a 119-96 score. The Lakers lost the opening game of that series but outclassed Houston and their small-ball style when head coach Frank Vogel benched JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard to take advantage of the athleticism of Anthony Davis who could move over to play the center position. It will be interesting to watch if Vogel continues the smaller lineups with Davis playing at the 5 or if McGee and Howard get back on the court to defend the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. These two teams played four times in the regular season with the Lakers winning three of those games. The last meeting between these two teams was in the bubble on August 10th when Los Angeles outlasted Denver by a 124-121 score as a 5-point closing favorite. The game is set to start shortly after 9 PM ET on TNT. BookMaker lists Los Angeles as a 7.5-point favorite tonight with the total set at 210.5. Major League Baseball has an 18-game card on tap for Friday with three doubleheaders. St. Louis plays at Pittsburgh with that doubleheader starting at 4:05 PM ET which also begins the MLB slate of games. Toronto and Philadelphia pair of 7-inning games also start at 4:05 PM ET. The third doubleheader starts at 5:05 PM ET with Washington playing at Miami. FS1 will be televising both games. The opener sees Erick Fedde pitching for the Nationals against the Marlins rookie Sixto Sanchez. The Marlins’ phenom is 3-1 this season with a sparkling 1.69 ERA. Miami is one of the surprises in this shortened season as their 25-23 record would currently put them in the expanded National League playoffs. The defending World Series champions disappointed with an 18-29 record which puts them last in the NL East. Fedde has struggled with a 1-3 mark along with a 5.06 ERA. The nightcap is scheduled at 8:10 PM ET with Washington leaning on their bullpen with Will Crowe serving as their opener. Miami counters with Dan Castano.

NFL Sunday Night Football: New England Patriots/Seattle Seahawks Preview

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Sep 17, 2020

The Sunday Night Football matchup on NBC features two playoff teams coming off victories in the opening week of the season.New England unveiled their new offense under the direction of Cam Newton last Sunday. Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel threw out the Tom Brady offensive playbook while going back to their old Jacoby Brissett blueprints they had to use a few years ago when Brady was suspended for four games to conclude the Deflate-gate saga. Between a mix of quarterback options and designed running plays, Newton ran the ball 15 times for 75 yards while reaching the end zone two times. Newton also completed 15 of his 19 passes for 155 yards with no interceptions while showing no physical limitations to the multiple injuries he had suffered in his last few seasons in Carolina for the Panthers. The Patriots defeated AFC East rival Miami by a 21-11 score with their defense also flexing their muscles by holding the Dolphins to just 169 yards of offense. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll already has a book on Newton with the Seahawks having to contend with him and the Panthers a few times in the NFC playoffs over the years. The Seattle defensive coaching staff will have ideas as to how to slow down Newton’s running threat. Seattle traveled to Atlanta last week to defeat the Falcons by a 38-25 score as a small road favorite. Russell Wilson was spectacular as he completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards with four touchdown passes while gaining another 29 yards with his legs. The Seahawks surprised the Falcons’ defense by throwing the ball nine straight times at one point in the first quarter to catch Atlanta defensive coordinator Raheem Morris off-balance after he had coached the defense to prioritize stopping Chris Carson and the Seattle ground game. Did this opening game demonstrate that Carroll had decided to listen to his critics and “let Russ cook” by opening up the passing game early in that contest? Perhaps this was a gambit designed to stymie his former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, who may have assured Morris about what Carroll’s directives would be for his offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer? Was Carroll thinking ahead to this Patriots game on deck with those opening game tactics working as misdirection for his game plan this week? Is a return to the Seahawks’ commitment to run the football with Carson and their new running back Carlos Hyde against the New England defense imminent?These two teams last played in November of 2016 when Seattle traveled to Foxboro to upset the Patriots by a 31-24 score as a 7.5-point underdog. That game was a rematch of their Super Bowl showdown the previous February which New England won by a 28-24 score when the Seahawks bypassed giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch for a quick inside slant pass by Russell Wilson that Malcolm Butler intercepted in the end zone.BetOnline listed Seattle as the favorite late in the week at home at CenturyLink Field laying 4.5 points with the over/under set at 44.5. The kickoff on NBC is scheduled for 8:20 PM ET Sunday night.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA Preview

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Sep 17, 2020

All four major sports return to action on Thursday after MLB monopolized the card on Wednesday. Week 2 of the NFL kicks off tonight at 8:20 PM ET on the NFL Network with the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Cleveland to face the Browns. The Bengals come off a 16-13 loss on Sunday at home to the Chargers after kicker Randy Bullock missed a game-tying 31-yard field goal as time expired that would have sent the game into overtime. The bright side for Cincinnati was the play of their rookie quarterback Joe Burrow. While he only passed for 193 yards on a 23 of 36 passing day, it was his composure and efficiency in operating the two-minute drill to put the Bengals in the position to win or send the game into overtime that gives the Cincinnati faithful excitement for his bright future. Cleveland got punched in the mouth to quote Baker Mayfield on Sunday in a 38-6 loss at Baltimore. The Ravens raced out to a 24-6 lead by halftime to control that game. Both teams are already dealing with a bevy of injuries so checking on the status of the injury report for both teams will be worthwhile. Cincinnati may be without defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels, strong safety Shawn Williams, and right guard Xavier Su’a File. Cleveland has an injured secondary with cornerbacks Greedy Williams, Kevin Johnson, and Robert Jackson dealing with injuries along with linebackers Mack Wilson and Jacob Phillips, and wide receiver Jarvis Landry questionable for this game on a short week. BookMaker lists the Browns as a 6-point favorite with the total set at 43.5.The Eastern Conference finals continue tonight in the NBA with the second game of the Miami/Boston series. The Heat upset the Celtics in the opening game of this best-of-seven affair on Tuesday with their 117-114 victory as a 1.5-point underdog (the total closed at 208 at BookMaker). Miami trailed by 14 points early in the 4th quarter but outscored the Celtics by a 35-23 margin to steal that game. Tip-off is set for 7:15 PM ET on ESPN. BookMaker has Boston as a -2.5-point favorite with the total set at 209.The Stanley Cup playoffs return this evening with Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders playing the sixth game of the Eastern Conference finals. New York extended this series to a sixth game on Tuesday when Jordan Eberle scored at the 7:30 mark of the second overtime period to give the Islanders a 2-1 victory. The puck drops at 8:10 PM ET on the NBC Sports Network. BookMaker has the Lightning a -160 money line favorite with the over/under set at 5.Major League Baseball has a twelve game card on tap for Thursday. Three double-headers will be taking place starting with Boston’s game at Miami which begins the MLB card at 1:10 PM ET. San Francisco and Seattle’s twin bill starts at 4:10 PM ET while the Tampa Bay-Baltimore set of 7-inning contests starts at 4:35 PM ET.

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Preview

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Sep 16, 2020

The Wednesday card is the first time since July 29th that there is not an NBA or NHL game available for bettors. Major League Baseball commands the stage today with sixteen games on the schedule including the seven-inning doubleheader between St. Louis and Milwaukee with the first pitch for the first game taking place at 5:10 PM ET.The action begins at 1:10 PM ET with Washington playing at Tampa Bay. The Nationals will be using Austin Voth as their starting pitcher. The Rays will be opening with Pete Fairbanks with Josh Fleming expected to come on in the second inning to serve as their bulk inning pitcher. ESPN takes advantage of the dearth of competing sporting events with a triple-header. Their opening game starts at 4 PM with the Los Angeles Dodgers playing at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres in a battle of the two teams with the best record in the National League. San Diego saw their eight-game winning streak snapped in the opening game of this series yesterday in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers. Los Angeles begins today with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Padres in the NL West race. They had planned to send out Dustin May as their starting pitcher but it looks like Brusdar Graterol will instead work as the opener before May comes in to serve as the bulk inning pitcher. May was struck in the leg by a line drive in his last start on Thursday in Arizona so this is a way for manager Dave Roberts to lighten the workload today for his promising “Gingergaard.” San Diego had penciled in Chris Paddack to pitch this game but after the loss manager, Jayce Tingler decided to give his right-handed another couple days of rest to rehabilitate his sprained right ankle. Tingler has opted for a bullpen day with rookie Adrian Morejon being the opener. BookMaker lists the Dodgers as of this writing as a -111 favorite with the over/under set at 9.The second game on ESPN presents the New York Mets sending Jacob DeGrom to the mound in Philadelphia to face the Phillies. DeGrom may be on pace for another National League Cy Young Award with his 1.67 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP which has helped lead to a 4-1 record for him this season. Philadelphia counters with Zack Wheeler who will be making his first start since September 7th after splitting the fingernail of the middle finger of his pitching hand in a bizarre wardrobe malfunction incident. The right-hander is 4-0 in eight starts with the Phillies this summer with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. BookMaker lists the Mets as a -170 favorite with a 7.5 total.The nightcap on ESPN will feature the second game of the Diamondbacks/Angels series. Arizona won the first game of this series last night with their 9-8 victory. Caleb Smith makes his second start for the team after making two appearances each lasting three innings after being to start this season with COVID. He has a 3.00 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP in his six innings so far this year. Los Angeles counters with Dylan Bundy who continues his breakout season with his 5-2 record along with a 2.48 ERA. BookMaker lists the Angels as a -212 favorite with the total set at 9. This game is scheduled to start at 9:40 PM ET.

NFL Stock Rising and Falling: Week 2

by Sean Murphy

Tuesday, Sep 15, 2020

The 2020 NFL season is off and running following an entertaining opening week. Here’s a quick look around the league in our latest edition of ‘Stock Rising and Falling’.Stock Rising:Los Angeles RamsThe Rams were better than advertised in their So-Fi Stadium debut, dominating in the trenches in a 20-17 victory over the Cowboys. After a tough 2019 campaign, Los Angeles looked a whole lot like the team that reached the Super Bowl two years ago. Improved offensive line play keyed the victory as QB Jared Goff was given time to operate and long-tenured Rams RB Malcolm Brown was one of the breakout stars of the week. Next up is a trip to Philadelphia to face the injury-ravaged Eagles. New England PatriotsLet’s not get too excited about the Patriots opening-week victory. After all, it did come at the expense of the rebuilding Dolphins. With that being said, there were a lot of positives to take away. QB Cam Newton looked comfortable in and out of the pocket, and perhaps most importantly to Pats fans and backers, he looked healthy. There will be tougher tests ahead but the Pats defense held up well, picking off Fins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on three occasions and limiting the Miami offense to just 278 total yards. New England will be in the national spotlight on the road against the Seahawks next Sunday night.Green Bay PackersAfter a slow start, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was able to shake off the rust and surgically pick apart the Vikings defense. Everything clicked from the second quarter on for the Green Bay offense, racking up nearly 500 total yards of offense in the 43-34 victory. The defense didn’t have to be great, but came up with enough key plays (two sacks and an interception) to hold on. The Pack will have an excellent shot at a 2-0 start as they host the reeling Lions next Sunday.Stock Falling:Philadelphia EaglesEverything looked great for a quarter-and-a-half in Washington. After that the wheels fell off on the offensive line, which is dealing with a number of key absences. QB Carson Wentz was sacked eight times and threw a pair of interceptions. Philadelphia essentially gift-wrapped the game for Washington, handing the offense short field after short field to work with. Unfortunately there’s no magic formula to cure the o-line’s woes with a scary date with Aaron Donald and the Rams coming on Sunday.Detroit LionsThe Lions played well for three quarters in their opener against the rival Bears on Sunday. Then the wheels fell off. Blowing a 17-point lead against what appeared to be an inept Chicago offense for three quarters serves as a serious gut-punch right out of the gate. Keep in mind, the Lions were already a team with fragile confidence. In a crowded NFC North division, Detroit suddenly finds itself keying up for a big road date with the Packers this coming Sunday.Carolina PanthersThe Panthers weren’t far from a victory in their season-opener but there was still plenty of cause for concern. The Carolina defense has seen an incredible amount talent walk out the door in the last couple of years and it showed against the Raiders. That was particularly true against the run as Raiders RB Josh Jacobs was afforded all the open field he could handle. On offense, it was once again the Christian McCaffrey show. The problem is one player can only do so much. If the Panthers defense doesn’t right the ship their offense will have a tough time coming out on the winning end of many shootouts. As mentioned earlier, Carolina will travel to face Tom Brady and the Bucs next.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL and MLB Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Sep 14, 2020

The NBA playoff doubleheader is the main attraction on the Tuesday betting card. The Eastern Conference Finals begin at 6:30 PM ET on ESPN with Game 1 of the Miami/Boston series. The Heat have won eight of their last nine games after taking care of Milwaukee in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That series ended last Tuesday which gave Miami a full week off while being stuck in the Orlando bubble. Boston outlasted Toronto to defeat the reigning NBA champions winning a climactic seventh game by a 92-87 score on Friday. The Celtics received three days off before starting this series so they should not be at a disadvantage when it comes to rest. These two teams played each other three times in the regular season with Boston winning the first two contests before Miami upset them on August 4th in the bubble by a 112-106 score as a 4-point underdog. The Celtics opened as a 1.5-point favorite at BookMaker with the total set at 211.5. The over/under has been bet down at BookMaker to 209.5. The nightcap features the unexpected but highly dramatic seventh game of the Western Conference semifinals series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers looked to be in command going into the weekend with a 3-1 series lead and a 9-point favorite in Game 5. Even after a 111-105 upset loss on Friday, Doc Rivers’ team still closed around a 9-point favorite for Game 6 on Sunday. Yet another second-half comeback for the Nuggets had them rally to upset the Clippers once again by a 111-98 score to force their fifth playoff Game 7 in the last two seasons. Given those circumstances, Los Angeles opened as a lower 7-point favorite with the total set at 211.5. Initial betting action pushed the Clippers up to a 7.5-point favorite with the over/under dropping to 207.5, as of this writing. ESPN will broadcast this game after the first game ends with the expected tipoff time being no earlier than 9 PM ET.The Stanley Cup playoffs continue tonight with the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa Bay took a 3-1 lead in this series on Sunday when they defeated the New York Islanders by a 4-1 score. The oddsmakers responded by installing the Lightning as a -165 favorite, and it now sits at -170 at BookMaker. The total is 5o -40. The broadcast will begin at 8 PM ET on the NBC Sports Network. Major League Baseball has a full 15-game card on tap for Tuesday. Three games begin the schedule at 6:40 PM ET with Washington traveling to Tampa Bay along with Boston playing at Minnesota and Pittsburgh at Cincinnati. FS1 has the Arizona-Los Angeles Angels game which will feature a pitching matchup between Madison Bumgarner and Julio Teheran. That game starts at 9:30 PM ET.The playoffs start in the WNBA tonight as well with ESPN2 broadcasting a single-elimination doubleheader. Connecticut and Chicago tip things off at 7 PM ET with Washington and Phoenix following that up at 9 PM ET.

NFL Thursday Night Football: Browns/Bengals Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Sep 14, 2020

The second week of the NFL season begins on Thursday with a pair of AFC North teams looking to rebound from losses on Sunday. Cincinnati has mixed emotions after suffering a 16-13 loss at home to the Los Angeles Chargers. Kicker Randy Bullock missed a chip-shot 31-yard field goal as time expired that would have forced overtime. Yet the organization has to feel very encouraged by what they saw in the debut of their franchise quarterback. Joe Burrow’s stat line was not eye-popping. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 193 yards while throwing a bad interception to Chargers’ defensive end Melvin Ingram on an ill-advised shuffle pass. However, Burrow had the chops of a wily veteran in operating the two-minute drill which began on the Bengals’ 18-yard line> He calmly marched his team to the Chargers’ 3-yard line before settling for the 31-yard field goal after an offensive pass interference call. Burrow was also impressive with an audible at the line of scrimmage that resulted in a 23-yard designed quarterback draw that resulted in the first touchdown of his professional career.There are few bright spots that Cleveland can take from their 38-6 thumping by the Ravens in Baltimore. Baker Mayfield completed only 21 of his 39 passes for only 189 yards. It was not an inspiring debut for new head coach Kevin Stefanski considering that the Freddy Kitchens-coached offense put up 40 points against the Baltimore defense on the road last September 29th when the Browns upset the Ravens by a 40-25 score. Cleveland believes they have the talent of a playoff team. An 0-2 start might be the match that lights the fire under this powder keg. The Browns ran the ball 27 times for 138 yards with Nick Chubb getting ten carries and Kareem Hunt getting another thirteen rushing attempts. Mayfield targeted Odell Beckham ten times but that resulted in only three catches for 22 yards. Mayfield reflected after the game: “Sometimes a wakeup call is pretty good for everybody — a nice punch in the mouth, and that is how we should take it." Placekicker Austin Seibert will not be getting a courtesy wake-up call with the Browns cutting him on Monday after he missed an extra point and a 40-yard field goal. He was replaced by the kicker he beat out in training camp, Cody Parker.Injuries could play a significant role when assessing this game played on short rest. The Browns are banged up in their secondary with cornerbacks Greedy Williams and Kevin Johnson out for that Ravens game before cornerback Robert Jackson departed with a finger injury. They then placed tight end David Njoku on injured reserve on Monday after he injured his knee in that game. Cincinnati is dealing with injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well with the most notable being defensive tackle Geno Atkins questionable with a shoulder. These teams split their two meetings with the Browns winning at home as a 6.5-point favorite on December 8th by a 27-19 score (going over the 43.5 total) before the Bengals exacted revenge on December 29th with their 33-23 upset victory at home as a 2.5-point closing under (going over the 44 point total). Cleveland opened at BookMaker as an 8.5-point favorite with the total set at 46 but those numbers have been bet down with the Browns laying 5.5 points as of this writing, with the over/under at 44. Kickoff is set for 8:20 PM ET on the NFL Network.

NFL Stock Rising and Falling: Week 1

by Sean Murphy

Wednesday, Sep 09, 2020

We've made it. It feels like an eternity since Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy back in February but here we are, on the eve Week 1 of what promises to be a truly unique 2020 season. Now is a great time to take stock, so to speak, of which teams are poised to rise and fall as we kick things off this weekend.Stock Rising:Baltimore RavensIt may seem hard to believe the Ravens stock can go much higher after a phenomenal 2019 campaign that ultimately ended in playoff disappointment. I actually feel Baltimore could be even better here in 2020. There's just so much talent coming back to the fold - on both sides of the football - not to mention the coaching staff, which is somewhat unique in today's NFL. I fully expect Baltimore to pick up right where it left off last regular season and what a great starting point against a very beatable Browns squad on Sunday afternoon.Arizona CardinalsThe Cardinals are suddenly a trendy sleeper pick in the NFC West and while I'm not one to side with the masses, I tend to agree that the Cards could be in for a terrific year. QB Kyler Murray is obviously poised to take a big step forward in his sophomore year, and he'll be given every opportunity to succeed with the addition of all-world WR DeAndre Hopkins, and an underrated stable of running backs led by Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds. With that being said, Arizona's defense still has plenty of holes, so count on plenty of shootouts in games involving the Cards this season.Indianapolis ColtsThe Colts have quietly been building something positive down in Indy over the past few seasons and now they have a legitimate chance to take a leap forward with a rock solid defense and an offense that could be better than expected with a few new faces in the fold. Of course, the Colts big offseason move was acquiring a proven quarterback in Philip Rivers. While he's not going to light the AFC on fire, I do think he's a good fit in this offense. Don't sleep on rookie RB Jonathan Taylor either. He should fit in just fine running and catching behind an offensive line that returns mostly intact. Stock Falling:San Francisco 49ersHear me out on this one. The 49ers are the defending NFC champions and a popular pick to return to the Super Bowl in February. I'm expecting some regression, however, as the Niners open the campaign with a number of key absences on the defensive side of the football as well as on the offensive line. That strikes a major blow to San Francisco's identity, which is built on playing airtight defense and bludgeoning opposing defenses with a run-heavy offense. Playing in an improved NFC West doesn't help matters. Houston TexansOutside of QB DeShaun Watson, there's really not a lot to like about the Texans entering the new season. First they take away Watson's biggest weapon in WR DeAndre Hopkins. Then they do nothing to help what was a pitiful pass rush a year ago. Yes, Houston added the likes of RB David Johnson and WR Brandin Cooks but both carry plenty of baggage on the injury front (Cooks is already missing practice time). The schedule-makers did the Texans no favors giving them a rematch with the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs on opening night.Jacksonville JaguarsThere are whispers of 'tanking' in Jacksonville as the Jaguars have become a shell of their former selves. What was once a loaded young defensive corps has been left ravaged and ripe for the picking against a tough AFC South. QB Gardner Minshew brought plenty of excitement to the offense a year ago, but his weapons are few and far between. Expect the Jags defense to spend a lot of time on the field, giving the offense precious little time to inflict much damage, and without the necessary tools to do so.

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