Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

How Many QB Hits Are Too Many? Assessing Joe Burrow's Season-Ending Injury

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

When Joe Burrow suffered his season-ending in Week 11 of the NFL season with a gruesome leg injury, many observers thought that this outcome was inevitable given the punishment the rookie was consistently facing. In hindsight, the statistics are staggering regarding how the Cincinnati Bengals treated their franchise quarterback. Burrow endured his injury in the third quarter against a Washington team with one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. He had already attempted 34 passes at that point of the game, while being on track to approach 50 throws in the game. These efforts were all for a team that was 2-6-1 at the time, and far out of the AFC playoff race. Burrow’s rookie season ended with him attempting 404 passes in his 8 1/2 games played. But it is not just his pass attempts that is the concern. Burrow was playing behind a suspect offensive line that made a season-ending injury a significant risk. Burrow was sacked 32 times. However, sacks are an insufficient measurement of the damage he was absorbing. Burrow also took 53 hits in the pocket. When then adding the 34 rushing attempts he made where he was tackled, the result is that Burrow had been subject to 125 significant hits from opposing defenders in just over half a season. Is approaching 250 hits a sustainable number for a quarterback to stay healthy?There was intriguing research done on the toll of high-usage in bell-cow running backs in the early 2000s. Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders dubbed the phrase “the Curse of 370” when detailing the tendency for running backs who had 370 touches from rushing attempts and receptions had on the future productivity (https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2004/ricky-williams-retires). I find it surprising that similar research has not been undertaken to attempt to identify if there is a correlation between hits on the quarterback and injury. To be fair, I may be unaware of such research. Such work is not being addressed in the higher-profile pieces I have read arguing for passing the football in seemingly every instance despite the ancillary risk this strategy has in putting the quarterback’s health at risk. In researching this article, I did come across a promising fantasy football site that does attempt to measure this data: https://sportsinjurypredictor.com. However, I would be interested in research that attempted to determine that theoretical magic number regarding the number of hits a quarterback endures before the risk of injury seems to significantly rise. Jamey Eisenberg made some conclusions regarding running backs for his CBS Fantasy Football work in 2014 that illuminates how similar work could be undertaken regarding hits on the quarterback: “We went back and looked at the past 10 years for running backs who had 400 touches in a season, including the playoffs, and found 27 occasions where it happened for 17 different running backs. Of those 27 times, only five -- Edgerrin James (2004), LaDainian Tomlinson (2005), James again (2005), Adrian Peterson (2009) and Ray Rice (2011) -- produced an increase in Fantasy points the following season, and you can see all the data in our chart below. The 22 other examples where a running back hit 400 touches over that span showed varying results -- all negative. Two running backs -- Tiki Barber and Ricky Williams -- retired following consecutive seasons with 400 touches. And nine times a running back suffered an injury -- Arian Foster (2013), Peterson (2013), Michael Turner (2009), Steven Jackson (2007), Larry Johnson (2007), Shaun Alexander (2006), Clinton Portis (2006), Curtis Martin (2005) and Jamal Lewis (2004) -- that caused him to miss games following a 400-touch campaign. Some of those injuries could be attributed to the heavy workload the year before.” (https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/offseason-extra-the-year-after-400-plus-touches/)Identifying a theoretical number of hits absorbed where the risks of injury significantly increased for a quarterback would be fascinating. It would certainly better inform the debates regarding offensive run versus pass strategy. And this level of scholarship might have compelled the Bengals to run the ball a bit more to save their star rookie quarterback from sustaining an injury that may put his 2021-22 season into jeopardy. Best of luck — Frank.

Early College Basketball Trends - Shooting Percentages are Up

by Team Del Genio

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

The early data regarding shooting numbers for the 2020-21 college basketball season demonstrate clear trends that shooting percentages are on the rise. Using the data at kenpom.com after the first six days of the season, the numbers demonstrate these upward trends. Division I teams are making 69.4% of their free-throw attempts, which is the highest mark ever. D-I teams made 69.1% of their free throws in 2017, which is the highest shooting clip for an entire season. Teams are shooting 49.7% inside the arc, which is the second-highest shooting percentage for 2-point shots. D-I teams made 49.9% of their 2-pointers in the 2018-19 season. The data on 3-pointers is muddier, but the trends are still on the upswing this season. Teams are making 32.6% of their shots from 3-point land with is +0.6% higher than last season. However, teams are also taking 37.7% of their field goal attempts from 3-point land versus last season when 37.4% of the shots were 3-pointers, so teams are more aggressive with their 3-point shooting and still making more of them. This 37.7% clip of field goal attempts being from behind the 3-point line is the second-highest behind the 2018-19 season when 39.0% of field goal attempts were 3-pointers. What accounts for this improved shooting? The most likely reason is the lack of fans in the arenas. The quieter gyms and the lack of activity from the fans lead to fewer distractions for the shooter. This dynamic seems most apparent with the improved shooting at the charity stripe. Players have also commented that the lack of fans in the stands has improved the sightlines for the players. Scottie Pippen has commented that these games without fans bring players back to their extensive pickup game experience. These observations are consistent with the results in the NBA when they played in the Orlando bubble. Until the oddsmakers and the betting public adjust to these trends, there likely will be an increase in the situations where the totals' value is with betting the over the number. Good luck - TDG.

"Let Russ Cook?" - Confirming Some Priors From Last Month

by Hollywood Sports

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

I wrote last month about some of the negative consequences to the “Let Russ Cook” mantra coming from many NFL observers and Russell Wilson fans regarding the Seattle Seahawks opened up their passing game in the first half of their games. The Seahawks went on a two-game losing streak in the middle of November with losses against Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams, which were Wilson’s two worst games of the season. Wilson was responsible for seven turnovers himself, including four interceptions. The conventional wisdom was that the coaching staff was asking him to do too much. Head coach Pete Carroll appears to have taken a step back from the “Let Russ Cook” philosophy in their 28-21 victory on Thursday Night Football on November 19th. For the second time all season, Seattle ran the ball more than they passed — they had 31 rush attempts for 165 yards, with Wilson completing 23 of his 28 pass attempts. He did not commit a turnover. The commitment to running the ball also helped them control possession of 35:07 minutes of that game, which kept Kyler Murray off the field. Arizona managed only 314 total yards in what was the fewest yards the Seattle defense had allowed all season. Those 314 yards were also the second-lowest mark that the Cardinals had generated in a game up to that point of the season. That performance is evidence of two of the benefits of running the football that too many in the football analytics community fail to appreciate when critiquing the “establish the run” mentality. First, running the football lowers the propensity of the quarterback turning the ball over. Fewer pass attempts are fewer opportunities to throw interceptions. And the quarterback will fumble the ball less if the ball is not in this hand. Of course, the player with the football can still turn the ball over with a fumble mistake, but it would be interesting to study if quarterbacks in the pocket are more susceptible to a fumble than running backs. Running backs expect to be hit while quarterbacks focused on passing the ball are vulnerable to blindside hits. Second, running the football burns time off the clock, which can lead to fewer offensive possessions from the opposing offense. Murray (or Deshaun Watson, et al) can not score from the sidelines. And defensive players who asked to play fewer snaps retain more energy at the end of the game. Some defensive coaches make the case that defensive players only have about 50 plays in them before their productivity begins to decline. That would be another intriguing area to study. Seattle goes into their Monday Night Football game at Philadelphia to conclude Week Twelve of the season with 33 sacks on the quarterback. That mark ranks 30th in the league. The Seahawks are also 31st in the NFL in Adjusted Sack Rate on offense. With quarterbacks like Joe Burrow out the year with season-ending injuries, asking Russ to cook a little less may also be the best way he can still be in the kitchen come playoff time. Best of luck for us — Frank.

Ness Notes: Monday, Nov 30

by Larry Ness

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

This column will be available Monday through Friday (posted no later than 1:00 ET), EXCLUSIVELY at BigAl.com. I like to call it my daily 'random thoughts' on the sports betting world, although I'll pass along that my therapist refers to it as "thoughtful commentary."MNF: In normal times (we are FAR from that at the present moment), tonight's Seahawks/Eagles game in Philadelphia would close out Week 12 of the NFL. As it stands now, Sunday's game between the Ravens and Steelers has been rescheduled to Tuesday and would stand as the final game of the current week. However, here's the latest. The NFL canceled the Baltimore Ravens' practice for Monday morning. The Ravens are in the midst of one of the biggest outbreaks in professional sports with at least one positive test for the past eight days. Baltimore has officially placed 18 players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in the past week. As I've been saying all season, "fingers crossed." Getting back to MNF, the 7-3 Seattle Seahawks got some help on Sunday, as the Cards lost 20-17 in New England to the Pats and the 49ers upset the Rams 23-20 in LA. That drops the Rams to 7-4 and the Cards to 6-5. Seattle would move to 8-3 with a win. In stark contrast, Week 12 has NOT gone well for the Eagles, as Washington and the NY Giants both won 19-17, moving to 4-7. That means the 3-6-1 Eagles must win to inch back ahead of their two NFC 'Least' rivals. Kickoff is at 8:15 ET on ESPN with Seattle favored by 6 1/2-points (over/under is 49). Looking ahead, I'll move my NFL 12 recap to Wednesday.CFB recap: the week began on Thanksgiving with a game few care about other than the people in Logan, Ut, who saw the Utah State Aggies win for the first time in 2020, 41-27 over New Mexico. The Aggies moved to 1-4 and New Mexico remained winless on the season at 0-5. NINE games were played on Friday, with FIVE ranked teams in action, including top-25 matchups (note: I will continue to use the AP rankings, not the CFP ones) between No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 25 North Carolina and No. 15 Iowa St at No. 20 Texas. Notre Dame won 31-17 (shut out high-scoring North Carolina in the second half) for its 15th straight win (longest among FBS teams). Iowa St edged Texas 23-20 (first win in Austin since 2010) and is now a near 'lock' to play in the Big 12 title game. No. 1 Alabama would rout No. 19 Auburn 42-13 in the Iron Bowl (Mac Jones threw five TD passes), as the higher ranked team won and covered the only three matchups of the weekend between top-25 opponents. Nothing surprising in those results, as higher ranked teams are now 21-5 (.808) SU and 19-7 (73.1%) ATS in meetings between top-25 opponents in the college football season to-date.Including Friday's game with No. 9 Oregon visiting Oregon St in the "Civil War" rivalry, 10 ranked teams met unranked opponents (note: six more were either postponed or canceled). Here's what I wrote in last Friday's Notes. Ranked teams went a perfect 14-0 SU against unranked opponents from Nov 3-7 but still could NOT win more than 50 percent ATS, going 6-7-1. However, when 'all the dust had settled' from the week of Nov 10-15, ranked teams had gone 12-1 SU against unranked opponents (then-No. 19 SMU's loss to Tulsa being the exception) and more significantly, a MONEY-MAKING 11-2 ATS! That trend continued in games from Nov 17-21, as ranked teams went 11-1 SU and a solid 8-4 ATS. That's a three-week run of 37-2 (.949) SU and 25-13-1 (65.8%) ATS. The Y-T-D numbers sat at 105-24 (.814) SU and 61-66-2 (48.0%) ATS. I opined, "Can (will) ranked teams finally go over .500 ATS after this Thanksgiving weekend?" The verdict is in and the answer is no. Ranked teams did go 8-2 SU but were just 5-5 ATS. The SU losers were No. 9 Oregon losing 41-38 at Oregon St and No. 11 Northwestern losing 29-20 at Northwestern. Doing the math, ranked teams are now 113-26 (.813) SU but still sub-500 ATS at 66-71-2 (48.2%). Of the six games canceled among the group of ranked vs unranked matchups, NONE had more ramifications than No. 3 Ohio St (No. 4 in the CFP standings) losing its game at Illinois. The Buckeyes are now 4-0 (have had two games canceled) and will HAVE to play their final two games or they will be ineligible for the Big Ten championship. What a development that would be.The new AP poll was released on Sunday The top-eight remained the same for the FOURTH straight week and to no one's surprise, Alabama got all 62 first-place votes for the second consecutive week. Alabama has now been ranked for 209 straight polls, tying the Florida Gators *1990-2002) for the third-longest streak in CFB history. Florida State's 211 consecutive weeks (from 1989-2001) is up next but the Tide have a LONG way to go to catch Nebraska's amazing run of 348 weeks from 1981-2002. Remember when Nebraska football mattered? Oregon fell from No. 9 to No. 21, with Miami moving up to No. 9 (from No. 10) and Indiana moving back to No. 10 from No. 12. Washington is No.23 and ranked for the first time this season. No. 24 Iowa opened the season 0-2 but with four straight wins is back in after opening at No. 24 in the preseason poll. Taking the No. 25 spot is Liberty, after falling out last week after a 15-14 loss at NC State. No. 20 Texas, No. 22 Auburn and No. 25 North Carolina all dropped out. Auburn was ranked No. 11 in the preseason and rose to as high as No. 7 this season, Texas opened No. 14 in the preseason and got as high as No. 9 and North Carolina opened the season No. 18 but climbed as high as No. 5. NOT a good week for those programs.I'm pushing back my NFL Week 12 recap to Wednesday and will feature the highs (still unbeaten CFB teams) and lows (still winless teams) of CFB 2020. The first regular season AP poll of the 2020-21 CBB season will come out Monday and I'll comment on that plus check in on the comings and goings of the first six days of college hoops, so far.Good luck...Larry

Why is the NFL Seeing a Record in Double-Digit Comeback Victories?

by Team Del Genio

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

There were another two double-digit comeback victories in Week 12 of the NFL season. New England trailed Arizona by a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter before rallying to defeat the Cardinals by a 20-17 score. Minnesota came back from 21-10 and 24-13 scores shock Carolina by a 28-27 margin.There have now been 35 comeback victories where a team rallied after trailing by at least 10 points. That is an NFL record through twelve weeks of a season. Through the first nine weeks of the season, at least one team had rallied from a deficit of at least 13 points to win their game. The only other time that had happened in NFL history in each of the first nine weeks of a season was in 2015.Why are these big comebacks happening more often? Certainly, some of the reason is the continued sophistication of passing offenses that can strike quickly. What team better embodies this aspect of the game than the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs? Led by Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs demonstrated no double-digit lead was safe in their championship run last season. However, Kansas City is not the reason why 35 teams have rallied from double-digit deficits to win their game.The most significant difference in this season from previous ones is the lack of large crowds in stadiums. There are two reasons why the lack of loud crowd noise helps the offense, especially in critical situations when fans may be at their most energetic. First, fan noise produces pressure. For the road team, loud noise can be rattling. For the home team, loud noise can add to the pressure they are experiencing to execute and succeed. For home and road teams, noise is a distraction. Many players and teams have learned to not find the noise distracting. Yet it is easier to concentrate in a quieter environment. Second, the lack of crowd noise helps the offense execute at the line of scrimmage. This intangible seems particularly important when operating a no-huddle quick offense where the quarterback calls out plays at the line of scrimmage. Often quarterbacks have to resort to hand signals if his voice cannot be heard over the crowd. Communicating plays at the line of scrimmage is much easier without many fans in the building. It is interesting to note that underdogs are 97-74-2 against-the-spread after twelve weeks of the season. The data might uncover a disproportionate number of backdoor covers like with Philadelphia’s late point spread cover against Seattle for Monday Night Football that was cemented after a completed Hail Mary and the subsequent two-point conversion. The success teams have in the passing attack late in games is producing comeback victories and garbage points for the trailing team. The unique circumstances without large crowds this season may add some value to the underdog. This phenomenon may also make in-game betting on some underdogs worthy of consideration.Good luck - TDG.

Mike Tyson/Roy Jones Jr. Recap

by Ben Burns

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

by Ben BurnsI'm not ashamed to admit that I watched Saturday's boxing "exhibition." It was somewhat entertaining. However, I'm a little reluctant to admit that I actually bet on the "fight."Watching Tyson and Jones Jr. felt a lot like watching Thai boxing in an outdoor bar in Thailand. It looked and felt real, but there was also the feeling that the contestants were there to put on a show. It appeared that Tyson, who apparently had dropped 100 pounds to get down to 220, was landing some decent shots and that he was capable of taking Jones out at any time. Yet, it didn't happen. Roy did a lot of clinching and avoided the fatal blow. The decision of a draw was obviously a joke. Tyson won the fight. What do you think, was the result predetermined? While he may not have been awarded the decision, I'd say that Tyson still came out as a big winner. He got his name in the spotlight and actually looked pretty good in the ring. He also ended up coming across like a "good guy." Not only did he reportedly give a lot of the profits to charity, he was also gracious, despite being robbed by the judges. Only in 2020.

Big Al's Daily Angle: EPL, NCAA Basketball and NFL Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

The Monday sports card features the conclusion of Week 12 of the National Football League along with college basketball and two matches in the English Premier League.The college basketball card begins in the afternoon, including games in the Maui Invitational, which is taking place this year in Asheville, North Carolina. The opener of this tournament takes place at noon ET on ESPN2 with Texas playing Davidson. The Longhorns are 8-point favorites, with the total set at 136.5. At 2:30 PM ET on ESPN2 in the Maui Invitational (in Asheville), Indiana plays Providence. The Hoosiers are a 1-point favorite with an over/under of 140 (all odds from BetOnline).At 6 PM ET, St. John’s plays Boston College on ESPN at the Mohegan Sun Arena mini-bubble in Uncasville, Connecticut. This game is a pick ‘em with a total of 148.5. The third game of the Maui Invitational takes place at 7 PM ET on ESPN2, with North Carolina playing UNLV. The Tar Heels are 12.5-point favorites, with the total at 151. Kansas State hosts UMKC at 8 PM ET on ESPNU. The Wildcats are 10.5-point favorites with an over/under of 130.The fourth game of the Maui Invitational concludes the ESPN2 coverage at 9:30 PM ET. Stanford plays Alabama with the Crimson Tide 2.5-point favorites, with the total set at 148.5.Two matches take place in the English Premier League with both broadcasts on the NBC Sports Network. At 12:30 PM ET, Leicester City hosts Fulham as a -1 goal line favorite with the over/under at 2.75. Aston Villa travels to West Ham United at 3 PM ET with the Hammers a -0.25 goal line favorite with the total at 2.75.The Monday night game on ESPN is between the top two teams in the thick of the NFC playoff race. This meeting between Seattle and Philadelphia is the third time these two teams have played at the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field in just over a calendar year. These two teams played in the regular season last year on November 24th, with the Seahawks winning by a 17-9 score. These two teams then played again on this field in the NFC wildcard playoff round on January 5th, which Seattle also won by an identical 17-0 score. The Seahawks ended a two-game losing streak with their 28-21 victory over Arizona 11 days ago, which raised their record to a 7-3 mark. Russell Wilson completed 23 of 28 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He is completing 70.7% of his passes for 2986 yards with 30 touchdown passes and ten interceptions for the season. The Seahawks go into this game in first place in the NFC West with a 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Rams, who fell to a 7-4 mark with their loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Philadelphia can take over first place in the NFC East with a victory tonight after both Washington and the New York Giants raised their record to 4-7 with wins this week. The Eagles lost their second game in a row with their 22-17 loss at Cleveland last Sunday as a 2.5-point underdog. Carson Wentz completed 21 of 35 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns but two interceptions in the loss. The embattled quarterback is completing a career-low of 58.4% of his passes, and his 73.3 passer rating is also a career-low. The Seahawks are a 6.5-point road favorite with the total set at 49. Kickoff is at 8:15 PM ET.

NFL Monday Night Football: Seahawks/Eagles Preview

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Nov 30, 2020

The Monday night game on ESPN is between the top two teams in the thick of the NFC playoff race. This meeting between Seattle and Philadelphia is the third time these two teams have played at the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field in just over a calendar year. These two teams played in the regular season last year on November 24th, with the Seahawks winning by a 17-9 score. These two teams then played again on this field in the NFC wildcard playoff round on January 5th, which Seattle also won by an identical 17-0 score. The Seahawks ended a two-game losing streak with their 28-21 victory over Arizona 11 days ago, which raised their record to a 7-3 mark. Russell Wilson completed 23 of 28 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He is completing 70.7% of his passes for 2986 yards with 30 touchdown passes and ten interceptions for the season. Seattle is still last in the NFL by allowing 434.9 yards-per-game, but head coach Pete Carroll has reasons for optimism that his defense is turning things around. The Seahawks held Kyler Murray and the Cardinals' high-powered offense to just 314 total yards. Getting safety Jamal Adams healthy and back on the field has helped. The addition of defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap from Cincinnati has also reaped immediate dividends as he has registered 3.5 sacks in his three games in a Seattle uniform. He has helped the Seahawks sack the quarterback 13 times in the last three games. Seattle has seen their opponent’s average yardage drop to 374.3 yards-per-game over those previous three games as well.The Seahawks go into this game in first place in the NFC West with a 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Rams, who fell to a 7-4 mark with their loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Philadelphia can take over first place in the NFC East with a victory tonight after both Washington and the New York Giants raised their record to 4-7 with wins this week. The Eagles lost their second game in a row with their 22-17 loss at Cleveland last Sunday as a 2.5-point underdog. Carson Wentz completed 21 of 35 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns but two interceptions in the loss. The embattled quarterback is completing a career-low of 58.4% of his passes, and his 73.3 passer rating is also a career-low. Injuries have not helped his cause. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, as well as tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, along with running back Miles Sanders, have missed games. Twelve different players have logged-in time on their offensive line, and they will be using their tenth different starting lineup tonight. Philadelphia has allowed 40 sacks, which is the most in the league. The Eagles will be without Lane Johnson for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Backup center Sua Opeta went on Injured Reserve with his back injury. He joins Ertz and Jackson, who are both still on IR and keeping the offensive weapons limited for Wentz. Safety Rudy Ford is also out with a hamstring. Offensive lineman Jason Peters is questionable with his toe injury. Seattle will be without right tackle Braden Shell with an ankle sprain. Wide receiver David Moore is questionable with a hip injury. The Seahawks are getting healthier with center Ethan Pocic coming off their Injured Reserve and cornerback Shaquill Griffin upgraded to probable after going through the concussion protocol. Running back Chris Carson has also been upgraded to probable with his foot injury. Seattle got Chris Hyde back last week, who rushed for 79 yards with a touchdown against the Cardinals.BetAnySports lists the Seahawks as a 6.5-point road favorite with the total set at 48.5. Kickoff is at 8:15 PM ET.

Big Al's Daily Angle: EPL, NCAA Basketball and NFL Preview

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Nov 29, 2020

The Sunday sports card features the continuation of Week 12 of the National Football League along with college basketball and three matches in the English Premier League.The NFL has 12 games scheduled for Sunday. Eight games begin the card at 1 PM ET. The national broadcast on Fox has Arizona playing at New England, with the Cardinals' 2-point road favorites with the total set at 49. The primary game on CBS has Buffalo playing at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bills are a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 52. Three more games take place in the 4:05 PM ET to 4:20 PM ET window of afternoon games. At 4:05 PM ET, San Francisco visits Los Angeles with the Rams a 7-point favorite with the total at 44.5. Denver hosts New Orleans at 4:05 PM ET despite their three quarterbacks ruled ineligible for this game on Saturday after they were in close contact with another player who tested positive for COVID (presumably reserve quarterback Jeff Driskel). Running back Royce Freeman is their emergency quarterback while wide receiver Kendall Hinton on their practice squad played quarterback at Wake Forest before switching positions. The Saints are now 14.5-point road favorites, with the total dropping to 36.5. At 4:25 PM ET on CBS, Kansas City visits Tampa Bay as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 56.5.The Sunday night game on NBC is between the top two teams in the NFC North. Green Bay holds a two-game lead over Chicago for first place in the division with their 7-3 record. A victory would move them three games ahead of the Bears with their 5-5 current mark. However, if Chicago pulls the upset, then they would trail the Packers by just one game with them hosting the rematch in Week 17 at home in Soldier Field. Green Bay is a 9.5-point favorite with the total set at 44. Kickoff is shortly after 8:20 PM ET.The nationally-televised college basketball card begins at 1 PM ET with Richmond visiting Kentucky on ESPN. The Wildcats are 7-point favorites with a total of 144.5. South Carolina will be playing Tulsa at 1 PM ET on a neutral court in Kansas City on ESPN2. At 3:30 PM ET on that neutral court in Kansas City, ESPN2 will broadcast Liberty playing TCU.At 4:30 PM ET, FS1 has North Dakota State playing at Creighton. On ESPN2, Texas Tech plays Houston on a neutral court in Fort Worth, Texas at 5:30 PM ET. The Red Raiders are 3-point favorites with the over/under at 136.5. ESPNU has San Francisco playing Rhode Island at 5:30 PM ET on a neutral court in the mini-bubble in Uncasville, Connecticut. The college basketball card concludes at 8 PM ET with South Florida playing Virginia Tech on the neutral court in Uncasville. ESPN2 has the broadcast. Matchweek 10 of the English Premier League continues with three matches. At 9 AM ET, Manchester United travels to Southampton as a -0.5 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.75. Chelsea hosts Tottenham at 11:30 AM ET as a -0.25 goal line favorite with the over/under at 2.75. Arsenal hosts Wolverhampton at 2:15 PM ET as a -0.5 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25. The NBC Sports Network broadcasts all three games.

NFL Sunday Night Football: Packers/Bears Preview

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Nov 29, 2020

The Sunday night game on NBC is between the top two teams in the NFC North. Green Bay holds a two-game lead over Chicago for first place in the division with their 7-3 record. A victory would move them three games ahead of the Bears with their 5-5 current mark. However, if Chicago pulls the upset, then they would trail the Packers by just one game with them hosting the rematch in Week 17 at home in Soldier Field. Green Bay opened the season with four straight victories, but they have split out their last six games. They saw the end of their two-game winning streak last Sunday in a 34-31 loss at Indianapolis as a 1.5-point underdog. The Packers went into halftime with a 28-14 lead but were outscored by a 20-3 margin the rest of the way. The Colts outgained Green Bay by 420-367 yards. Aaron Rodgers completed 27 of 38 passes for 311 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception in the losing effort. Rodgers is completing 68.2% of his passes this season for 2889 passing yards, which are fifth-most in the NFL. Rodgers has 29 touchdown passes with only four interceptions. His 115.8 passer rating is tops in the league. He leads an offense that is third in the NFL by averaging 30.8 points-per-game. Chicago opened the season with a 5-1 record but have since lost four straight games. They last played on Monday Night Football on November 16th, where they lost at home to Minnesota by a 19-13 score. The Bears’ managed to gain only 149 yards while being on the field for just over 24 minutes of that game. Nick Foles was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter with hip and glute injuries that leave him doubtful to play in this game. Head coach Matt Nagy has named Mitchell Trubisky as the starting quarterback after he has been out with a shoulder injury. Trubisky started the first three games of the season before losing the quarterback job to Foles. The former number one pick in the draft has completed only 59.3% of his passes for 560 yards with six touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 90 yards on ten carries. This game will be his first start with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor calling the plays. Nagy handed the play-calling over to Lazor two games ago, but it has not made a difference in the Bears’ productivity on offense. Chicago is scoring only 19.1 points-per-game this season while ranking second-to-last with a 300.9 yards-per-game average. Trubisky will be getting some help in the backfield with the return of running back David Montgomery, who has been out going through the concussion protocol. Montgomery has rushed for 472 yards on 131 carries this season. Converted wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson had 12 of the team’s 17 carries last week. Chicago has five players listed as questionable for this game. Linebacker Akiem Hicks is dealing with a hamstring. Defensive backs Sherrick McManis and Buster Skrine have hand and ankle injuries. Offensive linemen Charles Leno, Jr. and Rashaad Coward are dealing with a toe and ankle. Green Bay removed 15 players from their injury list on Friday, including wide receiver Davante Adams who participated in full practice that day. Wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are questionable with an Achilles and a knee. Cornerback Kevin King and center Corey Linsley are also questionable with injuries. BetAnySports lists Green Bay as a 9.5-point favorite with the total set at 44. Kickoff is shortly after 8:20 PM ET.

NBA Upcoming Season + Projections

by AAA Sports

Sunday, Nov 29, 2020

The NBA is scheduled to start up again on December 22nd 2020, right before Christmas. Originally it was supposed to begin in the early New Year, but now, everyone is getting ready for the new start date. During the short offseason, there have been many moves, and some good FA pickups for some teams. Programs like the Hawks, Warriors, Hornets, Pelicans, Suns, TWolves and more, have all improved over the break and could possibly make a run into this seasons' playoffs. The Hawks are my sleeper team as their new projected starting lineup is: Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Galiinari, John Collins and Clint Capela. The NBA has also confirmed that there will be a play-in tournament to finish off the season to decide the 7 and 8 seeds. The teams to finish 7-10 all have a chance this season. After the season ends, the #7 seed will host the #8 seed. The winner of that game will then secure the #7 seed in the playoffs. On the other hand, the #9 seed will play the #10 seed to be the potential #8. The winner of that game will then play the loser of the 7/8 to get the Final #8 seed going into the postseason. Therefore, I believe that teams will never let up this season, as some teams do, in order to not be one of those play-in games. And who knows what could happen. One team just has to get hot at the right time and that could possibly cause difficulties for the #1. Although Atlanta is my sleeper team, there are many teams that I wouldn't be surprised if they made a run in the playoffs this season. I believe that this year might be one of the most entertaining season's in history, as the association continues to get more and more talent into the league. ROTW: Lamelo Ball DPOY: Anthony Davis MVP: Steph Curry Eastern Champs: Miami Heat Western Champs: LA Clippers NBA Champ: Heat in 7 games

NCAA Saturday Night Football: Utah/Washington Preview

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Nov 28, 2020

The Saturday night game on ABC involved a rescheduled game on the fly this week with COVID issues impacting both teams. The annual Apple Cup showdown between Washington and Washington State got canceled due to a COVID outbreak in the Cougars’ program. Utah then had their game with Arizona State postponed on Tuesday, given COVID issues with the Sun Devils. The Pac-12 arranged for these two teams to meet with ABC deciding to pick up the game. Utah has already had their games, with Arizona and UCLA, postponed this season due to COVID. The Utes played their first game of the season last Saturday in a 31-17 upset loss at home to USC as a 1-point favorite. Utah has been outscored by at least two touchdowns and a 106-42 margin in their last three contests. Kyle Whittingham had his program in a position to play in the college football playoff last season for the Pac-12 championship game with an 11-1 record. But Utah was throttled in that game by a 37-15 score to Oregon. Whittingham then took his 11-2 winning record in bowl games into the Alamo Bowl, but his team appeared to have lost their spirit as they were blown out by a 38-10 score to Texas. Whittingham went into the offseason having to replace quarterback Tyler Huntley, running back Zack Moss, and nine starters on a defense that was second in the nation by holding their opponents to just 269.2 yards-per-game. Nine starters returned for Whittingham in his 16th season with the program. He also had two new transfers at quarterback. Cameron Rising, coming over from Texas, won the job in the fall. Yet after completing 3 of 6 passes for 45 yards in the first quarter last week, the redshirt sophomore suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in his third drive with the team. Senior Jake Bentley, a transfer from South Carolina, took over to complete 16 of 28 passes for 171 yards. Bentley will take over as the starting quarterback moving forward. Utah turned the ball over five times against the Trojans, with Bentley and Rising combining for three interceptions. The Utes’ defense did recover a fumble, which they returned for a 32-yard touchdown. Despite the 14-point loss, Utah was only outgained by a 357-327 margin. Washington won their first two games under rookie head coach Jimmy Lake after their 44-27 victory at home over Arizona last week. The final score is not indicative of the domination effort for the Huskies, who had a 37-0 lead in the fourth quarter before the Wildcats scored their 27 points in garbage time. Washington outgained Arizona by a 472-331 margin while being on offense for more than 37 minutes of that game. The Huskies won their opening game of the season at home against Oregon State by a 27-21 score. It has been a good start for Lake, who served as the defensive coordinator for former head coach Chris Pederson before his surprise retirement last fall. Twelve starters return from the group that finished a disappointing 8-5 after a subpar 4-5 mark in the Pac-12. Washington did send Pederson out a winner with their 38-7 victory against his former team in Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Huskies defense has eight starters back from the unit that was 35th in the nation by allowing 348.6 yards-per-game. Washington has improved on that number in their first two games as those opponents have averaged only 291.5 yards-per-game. Lake tapped redshirt freshman Dylan Morris has his starting quarterback to replace Jacob Eason under center. Morris completed 15 of 25 passes for 230 yards with two touchdowns and without an interception in an efficient effort against the Wildcats last week.Utah defeated Washington in Husky Stadium by a 33-28 score last year. BetAnySports lists the Huskies as a 7-point favorite tonight, with the total set at 47.5. The ABC broadcast starts at 7:30 PM ET.

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