The Cardinals, who rank No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, can bounce back and cover Sunday as 2½-point favorites over the Washington Redskins.
Matt Youmans
Popular favorites Arizona, Carolina and New England went down in Week 4. The San Diego Chargers’ choke job was another stunner.
Instead of a classic NBA Finals opener, the Cleveland Cavaliers turned in a performance that was a colossal disappointment. LeBron James was upstaged by Golden State’s Shaun Livingston.
Oklahoma-Villanova is a great matchup because of Ryan Arcidiacono, a skinny point guard with a last name that is tough to pronounce and a game that proves even tougher. He’s from Philadelphia, where people are inspired by Rocky Balboa and Vince Papale.
Seven touchdown passes should be enough to win a game, yet Drew Brees needed help. He needed the opposing coach to have a brain cramp, and he needed a kicker to deliver. He got it all, because it was one of those days for Brees.
When the New York Giants are in a funk, it’s usually because Eli Manning stunk it up. That’s the popular storyline, and the media sticks to it. It’s routine to target the quarterback in the blame game.
On one good leg, a hobbled Aaron Rodgers had enough to put the Green Bay Packers on the brink of the Super Bowl. Seven months later, he rolled into training camp on healthy wheels prepared to flush a bad memory.
Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, and its status would not change if only two of the three quarterbacks remained. It would seem impossible for coach Urban Meyer to keep Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller happy for the entire season.
The biggest betting event in boxing history never came close to matching the hype. But for Las Vegas bookmakers and those who bet on Floyd Mayweather Jr. — and the sharp money was on the favorite — it might as well be remembered as a classic.
It was April 2, 1990. Jerry Tarkanian, chewing a towel, was on one bench, with Mike Krzyzewski on the other. The UNLV-Duke showdown in the NCAA championship game in Denver was the headline show on the Strip. But Nevada sports books were banned from posting lines and taking action on the Rebels.
A dysfunctional element exists within the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team resembling an uncontrollable kindergarten class at times. But amid the chaos there is Clayton Kershaw, who is cool and in control.
At one point, it was almost a given that Paul George, the NBA’s next big star, would lead the Indiana Pacers to the stratosphere. The sharps and squares often are at odds and see things differently, but on this point, almost everyone agreed.
A chilling wind will sweep across the field in Philadelphia, dropping temperatures into the teens, and history indicates the elements are the best defense against New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
It had become a sitcom in San Diego, with two stooges tripping over each other and falling on their faces at the most inopportune times. Philip Rivers, once considered an elite quarterback, turned into a reflection of his clumsy coach.
Preseason hype is often a lot of hot air. But anything that has been said or written to pump up UCLA and its sophomore quarterback, Brett Hundley, was not an error.
