World Title To Washington

It has been a long time coming for the City of Washington. It's something that, back in May, nobody thought would have been possible. Looking back, the Nationals were given a 0.1% chance to win the Pennant. They beat the odds, made the series, and after a tough seven game series against the Astros, the Washington Nationals walked away as the 2019 World Series Champions. It wasn't just that they brought a baseball title to Washington for the first time since 1933, its how they did it that was so amazing.

Remember this was a Washington team that sat at 19-31 in late May, so nobody was giving them much of a chance. They had a horrible bullpen who couldn't seem to be able to hold a lead to save their lives. But the Nats stuck with it, thanks to the strength of the top of the rotation with Max Scherzer and Stephen Sgtrausberg. The hitting was just as awesome, with two guys cracking the century mark in RBI. Anthony Rendon led the way with 126, followed by 110 from Juan Soto. Those two guys kept that hot hitting up during the playoffs, being one of four Nationals hitters to be able to drive in more than ten runs in the entire post season. Rendon led the way with 15, with Soto right behind him at 14. Howie Kendrick had a solid playoffs, coming up with 12 RBI's and big hits throughout the entire run. So did Adam Eaton, who drove in ten runs.

Washington was in a hole against the Brewers in the Wild Card game, but managed to get the win off Josh Hader, who's one of the better relief pitchers in the game right now. Then, Washington kept rolling, pulling off a huge upset of the two time defending NL Champs in the Dodgers in five games in the divisional round. To keep rolling, they swept the Cards in the NLCS to reach the fall classic. They then had the unenviable task of going u[p against the best team in baseball in the Astros, and start the series off in Houston.

Well, Washington shut a lot of people up quickly, by taking the first two games in Houston. First in a nailbitter, then in a blowout. Then, all of a sudden, Washington's bats went cold. Now back to Houston, facing Justin Verlander with the prospect of falling in the series. But for the 2nd time in the series, Washington managed to batter Verlander, who is now winless in six career games in the Series. Game Seven saw a masterful outing from Strasburg, who started and Patrick Corbin who was flat out brilliant in his three innings of relief. With that, and some late inning heroics, Washington claimed the title. Stephen Strasburg was so good in this series, it was no surprise he won the MVP award for the series. And why nomt, he went 2–0 in his two starts, allowing four earned runs over 14 innings pitched, to go along with 14 strikeouts. He's the first pitcher to win series MVP since Madison Bumgarner claimed it for the Giants in 2014.

With the series win by the Nats, it had marked the 6th straight year that the series deciding game had been won by the road team. this series also marked the first time major North American sports history that the road team has won all seven games in this best of seven format. For all the talk going into the season about the Nationals losing Bryce Harper to free agency and for the slow start that Washington got off to, it seemed like a real long shot that something like this was even possible. But this season goes to prove that there is magic in the air for a season like this. It also goes to prove that what you do during the regular season might not always be accurate when it comes to the playoffs.

Its not always about the better team, its sometimes about the hotter team. And Washington just so happen to be the hotter team at the right time. Congratulations to the Nationals for their first ever world series title, and the first title in DC since the 1930's.

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Eight

Week eight has come and gone in the NFL, meaning one thing. We've hit the halfway point of the regular season. It's starting to become more and more clear which teams are real threats for the Lombardi Trophy, while others are real threats for the first overall pick next season. this week saw some teams return their mojo, some players go off for massive days. We also saw other players seem to hit rock bottom. Still got a lot of good football to go in this regular season, so lets not waste anymore time. Here's a look at the best and worst of week eight in the NFL

Best:
Cooper Kupp, Wide Receiver Los Angeles Rams
To say that this guy had himself a day would be a total understatement. Kupp was playing at an amazing level on Sunday, as the Rams rolled to a 24-10 win over the happless Bengals. Kupp finished his afternoon with seven catches for a league high 220 yards and a touchdown. Those seven catches came on ten targets. He was in a zone and making the Bengals secondary look horrible. Nobody could stop him on the day as the Rams rolled to a victory. it helped the Rams go to 5-3 and keep them within pace of Seattle for 2nd in the NFC West, behind the unbeaten Niners.

Worst:
Matt Nagy Head Coach Chicago Bears
This one had to hurt a little for the Bears. it was bed enough falling 17-16 to the Chargers, but it was how it ended that had to make it sting just a little bit more. There was about 53 seconds left on the clock, a moment in which Matt Nagy felt it would be a good time to take a knee to give his kicker time to set up. Oh and the Bears had one more time out left. Why, if your Chicago, did you not try and move the ball further up field to give your kicker better aim and a shorter field for the winning kick? So out comes Eddy Pineiro to try the winning kick, and what happens? Pineiro’s kick hooked wide left. To make this even more head scratching is that Nagy showed lack of faith in his offense by not allowing them to try and get the ball closer to make it easier for Pineiro to try and hit the winning kick. the Bears are slipping fast in the NFC North and with a game like this, its easy to see why.

Best:
Drew Brees, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Welcome back old friend. New Orleans had done a pretty good job with Teddy Bridgewater under center with Brees out. Teddy did manage to go 5-0 in his starts with Brees on the sideline. But Drew is back after missing the time with the thumb injury. And he didn't disappoint. New Orleans rolled to a 31-9 win over the Cardinals and Brees looked as if he hadn't missed a step, completing 34 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The pick Brees knew was a bad throw from the moment it left his hand. Other than that, Drew looked like he hasn't missed a beat after his injury and at this rate, the Saints are going to be a very tough team to try and stop. The rest of the league now knows that if Brees goes down, Teddy can step right in and this machine can keep right on moving along.

Worst:
Sam Darnold, Quarterback New York Jets
Things went from bad against the Patriots to worse against the Jags for Sam Darnold. Less than a week after a record low performance against New England, the Jets went to Jacksonville and got trounced 29-15 by the Jags. To make it worse for Darnold lets start with this, he threw three interceptions. That's seven over the last two games. Oh and to make matters worse, he was sacked EIGHT times by the Jags defense. Now the sacks I don't totally blame on Sam, there's only so much he can do if the line doesn't protect him. But the interceptions are scaring me a little bit. Its way too high a number.

Best:
Adam Vinatieri, Kicker Indianapolis Colts
He's one of the more reliable kickers in the history of football, one who will see himself placed in Canton someday. For a spell Sunday, Vinatieri looked mortal. He missed a field goal and an extra point early on. Indy had trailed 13-12 late in the ball game. Indy kept a drive going late in the game. With time running down, Vinatieri showed all of us that he still had something left in the tank. He drilled a 51 yard field goal to give Indy a 15-13 lead over Denver. One in which they would not let go of. He may have his moments of mortality. But every now and again, Vinatieri shows that there's still a little bit of life in those ageless legs.

Worst:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback Tennessee Titans
He didn't even have to take a snap this week to make the list. He's been outplayed the last two games by Ryan Tannehill. Now, by no stretch of the imigination is Ryan Tannehill a superstar. But he has done a solid job under center for the Titans. He threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Bucs (more on this game shortly). But with Tannehill playing the way he has, and Tennessee winning games, its making it a lot harder on Mariota to try and get his starting job back in a Titans Uniform. The way the last couple of weeks have gone had made it look almost impossible for Tennessee to switch back, because Mariota has been that bad.

Best:
Bosa Brothers
it was a good day on the West Coast for the Bosa brothers. First, lets start it off with Joey, who had himself a fine day for the Chargers 17-16 win over the Bears. Joey finished his day with four tackles for loss, including two sacks. He was a monster on the field, causing havoc against the Bears. Then, younger brother Nick took a step towards following in his brothers footsteps and win defensive rookie of the year. In the 49ers 51-13 rout of Carolina, Nick had three sacks and an amazing interception, leaping to snatch the ball out of the air at the line of scrimmage. It was a pretty impressive sight to see the two of them causing as much havoc as is humanly possible for a player to do on defense. It really was a sight to behold/

Worst:
Refs Whistles
Lets set the stage for you. Tampa Bay and Tennessee. 4th Quarter. titans have a 27-23 lead with 3:45 left. They try for a fake field goal, which how often does that ever really work. The play is snuffed out by the Bucs, who knock the ball lose and start running the other way. Looks like Tampa has a shot to score a go ahead touchdown. But the play was blown dead right away from the spot where the Titans fumbled the football. So OK maybe the Bucs can still take the lead with a lot of time left right? Wrong. A turnover on downs and an pic by Jameis Winston sealed the game for the Titans. But who knows how much the complexion of the game changed by that fast whistle. Its the 2nd time this year its happened too. Earlier this year, referees had whistled a play that should have been a Saints touchdown dead in a Week 2 matchup with the Rams. Look I get it the Ref's are human like everybody else. But they gotta make better decisions on when to blow the whistle or not.

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Seven

Week Seven in the National Football League has come and gone, and what a wild week it was. We saw some players play like their old MVP selves. We saw players, and entire teams for that matter, have off days. We had teams fighting hard for the top spots in their divisions. It's getting crazy around the league. Still got two unbeaten teams in the 49ers and Patriots, while the Dolphins and Bengals are still look for their first wins of the year. Here's just some of the best and worst from the week that was in the National Football League.

Best:
Aaron Rogers, Quarterback Green Bay Packers
Think it might be safe to say, he's back. Aaron Rogers put on a performance on Sunday that few, if anybody,l going in the game today could be able to match. I don't even think Rogers himself has ever hit this level before. Green Bay whipped the Raiders, to the tune of a 42-24 win. Rogers was in the zone like nothing seen before this season. He finished going 25 of 31 for 425 yards five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. yes that's six total scores on the day. Oh and he also became the first Green Bay quarterback in franchise history to notch a perfect QB rating of 158.3. This performance helped launch the Packers to a 6-1 record and put him up there in a possible MVP consideration. Only question I have is, will Rogers keep something close to this pace the rest of the season?

Worst:
Sam Darnold Quarterback, New York Jets
Being in the spotlight in the New York market can be tough. Media and fans alike are critical of a player if things don't go well for you here. Such was the case for Sam Darnold. Monday night, not only did the Jets get embarrassed 33-0 by New England, but Darnold may have played the worst game of his young pro career. He finished the day going 11 of 23 for 86 yards a lost fumble and FOUR interceptions. To make matters worse, Darnold was mic'ed up for the game and was heard saying he's seeing ghosts out on the field. When you throw four pics and have a QBR of 3.6 according to NFL.com, that's a night you want to forget about and do it quickly.

Best:
Latavius Murray, Running Back New Orleans Saints
No Drew Brees. No Alvin Kamara. No problem. New Orleans walked away with the 36-25 win over the Bears and Latavius Murray was a huge reason for that. Her had 27 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns, which is all coming against a pretty tough Bears defense. Its funny, people thought that the Saints would be in a lot of trouble after Drew Brees went down with his injury. But since then, New Orleans has gone 5-0 and have managed to win those games in a variety of ways. It seems like a different guy will step up and play big every week. This week, it was Murray's turn to take control of the game, and he did that in a big way.

Worst:
Melvin Gordon, Running Back Los Angeles Chargers
Well this is what happens when you hold out at the start of the season and don't get the reps in during the preseason. Gordon even thought that the solution to fixing the woes in the Chargers offense was to give him the ball more? Yeah that idea has failed. Not only did the Chargers lose a tough game, 23-20, to the Titans, but part of it fell on the shoulders of Gordon. Gordon had 16 carries for a grand total of 32 yards. Los Angeles had a chance to score in the final minute, but Gordon got stuffed twice. And on the second one he fumbled the ball. He just hasn't been very good this year, and missing that time during training camp is really starting to show.

Best:
Frank Reich, Head Coach Indianapolis Colts
Talk about a major turnaround. Everybody thought that the Colts were going to be able to build off of last year's playoff push. Then Andrew Luck retires, and some think the Colts are through. But Frank Reich has steered the ship in the right direction. Indy knocked off Houston 30-23, in a big divisional game. Reich is doing a masterful job of being able to get the very best out of his players. Look at Jacoby Brissett.  He's had to step up to replace Andrew Luck and there wasn't much time to settle into his role, but he has done it quite nicely. Brissett had 326 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday in the Indy win. Its all coming together, buying into the system that the coach is implementing.

Worst:
Dan Quinn, Head Coach Atlanta Falcons
Some people point the blame for the Falcons struggles on their owner, while others point it at the coach. Don't think it falls up top. No, in this case, with the talent that Atlanta has, it has to fall on Dan Quinn. look at Sunday's game. I know its against the Rams, who are a pretty good team. LA beat up on Atlanta, walking away with a 37-10 win over the Falcons. Atlanta was outplayed badly against the Rams. And when you look at this team, with an offense that has players like Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mohammed Sanu, Devonta Freeman and a re-worked line, there’s just no excuse for Atlanta not putting up points on the board. Somebody has to take the fall for Atlanta being 1-6 and it looks like Quinn is the guy.

Best:
Chase Edmonds, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
When you think of the Arizona running game, David Johnson is the man in that backfield. When he went out with injury, Chase Edmonds was called upon to carry the load for the Cards this week. He was a key factor in Arizona's 27-211 win over the Giants at MetLife on Sunday. Edmonds finished the day with 27 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns.  Oh, he also picked up 24 more receiving yards on the day to go along with those rushing yards. To further show just how much of an impact Edmonds had on the Cards offense on Sunday, consider this. No other Cardinal had more than 28 yards rushing or 29 yards receiving. Kyler Murray threw for only 104 yards. Pretty impressive day for a backup player.

Worst:
Mitchell Trubisky, Quarterback, Chicago Bears
I almost feel bad for Trubisky in Chicago, but it might not be such a bad idea to possibly consider making a move under center. new Orleans came in and beat up Chicago, to the tune of a 36-25 Saints win. Numbers only tell part of the story. He went 34 of 54 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice. Like I said that's only part of it. He sometimes doesn’t see wide open targets, misses on throws, and can’t consistently deliver balls down the field. Teddy Bridgewater outplayed Trubisky. Like I said I feel bead for the guy, but he hasn't really seemed like he's come into form to be the guy that people want him to be.

2019 World Series Preview

It has arrived. After a grueling 162 game regular season, we had our playoff bracket set. Now after a wild card, divisional round and the league championship, we have our final two teams standing. The Commissioner's Trophy will be handed out no later than October 30th of this year. Its either going to the state of Texas or the Nations Capital. One team had high expectations to be there, while the other seemed dead in the water in May. Now we have our fall classic set. For the first time since 1933, we will have a fall classic in our nation's capital.

This year's World Series will see the National League Champion Washington Nationals take on the American League Champion Houston Astros.

Washington finished in second place in the National League East, compiling a 93/69 record. It was good enough to clinch the Nationals a Wild Card Spot..Washington beat Milwaukee in the Wild Card Game. The roll continuted as the Nationals topped Los Angeles in five games in the NLDS. In the NLCS, the Nationals swept the Cardinals, clinching their first pennant in franchise history (including their time as the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 2004) as well as the first World Series appearance for a Washington, D.C., team since 1933.

As for the Astros, they won the American League West and finished the 2019 regular season with the best record in baseball, at 107-55. Houston defeated the Rays in five games in the ALDS to start the playoffs, and followed that up with a six game series win over the Yankees in the ALCS. This is Houston's third World Series appearance and second in three years.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series (all games to be broadcast on Fox):
Game 1 (Tuesday, Oct. 22): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros, 8:08 p.m.
Game 2 (Wednesday, Oct. 23): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros, 8:07 p.m.
Game 3 (Friday, Oct. 25): Houston Astros at Washington Nationals, 8:07 p.m.
Game 4 (Saturday, Oct. 26): Houston Astros at Washington Nationals, 8:07 p.m
Game 5 (Sunday, Oct. 27): Houston Astros at Washington Nationals, 8:07 p.m
Game 6 (Tuesday, Oct. 29): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros, 8:07 p.m
Game 7 (Wednesday, Oct. 30): Washington Nationals at Houston Astros, 8:08 p.m

Looks like it could be an interesting series, to say the least. Both teams are coming in hot, Washington more so than Houston, nothing against the Astros. Consider this. Washington had fallen to 19-34 following a loss to the Mets on may 23rd. From then on, they paced the Dodgers for the best record in the National League, finishing the season 74-38 and scored 624 runs, second most in the league. It was amazing what the Nationals were able to do from Memorial day weekend on. Oh and they were the only team in the playoffs, at least of the final four standing, to hit over .300 in the league championship, with runners in scoring position. Washington hit .324, while the Cardinals hit .11, New York hit .148 and the team they're now playing, the Astros, hit .121.

Leading the Washington charge is Anthony Rendon, who's driven in seven runs while hitting .375 over the course of the playoffs. Howie Kendrick and Trea Turner have joined Rendon in being the only Nationals hitters with double digit hits in the playoffs combined. And while Washington has been knocking the cover off the ball, one of the biggest concerns going into the fall was the pitching staff. Starting wasn't the issue, it was finishing. How well would the bullpen hold up, since it had been a problem for most of the year. Hunter Strickland and Wander Suero have double digits ERA's and haven't pitched more than two games in the playoffs. Everybody else has pretty much been lights out. They only gave up six runs to the Cards in the League Championship series. And the Nats three best pitchers have had double digit strikeouts the last three wins in the playoffs. Max Scherzer had 11, while Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin had 12 each. They're going to need those three guys to be on their best in this series to stand a chance.

They're going up against the best team in baseball in the Astros. Jose Altuve has been hitting .349 all playoffs and him and Michael Brantley are the only Astos hitters with double digits in hits in the playoffs. Alex Bregman has been a key contributor by drawing ten walks in the playoffs. Houston had six regulars in their lineup hit over .200 in the playoffs. Only thing that's alarming is, as noted before, that they're a low hitting team with runners in scoring position.

One area where Houston has advantage is pitching. Outside of Justin Verlander being average, the Houston staff has been lights out. Garrett Cole has an ERA under 1 in the playoffs. He has been pitching at an almost unheard of level. As good as Cole has been, Zack Greinke has been inconsistent in the postseason, but he was able to limit the Yankees to one run over 4.1 innings in Game 4 of the ALCS.

Looking at both sides of the coin, there's no doubt about it that the Nationals are coming in hot, which is why this series is a little harder to predict than at first glance. Washington has been playing great baseball as of late, but the Astros are still the best team in baaseball and have been clutch most of the year, keeping that going in October. Its going to be a tough series, but the Title will stay in the American League for the third year in a row.

Prediction: Astros in 6!

Mixing Sports And Politics Is A Bad Idea

Ah sports. The highest quality in athletic competition. Most of us who follow sports do so as a way to escape everyday life. That's part of the fun of watching, and playing sports. Things can get a little bit dicey when they get mixed in with the world of politics. Over the last week or so, we've had a mixing of the two with the NBA and politics and that should never be.

It all started at the end of last week with Rockets GM Daryl Morey when he tweeted: “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”

To this point, so far as I know, the NBA had had a good working relationship with China, as far as TV rights from here in the States, marketing, and even playing a few exhibition games there every year. I get it that he was trying to show support, but now maybe wasn't the best time to do it./ Or at least keep it to yourself.

I got nothing against sharing your political views, or showing support over an issue that's in the public eye. everybody has the right to do stuff like that, that's the beauty of being able to live in this country. Having access to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be great for being able to express yourself. I do it all the time with this podcast of mine. But I just feel its not the best idea for sports and politics to be getting mixed up.

I've seen political arguments that have gotten very heated, even if its over the smallest thing. I've always seen the world of sports, just like any other form of entertainment, as a way to escape from the reality of everyday life. Don't get me wrong I've gotten fired up and gotten very emotional, from happy to angry and everything in between during a game. But once the game ends, so does the emotional high and lows. Sometimes I've seen it happen the opposite in the political world.

Again I understand the need to take a stand on something, but I just feel that maybe if your in the public eye as a pro athlete, or even somebody running a pro team, maybe mixing the two while still involved in the game, isn't the smartest thing to do. When you out of the spotlight when your playing career is over, and you go make a political stand, that's one thing. By being out of public view as somebody out of sports that's fine because It won't hurt relations between both worlds. But making a statement while still active in the game can be harmful to both worlds and you as a person who's trying to make a living playing a sport, or running a team.

Once you no longer have a financial stake in the sports world, you can run your mouth to your hearts content. But while you're still involved, its a bad idea to mix the two.

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Six

We have hit the quarter mark in the NFL and a lot went down. Kansas City looks all out of sorts, while the Jets, despite being outplayed, found their way back into the win column. KC isn't the only team out of sorts, the Chargers and Cowboys have hit that mark too. There might be a quarterback battle going on over in Carolina, while Christian McCaffery is starting to stake his claim towards an MVP season. So lets dive right into it. Here's some of the best and worst of week six in the NFL.

Best:
Robert Saleh, Defensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers
Who would have ever thought that six weeks into the NFL season that the San Francisco 49ers would not only be sitting on top of the NFC West, but doing so at an unbeaten 5-0. Perfect example of getting there, look no further than the effort put out in the 20-7 win over the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. Robert Saleh had his defense ready, holding one of the highest scoring teams in the league to just seven points.  Jared Geoff was sacked four times and was held to a grand total of 78 passing yards on the day. Saleh was even interviewed in the post game press conference, which is rare for coordinators. That's how good he was at throwing the Rams off their game

Worst:
Jason Garrett, Head Coach Dallas Cowboys
There was some worry as to how well the Cowboys would play against good teams. They had a two game losing streak going into this week's matchup with the winless Jets. But it blew up on the Boys, as the Jets walked away with a 24-22 victory. Some of that does fall on the head coach. I'm not saying its Garrett's fault that there were dropped passes. He can't catch the ball for his players. But it has to be something off with the Boys. It starts at the top and if Dallas doesn't get this thing figured out, and quick, he might be on the chopping block, after ten years on the job.

Best:
Stefan Diggs, Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings
There's been a lot of talk as to what might actually happen with Diggs in Minnesota. There's rumblings as to what he wants to do: get traded, stay put? Who know's what's going to happen. For a while, there wasn't much known as to how well this Diggs and Cousins connection could work in the Vikings offense. Well, in week six, it looked like it was straight fire. Not only did the Vikings get a 38-20 win over the Eagles, but Diggs had a massive hand in it. He finished the day with seven catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns. He was burning defensive backs all over the place. Diggs was at the top of game on Sunday

Worst:
Will Fuller, Wide Receiver Houston Texans
Talk about pulling a complete 180. Last week, Fuller went off in the Houston win. Houston did follow it up with a win over Kansas City this week, more on that later. Houston got the 31-24 win over KC, but Fuller had a massive drop off. he finished in this week's win with just 5 catches for a paltry 44 yards. For some, that seems like a bit of an OK day. But it's a total drop off from what he did in the Win over Atlanta. That game, he had 14 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns against the Falcons. The catch total had equaled what he had done the entire year before the Atlanta game. He then fell right back into averageness against KC. Can't happen for a guy of his talent level.

Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
If you don't believe the hype before this week, you should right now. Wilson should be a strong front runner for MVP.  He turned in an outstanding performance in a 32-28 win over the Browns, Wilson had himself a solid day. He went 23 of 33 for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked three times but had an off the charts passer rating. He was in a groove and it showed against the Browns. Oh, and for the season, Wilson now has a QB rating of 124.7 through six games. It's an eye popping number and, if he can keep this pace up, he will break the single season mark set by Aaron Rogers in 2011. Oh, and Seattle is 5-1 on the year, the 2nd best mark in the division behind the Niners. Wilson is a big reason for this. With the way he's playing this year, it wouldn't shock many if he's in discussion for the end of the year.

Worst:
Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs
For this entry I needed a face and Mahomes is it. Houston beat the tar out of them, a 32-28 win by the Texans, which we touched on a little earlier. But the Chiefs have been average at best. Mahomes has looked human, but a lot of that I think has to do with the ankle bothering him. But Kansas City has really slipped. They've given up 372 rushing yards over the last two weeks against the Colts and Texans. They couldn't get anywhere near DeSean Watson, who had been sacked 18 times up to that point. It's weird, because Kansas City was supposed to be dominating teams and was a heavy favorite to come out of the AFC. But now, they look average at best and Mahomes playing average QB isn't helping.

Best:
Lamar Jackson, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
I know its beating up on the Bengals, but still its a solid performance by any standard. Baltimore got the 23-17 win over the Bengals, and Lamar Jackson had a monster day. The throwing day was pretty good for Jackson, going 21 of 33 for 236 yards no touchdowns and no picks. it was his running game that helped build the day up. Jackson had 19 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. He had more rushing yards than any other running back in the league. Both day's for Jackson were stuff of legend. He had himself a day that some players can only really dream of having. Good on you Lamar for keeping the Ravens on top of the division, with Baltimore having the division's only winning record.

Worst:
2015 Quarterback Class
The top two guys taken in this draft class, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston have both royally SUCKED this year, and that's putting it nicely. Lets start with Mariota, who's already lost his starting job in Tennessee, as it was announced already that Ryan Tannahill will get the next start for the Titans over Mariota. And why is that? He went 7-for-18 with two interceptions in a 16-0 loss to the Broncos. When you factor in his sacks, he averaged just 2.7 yards per dropback. Eventually, he was benched for Ryan Tannehill. Ouch, very Ouch. Winston had thrown for over 400 yards in his game, a 37-26 loss by the Bucs to Carolina. But, he also threw for FIVE interceptions. Oh and he also fumbled twice. Seven total turnovers on Sunday by Winston and its no wonder Tampa is falling in a massive black hole in their division

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Five

We're through the first five weeks of the NFL season and already things are turning upside down around the league. The AFC North is starting to tighten up at the top with the Browns and Ravens, same thing with the NFC South with the Saints and Panthers. Nobody really expected the 49ers to still be unbeaten, or the Jets to be winless (that was before their QB's got hurt). Last year's league MVP has slipped a little in production, while a Carolina Running Back is playing at an off the chart record right now. Lot of crazy going on around the league right now. Here's a look at some of the best and worst from the week that was in the NFL.

Best:
Christian McCaffery, Running Back Carolina Panthers
If you are a fan of the Panthers, things didn't look too good after the first two weeks of the season. They were 0-2 and without Cam Newton due to injury. But following Carolina's 34-27 win over the Jaguars on Sunday, they are now a game over .500. A big reason for that has been Christian McCaffery, who's been an explosive weapon over the last number of weeks. Look at what he did against the Jags on Sunday. McCaffrey had 176 yards and two touchdowns rushing, and another 61 yards and a touchdown receiving. He's the leading rusher in all of football with 587 yards on 105 carries and has six touchdowns. He's making a strong case early to be MVP this year. I know that's a long shot since this is a QB driven league. But that the rate that this kid has played the last couple of weeks, if he can keep it up the entire season, he's got a good shot at it.

Worst:
Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs
For the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes actually looked human. For the first tiem since he's taken over as a starter, the Cheifs failed to score 25 points in a game. The Colts knocked off the Chiefs 19-13 and Mahomes looked average. Mahomes threw for just one touchdown, only the fifth time in his career he’s failed to throw for multiple scores. He finished the day going 22 of 39 for 321 yards. Those numbers would be solid for most other QB's but not for a guy of his talent level. Plus he was sacked four times on the day. It looked to be an off day for KC all around. But if I were a Chiefs fan, I'd rather have this kind of bump in the road now and be full force at the end of the season come playoff time.

Best:
New England Patriots Defense
New England just kept right on rolling, beating the tar out of the Redskins in a 33-7 win. I know it is against the Redskins, but they kept them in check all day on Sunday. New England is allowing opposing teams to score just 6.8 points per game, which would set an NFL record. At the pace they're going at, New England could break the 2000 Ravens record for lowest points per game against. Sure, they've played bad teams, teams that are 1-17 on the season so far. The only only team that even came close to giving the Pats a fight was the 4-1 Bills. New England has a defense that can be scary good.

Worst:
New York Jets Offense
Six points was all you could bloody do. Its a 31-6 loss to the Eagles and it sucks. No Sam Darnold, no Trevor Simian, both out due to injuries. That happens its sports. But what Adam Gase does is almost inexcusable. He had stale play calling, and seemed to set Luke Faulk up to fail. He was hoping Sam Darnold would be ready to play and he wasn't. Faulk couldn't get enough preptime with the first team. He was sacked ten times on the day. Just a horror show if your a Jets fan.

Best:
Will Fuller, Wide Receiver Houston Texans
Fuller had himself a day on Sunday. Houston as a team had a monster day. They hung 53 points on Atlanta, en rout to a 53-32 win over the Falcons. Fuller was a massive part of that. He finished with 14 catches for an eye popping 217 yards and three touchdowns. The only guy who had more receiving yards than him was Amari Cooper of Dallas, who racked up 226 yards in Dallas loss to Green Bay. That's why Fuller made this list and not Cooper. Fuller had a big impact on the Texans and stepped into a large role as the number two target in Houston behind DeAndre Hopkins. If he can keep this level of play going, then don't be surprised if the Texans start pulling away with the South sooner rather than later.

Worst:
Khail Mack, Linebacker Chicago Bears
Going to London had to be tough on both Chicago and Oakland. This was Mack's first shot at his former team, and he left with a bad taste in his mouth. Oakland walked away with a 24-21 win and Mack had himself an OK day, as he registered three tackles, but only one QB hurry, and recovered a fumble during a quiet day. Oakland, on the other hand, sacked Bears passer Chase Daniel four times. Making matters worse, the Bears were in an early 17-point hole and marched back to take the lead, only to relinquish it late and lose. Bet he wishes he was still a Raider right about now

Teddy Bridegwater, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
There had been some question if Teddy would be able to make big plays and lead the Saints to victory. He did just that in a 34-21 win over the Bucs on Sunday at home. And Teddy had himself a day on Sunday, finishing 26 of 34 for 314 yards and four touchdowns. New Orleans is 3-0 in Bridgewater's starts, but unlike the two prior wins, this one was Teddy magic. The first two wins came on the strength of defense and special teams. This win over Tampa, who was coming in off a huge win over the Rams in week four, and must have been a huge sigh of relief for Bridgewater.

Worst:
Dsan Quinn and Jay Gruden
We had two coaches that were on the hot seat going into this week, and it got turned up even hotter. This week's loss by the Redskins cost Jay Gruden his job. 0-5 to start the season and left a sour taste in everybody's mouth. It cost Jay his job for not being able to motivate his team. To make it worse was his decision on who to start on Sunday,.In the 33-7 loss to New England, Gruden made the odd decision to start Colt McCoy at quarterback over rookie Dwayne Haskins, and McCoy did almost nothing. For Dan Quinn, his Falcons got blown out by Houston, as we already touched on earlier. Atlanta has a 1-4 record, and when they have this kind of top end talent, its amazing that they have that poor of a record. Somethings gotta be up from a coaching perspective.