Mickey Togs

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will miss at least four weeks after being placed on injured reserve due to a high-ankle sprain, head coach Sean McVay confirmed.

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay says WR Cooper Kupp has a high ankle sprain and will require surgery tomorrow. Kupp will go on Injured Reserve.

Kupp experienced the injury during the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, having been held to an uncharacteristic three receptions. The All-Pro receiver was seen grabbing his right ankle after the play and walked to the sideline with the assistance of team medical staffer.

Kupp had accounted for 35.7% of the Rams’ receptions during the 2022 season prior to his injury, which is the most among all NFL players.

The New York Giants came out of the bye-week break on Sunday and beat the Houston Texans 24-16, improving their record to 7-2, their best start since opening 8-1 in 2008.

They relied on Saquon Barkley’s massive legs and Daniel Jones’ increasing maturity. They played defense aggressively and often effectively. There were moments when you wondered if the offense could get anything accomplished and other moments when you could envision a bad loss brewing.

The Giants were in control almost all afternoon down on the field but rarely completely in control on the scoreboard at MetLife Stadium.

This is a new team and this is a new season, and the Giants opened up the second half the way they moved through the first half of their season. They did enough to win, beating the lowly Texans, disposing of an inferior opponent uneasily and yet effectively.

Barkley carried the ball a career-high 35 times to amass 152 yards with a touchdown, as the Giants pounded away at the NFL’s bottom-ranked run defense. Jones was accurate (13 of 17) with the few passes he attempted and tossed touchdowns to tight end Lawrence Cager and wide receiver Darius Slayton.

Despite their shooting slump, the Rangers are a playoff team. There are cries that this “is not a playoff team” and that “there is no offense” and “they can’t score.” The hyperbolic doom and gloom surrounding the Rangers occurs every season, just this season it’s happened earlier than usual. But the Rangers are a playoff team. They were when the season started. They are still one now.

Emotions run wild early in the season, especially as the Rangers look to cement themselves as true contenders after a great season last year. They have expectations this season, unlike last season, and it is easy to overreact. We are, after all, human. But a deep breath and some critical thinking is all it takes to realize the Rangers are a playoff team, and nothing has changed due to a .500 start.

The only thing that can keep the Rangers out of the playoffs is themselves. They have certainly played down to their opponents lately after dominating both Tampa and Minnesota to start the season. If not for an epic gaffe by Igor Shesterkin, they likely beat Colorado in one of the more entertaining games of the year as well. The Rangers will right the ship against Dallas and Arizona.

Despite their strong start, there were still questions regarding the legitimacy of Robert Saleh’s New York Jets team entering Sunday’s game against the Bills. Those questions may be gone now, as the Jets posted a 20-17 win over visiting Buffalo to post the franchise’s biggest win in a dozen years.

Two interceptions of Josh Allen loomed large in Sunday’s outcome. The picks overshadowed Allen’s two touchdown runs as Buffalo was unable to hold its early 14-3 lead. The Jets’ comeback was spearheaded by an opportunistic defense, an effective running game and the clutch play of quarterback Zach Wilson, who had arguably his best game since coming to the Big Apple. 

Wilson’s go-ahead touchdown, a 7-yard pass to James Robinson late in the third quarter, occurred after Sauce Gardner recorded the Jets’ second pick of Allen, who was sacked five times by the Jets’ aggressive defense. Wilson then turned to running backs Robinson and Michael Carter on the Jets’ game-winning drive after the Bills had briefly tied the score. 

Bryce Huff’s strip sack of Allen essentially ended the Bills’ hopes of pulling off a last-second comeback on their final drive. The win moves the Jets to 6-3, while the Bills fell to 6-2.

The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1, in Game 6 of the 2022 World Series to clinch their second Major League Baseball championship in franchise history.

The Astros rallied back from a 1-0 deficit in the sixth inning after Yordan Álvarez hit a three-run home run to score Jose Altuve and Carlos Peńa.

Alex Bregman — who initially got on base with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch — scored on a Christian Vázquez single later in the inning.

Starting pitcher Framber Valdez pitched 6.0 innings and recorded nine strikeouts, two hits and one earned run, which came on a solo home run by Kyle Schwarber in the top half of the sixth, prior to the Astros rally.

Relievers Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly each pitched one scoreless full inning to end the game to clinch Houston’s second championship in five seasons.

The Astros won three consecutive games to clinch the series, having fallen behind 2-1 in the first three games, which included splitting wins in the first two games at Minute Maid Stadium and a loss in their first road game at Citizens Bank Park.

The Astros then defeated the Phillies in the final two games played in Philadelphia before clinching at their home stadium on Saturday night.  

Aaron Donald was linked to retirement rumors and speculation mounted that Sean McVay would jump to TV, but the Super Bowl-winning duo is returning to the Rams for another year. And one would not be there without the other.

“Not at all,” the Rams defensive tackle recently told NFL Network. “Not at all. If Sean ain’t here — I told Sean when he first got here. We came up with some things early and I first told him as long as he’s the head coach here, I want to continue to build my legacy with him. 

“As long as he’s here and I got the ability to still play at a high level, I’m going to be here. When he’s gone and it’s all said and done, that probably will be when I’m hanging it up, too.”

Donald, who had 12.5 sacks last season, is certainly nowhere near falling off, and he’s expected to have another big year with the defending champion Rams.

“It’s always going to be motivation to do everything you can to get back,” the 31-year-old Donald said. “That’s the ultimate goal. That’s what you work for. When you’re grinding and out here working right now, that’s in the back of your mind. To try to do everything you can to have a great season and try to be the last team standing.”

The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash have “agreed to part ways.” Nash, a FIBA and Basketball Hall of Famer, as well as a two-time NBA MVP as a player, was hired by the Nets in 2020, taking on the head coaching role without prior coaching experience.”

A very heartfelt thanks to Nets owners Joe and Clara Tsai along with general manager Sean Marks for giving me the opportunity to coach the Brooklyn Nets,” Nash said in his official statement.

 “It was an amazing experience with many challenges that I’m incredibly grateful for.”

“It was a pleasure to work with the players, performance team and front office everyday. I’m especially grateful to my coaching staff and video room who are a talented group with so much character and professionalism.”

The New York Giants felt Kadarius Toney was worthy of a first-round pick just last year, but they are officially moving on from the young wide receiver.

Toney has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Giants will receive a conditional third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in return.

Toney was a star at Florida before the Giants used the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on him. He dealt with injuries and frustration over his role during his rookie season. He was also ejected from a game for throwing a punch.

Following his tumultuous rookie season, Toney skipped much of the Giants’ offseason workout program. It was later revealed that he underwent a procedure on his knee.

There were trade rumors surrounding Toney dating back to early in the offseason. Toney has just two catches this season and clearly was not part of head coach Brian Daboll’s plans.

The Chiefs have been searching for consistency at the wide receiver position after they traded Tyreek Hill in a blockbuster deal. They are hoping playing with Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense will help unleash Toney’s potential.

It’s that time of year when game predictions, Super Bowl predictions, all that good stuff come flying out the window, only to be completely blown up within the first few weeks of the season.

Nonetheless, we all try to put our thinking caps on and gaze into our crystal ball to see how the season will play out. That’s what Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr recently did, predicting all 272 games of the regular season. And his prediction for the Jets may make some folks a little upset.

Orr has the Jets finishing 6-11 this season, last in the AFC East. That includes a predicted five-game losing streak through their Weeks 5 through 9 stretch against the Dolphins, Packers, Broncos, Patriots and Bills, putting the Jets at 2-7 going into their Week 10 bye.

Orr does have New York winning three straight at the end of the season against the Lions, Jaguars and Seahawks before finishing the season with a loss to the Dolphins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett will miss the remainder of the 2022 NFL season due to a torn Achilles suffered in Thursday night’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

An MRI has now confirmed a torn Achilles. He is out for season.

Barrett was carted off the field during the third quarter of the Buccaneers’ 27-22 loss.

The 29-year-old finished Thursday’s game with four tackles — three for loss — and one sack.Barrett signed a four-year contract extension worth $72 million ($36  million guaranteed) with the Buccaneers in March 2021, several weeks after winning Super Bowl LV, having previously won Super Bowl 50 as a member of the Denver Broncos.