Quick thoughts as we head into the weekend, with the admission that I haven’t looked at much news these last 24 hours:
San Francisco @ Philadelphia
My focus is on Brock Purdy, as is that of a lot of Iowa State folks, but I wonder how much of the question is on the other side of the ball. The calculus seems simple when San Francisco’s on offense: Can Purdy make enough plays, can Purdy avoid mistakes, can the 49ers offensive line protect Purdy and let him do enough to make the Eagles respect him and thereby give space for the playmakers to cook? When Philly has the ball, though, just how close to 100% is Jalen Hurts, and what can the 49ers do to make him uncomfortable? Brock Purdy has started just as many NFL playoff games as his opposing quarterback. That doesn’t matter in and of itself, but it does remind how big of leaps Hurts has taken this season, and it forces the question of how sustainable those leaps are.
Cincinnati @ Kansas City
If the lesson the Bengals taught us last week was to not worry too much about injuries, dominating with half a backup offensive line, what should we make of Patrick Mahomes’s ankle? The best comparison I can call to mind is Aaron Rodgers limping around the field in Seattle back in 2015. I didn’t put that loss on his leg.
Kansas City’s win over Jacksonville was so quiet compared to the rest of the weekend that I’m suspicious the consensus is forgetting how good this team is. Yes, Joe Burrow defies a whole lot of logic, but how far can vibes get you? Would the Bills have been favored in this game? If not, why are the Bengals so close to a tossup after being nearly a touchdown underdog? It’s a lot of little things, I know, but it’s a dramatic whipsaw from betting markets and from the consensus thoughts fueling them.
Iowa State @ Mizzou
Bring back the Telephone Trophy.
Mizzou’s a little notorious this year, having bounced back in a big way as a program. This has taken on a little bit of a life of its own—the wins have been more noticeable than the losses—but they’re a dangerous team, and while it’s probably a Q1 game and while conference games are the priority and while I’m personally of the mindset that the Cyclones should just rest Caleb Grill even if he thinks he’s all the way better (I’ve heard nothing on his status, I’m just saying don’t play him, no matter what), you do play to win the game, and Iowa State will play to win this game. Mizzou’s going to take quick shots, Mizzou’s going to push the pace. That’s going to be a challenge. Iowa State needs to bring urgency but in a disciplined way, and on the offensive side, execution is the most important thing. Get good looks. Practice getting good looks in a hostile environment.
Texas @ Tennessee, Kansas @ Kentucky, Xavier @ Creighton etc.
There’s a lot of other good basketball being played, with Kansas suddenly fading and Kentucky suddenly surging, Texas and Tennessee both among the dozen best teams in the country as Rick Barnes welcomes his old employer to Knoxville, and Creighton trying to proclaim itself all the way back in the Big East picture. One game lower on the radar to keep an eye on is Saint Mary’s trip to Provo. BYU is having a bad year, but this is one of the Gaels’ toughest remaining games, and they’ll be relying heavily on recency when it comes to their argument for preferential seeding in a month and a half. They need to win these sorts of games.
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What’s happening over the weekend:
College Basketball (the big ones)
- Saturday, 12:15 PM EST: Xavier @ Creighton (CBS)
- Saturday, 4:00 PM EST: Arkansas @ Baylor (ESPN)
- Saturday, 6:00 PM EST: Texas @ Tennessee (ESPN)
- Saturday, 8:00 PM EST: Kansas @ Kentucky (ESPN)
College Basketball (the good ones)
- Saturday, 12:00 PM EST: Auburn @ West Virginia (ESPN)
- Saturday, 4:00 PM EST: TCU @ Mississippi State (ESPN2)
- Sunday, 12:15 PM EST: Michigan State @ Purdue (CBS)
- Sunday, 2:00 PM EST: Rutgers @ Iowa (BTN)
College Basketball (the interesting ones)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Alabama @ Oklahoma (ESPN)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Iowa State @ Missouri (ESPN2)
- Saturday, 2:00 PM EST: Marquette @ DePaul (FS1)
- Saturday, 2:15 PM EST: Cinncinnati @ Houston (CBS)
- Saturday, 5:30 PM EST: Arizona @ Washington (FOX)
- Saturday, 10:00 PM EST: Saint Mary’s @ BYU (ESPN2)
NFL Conference Championships
- Sunday, 3:00 PM EST: San Francisco @ Philadelphia (FOX)
- Sunday, 6:30 PM EST: Cincinnati @ Kansas City (CBS)
NBA (best game each day, plus the Bulls)
- Friday, 7:30 PM EST: Memphis @ Minnesota (NBA TV)
- Saturday, 3:00 PM EST: Denver @ Philadelphia (ABC)
- Saturday, 7:00 PM EST: Bulls @ Orlando (League Pass)
- Sunday, 7:00 PM EST: LA Clippers @ Cleveland (League pass)
NHL (best game each day)
- Friday, 8:30 PM EST: New Jersey @ Dallas (ESPN+)
- Saturday, 7:00 PM EST: Los Angeles @ Tampa Bay (ESPN+)
- Sunday, 5:00 PM EST: Boston @ Carolina (ESPN+)
Australian Open (singles finals)
- Saturday, 3:30 AM EST: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina (ESPN)
- Sunday, 3:30 AM EST: Djokovic vs. Tsitsipas (ESPN)
FA Cup (best game by open time slot)
- Friday, 3:00 PM EST: Arsenal @ Manchester City (ESPN+)
- Saturday, 7:30 AM EST: Leicester City @ Walsall (ESPN+)
- Saturday, 10:00 AM EST: Fleetwood Town @ Sheffield Wednesday (ESPN+)
- Sunday, 9:00 AM EST: Stevenage @ Stoke (ESPN+)
- Sunday, 11:30 AM EST: Sheffield United @ Wrexham (ESPN+)
