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Good morning! Be like Francisco Alvarez today.
Poll Season: It’s time to make your predictions again
Last year, we ran a series of Pulse Polls in the weeks before the NFL season began, compiling a list of official Pulse Predictions. We re-enter that atmosphere today with a simple one, inspired by Austin Mock’s NFL projection model:
Are the Chiefs really going to three-peat as AFC champs?
Before we get to the choice, let’s briefly break down both sides:
- Yes: This team has the NFL’s best quarterback, arguably its best coach and a solid defense. They won the Super Bowl despite lacking receivers, and they’ve since upgraded there. The stars are signed to good contracts. This may be an easy choice, frankly.
- No: The AFC outside of Kansas City is so, so good. Baltimore will be good again. So will Cincinnati and Houston. Miami and Buffalo have the talent to win it. The Chiefs have played 41 games over the last two seasons. Three-peats are hard.
Austin’s model predicts Kansas City to have the most wins in the AFC at 11.3. Cincy and Baltimore trail with 10.2 projected wins apiece. See the full list here.
But what I want to know: Can anyone beat them in the playoffs? Your choice is simple:
- Chiefs win the AFC.
- Somebody else does.
Make your voice heard here. We’ll report our results tomorrow.
Quick Snaps: Yes, Jayden, you are the starter
NFL quarterbacks drive our news cycles during this period. Four hot routes from yesterday:
Moving on:
News to Know
Riley out 6-8 weeks
Braves star third baseman Austin Riley fractured his hand Sunday, a test confirmed yesterday, after getting hit with a 97 mph fastball. This team has been crushed by injury, as David O’Brien detailed, and Riley’s absence likely knocks Atlanta out of the race for the NL East — after six straight division titles.
Cherilus arrested for bizarre flight incident
Former NFL offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus allegedly urinated on another passenger during a cross-Atlantic flight, according to multiple reports, forcing a plane bound for Dublin to turn around and return to Boston. Cherilus later tweeted an apology, blaming a sleep medication he doesn’t “normally use” for his alleged behavior. Read our full report here.
More news
- Lionel Messi was left off Argentina’s roster for September matches after his Copa America injury.
- Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur is “conscious and communicating” after a scary head injury against Leicester City yesterday.
- The Blackhawks’ Winter Classic throwback jerseys leaked online, and I would like to buy one.
- The NFL is open to more rule tweaks after its new kickoff format has yielded good results thus far in preseason. All for it.
Weird and Wild: The guy who changed teams mid at-bat
Paul Rutherford / Getty Images
I am smitten by strange occurrences in the sports world, and no one is better at strange baseball occurrences than Jayson Stark, who writes an aptly-titled “Weird and Wild” column each week. This week’s edition might be the wildest yet.
The column is full of incredible stuff, but this saga of Danny Jansen will stay with me:
- Jansen was playing catcher for the Blue Jays in a June 26 game against the Red Sox when weather intervened and forced a postponement. Normal stuff. The teams are scheduled to resume the game next Monday.
- The, ahem, catch: Toronto has since traded Jansen … to Boston. If Jansen plays in the game, he will become the first major leaguer to ever play for both teams in one game. Wild! Weird!
- Wait, how would this work? Toronto will need to officially pull Jansen from the game, and chances are high that the Sox will want Jansen playing catcher. To recap: Jansen would technically change teams in the middle of an at-bat, and switch from hitter to catcher.
God, I need this to happen. See Jayson’s full piece for more, which includes plenty of other interesting baseball time-travel factoids. True story: Juan Soto once homered in a game that happened before his MLB debut. It’s all in there.
Watch This Game
MLB: Phillies at Braves
7:20 p.m. ET on TBS
We have a good baseball doubleheader tonight. First is this matchup, where Philly simply wants to regain form as baseball’s best team while Atlanta tries to cling to a wild-card spot without Riley. The Braves are 4-2 against the Phils this season, too.
MLB: Mariners at Dodgers
10:10 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Dodgers, a ludicrously expensive juggernaut, are just three games up in the NL West. The Mariners are five games back in the AL West. There is plenty on the line here.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Justin Verlander is a Hall of Fame lock and maybe the most talented pitcher of a generation. But at Old Dominion University, the “gangly goofball” was a cocky freshman who became a legend, with some shenanigans along the way.
Travis Kelce was everywhere this summer. Quite literally, as Nate Taylor writes, compiling an exhausting — but enthralling — travelogue for the world’s newest favorite football player.
Why isn’t Olympic star Gabby Williams playing in the WNBA? As Sabreena Merchant detailed, the issue is deeper than a mere choice.
Chris Vannini ranked every FBS college football team from No. 1 to No. 134. See his full list here. We’ll have more later this week.
Very interesting from Hailey Salvian: The Penguins promoted 32-year-old Amanda Kessel in their front office, which might mean Kessel’s playing days — she remains one of the top women’s hockey players in the world — are in doubt.
We have an entire new department devoted to collectibles and memorabilia, which you can read about here. I loved this initial story from them on how the rookie card became so valuable … and the non-rookie card that started the trend.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Jim Trotter’s column on the Michael Oher saga, which is worth a read if you missed it.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Why the Pirates could be tempted to shut down Paul Skenes early. Sigh.
Top podcast in The Athletic network: Scoop City checked in with Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who might have the most intriguing rookie QB on his roster. Listen ad-free on Amazon Music here.
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(Top photo: Kara Durrette / Getty Images)
