Matthews: A Clunker Or A Sign Of Things To Come?

JETS 34, BILLS 21: A CLUNKER OR A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

The Buffalo Bills finally hit prime-time national TV Thursday night and it definitely was not worth waiting for.

Most of us knew Buffalo’s amazing +14 turnover ratio was the single greatest factor in the team’s surprising 5-2 start, so it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise when the Bills lost the turnover battle 3-0 to the Jets are were pretty much embarrassed and humiliated.

I wish Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito hadn’t blasted the NFL after the loss for making teams play Thursday night games after playing on Sundays. Of course, other teams face the same test – including the Jets.

Leave to no-excuses Bills coach Sean McDermott to say it best: “The Jets were challenged with the same short week as us and had the same amount of time to prepare, so give them credit.”

A few thoughts on the game:

Nearly every NFL team – including the best of them – has a clunker or two every season. The 2017 Bills had their first one on Thursday night. How will they respond? They have extra time to prepare for the next game – home against New Orleans November 12. They’d better use that time wisely. The Saints are a much-improved team and take a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s home game against Tampa Bay. A victory for Buffalo over New Orleans would offset the loss to the Jets. A loss to the Saints obviously would be extremely damaging to Buffalo’s hopes for a playoff berth.

Tyrod Taylor’s 108.9 passer rating Thursday night was significantly padded in meaningless garbage time in the fourth quarter. He has played much better in the past with much lower passer ratings.

The Jets were smart to run 41 times (for 194 yards). Buffalo’s impressive rush defense numbers were partly due to opponents having so much success passing the ball. Also, Marcell Dareus wasn’t there to help plug the middle.

I’m glad new wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin didn’t suit up against the Jets. Now he’s like a secret weapon and savior-type player.

Let’s give slow-starting rookie wide receiver Zay Jones credit for performing like a real pro the last two games. Now if only his knee is OK.

The Bills allowed seven sacks and had only 63 yards rushing and 11 penalties for 99 yards. The best thing the Bills did against the Jets was onside kicks. They made the 34-21 score much closer than it should’ve been.

YU DARVISH WASN’T THE ONLY GOAT FOR THE DODGERS

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish obviously was THE goat of his team’s World Series loss to the Houston Astros.

Darvish started two games – including Game 7 – and had a 0-2 record and a horrific 21.60 earned-run average. He’ll be a free agent this offseason and I’m pretty sure the Dodgers won’t be bidding for him.

But Darvish wasn’t the only goat for the Dodgers. The Game 7 score was Houston 5, Los Angeles 1. The Dodgers – with one run -- weren’t likely to win that game no matter who their starting pitcher was.

The Dodgers had a feeble .205 team batting average in the World Series. They had a lousy .290 on-base percentage, .393 slugging percentage and .683 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).

The heart of the lineup for Los Angeles – Cody Bellinger, Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner and Corey Seager – had a cumulative .168 batting average in the World Series. They were 18-for-107. They combined for only 8 walks and 35 strikeouts (17 by Bellinger, who picked a poor time to start looking like a rookie).

Several of the understudy Dodgers performed better than their star teammates.

DODGERS FAVORED TO WIN THE 2018 WORLD SERIES

The Los Angeles Dodgers were favored to win this season’s World Series and lost. If at first they didn’t succeed, they can try again.

The Houston Astros still were celebrating their Game 7 victory Wednesday night when Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook posted odds to win NEXT year’s World Series. Here they are:

Dodgers 5-to-1. Darvish almost certainly won’t be pitching them next season.

Indians and Astros each 6-to-1.

Nationals 7-to-1.

Yankees 8-to-1.

Cubs and Red Sox each 10-to-1.

Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Mets each 20-to-1.

Blue Jays, Brewers, Mariners and Rays each 30-to-1.

Rockies 40-to-1.

Angels, Braves, Giants and White Sox each 50-to-1.

Orioles and Rangers each 60-to-1.

A’s, Marlins, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Reds, Royals and Twins each 80-to-1.

Tigers 300-to-1.

Bob’s most tempting at the odds – Nationals (7-to-1; assuming they’ll have fewer key injuries than last season)...Red Sox (10-to-1; I assume they’ll add a slugger via free agency or trade; Giancarlo Stanton would be OK)...Twins (80-to-1; still don’t like their pitching but a very good young lineup).

Bob’s least tempting at the odds – Mets (20-to-1; are all the young pitchers suddenly going to be healthy?)...Padres (80-to-1)...Tigers (300-to-1; wouldn’t like them at 3,000-to-1).

NFL WEEK 9’s “BEST BET”: RAMS OVER GIANTS

The New York Giants are 7-0 outright and against the Las Vegas point spread in the last seven games against the Los Angeles Rams.

I don’t care. The Rams have a huge firepower advantage over the Giants. The Rams on a bad day should score at least four TDs against the Giants. That would be an offensive explosion for New York. Eli Manning isn’t completely washed up but he doesn’t have enough help to keep this team competitive against most decent NFL opponents.

The Giants host the Rams on Sunday. This week’s “Best Bet”: Los Angeles Rams 35, NEW YORK GIANTS (+3 ½) 14.

Sunday’s other games

(home teams in CAPS)

Atlanta 27, CAROLINA 24 (+1 1/2) – The defending NFC champion Falcons are due for a top effort and the Panthers have been better on the road (4-1) than at home (1-2).

NEW ORLEANS (-7) 30, Tampa Bay 27 – The Saints should win their sixth straight game but the Buccaneers have enough firepower to keep it close.

HOUSTON (-7) 17, Indianapolis 7 – The Texans suffered a huge blow when star rookie QB Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending torn ACL Thursday in practice. Houston was favored by 13 points and quickly plunged to favored by 7. Assuming Texans back-up QB Tom Savage does a reasonably decent job protecting the football, Houston’s defense should be the difference.

Cincinnati 27, JACKSONVILLE (-5 1/2) 24 – I’m not a big fan of Bengals QB Andy Dalton but I trust him more than Blake Bortles.

PHILADELPHIA (-7 ½) 24, Denver 13 – The QB switch from Trevor Siemian to Brock Osweiler can’t hurt the Broncos, but it probably won’t matter against the Eagles, who could be the best team in the NFC.

TENNESSEE (-3 ½) 21, Baltimore 20 – There isn’t much to choose between these two teams. The spot to the Ravens seems overly generous.

SAN FRANCISCO (+2 ½) 21, Arizona 14 – The winless 49ers (0-8) have five losses by three points or fewer. They’re due for some better luck. The Cardinals are 3-9 ATS as favorites in this series and need some luck with Drew Stanton at QB.

SEATTLE (-7 ) 28, Washington 24 – The Seahawks should win but they seldom blow out decent opponents and the Redskins have the talent to be competitive here.

Oakland 28, MIAMI (+3) 20 – The Raiders had a much better offense than Miami even before the Dolphins this week traded top running back Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia.

Kansas City 37, DALLAS (-2) 27 – So now Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott will be playing. Isn’t this beyond ridiculous?

Monday night

Detroit 24, GREEN BAY (+2 ½) 17 – Brett Hundley wasn’t playing QB for the Packers when they were going 25-1 against the Lions in the state of Wisconsin since 1992.

RATTLERS OUTLOOK BECOMING BLEAKER

Major League Lacrosse has filed trademark paperwork for the “Dallas Rattlers” Webmark with the US Patent and Trade Office. Not a good sign for the team’s fans in Western New York.

Rochester was a charter member of Major League Lacrosse in 2001 but the Rattlers haven’t caught on in a region that supposedly loves lacrosse. People apparently enjoy playing it more than watching the top pros play it.

A move to Dallas has been rumored for more than one year. No official announcements or confirmation yet but it looks like Dallas will be getting Rochester’s MLL team soon.

NFL TURNOVER LEADERS GENERALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

The Buffalo Bills lead the NFL with a +11 turnover differential – despite -3 in Thursday night’s loss to the New York Jets.

Since 2006, here’s how the league leader in turnover differential fared (Buffalo in parentheses):

2006 – Baltimore +17; 40 takeaways, 23 giveaways; 13-3 record; lost in division playoffs; (Bills were -5)

2007 – San Diego +24; 48T, 24G; 11-5 record; lost AFC title game; (Bills +9)

2008 – Miami +17; 30T, 13G; 11-5 record; lost wild-card game; (Bills -8)

2009 – Green Bay +24; 40T, 16G; 11-5 record; lost wild-card game; (Bills +3)

2010 – New England +28; 38T, 10G; 14-2 record; lost in division playoffs; (Bills NFL-worst -17; 22T, 39G)

2011 – San Francisco +28; 38T;10G; 13-3 record; lost NFC title game; (Bills +1)

2012 – New England +25; 41T;16G; 12-4 record; lost AFC title game; (Bills -13)

2013 – Seattle +20; 39T; 19G; 13-3 record; won Super Bowl 48; (Bills +3)

2014 – Green Bay +14; 27T;13G; 12-4 record; lost NFC title game; (Bills +7)

2015 – Carolina +20; 39T;19G; 15-1 record; lost Super Bowl 50; (Bills +6)

2016 – Kansas City +16; 33T; 17G; 12-4 record; lost in division playoffs; (Bills +6).

Each of the past 11 leaders in turnover differential made the playoffs but only the 2013 Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING...

1—Jim Kelly: A Football Life...Friday, 9 p.m., NFL Network.

2—“Nature Boy”...30 for 30 documentary on pro wrestling superstar Ric Flair...Tuesday, November 7, 10 p.m., ESPN.

ARE THE EXPANSION GOLDEN KNIGHTS REALLY BETTER THAN THE SABRES?

We sure hope not. My hunch is that Vegas will cool off soon and Buffalo will get better and finish this NHL season with the better record. I mean, that’s logical, right?:

Vegas Golden Knights – 8-4-0 record; 16 of 24 possible points in the standings...6-1 home; 2-3-0 road...42 goals for; 33 goals against (+9)...21st in power play percentage (15.0; 8-for-50); 1 shorthanded-goal allowed...21st in penalty killing percentage (80.0; 32-for-40); 1 shorthanded goal scored...7th in scoring (3.50 goals per game)...10th in fewest goals allowed (2.75 per game).

Buffalo Sabres – 4-7-2 record; 10 of 26 possible points in the standings...1-1-1 home; 2-4-1 road...34 goals for; 48 goals against (-14)...24th in power play percentage (13.6; 6-for-44); 6 short-handed goals allowed...t10th in penalty killing percentage (83.3; 35-for-42); 3 short-handed goals scored...28th in scoring (2.62 goals per game)...28th in fewest goals allowed (3.63 per game).

Buffalo is 3-2 since a 0-4-1 start. Vegas has lost the first three games on a marathon six-game trip.

Vegas beat visiting Buffalo 5-4 in overtime Oct. 17. The rematch will be March 10 in Buffalo. Prediction: the Sabres will have the better record by then.

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT AFC EAST PROJECTIONS

Here are the probabilities for the AFC East spit out by the trusty FiveThirtyEight computer entering NFL Week 9:

Wins – Patriots 11.8...Bills 9.6...Dolphins 7.6...Jets 5.8

Losses – Patriots 4.2...Bills 6.4...Dolphins 8.4...Jets 10.2

Point differential – Patriots +99.2...Bills +42.1...Dolphins -93.0...Jets -71.5

Make the playoffs – Patriots 95 percent...Bills 63 percent...Dolphins 21 percent...Jets 2 percent

Win AFC East – Patriots 75 percent...Bills 21 percent...Dolphins 4 percent...Jets <1 percent

First-round bye – Patriots 52 percent...Bills 12 percent...Dolphins 2 percent...Jets <1 percent

Win Super Bowl 52 – Patriots 18 percent...Bills 3 percent...Dolphins <1.5 percent...Jets <1 percent.

SHORT SHOTS

The New York Yankees have been named Farm System of the Year by Minor League Baseball.co. Six affiliates made the playoffs. Five players made MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects list and the .586 overall winning percentage trailed only Minnesota’s .592.

Mike Smith will wear a miniature camera on his helmet during this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup on NBC and NBCSN. Viewers likely will more appreciate how difficult and dangerous it is to be a jockey. Smith has won a record 25 Breeders’ Cup races and has $34 million in purse money. He’ll ride defending champion Arrogate in Saturday’s $6-million Classic.

ESPN The Magazine, November 13 issue, has an in-depth feature on Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (it currently is on-line at ESPN.com). Fans of Tyrod will like it. Critics of Tyrod probably won’t.

No surprise that Syracuse didn’t make the AP Preseason College Basketball Top 25. It would be a surprise if SU isn’t in the Top 25 when the season ends.

The Belleville (Ontario, Canada) Senators made their AHL home debut Wednesday night before a capacity crowd of 4,400 at Yardmen Arena. Belleville had a team in the OHL for 34 seasons.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Friday, November 3

Colin Kaepernick (30)...Ty Lawson (30)...Tyler Hansbrough (32)...Tamba Hall (34)...Pekka Rinne (35)...Karlos Dansby (36)...Darren Sharper (42)...Howard “House” Ballard (54)...Karth Kiraly (57)...Phil Simms (62)...Larry Holmes (68)...Ken Holtzman (72)...Roy Emerson (81). Roseanne Barr (65) is invited to the birthday party if she promises not to sing Happy Birthday.

Saturday, November 4

Dez Bryant (29)...Brandon LaFell (31)...Branden Albert (33)...Devin Hester (35)...Vince Wilfork (36)...Larry Bigbie (40)...Orlando Pace (42)...Russell Copeland (46)...Eric Karros (50)...Monte Coleman (60)...Jacques Villeneuve (64)...Dick Groat (87). Matthew McConaughey (48) is invited to the birthday party.

Sunday, November 5

Odell Beckham Jr. (25)...O.J. Mayo (30)...Nick Folk (33)...Bubba Watson (39)...Jerry Stackhouse (43)...Johnny Damon (44)...Alexei Yashin (44)...Todd Collins (46)...Javier Lopez (47)...Lou Crawford (55)...Kellen Winslow (60)...Bill Walton (65). Tatum O’Neal (54) is invited to the birthday party.


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