FOOTBALL IS BACK
After what seemed like an eternity without it, football is finally back! The NFL’s 100th season kicked off (did that one purpose) last night when the Green Bay Packers took on the Chicago Bears in a defensive battle that saw the Packers come out on top, 10-3.
Neither offense lit it up, but Aaron Rodgers went all Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter, leading the Packers on a 74-yard drive in 90 seconds that ended in a 47-yard TD to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Bears’ defense was incredible with five sacks on Rodgers, but quarterback Mitchell Trubisky struggled, going 26-of-45 for 228 yards and an interception, ending a promising fourth quarter drive. He threw a number of near picks and had numerous delay of game penalties.
Kicker Eddie Pineiro did make a 38-yard field goal, but for all the time the Bears spent worrying about kickers this offseason, they have bigger problems under center.
Antonio Brown…Yes, We’re Still Talking About This
I hope everyone is sitting down, because we don’t want to shock you, but the Antonio Brown saga hit peak drama this week.
Brown posted a letter to social media from the Raiders informing him that he owes thousands of dollars in fines for missing multiple training camp practices. Brown was not pleased (to put it mildly) and got into it with GM Mike Mayock. The Raiders thought about suspending Brown but…
Jon Gruden said this morning that AB was at practice and the plan is for him to play Monday night against the Broncos. Brown said he apologized to his teammates and “Enough talk.”
Is this over? Doubtful, but for the sake of @raidersfgsn and fans everywhere, we hope so.
Zeke Eats
Proving that holding your ground pays off (literally), Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million contract extension this week. And he did it just in time to be active for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Timing is everything.
In total, Elliott’s deal is now worth $103 million over eight years and just about half of the $90 million is guaranteed, making his contract the largest ever for a NFL running back. That is a whole lot of trips to Cabo. Congrats Zeke!
Jared Goff’s Hollywood Story
The tall, blonde star in Los Angeles is staying awhile.
During what we’re dubbing contract-extension week, Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff signed one too. His is a four-year, $134 million extension, with $110 million guaranteed.
The 2016 #1 pick in the NFL Draft threw for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns on the way to the Super Bowl in 2018. Goff will be in La La Land through 2024 and something tells us we’ll see him another Super Bowl (or two) along the way.
Home Run Derby
LA sports fans have something else to cheer about. It’s almost not fair with all that sunshine and sparkle, but that’s the way the tinsel falls.
The National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers have also set a National League record for homeruns in a single season. Joc Pederson delivered the 250th Wednesday night, breaking the Houston Astros’ (who were the in the NL at the time) previous record of 249 in 2000.
Cody Bellinger leads the league with 44 of those 250, and if you thought we weren’t going to highlight that, you don’t know our CEO @tracysandler.
The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the division is four.
