The Friday 5: October 29th

Thursday Night Football Treat

With 13 wins between them going into Thursday Night, the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals provided one of the better matchups we’ve seen on TNF. And the game did not disappoint, as the Packers eeked out a last-minute, 24-21, victory to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season.

With 0:12 left in the game on second-and-goal, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was intercepted by Packers CB Rasul Douglas. The pass was intended for wide receiver AJ Green, but it look as if Green was not expecting the pass and never turned around to see it. Game. Set. Match.

Packers’ wide receiver Randall Cobb caught two touchdown passes, stepping up big time as Green Bay was without receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, who are both on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. For the Cardinals’ part, they felt the loss of DE J.J. Watt who is most likely out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Both teams are now 7-1 and lead their respective divisions.

Injuries Suffered Thursday Night

Unfortunately, Thursday night’s game saw a myriad of injuries for both teams.

Cardinals

• Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins re-aggravated his hamstring injury in the first quarter but did put himself back into the game a couple of times. Head coach KliffKingsbury was not into that.

• QB Kyle Murray twisted his ankle but is expected to be fine for Week 9.

• After making a special teams tackle in the third quarter, RB Jonathan Ward had to be carted off the field with a concussion/neck injury, but the Cardinals said he had movement in his extremities.

• LB Zaven Collins left the game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

Packers

• Tight end Robert Tonyan tore his ACL in his left knee and is out for the season, while RB Kylin Hill was carted off in the third with what ESPN is reporting is season-ending knee injury. Hill and Ward collided on a play that had them both carted off the field.

• DE Kinglsey Keke left the game in the third with a concussion.

World Series

The Fall Classic is all tied up, as the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros head to Truist Park in Atlanta for Game 3 Friday night.

The Braves, Joc Pederson pearls and all, took Game 1, 6-2, at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Atlanta pitcher Charlie Morton was lost for the season after suffering a fractured fibula in the second inning. He did come back for the third though, which was rather incredible. Game 2 was all Houston, as the Astros won, 7-2.

The next three games will be in Atlanta, where they will root, root, root for the home team that is 5-0 in the playoffs at home. I will also be root, root, rooting for Joctober and the home team.

Ian Anderson is pitching for the Braves, while Luis Garcia is pitching for the Astros. First pitch is at 8:09 p.m. ET/5:09 p.m. PT.

NFL Week 8 Injury News

• Chicago Bears LB Khalil Mack (foot) is out for Sunday’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (ankle) is out for this week’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but head coach Bruce Arians said that TE Rob Gronkowski, LB Lavonte David and CB Richard Sherman have “a chance” to play.

• The Tennessee Titans will be without wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) when they take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

• And Baker is back, as Mayfield will start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns when they go up against the Steelers Sunday.

Patrick Williams

The 4-1 Chicago Bulls were dealt a blow Thursday night, when forward Patrick Williams suffered a severe perilunatedislocation on his left wrist, per ESPN. Williams will require surgery that will keep him out the rest of the regular season, with a possibility to return for the playoffs, also per ESPN.

Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and was expected to be a big part of the re-tooled Bulls. The injury occurred on a flagrant foul by the New York Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson.