Happy Monday everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. As always it’s the “Weekend Recap” to catch you up on the biggest moments from the weekend. The headliner this week is an absolute doozy too. It was a lot of fun watching everything go down so let’s just get right into it.

Cubs Clinch the NL Pennant, Punch Ticket to the World Series

Folks we are witnessing something truly historic setting up in the Midwest. Perennial losers turned young powerhouse, the Chicago Cubs now sit four wins away from its first World Series title in 108 years. The scene in Chicago on Saturday night was one of pure jubilation.

Chicago has seen success in the past couple of decades. The Bulls won six titles with MJ, Phil, and Scottie in the 90’s. The ’85 Bears tore through the NFL win the Lombardi trophy. More recently the Blackhawks have been the resident dynasty of the NHL, winning three Stanley Cups since 2010. Hell, even the White Sox won a World Series about a decade ago (yes, I know those are far from Cubs fans). Not the beloved Cubbies though. No matter how far they got in the playoffs, which in itself was a small victory, they always found a way to lose in spectacular fashion.

Prior to Game 4, things were looking pretty grim in Chicago, down 2-1 after being shut out in consecutive games and most of the key players slumping badly. A familiar feeling of doom was beginning to set in. However with the sage-like Joe Maddon running the show, these Cubs regrouped and looked like the team that dominated during the regular season.

Three wins later, and here we are. Tomorrow night kicks off a Fall Classic with a ton of history on the line on both sides. Chicago’s World Series drought is well documented, but on the other side is a Cleveland franchise that hasn’t won the World Series since 1948.

I’ll be doing a full preview of the Fall Classic tomorrow but this in itself was worth talking about. It’s not often we get to witness something this historic, I’ll certainly remember where I was when the Cubs clinched the pennant.

Arizona and Seattle Battle to a Tie on Sunday Night Football

I know I usually leave the NFL talk out of the recaps, but this couldn’t be left out. Last night’s tie between the Cardinals and Seahawks may not have been a thriller the whole way through, but those last few minutes of overtime was the real shocker.

Truthfully, I may have been one of the few people to watch this one to its anti-climactic conclusion. It was like watching a NASCAR car crash, I knew I shouldn’t watch but I just couldn’t look away. Not one, but TWO missed chip-shot field goals in the final five minutes of the game forced this game to end in a tie.

If you looked at the stats, it’s even more surprising that this was the outcome. That box score screamed a two-touchdown blowout won by Arizona. Somehow, some way this ended in a tie though. Arizona will be looking back at this one the rest of the way especially if they don’t make the playoffs. Seattle truly stole one, even if they didn’t technically win.

Penn State Upsets Ohio State

Speaking of shockers, the Nittany Lions welcomed the Buckeyes into Happy Valley and sent the former #2 team in the country home with a loss. Penn State blocked a field goal and returned it for the go-ahead touchdown with about five minutes left in the game.

This was not only a huge momentum swing, but the play itself was roughly a ten-point swing in Penn State’s favor. Ohio State would have been ahead by seven had the kick been made, but instead the Buckeyes were down three in a hostile environment.

As a Rutgers alum, its tough to see Penn State win like that, but I have to give credit where it is due. That is a massive win for coach James Franklin and his program going forward. Now the Nittany Lions are ranked for the first time in five years and have put themselves in a position to be a dark horse in the race to make the Big Ten championship game.

Ohio State’s national title chances certainly take a hit, but with games against Nebraska and Michigan left on the schedule, they will still control their destiny. Games like this are college football at its finest, so kudos to Penn State for pulling this upset off.

Monday Night Football Preview

Okay so let’s move onto Monday Night Football, which features a matchup between the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos. The big story here is the return of Brock Osweiler to Denver after leaving in free agency to take the starting QB job in Houston. That is more of a surface storyline though as Osweiler was just the backup to Peyton Manning throughout much of his time in Denver, aside from the handful of starts he got last season.

The real story for me is how the Broncos respond after suffering an upset loss ten days ago to the Chargers. These are the defending Super Bowl champions we are talking about here, so I expect them to come into this game looking to make a statement.

This would be the prime opportunity to do so on one of the biggest national stages the NFL has to offer. I said before the season that the ground is shrinking beneath the champs in the AFC West, and so far that prediction has held true. The Raiders and Chiefs are both looking great right now, and the Broncos need to keep pace. Luckily, they get a Houston team that just doesn’t seem ready to tangle with the big boys yet.

Osweiler, for all of the hype he generated coming into this season, has been quite a dud for the Texans. Despite the 4-2 record, this doesn’t look like one of the upper echelon teams in the AFC. This offense should be lighting up the scoreboard weekly but that just hasn’t been the case as they have only averaged 18 points per game.

The Broncos should be able to hold Houston’s passing game in check, which will put a ton of pressure on the Texans to dominate on the ground with Lamar Miller and generate quick-change opportunities defensively.

All told, I just don’t think the Texans have what it takes to go into Mile High and come out victorious. I’m taking the Broncos (-9) tonight to hopefully end a rough week with a victory for my game picks.

Enjoy the game tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with a World Series preview and a shortened version of “No Huddle” to recap Week 7. It’s going to be a big week here at Shooting the Moon so stay tuned! Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.