If you are in the offices of Major League Baseball, how do you possibly hope to recreate the magic of the 2016 World Series? Cubs-Indians was seven-game epic tale of two of the oldest franchises with a chance to end record-long championship drought that came down to an even more iconic finale. Not quite the easiest act to follow up.

Luckily, we have ourselves what could potentially turn into the MLB’s version of Cavs-Warriors. Maybe it won’t a consecutive run of dominance like we have witnessed, but looking at the Dodgers and Astros you get the feeling that these teams are meant to meet again in the Fall Classic after this season. That is the beauty of the postseason. Each series gets to live and breath as its own unique tale that gets woven into the bigger tapestry of sports lore.

If this does become the first act in a championship rivalry, it is setting up to be a thrilling opening entry. In a way, it almost seemed inevitable. The Astros started the season on a roll, but injuries cooled them off a bit as the season wore on. It wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle, which is the benefit of having one of the best up and coming rosters in the league. Meanwhile, the Dodgers didn’t quite have the same start, but once they got rolling this team looked like a juggernaut.

Just like any championship run, there will be a few moves that set the path into motion. Take the Dodgers and, presumptive NL Rookie of the Year, Cody Bellinger. The 22-year old first baseman didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but found himself called up once injuries started piling up.

According to reports after his call-up in late April, Bellinger was only supposed to be with the team until they got healthy. However, a week before potentially heading back to the minors, he found his way at the plate and forced manager Dave Roberts to keep him in the majors. Flash-forward to the end of the season, he finished the regular season with a .267 batting average, 39 home runs, and 97 runs batted in. Whether it was in left field or at first base, Bellinger has held own.

Bellinger, along with Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, and Yasiel Puig, has turned the Dodgers lineup into a fearsome combination of batters. Coupled with one of the best pitching staffs in the league, led by the one of the best pitchers ever (Clayton Kershaw), it was not hard to project the Dodgers would mow through the National League and host Game 1 of the World Series tonight.

In Houston, their path was set by a move that has taken on an already become a folk tale. The Astros spent years losing 100+ games per season and accumulating top talent through the draft (not quite the Sixers tank job, but close). It netted them all sorts of elite-level prospects, who have now grown into elite-level players. Hell, Sports Illustrated even predicted the Astros would be this good in a now infamous magazine cover from 2014.

For as talented a team this was, they were missing something. They had a great team, but it seemed like there was still a move to be made to put them over the top. Theoretically, it had been thrown out there as early as June, that Houston had the depth in their minor league system to acquire a dominant ace from a struggling team. As the trade deadline passed in July, the Astros stood pat as the team had recently lost Carlos Correa, who would be back to play a large role in this team’s playoff run. An often forgotten period in baseball is the August waiver window though.

While MLB does have an actual trade deadline in late July, teams can still negotiate trades for players that pass through waivers. August 31^st acted as the season’s final trade deadline. This time around, the Astros made a move that might go down as one of the best August trades in the history of the league.

A phone call between Houston ace Dallas Keuchel, a former AL Cy Young award winner, and then-Detroit ace Justin Verlander set the wheels in motion for the Astros to acquire the former AL Cy Young and AL MVP. As the story has been told this postseason, Houston and Detroit completed the blockbuster deal just two seconds before the deadline passed at midnight on August 31^st.

Since then, the Houston pitching staff has been incredible, while the batters have come through in the clutch this postseason. Houston powered their way through Boston in the ALDS, but found themselves in a battle against the up and coming New York Yankees. It would take seven-games to accomplish the task, but the Astros punched their ticket to the Fall Classic fueled by two virtuoso pitching performances from Verlander in the ALCS.

Now we are just mere hours from first pitch of the 2017 World Series, and now that we have set the scene, how will this all play out over the next week or so? It’s the question at the heart of the drama surrounding this series.

It would look like a series that hinges on whether one team can score an upset on the road. Both teams are dominant at home, and each park presents their own challenges. The Dodgers play in a pitcher’s park, which will make it difficult for the high-powered Astros to hit the long-ball, as the Cubs discovered in the NLCS. Houston has been a different team in Minute Maid Park, where there quick-strike power comes through.

Each team has players that could dominate the series. Houston brings the presumptive AL MVP, José Altuve, whose diminutive stature masks one of the best bats in the game. Altuve will jump all over pitches early in the count, and can create runs once he touches first base. He’s backed up in the order by a future MVP in Carlos Correa. This 3-4 combination could be deadly for the Astros in this series, especially if leadoff hitter George Springer can get hot.

An under-the-radar player to watch out for is Houston’s Yuli Gurriel. The 33-year old rookie first baseman made his name as one of the best professional players in Cuba before defecting in February 2016. This postseason he has batted .366 and has made some incredibly timely hits.

The Dodgers have a lineup to be feared as well. Justin Turner has routinely played the hero this postseasons, while Yasiel Puig is fulfilling the promising flashes he showed early in his career. Each game has brought a different unsung hero as well. NLCS replacement Charlie Culberson had his time in the spotlight in relief of the injured Corey Seager (who is back for the World Series). Enrique Hernandez crushed three home runs in the clinching game against Chicago.

With the way the Dodgers have been rolling offensively, it has allowed the bullpen to play with the lead and dominate. Los Angeles relievers are riding a 23-inning scoreless streak into the World Series. That has been good for a sub-1.00 ERA, while Houston’s bullpen enters with an ERA over 5.00.

At the end of the day, both teams have the look of a team of destiny, but only one can be the World Champions. This has the feel of a long series, which will play into the hands of the Dodgers, who are well rested heading into the World Series. Ultimately, we will just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. That’s all we can ask for, right?

That’s it for me today. Look out for “No Huddle” later this week. I’ll be doing a lot of work over the next few days with SNJ Today so stay tuned to the Facebook page for more content. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and be sure to like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

We tend to set our year around the spring equinox and the summer solstice. This year, sports fans get to add another one of these events to their calendars. Today marks the first “sports equinox” in over 15 years. The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL all will be in play tonight. In other words, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I don’t know about you, but my remote has been getting a workout this past week especially now that the NBA season has tipped off. We’ll have a lot to catch up on next week with baseball and basketball, but for now we have to get ready for Week 7 of the NFL season.

Yes, in seemingly no time at all we are almost at the halfway point of the regular season in the NFL. Even crazier, there isn’t a consensus best team in the league yet either. Kansas City might be that team, but Pittsburgh may have showed the rest of the league a way to beat them (in Arrowhead no less). We are still waiting on the Patriots to get back to the Patriot way. Is Pittsburgh going to be a contender? The AFC has a little clarity but ultimately it is anyone’s conference right about now.

What about the NFC? Philadelphia looks great, but did something similar before falling apart down the stretch a year ago. Carolina seems like a good team, but have flaws that could prevent them from getting back to another Super Bowl. Green Bay’s title chances just went out the window with the injury to Aaron Rodgers. Ezekiel Elliott may or may not be suspended for a struggling Dallas team. Seattle is an enigma. Are the Rams for real? And will the quarterback situation keep Minnesota from making a run?

My point is that while we can make a case for most teams for being serious contenders, you can also poke holes in those arguments. Most teams have ten or eleven games left to play, so obviously some teams will put the critiques to rest while others will live up to those critiques and even give us new ones to toss out there.

Another point I’m trying to make is that we are at the point in the season where any type of power rankings is pretty subjective. You can go all over the Internet and you will see there isn’t a consensus just yet. Some places have Philadelphia sitting atop the NFL, while others have Kansas City. Then there are the contrarians that have someone like New England atop the rankings because “we know they’ll be there at the end.”

With that in mind, let’s take a look at my power rankings heading into Week 7. Then we’ll talk a little bit about tonight’s game and then I’ll reveal my ATS picks for the whole week.

1) Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) – Last Week: 1

The Chiefs run as the last undefeated team in 2017 came to a halt last week as they dropped a tight game against the Steelers. Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins have popped the champagne as their status as the only undefeated team in NFL history stands for another year. For the rankings, the Chiefs get a reprieve for two reasons.

The first is that using the eye test, this is still the best team in the league. I’m pulling back a little on my stance that this is the most complete team in football though. This defense is starting to worry me, they aren’t forcing turnovers or getting pressure on the quarterback.

The second reason is that they have head-to-head wins against multiple teams in contention for this list. Plus, it took a freak play to give Pittsburgh the lead for good. If Philip Gaines is able to haul in that interception, rather than bouncing off his facemask, Antonio Brown doesn’t score the insurance touchdown and the Chiefs probably win that game.

It’s a short week for the Chiefs as they take on the struggling Oakland Raiders on the road tonight. We’ll get to that game a little later.

2) Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) – Last Week: Watch List

Thanks to the injury to Aaron Rodgers, and an impressive road win against Carolina, the Philadelphia Eagles sit alone atop the NFC. This is a team that believes in its young quarterback and has a defense that is playing playoff caliber football. The question is whether it is sustainable for the Eagles.

We all saw it last season, the Eagles came out on fire and then faded after their bye week. This season has been different so far. Philly hasn’t played a cupcake schedule, and have an impressive win under their belts. More importantly, they are taking care of their own business, which will help down the road. Philadelphia is currently 4-0 against the NFC, and 2-0 against the NFC East.

Tougher tests lie ahead for the Eagles, but right now are in a position to string a couple of wins together on a three-game home stand. Philadelphia has been much better at home with Carson Wentz at quarterback so things should be interesting on Monday night with the Eagles hosting the Redskins.

3) New England Patriots (4-2) – Last Week: 3

In the NFL, a win is a win. However, the Patriots pulled off a highway robbery thanks to the replay officials in New York. The reversal of what looked like a touchdown for Jets tight end Austin Sefarian-Jenkins changed the complexion of the divisional game between the Pats and Jets. Rather than pulling within a field goal, the Jets lost the ball and couldn’t get any closer to tying the game.

This Patriots defense isn’t getting gashed for a ton of points like they were earlier in the year, but man can teams move the ball on them. New England has now allowed six consecutive 300-yard passing games to start the season. That’s not good for a team whose pass defense was supposed to be one of its strengths. The points coming down to Earth is a sign of this team playing a little better situational football, but this is not a defense that is putting any fear into opponents right now.

Tom Brady and the passing offense will be fine, but there needs to be some form of consistency in this rushing attack. Mike Gillislee has been a non-factor, losing touches to Dion Lewis. James White still looks like the best of the group but has been relegated to the receiving back. Then there is Rex Burkhead, who will be returning to action at some point.

The defending champs have a lot to work on over the next few weeks, but can’t afford to cough up any winnable games. New England will be part of the marquee game of the week in a Super Bowl LI rematch against the Atlanta Falcons.

4) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) – Last Week: Unranked

Thanks to the craziness of Week 6 the Steelers are back in the good graces of the top-five. Beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead is no easy task either. However, it is the type of win that might have saved Pittsburgh’s season after taking an embarrassing loss at home the week before.

Big Ben is clearly not the same quarterback that won two Super Bowls, but they don’t need him to be either. This offense is going to live and die with Le’Veon Bell leading the way in the running game. That is what got Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship game last season and it is what they will need to do this season as well.

Possibly the most impressive part of the Pittsburgh win was how the defense was able to stifle the red-hot Chiefs offense. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were held pretty much in check, while the super-rookie Kareem Hunt never got to break the big run. The Steelers were able to get great pressure on Alex Smith and disrupted the entire offense.

A blue-collar approach is looking like the way that Pittsburgh will have to play despite the wealth of weapons in the passing game. This will keep Big Ben from having to carry the team, and play a much more complementary style of football. A big division test awaits the Steelers as the host the Bengals this week.

5) Carolina Panthers (4-2) – Last Week: Watch List

In a losing effort the Panthers find themselves in the top-five, once again this just goes to show how wild Week 6 actually was. This isn’t quite the same Panthers team that made a run to the Super Bowl two years ago, but this is still a solid football team. More consistency from Cam Newton could make this a scary team to face once again.

We are still seeing the offense evolve from a strictly power running scheme, and they are just scratching the surface. Clearly the Cam Newton shoulder recovery set back some of this offensive progression, but its getting there. Philadelphia completely shut down this running game, which put the pressure on Cam to win them the game. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the job done in a playoff-like game.

There will be no time for a letdown either as the Panthers head north to face the Bears in Chicago. Carolina will have a chance to take back control of the NFC South.

Watch List: Minnesota (4-2), Atlanta (3-2), LA Rams (4-2), Seattle (3-2), Houston (3-3)

Okay let’s quickly get to the game tonight between the Raiders and the Chiefs. A matchup of team’s having polar opposite season presents us with what could be a very intriguing AFC West matchup.

The Chiefs have been a staple of “No Huddle” in 2017 so we pretty much know that they will try to control the game on offense and try to stifle you on defense. The offense has been good but the defense has clearly been missing its biggest playmaker in the injured Eric Berry.

Oakland has been one of the more disappointing teams of 2017. Derek Carr missed some time with a back injury (that could nag him), and this offense has seriously taken a step back. Marshawn Lynch is starting to look like a guy that sat out the better part of two seasons, this offensive line isn’t playing nearly as well as last season, Amari Cooper is M.I.A., and frustrations are mounting.

Once again, this defense has not been that great, but they have gotten themselves some reinforcements. Oakland didn’t let NaVorro Bowman sit on free agency for too long before scooping him up earlier this week. The four-time All-Pro could be a stabilizing force, and a leader for this defense to rally around. He is going to have to get acclimated quickly, because this is a tough offense to face playing in a new system.

While you would think that playing at home would play to the Raiders advantage, you would actually be surprised. The record may not show it, but the Raiders have not been as good at home under coach Jack Del Rio. Considering this is a must-win division game, the Raiders will need their best performance of the season to potentially save 2017.

The struggles in Oakland are real, and I think that the Chiefs aren’t losing two in a row. I’m going to go with Kansas City (-3) tonight. Here are the rest of my picks for the week (Winners in Bold).

Last Week: 2-12       2017 Season: 37-53-1

 Sunday (1:00 p.m.)

Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo (-1)

Carolina (-3) vs. Chicago

Tennessee (-6) vs. Cleveland

New Orleans vs. Green Bay (+4)

Jacksonville (-3.5) vs. Indianapolis

Arizona vs. LA Rams (-3.5)

NY Jets vs. Miami (-3)

Baltimore (+5.5) vs. Minnesota

Sunday (4:05/4:25 p.m.)

Dallas (-6) vs. San Francisco

Cincinnati (+5.5) vs. Pittsburgh

Denver (+1) vs. LA Chargers

Seattle (-4.5) vs. NY Giants

 

Sunday Night Football 

Atlanta (+3) vs. New England

 

That’s it for me today. I’ll be with the SNJ Today football crew tomorrow so I’ll be back on Monday. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

So this was supposed to be a normal version of the Sunday “No Huddle” filled with analysis before my picks. However, waking up and having to deal with a problem with Bank of America kind of changed this whole plan. So instead this will just be the picks for today.

Just to quickly recap last week, it was a dead even week. Seriously, the one o’clock games are alternating correct and incorrect. A nice run late in the day saved the picks from falling further down into fade territory. So with the Monday night game including it was a week right at the .500 mark. Hopefully this week that will change for the better. Here are my picks for Week 6 (Winners in Bold).

This Week: 1-0        Last Week: 7-7         2017 Season: 35-41-1

1:00 p.m. kickoff

Miami vs. Atlanta (-13.5)

Chicago vs. Baltimore (-5)

Cleveland vs. Houston (-7)

Green Bay (-3) vs. Minnesota

Detroit (+6) vs. New Orleans

New England (-9.5) vs. NY Jets

San Francisco vs. Washington (-10.5)

4:05/4:25 p.m. kickoff

Tampa Bay (-2.5) vs. Arizona

LA Rams vs. Jacksonville (-1)

Pittsburgh vs. Kansas City (-3.5)

LA Chargers vs. Oakland (-3)

  

Sunday Night Football

NY Giants vs. Denver (-12.5)

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back this week with more NFL coverage. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Here we go folks, Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us. Every team is now officially a quarter of the way done with the season and bye weeks are now starting. We are coming off of a week that included a lot of drama, but on the whole didn’t reveal much to us in terms of the rest of the season.

However, we are getting a little more clarity on who are the contenders and pretenders. Preseason Super Bowl contenders are starting to show fatal flaws while teams we have overlooked suddenly are relevant out of the blue. Through it all only one team remains unbeaten, which is where we start with this week’s power rankings.

1) Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) – Last: 1

Another week and another win for the Chiefs as they kept pouring on the points against a battered Houston defense. We aren’t quite at the point where the Chiefs can absorb a loss and still remain on top, but we are close. This offense is on absolute fire right now with Alex Smith playing like the league MVP, and the defense is doing just enough to get the job done.

They may be without Travis Kelce this week, which could make things a little more difficult, but having weapons like Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt can soften the blow. Now we do need to be at least a little concerned about this defense going forward. This unit hasn’t looked dominant as of yet but more alarmingly, aren’t generating much of a pass rush or turning the ball over. This could be the week where Kansas City will need this defense to do so against a Steelers team that is desperate to get back on track.

2) Green Bay Packers (4-1) – Last: 4

Aaron Rodgers did it again on Sunday. The Cowboys left him with just over a minute and one timeout to go the length of the field to score a game-winning touchdown. When will teams ever learn no to do that. Nine times out of ten, Rodgers is ripping your heart out. So with another flourish of Rodgers being the best QB not named Tom Brady, the Packers find themselves just behind the Chiefs this week.

Possibly the biggest bit of news for the Packers from Sunday was the emergence of Aaron Jones in the backfield. Jones looked great running the football and could be a much-needed asset for this offense later in the season. Ty Montgomery isn’t going away but is more of a pass catching specialist, whereas Jones is an inside the tackles type of runner. Just what Rodgers needs, more weapons, right?

Green Bay will renew one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL this week as they head to Minnesota to play the Vikings. This will provide another test for Rodgers and this offense.

3) New England Patriots (3-2) – Last: 2

Could this be the wrong place to put the Pats? Maybe. Either way the Patriots kind of get here by default. This offense is too good to stop, unless they play Denver. Tom Brady is putting up great numbers and this is an offense where anyone can step up any given week.

The constant problem has been the defense, but they looked marginally better last Thursday against the Buccaneers. New England played a lot more zone and only asked the defense to prevent touchdowns. Thanks to Nick Folk’s kicking woes, it also meant that the Pats kept the Bucs in-check on the scoreboard.

At some point, the Pats will play like the team we have seen run the league for nearly two decades. A good spot for that to start would be against the “red-hot” Jets in New York this week.

4) Atlanta Falcons (3-1) – Last: 3

Unfortunately for the Falcons, the week off allowed for teams to jump them in the power rankings. However, the week off may have come at the perfect time for the Falcons as it allowed the team to nurse a couple of injuries to key players. Julio Jones is going to avoid missing games, while Mohamed Sanu and Vic Beasley could be back next week.

There is no time for a let down this week as the Falcons host Miami this week. Atlanta should be able to feast on this Miami defense. Hell just about any defense is looking great against Jay Cutler right now. So if you’re an Atlanta fan, this is not the week to lay an egg.

5) Denver Broncos (3-1) – Last: Watch List

Another bye week team from last week rounds out the power rankings for this week. Denver is still figuring out things on the offensive side of the ball, but no one can deny the Broncos defense is the best in the NFL right now. It makes Denver one of the most dangerous teams in the league due to the fact that they can effectively take your entire offense out of the ball game.

The real question regarding the Broncos is how the NFL and NBC didn’t make an emergency flex call for Sunday’s game against the Giants. That one will be ugly to watch especially after the entire New York receiving corps got injured this past weekend.

Watch List: Carolina (4-1), Philadelphia (4-1), Detroit (3-2), Seattle (3-2), Jacksonville (3-2), Houston (2-3)

Okay let’s quickly touch on tonight’s game featuring the Eagles and Panthers. The winner will be in a prime position in the NFC just before the halfway point in the season. Now this is likely more of a test for the Eagles than the Panthers.

The Panthers are at home on a short week against a Philly team that has struggled mightily to win on the road since the start of last season. Cam Newton and this offense have found a way to get things going after a poor performance a couple weeks ago against Buffalo.

More importantly for the Panthers, this defense is looking closer to the one that brought them to the Super Bowl two years ago. Luke Kuechly is manning the middle of the defense, which gives them an all-world playmaker to lead the way. Expect to see a lot of him tonight. Last game against Philadelphia, Kuechly and his linebacking partner Thomas Davis completely shut down the Eagles.

For the Eagles, they will have to overcome the absence of tackle Lane Johnson, who is in the concussion protocol for tonight. Without him last season, the Eagles went 2-8 while he served a ten-game suspension. Already not looking good for the Eagles. However, this is a team that has played well thus far offensively, especially in last week’s dismantling of Arizona’s defense.

The x-factor will have to be Carson Wentz in this game. He has been money on third down so far this season, piling up over 500 yards and six touchdowns in that situation. If he can keep that up, and avoid turnovers, the Birds might have a chance to score a huge road upset.

Defensively, the Eagles will have to keep up their solid play. They might have Fletcher Cox back to lead the defensive line, which would be huge. If not, Beau Allen has filled in admirably in Cox’s place. They will also have to find a way to neutralize Cam Newton’s running ability, which will come from a combination of the defensive line and likely Jordan Hicks.

The secondary will have to literally play big tonight as they face one of the biggest receiving corps in the league. Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess will have a clear size advantage against the Philly corners, and could be an interesting factor tonight. Also, lord knows how the Eagles will try to cover and stop Christian McCaffrey, who is the Swiss Army knife for the Panthers.

Overall, this is setting up for a Panthers win, possibly in convincing fashion. However, these Thursday night games tend to get a little weird and completely against how many think it should go. To get this week started, I’m going to go with Philadelphia (+3.5) tonight.

That’s it for me today. Be on the lookout for my Week 6 NFL Primer and Picks in “No Huddle” as well as a “Curtain Call” to check-in with the MLB Postseason. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Here are my last minute ATS picks for Week 5. Let’s see how I follow things up after an incredible 12-4 week capped off with the craziest backdoor cover in recent history. (Winners in Bold)

This Week: 0-1        Last Week: 12-4       2017 Season: 28-34-1

1:00 p.m. kickoff

Arizona vs. Philadelphia (-5.5)

Buffalo (+3) vs. Cincinnati

NY Jets (-1.5) vs. Cleveland

Carolina vs. Detroit (-1.5)

San Francisco vs. Indianapolis (-1)

Tennessee (+1) vs. Miami

LA Chargers (+3) vs. NY Giants

Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh (-7.5)

  

4:05/4:25 p.m. kickoff

Seattle vs. LA Rams (-2)

Baltimore (+3) vs. Oakland

Green Bay (+2.5) vs. Dallas

 

Sunday Night Football 

Kansas City (-2) vs. Houston

 

Monday Night Football

Chicago vs. Minnesota (-3.5)

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow to look back on the weekend that was in sports and get you ready for all of the action on Monday night. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

As we turn out calendars to October, one of the best months of sports arrives. The NFL is in full swing, the NHL regular season begins tomorrow, the NBA isn’t too far behind, but most importantly we get the MLB postseason. One month will determine the World Series champions for the 2017 season.

What a season it was by the way. The Dodgers flirted with the regular season wins record in a mostly dominant year. Cleveland pulled off one of the greatest winning streaks ever. New York got a lift from the Yankees coming back in a big way led by presumptive AL Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge. The defending champs struggled for much of the season, but the Cubs are starting to find their groove.

Meanwhile the Wild Cards produced a little bit of drama down the stretch. The Rockies, who stormed out of the gates early, managed to hang on to the final NL playoff spot by a hair. Plus, in a true regular season surprise, the Twins became the first team in MLB history to lose 100 games then make the playoffs in the next season. After a regular season like that we get playoff drama to the –enth degree for the next month. Is that something you might be able to interest you in?

It seems appropriate bright lights of New York will provide us with our first pictures from this great October theatre. The AL Wild Card game features the Yankees against the upstart Twins. What follows will set the tone for the postseason.

While the matchup seems intriguing, its clear who the favorite in this game. The Yankees present a power-hitting lineup, at home with their ace on the mound. Not only that, but the Yanks have plenty of shutdown arms in the bullpen if things go awry early.

Luis Severino gets the ball for the home team, and has earned the right to do so tonight. Severino has unquestionably been the best starting pitcher this season for the Yanks. His sub-3.00 ERA was the best among the starting rotation, and led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts.

Opposing Severino in the starters matchup is Ervin Santana. Minnesota’s pitching has been average at best this season, so despite his journeyman’s status Santana is the best hope for the Twins to pull off the upset. He’s been more susceptible to giving up the long ball than Severino, and that is the one thing he cannot afford to do against this Yankees lineup.

Out-slugging the Yankees in the Bronx is not the ideal strategy, but that is likely gameplan for the Twins tonight. Things are setting up in a nice way for New York tonight, expect them to be playing Cleveland in the ALDS on Thursday.

Over in the National League tomorrow night, the Wild Card game will feature a NL West matchup of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. Both teams made huge improvements from a year ago and surprised many by making the postseason.

This is another matchup that would seemingly favor the home team. Arizona has been among the best teams in the National League all season, and including recent success against Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile the Rockies haven’t had the best finish to the season either.

Zach Grienke takes the mound tonight for Arizona and will square off against Jon Gray for Colorado. It could be difficult for the Rockies to pull off the upset here against one of the games best pitchers on the road. Arizona was the second-best team in the MLB at-home during the regular season just to add to the daunting nature of this upset. Look for J.D. Martinez and Paul Goldschmidt to power this lineup for the D’Backs to vault them to a NLDS showdown with the Dodgers.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with “No Huddle” with a look at the NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 5. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

I wish I could say it was a happy Monday. Unfortunately the world has different plans for many of us. Before we get to any football talk, I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to those affected by the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas early this morning. It is a truly sad day in this country.

Despite today’s somber state of affairs, we have a “No Huddle” to get through in advance of tonight’s Week 4 finale in Kansas City. There is also a full day of NFL action to digest as well. It was another unpredictable day in the league yesterday but that meant we got some great games to watch along the way. This brings up our weekly question. What did we learn this week?

Deshaun Watson has the Look of a Star

We are leading with a positive note here, and it builds off of something we learned last week. Not only is Deshaun Watson looking like the franchise quarterback that Houston has been searching for years to find, he has the look of an instant star. Back-to-back impressive performances have the collective NFL experts turning their heads.

Watson’s five-touchdown performance in Houston’s 57-14 rout of the Titans proved that last week was far from a fluke. This Houston offense is starting to gel, especially now that Will Fuller is back in the mix. Fuller’s presence will keep star receiver DeAndre Hopkins from getting double-teamed every play. That is good news for Watson, who can use as much firepower as he can muster.

While Watson has played well, next week is going to be the biggest test of his season so far with Kansas City coming into town. With that said, the early returns on the 12^th overall pick in the draft have been stellar.

New England has a Serious Problem

Don’t hit the panic button just yet New England fans since its only Week 4. However, the Patriots have a big problem right now. This defense, which most people thought would be a top-ten unit, is looking like one of the worst in the league. So far, this has been a very un-Patriots defense.

They have been giving up big plays in every game. It has been a risky venture to hope they can come up with a key stop. Situational football is typically the New England strong suit, but even that is an area they are struggling in right now.

New England has given up four consecutive 300-yard passing games and 128 points so far. This secondary was supposed to be the strength of this defense, and there have been far too many mistakes thus far. Blown coverages have become a consistent sight as well. It also doesn’t help that the pass rush is lacking and the front-seven is allowing over five yards per rush.

Tom Brady and this offense look great, but could it be to the detriment of this defense? Possibly. In a year of needing to play complementary football, this high-octane offense is leaving a struggling defense exposed more often than not. These are the Patriots though, and luckily this defense only needs to be “below-average” with the way this offense can put up points.

It is still early, but a 2-2 start with both losses coming at home is less than ideal. If these defensive struggles continue through Halloween, we might need to start rethinking the Patriots being a lock for a deep playoff run.

The Giants and Chargers are Done

One percent. Those are the chances of a team that starts 0-4 of making the playoffs. Among all of the surprises we have seen through the first quarter of the regular season, the Giants and Chargers starting 0-4 are chief among them. Unfortunately for both of these teams, that is likely the end of their playoff hopes for 2017.

The real shocker is the Giants sitting at 0-4 to start the season. New York came into the season with very high expectations following an impressive 11-5 season a year ago. However the problems that were simmering (no running game, bad offensive line, poor offensive efficiency) have now bubbled to the surface. It is now at the point where this “championship caliber” defense that everyone raves about can’t cover for the issues of this offense.

The Giants also could be the 2017’s example for why the Pythagorean wins projection is an important stat. It’s a simple math formula that takes into account points for/against to measure future success of a team. As great as the Giants played last season, their projected wins based on this formula put them at 8.35 wins. To put it in even more plain terms, the Giants overachieved last season based on the numbers.

With very little upgrades and improvements, we are seeing the worst of this football team. Through four games, the Giants have a Pythagorean projection of 6.19 wins. This is a team that is regressing before our eyes.

Frustrations are mounting in Los Angeles as they added another single-digit loss to their incredible run of tough luck in close games. Typically you like to see the team that finds a way to win, but the Chargers are finding more ways to lose with each passing week. The incredible part is this is a team that could be 3-1 if a few bounces went their way.

Unfortunately, there are no cute stats to explain just how this keeps happening to the Chargers. Even worse, they don’t have any solace in playing at home either. So far the move to Los Angeles has been a disaster for this franchise. Just look at the predominantly pro-Philadelphia crowd from yesterday.

At this point it is pretty safe to say that both of these teams while both teams have a chance to salvage their seasons, the playoffs are just not going to be in the cards in 2017.

Washington vs. Kansas City (MNF Preview)

Photo Credit: NFL

We finish up today’s “No Huddle” with a quick look at tonight’s game between the Redskins and Chiefs. Right off the bat, this was the most intriguing matchup of the entire Week 4 slate. The Chiefs have been stellar through three games while the Redskins are coming off a monster win a week ago. This has the makings of a classic game from Arrowhead Stadium.

This is an interesting test for both teams. For Washington, this will be the toughest team they have faced so far in one of the most difficult places to play in the NFL. For Kansas City, they have a team riding the incredible high of shellacking one of the key playoff contenders in the AFC.

Speaking of that Washington drubbing of Oakland, this is where we will start for the keys to this matchup. The biggest question is can this Washington defense repeat the same success they had a week ago? Washington completely shut down the Raiders with an incredible effort from its pass rushers, which allowed the secondary to smother the Oakland receivers.

Kansas City’s offense is a bit of a different animal than the Raiders. While the Chiefs offensive line isn’t as good as the Raiders, Kansas City has much more explosive playmakers and a quarterback that is playing lights out right now. The Chiefs present so many potential problems for opposing defenses because if you don’t play things just right, the ball is likely ending up in the endzone. Dating back to last season, the Chiefs have scored a 50+-yard touchdown in nine consecutive games. Rookie sensation Kareem Hunt has done that in his first three games.

The individual matchup of Josh Norman and Tyreek Hill should be a great one to watch in this game. Hill is easily one of the fastest players in the league, and Norman looks more like the shutdown corner we saw in his Carolina days. Norman might not have the speed to keep up with Hill, so expect Norman to be physical and even get a little help from the safety over the top.

If Washington has any chance of slowing down this Chiefs offense, they are going to have to make Alex Smith miss throws, period. So far this season, Smith is completing an absurd 77 percent of his passes. Smith is playing like a man possessed right now, and coach Andy Reid has been pushing all of the right buttons with this offense.

On the other side of this matchup, you have to wonder how Kirk Cousins will fare against one of the league’s best defenses. As I’m writing this now, there is still no definitive word on where Rob Kelley or Jordan Reed will play in this game. Receiver Jamison Crowder also tweaked his hamstring in practice this week. Assuming that all three play, and they will probably need them, Cousins will have to spread the wealth to keep the Chiefs from keying on Chris Thompson.

Thompson is in the midst of a breakout start for the Redskins. He only averages nine touches per game, but is scoring touchdowns at an insane rate. Thompson has four touchdowns on 27 touches (carries/receptions) through three games. For comparison sake, extrapolated over a full season Thompson’s touchdown rate would double last year’s top fantasy player David Johnson. He’s unquestionably the hot-hand in this offense right now so look for Jay Gruden to find creative ways to get him the football tonight.

Overall, this is going to be a tough game for the Redskins to win. That isn’t to say that Washington won’t make a game out of it, but right now it’s really tough to pick against the Chiefs. But, hey that’s why the play the game right. As for my pick tonight, I’m going to go with Kansas City (-7) to cap off a great week for my ATS pick.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with the return of “Curtain Call” to get you ready for the MLB postseason. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Good morning NFL fans! We have ourselves a sunrise to sunset and beyond day of football ahead of us. I hope you all got a good night’s sleep because we need one to get through a day such as this. It is another NFL Sunday with over 15 hours worth of games this week.

We get the early kickoff from London with a potentially high-scoring matchup between Miami and New Orleans. Then we will finish the day with a not-so-even matchup between Indianapolis and Seattle in primetime. However, there are a few intriguing games along the way.

Before we get to today’s action, lets take a quick peek at the power rankings for Week 4.

1) Kansas City (3-0) – Last Week: 1

2) New England (2-1) – Last Week: 2

3) Atlanta (3-0) – Last Week: 4

4) Green Bay (3-1) – Last Week: Watch List *Ranking prior to TNF

5) Tennessee (2-1) – Last Week: Unranked

Watch List: Pittsburgh (2-1), Denver (2-1), Oakland (2-1), Detroit (2-1), Dallas (2-1)

There was no need to make a change at the top of the rankings due to the wins by Kansas City and New England. The Chiefs might be the most complete team in football right now, and as long as Tom Brady is at quarterback the Patriots will be in the upper echelon of the league.

Atlanta gets a bump up after sneaking by Detroit last week and the Pittsburgh overtime loss to Chicago. Green Bay made it up to the fourth spot by way of attrition to the rest of the teams in the rankings last week. The Packers are a good team, but it wasn’t until Thursday where they started to look like a team that is clicking. Rounding out the rankings for this week is Tennessee, who took down Seattle in impressive fashion. The Titans are a young team on the rise and one to keep an eye on moving forward.

Now let’s get to the games today, where many feature some high stakes divisional matchups. Baltimore and Pittsburgh will write another chapter in the best rivalry in the modern-day NFL. Detroit and Minnesota will battle to keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North. Houston and Tennessee square off in a huge matchup within the AFC South.

At this point, we pretty much know that you can throw out the stats and records when Pittsburgh heads to Baltimore. The games are normally tight, and each team are clawing for anything they can get. You know Baltimore will be a pissed off team after getting utterly embarrassed in London last week. That could be a factor that keeps the Ravens in this ball game. Pittsburgh has struggled on the road and also took a pretty bad loss last week as well. Tensions always run high, and both teams need to get back on the right track.

Baltimore’s offense isn’t quite in ruins yet, but the injuries are mounting. Joe Flacco has been relatively ineffective thus far, and losing Marshal Yanda is a massive loss to this offense. Luckily, the Ravens do have a defense capable of keeping them in games. This will be the biggest test of this defense yet, considering the Steelers offense will have to get going at some point.

This game could all come down to the Pittsburgh defense. They have the ability to shift this matchup in Pittsburgh’s favor especially with the struggles of the Ravens offense. All signs are pointing to a Steelers win, but the rivalry factor can’t be ignored here.

Possibly my favorite matchup today is the AFC South battle between Tennessee and Houston. The Texans have reigned supreme in this division, but this is looking like the year that ends. Jacksonville has played well so far, but the Titans have the look of the team that can take this division.

Ultimately, the quarterback matchup will be the key to this game. Marcus Mariota has the Titans rolling with an efficient and effective offensive attack. He isn’t asked to do anything crazy within this offense, which has allowed him to grow as a pro. More importantly, this has allowed Mariota to strike in key areas like the redzone. In his career, Mariota has yet to throw an interception in the redzone and keeps adding to that impressive TD/INT ratio in the most important area in the game.

On the other side you have rookie DeShaun Watson. Unlike Mariota, Watson has to create plays out of nothing due to the below-average play of his offensive line. So far the rookie has been up to the task, especially last week in a razor-thin loss to the Patriots. Watson has showed a great rapport with DeAndre Hopkins, who has carried the injury-riddled receiving corps. Houston gets speedster Will Fuller back this week to help attack a Titans defense that has struggled against the pass so far this season.

We will see if this Houston defense can finally get on track, but this balanced attack from Tennessee will be tough to stop. This game will really come down to which of these young, mobile quarterbacks can step up to the plate. Mariota has the tougher matchup so the pressure will be on Watson to lead his team to a victory. It is a fascinating game on today’s slate.

Finally, let’s get to my picks against the spread for the week. I’m off to a good start with my Green Bay pick on Thursday. However, after last week I’m getting dangerously close to “fade” territory. Let’s see if I can reverse this tough opening stretch. Here are my ATS picks for today (Winners in Bold).

This Week: 1-0        Last Week: 3-13       2017 Season: 16-30-1

9:30 a.m. kickoff (London)

New Orleans (-3) vs. Miami

 

1:00 p.m. kickoffs

Buffalo vs. Atlanta (-8)

Pittsburgh (-3) vs. Baltimore

Cincinnati (-3) vs. Cleveland

LA Rams (+6.5) vs. Dallas

Tennessee vs. Houston (+2.5)

Detroit vs. Minnesota (-2.5)

Carolina (+9) vs. New England

Jacksonville (-3.5) vs. NY Jets

 

4:05/4:25 p.m. kickoffs

San Francisco vs. Arizona (-6.5)

NY Giants (+3) vs. Tampa Bay

Philadelphia (+2.5) vs. LA Chargers

Oakland vs. Denver (-3)

 

Sunday Night Football

Indianapolis vs. Seattle (-13)

 

That’s it for me, enjoy all of the games today. I’ll be back tomorrow to give my reaction to the action today and preview a fantastic matchup on Monday Night Football. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.