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Good morning! So much football.
While You Were Sleeping: Ravens oust Bengals in barnburner
This is what elite Thursday football looks like: two of the NFLâs best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, trading highlight-reel touchdowns in the final minutes of a game that could help decide either teamâs playoff outlook. Add in a two-point conversion to decide it, and we have a piĂšce de rĂ©sistance.
Ravens 35, Bengals 34. Whew. Quickly:
- This was essentially three games in one. For two and a half quarters, Cincy produced its best football of the season, taking a 21-7 lead late into the third against an elite Baltimore offense. Then the Ravens reeled off 21 straight points. They traded touchdowns in the final two minutes, and the Bengalsâ ballsy move to go for two with 38 seconds left failed. Chefâs kiss.
- The quarterbacks combined for 718 yards passing, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Three of those TD throws were 67 yards or longer; Jacksonâs 84-yard connection with Tylan Wallace was the longest of his career, and Burrow hit JaâMarr Chase for the other two. Chase had 264 yards receiving alone, which made history.
- For the 7-3 Ravens, it was a necessary victory to keep pace in one of the NFLâs best divisions, where they still trail the Steelers. The 4-6 Bengals have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, too, and if they can keep playing like this, we should expect a wild-card spot. But the margins are thin, and it must sting to see an 0-2 record against Baltimore. Combined margin of victory? Four points.
I think thatâs the best game Iâve seen this season. Moving on:
Pulse Polls: Is new good?
It has been a busy autumn, so itâs understandable if we sort of forgot about the whole entirely-new-college-football-reality update that officially happened Tuesday, when the new eraâs first rankings arrived.
I want to open up a bigger discussion, which weâll touch on next week: How has the 12-team College Football Playoff era changed your viewing experience? Weâve talked plenty about the changes themselves, but do we like how the season is playing out? Is there a different feeling?
Your options are simple:
- Itâs better. More teams in the mix, more fun.Â
- Itâs worse. The stakes are gone.Â
- Itâs about the same. Some games arenât as big, but so many more games matter at least a little bit, so it all washes out.Â
Make your voice heard here.
News to Know
Cohen to meet with Soto
Mets owner Steve Cohen will fly to California next week to meet with top free agent Juan Soto, sources confirmed to The Athleticâs Will Sammon yesterday. Itâs an expected yet tantalizing update for what could be a long courtship this winter. Scott Boras, Sotoâs agent, said this week that his client enjoyed playing in New York this year. I just canât wait to see what the number is.
McCaffrey returns
Yesterday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said star running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to finally make his season debut this weekend against the Buccaneers, a welcome sight for a 4-4 San Francisco team (and fantasy managers everywhere). McCaffrey has dealt with Achilles tendinitis since training camp and returned to practice just last week. See our full update here.
UF sticks by Napier
Billy Napier will remain as Floridaâs head football coach, Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin announced yesterday, a mild surprise, considering Napierâs rocky start in Gainesville. He is 15-18 in two-plus seasons, including 4-4 this year, though Florida has shown signs of life as this season has progressed. His buyout, $26 million if they fired him after the year, could be a big reason to stick with the status quo.
More news
The Good Bets: One win, please
Oh, baby. I went 0-4 last week in Pulseland. Rock bottom is somewhere. Just donât ask me for that fake money right now. Weâre bouncing back here (odds via BetMGM):
College
- No. 3 Georgia (-2.5) at No. 16 Ole Miss
Am I avoiding the LSU game? Yes. Do I feel confident about this bet? Also yes. The Dawgs have looked iffy this year, but I am trusting them here against a Rebels team that might be overrated. Georgia by a TD. - Michigan (+14) at No. 8 Indiana
I donât expect the Wolverines to win this game, but I also suspect this might be the best roster the Hoosiers have faced this year. A 14-point spread is massive.
Read more: Expert picks | Best bets
NFL
Read more:Â Expert picksÂ
Pulse record overall: 17-20-1
Watch and Listen
đș NCAAM: No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas
7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2
An extremely fun early top-10 matchup between two of the bluest bloods we have. Allen Fieldhouse should be rocking.Â
đș NBA: Suns at Mavericks
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Phoenix has been the Western Conferenceâs best team thus far, and Kevin Durant has been superb in his 17th season. We talk about LeBron Jamesâ longevity, but the Slim Reaper must be included in that conversation. Tune in tonight and join the movement.Â
Get tickets to games like these here.
đ§ âThe Athletic Football Showâ is always a must-listen after games, and the Week 10 preview is pristine. Catch it here.
Pulse Picks
In high school, Jordan Hawkinsâ jersey read âNO-WHEREâ because when he first showed up at a practice, no one knew where he came from. Now heâs a senior at Ole Miss setting records. His path between those points was unbelievable.
Our NFL staff took a stab at NFL midseason awards here. Kirk Cousins is getting flowers.Â
B-R heads, assemble: Baseball-Reference has entered a new age, where WAR is now a standard batting metric on each player page. Itâs a minor change with a major impact.Â
There may be some lingering hard feelings, but Sam Amick has a great column on why the Clippers were right to let Paul George walk.Â
A follow from yesterdayâs newsletter: Marcus Thompson II on how these refreshed Warriors are winning, with defensive tweaks and new life.Â
I loved this intro to FC Noah, a small Armenian soccer team that borrows its name from biblical lore and fought its way into the Europa Conference League to face mighty Chelsea. The match didnât go well â an 8-0 loss â but the journey was incredible nonetheless.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Travis Kelceâs defense of his brother, Jason, over that phone-slamming incident.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Nick Baumgardnerâs latest NFL mock draft.
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(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
