Welcome to the Harborlight’s first weekly sports update. These reports will be released every Wednesday, and will provide comprehensive reviews of the past week’s games across all national sports (with the exception of MLB games, as there are too many each week to review in depth), as well as student opinions on upcoming games and player predictions. 

We’ll start out with the NFL news and scores:

Panthers: 38

Cardinals: 20

Even though Cam Newton is struggling with a foot injury, Kyle Allen threw for four touchdowns, 261 yards and a 144 passer rating. Christian McCafferey ran for a total of 153 yards, with an average of 6.4 yards. This was a needed win for the team, as they have seen little success so far this season.

Saints: 33

Seahawks: 27

The return game of Teddy Bridgewater proved to be a significant one, as he clutched up with two touchdowns and 177 yards. Expect more from Kamara as the season goes on — he only ran for 69 yards in this game, but he is capable of much more, including pitching in on the passing game.

Texans: 27

Chargers: 20

Deshan Watson threw for a massive 351 yards and three touchdowns, which pushed the Texans to win. However, the win was likely the result of the mere 37 tackles and the four sacks made by the Chargers defense. By comparison, the Texans made ten sacks this game. 

49ers: 24

Steelers: 20

Mason Rudolph needs to step up if the Steelers want to have a chance this season. With only a 56% completion percentage and passer rating of 86, the team either has to frequently use James Conner or put more trust in JuJu Smith-Schuster in order to acquaint Rudolph with the team. However, it may be a little too late for the Steelers to have a stellar season, after going 0-3.

Rams: 20

Browns: 13

The Browns had some promise this year, with star quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiving corp of OBJ and Jarvis Landry. However, with only 35 tackles and two sacks, the defense needs to take drastic measures if they want to see any progress. However, the real MVP of the game was Cooper Kupp, who served as the go-to receiver for Jared Goff, making 11 catches for over 100 yards.

Bears: 31

Redskins: 15

Even though the Bears won the game, Tarik Cohen needs to improve his running game if the team wants to go far this season. He averaged -0.5 yards for 4 carries, and although his 26 receiving yards look promising, the Bears should target him more often.

Giants: 32

Buccaneers: 31

Even though the Giants are 1-2, their offense is looking stronger than ever. With four great receivers in Barkley, Shepard, Engram, and Slayton, decent running backs in Barkley and Gallman, and a quarterback with promising running ability, the ability to throw 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, this offense is dangerous. Kudos to this underdog team for pulling out a big win against a decent team.

Packers: 27

Broncos: 16

To be perfectly honest, I see the Packers going all the way. Phillip Lindsey had a great game, and 99 yards is pretty good considering Flacco is more of a Run-Pass-Option quarterback. But veteran Aaron Rodgers and five receivers with an average of over twenty yards (yes, I know Marcedes Lewis only had 19, I’m sorry), and a record of 3-0, it’s practically guaranteed that they make it to the playoffs, and if you ask me, to the Super Bowl.

Vikings: 34

Raiders: 14

Yes, the Vikings won the game, but in order to have a chance at the playoffs, they need to diversify their offense. Kirk Cousins has the most inconsistent passer rating I’ve ever seen, and he is currently relying on his running backs (which I can’t blame, they’re amazing). The Vikings have a couple easy matchups coming up, so they can really focus on expanding Kirk’s passing game to become more than just a one-dimensional offense.

Chiefs: 33

Ravens: 28

Ok, this was a pretty close game. First, Lamar Jackson and his dangerous nature. He reminds me of a young Cam Newton. The more awareness he can build, the stronger the offense will become. In a couple years, this will be an unbelievable offense. The Chiefs are starting off where they ended last season, and are looking really, really strong. Mahomes is insane, and he’s only going to get better. Another big playoff contender – look out for them, and especially how they use Mecole Hardman.

Patriots: 30

Jets: 14

I’m not saying this just because I am a Pats fan, but Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the league. No argument, another playoff contender. But, after losing Gronkowski, they need better depth at the TE position to expand their dimensional offense and give more targets to Brady.

Colts: 27

Falcons: 24

Another close one. The Falcons’ secondary is very telling. Isaiah Oliver is very questionable at the position. But the Falcons’ offense is solid with Jones, Ryan, and Freeman. The Colts have Brisset, and that’s huge. But that game had only 79 yards of rushing for the whole team. Unless they diversity their offense, expect a few more nail biters for the rest of the season.

Bills: 21

Bengals: 17

To be completely honest, the Bills’ offense is not too great. That being said, Jordan Poyer is absolutely insane! Along with Milano and Hyde, this is a tough defense to score against. However, little hint: expect a loss against the Patriots. They’ve only gone undefeated because they played the Jets, Giants and Bengals.

Lions: 27

Eagles: 24

The Eagles do not look like the same team that played in the super bowl a few years ago. However, Zach Ertz could be a beacon of light. Expect more targets to him for the rest of the season. Also, J.D. McKissic is an interesting case. On one hand, he ran for 44 yards. On the other hand, the question remains: can he reproduce that? Also, one of my top three plays? Created by McKissic with the block. Check it out – the first kickoff return of the 2019 season. 

Jaguars: 20

Titans: 7

As a quick side note, Gardner Minshew was almost named Beowolf by request of his grandfather and he works out in a jock strap. What a beast. Anyway, the guy is pretty good. 208 yards to questionable receivers (with the exception of DJ Chark) and a 110.6 passer rating. The next step for him? Taking bigger shots down the field and putting trust in his receivers. 

Cowboys: 30

Dolphins: 6

Ahhhhh, the Dolphins. What a sad story. The new Cleveland Browns! Can anyone believe it? If you participate in any survivor series, just pick the team that plays the Dolphins. You’ll win. And the Cowboys. Well, even though the free wins over Miami, Washington, and New York, I’m convinced they have the personnel to match the competition. Just look at their receiving corp and running backs. Dak Prescott just needs to put trust in his receivers and decide whether to go to Cobb, Witten, Cooper or hand it off to Elliot. Decisions, decisions.

MLB Standings:

AL East: Yankees have it by 7 games. They’re going to the playoffs, but not going all the way.

AL Central: Twins clinched their division, but expect them to go out first round, no matter who makes it.

AL West: The Astros have been looking just too good for any team to  beat. I see them going a long way in October.

NL East: The Braves have secured the division, and the nationals snagged the wildcard. I just don’t see either of the team’s winning against the Dodgers.

NL Central: The Cardinals and Brews still have to duke it out for a division clinch, as the Brewers are only 1.5 games back.

NL West: Again, the Dodgers are going great this year. My prediction: expect a Dodgers-Astros World Series.

Week 4 NFL Predictions: We got a good week coming up, so let’s dive into some of the key matchups.

Jets and 49ers have the bye this week. The Jets really need this to regroup after going 0-3.

Scores and predictions:

Chiefs-Lions: Yes, the Lions are undefeated. But after this game, I’m not too sure. Chiefs have a 25 game streak of 25 or more points, and Patrick Mahomes has a new record: three games over 350 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in all three. Yes, the Lions have a good defense, but they could be without Slay this week, and it’s going to be a tough matchup for the secondary. I see Chiefs 31, Lions 17.

Cowboys-Saints: This is the first real matchup for the Cowboys, and the Saints are good, even without Brees. The Cowboys have good players, but when they played against lesser teams in the previous weeks, they gave up an unusual amount of points: 17 to the Giants and 21 to the Redskins. (they only gave six to the Dolphins, but that’s still six too many) I don’t see them keeping up with the pressure of the Saint’s offense, but it’ll be a close one. Saints 34, Cowboys 31

Patriots-Bills: Alright, I only included this because one team is going to lose their undefeated season, and it’s going to be the Bills. The Bills have a good defense, but their offense is not strong enough to play with the Patriots offense. Tom Brady, expect another 300+ night. Pats on top 34-20.

Also, Antonio Brown – Where will he go next? Leave your answers down below in the comments sections, along with any other questions you want me to answer. Good luck to all teams playing this weekend and tune in next week for a comprehensive review of those games.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column, please email me at jakebednarski@icloud.com.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Daniel Mears, Detroit News

McKrissic sets a hard block against Sendejo as Agnew takes it the whole 100 yards on a kickoff return. This happened in the week three game of Lions-Eagles.