What is going on with the Chiefs? It’s the question that has been making the rounds of NFL circles this past week after the defending AFC champions only put up three points against the Titans. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes left the game early with a feared concussion, but he managed to clear the protocol and will be ready for Monday Night Football. The Giants are coming off a huge win against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, and will be looking to be the latest team to upset the Chiefs in what has been a roller coaster of a season. The Chiefs have suffered from an inadequate defense, while their offense has looked out of sync so far this year. Mahomes has thrown nine interceptions and has fumbled the ball four times this season .........

A good old-fashioned AFC North matchup between the Steelers and Browns at the Dawg Pound in Cleveland. The last time we saw the Cleveland Browns they were short-handed and beating up on the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, with D’Ernest Johnson leading the charge. With the long rest, the Browns should have running back Nick Chubb back in the lineup, but are still without Kareem Hunt. More importantly, it will be Baker Mayfield back under center, after taking a week off with the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. The Browns have yet to play a divisional game this season, while the Steelers are 0-1 having lost to the Bengals at home. In my mind, the matchup to watch here is the Browns defensive line against the Steelers......

Offshore sportsbooks love games like this with two undefeated Big Ten teams facing off in East Lansing on Saturday in one of the most anticipated games from Week 9. The Wolverines make the trek across the state to take on the Spartans, with identical 7-0 records on the line. Michigan is out to its best start under head coach Jim Harbaugh, and have also won its last two visits to Michigan State. It’s incredible how similar these two teams are: both love to run the ball on offense and both teams have strong run defenses as well. Michigan State can turn to the air when it needs to though, especially with Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor as threats down field. The Wolverines play things a little more conservatively, but if the Spartans open .........

A midweek Sunbelt Conference matchup takes us to Conway, South Carolina where the Trojans visit the 24th ranked Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina enters as 17 point home favorites after losing a tough one to Appalachian State last Wednesday, a loss that dropped them from 14th to 24th in the national rankings. Troy on the other hand is coming off a victory against Texas State in Week 7, when a Keyshawn Swanson Pick-Six in the fourth quarter won the game. Surprisingly, this is a case where the unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Troy comes in with one of the best defenses in the conference, limiting opposing offenses to 285.9 yards per game. Coastal Carolina has blitzed its rivals with a staggering 524.4 yards of offense per game. .........

The Houston Astros are back in the World Series and according to most offshore sportsbooks are slight favorites at -140; the Braves are +120. Houston won the 2017 World Series, but then it came to light that they were doing all kinds of cheating. Stealing signs is one thing. If a runner on 2nd gets a glimpse of a catcher's sign, and relays it to a batter, I don't really see anything wrong with that, it probably happens more than we think. But these guys had high-tech cameras in the outfield, and then relayed the signs to the dugout, where then a player would bang a trash can loudly if a certain pitch was coming. Not only that, but some guys were wearing electrical devices around their necks and getting signals that way. So, they .........

My how the mighty have fallen in Seattle. The Seahawks are entering their second week without quarterback Russell Wilson, and go from facing the Steelers in Pittsburgh to facing the well rested New Orleans Saints coming off their bye. This Seattle defense has been dreadful this season, and I would not take anything away from keeping it close with a Pittsburgh offense that is just as bad. The Saints are a different story, with one of the best play-callers in the history of the NFL, and a rested Alvin Kamara. THe Saints will still be without wide receiver Michael Thomas, who is eligible to come off the IR this week, but they should be getting back Tre’Quan Smith who will be another deep threat for Jameis Winston to hit. Also back at .........

It’s been an up and down season for both of these AFC teams as they are set to meet for the first time since the 2019 AFC Championship game. The Titans are coming off easily the best win of the season, by defeating the Buffalo Bills at home 34-31 on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs are looking to get back on track after a convincing victory in Washington, but the defending AFC champs will be limping into Tennessee. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are both injured but both expected to play. In terms of good news, the Chiefs will most likely be getting back defensive end Chris Jones, which will certainly help what has been one of the worst defensive units in the league this season. Kansas City is giving up 133 rushing yards per game ...

Houston has a chance to punch their way back to the World Series on Friday at home. All signs are pointing to Nathan Eovaldi taking the mound for the Red Sox, after pitching well and getting the win in Game 2. The Red Sox magic seems to be wearing off though, as the Astros have now won two straight games in convincing fashion to take back the lead in the series. The Houston bats have come alive after it was Boston putting up all the runs through the first couple games of the ALCS, and Eovaldi will have to silence them just a couple of days after throwing 24 pitches in relief. The Astros have yet to name a starter and all indications are that if Luis Garcia is over his leg injury that cut his last appearance short, he will get the call. The .........

Game 5 comes at you fast when you are down 3-1 as the Dodgers are, as the reigning World Series champs find themselves on the brink of elimination. Game 4 started out looking grim for the Braves as starting pitcher Huascar Ynoa was a late scratch with shoulder inflammation and will not be eligible to return if Atlanta advances to the World Series. The Atlanta bullpen stepped up though, as did the bats. The Braves offense jumped all over Julio Urias who gave up three home runs in the first 2 ⅔ innings. While the starters have not been announced yet for Game 5, expect the Dodgers to throw out a bullpen game led off by Corey Knebel, unless they turn to Scherzer on four days' rest. I expect Max Fried to go for Atlanta, who pitched a .........

It seems as if the NHL is cracking down on rough-housing this year. Detroit Redwing’s Captain Larkin was suspended one game for throwing a punch, and the Avs’ Landeskog was suspended two games for boarding. I was watching the Wings-Lightning game. Detroit’s captain, Dylan Larkin, did indeed throw a solid right cross into the face of Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Joseph, but only after Joseph rode him into the boards from behind. My initial thought was, “Why no major penalty on Joseph?” He got a standard 2-minute roughing call. It was a pretty dirty hit from behind. Larkin had played only 44 games last season after he suffered an injury against the Stars when he was cross-checked in the neck, so you can understand.........