From Blowouts to Blocked Kicks 💥
It’s Monday, Smallballers! So before you go back to school, we’ll look back at an epic Sunday.
First stop: the WNBA playoffs.
Yesterday, both semifinal series tipped off. And both were… blowouts.
First, the #6 Indiana Fever beat the #2 Las Vegas Aces 89–73. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 34 points.
Aces star A’ja Wilson had a tough shooting night and finished with 16 points. Maybe she was feeling the pressure…
Because before the game, she was named regular season MVP.
It’s her fourth MVP! That’s more than anybody else in WNBA history.
She’ll look to bounce back on Tuesday with her team down 0–1.
The second semi featured the second-place finisher in the MVP race: Napheesa Collier and her Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx took down Phoenix 82–69. Phee had 18 points and 9 rebounds.
And they’re back in action Tuesday, too, for Game 2. (Say that five times fast!)
Next up: MLB. The regular season ends Sunday, so the playoff race is now a sprint.
Nothing changed yesterday with the six division leaders:
AL East: Toronto Blue Jays 💙
AL Central: Detroit Tigers 🐯
AL West: Seattle Mariners 🎣
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies 🔔
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers 🍻
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers 🎬
One reason why? The Mariners beat the Astros again, 7–3.
That’s a massive sweep: three wins in a row. And now the Mariners have a three-game lead in the AL West.
🎥 We better watch what Cal Raleigh did!
That’s 58 for him. Five more than Shohei Ohtani in the race to finish the regular season with the most home runs.
Last but not least: the NFL.
Yesterday was wild. Here are a few highlights. (Get ready to hear a lot about field goals!)
Rams at Eagles
Final seconds, the Rams trailed the Eagles by one. Rams ball. Lined up for a field goal to win.
🎥 Then this happened! (Video courtesy Reddit)
Eagles stun the Rams to get to 3–0. We know some happy Eagles fans.
Jets at Buccaneers
Two minutes left, the Buccaneers led the Jets by six. The Bucs lined up for a field goal to basically win the game.
🎥 No way the same thing happened…right? (Video courtesy Reddit)
But it wasn’t over!
The Bucs drove down the field. And as time ran out… another field goal attempt. This time?
Drilled it. Bucs won 29–27. And they’re 3–0, too.
Cardinals at 49ers
Final minute, the 49ers trailed the Cardinals by two. 49ers ball. Just needed a few more yards and a field goal to win. (Wait, does this sound familiar?)
🎥 Was it another block?!
Not so fast. 49ers 16, Cardinals 15.
Zooming out: With only tonight’s Lions–Ravens game left in Week 3, there are:
Six undefeated teams at 3–0 (Bills, Buccaneers, Chargers, Colts, Eagles, 49ers)
Six very defeated teams at 0–3 (Dolphins, Giants, Jets, Saints, Texans, Titans)
Twenty teams in the middle at either 2–1 or 1–2
That last group counts the Lions and Ravens, since they’re both entering tonight’s game at 1–1.
It also includes the Steelers, who beat the Patriots 21–14 yesterday.
One reason the Steelers won? The Patriots offense committed FIVE turnovers (four fumbles, one interception).
The other reason? Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdowns.
It was a special day for Rodgers! He moved up to fourth on the NFL’s career touchdown passes list.
The guy he passed… his former teammate on the Packers: Brett Favre!
What a day!
And now, Smallball’s taking a few days off.
Who will make the WNBA Finals? What will the MLB playoff bracket look like? How many home runs will Cal Raleigh end up with? When is the Ryder Cup? (And what is that?!)
We’re back soon with answers!
P.S. Prediction time! How many home runs for Raleigh when the regular season ends on Sunday? Drop your answer in the comments. 🎤
P.P.S. If you need a little sports magic while we’re away, pick a few minutes of this video to watch! It’s the top plays from NFL Week 3. 🪄
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