The Key for the week of September 30, 2025
It was fun while it lasted…
And for Bengals fans, the season only lasted two games. Since then, the Jake Browning offense has looked confused—ESPN research says the Bengals are the first team since the 2009 Raiders to be held under 200 offensive yards in three of the first four games. The revamped defense has given up 76 points in its last two games. That total is expected to go up when the Detroit Lions come to town. In the meantime, Joe Burrow says what we all know, “This game will break your heart.” Especially if you’re a Bengals fan.
Reds October
By winning eight out of their last 11 games, and taking advantage of an historic collapse by the Mets, the Reds find themselves in the postseason for the first time (in a full season) since 2013. Their reward? Facing the defending world champion LA Dodgers. In a short series, pitching is everything, and the Reds are betting that Nick Lodolo will be the bullpen stopper after pitching over the weekend. Midseason signee Zack Littell will take his place in the rotation. Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott make up the rest of the rotation against a Dodger rotation featuring Blake Snell (who no-hit the Reds last year when he was with the Giants) and Shohei Ohtani for game 3 if necessary.
Maybe if the Redcoats would have had American hecklers…
We’d all be speaking in a British accent. The European team credited the bad behavior of American fans at the Ryder Cup for spurring them on to their victory over the U.S. at Bethpage Black on Long Island. Most of the venom was directed at Rory McIlroy, who went 3-1-1 over the weekend and gave the Euros 3 ½ points. All in all, a disappointing finish for the Americans on home soil, and a blemish on the record of captain Keegan Bradley, who defended his picks but admitted the course setup didn’t favor the U.S. like he thought it would. In two years the Ryder Cup moves to Ireland, where you can believe the fans there will give it right back to the American team.
Ben’s Best Bet…
With the MLB post season starting, it’s time to look at who is favored to take it all. Most books have the Philadelphia Phillies as the top choice to take it all, with the defending champion Dodgers and Seattle Mariners the next choices. The Brewers have the best record in baseball and will have home field advantage through the World Series, but Milwaukee tends to stumble in the early rounds. Ben says look to the NL to take the title again, with the Phillies putting together strong pitching to win it all.