Upsets, Heartbreaks, and Playoff Predictions
The Key for the week of November 11
This veteran didn’t have a day…
Who would have thought a 4-4 Rams team would fall at home to a 2-6 Dolphins team? Veteran Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 293 yards on Monday night football but couldn’t get the Rams in the end zone as Joshua Karty kicked five field goals. It’s only the eighth time in Sean McVay’s eight seasons in L.A. that the team didn’t score a touchdown. The loss ends the Rams’ three-game win streak, and the win gave the Dolphins their first victory since October 6. Both teams still have hopes of the post-season, but the Rams’ route will be a little tougher after a game that, on paper, should have been a win.
Speaking of wins (or lack thereof)…
We are officially in the second half of the season and the Bengals still haven’t reached the .500 mark. Next up for the Men in Stripes are the Chargers and their 6-3 record on Sunday night. It’s the last game before the bye and a December 1 game with the Steelers and a Monday nighter at the Dallas Cowboys which all of a sudden looks very winnable. The so-called experts think the Bengals need to go 2-1 in this stretch to have a glimmer at a wild card.
Tough week for Cincinnati sports fans
FC Cincinnati is mourning the loss of one of its own. Midfielder Marco Angulo has died after a car crash last month in Ecuador. Angulo was on loan to a team in his native Ecuador when he was in a crash in early October that killed two others. He appeared in 24 matches for FC Cincinnati, including nine starts, in 2023 and appeared in 11 matches with three starts for his Ecuadorian team.
And Moeller football coaching legend Gerry Faust passed away Monday night at the age of 89. Faust turned Moeller into a national football powerhouse, with four national titles and five Ohio titles before he joined Notre Dame. He had a 30-26-1 record with the Irish, including a 1983 Liberty Bowl win over Doug Flutie. After Notre Dame, he coached at the University of Akron for nine seasons. Coach Faust put Moeller on the map and sent player after player to college (many to Notre Dame) and to the pros.
Ben’s Best Bet..
Some fans may have given up on the Bengals’ season, but the national media seems to still have faith. The pundits say that the wild card may come down to the Colts, Broncos and Bengals, and the next three weeks (minus the bye) should tell the tale. The BetMGM line for Sunday’s Bengals game has the Chargers as a one point favorite, but with Tee Higgins and Orlando Brown Jr. perhaps being ready to return to the lineup, look for the Bengals to start their playoff run this weekend with a win on the road.