Sigh.

Before we go any further, you’re probably wondering why you’re reading this a day later than usual. I spent Thursday night in Chicago getting an angiogram done at Rush University Hospital as part of my transplant process. David Hays was kind enough to do the pages for me, so I’m saving the column for him so that he can fill up a ton of space in one go and get done quicker. I am still writing it at the beginning of the week though, so my Thursday night pick was made ahead of time. 

Now… where were we? 

Oh, that’s right. Sigh. 

I don’t even know what else to talk about or think about today. I am writing this introduction on Monday morning, sitting here a broken man. The Bears have found a way to do it to me again, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and finding another absolutely unbelievable way to lose a football game. 
In case you somehow missed it, Chicago played horribly for three quarters before finally turning things around just enough to take its first lead of the game with less than a minute left. A series of coaching and play blunders later, and they had somehow miraculously lost on a Hail Mary. 

Head Coach Matt Eberflus left the field with his three timeouts still in his back pocket. He must have wanted to take them out to dinner or something, because there’s no way that should happen. Wait until he finds out they don’t transfer over to next week. 

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was too busy yapping at Commanders fans during the final play, only to come back just in time to tip it up into the air to Noah Brown. I know he’s a young and talented player that you used a high draft pick on, but I’m cutting him after that. There’s no excuse. I’ll never look at him the same way. 

Time and time again, the Bears continue to let me down. Time and time again, I keep coming back for more. At a certain point, I need to know when to walk away. That day is not today though, as I’m already doing the mental gymnastics in my head about how we can beat the Cardinals. 

If that was the only demoralizing loss I suffered as a fan over the weekend, I’d let it go and move on. But that was just the cherry on top of the *redacted* sundae. Saturday was a doozy too, starting with one of my favorite UFC fighters, Max Holloway, getting knocked out for the first time in his career in a title fight. 

As if that wasn’t enough, my Missouri Tigers headed down to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. Now, I wasn’t exactly optimistic about this one heading in, but I thought they could put up a fight and leave me with something to at least sort of be proud of. Nope, they got shut out 34-0, our quarterback got hurt again, and any chance they had at sneaking into the College Football Playoff evaporated into thin air. The season is over, and how many more games they win the rest of the year is dependent on Drew Pyne, so probably zero. 

But the last loss on Saturday was the biggest and most heartbreaking of them all. I traveled down to Twin Lakes High School to cover the Warsaw volleyball team in the regional championship game. The match was absolutely incredible, a five-set thriller that kept going back and forth until the end. Unfortunately, the Lady Tigers came up just short, losing the fifth set by three measly points as Crown Point advanced. 

I love my job so much. Getting paid to go watch sporting events and build relationships with players and coaches is something I’ve always wanted to do, and something I have a blast doing. But like any job, there are some good days, and there are some bad days. On a bad day like Saturday, I have to look at the faces of the athletes whose seasons have just ended. Some of them are seniors, realizing the journey is over. It breaks my heart every single time. It never gets any easier. This time of the year is usually the hardest, as we have to say goodbye to so many teams we’ve spent the last few months cheering for. Just to do it over again in a few months. 

If you happen to be one of our local athletes reading this, I hope you know that I have pulled for you from the moment I first put your name in the paper. For all of you returning players, I hope you come back better than ever next year to try and avoid that same heartbreak. If you’re a senior that has turned in your gear for the last time, I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do next in your life. 

Losses suck. That much we know. Some of them suck a little bit more than others. Sorry for the negative introduction this week, but I wasn’t exactly in a happy-go-lucky mood this week. 

Let’s just do some quick hitters: 

I was almost right in my predictions for high school football last week. We have three teams left in the playoffs: Warsaw, Tippecanoe Valley and Triton. All three of them are at home this week. Go out and support them! 

While I do love my job, the biggest drawback for me is having fall sports’ playoff games being held on the weekends leading up to Halloween. I want to dress up and party. Oh well. 

Let’s just get into picks. Another middling week for me last week, we need another big one to climb over .500. 

Let’s do this. 

THURSDAY NIGHT 

Houston Texans at New York Jets (-1.5) 

I’m so sick of hearing about the Jets. No team that is 2-6 deserves this much coverage, nor do they deserve to keep being favored. I should have listened to my gut and picked the Patriots last week, and I would have finished a game above .500. The Texans are down two receivers but I still trust them more. Why should I buy into the Jets? Because they have Aaron Rodgers? Newsflash: he stinks. I wish he was still on the Packers so he could stink it up there. I know this is coming out the day after the game so if I’m right I’ll probably be accused of foul play, but I’m done with the Jets. I wouldn’t pick them if my life depended on it. Robert Saleh wasn’t the problem. Imagine that. 

The Pick: Texans +1.5 

1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY 

Washington Commanders (-3.5) at New York Giants

This is perhaps me being salty, but I wasn’t all that impressed with the Commanders last week. They had a lot of yards. Good for them. They kicked four field goals and had a miracle touchdown at the end of the game. Not the best thing since sliced bread like they’re being talked about. That being said, they’re going to win this game. The Giants are really bad, they can’t score any points and Washington can usually score in bunches. As we approach the second half of the season, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury will look to break his trend of losing his touch and falling apart. Wouldn’t that be a shame? 

The Pick: Commanders -3.5 

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans (-3.5) 

Man, this is one stinky game. Wouldn’t be surprised if the scores roll around at 4 p.m. and this is a 10-7 contest. The Titans are coming off of two straight games that they’ve been absolutely crushed in, while the Patriots just snapped a long skid with a win over a Jets team that might be just as bad. This is a tossup for me, so I’m going to go with the side that’s shown a little bit of life lately. 

The Pick: Patriots +3.5 

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-6.5) 

The Bills have looked awesome the last few weeks, most recently traveling across the country and putting a beatdown on the Seahawks. The Dolphins finally got Tua back last week, and while the offense did look much better than without him, Miami was still unable to find a way to win. Josh Allen owns the Dolphins, plain and simple. Playing this game at home should be a big advantage for the Bills here, as it usually is. The only reason I bring it up is because Buffalo dominated Miami thoroughly earlier this season. 

The Pick: Bills -6.5 

Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5) at Cleveland Browns 

The Browns had perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend in Week 8, defeating the Ravens on a touchdown in the final minute. Turns out that Jameis Winston still has it, as he looked awesome in the victory. The Chargers won against the Saints last week, but didn’t look that good despite covering the spread. I don’t know what it is about Jim Harbough teams, but the offense is never great. I like the Browns to turn it around with Winston under center, and home underdogs for the second week in a row is a spot I like them in. 

The Pick: Browns +1.5 

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) 

On the other side of that game last week, the Ravens can’t believe they lost to the Browns, especially with how they were playing going into that game. The Broncos have sneakily strung a couple of wins together and Bo Nix looks like a decent NFL quarterback. This will no doubt be the toughest game he’s played in so far, and I’m not sure what to expect out of him. Baltimore is going to come into this game angry and I think the Ravens take it out on Denver. Give me the home team to win this one big.

The Pick: Ravens -9.5 

Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5) 

The Bengals are another team that I have to wonder about. They made the Super Bowl with Joe Burrow a few years ago now, and I still feel like they are coasting off of that fact. The team just simply isn’t that good this year. The playoffs are looking more and more unlikely by the week yet here they are, favored again. I get it though, the Raiders have been nothing short of a massive disappointment this season, but they covered last week against the Chiefs, a much better team. This is a week-to-week league though. If Cincy is going to make a move, this is the week to do it. My last time putting my faith in them. 

The Pick: Bengals -7.5 

New Orleans Saints (-7) at Carolina Panthers

Two of the saddest teams in the league squaring off in this one. I picked Carolina to pull off the upset in the Week 1 matchup between these two teams and couldn’t have been more wrong. I’m doubling down and doing it again. The Saints have fallen apart and have no end to this skid in sight. The Panthers are bad but they’re going up against a team that has played just as poorly for the last month. New Orleans probably still wins, but they do so by one score. 

The Pick: Panthers +7 

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (-2.5)

Man, did the Cowboys fall off hard. This is a bad football team, plain and simple. On the other end, the Falcons are looking better and better by the week, with Kirk Cousins looking more and more comfortable the more reps he gets. Atlanta is definitely going to be in the playoffs, with no team in their division giving them much of a challenge. How far they will get is beyond me, but I like what this offense is looking like down there. I’m going with the home team once again. 

The Pick: Falcons -2.5 

LATE AFTERNOON SLATE 

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5) 

After last week’s game nearly killed me, I’ll be back for more this week to see the Bears find a new way to break me. I’m worried that a loss as bad as last week’s can derail a season that was improving by the week. How the boys bounce back on Sunday will say a lot about what kind of team this is. The Cardinals picked up a win on a last-second kick for the second straight week last Sunday, continuing a pretty solid season in AZ. Listen, you guys know I am a very biased individual when it comes to Chicago. It backfires (very) often, but I will never apologize for repping my teams. Big bounce back for the Bears this week. Book it. 

The Pick: Bears +1.5 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5) 

The Jaguars worked so hard to come back against Green Bay last week, but one busted coverage was all it took to ruin the effort. The Eagles are finding another gear right now, coming off of an excellent performance against the Bengals. Similar to the Patriots-Jets game last week, my gut is telling me to go with the underdog here. I have nothing to base this off of, but that is my initial feeling when I think about this game. I should have gone with my gut last week and I didn’t, so I have to rectify that here. There’s a method to my madness, I swear. 

The Pick: Jaguars +7.5 

Los Angeles Rams (-1.5) at Seattle Seahawks 

Despite a pretty poor start, the Rams are starting to get healthy and starting to come around. The Seahawks have fallen off quite a bit after that hot start, heading in the opposite direction in the standings. I don’t know if the Rams will be able to make a playoff push, but I definitely do think that they are the better team in this game. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are finally back and big targets for Matt Stafford. The offense gets going early and wins its third in a row. 

The Pick: Rams -1.5

Detroit Lions (-3.5) at Green Bay Packers

Sheeeeesh. This is a big, big game this week. This is possibly the two best teams in the NFC. and the winner will end the day in first place in the NFC North. These two teams keep on winning and winning, albeit in very different ways. The Packers are consistently playing in close games, winning at the buzzer or near it. Meanwhile, the Lions are just destroying everything in their path. I think Detroit is the best team in the league, which I think I’ve mentioned before. I think they win this game and show off just how good they really are. 

The Pick: Lions -3.5 

WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT 

Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings (-5.5) 

One of the biggest stories of the week came out of Indianapolis this week, as the Colts have decided to bench Anthony Richardson moving forward in favor of Joe Flacco. Don’t get me wrong, Richardson has been bad, really bad at times, but I’m not sure this is the best move. It’s one thing to let a guy sit when you first draft him, but to bench him after he’s already gone out there and you’ve declared him your franchise, that’s where things get iffy. You kill his confidence, but at the same time, Indy has a roster full of guys who aren’t projects like AR and are trying to win. Just a mess all around. With all that said, I think Flacco covers this spread this week. The Vikings had a hot start, but are coming back down to Earth. 

The Pick: Colts +5.5 

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5) 

I’m never able to cover Chiefs games. When I think they’re going to win big, they barely sneak one out. When I think it might be a close one, they pull off a blowout. The spreads are always so lopsided which makes it so tough, but at a certain point, I have to figure it out. This week, I’m going with a big win as they stay undefeated. The Bucs are still missing their top weapons and I’m not sure they have the firepower to stay competitive here. 

The Pick: Chiefs -8.5 

On the bye: 49ers, Steelers 

Well, here we go. Hopefully we can keep up the hot streak we’ve been on. It’s been nearly a month since my last losing week, and I’d like to keep things that way. Have a good weekend everybody.

Cheers. 

Last Week’s Record: 8-8 

Season Record: 52-55