Things you need to see: More Mahomes Magic
We will give Patrick Mahomes credit for trying at least once to do anything improper. However, since he is not human, everything worked out perfectly. After you see this incredible behind-the-back pass from yesterday’s preseason game, we will explain:
MAHOMES BEHIND THE BACK 🫢
— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
📺: #DETvsKC on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/eewdYOpS8c
Mahomes told NFL Network that Travis Kelce “didn’t run the route he was supposed to run” on this play, so the QB improvised the pass because he “was mad.”
“So out of spite, I threw a behind-the-back pass, but now it’s gonna be a highlight,” Mahomes added. Both the QB and tight end explained a lot more about what went wrong (and right).
It also delves further. Andy Reid has reportedly been pressuring Mahomes to attempt this play in a game after seeing him do it frequently in practice. A practice video of this kind went viral the previous year, and as of 2020, the quarterback was said to have been practicing a behind-the-back pass for regular-season play “for years.” Is the year 2024 the right one?
In any case, even Kansas City’s blunders become highlights. It has to be pleasant!
Three Questions: The NFL’s most interesting division
The NFC North, for decades, has largely been defined by two Packers quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Since 2010, Green Bay has won the division eight times. Everyone else: just once or twice each.
The NFL’s most exciting group is now one that many originally considered boring.Jordan Love is another franchise quarterback for the Packers. Caleb Williams is the first draft pick owned by the Bears. The Vikings may be alright at quarterback because of their talented roster. Last year, the reigning champion Lions were just a hair away from winning the Super Bowl.
Who wins this division? I have no idea. I brought in Mike Sando to help:
The Lions are the division favorite, right? … Right?
Mike: Though there is a lot of unpredictability due to Williams and Love’s high ceilings, the Lions should be the favorite. Although the Lions’ high-profile re-signings felt uplifting, teams do not always carry over from the previous campaign. I remember that all the time.
J.J. McCarthy’s loss to Minnesota as a first-round quarterback is disappointing, but perhaps not immediately. How do you currently feel about the Vikings? Will we eventually witness a fully functional Sam Darnold?
Because of the strong supporting group, the indoor stadium, the lower expectations, and—I assume—his maturity, Darnold will perform better. However, he has never started more than 13 games in a season, therefore Nick Mullens or another replacement-level player may start a number of games. It will be difficult for Minnesota to repeat their 7–10 record from 2023.
Including Jared Goff, is this the best — or at least most exciting — QB division in football?
It is the most intriguing, in my opinion. Chicago and Green Bay are captivating due to Williams and Love. Another example of nature versus nurture is provided by the Minnesota Darnold experiment. Is he going to be the next Geno Smith? If Darnold performed well enough to land a starting position in 2025, I would not be shocked.
All hail the NFC North.
News to Know
Clark’s mind-boggling run
Caitlin Clark started the WNBA’s Olympic break on a high note and continued where she left off on Friday. Clark has averaged 53 points, 29 assists, and 11 rebounds over her last two games. She’s now also achieved the 25-point, 10-assist level twice in her last five games – all other rookies in WNBA history combined have done it only once. Indiana’s season sweep against any opponent since 2020 and its first against the Mercury since 2015 was achieved on Friday with a 98-89 victory over Phoenix. Sheesh.
Stalions back on the sidelines
Connor Stalions, a former employee of Michigan who was central to the Wolverines’ alleged sign-stealing controversy from the previous season, has taken a volunteer defensive coordinator position at Mumford High School in Detroit. William McMichael, the team’s coach, stated that he hired Stalions without second thought since “what occurs in the NCAA, at that level, really has nothing to do with high school or Mumford.”
More news
- The legendary US soccer player Landon Donovan was appointed temporary head coach of the San Diego Wave of the NWSL.Go over the entire report.
- The NL Cy Young Award contender Hunter Greene, a starter for the Reds, was placed on the injured list because to elbow pain. In 2019, he underwent Tommy John surgery.
- The premiere of the new streaming service from ESPN, Fox Sports, and TNT Sports, called Venu, is threatened by a judge’s temporary blockade, making it unlikely to happen in time for the NFL season.
- Gymnast Ana Bărbosu was awarded her Olympic bronze medal at a Romanian ceremony that took place after American Jordan Chiles’ medal was controversially taken away.
What We’re Watching: The duality of the world’s most famous cheerleaders
Hannah Vanbiber is back with another review, so say hello once more. Take it away, Hannah:
I have always detested the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as an institution. They had the feel of all the worse aspects of American society combined: objectification, underpayment, and disregard for women’s suffering.
Now I follow them all on Instagram! The power of television, folks.
“America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” on Netflix follows the 2023–24 team during the NFL season, training camp, and auditions. We witness the extreme lengths they go to in order to join the squad, the internal and external sexist and racist barriers they confront, the conflicting expectations they have to live up to (which any human woman can relate to), and the risks they take on in the absence of adequate compensation or personal security.
Why bother watching?This winner is made when you combine the shock and fury of a cult documentary with the exuberance, astonishment, and joy of Netflix’s “Cheer.” You will experience both wonder and rage in equal measure. You will be trying high kicks in your living room and going on rants over it.
Breakout star: *Mom voice* All of them! These are real people with real ambitions, real insecurities, real struggles, real pain, real life. They’re amazing. (But if I HAVE to pick one: Reece and her extremely SEC-core fiancé, Will.)
Villain edit: Some say the “villain award” goes to the DCC director, Kelli Finglass. But she was tremendously nuanced to me. For me, the villain edit goes to the Jones family writ large, and Jerry’s EVP daughter Charlotte in particular, who says: “There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as it should be,” as if she is not the one signing the checks. And then goes on about how it’s “not about the money.” Cue my millennial brain screaming .
The conclusion: I have conflicting opinions. It is likely that the DCC is a poisonous organization. I am cheering for the DCC and attending all of their home games this season because they are amazing, powerful, high-kicking assassins!
The entire first season of “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” is on Netflix now, ready to binge. Thanks, Hannah!
Watch This Game
WNBA: Storm at Fever3:30 p.m. ET on ABCA snapshot of the entire WNBA experience this year: Attend to watch Jewell Lloyd and an outstanding Seattle squad, who received a B+ in our midseason rankings, but stay to watch Caitlin Clark on national television.
NFL: Saints at 49ers8 p.m. ET on Fox
I will be watching my Saints as I brace for a bad season. Join me.
Tickets for similar games can be obtained here.
Pulse Picks
This biography of Pinky Deras, the best Little Leaguer in American history, enthralled me. He lived a “enigmatic” existence that occasionally even his son struggled to comprehend. Very touching.
In addition to being a backup, Gardner Minshew II is also a nomad and one of the NFL’s most fascinating individuals.He now wants to play quarterback for the Raiders.
According to Chris Johnston, John Tavares may have stepped down as the Maple Leafs captain, but his classy departure may have prolonged his tenure in Toronto.
Have you noticed?At this point, Shohei Ohtani poses a real threat to steal bases. You may have a 40-40 season. Please, can this guy be bad at something?
The newsletter’s article by Andrew Marchand on ESPN firing Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III was the most clicked on Friday. Curious timing.
The article by Adam Crafton, which established the dark tone for Man City’s Premier League campaign as they aim for a fifth consecutive title, was the most viewed on the website yesterday
(Top photo: David Eulitt/Getty Images)
