Seahawks' Geno Smith Shows Off Against Giants

 SEAHAWKS 27 - GIANTS 13

After winning four straight games, the Giants had no answer for Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks, who pulled away late in the second half in a 27-13 victory.

While the Giants never led in the game, they did find themselves in a 13-13 tie as late as the early stages of the fourth quarter when Graham Gano connected on a 45-yard field goal.

Unfortunately for the Giants they just couldn't get their offense moving all afternoon. While he didn't force any turnovers, Daniel Jones was constantly under siege, sacked five times, and threw for only 176 yards. The Seahawks did a tremendous job keeping Jones in the pocket, as he ran for only 20 yards on six carries.

Saquon Barkley was also bottled up, held to 53-yards on 20 carries. 

In the fourth quarter, Geno Smith turned things onto another gear, and showed the Giants why this was not the same guy who was Eli Manning's understudy, and not even remotely close to being the same guy who was drafted by the Jets in 2013.

This version of Geno Smith is more mature, accurate and driven. And he has a team that supports his every move.

On Seattle's first touchdown drive of the fourth quarter, Smith was five-of-five for 75-yards including a arching 33-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett to put Seattle in front 20-13.

After the Giants muffed a punt return, Smith guided the Seahawks on a short field for another score. He hit Noah Fant for 16-yards to move the chains deeper into Giants territory. On the next play, Smith hit Kenneth Walker III in the flat for a walk-in touchdown to put Seattle up two scores. 

That was all she wrote. The Giants (6-2) hit the bye week in Week 9. A chance to regroup after a stellar and surprising first half of the season.

Wilson Turnovers & Franklin Meyers Penalty Doom Jets vs. Patriots

 PATRIOTS 22 - JETS 17

With 37 seconds to go before halftime, leading 10-3, it appeared — for a beat — that this was definitely going to be the Jets moment. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones dropped back, felt the rush, hurried his throw and was picked off by Michael Carter II, who went coast to coast for an 84-yard touchdown to give Jets a 16-3 lead.

Until he didn’t. Flags were thrown, and Jets defensive end John Franklin Meyers was called for roughing the passer when he body slammed Jones after he threw the ball. The call was easy. The touchdown was wiped out, and the Patriots would eventually kick a field goal. Instead of the Jets running into the break up 17-3, they led only 10-6.

That was the turning point, and the Jets never recovered.

Then the game turned into a sloppy performance by quarterback Zach Wilson, who tossed three interceptions in the second half. All the turnovers came when Wilson was trying to roll out of the pocket and throw off his back foot.

When Wilson did stand in the pocket and throw he was good, like the 8-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Conklin in the second quarter that gave the Jets a 10-3 lead. 

It didn't stop Jets frans from unloading on Wilson on Twitter. Many were calling for the signal caller to be benched. Others pointed out to Wilson's terrible inaccuracy when he tries to roll out of the pocket and throw off his back foot. 

He just seems to be regressing rather than progressing. One had to know when the Jets lost Breece Hall for the year, it would be all on Wilson, and after one game, it's not good. 

The Jets have many problems, one of them being the plethora of injuries they have incurred. But the play of quarterback Zach Wilson is definitely concerning. For fans who have seen the likes of Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, Wilson's struggles feels like the same old song, all over again.

Steinbrenner Plans to Bring Back Aaron Boone for 2023 season

 

According to a story from the AP, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner plans on keeping Aaron Boone as manager for the 2023 season. 

 

“As far as Boone’s concerned, we just signed him and for all the same reasons I listed a year ago, I believe he is a very good manager,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday as he left the Yankees player development complex. “I don’t see a change there.

“We didn’t get the job done … it’s time to get it done,” Steinbrenner said. “Any time we don’t win a championship, it’s a disappointing year. We had a lot of good ups, we had some downs, we had some injuries like everybody else.”

When pressed about the contract of General Manager Brian Cashman, Steinbrenner said “preliminary” conversations have taken place. Cashman’s contract is up at the end of the World Series. 

See full story on Fox Sports New Jersey. 

Giants' Jones, Jets' Sauce Receive Weekly NFL Honors

 

It was another standout week for the local NFL football teams as New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and New York Jets rookie cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

This is what happens when to two teams in the midst of four game winning streaks. The awards come fast and furious. See my full story on FOX SPORTS NEW JERSEY

For Jones, it is the third time in his career he has received the honor. Last week against Jacksonville, Jones completed 19-of-30 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 107 yards and the game winning score. It is the first time in franchise history the Giants have had a player throw for over 200 yards and run for over 100 yards in the same game.

 Jones is the third Giant to receive NFL honors. Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s leading rusher, received offensive player of the week after his outstanding Week 1 effort against Tennessee. Kicker Graham Gano won Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 2 following a win against Carolina.

Jones is having a tremendous season, and along with Barkely, is a candidate for “Comeback Player of the Year.” This season Jones has completed a career high 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,223 yards and six touchdowns.

He has run for 343 yards, and is well on pace to set franchise records in rushing yards for a quarterback.

Meanwhile across town, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner received Defensive Player of the Week honors for his virtuoso performance against the Denver Broncos in the Jets 16-9 win.

He had  10 tackles and three passes defensed, including two passes in the end zone that sealed the victory for Gang Green.

This marks the second straight week the Jets have had a player win AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Last week defensive tackle Quinnen Williams received the honor after a huge day in Green Bay in Week 6.

 

 

Yankees with Backs to Wall Down 3-0 to Astros

 It all now comes down to this. 

After years of hearing about how they were cheated by the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal in 2017, and years of waiting for the once "Baby Bombers" to get over that Houston speed bump en route to World Series glory, the Yankees find themselves here. 

They find themselves in a 3-0 series hole, starring at both a sweep at the hands of their tormentors, the Astros, and with an uncertain future starring them right back in the face. 

So much went wrong in Game 3. The Yankees lost 5-0. Their offense was once again inept against Houston. The Yankees managed only three hits, two of those hits came in the ninth inning when the Yankees tried to stage a late rally. Not happening. 

How inept are the Yankee offensively in this series? They are hitting .128 with 41 strikeouts. 41 strikeouts!! 

Talk about a team that is home run or nothing. That is exactly what the Yankees have been throughout this season, and in the most important games of the year, they have turned into that team again. Gone are the days or working counts and getting on base. In are the days of homer or nothing. 

The proof is in the pudding. Since July 8, the Yankees are 41-45. They have been mediocre. They don't pitch well enough. Their bullpen is a mess -- see Aroldis Chapman, and Game 3 of the Division Series. Their offense is another story. 

What's more when Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge misplayed a fly ball by Christian Vasquez in the second inning, it was sign of things to come. The next batter, Chas McCormick cracked a two-run homer off Gerrit Cole toward right. 2-0 Houston. Ball game. 

 

What makes things even worse for the Yankees is the continued bizarre managerial decisions by Aaron Boone. In the sixth inning after Cole loaded the bases with none out, he decided to go the bullpen to bring in Lou Trivino. Lou Trivino who had a 4.53 ERA this year? That Lou Trivino? 

 

Yep. And Trivino proceeded to give up a sac fly to Tray Mancini to make it 3-0, and a two-run single to Vasquez that made it 5-0. Just like that Cole's night was over. 

So was the Yankees. 

To say it is frustrating would be an understatement. If the Yankees go down at home to the Astros either in Game 4 or Game 5, one thing is certain changes have to be coming. The Yankees can not move forward with the same strategy, and thought process. 

Who is crafting lineups where Athony Rizzo or Aaron Judge are leading off?  It isn't work, and makes absolutely no sense. 

Yankee Fans walk out 

Who is making decisions at the deadline where the Yankees fail to get an impact player like pitcher Luis Castillo and they end up with Frankie Montas? 

MICHAEL KAY REACTS 

 https://twitter.com/Starting9/status/1583987595138433025?s=20&t=TxcXGpqx5T672-Bc4IHfbQ

Both Boone and Brian Cashman have a lot of questions to answer. Both are under contract. It would be stunning if both are gone after this series ends, even if Yankees fans demand it. 

TIME FOR CHANGE

Aaron Judge? He is hitting .156 in this postseason. He has been pressing the most, and will be a free agent. Is this the end of the Judge era? It could be. It very could be, and it would be a shame to see it end like this. 

The Yankees go into Game 4 looking to do the unthinkable, win four in a row. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox accomplished that feat (against the Yankees). The difference is the Astros have a lot of pitching that that Yankee team did not. If There is a game 5, Houston will just roll with Justin Verlander. Nuff said. 

Yankees Down Guardians, Move on to ALCS Against Astros

 YANKEES  5 - GUARDIANS 1 -- NYY win series 3-2

After much consternation and hand-wringing. After it looked like Aaron Boone had tossed the series away in Game 3 of this American League Division Series when he didn't pitch Clay Holmes with the Yankees up 5-3. 

After fans had to wait nearly three whole hours on Monday night before word came down that Game 5 would be postponed, the Yankees are moving on. 

And for Yankees fans it feels oh so good. 

The Yankees took care of business without much drama, winning Game 5 by the score of 5-1 over the Cleveland Guardians. Now the Houston Astros await on Wednesday night down in Texas for the start of the American League Championship Series. 

There was little doubt in this one. Right from the onset the Yankees put this one out of reach when Giancarlo Stanton cracked a three-run homer to put the Yankees up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. Cleveland's decision to start Aaron Civale after 13 days without pitching in a game totally backfired. He was out after just a third of an inning. 

Come the bottom of the second, Aaron Judge added to the proceedings with a solo shot to right center, sending Yankee Stadium into a tizzy. 

On the hill Nestor Cortes was his dominant self, pitching five solid innings, giving up only a run on three hits. He tossed only 61 pitches, meaning the Yankees could be considering bringing back back quickly for at least Game 3 of ALCS. 

The Yankees pen, which was much maligned over the weekend, was solid Tuesday night as the combination of Jonathan Loaisiga, Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta shut the door on the Guardians for good. 

 Now the attention turns to Houston. Since 2015, the Astros have had their way with the Yankees. Three times these two rivals have met in the postseason, and all three times the Astros came up victories. 

There was Dallas Keuchel's dominance in the Wild Card Game back in 2015. Then we saw the likes of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa become house hold names for their efforts to knock the Yankees out in dramatic fashion in the ALCS back in 2017 and 2019. 

For Yankees fans, however, they will never forget the day in 2019 when Altuve hit a game-winning home run against them in the postseason and signaled that he might have had something (a buzzer perhaps) under his jersey. 

That only added to the stigma that the Houston Astros in 2017 cheated their way to a World Championship with a cleverly orchestrated sign stealing scheme. The same sign stealing scheme they were never really punished for other than some fines and the firing of then Astros manager A.J. Hinch. 

Now these two arch rivals meet again. It will be their fourth postseason meeting in eight years, and third ALCS meeting in six years. The Astros have been the dominant team in the American League all that time. The question is are the Yankees finally ready to climb the mountain to get back to the top of the baseball world?

Jets Defense Pound Packers in Statement Victory

 JETS 27 - PACKERS 10 

The New York Jets have been one of the NFL's most ridiculed teams for well over a decade.  From Buttfumbles to Adam Gase's googly eyes, nobody has taken the Jets seriously in some time. That is all changing, and Head Coach Robert Saleh is taking receipts. 

When Saleh said following New York's 24-9 opening day loss to Baltimore that he would take stock of all those who knock his football team, many scoffed. They aren't anymore. 

The Jets thoroughly beat up the Green Bay Packers and their Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the tune of 27-10.  The Jets snapped Green Bay's 15-game home winning streak; snapped Green Bay's 9-0 record following a loss, and got its first win against Rodgers since he took over the reins from Brett Favre. 

At 4-2 the Jets are most definitely for real. 

While the stats say that Rodgers threw for 241 yards, he never got comfortable in the pocket. He was sacked four times, fumbled twice -- lost one -- and was on the run for his life most of the day as Quinnen and Quincy Williams both enjoyed one of their best games in a Jets uniform. 

Quinnen couldn't be contained by Green Bay's offensive line. He recorded five tackles and two sacks of Rodgers. His brother Quincy was seen exploding through the line much of the afternoon to pound either Packers running back AJ Dillon or Aaron Jones into the dirt. 

It was old school football and the Jets were loving every second of it. 

A defensive slugfest that produced only six total points in the first half soon saw the Jets offense take charge of this game on the ground. 

Facing a critical second and eight at the Jets own 28-yard line, Zach Wilson rolled right and heaved up his best pass of the day, a 41-yard strike to Corey Davis that got the Jets quickly into Green Bay territory. 

On the next play, Braxton Berrios took the reverse and charged untouched for 20-yards into the end zone to give the Jets a 10-3 lead. 

Before Jets fans could settle down from their excitement, Gang Green was on the scoreboard again when Gang Green blocked the Packers punt and Will Parks scooped up the loose ball and rumbled into the end zone for the score to make it 17-3. 

 

After Green Bay scored to cut the Jets lead to 17-10, Gang Green did exactly what a good team is supposed to do: answer the challenge. 

After a couple of throws by Wilson to tight ends CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, Breece Hall put the game away when he found a seam, burst through the line and was gone, streaking 34-yards to paydirt to put the Jets back up by 14-points. 

The Packers would never challenge again, as the Jets walked away with easily their most impressive, and most important victory to date under Saleh. Yup, the Jets are indeed for real. 

Giants Escape Thanks to Ravens Miscues

 GIANTS 24 - RAVENS 20 

Sometimes you need a little help on the road to a 5-1 start to a season. 

The Giants got that and more courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens who totally collapsed in the fourth quarter, blowing a 20-10 lead as Big Blue came all the way back to win it 24-20. New York is now 5-1, its best start since 2009.

 

The Giants rally started in earnest in the fourth quarter with quarterback Daniel Jones shaking off three quarters of shaky play to lead Big Blue on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up nearly seven minutes. Jones two biggest pass completions of 18-yards to Marcus Johnson and 17-yards to rookie Wan'Dale Robinson proved to be a huge difference in this drive. 

Before the Ravens knew what hit em, Jones had Big Blue in the end zone on an touchdown pass to Daniel Bellinger to slice the Raven lead to three points. 

On the Ravens ensuing possession, everything came apart for Baltimore. On third and five from their own 40, Jackson fumbled the football, picked it up and hurried a throw that was picked off by Julian Love, who rumbled 27-yards to the Baltimore 13. 

Three plays later it appeared that the Giants threw away their best opportunity to take the lead when Jones was picked off in the end zone by Marcus Peters, however Peters was called for defensive pass interference, giving Big Blue renewed life. 

On the next play, Saquon Barkley danced over tacklers into the end zone for the go-ahead score. 

 

It was an impressive showing from a Giants team that otherwise looked destined for a bad home loss. They didn't have an answer for Ravens running back Kenyan Drake, who gashed them for 119 yards on 10 carries. Lamar Jackson had 77-yards himself on the ground. 

However when it mattered most, Wink Martindale's defense dialed it up in the fourth quarter and Big Blue took full advantage. 

Now the Giants (5-1) have a chance to be in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East should Dallas upset Philadelphia.

Yankees Pen Implodes as Guardians Rally in Ninth

GUARDIANS 6 – YANKEES 5
CLE Leads Series 2-1

Questions abound about the Yankees bullpen and decision making after the Cleveland Guardians rallied from down 5-3 to plate three runs in a stunning bottom of the ninth to swipe Game 3 of this Best-of-Five ALDS. The Guardians now lead the series 2-1 and can send the Yankees home early with a win Sunday night in Progressive Field.

Already beleaguered by injuries in the pen, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone decided not to bring in Clay Holmes for the ninth inning, instead opting to stay with Wandy Peralta, who had pitched 1-1/3 innings already, and watched those plans blow in stunning fashion.

The Guardians used the kind of small ball technique that led them to a surprising AL Central title and a Wild Card series win versus Tampa Bay. First Myles Straw and Steven Kwan both singled with one out. With the Cleveland faithful starting to rock, Boone removed a tiring Peralta for Clark Schmidt, not Holmes.

Amed Rosario then slapped a soft single to left, scoring Straw to cut the Yankees lead down to 5-4. Jose Ramirez followed with an infield single. Finally, with two out, Oscar Gonzalez won it with a sharp single to center on a 1-2 pitch, driving in both Kwan and Rosario to send Cleveland to a thrilling 6-5 victory.

The loss dampened what was looking like a huge Yankee night. Both Aaron Judge and Oswaldo Cabrera hit two-run bombs that catapulted the Yankees to a 4-2 lead. Harrison Bader’s solo shot in the seventh padded that lead to 5-3.

Luis Severino also gave the Yankees 5.2 solid innings, allowing only three runs on eight hits. He gave New York the chance. But all anyone could talk about was the blown opportunity and why Boone didn’t bring in Holmes, who is his closer.

FOR MORE GO TO FOX SPORTS RADIO NEW JERSEY!

Guardians Slip Past Yankees, Series Even 1-1

 GUARDIANS 4 - YANKEES 2 

And just like that we got a brand new series. Behind a two-run tenth inning rally, the Cleveland Guardians stunned the Yankees and a sold out crowd at Yankee Stadium to beat the Yanks 4-2, evening up this best-of-five series at one a piece. 

 

The Guardians tied the game at two in the top of the fifth inning when former Met Amed Rosario cracked a solo homer to right-center of Game 2 starter Nestor Cortes, chasing him from the game after five innings. The contest would remain tied at two until the top of the tenth.

Jose Ramirez led off the top of the tenth by blooping a hit to left in front of a diving Oswaldo Cabrera, who couldn’t make the catch. Josh Donaldson tried to back-up the play, but his throw into the infield went wide of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, allowing Ramirez to move to third.

Oscar Gonzalez followed with a bloop single over the head of Rizzo, allowing Ramirez to score the go-ahead run.

Finally, Josh Naylor lined a double over the head of center fielder Harrison Bader to give the Guardians a 4-2 lead. 

See more on Fox Sports New Jersey. 

Behind Hall and Carter, Jets Roll Over Dolphins

 JETS 40 - DOLPHINS 17 

The New York Jets are on a roll. Behind a stellar ground game that produced 135 yards, and a even more stellar effort by rookie running back Breece Hall, the Jets closed the gap a bit in the AFC East with a thunderous 40-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. 

It was New York's first win in the division since 2019, ending a 12-game AFC East losing streak.  The victory also marked the first time in 63 games that the Jets scored 40 or more points in a football game. 

All of this was the result of the Jets young players, once again, contributing in big ways against a division opponent. 

Last week Zach Wilson was the hero for New York. This week it was Breece Hall. The rookie out of Iowa State rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries, and caught two passes for 100 yards. Michael Carter also got into the action scoring two of the Jets five rushing touchdowns on the afternoon. 

For a team that had been so maligned regarding the offensive line, a healthier unit produced big results. Duane Brown was back at left tackle for Gang Green, while second year pro Alijah Vera Tucker had flipped back over to right tackle.  

On the flip side, the Jets defense was all over Dolphins quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson from pillar to post. 

In fact, Ahmed Sauce Gardner's edge rush of Bridgewater resulted in a safety when the veteran quarterback tried to throw the ball away in desperation. Instead Gardner knocked him to the ground forcing an intentional grounding. Bridgewater got hurt and never returned. 

Later with the Jets leading 5-0, Wilson connected with an open Breece Hall streaking down the sideline at the 40-yard line for what turned into a 79-yard run to the goalline. Michael Carter finished it off with the touchdown to put the Jets up 12-0. 

Miami would storm back, slowly chipping away at the Jets lead cutting it down ti 19-17 midway through the third quarter. 

A missed field goal by Miami that would have given the Dolphins the lead proved to be the golden opportunity they needed as the Jets turned the Fish miss into points. 

First, Zach Wilson hit Corey Davis for 21 yards to the Miami 35-yard line. Four plays later, Wilson dumped it off to Breece Hall for 21-yards to the Dolphins' 1-yard line. Once again it was up to Michael Carter to finish it off with a touchdown plunge to put the Jets up 26-17. 

The score was the first of three consecutive touchdowns by the Jets who would go on to pull away 40-17. 

At 3-2, the Jets suddenly find themselves in second place in the AFC East, and in the thick of the AFC playoff conversation. Not bad for a young football team in the second year of a rebuild.

Jones Sparkles, Defense Brilliant as Giants Top Packers

 William Shakespeare once wrote to open his venerable play Hamlet, "There is more to Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt in your philosophy...".  

It turns out England's most famous playwright was right; and it was fitting that in London, England, the New York Giants did the unthinkable: beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 27-22 to improve to 4-1. 

No! No possible. It happened. 

Daniel Jones was near perfect, completing 21-of-27 passes for 217 yards and engineered a 17-point swing as the Giants erased a 17-3 deficit and turned it into a 27-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Blasphemy?  I think not. 

If anyone had any doubts about the Giants, there should be little now. They are good, and they are for real. And in the NFC East that many thought would be a two-team race between the Eagles and Cowboys, well here come the G-Men. 

 Give credit to Brian Daboll and his coaching staff. When the Giants fell behind 17-3 midway through the second quarter it was easy to get down and just roll over. Up to this point, Rodgers had thrown two touchdown passes, and the Giants had only mustered a field goal. 

But then things changed on the Giants ensuing possession. 

On a second and seven at the Giants' own 22 yard, Saquon Barkley took the direct snap and sprinted past the left for a 40-yard gain to the Packers' 38. It changed the momentum of the game. 

Later Daniel Jones hit Darious Slayton for a 10-yard gain on third and nine at the Packers 15 to set up a first and goal situation. Two plays later Daniel Bellinger plowed into the end zone to cut the Green Bay deficit to 17-10. 

By the start of the third quarter, Big Blue upped the tempo. They exploded out of the gate on an 11-play, 56 yard drive that culminated in a Graham Gano field goal that cut the Packers lead to 20-13. 

After the packers failed to move the football on its first possession of the half, Jones took over. He completed seven-of-eight passes for 55 yards, and scrambled three times for 25 more yards as the Giants moved all the way down to the Packers two yard line. Finally Jones pitched it Gary Brightwell, who plowed in for the game tying score. 

 

Once again the Giants answered the bell defensively, forcing another Green Bay three-and-out, before giving the ball back to Jones and this suddenly clicking offense. And like he did throughout this game, Jones was pitch perfect. His dump-off pass to Barkley turned into a 41-yard gain, setting the Giants up pretty at the 19. A few plays later Barkely plowed in from two-yards out to give the Giants their first lead of the day. 

Now it was up the defense again, and give the G-Men credit they were ready. Rodgers drove the Packers all the way to the shadows of the Giants goal-line, but Big Blue made its stop when on third and fourth down, both Kayvon Thibodeaux and Xavier McKinney blocked passes to turn the ball over on downs. 

When the Giants needed one more stop a minute or so later in order to prevent Rodgers from attempting his signature hail marry play, the Giants rushed three and sacked the MVP quarterback before he could release the football. 

Giants football is back baby. 

Mets survive Game 2, Face Elimination Again Tonight

 METS 7 - PADRES 3 

The Mets will live on to see another day of baseball.

Behind six solid innings from ace Jacob deGrom, and an offense that finally woke up from its catatonic state, the Met held off the San Diego Padres 7-3, Saturday night in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series.

deGrom and the Mets set the tone early. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was hitting 103 mph on the radar gun in the top of the first inning as he overpowered Jurickson Profar, Juan Soto and Manny Machado in the top of the first inning.

Francisco Lindor later gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Later on it was Pete Alonso who put the Mets back in front with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth as a quick and necessary response to San Diego tying the game at two.

The Mets would never trail again. The bottom of the seventh inning was highlighted by San Diego reliever Adrian Morejon’s inability to get throw strikes, and the Mets increasing patience at the plate as New York plated four runs to put the game away.

Jeff McNeil’s two run double, plated both Lindor and Alonso to make it 5-2. Eduardo Escobar followed with an RBI single, and Daniel Voglebach drove in McNeil on a sac fly to make it 7-2 Amazin’s. All runs scored with only one out.

 Buck Showalter did roll the dice bringing Edwin Diaz in in the seventh inning. The Mets closer was great in 1-2/3 innings of relief, but it got hairy when Adam Ottavino got into big trouble in the ninth inning with a run scored and the bases loaded with two out. Showalter was forced to go to Seth Lugo to close the game out.

It will be fascinating to see how many pitches Diaz and Ottavino will be allowed to throw tonight — if needed. 

Chris Bassitt, who had some polarizing comments on Saturday about playing in New York will get the ball on Sunday night for the Mets. He will go up against Joe Musgrove. First pitch at 7:07. 

Scherzer Shelled by Padres as Mets Season On Brink

 PADRES 7 - METS 1

So this is what it comes down to?

After 101 wins, a season full of so much promise, so many memories and good feelings, it could all be over come Saturday night. 

The New York Mets not only lost Game 1 of their NL Wild Card series to the San Diego Padres, they were annihilated. 

Max Scherzer, the Mets $43 million man at the age of 38, suffered his worst start -- not only of this season -- but of his entire career in the postseason.  The former three-time Cy Young Award winner got shellacked for four home runs, seven earned runs, and was out of the ball game before the fifth inning concluded. 

Not since 2011, when he gave up nine runs over two starts with the Detroit Tigers in that year's ALCS has Scherzer been this bad in a postseason game. 

You can talk about oblique's all you want, and certainly Scherzer hasn't been himself for well over a month, but in his last two outings, when the Mets needed him the most -- he wasn't there to answer the call. 

 

 So when Manny Machado's line drive home run to left landed off the facade of the Wall of Flushing, Buck Showalter removed Schezer to a cascade of boos. 

Not since Tom Glavine in the final game of the 2007 season has a Mets starter been given such a loud Bronx cheer. 

But one can understand why. Josh Bell crushed a two-run bomb of Scherzer in the top of the first. Then in the second inning, Trent Grischam went long to make it 3-0 Padres. Jurickson Profar provided the back-breaker with a three-run bomb that hit the foul pole in right to make it 6-0 in the top of the fifth. A few batters later Machado sent Scherzer to the showers. 

The Mets offense continued its catatonic state as Yu Darvish dominated the Mets over seven innings of six hit ball, allowing only an Eduardo Escobar solo homer. That was it. It was the Yu Darvish show as he had the Mets totally befuddled. 

Now the Amazin's turn to Jacob deGrom to fix this mess. The Mets ace the past seven years, ironically has never pitched at Citi Field in a playoff game, now will get his shot in a win-or-go-home Game 2 on Saturday night. 

Will this be deGrom's last game as a Met? Sure hope not. And for the Mets, they need him to at least extend this season one more day into Sunday.

 

 

Wilson Leads Jets to Wild Victory in Pittsburgh

 JETS 24 - STEELERS 20 

It was not pretty. In fact, at times, it was downright ugly. But somehow, the New York Jets found a way to get a victory on the road in Pittsburgh. 

They withstood their own mistakes; withstood their deficiencies on the offensive line; withstood a wild effort by Zach Wilson in the first three quarters of the game, and withstood the momentum Heinz Field was feeling with rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett came into the ball game. 

They withstood it all, and inked out a win. 

Wilson, when it mattered the most was Wilson delivered. 10-of-12 for 128 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, including orchestrating the game winning score in the final minute. 

It wasn't always pretty for Wilson. For much of the afternoon he was running for his life thanks to the Jets leaky secondary, and at times would hurry his throws. Two of those hurried throws resulted in interceptions that bounced off the hands of his intended receivers. 

And both interceptions led to 10 Pittsburgh points, and just like that the Jets found themselves down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter. Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett looked pretty good in relief of an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky. 

You could see the headlines now. Jets can't beat rookie sensation. It was feeling similar to the Jets collapse against Cleveland four years ago when Baker Mayfield came off the bench in his debut to beat the Jets. 

But that was then, and this is now. 

Wilson calmly led the Jets back. First he hit speedy Garrett Wilson at the Jets own 38, and watched Wilson break containment to move the ball across midfield to the Steelers 42. Later on a critical fourth and seven, Wilson connected with Corey Davis on a slant at the 25 to convert and keep the chains moving. 

On the next play, Wilson pitched it to Breece Hall who sprinted down the sideline before stepping out of bounds at the Steelers three yard line. 

A few plays later, Wilson found Corey Davis in the end zone for the score to cut the Steelers lead to 20-17. 

All the Jets needed was a stop, but for a little while it looked like a pipe dream. 

Pickett connected with George Pickens for 26 yards to the Jets' 31 yard line. The Steelers were in great position to score. Then Pickett rolled out, avoided the Jets rush and heaved a ball down the field that was popped up in the air and picked off by Michael Carter II. 

Wilson then guided the Jets on a 10-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in Breece Hall barley getting the ball over the goalline before having the ball swatted out of his hands. Replay confirmed the touchdown with nine seconds left. 

The Jets pulled off another miracle on the road. 

 

Giants Throw It Back With Slugfest Victory

 GIANTS 20 - BEARS 12 

The New York Giants not only threw it back to the 80's and 90's with their uniforms on Sunday afternoon, they played the kind of gritty defensive football we used to see from those teams during that era. 

The Giants muscled their way to a 20-12 victory with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones using their legs to muscle their way to a victory over the lowly Chicago Bears. 

Barkley had 146-yards on 31 carries, while Jones carried the rock six times for 68 yards and two long touchdowns. 

Jones' first score came on a fake handoff to Barkley, before spinning to his left and running down the sideline for the score to put the Giants ahead 7-3. 

In the second quarter, Barkley got into the action when took a screen pass from Jones, worked out of a gangtackle at the 41-yard, and raced down field for a 26-yard gain to the Bears 11 yard line. Two plays later, Jones again scored on a naked bootleg to put Big Blue up 14-6. 

Still the game wasn't without concern. Jones injured his ankle in the second half on a sack. He was relieved by Tyrod Taylor but the veteran back-up sustained a concussion on a nasty low hit to the head on a scramble of his own. The Giants had to rely on Barkely out of the wild cat formation for chunks of the fourth quarter with Jones acting as a decoy at wide receiver. 

Still the Giants defense did its job. They sacked Bears quaterback Justin Fields six times, forced six Bears fumbles, recovering three of them in the victory. 

New York improves to 3-1 on the year. They are much different team than we have seen in recent years. This Giants team is tough and resilient. And Brian Dabol's coaching staff is giving both Jones and Barkely the opportunity to showcase their talents. 

Now the Giants head to London, England to face the 3-1 Green Bay Packers on Sunday.