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The Ravens and Bengals host a classic, plus weekend football betting

Vaseline November 8, 2024

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Good morning! So much football.

While you slept: Ravens drive out Bengals in barnburner

This is what elite Thursday football looks like: two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, trading highlight-reel touchdowns in the final minutes of a game that could help determine either team’s playoff prospects. Add in a two-point conversion to make the decision, and we have a pièce de résistance.

Ravens 35, Bengals 34. Wow. Fast:

This was actually three games in one. For two and a half quarters, Cincy produced its best football of the season, taking a 21-7 lead late in the third against an elite Baltimore offense. Then the Ravens scored 21 straight points. They traded touchdowns in the final two minutes, and the Bengals’ ballsy move to go for two with 38 seconds left failed. Kiss from the chef.
The quarterbacks combined for 718 yards passing, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Three of those TD throws were 67 yards or longer; Jackson’s 84-yard connection with Tylan Wallace was the longest of his career, and Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for the other two. Chase had 264 yards receiving alone, which made history.
For the 7-3 Ravens, it was a necessary win to keep pace with one of the NFL’s best divisions, where they still trail the Steelers. The 4-6 Bengals also have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, and if they can keep playing like this, we can expect a wild card spot. But the margins are slim, and it must sting to see an 0-2 record against Baltimore. Combined margin of victory? Four points.

I think that’s the best game I’ve seen this season. To proceed:

Pulse Polls: Is new good?

It’s been a busy fall, so it’s understandable if we’ve kind of forgotten about the whole all-new college football reality update that officially happened Tuesday when the first rankings of the new era arrived.

I want to open a larger discussion, which we will discuss next week: How has the 12-team College Football Playoff era changed your viewing experience? We’ve talked a lot about the changes themselves, but do we like how the season is going? Is there another one? feeling?

Your options are simple:

It’s better. More teams in the mix, more fun.
It’s worse. The stakes are gone.
It’s about the same. Some games aren’t that big, but so many more games are important at least just a little bit so it all washes away.

Make your voice heard here.

News to know

Cohen to meet with Soto
Mets owner Steve Cohen will fly to California next week to meet with top free agent Juan Soto, sources said attached to The Athletics‘s Will Sammon yesterday. It’s an expected but tantalizing update for what could be a long courtship this winter. Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, said this week that his client enjoyed playing in New York this year. I can’t wait to see what the song is.

McCaffrey returns
Yesterday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said star running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to finally make his season debut this weekend against the Buccaneers, a welcome sight for a 4-4 San Francisco team (and fantasy managers everywhere). McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendonitis since training camp and returned to training last week. View our full update here.

UF sticks from Napier
Billy Napier will stay on as Florida’s head football coach, Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin announced yesterday, a mild surprise considering Napier’s rocky start in Gainesville. He is 15-18 in two seasons, including 4-4 this year, although Florida has shown signs of life as this season has progressed. His buyout, $26 million if they were to fire him after one year, could be a major reason to stick with the status quo.

More news

The good bets: One win, please

Oh, honey. I went 0-4 in Pulseland last week. The low point is somewhere. Don’t ask me for that fake money now. We come back here (odds via BetMGM):

Secondary school

No. 3 Georgia (-2.5) at No. 16 Ole Miss
Do I avoid the LSU game? Yes. Am I confident in this bet? Also yes. The Dawgs have looked iffy this year, but I trust them here against a Rebels team that may be overrated. Georgia by a TD.
Michigan (+14) at number 8, Indiana
I don’t expect the Wolverines to win this game, but I also suspect this might be the best roster the Hoosiers have faced this year. A 14 point spread is huge.

Read more: Expert choices | Best bets

N.F.L

Read more: Expert choices

Wrist record overall: 17-20-1

Watch and listen

📺 NCAAM: No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas
7:00 PM ET on ESPN 2
An extremely fun early top-10 matchup between two of the bluest bloodlines we have. Allen Fieldhouse should rock.

📺 NBA: Sunbathing at Mavericks
7:30 PM ET on ESPN
Phoenix is the best team in the Western Conference so far and Kevin Durant has been fantastic in his role 17th season. We talk about the longevity of LeBron James, but the Slim Reaper needs to be included in that conversation. Tune in tonight and join the movement.

Buy tickets for these types of games here.

🎧 “The athletic football show” is always a must listen after games, and the week 10 preview is impeccable. Catch it here.

Pulse choices

In high school, Jordan Hawkins‘ the jersey read ‘NINE WHERE’ because when he first showed up at training no one knew where he came from. Now he is a senior Ole ma’am set records. His path between those points was incredible.

Our NFL staff made an effort NFL Midseason Awards here. Kirk cousins gets flowers.

BR heads, mounting: Baseball reference has entered a new era, where WAR is now a standard battle stat on every player page. It’s a small change with a big impact.

There may be some lingering feelings, but Sam Amick has a great column why the Hair clippers were right to leave Paul George walk.

A follow-up to yesterday’s newsletter: Marcus Thompson II op how it is renewed Warriors are winningwith defensive adjustments and new life.

I loved this introduction FC Noaha small Armenian football team that takes its name from Biblical lore and works its way into the Europe Conference League to take on the mighty Chelsea. The match didn’t go well (an 8-0 loss), but the journey was still incredible.

Most clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story continues Travis Kelce’s defense of his brotherJason, about that phone call incident.

Most read on the website yesterday: Nick Baumgardner’s latest NFL mock draft.

📫 Do you love the wrist? Check out The Athleticsother newsletters.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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The Ravens and Bengals host a classic, plus weekend football betting