FERNANDO ALONSO | TMK #13 - November 6th

Today, on TMK:

A Spanish-Mexican war, broken records, and the winless win.

Catch Up:

• NFL Week 9: Ravens, Cincy, Chiefs Win

• Verstappen Wins In Brazil, but Alonso Wins Our Hearts

• NBA Quick-Fire: Suns, Cavs, Mavs, Raptors, and Grizzlies(!) Win

The Main Events:

• Monday Night Football: NY Jets - LA Chargers

• Premier League: Tottenham - Chelsea

• NBA: Harden’s Clipper Debut + 11 Games

Extra Time:

• Quote of the Day

• Can’t Miss Moment

• Stat of the Day

• Video of the Day

🏈 NFL Week 9

SUPERBOWL CONTENDERS CLASH

Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) 21 - 14 Miami Dolphins (6-3)

This game was a story of two halves for Patrick Mahomes and Co. in Germany.

The Chiefs took a 21-0 lead right before halftime and the game looked all but done, but the offense ran out of gas and was held scoreless in the second half. The Chiefs’ 3rd TD included a rare Tyreek Hill fumble that was improbably returned for a touchdown - more on that in Extra Time.

The Dolphins clawed their way back into the game in the second half as the offense woke up, and scored 14 unanswered points. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa had the opportunity to tie the game with a late drive, only the fumble the snap and end the game in the most anti-climatic way.

This wasn't exactly the match-up we thought we were going to get.

 Baltimore Ravens (7-2) 37 - 3 Seattle Seahawks (5-3)

The Ravens are looking as dominant as they’ve ever looked, both on offense and on defense.

On defense, the Ravens are allowing a TD on 8.7% of opponents' drives, the lowest in the league. They are also allowing only 13.8 points to their opponents, which also ranks #1 in the league.

On offense, this was a breakout game for undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell, who ran 9 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens ran all over the Seahawks and tallied 298 total yards rushing.

I would’ve written something about the Seahawks here, but they did nothing all game. Geno Smith finished with 157 yards passing and an interception (by Geno Stone), and DK Metcalf had 1 reception for 50 yards. Whoop-de-do.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) 28 - 23 Dallas Cowboys (5-3)

NFC East football can sometimes look like trench warfare; painfully slow and heavy in casualties. This game was more like a dogfight between two F-16s.

Dak Prescott threw for 374 yards and 3 TDs for the Cowboys. Jalen Hurts threw for 207 yards and 2 TDs for the Eagles. Ceedee Lamb caught 11 passes for 191 yards for the Cowboys. AJ Brown and Devonte Smith combined for 127 yards and 2 TDs for the Eagles. You get the idea. This was a high-flying, Mexican fireworks type of game.

This was also a game of inches; Cowboys’ TE Schoonmaker had a TD overturned as his knee was down a literal inch from the Endzone.

The Cowboys had every opportunity to win this game with the ball in hand on Philly’s 6-yard line with 22 seconds to go. A clutch sack by Josh Sweat sealed the W for the Eagles.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) 24 - 18 Buffalo Bills (5-4)

Joe Burrow is BACK. The Bengals’ QB started this season hobbled and not 100% healthy, and it showed. The Bengals were 1-3 after 4 games. Judging by the 4-game winning streak and Burrow’s season-high 348 yards and 2 TDs performance yesterday - the Bengals are back, and they’re scary.

The Bills looked not in sync; the offense wasn't clicking. QB Josh Allen still finished with 258 yards and a TD but threw an interception as well. The Bills - one of the favorites to make it to the AFC Championship game, wouldn’t even make the playoffs today.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

CJ Stroud Breaks Rookie Record; Throws for 470 yards and 5 TD in Win

The second pick of last year’s draft balled out with the Texans against the Bucs in a 39-36 win. His 470 yards are the most ever for a rookie QB. Perhaps even more impressively, his 3 top receivers were Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz, and Tank Dell. If you’re looking at your screen and asking yourself “Wait…who?”, you’re as confused as the rest of the NFL is.

Browns Shut Down Cardinals, Win 27-0

An honorable mention for the Browns’ defense who got the job done and shut out the Cardinals. The Cardinals only ran five of 48 plays on Cleveland's side of the field and didn't get deeper than the 44-yard line.

Deshon Watson came back from injury and looked good in a 219 yards and 2 TD performance. The AFC North is so stacked that it’s not even fair.

Doesn’t Know His Teammates’ Names; Still Wins In Debut

Joshua Dobbs was traded from the Cardinals to the Vikings five days ago after Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins suffered an injury. Joshua Dobbs found himself as the starting QB for the Vikings as rookie QB Jaren Hall, the 2nd string QB, was injured during the game. He didn’t know the playbook, didn’t know his teammates. He knew nothing.

BUT THEN Joshua mf-ing Dobbs proceeded to throw for 2 TDs and run for another one to lead the Vikings to a 31-28 victory over the Falcons in perhaps the most unlikely win of the season. What a great performance.

OTHER GAMES

Green Bay Packers 20 - 3 LA Rams

New England Patriots 17 - 20 Washington Commanders

New Orleans Saints 24 - 17 Chicago Bears

Carolina Panthers 13 - 27 Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders 30 - 6 NY Giants

🏁 Verstappen Wins Chaotic Sao Paolo Grand Prix

From the formation lap to the final lap, the Sao Paolo Grand Prix did not disappoint.

Charles Leclerc found himself once again unlucky in his Ferrari as the car’s hydraulics failed during the formation lap, sending him into the wall before the race had even started. Poor Charles cannot catch a break and didn’t even get the chance to fight Verstappen into turn one.

At the start, Hulkenberg and Albon touched, sending Albon into Magnussen and ending both of their races. The collision also caused damage to Ricciardo and Piastri’s cars and brought out a red flag. Both had strong race pace but were considered lapped by the field under the safety car because of a quirk in the rules that one can only hope will be ironed out soon.

The second start saw Norris start alongside Verstappen, but the champion had a good launch off the line and was comfortably ahead. Norris did challenge Verstappen for the lead a few laps later - the most Verstappen has been challenged so far this year - but was ultimately unable to pass the flying Dutchman.

Stroll finished 5th to mark a strong comeback weekend by Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda showed the Alpha Tauri’s pace and finished 9th, while both Alpines finished in the points with Gasly 7th and Ocon 10th.

F1, we’ll see you in two weeks for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Results: Top 10

Max VERSTAPPEN - Red Bull Racing - 25 PTS

Lando NORRIS - McLaren - 19 PTS

Fernando ALONSO - Aston Martin - 15 PTS

Sergio PEREZ - Red Bull Racing - 12 PTS

Lance STROLL - Aston Martin - 10 PTS

Carlos SAINZ - Ferrari - 8 PTS

Pierre GASLY - Alpine - 6 PTS

Lewis HAMILTON - Mercedes - 4 PTS

Yuki TSUNODA - AlphaTauri - 2 PTS

Esteban OCON - Alpine - 1 PT

🏀 NBA Quick Fire

Detroit Pistons 106 - 120 Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant can do it all for the Suns. He led all scoring with 41 points as Booker and Beal were out AGAIN with injuries. Durant thought he’d have a Big 3 in Phoenix, but so far he’s had to carry the team by himself.

San Antonio Spurs 116 - 123 Toronto Raptors (Overtime)

Scottie Barnes from the Raptors recorded a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Raptors over the Spurs in OT. Keldon Johnson scored 26 for the Spurs, and Wemby added 20 (but scored 0 points in the final 7 minutes).

Cleveland Cavaliers 115 - 104 Golden State Warriors

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 31 points as the Cavs just ended a 16-game losing streak against the Warriors.

The Warriors had a rare off night shooting, scoring only on 36% of attempts, well below their average mark of 46%. Of course, Steph Curry still finished with 28 points. He’s still Steph Curry.

Dallas Mavericks 124 - 118 Charlotte Hornets

LaMelo Ball overshadowed Luka Doncic tonight with a triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists, but that wasn’t enough for the Hornets to win the game. Luka finished with a 23-12-9 line, and Irving and Grant added 18 points each.

Portland Trail Blazers 100 - 112 Memphis Grizzlies

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies to their first win of the season. He scored 30 points and collected 8 rebounds. There are no more winless teams in the NBA this season, but the Grizzlies are 1-6 and Ja Morant won’t be back for another 18 games.

🏈 Monday Night Football: NY Jets - LA Chargers

In a Monday Night Football clash, the 4-3 New York Jets will host the 3-4 Los Angeles Chargers. The Jets are coming off 4 straight wins, and no one expected them to be in the running for a playoff spot when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury in the first game of the season. Yet, here they are - thanks to their defense.

The Jets’ defense ranks 14th overall but boasts a formidable pass defense and an all-pro cornerback in Sauce Gardner. This week will be a test as they’re going up against the Chargers’ potent offense, which ranks 7th overall. Quarterback Justin Herbert has been impressive, averaging 270 passing yards per game and aiming to become the fastest player in NFL history to reach 1,500 career completions.

The Jets’ weak point is their run defense, but the Chargers’ run game hasn’t been as explosive as in prior seasons.

On the other side, the Jets offense is ranked 29th overall, with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson at the helm. While his numbers are…modest, Wilson has been making progress and faces the league's worst-ranked passing defense, which could provide an opportunity for a breakout game.

If he can’t do it tonight, he probably can’t do it at all.

⚽ Tottenham Hotspurs - Chelsea Blues

A London derby on a Monday night? Yes, please.

With 26 points from 10 games, Tottenham is having its best start of the season in 63 years. I’m not making this up - they haven’t started this well since 1960. They’re still unbeaten and were top of the league coming into this matchday.

Chelsea on the other hand seems to be in their worst form in recent years, despite having spent, and spent, and spent, and spent this offseason. They’ve lost 15 games in 2023, one less than in 2021 and 2022 combined.

The Blues suffered their fourth Premier League defeat of the season last week as Brentford won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s 18 points earned since they fired manager Graham Potter in April is the second-fewest points earned since in the Premier League.

Granted, Chelsea have been hit by injuries, including to captain Reese James and striker Christopher Nkunku. But still - they currently have nothing to show for the hundreds of millions spent.

This game will also mark the return of Mauricio Pochettino, arguably the most beloved coach in Spurs’ history, to the Spurs’ stadium as Chelsea’s manager. He has his work cut out for him against his old team that looks better than ever.

This might not be the best version of this London derby, but it’s still a game well worth watching.

🏀 NBA Today

I love how many NBA games there are today, but damn it makes it hard to follow everything that’s happening. Let’s focus on perhaps the one thing worth knowing about today’s games:

James Harden is set to make his debut with the Clippers against the Knicks. This means that the Clippers’ starting lineup could include Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. That would have been a dream team…5 to 7 years ago.

The Clippers are still supposed to be good; I still believe Leonard, George, and Harden can drop 30 points on any given night. But there’s only one ball to share, and Harden likes to have it in his hands almost at all times. Today should be our first glimpse at how the Clippers are reorganizing lineups and rotations to fit Harden in

Other Games

Detroit Pistons - Golden State Warriors

Indiana Pacers - San Antonio Spurs

Orlando Magic - Dallas Mavericks

Philadelphia 76ers - Washington Wizards

Brooklyn Nets - Milwaukee Bucks

Miami Heat - Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago Bulls - Utah Jazz

Houston Rockets - Sacramento Kings

Minnesota Timberwolves - Boston Celtics

Oklahoma City Thunder - Atlanta Hawks

Denver Nuggets - New Orleans Pelicans

🗣️ Quote Of The Day

“I almost went straight in turn 4”

Turns out Verstappen, in the lead of the Grand Prix, almost crashed watching Perez and Alonso fighting for third place on the big screens.

Imagine driving a car at 300 kph and having the balls to watch the Grand Prix on the big screens AT THE SAME TIME. What’s next, installing F1TV on his wheel’s screen?

⭐ Can’t Miss Moment

Superman Try in Rugby Union

I know I haven’t mentioned rugby at all today, but just look at this try.

🧮 Stat Of The Day

Verstappen Breaks Record of % of Races Won

With 17 wins, Verstappen has won at least 77 percent of the races this year, even if he doesn’t win in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.

Legendary F1 driver Alberto Ascari was the previous record holder with 75%.

📽️ Video of the Day

Draymond Green gets hit with the Draymond Green Special

Yes, he got kicked in the nuts.

Click HERE to watch on Youtube.

Wrap Up

A glorious weekend of sports is now behind us, with a few interesting closing acts today before the Champions League starts up again tomorrow. I’ll see you then!