Welcome to Staten News — where two first-round picks look cheap after one game and a nine-game losing streak ends with 2:39 left in a game nobody was still watching.
Seattle converted one third down all night. One, out of 11, at home, as the defending Super Bowl champion.
The Bears won 34-17 on Monday Night Football and moved to 6-2. Seattle fell to 4-4 and has a real problem to explain.
🏈 Chicago Didn't Win Pretty. It Won Heavy.
Nothing about this game was fancy. D'Andre Swift carried 27 times at 2.6 yards a pop, which is a brutal number until you notice he scored three touchdowns. Caleb Williams threw for 247 yards and went 10 of 15 for 109 yards and a score on play-action.
Jeffery Simmons is where the story gets interesting. Chicago paid first-rounders in 2027 and 2028 plus a 2027 fourth to get him from Tennessee on October 29, and took on a contract with $100 million guaranteed. In his first game, he posted a team-high six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit and a pass breakup.
NFL.com graded that trade a B because of the price. Maybe that holds up in three years. It doesn't feel like a B this morning.
Seattle did make it uncomfortable for a minute. A Colston Loveland fumble handed the Seahawks a short field, and they cut it to three in the fourth quarter. Then Chicago closed. Sam Darnold finished 17 of 34 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he got sacked three times behind a line that just added Quenton Nelson.
That's the part that stings. Seattle bought the guard and still lost the line of scrimmage.
🏒 2:39 Left. Down Four. Sure, Why Not.
Because Tuesday night in Montreal is the kind of game that makes you question every live bet you've ever closed early.
Winnipeg came in on a nine-game losing streak and trailed the Canadiens 4-0 with 2:39 left in regulation. Tyrel Bauer scored. Morgan Barron scored 42 seconds later. Kyle Connor scored twice in the final minute, the tying goal coming with 33 seconds left. Dylan Samberg ended it 3:30 into overtime, 5-4 Jets.
Four goals in 2:06. NHL.com says it's the latest four-goal comeback win in league history, wiping out the Kings' 2007 mark against Dallas, when Los Angeles started its rally at 52:46. Winnipeg started at 57:21.
Jacob Fowler made 42 saves for Montreal and lost. Sometimes hockey is just rude.
Closer to home, the Rangers beat St. Louis 3-1, and the Devils took Edmonton 4-3 in a shootout behind two goals and an assist from Jack Hughes.
🏀 Memphis Is Mortal and Luka Is in the History Books
The league's last unbeaten team is gone. New Orleans walked into Memphis and won 135-134 in overtime, despite Ty Jerome dropping 40 for the Grizzlies. Zion Williamson had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Memphis sits at 6-1.
Luka Doncic went for 42 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds on 14-of-24 shooting in a 138-117 win over Miami. It was his fifth straight game with at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 threes, which ties Damian Lillard for the longest streak of its kind. Giannis Antetokounmpo answered with 30, 12 and 7 for the Heat, plus 7 turnovers. The Lakers are 6-2. Miami is 2-5, and Giannis in a Heat uniform still looks strange.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-high 43 in Cleveland and hit the go-ahead three in a 117-112 win. He needed 35 shots to do it. Nobody in Oklahoma City is complaining.
The Knicks handled Brooklyn 103-90 behind 22 from Landry Shamet and 19 from Jalen Brunson. Wizards fans, meanwhile, get to enjoy a sentence they haven't read in five years: Washington is above .500 at 4-3.
📅 What to Watch
Lamar Jackson went on injured reserve with the thumb he hurt on the first play against Buffalo, and CBS says he could be out for the year. Baltimore plays Thursday. Tyler Huntley is banged up with a toe injury, which leaves undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano as the likely starter. He went 10 of 21 for 91 yards against the Bills.
The market moved exactly how you'd expect. Jacksonville is laying 8.5 to 9.5 points in Baltimore, a place where the Ravens were supposed to be favored, with the total down around 43. Trevor Lawrence has 17 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, and the Jaguars are coming off a 42-7 win over the Colts. Baltimore is 0-3 against the spread at home. That's a big number on a short week for a team with almost no film on its quarterback, and I still wouldn't want to be the one taking the Ravens.
Tonight: 76ers (7-1) at Pistons (6-1), 7 PM ET on ESPN, the East's two best records
Tonight: Mavericks at Spurs, 9:30 PM ET on ESPN
Thursday: Jaguars at Ravens, 8:15 PM ET on Prime Video
Sunday night: Buccaneers at Bears
Monday: Bills at Vikings
Next Tuesday: NFL trade deadline, 4 PM ET
This is the week the NFC stops pretending Seattle is the team to catch. Sunday night, Chicago gets to prove Monday wasn't a one-off.
Sources: NFL.com Bears-Seahawks, NHL.com Jets-Canadiens recap, NBA.com Starting 5, NBC Sports Jaguars-Ravens
— The Bandicoots 🏈🏒🏀