This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
CBS Sports HQ Newsletter
Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports
We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge.
💪 Good morning to all, but especially to …
DAVANTE ADAMS AND AARON RODGERS …
There’s a reunion in New York, and for both Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, it couldn’t have come a moment sooner. The Raiders sent their star wide receiver to the Jets for a conditional third-round pick that could become a second-round pick. The Jets also took on Adams’ salary, a key piece of the deal.
Adams, 31, hasn’t played since Week 3, but he plans to play this weekend.
How you view this move depends on how you view the Jets. Is it a move that fixes a woefully underachieving offense? A desperate last-ditch move for Woody Johnson‘s win-now desires? It’s probably in between.
I have no doubt Adams makes the Jets better, and our projections via SportsLine confirm as much. Rodgers relies heavily on chemistry, and Rodgers and Adams have connected for 615 catches, 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. Adams can win everywhere, and he can still take over. He had nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens in Week 2.
But he’s not a cure-all. No wide receiver is. The Jets still have issues running the ball and on the offensive line. Cody Benjamin assessed the outlook for Gang Green, and Jordan Dajani graded the trade.
… AND AMARI COOPER AND JOSH ALLEN
As for the team that just beat the Jets, the Bills added a much-needed star to their receiver corps, acquiring Amari Cooper from the Browns for a third-round pick and a late-round pick swap.
I love this. Josh Allen is a superstar. Buffalo has some nice weapons around him — James Cook, Ray Davis, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid — and a solid offensive line. But it was missing the outside receiver who could threaten a defense every pass play. Cooper is just that, and leaving Cleveland’s disastrous offense will rejuvenate him.
As such, Cody gave Buffalo an “A-” in his trade grades.
- Benjamin: “He’s got plenty in the tank if we look only to 2023, when he had a career-high 1,250 receiving yards despite a carousel at quarterback. … And he’s proven adaptable before, starring for the Cowboys when the Raiders dealt him midseason back in 2018. As a bonus, he’ll cost the team less than $1 million for the remainder of 2024.”
Here’s more as the trade market heats up:
👍 Honorable mentions
🤨 And not such a good morning for …
JUSTIN FIELDS AND THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS
I’m filing this under “What?!” The Steelers are giving Russell Wilson first-team reps and considering starting him against the Jets this weekend.
Once again: What?!
The Steelers are 4-2. Wins and losses aren’t a quarterback stat, but Justin Fields has stats of a deserving starter.
- 5-1 touchdown-to-interception rate (fifth in NFL)
- 0.6% interception rate (second)
- 231 yards rushing (fourth among QBs) and five touchdowns rushing (first among QBs)
- 0.04 expected points added per dropback (16th)
He’s taking care of the ball, escaping pressure and playing solidly. He’s doing it all while facing loaded boxes at the second-highest rate in the NFL due to the underwhelming supporting cast.
Isn’t that what the Steelers wanted? A quarterback who could take care of the ball and make enough plays so the defense could lead the way? If they wanted more, they would have swung bigger than Fields and Wilson this offseason. Just three days ago, Steelers expert Bryan DeArdo said Fields should be the starter, period.
Fields isn’t perfect. Far from it. He has accuracy issues and takes too many negative plays (though he has improved). But I can’t see Wilson — who doesn’t create with his legs — as an upgrade. If anything, Fields needs more first-team reps. With the talented Jets defense upcoming, I’m not a fan of how Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are handling this.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
⚾ Yankees take 2-0 series lead over Guardians
It’s been ugly, but for the Yankees, a 2-0 series lead is beautiful, and Aaron Judge‘s two-run home run was downright dazzling … and an enormous weight off their shoulders. The Bronx Bombers are two games away from their first World Series trip since 2009 after a 6-3 win over the Guardians.
The Yankees once again jumped on the Guardians early after Cleveland’s Brayan Rocchio dropped a pop up in the first inning, and two more runs came home in the second inning — an inning that included the Guardians intentionally walking Juan Soto to get to Judge, the presumptive AL MVP. After all, Judge entered the game a career .204 hitter in the postseason and an even worse 2 for 15 (.133) these playoffs.
The gaffes continued on both sides, but with New York holding a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning, Judge finally went deep, snapping a nine-game playoff drought that spanned back to Game 5 of the 2022 ALDS.
The Guardians simply aren’t coming close to playing winning baseball, especially at this stage of the season, Matt Snyder writes.
- After five wild pitches in Game 1, the Guardians had two errors in Game 2.
- Cleveland’s starters — Alex Cobb in Game 1 and Tanner Bibbee in Game 2 — have combined to throw four innings … and allow six runs.
- The Guardians are 1 for 11 (.091) with runners in scoring position and 4 for 25 (.160) with men in base.
- José Ramírez is slumping at the wrong time, though maybe a ninth-inning home run gets him going.
🏈 NFL Power Rankings: NFC North historically great
It took six weeks, but the top five of Pete Prisco’s NFL Power Rankings stayed the same week-to-week.
- Chiefs
- Vikings
- Texans
- Lions
- Ravens
That’s two NFC North teams in the top five, and the other two aren’t far behind. The Packers are sixth and the Bears are ninth. All four teams in the top 10! That is incredible! Here are a few more stats that emphasize the dominance:
- The teams are a combined 17-5, the best record for a single division through Week 6 since the 1970 merger.
- All four teams have at least four wins through six weeks, the first time that’s happened since the 2002 realignment.
This can’t sustain considering the teams are going to have to play each other (there’s only been one division game so far), but is it too much to suggest all four NFC North could make the playoffs?
- The NFC East doesn’t look great, with Nick Sirianni apologizing to fans and Jerry Jones going on a wild radio show rant. The Cowboys were the biggest faller in Pete’s rankings.
- The NFC West has zero teams above .500.
- The NFC South has the Buccaneers and Falcons at 4-2, but it could take just one of those struggling to open the door.
🏈 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team
The CBS Sports Midseason All-America team has arrived, and there are just two unanimous picks: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Texas tackle Kelvin Banks. And yes, Travis Hunter made it at both wide receiver and cornerback. He’s expected to play against Arizona this weekend despite a shoulder injury.
There were certainly several options at quarterback, but Miami‘s Cam Ward got the nod. He’ll have to hold off a bunch of excellent players to get the postseason honors, notably Dillon Gabriel coming off a huge win and Quinn Ewers eager to make up for lost time.
Speaking of the postseason, Ward, Gabriel and Ewers figure to be key figures in the College Football Playoff, with Miami, Oregon and Texas all in Brad Crawford’s latest projected College Football Playoff. As for who isn’t in, both Alabama and Tennessee dropped out of Brad’s projected dozen.
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🏈 Western Kentucky at Sam Houston, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏒 Sabres at Penguins, 7 p.m. on truTV/TNT
🏀 WNBA Finals Game 3: Liberty at Lynx, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ NLCS Game 3: Dodgers at Mets, 8:08 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Bruins at Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. on truTV/TNT
Go to Source
Author: Zachary Pereles
October 16, 2024 | 9:30 am
