Bad-bye Mr. Chips — Even with Chip Kelly’s 0-3 Bruins getting the week off, it’s still a painful weekend for Bruin fans, as 11 NFL Bruins are on rosters of 6 teams that all get UPSET as Favorites, including the 17-point favorite Vikings, plus Josh Rosen’s Cardinals blow a 14-point lead, with Rosen throwing an Interception to ice it
This might have been the worst weekend ever for Bruins in the Pro’s, as well as for gamblers who like to bet on Favorites. SIX different NFL Favorites lost today. I don’t mean that they failed to cover the point spread, I mean they LOST, outright. And on those 6 teams, there are no less than ELEVEN Bruins on those rosters, who have to suffer the pain of getting upset.
The biggest shocker was in Minnesota, where the undefeated Vikings were installed as 17-point favorites over the winless Buffalo Bills and their green Rookie QB Josh Allen. The Vikings were so confident that they rested their Star Running Back and Star Defensive End, both of whom had MINOR injuries and would have played if the team thought it necessary (or if it were the Playoffs). That complacency led to the flattest team I have ever seen.
Buffalo dominated the game from the outset. Viking QB Kirk Cousins looked like he bet the Bills Money Line, as he lost two fumbles in the first quarter! Buffalo was up 17-0 before all the fans had taken their seats, and cruised to a 27-6 laugher. Buffalo’s first drive was sustained by a stupid Minnesota penalty on a 3rd down, and then aided by another one: a Facemask by Bruin Anthony Barr. Later, Barr was posterized by Allen, who HURDLED Barr on a QB run for a first down. I have NEVER seen Barr look this bad. Barr and his fellow Bruin teammates Eric Kendricks and Kevin McDermott won’t get any sleep tonight, lamenting on the worst team performance of the year.
Myles Jack and Eli Ankou of Jacksonville don’t deserve a peaceful night either, after the Jaguars choked at home against the underdog Titans, 9-6. Of course the real blame falls on the Offense (Jack and Ankou are Defensive players), but the Jags couldn’t stop a gimpy Marcus Mariota and Derrick Henry when it mattered.
Matthew Slater’s Patriots lost their second straight, this time in Detroit to the underdog and previously 0-2 Lions, 26-10. Kenny Clark and Marcedes Lewis play for Green Bay, who lost as Favorites in Washington, 31-17. Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed 3 Field Goals, but his favored Texans got beat at home by the lowly Giants, 27-22. Tak McKinley was inactive, but he and Logan Paulsen and the Falcons lost at home to the underdog Saints, 43-37 in Overtime.
That is SIX teams that were supposed to win, that didn’t. That is pretty unusual. Arizona was NOT expected to win, that is, until they took a 14-0 lead against Chicago, behind starting Quarterback Sam Bradford. But then the Bears came back, capitalizing on 3 Bradford turnovers. So with just about 4 minutes to go in the game, trailing by 2, the Cardinals finally turned to Josh Rosen to bring them back.
Rosen threw a few good passes, driving the Cards into position for a game-winning Field Goal, until a heavy rush pressured him into an underthrow that got intercepted. NOT an auspicious first NFL drive for the former Bruin Star. He got one more chance with 40 seconds left, and after he threw a Pick Six that was negated by a penalty, he ran out of time before they could get into Field Goal range.
Rosen actually threw a few great balls, and hopefully he will be handed the reins from the outset next week, but today, his first game was still part of a brutal loss, making 7 brutal losses, for 12 Bruin Pro’s, in games that at one point they all were expected to win.
Add to this sc’s lucky win over WSU on Friday, on a blocked Field Goal, and this whole weekend was almost as bad as the last three when the current Bruins got whipped. That’s four straight miserable weekends. It doesn’t help that I got knocked out of my $10,000 Suicide Pool in its very FIRST week, by relying on Minnesota and Jacksonville to win. Of the 110 entrants in the pool, about 85 of them got eliminated, by taking the Vikes, Jags, and Pats. I also got into a car accident this week. Not my fault, no major injury, but $7,000 damage to my beloved vehicle. Can things get any worse?
From misery to ecstasy — Here are 32 more photos of the UCLA Dance Team from the Fresno game.
