Commanders survive latest low-scoring Thursday Night Football affair, plus Yordan Alvarez cannot be stopped

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Good morning to everyone but especially to...

YORDAN ALVAREZ AND THE HOUSTON ASTROS...

Yordan Alvarez is inevitable. After a walk-off home run in Game 1, Alvarez launched a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning Thursday as Houston took a 2-0 ALDS lead over Seattle with a 4-2 win.

Alvarez is the first player in MLB history to have multiple career go-ahead home runs with his team trailing in the sixth inning or later of a postseason game.
He's done it in two straight games.
Alvarez joins Troy Glaus (2002) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1995) as the only players to have multiple go-ahead home runs in the sixth inning or later of a single divisional series.

Game 3 is tomorrow with the Mariners' season on the line.

... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

It's a game of inches, indeed. The Commanders held on by the slimmest of margins Thursday against the Bears, scraping out a 12-7 win.

On 4th-and-goal with under a minute left, Justin Fields found Darnell Mooney right at the goal-line, but Mooney bobbled the ball and ultimately was tackled inches short by Benjamin St.-Juste.
The Bears had three drives inside the Washington 5-yard line. They ended up with two turnovers on downs and one interception by Washington defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.
Brian Robinson Jr. delivered the game-winning touchdown for Washington after Chicago's Velus Jones Jr. muffed a punt. It's yet another incredible step in Robinson Jr.'s comeback from being shot in the leg twice shortly before the season started.

The Bears out-gained the Commanders by nearly 180 yards, and their 234 rushing yards were their most in a loss since 1984 -- when Walter Payton was playing. The Commanders won despite Carson Wentz throwing for just 99 yards and the offense going just two for 11 on 3rd down. Ultimately, their bend-don't-break defense provided just enough in another ugly, low-scoring Thursday game.

It was about the only thing that went right for the organization Thursday. More on that in a bit.

Honorable mentions

Shedeur Sanders inked an NIL deal with Tom Brady's Brady Brand.
The Dolphins got their pingpong table back.

And not such a good morning for...

THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. Just not in the next four days. Please.

Thursday's Game 2 of the Guardians-Yankees ALDS series, set for last night, was postponed to today. First pitch today will be 1:07 p.m.

Since today was scheduled to be the only off day in the series, the two teams could have to play four games in four days if the series extends that far. That would include travel to Cleveland and back to New York.
That there's no day off between Game 4 and Game 5 is a departure from years past.
Here's how the postponement impacts the pitching staffs, according to our MLB scribe Mike Axisa.

As Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Wednesday with the rainout looming, "Our game is a game of adjustments." Indeed it is. We'll see who can adjust best.

Not so honorable mentions

James Conner is out indefinitely with a rib injury.
Remember the fishermen who added weights to their fish in a competition? They're now facing criminal charges.

NFL Week 6 picks: Bills-Chiefs showdown headlines big week 🏈

Week 6 of the NFL season is upon us, and it brings us some absolutely terrific matchups. (Here's the full slate.)

The big one is a potential game-of-the-year candidate: Bills at Chiefs. They have the two shortest odds to win the Super Bowl currently (+350 for Buffalo, +650 for Kansas City), and the Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup is a meeting of arguably the league's two best quarterbacks. The order is up for debate.

So, who gets the win? Here's senior NFL writer Pete Prisco's pick:

Prisco: "The shootout between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will be a treat to watch. Will either be stopped? I doubt it. Let's hope this is a classic like their playoff game last January, which was won by the Chiefs in overtime. The final 13 seconds cost the Bills a chance to get to the Super Bowl. This time, they win it late. Pick: Bills 37, Chiefs 31"

Another game that features two of the league's best teams is Cowboys-Eagles. While this isn't quite the quarterback matchup that Allen-Mahomes is -- Dak Prescott isn't back yet, so it will be Cooper Rush vs. Jalen Hurts -- both NFC East rivals have the look of Super Bowl candidates. Here's NFL expert John Breech's take:

Breech: "With Jalen Hurts running the show, the Eagles rank second in the NFL in total yards and fifth in total points with an average of 27 points per game. ... The Cowboys are surrendering just 14.4 points per game, which ranks third in the NFL. What I'm trying to say here is that this game is the unstoppable force (Eagles offense) against the immovable object (Cowboys defense). The pick: Cowboys 20-19 over Eagles"

Here are all of our experts' picks:

Pete Prisco | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan

Previewing a huge weekend of college football 🏈

Just like the NFL slate, the college football schedule is chock full of terrific matchups, including six ranked-vs.-ranked games.

No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan
No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU
No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky
No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah

Those first three are all unbeaten-vs.-unbeaten, and it's Alabama at Tennessee that really stands out. The Crimson Tide are 15-0 against the Volunteers since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young seems likely to return, but our college football guru Shehan Jeyarajah has Alabama on upset alert.

Jeyarajah: "If Young is limited in any way by a shoulder sprain, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker can make his case as the SEC's best passer. Hooker has nearly 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first full season leading the Vols, and he will have a receiving corps advantage over Alabama if Cedric Tillman plays. Pick: Tennessee +228"

Here's everything else you need to know:

Tom Fornelli's Six Pack of best bets
TCU is undefeated! Here's why.
Ranking the 15 remaining undefeated teams
Big Ten picks
SEC picks

Daniel Snyder defies NFL punishment, claims he has 'dirt' on Roger Goodell, other owners

On Thursday, ESPN published an in-depth look at Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, who has been under fire for the last several years for a bevy of issues, including sexual harassment and his organization's widespread workplace misconduct. Thursday's findings were eye-opening.

Over the summer, Snyder was fined $10 million and told to relinquish day-to-day control of the team. But he is reportedly still calling the shots for the organization. The Commanders denied that.
Furthermore, other NFL owners could try to vote Snyder out, but Snyder reportedly has "dirt" on other owners and Roger Goodell himself. Whether he actually does or not, he could be using that as a tactic to avoid having to sell.
Another interesting point that speaks to Snyder's influence: He reportedly pushed for the Carson Wentz trade. Ron Rivera passionately defended his quarterback after Thursday's win.

This is a detailed and damning report on Snyder, though he appears safe for now: The league will not discuss removing him at next week's owners meeting.

Deshaun Watson facing another civil lawsuit

A female massage therapist filed a civil lawsuit accusing Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct on Thursday. Watson is currently serving an 11-game suspension from the NFL as part of the previous civil lawsuits he faced from over 20 women.

The new accuser alleges that Watson pressured her into a sexual act during a private massage session in December 2020. Watson was with the Texans at the time.
This woman is not represented by Tony Buzbee, who represented all other women who sued Watson.
Watson settled 23 previous civil lawsuits. One remains outstanding and one was dropped.

What we're watching this weekend 📺

⚾ We're watching the MLB playoffs all weekend. Here's how.
⚽ We're also watching Serie A on Paramount+.

Saturday

🏈 No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan, Noon on FOX
🏈 No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah, 8 p.m. on FOX