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Saints, Falcons hunting early statement win in division showdown
Sep 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Over the last two seasons, the NFC South has been less than impressive.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the division in 2022 despite going 8-9, then reclaimed their title with a 9-8 finish last season.
But the South has looked stronger so far this year, and the New Orleans Saints and host Atlanta Falcons will both aim to prove they’re a contender when they continue their longtime rivalry on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s matchup begins crucial three-game stretches for both the Saints (2-1) and the Falcons (1-2).
After playing Atlanta, New Orleans faces the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs before hosting Tampa Bay. The Falcons, meanwhile, gear up for three straight weeks of divisional opponents beginning Sunday.
But for now, all attention is fixed on the 111th meeting between the longtime rivals. Each team has 55 wins in the all-time series.
“The division is coming to town, and we better be ready to deal,” Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said. “This will determine a lot about us at the end of it all, but right now we better focus on the New Orleans Saints.
“It is always a tough battle with those guys. They’ve got a lot of familiar faces that have been there over the years. It’s a built up rivalry when you get to play against these guys. It’s been special for a long time and hopefully it continues to be special.”
First-year Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins will make his debut in the rivalry. Cousins has completed 66.7 percent of his passes and thrown for 626 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions so far this season.
An area of concern for Cousins and the Atlanta offense has been converting on third down. The Falcons have been successful on just 22.2 percent (6-for-27) of third downs faced this year, the league’s third-lowest rate.
Atlanta went 2-for-9 in Sunday night’s 22-17 home loss to the Chiefs.
“Our offense on third down has not been very good,” Morris said. “That has been an emphasis for us, to keep drives going so we can maintain and get through possessions. We need to have more time of possession, so we can have more plays and keep our defense off the grass more.”
The Falcons’ 16.3 points per game are tied for 26th in the league.
The Saints’ offense, meanwhile, was historically potent to open the season. New Orleans became just the fifth team all-time to score at least 44 points each in their first two games.
The Saints steamrolled the Carolina Panthers 47-10 in Week 1 before routing the Dallas Cowboys 44-19 in Week 2. New Orleans fell back to Earth last time out, dropping a 15-12 slugfest against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.
As he prepares for Sunday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen may know the rivalry better than anyone.
The son of former Falcons player Grady Allen, Dennis was a defensive assistant in Atlanta from 2002 to 2005 before two stints as a coach in New Orleans.
“It’s a fun game to be a part of,” Allen said. “Whether we play them in the Superdome or their stadium, it’s always been a great environment and it’s always been a lot of fun to compete against those guys.”
New Orleans, which pummeled Atlanta 48-17 in last year’s regular season finale, has seen its offensive success carry into 2024.
Much of that can be attributed to the play of running back Alvin Kamara. His 285 rushing yards rank fourth in the league, while his four rushing touchdowns are tied for the most.
Kamra missed practice Wednesday with a hip/ribs injury. Offensive guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), cornerback Alontae Taylor (illness) and linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring) were also no-shows at practice.
Atlanta center Drew Dalman was placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, while tackle Kaleb McGary didn’t practice Wednesday with a sprained MCL. Ryan Neuzil is expected to make his fifth career start in Dalman’s absence on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
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MLB Best Bets for Sunday's Rockies vs. Brewers, Yankees vs. Phillies
Mar 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Watching baseball is a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. So, why not make it even better by getting in on the action? To help you do just that, I’ve combed through the data, odds, and trends for today’s games to find the MLB Best Bets of the day.
Here are my picks:
Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The pitching disparity in this game makes it relatively easy to make a pick. Colorado is going with Kyle Freeland, who is 0-6 in nine road starts with an 8.28 ERA and a .330 OBA. The Rockies lineup, which has hit .243 over the last week, will face one of the best pitchers in the game, Jacob Misiorowski.
Misiorowski is 10-4 with a 1.57 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Milwaukee’s lineup has only been hitting .236 over the last week. However, that will change with Freeland taking the mound for the Rockies.
My Pick: Milwaukee -1.5 (-125, FanDuel)
I’d feel better if the Brewers were hitting better right now, but Freeland may be one of the most hittable pitchers in the game. The Milwaukee lineup will wake up against him and lead the Brewers to a runaway victory.
Our Current Best Offers
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New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies
We saw seven hits and one run scored in Friday’s game. Saturday’s saw a little more hitting with each team recording seven, but still only four runs scored. So, it is safe to say neither team is hitting the ball really well at the moment (over the last seven days, Yankees– .197 and Phillies– .216).
Don’t expect them to do so today; Will Warren (7-4, 4.00 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) will get a few good innings under his belt before getting pulled for the best bullpen in the league (3.01 ERA). Between the two, the Phillies will not generate much offense.
Philadelphia is set to start Cristopher Sanchez (12-4, 2.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), who has been phenomenal at home (8-1, 1.15 ERA).
My Pick: Under 8 at -107 (DraftKings)
Both teams have been terrible at the plate over the last week, and it is unlikely either lineup wakes up against these pitchers.
Our Current Best Offers
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Yankees place Cody Bellinger (hamstring) on IR, recall Spencer Jones
Jul 22, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images The New York Yankees’ injury luck continues to get worse as the team placed All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a hamstring strain.
Bellinger left Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies after injuring himself while rounding first base in the top of the eighth inning. He initially stayed in the game but was seen limping back to the dugout between innings.
Bellinger’s RBI single in the sixth inning proved to be the winning run for New York. He has been a much needed boost for the Yankees, who already are down Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton due to injuries.
Bellinger has appeared in 102 games for the Yankees this season, batting .259 with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .770 OPS. Just 12 days ago Bellinger was named the All-Star Game MVP.
In a corresponding move, the Yankees called up outfielder Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Jones has appeared in 31 games for the Yankees this season, batting .224 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
–Field Level Media
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What's Next for Magomed Ankalaev After UFC Abu Dhabi?
After UFC Abu Dhabi, questions have revolved around what is next for the championship picture and where Magomed Ankalaev fits into things.
On one hand, Ankalaev has proven he can be violent and get the job done in the Octagon. Some of his victories in the UFC against Ion Cutelaba, Anthony Smith, and Johnny Walker prove this. On the other hand, Ankalaev can have some stinkers. And even though he ultimately got a decent finish of Bogdan Guskov in the fifth round, that UFC Abu Dhabi fight stunk like a post-game locker room.
The thing is, plenty of voices talk about how rough a shape the UFC’s heavyweight division is in. But the UFC’s light heavyweight division isn’t that much better. And with Carlos Ulberg still on the shelf after tearing his ACL in his vacant title fight win over Jiri Prochazka a few months ago, the UFC more than likely needs to pick two guys to fight for an interim title sooner or later.
So, who are the options? Let’s look at the UFC Meta Rankings’ top 10 at 205 entering UFC Abu Dhabi.
Alex Pereira – This one’s interesting. Pereira vacated the title to move up to heavyweight, losing to Ciryl Gane at the White House last month in an interim heavyweight title fight. Considering the options of new opponents for him at heavyweight, including Josh Hokit’s callout, it looked like he’d stay there. But he very recently teased Ankalaev that he could come back down and take the 205-pound title back? Maybe the UFC’s looking at this list and wondering if they need Pereira at 205.
Jiri Prochazka – Jiri is lovable, and he really could’ve beaten Ulberg if he didn’t hold back. But three unsuccessful title fights, even if two were against Pereira, is three unsuccessful title fights.
Paulo Costa – This is the most intriguing option. Costa fought once at light heavyweight during 2021, and then he formally jumped up to the weight class this year. And what did he do? He knocked out an unbeaten, dangerous up-and-comer in Azamat Murzakanov. Considering that and Costa’s status as a former middleweight title challenger, he probably makes for a noteworthy interim title fight candidate.
Jamahal Hill – He’s a former champion, but he’s lost three straight and hasn’t fought in over a year now.
Khalil Rountree Jr. – A former title challenger who put up a spirited battle with Pereira. He was on a winning streak but has lost two of three, most recently getting finished by Prochazka at UFC 320. He was supposed to fight Anakalev but withdrew two weeks ago due to injury.
Dominick Reyes – He’s had a career resurgence since 2024 but hasn’t put himself in a true title position compared to some of the others on here.
Azamat Murzakanov – Costa knocked him out and ruined his chances of being a worthy name on this list.
Bogdan Guskov – He lost at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Dustin Jacoby – He lost at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Here’s a wild card everyone is forgetting as well – around the time Khamzat Chimaev lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland a couple of months ago, there were talks about Chimaev possibly moving up to light heavyweight, too. And when this writer looked at UFC CEO and President Dana White’s face when those plans were brought up, something seemed to twinkle in his expression that said: “I’m interested in this possibility.”
Now, is Chimaev going to go through with this? Or is he going to pursue a rematch with Strickland? That’s what we’ll have to wait on – and it’s a decision that can affect middleweight, light heavyweight, AND heavyweight.
Unless Chimaev or Pereira make things interesting by debuting or returning, respectively, to the division, the best fight the UFC could make for an interim light heavyweight title at this point is Ankalaev vs. Costa. Would it be the most popular? Maybe not. But the former champ vs. a former title challenger from another division who made a lot of noise in his true 205 debut? That smells like a decent co-main event for a numbered card under a true title headliner.
MLB Best Bets for Sunday's Rockies vs. Brewers, Yankees vs. Phillies
Yankees place Cody Bellinger (hamstring) on IR, recall Spencer Jones
