Quick Slant
Mat Irby's Quick Slant
Quick Slant: TNF - The Rams Are Starting to Feel a Little More Like Themselves
Vikings @ Rams, Thursday @ 8:15 PM The Vikings have already exceeded what many thought was possible for them in 2024. In August, ESPN ranked them 23rd in their pre-season power rankings. Their over/under on wins was around 6.5, and at the beginning of September, odds were set at
Quick Slant: MNF - The Future's So Bright, the Cards and Chargers Gotta Wear Shades - For Now They Prove Sunshine Can't Cure Sadness
Chargers @ Cardinals, Monday @ 9:00 PM We reserve our sports empathy for the Northeast, the Midwest – the oldest parts of the country – the broken and battered industrial cities that live as underdogs and survivors and derive hope from their champions. As if pain can only subsist in the veins of
Quick Slant: MNF - A Long Way from Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer - In This Life, the Bucs and Ravens Bring the Offense
Ravens @ Buccaneers, Monday @ 8:15 PM The Bucs and Ravens enter Monday’s game perceived as two of the NFL’s top tier, and there are many implications for the playoff races. The Ravens are 4-2 and leading the ordinarily competitive AFC North. In what was supposed to be a
Quick Slant: SNF Features the Week's Most Talked-About Teams
Jets @ Steelers, Sunday @ 8:20 PM For the Jets, what a difference a week makes. They lost on Monday but fought hard against a good team and narrowly came up on the wrong end. This was New York’s first game under new HC Jeff Ulbrich after Robert Saleh was
Quick Slant: TNF Returns to Its Roots by Administering the Ludovico Technique and Forcing Us to Watch Bad Football
Broncos @ Saints, Thursday @8:15 PM Thursday Night Football is up to its old tricks again. A nationally featured island game with the lowest over-under of the week sounds vaguely familiar, but usually not with the Bezos edition. There was a time in the NFL when a 36.5 over-under
Quick Slant: Is This the New Allen, and Can the Jets (Ever) Get on Track?
Bills @ Jets, Monday @ 8:15 PM The expectations for the AFC East were greater than this. People gushed over three teams and wondered which had the best chance at the Super Bowl. Only the Patriots were appraised with no shot; perhaps, in retrospect, we were only right about them. The
Quick Slant: Don't Be Ashamed - It's Okay to Be a Little Excited About Bengals vs. Giants on SNF
Bengals at Giants, Sunday @ 8:20 PM The Bengals aspired to be AFC contenders. Largely perceived to have a talented roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Cincinnati started with a shocking loss to the Patriots, who haven’t won since. They’ve battled harder against better teams
Quick Slant: TNF Is the Tale of Two Surprises (But for Different Reasons)
49ers @ Seahawks, Thursday at 8:15 PM San Francisco was expected to win the NFC. They were supposed to contend for the Super Bowl. Instead, they have been decimated by injuries and are 2-3. Nothing has gone to plan so far, but almost no one truly believes San Francisco will