From the Bleachers: The Impact of the Wentz Injury, Can Rodgers Save the Packers, and Which Bowl Games to Watch

Credit to Alyssa Barber

Dominic Hoscher, FHNGameday.com editor, points to the field on the bleachers of FHN.

That was until the third quarter of Philadelphia’s game against the Rams on Sunday, where Wentz took a heavy hit to his left knee and suffered a season-ending torn ACL. It’s a devastating loss not just to the Eagles, but to the entire NFL, as Wentz had become one of the league’s most exciting players in 2017. While they were still able to hold off the Rams behind backup Nick Foles, there are some doubts as to whether or not Philadelphia’s still a Super Bowl contender. So are these doubts warranted, or can the Eagles continue their miracle season?

They may no longer be one of the favorites to win it all, but the Eagles should still be considered one of the more likely teams to make the NFC Championship game. Philadelphia still boasts as talented of a roster as anyone in the league, both offensively and defensively. Their defense has allowed the fourth fewest yards per game (294.2) and the sixth fewest points per game (19.2) to opposing offenses, while also forcing the third most turnovers (24). While the offense may no longer be on the same level as team’s like New England and Pittsburgh, the Eagles still boast a strong running game behind the trio of LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement and have plenty of receivers to aid backup QB Nick Foles in Wentz’s absence. And this is the same Nick Foles that threw 27 touchdowns in the Eagles’ offense back in 2013.

Are the Eagles still as big of a threat as they were with Wentz at the helm? Probably not. But Philadelphia is still capable of making a lasting impact in the playoffs come January.

While one star quarterback’s season came to an end this past week, another looks to make his much anticipated return this Sunday: Aaron Rodgers. Back in week 6, Rodgers suffered a collarbone injury against the Vikings that has forced the former MVP to miss a majority of the 2017 season. If all goes well in the coming week, he’ll make his return this Sunday vs. the Panthers.

How significant is this for the Packers and the rest of the NFC? It’s pretty big. The Packers have been able to stay afloat in the playoff race without Rodgers, entering week 15 with a 7-6 record. But the difference between Green Bay’s offense with and without Rodgers is substantial. With the All-Pro under center through the first five weeks of the season, the Packers averaged over 27 points per game and had a record of 4-1. With Brett Hundley, however, they’ve scored just 18.5 points per game and have gone 3-5 as a result. Yes, some of the blame can go to a lackluster defense, but the offense has been well below average without Rodgers.

The Packers close out the season having to play three playoff contenders: at Carolina, vs. Minnesota, and at Detroit. In order to make the playoffs, Green Bay seemingly has to win out in three tough matchups. They certainly aren’t going to do this if Hundley is forced to start another game, but if Aaron Rodgers is able to get the greenlight, a Rodgers-led offense dramatically increases the Packers’ chances of winning out and making the big dance.

MLB

It’s about time. After weeks and weeks and weeks of rumors, some of the biggest names in baseball are finally on the move. First is Shohei Otani, who agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels last Friday. Otani’s deal got the hot stove rolling, with Giancarlo Stanton being traded to the New York Yankees just 24 hours later. Both moves have gotten the rumor-mill swirling, and with the MLB’s annual winter meetings taking place this week in Orlando, more moves are expected to be on the way in the coming days.

On Wednesday morning, the first of these moves was made. Miami outfielder Marcell Ozuna has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, who had previously been in the hunt for Stanton but ended up falling short. The acquisition of Ozuna is a massive one for the Cards, as the 27 year old hit for a batting average of .312 and hit 37 home runs in his second straight All Star campaign, while also winning the gold glove award in the NL. Ozuna will be slotted straight into the middle of the lineup for St. Louis, a lineup that could still be further adjusted in the coming week. 

The Cardinals are reportedly interested in adding one of Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson, or Manny Machado. Longoria possesses the most team-friendly contract of the three, with both Donaldson and Machado having just one season left on their contracts. However, Donaldson and Machado have enjoyed more success over the last year, both hitting for more home runs and higher averages than Longoria. All three would be significant moves for the Cards, and could potentially put them one step closer to catching the Chicago Cubs.

Prediction: Longoria is traded to the Cardinals in a deal that also includes Rays’ closer Alex Colome

Shifting over to the free agent side of the market, it’s been reported that the Red Sox are interested in the top two available sluggers: Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez. Hosmer, 28, has spent his entire career with the Kansas City Royals, hitting for a career .284 average and 127 home runs while also winning a World Series in KC. With this, the first baseman’s price will understandably be high, which could lead teams to go in another direction. One of those directions could be to Martinez, who’s coming off a season where he hit for a .303 BA and drilled 45 home runs. To go along with Boston, the Royals, Cardinals, Giants, and Padres are some of the other teams rumored to be interested in the free agent classes’ top hitters.

Predictions: Hosmer re-signs with the Royals, J.D. Martinez signs with the Red Sox

NCAA

Bowl season in college football kicks off this week with Grambling taking on North Carolina A&T in the Celebration Bowl, the first of a 41 game slate that’ll take place over the next couple of weeks. While most of us wish we could sit down and watch all of them (okay, maybe not all 41), we’ll likely have to cut down our list to a select few to watch over the rest. So, which games should you look out for in the coming weeks? The first one is down in Texas… 

Texas Bowl: Texas vs. Missouri on Dec. 27 at 8:00 P.M. CT

In a matchup between two former Big 12 rivals, the Texas Longhorns will take on the Missouri Tigers for the first time since back when Mizzou was still in the Big 12 in 2011 where the Tigers won 17-5. Focusing on the present, Missouri has one of the more electrifying offenses in the SEC, finishing first in PPG (39.3) and YPG (512) in arguably the best conference in college football. Then there’s the Longhorns defense, a unit that combined for the second most sacks in the Big 12 (30.0) and forced the second most turnovers (22). From the bad blood to a marquee offense vs. defense matchup, the Texas Bowl could be one of the more underrated games on the schedule.

Cotton Bowl: No. 8 USC vs. No. 5 Ohio State on Dec. 29 at 7:30 P.M. CT

Consisting of two of the biggest names in all of college football, the Cotton Bowl looks to be one of the strongest bowl games on paper this year. On one side there’s USC, who finished the season off with a record of 11-2 behind one of the top quarterbacks in college with Sam Darnold. Darnold threw for the seventh most yards (3,787) in the game, while also tossing 26 TDs. Ohio State, on the other hand, just missed out of the college football playoffs and look to prove why their high-flying offense, that’s scored the fifth most PPG in college (42.5), belonged in the top four. Two of the most storied programs in the game as well as exciting offenses make this year’s Cotton Bowl a must-watch this bowl season.

Orange Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Wisconsin on Dec. 30 at 7:00 P.M. CT

While there are many great games on this year’s schedule, the last of three games that you need to mark on your calendar is the Orange Bowl between the Miami Hurricanes and Wisconsin Badgers. Both the Hurricanes and the Badgers were right on the brink of making the college football playoffs, but both ended up missing out due to late-season slip ups. Miami dropped their final two games against Pittsburgh and Clemson, while Wisconsin was edged out by Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship game. Despite this, both teams are two of the best in all of college, mainly due to their defenses. The Hurricanes have allowed 19.9 PPG to opposing offenses, and the Badgers have been even better allowing just 13.2 PPG, the third best in college. Miami and Wisconsin had both hoped to be in the top four, but fell short, making the Orange Bowl all the more intriguing.

Soccer

Last Thursday, Portuguese and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or trophy, the most prestigious honor in all of soccer. This was his second straight win, and fifth total tying the Argentinian Lionel Messi. Either Ronaldo or Messi has won the award in each of the last ten years, dominating this era of soccer like no one ever has. Due to this, the rivalry between the Madrid and Barcelona icons has become one of the biggest in all of sports, with both fan bases endlessly debating on which one of them is the better player, with these debates usually ramping up after the Ballon d’Or is given out. This is the case yet again after Ronaldo was given the award last week. So, was Cristiano deserving of his fifth player of the year award, or should that honor have been given to Lionel Messi?

Ronaldo’s top argument in this debate is what he achieved with his team in the past season. His Real Madrid won their two largest competitions, La Liga (Spanish soccer league) and the UEFA Champions League. Their key contributor to both titles? Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored the third most goals in Spain (25), while also scoring the most goals in the Champions League (12). When he was needed most, he stepped up for Madrid, scoring five goals against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the tournament, three vs. Atletico Madrid, and then scored a brace over the Italian side Juventus in the Final. With clutch goals and trophies to his name, Ronaldo boasts a strong argument in the debate.

While it may be strong, it still isn’t at the same level as Lionel Messi’s. In what was considered as a “down year” for Barcelona, they still won their third biggest competition: Copa del Rey. The competition’s joint top scorer? Lionel Messi with five goals. In La Liga, despite falling short of Real Madrid, Barcelona was still able to enjoy a decent campaign that saw them finish second in the league. La Liga’s top scorer? Lionel Messi, with 37. In total, Messi scored the most goals (54) across all competitions in all of Europe while Ronaldo scored 42.

What truly put Messi’s 16-17 season on another level was his playmaking ability. He totaled 16 assists in all competitions as compared to Ronaldo’s 12. And Messi did most of this at a midfield position as opposed to the striker position that Ronaldo played a majority of his games in. Team-wise, no one had a better year than Cristiano. But if the award is to be awarded to the best player and that only, then Lionel Messi should’ve won his sixth Ballon d’Or.