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Home / frontsports / The Wolf Sports Newsletter: October 17, 2023

The Wolf Sports Newsletter: October 17, 2023

By Wolf Sports Staff

October 17, 2023


Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season was unfortunately headlined by an insane number of injuries—a theme through several weeks.

 

Week 6 NFL highlights

 

 Let’s start with the injuries:

 

  • Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (ankle) was knocked out of the game in London and is set to miss time.
  • 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (oblique, did not return after coming back for one play; getting MRI), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder, did not return; day-to-day), and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle, played through it; day-to-day) were all injured.
  • Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (knee) is day-to-day and uncertain for Thursday Night Football.
  • Bears quarterback Justin Fields will likely miss time with a right thumb injury.
  • Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with a back issue and went to the hospital as a precaution during the win over the Patriots.
  • Lions running back David Montgomery will miss time due to a rib cartilage issue.
  • Rams running back Kyren Williams (ankle) is expected to miss Week 7.
  • Bills running back Damien Harris was carted off due to a neck injury and went to the hospital as a precaution, but he’s thankfully said to be “fine.”

 

These players join a host of injured stars this season, and let’s hope and pray players can stay healthy throughout this crazy year. And a few injury updates from last week:

 

  • Vikings All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, but there’s talk that he could be shut down longer if the team is not in contention. The bottom line is he is due a new contract and won’t be back until he’s without a doubt 100% healthy.
  • Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane (knee) was placed on injured reserve, but he’s expected back in Week 11 after missing the minimum four games.
  • Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) may undergo season-ending surgery.

 

 The 1972 Miami Dolphins can pop the champagne. Both the 5-0 49ers and the 5-0 Eagles lost on Sunday, already ending any chance of a team joining the ’72 Dolphins with a perfect season.

 

✈️ The Eagles’ loss came to the Jets, who—even without Aaron Rodgers—survived the gauntlet of elite quarterbacks to begin their year at a solid 3-3. New York’s defense got a key interception on an uncharacteristic throw from Jalen Hurts, leading to a go-ahead touchdown by Breece Hall late before making a final defensive stop. Jets head coach Robert Saleh brashly said that his team has faced a “gauntlet of quarterbacks” and “embarrassed” all of them.

 

 

 

Earlier in the day, the Browns rode exceptional defense to upset the 49ers, limiting San Francisco to their lowest yardage total in the Kyle Shanahan era. It was the first career loss for Brock Purdy in a game he’s started and finished.

 

The Cowboys won a tight Monday night game over the Chargers, sealed by a Stephon Gilmore interception following a go-ahead field goal by Brandon Aubrey. On the final drive attempt for LA, Micah Parsons finally got home for a sack—the team’s first of the night after putting a lot of pressure on Justin Herbert throughout the game.

 

 

To conclude this season’s NFL London games, the Ravens beat the Titans, 24-16, headlined by the first career touchdown for Baltimore’s explosive rookie receiver Zay Flowers.

 

 

As the biggest favorites so far this season, the Bills won a gritty Sunday night game against the Giants, 14-9. The game was very chippy, and the Bills an away with appeared to get away with pass interference against Giants tight end Darren Waller on the final play. But as Josh Allen said after the win, “it counts the same as a pretty win.”

 

 

☠️ The Raiders held on to beat the Patriots, dropping New England to 1-5. Josh McDaniels is now 3-0 in his career versus Bill Belichick, and Vegas is at 3-3 despite Davante Adams (being doubled very often) not getting much going the past two games (two wins). For the Pats, it won’t get easier facing the Bills and Dolphins the next two weeks.

 

Other Week 6 games:

 

  • Chiefs 19, Broncos 8: The Kansas City defense continues to play at a very high level, which is a tough combination to beat with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on the other side of the ball. The Broncos are now 1-5 under Sean Payton, who says that they “have to be better throwing the ball” to win in the NFL.
  • Dolphins 42, Panthers 21: The Panthers were no match for the ultra-explosive Dolphins, and head coach Frank Reich has decided to give up offensive play-calling to OC Thomas Brown.
  • Texans 20, Saints 13: Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw his first career interception, but Houston’s defense also made plays in a defensive battle. DeMeco Ryans’ club has won three of their past four games.
  • Commanders 24, Falcons 16: Desmond Ridder threw three interceptions in his first-ever home loss in college of the pros—and Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was visibly frustrated on the sideline. The Commanders defense made a couple of key stops in the fourth quarter, so it was a nice bounce back for them following Week 5.
  • Jaguars 37, Colts 20: Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew struggled mightily and sailed some throws, with the Jacksonville defense intercepting three passes. It’s awesome to see Travis Etienne Jr. (two early touchdowns) get fed the way he has this year.
  • Bengals 17, Seahawks 13: Cincy’s offense still isn’t putting the ball into the end zone as much as they’d like to, but the defense stepped up with major red-zone stops versus the Seahawks.
  • Vikings 19, Bears 13: A Jordan Hicks scoop and score off a Josh Metellus strip sack was a highlight play for Brian Flores’ defense, helping the Vikings get a win despite swirling trade speculation.
  • Lions 20, Buccaneers 6: The 5-1 Lions have not only won games, but they’ve done it emphatically, winning the past four games by 14+ points. And speedster Jameson Williams was on the receiving end of a deep ball touchdown from Jared Goff (353 yards, two touchdowns against a really good defense).
  • Rams 26, Cardinals 9: Aaron Donald and the no-name LA defense made plays, and Cooper Kupp (seven receptions, 148 yards, one touchdown) has looked like Cooper Kupp in his two games this season with the Rams now 3-3.

 

Top fantasy performers in Week 6

 

  • Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert: 32.7 points
  • Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill: 25.3 points
  • Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: 24.88
  • Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: 24.4 points
  • Rams WR Cooper Kupp: 24.3 points

 

(point totals are for half PPR scoring)

 

Other Sports Updates

 

College football highlights:

 

  • No. 7 Washington beat No. 8 Oregon, 36-33, with Michael Penix Jr. hitting Rome Odunze for an 18-yard touchdown with 1:38 remaining. The Ducks had a couple of gutsy fourth-down calls that didn’t work out, and they missed a game-tying field goal at the end of the game. The conference foes could meet again in the Pac-12 title game in December.
  • Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams (three first-half interceptions) had the worst game of his career in No. 10 USC’s stunning 48-20 loss to No. 21 Notre Dame.
  • In just his second game with the Tar Heels after the NCAA finally granted him eligibility, wide receiver Tez Walker caught three touchdowns to help No. 12 North Carolina defeat No. 25 Miami. UNC is now 6-0.
  • No. 18 Oregon State handled No. 15 UCLA at home, picking off true freshman quarterback Dante Moore three times.

 

⚾️ MLB Championship Series:

 

  • Phillies lead Diamondbacks, 1-0, after beating the Braves in the NLDS for the second consecutive year.
  • The Rangers lead the Astros, 2-0, after taking Games 1 and 2 in Houston.

 

️ New sports are joining the 2028 Olympics, including flag football.

 

 

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews absurdly began the 2023 NHL season with hat tricks in each of his first two games.

 

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