Are the Bengals for real? Plus, why the Yankees need Gerrit Cole to be better

Welcome to another glorious Friday, sports aficionados. It’s Chris Bengel back with you as we welcome in another weekend. I am mentally preparing myself for an evening of nervousness and excitement as my Maryland Terrapins host No. 5 Iowa in one of the biggest games that the program has played in quite some time. However, that’s not the only thing that has me fired up on this Friday.

As a Philadelphia 76ers fan, I simply have one question: is Ben Simmons seriously threatening to sit out the entire season if the team doesn’t trade him? I understand when some players want a fresh start. Maybe they think they could have more success elsewhere or coexist with another player or coach. However, there’s nothing like that at play here.

I truly don’t comprehend why Simmons is the one that feels like he was wronged. Every move that the Sixers have made over the past four years has been made to accommodate him. Simmons refused to change his game for the good of the franchise at every turn. He could’ve gone down as one of the all-time greats in Philadelphia sports history and now he could be one of the most hated based on how his tenure is ending.

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Let’s get to the news.

📰 What you need to know

1. Bengals complete comeback win over Jaguars to improve to 3-1 🏈

The Cincinnati Bengals erased a two-touchdown deficit to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 last night. Bengals kicker Evan McPherson connected on a game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.

• Joe Burrow put together a spectacular performance in which he completed 25-of-32 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns
• Running back Joe Mixon also added another touchdown on the ground along with 67 rushing yards

In order to get in position for the game-winning field goal, Cincinnati orchestrated a 10-play, 73-yard drive. Here are a few of the key plays that made McPherson’s kick possible:

• Burrow opened up the drive with a 12-yard completion to Tyler Boyd
• On 3rd-and-1 at their own 31-yard line, Burrow was sacked. However, there was a defensive holding penalty on the Jaguars, which awarded the Bengals a first down
• Following a false start penalty, Burrow dumped the ball off to running back Samaje Perine, who gained 15 yards on the play
• On 2nd-and-13 at the Jaguars 46-yard line, Burrow found tight end C.J. Uzomah for a 25-yard catch-and-run

It’s definitely surprising to see the Bengals with a 3-1 record on the season. Many people, myself included, thought that the Bengals should’ve taken offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the No. 5 pick rather than Ja’Marr Chase. However, Chase has easily been the most productive rookie in the NFL thus far and has unbelievable chemistry with Burrow from their time together at LSU. 

For more analysis of the game, check out what our NFL scribes had to say about all the action.

2. Who to start and sit in your fantasy football leagues this weekend 🏈

Week 4 is upon us and you’re starting to learn how your fantasy football team matches up with the rest of your league mates. The first two or three weeks allow you to learn what positions you need to improve and those early season trades can usually make or break your season.

I’m in four leagues this year, which is usually around the maximum that I participate in. In my home league, I honestly didn’t love the team that I came out of the draft with. Ironically, the team I didn’t like out of my draft is doing really well, as I own a 2-1 record and am one of the highest point scorers in the league.

In Week 4, we have more difficult start/sit decisions because you’re no longer starting players based on where you drafted them. Injuries are also starting to pile up, and one of the biggest is Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey. As a result, rookie Chuba Hubbard was arguably the hottest commodity on the waiver wire this week. 

If you need some help deciding who to start this week, CBS Sports fantasy analyst Dave Richard has you covered.

• Start: Chuba Hubbard (RB, Panthers): “Christian McCaffrey’s replacement has very good speed and is an absolute threat out of the backfield to catch passes (even though he dropped two red-zone throws last week). But as a ball-carrier he hasn’t usually gotten much more than what’s blocked for him (2.37 yards after contact per attempt, 37th best among running backs), which is to say he’s not a powerful runner. I’m expecting Hubbard to collect numbers through the air against a Cowboys team that’s allowed an 83.9% catch rate to rushers with at least seven catches allowed to the position per game.”
• Sit: Kenny Golladay (WR, Giants): “Logic would suggest Golladay would rack up targets with the Giants missing Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton. But in 21 pass attempts last week without those receivers, Daniel Jones targeted Golladay just twice. The film shows Golladay moving well and mostly running slants and comeback routes in the intermediate range. Against a zone-heavy defense, it could lead to a big day. But New Orleans plays man coverage at the sixth-highest rate and has done well against bigger receivers like Davante Adams and Robby Anderson while pressuring the quarterback.”
• Bust Candidate: Kyle Pitts (TE, Falcons): “Pitts is running plenty of intermediate routes at less than ideal speed and Matt Ryan is running out of time to throw his way on a consistent basis. It makes it hard for the two to hook up, especially since Ryan has turned into Alex Smith 2.0 and checks it down as soon as he sees heavy pass coverage. That’s why his target share is at 14.3% … it’s simply a matter of time before Washington’s pass rush (13th in pressure rate) really comes alive.”

3. Should the Yankees be worried about Gerrit Cole? ⚾

We’re in the final days of the Major League Baseball regular season and the playoff races have been a ton of fun to watch. One of the most intriguing has been the American League Wild Card race.

• The New York Yankees currently hold the first American League Wild Card spot by two games over the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners
• The Toronto Blue Jays are just one game behind the Red Sox and Mariners, which should make for an insane finish to the week

Barring an epic collapse, the Yankees should earn one of the two available Wild Card spots. However, one glaring storyline for the Bronx Bombers has to be staff ace Gerrit Cole. Throughout the 2021 season, Cole has registered a 16-8 record to go along with a 3.23 ERA and 243 strikeouts. While that certainly is nothing to scoff at, it’s worth noting that Cole hasn’t had an ERA above 3.00 since his final season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017. 

Over Cole’s last three starts, he’s surrendered a grand total of 15 earned runs against the likes of the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. While one of the Blue Jays and Red Sox could make the playoffs, it’s still pretty alarming that the highest-paid pitcher in baseball is struggling at such a large clip heading into the postseason.

CBS Sports baseball scribe Mike Axisa took a closer look at Cole’s recent production and believes that Cole will need to improve if the Yankees want to make a deep playoff run this October.

• On Cole’s struggles: “Toronto hammered Cole’s fastball early in the count — he surrendered seven extra-base hits in six innings after giving up seven extra-base hits in his first seven starts this season — and issues with slider location compounded the problem. The Blue Jays didn’t have to respect the slider because it wasn’t near the zone often enough, allowing them to sit fastball.”
  
  
• On Cole’s next scheduled start: “Cole is currently lined up to start Game 162 on Sunday on short rest. If that game is meaningful (i.e. if the Yankees have not yet clinched a postseason spot), he’ll start. Otherwise he’s lined up to pitch a Game 163 tiebreaker on Monday on normal rest, or the Wild Card Game on Tuesday on extra rest. Point is, if Cole makes another start this year, it will be a win-or-go-home situation.”

4. NFL announces Super Bowl Halftime Show performers 🏈

The Super Bowl is annually one of the biggest days on the sports calendar. Aside from the action on the gridiron, the entertainment is a reason for many to tune in, even if they’re not big sports fans.

On Thursday, the NFL, along with Pepsi and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, announced that the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show will be headlined by hip-hop legends Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. Super Bowl LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. which is the home to the Los Angeles Rams. During last year’s Super Bowl, The Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined the halftime show.

Here’s what Jay-Z and Dr. Dre had to say about the iconic accomplishment:

• Jay-Z: “On February 13, 2022, at the Super Bowl, Dr. Dre, a musical visionary from Compton; Snoop Dogg, an icon from Long Beach; and Kendrick Lamar, a young musical pioneer in his own right, also from Compton; will take center field for a performance of a lifetime. They will be joined by the lyrical genius, Eminem; and the timeless Queen, Mary J. Blige … This is history in the making.”
• Dr. Dre: “The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career. I’m grateful to Jay-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.”

📝 Odds & Ends

• Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Gregg Popovich as the head coach of Team USA. Kerr served as one of Popovich’s assistant coaches at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• Bryson DeChambeau advances to championship round of long drive world championship
• St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt announced that Adam Wainwright will start next Wednesday’s National League Wild Card Game. The Cardinals will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Francisco Giants in the winner-take-all contest
• The New York Yankees announced that first baseman Luke Voit is being placed on the injured list due to left knee inflammation

📺 What to watch this weekend

Friday

⚾ Rays vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m. | NYY -133 | TV: MLB.TV

🏈 No. 5 Iowa vs. Maryland , 8 p.m. | IOWA -3 | TV: FS1

🏈 No. 13 BYU vs. Utah State, 9 p.m. | BYU -8.5 | TV: CBS Sports Network

Saturday

🏈 No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Georgia, 12 p.m. | UGA -18 | TV: ESPN

🏈 No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. | CIN -1.5 | TV: NBC

🏈 No. 12 Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Alabama , 3:30 p.m. | ALA -14.5 | TV: CBS

Sunday

🏈 Panthers vs. Cowboys, 1 p.m. | DAL -4.5 | TV: FOX

🏈 Cardinals vs. Rams, 4:05 p.m. | LAR -4 | TV: FOX

🏈 Buccaneers vs. Patriots, 8:20 p.m. | TB -7 | TV: NBC

🏅 Best thing I saw on the internet

There’s always impressive catches throughout the course of any football game, but there was one on Thursday that took impressive to a whole new level. In the third quarter of Miami vs. Virginia, Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks made one of the greatest catches that we may see this season. On a deep ball in the end zone, the ball ricocheted off of the defensive back and Wicks was able to keep his eye on the ball in order to record the insane one-handed catch while laying on his back. File this one under insanity.