Jonathan Dehn
The Seattle Seahawks (2-1) vs. Washington (1-3) – 10/06/2014 at 8:15PM EDT on ESPN
Seattle is done resting up after their bye week and take aim to plunder the inept Washington side. Kirk Cousins, fooling some fantasy football owners (myself included) into believing that he was a soon-to-be elite QB after consecutive strong performances against the Jaguars and Eagles, crashed down to earth with an outright awful performance against the New York Giants during Week Five. While the Seattle Seahawks will be missing TE Zach Miller with an ankle injury, the Seahawks are superior across the board, and look to be huge favorites with the savvy Russell Wilson leading them to Maryland.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals – 10/06/2014 at 9:07PM EDT on TBS
Meanwhile, over on TBS, the Dodgers and Cardinals are poised to break their 1-1 tie in their best of five series. Be sure to flip over to this game once the Seahawks are leading 24-3 somewhere near the end of the 2nd quarter. Dodger fans will need to take the 405 with plenty of time to spare in order to catch a single pitch of this matchup, while Cardinals fans in St. Louis will need to make sure that every motorist knows that they’re the classiest and most knowledgeable drivers in all the land. John Lackey (jerk RHP) will face off against Hyun-Jin Ryu (maybe not a jerk LHP). The winner of this series earns the right to most likely duel with the San Francisco Giants, who own a commanding 2-0 lead on the Washington Nationals further down the bracket.
NCAA Women’s Volleyball – Northwestern vs. Penn State #3 -10/08/2014 at 7:30PM EDT on the Big Ten Network
One of the changes in this weekly piece will be the inclusion of a few different sports. One of these will be college volleyball. Volleyball, especially the professional game played in the sand, is a growing sport. In Big Ten play, Penn State hosts a Northwestern side that’s just out of the top 25 themselves. At the onset, people might catch this game and enjoy the revealing attire worn by the competitors. However, they will soon come to appreciate and enjoy the perpetual team play, athleticism, and passion from enthusiastic spectators.
San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings – 10/08/2014 at 10:00PM EDT on NBC Sports
The Los Angeles Kings host San Jose to being their campaign in defense of Lord Stanley as they host the team that they tore the heart out of in last year’s quarterfinals. The Los Angeles Kings made no real moves this offseason, with their biggest addition being to re-sign Marian Gaborik to a long-term, cap-friendly contract. They seem poised to grind through another regular season before facing off with Chicago to decide who is to win the cup once more. As for San Jose, look for them to not go full “Nicholas Cage” despite already freaking out and stripping Joe Thornton of his captaincy, along with his assistants, during the offseason. Earlier in the evening, the NHL’s regular season also opens up with the always must-see battle between longtime foes Boston and Philadelphia. Top billing in this piece may go to the champs this week, but be aware of the first game on NBC Sports’ doubleheader.
Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles – 10/09/2014 at TBA on TBS
MLB’s worst rating nightmare is here! Well, that is if the Nationals make a miraculous comeback and wind up in the World Series with one of these teams. Personally, I’m looking forward to this series, as it’s a fresh and fun matchup between two teams that people thought would either fall off this season or not contend as per usual. It remains to be seen if slugger Chris Davis will be on the ALCS roster, as Baltimore would have to deal with having just twenty-four players on the roster until he could become available. Baltimore might be considered the favorites based upon the series, touting slugger Nelson Cruz, who has had 16 dingers in his past five postseasons. With Kansas City firing on all cylinders heading into this series, however, this could prove to be a long and dramatic struggle between the two disrespected organizations.
Men’s International Soccer – Friendly – Ecuador vs. U.S.A. – 10/10/2014 at 6:40 EDT on ESPN
Flying under the radar of sports media is the final international appearance of U.S. legend Landon Donovan. The country’s best player ever created, Donovan will be honored throughout the evening and given a proper sendoff. For nothing else, be sure to watch Donovan don the colors of his country for the final time. Landon won’t be playing in front of world class keeper Tim Howard, who is now taking his sabbatical from the side, making one wonder if he too has seen his last tournament play for the United States.
NCAA Football – Auburn #2 vs. Mississippi State #3 – 10/11/2014 at 3:30PM EDT on CBS
In a big weekend for college football, where Ole Miss and Mississippi State head into action tied for #3 and are neither big favorites nor solid underdogs, Auburn looks to assert their dominance in the SEC. Following last weekend’s action, which was arguably the best Saturday of action in recent memory, tight matchups look to hold the playoff destiny for the powerful, as always, SEC. With Texas A&M dueling with Ole Miss, there’s still the possibility of Alabama sneaking back into the conversation as they always do.
New York Giants (3-2) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) – 10/12/2014 at 8:30PM EDT on NBC
NFC East supremacy is on the line, and NBC has a ratings bonanza on their hands as Philadelphia looks to open the season 5-1 and take control of the division. This game will start just minutes after the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks have the dust settled on their encounter, which could leave Dallas at a 5-1 pace, or a 4-2 record for Chip Kelly’s attack to best. Eli Manning and his crew have steadily improved at their new system, but have to head into enemy territory to keep pace in the division. If the cookie crumbles in the right pattern, all three contenders in the division may leave Sunday all locked at records of 4-2, surprising pundits and fans alike, who had the division pegged as weak.
Photo: AP
