This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.
Folks, I do not know these Atlanta Falcons. I do not know this version of Kirk Cousins. They’re both acting very different these days.
The Falcons I know? They’re used to blowing leads — not coming back and taking them. The Kirk Cousins I know absolutely blows it every time the lights get a little too bright.
And, honestly, that almost happened on Thursday Night. I thought it was a wrap when Cousins threw an interception with just under two minutes left to go in the game.
But the Buccaneers decided to out-Falcons the Falcons with a wild holding penalty that booted them out of field goal range, ruining their chances to slam the door in Atlanta’s face.
Then, the Falcons almost Falconed again. Cousins hit Drake London in the middle of the field with no timeouts to get Youngoe Koo into field goal range and just barely managed to spike the ball before time expired and Atlanta lost.
But then, whaddaya know! A delay of game call. A 47-yard field goal attempt turned into a 52-yarder. It didn’t matter. Koo nailed it. Overtime confirmed. KhaDarel Hodge walks it off. That’s the game, folks.
I still can’t believe it. Another nail-biter win for Cousins, who threw for four touchdowns and 509 yards in one game. Who does this man think he is? Prime Brady? We’re watching “You Like That” Kirk all over again. What is going on in the world in Atlanta?
The Falcons are 3-2 now and sit at the top of the NFC South. Every single game Atlanta has played has been decided by one score or less. Atlanta has had three clutch 4th quarter drives in the last four games that have either tied or won the game.
To be clear, I do not believe in this. I do not think Atlanta can keep this up. It’s the Falcons. Of course, I don’t believe in this team. There are too many reasons not to.
But every step of the way this season, Atlanta has proven me wrong. The vibes are vibe-ing. By the end of this season, I may be eating crow.
Speaking of clutch
Pete Alonso! Pete Alonso, guys! The Mets!
That was basically my reaction when watching the 9th inning of Brewers-Mets last night. It was such an unbelievable moment.
Alonso hit a series-clinching three-run shot out to right field, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead on the road in a spot that, honestly, felt pretty hopeless when the inning started. It was unreal. Alonso knew it was good as soon as he hit it.
PETE ALONSO HOME RUN FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/i3O1Eq2DIq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 4, 2024
LISTEN: The radio call makes Alonso’s home run even better.
Alonso was slumping going into that moment and Devin Williams had been mostly unhittable. This wasn’t supposed to go down like this. The Brewers had it in the bag.
But as it turns out, as Charles Curtis writes, Williams seemed to be tipping his pitches. Alonso keyed in on it and the rest is history.
Baseball playoffs, man. The gift that never stops giving.
One last hand
The Las Vegas Aces have one more shot. That’s it.
A’ja Wilson and the defending champs have their backs against the wall against the New York Liberty, down 2-0 in their semifinal series against the team Vegas beat so handily in the WNBA Finals last season.
The story is far different this year. Sabrina Ionescu played terribly in the finals last season, but there’s a case to be made that she’s been the best player on the floor this year.
Meanwhile, the Aces just can’t seem to get right on defense. They’re allowing the Liberty open access to the paint and getting gashed by layups on the inside. The perimeter is leaky and the back end is late on rotations. It’s been quite a troublesome development. The path gets even harder with Vegas’ frontcourt rotation getting shorter. Kiah Stokes is officially out for Game 3 with a concussion.
If the Aces play like they did in games 1 and 2, this series is over. It’s sink or swim tonight.
Let’s see how Vegas reacts.
Photo Friday: Victor Wembanyama, but make him a 10-foot tall Halloween decoration
This has to be the GOAT Halloween house on the block. We love the creativity. Somebody needs to get actual Victor Wembanyama to come trick-or-treating here.
Quick hits: Angel Reese getting an ROY vote isn’t crazy … The Mets’ good luck charm … and more
— Here’s Charles Curtis on why Angel Reese getting a Rookie of the Year vote isn’t outlandish.
— Here’s Charles again on the Mets’ playoff pumpkin, which is the team’s good luck charm now.
— Cory Woodroof ranked the best Joker performances ahead of Joker: Folie a Deaux’s release.
— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with the best NFL bets for Week 5.
— Robert Zeglinski makes a compelling case that bad teams have been holding good quarterbacks back.
— Willy Adames is actually bout it. Here’s Andrew Joseph with more.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Have a great weekend. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
