1st Down: The San Francisco 49ers’ defense certainly came to play on Monday Night Football this week, grinding down the LA Rams to take an impressive 24-9 victory over their NFC West rivals and move both teams to 2-2 on the year. They allowed just 257 total yards from Matt Stafford and co. and forced two turnovers while allowing just 13 first downs in the outing. On the offensive side of the ball, Deebo Samuel stood out, making six grabs for 116 yards and a TD. That touchdown was on a 57-yard slant pattern. Jimmy Garoppolo went 16-27 for 239 and that TD to Samuel. Cooper Kupp was busy for the Rams, making 14 catches for 122 yards in the defeat.
2nd Down: Tony La Russa is stepping down as the manager of the Chicago White Sox, announcing on Monday that due to health concerns he would be unable to fulfill the final year of his contract with the team in 2023. The 78-year old veteran manager had been unable to be with the team for the final five weeks of a disappointing season, and he revealed that it was related to a heart problem as well as another unspecified issue. He did indicate that he might not have came back given backlash from the fans, and he said that he was stepping down now to allow the team plenty of team to find his successor.
3rd Down: According to sources, the Los Angeles Lakers’ attempts to trade Russell Westbrook included a potential deal with the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. Furthermore, it is being reported that these discussions were ongoing as recently as last week, prior to training camp tipping off, meaning that they have considered shipping out the point guard. With that being said, it’s apparently Rob Pelinka’s decision to stick with ‘Russ’ for now. How that goes could determine the GM’s staying power with the organization.
4th Down: Leicester City have endured a very difficult start to the 2022-23 Premier League season, but they got some much-needed hope in the form of a 4-0 thumping over Nottingham Forest on Monday evening to get their first win of the season. James Maddison scored twice as he padded his World Cup resume to keep some of the pressure off manager Brendan Rodgers. The win took the Foxes above Forest in the table, meaning they are no longer bottom… for now.
