In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the MLB, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 3-10

Over/Under Predictions: 6-3-3

Run Line Predictions: 6-7

Featured Matchup: 1-0

There is one NFL game scheduled to take place this evening, with that matchup taking place between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.

Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles

Model Predicts- Eagles ML, Under 49.5, Vikings +6.5

The Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles will kickoff Week 2 of the NFL season on Thursday night in the City of Brotherly Love.

Minnesota enters tonight’s battle off a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dropping the team to 0-1 early on. Meanwhile, Philadelphia held on to beat New England 25-20 despite a late charge from the Patriots.

These two teams met in Week 2 last season as well, a game in which the Eagles won 24-7. Our model likes the Birds to come out on top again, but expects the Vikings to stay within striking distance this time. Let’s dive into why that is and see our model’s best bet for tonight’s matchup.

Minnesota Vikings

• Lost by 3 points in opener, but still did some great things on offense

  • Recorded 369 total yards of offense, 6th most in Week 1

  • 328 of those yards were through the air, showing that this team is still an elite passing offense

  • Balanced passing attack too- 5 receivers had at least 31 receiving yards, led by Justin Jefferson’s 150

  • No Dalvin Cook this year, big reason why Vikings averaged just 2.28 yards per carry last week

• Turnovers killed winning chances

  • Cousins threw one interception, fumbled twice (lost both)

• Defense wasn’t bad either

  • Held Tampa Bay to 169 yards passing and 73 yards rushing

  • 3.6 yards per play was third best in Week 1

  • Bucs were just 6-17 on 3rd down

Philadelphia Eagles

• Jumped out to early 16-0 lead last week, but didn’t get much going after that

• Offense was cold as ice

  • Generated just 251 total yards, only 154 yards through the air

  • 4.1 yards per play was 11th fewest in Week 1

  • 62% of offensive drives resulted in a three-and-out

  • 4-13 on 3rd down and 0-1 on 4th down, further proving the offense had no rhythm

• Defense struggled defending the pass

  • Had one interception early, but allowed 306 passing yards and 8.7 yards per completion

• Dealing with boatload of injuries

  • James Bradberry, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship are OUT, Fletcher Cox is questionable

  • Kenneth Gainwell is OUT. Led team in carries and rush yards last week

What’s the Play?

Both of these teams came out the gates slow, and the short turnaround from Sunday to Thursday isn’t an ideal situation for either squad. However, we agree with our model that the Vikings can keep things close tonight.

Primetime Kirk Cousins is usually not a version of Kirk Cousins that Vikings bettors want to see, but several things lean in their favor here. Minnesota is a pass-heavy offense, and the absence of Bradberry and Blankenship opens things up in the secondary. Philadelphia also appears to still be adjusting to new OC Brian Johnson and DC Sean Desei, which has a chance to keep the team stagnant on both sides of the ball.

We feel this is a good buy-low spot for Minnesota, so we’ll grab them on the spread at 6.5.

The Play: Vikings +6.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Philadelphia Eagles- 16-4 overall last season, 9-2 as a home favorite

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Minnesota Vikings- Under was 4-3 while on road in 2022, 1-0 overall this season

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Minnesota Vikings- Kirk Cousins is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) vs Eagles in his career, 12-10-1 ATS on the road since 2020

• Philadelphia Eagles- Jalen Hurts is 3-3 ATS while on “short rest”

Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles

• Minnesota Vikings

  • Garrett Bradbury (OUT), Marcus Davenport (Questionable), Christian Darrisaw (Questionable)

• Philadelphia Eagles

  • James Bradberry (OUT), Kenneth Gainwell (OUT), Nakobe Dean (OUT), Reed Blankenship (OUT), Fletcher Cox (Questionable)

⭐️ Chiefs get two stars back. Two key players for the Kansas City Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones, are set to return to practice before Sunday's game against Jacksonville. Kelce, who suffered a knee injury last week, is making progress and participated in the day's walk-through, while Jones, who recently ended his holdout with a new contract, is expected to play as long as he performs well in practice. The Chiefs will rely on both players to be in top form this week, especially after falling to 0-1 after a loss to the Lions.

🤕 Waller continues to have hamstring problems. The New York Giants had high hopes when they acquired tight end Darren Waller in the offseason for a third-round pick. However, Waller's hamstring issue, which is the same muscle that caused him to land on injured reserve with the Raiders last year, seems to be more complex than initially thought. Waller explained that it's not just a chronic muscle strain but also involves a nerve issue, which raises concerns about his availability and potential impact on the Giants' offense moving forward.

🐏 Stetson Bennett lands on NFI list. The Los Angeles Rams have placed backup quarterback Stetson Bennett on the reserve/non-football illness list, according to coach Sean McVay. McVay did not provide specific details regarding Bennett's condition but clarified that it is unrelated to the right shoulder injury he recently dealt with. Bennett will be sidelined for at least the next four games, with Brett Rypien serving as the backup to Matthew Stafford.

There are 10 MB gams scheduled to take place throughout this afternoon and evening. However, due to our model excluding the second game of a doubleheader due to lineup uncertainty, our model has predictions for nine of today’s matchups.

Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays

Model Predicts- Rangers ML, OVER 8, Rangers +1.5

The Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays will conclude their four-game series on Thursday evening.

Texas has dominated up to this point, entering today with a chance to sweep Toronto after winning the first three games. It was a much needed turnaround for the Rangers, who recently were on the outside looking in regarding the playoff race.

This series has been quite lopsided, and our model gives the Rangers a small chance to pull of the series sweep. Let’s dive into why that is and see what our model’s best bet is for today’s matchup.

Texas Rangers

• Have finally regained form after long slump

  • Went 16-18 overall from August 1-September 8, but are 5-0 in last five games

• Have dominated at the plate during win streak

  • Own a 149 wRC+ in last 5 games, the highest mark in the MLB

  • Seeing ball very well- stellar 13.6% walk rate to 16.6% strikeout rate in same span

  • Also rank first in OPS (.919) and fourth in home runs (9) in last five games. Has led to +25 run differential in that time

• Nathan Eovaldi (11-4 record, 2.90 ERA) will start on mound

  • Has thrown 4.0 innings since returning from IL. 9.00 ERA and 2.75 WHIP in that short span

  • Owns 3.65 xERA, signaling more regression is on its way

Toronto Blue Jays

• Have lost last 3 games, but have been solid at the plate in September

  • Rank fifth in wRC+ (122) since September 1st

  • Own highest walk rate (12.5%) and second lowest strikeout rate (17.5%) this month

  • wRC+ has dropped to 52 in series, but have chance to revive offense against struggling Eovaldi

• Kevin Gausman (11-8 record, 3.28 ERA) will get start on mound

  • 4.48 ERA in last five starts, and 3.76 ERA indicates more regression

  • Struggles with hard contact- ranks in 16th percentile in Hard Hit rate (44.1%) and 18the percentile in barrel rate (10.0%)

What’s the Play?

The Rangers took control of this series from the opening pitch. However, we think both Texas and Toronto will be able to pile on some runs this evening.

Just like Gausman, Eovaldi is vulnerable to hard contact, ranking in the bottom 38% in Hard Hit rate. He also doesn’t generate many swings and misses, as evidenced by ranking in the bottom 50% of Whiff and strikeout rate this season.

Additionally, Eovaldi has been on a pitch count since returning, with his longest outing being just 2.1 innings. That means we will likely see the Rangers’ bullpen come in for a large chunk of this game, a group that ranks in the bottom five in ERA and FIP this season (FanGraphs).

Offense has been the name of the game all series, and we expect that to continue today.

The Play: Over 8 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Milwaukee Brewers- 81-64 overall this season, 42-29 as the home team

• Texas Rangers- 81-64 overall this season, 5-0 in last five games

• Tampa Bay Rays- 90-57 overall this season, 24-16 against division opponents (Play AL Easy rival Baltimore today)

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Pittsburgh Pirates- Over is 79-63-4 this season, 45-27-2 as the home team

• Texas Rangers- Over is 76-61-8 this season, 4-0 in last four games

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Tampa Bay Rays- Run line is 78-69 overall this season, 13-8 as a road underdog

Various injuries around the league. See full injury report at MLB.com.

🏆 Braves win 5th straight NL East title. The Atlanta Braves secured their sixth consecutive National League East title by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1. The celebration featured players dancing near the mound as "Congratulations Atlanta Braves 2023 NL East Champions" lit up the scoreboard, and Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. responded to booing fans with enthusiasm. This marks the Braves' 23rd division title in the divisional era, making them the team with the most such titles since 1969.

🤕 Scherzer likely done for season. Texas Rangers ace Max Scherzer will miss the remainder of the regular season and is unlikely to participate in the postseason due to a strained muscle in his upper arm. Scherzer had been a key acquisition for the Rangers in a trade with the New York Mets, but left his start against Toronto when he experienced tightness in his teres major muscle. An MRI revealed a low-grade strain that won't require surgery, but the timing of the injury may not align with the team's playoff hopes.

✍️ Mike Rizzo signs extension with Washington. The Washington Nationals have reached an agreement on a contract extension with their General Manager and President of Baseball Operations, Mike Rizzo. Rizzo expressed his honor and gratitude for the extension and his commitment to bringing respect and prominence to the Washington, D.C., area and the Nationals. Under Rizzo's leadership, the Nationals achieved significant success, including winning their first World Series title in 2019.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Which golfer is known as "The Golden Bear" and has won 18 major championships?

Question #2- LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer last season. Who did he pass to take over the top spot?

Question #3- Kirk Cousins joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. Who were the two quarterbacks that were utilized by Minnesota in the season prior?

Anyone know what has happened on September 13th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On September 13th…

1986- Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton records his 100th career touchdown in a 13-10 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Payton simultaneously surpassed the 15,000 yard mark in the game as well thanks to a 177 rush yard performance. He would retire with 16,726 rushing yards and 110 rushing touchdowns, both of which rank in the top five in NFL history.

1989- Jeff Reardon becomes the first player in MLB history to record 30 saves in five consecutive seasons. If it wasn’t for a 21-save season in 1990, Reardon would have stretched his streak to eight consecutive seasons, with 41 saves being the most he tallied in one season. He would finish his career with 367 saves, ranking him 12th all-time.

2003- Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis sets an NFL record for rushing yards in a single game. Lewis accomplished the feat in a 33-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, tacking on touchdowns along the way. However, Lewis’ record would last until 2007, which is when Adrian Peterson broke the record by one yard with a 296 rush yard performance against the Chargers.

1. Jack Nicklaus

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3. Sam Bradford and Case Keenum