The Rangers did, in fact, play host to history with Aaron Judge’s American League-record 62nd home run (you should watch the legendary Eric Nadel call it if you haven’t already). The Stars are three days away from opening night, and highly touted prospect Wyatt Johnston has made the roster. And the Cowboys didn’t exactly contain the Rams’ Aaron Donald—and certainly not when they asked rookie Tyler Smith to block him one-on-one. Fortunately for them, they pulled off a road upset over the Super Bowl champions anyway.
Here’s what I’m watching this week:
Thursday, 10/13—Stars at Predators—7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southwest
Dallas kicks off its season in the Central Division via a home-and-home against Nashville, whom the Stars battled down to the wire for seeding in the 2022 playoffs. David Castillo and I will have more ahead of the opener this week.
Saturday, 10/15—TCU versus Oklahoma State—2:30 p.m., ABC
The explosive Horned Frogs are up to No. 13 in the polls after knocking off Kansas in a battle of surprising unbeatens. They can expect a cushy spot in the top-10 if they follow it up by handing the No. 8-ranked Cowboys their first loss of the season.
Sunday, 10/16—The Cowboys’ defense versus Jalen Hurts—7:20 p.m., NBC
Dallas’ fearsome defense is locking down opposing offenses to the tune of just 311 yards per game—seventh-best in the league. But none of their previous opponents boast firepower on par with the Eagles, who are putting up 419 yards of offense per game, the second-best average in the NFL. No one deserves more credit for that than Hurts, whose yards-per-attempt and QB rating have soared in his third NFL season throwing to one of the game’s emerging wideout trios in 25-year-old A.J. Brown, 23-year-old DeVonta Smith, and 27-year-old Dallas Goedert.
His former run-first style is long gone, in other words, although Hurts remains more elusive than any of the previous quarterbacks on Dallas’ schedule. That package makes him most unique challenge this defense has had to contain thus far.
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