2019 US Open, NFL Week 1, College Football Week 2, UFC 242 and More

Another awesome week in sports requires another update. College football kicked off it’s first weekend, the U.S. Open lost a 1-seed, the best boxer on the planet was in action, and the NASCAR Playoffs took shape. Check out what happened this past week in sports!

Weekly Sports Update – Sep 2nd Edition

Weekly Sports Update – Sep 2nd Edition

NASCAR Playoffs Taking Shape

After a crazy rain delay at the Bojangles Southern Open that kept drivers on the track well into the night and into the early morning, 5 drivers stamped their tickets to the NASCAR Playoffs: Bojangles winner Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and William Byron.

Those 5 join Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, and Alex Bowman. Without a doubt, the most fearsome team heading into the playoffs is Joe Gibbs Racing.

The former Super Bowl winning football coach landed all 4 of his drivers on the Monster Energy Cup Circuit into the playoffs: Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Erik Jones. During the NASCAR Playoffs, any driver that makes it has a chance to win.

Not surprisingly, 2 of the Top 3 favorites to win the playoffs are Gibbs racers Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Last year, Joey Logano snuck into the postseason and upset Busch for the title. There’s one more regular season race left, at The Brickyard. Let’s wait and see what happens at Indianapolis this weekend before deciding on what drivers take the Monster Energy Cup this year.

Loma Beats Luke Campbell, Looks Towards Comey-Tiofemo Winner

This past Saturday, Vasiliy Lomachenko did what he always does. He dominated his opponent with some of the best boxing skills ever in the history of the sport. Loma’s brilliance rests in his feet. Anybody can learn how to throw a punch. Very few know how to use their feet along with their body to throw optimum punches. Even less ever learn how to get the right angles with their feet to throws those optimal punches.

At one point, Lomachenko landed an awesome lead left hook onto Luke Campbell’s face. No fighter is taught to look for a lead left hook. All fighters are taught that the left hook follows the right cross or straight right. Always.

Yep. Not when Loma fights. Vasiliy hopes to take on the winner of Richard Commey versus Teofimo Lopez. Commey likes to flash the left hook and then throw his right. Tiofemo might be the only fighter in the division capable of matching Lomachenko’s athleticism.

Either would provide Loma the toughest fight he’s had in years.

Khabib Battles Poirier on Sep. 7

Over at UFC, one of the best MMA battlers in the world, Khabib Nurmagomedov, takes on Shane Poirier at UFC 242 this Saturday. Khabib is a -400 favorite over Poirier. Don’t just jump on Khabib, though.

Poirier will have a reach advantage in this fight. If he can keep Khabib away from him, who knows? If Shane allows Nurmagomedov to close the distance, he’ll get into some trouble. If Shane can’t keep Khabib from sending the fight to the mat, the fat lady will start singing soon after.

In any case, we’ll have more about the excellent UFC 242 card later on this week.

Juventus Beats Napoli, Arsenal and Tottenham Draw

If this Italian Serie A first matchup between Juventus and Napoli is any indication, the two best teams in the league should battle it out for supremacy. Juventus beat Napoli 4-3 behind goals from Ronaldo, Higuain, Danilo, and Koulibaly. Napoli got goals from Manolas, Lozano, and Di Lorenzo.

Over in the English Premier League, Tottenham battled Arsenal to a 2-2 draw. Tottenham blew a 2-0 lead. Both teams showed that they’re a step behind Liverpool and Manchester City. However, the EPL Season is just underway. So, both have time to get it together and make a run for the English Premier League Championship.

Champions League Draw Pits Best versus Best

The biggest soccer news of the week happened with the Champions League Draw. Only Manchester City got an easy draw.

Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain are in Group A. Group B has Bayern Munich and Tottenham. Atletico Madrid and Juventus will play in Group D. Liverpool and Napoli are in Group E. Group F has Barcelona and Internazionale while Group H sports Ajax and Chelsea.

Somehow, Manchester City ended up in Group C with Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar Donetsk. None of those teams should touch Man City. The rest of the groups? Expect another wild Champions League Season!

Djokovic Bows Out of U.S. Open with Bum Shoulder

I’m not sure why tennis fans booed Novak Djokovic as he left the court in his Round of 16 match against Stan Wawrinka. Novak couldn’t go on due to a hurt shoulder. Sure, he got into a shouting match with a fan earlier at the U.S. Open, but who cares? The best player in the world just bowed out of the final major of the year due to an injury. Have some respect, folks.

Serena, Naomi, on Collision Course at U.S. Open

Naomi Osaka, the U.S. Open 1-seed on the women’s side, sent Cori Gauff home after two sets. Serena Williams dominated her Round of 16 opponent. Doesn’t it feel like a repeat of the 2018 U.S. Open Finals is in the works?

Last year, Serena had a blow up on the court. Osaka seemed out of sorts during the entire incident, but she still beat Williams. This year, Naomi appears to be in full control. She took a backward step after winning the Australian Open. She’s peaking at the right moment, though.

Serena has the much more difficult path to the Finals. If she gets there, Naomi should be ready to greet her on the hardcourt. It would be awesome to see an Osaka-Williams rematch.

Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma Dominate

It took Alabama the entire first quarter, but when they got it going, they really got it going. Alabama dominated Duke 42-3. Tua Tagovailoa threw 4 TD passes. Tua’s Heisman Trophy competition, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, also played great.

Lawrence only threw for 168 yards and a TD in Clemson’s 56-14 win over Georgia Tech. Those stats don’t impress, but Trevor was in total control on the field. Clemson running back Travis Etienne rambled for 205 yards and 3 TDs. Why worry about the pass when your running back can dominate?

The most impressive player in Week 1 had to be Jalen Hurts, though. Hurts should win this season’s Heisman Trophy. He’s got a big lead over both Tua and Trevor after a 332 yards passing, 3 TD passes, and 176 yards rushing, 3 rushing TD performance.

Anyone who knew college football had the feeling Jalen would excel in Lincoln Riley’s system. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are great. Jalen Hurts might be more talented than both. Unless he gets hurt, Jalen should strike the pose, no problem, at the end of the season.

Are You Ready for Some Football? NFL Week 1 Starts This Week

The NFL Regular Season kicks off this Thursday when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers. That’s awesome news, but it’s not the biggest news that came out of last week.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed LeSean McCoy after the Bills cut him while the Miami Dolphins traded away the rest of the good players on their team. Linebacker Kiko Alonso went to the New Orleans Saints.

Although that Dolphins trade was overshadowed by Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills going to Houston, the Saints picking up a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winner is massive. Alonso joins an already stout group of linebackers. He adds depth to a defense that should be one of the best in the NFL.

Also last week, the Texans acquired running back Carlos Hyde from the Chiefs. Hyde could succeed in Houston. This is especially true because he’ll run behind Tunsil.

Have a great week!

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