The Seawanhaka Sports Rundown is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, national, and international levels.
BY: ZACHARY JONES / DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
New York Jets and New York Giants Eventful Start to Season
The New York Jets fell to 1-2 this week after a tight 15-10 loss in the contest against the division rival, New England Patriots.
The season thus far has been highlighted by the lack of offensive production which many speculate to be because of the loss of Quarterback Aaron Rodger due to an injury early in week one.
Quarterback Zach Wilson, who took over for Rodgers, has struggled to conjure up meaningful drives throughout the season, producing points on less than 23% of the drive over the first three games.
The main point of the first few weeks however was arguably the social media discourse following the Cowboys game. Jets Running Back, Breece Hall, took to Twitter and interviews strongly noting his lack of involvement in the offense only having four carries the entire game while Defensive Star and last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner simply deactivated his Twitter account after the loss.
The Giants miraculously won in week two, 31-28 against the Arizona Cardinals. New York was doubtful to come out with a win early after starting the game with a 20-0 halftime deficit.
However, the Giants have been no success story either. They also sit at 1-2 after some slow weeks to start the season off. The offense has suffered multiple injuries, namely Running Back Saquon Barkley and Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas, setting them back. The team now has a -55 point differential over the first three weeks and will need to do better in the coming weeks if they wish to make the playoffs again this year.
WNBA Playoffs
The WNBA semifinals are officially set after an eventful round one where the stars showed out. Three of the four first-round matchups ended in a 2-0 sweep and all of the series ended with the higher-seeded team advancing.
Both young stars and vets showed up throughout the round-one matchups. Atlanta Dreams Rhyne Howard impressed, leading the postseason in points per game at a 28.5 average, despite losing the series. Seasoned Vet A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was second in points per game at a 26-point average while also tallying 12 rebounds per game as well.
Colorado Football Highs and Lows
The University of Colorado Buffaloes have been off to an impressive start to the season, to an extent that has surprised many doubters. Their victory over Colorado State was a thriller that continued Colorado’s success but also continued many other narratives.
On the field, the Shadeur Sanders hype narrative is on the rise after the clutch performance in their overtime victory. While off the field the “it’s personal” narrative after Colorado States Jay Norvell’s statements on a radio show where Norvell said, “when I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat and my glasses off”, in reference to Coach Sanders.
However, this momentum was derailed after Colorado also was the subject of a 42-6 loss to Oregon this week. The Buffaloes don’t seem too upset about the loss, but rather happy with their successes to start the season after the team won just one game the year prior.
Premier League Football Drama and Surprises
The Premier League is off to a hot start with tons of drama and a few surprises.
One major surprise this season is the hot start for the Tottenham Hotspurs. The Spurs are currently fourth in the league with 14 points over six games. Tottenham have been excellent in their games which surprised many after the departure of club legend and the Premier League’s second all-time goal scorer, Harry Kane.
Most of the drama in the league revolves around two large clubs and their failed start to the season.
Manchester United have been off to an awful start to the season and are currently in 9th place in the league following last year where they finished third in the league.
Most of the drama surrounds manager Erik Ten Hag and his disputes with the young winger, Jadon Sancho. Sancho has since been forced to train individually away from the first team, and Ten Hag demands an apology before he will allow Sancho to return.
LIU vs Baylor Football
The Long Island University Sharks faced off against their only Power 5 opponent of the season in a 30-7 loss to fall to 0-3 on the season.
The Sharks were down their starting Quarterback, Luca Stanzani, who last year led the Sharks to a 4-0 record over the last four games of the season.
Freshman Chris Howell stepped up in place of Stanzani and kept the game close early with a rushing touchdown towards the end of the first half, but Baylor increased the gap over the course of the second half ending the game on a 14-0 run.