Seahawks soar past hapless Giants. MLB playoffs begin today. Plus, Will LeBron & Co. actually play in Paris?

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🏈 Good morning to everybody however particularly …

THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

When the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos, they have been anticipated to rebuild. They did not get the message. Seattle, coming off an not likely playoff commute ultimate 12 months, stepped forward to 3-1 at the season with a 24-3 thrashing of the Giants.

How did the Seahawks do it? Geno Smith has been higher than any person may have anticipated, however terrific drafting cannot be lost sight of.

• Devon Witherspoon, taken 5th total this 12 months with a select obtained in the Wilson deal, had a game-breaking 97-yard select six and two of Seattle’s franchise record-tying 11 (!) sacks. The ultimate rookie with a select six and two sacks in a recreation was once Andy Katzenmoyer in 1999. 
• The 2022 draft magnificence was once much more loaded: Second-round working again Kenneth Walker III (79 yards, one landing) and fifth-round cornerback Riq Woolen (seven tackles, one go protection) each completed in the highest 3 in their respective Rookie of the Year races ultimate season. Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas seem like cornerstones (and neither even performed Monday).

Add in some cast signings — Uchenna Nwosa and Bobby Wagner each had two sacks — and a few remarkable holdover ability — DK Metcalf (34 yards, one landing) and Tyler Lockett (54 yards) are a criminally underrated receiver duo — and also you get a workforce this is concurrently proficient and younger. Seattle put that spectacular aggregate on complete show Monday.

😁 Honorable mentions

😦 And now not this type of nice morning for …

THE NEW YORK GIANTS

Last 12 months, Brian Daboll and Daniel Jones have been some of the league’s true feel-good tales. This 12 months, they are throwing drugs in disgust and getting booed off the sector. The Giants arrived early ultimate season. They gained shut video games, have shyed away from errors and were given some bounces en path to the postseason. Those qualities are nowhere to be discovered in 2023.

• Last 12 months, the Giants stored issues shut, permitting them to persist with their recreation plan and capitalize on fighters’ errors. This 12 months, they have been outscored via 68 issues in the primary part, tied for the worst via any workforce via 4 video games for the reason that 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
• Last 12 months, the Giants have been eleventh in turnover margin. This 12 months, they are tied for thirtieth.
• Last 12 months, Saquon Barkley — the Giants’ best above-average weapon — overlooked only one recreation (resting in Week 18) and recorded 1,650 yards from scrimmage, 7th in the league. This 12 months, he has already overlooked two video games — together with Monday evening — and is 108th in yards from scrimmage. He’s nonetheless the workforce’s best above-average offensive weapon.

Another factor that hasn’t modified? Jones stays traditionally terrible in primetime. He was once beautiful horrible — Witherspoon took a not-so-subtle jab — however his supporting forged and particularly his banged-up offensive line have been even worse.

The NFL is a recreation of tiny margins … till you get started making Giant (pun supposed) errors. The Giants are learning this 12 months isn’t ultimate 12 months. Not even shut.

😕 Not so honorable mentions

⚾ MLB playoffs begin nowadays!

Buckle up, sports activities enthusiasts: Postseason baseball is right here.

All 4 Wild Card Series begin nowadays, and we’ve previews for each and every recreation.

If you are a Twins fan, the word “postseason baseball is here” would possibly make you shudder. Minnesota has misplaced eighteen consecutive playoff video games — the longest postseason shedding streak in the historical past of the 4 main North American professional sports activities leagues — stretching all of the as far back as 2004.

As a part of his daring predictions, Mike Axisa says that streak will finish nowadays.

The Twins have not gained a playoff collection since 2002, and Mike has them finishing that streak, too … after which some. You can see all of our mavens’ predictions right here.

Dayn Perry, in the meantime, ranked the best 30 gamers in this 12 months’s playoffs.

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves RF: “Acuña this season has proffered a historic combination of power and speed, and he’s a very worthy choice as National League MVP, which he’ll likely wind up winning.”
2. Mookie Betts, Dodgers RF: “In terms of overall value in 2023, he’s right there with Acuña.”
3. Corey Seager, Rangers SS: “If he’d managed to be healthier, he might be in line for AL MVP honors this season even though he shares a plane of existence with Shohei Ohtani.”
4. Matt Olson, Braves 1B: “Olson has, by a substantial margin, been the most abundant source of power in all of baseball this season.”
5. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 1B: “In this, his age-33 season he threatened 60 doubles (!) and posted an OBP of more than .400.”

Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff overlooked out at the best 30 and may fail to notice a lot more: He’s out for the Wild Card Series — and in all probability all of the postseason — with a shoulder harm.

🏀 NBA Media Days: Lillard in Milwaukee, no Harden in Philly, 2024 Paris Olympics communicate

The NBA is continuously extra dramatic off the court docket than it’s on it, and Monday’s media days proved to be no exception.

James Harden isn’t any stranger to drama, and he brought about a number of it: The 76ers‘ famous person guard skipped media days as his business request stays unheeded. However, his absence got here with a twist. Per reviews, Philadelphia expects Harden to turn up someday after which make the placement “painful” for the group.

As a refresher, Harden opted into his participant possibility with the purpose of being dealt to the Clippers. Philadelphia and L.A. had on-and-off talks, however no deal seems approaching. Now there is a mess, and Joel Embiid does not appear amused.

As for a business that actually came about, Damian Lillard is at the Bucks, and he spoke about his pleasure for his new house. Jack Maloney additionally has a fantastic breakdown of how Lillard transforms Milwaukee’s offense.

Elsewhere …

Though the season continues to be a couple of weeks away, gamers also are having a look towards the 2024 Paris Olympics. James, Leonard, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry all appeared like they are in. The subsequent domino to fall may well be Embiid, who’s opting for between Team USA, France and Cameroon.

⚽ UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 previews and alternatives

The Champions League rolls on with Matchday 2 beginning nowadays. Here’s all of the slate, which you’ll be able to stream on Paramount+.

Right away, Napoli-Real Madrid attracts my consideration. Both groups gained their opener and input off deep runs in this pageant (Napoli to the quarterfinal, Read Madrid to the semifinal). Add in two proficient squads and the go back of Los Blancos supervisor Carlo Ancelotti, who coached Napoli from 2018-19, and it is an intriguing one.

Our mavens are cut up in their predictions, and Francesco Porzio says …

• Porzio: “One matchup to watch: Kvicha Kvaratskhelia vs. Dani Carvajal – This is going to be a crucial matchup as Napoli’s attacking play comes mostly from the left side with Kvaratskhelia. Napoli’s performances depend a lot on him … Match prediction: Napoli 2, Real Madrid 2 – Of course, Real Madrid are expected to be the favorites before the game but Napoli improved a lot in the last two games and the stadium will also be a factor as the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is one of the most difficult to play against.”

You can see our mavens’ alternatives right here and James Benge’s gamers to look at right here.

📺 What we are staring at Tuesday

⚽ UEFA Champions League on Paramount+
⚾ Rangers at Rays, 3 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Blue Jays at Twins, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Diamondbacks at Brewers, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ Marlins at Phillies, 8 p.m. on ESPN