The Dodgers are back in the NLCS, Chargers vs. Ravens leads Week 6 picks in the NFL

Happy Friday sports fans, it’s Chris Bengel back with you as we ride into another weekend. Sometimes, I wonder how we survive during the months in which we don’t have weekends filled with football.

Speaking of football, watching Tom Brady dissect your favorite team has to be one of the most maddening activities that one can endure. Even at 44 years old, Brady still has no signs of slowing down and remains one of the top quarterbacks in the game. As an Eagles fan, I suppose I’ll always have Super Bowl LII when the Philadelphia defense was able to get the last laugh against Brady.

Anyway, that’s enough moaning from me. Let’s get to the sports news!

What you need to know

1. Cody Bellinger lifts Dodgers to NLCS

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were separated by just one game in the standings in the regular season. With that in mind, it seemed only fitting that these two teams would meet in a winner-take-all Game 5 for the right to play the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers were able to hold on with a 2-1 win over the Giants in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Centerfielder Cody Bellinger delivered the go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning and starter Max Scherzer closed it out in the bottom half.

Here’s a look at how the Dodgers were able to push across the game-winning run in the ninth inning:

• After Will Smith grounded out, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was hit by a pitch from Giants reliever Camilo Doval
• On the ensuing at-bat, center fielder Gavin Lux singled to put two runners on base for the Dodgers
• Star slugger Cody Bellinger came up next and served a Doval pitch into right center field to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead

The Dodgers initially took a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning when Corey Seager doubled home Mookie Betts, who had reached with a one-out single. However, it didn’t take the Giants long to answer as Darin Ruf belted a solo home run to dead center field off of Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias.

This is fifth time in the past six seasons that the Dodgers have advanced to the NLCS. Ironically, the Dodgers defeated the Braves in seven games last year to reach the World Series, which they won against the Tampa Bay Rays. Now the Braves will pit their stellar pitching staff of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and Ian Anderson against this lethal Dodgers lineup. 

2. Brady leads Buccaneers past Eagles  

Tom Brady continued his spectacular season and helped lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 28-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Brady completed 34-of-42 passes for 297 yards and a pair of touchdowns despite playing with an injured thumb. It was the fourth game this season in which Brady threw for at least two touchdowns.

One of the keys storylines worth monitoring is the fact that Tampa Bay lost another member of their secondary to injury. In the first quarter, veteran cornerback Richard Sherman exited the game with a hamstring injury. The Buccaneers already had cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (elbow dislocation), cornerback Carlton Davis (quad), and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion) out of the lineup. 

For more on Thursday’s thrilling contest, check out what our CBS Sports NFL scribes had to say about the action.

3. Potential candidates for Cardinals managerial job

In a surprising move, the St. Louis Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt on Thursday. The move comes just a week after the Cardinals lost to the Dodgers in the National League Wild Card Game. Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said that the reasoning for parting ways was due to “philosophical difference,” and also called it a “baseball decision.”

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals reportedly considering make changes to the team’s coaching staff during the 2021 season. Instead, the front office decided to keep Shildt in place for the remainder of the season. The Cardinals went on to have an extremely successful finish to the regular season. The team won 17 consecutive games during the month of September and earned the second wild card spot in the National League.

Despite the success, the Cardinals decided that a change was necessary heading into the offseason. With Shildt being given his walking papers, CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry came up with a short list of potential candidates for the vacancy:

• Oliver Marmol: “Marmol, 35, served last season as the Cardinals’ bench coach under Shildt. He’s a former Cardinals draftee and minor leaguer who also served as a hitting coach in the minors. Marmol also boasts managerial experience at the minor league level, as he guided Johnson City and Palm Beach within the Cardinals’ system. The Athletic’s Katie Woo speculates that Marmol could indeed be a leading candidate.”
• Stubby Clapp: “Clapp, 48, played briefly in the majors with St. Louis, and he’s served as the Cardinals’ first base coach since the start of the 2019 season. Clapp’s extended run of success as manager of Triple-A Memphis makes him a viable candidate to lead a team at the highest level. “

4. Week 6 NFL picks:  

The NFL season continues to chug along with the first five weeks in the books. Week 5 offered arguably the most exciting action that we’ve seen throughout the 2021 season thus far. 

I’ve never seen anything like the hijinks in the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. The two teams combined to miss five consecutive field goals in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. After missing two game-winning field goals earlier in the game, Packers kicker Mason Crosby did have an opportunity at redemption and was able to win the game in overtime.

In Week 6, I’m personally looking forward to seeing the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Baltimore Ravens. It’s a battle between a pair of 4-1 teams that rank among the top seven teams in total offense. The Ravens currently average a league-best 440.6 yards-per-game and are fresh off of a massive comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts. Lamar Jackson going throw-for-throw with Justin Herbert? It doesn’t get much better than that.

CBS Sports NFL writer Will Brinson gave his picks for all of the Week 6 games and here are a few that I find especially intriguing:

• Chargers 31, Ravens 28: “There’s no way to really find a best bet in this spot, because it’s such a close game I think it probably comes down to late in the fourth quarter. Brandon Staley is a massive improvement over Anthony Lynn in terms of game management and I’m not sure I picture the Ravens completely slowing down Justin Herbert and this loaded Chargers offense. This could end up turning into a similar blowup like the Browns game last week. Again, I’ll take the points in a crazy shootout.”
• Patriots 24, Cowboys 21: “Did I mention there might be home dogs on this slate? Dallas looks AWESOME. Dak Prescott is as comfortable as he’s been in his career. He looks like he’s in complete command and on the same page as Kellen Moore…But it’s still Bill Belichick, and the Cowboys are going into a spot they haven’t exactly flourished in over the last few years. It’s a gem of a game on CBS, it’s Nantz and Romo without even looking. Dallas’ defense is even top 10 five weeks into the season without DeMarcus Lawrence. Everything here screams Cowboys. Which feels like the time Bill Belichick finds a win. Total gut play.”
• Browns 21, Cardinals 17: “If we get 20+ mph wind this coming weekend these two teams won’t put up a ton of points. The Browns will be able to gain traction running the ball and while the Cards short-hitting passing game can work, it will be really tough for Kyler Murray to generate big plays through the air when he’s scrambling. Too much variance on a completed pass in these spots with that much wind. If the weather flips and it’s sunny with no wind, take the over on Sunday. “

Odds & Ends

What to watch this weekend

Friday

Red Sox vs. Astros, 8:07 p.m. | HOU -135 | TV: Fox

California vs. No. 9 Oregon, 10:30 p.m. | ORE -13.5 | TV: ESPN

No. 24 San Diego State vs. San Jose State, 10:30 p.m. | SDSU -9.5 | TV: CBS Sports Network

Saturday

No. 12 Oklahoma State vs. No. 25 Texas, 12 p.m. | TEX -4 | TV: Fox

No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. | UGA -21.5 | TV: CBS

No. 13 Ole Miss vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. | MISS -2.5 | TV: SEC Network

Sunday

Packers vs. Bears, 1 p.m. | GB -5.5 | TV: Fox

Chargers vs. Ravens, 1 p.m. | BAL -2.5 | TV: CBS

Cardinals vs. Browns , 4:05 p.m. | CLE -3.5 | TV: Fox

Best thing I saw on the internet

It was an emotional season opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets to say the least. Prior to Thursday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, the Blue Jackets unveiled a banner for goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who died in a tragic fireworks accident this past summer. It was a truly special night that also saw Kivlenieks’ family participate in a ceremonial puck drop. To make it all the more special, the Blue Jackets came away with a dominant 8-2 win over the Coyotes.