MidValleySports.Com

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The NBA trying to gin up excitement of LeBron James playing the Lakers on Christmas Day…is like NBC trying to build intrigue over Ross getting together with Rachel in 2026.

Speaking of The Battle for Christmas Day… it’s over. There’s nothing the NBA can offer against the NFL’s blast of the Packers at Bears, Bills at Broncos, and Rams at Seahawks. 

The only hope for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is that Netflix, which is carrying the Christmas slate, will be as horrible as it has always been when doing sports.

If football fans can find a way around Netflix’s usual buffering crisis, they will likely be greeted by Elle Duncan and Mina Kimes. (As Alice Cooper sings, Welcome to my nightmare!)

Speaking of football… I’m thrilled Kyler Murray has been named the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback. It gives me the same joy I get when Fog City spends a third-round (99th overall) pick on a kicker.

The season, of course, has to play out, but I do not understand the optimism for the Vikings in 2026. It’s going to take a lot of injuries and a lot of meltdowns to advance Minnesota deep into January.

And they’ll also be counting on Kyler Murray…and why would any organization count on Kyler Murray?

#90—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth. 

Last Add Netflix: Will they be hosting Kirk Cousins-Maxx Crosby Super Fight 2?

I’m not a betting guy, simply because I don’t know how or anything about it…BUT…I saw oddsmakers discuss why the Rams—even as the favorite—are not likely to win the Super Bowl so betters should go with the field.

Isn’t the smart money—if you want to make money—best to be placed on the other 31 teams anyway? So in my low-level thinking, I don’t understand why that’s a big deal.

To paraphrase the late great Jim Healy: “That means you got to bet 10 zops to make five, instead of betting 10 zops to make 20.”

Did I hear a report about San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey having calf tightness? I wonder what the betting line is on the 49ers today?

I’ve been accused of defending Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker a little too much…So, I might as well ask: presently, is a .340 OBP considered good?

Do you believe in the Kansas City Chiefs? Yes, they got Patrick Mahomes a running back in Kenneth Walker III…but they didn’t get Mahomes anything that could be considered special at wide receiver…and do they really think they can wring something out of Travis Swift’s aging body?

I bring this up because—until injuries and the Spanos Curse sets in—it’s hard to pick against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Last Add Chiefs: Who are they depending on? Rashee Rice? Defensively, who are they depending on? An aging Chris Jones?

Sending Patrick Mahomes into the 2026 season without an elite receiver is like Brad Pitt showing up at an awards show without a date.

How many catches does Tutu Atwell need this year to break the shackle of being a draft bust? I’m here for it…even as a Rams fan, I think Sean McVay did a disservice to Atwell.

In the AFC, I don’t believe in Buffalo, Baltimore, or Houston. Cincy is growing on me, and I’m really curious about Jacksonville. The Jags have a tough schedule to open the season, so we’ll find out real fast…which will give me plenty of time to slither off the bandwagon.

Here’s a betting thought: What would the odds be of the Rams and Bengals meeting for the Super Bowl again, in SoFi, and the final play of the game, again, coming down to Aaron Donald sacking Joe Burrow?

Abstract thought, I know, but who would have thought the Dodgers would win Game Seven of the 2025 World Series with Mookie Betts making a double-play to secure the title?

The Dude abides…

1,337
Isaiah 46:4
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