RedState Sports Report: Good Luck Topping Georgia-Alabama, NFL

Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. I have no idea what Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken are up to, but if those two sea slugs don’t get the fish cracker crumbs out of the couch down here, there will be trouble. Good help is so hard to find these days.

Anyway, despite being able to watch naught but random snippets of it (the joys of working on weekends are without number, primarily because there is no number less than zero), it was clear from skimming through the highlights that the Georgia-Alabama game on September 28, 2024, was an instant classic. Alabama started the proceedings looking like they would turn the Bulldogs into shih tzus, scoring almost at will and entering the half with a 30-7 lead. Georgia came back in fine fashion in the second half, notching three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to briefly take a 34-33 lead. The third touchdown was a thing of beauty, as on Georgia’s first play following an Alabama punt, Carson Beck heaved a bomb to Dillon Bell for a 67-yard score. Alabama immediately broke into full-throttle Annie Get Your Gun mode — you know, "Anything you can do, I can do better"? — as on its first play following the Bulldogs’ kickoff, Jalen Milroe threw it high, wide, and handsome into the waiting hands of 17-year-old phenom wide receiver Ryan Williams, who did the rest on a 75-yard answering score. Georgia tried to come back, but an Alabama interception in the end zone ended affairs. Bear Bryant must be smiling. As is, I imagine, Nick Saban. Williams is all that and a bag of chips, but he might want to tone things down a bit.

Ryan Williams sporting the "Kill Everybody" Eye-Black pic.twitter.com/pG5EtxhwA0
— Kevin Borba (@Kevin__Borba) September 29, 2024

Ease up there, young man.

The NFL takes over today, although it is difficult to imagine any of the pending matchups bringing nearly the excitement that Georgia and Alabama gifted us. The most intriguing game is Monday, when the surprising 3-0 Seattle Seahawks visit the 2-1 Detroit Lions. Seattle has defeated Detroit in each of the past three seasons, so it’ll be interesting to see if Dan Campbell and company can reverse the trend.

Elsewhere around the league, the Los Angeles Rams will see if they can keep the momentum from last week’s last-minute victory over the San Francisco 49ers going as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears. The Pittsburgh Steelers will seek to remain undefeated as they visit the Indianapolis Colts in what might prove to be an interesting contest provided Indianapolis can generate any offense against the Steelers’ stellar defense. The undefeated Minnesota Vikings will trundle to the not-yet frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers, who will likely have Jordan Love back at quarterback following his Week One injury. The exact opposite of undefeated Cincinnati Bengals will seek to get off the schneid in Charlotte versus the Carolina Panthers. However, given the human tragedy that has torn at North Carolina in Hurricane Helene’s wake, somehow I doubt the locals will be paying all that much attention.

Today (September 29) is sort of the final day of baseball’s regular season. I say sort of because the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves will be playing a doubleheader in Atlanta on September 30 that will doubtless decide which two out of three teams — the Mets, Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks — go to the playoffs starting October 1. Atlanta seems to be the only one of the three with any genuine interest in playing this October, as it is one game up on New York and Arizona. Atlanta has won five in a row. The Mets have lost three in a row, and the Diamondbacks have lost two in a row. Look, guys, Atlanta obviously wants to go to San Diego this week, and after Helene can you blame them? Therefore, one of you has to go to Milwaukee on Tuesday, so figure it out.

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone.