It’s taken some cognitive dissonance for USMNT fans leading up to this World Cup, to sort of ignore the fact that they were showing up with the most inexperienced squad possible. Only Deandre Yedlin has ever been on a World Cup squad before, and he’s hardly anywhere near the first 11. It also has a manager who is doing this for the first time, so he’s going to learn on the job too (though he shouldn’t be allowed on the job ever again if he’s going to continue subbing in Jordan Morris instead of Gio Reyna, but we’ll circle back to that as I wield a mace over my head).

Which means that they can look like anything from one minute to the next. They can play a first half where they look poised, in control, and confident. Which they did. While Wales as a rule are always going to give an opponent some space to find their rhythm, because all they want to do is defend and then counter, the US found more gears in the engine than Wales probably wanted. They spent a lot of time pawing at the Welsh defense, moving the ball from side to side, but they were able to kick into gear when the space opened. Weston McKennie was moving out wide to the right to both support Sergino Dest while also allowing Tim Weah to make runs in behind the backline (though he should have done so a touch more). Christian Pulisic was finding openings in front of the wingback and behind the Wales midfield. He was connecting with Musah and Antonee Robinson and creating little openings for all of them.

What the US did really well was snap right to Gareth Bale and Daniel James up top, and to any of the Wales midfield, so on the rare occasion that Wales got the ball and looked to counter they were smothered. The ball turned right back over the US to try again. Bale can’t really beat a defense with pace anymore, and while James can he’s also…how to put this?..talentless. The US didn’t have to fear getting beat on the turn or by long balls, because they could clean it up. And they did. Wales could only clear the ball and set up again to defend.

And they expertly sucked out Wales just enough to do this:

Sargent to Pulisic to Weah and pick that out. It made you wonder what the US could have done had they moved the ball quicker more often, but having it under total control was hardly a bad thing. Sure, they could have played more balls over the top to Weah or tried more quicker interchanges, but leading 1-0 at half without facing a shot on target or even anything close to one, with Gareth Bale merely a rumor, is everything you’d ask for.

But then there’s another 45 minutes.

In a vacuum, wanting to counter when Wales came looking for their equalizer is an excellent plan. But it’s an excellent plan for the last 10-15 minutes, not the whole half. And what the US lacks, which Musah or Adams or Reyna could turn into one day but aren’t now, is that midfielder who decides and forces whatever tempo is necessary. In the second half, the US needed the proverbial guy to “put their foot on the ball” and take the air out as Welsh pressure grew. Someone who forces the rest of the team to play the ball around, be the release valve for the mounting anxiety, and calm things down. Sure, there were openings for counters, but you have to choose them when they’re obvious. The US was in too much of a hurry at times to get on the counter when it wasn’t on offer. Just keep the ball. The US doesn’t have some midfielder sitting at home who could perform this service, unless they can somehow de-age Michael Bradley or Maurice Edu 10 years. This is just what happens when you bring a squad full of children to this tournament.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t windows, and the US just chose the wrong pass too many times or missed the right one by just enough to not kill the game off. At this level, there isn’t an unlimited supply of good looks on the break that you get. You have to choose correctly between firing a cross across the six-yard box or going for the pullback. You have to connect. It only takes getting one right to end a match like this, but a team has to make that one out of a limited supply.

All that said, the US still had Wales at basically arm’s length. While the Dragons had the ball a lot, they only created two chances off the same corner, with Matt Turner saving brilliantly from Ben Davies and then the ensuing corner being headed over by Kieffer Moore when Turner also decided to go for a roam that seems to be contagious among keepers so far this tournament. That was in the 64th minute. Wales didn’t have another shot…until…

There’s no reason for Walker Zimmerman to make this challenge. Bale has his back to goal and he’s contained. But this is Zimmerman’s biggest game of his life, on a stage he’s never seen. The chemistry is there to do something rash, and voila. It’s hard to get too angry at him for that, because this is how players learn, but this is the most frustrating time to have to learn a lesson. The US also fell asleep on the throw-in right before this, which is something an inexperienced, tiring team just does.

Yes, the US should have been more in the face of Wales for the second half. They dropped their lines, and the Welsh midfield had more time to ping balls up to Moore where in the first half every time they took their first touch they had a Yank up their ass. Moore then was able to be a focal point to get Wales up the field and attack. Did the US run out of energy? Young players tend to be rife with nervous energy, which is the most draining. There’s no other reason this team should be out of gas after an hour.

So now what? It feels like this group will come down to how badly either or both of Wales and the US can beat Iran and have a goal-difference-off. It’s hard to see how the US can keep England out when under the cosh for a full 90 minutes, after they let a pretty limited Wales side grow pretty big over just 45 minutes. England will leave more space for counters, but you still have to defend first. England have so many weapons from so many angles.

It’s hardly over. It’s just going to be a tortuous path. But the USMNT has never known any other way. 

Once again, the San Francisco 49ers have navigated early-season injuries, and a season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, and find themselves well positioned to make a late-season run.

At 5-4, they’re roster is as strong as it has ever been with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. With a running back tandem of Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk leading a deep wide receiver corps, a healthy George Kittle and Trent Williams, and the ninth-best weighted defensive DVOA in the league, the 49ers are as dangerous as any team going down the home stretch of the NFL season.

They’re still behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West, but that might only be until the end of the 49ers’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. A win tonight gives the Niners the same record as the Seahawks who are on a bye this week. The 49ers beat the Seahawks at home in Week 2, and the two teams will meet again in Seattle in Week 15.

All that San Fran has to do to keep trending upward is to make sure they don’t blow this Week 11 game.

The Cardinals are without Kyler Murray for the second consecutive week. They won their Week 10 matchup against the division rival Rams, but the Super Bowl champions’ title defense has been a mess from the start. Also, they too went into that game with a backup quarterback behind center.

For most of this season, the Cardinals have appeared disorganized and disjointed. For all of the speed and skill on offense, it is one of the worst units in the NFL. Top wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins returned from his six-week PEDs suspension has helped, but the offense still has one of the league’s worst DVOA ratings.

Still, while the Cardinals’ offense hasn’t always been the most cohesive unit, players that are explosive always have the potential to cause problems. Hopkins, Rondale Moore, and Robby Anderson have the talent to put an unfocused defense quickly behind on the scoreboard.

The Niners can’t let that happen. Falling a game behind the Seahawks would be extremely difficult to make up in the final seven weeks of the regular season. After a home game next week against the struggling New Orleans Saints, the 49ers go up against the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seahawks, and surging Washington Commanders.

During that same stretch, the Seahawks host the Las Vegas Raiders next week, and then go up against the Rams and lowly Carolina Panthers before hosting the 49ers. If the Seahawks start this stretch, after their bye, up a game, they would have a chance to close the division race before their Christmas Eve matchup on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.

If the 49ers want to win a championship, they need to try and avoid going on the road in four consecutive rounds. Even the Cincinnati Bengals hosted one playoff game on their way to the Super Bowl last season.

One less week of travel, and a matchup against a wild-card team in the first round, could be just the push that the 49ers need to get them over the hump. But in order to put their team in that position, they can’t have a let down against the Cardinals.

There is a reason that the Los Angeles Lakers have so little draft capital.

In 2019, the trend in NBA team building was to assemble as many star players on a roster as possible, assume that talent will lift the level of the role players surrounding them, and keep the team a championship contender for several seasons. Maybe the team will forgo future success, but it’s worth it to build the 2016-19 Golden State Warriors, 2015-18 Cleveland Cavaliers, or the 2010-14 Miami Heat.

The Lakers greatly overpaid for Anthony Davis in 2019. Two starting-caliber players, three first-round picks, and a swap is too much for any one player. No single person, even in basketball, can account for a hole of that size, in the present or future, on a roster. Now LeBron James and Davis…maybe that’s enough.

For the first time since 2020, Davis has resembled the player that the Lakers believed was worth acquiring at any cost. With James out of the lineup for the last nine days, it has been Davis’ dominant play that put a stop to the Lakers’ five-game losing streak.

LA has won three games in a row and, during that span, Davis has averaged 35 points and 17.3 rebounds. He has shot zero percent from the 3-point line, and no one should care. Davis is doing what he didn’t when James missed time last season, and that is play aggressively.

James missed eight games last November because of injury, and that’s when the Lakers’ season first took a nosedive. They went 3-5 during that stretch, and Davis’ lack of tenacity was alarming. He averaged 22.6 points per game and 10.5 rebounds on 16.8 field-goal attempts, and this nearly 7-foot tall player averaged only 5.6 free throw attempts per game. These last three games he has attempted 20 field goals, 11.3 free throws, and also averaged five offensive rebounds.

The recent activity from Davis jumps off of the screen. He’s rim running, working his way into the paint, using those long legs to get past defenders, snatching errant shots from his teammates and slamming them back into the net. Davis told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that James said he is playing like his old self.

That old self is the New Orleans Pelicans’ version of Davis in 2016-17 and 2017-18. That player was on the court for 75 games in consecutive seasons, averaging 28 points and 11-plus rebounds, and also was one of the best defensive players in the league. Davis as a defensive and rebounding terror, along with his offensive talents from 17-feet in, and his length made him an ideal player to put on the court with a ball dominant James.

Davis’ old self — with a dash of 3-point shooting — helped lead the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship, but that guy hasn’t been seen much since Feb. 2021. With the Lakers in the hunt for the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference, he was sidelined with a calf injury/achilles tendinosis for 30 games. He would return before the end of the regular season, but his efficiency tanked.

His presence on the court for the majority of the season is a must for the Lakers to rebound from an ugly start to this season and make the playoffs. However, the Davis that they need is mid-Nov. 2022 Davis, who anchored the Lakers’ defense and led them in scoring, not the mid-Nov. 2021 version who would score 25 points in a game and still have a viewer not notice him on court for long stretches of time.

A trade would be of some help for the Lakers. Russell Westbrook has also been better as of late, but for tanking teams that juicy $40-plus million expiring contract will become more appealing as the trade deadline gets closer.

The Lakers need some more talent on the roster, but the most beneficial infusion of talent can only come from Davis. If he reverts back to the All-NBA First-Team player that he used to be, the Lakers can get back to the postseason. If not, they will be a Lottery team, with no Lottery pick, no present, and no future.

There’s an old African-American proverb that perfectly describes Jaylen Brown, it goes like this: “You all in the Kool-Aid and you don’t even know what flavor it is.”

Once again, the 26-year-old Boston Celtics star — who is originally from Atlanta, went to high school in Cobb County (Georgia,) and spent one year at Cal Berkeley — has found himself playing the fool in a role he willingly auditioned for. On Sunday, Brown took to Twitter in a failed attempt to somehow support Kyrie Irving as he wrote the word “Energy” on a retweet of a video of a group of Black Hebrew Israelites that showed up outside of Barclays Center in “support” of Irving who was making his return to the court.

What followed was a comedy of errors by Brown that showed us that an athlete who is from where he’s from and grew up around the people he grew up with, went to the university he attended, and plays in a city like Boston, is somewhere between a grown man that needs to read more or a person that’s desperately failings at trying to become the “voice of a generation.”

After Brown’s initial tweet, ESPN’s Bomani Jones added some context to the video that was making its way around social media to help those “outside of the culture” understand what was happening. “And a little help to our Caucasian brothers and sisters: no, these aren’t the dudes from college in purple and gold with gold boots who used to bark and jump around all the time. though I guess some subscribe to both camps.”

Jones was implying that the men outside of Barclays Center were not members of Omega Psi Phi — a Black fraternity — given that they were all wearing Purple and Gold, which are the same colors of the fraternity that’s been around since 1911. It was a true “Two Americas” example, as Black people could immediately identify something that might have puzzled some in White America. Context is always necessary. What happened next, was not. Brown went on to post a “clarification” because he didn’t know the difference between the two groups in the greatest example of “whose mans is this?” to occur in 2022.

“I was not aware of what specific group that was outside of Barclays Center tonight, Brown tweeted. “I was celebrating the unification of our people welcoming the return of Kyrie to the court, first glance I thought it was a known fraternity the (C/Que’s) Omega psi phi (step’n) showing support.” Brown would then go on to tweet random photos of members from the fraternity that he found on the internet as a way to show that his ignorance was acceptable, even though it wasn’t.

“I guess I shouldn’t have limited that tweet to white folks?” replied Jones.

We’re only a little more than a month into the 2022-2023 NBA season and this is the third time that Brown has made a fool of himself. It all started on Opening Night when he took to the mic before the Celtics’ season opener to say some words about Bill Russell — it was a disaster.

Brown looked and sounded like an unprepared child delivering an Easter speech that the youth minister forced them to learn just hours before the service.

“Bill Russell was a great man, but what defined his greatness,” he said. “Who he was as a mentor, a father, a member of his community, and most certainly his eleven championships here in Boston both playing and coaching, but undoubtedly, Bill Russell was a great man for what and who he stood for. During the peak of racial tension in our society, he represented a type of nobility and honor that transcended sports.

“The amount of respect that he receives from his people will live on eternally, and I’m grateful to be able to shake his hand. He was a true champion both on and off the floor, and our gratitude is endless. I started off by saying Bill Russell was a great man; in closing, Bill Russell was the greatest of men in the NBA, this organization, and this world was very lucky to have him. May he rest in peace.”

My description of Brown from that night isn’t a shot at people who struggle with public speaking or athletes who want to use their platforms. It’s about understanding your strengths and weaknesses and knowing what you’re talking about before you open your mouth.

Brown isn’t a good public speaker and should not have been the one to share remarks. His actions of late also do not coincide with the way that an icon like Russell lived his life as an activist, as he was always prepared whenever he spoke due to being knowledgeable on the subjects at hand. DragonflyJonez perfectly summed up the situation in one tweet when he wrote, “Boston man (Brown) who didn’t do his research on group (Black Hebrew Israelites) that was supporting Brooklyn man (Irving) who didn’t do his research on a documentary he posted recants statement. More at 11.”

Just a few weeks ago, Brown found himself looking like “Boo-Boo The Fool” when he went from sticking beside Kanye West as a member of Donda Sports — that’s run by the likes of Antonio Brown — to parting ways with the company only after receiving the public backlash that rightfully comes along with standing by West’s side in moments like this. In each of these situations, Brown has put his foot in his mouth without showing us that he’s learned anything from the last time he was sucking his toes. It reeks of arrogance, ignorance, and the audacity to believe that your Blackness and your ability to fill up a box score are enough to give you a platform that comes along with unlimited forgiveness for making unforced errors.

Athletes have historically hated being labeled “dumb jocks” — especially Black ones. It’s a lazy term assigned to a group of people that screams “We’re just here to be entertained by you, nobody cares what you have to say.” And over the last few years, athletes of all colors and races have shown that they’re more than just physical specimens and have used their platforms to become important voices for society, proving that they won’t just “shut up and dribble.” However, with that comes a responsibility that requires you to not only be knowledgeable of what you speak of but to be accountable when mistakes happen.

Monday morning, Brown addressed his tweets from Sunday to the media at the Celtics shootaround. As usual, it fell flat.

So far, Jaylen Brown has shown us that he’s incapable of both. Because if you can’t tell the difference between The Ques and a bunch of Black Hebrew Israelites “hootin’ and hollerin’” outside of an arena, then you should spend more time learning all of Kool-Aid’s flavors before you start dipping in them.

Turkey/genocide day is upon us. On Thursday, those of us who are able to partake will gorge on food and drink, and before sundown forget any reason we thought of to be thankful for on the most American of all the holidays.

Since we’re celebrating gluttony and violence, why not remove some NFL teams from serious playoff consideration? Each conference now has seven playoff spots, so there is much room for average teams in a hard salary-capped sport to sneak their way into America’s winter showcase.

However, even though the NFL playoffs are single elimination, for most of the 14 participants, it would be more logical for them to plan an exquisite February vacation than a trip to the Super Bowl. Vacations only cost money and timely planning. Super Bowl trips require postseason teams to make their highest profile mistakes on a worldwide broadcast.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, now is a good time to let certain football fans know that their pie is on the table, not in the sky.

Minnesota Vikings fans, we don’t believe you

Did I enjoy Kyle Brandt’s sketch in which he and Kirk Cousins are built dad tough, absolutely. Still, it didn’t give me any confidence that the Minnesota Vikings would be able to knock off the Dallas Cowboys at home yesterday.

For a couple of years, the Vikings had lost an embarrassing number of one-score games. Not being able to flip some of those in their favor is why they haven’t made the playoffs since Kirk Cousins’ arrival.

In 2022, the Vikings’ one-score luck has been a near weekly version of the bird poop landing on your least favorite neighbors’ car, while yours glistens in the limited hours of autumn sunlight, following daylight savings time.

On Sunday, the Vikings’ good fortune was lost in a different dimension, because they were throttled by Dallas. In a 40-3 loss, at no point did they look on the same level as a team that rode Tony Pollard screen passes — and other short passing routes — to victory. Dak Prescott didn’t have to heave up any of the 50/50 balls that Cousins did in Week 10 to lead the Cowboys to a big win.

The G-Men were no match for the Grit

Daniel Jones has been rumbling, bumbling, and stumbling all year to lead the New York Giants to one of the best NFL records in 2022. With the general manager who drafted him being fired this past offseason, if Jones didn’t show something different than his at best non-explosive, at worst turnover-laden, offense, his NFL future would not look top-10 2019 NFL Draft pick bright.

The Detroit Lions came to MetLife Stadium with their own once highly-drafted, now disappointing, quarterback in Jared Goff. This former No. 1 overall pick played his way out of Los Angeles only four years after taking the franchise to the Super Bowl.

Take a look at the passing yards, and with Jones throwing for 124 more yards than he has all year — and 176 more yards than Goff — and it can be assumed that the Giants will contend for the NFC Championship.

Watch the game and you’ll see a team (whose best 2022 victory was an eight-point win against the Houston Texans) go down early to the Lions and never get back in the game. It’s one thing to lose to the Lions, it’s another to get dominated by them at home.

The back half of the AFC East, no thanks

New York Jets vs. New England Patriots was delayed because of a power issue at Gillette Stadium. Scott Hanson giving that information to the viewers was more entertaining than the actual game.

The Jets tied the score at 3-all with nine minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Neither team scored again until the final 26 seconds of the game. The game would have been more entertaining if Bill Belichick and Robert Saleh decided the game in the fourth quarter by going best-out-of-three in Oklahoma drills.

That punt return for a touchdown by the Patriots gave them a victory in the waning seconds. The play was both exciting and it reverberated throughout the league . Not only was it the best game-winning play of the Week 11 Witching Hour, but it also put the Patriots in the second wild-card sport.

It also did nothing to prove that either of these teams will be able to produce in the playoffs.

The main conclusion of AEW’s Full Gear PPV on Saturday night is that the company is ready to move into a different time, headed by some of the younger guys on its roster. Two of its “pillars” bookended the show, as Jungle Boy Jack Perry (he may just be Jack Perry now) opened the event with a killer cage match against Luchasaurus, and MJF closed the festivities by taking the world title from Jon Moxley. In between, Sammy Guevara might have been the main star of the four-way match for the ROH title ultimately defended by Chris Jericho.

They also may have discovered a new pillar, on purpose or by accident, with Jamie Hayter. While those who have carried the company through the past, tumultuous year are still around, like Jon Moxley or Bryan Danielson or Britt Baker, it really felt like something of a skin-shedding for what comes next.

I’ve often thought about what makes a match great, or memorable, and I’ve never really been able to pin it down in my head. Much like the overused definition of pornography, I know it when I see it. Maybe it’s too many factors to really list or to consider a recipe. A great story helps. Unique chemistry between two performers. Some big spots. A hot crowd, and this is only the beginning.

Whatever the makeup that any fan has in their head, last night’s Hayter-Toni Storm match would have checked most of the boxes. It was probably the best match on the card (which is saying something as AEW cranked out another ridiculously consistent and high-bar show), and almost certainly the best women’s match in the company’s history. Certainly it was aided in a way that few women’s matches have been in that there was a real surge of support from the crowd for Hayter, who has organically built the biggest fandom in the women’s division (though that lack of charge behind one wrestler is the responsibility of AEW as well). But the greatness of both Hayter and Storm lifted it to a different level than it could have gotten merely on Hayter’s momentum with the crowd alone.

While watching it, the word that kept reverberating around my head was “snap.” It’s a term you hear in wrestling a lot, and it usually refers to the way moves are delivered, and how they translate to the crowd both in the arena and watching at home. There should be a suddenness to everything, from the simplest strike to the biggest throw or suplex. It’s not about violence exactly, though it’s not not about violence either. But you can have two performers heave themselves at each other with a ton of malice without it looking snappy or even clean. If they’re just mauling each other, it doesn’t usually translate as great theater. It needs to be able to slice through.

A lot of AEW’s women’s roster is still pretty green, and when you watch a lot of their matches there’s just that missing final touch. Whether it’s one wrestler waiting for another to be just in the right position for the next move, or the lack of flourish on strikes or moves, or just a hesitation in what comes next, there isn’t a “finish” to any exchange or counter. It just kind of happens, without standing out from the rest of the match. It sometimes looks as if they’re trying to remember and correctly perform the next step instead of power through it. There’s getting all the steps to a dance, and then there’s dancing, after all. This isn’t only a problem on the women’s roster, as any less experienced or lesser talented wrestler struggles with this.

Again, it’s not about aggression. It’s about how even within the few seconds of any given move or exchange or counter, there’s a crescendo. A build and then a pow! Something like this:

The slow collection of herself by Storm as she ducks Hayter’s lariat and then gathers up her own, followed by the rush and crash of her own. It feels like time slows and then speeds up and then snaps back into place.

All of these are examples, where there’s just the slightest pause to let the crowd know what’s coming and then a rip through the move. In the second video, the way Storm hangs in the air for just a brief second before catapulting through that shotgun dropkick gives it an extra spice. Same goes for the hip attack that follows it. This is why these two women were at the top of the division, because they’re the most consistent in delivering it. Every move looks like it means something, like it was planned, and delivered for peak effect instead of just being delivered because it’s what goes next. .

While we’ve always known of Storm’s ability, Hayter’s rise up the ranks and in adoration from the AEW faithful was due to the way her matches look. There’s a crispness to them that few of the other women bring, even in the way she takes a cross-body. It’s not just about selling or simply falling on her back. She snaps to the ground to make it look even more devastating. This is the give and take of two performers in sync with each other, where both know the exact moment, both on offense and in selling, to hit to make something look vital. It’s a small difference, no more than a fraction of a second or a slightly more exaggerated movement, but it makes a world of difference.

With those kinds of peaks and valleys, Storm and Hayter created a classic without needing huge spots or weapons or too many shenanigans. Even the outside interference from Britt Baker worked because the crowd wanted Hayter to win so badly. With both Hayter and Storm popping the peak of their moves and strikes so heavily, they stand out from the rest holds and breaks that only build drama instead of just dragging a match out. The crowd is picked up and dropped down, which is a truly exhilarating feeling. For a wrestling match to truly connect, the EKG has to spike and break back, not just slowly rise and fall. You can only get there with this kind of snap to everything.

It was a great night for the women’s division in AEW, with the return of Saraya and a third match on the card for the first time in a PPV with Jade Cargill and Nyla Rose (whose match was good for what it was). Hayter and Jade kind of fill the same profile, so it’ll be worth watching how AEW navigates their concurrent title reigns differently. But they can do anything with Hayter, who can wrestle most kinds of matches, whereas Jade is more in the Goldberg mold.

Either way, there is real momentum in that division for the first time in a long time with AEW, and they can’t squander it. Hayter got here because she’s just that good, and fans want to see her every week, because she’s one of the few who brings that snap to a match week in and week out. When it’s delivered, as Tony Khan hopefully learned last night, fans will always respond no matter the gender of those providing it.

While the World Cup started yesterday, it doesn’t really kick off until today. The World Cup, for fans, is about the NCAA tournament-type feel of multiple games every day, and there’s three today and four per for the next couple weeks. That’s the real tournament. If we didn’t all feel weird enough about this particular World Cup, FIFA, its president, the Qatari ruling family, and Fox certainly did their best to make sure whoever didn’t, joined the club over the weekend.

It’s nearly impossible to not feel some level of conflict about this one. At least awkwardness, given that it’s taking place in November and December instead of June and July where it belongs. It doesn’t feel quite right, out of rhythm. That’s not nearly the whole story obviously, but it’s a nice base for feeling something is off.

And then there are the layers upon layers. When the powers that be in Qatar ruled just two days before the tournament that they were going back on their promise to have beer at stadiums, it couldn’t be taken for much else other than a power move, a demonstration of untouchable authority. Which of course, leads one to wonder just what else they might go back on, or what they had no intention of following in the first place. What else have they been waiting for to show just how much money they have and how much they don’t care about what anyone thinks?

The awarding and staging of the tournament there is an endorsement of all this, whether FIFA likes it or not. It’s the extreme nakedness of what is important to a supposed non-profit agency, and that was the suitcases and envelopes full of cash that were given to voters to award the tournament to Qatar in the first place.

The thing is, we knew it at the time. We knew that the proclamations of floating air-conditioning aircraft carriers were pure fantasy. We knew they couldn’t host this tournament in the summer, we knew they couldn’t host it comfortably in such a small space. And the problems have only gotten worse.

Which is where the confusion creeps in. “Sportswashing” was at the top of every report, every comment, and yet the award of the World Cup has only brought more light to how Qatar works. It’s doubtful you could find a soccer fan who doesn’t know about the basic enslavement of migrant workers, or the treatment of women or the LGBT+ community. Had the World Cup been awarded somewhere else, it’s likely these issues would be nearly as well known.That hardly makes this all worth it or anything close to an overall good, but it makes it clear that either the rulers of Qatar were only interested in the cash it would bring it (hard to see how you can break even on a $250 million investment) or they actually thought that all the problems would be ignored or swept under the rug. Certainly sending Gianni Infantino out there to do their bidding on Saturday suggests a frustration that the headlines and stories aren’t going the way they want. The fear would be the more it doesn’t go how they envisioned just how wildly and ruthlessly they might try and swing it back the way they envisioned.

Maybe the scrutiny all dies down after the tournament. Maybe most people forget about Qatar or where it is or what they do. Or maybe there are enough reporters who will stay on the case after the uproar.

And yet, it’s a World Cup. it’s supposed to be Valhalla for any fan. It hasn’t been completely unadulterated for a while now, given what we’ve all known about FIFA for a long time. We know what they’re about, what really drives this. And yes, they’re there now to monetize and profit from our joy, just like the owners in every other facet of sports. When it gets to this point, it’s almost as if our enjoyment of sports is weaponized against us, daring us to answer how much we can take.

I certainly won’t argue against anyone who decides this tournament isn’t for them, just this World Cup. There are those that simply can’t get past how Qatar treats all of those groups. It is just sitting on this tournament, the exact definition of the elephant in the room.

And yet when I say that, I can’t let them take the joy for fans, too, away from everyone, that’s pretty much what FIFA and Qatar are counting on. They’ll get away with it, because we can’t live without it. They’ll have “won” when we tune in.

Except there isn’t really winning and losing. We could turn off all the screens, but the FIFA officials already have their bribe money. They already have the sponsor money. They already have the TV money. Maybe some of the networks around the world lose some ad revenue. Maybe they should have acted years and years ago, because we know that’s who FIFA listens to. But we’re going to depend on Budweiser and Coca Cola to grow a conscience?

Personally, it feels like only I lose by ignoring the tournament. I lose on the possibility of another Landon Donovan Valhalla 2010 moment. I watch that reaction video on the regular. I lose if I don’t see how Yunus Musah takes to the world stage, or whether Messi can finally claim the last piece of the set in his career. I’m not going to win a fight with FIFA and Qatar. About the only thing I could manage was to deny them my tourism dollars.

Those of us who watch will carry all that, It won’t always be comfortable, and it probably won’t ever be. I hate to get all Andy Dufresne, but “there’s something they can’t touch,” and yet I can’t help it. Is there nothing they can’t harvest and ruin? There’s still a part of this that’s ours.

We didn’t choose this. It was forced upon us. But they can’t have everything. At least I think they can’t. Maybe by Thursday I’ll think it is just too gross. The confusion is actually the hardest part.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers showed on Sunday why the AFC West was a popular preseason pick to be the best division in the NFL.

From the opening quarter, both starting quarterbacks launched dazzling passes all over SoFi Stadium, the type of play that was expected from both Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, as well as Russell Wilson and Derek Carr.

In Denver, Wilson and Carr put on quite the forgettable performance during the late afternoon slate. That 22-16 Las Vegas Raiders’ overtime victory was a stark reminder of where the AFC West is. While the Chiefs’ 30-27 victory over the Chargers was an example of what many thought the division would look like throughout 2022.

The tone on Sunday night was set after Herbert responded to the Chiefs’ opening drive with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer. Everybody on that field needed to be ready to run, because two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks were ready to squeeze the turbo button all night.

Both Herbert and Mahomes averaged more than nine yards per attempt and threw for multiple touchdowns. The game was thrilling nearly the entire night, even after Keenan Allen’s costly fumble in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs fumbled it right back on the next drive, and Allen redeemed himself with a 46-yard catch to set up a touchdown. But it took the Chiefs just one minute and 15 seconds to retake the lead.

By comparison, the fireworks show in Denver was two sparklers and a box of snap and pops. Neither team scored a touchdown in the second half. It took a busted coverage from the Broncos in overtime for Davante Adams to get free on the biggest play of the game, a walkoff TD.

The Broncos have scored more than 20 points in a game only twice this season. However, their defense has been outstanding. It was ranked third in the NFL in weighted DVOA going into Week 11. Using the same metrics, the Raiders’ defense was the worst in the NFL, and their offense was 17th. Neither team is anywhere near the division lead, or a wild-card spot.

By NBC flexing the Sunday Night Football matchup from Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, to Chiefs-Chargers, the entire AFC West was in action against each other, and in separate windows. This way, it wasn’t necessary for Scott Hanson to narrate the difference in the two halves of the division. The people could see it for themselves.

The healthier, but still injured, Chargers have some fire power, and can push a good team like the Chiefs. There was good reason to believe before the start of this season that the Chargers would be a playoff team. They’re currently a game out of the wild-card and will get some, but not all, of their injured players back this season.

Wilson and Adams were supposed to be the major difference makers that would push their new teams over the top, and make the AFC West the best that it has been since the 1980s. Adams has been great, but the Raiders have been getting crushed in close games, with a defense that can’t stop a runny nose. This new Broncos offense, led by Wilson, has looked like it would be better with Teddy Bridgewater behind center. Also, both teams’ head coaches have done a job that is worthy of them not being given the opportunity to right the ship in 2023.

Week 11 was supposed to be a showcase of the most talented division in the NFL. Instead, it affirmed that the AFC West has one great team, another one on the rise, and two that are steadily sinking.