Can Chargers bring numbers?
This weekend’s attempt to re-create the captured magic of last weekend’s Colts-Patriots game (record TV numbers!) and Chargers-Vikings game (record rushing day by Adrian Peterson!), although one could say a couple of key pieces are missing . . .
Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers (Sunday, 5:15 p.m., Channel 4): And those missing pieces are? One would be the New England Patriots, who joined the Colts in the RCA Dome last Sunday to pull in 66.4 million viewers, the largest television audience for an NFL regular-season audience since those numbers began being tracked in 1987.
Another, of course, is Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings’ rookie who rushed for a league-record 296 yards in last Sunday’s 35-17 upset of the Chargers, who won’t be upset that Peterson is missing this one.
Colts-at-Chargers is an interesting game in its own right. Before the season, many expected this to be a possible preview of the AFC championship game. In reality, it gives the Chargers a platform to state the case that they really are among the league’s three or four most talented teams, regardless of the Norv Turner Drag Effect.
And NBC hopes the Colts can continue to reel in big viewership numbers, regardless of the Chargers Drag Effect.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings have become must-see TV . . .
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 10 a.m., Channel 11): Before the season, no one expected this game to be much of anything. Now, it’s a marquee matchup between Peterson, running like Eric Dickerson in 1983, and Brett Favre, playing like Favre in 1995. That’s one of the great things about the NFL. Unlike, say, pro wrestling or tennis, you can never be sure about an outcome until the event is played out. Unless you’re counting NFL games involving the St. Louis Rams.
Now that the Rams are in St. Louis, Fox has somehow latched onto the idea that we are desperate for an NFL team to call our own and have swung our allegiance over to the New York Giants . . .
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (Sunday, 1:15 p.m., Channel 11): I know, the transmission of certain Giants games into NFL-Free L.A. is unavoidable. The Giants against the Dolphins in London was history and all of that. And if you just look at the records of the Cowboys (7-1) and the Giants (6-2), you would have to assume there is a great demand to watch this game across the land.
On the other hand, this is simply the NFL’s version of the National League Championship Series, Colorado Rockies versus Arizona Diamondbacks, with the winner establishing itself as the team most likely to have no chance of defeating the NFL’s version of the Boston Red Sox in the Super Bowl.
How the mighty have fallen. . .
USC at California (Saturday, 5 p.m., Channel 7): September 2007: “USC at Cal could be the game of the year!” October 2007: USC and Cal combine to go 2-5. November 2007: Representatives from the Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald and Bell Helicopter Armed Forces bowls will be watching this game with great anticipation
Looking for the last victory of the Karl Dorrell era . . .
Arizona State at UCLA (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7): Is there another one out there? Saturday, the Bruins get the No. 9 Sun Devils. UCLA’s next game, on Nov. 24, is against No. 3 Oregon. The lone remaining slouch on the Bruins’ schedule? No. 17 USC, on Dec. 1.
UCLA fans could really use a televised Bruins basketball game right about now. Alas, the school’s basketball opener, to be played tonight against Portland State at 7:30 p.m., is available only on radio and the Internet.
Looking ahead to next Tuesday’s first installation of the Freezeway Series, or the Ice-5 Series, or the Freeway Face-off, or the Crosstown Rivalry, or whatever they plan to call it until somebody comes up with a better name. And is that really too much to ask? . . .
San Jose Sharks at Ducks (tonight, 7 p.m., Channel 56) and Dallas Stars at Kings (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., FSNW): The Ducks and Kings each play one more game until they open their 2007-08 stateside series Tuesday night in Anaheim, attempting to answer the question: Is this really a rivalry?
FSNW has tried to push that concept with a “Name The Rivalry” contest, the winner to be selected Tuesday from the aforementioned four finalists. You would think that with all the creative minds living in SoCal, someone could come up with better nominees. But then you would think that Kings management could have come up with better teams during the last 40 years.
According to a news release, Tuesday’s game will be televised on FSNW using a “ ‘Rinkside View’ employing natural sounds and low camera angles to capture the action as seen from the front row” as well as “traditional telecast coverage” on Prime. The release does not say if a Kings defeat is included under terms of traditional telecast coverage.
A week-and-a-half into the NBA season and Kobe is still here . . .
Minnesota Timberwolves at Lakers (tonight, 7:30 p.m., FSNW): Not much to say about this one. Early-season matchup between two teams that don’t have Kevin Garnett on the roster.
A week-and-a-half into the NBA season and the Clippers are still undefeated . . .
Clippers at Detroit Pistons (tonight, 5 p.m., Channel 5) and Cleveland Cavaliers at Clippers (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Channel 5): And let’s enjoy that mood while it lasts.
David Beckham, before and after . . .
Blackburn Rovers at Manchester United (Sunday, 7 a.m., Fox Soccer Channel and 9 a.m., Fox Sports en Espanol) and Kansas City Wizards at Houston Dynamo (Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel): Beckham began his professional soccer career with Manchester United, which is tied atop the English Premier League with Arsenal, and eventually moved to Major League Soccer, which will play its Western Conference final in Houston without any involvement by Beckham.
Good career move? Watch and decide.
Are we not fans? We have TiVo . . .
Illinois at Ohio State (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN) and Texas Tech at Texas (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Game Plan) and Auburn at Georgia (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Channel 2): Three games, five ranked teams, including No. 1 Ohio State, which needs to defeat bowl-eligible Illinois to remain eligible for the BCS title game.
Punt . . .
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 10 a.m., Channel 2): Matchup of two teams that last Sunday combined to lose to the Detroit Lions and Packers by a combined score of 77-29. On a crisp November Sunday morning, you can do better.