Sports

11/3/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Friday

3 November 2023 Sports

From Wayne Mausser

The Green Bay Packers haven’t reached the end zone before halftime in any of their last five games. The Los Angeles Rams gave up four first-half touchdowns when they last took the field.

As the Packers (2-5) host the Rams (3-5) in a Sunday matchup of slumping teams, the game could come down to which of them can avoid falling behind early. The Packers have four consecutive games, while the Rams have dropped two straight and three of four.

These stats tell the story about the struggles of these two teams: The Rams fell behind 33-9 in the first half of a 43-20 loss at Dallas on Sunday, as the defense allowed three touchdowns and the offense gave up a pick-6. The Packers have scored more than 24 points over an entire game just once, in a 38-20 season-opening victory at Chicago.

“I think that game, we started fast. … I think that’s what we’ve got to get back to – just starting the game fast and being able to put up points on that first drive, second drive,” said Packers quarterback Jordan Love, whose team has totaled just 40 points in its last three games. “It’ll be a snowball effect after that because I think once we get rolling, everybody is making plays and we’re a tough offense to stop.”

The Rams have an uncertain quarterback situation after Matthew Stafford sprained his right-thumnb at Dallas, preventing him from practicing early this week.

Rams coach Sean McVay wouldn’t rule out the possibility Stafford could play Sunday even without practicing all week.

“It’s one of those deals that you give him up until right before the game,” McVay said. “You use all the time necessary for a player like him.”

Brett Rypien would likely start at quarterback if Stafford is unavailable. Although the 27-year-old Rypien has thrown twice as many career interceptions (eight) as touchdown passes (four), he owns a 2-1 record in his three previous starts.

Rypien started one game for the Denver Broncos in 2020 and two more in 2022. The Rams activated him from their practice squad last month. He went 5 of 10 for 42 yards after taking over for the injured Stafford against the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, the Packers are looking to break out of their offensive slump. They’ve been outscored 73 to 9 om their last five games. Quarterback Jordan Love, after throwing six touchdown passes in the first two games without an nterception, the first-year starting quarterback has thrown just five as Green Bay along with eight interceptioins

One of his main receiving targets is Christian Watson, who has just 11 catches on 24 targets and 77 of his 176 receiving yards came on one reception in Las Vegas. He’s one of just four wide outs in the NFL with four or more contested targets and zero catches. A far cry from his rookie season when he had the third best contested reception rate in the NFL. He’s also been plagued by injuries missing the first three games.

Green Bay also has to get the running game going by creating some holes for running back’s Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.

Defensively Green Bay will be playing its first game without cornerback Rasul Douglas, who was traded to the Bills before the trade deadline on Tuesday. Cornerback’s Corey Ballentine and Carrington Valentine.

Sunday’s game starts at noon with the pregame beginning at 10:00 and can be heard on FM 1023, The Bug.

In Thursday Night Football the Steelers scored a touchdown in the last minutes and then held off visiting Tennessee to win 20-16.

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett did jost enough to get Pittsburgh the win, throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson, marking the wide receiver’s first TD grab since Week 17 of the 2021 season, a gap of 668 days and 21 games between scores.

Trailing, 16-13, with nine minutes left in the game, Pittsburgh embarked upon an 11-play, 92-yard drive that started at its 8-yard line and culminated in a 3-yard reception for Johnson.

Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis impressed in his second start, but his first INT ends Titans’ chances in the final moments of a four-point game. Levis was pressured on 20 of his 44 dropbacks and was sacked four times (45.5% pressure rate).

Running back Derrick Henry scored Tennessee’s only touchdown, coming in the first half. Henry is the first player in Titans franchise history to score 85 career touchdowns (82 rushing, three receiving).

The Steelers improve to 5-3 while the Titans drop to 3-5.

In the NBA the Bucks (2-2) host the Knicks tonight in an NBA In-Season tournament game. Milwaukee is coming off at 130-111 loss at Toronto Wednesday night to the Raptors. Tipoff is at 6:30.

In college football the Badgers are at Indiana with the kickoff at 11:00.-The pregame starts at 9:00 on AM 1600/93.1 FM, RRPN.

Ripon College at Beloit College-1 PM

UW-Oshkosh at UW-Platteville-1PM

A Brewers rotation member coming off a career year is staying in Milwaukee, the club announced Thursday,

Colin Rea, a 33-year-old right-handed pitcher whose career has taken him to San Diego, Miami, and Chicago, signed a one-year contract with the Brewers on Thursday. The contract includes a club option for 2025.

Rea is coming off of a season that saw him set career highs in wins (6), games (26), starts (22), innings pitched (124.2), and strikeouts (110). The Brewers went 14-8 in Rea’s starts, with him holding opponents to a .235 batting average.

This is Rea’s second stop in Milwaukee, after he appeared in one game for the Brewers in 2021. He spent 2022 with Japan’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball, where he went 5-6 in 16 starts and posted a 3.96 ERA in 23 total games. The signing helps the Brewers secure some much-needed depth in their rotation, with Wade Miley’s mutual option still up in the air and the release of Julio Teheran from the minors, who was once a top-of-the-rotation starter in Atlanta. Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, right-handed starters who have led the Brewers rotation, are both arbitration-eligible this offseason and are set to be free agents after next season.

Level 3 Playoff Games – All Games Friday

#4 Neenah @ #2 Kimberley

#5 Fond du Lac @ #2 Marquette

#2 Verona @ #1 Hamilton

#2 Franklin @ #1 Muskego

#2 New Richmond @ #1 Waunakee

#3 Cedarburg @ #1 Kaukauna

#4 Slinger @ #2 Sun Prairie East

#2 Badger @ #1 Kettle Moraine

#3 Onalaska @ #1 Rice Lake

#2 Notre Dame @ #1 Mount Horeb/Barneveld

#7 Menasha @ #4 Grafton

#7 Stoughton @ #1 Monroe

#6 Somerset @ #4 Baldwin-Woodville

#2 Xavier @ #1 Lodi

#5 Lakeside Lutheran @ #2 Catholic Memorial

#4 Luxemburg-Casco @ #1 Two Rivers

#5 St. Coriz Falls @ #2 Northwestern

#3 Wrightstown @ #1 Wittenberg-Brinamwood

##3 Columbus @ #1 Aquinas

#4 Lake Country Lutheran @ #3 Horicon/Hustisford

#3 Cameron @ #1 Grantsburg

#2 Stratford @ #1 Auburndale

#2 St. Mary’s Springs @ #1 Kewaunee

#3 Lancaster @ #1 Darlington

#2 Edgar @ #1 Boyceville

#3 Bangor @ #1 Cashton

#3 Black Hawk/Warren, IL @ #1 Potosi/Cassville

#2 Randolph @ #1 Reedsville

8-Man

#2 Thorp vs #2 McDonell Catholic – @Stanley-Boyd

#2 Oakfield vs #1 Florence – @ Waupaca

On Thursday area teams went 4-0 at the WIAA’s volleyball and soccer state tournaments.

Inside the Resch Center in Green Bay, the Appleton North girls earned a D1 quarterfinal sweep of Franklin. The Lightning advance to face Oconomowoc in the semifinals Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Kimberly boys faced down 3 set points against Waukesha South/North to win in 5 sets and advance to the semifinals, where the Papermakers will meet Middleton Friday at 5:00 p.m.

At state soccer in Milwaukee, West De Pere trailed #1 seed Waukesha West 2-0 in the 2nd half, but rallied to win 3-2 in overtime. They will play Union Grove in the D2 championship game Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

In Division 3, Plymouth topped Somerset 5-0 to advance to Saturday’s D3 championship vs. Belleville/New Glarus at 11:00 a.m.

bnelson

11/3/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Friday

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