September 24, 2022 - Matchplug Blog

Czech Republic vs Portugal Match Preview

With just three points separating them from their visitors, the Czech Republic would be keen to earn a win in this game and ensure their team closes the gap to the top two in this Nations League group.

With the World Cup approaching, Portugal will want to keep their momentum with a win in this match, but they cannot underestimate the hosts.

The Portuguese side still boasts the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and some of the best players in the world so they will be confident in getting all the points in this match.

Spain leads the group with 8 points, while Portugal has 7, so a win here takes them above their Iberian neighbours if they don’t win.

The Czechs know Switzerland will make life hard for Spain, and they could be relegated if they lose this game.

This game promises to be tough and the host will look to get back to winning ways and avenge the 2-0 loss they suffered in the first leg of this game.

Steelers Shut Down Pickett Rumors Despite Loss

Tags : NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
Category : American Sport , Football News

This wasn’t very surprising, but the entire world was anticipating a quarterback change in Pittsburgh. The Steelers just recently lost to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. It was a pretty good start offensively in the first half of the game, but they just forgot how to move the football in the second half of action. Fans have already been clamoring to bench Mitchell Trubisky in exchange for the rookie Kenny Pickett. The sluggish performance in the second half made everybody anticipate that change, but it never happened.

According to the team’s head coach Mike Tomlin, they didn’t even think about making the change. Reporters relentlessly asked him about the possibility of re-evaluating the position following their second straight loss. He had a simple answer for that, saying, “I’m not in that mindset, I’m interested in reviewing his tape and looking at the totality of it and figuring how we collectively get better. So, the answer to that question is definitively no.”

Steelers Need More From Trubisky

Trubisky threw for 109 yards and a touchdown while only missing on four out of his 13 total pass attempts in the first half. It looked like the Steelers were shaking it up and letting it fly early on in the contest. Unfortunately, they didn’t adjust in the second half in the slightest. Cleveland forced punts on four out of the Steelers five total drives in the second half. They scored only three points in the drive they didn’t punt in and lost by double digits. By the time the game finished, Trubisky completed 20 out of his 32 passes for only 207 yards and that sole touchdown.

Trubisky was targeting the sidelines heavily throughout the night. He completed nine out of 12 passes for 129 yards when throwing intermediate passes to the sidelines. He was only one for six when throwing the ball deep for just 36 total yards. The Browns clearly knew this pattern was happening and started to shut down the side of the field and forcing him to keep targeting the middle of the field. I think it’s safe to say that Pittsburgh will have to open the playbook up a little bit for him moving forward.

To wrap up his interview, Tomlin said, “I thought he made some plays but we all collectively came up short, and so that’s how we measure performance. Winning is our business and we didn’t handle business. So, we don’t break that apart and look for the feel-good.”

What do you guys think about the approach that Pittsburgh has been showing with their quarterback room? Does Trubisky deserve to keep pushing forward as the starter? Or does the rookie Pickett deserve his own opportunity to get out there and show the world what he can do? It’s a pretty difficult situation that is going to be covered quite a lot as the season progresses. I say that Pickett starts sometime this year, but it won’t be this upcoming week.

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MLB Picks – Astros Aim For Revenge Against Orioles

Tags : Baltimore Orioles Houston Astros MLB Predictions
Category : American Sport , Football News , MLB Predictions

MLB Predictions

Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles

Over/Under: 7.5

Odds: Astros -176, Orioles +148

Time: 7:05 PM ET

MLB Predictions

MLB Picks continues this week with the Houston Astros taking on the Baltimore Orioles. These two teams have met up twice in the last two days coming into this one, with Baltimore surprisingly winning both matchups by a combined 8-0. Now, some might think that the Orioles are going to blank Houston for a third straight time and get another win. The problem with that is that the Astros are still one of the best teams in the league. They aren’t going to be going down without a fight.

The Houston Astros are coming into this game with Framber Valdez starting on the mound here. Valdez has been one of the league’s better pitchers in the league with a 16-5 record to show for it. The last time he started for the Astros, he pitched six innings and allowed just two runs and four hits during the course of the game against the Oakland Athletics. His ERA for the season is at a stellar 2.52 and it’s helped him achieve his whopping 25 straight quality starts recorded. I mean, we literally haven’t seen this man start a game and not pitch for more than five innings in the contest.

On the other hand, the Baltimore Orioles will be sending out Mike Baumann. Baumann is making just the second start of the season for this team but in the games, he’s appeared in, he’s worked to a 1-3 overall record. The last time we got to see Baumann pitch, he threw for just 2.8 innings and gave up three hits and one run in that stretch. His stats aren’t that great though. He is pitching on a 4.29 ERA with opponents’ batting an average of .301 against him across 10 total games. Putting this up against an Astros batting lineup that has held onto a .245 batting average as a team might be a disaster for the Orioles.

MLB Picks Today

It’s hard to pick anybody but the Astros here for the MLB Picks. Houston has held onto one of the best batting lineups all season long to couple with their stellar pitching rotation that some consider to be the deepest in the MLB. Valdez has statistics that show him to be the best pitcher that will hit the mound this game. Meanwhile Baumann really hasn’t given us much in terms of holding his opponents from scoring. I like the value that the Astros are giving us against Baltimore. I find it hard to believe that the Astros are going to drop three straight games to this Orioles squad.

The total for this matchup is set at 7.5 runs scored. I believe the under looks better than the over here. Valdez isn’t going to allow Baltimore to get started off hot in this upcoming contest. His ridiculous arm talent is going to keep the Orioles from scoring runs for the entire time he’s out there. Baumann leaves this up in the air considering the batting average he’s allowing to opponents over the season. However, if he gets torched early on, he won’t be out there for long.

Final Pick: Astros 176

Over/Under Choice: Under 7.5

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NFL Picks – Undefeated Chiefs Take On Winless Colts

Tags : Indianapolis Colts Kansas City Chiefs NFL NFL Predictions
Category : American Sport , Football News , NFL Predictions

NFL Predictions

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts

Over/Under: 50.5

Odds: Chiefs –5.5, Colts +5.5

Time: 1:00 PM ET

NFL Predictions

NFL Picks continues with the Kansas City Chiefs going up against the floundering Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs are undefeated this season with back-to-back solid performances. Meanwhile, the Colts have looked like one of the worst teams in football, falling into a tie with the Houston Texans and a shutout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Who would have ever thought we would say that through two weeks?

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t look great in their last win, but that’s to their standards. This is still one of the hardest to beta teams in the NFL right now. Patrick Mahomes threw for 235 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 74 yards on a 9.3 yards per carry average. Defensively, the Chiefs didn’t do much that was impactful against the Los Angeles Chargers. They did come up with a HUGE 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, but it’s hard to bet that this is going to happen for a second straight week. For right now, it’s not a time to doubt the Chiefs.

Look, the Colts have some serious issues. It’s getting to the point where there is so many, I don’t know where to start. The Colts just got shut out by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Ryan threw for just 195 yards and three interceptions during the contest, and they only rushed the football 13 times. Jonathan Taylor had nine attempts for 54 yards, yet they stopped going to that well when it was clearly working. Honestly, you can’t blame the defense for keeping them in games that they deserve to get blown out in. This is all on the coaching staff and the offense. Any mistakes usually lead to points for the Chiefs and turning the football over has been a staple in the Colts offense so far this season.

NFL Picks Today

The spread has the Chiefs as the favorites for this game at –5.5 points. This is a pretty straightforward game to make a choice for. What we’ve seen from the Colts has been absolutely horrendous offensively. I just can’t see any way that they dominate time of possession and outscore the Chiefs in this game. Patrick Mahomes and this offense are going to come out firing, and you can bet on them capitalizing off of Indianapolis mistakes. For this game, I’m taking the Chiefs in this game with the points with a TON of confidence. The Colts have to show significantly more.

The total for this game is set at 50.5 points. Once again, I’m liking the over here. The Chiefs are a fantastic offense and has been for the past few years now. Couple this with the fact that the Colts keep turning the football over and are going to be without Shaquille Leonard due to a back injury, and you have yourselves a choice that feels like a guarantee.

Final Pick: Chiefs –5.5

Over/Under Choice: Over 50.5

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NFL Picks – Eagles Clash With Commanders

Tags : NFL NFL Predictions
Category : American Sport , Football News , NFL Predictions

NFL Predictions

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders

Over/Under: 47.5

Odds: Eagles –6.5, Commanders +6.5

Time: 1:00 PM ET

NFL Predictions

We enter into Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles squaring off with the Washington Commanders. The Eagles just picked up a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings in dominating fashion in prime time. Meanwhile, the Commanders crumbled under the pressure to a Detroit Lions team that is catching everybody off guard.

The Eagles are currently undefeated on the season with a 2-0 record to back it up. From what we’ve seen on the year, it’s been an excellent showing. Jalen Hurts is coming off of a game in which he threw for 333 yards, a touchdown and an interception while only missing on five passes. They pretty much got whatever they wanted against the Minnesota Vikings last week, beating them 24-7. Philadelphia has also averaged 470.5 yards per game and 31 points per game through the first two weeks of the 2022 regular season. Their defense didn’t look good in the season opener but Darius Slay just grabbed two interceptions while shadowing Justin Jefferson last week in a lockdown performance.

As for the Commanders, they’ve been an interesting team to follow. Carson Wentz has shown flashes of potentially being a wonderful addition to this team, and then other times he looks like he just doesn’t belong. They were just stomped throughout the entire first half of their last game against the Detroit Lions, and their rally in the second half wasn’t enough. The problem that I keep seeing is the lack of a run game. For example, Antonio Gibson took 14 carries and mustered only 28 yards and a touchdown. You can’t expect to win games by ignoring the run game and leaving it all up for Carson Wentz to make something happen.

NFL Picks Today

Given how the first two games have gone for each of these teams so far in 2022, I believe this is going to be a higher scoring game. These are division rivals that are familiar with one another, and usually end up scoring a good chunk of points against one another every time they face off. With Hurts and the Eagles averaging over 30 points per game and the Commanders allowing roughly 30 points per game, points will be aplenty. When it comes down to selecting a winner for this matchup, I have to roll with Philadelphia for NFL Picks. I have the utmost confidence in this Eagles offense from what I’ve seen so far, and the Commanders are just far too inconsistent with Wentz to know what they are going to do week in and week out.

The total for the contest is set at 47.5 at the moment. I have faith that this is going to be a game where each team gets onto the board early and often. However, division games are usually always difficult to predict every time they meet one another. In the end though, the over should be the one to cash out.

Final Pick: Eagles –6.5

Over/Under Choice: Over 47.5

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Day: September 24, 2022

Czech Republic vs Portugal Match Preview

Steelers Shut Down Pickett Rumors Despite Loss

Steelers Need More From Trubisky

MLB Picks – Astros Aim For Revenge Against Orioles

MLB Predictions

MLB Picks Today

NFL Picks – Undefeated Chiefs Take On Winless Colts

NFL Predictions

NFL Picks Today

NFL Picks – Eagles Clash With Commanders

NFL Predictions

NFL Picks Today

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