NFL
L.A. Rams- The Rams keep rolling. Their defense continues to rattle offenses with All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald at the helm. The offense continues to score just enough to win games thanks to the solid and steady play of starting quarterback Case Keenum and wide-out Tavon Austin. Austin also returned a punt for 47 yards with less than three minutes to play to set up the Rams offense to score the go-ahead touchdown for the win. With their 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 2, Los Angeles resides at the top of the standings with a 3-1 record. The Rams will be home this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in a matchup of eerily similar teams.
Player of the Week: DT Aaron Donald: 4 Solo Tackles, 5 Total Tackles, 1.5 Sack
MLB
L.A. Dodgers– The Dodgers ended the regular season in a losing fashion and bid farewell to one of the premier legends of baseball. October baseball makes its way to Tinseltown. Unfortunately, the Dodgers do not have momentum going into their NL Divisional round series matchup against the NL East champions Washington Nationals. Following a sweep at the hands of division rival San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles needs to quickly figure out their offensive struggles, especially against lefty-pitching, as soon as possible. To take advantage of this, the Nationals may send out left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez in game two and five in the best of five series. On a bittersweet note, the Dodgers also bid farewell to the legend Vin Scully as he retired from broadcasting as the Dodgers voice, sharing his final moments with all-time great Willie Mays.
MVP of regular season: Third baseman Justin Turner: .275 BA AVG, 27 HR, 3 3B, 34 2B, 90 RBI, 4 SB
L.A. Angels– Despite a frustrating 2016, the Angels capped the season with a promising 8-2 record in their last 10 games. The offseason will bring challenges concerning the plans to improve the team during the winter. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia plans for the team to look for more external options in order to upgrade the roster and get his team back in contention. As a team that has struggled the past couple of years with pitching depth, uncertainty surrounds the once-aces in Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. Weaver, once a fan favorite, struggled the past two seasons with injuries and inconsistency. On the other hand, Wilson flat-out failed to take the mound, derailed by numerous injuries. Weaver has expressed desire to return to Los Angeles but it seems unlikely the Angels have mutual interest.
MVP of regular season: Outfielder Mike Trout: .315 BA AVG, 29 HR, 5 3B, 32 2B, 100 RBI, 30 SB
