Matt’s Take: Football season has arrived; Reds playing good ball

By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist

The leaves are falling, I’m continuing to have to sweep my pool, the nights are getting chillier, and the smell of chili shall soon feel my home.  

Couch rotting shall soon occur, as football season is here. My entire mental state is on the line week after week and in the hands of Zac Taylor. Now, that’s scary.  

However, this year feels different, as it feels like the urgency is there and the defense should be improved for the Bengals. This city is desperate for another run, and there is nothing more that I want to see than Burrow playing healthy football with a reliable defense. The time to take that step is now and the front office has made the urgency for winning right now very clear.  

I’m ready, but I am not sure if my voice box or blood pressure is.  

There are zero Sundays left without football and oddly enough, the first game of the NFL season begins this Wednesday. 

While I have written about the upcoming Bengals game enough, here is my entire slate of game predictions for week one:

Rams beat the 49ers
Bengals beat the Bucs
Steelers beat the Falcons
Colts beat the Ravens
Texans beat the Bills
Panthers beat the Bears
Jaguars beat the Browns
Lions beat the Saints
Jets beat the Titans
Chargers beat the Cardinals
Packers beat the Vikings
Dolphins beat the Raiders
Cowboys beat the Giants
Chiefs beat the Broncos.

* * *
Reds playing good baseball

Of course, after the Reds are out of any chance at all of making the playoffs, they begin to play good baseball. Maybe a tough schedule is good for them, what do I know?  

As frustrating as the season has been, I am enjoying every second we have left of baseball this year – as I am a firm believer that there will be a holdout due to collective bargaining in 2027.  

Regardless, I hope to see Sal Stewart continue to play well enough to take home the Rookie of the Year trophy and I hope to see this organization get rid of Nick Krall immediately. It’s time for someone new to make the decisions, and I’d love to find someone who is open and communicates frequently with its fans.  

This organization lacks accountability and it’s time to bring someone in who would’ve never done such a deal as trading for Ke’Bryan Hayes.  

The Reds currently have 69 wins and 74 losses. They have 19 games remaining with series upcoming against the Dodgers, Brewers, Dodgers, Cubs, Braves and Blue Jays. I don’t see this team making it back to .500, but I would certainly like to see a magical run.  

The best part, however, of being out of the race has been Terry Francona playing young players more than he would have. Hector Rodrigues has gotten really comfortable at the plate and in the field. Edwin Arroyo has gotten another shot – although it hasn’t been pretty. Over these next 19 games, it’s time to see who is going to be a contributor in 2027 – and no, it is not TJ Friedl. Securing an outfield that can mesh on defense and hit far better than TJ Friedl is a must.  

Is McLain playing well enough to secure his spot at second for yet another year? Is Stephenson that valuable to this team? At what point do you stop running it back? These are all good questions that I am afraid these questions become muddier if the Reds continue to play good baseball to end the year.