Jets show life, beat Texans behind Garrett Wilson's all-time catch; NFL, college football picks this weekend

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...

GARRETT WILSON AND THE NEW YORK JETS

For the Jets to dig out of their considerable early-season hole, they're going to need some extraordinary efforts. Thursday, Garrett Wilson delivered one, and a vintage Aaron Rodgers-to-Davante Adams connection did the rest in a much-needed 21-13 win over the Texans. It snaps the Jets' five-game losing streak.

Wilson made two one-handed touchdown catches, the second of which is among the best catches you'll ever see, a leaping one-handed stab that seemed impossible until replay review proved he had indeed done the impossible. It gave the Jets a 14-10 lead.
Then, on a third-and-3 late in the game, Adams cooked Jalen Pitre off the line, and Rodgers put it on him perfectly for a 37-yard touchdown.
Rodgers in the second half when targeting Wilson/Adams: 10 for 11 for 147 yards, three touchdowns, perfect 158.3 passer rating

The defense, meanwhile, was excellent, limiting C.J. Stroud to 11-for-30 passing (a career-worst) for 191 yards. Houston's offensive line remains a mess in pass protection -- Stroud took a career-high eight sacks -- and Stroud deserves his fair share of blame. Not having Nico Collins nor Stefon Diggs on a short week made things even more challenging. I'm concerned about Houston's offense, but not officially worried yet. Collins being back next week will help immensely.

Long story short, the Jets absolutely needed that one. At 3-6, there's still a long, long uphill climb, but this is a flicker of hope that could turn into something more.

👍 Honorable mentions

Karl-Anthony Towns is settling in with the Knicks.
Joel Embiid (knee) could make his season debut tomorrow.
Ja Morant had a triple-double, including an assist while sitting on the ground.
Here's Colin Ward-Henninger's NBA Power Rankings after one week.
Here's Chris Trapasso's NFL midseason all-rookie team.
Kevin Garnett is launching a 3-on-3 streetball tour.
These are the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach semifinalists for the 2025 class.
Unrivaled is expanding.
The Hannah Hidalgo/Olivia Miles backcourt at Notre Dame is going to be "Fast and Furious."
The Sun Belt conference tournament format is wild, and I love it.
"The Match" is moving forward with celebrities and non-golf athletes.
Bob Costas retired from MLB play-by-play.
Manchester United reached a deal with Ruben Amorim (who?). He'll take over later this month.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

Is LeBron James (finally) declining?
Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs left Dak Prescott out of their conversation of top-five quarterbacks.
Lamar Jackson (back, knee) missed his second straight practice.
Tua Tagovailoa called out critics after his mishandled snap.
Allen Lazard (chest) is on IR.
Teams are monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo's potential trade availability amid the Bucks' slow start.
Paolo Banchero (oblique) is out indefinitely.
Sabrina Ionescu tore a ligament in her shooting hand during the WNBA Finals.
Alex Kirilloff retired after numerous injuries.

🏈 NFL Week 9 picks: NFC North lead on the line again

Two weeks ago, the Lions handed the Vikings their first loss of the season and took the NFC North lead. But in this historically strong division, there's no rest for the weary, and the Lions (6-1) look to keep that lead this weekend when they visit the Packers (6-2), who look like they'll have Jordan Love. John Breech says ...

Breech: "This game is at Lambeau Field, which I'm only bringing up because this week's game will mark the FIRST TIME all season that the Lions will be playing outdoors. ... They're playing so well right now that I'm not sure it's going to matter. The Lions are coming off a game where they scored 52 points, they're averaging 38.4 points over their past five games and they have MORE TOUCHDOWNS (25) than incomplete passes (20) since Week 3. The pick: Lions 30-23 over Packers"

Also in that late-afternoon window is Bears-Cardinals and Rams-Seahawks (which Will Brinson has a best bet on), so expect some great action all the way through Sunday evening. Here are our expert picks:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

The CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter went 1-2 last week, with gut-punch losses by the Dolphins and Bears giving us our first losing week all season. Still, we're 16-6 on the year overall, and this weekend we'll go ...

Browns over Chargers
Eagles over Jaguars
Vikings over Colts

🏈 College football Week 10 preview: Can Penn State get over hump vs. Ohio State?

Something must give in No.4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State. The Buckeyes are 2-6 vs. top-five teams under Ryan Day. The Nittany Lions are 1-12 vs. top-five teams under James Franklin and losers of seven straight vs. Ohio State.

This is a big one, the latest in a series of big ones this season. It's the fifth matchup between top-five teams already; there was only one such regular-season game last year. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (lower body) will be a game-time decision, and Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard will hope to avoid getting beat up behind an iffy offensive line going against one of the nation's most fearsome pass rushes. In The Six Pack of best bets, Tom Fornelli says ...

Fornelli: "To put it as kindly as possible, the Buckeyes' offensive line looked bad against Nebraska. ... Well, Penn State's defensive line is a lot better than Nebraska's, and I have a tough time seeing a scenario where the Ohio State offensive line rallies enough to hold Abdul Carter and company at bay. I'm well aware of Franklin's history against Ohio State, and while it terrifies me, the fact is I have more confidence in the Penn State offense than Ohio State's at the moment. The Pick: Penn State +3.5 (-115)"

Speaking of Penn State's offense, this is offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's big shot, Dennis Dodd writes. Here's our full preview.

The Keystone State is involved in both ranked-vs.-ranked games this weekend, with No. 18 Pittsburgh facing No. 20 SMU (preview) in what's becoming a wild ACC race. Brandon Marcello details a fantastic start for SMU in its first year in a new conference.

November features plenty of massive games in the College Football Playoff race, and this weekend's slate is a perfect way to kick off a crucial month. Here's more:

Week 10 preview
Previews: No. 1 Oregon at Michigan | No. 2 Georgia vs. Florida (which starts a key stretch for Billy Napier's job status) | No. 10 Texas A&M at South Carolina
Criteria the CFP Selection Committee will use for next week's reveal

⚾ MLB offseason: What's next for Dodgers, Yankees, plus top free agents

We're under 48 hours into the MLB offseason and we already have a notable trade as well as early odds for next year's World Series champs.

Dodgers (+400)
Yankees (+700)
Braves (+750)
Phillies (+1000)
Orioles (+1100)

It's no surprise the Dodgers are on top. They've been excellent for years, and, as Matt Snyder writes, this might be the start of even higher dynastic reaches.

The pitching staff could include Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May all returning from injury to join Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman (who won World Series MVP despite playing through even more injuries than we thought and is quietly piecing together one of the best decades ever) lead a loaded lineup.
There's a terrific, opportunistic front office willing and able to spend.
The player development is second to none.

Yeah, the Dodgers are sitting pretty. The Yankees, meanwhile, have big calls to make this offseason.

The biggest, of course, is Juan Soto. He says the Yankees don't have an inherent advantage, so this could be a wild winter. He's the no-doubt No. 1 in R.J. Anderson's top 25 free agents. Here's the top five:

OF Juan Soto
RHP Corbin Burnes
3B Alex Bregman
LHP Blake Snell
LHP Max Fried

R.J. has potential landing spots for all 25 players.

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🏒 Panthers vs. Stars (in Finland), 1 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Magic at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 San Diego State at No. 15 Boise State, 8 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Nuggets at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏒 Stars vs. Panthers (in Finland), 11 a.m. on NHL Network
🏈 No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State, noon on Fox
🏈 Duke at No. 5 Miami, noon on ABC
🏈 No. 19 Ole Miss at Arkansas, noon on ESPN
🏈 Air Force at No. 21 Army, noon on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 1 Oregon at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Florida at No. 2 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Texas Tech at No. 11 Iowa State, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 10 Texas A&M at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Louisville at No. 11 Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 18 Pittsburgh at No. 20 SMU, 8 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Heat vs. Wizards (in Mexico City), 9:30 p.m. on NBA TV

Sunday

🏈 Dolphins at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Broncos at Ravens, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Cowboys at Falcons, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bears at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Lions at Packers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Rams at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Colts at Vikings, 8:20 p.m. on CBS