Monday Merge: More JT and More Football

Sports and poker. Poker and sports. While the “Is poker a sport?” debate is an endless endeavor with no true answer in sight, Poker Central is blending the two together. At the start of each week, the “Monday Merge” fuses sports and poker, drawing loose comparisons, and even looser transitions, between the only two things we really care about.

What a year, @JustinThomas34!!!

JT is your 2016-17 #FedExCup Champion! ?? pic.twitter.com/eFaqQ0tU0q

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 24, 2017

Over the course of the now defunct “Morning Perk” series and the newly implemented “Monday Merge” series, we’ve probably talked about golf a dozen times. Of those dozen golf references, close to ten have revolved around Justin Thomas, who capped off a spectacular season with a runner-up finish at the TOUR Championship to claim the FedEx Cup Championship. That FedEx Cup win brings with it a massive bonus and likely confirms that the top golfers in the world are all young friends who are showing no sign of slowing down.

United. pic.twitter.com/5rQI3G6oMb

— OAKLAND RAIDERS (@RAIDERS) September 25, 2017

If we are going to talk about the National Football League this week, we’re going to have to briefly address the elephant in the room. Across the league, players from multiple organizations knelt, sat, stretched, or stayed inside during the national anthem. Those demonstrations drew more attention than some of Sunday’s biggest games, plays, and story lines, but we’re not going to let that happen here.

The @Chiefs are 3-0! #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/lK7z2lsbOk

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2017

One of those story lines, is the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are one of only two teams that survived Week 3 with their undefeated records intact. The other team that is still 3-0, the Atlanta Falcons, who barely escaped in Week 1 and then again, this past week in Detroit. The Chiefs haven’t had to escape through the first month of the season, as they’ve beaten three solid teams, including the defending Super Bowl champions, and look like the best team in football.

.@OBJ_3 ONLY NEEDS ONE HAND. ??????

Wait until you see this replay. Incredible. #GiantsPride pic.twitter.com/ITqQPFpSUX

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2017

A team that hasn’t looked good, let alone even close to the best through the first three weeks, the New York Giants. Through the first ten quarters of their 2017 season, their offense looked junior varsity at best. That all changed when Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. started connecting in Philadelphia though. The circus catch specialist recorded another early in the 4^th quarter of their division tie, but the only thing better than a one-handed catch the tie the game, is a 61-yard field goal to win the game.

61 yards. An #Eagles franchise record. What a moment for Jake Elliott! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/F4qp10FMs1

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 24, 2017

That’s what Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott did and what sent me into a spiral of depression throughout the rest of my NFL Sunday.