The Birds appeared well on their way to a 2-0 start before an ugly collapse late against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. After a Saquon Barkley drop kept Atlanta’s hopes alive, Kirk Cousins and Co. marched down the field with ease for a game-winning touchdown inside the final minute.

Now, Nick Sirianni’s team will enter a tough road environment to face the NFL‘s hottest offense through two weeks in the New Orleans Saints. Following a 47-10 Week 1 rout of the Carolina Panthers, Derek Carr and the Saints went into Jerry World and hung a 40-burger on the Dallas Cowboys in a stunning 44-19 blowout.

Carr has played like an MVP candidate so far, boasting a 142.4 quarterback rating with five touchdowns, one pick and a 76.9 completion percentage. And star running back Alvin Kamara already has five total touchdowns while gaining 5.7 yards per carry.

So can the Eagles’ defense contain Carr, Kamara and the Saints’ offense enough to leave the Big Easy with a win? Or will the Birds fly back to Philly below .500?

Here’s how to watch Eagles-Saints in Week 3:

When do the Eagles play next?

The Eagles will battle the Saints on Sunday, Sept. 22.

What time does the Eagles vs. Saints game start?

Kickoff from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans is set for 1 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the Eagles vs. Saints game on?

Eagles-Saints will air on Fox.

How to stream the Eagles vs. Saints game live

The game will also be available to stream on FoxSports.com, the Fox Sports app, NFL.com and the NFL app.

How to watch pregame, postgame coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC10

Eagles-Saints coverage will begin on NBC10 at 9:30 a.m. ET with Eagles Game Day Kickoff. Then head over to NBC Sports Philadelphia at 11:30 a.m. for Birds Huddle: Game Day followed by Eagles Pregame Live.

After Eagles-Saints ends, switch back over to NBC Sports Philadelphia for Eagles Postgame Live.

Following the Houston Texans’ 19-13 home win over the Chicago Bears, C.J. Stroud caught up with Caleb Williams on the field and offered advice to the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.

But the interaction went viral on social media as some fans pointed out Williams’ apparent disinterest in the talk due to his body language.

Stroud, who was mic’d up for the game, on Wednesday clarified his intentions on his conversation with Williams.

“I was not trying to little bro him or anything,” Stroud said. “He knows that, too. I have a ton of respect for him. I had so many guys coming to me after games last year and that meant the world to me that those guys even thought about giving me advice.

“So, I just try to give back to what the game is giving me. So, I wish him the best man. I want him to do amazing in this league. I think he will.”

Williams was asked about the talk after the game Sunday, to which he answered: “We shook hands at the end of the game. That was about it.”

Stroud had told the USC product “good job out there,” and to “stop taking those hits” after Williams was sacked seven times while being hit 11 times.

As Williams tried to walk away, Stroud pulled him back into the interaction and said, “Come here. Learn from those mistakes. And everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You’re going to be a hell of a player in this league.”

Stroud explained Wednesday he didn’t feel Williams took the moment in a negative way.

“I don’t think he was trying to be any type of way [toward me], he was just upset that they lost,” Stroud said. “I totally understand. So, I have a ton of respect for that guy, man.”

Packers star Jordan Love returned to practice Wednesday, twelve days after suffering an apparent MCL injury in the team’s season opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

Love’s expected timetable to return was initially slated to be between three-to-six weeks, but his limited participation in Green Bay’s routines could suggest an earlier comeback is on the cards.

Green Bay, 1-1, heads to Tennessee Sunday to take on Will Levis and the 0-2 Titans. Love, who in practice wore a protective brace covered by a sleeve that extended almost his whole leg, said he’d still want medical clearance before heading back on the field.

In the 25-year-old’s absence during Week 2’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts, recently acquired Malik Willis stepped up and helped Green Bay to a narrow 16-10 win. Willis completed 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown and no picks.

If Love cannot play Sunday, Willis would take the field against the team who drafted him in the third round in 2022, then flipped him for a seventh-rounder this past offseason from Green Bay. But Willis isn’t looking at the matchup as a potential revenge game.

“No, I could care less, man,” Willis said Wednesday. “I think I got paid the whole time I was there. I’m more than blessed for the opportunities given me. They brought me into this league, whether those guys are there or not. That organization, they took a shot on me. … They did a great job by me.”

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They’re a team in a four-year playoff drought, the organization’s longest since 1989-90 to 1993-94, when it went five straight seasons without a postseason berth. They’re still considered a rebuilding club in transition. After all, the general manager and head coach used phrases like “a long ways to go” and “a ways away” at their end-of-the-season press conferences in April.

But, at least on paper, the Flyers look like they have more answers now compared to this time a year ago.

Up front, Matvei Michkov is here, Tyson Foerster has established himself as an NHLer and Bobby Brink is no longer a training camp dark horse.

On the back end, Jamie Drysdale and Erik Johnson are in the picture unlike the start of last season, Egor Zamula is firmly a Flyer and Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy, vying for his first regular-season opener with the club.

And the goaltending tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov appears set for at least the start of the season unless something unforeseen happens.

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

On Day 1 of 2023 training camp, John Tortorella called the Flyers “a land of opportunity.”

Is that still the case this time around?

“There are definitely some guys that are going to be pushing for spots,” general manager Danny Briere said Tuesday. “Nobody can be too comfortable.

“The exciting part is we’re a young group, still developing, still trying to figure out how far we can push it.”

Assistant general manager Brent Flahr echoed that sentiment.

“We’re not a five-year Stanley Cup-running team,” he said Sunday. “We have some competition and guys are aware they’re going to have to battle for jobs here going forward as some of the younger players kind of step in.”

More: Flyers release 2024 training camp roster and schedule

Briere mentioned Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard, Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind as forwards who could make things interesting. Lycksell played 18 games for the Flyers last season and had 38 points in 39 games for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Richard played nine games for the Bruins last season and put up 55 AHL goals over the past two years. Abols and Eklind are both 6-foot-4 and were very effective in the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league.

Last year, Foerster and Brink won jobs out of camp. This year, spots don’t seem as wide open.

“Those two young guys played so well, we made room for them,” Briere said. “Going into this year, and that’s going to be the key for players including Tyson and Bobby, they have to know that nothing’s a lock. They still have to push ahead and not take anything for granted.”

On defense, the Flyers have four pieces 25 years old or younger who will be knocking on the door. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning experienced the Flyers’ playoff race last season. Emil Andrae opened the year with the big club and the Flyers really like the 22-year-old’s makeup. Hunter McDonald is a “throwback” who has a chance to make his NHL debut at some point this season.

Briere didn’t rule out the Flyers carrying eight defensemen to open the regular season. The Flyers definitely have seven that will be tough to unseat.

Undeniably, though, the Flyers’ biggest storyline entering camp is Michkov, the 19-year-old top prospect who arrived two years ahead of schedule. The Flyers will temper expectations but he absolutely changes their dynamic.

“I can’t wait to see how he’s going to create offense,” Briere said. “I think his brain is pretty special and he’s going to adapt, but it might not be instant, he might need time to adapt.

“We have our own expectation, we expect to have a team that’s going to compete. Hopefully players individually get a little better than they were last year. I don’t have a lot of expectation for Matvei. What I hope is for him to figure out how he can take the first step and get better as a player, as the season goes on. I’m realistic, it’s going to be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world, it’s a big step, it’s not going to be easy.”

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Teams carry 26 players in the postseason, same as they do from April through August before rosters expand to 28 for September.

In October, teams carry either 13 position players and 13 pitchers or 14 position players and 12 pitchers. Most opt for the additional arm, the 13-13 split, but the Phillies appear more likely to go with 14 position players and 12 pitchers, especially in the Best-of-5 Divisional Round.

J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs, Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas are 11 locks among position players.

Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Carlos Estevez, Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Jose Ruiz are 11 locks among pitchers.

That’s 22 of 26, leaving four roster spots total for Austin Hays, Weston Wilson, Cal Stevenson, Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy among position players, plus pitchers Taijuan Walker, Kolby Allard, Tyler Gilbert, Max Lazar and potentially Spencer Turnbull.

You look at the list of pitchers and wonder whether any of them would serve an actual role in a seven-game series, much less a five-game series. Walker, Allard, Gilbert or Lazar would only appear if a game is lopsided or extends deep into extra innings. Having two pitchers from that group on the postseason roster would seem redundant, especially with off-days leading up to the NLDS and after Games 2 and 4.

In contrast, the extra position player allows for a bit more managerial strategy and likely a platoon advantage in one more plate appearance per night. In the postseason when every at-bat counts, that could matter.

On Monday night in Milwaukee, Thomson pinch-hit the right-handed Kennedy for the lefty-hitting Stevenson in the seventh inning against a southpaw. The Brewers countered by bringing in right-hander Colin Rea and Thomson responded by replacing Kennedy with left-handed-hitting Clemens, who lined out.

It was a three-player move, the kind you might not be able to make with just four extra position players rather than five.

Hays, if healthy, will likely be on the NLDS roster. He hasn’t hit righties but he’s hit .350 this season against lefties. He’ll meet the Phillies at Citi Field on Thursday and go through a full workout before the team determines where he continues his rehab. The kidney infection that has sidelined him since September 1 is out of his system, Thomson said.

Wilson has been such an important piece against lefties that he, too, seems to have an inside track to a roster spot, especially since he can play both the infield and outfield. Hays’ presence would complicate the picture for Wilson and require the Phillies to carry the 14th position player for the sake of having a lefty bat on the bench (Clemens or Stevenson).

Estevez, Hoffman, Strahm and Kerkering are the Phillies’ core four leverage relievers. Alvarado, Banks and Ruiz are likelier to enter in the fourth, fifth or sixth inning after a short start. But even in the event of a short start, Thomson said he’d feel comfortable using one of his key relievers for more than one inning.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” he said before Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers. “You’ve got the days off so you can push them a little bit, one-plus a guy. Strahm’s able to do it, Hoffman’s able to do it. Alvarado. Kerkering’s done it. A lot of guys have done it, maybe not lately, but I’m confident they’ll be able to do it again.”

Turnbull is in Clearwater trying to work his way back to the bigs. He’s been out since June 26 with a lat strain. Even if he’s not ready for the NLDS, which begins October 5, he could potentially be in play later in the month if the Phillies advance.

Turnbull threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Tuesday in Florida.

“We’re just trying to figure out what to do with him next,” Thomson said, “whether it’s another simulated game or an actual game at Lehigh.”

The Triple A season ends for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday, so time is running out to get Turnbull or Hays into a game there. If they can’t, they’d either continue their work in Clearwater or back north in Philly.

Because the Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday, their injury report was an estimation. But Brown was listed as a non-participant with a hamstring injury he suffered last week. Brown missed the loss to the Falcons on Monday Night Football.

And now Brown’s status for Week 3 against the Saints is definitely in doubt.

ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters said during Monday night’s broadcast that she talked to Brown and he expected to “miss a couple weeks.” After the Eagles play the Saints in Week 3, they play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay in Week 4 before an early Week 5 bye.

There’s no doubt that the Eagles missed Brown in their 22-21 loss to the Falcons at the Linc on Monday.

“Any time you lose a player like A.J. Brown, it’s going to affect you,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “But again, I thought the efficiency of the offense wasn’t as good as we needed it to be in the red zone, but the guys that had to step up and make plays in the absence of A.J. did a good job.”

During his first two seasons with the Eagles, Brown has been a two-time Pro Bowler and has had over 1,400 yards receiving in each season. He’s one of the best receivers in the NFL; of course they missed him.

Without Brown, the Eagles’ top receivers in terms of snaps were DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. After that, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson and Parris Campbell filled in. Smith had 7 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. The others had 7 catches for 29 yards (Covey had 6 for 23 and Dotson had 1 for 6).

Wilson was able to play on Monday night after entering Monday listed as questionable with a hamstring injury of his own. Wilson was the only other player listed as DNP on Wednesday afternoon.

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One of the worst teams in the NHL last season, the Blue Jackets must find a way to move forward with a new general manager and new coach and with a huge void left on and off the ice by the death of the 31-year-old Gaudreau.

“There’s a lot of weight on our shoulders right now,” said Sean Monahan, who signed with Columbus July 1 because he wanted to play alongside Gaudreau again. They were teammates and best friends during eight seasons together playing for Calgary.

“I’ll miss him the rest of my life,” said a somber Monahan, who will dress next to Gaudreau’s empty stall in the Blue Jackets locker room.

Captain Boone Jenner said coping with Gaudreau’s death is “the new reality” for the Blue Jackets.

“To say we know exactly what to do, I don’t think that’s fair,” said Jenner, who’s in his 12th season in Columbus. “I don’t think there’s a playbook out there for this situation and what has happened. And that’s OK. I think we’re going to learn and lean on each other as we go on.”

Gaudreau was killed along with his brother Matthew on Aug. 29 when they were hit by a car driven by an alleged impaired driver while bicycling near their hometown in Oldsman Township, New Jersey.

This is the team’s second camp in recent years that follows the offseason death of a player. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 of chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast at the wedding of an assistant coach’s daughter.

The Blue Jackets will have their first day on the ice on Thursday with a new coach, Dean Evason, and the new general manager who hired him, Don Waddell.

Defenseman Zach Werenski, another longtime Blue Jacket, said the players are eager to get back to work.

“It’s been some tough stuff that’s going on the last couple of weeks, but I think we’re excited for it,” Werenski said. “Just keep playing hockey again and, doing what we love to do and doing it together.”

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Waddell said there will be counseling and other services available for players who may have a tough time making sense of playing hockey after Gaudreau’s death.

“The guys know Johnny would want us to go play hockey,” said Waddell, who was hired to replace Jarmo Kekalainen, who was the longest-tenured general manager in the history of the franchise when he was fired in February.

On the ice, the Blue Jackets are in serious need of some stability.

Injuries, bad luck and mismanagement have knocked Columbus off track in the past few seasons, despite Gaudreau’s 74- and 60-point efforts in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively.

Last season under coach Pascal Vincent, the Blue Jackets finished last in the Metropolitan Division and out of the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Columbus plays its first preseason game at Buffalo on Sept. 23 and opens the regular season Oct. 10 at Minnesota, the team that fired Evason after 19 games last season.

“Everybody’s juices are going,” Evason said. “And we’re excited about getting on the ice and actually implementing what we want to do as a coaching staff, to start the process of establishing our structure, our work ethic.”

The final day of the 2024 MLB regular season is less than two weeks away as the playoff push kicks into high-gear.

Between now and the last day of the regular season, a dozen clubs will officially book a trip to the postseason for a chance to compete for this year’s World Series title.

As the playoff field takes shape, here’s everything you need to know about the postseason:

How many games are in an MLB season?

The MLB regular season sees each team play 162 games.

When does the MLB season end?

The final day of the 2024 regular season is Sunday, Sept. 29.

When do the MLB playoffs start?

Just two days after the regular season wraps up, the postseason will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

How many teams make the MLB playoffs?

A total of 12 teams — six from each league — make the postseason.

How many wild cards are in the MLB playoffs?

The playoff field in each league consists of three division winners and three wild-card teams.

What teams have made the MLB playoffs so far?

The Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Central for a third time in four years, becoming the first team to qualify for the 2024 playoffs.

How do the MLB playoffs work?

The MLB playoff format seeds teams 1-6 in each league, with the three division winners making up the top three seeds followed by the three wild-card teams. The top two seeds in each league receive a bye to the Division Series.

The remaining four teams in each league compete in a best-of-three Wild Card Series where the higher-seeded team has home-field advantage for all three games. The matchups are No. 3 vs. No. 6 (third-best division winner vs. third-best wild-card team) and No. 4 vs. No. 5 (best wild-card team vs. second-best wild-card team).

Do the MLB playoffs reseed?

There is no reseeding in the MLB playoffs, meaning the top seed in each league will face the winner of the 4-5 matchup in the Division Series, while the No. 2 seed draws the winner of the 3-6 matchup.

How many games are in an MLB playoff series?

The Wild Card Series has a best-of-three format where the higher seed hosts all three games. The Division Series is best of five with a 2-2-1 format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.

Both the League Championship Series and the World Series have a best-of-seven, 2-3-2 format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.

What’s the MLB playoff schedule?

Here’s a breakdown of the tentative dates for the first three rounds of the postseason:

Wild Card Series: Oct. 1-3

Division Series: Oct. 5-12

League Championship Series: Oct. 13-22

When does the World Series start?

The World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 25 and a potential Game 7 is slated for Saturday, Nov. 2.

The team benched the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick just two games into his second season. New head coach Dave Canales will now turn to veteran backup Andy Dalton to turn things around after the 0-2 Panthers were outscored 73-13 to open the year.

Young — and his situation in Carolina — is a cautionary tale. Even the most promising college players don’t always pan out in the NFL. It’s costly for coaches and front office members to realize their instincts failed, but it’s even more devastating for the athletes who have pro potential but fall short of expectations.

In light of Bryce Young’s benching, let’s examine some of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers (2023, No. 1 overall pick)

Young broke precedent by winning the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback of his size at Alabama. The NFL proved to be a different beast, though, as he went just 2-14 as a rookie starter in 2023. His sophomore campaign got off to an even more disastrous start, as he threw zero touchdowns and three interceptions across two blowout losses before getting benched by Dalton.

There is plenty of blame to go around in Carolina, but Young has simply not shown the athletic flashes that made propelled him to the top of the draft.

While Carolina may be cutting its Young era short, it will feel the impact of the pick for years to come. Not only did the team ship out their top weapon in D.J. Moore, trade the pick that turned into Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and pass on C.J. Stroud — they had to send out the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears. Chicago used that pick on Caleb Williams, and the team will still inherit Carolina’s 2025 second-rounder, which could very well be in the top 35 overall if Carolina’s struggles continue.

Not all hope is lost for Bryce Young. As Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are currently proving, former top picks can still find their footing with the right team.

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Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets (2021, No. 2 overall pick)

Despite some spectacular throws in college and the pre-draft process, Zach Wilson’s talent hasn’t translated to the NFL.

The New York Jets relegated Zach Wilson to the bench in 2023 by bringing in Aaron Rodgers, but Rodgers’ torn Achilles minutes into his team debut catapulted Wilson right back into a starting role.

While Wilson and Young had similar on-field impacts, the Jets’ selection is not nearly as bad as the Panthers’. For one, the Jets did not give up assets to acquire Wilson, as they took him with their own No. 2 overall pick instead of trading up. This set the Jets up with more assets to bring in Rodgers as Wilson’s replacement and trade Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a late-round pick ahead of the 2024 draft.

Additionally, the Jets weren’t the only ones to fall victim to the 2021 QB class …

Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers (2021, No. 3 overall pick)

The San Francisco 49ers took a home run swing by taking the inexperienced Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Not only did the 49ers make the selection a year after he played just one game amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They dealt three first-round picks to do so, moving from No. 12 in the 2021 draft to No. 3.

Lance mostly got to sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo his first two years, making four starts in that time. However, following injuries to Garoppolo and Lance during Lance’s second season, the 49ers turned to “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy and haven’t looked back. Now with the Dallas Cowboys, Lance is still awaiting a chance to break out in the NFL.

JaMarcus Russell, QB, Oakland Raiders (2007, No. 1 overall pick)

Now we’re getting to some undisputed NFL draft disasters.

JaMarcus Russell’s collegiate career at LSU was undeniable. He entered as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, making his way to the Oakland Raiders – but only for a limited time.

His downfall started before he ever took the field, as he missed training camp as a rookie due to contract issues. The QB signed a six-year deal, but between questionable fitness, interceptions and a notorious blank DVD story, Russell lasted just three years in the NFL and went down as perhaps the biggest draft bust in NFL history.

Ryan Leaf, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (1998, No. 2 overall pick)

When Ryan Leaf began his career, he was the potential top pick before going second overall in the draft. He never found a spark with the San Diego Chargers, though, tossing two touchdowns to 15 interceptions his rookie season.

The Chargers moved on from Leaf after the 2000 season and he played three games with the Cowboys in 2001 before calling it a career. Leaf’s final NFL statline featured 14 passing touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 4-17 record as a starter.

Making matters worse? The Chargers selected Leaf right after the Indianapolis Colts took Peyton Manning with the first overall pick in the 1998 draft.

Trent Richardson, RB, Cleveland Browns (2012, No. 3 overall pick)

Trent Richardson’s NFL career only lasted three years, and yet two teams spent first-round picks on him.

The running back started as the third overall draft pick in 2012 and was considered one of the best running back prospects since Adrian Peterson. Richardson scored 12 touchdowns in his rookie year, and the Colts shipped a first-rounder to Cleveland just two games into his second season.

Things dropped off quickly from there, as Richardson was out of the league following the 2014 season and he turned to the CFL.

Tony Mandarich, OT, Green Bay Packers (1989, No. 2 overall pick)

Expectations were high with Mandarich, nicknamed the “Incredible Bulk,” coming out of Michigan State as an All-American.

Nonetheless, once the offensive lineman’s career began with the Packers, things shifted. He was out of the league just two years later in 1991. Questions arose around steroids as being the catalyst for Mandarich’s downfall, and he later admitted to using PEDs.

Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland Browns (1999, No. 1 overall pick)

Tim Couch is perhaps the face of the Browns’ laundry list of quarterbacks over the last quarter century.

The Kentucky alum played for the Browns for five seasons and finished his career in the NFL with 64 touchdowns, 67 interceptions and a 22-37 record. He was taken one pick before Donovan McNabb, but the Browns weren’t the only team to swing and miss at quarterback at the top of the 1999 draft …

Akili Smith, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (1999, No. 3 overall pick)

Coming out of Oregon as the Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Akili Smith appeared poised for NFL success. However, he never found his footing in the professional ranks after being drafted third overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Smith finished his four-year career with a 3-14 record, five passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Charles Rogers, WR, Detroit Lions (2003, No. 2 overall pick)

This Michigan State star was awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2002, All-Big Ten in 2001 and 2002, as well as USA Today’s High School All-America Award in 1999.

Charles Rogers entered the draft as one of the most highly anticipated wide receivers, however, his career was over in a flash. He scored three touchdowns in his first five NFL games, but a clavicle injury cut his rookie season short. He suffered another season-ending broken clavicle three plays into the 2004 season and was suspended for the first four games in 2005, which turned out to be his final season, after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Brian Bosworth, LB, Seattle Seahawks (1987, Supplemental draft)

Brian Bosworth came out of high school in very high demand by the pros and became the first and only two-time Butkus Award winner at the collegiate level.

The linebacker was kicked out of Oklahoma for steroid use but was then selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1987 Supplemental Draft for a 10-year, $11 million contract. By 1989, Bosworth was forced to retire after experiencing a shoulder injury in the 1988 season.

Isaiah Wilson, OT, Tennessee Titans (2020, No. 29 overall pick)

Though Wilson was not drafted as high in the draft as the other players here, he still suffers as one of the biggest NFL draft busts of all time.

Coming out of Georgia as a second-team All-SEC player in 2019, Wilson never got going in the NFL. Wilson started his rookie training camp on the COVID-19 reserve list and struggled with conditioning before getting a DUI arrest two days before the Tennessee Titans’ season opener. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and waived just three days into his contract after showing up late to practice.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was published in April 2022.

“From day one Bubba has been an integral part of 23XI,” the team said in a social media post. “We’re excited to announce that he has signed a multi-year renewal and will continue to play a key role in helping 23XI grow and succeed. #ForwardTogether.”

Wallace, who failed to make the Cup Series playoffs this season, heads to Bristol Motor Speedway winless on the year and ranked 19th in the standings for Saturday night’s elimination race.

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Wallace has driven for 23XI since its inception when Denny Hamlin saw a rumor on social media that he and Michael Jordan were partnering to start a NASCAR team centered around Wallace. Hamlin thought the idea seemed strong — Wallace at the time was landing multiple major sponsorship deals after calling on NASCAR to ban the display of the Confederate Flag at its events — and called Jordan about the rumor.

The team was up and running in 2021 and Wallace has won two races, but none since 2022. He did, however, qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his career last season and finished a career-high 10th in the final standings. Wallace is the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level.

23XI Racing won the regular-season title this year with driver Tyler Reddick, who is ranked sixth in the 16-driver playoff field. Four drivers will be eliminated from title contention Saturday night at Bristol with team co-owner Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, among those in danger of being cut.

On social media on Wednesday afternoon, Parker announced that an arena would indeed be built for the Philadelphia 76ers in Center City.

“As your Mayor, I’m speaking from my City Hall office with a very important announcement. I am proud to share that I have made my decision, and an agreement has been reached to ensure that our Sixers are staying home,” Parker wrote on social media.

While she did not outline the exact terms of the agreement, Parker promised that it would bring “hundreds and hundreds” of jobs to Center City.

Also, she noted that her office would be “transmitting the related legislative package to our City Council of Philadelphia for its consideration where it must be approved.”

Through this agreement, Parker said the plan would bring more than $1.3 billion of private investment and will mean “hundreds of millions” in new tax revenue.

“It represents an unprecedented revival of Market Street,” she said.

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76ers Plan $1.3B Arena in Center City, But Nearby Leaders Push Back

Also, Parker took a moment to direct a comment toward the residents of the city’s Chinatown neighborhood — many of whom have opposed the arena plan — to say that she wants the agreement to help the “rich and vibrant” community thrive.

“I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the People of Philadelphia. To the People of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it. I’ll have a lot more to say in a formal presentation coming soon,” Parker said.

Shortly after Parker announced that an agreement had been made, in a statement, the 76ers said they were “grateful” for the mayor’s work.

“We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council,” the 76ers said.

Dan Hilferty, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor said, in a statement, that regardless of the outcome of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s — the company that owns the 76ers — negotiations, the team was always welcome to remain in South Philadelphia.

“Regardless of the outcome of the City’s negotiations with HBSE, our door will always be open for the 76ers to join us in South Philadelphia if they ever conclude that is what is best for their team,” Hilferty said. “Alongside the Phillies, we are creating the dynamic and accessible destination for sports and entertainment that will create thousands of jobs, amplify our City, and create numerous community benefits. Either way, we always want what is best for Philadelphia.”

However, following the mayor’s announcement, a statement from the Save Chinatown Coalition argued that the “fight is far from over.”

Protesters gathered at City Hall shortly after the mayor’s announcement, saying they are ready to fight for their neighborhood. They believe a new arena will destroy Chinatown, and the fabric of that community.

The Save Chinatown Coalition has been fighting for months for the neighborhood.

“If you don’t have the decency to come to our community, and look us in the eye, and talk to us, that is disrespectful, that’s extremely disrespectful,” Debbie Wei, with the Save Chinatown Coalition, said.

Some sixers fans are dreading all the commotion a move like this could bring to the city.

“Traffic is going to be terrible, so not looking forward to that. It’s going to be interesting to see how many communities that’s going to disrupt too,” one Philly resident said.

Others are standing strong with the mayor.

“Best possible place for the Sixers to be at. Stay hometown. A lot of jobs. A lot of jobs are going to open up for us. We’ve been struggling with jobs and all that so,” another man said.

“Mayor Parker still hasn’t met with Chinatown after all this time, yet feels she can have a stance on whether our community should live or die. This was never about one person, and this fight is far from over. We are going to fight this, and we are going to the mat. It’s on,” said Debbie Wei, who was described as a longtime Chinatown community member and member of the Save Chinatown Coalition.

Hours after the announcement, City Councilmember Mark Squilla released a statement that reads, “Now that the Mayor has made a decision on 76 Place, CM Squilla remains steadfast in his commitment to circulate the package of bills to all stakeholders for at least 30 days.  During this time, we expect to consider all concerns and amend the legislation as needed.  Council will follow their legislative process and insure there are safeguards in place for the community stakeholders if legislation is introduced.”

IBEW Local 98 business manager Mark Lynch also released a statement to NBC10 showing his support for Mayor Parker’s announcement.

“IBEW Local 98 applauds Mayor Parker for having the political courage and vision to publicly state her support for the construction of 76 Place on East Market Street. Beyond the nearly 10,000 union construction jobs it will create over a decade, 76 Place will invite additional outside investment that will finally revitalize this dormant yet vital section of Center City,” Lynch’s statement said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Economic Development told NBC10 that Wednesday’s announcement by Mayor Parker will not deter the state from persuing the 76ers.

“We have put forward a thoughtful and aggressive proposal that makes clear that Governor Murphy and leaders across the state would welcome the 76ers to Camden with open arms, and nothing announced today changes our view that the Sixers should seriously consider New Jersey for their next home. We play until the final buzzer sounds, and we look forward to continuing to make the case for Camden and the Garden State,” NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan said.

State officials from New Jersey and Delaware are also looking to have the Sixers call their state home.

A spokesperson from the New Jersey Economic Deevelopment Authority said even after today’s announcement they still welcome the Sixers to Camden with open arms, “we play until the final buzzer sounds.”

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

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The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Inc. (PIAA) announced on Wednesday, Sept. 18 that the high school level of girl’s flag football is now a sanctioned sport.

“We’re thrilled that we can offer another opportunity for girls to participate in interscholastic athletics,” PIAA President Frank Majikes said. “This is the second girls’ sport in two years to be approved.”

The PIAA explained that a sport can be considered for sanctioning once it has adopted “a set of operational and safety standards set forward by a governing body.” Those standards must be used by members of the program.

For girls flag football, PIAA required that there be at least 100 teams throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That number was reached in April with 65 schools participating on the eastern side of the state thanks to the Eagles and 35 schools on the western side thanks to the Steelers.

The Eagles and the Steelers worked together over the last three seasons to grow the flag football program in Pa.

“When we launched our girls’ flag football league in 2022, we set an ambitious five-year goal to get the sport sanctioned in our state. Now, here we are three seasons later and two years ahead of schedule,” Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said. “The sport’s organic growth is a credit to the participants, administrators, coaches, officials, and parents who helped raise the profile of girls’ flag football. We thank the PIAA for their leadership in recognizing a sport that has the power to unlock new pathways and opportunities for girls of all ages in every community.”

When the Eagles launched their flag football program, it started with just 16 schools in the spring of 2022 from the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues. In 2023, it grew to 38 before reached 65 this year. There are currently over 1,600 girls playing on the eastern side of Pennsylvania.

The Eagles have helped with learn-to-play support as well as coaching and officiating clinics and much more.

The Birds also partnered with Operation Warm to design a new sports bra line called FLY:FWD specifically for young girls and women in flag football.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are credited with starting their girls flag football in 2022 with just six schools before eventually growing to 36 schools this year.

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The Panthers officially benched the 2023 No. 1 overall pick on Tuesday after 18 uneven games to start his career. Young has a 2-16 career record with 3,122 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

While the 23-year-old Alabama product still has two more guaranteed years on his contract after this season, his career in Carolina could be over. Young’s trade value has never been lower, which makes it an interesting time for suitors with a need at QB. As Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are proving, it’s never too late for a highly-touted player to revitalize his career.

With that in mind, here are five teams that could be fits for Young:

Miami Dolphins

Current QB outlook: The Dolphins wouldn’t have been mentioned a week ago, but they are now firmly in the mix. Tua Tagovailoa was placed on IR after suffering another concussion on Sept. 12, which put him out through at least Week 8. Skylar Thompson is slated to start for Miami in Week 3 and the team also signed Tyler Huntley to be the backup.

How Young fits: If Tagovailoa’s concussion is determined to be a long-term issue, the Dolphins would need a new QB of the future. Young hasn’t proven to be that in Carolina, but Miami would offer him a proven offensive coach in Mike McDaniel and the best weapons since he was at Alabama.

New York Giants

Current QB outlook: It’s grim for Big Blue. Daniel Jones has been the Giants’ primary starting QB since 2019, but it seems like he may have overstayed his welcome. The Giants can get out of his contract after this season and start fresh, which seems to be the most likely outcome. Veteran Drew Lock and fan favorite Tommy DeVito are currently the backups.

How Young fits: Brian Daboll could be on the hot seat, and maybe Young would buy him some time. But the roster situation wouldn’t be too much better for Young. The Giants do have a potential star in rookie receiver Malik Nabers, but the offensive line is a weakness. It’s not an ideal match for the young QB.

Los Angeles Rams

Current QB outlook: Matthew Stafford still looks like a star, but he won’t be around forever. With injuries piling up for the 36-year-old QB, it’s time for the Rams to start putting together a succession plan. Even if it’s years down the road, Los Angeles’ QB of the future isn’t on the roster right now. Eleven-year veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and former fourth-rounder Stetson Bennett are Stafford’s backups.

How Young fits: From Young’s perspective, this could be his ideal team. Sean McVay helped get Mayfield back on track — and if anyone can do the same for Young, it’s McVay. He could learn behind Stafford for the time being, be surrounded by talented teammates and coaches and have no pressure to perform right away.

Las Vegas Raiders

Current QB outlook: Gardner Minshew is a solid bridge option, but he’s never proven to be a long-term answer. Aidan O’Connell was drafted in the fourth round last year, but he’s 26 years old and doesn’t appear to be future star. Both QBs have certain tools to like — neither have Young’s pedigree as a former top pick, though.

How Young fits: The Raiders can afford to take a flier on Young, especially if the price is low. They had stability with Derek Carr for years, but that type of player isn’t currently on the roster. Luke Getsy, who struggled to get the best out of Justin Fields in Chicago, might not be the perfect coordinator for Young to work with.

Tennessee Titans

Current QB outlook: Tennessee entered the season fully bought in on Will Levis. After two games and a few mind-boggling turnovers, new head coach Brian Callahan could be looking for a fresh face. Veteran Mason Rudolph, who helped lead the Steelers to the playoffs last season, is the only other QB on the roster.

How Young fits: The Titans added veterans on both sides of the ball this offseason, which would put Young in a decent spot to succeed. Receivers Calvin Ridley, Deandre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd and running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears would give him reliable weapons. It’s an attractive option for Young.

On Wednesday, 167 modern-era players were officially nominated for the Class of 2025 — including 16 first-year eligible candidates.

There are a number of notable names on the ballot this year, with perhaps none more controversial than Eli Manning. The former New York Giants quarterback is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, but his regular season numbers leave a lot to be desired (117-117 record, 366 touchdowns, 244 interceptions).

Other first-year nominees include offensive linemen Marshal Yanda, Joe Staley, Ryan Kalil and Travis Frederick, running backs Marshawn Lynch and Darren Sproles, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker, linebackers Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs, defensive backs Antoine Bethea, Aqib Talib and Earl Thomas and kicker Adam Vinatieri.

NFL Feb 8

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 announced

NFL Feb 9

How many kickers, punters and returners are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The Screening Committee will reduce the list from 167 down to 50, with an announcement coming in October. Then, the full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee will cut the list to 25 later this fall before it gets down to 15 finalists. The candidacy of those final 15 will be debated ahead of Super Bowl LVIX to decide the new class, which can consist of three, four or five modern-era players.

Here are all the nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 (* = finalist for Class of 2024):

QUARTERBACKS

• Marc Bulger
• Randall Cunningham
• Jake Delhomme
• Doug Flutie
• Rich Gannon
• Jeff Garcia
• Donovan McNabb
• Eli Manning
• Steve McNair
• Tony Romo

RUNNING BACKS

• Shaun Alexander
• Terry Allen
• Jamal Anderson
• Tiki Barber
• Larry Centers (FB)
• Jamaal Charles
• Stephen Davis
• Corey Dillon
• Warrick Dunn
• Charlie Garner
• Eddie George
• Priest Holmes
• Steven Jackson
• Chris Johnson
• homas Jones
• John Kuhn (FB)
• Vonta Leach
• Dorsey Levens
• Jamal Lewis
• Marshawn Lynch
• Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR)
• Glyn Milburn (also WR)
• Lorenzo Neal (FB)
• Clinton Portis
• Tony Richardson (FB)
• Robert Smith
• Darren Sproles (also PR/KR)
• Fred Taylor*
• Chris Warren
• Ricky Watters
• Ricky Williams

WIDE RECEIVERS

• Anquan Boldin
• Donald Driver
• Antonio Freeman
• Irving Fryar
• Torry Holt
• Joe Horn
• Chad Johnson
• Brandon Marshall
• Derrick Mason
• Herman Moore
• Muhsin Muhammad
• Jordy Nelson
• Andre Rison
• Jimmy Smith
• Rod Smith
• Steve Smith Sr.
• Demaryius Thomas
• Hines Ward
• Reggie Wayne
• Wes Welker
• Roddy White

TIGHT ENDS

• Ben Coates
• Vernon Davis
• Antonio Gates*
• Jeremy Shockey
• Delanie Walker
• Wesley Walls

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

• Willie Anderson* (T)
• Bruce Armstrong (T/G)
• Matt Birk (C)
• Lomas Brown (T)
• Ruben Brown (G)
• Jahri Evans* (G)
• Travis Frederick (C)
• Jordan Gross (T)
• Ryan Kalil (C)
• Lincoln Kennedy (T)
• Olin Kreutz (C)
• T.J. Lang (G/T)
• Nick Mangold (C)
• Logan Mankins (G)
• Tom Nalen (C)
• Jeff Saturday (C)
• Mark Schlereth (G/C)
• Josh Sitton (G)
• Chris Snee (G)
• Joe Staley (T)
• Dave Szott (G)
• Brian Waters (G)
• Richmond Webb (T)
• Erik Williams (T)
• Steve Wisniewski (G)
• Marshal Yanda (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

• John Abraham (DE also LB)
• Jared Allen* (DE)
• La’Roi Glover (DT/NT)
• Casey Hampton (DT/NT)
• Robert Mathis (DE)
• Chester McGlockton (DT)
• Haloti Ngata (DT)
• Simeon Rice (DE)
• Clyde Simmons (DE/DT)
• Justin Smith (DE)
• Neil Smith (DE)
• Henry Thomas (DT/NT)
• Justin Tuck (DE)
• Ted Washington (NT/DT)
• Vince Wilfork (DT/NT)
• Jamal Williams (DT/NT)
• Kevin Williams (DT)
• Pat Williams (DT)

LINEBACKERS

• Jessie Armstead
• Brendon Ayanbadejo
• Cornelius Bennett
• Lance Briggs
• Keith Brooking
• NaVorro Bowman
• Tedy Bruschi
• Donnie Edwards
• James Farrior
• London Fletcher
• James Harrison
• Luke Kuechly
• Willie McGinest (also DE)
• Ken Norton Jr.
• Julian Peterson
• Bill Romanowski
• Takeo Spikes
• Terrell Suggs
• Mike Vrabel
• Lee Woodall

DEFENSIVE BACKS

• Eric Allen* (CB)
• Eric Berry (DB)
• Antoine Bethea (S)
• Dré Bly (DB)
• Kam Chancellor (S)
• Nick Collins (DB)
• Antonio Cromartie (CB)
• DeAngelo Hall (DB)
• Rodney Harrison* (S)
• Eugene Robinson (DB)
• Samari Rolle (DB)
• Allen Rossum (DB)
• Bob Sanders (S)
• Aqib Talib (CB)
• Earl Thomas (S)
• Charles Tillman (CB)
• Troy Vincent (CB)
• Darren Woodson* (S)

PUNTERS/KICKERS

• David Akers (K)
• Gary Anderson (K)
• Darren Bennett (P)
• Jason Elam (K)
• Jeff Feagles (P)
• Jason Hanson (K)
• John Kasay (K)
• Sean Landeta (P)
• Shane Lechler (P)
• Pat McAfee (P)
• Brian Moorman (P)
• Matt Stover (K)
• Matt Turk (P)
• Mike Vanderjagt (K)
• Adam Vinatieri (K)

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR)
• Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB)

Instead of sharing a major trade or transaction, the famed NBA reporter announced his retirement from ESPN.

“I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN’s campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter,” Wojnarowski wrote in a social media statement. “Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it.

“This craft transformed my live, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make. Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.

“I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefitted more than me from the belief, trust and generosity of others.

“The past sever years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I’m appreciative of the company’s leadership — especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas — for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to make a lift change.

“After all these years reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m headed back to my own.

“-30-“

Wojnarowski, 55, spent the last seven years at ESPN after previous stints at Yahoo Sports and The Record of Bergen County.

Wojnarowski will return to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to become the men’s basketball program’s general manager. His role will include name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities, transfer portal management, professional player programs and more.

“I’m thrilled and humbled to return to St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to serve the university, Coach Mark Schmidt and our elite Atlantic 10 men’s basketball program,” the 1991 St. Bonaventure graduate said in a university press release. “In these changing times of college sports, I’m eager to join a championship program that combines high-level basketball, national television exposure, pro preparation and NIL opportunities with an intimate, supportive educational environment.” 

From Caitlin Clark’s ascendance and the Las Vegas Aces’ bid for a championship three-peat to the U.S. women’s basketball team’s eighth straight Olympic gold medal, it’s been a banner year in women’s basketball. The WNBA is capitalizing on the skyrocketing interest and adding more teams to the rising league.

Here’s a breakdown of the current WNBA landscape and how it could look different in the years to come.

How many WNBA teams are there?

There are currently 12 WNBA teams broken into two conferences.

Eastern Conference

• Atlanta Dream
• Connecticut Sun
• Chicago Sky
• Indiana Fever
• New York Liberty
• Washington Mystics

Western Conference

• Dallas Wings
• Los Angeles Sparks
• Las Vegas Aces
• Minnesota Lynx
• Phoenix Mercury
• Seattle Storm

WNBA 19 hours ago

WNBA adds 15th franchise with Portland expansion team

WNBA May 10

WNBA adding Toronto expansion team in 2026

WNBA May 14

Golden State Valkyries announced as new Bay Area WNBA team name

When is the WNBA expanding?

The WNBA will be up to 15 teams in 2026 with three new expansion franchises entering the mix.

The Golden State Valkyries will enter the fold in 2025 as the league’s 13th franchise. It marks the first time a new team will join the league since the Atlanta Dream first took the floor in 2008.

The league will then add two more teams in 2026. A Toronto team will become the WNBA’s first non-U.S. team, while Portland will get back in the mix more than 20 years after the Portland Fire folded.

When will the WNBA add a 16th team?

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told ESPN that the league is “on track” to add a 16th team in 2027 or 2028.

How many original WNBA franchises are still playing?

While the WNBA continues to expand, four current teams have been in the league from the very beginning.

The New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury were among the eight original WNBA franchises when the league was founded in 1997.

The Las Vegas Aces also trace back to the original WNBA. The franchise was originally the Utah Starzz from 1997-2002 before becoming the San Antonio Silver Stars. The team was in San Antonio until 2017 (Silver Stars from 2003-2013 and Stars from 2014-2017) before it moved to Las Vegas to become the Aces.

True to form, she won’t be playing favorites between her sons, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” revolves around a “fan of the year” contest for the team, while “Christmas on Call” features a die-hard Eagles fan who helps his love interest get to know Philadelphia, according to a release from the Hallmark Channel this week.

While Mama Kelce is no stranger to the camera, having appeared in Jason Kelce’s documentary and many a gameday photo, the two movies mark her acting debut. In “Holiday Touchdown,” she plays the manager of a barbecue restaurant. And while it’s unclear whether she’s playing a character or herself in “Christmas on Call,” her role is to ensure one of the leads “orders her Cheesesteak the authentic way – ‘whiz wit.’”

The cameo announcements follow Travis Kelce’s own forays into Hollywood — having hosted “Saturday Night Live” in early 2023, before his relationship with Taylor Swift sent his profile stratospheric, he’s now set to act in Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie” and host “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” He also earned his first producer credit this year.

Jason Kelce, meanwhile, has joined ESPN as an analyst. He’ll also have a song in one of his mom’s movies: “Christmas on Call” will feature “Santa Drives an Astrovan,” by The Philly Specials — also known as Jason Kelce and Eagles players Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson — featuring Mt. Joy, the release said. It’s from an upcoming album from which proceeds will go to the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Kelce brothers also recently inked a blockbuster deal with Amazon’s Wondery for their popular “New Heights” podcast.

Reagor, the 21^st pick in the 2020 draft, had just 15 catches in parts of three seasons with the Vikings and Patriots since the Eagles jettisoned him after just two seasons. 

Of 160 wide receivers drafted in the first round since 1960 who’ve played in at least 50 career games, Reagor’s 937 career receiving yards are 6^th-fewest and fewest among WRs drafted in the last 40 years.

The Eagles drafted Reagor instead of Justin Jefferson, whose 5,899 yards are most in NFL history by a receiver in his first four seasons.

While Jefferson was setting out on a likely Hall of Fame career, Reagor never made an impact with the Eagles and seemed unable to escape Jefferson’s enormous shadow lurking over him.

Reagor had a 55-yard catch from Carson Wentz in his first NFL game in Washington on opening day 2020, but his first career reception remains his longest career reception. And after catching 16 passes for 211 yards in his first five NFL games, he had just 15 catches for 185 yards the rest of his rookie season. He dropped to 33-for-299 in Year 2. 

Reagor and Nelson Agholor are the only 1^st-round receivers in the last 10 years with two separate seasons where they started at least 10 games and had fewer than 400 receiving yards.

The Eagles unloaded Reagor after just two seasons and soon after he turned 23, trading him to the Vikings for a couple late-round picks. He caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown on a pass from Kirk Cousins in his one year with the Vikings, who released him after 2023 training camp.

The Patriots signed him and he had seven catches for 138 yards and no TDs last year, although he did have a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown in a loss to the Bills on New Year’s Eve. 

New England released Reagor last month at the end of training camp and then re-signed him to the practice squad. He wasn’t a game-day call-up for either of the Patriots’ games this year.

Reagor has 79 career catches for 937 yards and four touchdowns to show for his first four-plus seasons. His career mark of 16.7 yards per game ranks 197^th out of 226 modern-day receivers drafted since 1970. Among those 160 who’ve played at least 50 games, he ranks 152^nd.

Reagor, still only 25, has earned about $14.6 million in his career, according to Spotrac, with the Eagles responsible for about $9 million of that.

Reagor ranks 90^th in Eagles history with 695 career receiving yards, just behind Mark Bavaro and just ahead of Trey Burton.

What’s next for Reagor? He’s an unrestricted free agent and possibly a team in desperate need of a receiver could snap him up for minimum wage.

The Eagles? They are missing A.J. Brown for an undetermined amount of time, and Reagor did play with Jalen Hurts for two years. And we know Howie Roseman loves bringing back players for a second stint.

But not this time. It’s impossible to imagine Roseman revisiting one of the worst decisions of his career.

The league announced that Portland, Oregon, has landed an expansion franchise that will take the floor in 2026.

The Portland team, owned and operated by RAJ Sports, will be the 15th WNBA franchise. It joins the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto franchise in the current round of league expansion.

The expansion marks the WNBA’s return to Portland after more than 20 years and the first time the league has returned to a city it previously left. The city had the Portland Fire from 2000-02.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a press release. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

WNBA May 14

Golden State Valkyries announced as new Bay Area WNBA team name

WNBA May 10

WNBA adding Toronto expansion team in 2026

The new team will play its games at the Moda Center, which is home to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.

RAJ Sports paid $125 million for the franchise, per The Associated Press. Lisa Bhathal Merage, who is also governor for the NWSL’s Portland Thorns, will be the team’s controlling owner and WNBA governor. Alex Bhathal, Merage’s brother, will serve as alternate governor.

“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women’s sports,” Merage said. “We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home. We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team. Our goal is to grow this organization in partnership with the Portland community and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”

Bhathal Merage said she hopes the team name will be announced by the spring and community input will play a part in the decision to reclaim the Fire name or pick a new one.

“It’s an exciting time,” she said, via ESPN. “It’s fun to be able to create a new team from scratch. Our hope is by the spring we’ll have an announcement, but we do of course have deadlines if we want to have more customized jerseys with Nike and things like that.”

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They definitely missed A.J. Brown.

The Eagles’ Pro Bowl receiver didn’t play in this game because of a hamstring injury suffered during the week and his status for Week 3 in New Orleans is now very much up in the air.

So how did the Eagles divvy up Brown’s snaps? Here’s a look at how much the other receivers played and their production:

DeVonta Smith: 71/71 — 10 targets, 7 catches, 76 yards, 1 TD
Jahan Dotson: 56/71 — 1 target, 1 catch, 6 yards
Britain Covey: 23/71 — 6 targets, 6 catches, 23 yards
Johnny Wilson: 19/71 — 1 target
Parris Campbell: 15/71 — 0 targets

Obviously, Smith became the top receiving option in this game and had a good showing. He made some tough grabs and his touchdown catch in the back of the end zone showed off next-level body control.

But without Brown, the Eagles didn’t play Smith inside as much in Week 2. In Week 1, Smith played 53.9% of his snaps in the slot. In Week 2, that was down to 33.3%.

Of course, the Eagles need more out of Dotson. He got his first catch as an Eagle but it wasn’t even on a route. His one catch came on an orbit motion swing pass and went for just 6 yards. Dotson didn’t arrive until Aug. 22 so he’s still catching up but the Eagles had to give up a third-round pick in the trade to acquire him.

Covey’s usage was surprising. He had just six targets in his NFL career before Monday night and then doubled his career total in one game for just 3.8 yards per reception. Wilson’s one target came on an off-schedule play; he was also flagged for a hold. Campbell spent a lot of the summer as the favorite to be the No. 3 wideout but was cut and landed on the practice squad; he didn’t see a single pass go his way.

Other offensive notes

• The Eagles bumped up their 12 personnel (two tight end) usage in this game a bit without Brown in the lineup. They had 24 plays (33.8%) in 12 personnel after using it just 25% of the time in the first game of the season. There are definite trickle-downs to Brown missing time. 

But it’s not like the tight ends were super productive either. Goedert had 3 catches for 38 yards and Grant Calcaterra had 2 for 19. Goedert was targeted just four times in a game without Brown — that doesn’t seem like enough.

• Jalen Hurts and his entire offensive line played all 71 snaps. A lot went wrong on Monday night but the offensive line looked solid again.

• Saquon Barkley got 64 snaps and Kenny Gainwell got just 7. Will Shipley didn’t touch the field. Aside from his drop on a 3rd-and-3 (obviously a big mistake), Barkley had a productive night. 

Barkley had 26 touches for the second straight week. He’s the first Eagles running back to have 26+ touches in the first two weeks of the season since LeSean McCoy in 2012. The only other player in Eagles history to do that was Herschel Walker in 1992.

Defensive notes

• The Eagles for the second straight week kept rookie Quinyon Mitchell on the field for every snap as an outside cornerback, along with Darius Slay. Both played 61. The Eagles ended up using a lot of nickel in this game, which means Avonte Maddox played 55 snaps.

It seemed very strategic on the Falcons’ part to run as much 11 personnel as they did. That forced the Eagles into nickel for much of the game and then the Falcons gashed the Birds in the run.

• Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson played all 61 snaps, while Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean played 60 each.

• At defensive tackle, Jalen Carter led the way with 46 snaps but was held out from the first series for disciplinary reasons, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. After Carter, Jordan Davis played 29 snaps, followed by Milton Williams (25), Moro Ojomo (17) and Thomas Booker (9). Booker played just nine snaps but had 3 tackles and 2 TFLs.

• On the edge, Josh Sweat led the way with 40, followed by Bryce Huff (32), Brandon Graham (28) and Nolan Smith (23). Huff wasn’t dead last like he was in Week 1 but he definitely struggled in this game.

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But the show must go on, and I promise we’ll squeeze some positive numbers and trends in there at the end. At least, we’ll try.

1. The Eagles have allowed 6.4 yards per rushing attempt through two games, the worst in franchise history (and 14^th-worst in NFL history). And if not for two Kirk Cousins kneel downs at the end of that game Monday night, which officially count as rushing attempts, that number would be 6.7, which would be 9^th-worst all-time. They’ve allowed 315 rushing yards against the Packers and Falcons, the most through two games since the 1986 team allowed 403. They’ve already allowed 11 runs of at least 10 yards. They had allowed one at this point last year. And their next opponent, the Saints, are averaging 185 rushing yards per game so far. 

2. Let’s stick with the defense. Eagles edge rushers have now gone six straight games without a sack going back to Week 14 at Dallas last year, when Haason Reddick sacked Dak Prescott in Sean Desai’s final game as defensive coordinator. That was three defensive coordinators ago. This is the first time since sacks became an official stat in 1982 that the Eagles have gone six straight games without a sack from an edge rusher (or defensive end, as they were once known). The Eagles have gone six straight games with two or fewer sacks, one game shy of their longest streak since 1993. The Eagles are the fourth team in history to allow at least 6.4 yards per carry and record three or fewer sacks through two games. Josh Sweat has now gone 10 straight games without a sack. He had 13 in the previous 13 games.

3. For the 25^th consecutive game, the Eagles had one or fewer interceptions. That’s the 9^th-longest streak in NFL history and the longest current one. The last time the Eagles had multiple interceptions in a game was the Packers in Week 12 of 2022, when Josiah Scott and Reed Blankenship both picked off Aaron Rodgers in the Eagles 40-33 win over the Packers. The longest streak in NFL history of games without two INTs is 40 by the Raiders from 2003 through 2006. That streak ended when Nnamdi Asomugha picked off Browns QB Charlie Frye twice at Oakland Coliseum in a game the Browns won 24-21.

4. Kirk Cousins’ game-winning touchdown pass to Drake London with 38 seconds left was the sixth game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute against the Eagles in the last 30 years – and Cousins’ second. The most recent was Drew Lock’s 29-yarder to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle last December and before that Cam Newton’s 1-yarder to Greg Olsen at the Linc in 2018. Before that? Cousins had a 4-yarder to Pierre Garcon in Washington’s 23-20 win over the Eagles at FedEx Field in 2015.

5. With Bijan Robinson (14-for-97, 6.9) and Tyler Allgeier (9-for-53, 5.9), this was the first time in 15 years that two opposing running backs each had at least nine carries and averaged at least 5 ½ yards per carry against the Eagles. Last time it happened was the last day of the 2009 season, when Marion Barber III (14-91) and future Eagle Felix Jones (15-91) did it in a 24-0 Cowboys win at AT&T Stadium. It’s only happened one other time since 1980. In 2005, Mike Anderson of the Broncos (21-126, 6.0) and Tatum Bell (14-107, 7.6) did it in a 49-21 win in Denver. That was also T.O.’s final game as an Eagle.

6. The Eagles’ current streak of nine straight games without being plus one or better in turnover margin is their longest since a 12-game streak in 2012 and their 2^nd-longest since 1985. Their minus-17 mark over the last 15 games is their worst in a 15-game stretch since a minus-19 over the 2012 and 2013 seasons. After finishing last year at minus-10 in turnover margin, the Eagles are minus-3 two games into the 2024 season. That’s their 3^rd-worst turnover mark after two games since 1996. They’ve been minus-1 or worse in 11 of their last 14 games. They’ve only been plus-one or better twice in their last 17 games – plus-1 in back-to-back wins over the Cowboys and Chiefs last November. 

7. OK, we promised you some positive stats and here we go: Saquon Barkley’s 204 rushing yards so far are most by an Eagles running back through two weeks since LeSean McCoy had 237 two games into the 2013 season, and his 248 scrimmage yards are the most since McCoy had 356 the same year. With 95 rushing yards on Monday night, he fell five yards short of becoming the first Eagle with 100 yards in each of his first two games in a season since Charlie Garner in 1994. His 46 carries are the most by an Eagle through two weeks since Herschel Walker had 54 the first two weeks of 1992.

8. DeVonta Smith is only the sixth player in Eagles history – and third in the last 50 years – with seven or more catches in each of the first two games of a season. Smith had seven vs. both the Packers and Falcons. Others to do this were Don Looney in 1940, Timmy Brown in 1965, Harold Jackson in 1972, DeSean Jackson in 2013 and Nelson Agholor in 2018. Only Jackson in 1972 opened a season with seven catches in the first three games. Those were his only games in 1972 with seven receptions.

9. Jalen Hurts’ 76.3 completion percentage against the Falcons was 3^rd-highest of his career, behind an 83.9 against the Vikings in 2022 and a 77.1 vs. the Falcons in Atlanta in 2021. It’s 10^th-highest in Eagles history (minimum 30 attempts), and he’s the first Eagles quarterback to complete at least 76 percent of his passes in three different games. Carson Wentz and Nick Foles each did it twice. Hurts is only the second player ever with two games at 75 percent or higher vs. the Falcons. Drew Brees had six.

10. Hurts increased his career total to 42 rushing touchdowns, 5^th-most in NFL history and just one behind Steve Young and two behind Otto Graham. The top two are Cam Newton (75) and Josh Allen (55). He’s fourth in Eagles history with those 42 rushing TDs, just two behind LeSean McCoy and three behind Wilbert Montgomery. With three more, he’ll trail only Steve Van Buren (69).

But have you heard of “Shoeless” Jose Altuve?

In the ninth inning of Tuesday’s Astros-Padres game, Altuve appeared to foul a ball off his left foot. However, umpires ruled the ball never hit his foot and Altuve was subsequently thrown out at first base.

Altuve couldn’t believe the call, so he removed his shoe and sock and was suddenly barefoot at home plate, showing the umpire what he claimed was the ball mark on top of his left foot. Altuve was ejected for his actions, but it made for a unique and wild scene in what was pretty much a crazy game.

The Padres and Astros each had costly wild pitches, great defensive plays, clutch hits and plenty of frustration with the umpires. There was also a lot of booing directed at a Houston player in what was a spirited Petco Park crowd.

When Josh Hader pitched for the Padres last season, he refused to enter games in which he was required to get more than three outs. Tuesday night, Hader, now an Astro, came out of the bullpen with two outs in the eighth inning to protect a one-run lead. Padre fans let Hader hear it with a chorus of sustained boos. Hader’s first pitch was a wild pitch that allowed Fernando Tatis Jr. to score the tying run.

In the 10th inning, after Houston scored to take a 4-3 lead, the umpires ruled that Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar was hit by a pitch. Replays seemed to show the ball missed Profar. Profar appeared to be upset that he wouldn’t have the chance to bat and the Astros’ bench couldn’t believe the call.

The hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs and brought Manny Machado to bat. Machado hit what initially appeared to be a walk-off two-run single up the middle, but Astros second baseman Grae Kessinger made a dandy backhanded stop on is knees, then threw to second base for the final out of the game.

As the umpires walked off the field, there was plenty of chirping and chatter directed at them by both teams.

With the loss, the Padres remained 3.5 games behind the National League West leading Los Angeles Dodgers and 2.5 games in front of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL wild card race.

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Kerr took the stage on the first night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, an arena he is familiar with from his time playing with the Bulls, and addressed a crowd of approximately 26,000-plus attendees and millions watching from home, endorsing current Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election while channeling Steph Curry’s viral “night night” celebration in speaking out against former President Donald Trump.

The Warriors coach joined “The Dan Le Batard” show on Tuesday, where he was asked about the opportunity to speak at the convention and his nerves leading up to it.

“Yeah, that was an interesting experience,” Kerr said. “They asked me to do it a couple days before I went on and I really gave it a lot of thought because I knew I was going to take a lot of heat for it. But I wanted to make sure I got the right message across, what was most important to me. After thinking about it I realized ‘Hey, they asked me for a reason. They think it matters that I speak my mind.” And so I decided to do it and it was very nerve-wracking and I’m glad I did it. Met a lot of great people, there’s a lot of great energy in the building. It was a lot of fun to be a part of.”

Kerr received some criticism for his appearance but the feedback overall for his speech was positive as he aimed to convey a message of unity in a divided political climate.

“I got some emails. But generally speaking, the vast majority of people who contacted me were very supportive,” Kerr shared. “I wanted to make sure my message was one of unity, especially coming off the Olympic gold medal performance by the team in Paris.

“I just think the political rhetoric, really the national rhetoric on a lot of platforms is just so ugly these days and divisive and I just wanted to make sure my message was a reminder to people that when we come together in a lot of different ways we can accomplish a lot. I think it applies to sports, it applies to our country too and we need to come together.”

Despite playing in numerous NBA Finals games, including Game 6 of the 1997 series where he hit the game-winning shot to deliver the Bulls their second of three consecutive titles, Kerr felt out of place in a different kind of arena.

“I just felt like a fish out of water because it was such a different realm for me,” Kerr explained. “I’m used to game nerves and those actually feel good. Competing in sports is so much fun because you have to lay it on the line and you do everything you can to win but you kind of know you’re going to lose your fair share.

“There’s going to be nights where you lose sleep because of decisions you made, backfired, all that kind of stuff … but the political spectrum is different, the setting was different. Having teleprompters on either side of me, addressing the crowd, knowing there were millions of people watching on TV. It was definitely nerve-wracking.”

Kerr cherished the opportunity and appreciated the chance to convey his message to such a large audience but certainly is looking forward to returning to the arena he is far more comfortable in.

Start after start, month after month, year after year, Wheeler has shown up when the Phillies have needed him. Sometimes it’s been to stop a skid. Sometimes it’s to extend a winning streak. Sometimes it’s to set a tone for a series. Sometimes it’s to win a series.

“He’s the Cy Young, man,” Bryce Harper said Tuesday night. “I don’t think anybody in baseball is better than him at this point. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I think he got robbed of it three years ago and I believe he earned it this year.”

Wheeler led the Phillies to a 5-1 win Tuesday, a massive result because it was effectively two wins for the price of one, increasing their lead over the Brewers to five games — four plus the tiebreaker.

The victory clinched the Phillies the season series over Milwaukee. They’re 91-60 and lead the Brewers by five games with 11 to play, positioning the Phils tremendously well to earn at least a top-two seed and first-round playoff bye.

The Phils also picked up a game on the Dodgers, who surprisingly lost a slugfest in Miami. They lead the Dodgers by three games for the top overall playoff seed — two plus the tiebreaker.

Harper made Wheeler a winner with an opposite-field, two-run homer off Frankie Montas in the sixth inning of a tie game. It was Harper’s third in four games and 29th of the season.

“He’s been swinging well,” Wheeler said. “The home runs hadn’t been there but he doesn’t always need to hit home runs. As long as he’s getting hits and putting good at-bats together, home runs will come. I told him probably a week ago, just keep swinging and keep doing your thing, home runs will come.”

Nick Castellanos put the Phils on the board early with a first-pitch, leadoff homer to center in the top of the second, his 21st of the year. It was a welcome sign for a player who’d hit .178 over his last 13 games and .114 in September against starting pitchers.

The Brewers were held in check most of the night by Wheeler. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball, worked ahead, missed bats, threw his four-seamer just above the zone for called strikes and whiffs, froze hitters with two-seamers, induced weak contact … did all the things he usually does.

It’s mid-September and Wheeler reached back to hit 97 mph late in the win.

“He used his fastball more than probably any other start this year,” manager Rob Thomson said. “They just saw the life to it, it had ride up and sink down. They stayed with it and it was really effective. Just a great performance.”

The only inning Milwaukee posed a threat was the bottom of the fourth when William Contreras singled and Garrett Mitchell tripled him in with one out. Wheeler struck out the next hitter, Willy Adames, on three pitches and ended the inning with a flyout to right.

Wheeler is 16-6 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 30 starts. He’s allowed the lowest rate of hits and baserunners in the National League. He’s struck out 205 and walked 49 through 186⅔ innings. This has been his best regular season as a Phillie.

He’s still probably the Cy Young runner-up as of today to Chris Sale, who is 17-3 with a 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts, leading the NL in each category. But if Sale gets lit up once or twice in his final two starts and Wheeler gives the Phillies two more like this, the numbers and race will even out.

“He’s really something, man,” Thomson said. “He’s been so consistent ever since he’s gotten here. He’s earned every penny he’s made. He’s so huge to this club. He just takes the ball and can manhandle people when he wants to.”

Beyond having Wheeler on the hill, Thomson also knew he was working with a rested bullpen. Matt Strahm hadn’t pitched since last Wednesday, Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman since Saturday or Orion Kerkering since Sunday. They’re the Phillies’ core four relievers, all boasting ERAs between 1.76 and 2.03.

Wheeler handed the ball off to the bullpen with a three-run lead after Kyle Schwarber added seventh-inning insurance by singling in the returning Edmundo Sosa. Trea Turner drove in another in the top of the ninth with a two-out single after Johan Rojas walked and stole second.

The Phillies are 9-2 this season against the Dodgers and the Brewers, the teams with the second- and third-best records. They’re 23-10 against the other five teams currently in NL playoff position, with the next-best record belonging to the Padres at 20-20.

“I think when you get done with the season, it’s over. You’ve got to keep going. The postseason’s a different animal,” Harper said. “It’s different. It excites me. I think every guy in this clubhouse has the same demeanor. I know as a team we just want to be healthy going in and try to do the job we can.”

Wednesday night offers a chance at a series win and for Aaron Nola to find a rhythm ahead of the playoffs after giving up 11 runs in his last nine innings.

“We needed a win here, for sure,” Thomson said. “Try and win the series tomorrow. Just getting the tiebreaker over these guys is gonna be huge coming down the stretch.”

That was where the star guard for the Indiana Fever played in her first ever WNBA regular-season game four months ago, and it’s likely where she will play in her first postseason game.

With the WNBA playoffs set to start on Sunday, the Fever have locked up the No. 6 seed. Two teams are vying for the No. 3 seed with the regular season concluding Thursday, but a first-round series with the Connecticut Sun is most probable for Indiana.

Much has changed since that May 14 matchup between the two in Clark’s first game. The Sun won 92-71, with Clark scoring 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting and committing 10 turnovers.

It was the first of five straight losses to open the season for the Fever, who started just 1-8. Clark and the Fever hit their stride after the Olympic break, winning seven of eight games to move above .500 for the first time since 2019 when they were 4-3. The team then went on to clinch its first playoff berth since 2016.

There they will be one of the main storylines in what is arguably the most highly-anticipated postseasons in league history as A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces go for a three-peat and the current top-seeded New York Liberty seek their first title in franchise history.

Here’s everything you need to know about the WNBA playoffs.

When do the WNBA playoffs start?

The WNBA playoffs begin on Sunday, Sept. 22.

How many teams make the WNBA playoffs?

The top eight teams in the WNBA — regardless of conference — make the playoffs.

What are the WNBA playoff matchups?

Here are the current matchups for the first round of the WNBA playoffs ahead of the final day of the regular season on Thursday. Teams in bold are locked into their seed.

• No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics/Chicago Sky/Atlanta Dream
• No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury
• No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
• No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm

How many games are in a WNBA playoff series?

The first round of the playoffs features a best-of-three format where the higher seed hosts the first two games of the series and, if necessary, the lower seed hosts the decisive Game 3.

The semifinals and WNBA Finals both have a best-of-five format where the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and 5.

Who will the Indiana Fever play in the playoffs?

Clark and the Fever will face either the Sun or Aces in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

Connecticut will secure the No. 3 seed with a home victory over the Chicago Sky or an Aces loss to the Dallas Wings in the regular-season finales on Thursday. A Sun loss in the finale, combined with a win by the Aces, would give Las Vegas the No. 3 seed via the regular season head-to-head tiebreaker.

Against the Fever this season, the Sun won three of four games, with Indiana winning the most recent matchup 84-80 on Aug. 28. The Aces, the league’s two-time-defending champion, swept the season series against the Fever.

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Who is the top seed in the WNBA playoffs?

The top seed in the WNBA playoffs will be the Liberty, who are on a quest to capture the first championship in franchise history. The Liberty, who lost to the Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals, clinched the top spot on Tuesday after improving to 32-7 with a victory over the Washington Mystics.

The Minnesota Lynx, which defeated the Liberty in three of four games this season, will be the No. 2 seed.

Has there ever been a three-peat in the WNBA?

Only once. But it could soon happen again.

The Aces, who last season became just the third franchise to win back-to-back titles, are seeking a third consecutive WNBA championship. The Houston Comets are the only team in league history to win three or more titles in a row, having won the league’s first four championships from 1997 to 2000. 

The Aces — led by reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, who recently became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a single season — will likely secure the No. 4 seed and have home-court advantage in a first-round matchup with the No. 5 Seattle Storm. 

The Flyers open 2024 training camp Thursday and potential franchise cornerstone Matvei Michkov has arrived two years ahead of schedule. The team contended for the playoffs last season all the way up to Game 82 without losing sight of its rebuild.

But, understandably and inevitably, the opening topic of discussion Tuesday revolved around a player who wasn’t here.

Alexei Kolosov, one of the Flyers’ best goaltending prospects, didn’t attend rookie camp and won’t be in main camp, either. A puzzling situation that has brewed since May essentially came to a head at Briere’s press conference.

And the general manager was blunt. Tough to blame him.

“All we know is he’s under contract with us,” Briere said. “The way we see it, if he wants to play hockey, he has to respect his contract.”

The 2021 third-round pick from Belarus signed his three-year entry-level contract in July 2023. He played last season on loan in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league, with his club Dinamo Minsk. After appearing in 53 games, including the playoffs, Kolosov joined the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley at the start of April.

The Flyers felt the 22-year-old spending a month-plus with the Phantoms would help his full-time transition to North America in 2024-25. But apparently the plan didn’t go as planned.

“For us, we have no interest in loaning him back, we want him to develop here,” Briere said. “There’s a great opportunity in front for our goalies right now. We have young goalies in net, we have Cal Petersen that’s fighting for a spot, as well. We just thought it would be a great opportunity for him at this time. It’s too bad that he’s not willing to come over.”

In May, five days after Lehigh Valley was knocked out of the playoffs, Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov possibly wanted to return to the KHL for the 2024-25 season because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers believed that he had been homesick, according to a source, but were hopeful he’d be OK come training camp. Tony Androckitis of InsideAHLHockey.com reported in July that Kolosov felt “isolated.”

“To be honest, like, maybe I’m the worst coach in the world, but I make people around me comfortable,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere said Monday. “I’m a friendly guy, you guys have known me for 15 years.

“It was a tough spot for him, but guys asked him to go out every night for dinner, he said no.”

When European players chase their NHL dreams in North America, it’s a challenge. They must adjust to a different culture and language. Kolosov doesn’t speak English and Lehigh Valley didn’t have a player on its roster from Russia. Both the Flyers and Phantoms were in the heat of playoff races. Briere understood if Kolosov battled homesickness but the GM defended Lehigh Valley’s leadership group and coaching staff.

“I have to say something about that because some of our players and coaches and development guys went above and beyond to try to help him integrate with the team,” Briere said. “I feel bad for some of the leaders, Garrett Wilson especially, Louie Belpedio and I could go on and on. These guys went out of their way to try to help him fit in, they would ask him to go to dinner and stuff like that.

“I talked to some of the guys and they all said that he was fine, he was great around the rink, they liked him as a person. I just want to make that clear out there with all the rumors, there didn’t seem to be any issues and I believe in the leadership of those guys. Same thing with our coaches.

“You have Jason Smith and Ian Laperriere, two of the greatest leaders who would do anything for their teammates, on the coaching staff. So when you hear things like that, you have to take it with a grain of salt a little bit.”

The Flyers’ goaltending picture in the present and future is far from sacrosanct. It oozes with opportunity. Kolosov was projected to open this season with the Phantoms and would have played a lot alongside Petersen. Depending on the performance and health of the Flyers’ Samuel Ersson-Ivan Fedotov tandem, Kolosov had a shot at his NHL debut.

“Most teams around the league use their third goalie or fourth goalie,” Briere said. “He’d be in a competition with the guys that we have to play some games this year. I think on his end, it’s more about he wants to be guaranteed a spot in the NHL. If not, he prefers to stay over there. And that’s not the way we see it.

“We agreed last year to loan him back for one year because he wanted to stay home. But at some point, you sign a contract, we want him here, we want him to start integrating himself into the game the way it’s played here in North America, with the smaller ice, learning the language and all of that.”

The Flyers seem to have a flickering hope that Kolosov might eventually change his mind and want to come back over. But this all looks precarious at best. One has to seriously wonder if this can ever be mended, if Kolosov will ever play for the Flyers.

“We do wonder at this point because he doesn’t show that he wants to come,” Briere said. “That was the understanding last year when he signed the contract, he asked us to loan him back for one year so he can keep developing one more year and then he would come over. And then we’re here now and he’s still saying the same thing. … It’s time for him to step up and respect the contract that he signed.”

The Kolosov development comes eight months after the Flyers were forced to trade Cutter Gauthier in January because the 2022 fifth overall pick did not want to play for the organization.

“We’re always looking at ourselves and seeing how we can do better,” Briere said. “But don’t forget, we’re talking about two guys from the outside. When I look at the culture that we’re building here on the inside, the players that are on the inside, they want to be here.”

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But not every upcoming week will be as action-packed.

That’s because each team’s schedule includes one week without a game called a bye week. The bye provides teams an opportunity to reset and refresh amid the grueling 17-game regular season.

Some teams will go on the bye early this season, while others will have to wait much longer for their mid-season respite.

Here’s what to know about bye weeks in the 2024 season:

When is the first NFL bye week in 2024?

The first bye week will come in Week 5 when four teams have off: the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

When is the last NFL bye week in 2024?

The final bye week will be Week 14 when six teams have off: the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.

2024 NFL bye week breakdown

There are eight different bye weeks on the NFL schedule ranging from Week 5 to 14. Here’s a breakdown of each:

Week 5: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings

Week 7: Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys

Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers

Week 10: Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks

Week 11: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 12: Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets

Week 14: Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Commanders

From quarterback questions to other star contributors, here’s the latest some key injured players entering Week 3.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa exited the Miami Dolphins’ Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter after he suffered a concussion, his third in the last two years.

The Dolphins officially placed Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday, meaning he will be out for the next four games and be eligible to return in Week 8.

The team is planning to start Skylar Thompson against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 and brought in Tyler Huntley for additional QB depth.

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Jordan Love, QB, Packers

The Green Bay Packers got a much-needed win without Jordan Love in Week 2, and it appears they will take the field without their QB1 once again in Week 3.

Love was listed as questionable two days before the Packers’ Week 2 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. Malik Willis wound up starting under center for the Packers’ 16-10 win.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Love is targeting a Week 5 return. Green Bay will visit the Tennessee Titans — Willis’ former team — in Week 3 before hosting the division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.

Russell Wilson, QB, Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling with the quarterback who has guided them to a 2-0 record.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Pittsburgh is preparing for Justin Fields to start in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers as Russell Wilson continues to recover from a calf injury.

Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers

Speaking of the Chargers, X-rays on Justin Herbert’s leg came back negative a day after the team beat the Carolina Panthers.

Herbert didn’t miss a snap in the game, but he walked with a noticeable limp after the Chargers’ 26-3 win on Sunday.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers and fantasy football owners across the country will have to wait at least three more weeks before Christian McCaffrey can return to action.

San Francisco placed the star running back on injured reserve ahead of its Week 2 loss against the Vikings as he continues to recover from Achilles tendinitis, meaning the earliest McCaffrey is able to return is Week 6 against the Seahawks. However, Rapoport said McCaffrey will “likely” miss six weeks or more.

Joe Mixon, RB, Texans

Joe Mixon’s hot start with his new team came to a halt when he suffered an ankle injury during the Houston Texans’ Sunday Night Football win over the Chicago Bears.

The Texans running back suffered an ankle injury when he was brought down by T.J. Edwards, who appeared to use the now-banned hip-drop tackle. There was no flag on the play, but Mixon left the game and later returned for seven more snaps the rest of the way.

Head coach Demeco Ryans did not offer a concrete answer on if Mixon would miss the Texans’ Week 3 game against the Vikings or any indication of when he would return to the field.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams

The injuries continue to pile up for the Los Angeles Rams.

A week after Puka Nacua exited the Rams’ season opener and subsequently landed on IR with a knee injury, Cooper Kupp left the Rams’ blowout Week 2 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals with an ankle injury.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Kupp is expected to miss “an extended period of time” and could join Nacua on injured reserve as the team chases its first win of the season.

Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers

The 49ers will be down two of their top weapons for a bit.

On top of McCaffrey’s injury, Deebo Samuel strained his calf late in the 49ers’ loss to the Vikings and is expected to miss “a couple” of games, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

“The atmosphere at the ballpark this season has been electric, thanks to the best fans in baseball,” Phillies Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations and Projects, John Weber, said. “We’re thrilled about the possibility of another Red October in Philadelphia. We encourage fans to sign up at phillies.com/postseason for a chance to purchase tickets to a postseason game at Citizens Bank Park.”

Here’s what fans need to know:

• Only eligible fans whose registration is selected in the random drawing(s) happening for each round will have the opportunity, subject to availability, to purchase tickets.

• Registration for all potential rounds of the postseason on phillies.com/postseason will end on Saturday, October 12, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Once registered, fans will be eligible for a ticket opportunity for all potential postseason rounds.
• Entries randomly selected will be notified via email with an opportunity to purchase postseason home game tickets based upon availability.
• Registration does not guarantee you the opportunity to purchase Phillies postseason tickets.

“Given that our season ticket base has doubled to 20,000 in the past two years, ticket availability will be extremely limited through this opportunity,” Weber said.

You can find a complete list of rules and terms and conditions here.

Fans may also purchase Phillies postseason tickets via SeatGeek, the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Phillies and Major League Baseball.

After suffering another concussion last Thursday against the Buffalo Bills, the 26-year-old quarterback reportedly has been placed on injured reserve. The designation requires him to miss the Dolphins’ next four games.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo first reported the news on Tuesday.

The Dolphins have their bye in Week 6, so Tagovailoa will not be eligible to return until Week 8 when the team faces the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27. He will miss upcoming games against the Seattle Seahawks (Sept. 22), Tennessee Titans (Sept. 30), New England Patriots (Oct. 6) and Indianapolis Colts (Oct. 20).

Tagovailoa reportedly has no plans to retire, but there is no timeline for his return beyond not playing for the next five weeks. Rapoport and Garafolo said the decision will give him time to progress through the concussion protocol without the pressure to immediately get back on the field.

With Tagovailoa out, the Dolphins will turn to backup quarterback Skylar Thompson in Week 3. The team also signed Tyler Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad, and he will serve as Thompson’s backup Sunday against the Seahawks.

Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, posted statements on TikTok and sent emails to University of Connecticut officials that showed an infatuation with Bueckers and included threats, police said.

Parmalee, whose last known addresses were in Grants Pass, Oregon, and Ritzville, Washington, was ordered detained on $100,000 bail Monday after being arraigned on the charges in the courthouse in Rockville, Connecticut. He was also ordered to stay away from a person named in court as “P.B.” and banned from the UConn campus in Storrs.

His public defender did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Parmalee was initially arrested on Aug. 27 while walking along a highway near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. He told a state trooper that he had just flown in from the Pacific Northwest and was on his way to see Bueckers at UConn, the police reports said, adding he was found with a ring and lingerie.

The trooper took Parmalee into custody when he learned there was an arrest warrant out of Josephine County, Oregon, accusing Parmalee of setting a home on fire with roommates and pets inside, police said.

Parmalee had posted photos, videos and comments about Bueckers on TikTok and other social media platforms and had been emailing UConn officials since June with rambling comments including his desire to marry Bueckers, police said. The postings and emails initially did not warrant criminal charges, but his comments became alarming over time, the reports said.

An arrest warrant affidavit redacts the name of the UConn student at whom Parmalee’s posts were directed and names her only as “V1,” but says Parmalee posted on social media about his desire to marry V1.

“Parmalee has shown a continual, escalating behavior and directed effort to make electronic postings about V1 and threats against those close with V1 which has caused emotional distress over the past two weeks for V1,” a UConn police officer wrote in the affidavit dated Friday.

V1 told police that she discovered that Parmalee had been sending various videos to her Instagram direct messages since February, but they were not threatening. She said she did not respond to the messages. She said she became concerned for the safety of herself, her family and her teammates after learning of Parmalee’s arrest near the airport.

In a TikTok posting reviewed by The Associated Press, Parmalee referred to a photo of Bueckers and an unnamed man, writing, “This is worth it for this guy, huh? … this is just one guy, I’ll sacrifice him, no problems, no questions asked.” The police reports mention that post and refer to V1.

In another post, he talked about bringing V1 flowers and finding her mother’s home, police said. He also wrote in a different post that if he cannot live with the woman of his choosing — referring to V1 — then, “I will choose to die, and I will choose to take all of you that pose me, oppose us, to hell.” He also tells V1 that “if you allow them to touch you, you allow them to die,” according to the police reports.

In a TikTok post before he arrived in Connecticut, Parmalee wrote, “I’m coming to UCONN Paige Madison Bueckers, I’ll be in Hartford tomorrow morning,” and included a photo of himself with airline tickets at an airport.

Parmalee was initially detained on the arson warrant out of Oregon before being charged with felony stalking and misdemeanor harassment and breach of peace by UConn police.

The police reports say Parmalee has a criminal history dating back to 2002 that includes arrests for misdemeanor sexual abuse, harassment, burglary, driving under the influence and possession of methamphetamine. Police officials in Oregon told Connecticut authorities they had no information related to mental health calls associated with Parmalee.

Monday Night Football in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season will feature two overlapping games in prime time. And each matchup will feature a playoff hopeful in the AFC looking to avoid an 0-3 start.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars will go for their first win when they visit Josh Allen and the 2-0 Buffalo Bills. Jacksonville is coming off an ugly 18-13 home loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, will look to get in the win column when they host No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels and the 1-1 Washington Commanders. Cincinnati dropped to 0-2 with a gut-wrenching road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL Sep 17

32 best players through 32 NFL games: Here are the standouts after Week 2

NFL Sep 16

NFL power rankings: Where things stand after Week 2 action

This is the second straight season with several MNF doubleheaders — there were three last year and the 2024 slate features four. The MNF doubleheaders have come after Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, increased its number of regular-season games from 17 to 23 in the latest NFL media rights deal.

Jags-Bills and Commanders-Bengals will overlap rather than air back-to-back. Here’s how to watch both Week 3 contests:

What time does the Jaguars vs. Bills game start?

Jaguars-Bills will kick off from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the Jaguars vs. Bills game on?

The game will air on ESPN.

How to stream the Jaguars vs. Bills game live

It will also be available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

What time does the Commanders vs. Bengals start?

The Commanders and Bengals will square off at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati at 8:15 p.m. ET.

What TV channel is the Commanders vs. Bengals game on?

Commanders-Bengals will air on ABC.

How to stream the Commanders vs. Bengals game live?

The game will also be available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

When are the Monday Night Football doubleheaders in 2024?

The other MNF doubleheaders are slated for Weeks 4, 7 and 15. Here’s a look ahead to those matchups:

Week 4

• Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins
• Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions

Week 7

• Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals

Week 15

• Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
• Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders

The increase announced Tuesday morning in an email to season-ticket holders notes a new 10% talent fee for all invoices to “help fund the proposed revenue share” for athletes and help Tennessee attract and keep the best talent. A video link features athletic director Danny White explaining the reason for the price hike per seat across Neyland Stadium.

“As the collegiate model changes, we have to remain flexible,” White said of the price hike, which includes a 4.5% increase on top of the 10% talent fee. “We have to continue leading the way. That connection between resources and competitiveness has never been tighter. Only now we have the ability to share these resources with our athletes. We can generate revenue that will go directly to our players. This will give our teams the best chance to be successful and bring championships home to Rocky Top.”

The increase comes with Tennessee off to a 3-0 start and ranked sixth in the AP Top 25.

The announcement also includes a link to updates on talks between the NCAA and major college conferences trying to settle three antitrust lawsuits related to athlete compensation for name, image and likeness. They have a settlement agreement in place to pay $2.78 billion in damages to hundreds of thousands of college athletes, dating back to 2016.

At a hearing last week, the federal judge overseeing those cases declined to grant preliminary approval of the deal and kicked it back to attorneys to address her concerns with certain aspects of the agreement.

The NCAA changed its rules in 2021 to allow athletes to cash in on their fame through sponsorship and endorsement deals after decades of prohibition.

Tennessee has been working to be at the front of the changing landscape supporting athletes. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was a prized recruit who signed with the NIL collective supporting Tennessee athletes, the Volunteer Club founded by Spyre Sports Group. It was among the first and most well-organized to emerge around the country after the NCAA lifted its ban on athletes making money off their fame.

That deal prompted a meeting between NCAA investigators and Tennessee officials in January followed by a scathing letter from Chancellor Donde Plowman to NCAA President Charlie Baker. She ripped the NCAA for creating “extraordinary chaos” by failing to provide clear rules for name, image and likeness for both universities and athletes.

The attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA a day after Plowman’s letter was released. A federal judge granted the AGs a preliminary injunction Feb. 23 barring the NCAA from enforcing NIL rules.

White cited NIL for creating an even closer connection between resources and competitive success. Tuesday’s announcement notes the current settlement projections could take effect as early as July 1, and the athletic director said Tennessee wants to be as transparent as possible with a fan base that has helped build the nation’s best athletic department. White said the ticket fee is a big key to continuing that success.

“We want to be a leader in college sports. that means we want to be a leader in revenue sharing,” White said. “We want to have the very best experience for our athletes right here on Rocky Top.”

White, whose latest contract extension was announced in August, credited fans for selling out 102,000 seats at Neyland Stadium for a third straight year with a waiting list of 15,000 for season tickets. He said that comes as other programs around the country are talking about downsizing stadiums that they can’t fill. Tennessee fans can start renewing tickets for 2025 on Thursday with a deadline of Feb. 27 with the option of a 10-month payment plan to handle the cost.

Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title in men’s basketball and the program’s first national championship in baseball in June.

A surprising group of quarterbacks leads the league in yards and touchdowns. Some of the usual star running backs and receivers are either injured or underperforming. And on defense, pass-rushers and secondaries have been wreaking havoc.

There are still 240 games left to be played before the postseason gets underway, but it’s never too soon to start recognizing the league’s best players.

With 32 games in the books, here are the 32 best statistical standouts so far in the 2024 season (sorted by position):

NFL Sep 16

NFL power rankings: Where things stand after Week 2 action

NFL Sep 16

Panthers benching former top pick Bryce Young for Andy Dalton: Report

NFL Sep 17

Who is playing in NFL Week 3? Here is the full schedule

Derek Carr, Saints QB

Stats: 443 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 142.4 passer rating, 1 rushing touchdown

Breakdown: Carr looks revitalized in his 11th season. The Saints are rolling offensively so far and he’s been steering the ship perfectly.

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers QB

Stats: 474 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 129.1 passer rating, 1 rushing touchdown

Breakdown: Fresh off signing a new contract with the Bucs, Mayfield’s play has only improved. He’s again silencing the doubters after an impressive road win in Detroit.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals QB

Stats: 428 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 122.9 passer rating, 116 rushing yards

Breakdown: Murray returned from injury last season and didn’t quite look like himself. Through two games this year though, he’s arguably playing the best football of his career.

Josh Allen, Bills QB

Stats: 371 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 124.2 passer rating, 2 rushing touchdowns

Breakdown: The Bills’ blowout win in Week 2 meant Allen didn’t have to stuff the stat sheet. But his work in Week 1 was enough to give him standout numbers.

Sam Darnold, Vikings QB

Stats: 476 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 111.8 passer rating

Breakdown: It’s been a renaissance so far in 2024 for Darnold, who is on his fourth team in five years. He looks comfortable and confident with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson and Co.

C.J. Stroud, Texans QB

Stats: 494 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 104.7 passer rating

Breakdown: The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year has picked up right where he left off, playing mistake-free and winning football for Houston. The 2-0 Texans look like a threat in the AFC.

J.K. Dobbins, Chargers RB

Stats: 266 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 9.9 yards per carry

Breakdown: The oft-injured Dobbins has been a completely different player with the Chargers this season. He has three rushes of 40 yards or longer, while the entire rest of the league has combined for four.

Alvin Kamara, Saints RB

Stats: 198 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns, 5.7 yards per carry, 7 receptions, 92 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Breakdown: A four-touchdown game in Week 2 carries Kamara’s stats, but that’s not a bad thing. He’s a natural fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense and appears primed for a monster age-29 season.

Jordan Mason, 49ers RB

Stats: 247 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 5.1 yards per carry

Breakdown: Not the 49ers running back you expected to see here two weeks ago, right? Mason has admirably filled in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, giving a star-studded offense another dangerous weapon.

Saquon Barkley, Eagles RB

Stats: 204 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 4.4 yards per carry, six receptions, 44 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Breakdown: Looking past the crucial drop in Week 2, Barkley’s first two games in Philly have been impressive. New York Giants fans had to watch their former star score three touchdowns in his debut for their division rival.

James Cook, Bills RB

Stats: 149 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 5.0 yards per carry, 4 receptions, 49 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Breakdown: Cook had the reverse start to the season from Barkley, with three scores in Week 2. The third-year rising star should be featured heavily in Buffalo’s offense all season long.

De’Von Achane, Dolphins RB

Stats: 120 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 3.8 yards per carry, 14 receptions, 145 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Breakdown: With Raheem Mostert and now Tua Tagovailoa hurt, Achane’s importance will only increase moving forward. The second-year speedster has already proven to be one of the league’s best dual-threat running backs.

Nico Collins, Texans WR

Stats: 14 receptions, 252 yards, 1 touchdown

Breakdown: Stroud’s No. 1 weapon from 2023 has only gotten better in 2024. He leads the league in receiving yards — with 52 more than the next-closest player.

Chris Godwin, Buccaneers WR

Stats: 15 receptions, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns

Breakdown: After three straight 1,000-yard seasons, Godwin somehow has started even stronger in 2024. The Bucs offense is rolling with Mayfield under center and Godwin catching everything thrown his way.

Malik Nabers, Giants WR

Stats: 15 receptions, 193 yards, 1 touchdown

Breakdown: How’s that for the start of a career? Nabers had a solid debut and a monster follow-up performance, all despite the Giants’ below-average quarterback play.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings WR

Stats: 8 receptions, 192 yards, 2 touchdowns

Breakdown: More than half of Jefferson’s yards this season came on a 97-yard score in Week 2. Even with a new quarterback throwing him the ball, Jefferson hasn’t missed a beat.

Jameson Williams, Lions WR

Stats: 10 receptions, 200 yards, 1 touchdown

Breakdown: Is this finally the breakout year for Williams? Injuries, ineffectiveness and a suspension hindered his first two seasons, but now he’s flashing that first-round potential.

Rashid Shaheed, Saints WR

Stats: 7 receptions, 169 yards, 2 touchdowns

Breakdown: If you need a big play, Shaheed is your guy. His scores came on deep balls of 59 and 70 yards, and seven of his nine career touchdowns have been on plays of 40 yards or longer.

Zay Flowers, Ravens WR

Stats: 13 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdown

Breakdown: Flowers has had double-digit targets in both games this season. Even though the Ravens are surprisingly 0-2, the second-year receiver has been one of their few bright spots.

Chris Jones, Chiefs DT

Stats: 4 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble

Breakdown: The NFL’s best defensive tackle is performing as such through two weeks. Without Aaron Donald in the league, Jones clearly wears that crown.

Aidan Hutchinson, Lions DE

Stats: 10 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble

Breakdown: Hutchinson had 4.5 sacks in Week 2, and he’s on pace to smash the single-season sack record. There’s obviously a long way to go, but this is a historic start for the Michigan product.

Keion White, Patriots DE

Stats: 11 total tackles, 4 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble

Breakdown: The Patriots’ defensive line needed someone to step up with Matthew Judon traded and Christian Barmore out. Insert White, who has wrecked offensive lines so far in a breakout second season.

Maxx Crosby, Raiders DE

Stats: 11 total tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss

Breakdown: Crosby had a career-high 14.5 sacks last season, and it’s realistic to expect him to surpass that total in 2024 after a quick start. He had two takedowns of Lamar Jackson in the Raiders’ Week 2 upset win.

T.J. Watt, Steelers DE

Stats: 7 total tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery

Breakdown: You can count on Watt for a sack every game, essentially. He has two this season and 98.5 in 106 career games for the Steelers.

Jared Verse, Rams DE

Stats: 11 total sacks, 1 sack, 4 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble

Breakdown: The only rookie defender to make this list, Verse has been a bright spot for the 0-2 Rams. The first-round pick is playing up to his pre-draft hype right now.

Myles Garrett, Browns DE

Stats: 5 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles

Breakdown: The reigning Defensive Player of the Year wants to defend his title this season. While the aforementioned players are stiff competition, it’s tough to bet against Garrett.

Fred Warner, 49ers LB

Stats: 16 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 2 passes defended

Breakdown: Long-considered one of the league’s best off-ball linebackers, Warner is showing off his versatility in 2024. He’s contributed in all phases of the game, including a red zone interception and goal line forced fumble in Week 2.

Boye Mafe, Seahawks LB

Stats: 9 total tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss

Breakdown: The Seahawks are 2-0, and Mafe deserves a hat tip. He has a sack in each game and likely could’ve had more in Week 2 if Jacoby Brissett didn’t evade his constant pressure so well.

Tyrique Stevenson, Bears CB

Stats: 9 total tackles, 1 interception, 1 touchdown, 3 passes defended

Breakdown: Stevenson’s game-winning pick-six earned him Defensive Player of the Week honors in the season opener. If the first two games as any indication, the Bears will need him and the defense to keep performing at that level.

Xavier McKinney, Packers S

Stats: 8 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defended

Breakdown: The only player with an interception in both games is off to a strong start for the Packers. The former Giant could be a game-changer for a defense that has been up-and-down in recent years.

Tyrann Mathieu, Saints S

Stats: 7 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 2 passes defended

Breakdown: The 32-year-old veteran has shown no signs of aging in 2024. Mathieu is an anchor for the Saints’ defense, which has allowed the fourth-fewest points through Week 2.

Chris Boswell, Steelers K

Stats: 8 for 8 field goals, 1 for 1 extra points, 4 for 4 from 50+ yards

Breakdown: Is it wrong to include a kicker? It’s not when that kicker scored all 18 points in his team’s Week 1 win. Boswell has been perfect this season, even with half of his attempts coming from 50 yards or longer.

The Spain international said players are concerned about the way the game is headed as more games are added to the calendar in competitions like the Champions League, which starts on Tuesday.

Rodri was asked on Tuesday if players might start refusing to play because of the calendar.

“I think we are close to that,” he said in a news conference ahead of City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday. “It’s easy to understand. You ask any player, he will say the same — it’s not the opinion of (just) Rodri or whoever. I think it’s a general opinion of the players.

“If it keeps this way, it will be a moment when we have no other option, I really think. It’s something that worries us because we are the guys who suffer.”

Rodri is expected to start his first game for City this season when Inter visits Etihad Stadium, having been given an extended break by the club after winning the European Championship with Spain in July.

City has two more games to play in the first stage of the Champions League and up to seven matches more in the Club World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States at the end of the domestic season.

Soccer Aug 29

Real Madrid gets Champions League final rematches with Liverpool, Dortmund in new format fixtures

News Jul 17

Chaos at Copa America raises doubts over U.S. 2026 World Cup readiness

The introduction by FIFA of a 32-team Club World Cup, which will be played every four years, is regarded by global players’ union FIFPRO as a tipping point for the expansion of international competitions. The union has started a legal challenge against FIFA over its expanded competitions, which include the first 48-team men’s World Cup in 2026, because it believes too much is being asked of players without consultation.

Rodri said players can be expected to “perform at the highest level” if they play 40 to 50 games. Not 60 to 70 matches, a number Rodri might have to play if City goes far in all of the competitions it enters.

Julian Alvarez, who played for City the past two seasons before moving to Atletico Madrid, was picked in 83 match-day squads last season. Another City player, Phil Foden, played in 72.

“In my humble opinion, I think it is too much,” Rodri said. “We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of, let’s say, this sport or this business.

“Not everything is money or marketing. It is also the quality of the show. In my opinion, when I rest, when I’m not tired, I perform better. If people want to see better football, we need to rest.”

Rodri said teammate Erling Haaland is demonstrating how a player can benefit from getting more of a break.

Norway did not qualify for Euro 2024, so Haaland had the summer off, and has started this season by scoring nine goals in City’s first four games.

“It gives you a clue why we ask for this,” Rodri said.

For a third straight year with the Flyers, John Tortorella will untangle his rope and kick off camp in grueling style.

“It’s hard, I’ve been around the game a long time and I’ve never seen a hard test like that,” AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head Ian Laperriere said Tuesday. “And I had Mike Keenan as my first coach, so you would think that I did. But nothing like that.”

Practices at Flyers Training Center are open to the public.

Here are the schedules for the Flyers’ regular season and preseason.

Below is the Flyers’ training camp roster and schedule. The club has 58 players in camp. Expectedly, goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov is not in camp. More on that here.

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🌭 The Philadelphia Flyers on Monday unveiled their 2024-25 promotional schedule for games at the Wells Fargo Center. Included among the theme nights and giveaways were two special nights dedicated to Dietz & Watson dollar hot dogs.

Flyers Dollar Dog Nights are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, against the Colorado Avalanche and Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, against the Florida Panthers.

$1 food includes more than just hot dogs this Flyers season

The cheap food fun doesn’t stop with those games as fans can buy $1 Super Pretzels 🥨 during the Thursday, March 27, 2025, games against the Montreal Canadiens and grab $1 Turkey Hill ice cream 🍨 during the Saturday, April 12, 2025, game against the New York Islanders.

What freebies can Flyers fans get?

One buck too much? How about free?

Giveaways during the 2024-25 season include home opener t-shirts on Sunday, Oct. 19, vs. Vancouver Canucks; Flyers fanny packs on Saturday, Oct. 26, vs. Minnesota Wild; a Coors Light giveaway on Thursday, March 13, vs. Tampa Bay Lightning; and a Flyers placemat on Saturday, March 15, vs. Carolina Hurricanes.

The highlight (or maybe it’s just nightmare fuel) of the giveaways has to be the Gritty night light giveaway for fans during the Saturday, Feb. 22, game against Edmonton.

Theme nights and community fun during 2024 Flyers season

Fans of Star Wars (Nov. 16), Halloween (Oct. 31) and Marvel (March 8) all have theme nights for them.

Community night include military appreciation on Monday, Nov. 11, Pride Night on Jan. 21 and the March 4 PAL game.

There are plenty of other promotions set for the 2024-25 Flyers season. Click here to get tickets to the game you don’t want to miss.

Sunday Night Football in Week 3 will feature Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs against Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.

The Chiefs are off to a strong start as they chase the first ever Super Bowl three-peat. They beat the Baltimore Ravens by a toe in the NFL Kickoff Game and followed that up with another narrow home win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

Now, Mahomes and Co. will hit the road for the first time in 2024 for an SNF tilt against the Falcons. After a disappointing Week 1 showing, Cousins got his first win as a Falcon with an improbable comeback against the Philadelphia Eagles to close out Week 2.

Which team will come leave with a victory on Sunday night? Here is how you can watch the Chiefs-Falcons showdown on NBC and Peacock.

When is the Chiefs vs. Falcons Sunday Night Football game?

The Chiefs and Falcons will face off on Sunday Night Football on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

What time is the Chiefs vs. Falcons Sunday Night Football game?

Kickoff for Chiefs-Falcons is slated for 8:20 p.m. ET.

How to watch the Chiefs vs. Falcons Sunday Night Football game

Chiefs-Falcons will air on NBC. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst) and Melissa Stark (sideline) will be on the call for the game and for Sunday Night Football throughout the 2024 season.

Pregame coverage on NBC and Peacock starts at 7 p.m. ET with “Football Night in America,” as Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio, Devin McCourty, Matthew Berry and Jac Collinsworth get you ready for the game.

How to live stream the Chiefs vs. Falcons Sunday Night Football game

Live stream: Peacock, NBC.com

Mobile app: Peacock mobile app on Apple/Android, NBC mobile app

It keeps happening and there doesn’t seem to be anything Nick Sirianni can do to stop it.

The players have changed. A bunch of ‘em. Twenty-two guys who started a game last year are gone.

The coaches have changed. Both coordinators and half a dozen position coaches are new this year.

The one thing that hasn’t changed, the biggest common denominator, is Sirianni, and when we start to assign blame for yet another preposterous nightmare Eagles loss, that’s where we have to start.

Because his job right now is setting the culture, preparing the football team, making the big decisions that set the tone for what we see on the field.

And what we’ve seen on the field way too often lately is disastrous.

They lost to the Jets after leading with 46 seconds left. They lost to the Seahawks after leading with 28 seconds left. They lost to the Cards after leading with 32 seconds left. And now they’ve lost to the Falcons after leading with 38 seconds left.

Sometimes you just get beat. Like the 49ers and Cowboys blowouts late last year. Those are almost easier to take than these. Because few things are worse than giving a game away in the final seconds, and the Eagles have now done that four times in less than a year.

These type of losses cut your heart out. 

In four of their last seven losses the Eagles have led with under two minutes left.

Their previous 144 games, it didn’t happen once.

So when it keeps happening, you have to look straight at the head coach and wonder why.

He’s still got that gaudy won-loss record, one of the best in NFL history, and he’s done some really good things since he’s been here. This team played in a Super Bowl just 19 months ago, and there’s still a chance he can become that NFL rarity – a head coach who takes his first four teams to the postseason. Still early and all that.

But the Eagles are also 2-7 in their last nine games and every one has either been a 4^th-quarter meltdown or a lop-sided embarrassment.

It’s easy to blame Saquon Barkley for the dropped pass on the late third down that could have put the game away or Darius Slay for the blown coverage on the Falcons’ game-winning touchdown. But in the bigger picture, this loss raises some difficult questions about the coach and his ability to maintain a winning culture, instill confidence in his team and make the pivotal calls late in games that give the Eagles a chance.

Because what we saw Monday night looked so similar to what we saw late last season, and the Eagles were supposed to have gotten that out of their system because of all the changes to the roster and the staff, but the last two minutes of that game were right out of the 2023 Eagles Highlight Film.

Who’s to blame?

I don’t know where else to look.

As soon as Barkley dropped that pass and before the Falcons even got the ball back, I told the other guys on the NBC Sports Philadelphia postgame set – Ron Jaworski, Barrett Brooks and Michael Barkann – that the Eagles were going to lose. I was convinced of it. Didn’t matter that the Falcons had to go 70 yards in a minute and a half with a barely ambulatory 36-year-old quarterback. 

When you’ve already seen the same movie a bunch of times, you know it’s going to have the same ending.

Yeah, it’s only one game and, yeah, at 1-1 they still have a chance to achieve all their preseason goals. And it looks like the rest of the division might not be any good. But for all of Sirianni’s talk about core values and connecting and fundamentals and competing, the one thing this team is best at lately is giving games away.

For me, it’s really not even about the questionable decisions — when to go for it, when to kick a field goal, when to throw, when to run. Those are fair questions, but this goes so far beyond that.

Really, it’s about whether Sirianni still has what it takes to get this team mentally and physically prepared to play football.

Not for 58 or 59 minutes but for 60 minutes.

And it seems crazy to ask this question about a coach who’s had so much success, but there’s a growing body of evidence that he doesn’t.

It’ll start with Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets back on primetime when they host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.

The early window on Sunday will have seven games, led by the Philadelphia Eagles at the high-flying New Orleans Saints in what will be a good test for Derek Carr. C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans will take on the Minnesota Vikings, with Sam Darnold in the middle of a strong start.

Five games will form the late window, with the Baltimore Ravens hoping to bounce back at the Dallas Cowboys, who will have the same goal. The San Francisco 49ers will engage in a divisional battle against the Los Angeles Rams, as both teams are also coming off disappointing losses on the road.

Sunday Night Football will see Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on the road looking to improve to 3-0 as they visit Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.

Monday Night Football will conclude the week with a doubleheader, led by Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the hunt for their first win of the year at the 2-0 Buffalo Bills.

Here’s a look at the full Week 3 schedule:

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The suit, filed by MLB Players Inc. against Draftkings Inc. and Bet365 Group Ltd. in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, claims the companies engaged in illegal “use of MLB player images on their sportsbook betting platforms” and of “player names and images in associated advertising, without a license.”

The suit claims unauthorized use of name or likeness under Pennsylvania law, common law misappropriation of publicity, common law misappropriation of identity, and unjust enrichment. MLB Players Inc. asked for an injunction and damages.

The companies did not immediately reply to emails seeking comment.

It certainly looked like the Eagles were going to walk away with an ugly win but ended up losing 22-21 and will now have to go on the road on a short week to face the red-hot New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the grades:

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 23/30, 183 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 85 rushing yards, 1 TD

The Eagles’ quarterback made some poor decisions in Week 1 but had a better game in Week 2. Sure, he threw an interception late in the game but it’s hard to fault him too much for trying to make a play as the clock ticked away. Still can’t get picked there but Hurts wasn’t the biggest problem in this game. Hurts threw for just 183 yards but looked really good running the football. He was decisive and fast and had more rushing yards than he did in any single game last season.

Grade: B–

Running back

Saquon Barkley: 22 carries, 95 yards; 4 catches, 21 yards

For the second straight week, Barkley had 26 touches in the game. He was the best player on the field for much of the night. Even though he didn’t hit 100+ on the ground, he looked good toting the rock and was picking up yards that didn’t appear to be there. Sure, Barkley dropped the ball on 3rd-and-3 late in the game on a play that would have iced it. He’d love to have that one back. But you can certainly argue he shouldn’t have been in that position.

Grade: B+

Receiver

DeVonta Smith: 7 catches on 10 targets for 76 yards, 1 TD

There’s no doubt the Eagles missed A.J. Brown in this game. The offense is just very different without the Eagles’ best skill player. But Smith had a nice evening with one touchdown and he would have had another but Jessie Bates made a great play on the ball in the end zone. But after Smith, the other receivers combined for 7 catches for 29 yards. Britain Covey had 6 for 23 and Jahan Dotson had 1 for 6. Johnny Wilson had one target without a catch (and was called for a hold) and Parris Campbell wasn’t even targeted. Dotson was the No. 2 wideout in this game and he barely made an impact. The Eagles traded to get Dotson for situations like this and he had a quiet night.

Grade: B-

Tight end

Dallas Goedert: 3 catches on 4 targets for 38 yards

Without Brown in this game, it would have made sense for the Eagles to go to Goedert a lot and that didn’t happen. He just didn’t have a huge output. Grant Calcaterra had 2 catches for 19 yards but also got blown up on a few blocks.

Grade: C

Offensive line

The offensive line was solid in this game. Hurts seemed to have a clean pocket for most of the evening and he was sacked just one time for a loss of 4 yards. The offensive line also blocked well for Barkley to pick up some big yardage. The only thing to clean up here are the ineligible man downfield penalties. Those are tough but the Eagles had three of them and that’s not a new problem.

Grade: A-

Defensive line

Thomas Booker IV: 3 solo tackles, 2 TFLs

The biggest concern about the Eagles right now is probably the play of the defensive line. They were absolutely gashed in the run game by Bijan Robinson (14 for 97) and Tyler Allgeier (9 for 53). The line also failed to get much pressure on Kirk Cousins, who was sacked just one time for 8 yards. That sack came from Milton Williams but it was one of a few pressures all game. Cousins was way too comfortable. Booker made some plays in this game but the edge rushers still don’t have a sack through two games.

Grade: D

Linebacker

Zack Baun: 9 combined tackles

Baun had 9 tackles in this game and Nakobe Dean had 7. Both made a few plays but gave up a few in this game. Dean was called for an illegal contact that wiped out a Brandon Graham sack in the second quarter. For how bad the pass rush has been, it’s a killer to take a sack off the board.

Grade: B-

Secondary

Quinyon Mitchell: 3 tackles, 1 PBU

Definitely a mixed bag from the secondary. The C.J. Gardner-Johnson hit stick on 4th down should have been the play everyone is still talking about but the Eagles ended up blowing the lead. The PBU from Quinyon Mitchell in the first half was a great play too. But the secondary missed tackles and Darius Slay gave up the final touchdown after he was beaten badly by Drake London.

Grade: C+

Special teams

Braden Mann: 2 punts, 93 yards, 1 inside 20

Mann had a good day punting the ball and also got down a high snap for a Jake Elliott field goal. Elliott made both of his field goals and an extra point. Will Shipley had a nice 27-yard kickoff return and Covey’s only punt return went for 9 yards. They also didn’t give up any big plays. Special teams was fine.

Grade: B+

Coaching

Record: 1-1

This is a game the Eagles should have won. They were the more talented team. But there were plenty of questionable decisions in this game, especially in the fourth quarter. Nick Sirianni deserves to be questioned for his decisions to throw the ball on third down and then to kick a field goal on fourth down with under 2 minutes remaining. Those are decisions that could have cost the Eagles this game. On top of that, the Eagles were penalized nine times in this game.

Grade: F

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Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons pulled off a stunner on Monday Night Football, coming back late to beat the Eagles 22-21 to avoid an 0-2 start.

Philadelphia had been in prime position to see out the clock late in the fourth, but opted for a pass play that may have been punished by the football gods for being too greedy. Cousins, with Atlanta down 21-15, led a drive that took just under a minute to end in a Drake London touchdown.

With 26 seconds to go, Hurts’ attempted deep ball went off target and into the hands of star safety Jessie Bates III that left Lincoln Financial Field in silence.

Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: Kirk Cousins, Falcons

Cousins seemed destined to fall into the loser category, but he turned it around all within one drive. After a lackluster three and three-fourths of the fourth quarters, Cousins ended the game with 241 passing yards, two touchdowns and no picks on 20 of 29 completions.

The 36-year-old looked rusty all game after a shaky Week 1 off the back of zero preseason action, but all that rust seemed to dissipate when he needed to lock in.

Darnell Mooney, who caught a 41-yard catch and score earlier in the game, proved decisive in the final drive alongside London.

Atlanta will need this version of Cousins in Week 3 when it hosts Patrick Mahomes the Kansas City Chiefs.

LOSER: Jalen Hurts, Eagles

How quickly one can go from the hero to zero. Hurts was destined to be a winner following a solid dual-threat outing, but now he drops into the opposite category. That’s just how the nature of the game works sometimes.

Hurts was far from the issue. He threw for 183 yards, one touchdown and one pick on 23 of 30 completions, while looking like the 2022 version of himself on the ground, rushing for 85 yards on 13 carries with a tush-push touchdown.

But all that matters is the end result, and two plays late in the contest did not go Hurts’ way. Nick Sirianni should be just at fault for not keeping things simple prior to Cousins’ game-winning drive.

WINNER: Bijan Robinson, Falcons

Robinson, unlike the previous two sections, was going to be a winner regardless. The second-year running back got whatever he wanted on the night, even if it didn’t result in any touchdowns. He ran for 97 yards on 14 carries, good for a nice average of 6.9. He also caught four passes for 25 yards. His burst and agility just couldn’t be contained by Philadelphia.

Tyler Allgeier also put in a strong shift, rushing for 53 yards on nine attempts for an average of 5.9. Philadelphia will need to fix its run defense as soon as possible.

LOSER: Saquon Barkley, Eagles

Barkley was on the path to two straight robust performances as Philadelphia moved to 2-0. That all changed with one play. Late in the fourth quarter on a third and short, Hurts threw to Barkley on a wide-open flat route that would’ve resulted in a first down to ice the game. But Barkley astonishingly dropped it, leading to Cousins’ ensuing drive.

The drop marked Barkley’s 16th since 2021, the most among running backs in that span. He had 21 receiving yards on four catches and rushed for 95 yards on 22 attempts (4.3 average). However, the NFL world will primarily remember the drop that eventually cost Philly the game.

WINNER: Jessie Bates III, Falcons

Bates III had a monstrous outing in Atlanta’s secondary. He led all players with 12 total tackles, with seven solo. That included one tackle for loss. He also recorded two passes defended, one of them being a touchdown saver when DeVonta Smith nearly hauled in Hurts’ pass late in the third.

Smith should’ve held on, but it was just superior defending by the 27-year-old to knock out the ball cleanly without pass-interference contact.

Bates III then later had the aforementioned interception on Hurts to seal the result.

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Suarez was one of the most important parts of the Phillies’ tremendous first half, going 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA in his first 15 starts, but he hasn’t been nearly the same guy his last 10 times out. He has a 5.61 ERA since June 25, missing a month from July 27 to August 24 with lower back soreness.

He allowed three runs and needed 104 pitches to get through five innings. The decisive frame was the bottom of the third when leadoff man Jackson Chourio walked and Blake Perkins singled off Suarez with one out for Willson Contreras, who laced a two-run double to left-center on a full count. The Phillies looked up from that point forward.

“I think I was battling myself tonight,” he said. “That was the main reason why I left the game so early. A lot of pitches. A lot of two-strike counts. I just wasn’t as effective as I usually am with those.”

Suarez walked Rhys Hoskins to begin the bottom of the fourth and quickly found himself in a second-and-third, no-out jam. He rebounded with a flyout, groundout and strikeout but the Brewers added another run.

The lefty had a scare in the inning, slipping as he came off the mound to field a softly-hit groundball. Suarez’ left foot gave way and he landed on his right wrist, but he remained in the game and retired the final four hitters he faced.

It wasn’t a terrible night, but Suarez’ command wasn’t sharp. He walked three — two of which scored — and spent nearly as much of the night behind in the count as he did ahead.

“He had trouble finishing hitters off tonight,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I think he had 16 two-strike counts and only five punchouts. That’s a little bit low for him. You’ve got to give them credit, they put some good at-bats on him, but those walks hurt.”

As fantastic as he was through mid-June, Suarez probably lines up as the Phillies’ No. 4 starter in a playoff series at this point. He has been clearly out-pitched the last month by Cristopher Sanchez, and if the Phillies end up starting Sanchez in Game 2 of the NLDS, they’d likely split up the righties and lefties, using Aaron Nola in Game 3.

There are still more than two weeks until that decision has to be made. Game 1 of the NLDS is October 5.

“First of all, we have to get there,” Suarez said when asked about finding a rhythm ahead of the playoffs.

Thomson has referred to Suarez’ last few starts as basically rehab starts since he did not go on a rehab assignment after missing four weeks with his back injury. Suarez disputed that notion, though.

“No, I’m not calling it that,” he said. “I think there’s a reason why I didn’t go on a rehab assignment and it’s because I didn’t need it. I just think that I battled myself tonight more than usual.

“Executing those 0-2, 1-2 pitches better and finishing off counts, that’s gonna be one of the goals I set for myself.”

The series in Milwaukee this week is a potential playoff preview and carries great importance in the National League playoff field. The Phils are three games ahead of the Brewers with the head-to-head tiebreaker, making it a de facto four-game lead.

The Phillies are aiming for the top overall seed and their lead over the Dodgers is two games — one plus the tiebreaker. The top seed aside, beating up on the Brewers this week would get the Phils closer to guaranteeing themselves at least one of the top two playoff positions, both of which receive byes.

If the Phillies win the next two nights, they’ll head to New York with a six-game lead over the Brewers.

If they end up losing two of three in Milwaukee, they’ll head to New York with a four-game lead over the Brewers (three plus the tiebreaker).

And if they’re swept at American Family Field, the Phillies will be just two games ahead of the Brewers and no longer in possession of the tiebreaker since they’d have split the season’s six meetings. The next tiebreaker is record within your own division and the Brewers (30-19) have a decent advantage over the Phillies (27-18).

Kyle Schwarber appeared to homer on the first pitch of the game Monday but it was barely foul and he struck out looking two pitches later. Brewers right-hander Aaron Civale K’d seven over five innings, allowing just a solo homer to Brandon Marsh in the top of the fifth.

The Phillies didn’t help themselves by running into two outs in the third inning. Cal Stevenson walked but was thrown out at third on a Trea Turner single to right field. Then Turner mistimed Civale’s delivery and took off too early for second base, resulting in a caught stealing.

The sixth inning was a prime comeback opportunity when Schwarber and Turner opened with singles, down two, to chase Civale. But the Brewers turned to former Phillies lefty Hoby Milner and Bryce Harper lined out, Nick Castellanos struck out and Alec Bohm grounded out back to the mound.

The Phillies put their first two men on in the seventh against Milner but managed only one run. The Brewers’ bullpen has the lowest ERA in the National League at 3.17. The first two relievers the Phillies used — Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks — were erratic and combined to allow three runs.

“We got enough hits to score some runs but it just didn’t happen,” Thomson said.

The Phils look to even the series on Tuesday night behind their ace, Zack Wheeler (15-6, 2.60). The Brewers will start Frankie Montas (7-10, 4.49).

They might have to play the Saints next week without him too.

During the ESPN broadcast, sideline reporter Lisa Salters said she spoke pre-game with Brown, who expects to miss a couple of weeks with the injury.

Here’s what Salters said in her report:

“I talked to A.J. Brown just before kickoff. He said what happened in practice on Friday was really just a freak thing. He said he was running a route, his hamstring tightened up on him. He said he does not think it’s too serious but he does expect to miss a couple of weeks.”

Brown suffered his hamstring injury during Friday’s practice and was held out of Saturday’s practice. He was initially listed as questionable but got downgraded on Sunday to out.

Brown, 27, is at the game, watching from the Eagles’ sideline.

Without Brown on Monday night, the Eagles elevated Parris Campbell from the practice squad but have been going with DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey and Johnny Wilson too.

The Eagles traded for Dotson on Aug. 22 for an instance like this. While they obviously wanted to have a better third receiver for their 11 personnel package, they also wanted an option if one of their top two receivers ever had to miss time. Dotson was a first-round pick but the Commanders were willing to let him go after just two seasons in the NFL. In two years with the Commanders, Dotson had 84 catches for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Even though the Eagles have other options, missing Brown is a big blow. He’s a Pro Bowler and one of the top receivers in the NFL. He has gone over 1,400 yards in each of the last two seasons, which are the two best receiving seasons in franchise history.

The Eagles will play the Saints (2-0) on Sunday in New Orleans in Week 3.

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Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed the appeal on Monday, a little over a month after CAS voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi during the event finals on Aug. 5 that vaulted Chiles from fifth to third.

CAS, following a hearing requested by Romanian officials, ruled Landi’s appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries and recommended the initial finishing order be restored. The International Gymnastics Federation complied and the International Olympic Committee ended up awarding bronze to Romanian Ana Barbosu on Aug. 16.

Chiles’ appeal maintains that the CAS hearing violated her “right to be heard” by refusing to allow video evidence that Chiles and USA Gymnastics believe showed Landi appealed within the 1-minute time allotment. Chiles’ appeal also argues that Hamid G. Gharavi, president of the CAS panel, has a conflict of interest due to past legal ties to Romania.

USA Gymnastics wrote in a statement Monday night that it made a “collective, strategic decision to have Jordan lead the initial filing. USAG is closely coordinating with Jordan and her legal team and will make supportive filings with the court in the continued pursuit of justice for Jordan.”

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The appeal is the next step in what could be a months- or years-long legal battle over the gymnastics scores.

Chiles was last among the eight women to compete during the floor exercise finals initially given a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, right behind Barbosu and fellow Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on Chiles’ score.

“At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like ‘We’re just going to try,’” Landi said after the awards ceremony. “I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen, but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like ‘What?’”

Judges awarded the appeal, leapfrogging Chiles past Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.

Romanian officials appealed to CAS on several fronts while also asking a bronze medal be awarded to Chiles, Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea. The FIG and the IOC ultimately gave the bronze to Barbosu, who beat her teammate on a tiebreaker because she produced a higher execution score during her routine.

Birmingham City saw future NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady purchase a share of the club to be a minority owner in 2023, but proceeded to relegate after a dismal start under soccer icon Wayne Rooney.

That set the stage Monday for a home clash against Wrexham, famously co-led by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Red Dragons have climbed the English soccer pyramid the last few seasons, and the fans let Brady have it with an NSFW chant during their game.

“Who the f—— hell are you?” Wrexham fans chanted as Brady walked by on the pitch. The 47-year-old responded with a thumbs up and pointed at a specific spot in the crowd while smiling.

Brady later sat in the stands of St. Andrew’s with soccer legend David Beckham, watching Birmingham City pull off a convincing 3-1 win to close the gap with Wrexham atop the table.

Despite Jack Marriott’s third-minute opener for Wrexham, Birmingham responded with a brace from league-record signing Jay Stanfield (22′, 52′) and another from Japanese midfielder Tomoki Iwata in the 59th.

Brady and McElhenney also talked on the pitch before the game, while the former New England Patriots star made an appearance on Sky Sports Football to discuss his ownership of the club.

Wrexham still leads the table despite the loss due to goal difference, but Birmingham City has a game in hand. Both clubs, though, have at least 40 league games left, so it’s too early to tell if either will make a serious challenge to reach the EFL Championship.

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Things will wrap up Tuesday before John Tortorella’s rope comes out Thursday to commence main camp.

While one signed goalie prospect has been here for rookie camp, another has not. Carson Bjarnason played four of the six periods in the rookie games over the weekend. Alexei Kolosov, also under contract with the Flyers, did not report to camp.

For Bjarnason, Kolosov’s absence hasn’t changed his mindset.

“I’ve never met him but I heard he’s a great guy and great goalie,” the 19-year-old said Saturday. “I haven’t thought too much about it, it’s just kind of go out there, play my game and play the way I can.”

How does AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head coach Ian Laperriere view the Kolosov situation? We’ll get into that and more with our latest three observations from rookie camp.

‘I was as surprised as everybody’

Laperriere saw Kolosov join his club last season at the start of April. The Flyers felt the 22-year-old Belarusian spending a month-plus with the Phantoms would be an effective way to facilitate his full-time transition to North America in 2024-25.

Kolosov, a 2021 third-round pick and one of the Flyers’ top goaltending prospects, had played 53 games, including the playoffs, on loan with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. There was a gap of about three weeks from when his KHL season ended to when he arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Kolosov played a couple of games for Lehigh Valley, which bowed out of the playoffs on May 11.

Five days later, Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov would potentially want to return to the KHL in 2024-25 because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers believed that he had been homesick, according to a source, but were hopeful he’d be OK next season. Tony Androckitis of InsideAHLHockey.com reported in July that Kolosov felt “isolated.”

“I was as surprised as everybody behind [the Flyers’] doors when I read what I read,” Laperriere said Monday. “To be honest, like, maybe I’m the worst coach in the world, but I make people around me comfortable. I’m a friendly guy, you guys have known me for 15 years. It was weird to read the stuff. I don’t think it’s coming from the kid. Stuff gets translated, who said what. … I really don’t know what to believe with what’s out there because the kid never told us that.

“It’s frustrating because he looked really good in practice. He didn’t skate for three weeks or a month, so he had some catching up to do and we were in a playoff race and Cal Petersen played unbelievable down the stretch. It was a tough spot for him, but guys asked him to go out every night for dinner, he said no.”

As a French Canadian, Laperriere had to learn English in 1994 coming up through the Blues’ organization with the Peoria Rivermen.

“I get it, he doesn’t speak English, so that’s got to be tough,” Laperriere said. “I know my English is not great now, but I didn’t speak English when I moved to Peoria (Illinois) when I was 20. So it’s part of pro hockey when you go from one country to the other, you’ve got to learn the language.”

To make up for Kolosov’s absence in main camp, the Flyers signed Eetu Makiniemi, a 25-year-old with NHL and AHL experience, to a professional tryout offer two and a half weeks ago. Kolosov, who changed agents last month, signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in July 2023. He would bolster the Phantoms’ goaltending picture.

“I wish him luck, hopefully we’ll see him soon because he is a talented kid,” Laperriere said. “But I’ll play the guys that I have.”

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

‘He’s doing that with everyone’

A big storyline to Matvei Michkov’s arrival in July was the language barrier. As rookie camp has continued, the 19-year-old Russian has often been smiling and chatting with other prospects. He looks comfortable.

“He’s doing that with everyone,” Laperriere said. “He’s in the gym, he goes around, says good morning, high-fives everybody. For me, he wants to be here. That’s another example, his English has improved in two weeks I’ve been around him. When you want something, it goes quickly. That’s a kid who wants to learn the language because he wants to be a part of the solution here.”

Hunter McDonald, an American defenseman, has enjoyed getting to know Michkov this summer.

“It has been great, we took him out for his first burrito, working on his English,” he said. “He has been good, we got to hang out with him in the house, play some video games, just outside that rink, get to know him a little bit. Anytime we’re talking, we might not understand, we don’t bring out the translator just to kind of keep working on it and force the English.”

And Michkov has had help from translators, even Canadian defenseman Oliver Bonk, whose dad Radek Bonk is from Czechia.

“It has been great, he’s a great kid,” Bonk said. “I speak a bit of Czech, so I’m bit of a translator in the gym for him right now, his gym buddy. He’s a great kid, it’s fun being out there with him.”

Bumper Bonk in Philly?

The Flyers’ second first-round pick in 2023 was given a popular nickname of “Bumper Bonk” last season. It was fueled by the 19-year-old’s success in the bumper spot of London’s power play.

Bonk led all OHL defensemen with 15 man advantage goals and finished with 67 points over 60 regular-season games for the Knights.

So the Flyers put Bonk in the bumper spot for Friday night’s rookie game.

“I’ve never seen that, I’ve never seen a D in the bumper spot on the power play,” Laperriere said. “I was anxious to see that and he looked pretty good. You can tell he’s comfortable, his puck retrieval is amazing in that position.”

Can he play the bumper role at the next level?

“That’s going to be for Torts or if I get him next year, which I wouldn’t be surprised if I never see him,” Laperriere said. “But if I do, I’ll work with him, for sure.”

Bonk will be in the Flyers’ main camp and is expected to eventually head back to London for his final year of junior hockey. The Flyers love that he’s coachable. He credits a lot of that to his father, who played 14 years in the NHL.

“My dad was great, he always pushed me,” Bonk said. “I’m used to being pushed, when the coaches are yelling here and they want to get you going, they want to push you, I’m ready for it. It doesn’t really intimidate me or anything like that.”

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Mikey Varas was officially named the first head coach in SDFC history. Varas was most recently the interim head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, but he made a real name for himself in the coaching ranks as the leader of the United States youth movement.

Varas took over the U-20 national team in 2021 and led them to a Concacaf championship a year later, helping Team America qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Prior to joining USA Soccer, Varas was the Academy Director for both Sacramento Republic and FC Dallas, earning the U.S. Soccer Development Academy West Conference U-14 Coach of the Year award for the 2016-17 season.

“I am honored to join San Diego FC as the Club’s first Head Coach,” said Varas in a statement to NBC 7. “The opportunity to build something special from the ground up, with such ambitious and committed ownership, and in a city with such a passionate fan base, is truly exciting. I look forward to working with the team and the community to develop a winning culture from the start. I will give everything to this club and the people of San Diego.”

Obviously, player development is his passion, something that made him extremely appealing to a Major League Soccer expansion club. Fluent in English and Spanish, Varas was a natural choice for a franchise that is already building a loyal following in both San Diego and Northern Mexico.

“Mikey embodies the values and ambitions of San Diego FC,” said SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps in a statement to NBC 7. “We have big aspirations for SDFC, and we believe Mikey has the right drive, passion, and leadership to help us build a winning culture. I’m looking forward to welcoming him to San Diego and continuing to build out the staff that will support and help us accomplish our goals.”

Varas will be formally introduced in a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego FC begins its inaugural season in February of 2025.

The first-year head coach reportedly will bench quarterback Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton beginning with the Carolina Panthers’ next game.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the news on Monday.

Through two games this season, the Panthers have been outscored 73-13 in two blowout losses. Young has completed just 55.4% of his passes with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

The former No. 1 overall pick has never found his footing in the NFL since being drafted last April. He started 16 games last season, going 2-14 with 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The Panthers fired their new head coach Frank Reich after a 1-10 start last season and hired Canales over the offseason. Despite the coaching change, Young’s play has not improved.

As Young heads to the bench, the Chicago Bears continue to reap the rewards of their pre-draft trade last spring. The Panthers sent D.J. Moore, two first-round picks (one to select Caleb Williams) and two second-round picks to the Bears in exchange for the No. 1 pick, which they used to take Young.

Dalton, meanwhile, provides some stability for a team that has won just two of its last 19 games. The 36-year-old QB has 14 seasons of experience, including the last two as Young’s backup.

Canales and the Panthers will seek their first win of the season in Week 3 against the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday.