Joel Waterman, Dje D’Avilla and Philip Zinckernagel each scored a goal, Chris Brady had four saves, and the Chicago Fire beat Minnesota United 3-0
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Joel Waterman, Dje D’Avilla and Philip Zinckernagel each scored a goal, Chris Brady had four saves, and the Chicago Fire beat Minnesota United 3-0 on Saturday night
Chicago (13-11-6) has 45 points this season and has a two-point lead over the 10th-place New York Red Bulls — who beat Montreal 2-0 earlier Saturday — for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Minnesota (15-7-9) is third in the Western Conference with 54 points, behind Vancouver (55) and San Diego (57).
Waterman, who was acquired Aug. 20 via trade with Montreal, scored his first goal of the season in the 26th minute.
André Franco played an arcing free kick to the back post and D’Avilla went up high for a header from the 6 yards out in the 41st — the 22-year-old midfielder’s first goal in MLS.
Zinckernagel paused as a defender went sliding by and the scored on a rising shot from near the penalty spot to make it 3-0 in the 70th.
Dayne St. Clair had six saves for Minnesota.
Minnesota allowed two first-half goals for the first time this season. Due to rest of injuries, four players (Mamadou Dieng, Darius Randell, Dominik Fitz and Nectarios Triantis) made their first-ever starts in MLS. Minnesota played Wednesday in the U.S. Open, a 2-1 loss to Austin FC that lasted 120 minutes.
Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
The Baltimore Ravens will be without two Pro Bowl pass rushers for Monday night’s game against the high-powered Detroit Lions.
Baltimore ruled out defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) on Saturday. They have combined for 43 sacks since for the Ravens since the start of 2023.
These injuries have hit the Ravens’ pass rush at an inopportune time. Baltimore plays a Lions offense that scored 52 points last week in a win over the Chicago Bears. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff was not sacked in that game.
The biggest concern for Baltimore is the health of Madubuike, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who is one of the players the Ravens can least afford to lose because of the pressure he provides on the interior.
Harbaugh said he couldn’t share many details on the injury, and the team is unsure when it occurred during Sunday’s 41-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens are determining the next course of action with Madubuike, who didn’t practice all week.
“It’s something that they’re looking at,” Harbaugh said. “He came up with symptoms after the game. But they’re dealing with the symptoms, and they’re testing right now. So, he will be ruled out for this game and they’re trying to get to the bottom of it.”
Harbaugh said he couldn’t comment on whether Baltimore is considering putting Madubuike on injured reserve, which would sideline him for at least four games.
“I don’t know enough to say,” Harbaugh said.
Rookie sixth-round pick Aeneas Peebles is expected to see increased playing time in Madubuike’s absence. Peebles has one tackle in two games this season.
Madubuike has been one of the most durable players for Baltimore and hasn’t missed a game due to injury since his 2020 rookie season. This ends a streak of 55 straight games played for Madubuike.
In addition to Madubuike and Van Noy, Baltimore also ruled out tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) and fullback Patrick Ricard (calf).
AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns in his sharpest game of the season so far as No. 8 Texas cruised to a 55-0 win over Sam Houston on Saturday night.
Manning was 18 of 21 passing and also ran for two first-half touchdowns. He connected with Ryan Wingo for touchdowns of 53 and 13 yards in the third quarter before leaving the game with Texas (3-1) leading 45-0.
“It felt good,” Manning said. “I wish I could have done that the last (three) weeks. But I’m glad we did it tonight … Got the ball in my guys’ hands and let them go to work.”
Manning needed a confidence builder after a poor start to the season and got one against the overmatched Bearkats (0-4). His passes looked crisp and decisive, and his first touchdown run saw him stand and flex over a defender before a game official broke them up.
His Texas teammates were glad to see it.
“He got his swagger back,” Texas senior safety Michael Taaffe said. “Everybody knew that it was in there. What he showed tonight is what we expect.”
Manning said he worried he’d get a taunting penalty, and that he quickly apologized to the game official.
“Probably a little much there. My mom was pretty mad about it,” Manning said. “I think it was some built up frustration for the past few weeks.”
Manning had come into the game completing just 55% of his passes. The preseason betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy had promised several times during the week he would start playing better. At one point Saturday night, Manning completed 14 passes in a row.
“When he plays a little looser and he’s free, that’s the best version of Arch,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He got going and started throwing the ball. Started using his legs. You could feel the bounce in his step on the field.”
Sam Houston: The Bearkats were completely smothered by the Texas defense. Their first 15 plays totaled 17 yards with no first downs.
Texas: Manning shredded an overmatched opponent. After his rough start to the season, the performance should earn him a ton of credit inside the Longhorns locker room heading into the Southeastern Conference schedule.
Manning said he won’t concern himself with the national chatter about him this week, or the critics who dismissed him after the first few games.
“I’m not really worried about what anyone thinks of the narratives. I’m just trying to play ball, get wins. That’s most important, especially going into SEC play. Right?” he said.
Texas preseason all-American edge rusher Colin Simmons got his first solo sack of the season on the first play of the game. Texas finished with five sacks for the game.
Texas has been waiting for a breakout performance from Wingo, who was expected to be the big target in the passing game. He had six catches for 93 yards and now has three touchdowns over the past two games.
“We had some explosive plays,” Sarkisian said. “We found the connection there with Arch and Ryan, which obviously is big for us.”
ST. LOUIS — Brice Turang singled home Jackson Chourio in the 10th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Saturday night.
Turang was 0 for 4 before lacing a two-out single to left off Jo Jo Romero (4-6), who pitched 1 2/3 innings.
Jared Koenig (6-1) pitched the final two innings to pick up the win.
Coupled with the Reds’ 6-3 win over the Cubs 6-3, the Brewers’ magic number to clinch the NL Central Division is one.
Milwaukee’s Andrew Vaughn hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Caleb Durbin and tie the score 2-2 in the sixth inning.
Joey Ortiz had an RBI single with two outs in the second to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
Nolan Arenado’s RBI single in the fourth tied it, and Pedro Pagés scored on Brendan Donovan’s single to right field off reliever Aaron Ashby in the fifth to put the Cardinals up 2-1.
Miles Mikolas, 37, was lifted in the sixth after giving up a leadoff double. He allowed two runs and seven hits, including five doubles. As he walked off the field, Mikolas — a free agent at the end of this season — doffed his cap to the crowd.
In the 10th inning, Donovan hit a grounder back to Koenig. He looked back before throwing to first. First baseman Vaughn then threw to third to double up Lars Noobaar for a 1-3-5 double play.
The Brewers improved to 7-4 in extra-inning games, while the Cardinals fell to 4-8.
Cardinals will start LHP Matthew Liberatore (7-12, 4.30 ERA) on Sunday. The Brewers have not announced a starter.
Despite the anger about another year of the tush push and the debate it already has sparked this season, the controversial play might not be going anywhere.
League sources told ESPN that there are no assurances that the tush push issue will be brought up for conversation or a vote by the NFL this offseason.
One source told ESPN that, after the hotly contested conversation the play raised last offseason and the emotions it aroused, he believes the issue needs to be tabled for a year before it could be raised again.
There also is the practicality of another attempt to ban the play. Former Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy authored the proposal to ban the tush push this past offseason, but he retired in July, once he reached the organization’s mandatory retirement age of 70.
The proposal to ban the tush push got 22 votes last spring, but it needed 24 to pass.
A new proposal to ban the play would need a new author, more support, and more votes. One source told ESPN that he didn’t know whether that could or would happen, adding that there has been no movement to make it happen, at least this early in the year.
Criticism of the play could eventually prompt a team to draft a new tush push ban proposal later this season, but that is not the case as the NFL enters its third Sunday of the season. And regardless of whether the league votes on a new proposal, the tush push is here to stay this season.
The tush push has come under renewed scrutiny after the Philadelphia Eagles used the play six times in their victory last Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL instructed officials this week to call the play “tight” going forward, and also announced that Philadelphia should have been flagged for at least one false start when it used the tush push last Sunday.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles have defended their use of the play in recent days. Left tackle Jordan Mailata ripped critics who used the tush push “as an excuse to why we won the game” during a radio interview Tuesday with 94 WIP in Philadelphia.
One day later, center Cam Jurgens said the Eagles are “not trying to worry about what other teams or people are saying.”
“We’re trying to worry about what we’re doing in here,” Jurgens said. “If the league wants to come down and say something and make an emphasis with the rules, we’re going to take that into account. But it’s the same thing going forward — playing Eagle football.”
Critics of the tush push have argued that it’s a dangerous play, but there wasn’t enough injury data to ban it for safety concerns.
The Eagles (2-0) have mastered the tush push in short-yardage situations, converting the play 96.6% of the time in fourth-and-1 scenarios since 2022.
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce, who defended the tush push and gave a detailed presentation to NFL owners last spring, said he believes that the rekindled criticism will lead to the play being banned.
“I think the play is done,” Kelce said Friday during an interview with WIP. “I think that there’s a lot of people within the league, at multiple levels, that want the play to be gone, which is fine.
“I think [the Eagles] will still go back to running quarterback sneak, and I’m sure they’ll figure out ways to be successful. I’m not really that concerned with it, to be very candid.”
The Athletic reported earlier Saturday that there is momentum around the league to ban the play next offseason.
But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friends!” Despite the building frustration with the play, there isn’t meaningful opposition that could result in it being banned.
ESPN’s Tim McManus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Turron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN since 2018. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show “Talking with TD.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will be without starting defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat when they face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Titans placed Sweat on the reserve/injured list on Saturday.
Sweat suffered an ankle injury in Tennessee’s season-opening loss to the Denver Broncos. The 6-foot-4, 366-pound lineman was not available for last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Sweat worked a side field during practice on Wednesday and was seen doing light jogging before taking part in individual period on Thursday. The Titans ruled Sweat out for Week 3 after he missed practice on Friday.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, with both starting interior defenders, Jeffery Simmons and Sweat on the field last season (309 run plays), the Titans’ defense allowed 4.3 yards per carry, 10th-fewest among all teams. With one of Sweat or Simmons (96 run plays), the Titans allowed 4.7 yards per carry (6th-most). The average jumps to 5.2 yards per carry with neither Sweat or Simmons on the field (98 run plays), which would be the highest mark in the league.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 218 yards when he last faced the Titans in Week 16. Sweat played 40 snaps before getting poked in the eye and missing the rest of the game.
Veteran defensive tackle James Lynch will see the bulk of the action while Sweat is out. The Titans used the standard elevation from the practice squad for defensive tackle Carlos Watkins on Saturday.
Harry Wilson once again helped Fulham to come from behind to beat Brentford at Craven Cottage with the hosts’ 3-1 victory setting up a second win in a week.
Wilson’s injury-time double had secured victory in the same fixture last season but he was only needed once this time around, firing home Alex Iwobi’s fine slide-rule pass to give the Cottagers a 2-1 lead.
For the third season in a row Brentford had struck first at Fulham, with a significant helping hand from 18-year-old Josh King whose blind pass gifted the ball to Mikkel Damsgaard – though he still had to beat Bernd Leno with a smart finish.
Brentford’s defending for Fulham’s equaliser ran that mistake close as Nathan Collins made a mess of clearing a deflected shot, before Iwobi stepped in to hammer home the loose ball, 98 seconds before Wilson’s strike turned the game on its head.
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Marco Silva resisted the urge to throw Kevin in from the start despite his impressive cameo against Leeds last week, and instead named an unchanged line-up from that game.
Keith Andrews was similarly happy with his side’s lot from their last-gasp draw with Chelsea, and sent out the same XI from that game after making 10 changes in the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa in midweek.
Neither defensive coach would have felt particularly content come full-time but there was worse still to come, as Keith Andrews’ half-time team talk went up in smoke five minutes after the restart when Ethan Pinnock headed past Caoimhin Kelleher for Fulham’s third.
“When your luck is out, it is out,” said Sky Sports’ Rob Green. “He doesn’t have time to duck, he doesn’t have time to get out of the way.”
Brentford continued to play their part but endured a toothless evening against their rivals, while the Cottagers thought they were out of sight on the hour as Rodrigo Muniz powered home a fourth, though he was denied by VAR after leaving Collins with a bloody nose in the build-up.
It mattered little as Fulham comfortably held on to double their win tally in seven days, with Brentford’s search for a first point on the road ongoing.
Iwobi: We worked to counter Brentford’s long-throw danger
Fulham’s Alex Iwobi to Sky Sports:
“We knew that Brentford are very good at long throws, so we worked on a lot of long throws in training this week. We were basically working on the second balls and reacting to them, so we were able to withstand that, which was the main threat today.
“You don’t know where it’s going to land, so we were literally working all week on second balls, but credit to our defenders, they were able to head away the first balls and clear it from the penalty box.”
Analysis: Fulham hit their stride as Bees toil on road again
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker at Craven Cottage:
“After such a dour performance against Leeds last weekend, it was curious that Marco Silva chose not to use any of the substitutes – let’s be honest, Kevin, who spurred them to victory late on in that game – to start against Brentford.
“Maybe that’s why he’s the Premier League head coach, because after a week of seeing his side on the training ground he was absolutely right to keep faith that they would find their energy and creativity again.
“He said this week their ambitions would not be dimmed by a difficult transfer window, with only Aston Villa spending less, but resources do make a difference.
“This was a timely reminder of the talent that remains at Craven Cottage, and that’s without their tricky new Brazilian, or fellow new arrival Samuel Chukwueze who was an unused substitute.
“Special credit to Josh King, who was unusually quiet in his last game and gave away Brentford’s opener in this one, but went on to drive the hosts forward before he was withdrawn.
“But for the Bees, for the second season in a row their home and away form is night and day. ‘Obviously, we need to address that,’ admitted Keith Andrews – though he insisted: ‘I didn’t feel any of it coming into the game, the players came in with a really good mindset.’”
Eric Karabell is a senior writer for fantasy baseball, football and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame and author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”.
Each week in the NFL is its own story — full of surprises, both positive and negative — and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true … don’t be surprised!
NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase was the No. 1 pick in most ESPN drafts this year, coming off a season in which he caught 127 passes for 1,708 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He was the top flex-eligible scorer in PPR formats, second overall only to Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. However, awesome QB Joe Burrow threw every one of Cincinnati’s passes for the 2024 season. He might not throw another this season.
Don’t be surprised if … Chase remains the No. 1 player in fantasy football
Backup QB Jake Browning has been in this situation before. It was 2023, his first season with the Bengals, years after he led the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 (look it up, it was a legit conference). Browning finished sixth in the 2016 Heisman Trophy voting. He tossed 43 touchdown passes. He played in the Peach Bowl. He took over for an injured Burrow during the Week 11 game at Baltimore and was a top-10 fantasy QB in five of the final six weeks, averaging 20 fantasy points per game. Browning should not be overwhelmed.
Oddly enough, Chase was not overly productive during the Browning games, though he lit up the Jacksonville Jaguars for 11 catches, 149 yards and a touchdown in Week 13. Some will use this seven-game period when Chase had only one big game as proof that he no longer belongs in the WR1 conversation at all. I don’t believe it. I left Chase at the very top in this week’s rest-of-season rankings. We can find potential blemishes with other top WRs and their QBs, too. Did Chase score 403 points because of Burrow, or because he is unstoppable? Let’s call it a combination of factors. Don’t underestimate Chase … or Browning.
Other QB thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:
Los Angeles Chargers starter Justin Herbert has the look of a top-10 fantasy QB yet again, but I still think this Jim Harbaugh-led offense wants to run the football considerably more than it has so far. Herbert finished ninth in fantasy QB scoring as a rookie in 2020 and second to Josh Allen his second season, but it is tough for Herbert to score 300 points while playing little role as a runner. Now is the time to get rookie RB Omarion Hampton (and veteran Najee Harris), not shy away. I still don’t think Herbert passes for 4,000 yards or more than 25 touchdowns.
There were times last season that I predicted Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts would finish with more rushing touchdowns than passing ones, which is quite preposterous for a QB in this era. He ended up with 18 passing scores and 14 rushing. Hurts will throw more in the coming weeks. He and his WRs are too talented, and the offense will not stay this unbalanced. Game flow and opponent dictated strategy. Still, do not expect Hurts to eclipse 3,000 passing yards or 20 TD passes, though. Ending up with 17 rushing TDs and 16 passing would be kind of wild, but it might happen.
I don’t think Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams played so badly in the Week 2 demolition loss to the Detroit Lions. I bet he plays even better this week against the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, a borderline QB1 option still lurks here. Don’t give up on Williams or his new No. 1 WR Rome Odunze. The narrative should alter soon.
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Should fantasy managers rank Odunze ahead of Moore?
Eric Karabell breaks down Rome Odunze’s nice start to the season and whether fantasy managers should consider him over DJ Moore.
Dobbins was a late signing this summer, more than a month after the NFL draft, and most fantasy managers probably gave this transaction little thought. RJ Harvey was a second-round pick, full of potential after delivering massive college numbers at UCF, including 25 touchdowns last season. Harvey might be great. He busted loose for a 50-yard run in Week 1. However, he has 28 rushing yards on his other 10 carries through two games. Dobbins is the better player right now.
The Broncos saw Dobbins, then with the Chargers, run 25 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 last season. I think they want that version of Dobbins, volume and all, especially since QB Bo Nix looks like a turnover machine. Dobbins rushed for 905 yards and nine touchdowns last season over 13 games. Based on his unfortunate injury history, there is considerable risk he cannot play in all 17 games, but let’s hope he plays enough. It is early, but Dobbins is on pace for 1,190 rushing yards.
Other RB thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:
I wouldn’t trade away Las Vegas Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty yet. He hasn’t had any room to run so far, but the volume is only going to rise. This offense must get Jeanty out into space and use him that way. Five catches for 3 yards is an embarrassment. Get this man the football! A big Week 3 performance against the Washington Commanders is pending.
New England Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson maintains a bright future, but veteran Rhamondre Stevenson is a superior pass blocker. As a result, the Patriots will play Stevenson more until he gets hurt or starts fumbling again, with each scenario in play based on recent seasons. When healthy, Stevenson is a bit underrated. Remember, he caught 69 passes in 2022. The Patriots really should present all the volume he can handle until he can’t handle it.
Don’t be surprised if … Zay Flowers remains a WR1 option
The Baltimore Ravens star enters Week 3 with 43.0 points, fifth among wide receivers, and what is stunning is how much more productive he has been than his pass-catching teammates. QB Lamar Jackson has thrown 48 passes. Flowers has been targeted on 20 of them, hauling in seven in each game. He also has three rushing attempts, after averaging 8.5 rushing attempts his first two seasons. It seems quite unsustainable that Flowers will continue to earn 42% of the team’s targets, but what about 30%? That would work!
Jackson threw 474 passes last season, 16th among passers. Remove Burrow, who threw 652 times, and the No. 2 QB for pass attempts was Aaron Rodgers, with 110 more than Jackson. That’s not that big of an edge over 17 games. Jackson can support Flowers as a top-10 fantasy WR, even if the target share is more like 30-35%. Last season, Flowers was targeted only 24% of the time. This year’s Ravens, however, are different. DeAndre Hopkins won’t approach 100 targets. Rashod Bateman never has. Flowers tied for 20th in WR targets last season. I think he can reach the top 10 there, too.
Meanwhile, TE Mark Andrews has two receptions on four targets so far. I featured Andrews in the Do Not Draft article because there was obvious touchdown regression coming, after he scored 11 times on only 55 catches. I didn’t think he also would regress to something like 40 catches and 500 receiving yards, too. This is happening, and it is why Andrews is among the most-dropped tight ends. The pending return of TE Isaiah Likely won’t help, either.
Other WR/TE thoughts that shouldn’t surprise:
What I wrote earlier about Chase maintaining expected production works for Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson as well. You don’t have to rely on the QB in fantasy to expect big things from the top WR. Jefferson is special, and let’s remember that Jordan Addison returns from suspension in Week 4. That helps Jefferson, too. It doesn’t matter who plays QB, though in this case, Carson Wentz is at least experienced and boasts the skills to thrive. Ignore what happened in Week 17 last season when Wentz started for the Kansas City Chiefs and lost 38-0 at Denver. That was not on him.
I like Houston’s schedule for the next two weeks and expect WR Nico Collins to produce bigger numbers, but we should be prepared for his move out of WR1 range. I was wrong about the Texans having a better offensive line. It looks offensive, all right, and no better than last season when QB C.J. Stroud ran for his life (proverbially, not literally). Stroud hasn’t had time to find Collins downfield. There is constant pressure. Collins averages a mere 5.5 yards per target, and it should have been much better against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Former Liverpool Women manager Matt Beard has died aged 47.
Beard managed Liverpool between 2012 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2025. He also had spells at Chelsea Women, Millwall Lionesses, West Ham Women and most recently a short spell at Burnley Women.
Liverpool confirmed the news on X, writing: “Liverpool Football Club is deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of former LFC Women manager Matt Beard.
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“The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Matt’s family and friends at this devastating time.
“Matt was not only an extremely committed and successful manager, he was also a person of real integrity and warmth, who will always be remembered with genuine fondness by everyone he worked with at the club.”
Beard coached Liverpool to back-to-back Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014. During his second spell in charge, he helped them win promotion back to the WSL before leading them to a seventh-placed finish on their return to the top flight.
His former club Millwall, with whom he started his managerial career, also paid tribute on X, stating: “Everybody at the club is deeply saddened by the passing of former Lionesses manager, Matt Beard.
“We send all our love and support to his family, friends and colleagues across the many clubs he managed at this very difficult time.”
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Liverpool are set to take on Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
The WSL released a statement which read: “Everyone at WSL Football extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends and loved ones of Matt Beard following news of his passing.
“Matt played an instrumental role in the growth of women’s football and will be missed by everyone associated with the game. Rest in peace, Matt.”
The FA wrote: “We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Matt Beard. Matt was a key figure in growing the women’s game and will be missed by all.
“Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
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Former Liverpool player Katie Stengel wrote on Instagram: “Praying for your family. Thank you for being the coach who believed in me most, you will forever be missed.”
Man City midfielder Laura Coombs, who worked with Beard at Chelsea, also wrote on Instagram: “A great, great man. The most passionate man. Rest in peace Beardie.”
Canada head coach Casey Stoney said: “Over 20 years of knowing you ‘my old china’ and all I know now is that the world is a poorer place without you in it. Coach, manager and friend. Sleep tight.”
Arsenal defender Katie McCabe described Beard as “one of the good guys in football” in a tribute on Instagram.
Chelsea defender Millie Bright said she is “absolutely heartbroken” by the news on social media.
Former Blues midfielder Sophie Ingle, now of Bristol City, said: “You were truly a special gaffer but more importantly a great guy.”
Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly also described Beard as “a truly special man with a heart of gold”.
Former Liverpool striker Natasha Dowie said: “From playing with you at the age of 17 to finishing my career with you at LFC. You were one of a kind Beardie. Will miss your cheeky smile, hello darling and big hug. RIP my friend.”
Former West Ham player Gilly Flaherty said: “A man I thought so highly of, who in all honesty I would’ve followed around the world to play for. The best manager and friend I could’ve ever had asked to have in my life.”
Lucy Staniforth-Wilson said on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. This news is absolutely devastating. Beardy was so loved, such a kind soul.”
Eastbourne Borough FC, who are managed by Matt’s brother Mark, added: “EBFC would like to send our condolences to former boss Mark Beard following the passing of his brother, and former WSL manager, Matt Beard. We are sending Mark and his family all of our best wishes.”
Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Jenna is a former cheerleader at the University of South Florida and speaks to the consistency of the program as being one of the top best in the nation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie WR Emeka Egbuka, who is listed as questionable with hip and groin issues, is expected to play Sunday against the New York Jets, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Egbuka, the Bucs’ 19th overall draft pick who is tied for a league-leading three touchdown catches in two games, missed two days of practice this week. He returned to practice Friday but was limited, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said.
Should Egbuka not play, the Bucs will lean more on former undrafted free agent Ryan Miller, who scored the first touchdown Monday night at Houston, as well as Sterling Shepard, rookie Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson, who delivered a 54-yard punt return against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
The Bucs have started off 2-0 each of the past three seasons but have not had a 3-0 start since 2005.
A disappointed Lewis Hamilton admitted it was a shock to see his front-running start to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend give way to 12th place on the grid as Ferrari’s hopes of a strong qualifying in Baku evaporated with both drivers.
Hamilton had topped the Friday practice times ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc and then continued to run in the top six through Saturday’s final practice and then the first knockout stage of qualifying.
However, he ended up being knocked out in Q2 after failing to set a fast enough time on the soft tyres for the top-10 shoot-out.
Leclerc, who ran the mediums in the second session, progressed to Q3 with his final lap although then swiftly consigned himself to 10th place on the grid by crashing in the early stages of the final stage.
Reflecting on what had gone wrong for him, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “I’m obviously so disappointed.
“Yesterday the car was feeling good, today there was a direction that we ended up going, which on paper looked like it was the best place for us to be, and ultimately it…
“Our pace had been good. We’d been progressing, I was feeling really on it, didn’t make any mistakes, didn’t see me down any exit roads. It was just that we didn’t have the right tyre on at the end.
“It’s tough. Everyone ahead of me basically had the medium tyre on, but I lost a medium tyre in P2 due to run-plan schedule, and that put me on the back foot.”
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Hamilton shakes his head in disbelief as Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc knocks him out of Q2 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
‘We’ll take it internal’ – how Hamilton’s Q2 hopes evaporated
F1’s teams have faced a conundrum all weekend in Baku about when to use the soft and medium tyre with the latter unusually proving to be a match, or even superior, to the supposedly faster compound in certain circumstances and on certain cars.
After an early red flag in Q2 – the fourth of a record six during a chaotic and elongated qualifying – had been triggered by a crash from Oliver Bearman, the session resumed with 11 minutes remaining and none of the leading drivers having a lap time on the timesheet.
Leclerc was Ferrari’s first car back onto the track and ran the medium tyres, with Hamilton following behind on the softs.
But things started to go wrong at the start of their first timed laps when Leclerc outbraked himself and ran wide into the first corner, with the subsequent yellow flags forcing Hamilton to slow down behind. Both drivers completed unrepresentative slow laps as a result, leaving them still without a true lap time.
After cool-down laps, the Ferrari drivers went for timed attempts again and while Hamilton completed his to go eighth fastest, Leclerc made another mistake by running wide at Turn Three.
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Highlights from qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Leclerc then headed to the pits, changing to another set of mediums, but Hamilton continued on track with the same soft tyres. The Briton posted his best time of Q2 with his next attempt but it was only good enough for 10th place, which swiftly became 12th due to improvements from Fernando Alonso and Leclerc.
And while at that point there had still been two minutes on the clock and therefore theoretically enough time to complete a further timed lap, Hamilton pitted at the end of his next tour to confirm his early surprise elimination.
Asked if whether he had a medium tyre available and could therefore have completed a ‘hot’ live pit stop like Leclerc had done, Hamilton said: “Yeah, but the choice wasn’t taken to take it.
“I wanted to but they said that the warm-up was too long or something like that, so then we run out of time and run out of fuel.
“Not great, but we’ll take it internal.”
Hamilton, though, was still taking encouragement from his performance this weekend, adding: “As I said, there’s been lots of positives from this weekend.
“I’ve really felt on it. I honestly thought I was going to be shooting for pole today, so it’s kind of a bit of a shock.
“I’ll take it on the chin and keep trying.”
Vasseur: Tyre choice has been confusing for everybody
When Hamilton’s comments were put to him after qualifying, team principal Frederic Vasseur said: “We aborted lap one and you are not fuelling the car to do 10 laps more.
“The tyres, honestly, it’s a bit of a confusion but I think it’s a bit of a confusion for everybody.
“At the end of the day, the pole [from Max Verstappen in Q3] was with softs. Carlos [Sainz, who qualified second] was also shiny with the scrubbed medium but then I think everybody is in the same situation.
“I think it’s more to put the tyres in the right window than the choice of the tyre.”
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place around the Baku City Circuit
Sunday September 21 7.55am: F2 Feature Race 10.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up* 12pm: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX* 2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction 3pm: Ted’s Notebook
Week 3 of the NFL season brings the debut of an alternate helmet, the return of popular throwbacks and, after nearly five decades, an iconic uniform.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wearing their original white threads for the first time since the 1976 season. Nicknamed “the ’76 jersey,” Tampa Bay’s uniforms coincide with its home opener during its 50th NFL season. It includes orange numbers outlined in red and a similarly colored stripe on the white helmet and sleeves. The only difference from the originals is the addition of “Hey! Hey! Tampa Bay!” stitched inside the jersey collar.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back their “Prowler Throwbacks” against the Houston Texans, a look that returned last season to celebrate Jacksonville’s 30th season. The iconic threads include a running Jaguar on the teal jersey sleeves and a triple-color stripe on white pants. The helmet boasts the original primary logo decal worn from 1995 to 2013, with the numbers complementing the look in white with a black and gold trim.
Alternate uniforms are well-represented this week, too. The Baltimore Ravens are wearing all-black for their “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Detroit Lions. It’s an all-white color rush combination look for the New Orleans Saints against the Seattle Seahawks. For the first time in franchise history, the Cleveland Browns will wear an all-brown alternate helmet to complete an all-brown combination.
Here’s a look at the Week 3 uniforms, excluding the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins who played on Thursday.
🚨BRITCHES REPORT🚨: The @Titans will be decked out in light blue jerseys, white britches and light blue socks in Sunday’s game vs the @Colts. pic.twitter.com/Qt87eAQzpd
Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Barring a significant last-minute change, the San Francisco 49ers will start Mac Jones at quarterback for a second consecutive week Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Starter Brock Purdy is listed as questionable for Sunday as he recovers from the toe injury that kept him out last week against the New Orleans Saints. And though Purdy was a limited participant in practice all three days this week and made what coach Kyle Shanahan called “a lot of progress” in his recovery, Shanahan wasn’t keen on Purdy’s chances of starting against Arizona.
“I think it’s highly unlikely that he will start,” Shanahan said Friday. “We’re just trying to see where he’s at to see if he can be a [No.] 2 or an emergency [No.] 3.”
Shanahan said whether Purdy is in uniform as a backup to Jones will depend on how Purdy feels over the next 48 hours. The Niners will see how Purdy is doing Saturday and then must make some roster decisions Saturday afternoon to determine whether Purdy can be the primary backup to Jones or whether they’ll need to again elevate practice squad quarterback Adrian Martinez to be Jones’ top backup.
According to Shanahan, the league rules state that if the Niners want Purdy to be the emergency No. 3 quarterback, the No. 2 quarterback (in this case Martinez) would have to be promoted to the active roster and could not just be a standard elevation who reverts to the practice squad Monday.
That decision could be made more difficult because of injuries on the 49ers’ offensive line. Rookie Connor Colby was expected to start at left guard in place of Ben Bartch (ankle), who landed on injured reserve this week, but Colby suffered a groin injury in Thursday’s practice.
Colby is listed as questionable against the Cardinals with Spencer Burford, another top backup offensive lineman, ruled out because of a knee injury that Shanahan said might require surgery.
All of that will play into the calculus of whether Purdy can be available against the Cardinals or whether he will be a pregame inactive, as he was last week. Shanahan indicated that the Niners still need to see certain things from Purdy over the next couple of days before they would have him as a backup because they don’t want to risk further injury.
Shanahan said Purdy will have his say in how it goes too, having demonstrated that he will be open with how Purdy is feeling in situations such as this.
“Brock pushes himself to go as hard as anyone I’ve been around, but he’s very levelheaded in terms of being realistic,” Shanahan said. “And he doesn’t just talk with his heart, he works with his heart but he talks with his mind and lets us really know what the chances are of it and if he can’t do it, he’ll let you know.”
For his part, Purdy said Thursday he wants to play but also doesn’t want to jeopardize any more games beyond this week.
“I want to play every game,” Purdy said. “I want to be out there. You only get 17 regular-season games, and every game matters, especially a divisional [game] going against the Cardinals. If you ask me, I’d love to, but I’m trying to be smart with my body here.”
Although Purdy participated in practice all week, there still have been plenty of signs that Jones was ready to start for a second straight week. Jones was first up in all the individual drills during the media viewing portions of practice and drew praise from teammates and coaches for how he played against the Saints.
In that game, Jones threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers improved to 2-0. That performance came after a sluggish start in which Jones said he was dealing with some nerves. Getting off to a better start is one of Jones’ top priorities this week, he said.
“I definitely watched it and learned from it and took all the coaching points and then have worked hard in practice to learn from the things I didn’t do as well and just get better at them,” Jones said. “I think the guys have done that and we’ve definitely moved on from that game. We’re just really focused on the Cardinals and stacking another good performance and carrying some good momentum into this week.”
In addition to Purdy and Colby, the Niners are listing wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder) as questionable. Jennings did not practice this week after playing through the injuries against the Saints.
Rookie receiver Jordan Watkins joins Burford on the list of players the Niners have ruled out this week. Watkins suffered a calf injury in Thursday’s practice and is a candidate for injured reserve, according to Shanahan.
Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season is here, and our NFL analysts have you covered in the eleventh hour. Don’t miss our last-minute prep for a loaded slate.
First, analytics writer Seth Walder breaks down three stat trends that could be pivotal this weekend. Then fantasy football writer Eric Moody runs through five players who are rostered in under 50% of ESPN fantasy football leagues as of Saturday and could be started in a jam. That’s followed by NFL analyst Matt Bowen predicting three potentially big surprises and sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado giving her favorite bet for Week 3.
Could Packers receiver Romeo Doubs have a big week against the Browns? Could Chiefs wideout Hollywood Brown go off against the Giants? What should we expect from the Bengals’ pass protection in front of Jake Browning? And will the Rams avenge their divisional-round loss to the Eagles with an upset? Let’s dive in.
Here’s a shocking number through two weeks: Watt has a 7% pass rush win rate at edge. That’s less than half the average for a starting edge rusher (roughly 16%) and way below his career average of 24%. Watt has been chipped by tight ends an awful lot, but 7% is still shocking now matter how much attention he draws.
If there is a get-right game for Watt, it’s this one. He will likely face Patriots right tackle Morgan Moses, who has the lowest pass block win rate at tackle in the NFL (75%).
But the other side of the line is just as interesting to me: Herbig could have a big role since Alex Highsmith is out with an ankle sprain. The third-year pass rusher has had superb numbers in the past, with a 24% career pass rush win rate (you’ll note, the same as Watt!) despite being a backup. He should see rookie left tackle Will Campbell, whose 84% pass block win rate is better than Moses’ but still solidly below average.
How those two edge rushers perform could mean the difference between a good or bad day for Patriots QB Drake Maye.
Will the Bengals pass protect better for Jake Browning?
An odd phenomenon occurred when Browning took over for Joe Burrow after his season-ending wrist injury in 2023: The Bengals’ pass protection appeared to improve dramatically. Cincinnati’s pass block win rate, which has been poor every season with Burrow on the team, increased from 47% with its franchise quarterback to 60% with Browning that season. Changes to the offense, such as play-action rates, shotgun rates and max protection rates, all don’t appear to be the root cause for this spike. The Bengals were slightly less pass happy with Browning, but not to the degree that I would expect it to cause this much of a difference.
Perhaps it’s just randomness. Perhaps it’s a flaw in the way pass block win rate — which tells us how often a lineman can sustain their blocks for 2.5 seconds or longer — is measured. Or perhaps there’s something about the way the offense operates with Browning (due to either him or a change in scheme) that helps the offensive line out. I don’t know. But it’s something I’m going to be watching closely both in Week 3 and going forward.
If the Bengals do have even average pass protection with Browning, that would be a helpful mitigator to the loss of Burrow as he spends the next three months recovering from toe surgery.
Through two weeks, Brown is surprisingly tied for sixth in the NFL with 21 targets. And signs point to a high-volume day for him in Week 3, too. Brown has lined up in the slot on 52% of snaps this season, and that happens to be a good spot to attack the Giants from — 40% of targets against the New York have been to the slot, second most in the NFL.
Teams have gone after Giants second-year nickel Dru Phillips, who has been targeted 18 time this season — more than any other slot corner. The result? A high 1.6 yards allowed per coverage snap, per NFL Next Gen Stats (average is 0.9). It’s a matchup the Chiefs might look to exploit.
Moody: Five fantasy sleepers you need to pick up — and can start this week
Tuten finished with 10 touches and 15.4 fantasy points in Week 2 thanks to a receiving touchdown, but he played just 18 snaps. He could see a bigger role against the Texans, who rank 24th in run stop win rate. Thanks in large part to Travis Etienne Jr., the Jaguars currently lead the league in rushing yards behind an offensive line ranked fifth in run block win rate.
Franklin led all Denver receivers in offensive snaps (83.3%), routes run (27) and targets (nine) against the Colts, finishing with 24.0 fantasy points. Even though the Chargers‘ defense has been stingy against wide receivers, Franklin is Bo Nix‘s second-favorite target after Courtland Sutton — and that’s important in fantasy.
Doubs leads the Packers’ receivers in routes run (41) and targets (nine). He’s poised for an even bigger role moving forward after Jayden Reed had surgery on a broken clavicle and a Jones fracture in his left foot. Despite the Browns having a capable secondary and a defensive front ranked sixth in pass rush win rate, Doubs’ strong chemistry with Jordan Love makes him a compelling sleeper. The Packers’ offensive line should also hold up well, ranking ninth in pass block win rate.
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Is Romeo Doubs a good WR option in Week 3?
Matt Bowen explains why fantasy managers in need of a WR should consider Romeo Doubs in Week 3.
Ayomanor has shown excellent chemistry with No. 1 pick Cam Ward, seeing six or more targets in consecutive games and scoring 15.6 fantasy points in Week 2. He ranks second in routes run (54) and targets (12) among Tennessee receivers, sitting behind Calvin Ridley in both categories. The Colts are middle-of-the-road in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, making Ayomanor an intriguing flex option in deeper formats.
Browning is fantasy relevant again with Joe Burrowexpected to miss three months following surgery to repair a turf toe injury. With playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown, Browning is still set up for success in his first start since 2023. Over seven starts that season, he averaged 267 passing yards and 1.6 passing touchdowns per game.
Bowen: Don’t be surprised if …
The Packers’ defense sacks Browns QB Joe Flacco at least three times
This upgraded Green Bay pass rush with Micah Parsons has a pressure rate of 40% (third in the league), and it has accounted for eight sacks in just two games (tied for second-most). With matchup advantages on the edges against the Browns’ offensive tackles, and Flacco’s reduced mobility, look for Parsons, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness to heat up the pocket on Sunday. Flacco was sacked twice in each game this season.
Pickens caught his first touchdown of the season in the win over the Giants, and he has already seen five end-zone targets from quarterback Dak Prescott. Meanwhile, the Bears are down in the secondary following injuries to cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin) and potentially nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring). Pickens will have favorable matchups on the boundary Sunday, and the Cowboys can isolate him as the X receiver in the low red zone.
Through two weeks, Carolina is giving up an average of 94 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends, and Pitts is seeing more volume with Michael Penix Jr. under center in Atlanta. Pitts only eclipsed 50 receiving yards once in the final eight games of last season, but he has already caught 11 of 13 targets for 96 yards through two games. The Falcons are moving him around the formation to get quality matchups, so look for Pitts to flex outside versus the Panthers’ cornerbacks and find work on underneath throws.
The Rams are the sharper, more explosive team this season, leading the NFL in plays of 15-plus yards. The Eagles are dead last in that category. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is thriving in coach Sean McVay’s under-center, play-action and motion-heavy scheme, completing more than 80% in those looks. Meanwhile, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has been bottled up, posting the lowest deep-ball rate in the league and throwing nearly a quarter of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Hurts has also been pressured on more than 40% of his dropbacks through two weeks, which could be an issue against a Rams front that’s in the top 10 in pressure rate. Running back Saquon Barkley might be neutralized too, as Los Angeles ranks fifth in run stop win rate (34.4%). The Rams’ balance and explosiveness make them live to win outright Sunday.
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Matt Bowen, Pamela Maldonado, Eric Moody and Seth Walder
– Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Andersonhas emerged as a January target for Manchester United, according to TEAMtalk. With winter moves for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Carlos Balebaand Crystal Palace‘s Adam Wharton deemed unlikely, Anderson is regarded as a potential solution to United’s current midfield crisis. Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim is set to be given the funds to try and sign Anderson for around £70 million, although Forest might not be willing to let him go following his impressive start to the season. The 22-year-old made his international debut for England earlier this month, starring in a pair of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
– Liverpool could be set to enter the race for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, TEAMtalk has revealed. The Cameroon international has been heavily linked with Manchester United this summer, but it is reported that their Premier League rivals are now also tracking his progress. A move for Baleba in January isn’t expected to be sanctioned, as Brighton remain “extremely reluctant” to let him go midway through the season. Nevertheless, an offer in excess of £100 million may be enough to secure a deal for the talented 21-year-old next summer.
– AC Milan are plotting a €15 million move for Udinese defenderThomas Kristensen in January, says Gazzetta dello Sport. The 6-foot-6 Denmark international has impressed so far this season, and will face off against Milan this weekend where scouts will be watching. Kristensen, 23, was also wanted by Aston Villa this summer, although the Premier League side didn’t officially lodge a bid, and he is under contract at Udinese until June 2028.
– Manchester United pulled out of a move to sign goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before he chose Manchester City, says the Daily Telegraph. Donnarumma, 26, moved from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of around £26m in the summer, but the total financial package including his wages would have been around £130m and that was too much for United.
– Newcastle United remain interested in Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, says Football Insider. While the Red Devils are unlikely to sanction a loan deal in January, it is thought a “lucrative” offer for a permanent transfer could soften their stance. Mainoo is targeting regular first-team football this season, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon. Mainoo, 20, was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s most recent England squad.
EXPERT TAKE
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Steve Nicol lays into Maresca over Sterling and Disasi treatment
Steve Nicol lays into Enzo Maresca’s over his treatment of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.
OTHER RUMORS
– Barcelona will target a move for Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane next summer. The Catalan giants will also try and bring his teammate and defender, Dayot Upamecano, to the club in the same window. (El Nacional)
– However, Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is not being considered as a possible replacement for Kane. (Bild)
– Real Madrid and Chelsea are set to ramp up a move for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, 19, amid interest from Barcelona and Man United. (Defensa Central)
– Vinicius Junior is “upset” after being left out of the Real Madrid team in midweek, and a departure “can’t be ruled out” if the situation gets any worse. Talks over a new contract have been put on hold in recent months, with his current deal expiring in 2027. (AS)
– Arsenal center back William Saliba is an option for Real Madrid in 2026, despite having brought in Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras to strengthen the backline this summer. There are “various names on the agenda” but says one of them is Saliba, with Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté being a “cheap alternative” as he’ll be out of contract next year. (AS)
– Real Madrid are scouting Inter Milan striker Francesco Pio Esposito, who has drawn comparisons to Joselu within the club. (Defensa Central)
– Jordan Pickford is “getting closer” to extending his contract at Everton. The England stopper’s current deal expires in June 2027, but after making a strong start to the new Premier League season, an extension now seems likely. (Nicolo Schira)
– Charlotte FC winger Kerwin Vargas is on the radar of the City Football Group. However, with the 23-year-old under contract until 2027, Charlotte are in a “strong position” as things stand. (TEAMtalk)
– Liverpool are “more likely” to try and sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi next summer on a free transfer, rather than in January for a small fee, having seen a late £35m move in the summer fall through. (Football Insider)
– Internazionale are monitoring Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier as a free agent option for 2026. (Ekrem Konur)
– An Internazionale scout was also present at Friday night’s game between Lecce and Cagliari to watch goalkeeper Elia Caprile. (Nicolo Schira)
– Juventus youngster Vasilije Adzic was approached by Sassuolo, Palermo and Genoa about a loan move in the summer. (Tuttomercatoweb)
– Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has revealed that midfielder Yves Bissouma still has a future at the club, despite being sidelined so far this season. (Sky Sports News)
– West Ham United have “sounded out” Nuno Espírito Santo as a potential replacement for manager Graham Potter. (TalkSPORT)
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jakob Marsee and Brian Navaretto hit RBI doubles in a three-run 12th inning that lifted the Miami Marlins to their fourth straight win, 6-4 over the slumping Texas Rangers on Friday night.
Texas lost its fifth game in a row and is five games behind Houston for the American League’s final wild card with eight games left. The Astros swept three games against the Rangers this week and own the tiebreaker for winning the season series. Houston is a game behind Seattle for the AL West lead after losing 4-0 to the Mariners at home Friday.
The Marlins have won nine of their last 12 games. Javier Sanoja hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the seventh, Miami’s second game in a row with a pinch-hit homer and ninth overall.
Marlins starter Janson Junk allowed three hits and struck out five in seven innings. His one run allowed was the fewest he’s surrendered since July 12, when he gave up no runs in seven innings.
George Soriano (2-0) threw two relief innings with no hits and one run allowed, and Miami held the Rangers to four hits.
Patrick Corbin (7-10) took the loss in his first relief appearance since Sept. 29, 2017, when he was with Arizona. He allowed three hits and three runs in one inning.
Rangers starter Tyler Mahle threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his first start since returning from the 60-day injured list. He missed the Rangers’ last 85 games due to right shoulder fatigue, last making a start on June 10.
Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer for Texas.
After Marsee’s go-ahead double, the Marlins brought two more across as Navaretto hit an RBI double and Dane Myers added an RBI single.
The Marlins improved to 25-60 when their opponent scores first, 9-4 in extra innings, and 12-64 when trailing after six innings.
RHP Adam Mazur (0-4, 4.85 ERA) starts for the Marlins as the three-game series continues Saturday. The Rangers have yet to announce their starter.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Mark Gronowski ran for three touchdowns and passed for 186 yards to lead Iowa to a 38-28 win over Rutgers in the Big Ten season-opener for both teams on Friday.
He is the first Iowa QB with three rushing touchdowns since Matt Rodgers in 1990.
Gronowski scored two fourth quarter TDs for Iowa (3-1), erasing a 28-24 Rutgers lead. The transfer from South Dakota State came into the game tied for the most wins (51) by a quarterback in FBS/FCS play.
“He (Gronowski) just keeps getting better,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “He’s a high-caliber guy. It’s not surprising.
“We played good complimentary football and made some big stops. Fortunately we got a little traction in the second part of the second half.”
Athan Kaliakmanis passed for 330 yards and ran for two TDs for the Scarlet Knights (3-1).
Iowa: The offense has finally come around. The Hawkeyes pounded out 346 total yards with a balanced attack (186 passing, 160 rushing). They entered the game ranked 103d in total offense in the FBS.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are 0-5 against Iowa — one of six Big Ten schools they have never defeated.
Jaxon Rexroth intercepted a Kaliakmanis pass with 5:39 to play that set up Iowa’s second TD of the fourth quarter. Defensive end Max Llewellyn hurried Kaliakmanis into throwing his first interception of the season.
After missing last week’s game against Norfolk State with an injury, Rutgers’ wide receiver Ian Strong returned to catch a career-high 151 yards. Together with KJ Duff and DT Sheffield, Rutgers has one of the country’s most formidable long-ball threats.
Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen returned the opening kickoff for 100 yards and a TD. It was the first time a Hawkeye took the opening kickoff for a touchdown since C.J. Jones ran one back against USC in the 2003 Orange Bowl.
“We made too many mistakes against a very good football team,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “We didn’t deserve to win this game. This team will be a good football team. Right now, we’re not there yet.”
Schiano revealed that running back CJ Campbell is out for the season with an undisclosed injury. Campbell is second in rushing yards in three games for Rutgers.
Iowa hosts Indiana on Sept. 27. Rutgers is at Minnesota on Sept. 27
The Kansas City Chiefs have started a season 0-2 for the first time since their last playoff-less campaign in 2014, with Patrick Mahomes 0-2 for the first time in his career.
So where is it going wrong for this storied franchise which has reached five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of them, and are we witnessing the beginning of the end of their dynasty?
Sky Sports’ Neil Reynolds and Phoebe Schecter did their best to answer this on the latest Inside The Huddle Podcast, putting the Chiefs’ struggles down to the lack of weapons Mahomes has available to him on offense.
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“They’ve turned Mahomes into the biggest, most famous and most expensive ‘game manager’ ever,” Reynolds said.
“It’s not his fault, it’s what’s around him. So he’s having to take off running, and he’s throwing little passes here and there, because there isn’t much else.
“If we took the names off the back of the jerseys, put them in a neutral colour so we didn’t know who it was, you’d be impressed with the quarterback, but you’d be like, ‘I don’t believe in that team’.
“We can’t write them off because they’ve been in three-straight Super Bowls, and Mahomes and [head coach] Andy Reid are there. But, if you take the names off the jerseys, this doesn’t look great.
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Former NFL cornerback and Sky Sports pundit Jason Bell believes there is no reason for Kansas City Chiefs to panic despite two straight opening losses
“They really miss [injured] Xavier Worthy and they’re obviously going to miss [suspended] Rashee Rice, but in the meantime it’s just a struggle.
“They haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Tyreek Hill left the building in 2021. I think it’s time to call Tyreek home.”
Hill is currently experiencing his own problems with the Miami Dolphins, stuck on a team that’s performing even worse – starting the season 0-3 – after having said he wanted out following their failure to make the playoffs last season.
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NFL highlights from the Week 3 game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills
Hill has since walked back those comments, but Schecter said: “I think Tyreek would be up for that, to be honest with you.
“He wants to get the ball. He wants to be with a quarterback who understands his skill set, and he wants to be on a winning team.”
The Chiefs aren’t a winning team at the moment, but Schecter feels an addition like Hill before the November 4 trade deadline could get the offense back firing.
Image: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (Associated Press)
“You look at the Chiefs offense, their team used to be really good on third down, but there’s no answer to the test anymore,” she added.
“Mahomes is all they have. You honestly look at this team and think, ‘who do we go to?’ I couldn’t tell you.
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Highlights from the Week 2 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2025 NFL season
“Travis Kelce did not have his best game last week [in the loss to Philadelphia Eagles], and that interception in the red zone was very uncharacteristic, but it still happened – and it didn’t look great, it wasn’t very athletic looking.
“And then who else do you have? Normally Andy Reid is so creative, but I don’t trust anybody on that offense right now, apart from Mahomes, to be creative and to make something happen.”
Watch the 2025 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every London and European game as well as every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LX; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Max Scherzer has struggled to escape the first inning unscathed. On Friday night, he didn’t get out of the first at all.
The veteran Blue Jays right-hander was pulled after two-thirds of an inning, the shortest start without an injury of his 18-year career. Scherzer allowed seven runs on seven hits while getting two outs, and Toronto went on to lose 20-1 to the Kansas City Royals.
Scherzer said he wasn’t overly concerned.
“We’ll deep dive and figure out what was going on, look at more advanced things,” he said. “But when I went back and looked at the location of some of the pitches, I’m actually OK with it. In that regard, you kind of flush it and move on.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider called it “a weird outing” from a player who’s likely bound for the Hall of Fame.
“Over the course of his career you don’t see that very often from Max, barring an injury,” Schneider said. “They came out swinging and he kind of just left things in the middle.”
Toronto leads the AL East, and the club would love to have an effective Scherzer in the playoffs. The 41-year-old is a two-time World Series champion, winning titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023.
But this has been an outlier of a season for Scherzer.
He has a 5.06 ERA — by far the worst of his career — in 16 starts. And the beginning of games has been a particular issue. Scherzer has allowed multiple runs in the first inning in each of his last four starts, and his ERA over that span is 10.93.
He does not have a scoreless outing and has completed seven innings just twice.
On Friday, Scherzer allowed the first six batters to reach, yielding a three-run homer to Salvador Perez and giving up five runs before recording an out. Michael Massey hit a one-out, two-run homer to make it 7-1, and after Carter Jensen hit a ground-rule double — his second two-bagger of the inning — Scherzer was pulled.
“You never expect Max to not get through the first inning. But I think you want to see a little bit better location, you want to see a little bit more stuff on the breaking ball,” Schneider said. “They kind of came out hot. It comes down to executing pitches and putting them where he wants to.”
Scherzer believes his location wasn’t off by much.
“There’s only one pitch that’s in the middle of the plate,” he said. “Outside of that, it’s not like I’m hanging sliders, hanging curveballs right in the middle of the plate. They got to some pitches that were in a good area that they put a better swing on. Made a good pitch, they made a better swing.”
Schneider doesn’t expect Friday’s outing to change anything about Scherzer’s future in the rotation.
“It’s a weird outing to go two-thirds of an inning and throw a lot of pitches,” he said. “But I don’t think that will affect him going forward. It won’t make his pitch count any lower. Going forward he’ll be on a normal workload and kind of normal pitch count.”
