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  • What to know for NFL Week 4: Score picks, bold predictions, fantasy tips, key stats for all 15 games

    What to know for NFL Week 4: Score picks, bold predictions, fantasy tips, key stats for all 15 games

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    Sep 30, 2022

    • ESPN staff

    The Week 4 NFL schedule for the 2022 season is stacked with great matchups, and we’ve got you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game and a bold prediction for each matchup.

    Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a big stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a matchup rating (on a scale of 1 to 100) and a game projection. ESPN researcher Kyle Soppe hands out helpful fantasy football intel, as well. Finally, Seth Walder and Eric Moody give us final score picks for every game. Everything you want to know is here in one spot to help you get ready for a loaded weekend of NFL football.

    Let’s get into the full Week 4 slate, including our first London game of the season, Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson facing his old team in Philadelphia, Derrick Henry vs. Jonathan Taylor and a big Chiefs-Bucs meeting on Sunday night. It all culminates with a Monday Night Football matchup between the Rams and the 49ers on ESPN. (Game times are Sunday unless otherwise noted.)

    Jump to a matchup:
    MIN-NO | BUF-BAL | JAX-PHI
    CHI-NYG | WSH-DAL | CLE-ATL
    NYJ-PIT | SEA-DET | TEN-IND
    LAC-HOU | ARI-CAR | NE-GB
    DEN-LV | KC-TB | LAR-SF

    Thursday: CIN 27, MIA 15

    9:30 a.m. ET | NFL Network | Spread: MIN -2.5 (43)

    What to watch for: The Saints could be relying heavily on wide receiver Chris Olave, who was just named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month. He has seen a large amount of targets recently and that should continue with wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry dealing with injuries. Quarterback Jameis Winston‘s back injury also continues to linger, which has contributed to offensive struggles this season. Perhaps a meeting with Minnesota is just what New Orleans needs. The Vikings have allowed 1,240 yards this season, the third most in the NFL, and at least 300 scrimmage yards in 11 consecutive games. — Katherine Terrell

    Bold prediction: Saints CB Marshon Lattimore will hold Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson to less than 50 yards receiving. Lattimore uses the same kind of close-in, physical approach that Eagles CB Darius Slay and Lions CB Jeff Okudah have utilized to slow down Jefferson in the past two weeks. Until Jefferson proves he can beat that type of approach, opponents will continue using it. — Kevin Seifert

    Stat to know: The Vikings have 13 total penalties through Week 3, second fewest in the NFL this season. But the Saints have 28 — tied for the second most.

    Injuries: Vikings | Saints

    What to know for fantasy: “Air yards” are not a fantasy stat, but they do have a way of hinting at upside. Olave leads the league in that category … by 164! See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Favorites are 18-12 against the spread (ATS) in London games. Overs and unders are split 15-15. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Vikings 23, Saints 20
    Walder’s pick: Vikings 27, Saints 13
    FPI prediction: NO, 51.3% (by an average of 0.4 points)

    Matchup must-reads: O’Connell’s aggressive playcalling before halftime has paid off for Vikings … Saints rookie WR Olave lone bright spot on struggling offense … Winston says he plans to play Sunday

    1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: BUF -3 (51)

    What to watch for: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are two of the NFL’s most impactful running quarterbacks. The Bills are 12-3 (.800) when Allen runs for over 50 yards, and the Ravens are 16-1 (.941) when Jackson goes for 90 or more yards rushing. Allen and Jackson are among the favorites for NFL MVP this season because they are two of the three quarterbacks to account for over 83% of their team’s total yards (passing and rushing) through the first three games. — Jamison Hensley

    Bold prediction: Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs will have over 125 receiving yards for the second time this season, while the team’s receiving group deals with multiple injuries. Jake Kumerow (high ankle), is not expected to play, nor is Gabe Davis (ankle) trending in a positive direction for the game against the Ravens. Allen connecting with Diggs at a high level would go a long way in the Bills coming away with a win. Baltimore has allowed a league-high 95 total completions and 353.3 passing yards per game, which should provide opportunities for the Bills’ passing offense despite the injuries. — Alaina Getzenberg

    Stat to know: Buffalo has allowed just 173 total rushing yards, the second fewest in the NFL (Jaguars, 165) — including seven rushes for 20 yards by opposing quarterbacks.

    Injuries: Bills | Ravens

    What to know for fantasy: No team has allowed more deep completions this season than the Ravens, and Gabe Davis’ average depth of target for his career is over 14 yards. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Baltimore is 12-2-1 ATS when the line is between +3 and -3 since 2019. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Bills 37, Ravens 30
    Walder’s pick: Ravens 33, Bills 30
    FPI prediction: BAL, 55.5% (by an average of 1.6 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Winning close games could be Bills’ Achilles’ heel … Why the Ravens’ Jackson is playing better than during his MVP season … Bills, beset by injuries to secondary, sign CB Rhodes to practice squad … Ranking best QB combos in NFL draft history: Allen, Jackson in the top 10?

    1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: PHI -6.5 (45.5)

    What to watch for: Doug Pederson, the only Super Bowl-winning coach in Eagles history, makes his return to Philadelphia as head man of the Jags. QB Trevor Lawrence has grown leaps and bounds under him. The reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week has completed 69.4% of his passes with six touchdowns to just one interception. The coach-QB tandem will face an Eagles defense that ranks sixth in pass defense (186.7 YPG) and second in sacks (12). “I have a very high opinion of Doug,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. “He’s a very good playcaller. He doesn’t have a lot of tendencies. You can’t bank on certain things coming. He’s doing a good job with the quarterback playing extremely fast.” — Tim McManus

    Bold prediction: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will rush for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Jaguars’ defense has been very good through three games, but it hasn’t faced a mobile QB like Hurts yet (Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan and Justin Herbert with broken rib cartilage). While the pass rush has been good (21 QB hits, 7 sacks), Hurts’ ability to escape pressure will allow him to make some plays with his legs, especially if the Jaguars are in man coverage. — Mike DiRocco

    Stat to know: Hurts ranks first in yards per attempt (9.35) this season, and his 13 offensive plays (12 pass, 1 rush) of 20-plus yards are tied for most in the NFL.

    Injuries: Jaguars | Eagles

    What to know for fantasy: The Jaguars have been a great surprise thus far, and running back James Robinson is a big reason. Coming off the Achilles injury, Robinson ranks third at the position in fantasy points this season, trailing only Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Philadelphia and Miami are the only teams to start 3-0 both outright and ATS. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Jaguars 31, Eagles 28
    Walder’s pick: Eagles 27, Jaguars 21
    FPI prediction: PHI, 67.3% (by an average of 5.1 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Are the Jaguars, Lawrence finding their stride? … Hurts is adding to the Eagles’ Black QB lineage … College chemistry paying off for six QB-receiver duos in the NFL … What’s in store for Doug Pederson in Philly return? Four coaches share their ‘homecoming’ tales

    1 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: NYG -3 (39.5)

    What to watch for: These are two of the best rushing teams in the NFL through four weeks. The Bears with the duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert are second in the NFL, averaging 186.7 yards per contest. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale considers Chicago’s running game “elite.” The Giants, meanwhile, are riding Saquon Barkley. They’re fourth in the NFL, averaging 169.3 yards per game on the ground. This is expected to be the week’s lowest-scoring game with the over/under at 39.5 according to Caesars Sportsbook. — Jordan Raanan

    Bold prediction: The Bears leave MetLife Stadium with three sacks — matching half of their current total through three weeks — including two from Robert Quinn. Daniel Jones was pressured 24 times by Dallas, the most pressure a Giants QB has faced since 2009. Chicago’s pass rush hasn’t been all that effective (33 pass block wins, ranked 31st in the NFL), but this is the week it finally gets home with a heavy dose of new-look pressures and blitzes typically not seen from this scheme. — Courtney Cronin

    Stat to know: The Bears have attempted 45 passes this season, fewest of any team through three games since the 1982 Patriots (44). Justin Fields has been intercepted on 8.9% of his attempts this season, highest in the NFL. And his 23.0 QBR ranks 31st among the 32 qualified QBs this season (only Baker Mayfield is worse).

    Injuries: Bears | Giants

    What to know for fantasy: Don’t call it a comeback. Barkley is touching the ball 22 times a game and is on pace for over 2,000 total yards. For most, that would be the product of a small sample size, but for Barkley, it’s just pacing himself for a repeat of his rookie season in 2018. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: New York is 6-0 ATS on short rest since 2020. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Giants 17, Bears 14
    Walder’s pick: Giants 20, Bears 9
    FPI prediction: NYG, 65.0% (by an average of 4.4 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Bears hope Herbert can continue to ‘knock it forward’ in Montgomery’s absence … Can the Giants’ offensive line fix its pass-block woes? … Bears legend Butkus goes on tweeting spree from team Twitter account … Giants lose top receiver Shepard to torn ACL

    1 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: DAL -3 (41.5)

    What to watch for: The Cowboys have won seven straight NFC East games as they host the Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Cooper Rush will look to become the first Cowboys quarterback to win the first four starts of his career. While the pass game has been efficient, the run game has helped, too, with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard picking up 274 yards on 52 carries in Rush’s starts. Carson Wentz has a 4-4 record against Dallas in his career, but he is coming off a game in which he was sacked nine times. The Cowboys enter Week 3 with an NFL-best 11 sacks and have three players — Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong — with six sacks. — Todd Archer

    Bold prediction: Speedy Dallas receiver Michael Gallup will make a big splash in his debut. He is returning from a torn ACL and will take advantage of a Washington defense that has yielded big plays by catching a 40-yard touchdown pass. The Commanders have allowed an NFL-high five passes of 40-plus yards and 12 plays overall of that length. They played better defensively in Week 3 vs. the Eagles, but big plays remain the issue. — John Keim

    Stat to know: Washington receiver Terry McLaurin is coming off his 11th career game with 100-plus receiving yards, but he has never had one against the Cowboys.

    Injuries: Commanders | Cowboys

    What to know for fantasy: The Commanders have coughed up a 100-yard receiver in each of the first three weeks this season, and CeeDee Lamb was a dropped pass away from a career night against the Giants on Monday Night Football last week. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Ten of the past 13 meetings have gone over the total. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Commanders 24, Cowboys 20
    Walder’s pick: Cowboys 19, Commanders 16
    FPI prediction: WSH, 53.3% (by an average of 1.1 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Commanders must find offensive identity … How CeeDee got redemption in Cowboys’ win vs. Giants … Lamb ready to carry Cowboys’ No. 88 legacy set by Pearson, Irvin and Dez … Rush rallies to win third straight career start

    1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: CLE -1 (47.5)

    What to watch for: This game, in theory, will have two of the NFL’s top three rushers — Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (No. 1, 341 yards) and Atlanta’s Cordarrelle Patterson (No. 3, 302 yards). Patterson, though, didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday, so that could take some luster out of the matchup if he can’t go. These two teams have some interesting ties, too, including both Falcons offensive coordinator Dave Ragone and defensive coordinator Dean Pees growing up in Ohio as Browns fans. — Michael Rothstein

    Bold prediction: Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts will double his career TD reception total, with two against the Browns. The Falcons, and their underrated offense, will hang around with Cleveland into the fourth quarter. — Jake Trotter

    Stat to know: The Browns have scored on 14 consecutive red zone drives dating back to last season, the third-longest active streak in the NFL behind the Cowboys (24) and Titans (16).

    Injuries: Browns | Falcons

    What to know for fantasy: Amari Cooper dropped 23.1 fantasy points on the Steelers last week, giving him consecutive 20-point games for the first time since Weeks 5-6 of the 2016 season. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Both teams have gone over the total in each of their first three games. The only other team 3-0 to the over is Detroit. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Browns 31, Falcons 23
    Walder’s pick: Falcons 22, Browns 17
    FPI prediction: ATL, 50.1% (by an average of 0.1 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Browns offense thriving with Brissett at QB … Patterson powers the Falcons’ running game … Garrett injured shoulder, biceps in car crash … Browns LB Walker out for season with torn quad tendon

    1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: PIT -3.5 (41.5)

    What to watch for: Jets QB Zach Wilson is making his season debut. The Steelers’ lack of experience against him, along with his mobility, create challenges for a defense that’s still struggling to find an identity without T.J. Watt. The Steelers have just two total sacks since Watt went out with the pectoral injury, and the run defense is again ranked near the bottom of the league after giving up 171 rushing yards to the Browns. — Brooke Pryor

    Bold prediction: Rookie running back Breece Hall will record the first 100-yard rushing day of his career. After throwing a league-high 155 times in the first three games, the Jets want to be balanced with Wilson back. Michael Carter, and especially Hall, will be the beneficiary of strategic shift, as they run through the Steelers’ suspect run defense. — Rich Cimini

    Stat to know: The Steelers have a 33% third-down conversion rate this season, the second worst in the AFC after the Texans. They went 1-9 on third-down conversions against the Browns in the Week 3 loss — tied for the third-worst conversion rate since Mike Tomlin took over in 2007.

    Injuries: Jets | Steelers

    What to know for fantasy: New year, same problem. Last season, Najee Harris was king of volume, but his carries were only so valuable because he was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 30.6% of his totes. This season … 35%. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Pittsburgh is 16-1 outright with extra rest since 2017 (8-7-2 ATS). Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Steelers 28, Jets 17
    Walder’s pick: Steelers 27, Jets 20
    FPI prediction: PIT, 67.9% (by an average of 5.4 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Wilson medically cleared, will start against Steelers … Three signs of progress for the Steelers’ offense, and three things that must improve … Jets dealt another blow at offensive tackle as Fant put on IR

    play

    1:10

    Mike Clay breaks down what Zach Wilson coming back could mean for the Jets receivers.

    1 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: DET -4 (48)

    What to watch for: A hobbled Lions team could limp into the Week 4 matchup after missing several key players throughout practice during the week, including running back D’Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder), tight end T.J. Hockenson (foot) and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and Josh Reynolds (ankle). Both teams are entering the contest with matching 1-2 records, trying to bounce back after close, one-score losses the previous week. An interesting matchup to watch is Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah against DK Metcalf. The Seahawks receiver recently said Okudah isn’t really “locking people down” and has a safety under helping him. — Eric Woodyard

    Bold prediction: The Seahawks will hold Detroit to under 115 rushing yards. That qualifies as bold given that Seattle has allowed the second-most rushing yards per game this season, including 189 and 179 the past two weeks. They might get a break Sunday with the Lions’ Swift injured, and they could get a boost with outside linebackers Boye Mafe and Darryl Johnson playing more on early downs in place of Darrell Taylor, who has struggled against the run. — Brady Henderson

    Stat to know: The Lions are scoring 31.7 PPG — the second most in the NFL — and are allowing 31.0 PPG, the most in the NFL.

    Injuries: Seahawks | Lions

    What to know for fantasy: Through three weeks, both Detroit running backs rank as top-10 players at the position, but only one of them will be active this week. Jamaal Williams and his four rushing touchdowns are set to take center stage with Swift’s shoulder injury set to sideline him for at least the short term. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Detroit is 3-0 ATS this season and 14-6 ATS under Dan Campbell. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Lions 31, Seahawks 21
    Walder’s pick: Lions 30, Seahawks 15
    FPI prediction: DET, 65.3% (by an average of 4.5 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Seahawks’ defense faces familiar challenge: Turning around another poor start … Lions’ Swift week-to-week with shoulder sprain

    1 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: IND -3.5 (43)

    What to watch for: The Colts currently have a minus-3 turnover margin, an alarming number for a team that ranked first in this category in 2021 and second in 2020. There are two reasons: Matt Ryan has had an exceedingly rare stretch, turning the ball over six times in three games. And the defense — after finishing last season second in takeaways — has produced just three turnovers to date. Alternatively, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill has thrown just three interceptions through three games. If the Colts’ defense can somehow force turnovers — and not commit turnovers — they will have a better chance at their second win of the season. — Stephen Holder

    Bold prediction: Titans running back Derrick Henry will get his first 100-yard rushing performance this season. That’s bold considering the Colts are allowing a league-low 2.6 yards per carry. Henry had a season-high 65 yards after contact last week. Offensive coordinator Todd Downing feels Henry is on the verge of breaking off a long run if “they can finish blocks, that last shove, last bit of effort to will spring him into the secondary.” — Turron Davenport

    Stat to know: Ryan has been sacked 12 times, the fourth most in the NFL so far this season. That’s the second-most sacks he has taken in his team’s first three games of a season in his career (13 in 2011). That is also the second-most sacks taken by a Colts QB since the franchise moved to Indianapolis in 1984 (Jim Harbaugh took 16 sacks in 1997).

    Injuries: Titans | Colts

    What to know for fantasy: It might not be what you signed up for, but don’t panic … Jonathan Taylor has 14.8 more fantasy points through three games this season than he did during his historic 2021 campaign. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Eight straight Indianapolis games have gone under the total, including all three this season. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Colts 27, Titans 24
    Walder’s pick: Colts 20, Titans 17
    FPI prediction: IND, 60.4% (by an average of 3.0 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Titans coach Vrabel searching inside (and outside) the building for answers to secondary woes … Ryan, imperfect Colts finding ways to win while also finding their way … Titans LT Lewan out for season with knee injury

    1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: LAC -5 (45)

    What to watch for: Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL (910), but the Texans’ pass defense has been exceptional. They’ve held opposing quarterbacks’ completion percentage to 55.1%, which is the second best in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. The Texans have 10 sacks on the year, coming in at fourth best. The coverage in the secondary has been stout, as quarterbacks are completing only 44% of their passes when targeting cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. This should be interesting as the Chargers are coming off a down week, losing to the Jaguars in Week 3. –– DJ Bien-Aime

    Bold prediction: The Chargers will clamp down on defense and keep the Texans out of the end zone. This is bold considering the Chargers’ defense is averaging the most points allowed in the AFC at 28 per game. But the Texans are among teams who are struggling to score, averaging 16.3 points per game. Watch for the Bolts’ defense behind Khalil Mack and Derwin James to play inspired, wanting to prove that it should not be counted out despite losing star edge rusher Joey Bosa indefinitely. — Lindsey Thiry

    Stat to know: Los Angeles’ Austin Ekeler is the only running back in the NFL who is currently leading his team in both targets (22) and receptions (21).

    Injuries: Chargers | Texans

    What to know for fantasy: Dameon Pierce got 87% of the Texans’ RB carries last week in Chicago. Not a bad role to take into a matchup with the Chargers, the third-worst defense in terms of running back yards per carry since the beginning of last season. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Los Angeles is 0-3 outright as a road favorite under coach Brandon Staley. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Chargers 31, Texans 20
    Walder’s pick: Chargers 26, Texans 10
    FPI prediction: LAC, 70.4% (by an average of 6.3 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Guide to all the Chargers injuries, and how they’ll try to overcome them … Texans coach Smith not sure ‘exactly why’ Mills, offense are struggling … Injured Herbert ‘didn’t want to quit on the team’ in Jags loss … Bolts LT Slater out for season

    4:05 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: CAR -1 (43.5)

    What to watch for: Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield ranks 31st in the NFL in completion percentage (51.9), and a big issue has been poor footwork due to a lack of full trust in his offensive line that has allowed nine sacks. He should have more confidence going up against an Arizona defense that ranks 31st in sacks with only two through three games. — David Newton

    Bold prediction: With the weather playing a factor, the Cardinals will commit to the run, and James Conner will have 100 yards for the first time this season and Kyler Murray will eclipse 50 for the first time. — Josh Weinfuss

    Stat to know: Christian McCaffrey has two straight games of 100-plus rush yards after going 18 games without reaching 100. He has not had three straight 100-yard rushing games since Weeks 8-10 in 2019.

    Injuries: Cardinals | Panthers

    What to know for fantasy: It’s hard to know what will happen in four weeks when DeAndre Hopkins returns after Week 6, but Marquise Brown is coming off a career day and is the ninth-highest-scoring fantasy receiver this season (just ahead of first-round picks Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams). See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Arizona has won seven straight games outright as a road underdog, tied for the longest streak since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Cardinals 28, Panthers 17
    Walder’s pick: Cardinals 31, Panthers 14
    FPI prediction: CAR, 52.8% (by an average of 0.8 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Kingsbury still trying to solve Cardinals offense’s first-quarter woes … As Mayfield struggles, Panthers’ defense shines in first win … College chemistry paying off for six QB-receiver duos in the NFL

    play

    1:34

    Field Yates and Mike Clay break down DJ Moore’s fantasy struggles and what they recommend fantasy managers do with him.

    4:25 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: GB -9.5 (40)

    What to watch for: There are some telling streaks at play: Aaron Rodgers has won five straight games against AFC opponents,; the Packers have won 14 straight regular-season home games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL; and Patriots likely starting quarterback Brian Hoyer has lost 11 consecutive starts, which is the longest streak among quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters. — Rob Demovsky

    Bold prediction: Patriots running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson will come close to totaling 200 rushing yards between them. This will have to be the formula for New England to have a chance to pull the upset. The Packers have shown some vulnerability against the run, with the Bears totaling 180 yards on 27 carries in Week 2, and the Vikings with 126 yards on 28 carries in Week 1. But here’s a potential problem for New England: With Rodgers completing 75% of his passes in back-to-back games, the possibility of falling behind early could make the Patriots more one-dimensional than they desire. — Mike Reiss

    Stat to know: The Patriots’ defense owns a 9.3% sack rate this season, which is the third best in the NFL. And Rodgers has taken eight sacks in three games this season.

    Injuries: Patriots | Packers

    What to know for fantasy: Romeo Doubs saw 23.5% of the targets last weekend in Tampa Bay, the highest rate for a Packer this season and potentially a sign of things to come for the promising rookie. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: Green Bay is 17-7 ATS as a home favorite under coach Matt LaFleur, including 7-1 ATS since the start of last season. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Packers 28, Patriots 13
    Walder’s pick: Packers 24, Patriots 0
    FPI prediction: GB, 88.8% (by an average of 14.7 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Why coaching is a family affair for the Belichicks, from Bill to Amanda to Steve to Brian … Bakhtiari off to good start in return from torn ACL. What’s next? … Belichick stiff-arms queries on Jones injury with ‘day by day’ refrain … Rodgers vs. Brady matchup fizzled, but Packers found other ways to win … Matthews hoped to finish his career with Packers

    4:25 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: LV -2.5 (45.5)

    What to watch for: Raiders edge rusher Chandler Jones has zero sacks through three games, and is fast becoming a target for impatient fans. Keep an eye, then, on the four-time Pro Bowler possibly getting untracked against his favorite target in Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Jones has sacked Wilson 16.5 times in his career, the most sacks Jones has against any one QB. It’s a rivalry that dates to Jones’ days in Arizona and Wilson’s in Seattle. “He thought he could get away from me, leaving [the NFC West],” Jones said with a laugh back in March, “but I’m right here with him again. So, that’s going to be fun, getting after him a little bit.” — Paul Gutierrez

    Bold prediction: Fire the confetti cannons in Denver, Broncos quarterback Wilson will have his first multiple-touchdown game with the team after having just two passing touchdowns over the first three games. And while that might not move the needle on the “bold” meter in some NFL outposts, the Broncos keep saying they’re close to something that resembles the offense they hoped to have when they exited the preseason. Plus, the Raiders have surrendered four pass plays of at least 30 yards in the first three games to go with five passing touchdowns by opposing quarterbacks. — Jeff Legwold

    Stat to know: The Broncos are averaging 14.3 PPG, second worst in the NFL. Forty-three total points in the first three games are their fewest since 2006.

    Injuries: Broncos | Raiders

    What to know for fantasy: The Denver passing game has yet to really hit its stride, and yet, only four receivers in the entire league have more receiving yards than Courtland Sutton. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: All three Denver games have gone under the total by over 10 points this season. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Broncos 26, Raiders 17
    Walder’s pick: Raiders 30, Broncos 19
    FPI prediction: LV, 58.3% (by an average of 2.4 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Should the Broncos panic? … Adams shrugs off Green Bay comparisons amid adjustment period with Carr, Raiders … Learning curve a bumpy ride so far for Broncos’ Hackett … Raiders hope to turn frustration into redemption to recover from 0-3 start

    8:20 p.m. ET | NBC | Spread: EVEN (45.5)

    What to watch for: The Bucs will have wide receivers Mike Evans (suspension) and Julio Jones (knee) back this week, with wide receiver Chris Godwin (hamstring) and left tackle Donovan Smith (elbow) also possibilities. Having scored only three offensive touchdowns in three games so far this year, they need all hands on deck to keep pace with a Chiefs team averaging 29.3 points per game. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs’ rebuilt offensive line is eager to show this wasn’t the same group from Super Bowl LV — their two sacks given up are tied for fewest in the league right now. — Jenna Laine

    Bold prediction: The sixth meeting between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will be the lowest scoring yet. The Chiefs and Bucs are struggling to score, with the Chiefs’ offense producing just 37 points in the past two games and the Bucs averaging just 17 points per game through the first three. These teams don’t look like they will combine for 39 points, the lowest output so far for a Brady-Mahomes game. It certainly won’t approach the 83 points the two generated in a 2018 game between the Chiefs and Patriots. — Adam Teicher

    Stat to know: The Buccaneers are looking to avoid a fourth straight game held under 20 points. Only one Brady-led team has been held under 20 points in four straight games — the 2002 Patriots.

    Injuries: Chiefs | Buccaneers

    What to know for fantasy: Leonard Fournette got loose in Week 1 for 127 yards on 21 carries. In the two games since (Mike Evans was ejected in one and suspended for the other), he has picked up just 100 yards on 36 carries. The Bucs welcome their WR1 back this week with the hopes of reopening the lanes that were there in the Week 1 win at Dallas. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: All three Tampa Bay games have gone under the total this season. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: Buccaneers 24, Chiefs 21
    Walder’s pick: Chiefs 30, Buccaneers 17
    FPI prediction: TB, 63.3% (by an average of 3.9 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Are the Chiefs in trouble? … Buccaneers’ Bowles, Brady concerned with lack of production … How the Chiefs have kept Mahomes happy in Kansas City … Buccaneers relocate to South Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian, hold practices at Dolphins’ facility

    play

    1:07

    Bart Scott and Dan Graziano explain why it isn’t time to panic about the Buccaneers.

    Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | Spread: SF -1 (42.5)

    What to watch for: The 49ers have had the Rams’ number in recent years, winning six straight regular-season games, but the Rams won the one that mattered most in January, advancing to the Super Bowl with a fourth-quarter surge in the NFC Championship Game. After a road loss last week in Denver, the Niners are in danger of falling two games back of the Rams in the NFC West with a loss here. To avoid that, they’ll need quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to find a groove in a hurry behind an offensive line missing star tackle Trent Williams. Garoppolo is 6-1 as a starter against Los Angeles, but his eight interceptions are the most he has thrown against any opponent. — Nick Wagoner

    Bold prediction: Cooper Kupp sets a career high for receptions with 14 catches. He leads the NFL with 28 receptions, including tying his career high of 13 in Week 1 against the Bills. Kupp’s target share through three games (35%) is higher than it was during the 2021 season (32%), and that continues against the 49ers on Monday night. — Sarah Barshop

    Stat to know: The Niners’ Deebo Samuel has 111 rushing yards this season, the most among players who are primarily wide receivers. He is also one of two wideouts with a rushing touchdown in 2022. The other? Kupp.

    Injuries: Rams | 49ers

    What to know for fantasy: Allen Robinson II is one of just seven players who has seen an end zone target in each of the first three weeks. His managers might be getting impatient, but converting targets like that could make up for a slow start in short order. See Week 4 rankings.

    Betting nugget: San Francisco has covered all five meetings since 2020 including playoffs. Read more.

    Moody’s pick: 49ers 24, Rams 21
    Walder’s pick: 49ers 23, Rams 17
    FPI prediction: LAR, 60.0% (by an average of 3.0 points)

    Matchup must-reads: Kupp off to great start, but Rams’ offense still work in progress … Garoppolo has 8.5 million sources of motivation for 49ers … Battered Rams secondary steps up to help muzzle Cardinals … 49ers’ Williams, Al-Shaair dealing with multiweek injuries

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  • A look at some of the world’s major crowd disasters

    A look at some of the world’s major crowd disasters

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    MALANG, Indonesia — Police fired tear gas after riots broke out at an Indonesian soccer match in East Java province when Persebaya Surabaya beat Arema Malang 3-2. Panic and a rush for the exit left over 170 people dead, most of whom were trampled, police said Sunday. Here’s a look at some of the major crowd disasters in recent decades:

    Dec. 3, 1979 — Eleven people are killed as thousands of fans rush to get into a concert by The Who at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

    Jan. 20, 1980 — A temporary four-story wooden stadium collapses at a bullfight in Sincelejo, Colombia, killing some 200 spectators.

    Oct. 20, 1982 — Sixty-six people die in a crush of fans leaving a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Haarlem, of the Netherlands, at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

    May 28, 1985 — Thirty-nine people died in fan violence at the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

    March 13, 1988 — Ninety-three people are killed when thousands of soccer fans surge into locked stadium exits to escape a sudden hailstorm in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    April 15, 1989 — Ninety-seven people die and hundreds are injured in a crush of fans at overcrowded Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. One victim died in 2021 of aspiration pneumonia, to which he had been left vulnerable because of injuries from the disaster.

    July 2, 1990 — During the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia, 1,426 Muslim pilgrims, mainly from Asia, die in and around a long pedestrian tunnel leading from Mecca to Mina.

    January 13, 1991 — Forty-two people are killed when fans try to escape brawls at Oppenheimer Stadium in South Africa.

    May 23, 1994 — A crush of pilgrims at the hajj leaves 270 Muslim pilgrims dead.

    Nov. 23, 1994 — A panicked crush during a political protest in Nagpur, India, leaves 113 dead.

    Oct. 16, 1996 — Eighty-four people die and 147 are injured as panicked fans are crushed and smothered before a World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City.

    April 9, 1998 — A crush of pilgrims on a bridge in Mecca leaves 118 hajj pilgrims dead.

    April 11, 2001 — At least 43 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    May 9, 2001 — More than 120 people are killed when police fire tear gas into the rowdy crowd in a stadium in the Ghanaian capital Accra, leading to panic.

    Feb. 17, 2003 — Twenty-one are crushed to death in the stairway exit to E2, a nightclub in Chicago.

    Feb. 20, 2003 — Stage pyrotechnics during a Great White concert at the Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island, spark a fire that kills 100 people and injures more than 200 others.

    Feb. 1, 2004 — A panic during a hajj ritual at the Jamarat Bridge near Mecca leaves 251 people dead.

    Jan. 25, 2005 — A panic among Hindu pilgrims near Mandhradevi temple in Maharashtra, India, leaves 265 people dead.

    Aug. 31, 2005 — At least 640 Shiite Muslim pilgrims in Baghdad are killed when a railing on a bridge collapses during a religious procession, sending scores into the Tigris River.

    Jan. 12, 2006 — A panic among Muslim pilgrims during a hajj ceremony near Mecca leaves 345 people dead.

    Feb. 4, 2006 — Seventy-eight people are killed in a panicked crush that happened at PhilSports Arena stampede in Manila, Philippines, as they were waiting for a TV variety show audition.

    Sept. 30, 2008 — At least 168 people are killed and 100 are injured when thousands of Hindu pilgrims are caught in a panic at a temple in Jodhpur, India.

    July 24, 2010 — Twenty-one people die and more than 650 are injured in a crush in a packed tunnel that was the sole access point to the Love Parade music festival in Duisburg, Germany.

    Nov. 22, 2010 — More than 340 people are killed and hundreds of others are injured during a panicked crush at a festival in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

    Jan. 27, 2013 — A fire kills more than 200 people at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil.

    Sept. 24, 2015 — At least 2,411 Muslim pilgrims die in a crush during the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

    April 30, 2021 — Forty-five people are killed and dozens more are wounded in a panicked crush at the annual Mount Meron pilgrimage in Israel.

    Nov. 5, 2021 — Fans at a Houston music festival surge toward the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott, triggering panic that leaves 10 people dead and many more injured.

    Oct. 1, 2022 — Police fire tear gas after riots break out following an Indonesian soccer match, setting off a rush for the exit that leaves at least 174 dead and 100 more injured.

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  • Indonesia: At least 174 people killed after riot at football match

    Indonesia: At least 174 people killed after riot at football match

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    At least 174 people have been killed after a riot at a football match in Indonesia.

    The violence broke out at a stadium in East Java during a game between Arema and Persebaya Surabaya.

    Chaos broke out after Persebaya Surabaya won 3-2 – and according to local reports, thousands of Arema fans went on to the pitch after their team lost.

    It is also claimed that several Arema players who were still on the field at the time were attacked.

    A stampede began when the police fired tear gas into the crowd.

    Images showed people who appeared to be unconscious being carried away by other fans.

    In what appears to be one of the world’s worst stadium disasters, more than 300 people were rushed to nearby hospitals, but many died on the way or in treatment.

    Image:
    Officers examine a damaged police vehicle

    East Java police chief Nico Afinta said in a news conference early on Sunday: “We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles.”

    Some of the victims have sustained brain injuries – and one doctor told local media that a five-year-old was among those who had died.

    A local health official said many of the victims died of “chaos, overcrowding, trampling and suffocation”.

    Two of those killed at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang are reportedly police officers.

    FIFA regulations state that no firearms or “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by the police.

    Indonesia’s chief security minister, Mahfud MD, has said on social media that the stadium was filled beyond capacity.

    While the sporting venue is only supposed to hold 38,000 people, he claimed 42,000 tickets had been issued.

    Police officers and soldiers stand amid tear gas smoke after clashes between fans during a soccer match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Panic following police actions left over 100 dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday. (AP Photo/Yudha Prabowo)
    Image:
    Police officers and soldiers stand amid tear gas

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed his deep condolences for the dead in televised comments on Sunday.

    “I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country. Don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future,” he said. “We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.”

    Indonesia’s football league had said games would be suspended for a week – but Mr Widodo has ordered all matches to be postponed until the investigation is concluded.

    Arema has also been banned from hosting matches for the rest of the season. Further sanctions could follow.

    There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes sparking violence between supporters.

    Justinus Lhaksana, a former coach for Indonesia’s national futsal team, told Sky News: “This is the not first time we have had deadly casualties. But usually it’s one or two people who die after a match.

    “I’m very sad the right solution was not found way before this happened.”

    A pair of sneakers sit trampled in the stands of Kanjuruhan Stadium following a deadly soccer match stampede, in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to to disperse supporters invading the pitch left over 100 people dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday. (AP Photo/Hendra Permana)
    Image:
    A pair of trainers sit trampled in the stands of Kanjuruhan Stadium

    Mr Lhaksana claims fans in Indonesia enter the pitch “almost every weekend”, and such disturbances have been going on for years.

    “This is not a clash between two rivalries – this is just a clash between disappointed fans and police.”

    The commentator said it is not acceptable that fans are able to go on football pitches after matches, and warned security measures must be tightened.

    He expressed hope that such an incident will never happen again.

    The chair of the country’s football association, Mochamad Iriawan, has apologised to families of the victims.

    He added that the incident “really tarnishes the face of Indonesian football”.

    More than a dozen vehicles were set alight within the grounds of the stadium, and many of them were police cars.

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  • Rams’ Edwards placed in protocol, out vs. 49ers

    Rams’ Edwards placed in protocol, out vs. 49ers

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    THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams guard David Edwards has entered the concussion protocol and will not play on Monday night after telling the team that he “was a little bit foggy,” head coach Sean McVay said on Saturday.

    “Obviously, you can’t be too careful with some of these things,” McVay said. “We went through the protocol, he’ll be in concussion protocol right now, and so as a result of that, he’ll be out for the game.

    “But it was great for him to be able to kind of communicate. We took the right steps, especially, with the situation that occurred on Thursday. But really just in general, regardless of whether or not that happened with [Miami Dolphins QB] Tua [Tagovailoa], [it’s] something we take very serious and I appreciate him handling it the right way.”

    On Thursday night, Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher after his head hit the turf late in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and discharged later that night.

    Just four days earlier, in the Dolphins’ Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa left the game after hitting his head on the ground. He was taken to the locker room and tested for a concussion but returned to the game.

    McVay said the situation with Tagovailoa has brought “heightened awareness” to the concussion protocol.

    “Whether that happened or not would have zero to do with our approach with David Edwards,” McVay said. “But I know there’s been a lot of, I don’t want to say speculation, but a lot of questions in that situation and particular brought light to a lot of questions.

    “I feel really good about the processes and the procedures that have been in place since I’ve been here and in this role as it relates to the communication with the medical group. I know the NFL’s doing everything in their power to do the right thing by the players and I fully believe that.”

    McVay said “there’s a good chance” that guard Bobby Evans will replace Edwards against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

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  • Besides Bama, Georgia and Ohio State, who’s actually a contender? And who’s a pretender?

    Besides Bama, Georgia and Ohio State, who’s actually a contender? And who’s a pretender?

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    For close to 15 minutes Saturday afternoon, it seemed like Alabama was doomed. Bryce Young was hurt. Arkansas had all but erased a huge Crimson Tide lead. The college football world held its collective breath.

    For more than three quarters of action Saturday night, it seemed as if the kings had been dethroned. Georgia‘s offense sputtered. Missouri built a double-digit lead. The foundation of the college football world began to crumble.

    For five plays Saturday, Rutgers led Ohio State. No one really panicked here. It’s still Rutgers, and there was only so much stress to go around.

    In the end, college football’s Big Three of 2022 — the Buckeyes, Bulldogs and Tide — all survived. Ohio State rolled, Alabama used a pair of long runs to assert its dominance even without Young, and Stetson Bennett rallied Georgia to a 26-22 come-from-behind win. Order had been restored.

    It was a reminder that the Big Three are worthy of their place atop the sport, but also served notice that no one has a playoff berth carved into stone after just five weeks.

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    Jamon Dumas-Johnson is frustrated with Georgia’s defense as the Bulldogs give up a touchdown to go down by 10 in the second quarter to Missouri.

    Young’s injury served notice of how tenuous title hopes can be, even at a place like Alabama. And Ohio State has its own injury woes at the moment, with a trio of solid defenses awaiting on the schedule. Georgia has delivered back-to-back stinkers against the likes of Kent State and Missouri. After the game, Kirby Smart shrugged off the struggles by noting, “There’s nothing easy in the SEC.” Kansas State, which beat Missouri by 28 two weeks ago, might disagree, but who are we to argue with the coach who won last year’s national championship?

    So what happens if, one of these Saturdays, the Big Three don’t survive? Who’s next in the playoff pecking order?

    If Week 5 didn’t deliver the shocking upsets, it did offer some separation between the pretenders and contenders behind the Big Three.

    In Oxford, Ole Miss was decked out in helmets made of the same material used for those Coors Lite cans that turn blue when they’re cold, then delivered a silver bullet to Kentucky’ Wildcats playoff hopes. That the Rebels won with defense was an emphatic statement that Lane Kiffin’s team isn’t a one-dimensional attack. Kirby Smart and Jimbo Fisher each earned wins over Alabama last year, and Kiffin might now be the former Saban assistant with the best shot to upend his old boss.

    After NC State beat Clemson in double overtime last year in Raleigh, Dave Doeren celebrated with a red Solo cup and a cigar. We doubt Dabo Swinney will do the same after Clemson’s impressive 30-20 win over the 10th-ranked Wolfpack Saturday (though, perhaps he’ll indulge in a tall glass of milk and some wheat toast?), but the win was a statement that the Tigers are back in the playoff hunt in 2022. DJ Uiagalelei accounted for three total touchdowns, and the Clemson defense turned in a vintage performance, all but paying rent for the amount of time it spent in the NC State backfield.

    Baylor thwarted Oklahoma State twice last season, but on Saturday, the Cowboys delivered their response with a 36-25 win. Spencer Sanders, who struggled mightily in last year’s two losses, threw for 181 yards, ran for 75 more and accounted for two touchdowns. Mike Gundy’s team hasn’t gotten much love so far, but the Cowboys have won all four of their games by double digits and, if not for Big 12 power Kansas, would be a clear favorite to win the league.

    Iowa‘s plan to lull Michigan to sleep by playing offense failed miserably, too. The Hawkeyes punted on each of their first five full drives, which is usually a winning formula, but not against Blake Corum, who carried 29 times for 133 yards and a touchdown in Michigan’s 27-14 win.

    Meanwhile, Kentucky and NC State are likely to tumble out of the top 10. Penn State won, but served up five turnovers in an ugly performance against Northwestern. Minnesota couldn’t move the ball in a loss to the Purdue Owls with star tailback Mohamed Ibrahim sidelined. Oklahoma, Florida State and Washington all fell by the wayside in Week 5, too.

    We’re just one Saturday into October. We’re still farther from the finish line than the starting blocks. There’s little point in making sweeping declarations about the contenders at this point, but Week 5 did offer a clearer picture than we’ve had before.

    Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State keep winning — even if it hasn’t always been pretty.

    But Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma State and others offered their own reminder that, while only four playoff invites will go out at year’s end, the Big Three don’t need to check their mailboxes just yet.

    It’s time to believe in TCU

    It’s just like we’ve been saying for weeks: It’s time the rest of the country started paying attention to the upstart Big 12 team that’s opened the season 4-0 and deserves to be ranked.

    Oh, no, not Kansas. We’re talking about TCU.

    After finishing last season 5-7 and firing Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs were hardly considered contenders in the Big 12 this season, but Sonny Dykes has clearly injected some life into the offense, and Max Duggan has emerged as one of the nation’s most productive QBs.

    If you weren’t a believer before Saturday, the 27 points TCU hung on Oklahoma in the first quarter should’ve had you convinced. And if you’ve ever wondered how many big plays are needed before Brent Venables’ head explodes, well, this game certainly took a swing at providing an answer.

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    Taye Barber has no one anywhere near him downfield as he hauls in the 73-yard touchdown.

    TCU racked up 668 yards in the 55-24 win, including four plays of 60 yards or more.

    Duggan was sublime, throwing for 302 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards and two more scores. If the stat line looked familiar for Sooners fans, it should. In the playoff era, the only other Big 12 QB with 300 pass yards, 100 rush yards, three pass TDs and two on the ground in the same game was Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in 2019. Duggan is just the eighth player in the playoff era from any conference to hit those marks against a Power 5 foe.

    So, if Oklahoma can officially be scratched off the list of playoff contenders, is it time to start thinking about TCU as a possible Big 12 champ?

    This is the Horned Frogs’ first 4-0 start since 2017 and they now have notable wins vs. the Sooners and SMU. They’ve put up 38 points in each of their first four games and, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, the 55 points vs. Oklahoma marked the most allowed by the Sooners since the 2019 Peach Bowl. That one came against Joe Burrow and LSU. The last time Oklahoma allowed 55 or more against an unranked foe was 2016. That one came against Patrick Mahomes. Yikes.

    Still, for all the deserved attention TCU’s big win will get, it’s worth noting the Horned Frogs couldn’t deliver on their mid-game trolling. The family of Roger Maris will now need to attend every TCU game until the Horned Frogs score 62.

    Rebels dunk UK, but hoops schools still flying high

    The Ole Miss defense delivered a brutal blow to Kentucky‘s SEC hopes Saturday with a 22-19 win, then the Ole Miss social media team delivered an even more brutal blow after the win.

    Somewhere, John Calipari is sipping a bourbon, throwing darts at a photo of Shaheen Holloway he keeps pinned to his wall and laughing. Yes, Kentucky remains a basketball school.

    The Wildcats had their chances to pull off a road win, but an early safety left Will Levis‘ finger looking like he was trying to use his hands to do long division and was left with a remainder.

    But all is not lost for the basketball schools.

    Kansas had a message to those cowards voting in the AP poll, holding Iowa State cyclones to just 26 yards on the ground in a 14-11 win. Jalen Daniels‘ Heisman campaign took a bit of a hit as he completed just seven passes for 93 yards (we’re assuming he got in early foul trouble), but the defense more than made up for the offensive shortcomings.

    Syracuse, too, moved to 5-0. The Orange played Wagner, which may or may not have been a bunch of elementary school kids standing on each others shoulders, wearing trench coats and jerseys.

    And UCLA toppled Washington in a statement win Friday night, moving the Bruins to 5-0, too.

    Add in 4-1 starts by North Carolina and Maryland, and the basketball schools are looking awfully good on the gridiron — even if Kentucky didn’t get its one shining moment at Ole Miss.

    Auburn’s luck runs out

    The Bryan Harsin Experience just keeps getting weirder.

    Last week, Harsin was down to his fourth-string QB and just inches away from a loss to Missouri that seemed sure to be the final nail in his coffin — and he survived.

    Then this week, former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron made the unsubstantiated comment that Auburn had actually already fired Harsin, but was allowing him to keep coaching for a while longer, undoubtedly following the “Office Space” principle of simply fixing the glitch in payroll and assuming Harsin would eventually realize he was no longer employed.

    Nevertheless, Harsin was back on the sideline Saturday as Auburn hosted LSU, and for the first 20 minutes of action, it looked like he might find another escape hatch as Auburn jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 9:38 left in the first half.

    Then LSU figured out its offense, and Auburn never scored again. Its second-half drives: punt, turnover on downs, interception, punt, fumbled punt return, interception.

    Auburn will now be moving Harsin’s office downstairs to Storage B. They’ve got a lot of new people coming in, and they really need all the space they can get.

    U-Can!

    Ladies and gentlemen, UConn has an FBS win.

    Please, take a moment to gather your emotions.

    The Huskies engineered a 94-yard drive to score a go-ahead TD with 2:20 to play and finished with a shocking 19-14 win over Fresno State.

    It had been 1,050 days since UConn last won a game against an FBS opponent. In the interim, 23 teams have announced they’re changing conferences (including UConn, which went independent), Miami has been back — then not back — eight times, and James Madison, which was an FCS team a month ago, has won three games vs. FBS foes.

    Even that undersells just how long it’s been since UConn did something as unexpected as Saturday’s win. UConn had been a 19.5-point underdog — the money line for a UConn win was +1050 — and yet the Huskies pulled off a win. The last win was actually at home against equally woeful UMass in a game UConn was favored to win. To find UConn’s last FBS upset, you’d need to go all the way back to 2017. This was, like, five Taylor Swift albums ago.

    This is the beauty of UConn football. It serves as a time capsule for the rest of us, a means by which we can measure not the struggles of the Huskies, but rather how far the rest of us have come.

    Heisman Five

    Nearly every week this season, we’ve gotten an email from a reader accusing us of being a “Georgia homer.” It’s not true. We’re simply biased in favor of teams that win national championships. Still, last week, he noted Stetson Bennett‘s No. 2 ranking here and asked, “Do you even watch football? How do they let you get away with this stuff?”

    Well, dear reader, we’d like to let you know we flipped over to the Georgia-Missouri game several times this week during commercials in the big ULM-Arkansas State tilt, and we must admit — you’re right. Bennett did throw for 312 yards, but it was hardly a Heisman-worthy performance against woeful Missouri.

    So, we’re retiring Bennett from the Heisman Five and simply awarding him a Lifetime Achievement Award, which he can put on his trophy case next to his national championship trophy and his “World’s Greatest Dad” coffee mug Alabama’s defense gave him for Father’s Day this year.

    1. Alabama QB Bryce Young

    Nick Saban said Young’s shoulder injury isn’t serious, which is great news. Well, not for Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M Aggies, who’ll now lose by 30 next week, but for Alabama fans, it’s great news.

    2. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

    It was hardly Stroud’s best game — 13-of-22 for 154, two touchdowns and a pick — but Ohio State won easily and not it was actually a very sportsmanlike move to not pad his stats against Rutgers, as so many Ohio State QBs have done before.

    3. Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker

    Tennessee was off this week, but we assume Hooker at least got in a game of NCAA Football ’14, downloaded new rosters and threw for 600 yards and nine touchdowns against Florida, then sent some taunting text messages to dudes from the 2014 Gators just for fun.

    4. USC Trojans QB Caleb Williams

    Williams shrugged off last week’s struggles against Oregon State Beavers, accounting for TDs on each of USC’s first three drives against Arizona State on Saturday.

    5. North Carolina QB Drake Maye

    Maye threw for 363 and three touchdowns, ran for 73 and two more scores, and UNC dominated Virginia Tech Hokies 41-10. Maye has thrown for 300 yards and three TDs in four of his five games so far this season. And given that UNC’s defense has played horribly for most of the season, Maye’s going to have plenty of chances to keep putting up big numbers.

    Break up the Illini

    We’re five weeks into the season, and it feels like an appropriate moment for the college football world to take a quick step back, peruse the standings, and ask a question that has frustrated even the most renowned philosophers, scientists and scholars: Hey, is Illinois good?

    The Illini are 4-1 for the first time since 2015 after throttling Wisconsin 34-10 on Saturday, led by a Syracuse cast-off and an absolutely dominant run defense. It was Illinois’ biggest road win since 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and it snapped an eight-game losing streak at Camp Randall.

    On Saturday, QB Tommy DeVito pulled off a pretty neat trick: He ran for minus-2 yards in the game, but he also had three rushing touchdowns. It’s a rare feat to have five fewer rushing yards than rushing TDs, but at Illinois, DeVito has managed to combine a new-found scoring touch to go with his long established ability to serve as a tackling dummy. From 2019-21, DeVito was sacked 70 times at Syracuse, despite starting just 18 games. He’s been dumped in the backfield 11 more times this season, but he’s also racked up 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

    The big key to Illinois’ success thus far has been the defense, which has been a brick wall against the run. Wisconsin managed just 2 rushing yards on 24 carries Saturday, marking the worst output on the ground by the Badgers since 2015 against Northwestern. For the season, Illinois has allowed just 351 yards on the ground, and has held four straight opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.

    The most college football thing to happen Saturday

    Phil Jurkovec led Boston College to a 34-33 win over Louisville on Saturday, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including completions of 50, 57 and 69.

    Unfortunately, the throw that’ll likely show up most on SportsCenter this week wasn’t one to remember. Jurkovec was essentially in a full-on Neo-in-The Matrix position as he tossed the ball backward in the general direction of running back Pat Garwo III. From there, it got silly.

    But hey, all’s well that ends well. Malik Cunningham scored two plays later to give Louisville the lead, but the Cardinals couldn’t hold on, as Boston College earned its first ACC win of the season.

    Under-the-radar play of the day

    Jaivian Lofton‘s catch to open the scoring in Liberty‘s game against Old Dominion would warrant its inclusion here regardless. It’s a ridiculous one-handed snag on a 34-yard TD. But what truly puts this one over the top is the reaction.

    play

    0:26

    Liberty QB Kaidon Salter lofts a ball into the end zone, where Jaivian Lofton makes a one-handed catch for the score.

    Lofton basically treated the catch like he was picking up a DoorDash order at Arby’s. Zero emotion. We hope Lofton is like this in every aspect of life. Ace a test? No biggie. Win the lottery? Cool, he’ll send you his routing number in the morning. Finds out Kansas is 5-0? OK, no one could take that in stride.

    Under-the-radar game of the day

    Holy Cross toppled Harvard 30-21 on Saturday to move to 5-0 and, perhaps, put in its claim as the best team in Massachusetts this season.

    Crusaders QB Matthew Sluka threw for 300 yards and two TDs, while Jalen Coker caught 10 balls for 166 yards in the win. It marked the first time Harvard lost a game by more than one possession since its 2019 opener.

    Holy Cross is now 5-0, including a road win against FBS Buffalo last month, giving the Crusaders a pretty good case as the Commonwealth’s top team. Holy Cross has head-to-head wins over Merrimack and Harvard now, and both BC and UMass are below .500 for the season. That leaves Stonehill (3-0) as the only other contender, and frankly, we just learned that Stonehill was in Massachusetts.

    Big bets and bad beats

    Syracuse was cruising toward an easy cover over FCS Wagner on Saturday, but it turns out, it was a little *too* easy.

    The line closed at Syracuse -54, which seemed about right given that Wagner is 1-27 since 2019 and had already lost to Rutgers by 59 this season. And, as expected, Syracuse rolled early, jumping out to a 49-0 lead at the half.

    Easy cover, right?

    Well, no. Wagner waved the white flag, and sports books waived the bets.

    Syracuse went on to win 59-0 — a cover for the Orange and the under, but due to the shortened quarters, the bets didn’t count. Kudos to Caesars for having the courage to say what the rest of us were thinking.

    There’s no such thing as easy money, but the service academies at least offer something close. Air Force hosted Navy on Saturday in the first Commander’s Cup matchup of the season, and that means it’s time to throw some money on the under. What was the total? Doesn’t matter. Whatever the total is, bet the under. In the playoff era, the under in Commander’s Cup games is 22-2-1, and it’s hit 77% of the time.

    In this case, the the total closed at 38. It’s a low number. Low enough to worry about the under? Heck, no.

    OK, so you bet the under, then Air Force found the end zone on its opening drive on a 67-yard pass play. Now you’re worried, right? Ah, still no.

    Of the remaining 19 drives in the game, 10 ended with punts. The others: a Navy touchdown, two field goals (including one after Navy got the ball deep in Air Force territory), a turnover on downs, two fumbles (including one in the red zone), a missed field goal and a seven-play drive that chewed up the final 3:49 of the game.

    That, friends, is a recipe for another under. Final score: Air Force 13, Navy 10.

    The under has now covered in nine straight games that featured two of the three service academies, and 14 of the last 15.

    Oklahoma State jumped out to a big lead and cruised to a 36-25 win over Baylor. The Cowboys had been a 2.5-point favorite, which is hallowed ground for head coach Mike Gundy. As ESPN’s Chris Fallica noted, since 2016, Oklahoma State is now 14-3 in games when the spread is +/- 3.5 points, including a ridiculous 13-2 in those situations on the road.

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  • No. 5 Clemson tops No. 10 NC State 30-20 in ACC showdown

    No. 5 Clemson tops No. 10 NC State 30-20 in ACC showdown

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    CLEMSON, S.C. — DJ Uiagalelei ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third as No. 5 Clemson won its 11th consecutive game, its 37th straight at home and took control of the ACC Atlantic with a 30-20 victory over No. 10 North Carolina State on Saturday night.

    The Tigers (3-0 ACC) started 5-0 for the seventh time in eight years and completed a two-week stretch where they bested the two teams thought most likely to block their return atop the division — first with a 51-45 OT win at No. 22 Wake Forest last Saturday and now the Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1) at Death Valley.

    Uiagalelei ignited the Tigers right before and right after the half to build a lead that N.C. State, playing in its first-ever Top 10 matchup, couldn’t overcome.

    Uiagalelei finished a 75-yard scoring drive by stretching the ball over the goal for a 1-yard score to move in front 13-10. Then, after Clemson’s defense forced a three-and-out with a pair of sacks on Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary, Uiagalelei cashed in again with 7-yard touchdown throw to tight end Jake Briningstool.

    “Lost the turnover margin, lost the line of scrimmage, you don’t win many games like that,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.

    Clemson’s defense did the rest, holding the potent Wolfpack to just a field goal over the first 29 minutes of the second half in building a 17-point lead. The Tigers also picked off Leary and recovered a fumble when N.C. State went for it on 4th-and-13 down 10 with less than nine minutes left.

    Clemson, which hasn’t lost at home since November 2016, matched Florida State’s ACC mark of 37 straight at home set from 1992-2001. The Tigers’ 11 in a row since last season in the longest current streak in the FBS.

    “We’re definitely not there yet,” Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry said. “But I can say the mindset for four quarters definitely showed up tonight.”

    Clemson also holds tiebreakers in the division over the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack.

    Clemson and N.C. State came in with two of the highest-scoring offenses in the ACC and figured to trade trips to the end zone throughout. Instead, it was a struggled for each to find points in the first 30 minutes.

    The Wolfpack and preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary broke through first with a 2-yard TD to tight end Cedd Seabrough late in the second quarter to go up 10-6 with less than two minutes left in the half.

    That’s when Uiagalelei got things going with his scoring run to send the Tigers into the break ahead 13-10 instead of trailing. He sealed the win with a 9-yard touchdown run with 3:04 left. Uiagalelei completed 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards and ran for a team-high 73 yards.

    Leary was 28 of 47 passing for 245 yards and an interception. He also rushed for a 4-yard TD with less than a minute left as the Wolfpack finished with their fewest points this season.

    THE TAKEAWAY

    North Carolina State: The Wolfpack have plenty of talented players, but got rattled in that time right around halftime to allow Clemson’s two touchdowns. NC State now has to cross its fingers that the Tigers lose twice in their final five ACC games.

    Clemson: The Tigers have had to prove their offense was legit all season and, while they didn’t pile up the points like in their first four games, they made enough plays to show themselves once again as the ACC’s top contender.

    BRESEE OUT

    Starting defensive tackle Bryan Bresee missed his second game of the past three after dealing with a non-football medical condition that Clemson said involved blood tests and observation. Bresee and his family are still mourning 15-year-old Ella Bresee, who died of brain cancer last month and has been an inspiration to her brother’s team with the phrase, “Ella Strong.” Bryan Bresee got good news about the tests late this week and his condition won’t have a long-term impact, Clemson said.

    UP NEXT

    North Carolina plays No. 23 Florida State at home next Saturday.

    Clemson goes to Boston College next Saturday night.

    ———

    More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

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  • DeaconsIllustrated – Wake Forest holds off comeback, notches road win

    DeaconsIllustrated – Wake Forest holds off comeback, notches road win

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    So much for Wake Forest being scared to play at Florida State.

    No. 22 Wake Forest stormed out to a three-touchdown lead early in the third quarter and held on for a 31-21 win against No. 23 Florida State on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

    “Thanks to our staff and players for all of their hard work, especially after last week’s game,” coach Dave Clawson said early in his opening remarks, not beating around the bush of last weekend’s double OT loss to Clemson. “That was a soul-crusher. And I was concerned with our ability to get them back.

    “They just put in a great week of work and prepared and came down here and expected to win.”

    The Deacons (4-1, 1-1 ACC) saw a three-touchdown lead whittled down to a 28-21 lead with 9½ minutes left. To that point, Wake’s previous two possessions had netted minus-6 yards, while FSU got back into the game with touchdown passes from Jordan Travis to Mycah Pittman and Johnny Wilson.

    An answer came in the form of Wake’s most-important drive of the game: An 18-play, 66-yard marathon that included three third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion – one of the third-down plays and the fourth down were Sam Hartman-to-Ke’Shawn Williams connections, and the other third downs were Christian Turner runs.

    That drive ended with Matthew Dennis’ 27-yard field goal, giving the Deacons a 10-point lead with 2:55 left.

    FSU (4-1, 2-1) attempted a 55-yard field goal with more than a minute left but it was missed, sealing the Deacons’ bounce-back victory after last weekend’s double OT loss to Clemson.

    After the Seminoles started the game on a high note, Wake Forest seized control and didn’t lose it until about midway through the third quarter.

    FSU took the opening drive of the game 83 yards on six plays, the last of which was an 18-yard strike from Travis to Pittman.

    Wake’s defense buckled in after that, forcing three punts and a turnover, with the fifth possession resulting in a missed field goal.

    And Wake’s offense got rolling to the tune of 28 straight points.

    The Deacons’ first two drives were marches, going 80 yards in 13 plays and 90 yards in 12 plays. Christian Turner capped the first drive with a 1-yard touchdown push on fourth-and-goal; Hartman threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to an open A.T. Perry – native Floridian, by the way – to give the Deacons a lead early in the second quarter.

    That’s where the turnover came in, with Jaylen Hudson popping the ball loose from Travis and Chase Jones recovering. It set up Hartman’s 20-yard touchdown strike on third-and-8 to Donavon Greene – his third touchdown in the last two weeks.

    “We had a great week of preparation,” Clawson said. “Despite what some people might think, we were not scared to play this game. We were very excited to play this game.”

    Both teams missed field goals in the last few minutes of the first half; Dennis’ miss was the first of his Wake Forest career after starting the season 8-for-8.

    Wake Forest took the opening drive of the second half and went 75 yards on seven plays – six of the plays gained at least 7 yards – and ended it with Justice Ellison’s 12-yard touchdown run.

    Ellison, a third-year running back from Ashburn, Va., had the first 100-yard game of his career with 18 carries and 114 yards.

    “We thought we could run the ball against them,” Clawson said. “We went into this game and we thought it was really important that we were balanced because of the way we threw the ball last week.”

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    Conor O’Neill, DeaconsIllustrated.com

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  • Bears sign K Badgley with Santos questionable

    Bears sign K Badgley with Santos questionable

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    NEW YORK — Bears kicker Cairo Santos did not travel with the team on Saturday and is listed as questionable for Chicago’s Week 4 matchup at the New York Giants.

    Santos missed practice on Thursday and Friday because of personal reasons. The Bears worked out three kickers on Friday and signed Michael Badgley to the practice squad on Saturday. Badgley was then elevated to the active roster along with running back Darrynton Evans.

    Santos made field goals from 47 and 50 yards, as well as a 30-yard game winner, in Chicago’s 23-20 victory over Houston. He is 4-for-4 on field goals and 4-for-6 on PATs this season.

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  • TideIllustrated – Bryce Young exits Alabama’s game against Arkansas with injury

    TideIllustrated – Bryce Young exits Alabama’s game against Arkansas with injury

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    FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was forced out of Saturday’s game against Arkansas with an injury to his right shoulder.

    The reigning Heisman Trophy winner appeared to hurt himself in the second quarter while landing awkwardly on a third-down play in which he got a pass off before falling to the turf. He returned to the field on Alabama’s following possession but pulled up awkwardly after firing an incomplete pass on third down.

    After making his way to the sideline, Young threw his helmet to the ground before entering the team’s injury tent. According to the CBS broadcast, he was heard letting out an audible yell on the sideline. Young spent several minutes in the injury tent before leaving and sprinting toward Alabama’s locker room. He was replaced by redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Milroe on Alabama’s next possession.

    Milroe led Alabama to back-to-back scoring drives, running in a 3-yard touchdown before connecting with JoJo Earle on a screen pass for a 22-yard touchdown on the following possession.

    Young returned to the sideline fully suited up to start the second half but did not replace Milroe. Before leaving the game, Young completed 7 of 13 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown and interception while also running in an 8-yard touchdown.

    This story will be updated.

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    Tony Tsoukalas, TideIllustrated.com

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  • Ramsey rant: Worry about safety, not my socks

    Ramsey rant: Worry about safety, not my socks

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    THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — While answering a question about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury situation and player safety, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey took the conversation in another direction Saturday.

    “Player safety should be one of the most important things to talk about,” Ramsey said. “It should probably be talked about more. And then s— like getting fined for socks … or s— like getting fined for tights or B.S. or anything like that. … That needs to not be talked about as much.”

    Ramsey, who said he has been fined every week this season for a uniform violation, said the league should be less concerned about the color of his socks and instead focus on talking more about player safety.

    “That’s the stuff that they need to put an emphasis [on],” Ramsey said. “Not freaking, ‘Oh his socks are too high’ or, ‘His socks are too low’ or something like that. That’s so lame. I’m so beyond that.”

    Ramsey said he gets fined every week, despite checking with the person responsible for uniform guidelines on the sideline before each game. He said his Week 1 fine for wearing knee pads that didn’t cover his knees was reduced after he sent in an appeal with photo evidence. He said he was fined in Weeks 2 and 3 because he didn’t have the right socks on.

    “I’m going to continue to get fined because I’m going to be swaggy out there,” Ramsey said. “I’m going to wear the same thing this week too, so I’m ready for the fine. Come on with it, right?

    “But I play the game with integrity, right? I play the game the right way. I try to make sure people are safe. Like obviously I want to go out there and hurt my opponents and strike fear and all that. But I don’t want to injure nobody. But that’s what the game is about. It’s not about the other B.S. I just wish maybe I could start the conversation right now. …

    “If we want to go out there and look good and it ain’t hurting the integrity of the game, why are y’all fining me $10,000 for my socks? That don’t make no sense.”

    Ramsey said he’s going to match the money he’s fined this season and donate it to a charity.

    He also said he has a problem with the NFL choosing to fine players for uniform violations but then making money off the players and what they’re wearing.

    “We’re not taking away from the integrity of the game,” Ramsey said. “Who cares about that, right? These kids think that’s cool. They want to fine us and do all of that, but then they want to glorify us and promote us and make money off of us when guys are out there swagging out. And then they monetize it, right? The kids, they going to want to go buy the stuff that we wearing, right? …

    “I don’t know why they put such a high emphasis on that and then on the back end try to monetize off of it, right? It’s just lame to me.”

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  • No. 9 Oklahoma St. beats No. 16 Baylor 36-25 in B12 rematch

    No. 9 Oklahoma St. beats No. 16 Baylor 36-25 in B12 rematch

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    WACO, Texas — Jaden Nixon returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and ninth-ranked Oklahoma State beat No. 16 Baylor 36-25 on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 championship game.

    Nixon’s return started a flurry of 39 combined points in the third quarter. He found an open gap in the middle of the field and then broke free from the grasp of Devyn Bobby at the Oklahoma State 35.

    Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders continued his outstanding play. He finished 20-of-29 passing for 181 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran 14 times for 75 yards.

    The Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) also beat Baylor in the regular season last year, but came up inches short of their first conference title since 2011 when the Bears made a fourth-down stop just short of the end zone in the final seconds of the championship game.

    After Nixon’s return, Baylor (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) responded with Blake Shapen’s 49-yard TD pass to Monaray Baldwin, who added a 70-yard catch-and-run score later in the third. True freshman Richard Reese had a 1-yard TD run on a short drive set up when Christian Morgan intercepted Sanders.

    Another long kickoff return for Oklahoma State, with Brennan Presley taking it to midfield after Reese scored, was followed immediately by Braydon Johnson’s incredible 49-yard catch and then Dominic Richardson’s 1-yard run. The Cowboys added a 19-yard field goal after Shapen’s fourth-down incompletion from the Baylor 33 gave Oklahoma State the short field.

    Sanders threw seven picks in his two games against Baylor last season, including four in the Big 12 title game, but he was more efficient this time.

    Shapen completed 28 of 40 passes for 345 yards and Baldwin caught seven passes for 174 yards. Reese had 85 yards and a score on 17 carries. Six of the true freshman’s TDs have come in Baylor’s three home games.

    THE TAKEAWAY

    Oklahoma State: The Cowboys were solid coming off their open date to play outside of Stillwater for the first time, and faced their first ranked opponent. Oklahoma State some highlight catches for Sanders, including Bryson Green’s contested leaping catch in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard TD on their opening drive. On Johnson’s 49-yard catch in the third quarter, he reached back and through a defender to make the grab near the sideline, and when twisting and turning, his left foot slid out of bounds just short of the end zone.

    Baylor: The Bears had won nine consecutive home games since a 42-3 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2020 regular-season finale. That game was pushed back two months because of COVID-19, and played when Baylor was without 47 people — players, coaches and support personnel — and had one full-time offensive assistant coach at the game.

    POLL IMPLICATIONS

    Oklahoma State will certainly remain in the top 10, and maybe even climb a spot. Baylor could hang in near the bottom of the poll since both of its losses are against Top 25 teams, or could fall completely out of the rankings.

    UP NEXT

    Oklahoma State plays Texas Tech next Saturday at home.

    Baylor has a Saturday off before playing its next game at West Virginia on Oct. 13, a Thursday night.

    ———

    More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

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  • OrangeandBlueNews – Rapid Recap: Illini roll past Wisconsin 34-10

    OrangeandBlueNews – Rapid Recap: Illini roll past Wisconsin 34-10

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    OrangeandBlueNews – Rapid Recap: Illini roll past Wisconsin 34-10



















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    Bret Bielema returned to Madison on Saturday for the first time as an opposing coach and walked away with a convincing 34-10 win, the first win for Illinois at Wisconsin since 2002. Illinois runnin…

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  • Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United (4-3 on penalties) – Nikita Parris scores on first start but United lose in League Cup

    Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United (4-3 on penalties) – Nikita Parris scores on first start but United lose in League Cup

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    Full Time
    After Extra Time
    This is a live match.
    Extra Time
    Half Time

    Aston Villa Women
    vs Manchester United Women. Women’s League Cup Group A.

    Poundland Bescot Stadium.

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  • Chargers WR Allen (hamstring) ruled out again

    Chargers WR Allen (hamstring) ruled out again

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    Sep 30, 2022

    • Lindsey ThiryESPN

      Close

      • Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times
      • Previously covered the Falcons
      • Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball

    COSTA MESA, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans because of a hamstring injury.

    Center Corey Linsley, with a knee issue, and tight end Donald Parham Jr., also with a hamstring injury, are questionable. Cornerback J.C. Jackson, who has been dealing with an ankle issue, and quarterback Justin Herbert, who has fractured rib cartilage, will play.

    The Chargers are 1-2 and have been dealing with a host of injury issues, which included placing left tackle Rashawn Slater and edge rusher Joey Bosa on injured reserve earlier this week.

    Allen suffered the hamstring injury in Week 1 and has not played since.

    Earlier in the week, coach Brandon Staley expressed growing confidence that Allen might be able to return against the Texans.

    However, on Friday, Staley said that Allen “kind of felt something” during individual drills at practice.

    “We’re going to hold him out of this game, just going to make sure that he keeps making progress,” Staley said of the 10th-year pro. “Just don’t want to push it where you have a significant setback of a major injury, so he couldn’t make it this week and next week we’ll give it another shot.”

    Staley added that Allen did not suffer a major setback. “Just didn’t make enough progress to make it to the game,” he said.

    Allen has led the Chargers in receptions since 2017.

    The Bolts are also without reserve wide receiver Jalen Guyton, who tore his left ACL on Sunday.

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  • Bruno Lage’s future being considered by Wolves board – Paper Talk

    Bruno Lage’s future being considered by Wolves board – Paper Talk

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    All the top stories and transfer rumours from Sunday’s newspapers…

    DAILY TELEGRAPH

    Wolves are considering the future of head coach Bruno Lage after the club’s underwhelming start to the season.

    THE SUN

    Nice lead the chase for Ukraine winger Mykhaylo Mudryk despite Premier League interest.

    Newcastle have put Elliot Anderson on a £30,000-a-week deal. The Toon are eager to keep the 19-year-old Scotland Under-21 international.

    Manchester United new boy Antony is currently living in Paul Pogba’s old house.

    Harry Redknapp says Harry Maguire is a ‘proper’ defender’ and the Man Utd star should start for England at the World Cup.

    Juventus are ready to offload Manuel Locatelli in January with Arsenal already interested in signing him.

    Garang Kuol watched on with fans as his new Newcastle team-mates thrashed Fulham.

    Ruben Neves rejected approaches from Manchester United and Liverpool in the summer to wait for a “dream” move to Barcelona.

    DAILY EXPRESS

    Hundreds of football fans are reported to have died following riots during a match which got severely out of hand and resulted in clashes with police following the final whistle in the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesia.

    Manchester United are hoping second time’s a charm when it comes to signing Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.

    DAILY MAIL

    Manchester United are hoping second time’s a charm when it comes to signing Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.

    Luis Suarez has paid Uruguay team-mate Fede Valverde the ultimate compliment in comparing him to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

    Steven Gerrard is expecting speculation around Douglas Luiz’s future to continue all season – but concedes it is a ‘touchy situation’ with the Brazilian out of contract next summer.

    THE SCOTTISH SUN

    Rangers fear injury-plagued defender John Souttar will not be available for a first-team return until 2023 after surgery on his Achilles.

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  • Rivals Transfer Portal – Transfer Watch: Pac-12 QBs that could be on the move

    Rivals Transfer Portal – Transfer Watch: Pac-12 QBs that could be on the move

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    The proliferation of the transfer portal and implementation of the one-time transfer waiver has dramatically impacted all of college football. But no position has been impacted more than quarterback, as last offseason in the Pac-12 illustrated.

    Eight of the 12 teams in the conference added a transfer quarterback between the 2021 and 2022 seasons who has started at least one game so far this year. With several of those players set to exhaust their eligibility this season, don’t be surprised if a lot of those same teams dip back into the transfer well prior to next fall.

    Of course, transfers in inevitably means transfers out, too, especially at quarterback where only one player can see the field at a time. Here is a look at a few Pac-12 signal-callers who could be looking for a new home next year.

    Jay Butterfield, Oregon

    Dan Lanning inherited an Oregon quarterback room that included two former Rivals100 prospects in Butterfield and Ty Thompson, but he opted to bring in a signal-caller with more experience in Bo Nix. That move looks prescient in hindsight, as Nix is off to a great start this season. But the addition of Nix likely means at least one of Butterfield and Thompson won’t get a chance to start for the Ducks, and right now, Butterfield looks like the odd man out. He is currently listed third on the team’s depth chart, behind Nix and Thompson. Plus, Oregon has landed a commitment from the No. 2 prospect in the 2023 class in quarterback Dante Moore. The sheer number of talented players who could be in the Oregon quarterback room next season means at least one of Butterfield and Thompson will transfer, and if Nix does opt to return to school for his final season of eligibility, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both seek a starting job elsewhere.

    SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OREGON FANS AT DUCKSPORTSAUTHORITY.COM

    *****

    Miller Moss, USC

    Moss could be the next in a long line of talented prospects to start their college careers at USC only to transfer, joining the likes of JT Daniels, Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart. Moss saw a bit of action as a true freshman last season and figured to have an outside chance to win the starting job this season, but that was before Lincoln Riley arrived and brought Caleb Williams with him. Williams has to stay in college for at least one more season beyond 2022, and Riley has already landed a commitment from another five-star passer to be his heir apparent in Malachi Nelson. The good news for Moss is that there should be plenty of programs eager to take a chance on a former four-star quarterback.

    SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH USC FANS AT TROJANSPORTS.COM

    *****

    Will Plummer, Arizona

    Plummer played in 13 games and started eight across his first two seasons at Arizona, but Wildcats coach Jedd Fisch replaced him via the transfer portal with former Washington State quarterback Jayden De Laura. De Laura doesn’t figure to go pro after this season, and he could stick around for another two years if he so chooses. Plus, Arizona has a four-star quarterback committed in the class of 2022 in Brayden Dorman. Plummer struggled with ball security during his time as the Arizona starter, throwing 12 interceptions compared to six touchdowns, but a quarterback with starting experience should always command some attention in the transfer market.

    SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARIZONA FANS AT GOAZCATS.COM

    *****

    Xavier Ward, Washington State

    The other Ward in the Washington State quarterback room, Cameron, has started the 2022 season strong. New Cougars coach Jake Dickert brought Cameron Ward in from Incarnate Word during the offseason, and he’s completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 1,097 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games. Assuming he doesn’t seek to pursue an NFL career (which isn’t impossible), he still has two years of eligibility left, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Xavier Ward, who has yet to appear in a college game, looks for an easier path to the starting spot elsewhere. He also had an offer from Oregon State as well as several Group of Five programs out of high school.

    SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OREGON STATE FANS AT BEAVERSEDGE.COM

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    Mitchell Forde, Rivals Transfer Portal Staff

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  • TCU trolls Oklahoma using Aaron Judge’s HR chase

    TCU trolls Oklahoma using Aaron Judge’s HR chase

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    Trolling has become a mainstay in college football, and the TCU Horned Frogs executed a perfect joke at the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners‘ expense.

    TCU jumped all over Oklahoma, outscoring the Sooners 27-10 in the first quarter. The Horned Frogs continued to pile up the points and held a 41-17 lead at halftime. Oklahoma’s starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel exited the game in the second quarter after being hit while sliding, which put the Sooners at a bigger disadvantage. Linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who hit Gabriel, was penalized for targeting and ejected.

    The Horned Frogs were playing at the same time that New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was attempting to break Roger Maris’ American League home run record against the Baltimore Orioles. It has been the talk of not only baseball but the entire sports world over the past couple of weeks.

    Well, after running back Kendre Miller scored on a 69-yard run in the third quarter to make it a 48-17 ball game, TCU’s Twitter account burned OU with a timely troll.

    Neither the Horned Frogs or Judge reached 62 on Saturday. TCU finished with 55 points and Judge finished 0-2 with two walks. Oklahoma’s 55 points allowed on Saturday are the second most it has allowed in a game against an unranked opponent in program history. The Sooners allowed 59 points to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2016, a game that OU won 66-59.

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  • Hearts 0-4 Rangers: Antonio Colak, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent fire Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to victory

    Hearts 0-4 Rangers: Antonio Colak, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent fire Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to victory

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    Free highlights and match report as Antonio Colak, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent fire Rangers past Hearts; they momentarily move one point clear at the top of the table ahead of Celtic, who play Motherwell on Saturday afternoon; Hearts had Cameron Devlin sent off for a rash challenge

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  • GoldandBlack – The 3-2-1: Purdue’s win at Minnesota

    GoldandBlack – The 3-2-1: Purdue’s win at Minnesota

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    PDF: Purdue-Minnesota statistics

    After a disappointing 2-2 start, Purdue punched back in a big way on Saturday, winning at previously unbeaten Minnesota 20-10, exorcising one of Its Big Ten West demons from recent years.

    The Boilermaker defense held Minnesota down all game long, then sealed with the win with Cam Allen’s interception in the final minutes, his second of the game. It was the last of the three turnovers the Boilermaker defense generated.

    Devin Mockobee ran for 112 yards and carried the offensive drive that essentially put the game away, breaking off a 68-yard run, then scoring the touchdown Minnesota allowed him to, putting Purdue up 10. It was the Boilermakers’ only touchdown of the second half.

    All 10 of Purdue’s second half points came in the final five minutes of the game.

    Three things from the game …

    • Exceptional game from Purdue’s defense without much help from the offense for virtually this entire game. The Boilermakers held up very well against the sort of really physical Big Ten running game that you had to wonder about how they’d stack up.

    They sold out to stop the run, but remained solid against the pass.

    • Aidan O’Connell played this week after missing the FAU game, but he didn’t have his A game. His two first-half Interceptions did hold Purdue back when it was given every opportunity to really control this game. Didn’t look like O’Connell had the same zip on his passes as usual and missed practice time is never helpful for quarterbacks.

    O’Connell was 27-of-40 for 199 yards and two interceptions, but he did guide the go-ahead field goal drive prior to Mockobee’s touchdown and he did convert a really important third down with his legs on that drive.

    • Purdue simply must get more points on the board during first halves. After averaging 11 points in the first halves of losses to Penn State and Syracuse and the narrow win over FAU, the Boilermakers opened the game with a superb touchdown drive, then next to nothing else. They’re only other three points came off a reckless fourth-down failure by Minnesota deep in its own territory.

    The Boilermakers were asking too much of this defense, which held Minnesota to 16 first half rushing yards, came up big in the red zone and grabbed two INTs — one of them, albeit, being dumb luck off a Minnesota dropped touchdown — and Purdue came out with just a 10-3 halftime lead to show for it.

    The defense, though, put up an extraordinary 60 minutes.

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    Brian Neubert, GoldAndBlack.com

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  • CatsIllustrated – QUICK TAKES: Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

    CatsIllustrated – QUICK TAKES: Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

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    JUSTIN ROWLAND:

    Kentucky left a lot of special teams points on the board against Florida but managed to survive that in the Swamp. The Ole Miss offense strained UK a bit more and the Cats could not survive its special teams miscues. This looked like two legit top-15 teams to me. Kentucky isn’t going to fall far in the rankings. Chris Rodriguez is a huge upgrade and changes the offense in a positive way. It was really fascinating to see the difference in tempo and it became the kind of game Stoops’ teams execute very well late. There were so many missed opportunities and “what if” moments, it’s going to haunt folks for a while, especially the many fans who made the trip on UK’s behalf and represented the BBN well in Oxford. Kentucky can’t get emotionally down and lay an egg next week.

    DAVID SISK:

    I’ve never seen as many bullets dodged in one game. It comes down to that. Two missed extra points, and a missed field goal. A dropped touchdown on a screen pass to Kavosiey Smoke in the first quarter. Barion Brown gets tripped up by his own man with nothing but green grass in front of him on a kickoff return. Two fourth-quarter fumbles in the red zone. A game winning touchdown wiped off because the offense wasn’t set. I’m sure there are several plays I missed, but you get the picture. This is a gut wrenching loss that will be a burr in the saddle of Mark Stoops.

    JEFF DRUMMOND:

    Something weird just happens to Kentucky when it travels west of Nashville, Tenn. Today’s loss makes 15 straight road defeats against SEC West teams, and many of them have the familiar theme of the Wildcats taking a shotgun to their own feet. Remarkably, they lost only 22-19 to a ranked team despite maybe 10-17 “what if” points left on the field due to bad mistakes, bad breaks, or bad calls. That’s a tough pill to swallow. The defense turned in an exceptional bend-but-don’t-break effort, holding the Rebels to 19 points below their season average and giving up only three in the second half. Barion Brown was exceptional in the kick return game and with some splash plays on offense. But if feels a little strange talking about those positives immediately after such a gut-punch loss. Every year, when we make our staff predictions, I point out that UK always finds a way to lose a game it certainly should have won and usually wins one it should not. If they can find a way to negate this with a win at Tennesee or or a big upset of Georgia at Kroger Field, this will be a distant memory. But if they don’t, we’ll be talking about this one for a long time.

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    Jeff Drummond, CatsIllustrated.com

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