Jordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.
The New York Giants have a new kicker. And it’s not the veteran Younghoe Koo who they signed earlier this week to the practice squad.
Jude McAtamney will kick for the Giants on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was elevated from the practice squad Saturday after beating out Koo in a kicking competition this week.
Veteran kicker Graham Gano lands on injured reserve with a groin injury suffered in pregame warmups last week.
The Giants (0-3) were without a placekicker for most of last Sunday’s 22-9 loss to the Chiefs after Gano got hurt moments before the game. Punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point in the first half before Gano made a short field goal through pain late in the contest.
Gano, 38, is on injured reserve for the third straight season.
Koo was signed to the practice squad earlier this week after being released by the Atlanta Falcons. The 31-year-old made a Pro Bowl in 2020.
But he struggled recently with the Falcons and that seemed to spill over to this week with the Giants. So instead, the Giants chose McAtamney after saying throughout the week the two were in an open competition.
McAtamney, who played collegiately at Rutgers, was an International Pathway Player with the Giants as a native of Northern Ireland. He appeared in one game last season, making a 31-yard field goal and extra point.
Other moves from the Giants on Saturday: Linebacker Neville Hewitt was elevated from the practice squad. Defensive lineman Elijah Garcia and outside linebacker Tomon Fox were signed to the active roster.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Cooler heads have prevailed inside Joe Gibbs Racing following last week’s run-in between teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, whom Hamlin wrecked when Gibbs wouldn’t get out of his way at New Hampshire.
Hamlin is in the playoffs and racing for an elusive first Cup Series championship, while Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, is not eligible to race for the title. After the two had on-track contact, Hamlin asked on his team radio if the organization was too scared to give the 22-year-old team orders.
Hamlin said Saturday, a day before the middle race at Kansas Speedway in the round of 12, that all sides had an opportunity to speak their mind in this week’s competition meeting. The three-time Daytona 500 champion declined to elaborate other than admitting that, by moving Gibbs out of his way, “I definitely got too hot under the collar, and it went too far on my end.”
“There are things I should have done differently,” he said.
JGR teammate Christopher Bell said the message was clear and didn’t even need to be spoken as to how the Toyota drivers should be racing each other at this time of the year. There are six races remaining to crown the Cup champion.
“We shouldn’t wreck each other. That was very clear and blatantly wrong and hopefully doesn’t happen again,” Bell said. “I think it already was clear to us before, and we just need to respect each other.”
JGR driver Chase Briscoe, meanwhile, won his seventh pole of the year to lead the field to green Sunday at Kansas. He will start alongside Hamlin. Briscoe’s seven poles are the most in a single season since Kyle Busch in 2017.
Briscoe and Hamlin will likely race clean at the start, which Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson, who has three of his four teammates still in the 12-driver field, believes is right. Gibbs was racing a title contender who happens to be his teammate far too hard at too early a point of last week’s race.
“I think at the end — if you’re racing for a win, you’re racing for a win,” Larson said. “You’re never going to give up a win in a Cup Series for a teammate. But I think if you’re running midpack in a stage, yeah, that expectation should be followed.”
Larson said the expectations of how Hendrick drivers should race each other is clearly defined and evidenced on track every week.
“I think you’re always just looking out for what you can do to make things a little bit easier on your teammates,” he said. “TV probably doesn’t even see the teamwork that happens, but like last week, Alex [Bowman] cut me a lot of breaks at the end of the first stage. I passed him, and then I was starting to die.
“He could have easily passed me back but kind of just rode back there. So it’s just little things like that where I think where Denny was probably expecting that, as every team who has multiple cars has had a conversation of those expectations. So I could see Denny’s frustration, for sure. I’m sure they had a lot of talks this week, so I would expect it to be much better.”
Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
DUBLIN — Convincing NFL teams to play international games isn’t the task it used to be, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in Dublin ahead of the first regular-season NFL game in Ireland.
Speaking at a small music venue near the city center Saturday, Goodell said teams have embraced the global expansion of the game. Rather than having to talk teams into participating in international contests, they are enthusiastically volunteering to be involved in the games.
“In today’s world, we have to be global,” Goodell said. “Every time we play an international game, fans say they want more. I really, truly believe our game can and will be global. Our job is to share our game with the rest of the world.”
Because of that buy-in, Goodell reiterated that he would like there to be 16 international games so each team plays in one per year.
The NFL is expanding to host a game in Australia in 2026, and the next step beyond that, Goodell said, is “probably” hosting games in Asia.
“We are serious about being a global sport,” he said.
Part of that is holding the first NFL regular-season game in Ireland between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park on Sunday. The Steelers have deep ties to Ireland because the Rooney family emigrated from the island and the late Dan Rooney was the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.
“The Steelers were pushing us very hard to get the Steelers over here,” Goodell said.
Sitting next to him on stage, Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II smiled and added, “That’s a fair assessment.”
Goodell said that for most international games, the crowd is usually 90% from the host country, but he expects there to be at least 30% of fans from the United States at Croke Park.
“I have no doubt this will be incredibly successful,” Goodell said of the game in Ireland. “And I have no doubt we’ll be back.”
Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The winless New York Jets will have their starting quarterback in the lineup Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.
Justin Fields, who missed a game due to a Week 2 concussion, was cleared late Friday by doctors and will return to the lineup.
“Justin is playing,” coach Aaron Glenn said Saturday.
Fields, who spent more than a week in the NFL’s concussion protocol, practiced fully for three consecutive days and was removed from the protocol after being examined by an independent neurologist.
Fields was injured in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills when his head slammed to the turf on a fourth-quarter hit by Bills defensive end Joey Bosa.
The offense sputtered for three quarters last week with Tyrod Taylor, who rallied the team with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in an eventual 29-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets, trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2020, are hoping that Fields’ presence can unlock their running game. In the last two games, Breece Hall was held to 50 yards on 19 carries.
Their offense looked dynamic in Week 1, as Fields rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as the Jets racked up 394 total yards in a 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’ve been trying to get back to that formula.
“We have to run the ball better,” Glenn said earlier in the week. “Listen, I know we were going against three really good teams the past teams that we’ve played, but that doesn’t matter to me. I have an expectation of this team on how we operate and I’m not going to stand down from that, and our guys won’t stand down from that.”
The Dolphins (0-3) are ranked 32nd in scoring defense, but they haven’t lost to the Jets in Miami since 2014.
Every game is important for Fields, who came to the Jets as a free agent on a two-year, $40 million contract, including $30 million guaranteed. In a sense, he’s on a one-year audition, as the Jets try to determine if he can be their long-term answer at quarterback.
Fields, on his third team in three years, played one of the best games of his career in the opener, completing 16 of 22 for 218 yards. In Week 2, though, he regressed. Before the concussion, he was 3-for-11, 27 yards — a career-low 1.1 Total QBR.
Jordan Raanan covers the New York Giants for ESPN and can be heard hosting on ESPN Radio. Raanan joined ESPN in 2016.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was as if there were two different versions of the New York Giants‘ offense this summer and at training camp. One that Russell Wilson and the first-team offense ran and the other that rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart operated with the second team.
In reality, the plays weren’t all that different, in fact, mostly the same. Yet, the on-field product looked vastly different when Dart was behind center.
Dart, the 25th pick in this year’s draft, has better physical skills than the 36-year-old Wilson is at this point of his career. Nobody is going to argue against that. He also brings a youthful exuberance that was part of why he won over coach Brian Daboll during the predraft process.
The Giants are hoping all this is evident on the field Sunday when Dart makes his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. EST, CBS).
“Obviously, it’s going to be some new stuff. Just more of what he did in college. Obviously, just going to be some new faces for the NFL to see,” wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “And defenses haven’t seen exactly our offense and the things we can do. It will be exciting to see what we do out there on Sunday.”
New York (0-3) has already put on tape some zone-read and run-pass-option (RPO) with Dart this regular season. He has been on the field for six snaps through three weeks — all runs. Five of the plays were designed runs; the other was an intended pass where he scrambled.
The Giants gained 38 total yards on those six plays, an average of 6.3 yards per play. They’ve ran three zone-reads through three games with Wilson for five yards, an average of 1.7 yards per play.
This is just one of the ways the Giants’ offense should look different come Sunday. The zone-read and the RPOs are almost certainly going to become a bigger part of the offense.
It’s a portion of what Dart did well last year at Ole Miss, when he completed 83% of his passes on RPOs. He also ran for 495 yards and three touchdowns.
“There will be certain elements of what Jaxson has done well, whether it was in college or high school,” Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “You want to fit that system to the player, any player, to what their strengths are. I think Jaxson is going to do a nice job and we’ll put together a plan that he can work with.”
The Giants’ coaches have been in contact with members of Ole Miss’ staff dating back to the predraft process about what worked best for Dart. They wanted to collect schemes and plays that could be implemented into their offense for the young quarterback.
It all makes sense. Find what works and make Dart as comfortable as possible.
There also is an expectation for there to be more of a high-tempo offense. Daboll and the Giants used that in the preseason for Dart, with significant success.
Tempo is also a staple of the Ole Miss offense that Dart ran.
“Our system really has a lot of NFL elements in it offensively for them — protections, routes, different runs and stuff. We just happen to go really fast,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said this week on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I think over time, defensive coordinators have said, including [former Alabama coach Nick Saban], that what Ole Miss and this system does is it gives you problem plays but goes really fast also. I think that has helped our quarterbacks play really well. It’s awesome for Jaxson.”
Playing with tempo and without a huddle a good chunk of the time is what the Washington Commanders have also done for their young quarterback Jayden Daniels. That led to an NFC Championship Game appearance in his rookie year.
It seems likely the Giants will do the same. They used no-huddle on only eight of Wilson’s 127 dropbacks in the first three games.
What exactly it will look like when Dart is the full-time starting quarterback (Daboll officially named him the starter on Wednesday for the rest of the season) still remains to be seen. But it will likely include some portion of these philosophies.
Daboll likes the element of the unknown.
“We’ll see,” he said of how different the offense will look. “It’s a young rookie quarterback. We’ll see.”
Naturally it will be different. The summer and preseason showed that.
Dart isn’t Wilson and Wilson isn’t Dart. They have varying skill sets, strengths and differences. Wilson doesn’t have Dart’s ability to run and Dart doesn’t have Wilson’s experience reading defenses.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s going to look a lot different, but definitely going to look different. Two different quarterbacks,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, it’s still our offense. Feel confident in who is back there running it.”
West Ham fired manager Graham Potter on Saturday, just five games into the new Premier League season and two days before playing Everton in its next match.
Nuno Espirito Santo, who left Nottingham Forest on Sept. 9, was the favorite to replace Potter, according to sections of the British media including Sky Sports and the BBC.
Potter paid the price for West Ham slumping to next-to-last place after losing four of its league games so far. The team is already out of the English League Cup.
Potter took charge in January and led the London club to a 14th-placed finish last season.
“Results and performances over the course of the second half of last season and the start of the 2025-26 season have not matched expectations,” West Ham said, “and the board of directors believe that a change is necessary in order to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible.”
West Ham added that the “process of appointing a replacement is underway.”
Potter’s backroom staff also have left.
West Ham turned to Potter at the start of 2025 after Julen Lopetegui — the successor of long-serving boss David Moyes — lasted only 22 matches.
Potter had turned down multiple job proposals during a nearly two-year spell out of management following his dismissal by Chelsea, where he lasted seven months in the 2022-23 season. Before that, he built a strong reputation with stints at Ostersund in Sweden, Swansea and Brighton.
West Ham finished last season with only two wins from its final 11 league matches and lost key attacker Mohammed Kudus in the offseason.
The unrest of the West Ham supporters failed to ease after a flurry of signings during the final weeks of the transfer window coincided with heavy defeats to Sunderland (3-0) and Chelsea (5-1) in August.
A 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest last month provided some respite, but West Ham went down by the same score to Tottenham after the September international break and another loss to Crystal Palace last weekend proved to be Potter’s final match in charge.
It would be a quick return to management for Nuno, who guided Forest into European competition for the first time in 30 years thanks to a seventh-place finish in the league last season.
However, he was fired just three games into this season after a deterioration in his working relationship with the club’s hierarchy.
The Portuguese coach had a very public falling-out with owner Evangelos Marinakis, reportedly stemming from a breakdown in relations with the club’s recently hired global head of football, Edu Gaspar.
He previously coached Wolverhampton and Tottenham in the Premier League.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Scrumhalf Cam Roigard scored two tries including the match-winner in the 76th minute as New Zealand rebounded from its worst-ever test defeat to beat Australia 33-24 Saturday and to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the 23rd year.
Roigard returned from injury to help energize the All Blacks attack as New Zealand extended its winning streak at Eden Park to 52 test matches. Australia’s losing streak at the Auckland stadium now enters its 40th year.
Smarting from its 43-10 loss to South Africa two weeks ago and from a barrage of criticism, New Zealand started strongly and led 20-3 after 25 minutes.
Wingers Caleb Clarke and Leroy Carter and Roigard scored tries as New Zealand dominated possession in the first quarter and took advantage of an Australian defensive line which was too deep.
“There was a lot of hurt from the South Africa match,” Roigard said. “We knew that standard wasn’t good enough and we knew we had to put out a performance defending the fortress (Eden Park).
“To get the job done we knew it was going to take the whole 80 minutes.”
The tide of the match turned several times, dictated mainly by penalties and field position. Australia came back strongly in the second quarter, scoring tries through hooker Billy Pollard and winger Harry Potter to cut New Zealand’s lead to 20-17 at halftime.
New Zealand edged ahead 26-17 with penalties at the start of the second half before a try to Carlo Tizzano left Australia only two points behind. Roigard scored again to seal New Zealand’s win, taking it back to the top of the Rugby Championship table ahead of the match between South Africa and Argentina in Durban later Saturday.
“Discipline early cost us and gave them momentum. On the back of that momentum they scored some good tries,” Australia coach Joe Schmidt said. “ I’m disappointed, the players are disappointed but I’m also proud of the effort they put in.”
The All Blacks scored after only four minutes through Clarke who was playing his first test of the year. He touched down in the left corner at the end of a long backline with fullback Will Jordan up as the extra man.
Clarke had tears in his eyes when his father, former All Black Eroni Clarke, unexpectedly sang the New Zealand national anthem before the match.
“I had my eyes closed and halfway through the English version I thought ‘that voice sounds familiar’,” Clarke said. The New Zealand anthem is sung in English and Te Reo, the indigenous Maori language.
In the 14th minute right winger Carter touched down for his second try in two tests after the All Blacks carried the ball through 12 phases against tentative Wallabies defense.
New Zealand had 71% of possession in the first quarter and made 364 meters in 55 carries as the Australian defense was both too narrow and too deep, giving the All Blacks the gain line.
Roigard injected pace and penetration into the All Blacks’ attack and scored in the 25th minute as New Zealand used the width of the park before pressing the Wallabies in the center. New Zealand led 20-3.
Australia had to replace 50-test scrumhalf Tate McDermott in the 18th minute with Ryan Lonergan on debut. New Zealand made a change at flyhalf where Damian McKenzie replaced Beauden Barrett.
The Wallabies began to turn the tide, gaining field position from numerous All Blacks penalties and carrying with more purpose. Hooker Proctor scored in the 30th minute to cut New Zealand’s lead to 10 points then Potter scored and Australia went to halftime only three points down.
James Slipper’s record 150th test ended when Australia swapped both props at halftime.
The tide turned again at the start of the second half. Australia conceded a series of penalties, earning an official warning, and McKenzie kicked two goals to lengthen New Zealand’s lead to 26-17. Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor missed key touches from penalties.
Tizzano came off the bench to score a try from a lineout maul which cut New Zealand’s lead to two points with 11 minutes remaining. But Roigard’s second try allowed New Zealand to maintain its 31-year winning streak at Eden Park.
The teams meet against next weekend in Perth, Western Australia. The Wallabies had to win both matches to secure the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.
PHOENIX — Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve blasted the officials after Minnesota’s 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of their series Friday, saying it was “malpractice” to have them work a WNBA playoff semifinal game.
Reeve was ejected in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter after Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and sealed the win with a layup.
Collier was on the floor in pain after her left leg made contact with Thomas on the play, resulting in Collier coming down hard on the side of her ankle. No foul was called. Collier hobbled to the bench, and Reeve said afterward that the ankle injury was “probably a fracture,” though she did not elaborate.
The Lynx did not have an update on Collier’s status for Game 4.
“If this is what the league wants, OK, but I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating,” Reeve said after the Lynx fell behind 2-1 in the series. “The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinal-playoff worthy, it’s f—ing malpractice.”
After Thomas scored, Reeve had to be restrained as she ran onto the court to berate one of the officials. As the ref walked away, Reeve followed him and received her second technical of the game, leading to an ejection.
Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman and two assistant coaches tried to hold back Reeve. Associate head coach Eric Thibault also got a technical for yelling at the refs.
Reeve was eventually escorted off the court but not before shouting at some fans at PHX Arena.
Collier, who sat out the final 21 seconds, finished with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
The game featured 15 lead changes, and neither team led by more than eight points. But the Lynx were limited to just nine points in the fourth quarter, and the Mercury took control.
Phoenix stars Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper combined for 65 of the Mercury’s 84 points. The trio scored the Mercury’s last 29 points, including all 21 in the fourth.
In her postgame remarks, Reeve was incredulous after Collier did not attempt a free throw Friday.
“We were trying to play through it, trying not to make excuses. But one of the best players in the league, she had zero free throws and she had five fouls,” Reeve said. “She had her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out.”
Reeve added: “I can take an L with the best of them. I don’t think we should have to play through what we did.”
Then, before walking out of the news conference without taking questions from reporters, Reeve said, “They’re f—ing awful.”
Reeve is the latest coach to speak out against the officiating this postseason. After Game 2 between the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever, Aces coach Becky Hammon said that the physicality in these playoffs would not be allowed in other leagues.
When Reeve was asked about the officiating before Game 3 in Phoenix, she said the limited number of fouls being called in the Lynx-Mercury series wasn’t a positive. In Game 1 of the series, the teams combined for only 10 free throws, the fewest in a playoff game in league history.
Reeve said she didn’t want a “foul fest,” but said anything that limited freedom of movement or was an obvious infringement needed to be called.
“We’ve talked about how dangerous it can be,” Reeve said before Game 3. “And you’re hearing it from the other series. You’re hearing from other coaches. You’re hearing Becky talk about it. When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt.”
The Lynx have one day before their must-win Game 4 on Sunday.
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury have put the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx on the brink of elimination, going up 2-1 in the WNBA semifinals on Friday night.
The Lynx will await the status of Napheesa Collier — who exited the game in the final seconds with an apparent injury — ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Can Minnesota mount a comeback and force a Game 5? How will the Mercury keep their momentum in what has been a tough series, and return to their first Finals since 2021?
ESPN breaks down a Friday night defined by close semifinals games, including the Las Vegas Aces‘ 84-72 win over the Indiana Fever.
The fourth quarter was the Mercury’s domain on both Tuesday and Friday night — and their performance in the game’s most crucial minutes put them one win away from the franchise’s first WNBA Finals since 2021. The Mercury have outscored the Lynx a combined 46-26 in the final period of the past two games.
Game 3 didn’t require the epic comeback that Phoenix turned in to win Game 2 in overtime — the Mercury trailed by just four heading into the final quarter — but it did require a typically big performance from Alyssa Thomas, who finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Thomas’ final steal might have been the biggest play of the game and could be the pivotal moment of the series. She poked the ball away from Napheesa Collier just inside halfcourt with 21.8 seconds left and scored uncontested at the other end, essentially ending the game. Collier suffered an injury on the play and coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected protesting the no-call on the steal.
The rest of the Mercury’s big three also delivered. Kahleah Copper, who scored just 8 points in Game 2, bounced back with a 21-point performance, and Satou Sabally led Phoenix with 23 points, including two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the second of which put the Mercury up 78-76 with 3:05 left. They did not relinquish the lead.
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1:21
Reeve ejected, Collier limps off on Mercury’s game-sealing sequence
Reeve ejected, Collier limps off on Mercury’s game-sealing sequence
What the loss means for Minnesota
A season that was built exclusively on winning a championship is on the brink of ending without even a Finals appearance. The best team in the WNBA all season finds itself chasing for the first time in 2025.
The ominous sign of Collier being helped off the court after she collided with Thomas casts another shadow over the Lynx beyond being down 2-1 in the series.
If Minnesota cannot return to the Finals to avenge its loss to New York from a year ago, Game 2’s 20-point blown lead will loom large in the offseason — and an inability to make the necessary big plays in the fourth quarter of Game 3 won’t feel much better. Maria Kliundikova played well off the bench with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, but missed two layups in the fourth quarter, both of which could have given Minnesota the lead. Natisha Hiedeman played one of her best games of the season, also off the Lynx bench with a team-leading 19 points, but did not score in the fourth quarter. Minnesota scored just 9 points in the final 10 minutes, all from Kliundikova and Kayla McBride.
Will Collier be at full strength for Game 4?
The thought of Minnesota being without its best player — or even a compromised version of her — while facing elimination makes the odds of a series comeback very long.
The Lynx did go 5-2 without Collier after she suffered a right ankle sprain on Aug. 2 against Las Vegas, but this would be a much different scenario. They are playing with the season on the line against a Mercury team whose confidence keeps growing and is playing at home.
Collier, who was second in the league in scoring (22.9 PPG), had 17 points in Game 3. Her status will be the dominant storyline leading into Sunday night’s Game 4.
The performance of the bench, however, is encouraging. With Hiedeman and Kliundikova leading the way, the Minnesota reserves outscored the Mercury’s 27-11. But the Lynx also got no points and just 12 minutes from starter Alanna Smith while McBride was only 3 of 10 from the field (12 points). The Collier injury is top of mind, but Minnesota will need other rebound performances with or without its superstar. — Charlie Creme
The Aces are one win away from returning to the WNBA Finals with a chance to secure their third title in four years. That would have sounded improbable earlier this season when the team stumbled to a 12-13 record. For Las Vegas to get the win Friday despite an off day from four-time MVP A’ja Wilson — she finished 6-for-20 and missed 12 straight shots after making her first field goal — bodes well for its chances of closing out the series.
play
1:04
Aces takes a 2-1 series lead with a win over Fever
Jackie Young leads all scorers with 25 points as the Aces defeat the Fever 84-72.
Jackie Young (25 points) and NaLyssa Smith (16) stepped up while Wilson struggled, with Smith putting together her second consecutive double-digit scoring game. And the Aces showed their championship pedigree by tightening their defense down the stretch, limiting the Fever to five points through the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.
What the loss means for Indiana
The magic might be running out for the Fever, who overcame season-ending injuries to Caitlin Clark and four others to make it to the franchise’s first semifinals since 2015. Indiana won two straight elimination games in the first round against Atlanta — but the Aces are a much more experienced and formidable opponent to have to do that against. Game 4 is once more on Indiana’s home floor, though that advantage might not be enough to stave off elimination.
The Fever, who snagged the momentum in the second quarter and led by as many as five in the third, will be kicking themselves after some costly mistakes: a defensive lapse that allowed Young to put the Aces up three at the end of the third quarter, a 13-for-21 shooting exhibition from the free throw line and 8-for-17 shooting from within 3 feet of the basket. They couldn’t get anything going offensively in the fourth quarter until it was too late, not making a shot from the field until the 2:25 mark.
play
0:26
A’ja Wilson is pumped up after an and-1
A’ja Wilson gets fouled and makes the layup to extend the Aces’ lead.
The X factor for Game 4
Can the Fever get more scoring outside of Kelsey Mitchell? Lexie Hull has hit double figures in two straight games but Indiana could use Natasha Howard and/or Odyssey Sims to step up offensively. It’s unlikely Mitchell will be able to pop off for 34 points again like she did in Game 1, so she needs help.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon has also talked a lot about her team needing to not get too high after wins; can the Aces do that Sunday with the Finals within striking distance? Will the Fever play free or under pressure trying to save their season? — Alexa Philippou
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — No. 1 in the world is 0-2 at this Ryder Cup, and Scottie Scheffler had the worst first day by a top-ranked player since Tiger Woods.
Scheffler lost again in foursomes — and as always in that format at the Ryder Cup, lost badly — in the morning with Russell Henley, then went back out with U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun for a loss in fourballs in the afternoon.
By himself, Scheffler is winning more often than anyone in golf. But his teams were behind nearly throughout both of his matches Friday, and with Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, their two biggest stars, both going 0-2, the Americans trailed Europe 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 overall.
“When you’re the No. 1 player in the world, you have a day that maybe it wasn’t his best, normally you bounce back. We are not worried about Scottie Scheffler,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said.
Scheffler finally seemed to find his game late in the afternoon match, with three birdies in the final four holes of the match. But he didn’t have any until the 13th hole as Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka built a comfortable lead, and the European duo went on to a 3-and-2 victory.
“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities,” Scheffler said. “It really just came down to me not holing enough putts. We put up a good fight at the end.”
He fell to 0-4-2 in his last six Ryder Cup matches, becoming the first No. 1 player in the world to go 0-2 on the opening day since Woods in 2002. Woods also did that in 1999; Ian Woosnam in 1991 is the only other top-ranked player to do it.
Scheffler and Henley were defeated 5 and 3 by Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg in the morning, Scheffler’s third blowout loss in three career foursome matches in the Ryder Cup.
Two years after being left in tears when Åberg and Viktor Hovland routed Scheffler and Brooks Koepka 9 and 7 in Rome in the shortest foursomes match in Ryder Cup history, Scheffler watched Fitzpatrick and Åberg make seven birdies in 15 holes.
Scheffler has trailed by at least four holes in all three of his Ryder Cup foursomes matches. He and Henley are paired again for Saturday morning’s final foursomes match against Hovland and Robert MacIntyre.
Scheffler’s afternoon match swung when he missed a good birdie chance on No. 8.
He and Spaun were 1 down and Scheffler hit his tee shot on the par 3 to about 8 feet. Rahm made his putt from about twice as long and Scheffler missed, turning the U.S. hopes of evening the match into a 2-up lead for Europe.
Rahm and Straka would never let the Americans back into it, making five birdies in the final six holes.
“The guys just really turned it on on the back nine, but it really came down to us not taking advantage of the holes early in the match that we needed to,” Scheffler said. “But overall it was a good fight at the end, and we’ll come back out tomorrow.”
Scheffler has won six times this year, four more than anyone else on the PGA Tour, with two major championships. He has played himself back into tournaments after slow starts before, and maybe his performance on the final few holes gives him some momentum going into Saturday.
Henley is No. 3 in the world, and he and Scheffler went 2-1 together last year in the Presidents Cup in Montreal.
Scheffler pumped his fist after rolling in a birdie putt on No. 2 to quickly tie the match after Fitzpatrick and Åberg had won the opener, but there wouldn’t be much more to celebrate for the Americans. The Europeans ran off three straight birdies to win Nos. 4-6 to build a 3-up lead that ballooned to 5 up, and won it when the U.S. made bogey on No. 15.
“They played great, gave themselves a lot of chances and just was a little sloppy,” Henley said. “Didn’t make the putts I needed to and didn’t really keep the momentum going with the ball-striking on the back nine, either. Hung in there as best I could, but they played great.”
Scheffler also lost 4 and 3 with Sam Burns against Rahm and Tyrell Hatton in his other foursomes match in 2023, when he went 0-2-2. He didn’t play in either match in his Ryder Cup debut in 2021, when he went 2-0-1.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears will be without starters on both lines after ruling out right tackle Darnell Wright and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett for the game at Las Vegas on Sunday.
Wright missed part of last week’s win over Dallas, though he returned to the game after suffering the injury. Second-year pro Theo Benedet filled in last week. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo is listed as the second-string right tackle, but the second-round draft pick from Boston College was a healthy scratch the past two games. Whoever starts figures to be in for a big challenge lining up against Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Jarrett has been dealing with a knee injury for a few weeks and will miss his first game. The two-time Pro Bowler is in his first season with the Bears after spending his first 10 years in Atlanta.
The Bears (1-2) have a chance to go into their bye with a .500 record after a rough start to the season. They blew an 11-point lead against the Vikings in the opener and were blown out at Detroit in Week 2 before beating the Cowboys at Soldier Field.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg have been sent out first by Team Europe for the Saturday foursomes, with captain Luke Donald sticking with winning partnerships after a historic start at Bethpage Black.
Fitzpatrick and Åberg thrashed world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley on the first morning, where Team Europe built an opening-session lead in a Ryder Cup for the first time since 2004, with the pair now going out in the top match at 7.10am local time (12.10pm UK time).
The European partnership face New York native Cam Young and Bryson DeChambeau – who lost both of his matches on the opening day, as Donald keeps his same four partnerships from Friday morning but sends them out in a different order.
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Highlights of the Friday foursomes, where Team Europe built a 3-1 lead over Team USA at Bethpage Black
Team Europe take a 5.5-2.5 lead into day two and require another 8.5 points to retain the trophy, or nine points for a first away win since 2012, while Keegan Bradley’s American team need another 12 points over the final two days for victory.
Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood face a rematch against Collin Morikawa and Harris English, who they despatched 5&4 on the first morning, with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele – the only American side to win in foursomes – facing Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
Scheffler keeps his place despite losing both matches on the opening day, with the four-time major champion again playing alongside Henley against Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland.
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Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka defeated Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun to pick up Europe’s first point in the fourballs
Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard all sit out for Europe, while Justin Thomas – the most experienced player in the American team – is benched with Sam Burns, JJ Spaun and Ben Griffin.
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Watch the best shots from Friday fourballs at the Ryder Cup, where Team Europe extended their lead over Team USA
Saturday foursomes line-up (all times UK time)
1210: Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young vs Ludvig Åberg (Swe) and Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)
1226: Collin Morikawa and Harris English vs Rory McIlroy (NIrl) and Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
1242: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay vs Jon Rahm (Esp) and Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
1258: Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler vs Robert MacIntyre (Sco) and Viktor Hovland (Nor)
Bradley keeps positive as Donald celebrates “incredible” day
Team Europe captain Donald says his side had an “incredible” opening day at the Ryder Cup, while Bradley remains confident there’s time for his side to mount a fightback.
“To win this morning was huge for us and we all know how important it is to get off to a good start,” Donald said. “We know how strong the United States were in foursomes.
“3-1 was a great start, and the top two especially were such good momentum and inspiration for our boys. The guys grinded to win the session again this afternoon. That’s another tick in our box, and I’m very happy where we are.”
Bradley added: “The boys played really good this afternoon. Europe made a lot of putts. Happy with the way we’re playing. Hopefully it’ll turn and our putts will go in tomorrow.
“We’ve only played 28 per cent of the points. This is first quarter. We’ve still got three quarters to go. I’ve got a lot of faith in my boys.”
Who will win the Ryder Cup? Watch throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday with build-up from 9am on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage at midday and the opening tee shot at 12.10pm. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Europe’s biggest stars showed up — and the American team’s didn’t — on the opening day of the 45th Ryder Cup on Friday, which is why the U.S. will have to climb out of another big hole over the final two days at Bethpage Black.
After going 3-1 in the Friday morning foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, the Europeans won two and tied one of the four four-ball (best ball) matches in the afternoon.
“Incredible day,” European team captain Luke Donald said. “To win this morning was huge for us, and we all know how important it is to get off to a good start. We know how strong the U.S. were in foursomes. Guys grinded to win the session again this afternoon. That’s another tick in our box, and I’m very happy where we are.”
The deficit would have been worse for the Americans if McIlroy hadn’t barely missed an 11½-foot birdie try on the 18th hole of the final four-ball match. McIlroy and Ireland’s Shane Lowry halved the match with Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, who also missed an 11½-foot birdie attempt on 18.
“The boys played really good this afternoon,” American captain Keegan Bradley said. “Europe made a lot of putts. Happy with the way we’re playing. Hopefully, it’ll turn and our putts will go in tomorrow.”
The teams will play the same schedule Saturday, followed by 12 singles matches Sunday.
The Europeans need 14 points to retain the Ryder Cup after their 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome in 2023. The Americans need 14.5 points to take it back.
It won’t be easy for the U.S. team. The Europeans have won each of the past six Ryder Cups in which they had a lead after the opening day. The last time they didn’t get it done was in 1999, when they squandered a 6-2 lead in a 14.5-13.5 loss at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
For the Americans to have any chance to come back, they’ll have to get Scheffler going in the right direction. On Friday, he became the first world No. 1 (since 1986) to lose both his matches on the opening day of the Ryder Cup without either match reaching the 17th hole.
Scheffler struggled with his putter for most of the day — he didn’t make a birdie in the four-ball match until the par-5 13th to halve the hole.
“We gave ourselves plenty of opportunities,” Scheffler said. “It really just came down to me not holing enough putts. We put up a good fight at the end. The guys just really turned it on on the back nine, but it really came down to us not taking advantage of the holes early in the match that we needed to.”
Scheffler, whose 13 victories on the PGA Tour the past two seasons include three majors, is winless in his past six Ryder Cup matches. He went 0-2-2 in Italy two years ago.
Perhaps no one could have beaten Rahm on Friday. The two-time major champion has fallen to No. 73 in the world ranking because he’s not earning points for his finishes in LIV Golf League events, but he’s still playing like one of the best golfers on the planet.
Rahm is unbeaten in his past nine pair matches, tied for the second-longest streak by a European player in Ryder Cup history, according to ESPN Research. He has lost only one of his past 12 Ryder Cup matches overall.
“The morning, although it was great, it was just one part of a long race,” Rahm said. “We started great, and we have to keep it going. That’s what we did.”
Fleetwood, who captured his first PGA Tour victory at the Tour Championship on Aug. 24, continues to be a thorn in the Americans’ side, as well. Fleetwood and McIlroy made easy work of Collin Morikawa and Harris English in a 5-and-4 victory in foursomes, then Fleetwood and Justin Rose handed DeChambeau and Ben Griffin a 1-up loss in a four-ball match.
Rose, 45, made a 9½-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to put away the Americans.
“The scoreboard is what counts, and I think just our team as a collective, I think we obviously feel very prepared, and we’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time now,” Fleetwood said. “So to have got off to a good start feels great. Their team is stacked with amazing players. So whoever it is, the match is going to be difficult, and the points mean so much.”
The Americans got a big boost from Ryder Cup rookie Cameron Young, who set the Bethpage Black scoring record as a 20-year-old. Young didn’t play Friday morning, but he carried Justin Thomas to a 6-and-5 victory over Åberg and Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard in four-ball.
Young, who picked up his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 3, made five birdies in the round. He and Thomas made three straight birdies to end the match on the 13th hole.
Young became the first American to win his first Ryder Cup by a margin of six holes or more since Phil Mickelson in 1995.
“It’s pretty special,” said Young, who grew up in Scarborough, New York, and is the son of a PGA of America professional. “I love this place, and this is a team we worked really hard to make. We’re just super grateful. To have the opportunity to play today alongside him in front of these fans is pretty special.”
Thomas also bounced back after struggling in a foursomes match in the morning.
“I really just kind of sat back and watched the show,” Thomas said. “I tried to help when I could, but I’m just so happy for Cam [and] I’m proud of him. Playing in your first Ryder Cup is really hard, but playing in front of your home fans I would imagine is even harder, but he definitely played like the veteran today.”
Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
Three starters — cornerback Kenny Moore II (Achilles), receiver Alec Pierce (concussion) and right guard Matt Goncalves (toe) — will miss Sunday’s road game.
Each of the three injuries originated in last Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans, which kept the Colts unbeaten at 3-0.
The injuries will press some key backups into bigger roles.
Cornerback Mike Hilton, a ninth-year veteran who was signed earlier this week, is expected to be promoted from the practice squad, coach Shane Steichen said. The secondary will be of concern given the matchup with Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who leads the NFL with 29 receptions and ranks second in yardage (333).
At receiver, second-year player Adonai Mitchell is expected to absorb Pierce’s snaps, while Dalton Tucker will start in place of Goncalves.
Hull KR star Mikey Lewis has put an end to rumours linking him to the NRL by signing a new five-year contract with the club through to 2030.
The 24-year-old, who picked up the Man of Steel award for 2024, has excelled for Rovers in recent years as they made last season’s Super League Grand Final, losing to Wigan Warriors.
In 2025, the club have gone on to clinch the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield, and Lewis committing his future is a huge bonus for the organisation.
“It’s a massive honour. This place feels like home for me. The way I’ve seen this club change since the day I started my first pre-season in 2018, it feels a long time ago,” Lewis said.
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Hull KR’s Lewis reflects on his team’s season
“There’s been a massive turnaround at this club and I want to continue to be a part of that journey. I feel like the east side of Hull have really brought me in as one of their own. The city and the club mean everything to me.
“I want to create my own legacy here at Hull KR and win trophies with the team I’ve got around me. I don’t see why we can’t do that and create our own legacy as a team.
“We want to win as much as we can. Being able to do that and come out and train and play with your best mates is a dream.
“Over the next five years I just want to keep building on this year, we’ve been building over the last two or three years now. We want to be up there every year competing for trophies in finals. I want to make sure I don’t leave anything on the field.
Image: Lewis is the reigning Man of Steel winner and has excelled for Rovers
“I want to thank Willie (Peters), the coaching staff, the team alongside Paul (Lakin) and the board for giving me this opportunity to stay here for a long time.
“I play in front of the best fans in Super League every week and without everyone’s support I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters added: “It’s a significant signing not just for Hull KR but for the Super League and the game in the UK.
“It’s important for clubs to keep their up-and-coming stars over here with the expansion of the NRL. When players like Mikey do commit to their club for five years, you can’t understate how important that is.
“Mikey has finalised this deal on the back of looking at everything in his life, it’s not only about him now but it’s about his little boy. That shows how far Mikey has come with his personal growth and his maturity.”
Super League fixtures
Knockout stage
Elimination play-offs
Fri September 26: Leigh Leopards vs Wakefield Trinity – 8pm
