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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When do the WNBA playoffs start?

The WNBA playoffs begin on Sunday, Sept. 22.

How many teams make the WNBA playoffs?

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

What are the WNBA playoff matchups?

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

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

How many games are in a WNBA playoff series?

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

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

Who will the Indiana Fever play in the playoffs?

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

Connecticut will secure the No. 3 seed with a home victory over the Chicago Sky in their regular-season finale on Thursday or a loss by the Aces in one of their two remaining games. A Sun loss in the finale, combined with two wins by the Aces, would give Las Vegas the No. 3 seed via the head-to-head tiebreaker.

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

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Who is the top seed in the WNBA playoffs?

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

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

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

Only once. But it could soon happen again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

When is the first NFL bye week in 2024?

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

When is the last NFL bye week in 2024?

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

2024 NFL bye week breakdown

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

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

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

Week 7: Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys

Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers

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

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

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

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

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

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins

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

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

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

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Jordan Love, QB, Packers

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

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

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

Russell Wilson, QB, Steelers

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

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

Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers

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

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

Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers

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

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

Joe Mixon, RB, Texans

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

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

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

Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What time does the Jaguars vs. Bills game start?

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

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

The game will air on ESPN.

How to stream the Jaguars vs. Bills game live

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

What time does the Commanders vs. Bengals start?

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

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

Commanders-Bengals will air on ABC.

How to stream the Commanders vs. Bengals game live?

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

When are the Monday Night Football doubleheaders in 2024?

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

Week 4

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

Week 7

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

Week 15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Derek Carr, Saints QB

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

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

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers QB

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

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

Kyler Murray, Cardinals QB

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

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

Josh Allen, Bills QB

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

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

Sam Darnold, Vikings QB

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

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

C.J. Stroud, Texans QB

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

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

J.K. Dobbins, Chargers RB

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

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

Alvin Kamara, Saints RB

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

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

Jordan Mason, 49ers RB

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

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

Saquon Barkley, Eagles RB

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

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

James Cook, Bills RB

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

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

De’Von Achane, Dolphins RB

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

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

Nico Collins, Texans WR

Stats: 14 receptions, 252 yards, 1 touchdown

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

Chris Godwin, Buccaneers WR

Stats: 15 receptions, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns

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

Malik Nabers, Giants WR

Stats: 15 receptions, 193 yards, 1 touchdown

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

Justin Jefferson, Vikings WR

Stats: 8 receptions, 192 yards, 2 touchdowns

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

Jameson Williams, Lions WR

Stats: 10 receptions, 200 yards, 1 touchdown

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

Rashid Shaheed, Saints WR

Stats: 7 receptions, 169 yards, 2 touchdowns

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

Zay Flowers, Ravens WR

Stats: 13 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdown

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

Chris Jones, Chiefs DT

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

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

Aidan Hutchinson, Lions DE

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

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

Keion White, Patriots DE

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

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

Maxx Crosby, Raiders DE

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

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

T.J. Watt, Steelers DE

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

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

Jared Verse, Rams DE

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

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

Myles Garrett, Browns DE

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

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

Fred Warner, 49ers LB

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

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

Boye Mafe, Seahawks LB

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

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

Tyrique Stevenson, Bears CB

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

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

Xavier McKinney, Packers S

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

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

Tyrann Mathieu, Saints S

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

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

Chris Boswell, Steelers K

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Live stream: Peacock, NBC.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The companies did not immediately reply to emails seeking comment.

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

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

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

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

WINNER: Kirk Cousins, Falcons

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

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

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

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

LOSER: Jalen Hurts, Eagles

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

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

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

WINNER: Bijan Robinson, Falcons

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

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

LOSER: Saquon Barkley, Eagles

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

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

WINNER: Jessie Bates III, Falcons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Buescher, who was shockingly eliminated from postseason contention in the regular-season finale two weeks ago, passed Shane van Gisbergen in the closing moments of Sunday’s race, which was dominated by non-playoff competitors.

The first playoff driver was Chase Briscoe in sixth, which marked the first time in NASCAR playoff history (which began in 2004) that no title-eligible drivers finished in the top-five.

The Round of 16 concludes Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network) in Tennessee for the iconic Bristol Night Race. How does the field stack up entering the elimination race? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:

1. Tyler Reddick

Last week: 1

A surprisingly poor qualifying run buried Reddick deep in the field, and he finished 27th after several incidents throughout the race. The regular season champion is still 30 points above the cut line, which should be enough to move on next week barring a disaster.

2. Christopher Bell

Last week: 2

Bell spun twice and recovered to finish 14th at Watkins Glen, which snapped his three-race top-five streak. He did take over the points lead, though, and he just needs to finish 23rd next week to automatically advance to the Round of 12.

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3. Kyle Larson

Last week: 3

If you haven’t picked it up by now, many of the usual contenders had problems on Sunday. Larson was among them, but he scored a solid 12th-place finish to put him 26 points above the cut line. Bristol has been one of his best tracks (four straight top-fives), so he should be confident about advancing.

4. Joey Logano

Last week: 7

With Buescher’s win, Logano remains the only playoff driver who is guaranteed to be in the Round of 12. Last week’s winner followed up his Atlanta victory with a 15th-place finish at The Glen. Logano is a two-time Bristol Night Race winner (2014 and 2015).

5. William Byron

Last week: 5

The defending Watkins Glen winner could not replicate his 2023 success on Sunday. Byron wrecked in the closing laps and finished two laps down in 34th. He’s still 25 points above the cut line, but a new winner could put him at risk.

6. Ryan Blaney

Last week: 4

Blaney completed zero laps on Sunday in what was a short afternoon of work. He was involved in the opening-lap wreck and couldn’t drive his car back to pit road due to a steering issue. So, after entering the race as the points leader, he’s now eighth – 29 points above the cut line.

7. Denny Hamlin

Last week: 6

Hamlin’s conservative approach at Atlanta could come back to bite him after another bad result at Watkins Glen. He was collected in the lap one crash, but was able to continue on and eventually finish 23rd. Hamlin is 13th in the standings, six points behind Ty Gibbs for the final spot in the Round of 12. He’s won the last two Bristol races, so making up those points is entirely possible. 

8. Chase Elliott

Last week: 8

The two-time Watkins Glen winner had a quiet race, scoring five stage points and finishing 19th after a late incident cost him some spots. Elliott is now tied with Reddick at 30 points above the cutline.

9. Austin Cindric

Last week: First four out

Cindric has been the surprise star of the first round. He was the No. 10 seed, and after two races he’s worked his way up to second in the standings. Watkins Glen was another 10th place run, which gave Cindric consecutive top-10s for the first time since July 2022. While he’s never finished better than 20th at Bristol, he only needs 17 points to automatically advance.

10. Alex Bowman

Last week: 10

While Bowman is below his three Hendrick teammates in the power rankings, he’s ahead of all three in the standings. His 18th-place finish on Sunday elevated him to fourth, with a 41-point cushion on the cut line. 

First four out: Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New England won’t have long to think about its Week 2 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks as a short week against the division-rival New York Jets looms.

On Sunday, the Patriots were on the verge of improving to 2-0 before things unraveled in the closing moments. Leading 20-17, they had a chance to run down the clock and potentially ice the game. But then a blocked field goal and subsequent Seattle kick sent the game to overtime, where the Patriots quickly punted and the Seahawks drove for a game-winning kick.

As for the Jets, Aaron Rodgers picked up his first win for Gang Green in Week 2. New York didn’t play the smoothest game, but it was enough to defeat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 in Nashville. With both teams sitting at 1-1, Week 3 is a crucial matchup to determine the course of direction for each team.

Here’s a preview for the Week 3 matchup between the Patriots and Jets:

When is the Patriots vs. Jets Week 3 game?

The Patriots will face the Jets on Thursday, Sept. 19.

How to watch Patriots vs. Jets in Week 3

Patriots-Jets will air on Prime Video, with Al Michaels (play by play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline) on the call.

Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET with Patriots Pregame Live on NBC Sports Boston. Michael Holley will host the show with insiders Tom Curran and Phil Perry and former Patriots players Ted Johnson, Matt Cassel and Brian Hoyer providing analysis.

NBC Sports Boston will also have Halftime Live at 9 p.m. ET, Postgame Live at 11:30 p.m. ET and Postgame Live Plus at 12:30 a.m. ET.

What time is the Patriots vs. Jets Week 3 game?

Patriots-Jets will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Where is the Patriots vs. Jets Week 3 game?

The Jets will host the Week 3 contest at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

How to live stream Patriots vs. Jets in Week 3

Live stream: Prime Video, NFL+

Mobile app: Prime Video app, NFL mobile app

What is the weather forecast for Patriots vs. Jets Week 3?

As of Monday, NBC New York forecasts a potentially rainy Thursday in New Jersey, with a 52% chance of precipitation, rain showers at times and temperatures as high as 75 degrees or as low as 63 degrees.

Midnights become her afternoons.

After Taylor Swift cheered on her man Travis Kelce to a win as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 15, the “Anti-Hero” singer was ready to live it up in honor of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 29th birthday celebration.

In photos captured by Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones’ wife Sheawna Weathersby and wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s fiancé Chariah Gordon, Swift had a blast, posing for photos with her fellow WAGs.

Clad in her oversized Chiefs’ shirtdress and thigh-high black boots, the Grammy winner wowed in her signature bold red lip as she posed on a wall with framed photos of both Kelce and her own Eras tour poster.

The trio also posed for some fun photobooth snaps as the photo strips read, “Happy Birthday Patrick, Twenty Nine, Straight Outta ’95.”

The quarterback’s wife Brittany Mahomes also shared footage from inside the bash, which included a giant red, black and white balloon display with “29” numbers, lots of throwback photos of the Super Bowl champ as a kid and a giant cookie cake.

Earlier in the day, Swift attended Kelce’s game alongside her mom Andrea Swift, who showed her support for the “New Heights” podcaster by wearing a red shirt with the pin “In my 87 era,” a nod to Kelce’s jersey number and the singer’s ongoing Eras tour.

It’s been a big week for Swift, who made history at the MTV VMAs on Sept. 11, when she broke multiple records after winning seven VMAs and tying with Beyonce for her record of most wins at the annual awards show.

During one of her wins, Swift gave Kelce a sweet shoutout onstage while accepting the award for Video of the Year for her “Fortnight” collab with Post Malone. She recalled making the video and consistently hearing, “someone cheering from across the studio where we were shooting it.”

She noted, “That one person was my boyfriend Travis.”

The “Love Story” singer added, “Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I want to thank him for adding that to our shoot.”

Stroud showcased he belongs in the league after his massive success last season, and that exhibited as Williams was out of his depth in the Texans’ 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Apart from the second quarter when the Texans scored 13 points and the Bears seven, the game was slow paced and lacked offensive firepower with both defenses stepping up.

But Chicago eventually couldn’t overcome Williams’ mistakes on the night, resulting in Houston’s triumph. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: C.J. Stroud, Texans

Stroud has proven he can light up the stat sheet on any given night, but the Bears defense made things much tougher. It was a game that would be decided by who controlled the moments and that was eventually Stroud, who delivered the necessary plays compared to Chicago.

The second-year QB threw for 260 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 36 completions. He was sacked three times but threw no picks, while making some absurd dimes on the run. Stroud didn’t get much help from the run game, either, as Cam Akers fumbled near the goal line and Joe Mixon mustered just 25 yards on nine carries while dealing with an injury.

LOSER: Caleb Williams, Bears

Williams threw over 100 passing yards after failing to do so in Week 1, but the No. 1 overall pick has plenty of work to do to improve his general awareness of the NFL game. The lack of a proper offensive line is definitely an issue, but Chicago improved its weapons from seasons past and have not shown much for it despite Keenan Allen’s absence.

Williams threw for 174 yards, no touchdowns and two picks on 23 of 37 completions. He also rushed for 44 yards on five tries, with a 24-yarder late in the game leading the way. He also took seven sacks, but some of those could’ve been avoided with better pocket play.

Chicago’s defense has exhibited it can keep the team within striking distance to pull off wins, but the offense will also have to do its part more often.

WINNER: Henry To’oTo’o, Texans

Choosing just one player from the Texans defense is quite an arduous task given the collective performance they put on. Six players got on the end of a sack, while two hauled in a pick, among other key statistics.

But second-year linebacker To’oTo’o receives the solo nod after a stellar outing at the heart of DeMeco Ryans’ defense. To’oTo’o logged 13 total tackles (nine solo) to go with a sack, tackle for loss and QB hit. The 2023 fifth-rounder out of Alabama is on a breakout-campaign trajectory if these types of performances persist.

LOSER: Bears’ offensive line

Houston may have an elite defense, but the Bears did little to try to mitigate its own offensive line woes. Williams had to be on the move more often than he would’ve preferred, and he also should’ve ran more than he did with the seven sacks standing out.

But the lack of a proper running game also proved difficult to overcome, as D’Andre Swift mustered just 18 rushing yards on 11 carries. His longest run of the day went for seven. That cannot linger if Williams is to gradually build on his start to the year.

WINNER: Texans’ defensive line

As aforementioned, six Texans combined for a seven-sack outing on Williams. Along with To’oTo’o, Azeez Al-Shaair, Mario Edwards Jr., Derek Barnett, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. each logged at least one. Hunter and Anderson Jr. recorded 1.5 each.

The Texans deploy a wealth of defensive talent all over the field, and Ryans’ system is paying dividends in Year 2. It’s not yet known how far Houston will go this year, but there’s a vigorous chance it can advance further than the previous postseason thanks to its defensive depth and another year of Stroud with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When it mattered most, Daniels got the job done and picked up his first win as an NFL quarterback, beating the New York Giants 21-18 on Sunday thanks to a franchise-record seven field goals from new kicker Austin Seibert.

“I feel blessed,” Daniels said. “Can’t really complain. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but a win is a win.”

Daniels engineered the go-ahead, 65-yard drive in the final minutes to get the ball into the red zone, setting up Seibert’s 30-yard field goal that won it as the clock expired. Seibert’s 7-for-7 performance came days after he replaced Cade York, who missed each of his two attempts in the season opener.

“I guess that’s a great way to kind of welcome myself to the team and win a football game, so I’m happy with it,” said Seibert, who was good from 27, 45, 26, 27, 29 and 30 yards out. “No reason to make it bigger than it is. Just go out there and do what I do.”

The Commanders (1-1) came back to win an ugly game after the Giants lost kicker Graham Gano to an injury on the opening kickoff. Not having Gano forced New York (0-2) to go for it on several fourth-down situations after punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point attempt early.

Gano, who said it was unrelated to the sore groin that landed him on the injury report, said his hamstring “doesn’t feel good.”

Daniels was 23 of 29 for 226 yards and rushed for 44 in his second professional start, beating former LSU teammate and fellow top-10 pick Malik Nabers in their first matchup in the league. Nabers was the Giants’ best player with 10 catches for 127 yards and his first career TD reception.

“He did his thing, which I kind of expected just knowing him,” Daniels said after swapping jerseys with Nabers. “He got my first win jersey and I got his first 100-yard game. That’s going to mean a lot to both of us.”

Nabers was targeted 18 times by Daniel Jones, who after a rough Week 1 was a respectable 16 of 28 for 178 yards and two touchdown passes. Nabers dropped a fourth-down pass from Jones, which turned the ball over on downs.

“I’m disappointed,” Nabers said. “No matter how good of a game you can play, that last play came down to me. I’m hurt that I let those veterans down.”

The Commanders overcame going 0 for 6 in the red zone with seven trips inside the New York 25 and multiple false start penalties that derailed drives.

“You can’t have that,” left guard Nick Allegretti said. “But with such a new team, those things will happen. We’ve got to cut them down.”

Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 133 yards. He also made the two longest runs of his pro career: 32 yards in the first half and 40 in the second.

“Great start for me so I can gain the momentum that I need,” Robinson said. “I’m thankful for the opportunities. It’s been a while since I got 17 (carries) in one game, too, so I appreciate all that love from my coaches, and I expect to keep building off of that.”

Ertz’s Milestone

Washington’s Zach Ertz became the 12th tight end in NFL history to surpass 7,500 yards receiving. The 33-year-old veteran made four catches for 62 yards as one of Daniels’ most popular targets.

Injuries

Nabers was cleared after being checked for a concussion late in the first quarter following a big hit from Washington’s Frankie Luvu. … Cornerback Dru Phillips was also evaluated for a concussion and cleared late in the game.

Up Next

Giants: Visit Cleveland next Sunday.

Commanders: Visit Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 23.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The chaos on the 2.45-mile road course at The Glen — in the playoffs for the first time before it returns to an August date next year — shook up the playoff standings heading into the cutoff race.

Buescher held off Shane van Gisbergen in the thrilling two final overtime laps to play spoiler and win for the first time this season for RFK Racing. The 31-year-old Texan has six career victories.

Chase Briscoe, who entered 16th in the playoff standings and 21 points behind the cutline, was sixth and the highest-finishing playoff driver in the field in the second race in NASCAR’s postseason. Four drivers will be cut from the field Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Briscoe shot to 11th in the standings, six points above the cutline. Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton are the bottom four drivers.

Austin Cindric was 10th, only the second playoff driver in the top 10. Want to find the contenders? Look all the way to the bottom of the race results. Ten playoff drivers were dumped in the bottom 21 finishers.

The race was bedlam for the contenders from the start, when a wreck on the opening lap knocked out Ryan Blaney that also involved fellow playoff drivers and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Christopher Bell.

At least 11 playoff drivers ran into some sort of issue, including a rough scene late in the race where Keselowski and William Byron crashed battling for position. Byron’s Chevrolet landed on top of Keselowski’s Ford with six laps left in the scheduled 90-lap race.

There was no way this thriller wasn’t going to end in regulation.

One by one, playoff drivers took a beating on the track — and in the standings.

Joey Logano raced his way into the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs by winning the opener last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He finished 15th There was no automatic qualifier at The Glen into the second round.

Blaney crashes early

Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion, had his race ended on the opening lap after he was collected in a wreck that also involved playoff drivers Hamlin and Bell.

Blaney entered 45 points above the cutline.

NASCAR rules dictated the No. 12 Ford must be towed to the garage, while Blaney argued his team should have been allowed to try and repair the car on pit road, giving him a shot at staying in the race.

“They didn’t give us a chance to fix it,” Blaney said. “How are they going to dictate if we are done or not? They have no idea of the damage. They said we were done because I couldn’t drive it back to the pit box, but if you have four flats, you get towed back to the pit box. You can’t drive that back. I don’t know what is going on or why they won’t give us a shot to work on it but I don’t agree with.”

NASCAR rules say cars can remain in the race for mechanical issues, not for damage.

Montoya’s return

Juan Pablo Montoya finished 32nd driving for 23XI Racing in his first Cup race in 10 years.

A two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Montoya never quite reached the heights in NASCAR that he did in his IndyCar, sports cars and Formula 1 careers. He won the Cup race at The Glen in 2010.

Up next

NASCAR heads to its playoff cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 2 means some teams are off to a perfect start to their season, others have had mixed results and a few are still struggling to get going. With 10 games in the early window on Sunday, there were plenty of highlights and lowlights from across the league.

Here are some winners and losers from Sunday’s action:

Winner: Big plays

Offense had a moment in the early games of Week 2.

In the 1 p.m. ET window, there were seven touchdowns of at least 40 yards. Justin Jefferson led the way with a 97-yard score in the Minnesota Vikings’ win. The New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys game had three deep scores — Rashid Shaheed for 70 yards, CeeDee Lamb for 65 yards and Alvin Kamara for 57 yards.

Elsewhere, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (44) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin (41) had touchdowns of over 40 yards.

Loser: 49ers offense without Christian McCaffrey

Everything looked fine for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 without their star. That wasn’t the case in Week 2.

The defending NFC champions fell to the Minnesota Vikings 23-17 in what turned out to be a revenge game for Sam Darnold. Brock Purdy had an interception and was sacked six times in the defeat as the 49ers’ offense couldn’t get rolling.

The team had 102 rushing yards, including 100 from McCaffrey’s replacement Jordan Mason. He obviously wasn’t the problem, but the lack of big-play ability was evident. The 1-1 49ers will be without McCaffrey for the next three weeks at least after placing him on IR, so they’ll have to figure it out quickly to stay afloat in the NFC.

Winner: Klint Kubiak has the Saints rolling

The Saints entered the 2024 season with little fanfare. That should officially change after Week 2.

New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak debuted with a 47-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, with the caveat being that it came against a team that won two games last season. The Saints followed that up, though, with a 44-19 win over the Cowboys in Dallas.

Alvin Kamara was the star for Kubiak’s unit, totaling four touchdowns in the blowout victory. It was the seventh time in his eight-year career that he’s had at least three touchdowns in a game. Derek Carr was stellar in the game, too — 11 of 16 for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Loser: Aidan Hutchinson’s performance goes to waste

The Detroit Lions wasted an all-time performance from Aidan Hutchinson.

The pass-rusher was a one sack shy of a franchise record on Sunday, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got some playoff revenge in a 20-16 win. Hutchinson was unstoppable in the game, sacking Baker Mayfield 4.5 times in defeat.

Winner: New York Jets, barely

Aaron Rodgers is in the win column for the New York Jets.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Jets gutted out a 24-17 victory in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans. Rodgers had a steady game, completing 18 of 30 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Backup running back Braelon Allen was the star for New York with two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving.

For the Titans, second-year QB Will Levis had another head-scratching performance. He had an interception and a disastrous fumble in the red zone as the Titans fell to 0-2.

Loser: Bryce Young

Another week, another lifeless offensive performance for the Carolina Panthers.

The NFL’s worst team last year fell to 0-2 after a 26-3 loss to the Chargers, and former No. 1 pick Bryce Young still isn’t producing. The Panthers QB went 18 of 26 for 84 yards and an interception. It might be counterproductive to bench Young this early in his second season, but veteran Andy Dalton might be the better option right now for first-year head coach Dave Canales.

Jim Harbaugh’s squad, which improved to 2-0, jumped out to a 20-0 lead at halftime and never looked back. They rolled to an easy road victory with another away game against the Pittsburgh Steelers slated for Week 3.

Winner: Matt LaFleur and Malik Willis

With Jordan Love injured, the Green Bay Packers had no trouble dismantling the Indianapolis Colts in their home opener.

Led by backup quarterback Malik Willis, Matt LaFleur’s offense had 261 rushing yards in the 16-10 victory. The Packers averaged 4.9 yards per carry (53 attempts) after averaging 7.8 in their Week 1 loss. Clearly, the ground game is a point of emphasis for the unit.

Winning a game without Love is no small feat, especially considering Willis was just picked up in a preseason trade. He went 12 of 14 for 122 passing yards, 41 rushing yards and a touchdown, which was plenty to secure the win against a quiet Colts offense.

Loser: Rams’ injuries

After falling to the Lions in overtime in Week 1, the Rams were dealt multiple blows as key personnel on both sides of the ball suffered injuries, such as star wideout Puka Nacua. On the road again versus a divisional rival, the Rams’ woes were evident, but also worsened when Cooper Kupp also exited with an ankle injury.

Los Angeles lost in a blowout 41-10 as Arizona dominated through the air and on the ground. With the 49ers coming next at SoFi Stadium, a venue routinely filled with red when the matchup occurs, the Rams will hope to have at least some bodies back to avoid dropping to 0-3.

Winner: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Never judge a rookie based off one game. Harrison Jr. exploded onto the scene Sunday after a lackluster Week 1, in which quarterback Kyler Murray later said it wasn’t his job to force targets to the wideout.

But it was a different story in Week 2 as Harrison Jr. launched to a hot start, catching four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns before cooling off for the second half. Murray himself threw for 266 yards on an efficient 17 of 21 clip to go with three scores and no picks.

Loser: QB play in Steelers vs. Broncos

Pittsburgh went on the road and pulled out a close win over Denver. How close? Well, just 13-6. Justin Fields helped the Steelers move to 2-0 with Russell Wilson still sidelined, but it was far from pretty. Fields threw for 117 yards on 13 of 20 completions, one touchdown and no picks while also rushing for 27 yards on eight attempts.

Bo Nix threw for more yards than he did in Week 1, but is still searching for his first league touchdown. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 246 yards, no touchdowns and two picks while rushing for 25 yards on four tries. One of the picks came on the very last play of the game, which Nix looked to go deep but wouldn’t have been near enough to score even if it was caught.

It’ll be interesting to see if Mike Tomlin keeps Fields as the starter due to their results even if Wilson is healthy.

Winner: Chiefs and lucky breaks

You need some luck every now and then to ensure results go your way. There’s a reason why Kansas City have gotten so used to winning in the Patrick Mahomes era. The Chiefs were on the brink of falling to the Cincinnati Bengals, but drew a controversial pass interference play on a 4th and 16 that essentially moved them into field goal range. Harrison Butker drilled the 51-yard attempt as time expired.

Joe Burrow delivered with 23 of 36 completions for 258 yards, two touchdowns and no picks as Ja’Marr Chase remained quiet again with just four catches for 35 yards. Cincinnati is now 0-2 with the Washington Commanders up next.

Mahomes had one of the worst games he’ll likely have all season, but it won’t matter in this one. He completed 18 of 25 passes for just 151 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. The Chiefs will meet the Falcons in Atlanta next week.

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Swift arrived about 90 minutes before kickoff to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and the two-time defending Super Bowl champions play the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of two of the past three AFC championship games.

It will be the 15th Chiefs game that Swift has attended, with the team going 11-3 with her in the building.

Swift has become close friends with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, over the past year. And that led to some controversy this week after the 14-time Grammy winner said she supported Harris over Donald Trump in the November election.

Trump has been referencing Brittany Mahomes in interviews and speeches since last month, after she liked — and then unliked — an Instagram post by the Republican presidential nominee outlining the “2024 GOP platform.” Trump posted soon afterward on Truth Social: “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me.”

Swift’s endorsement of Harris led Trump to say in a phone interview with Fox News this week: “I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth. She’s a big Trump fan. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great.”

Trump went even further Sunday, posting on Truth Social in call caps: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”

Patrick Mahomes declined to endorse anyone when asked about the situation, instead urging people to register to vote.

“I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” the two-time NFL MVP said before practice Wednesday. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

Brittany Mahomes has since stayed out of the political spotlight except to respond to critics on social media, saying in a post: “To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood.”

Some critics thought politics may have caused a rift between her and Swift two weeks ago, when they did not sit together for the Chiefs’ season-opening win over Ravens. But they were back together that weekend in New York for the U.S. Open.

On Wednesday night, Swift pushed her total of MTV Video Music Awards to 30, tying Beyonce for the record among all artists. Her hefty haul included the night’s biggest trophy for video of the year, for which she thanked her “boyfriend Travis” for being on set for the “Fortnight” music video and cheering her on.

“Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic,” Swift said, before again using her platform to encourage fans over 18 to register to vote for the 2024 presidential election.

The popular songstress began her high-profile romance with Kelce last season, when he invited Swift to watch him play a game at Arrowhead. The “Anti-Hero” singer took him up on the offer for a September matchup with the Bears.

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Since then, Swift and the four-time All-Pro tight end have spent plenty of time together, often with the cameras following their every move. Swift has become a regular at Chiefs games whenever she is on a break from her Eras Tour, and Kelce accompanied her to several performances during the offseason, even making an onstage cameo at Wembley Stadium in London.

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Oscar Piastri won an instant Formula 1 classic that had it all at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr. collided while fighting for podium places and title challenger Lando Norris battled his way from 15th on the grid to finish fourth — crucially ahead of standings leader Max Verstappen.

McLaren’s Piastri started second behind Leclerc but took the lead with a daring swoop past the Ferrari driver into the first corner on lap 20 of 51.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez tried to attack Leclerc for second late on but ended up colliding with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr., who was close behind. George Russell ended up third for Mercedes as the race finished under speed restrictions.

“That was probably the most stressful afternoon of my life,” Piastri, who took his second career win, told his team over the radio just after the race.

Norris was following close behind Sainz and Perez when they crashed and recounted the experience of driving into flying debris.

“Driving full gas into a into a wall of carbon fiber on the penultimate lap, I mean, that was pretty crazy,” he said. “You couldn’t see anything.”

Leclerc has started on pole for the last four races in a row in Azerbaijan but hasn’t won any of them. “Not, obviously, another great day for the team,” was how he summed up Ferrari’s race.

Norris limited the damage to his championship chances of a poor starting position with quick early overtakes and smart strategy, before Perez and Sainz’s crash lifted him further up.

Norris may have started the race in defensive mode but instead ended up taking a further three points out of Verstappen’s lead, which still stands at a formidable 59 points with seven rounds of the championship remaining.

In a season when McLaren has challenged for the title despite strategy calls that have sometimes seemed confusing or counterproductive, converting second and 15th on the grid into first and fourth at the flag was a triumph.

A long first stint on hard tires meant Norris was able to first slow down Perez to help out Piastri, and fight Verstappen too.

Verstappen, who had stopped for tires, was left stuck behind Norris lap after lap and was eventually caught and passed for sixth by Russell. Norris stopped for fresh tires and hunted down Verstappen’s now off-the-pace car in the final laps before completing a pass that could play an outsize role in the title race.

Fernando Alonso was sixth for Aston Martin, while Alexander Albon took seventh for Williams.

Albon’s rookie teammate Franco Colapinto took eighth in only his second race in F1, becoming the first Argentinian driver to score points since Carlos Reutemann in 1982. The driver he replaced at Williams last month, American Logan Sargeant, hadn’t scored a point this season.

Lewis Hamilton was ninth after starting the race from the pit lane due to changing car parts, and 19-year-old Oliver Bearman — also in his second career F1 race — was 10th as a stand-in at Haas for the suspended Kevin Magnussen, beating his far more experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Miami Dolphins quarterback has already seen concussion specialists and will continue to do so until he’s cleared to play. As of now, there’s no timeline for a return.

Tagovailoa suffered a concussion late in Thursday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills when he was scrambling for a first down and barreled into Damar Hamlin. It’s the latest head injury in the 26-year-old quarterback’s career. He made it through last season unscathed, but Tagovailoa suffered two concussions in 2022 — including one when he was stretchered off the field and another on Christmas Day to end his season.

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Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday that he wants to keep the pressure off Tagovailoa when it comes to returning to the field.

“First and foremost, I’m not assessing the injury through the lens of, ‘Alright, so what does this mean for him playing?'” McDaniel said. “Really, for me, I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day, and in that, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”

Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July, which included $167 million guaranteed.

In his absence, for however long it may be, the Dolphins are expected to roll with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. The third-year pro started three games as a rookie, including one in the postseason, after Tagovailoa’s second concussion in 2022. Thompson has 614 career passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in eight career regular-season appearances.

Game details

N.Y. Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Commanders by 1 1/2

Against the spread: New York 0-1; Washington 0-1

Series record: Giants lead 108-71-5.

Last meeting: Giants beat Commanders 31-19 on Nov. 19, 2023, at Washington.

Last week: Giants lost to Vikings 28-6; Commanders lost to Buccaneers 37-20.

Giants offense: overall (26), rush (27), pass (17), scoring (32)

Giants defense: overall (19), rush (15), pass (21), scoring (t-9)

Commanders offense: overall (17), rush (19), pass (19), scoring (t-21)

Commanders defense: overall (26), rush (16), pass (29), scoring (31)

Turnover differential: Giants even; Commanders even

Commanders player to watch

CB Benjamin St-Juste got lit up by Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans last week. Although St-Juste was not solely to blame — a lack of a pass rush did not help — he could be tested again by Daniel Jones throwing over and over to Darius Slayton or first-round pick Malik Nabers.

Giants player to watch

LB Kayvon Thibodeaux has 5 1/2 sacks, seven tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in four games against Washington. He aims for his fifth consecutive game against Washington with a sack. He also should be motivated after getting one quarterback hurry and making no tackles in the opener.

Key matchup

Giants defense vs. the Commanders offensive line. Brian Burns and Thibodeaux were hardly difference-makers against Minnesota, and Washington is motivated to keep rookie QB Jayden Daniels upright and healthy. Daniels is expected to run less and stay in the pocket more, so there will be extra opportunities for New York to force the issue and more time for the offensive line to block.

Key injuries

Giants returner Gunner Olszewski (groin), CB Nick McCloud (knee) and rookie LB Darius Muasau (knee) were ruled out. … Slayton is a game-time decision after going through concussion protocol. … Nabers was limited in practice Thursday because of a knee injury before being full go Friday. … PK Graham Gano (groin) was added to the list Saturday but he is expected to play. … Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes is out after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. … DE Clelin Ferrell (knee), S Quan Martin (hamstring) and rookie DT Johnny Newton (foot) are questionable. Newton could make his NFL debut after missing Week 1 following offseason surgery.

Series notes

The Giants have won the past three and are unbeaten in four, including a 20-20 tie on Dec. 4, 2022. The last Washington win was 22-7 on Jan. 9, 2021, the final game for then-New York GM Dave Gettleman and coach Joe Judge. The Giants had so little offense, Judge elected to have quarterback Jake Fromm run sneaks on second and third down inside his 5 in the second quarter. … This is Dan Quinn’s first game against the Giants as a head coach since Oct. 22, 2018, with Atlanta. He coached against them six times over the previous three seasons as Dallas’ defensive coordinator.

Stats and stuff

Giants QB Daniel Jones is 5-1-1 in seven starts against Washington. He has thrown 10 TDs and run for one with three interceptions. Coming off ACL surgery, he struggled in the opener, completing 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-6. … RB Devin Singletary was limited to 37 yards rushing against Minnesota as the Giants fell behind and threw more. … Nabers had five catches for 66 yards in NFL debut, including two 25-yard receptions. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson had team-high six catches for 44 yards. … DT Dexter Lawrence had New York’s only sack last week, the 22nd of his career. … LB Bobby Okereke had a fumble recovery last week. He had 14 tackles and two forced fumbles in these teams’ last meeting. … Muasau had six tackles and his first interception against Minnesota. … Daniels was 17 of 24 for 184 yards and ran 16 times for 88 yards and two TDs in his NFL debut. … RBs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combined to catch seven passes for 101 yards against the Buccaneers. … WR Terry McLaurin was targeted just four times and made two catches for 17 yards in the season opener. … Zach Ertz is 38 yards away from becoming the 12th tight end in league history to reach 7,500 yards receiving. … DT Jonathan Allen is one sack from tying Brian Orakpo for sixth in Washington’s franchise history, since sacks became an official stat in 1982. … LB Bobby Wagner led the team with 10 tackles, including three for loss, in the opener. … Washington has a new kicker in Austin Seibert after cutting Cade York earlier in the week. York missed his two field goal attempts wide right last week.

Fantasy tip

Nabers could be Jones’ primary target, and the Commanders’ secondary is at best a work in progress and at worst has no answers in the passing game. Jones’ success against Washington in his career also should give pause to anyone thinking about picking up the Commanders defense.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The high school players watched practice Friday from the sideline at the Falcons’ training complex in Flowery Branch.

“I think it’s incredible that you get a chance to see some young kids going through some tough stuff,” said Jerry Gray, the Falcons’ assistant head coach for defense. “I always look and say, ‘Man, what are they going through?’ They’ve got to go back to the school where it happened.”

Among the victims of the Sept. 4 shooting rampage was a teacher who served as an assistant coach for the Apalachee football team. Nine others were injured. Funerals for two of the victims were being held Saturday. A 14-year-old student has been charged with murder and his father also faces charges for allegedly furnishing his son with a weapon.

During the shooting, some students scrambled for shelter in the high school’s football stadium. Apalachee is located in Winder, which is about 20 miles from the Falcons’ complex in the sprawling Atlanta suburbs.

“When you get a little relief and you get a chance to kind of love on them a little bit, I think that’s special for our guys,” Gray said. “We’re NFL guys, but we still understand what caring means.”

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Before their season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Falcons coaches and players wore Apalachee T-shirts during pregame warmups. A moment of silence was held before the kickoff.

“It definitely meant a lot,” said Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett, who grew up in suburban Atlanta. “I played Apalachee when I was in high school.”

The Falcons travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles (1-0) on Monday night.

ESPN sources: 49ers officially are placing All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve due to his calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey now will miss the next four games, at least, before the team assesses whether he can return in mid-October. pic.twitter.com/VV9GRihDrL

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2024

Sources: The #49ers are placing RB Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve today, with hopes that his Achilles tendinitis fully heals by the time it’s time to return in four games. It’s Jordan Mason going forward. pic.twitter.com/T7A1mhOUEQ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 14, 2024

McCaffrey, who missed San Francisco’s Week 1 win, already had been ruled out of the 49ers’ Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and now the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year will miss at least an additional three games.

McCaffrey also will be sidelined for the 49ers’ Sept. 22 game at the Los Angeles Rams, the Sept. 29 home game against the New England Patriots and the Oct. 6 home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The star running back has been dealing with the injuries since early August, and the ailments now will keep him out until early October.

Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that the 49ers were considering the option of placing McCaffrey on injured reserve.

Kyle Shanahan hinted yesterday #49ers might put Christian McCaffrey on IR:

“It’s something we’re considering now, yeah. Yesterday was his worst day. It’s on and off, but with yesterday, having the most pain, it’s something we’re going to be discussing here in the next 24 hours.”

— Jennifer Lee Chan – threads @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) September 14, 2024

With McCaffrey out, Jordan Mason will continue to be the 49ers’ feature back for the foreseeable future.

Mason, undrafted in 2022, ran for a career high 147 yards on 28 carries in the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the New York Jets.

The 49ers are taking a cautious approach with McCaffrey. They expect to play in January and February, so they need to make sure he doesn’t worsen his injuries, preventing him from getting on the field late in the season.

The end of the impasse came in time for sports fans to watch ESPN’s slate of college football games on DirecTV. It also will ensure that ABC’s telecast of the Emmy Awards on Sunday night will be available in more major markets where viewers subscribe to DirecTV’s pay service.

ABC had been unavailable since Sept. 1 on DirecTV in several markets where the station is owned by Disney. Those were located in the San Francisco Bay Area; Fresno, California; New York; Chicago; Philadelphia; Houston; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

DirecTV’s 11 million subscribers abruptly lost access to ESPN, the ABC-owned stations and other Disney-owned channels such as FX and National Geographic during the Labor Day weekend in a dispute over carriage fees and programming flexibility.

Some viewers were watching the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament when ESPN suddenly went dark and others were getting ready to watch a college football showdown between LSU and Southern California.

The impasse also kept the NFL’s opening game of Monday Night Football off of DirecTV’s service.

Financial details of Disney’s new deal with DirecTV weren’t disclosed as part of Saturday’s announcement. DirecTV’s payments to Disney will be based on “market-based” pricing, according to the announcement about the deal.

The agreement also will give DirecTV the ability to offer Disney’s video streaming services a la carte as well as in its own bundled packages. DirecTV won the right to include ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service at an additional cost to its subscribers once it becomes available.

The deal came a few days after the rising tensions led DirecTV to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith.

This is the second consecutive year Disney’s wrangling over the rights to its programming has resulted in its networks gong dark on a pay-TV service. Last year, Disney pulled its channels from Spectrum — the second largest cable-TV provider in the U.S. — for 12 days before settling the dispute just before ESPN was set to show that season’s Monday Night Football opener.

Military officers played a prominent role in the funeral because Cheptegei held the rank of sergeant in Uganda’s army, said military spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye, adding that she deserved a “gun salute that befits her rank.”

Athletes, family members and others delivered their eulogies before thousands in a sports field in the district of Bukwo.

Cheptegei, who was 33, will be buried later on Saturday.

She died after her body suffered 80% burns in the attack by Dickson Ndiema, who doused her in gasoline at her home in western Kenya’s Trans-Nzoia County on Sept. 3. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed to his injuries.

According to a report filed by the local chief, they quarreled over a piece of land the athlete bought in Kenya.

The horrific gasoline attack shocked many and strengthened calls for the protection of female runners facing exploitation and abuse in the East African country.

Cheptegei’s body was returned to Uganda Friday in a somber procession following a street march by dozens of activists in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret who demanded an end to physical violence against female athletes.

Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in a worrying pattern of gender-based violence in recent years. Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted several marches this year.

2024 Paris Olympics Sep 10

Man accused of setting Ugandan Olympic marathon runner on fire dies of burns

2024 Paris Olympics Sep 6

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2024 Paris Olympics Sep 5

Ugandan Olympic runner dies after being severely burned by partner weeks after competing at the Paris Games

Ugandan officials have condemned the attack, demanding justice for Cheptegei. First lady Janet Museveni, who also serves as Uganda’s education and sports minister, described the attack as “deeply disturbing.”

Don Rukare, chairman of the National Council of Sports of Uganda, said in a statement on X that the attack was “a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete.”

Four in 10 women, or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women, have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

Many Ugandan athletes train across the border in Kenya, an athletics powerhouse with better facilities. Some of the region’s best runners train together at a high-altitude center in Kenya’s west.

Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, finishing in 44th place, less than a month before the attack. She had represented Uganda at other competitions.

—

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

The rookie guard set the WNBA’s single-season record for assists Friday night. She had 18 points — all in the second half — nine assists and eight rebounds in a 78-74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

The 22-year-old Clark is up to 321 assists in her first year in the WNBA, breaking the mark of 316 set last season by Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun. The Fever (19-19) have two games left in the regular season, against Dallas on Sunday and Washington on Thursday.

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Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft out of Iowa, is averaging 19.1 points and a league-high 8.4 assists. She also is averaging 5.8 rebounds.

Fans posted on social media that they were stuck for hours waiting in lines for buses at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue near the course about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., prompting a statement of apology from the LPGA Tour.

“We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the statement said. “We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward, and we’re working on ways to express our regret to those impacted.”

Spectators also said the portable restrooms at the parking site were locked while they waited for buses.

In the 20 minutes before Friday’s matches began, a small trickle of fans speed-walked toward the grandstand, but there was no sign of the record crowds that organizers had promised.

“It’s disappointing. It is what it is. You play in these things for years, and things happen,” U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said. “Unfortunately, it was a big one.”

The LPGA said Friday night that it planned to open the gates earlier on Saturday morning, increase the number of shuttle buses and move parking for volunteers to a different location.

Esther Henseleit struck the opening tee shot for Europe in the team competition against the United States as part of an alternate-shot pairing with Charley Hull. Allisen Corpuz followed for the U.S., paired with top-ranked Nelly Korda.

Players frequently describe the opening tee shot at the Solheim Cup as more nerve-wracking than anything in women’s golf, fueled partly by fans who fill grandstands hours in advance to cheer the home team. But with fewer spectators, the home-field advantage was muted.

“You’ve got to get the people here,” former U.S. captain Juli Inkster said as she followed a match on the fourth hole.

The few hundred fans who made it in time for Friday morning’s opening remained quiet for the European tee shots and cheered throughout as the Americans hit theirs, a departure from golf etiquette that players have come to embrace at team competitions.

Once the fans arrived, they were treated to an American rout as the U.S. tries to prevent Europe from capturing the cup for a record fourth straight time. The grandstands were packed when Korda and Megan Khang were greeted by former President Barack Obama ahead of their afternoon better-ball match.

The Americans led by a record 6-2 margin when Friday’s matches concluded, and they could only hope for a full complement of supporters on Saturday morning.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

It wasn’t mission impossible for Tom Cruise to deliver the Olympic flag to Los Angeles after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But as it turns out, the “Top Gun” star agreed to pull off his dazzling death-defying stunt without receiving a paycheck.

“We pitched on a Zoom,” 2028 L.A. Olympics president and chairperson Casey Wasserman said of the Closing Ceremony during a CNBC panel on Sept. 11. “About five minutes in the presentation, he goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I can do everything.’ Every step of the way, he got more involved and more engaged—and by the way, he did it all for free.”

E! News has reached out to reps for Cruise for comment but has not heard back.

It was a surprise for Wasserman and executive producer Ben Winston, who initially wanted to make the performance as easy as possible for Cruise to take part.

“The original idea was a person in the stadium as a stunt double,” Wasserman recalled. “We’re like, ‘Well, there’s no way we’re getting this. We’re going to get four hours of filming time. We’ll do the thing in L.A. with the Hollywood sign, he’ll hand the thing off and he’s done. Maybe we’ll get the other stuff and the rest will be just a stunt double.'”

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 11

Closing ceremony marks end of Paris Olympics with Tom Cruise and a handover to Los Angeles

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But Cruise wanted to really be a part of the performance. And Winston couldn’t help but gush over his commitment to the project.

“I don’t think there’s anybody like him in the world,” he told The Hollywood Reporter last month. “There is no better collaborator.”

In fact, when the producer informed the “Mission: Impossible” actor that a stunt double would do the heavy lifting, he replied, “We’re not doing a stuntman in a balaclava. I’m going to be the one who jumps off the roof, and I’m going to be the one who drives through Paris.”

As for why they wanted Cruise for the honor?

“I can’t really think who else would work,” Winston admitted to the outlet. “Who else is synonymous with action and an American hero?”

The 62-year-old’s stunt that closed the chapter on this year’s Olympic Games will surely go down in history. After Cruise dove into the stadium, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Simone Biles presented him with the Olympic flag before he took it back to Los Angeles in true “Mission: Impossible” fashion.

Because for Cruise, moving the goalpost for each project is crucial.

“I’m always pushing,” he told Business Insider last June. “I just remember, every time they say, ‘Can you top it? Can you not top it?’ We’re always pushing. Every film I do, whatever genre it’s in, I want to make it as entertaining as possible for that audience. I know I can do things better.”

The federal government would ban in-game advertising and bets on college athletes under a sports betting regulation bill proposed by two northeastern legislators.

Rep. Paul Tonko of New York and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced the bill Thursday. It’s designed to address what they say are the harmful effects of the rapid expansion of legal sports betting in the U.S. since 2018.

The measure also would forbid the use of credit cards to fund online gambling accounts.

The Democratic legislators say sports betting, now legal in 38 states plus the District of Columbia, has increased gambling addiction and other problems. Every moment of every game is a chance to gamble, Tonko said.

“That’s resulted in a frightening rise in gambling disorder, which has in turn enacted a horrific toll on individuals, many of whom have lost their home, job, marriage, and their lives,” Tonko said.

Blumenthal called the measure a matter of public health.

“It is a matter of stopping addiction, saving lives, and making sure that young people particularly are protected against exploitation,” Blumenthal said.

The legislation already faces strong opposition from the gambling industry, which has said for years that it should self-regulate sports betting advertising to avoid the federal government imposing standards on it.

The American Gaming Association, the gambling industry’s national trade association, said sports books already operate under government supervision, contribute billions of dollars in state taxes, and offer consumers protections that don’t exist with illegal gambling operations.

“Six years into legal sports betting, introducing heavy-handed federal prohibitions is a slap in the face to state legislatures and gaming regulators who have dedicated countless time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks unique to their jurisdictions,” it said in a statement.

The industry has adopted sports betting practices that include some limits on advertising, but critics say they don’t go far enough.

Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law, compared gambling to drugs and alcohol in terms of potential addictiveness.

“With every other addictive product or substance, the government regulates the advertising, promotion, distribution, and consumption of the product,” he said. “With gambling, sadly, the exact opposite is occurring.”

The National Council on Problem Gambling says “gambling problems may increase as sports gambling grows explosively” across America.

The bill would prohibit operators from accepting more than five deposits from a customer over a 24-hour period, and check on a customer’s ability to afford depositing more than $1,000 in 24 hours or $10,000 in a month.

The bill also would ban “prop” bets on the performance of college or amateur athletes, such as how many passing yards a quarterback will rack up during a game.

And it would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track a customer’s gambling habits or to create gambling products including highly specific “micro-bets,” which are based on scenarios as narrow as the speed of the next pitch in a baseball game.

MLB said Friday it reached a deal for the postseason ads through 2027 with Strauss, a German apparel company that entered the U.S. market last year.

Ads of 5-by-0.92 inches (12.7-by-2.3 centimeters) will be on each side of every helmet featuring “STRAUSS” in capital letters in white alongside the company’s ostrich logo silhouetted by a red square, with an alternate color for red helmets.

Strauss also will appear on the helmets of the 120 affiliated minor league teams from 2025-27.

MLB previously had helmet ads in select international games dating to at least 2008 and has allowed jersey ads since 2023. The general use of ads was agreed to by the players’ association in the 2022 labor contract, and 23 of the 30 teams have jersey patch ads.

Engelbert Strauss GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1948.

Major League Soccer became the first of the major North American leagues to allow jersey ads in 2007. The NBA started selling sponsorship logos for the 2017-18 season, and the NHL launched helmet ads for the 2020-21 season and began jersey advertising the following season.

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“We are here because we want to win,” he said Friday at his introductory news conference. “We have many examples next to us we need to follow.”

While the U.S. men haven’t reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002 and have never won the sport’s top tournament, the American women have won four World Cups and five Olympic gold medals.

“We need to believe we can win the World Cup,” he said.

A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino will be coaching a national team for the first time, becoming the 10th U.S. coach in 14 years and its first foreign-born leader since Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. He was hired to replace Gregg Berhalter, who was fired from his second term on July 10, a week after the Americans were eliminated in the first round of the Copa America.

Emma Hayes, who coached at Chelsea before becoming U.S. women’s coach this year, helped recruit her former club colleague.

“I didn’t need to ask. She explained everything,” he said.

USMNT Sep 10

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Wearing a dark jacket, white dress shirt with no tie and a pocket square, Pochettino was flanked by U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone, CEO JT Batson and sporting director Matt Crocker, who knew Pochettino from their time together at Southampton a decade ago.

While some have proclaimed the current group the most talented the U.S. has produced, Pochettino was slightly more restrained in his assessment calling it a “very good generation of players.”

“We need to show that we play like a collective on the pitch,” he said.

Pochettino arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday, a day after his deal was announced, and dined Thursday night with American soccer stakeholders.

His news conference — on Friday the 13th, for those who are superstitious — was in a Warner Bros. Discovery screening room at 30 Hudson Yards on the far west side of Manhattan, just eight blocks from Berhalter’s introduction at Glasshouse Chelsea on Dec. 4, 2018.

Where did Mauricio Pochettino manage before taking over USMNT?

Pochettino has led Espanyol in Spain (2009-12), Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19) and Chelsea (2023-24) in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France (2021-22), leaving after winning a French league title.

When is the 2026 World Cup?

Pochettino has 637 days before the Americans’ World Cup opener in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026.

His first games will be friendlies against Panama on Oct. 12 at Austin, Texas, and at Mexico three days later, and his first competitive matches will be in a two-leg CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal in November.

Pochettino is likely to have his full player pool available for just eight one-week training periods before the team gathers ahead of the World Cup. The Americans are thin at goalkeeper and central defense and have had difficulty maintaining on-field discipline.

And there are now questions about his future — both short-term and long-term.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was hurt in his team’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, sustaining the injury on a play where he collided into Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa, who was rushing successfully for a first down, initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding as many quarterbacks do on a scramble.

Players from both teams immediately began gesturing that Tagovailoa needed medical attention as he lay on the turf and exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline after the play in the third quarter.

He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room. The Dolphins needed only a few minutes to announce that he would not return to the game.

What do we know about Tagovailoa’s concussion?

All anyone really could say with certainty late Thursday and early Friday was that he was concussed. The process of the Dolphins evaluating his condition began in earnest on Friday and there is no timetable for how long that will take.

He has been placed into the NFL’s concussion protocol and will have to successfully complete a series of tests and assessments before he or the Dolphins can even think of him returning to the field.

“Each player and each concussion is unique,” the NFL says in the introduction to the protocol rules. “Therefore, there is no set timeframe for return to participation or for the progression through the steps of the graduated exertion program set forth below. Recovery time will vary from player to player.”

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Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion in collision with Damar Hamlin

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What is Tagovailoa’s injury history?

He was diagnosed with two concussions in 2022, as well as one when he played at Alabama.

There have been many other issues, including some in college that were serious. At Alabama, he had a procedure for a high ankle sprain in October 2019, which caused him to miss one game. A month later, Tagovailoa dislocated his right hip against Mississippi State, which prematurely ended his college career.

In his pro career, Tagovailoa has dealt with rib fractures, a thumb injury and a fractured middle finger on his throwing hand, along with the concussions.

In April 2023, he revealed that he discussed with his family whether it was wise to continue playing after the two concussions in the 2022 season.

What are players saying about Tagovailoa?

There are a mix of reactions, as would be expected, though many former players who have since become analysts are suggesting that he take a hard look at his long-term health and ask if it’s wise to continue playing football.

Former linebacker Manti Te’o, who has known Tagovailoa for years and calls him his “little brother,” said he hoped to see him leave the game after the concussion at Cincinnati in 2022. He said he’s thinking of his parents, what they had to have gone through on Thursday night, as well as Tagovailoa’s long-term ability to parent his own children.

“After he suffered the one against the Bengals, I wanted him to walk,” Te’o said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Friday, appearing to choke back tears after he said that. “What people have to understand is this is just a game. And then there’s life.”

Added former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, on social media: “Think of the person not just the player,” a sentiment shared by countless others.

And former receiver Dez Bryant was even more direct, saying it’s time for the league to intervene.

“That’s it…. NFL go ahead and do the right thing,” Bryant posted. “Tua has had entirely way too many concussions … He need to retire for his longevity health concerns.”

Have players retired because of concussions?

It has happened on a handful of known occasions, with players at varying stages of their career when they made the decision to walk away.

— Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is perhaps the most prominent example. He was 28 when he retired at the peak of his game, a perennial All-Pro but one who had three concussions in the span of three seasons. Among those concussions: one in a game in 2016 when he cried on the field. He has since been an advocate for awareness and safety.

— Frank Wycheck, the Tennessee Titans star who famously threw the lateral in the “Music City Miracle” play, left the game after 11 seasons citing the “lingering effects” of the “physical stuff,” including two concussions in the 2003 season. He retired after that season, said in a television interview in 2017 that he was certain he had CTE, and died last December after a fall at his home.

— Jordan Reed was 30 when he retired in 2021 after seven seasons as a tight end for Washington and San Francisco, citing concussions. He said doctors advised him continuing to play would not be wise.

— Kylie Fitts was 27 when he retired in 2022. The former Arizona linebacker said at the time “due to too many concussions … it is no longer safe for me to continue to play.”

— Chris Borland was only 24 when he retired after just one season in the NFL, citing concerns about head trauma.

The man accused of being drunk when his car struck and killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew as they biked near their South Jersey hometown the night before their sister’s wedding will remain jailed awaiting trial as it was revealed he had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit and a history of road rage.

The decision to continue Sean Higgins’ detention in Salem County Jail was made during a Friday, Sept. 13, Zoom detention hearing in front of Superior Court judge Michael Silvanio.

“I believe the state has convinced this court by clear and convincing evidence that there is no amount of monetary bail, or non monetary conditions, or combination thereof, that I could put in place that would ensure the statutory goals,” Silvanio said. “For those reasons I am going to grant the state’s motion to detain Mr. Higgins pending the further outcome of this case.”

The case is being closely followed far beyond South Jersey. Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.

“This is a highly-publicized case, it’s an emotionally-charged case and one in which everybody has lost and is losing,” Higgins’ attorney Matthew Portella said Friday.

Higgins could be seen on screen Friday morning with facial hair and wearing a green shirt. At the start of the hearing, Silvanio made the South Jersey resident aware of his rights and made sure that Higgins was aware of his rights. “Yes your honor,” Higgins replied to the judge’s instructions.

Prosecutor, defense team lay out what happened on night of deadly crash, argue over detainment

The Gaudreau brothers grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Carneys Point, New Jersey, where they spent their childhoods on the ice. They played at Gloucester Catholic High School, with Team Comcast and with the Philadelphia Little Flyers. Johnny went on to an All-Star career in the NHL.

Johnny, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30, in nearby Philadelphia, according to family.

The Gaudreaus were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday, Aug. 29, when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind at about 8 p.m., according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the striking driver, 43-year-old Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Another driver had slowed down and pulled into the opposing lane of traffic to safely pass the Gaudreau brothers, First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County said Friday. The driver behind that driver followed suit — bother moving slightly above the 50 mph posted speed limit.

It is alleged that Higgins came speeding up behind the two other drivers and decides to overtake both cars. Higgins said he saw the driver moving to left lane as that driver trying to block him, Flynn said. Higgins then reacted by accelerating past one of the other driver on the right hand side, striking the Gaudreau brothers.

Higgins later claimed to have not seen the bikes.

Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press.

Higgins told state police that he was also drinking in the car while driving, Flynn said Friday.

Higgins’ attorneys pointed out that a Sept. 5 report on Higgins’ blood alcohol at the time of the Aug. 29, 2024, wreck was .087% — just above the legal limit.

Higgins’ attorney said the BAC showed that Higgins was right around the intoxicated driving legal limit and that shouldn’t be a mitigating circumstance in keeping him jailed.

However, the state argued that Higgins had made statements about ending his life and was known to drink and drive angrily.

“The whodunit and what happened is pretty well documented in the record,” the prosecuting attorney said.

The judge noted the facts of the case while making his ruling after the prosecuting attorney and lawyers representing Higgins argued over if Higgins should remain jailed ahead of trial.

To be detained, the state had to display probable cause and prove that any bail offered wouldn’t be sufficient enough for Higgins to appear in court for his trial.

“This is a serious crime,” argued the prosecuting attorney, saying that Higgins’ “impatience, anger and recklessness” led to the Gaudreau brothers’ deaths.

Higgins is a married father to two daughters, ages 8 and 10, and a law-abiding citizen before the crash, his defense argued.

“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” Portella said. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”

Higgins’ attorney noted he has no previous record and shared letters on his behalf. Portella added that Higgins was low risk to not show up for court. His team also offered a breath monitoring machine on Higgins’ car should he be released.

The prosecution painted another picture of Higgins.

Driving drunk and upset is not out of character for Higgins, prosecutors alleged.

Flynn argued that the locking device would not stop what he called “the fundamental issue” of Higgins’s “angry and aggressive driving,” exacerbated that day by alcohol.

Higgins wife told investigators that he had been working from home and that had a negative effect on him that led drinking at his house. The prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with a family member.

He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said.

“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to Flynn.

“There simply is no condition that the court can place on Mr. Higgins that is going to control — not only the aggressive driving, but unfortunately the drinking during the driving — getting on the road and having this happen again,” Flynn said while arguing Higgins should remain jailed.

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Johnny Gaudreau's widow reveals she is pregnant with 3rd child at funeral for NHL star, brother

In arguing for Higgins to remain behind bars, the state also argued that he could hurt himself if he is freed from behind bars as he could face up to 20 years behind bars.

“Clear intent to self-harm over the regret of what happened,” the prosecuting attorney said.

“They’re concerned that Mr. Higgins is going to put himself beyond the reach of the court… committing suicide,” Portella said.

Higgins’ attorney acknowledged that at the scene Higgins was upset and that he did say his life was over. However, he was no longer on suicide watch as of Friday’s hearing.

He was “freaking out” and a recent knee surgery that caused a limp contributed to Higgins “not to be able to do the field sobriety test properly,” Portella said.

Higgins will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Oct. 15, for an in-person hearing.

Higgins has seven days to appeal the decision.

Higgins had previous driving violations

NBC10 obtained the New Jersey driver history for Higgins. Our investigators found that Higgins had previously been stopped by police for unsafe driving and other violations.

Through an open records request to New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission, we were able to see that Higgins was involved in two car crashes: One in 2016 and the other in 2021.

He was also cited between 2003 and 2014 for improper operation in a highway with marked lines, improper display of plates, speeding and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.

The state of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission had Higgins listed “in good standing” at the time of last week’s fatal crash.

We also found two violations in North Carolina that included driving while intoxicated in 2005 and a speeding ticket in 2021. Both were dismissed.

According to court records, the DWI was dismissed because the officer did not show up for the court date.

Higgins was an Army veteran who worked at an alcohol treatment center

He is a graduate of Drexel and Rutgers universities and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq, his attorneys said. Higgins worked in finance for an addiction treatment company.

Higgins was an employee at Gaudenzia, a nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment center, at the time of the crash. He was at first placed on leave by the organization before being fired last week.

“Our thoughts and condolences remain with all those impacted by the tragedy that resulted in the loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau,” a statement from the Norristown-based company said. “Sean Higgins is no longer an employee of Gaudenzia.”

Higgins’ service time in Iraq — which left him honored with a Bronze Star — left his mentally scared, his attorney said.

Gaudreau family, hockey community, remember brothers, share message

The funeral for the Gaudreau brothers took place Monday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania.

Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. John was 31 and Matthew 29.

“Everything was always John and Matty,” said Meredith, John’s wife, who revealed she was pregnant with the couple’s third child. “I know John would not have been able to live a day without his brother.”

“I urge everyone to not drink and drive,” said Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew’s pregnant wife. “Find a ride. Please don’t put another family through this torture.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

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Tua Tagovailoa exited Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter after he suffered a concussion. It marked the third concussion for Tagovailoa in his NFL career after he suffered two in the 2022 season.

The injury puts the Dolphins and backup quarterback Skylar Thompson in a familiar position, as the team turned to Thompson in that 2022 season with Tagovailoa and then-backup Teddy Bridgewater sidelined.

Thompson played the remainder of Thursday night’s game, and while there is no timeline on Tagovailoa’s concussion recovery, the backup is in position to be thrust back into a starting role.

So, who is Thompson and where did he come from? Here’s what to know about the Dolphins QB:

Where did Skylar Thompson go to college?

After growing up in Missouri, Thompson played college football at Kansas State University from 2017 through 2021.

He ranks second in school history in passing yards (7,134) and third in passing touchdowns (42) while adding in 26 rushing touchdowns. In his senior season, he tossed 12 touchdowns to four interceptions and led the Wildcats to a Texas Bowl victory over LSU.

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When did the Dolphins pick Skylar Thompson in the NFL draft?

The Dolphins selected Thompson with the 247th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the eighth quarterback taken in the event and was the Dolphins’ final selection.

Skylar Thompson NFL stats

Thompson has appeared in eight NFL games and made two regular season starts in 2022 before starting the Dolphins’ wild card loss to the Bills in that year’s playoffs. For his career, Thompson has completed 68 of 119 pass attempts for 614 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

He went 8-for-14 with 80 passing yards in relief for Tagovailoa against the Bills in Week 2.

Dolphins’ quarterback depth chart

Thompson and Tagovailoa are the only quarterbacks on the Dolphins’ active 53-man roster, while Tim Boyle is on the practice squad.

On Friday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said the team is moving forward with Thompson and that it will sign another quarterback for depth.

How much money does Skylar Thompson make a year?

Thompson signed a four-year, $3.7 million contract with the Dolphins in May 2022. He has a base salary of $985,000 and a cap hit of $1,005,554 in 2024, according to Spotrac. 

He is under contract for 2025 and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026.

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

Police in Boulder, Colorado, say they received a call at around 6:45 p.m. local time on Thursday about several hit-and-run crashes involving the same blue pickup. Witnesses said that the driver had also struck several trees and nearly struck a person before fleeing, according to Boulder Police.

Boulder Police says it attempted to stop the driver on Stadium Drive on the University of Colorado campus before he eluded officers and rammed into the gate at Folsom Field. University of Colorado police alerted students about a “heavy police presence” at Folsom Field at 7:23 p.m. local time.

After some negotiation with police, the driver got out of the pickup and surrendered to police, Boulder Police said.

The man has been identified as Karl E. Haglund, 48, of Massachusetts. Haglund was booked into the Boulder County jail on charges of criminal attempt vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, vehicular eluding, leaving the scene of a crash after damage (three counts), failure to obey a traffic control device, driving without insurance, criminal mischief $100K-$150K, obstruction of a peace officer and trespassing.

Boulder Police said its investigation is ongoing.

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Shannon Sharpe is setting the record straight.

While the ESPN commentator initially claimed his Instagram account had been compromised after explicit audio of an apparent sexual act could be heard in an Instagram Live, he has since admitted that was not actually the case and shared insight into what really happened.

“This was not staged,” Sharpe explained on the Sept. 11 episode of his podcast, “Nightcap.” “I came in, threw my phone on the bed, engaged in an activity. I’ve never turned IG Live on, so I don’t know how it works. All of a sudden, my other phone is going off and people are calling me.”

After the onslaught of phone calls, he realized what had just happened.

“My heart sank,” he said. “It dropped.”

The former Denver Broncos tight end couldn’t believe this could happen, especially since he’d never used the feature before.

“[I’m] someone that is extremely, extremely private, and to have one of your most intimate details, the audio heard for the entire world to hear,” Sharpe explained, “I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons.”

“There are a lot of people that count on me at all times,” he continued. “Even when I’m behind closed doors, I still try to remain a level of professional, although I’m in the privacy of my own home, and I’m very disappointed in myself, not for the act — there are millions and billions of consenting age that engage in activities. But to have their most intimate detail and audio to be heard, I’m disappointed in myself. I let a lot of people down.”

The 56-year-old noted that he also reached out to his kids Kayla, 31, Kiari, 31, and Kaley, 30, to apologize, along with other family members amid the fallout.

Sharpe’s fellow NFL alum have lauded him for speaking out.

Co-host Chad Johnson saw it as a learning moment.

“This is why I always tell you that you need to evolve with the times,” the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver said on the Sept. 11 episode. “You’re not very good at technology, you’re not very technically savvy, so I gave you a little grace.”

Meanwhile, fellow ESPN star Pat McAfee commended him for taking accountability for the incident.

“You handled it perfectly on ‘Nightcap,'” he said on his eponymous ESPN show on Thursday. “We’re all very thankful that you did that instead of faking you were hacked.”

Buffalo extended that to mark one in 13 on Thursday Night Football with a commanding 31-10 rout in Miami to kickstart Week 2.

After an even first quarter knotted at 7-7, Buffalo took control in the second with 17 points, primarily thanks to mistakes from Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Josh Allen and Co. basically had the game wrapped up well before Tagovailoa’s concussion late in the third quarter, which saw Skylar Thompson enter.

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

WINNER: Josh Allen on Thursdays

Allen came into the game with a 6-0 record when playing on Thursdays. That is also now extended to a robust 7-0 mark, even though the 28-year-old didn’t need to do as much this time around. Allen threw for just 139 yards on 13 of 19 completions for a touchdown and no picks. Allen will now get extra rest for when Buffalo meets the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 for Monday Night Football.

LOSER: Tua Tagovailoa’s woes persist

Tagovailoa had been struggling mightily prior to his concussion, throwing for just 145 yards on 17 of 25 completions for one touchdown and three interceptions. One of the picks was deflected, while another was an attempt to throw the ball out of bounds but didn’t travel far enough; it ended up as a pick six. The other was a pure overthrow.

Miami’s offense can’t click if Tagovailoa isn’t able to consistently move the ball downfield against tough opponents, which was also the case last season.

It’s not yet known how much time Tagovailoa will miss after signing a four-year extension worth $212 million over the summer. Skylar Thompson is Miami’s QB2.

WINNER: James Cook, Bills

Buffalo’s game ball should easily go to Cook, who dominated with three first-half touchdowns to ease the burden on Allen.

Cook ran for 78 yards on 11 carries for two touchdowns and had a 17-yard receiving score, his lone catch of the night. One of the rushing touchdowns was a 49-yard carry right off the heels of a Miami turnover. The 24-year-old has been an underrated running back in the league and continues to produce for Buffalo.

LOSER: Dolphins in big games

The biggest red flag for Miami all of last season was its inability to win — or outright perform — in big games. The Dolphins had no problem dispatching inferior opponents, but flip the script and they would be outmatched.

It’s concerning already that that may be the case this year, too. Performances lacked on both sides of the ball against a Buffalo team that is expected to compete for the Lombardi Trophy this season even if it lacks firepower in its receiving room.

Miami, with similar high expectations, has the stars but not the big-game personalities. Tyreek Hill mustered just 24 receiving yards on three catches while Jaylen Waddle had 41 on four receptions. De’Von Achane looked solid with 96 rushing yards on 22 carries, but with Tagovailoa’s poor outings and Thompson not being enough, things are not looking so great for Mike McDaniel’s side.

WINNER: AFC East’s competitiveness

Last season, Buffalo stormed back to claim the AFC East crown despite Miami occupying it for most of the year. The New York Jets faltered due to Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury while the New England Patriots were in a rough patch all season.

But this year, the landscape of the division feels a bit more competitive, more than it has in a long, long time. Buffalo should be the favorite to win, but a Rodgers’ resurgence could see the Jets making a massive comeback up the standings. Miami should still stay within wild-card distance, while the Patriots are looking improved under Jerod Mayo, though the sample size is too small to be certain

Regardless, this division needed more parity after New England’s lengthy control and this could be the best season in a while for that.

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