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🤕 Five things to know this weekend
- Christian McCaffrey popped up on the 49ers’ injury report with a calf issue. Uh oh. Here we go again. A calf injury derailed McCaffrey’s 2024 season before it even got started, and he was listed as limited with a calf issue on the 49ers’ Thursday injury report. McCaffrey seemed to be at full health rolling into Week 1, but fans and fantasy football managers are sweating now.
- WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark will miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Clark has been dealing with a groin injury for most of the season that’s limited her to just 13 games. After a historic rookie campaign, Clark’s sophomore season comes to an unceremonious end, and it was a disaster for everyone involved.
- Amanda Anisimova defeated Naomi Osaka to reach the US Open final. In a grueling semifinal match, Anisimova outlasted Osaka for a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 victory. Now in her second Grand Slam final in eight weeks, Anisimova will face No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday afternoon with a title on the line. The men’s semifinal matches are today, and you can follow our live coverage here.
- Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is about to get a major test from Oklahoma’s Brent Venables. A five-star recruit in the 2025 class, Underwood looked like the real deal in his debut against New Mexico last week. However, Saturday night’s trip to Norman will be a different animal. Venables, one of the best defensive minds in college football, is an absolute nightmare for freshman QBs.
- The red-hot Giants are surging toward the MLB postseason. The Giants are 10-1 in their last 11 games, and that has propelled them up the NL Wild Card standings. With Rafael Devers hitting the cover off the ball, San Francisco is just four games back of the Mets for the final playoff spot. The Giants will try to continue their winning ways with a series against the Cardinals this weekend.
👀 Do not miss this: Eagles hold off Cowboys
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The defending champs pulled out a 24-20 win, but this was not your standard issue NFL season opener, to say the least. Just six seconds into the game, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott, and that set the tone for an odd matchup that also featured a lengthy lightning delay halfway through the third quarter.
Let’s start with the positives. Jalen Hurts is still a headache for opposing defenses. The Cowboys’ secondary played well, holding A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to a combined four catches for 24 yards, but it didn’t matter. Hurts used his legs to make huge plays, including a pair of rushing touchdowns on scramble drills. As Garrett Podell points out, it would have been nice for Dallas to have a fearsome pass rusher.
- Podell: “If [Micah] Parsons was on the field Thursday night instead, he likely would have forced the football to be thrown on a few of those drives, or he would have helped create more than just the one sack Dallas was able to muster. That could have been a difference maker in what was otherwise an extremely close game.”
In addition to Hurts, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams deserves his flowers. Prior to the matchup, Podell highlighted how Williams seized the starting role in Dallas, and he scored both of the team’s touchdowns.
Although the Eagles got the win, they were far from perfect, and the door was wide open for the Cowboys to win this game. More specifically, Lamb and Miles Sanders will be kicking themselves after this one. The former had two brutal drops and a missed opportunity on a late deep ball. The latter put the ball on the ground and killed a promising first-half drive for Dallas.
The ‘boys aren’t the only ones hurting today. Remember that lightning delay? It sucked all the offensive momentum out of a game that was heading toward the over with ease. The teams combined to score 44 points just over halfway through the third quarter. After the delay? Zero points in the 21-plus minutes. Tough break for anyone holding an O47.5 ticket.
🏈 2025 NFL season preview
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As great as Eagles vs. Cowboys was, it was but an hors d’oeuvre for the season ahead. Before the other 30 teams start the long journey toward Super Bowl LX, our NFL experts have compiled their picks and predictions for the 2025 season.
Let’s start with our picks for the MVP. Unsurprisingly, every vote went to a quarterback, but none of them went to the reigning MVP Josh Allen. Instead, three other AFC signal-callers led the way.
T-1. Joe Burrow, QB, CIN (5)
T-1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC (5)
3. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL (4)
4. Brock Purdy, QB, SF (1)
When it came to Super Bowl LX predictions, there was a clear favorite among our experts. The Ravens received a whopping seven votes, and the next closest team was the Bills with three votes. As Cody Benjamin writes, one of those teams has to get over the playoff hump soon, right?
- Benjamin: “Lamar Jackson might not have the most pristine playoff resume, but most of us feel it’s a matter of if, not when, the dynamic quarterback helps bring Baltimore to the big stage. Is it wishful thinking, also displayed in the love for a Bills team that’s routinely struggled to get over the ultimate hump? Perhaps.”
Make sure to check out our complete preview because it is chock-full of NFL goodness. There are predictions on everything from Comeback Player of the Year to division winners and everything in between.
Of course, the previews don’t end there. Garrett Podell calls his shot with five bold predictions. Plus, Jeff Kerr will help you show off your knowledge of all the NFL rule changes and schedule info with this handy primer.
🏆 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⚾ Nationals at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on Apple TV+
🎾 US Open: Men’s semifinals, 3 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Brewers at Pirates, 6:40 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏈 JMU at Louisville, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
⚾ Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Sky at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on ION
🏈 Chiefs at Chargers, 8 p.m. on YouTube
🏈 Eastern Washington at Boise State, 9 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Liberty at Storm, 10 p.m. on ION
Saturday
🏈 SJSU at No. 7 Texas, 12 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 11 Illinois at Duke, 12 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State, 12 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Blue Jays at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Oklahoma State at No. 6 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 No. 20 Ole Miss at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Kansas at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🎾 US Open: Women’s final, 4 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Astros at Rangers or Twins at Royals or Giants at Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 12 Arizona State at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 UCLA at UNLV, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Sunday
⚾ Mariners at Braves, 12:05 p.m. on Roku
🏈 Steelers at Jets, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Raiders at Patriots, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Giants at Commanders, 1 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Mets at Reds, 1:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🎾 US Open: Men’s final, 2 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Fever at Mystics, 3 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 49ers at Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Lions at Packers, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
🏀 Wings at Sparks, 6 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Ravens at Bills, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Sky at Aces, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
