Every single NFL team has at least one reason for optimism in 2026

Good morning, sports fans. Brent Brookhouse here to take you through all the news you need to know.

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🏀 Five things to know Thursday

1. Spurs roll over Wolves, Knicks beat 76ers again. San Antonio showed what it could be, despite Victor Wembanyama not even having an eye-popping stat line — and that was to trounce Minnesota 133-95 to even that series at 1. And the Knicks showed they can also win close games as they beat a Sixers squad 108-102 without Joel Embiid, who was out with ankle and hip ailments. New York leads that series 2-0, which puts the orange-and-blue front and center in today’s NBA playoff winners and losers. Tonight’s schedule has Pistons-Cavaliers and Thunder-Lakers.
2. Carlos Correa is out for the season. The Astros have been devastated by injuries, and that situation only got worse on Wednesday when Correa went down with an ankle injury during batting practice on Tuesday. Correa will undergo surgery on the injured left ankle and miss the remainder of the season.
3. Ted Turner dies at 87. Turner left an incredible sports legacy as the former owner of the Atlanta Hawks and Braves, as well as the founder of World Championship Wrestling, which spent nearly two years as the biggest professional wrestling company in the world. In addition, Turner won the America’s Cup yacht race in 1977.
4. Get ready for the WNBA season. The WNBA season tips off on Friday with a trio of games. In anticipation of the season, we have predictions for how things will play out, including which teams will meet in this year’s finals.
5. Which teams will make the College Football Playoff? Spring practices are in the books and that means we have a bit more information on how many college football teams will look when the season kicks off. With that in mind, Brad Crawford has a fresh look at bowl games and CFP projections.

🏀 Do not miss this: A complete history of the NBA Draft Lottery and four decades of tanking

Tanking has long been one of the more controversial team decisions in all of sports. When landing a high draft pick can have franchise-altering implications for years to come, especially in a five-on-five sport like basketball, it’s natural for teams to be willing to make moves in an attempt to intentionally lose games and increase the probability of a higher pick once the playoffs are out of reach. That logic doesn’t do much for fans, however, as watching a professional team make moves that reduce competitiveness strikes against the very heart of why people love sports.

Sam Quinn took a look at the entire history of the NBA Draft, including the years before — and after — the introduction of the lottery system. Most interestingly, Quinn broke down the history of teams tanking in an effort to increase their odds of seeing the top pick go their way, isolating 1984 as “the dawn of tanking.”

• Quinn: “Though it would be impossible to truly peg the first instance of tanking, the concept came into the mainstream in 1984. The Houston Rockets won the first pick in the 1983 NBA Draft through the coin toss and selected Virginia star Ralph Sampson, but as University of Houston star Hakeem Olajuwon soared, the Rockets ended the season on a somewhat suspicious downward spiral. After starting the year 24-36, they closed the season losing 17 of their final 22 games.
  “This would be considered quaint by modern standards. In a period measured by Yahoo’s Tom Haberstroh, for example, the nine tanking teams this season went 12-167 across a 179-game sample against the 21 winners in 2025-26. But Houston’s actions raised eyebrows, especially in its second-to-last game. The Rockets used 36-year-old future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes in all 53 minutes of an overtime loss despite him averaging less than 13 minutes per game throughout the season.”

⚽ PSG, Arsenal set for massive Champions League final

The UEFA Champions League final is set, and befitting such a massive tournament, two huge clubs are set to meet for the silverware. Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 against Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the second leg of their semifinal, advancing 6-5 on aggregate. 2026 marks the second consecutive year PSG has reached the Champions League final, though their victory wasn’t without controversy, as two Bayern appeals for handball were unsuccessful.

James Benge wrote that PSG vs. Arsenal is a battle of a potential dynasty taking on a team of destiny.

• Benge: “A third Champions League title as a coach would establish Luis Enrique not just as the man who turned PSG from elite football’s punching bag to its great power, aided by oodles of Qatari cash. His counterpart Arteta has already proven in establishing Arsenal as Champions League and Premier League contenders that he is one of the game’s outstanding young coaches. Win in Budapest and those qualifiers will soon be dispensed with.”

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🏈 Finding hope for every NFL team after the draft

We’re now well removed from the NFL Draft, which means all attention turns to hope and expectations for the upcoming season. Did your favorite team attack the draft and free agency in a way that will improve their chances of success? For example, long-suffering Bills fans like me are wondering if the team has finally done enough to help Josh Allen lead Buffalo to the promised land, or are we just set for more heartbreak and disappointment?

Bryan DeArdo found one reason for optimism for every NFL team after the draft and free agency. As much as I would rather close my eyes and plug my ears than hear about Kansas City, here’s what DeArdo had to say about the Chiefs‘ ability to bounce back this season.

• DeArdo: “Kansas City emphatically addressed its running game by signing reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who was part of a free agent class that includes three other projected starters in defensive end Khyiris Tonga and defensive backs Alohi Gilman and Kader Kohou. The Chiefs added even more talent to their defense when they used their first three draft picks on that side of the ball. Mansoor Delane, the sixth overall pick in the draft, is expected to be an immediate starter in Kansas City’s secondary.”

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• March Madness or March Meh-ness? … Some of the most prominent coaches in men’s college basketball — including John Calipari, Dan Hurley, Tom Izzo and Mark Few — aren’t sold on the idea of expanding the NCAA Tournament.
• The Cardinals‘ decision to take Jeremiyah Love third in the NFL draft will have a lingering impact on the running back market.
• The Cubs‘ already injury-plagued pitching staff has taken another hit as starting pitcher Matthew Boyd will require knee surgery for a meniscus tear he sustained while playing with his kids.
• Scratch 2026 as a Triple Crown year after Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo pulled out of the Preakness Stakes.
• Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur didn’t exactly shut down the idea of the team adding Aaron Rodgers to the quarterback room.
• There is significant momentum behind expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams.
• Bryson DeChambeau believes that a full-time YouTube career, not the PGA Tour, could be his next move if LIV Golf folds.
• Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia shared that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
• Tatsuro Taira said that he doesn’t believe Joshua Van is the true flyweight champion ahead of their UFC 328 clash on Saturday.
• Chris Hummer took a look at how LSU landed college football’s most expensive offensive lineman, Jordan Seaton.
• Celtics president Brad Stevens said that Jaylen Brown has not expressed frustrations to him and that a conversation with Brown on Monday was “nothing but positive.”
• A second Masters win will not make Rory McIlroy complacent, as the golfer said, “If anything, I’m more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I’ve ever been.”
• Tigers lefty Framber Valdez has been suspended for five games after plunking Red Sox hitter Trevor Story.
• Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam addressed the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future with the team, saying, “We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
• The Cowboys may say they feel trading Micah Parsons was the right move, but Garrett Podell says Dallas would have been better holding onto the defensive superstar.
• While he has a big fight with Sean Brady this weekend at UFC 328, Joaquin Buckley took a moment to point out that he believes welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is beatable.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

⚽ UEFA Europa League: Nottingham Forest at Aston Villa, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Europa League: Braga at SC Freiburg, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Cavaliers at Pistons, Game 2, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Rays at Red Sox, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Hurricanes at Flyers, Game 3, 8 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Lakers at Thunder, Game 2, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Cardinals at Padres, 10 p.m. on ESPN