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🐯 Five things to know Friday
- The Bengals stunned the Steelers in a “Thursday Night Football” classic. Aaron Rodgers opened the night in historic fashion when he moved into fifth place on the NFL’s career passing yards leaderboard, and his Steelers looked in control with a 10-0 lead. Joe Flacco had something to say about it, though. He hit Ja’Marr Chase a franchise-record 16 times in what became a back-and-forth shootout and set up a game-winning field goal with a clutch two-minute drill drive. Evan McPherson knocked in a 36-yard attempt to give the Bengals a 33-31 divisional win. It was a game that saved Cincinnati’s season — so don’t bury the Bengals just yet. Meanwhile, the loss extends the Steelers’ losing streak of road divisional losses on Thursday to 45 years.
- The Dodgers are a win away from the World Series, and the Blue Jays are alive and well. Los Angeles has plenty of margin for error in its quest for a repeat World Series crown after taking a 3-0 NLCS lead over the Brewers. It was a tough night for Milwaukee, which lost Jackson Chourio to injury and managed just one run for the third straight game in a 3-1 loss. The home team in Seattle had an even worse showing. The Mariners have completely squandered their ALCS lead over the Blue Jays, who were explosive at the plate again in an 8-2 triumph. The series is even at two games apiece.
- Curt Cignetti signed a contract extension with Indiana. It never hurts to have a little bit of leverage. With the Penn State job open and Cignetti a potential home-run target for the Nittany Lions, Indiana elected to pay up to keep its superstar coach in town. Cignetti added another year to his deal and earned a sizable raise to bring his annual salary to $11.6 million.
- Paul George and Jaden Ivey will miss the start of the NBA season. Both the 76ers star and Pistons guard underwent knee surgery in the offseason. George is reportedly expected to debut early in the season, however, and is making strides in practice. Ivey could be on the shelf a while longer and is set to be reevaluated in a month.
- Brady Tkachuk is out six to eight weeks after undergoing thumb surgery. The Senators captain injured his thumb in the first period of Monday’s home opener and is set for an extended absence. It’s a sizable blow for the Senators, who behind Tkachuk reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017.
🔝 Do not miss this: College football’s top 150 players at midseason
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It feels as though few things have gone according to expectations this college football season, and that applies at both the team and individual levels. Preseason Heisman Trophy hopefuls like Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier, for instance, ran into all kinds of bumps in the road over the first half of the campaign. On the flip side, rising stars like Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr. have fueled breakthrough seasons for their respective squads.
Bain is the No. 1 player in Blake Brockermeyer’s midseason top 150 rankings.
- Brockermeyer: “‘Hurricane’ Bain has been the best player in the country this season, dominating the line of scrimmage in both phases and embarrassing his opponents weekly with a relentless blend of speed and power. He plays with a nonstop motor and is a major disruptive force for the Hurricanes.”
Here are the other stars at the top of Brockermeyer’s rankings:
- EDGE Reuben Bain Jr., Miami
- QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
- WR Makai Lemon, USC
- RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
- CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
- WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
- QB Carson Beck, Miami
- WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
- QB Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
- QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
✅ Week 7 NFL picks and predictions
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From Mike Vrabel’s return to Tennessee to a potential shootout between division foes in the Commanders vs. Cowboys clash, Week 7 is not short on tantalizing storylines. Nothing is bigger than the “Monday Night Football” showdown between the Lions and Buccaneers. Our experts weighed in on the biggest games of the week, and Jordan Dajani and Steven Taranto are on different sides in that primetime battle between NFC Super Bowl contenders.
- Dajani (Lions -5.5): Baker Mayfield is a legend, but can he win vs. a top five team despite all of the Bucs’ injuries? I love the Buccaneers, but I think the Lions are arguably the best team in the NFC despite the most recent loss to the Chiefs. Detroit has won four straight meetings in prime time and has committed just three turnovers this season.
- Taranto (Buccaneers +5.5): The Lions’ attitude got the better of them against Kansas City. They are now without one of their best players on defense, safety Brian Branch, after he started a fight following Detroit’s 30-17 loss. Consider the impact of not having Branch and pick accordingly.
The analysts did agree, however, in their assessment of the Rams’ ability to cover as three-point favorites against the Jaguars. They’re also siding with the Giants as 7-point underdogs against the Broncos, and Taranto picked them to win outright. Both of them like the underdog Falcons straight-up, too, over the 49ers.
🏈 Week 8 college football preview
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The second half of the college football season begins in style with five top-25 showdowns. Rivalry games are aplenty and span multiple conferences with the SEC and Big 12 putting ranked foes on big stages and USC and Notre Dame meeting in their annual nonconference battle. All of those games have massive College Football Playoff implications.
Here are the five biggest games of the week:
- No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt
- No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia
- No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama
- No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame
- No. 23 Utah at No. 15 BYU
Tom Fornelli has action on a couple of those marquee matchups. He’s taking Ole Miss and the 3.5 points in the first half against Georgia, and he likes the under 58.5 in Tennessee vs. Alabama. See the rest of Fornelli’s Six Pack of picks, including his Lock of the Week.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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- Anthony Volpe and Carlos Rodón could miss the start of the Yankees’ 2026 season, but Aaron Judge will not require surgery on his elbow.
- Joe Burrow’s injury may not be a season-ender after all. The Bengals quarterback is reportedly on track for a mid-December return.
- After shooting a scalding 42.7% from 3-point range in a career year, Bucks guard AJ Green earned himself a four-year, $45 million contract extension.
- NBA drama is already in midseason form. Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga received a $35,000 fine for making contact with an official.
- Micah Parsons minced no words in a rant against NFL officials.
- Cade Klubnik has been limited in practice with an ankle injury ahead of Clemson’s matchup against SMU. His status for Saturday is uncertain.
- The Golden Knights signed Carter Hart on the heels of his acquittal in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case.
- The Commanders boosted their depleted receiver group with their reported signing of former first-round pick Treylon Burks.
- Drew Allar reportedly underwent surgery on his broken ankle. What’s next for the Penn State senior?
- United States Men’s National Team star Christian Pulisic could miss a month after picking up an injury during the international break.
- The WNBA picked Chicago as the host city for its 2026 All-Star Game.
- Alvin Kamara sent a warning to potential trade suitors, threatening to not suit up if the Saints move him.
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⚾ ALCS Game 5: Blue Jays at Mariners, 6:08 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Louisville at No. 2 Miami, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 25 Nebraska at Minnesota, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Nuggets at Thunder, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ NLCS Game 4: Brewers at Dodgers, 8:38 p.m. on TBS
🏈 San Jose State at Utah State, 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Clippers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ NC Courage at Bay FC, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 North Carolina at California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Preseason: Kings at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Saturday
⚽ Chelsea at Nottingham Forest, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Newcastle United at Brighton & Hove Albion, 10 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt, noon on ABC
🏈 No. 12 Georgia Tech at Duke, noon on ESPN
⚽ Orlando Pride at Washington Spirit, 12:30 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+
⚽ Arsenal at Fulham, 12:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 1 Ohio State at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+
🏈 No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 4 Texas A&M at Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 7 Texas Tech at Arizona State, 4 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 21 Texas at Kentucky, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Kraken at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Kansas City Current at Houston Dash, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
🏈 No. 23 Utah at No. 15 BYU, 8 p.m. on Fox
⚾ NLCS Game 5: Brewers at Dodgers, 8:08 p.m. on TBS (if necessary)
⚽ Chicago Stars at San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. on Ion
Sunday
⚽ Bologna at Cagliari, 9 a.m. on CBS Sports Network / Paramount+
⚽ Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur, 9 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 Rams vs. Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
⚽ Manchester United at Liverpool, 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 Raiders at Chiefs, 1 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+
🏈 Eagles at Vikings, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏁 NASCAR playoffs at Talladega, 2 p.m. on NBC
🏁 United States Grand Prix, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Colts at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. on CBS / Paramount+
🏈 Commanders at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Portland Thorns at Angel City FC, 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Bruins at Mammoth, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ ALCS Game 6: Mariners at Blue Jays, 8:03 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Falcons at 49ers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
