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Good morning, sports fans! It’s Austin Nivison greeting you on this fine Thursday morning, and what a day it is. The Raiders and Broncos will kick off the second half of the NFL season, and another week of college football rolls on. Last night, Alexander Ovechkin added another feather in his cap as the greatest scorer in NHL history, and we also have some key NFL injury updates and midseason grades for each team.
Let’s get right to it.
🏒 Five things to know Thursday
- Alex Ovechkin is the first member of the NHL’s 900-goal club. With his second-period tally against the Blues, Ovechkin became the first player in league history to reach 900 goals. Even at 40 years old, Ovi is finding new ways to score, putting a spin-o-rama backhand past Jordan Binnington. Now the question is how high will Ovechkin climb before he retires?
- C.J. Stroud has been ruled out for a key AFC South clash against the Jaguars. After exiting the Texans’ Week 9 loss to the Broncos with a concussion Stroud will be forced to miss Week 10 as he goes through the protocol. That means veteran backup Davis Mills will get the start for Houston, and he struggled mightily after coming into the game against Denver.
- The Cardinals have placed Kyler Murray on injured reserve. After reports emerged that Murray’s foot injury may be more long-term than originally thought, Arizona placed him on IR. Now, Murray will be forced to miss at least the next four games after sitting out the last three. That means Jacoby Brissett will get an extended starting opportunity, but that may not be the worst thing for the Cardinals offense.
- Jazz center Walker Kessler is out for the season with a torn labrum. The Jazz got some bad news on Wednesday when the team announced Kessler suffered a season-ending labrum injury. In the wake of some quality wins, it was disappointing news, but it might benefit Utah in the long run. The Jazz have a top-8 protected pick in the 2026 draft, so Kessler’s injury may help them fall into that range.
- Chelsea played to a disappointing 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League. Despite jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Chelsea lost control of the match and settled for a draw against a surprisingly crappy Qarabag club in Azerbaijan. Given the arduous 3,000-mile journey, some hiccups were to be expected, but questions remain about how much damage Chelsea can do against the top clubs in the world.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL midseason grades
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Now that we’re halfway through the NFL season, it’s time to assess where teams have succeeded so far and where they need to improve down the stretch. Tyler Sullivan broke out his rubric and handed out midseason grades for all 32 teams.
There have been a number of surprises to this point, but none were bigger than the Ravens getting off to a 1-5 start. They’ve steadied the ship with two straight victories, and that has bumped them up to a “C” on their report card. With Lamar Jackson leading the way on offense, Sullivan thinks big things could be on the way in Baltimore, as long as the defense holds up.
- Sullivan: “Defensively, they’ve held opponents to just 13 points per game since Week 6, which is tied for second in the NFL. They’ve inched closer to the Steelers for first place in the AFC North, and are still the betting favorite to ultimately win the division. It hasn’t been a perfect start by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s a path toward landing on their feet.”
Here’s how a few more notable teams fared on their report cards:
- Chiefs: C
- Jets: F
- Colts: A
- Lions: B
In addition to midseason grades, Cody Benjamin is highlighting one thing we’ve learned about each NFL team through the first nine weeks.
🐯 Can Auburn nail its next coaching hire?
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After firing Hugh Freeze, Auburn has returned to the chaos of the coaching carousel for the third time in just five years. While trying to be something it’s not, the program has forced a bad fit (Bryan Harsin) and ignored a laundry list of red flags (Freeze).
Now, as our Brandon Marcello writes so eloquently, the Tigers must return to their roots if they want to find themselves once again. A football program that must be a grinder in the SEC landscape needs another grinder forged in the fire of college football.
There is one candidate who fits that description to a tee — Tulane’s Jon Sumrall — and there’s no reason for Auburn to overthink it.
- Marcello: “He’s a grinder, a relationship-builder and — to a fault — brutally honest. Dozens of Alabama high school coaches, including ardent Tide supporters, consider him a friend. More importantly, those who know Sumrall believe he exemplifies everything Auburn stands for, and his fiery personality will enhance what has long been lost on the Plains. (It doesn’t hurt that his wife, Ginny, is an Auburn alumna, too.)”
As for the man leaving The Plains, John Talty went in-depth on how Freeze’s tenure fell apart from a golf obsession to the lack of a game-changing quarterback.
⚾ MLB offseason bold predictions
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Welcome to the first official day of MLB free agency as teams turn their attention to the 2026 World Series. With the offseason about to hit high gear, Mike Axisa has 10 bold predictions for fans to sink their teeth into.
With Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman both opting out of their contracts at the end of the season, what if they just … switched teams in free agency? The Mets and Red Sox would both fill obvious needs, and there’s no doubt both organizations have the money to make this happen.
- Axisa: “The Mets need help at the hot corner and must improve their infield defense. The Red Sox need a middle-of-the-order power threat, preferably a righty who can launch balls over the Green Monster. Bregman to the Mets and Alonso the Red Sox are fits every which way.”
Opting out was an especially risky move for Alonso, who could be greeted by a chilly free agent market this winter.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
⚽ Catch all the UEFA Champions League action on Paramount+
🏒 Capitals at Penguins, 7:30 p.m. on Hulu
🏈 UTSA at USF, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Raiders at Broncos, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Clippers at Suns, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Panthers at Kings, 10 p.m. on Hulu
