Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams showed NFL fans once again that they're a match made in heaven.
Chicago didn't give the New England Patriots much of a shot in Week 7's Thursday night matchup. The Bears comfortably beat the Pats, 30-24, improving to 5-2.
In a game decided by just six points, Drake Maye leaving guaranteed points on the turf with a killer second-quarter end-zone pick loomed large. It forced New England into chase mode all night. It was Maye's third INT in the end zone this season.
New England almost went into the halftime break facing a scary deficit, if not for a 48-yard TD run by Pats RB Rhamondre Stevenson. Chicago's defense fell asleep at the wheel; an effort on D unbecoming of this franchise.
In his second game back from a hamstring injury, Caleb continued to ride an offensive groove, throwing for 308 yards (22-of-32) and two touchdowns.
On the Al Michaels front — the play-by-play icon had another sleepy outing, stumbling through a few sequences, including calling a Pats "fumble" that never occurred. The 81-year-old broadcaster also mistook Williams and Maye for QBs from the "class of 2014." They were drafted in 2024.
Chicago extinguished New England's last-minute comeback bid courtesy of exceptional clock management by coach Johnson and a nail-in-the-coffin, career-best 58-yard field goal from Cairo Santos. The kick let the former Vrabel disciple stick it to his old boss, leaving the Patriots coach grimacing on the sideline knowing he'd been out-dueled.
Maye finished with 321 passing yards (24-of-31) with two touchdowns and that costly turnover.
The final play of the first half between the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears on "Thursday Night Football" was the definition of: "What in the world did we just watch?"
After Luther Burden III scored for the Bears on third-and-17 near the red zone, Chicago went up 20-7 in the waning seconds of the second quarter. With the Bears getting the ball to start the third quarter, it would’ve been the perfect ending to the first half at home.
The Patriots took over with just 14 seconds left to play, but quarterback Drake Maye didn’t just kneel the clock out and head to the locker room. Instead, the Patriots were going to at least take a shot to get some points back before going to halftime.
After A.J. Brown hauled in his first catch of the night for 18 yards, the Patriots were near midfield for what should’ve been a Hail Mary attempt. But when Maye dumped the ball off to running back Rhamondre Stevenson, it seemed no points were coming the Patriots way in the end.
But Stevenson found some space and waited for his teammates to make a couple of blocks. Then, the Bears defenders, who didn’t seem to have urgency to bring Stevenson down, over-pursued the veteran back, and he found a crease toward the end zone.
Stevenson sprinted into the end zone for a 48-yard score as the clock expired, shocking the entire Soldier Field crowd as the Bears were only up 20-14.
NextGenStats found that Stevenson only had a 4.3% chance of scoring once the ball hit his hands.
We’ll see if this miraculous touchdown will come back to haunt the Bears, who are playing their first home game since the passing of legendary coach Mike Ditka. The night began with a moment of silence for the Super Bowl-winning coach, while fans were given fake mustaches to replicate his iconic look.
Charles Barkley is ready to pull the plug on television soon, and he wants zero part of the Aaron Rodgers farewell playbook.
During an appearance on SiriusXM, the 11-time NBA All-Star and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee laughed off any comparison between his own planned exit and the veteran quarterback's messy final tour.
"But I tell you what though, I'm not gonna bury everybody going out the door like Aaron," Barkley said, roasting the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer. "I'm not gonna burn every bridge and talk bad about all my exes on my way out the door like he's doing."
Barkley took aim at Rodgers' appearance on the Not Just Football podcast, where the quarterback focused heavily on his bitter family rift. Between jabs at exes and former teammates, Rodgers rehashed a decade of bad blood with his parents and brothers, Luke and Jordan. That feud went public during Jordan's 2016 stint on The Bachelorette, kicking off years of familial cold-shouldering and skipped family weddings.
Now in his 25th year on television, Chuck has built a beloved media career through brutal honesty.
Rodgers is currently grinding through his 22nd NFL season and is widely expected to finally hang 'em up once the season wraps.
Barkley's own retirement talk always comes with a massive grain of salt, as media peers routinely doubt whether he will actually follow through after teasing it for the better part of a decade.
Nearly 500 days had passed since Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton last played in a regular-season NBA game. On Wednesday, the two-time All-Star made his long-awaited return, scoring 23 points to help Indiana secure a 123-120 season-opening victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Haliburton was sidelined for the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder went on to win the championship that year.
During Wednesday’s on-court postgame interview, the conversation took an emotional turn as Haliburton reflected on his long road back to the hardwood.
Asked about his performance in the season opener and how much fun he had playing with his teammates, Haliburton became visibly emotional.
"It means a lot to be back out here," Haliburton said as he fought back tears.
"We've got a lot to pick up, the second quarter wasn't good. But, we're battle-tested so we finished this game the right way. Just really proud of this group."
Haliburton added: "... I’m just really thankful to be back out here."
The Pacers experienced a significant drop-off without their star guard last season, finishing with just 19 wins. That was a far cry from the team that had come within one victory of winning an NBA championship the year before.
With Haliburton back, Indiana expects to contend in a competitive Eastern Conference. The Pacers host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday for their home opener.
World Series champion Mitch Garver has announced his retirement from baseball at age 35.
Garver played for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners during his 10-season major league career. He confirmed his retirement to MLB.com in a text message.
The Albuquerque native spent the first five seasons of his career with the Twins. The catcher and designated hitter won a Silver Slugger Award in 2019 when he hit 31 home runs, drove in 67 runs and posted an impressive .995 OPS.
In 2022, Garver was traded to the Rangers and became a key contributor to their 2023 World Series championship team. During the 2023 postseason , Garver played in 14 games, hitting .226 with three home runs and 14 RBI.
Following his postseason success, Garver signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Mariners. At the time, it was the richest contract Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto had ever handed out. First baseman Josh Naylor set a new high mark with his five-year, $92.5 million contract last offseason.
Garver struggled offensively in Seattle compared with his time in Texas and was relegated to a backup role behind catcher Cal Raleigh. Despite no longer being a starter, Garver remained an important clubhouse presence and helped Raleigh during his record-setting 2025 season.
The Mariners released Garver in August, and he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees but never appeared in a major league game for the team.
Getting angry with officials can cost coaches on the field — and off it, too.
The NFL fined New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn and Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni $250,000 each for their conduct toward officials, according to Sports Illustrated. The fines are being held in abeyance, meaning they could be waived if the coaches demonstrate good behavior, according to the report.
It is unclear whether the fines stemmed from specific incidents or a pattern of conduct by the coaches.
In Week 4, Vrabel was flagged after expressing his displeasure with an official's call.
"I told him it was a terrible — I’m not going to say effing — call," Vrabel said after the game. "I’ve said that 87 times since I’ve been a head coach. It was nothing derogatory. You’d have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive."
Officials have also made headlines this season, as the NFL disciplined two officials for their conduct in Week 5. Line judge Jeff Seeman was fined for apparently cursing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.
Referee Adrian Hill was suspended for one game for unprofessional conduct toward Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson.
Wilson was pushed into Hill by a Miami Dolphins player after the play was blown dead, knocking the referee to the ground. Wilson offered to help Hill up, but the referee jumped to his feet, pointed at Wilson and yelled at him to get away.
"That was funny, honestly," Wilson told reporters in the Vikings' locker room, according to ESPN. "I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation. He was cool about it. He understood what was going on. He just said he didn't want us fighting, me and (Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II). He said he was just trying to break us up."
The NFL hopes to prevent further incidents involving coaches and officials from becoming distractions for the remainder of the season.
The NBA season may be only two days old, but Charles Barkley already appears to be in midseason form. During the first hour of Wednesday night’s "NBA Tip-Off" pregame show, Barkley appeared to surprise host Ernie Johnson with an unexpected revelation about Shaquille O’Neal.
Barkley suggested that O’Neal knows FBI Director Kash Patel, delivering the comment so casually that the entire "Inside the NBA" crew broke into laughter.
"Hey, Kenny. Should we be standing this close to Shaq?" Barkley asked.
Fellow NBA analyst Kenny Smith responded: "Why is that?"
"He’s been hanging out with Kash Patel," Barkley explained. "That’s dangerous."
"Oh!! Oh! Oh, I didn’t know you were gonna be going there," Johnson said. "But I should have known you would."
"Alright, Chuck," O’Neal replied as he continued to laugh. "Alright, Chuck."
For more than three decades, Ernie Johnson has hosted "Inside the NBA," which originates from a television studio in Atlanta. Two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith joined the show in 1998, Barkley came aboard in 2000 and O’Neal became a permanent fixture in 2011.
"I got your back, big fella," Barkley said. "We can hang out with who the hell we want to."
Barkley was hinting to Patel’s decision in September to name O’Neal an honorary FBI special agent.
"This session is historic – FBI was honored to be joined by one of the best supporters of law enforcement in the country -Shaq- who graduated with this session and became an honorary FBI Special Agent," Patel wrote on Sept. 17, in a post to X.
During his graduation ceremony, O’Neal joked that Barkley could be his first arrest. "Some of you will go back to your regular jobs, some of you will go to specialized training," O’Neal said in a speech to the graduating class.
"Some of you will go do what I do, be undercover. Well, I was undercover… But I just wanna say I appreciate you guys so much. Congratulations. I am not here for this; I am here for you… And if you see Charles Barkley, arrest him."
As is so often the case with modern college football, it seems like the decision to move to a 24-team College Football Playoff was made without thinking through potential long-term side effects.
While the endless search for more money throughout the sport is justifiable, given the increasing costs of fielding a competitive coaching staff and roster, the conferences that pushed the 24-team format through may not have fully considered the obvious implications. One of which is the necessary end of conference championship games.
In decades past, winning the Big Ten, ACC or SEC meant something. Both for the teams and their fanbases, and for poll voters who helped determine bowl selections. But in this new era, with a massive tournament field, if conference championships are meaningless, it raises a number of other questions. Namely, why should conferences even exist?
Theoretically, conferences are designed to create regional groupings, making travel and scheduling easier. In reality, as the modern ACC and Big Ten have demonstrated, they now exist mostly to make negotiating group media rights easier. There's no reason for UCLA and Rutgers to be in the same conference, other than a collective desire to increase their media value. Or Stanford and the Miami Hurricanes.
But with the 24-team playoff in place, a whole new world of possibilities could now be available. Chief among them, independence and the advantages that it offers. Why share television revenue with other schools? Why essentially give away your flexibility with scheduling? Notre Dame has more flexibility than anyone, and their schedule in 2026 gives them a tremendous leg up in the race for a 12-team playoff over, say, SEC teams playing much tougher opponents week in and week out.
In a new interview with Yahoo Sports!and Ross Dellenger, University of Miami president Joe Echevarria was very forthcoming about his interest in leaving the ACC and the potential opportunity to go independent.
"We are proud members of the ACC," he told Dellenger. "If the economics were even, we wouldn't be having any of these conversations. Thing is, we sit in the second tier. It's a reason we don't get a vote on the 24-team playoff and the Big Ten and SEC do."
One provision in the endlessly shifting Protect College Sports Act would prevent teams from switching conferences without going independent for several years. Echevarria strongly prefers that provision removed, to put it mildly, "You cannot lock us into a conference," he explained.
The Big Ten and SEC already shell out around $25 million more per team than the ACC does, which could increase significantly in just a few years when those conferences are able to negotiate new deals. If the ACC continues to fall behind, it could put Miami at a major competitive disadvantage relative to peer institutions. So would the Hurricanes go independent? Echevarria didn't shy away from the possibility, through brought up that it presents challenges for other, non-football sports.
"If we have to go independent, I like our chances because we are a national brand," he said. "I wouldn't like to do that because scheduling [other sports] is really tough. It's great for football but what about track, volleyball and the golf team?"
Still, as we've seen, conferences have been willing to figure out scheduling challenges in other sports. USC plays Penn State in other, non-football sports, even though it makes little sense and comes with immense travel difficulties. Miami now has a conference rivalry with the Cal Bears. If streaming services, television networks, or other sports broadcasters are willing to shell out more money for television rights for independent programs, and conference championships are now meaningless, what's to stop big brands from Miami from following Notre Dame's example?
And if they start the trend, how many others will follow?
Would programs like Alabama, Georgia and Texas bolt as opposed to sentencing themselves to the rigors of an SEC schedule for little reward? Or Ohio State and Michigan? Or USC?
As always, once conference realignment started, it seemed inevitable that the future would some sort of breakaway college football league. 64 teams, or whatever the number is, of the top programs competing against each other, ensuring that most games would pair a relatively big name against another. Which would mean a smaller playoff again, a far more popular configuration with fans anyway, and the potential for even more media revenue thanks to higher-profile matchups. With Group of Six teams left behind.
Once again, the desire to push relentlessly ahead toward more revenue might backfire for the major conferences, as teams like Miami question the need to remain in the ACC. Though it would be ironic if the 24-team playoff winds up being the straw that broke the camel's back when it comes to maintaining the conference structure.
Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson's one-game suspension for spitting at an opponent was upheld, the NFL announced Thursday.
The Bills have a bye in Week 7, so Gardner-Johnson will miss the team’s Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Appeals hearing officer Jordy Nelson heard the appeal.
Bills head coach Joe Brady called Gardner-Johnson's actions inexcusable.
"It’s hard enough to win enough in this league with 48 guys, much less 47. He knows that that can’t happen, it’s inexcusable, that’s not the standard that we’re going to have and play with. He’s addressed it, it’s been addressed," Brady told reporters on Monday.
"Those are the things that can’t happen on a football field. We want to toe the line in everything we do but we can’t cross the line."
Brady said Gardner-Johnson would remain in the starting lineup when he returns in Week 9. The 28-year-old was ejected from the game after spitting toward Las Vegas Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum and tight end Brock Bowers just before halftime.
Gardner-Johnson told reporters he would accept the consequences and needed to better control his emotions.
The Bills also had safety Sam Franklin Jr. suspended for spitting toward a player during the team’s win Sunday. Franklin denied the allegations in a social media post.
"Not a dirty play what so ever! Will always defend myself though. Still won't spit on anyone," Franklin posted on his Instagram Story Wednesday.
The NFL is gearing up for the next international game on its annual slate, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints battling it out at Stade de France.
Of course, there has been some criticism of this plan, as France is experiencing some pretty nasty civil unrest at the moment, but the game will go ahead, with the Saints having been in the country for a few days already.
The Steelers? Well, people are already questioning their travel plans a little bit.
According to reports, the Steelers plan to take a red-eye to France that will depart on Thursday night.
Now, there are plenty of reasons why they might want to do this. It allows for more game prep at home; plus, with all the uncertainty around the game, there's a case to be made that it's less disruptive to players' sleep habits, and it makes some sense to hang around to make sure it's all going to happen.
We did get an example of why it might work better to go abroad earlier rather than later.
The Los Angeles Rams were goofed on for their decision to fly to Melbourne, Australia very close to game time, with some blaming it for their big loss to a San Francisco 49ers team that had been down under so long, they were starting to develop a taste for Vegemite.
Of course, in hindsight, the Rams aren't quite the worldbeaters we all thought before the season, but that travel schedule couldn't have helped matters.
While a red-eye to France isn't as brutal as a red-eye to Australia, travel is exhausting, and many people on social media were quick to point that out.
So who is going to end up being right on this one? The early-to-the-party Saints, or the fashionably late (compared to the Saints) Steelers?
Paul Finebaum says ESPN did, indeed, sideline him after an interview with OutKick last year.
Last September, Finebaum told Clay Travis during a podcast that he was considering leaving ESPN to run for U.S. Senate in Alabama as a Republican, revealing that he had also voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. A week later, Travis reported that ESPN had removed Finebaum from his scheduled television appearances because of the interview.
"Per sources: Disney/ESPN has removed @finebaum from appearing on @ESPN since his @outkick interview expressing interest in running as a Republican for senate in Alabama. ESPN has canceled all network appearances on all shows, including some that have occurred for a decade plus," Travis posted on X.
An ESPN public relations executive disputed the report, despite the obvious fact that Finebaum had disappeared from his usual ESPN television appearances, even following a weekend of major college football upsets.
"This is not true at all. The below is TOTALLY FALSE," ESPN's Bill Hofheimer wrote above Travis' report.
Finebaum sided with Travis' version of events this week.
"Of course, I was sidelined," Finebaum told Awful Announcing when asked about the story. "I’d done the same shows every day for 13 years, and the next thing you know, I’m not on there after a college football weekend."
OutKick asked ESPN for comment Thursday following Finebaum's remarks. The network sent the following statement:
"As we stated last year, Finebaum was never banned."
The dispute is largely a matter of semantics. Finebaum was not booked for his regular appearances on shows like SportsCenter and Get Up the week after his interview with OutKick. He did, however, continue hosting his eponymous show on SEC Network and ESPN Radio. He remained on some ESPN platforms.
The network can also claim it simply chose not to book him for certain television appearances and tried out other personalities in case Finebaum ultimately left the company to run for office. In fact, that is what we hear ESPN told people who inquired at the time.
As a matter of technicality, ESPN did not "ban" Finebaum. However, what is technically true is not always the same as what is obvious.
What appears obvious is that ESPN responded to Finebaum's interview by not booking him on the shows he has spent the past decade appearing on during the college football season.
Further, it would have been understandable for ESPN to take issue with Finebaum making national news about a potential political campaign while still employed by the company. We wouldn't have faulted ESPN for deciding not to use Finebaum on television while he was publicly flirting with a run for office, which he ultimately decided against.
Stephen A. Smith has spent years publicly discussing the possibility of running for president as a Democrat. ESPN did not respond by removing him from his regular television appearances or publicly preparing replacements in case he left the company to seek office.
That contrast makes ESPN's handling of Finebaum harder to dismiss as ordinary programming rotation.
Finally, there is the broader question of how much longer Finebaum will remain at ESPN.
Nearly every football season seems to bring another story about Finebaum potentially leaving the network, whether for political office or a media competitor. At some point, that recurring uncertainty begins to say something about the partnership.
Did everyone involved in the Arch Manning story create an edgier monster this week ahead of the Longhorns' showdown against Ole Miss on Saturday night?
In the middle of a season that has warranted a lot of questions pertaining to this Texas offense, the story of offensive woes from this Steve Sarkisian-led football team has created more drama than one could have foreseen before the first game in September.
Should it come as a surprise that Texas is currently feeling the pressure as it pertains to making the college football playoffs?
Absolutely not. The expectations around Austin are to put themselves in a position that could lead to a postseason run.
The problem centers around the fact that this offense has not produced enough with Arch Manning up to this point that would keep them from losing to consecutive unranked opponents.
Outside of a fourth quarter comeback against Ohio State, there has not been a moment where we looked at this football team and thought that they were living up to expectations.
Making it past the CFP quarterfinals and having a shot at competing for a national title with four other teams.
Those aren’t the goals from within the media, but more so centered around the fact that Steve Sarkisian made it abundantly clear that the semifinals were no longer good enough for this Texas football program.
Did we in the media create a monster in Arch Manning? Guess we'll find out ...
Did we in the media, along with the coaches at Texas, turn this whole ordeal into a massive storyline around Manning?
Did we imply that Arch had taken on the persona of the family legacy that came before him?
I don't know. But what I do know is that the Texas quarterback has looked pretty timid in the pocket for a majority of this season, though it obviously doesn’t fall on just Manning. This is a Sarkisian problem as well, for his interesting and inept play-calling through this point in the season.
So, has the demeanor of Arch changed this week as the volume continues to get louder in Austin?
"I would use the word edgy, and I like it. He’s edgy right now," Steve Sarkisian noted. "And I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the ‘Aw Shucks’ kid and we created something else. I don’t know if we lost him. We created this. We did. All of us. Y’all included. Me. The whole thing, right. Everybody on ESPN, we’ve created this. And so we’ll see what comes out of it.
"But he’s edgy right now. And honestly, I appreciate that about him. At some point, he’s gotta fight back. And the best way for him to fight back is going out and playing really good football with his teammates and enjoy playing football with his teammates. And so I’m looking forward to watching him compete Saturday night."
Will we get the quarterback who looks to play timid at times, or will we see Arch just "let it rip" as he proclaimed this week after the loss to Florida?
I think we all know which passer Texas fans want to see against Ole Miss.
That type of quarterback has essentially been buried deep within the body of Manning over the past two months. But we have all seen the fierce side of Arch before, dating back to last season on multiple occasions.
We have also seen it against Ohio State, with a quarterback that was playing with an aggression on the field that circumvents throughout this football team.
I guess we're about to find out if we created a monster or not, even if that means Steve Sarkisian can use the outside noise to entice his quarterback into playing with more aggression.
A friend and teammate of Tiger Woods revealed the 50-year-old wants to get back to golf early next year following his arrest on charges of driving under the influence.
Woods completed a rehab stint in Switzerland after he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence as well as two other misdemeanors in Florida. He entered a plea deal in September where his charges were reduced.
Now home, Woods appears like he’s ready to golf once again, as fellow PGA Tour Pro Jason Kisner alluded to him being back with his TGL squad, Jupiter Links.
"Obviously, I’m not on the team anymore," Kisner told the "Fore Play" podcast, where he serves as co-host. "I had a two-year contract with Jupiter Links. …Tiger wants to play and then they wanted to sign Keith Mitchell, which is totally fine with me. It gives me a chance to hang out in January and February instead of flying back and forth to Palm Beach every Monday."
Kisner said that he spoke with Rob McNamara, Woods’ longtime friend and business partner, via text, where he explained what the 15-time major winner has planned for the 2027 TGL schedule.
"[Rob] texted me a long text last week, I think. Just telling me what they did on their decisions, how they were moving around and what players were going to do and that Tiger wanted to play a full schedule. I mean, we talked about it at the end of the season obviously."
Kisner also believes that Woods will play in regular tournaments: the Hero World Challenge, which is the annual tournament hosted by Woods to benefit his TGR Foundation, and the PNC Championship, a family-focused event where he’s played with his son, Charlie, in past years.
If all goes well, Kisner could even see Woods back playing at The Masters in 2027.
"The way he was swinging and moving on the range, I mean, the guy loves to compete," Kisner added. "Come back, get your feet wet at the Hero, play with Charlie in the father-son, play some TGL [and] get ready for Augusta."
It was just three days prior to his arrest on charges of driving under the influence where Woods returned to the TGL to play with Jupiter Links following back and Achilles rehab. Woods, then, was in a car crash on Jupiter Island, flipping his Land Rover.
Woods performed a breathalyzer test that found no alcohol in his system, but he refused to take a urine test following the crash. He was found with two hydrocodone pills on his person during a search at the scene.
Paul George’s first night in green was memorable for all the right reasons, except for the final score. The nine-time All-Star delivered a record-setting performance during Tuesday's NBA opener, despite the Boston Celtics falling 121-113 to the Detroit Pistons.
George scored 38 points in 31 minutes during his Celtics debut, the most ever by a player in his first game with the franchise.
While the loss dampened George’s performance, it did give Boston an encouraging glimpse of what he can provide after injury-plagued stints with his previous teams.
George said the last time he felt this healthy was toward the end of his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, and admitted an injury lingered during his run with the 76ers.
"My stint in LA. I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there, and then, honestly, going to Philly, I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back, and I couldn’t quite shake that one — it was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong, and it was rough, right?" the 36-year-old said.
"Because I was trying to rest, but I was also trying to be available for the team, and just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together."
Injury setbacks and load management arguably became a theme of George's stints with the Clippers and Sixers. He's managed to play at least 57 games during the regular season just once since taking the court for 77 contests in the 2018-19 campaign. That year also marked his last season with Oklahoma City.
The Celtics visit New York City on Friday night to face the defending champion Knicks. Both teams are seeking their first win of the 2026-27 season after losing their openers.
The NFL has insisted multiple times this week that Sunday's game in France will be safe to play and safe for fans to attend amid civil unrest in Paris, but the Pittsburgh Steelers showed a different side to that confidence on Thursday by canceling one of their fan events.
The club confirmed to OutKick that it has canceled a Steelers House fan event scheduled for this week.
"Following recent events in the Bastille neighborhood and after careful consideration, we felt it appropriate not to move forward with the planned Steelers House fan event in Paris," the club announced.
This isn't the lone crack in the "all is well" armor the NFL has put on about this event. Earlier this week, Dani Watt, the wife of Steelers defensive end TJ Watt, questioned publicly why the game has not been moved.
This is an obvious break from the the league's narrative that the civil unrest in Paris and other parts of France will not hinder it from playing its game and, indeed, holding a fan event of its own.
The NFL on Thursday told OutKick that its own NFL Fan House event scheduled for Friday and Saturday remains as scheduled.
"It's happening," a league spokesman said.
So what we have is the NFL taking another bold step in virtually guaranteeing the safety of its players and fans during the game, but also doing the same for a fan event over a two-day span at 46 Rue Cambon in Paris.
And this is where you should know it's not only the NFL that seems confident about the safety of Americans tied to the game in France.
On Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he's going to the game and he spoke with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the event in recent days about moving forward with the game.
Rubio told OutKick that the American embassy in France believes the game "will be fine."
So the NFL is moving ahead, including with its own fan event at which multiple thousand French and American football fans are expected in the days prior to the game.
"There's nothing more important from our standpoint than the teams' security, the fans' security, everybody involved with this game," NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said at the League Fall Meeting this week.
"Again, we've made all the preparations," Goodell said. "We've been in touch with all the appropriate authorities."
Tony Romo's loss has been J.J. Watt's gain at CBS â and now it's permanent.
Watt on Thursday was named lead analyst for the NFL on CBS in a new multi-year contract agreement. The announcement was made by David Berson, Chairman of Skydance's Global Sports Group.
Watt will continue to call the networkâs top NFL games alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sportsâ lead NFL announce team, including during the 2027 season when they call Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta.
"Iâve had a front-row seat to J.J.âs growth as a top-tier broadcaster, watching him tackle this role just like he did his Hall-of-Fame playing career," Berson said in a release by the network. "Heâs insightful, entertaining, passionate, meticulous in his preparation, and the ultimate teammate. He has a unique ability to see things and communicate to fans of all levels. We are thrilled to have him leading our NFL coverage."
Watt didn't start the 2026 NFL season in his current role. That belonged to Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.
But Romo ran afoul of his assignment when he was arrested on July 23, after a traffic stop on southbound Interstate 43 near downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He later pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI, with the sentence including a six-month revocation of his driving privileges and an alcohol-assessment requirement.
CBS said on July 31 that Romo was on leave "until further notice," but then the network announced on Oct. 2 that it had "mutually agreed to part ways" with its long-time lead analyst.
Watt, meanwhile, was the next man up. He has served as the network's lead analyst since the start of the season and that now becomes a permanent role after what was obviously a successful trial period.
The network chose the man in the seat over other possible permanent replacements for Romo, Greg Olsen and others among them.
"I am incredibly honored and grateful to have the opportunity to represent CBS Sports and all of the fantastic people who make this place so special," Watt said in a statement. "From the brotherhood of The NFL Today to my crews calling games, I couldnât ask for better teammates alongside me on this television journey.
"I am thankful to David Berson for his leadership, vision and trust. I love this job and canât wait to see ya Sunday with Jim and Tracy and many more Sundays to come!"
Watt joined CBS Sports in 2023 as a studio analyst on The NFL Today. Last season, Watt moved to the booth to call games with Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn.
Watt was a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was honored as the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
ATLANTA â Angel Reese helped the Atlanta Dream win a WNBA Finals game for the first time Monday. Two nights later, she helped them take their first lead in a Finals series.
Reese finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds as Atlanta beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena, taking a 2â1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Reese has totaled 51 points and 28 rebounds in Atlantaâs two victories.
Reese became the youngest player in WNBA Finals history to record at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive games, joining Aâja Wilson as the only players to accomplish the feat.
And to give the Dream and their fans credit, I previously questioned whether Atlanta could fill State Farm Arena for the Finals. They answered that with a resounding yes on Wednesday night. Game 3 was a sellout, and the building was loud.
Before tip-off, both teams again left the court for the national anthem, marking their third straight absence in the series. They returned moments after the performance ended. The WNBAâs rulebook calls for players, coaches and trainers to stand and line up during the anthem, and the league has not answered OutKickâs questions about the absences.
Once the game started, Reese picked up where she left off in San Francisco. She scored Atlantaâs first basket and finished the opening quarter with eight points, including a three-pointer that pushed the Dreamâs lead to 22â12.
Golden State missed its first eight shots and didnât make a field goal until 4:38 remained in the first quarter. Atlanta led 23â15 after one.
Reese added another three in the second quarter and went into halftime with 15 points, matching her first-half total from Game 2. Naz Hillmon made three first-half threes of her own, helping Atlanta take a 46â40 lead into the break.
The Valkyries made a push to start the third. Cecilia Zandalasini hit two threes in the opening 68 seconds, and Golden State tied the game at 48, then again at 49.
Reese helped Atlanta answer. After Rhyne Howard put the Dream back in front, Reese made two free throws, assisted on an Isobel Borlase layup and scored on a running layup herself. That completed an 8â0 run and gave Atlanta a 57â49 lead.
Golden State cut the deficit to four, but the Dream kept scoring after Reese went to the bench with 3:31 left in the quarter. DeWanna Bonner hit a three to start a 12â2 finish to the period, scoring five points during that stretch.
Atlanta led 71â57 entering the fourth and Golden State never really threatened in the final period.
Hillmon finished with 15 points, while Jordin Canada added 8 assists. Rhyne Howard had her best offensive performance of the series, scoring 16 points.
Atlanta again held down Golden Stateâs Gabby Williams, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Atlanta entered these Finals without a win in its three previous appearances, then lost Saturdayâs opener. Now Reese and the Dream are two victories from a championship.
The LeBron James era in Los Angeles is officially in the rearview mirror, and Luka Doncic wasted no time introducing himself as the new face of the city.
Ahead of Wednesday night's season opener against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers' superstar made an instant impression on everyday fans before even stepping onto the court.
Doncic bought out an entire parking lot outside Crypto.com Arena to give fans free parking and teamed up with Metro Bike Share to hand out free rides across Los Angeles all day long.
If you have ever tried driving into downtown Los Angeles on a game night, you know parking alone can feel like a shakedown.
Dropping 50 bucks just to leave your car on cracked asphalt for three hours is enough to ruin an evening before it even starts.
Anyone hoping Luka's generosity would carry over to the concession stands inside would be sorely disappointed. Free beer is definitely not on the menu, and you are still going to pay 20 dollars for a draft and 10 bucks for a soda once you clear security.
Taking a family of four to a ballgame is still a heavy hit on the bank account. Still, the gesture sends a clear message that this is Luka's team now.
For years, Lakers basketball was the LeBron show, complete with all the celebrity drama, roster turnover, and constant circus that came with it. With James gone, the keys to the most famous franchise in basketball belong entirely to Doncic.
Coming off a frustrating hamstring injury that cut his 2025-26 season short, he enters this fresh campaign with an enormous chip on his shoulder and the weight of 17 championship banners on his back.
Free parking and pedal bikes build quick goodwill, but hanging banner 18 is the only thing that truly matters. Wednesday night against Golden State is just the opening chapter of the Luka era.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs apologized to his teammates, while also speaking with reporters for the first time since returning to the team after being removed from the commissionerâs exempt list last week.
Jacobs missed the first six weeks of the 2026 season following an offseason domestic abuse arrest in May, which landed him on the commissionerâs exempt list on Aug. 30.
The league continues to investigate Jacobsâ situation despite pleading no contest to both misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Jacobs being removed from the list doesnât hinder the investigation, the NFL has noted, but he is allowed back with the Packers.
Ahead of his potential season debut â the Packers havenât said whether Jacobs will be playing against the Detroit Lions on Sunday â Jacobs spoke with reporters, expressing remorse for his actions.
"Excited to be back with the team, with the guys," he said during his media availability. "I want to say thank you to the organization really for supporting me throughout this whole process and how everything played out.
"With that being said, I canât really get into a lot of things, like specifics of things, but obviously Iâm remorseful, and sorry for putting this time in this situation.
"Sometimes, when you go through life, situations occur, and a four-second, three-second decision can alter your life honestly. With that being said, still a human being, man, still trying to learn, still trying to grow from the whole process. Actually learned a lot throughout this whole process, legally and just personally."
As part of Jacobsâ plea deal, he was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, attend counseling, pay restitution for property he destroyed and have no further contact with the victim. As long as he meets those conditions for one year, the property damage charge will be dismissed.
Jacobs was arrested in Wisconsin following an incident that occurred three days prior, where he allegedly grabbed his ex-girlfriend trying to leave his garage and threw her to the ground.
Jacobs also filed a civil suit last week calling for an injunction and protective order surrounding evidence, specifically surveillance footage of the incident, which would restrict access to records of the case. Basically, Jacobs doesnât want the footage released to the public, as it was reported the video footage of the alleged battery would corroborate the victimâs claims.
Jacobs is trying to put the situation behind him, saying that he is "just trying to be better" moving forward.
"I know for some people this might be a stain on me and my character," he added. "I feel like I donât have to really speak on my character. A lotta people that know me in this locker room, or thatâs been around me, Iâll let them do that.
"For me, man, Iâm just trying to come back in here, play ball, learn from this mistake and move forward."
Head coach Matt LaFleur also addressed Jacobs returning to his squad during his news conference on Wednesday.
"I think a lot of times you get in a situation where you might not make the right decision," he said of Jacobsâ situation. "I think people learn from their mistakes. I think heâs extremely remorseful, and I do believe he is a good person. Iâve been around him quite a bit. I believe in second chances."
With Jacobs sidelined, LaFleur has seen an abysmal run game from his depth chart, which includes MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong Jr. and Kaleb Johnson, who Green Bay traded for with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers are averaging just 59.8 yards on the ground per game, though they are top five in passing yards (269.3) with quarterback Jordan Love finding his rhythm amid a recent three-game win streak for his 4-2 squad.
LaFleur said he felt Jacobs was in a "pretty good spot" earlier this week in terms of playing against the Lions.
"Heâs been training, but heâs missed the exposure to football. [His availability] is going to be determined throughout the course of the week, see where heâs at, see how heâs feeling, and then weâll make a decision."
Last season, Jacobs rushed for 929 yards in 15 games, finishing fourth in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 13.
The NBA slapped new Boston Celtics forward Paul George with a meager $2,000 fine for flopping during Tuesday’s 121-113 season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, the league announced Wednesday.
The penalty stemmed from a fourth-quarter sequence with roughly three minutes remaining in regulation. Pushing the ball in transition, George made contact with Detroit guard Duncan Robinson before dramatically collapsing to the floor in an Oscar-worthy attempt to bait a whistle.
On-court officials swallowed their whistles in real time, but the league office retroactively assessed the violation upon postgame video review.
Under NBA regulations, postgame flopping penalties begin at $2,000 on an escalating scale. For a superstar commanding nearly $50 million this season, the fine amounts to little more than loose couch cushion change.
Tuesday's physical opener frequently devolved into a four-quarter flop-fest with players repeatedly hitting the deck on contested shots, yet George was somehow the only player singled out to receive an invoice from league officials.
The slap on the wrist capped an otherwise strong Celtics debut for the nine-time All-Star, who was putting on an absolute clinic.
George poured in 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, five steals, and three assists in 31 minutes, breaking the franchise record for points in a Boston debut previously held by Kristaps Porzingis.
George's individual performance was ultimately spoiled by Boston's collapse. The Celtics squandered a 22-point advantage, largely undone by a sickening 23-0 Detroit run in the fourth quarter led by Robinson and Cade Cunningham.
With Jayson Tatum struggling through a dismal 6-of-23 shooting performance, George carried the offense until Boston’s execution fell apart in the closing minutes.
Because the flopping infraction carries no suspension, George remains fully cleared to suit up Friday when Boston hosts his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
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