After the skepticism surrounding the Los Angeles Rams’ decision to select quarterback Ty Simpson No. 13 overall in April’s NFL Draft, the former Alabama star answered with an impressive preseason performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Rams headed to Kansas City for their first preseason game of the year on Saturday and finished with a 20-12 win. Simpson finished the day with a solid stat line, throwing 21-for-25 for 190 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Especially after a slow first half with a 6-6 tie, Simpson’s two second-half touchdowns gave the Rams a last-minute lead over the Chiefs, who never found the end zone. 

Simpson’s first score came from a quick four-play drive, where he found rookie running back Dean Connors for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Shortly after, Simpson led the Rams on an eight-play drive that resulted in a second touchdown throw to Connors, securing the Rams’ win over Kansas City. 

While the majority of Simpson’s training camp experience was spent playing behind quarterback Stetson Bennett for second-team reps, his preseason entrance allowed him the chance to showcase his skillset. Additionally, Simpson has had the chance to learn from MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford, who’s entering his 17th year in the NFL and his fifth season with the Rams. 

Coming off an impressive season with Alabama in 2025, Simpson finished his time with 3,948 total passing yards, 33 total touchdowns and five interceptions. Simpson also led the Crimson Tide to their first College Football Playoff and SEC title game appearances under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

The Rams are shaping up to be a heavy Super Bowl favorite entering this season, especially after their overhaul in the offseason. Los Angeles added Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in June, as well as Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs in March. Offensively, the Rams return star wide receiver pair Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. 

Even if Simpson will have to patiently wait his turn to become the Rams go-to guy, his preseason performance is an impressive start. The Rams kickoff their 2026 campaign in Australia facing NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, September 10. 

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Just eight races ago, Joey Logano languished in 20th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Now he sits ninth in the standings and is a two-time race winner.

The three-time Cup champion led the final 25 laps and 95 of the 400 on his way to the triumph on Saturday night at Richmond Raceway.

He’s not locked into the postseason Chase just yet, but he’s well on his way with two races left in the regular season.

Here are my takeaways:

1. Logano’s Big Surge

Joey Logano is one step closer to securing a spot in the postseason.

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Logano’s two victories have come on short tracks at North Wilkesboro and Richmond, but he’s also run well at Atlanta and Indianapolis in recent weeks.

He has three top-three finishes in his last four races after having two third-place finishes in the first 20 races this year. It has been an incredible turnaround orchestrated by Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe.

“This is important,” Logano said in his USA Sports interview after the race. “We need to get ourselves back in the top 10.”

2. Big Buffers For Cindric, SVG

Austin Cindric’s third-place finish gives him a buffer as the season heads down the final stretch.

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Austin Cindric finished third and Shane van Gisbergen finished 14th to give themselves some breathing room with just races at New Hampshire and Daytona to finish out the regular season. 

Their biggest challenger, Ryan Preece, got caught a couple of laps down when the caution came out during a pit cycle and settled for 17th.

Cindric is now 63 points up on Preece and van Gisbergen has a 50-point cushion.

“As far as the big picture goes for the season, it was a very important night for us to capitalize on a good car,” Cindric said in a Ford news release.

Drivers who don’t have to worry about their buffer anymore include Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell. They all clinched spots Saturday night in The Chase. Nine spots remain, and Preece has run well enough — but not consistently enough — to be in a good position.

3. Briscoe Falls Short

Chase Briscoe still fell short of the win after a furious rally.

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Briscoe finished 0.392 seconds behind Logano after mounting a furious rally. It just wasn’t quite good enough for a driver looking for his second win of the season.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led a race-high 171 laps but one bad run seemed to cost him.

“Just frustrating, to say the least, to have one slip away like that at the end,” Briscoe said in his USA Sports interview after the race.

4. Larson Wins … Knoxville

Kyle Larson’s double duty paid off.

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Kyle Larson jumped out of his car after a sixth-place finish to try to get to the rain-delayed Knoxville Nationals.

The biggest sprint-car race of the season was a couple of hours away by plane in Iowa and was being delayed by rain. Larson had qualified for the main event earlier in the week knowing he likely couldn’t make it unless weather helped his cause.

Recently, when trying to run the double on Memorial Day by racing at Indianapolis and Charlotte, weather has not been on his side. It fell in his favor this weekend.

Hendrick Motorsports arranaged his flight to Knoxville and Larson got there in time and won the race. 

4 ½. What’s Next

The series heads to the flat 1.058-mile oval New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend for its lone stop there for the season.

The track will play host to a Chase race next year, so even drivers who are already in The Chase will want to run well and have a good feeling about the track when they return in 2027.

Ryan Blaney is the defending winner of the race.

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The legendary career of Cristiano Ronaldo may be reaching its final act sooner than expected.

Following the curtain call on his international career with Portugal at the World Cup, speculation mounted over how much fuel football’s ultimate showman had left in the tank.

Now, we finally have an answer. In a recent interview with Vogue about his recent wedding, Ronaldo revealed that this is “probably” his last year of football.

“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said. “I have my future all mapped out. I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard. Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one.”

Cristiano Ronaldo was left heartbroken after Portugal’s loss in the round of 16 against Spain at the World Cup. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

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At 41 years old and entering what is expected to be his final professional season, Ronaldo is heading into his fourth season with Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Pro League. Last season, Al-Nassr won the league on the final day of the campaign to seal Ronaldo’s first trophy with the club since 2023.

Ronaldo has scored 976 goals in his career between club and country. If he stays fit and is able to play a full season for Al-Nassr, he will likely reach 1,000.

Ronaldo has been in the world’s football spotlight since his Sporting CP debut in 2002, as a 17-year-old. He signed for Manchester United in 2003 before moving to Real Madrid in 2009.

His goal for retirement? Relax.

“Have more fun, travel more, watch and play padel, which I really like, and continue to enjoy what I’ve earned — what we’ve earned,” Ronaldo said. “Because, after all, it’s been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice.”

Ronaldo is coming off a strong World Cup run with Portugal after leading the team to the Round of 16 by beating Croatia in the Round of 32. Portugal was eliminated in a close 1-0 matchup after losing to the eventual tournament winner in Spain.

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After running backs were viewed as a dispensable for years, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor all proved that the position could still be viewed as valuable last week.

All three star running backs each signed extensions that will net them over $20 million per year. Gibbs signed the largest extension of the group, agreeing to a three-year, $67.5 million pact with the Detroit Lions that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. 

That agreement came days after Robinson set the mark for the highest-paid running back in NFL history, inking a three-year, $66.75 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Jonathan Taylor, meanwhile, signed a two-year, $44 million extension with the Indianapolis Colts to make him the third highest-paid player in the history of the position. 

Those contracts also came just a few months after the Arizona Cardinals used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Jeremiah Love. That selection marked the first time a running back was taken in the top five of the NFL Draft in eight years.

So, with all of these major running back investments being made, are we seeing the position go through a renaissance? We asked people around the league what they thought about the extensions, and what could be next at running back. 

Negotiator: RBs Remain Undervalued

Eric D. Williams: Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs appeared to strike a breakthrough for running backs this past week when they each signed extensions over $22 million per year just three years after being taken early in the first round of the 2023 draft. 

Saquon Barkley had been the only running back making over $20 million annually, with an average annual salary of $20.6 million. While the rise in running back salaries could be seen as a good sign, it also points to Robinson and Gibbs’ role as overall playmakers who are also effective pass catchers, and it pales in comparison to the top receiver salaries in the league, according to a source I spoke with who negotiates player contracts.

“In spite of the Robinson and Gibbs deals, front offices still view the running back position as a value opportunity from a cap and contract management standpoint,” the league source told me. “Not a slight to Zay Flowers or any other $30 million wide receivers not named J’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson, but Robinson and Gibbs are $30 million [and maybe $40 million] per year players, if we were solely valuing them on their impact on the game.

“When considering Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s $42.15 APY (average per year) at the top of the WR market against Gibbs’ $22.5 million at the top of the running back market, Smith-Njigba makes 87% more than Gibbs. Yet Smith-Njigba is not 87% more impactful than Gibbs, so we still have a long way to go before one can say the RB market is increasingly being valued more.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s four-year, $168.6 million extension could be evidence that running backs are underpaid. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

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Since joining the league in 2023, Robinson is tops in scrimmage yards at 5,648 while Gibbs is third in scrimmage yards at 5,029. Smith-Njigba is 20th in scrimmage yards over that same period with 3,613, but signed a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history at the time. 

While NFL general managers theoretically can piece together a running back room that, in the aggregate, can get close to matching the production of players like Robinson and Gibbs, it’s fair to question whether that approach can bring elite production to the position.

“The notion is that because you can find serviceable running backs on Day 3 of the draft and in college free agency that it’s an easily replaceable position,” the contract negotiator told me. “There’s truth to that, but in my opinion, the same can be said at wide receiver, yet there’s an 87% delta between the top of the running back market and the top of the WR market.” 

But Some Still View RBs As Risks

Ralph Vacchiano: The flurry of recent lucrative contract extensions for running backs was somewhat unexpected, given how NFL teams had begun to undervalue the position in recent years. But it may not be a full-market correction, because a lot of NFL teams still view it as a big risk to invest in any but the best NFL running backs for more than a couple of years.

“It really is player-dependent, and maybe a bit team-dependent, too,” an NFL executive told me. “It’s not a great use of money for a team that isn’t ready to win. If it’s what puts you over the top, then sure, a running back could make a big difference. But if you’re building a team, other positions have way more value.”

The four-year, $60 million extension the Rams gave Todd Gurley in 2018 had been viewed as a cautionary tale for teams looking to give extensions to running backs in the past. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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And even for those teams ready to win, their willingness to invest has its limits. None of the recent extensions were for more than four years, and they were all structured in a way that the teams can get out of them after a couple of years without being stuck with a large cap down the road.

“None of these deals are really long-term or cap-killing, which is the key,” the executive told me. “It’s still a dangerous position. You can’t lock up too much in a spot where players can break down or wear down fast.”

And because of the high attrition rate, there is no trickle-down effect. The top running backs may be getting richer, but they’re not carrying lesser backs along for the financial ride.

“At the top, sure, teams see the value of Bijan and Saquon and Taylor. Maybe there are 10 to 15 guys that can draw those contracts,” an NFL agent told me. “But overall, I still think teams are wary about paying at that position. They see too many players get hurt, or have only two-to-three good seasons before going off a cliff. They’d rather put money in positions that last longer.

“That’s why even those big deals are short. They want to make sure that two or three years down the road they can get out of them without a big bill.” 

Henry McKenna: Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are unanimously considered the NFL’s RB1 and RB2. That’s why the two players got — more or less — the same contract. And that’s why those contracts were unlike anything we’d seen before at the position.

“I think it’s a little cyclical,” one AFC executive told me this week. 

For the longest time, the thought process around the NFL was that running backs don’t matter — not from a financial standpoint. But Saquon Barkley upended that rule for general managers. And since the Eagles won the Super Bowl with Barkley, we’ve seen the running back market strengthen, whether it’s through deals for Gibbs and Robinson — or through Ashton Jeanty and Jeremiyah Love going in the top six picks in their respective drafts, which made them top-10 earners at their positions (at the time of their selection).

“The running back market is very interesting,” an NFC executive told me. “It was one of the few markets that didn’t grow with the cap. Bijan and Gibbs are two unicorns, but it’s going to affect the entire running back market significantly. I’m sure James Cook is not happy. As teams continue to borrow from the future, these top contracts are outpacing the cap pretty significantly. Something interesting to watch as we move forward through this agreement.”

James Cook led the NFL in rushing this past season, but the extension he signed in 2025 doen’t make him one of the 10 highest-paid players at running back.  (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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Cook and the Buffalo Bills agreed to a four-year, $46 million contract last August. There are two major differences in what they got guaranteed. First, it’s about what the teams guaranteed at signing. Cook got $28.8 million guaranteed and Gibbs got $51.4 million guaranteed. The second difference is what they’ll get paid in salary starting in 2029. That’s the year when Gibbs is set to earn $22.3 million and Cook is set to earn $10.4 million. (Their salaries to that point are comparable.)

So did Cook get ripped off? Or is he simply a different player than Gibbs and Robinson?

Cook’s rushing production was better than both running backs in 2025, but he isn’t quite as much of a contributor in the passing game. And then there’s the matter of Cook’s offensive line, widely considered the NFL’s best last season. It’s fair to wonder whether Gibbs or Robinson might have put up 2,000 rushing yards behind that line in 2026.

“I mean those guys who got deals done this week are special players that are more than running backs,” an AFC executive texted me. “They are weapons. So I’m ok with using space on that but not on a more traditional 2-down runner.”

If you can make plays in the passing game, you’re worth big money.

If not, it might be a harder sell.

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The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons second-year defensive end James Pearce Jr. for eight games in the 2026 regular season, due to violating the sport’s personal conduct policy, which the team announced on Friday afternoon.

The suspension is effective as of Aug. 30 and is without pay, per NFL Media. Pearce is able to take part in team activities until that date, with the defender eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 2.

Pearce, 22, was arrested in Doral, Florida in February after an alleged domestic violence dispute with WNBA player Rickea Jackson, his ex-girlfriend. He was charged with three felonies: aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and avoiding police and resisting arrest. Pearce also had a fourth arrest charge of felony aggravated stalking changed to a misdemeanor.

Regarding the misdemeanor, Pearce was accused of following Jackson’s car and repeatedly making contact with the vehicle with his own car en route to her trying to get to the local police station.

Atlanta traded the No. 46 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and its 2026 first-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams to move up and select Pearce with the No. 26 pick, while also attaining pick No. 101. In his 2025 rookie campaign with the Falcons, Pearce totaled 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble and 26 combined tackles over 17 regular-season games.

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Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) — It’s hard to beat the odds here.

The Raiders are 7-27 over the last two years, the second-worst such mark in the NFL. In their six seasons in Las Vegas, they’ve had a winning record once, and as a franchise, they have not won a single playoff game in the 22-year lifetime of their rookie quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.

They are trying to climb out of the bottom of a division with a Denver Broncos team that was the AFC’s top seed last year, a Kansas City Chiefs team that’s been to five Super Bowls in seven years and won three of them, and a Los Angeles Chargers team that might be better than both of those this season. Their hometown oddsmakers give them 18-to-1 odds to win the AFC West.

It’s the exact same odds as rolling an 11 with two dice, and yet it seems even harder with the 11 the Raiders have been rolling with on any given play.

But Thursday, in just a relief appearance in a preseason game, Mendoza gave Raiders fans a bit of hope, a sign that better days are coming. And once you’ve won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship at Indiana, what exactly constitutes a long shot?

“He shows up every day, works his ass off,” Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby told me about Mendoza in the locker room at Allegiant Stadium. “He’s doing a great job. He’s been a great addition to the locker room, and I’m super excited for him. He’s done it exactly the right way. He’s putting his head down and working, building relationships, just soaking up knowledge and getting better.”

Fernando Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders’ loss to the Cardinals. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

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Thursday’s preseason debut was Mendoza’s first chance to soak things up more actively. Training camp practices can go a long way, but this was his first chance to truly feel the speed of the NFL, to appreciate how much harder it is than the college football world he dominated in a 16-0 breakout season last year.

On one play, Mendoza scrambled to his right, tried to avoid a sack and ran upfield before he went out of bounds, instead taking a hit and sailing the ball onto the sidelines. It was a lesson that some of the things he could get away with in college, he can’t in the NFL, at least right now.

“There was one play where I scrambled to the right, and usually sometimes I’ll be able to get the edge, maybe scramble for 2 or 3 yards, and it’s like ‘Wow, it got there a little faster than I thought,'” Mendoza said at the podium. “I’m really trying to get around them, try to throw the ball away, make the smart play to best serve my teammates. So I would say definitely faster, and they hit harder. So surprise, but no surprise.”

Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, Mendoza hasn’t been handed the Raiders’ starting job. First-year Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak said after Thursday’s loss that the job is still veteran Kirk Cousins’ to lose, potentially making Mendoza wait until he’s more prepared. That’s not the norm. The last six quarterbacks to go No. 1 overall were all Week 1 starters, and the last that wasn’t was Baker Mayfield with the Cleveland Browns in 2018.

So, Mendoza watched from the sidelines Thursday as Cousins marched the Raiders down the field, with the veteran completing an efficient 5 of 6 passes for 50 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer. Mendoza came in without all the starters in front of him, and his first drive was scuttled by a holding penalty. His second drive, though, was what Raiders fans wanted to see, starting with a 19-yard dart between two defenders and ending with a 6-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal to receiver Jack Bech.

The touchdown pass was the highlight of a strong night for Mendoza. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and led the Raiders into scoring territory in the final of the four possessions he played, which ended in a missed kick. 

All those No. 1 picks that started in Week 1, none of them threw a touchdown pass in their preseason debut. Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray all combined for zero in their first taste of the NFL. In just a summer of practices and a few weeks of training camp, Mendoza has impressed the most decorated of his new teammates.

“He’s the same guy that we see in practice that went out there and competed on the game field,” center Tyler Linderbaum told me after his own Raiders debut. “He’s a kid that works really hard, wants to get better, wants the best for the team, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Rookie quarterbacks don’t exactly have a residency of success with the Raiders. This is the franchise of Todd Marinovich and JaMarcus Russell, of great prospects that never found NFL success. Derek Carr went 3-13 in his first year, and no Raiders rookie quarterback has ever managed a winning record as a starter. That might be asking a lot of Mendoza, as Las Vegas has managed four and three wins in the last two seasons, putting it on its sixth head coach in six seasons, including interims.

But Kubiak has a chance to change that, balancing the win-now aspect of playing Cousins with the long-term development of taking lumps with Mendoza and the greatness that could await.

“He led a good scoring drive, as far as getting in and out of the huddle and commanding the group and getting play calls down,” Kubiak said, measured in his praise. “I saw the same guy we’ve seen in practice. I see an ascending player, and we’ve just got to keep getting better.”

The Raiders need more than Mendoza to turn things around. Linderbaum’s arrival will help their run game, which will lean on second-year pro Ashton Jeanty and could get a spark from rookie Mike Washington Jr., who broke loose for a 53-yard run Thursday. The defense is still very much a work in progress — the Cardinals scored touchdowns on their first three drives against the Raiders, completing their first 15 passes and converting their first six third downs. 

And if being the No. 1 pick isn’t pressure enough in today’s NFL, Mendoza takes the field under the watchful eye of Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl winner tasked with helping to bring a championship mentality back to the silver and black.

There were moments Thursday that showed why Mendoza was the No. 1 pick — careful, accurate throws, with a nice pump fake here, a well-executed play-action handoff there and the confidence to stay in the pocket and be patient in an entirely new experience. His personality has not changed — a genuinely positive, squeaky-clean wholesomeness that won over his teammates at Indiana. 

Can Mendoza find the same success in the NFL? Thursday offered nothing to suggest that can’t happen for him, just a question of how quickly.

“Today was an invigorating experience,” Mendoza said. “There’s not many moments where you feel fully alive, and on the field you feel fully alive, especially in the NFL atmosphere. So I want to give thanks to that. It was great to get out there, get my feet wet. That first drive, it felt a little sped up because so much anticipation and excitement. However, I feel like my teammates around me protected me very well, and they helped me. They helped slow me down, and I think it was a good experience.”

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The Chicago Bears haven’t had an MVP winner in nearly 50 years, but maybe 2026 will be the season that they’ll have someone crowned as the year’s top player. 

On a recent edition of “The Herd,” FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd gave five bold predictions for the upcoming season, including who he thinks will win MVP. He also made bold projections on a pair of playoff teams from last season finishing outside the postseason picture, along with a star quarterback finally breaking through in the playoffs.

Here are Cowherd’s five bold predictions for the 2026 NFL season. 

Cowherd first addressed the Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts, who will lead the offense without a big target from years prior.

Despite concerns about the offense adapting without wide receiver A.J. Brown as the focal point, Cowherd believes Hurts will not only succeed, but surpass his previous level with Brown by spreading the ball around.

“If you go back to last season, when he didn’t target A.J. Brown, he completed 71% of his throws, 18 touchdowns, and three picks,” Cowherd said. “Over the last two years, when he targeted A.J. Brown, when A.J. Brown had eight or more targets, the Eagles were 9-6. When he wasn’t a focus of the game plan, and he had fewer than seven or fewer targets last two years, 13-0. 

“This is Dez Bryant to Dak [Prescott]. Jalen Hurts will flourish despite losing a great number one receiver.”

In the AFC West, Cowherd projected a postseason run for Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, citing improved offensive line play as the primary factor.

“The last two years in the playoffs, he went in with the 30th offensive line and the 21st,” Cowherd said. “This appears to be the first offensive line. Remember, he has been hit, sacked, and rushed more than any quarterback in the sport since he entered the league in 2020.”

Cowherd added that frontline health and coaching continuity will unlock Herbert’s postseason potential.

“They have three new features, both tackles back. This will be his best offensive line, in my opinion, his best offensive coordinator. At least two playoff wins, and I right now this morning think they could be a co-favorite to get to the AFC Championship.”

Packers Finish Last In NFC North

In the NFC North, Cowherd predicted a shift in standings, projecting the Green Bay Packers to finish in fourth place in a competitive division.

“First of all, Ben Johnson is in Year 2 [as the Chicago Bears’ head coach]. Kyler Murray, I think, is going to be a hit [for the Minnesota Vikings], and Detroit to me easily has the best entire roster [in the division],” Cowherd said. “This is not the same NFC North the Packers dominated. All four teams had winning records last year.” 

Cowherd highlighted Green Bay’s defensive struggles down the stretch last season once edge rusher Micah Parsons got hurt.

“The Packers, without Micah last year, went 0-5 and allowed 29 points a game. He’s not going to be playing, we presume, until October. Packers may be the best fourth-place team in the NFL by a long shot. They finish last.”

Broncos Will Miss The Postseason

Cowherd also projected that the Denver Broncos will miss the postseason after appearing in the AFC Championship last year. After a season heavily reliant on winning tight contests, Cowherd expects regression for Sean Payton’s team as rival AFC contenders improve.

“NFL-best 11-2 in one-score games. I mean that’s not going to happen again,” Cowherd said. “They also trailed in 15 games. Bo Nix is coming off two surgeries on his right ankle.” 

Cowherd explained that rival roster upgrades across the AFC, coupled with new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, will make a repeat postseason berth difficult. 

“They have a new play caller, and remember the Ravens, the Bengals, the Chiefs, the Chargers are all going to be better in the AFC,” Cowherd said. “I think that we all know that if [Joe] Burrow’s upright, Cincinnati’s going to be a better team. I mean, Herbert’s got his best offensive line and his best offensive coordinator. 

“You can’t go 11-2 in one-score games and not regress. I think Denver’s good. I think they have a special coach and special players. I think they’re going to narrowly miss the playoffs.”

Finally, Cowherd backed Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to win the Most Valuable Player award, comparing his outlook in a second-year system to previous breakout seasons under head coach Ben Johnson.

“First of all, he’s got the seventh-best odds currently,” Cowherd said. “Second year in Ben Johnson’s offense. Go look at Jared Goff’s second year in Ben Johnson’s offense, and he’s not nearly the athlete. Jared Goff popped in year two. He literally has the lowest interception percentage in league history — [he’s thrown] 13 in 34 career starts, and this is the beginning of it. He’ll probably throw fewer as a veteran quarterback, second in the NFL in big plays.”

Cowherd added that Chicago’s offensive talent gives Williams an ideal supporting cast.

“He also has tremendous offensive weapons,” Cowherd said. “A lot of people thought they should draft an edge. They went and got another good tight end. They’ve got three receivers I like. They’ve got two running backs. I worry a little bit about left tackle, but Caleb also has the ability, as you’re watching, he doesn’t just make plays; he makes spectacular plays.

“It’ll be easy to root for a guy who’s not a stat patter, who’s in a great division. He’s winning close games. He’s winning them with dramatic plays late. That’s the kind of story the media likes.”

Colin Cowherd’s 5 Bold Predictions: Justin Herbert wins multiple playoff games, Broncos miss playoffs, Maxx Crosby’s future | The Herd

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued another dominant run this season, but have recently been plagued by losing streaks and meltdowns on the pitching mound. 

As the Dodgers entered Thursday’s ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers – with a two-run lead – reliever Edwin Diaz allowed three runs for a 5-4 loss. However, Diaz’s blown save was not the most recent. On Aug. 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he allowed a walk-off home run. 

Thursday’s loss came with frustration from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who’s been weighing out the options moving forward.   

“I can’t just say, ‘Change (Diaz) to low leverage,’” Roberts said following the loss. “I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys really have thrown the baseball great. That’s just kind of the way it is.”

The back-to-back World Series champions have the most expensive roster in the MLB – which included signing Diaz in the offseason on a 3-year, $69 million deal. However, if the Dodgers want to ensure they finish the season strong ahead of a potential run for a third straight title, who are the other options that Roberts could utilize to get them there?

Some bullpen arms that come to mind are Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia. In 48 innings pitched this season, Scott has thrown 60 strikeouts, accumulated a 2.25 ERA and 12 runs allowed. Vesia has produced similar numbers, with 52 total strikeouts and 13 runs allowed in his 42 innings pitched. 

Scott has been seen as the most reliable option, especially through his recent performances as a reliever. Scott’s 16 saves – especially filling for Diaz after he missed more than three months due to surgery on his right elbow – has shown Roberts that he’s reliable down the final pitches. 

But Roberts seems to think that the pattern of struggling pitchers continues to show, which leaves him to question his approach to a new reliever.

Edwin Diaz missed three months earlier this season due to elbow surgery.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) –>

“You look back at the last week, and guys have struggled,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to sit here and play carousel and chase my tail … when a guy is struggling, and then when he doesn’t pitch well, then it’s, ‘Why are you pitching him?’ I don’t do that. Everyone has got a role. They all have jobs to do, and they all have to do their job. That’s it.”

Diaz’s performance in his seven appearances on the mound has accumulated a 12.73 ERA, which has been costly for the Dodgers as postseason conversations loom.

“It’s frustrating, because I know my ability,” Diaz said. “I know what I can do on the mound. To not be able to do it (stinks). I’ve just got to come tomorrow and try to keep getting better.”

As the Dodgers host the NL-leading Brewers through the weekend, Roberts noted the significance of a strong bullpen, and revealed where the bullpen currently stands. 

“I know people don’t want to hear it, but it’s baseball,” Roberts said. “Offenses go in lulls, and the bullpens go in lulls, and sometimes you get in a run where the starting pitching isn’t there. It is what happens, and it just doesn’t feel good. And it certainly is more highlighted when the ’pen doesn’t throw the baseball well, because it costs you games.”

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LOS ANGELES — As a wide-eyed 23-year-old who took Major League Baseball by storm last summer, Jacob Misiorowski seemed in awe of his circumstances. 

In his big-league debut against the Cardinals last June, the Missouri native watched Nolan Arenado step to the plate against him and almost couldn’t believe it, though Misiorowski did not let his new reality overwhelm him. He threw five scoreless innings in his first MLB start and was named an All-Star just five appearances into his big-league career, to the excitement of some and the indignation of others. The wonderstruck rookie looked spellbound watching Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman sign his All-Star jersey in Atlanta. 

(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

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One year later, now the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award, no one can question Misiorowski’s place among the league’s elite as he continues what has been one of the most overpowering seasons from a starting pitcher in baseball history.

And yet, as he returns to Dodger Stadium to face Ohtani, Freeman and the Dodgers for the first time since pitching against the back-to-back champs in last year’s NLCS, the Milwaukee ace’s wide-eyed innocence remains. This all still feels a bit like a dream to Misiorowski. 

“I don’t think it will ever get to a point where it’s just normal,” Misiorowski told me ahead of his start Saturday. “We’re at Dodger Stadium. This is sweet. As a little kid, I remember walking in when there wasn’t even a game and going up to the team store and seeing the stadium. It’s so cool to be down here.” 

Misiorowski, however, never let his feelings of wonder and astonishment overtake him. 

In his last start before the All-Star Game last July, he shook off a leadoff home run from Ohtani on an 0-2 curveball that caught too much of the plate to outduel Clayton Kershaw while striking out 12 Dodgers batters in a 3-1 Brewers win. He followed that performance up with a scoreless inning of relief at the All-Star Game. 

But growing pains loomed, as they do with every young pitcher. The Brewers monitored Misiorowski’s usage down the stretch, and his performances became inconsistent. Long at-bats and free passes led to high pitch counts and early removals. He had an ERA over 5.00 in the second half, and he was used as a bulk reliever in the postseason. 

And he starred in the role. 

Misiorowski finished his first postseason with a 1.50 ERA in 12 playoff innings. In his final outing of the 2025 playoffs, MIsiorowski gave up just two runs (one earned) while striking out nine batters over five innings in Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. In his final appearance against Ohtani, he sent the MVP back to the dugout swinging. 

“To be able to do that on a huge stage against the World Series champions has got to build confidence for him,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told me. “To be able to say, ‘Hey, I was able to survive at the highest level against the best competition,’ it’s got to be a huge boost for him moving forward.” 

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) –>

Though Misiorowski ultimately suffered the loss in that game as the Brewers’ overmatched offense put up just one run in defeat, his individual performance did indeed have lasting effects. 

“That was the real turning point last year,” Misiorowski told me. “I went through the struggles at the end of the year, and really was trying to battle through it. Then, postseason rolled around, had the success and kind of brought it into this year, still on that momentum.” 

As Misiorowski returns to Los Angeles this weekend to face the Dodgers for the first time since last year’s playoffs, he does so with a different pedigree. 

He is no longer just a hard thrower with promise. 

“It’s a fair take that he’s probably the best pitcher in baseball,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He’s going to get his strikeouts. He’s incredibly talented. I think you just got to kind of fight, get the pitch count up. I don’t know if there’s much of a lesson to be learned [from facing him last year]. I really don’t, because how he threw that night is going to be different.”

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Misiorowski’s maturity this season is both physical and mental.

He told me that he put on nearly 30 pounds from the end of last season to the start of this year, focusing primarily on adding more lower-body strength to prepare for the long haul of an MLB season. He has cut his walk rate nearly in half from last season and believes he is better now at reading swings and understanding why his catchers will call for certain pitches in certain spots. In addition to adding another tick of velocity to what was already one of the hardest fastballs in the game, Misiorowski also now has a separate cutter to combat lefties and a slider for righties. 

“He’s trying to be the best pitcher in the league,” Brewers catcher William Contreras told me. “He’s more mature. He’s thinking more like a pitcher and not just wanting to throw hard.”

The result? Misiorowski leads all qualified starters in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average, among a litany of categories, as he gets set to pitch at Dodger Stadium on Saturday for the first time since last year’s NLCS. 

Misiorowski believes the familiarity with the mound and the backdrop will be beneficial, even if the pressure, stakes and atmosphere won’t be quite the same as his last appearance at the venue. 

And when he sees Ohtani again, don’t expect another hanging curve. 

Get ready for gas. 

“He knows what I’m going to do,” said Misiorowski, who’s averaging 100.6 mph on his four-seamer. “I’m going to throw a heater. Good luck. Here it is.”
 

MLB Related Stories

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The Washington Nationals visit the New York Mets on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field, Flushing, Queens.

The Mets enter at 54-69 (.439), while the Nationals sit at 60-64 (.484). Brad Lord (5-2, 3.80 ERA) takes the mound for the Nationals, opposed by Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.13 ERA) for the Mets. The Nationals’ 129 stolen bases are the most in MLB in the 2026 regular season, and Bo Bichette is three runs batted in away from reaching 500 in his career.

Below, we’ll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

How to Watch Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets

• When: Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where: Citi Field, Flushing, Queens
• TV: FS1, SportsNet New York, Washington Nationals TV Network
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One, FOX Sports

Players to Watch

Sean Manaea

Pitcher · New York Mets

Manaea is the clearest Mets player to watch because his start sets the tone against one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. Washington enters this matchup ranked first in MLB in home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, slugging percentage, and OPS, so every inning he can control traffic matters. For the season, Manaea is 4-5 with a 4.13 ERA, 106 strikeouts in 104.2 innings, a 1.32 WHIP, and a .257 opponent batting average.

This is a tough assignment because the Nationals can pressure a pitcher in multiple ways. They have 177 home runs, 134 steals, and 662 runs scored through 123 games. If Manaea can miss bats early and keep Washington from turning singles into extra bases with its speed game, the Mets have a much better chance to keep this one from turning into a track meet.

Carson Benge

Right Fielder · New York Mets

Benge stands out because the Mets need a steady bat in a lineup that has struggled to create offense over the full season. New York ranks 25th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging, and 26th in OPS, so a hitter who can reach base and add some speed becomes especially important. Benge has been one of their better projected starters, batting .274 with a .335 OBP, a .413 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 47 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.

He is worth watching in this matchup because Washington’s pitching staff has been vulnerable over the season. The Nationals rank 27th in ERA and 26th in WHIP, while allowing opponents a .258 average and .764 OPS. Benge gives the Mets a chance to attack that weakness with line drives, gap power, and baserunning pressure. If he gets on base a couple of times, he can help New York manufacture offense that does not come easily for this club.

CJ Abrams

Shortstop · Washington Nationals

Abrams is the headliner on the Washington side because he brings impact in every phase of the offense. He is projected to start at shortstop and enters this game with a .284 average, a .357 OBP, a .541 slugging percentage, 29 home runs, 91 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. On a Nationals team that leads MLB in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, slugging, and OPS, he is right in the middle of the action.

This matchup also lines up well for him because the Mets’ pitching staff has solid strikeout numbers but still allows 557 runs and a .318 opponent OBP over 122 games. Abrams can change the game with one swing or by getting on and forcing the defense to rush. If he reaches base early, he can put immediate pressure on Manaea and the Mets in a game that could hinge on controlling Washington’s speed and power.

Dylan Crews

Right Fielder · Washington Nationals

Crews is a strong watch here because he comes in with a fresh sign of life at the plate and adds another speed element to a lineup that already stresses defenses. In Thursday’s win over the Cubs, he went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. That mattered because he had entered August batting .140 over 11 games, so the latest performance could be a useful reset.

For the season, Crews has a .218 average, a .290 OBP, a .372 slugging

Nationals vs. Mets Odds

Learn more about the Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets game and check the full MLB schedule on FOX Sports!

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