Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said Monday the team’s playoff berth will be “something to consider” when deciding on the future of manager Joe Espada, whose contract expires after the season.

Crane said there have been no discussions about the possibility of a new deal for Espada recently and they’ll sit down and talk about things when the season is over.

As for whether Houston winning the AL West to reach the postseason after missing out last year would have any bearing on the decision, Crane had this to say: “All positives are positives,” he told The Associated Press. “All negatives are negatives. So I think that would be something to consider when we make the decision.”

Espada’s future with the team remains in question after the Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown last month. Crane doesn’t believe the move had an impact on how the club finished the season.

“I don’t think it had a lot to do with what happened, you know, whether we won or we lost,” he said. “It was a courtesy actually to give him some time because we weren’t going to renew his contract. I made a decision that we weren’t going to renew his contract, so I wanted to give him time to regroup and we knew we had enough coverage from the other three guys.”

After Brown’s departure on Aug. 24, assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, along with senior adviser Jeff Bagwell, took over his responsibilities.

There have been questions about how things have worked after the unorthodox move to part ways with a general manager while a team was in playoff contention.

“I guess they’re working pretty good — we got into the playoffs,” Crane said with a laugh. “I think everything’s fine. We’ve got a number of assistant general managers filling in, and so our communication is good. Everything’s running smooth, ready for a win.”

The Astros became the first team in MLB history to make the postseason without a winning record by finishing 81-81 to outlast the Texas Rangers and move on to the Wild Card Series.

They’ll host the Chicago White Sox in a best-of-three matchup beginning Tuesday.

The Astros are in the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years, a remarkable stretch in which they reached the ALCS seven straight times from 2017-23 and advanced to the World Series four times, winning championships in 2017 and 2022.

“We’ve always said we’re here to win and we’re here to make the playoffs and make a deep run in the playoffs, and we’ve done that consistently,” Crane said. “So getting in the playoffs is a big deal. If you don’t, you don’t have a chance.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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In their idea of a perfect world, the New York Giants would be building towards a better future right now under the leadership of quarterback Jaxson Dart, and Jameis Winston would be standing nearby offering smiles, wisdom and moral support.

But that plan blew up in Week 2 when Dart went down with a knee injury that will keep him out for the rest of the regular season, at least, and what he left behind is a bit of a mess. For now, Dart’s job belongs to Winston, but the Giants were so uncertain about him that they went out and traded for J.J. McCarthy.

And even John Harbaugh confirmed that McCarthy might be able to give Winston a push.

“Jameis did all the things as a quarterback that we needed to do to win that game [against the Titans on Sunday],” Harbaugh said on Monday afternoon. “But that doesn’t mean that’s where we stand. We’re going to keep growing. There’s going to be new challenges in front of us.”

Indeed, both now and maybe — just maybe — in the future too. This is not a team headed towards an inevitable quarterback controversy. In the end, they might only have one viable NFL quarterback in the room.

But there’s too much uncertainty — from Dart’s recovery, to Winston’s ability, to whether McCarthy can salvage his own career — to rule anything out.

So with that in mind, here’s how the Giants’ new-look quarterback situation shakes out:

The now: The Giants love the 32-year-old Winston so much that it was just three weeks ago that they gave him a two-year, $13 million contract extension. Sure, a lot of that was about how loved he was in the locker room and what he meant to Dart. But teams don’t hand backups that kind of money just for being a swell guy.

They believed Winston was one of the better backups in the NFL and that he could carry them if Dart went down. That was about a short-term injury, though. Their faith is shakier when it comes to Winston carrying them almost the entire length of the season, and they couldn’t have liked what they saw in his first two games since Dart went down.

That’s why the Giants went shopping for alternatives. They felt they needed Winston insurance. That said, their preference is for Winston to play like he did when he was a full-time starter in this league, albeit without all the interceptions. A team source said they believe they can win games with a run-first attack, and some big plays from the cannon-armed Winston, as long as they can manage him away from situations where he might throw games away.

So the job is his for now, and probably for a few more weeks. But his performance will dictate how long he holds it.

The future: Once McCarthy is up to speed on the playbook, probably in a couple of weeks, Winston will have to watch his back. His hold on the job could very much be week-to-week. Some of that is because of how one team source described the Giants’ interest in McCarthy: “He’s just a better fit for what we want to do. He’s athletic. He’s much more like Dart than Winston is. He may not be better, but he’s a better fit.”

Jameis Winston threw for 118 yards in the Giants’ 12-7 win over the Titans. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

–>

Longer term, Winston is what he is at this point: A career backup. The Giants like him in that role, so it seems likely he’ll be asked back in that role next year.

The now: There isn’t much for him to do right now other than rehab his injured knee. The recovery from surgery — believed to be to fix a torn meniscus — and whatever else was wrong with his knee is expected to last into the offseason. Yes, John Harbaugh left open a return for the playoffs and anything is possible. But one team source said that was overly optimistic, meant more as an aspirational statement to keep everyone’s spirits up.

What the Giants are focused on with Dart is making sure there are no setbacks so he can at least ease through the spring and be fully ready to go when training camp begins — a timeline one source indicates shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Jaxson Dart is set to miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a knee injury. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

–>

The future: Make no mistake, this is Dart’s team. The Giants love him and his potential. Even Harbaugh, who wasn’t around when the Giants traded back into the first round to get him in 2025, fell in love with Dart quickly. He made it clear that Dart was a big selling point when he took the Giants job.

There are almost no scenarios where he doesn’t enter camp with his old starting job. But never say never because McCarthy is a 23-year-old former first-round pick too, and he’s also under contract for 2027. It would be unexpected, and a pleasant surprise, but what if McCarthy took over in a few weeks, played like the former first-rounder he is, and led the Giants to the playoffs?

Suddenly there would be some Phil Simms-Jeff Hostetler vibes in New York.

Again, it’s unlikely and probably improbable. But not impossible. The Giants, however, are absolutely going into this believing they will be Dart’s team in 2027, too.

The now: The Giants wanted to add a veteran quarterback as insurance in case Winston got hurt and stumbled, and the best they could do was acquire McCarthy from the Vikings for a fifth-round pick. It’s a pretty low price for a young, inexpensive quarterback with starting experience, who the Giants believe can fit their offensive scheme.

But there are certainly people around the league asking “Why?” The Vikings invested the 10th overall pick in McCarthy in 2024, and as recently as last season they were talking him up as the future of their franchise. Yet on a roster with a fixer-upper in Kyler Murray and 33-year-old Carson Wentz, he still couldn’t get on the field.

Yes, he’s had injury issues. But Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has a well-earned reputation as a quarterback whisperer. If he was willing to give up on McCarthy so soon, for so little, it’s fair to wonder if he’s just irreparably damaged goods.

J.J. McCarthy was relegated to the bench this season after throwing more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) in 2025. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

–>

The future: It’ll take a few weeks to get McCarthy up to speed, but the Giants didn’t get him just to be ready if Winston gets hurt. If they see anything out of him at all, any sign that he can run the offense they want to run better than Winston can, they will make a move and give him a shot.

A lot of that is up to Winston. If he plays well and the Giants start winning, there’ll be a change. But McCarthy will be pushing from behind, just with his presence. And don’t think for a second Harbaugh will hesitate to switch if he thinks the season is on the line.

As for the longer-term future, barring a really unlikely run deep into the playoffs, the best the Giants are hoping for is that McCarthy develops into a viable backup for them, or plays so well they can flip him in the offseason for a relatively high draft pick. They have absolutely no intention of giving him a shot at Dart’s job, ever.

Unless their hand is forced, of course.

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Week 3 of the NFL season delivered a rain-soaked upset in Washington and another dominant afternoon in Detroit, and Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski found their Employees of the Week in the middle of both.

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs each delivered three-touchdown performances in Week 3, and Edelman and Gronkowski named them their “Employees of the Week” on the latest edition of “Gronk & Jules.”

Edelman picked the Washington Commanders quarterback, while Gronkowski went with the Detroit Lions running back, making Gibbs the first player to be named Employee of the Week twice since the segment debuted in Week 1.

Rob Gronkowski’s Employee Of The Week

Gronkowski went with Gibbs, who totaled 164 yards from scrimmage and scored three touchdowns in a 31-24 win over the New York Jets. 

“I’m going with Jahmyr Gibbs from Detroit,” Gronkowski said. ” The way he flashes across the field. 164 yards total, three touchdowns. This guy is just a specimen. He can take anything to the house at any time.”

Gibbs carried 20 times for 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns and caught seven passes for 65 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown catch that put Detroit ahead for good in the fourth quarter. The performance pushed his season total to six touchdowns through three games and moved him past Billy Sims into second place on the Lions’ all-time rushing touchdown list with 43, behind Barry Sanders’ 99.

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It is the second time in three weeks Gronkowski has picked Gibbs for the honor. He also chose the Lions running back in Week 1, when Gibbs scored twice against the New Orleans Saints and became the sixth player in NFL history to reach 50 career touchdowns within his first 50 games. 

Gronkowski said before the season that he expected Gibbs to be a leading Offensive Player of the Year candidate.

“I actually had him winning Offensive Player of the Year in my preseason picks,” Gronkowski said. “It’s already three weeks. There’s so much been happening, but he’s my favorite running back in the NFL.”

Julian Edelman’s Employee Of The Week

Edelman chose Mariota after the quarterback completed 19 of 31 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns, with no turnovers, in a 33-31 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. 

“That’s a big-time win, beating the defending Super Bowl champs in a s—tyweather game,” Edelman said. “You had three touchdowns, no turnovers. I love that. I’m giving the game ball to Marcus Mariota.”

Mariota made his first start of the season in place of the injured Jayden Daniels, throwing touchdown passes to Rachaad White, Treylon Burks and Terry McLaurin in rainy conditions at Northwest Stadium. It was his first three-touchdown game since 2022.

Mariota and the Commanders play the Indianapolis Colts in London in Week 4. Gibbs and the Lions travel to face the Carolina Panthers.

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Aaron Judge hopes to talk his way onto the New York Yankees roster for the AL Wild Card Series and into the starting lineup against the Boston Red Sox.

Sidelined since Sept. 16 by a strained right calf, the Yankees captain took live batting practice on the field Monday, a day ahead of the series opener. He walked twice, hit a comebacker to the mound and took a called third strike against teammates Ryan Weathers and Elmer Rodriguez.

“I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I’m going to keep doing that,” Judge said. “The most important thing is just making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch. We’ve got another month of baseball to play.”

A three-time AL MVP, the 34-year-old slugger had a platelet-poor plasma injection Sept. 21. He was sidelined by a fractured rib from May 31 to Sept. 8 and played in just seven games before the latest injury.

“He’s making progress. We’ll continue to see where he’s at,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Speaking in front of his locker, a diamond-and-garnet pendant of a judge’s gavel hanging from his neck, the outfielder said he hasn’t run the bases since the injury but had been working on an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill.

“I’ve been hitting for a while, so it feels great, which is definitely a big step forward because you kind of produce a lot of weight on that back leg,” he said.

Judge was limited to 66 games this season. He hit .241 with 18 homers, 41 RBIs and an .871 OPS, including .174 with one homer and three RBIs in September.

He hopes not to be limited to designated hitter — teammate Ben Rice was the DH in 96 games.

“I’m trying to come back as an outfielder because I think it helps our team the most, but however they see I fit in the best, I am going to try to do that,” Judge said.

Judge didn’t express concern about trying for a quick return from an injury to his soleus muscle, which is part of the Achilles tendon.

“Guys take risks every single day. I know a lot of guys in here are banged up and dealing with stuff,” he said. “So, yeah, I understand the risks.”

In his 11th big league season and still without a World Series title, Judge is sensing the passage of time as motivation for pushing to get back on the field.

“The biggest thing is just understanding how short I get. The time I get to be a Yankee and play this game of baseball is a very short window,” he said. “Ten years have gone by since I debuted out here. Time flies and I just think about that more than thinking about age. I feel like I’ll still be a good baseball player at 45. So, yeah, it’s more just, your window to play this game is short so you don’t want to miss an opportunity.”

Stanton, Grisham and Weathers

Giancarlo Stanton, out since April 24 because of strained calf muscles in both legs, also is a roster possibility along with center fielder Trent Grisham, sidelined since straining his right hamstring on Sept. 4, and Weathers, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 22 because of a left forearm flexor strain. Weathers appeared unlikely since he threw BP to Judge, Stanton and Grisham.

“There’s a few roster decisions still that we keep kind of bouncing back and forth, thinking about lineup construction,” Boone said. “So those are still things that I’m wrestling with to some degree. Ultimately, we’ve got to settle on it tomorrow and go let it rip.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Monday Night Football closes out Week 3 with the Chicago Bears taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. Use Kalshi’s promo code FOXSPORTS55 to unlock a $55 bonus for this NFC showdown between two playoff teams from last season.

The Eagles walk into Chicago undefeated and coming off a game-winning drive from Jalen Hurts while Philadelphia still waits for Saquon Barkley to find his stride. 

Chicago will look to its rushing attack as they turn to QB3, Case Keenum, to make plays for the offense.

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How to Watch Eagles vs. Bears

• When: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
• TV: ABC, ESPN
• Stream: ESPN Unlimited – Get the FOX One / ESPN Bundle

Players To Watch

Philadelphia’s offense has tilted toward the pass through two weeks, and Hurts is the one making it work. He has thrown for 467 yards and 5 touchdowns across the Eagles’ two wins, completing 26 of 37 passes for 264 yards and 2 scores in last week’s 24-20 win over Tennessee.

Chicago’s defense has already recorded 5 sacks in two games, and Hurts has been taken down 6 times himself. Staying clean against that pressure will go a long way toward keeping Philadelphia’s 2-0 start intact.

Nobody in Chicago’s offense has done more with two games than Swift. He has carried 34 times for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, powering a Bears rushing attack that leads the NFL at 212.5 yards per game.

Philadelphia’s run defense has been generous so far, allowing 254 yards on 61 carries, and that gives Swift a clear runway to keep piling up chunk gains on Monday night.

Early volume in Philadelphia’s passing game has gone through one receiver more than any other. Smith leads the Eagles with 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, well ahead of every other target in the offense.

Chicago’s secondary has allowed 504 passing yards over its first two games, an average of 252 per contest, and that leaky mark makes Smith a central figure in how much Hurts can push the ball down the field. If the Bears can’t tighten that up, Smith should keep piling up targets.

]–>

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Week 3 of the NFL season wraps up with Monday Night Football as the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

The Eagles enter Monday night at 2-0 behind Jalen Hurts, while the Bears are 1-1 and will be without quarterback Caleb Williams, due to a hamstring injury. Chicago’s dynamic running back tandem, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, can help veteran quarterback Case Keenum to get a win in primetime.

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How to Watch Eagles vs. Bears

• When: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
• TV: ABC, ESPN
• Stream: ESPN Unlimited – Get the FOX One / ESPN Bundle

Players To Watch

Philadelphia’s offense has tilted toward the pass through two weeks, and Hurts is the one making it work. He has thrown for 467 yards and 5 touchdowns across the Eagles’ two wins, completing 26 of 37 passes for 264 yards and 2 scores in last week’s 24-20 win over Tennessee.

Chicago’s defense has already recorded 5 sacks in two games, and Hurts has been taken down 6 times himself. Staying clean against that pressure will go a long way toward keeping Philadelphia’s 2-0 start intact.

Nobody in Chicago’s offense has done more with two games than Swift. He has carried 34 times for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, powering a Bears rushing attack that leads the NFL at 212.5 yards per game.

Philadelphia’s run defense has been generous so far, allowing 254 yards on 61 carries, and that gives Swift a clear runway to keep piling up chunk gains on Monday night.

Early volume in Philadelphia’s passing game has gone through one receiver more than any other. Smith leads the Eagles with 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, well ahead of every other target in the offense.

Chicago’s secondary has allowed 504 passing yards over its first two games, an average of 252 per contest, and that leaky mark makes Smith a central figure in how much Hurts can push the ball down the field. If the Bears can’t tighten that up, Smith should keep piling up targets.

]–>

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I played offensive line for eight seasons in the NFL, and before that I spent my Saturdays in Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, blocking for guys who ended up on lists like this one. So when I watch college football now, I watch for the stuff that signaled to me in the huddle whether a guy was for real.

I’m picking the 10 players who impressed me most during the previous weekend. Not just the gaudiest stat lines, but the performances that hold up when you turn the tape on. Some weeks, that’ll be an edge rusher wreaking havoc. Other weeks, it’ll be a lineman you’ve never heard of who didn’t lose a rep all afternoon. I have a soft spot for those guys. 

This week featured some household names along with some under-the-radar gems. Let’s take a look.

Jadan Baugh’s first month of the season has been fantastic and Saturday was no exception. He helped his Gators beat a top five Ole Miss squad with 142 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns. That many rushing attempts is an impressive workload against a SEC defense. Baugh’s Heisman odds continue to improve. 

Raiola entered the game for the Ducks after Dante Moore was knocked out with a concussion. Raiola was 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The Nebraska transfer looked calm and collected in the pocket, and it was a huge boost for the Ducks who needed a boost after Moore left the game.

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Finney is a remarkable talent for the Ducks. He was a freshman All-American at corner last season and he’s been moved inside to play nickel this season. He was only targeted three times against USC and only a single pass was completed against him. He also added four tackles. Finney is just an outstanding defensive piece for Oregon

Jeremiah is the best player in the sport and he showed it again on Saturday vs. Illinois. He had a remarkable 12 receptions for 217 yards with four touchdowns, tying the Ohio State singe-game record for touchdown catches. Nothing more to add. Amazing talent. 

After a shaky Week 1 against Tulsa, we’ve seen Mestemaker turn into the quarterback people hoped he’d be. He beat Oregon and went on the road to dominate West Virginia. Mestemaker was 20 of 27 for 389 yards with three touchdowns. 

Austin Romaine led the Red Raiders in tackles (eight) and touchdowns (two). He had back-to-back pick sixes for the Red Raiders as they took care of business against Sam Houston State. One touchdown for a defender is something to celebrate. But two of them? Outstanding.

Georgia’s defense embarrassed Oklahoma’s offense this weekend and Wilson was a big reason. He had 11 tackles with eight solo, plus 1 sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Wilson is an absolute beast.

Whoa… what a performance by Simmons against Tennessee.. He had five sacks, 10 pressures and eight defensive stops. Just a remarkable performance from a guy who will play on Sundays. 

Indiana lost Turbo Richard in the second quarter, so Bebbe Jr. took over as the number one back. The Hooisers ran game was sort of stuck in the mud until he broke off some long runs. He ended with 203 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown. 

Splat! Heard was an absolute monster against South Alabama, grading out as the highest offensive tackle in Week 4, according to Pro Football Focus (87.5). Check out the play below. 

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Three months ago, MLB on FOX analyst A.J. Pierzynski visited Pope Leo XIV and presented the pontiff with the final out ball from Game 1 of the 2005 Fall Classic. 

Pierzynski, who was the catcher for that World Series-winning White Sox team, did not need to make much of an introduction. The pope, who grew up a White Sox fan, already knew who he was. 

Now, Pope Leo and the White Sox faithful will get to watch their favorite team in the postseason for the first team in five years after the South Siders secured the final wild-card spot. 

Ahead of the playoffs, I caught up with Pierzynski to talk about the White Sox, playoff baseball in Chicago, the teams who could surprise this October, the advice he’d give to 20-year-old Padres catcher Ethan Salas, and, yes, that pope visit. 

(Note: Questions and answers may be edited for clarity or brevity.) 

You debuted as a 21-year-old with the Twins, but it wasn’t until your age-25 season that you played in the postseason. Padres catcher Ethan Salas is about to become the youngest catcher ever to play in a postseason game. I’m curious what advice you would give to the 20-year-old? 

Pierzynski: Just enjoy the moment. Be excited to be there because you never know how many chances you’re going to get in the postseason. I remember in 2002 I made the playoffs with the Twins, and I was like, ‘Oh, man, we’re going to make the playoffs every year.’ Because we made it in 2002, 2003. Then 2004 we missed, 2005 we won the World Series, and I was like, ‘Oh, man, this playoff thing is easy.’ Then it seemed like we went forever without making it. 

Ethan Salas, age 20, is already helping the Padres. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

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So, if anything, listen to guys like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, guys who have been there, been through the battles, and just enjoy it. The one thing you never get to do as a player is enjoy the moment because you’re in the moment. Even winning a World Series 20-plus years ago, looking back, I just wish I would’ve gotten to enjoy it a little bit more, meaning step back and look around and say, ‘Man, this is pretty awesome, we’re about to win the World Series.’ When you’re in it, you’re so in it and you’re so focused on the task at hand that you don’t really get that second to just look around and say, ‘Wow, this is pretty amazing.’

You were there in 2008 when the White Sox and Cubs both made the playoffs. Can you describe what the city of Chicago is like when both of those teams are relevant and playing well?

Pierzynski: There’s nothing like it, honestly. I played for the Red Sox, played Red Sox-Yankees. I played for the Giants, saw Dodgers-Giants. I played for the Cardinals, Cardinals-Cubs. I never was in the Subway Series, but I can tell you right now the crosstown between the Cubs and the White Sox, for me, was the most fun and most electric rivalry, if that’s what you want to call it, that I was ever a part of for so many reasons. But mostly just because when both teams are good, the city is just absolutely electric.

Munetaka Murakami has been a breakout star in Chicago. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)

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 Those six games we used to play every year were my favorite six games not in the postseason. Every year you look, as soon as the schedule comes out, when do we play the Cubs? When do we go to Wrigley? When guys would come up or were new to the team, I would say, ‘All right, just wait until we get to go to Wrigley, you’ll see something you’ve never seen before.’ They were like, “Ah, what are you talking about?’ Then they go to Wrigley for the first time as a visitor on the White Sox and they’re like, ‘OK, that is absolutely amazing.’ Or when the Cubs would come to, whatever it’s called now, Rate Field, just because of the way the fans were into it. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong has also had a breakout year star in Chicago. (Getty)

–>

When both teams were really trying and were really good, the atmosphere would change. It wasn’t as good when one team was good but the other team wasn’t good. But when both teams were good, especially before the Cubs won their World Series in 2016, it was crazy. The White Sox fans would rub it in their face, ‘We got our World Series before you guys did.’ That would lead to fisticuffs in the stands and arguments in the stands, and it was just one of those atmospheres you could never replicate.

There’s a lifelong bond, I’m sure, that happens when you win a World Series with a group of guys. Do you stay in touch with your old White Sox teammates? 

Pierzynski: You definitely keep tabs with most of them. You can’t keep tabs with everybody. That’d be almost impossible. But we always have a special bond. We just had our 20-year reunion last year. You definitely always have something with them that nobody can take away. 

The reunion of the 2005 World Series champions. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

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I think that’s the biggest thing that people don’t understand. When you play baseball, and people find out you play baseball, long after you retire, the first question you get is always, ‘Did you win a World Series?’ ‘Oh, you played Major League Baseball, do you have a ring?’ To be able to say yes to that, is like, as the kids would say, one of the greatest flexes, right? ‘Yeah, I got one of those, no big deal.’ Then the next question is, ‘Do you have your ring?’ I’m like, ‘No, I never wear it,’ because I don’t. Then obviously the next questions are. ‘Did you make an All-Star team? Who’s the toughest pitcher you had to hit off of?’ 

A.J. Pierzynski celebrating the 2005 World Series title with his family. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

–>

But it is always, ‘Did you win a World Series?’ So, you have that bond forever. Nobody can ever take it away from you. And then when you see those guys, even after not seeing someone for a long time or speaking to someone for a long time, you always have a special bond. You always have stories you can go back to. You always have something to talk about. There’s something that doesn’t go away.

What do you think needs to happen for these White Sox to make a surprise run through October? 

Pierzynski: They need some pitching to step up, obviously. Whether it’s Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, whoever their other starters are going to be, they need their starters to give them more innings than what they’ve given them. Now, one thing about the White Sox is they don’t let their starters go very deep. I think their starters threw the least amount of innings in Major League Baseball this year, which is normally not a very good strategy for a deep run into the postseason. 

The White Sox will lean on Sean Burke during the playoffs. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

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In the regular season, and I’ve talked about this a million times, when you have relievers that constantly come into games, you do this in the regular season and say, ‘OK, so and so’s tired, we can option them down and bring up another guy to take his spot.’ When you get to the postseason, you can’t do that because of the rule change to where you can’t option someone if a guy gets hurt or whatever. He has to miss a series. So, guys get worn down even with the off days, and you need either starters going to the bullpen to make up for those reliever innings if you’re going to try to run it that way or starters to step up and give you six innings or at least into the sixth inning. Because every out you save with your starter is one less out you have to get with your bullpen. 

It’s a fine line you have to walk, but I swear by this: The team that has the best starting pitching wins almost every time, throughout long series and throughout the postseason, because they save outs for their bullpen.

Along those lines, do you look at the Dodgers as the clear favorites to three-peat? And if so, what team in the NL do you think is best equipped to try to stop that from happening?

Pierzynski: I always think that the Dodgers are the best team until someone beats them. They’re in the postseason again, they have their pitching. You want to go into a seven-game series and get Yamamoto twice, Skubal twice, possibly Snell or Glasnow twice? That doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun as a hitter to have to go in and battle against that. But that being said, they’re vulnerable. 

The Dodgers remain the favorite to win it all, again. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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They obviously didn’t win as many games as the Brewers did. I think there’s multiple teams in the National League that are definitely equipped. Whether it’s Milwaukee, for sure, because if you get Miz, Henderson, Harrison pitching well, the way Pat Murphy, I don’t know if ‘motivates’ that team is the right word, but the way he understands his team dynamic and gets them to play like a team is like no other team in baseball. And I honestly just believe Milwaukee could do it. 

I think Philly, you get Bryce Harper, Schwarber hot, Turner hot, with Sanchez and Nola and Wheeler and if Luzardo can pitch, that’s another great one. The National League is so much tougher. Even the Braves, you get Sale and Mahle pitching well with their back end of the bullpen, Iglesias the way he’s pitched and that bullpen, and you get RIley and Acuna and that whole crew hot, the National League is so equipped. Even the Cubs could do it. Throw the Padres in there, because the Padres aren’t scared.

But again, until somebody beats the Dodgers, man, I just don’t know who’s going to do it. Someone has to step up and do it. It’s been so long since someone’s been able to do it that I think there’s a little bit of doubt, even in players’ minds.

What’s a surprise team you think people should be talking more about this postseason that might be flying a bit under the radar? 

Pierzynski: The Brewers are the team that stands out to me. This should be the year where the Brewers have a great chance to do a lot of damage. I think people are talking about them, but they also look at them and say, ‘Oh, it’s the same old Brewers.’ ‘That’s cute they won 100 games, but, ah, they’re the Brewers, they’re not going to win in the postseason.’ But honestly, I think they’re a team that could win the whole thing. 

Jacob Misiorowski is the NL’s likely Cy Young winner. (Getty)

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There’s a lot of reasons why — the way they play defense, the way they hit with runners in scoring position, the way they play the game is just the right way. When you talk to other teams and say you’ve got to play the Brewers, the way they talk about it is how much more prep you have to put into it because the way they play is so different than any other team — the way they bunt, the way they steal bases, the way they run the bases, the way they pitch, the way Murph handles the bullpen, it’s just different than any other team. 

The only other team that kind of compares to that is the Rays. So, the two I think people don’t talk about — again, because they’re the Rays and the Brewers — are the Rays and the Brewers. 

Despite where they were the last few years, you were pretty adamant it would’ve been a failure if the White Sox had failed to reach the postseason after leading the division for much of the second half. Now that they’re in, are they playing with house money?

Pierzynski: No. No. I understand why fans think that, but expectations change. I’m sorry. 

The way the White Sox can swing the bat, if they get Murakami hot, Colson Montgomery hot, they get some of these guys hot, they have a chance to absolutely do damage in the postseason. Is it a success? Yeah, it’s a success because they weren’t going to lose 100 games again. And it’s a success because the fans are behind them again and the fans believe in them and they’re fun to watch. But as far as being satisfied? Heck no. You’re in the postseason. The goal is to win the World Series. 

Once you get in, you’re like, ‘Well, why can’t we win the World Series?’ I guarantee you even the Cincinnati Reds last year who had to play the Dodgers and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, how’d this team even get into the postseason?’ They didn’t go into that series thinking, ‘We got no chance.’ They went into it saying if Hunter Greene pitches really well and [Nick] Lodolo, and Elly [De La Cruz] gets hot, we got a chance to knock the Dodgers off. You have to look at it like that. 

So, yeah, is it great the White Sox are in? One hundred percent, compared to where they were. But do you just look at it and say it was successful because they didn’t lose 100 games and they made the postseason? Yeah, but it’d be cool to keep the success going and build and actually have a chance to win a ring. At the end of the day, the goal is to win the ring.

You mentioned how people ask you about the World Series. I have to imagine this year everyone is asking you about the pope. That experience with your family had to be incredible. So, is it more wild that the pope is going to be watching this White Sox run or that he knows who you are? 

Pierzynski: Oh, that the pope knows who I am. I mean, are you kidding? Remember I mentioned a flex earlier, a cool flex. When you walk up to the Pope and you say, ‘Hey, I’m A.J. Pierzynski,’ and he goes, ‘You don’t have to introduce yourself; I already know who you are, and I’ve been waiting to talk to you all day,’ you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty incredible,’ right? 

Just the fact you get to go up there, meet someone, talk to them, and he couldn’t be more gracious, humble, everything you would expect someone like the pope to be. He exceeded all expectations. And then for him to say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m paying attention to the White Sox,’ they’ve got to have a little divine intervention in their corner, don’t they?

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Well-executed football was in short supply across the NFL in Week 3. But, as always, the slate provided plenty of drama.

The Bills rallied from a double-digit hole to avoid an upset against the Chargers; the Ravens and Cowboys gave football fans in Brazil quite the show; and the Broncos, with some help from the refs, knocked off the Rams with late defensive heroics.

All three games turned on pivotal fourth-quarter plays, from Justin Herbert’s poorly timed interception to Lamar Jackson’s last-second pass to Zay Flowers and Talanoa Hufanga’s pick-six.

As always, we’ll dive into the strategies, the matchups, and everything else that created those memorable moments – along with what those moments mean for the future.

Tom Brady just has a way with words, I guess. A week after sending the internet into a frenzy by calling a Dak Prescott throw a “piss missile,” he used a more PG descriptor for Justin Herbert’s fourth-quarter interception in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. 

“There’s a safety in the middle of the field,” Brady said. “Poor awareness, poor decision. Throws him a meatball sub.” 

It’s never good when the greatest quarterback of all time is comparing your throws to Italian sandwiches. This was a new low for Herbert in a season full of them. 

So what, exactly, did Herbert see before serving up that meatball sub to C.J. Gardner-Johnson? Here’s the all-22 angle of the interception, which took points off the board for the Chargers and set up Buffalo’s go-ahead drive. 

Herbert wasn’t asked about the play after the game, so we’ll have to do some guesswork. Herbert’s eyes go to Gardner-Johnson, and he sees the Bills safety turn his hips toward the sideline. It looks like Gardner-Johnson is bailing to the deep half, and Buffalo is rotating into a Cover 2 look. 

In theory, Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s post route would be open against Cover 2, which leaves the deep middle of the field vacated. But as soon as Herbert’s eyes left Gardner-Johnson, he changed direction and worked back to the middle of the field, taking away that route.  

It’s unclear whether the Bills were actually playing Cover 2; either way, Gardner-Johnson made a heady play baiting the throw. And, either way, Herbert has to do a better job holding the safety with his eyes, since there’s no deeper route to the right to pull Johnson out of the middle. 

Herbert (wrongly) assumes the deep middle is wide open and tosses up a meatball sub that Gardner-Johnson devours for a momentum-swinging play. 

The takeaway: The Chargers’ deep passing game is a mess. Herbert is 1-for-12 with three interceptions on deep pass attempts this season. There have been some drops, and receivers are struggling to separate, but Herbert has also served up a few sandwiches. L

os Angeles has had no issues moving the ball, but the lack of explosives and the repeated blunders in enemy territory have prevented the offense from taking off like everyone expected before the season. This play was a good microcosm of the issues. The play design doesn’t stretch the safeties to open up the deep middle; the Chargers are relying on a receiver who was just signed off the street; and Herbert makes a disastrous decision while trying to do too much. 

Seven seconds. 

That’s all Lamar Jackson needed to get the Ravens from their own 35-yard line into range for Tyler Loop’s game-winning kick. Here’s how he did it. 

As easy as Jackson makes it look, that’s a remarkable throw. Per Next Gen Stats, the pass traveled 36.4 yards in 1.6 seconds. Based on my back-of-the-napkin math, that works out to a 46-MPH throw. 

As much as I’d like to heap praise on Jackson for the game-winning effort, the Cowboys’ defense really botched this one. Some have blamed deep safety Alijah Clark for the coverage bust, but he’s actually doing his job by retreating downfield. The blame falls squarely on two Cowboys defenders who were nowhere near Zay Flowers when he caught the ball.

The first culprit is safety Marquise Bell, who’s playing the “robber” role for Dallas. The robber’s job is to help with in-breaking routes over the middle, which Bell does—he just picks the wrong route to help on. Bell latches onto Mark Andrews, who’s running a crossing route that’s about 15 yards short of field goal range. 

With only seven seconds on the clock, Andrews didn’t pose much of a threat, and Bell didn’t need to jump his route. That put our second culprit, Caleb Downs, in a tough spot. Once Bell takes Andrews, Downs becomes the new robber. 

Downs needs more depth to get into deeper passing windows. Instead, he parks himself around midfield and is in no position to help on the routes behind him. 

Reddy Steward, the cornerback responsible for Flowers, expects help inside and plays with outside leverage. Could he have been tighter to Flowers? Absolutely, but his teammates left him out to dry. 

The takeaway: The coverage was poorly executed on the field, but this epic failure ultimately falls on first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Man coverage, with just one deep safety, is a bold call in that scenario. And if the young Cowboys secondary lacks the situational awareness to take up a deeper position, Parker should have gone with a more conservative call, like a soft zone.

Over three weeks, this Dallas defense has played like a poorly coached unit. Parker was brought in to clean up last year’s mess and help out the offense. That hasn’t happened and the 2026 Cowboys look an awful lot like the 2025 version of the team.

Let’s stay on the subject of coaches not putting their players in a good spot to succeed. Only in Denver, Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga found a way to make a play for his team despite his defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, putting him in a precarious situation. Hufanga’s game-changing pick-6 of Matthew Stafford came on a play where he was left to fend for himself in a two-on-one situation.

The Broncos sent an all-out blitz on third-and-6 and disguised it by lining up a safety in the deep middle. 

With only Hufanga lined up over the two receivers to Stafford’s right, the Rams quarterback assumed one of the potential blitzers on the line of scrimmage would have to drop into coverage. 

That didn’t happen. Denver sent the house and asked Jones to come out of the deep middle to cover one of those receivers man-to-man. Stafford recognized it instantly and targeted Kyren Williams’ quick out route. Quick outs are typically a good answer against the blitz, with defenders often playing with inside leverage to guard against quick slants and in-breakers. 

So, this was a bit of an I-know-you-know situation. Hufanga knew Stafford would be looking for the quick out against the blitz and fell off his original assignment to jump that route. 

Hufanga made a similar play to seal the win. With the Rams needing a touchdown and only seconds on the clock, the Broncos sent another blitz, leaving the secondary in man-to-man coverage across the board. Knowing Stafford would likely target Davante Adams, Hufanga left his man and made a break on the ball to pick it off and end the game. 

“Your [thought] is, ‘best player on the field, they’re trying to get him the ball,” Hufanga said after the game. “So I kind of left my coverage and just went over there and made a play.” 

The takeaway: After a rough start to the season, this Broncos defense is rounding into championship form. Zach Allen was the hero in the Week 2 win over the Jaguars. This week, it was Hufanga, who also had a key third-down sack in the fourth quarter. Joseph has an ideal collection of plays to run his chaotic brand of defense. When this unit is at its best, even the league’s most experienced quarterbacks can struggle to figure out what they’re seeing.

Next week’s matchup against the 49ers and the league’s hottest quarterback, Brock Purdy, will be a real test. The Broncos defense looks up to the challenge. 

Three And Out

1. NFL teams should be running more lateral plays like the one the 49ers used to score an 82-yard touchdown on Sunday. 

That play inspired me to look into how effective those plays are, and the results are stunning. I excluded desperation plays in the dying moments of a game or half and focused on lateral plays called in more typical situations. I found 25 of them dating back to 2021. Those plays have averaged 18.9 yards and resulted in 15 first downs. Almost all of them have come in second- or third-and-extra-long situations.  

Ben Johnson has been the tactic’s biggest advocate. The Lions ran the play five times over his three seasons as offensive coordinator, and he used it once last year in Chicago. Kyle Shanahan had used it once before Sunday’s game. In last year’s loss to the Jaguars, Christian McCaffrey picked up a first down on second-and-16 after receiving a lateral from Ricky Pearsall. 

Maybe Sunday’s big play will convince Shanahan to lean into the strategy a bit more. After all, Purdy is now averaging 56 yards per attempt on those plays. 

2. The Jets lost in Detroit on a sack-fumble by Geno Smith, but the veteran quarterback was hardly to blame. New York’s protection broke down, giving Lions safety Chuck Clark a clear path to Smith. 

So who was to blame? It looks like left guard Jordan Meredith caused the bust. The Jets are sliding three linemen to the left, with running back Braelon Allen working away from the slide. 

With six in protection, the Jets should have enough to pick up Detroit’s pressure. Instead, Meideth gets hung up on the defensive tackle and pins center Josh Myers inside. Myers and Allen both end up on Jack Campbell, leaving Clark unblocked. 

3. As FOX Sports’ Joe Davis observed during Washington’s upset of Seattle on Sunday, Marcus Mariota looked like Peyton Manning orchestrating the Commanders’ offense at the line of scrimmage. Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald noticed it too, and credited Mariota’s pre-snap checks for making the difference. 

Mariota’s most important change came on the final drive. With the Commanders facing a third-and-9 and holding onto a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Seattle’s defense lined up in a blitz look with seven defenders on the line of scrimmage. 

Mariota had seen this look before. Earlier in the game, Seattle aligned the same way on second-and-long, and Mariota checked into a run that went for a 48-yard touchdown, but an illegal formation penalty negated it.  

Mariota made the same check on the key third-down play. This time, Washington lined up correctly, and Rachad White ran for 19 yards to pick up a key first down. 

A few plays later, Mariota iced the game with a zone-read keeper. 

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The biggest disappointments in the NFL so far this season? That’s easy: Patriots quarterback and 2025 MVP runner-up Drake Maye and the 1-2 Packers.

What about the biggest surprise? The 3-0 Raiders, even with No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza yet to take a snap. Meanwhile, pressure is already mounting on 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward just three games into his second season with the Titans.

All these teams are represented in my best and worst superlatives coming out of Week 3. In this edition, I focus on individual plays, offenses and overall team performance. Let’s dive in.

Best Play This Week: The ‘Trio In Rio’

Remember last season when kicker Tyler Loop missed the field goal in Baltimore’s regular-season finale against Pittsburgh that would’ve sent the Ravens to the playoffs? Afterward, remember how then-Ravens coach John Harbaugh consoled Loop on the way to the locker room?

That’s part of what makes his 56-yard, game-winning field goal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the kick that lifted the Ravens past the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 as time expired — so awesome. In his first chance at a walk-off field goal since that Week 18 miss last season, Loop rose to the occasion.

And he’s been delivering since the season began. A brief competition with veteran Jake Moody after Loop went 3-of-8 on field goals in the preseason ended when he went 2-for-2 in the Ravens’ 41-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, hitting from 57 and 45 yards. Baltimore released Moody from its practice squad after that performance.

A sixth-round pick last year, Loop is 5-for-6 on field goals so far this season, showing that he can be a reliable scorer for a Ravens team expected to contend.

Worst Play This Week: Cam Ward’s Game-Sealing INT

It was all set up for Cam Ward to have his moment. 

The Titans were knocking on the end zone at the Giants’ 7-yard line, trailing by five points with 24 seconds left. Ward’s second career game-winning drive was at his fingertips … but it slipped through when he made a very bad decision. The second-year Titans quarterback rolled to his left and fired a pass intended for wide receiver Elic Ayomanor at the back of the end zone, failing to see Giants safety Jevon Holland lurking around the goal line. 

It was an easy pick for Holland, sealing the game for New York. 

It wasn’t a do-or-die situation for Tennessee. Ward could’ve thrown the ball away if he had any doubts about the window he was seeing. It was a first-down play, after all. He had space to run, too. Even if Ward couldn’t get out of bounds, the Titans had two timeouts to stop the clock. So time wasn’t an issue either. 

It was just a terrible decision all the way around by Ward, who had flushed a shaky performance through three quarters with a terrific final period up until the interception. 

Now, the clock must be ticking on last year’s No. 1 overall pick. 

And not the clock for a benching, to be clear — another Titans season appears to be headed nowhere, so to sit Ward in favor of veteran backup Mitch Trubisky and miss out on reps doesn’t make sense. But at the current trajectory, the franchise could be having the quarterback conversation this offseason — whether to bring in veteran competition or to draft a QB to compete with Ward in 2027. 

We’re 20 games into the Ward era in Tennessee. He’s 3-17 in those games. Ward has had a lot of dysfunction around him for much of that time, and he’s flashed at times in spite of that dysfunction, but his development has been headed in the wrong direction to this point in Year 2. 

The Titans have invested heavily at the wide receiver position with No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate and free-agent acquisition Wan’Dale Robinson. The pass protection has been fine — Ward has been sacked just five times through three games and has faced a 34.3% pressure rate, 12th-lowest amongst qualified quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. So the onus is on Ward to start playing better. We’re running out of excuses to make for last year’s No. 1 overall pick. 

Best Offense This Week: Atlanta Falcons

Turns out that the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was the solution to the Falcons’ problems. 

After missing Atlanta’s first two games as he worked his way back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, Penix returned for Thursday Night Football against the Packers, leading an electrifying Atlanta offense that netted 500 yards before his back-to-back kneel downs to end the game. 

Superstar running back Bijan Robinson had 29 carries for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Standout wide receiver Drake London caught nine passes for 194 yards. Robinson and London became the first teammate duo in league history to finish with 150-plus rushing yards and 150-plus receiving yards in the same game three times, according to Next Gen Stats. So the Falcons’ biggest stars led the way in what was a thorough whooping for Atlanta, which recorded 242 yards rushing and had a 37:05 time of possession. 

All of a sudden, the Falcons become an intriguing team. It remains to be seen whether Penix can stay healthy and replicate his Week 3 success (72.0% completion rate for 256 yards and a touchdown with an interception). But with competent play at the quarterback position, Atlanta is a legit NFC playoff contender given its talent at the offensive skill positions and on the offensive line.  

Worst Offense This Week: New England Patriots

Right now, it’s difficult to believe that the Patriots were in the Super Bowl just seven months ago. 

Their offense continued to sputter Sunday, when they were blown out 35-6 by the Jaguars. New England reached Jacksonville territory seven times but failed to score a touchdown on any of those possessions, its most drives in plus territory without a TD since Week 8 of 2023, per NGS. 

The play of quarterback Drake Maye is the biggest concern. Against the Jags, he completed just 56.0% of his throws for 199 yards with no touchdowns and three total turnovers (two interceptions, one lost fumble), giving him a league-high seven giveaways. His throw to a tightly-covered Efton Chism III in the end zone just before halftime that was picked off by Travis Hunter was a shockingly bad decision — awfully similar to his game-sealing interception in New England’s season opener in Seattle. 

The Patriots need to figure out what’s wrong with their young quarterback and fix it fast, because things could get even spookier for New England. Its offensive line, which was an Achilles’ heel in the Super Bowl run last season, is already becoming problematic again. The Patriots were down to their third-string right guard against the Jaguars because starter Mike Onwenu (broken ankle) is on IR and backup Greg Van Roten didn’t finish the game because of a thigh injury. 

Best Overall Team This Week: Las Vegas Raiders

How about those Raiders? They improved to 3-0 with their 35-27 win over the New Orleans Saints. And it was truly a complete victory — the Raiders scored four touchdowns and forced four turnovers, all of which came in the fourth quarter. It marked their first 30-plus point performance since Week 15 of 2023, and the four takeaways in the final period were more than what the team had in the fourth quarter of the entire 2025 season (3). 

No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza will be the Raiders’ starting quarterback eventually, but Las Vegas has no reason to move off the Kirk Cousins wave right now. The veteran QB has thrown three touchdown passes in each of the first three games of the season. 

He’s leading a team that has far exceeded expectations under first-year coach Klint Kubiak. And Las Vegas just got one of its best players back in star tight end Brock Bowers, who had a team-high 10 catches for 116 yards in his season debut Sunday. 

We knew that the AFC West would be tough, with the talented Broncos and the return of Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes, but didn’t anticipate the Raiders being part of the equation. Now, here we are.   

Worst Overall Team This Week: Green Bay Packers

No NFL team is inspiring less confidence right now than the 1-2 Packers, relative to the expectations for Matt LaFleur’s squad this season. 

The Packers were completely overwhelmed in their 35-14 loss to the Falcons. Green Bay’s run game produced 17 net yards, while quarterback Jordan Love completed just 52.8% of his passes and was pressured 23 times. Defensively, the Packers gave up 242 rushing yards and pressured Penix just five times on 25 dropbacks. 

As lead running back Josh Jacobs sits on the commissioner’s exempt list, Green Bay is averaging an alarmingly-low 48.7 rushing yards per game through three weeks, by far the NFL’s worst. Its offensive line is in shambles. The defense has no identity without Micah Parsons.  

Parsons is eligible to return from his ACL rehab in Week 5, but nothing changes in Green Bay’s outlook until the offensive line play improves. And that’s difficult to imagine right now, considering right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele — the team’s best lineman — suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 and Green Bay’s struggles at the guard position. The team signed veteran Laken Tomlinson off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad and free agent Mekhi Becton in recent days for reinforcements.

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