Author: Eternity Lab

College Football Playoff leaders are channeling their best Jerry Maguire this week.

“Show me the money!” they might tell you – or at least that’s what they’re asking their current television network partner.

Friday marks the end of a 30-day exclusive negotiating window between ESPN and the CFP around the rights to an expanded 24-team field. That won’t, however, be the end of all this.

While Friday could bring an offer from ESPN — also not guaranteed — if no deal is agreed to, the CFP is obligated to bring its own offer to ESPN. The network would then have five business days for negotiations to continue, likely leading to an actual deadline of Oct. 19 (Monday is a federal holiday).

The shorter version is this: CFP leaders are deciding whether to give ESPN the new inventory created by an expanded playoff, or take it to the open market and seek the highest bidder.

How does this all work? It’s complicated and nuanced. Here’s what I’m hearing and where things stand:

What Would A 24-Team College Football Playoff Look Like?

Conversations about an expanded playoff have circulated for the better part of two years.

Initially the brainchild of Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, he saw it as a way to add value to the regular season while also providing more postseason opportunities for his conference’s programs. Petitti’s initial pitch also included automatic qualifiers and other measures of guaranteed spots.

That won’t be the case here.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is leading the push for a 24-team CFP. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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The current CFP contract guarantees ESPN maintains the rights for up to 14 teams without having to add any new money to the existing deal. 

A 16-team format was also bandied about, but such a shift would almost certainly necessitate the elimination of conference championship games — contests that bring in between $200-250 million between the Power Four leagues — and adding just two new CFP games certainly wouldn’t bring that kind of value to justify the move.

Sources briefed on the matter told me the focus remains on a 24-team format that would be essentially all at-large bids and one guaranteed spot for the Group of Six.

The addition of 12 new teams would require an expansion of the first round and the creation of a second round, both of which would likely be played on campus, while the traditional New Year’s Six bowl sites would also be integrated into the quarterfinal and semifinal slots. 

In all, expanding to 24 teams would bring a total of 10 new games to the market (eight first round, two second round).

American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti had been among those spearheading a push in recent months for an additional guaranteed spot for the Group of Six should the field size double, but sources involved in negotiations told me that almost certainly won’t happen.

As I reported earlier this week, an expanded CFP would also likely see the Army-Navy game moved to an exclusive window on what is now conference championship Saturday the first week of December, while first-round games could begin the second week of December.

What’s Happening With CFP Negotiations?

Conversations between CFP stakeholders and ESPN have basically centered on how much money adding eight new games to the field might fetch.

That said, there are layers of nuance to the discussion.

ESPN currently controls the bulk of the FBS conference championship games. That gives the network about $200-250 million that it’s already invested in the ecosystem. How much might be added on top of that? That’s less clear, and those involved have been tight-lipped.

For discussion’s sake, let’s do a bit of hypothetical, back of the napkin math.

Let’s say the eight CFP games — which are essentially extra first and second round games between teams ranked No. 13-24 — would fetch $500 million, a little less than half the value of the current deal. Between $200-250 million of that is already spoken for in making leagues whole on the conference title games.

The distribution of the extra $250-ish million becomes its own fight. The SEC and Big Ten shifted the finances of CFP distribution under the terms of the new CFP television deal such that they each receive around 29% of annual revenue, while the ACC (17.25%), Big 12 (14.75%) and Group of Six/Independents (9%) receive smaller cuts.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti have the bulk of control over the future format of the CFP. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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Sources suggest the Big 12 and ACC would, naturally, desire a more equal split of any new money. Whether the Big Ten and SEC will actually go for that is a separate conversation for a later date and those involved aren’t splitting hairs over cash that hasn’t been promised yet.

There’s one other caveat in all of this. ESPN operates the CFP’s sponsorship program. If the games were to go out to another bidder, how might that work? That’s not altogether certain.

Sources briefed on the conversations told me ESPN had yet to bring forward an offer as of the middle of this week, while a call is currently scheduled on Friday among CFP leaders to discuss any potential deal. The CFP also technically has until Dec. 1 to make any changes to the field in time for the 2028 rendition, though that deadline could be moved if extra time is needed.

A decision may not actually be made on Friday given the subsequent five-day window, but we might finally have an answer that has eluded decision makers for months: How much are eight new CFP games worth?

CFB Related Stories

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What would the Dallas Cowboys be without Dak Prescott?

On Thursday’s edition of “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd said it took him a long time to figure out Prescott before he landed on an analogy ahead of the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“If the Cowboys are the world’s biggest rock band, he’s the manager,” Cowherd said. “As they’re trashing the hotel rooms, he’s making the beds. He makes sure he keeps it glued together.”

Cowherd opened the segment by saying the Cowboys are strange even when things are going well. 

Dallas currently ranks second in the NFL in total points and dead last in offensive possessions, which Cowherd compared to a haunted house. Through four games, the Cowboys are averaging just over 30 points per game, and Prescott has thrown for 1,065 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception. 

The Cowboys are coming off a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans in Week 4, in which Prescott led a game-winning drive and found CeeDee Lamb for the winning touchdown in the final minute.

Cowherd said the job Prescott has is bigger than just the numbers. He rattled off the personalities and storylines Prescott has overlapped with over the years.

“He dealt with Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott’s immaturity early, Jerry’s vanity always. Now it’s George Pickens’ moodiness. It’s the coaching carousel. It’s Micah Parsons had some drama, even in his rookie year,” Cowherd said. 

Cowherd pointed back to 2016, when a rookie Prescott took over after Tony Romo got hurt. Cowherd credited Romo for holding a press conference to say there was no controversy and that the job belonged to Prescott. 

“If he’s your kid, you make him the executor of the will, a stabilizing force,” Cowherd said. “Maturity, however, never shows up in highlights or a passer rating.”

Dak Prescott led the Cowboys on a game-winning drive and found CeeDee Lamb for the winning touchdown in the final minute of a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans in Week 4. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) –>

Cowherd acknowledged Prescott doesn’t have the biggest arm nor is he the greatest athlete, especially after two surgeries, but argued his job has never been comparable to a quarterback job anywhere else in the league.

“It’s the biggest brand. It’s got an owner that has to do radio hits and be front and center, and sometimes start fires that you have to put out,” Cowherd said. “If Dak wasn’t here, there’d probably be three or four interventions over the last decade the franchise would need.”

Cowherd also took a shot at the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

“It’s not fair, but not everybody gets Sean McVay as a coach. Jerry [Jones] in my opinion, doesn’t respect coaching, and so I think this staff, once again, is pretty average.”

Cowherd went on to point out that Dallas has the highest-scoring offense in the NFL since Prescott was drafted in 2016. 

“That is the highest-scoring offense in the league with an owner that drives you nuts, immaturity from a star receiver and running back, drama, moodiness, average coaching sometimes,” Cowherd said. 

“I’ll take Dallas tonight, but not because of coaching.”

Cowboys Related Stories

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Thursday Night Football kicks off Week 5 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Dallas Cowboys, and bet365 new users can get up to $365 in bonus bets depending on where they live when they use bonus code FOX365.

Tampa Bay enters the game at 0-4 and will be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is sidelined with a thumb injury. Rookie Jalon Daniels is set for another start as the Buccaneers search for their first win, while Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb look to keep the Cowboys’ offense rolling after their comeback win last week.

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How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video
• Follow Live: FOX Sports

Players To Watch

Lamb has caught 37 of 46 targets for 498 yards and four touchdowns, the most receiving yards on the Cowboys. He caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 4 win at Houston, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in three games, including 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Sept. 20.

The top passer in each of Tampa Bay’s four games has thrown for 857 yards in total against the Buccaneers, 214.3 per game. Dallas’ passing offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 258.0 yards per game, and Lamb’s receptions are where much of it comes from.

Dallas goes to Williams near the goal line: he has five rushing touchdowns, including three on 19 carries for 62 yards in the Oct. 4 win at Houston. He has 231 rushing yards on 62 carries this season, and his best yardage game was 98 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Baltimore on Sept. 27.

Tampa Bay has allowed 96 points through four games, 24 per game. Williams’ touchdowns give a Cowboys ground game that ranks 24th in the NFL at 89.5 yards per game a scoring option that does not depend on yardage.

Three yards behind team leader Cade Otton’s 157, Egbuka has 154 receiving yards on 15 receptions and 24 targets, with a touchdown against Cleveland on Sept. 20. His high is five catches for 63 yards at Cincinnati on Sept. 13, and he caught two of four targets for 13 yards against Green Bay on Oct. 4.

The top passer in each of Dallas’ four games has thrown for 874 yards in total against the Cowboys, including 347 for Houston on Oct. 4. Tampa Bay’s passing offense ranks tied for 28th at 172.3 yards per game, so Egbuka’s catches are a main way the Buccaneers can lift that number.

]–>

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The first four weeks of the 2026 NFL season were far from predictable. 

A sliver of teams with playoff (and even championship) hopes are winless. The Minnesota Vikings are one of the final three undefeated teams left. Kenneth Walker III looks like the favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year, and the Los Angeles Rams haven’t been as invincible as we thought they might be. 

We technically aren’t at the exact quarter mark of the 2026 NFL season, but we’re just about there. So, as we prepare for Week 5, we’re taking a look back on some of our preseason predictions and eating a slice of humble pie as we share what we were wrong about the most. 

Ralph Vacchiano: I have been high on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert since 2019, when the New York Giants desperately hoped he’d come out for the draft, one year before he actually did. I thought he had everything I’d want in an NFL quarterback, and I blamed his teammates, coaches and his dysfunctional franchise for why he hasn’t already won multiple Super Bowl trophies and MVPs.

This year, though, I thought everything was set up for him. I believed Jim Harbaugh made a brilliant move to bring in Mike McDaniel to work his wizardry at offensive coordinator. I thought they fixed their line, too. By the end of this season, I was sure Herbert and the Chargers would emerge as a sleeper Super Bowl threat.

Um, about that … 

They’re obviously 0-4, possibly headed towards 0-9 if you look at their schedule, and McDaniel and Herbert look like they’re reading the same book in different languages. There is no cohesion on offense, no answers from the coaches, and all seems lost.

Just a month ago, 10 wins and the playoffs seemed like the floor for this team. I believed that Herbert, who has been floundering the last three seasons, would finally be back on his Hall of Fame track. Now, all I can do is accept that Herbert might be the most overrated quarterback of this generation. I still think the talent is there. But his potential may forever go unfulfilled.

Texans Far From Super Bowl Contention

Ben Arthur: The Texans were an easy Super Bowl pick for me ahead of the season. 

Their all-world defense from a year ago lost no significant contributors over the offseason; they arguably got even better (added free-agent safety Reed Blakenship, second-round rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald). And I couldn’t imagine quarterback C.J. Stroud playing worse than he did in the playoffs last season, when he had seven turnovers in two games. If Stroud could keep Houston’s offense on schedule and the defense kept doing its thing, the Texans had a championship formula. 

So it’s been bizarre to see Stroud and the Texans’ defense essentially switch places in their stunning 0-4 start: the quarterback play has been fine — great at times — but the defense has regressed dramatically. Houston ranks 20th in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed through four games. The team has been particularly bad defending the pass, ranking 28th with 260.0 passing yards allowed per game. 

Stroud has shown very real signs of growth, and I think the defense will be fine after head coach DeMeco Ryans took back defensive play-calling responsibilities this week. But I think the hole they’ve dug for themselves is too big to overcome. The Jaguars are positioned to run away with the AFC South, and there will be some very good teams fighting for the three wild-card spots in the AFC.

Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel Pairing Has Been A Disaster

Eric D. Williams: I thought the unusual pairing between the old-school approach of veteran head coach Jim Harbaugh and the new-school approach of quirky offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel would work, despite their differing personalities. Instead, through the first four weeks, it’s been an ineffective combo, with Harbaugh having to answer questions about firing his offensive coordinator.

The uber-talented Justin Herbert is playing his worst football in his seven-year NFL career. L.A.’s offense looks disjointed, riddled with miscues and sloppy penalties. The Chargers are hampered by injuries again, with four of the team’s projected starting five along the offensive line already suffering injuries that forced them to miss time.

The Chargers have one of the worst scoring offenses in the league, and there’s no sign that things will turn around soon, with one of the best defenses in the league traveling to SoFi Stadium to face the Bolts in the Denver Broncos. Once again, the Chargers appear to be facing another lost season led by one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, and at the center of that struggle is the strained relationship between Harbaugh, McDaniel and Herbert.

  The Pleasant Surprises

Greg Auman: I took the Chargers to win the Super Bowl and thought highly of the Texans, so it would be easy to echo the shock of those two teams opening to 0-4 records.

I’ll pivot to the other side of surprise, and three current playoff teams I didn’t see coming: the Giants, Raiders and Browns, all off to promising 3-1 starts.

You never know how quickly a new coach can imprint on a team that has struggled, and Klint Kubiak has certainly impressed in his first month in Las Vegas. Kubiak had bounced to five teams in five years before winning a Super Bowl last year, from the Vikings to Broncos to 49ers to Chiefs to Seahawks. He looks like someone who has learned from every stop and knows how to build a winning culture. General manager John Spytek spent big in free agency, but Tyler Linderbaum looks like a game-changer, and Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are a great young linebacker duo. It may not translate to the playoffs this year, but the trajectory is undeniably upward.

There’s so much less standing between the Giants and a division title in John Harbaugh’s first season there. The Eagles are now down three solid offensive linemen, and the Cowboys show little sign that their defense isn’t the limiting factor it was last year. Can Jameis Winston play a full season without falling back to old turnover habits? That may be the biggest question, but New York’s defensive front and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese should only improve as the year progresses.

And Cleveland, off to a 3-1 start with their only loss at Jacksonville? Todd Monken is the old man in this first-year head coach class, and he’s managed to win with Deshaun Watson, a wrinkle nobody saw coming. Rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion are playmakers, and second-year defensive tackle Mason Graham had four sacks in his first three games before falling to injury. Their schedule is loaded with winnable games, and while they’re unlikely to catch Baltimore, they could stick around in an AFC North where all four teams are at .500 or better right now. 

Cowboys’ Defense Failing To Meet Expectations

Steven Ruiz: I’ll go with the idea that the Cowboys’ defense can be “average.” I really bought into it and picked Dallas to win the NFC East. My optimism was based on new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, but I’m already selling my stock. It’s early, so Parker could develop into a great play-caller someday, but Dallas’s defense isn’t playing like a well-coached unit right now. There have been coverage busts, missed tackles, and blown assignments all over the field. So, it feels an awful lot like the 2025 version of the defense. I’m sure some of that will get resolved over the next few months, but it’s going to be difficult to fix all of it. 

Thursday’s upset loss to the Buccaneers further increased my concern surrounding the Cowboys’ defense. The Cowboys are on pace to give up their second-most rushing yards in franchise history, with Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushing for a career-high 165 rushing yards. 

Beyond the coaching issues, there’s still a concerning lack of talent. I’d hoped the safeties would improve with the addition of first-round pick Caleb Downs, but the rookie has mostly been used as a nickel back, leaving Markquese Bell and Malik Hooker to cover the deep parts of the field. They’ve been a disaster, and it’s tanked the entire pass unit. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr.’s arrival could push Downs back to safety, patching one of the biggest holes on that unit. But as the defense is currently constructed, this is far from a playoff-level unit. 

With Philadelphia’s season in peril and New York rolling with Jameis Winston for the foreseeable future, the bar for this defense to win the division is much lower than I expected in the offseason. So my take on the defense may have been irredeemably wrong, but I’m still feeling good about my NFC East pick.

The Chiefs Are Actually Playoff-Bound

Henry McKenna: I thought the Chiefs would miss the playoffs, and that was because I thought Patrick Mahomes would need some time before getting on the field — let alone looking like a top-three quarterback. I also thought Kenneth Walker III wouldn’t magically transform the Chiefs’ offensive identity. I was skeptical of whether bringing back OC Eric Bieniemy was the right move — when the team needed fresh ideas. I was beginning to think that maybe there wasn’t enough talent on defense, even with Steve Spagnuolo pulling the strings.

So, yeah, I got all that wrong. Every single element. 

After just four games, the Chiefs have an 89% chance at making the playoffs, tied for the highest in the NFL. They have the highest odds to get the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

That’s because Mahomes is playing the best football he’s played in the last five years. Walker looks like he’s on the same play-making plane as the likes of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. Bieniemy and Andy Reid have used Walker to bring new life to a dud of an offense. And Spags looks just fine working with the guys he’s got, including high-impact rookies Mansoor Delane, the team’s new CB1, and R Mason Thomas, the team’s rotational edge rusher. The Chiefs took a number of calculated risks. Every single one has paid off. The dynasty is alive and well.

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Thursday Night Football brings the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys together for a Week 5 showdown, and new users can use Kalshi promo code FOXSPORTS55 to claim a $55 bonus. 

The Buccaneers enter at 0-4 and will be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is sidelined with an injury. Rookie Jalon Daniels is set to start again as Tampa Bay looks to turn its season around, while Dak Prescott and the Cowboys aim to capitalize on their offensive momentum after beating the Houston Texans. 

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Teams	Chance	Yes	No
DAL Cowboys	40%	40¢	61¢
TB Buccaneers	60%	61¢	40¢

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How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video
• Follow Live: FOX Sports

Players To Watch

Lamb has caught 37 of 46 targets for 498 yards and four touchdowns, the most receiving yards on the Cowboys. He caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 4 win at Houston, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in three games, including 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Sept. 20.

The top passer in each of Tampa Bay’s four games has thrown for 857 yards in total against the Buccaneers, 214.3 per game. Dallas’ passing offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 258.0 yards per game, and Lamb’s receptions are where much of it comes from.

Dallas goes to Williams near the goal line: he has five rushing touchdowns, including three on 19 carries for 62 yards in the Oct. 4 win at Houston. He has 231 rushing yards on 62 carries this season, and his best yardage game was 98 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Baltimore on Sept. 27.

Tampa Bay has allowed 96 points through four games, 24 per game. Williams’ touchdowns give a Cowboys ground game that ranks 24th in the NFL at 89.5 yards per game a scoring option that does not depend on yardage.

Three yards behind team leader Cade Otton’s 157, Egbuka has 154 receiving yards on 15 receptions and 24 targets, with a touchdown against Cleveland on Sept. 20. His high is five catches for 63 yards at Cincinnati on Sept. 13, and he caught two of four targets for 13 yards against Green Bay on Oct. 4.

The top passer in each of Dallas’ four games has thrown for 874 yards in total against the Cowboys, including 347 for Houston on Oct. 4. Tampa Bay’s passing offense ranks tied for 28th at 172.3 yards per game, so Egbuka’s catches are a main way the Buccaneers can lift that number.

]–>

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Thursday Night Football brings the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys together for a Week 5 showdown, and BetMGM is protecting up to $1,500 on new users’ bets with bonus code FOXSPORTS. 

The Buccaneers enter at 0-4 and will be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is sidelined with a thumb injury. Rookie Jalon Daniels is set to start again, hoping to help Tampa Bay turn its season around, while Dak Prescott and the Cowboys aim to build on their 2-2 start after a comeback win over the Houston Texans. 

New users can use BetMGM Bonus Code FOXSPORTS to unlock up to $1,500 in bonuses on Buccaneers vs. Cowboys. With Tampa Bay searching for its first win and Dallas looking to build on its latest victory, this NFC matchup has plenty of storylines heading into primetime.

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TB Buccaneers	+9.5 (-105)	O 49 (-108)	+400
DAL Cowboys	-9.5 (-105)	U 49 (-110)	-525

More markets and odds available on BetMGM.

How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video
• Follow Live: FOX Sports

Players To Watch

Lamb has caught 37 of 46 targets for 498 yards and four touchdowns, the most receiving yards on the Cowboys. He caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 4 win at Houston, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in three games, including 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Sept. 20.

The top passer in each of Tampa Bay’s four games has thrown for 857 yards in total against the Buccaneers, 214.3 per game. Dallas’ passing offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 258.0 yards per game, and Lamb’s receptions are where much of it comes from.

Dallas goes to Williams near the goal line: he has five rushing touchdowns, including three on 19 carries for 62 yards in the Oct. 4 win at Houston. He has 231 rushing yards on 62 carries this season, and his best yardage game was 98 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Baltimore on Sept. 27.

Tampa Bay has allowed 96 points through four games, 24 per game. Williams’ touchdowns give a Cowboys ground game that ranks 24th in the NFL at 89.5 yards per game a scoring option that does not depend on yardage.

Three yards behind team leader Cade Otton’s 157, Egbuka has 154 receiving yards on 15 receptions and 24 targets, with a touchdown against Cleveland on Sept. 20. His high is five catches for 63 yards at Cincinnati on Sept. 13, and he caught two of four targets for 13 yards against Green Bay on Oct. 4.

The top passer in each of Dallas’ four games has thrown for 874 yards in total against the Cowboys, including 347 for Houston on Oct. 4. Tampa Bay’s passing offense ranks tied for 28th at 172.3 yards per game, so Egbuka’s catches are a main way the Buccaneers can lift that number.

]–>

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Thursday Night Football brings the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys together for a Week 5 showdown, and new users can use Polymarket Promo Code FOX to claim a $25 bonus. 

The Buccaneers enter at 2-2 after falling 17-14 to the Green Bay Packers, while the Cowboys improved to 2-2 with a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans. Dak Prescott and Dallas will look to build on that offensive momentum, while Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay aim to get back on track. With Tampa Bay looking to bounce back from a narrow loss and Dallas coming off a dramatic comeback victory, this NFC matchup has plenty of storylines to follow.

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DAL Cowboys	87%	87¢	14¢
TB Buccaneers	14%	14¢	87¢

More markets available on Polymarket.

How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video
• Follow Live: FOX Sports

Players To Watch

Lamb has caught 37 of 46 targets for 498 yards and four touchdowns, the most receiving yards on the Cowboys. He caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 4 win at Houston, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in three games, including 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Sept. 20.

The top passer in each of Tampa Bay’s four games has thrown for 857 yards in total against the Buccaneers, 214.3 per game. Dallas’ passing offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 258.0 yards per game, and Lamb’s receptions are where much of it comes from.

Dallas goes to Williams near the goal line: he has five rushing touchdowns, including three on 19 carries for 62 yards in the Oct. 4 win at Houston. He has 231 rushing yards on 62 carries this season, and his best yardage game was 98 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Baltimore on Sept. 27.

Tampa Bay has allowed 96 points through four games, 24 per game. Williams’ touchdowns give a Cowboys ground game that ranks 24th in the NFL at 89.5 yards per game a scoring option that does not depend on yardage.

Three yards behind team leader Cade Otton’s 157, Egbuka has 154 receiving yards on 15 receptions and 24 targets, with a touchdown against Cleveland on Sept. 20. His high is five catches for 63 yards at Cincinnati on Sept. 13, and he caught two of four targets for 13 yards against Green Bay on Oct. 4.

The top passer in each of Dallas’ four games has thrown for 874 yards in total against the Cowboys, including 347 for Houston on Oct. 4. Tampa Bay’s passing offense ranks tied for 28th at 172.3 yards per game, so Egbuka’s catches are a main way the Buccaneers can lift that number.

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The controversy surrounding a pair of NFL referees getting suspended due to their conduct toward players this past week led Tom Brady to take a bad trip down memory lane, but not in the way you might think.

In the most recent edition of #AskTom, Brady was asked what the worst thing he ever heard a ref say during his playing days. His answer wasn’t a message that a referee personally gave him. Rather, it was a call that led to arguably the worst loss of Brady’s career. 

“This one’s a little easier than I thought: ‘The catch on the field has been confirmed’ on the David Tyree catch,” Brady said, referring to Tyree’s remarkable reception in the New York Giants’ upset win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. “That was the worst thing I could’ve ever imagined.”

The Tyree catch is arguably the greatest catch in NFL history. With the Giants trailing 14-10 in the final minutes, Eli Manning somehow ran his way out of a sack before completing a 32-yard pass to Tyree, who pinned the ball to his helmet to complete the catch. Four plays later, the Giants scored the game-winning touchdown, ruining the Patriots’ chances to become the first team to go 19-0 in NFL history. 

Nearly 20 years later, Brady remained upset over the play.

“We had one of the greatest defenders in Patriots history, Rodney Harrison, covering him,” Brady said. “I thought, ‘There’s no way the ball’s getting caught.’ And if it was deflected, there were probably three or four Patriots that were there to catch the ball. 

“Instead, he pins it against his helmet. And, as he’s falling to the ground, it never comes loose and it ends up being one of the saddest moments in my career.”

And the catch wasn’t the only thing Brady was upset about from that play, either. 

“Richard Seymour got held; I don’t want to bring that up right now,” Brady said, believing that the Giants got away with a holding penalty at the line of scrimmage. 

Reliving his pain from Super Bowl XLII wasn’t the only thing Brady touched on in the latest edition of #AskTom. Brady shared what caused his mishap in the broadcast booth during Sunday’s Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles game, which player was the best trash talker he’s played against and which NBA player he’d like to see play in the NFL.

Here’s everything Brady said in this week’s #AskTom. 

What’s going on in that giant book that you put on the mute button in the booth? Do you watch film to put that whole thing together?

Brady: It is endless amounts of information — six days of preparation: statistics, profiles, how I think the game’s going to be won, the strengths and weaknesses of each team, statistical anomalies and everything under the season.

 And guess what? I probably get to about 2% during the game. I always look back and go, “God, I had such a good point to make.” You’d be surprised, for a three-hour broadcast, how little of the prep I actually use. It’s actually a little bit frustrating.

But it’s heavy enough that it can mute you for a good five seconds, huh?

Brady: I actually had the very heavy book, set it down and hit the mute TalkBack button. Then, I immediately went into a panic because I couldn’t hear myself. I was scrambling. I threw my headset off. Then, Kevin [Burkhardt] gave me another headset. Put that on. Couldn’t hear that, either.

Then, our sound engineer, Ben, came over and said, “Tom, you hit the TalkBack button.” And there’s a big red button on my key panel. I was a bit embarrassed. I said, “You know what? It’s like a quarterback fumbling a snap. Let’s just get to the next play.”

One column I’ve added just recently: I’ve got my list of enemies of which I want to exact revenge from. That’s where that Buffalo comment came from.

Who was the best trash talker you’ve ever played against?

Brady: There were a few back in the day. Ray Lewis was the most intimidating trash talker because the scary part about Ray was that he could back it all up. So, he was physical, tough, demanding and smart. When he came after you and told you he was going to do something to you, he usually did. It was kind of scary.

One who was a little annoying at first, but became a teammate, was Richard Sherman. The first time I played against him, it was in Seattle, and we went through the whole game. He makes some comment to me at the end of the third quarter, I think he and Earl Thomas. And then, I really didn’t know what they said. It was so loud in the stadium. They were talking. I think they were hyped up. I may have said a few things back. After the game, they came up and I thought they came up to shake hands and be good sportsmen. It turns out, they actually didn’t. So, Sherm, I’m glad I got to be your buddy and teammate. We’ve hashed it out. So, we’re great.

One other annoying trash talker? Rex Ryan. Guess who couldn’t back it up? Rex Ryan and the Jets all those years. Rex, just shut up. You had terrible teams. You were a terrible trash talker.

He’s on that revenge column in the book, right?

Brady: I got my revenge when I played against him. I didn’t need to get it post-career.

What was the worst thing that you ever heard come out of a ref’s mouth?

Brady: This one’s a little easier than I thought: “The catch on the field has been confirmed” on the David Tyree catch. That was the worst thing I could’ve ever imagined. 

Do you remember seeing that? Was the jumbotron in that stadium big enough that you knew what was coming?

Brady: I actually got a good view of it, and the ball was sort of floating down. It was kind of a wobbler. Eli [Manning] escaped the traffic — Richard Seymour got held; I don’t want to bring that up right now. It’s still a little bit of a sore subject. Eli floats it down the middle to David Tyree and I think it was kind of a Hail Mary. We had one of the greatest defenders in Patriots history, Rodney Harrison, covering him. I thought, “There’s no way the ball’s getting caught.” And if it was deflected, there were probably three or four Patriots that were there to catch the ball. 

Instead, he pins it against his helmet. And, as he’s falling to the ground, it never comes loose and it ends up being one of the saddest moments in my career. 

What do you say to all the fans that Brady started the crying-to-the-refs debacle we’ve got going on now?

Brady: Listen, I never cried to the refs, b—es. Don’t talk s— to me. I’ve got the microphone, and I can talk back. 

Are there drills to improve pocket presence? How would you coach a young QB who has some of these escaping problems that you talk about?

Brady: A lot of it, I think, can be drilled. I think part of it is being aware where the soft spot in the pocket is. For a quarterback that’s not really going to run outside the pocket right or left or escape around the tackle, there’s always a nice firm spot in the pocket between the two guard spots. At that point, you’re just working to find space. To me, it was always about being on the balls of your feet, but also setting up a lot of cone drills where you shuffle right, shuffle left and shuffle left, shuffle right.

As a quarterback, you should never go back in the pocket. To me, it was always, right, left and up and continue to stay on the ball of your feet looking for the soft spot. Coaches would throw bean bags at our feet. They would swipe at us as we ducked underneath bags. They would throw weighted towels at us. Anything to distract us while feeling the pocket through our peripheral vision, but maintaining our eyes downfield. 

Tom Brady praised Patrick Mahomes’ ability to navigate the pocket. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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A lot of guys, it feels like, are running too early these days. Who is somebody who does a good job in the pocket right now?

Brady: I think Patrick Mahomes does a great job, knowing when to run, stay in the pocket and deliver the football. I know it doesn’t look pretty, but throwing a ball 20 yards down the field and completing a pass sometimes can look effortless when you can have a dynamic 12-yard run. 

But, at the end of the day, the game is points and it’s about production and yards. Obviously, the more yards you gain per play, the more successful you’re going to be. So, a 20-yard throw can look relatively simple, it can be way more effective than a short run. Look, I’m all for escapability. I think it’s a great tool to have. I just think you’ve got to use it at the right time and at an appropriate time for your team. 

Are there tells that defensive backs watch for like “patting” the football? Did you ever have to think about this or change anything in your delivery?

Brady: I always thought patting the football was a rhythm thing. I never really saw it as a detriment. I think the thought is from the time the quarterback decides to throw to the time the ball hits the receiver’s hands; that’s the timeframe that needs to be as quick as possible. If it’s an elaborated patt and it’s a little slow, then you have a problem. It’s just as if you’re making your decision for the rhythm of the throw that it doesn’t slow you down as much as you think. I don’t think the DB can get a beat on it before it gets to the receiver’s hands. 

So, I think the patt’s a little bit overrated. Good fundamentals and an accurate throw with the appropriate amount of pace are what matters most. I think the DBs are always looking at the shoulders of the quarterback and which direction he’s pointing the shoulder in for them to break on the ball. 

You can put one current NBA player onto an NFL team right now. Who is it, what team and what position? 

Brady: I’m putting LeBron James on the Las Vegas Raiders. At the end of the day, he’s the right age. He’s got the experience. He’s got the height. He’s a prolific scorer. Get him down in the red zone, run a little flag route, send him out wide, give him a slant or a fade and let him go high-point the ball. I’ve seen his head go above the rim. 

This is the easiest touchdown we could ever throw. It’s just throwing it up to LeBron.

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AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) — If you thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would upset the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, then congratulations, you were on the right side of one of the biggest upsets this NFL season. 

In a game that many expected the 9.5-point favorite Cowboys to run away with, the Buccaneers put on a strong road performance for much of the night, winning 24-16. The win was Tampa Bay’s first of the season, coming as head coach Todd Bowles dealt with constant hot-seat talk. 

Now, will head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys deal with the same talk as they fell to 2-3 on the season? Here are my takeaways from the Buccaneers’ upset win over the Cowboys. 

This could have been a prime-time showcase for Dak Prescott against a winless opponent, a chance to elevate the Cowboys and show them as a worthy contender in a muddled NFC East.

But Prescott struggled to complete passes to his two elite receivers for the first three-plus quarters of Thursday night’s game, enough so that he was booed in his own stadium after a fourth-down pass sailed high and incomplete.

Give credit to Bucs corners Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish for keeping CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in check. Entering the fourth quarter, Pickens had 63 yards on eight targets, and Lamb was held to 9 yards on five targets.

Dallas came in averaging 30 points per game, second-best in the NFL. But after marching down the field to score on their opening drive, the Cowboys managed three points on their next seven drives. 

That the Cowboys pulled off a 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter after a stop at the 1-yard line was impressive. That was too little, too late, though. The Cowboys’ final drive got to the Bucs’ 33, but any shot at a tying score was ended when a Prescott pass bounced off Jake Ferguson and was picked off by linebacker Alex Anzalone. 

Prescott finished the night completing 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. At one point in the third quarter, Prescott was 13 of 27 for just 117 yards if you removed his 48-yard catch to Ryan Flournoy right before halftime. 

2. Christian Parker Hasn’t Found The Answer For Cowboys’ Defense

The hope had been that new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker could help that defense take a major step forward in 2026, but we haven’t seen that five games in.

Dallas came in with a bottom-five defense in nearly any category, and Tampa wisely attacked their struggles against the run. Bucky Irving’s 72-yard run was a big chunk of the damage, but midway through the fourth quarter, they were over 200 rushing yards before finishing the night with 241 yards. Dallas has now allowed 168.8 rushing yards per game this season. If that holds through the rest of the year, that would be the most rushing yards per game the Cowboys have allowed since their inaugural season in 1960.

The Cowboys tried to address a major need in acquiring corner Joey Porter Jr. from the Steelers, but he was a late scratch in pregame due to illness, so that solution was missing. The concerns at the line of scrimmage. They’ve got five sacks total in five games, and are very real and not going away.  

3. Bucs’ Offense Comes Alive

Four and a half games into the 2026 season, the Buccaneers have finally found an offensive spark.

They had struggled to that point under new coordinator Zac Robinson, scoring fewer points each week and mustering seven points in the first half against a bad Dallas defense.

Then, on their first play of the second half, running back Bucky Irving danced around a few Cowboys defenders at the line of scrimmage, then broke away for a 72-yard run. The next snap, receiver Emeka Egbuka went 14 yards for a touchdown, and the Bucs had a rare lead.

Next drive? Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels found receiver Tez Johnson wide-open for a 64-yard pass play to set up an Irving touchdown, and in a blink, they led the Cowboys 21-10.

In half a quarter, the Bucs had two plays longer than any they’d had in the previous calendar year, and it was enough to propel them to a much-needed first win of the season.

Credit Robinson for crafting a game plan that protected Daniels in his second NFL start. The offensive line struggled with penalties again, but Daniels had time to find open receivers downfield. They outscored the Cowboys 17-0 in the third and outgained them 198-59 in the period, thanks to fundamental football and explosive playmaking. 

 

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Twice the Guardians stood on the brink of elimination, and twice they refused to blink.

On the road, Cleveland responded in front of a loud, hostile crowd at Rate Field by remembering what it most excels at: Guardsball. 

In a back-and-forth affair, the Guardians stayed gritty and passed the baton all night despite an unexpected short outing from their ace, needing a total of eight pitchers to force the American League Division Series back to Cleveland.

Now the series is tied at 2-2, and everything will come down to Game 5 on Saturday night at Progressive Field. The winner will play a well-rested and dominant Tampa Bay Rays team in the AL Championship Series. The loser will have a long winter ahead of them to ruminate over all that went wrong. 

It might not be Game 7, but Saturday’s Game 5 will be, no doubt, just as nerve-wracking.

Here are my takeaways from Game 4:

1.

The White Sox were reeling from a painful fifth inning that saw the Guardians hit two home runs to take a lead, one from pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey and the other, a two-run shot, from de facto team captain José Ramírez.

Even though Chicago took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth, the Guardians’ offense was just getting started.

Cleveland saw three Chicago relievers in the massive top of the sixth inning, which changed the outlook of the game and kept its season from ending. A total lack of command, which plagued both teams on Thursday, sparked the Guardians’ comeback when left-hander Anthony Kay hit Angel Martinez with a pitch. 

Smelling blood, Cleveland continued to tack on. Second baseman Travis Bazzana collected an RBI double to tie the game at 4-4. 

Then, White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor jogged in from the bullpen to relieve Kay. But Taylor, in his fourth relief appearance of this postseason, struggled to record outs. He gave up an RBI single to Bailey, a walk to shortstop Brayan Rocchio and center fielder Steven Kwan, and a pair of singles to Ramírez and right fielder Chase DeLauter to give the Guardians a 7-4 lead.

José Ramírez scored the Guardians’ sixth run of the sixth inning, which put them in control of Game 4. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) –>

With the bases loaded, Cleveland’s trade-deadline pickup and designated hitter Jo Adell put on the finishing touches with a bases-loaded, two-run single to right, ending Taylor’s night before he could record a single out.

By the time the inning was over, the Guardians had turned their 4-3 deficit into a 9-4 lead. It was exactly the type of steady, no-panic approach at the plate that Cleveland relied on all year to clinch the AL Central. 

Passing the baton is how the Guardians reached this point. They will need more of that in Saturday’s Game 5 in order to advance to the ALCS. 

2.

Guardians left-hander Parker Messick was the top rookie pitcher in baseball this year. But you wouldn’t know it from his erratic start against the White Sox on Thursday.

Messick lasted just 2 1/3 innings across 65 grueling pitches in Game 4 at a rocking Rate Field. He walked four of the 13 batters he faced, with his final free pass of the night coming with the bases loaded, which allowed the White Sox to get on the board and take the lead in the third inning. After giving up two earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, Messick was on normal rest in Game 4, but he never looked as dangerous as he had been all year for the Guardians.

The 25-year-old southpaw had a cup of coffee in the majors last season, maintained his rookie eligibility, and followed it up with a 2.56 ERA in 186 innings and 32 starts this season. Messick established himself as a premier frontline starter and was one of the reasons this Guardians team entered October believing it has the talent to go all the way.

Messick was in the 81st percentile with his walk rate (6.6%) in his rookie season, ranking among the top 16 starters in the league at preventing free passes. He actually walked opposing batters less and less each month of the regular season, walking four hitters just once in a single game this year. So, it was highly unusual for Messick to lose his command the way he did in Game 4.

It’s fair to wonder how much the pressure, the crowd noise, his season-long workload, or all of the above played into his lopsided outing on Thursday. Backed into a corner, Messick simply was not the same pitcher the Guardians comfortably relied on all season, and that had an unfortunate ripple effect.

In total, the White Sox and Guardians combined for 15 walks on Thursday.

Miguel Vargas had three of the eight White Sox walks against the Guardians on Thursday night. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) –>

3.

White Sox relievers were taxed, and it showed. Chicago has used 14 pitchers over its last 18 innings, with no starter getting beyond the fourth inning in either of their last two games.

In Game 1, left-handed starter Hagen Smith lasted just 2 2/3 innings, though he kept a clean sheet. In Game 2, southpaw Anthony Kay recorded just one out as a starter before giving the ball to the bullpen. In Game 3, yet another left-handed starter, Sean Newcomb, pitched just two innings before the cavalry came out of the bullpen.

Finally, in Thursday’s Game 4, Smith recorded just two outs before he saw his manager, Will Venable, trotting out of the dugout to give the ball to the bullpen.

Using that many arms in a short series is typically not a recipe for success.

The Guardians have seen these same White Sox arms too many times in the same matchup to be pinned down from scoring runs. It’s one thing if all of those relievers came out of the bullpen firing away with sharp stuff. But their command was too much of a problem for Chicago’s strategy to work. Rest is too important for relievers, and the White Sox can’t find length from any of their starters. Friday’s off-day can’t come soon enough for the Sox.

Grant Taylor (left) struggled, which was part of the reason that White Sox manager Will Venable had to go so deep into his bullpen. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) –>

3 ½. What’s Next?

Since Cleveland’s Game 2 starter, right-hander Gavin Williams, ended up throwing 18 pitches and securing the final out of Game 4 on Thursday, he’s unlikely to start Saturday’s pivotal Game 5. 

Neither team has announced their Game 5 starters as of the final out on Thursday, but we can expect every single pitcher to be available in the winner-take-all finale in Cleveland on Saturday night.

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