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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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With Caleb Williams out, the Chicago Bears needed Case Keenum to provide a steady presence in their Monday matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Keenum delivered, and then some. 

Keenum, who entered the season as the Bears’ third-string quarterback and hadn’t started a game since 2023, played nearly flawless football. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, leading the Bears to a decisive 27-7 victory. 

Here are my takeaways from the Monday night matchup that Chicago fans will forever know as the Case Keenum Game: 

1.

Monday night brought a new challenge for Ben Johnson’s reputation as a top offensive mind: Can he pull off a big win with a backup quarterback?

Taking the field without Caleb Williams for the first time, Johnson’s answer, a 38-year-old Case Keenum in his first NFL snaps since 2023, was a resounding yes.

Chicago’s defense helped out with three takeaways, but Keenum earned the win himself, throwing for touchdown passes to Luther Burden and Kalif Raymond against an Eagles team that came into the game 2-0.

The Bears had already seen highs and lows offensively, scoring 59 points in an opening win over Carolina before a three-point showing in a rainy slog of a loss to Minnesota. 

For Keenum, the journeyman now has a cool piece of NFL history, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick as the only quarterbacks to start and win games with seven different NFL teams. For Keenum, that covers the Texans, the Rams (in both St. Louis and Los Angeles), the Vikings, the Broncos, the Commanders, the Browns and now the Bears.

For the Bears and Johnson, they continue to keep pace in a talented NFC North, behind the surprising 3-0 Vikings and even at 2-1 with the Lions. Chicago stays home to face the Jets on Sunday before a biggest test at Green Bay in Week 5.

2.

With the Eagles’ loss, they fell into a tie with the New York Giants at 2-1 atop the NFC East, on a day that New York traded a fifth-round pick to acquire quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings.

The Washington Commanders got their first win Sunday, upsetting the Seattle Seahawks, and the Dallas Cowboys are 1-2 with the highest-scoring offense (and defense) in the division.

Philadelphia’s offensive woes continued on Monday, though. The Eagles mustered only seven points against a Bears defense that gave up 37 two weeks ago to Carolina. Jalen Hurts threw for just 153 yards on 25 attempts, and Saquon Barkley rushed for 82 but couldn’t get into the end zone for a third game in a row.

What’s more, the Eagles’ next two games are at home against the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars – neither an easy opponent – while the Giants host the Cardinals and go to the Commanders, so it’s reasonable to think the Giants could be alone atop the NFC East entering Week 6.

The Giants and Eagles play in Philadelphia in Week 9 and then close the regular season against each other at MetLife in Week 18, with plenty of division games for Washington and Dallas to get involved as well.

3.   That Last Yard Is The Hardest

The first half had two and nearly three drives that got to the 1-yard line but did not result in any points.

First, the Bears thought they had a Colston Loveland touchdown, but after review, he was ruled down inside the 1-yard line. D’Andre Swift was dropped for a 2-yard loss, Case Keenum threw an incomplete pass and the Bears went for it on fourth-and-goal, with Keenum’s pass broken up by Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

The drive that followed was even tougher, with the Eagles also driving to the 1-yard line. Jalen Hurts was hit hard as he went out of bounds and was pulled for the game to check for a concussion. While he was out, Saquon Barkley ran to the 1-yard line, and again, the drive stalled. Barkley was dropped for a 1-yard loss, and on third-and-goal from the 2, backup Andy Dalton was intercepted in the end zone by rookie safety Dillon Thieneman.

The Eagles nearly did it again just before halftime. With no timeouts and 11 seconds left, Hurts threw a pass to DeVonta Smith, but he was stopped at the 1. With the final seconds ticking off, the Eagles quickly lined up and got the snap off in the final second, with Hurts diving in for a touchdown. Had he attempted to spike the ball to stop the clock, it didn’t look like he’d have done it in time.

And just like the Eagles, the Bears avenged their previous 1-yard line shortcoming when Keenum scored a 1-yard QB sneak that extended the Bears’ lead to 27-7. 

How rare is it for an NFL team to drive 90-plus yards and not score? There were 81 drives of 90 yards and longer last year, and only five of them failed to yield points: 74 touchdowns, two field goals, three interceptions, one fumble and one turnover on downs. It’s worth noting that two of those came against Chicago: one field goal and a Dak Prescott interception for Dallas.

Before Monday, the Eagles’ last 11 drives of 90-plus yards had all resulted in touchdowns. 
 

 

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Did National Tight Ends Day come early this year? 

It certainly felt like it if you were glued to NFL action all day on Sunday. In fact, tight ends accounted for 20 of the touchdowns scored across the 13 games on Sunday, which was the most touchdowns scored by tight ends across the league on a single day in NFL history. 

Unfortunately, for all the tight ends that scored over the weekend, only one of them can make our All-Star Team for Week 3. As we pick our top standouts from each position and the top team offensive line performance over the weekend, here are our Week 3 All-Stars.

For all the talk of the 49ers’ injured receivers, Brock Purdy has been amazing to open the season. He has nine touchdown passes against one interception for a league-best 133.1 passer rating, 17 points higher than anyone else. He threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns without a pick as the 49ers held off the Cardinals to improve to 3-0. Mike Evans is injured now, so there’s even less talent to throw to. 

It wasn’t a huge week for quarterbacks, though. Marcus Mariota (three touchdown passes, no picks) was perhaps the next best option, filling in for Jayden Daniels and leading the Washington Commanders to an upset win over the Seattle Seahawks. 

These were seemingly the top two picks in every fantasy football draft, and this week was a reminder why. Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson had huge games with 25-plus touches each. 

Gibbs rushed 20 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns while catching seven passes for 65 and another score in the Detroit Lions’ victory over the New York Jets. That came after Robinson had a huge Thursday game, rushing for 194 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns to help the Atlanta Falcons stun the Green Bay Packers on the road. 

Kenneth Walker III nearly landed on this list for a third straight week, rushing for two touchdowns in the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Miami Dolphins. Derrick Henry also rushed for two touchdowns this weekend, helping the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys in Brazil as he nearly earned his second weekly All-Star nod of the season.

Not a ton of obvious challengers here, just like there was at quarterback. Jaxon Smith-Njigba actually lost, so his 10 catches for 128 yards and two scores might be vulnerable, but the biggest yardage games were zero-TD types. It marks the third straight game that Smith-Njigba has logged at least 120 receiving yards, too. 

And it’s wild to have two Falcons on this team, but Drake London put up 194 receiving yards in Thursday’s rout of the Packers, clicking with Michael Penix Jr. in the third-year quarterback’s first start of the season. So, even without a score, London gets the nod over the Cincinnati Bengals standout Tee Higgins (six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers).

As we mentioned earlier, it was a monster day for tight ends across the league, with a record 20 touchdowns caught at the position. The Las Vegas Raiders-New Orleans Saints game had six tight end touchdowns! 

But we’ll give the nod to George Kittle, who had six catches for 82 and two scores. It was tempting to look at Cleveland Browns second-year standout Harold Fannin (51 yards, two touchdowns in a win over the Carolina Panthers) or the healthy return of Raiders star Brock Bowers, who had 10 for 116 and a score as Las Vegas improved to 3-0. It was a proud week for tight ends everywhere, though. 

Let’s just say we gave real consideration here to going 12 personnel and doubling up on tight ends instead of receivers.

OL: Jacksonville Jaguars

There were actually quite a few zero-sack showings from offensive lines this week, as we could have easily gone to the Ravens, 49ers, Chiefs or Falcons that way. 

For sheer dominance, we’ll go with the Jacksonville Jaguars and their starting five (left to right) of Anton Harrison, Emmanuel Pregnon, Robert Hainsey, Ezra Cleveland and Cole Van Lanen, in controlling the line in a 35-6 rout of the New England Patriots. The Jaguars rushed for 137 yards on 30 carries and Trevor Lawrence had only one sack in 30 dropbacks. Jacksonville has the second-best point differential in the league at plus-46 behind only San Francisco, and its line has been a solid part of that.

Greg Rousseau continues to put up big numbers every week, with two more sacks to give him a league-leading six on the season. He also had four tackles for loss and three QB hits in the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers, so he leads the position here. 

There were also lots of compelling games from defensive linemen and edge rushers in losing efforts. Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young all had multi-sack days, with Anderson leading that group with 2.5 sacks. 

But we’ll go with Mason Graham, who now has four sacks in three games after totaling 0.5 sacks as a rookie. He had two sacks in the Browns’ win over the Carolina Panthers. That defense is a surprising part of Cleveland’s 2-1 start, showing they can create pressure without Myles Garrett.

The Raiders continue to validate their success with each win, and Nakobe Dean was all over their win on Sunday. He had 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, with that fumble serving as the game-sealing play in their win over the Saints. 

You could make a case for 49ers star Fred Warner piling up 17 tackles in San Francisco’s win, but 12 of them came on gains of 5 yards or more. Also considered: Vikings lineback Eric Wilson, who had 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a key part of Minnesota’s six-sack day.

Talanoa Hufanga is the runaway winner here. He had the game-sealing interception in the end zone after a pick-six in the final five minutes to put the Denver Broncos ahead. To do that against the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford is no easy task, and if the Broncos are able to get back atop the AFC West, this is the kind of comeback win that will be remembered, with Hufanga at the center of that wild finish.

Minnesota won with its defense in Tampa on Sunday, but Price’s 86-yard touchdown on a punt return gave the Vikings a 10-0 early lead and helped put the Bucs in an early hole. Special teams had been a strong suit for the Bucs in their first two games, but Price’s score was ultimately the difference in a hard-fought, six-point final margin of victory.

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There are five undefeated teams left in the NFL, but only three are good enough to be in the top 10. One barely made it into the top 20, showing how much they still need to prove.

So no, winning isn’t everything, especially this early in the season, and especially considering the number of upsets there were in Week 3. 

Here’s a look at where my NFL Power Rankings stand heading into Week 4.

*Super Bowl odds courtesy of DraftKings

Record: 0-3

Previous ranking: 32

Super Bowl odds: +100000
Next game: @ Vikings (4:05 p.m. ET)

They hung with the Kansas City Chiefs until the final three minutes on Sunday, and they should hang a banner and print up some hats and T-shirts for that, because that’s probably as good as it’s going to get. They were already in deep trouble offensively, and now they’ve lost RB De’Von Achane for the season with a knee injury. That hurts even more because he would’ve been their biggest trading chip, too. 

Now, a lost season has turned completely hopeless. Seriously, who could the Dolphins possibly beat? Their schedule isn’t terrible, and it’s still nearly impossible to find a win.

Stat To Know: Miami has now started 0-3 in consecutive seasons (2025-2026) for the first time since 1968-1969.

Record: 0-3

Previous ranking: 30 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +50000
Next game: @ Ravens (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

At some point, Cam Ward and the offense are going to show some improvement, right? If not, the Robert Saleh era in Nashville will be a short one. Ward was terrible for most of three quarters in a rain-soaked game against the Giants. But even when he got things going, he still ruined it with an awful throw (and decision) for a game-ending interception. They fought the Giants and the Eagles hard, mostly thanks to their defense. 

But Ward still hasn’t looked like the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft. In fact, he’s really been the third-best QB of that generally weak class. Good luck turning that impression around with the Ravens and the Texans up next.

Stat To Know: After their loss to the Giants, the Titans have started 0-3 in three consecutive seasons. 

Given Cam Ward’s continued struggles, will the Titans be looking to draft a QB early in the draft again next year? (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

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Record: 0-3

Previous ranking: 24 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +10000
Next game: vs. Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They are an absolute mess, and Baker Mayfield is now hurt. But honestly, he wasn’t playing well before his thumb injury. He’s got two TD passes in three games, and he looks unbelievably out of sync with No. 1 target Emeka Egbuka. The numbers say Todd Bowles’ defense is good, but they’re really propped up by back-to-back games against the QB-challenged Browns and Vikings. At this point, he has to be the odds-on favorite to be the first coach fired this season. And maybe soon if he can’t find wins against the Packers, Cowboys or Steelers in the next three weeks.

Stat To Know: After their loss to the Vikings, the Buccaneers are now 2-10 and in their last 12 games dating back to last season. 

Record: 0-3

Previous ranking: 25 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +6500
Next game: @ Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET)

They’re probably too talented to be ranked this low. Then again, this has been the most consistently overrated team in the NFL for about a decade now, so maybe this is just about right. The reality is they’re 0-3 and facing a brutal schedule that could leave them 0-9. They played the Bills close, and that’s nice. But next up is Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, Houston, Baltimore. 

Maybe it’s time for Justin Herbert to elevate his team a little? It would also help if his offensive line would protect him and if WR Quentin Johnston would just hold on to the ball.

Stat To Know: The Chargers have now scored fewer than 20 points in six straight games dating back to last season (regular season and playoffs). This is their longest such streak since 1998.

Danny brings out MEATBALL SUB for Herbert-Chargers, Cowboys’ issues, Rams will NOT win NFC | FTF

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Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 28

Super Bowl odds: +20000
Next game: @ Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Geno Smith has been unexpectedly good. He threw for 321 yards and three TDs in a loss to Detroit on Sunday. He also has yet to throw an interception this year. And the Jets’ defense has been good, for the most part. Even giving up 31 points and 381 yards to the powerful Lions is about average. Don’t get me wrong, the Jets still won’t win many games, but they’re a heck of a lot more watchable. 

If the Jets can get through a trip to Chicago on Sunday, they’ve got a very winnable stretch — vs. Cleveland, at New England, vs. Miami, vs. Las Vegas — coming up.

Stat To Know: Kenyon Sadiq’s 105 receiving yards is the most in a game by a Jets rookie tight end since Dustin Keller had 107 yards on Nov 9, 2008.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 27

Super Bowl odds: +30000
Next game: @ Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They really do have some impressive, young, offensive weapons. Head coach Mike LaFleur probably can do a lot this season with RB Jeremiyah Love, WR Michael Wilson and TE Trey McBride. Maybe he’ll eventually get something out of WR Marvin Harrison Jr., too. And QB Jacoby Brissett sure will throw a lot of passes for a lot of yards. But that might just mean they’re going to lose a lot of high-scoring games. 

Arizona will have a shot to beat the broken-down Giants this week. But this team lives in the NFC West, so it’s going to take a lot of lumps.

Stat To Know: Jacoby Brissett’s 38 completions against the 49ers marked the third-most in a single game in Cardinals franchise history.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 20 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +5500
Next game: @ Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

This is for all the Packers fans who screamed at me for having them too low when I ranked them … 16th. Was the embarrassing loss at home to the Falcons on Thursday night enough to convince you I’m right about this team? They are a fluky, overtime win against the Jets away from being ranked in the 30s. Turns out, they can’t run at all without the suspended Josh Jacobs. Given the passing trio of QB Jordan Love-WR Matthew Golden-WR Christian Watson, they should be way better than this. 

The Packers better prove it in Tampa this week, though. Otherwise, look out below!

Stat To Know: The Packers allowed 35 points on Thursday, their most in a home opener since 1971. This is also the first time since 2012 that the Packers have lost their home opener, ending a 13 year streak that was tied for the longest such winning streak in NFL history.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 31 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +12000
Next game: @ Saints (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

What in the name of Bijan Robinson was that last Thursday night? This team was a contender for the 32nd spot in this ranking — maybe even the favorite. Then Robinson and WR Drake London just went off versus the Packers. Could it be that all they were missing was the competent play of QB Michael Penix Jr.? 

Maybe head coach Kevin Stefanski can turn this sinking ship around now that he has the right guy at the helm. I need to see it again, though. And I’m not sure whether that will happen because the road ahead is rough, with the Saints, Ravens, Bears and 49ers coming up in October.

Stat To Know: This was the third game in which Bijan Robinson had 150+ rushing yards and Drake London had 150+ receiving yards, the most by any pair of teammates in NFL history.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 29 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +8000
Next game: vs. Colts (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET in London)

Marcus Mariota pulled off a big and impressive upset against the defending champs (albeit with the help of some errant throws by Seattle QB Sam Darnold). And that was huge for this battered team, knowing that starting QB Jayden Daniels’ return may only be a couple of weeks away. The Commanders didn’t get much of a running game — and now RB Rachaad White is hurt — and Dan Quinn’s defense offered little resistance until two late interceptions. So there are still issues to be fixed. 

Mariota’s mission is to keep them afloat until Daniels is back. The Colts and Giants are up next, so he’s got a shot.

Stat To Know: The Commanders snapped a six-game home losing streak in their win over the Seahawks. 

Gronk & Julian Edelman React to the Seahawks’ Stunning Loss to the Commanders

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Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 26 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +20000
Next game: vs. Steelers (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Two in a row for the Browns? They are so giddy in Cleveland that their fans are suddenly even cheering for Deshaun Watson. He’s still not doing a lot with his array of young weapons (such as WRs Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion and TE Harold Fannin), and their success has been more about their Jared Verse-led defense. 

But hey, they’re out of the cellar, so deal with it. It’ll make for a fun rivalry game against the Steelers on Thursday night.

Stat To Know: With their win over the Panthers, the Browns are now 4-1 in their last five games dating back to last season.

Record: 0-3

Previous ranking: 18 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +3500
Next game: vs. Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Their defense is too good for this team to be 0-3. But their offense is comically bad, which is why they keep falling. C.J. Stroud hasn’t been a force since he was a rookie, and he has definitely been bad enough to drag them down. Their running duo of David Montgomery and Woody Marks is as bad as it gets, too, probably thanks to a shaky offensive line. 

Here’s the good news: The Texans were 0-3 last year and still made the playoffs and even won a playoff game, and they’re also about to enter the softest part of an already soft schedule. But here’s the bad news: It’s not last year anymore.

Stat To Know: The Texans have fallen to 0-3 in back-to-back seasons. The only teams to make the playoffs after an 0-3 start since 2000 are the 2025 Texans and the 2018 Texans. Can they do it again?

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 19 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +15000
Next game: vs. Cardinals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They beat the Titans in an ugly, wet game, and they’re 2-1, so I get that their fans will be outraged (what else is new?) that they both dropped and are ranked this low. Maybe that’s unfair, and maybe they’ll be OK with games against the Cardinals and Commanders coming up. They certainly could emerge 4-1. But Jameis Winston’s play on Sunday exposed a quarterback problem that won’t go away anytime soon with Jaxson Dart out for the season. And now their best defender, edge rusher Brian Burns, is out for the season. 

It’ll take some wizardry from John Harbaugh to keep this team afloat. It’s not impossible, but it won’t be easy either.

Stat To Know: Sunday marked the Giants’ first win in their last seven games without Jaxson Dart at quarterback.

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 22 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +9000
Next game: vs. Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Yes, this is ridiculously low for a 3-0 team. I get it. But they had a very soft opening, and their schedule is about to get rock hard over the next eight weeks. Besides, do you really believe Kirk Cousins can keep this up? Nine TDs and three interceptions hasn’t been a standard ratio for him in a while. And the Raiders still haven’t really gotten RB Ashton Jeanty going. 

Las Vegas’ bigger issue, though? They’ll get the Chiefs, Bills, Rams, 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos over the next eight games. So enjoy this record now, while you still can. It’s hard to see the Raiders pushing much higher.

Stat To Know: Before Sunday, the last time the Raiders scored 30+ points in a regular-season game was on Dec. 14, 2023. It snapped a 39-game streak without reaching 30 points.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 23 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +7000
Next game: @ Commanders (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET in London)

They showed the Houston Texans what a good defense really looks like — which is incredible considering how bad the Colts defense was the first two games. I mean, they went from giving up more than 500 yards per game to giving up only 223 in Week 3. The Texans’ offense isn’t good, but still, that’s an impressive turnaround. If the Colts can get defensive efforts like that, they have more than enough on offense with QB Daniel Jones and RB Jonathan Taylor to make a run at the playoffs. 

Good news for the Colts: They won’t face a really good offensive team again until they travel to Jacksonville in November.

Stat To Know: The Colts snapped a five-game losing streak vs. the Texans on Sunday. 

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 17 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +2800
Next game: @ Texans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

If Jerry Jones’ old man money is really going to be “dangerous,” he better do something with it soon, because his expensive defense is blowing yet another season. Two sacks, no interceptions … and has anyone seen Jones’ prize DTs Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark? Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb can’t do it all for this team. And all it would’ve taken was just a little defense to prevent the Cowboys’ heartbreaking, last-second loss to the Ravens in Rio on Sunday. 

The Cowboys have the Texans, Bucs and Packers next — three teams with offensive issues. It’s really now or never for the Dallas D.

Stat To Know: CeeDee Lamb notched his 29th career 100-yard receiving game, ranking second in Cowboys franchise history behind only Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. 

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 11 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +2400
Next game: @ Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Remember when everyone thought Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye were going to start another New England dynasty? Yeah, those were fun times … eight months ago. Since then, Maye has gone from near-MVP to turnover machine. And still, it’s hard to say who’s dragging the defending AFC champs down more: him or head coach Mike Vrabel. They can’t run, their defense was a sieve this past weekend against Jacksonville, Maye is a mess … and the defending AFC champs could be finished if they lose in Buffalo this weekend.

Stat To Know: Drake Maye is the first quarterback since 2007 with only one passing touchdown and at least six interceptions through his first three games of a season.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 16

Super Bowl odds: +10000
Next game: vs. Lions (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Losing in Cleveland isn’t the embarrassment it used to be, but it still hurts that the Panthers only got in the end zone once. And that’s why the Panthers are languishing in the middle of these rankings. Bryce Young leads the NFL in passing yards, and with weapons like RB Chuba Hubbard and WRs Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan, they are capable of fireworks. But they couldn’t get McMillan going on Sunday and couldn’t find another way to win. 

Expect more offensive fireworks when they face the Lions on Sunday night. Carolina just needs to figure out how to stop Detroit, too.

Stat To Know: Bryce Young has reached 939 passing yards through three games, the second-most passing yards through the first 3 games of a season in Panthers history. 

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 15

Super Bowl odds: +8000
Next game: vs. Falcons (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

They are so close to being a 3-0 team, and yet they are 1-2 and really so far away. Their latest … um … fumble came against the Raiders when their last four possessions ended with three fumbles and an interception. That spoiled what was previously a brilliant game by QB Tyler Shough. 

With Shough, WR Chris Olave, and head coach Kellen Moore’s offensive mind, New Orleans will always score points (though the hamstring injury to RB Travis Etienne hurts). The Saints belong in the top 15. To stay here, they have to stop their stretches of playing stupid.

Stat To Know: Juwan Johnson (2 TDs) and Noah Fant (2 TDs) became only the third pair of tight end teammates in NFL history to each catch 2+ touchdown passes in the same game.

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 21 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +5000
Next game: @ Browns (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Aaron Rodgers going throw-for-throw with Joe Burrow at his age, and after his ugly start to the season, wasn’t on anybody’s Bingo card. He even dusted off DK Metcalf, his forgotten No. 1 receiver, and RB Jaylen Warren had a big game with Rico Dowdle out. Beating the Bengals was huge, surprising (at least to me), and deserving of a big jump, even if none of this is exactly how head coach Mike McCarthy drew it up. 

It was the first sign of life from the Steelers’ stagnant offense. There are no defensive juggernauts in the next five weeks before their bye week, so they’ve got a chance to go on a run if they can keep the scoring up.

Stat To Know: Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy reached 100 regular-season wins together, becoming the seventh starting quarterback–head coach duo to hit that mark. They’re the only duo to do it across two teams.

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 14 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +1900
Next game: @ Panthers (Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

There aren’t many more dynamic offenses in the NFL, and few teams can boast a dynamic duo like RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St-Brown. This team is a juggernaut, averaging more than 31 points per game. But man, does their defense stink. And it shouldn’t, not with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (3.5 sacks), yet it still does. 

You know who the Lions remind me of? Last year’s Cowboys. The offense is unstoppable, but it’s the trainwreck defense that’s keeping them out of the top 10. 

Stat To Know: This is the first time in Lions franchise history that they have scored 30+ points in each of their first three games of a season.

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 13 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +2400
Next game: vs. Dolphins (4:05 p.m. ET)

Please move quickly and calmly to your seats as you hop on the bandwagon of this surprisingly 3-0 team. It’s surprising because while QB Kyler Murray is back, he’s still not very good. But Brian Flores’ defense is phenomenal, and Kevin O’Connell is still one of the elite head coaches in the league. If the latter can get anything more out of Murray, this team will be really dangerous. They could also get rolling with the Dolphins and Saints up next. 

Keep an eye on the ankle injury to WR Justin Jefferson. He’s one player the Vikings need, especially for Murray to have the bounce-back season O’Connell hopes he will.

Stat To Know: After Sunday’s win over the Bucs, the Vikings have now won eight straight games dating back to 2025. 

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 9 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +1700
Next game: vs. Rams (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

The Eagles didn’t look right through their first two games — getting narrow wins over the Commanders and Titans — and that haunted them as they stepped up in competition in Chicago. Jalen Hurts didn’t do much through the air or on the ground. Saquon Barkley seemed to stop running after the first quarter. And the Eagles’ defense just makes way too many mistakes. 

The loss might not matter in what looks like a really weak NFC East, but Philly got the Rams and Jaguars the next two weeks, and defeats in those games could send the Eagles spiraling.

Stat To Know: Monday was the Eagles’ first loss in the month of September since Sept. 29, 2024, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 12 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +2200
Next game: @ Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

It feels like Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars haven’t come close to their best game yet. Liam Coen’s offense hasn’t been anything special. Lawrence had his second straight game with less than 200 yards passing. RB Bhayshul Tuten still hasn’t topped 75 rushing yards in a game. And yet Jacksonville still won two of its three games by two-plus touchdowns. Go figure. 

Maybe it’s because those wins were against Cleveland and New England. I want to believe. I really do. But we will probably learn a lot more about this offense in Cincinnati next week.

Stat To Know: Jacksonville is 10-1 in its last 11 regular-season games, the best record in the NFL over that span.

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: 5 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +670
Next game: @ Eagles (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

I still love everything about this Rams team, but I’m starting to think their brutal schedule might be a little too much for them in the long run. They looked worn down against the Broncos, especially late in the game. They still are a top-10 team and might be even better once star defensive end Myles Garrett and WR Puka Nacua return. 

In Week 3, the Rams should’ve done better on a night when Matthew Stafford threw for nearly 400 yards. Too many late mistakes (including some by Stafford) killed them. That could be a problem against their next two opponents — the Eagles and Bills — too.

Stat To Know: Matthew Stafford became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 20,000 yards with two franchises. But he also set a less welcome record: the most pick-sixes thrown in NFL history.

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 9 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +900
Next game: vs. Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They pulled out a wild win on a bad field in Rio versus the Cowboys, despite another shaky effort from Jesse Minter’s defense. The Ravens probably belong in the top 10, though, as long as Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry stay healthy, because that remains one of the most lethal 1-2 punches in the league. 

This Ravens defense has a shot to get on track with a relatively soft stretch of games against Tennessee, Atlanta and Cleveland up next. That’s Baltimore’s chance to make an early run.

Stat To Know: The Ravens are now 16-1 (.941) in road regular-season games against non-conference (NFC) opponents since the start of the 2019 season, the best mark in the NFL over that span.

Gronk & Julian Edelman React to Ravens’ Thrilling Win Over Cowboys

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Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 4 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +1700
Next game: vs. Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

What happened to the Bengals defense from the first two games? They made Aaron Rodgers suddenly look young again. The way Joe Burrow is clicking with both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it should be hard for anyone to hang with the Cincinnati offense, let alone a 42-year-old QB. 

Maybe it was just one bad week. Clearly, that’s what I’m counting on by keeping them ranked this high. But it was enough to keep them out of the top five heading into what could be a high-octane showdown against the Jags.

Stat To Know: Joe Burrow recorded his 14th career game with 3+ passing TDs and 0 INTs, passing Boomer Esiason (13) for the third-most in Bengals history.

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 10 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +2400
Next game: vs. Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They made it look surprisingly easy against the Eagles on Monday night, even with third-stringer Case Keenum at QB, and they didn’t even need to lean on their powerful 1-2 RB punch of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. It was a reminder of what an elite mind head coach Ben Johnson is, even when he doesn’t have everything working. 

Chicago still needs a healthy Caleb Williams to be a real Super Bowl contender. But even without him, not many teams are better. And with the Jets, Packers, Falcons and Patriots up next, the Bears might not be challenged again until Williams is back anyway.

Stat To Know: Case Keenum is just the sixth quarterback in NFL history to record at least 240 passing yards, two-plus passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a single game at age 38 or older. 

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 2 ↓

Super Bowl odds: +1000
Next game: vs. Chargers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

They got QB Sam Darnold back, and he mostly lit the Commanders up. But his two interceptions were the entire difference in the game. I’ll assume that’s an anomaly for the defending champs, though. Mike Macdonald’s defense mostly throttled the Commanders, and it has looked championship-caliber through the first three weeks. Expect the tandem of Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to get back on track against the Chargers in Week 4.

Stat To Know: Jaxon Smith-Njigba joined Jerry Rice (1989) as the only players with at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown in each of their first three games of a season. Smith-Njigba also joined Marvin Harrison Sr. (1999) as the only players with at least 400 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns through three games.

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 8 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +1050
Next game: @ Raiders (4:25 p.m. ET)

Everyone was finally convinced they were back to their old, dynastic selves, and then they go and let a terrible Dolphins team hang around for an awfully long time. But they are 3-0 and not every game can be perfect, I guess. They’re on the rise, though. They have a whole new dimension with RB Kenneth Walker III, and they still have the ever-dangerous Patrick Mahomes and an array of weapons. 

Kansas City also has a pretty soft schedule. With the Raiders up next, they’re looking at 4-0 heading into their bye. So I have a feeling this isn’t the last stop on their climb up the charts.

Stat To Know: With the Chiefs win on Sunday, Patrick Mahomes passed Tom Brady for the third-most wins by a player in his first 10 seasons since 1950. 

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 6 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +2000
Next game: @ 49ers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

They had a second half for the ages against the Rams, maybe with a little help from the officials. If they could just get QB Bo Nix and their offense going a little sooner, they’d be a scary team. But they certainly have the defense to play against anyone, and Sean Payton may be the best coach in the NFL when his team is playing from behind. They’ve already come from behind twice to win this year. 

And yes, I know they were blitzed by the Chiefs in Week 1, and they are still ranked ahead of them. These are power rankings, not standings. Thanks for your continued concern.

Stat To Know: Since the start of 2025, Bo Nix now has seven fourth-quarter comebacks and nine game-winning drives, which is the most in the NFL in that span. 

Cowboys ‘blew it’ vs. the Ravens, Was it more of a Rams collapse or a Broncos comeback? | FTF

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Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 3 ↑

Super Bowl odds: +900
Next game: vs. Broncos (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Their defense had an alarmingly soft stretch in the second half on Sunday, but their Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey-led attack is clicking on all cylinders. And when that happens, this team looks like the best team in the NFC. Losing WR Mike Evans to a rib injury could hurt, but Deebo Samuel should be able to step into a bigger role. And they have a whole mess of injuries on defense, including a big one to DE Nick Bosa. 

Nobody has been better in recent years at getting production out of his backups than head coach Kyle Shanahan, though. He’ll have to work that old magic quickly, though, with the Broncos and Seahawks coming up next.

Stat To Know: The 49ers have now started 3-0 for the third time in the past four seasons. 

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 1

Super Bowl odds: +670
Next game: vs. Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

They had a ridiculous five turnovers on Sunday, not to mention 10 penalties, and Josh Allen was far from his best. But the Bills hung around and their MVP-caliber QB was still clutch when it mattered. That’s what Allen does better than anyone in the league, and as long as he’s healthy, they’re going to be a hard team for anyone to beat. 

No, their defense isn’t great, but the tandem of Allen and RB James Cook is built to bludgeon and outscore opponents, so they’re fine in high-scoring games. And now, next week against the Patriots, they can turn the AFC East race into a runaway. The big test of their power comes in two weeks in L.A. against the Rams.

Stat To Know: The Bills won despite a minus-four turnover margin, their first victory with a margin that poor since beating the Colts in 1997. Jim Harbaugh started at quarterback for Indianapolis in that game.

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United States coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed sadness at an apparent failure of “sporting justice” in his response to reports that Manchester City has been found guilty of almost all of the 115 charges leveled against the club for alleged financial breaches.

The alleged rule-breaking by City took place between 2009-18, during which period Pochettino was manager of Tottenham and turned the London team into a challenger for titles in English soccer despite operating on a relatively small budget.

The Premier League has yet to officially confirm the verdict that, according to several media outlets, has been passed down by an independent commission following a long-running case.

Mauricio Pochettino was Tottenham’s manager from 2014 through 2019, while the alleged Manchester City violations occurred between 2009 and 2018.  (Photo by Ian KINGTON / AFP via Getty Images)

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“If it’s true that the 114 rules were broken, then we lived through a period of deception,” said Pochettino, speaking Monday — a day before the U.S. men’s team plays Chile in a friendly match.

“So, whatever the punishment ends up being … I don’t know. It’s impossible to go back. I think a lot of damage has been done.”

Earlier this month, Pochettino called for Chelsea to be stripped of the 2016-17 Premier League title for a total of 74 breaches of Football Association regulations covering agents, working with intermediaries and third-party investment in players. Chelsea’s punishment, on appeal, was a fine of 10 million pounds ($13.4 million) and a suspended two-window transfer ban.

Chelsea won the 2016-17 Premier League by a seven-point margin over Tottenham, which finished third in the 2017-18 season when City was champion. During this time, Tottenham was working under a far tighter budget than its title rivals in England yet still reached the Champions League final in 2019.

Pochettino, who was at Spurs from 2014-19, said that “ultimately a lot of clubs followed the rules and others didn’t.”

“What’s going to happen — a financial penalty? Points deductions? I don’t know,” he said. “It’s very difficult, honestly.

Soccer Related Stories

“It’s sad. It’s deeply sad. Because, in the end, we’ve entered into a situation where what was celebrated wasn’t really what we thought it was. What seemed so good maybe wasn’t so good. And what didn’t seem good maybe actually was good, but it couldn’t be seen as good because the other ‘good’ was achieved by breaking the rules. So, ultimately, we’ve lived through a period where sporting justice didn’t exist.”

City has always denied wrongdoing and its chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, continued to protest the club’s innocence on Saturday, a day after reports said a verdict had been reached.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Source

The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill on Monday that would regulate college sports, an attempt to end “chaos” in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools.

The overwhelming 77-22 vote to pass the legislation is the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. It would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them.

The bill is the product of years of Senate negotiations that intensified after a 2025 lawsuit settlement uprooted the college sports landscape by allowing colleges to pay their players. The legislation, which would still have to pass the House, would codify the settlement into law but also establish new guardrails around the system in an attempt to rein in the runaway costs for colleges.

“It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who negotiated the bill with the top Democrat on the panel, Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters as he walks to the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 17, 2026 in Washington, DC, prior to voting on the “Protect College Sports Act.” (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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President Donald Trump praised the bill in a social media post after the late night passage. “This is a really big deal,” he said. “It will not only save college sports, it will save the colleges themselves.”

The bill’s backers — more than 70 senators from both parties — say it aims to curtail constant litigation and uncertainty across college sports for athletes, schools and fans. It would also give hundreds of thousands of athletes new health and labor protections.

But critics say the bill doesn’t do enough to protect athletes or curtail the enormous sums of money flowing to coaches, colleges and conferences.

“This is a bill that essentially ensconces a system of exploitation, and it doesn’t fix the broader problems,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has worked with labor and civil rights groups to rally opposition to the bill.

The bill’s future is still unclear. It could face an uphill battle in the House, which failed repeatedly over the last year to get a different version to the floor and is in recess until after the November elections.

Lawmakers will have to start over in the next Congress if the bill doesn’t pass both chambers by the end of the year.

Bill addresses skyrocketing spending, unlimited transfers

College sports have been reeling in the wake of the 2025 court settlement allowing colleges to directly pay players for their name, image and likeness. The fallout has reshaped the industry and led to football roster payrolls that can exceed $40 million.

The bill would codify the court settlement, including a revenue cap that allows schools to share up to $21.5 million in revenue with their players. The legislation would more than double that amount for some schools, allowing up to an additional $27.5 million in payments through a retention fund — a change that helped win the support of the two largest conferences, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.

To help schools raise more revenue, the bill would give schools and conferences the option of pooling their TV media rights.

The legislation also aims to stabilize the NCAA transfer portal that has led to players constantly switching teams. It would restrict player transfers to one “free” move over five years without sitting out a year, with some exceptions, and also would restrict players to five years of total eligibility.

College Basketball Related Stories

The proposed eligibility limit comes amid backlash to schools that have increasingly pushed boundaries, including LSU’s now-canceled plans to place players on the roster who had participated in NFL training camps.

“That was probably like a big lamp for some people who saw it and said, ‘Oh my God, this is so out of control,’” Cantwell said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The bill also would restrict coaches from leaving their schools during the season, force schools that want to switch conferences to spend three years as an independent and prevent conferences from growing larger than 20 programs — an effort to prevent so-called “superleagues” from taking over sports. A last-minute amendment proposed by Florida Sen. Ashley Moody raised that cap from 19 in the original legislation.

The vote was delayed several hours on Monday as senators negotiated Moody’s amendment and others that were eventually adopted, including a provision to make it easier for athletes to sue over sexual assault and a requirement to disclose foreign financing.

The Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would have put limits on ticket prices for fans and two by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., that would have capped coaches’ salaries at $5 million a year and increased compensation for athletes who have catastrophic injuries.

Critics say it wouldn’t do enough to help athletes

The legislation includes new protections for athletes, including caps on agent fees and guarantees for health insurance and scholarships. It would also require schools to maintain a minimum number of sports and roster spots — an effort to ensure that women’s and Olympic sports are not cut in favor of football, basketball and other sports that generate more revenue.

Still, some Democrats say it wouldn’t do enough to limit the big money in college sports.

The legislation “places a cap on the students’ cut of the revenues, but there are no caps on coaches’ salaries or on the size of donations to athletic programs,” Murphy said last week.

College Football Related Stories

Groups like the NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and AFL-CIO have also opposed the bill, in part, because it leaves unresolved whether athletes should be considered employees with the ability to collectively bargain.

All four Black Democrats in the Senate — Booker, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland — have opposed the bill.

Booker, who played football at Stanford in the late 1980s on a scholarship, noted the “outsized role” that Black athletes play in college sports. He said it wasn’t until college athletes were able to begin to win cases in court that the power started to shift, “and now the NCAA is coming here to the United States Senate, asking for sweeping powers” to exempt antitrust laws.

“We know who this bill is protecting,” Booker said.

House passage is uncertain

Despite strong bipartisan support in the Senate, the bill faces a murky path in the House.

House lawmakers won’t return to Washington until mid-November, after the elections. And it’s unclear what will be on Republican leaders’ agenda in the chaotic last few weeks of the session.

Pressure from Trump could help push the bill to passage. But some House Republicans have insisted on language explicitly stating that athletes are not employees, which the Senate bill does not have — a key concession to Cantwell to win enough Democratic support.

After the bill’s passage, Cruz said it is his hope “that we see in the House the same thing we saw in the Senate: a big bipartisan vote.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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A recent (polarizing) World Series winner takes on the team no one thought had a chance to be here.

Let’s check out the odds for Astros-White Sox at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 30, as well as what to know.

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AL Wild Card: Astros vs. White Sox

  Series Winner

White Sox: -245 (bet $10 to win $14.08 total)
Astros: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)

  Game 1 — CHW 6, HOU 3

Spread: Astros -1.5 (CHW covers)
Moneyline: Astros -123, White Sox +102 (CHW wins)
O/U: 8 (Over hits)

  Game 2 (Sept. 30)

Spread: Astros -1.5
Moneyline: Astros -147, White Sox +122
O/U: 7.5

Here’s what to know about the Astros-White Sox odds:

Season Series: Houston won five of the seven regular-season matchups against Chicago, including three of the last four. 

Game 1: Would you believe that, prior to this season, Chicago had at least 100 losses in each of the last three seasons? It had 102 last year, a modern-era record 121 in 2024, and 101 in 2023. It’s for that reason that absolutely no one came into this season thinking they had a chance to make the playoffs. But here they are, and they have a 1-0 lead on Houston in the wild-card round, after winning Game 1, 6-3. Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the first two innings behind a sacrifice fly from Munetaka Murakami and a 2-run single from Sam Antonacci. It essentially cruised from there, bolstered by a solo home run from Colson Montgomery in the top of the fourth. Game 2 is Wednesday in Houston. Sean Burke (CHW) will face Hunter Brown (HOU).

The White Sox last made the playoffs in 2021, and last won a playoff series in 2005, the same year they last won the World Series. As for the Astros, they finished 81-81 in the regular season, but it was still good enough to win the AL West. The Astros are the only team in the postseason that had a negative run differential in the regular season, having been outscored by 32 runs.

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The Cubs and Padres are no strangers to meeting in October.

For the second straight year, these two teams are facing off in the NL wild-card round, with Chicago looking to repeat last season’s postseason success against San Diego.

Can the Padres flip the script in 2026?

Let’s check out the odds for the series at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 30, as well as what to know.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

NL Wild Card: Padres vs. Cubs

   Series Winner

Padres: -450 (bet $10 to win $12.22 total)
Cubs: +340 (bet $10 to win $44 total)

   Game 1 — SD 9, CHI 0

Spread: Padres -1.5 (SD covers)
Moneyline: Padres -130, Cubs +108 (SD wins)
O/U: 7.5 (Over hits)

   Game 2 (Sept. 30)

Spread: Padres -1.5
Moneyline: Padres -137, Cubs +113
O/U: 7

Here’s what to know about the Padres-Cubs odds:

Season Series: During the regular season this year, the Cubs went 5-1 against the Padres in six games. Playing at Petco Park in late April, the Cubs took two of three games (losing 9-7 on April 27, then winning 8-3 on April 28 and 5-4 on April 29). The Cubs then completed a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field from June 29 to July 1, winning by scores of 3-2, 9-7, and a dominant 23-3 blowout in the finale.

Game 1: Things got ugly for the Cubs fast in Game 1. San Diego scored two in the first, one apiece in the third and fourth, and three in the fifth, before capping it off with one more run in the seventh. Michael King was lights out, allowing one hit in seven innings and striking out eight. The Padres’ superstar bats also came to play, as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado both hit solo jacks in the first inning to set the tone at Petco Park. 

Game 2 will go down Wednesday, as San Diego looks to make quick work of Chicago.

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The question has been an open one for weeks now: will Aaron Judge be on the Yankees’ postseason roster? For now, the answer appears to be no. Judge is not be on New York’s roster against the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series, as he is still recovering from a calf strain.

Judge suffered this latest injury barely a week into his return from a stress fracture in his ribs that sidelined him from June through Sept. 7. After returning on Sept. 8 against the Rockies, Judge played nearly every day for the Yankees – he skipped a rehab assignment in the minors to get back to the bigs as soon as possible, and uncharacteristically publicly voiced his displeasure with being removed from a game six innings in, as well.

As FOX Sports’ Deesha Thosar wrote, this quick ramp-up leading into a calf strain was a signal for the Yankees to stop letting Judge do what he wants when it comes to injuries. He played through the stress fracture at first, and by general manager Brian Cashman’s admission, possibly made it worse by doing so, then missed 85 games on top of that. And this is before possibly overdoing it in his return, leading to the latest injury – an event followed by Judge attempting to push his way on to the Wild Card Series roster, as well.

Yankees Related Stories

Even without Judge playing for most of 2026, the Yankees won the top wild-card in the AL, with a 93-68 record that stands as the second-best in the junior circuit this season. DH and first baseman Ben Rice ended up being the centerpiece of the offense in Judge’s absence, batting .264/.363/.534 with a team-best 41 homers and 146 OPS+ – Rice’s homer total was good for fourth in the American League.

The Yankees host the Red Sox for the three-game AL Wild Card Series beginning on Tuesday. Should New York advance, Judge could always be placed on the roster for the Division Series round, where the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays await the winner of this matchup.

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Brad Keselowski won’t return as a driver at the team he currently co-owns — a team that he potentially won’t co-own in the future.

Keselowski’s contract negotiations with the RFK Racing board — a somewhat expected formality considering his ownership stake — broke down and RFK Racing announced that it would part ways with Keselowski after this season. 

The 2012 Cup champion joined the team in 2022 when he became a co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing.

“I’m nowhere near ready to be done as a driver,” Keselowski said in a statement. “I still have a lot I want to accomplish in the sport, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”

Brad Keselowski not ready to call it quits but he’s out at RFK in 2027.

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Keselowski does not have a controlling interest in the team, and a statement from RFK indicated it would try to buy him out with the team being operated by Roush Industries and the Fenway Sports Group (the R and the F in RFK).

“RFK Racing and Keselowski intend to collaboratively and mutually work through the appropriate next steps regarding his existing ownership interest in the organization, and the team supports his desire to explore his career opportunities elsewhere,” the team said in its statement.

Whether the organization cuts to two cars (it currently has only two charters for next season) or replaces Keselowski in the No. 6 car is still to be determined. 

It is also possible the team runs a third car part time. 

The organization will have only two charters next year and had originally planned to operate one of the cars as an open car. The team statement said they will remain a three-car organization.

What’s next for Keselowski not that he’s out at the team he currently co-owns?

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“We have tremendous respect for Brad as a champion, competitor, and leader, and we are grateful for the energy and commitment he has brought to RFK,” team president Chip Bowers said in a statement.

“Brad has been clear about his desire to continue competing for years to come, and we respect and support him in pursuing the path that best allows him to achieve those goals.”

Keselowski has managed just one victory in his five seasons with the team. That victory came at Darlington in 2024. His teammates, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, both made The Chase this year. 

The 42-year-old Keselowski has 36 career wins with 34 of them coming during his tenure at Team Penske from 2010-2021.

He invested in RFK to have more of a say over competition decisions and more of a role in how the team operates. 

RFK has improved since Keselowski’s arrival, although Team Penske has, for the most part, been the top Ford team. 

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished at RFK over the past five years and grateful for the people I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside,” Keselowski said.

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