There’s a lot of corn between Minneapolis and Detroit. And a lot of good football.

I’ve been happily racking up miles on my rental car to traverse five states and watch each of the NFC North teams. The division is the deepest in the NFL, with a real shot of producing a Super Bowl team. It’s not hyperbolic to say that any one of the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings could chase a title. 

So here’s what I learned along the way — with a few thoughts on other happenings around the league. This is Sound Smart, where I try to spin forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines.

1.

EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy dropped back next to each other — feet apart — and ripped passes downfield at the exact same moment. There’s something unique and aesthetically pleasing about two quarterbacks competing for one spot. 

Their warm-ups are like watching INDYCAR teammates trying to pass each other — careful and synchronized but not always cordial. 

The Vikings are doing everything they can not to pick a favorite, in what they say and in what they do. But fair is never fair. Not really.

Even if head coach Kevin O’Connell and passing game coordinator/QB coach Josh McCown aren’t picking favorites, Murray is the betting favorite to win the job. He’s the better and more experienced player. And it’s hard to imagine O’Connell picking McCarthy after the young QB face-planted in his first NFL action last year. 

Veteran Kyler Murray (1) has the edge in the QB competition with J.J. McCarthy (9) at Vikings camp. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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The practice I saw last Monday didn’t exactly make the case for McCarthy.

The QBs were evenly matched all practice until the 2-minute drive, which concluded the session. The simulation set up the offense with 75 seconds remaining in the second quarter, with the Vikings down 13-10. The drive started from Minnesota’s 25-yard line. It stands to reason that the Vikings wanted to score, but not at the cost of a turnover.

Since 2022, the Vikings are 20-2 when winning the turnover battle, per FOX Sports Research. They rank fifth among all teams in that span.

Chew on that stat as you read what comes next.

Murray’s drive was ugly — with a throwaway and another pass that went to no one, an apparent miscommunication with his receiver (or a miscue by the QB). The end result would’ve been a punt to the opposing offense with less than a minute left on the clock.

On McCarthy’s drive, he nearly threw an interception on his first pass, only to toss the ball to cornerback Byron Murphy on the drive’s third play. It was a turnover — and a mistake likely worth between three and seven points.

That play felt emblematic of what’s to come with this QB competition. It’s only nominally close. For those watching intently, the winner is already obvious. It’s going to be Murray. And when he wins, it’s going to be exciting to see the way this offense shapes itself to him.

“Kyler is a unique athlete,” McCown told me last week. “It’s just making sure that we’re buttoned up on where we’re supposed to be when [he] gets outside the pocket and giving him opportunities to maximize his skill set when he does move around. 

“But obviously, it starts with being in the pocket and playing within rhythm and within our scheme, too. So you balance those things accordingly, but also want to give way to a guy who does have a unique skill set.”

The beauty of this offense is that it’s like an expensive golf club. If the golfer (Murray or McCarthy) can let the club do the work, then that’ll be enough. Receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are all very good players.

“Every throw you make, we want you to believe in that throw and feel great about it and trust your eyes and all that. But at the same time, don’t feel like you have to put your Superman cape on and win this specific down for us with one throw,” McCown told me. “You’re not going to win one game with one throw.”

It’ll be a mindset shift for Murray, who had to carry the offense, year after year, with the Arizona Cardinals. But if he can cut out the hero ball (and the untimely turnovers) and let the skill players do the work for the offense, the Vikings will make the playoffs.

So far, so good.

“I think mentally, he’s definitely ahead of where I thought,” O’Connell told reporters this weekend.

And just because Murray has always been the likely winner, that doesn’t mean the QB competition was a sham. It’s almost inevitable that both Murray and McCarthy play for the Vikings in 2026. The Cardinals essentially benched Murray last year, so that’s always possible in Minnesota. But more likely, it’ll be an injury, considering Murray has missed at least three games in four of the past five seasons. McCarthy will likely have to play, and when he does, these training camp reps will serve the Vikings well.

“He is showing that improvement, and everybody’s arc is different,” McCown said of McCarthy, who missed his rookie year of 2024 with a knee injury. “We’ll continue to develop him into the player we think he can be.”

If the Vikings do, in fact, make the playoffs (whether by playing multiple quarterbacks or just one), then O’Connell should retain his crown as the NFL’s Top QB Guru. If the Vikings and their QBs struggle, well, we can cross that bridge if we get there.

2.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — It’s not exactly a gilded age for running backs. But it’s safe to say they matter again, both schematically and financially. Just ask Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who signed a three-year extension worth $67.5 million, with a record $22.5 million average for a running back.

As is the nature of a market-setting deal, Gibbs’ contract will echo across the NFL’s financial landscape. Just like Bijan Robinson’s recent deal, which was a three-year, $66.5 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons, Gibbs’ contract advances the market — meaning more money for running backs at every level, particularly at the top. 

That’s, no doubt, why Gibbs’ phone was blowing up with texts from superstars across the NFL. Gibbs said that Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, David Montgomery and De’Von Achane reached out to “show love.”

“We’re all in this together,” Gibbs said.

Looking at the fine details of Gibbs’ deal, the good news is that $51.5 million is guaranteed. It’s just that he won’t see $22.3 million until 2029 (in salary) and the remaining $21.3 million until 2030. I’m not saying it’s a bad deal by any means, but it’s backloaded — which makes it more team-friendly than the numbers originally revealed. 

It’s a big step in the right direction, however, that 1) two running backs (Gibbs and Robinson) successfully conducted hold-ins and 2) Gibbs was able to cash in about $16 million in new money in 2026 and Robinson will get $18.7 million this season.

It’s worth noting that, while at Lions camp, I saw how badly the Lions need Gibbs’ explosiveness. There simply wasn’t the same level of offensive threat without Gibbs leading the run game (especially after David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans this offseason). All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was a superstar, as usual, and speedster Jameson Williams popped for big plays. But the offense, as a whole, didn’t look consistent. At times, it looked lost. That’s because Detroit’s identity starts with the run game, which is to say that it starts with Gibbs.

He used that leverage. And his value was very real.

“This process was extremely stressful, because I just wanted to play ball,” Gibbs said on Friday after practice, during which he was limited, still ramping up to full participation. “I missed being out there with my teammates and coaches. It’s just fun being out there right now with my pads and stuff on. It just feels a lot better.”

Jahmyr Gibbs is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro in his three seasons with the Lions. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

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I was one of many who didn’t like the Cardinals drafting running back Jeremiyah Love at the top of Round 1. I still don’t love it. The problem is that a rookie’s contract (even a top-five pick) can provide teams with rare value at a premium position like QB, edge, left tackle, receiver or even cornerback. A top-five rookie running back, however, isn’t going to be a bargain. After all these deals, Love now ranks 10th among running backs in average annual value. That’s better.

And when adding up Love’s high draft selection and salary alongside extensions for Achane, Gibbs and Robinson this offseason, it’s clear: Running backs matter again. Money talks. Teams care about RBs again.

3.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers star edge Micah Parsons said he’s still sometimes using crutches following his late December surgery to repair his ACL and meniscus. He’s not yet in the change-of-direction phase of his rehab. He’s just working through plyometric exercises.

But he was clear: Don’t worry for him.

Worry about him.

“I think when you come out of these situations, you’re either going to be better or you’re worse. And for me, I’ve done everything I possibly can to be better,” Parsons said at Lambeau Field last Tuesday. “People are worried about the knee. They should be worried about how I’m going to play when I get back. The anger, the frustration — the things that I’m going to have to let out because of how long it’s been since I played. 

“I think that’s what people should really worry about: How great is Micah going to be when he gets back? Not about when I get back because that’s the short term. It’s about how great I’m going to be, how I can help my teammates, and how far we’re going to go into a playoff run.”

The Packers traded for Parsons ahead of the 2025 season. It was one of the biggest trades for a defender in NFL history. And it preceded the biggest contract for a non-quarterback — ever.

He played 14 games and logged 12.5 sacks before suffering the injury, which can take years for a full recovery, even if players tend to return to the field after nine months. 

But Parsons didn’t sound like Eeyore. Not in the slightest.

“I feel like a much better player in the sense of how I feel. I feel more stable. I feel stronger. You know, I probably was blind to a lot of things that I probably should have been working on that I got a chance to correct and get stronger during this process,” Parsons said.

He seems to have taken on a new attention to detail around his body, his strength-building, his stretching and his recovery. He said he’s focused on the process — not upon the timetable for his return. He wouldn’t give an exact week of the NFL season when he wanted to play. That said, there is one game that everyone (except for those in Dallas) would like to see Parsons on the field. And that’s for Packers-Cowboys in Week 6 on Oct. 18.

“I think it’s very realistic,” Parsons said. “Me and the staff, we’ve got to put the work in. We’ve got to get to the point where I’m feeling great, and we say, ‘Micah, you’ll be in a really good phase.’ Is it possible? Yes.”

4.

Normally, the Hall of Fame Game doesn’t move me. It’s not a big deal when a quarterback converts a clutch third down — not when it’s the first preseason matchup.

But Cardinals third-round pick Carson Beck did something impressive with what is normally a throwaway opportunity. This throw exemplified a sharp performance from Beck. And it revealed the QB competition that is quietly brewing in Arizona.

And there wasn’t really supposed to be a QB competition. When the Cardinals drafted Beck in Round 3, it wasn’t a pick that screamed: This guy’s our starter! And to that point, Jacoby Brissett decided to hold out, knowing that he should be QB1. He managed to get a reworked, one-year deal worth $15.5 million. But unintentionally, Brissett also seems to have opened the door to lose his starting job. It’s oh-so early in training camp (and preseason), but Beck lit up his first preseason performance. (And now he’s going viral for no-look passes at padded practice?!)

Now is when everyone says: Oh, but the Panthers only played vanilla defenses! Oh, but the backups were in! Oh, but Carson Beck is just the reincarnation of Kenny Pickett!

That might all be true. But Beck only did what he could, playing a sensational game that no doubt left the Cardinals wanting to see more. 

If he can keep this up — and his game looks polished as they throw him into higher-difficulty situations — then he could earn the starting job. We were already likely to see him this season. Now I’m wondering if we’ll see him in Week 1.

5.

If there’s one thing I’ve observed about Bears coach Ben Johnson, it’s that he takes things personally. He doesn’t suppress his emotions. He works with them.

Take, for example, the widespread conversation about how the Bears might regress. In a sit-down with him earlier this offseason, he needled me for bringing up the historical trend of teams regressing after playing as many close victories as the Bears did in 2025. Johnson later went out of his way to bring that topic up at a press conference: “We’re the No. 1 candidate for regression.”

In terms of his boiling emotions, Johnson has also clearly enjoyed provoking a WWE-level rivalry with the Packers.

So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, when I asked Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for his best story about Ben Johnson, Detroit’s former offensive coordinator, he shared this.

“It’s always funny watching Ben on game days,” St. Brown told me. “He got super amped up when he was here, especially when he was calling plays. He would talk s— to the opposing defensive coordinators, but he’s so far away they can’t hear him. But we can see him on the sideline talking s—.”

No matter whose sideline he’s on, Ben Johnson, who was an assistant for the Lions from 2019 to 2024, is all business. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

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That’s the love of the game right there. Just a coach, talking smack to an opponent that can’t even hear him.

“He’s a competitor, man. He loves winning, and I think we see similarities in each other. I think that’s why we got along so well,” St. Brown told me. “When he first got the OC job, I went up to his office a few times. … We’ve had some deep conversations. We both felt like we could be better. He’s kind of like me — he wants to be the best every time. He’s a perfectionist.”

Every single current and former player will attest to Johnson’s character and coaching.

“I love Ben, man. That’s my dog,” St. Brown said.

That makes the story, and the NFC North rivalry, all the more enjoyable.

NFL Related Stories

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Is this a good time to provide a reminder that last July the Dodgers lost seven games in a row, 10 out of 12 and finished the month 10-14? 

Well, they’re floundering again and don’t exactly look like the infallible force everyone expected after acquiring the best player available at the deadline. 

They’re 1-6 since supposedly breaking the game by trading for Tarik Skuba. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 5-2 in their first seven games without Skubal and Casey Mize. Small sample size, of course, but the Dodgers haven’t been playing well for a while. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games and 17 of their last 28, and for the first time in a long time no longer occupy the top spot on the power rankings. 

(Photo by George Gaza/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Of course, that can change quickly. But it serves as a good reminder that even the teams who appeared to be winners at the deadline (Dodgers, Pirates) still have to play the games. Meanwhile, some of the biggest deadline losers (Brewers, Braves, Diamondbacks, Tigers) keep winning. 

As we wait to see how the players in new places pan out over the season’s last couple months, this week’s power rankings include one reason to watch every team in the second half. 

The Angels aren’t likely to reap many of the rewards of their deadline sell-off until the years to come, but they can at least get a look at new catcher Moisés Ballesteros, who should have an everyday job in Anaheim. 

We’ve already seen a number of first-round selections from the exceptional 2024 draft class make their MLB debuts. Charlie Condon, the third overall pick from that draft, is an exception, but he has 22 homers at Triple-A and could be a late-season call-up. Meanwhile, the Rockies continue to enjoy terrific debut seasons of TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg. 

This has been a horrendous year in Sacramento. You know what could provide some excitement? Calling up one of the top prospects in baseball. Leo De Vries is still at Double-A, and the A’s might not want to start the clock for the 19-year-old shortstop in this lost season, but he would give the fans a reason to watch. 

Marcelo Mayer appears close to starting a rehab assignment. Maybe the former Red Sox top prospect can realize his potential after a change of scenery.  

Jac Caglianone is an oasis in a Kansas City desert, and his strides in year two are providing more optimism for the Royals’ future if they can be a healthier team in 2027. 

Sal Stewart could make the NL Rookie of the Year race interesting. I wish I had more for you, Cincinnati fans. 

(Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

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Rookies Carson Benge, AJ Ewing and Nolan McLean have been a (very small) silver lining in an otherwise miserable (horrible, awful, dreadful) season in Queens. Maybe they work their way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. 

Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson were supposed to lead the Orioles into the promised land. Now, Rutschman is gone and Henderson is inexplicably enduring the worst year of his five-year career. Henderson obviously remains a vital cog to the future success of this franchise, and it’s worth watching if he can start to turn a corner before season’s end. 

Can the addition of Taylor Ward spark a sputtering offense? … Not yet, at least. The Mariners scored four runs total over their last four games and have lost five of their last six series to fall even further behind in both the AL West and wild-card races. This might be the start of the annual big Julio Rodriguez month, though. 

Will the bullpen additions catalyze a playoff push in Minnesota? The Twins decided not to buy at the deadline, and while that decision is not looking great yet, they remain firmly in the wild-card race. More sparks could be ahead. They just called up prospect Kaelen Culpepper, and their other top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, could also play a role by season’s end. 

(Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

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We are nearing mid-August, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still doesn’t have a home run at the Rogers Centre. It is almost unfathomable. Can he get on a roll at some point in the second half? If he does, the last-place Blue Jays — who threaded the needle at the deadline by trading away Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman but also adding Jose Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti and Jameson Taillon — still have a chance to contend. 

Well, this isn’t the direction they’re supposed to be going. The Pirates patched up their bullpen at the deadline and then promptly dropped series in Milwaukee and Queens to fall 5.5 games back in the division. The offense is hurting with Ryan O’Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin out, but Pittsburgh also needs Paul Skenes to get right. He has an ERA over 6.00 over his last eight starts. Will he look like an ace again in time to save the Pirates’ season? 

The Marlins didn’t do anything to help their 2026 cause at the deadline (unless you love some Victor Vodnik), but could their decision to keep Sandy Alcantara help them stun the baseball world and sneak into a playoff spot? They’re only three games out of a playoff spot. 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 07: Angel Genao #17 of the Cleveland Guardians looks on against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 07, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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The Guardians have now dropped 13 of their last 17 games. Even after the additions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, there’s a lot riding on their rookies to lift the offense. The latest call-up is top prospect Angel Genao. What kind of impact can he make alongside the current crop of standout rookies on the team? 

Which of the pitchers acquired by the Nationals at the deadline could be helpful pieces for the next contending Washington team? Jake Bird, Will Dion and Yovanny Cruz are already assisting a bullpen that needed…a ton of help. Hopefully, Connelly Early’s forearm tightness isn’t too serious and he can contribute before season’s end. In the meantime, enjoy CJ Abrams, who stayed put despite rumors at the deadline. 

Dautlon Varsho went deep for his first home run as an Astro on Sunday. What kind of difference can he make to an Astros outfield that ranks among the league’s least productive groups offensively this season? 

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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They were 45-45, 50-50, 55-55, and are now 59-59. I have little doubt this team will finish the season 81-81, but could a healthier Corey Seager in the second half put them on the right side of .500? If he can turn it on down the stretch, that could be the difference in winning the division. 

One Cardinals player already had a memorable moment this year when Jordan Walker left the crowd at Citizens Bank Park stunned by winning the Home Run Derby. By season’s end, another Cardinals player could be in the national spotlight as JJ Wetherholt tries to hold off the competition for Rookie of the Year.  

How does the team respond to the losses of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize? So far, so good. They just wrapped up a 7-2 West Coast road trip, are inching closer to .500 and a playoff spot, and somehow have the best run differential in the American League. 

How different will this pitching staff look after call-ups and additions? The White Sox rank 13th in ERA, but they added veteran Luis Castillo hoping to stabilize the rotation, and now top pitching prospects Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal have arrived to help. They’ll need Castillo to find another gear down the stretch. 

(Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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What kind of impact will Luis Arráez make? This might be the most fascinating team to watch the rest of the way, considering how much Arráez is needed offensively (the Phillies are a bottom-five team in on-base percentage and a bottom-10 team in OPS) and also how his introduction to the Philadelphia lineup has forced a bevy of defensive changes, including Bryce Harper moving back to the outfield. 

The bats are hot — the Padres have the highest batting average in baseball since the break — and while the San Diego debuts for Casey Mize and Robbie Ray didn’t go to plan, those acquisitions provide reason to believe this Padres team might now have just enough starting pitching to sneak into a playoff spot. 

How many injured D-backs pitchers return over the next two months? Michael Soroka, Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Justin Martinez and Ryne Nelson are all among the prominent D-backs pitchers on the injured list whose return could be the difference in making the postseason. 

When do Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton return? And how much can deadline additions Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos boost the offense until that time comes? There’s a world in which the Yankees’ offense is back at full strength in time for the postseason, but it’s worth watching not only when their injured stars get back but also if those players can find their rhythm ahead of October. 

What kind of impact does Adley Rutschman have the rest of the way once healthy? Even with all the winning the Red Sox are doing, their catchers rank 24th in wRC+. Another boost from Rutschman could be the difference between a promising season and a championship one. 

(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

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The Dodgers are playing poorly. Their offense is in a funk. Edwin Díaz is flailing. Maybe these are reasons for Dodgers fans to worry. History tells us they should not. Also, you might have heard they acquired a guy named Tarik Skubal. He’ll make his first home start at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, and he’ll be followed by Blake Snell one day later. The rotation is becoming more whole, and they will probably zoom back up the rankings in short order. 

(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

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Can Pete Crow-Armstrong challenge Shohei Ohtani for MVP? Both players put on a heck of a show this week in Chicago, with the Cubs’ center fielder getting the last laugh in a series sweep capped off by two PCA homers in the finale. If he keeps this offensive pace up, he’ll make a strong case for MLB’s top individual honor. 

(Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Whatever happens over the final couple months, this has been a tremendous bounceback season for Atlanta. But while Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez continue to be effective and new addition Tyler Mahle looked great in his Braves debut, questions linger about the team’s October arms after a disappointing deadline failed to bring in another impact starter. Will one of their injured starters get back in time to contribute down the stretch and beyond, or can the group in place inspire the confidence that they have enough arms to make a deep run? 

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

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Can the Rays hold off both the Yankees and red-hot Red Sox? The new acquisitions should help. Beyond just Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks, the addition of reliever Tyler Wells might be one of the most underrated moves of the deadline, and the Rays’ pitching has been exceptional lately. Even after Boston’s surge, the Rays lead the Yankees by 5.5 games and the Red Sox by seven games as they track toward their first division title since 2021. 

(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

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Which starters step up behind Jacob Misiorowski? The Brewers ace leads all qualified MLB starters in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average and looks like the clear Cy Young Award winner right now, but there has been some deserved heat on this team for not adding more star power behind him. Kyle Harrison’s first start back from the IL was encouraging, and maybe Dustin May develops into a clear October starter over the next two months, but there’s some sorting out to do down the stretch about the playoff pecking order. 
 

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NASCAR didn’t get to see its new end-of-stage policy in action last weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Stages ending naturally is a good thing.

But NASCAR is now prepared to be flexible when it comes to the length of the stages.

Responding to feedback from fans and criticism that caution periods are too long, NASCAR decided that, if a caution comes out with 10 laps or fewer left in the stage, the stage would end at the time of caution.

That would eliminate either running extra laps under caution until the stage ends or running caution laps, then coming back to green for a lap (or two) dash to the stage finish and then throwing the caution again.

NASCAR is revamping its caution strategy.

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“It stems from what happened in Indy, where we’ve seen all too often [that] the caution comes out before the stage break, we run a number of caution laps, trying to get back green. Stage break comes and we’re back to caution. Long periods of caution laps, not enough green-flag racing,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a video to fans.

“No more back-to-back cautions, no more elongated caution laps. More green-flag racing, more action for you, the fans.”

The stage breaks are designed to bunch up the field and give the broadcaster four guaranteed times when they can run full-screen commercials under yellow. 

So at the end of the stage, laps are run under yellow for commercials, the pits are then open and then a couple more laps are run. 

Those final few laps allow for more commercials, as well as for NASCAR to get the lineup in order so drivers can choose their lane on the restart.

The choose rule added a lap to every caution on ovals when it was implemented several years ago. NASCAR potentially could move the choose area to the backstretch on ovals (like it does on road courses where it is often near the end of the lap) in hopes of potentially eliminating another full caution lap.

Obviously, the balance of having the stage breaks and getting back to racing can be frustrating.

Kyle Larson likes the new direction NASCAR is taking with cautions.

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“It sucks for all of us when you get a caution with five to go to the end of the stage and they’re going to try to do a one-lap shootout and then it takes 15 minutes [for the stage break]. Like just roll on with it,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson told The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and others at Iowa Speedway.

“This is a step in the right direction.” 

Another former Cup champion, Ryan Blaney, also liked the new rule.

“That’s no fun for anybody,” Blaney said about the extra laps under caution when the stage break comes right after another caution during a news conference. “That’s no fun for anybody watching. That’s not fun for us either. … That’s progress on that side and trying to limit the time of caution, time of yellow and things like that.”

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar thinks it could impact strategy.

“Ultimately, [it will] just make the race not predictable and hopefully, it just allows for mistakes on the box,” Hocevar said at a news conference at Iowa.

Could NASCAR’s new caution rule impact strategy? Carson Hocevar believes it will.

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“I feel like mistakes from either the box or the car tend to kind of always make the racing better.  It’s good. I think it’s an improvement. It’s less caution laps, which is good.”

Ryan Preece said he’s all for it but did see some irony in the decision.

 “It seems like a lot of fans are talking about more green-flag racing, and we put stage breaks in to break the races up because everybody was talking about the long green-flag runs,” Preece said during an Iowa news conference. “Me, personally, this will never happen, but I wish there were no stages and we’d race.”

If the caution does impact the length of a stage, the length of the ensuing stage would change as far as distance and will still end at the original designated lap. 

For instance, if the stages are designed to end on Lap 50 and Lap 100 and the race ends on Lap 200 and the caution comes out on Lap 45, the second stage would still end at Lap 100 (and not Lap 95) and would end up being 55 laps in length.

O’Donnell credited fans for being vocal about wanting change.

“You helped push this,” O’Donnell said. “Your passion for the sport has helped us make changes more quickly.”

In The News

Iowa Speedway will undergo a repave in the offseason.

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— Haas Factory Team added Dean Thompson to its O’Reilly Series roster as part of a multiyear deal. HFT will increase to three cars for O’Reilly with the drivers of the other two cars to be announced. The organization’s current drivers are Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer. Thompson has spent the last couple of years at Sam Hunt Racing.

— Joe Gibbs Racing announced that William Sawalich has signed a contract extension to continue driving in the O’Reilly Series for the organization.

— Iowa Speedway will repave its entire seventh-eighths-mile racing oval during the offseason.

Clinching Drivers

No drivers in Cup clinched a spot in the Chase at Iowa, but Sammy Smith did clinch a spot in the O’Reilly Series postseason.

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They Said It

“Without sounding salty, I don’t think I would have won the race anyway, but I think it’s kind of time for us as a series to grow up and not have the lapped car situation. I think it makes us all look stupid.”

— Felix Rosenqvist on INDYCAR not ordering lapped cars to move over for the leaders

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In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans.

There is no denying that Alex Palou is having (another) dominating year in INDYCAR. Five wins on the season and a healthy points gap are the reward for his and his Chip Ganassi Racing team’s efforts. With six races remaining and a penchant for being Mr. Consistent, there’s no doubt he is the odds-on favorite to win a fourth consecutive INDYCAR title.

That said, there are a few drivers who are more than just long shots heading into the marathon run of six races in five weeks to close out 2026. 

This final stretch of races has a perfect mix of two road courses, two ovals and two street circuits, with each type of track playing to different strengths of different drivers fighting for the title.

So let’s break down who has a real shot at dethroning the champ.

INDYCAR CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET

Pato O’Ward celebrates after winning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

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Pato O’Ward may have been Palou’s closest rival at the close of 2025, but with six races to go this season, significantly moving up in the standings and making a title run is likely out of reach.

O’Ward sits in fifth in the INDYCAR standings, 121 points out of the championship lead. With 324 total points yet to be claimed — and with Pato having a consistent, if not spectacular run of form so far this year — realistically, race wins are now the focus for the No. 5 Arrow McLaren squad.

So let’s keep moving up through the top five. 

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET

Christian Lundgaard sits fourth and 104 points from the top spot. Having finished first or second on every road course so far this year, and with two still to come — including Portland, where he was on pole last year — he has a good chance to earn some strong points there. 

Christian Lundgaard celebrates after winning at Road America in June. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)

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He has been strong on street courses this year, too. And though his oval results are still lacking compared to the other title challengers — his best oval finish so far was 10th at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway — if McLaren show up to the Milwaukee Mile for the doubleheader with a strong package, and Palou has a few rough rounds, it’s not impossible. Improbable, but not impossible.

KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 27 ANDRETTI GLOBAL HONDA

Kyle Kirkwood celebrates after winning the inaugural Arlington street race in March. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

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Kirkwood is third and 87 markers back. Even though he’s a few behind David Malukas in second, I think he represents Palou’s biggest threat. 

There are two street courses in these last six races. Both of them are brand-new tracks to the calendar. Arlington, back toward the start of the season, was the last time we went to an all-new street track, and Kirkwood annihilated the competition. 

If he can capitalize on the strength of the Andretti Global package there, and keep up his killer consistency of top-3 and top-5 finishes, on the remaining ovals, he could be a real thorn in Palou’s side.

The Andretti pit stops have been markedly improved from the start of the year, he has one of the best strategists in the series in Bryan Herta calling his races, and he is having a career year with the second-best average finish of anyone after Palou.

DAVID MALUKAS, NO. 12 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET

David Malukas celebrates after a podium finish at Nashville Superspeedway. (Photo by Perry Nelson/Lumen via Getty Images)

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P2 overall right now is Malukas, with an 83-point gap to Palou. The young driver in his first year with the Penske squad has been mighty impressive. Poles and podiums have come his way, though he is yet to bag that elusive first win. 

But Malukas has shown such strength across all types of tracks that he can certainly not be counted out. 

Ovals especially seem to be where he excels at the moment. His last-to-third run at Nashville was a perfect example. Penske has had good cars at Milwaukee for years, and with back-to-back races there in a few weeks, that first win might be around the corner. 

(Photo by Perry Nelson/Lumen via Getty Images)

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And as we’ve seen time and time again in racing, once that first win comes, the floodgates can open with more wins coming thick and fast. Should that happen, it would set up Malukas for a massive comeback in the fourth quarter of the season.

Long story short, yes, Palou’s year has been outstanding. But there is a hungry pack well within reach to make this final stint in the season as tough and stressful as the four-time champ has ever dealt with.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FAST: PORTLAND

Portland International Raceway is next up, and the quirky little road course is known for throwing some curveballs to the finishing order — despite Palou and Will Power combining to win five of the last six races on the 1.967-mile track. 

It’s short, flat and made up of predominantly long-duration, high-speed corners. 

The double dose of Turns 4 and 5 right is one of the coolest combos of the year. The pair of turns require incredible commitment with a super high-speed turn in, and then remarkable balance as you sit the car on whatever the limiting tire is — left front or left rear, depending on your balance — through what feels like a never-ending corner. 

It’s tough on cars, tires and necks.

The chicane at the back of the circuit is also a ton of fun in an Indy car. You arrive at it at the top of sixth gear, and it’s a quick stab of the brakes and knock it down one gear before you hustle into the left-right corner sequence, threading the needle between the two apex curbs. 

You have to use some curb to maximize the apex speed. But use too much, and the car gets unsettled on landing and can fire you off into the tire wall, which seems miles away, but at those speeds, it comes at you quickly.

(Photo by Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images)

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But for all the talk of high-speed corners, Portland is, rightly or wrongly, often defined by Turns 1 and 2 — the slowest on the track and one of the tightest chicanes of the season. The frontstraight is a literal drag strip, with a long full throttle section, nice and wide, that files down into that first turn.

It’s so inviting for a late lunge, and, as a result, starts and restarts are a hotbed for contact. It can be a real hero or zero kind of prospect. 

It feels slow and clunky behind the wheel of an Indy car through there, but having stood track side since retiring, I assure you it is anything but! 

It’s a fun little sequence that requires the perfect compromise of apex speed at Turn 1 and car placement for Turn 2. Tons of time can be made or lost there. So love it or hate it, the fastest drivers learn to embrace it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT

1 FOR THE ROAD

Portland, for me, has been a feast-or-famine circuit. 

In my INDYCAR career, that first turn was my kryptonite. In three races racing in the main game there, I never made it past Turn 3, getting hit twice and then taken out before getting to the apex of Turn 1!

But in the junior formulae coming up, it was one of my best tracks, winning a few and never finishing worse than second there in many different series. Even with that success when I was younger, Portland still also holds a special place in my mind as one of the most painful losses of my career.

It was 2005, the Star Mazda Championship. I had led all day until a late restart with only a handful of laps to go. I defended to the inside along the frontstraight, as I had a few times already. I thought I had closed the door enough, but a young and exuberant driver from Ohio had decided there was just enough room to squeeze to the inside. Turns out, to the tune of about an inch, Graham Rahal was right.

He had the line into Turn 1 and took the lead, and with only a few laps to go, I couldn’t get him back. 

That one stung so badly, but at the same time, it was a great lesson. 

I remembered that moment several times throughout the rest of my career, and it helped me win a few races down the line! Never made that mistake again. And even though the net result was a gain over my career, that one still haunts me to this day.

The worst part? Graham knows it and reminds me every chance he gets!

My personal pain aside, I am looking forward to getting back there to watch these 25 drivers go at it for 110 laps to see who can get momentum on their side at the top of the final stretch of 2026.

MORE DRIVER’S EYE:

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The 2026 INDYCAR season resumes at Portland International Raceway for the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland. The road-course race airs Sunday, Aug. 9 on FOX and FOX One, with practice and qualifying coverage beginning Friday on FS1 and FOX One.

Here is how to watch the 2026 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland, including the start time, TV channel, streaming information and weekend schedule.

2026 INDYCAR Portland Schedule

All times Eastern.

Friday, Aug. 7

[–>
• Practice 1: 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1, FOX One)

Saturday, Aug. 8

• Practice 2: 1 p.m. ET (FS1, FOX One)
• Qualifying: 7 p.m. ET (FS1, FOX One)

Sunday, Aug. 9

• Warmup: 1 p.m. ET (INDYCAR Radio)
• OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland: 4 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX One)

When Is the 2026 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland?

The 2026 OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland is Sunday, Aug. 9. Race coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET.

What Channel Is the 2026 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland On?

The race airs live on FOX. Practice and qualifying sessions air on FS1 throughout the weekend.

How Can I Stream the 2026 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland?

Fans can stream the race, practices and qualifying live and watch three days free on FOX One. Coverage is also available through FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App.

Where Is the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland?

The race takes place at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The permanent road course is 1.964 miles long and features 12 turns, including a quick chicane at the end of the frontstretch and multiple heavy-braking passing zones.

How Long Is the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland?

The Grand Prix of Portland is scheduled for 110 laps and approximately 216 miles around Portland International Raceway.

Who Won the 2025 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland?

Will Power won the 2025 Grand Prix of Portland. Alex Palou finished third to clinch his fourth INDYCAR championship and third consecutive series title.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix Highlights INDYCAR on FOX

Check out the best moments from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway with commentary from Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe!

Who Should I Watch at INDYCAR Portland?

Palou enters Portland atop the championship standings after winning five of the first 12 races. David Malukas, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and Pato O’Ward round out the top five heading into the final six races of the season.

Follow the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland on FOX Sports for live race information and results.

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The last time Joaquin Niemann held the solo lead after the first round of a LIV Golf tournament, he finished the week with a victory. That was 2-1/2 years ago when he opened with an historic 59 in the 2024 season opener at Mayakoba.

Based on Niemann’s impressive performance Thursday at LIV Golf New York, don’t be surprised if he duplicates that feat this week at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

The Torque GC captain opened with a bogey-free 7-under 64 to grab a two-shot lead over Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert and Majesticks GC Co-Captain Ian Poulter. Niemann also was the primary contributor as Torque grabbed a three-shot advantage on the team leaderboard.

Niemann made approximately 140 feet of putts while leading the field in Greens in Regulation as he tied for his lowest round, relative to par, in his 41 LIV Golf rounds in 2026. He led the field on Thursday in Strokes Gained Off the Tee and Strokes Gained Approach. Asked if it was his best round this season, Niemann replied: “I have a pretty bad memory, so I’ll say yes.”

He did remember his 59 at Mayakoba, one of just three rounds under 60 in league history. That set up the first of his league-record eight individual tournament wins, the most recent coming earlier this year in Korea. Last season when he won five times, he shared the first-round lead twice, converting one of those into a win.

“I’m just excited right now for the chance to be leading in the first round,” said Niemann after a round that started with a 20-foot birdie putt and included a 40-foot putt from off the green, a 52-foot birdie putt and an 18-foot putt late in his round to save par and keep his scorecard clean. “The putts are going in, which is nice. It’s nice to see that. I’m just excited for what’s coming next.”

To stay atop the leaderboard, however, he’ll likely have to fend off the league’s hottest player in Herbert, who won his second tournament of the season two weeks ago at LIV Golf United Kingdom presented by JCB with a record 30-under total.

Herbert opened with a bogey-free 61 in England and finished with another bogey-free round, a 62, to win by six shots. On Thursday, he was bogey-free again, escaping out of trouble by successfully scrambling all eight times. Herbert has suffered just one bogey in his last 63 holes and will appear in the final group on Friday for the fifth consecutive round.

“Been in very good form lately,” said the 30-year-old Australian. “It’s been fun to ride that wave. I didn’t feel quite as comfortable today as I did at JCB but that’s understood because that was some of the best golf I’ve ever played there, so high expectations.”

While Poulter can’t match Herbert’s result, the 50-year-old Englishman’s form has improved significantly in his recent appearances. He has three top 20s in his last four LIV Golf starts, including a season-best T15 in the UK, and he also finished solo fourth in his senior major debut at the U.S. Senior Open.

Like Niemann and Herbert, Poulter was also bogey-free on Thursday. He’s hoping to duplicate the feat of his former Majesticks teammate Henrik Stenson, who won the individual title at Bedminster in 2022 when the course hosted its first LIV Golf event.

“I hope there’s a lovely little bit of mojo going on at this place,” Poulter said. “It would be great for us to have one of the boys and obviously me have a win. That would be amazing. It’s great to play a golf course like this laid out in as perfect a condition as it is. It’s going to be a great test, and obviously I’m hoping Majesticks can be on the board come Sunday.”

The Majesticks as a team finished second that week, their best-ever team result. The all-English team will start Friday in solo fourth behind Torque, with Ripper GC and HyFlyers GC tied for second.

Torque has been one of the league’s most consistent teams this season, with three podium results and eight finishes of fifth or better. But the all-Latin American team has not won since the regular-season finale last year in Indianapolis. Niemann hopes a return atop the podium could be in store this week.

“We did it at the last tournament last year, so right now it’s kind of like our momentum. The whole team is playing great,” Niemann said. “It’s just a matter of time. Obviously, it’s hard to win, especially with the teams right now how they are. They’re pretty strong. We’re definitely trying our best, the four of us, to get the win and celebrate hopefully with the champagne.”

TOP OF THE LEADERBOARDS

Individual Top 10

1 (-7) – Joaquin Niemann, Torque (64)

T2 (-5) – Ian Poulter, Majesticks (66); Lucas Herbert, Ripper (66)

T4 (-3) – Brendan Steele, HyFlyers (68); Thomas Pieters, 4Aces (68)

T6 (-2) – Scott Vincent, HyFlyers (69); Harold Varner III, OKGC (69); Bubba Watson, RangeGoats (69); Lee Westwood, Majesticks (69)

T10 (-1) – Yosuke Asaji, Wild Card (70); Sergio Garcia, Fireballs (70); Tom McKibbin, Legion XIII (70); Paul Casey, Crushers (70)

Team Top 3

1 (-4) – Torque GC (Niemann 64, Ancer 71, Ortiz 71, Munoz 74)

T2 (-1) – Ripper GC (Herbert 66, Leishman 71, Smyth 71, Smith 75)

T2 (-1) – HyFlyers GC (Steele 68, Vincent 69, La Sasso 72, Tringale 74)

ROUND 1 NOTES

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: The top two players in the season-long points standings, Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, failed to break par on Thursday. Rahm shot a 1-over 72, leaving him tied for 24th, while DeChambeau suffered his highest-ever round over par in his LIV Golf career with a 5-over 76 that left him tied for 49th.

DeChambeau, who started the week nearly 220 points behind Rahm, needs a big week to have any chance of preventing Rahm from clinching the title this week. He must climb within 200 points of Rahm going into the final regular-season tournament at Indianapolis.

After round 1, Rahm is now projected to finish with 948.04 points to DeChambeau’s 722.35, and Rahm now has a 99% probability chance of winning his third consecutive season-long crown. DeChambeau is the only player still with a chance to catch Rahm.

POULTER UPDATE: When LIV Golf made its previous appearance in the U.S. this season, Ian Poulter suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee while hopping up a step in Virginia. It was expected to require surgery, but thus far, Poulter not only has managed the pain, he’s found his form. He met with his surgeon five weeks ago and for now, no surgery date has been scheduled.

“He’s read the scans and said he could operate,” Poulter explained. “There’s no guarantee I’m going to be pain-free within five months. He said he could put half a new knee in because I’m wearing on both sides of the insides on the medial side.

“He said, look, I don’t want to touch it. You’re playing good golf. You just can’t be silly. Just don’t do some of the things that you might want to do, which is go and play paddle tennis with my friends and family and go skiing and stuff like that. So, I’m going to need to get my family kicks in another way, but I’ve got to save these legs as long as possible before the inevitable happens.”

This week, Poulter has his family cheering for him onsite. That includes his son Luke, ranked 5th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

“He’s on an amazing trajectory: Top 10 in the world, playing great golf, plays golf courses that are exceptional,” Poulter said. “So, he doesn’t come and watch me that often. I kind of had to put a round in today and just show him that dad’s not done yet. It’s great. I love having the family come out and watch, and it inspires me to keep playing well.”

ALL PARS: Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester became the third player in LIV Golf history to record 18 pars in a single round. The other two times both happened in Chicago – Matthew Wolff in 2022 and Paul Casey in 2024.

FLYING HIGH: HyFlyers GC have seen the results improve since Scott Vincent was added to the playing roster as the replacement for captain Phil Mickelson. That’s also left 43-year-old Brendan Steele as the club’s elder statesman on the active roster.

The HyFlyers also have the league’s youngest player in 22-year-old Michael La Sasso. Steele said he and teammates Vincent and Cameron Tringale want to provide as much guidance as La Sasso wants while he works through his first year as a professional golfer.

“We’ve all tried to help each other throughout the year,” Steele said. “Obviously being Michael’s first year, there’s a lot of new things for him. We’re always there to help each other with whatever we need. We’re a very collaborative team, and that’s something I’ve really enjoyed about whatever the lineup looks like as we always like to work together and help each other.

“Beyond that, the league is very open to helping each other as well. I know Michael has obviously picked my brain and Cameron and Scott, but he’s obviously talked to other guys in the league, which is really special about what we have out here.”

RD. 2 SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT: The shotgun start time for Friday’s second round at Trump National Bedminster has been moved up to 10:05 a.m. ET. Gates, Hospitality and the Fan Village will open at 8:30 a.m. ET. All parking lots open at 7 a.m. ET.

STATS LEADERS

Round 1

Driving Distance: Bryson DeChambeau, 323.8-yard avg.

Longest Drive: Josele Ballester, 328.9 yards (18th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 15 and 18.

Driving Accuracy: Younghan Song, Tyrrell Hatton, 92.86% (13 of 14)

Greens in Regulation: Joaquin Niemann, 83.33% (15 of 18)

Scrambling: Lucas Herbert (8 of 8), Dean Burmester (7 of 7), Ian Poulter (5 of 5), Joaquin Niemann (3 of 3), 100%

Fewest Putts: Lucas Herbert, 23

Bogey-free rounds: Joaquin Niemann (64), Ian Poulter (66), Lucas Herbert (66), Dean Burmester (71)

This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.

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A lot of times, in college football, wins depend solely on how your schedule is lined up. 

In other words, some teams attempt to schedule wins, while others schedule challenges. 

Here are a few bets I have my eyes on ahead of the 2026 college football season.

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.

TEXAS TECH (-1.5, -140) TEXAS
Regular-season wins

I think Tech’s baseline is 11-1 given the very favorable Big 12 slate. There is no BYU or Utah, and the Red Raiders’ toughest games are at home — ASU, Houston, Arizona and TCU. A 12-0 slate is not impossible and the chances of it happening are the highest of any P4 team. 

If Tech goes 12-0, Texas has to go 11-1 to beat us. If Tech goes 11-1, which is probably more likely, Texas has to go 10-2 to beat us, and I’m not sure if that’s a certainty. 

I’d say 9-3 is very much on the table for Texas. The Longhorns have to visit LSU and A&M. Ohio State and Ole Miss come to Austin. And of course, there is the annual Oklahoma game in Dallas. 

This is exactly what Sark is talking about. Look at the Texas schedule compared to Tech’s schedule. Texas power rates higher than Tech, but will finish with a worse record. 

It’s not sour grapes, it’s just reality. 

Fallica’s Pick:   TTU to Have 1.5 More Wins than Texas (-140)

OREGON (-4.5, +125) VS. NEBRASKA
Regular-season wins

I think Nebraska has 6-6, at best, stamped all over it. 

The Huskers are hoping Anthony Colandrea can play more like he did at UNLV than he did during his P4 stop at Virginia. Matt Rhule is 0-fer vs. ranked teams while at Nebraska, 2-10 overall in November, and the Huskers have been dominated by Iowa lately. Nebraska is not going to beat Indiana, Oregon or Ohio State. It will probably lose at Iowa. 

And would anyone be shocked if Maryland or Washington went to Lincoln and won? 

I wouldn’t. 

There is going to be a ton of excitement when the Huskers start 4-0 and then reality will set in. Oregon hasn’t lost to a team which hasn’t played for the national title since 2022. It does not lose games it isn’t supposed to. 

I think the Ducks are 11-1 at worst and if that’s the case, then Nebraska has to go 7-5 to beat us. 

Fallica’s Pick:   Oregon to Have 4.5 More Wins than Nebraska (+125)

TOLEDO OVER/UNDER 7.5 WINS

Let’s start with the obvious: The MAC is not a good league, especially outside the top few teams. 

I think there’s a bit of an overreaction here to Jason Candle leaving for UConn. Let us not forget, Candle had a knack for losing a bunch of games as a big favorite. I think we have a coaching upgrade with Mike Jacobs — an Ohio guy with Ohio State and Jim Tressel connections that should be able to pluck players out of Ohio high schools. 

But that’s the future. Let’s talk about the now. 

Jacobs brought a ton of his team with him from Mercer, where he went 20-6 over the last two seasons. You’re telling me a bunch of successful FCS veterans can’t come to the MAC and post an 8-4 record? 

I don’t buy it. I’m on the Rockets’ Over. 

Fallica’s Pick: Toledo Over 7.5 Wins (-125)

NORTH CAROLINA OVER/UNDER 4.5 WINS (+120)

Consecutive 4–8 seasons are very much on the table in Chapel Hill. 

UNC has Miami and Louisville in ACC play (I think those two are the best teams in the ACC), faces Notre Dame and TCU in the non-conference, and picks up a lot of the mid-to-upper tier ACC opponents on its schedule (at Clemson, at Pitt, at Virginia, NC State). 

There’s a chance UNC is 1-4 after five games, and what’s the vibe like if that’s the case, knowing you still have Miami and Louisville on the slate? I know there were changes to the offensive coaching staff which should help, but it feels like there’s so much going on off the field that it’s going to be a season of distractions. 

We’ll see what happens, but Under feels like the right side here.

Fallica’s Pick: UNC Under 4.5 Wins (+120)

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Endless scoring in extras. Series sweeps, and Pete Crow-Armstrong showing off his speed. Ronald Acuña Jr. with the home run you might remember most. Thursday’s MLB action provided all that and much more.

Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Red Sox Sweep White Sox In Wild Extra Innings

The Red Sox had quite the opportunity on Thursday. A chance for an eighth win in a row, a sweep of the White Sox in this series and, more incredibly, a season sweep of first-place Chicago, too, all wrapped up into one game. There was just one little problem — the White Sox.

Second baseman Chase Meidroth opened up the scoring with a two-run homer in the third, his 10th of the season, to put the White Sox up 2-0. Second baseman Colson Montgomery then added another pair with a two-run single to center.

A homer from catcher Connor Wong cut the lead in half, but the White Sox would get a run back with an RBI double in the fourth. Boston would tie it in the bottom of the fourth, then right fielder Braden Montgomery would put Chicago ahead once more with a two-run single in the fifth — the game just kept going back and forth like this, until the bottom of the ninth. The Red Sox, down to their final strike with the tying run on third, got an RBI single from right fielder Wilyer Abreu to send it to extras.

Meidroth hit his second homer of the game in the 10th inning off closer Aroldis Chapman, who had just entered to begin the frame. 

Trevor Richards came on to pitch for Chicago in the bottom of the 10th, and had similar luck. A walk to DH Masataka Yoshida put two on, allowing shortstop Andrew Monasterio to double in one run, then a sac fly evened things up once more. Garrett Whitlock relieved Chapman in the 11th, but a wild pitch moved Miguel Vargas to third, and then Colson Montgomery’s sac fly put Chicago ahead, again. Abreu would answer in the bottom of the inning with a sac fly, forcing a 12th… where the White Sox would score on a Sam Antonacci single to go ahead for the final time.

In the bottom of the 12th, reliever Chris Murphy threw a wild pitch, allowing bonus runner Jarren Duran to take third base. Catcher Jake Rogers, who entered earlier as a defensive replacement, hit a sac fly to tie things up yet again.

That would be all Boston could score, though, giving the White Sox an opportunity in the 13th… which was squandered — Brayan Bello threw a clean frame, stranding Vargas at second, and the Red Sox had a chance to win in the bottom of the inning. Which they took.

Caleb Durbin’s RBI single gave Boston a walk-off win, its eighth victory in a row, and a season sweep of the White Sox on top of the series sweep. Almost inexplicably, the Red Sox are half-a-game behind the Yankees for the top wild-card in the AL, and just five games behind the Rays for the AL East lead. The Sox were 11 games under .500 after their first game of July, but have won 26 of their last 29 games — a stretch so rare that just four teams have pulled that or better off in the last 70 years. And now they are not only in position for a postseason spot, but moving up in those standings and bettering their chances.

The White Sox should send a gift basket to the Mets, by the way. Despite being swept by the Red Sox, Chicago’s AL Central standing actually didn’t change one bit: New York swept the Guardians at the same time the Sox were swept, so the only thing that happened is the Twins also moved to being three games behind Chicago.

Acuña Goes Deep Twice (With Some Help)

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s second homer against the Marlins on Thursday was pretty standard, as far as home runs go. Just 337 feet but hit to just the right place where that was far enough.

His first one, though? Well that required an assist. It wasn’t an inside-the-park dinger, and it actually traveled significantly further than the second one, but it still didn’t get over the wall all on its own. Left fielder Heriberto Hernández and center fielder Esteury Ruiz had a bit of miscommunication trying to catch a deep fly to the warning track, and pop. Out of a near-catch and over the wall. Home run.

Supremely goofy? Yes. The moment that all of baseball to this point has built to? Also yes. The Braves ended up winning, 11-3 — how could Atlanta not win, when the stars aligned for it to allow that dinger? — and has now won a season-best eight in a row while joining the 70-win crew. It’s just the Brewers and Braves hanging there now, at least until the Dodgers snap their losing streak.

More Like Run-Off Win

Or until the Cubs win a few more, whichever comes first.

The serious home run power and the best-in-class defense sometimes make it easy to forget that center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is also a talented baserunner. But here he is, using that speed to (1) force a throw to third base from backstop Alejandro Kirk in a tie game in extras with the Blue Jays, and (2) make it home when that throw does not end up where it was meant to.

He’s just really flaunting that whole total package thing right now — that’s your MLB leader in wins above replacement, folks, and that’s despite a horrific slow start to the year that had people, rightfully, thinking, “well, at least he’s a great defender.”

Sometimes You Have To Just Admit Defeat

The new-player smell hasn’t worn off of Luis Arraez for the Phillies just yet, and this play was just weird enough to keep that scent in the air a little longer. Sure, it was an out, but it was also really funny. Look at Arraez go clear over the plate while avoiding the tag, then realize, oh, there’s no way I can actually touch it to score now. Rather than force an altercation with an armored foe, Arraez decided, nah, you win.

Arraez might have “lost” there, but the Phillies ended up with the dub in the end, defeating the Nationals 7-3 to take the series three games to one. Arraez, by the way, was 2-for-4 with an RBI even if he didn’t get that run, and is hitting .385 with three extra base hits and four RBIs with the Phillies so far.

Tigers Crush Mariners

This is not really what you want when you’re the Mariners: before the trade deadline, the Tigers sold off the winner of the last two AL Cy Young awards in Tarik Skubal, as well as Casey Mize, while Seattle attempted to better position itself for a postseason run. And yet it was Detroit winning two of three against the M’s, and in dominant fashion on Thursday, too.

The Tigers would get yet another homer from catcher Dillon Dingler, his third in three games and 26th of the season, to go up 2-0 in the first.

And that would end up being the game-winning hit, even if no one knew it at the time. Detroit shut out Seattle, but kept pouring on the runs — the Tigers would win, 11-0, with rookie third baseman Kevin McGonigle also going deep for his 12th homer of the season. 

The Tigers got seven scoreless out of starter Framber Valdez, the big free agent acquisition who has looked a lot more like the Valdez of old the last couple of starts, and now sit one game back of a wild-card spot in the AL after going 19-10 since the start of July. Hey, why did this team deal Skubal and Mize again, anyway?

Brewers Rattle Off 3-Straight Dubs Vs. Pirates

Speaking of the trade deadline, starting pitcher Dustin May made his debut for the Brewers on Thursday, against the still-in-this-thing Pirates. Milwaukee got a first inning dinger out of left fielder Jackson Chourio to make it a 1-0 game, and Pittsburgh never ended up having a lead at any point.

The Pirates did tie it up, 2-2, but that’s all they could muster against May: the tall righty went six innings with just six baserunners allowed, and the bullpen took care of the rest. A dinger by catcher Gary Sánchez gave Milwaukee back the lead, and and the Brewers added another couple runs after that to win the final three games of the series and send Pittsburgh to the basement of the NL Central with the Reds simultaneously sweeping the Athletics to climb out of it.

Padres Split Series With D-Backs

The Diamondbacks had won two of the first three games in the series against the Padres, in this race for a postseason spot, but San Diego managed to recover and split the series and move within a game of Arizona for the last wild-card spot in the NL in the process.

Third baseman Manny Machado plated a run while hitting into a double play in the first inning, and then got another run in on another ground out in the third. First baseman Ty France would hit a sac fly later to make it 3-0, and while Arizona eventually got on the board, too, San Diego finally got an actual hit to send a run home to cancel that one back out, when catcher Freddy Fermin singled in center fielder Jackson Merrill.

Merrill would also single in a run later, but the most encouraging part of this whole ordeal was getting Walker Buehler to throw four solid innings with one run allowed, before the bullpen took over and held Arizona scoreless the rest of the way. The Padres added two new starters at the trade deadline because they just didn’t have enough doing well enough beforehand; if Buehler can have some decent outings, in addition to adding Mize and Robbie Ray, then the next two months might be less tenuous than the first few.

Watch Out, Shohei

As said, the Guardians lost to the Mets to complete the sweep, but it was also a bad loss — Cleveland fell, 13-6, with New York putting another seven runs on the board across the seventh and eighth innings. The actual pitchers couldn’t get the job done for the Guardians, but don’t worry, catcher Austin Hedges was there to hold things down.

Hedges struck out Luis Robert Jr. on a 75 mph fastball, then retired the side in order in the ninth. Four up, four down — he now has 11 ⅓ innings on his résumé, with three strikeouts against two walks and, somehow, a league-average ERA.

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The best player in baseball — at least this season — has been Yordan Alvarez. 

The Houston superstar is dominating at the plate in a way that hasn’t been seen in over a decade. 

Can he pull off the batting Triple Crown in 2026?

Let’s take a look at the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Aug. 7.

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ALVAREZ TO WIN AL TRIPLE CROWN

Yes: -155 (bet $10 to win $16.45 total)
No: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total)

The rare batting Triple Crown is when a player leads their league in batting average, home runs and RBIs in the same season. 

The last time a player won the Triple Crown at the plate was back in 2012, when Miguel Cabrera did it with the Detroit Tigers. That year, he hit .330 and tacked on 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. 

He led the major leagues in the final two categories, but not in batting average. 

Prior to Cabrera, the last Triple Crown took place in 1967, with Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski, who went .326/44/121. 

Baltimore’s Frank Robinson did it in 1966 (.316/49/122) and the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle did it in 1956 (.353/52/130). 

Before that, there was a mixture of MLB and Negro League stars that accomplished the feat. 

Going back to Alvarez, he’s favored to win the Triple Crown this season. 

In the American League, he’s currently batting .329 (second is Yandy Diaz at .300), he has 35 home runs (second is Junior Caminero with 33) and he has 85 RBIs (second is Dillon Dingler with 78). 

Alvarez also has the most hits in the AL with 136. Diaz is second with 127. 

In terms of the pitching Triple Crown — leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts — it happens much more frequently. Detroit’s Tarik Skubal won it in the AL in 2024 and Atlanta’s Chris Sale won it in the NL the same season. 

A pitcher has won the Triple Crown 11 times dating back to 1997 and five times since 2011.

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The Dodgers managed to end their losing streak with a win over the Diamondbacks Saturday before dropping the series finale the very next day, Ithe previously surging Red Sox have lost a series for the first time since July 1, and the AL Central race looks like it’ll come down to the wire.

Most of the MLB divisions range from hotly contested to at least up for grabs, while the wild-card race in both leagues is open to practically anyone, to the point you have to wonder why some of the teams that sold at the deadline chose that over buying.

Here is where the postseason races stand with just under two months remaining in the MLB season.

JUMP TO:

AL: East | Central | West | Wild Card
NL: East | Central | West | Wild Card

The Rays extended their division lead to 5.5 games after sweeping the Mariners over the weekend. 

The Yankees split two extra-inning outings as they won two of three against the Braves  over the weekend. Max Fried continues to work back into the rotation alongside Gerrit Cole. However, New York remains without Aaron Judge (rib fracture) and Cody Bellinger, who is out four-to-six weeks with a hamstring strain.

The Red Sox saw their streak of nine consecutive series wins come to a halt over the weekend after dropping consecutive tight games to Oakland, leaving Boston 6.5 games behind Tampa Bay and 1.5 games behind the Yankees.

The White Sox remain in first place after taking two of three from Cleveland over the weekend. Chicago has weathered slugging rookie Munetaka Murakami’s extended injury absence while maintaining the fourth-best run differential in the AL.

Cleveland and Detroit sit tied for second place, 3.0 games behind Chicago, while Minnesota lurks 3.5 games back after dropping back-to-back 4-3 heartbreakers in Milwaukee.

Four teams are still fighting in this division with the post season lurking around the corner.

The Astros hold a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers who fell 10-5 to Orioles on Sunday. Seattle dropped both weekend contests to Tampa Bay, falling 4.0 games behind Houston.

The most wide-open division in MLB might be the AL West, and that’s not just because the top three teams remain within four games of each other. The Rangers have been outscored by 28 runs on the year; the Astros have been outscored by 23. The Mariners carry a minus-15 run differential, but at least Seattle has allowed the fewest runs in the division (474).

This is anybody’s division in part because no one is stepping up to take it.

The Yankees and Red Sox occupy the top two AL Wild Card spots, while the Rangers hold a paper-thin margin for the third spot. Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota remain within 1.5 games of Texas, keeping the AL postseason picture wide open.

Boston’s winning ways of late helped erase much of the early damage to its season, helping bring it from a season-worst 14 games under .500 to 11 games over. Nothing is locked up yet for any of these clubs, however: the Rangers have the Twins right on their tails, and four more teams are within striking distance of Texas.

The AL is a mess, but in a way that will be fun these last two months.

Atlanta pulled a game back in the Bronx, capping the three game series with a 2-1 10-inning victory on Sunday to maintain an 8.5-game division cushion over Philadelphia. 

The Braves dropped two games to the Yankees after reaching 70 wins, however, Atlanta hold the largest division lead in MLB. Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to lead the lineup on offense and defense since returning in late July.

Acuña Jr. has five homers and a .520 slugging percentage since returning in late-July, two games before the start of that winning streak. Atlanta is 46-20 with Acuña in the lineup in 2026, and 25-27 without him. 

Philadelphia was just 12-19 at the end of April, but consecutive 18-win months pushed it back into the NL East race. July was less kind, but even so, the Phillies at least have the wild-card to fall back on.

The Brewers have been their typical steady selves, and have the most wins in MLB as well as the best run differential. 

Milwaukee has rotation depth, led by NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski—who became the second-fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season on Sunday, bringing his total to 204—and a lineup that has added rookies Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara to fill holes at short and in right. Milwaukee also picked up Dustin May at the deadline, and he picked up a deserved W in his Brewers’ debut.

The Cubs might have lost 10 games in a row in mid-May, but also won 10 games in a row on two occasions and have played better-than-.500 ball in their remaining games. Pete Crow-Armstrong has established himself as an MVP candidate after a slow start, and leads the majors in wins above replacement as he approaches a 30 homer, 30 stolen base season with Gold Glove defense in center.

The Diamondbacks might be pretty good. The Padres, if the players who were supposed to be hitting this whole time actually keep hitting, might be decent, too, and now they have Robbie Ray and Casey Mize in the rotation. None of that seems to matter to the Dodgers, though, as the Dodgers are still 7.5 games ahead despite losing eight of its last nine.

The Dodgers have the second-best run differential in the NL, and while losing Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher for an indeterminate length of time does add some questions, Los Angeles has already weathered the storm of Mookie Betts’ offense disappearing and injuries to the likes of Tommy Edman, as well as big offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker just being okay out there. Oh, and Tarik Skubal is here now.

This is a team much more than one minor crisis away from collapsing, but it should be pointed out that the crises are starting to pile up.

The Cubs have proved they can hang with the league’s best after a recent sweep of the Dodgers, and the Phillies, despite a recent slide, are as well as their success against the Nationals this week. 

The Diamondbacks are in the mix, but their lead is slim, with the Padres right there just 1.5 games out, and then the Marlins, Cardinals, Reds and Pirates all between 2.5 and 4.5 games back, with Pittsburgh the furthest back. The Pirates added Luke Weaver to fix their major bullpen woes, though, so they maybe aren’t as far back as that looks, either.

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