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Tom Brady Says Caleb Williams Is ‘Perfect’ Quarterback For Ben

Tom Brady believes Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson were made for each other.

On Tuesday’s edition of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”, after the Chicago Bears beat the Seattle Seahawks 34-17 less than 24-hours earlier, Brady said Williams is the ideal quarterback for Johnson’s creative offense.

“I think Caleb Williams is the perfect quarterback for that Ben Johnson offense because Ben likes to do things a little bit unconventionally,” Brady said. 

Chicago hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Brady, meanwhile, heads to Foxborough that same day to call America’s Game of the Week, Packers vs. Patriots, for FOX.

“Johnson uses his skill players as well as any coordinator in the league. So they’re just doing unbelievable things,” Brady added. “They attack everybody, and last night they’re on their heels. They just don’t know if it’s inside run or outside run, or reverse or trick play, or short pass or deep pass or screen pass, they just have to read and react every time.”

Chicago improved to 6-2 with a win that showed the offense’s firepower against one of the best defenses in the league. 

Williams completed 24 of 34 passes with one touchdown through the air while D’Andre Swift ran for three touchdowns. The Bears gained 363 yards against Seattle’s defense.

Brady said the variety kept Seattle off balance.

“With the speed of Luther Burden, with the speed of Caleb Williams, with the power of D’Andre Swift, they just had them on their heels the entire night,” Brady said.

Tom Brady on Bears’ dominant win over Seahawks, Are they the best team in the NFL? | The Herd

Tom Brady on Bears’ dominant win over Seahawks, Are they the best team in the NFL? | The Herd

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Spire Motorsports Suspends Carson Hocevar For Martinsville Antics

Spire Motorsports has suspended its star driver, Carson Hocevar, for the 2026 season finale this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway after Hocevar brake-checked Austin Cindric, ending Cindric’s race at Martinsville.

Spire tapped Kaulig Racing truck series driver Justin Haley, a former Spire driver, to replace Hocevar at Homestead.

NASCAR, which didn’t penalize Hocevar in the moment, fined Hocevar $100,000 and docked him 25 driver points. It also fined Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry $50,000 and docked him 25 driver points for a brake check of Ryan Blaney. 

Hocevar’s fine was bigger because of “multiple violations of the code of conduct,” and his Spire suspension also appeared to be a response to more than just what happened at Martinsville, as Hocevar has made multiple on-track decisions that many would consider egregious and/or over-aggressive considering the situation.

“A decision like this has a lot of variables and a cascading effect across an organization like ours,” Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson said in a statement. “The easy thing would have been to leave this in NASCAR’s hands and let them decide what any penalty should be.

“To us, however, this isn’t about money or points. We believe in respect. Our integrity matters. This is the right decision for Spire Motorsports.”

Spire suspended Carson Hocevar after his Martinsville conduct failed to meet the team’s standards. (Getty Images)

Dickerson, whom Hocevar has often mentioned as a mentor and as someone he takes his cues from, said the team still supports the 23-year-old Hocevar, who is 12th in the season standings and earned his first career victory this year at Talladega. 

“Everyone here loves working with Carson, and we’ve enjoyed watching him thrive alongside our team,” Dickerson said. “Sometimes the right decision for someone you care about hurts in the short term. The way Carson conducted himself at Martinsville doesn’t meet the standard we set for our drivers, team members or employees, and there are consequences for that.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t love him and support him.”

Cindric did not speak to reporters after the Martinsville race but pleaded on his in-car radio with NASCAR to take action. Hocevar seemed to dismiss the brake check as just racing at Martinsville.

“It’s just Martinsville,” Hocevar told me and other reporters. “Everybody’s running hard and making moves and stuff. … Sometimes you’re getting hit and sometimes you’re causing it and vice versa. 

“I had fun.”

It will be the last time for Hocevar — who finished 21st — to have fun racing for this season as his team decided to bench him.

“This is an embarrassing day for me,” Hocevar said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon. “I let the people down that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to drive a Cup car. I also let down my team, sponsors and fans.

“I crossed the line with my on-track actions and gave Jeff and Spire Motorsports no option but to put someone else in the 77 car this weekend at Homestead. I’ll be rooting for the entire organization this weekend and look forward to coming back in 2027 as a better driver, competitor and teammate.”

Dickerson had been criticized in recent weeks by driver Denny Hamlin, saying there were “no adults in the room” at Spire for not disciplining Hocevar for previous actions he viewed warranted a response from ownership.

“Racing at the Cup level is a privilege, and it comes with an expected level of professionalism from everyone who represents Spire Motorsports,” Dickerson said. “We’ll go to Homestead united and compete as an organization.

“After that, we can get ready for Daytona in February with the right mindset to contend for a championship.”

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Barcelona, Atlético Skip Champions League Anthem To Honor Jesus de

Soccer teams playing in the Champions League on Tuesday paid tribute to Jesus de Miguel after the Tenerife forward’s death following an on-field collision.

The three Spanish teams hosting games — Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Villarreal — chose not to play the customary Champions League anthem ahead of kickoff in honor of De Miguel, 30, who suffered cardiac arrest after being struck in the chest by FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono in a second-division match on Monday.

In those stadiums and others around Europe, like at Old Trafford where Manchester United was playing Roma, a moment of silence was held in memory of De Miguel, while a picture of the forward was displayed on the big screens inside the grounds.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and midfielder Mikel Merino — both Spaniards — opened their news conferences on the eve of Wednesday’s match against Slavia Prague with a tribute to De Miguel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cardinals Place No. 3 Pick Jeremiyah Love On IR With

The Arizona Cardinals placed running back Jeremiyah Love on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain in another setback during his rookie season, the team announced on Tuesday.

The No. 3 overall pick out of Notre Dame was expected to make an immediate impact with the Cardinals, but has battled problems with both ankles since the preseason. He returned from ankle issues to play against the Cowboys on Sunday, but had just 23 rushing yards on nine carries before leaving with a different ankle injury.

Love has run for 268 yards and a touchdown over six games this season, including a season-high 90 yards against the 49ers on Sept. 27. He’ll miss at least the next four games before he’s eligible to return.

First-year coach Mike LaFleur hinted on Monday that Love’s injury might require an IR stint.

“It just stinks for him — he wants to be out there helping his teammates,” LaFleur said. “This is a guy who loves ball, who wants to contribute, he’s such team guy, such a coachable guy and a likable guy. For him going through what he’s going through, it’s adversity for sure, but he’s going to be stronger because of this.”

It’s been a rough run of injuries for Arizona’s rookie class. Second-round offensive lineman Chase Bisontis and fourth-round defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor will miss the entire season because of knee injuries while fifth-round receiver Reggie Virgil (back) and left tackle Jayden Williams (knee) are also dealing with issues.

The Cardinals also placed veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne on IR with an ankle injury that could keep him out the rest of the season. Bourne was the team’s third-leading receiver with 263 yards through eight games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2026 College Football Playoff Rankings: Miami No

The first set of College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday, and Miami is sitting at the top of the mountain.

The Hurricanes open at No. 1 in the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season, with Georgia checking in at No. 2 as the Bulldogs look to make another run at a national championship. The committee’s initial rankings offer the first glimpse at which teams are in position to compete for a playoff spot and which ones have some ground to make up.

Here is a look at the first set of CFP rankings, from 25-to-1:

25. Boise State (7-1)
24. Florida (5-3)
23. Oregon (5-3)
22. Arizona (6-2)
21. South Carolina (5-3)
20. USC (7-2)
19. Iowa (6-2)
18. Missouri (6-2)
17. Houston (6-2)
16. Wake Forest (7-1)
15. Texas Tech (7-1)
14. LSU (6-2)
13. Tennessee (6-2)
12. Ohio State (6-2)
11. Notre Dame (7-1)
10. Ole Miss (6-2)
9. BYU (7-1)
8. UCLA (8-0)
7. Texas (6-2)
6. Kentucky (7-1)
5. Alabama (6-2)
4. Indiana (8-1)
3. Utah (8-0)
2. Georgia (7-1)
1. Miami (Fla.) (8-0)

The committee also unveiled its first projected 12-team playoff bracket, giving us an early glimpse at the potential matchups and path to a national title.

Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana would earn first-round byes, while Boise State would be the lone Group of Six representative in the field, earning the No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup against No. 5 Alabama.

Here is what the first CFP bracket projection of the season looks like:

In this 12-team CFP projection, the SEC would have five teams in the field, the Big Ten and Big 12 would have two teams each, the ACC would have one team, while Boise State would be the lone G6 representative, and Notre Dame would make it as an independent. 

There were several glaring differences when it came to this initial set of CFP rankings and the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Among the most notable were Notre Dame being ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll, but all the way down at No. 11 in the CFP rankings. While the Fighting Irish took a dip in the CFP rankings, Alabama got a major boost, appearing at No. 5 after being slotted at No. 9 in the AP Poll.

UCLA, the Big Ten’s only remaining undefeated team, was ranked eighth in the CFP rankings, while coming in at No. 5 in the AP Poll. Other notable differences included Indiana at No. 4 (No. 6 in AP) and Texas at No. 7 (No. 10 in AP).

Ohio State was ranked No. 12 (No. 11 in the AP Poll), but the Buckeyes would be left out of the field, with Boise State claiming the Group of Six automatic bid.

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Polymarket Promo Code FOX: Claim $25 in Bonuses for Tonight’s

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The NHL takes center stage tonight with a full slate of matchups, giving hockey fans plenty of action to follow. New Polymarket users can claim a $25 bonus with promo code FOX and trade on tonight’s games, including a marquee matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers.

The Devils and Oilers headline the slate with two teams looking to make their mark early in the season. New Jersey brings its speed and offensive firepower into the matchup, while Edmonton will look to lean on its star power and high-powered attack. With several other NHL games on the schedule, there are plenty of markets to explore beyond the night’s featured showdown.

Sign up for Polymarket, enter promo code FOX and claim your $25 bonus to trade on Devils vs. Oilers and the rest of tonight’s NHL action.

For more information and full terms and conditions, visit our Polymarket promo code page.

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Game Details & Broadcast

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Team Records & Form

Team Record Last 5 Games Goals For/Against (Per Game)
Edmonton Oilers 11-2-2 3-1-1 4.2 / 3.0
New Jersey Devils 9-5-0 4-1-0 3.5 / 2.9

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Kalshi Promo Code FOXSPORTS55: Get a $55 Bonus When Signing

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. 

The NHL has the spotlight tonight with a busy slate of games giving hockey fans plenty of matchups to follow. New Kalshi users can get $55 in bonuses when they sign up and use promo code FOXSPORTS55 to trade on tonight’s hockey action.

One of the biggest matchups features the New Jersey Devils taking on the Edmonton Oilers. Both teams have plenty of offensive firepower, making this an exciting early-season test, while the rest of the schedule offers even more opportunities to follow the league’s top teams and players.

Sign up for Kalshi, enter promo code FOXSPORTS55 and claim $55 in bonuses to trade on tonight’s NHL slate.

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*Probabilities are subject to change* 

Teams Chance Yes No
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  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT)
  • Venue: Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)
  • TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+, Sportsnet

Team Records & Form

Team Record Last 5 Games Goals For/Against (Per Game)
Edmonton Oilers 11-2-2 3-1-1 4.2 / 3.0
New Jersey Devils 9-5-0 4-1-0 3.5 / 2.9

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Unbeaten Utah Hosts BYU In A Holy War That Could

A Holy War starting in the breakfast hour is going to set the stage for a furious finish in the Big 12.

No. 3 Utah hosts No. 7 BYU in what should go a long way toward determining a spot in the Dec. 4 conference championship game in Arlington, Texas.

The tight league race will come down to whether the Utes (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) can hold onto their first-place perch with second-place BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech lurking. 

The Cougars and Red Raiders both are 7-1 and 4-1 in the conference, and another loss could jeopardize their chances of playing for a title and making the 12-team College Football Playoff. 

Texas Tech does not play BYU or Utah during the regular season.

Neither Utah nor BYU has won a Big 12 title. BYU lost in the championship game last year to Texas Tech, which became the league’s lone playoff representative.

 BYU Cougars Utah Utes A Morning Holy War? No Problem

The Utes and Cougars will kick off at 10 a.m. local time at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City to accommodate a noon time slot for television on the East Coast.

“Early, 10 a.m.,” Utah coach Morgan Scalley said. “But I know our fans are juiced and fired up and they’ll be there early and excited for this one.”

BYU coach Kalani Sitake tried to play nice about having to roll out of bed for the early start.

“It’s a little bit different,” he said, adding there’s no doubt his players will be ready. “The guys are really focused. There’s more energy and more effort towards the preparation for this game than ever before.”

BYU has won three straight in the series that Utah dominated with nine consecutive wins before that. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier said he couldn’t go anywhere the entire offseason without hearing about the rivalry.

“I understand what this means to the state, for sure,” he said.

Big 12A Football Junkie’s Dream Week

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire plans to pay attention to his television set, first when the initial playoff rankings come out Tuesday night, then on other games that will have playoff implications. The Red Raiders host West Virginia on Saturday night.

“Yeah, I’ll be tuned in. It’s going to be really interesting,” McGuire said. “And then it’s going be really interesting, like, as a college football fan and then a guy that’s tracking everything right now. This weekend is huge for a lot of football teams.”

The Big 12 is the only Power 4 conference never to have multiple teams in the playoff.

McGuire expects the Red Raiders to start out in the initial playoff ranking around where they are in the AP Top 25 poll, “which is good — striking distance,” he said Monday. They’ll need to finish in the top 11 because the 12th spot will go to the highest-ranked Group of Six team, which currently is No. 20 Boise State.

He points to SEC matchups including No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Mississippi, and No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU. Then there’s No. 11 Ohio State, minus quarterback Julian Sayin, hosting Oregon and top-ranked Miami traveling to No. 4 Notre Dame. McGuire said this week “is probably as big of a Saturday as we’ve seen in college football in a long time.”

Utah can count on a high ranking as one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with Miami and No. 5 UCLA. Scalley went into a two-minute explanation promising that his team won’t get caught up in the CFP hype.

“I’m pretty confident in our guys that they’re not going to look beyond this week,” he said.

 BYU Cougars Utah Utes Old Friends Are Now Opposing Coaches

Scalley and Sitake are coaching at their alma maters and several members of their staffs coached or played at the other school. Sitake was a fullback under BYU coach Lavelle Edwards. Scalley was a safety and punt returner for the Utes.

They worked together on the staff of Utah coach Kyle Whittingham when Sitake was the defensive coordinator and Scalley the safeties coach. Sitake left in 2015 to become defensive coordinator at Oregon State, then was named BYU’s coach in 2016. 

Scalley became Utah’s defensive coordinator in 2016 and replaced Whittingham, who stepped down last December after compiling a school-record 177 wins, then was hired two weeks later at Michigan.

Scalley and Sitake are close friends. Before the season they had dinner together along with Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall, a former BYU coach.

Scalley said Sitake is “the ultimate competitor. Respect him so much as a human for the good that he does, the good that he is.”

Sitake recalled that he and Scalley believed during their time at Utah that they could be head coaches someday, “but I don’t know if we saw this happening where he’s coaching his alma mater and I’m with my alma mater.”

Big 12After Earlier Stumbles, A Challenging November Awaits

Two weeks ago, Texas Tech, BYU and Utah all were 6-0. BYU lost at UCF in double overtime the same day that Texas Tech fell on the road at Cincinnati. Texas Tech rebounded to beat No. 24 Arizona last Saturday while BYU beat Arizona State.

Utah has won 14 straight, the longest active streak in the FBS. The Utes’ schedule is considerably tougher over the final month of the season after outscoring their first eight opponents 311-127, including last week’s lopsided win at Cincinnati. 

Utah also plays at Arizona and TCU, then finishes the regular season at home against West Virginia.

BYU has games remaining against Baylor and Cincinnati sandwiched around a road contest at Kansas. Texas Tech has road games at Oklahoma State and Baylor, then hosts TCU to finish the regular season.

The four teams tied for third place with two league losses, Arizona, Baylor, No. 17 Houston  and Oklahoma State, haven’t been mathematically eliminated but need collapses by the teams above them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Why This Might Be The Year That Joe Burrow, Bengals

Are Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals really back?

Needing overtime to get past the Tennessee Titans isn’t the greatest endorsement, but Cincinnati is 5-2, and Burrow is off to the best start of his career, and an easy remaining schedule could set them up for a big return to the NFL playoffs after a three-year drought.

Burrow threw three interceptions Sunday, but was able to offset that by throwing for 462 yards and five touchdowns, giving him 13 touchdown passes in the last three weeks. His league-high 20 touchdown passes are three more than he’s ever had after seven games, and he also has the most passing yards (2,115), highest passer rating (111.6) and best completion percentage (an NFL-best 73.0) he’s ever had at this stage of the season.

Burrow leading a prolific offense is nothing new, with arguably the best 1-2 receiver combo in the league in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Tight end Mike Gesicki is having a career year at age 31, with touchdown catches in six of Cincinnati’s seven games to already match a career high in touchdowns.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing for the Bengals, though, is the progress they’ve made on defense, which had truly limited their success in recent years. A year ago, Cincinnati gave up 30.7 points per game at this point, but the 2026 Bengals are a full touchdown better, allowing 22.7 points per game, jumping from 30th to 14th in the league. Their red zone defense is dramatically better: After giving up touchdowns on 63% of opposing drives inside the 20 last year, they’re down to 42% this season, jumping from 24th in the NFL to fifth.

Even more dramatic is the way they’re getting to opposing quarterbacks. Last year’s Bengals ranked 23rd in the league in sacks, with Myles Murphy leading the team with 5.5 sacks. Free-agent addition Boye Mafe has already matched that total with 5.5 of his own.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, acquired from the Giants for the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, has five as well. His latest sack helped the Bengals send Sunday’s game against the Titans into overtime, coming in a clutch moment. They’re third in the NFL with 23 sacks and they’ve already had their bye week, putting them on pace for a franchise-record 56 sacks.

Then, there’s the schedule. Only four of the Bengals’ 10 remaining opponents have winning records, and two of those are the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals lost their first meeting with Pittsburgh, so getting a home win against the Steelers next weekend is a must, but they still have three games against NFC South teams and another against the fire-selling Indianapolis Colts.

Burrow has never finished higher than fourth in MVP voting, but if he stays healthy, he’s in good shape to do better than that. As it stands, he has the third-best odds to take home MVP honors, behind only Buffalo’s Josh Allen and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy. 

The Bengals’ next win will match their total from last year (6-11), and it’s possible they’ll challenge the franchise record of 12 wins. Cincinnati hasn’t hosted a playoff game beyond the wild-card weekend since 1988, but if the Bengals just take care of lesser opponents as they have, they could have a chance to do that in January.

Drake LondonAtlanta Falcons

There were so many strange stats from Sunday’s Falcons-Buccaneers game, which Tampa Bay won 16-0 without completing a single pass, the first NFL team to do so in 52 years. One you might not have noticed: Falcons receiver Drake London had more tackles than receptions.

London, defended well by the Buccaneers, had just one catch on six targets for 8 yards, but he also had two tackles after interceptions thrown by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The NFL calls tackles by offensive players after turnovers “miscellaneous tackles,” and the Falcons have had enough turnovers that London already has six this season, twice that of any other NFL player.

It’s an odd skill to have. Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase led the NFL in 2024 and 2025 in such tackles, and has a forced fumble this year as well. If the Falcons keep turning the ball over, London has a chance to be just the second player in 25 years to have double-digit miscellaneous tackles in a season, following Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, who had 11 in 2014. London is only in his fifth NFL season, but he already has 17 tackles as an offensive player. Those aren’t coming on special teams, either.

National Football LeagueThe Endangered Kickoff Return TD

The Las Vegas Raiders’ Dylan Laube had the first kickoff return touchdown of the season on Sunday, so it took the league eight weeks to find the end zone for the first time in the third year of the new “dynamic” kickoff model. That puts the NFL on pace for a significant dropoff in kickoff-return touchdowns. There were seven in the first year with the new format in 2024 and six last year.

It would seem the league’s coverage units are outsmarting the returners, with more and more kickoffs aimed short, trusting the coverage units to be able to keep the return short of the 35-yard-line given on a touchback. In 2024, 30 of 32 NFL teams had at least 30% touchbacks, with 19 over 60%. Last year, the Rams led the league with a 56% touchback rate as one of three teams over 30%, and this year, the Dolphins lead the NFL at 44% as the only team over 30%.

That means more kickoffs are being returned, but far fewer are breaking through the initial wave of tacklers. This year has had 1,218 kickoffs, but just 42 of them went to midfield or further, just 3.44%. 

And it’s no surprise that Laube would get the first touchdown. He leads the NFL with a 34.1-yard average and has five returns of 40-plus yards, two more than any other player. Buffalo’s Ray Davis led the league with six returns of 40-plus yards last season, and had one of the six touchdowns as well.



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Herd Hierarchy: Are The Bears The NFL’s Best Team? Seahawks,

Colin Cowherd predicted the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks would meet in the NFC title game, and after Monday night’s 34-17 Chicago win, he thinks the Bears are the best team in football.

Cowherd revealed his latest Herd Hierarchy, featuring a new team at No. 1 after the defending champion Seahawks, last week’s top team, fell to 4-4.

Here are Cowherd’s Week 8 Herd Hierarchy rankings:

Herd Hierarchy for Week 9: Chiefs fall, Bears rise, Is there a new team on top? | The Herd

Herd Hierarchy for Week 9: Chiefs fall, Bears rise, Is there a new team on top? | The Herd

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