The Missouri Tigers visit the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET from David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. Missouri opened its season with a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to move to 1-0, and Kansas is also 1-0 by way of a 51-6 win over Long Island.

Missouri’s offense carried the opener. Quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and the Tigers scored 54 points while allowing 14.

Kansas leaned on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Isaiah Marshall passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, running back Yasin Willis added 72 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and the Jayhawks’ defense allowed just 6 points in the win.

The Tigers are 5.5-point favorites over the Jayhawks at DraftKings, with a total of 50.5 and a moneyline of -221 for the Tigers and +178 for the Jayhawks.

Below, we’ll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

How to Watch Missouri vs. Kansas

• When: Friday, September 11, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One

Players to Watch

Missouri needed a jolt at quarterback, and the Ole Miss transfer delivered one immediately, completing 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns before halftime of a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The left-hander beat out returning options Matt Zollers and Nick Evers for the job this spring, and he now gets his first true road test against a Kansas defense that just gave up 613 total yards in its own opener. Simmons will lean on a Missouri receiving corps built around Donovan Olugbode in a game the Big 12 moved to a Friday night, prime-time window. Another efficient outing keeps the No. 25 Tigers unbeaten and validates the offseason quarterback overhaul in Columbia.

Kansas is playing its first game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium against Missouri since 2005, and it’s Marshall’s job to make sure the revived Border Showdown feels like a coronation. The redshirt sophomore won the starting job out of fall camp and answered with 246 yards and two touchdowns through the air plus 49 rushing yards on just seven carries in a 51-6 rout of LIU. That dual-threat element gives offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki another wrinkle against a Missouri front that will be seeing Marshall as a starter for the first time. A repeat performance would give Kansas a signature statement in a game the Big 12 shifted to national primetime.

Fresh off a season-opening connection with Austin Simmons that produced 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns, Olugbode enters as Missouri’s most established target after leading all Tigers freshmen in snaps a year ago with 30 catches for 401 yards. He and new quarterback Simmons have already shown chemistry, and that rapport matters against a Kansas secondary that will be facing a Big 12 opponent’s top receiver for the first time this season. With Cincinnati transfer Caleb Goodie and Ole Miss transfer Cayden Lee also in the mix, Olugbode figures to see plenty of coverage attention. Sustained production from him would keep Missouri’s passing game ahead of the sticks all night.

McMillan barely needed a transition period after arriving from Buffalo, catching six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in his Jayhawks debut against LIU. The First Team All-MAC selection topped 100 yards receiving in six straight games last season for the Bulls, and he immediately looks like Kansas’s new No. 1 option opposite a Missouri secondary adjusting to a new-look Big 12 slate. His size at 6-foot-1 gives Isaiah Marshall a reliable outlet on early downs and in contested situations. If McMillan keeps producing like he did in week one, Kansas has the vertical threat it needs to make good on its home-field return against the Tigers.

Missouri vs. Kansas Odds

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The 2026 INDYCAR season has ended and Alex Palou has captured his fifth series championship. 

That fifth title — which is also his fourth consecutive — keeps the debate alive about where Alex Palou sits among the sport’s greats.

If you’ve been keeping up, then you already know that he’s not on my Mount Rushmore. But he is moving on up.

Here are the 10 best INDYCAR drivers of all time.

10 Best INDYCAR Drivers Of All Time

10. Dario Franchitti

Dario Franchitti after winning the Indy 500 in 2007.

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One of the more recognizable names on the list, Franchitti made 265 INDYCAR starts and collected four championships in the process. He earned 31 wins, claimed 92 podiums and 33 poles over that span. Moreover, he had 119 top-five finishes and currently sits tied for third for most championships of all time.

9. Will Power

Will Power is a household name in INDYCAR.

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With 337 starts under his belt, Power is a household name among INDYCAR followers. In that time, Powers has earned two championships with 45 race wins overall. He has also earned an impressive 71 poles. Those 71 poles are the most in INDYCAR history, making him one of the top drivers in the sport’s history. 

8. Al Unser Jr.

Al Unser Jr is one of the sport’s most well-known drivers.

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One of the most famous drivers ever, he’s the winningest driver in Long Beach history with six victories over eight years. Unser also claimed two Indy 500 wins in his decorated career.

7. Michael Andretti

Michael Andretti is accomplished as a driver and as an owner.

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Andretti is one of the most accomplished drivers, continuing with the ownership of Andretti Autosport to this day. During his racing career, he claimed 42 INDYCAR wins and dominated with 32 poles. His most successful year came in 1991, when he earned the championship, had eight race wins and eight poles in just 17 total races.

6. Alex Palou

Alex Palou won his first Indy 500 in 2025.

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Alex Palou knocked Johnny Rutherford off this list after last year as I put him 10th. Now that he has five INDYCAR titles (third on the all-time list), he is up to sixth. Palou has “just” 25 career victories, which — according to some people — should keep him lower. However, the five titles (including four consecutive ones) and the 2025 Indianapolis 500 victory have solidified his legacy in the sport. At the beginning of this season, I ranked him 10th. 

5. Rick Mears

The legend of Rick Mears includes four wins at the Indy 500.

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Perhaps the most impressive thing over the course of Mears’ career was the fact he was victorious at the Indy 500 four separate times, becoming one of just four racers to accomplish such a feat. He was also able to grab six poles and was a front-row starter in 11 of his 15 races there from 1978 to 1992. Mears was also able to cash in when, in 1991, he became the first driver to earn $10 million in career earnings from INDYCAR races. He won three INDYCAR titles.

4. Al Unser Sr.

Al Unser Sr. also has four Indy 500 wins under his hood.

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Similar to Mears, Unser also won the Indy 500 four different times. When he reached the milestone, it had only been done one other time. His triumph there, though, wasn’t just from wins. He finished in the top three of the Indy 500 in 11 different races over his career. When his career was over, Unser had earned $6.7 million, with more than half of that money coming from Indy 500 races.

3. Scott Dixon

Scott Dixon has won six INDYCAR championships over the course of his successful career.

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Dixon has been wildly successful in every race. Overall, he is a six-time INDYCAR champion and has collected 59 career wins, which is the most of any active driver and the second-most of all time. Last season was his 25th and last driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He has been the longest-tenured driver in team history but he will move to Arrow McLaren next season. He leads all current drivers with 437 starts and has the all-time podium record with 146.

2. AJ Foyt

AJ Foyt is praised for his ability to adapt to different cars.

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Now a team owner for AJ Foyt Racing, Foyt built a highly productive career. He won seven INDYCAR championships during his time behind the wheel, which remains the all-time record. Additionally, he had a great run during his Indy 500 starts, becoming the first to ever win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” four times. Even more notable was his ability to adapt. Foyt is still the only driver who has won the Indy 500 in both front- and rear-engined cars, a testament to his immense talent.

1. Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti’s legacy as a racer transcends INDYCAR.

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It’s safe to say Andretti is the most well-known driver in the sport’s history. His success was a huge reason why, with the longtime driver winning four championships, 52 races, earning 67 pole positions and 141 podiums over the course of his INDYCAR run. His longevity was also something special, winning Driver of the Year three different times, each in a different decade (1967, 1978, 1984). To this day, he’s the only driver to win a Daytona 500, Indy 500 and Formula One world title.

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The Los Angeles Rams went down under, and the San Francisco 49ers kept them there.

In what was the first-ever NFL game in Australia, the 49ers defeated the Rams 27-7, and Sean McVay was curt about what transpired in the season opener.

“They outplayed us in every facet. I didn’t do nearly a good enough job. This is a humbling day for us,” McVay said in his postgame press conference. “This will define us only if we allow it to. Today was one of those days. I always look inside out. I didn’t do a good enough job getting us ready to go. There were some opportunities where maybe the game could’ve flipped, but they deserved the win. They were ready to go.

“We’ll look at it. We’ll see where we can improve and be better moving forward.”

As FOX Sports’ Eric Williams covered heading into the matchup, the two teams had strikingly different approaches in the lead-up to the Australia showdown, as the 49ers showed up in Melbourne — the site of the game — roughly one week before kickoff, whereas the Rams arrived roughly 28 hours beforehand.

Los Angeles got out to a 7-3 lead, with safety Quentin Lake intercepting San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy with 12:04 remaining in the second quarter. But it was all downhill for the Rams, thereafter.

Six plays after the aforementioned 49ers turnover, Rams quarterback and 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford — who finished with a mere 61.2 passer rating — was intercepted by cornerback Renardo Green with 8:52 remaining in the first half. Nine plays later, the 49ers reached the end zone and would go on to finish the game on a 24-0 run.

San Francisco outgained Los Angeles in total yards, 379-290, and pulled off a pivotal, goal-line stand from the 1-yard line with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter. The 49ers then put together a 99-yard touchdown drive. Purdy threw for three touchdowns, finished with a 105.6 passer rating and completed 73.5% of his passes (25 of 34), while San Francisco rushed for 174 yards on 5.8 yards per carry.

The seven points are the fewest the Rams have scored since losing on the road to the Green Bay Packers 20-3 on Nov. 5, 2023.

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As for the Rams’ shiny new additions, cornerback and 2023 All-Pro Trent McDuffie recorded four combined tackles, one for a loss, and two passes defended, but superstar defensive end Myles Garrett didn’t record a tackle; star defensive lineman and eight-time All-Pro Aaron Donald, who recently came out of retirement after two years away from the sport, is expected to make his season debut in Week 2.

Next up for the Rams is a home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 21, while the 49ers host the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 20.

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Myles Garrett’s debut game with the Los Angeles Rams — and the team’s play, in general — left much to be desired, and the superstar defensive end didn’t hold back on his performance in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett said in his postgame press conference after the Rams’ 27-7 defeat. “And I’ve got to be better. I got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I’ve shown that I’ve been before.”

Garrett finished the NFC West matchup without a tackle.

Garrett, whom the Rams acquired from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster trade in June, also admitted he wasn’t at “100%” health wise, as the defensive end has been dealing with a knee issue over the last month.

“I wasn’t the player that I wanted to be,” Garrett expressed. “I didn’t feel like I was the player I’ve been before when I stepped onto that field. I got to do what I can to get back to that.”

Garrett and the Rams took part in what was the first-ever NFL game in Australia. A topic of conversation regarding the historic game in Melbourne was the 49ers showing up roughly one week before kickoff, while the Rams arrived roughly 28 hours before kickoff, which was at 10:35 a.m. local time.

As for other team debuts, cornerback and 2023 All-Pro Trent McDuffie — whom Los Angeles acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs for a package highlighted by the No. 29 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a 2027 third-round pick, among other selections, in March — totaled four combined tackles, including one for a loss, and two passes defended.

Meanwhile, star defensive lineman and eight-time All-Pro Aaron Donald, who recently returned after two years away from the game, is likely to make his season debut in the Rams’ Week 2 home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 21.

As a whole, the 49ers rushed for 174 yards on 5.8 yards per carry against the Rams, who were collectively outgained 379-290 in total yards and gave up three passing touchdowns to quarterback Brock Purdy. In his postgame press conference, Rams head coach Sean McVay called the loss “a humbling day.”

Los Angeles traded now-third-year defensive end and two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder to Cleveland to acquire Garrett, a five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler.

Last season (2025), the now-30-year-old Garrett set the NFL single-season record with 23.0 sacks and has two NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors on his résumé, in 2023 and 2025. He’s tied with Dwight Freeney for 28th in all-time registered sacks (125.5). Prior to Garrett’s 23-sack campaign, he averaged 13.6 sacks per season from 2018-24. Should Garrett rack up 14 sacks this season, he would move into a tie for 11th all-time in the category.

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LATROBE, Pa. — Everyone who knows Mike McCarthy understood where his heart always belonged, even if his eyes and feet were firmly wherever else he was. Nothing against Green Bay or Dallas, two places with rich and storied football histories and traditions.

Pittsburgh is just different, especially for a Pittsburgh kid.

“This is where I’m from. This is the cloth that I was cut from,” the new Steelers coach told me during a recent visit to camp at Saint Vincent College. “When you grow up in Western Pa., we’re all sick in the head because we’re all brainwashed as kids. It’s the greatest place on Earth.”

So, yes, it sure is surreal for a kid born in the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh, right across the Monongahela River from Steelers headquarters, to be coming home to that place after all these years, to run the team he bled for as a kid. It’s a bucket list item the 62-year-old never imagined could happen. He spent 23 years in Green Bay and thought he’d be there forever. He spent five years in Dallas and figured that might be his last stop too.

And for almost that entire time, the Steelers had just one head coach. Heck, they had only changed coaches five times since McCarthy was born.

Then, last January, the news came that Mike Tomlin was stepping down after 19 years running the Steelers — a year to the day after McCarthy was let go in Dallas. 

“I didn’t expect it,” McCarthy told me. “I don’t think anybody did.”

Mike McCarthy is tasked with continuing the Steelers’ streak of not having a losing season since 2003. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

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But it was real. And it all started to feel even more real when the Steelers called and invited him in for an interview on Jan. 21 — the 11th anniversary of the day his younger brother Joe died of a heart attack while playing racquetball at a local gym. McCarthy spent most of that day meeting with Steelers owner Art Rooney II, general manager Omar Khan and others in the organization. But then he got to go home to have pizza dinner with his parents, Joe Sr. and Ellen, his three sisters, and everyone else he could gather from the extended McCarthy clan.

“It was heavy, because it was my brother’s anniversary of his passing,” McCarthy told me. “Just to have the opportunity to spend a couple extra hours at home with my family, on that day, it almost … the reality gave me the feeling that ‘Hey, there’s a chance this might happen.’”

Mike McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, who he beat in Super Bowl XLV during his time as Packers head coach. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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McCarthy has always been a “Yinzer” at heart. He was born and raised in what he called “inner city Pittsburgh,” just five miles to the West of where the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers meet, maybe a 15-minute ride to the site of old Three Rivers Stadium, where his beloved Steelers played for most of his life. He played three sports at the now-closed Bishop Boyle High School. He spent some time when he was home from college working at his father’s local bar.

Baseball and basketball were more his thing when he was growing up. He didn’t start playing football until high school. But he knew what football meant to his city. There’s nothing bigger than the Steelers to anyone from there.

“I think that’s part of the beauty of the fabric of our great city,” McCarthy told me. “It’s totally intertwined with the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. No disrespect to the 31 other teams, but I don’t think there’s a professional franchise in sports that’s more intertwined than we are with the city of Pittsburgh, the steel industry, the blue-collar background and how the city adjusted and grew.

“Just the whole history of our surroundings is such a parallel to how we want to play the game, that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. That’s something that’s been in place for over 50 years — the black helmets and the black shirts and the way this team plays.”

Mike McCarthy went 49-35 over five seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

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That part is heavy, too, especially for someone who grew up seeing how the city lives and dies with how the Steelers do every Sunday in the fall. He’s taking over for a coach who wore out his welcome despite not having a losing record in any one of his 19 seasons, and who reached the playoffs five times in the last six years.

The last time the Steelers had a losing season was 23 years ago. The last Steelers coach who didn’t win a Super Bowl for the franchise was Chuck Noll’s predecessor, Bill Austin, who was fired a year before the AFL and NFL were fully and officially merged.

It’s a place where nothing short of a championship will ever be enough.

“I’m from the old school neighborhood, so trust me, I know how this thing goes,” McCarthy told me. “And I welcome that. We have an obligation to the generations before us to uphold the play style and the success that’s gone on before us. And that’s something I embrace.”

Mike McCarthy isn’t only having a reunion with Pittsburgh this season, but he’ll also coach quarterback Aaron Rodgers again. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

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All the other McCarthys embraced it too. When he was introduced as the new Steelers coach, just 11 days after Tomlin’s exit, it was like a big family reunion at Acrisure Stadium, with relatives filling up the first couple of rows. There were more tears and more emotions than McCarthy thought he could ever have at once.

But it just felt right, like it was always meant to happen. He met his wife and they had four of their five children during his years in Green Bay. He loved most of his time in Dallas working for the Jones family, too. But he could feel there’s just something different about finally coming home.

“As you go away to college around the country — and I’ve been fortunate to be in the NFL for over 30 years — everybody knows,” McCarthy told me. “We all know who we are in the NFL. If you’re from Western Pa., it’s a bond. It’s a pride component that you all root for each other, in a sense. I think that’s unique. And I think anybody that knows me from my time in other parts of the country, they know where I’m from and the pride that I have being from here.”

Now it’s part pride, but a lot more responsibility. Being the hometown hero will only go so far. His homecoming may be a great story, but for most of his fellow Yinzers, only bringing home the Steelers’ seventh Super Bowl trophy will do.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I imagined it yet, but I’m working toward that,” McCarthy told me. “That’s why I do this. And now, to be able to do this back home, trust me, it’s not lost on me how special this opportunity is. That’s what gets me up in the morning. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think I could win the Super Bowl here.”

He already won one, back in 2010 in Green Bay. But he knows doing it here would just be different.

Because there really is no place like home.

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The defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers expect running back Khobie Martin to be out until about midseason with an arm injury he sustained during the first quarter of Saturday’s 52-16 victory over North Texas.

Injured starting cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Jamari Sharpe are listed day to day, coach Curt Cignetti said during his weekly news conference Monday. They have undisclosed injuries, and Cignetti had said Saturday that Martin would “miss a little bit of time” and that the cornerbacks’ injuries were “not long-term deals.”

“I talked to our trainer yesterday, but have not spoken with him yet today,” the two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year said. “Khobie Martin will be out for a little bit, and we expect him back sometime around midseason.”

The timeline means Martin could return in time for the Oct. 17 matchup against No. 1 Ohio State.

Khobie Martin played in 14 games for the 2025 champions, totaling 519 yards from scrimmage with six touchdowns. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Cignetti did not talk about the cut across quarterback Josh Hoover’s nose. The bloodied Hoover did not miss a play on the series and wound up going 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in his Hoosiers debut. The transfer from TCU is replacing 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

Overall, Cignetti was pleased with Hoover’s debut.

“Obviously, it was a good start,” he said. “Four touchdown passes, great catch by (Nick) Marsh on the first one and he made some nice throws, some good decisions. He got away with one that he’s not going to get away with in Big Ten play, and the one long touchdown to Charlie (Becker), he’s got to step into that throw better and get it out there and get it up and down. And the one he got his helmet ripped off, he flipped the protection and really shouldn’t have, so he became unprotected to the side of the blitz. But then he responded and threw a touchdown shortly thereafter.”

Martin was supposed to play a key role in a three-man rotation featuring Turbo Richard, the transfer from Boston College, and Lee Beebe Jr., who played in three games for last season’s national champions.

College Football Related Stories

Richard had 15 carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns in his Indiana debut Saturday. Beebe had 14 carries for 33 yards and returned the opening kickoff 67 yards to set up Indiana’s first score.

Martin, Harris and Sharpe all left in the first quarter and did not return. Harris is a transfer from Penn State. Share’s late interception in Miami sealed the national championship game victory over the Hurricanes.

Ryland Gandy and Jaylen Bell played most of the rest of the game in place of Harris and Sharpe, and Cignetti said he thought both played well.

Indiana faces Howard on Saturday. The Hoosiers have won 17 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision and are a perfect 16-0 at home under Cignetti. The 16-game home winning streak is also the FBS’ longest active streak.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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It turns out even a game-saving Hail Mary won’t etch your name on the depth chart in permanent marker.

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said that Bryce Underwood remains the team’s starting quarterback, for now, following the team’s narrow 13-12 victory over Western Michigan in their season opener.

Speaking to reporters ahead of No. 16 Michigan’s Week 2 matchup against No. 10 Oklahoma, Whittingham backed Underwood, but noted there’s room for improvement across the board.

“He’s our QB right now, and it’s not something that’s infinite,” Whittingham said. “At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner and we’ve got to see improvement as we do with a bunch of stuff. We got to see improvement out of the coaches, and so it’s not just on Bryce.”

Whittingham’s comments come just days after Michigan needed a 47-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Underwood to wide receiver JJ Buchanan on the final play to avoid what would’ve been the biggest upset of Week 1. 

The play occurred after replay officials reviewed the previous sequence and added one second back to the game clock. Underwood finished the night completing 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown, one interception, and a lost fumble in the fourth quarter.

Following the win against Western Michigan, Underwood encouraged his team to not get complacent.

“I feel like we just got to come out and dominate and be aggressive like we were in the first drive on every single play,” Underwood said. “We can’t come down, energy can’t come down, can’t get comfortable.”

College Football Related Stories

Whittingham noted that the entire team, not just the quarterback position, could see movement within the depth chart.

“It’s not just Bryce’s job that is not absolutely set in concrete,” Whittingham said. “Nobody’s is. You got to perform week in and week out and become somebody that we feel like is playing at a level that we can win with, and that goes far beyond Bryce. It goes throughout the whole team, and what you’ve done lately is very important in football.”

With a home game against Oklahoma looming, Whittingham knows the offense must resolve its issues quickly.

“We have a ton of work to do,” Whittingham said. “The degree of difficulty next week goes way up. And if we don’t play a lot better, it’s not going to be pretty.”

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Before having a chance at the Super Bowl, you have to qualify for the playoffs. 

What do the odds say about the NFL’s next postseason tournament? Who will be in and who will be out? 

Let’s see the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of Sept. 7.

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.

To Make AFC Playoffs

Bills: -320 (bet $10 to win $13.13 total)
Ravens: -295 (bet $10 to win $13.39 total)
Bengals: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)
Patriots: -194 (bet $10 to win $15.15 total)
Chiefs: -178 (bet $10 to win $15.62 total)
Texans: -176 (bet $10 to win $15.68 total)
Chargers: -158 (bet $10 to win $16.33 total)
Broncos: -158 (bet $10 to win $16.33 total)
Jaguars: -104 (bet $10 to win $19.62 total)
Colts: +148 (bet $10 to win $24.80 total)
Steelers: +168 (bet $10 to win $26.80 total)
Titans: +420 (bet $10 to win $52 total)
Raiders: +560 (bet $10 to win $66 total)
Browns: +640 (bet $10 to win $74 total)
Jets: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Dolphins: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)

Last year’s field: Denver (1), Patriots (2), Jaguars (3), Steelers (4), Texans (5), Bills (6), Chargers (7)

Takeaways: Buffalo, the team with the shortest odds to make the AFC playoffs, was the 6-seed last season. The Ravens and Chiefs have the second- and fifth-shortest odds to make the postseason, respectively. Both missed the playoffs last season, and Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL for Kansas City. The Bengals, despite missing the playoffs each of the last three seasons, are third on the board, ahead of a number of playoff teams from last season.

To Make NFC Playoffs

Rams: -500 (bet $10 to win $12 total)
Seahawks: -220 (bet $10 to win $14.55 total)
Lions: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)
Eagles: -164 (bet $10 to win $16.10 total)
49ers: -130 (bet $10 to win $17.69 total)
Cowboys: -118 (bet $10 to win $18.47 total)
Packers: -112 (bet $10 to win $18.93 total)
Bears: +104 (bet $10 to win $20.40 total)
Buccaneers: +128 (bet $10 to win $22.80 total)
Vikings: +138 (bet $10 to win $23.80 total)
Saints: +205 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Falcons: +240 (bet $10 to win $34 total)
Panthers: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)
Commanders: +265 (bet $10 to win $36.50 total)
Giants: +270 (bet $10 to win $37 total)
Cardinals: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

Last year’s field: Seahawks (1), Bears (2), Eagles (3), Panthers (4), Rams (5), 49ers (6), Packers (7)

Takeaways: The defending Super Bowl and NFC West champion Seahawks are second on the board, behind division rival Los Angeles, which it beat in the NFC title game last season. The Lions and 49ers are third and fifth on the oddsboard, respectively. Both missed the playoffs last season. The Cowboys have shorter odds to make the postseason than defending NFC North champion Chicago and defending AFC South champion Carolina.

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The Dallas Cowboys’ high-powered offense took a bit of a blow less than a week before their season-opening matchup against the New York Giants. 

All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith will undergo thumb surgery and is expected to be placed on injured reserve, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. 

The surgery will force Smith to miss at least the first four games of the regular season while opening up a spot on the 53-man active roster.

“Tyler Smith is going to have surgery on his thumb tomorrow morning,” Schottenheimer said during his press conference. “It’s something that he’s just been dealing with.”

With Smith sidelined, offensive lineman T.J. Bass is slated to take over as the starting left guard. Bass joined the organization as an undrafted free agent and has made 10 career starts for Dallas, including five last year. The Cowboys retained Bass this offseason after placing a second-round restricted free agent tender on him.

Smith’s absence leaves a noticeable void in Dallas’ offensive line.

According to Pro Football Focus, Smith allowed just three sacks and 26 pressures last season. Since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the three-time Pro Bowler has allowed only 12 sacks across four seasons and 63 career starts, per PFF.

Dallas opens the regular season on Sunday night against the Giants before rolling through an opening six-game stretch that includes matchups against the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Green Bay Packers.

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How much time was actually left on the clock? 

Saturday night’s showdown between Western Michigan and Michigan delivered one of the most controversial finishes in recent memory. Days later, questions surrounding the final moments remain unresolved and speculation isn’t slowing down.

To clarify the confusion, FOX Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira joined “The Joel Klatt Show” on Monday morning to weigh in.

“It’s the right call with what they were looking at, but it’s wrong… they didn’t follow the protocol, which, by the way, is not in the rule book,” Pereira said. “It is not. There’s a lot of ways that you look at things called philosophy.”

Determining how much time remained on the clock in real time can be challenging. Pereira explained the process, noting that when a discrepancy occurs, replay officials are instructed to rely on the broadcast clock visible to viewers at home.

“The official replay officials have been told that if there is a discrepancy, use the television footage,” Pereira said. “Do not use your footage in the command center. Use the footage that 10 million people are watching, not the one that’s three.”

While Pereira acknowledged that the clock error should never have occurred in the first place, he said that there shouldn’t have been a final play. From all the information that he has, Pereira believes the officials simply made the best call they could with the information available to them.

“When it’s all said and done, that’s what should have happened, and there shouldn’t have been another play,” Pereira said. “They did not look at the television copy of what was being shown to all of us.”

Outrage across social media hasn’t slowed down since Michigan pulled off its game-winning Hail Mary. While Pereira sympathizes with Western Michigan over the heartbreak, he made it clear that any criticism belongs squarely on the shoulders of the replay center.

“I feel horrible listening to what’s being said on the internet and everybody is ripping the officials,” Pereira said. “The officials had the game over. So they’re the wrong group to say if you’re going to attach blame, they didn’t do anything wrong. It’s the replay center that made this decision.”

While Pereira understands the severity of the backlash, he believes the focus should now shift toward fixing the process to prevent similar clock discrepancies in the future.

“I think it’s a huge question, and the question is certainly in the minds of everybody with Western Michigan and Michigan itself is who won the game, who lost the game,” Pereira said. But in the big picture, why? Why did this really happen? I think that’s what we have to look into.”

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