Don’t ever forget that there is an MVP award sandwiched between regular-season league MVPs and World Series MVP. 

Let’s check out the odds for ALCS and NLCS MVP at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 13.

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ALCS MVP Odds

What To Know: After going hitless in Games 1 and 2 of Cleveland’s ALDS matchup with the White Sox, Ramirez has at least one hit in four straight games, including Game 1 of the ALCS, in which he had three hits, two runs and an RBI. His RBI single in the top of the ninth gave Cleveland a 5-3 lead, and soon after, he scored on an RBI double from Jo Adell to boost the Guardians’ lead to 7-3.

What To Know: In Game 1 of the ALCS, DeLauter hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth to get the Guardians on the board. He finished the night with three hits, three runs and an RBI.

What To Know: To open up the series with Cleveland, Caminero opened up the scoring for both teams. He hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first that put T.B. up by a run, and then scored soon after, giving the Rays an early 2-0 lead.

What To Know: Diaz went 2-for-5 in Game 1 of the ALCS, crossing the plate on Caminero’s first-inning RBI single and giving the Rays a 1-0 lead.

NLCS MVP Odds

What To Know: Contreras went hitless in Game 1 of the NLCS, but more than made up for it in Game 2. He blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth that tied the game 4-4, before hitting an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth that put Milwaukee up 5-4. The Brew Crew would go on to win 7-4.

What To Know: Through two NLCS games, Turang has three hits, four runs and two RBIs. He hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 1 that tied the game 1-1, and in Game 2, he hit an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to put the Brewers up 6-4, before scoring moments later to make the score 7-4.

What To Know: Chourio has two hits through two NLCS games, but he is known as the Brewers’ most-clutch player at the plate. Will his services be needed later in this series?

What To Know: Already a Brewers legend, Yelich has three hits and two RBIs through two NLCS games. In Milwaukee’s 7-4 Game 2 win, he hit a single in the bottom of the third that scored two, giving the Brewers a 3-2 lead.

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The UCLA Bruins are the biggest story in college football right now, but their momentum could be on the verge of slipping.

Following the upset win in Eugene over No. 13-ranked Oregon, the Bruins improved to 5-0 under first-year head coach Bob Chesney. However, winning came at a cost as quarterback Nico Iamaleava exited the game early with a knee injury.

According to ESPN, Iamaleava is expected to remain out indefinitely with the knee injury. While a final timeline remains pending a full medical evaluation, there is a real chance he could miss the rest of the season – Chesney has said as much, stating that there’s “serious concern” that Iamaleava could miss the rest of the year.

“I’m going to wait for our doctors to make the final call,” Chesney said Monday at his weekly news conference. “There is some serious concern at the moment. But at the same point in time, there’s nothing that has been fully ruled at this moment. There’s still other opinions and other people we want to talk to, to make sure everyone sees it the same way.”

Iamaleava’s play on the field has been sub-par this season, but he’s been one of the stabilizing factors in the Bruins’ impressive start. Through five games, he has completed 62.1% of his passes for 982 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions.

With Iamaleava sidelined, Chesney and his staff must turn to either Ty Dieffenbach or Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s younger brother. Nico threw for 162 yards against Oregon before exiting with the injury and being replaced by Dieffenbach.

In relief for Iamaleava, Dieffenbach completed 3-of-6 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown against the Ducks. Madden Iamaleava had been considered the backup earlier this season, but Chesney could now open up a competition or even utilize a two-quarterback system.

During his time at James Madison, Chesney frequently deployed multi-quarterback systems. He often paired primary starter Alonza Barnett III with other options like transfer Matthew Sluka and JC Evans for specialized running and passing packages.

College Football Related Stories

Managing a mid-season quarterback dilemma is a daunting task, but Chesney’s background proves he is well-equipped for the challenge.

With the Bruins remaining undefeated and ranked No. 12 nationally, the injury couldn’t come at a worse time. Even though Iamaleava hasn’t fully lived up to his five-star recruiting hype, he will still have one year of eligibility remaining for the 2027 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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The Milwaukee Brewers had Los Angeles Dodgers superstar right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the ropes, and Christian Yelich did the honors.

Following a remarkable 12-pitch walk from Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers that loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third inning of Game 2 of the NLCS, DH Yelich smacked a two-run single to center field, which gave Milwaukee the lead. It also resulted in Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulling Yamamoto, who had thrown 74 pitches.

The Brewers went on to win the game, 7-4, taking a 2-0 series lead on the Dodgers.  

“I was preparing on deck to be in that situation. The deeper that at-bat [Bauers’ 12-pitch walk] went, I had a feeling he was getting on base whether that was going to be a walk or a hit. You just want to make sure that you have a quality at-bat following that. Don’t leave the zone. Make sure that you’re swinging at a good pitch,” Yelich said in an interview on the MLB on FOX Postgame show when asked about his go-ahead hit in the third.

“I wasn’t sitting on anything. I just saw it was a good pitch to hit and tried to put a good swing on it.”

Yelich has been raking this postseason.

Through Milwaukee’s six games this October, Yelich has tallied seven hits, two of them coming on Monday afternoon, and driven in three runs, while boasting a .368/.455/.421 slash line.

Yelich was limited to 118 games in the regular season due to groin and back issues, respectively, and finished with a career-low .315 on-base percentage and 0.1 wins above replacement, and a career-low .235 batting average across a full season (the 2020 MLB year was just a 60-game regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic); the two-time batting champion also missed extensive time in 2024 due to a back injury.

With that said, Yelich totaled 29 home runs and 103 RBIs in 2025. Barring injury, the now-34-year-old Yelich has been Milwaukee’s primary designated hitter over the last two seasons. Yelich, a three-time Silver Slugger and All-Star, won 2018 National League MVP honors and was the runner-up for the award in 2019.

As for the rest of the Brewers’ Game 2 offense, they got RBI singles from William Contreras in the first and sixth innings and a solo home run from the catcher in the fifth. Elsewhere, Bauers and second baseman Brice Turang each had RBI singles in the eighth. Meanwhile, following four innings from rookie right-hander Logan Henderson, Milwaukee got five perfect innings of relief – no baserunners allowed – from its bullpen.

“He’s done a great job with our pitching staff all year,” Yelich said about Contreras. “He keeps everybody going. He makes sure everybody is ready to compete every day. He plays with that passion and flare, and we’ve loved having him, and he’s been great for us.”

Game 2 marked Contreras’ second three-hit performance of the 2026 postseason and his third home run this month. Contreras, a two-time Silver Slugger and three-time All-Star, boasts a .391/.481/.783 slash line this postseason. In the regular season, he blasted 18 home runs and drove in a career-high 94 runs, which led MLB catchers.

Game 3 of the NLCS is on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium (8 p.m. ET on FS1).

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Bob Pockrass

Motorsports Insider

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INDYCAR driver and FOX Sports broadcaster Jack Harvey announced Tuesday that he has cancer and did not share specifics about his diagnosis.

The 33-year-old racer — who drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the Indianapolis 500 this year while working the rest of the season as a pit reporter on INDYCAR races and as an analyst in the booth on Indy NXT races — said his goals for 2027 have not changed.

“My entire career has been about fighting for what’s next,” he posted on social media. “The next opportunity. The next chance to prove myself. The next time I could get back in the car and show what I’m capable of.

“There have been moments when the path forward was obvious, and plenty when it wasn’t. I’ve had to earn opportunities, fight to keep them, and learn how to keep moving when things didn’t go the way I planned. But through all of it, I’ve never stopped believing that there was something worth fighting for.

“Life has delivered a new fight to my doorstep.”

Harvey has 17 career top-10 finishes in 95 INDYCAR starts since 2017, when he made his debut in the Indianapolis 500. Having raced for Meyer Shank Racing, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Dale Coyne Racing, Harvey started a new challenge in 2025 when he joined FOX Sports as a reporter on telecasts.

“My goals for 2027 have not changed,” he wrote. “I plan to be on the grid in St. Pete and strapping back into a race car this May in preparation for the Indianapolis 500.”

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing released a statement of support on Tuesday as well, writing: “Our entire team stands united in support of Jack as he begins his battle with cancer. More than a teammate, Jack is a valued member of our family, and our thoughts and unwavering support are with him and his loved ones as he faces this new challenge. We respectfully ask that Jack’s privacy be honored as he focuses on his health and recovery.”

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Kyler Murray had the best throw of the week. Dak Prescott had some of the worst. 

Sam Darnold threw a pair of interceptions versus the 49ers, and Jayden Daniels took a sack at the end of overtime that ensured a tie against the Giants. 

Meanwhile, Jared Goff — of all people — is off to a historically prolific start for the Lions.

Let’s get into all of it.

These aren’t your typical QB rankings. I’m focused on contextualizing the fluctuations of starters’ performances throughout the season. No one — not even Josh Allen — is safe at the top. No one — not even Malik Willis — is stuck at the bottom. There is room for quick ascent — and rapid decline. One question holds the most importance: What have you done for your team lately?

Previous: Offseason | Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Previous ranking: 28 ↓

Previous ranking: 26 ↓

Cam Ward has failed to eclipse 200 passing yards four times in five games this season, and now people are questioning whether the Titans should bench last year’s No. 1 overall pick. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Daniel Jones has looked overwhelmed — all season — by what the Colts have asked him to do.

Their plan stunk from the beginning. I’ve been on record saying this season was destined for implosion. Unfortunately, I’ve been correct. On offense, it simply never made sense.

It’s one thing to return from his Achilles injury. It’s another thing to face expectations that — somehow — this offense would regain its form from the beginning of 2025 (which was already fading at the time of his injury). But the biggest issue is that the Colts have struggled to keep receiver Alec Pierce on the field because of injuries — and they traded away receiver Michael Pittman, a trustworthy possession receiver.

Without WR1 or WR2 from 2025, Jones has had to make the most of receiver Josh Downs, whose explosive plays aren’t enough to carry a whole offense. That’s not exactly a surprise. The surprise is that tight end Tyler Warren is averaging 7.1 yards per reception — struggling to find room to run after his 30 receptions, the eighth-most in the NFL.

There’s more that’s underwhelming. Running back Jonathan Taylor is averaging 3.9 yards per carry — on pace for his worst season and well behind his previous worst at 4.4 in 2023 when he played only 10 games. That’s in part because he’s faced the fifth-most stacked boxes (21) in the NFL. Colts opponents are stacking those boxes because they’re not afraid of Jones, especially when he doesn’t have Pierce to throw to.

The Colts’ offense is functioning at an even lower level than you’d expect. In turn, so is Jones. In Week 5 against the Steelers — whose defense is good but beatable — Dimes couldn’t find the end zone. He was 24 for 44 for 267 yards. His completion percentage (CPOE) was -3.8 and was especially bad when the Steelers did not blitz him (-8.5%).

Defenses are daring him to pick them apart. He can’t do it.

Defenses are daring him to throw deep. He can’t do it.

Defenses are making Indy’s middling starting QB look like a backup, which is especially frustrating for this franchise when considering Jones’ cap hit in 2026 is just $19 million. Big changes are coming for the Colts, who don’t even have their 2027 first-round pick to look forward to. (They traded it to the Jets.)

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Brou VERY PLEASED with Ravens after beating Falcons. What did they prove without Lamar? | FTF

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I’ve been tracking Sam Darnold’s season, but for the most part, I thought he was about as bad (and good) as he’d been last year. But that’s not the case.

He’s worse. Much worse.

Through four appearances (and, really, just three, because he left Week 1 after only a few plays), he has 755 passing yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The turnovers are a red flag, but … at least he’s posting production in yardage and scoring. Right? Well, the advanced stats tell a different story. Darnold has a -.19 expected points added per dropback, which is a tough fall from a much healthier .07 in 2025. 

The loss to the 49ers emphasized Darnold’s struggles with inconsistency and turnovers. The team around Darnold also felt different.

Gronk and Jules React to 49ers Taking Down Seahawks in Week 5

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Last year, the Seahawks figured out how to win games like this past Sunday. They’d do it despite Darnold. During their postseason run, they hit the sweet spot where Darnold was playing the best football of his life — and it meshed perfectly with ascending superstars Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III and an elite group of defensive playmakers. 

Without Walker this year, the running game hasn’t supported Darnold with shorter second and third downs. So Darnold is facing longer odds at conversions, and he’s forcing it, leading to more mistakes and more turnovers. 

It’s making me think that maybe Darnold is something of a Joe Flacco. 

Both QBs strung together a memorable playoff run when they caught fire and played at a level they’d never reached before. But the work before and the work after? That’s all fallen somewhere in a range of slightly below average and slightly above average. And for what it’s worth, Darnold also shares Flacco’s propensity for trusting his arm too much — and forcing the football into turnover-worthy plays and interceptions.

Maybe Darnold finds his 2026 postseason form again — and this current lapse is a lingering issue from the Week 1 hip injury. But it’s more likely that this is who Darnold is. The 3-2 Seahawks, whose next three games are against the Broncos, the Chiefs and the Bears, will have to figure out how to get back to working around their QB.

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Jayden Daniels’ performance in Week 5 was a reminder of how young he is as a pro football player. Maybe too young, if you ask me. Maybe immature on a few levels. But it’s important to remember this was just his 30th appearance in the NFL, given all his injuries. He hasn’t played two full seasons yet. 

That won’t make the Commanders’ final play make any more sense. But it does add context to their fiasco in overtime, where they let time expire after Daniels took a sack to let time run out. 

We know, per coach Dan Quinn, that the fateful play was designed for an outside throw (where the pass-catcher can get to the sideline and stop the clock) or a clock-stopping throwaway.

Quinn took blame for even calling that play when they didn’t need to gain any more yards. But his revelation — “outside throw or a clock” — is an indictment of Daniels’ situational awareness. Because he ran to the left and took a sack near the line of scrimmage. Did he think he had a timeout and was he placing the ball on the left hash? I’m not sure. But the quarterback was clearly confused about the situation.

“We’ve gotta stop the clock,” Daniels said. We know the situation. We’ve gotta relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone — top down. Ultimately it’s on me,” 

It’s overtime. You need to know how many timeouts you have. Period. Most high school quarterbacks have more situational awareness than Daniels demonstrated. 

It’s good that he concluded by saying it’s on him. Because before that, he vaguely pointed his fingers at the coaching staff — perhaps for not reminding him that he didn’t have a timeout left. It reveals two points of immaturity: 1) Daniels needs reminding of timeouts (and general hand-holding) at the game’s most crucial moments, and 2) Daniels isn’t wise enough to simply take the public blame.  

His comments have, no doubt, accelerated coach Dan Quinn’s departure.

The ending sequence marred what was otherwise an impressive game from Daniels. He had 300 total yards (199 passing; 103 rushing) and two rushing touchdowns. He had the most scramble yards of his career, per Next Gen Stats. And Daniels hit 20.54 mph on his 38-yard TD run, the fastest play of his career.

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Kyler Murray had the best throw of the week, given the stakes and the risk and the … everything.

The Vikings were trailing by a point in the third quarter when Murray stood in a clean pocket and fired the ball into the deep left corner of the end zone. There was Justin Jefferson, of course. It’s basically always a sensible decision to throw to him. But standing all around JJ, there were three defenders. It was double coverage with a third Saint running over to help in any way possible. He couldn’t. New Orleans was beyond help.

Murray put the ball in a perfect spot — just beyond the defenders’ reach. And Jefferson elevated to snatch the ball. The margin for error is always small when throwing in an area with so many defenders. But it’s even smaller when dealing with the sideline and the back of the end zone.

This was the throw that should worry folks around the NFL.

So far this season, Murray has been the ultimate game manager. He demonstrated restraint in all the ways the Vikings hoped he would (and all the ways Murray seemed to feel he couldn’t afford in Arizona, where he was constantly trying to do it all).

Murray went 24 of 30 (80% completion rate and a +6.8 CPOE) for 229 yards and a touchdown. He also had 10 carries for 51 yards (+15 RYOE).

In other words, he’s quietly helping Kevin O’Connell get the most out of this Vikings offense. 

It seems that, together, Kyler and O’Connell are getting their groove back.

There’s been plenty of drama around a Cowboys staffer telling Dak Prescott that the team’s loss to the Buccaneers this past Thursday was “embarrassing.” That wasn’t how I saw it.

Sure, Prescott was no revelation — nor did he redeem his team for its terrible performance. But he was fairly steady in a game where his pass-catchers were struggling with separation — and having difficulty wrangling the contested catches that basically define this offense’s success. 

The Cowboys had three drops against Tampa Bay, per PFF.

Both of Prescott’s interceptions went off the hands of a receiver — and on well-thrown balls. You’ll hear people talk about how sacks are a quarterback stat. (Which is about 75 percent true.) And you’ll hear people asking that some interceptions get scored against receivers. Well, these two picks were perfect examples of why.

Dak finished with a 57% completion rate, but PFF scored him an adjusted completion rate at 67.5. That includes the drops and other on-target throws that should’ve been completions.

This doesn’t totally excuse Prescott for struggling with ball placement. He should’ve been sharper, leaving meat on the bone when throwing to George Pickens. Yes, believe it or not, Pickens’ big day (nine catches, 130 yards and a TD) should’ve been even bigger. 

Prescott’s M.O. is pinpoint accuracy, and he can’t blame all the incompletions on his receivers. I just can’t fault him too deeply for a night where his teammates and coaches were the ones making the biggest mistakes.

Previous ranking: 11 ↑

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Jared Goff is now at 12 passing touchdowns and zero turnovers for the first five games. He’s the first QB in NFL history to do that. He’s leading the NFL in passing yards and is tied for second in passing touchdowns. And his connection with Jameson Williams finally clicked in this game — which I’d been saying for weeks was a reason why this offense could actually get better.

It did get better — with Williams and Goff making up for lost time and missed opportunities. They connected on two touchdown passes, including one from 39 yards out in the Lions’ shellacking of the Cardinals.

The one point of context from the first five weeks: the Lions have faced the worst scoring defense (Cardinals), second-worst (Saints), fifth-worst (Bills) and seventh-worst (Panthers). The Jets are the best unit the Lions have faced, and to the latter’s credit, they put up 31 points against New York’s stingy defense, which is allowing an average of 19.2 points per game (fifth-best).

Amid this quietly historic run, Goff is making small improvements around his career-long difficulties with pressure. When facing pressure, he has an EPA per dropback of -.19. Without pressure, he has an EPA per dropback of .45. The former mark is still pretty bad. But this represents a better split than it has been from 2023 to 2025, when Goff saw the biggest drop-off in the NFL (falling from .43 without pressure to -.42 against it). It’s also a heck of a lot better than Michael Penix, who falls from .63 unpressured to -.82 pressured.

Goff will spend his season contending with his defense — which is among the worst in the league. That’s his most obvious problem. But the Lions also won’t go anywhere until their veteran QB figures out how to handle and neutralize pressure, both with pre-snap adjustments and with post-snap poise. That’s the final frontier for Goff. Of course, it has been for quite some time.

Every quarterback deserves a matchup against the Miami Dolphins defense this year. It just elevates the vibes. 

Burrow had four touchdowns and completed 71.9% of his passes. And after throwing 54 passes last week, he had lighter work this week, going 23-of-32.

The Eagles defense made life difficult for Lawrence, and even so, he finished 24-for-39 with 331 passing yards, two touchdowns, an interception and two sacks. Lawrence can thank Eagles coach Nick Sirianni for the win.

With a matchup against the Chargers next week, Mahomes can come out of the bye week firing. And then in Week 7? He’s got the vaunted Seahawks defense.

Did you catch the no-look pass from Brock Purdy to Mike Evans? The 49ers QB was excellent again in steering this San Francisco offense. But it felt a little like Evans took over the game, rather than Purdy. And that’s why, this week, I’m giving the top spot to…

In an incredible road win over the Rams in overtime on Monday night, Josh Allen did what won him the MVP in 2024. He overcame his mistakes (and I actually thought his interception was downright smart as far as turnovers go). 

He overcame James Cook’s mistakes. And he did it with his WR1, D.J. Moore, out with an injury. Allen wasn’t even that good as a passer, but with his 121 yards rushing and two total touchdowns, he completely took control of the game.

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Ohio State Buckeyes superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith continues to draw strong praise from the opposition, a list of people that now includes the head coach of the team that has won 22 consecutive games.

“He’s taken it up a notch, without question. I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three Power Four conference games. There’s no one like him right now playing at this level,” Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti said about Smith at a press conference Monday. “He’s a freak, and we’re going to have to do a great job on him.”

No. 5 Indiana (6-0) hosts No. 4 Ohio State (5-1) on Saturday (12 p.m. ET on FOX), with FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” on site in Bloomington for the Big Ten showdown. Last year, Indiana defeated Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship en route to winning its first national championship in program history.

The Hoosiers are coming off a Week 6 scare on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as they rallied from down 11 points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 20-17 victory.

As for the scare in store for Indiana in Week 7, Smith, who already stood out in momentous fashion across his freshman and sophomore seasons, has taken his game to another level this season for Ohio State.

In fact, Smith has become the Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receptions (211), receiving yards (3,474) and receiving touchdowns (38). Prior to Ohio State’s Week 6 win against the Maryland Terrapins, he combined for 23 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns in wins over the Iowa Hawkeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini.

In all, Smith has logged 48 receptions for 916 yards (19.1 yards per reception) and 11 touchdowns, which all lead the Big Ten and are each second in the nation, across Ohio State’s six games this season. In 2025, he led the Big Ten with both 87 receptions and 1,243 receiving yards, while leading the conference with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt recently said that Smith is “entering the chat” for the greatest Buckeyes player ever.

Big Ten Related Stories

The looming heavyweight battle features an Ohio State offense that’s first in the Big Ten in total yards (503.5 per game) and points (42.7 per game) going up against an Indiana defense that has given up the fewest points in the conference (11.8 per game) and is third in opponent total yards (263.5 per game). Meanwhile, Indiana’s offense is second in the Big Ten in total yards (462.7 per game) and third in points (40.2 per game) and will face an Ohio State defense that’s second in the conference in both opponent total yards (246.8 per game) and opponent points (13.2 per game).

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After an injury-plagued training camp, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson finds himself sidelined once again.

Henderson suffered a high-ankle sprain during New England’s Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, ESPN reported on Tuesday morning. While he is expected to miss multiple weeks, all indications suggest Henderson avoided surgery and could return sooner rather than later.

Henderson previously dealt with a Grade 1 ankle sprain during training camp that cost him multiple weeks. The injury didn’t just keep Henderson out of practice, but it also forced him to miss the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

It’s unclear if this is the same ankle injury, but Henderson has struggled to stay healthy since entering the league as a second-round pick out of Ohio State.

Henderson has also struggled on the field this season, but injuries have undoubtedly played a factor in his regression following an impressive rookie season. Through four games, Henderson has rushed for 163 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and just a single touchdown.

With Henderson now sidelined, veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to step back into a three-down workhorse role. Meanwhile, rookie Corey Kiner should serve as the primary change-of-pace option moving forward.

Kiner is coming off a strong performance against the Raiders. After Henderson left the game, Kiner stepped up to rush for 52 yards on six carries (8.7 yards per carry), headlined by a 32-yard run.

With the Patriots sitting at 3-2, the time for the offense to click is now in a competitive AFC East. With Henderson sidelined and wide receiver A.J. Brown still on injured reserve, even more pressure continues to fall on the shoulders of quarterback Drake Maye.

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That’s a rough way to go out.

The Los Angeles Rams are releasing kicker Harrison Mevis and have subsequently signed kicker Blake Grupe off the New York Jets’ practice squad, NFL Media reported on Tuesday afternoon.

Mevis missed two field goals in the Rams’ Monday night overtime loss at home to the Buffalo Bills: a 50-yard field goal on the team’s opening possession and a 48-yard field goal in overtime, which was tipped by Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau.

Through five games, Mevis was 14 of 14 on extra-point attempts but 5 of 9 on field goal attempts, including three misses between 40-49 yards out and one from 50-plus yards out.

Who Is Harrison Mevis?

Mevis went unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft, spending time in training camp with the Carolina Panthers before being waived and later kicking for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He then spent time with the New York Jets in the summer of 2025 before being released and then signing with the Rams for the 2025 NFL season.

Mevis spent the majority of the 2025 season on the Rams’ practice squad, but he did appear in nine games, knocking through 12 of 13 field goal attempts, including going 5 for 6 on kicks between 40-49 yards and making his lone attempt from 50-plus yards. He was also 39 for 39 on extra-point attempts.

Mevis was previously the primary kicker for the Missouri Tigers from 2020-23, leading the SEC with 26 made field goals in 2021 and making 89 of 106 field goal attempts across his collegiate career.

Who Is Blake Grupe?

As for the Rams’ new kicker, Grupe kicked for the New Orleans Saints for two-plus years (2023-25) before being cut and spending the end of the 2025 season with the Indianapolis Colts.

After going 18 of 26 on field goal attempts with the Saints last season, he finished the year 11 of 11 with the Colts. Grupe was waived by the Colts in August and subsequently claimed on waivers by the Jets.

The Rams are 2-3.

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2026 has seen a lot of sloppy football, and Week 5 may have been the sloppiest.

The Eagles and Jaguars gave us a chaotic start in London. Jacksonville made enough mistakes for a woefully short-handed Philadelphia team to stick around in a game it had no business winning before a roller-coaster ending. The Commanders found a new way to blow a win in overtime against the Giants. Even the game of the day, the 49ers-Seahawks thriller, came down to which team made the fewest mistakes (spoiler: it wasn’t the team quarterbacked by Sam Darnold).

Those games weren’t exactly well played, but they still delivered plenty of drama. Let’s take a closer look at the plays that shaped Week 5 in the NFL and see what they may mean for the future.

The Seahawks Are No Match For Mike Evans

Last week, I called Kansas City’s acquisition of Kenneth Walker the move of the offseason, but I’m ready to reopen the discussion after watching Mike Evans torch the Seahawks for 113 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions in a thrilling 49ers road win.

I don’t know where the 49ers would be without Evans, but I can say this confidently: they would not be 5-0. Seattle had no answer for him on Sunday. Whenever they needed a play, Brock Purdy looked his way. Their most significant connection – and the one that best illustrates how Evans has transformed this offense – came early in the fourth quarter, with the Niners trailing by five and facing third-and-10 around midfield.

Evans lined up to Purdy’s right with Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe across from him. The Seahawks elected to play man coverage, with one safety back deep and the other lurking in the middle. That gave Seattle more bodies in the middle of the field, where the 49ers were looking to attack, but it left Jobe in single coverage on Evans.

Even with Jobe playing inside of Evans and cheating on in-breakers, the veteran receiver found a way to get open.

A subtle shoulder feint outside and a sharp break in the other direction let Evans box out Jobe at the catch point, and Purdy trusted his new WR1 to take care of the rest. The throw was high and a bit behind Evans, but that catch radius could erase any inaccuracy.

We’ve seen it all season with these two. If Purdy can put the ball in Evans’ general vicinity, the big receiver will come down with the ball. Per Pro Football Focus, the 33-year-old has caught 96% of his catchable targets and has come down with 10 of his 13 contested targets. Both would be career highs for Evans.

Evans gives Purdy an answer for man coverage that he hasn’t had since Brandon Aiyuk was at his peak in 2023. Since Purdy’s breakout campaign, the 49ers haven’t fared well against defenses that can play sticky coverage. With Evans in the fold, they’ve punished opponents for trying.

The takeaway: Evans has been everything the 49ers could have hoped for, but the depth chart is thin, and injuries are ravaging the receiving corps once again. 

San Francisco lost rookie second-round pick De’Zhaun Stribling for an extended time in training camp, Ricky Persall went down for the season with a torn PCL in August, and now Deebo Samuel is expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury. The offense is rolling now, but an injury to Evans, who hasn’t been fully healthy all season, could wreck the passing game.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is acting accordingly. He’s been overly protective of his veteran receiver, limiting him to no more than 28 routes in a game this season. On Sunday, he didn’t run another snap after the 49ers took the lead in the fourth quarter. With Shanahan calling the plays for Purdy, perhaps the offense could stay afloat without Evans, but the Niners coach clearly has no interest in finding out. 

The Commanders Give Away A Win

This sequence of blunders by the Commanders has been reviewed more times than the Zapruder film, but how about one more viewing?

It’s been over 24 hours since the Commanders gave away a win with some of the worst clock management you’ll ever see, and I’m still not sure where we should be pinning the blame. But we have to blame someone, right?

Jayden Daniels ultimately made the decision to go to the ground without enough time to line up and spike the ball, but I agree with Dan Quinn, who said after the game, “It’s an outside throw or a clock. Those are the two [options]: an out-of-bounds throw or a clock. That has to come from me. I don’t have to put [Daniels] into that spot.”

The prospect of a 10-second runoff made it a trickier situation for Daniels to manage. Just chucking the ball out of bounds or into the first may have drawn an intentional grounding flag, which would have ended the game. Several erroneous intentional grounding calls were made around the league on Sunday, so leaving the game up to a referee’s judgment call isn’t great process – even if Daniels could have sailed the ball over Ben Sinnott’s head with a throwaway.

Simply put, Quinn overcomplicated the situation for his young quarterback. In an ideal world, the Commanders would have a timeout and could manipulate the clock to make any Washington field-goal attempt the final play of the game – as they did in 2024 at the end of an early-season game against these same Giants.

Without that timeout, though, the margins get smaller. As we saw, any screw-up puts the Commanders on the clock and forces them to scramble to spike it or rush the field-goal unit on. When a field goal ends the game, there’s no need to go to the lengths Washington did to milk the clock. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t standing on the other sideline. It was Jameis Winston. Quinn complicated things to avoid giving the ball back to Jameis freaking Winston with just a few ticks left on the clock and 40 yards between him and range for a game-winning field goal.

But if Quinn wanted to run the clock down, there was a far simpler way. Washington could have lined up on the ball immediately after the first-down run that got the clock moving with around 50 seconds to go. If Daniels had taken the snap after the clock passed the 40-second mark, the play clock would have been turned off, and the Commanders could have calmly lined up and spiked the ball with just enough time for the game-winning kick.  

The takeaway: That NFC title game run in 2024 feels like ages ago now. Quinn may not last the season after Sunday’s debacle, and confidence in Daniels is waning with the third-year quarterback entering a pivotal offseason. If this coach-quarterback duo wants another shot at righting the ship, they’ll have to avoid these embarrassing episodes that have become all too familiar to a once-proud fanbase. 

Ultimately, the coach and quarterbacks are caretakers, whose main job is not to screw things up. We have never seen a team screw up in the manner Washington did on Sunday.

The Unsung Heroes Of The Jaguars’ Comeback Win Over Philly

I’ll let Philadelphia media and WIP callers handle the criticism of Nick Sirianni for mismanaging the clock and allowing the Jaguars to steal a win. Eagles rookie Makai Lemon should have stayed in bounds on second down to keep the clock running. In hindsight, Jake Elliott probably should have booted the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone for a touchback. Sirianni could have done more to raise Philly’s win probability by a few percentage points, but saying he threw away the game ignores that Jacksonville still had to make a remarkable play to get in position for Cam Little’s game-winner.

Let’s give some love to the Jaguars players who made it all possible, starting with Ameer Abullah, who is somehow still kicking around the league more than a decade after you wasted that fourth-round pick on him in your fantasy draft. The journeyman back had just enough speed to break through the Eagles’ kick coverage, and I’m not sure if he would’ve done it without a running start. But as Elliott’s kick flies toward Abdullah, you can see him take a few steps back, gather momentum, and catch the ball.

Abdullah needed every bit of that little head start. He reached 17.7 mph on the return. That’s fast for me or you, but it’s relatively slow by NFL standards. Aaron Rodgers hit 17.1 mph in Week 3. Abdullah still managed to run 57 yards in seven seconds, a minor miracle.

But Abdullah received plenty of help from his blockers. If even one of them fails to execute, he’s tackled short of the 50-yard line, and Jacksonville loses the game. The play’s success hinges on the double-team block by running back Chris Martinez Jr. and tight end Tanner Koziol. Those two stonewall E.J. Jenkins, sealing off Abdullah’s left side.

Tight end Quintin Morris and wide receiver Josh Cameron make the key blocks that seal off the right side for Abdullah. Cameron’s effort is remarkable. The rookie receiver, who’s earned offensive snaps thanks to his perimeter run blocking, is back deep with Abdullah when the ball is kicked. When the kick arrives, Cameron is over 29 yards from his block assignment, Kelee Ringo, and must close that gap in seconds. He not only does that, but he also lands a solid block on Ringo once he arrives, giving Abdullah enough space to break into the open field.

Morris gets just enough Arnold Ebiketie to block him off from Abdullah, as well. Linebacker Branson Combs also makes a key block. Every time I rewatch the play, I find another Jaguar doing their job and making the return possible.

And even with the top-shelf block, Abdullah still had to hurdle Elliott’s diving attempt at a tackle to get past midfield into Little’s range.

The takeaway: Look, I get the rush to dunk on Sirianni after a highly avoidable loss, but he didn’t just hand Jacksonville the game. The Jags had no margin for error. Everything had to go right for Abdullah’s return to produce that result. Sirianni’s teams are typically on the right side of these inexplicable losses, which is why Sunday’s result was such a shock.

You can criticize Sirianni for a lot of things, but game management usually isn’t the issue. But if this becomes a pattern, and the Eagles start giving away close games, it will be harder to ignore the myriad issues that have marred the offense for a few years running. Even if Sirianni isn’t fully to blame for the loss, he can’t afford to take it with the way things are going in Philadelphia. 

Three And Out

1. Kyler Murray has stacked two solid performances in a row, and both have been highlighted by unreal throws, but it’s this 14-yard scramble that has me excited for what this Vikings offense can eventually become.

Murray hit 20.8 mph on that run. It’s the top speed a quarterback has reached all season, narrowly beating out Caleb Williams, and the first time Murray has gotten over 20 mph since 2024. It felt like hearing Odysseus pluck his bow. The version of Murray who looked like a fringe top-10 quarterback just two seasons ago may have returned.

2. If there was any lingering doubt about Drake Maye, Sunday’s three-touchdown masterclass against the Raiders should have proved he is all the way back. This two-play sequence convinced me. The Patriots run the same “dagger” concept on two consecutive dropbacks. On the first play, the weak-side safety, Jeremy Chinn, runs with the clear-out route, leaving Romeo Doubs open on the deep in-breaker.

After a run on first down, the Patriots ran the same pass concept. This time, Chinn jumps the in-breaker run by Kyle Williams, leaving Pop Douglas’s clear-out route open.

That clear-out route is an “alert” and rarely gets thrown. That Maye felt it would be open and made the throws tells me he’s seeing the field much better than he did earlier in the season.

3. Since we’ve spent a lot of time criticizing coaches for strategic mistakes in crunch time, I wanted to give a shout-out to Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for sending a blitz on the Chargers’ Hail Mary attempt. Justin Herbert was sacked before his receivers could get downfield, eliminating any chance L.A. had of forcing overtime.

Some may see that as a risky play call, but the numbers suggest it’s the safest approach in Hail Mary situations. There have been 178 Hail Mary plays since 2020, per Pro Football Focus. Defenses have blitzed 35 of those. Defenses sacked the quarterback on 32% of those plays and gave up no completions. The other 143 plays resulted in nine touchdowns.

The best way to defend a Hail Mary is to keep the offense from even getting a pass off.

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UCLA has been on a heater, but the Bruins could face a bump in the road when they play Wisconsin in Week 7.

In the NFL, the Seahawks are traveling to face the Broncos after a tough, short week.

I believe there’s value in betting the underdog in both these games and here’s why.

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The letdown spot is something handicappers have looked at for years when trying to pick winners in sports betting. 

A team gets a big, emotional win, and bettors often look to bet against that team the following week, figuring they might come out flat after celebrating from the previous week. 

That logic has worked this year in certain situations already. Ole Miss got revenge against its old coach Lane Kiffin back in September but got blown out the following week by Florida. 

The Gators, who were then being praised as national title contenders and a Playoff team, followed up their breakout win by getting blown out by Missouri. 

Can the Badgers ruin the Bruins’ weekend with an upset? (Getty Images)

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We have a similar situation this weekend, as UCLA just got a huge, program-defining type of win with a road upset against Oregon. 

The Bruins have a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Now, they host a Wisconsin team that is flying under the radar at 4-1, and the Badgers’ only loss was to Notre Dame — a game that was close in yardage and was tight in the second half before some turnovers blew it open. 

Oh, and UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out indefinitely with a knee injury. 

Don’t be surprised if the high of beating Oregon doesn’t last long.

Hill’s Pick: Wisconsin Moneyline (+120)

If Broncos quarterback Bo Nix didn’t get hurt last January, then this would quite possibly be a Super Bowl rematcn. 

But it’s not, and the defending champion Seahawks come into this road tilt off of a short week and a physical game with the 49ers. 

In that loss, the Seahawks showed some cracks. 

Sam Darnold has shown glimpses of his younger self, and it’s not for the better (Getty Images).

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Quarterback Sam Darnold showed flashes of his younger days when he was prone to turnovers, throwing two interceptions in defeat. The team also clearly has a hole that hasn’t been filled at running back since the departure of SB MVP Kenneth Walker, highlighted by George Holani’s game-altering fumble. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos never seem to have leads but have somehow come out with wins more times than not. They are now 17-5 since the start of the 2025 season. 

Denver is a tough place to play, especially on a short week after a physical game. I like getting the gritty Broncos as home ‘dogs.

Hill’s Pick: Broncos Moneyline (+135)

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