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🏈 Five things to know Monday
- NFL Week 1 lived up to expectations. Actually, it might have exceeded them. The first Sunday slate of the year capitalized on the Super Bowl rematch and showdown in Australia that preceded it. The Bills' 36-31 win over the Texans was a thriller and a potential look ahead to the AFC Championship, the Vikings shocked the Packers with a 22-point fourth quarter to take early command of the NFC North, and the divisional rivalry between the Cowboys and Giants was as heated as always. Tonight's Broncos-Chiefs duel is the cherry on top of a fantastic opening week.
- College football's game of the year produced a new No. 1 team. The vast majority of AP Top 25 voters and Coaches Poll participants are in agreement: Texas is the best team in the nation. Nobody would have thought that through three quarters of the Longhorns' marquee matchup against now-No. 6 Ohio State, though. Texas trailed 23-3 entering the final period and pulled off a remarkable comeback to top the Buckeyes in a 24-23 stunner. Arch Manning was largely to blame for the slow start but was the face of the fourth-quarter rally -- one that instantly became part of his Texas legacy. And on the other sideline, it was the opposite story. Ryan Day had all the answers for the Longhorns until he didn't, and his late-game calls contributed to Ohio State's collapse. The Buckeyes suddenly have a much narrower path to the College Football Playoff with five ranked opponents on their remaining schedule.
- Team USA took home a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal. The international women's basketball dynasty is alive and well. France opened the gold medal game scalding hot from 3-point range, but Team USA locked things down after falling behind by as many as 14. The Americans ended up victorious by a comfortable 97-79 final to dash France's hopes of a landmark upset. Breanna Stewart was the greatest individual standout not only of the championship game but of the entire tournament, too. Her double-double on Sunday helped her become the first player to ever win multiple World Cup MVP awards.
- MLB's postseason picture is falling into place. Two teams are already guaranteed spots in the playoffs. The Rays became the first team to punch their ticket and look like the American League's top World Series contender. On the other side of the bracket, the Brewers are the best squad in the National League and could also win the first title in franchise history. Next in line are the Yankees (with a magic number of 1) and Dodgers (with a magic number of 2). The postseason field will be locked in two weeks, and we took a stab at projecting what it will look like in our MLB Bracketology.
- Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina are US Open champions. The 23-year drought continues for American men in Grand Slam play as Ben Shelton fell to Zverev in the men's championship on Sunday. Not only did Zverev win his second major of the year, but he also improved to 6-0 in his career against Shelton, who had the support of the home crowd but managed to win only one set against the No. 1 seed. Rybakina, in three sets against top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, also secured her second major title of 2026 and is now just a win at the French Open away from completing the career Grand Slam.
🧦 Do not miss this: MLB Power Rankings
Remember when the White Sox held a 5½-game lead in the AL Central? That was fun while it lasted. A month later, they've let go of the rope all the way down to half a game, and in turn, the South Siders slipped in our MLB Power Rankings. Matt Snyder explained why Chicago is down to No. 13 this week.
- Snyder: "We've been concerned about the rotation for a while, but the offense has scored a combined nine runs in their last five losses."
As a matter of fact, there is a ton of movement around the postseason bubble in this week's rankings. The 12 best teams might not necessarily be the 12 that clinch spots in the playoffs -- in fact, they almost certainly will not be, because of how putrid the American League is this year -- but here is how things look around that mark in the updated power rankings:
10. Diamondbacks (↓1)
11. Guardians (↑3)
12. Pirates (↑5)
13. White Sox (↓1)
14. Blue Jays (↓1)
📝 NFL Week 1 takeaways
The early window alone provided more entertainment than anyone could have expected. Shocking results in the evening made Week 1 even more mind-blowing. The first week of NFL games in 2026 is nearly complete, and what a ride it has been thus far. Here's a full breakdown of the opening week's takeaways.
- Winners and losers: The decision to start Deshaun Watson makes even less sense now than it did when the Browns announced it. Watson had an abysmal season debut that left Cleveland unwilling to commit to him for Week 2. What happened in Tennessee was just as embarrassing, as the Titans opened the Robert Saleh era with a disastrous 23-10 loss to the Jets. Cleanse your palate by celebrating the biggest winners of the week, like the Bears and their explosive offense.
- Grades: Thank goodness for the defense, because Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers' offense left a lot to be desired in a 20-13 win over the Falcons. That's why Pittsburgh earned a pedestrian "C+" grade on our report card.
- Injuries: Shortly after he threw an interception on his first pass, a brutal hit to the head forced Kyler Murray out of his Vikings debut with a concussion. A bevy of injury updates also flew in from the weekday games. Myles Garrett will undergo surgery on his knee, De'Zhaun Stribling is out at least a month, A.J. Brown landed on injured reserve and the Seahawks expect to be without Sam Darnold in Week 2.
- History lesson: Derrick Henry moved into sole possession of third place on the all-time rushing touchdowns leaderboard. And we saw not one but two scorigamis! The Bears-Panthers score and the Vikings-Packers score had never before occurred in NFL history.
- Overreactions: The Bears might lead the NFL in scoring offense. They might also lead the league in points allowed. Get ready for shootouts, because this is no overreaction. It is, however, a stretch to say that the Rams are already doomed because of just one game.
- Contract news: A few deals got done at the 11th hour. Just in time for kickoff, D'Andre Swift secured a three-year extension with the Bears, and two tight ends jumped into the top five at their position in per-year earnings. Joey Porter Jr., on the other hand, remains in search of a new deal. And the Lions could be gearing up for a big move.
😬 Big Ten struggles and other concerning college football results
At least the Big Ten has Michigan. The Wolverines helped salvage what was an otherwise rough day for the conference with their upset of No. 11 Oklahoma in a 17-10 slugfest. Outside of that bounce-back effort for Michigan -- wherein Bryce Underwood did just enough to help the offense get off the mat -- the Big Ten was among the biggest losers of college football's Week 2.
The most concerning result for the conference came in the form of No. 6 Oregon's unfathomable loss at Oklahoma State. Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker had his way with the vaunted Ducks defense in a game that defied all logic. Among the most mind-blowing stats: Oklahoma State became the first team to snap a 12-game losing streak with a win over a top-10 team. So where does Oregon go from here? The CFP is not out of reach, but if the Ducks lose another game or two, this will be a disastrously disappointing season.
Our John Talty went so far as to say that Dante Moore should have gone pro instead of returning to Eugene.
- Talty: "Instead of preparing to make his NFL debut Sunday afternoon, Moore is fending off criticism after No. 6 Oregon's stunning 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State. Moore threw two touchdowns but was 14 of 29 and finished with a 26 QBR. If the season goes into the tank, he's going to end up leaving precious guaranteed NFL money on the table."
Another team that underwhelmed: No. 8 LSU. Now, it wasn't nearly to the same extent, because the Tigers beat Louisiana Tech by 31. But four turnovers in the second quarter alone and the surrendering of 11 tackles for loss was a wake-up call just in time for the highly anticipated battle against No. 9 Ole Miss. That's why we gave the Tigers a "C-" on this week's college football report card.
Rounding out the results that matter the most in the CFP picture, our Tom Fornelli is a little worried about No. 13 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders trailed in the fourth quarter at Oregon State for their second less-than-convincing win in as many weeks.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Meet the new face of boxing. Ryan Garcia needed less than two full rounds to defeat Conor Benn by TKO and defend his WBC welterweight title. On the undercard, Jai Opetaia stopped Noel Mikaelian to defend his cruiserweight titles. Here's what's next for the winners.
- Jean Silva defeated Jose Miguel Delgado by submission at Noche UFC and will be watching UFC 333 for his potential next opponent. Earlier in the night, Alexa Grasso promised to win the flyweight title following her win over Manon Fiorot and Tommy McMillen survived an upset scare from Marwan Rahiki.
- When will the Kawhi Leonard trade go through? These hiccups make it an uncertain waiting game.
- Christian Pulisic made a big impact for AC Milan in his first match since the World Cup.
- Our college basketball experts debated which team is the best of the 21st century.
- With Matchday 1 in the books, Barcelona and Manchester City are huge risers in our UEFA Champions League Power Rankings.
- Sami Zayn is now a two-time undisputed WWE champion.
- Manchester United have reasons to worry after falling to Manchester City in a frustrating derby.
- Kate Koval announced her transfer destination following her exit from LSU.
- Tottenham Hotspur are doing some soul searching with their goalless streak now at four matches.
📺 What we're watching Monday
⚽ Roma at Torino, 12:30 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Newcastle United at Leeds United, 3 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ White Sox at Guardians, 6:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Tigers at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Braves at Cubs or Yankees at Twins, 7:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🤼 WWE Raw, 8 p.m. on Netflix
🏈 Broncos at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Marlins at Diamondbacks, 10:30 p.m. on MLB Network
