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🚨 Headlines

🏈 CMC is back: All-Pro Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his season debut for the 49ers on Sunday after an “awesome” performance at practice this week.

🏒 NCAA lifts ban on CHL players: Canadian Hockey League players will be eligible to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season, a decision that could reshape the landscape of Division I and major junior hockey.

🏀 Bronny to G League: The Lakers assigned Bronny James to their G League affiliate in South Bay. He’ll play home games for them, while still being available for the Lakers when South Bay is on the road.

💔 All dogs go to heaven: Kirk Herbstreit’s beloved dog Ben, who had become something of a celebrity after accompanying his owner to college football and NFL games, sadly passed away. Forever a good boy.

🏈 Gators sticking with Napier: Billy Napier’s job as Florida’s football coach is secure, according to AD Scott Stricklin. The Gators are 15-18 under Napier and his future has been a source of constant speculation this season.

🏈 Ravens top Bengals in another thriller

The Ravens beat the Bengals, 35-34, on “Thursday Night Football” in the second epic game between the two teams this season. Baltimore won the first meeting, 41-38 (OT).

The QB battle: Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow were both phenomenal in their first meeting — and the two Heisman Trophy winners were just as good in the rematch.

• Game 1: Jackson was 26-of-42 for 348 yards and 4 TD, while Burrow was 30-of-39 for 392 yards, 5 TD and 1 INT.

• Game 2: Jackson was 23-of-33 for 290 yards and 4 TD, while Burrow was 34-of-56 for 428 yards and 4 TD.

The biggest star of all? Baltimore had no answer for Ja’Marr Chase, who compiled 21 catches and 457 yards in two games — a new NFL record for most receiving yards against a single opponent in a season.

• Game 1: 10 rec, 193 yards, 2 TD

• Game 2: 11 rec, 264 yards, 3 TD

Surely, his team must have won at least one of those games… Nope.

Controversial ending: Just three days after the Buccaneers played for OT against the Chiefs and lost, the Bengals went for two and the win in the final minute. They didn’t convert — but should have gotten another crack at it due to two penalties. The refs missed both.

“It was clearly defensive holding before the pass was in flight, that should have been called. And that does look like forceful contact to the head of the quarterback. That’s a personal [foul]. That’s roughing the passer and should have been called.”

— Prime Video officiating analyst (and former NFL official) Terry McAulay

The last word: “Too many games end this way,” said Al Michaels, who was also on the call for a game earlier this year that ended with a blatant facemask penalty that wasn’t called. “It’s so frustrating for the fans. So frustrating.”

⚽️ Worst to first: The Pride’s epic turnaround

The Orlando Pride just completed the best regular season in NWSL history and are title favorites entering the playoffs — a stunning turnaround for a franchise that spent the past half-decade as a laughingstock.

By the numbers: Orlando (18-2-6) set NWSL records for wins (18), points (60), longest winning streak (8) and longest unbeaten streak (24) en route to earning the No. 1 seed in the postseason, snapping the league’s longest active playoff drought (since 2017).

Worst to first: Signs of Orlando’s turnaround began to emerge two years ago when Seb Hines was hired as head coach. Fueled by his defensive-minded style, they rattled off a seven-game unbeaten streak in 2022. And this season, with a roster similar to the one that finished just shy of the playoffs last year, everything finally clicked, notes Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell.

In soccer, and throughout sports, sudden turnarounds typically feature an overhaul. Visionary leaders arrive; stars follow; together, they reverse fortunes. … The Pride, on the other hand, have largely been driven by holdovers. Over 76% of their 2024 minutes have been logged by players who also appeared in 2023.

Standouts: Marta, one of the best players of all time, scored nine goals at age 38; Barbra Banda, signed this spring for a near-record $740,000 transfer fee, finished second in the league with 13 goals; goalie Anna Moorhouse set the single-season NWSL record with 13 clean sheets.

Playoff preview: The NWSL’s expanded eight-team postseason kicks off tonight with four single-elimination quarterfinals.

• (1) Orlando vs. (8) Chicago: The Pride’s first-ever home playoff game comes against two USWNT standouts in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and striker Mallory Swanson.

• (4) Kansas City vs. (5) North Carolina: KC erupted for a league-record 57 goals this season behind first-year striker Temwa Chawinga, whose 20 goals were also a record.

• (2) Washington vs. (7) Bay FC: Bay FC made the playoffs in their inaugural season; the Spirit’s 18 wins matched Orlando for the most in league history.

• (3) Gotham vs. (6) Portland: Gotham are the reigning champs; Portland’s three titles are more than any other franchise.

Looking ahead: The semifinals are next weekend and the championship is Nov. 23 at Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium, the first venue built specifically for a women’s professional sports team.

🏈 Re-drafting the 2024 NFL draft

Halfway through their debut season, it’s clear that several NFL rookies are over-performing their draft position. So what would happen if we threw every rookie back in the pool?

Top 10 do-over picks, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee:

1. Bears — QB Jayden Daniels (Actual pick: QB Caleb Williams): Absolute no-brainer here — Williams has been very good, Daniels has been transcendent. Now the Hail Marys will go in the Bears’ favor.

2. Commanders — QB Caleb Williams (Actual pick: QB Jayden Daniels): No need to overthink this one. Williams is the second-best QB of the draft, even if he’s struggled a bit on-field. And in a different offense, with more weaponry, he might be better in D.C. than in Chicago.

3. Patriots — QB Drake Maye (Actual pick: Same): Since neither of the top two QBs is dropping, the Patriots opt for what they know. Maye has already shown flashes of glory, and that’s more than enough for New England to stand pat.

4. Cardinals — WR Malik Nabers (Actual pick: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.): And now the debates begin. Harrison has been good but inconsistent in his debut; Nabers, when he’s on the field, has been exceptional among rookies, per PFF.

5. Chargers — DE Jared Verse (Actual pick: OT Joe Alt): Offensive tackles are always welcome, and Alt’s been a good one. But Verse is running away with DROY, and that’s too enticing for the Chargers to turn down.

6. Giants — TE Brock Bowers (Actual pick: WR Malik Nabers): With Nabers off the board, the Giants go for another already-proven commodity, and Bowers has already established himself as one of the league’s top tight ends. Daniel Jones gets his bailout.

7. Titans — WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Actual pick: OT JC Latham): In many cases here, we’ll assume that teams go with what’s turned out to be a better choice at the position they already selected. In this case, when a potential generational talent like Harrison is on the board, you grab that talent.

8. Falcons — S Evan Williams (Actual pick: QB Michael Penix Jr.): And here we have the first real shock of the re-draft. Williams, a fourth-round pick of the Packers, has turned out to be one of the best safeties in the league, per PFF.

9. Bears — OT Joe Alt (Actual pick: WR Rome Odunze): The Bears opt to give their new treasure Daniels more protection rather than more weaponry.

10. Vikings — QB Michael Penix Jr. (Actual pick: J.J. McCarthy): A debatable choice here given the Sam Darnold Renaissance, but with both Penix and McCarthy still on the board, the Vikings go with the higher potential future upside.

Keep reading: Picks 11-32

🇺🇸 Report: Youth sports in America

How did youth sports net out, post-pandemic? Some findings from the 2024 State of Play report produced by the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program:

1. More girls are playing sports: Girls ages 6-12 (34%) and 13-17 (38%) participated in sports at higher levels in 2023 than in any recent year dating back to at least 2012.

2. Fewer boys are playing sports: 41% of boys ages 6-17 participated regularly in sports last year, which is down from 50% in 2013.

3. More kids are specializing in one sport: Children ages 6-17 regularly played 1.63 sports in 2023, which is down 13% from 2019. Over a decade ago, children played more than two sports on average.

Overall, children are returning to pre-COVID participation rates: In 2023, core team sports participation (meaning playing on a regular basis) reached its highest levels for all ages of children since 2015, per data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA).

Read the report.

📆 Nov. 8, 1970: Dempsey’s record kick

54 years ago today, Saints kicker Tom Dempsey — born without toes on his right foot — kicked a then record 63-yard field goal to beat the Lions as time expired.

An unlikely hero: It wasn’t just that Dempsey, nicknamed “Stumpy” by his teammates, had only half a foot that required a specially-made shoe to kick. It’s that he wasn’t terribly successful: Entering that game, the second-year pro was just 27-56 (48%) on field goals.

• Plus, his field goal didn’t merely break the record — it smashed it by seven yards.

• His record wouldn’t be matched for another 28 years, or broken for another 43.

The longest field goals: Only three NFL kickers have ever surpassed Dempsey’s 63-yard kick: Justin Tucker (66 yards in 2021), Brandon Aubrey (65 yards in 2024) and Matt Prater (64 yards in 2013).

📺 Watchlist: Win or go home

Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs concludes this weekend with four winner-take-all matches on Apple TV.

Where it stands: The four winners will advance to the conference semifinals, where they’ll join Seattle, Minnesota, LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls.

More to watch:

• 🏈 NFL Sunday: Giants vs. Panthers in Munich (9:30am, NFL); Steelers at Commanders (1pm, CBS); Lions at Texans (8:20pm, NBC) … Week 10.

• 🏈 CFB Saturday: No. 3 Georgia at No. 16 Ole Miss (3:30pm, ABC); No. 11 Alabama at No. 1 LSU (7:30pm, ABC) … Week 11.

• ⚽️ NWSL Quarterfinals: Orlando vs. Chicago (Fri. 8pm, Prime); KC vs. North Carolina (Sat. 12pm, CBS); Washington vs. Bay (Sun. 12:30pm, ABC); Gotham vs. Portland (Sun. 3:30pm, ABC)

• 🏁 NASCAR Championship: Phoenix Raceway (Sun. 3pm, NBC) … How the four title contenders stack up

• 🏀 NBA: Suns at Mavericks (Fri. 7:30pm, ESPN); 76ers at Lakers (Fri. 10pm, ESPN); Nets at Cavaliers (Sat. 7:30pm, NBA)

• 🏀 NCAAM: No. 9 UNC at No. 1 Kansas (Fri. 7pm, ESPN2); No. 8 Baylor at No. 16 Arkansas (Sat. 7:30pm, ESPNU); No. 11 Auburn at No. 4 Houston (Sat. 9:30pm, ESPNU)

• 🏀 NCAAW: No. 11 Duke at No. 18 Maryland (Sun. 1pm, FS1); No. 9 NC State at No. 1 South Carolina (Sun. 3pm, ESPN)

• 🎾 Tennis: WTA Finals (Fri-Sat, Tennis); ATP Finals* (Sun. 8am, Tennis)

• ⚽️ Premier League: Brighton vs. Man City (Sat. 12:30pm, USA); Liverpool vs. Aston Villa (Sat. 3pm, Peacock); Chelsea vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30am, USA)

*End of an era: Novak Djokovic withdrew from the eight-man field due to injury, making this the first year since 2001 that the ATP Finals won’t feature any members of the “Big Three.”

🇩🇪 Germany trivia

Munich, the site of Sunday’s NFL game between the Giants and Panthers, is the third-largest city in Germany by population.

Question: Which two cities have a larger population?

Answer at the bottom.

🐅 What could possibly go wrong?

For the first time in nearly a decade, LSU will have a live tiger on the sideline this weekend for its game against Alabama.

Details: The tiger won’t be eight-year-old Mike VII, who became the school’s mascot in 2017 and lives in an enclosure across from the stadium. Instead, a one-year-old Bengal tiger named Omar Bradley is being sent to Baton Rouge.

Ummm… Omar’s owner has a laundry list of complaints against him, including two escapes via employee error in 2003 and 2004.

Trivia answer: Berlin and Hamburg

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