Sports
Tiger-Cats hunting first sweep vs. Argonauts in 5 years
Jun 16, 2024; Hamilton, Ontario, CAN; Hamilton Tiger Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (19) throws a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Saskatchewan Rough Riders at Tim Hortons Field. Mandatory Credit: Gerry Angus-Imagn Images The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will try to complete their first sweep of the Argonauts since 2019 when they meet Friday night in Toronto.
The first two meetings were both decided by three points and took place on Hamilton’s turf, with the Tiger-Cats winning 27-24 on July 20 and 31-28 on Sept. 2.
Both teams are coming off victories last week, with Toronto (7-6) winning 33-17 on the road against the BC Lions and Hamilton (4-9) defeating the visiting Ottawa Redblacks 37-21.
Chad Kelly passed for 268 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a TD to lead Toronto past the Lions. Makai Polk caught six passes for 116 yards and a score. Robbie Smith recorded three of the Argos’ seven sacks and helped limit BC to just 222 yards of offense. Lirim Hajrullahu booted six field goals.
The Argonauts snapped a two-game skid.
“We haven’t executed very well the last few weeks, but we fought hard, right?” Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “… Those guys stuck together. We had our backs against the wall, and they had their best performance.”
Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell tallied 299 yards on 20-of-27 passing with two touchdowns and an interception in the win over Ottawa. Steven Dunbar had eight catches for 151 yards and a TD. Destin Talbert steadied the defense with 10 tackles and an interception.
Kelly is 4-1 in his career against Hamilton, while Mitchell is 14-2 against Toronto.
The third-place Argonauts can move closer to a playoff berth with a win against the East Division rival Tiger-Cats, who are still alive — six points behind Toronto with five games remaining.
“We didn’t do ourselves any favors by getting into this position and not being able to really control our own destiny,” Mitchell said. “… Our job is to go out there and try to win the next five.”
Toronto is 5-1 at home this season and 6-0 against Hamilton at BMO Field since 2021. Hamilton is just 1-5 on the road in 2024.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why Kyler Murray is a Perfect Match For Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have landed free agent quarterback Kyler on a one-year league minimum deal for this upcoming season. Rumors had been circulating that Murray would move to the Vikings once he was released by the Cardinals, and that deal was finalized today.
Since Murray was still owed $36.8 million by the Cardinals, Minnesota was able to land him on a veteran league minimum contract, as his salary will be going to Arizona, who is taking the cap hit.
I think this is a match made in heaven. The Vikings can enter next season as a serious playoff contender with Murray, and they can let JJ McCarthy sit behind him and continue to develop. It was very apparent last year that McCarthy was not an NFL-level play caller. Maybe McCarthy lacked confidence in his return from injury, maybe he wasn’t ready to be a starter, or, most importantly, he might not be an NFL-level prospect.
Kyler isn’t some perfect NFL player himself, but in a Kevin O’Connell-led offense, I think he can prove to be an above-average starter–and that’s all the Vikings will need. Minnesota floated around .500 last season with some of the worst quarterback play in the league from McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Heck, McCarthy and Brosmer might’ve been worse than the two starting quarterbacks Cleveland threw out for most of the season.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be excited to have a quarterback who can keep his elite defense in better field position. However, Murray should be able to do more than that. He will be paired with two pass catchers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, who might be the two best players he’s thrown to at the college level.
With Murray, it’s always been about his athleticism, which makes him great, and that’s the biggest need for the Vikings. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason aren’t the greatest backfield pairing, so having Murray’s ability to stretch defense and keep the clock moving will be vital for Minnesota.
O’Connell has been one of the best quarterback whisperers in the NFL. He was able to revitalize Sam Darnold’s career and consistently get the most out of Kirk Cousins. Murray isn’t the traditional pocket-passer type that O’Connell’s found success with, so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s able to scheme up plays to use his athleticism. The NFC North will once again be one of the better divisions in the sport, but if Murray can be a solid pickup, the Vikings should once again have a shot to be “Kings of the North”.
Sports
Report: Chargers to re-sign LB Denzel Perryman on 1-year deal
Aug 7, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman (6) during training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Chargers are set to re-sign linebacker Denzel Perryman to a one-year deal, NFL Network reported Thursday.
Financial terms were not reported.
Perryman, 33, started his career with the Chargers in 2015 when the team still played in San Diego. He made the move to Los Angeles and was with the franchise through the 2020 season before two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and one with the Houston Texans.
Perryman returned to the Chargers in 2024 and has played in 21 games (all starts) over the past two seasons. He was limited to 10 games last season because of injury and a suspension and also played in the team’s 16-3 playoff loss to the New England Patriots.
In 11 career seasons, Perryman has 764 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks with four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five interceptions in 129 games (109 starts) since he was a second-round draft pick out of Miami. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockets need to end wonky stretch vs. suddenly-hot Pelicans
Mar 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) and forward Jeff Green (32) reach for a rebound in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Following their second blowout loss in four days, the Houston Rockets hardly resemble Western Conference contenders despite being tied for the third seed behind a pair of league juggernauts.
After surrendering a season-high 145 points on the road to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Rockets were blitzed by the Denver Nuggets in a 36-point loss on Wednesday. Houston will open a five-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, squarely in the mix for third in the West with the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Nuggets.
The Rockets haven’t passed the eye test of late. Denver hung 129 points on the Rockets, the third-highest point total Houston has surrendered this season. Defensively, the Rockets are tied for seventh in the NBA in defensive efficiency, but have sustained regression on that end of the court.
Offensively, Houston ranks 11th, but the wild swings in performance have become noteworthy. The Rockets are among the worst teams in the league in turnover percentage (28th) and their offensive rebounding has collapsed since the mid-January loss of reserve center Steven Adams to season-ending ankle surgery.
Combine poor ball security and pedestrian rebounding with the poor shooting the Rockets endured in Denver, and the results are often cataclysmic.
The Rockets missed 29 of 33 3-pointers and made just 5 of 14 free throws. A six-point halftime deficit ballooned in the third quarter when the Rockets were outscored 40-22, with their spirit sapped by a succession of missed shots that compromised their defensive intensity.
Opponents have clamped down on Kevin Durant, the Rockets’ leading scorer, and dared his teammates to convert open looks. That strategy has proven to be effective more often than not.
“At this point of the season, we do need to be able to exploit double teams and hit some blitzes on Kevin,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “And I think we did that for the most part. If you don’t turn it over and you get quality shots, whether it’s at the rim or 3-pointers, you kind of have to live with those. When the shots didn’t go…I think we started to hang our heads a little bit.”
Said Durant, who had a season-low-tying 11 points in 26 minutes: “Our offense was clicking outside of making wide-open shots. We generated good looks. It’s a make-or-miss league.”
The Pelicans improved to 7-4 since the All-Star break with their 122-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Dejounte Murray delivered a stellar performance with 27 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals in what was his seventh game of an injury-plagued year.
Murray has not only infused the Pelicans’ rotation with an accomplished veteran since his return from an Achilles injury, but also provided a measure of leadership that his younger teammates can rally around.
“We’re trying to build winning habits,” Murray said. “We’re not the No. 1 team in the West. We’re not a contender in the West, but what we can do is build winning habits and momentum going into the offseason.
” … You’ve got to start somewhere. … There’s nothing like building momentum going into the offseason.”
–Field Level Media
Why Kyler Murray is a Perfect Match For Minnesota Vikings
Report: Chargers to re-sign LB Denzel Perryman on 1-year deal
