Sports
NFC South Is NFL's Most Mediocre Division
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the last three NFC South titles.
At 3-1, they have the early lead in the division again and can strengthen their edge as they face their closest competitors—the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons and the 2-2 New Orleans Saints—in Weeks 5 and 6.
But no team from the NFC South has advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the wild-card Bucs won the Super Bowl after the 2020 season.
Tampa Bay can establish itself as one of the top early contenders in the NFC by winning Thursday night in Atlanta and 10 days later in New Orleans. But a loss in either or both of the games would create a logjam of mediocrity that has been a feature of the division in recent seasons.
While the Carolina Panthers, 1-3 after going 2-15 a year ago, appear to be facing an ongoing rebuilding project, the Falcons, who last made the playoffs in 2017, and the Saints, who last made the playoffs in 2020, both made significant off-season moves designed to help them unseat the Bucs and emerge as contenders.
But so far the results have been average.
Both teams hired highly regarded assistants to be their offensive coordinators, Atlanta grabbing former Rams quarterback coach/passing game coordinator Zac Robinson and New Orleans importing former 49ers offensive passing game specialist Klint Kubiak.
The Falcons, who at 7-10 finished two games behind the second-place Saints last season, went even further to help out first-year head coach Raheem Morris by signing free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.
But Atlanta averaged less than 17 points per game in losing two of its first three, though it did beat the Saints 26-24 last Sunday without scoring an offensive touchdown.
New Orleans was as impressive as any team in the NFL in the first two weeks, beating the Panthers 47-10 and the Cowboys 44-10, but the loss in Atlanta was preceded by a 15-12 home loss to the Eagles. The Saints, who visit the undefeated Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Monday night, have outscored their opponents 127-70, tying the undefeated Vikings for the largest scoring margin in the NFL, but they have just a breakeven record (and a to-game losing streak) to show for it.
As for the Bucs, they are coming off a 33-16 victory against the Eagles and have two other impressive wins, handing both the surprising Commanders (37-20) and the Lions (20-16) their only losses.
But two weeks ago Tampa Bay was handled easily at home by the Broncos 26-7.
The upcoming back-to-back divisional road games will be a good gauge for the Bucs, whose game at Detroit has been their only game away from home.
Perceived contenders such as the Cowboys, Eagles, Packers, 49ers and Rams are off to surprisingly slow starts, while the Commanders, Vikings and Seahawks appear to be stronger contenders than generally was expected.
Meanwhile, in the NFC South, unless and until someone demonstrates otherwise, continued mediocrity is the only label that sticks.
Sports
Tyrone Taylor cracks 3-run shot to spark Mets over Dodgers
Jul 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Tyrone Taylor’s go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning propelled the New York Mets to an 8-3 victory on Sunday over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
The veteran outfielder greeted reliever Evan Phillips with a 405-foot blast into the left field seats for his eighth homer of the season and fifth since July 4. It doubled as the Mets’ first hit since the first.
Marcus Semien, a defensive replacement in the seventh, added another three-run shot to cap a four-run seventh for the Mets as they snapped a three-game skid.
Four relievers combined to limit the Dodgers to three singles and one hit by pitch over the final five innings. Cionel Perez (4-3) pitched two perfect innings and struck out three.
Los Angeles’ bullpen did not match the Mets. Jack Dreyer walked two batters in the sixth and got only one out before being replaced by Phillips (0-2), who allowed a homer for the fourth time in his last five appearances. Will Klein gave up four runs in the seventh on two hits and two walks.
The first three Mets batters got hits off Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, with leadoff hitter A.J. Green doubling and scoring on Francisco Lindor’s single. Bo Bichette (2-for-4) followed with another base hit. After that, Sheehan allowed just two walks and one hit batsman while fanning five over five innings.
Los Angeles scored twice in the third off Mets starter Freddy Peralta. Eliezer Alfonzo hit a leadoff double. After an out and an Andy Pages walk, Freddy Freeman doubled home Alfonzo. Max Muncy’s groundout made it 2-1.
Freeman finished 2-for-4 for his fourth straight multi-hit game. Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez also went 2-for-4.
Peralta needed 93 pitches to get through four innings. He gave up six hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks while striking out three.
The Dodgers, who saw their four-game winning streak end, loaded the bases off Luke Weaver with two out in the eighth. However, Weaver made a great play on a Hernandez dribbler between the mound and third base to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jul 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Michael Massey hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the visiting Kansas City Royals hung on for a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
Massey’s eighth homer made a winner of Nate Pearson (2-0), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired in a trade with Houston. Steven Cruz survived a ninth-inning jam to record his second save.
Lane Thomas had a solo homer and Luke Maile added an RBI double as the Royals salvaged a split of the four-game series.
Dillon Dingler had two hits and drove in two runs for Detroit.
Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first. Leadoff hitter Thomas hit a 3-2 pitch to the opposite field that just cleared the wall. The Royals then scratched out an unearned run. Nick Loftin singled and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch. Valdez retired the next two batters before walking Isaac Collins to load the bases.
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee then bobbled Tyler Tolbert’s grounder, allowing Loftin to score.
The Royals made it 3-0 in the fourth. Tolbert drew a one-out walk and Maile followed with a double down the left field line to knock him in.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Lee led off with a double and Colt Keith walked. Kevin McGonigle singled to load the bases. After Gleyber Torres struck out, Avila was removed for Matt Strahm. Riley Greene hit a bouncer up the middle that got by second baseman Andrew Velazquez for an error. Two runs scored and Greene raced all the way to second. Dingler then knocked in McGonigle and Greene with a single up the middle.
Collins had a bloop single off Drew Sommers with one out in the eighth. Sommers (0-1) struck out the next batter but Massey took advantage of a hanging slider and deposited over the right field wall to give his club a 5-4 advantage.
Detroit had two runners on with no one out in the ninth as Lee walked and Keith singled. Cruz then recorded two strikeouts, sandwiching a popout, to end the contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers pound Rockies 11-2
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws during the first inning of their game against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, July 26, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jacob Misiorowski retired the first 14 batters he faced and finished with 12 strikeouts, Andrew Vaughn homered and the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt and Jake Bauers had two hits apiece for Milwaukee, which broke open a close game in the sixth inning to win the series.
Misiorowski struck out seven in a row to start the game and 12 of the first 13 batters he faced with pitches consistently above 100 mph. Cole Carrigg ended the bid for a perfect game with an opposite-field homer to left.
Willi Castro was hit by a pitch before Misiorowski got Troy Johnston to ground out to end the inning — and his afternoon. Misiorowski (11-4) allowed one run on one hit and didn’t walk a batter in his five innings.
Carrigg’s home run was his fifth of the season and Castro hit a solo home run in the seventh for the Rockies, who finished with five hits and fanned 15 times.
Chourio led off the bottom of the first with the first of his two doubles and scored on Brice Turang’s single. One out later, William Contreras doubled to put runners on second and third, Turang scored on a Freeland wild pitch and Contreras came home on a groundout.
Freeland (2-10) settled in, giving up just two hits over the next four innings before Vaughn led off the sixth with his fourth home run. Freeland left after a one-out walk to Bauers, having allowed five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Brewers added on against Colorado’s bullpen.
Bauers stole second and Jimmy Herget walked Gary Sanchez ahead of three straight doubles. Lara brought home Bauers with the first two-bagger, Pratt made it 7-1 with a two-run double and Ortiz put runners on second and third with the next double.
Pratt capped the inning when he scored on a groundout.
After Castro’s 10th home run, Sanchez and Lara had RBI doubles in the bottom of the seventh and Vaughn a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Tyrone Taylor cracks 3-run shot to spark Mets over Dodgers
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
