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Week 5 NFL Capsules

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston TexansTexans wide receiver Stefon Diggs gets a chance to greet his previous team Sunday when the Buffalo Bills visit Houston in a matchup of 3-1 teams. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

New York Jets (2-2) vs. Minnesota Vikings (4-0) in London

The Vikings are 4-0 for the first time since 2016 and own a 3-0 record in international games. Minnesota has won three games in a row against the Jets, who arrive frustrated by a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos last week. Standing in their way of a get-happy game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft by the Jets who is thriving under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. Darnold leads the NFL with 11 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 118.9. He said he won’t shy away from the Jets’ confident secondary, including Sauce Gardner, when looking for No. 1 receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is shooting for his sixth consecutive game with a TD catch. Rodgers plays the Vikings for the 30th time in his career and has more passing yards — 7,157 — against Minnesota than any other team.

Carolina Panthers (1-3) at Chicago Bears (2-2)

Teams entangled by their draft and quarterback decisions the past two years measure up in Chicago, where the Bears are 2-0 this season with close wins over the Titans and Rams. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t always looked comfortable or confident, but head coach Matt Eberflus does sense improvement. On the other hand, the Panthers are trying to bounce back from a 34-24 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. They are finding far more positives with former Bears quarterback Andy Dalton, who replaced Bryce Young as Carolina’s starter after an 0-2 start. Young was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023 — Carolina acquired the pick from the Bears in a deal that included the slot Chicago would use to select Williams. Among Williams’ top targets is receiver DJ Moore, who’s in his second season with the Bears after five years with Carolina. Dalton, a former starter with the Bengals, has thrown five touchdowns across the past two games.

Baltimore Ravens (2-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)

Baltimore has won three of the past four meetings in this AFC North rivalry and has a chance to get to the top of the division standings after an 0-2 start depending on the outcome of the SNF game (Steelers-Cowboys). Bengals QB Joe Burrow has eyes on a rebound from another sluggish start to the season. He has seven touchdowns and one interception in three career home starts in this series. Burrow said this week he’ll need to be close to perfect to beat Baltimore. That’s partly because the Ravens found an explosive running game featuring Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, who’ve combined for 788 rushing yards in four games. Jackson is 8-1 in nine career starts against the Bengals.

Buffalo Bills (3-1) at Houston Texans (3-1)

Stefon Diggs reunites with the Buffalo Bills, who traded the four-time Pro Bowl receiver to the Texans to shed his salary and abrasive personality. Diggs is thriving in Houston as a co-No. 1 receiver with Nico Collins. Collins starred last week with a career-high 12 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Diggs has 25 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score, well on his way to matching or bettering the numbers he put up all four seasons he played with the Bills. Diggs’ old team took its first loss last week, getting routed 35-10 in Baltimore. Buffalo was outrushed 271 yards to 81. It was a striking result for the AFC’s highest-scoring offense (30.5 points per game), as the Bills managed only 236 total yards (to the Ravens’ 427) and picked up only 12 first downs to Baltimore’s 22. The Bills’ defense also took a hit off the field Wednesday when linebacker Von Miller drew a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The active leader among NFL players in sacks with 126.5, Miller is tied for the team lead this season with three.

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4)

Everything is fine and we’re close to a breakthrough. That’s the common refrain in Jacksonville, where head coach Doug Pederson argues he hasn’t lost the locker room and QB Trevor Lawrence hasn’t won a start in his last nine tries. The stars might be aligning for the Jaguars with the Colts limping in with a 1-4 record in their last four tries against Lawrence. Colts QB Anthony Richardson (hip) was ailing all week after being replaced by Joe Flacco in the Week 4 win. The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the lone 0-4 team to recover and reach the playoffs. That team started slowly while adjusting to new coach Bobby Ross and had strong leadership from Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau. Lawrence’s completion percentage of 53.3 is second worst in the NFL among qualifiers — only Richardson (50.6) is lower. Richardson played high school and college football about 75 miles down the road in Gainesville and hopes to be on the field Sunday.

Miami Dolphins (1-3) at New England Patriots (1-3)

Points are next to impossible to come by for these AFC East clubs riding three-game losing streaks since winning Week 1. Quarterbacks are the root cause of consternation on each side. Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve with a concussion suffered Week 2. Miami has tried to replace him a few different ways and starts Tyler Huntley for a second game in a row. Huntley ran for a TD, the only Dolphins’ trip to the end zone in 10 quarters, in a lopsided loss to the Titans last week. Without the threat of the deep ball, defenses aren’t giving Miami the running lanes that made the Dolphins’ offense a wrecking ball last season. The Dolphins are averaging 11.3 points per game and the Patriots are one slot better among the NFL’s 32 teams at 13 points per game (31st). Jacoby Brissett is New England’s starter with rookie Drake Maye waiting in line. Brissett isn’t blessed with a Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle or Odell Beckham Jr. at wide receiver and New England relies on a ground-and-pound approach that strains its own defense with a non-existent margin for error.

Cleveland Browns (1-3) at Washington Commanders (3-1)

The drumbeat grows in Washington around rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the first player in NFL history with a completion percentage of 85 percent or better in consecutive games. Daniels leads the NFL in completion percentage and has accounted for four rushing touchdowns along with three TD passes and one interception. While Brian Robinson wasn’t full strength in the lead up to Week 5, the Commanders cleared veteran RB Austin Ekeler to return. He has five touchdowns in his last two games against the Browns. Cleveland’s stout defense might have better luck getting Washington’s offense off the field. The Commanders are averaging 30.3 points per game and have punted only once per game (four total) this season. Protecting QB Deshaun Watson is a sore subject for the Browns. Watson has been sacked 19 times with two fumbles and three interceptions. Injuries wrecked the offensive line the first month of the season. In obvious passing situations, Watson has been a sitting duck. Cleveland’s third-down conversion rate of 20.8 percent is last in the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-2) at Denver Broncos (2-2)

Of all the problems percolating around the Raiders, the one thing that hasn’t been much trouble for the franchise is beating the Broncos. They’ve won 10 of 11 from Denver and are 8-0 in the matchup since moving to Las Vegas. By holding three consecutive opponents under 14 points, the Broncos are flexing their muscles defensively as rookie QB Bo Nix inches forward with an offense still searching for its identity. Head coach Sean Payton wants to be a run-first team and made inroads down that path in September without a bell-cow ball-carrier. He might be in for a bit of good news Sunday with the Raiders allowing 5.1 yards per carry and 550 rushing yards in four games. Las Vegas survived apparent infighting and a trade request from wide receiver Davante Adams to beat the Browns in Week 4. They arrive in Denver going for a third consecutive win in the series, hopeful that pass rusher Maxx Crosby can get back on the field. He missed last week’s game with an ankle injury.

Arizona Cardinals (1-3) at San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

Brock Purdy and Jordan Mason are becoming a dynamic duo as the 49ers evolve without RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles). Mason had 160 yards from scrimmage last week and is the only player in the NFL with three 100-yard rushing games. Purdy is second in the NFL with 1,130 passing yards and had four TD passes in his last shot at the Cardinals. Arizona enters knowing it will need more offense than the back-to-back games with no more than 14 points in losses to the Lions (20-13) and Commanders (42-14). Finding a way to push Purdy to get rid of the ball before he’s ready is part of the plan, but opposing quarterbacks have completed 78.6 percent of their passes vs. Arizona this season. Cardinals rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. liked his first taste of NFC West football with four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. He leads Arizona with four TD grabs.

Green Bay Packers (2-2) at Los Angeles Rams (1-3)

Could the Packers be 4-0 this season? Pretty easily, had the late fourth-quarter sequences in Brazil (vs. Eagles) and last week in a near miraculous rally against the Vikings gone differently. Head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense continues to show flashes of potency, averaging 410 yards and 26 points per game. The Packers begrudge the No. 1 receiver label but Jayden Reed put up 7-139-1 last week and is one of two NFL players (Nico Collins) with two 135-yard-plus receiving games this season. Getting the ground game going at a consistent level is a focus for the Packers. RB Josh Jacobs is averaging 4.6 yards per carry but looking for his first rushing touchdown this season. The Rams fell to the Bears last week and played three of their first four games on the road. Back home Sunday, QB Matthew Stafford hopes another playmaker emerges behind RB Kyren Williams, who has six of the Rams’ seven touchdowns this season.

N.Y. Giants (1-3) at Seattle Seahawks (3-1)

Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers had a career-high 12 catches for 115 yards in a Week 4 loss to the Cowboys, but spent the week in concussion protocol. Without Nabers, the Giants are in a pickle with few playmakers to help Daniel Jones survive the noisy torture chamber that is Lumen Field. WR Wan’Dale Robinson had 11 receptions last week but operates almost entirely out of the slot, where he benefits from coverage shaded to slow Nabers. The Seahawks lost for the first time this season at Detroit despite 395 passing yards from Geno Smith and three touchdowns from RB Kenneth Walker III. WR DK Metcalf has three 100-yard games this season. Sunday’s matchup could be big for Seattle’s shot at challenging for a playoff spot under rookie coach Mike Macdonald. Up next is a short week, primetime home game with the 49ers, a trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons (3-2) and a visit from the Buffalo Bills (3-1).

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)

A high injury toll ushers the Cowboys to Pittsburgh for a primetime date with the Steelers. T.J. Watt has three of the Steelers’ 11 sacks and one of Pittsburgh’s five takeaways through four games. The Cowboys face a challenge of generating pressure while containing dual-threat QB Justin Fields, the type of passer that has given Dallas fits in the past. Fields has three touchdown passes and three rushing TDs, operating a conservative passing attack that thrives on play-action. Six targets have 20-plus yard gains and top receiver George Pickens (14.2 yards per catch) had chances for multiple big plays called back due to penalty. Fields could get comfortable with Dallas dealing with injuries to Micah Parsons (ankle) and DeMarcus Lawrence (foot). The Cowboys are still searching for the right mix at running back. Rico Dowdle leads the team with 34 carries for 134 yards. Ezekiel Elliott has averaged 3.4 yards per carry and his longest run covered 9 yards.

New Orleans Saints (2-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-0), Monday night

Undefeated two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City has a perfect record despite a flawed start to the season. The Chiefs have won four one-score games but might need to find retro mojo to dispatch the Saints, who are tied for largest scoring margin in the NFL. New Orleans lost late leads in both losses. The Chiefs are without RB Isiah Pacheco (fibula), WR Hollywood Brown (back) and WR Rashee Rice, leading head coach Andy Reid to bring back Kareem Hunt and utilize rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy in the lead receiver role. Patrick Mahomes is on pace for 18 interceptions while working through the novelty of revolving personnel. He did reconnect with TE Travis Kelce (7-89) last week to defeat the Chargers. Saints QB Derek Carr has been mostly efficient and RB Alvin Kamara leads the NFL with 536 yards from scrimmage to drive the Saints’ offensive resurgence (31.8 points per game). Thanks in part to being No. 7 in scoring defense (18.0), Kansas City has sparred with all four opponents into the fourth quarter before landing the decisive blow. New Orleans took a lead with 2:03 left before a loss to the Eagles and scored in the final minute last week only to fall 26-24 to the Falcons on a decisive field goal.

–Field Level Media

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A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24

WNBA: Playoffs-Las Vegas Aces at New York LibertyOct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.

Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).

Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.

It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.

“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”

While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.

“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.

“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”

Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.

“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”

As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.

“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”

When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.

“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”

–Will Despart, Field Level Media

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Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series

MLB: Seattle Mariners at AthleticsMay 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.

It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.

But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.

Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.

“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.

“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”

Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.

The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.

“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”

Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.

The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.

Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.

Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.

Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.

Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.

“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”

New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.

Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.

Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.

–Field Level Media

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Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement

Boxing: Pacquiao vs UgasAug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.

Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.

Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.

The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.

Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.

Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.

–Field Level Media

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