Sports
Falcons, ailing Bucs look to wrest control of NFC South
Oct 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (12) runs for the game winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Sunday’s pivotal NFC South matchup between the visiting Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks a lot different than it did last week.
Although the importance of the meeting between the two 4-3 squads isn’t diminished, the personnel for one of the teams has changed considerably.
In Tampa Bay’s 41-31 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, the Buccaneers lost both of their leading receivers — Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Evans, who got his 100th career receiving touchdown in the first quarter, exited with a right hamstring injury.
Although Evans won’t be placed on injured reserve, Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said the team doesn’t expect him to return before the Week 11 bye, meaning he will miss the next three games at least. Evans has 26 receptions for 335 yards and an NFL-best six receiving touchdowns this season.
Trailing by 10 with just over a minute left, the Buccaneers then lost leading receiver Godwin, whose dislocated ankle will require surgery and likely will cost him the rest of his season. Godwin was in the midst of a career year, hauling in five receiving scores to go with 576 yards through the air, second in the NFL to Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase (620).
Dealt the difficult task of having to make up for the loss of the veteran playmakers, Tampa Bay might have to rely on a pair of youngsters in Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer.
McMillan, a rookie third-round pick out of Washington, has six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Palmer, a second-year player, has five catches for 61 yards and a score.
“They bring something different,” Bowles said of McMillan and Palmer. “We have to tweak our offense now to what they bring to the table, as opposed to what Mike and Chris bring. It’ll be a challenge for the coaches as well as the players, but I’m excited to see them play. I think they have more than what meets the eye that we haven’t seen yet, so I’m excited.”
Atlanta is looking to bounce back from an ugly performance last Sunday, when it turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter en route to a 34-14 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Falcons topped Tampa Bay 36-30 in overtime on Oct. 3, and a victory Sunday would put them in the divisional driver’s seat.
Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris, the Tampa Bay head coach from 2009-11, said his Falcons will be ready to go.
“They’re pros, just like everybody else in the National Football League,” Morris said. “They’re definitely going to have the next-man-up mentality. That’s two really good players that we know are going to be out. … I know it’s always ‘woe is me’ when you have people hurt. But for coaches and people who work inside the building, they always have answers to be positive about, and people to get the ball to.”
It’ll be an Atlanta offense that vies to get back on track following its lowest point total since an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins had his worst performance with the Falcons against Seattle, throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions to go with a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. For the season, Cousins has thrown for 1,830 yards and 10 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
As for Atlanta’s injury report, linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, possibly nearing a return after the Sept. 29 injury. Safety Justin Simmons (hamstring), cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (back), and linebacker Nate Landman (shoulder) also were limited participants.
On the offensive line, Matthew Bergeron (neck) was a full participant, while center Ryan Neuzil (knee) did not practice.
For Tampa Bay, running back Bucky Irving (toe), tight end Payne Durham (calf) and safety Tykee Smith (concussion) were non-participants Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: A's sign LHP Dallas Keuchel to minor league deal
Jul 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) throws during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images The Athletics signed former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract, ESPN reported Saturday.
The 38-year-old left-hander, a two-time All-Star, last pitched in the majors for the Milwaukee Brewers on July 13, 2024.
He has 13 years of major league experience, most prominently with the Houston Astros (2012-18). In 2015, he went 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts, en route to winning the AL Cy Young Award.
The veteran will now attempt another comeback with the Athletics. Per ESPN, he will report to Triple-A Las Vegas.
With the Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Brewers, Keuchel is 103-92 with a 4.04 ERA and 1,254 strikeouts in 282 games (267 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Magomed Ankalaev puts away Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi
Oct 4, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; Magomed Ankalaev (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Alex Pereira (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images After a slow-paced, grueling affair that drew boos from the Etihad Arena crowd, No. 1-ranked former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev finally put away No. 9 Bogdan Guskov with fifth-round ground-and-pound at 2:41 to cap off Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi.
The main event was a slog for the first 15 minutes. The opening frame saw very little action, and the second round was largely uneventful aside from Ankalaev (22-2-1, 1 NC MMA) securing a clinch and landing a few knees. The lack of output continued into the third, prompting the restless Abu Dhabi crowd to loudly voice their frustration and shower both men with boos as they returned to their corners.
Ankalaev shifted gears in the championship rounds, immediately taking Guskov (18-4-1 MMA) to the mat to open the fourth. He worked his way to full mount before settling into half guard, eventually threatening with a rear-naked choke that Guskov managed to defend to survive the frame.
Guskov, who landed just 42 strikes throughout the entire fight, nearly pulled off a miracle head-in-arm choke early in the fifth round. Ankalaev calmly escaped the sudden submission threat and eventually took Guskov’s back. Despite a brief reversal from Guskov in a desperate scramble, Ankalaev regained top position and unleashed a vicious barrage of ground-and-pound to force the stoppage.
The victory gave Ankalaev his 13th UFC win, the most among active light heavyweights.
“I want to say thank you to Bogdan (Guskov) for coming in here and saving the fight,” Ankalaev said. “I feel good. Thank you.”
Watching the grueling affair cageside was reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg, who is currently sidelined recovering from a torn ACL. With the stoppage victory, Ankalaev likely solidified his position as the next challenger for Ulberg once the champion is cleared to return to the Octagon.
Flyweight Ramazan Temirov (20-3 MMA) secured his 12th consecutive victory in spectacular fashion, thoroughly dominating former title challenger Steve Erceg (14-5 MMA) en route to a first-round knockout.
Temirov set the tone early with a spinning back attack to begin the bout. Later in the frame, he unleashed a barrage of punches before putting the finishing touches on the performance. The final sequence began with a right hand before Temirov dropped and flatlined Erceg with a single punch to end things at the 4:21 mark.
Following the spectacular finish, Temirov used his post-fight interview to call out reigning UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van for a future title fight.
“I’m ready for everyone,” Temirov said. “Whoever is champion, I’m ready.”
Lightweight Magomed Zaynukov (9-0 MMA) leaned on highly effective striking and mixed combinations to secure a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) over Damian Rzepecki (10-1 MMA). After a slow-paced opening frame, Zaynukov found his rhythm and dictated the action down the stretch, opening noticeable cuts over Rzepecki’s nose and eyes to cruise to the win.
Heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev (14-3-1 MMA) wore down an incredibly game Tyrell Fortune (18-4 MMA), ultimately securing a TKO victory with a devastating knee to the head at the 1:12 mark of the third round. Kuniev nearly finished the bout in both the first and second frames with a barrage of knees and elbows, but Fortune showed immense toughness, surviving the early onslaught and continuing to fight despite a severely compromised right rib.
In the main card opener, Abubakar Vagaev (25-4 MMA) leaned on a balanced attack of striking and timely takedowns to secure a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-4 MMA).
Saturday’s main card was unexpectedly reduced from six fights to five just three hours before the event began. The UFC announced that Islam Dulatov was forced to withdraw from his scheduled welterweight bout against Wellington Turman due to an illness, prompting a last-minute cancellation.
Heavyweight Valter Walker (16-1 MMA) made history on Saturday’s preliminary card, securing his fifth consecutive submission victory to tie former middleweight title challenger Demian Maia for the longest submission streak in modern UFC history. Walker finished Thomas Petersen (11-5 MMA) via first-round calf slicer — an incredibly rare finish that marks only the fourth of its kind ever successfully executed inside the Octagon.
Saturday marked the UFC’s 23rd event in Abu Dhabi since 2010. The promotion also announced during the broadcast that it will make its 24th trip to the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 24 for UFC 333.
The UFC returns to action next Saturday, kicking off August with a trip to Serbia for UFC Fight Night.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Anna Bondar goes overtime, reaches Hamburg final
May 25, 2026; Paris, France; Anna Bondar of Hungary reacts during her first round match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on day two at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images No. 4 seed Anna Bondar of Hungary outlasted Elina Avanesyan of Armenia 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (2) in a three-hour, 29-minute match on Saturday to advance to the final of the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open in Germany.
Bondar will face fifth-seeded Tamara Korpatsch of Germany, who advanced in her semifinal match when Mayar Sherif of Egypt retired in the second set with an injury. Bondar reached the final at Hamburg for the second consecutive year.
Bondar was down 5-3 in the opening set against Avanesyan before rallying then taking the final four points of the tiebreaker for the set. Bondar also lost serve to fall behind 2-0 in the deciding set then won the first five points of the tiebreaker to advance.
Korpatsch dominated the opening set 6-1 then went up 2-0 in the second set before Sherif was forced to bow out. Sherif was coming off her first title in four years at the Iasi Open in Romania.
Prague Open
Lilli Tagger of Austria pulled off an upset of No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and earned her way into the final with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4) semifinal victory.
Both semifinalists from the Czech Republic fell in their home country with No. 5 seed Tereza Valentova losing 7-6 (4), 6-3 to No. 8 seed Daria Snigur of Ukraine.
After losing the opening set, Tagger rallied by breaking Krejcikova’s serve to go up 4-2 in the second set. She broke serve again in the fourth game of the final set then won the final three points in the tiebreaker to win the match.
Snigur and Valentova each broke serve twice in the opening set before Snigur won the final four points of the tiebreaker. Snigur then broke Valentova’s serve twice in the second set, including once to take a 5-3 lead before serving for the match.
–Field Level Media
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Report: A's sign LHP Dallas Keuchel to minor league deal
