Sports
Ravens, Cowboys chase critical bounce-back win
Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Deflated by Week 2 losses, the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens meet Sunday at Dallas where only one can come away with a bounce-back victory.
Baltimore fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2015 with a 26-23 setback to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and nears desperate times as fall arrives. Even with a win in Dallas, the Ravens are on a tightrope. They have a primetime visit to Buffalo (2-0) on deck next Sunday followed by a grudge match with AFC North rival Cincinnati (0-2).
Dallas was blown out 44-19 by the New Orleans Saints, snapping a 16-game home winning streak in the regular season. The Cowboys allowed 190 yards rushing and a bigger challenge arrives in the Ravens, who are seventh in the NFL with 168 yards rushing per game with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson and four-time Pro-Bowl rusher Derrick Henry teaming as a formidable 1-2 punch.
“We made some technique adjustments that we need to be better at,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said about the run defense this week. “We can’t get gapped, and we were gapped time and time again. That puts more pressure on your second-level defenders, obviously your linebackers and our primary support element. But yeah, we have to. It’s that first step, the discipline, playing the technique, and making sure the fit behind them is in order. We definitely were not clean and we weren’t consistent.”
There are sharks in the water ahead on Dallas’ schedule, too, with the Steelers (2-0), 49ers (1-1) and Lions (1-1) comprising the Cowboys’ slate in October.
The Ravens have three new starters on the offensive line and left tackle Ronnie Stanley isn’t at full strength. He was on the injury report Wednesday with an ankle injury.
Pass and run blocking were both a struggle over the past two games. The mobile Jackson has been sacked three times. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons was held without a sack against the Saints, but he should create matchup problems against the Ravens.
Baltimore, which leads the regular-season series 5-1 against the Cowboys, needs to get the running game revved up to set up the pass. After a slow start, Henry finished with 84 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.
Jackson has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in two games. He will likely test the Dallas pass defense, which is ranked 16th in the NFL allowing 189.5 yards passing per game.
Jackson is agitated by his team’s early struggles and is determined to get the season on track.
“(We’ve) just got to find a way to win,” Jackson said. “I’m not used to being 0-2. (We’ve) just got to catch our momentum and get it started right away.”
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with a record $231 million guaranteed earlier this month. Prescott had an uneven performance over the past two games, throwing for 472 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. As a veteran, Prescott understands the pressure to win as the Cowboys quarterback.
“That’s one thing that I’ve grown to realize, especially in this organization when you’re playing on national TV every week. You are the Cowboys and the attention that we get is, if you lose, you’re down here,” Prescott said. “If we win, you’re way up there. None of that really matters. It’s about for us to trust the process, trusting one another, responding each and every day to get better. I know that we have the guys in there that can do that.”
The Ravens’ pass rush has seven sacks in two games. However, the secondary appears vulnerable to big plays. Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could be poised to have a huge game. In the season opener, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 103 yards and often ran free in front of and behind Baltimore’s defense.
And Davante Adams finished with 110 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions last week.
Prescott likely will target Lamb and Jalen Tolbert early and often. However, Lamb landed on the injury report this week with an ankle issue and tight end Jake Ferguson (knee) didn’t play in Week 2. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins missed the previous game and practice this week after he was involved in a car accident resulting in a concussion and neck injury.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Ravens is closing out games. Over the past five seasons, the Ravens have had 10 losses when leading by seven or more points in the fourth quarter — the most by any team.
Conversely, Prescott has led the Cowboys to 22 wins when they are tied or trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2016 — second most in franchise history behind Tony Romo (24).
“Giving up a fourth-quarter lead is never OK — it’s not acceptable; it should never happen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “You do it because you don’t play consistent football to get the stops that you need to get, and our guys know that — they’ll take accountability for it. Coaches will take accountability for it.
“When I say, ‘Us,’ I mean all of us — players and coaches together.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals' Salvador Perez hits 317th homer, ties George Brett's club mark
Jul 21, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez (13) celebrates after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Kansas City’s Salvador Perez clubbed a two-run shot in the seventh inning on Wednesday to tie George Brett’s Royals franchise record of 317 career home runs.
Perez’s 437-foot blast in a 5-4 home win over the San Francisco Giants went to the fountains beyond the wall in right-center. The homer off right-hander Landen Roupp pulled the Royals within 3-2.
Perez, who has played all 15 of his major league seasons with Kansas City, has hit three of his 14 homers this season in the last five games.
In an on-field postgame interview, Perez said he was honored to be in the same category as Brett, the Hall of Famer who excelled for the Royals from 1973-93.
“Everybody knows what George Brett did here for this city,” Perez said. “To be (tied with) a Hall of Famer, I’m certainly excited, too.”
Perez, 36, is batting just .211 with 43 RBIs in 95 games this season. He is a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove catcher.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Scottie Scheffler heads field, makes debut at Minnesota's 3M Open
Jul 19, 2026; Southport, ENG; Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the ninth green during the final round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Scottie Scheffler wasn’t about to take three weeks off before the FedEx Cup playoffs commence.
The World No. 1 golfer chose to fly from England to Minnesota and compete for the first time at the 3M Open, where he’ll be far and away the favorite when the tournament tees off Thursday in Blaine, Minn.
Scheffler missed the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open — his first missed cut in about four years — before tying for fourth at the Open Championship last week at Royal Birkdale. There are three tournaments to go before the playoffs, and while Scheffler certainly doesn’t need a points boost as he leads the FedEx Cup standings, he didn’t want rust to gather.
“This is a tournament that I haven’t played before, so excited to be here,” Scheffler said. “This might be my first time in Minnesota. I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually been to this state before.
“For me it was good scheduling. Like I said, we had two weeks in the UK, and three weeks off before the Playoffs didn’t seem like the most ideal way to set up my schedule. This was a tournament that I’ve heard a lot of good things about and so far everything seems pretty true, which is nice. So I’m excited to get the week started and yeah, play some golf.”
Most players of Scheffler’s caliber are taking at least one week off after the UK swing. That leaves the Texan as the most notable player at TPC Twin Cities by a mile. He’s the +260 favorite to win at DraftKings and +275 to win at BetMGM; defending champion Kurt Kitayama is a distant second at +2400 and +2500, respectively.
The thing is, Scheffler went 0-for-4 at the majors for the first time since 2023 and has not won a tournament of any stripe since January. He’s atop the FedEx Cup standings despite that.
“One of the things I like in this game, one of the things that I’ve always kind of prided myself on is the consistency,” he said. “That’s something that shows that I’m playing some pretty good golf. It just hasn’t been quite good enough to win some tournaments.
“I haven’t played any great golf yet, but I’ve played some nice golf over the course of the season.”
Last year, Kitayama squeaked into the weekend at 6-under-par when the cut line was at 5 under. He proceeded to fire an 11-under 60 on Saturday and a 65 on Sunday to win by one stroke over Sam Stevens.
Kitayama posted a remarkable 13 birdies in 18 holes on the front nine of the third and fourth rounds.
“I feel like I had a few more wedges maybe on the front nine,” Kitayama recalled. “I hit those close on the weekend. Back nine maybe (played) a little tougher. You know, coming down the stretch, maybe (played) a little more conservative.”
Other notables in the field include Scottish Open champion Tom Kim of South Korea, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Max Homa and Canada’s Corey Conners. They’ll take on a par-71, 7,431-yard track that has produced winning scores in the high teens or low 20s under par most years since the tournament’s inception in 2019.
Aaron Wise, a former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, will continue his comeback after taking off nearly two full years to address his mental health. After missing his first six cuts of 2026, he’s made his last three, including a T3 finish at the ISCO Championship and a T15 at the Corales Puntacana Championship, alternate events opposite the Scottish and The Open.
“It’s just a matter of … the days are stressful, so how do you then calm yourself down, how do you even deal with the stress as the day’s going on,” Wise said. “Keeping your mind in a good frame to where you feel like you can go keep hitting good shots and keep playing well, and on top of it, enjoying it.
“Even though it’s stressful, we’re supposed to like being out here. We started playing golf because we love the game.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Ortiz (three hits), Brewers take series from Mets
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) hits a two-run triple off of New York Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) during the second inning of their game Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joey Ortiz ripped a two-run triple, collected three hits and scored twice to fuel the Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Christian Yelich had an RBI single in Milwaukee’s three-run second inning and a run-scoring triple in the sixth for the Brewers, who captured the decisive contest of the three-game series. Milwaukee has won five of six games since the All-Star break.
Logan Henderson (4-1) allowed two runs on five hits and matched a career high with nine strikeouts over five innings. He also fanned nine batters in his MLB debut against the Athletics on April 20, 2025.
Aaron Ashby struck out four batters over two scoreless innings and Abner Uribe bridged the gap to Trevor Megill, who allowed New York’s Francisco Alvarez an RBI single in the ninth before retiring the side to secure his 16th save of the season.
Marcus Semien belted a solo homer in the second inning and Brett Baty added a homer in the fifth to atone for a previous miscue in the field.
Semien capped a seven-pitch at-bat by depositing a Henderson heater over the wall in left field. The homer was Semien’s 10th of the season and first since June 14.
Milwaukee responded with two outs in its half of the inning. Baty misplayed an Ortiz fly ball in right field and allowed Garrett Mitchell and Andrew Vaughn to score. Ortiz trotted home on Yelich’s single to left field off Christian Scott (3-2).
Baty halved New York’s deficit after belting a 1-2 changeup from Henderson over the wall in right field. The homer was Baty’s sixth of the season and third in the last seven games.
The Brewers got that run back in the sixth, as Ortiz scored following Yelich’s blast that caromed off the wall in center field.
Scott permitted three runs on four hits with three walks in 3 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Royals' Salvador Perez hits 317th homer, ties George Brett's club mark
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