Sports
Week 8 NFL Capsules
Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, the Baltimore Ravens have the NFL’s most productive offense through the season’s first six weeks, averaging over 453 yards per game. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4), 1 p.m. ET
If Saquon Barkley’s mission was to prove the value of the running back position, he’s on the right path. He had 176 yards rushing on 17 carries with a touchdown in a 28-3 rout of his former team, the New York Giants, last weekend in New Jersey. Barkley ranks third in the NFL with 658 rushing yards, trailing only the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry (873) and the San Francisco 49ers’ Jordan Mason (667). Barkley’s total is the most ever by a Philadelphia running back through six games. He has three games of at least 100 yards rushing this season and is second in rushing yards per game (109.7), trailing only Henry (124.7). Cincinnati takes a shot at slowing Barkley and QB Jalen Hurts with a fully healthy defensive line that showed well against the Giants and Cleveland Browns the past two weeks. Joe Burrow and his deep receiving corps give the Bengals one of the best passing attacks in the NFL. Cincinnati receivers have 31 total touchdowns since the start of last season. Philadelphia’s defense has not allowed a touchdown in back-to-back games, a feat not achieved since the 2017 season. It’s the longest streak in the NFL since New England turned the trick in the first three games of the 2019.
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Cleveland Browns (1-6), 1 p.m. ET
Lamar Jackson’s next stop on his MVP repeat tour is Cleveland, where the Dawg Pound is singing the blues. QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles) is done for the season and Jameis Winston steps in behind a fragile offensive line as head coach Kevin Stefanski offloads play-calling chores to Ken Dorsey. Dorsey preached physical football, a hint there could be more of RB Nick Chubb in his second game back from a 2023 knee injury. The Ravens are running over, around and through opponents at a baffling clip this season. They’ve averaged 35 points per game since starting the season 0-2 and RB Derrick Henry has proved a worthy sidekick to Jackson. Henry leads the NFL in rushing (873) and Jackson has 21 pass plays of 20-plus yards with 15 TD passes. Jackson also has 455 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Browns haven’t scored 20 points in a game this season and have 11 total touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Detroit Lions (5-1), 1 p.m. ET
The encore to a 47-9 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys was just as impressive for Detroit. The Lions handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss of the season, 31-29 last week on Jake Bates’ 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining. QB Jared Goff completed 83.5 percent of his passes over the past four games while throwing for nine touchdowns and getting intercepted once. Goff went 22 of 25 for 280 yards and two touchdown passes against the Vikings. The Titans are in a state of upheaval. They traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks this week as they look to shed salary and accumulate draft picks. Will Levis (shoulder) is unlikely to start, meaning a second consecutive week with Mason Rudolph operating the Titans’ offense. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown with one interception in a 34-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills last week.
Arizona Cardinals (3-4) at Miami Dolphins (2-4), 1 p.m. ET
The Dolphins own the least productive offense in the NFL, but they feel one player could make a big difference. QB Tua Tagovailoa returns from injured reserve to find an offense he might not recognize. The Dolphins are worst in the NFL with 11.7 points per game, a slide that began when Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa returned to practice on Wednesday and was a limited performer, but he’s expected to play. Miami scored 40 total points in the four games Tagovailoa missed. Receiver Tyreek Hill said his QB’s return almost moved him to tears. That might be because of the dropoff in production. Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 191 receptions, 2,813 yards and 17 scoring receptions last season. They have 46 catches, 563 yards and one score through six games this season. The Cardinals arrive after a win over the Chargers in which RB James Conner had a season-best 152 yards from scrimmage. Conner rushed for 504 yards and three touchdowns in the first seven games. QB Kyler Murray scrambled for a 44-yard touchdown in the contest. He has 325 yards and two scores on the ground while passing for 1,331 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
New York Jets (2-5) at New England Patriots (1-6), 1 p.m. ET
“Soft” is not a label any team wants, especially from its own head coach. But the Patriots drew that tag from Jerod Mayo after being run over by the Jacksonville Jaguars and RB Tank Bigsby in London last week. The Jets have lost four in a row since beating New England 24-3 in Week 3. Mayo said he’s confident an inspired bunch will show up for the Patriots, who might not face Aaron Rodgers (knee, hamstring). New York also is out to turn things around after a 37-15 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week pushed its losing streak to four games. Star wideout Davante Adams, acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 15, was reunited with Rodgers, but he hauled in just three catches for 30 yards.
Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3), 1 p.m. ET
Only four teams in the NFL have created three-and-out defensive stops less often than the Falcons, who hit the road trying to overtake the Buccaneers for the NFC South lead. Tampa is reeling from a painful loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week. Top receivers Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring) were hurt in the game and won’t be back any time soon, leaving QB Baker Mayfield to find new ways to move the chains. He depended on TE Cade Otton against the Ravens but said he also trusts his young, relatively untested receivers stepping into larger roles. The Falcons have 1,844 passing yards this season and the Buccaneers are 28th in the NFL in pass defense. QB Kirk Cousins is finding WR Drake London frequently. He has 44 receptions (third in the NFL) and is third in the league in total targets (62). Opposing wide receivers have 98 receptions against the Buccaneers, fourth-most in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers (5-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5), 1 p.m. ET
The Packers are picking up the defensive intensity and had four sacks of C.J. Stroud to beat the Texans 24-22 last week. Green Bay has allowed 54 points during its current three-game winning streak, helping the Packers stay in the mix in a solid NFC North. The Jaguars beat New England in their second of two consecutive games in London last week. Trevor Lawrence was not sacked while completing 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. He’ll aim for the same efficiency against the Packers, while Jacksonville continues to lean into a newfound strength: running the ball. Tank Bigsby has become a problem for defenses and rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries against the Patriots. Containing QB Jordan Love is a concern for a Jacksonville defense that has allowed the second-most TD passes (43) in the NFL since the start of last season. During the same stretch, Love has a league-leading 47 TD passes.
Indianapolis Colts (4-3) at Houston Texans (5-2), 1 p.m. ET
DT DeForest Buckner is back for the Colts just in time to test Houston’s leaky pass protection. Under constant duress at Green Bay last week, C.J. Stroud threw for just 86 yards — a good quarter for Stroud most games — and absorbed four sacks in a 24-22 setback. Stroud still is hitting 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,663 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions. Stefon Diggs has 42 catches to lead the team, but Houston has to play without Nico Collins (club-best 567 yards in five games). The absence of Collins is welcome news for the Colts. In a season-opening 29-27 victory last month in Indianapolis, Collins bagged six catches for 117 yards. The Colts are trending in the right direction in the standings and the injury report. Not only have they won consecutive games, including last week’s 16-10 decision over Miami, but it appears they might get running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) back after a three-game absence. Indianapolis is the only team in the NFL to have every game decided by one score in 2024.
New Orleans Saints (2-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (3-3), 4:05 p.m. ET
The telling number for the Saints during a five-game losing streak isn’t injuries, but run defense. That just happens to be the preferred mode of movement for the Chargers. Through their past three games, the Saints allowed 641 rushing yards on an average of 5.9 yards per carry while missing a combined 24 tackles. J.K. Dobbins, who has 95 carries for 478 yards and three touchdowns this season, leads the Chargers’ ground game. Much of that production came in the first two games, however, and Los Angeles has been limited to 61 or fewer rushing yards in three of its past four contests. With the running game in a rut, the Chargers aired it out in a loss to the Cardinals last week. Justin Herbert posted a season-high 349 passing yards. The Chargers are preparing to face Saints rookie Spencer Rattler, with injured quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) out for a third consecutive week. Rattler has completed 47 of 75 passes for 415 yards with one touchdown and two picks in losses against the Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buffalo Bills (5-2) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3), 4:05 p.m. ET
DK Metcalf (knee) is no sure thing for Seattle, which shifts the attention of the Bills’ defense to stopping the run. But Seahawks QB Geno Smith is willing to throw underneath to Tyler Lockett and outside to RB Kenneth Walker III to move the chains. Walker and Seattle running backs are third in the NFL with 7.1 targets per game this season. Buffalo’s offense looked crisp in the first game for WR Amari Cooper with the Bills. QB Josh Allen could benefit from the quick-separating route-runner after posting a 79 percent stop rate when pressured in the first seven games. Seattle is fourth in the NFL in quarterback pressures, creating pocket collapse on 32.1 percent of passing plays this season. Cooper, acquired in the middle of last week from Cleveland, had four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in his debut with Buffalo last Sunday.
Carolina Panthers (1-6) at Denver Broncos (4-3), 4:25 p.m. ET
Bryce Young returns to the starting lineup for the Panthers, but not exactly by Carolina’s choice. His replacement, Andy Dalton, was in a car accident Wednesday and won’t be available. Now the Panthers face the NFL’s leader in pass-rush pressure with a quarterback battling crises of confidence and calm in the pocket. Denver has turned around its season sharply by leaning on a stronger running game. Carolina is 29th in the league, allowing 136.4 yards per game on the ground. The Panthers are pointing to defensive playmakers as a reason they can stick around in what can be a challenging road environment. But the team is 1-12 on the road the past two seasons. The Broncos are winless since the start of last season when they have more than one turnover (0-9). That’s part of the reason Broncos rookie RB Audric Estime was carrying a football around the facility — and everywhere else — this week.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-5), 4:25 p.m. ET
A revolving door at the skill positions for the Chiefs spun once more this week, but there’s great optimism around the acquisition of WR DeAndre Hopkins. A three-time All-Pro with a minuscule drop rate and reputation for winning in jump-ball situations, Hopkins could play three days after his first practice with the Chiefs. That’s good news with previous purported No. 1 receivers Hollywood Brown (shoulder), Rashee Rice (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) all out and the Chiefs already leaning on September pickup Kareem Hunt as RB1. It might not matter against the Raiders, who subtracted their own No. 1 receiver – Davante Adams – and are shuffling quarterbacks looking for a spark. There’s one matchup edge for the Raiders’ offense to exploit featuring TE Brock Bowers. Kansas City is worst in the NFL covering tight ends with 7.2 catches per game allowed. The Raiders lead the NFL in tight end targets with 11.0 per game.
Chicago Bears (4-2) at Washington Commanders (5-2), 4:25 p.m. ET
A matchup of high-performing rookies and the top two players drafted in 2024 might not come to fruition. Caleb Williams, in a homecoming to the region he grew up in, has the Bears in playoff contention while No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels has helped to propel the Commanders to the lead in the NFC East. Daniels (ribs) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday and would be replaced by well-seasoned Marcus Mariota if the Commanders hold their rookie out of this game. Mariota played in his 92nd career game last week and completed 18 of 23 passes with two TDs. Williams has been a major threat outside the pocket and brings plenty of firepower. But he’s been noticeably weaker on the road early in the season with a 68.4 passer rating, 26th among qualified quarterbacks in 2024. Washington’s approach, regardless of the QB, has been to win with the run. The Commanders have the fourth-highest run rate in the league at 56.2 percent, setting up shots downfield to WR Terry McLaurin.
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at San Francisco 49ers (3-4), 8:20 p.m. ET
Dak Prescott described his performance to date as “average” with the Cowboys entering a critical stretch in the schedule. Eleven turnovers have handicapped the offense, and Dallas’ defense isn’t the same without injured pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Minus the menacing Parsons rushing from all angles, the Cowboys have only five takeaways. Dallas heads to San Francisco coming out of the bye week trying to replicate the three-INT game from the Kansas City Chiefs against Brock Purdy and the 49ers last week. Purdy has nine touchdowns, seven interceptions and no sure things at wide receiver. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) was lost for the season, Deebo Samuel started the week in the hospital with a respiratory infection and Jauan Jennings (hip) wasn’t in position to step up last week, when rookie Ricky Pearsall came off of IR and caught three passes in his pro debut. Dallas knows Purdy has other weapons, even without RB Christian McCaffrey, considering he threw three TD passes to TE George Kittle when these teams met on a Sunday night last October. San Francisco sails into the bye week after this one, with Dallas staring at this pre-Thanksgiving gauntlet: at Falcons, vs. Eagles, vs. Texans (MNF), at Commanders.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals strive to take another step forward vs. Reds
Jul 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) celebrates with catcher Ivan Herrera (48) after the Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Despite struggling as a group for most of July, the St. Louis Cardinals continue to hang close in the National League playoff picture.
Their next chance to make progress comes Sunday afternoon in the decisive contest of a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.
To make a genuine postseason push over the final third of the regular season, the Cardinals will need production from slugger Ivan Herrera like he provided in their most recent victory.
Herrera went 2-for-4 from the cleanup spot Saturday night, lining a two-run double to help the Cardinals pull away for a 7-0 victory.
Herrera also caught right-hander Andre Pallante, who allowed two hits and tied a season high with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
After starting the month with an 8-13 record prior to Saturday’s win, the Cardinals closed within 1 1/2 games of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot.
“We’ve struggled with the offense, but we came up big today,” Herrera said. “It’s good to see guys coming up clutch.”
Herrera batted .284 with 19 home runs and a .464 slugging percentage in 2025, which led to big expectations at the plate. His production has not quite matched them — yet. While Herrera was named to the National League All-Star squad, but he’s not performing like teammates Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson or rookie JJ Wetherholt.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he’s hopeful that Herrera’s swing is coming around. He hit two balls with exit velocities of 102 mph or faster against the Reds, including his double in the sixth against right-hander Hunter Greene that put the Cards on the path to a six-run inning.
“Things he’s been working on, he’s been able to carry over to the game,” Marmol said. “His misses were what they needed to be and his hits were too. A good combo.
“When he’s going well, it’s certainly helpful.”
Four trailing teams are within 1 1/2 games of the Cardinals, who send right-hander Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.59 ERA) to the mound on Sunday against left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-6, 3.89) in the series finale.
Leahy allowed one run on three hits in six innings of a no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
He also recorded a pair of no-decisions versus the Reds this season, yielding a total of eight runs on 12 hits over nine innings. He has a 7.11 ERA without a decision in 10 career appearances (two starts) against Cincinnati.
Abbott lost for the second time in his last three outings on Monday despite allowing just one unearned run on four hits in six innings of an 8-0 setback to the Seattle Mariners.
He is 4-4 with a 3.94 ERA in nine career appearances (all starts) versus the Cardinals.
The Reds, who stand six games out of the projected playoff field, are 2-5 against the Cardinals this season.
Cincinnati couldn’t muster any rallies against Pallante, and while Greene performed well until the sixth inning, his third trip through the order against the Cards lineup unraveled his night.
“The mistakes he made were mainly with his breaking ball,” manager Terry Francona said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
With M's in town, Rangers strive to put distance between AL West teams
Jul 7, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch to the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Big Game Nate delivered. And Wyatt Langford showed he’s one tough opponent.
Nathan Eovaldi allowed one run on three hits over seven innings for his 10th victory of the season, and Langford went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI as the Texas Rangers defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-1 Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.
The loss dropped the defending American League West champion Mariners into third place in the division. The first-place Rangers have won the first two games in the four-game series that will continue on Sunday afternoon when ace right-handers Logan Gilbert (8-6, 3.38 ERA) of Seattle and Jacob deGrom (7-6, 3.76) of Texas oppose each other for the third time this season.
Langford fouled back-to-back pitches off his lower body before delivering a run-scoring double in the second inning as the Rangers bolted to a 5-0 lead. He exited for a defensive replacement in the seventh. X-rays came back negative, and the Rangers hope to have him available for the final two games of the series.
“I think both (Eovaldi and Langford) stepped up in a big game tonight,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I don’t know if it’s a statement. I would just say that they showed up in a big way in a big game in the middle of July. That’s the biggest takeaway for me, one of the best games I’ve seen Evo pitch this year, and Wyatt Langford … that just shows you what kind of player he is.
“The toughness — he was not coming out of that game, no matter what, no matter how hard I tried. It just kind of shows you what he’s made of.”
The Rangers improved to 6-2 against Seattle this season, including 5-0 at home. Texas has won both head-to-head clashes between Gilbert and deGrom this season.
“To me, (winning the first two games), I think it makes me hungry for more,” Eovaldi said of the current series. “We got the first two. We got deGrom going out there again [on Sunday]. It’s important to win the series. You don’t want to just split it, and I think right now we’ve got momentum in our favor. It’s just about going out there and continuing to do what we’ve been doing.”
It was the fourth straight defeat for the Mariners, who dropped 2 1/2 games behind Texas and were passed in the AL West standings by Houston.
Mariners third baseman J.P. Crawford, who missed the previous four games with a sore wrist, returned and went 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double.
“We’re a way better team than what we’ve been playing like this whole year,” Crawford said. “We all know that, but yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. But we can’t do anything about the past, so we’ve just got to keep working hard to get going and finish where we need to finish.”
Gilbert is coming off a 6-3 victory against visiting San Francisco last Sunday in a game in which he allowed three runs on four hits over six innings, with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
He’s 5-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 18 career starts against the Rangers, though he has dropped two decisions against them this season — 2-1 on April 6 in Arlington, Texas, and 5-0 on April 17 in Seattle. Gilbert allowed two earned runs in each of those games.
For Texas, deGrom lost 10-3 to the visiting Chicago White Sox in his most recent outing on Monday, giving up five runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.
He’s 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA in nine career starts against Seattle. He didn’t get a decision in either of his previous starts against the Mariners this season. The 38-year-old deGrom allowed one run on one hit over five innings in the former and pitched four scoreless innings in the latter.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Behind Rafael Devers, Giants seek series sweep of Angels
Jul 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) between pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images The Giants hope Rafael Devers continues to vent the frustration of a recent slump on Los Angeles Angels pitching when the interleague opponents complete a three-game series Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.
The hosts have opened the set with a pair of wins, a 7-6 walk-off victory on Friday night before a 9-2 romp the following afternoon.
Coming off a 3-for-24 trip that had him spinning in a 3-for-30 slump over a 12-day skid, Devers had a hand in both wins over the Angels that came in the wake of a five-game losing streak.
The slugger bounced what was later ruled an RBI single over the left-field fence to end Friday’s dramatic win, then three at-bats later cleared the barrier on a fly for a lead-extending home run in Saturday’s blowout.
In two days, he’s gone 5-for-8 with four runs, a double, two home runs, seven RBIs and a walk. The homers equal his total from the previous 13 games, while the RBIs are one more than he had over that same stretch.
Teammate Luis Arraez, who has five hits in the two wins, still was in amazement during a postgame television interview on the field Saturday.
“Raffy is the best hitter in this league,” Arraez said. “He’s got his approach. He can do a lot of damage. He plays hard every day.”
Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters shortly thereafter that it’s unfair to draw conclusions when a proven hitter is in a slump.
“If you give the guy a whole body of work, it’s going to show up on paper who Raffy is. And if you just go off a month or a couple of weeks, it depends where you catch him at,” Vitello said. “Overall, (this is) Raffy being Raffy, if you will.”
Devers has batted just four times in his career against right-hander Jose Soriano (8-6, 3.43 ERA), the Angels’ scheduled starter on Sunday, and has never hit the ball past shortstop. Then again, he has walked twice and been struck out once aside from the groundout.
Soriano hasn’t allowed a home run in any of his last four starts, a stretch in which he’s gone 0-2 despite a respectable 3.91 ERA. He’s winless in his last six starts overall, watching his record slip back toward .500 after opening the season 5-0.
A popular name in trade discussions, Soriano understands these are important times for both himself and the Angels, who find themselves once again looking to the future.
“I know I’ve had a tough time. But the last couple outings, I feel like I started getting back and that’s the goal,” he told reporters earlier in the week. “Trying to get back to where I was in the beginning (of the season).”
Soriano has faced the Giants just twice in his career, both times in relief, throwing two innings of scoreless ball without getting a decision.
He likely will be opposed by left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (2-0, 3.38), who is scheduled to be promoted from Triple-A to make his third big-league start of the season.
Whisenhunt, 25, has never faced an American League opponent.
–Field Level Media
Cardinals strive to take another step forward vs. Reds
With M's in town, Rangers strive to put distance between AL West teams
