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
Off IL, Jays' Max Scherzer looks to cool down Nationals, CJ Abrams
Apr 18, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) reacts against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Max Scherzer will try to cool down red-hot CJ Abrams when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Washington Nationals for the opener of a three-game series on Monday night.
Scherzer, who won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, will come off the injured list and make the start on his 42nd birthday.
Abrams will look to continue his torrid run. In a 10-7 win against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, he went 3-for-5 with two homers, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Over his past seven games, Abrams is hitting .567 (17-for-30) with seven homers and 14 RBIs. He has 27 home runs overall, passing Ian Desmond (25 in 2012) for the most homers in a single season by a Nationals shortstop (2005-present).
“I’ve been swinging at better pitches,” Abrams said on Sunday. “Today, those were balls, but just swinging at better pitches and being more relaxed at the plate allows me to be more disciplined. Good things happen when I’m relaxed.”
Scherzer (1-4, 10.23 ERA) opposes left-hander Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 4.22) on Monday night. The veteran right-hander has made multiple trips to the injured list this season, the most recent for back spasms and a thumb issue. In a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo last Wednesday he threw 56 pitches and struck out seven. He will be making his seventh start of the season.
Scherzer last pitched against Washington on July 28, 2023, throwing seven innings of one-run ball while striking out seven for the New York Mets to defeat the Nationals for the second time that season. The earlier game, on May 14, 2023 in Washington, was an 8-2 Mets victory.
Alvarez has worked as both a starter and reliever this season. Over his last three appearances, he is 0-2 with an 8.25 ERA. Last time out on July 20, he started against the host Colorado Rockies and gave up three runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Both teams are in wild-card contention. Washington took two of three from Arizona over the weekend and is one game behind the Diamondbacks for the third wild card in the National League. Toronto is 5 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the final spot and has five teams between itself and the Guardians.
In addition to Abrams heroics on Sunday, James Wood also hit two homers, giving him 30 on the season.
The Nationals traded infielder Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox late Saturday for pitcher Connelly Early. Third baseman Brady House was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday and went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored.
“I think I’m just trying to get to the point where no matter what kind of at-bat it is, that I’m looking to hit the ball hard,” House said after his first major league game since May 18.
Toronto dropped a 6-1 decision to the Boston Red Sox in the rubber game of their series on Sunday.
George Springer, 36, had two singles, giving him his fifth multi-hit game over his past seven.
“He’s swinging at good pitches and laying off some stuff he was just putting in play a couple of weeks ago,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He has a good state of mind. He’s swinging the bat fast and he’s moving pretty well.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets welcome another contender as Atlanta comes to town
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 The New York Mets will play a division leader for the third consecutive series when they host the Atlanta Braves for a three-game set starting Monday night.
After rallying to beat the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday and snap a three-game skid, the Mets seek back-to-back victories for the first time since July 8-9 against Kansas City.
Zac Thornton (1-1, 1.93 ERA), a promising left-handed rookie, makes his fifth start and is coming off his first victory in the big leagues. Last Tuesday, he threw six shutout innings in Milwaukee, limiting the NL Central leader to just three hits and a walk as the Mets beat the Brewers 4-0.
The 24-year-old has thrown 18 straight scoreless innings over his last three starts.
Offensively, Tyrone Taylor has enjoyed a strong July, doing so even with limited plate appearances. The Mets outfielder, 32, returned to the team in late June after missing a month due to a right hip flexor strain. Since July 4, he’s hit five home runs in 27 at-bats, including a go-ahead, three-run shot in the sixth inning against the Dodgers that put the Mets up for good in their 8-3 win Sunday.
Over his last 14 games, Taylor is hitting .370 (10-for-27) with nine RBIs. He’s also performed well against lefties this season, batting .292 (19-for-65) with four homers and 11 RBIs.
The Braves, the NL East pacesetters, will start Martin Perez (6-6, 3.38). The left-hander has lost three of his last four starts and only thrown five full innings once in that span. He went four in his most recent start on Wednesday against San Diego. Coming off 16 days’ rest, he allowed only one hit and struck out three while not allowing a run. However, he issued four walks in the no-decision.
Atlanta has won seven of its 10 games coming out of the All-Star break, including Sunday, when it beat the host Baltimore Orioles 3-2 in 11 innings. The Braves survived a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the 10th inning before Austin Riley hit an RBI double in the ensuing frame.
“I talk about gritty wins,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s another gritty win. We’ve had several of those recently.”
Drake Baldwin is following up his NL Rookie of the Year campaign last season with a better one this year. The All-Star catcher already has 20 homers, one more than last year, while improving his slugging and on-base percentages.
However, he has not fared well against the Mets or at Citi Field. He’s hit just .217 (10-for-46) against them in 14 games with two home runs and nine RBIs. In Queens, he was just 2-for-15 (.133) in five games last season.
While Atlanta is looking to make the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons, the Mets are last in the NL East, 18.5 games back and already looking to next year. That means they will probably be sellers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
After New York hosts Atlanta, the Miami Marlins will come to town for a four-game series, so there will be no scheduled off days this week. Among the trade candidates are several relievers, but Mets interim manager Andy Green said while they will “be conservative to some degree,” he will still use trade candidates if they are sound.
“We’re here today,” he said. “We play to win a baseball game. We’ll do the same tomorrow.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sizzling Red Sox enjoying turnaround that hasn't come for skidding A's
Jul 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) high-fives shortstop Andruw Monasterio (32) after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The Athletics’ season has been in a free fall in recent weeks and there is likely no recovering from the latest blow.
The Athletics could learn Monday that All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers requires season-ending knee surgery before they later take the field against the Boston Red Sox at West Sacramento, Calif.
Langeliers reportedly sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee during Friday’s game against the Minnesota Twins and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.
“We’re looking at the situation and making sure that he gets the best advice, the best care and, hopefully, the quickest recovery,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said after Sunday’s 11-8 road loss to the Twins.
Langeliers started for the American League in the recent All-Star Game and leads AL catchers in homers (23) and hits (99). This is the fourth straight season in which he has smacked more than 20 homers.
His loss comes at a time in which the A’s have lost 23 of their past 29 games. The Athletics were at .500 on June 19 but now sit 17 games below the mark entering the four-game set against the lava-hot Red Sox.
Boston has won 17 of its last 19 games after Sunday’s 6-1 victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
The once-floundering team is now in the thick of the AL wild-card chase. The Red Sox are in second place in a race in which only one team below them — the third-place Cleveland Guardians — are above .500.
Jarren Duran helped fuel Sunday’s victory with three singles, two RBIs and one steal.
“I think we’re just settling into ourselves,” Duran told reporters. “Early on, we were still trying to find our identity. I feel like we’re just now coming into what we knew we could be. It’s showing and the boys have bought in since Day One.
“It’s just baseball and we were going through that grind and we’re starting to roll and it’s awesome to see.”
Jahmai Jones contributed a pinch-hit, two-run double as Boston scored at least five runs for the eighth time during an 8-2 homestand.
“We had some really good performances across the board,” Jones said. “I felt like it was a really good team day.”
Boston sends left-hander Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.31 ERA) to the mound in the opener.
Tolle, 23, received a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on July 20 when he gave up four runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-5 A’s win.
Tolle went 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two appearances (one start) against the A’s last season.
He served up a homer to Nick Kurtz, who just returned to the A’s lineup on Saturday after a right thumb injury.
On Sunday, in his second game, All-Star first baseman Kurtz drilled a three-run homer against the Twins. He had been in a 0-for-25 funk before the blast, which was his 21st of the season.
Right-hander Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.75) will start for the Athletics for the eighth time this season.
He took a no-decision against the host Arizona Diamondbacks last Tuesday when he gave up three runs and five hits over five innings.
In his previous two turns, Perkins gave up a combined 10 runs and nine hits — including four homers — in just 6 2/3 innings. He lost both outings.
Perkins, 26, has never faced the Red Sox.
–Field Level Media
Off IL, Jays' Max Scherzer looks to cool down Nationals, CJ Abrams
Mets welcome another contender as Atlanta comes to town
