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One of the teams projected to finish with one of the worst records in the NFL this season was at the center of the most drama during the preseason. Now, as the Cleveland Browns look to make the most of an underwhelming quarterback situation, what’s next for them ahead of the regular season? We asked several people around the league what they thought of first-year head coach Todd Monken’s decision to name Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback and what might be next for Shedeur Sanders as he heads to the bench. One scout floated the possibility that one of the quarterbacks could be on the trade block, while an exec diagnosed what’s wrong in Cleveland. Here’s what we learned from our conversations with people around the league. Eric D. Williams: While Watson and Sanders have battled it out for the starting job, the odd man out has been the quarterback selected two rounds earlier than Sanders last season: Dillon Gabriel. The Oregon product finished 1-5 as a starter during his rookie season and has played sparingly during the preseason this year. However, Gabriel got the start in Cleveland’s preseason finale and shined. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the victory over the New England Patriots. A longtime NFL scout I spoke to said Gabriel’s outing could be an audition for the rest of the league. The Browns traded Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett last year and could be looking to get some draft compensation in return for Gabriel. Or they could be looking at Gabriel as a potential candidate for the No. 2 job and looking to flip Sanders for future draft picks. “It will be interesting how it unfolds,” the NFL talent evaluator told me. “From the outside, you’d want to go with experience and leadership at QB over everything else at this point. But I think Gabriel has a chance to be a good backup and liked him coming out. “All eyes are on Sanders, but he’s gotta show he can be a solid, strong leader and settle down as well to grind, learn and develop. He’s going to find out that as a player, you can only get so many opportunities to do that, and you better take advantage of every single one of them.” The scout went on to say he believed Cleveland started Gabriel in the final preseason game to show him off for a potential trade, but there’s a real chance his start was an audition for the No. 2 job when he’s eventually healthy and Sanders is the one on the trade block. Gabriel was named to the 53-man roster on Sunday, although he’ll begin the year on injured reserve with the designation to return later in the season. Another scout I spoke with noted that chance to quiet the quarterback room by moving on from either Watson or Sanders, who have commanded a lot of attention because of things off the field. “Both are PR nightmares by the way they handle the media and the fans by what they say,” the scout told me when asked about the Watson-Sanders dynamic. “Humility is a tough lesson to learn at this stage of their lives.” Ralph Vacchiano: Going with a veteran quarterback, especially with a young team and a road-heavy early schedule, probably makes some sense. It may even give Todd Monken and the Cleveland Browns the best chance at short-term success. But it definitely isn’t in the long-term interest of the Browns. “It’s a Band-Aid on a pretty deep cut,” one NFL executive told me. “Maybe it helps a little, but it does nothing for their bigger problem. They need a long-term solution at quarterback, and obviously Deshaun Watson is not it.” Even if Watson played well this season, there is no way the Browns would re-sign him after finally getting out from under the disastrous, five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract they gave him. Watson is reviled by the Browns fanbase as it is, both for his awful, injury-prone career in Cleveland and for all the sexual assault allegations levied against him before they traded for him. “He has no future there,” the executive told me. “I get what Monken is doing. He wants a few wins and he wants to help stabilize things for his young team. But Watson isn’t the guy to do that. If they wanted to do that they could’ve gone and signed Joe Flacco or someone like that. “What they need to do is find out if Shedeur Sanders is an NFL quarterback. And they’re going to do that at some point during this season. So why not do it from the start?” Vacchiano: Deshaun Watson had one decent performance in the preseason, followed by a terrible one. And while it’s still a very small sample size for a player who hasn’t played in two years, one NFL scout told me he saw more than enough to question the Cleveland Browns’ choice. “He looked shaky. That’s the best way I could describe it,” the scout told me. “What I loved about him back in the day was how strong and confident he always looked. He stood really tall in the pocket and he looked very much in control when he threw on the run. “That’s all gone now. It makes sense. He’s played like [19] games in the last five years. And it shows. He looks rusty, like he’s learning how to play all over again and just isn’t sure about anything at all.” Williams: Matt Hasselbeck knows what it takes to go from being a backup quarterback to a successful starter. Hasselbeck, a sixth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1998 draft, began his career backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay traded and even backed up Trent Dilfer with the Seattle Seahawks before taking over as the starting quarterback for 10 seasons in the Pacific Northwest, which included a Super Bowl appearance. And like Sanders, Hasselbeck’s father, Don Hasselbeck, was an accomplished player in the NFL, so he understands the pressures the Colorado product is attempting to navigate in the early portion of his NFL career. “He can learn from the mistake Deshaun Watson made this week,” Hasselbeck told me. “Watson is obviously still deeply hurt from when Browns’ fans cheered when he got hurt, and he let his emotions get the best of him in the postgame presser because he got booed this preseason. Obviously, he played poorly, but I think he got booed in part because there’s some excitement about Shedeur. But he handled the press conference completely the wrong way, and he ended up apologizing for it. “So much about being with a veteran quarterback is you can learn what to do, but you can learn from their mistakes — whether that happens in front of you or you can also learn from stories they tell you about when they were younger. These are all lessons as a young quarterback where you can learn from the guy in the room, without having to make the mistakes yourself.” As far as his play on the field, Hasselbeck believes Sanders has improved since his rookie season, successfully handling the transition in offenses from Kevin Stefanski his rookie year to Todd Monken this season. However, like most young quarterbacks, Hasselbeck believes Sanders needs more time and more reps to get better command of the intricacies of the offense. For Hasselbeck, that means Sanders sitting and watching Watson play during the first half of the season, which should benefit his growth once he gets an opportunity to play this season. “It’s a really tough situation,” Hasselbeck told me. “Nobody has played at a level that screams starting quarterback. But the reality is you’ve got to choose one of the guys in the room. I’m not at all surprised they picked Deshaun Watson to start the season. It’s pretty clear why they did it. I know Sanders outplayed Watson in the last preseason game, but Todd Monken has said consistently it’s going to be the full body of work. And I think their minds were made up before that last preseason game started.” That said, Hasselbeck believes Sanders’ best opportunity to succeed in the NFL is with the Browns. “Shedeur’s best chance for a good future is in Cleveland,” he told me. “The fanbase is really excited about him. The continuity of just being in the building, even though there’s changes around him offensively and defensively, is probably the best thing. I think he’s got a future there. He’s played pretty well. Even in the last preseason game he played, there’s some good stuff there. You can see the playmaking ability. There’s upside, but like a lot of young players he’s got to eliminate critical errors that cost you game. But when you’re turning the keys to the offense over to someone, you must trust them wholeheartedly in everything. “Everything matters. I think reckless driving matters. Having to apologize to reporters matters. Those types of things to me are just as important than all the other stuff. Do I think Shedeur Sanders will be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns by the end of the season? Yes, I absolutely do. From my vantage point far away, it seems like he’s really improved in everything. I feel like he’s improved on the field and is maturing off the field. Like if this is a stock, I’m buying the stock. But I don’t think it’s at its peak yet. So, I’m holding onto the stock as long as possible.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

As the tears streamed down Lionel Messi’s cheeks in the moments after Spain beat Messi’s Argentina in extra time of last month’s FIFA World Cup final, the greatest player in soccer history must have known in his heart that he’d never pull the famous sky-blue-and-white-striped Albiceleste jersey on again. Messi made it official on Monday, announcing his retirement from the national team led to three World Cup and five Copa América finals — winning the last two editions of the latter and the world title in 2022. In an Instagram post, the 39-year-old said that he made the decision to walk away from his national team after 207 appearances and 125 goals two days after that brutal loss to La Roja in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Messi, who will continue to play at club level with MLS champions Inter Miami, added that the death of his father, Jorge, earlier this month in the family’s hometown of Rosario only cemented his decision. There will be no going back this time. It’s fitting that the 80,000-seat stadium just west of New York City was the sight of Messi’s final act on the global stage. It was in that building that Messi first walked away from the Albiceleste almost exactly a decade earlier. In the bowels of the venue two hours after Chile beat Argentina on penalties to claim the 2016 Copa América Centenario, Messi — who’d missed his shootout attempt en route to defeat — shocked the sporting world when he told reporters that he was done representing his country in the wake of an ongoing feud between the players and the Argentine Football Association. The then-Barcelona star was smack in his prime, having just turned 29. He’d already won the UEFA Champions League four times, won five Ballon d’Or awards and was already considered the GOAT despite the lack of trophies in international play. Media members in attendance (I was one of them) instantly went from covering the biggest game in global soccer that day to the biggest news story in every corner of the planet. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed. Messi never even missed a game. In his post on Monday, Messi addressed Argentina’s fans. “I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football,” he wrote. “Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much.” It’s soccer fans who should be thanking him. By choosing to stick around, think about how much joy Messi has given not just his compatriots but all soccer lovers over the last decade. After another World Cup heartbreak in 2018, when Argentina was eliminated by eventual champs France, Messi led the Albiceleste on an unprecedented run of success. They beat blood rival Brazil in the Maracana to claim their South American title — his first at senior level for Argentina — in 2021. Messi crowning achievement arrived at long last the following year, when he scored eight goals — including two in the World Cup final win over Les Bleus — to help Argentina triumph for the first time since Diego Maradona’s team did it in 1986. That tournament was billed as Messi’s final chance to collect the only trophy he hadn’t won. For good reason: Ahead of the competition, Messi said that Qatar 2022 would be his last World Cup. Yet before even leaving an empty Lusail Stadium outside Doha in the wee hours of Dec. 19, Messi gave both his countrymen and neutral fans alike another gift, saying he’d continue as long as coach Lionel Scaloni would have him. In 2024, Argentina then made it three titles in a row by winning another Copa, joining Spain’s legendary 2008-12 squad as the only national teams to win consecutive continental championships on either side of a World Cup victory. Still, it was fair to wonder then if Messi would last until 2026. Or how effective he would be if he did. Age and injuries catch up to every player eventually. Perhaps not to jinx himself, Messi wouldn’t confirm his participation in the Canada/Mexico/USA-hosted before Scaloni named him to Argentina’s 26-man roster weeks before the tourney kicked off. Any doubts about Messi’s match-winning ability evaporated when the World Cup began. Messi scored all three goals — his first career World Cup hat trick — in Argentina’s group stage-opening 3-0 drubbing of Algeria. He again finished with eight, becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer along the way. His two late assists in a 2-1 comeback win over England were otherworldly, and he had perhaps Argentina’s best chance to equalize in extra time against Spain, only for Pau Cubarsí to save what appeared to be a goal-bound shot with his face. In a funny way, how Messi performed this summer in defeat might be even more impressive than his showing four years ago, when he was surrounded by a stronger and younger supporting cast. Messi gave us all a gift by un-retiring not once but twice. It’s one reason why, until Monday, there was some hope that Messi might continue donning Argentina’s colors for another four years. In retrospect, that was always wishful thinking. It’s always sad when a legend hangs up their boots, let alone the incomparable Messi. The end of an era is here. We were lucky to witness for a little longer than it might have lasted. “I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give; he wrote. “I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — alongside my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of. It was an incredible experience to live this with you all.” It was a privilege, Leo. The pleasure was ours.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There is no greater feeling in life than experiencing the purest example of beauty. It is, as Oscar Wilde once said, the one thing time cannot harm. It’s an everlasting rainbow that never stops showing you its colors, and even when the actual act of witnessing something so gorgeous, so exquisite disappears — you still have the memory of it. Lionel Messi, wearing the Argentina shirt, driving towards goal with the exuberant explosion of a volcano, unbothered, unconcerned with anything or anyone who even attempts to stop him, is that pure example of beauty. Or how about his 125 goals for La Albiceleste? Each one is a seashell we pick up and carry forever. All of them came in different varieties and angles — 111 with his best friend, his trusted left foot — and they delivered with danger and aggression, poetry and music but also with a certainty that only Messi possessed and defenders and goalkeepers feared. From his majestic drive against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2014 World Cup to my favorite, the piece of art against Nigeria in the 2018 edition. Nigerians will actually be glad to see the last of him, as they were one of his many, multiple, frequent victims. Messi and Argentina are over, but the memories of what was earned will forever remain. The achievements have been as remarkable as the highlights. Individual brilliance that made me think this tiny man surely can’t be a real human. His ultimate prize? The World Cup in Qatar. It was achieved with guts. When he finally won the World Cup in 2022, it was a journey of redemption, but his calmness, as remembered by his teammates, never wavered. Even after the opening loss to Saudi Arabia. Ángel Di María recalls thinking that his tranquility was so impactful, it made everyone else secure that this would be the tournament where they would become champions. Messi and Argentina are as symbiotic as bees carrying pollen from flowers in exchange for their nectar. It was a dance that wasn’t always pretty — as we witnessed in this summer’s final — but it was theirs. It was uniquely theirs. The relationship was also very dependent on him for a long time, but thanks to Lionel Scaloni’s arrival, Argentina and Messi became more of a partnership, where Leo would eventually take them to promised lands. But the team was now also working alongside his genius, not just falling to it under his magical spell. It wasn’t always rosy, however. When he made his debut for the senior national team in 2005 at 18 years old, for example, Messi’s story with Argentina actually started as a nightmare as he was sent off in less than two minutes in a friendly against Hungary. Messi drove towards goal with his quintessential steam-train engine tenacity, and the Hungarian defense was unable to stop him, so the only thing he could do was hold his shirt. Messi, to try and escape, hit him in the face by accident, and it would end up being one of the most frustrating red cards, especially because it was a young Messi simply demonstrating what he would do for the next two decades. After being sent off, Messi returned to the dressing room and was distraught, inconsolable at realizing the tragic consequences of his actions. But what that teenage Messi didn’t realize was that the Hungarian defender actually did him a favor, as that red card actually birthed a dragon — someone who realized at that moment his dribbling towards goal, his aggressive yet graceful dynamite runs would become iconic, and in that moment, he never lifted his arms again. He would just allow his granite-style composure to dismantle anything else in sight. We also remember the struggles and the heartbreak after losing the Copa América finals to Chile, forcing him to announce an initial retirement in 2016. The country begged him not to. His people pleaded for his return, and after time, Messi did come back. The Copa América title in 2021 would catapult a sense of dominance for Argentina and, equally, Messi continued to understand not just who he was on the pitch, but who he was off it. And I think that’s what made him a World Cup champion in Qatar. You see, the alíen-like talents, the ability to destroy mortals on the pitch, that has always been there. But Messi, for a long time, needed to steal a page from Diego Maradona. He needed to not just win for Argentina; he needed to show that he was willing to die for it. And Messi, ever the introvert, found this harder than most, but over time, thanks to the support of his family and his own sense of maturity and ideals of what it takes to be a champion, Messi became the greatest ever because he understood the fear of losing was a necessity to win. It’s also crucial to understand that Messi left Argentina at 13 years old and the connection his country built with him was not as pure as Maradona’s. In many ways, Messi had to earn his Argentinian-ness, despite never losing his accent or his love for Rosario and his family when he was growing up in Barcelona. I relate to this so much, as someone who left Peru at a young age, you feel weirdly in need of having to justify your identity and for Messi, a public figure, a hero and a villain in times of peril, this was even harder. There is no discussion for me. There is no contest. Lionel Messi does things that we have never seen from any other player before, and for Argentina, he became immortal. He could have ended it all after 2022, but I think this is the other characteristic of Messi that we often take for granted. Messi owed it to his teammates, to his country — for one last dance in 2026. He wanted to say thank you. I think it’s important to remember that he will turn 40 years old next year, and when Lionel Messi tells you that he has given everything to Argentina — there is nothing to doubt. There is no cloud. It’s only a truth we can fully and wholeheartedly accept. I think the tragic death of his father also became a factor. This is the man who gave Leo everything for him to be a professional. The path of Messi’s career is next to the footprints of his father, and his passing deeply affected him. As someone who lost his father at a young age, and who also did everything for me to have a future, I can relate all too much, especially so, as let’s not forget that Messi’s immigrant story to Barcelona was thanks to the proverbial embrace, love, and direction from his father. For him not to be present at this summer’s World Cup was a thorn too deep that ailed Messi’s heart. Playing for Argentina is just not the same without him around. But this is an ode, not about loss, but gain, and so I want to make sure we all finish reading my humble tribute as a story of beauty, one that we all experienced for more than two decades. This is a love story of Lionel Messi, Argentina, and what he gave to the world, and if it has to come to an end, then so be it. Let’s all remember that the true meaning of this legacy is not that it happened, but that we were all here to witness it. And most notably, we will remember it forever. Gracias, Leo. Gracias.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Preseason is over, thankfully. Next stop: Week 1. There will be so many things to preview for the first week of the season, especially the 2026 NFL opener — a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks on Sept. 9. But I want to take this last week of the offseason to write about the vibes and the processes around the league — just to honor training camp and its conclusion. Let’s talk Chiefs. Let’s talk Rams and Aaron Donald. Let’s talk choice routes. Let’s talk Myles Garrett vs. Micah Parsons. This is Sound Smart, where I try to spin forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines. The Los Angeles Rams are a Dream Team. And no, not in the same way that the 2011 Eagles were Vince Young’s “dream team.” That team was talented. But this Rams team is something we haven’t seen since the ‘07 Patriots, the ‘92 Cowboys and the ‘72 Dolphins. It’s really not hyperbolic. Matthew Stafford is fresh off an MVP season. Puka Nacua led the league in receptions and finished second in receiving yards. Davante Adams is the best WR2 in football. Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the NFL and, debatably, the best football player on the planet. Sean McVay is the best coach in the NFL. And the team just welcomed back defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who’s returning at age 35 after two years in retirement. He is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It’s an L.A. team, so let’s make a Hollywood comparison. This is a cast so stacked that only “The Odyssey” can compare. And that’s why this might be McVay’s most difficult task to date. He must win a Super Bowl. This isn’t like the Lions or the Bills or the Ravens — who feel it’s their time. No, this is different. The Rams basically have no choice but to win. If they start the season with, say, three victories, we’ll start talking about a perfect season. And the chatter won’t be premature, even in the NFC West, with the defending Super Bowl champions. If the Rams make the Super Bowl, it will be a question of how badly they beat their opponent — not if they can. And the Rams might have three candidates at the top of the Super Bowl MVP odds — Stafford, Nacua and Garrett — before the opponent’s top option. I think that’s why McVay deflected every question about the partnership between Garrett and Donald in the press conference on Sunday to announce Donald’s return. I think the pressure to win — everything — is why McVay said this. He’s handling his Dream Team with care. “Just because we have great individuals, it doesn’t do s— for us,” McVay said. “We’ve got to be able to put it together. [Donald] understands that as much as anybody.” I spent the weekend at a friend’s wedding. It was special to see the way the ceremony brought the bride and groom so much happiness. And why shouldn’t they be exuberant: They’re perfect for each other. The happy couple decided not to do a honeymoon. The bride is headed right back to school to teach middle schoolers, and the groom will probably be painting boats by Tuesday. And later this week, they’ll be exhausted and they’ll make that pasta dish that they both love so much, in part because they can do it with their eyes closed. And it’ll be business — and work, work, work — as usual. In some ways, that’s what comes next for McVay and Donald. We saw the union on Sunday. We can see there will be no honeymoon. We can see what comes next: work — and the expectation of success. Count me as someone skeptical about the construction of the 2026 Kansas City Chiefs. When the NFL schedule came out, I didn’t think they’d make the playoffs. These days … I don’t know what to think. Of course, I know that it’s dangerous to doubt Patrick Mahomes, even as he makes his way back from an ACL injury. The same is true of Andy Reid, even as he faces criticism for his playcalling growing stale. It’ll burn you to doubt the Chiefs, even in the wake of a season when their offense sputtered and their defense lacked flash. This summer, there haven’t been many hopeful headlines around Kansas City. But for the most part, there has been a real silence around the Chiefs. It’s quiet. This is the silence in a horror movie, right before the villain strikes. You know it’s coming. Still, you jump out of your chair. With the Chiefs, there has been this prevailing thought that their 2024 season, with all its narrow victories, was a bit of a fluke (particularly after the Eagles routed K.C. in the Super Bowl). And so it was a similarly popular idea that the 2025 season was the year when the Chiefs’ luck ran out — and it was also fluky, with bad breaks that made them seem worse than they were. If this were Goldilocks, this season would be just right. But come on — the NFL is not a children’s book. And the small amount of headlines that are coming out of camp are, generally, negative. Veteran tight end Travis Kelce does not look younger. Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons has a back injury. Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, their big splash from free agency, has a foot injury. And receiver Rashee Rice, who is supposed to be the WR1 despite his knee surgery and suspension last season, isn’t exactly getting rave reviews. “His overall résumé speaks for itself. The thing I’m still working on is getting to know the person — seeing the things that make him click. What are the things that inspire him?” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said last week. “The thing that I love about Rashee is that he’s tough. The other thing that is — and I’m not saying this in a bad way — he’s hardheaded. You know what I mean? And he’s stubborn. Because he feels that he’s good enough at certain things. … Now, it’s just about making sure we can get the continuous reps to get him back on track, to get him in game shape.” Holy red flags, Batman! Whether Bieniemy meant to or not, the OC dropped more than a few backhanded compliments about Rice. Bieniemy clarified that “stubbornness” really isn’t a bad thing for players. He said Walker is also stubborn. “He doesn’t like to be wrong,” Bieniemy said of Walker. “You don’t mind that for player, because it presents a challenge.” Still not exactly a fawning description. But there’s more. “You’ve got to get them to see it from a different point of view,” Bieniemy said. “And when they can see it from a coach’s point of view, now it just opens them up and gets them to realize: ‘There is a better way of doing this.’” Bieniemy was asked if there’s another level for Rice. “I believe there is another level,” he said. “And, of course, he would tell you there’s plenty of levels for him to get to.” Here’s a coach pushing a player’s buttons. Here’s a coach who senses the team isn’t getting enough from a player who should be a star. And so here’s a team that has a disquieting number of questions surrounding its roster. Everything is logically telling me the Chiefs won’t make the playoffs. They can’t possibly! Really, I’m telling you to not be afr—. *jump scare* In the early phase of my career covering football, I was on the New England Patriots’ beat, covering Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. That’s when I learned all about the “option route.” The receiver and quarterback look at what the defense is giving them and let that determine which route the WR will run. Sometimes the receiver will decide a full second into the play. It requires exceptional rapport between QB and WR. It is, essentially, the route that the Patriots used to beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. It was Julian Edelman’s route. He racked up 10 catches, 141 yards and eight first downs, largely by running the option route to find slivers of space in a defense that refused to allow any. So it feels somehow fitting that Jared Goff is one of the caretakers of that route in today’s NFL. Back then, he was a young Rams quarterback (on the losing team in that Super Bowl). But he’s now entering his intellectual prime as a veteran Lions QB with many of the same answers Brady had. And star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is the guy who runs Edelman’s option route. In Detroit, they gave it a different name, “the choice route.” And according to St. Brown, it’s the route that has produced the most receptions for him and Goff since they joined the Lions in 2021. “It gets us out of a lot of situations,” St. Brown told me. “I can break a lot of different ways. I can do a lot of different things. So it gives us a lot of options.” Break it down in depth? “It’s like around a five-yard route. You can either break in, you can break out, or you can just hook it up. So, depending on the defense — whether it’s man, if it’s inside of you, you can release out and you can break out. If [the defender is] already sitting inside, you want to break out, get the ball on a quick out-route. If it’s zone, any cover-2 type, you sit right in between the flat player [covering the quarter of the field nearest the sideline] and the hook defender [covering the inside quarter of the field over the offensive and defensive line]. The QB can dart you right there, and you can catch a knife for about 10 or so yards. Get lucky, maybe get 15. “If [the defensive back is] playing any type of other man and they blitz, the home run shot is usually the in-breaking route. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does come, it usually goes for like 15-, 20-yards, if not a touchdown. But you got to be patient for that one.” This route isn’t for everyone. It’s reserved for an outstanding slot receiver and pocket passer — with a rare connection, like Goff and St. Brown have. “I think we’ve built the chemistry to where, when we snap the ball, like a second into the play, he already knows what I’m doing. I know what I’m gonna do. It’s timing and rhythm. He’s not even thinking about what I’m going to do. He already knows what I’m going to do.” You’d think that this was St. Brown’s favorite route. But — no. “My favorite route is the one that’s going to work,” St. Brown told me. The Buffalo Bills are transparently not the same team as last year. But how much have the new pieces made an impact on the culture? And how much will those new pieces make an impact on the field? Josh Allen is still Josh Allen. Joe Brady is still Joe Brady. And they’re the key pillars that GM Brandon Beane is intent upon building around. They’re more of the same from last year. That’s the old. The new? Beane and Brady traded for Bears receiver DJ Moore, a deal that hasn’t gotten much fanfare when compared to the trades for Jaylen Waddle and A.J. Brown. For all the criticism surrounding Moore’s value on the trade market (and I was one of those skeptical voices), the receiver has been a really good fit with Allen and in Brady’s offense. The schematic fit, of course, is no surprise given that Moore broke out in Brady’s offense in Carolina. But the fit with the quarterback — that’s a new and noteworthy development. Moore’s contributions were regular and immediate in training camp and preseason. His first catch? 33 yards. That’s new. But it’s also a conglomeration of old. The truly new element for Buffalo is on defense. Brady hired defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who was on the Denver Broncos’ staff last season. He’s of the Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine schools of defense, running a 3-4 base. That’ll keep all of the Bills’ best players on the field, from pass-rusher Gregory Rousseau to defensive tackle Ed Oliver to cornerback Christian Benford. But it’ll be a change from former head coach Sean McDermott’s 4-3 defense (that largely scrapped that third LB for a nickel corner, Taron Johnson, who left this offseason). It can be hard to make that transition. I also have some questions about how edge Bradley Chubb (viewed as a free-agency overpay) and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson will hold up — now that they appear to be past their primes. But if this unit looks anything remotely close to the Broncos’ defense from last year, then there will be a lot to like. I’m just not sure the roster looks quite as impressive from a talent standpoint when compared to Denver’s. And Leonhard remains relatively unproven, rising quickly in the pros. Though he’s a former 10-year NFL safety, his first job in the league was as a defensive backs coach and pass-game specialist — in 2024! The Bills landed in the middle of the road at 20 turnovers in 2025. They were 19th in sacks. They’re hoping to see both numbers go up. “We’re going to attack the football,” Leonhard said. “The biggest stat in football is turnovers, so we’re going to be aggressive, we’re going to fly around, we’re going to communicate, we’re going to play well together, but we’re going to cause issues for offense, and we’re going to force them to react to us.” It’s a nice concept. And maybe the defensive leadership shift — and the schematic shift that comes with it — will be enough to put this team over the top. But I’m still not sure about the question I wondered when the team promoted Brady and retained Beane. Did they change enough? Will these alterations land Buffalo in the Super Bowl? That’s really all that matters to the Bills — and to Allen. Two of the league’s biggest game-wreckers, Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, spent the offseason together. And that made for some pretty fun conversations — including: Who gets more double teams on defense? In the video below, you can see their friendly but tense exchange. Here are the numbers: Double teams, per Next Gen Stats: Parsons: 88 (21.9% of rushes)Garrett: 60 (12.8%) Offensive attention (doubles and chips), per NGS: Garrett: 39.5%Parsons: 37.4% It’s not easy being either guy — even if they make it look easy. But Garrett should have a more pleasant experience in 2026 now that Aaron Donald has come out of retirement.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Success is all relative in the NFL, and it means different things for each of the 32 teams. Every win and loss is framed in the context of the original expectations for your season. You can go 11-6 and disappoint, like the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Or you can just go 6-11 and take a step forward as a franchise, just as the New Orleans Saints did this past year. So, which teams can that thinking apply to for the 2026 season? Let’s define success for all 32 teams, from the ones battling for the No. 1 overall pick to the franchises who should be content with nothing less than a championship as we place them in different tiers. Miss The Playoffs, But Just Win, Baby 2025 record: 3-14Projected win total: 3.5 wins At the bottom of the toughest division in the league, Arizona is resetting with new coach Mike LaFleur. Jacoby Brissett is a placeholder quarterback for 2026, and rookie Carson Beck should get a look. But realistically, the Cardinals are picking in the top five and taking a quarterback. No team has more 2027 cap space than Arizona, so the goal is to create a winning culture so you don’t have to overpay for the high-dollar free agents you’ll bring in. Long-term success for these bottom-tier teams means securing a potential franchise QB, so you don’t want to win so much you fall out of contention for a top-three quarterback in this talented draft class. 2025 record: 7-10Projected win total: 4.5 wins The Dolphins have a new coach in Jeff Hafley and one of the youngest rosters in the league. They’ll want to find out if Malik Willis is good enough in a full season as a starter to avoid using a high 2027 first-rounder on a quarterback. There’s a void at receiver, so if you can land Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith as a No. 1 target for Willis, that’s great. But he might be the first non-QB off the board, so even six wins could take him off the board. If you can stay ahead of the Jets and avoid the AFC East cellar, that’s probably the bare minimum as you forge a new identity around a few core players. 2025 record: 5-12Projected win total: 5.5 wins It seems unlikely that Cleveland’s 2027 quarterback is on the current roster, so this year is about moving on from Deshaun Watson and beginning to get free of that albatross of a contract. Dead money from that deal will limit how active the Browns can be in free agency in 2027, so they need to identify the existing talent they can build around, like edge rusher Jared Verse, running back Quinshon Judkins, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, defensive tackle Mason Graham and rookie receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. If the Browns struggle to win games with a bad quarterback this season, is first-year head coach Todd Monken a lock to make it to 2027? 2025 record: 3-14Projected win total: 5.5 wins Like the Cardinals, the Jets have a stopgap quarterback in Geno Smith, but especially with a bonus first-round pick from the Colts, the priority will be finding a quarterback high in the 2027 draft. Can Aaron Glenn show enough progress to keep his job and be the coach for that rookie QB? This is a team with three first-round rookies, so there’s young talent to build around. They’re not going to catch the Bills or Patriots this season, but they can set themselves up to challenge for a playoff berth in 2027. They face the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders, Titans and Dolphins (twice), so it wouldn’t be hard to get to seven or eight wins and the cusp of wild-card contention this year. 2025 record: 3-14Projected win total: 5.5 Another young team stuck in a division with perhaps three playoff teams, the Raiders could make real improvement and still not see it in the standings in 2026. How quickly do they turn the team over to rookie Fernando Mendoza? Unless they’re really winning with Kirk Cousins, there’s little reason not to hand him the keys and give him on-the-job development this season. Do the Raiders keep Maxx Crosby or deal him for draft assets once he shows he’s healthy? They’ll play a ton of rookies on defense and might struggle with their youth, but the eye is on the future with Klint Kubiak, Mendoza and running back Ashton Jeanty. Find your new identity this year, win in 2027. Get That Young QB A Taste Of Meaningful Football 2025 record: 3-14Projected win total: 6.5 You could almost include the Titans in the bottom tier. But putting Robert Saleh in charge, giving Cam Ward a No. 1 receiver in rookie Carnell Tate and an easy schedule put Tennessee a smidge higher. How much better can Ward be with Brian Daboll at offensive coordinator? He had 15 touchdown passes as a rookie. Can he get to 25? Not many quarterbacks threw 10 more touchdowns from rookie to Year 2 in recent years, but Drake Maye was plus-16 and Trevor Lawrence was plus-13. Just catching the Colts and getting out of the AFC South cellar would be a good first step. Tennessee was 28th in scoring defense, so Saleh and at least five new starters on that side will get them closer to the middle of the pack. 2025 record: 4-13Projected win total: 7.5 How big a step can the Giants take with John Harbaugh? That defensive front — Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Arvell Reese — is talented enough that they might get past the loss of Dexter Lawrence in the middle. Can Jaxson Dart stay healthy and get a full year of Cam Skattebo and Malik Nabers? The first step is finishing ahead of the Commanders, but there’s a chance the Giants can hang with the Eagles and Cowboys and contend for a return to the playoffs. Watch what they do in Weeks 3-6, facing Tennessee, Arizona, Washington and New Orleans, with three of those at home. Harbaugh took Baltimore from 5-11 to 11-5 and two playoff wins in his first season there. 2025 record: 5-12Projected win total: 7.5 To be clear, Jayden Daniels got a big taste of the playoffs as a rookie. But Washington took a major slide last year, dropping from 12-5 to 5-12, and losing Daniels for 10 games was only part of the problem. Dan Quinn’s defense dropped to 27th in the league. Adding rookie linebacker Sonny Styles could spark the Commanders to greater things, and they went 3-3 in division last year, so they must make a significant improvement in non-division games to keep Quinn around. Opening at Dallas, at Philadelphia and hosting Seattle, they’ll do well not to open 0-3. Just Win The NFC South 2025 record: 8-9Projected win total: 6.5 The division is wide-open enough that all four teams should have confidence they have a shot at winning. Atlanta took a major 1-2 gut punch at edge rusher with Jalon Walker’s season-ending injury and James Pearce’s eight-game suspension, so they could be in trouble before they get the latter back. With no clear answer at quarterback, Kevin Stefanski’s priority will be finding out if either Michael Penix or Tua Tagovailoa is the long-term solution there. The offensive core — Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts — is locked up, but that only means so much if they don’t know who their quarterback is. The defense, especially until Pearce returns, is a major question mark. 2025 record: 6-11Projected win total:7.5 We could have the Saints in the last group for sure, and much of their success will hinge on how Tyler Shough can play over a full season after going 4-1 at the end of a nine-game rookie sample. Kellen Moore has new weapons in running back Travis Etienne and rookie Jordyn Tyson, who will miss the start of the season with injury. The Saints open at Detroit and at Baltimore, so beating the Raiders in Week 3 is a must, or they’re digging a big hole early. Four division games in the final five weeks means if they can just hang around, another big finish would be huge for Moore’s second season. 2025 record: 8-9Projected win total: 7.5 The Panthers have gone from two to five to eight wins in the last three years, but continuing that trend won’t be easy with a first-place schedule and some tough training camp injuries. Can Bryce Young improve on last year’s 23-touchdown emergence? He’s back and has his fifth-year option for 2027, but he’s still working to show he’s worth a lucrative extension. If Carolina can repeat as division champs, head coach Dave Canales will deserve a lot of praise, but the outside expectations are a regression of some form. Is this the team that swept the Falcons last year or the one that got swept by the Saints? I wouldn’t want to be the coach who finishes last in the league’s worst division. 2025 record: 8-9Projected win total: 8.5 The Buccaneers are the preseason favorites to take the division they won four straight years from 2021-24, and that starts with avoiding the injuries that scuttled the second half of last season. So much is in flux here — win the South, you’re looking at a big Baker Mayfield extension. But fail to do so, and you could see Todd Bowles fired, which could lead to a new coach who may want a new quarterback. Bowles has a chance to get his defense back to a top-10 unit, with rookies like Rueben Bain and Josiah Trotter leading the way. Winning this division likely means hosting the lesser of the Rams or Seahawks, where you might be an underdog at home in wild-card weekend. Make It To The Playoffs, At Least 2025 record: 10-7Projected win total: 8.5 If the Steelers miss the playoffs, the entirety of Aaron Rodgers’ post-Packers years is rough, right? If he finishes his career with no playoff wins in his final six years, it’s not the fade that anyone expected. If you’re new head coach Mike McCarthy, you really don’t want to end a streak of 22 straight Steelers seasons without a losing record. The gripe was them not winning in the playoffs — six straight losses there — but it’s another problem to miss the postseason entirely. If you’re not winning, is there a way to give rookie Drew Allar a look, or do you just pivot to drafting a quarterback in 2027 regardless? 2025 record: 9-8Projected win total: 8.5 The Vikings went 14-3 in 2024, and while quarterback wasn’t the only limiting factor last year, if they get closer to their 35 touchdown passes in 2024, that’ll go a long way toward returning to the playoffs. Can Kyler Murray re-establish himself, and if he does, will the Vikings let another quarterback go or pay him to stay? Does he get a Baker Mayfield/Sam Darnold deal in the $35 million a year range or something more? Justin Jefferson had two touchdown catches in the entire 2025 season, and it seems impossible for him to come close to repeating that. Everyone pencils in three NFC North teams for the playoffs, so the Vikings just need to make sure they’re among them. 2025 record: 8-9Projected win total: 7.5 Shane Steichen has missed the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as head coach, but he’s also been no worse than 8-9 in any of them. If they fall short again, could Steichen or general manager Chris Ballard be in trouble? If Daniel Jones and Sauce Gardner are healthy all year, that takes away two excuses from last season. Can receiver Alec Pierce take the next step after getting paid $28 million a year? It’s hard to see the AFC South getting three playoff teams, so the Colts getting in means catching either the Texans or Jaguars, and they went 0-4 against those two as part of seven straight losses to end last season. 2025 record: 6-11Projected win total: 10.5 If you’d said three years ago that Joe Burrow and Cincinnati would miss the playoffs three years in a row, you’d sound crazy. The Bengals’ success starts with a healthy Burrow, but it’s also going to require major improvement on defense. Getting Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is a huge step toward that, but you’ll know quickly if they’re better, opening the year with the Bucs, Texans, Steelers and Jaguars. Go 1-3 or worse in those four and they might never get back on course. If the Bengals missed the playoffs and moved on from Zac Taylor, he’d be one of the first head coaches hired, much like Kevin Stefanski this past year. 2025 record: 7-9-1Projected win total: 9.5 The Cowboys are just like the Bengals: prolific quarterback, two elite receivers, but a porous defense giving up close to 30 points per game. They look to have addressed that side, from new coordinator Christian Parker to rookie safety Caleb Downs and likely five more new starters on defense. Dallas hasn’t missed the playoffs in three straight years since 2010-13, so that’s something to avoid. If the Cowboys miss the playoffs, does star receiver George Pickens sign somewhere else? Can they really afford to pay a second receiver that much either way? With one playoff win in the last seven seasons, you could easily move the Cowboys up to the next tier. 2025 record: 9-8Projected win total: 10.5 Somebody in the NFC North is going to disappoint and miss the playoffs, and everyone expects the Lions to get back to their dominant level of making the NFC title game in 2023 and going 15-2 in 2024. That means staying healthy on defense and having new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing improve on a unit that still ranked fourth in scoring in a down year last year. Does Penei Sewell take well at left tackle and does rookie Blake Miller handle himself at right tackle? This could easily be a team winning a playoff game or two, but in a tough division, we’ll start any measure of success with just getting back into the postseason. Win At Least One Playoff Game 2025 record: 12-5Projected win total: 9.5 Third-place teams don’t get much better than last year’s 49ers, and the same might be true in 2026, with San Francisco seen as a top-10 team that’s also way behind the Rams and Seahawks in expectations. If they were perpetually injured last year, they’re seen as old this season, so Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, George Kittle and Trent Williams need to defy their ages to lead Kyle Shanahan’s team to any deep playoff run. Shanahan keeps losing quality defensive coordinators, so it’s on Raheem Morris to keep that side playing at a high level. Can last year’s first-rounder Mykel Williams get healthy and provide a young spark for the 49ers defense? 2025 record: 13-4Projected win total: 8.5 First-year head coach Liam Coen was one of last year’s biggest surprises, finishing the year with eight straight wins before a close loss to the Bills in the playoffs. They lost more than they added in the offseason, counting on their depth to step up at key positions. Can Travis Hunter be the impact player — on at least one side of the ball — they traded up to No. 2 to get last year? Jacksonville hasn’t made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 1999, but it’d do well to find a way to improve on last year and win at least one game once it’s in. 2025 record: 6-11Projected win total: 10.5 Are they really back? Five Super Bowls — and three championships — in seven years sets the bar extremely high, so even with Patrick Mahomes returning from a major injury, fans expect the Chiefs to be a playoff team and a playoff threat again. The AFC West is three-wide with intrigue, with the Broncos as last year’s top seed in the AFC and the Chargers expected to challenge as well. The Chiefs went 0-4 against those two, so you need a split at least to really get back. Monday night in Week 1, hosting the Broncos, will set one team as the team to beat in the division. Look for one Super Bowl MVP to help another out, with Kenneth Walker joining the K.C. backfield. 2025 record: 11-6Projected win total: 10.5 There’s little middle ground for head coach Nick Sirianni, either making the Super Bowl or losing in his first playoff game five years in a row. It’s hard to imagine a coach two years removed from a championship being in jeopardy, but the inconsistency is glaring. For the record, we have 14 teams listed as “need to win a playoff game” or better, so at best only half of those are going to reach that goal. A new offensive coordinator every year is a problem, so Sean Mannion needs to get regular-season Jalen Hurts to a higher level of production without A.J. Brown out there. Sirianni doesn’t need a Super Bowl. He just needs to stay in the playoffs longer than a weekend. 2025 record: 9-7-1Projected win total: 9.5 The Packers have made the playoffs six times in seven years under head coach Matt LaFleur, but they have only one playoff win in the last five years, matching the fewest in any five years since 1988-92. They’ll start the year without Micah Parsons, but he should be a major factor in the playoffs, provided they get there. Jordan Love has gone from 32 passing touchdowns to 25 to 23 in his three years as starter, and he lost two receivers in the offseason without much to replace them. Getting tight end Tucker Kraft back healthy helps, but Green Bay needs to start by making sure they’re not the one NFC North team left out of the postseason fun. 2025 record: 11-6Projected win total: 9.5 Repeating as NFC North champs won’t be easy with a first-place schedule that has the Bears facing last year’s Super Bowl teams in back-to-back weeks, then going to Buffalo the week before Christmas. The Bears won the North last year despite going 2-4 in division games, so that will have to improve if they want another home playoff game. Can the Bears possibly pull off as many late-game comebacks as they did behind Caleb Williams last year? Their emergence in Ben Johnson’s first year sets the bar high for 2026. Whether as a division winner or a wild card team, they need to advance to the division round to show they haven’t taken any kind of step back. 2025 record: 11-6Projected win total: 9.5 This has to be the year Justin Herbert gets his first playoff win, right? He’s not only 0-3, but he’s lost the last two by a combined 33 points. No new coordinator has more buzz than Mike McDaniel, though it’s fair to wonder if the Chargers take a step back on defense with Jesse Minter gone to the Ravens. A healthy offensive line is a huge boost here, and second-year back Omarion Hampton could be a surprise star if he stays healthy. I picked the Chargers to win the Super Bowl this spring, so they need to win a playoff game or two just to make that pick not look embarrassing. Reach The AFC Championship Game 2025 record: 12-5Projected win total: 9.5 Defense wins championships, right? Houston was dominant at the end of last season, winning nine straight, but couldn’t stop New England in the divisional round. The Texans had 10-plus wins four times in their first 21 years, and now have done it three times in three seasons under Demeco Ryans. They’ve won exactly one playoff game in each of those seasons, but have a chance now to push a step farther in the playoffs. The defense will be elite, but can a revamped offensive line help get C.J. Stroud back to his rookie-year greatness? If he can do that, he’ll have a $200 million contract coming his way, and a deep playoff run would make that even bigger. 2025 record: 8-9Projected win total: 11.5 With a first-year head coach in Jesse Minter, coming off a losing record and with Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum gone to the Raiders, the Ravens still have very high expectations. Minter should improve an already-strong defense, as will the healthy return of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and the addition of edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Does Derrick Henry have another 1,500-yard season in his 32-year-old body? The last time the Ravens won more than one playoff game in a season was 2012, but with a perennial MVP candidate in Lamar Jackson, they need to do that this season to avoid the stigma of a good team that can’t play its best football in January. 2025 record: 14-3Projected win total: 10.5 The defending AFC champs aren’t even favored to win their division, despite acquiring talented new weapons for Drake Maye to throw to after earning MVP runner-up honors last season. Mike Vrabel has had an offseason of headlines for the wrong reasons, and if the Patriots don’t come out of the gate strong — three of their first four are at Seattle, at Jacksonville, at Buffalo — there will be questions of whether the distraction impacted players. The Patriots scored just 23 points total in their last two playoff games, so an improved offense will help Vrabel as he tries to make another deep postseason push in his second year in New England. Super Bowl Or Bust 2025 record: 12-5Projected win total: 10.5 What better way to break in a new stadium than by hosting and winning the AFC Championship Game? The Bills have five home playoff wins in the last five years, and it’s a much easier path to a Super Bowl if they go through their new home. They’ll try to do this with a first-year head coach in newly promoted Joe Brady, with Jim Leonhard on board to run the defense. Is receiver D.J. Moore the answer to unlocking another level of Josh Allen? His passing touchdowns in the last six years are 37-36-35-29-28-25, but we’ll say that downward trend ends and he’s back at 30-plus touchdown passes. For his legacy, he needs to get Buffalo back to a Super Bowl, and obviously a win there would be historic for the franchise. 2025 record: 14-3Projected win total: 9.5 The Broncos had the AFC’s top seed last year and hosted the conference championship, but Bo Nix’s injury absence puts an asterisk on their loss to the Patriots. Can he stay healthy and change that outcome in 2026? Adding wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will give their passing game a jolt, though he literally might be the only newcomer in a starting role. Denver has the best offensive line in the game, and the run game will be improved with a healthy J.K. Dobbins and fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman. Denver’s good enough that success won’t be measured until well into the playoffs. Can Bo Nix make the big leap that Drake Maye made a year ago? 2025 record: 14-3Projected win total: 10.5 Few saw the Seahawks’ breakout coming a year ago, and head coach Mike Macdonald’s team took enough losses in free agency that they’re underdogs in their own division. The Seahawks are the defending champs, but are lurking in the Rams’ shadow as the season begins. Can quarterback Sam Darnold find the same success with Klint Kubiak gone to the Raiders and unheralded Brian Fleury taking over the offense? The challenge from within the division is real — they’ll face the Rams twice in the final three weeks of the season, the first on Christmas in Seattle, and the winner from those two games will be seen as the team to beat in the NFC playoffs. 2025 record: 12-5Projected win total: 11.5 Once they traded for Myles Garrett, the Rams were the team to beat for the Super Bowl, and that’s before you even talk about the chance their addition of Aaron Donald on Sunday. You have an MVP at quarterback in Matthew Stafford — 46 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions last year — and don’t forget corner Trent McDuffie, acquired from the Chiefs for a first-round pick. There’s a chance the Rams could play the entire playoffs on their home field, setting up a Super Bowl win at home for the second time in six seasons. More than any other team in the league, if they don’t hoist a trophy at the end of this season, it’s a disappointment.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

September is nearly here, which means it’s a good time to examine the road ahead for every playoff hopeful. While the Brewers, Dodgers and Braves hold comfortable leads atop their divisions in the National League, the American League races are much tighter. The Astros hold a two-game lead on the Rangers in the AL West, the White Sox are up 3.5 games on the Guardians in the AL Central, and the Rays have a 4.5-game advantage on the Yankees in the AL East. In the wild-card race, the Diamondbacks and Padres are currently jockeying for the final spot in the NL, with the Marlins a few games behind them. In the AL, meanwhile, four teams — the Guardians, Orioles, Blue Jays and Rangers — are separated by just two games for the final playoff spot. At this time of year, strength of schedule can make all the difference in who gets in and who’s left out. So in this week’s Power Rankings, we focus on every team’s September schedule. The Angels could end the season on a high note, finishing the year against the Nationals, Mariners, Twins, A’s and the Mariners again. If they steal one of those series against Seattle, that could end the Mariners’ hopes. The Rockies finish the season with series against the Padres, Mariners, Diamondbacks and White Sox, all teams fighting for either a playoff spot or division title. The A’s face the Mariners six more times, the Astros four times and the Rangers three times. With each of those teams vying for the division title, the A’s performance down the stretch could go a long way in shaping the AL West playoff picture. There’s still a world in which the Giants finish behind the Rockies in the NL West (they’re four games ahead right now), which would be an especially ignominious way for manager Tony Vitello’s first season to end. Nine of the Giants’ final 15 games are against the Padres and Dodgers. As long as they don’t get trampled during that stretch, they should avoid finishing last. The Mets have a chance to play spoiler in a host of playoff races, with matchups still ahead against the Rays, Yankees, Orioles, Phillies and Rangers before ending the year in Washington. They just upset the Cubs at Wrigley Field, but there’s no time to rest. The Reds have the hardest strength of schedule remaining in the league: seven games against the Dodgers, six against the Brewers and three apiece against the Padres, Cubs, Braves and Blue Jays. Best of luck. They’ve won 12 of their past 14 games, but unfortunately for Kansas City the first four months of the season still count. They have one of the tougher roads ahead among the AL Central clubs, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this up in September and be a thorn in some contenders’ sides. The Tigers have an easy road ahead — a stretch that includes six games against the Twins and three apiece against the Rockies, Blue Jays, Nationals and Pirates — but it also probably doesn’t matter after they dropped 12 of their past 15 games to fall further out of contention. The Twins have dropped 17 of their past 26 games and yet, remarkably, still have a fighter’s chance of sneaking into a final wild-card spot. Each of their next 12 games come against AL Central competitors (six vs. Detroit, three apiece vs. White Sox and Guardians), so they’ll need to turn things around soon. They do get to face the Angels four times and Giants three times before season’s end. The Mariners are struggling to score again, but they have the easiest road ahead of any team in baseball, including 14 games against the A’s and Angels and three against the Rockies. So, as bad as it has been, they should remain relevant in the AL West race until the end. A surprise playoff run now looks out of reach, but if James Wood returns soon, the Nationals could still make life tough in September for the Dodgers, Padres and Phillies over the next couple of weeks. Washington then has a chance to end the season on a high note, finishing up against the Cardinals, Tigers and Mets. After dropping both of their series at the White Sox and Brewers last week, the Rangers could really use a turnaround this week against the A’s when they return home. After that, they face the Rays, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Red Sox before the September slate eases up at the end against the Blue Jays, Mets and Twins. The Cardinals still have two series against the Giants as well as matchups against the Rockies and Nationals before season’s end, but they missed a huge opportunity to jump over .500 and back into the wild-card race when they lost series to the Orioles and Pirates this week. The Pirates might be able to work their way back to .500 soon. They host the Giants and Angels this week after winning back-to-back series last week in San Diego and St. Louis. Still, it’s probably too little, too late. If they can somehow find their way back into the race late, though, they end the season with winnable matchups against the Royals, Cardinals and Tigers. The O’s are just one game back of a wild-card spot, but FanGraphs gives them only a 21.2% chance to make the playoffs. The road ahead is not particularly easy. They have six more games against a Blue Jays team also vying for the final AL playoff spot, plus matchups against the Red Sox, Guardians, Brewers and Yankees. They’ll need to take care of business in Colorado and Queens in September. The Blue Jays have a real shot here. They’re only 1.5 games out of a wild-card spot after sweeping the Mariners this weekend. And after starting this week in Cleveland, every other team the Jays face the rest of the way has a losing record. The Marlins are trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time. If they somehow bounce back and find a way to capture the final wild-card spot — they’re 3.5 games back right now — they’ll have earned it. They still have to play the Dodgers, Padres, D-backs and Braves, plus six games against the Cubs. Firing their general manager and then winning the division would maybe be the only appropriate way for the AL West race to end. The Astros had a big week in New York and are now in the driver’s seat in the division, but the road ahead is more treacherous for them than the division rivals they’re trying to hold off. Their next four series are against the White Sox, D-backs, Phillies and Rays, and they still see the Braves later on. The Royals are no longer a pushover, either. The Guardians had been taking care of business against the teams they should beat until dropping a series this weekend to the suddenly red-hot Royals. Luckily for Cleveland, the schedule doesn’t get much more challenging in September. The only teams over .500 the Guardians will see are the White Sox and Red Sox. After dropping five of six games last week, the Padres wouldn’t make the playoffs if the season ended today. They’re, of course, still right there in the race, and they have one of the easiest schedules ahead among National League teams. But they need to take care of business against the Reds, Nationals, Giants and Rockies before they end the season with a huge week against the Dodgers and D-backs. The D-backs and Padres will be battling the rest of the way for the final wild-card spot. Arizona has the harder road ahead of the two teams, with matchups to come this week against the Phillies and Astros and another against the Yankees before season’s end. They’ll need to rack up wins against the Royals, Rangers, Marlins and Rockies before what should be a consequential and captivating final series of the year in San Diego. The Red Sox are struggling to score again, but Roman Anthony and Trevor Story each had two hits in their return to action Sunday. A division title is highly unlikely — FanGraphs gives them a less than 1% chance of winning the AL East — but they’re in good shape to secure a wild-card spot. They have a winnable stretch ahead against the Mariners, Orioles, Angels, Royals and Rangers before a tough finish against the Rays, Guardians and Cubs. The White Sox have a 3.5-game lead on the Guardians, which is important considering both teams have easy roads ahead. The White Sox still get to play the Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, Pirates and Cardinals before season’s end. A three-game series at Cleveland starting Sept. 14 will be one to watch. It would take a sizable collapse for the Phillies to miss the playoffs at this point, though winning the division is also a long shot. They’ll have a chance to chip into the Braves’ five-game lead, facing Atlanta seven times over a 10-day span starting this weekend. It’s a tough road ahead for the Phillies, who also have to face the D-backs, Brewers and Rays. A division title is looking further out of reach, as the Cubs are now eight games back of the Brewers after dropping series to the D-backs and Reds last week. They still hold the top wild-card spot, but they have a difficult road ahead, starting with seven games against Milwaukee over the next 10 days. They do get to face the Pirates and Reds in September, but matchups against the Braves and Red Sox also await. After winning the series this weekend against the Red Sox, the schedule eases up from here for the Yankees, who have a chance in early September to start putting pressure on the first-place Rays. The Yankees go to Anaheim and San Diego next before facing the Rockies, Mets, Twins and D-backs. If they’ve gained ground by then, it could set up a pivotal four-game series with Tampa Bay to start the final week of the regular season. The Dodgers still aren’t playing great baseball, especially against good opponents, yet they have the biggest division lead in baseball (9.5 games) and one of the easiest September schedules in the sport. The only teams currently over .500 that they’ll see the rest of the way are the Marlins and Padres. The Rays have built a cushion atop the AL East after sweeping the Padres over the weekend, but they’ll need to keep it going this week against the Mets and Rangers if they want to feel comfortable. They still have to face the Braves, Astros, Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies before season’s end. Sweeping the Dodgers was important for a multitude of reasons. It gave the Braves the tiebreaker over L.A., moved them closer to securing a first-round bye, bought them more cushion ahead of the surging Phillies in the NL East race and provided some momentum entering a much more difficult stretch of baseball ahead. The Braves still have to play the Phillies seven times and the Rays, Cubs and Astros three times apiece. It would take a colossal collapse for the Brewers to lose the division at this point. They have seven more games against the Cubs, but they also have six against the Reds, and four of the last five teams they face to end the year have a losing record. The Brewers could be headed toward their first ever 100-win season in addition to their fourth straight division title.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the college football season upon us, NFL executives and scouts will be keeping a close eye on a talented 2027 quarterback class that has the potential to rank as the best in NFL history. That mythical title still belongs to the 1983 class headlined by Hall of Famers John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. For more than four decades, that was the only class to feature six QBs selected in the first round. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the 2027 class matches or eclipses that mark. Given the buzz that is already floating around league circles, I thought it was the perfect time to take a sneak peek at this deep crop of quarterbacks and rank them as I see them heading into the season. As a bonus, I’m sharing an active pro comparison for the 10 best QB prospects. Honorable mentions: Josh Hoover, Indiana; Jayden Maiava, USC; Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State; Sam Leavitt, LSU The most polarizing prospect on the list has the potential to make the biggest jump up draft boards under the direction of a new head coach with a reputation for building explosive offenses. Iamaleava possesses the athleticism and arm talent that evaluators covet, with the playmaking prowess to shine in a scheme featuring RPOs and movement passes. Although the 6-foot-6, 215-pounder remains a work in progress in the pocket, Iamaleava’s tools and talent will keep him on the radar for scouts looking for a quarterback with the potential to become an explosive playmaker as a pro. Current pro comp: Justin Herbert The confident passer heads to Miami after helping a pair of programs (Duke and Tulane) play championship-caliber football as the playmaking point guard from the pocket. Mensah plays on time and routinely puts the ball on target in a rhythmic offense that seemingly has answers for every blitz or pressure thrown at him by aggressive defensive play-callers. With the veteran moving on to a top-10 program to pursue a national title, the football world will have a chance to see how he fares with a stellar supporting cast. If he plays as he has for Tulane and Duke, the slick passer with superb ball placement could dazzle and emerge as an intriguing option for a team looking for a long-term starter. Current pro comp: Jordan Love The silky-smooth passer is not a household name, but his polished game should pique the interest of evaluators looking for a classic drop-back quarterback to build around. Measuring at 6-foot-6, 213 pounds, Bailey is a wiry passer with a whip that is best utilized in a vertical passing game. The junior (and third-year starter) is a rhythm passer who plays on time and routinely delivers on-target passes to every area of the field. As a big-play hunter with a high-arcing deep ball that is nearly impossible to defend, Bailey is a wild card who could soar up the charts — if he shows discipline and patience as a passer when defenses opt to play soft against the Wolfpack’s ordinarily potent offense. This past weekend’s season opener seemed a bit inauspicious, however. Current pro comp: C.J. Stroud After being ruled ineligible for the 2026 Supplemental Draft, the embattled passer will spend the entire season honing his skills in preparation for the 2027 draft. Meanwhile, executives and scouts will study the 2024 and 2025 seasons to determine if Sorsby is a developmental prospect or franchise player in a loaded class. Studying his old tapes, it is easy to see why the league was buzzing when he was expected to join the 2026 class. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, the mobile playmaker possesses the size and strength to generate explosive plays as a runner or thrower on the perimeter. He displays the ball-handling skills and athleticism to make pinpoint throws on the run as part of a creative bootleg or naked-pass game. With Sorsby also exhibiting the patience to work the underneath areas when opponents take away vertical throws, the veteran flashes the maturity to handle the bright lights and big stage as a pro. Although his gambling woes will force some teams to remove him from their draft boards entirely due to trust issues, the former Bearcat’s talent and tools will pique the interest of a general manager willing to roll the dice on the troubled star. Current pro comp: Jaxson Dart The rugged playmaker must bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign that raised questions about his readiness to be a franchise quarterback at the next level. While his shortcomings are correctable mechanical issues, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound gunslinger must refine his technique to fully unlock his superpowers as a dual-threat playmaker with A-plus arm talent and athleticism. Specifically, Sellers must improve in his accuracy and efficiency to graduate from “freak” athlete to certified franchise quarterback on the draft board. Given his raw tools and playmaking prowess, Sellers will be in the discussion as a Day 1 possibility, but his production must match his potential to vault to the top of the charts as a blue-chip quarterback prospect. Current pro comp: Jalen Hurts The diminutive playmaker is a dynamic weapon with the potential to produce big plays with his arm or legs. Chambliss took the football world by storm when he took over at Ole Miss, but electric displays have been a part of his game since he helped Ferris State claim a D2 national championship in 2024. Although his size (6-0, 200 pounds) will make some teams pause, it is hard to deny his performance and production as a quick-rhythm passer with explosive running skills. As a slick ball handler with a quick release, he is best suited to play in a wide-open offensive scheme that leverages his dual-threat talents through RPOs and timely deep balls. With some teams hesitant to gamble on an undersized quarterback regardless of talent, Chambliss is one of the biggest wild cards of the 2027 class. Current pro comp: Kyler Murray The one-year starter has captivated scouts seeking a “winner” with the tools to thrive at the next level. Despite entering 2026 with only 293 pass attempts, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr is a tough-minded competitor with the discipline and patience to win games utilizing a conservative approach from the pocket. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder rarely puts the ball in harm’s way, opting for checkdowns and underneath routes when the defense plays “umbrella” coverage designed to take away the deep ball. That said, Carr is not afraid to take his chances down the field on “alley-oop” tosses to big-bodied receivers and tight ends near the boundary. The clever game of chess played by the redshirt sophomore reflects his maturity and suggests he is built to play winning football for a top team as a pro. Current pro comp: Bo Nix The ultra-talented passer has a chance to jump into the family business as the next Manning to emerge as a franchise quarterback. At 6-4, 219 pounds, he oozes blue-chip “drip” as a mobile playmaker with a knack for producing “wow” plays inside and outside the pocket. Manning’s combination of athleticism and arm talent is better than the tools his famous uncles (Peyton and Eli) brought to the field, but he lacks the experience to dominate the game with his intelligence and diagnostic skills. However, another season at Texas under the direction of a quarterback guru who knows how to showcase an athletic drop-back passer could lead to significant improvement in his production and performance this fall. Given his combination of talent, tools, and technique, Manning could shoot to the top of the charts by the end of the 2027 draft process with a strong showing as a two-year starter. Current pro comp: Joe Burrow The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder is a masterful “grip it and rip it” passer with the touch, timing and anticipation to shred defenses with a flurry of pinpoint passes thrown at intermediate range. While skeptics will question Sayin’s arm strength compared to his peers, the Ohio State standout deftly attacks every area of the field with layered throws over the top of squatting defenders aggressively “playing at the sticks” on critical downs. With the junior showing impressive processing quickness and sound judgment as a pass-first point guard, teams willing to take a technician over a superior talent will view Sayin as a system player with franchise potential. Current pro comp: Baker Mayfield As a pure thrower with outstanding footwork and mechanics, Moore looks like a seasoned veteran directing an offense that is loaded with playmakers. Although his critics have been picking apart his game after a disappointing finish in the College Football Playoff, the 6-foot-3, 206-pounder is a polished pocket passer and a sneaky dual-threat playmaker who can operate within or outside the system. Given his tools, toughness and deadly accuracy, Moore possesses the traits executives and scouts look for in a franchise QB1. As a patient player who will take the checkdown and underneath throws when opponents sit in a soft zone, Moore keeps the offense on schedule with a patient approach that tests the discipline of opposing defenses. Now he just needs to demonstrate as much against top competition. Current pro comp: Jordan Love​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the NFL cutdown day off to a fast start, there have been plenty of trades, surprise cuts, and even a future Hall of Famer coming out of retirement. Sunday provided much-needed news in a truly eventful fashion. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement for one last championship run on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr. made the New York Giants’ 53-man roster, continuing his story right where it began. Running back Josh Jacobs went on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, which prompted the Green Bay Packers to acquire running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Minnesota, the Vikings kept J.J. McCarthy, while the Titans moved on from quarterback Will Levis. Here’s the latest NFL news that took place on Sunday. After months of speculation, the payoff finally arrived. The Los Angeles Rams lured three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald out of retirement on a one-year, $20 million deal, ESPN first reported on Sunday afternoon. The deal can reach as much as $30 million with incentives, assuming he plays up to expectations this season. Donald joins one of the league’s top defenses, forming a dominant front alongside Myles Garrett and pairing two of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history. “I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here,” Donald told reporters about re-joining the Rams. “I already thought it was a stacked D-line with Verse … then you bring a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it’s like, that could be fun, right? After Donald last suited up for the Rams in 2023 and announced his retirement in March 2024 at the age of 32, the Rams posted back-to-back winning seasons. Now, after continuing to strengthen their defense, they welcome the legend back. With Donald back in action, he’s expected to make his long-awaited debut in Week 1 when the Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. After years of injuries, Beckham is back on a Week 1 roster – and it’s a familiar one for him. He earned a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster, completing a full-circle journey that lands him back where his career started. After weeks of speculation, Beckham has officially made the cut. This marks the first time he’ll be on the Giants’ Week 1 roster since 2018 and with Malik Nabers working his way back from injury. “I never wanted to leave; I wanted to win,” Beckham told reporters after the Giants’ preseason win over the Jets. “All I ever wanted was for the Giants organization was win a championship. All I ever wanted to do was be great, and those things still very much matter to me.” Adding depth with an experienced player like Beckham was a must for head coach John Harbaugh. Now, with Beckham set to make the roster, the Giants have improved the receiver room from last season for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Beckham was selected No. 12 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and he put up staggering numbers during his Giants tenure. In 59 games, he recorded 390 catches, 5,476 yards, and 44 touchdowns before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 With Nabers returning, Beckham joins a Giants receiver room alongside Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, and Notre Dame third-round pick Malachi Fields. Beckham offers depth while Nabers, Fields, and Mooney absorb most early snaps. The Green Bay Packers officially placed edge rusher Micah Parsons on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list Sunday, ruling him out for at least the first four games of the regular season. Parsons continues to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus damage sustained last December against the Denver Broncos. Under NFL regulations, placement on the Reserve/PUP list requires a minimum four-game absence, sidelining Parsons for matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remains on track for a potential October return, making a Week 6 matchup against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, a possible target. In a separate move, running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on Sunday, which prevents him from practicing or playing while the league continues its review. The decision follows a May arrest in Wisconsin, where initial domestic abuse charges were reduced Thursday to two misdemeanors: misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged earlier in the week that the organization was “preparing” for a potential league suspension. To address backfield depth with Jacobs unavailable, Green Bay acquired running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers also made two trades on Sunday. To address backfield depth with Jacobs unavailable, Green Bay acquired running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers addressed their backfield depth by acquiring running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson, a 2025 third-round draft choice out of Iowa, saw limited action in Pittsburgh behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, logging 28 carries for 69 yards across 10 games as a rookie. He joins a Packers running back room that includes MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks as Green Bay prepares for the regular season with starter Josh Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list. During his final season at Iowa, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers traded second-year quarterback Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. McCord, 23, is positioned to serve as the primary backup to starting quarterback Malik Willis in Miami. The trade follows a strong preseason finale performance by McCord, who completed 22 of 35 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. With Tyrod Taylor serving as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay, McCord was slated for third-string duties. Miami created roster availability over the weekend by trading quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and releasing backup quarterbacks Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski. After weeks of speculation regarding J.J. McCarthy’s future with the Minnesota Vikings, his future (at least in the short term) is now set. The second-year quarterback from Michigan is expected to make the Vikings’ final 53-man roster, as first reported by ESPN. General manager Nolan Teasley has the final say over the Vikings’ 53-man roster, and he decided that the Vikings will carry quarterbacks Murray, McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer on their roster heading into the regular season. That could change in the two weeks before the Vikings’ regular-season opener, but O’Connell now has a strong mix of experience and development in the room. After missing his entire rookie season with a meniscus tear, McCarthy underwhelmed in his first year as a starter in 2025. He completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, totaling 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Minnesota went 6-4 in the 10 games McCarthy started as he battled ankle and hand injuries, as well as a concussion. Still, those results weren’t enough to fully convince O’Connell and his staff that he is the long-term franchise quarterback. All eyes now shift to the coming week to see if McCarthy remains on the active roster or if a trade partner finally emerges for the former 2024 first-round pick. The Tennessee Titans released quarterback Will Levis on Sunday as part of their final 53-man roster cutdowns. The decision solidifies veteran Mitchell Trubisky as the primary backup behind 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward heading into the regular season. Levis completed 53.8% of his passes for 200 yards across three preseason appearances this summer before the team made the move. Originally selected by Tennessee with the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Levis started nine games as a rookie before earning the starting job in 2024. He struggled through a 2-10 record as a starter that season, throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while battling shoulder issues. After the Titans selected Ward with the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Levis missed the entire 2025 campaign following season-ending shoulder surgery in July.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Milwaukee Mile — Alex Palou has trouble even thinking about winning a record eight INDYCAR titles. “It’s crazy. It’s 100 percent more than what I had this morning,” Palou told me Sunday night after winning his fifth championship. “It’s quite a lot.” At 29 years old, Palou is the youngest to achieve five titles. Only two other people have ever done it — A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six). Dixon, a Chip Ganassi Racing teammate of Palou’s, believes Palou could match him and potentially win more. Palou has won his five titles over the last six years, including his fourth consecutive crown this season. “He’s damn close already so I think with the roll that he’s been on, it’s been an epic roll and one that’s been a standout if you look at history just in general with what they’ve done in the past four years, is crazy,” Dixon told me Saturday. “The [competition for] championships haven’t really been championships. Kudos to them. Congrats to him and everybody on that team.” Pato O’Ward, who swept the weekend races at The Milwaukee Mile and sits fourth in the standings, joked that he would give Dixon — who is moving to Arrow McLaren and will be a teammate of O’Ward starting next year — a goat. And Palou? Even though they’re not teammates, he’d give him a baby goat. But in a couple of years, O’Ward knows Palou might deserve a goat that matches Dixon. “The guy lives rent free in everyone’s head in the paddock,” O’Ward said in his post-race news conference. “He’s raised that bar, him and Ganassi. That [No.] 10 car has been unbelievable. “Must be nice. One day we’ll get there.” But when? Some say the new car in 2028 will be the opportunity for the field to catch Palou, who has won 14 races in the last two seasons. Palou, one of a couple of drivers who has tested the car, chuckles when he hears that. “The good thing is that I feel it fits my driving style even better than the current one, so it’ll be fun,” Palou said. That’s the competitor in Palou speaking, not a driver who thinks about winning eight titles. The Spaniard’s eyes aren’t on that goal. His focus remains on the one race left in the 2026 season, a trip to Laguna Seca next weekend. “It’s very tough to realize while you’re doing it and while you think that there’s still more to go,” Palou said. “I feel it’s going to be super cool when I retire and I look back and be like, ‘Hey, you won X amount of championships and you accomplished all this stuff.’ “It’s going to be super cool. But now, it’s super cool to win this one and to try and go to Laguna and win at Laguna.” Dixon indicated that is the way most champions approach making history with championships. “For him, it’s the same for me, you focus on the weekend and if the championships come, that’s fantastic,” Dixon said. “But if we’re looking at what he’s achieved, it’s crazy.” Their boss, Chip Ganassi, wouldn’t bet against Palou to reach eight. “You’d be crazy not to believe that,” Ganassi said during the championship news conference. “I wouldn’t want to bet against that, I know that. I don’t know what the odds are in Vegas of that, but I wouldn’t want to bet against it. “It’s possible, it can happen. It can absolutely happen.” Palou, for now, will just look to improve. He marvels at the fact that he has a career-high seven poles this year, including at some places where he hasn’t had the speed in previous years. But he actually hasn’t won from the pole all that often — only twice. “I know, it’s been terrible,” Palou said about the races where he won the pole. “I stopped doing that [winning poles]. … There were five poles that we didn’t make it into wins.” And what about eight titles and breaking the record? “Is it possible? For sure … 100 percent,” Palou said. “I feel like this team and the way I feel, I still have so much to learn that it’s doable. But there’s so much we need to accomplish to get to eight. “I’ll work for that for sure. But I’ll work to get six first.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

You probably heard about Aaron Donald’s return to the Los Angeles Rams, but much more than that happened around the NFL this weekend. Donald grabbed headlines with his return to the Rams, but another former star returned to the team where he experienced his brightest days. Elsewhere, teams weren’t afraid to stash quarterbacks. In the final week of preseason action, a couple of contenders unlocked intriguing quarterbacks, including the reigning champions and their potential secret weapon behind Sam Darnold. Here are our takeaways from the weekend in the NFL: Eric D. Williams: Sean McVay’s wait is finally over, as game wrecker Aaron Donald officially ended his two-year retirement by joining the Los Angeles Rams during the team’s final roster cuts on Sunday. Donald signed a one-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million. Donald participated in individual drills on Sunday as he reacclimates to playing football. McVay said he has not decided if Donald will play in his team’s first regular-season game in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers. “It’s going to be a day at a time for us,” McVay told reporters on Sunday. “What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, ‘Are you coming back?’ If so, let’s do that. Let’s get you on the practice field. Let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches. And then we’ll see what the ramp-up period looks like, whether he’s available, or whether we think it’s best to be able to play him in Australia.” For his part, Donald said he’s thankful to be a part of this team that is a heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl. “This is a complete team with me here or without me here,” Donald said in his first press conference following his decision to unretire. “For me to even have an opportunity to be a part of this team, I take nothing for granted. It’s a blessing to be retired from the game for two years and have the opportunity to come back and be a part of something special.” Ralph Vacchiano: It seemed like a favor for an old friend at first, the Giants giving Odell Beckham Jr. a chance to come to camp at age 33 after having not played football for two years. Instead, it turned into a Cinderella story. Beckham rose from the bottom of the New York Giants’ roster and made the team that he never wanted to leave in the first place. He did it through hard work, proving he still had something left in his battered body, which he did through some highlight-reel moves at practice and decent play in the preseason (including a three-catch, 53-yard performance against the Jets on Friday night). Also helping his case was that the Giants lost slot WR Calvin Austin to a torn ACL last week, which probably opened up a spot for Beckham. Beckham is probably the fourth or fifth receiver on the roster, behind Malik Nabers, rookie Malachi Fields, veteran Darnell Mooney and maybe even Darius Slayton. It’s hard to imagine he’ll have much of a role when the regular season begins, but he’s brought energy to the team and to the fanbase. And he insists his Cinderella story isn’t over yet. Greg Auman: If you weren’t aware of the extreme value placed on quarterbacks in the NFL, consider that four teams – the Eagles, Falcons, Steelers and Vikings – carried four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, at least one more than normal. The most famous case of this was the 2000 Patriots, and it’s unlikely that any of this year’s rookie QB4s will go on to, say, win seven Super Bowls. But last year, the Browns carried four, waited a day, then got a fifth-round pick from the Raiders for Kenny Pickett. The Eagles have made several trades of their backups for draft picks, as well. Getting a quarterback – even a backup – on the cheap is a huge value for an NFL team, so even as a quick flip to a needy team is a good use of your 53rd spot if you instead cut a marginal veteran you know you can get back in a few days. (The Browns were close to keeping four quarterbacks, placing second-year QB Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve for a month while keeping three others.) Tennessee cut Will Levis loose, and he’ll almost certainly be claimed on waivers, but the teams that miss out on him and others they can get for free might give up a future draft pick to add a QB4 who can be their QB3 or, in some cases, even QB2. Williams: When Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider selected Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 draft, the organization understood he needed seasoning to produce on an NFL stage. However, entering Seattle’s preseason finale, Milroe had not shown a command of Seattle’s offense, with turnovers, pre-snap penalties and missed throws proving the norm when he was on the field. But on Friday night on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, Milroe showed the potential the Seahawks saw in him in college. He finished 16-of-26 for 223 yards, with a touchdown pass to tight end Nick Vannett and no interceptions. He was sacked once and posted a 101.9 passer rating. Milroe looked comfortable in the pocket, completing passes to 10 different pass catchers and creating three chunk plays of at least 24 yards. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wants Milroe to use his legs more because he understands the conflict a dynamic quarterback creates for a defense from his time in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. With Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III now with the Chiefs, the Seahawks are looking for ways to create more explosive plays. With his steady play against Kansas City, Milroe took a step in proving he’s ready for a role as a gadget player in Seattle’s offense. Steven Ruiz: I’m not ready to buy the Chargers as title contenders – there are still too many holes on the roster – but I am sold on this offense being a highly entertaining watch now that Mike McDaniel is calling plays as the team’s new offensive coordinator. The former Dolphins head coach may have lost control of his locker room in Miami, but his ability to draw up explosive plays never really wavered. Even with Tua Tagovailoa throwing ducks all over the field, Miami finished ninth in explosive play rate. Now, McDaniel is teaming up with one of the NFL’s most gifted passers in Justin Herbert. That tandem gave us a sneak peek at what might be coming this past weekend with this 65-yard strike for a touchdown. Herbert’s pass traveled 48.1 yards through the air, per Next Gen Stats. It was the longest throw any quarterback has ever made for a McDaniel-coached team. In Miami, McDaniel was accustomed to watching wide-open receivers slow down for Tagovailoa’s looping downfield throws. Watching wide receiver Quentin Johnston run under Herbert’s bomb while barely breaking stride must have been a jolt to his system. It was also the first time Herbert had ever attempted a throw of at least 45 air yards to a receiver with at least three yards of separation. These two are going to make each other’s jobs a lot easier, and given their respective talents, that should produce a lot of fireworks for the Chargers offense.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports