New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, left, walks off the field with wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Malik Nabers is headed for an MRI and Brian Burns is headed for a waiting game.
Nabers popped his own dislocated shoulder back into the socket in the first quarter, and Brian Burns suffered a low-ankle sprain in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, bookending the Giants’ nightmare 28-6 loss to the Rams on Monday that included the loss of quarterback Jaxson Dart to a likely sprained MCL.
“I pulled it back in and started feeling a little bit of strength back,” Nabers said. “We were without Jaxson, and I didn’t want to give the team another loss, so I went back in.”
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, left, walks off the field with wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. AP Photo/Caroline Brehman
Nabers was injured when he crashed to the ground after an incompletion from Jameis Winston. In his second game back from a 2025 season-ending torn ACL, he finished with one catch for 1 yard and is “knocking dust off to see what he can do with this new knee.”
Burns was in the game with the score out of hand when his left ankle was rolled on. He put no weight on it as he walked off the field with the help of two others and then gingerly walked back to the locker room and into the showers.
“It wasn’t as bad as it felt, so that’s a plus,” Burns said. “It’s getting stiff. It eases my mind to know it’s not nothing serious.”
The Giants had a cross-country red-eye flight and then a short turnaround to Sunday’s game against the Titans. Will Burns be available?
“I’ve dealt with this before,” Burns said. “It all depends on how fast you can get the swelling and inflammation down. I’m going to do everything possible to get as tamed as I can. The recovery process starts now, so it will be ice and compression until we get back to the facility and try to stay off it, keep it elevated.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs thought they had beaten the Indianapolis Colts on a bizarre fumble in overtime Sunday night.
The Colts ended up with a chance to win instead, yet chose to play for a tie.
And once again, Patrick Mahomes and the rest of his crew made an opposing team pay for giving them one last chance.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, left, and running back Kenneth Walker III (9) walk off the field after an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. AP Photo/Colin E. Braley
After the Chiefs and Colts traded field goals in the extra session, Mahomes followed a couple of strong runs by Kenneth Walker III by finding his running back for a long completion, setting up Harrison Butker’s 40-yard field goal as time expired and lifting the Chiefs to a 33-30 victory — the second straight year they’ve beaten Indianapolis on a field goal in overtime.
“I mean, I think guys were resilient, and we just strained to finish,” Mahomes said. “It wasn’t always pretty. There were times we didn’t execute at a high level. But guys continued to fight and continued to push and we found a way at the end.”
Mahomes finished with 382 yards passing and three touchdowns, Walker rumbled for 117 yards, and tight end Travis Kelce looked like a younger version of himself, catching nine balls for 101 yards and a score as the Chiefs improved to 2-0 on the season.
It took a little longer than they first thought.
Butker had kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime to give them the lead, and the Colts (0-2) responded on their possession by having Jones throw deep to Laquon Treadwell, who had beaten L’Jarius Snead. Treadwell appeared to be bobbling the ball as he hit the ground, got up after he had completed the catch, had the ball popped loose and watched as the Chiefs pounced on it.
The play was ruled a fumble on the field, but the officials reviewed it and determined Treadwell was down by contact. That gave the Colts a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown, but three plays left them facing fourth-and-8 and a decision.
Angles From The Laquon Treadwell Catch And Then Fumble
Does He Really Catch This? Is It Really A Fumble? Does He Have Possession? Is The Game Over? What Is Happening? pic.twitter.com/j2WKGkTNPQ
“Had a play called. Had to love the look to run it there,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “We took the delay and kicked the field goal.”
Turned out to be the wrong decision.
The Chiefs still had 3:11 to play in the extra session when they got the ball back, and they handed off to Walker on three straight plays to reach midfield. As the Colts began to stack the line of scrimmage to stop him, Mahomes threw a nifty pass to his running back, and he turned it into a 22-yard gain that set up Butker’s winning kick.
“We had worked throughout the week dropping it over the top,” Mahomes said. “They were in a pressure look. We were able to change the play. You get the ball in his hands, Rashee (Rice) did a great job of blocking on the perimeter. That got us in field goal range.”
Got them the win, too.
Laquon Treadwell of the Indianapolis Colts catches a pass against L’jarius Sneed of the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Sunday, September 20, 2026. Getty ImagesIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (13) loses possession of the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during overtime at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Treadwell was ruled down on contact on the play. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Overall we fought like crazy,” Steichen said, “but it wasn’t good enough. And then they find a way to make a play at the end.”
The Colts didn’t look a whole lot better on defense after a disastrous Week 1 performance against Baltimore that they had chalked up to communication problems. They tried to solve the issue by having linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither relay the plays rather than safety Cam Bynum, but the tweak didn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference as Kansas City marched up and down the field.
Each of the Chiefs’ first four drives would have produced points had Butker not missed a 51-yard field goal try.
Yet the Colts were able to match Mahomes and Co. blow-for-blow over the first 30 minutes. Tyler Warren had three catches and a touchdown, Josh Downs picked apart a secondary missing safety Chamarri Conner for a second straight game, and Taylor had 75 of his rushing yards — the highlight a 24-yard touchdown scamper that gave Indianapolis a 20-17 lead at the break.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a field goal in overtime to win the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, Sunday, September 20, 2026. Getty Images
The Chiefs allowed Denver to run for just 61 yards total in their 31-10 win last week.
“We did some good things. Thought the run game was good. Moved the ball. I thought we were pushing,” Jones said.
Kansas City finally slowed the Colts’ offense by refusing to give them the ball. The Chiefs held it for all but 2:22 of the third quarter, getting a go-ahead TD pass to Jalen Royals and setting up Butker’s field goal to start the fourth.
Indianapolis answered with an 8 1/2-minute drive that Taylor finished with his second TD run to tie it at 27l with 5:37 to go.
Neither offense could produce points down the stretch, though, leaving the game to be decided in overtime.
“It was great that the guys competed for four quarters,” Reid said. “You’re going to have this. The parity in this league is crazy. You’re going to have some once-score games. You have to bear down and and our guys did that.”
Coach Tyronn Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers could struggle to make a significant run during the 2026-27 season.
The organization has fallen from playoff contention to a team likely dropping near the bottom of the Western Conference as a result of its offseason.
The NBA announced disciplinary action against the team on Sept. 2 after an external law firm completed enough of its investigation and shared its findings with league commissioner Adam Silver.
The Clippers were fined $30 million and were told to forfeit five first-round draft picks (2029–2033). Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and two of the team’s executives were also suspended.
The Clippers also used the offseason to create a younger roster. The team traded Kawhi Leonard, who is 35 years old, and moved on from Nicolas Batum (37) in free agency while adding players such as Brandon Ingram (29) and Gradey Dick (22). The Clippers were one of the oldest teams in the league, with an average age of 33.2 years last season.
The team will have signs of inexperience, but it could create an opportunity for players such as first-round pick Keaton Wagler to get significant playing time early and often.
Here's a breakdown of the Los Angeles Clippers' offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NBA season:
The Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, officially ending a chapter in the organization's history. The Clippers will start the season without a bona fide star player and MVP contender on its roster. Newly acquired Brandon Ingram will have an opportunity to fill the role, but he will have to show he can be durable, which was something that worked against Leonard at times as well. Leonard did play 65 or more games in two of the last three seasons, but was limited to just 37 games played during the 2024-25 season. Ingram did take a step forward, playing in 77 games for the Raptors last season, just two games shy of his career-high during his rookie season. The forward was limited to just 18 games played with the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2024-25 season.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Darius Garland
G Keaton Wagler
F Brandon Ingram
F Rui Hachimura
C Brook Lopez
Rotation players
C Yanic Konan Niederhauser
C Isaiah Jackson
G Kris Dunn
G Max Strus
G Bradley Beal
G Gradey Dick
G Kobe Sanders
F Derrick Jones Jr.
F Jordan Miller
F Baba Miller
What to expect in 2026-27 season
Expectations won’t be high for the Clippers for the upcoming season. The Clippers already took a step back with a 42-40 record last season after making the playoffs in 2025. The Clippers are likely to take another step back. The team is projected to win just 31 games this season.
The team had championship expectations after acquiring Leonard and Paul George in 2019. Both players are now back in the Eastern Conference, while Los Angeles will battle for a chance at the play-in tournament.
Information in this article was imported automatically into a template written and reviewed by a USA TODAY Sports editor. You can send feedback using this form.
San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig (33) hurdles over defenders during Super Bowl XIX, a 38-16 victory over the Miami Dolphins on January 20, 1985, at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. (Photo by Paul Fine/Getty Images)
I can’t wait to see how Connor Colby and Jake Brendel handle the Miami Dolphins defensive line, how the 49ers secondary takes care of the Dolphins offense, and whether the 49ers throttle up or down. It’s natural to let your guard down, being in their position, so we will learn a lot about this team today. I have high expectations. They earned it with their performance ten days ago. Let’s get this win and let’s get out with minimal injuries. Go Niners!
How the 49ers are readjusting after weeklong Australia trip “Perry, the team’s vice president of player health and performance, and his staff provided players with instructions on how much water to drink on the plane, how long to stay up before falling asleep and when to wake up.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz said the objective was to stay up for a couple of hours (an easy enough task with so much adrenaline still pumping from the game), go to sleep in their lie-flat seats, and then wake up for the final few hours of the flight.
McKivitz estimated he slept for about seven hours. Running back Christian McCaffrey said he was out for about 13 hours, which was about the same as rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton. Defensive end Nick Bosa was in the same range.
“I actually felt it worse on the way back,” Bosa said. “Going out, you just kind of power through a few hours and then go to bed early and then just stay on a little earlier wake-up is what I did. And then when I came back, it’s been kind of hard to get to bed, but [Tuesday] night I got to bed nice and early.”
I don’t think Shanahan and Lynch have ever told an injured player to keep going no matter what. I just believe that they seek out hardy souls who run to contact and don’t want to let down their teammates. Which happen to be character traits of players who will try to ignore more reasonable medical advice.
Should Stribling have been kept off the field on Thursday after he initially hurt his ankle? Yes. But he wanted to keep going. The 49ers’ doctors allowed it; there’s always risk of worsening an injury and it’s always a judgment call.
But if Stribling didn’t want to go back in, he wouldn’t have gone back in. And the 49ers have built this roster — and won a lot of games — with players who want to go back in…
….they gather hard-nosed players, they charge through practice, they play games full-tilt, and they believe that tough players sometimes can make it back into the lineup faster than anyone else expected.
This stuff resonates in an NFL locker room. When you trust the players, the players trust you. Plus, sometimes it really pays off. Why else would the 49ers have brought George Kittle and Nick Bosa with them to Australia and to play in Week 1 after both had only recently returned to practice?
Or how could Shanahan and Lynch know that this group of players would respond well to flying out to Australia a week early, blow out the Rams, and understand what it takes to be ready for the Dolphins on Sunday?
The 49ers put a lot of trust in their players. Sometimes they put too much trust in their recovery powers; there are benefits and there are consequences for this. But the 49ers would rather keep that level of faith than players who deserve no faith at all.”
Eddy Pineiro will kick for 49ers against the Dolphins “According to Matt Maiocco, the team did not sign either one, which means they’re confident Eddy Pineiro is no longer sick and will be available for Sunday’s home opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Pineiro didn’t practice all week due to an illness. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday the team would work out kickers ahead of the game. It was unclear whether that move was preventive. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.”
The Eagles (1-0) are traveling to Nashville to play the Tennessee Titans (0-1) at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Here are our predictions:
Reuben Frank (1-0)
The schedule is going to get much harder starting next week when the Eagles begin a stretch against the Bears in Chicago, the Rams at the Linc and the Jaguars in London. So getting the lowly Titans in Week 2 is perfect timing for the Eagles, who should – and better – get out of Nashville 2-0. This is a terrible Titans team that opened the season with a two-touchdown home loss to a Jets team that hadn’t won a road game by two touchdowns in three years. Perfect chance for the Eagles to fix what didn’t go well in their opener – pass rush, running game, pass protection, run defense – against a team they should dominate. The Titans are 9-36 in their last 45 games and the Eagles need to take advantage of this opportunity and blow this team out and get themselves to 2-0 before things get tougher.
Eagles 30, Titans 17
Dave Zangaro (1-0)
The Eagles are big road favorites this weekend and they need to go down to Nashville and take care of business. This is one of those games the Eagles need to win and it would be nice if they didn’t let an inferior team hang around. If they have two too-close-for-comfort wins, they’d be 2-0 but there would probably be some serious questions about this team going forward.
With that said, I don’t think this game is going to be particularly close. The Titans just lost to the Jets by two touchdowns and are coming off a three-win season in 2025. I really don’t think they’re going to be much better in 2026. Cam Ward is talented but hasn’t been able to put it together and as nice as it probably was for him to get the No. 4 overall pick, Carnell Tate, in the building, it’s not going to change this team overnight. Their overall weapons aren’t great and that offensive line might not be able to hold up against the Eagles’ DL. I know, I know. We said that last week, but this is another opportunity for the Eagles’ pass rush to thrive.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles will have to help out the interior of their line as they face All-Pro Jeffery Simmons. But a healthy Drew Kendall gives the Eagles a much better shot than a clearly hampered Landon Dickerson. As long as Simmons doesn’t wreck the game, the Eagles should be able to move the football on the ground and through the air.
Eagles 24, Titans 10
Barrett Brooks (1-0)
I’m looking for run production on the offensive side of the ball. There were times when I saw the new scheme take an L because it is so new to the line. The new run scheme is based heavily on zone blocking. I like to call it track blocking. The Eagles’ O-line has previously been in a man blocking scheme. Now they must block a space and when someone enters the space, latch on and block that defender. I know it was disappointing in Week 1, but I see how good this scheme can be for the offense. There are little adjustments and tweaks that will lead to great runs and make the play-action game a viable option.
The defense at times looked amazing. I know everyone is harping on the sack production, but the defensive ends actually had a better game than statistics showed. I believe the edge rushers were told to stay in their rush lanes and mush Rush QB Jayden Daniels. He is such a good scrambler that the ends would have to rush through the OTs, instead of trying to beat them around the hump. The ends had to collapse around the QB and keep Daniels in the pocket.
I said all that to say: the Eagles should manhandle the Titans. The Titans are in the middle of a rebuild. The Eagles are still in position to go deep into the playoffs. They must not play to the level of any of their opponents. The Eagles must set the gold standard from this point forward.
Eagles 31, Titans 12
Mike Mulhern (1-0)
The Eagles have never won in their three previous trips to Nashville, and it’ll be a scorcher on Sunday with near-100 degree temperatures. Thankfully, they face a Titans team lacking in talent that just got run over by the Jets. The brain trust of Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll led a pair of New York football franchises into the ground, then went out and acquired all the former Jets and Giants they could. That’s not exactly a recipe for success.
In the end, it comes down to 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward. It’s been a disappointing start to his career. He was the 40th-rated passer as a rookie and matched that 80.2 rating in their Week 1 loss. He’s also lacked the flashes of “wow” moments fans can cling to for hope. Vic Fangio’s defense should feast on the young signal caller.
Expect an improved run game with the injured Landon Dickerson being replaced in the starting lineup by (presumably) Drew Kendall. The Eagles shouldn’t need Jalen Hurts to save them this Sunday. He can simply “play QB” and they should walk away with an easy win.
Eagles 27, Titans 13
Ashlyn Sullivan (1-0)
I don’t think this game is as much of a cakewalk as everyone thinks it is. I could see the Eagles offense especially coming out slow and this being a closer game than we imagined, at least in the first half. The one strength of the Titans matches up with the biggest weakness the Eagles have right now: the uncertainty on the offensive line with guard Landon Dickerson being placed on IR. Titans interior defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, and pairing with John Franklin-Myers makes for a pretty tough matchup for the Eagles guards this week. I think this will be a big game for the Eagles defensive line and they will find the pass rush that was lacking last week. Titans quarterback Cam Ward will put the ball in danger and take some sacks — he was sacked three times alone last week. I think the Eagles offense eventually finds its footing in the second half and the Eagles advance to 2-0 on the season.
Eagles 31, Titans 14
Ryan Fowler (1-0)
Week 2 in Nashville is the definition of a trap game. For the Eagles, a massive Week 3 showdown looms with the Chicago Bears, but the focus this week will be to not glance too far over the horizon at what’s next. Instead, it’s about handling business in the form of a Titans team that struggled mightily on either side of the ball against the Jets in Week 1.
On offense, I expect Philadelphia to execute at a high level as a unit this week. I’d like to see some more screen game and targets for Makai Lemon beyond the line of scrimmage, but this is the game where Sean Mannion’s group should control the clock with the ground game before taking their shots downfield. The operation wasn’t perfect against Washington, but this is a chance to grow as a unit, open up the playbook a bit, and take care of business early. An underwhelming front seven (8 total pressures in Week 1) and a weak secondary for Tennessee sets the stage for what should be a nice day for all involved with limited push to stop the run and a lack of juice off the edge on passing downs.
For Vic Fangio’s group, go hunt this week. Multiple sacks on the first series, force a few turnovers, heck, score a touchdown on defense. That’s my expectation for this group in Week 2. Cam Ward has all the arm talent to make every throw in the book, but his mechanics and process under center along with the correlating surroundings and structure of the offense was flat out ugly to open the year. There’s perimeter talent present in Wan’Dale Robinson and 2026 first-round WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State), but I just don’t see a path here where Ward and the Titans threaten this Eagles defense other than a few plays here and there and a possible late score in garbage time. Combine the fact that Ward is a primary pocket passer and nothing like we saw last week with Jayden Daniels’ ability to extend plays, and I expect a massive week for Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Jalyx Hunt — whose seven pressures against Washington ranked 5th-most among all defenders in Week 1.
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 6: Brandon Weems, Maverick Carter, Keith Dambrot, & LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo during the game on April 6, 2024 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
John Calipari’s deep NBA connections are the open secret to his legendary recruiting success. Need proof? Look no further than the 44 of his college players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
However, the assistants who have grinded alongside him haven’t always replicated that success when taking the reins themselves. Historically, the 11 Calipari assistants who moved on to Division I head coaching jobs have scraped together a combined record of 1,491–1,522.
But one former Kentucky staffer is breaking the mold by bypassing the college coaching route entirely. According to an official release from NBA.com, Brandon Weems has been promoted to general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Weems cut his teeth in Lexington, landing his first coaching job with Kentucky. He quickly climbed the ladder to become the program’s assistant director of basketball operations, serving as a vital behind-the-scenes piece of the Wildcats’ 2012 national championship run.
His rise in Cleveland’s front office is backed by hard results. Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman praised the move, stating, “He has been instrumental in our player evaluation and roster-building processes, has a deep understanding of our culture, and has grown into a tremendous leader.”
Adding another cool layer to the promotion, Weems was actually a high school teammate of Akron’s own LeBron James. The King would leave Cleveland only to return and bring an NBA title home to Cleveland in 2016.
Now, Weems is tasked with helping construct another championship roster for that same franchise, this time building around Donovan Mitchell.
Rams coach Sean McVay says defensive end Myles Garrett's knee surgery was successful, but it's too soon to tell when Garrett will be back on the field.
"It went good, he's feeling good, you already see he had crutches yesterday and then he was walking without crutches today. He's like Wolverine, healing fast," McVay said.
That doesn't necessarily mean Garrett will be back on the field on October 18 for the Rams' Week 6 game against the Cardinals, which is the earliest he's eligible to return from injured reserve.
"I'm reluctant to put a timeline on it," McVay said. "We know that he's going to miss those four weeks at a minimum. We're not going to rush him back. We want to make sure he's feeling good, he's able to get on the practice field, do all the things that are necessary for him to perform at a level that he's been accustomed to. I'll keep you guys posted as we have updates, as we go."
Garrett did next to nothing in the Rams' Week 1 loss to the 49ers and can't play for the next four weeks, so the Rams will be about one-third of the way through the season before they get any meaningful contributions for him. That wasn't the plan when they traded for him, but the Rams' top priority is having him ready late in the season and in the playoffs, and McVay sounds confident that will happen.
