The Cleveland Browns will sport a new defensive look when they take the field on Sunday for their Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Some of those changes are by design: defensive end Jared Verse replaces Myles Garrett, linebacker Quincy Williams replaces Devin Bush, and defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg takes over for Jim Schwartz.
There were some unexpected changes, however, most notably along the defensive line, after defensive end Alex Wright, who was expected to be a starter, was lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.
That led general manager Andrew Berry to bring in veterans Sam Williams and Derek Barnett, and Rutenberg to experiment with Michael Hall Jr. at defensive end.
Rutenberg had his weekly press conference on Thursday and addressed several topics. Here are four takeaways from what he had to say.

#jacksonville

European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen produced another barnstorming run to win the men's 5000m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.
The Paris Olympic champion kept a low profile in the middle of the pack before storming around the outside to surge clear in the closing 100m.
American Parker Wolfe came to the front at the bell but was unable to prevent Ingebrigtsen powering away to a comprehensive victory, winning in 12:59.24. Cole Hocker was second in 13:00.05 and Wolfe clung on for third in 13:00.13.
"Easy work," Ingebrigtsen said afterwards with a grin, before collecting the trophy at the brand-new event - along with a winner's cheque for $150,000, which all individual champions will receive.
The Norwegian - frighteningly for his rivals - is still not at 100% fitness as he continues his comeback from an Achilles injury which required surgery in February.

#budapest

San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle had two receptions for 12 yards in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle was targeted five times.
SOURCE: ESPN
Why It Matters: In a game where most things went right for the 49ers, Kittle struggled with just two catches for 12 yards. Don't overreact. It was a testament to Kittle's dedication that he was even active in Week 1 after suffering a torn Achilles in January. He got some reps in and didn't suffer a setback. Now he'll get a few extra days to rest up before Week 2. You might want to continue holding him out until he has a breakthrough performance, but if you lack appealing alternatives you can justify rolling the dice on Kittle versus the Dolphins next weekend.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Kittle quiet in season opener

#source

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night to improve to 1-0 on the season, but during the game, they lost a key player who caught five touchdowns last year.
In the second quarter, 49ers tight end Jake Tonges suffered a knee injury, and trainers had to cart him back to the locker room. While he was questionable to return, he didn't play another snap in the victory.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't have the best injury update.
"It wasn't good," Shanahan said. "It's not ACL. It's MCL, I believe. But there are some issues with it that we gotta see how it is. There's a little more information to it, but we don't know yet."
With George Kittle easing back into action after returning quickly from a torn Achilles, the 49ers might have to rely on him more going forward. They also have Luke Farrell on the 53-man roster and both Brayden Willis and Khalil ****** ins on the practice squad at the position.

#didn 't

George Kittle is making a valiant return from a torn Achilles tonight in the San Francisco 49ers' season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. It's been only eight months since he suffered the injury, a remarkably fast recovery for any player, let alone a 32-year-old tight end who plays a particularly physical style.
A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Kittle has been one of the best at his position for nearly a decade. If he can successfully return to form after his Achilles injury, it'll only bolster his Hall of Fame case.
As Kittle makes his way back to the field, his wife, Claire Kittle, will be cheering him on. Here's what we know about Claire.
Claire is a former Iowa basketball player who now works as an influencer and model. The Kittles met while freshmen at Iowa, according to People, and they were friends for eight months before they began dating. Claire and George eloped in 2019 and got married again in 2021 to celebrate with friends and family. The couple enjoys comic books and video games, plus they live in Nashville in the offseason.

#claire #eight

I feel like I spend half of my hours dreaming about the San Francisco offense these days. Of course, I spend the other half sweating in a panic.
This is life with fantasy football's most boom/bust depth chart. And we have plenty to be nervous about as the 49ers get ready for their Thursday night opener against the Rams, coming live from Australia, with several stars on the injury report.
Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season
The perks with San Francisco are obvious. Kyle Shanahan is a brilliant coach, Brock Purdy a plus quarterback and Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Mike Evans all look like Hall of Famers. Of course those last three vets are all back-nine players, too — McCaffrey enters his age-30 season, while it's an age-33 lap for Kittle and Evans.
Injury concerns come standard with all three. Kittle tore his Achilles in January. Evans was a limited player all summer, managing a groin injury. It's possible Kittle will have a slow open to the season, and Evans also has to be handled carefully, though I suspect he'll at least repay this summer draft cost.

#half

Tight end George Kittle traveled with the 49ers to Australia, which was a sign he would play in Thursday night's season opener. It sounds like Kittle will play, but how much remains to be seen.
"It's been pretty cool to see Kittle out there looking like himself, looking fresh," offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. "How that affects him on game day and what the workload is, that will be determined. But he looks good to me.
"He's practicing full speed. He's getting a ton of reps. So I feel like we're in good shape."
Kittle tore his right Achilles in a Jan. 11 playoff game against the Eagles. He underwent surgery three days later, with Rams team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache repairing Kittle's Achilles.
Kittle made his seventh career Pro Bowl last season despite playing only 11 regular-season games due to hamstring and ankle injuries. He recorded 57 receptions for 628 yards and seven touchdowns.

#kittle #season #george

After weeks of delays and behind-the-scenes attempts to cobble something meaningful together, UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Utah finally has a championship main event: Natalia Silva vs. ****** Cong for the vacant women's flyweight belt.
Wait, what? The flyweight belt that Valentina Shevchenko has defended a whopping nine times since 2018 across two ****** le runs? That's now vacant? When announcing Silva vs. Cong, they cited a "Bullet" injury but didn't really get into details on how the belt was put back up for grabs. A statement from Shevchenko's coach Pavel Fedotov gave a bit more info.
"We were supposed to fight on October 3 against Natalia Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight," Fedotov wrote (via Ushatayka). "Given that the recovery will take a long time, we've made the decision to temporarily vacate the belt, and once she recovers, she will fight for it again."
According to Fedotov, they're expecting the injury to take eight months to recover from.
In the past, you might expect to see an interim ****** le go up for grabs after similar injuries taking under a year to heal. But these days, the UFC has gotten into the habit of asking its injured champions to relinquish their belts. Jamahal Hill did it when he ruptured his Achilles tendon, and so did Jiri Prochazka when he injured his shoulder. Now we've got Valentina Shevchenko doing it.

#fight

49ers' George Kittle gets major status update for Week 1 vs. Rams after $2M roster cut originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco 49ers will face their division rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in the season opener. There are still some important questions surrounding the status of Nick Bosa and George Kittle as they try to make it back in time to play.
Kittle suffered his injury during the playoffs last season, tearing his Achilles against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Niners tight end George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the second quarter of Sunday's 23-19 wild-card win over the Eagles, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters postgame," NFL.com's Bobby Kownack wrote.
Earlier in the week, Kittle received a major update on his chances of playing in the season opener. He traveled with the 49ers to Australia with the possibility of making his return.

#Eagles

Scarlets have released summer signing Chris Apoua after the forward ruptured an Achilles in training.
The 34-year-old tight-head prop signed for the Llanelli-based club in August from Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika.
But the veteran, who has played provincial rugby in New Zealand with Northland and Southland, suffered a serious injury soon after linking up with Nigel Davies' squad and will miss the entire 2026-27 season.
"The club can confirm that Chris will be returning to New Zealand and we wish him well with his recovery," read a Scarlets statement.
Director of rugby Davies will now ***** s the market in a bid to add to his front-row options for the upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign.

#club

Liverpool's season hinges on Alexander Isak remembering he is Alexander Isak.
During his time at Newcastle United, he struck 20+ goals in back-to-back seasons and regularly dominated the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel and William Saliba. He was, after Erling Haaland, the most feared striker in the English top-flight.
For the Reds, however, he's yet to show that version of himself. Injuries disrupted his debut season on Merseyside while he's failed to really impose himself on either of the two opening games this term. He did, however, find the back of the net against Nottingham Forest, tapping home a Cody Gakpo cross.
While the Liverpool No9 may have the highest Non-Penalty Expected Goals total in the Premier League this term, the data doesn't reveal all. A significant chunk of that was tied to a double chance against Newcastle, when the ball almost ricocheted off of his head twice in quick succession. It went down as two, high value chances, and skews the overall total.
He finished well against Forest but outside of that he's been anonymous. And this is a bit of a problem for Liverpool right now with Hugo Ekitike out until the New Year with an Achilles issue.

#forest #however

Jakob Ingebrigtsen admits he is "a long way" from the level that he expects. The maverick Norwegian made a dramatic return to racing at the European Championships in Birmingham, storming to 5,000m gold to banish skepticism surrounding his condition and his nerve to compete on the big stage following a 323-day absence after a debilitating Achilles injury.
Athletics is a star-driven sport and the 1,500m, among its most compelling events, alongside the women's 800m, depends on head-to-head duels when records, such as Josh Kerr's captivating tilt at the one mile mark in London, are not at stake.
The two great rivals, who were famously caught snoozing in Paris two years ago as Cole Hocker slipped up the inside of the rail to ***** gold, continue to bristle at each other's journeys away from the track.
Ingebrigtsen's command and control across 5,000m is mesmerising, but even if Kerr was merely provocative in his claim that "no one cares" about that event, the pure chaos of the 1,500m reigns and its former Nordic king knows all too well.
"I think a lot of people should be [disappointed in Kerr's absence from some championships]," Ingebrigtsen had remarked. "Because that is what championships are all about. It's not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete - that is the whole point.

#jakob

The Tricolor squad trained this Wednesday (3) at SuperCT and continued preparations to face Atlético-MG next Saturday (5), at 6:30 p.m., at MorumBIS, in a match valid for the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship.
This morning's activities featured two updates: forward Victor Sá (traumatic sprain in his right ankle) trained with his teammates, while defensive midfielder Newton (edema in his left adductor) completed part of the session with the group before doing additional work with the fitness staff.
Training began with motor control exercises, possession drills, and speed work. Then, Dorival Júnior and his ***** istants organized three-versus-two matchups.
The players were then split into three teams: while two faced each other, the third worked on defending set pieces on the adjacent field. There was also additional finishing practice.
Defensive midfielder Bobadilla (pain in his right knee) began his transition work with the fitness staff, while Lucas (surgery on the Achilles tendon in his right leg) and Lucca (jaw fracture) continued their individualized training on the pitch.

#defensive

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will open their seasons next Thursday in an historic matchup from Melbourne, Australia.
While the 49ers have already begun their trek down under, the Rams will not be arriving until a day before the game, which kicks off on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11:35 a.m local time.
As both teams prepare for Week 1, there are several lingering injury storylines to track. A number of key players are working their way towards being ready to play, but a few have yet to get a green light.
After tearing his Achilles in January, the tight end is trending in a positive direction as far as playing next week. Kittle practiced this week and, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, there is an "optimistic sense" of the 32-year-old being available against the Rams. Like Bosa, he was on the plane to Australia on Wednesday.
The defensive end practiced for the first time in training camp on Wednesday, nearly a year after tearing his right ACL. He told reporters that he "felt great" and said the progress he is making is "very encouraging." As far as playing Week 1, he did not say anything definitive, but sounded like he was expecting to be out there next Thursday. Teams doctors will have the final say, of course.

#Rams #thursday #australia #tearing

The San Francisco 49ers remain a top-10 team, but dropped a spot in ESPN's newest power rankings following the 2026 preseason. The 49ers went from No. 8 to No. 9 after being overtaken by the Baltimore Ravens.
The 49ers have once again been hit hard with injuries before the season even starts. Ricky Pearsall is already out for the year, George Kittle is still working his way back from an Achilles injury, and the receiver room has taken additional hits with ailments to veterans expected to anchor the offense like Mike Evans. That kind of attrition at the skill positions is a real concern heading into Week 1, even if some of the team's top players are looking healthier at this point in the summer.
Beyond the injury list, there's also lingering uncertainty up front. San Francisco's offensive line still has soft spots, especially at left guard, that could be exposed against the more physical fronts in the division. The defense, while solid, doesn't project as an elite unit after finishing with an NFL-worst 20 sacks a year ago. Mykell Williams is on the physically unable to perform list, and Nick Bosa remains a major question mark heading into the season.
This all adds up to a talented but banged-up roster that's now viewed as a tier below the top of a loaded NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks rank Nos. 1 and 2 on the ESPN power rankings, respectively, which makes the 49ers path to retaking the division a tall order.
San Francisco reached the divisional round last season despite similar injury issues, showing real resilience, but with the Rams and Seahawks both fortified this offseason, the margin for error just got smaller — and the Niners will need better injury luck than they've had in recent years to keep pace.

#francisco #rankings

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to have Kyrie Irving back after he missed the entire 2025-26 campaign because of a torn ACL, and Dirk Nowitzki is among those excited to see the 34-year-old guard again soon.
In a recent interview with WFAA's Joe Trahan, Nowitzki strongly believes Irving's return will address the Dallas Mavericks' Achilles heel last season – the point guard position. The one-time NBA champion is also interested in how Irving will play alongside franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg.
Nov 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks back at guard Kyrie Irving (left) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
"The most exciting thing is, on the court, what struggled last year for the Mavs were the point guard position. And now you have one of the all-time greats coming back with Kyrie. He had a year off. He should be ready. He should be excited. He watched Cooper for a year, so I'm sure in his head, he has a plan on how they're going to play off each other," Nowitzki stated.
Irving is entering his contract year with the Dallas Mavericks, where he'll earn around $39.5 million, and the 34-year-old guard can exercise his $42.4 million player option in the summer of 2027 (or become an unrestricted free agent).

#irving #back

Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are the four remaining members of the Lions' 2023 draft class still in Detroit. General Manager Brad Holmes has made clear his desire to keep them "around for a long time."
Campbell has signed a four-year, $81 million extension, and Gibbs signed a three-year, $67.5 million extension.
The Lions continue to work on deals for LaPorta and Branch.
"We still want to keep those guys around; those plans haven't changed," Holmes said Wednesday, via Richard Silva of The Detroit News. "There's a couple factors that we've still got to sort through. But in terms of us wanting those guys around? Absolutely. Hopefully, we can get that done."
Branch (Achilles) and LaPorta (back) had their 2025 seasons cut short by injury. The defensive back will miss at least the first four games on the reserve/PUP list, while the tight end was fully cleared before training camp.

#still #around #campbell #gibbs

After weeks of uncertainty, a decision has been made: San Francisco 49ers stars George Kittle and Nick Bosa will board the team's Wednesday flight to Melbourne, Australia, for the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
That does not necessarily mean both players are locks to play Sept. 10. Kittle is in the late stages of his recovery from a torn Achilles suffered in January; he took part in San Francisco's final three practices ahead of the team's departure. Bosa is dealing with the lingering effects of a second ACL tear in his right knee; he participated in drills during the open portion of Wednesday's practice for the first time since Aug. 3, sporting a black sleeve on his right knee.
Even if Bosa and Kittle aren't yet guaranteed to take the field at Melbourne Cricket Ground, these developments signal there's a strong chance they will. It seems unlikely the 49ers would send either player to Melbourne without - at the very least - intending for them to suit up against the Rams.
Asked Monday if the decision to play or sit Kittle had to be made by Wednesday's flight, head coach Kyle Shanahan said, "It'd be much nicer to make that decision before we go instead of having him go through all that." But he noted that Kittle spending 10 days away from the medical staff and out of team meetings is a "big deal," even if he isn't going to play.
Other players who returned to practice Wednesday: wide receiver Mike Evans (adductor), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (finger) and defensive back Ephesians Prysock (shoulder). Evans, who worked off to the side Tuesday, appears to be on track to play in Week 1.

#play

USA TODAY Sports ranks the Detroit Lions' defense No. 19 entering the 2026 season. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit has fallen nine spots since USA TODAY's June ranking that slated the Lions No. 10.
A major concern for Detroit is its injury-plagued secondary.
The Lions released former first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold earlier this offseason. Starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch will miss at least four games as both were placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list to begin the 2026 season.
Joseph, a first-team All-Pro and the NFL's interceptions leader in 2024, continues to deal with a degenerative knee issue that limited him to six games in 2025. Meanwhile, Branch is recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered in December. Sheppard will be leaning on the front seven to take pressure off its secondary in the meantime.
NFL reporter Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz had this to say about the Lions' defense:

#lions #joseph #branch #games

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak revealed at a press conference on Wednesday it was an Achilles injury that led to Keyron Crawford being placed on season-ending injured reserve thus ending the edge rusher's rookie year before it even started.
Crawford suffered the injury during Las Vegas' final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 27, ending a promising summer for the Raiders' third-round pick from this year's draft. The Auburn product had emerged as a developing pass-rush option for the team and was expected to contribute behind Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye in 2026.
The season-ending designation represents a significant setback for both Crawford and the Raiders, who will enter the regular season without one of their top young players. Crawford's absence has Patrick Johnson in line to have a bigger role at edge rusher in Las Vegas next season.
Kubiak and his staff will now have to redistribute Crawford's defensive snaps while managing the rookie's long-term rehabilitation.
The Raiders will begin the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Miami Dolphins, with Crawford expected to spend the season recovering from the Achilles injury.

#season #vegas #ending #injury

The NFL has concluded the preseason, and teams are now preparing for the regular season. Roster cutdowns, PUP List decisions and injured reserve designations have made each team's plans a little clearer as key players work toward the season opener.
Among those players, San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle is making an unprecedented push to play in week one. After suffering a torn Achilles late last season, he is looking to make history with his recovery by being ready for the 49ers' trip to Australia.
On Wednesday, reports indicated that Kittle is on track to play. Most importantly, he is making the trip to Australia as the 49ers prepare to take on the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.
MORE: Cowboys will regret cutting Joe Milton before October
"The 49ers leave today for their game vs the Rams in Australia, and star TE George Kittle will make the trip after 2 positive days of practice, sources say. Kittle is trending in the right direction to play. DE Nick Bosa, ramping up with his knee, will also make the trip." Ian Rapoport reported on X.

#players

49ers tight end George Kittle's chances of playing in Week 1 are going up.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Kittle will travel to Australia with the team ahead of their matchup with the Rams in Melbourne. Kittle has practiced the last two days and, per the report, is trending in the right direction to play.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week that he'd prefer not to take Kittle to Australia if it looked like he would not be ready to play on the Achilles he tore in January. Making the trip doesn't guarantee he'll be in the lineup, but it is certainly a good sign.
Rapoport reports that defensive end Nick Bosa will also travel with the team on Wednesday. Bosa did not practice for much of training camp as he recovers from a torn ACL, but General Manager John Lynch said on Tuesday that he'll be ramping up his work with an eye toward playing in the opener.

#bosa

Spencer Jones was, is, and will always be an enigma. He's an incredibly divisive player, one who dazzles with his pure athleticism at his hulking size, with true light-tower power, all with an Achilles heel of struggling mightily to make contact. He's a true four-tool player and will test the absolute limits of just how good a player with those tools can be, with arguably the most important tool completely missing from his toolshed.
Jones has had his highs and lows this season, but the reality is that he's steadily improved over the course of the season, particularly after each promotion. He's getting by with his clear weaknesses, while not looking overmatched against velocity or left-handed pitching, two things that always were his bugaboos in the minors. Tonight in Anaheim, as September 1st bled into September 2nd, he was the catalyst in a 7-3 Yankees win that washed the bad taste of Monday night out of everyone's mouths.
The Yankees were abhorrent in the first inning in August. As a team, they slashed .138/.214/.202 with just two total runs across 27 games, both on August 26th against Houston. Well, on the first day of September, they put up three in the first inning against Grayson Rodriguez on a pair of home runs by Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. The former hit his second ****** anic shot to right-center field in as many nights, while the latter snuck an excuse-me liner inside the left-field foul pole for one of the more fascinating home runs you'll ever see.
View Link
Gerrit Cole took the ****** p and looked like he might give some runs back after a leadoff double by Zach Neto, but he worked around it with strikeouts of Mike Trout and Moises Ballesteros to strand him. After Rodriguez settled down for the Angels, Cole worked around a two-out walk by Josh Lowe to put up another zero in the second.

#player

The Giants released Braxton Berrios on Sunday, but there was word that the team planned to have the veteran wide receiver and kick returner back in the fold ahead of Week 1.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the avenue for Berrios's return will be via the practice squad. As Berrios is a vested veteran and did not have to go through waivers, a signing can take place right away.
Berrios signed with the team after Gunner Olszewski tore his Achilles this spring and he can be elevated to fill a returner role for the Giants when they face the Cowboys in the opening week of the regular season.
Berrios was an All-Pro returner for the Jets in 2021 and has career averages of 11.2 yards per punt return and 24.9 yards per kickoff return.

#berrios #return #braxton #sunday

Detroit Lions safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are beginning the 2026 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning the earliest either player can return is Detroit's Week 5 contest at the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11.
The first four weeks of Detroit's schedule include games against the New Orleans Saints (Week 1), Buffalo Bills (Week 2), New York Jets (Week 3) and Carolina Panthers (Week 4). After playing the Cardinals on the road, the Lions have a bye in Week 6 before hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.
Branch (Achilles) and Joseph (knee) haven't practiced this offseason. Lions coach Dan Campbell on July 29 said Branch could potentially begin practicing "late (in) training camp, maybe early September," and he added Joseph was "on the Branch plan a little bit, and that's if everything goes well and everything goes according to plan with him and we've got everything on our side."
The latest update from Campbell came on Aug. 27, when he was asked if any decisions had been made regarding whether Branch and Joseph would start on the PUP list: "Brad (Holmes) and I will discuss all that over the next, call it, three or four days here. We're going to start kind of meeting this afternoon after all this and start going through it. I'm not going to be able to give you a definitive answer right now. Both of those guys are doing well right now."
A new rule this season that could be relevant: Players who begin the season on PUP still have to miss four games, but they can start practicing with the team after Week 2. Previously, those players couldn't return to practice until after Week 4.

#week #branch #four #everything

The Indianapolis Colts are set with their situation atop their quarterback depth chart. They will be led from under center in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season by Daniel Jones, who has recovered from an Achilles injury he suffered last season in time for the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, there still appears to be an ongoing battle for the chief backup role behind Jones, with Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard in the mix.
On Saturday, Richardson and Leonard each had a chance to further make their respective cases for the QB2 job during a real, competitive game, as the Colts faced the visiting Detroit Lions in a preseason finale at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The former Florida Gators star quarterback Richardson started in that game, and he threw for 80 passing yards with zero touchdowns and no interceptions on 7/10 pass completions, while getting sacked for a loss of five yards.
Leonard, on the other hand, went just 3/7 for 48 passing yards with zero touchdowns and was intercepted deep in Lions territory.

#richardson #season #game

When 49ers tight end George Kittle recently emerged from the active/physically unable to perform list, many ***** umed it meant he'd be available to play in the Week 1 game against the Rams in Australia.
After the recent preseason finale, however, coach Kyle Shanahan made a comment that could be interpreted as meaning Kittle has had a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.
While discussing whether various injured players will be available for the season-opening game, Shanahan mentioned Kittle's name, adding this: "who's taken a step back."
It happened quickly. The comment was made almost in passing. There was no further explanation.
Did Shanahan mean Kittle has had a setback? Did it mean he has taken a step back toward playing?

#game

Just when you thought it was safe to draft a Giants RB, the team signed Najee Harris. Could he be the spoiler in a suddenly crowded backfield?
If you're a Cam Skattebo true believer, or if you plan to add Tyrone Tracy as an insurance policy, there's still a chance that this could all work in your favor. Harris is still returning to form after tearing his Achilles last year. He has only 19 touches since the end of the 2024 season. He has not yet earned a weekly role, and there's a chance he could be a distant third wheel.
More realistically, however, Harris will help stabilize a relatively injury-prone RB corps. Skattebo missed nine games last year and is known for inviting contact. I'd put his over/under on 2026 games played at 13.5. The expectation this summer has been that Tracy would be in line for at least a few spot starts. Although he filled in admirably for Skattebo last year, he regressed a little bit statistically on a per-touch basis, including dips in yards per carry and broken-tackle rate.
The addition of Harris takes some pressure off the Giants to overwork Skattebo, and it also generates competition with Tracy for the 1B role. It's essentially a lose-lose if you've been targeting either of those guys. The only winner is Harris, who has plenty of room to pop based on his current overall-237 / RB66 ADP. We'll know in the next one to two weeks whether he'll be a fantasy spoiler candidate.
For a deeper fantasy dive on the Giants' backfield, click here for a recent podcast episode.

#year

The Baltimore Ravens are just one game away from real football. Tonight at 6 p.m. ET, they will take on the Washington Commanders in their preseason finale with 53-man roster cuts due just 48 hours later. Here are the team's biggest remaining questions heading into today's game:
A season-ending injury to Danny Pinter turned the Ravens' starting center competition into a two-man race between Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic. The former has been praised for his athleticism, while the latter brings experience and leadership that could be valuable in a new offensive scheme.
The battle is neck-and-neck. The division of reps tonight will be a key marker, as Pocic's ramp-up from last season's Achilles tear has limited his time with his potential fellow starters. If Gwyn still gets all of the first-team snaps, he likely has the job sewn up. But the Ravens could mix Pocic in with the first team, indicating the competition is still undecided, or even start him outright, suggesting he has surged ahead.
The Ravens historically retain at least one undrafted rookie on their 53-man roster. Last year, they kept three. But with two of those players returning and plenty of depth across the squad, there may not be room this time around. Outside linebacker Ethan Burke, offensive tackle Diego Pounds, and quarterback Joe ****** nano have all made strong cases, but will the Ravens move on from Adisa Isaac, Carson Vinson, or another player to accommodate them?
All three of those players have already stood out in the preseason, so it might take an undeniable performance tonight vs. the Commanders to secure a roster spot.

#Ravens

"Big Short" investor Steve Eisman warned on CNBC's "Fast Money" on August 13 that OpenAI and Anthropic account for roughly 70% of AI-related revenue at Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Oracle, and as much as 25% to 35% of those companies' cloud revenue. "The futures of these massive companies, in a sense, are a bet that OpenAI and Anthropic are going to succeed," Eisman said. He called the concentration the "Achilles' heel" of the AI trade, warning that if something goes wrong at either lab, cheaper Chinese open-weight models could spark a price war across the industry. Eisman said he is not shorting the trade yet, since he wants financial data once the labs go public.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) sit on opposite sides of that same concentration risk. Nvidia supplies the chips every AI lab needs regardless of who wins, while Palantir is betting that companies want to reduce their reliance on any single AI lab altogether.
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR)'s results argue against it being just another concentration bet. Revenue rose 93% to $1.94 billion last quarter, beating the $1.80 billion expected. Palantir raised full-year guidance to $8.15-$8.158 billion, its largest-ever raise, the company said. U.S. commercial revenue grew 149% to $764 million, showing broad-based demand.
Palantir's sovereignty pitch carries real weight beyond marketing. CEO Alex Karp wrote that "our customers have declined to become vassal states of the language labs. Karp joined other tech leaders urging the government not to restrict open-weight AI models, widening customer choice beyond the two labs Eisman flagged.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)'s chips stay necessary no matter which lab wins. Every hyperscaler, OpenAI, Anthropic, and any challenger still needs Nvidia hardware. Eisman's warning centers on the labs' finances, not Nvidia's chip business itself.

#palantir #Companies