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🐦 Five things to know Friday
- The Seahawks walked it off on “Thursday Night Football.” Minutes after he missed a potential dagger from 53 yards out, Seattle kicker Jason Myers drilled a game-winning 52-yard field goal to seal a 23-20 win over the Cardinals. The special teams dramatics overshadowed a thrilling comeback effort from Kyler Murray and Arizona, who found the end zone twice in less than six minutes to erase a 20-6 fourth-quarter deficit.
- Dodgers are NL West champs again. Los Angeles clinched its 12th division title in 13 years and the next step toward defending their World Series crown. But the Dodgers weren’t the only team in a clinch scenario on Thursday. One day after locking up the AL West, the Mariners secured a Wild Card Series bye by way of the Guardians‘ loss. And the Tigers beat the Guardians to pull back into a tie, but they don’t hold the AL Central tiebreaker.
- The Lakers gave JJ Redick a contract extension but will leave LeBron James’ future in his own hands. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made a surprising announcement when he revealed that Redick signed an extension on the heels of his debut season as a coach. It is not yet clear how many years Redick added on to his deal, but he was locked in for four seasons when he inked his initial deal. James’ future, on the other hand, is much more uncertain. Pelinka said the Lakers will let King James “choose his story” as free agency looms after the upcoming campaign.
- William Saliba also signed an extension. The Arsenal star, one of the best defenders in the world, committed his future to the Gunners with a five-year extension. It is a huge win for Arsenal, which remains one of the most talented clubs on the planet. Real Madrid will not be so thrilled, though, after seeking to bring Saliba aboard as a foundational piece at center back.
- The Patriots are for sale — partially. Robert Kraft and the Patriots reached an agreement to sell minority stakes of the franchise to billionaire Dean Metropoulos (5%) and Sixth Street Partners (3%) at a combined valuation of $9 billion. The Kraft family is the latest ownership group to sell off a minority stake in its team with the Giants, Bears and 49ers also set to bring their deals to the table at the October league meetings. Should Kraft have sold part of the Patriots to Tom Brady instead of these investors, though? Our Tyler Sullivan pondered that question.
🏆 Do not miss this: The Ryder Cup starts today!
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The two-year wait is over. The 45th Ryder Cup is already underway this morning at Bethpage Black, and it has all the makings of an epic three days of golf. Here is everything you need to know about the format, schedule and broadcast information. Plus (again) live updates!
Captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald on Thursday set their matchups for Day 1, which teed off shortly after daybreak with the first of four foursomes. Both the United States and Europe will send their top pairing to the tee box in the opening match, kicking the weekend off with a bang.
- Match 1: Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas vs. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton
- Match 2: Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley vs. Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick
- Match 3: Collin Morikawa and Harris English vs. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood
- Match 4: Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay vs. Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland
The home team has won each of the last five Ryder Cups. Can the United States extend that streak, or will it be a repeat of 2012 when the Europeans rained on the Americans’ parade at Medinah?
🏈 Ravens over Chiefs headlines NFL Week 4 picks
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Either the Ravens or the Chiefs will exit the weekend with an unfathomable 1-3 record. The Sunday afternoon showdown at Arrowhead Stadium is not inherently a must-win for these two teams, who could be capable of rattling off wins after a rough start to the year, but the pressure is on regardless. Tyler Sullivan likes Baltimore to go on the road and win a clash between superstar quarterbacks, but he foresees a close one.
As a matter of fact, Sullivan is backing a quartet of favorites in his Locks of the Week. Here are his favorite picks against the spread, complete with a final score prediction:
- Broncos (-7.5): Broncos 33, Bengals 20
- Packers (-7): Packers 30, Cowboys 20
- Chargers (-6): Chargers 27, Giants 17
- Ravens (-2.5): Ravens 27, Chiefs 24
Dallas and Green Bay square off in Week 4 for another must-see matchup, albeit more because of the offseason storylines than the X’s and O’s. Micah Parsons returns to the Lone Star State with something to prove after the Cowboys traded him away. See Sullivan’s pick for Cowboys vs. Packers and every other Week 4 game.
🏈 CFP implications galore in stacked college football Week 5 slate
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If you thought that colossal Week 1 slate a month ago was fun, you’d better brace yourself for Week 5, because it could be even more entertaining. Conference and national title implications are aplenty on a schedule that features four ranked matchups and two clashes between top-15 teams. Here are the games you cannot miss:
- No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois: The Trojans have been destroying teams through the air and will face a reeling and injury-riddled Fighting Illini secondary.
- No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss: Red-hot former backup Trinidad Chambliss is set to make another start for the Rebels against the Tigers’ suddenly stout defense.
- No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State: The annual White Out game at Beaver Stadium features a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship Game.
- No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia: The Crimson Tide seeks its 10th win in the last 11 matchups with the Bulldogs.
Those are the games. So who wins? Tom Fornelli dished out his six pack of picks for the loaded weekend, and one of them stood out among the bunch as his Lock of the Week.
- Fornelli: USC -6.5, “I get the concern over ‘body clocks,’ seeing as how this game will start at 9 a.m. Pacific, but I’ve always found body blows to be far more impactful on game outcomes than body clocks, and Illinois has suffered plenty.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⛳ Ryder Cup Day 1, 7 a.m. on USA Network
⚾ Cardinals at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Bayern Munich at Werder Bremen, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ No. 14 Clemson at No. 1 Wake Forest, 6 p.m. on ESPNU
🏈 No. 8 Florida State at Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Preseason: Red Wings at Penguins, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ Rays at Blue Jays, 7:00 p.m. on Apple TV+
⚾ Tigers at Red Sox, 7:00 p.m. on Apple TV+
⚾ Orioles at Yankees or Rangers at Guardians, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Game 3: Aces at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏐 No. 8 Arizona State at No. 18 Kansas, 8 p.m. on ESPNU
⚽ Stars at Current, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 No. 24 TCU at Arizona State, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Game 3: Lynx at Mercury, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏒 Preseason: Kraken at Canucks, 10 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ Dodgers at Mariners or Diamondbacks at Padres, 11 p.m. on MLB Network
Saturday
⛳ Ryder Cup Day 2, 7 a.m. on NBC
⚽ Brentford vs. Manchester United, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Manchester City at Burnley, 10 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas, 12 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois, 12 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Nottingham Forest at Sunderland, 12:30 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Orioles at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Tottenham Hotspur at Wolverhampton Wanderers, 3 p.m. on USA Network
🏈 Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 1 Ohio State at Washington, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Tigers at Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏒 Blue Jackets at Penguins, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ Reds at Brewers or Rangers at Guardians, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Angel City FC at Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Dodgers at Mariners or Royals at Athletics, 10 p.m. on MLB Network
🥊 UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs. Reyes, 10 p.m. on ESPN+
⚽ Utah Royals at Bay FC, 10 p.m. on Ion
🏈 No. 25 BYU at Colorado, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday
⚽ Aston Villa at Fulham, 9 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 Vikings vs. Steelers, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
⚽ Newcastle United at Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
⛳ Ryder Cup Day 3, 12 p.m. on NBC
🏈 Eagles at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Chargers at Giants, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Game 4: Aces at Fever, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Capitals at Devils, 3 p.m. on NHL Network
🏁 Hollywood Casino 400, 3 p.m. on USA Network
🏐 No. 11 SMU at No. 5 Pittsburgh, 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Colts at Rams, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Ravens at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Game 4: Lynx at Mercury, 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Canucks at Oilers, 8 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 Packers at Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. on NBC