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🟤 Five things to know Friday
- The Browns fended off Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Vintage Rodgers was on display on "Thursday Night Football" -- from a heated exchange with coach Mike McCarthy to a clutch, perfectly placed deep ball to DK Metcalf and to a QB sneak for a game-tying 2-point conversion. He also briefly held an NFL record before losing it 16 minutes later. But this Browns team might just be different from those of years past. Despite losing Mason Graham to a knee injury and blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, Cleveland pulled out a 27-24 win over its AFC North rival. The Browns now own their first three-game win streak since December 2023, while the Steelers look mired in mediocrity.
- MLB's division series are locked in. The Braves are the final team to advance out of the Wild Card round with their 6-2 win over the Phillies. Their reward for bouncing back from Game 2's extra-innings loss? A date with the mighty, defending two-time World Series champion Dodgers. As if that isn't tough enough, the Braves are also in for some extreme weather at Dodger Stadium, where a heat wave could bring temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. Philadelphia, meanwhile, now turns its attention to a managerial search and faces questions about its aging roster. Here's the full postseason bracket updated with all four division series.
- A'ja Wilson sent Caitlin Clark home from the WNBA playoffs. The MVP favorite showed exactly why she is destined to win the award for a fifth time when she posted 36 points to send the Aces to the WNBA semifinals. For the second straight year, Las Vegas eliminated the Fever in a winner-take-all postseason game. The 94-83 victory was a masterclass for Wilson, and it sets up a series against the winner of tonight's Valkyries-Wings Game 3.
- Jalen Duren's contract stalemate is over. The Pistons and their All-NBA center reportedly agreed to a five-year, $200 million deal that ends his restricted free agency. Negotiations went down to the wire, as Duren had until 11:59 p.m. ET last night to sign a long-term deal or accept a $9.6 million qualifying offer. The multiyear contract was always the more likely outcome, but Duren met with other teams during the process and reportedly felt disrespected throughout, so it was no guarantee. This is a big signing for Detroit, which keeps its core of Duren, Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson together until the 2029-30 season.
- Joey Porter Jr. could debut with the Cowboys on Sunday. When he was still with the Steelers, the team ruled Porter out of "Thursday Night Football" due to what they described as a back injury. But now that he's been traded to the Cowboys, the star cornerback could reportedly suit up against the Texans in Week 4. Not that anyone really thought he was hurt anyway. Porter finally got out of the contract standoff in Pittsburgh, which he said made him feel "disrespected," but how will he feel if Dallas is similarly unwilling to pay what it would take to keep him? Jerry Jones is infamously a tough negotiator.
🤼 Do not miss this: UFC 332 live on CBS Saturday night
The vacant Women's Flyweight Championship is on the line, and Natalia Silva holds a narrow edge over Wang Cong in the eyes of the prognosticators as she seeks to remain unbeaten in the UFC. Tune in at 8 p.m. ET Saturday for the first entire main card to ever air on CBS, watch the early prelims at 4 p.m. and prelims at 6 p.m. on Paramount+ and check out our picks for every fight.
Our Brent Brookhouse envisions Silva vs. Wang going the distance.
- Brookhouse: "Cong is an aggressive striker who hits hard and throws a ton of strikes. Silva also brings a striker-first mentality to the Octagon, but does so with more of a defensive mentality. Silva is perfect in the UFC and has won three straight fights over former champions, giving her the more proven resume of the two. Cong has suffered defeat in the UFC. She's had two fights at a catchweight, one of which was her fault, and she was deducted a point in her most recent fight. That's an interesting and kind of strange resume, which is always fun."
Before the women's flyweight title contenders enter the Octagon, Payton Talbott will take on Deiveson Figueiredo, and the American already has his sights set on a breakout year in 2027.
Here's the full main card:
- Women's Flyweight Championship: Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong
- Bantamweights: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott
- Lightweights: King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Welterweights: Roberto Soldic vs. Khaos Williams
- Middleweights: Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
🚨 NFL Week 4 upset alert
Sound the alarms for the five teams who could suffer disappointing losses this weekend. While our Tyler Sullivan would not be surprised if Jahmyr Gibbs runs for over 150 yards against a heavily injured Panthers defense, he put the Lions on notice ahead of what could be a high-scoring night in Carolina.
- Sullivan: "While the Lions look like a behemoth in this head-to-head because of their high-powered offense, it's their lackluster defense that puts them on upset alert. Pretty much across the board, the Detroit defense is either at or near the bottom of the league. … This has all the makings of a shootout, which may come down to the final possession. Do you know who was tied for second with six game-winning drives last season? Bryce Young."
The 49ers are also vulnerable as short favorites over the Broncos. Our Jordan Dajani agrees with Sullivan's assessment of the injury situation in San Francisco. Once again, Kyle Shanahan has to find a way to lead an undermanned squad to victory.
- Dajani: "Nick Bosa is going to miss some time with knee/calf issues, wide receiver Mike Evans injured his rib, linebacker Dre Greenlaw sat out of practice Wednesday with a quad injury, and we'll see what the status of left tackle Trent Williams is later in the week. Denver is 5-1 straight up in its last six games as an underdog, and Bo Nix is 10-0 in his past 10 games vs. NFC opponents."
✅ College football Week 5 picks
This week lacks the volume of top-25 matchups that made last Saturday a can't-miss day of college football, but that doesn't mean it will lack excitement. There could be some big movement in the College Football Playoff race, because seven top-10 teams hit the road in Week 5. This has all the makings of one of those "can you believe these teams lost to them" kinds of slates.
When top-ranked teams play conference opponents away from home, crazy things tend to happen. No. 17 Tennessee is a 7.5-point favorite at Auburn and No. 20 Houston is a 12.5-point favorite at UCF, but our Brad Crawford sees a world in which both teams drop games to unranked foes. He also worries about No. 8 Florida hitting the road for an SEC clash with No. 25 Missouri, but Tom Fornelli is not sweating that game in this week's Six Pack.
- Fornelli: "Florida's defense isn't incredible. That could change this week. But it's difficult to bet on it. It's even more difficult to trust Missouri's defense to stop a Florida offense that's been one of the best in the country. This is a team that's put up at least 44 points in every game, including two conference games against Auburn and Ole Miss. So far this season, Missouri's defense is 38th nationally in success rate against the run and 54th in EPA per rush. Those aren't inspiring numbers when going against Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark."
Here are our picks for the other marquee matchups of the week:
- No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State
- No. 4 Miami at Clemson
- No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa
- Navy at Air Force
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Pete Crow-Armstrong took accountability for the Cubs' quick postseason exit, but PBO Jed Hoyer might be more to blame.
- The WNBA named its 2026 Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.
- The numbers say these teams have the best College Football Playoff resumes. These ranked teams, on the other hand, are leaking oil.
- A disappointing Red Sox season ended in fitting fashion with players unhappy about a management decision.
- Alvin Kamara has an opportunity ahead of him with Travis Etienne Jr. headed to injured reserve.
- You gotta see it: Mike Tomlin revealed his massive Minecraft city over 12 years in the making.
- Caitlin Clark's first signature shoe is here! Take a look and shop both colorways.
- October brings a gauntlet of a schedule for these 10 college football teams.
- Malik Olajuwon, the son of Hakeem Olajuwon, announced his college basketball commitment.
- Opportunity, not money, is why five-star quarterback Jared Curtis chose Vanderbilt over traditional SEC powers.
- NCAA Tournament expansion means NIT contraction. College Football Playoff expansion, meanwhile, might not come until after 2027.
- San Diego State reported 14 confirmed cases of mumps ahead of its Pac-12 opener.
- A state regent urged Louisiana's Group of Six schools to drop to the FCS level.
- Kansas State and Jerome Tang are reportedly near a $12 million settlement for his firing.
📺 What we're watching this weekend
Friday
⚽ UEFA Nations League: Italy at France, 2:45 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Liberty at Delaware, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Penn State at Northwestern, 8 p.m. on Fox
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏒 Rangers at Red Wings, 6:30 p.m. on TNT
⚽ Wave at Pride, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Blues at Stars, 9 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Wings at Valkyries, Game 3, 9 p.m. on ESPN2
Saturday
🏈 Navy at Air Force, noon on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State, noon on ABC
🏈 Boston College at No. 21 SMU, noon on The CW
🏈 No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina, noon on ESPN
🏈 UCF at No. 20 Houston, noon on ESPN2
🏈 Vanderbilt at No. 2 Georgia, 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network
⚾ White Sox at Guardians, Game 1, 1 p.m. on TBS
🥊 Whittaker vs. Wallace, 2 p.m. on DAZN
🏈 Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Braves at Dodgers, Game 1, 4 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Royals at Racing Louisville, 4 p.m. on Ion
🏈 No. 24 Kentucky at South Carolina, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
⚾ Yankees at Rays, Game 1, 6:30 p.m. on TBS
⚽ Bay at Current, 6:30 p.m. on Ion
🏈 No. 10 BYU at TCU, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 NBA Canada Game: Heat vs. Raptors, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Kraken at Oilers, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 No. 4 Miami at Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado, 7:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Utah State at No. 22 Boise State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 Washington at No. 18 USC, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 McNeese at No. 11 LSU, 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
🤼 UFC 332: Silva vs. Wang, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+ (Prelims, 4 p.m. on Paramount+)
🏈 No. 6 Indiana at Rutgers, 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network
⚾ Padres at Brewers, Game 1, 8:30 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Legacy at Thorns, 8:45 p.m. on Ion
⚽ Men's international friendly: Mexico at United States, 10 p.m. on TNT
Sunday
🏀 Liberty at Dream, Game 1, TBD
🏀 Aces vs. TBD, Game 1, TBD
🏈 Colts at Commanders (from London), 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
⚽ Angel City at Gotham, noon on ABC
🏈 Patriots at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Rams at Eagles, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Jets at Red Wings, 1 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ Padres at Brewers, Game 2, 4 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Summit at Stars, 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 Dolphins at Vikings, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Chiefs at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏁 NASCAR at Las Vegas, 5:30 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Jazz at Nuggets, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚽ Spirit at Dash, 7 p.m. on Roku
⚾ Braves at Dodgers, Game 2, 8 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Lions at Panthers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
