The NWSL playoffs kick off on Friday, and we may be on the precipice of the best postseason the league has ever seen.

The Orlando Pride set records en route to the NWSL Shield, yet were chased all the way to the line by the Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC, and the Kansas City Current, making this hands-down the best top four the league has ever seen.

Further down the table, the North Carolina Courage have shown they can compete with anyone in the NWSL on their day, while the Portland Thorns, Bay FC, and Chicago Red Stars all have the star power to pull off upsets.

Here is Pro Soccer Wire‘s complete playoff preview, examining each team’s chances for winning it all, where they might stumble, and the X-factor that could (for better or worse) define a postseason run.

1. Orlando Pride

Can they really win it all?

The Pride broke NWSL records for points (60) and wins (18), went unbeaten until their 24th game of the season, and shut their opponents out in fully half of their league matches. They have an MVP candidate in Barbra Banda, a rejuvenated legend in Marta, outstanding depth on every line, and they’ve figured out how to win via possession, or by counter-attacking, or by playing to a stalemate and dominating on set pieces.

Viewing them as anything other than a potential champion seems foolish.

What might go wrong?

Orlando has been the best team in the league, but they aren’t the team with the biggest expected goals margin (that’d be the Kansas City Current, whose plus-29.1 gap is breathtaking), and the xGA figures hold that the Pride gave up enough chances to concede 28 goals rather than the 20 they actually did. That amount of overperformance can’t purely be ascribed to goalkeeping or emergency defending.

Orlando’s form has also cooled, with two losses in the last three games of the season. We haven’t seen the best out of the Pride since a 2-0 win over Washington back on Oct. 6. If Orlando finds its very best form even marginally out of reach, there are several teams who are perfectly capable of sending them home.

X-factor: Will Banda get back on track?

In Banda’s first 918 minutes of NWSL play ever, the Zambia star scored 12 goals and added five assists. It was like winding the clock back to watch Sam Kerr’s solo domination in her Chicago Red Stars days, with Banda showing the ability to score a wide range of goals while also creating for others. Teams came up with good plans to slow her down, and it didn’t matter.

In the final 913 minutes of her regular season, Banda put up just one goal and one assist. You rarely see a season that can be broken in half like this, where Banda’s first 918 minutes came with 9.8 expected goals, and her final 913 came with just 3.6. When it comes to shot-creating actions, it’s not as dramatic (56 in the 1st half, 35 in the second), but it’s still a marked drop.

If Orlando emerges in the playoffs with the unstoppable Banda from the start of the season, they’re locked-in favorites to bring home a second trophy in this stunning season. If the striker is merely very good, the door is open for someone to knock the Pride off.

2. Washington Spirit

Can they really win it all?

Washington equaled that ‘most wins in a season’ record shortly after Orlando set the new mark, and from any angle you look at it, they have the kind of balance and adaptability any NWSL champion needs. There’s elite technical ability, creativity, athleticism, experience, and youth dotting this roster, and in Jonatan Giráldez they have a coach with a demonstrable ability to win knockout soccer matches.

If you can think of a problem to throw their way, the Spirit have the solution. Croix Bethune’s season-ending injury should have derailed the attack, especially in conjunction with co-leading scorer Ouleymata Sarr’s ongoing struggles with a back problem. Instead, Trinity Rodman took over, and then when her back sidelined her for a few weeks, Ashley Hatch emerged with her best run of form in years. Andi Sullivan’s torn ACL meant that Washington lost the player that defines this team on and off the field more than any other, and the Spirit just changed formations and dominated multiple games with an all-rookie midfield.

It would be no surprise if this team puts a second star above their badge.

What might go wrong?

Finding solutions and constantly adapting means the Spirit have also been something of an ad hoc production all season, with the dynamics changing as Giráldez arrived, just as they had when Adrián González guided the team through the first months of the campaign. Players have pushed themselves into roles of fundamental importance, only to become unavailable. The puzzle in Washington has had to be reconstructed multiple times.

If the Spirit can’t bring home a trophy, it might boil down to being in flux for so much of the year. The principles undergirding how Washington plays are well-defined, but circumstances have kept this group from being able to hone its ideal blend of style, system, and personnel.

X-factor: Is it Rodman time?

Whether it was a superb Olympic performance or an NWSL season that seems likely to end in an MVP nomination, Rodman has spent 2024 in the form of her young career. No one has an answer for the attacker, who also has a preternatural understanding of how to take over in the critical moments. There might not be a player with more access to their very, very best play than Rodman in crunch time.

However, Rodman’s build-up from a back injury has progressed slowly. That’s by design, with Giráldez having spent weeks emphasizing that the run-in was about being ready for the playoffs more than anything else. If Rodman is not just good to go but feeling 100%, there’s a credible argument that Washington should be the thinking neutral’s most likely champion. If not? The Spirit’s path to victory will be a lot more complicated.

3. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Can they really win it all?

Yes, absolutely. Over the past two months the Bats have a legit claim to the title of the best-performing team in the NWSL, posting a 9W-3D-2L record and a gaudy plus-28 goal difference in that span (including multi-goal wins over three NWSL playoff teams).

Even with a heavy work load for their national-team-level stars and a schedule clogged with things like the Concacaf W Champions Cup and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final, Gotham is performing better right now than they did en route to winning the 2023 NWSL Championship.

What might go wrong?

Amid that red-hot run there are a couple of blips, including a 4-4 home draw against Liga MX Femenil’s Tigres and a 3-0 loss to the Orlando Pride, indicating that Gotham might have a lower floor than the other contenders. The Bats hold just a 2W-1D-4L record in regular-season matches against the rest of NWSL’s top five, and held an inferior expected goals split (9.4 to 11.7) in those matches.

The worst news for Gotham? Washington’s 1-0 win last Saturday ensured the Spirit of a second-place finish, meaning a potentially titanic semifinal battle will take place at Audi Field rather than Red Bull Arena. Washington beat Gotham 2-0 in both league meetings this year, and their 10W-1D-2L home record is the second-best in NWSL this season. That’s not who you want to face on the road in a must-win playoff game.

X-factor: Can Esther maintain this form?

It’s tempting to cite other combinations or individuals on a star-studded Gotham roster, but it’s the veteran Spain attacker who has taken over of late. Whether deployed as a No. 9 or in an attacking midfield role, Esther has been in stellar form recently. Over the last four games, Esther has racked up five goals and an assist, and we’re not talking about tap-ins:

On Oct. 5, Bay FC did an admirable job of cutting Esther out of the game, with the 31-year-old getting just 11 touches. The problem? She still posted two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win. Every touch for Esther right now is dangerous, which is exactly what Gotham fans want to hear.

4. Kansas City Current

Can they really win it all?

Multiple data measures cite the Current as the actual best team in the NWSL in 2024. In expected goal difference, KC’s plus-29.1 tops the table by a wide margin, while a model using the Elo system gave Vlatko Andonovski’s side a ranking narrowly ahead of (in order) Gotham, Washington, and Orlando.

With the championship set for CPKC Stadium, the Current also have a chance to host a final regardless of who comes through. Temwa Chawinga is the presumptive MVP, a player that teams have not come close to solving this season, and the midseason additions of Almuth Schult, Alana Cook, and Kayla Sharples have bolstered a defense that seemed vulnerable.

In a league often called transitional, the best transition team has to be a favorite, and that’s KC.

What might go wrong?

To zoom in on the biggest issue any of the top four has: the Current have struggled all season defending set pieces. KC gave up 12 goals on dead-ball situations this season, tied with Racing Louisville for the worst figure league-wide.

Cook and Sharples have helped somewhat, adding two aerial presences to one of the league’s smaller teams, but whether going full zonal or a hybrid of zonal and man-marking, KC lets opponents get into favorable positions relative to the ball. Seven of those dozen goals conceded were scored by someone finishing the initial service, the highest such total in the league.

Gotham and Orlando scored 11 set piece goals this season, while Washington and Bay FC weren’t far behind with nine apiece. If KC’s set piece defending merely follows the team’s year-long tendencies, you have to assume someone’s going to get a critical goal against them from a corner, free kick, or throw-in.

X-factor: How fit is Chawinga?

Chawinga, the Golden Boot winner and single-season goal record holder, missed KC’s regular season finale with a knee injury. Andonovski referred to that issue as day-to-day, and while the Kansas City Star reported that Chawinga started training off without restriction, generally the portion of a given NWSL training session open to media is the lowest-impact warm-up stage right at the beginning.

As such, this question is a multi-part issue. Can Chawinga play at all? Can she start? And finally, if those hurdles are cleared, is she actually at her best? There’s not a team in NWSL history who could simply shrug off losing a player like Chawinga for the playoffs, and with Bia Zaneratto already ruled out for the quarterfinals, the Current are already dealing with a major absence.

5. North Carolina Courage

Can they really win it all?

NWSL’s possession experts, the Courage held 57.2% of the ball in their games this season, and racked up over 1,700 more touches on the ball than any other team. This doesn’t just mean they have an intention to keep the ball, but rather that they successfully dictate the terms. No one managed to hold a possession edge over the Courage in a regular season game, with only one (a March 30 1-0 win over Gotham) ending with a 50/50 split.

If you’re playing NC, they come in knowing they can starve you of the ball, which narrows your options. This means the Courage come into games with a clear picture of how things are going to play out, and are playing the kind of game they want to be playing.

This kind of consistency in setting up how the game will play out means the Courage step onto the field with a chance to win every time.

What might go wrong?

The Courage finished fifth, which means they’re going to have to survive at least one road game to advance, and in all likelihood will have to secure a result in three straight games away from WakeMed Soccer Park.

That hasn’t been easy for NC in 2024. The Courage lost 10 of 13 road games in regular season play, scoring less than one goal per game. That performance is in line with expected goal data, and it matches the eye test. NC keeps the ball and makes you chase, but between lower levels of execution and holding numbers back in favor of defensive solidity and press resistance, the goal threat that’s present in Cary doesn’t tend to follow this group when they leave home.

X-factor: Can Sanchez and Kerolin link up?

Ashley Sanchez has had an excellent first season with the Courage, and that was despite sharing the field with former NWSL MVP Kerolin for a grand total of 209 minutes (and that number was spread among five different games). This was a known issue given Kerolin’s recovery from a torn ACL suffered late last year, and pairing these two has been an ace up NC’s collective sleeve.

However, attacking chemistry can take time, and though Sanchez noted a quick bond being formed all the way back in August, we haven’t seen it all that much in games. That’s not to blame the players or coaches, but rather point out that if the NWSL season is a theatrical production, a Sanchez-to-Kerolin wonder goal is a potential Chekhov’s Gun.

We’ve seen Kerolin dominate in the postseason before, and we’ve seen Sanchez score one of the great NWSL playoff goals of all time, something seemingly pulled from some kind of hard science fiction novel where the protagonist can see in five dimensions. What we haven’t seen yet — and what the Courage will probably need to bring a trophy home — is these two stars working in tandem.

6. Portland Thorns

Can they really win it all?

Let’s be real: the Thorns have largely been disappointing all season, outside of a brief burst of form from late April to mid-June. Portland has won just two league matches since the end of the Olympic break, and has been particularly vulnerable defending in transition. It’s no mistake that the Thorns haven’t won away from home since May, and now they’re going to need to do so at least twice.

For a team with this much raw talent, experience, and motivation, there’s always a chance to spring an upset. But realistically, the pieces haven’t fit together in 2024 in a way where a neutral can talk themselves into believing Portland can make another run.

What might go wrong?

The ‘good’ Thorns have popped up recently, in wins over Orlando and Angel City. However, the ‘bad’ Thorns have appeared just as regularly, particularly in unimpressive losses at Racing Louisville and the San Diego Wave, and most especially in a 2-1 loss at Providence Park to Utah.

An inability to get pressure to the ball or retain a compact, coherent team shape has made Portland too easy to play over, around, and through, and it’s hard to believe they can offer a robust defensive resistance in three consecutive games.

X-factor: Can Smith and Coffey hard-carry Portland?

One-off soccer is notoriously hard to predict, with the rarity of goals meaning that one moment of individual brilliance or bad luck matters more in this sport than just about any other. If you have world-class players, you’ve always got hope.

This is good news for Portland, who in Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey will put USWNT starters on the field in critical positions. Smith will have to be a magician, and Coffey will have to channel ‘Julie Ertz, 2019 World Cup’ levels of play for every second to paper over the cracks that at this point are unlikely to disappear, but neither of those things are impossible. If these two put in some career-defining performances in the coming weeks, you can’t rule Portland out.

7. Bay FC

Can they really win it all?

Bay does have some data points that at least rule out a hard ‘no.’ The best of them is the entire back half of the season (after head coach Albertin Montoya began a shift away from a dogmatic, possession-heavy approach to embrace a more press-oriented, transitional style). Bay picked up 22 of its 34 points in the final 13 matches of the season, and a full season of that 1.69 points-per-game pace would have seen Racheal Kundananji and co. finish fifth. This team, right now, is better than the seventh-best team in the NWSL.

However, that might not be quite enough of a gain to knock off a true contender. Should Bay spring a big upset by surviving a trip to Audi Field, they’d very likely have to come back to the East Coast to beat a red-hot Gotham FC, and the odds have Orlando or Kansas City looming in the final.

It’s been a really strong season for Bay, but a championship looks out of reach in year one.

What might go wrong?

This has been a remarkable expansion campaign, and one with a lot of positives to point to. However, it’s a bad time to walk in as a good team when four of the best (and most consistent) teams NWSL has ever seen happened to rock up at the same time.

The expansion club lost all eight of its games against the top four, and with the exception of a 1-0 loss to Orlando, those results were fair. The league’s elites shut Bay out five times, conceding just four goals in that set of matches. A month ago, Gotham demolished Bay 5-1, while Washington and Kansas City each dominated both meetings.

There’s no shame in that, and there are seasons where teams built like Bay went on to win it all. However, this year power is especially concentrated among four teams, and that significantly lowers the odds of a merely ‘good’ team making a run.

X-factor: Can Katelyn Rowland step up?

Regardless of style of play concerns for Bay, goalkeeping has been an issue. Montoya made the right call in giving Katelyn Rowland a shot after Lysianne Proulx’s early-season struggles, and the NWSL veteran has deservedly kept the job.

However, Rowland’s performance has not been among the best compared to her playoff peers. Of the eight starting goalkeepers entering the postseason, Rowland’s Goals Added (minus 0.72) and her post-shot expected goals plus/minus (+0.7) are seventh, only ahead of Portland’s Shelby Hogan. To be fair to Hogan, she has improved of late, with a G+ (0.11) that ranks fifth among projected starters since August 1, while Rowland (minus 1.63) has declined.

Even with better results, Bay hasn’t been able to dominate games in a way where this can be shrugged off. The expansion side needs its goalkeeper to stand out, and currently the signs point to that being too big of an ask.

8. Chicago Red Stars

Can they really win it all?

That’s asking a lot. Chicago is rebuilding on and off the field, and making the postseason at all marks 2024 as a success. Lorne Donaldson has instilled a defense-first, gritty mentality, and the Red Stars are a potent counter-attacking threat. Perhaps most importantly, the Red Stars play against-the-ball soccer, which means going away from home throughout the playoffs is no big deal. On the road, Chicago collected 20 points; at home, just 12.

It’s a big reach to talk about a championship, but one upset? Well, Chicago’s last visit to Orlando ended in a 1-1 draw, and they also secured a point in Kansas City. We’ve seen longer shots than this Red Stars bunch advance in NWSL postseasons past.

What might go wrong?

Those two draws against the top four are the only times Chicago played a team in that group and avoided defeat. Four of those losses were by two goals, and on six occasions the Red Stars were held to less than 1.0 xG. They also lost both meetings with North Carolina 3-1, and have just two wins all season over the other seven playoff teams.

Chicago has been NWSL’s litmus test all season. Winning eight of 12 against the league’s bottom six sides shows that the Red Stars are able to keep a consistently high floor in terms of performance level. It’s just that the playoffs are about ceiling, not floor, and it’s fair to argue that every team in the postseason can hit higher heights than the Red Stars.

X-factor: This team has Naeher and Swanson, while others don’t

This is just a statement of fact: the Chicago Red Stars have one of global soccer’s great match-winners in Mallory Swanson, and a goalkeeper in Alyssa Naeher who has shown she can access a different plane of existence in crunch time. With the USWNT, both have been decisive players capable of willing their side to victory.

If the major-tournament USWNT version of both players show up Friday night, Orlando’s wonderful season is under distinct threat. The same goes in the semifinal and final. It’s asking an enormous amount from both players, and Chicago still has to hold up defensively in a way that doesn’t waste otherworldly individual performances, but we know for sure that Naeher and Swanson can hold up their end of this particular bargain.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is headed to the G League.

On Thursday, the Lakers announced that James has been assigned to their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, where he’s expected to make his debut on Saturday vs. Salt Lake City. According to ESPN, James will play home games for South Bay at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California, as he splits time between the G League and the Lakers’ active roster.

James, the 20-year-old son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, was drafted out of USC by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft. James made his NBA debut alongside his dad in the Lakers’ 110-103 season-opening win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22, where Bronny and LeBron James became the first father and son to play in the same game in NBA history.

James has appeared in four of the Lakers’ first eight games of the season, logging a total of four points (0-of-6 FG, 0-of-4 3PT, 2-of-2 FT), two assists, one rebound and one steal in 13 minutes of play.

Lakers new head coach JJ Redick said James splitting time between the Lakers and South Bay has always been in the cards, telling ESPN last month, ‘The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. (General manager) Rob (Pelinka) and I have talked about that. LeBron’s talked about that.’

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Ahead of the season, LeBron James said the prospect of his son playing in the G League would be a great opportunity to continue developing his game.

‘Just (looking forward to) seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player, no matter if it’s here with us or if it’s down with the G League team, and him continuing to get better and better and better,’ LeBron James said on Sept. 30. ‘His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us. And we want to hold him accountable, and he’s going to hold us accountable. And if we all do that, we all get better, because we’re all one team. We’re a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us.’

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The broadcast team for the main event on a fight card with six other bouts Nov. 15 will include Roy Jones Jr., actress Rosie Perez and Tyson’s oldest son, Amir.

Those are some of the notable names assembled by Netflix, which will livestream the event and on Thursday announced the details, along with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), which was co-founded by Paul and has partnered with Netflix.

Ranallo, a Canadian who handled play-by-play duties for the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in 2017, has called every major combat sport on national TV, according to his website. He’ll be assisted ringside at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, by Jones, the former heavyweight world champion, and Perez, an avid boxing fan known by some as “The First Lady of Boxing.’

Amir Tyson will serve as a ringside reporter.

Other key members of the broadcast team include Kate Scott, a British sportscaster who will serve as the main host; Andre Ward, the former boxing champion who will serve as the lead booth analyst, and Ariel Helwani, who will serve as a reporter.

In addition to broadcasting the fight, Netflix also will provide coverage of open workouts on Tuesday, a press conference Wednesday and the weigh-in Thursday.

New York is among at least four states that will not allow legal wagering on next week’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.

Pennsylvania, Colorado and Vermont also have eliminated the option to place bets on a boxing match that will feature the 58-year-old Tyson and 27-year-old Paul on Nov. 15 in Arlington, Texas, USA TODAY Sports has learned.

“We just consider it an untraditional boxing event that’s more of an exhibition,’’ Richard McGarvey, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, told USA TODAY Sports. “We just said, ‘Not in Pennsylvania.’ ‘

Brad Maione, director of communications of the New York State Gaming Commission, said by email that wagering won’t be allowed ‘as it’s an exhibition featuring a former professional fighter. The NYS Gaming Commission has discretion regarding whether specific sports events are eligible for wagering. Generally, exhibition events and those featuring non-professional athletes are not permitted.’

The Tyson-Paul fight has been sanctioned as a pro bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which regulates combat sports in Texas. But TDLR has agreed to non-traditional rules — two-minute rounds and 14-ounce gloves rather than the standard three-minute rounds and 10-ounce gloves — that has proved to be problematic with some state sports gambling regulators.

Paul has said he agreed to the rules at the request of Tyson. The TDLR said it agreed to the rules at the request of promoter Bryce Holden, who is working for Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), co-founded by Paul. MVP has partnered with Netflix, which will livestream the fight.

Colorado will not permit wagering on the fight because “it does not meet the minimum requirements for the industry in the state,’’ Derek Kuhn, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Revenue, told USA TODAY Sports by email.

Boxing matches approved for betting in Colorado must follow unified rules as set by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, according to information provided by Kuhn. Unified rules call for three-minute rounds and 10-ounce gloves.

Based on the Division of Gaming’s previous evaluation of the fight, Kuhn said, “requirements not met include, but are not limited to, glove weight and that not all fighters are professionally ranked. The division has not been notified of any changes to this evaluation.’’

Vermont will not allow wagering on the fight because of the two-minute rounds and 14-ounce gloves, according to Olivia Kantyka, director of communications and legislative affairs for the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery. New York cited the same issue.

‘It’s really just those rule changes that were kind of a sticking point for us,” Kantyka told USA TODAY Sports.

Johnny Avello, the director of sportsbook operations at DraftKings, said six states will not accept wagers on the Tyson-Paul fight. The two other states did not immediately provide confirmation that they would not be accepting bets.

Of states that won’t accept wagers, Avello said, “Will people still be watching the fight? Probably, but I think enrollment would be much higher if they could get a wager on it.’

Pennsylvania’s McGarvey said this ‘isn’t the first time we’ve said no to this type of event.’’

He cited an exhibition between Evander Holyfield and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, plus a fight involving Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Holyfield was 58 – the same age Tyson will be when he fights Paul – when he suffered a first-round TKO against Belfort, 44.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

The gold medal winner in the men’s 100-meter at the 2024 Paris Olympics took on content creator IShowSpeed in a 50-meter dash put on by fellow content creator Mr. Beast. The prize was $100,000.

The race went as most people would expect. While IShowSpeed impressively kept up, Lyles got out to a lead and seemed to showboat a bit as he jumped across the finish line. IShowSpeed swore he won, while Lyles disagreed. When they looked back at the footage, there still was some disagreement, with Lyles admitting he looked at him and jumped.

IShowSpeed claimed if the race were 40-meters, he would have won, and he even challenged Lyles to a rematch. The gold medal winner didn’t agree, but said there is some potential in the live streamer.

‘You should practice with me and then at the end of the week, we’ll race again,’ Lyles told IShowSpeed. ‘You’ll be faster, you’ll know what to do, you’ll have the techniques, you’ll have the advantage. Then we can run the real man’s race, the 100 (meters).’

IShowSpeed claimed he never ran track before and he was faster than Lyles in ‘raw speed.’ However, Lyles said he didn’t hit top speed, and the content creator said he didn’t either.

‘You tapped out with 30 meters to go,’ Lyles said before mocking IShowSpeed’s running. ‘I was looking at you, bruh. Because I had that time, you know?’

Lyles decided the money he won would be donated to charity.

Who is IShowSpeed?

Real name Darren Watkins Jr., IShowSpeed is an online streamer who is known for his enthusiastic and often time wild behavior. He has more than 33 million subscribers on YouTube and often streams himself playing video games, doing stunts or talking with other famous streamers.

The streamer is a big fan of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and got to meet him last year. IShowSpeed has gone viral for jumping over two sports cars that were driving toward him, and he even made an appearance at WWE’s WrestleMania 40 in April, when he took an RKO from Randy Orton.

DeAndre Hopkins christened his first touchdown as a Kansas City Chief on Monday night with a dance. He didn’t bust just any old move. D-Hop went Hollywood as he mimicked the classic, rhythmic celebration from “Remember the Titans.” 

No, Hopkins wasn’t throwing shade at his former team as he strutted on beat and rolled his fists and arms. Just the opposite. The Tennessee Titans, after all, traded the big-time receiver to the NFL’s only undefeated team, which is seeking a third consecutive Super Bowl triumph. It beat being banished to any NFL version of Siberia. 

It’s no wonder that Hopkins tips his cap to Titans general manager Ran Carthon. 

“It’s nothing but love to Nashville,” Hopkins explained of his dance in a post on X. “Ran and his crew are like family. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.” 

It’s easy to sense the genuine infusion of pep in step. One week Hopkins, 32, was targeted to catch throws from Will Levis. The next week he collected dimes from Patrick Mahomes. And they are just getting started in forming such a lethal combination.   

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Hopkins, a 12th-year vet, has a résumé that should someday merit Hall of Fame consideration. No one has more receptions (953) or yards (12,643) than the five-time All-Pro since he came into the NFL as the Texans’ 2013 first-round pick out of Clemson. And for the bulk of his career, I’m thinking that no one in the NFL has been better at snagging contested passes. But for all his skill and accolades, it’s been a minute since he has been in the playoff mix. 

Since the Cardinals started 7-0 in 2021, Hopkins’ teams went 15-36 until the trade on Oct. 23. The Titans were 1-5 this year when the deal was struck. Now this. 

“It takes your game to a different level…knowing that you’re playing for something,” Hopkins told reporters recently during his introductory news conference at Chiefs headquarters. “I haven’t played meaningful football in a couple years.” 

Hopkins is not alone with this vibe, given the flow of the hyperactive NFL trade market that closed on Tuesday. This week, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith was dealt from the Browns (2-7) to the red-hot Lions (7-1), currently positioned as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore was traded to NFC East-leading Washington (7-2), escaping the misery with New Orleans (2-7) that is reflected by an NFL-worst seven-game losing streak and the firing on Monday of coach Dennis Allen.  

In mid-October, Amari Cooper was traded from Cleveland to Buffalo (7-2), which is running away in the AFC East race and will utilize him as the new No. 1 target for star quarterback Josh Allen. Last week, receiver Diontae Johnson was shipped from Carolina (2-7) to Baltimore (6-3), where he joins forces with presumed NFL MVP front-runner Lamar Jackson. And with the Vikings (6-2) needing to replace injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw, Cam Robinson was flipped from the Jaguars (2-7). 

Such moves, among swaps that involved 19 players since Week 1, with the activity intensifying over the weeks before the trade deadline on Tuesday, represented a reflection of the NFL’s expanded window for making deals. For the first time, the NFL pushed the trade deadline to the Tuesday that followed Week 9 (which in this year’s case happened to land on Election Day), which gave contending teams more opportunity to plug holes that in most cases were caused by injuries as they gear up for the stretch run. 

Pushing back the deadline also gave teams that are essentially out of the playoff chase to get a jump on next year by collecting draft capital. Also evident with this year’s market: Key additions were had for relatively bargain prices…while in several cases the teams dealing away the players paid for the draft picks obtained by taking massive dead money salary cap hits.  

The Chiefs got Hopkins for a fifth-round pick? Even with the conditional pick having the potential to improve to a fourth-round choice, it looked like some sort of robbery as Hopkins torched the Bucs for eight catches and 86 yards, with two TDs and a sweet 35-yard haul between two defenders. Kansas City was desperate to find a quality target for Mahomes after his receiving corps was decimated by injuries to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore and JuJu Smith-Schuster. And, well, they did better than quality. 

Cooper fetched a third-round pick (with sixth- and seventh-round picks also swapped), while the Ravens gave up a fifth-round pick for Johnson and a sixth-round pick. Lattimore, 28, commanded the highest price. Washington landed the four-time Pro Bowler and a fifth-round pick) for third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. 

And the dead money hits left behind? The NFL Moneyball components were so intriguing to the market mix. According to Spotrac.com, the Saints are taking on a combined charge of more than $45 million in dead money this year and next for unloading Lattimore. The Browns are taking a hit of more than $30 million for Cooper, an amount nearly matched by the Raiders in trading Davante Adams to the Jets for a third-round pick. Robinson will cost the Jags nearly $20 million in dead money, while Hopkins’ tag on the Titans cap tops $22 million. Johnson, by the way, leaves behind a trail of more than $15 million in dead money, including almost $6 million against the Steelers cap leftover from his trade to Carolina in March. 

Of course, some teams have a better track record than others in obtaining personnel and managing the cap. In Kansas City’s case, GM Brett Veach’s impact has been phenomenal as injuries threatened to ravage the quest for a threepeat. The Chiefs brought back Kareem Hunt after dynamic running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a leg injury in Week 2 (reportedly a fractured fibula). Smith-Schuster, who also returned to the Chiefs, filled a void caused by the Brown and Rice injuries until suffering his own setback. Veach also dealt to obtain edge rusher Joshua Uche from the Patriots. 

And the move on Hopkins might ultimately prove to be the biggest haul – especially if the Chiefs are able to pull off the mission of becoming the NFL’s first three-peat Super Bowl champion. There’s no shortage of motivation. 

Hopkins was a key cog on Texans teams that won four AFC South titles, but he has never advanced past the divisional round in the playoffs. 

“I think I’ve done a lot, all the accolades that I can accomplish, as far as personal,” Hopkins said. “So, I think just playing meaningful football in January is what’s left on the list.” 

The trade may go a long way toward that possibility.