PITTSBURGH – The biggest impact Davante Adams made during his first game in a New York Jets jersey Sunday wasn’t a catch or a run or even a block. It was a tackle. 

Adams caught three passes for 30 yards – none in the second half – on nine targets. His most impressive play came on Beanie Bishop Jr.’s second interception of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers to officially put New York (2-5) in the danger zone during the Jets’ 37-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) on “Sunday Night Football.”

The newest Jet is learning quickly that the Gang Green lifestyle rarely mirrors expectations. 

“We just got to nut up and figure it out,” Adams said. “That’s what football is about. You don’t get 20 opportunities.” 

At least Adams’ night went better than his fellow Jets wideout Garrett Wilson, who let the ball bounce off his chest and into the arms of Bishop Jr., who ran the ball all the way back to the Jets’ 1-yard line. Had Adams not made a dash the other way and leapt onto Bishop Jr.’s back, the play could have been returned for a touchdown. Wilson had another drop in the red zone and placed the blame for the Jets’ fourth consecutive defeat on himself. 

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“I got to catch the damn ball. I’m playing like (expletive) right now. I got to fix it. I don’t take it light (sic). I felt like it was the reason we lost the game. (Expletive) can’t happen. Can’t happen. 

“I let the guys down today. I let the team down. It’s that simple.” 

Wilson said the mistakes are a culmination of bad habits and not attacking the football in the air during games.  

“I got good hands. I got to use my hands to catch the damn – to catch the ball,” he said.  

The first play from scrimmage for the Jets offense was an almost too-predictable five-step drop from Rodgers to Adams – the former Green Bay Packers teammates reunited this past week – on a comeback route. Rodgers misplaced the ball a step too far to the sideline and it hit off Adams’ hands for an incompletion. 

“I wouldn’t say rust,” Adams said when asked what his connection with Rodgers was like after the pair spent more than two seasons apart. “Obviously we can continue to get on a better page.

“It’s football. It doesn’t always work perfectly.” 

The duo’s first connection as Jets came with seven minutes left in the first quarter for a pickup of 9 yards. Later in the quarter, Adams stumbled while breaking out of his route over the middle with the Jets behind the sticks on a second down. The ball sailed over his head and Rodgers looked perplexed – and for a flag. 

“We just shot ourselves in the foot a couple times,” Adams said. 

Practice during the week went well, Adams said, following the transaction Tuesday that sent a conditional third-round pick (that could turn into a second rounder) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for his All-Pro services. The deal went down exactly one week after owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh. The former coach’s ouster came following the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. 

“You could see the great synergy, the relationship that they had and the same page they’re on,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “At the same time, it’s been a second since they played together. As we go forward, that relationship and the production between those two will go up.” 

The arrival of Adams ostensibly will lead to a decrease in targets for Wilson, previously Rodgers’ primary option. Wilson (five catches, 61 yards) caught a two-point conversion from Rodgers with 5:29 to go in the first half to make it 15-6. The Steelers scored 31 unanswered points over the remainder of the game. 

Near the showers in the visitor’s locker room at Acrisure Stadium, Rodgers and Wilson crossed paths. The 40-year-old signal-caller brought the third-year receiver in for an embrace. Rodgers said he told Wilson, who had nine targets to tie with running back Breece Hall for the team lead, that he would keep coming back to him. 

“He’s a dynamic player,” Rodgers said. “We need to target him. Obviously nobody feels sicker than him about that play.” 

Even as the game slipped away from the Jets, Adams found himself looking around the offensive huddle with promise. 

“That’s almost what pisses you off even more,” Adams said, “knowing that you got these types of weapons and to come up short and put up 15 points against a team – I don’t want to take anything away from (the Steelers) – but I feel like a lot of it had a lot to do with what we did to ourselves.”  

With two star wideouts and plenty of veteran help at the position in Mike Williams and Allen Lazard, Jets offensive play caller Todd Downing and Rodgers have options galore. Everybody is well aware not every play can go to the new No. 17. 

“Today could have been my day. I’m ready to rock now,” Adams said. “Part of it is we got a lot of playmakers.”  

For Wilson, the Jets’ issues don’t have to do with personnel, which makes the situation less frustrating, he said. 

“I think it makes it like, ‘We can go fix this,’” Wilson said. “We got to go about stuff the right way. … It’s still all in front of us, and at some point, if we want to get to where we want to go, we got to go on a run. And we got to do it now.” 

Ulbrich offered the refrain “we’ll take a hard look at it” when asked if he should have eased Adams into the game plan more instead of playing him nearly the entire game. It was also how he answered a question about Wilson’s performance. 

That’s not a bad idea for anyone associated with the Jets. 

Long before Boston Red Sox second baseman Pokey Reese threw to first base off a grounder by New York Yankees pinch hitter Ruben Sierra in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2004 American League championship series, the talk about curses, demons, what ifs and what-should-have-beens had been ingrained in Bostonians and others who lived and died with the goings on of their favorite team.

The list of excuses for the Red Sox not winning a World Series since 1918 was as long as a CVS receipt, but fans kept showing up season after disappointing season.

A new documentary premiering Wednesday on Netflix chronicles how Boston stormed back from that improbable 3-0 series deficit to the ‘Evil Empire’ and attempts to tell how they did it.

What you will see in ‘The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox,’ a three-episode foray that is part documentary, part psychology couch confession, is by-the-numbers storytelling, interesting characters, and an appeal to a casual fan, all part of what makes good documentaries – or at least ones the viewer can tolerate for more than a few minutes at a time.

Luckily, ‘The Comeback,’ helmed by Colin Barnicle (Carol & Johnny, This Is A Robbery: The World’s Greatest Art Heist), is complete with colorful language, never-before-heard stories, and surprising thoughts (especially from pitchers Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe) and a lot of hurt feelings that two decades later have yet to heal.

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Martinez, David Ortiz, and Kevin Millar, as well as the team’s former managers Grady Little, Terry Francona, former general manager and vice president Theo Epstein, former Yankees manager Joe Torre, plus others, share narratives and their perspectives about the 2004 drama-filled season and the tension between the two teams.

What you won’t see among the more than 30 people interviewed are two key pieces of those Red Sox teams, Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra, as their participation is only shown in the more than 100 hours of footage used to help navigate through some sluggish parts of the film. The project began in earnest last winter, with most of the interviews conducted during the spring.

When putting together a documentary, especially about a subject well-known to sports fans, Barnicle said he wanted to answer basic questions. The concept doesn’t deviate much from 2010’s ‘Four Days in October,’ ESPN’s 30 for 30 episode on the same subject, but differs in superior execution.

‘How did the Red Sox organization change who they were to get to the point where they could come back from three down,’ Barcnicle, a clubhouse attendant for the Red Sox during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, told USA TODAY Sports. ‘How did they change? They were eight decades of their losers… So they had to change their culture and where did it start?’

History can reveal a lot, and longtime sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy describing Game 6 of the 1986 World Series as ‘Boston sports’ Kennedy assassination’ drives home the point when looking at the near misses, like just how close Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane came to joining Boston and of course, Alex Rodriguez’s flirtation with the team before joining the Yankees before the 2004 season.

Those who are die-hard fans will find nothing earth-shattering here, and because Boston has won three more World Series since that 2004 triumph, revisiting that time during ‘The Comeback’ will sting more for the Yankees fans.

There are some gems for quotes throughout, like this one from Little describing how he felt about analytics at the beginning of the ‘Moneyball’ era, which new ownership wanted to utilize, and they made it clear that strategy and philosophy didn’t match up with their manager, with chairman Tom Werner even saying his perception of Little was that ‘at some point, he was gonna make a huge mistake.’ (A clear bit of foreshadowing.)

‘It’s like my wife and I go to the beach and we see this lady walk in front of us with a bikini on. She shows me a lot, but she don’t show me everything… I guess I wasn’t their cup of tea,’ Little said.

Well, OK.

Or this one from Epstein when describing a fight between Jason Varitek and Rodriguez during a July 2004 series:

‘I couldn’t believe Tek put his hands in his face like that. I have a perfect angle when he goes down to scoop him up. I thought for sure he was gonna, like, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, just body slam.’

Barnicle’s own thoughts about his previously long-suffering team, which he says that about 70% of it is about the building up of the story before it even gets to the actual comeback in Part Three, gives the story a personal validity that doesn’t feel like an infomercial without context.

‘It was continuously driving a car up to a yellow light, and you’re like, can we get through? Or Is it gonna turn red, and you just have that fatalistic approach? It’s gonna stop at some point,’ he said. ‘It’s gonna stop, and this season’s gonna be over because that’s what always happens.

So come for Curse of the Bambino, Bucky Dent, Aaron ‘Bleeping’ Boone, Curt Schilling’s Thanksgiving dinner, and the curious case of a microphone in the ceiling of Boston’s clubhouse, and stay for a story that’s sometimes about more than what happens on the diamond and has some real heart and truth to it.  

PITTSBURGH – Steelers Country, let’s forge. 

In his first game as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Russell Wilson led his new squad to a 37-15 victory over the New York Jets on “Sunday Night Football.’ Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and also added a rushing touchdown as the Steelers outgained Aaron Rodgers and the Jets 409-323 to spoil Jets receiver Davante Adams’ inaugural game with his new team. 

‘There’s a reason why he is where he is and why he has the resume he does,’ Steelers left guard Isaac Seumalo told USA TODAY Sports. ‘He was slinging the rock.’

Wilson looked like a quarterback who hadn’t played yet this season to start the game. Thirty-one minutes after fans showered him with applause as he was announced as the starting quarterback in the game’s opening huddle, the Steelers faithful offered hearty boos. Twice the Steelers went three-and-out in the first quarter.

“I thought (Wilson) was excellent. I thought he got better as the game went on,’ Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “But I’m not surprised by that. It’s been a while since he played some ball, but I thought he settled in, knocked the rust off, man, and distributed the ball around and played well.” 

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The coach, in his 18th season with the Steelers, said he learned a lot about Wilson’s in-game demeanor and the communication style he prefers.

“It was a good experience for me,” Tomlin said.

Wilson was 8-for-17 in the first half, and 44 of his 145 yards came on a jump ball to George Pickens, who hauled in the quarterback’s first touchdown in Pittsburgh from 11 yards out with 27 seconds before halftime for the team’s first lead of the contest.  

Pickens (five catches, 111 yards) said Wilson can identify and communicate when defenses are blitzing. His assertive cadence is another advantage for the offense. The Jets offered man-to-man looks on second- and third-down plays, Pickens said, and the Steelers took advantage. 

Wilson entered the 2024 season as the presumptive starter – or at least with a leg-up in any competition – until he suffered a calf injury during training camp. Justin Fields started the first six games of the season, and the team went 4-2 despite lacking stellar offensive play. 

“Last week it was Justin. This week it was Russ,’ Pickens said. ‘It was both 30 points, so I feel like the team overall is coming together.” 

Pittsburgh scored 30 points in back-to-back contests for the first time since the 2020 season.

‘I think (if) you score that many points in Pittsburgh, that’s a good thing,’ Seumalo said.

In typical Steelers fashion, the defense provided plenty of opportunity, and the ground game found its stride thanks to Najee Harris’ 102 rushing yards on 21 attempts. Wilson’s touchdown run gave the Steelers an eight-point lead halfway through the third quarter, and his touchdown pass to Van Jefferson in the fourth put an exclamation point on his debut.

“I kept telling coach, ‘Hey, I’m going to get hot here,’’ Wilson said. ‘And sure enough we did.” 

Wilson credited Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for “letting me cut it loose” and his teammates for being open. The play-calling helped Wilson find a rhythm, and Smith told the quarterback it may take a little bit to feel that way.

“Sometimes it takes that first home run,’ said Wilson, who admitted to having postseason baseball on the mind.

While sidelined, Wilson maintained a leadership role within the Steelers locker room. Right guard Mason McCormick said he appreciates watching how deliberate Wilson is with his work and how intentional the 35-year-old is in practice. 

“He’s probably one of the most locked in guys I’ve ever met,”  Seumalo said. “As far as playing or not playing, the process remains. He just keeps on going. He’s locked into everything and constantly working.” 

Pittsburgh is paying Wilson $1.2 million for this season, as the Denver Broncos remain on the hook for a chunk of the five-year extension they gave the quarterback after acquiring him from the Seattle Seahawks via trade in March 2022.

Any perception of a season-long quarterback competition in western Pennsylvania isn’t how the Steelers (or at least Wilson) view things.

“We are in a tremendous situation where we are,’ Wilson said. ‘I think there’s a lot of outside noise that makes it seem like it’s a negative thing and this internal rivalry. And it’s not, man. We just want to win.’  

Wilson lasted less than two seasons as Denver’s starter, and head coach Sean Payton had decided his tenure with the team would not be tied to Wilson’s. The Steelers were moving on from Kenny Pickett, and head coach Mike Tomlin saw an opportunity for a bargain-fueled veteran upgrade.

‘We have two really, really good quarterbacks on our roster,’ McCormick said. ‘We’re fortunate to have both these guys. Whoever’s in there, we have full confidence in them.’

This story has been updated to include new information and a new video.

The 2024 NFL season has been the year of the running game. Through six weeks, NFL teams are averaging 4.5 yards per carry for just the second time in history, the first coming in 2022. Teams are averaging 121.7 rushing yards per game – the most since 1987.

As the ground game makes a comeback, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry leads the way. The Ravens running back has 704 rushing yards through six games, nearly 100 more than San Francisco’s Jordan Mason in second. Those two are the only running backs to clear 500 yards through Week 6.

Henry’s finding the end zone as well with eight rushing touchdowns, the most through six games in NFL history. Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson holds the NFL single-season rushing touchdown record with 28 in 2006.

Can Henry break the record? Here’s how his chances look to make scoring history in 2024.

Can Derrick Henry break the rushing TD record?

At his current rate, no. Henry is on pace for 23 touchdowns this season, good enough for sixth all-time. He’d be behind:

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Tomlinson (28 in 2006)
Shaun Alexander (27 in 2005)
Priest Holmes (27 in 2003)
Emmitt Smith (25 in 2005)
John Riggins (24 in 1983)

Tomlinson had just seven rushing touchdowns through six games in his record-setting season.

Henry would need to score 20 rushing touchdowns over the remaining 11 games to equal Tomlinson’s record. Of those 11 games, three come against top-10 rushing defenses: Pittsburgh (twice) and the Los Angeles Chargers. Only one game is against a bottom-10 rushing defense, Cincinnati in Week 10.

LaDainian Tomlinson 2006 season stats

Tomlinson won NFL MVP honors in 2006 behind a career year. His regular season totals were:

Rushing: 348 carries, 1,815 yards, 28 touchdowns
Receiving: 56 catches, 508 yards, three touchdowns
Passing: 2 of 3 for 20 yards and two touchdowns

His 33 total touchdowns that season remains a single-season record for non-quarterbacks in NFL history.

After scoring just nine total touchdowns over the first six games, Tomlinson turned things up. He scored 24 total touchdowns (21 rushing, two receiving, one passing) in the next nine games to break the single-season record. Even though he was scoreless in the final two weeks of the regular season, he had the best scoring year by a running back in NFL history.

Derrick Henry vs. LaDainian Tomlinson career stats

Henry is in his ninth season in the NFL. Tomlinson played in 11: nine with the Chargers and two with the New York Jets. Here’s how they compare heading into Week 7’s ‘MNF’ when the Ravens take the field:

Derrick Henry

Carries: 2,149
Rushing yards: 10,206
Rushing touchdowns: 98
Receptions: 161
Receiving yards: 1,507
Receiving touchdowns: 4
Total yards per game: 93.7
Fumbles lost: 18

LaDainian Tomlinson

Carries: 3,174
Rushing yards: 13,684
Rushing touchdowns: 145
Receptions: 624
Receiving yards: 4,772
Receiving touchdowns: 17
Total yards per game: 108.6
Fumbles lost: 31

Henry is the active NFL career leader in those rushing categories.

Henry is 31st in career rushing yards and 11th in career rushing touchdowns in NFL history. If he finishes the season in line with his career average totals – not a record-breaking campaign – he will move up to 24th in rushing yards and tied for seventh all-time in those categories, respectively.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Never mind revenge. The 49ers are still trying to get over a massive Super Bowl hangover. 

Leave it to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to remind them of the task. 

San Francisco (3-4) came up short again in the rematch of Super Bowl 58, falling 28-18 at Levi’s Stadium to not only dip below .500 but also illuminate just how difficult it will be to make another legitimate run at a championship. 

“There’s so many things that are going to be said, obviously, about where we’re at, and that team,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said, alluding to that team that might be in San Francisco’s head as it has yet to beat the Chiefs in the Mahomes era.

“At the end of the day, that’s not going to help us move forward,” Warner added. “We have to just look at the reality of what it is, move on and win a game next week.” 

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No, the 49ers wouldn’t be the first team to stumble the year after losing a Super Bowl. History suggests that’s more the rule than the exception. 

But it just got worse as Brandon Aiyuk suffered what the team fears is a torn ACL in his right knee, which would end the season for the star receiver. Aiyuk is slated to undergo an MRI on Monday.

You can’t blame the 49ers if they wonder just how many more blows their once-prolific offense must endure. In addition to Aiyuk’s injury – which occurred on a crushing collision late in the second quarter when he was sandwiched by two Chiefs defensive backs as he snagged a pass over the middle – the 49ers played the bulk of Sunday’s game without their other top wideout, Deebo Samuel.

It was revealed before the game that Samuel was suffering from an illness. He tried to push through but lasted only three plays. This, after Jauan Jennings was ruled out with a hip injury that kept him out of practices last week. And the unit has been without Christian McCaffrey all season as he rehabs an Achilles heel injury.

The depleted supporting cast undoubtedly increased the pressure on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. And that was not a good thing. Purdy had the lowest single-game passer rating of his career (36.7), influenced by his three interceptions, including a pick in the end zone by rookie safety Jaden Hicks in the fourth quarter that doused San Francisco’s hope for a comeback. 

And that reflected just some of the frustration for the injury-stung offense. On top of the turnovers, they couldn’t sustain drives, converting just two of 11 third downs.

“You can’t play like that if you want to beat a team that knows how to win,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “They win gritty games, and it wasn’t the prettiest game for them. You know, Patrick had a couple of turnovers himself, but they win those gritty games.”

Especially against the 49ers. Mahomes had the worst single-game passer rating of his career, too, a paltry 44.4, which reflected two picks, zero touchdown passes, 154 passing yards and a season-low 59.3% completion rate.

Yet if somebody had to win ugly, you’d figure it to be Mahomes. Including two Super Bowl triumphs, Mahomes is now 5-0 against the 49ers.

And while Mahomes didn’t dazzle with his arm this time, he certainly left an imprint on the result with his legs. He set up his 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter with the longest run of his career – a 33-yard scamper around left end and up the sideline that included a deft pump-fake and a stutter-step juke move that took advantage of the hesitation that happens when a defender is concerned about being flagged for tagging a quarterback out of bounds. Mahomes was inbounds as he tip-toed along the sideline, but he was close enough to the chalk that linebacker Dee Winters eased up just enough for Mahomes to exploit the pause.

Four plays later, Mahomes barreled up the middle for a stand-up score after Chiefs coach Andy Reid decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

It appeared that Mahomes lowered his shoulder to ram his way to pay dirt – which Reid maintained would never be the design for the franchise centerpiece.

“I was trying to absorb the hit,” Mahomes insisted.

In any event, the 49ers can look no further to the Chiefs (6-0) for a model in dealing with adversity. Kansas City’s offense has been decimated by injuries, too. Starting wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (shoulder) hasn’t played all season. The other starting receiver, Rashee Rice, suffered a season-ending knee injury. Running back Isiah Pacheco is out for an extended period with an ankle injury. 

On Sunday, the Chiefs played the bulk of the game without receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who aggravated a hamstring injury. 

Yet the Chiefs, as they have all season, kept finding ways and weapons to win.

It’s no wonder that they are the NFL’s only undefeated team. Reid’s squad is so resourceful, that’s what Reid’s team. In addition to Mahomes’ runs, speedy receivers Mecole Hardman and Xavier Worthy made big plays off jet sweeps. Noah Gray, the No. 2 tight end, led the team with 66 receiving yards on four catches. Hardman set up a score with a 55-yard punt return. The defense not only made life miserable for Purdy, it contained another productive running back as Jordan Mason, who entered the game ranked second in the NFL in rushing, finished with 58 yards on 14 carries.

Somehow, the Chiefs came into the rematch as the underdog. 

Well, that projection didn’t hold up. And it didn’t even come down to a coin toss. 

This story was updated with new information and a new video.

NEW YORK — How is it so many of us forgot about Jonquel Jones? 

In New York’s decisive 67-62 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, it was the forgotten MVP — and now the Finals MVP — who made sure the Liberty stayed within striking distance when the other members of the Big Three couldn’t throw a basketball in the ocean.  

A big body with unbelievable shooting touch in and outside of the paint, Jones scored 17 points Sunday, shooting 50% from the field. 

Talking heads like to call the Liberty a “super team,” a roster full of stars built through free agency and trades, with the express goal of winning a title. The biggest parts of that super team were supposed to be Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart. 

First the Liberty drafted Ionescu No. 1 in 2020. Then Jones arrived via trade. Stewart was the final — and maybe most-coveted — piece, signing via 2023 free agency. But if we’re being honest, it is often Stewart and Ionescu who command the most attention from both media and defenses. Somehow and sometimes, Jones is overlooked.

Jones came to New York after six seasons in Connecticut, where she played for two titles with the Sun, falling to the Washington Mystics in 2019 and Las Vegas in 2022. 

But her journey started much earlier than that, when the Bahamian left her native country at 13 to chase a basketball dream. Now 30, Jones was emotional as soon as the buzzer sounded, and again when she was announced as the 2024 Finals MVP after averaging 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and shooting 32 of 57 (56%) through the five-game series. 

As confetti fell from the rafters, Jones and Stewart wrapped each other in a long hug. Jones said afterward she was just “sobbing in (Stewart’s) ear, I didn’t say one word.” 

She was overwhelmed, she said, because “we talked about (winning a title) so much, it’s what we envisioned.” 

During the trophy presentation, Jones got emotional again, saying, “I could never dream of this. You all know how many times I’ve been denied, but I was delayed, that’s all.” 

To win with Stewart was extra special for Jones. 

“I’ve watched Stewie be great for so long, in high school and then in college and then in the WNBA,” Jones said. “For a long time, she was that person that I was kind of like chasing in college; I wanted my game to be at her level.” 

But Jones wasn’t the only overlooked or forgotten player who helped define Sunday. 

When Nyara Sabally, a German native who played college ball at Oregon, was drafted fifth by the Liberty in 2022, New York knew it was a gamble. Hampered by injuries much of her college career, Sabally had to sit out her rookie season as she again rehabbed a hurt knee.  

She’s played sparingly the last two seasons, and in the semifinals against Las Vegas this postseason, a total of just 15 minutes, stuck on the bench for the entirety of two of the four games. But she was key in the Finals, and never more so than the second half of Game 5. 

At halftime, with the Liberty trailing 34-27, New York coach Sandy Brondello told Sabally to be ready, because she was probably going to go with a big lineup. 

The Liberty got a huge lift when Sabally subbed in, as she scored nine points in 10 minutes across the third and fourth quarters. Her layup with 3:07 left gave New York its first lead of the game. Her steal and layup in overtime were crucial, too. 

‘Her ability to make one-on-one plays, to rebound the ball, to play great defense, to finish plays,’ Brondello said of why she went with Sabally. “I’m really, really proud of her. I know she’s had a lot of adversity but the biggest game of her career and she really rose to the occasion. For a young player, that says a lot. The future is pretty bright.”

Stewart called Sabally “the X-factor.”

“Listen, we were tired,” Stewart said. “We needed a spark and she was that … we are so proud of Ny.” 

Both Jones and Sabally had circuitous, and somewhat unconventional, journeys to a WNBA championship. Asked afterward what can be done to enable more Bahamian players — the next Jonquel Jones, if you will — to find their way to the WNBA, Brondello had a unique suggestion. 

“I think we need to have a (victory) parade in the Bahamas,” Brondello said. “Let’s go!”

If the Liberty are taking this celebration international, maybe they should consider a victory parade in Germany, too. 

As Brondello said, the future is bright — not just for these two young players but because of them, for the league as a whole. And by shining on the biggest stage, lots of little girls in Jones’ and Sabally’s home countries are going to try to be next. 

The ‘Monday Night Football’ doubleheader will return to ESPN and its family of networks in Week 7.

The league and its ‘MNF’ broadcasting partner, ESPN, will hope for a repeat of the action from Week 6’s massive AFC East clash between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.

ABC and ESPN are once again showing two NFL games on Monday night. A significant portion of each contest will overlap, so fans may have to choose whether to watch one game or use multiple screens to catch all four teams in action.

The battles should be interesting. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens will face off in the early game, both teams 4-2 and looking to stake their claim at the top in their respective divisions. The later kickoff between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers will feature two sides eager to prove they are playoff contenders in 2024.

Here’s everything to know about the two ‘MNF’ matchups in Week 7.

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Who plays on Monday Night Football tonight?

There are two games on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 7. They are as follows:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

The Buccaneers (4-2) are hosting the Ravens (4-2) to kick off ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ doubleheader. Both teams have started strong in 2024 and will look to continue that momentum.

Tampa Bay enters Week 7 off an emotional and dominant 51-27 win over the New Orleans Saints. This will be the Buccaneers’ first game at home since Hurricane Milton left a path of destruction across the area and the state of Florida on Oct. 9.

Tampa Bay will look to carry over the momentum from its victory over the Saints, where they posted a franchise-record 594 yards of total offense.

Meanwhile, the Ravens also enter the primetime clash off an impressive win. Baltimore defeated the Washington Commanders 30-23. The Ravens have outrushed their opponents 1,232 yards to 354. A significant reason for their success on the ground is the addition of running back Derrick Henry.

Before Week 7 kicked off, ‘King Henry’ had a league-high eight rushing touchdowns and 704 rushing yards. His teammate, Lamar Jackson, is taking early aim at a third MVP award. Jackson has led Baltimore to four straight wins and has been terrific. He leads the league with eight touchdown passes and rushing yards by a quarterback with 236 yards during the winning streak. Baltimore is second in EPA per play and success rate per snap.

Tampa is ranked 10th in offensive DVOA and 13th in defensive DVOA. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is seventh in EPA per dropback and has utilized his elite receiving weapons, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

The Cardinals (2-4) and Chargers (3-2) will square off in a battle between two teams out west searching for their identity. Los Angeles is off to a solid start under head coach Jim Harbaugh, allowing the sixth-fewest yards per game (289.2) while sporting a top-10 rushing offense.

The Chargers and the entire football community were concerned for Harbaugh last Sunday when he suddenly left the field in the first quarter against the Broncos. It was later learned that Harbaugh’s heart condition caused his brief exit from the field.

Los Angeles is led on the field by Justin Herbert. The 26-year-old signal caller is in his fifth NFL season and returning to form after an ankle sprain he suffered early in the season. The Chargers defense has allowed a league-low 4.2 points in the first half this season.

On the other side is a hungry Cardinals team desperate to return to the win column. Arizona enters ‘MNF’ after an ugly 34-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. After scoring 69 points in the first two weeks of the season, the Cardinals’ offense has sputtered and has put up just 64 points over the previous four games.

Star rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. suffered a concussion in Week 6, and his absence was clearly felt for the remainder of the game. Arizona faces a tough task against the Chargers defense, which ranks second in EPA per play allowed and third in defensive DVOA before Week 7 kicked off.

The Chargers run the ball at the third-highest rate in the league. This key matchup on the ground will be one to watch.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

ESPN is staggering the start time of its ‘Monday Night Football’ games. The games will overlap significantly, but they won’t start simultaneously.

Here are the kickoff times for each game:

Buccaneers vs. Ravens: 8:15 p.m. ET
Cardinals vs. Chargers: 9:00 p.m. ET

What channel is Monday Night Football on tonight?

On Monday night, only one game will air on two Disney-owned channels. In other Monday night doubleheaders, one game will air on ABC and the other on ESPN.

The main Monday night game between the Ravens and Buccaneers will air on both networks. The Cardinals and Chargers will stream exclusively on ESPN+.

Buccaneers vs. Ravens

TV channel: ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2 (‘ManningCast’)

The Buccaneers and Ravens’ ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup will air on ESPN in Week 7. A simulcast of ESPN’s game will air on ABC for fans to watch.

ESPN’s ‘ManningCast’ will be available to watch again in Week 7. Eli and Peyton Manning will break down the games from the comfort of their home on ESPN2, so viewers can watch them on that network if they desire.

Cardinals vs. Chargers

Cable TV: N/A
Streaming: ESPN+

The Cardinals and Chargers matchup will not be aired on national television. The game will only be available for streaming on ESPN+. This game is the first-ever exclusive NFL game for ESPN’s streaming service.

Stream NFL on ABC with an ESPN+ subscription

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We have reached the unofficial halfway point of the fantasy football regular season, and managers are now preparing their teams for potential playoff pushes. That will require fantasy owners to trim dead weight from their rosters.

These add/drop decisions won’t necessarily be easy. Many fantasy owners like to hold onto high-quality handcuffs and potential-packed receivers behind their top producers. With injuries and bye weeks thinning options for owners at key positions like quarterback and tight end, parting with players who are either underproducing or don’t have big roles is necessary for maintaining a competitive lineup.

That’s not to say that managers should cut players indiscriminately after one bad week. It’s all about assessing a player’s situation and the opportunities they will have moving forward.

Here’s a look at five players to cut after Week 7 of the fantasy football season, including a handful of early-season flex plays who no longer have much fantasy value.

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Waiver wire players to drop: Week 8

Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants

Singletary returned from a two-game absence against in the Giants’ Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but his role looked a lot different than it did early in the season. Instead of handling the lion’s share of New York’s backfield snaps, Singletary split carries with Tyrone Tracy Jr. and often played second-fiddle to the fifth-round pick.

Tracy handled nine touches compared to Singletary’s six in the blowout, and it wasn’t just because of the score. The Giants seem content to let Tracy compete with Singletary for touches, and that dynamic seems unlikely to change as the rookie continues to gain his footing.

Add in that the Giants’ offensive line lost its best blocker, Andrew Thomas, to a season-ending foot injury before Week 7 and Singletary looks like a low-upside flex right now. Maybe he will emerge as an intrigue pre-deadline trade candidate, but barring a change of scenery, he is no longer a player who needs to be rostered in fantasy leagues.

Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots

Gibson was a popular pick-up after Rhamondre Stevenson endured some fumbling issues and missed Week 6 with a foot injury. The thought was that Gibson could be a strong flex play against the Jacksonville Jaguars if Stevenson was unable to suit up.

However, Stevenson was able to play and resumed his role as the team’s top running back. Meanwhile, Gibson got banged-up during the contest and was outplayed by third-string running back JaMycal Hasty, who caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots may consider giving more passing-down work to Hasty which would further cut into Gibson’s already small workload.

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Cleveland Browns

You can probably extend this piece of advice to all Browns running backs not named Nick Chubb. Cleveland’s backfield leader returned from a year-long absence Sunday and immediately resumed his role as the backfield leader. He handled 11 carries and scored a touchdown while Foreman and Pierre Strong combined for just five carries.

Chubb’s workload may still be limited, but even if it is, it seems like the Browns are content to spell him with a committee approach. That will prevent Foreman, Strong and Jerome Ford (when he returns from a hamstring injury) from getting the volume and goal-line carries needed to be valuable fantasy assets.

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Watson has had some solid showings during the 2024 NFL season, including his three-catch, 68-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. He has also had plenty of performances like his Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans, which saw him catch just one pass for nine yards.

Making matters worse, five players saw more targets than Watson, who had two, during the game. That group of five includes three wide receivers: Romeo Doubs (10), Dontayvion Wicks (6) and Jayden Reed (4).

Watson has size, speed and talent, but he won’t be anything more than an inconsistent flex play in fantasy football. Stick to playing him in DFS lineups as a low-ownership wild-card rather than trusting him in weekly fantasy formats.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Tennessee Titans

Mason Rudolph attempted 40 passes against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Only one of them went in Hopkins’ direction and he caught it for a two-yard loss. Comparatively, Calvin Ridley was targeted nine times, Tyler Boyd saw five targets and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine saw four balls come his way.

Feeding Hopkins doesn’t appear to be a priority for the Titans, and they could consider trading the veteran ahead of the NFL trade deadline. That could make Hopkins a more valuable fantasy asset, but don’t wait around to find out if that will happen. Feel free to cut him in favor of some higher-upside bye-week fillers or streamers at QB, D/ST and kicker.