The New Orleans Saints’ recent run of bad fortune is only getting worse.

In Monday night’s 26-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, quarterback Derek Carr suffered an oblique injury that knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter. After the contest, Carr said he was ‘not good,’ with an MRI set for Tuesday. Carr was 18-of-28 for 165 yards, two touchdowns and an interception before he exited the game with six minutes remaining in the contest.

Now, it appears Carr will miss additional time as the Saints try to end their three-game losing streak.

Here’s the latest on Carr’s injury status:

Derek Carr injury update: How many games will Saints QB miss?

Carr is expected to sit out multiple games as he recovers, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.

All things Saints: Latest New Orleans Saints news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday before welcoming former coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos to town for a Thursday night matchup next week.

Saints depth chart: Who is Derek Carr’s backup at QB?

New Orleans has had three quarterbacks on its active roster so far this year:

Derek Carr
Jake Haener
Spencer Rattler

Haener filled in for Carr on Sunday. The second-year signal-caller out of Fresno State completed two of his seven passes for 17 yards.

Rattler, however, could be in the mix to take over the starting job, according to Garafolo and Rapoport. The fifth-round rookie out of South Carolina was engaged in a competition with Haener for the No. 2 job throughout training camp, but he has been inactive throughout the start of the regular season, serving only as an emergency option.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

LOS ANGELES – Dressed in a sweater and dark slacks, Ryan Garcia looked at peace Tuesday. He was standing outside a courtroom where a judge dismissed a misdemeanor charge of vandalism the boxer faced.

Garcia, 26, expressed gratitude for the favorable outome. And during an interview with USA TODAY Sports, he addressed multiple topics, including the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul scheduled for Nov. 15.

“I don’t know if it’s a real fight,’’ Garcia said. “I really have no clue, but hopefully they come out safe. Mike’s a little older, on the older side, so hopefully comes out with some good money.’’

The fight has been sanctioned as a professional bout by Texas combat sports officials. And if it is as legitimate as Tyson and Paul insist it will be when they step into the boxing ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas?

‘Mike, 10 years younger, I believe he knocks out Jake,’’ Garcia said. “I don’t know how it is now. I mean, Jake is young, but Mike’s almost 60, right?”

Tyson is 58. Paul is 27.

‘It’s pretty up there,’’ Garcia said. “Yeah, we’ll see what happens …

“Both of those guys are kind of my friends. I just want them to make a bunch of money.’’

About three months ago, Garcia said he was going to rehab. He said Tuesday that never happened.

“I always want to be better as a person,’’ Garcia said. “As far as rehab, no, I haven’t signed up for it, but always working with a therapist. I think that for me is the best thing I could do.

“I never felt like I had an issue with substance (abuse), but some people would think the way I’d be posting (on social media) … And I get that, and now got to clear those rumors in ways of just being on my best behavior in a way. But no, I have a therapist every day and that’s working perfect for me.’’

On Thursday, Garcia wrote on his X account, “My hardest fight is myself.’’

In June, Garcia’s mother, Lisa, confirmed she has breast cancer. Ryan Garcia suggested her condition has impacted him. 

“My mom’s getting better and all of the other things that I’ve grown in my life, so that’s great,’’ he said. “Things have calmed down and now I’m just look(ing) to just become the best in my sport and just dedicate myself in that way.”

Garcia (24-1 with 20 KOs) expressed interest in a rematch with Devin Haney, who Garcia knocked down three times in a majority decision April 20. But Garcia is serving a one-year suspension for testing positive for a banned substance at the time of that bout and Haney recently sued Garcia for fraud, battery and breach of contract based on the doping violation.

“So that’s another issue,’’ Garcia said of the lawsuit. “But, yeah, I would love to do a rematch with him and beat him again … I just got to go through my process of suspension, and I’ll think about giving them a rematch when I feel like it.”

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Frances Tiafoe might be in hot water after the American tennis star directed a profanity-laden outburst at an umpire following a controversial call at the ATP Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.

In a third-round match against unseeded Roman Safiullin, Tiafoe was penalized for a time violation while serving during a third-set tiebreaker. Tiafoe, seeded 13th for the tournament, lost his first serve, and Safiullin would win the point. The Russian would claim a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) win shortly thereafter.

After match point went Safiullin’s way, Tiafoe greeted the Russian at the net for a typical post-match handshake before letting loose at umpire Jimmy Pinoargote (warning: video of the incident is not safe for work). ‘F— you, man!,’ said Tiafoe. ‘F— you! Seriously, man. F— you! You f—ed me out of the f—ing match!’

Tiafoe continued his harangue, at one point stating that Pinoargote would be ‘on the blacklist’ for the world No. 17’s future matches as he made his way off the court. However, Tiafoe took to social media later on Tuesday to post an apology for his remarks.

The loss cost Tiafoe a chance to take on Novak Djokovic in the round of 16, which takes place Wednesday. At the time of publication, the ATP Tour had not issued a fine or punishment. The 2024 ATP Tour rulebook states that instances of verbal abuse at Masters 1000-level events can carry a fine of up to $60,000.

Here’s what to know:

Tiafoe issues apology after outburst

After losing an extremely tight match in Shanghai, China, to Roman Safiullin, Frances Tiafoe exploded at umpire Jimmy Pinoargote, who had penalized the American over a time violation in one of the final points of the tiebreaker.

However, a few hours later, Tiafoe took to Instagram to offer an apology for the incident.

‘I really apologize for the way I acted tonight,’ read an Instagram story posted to Tiafoe’s account. ‘That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people. I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me and I’m extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation.

‘That’s not acceptable behavior and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans. I’ll be better for yall [sic].’

Why did Tiafoe blow up at umpire Jimmy Pinoargote?

The issue between Tiafoe and Pinoargote came with the third-set tiebreaker level at 5-5. With the serve clock running low, Tiafoe tossed the ball up, but let it drop rather than going through with his serve.

Pinoargote immediately took to the microphone to announce a time violation, which meant Tiafoe lost his first serve. The implications on the match were simple: Tiafoe would no longer get the benefit of a fault, leaving him the choice of pushing the limits of his second serve and risking a double-fault (which would give Safiullin the point) or taking a conservative route to make sure the serve was in play.

‘No, no, no, I tossed the ball,’ protested Tiafoe while approaching the bench. ‘I was at the line and I tossed the ball.’ Pinoargote replied ‘I’m not buying this, it’s the second serve now.’

Tiafoe continued to push his argument, saying ‘Dude, that’s the rule! The ball goes up, how am I not ready to serve?’ Pinoargote cut the exchange, announcing ‘second serve’ on the microphone, leaving Tiafoe to head back to the line in clear frustration.

Safiullin would win the point after some clever play at the net, and would take the match by winning the next point in an upset victory.

What is the ATP Shanghai Masters?

The 2024 Shanghai Masters is one of nine ATP Tour events (collectively called the ATP Masters 1000) featuring the top-ranked players in tennis. In terms of prestige, the Masters 1000 tournaments are major titles, though they are one step below the four Grand Slams and the ATP Finals.

The Shanghai Masters, which began in 2009, is the only Masters 1000 tournament held outside of Europe or North America. The hard court tournament, won in 2023 by Poland’s Hubert Herkacz, is held every October and features a 96-player draw to start. This year’s tournament runs from October 4-15, with a total prize pool of $8,800,000.

Luis Tiant, whose twisting windup helped him win 229 games in a 19-year major league career, has died. He was 83.

The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians confirmed the right-hander’s death on Tuesday.

‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of Luis Tiant,’ the Red Sox said in a statement on X. ‘Anyone who met him, on or off the mound, knew he was a true force. A fixture of Fenway and Fort Myers well beyond his playing days, El Tiante was family. We send our love to his wife, Maria, their children, and grandchildren.’

The Cuban born Tiant was a four-time 20-game winner, three-time All-Star and led the American League twice in ERA – 1.60 in 1968 with Cleveland and 1.91 in 1972 in Boston, where he became a legend and fan favorite, helping lead the Red Sox to the 1975 World World.

That season, he won 18 games with a 4.02 ERA after winning 20 games (3.34 ERA) in 1973 and 22 game in ’74 with a 2.92 ERA. In the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Tiant won two of his three starts, winning Games 1 and 4, both complete game efforts, and got a no-decision in Game 6, which Boston won on Carlton Fisk’s home run in the 12th inning.

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Tiant went 21-12 with a 3.06 ERA in 1976. Over eight seasons with the Red Sox, he went 122-81 with a 3.36 ERA and earning All-Star nods in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997.

Tiant’s other 20 win season came 1968, when he went 21-9. He struck out 2,416 batters and finished his career with a 3.30 ERA in 573 appearances (484 starts).

Tiant pitched for Cleveland (1964-69), Minnesota (1970), Boston (1971-78), the New York Yankees (1979-80), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1981) and the California Angels (1982).

In 15 years on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, Tiant never received more than the 30.9% of the vote he got on his first year of eligibility in 1988 and missed induction while on six committee ballots.

Fellow Cuban players Tony Oliva and Orestes ‘Minnie’ Miñoso were elected to the Hall of Fame by the the Early Days committee in 2021. The last time Tiant was on a committee ballot was in 2018.

‘I’ve told my sons, ‘don’t worry, don’t get emotional that you don’t see my name,’ ‘ Tiant told USA TODAY in 2021 of not being elected to the Hall of Fame. ‘The day they want to put me in, put me in. Hopefully, I won’t be dead.’

Reuters contributed to this report..

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Robert Saleh quite obviously entered the 2024 NFL season on the hot seat. Tuesday morning, the New York Jets hit his eject button.

Following a highly disappointing 2-3 start − and what appeared to be ongoing friction with superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers – team owner Woody Johnson had seen enough, and Saleh became the first head coach in the league fired this season.

‘This morning, I informed Robert Saleh that he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets,’ Johnson said in a statement. ‘I thanked him for his hard work these past three-and-a-half years and wished him and his family well moving forward. This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.

‘(Defensive coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich will serve as our Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season. He is a tough coach who has the respect of the coaches and players on this team. I believe he along with the coaches on this staff can get the most out of our talented team and attain the goals we established this offseason.’

POWER RANKINGS: Where do Jets land?

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Thus ends another disappointing tenure for an NYJ coach, Saleh finishing with a 20-36 record in three-plus seasons.

Despite consistently good defenses, the bread and butter for a longtime NFL assistant and coordinator, Saleh, 45, was undone by long-chronic quarterback issues – first Zach Wilson, the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft who was a near-total bust, and Rodgers. The four-time MVP kindled fresh Super Bowl hopes for the franchise upon being acquired from the Green Bay Packers in 2023. But after last year’s Week 1 Achilles injury ended Rodgers’ season after four snaps, this season’s turbulent start was apparently too much for Johnson, who said during the offseason that he expected major results in 2024, to bear.

Despite another fourth-quarter opportunity to win, the Jets lost their second straight game Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings in London, the Rodgers-led offense noticeably struggling after showing progress in Weeks 2 and 3. But the quarterback’s timing with receivers has obviously been off, Rodgers has taken too many hits lately, and the run game – despite the presence of explosive back Breece Hall – ranks last in the league with 80.4 yards per game. Those cascading issues have fueled growing speculation that GM Joe Douglas could (and should) trade for unhappy Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, a Pro Bowler five times during the eight seasons he spent with Rodgers as his quarterback for the Packers.

But Saleh, whose defense has ranked in the top five each of the past three seasons, ultimately took the fall. He and Rodgers consistently defended their relationship – answering questions about matters like their sideline interactions and whether Rodgers’ famous pre-snap cadence was compromising offensive rhythm.

‘(W)e’re really good friends. We enjoy each other,’ Rodgers said of Saleh as recently as Friday.

‘We spend time with each other almost every day in his office talking about things and the energy of the team, the focus of the team, what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out, so we got a great relationship.’

Yet that answer ultimately didn’t erase speculation that the 10-time Pro Bowler had at least as much influence at Jets headquarters as his now-former coach, nor did it produce a win that might have saved Saleh’s job.

“We have all this talent, and we have to deploy talent properly. … This is it. This is the time to go. We’ve got to produce this year,” Johnson said February during Super Bowl week, following Saleh’s second consecutive 7-10 campaign.

“We have to do a lot better than seven (victories), definitely.”

Prior to Tuesday, Johnson had never switched coaches during a season since he bought the Jets in 2000. The last time the NYJ needed an interim coach was 1976, when Lou Holtz resigned following a 3-10 start before taking the head job at the University of Arkansas.

‘(T)he NFL is built for chaos. Either the sky is falling, or you’ve got Super Bowl aspirations, there’s no in between anymore,’ Saleh said Monday in what turned out to be his final news conference.

‘The reality is what the standings look like now are going to be completely different at the end of the season. There’s so much football to be played. There’s so much, so many things that we can get better at and there’s so many things that we can continue to build on, the things that we are doing well. So, I’m not panicked, nobody in the building is panicked.’

The Jets haven’t won more than seven games since 2015, when they went 10-6. They last reached the playoffs in 2010, their 13-season absence the NFL’s longest active one. Their only Super Bowl appearance occurred following the 1968 season, when the upstart AFL team, led by brash quarterback Joe Namath, shocked the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl 3, widely considered as one of the most important games in the history of pro football.

But these Jets suddenly don’t seem much closer to ending the franchise’s championship drought.

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

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Woody Johnson statement

Jets’ record with Robert Saleh

After being hired in 2021, Saleh went 20-36 as the Jets’ head coach.

2021: 4-13

2022: 7-10

2023: 7-10

2024: 2-3

***

Let’s talk about karma for a moment.

Karma is vicious. It is unrelenting. It’s ancient. It does not forget. It has a memory like an elephant and keeps lists like St. Nick. It gets power from suns and moons and stupid people. It sinks empires and best laid plans. Mess with karma and it will get you. Laugh at karma and it will get you. Treat karma with a lack of respect and it will get you.

Welcome to karma, Deshaun Watson.

Welcome to karma, Cleveland Browns.

Oh, yes, karma has been waiting for you, Mr. Watson. It’s been patient, Browns, watching closely as the guy you signed, the guy you knew was accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct, has clearly disintegrated under the weight of his own alleged grossness. Watson and the Browns aren’t just being hoisted on their own petard, they are being blasted by the omnipresence of karma, which smiles at them both, and laughs: did you really think you could escape me?

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The Browns’ signing of Watson, seeped in arrogance, will now go down as perhaps the worst signing in the history of the NFL. It is also possibly the worst signing in the modern history of American professional sports.

Why? The team sent the Texans six draft picks, including three first rounders, and signed Watson to a $230 million guaranteed contract. The salary cap ramifications are problematic for the team if they release Watson.

The bigger issue are the draft picks. In 2022, the Browns sent Houston their 2022, 2023, and 2024 first round picks, among others. Cleveland’s theory of the case is that Watson would be the kind of change agent to take the Browns to Super Bowls and those picks would become irrelevant.

That of course hasn’t come close to happening. Meanwhile, those first rounders can be the lifeblood of a franchise. There’s no guarantee the Browns would have found good players but high picks like that increases the odds.

This was all avoidable. Owner Jimmy Haslam, before signing Watson, said the Browns did extensive checks into Watson’s background and the franchise felt comfortable signing him. At that point Watson was facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct and sexual assault.

That many lawsuits wasn’t just a red flag; it signaled the possibility that Watson was beyond troubled. The Browns said they had done their due diligence on Watson but there was no amount of true diligence the team could really do. The franchise soaked itself in the pretense of knowing what it was doing when what they were doing was wholly unpredictable.

They dared karma.

Haslam even brought in his wife to try and sell the public on Watson.

‘I know when I was brought in after the season was over,’ Dee Haslam said. ‘I was included in the conversation of looking at our whole roster and particularly the quarterback position. As I said in my opening remarks, this was really hard. This was a journey that I had to get comfortable with, and I got comfortable with it the more people we talked to about Deshaun as a person and then I got more comfortable meeting Deshaun and having those conversations.’

There were so many things that could have gone wrong, and they all did, including an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. But one of the biggest was something the Browns apparently didn’t think about.

If you look at what’s happening to Watson, he has wilted under the pressure of all these accusations. No human being would be able to play the high wire act that is NFL quarterback while simultaneously fighting these lawsuits. No one, holding any type of job, could function properly under this type of legal pressure.

Not to mention Watson was recently sued yet again. That lawsuit was settled but it was the 27th lawsuit filed against him alleging sexual misconduct.

That’s 27 lawsuits.

Watson has failed to reach 200 passing yards in five straight games. It’s the longest stretch of his career. It’s been a total disaster.

Some of us do not believe in God. We do not believe in religion. We believe in a universe that has powers and abilities that humans do not yet fully understand. One of those powers is karma.

It has enveloped Watson and the Browns. They deserve it.

The New York Jets (2-3) returned from their Week 5 trip from London and wasted no time before making an organizational change. On Tuesday morning, the Jets announced they fired coach Robert Saleh following the team’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been named the interim head coach.

Saleh’s tenure was marked by unstable offense and strong defensive play. Ulbrich has coached that defense throughout Saleh’s time in New York.

Ulbrich has been the Jets’ defensive coordinator since joining the organization in 2021 as a member of Saleh’s coaching staff. Over the last two seasons, the Jets have finished fourth (2022) and third (2023) overall in total defense. In 2023, the Jets allowed a league-low 4.6 yards per play. Since 2021, the Jets defense has allowed the second-lowest yards per game in the NFL.

Saleh was not calling plays on offense or defense. Ulbrich has led the Jets’ defensive unit, calling plays. He was a popular name to watch for head coaching interviews in 2025 and now has an opportunity to win the job in New York. He was a head coach at the Senior Bowl this past season and now gets his shot at leading an NFL team.

Jeff Ulbrich coaching history

Before his time with the Jets, Ulbrich was the linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons for five seasons. He became the assistant head coach in 2020, and by Week 6, he had become the defensive coordinator when Raheem Morris was named interim head coach following Dan Quinn’s firing.

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Ulbrich’s coaching career began immediately after his ten-year playing career in the NFL. From 2010 to 2011, he spent two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks as a special teams assistant. UCLA highly coveted and hired him as their linebacker and special teams coach. He quickly made his presence felt and was promoted to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

Jeff Ulbrich career

New York Jets | 2021-Present

Interim Head Coach – 2024
Defensive Coordinator – 2021-Present

Atlanta Falcons | 2015-20

Interim Defensive Coordinator – 2020
Assistant Head Coach / Linebackers – 2020
Linebackers – 2015-19

UCLA | 2012-14

Defensive Coordinator – 2014
Assistant Head Coach / Linebackers / Special Teams – 2012-13

Seattle Seahawks | 2010- 2011

Special Teams Assistant – 2010-11

Playing career

San Francisco 49ers (Linebacker) – 2000-09
Hawai’i (Linebacker) – 1998-99
Gavilan (California) Junior College (Linebacker) – 1997
San Jose State (Linebacker) – 1996 (redshirt)

Ulbrich played linebacker in the NFL for ten seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He played 120 games, posting 653 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

He played college football at Hawaii, where he was drafted in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft by the 49ers.

(This story was updated to change a video.)