The Dallas Cowboys (2-2) are set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) on ‘Sunday Night Football’ in Week 5. Dallas is fresh off a 20-15 win over the New York Giants last week on ‘Thursday Night Football’ which ended a two-game losing streak.

Despite the win, Dallas came away with some concerns, especially on defense. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons had to be carted off the field due to an ankle injury and defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence has been placed on injured reserve.

Parsons’ injury was severe enough to put his status in question. Here’s the latest on his return.

When will Micah Parsons be back?

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said it is unlikely that Parsons will play in Week 5. He has a sprained ankle and he was seen earlier this week in a boot and using a scooter to protect his ankle.

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Depending on the severity of the injury, it could take up to 6-8 weeks for a full recovery. Dallas has a bye in Week 7 before their next ‘Sunday Night Football’ game against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8. Parsons wants to be back on the field sooner than later.

‘I want to play,’ he said Monday. ‘If I can play, I will play. To me, as long as I can run and move how I want to move, I want to play.’

Micah Parsons injury history

This is Parsons’ first significant injury. He’s only missed one game in his career – Week 18 of his rookie year – due to COVID-19.

Dallas Cowboys depth chart

With Parsons potentially out for the next couple of weeks, the Cowboys have Chauncey Golston next on the depth chart at right defensive end. He was a third-round pick (84th overall) in the 2021 NFL draft and has 4.5 career sacks through 51 games played, including three starts.

Rookie second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland likely will be the top pass rusher for the Cowboys now. He has no sacks but has three quarterback hits through four weeks this season.

Former Arizona State football associate head coach Antonio Pierce won’t be coaching in the college ranks anytime soon — at least, not without a caveat.

Pierce, the current head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, was handed an eight-year show cause penalty by the NCAA’s Division I Committee on Infractions panel on Thursday for his role in impermissible recruiting activities during the COVID-19 dead period.

Pierce, along with former non-coaching staff member Anthony Garnett, was deemed to have participated in recruiting inducements to prospects and families, violating the NCAA’s ethical conduct, the organization announced. If Pierce is to return to the college coaching ranks during his show cause, he would have to serve a one-year suspension for the first year of his tenure.

The NCAA noted the majority of Pierce’s violations came in 2020 when he, other members of the Sun Devils’ staff and a university booster arranged unofficial visits to the program for roughly a year during the dead period. The NCAA said the visits occurred over 15 weekends and included facility tours, entertainment and tryouts with 35 recruits and their families.

Pierce also arranged or personally provided meals, merchandise and airfare for 27 prospects, ‘often in collaboration with the school booster,’ according to the NCAA. He also brought a recruit’s parents to a gentlemen’s club.

The NCAA’s release also said Pierce didn’t cooperate with the investigation to its standard.

‘After separating from Arizona State, Pierce failed on multiple occasions to meet his responsibility to cooperate,’ the release stated. ‘Although he participated in an interview with enforcement staff and acknowledged some facts surrounding the unofficial visits, he consistently denied planning or arranging any portion of the visits, providing recruiting inducements, or participating in the out-of-state contacts and evaluations.

‘Additionally, Pierce failed to provide pertinent financial documentation requested by the enforcement staff.’

Garnett received a five-year show cause and would also have to serve a one-year suspension for the first year at his new school.

Pierce, an NFL linebacker for Washington and the New York Giants from 2001-09, went undrafted in the 2001 NFL draft out of Arizona. He served as Las Vegas’ interim head coach in 2023 before being promoted to full-time head coach ahead of the 2024 season.

Pierce served in a variety of positions at Arizona State from 2018-21, starting as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator (2018-19) before being promoted to associate head coach in 2020.

The 45-year-old coach joined Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh — who received a four-year show cause infraction in August from his tenure at Michigan — as NFL head coaches to receiver a show-cause penalty by the NCAA.

First she was drafted No. 1 after re-writing the record books in college. Then she helped lift the WNBA to unprecedented heights with her logo 3s, did-you-see-that?! passing and habit of selling out every arena she walked into. Now, Caitlin Clark has capped a sensational inaugural professional season by winning the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. 

An Iowa alum, Clark won with 66 of 67 votes. She beat her biggest competition and college rival Angel Reese in the voting, a nod to Indiana’s success behind Clark and Clark’s eye-popping statistics and records in multiple categories. Reese, who led the WNBA in rebounding (13.1 per game), missed the last couple weeks of the regular season with a broken wrist. Reese received one vote.

Indiana made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 as the No. 6 seed, taking on the Connecticut Sun in their first-round series. The Fever were swept 2-0 but Clark said Friday it gave them ”a taste of where we want to be.”

During the regular season, Clark led all rookies in scoring (19.2 ppg), good enough for seventh-best in the league, while leading the WNBA in assists (8.4 per game) and made 3s (122). She set numerous records throughout the year, including the single-season rookie scoring record, single-season assists record, and single-game assists record, among others. In July, she became the first rookie in the league’s 28-year history to record a triple double. She notched her second on Sept. 4. 

“I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season – my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds,” Clark said in a statement.

Clark’s popularity has helped make the Fever must-see TV, as the league shattered ratings records for games involving Clark. Indiana also set a franchise attendance record, as thousands regularly poured into Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch her. Road games against the Fever were also a tough ticket, and a handful of teams had to move their games vs. Indiana to bigger arenas to accommodate demand. 

Clark is likely to earn All-WNBA honors also. In the WNBA, voters select a five-person first and second team of the best players regardless of position.

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell 

This story has been updated with new information.

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have faced off nearly 1,100 times in the regular season, but their matchup in the 2024 National League Division Series will be the first postseason matchup between the longtime NL East rivals.

Philadelphia won its first division title since 2011 and earned a bye to the best-of-five NLDS, while the Mets fought for a wild-card spot and defeated the Brewers with a thrilling comeback in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the wild-card series.

Here’s a look at the 2024 NLDS schedule:

Phillies vs Mets NLDS schedule

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5 – 4:08 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 6 – 4:08 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 8 – Time TBD at Citi Field, New York
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct 9 – Time TBD at Citi Field, New York
Game 5: Friday, Oct. 11 – Time TBD at Citizens Bank Park

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Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc throughout the American southeast the last week. One of the affected areas was Augusta, Georgia, home of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.

After the hurricane passed, course chairman Fred Ridley made a statement Thursday morning claiming that Augusta National had suffered ‘a lot of damage.’ However, the extent of the damage was mostly unknown to anyone outside of the Augusta community, relying solely on posts from social media to give a brief glance at how Helene affected the course.

However, new drone footage has offered a more detailed look at the course, specifically Magnolia Lane, and the damage it succumbed to during the hurricane.

Drone footage of Magnolia Lane at Augusta National

When is the 2025 Masters?

The 2025 Masters will take place the week of April 7-13, 2025. Scottie Scheffler won the tournament in 2024, and has now won two of the last three Masters.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela has stepped away from his role as a Spanish-language radio broadcaster to ‘focus on his health,’ the team said Thursday in a statement.

‘Fernando Valenzuela has stepped away from the Dodger broadcast booth for the remainder of this year to focus on his health,’ the Dodgers said in the statement that was posted to their social media accounts. ‘He and his family truly appreciate the love and support of fans as he aims to return for the 2025 season, and they have asked for privacy during this time.’

Valenzuela had been absent from Dodger broadcasts for several weeks now, though details about the reason had not been given. On Monday, prominent Mexican sports journalist David Faitelson reported that Valenzuela had been hospitalized.

He has been a member of the team’s broadcast booth since 2003.

Valenzuela, 63, was born in Navojoa, Mexico and became an instant fan favorite for the Dodgers, as he inspired the city’s heavily Hispanic population to flock to Dodger fandom. In 1981, he sparked what became known as ‘Fernandomania,’ when he won both the National League Rookie of the Year award and the NL Cy Young. Valenzuela played 11 of his 17 MLB seasons with the Dodgers.

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In August 2023, the Dodgers held a three-day ceremony during a series against the Colorado Rockies in which the franchise retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. Though it hadn’t been officially retired prior to the ceremony, no Dodgers player had worn it since Valenzuela left the organization in 1991. Los Angeles broke with tradition to retire the jersey, as the franchise has a rule that requires players to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame to have their jersey retired.

Valenzuela was a six-time All-Star, a member of the 1981 Dodgers World Series championship team and also won a Gold Glove in addition to his Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. In his 17 seasons, Valenzuela posted a 173-153 record, with 31 shutouts, 2,074 strikeouts and a 3.54 earned run average.

The Dodgers will open their National League Division Series Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

And that sting only gets more severe as expectations are raised.

The Orioles pulled off one of the great teardowns and build-ups in baseball history the past five years, and no amount of playoff randomness, clenched jaws in the batter’s box or poor swing decisions come October can take that away.

Yet Wednesday night, after a 91-win season dissipated in 18 innings of punchless, anxious baseball, the Orioles once again dispersed for the winter wondering why what they do so well over 162 games fails so starkly when it matters most.

Their 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of their American League wild card series featured more of what dogged them throughout a 33-33 second half that knocked them from the East race and compelled them to the best-of-three shootout.

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They were punchless: Baltimore managed just six hits against six Kansas City pitchers.

They were impatient: Rookie slugger Colton Cowser, batting with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, likely wasted a chance to drive in the tying run in when he swung at a pitch so far inside that it struck him in the left hand. A strikeout, instead of a free base.

And they wasted yet another strong pitching performance, this one a six-man tag team led by starter Zach Eflin that held the Royals to single runs in the first and sixth.

Over two games, Orioles pitchers yielded just one extra-base hit. And still.

“I thought we gave everything we had,” says manager Brandon Hyde. “I thought we pitched really, really well. We pitched out of traffic almost the entire game it felt like to keep the score where it was.

“Just a disappointing finish.”

The scene was different in so many ways yet hauntingly familiar to last year’s departure at the hands of the eventual champion Texas Rangers. Those 2023 Orioles won 101 games, most in the AL, and had a free ticket to the AL Division Series, only to see Texas come in and dominate for two games at Camden Yards.

They finished the job in Arlington, Texas, blasting them 7-1 in Game 3 and starting an 18-inning playoff scoreless streak that extended to Wednesday night’s Game 2.

That streak vanished, finally, when Cedric Mullins – really the only bat that showed up in this brief series – blasted a game-tying home run in the fifth inning.

Yet what happened next will haunt the players and certainly keep Hyde and general manager Mike Elias up many nights this off-season, wondering how to fix it.

A walk, single and error loaded the bases. Nobody was out. Camden Yards sensed good things.

Yet 44-homer man Anthony Santander flailed at a 1-1 pitch up in the zone, and popped out to first. Reliever Angel Zerpa came on and nearly walked home the go-ahead run, yet Cowser indulged him with an extremely bad swing decision – and injured his hand, to boot.

Still, there was one chance left. Adley Rutschman, the bell cow for this rebuild whose 2022 arrival brought on better days, had a chance to undo a grim second half and add a signature moment to a playoff resume that now reads two hits in just 20 at-bats.

But he grounded harmlessly to shortstop. Threat over.

And three innings later, season over.

“It’s tough to say goodbye,” Rutschman told reporters in the Orioles clubhouse. “You hope some of them are back, but you just never know with baseball.”

Too true. Santander, beloved for his work ethic and power production, likely will move on, his huge season ensuring free-agent riches the Orioles likely aren’t willing to pay.

Ace Corbin Burnes, imported for this very time of year, only to see his team fail to score a run on his behalf in a 1-0 Game 1 loss Tuesday, will certainly find greener pastures. Sure, new owner David Rubenstein has no track record when it comes to signing or retaining free agents, but the Orioles likely aren’t prepared to set a club record for a player whose new payday may near $200 million.

More top prospects are in the pipeline, and the continued development of Cowser – the likely AL Rookie Of the Year – All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson and 20-year-old infielder Jackson Holliday will keep this train going.

Yet the numbers this week were ugly. Henderson, Santander, Rutschman and Cowser combined to go 2 for 23 with no extra-base hits.

The greatest concern might be Rutschman, a two-time All-Star who batted .189 (48 for 254) over his last 71 games, with just four homers and 13 extra-base hits.

In his first 77 games, he’d batted .300 with an .830 OPS, 15 homers and 27 extra-base hits.

“I think that it’s a young player that just was dealing with some adversity,” says Hyde of Rutschman. “Giving everything he had on a daily basis, trying to get out of it, maybe trying too hard at times.

“I think he’s going to come back next year and I think he’s going to be a different player.”

The Orioles don’t need too many different players. Just a different mentality come October, when the best-laid plans of an organization and the many good works of their players can vanish over two desultory nights.

Way back in early 2019 — before the days of NIL, the transfer portal and a global pandemic — Clemson beat Alabama to become the first team to finish 15-0 since Penn in 1897.

In the future, the expanded College Football Playoff may result in a national champion that goes 16-0 or even 17-0. Doing so would be a monumental achievement requiring going through the regular season unscathed and then beating three or four of the best teams in the country.

Nineteen Bowl Subdivision teams are still chasing immortality heading into Week 6, led by the top four teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Tennessee.

Based on history, the odds are that these unbeaten records won’t last long. Here’s our best guess for when each of the current unbeatens suffer their first loss of 2024.

No. 1 Texas (5-0)

First loss: vs. No. 5 Georgia, Oct. 19.

Look for the Longhorns to sail past No. 17 Oklahoma on Oct. 12 given the Sooners’ offense state of affairs. Getting Georgia at home definitely helps, but the Bulldogs are heading into October deeply motivated to move past last Saturday’s setback at Alabama and end the regular season with just one loss.

No. 2 Alabama (4-0)

First loss: at No. 4 Tennessee, Oct. 19.

This is the first of three ranked opponents in a row for the Crimson Tide, with the Volunteers followed by No. 9 Missouri in Tuscaloosa and No. 12 LSU on the road. While Alabama could definitely stay perfect through this run, Tennessee looks like an elite team capable of making the most of the home-field advantage in this rivalry.

No. 3 Ohio State (4-0)

First loss: Sometime in postseason play. (Maybe.)

The Buckeyes are beginning to resemble a powerhouse built to run through a tough Big Ten slate that includes road trips to No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Penn State. Both teams could trip up Ohio State, as could No. 10 Michigan to end the regular season. Here’s guessing the Buckeyes manage to run the table until the playoff.

No. 4 Tennessee (4-0)

First loss: at Georgia, Nov. 16.

The second of two high-profile games on its SEC docket, the Volunteers might be able to get past Alabama at home but will be tripped up by the Bulldogs in Athens. Given that the rest of the schedule is very manageable, splitting those two games should send Tennessee to the conference championship game and guarantee at least an at-large playoff bid.

No. 6 Oregon (4-0)

First loss: vs. Ohio State, Oct. 12.

While drawing the Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium is a huge bonus, Ohio State represents a different sort of test for a team and program still getting acclimated to life in the Big Ten. Whether Oregon can force a rematch in the Big Ten championship might hinge on a road trip to Michigan on Nov. 2.

No. 7 Penn State (4-0)

First loss: vs. Ohio State, Nov. 2.

There’s a trip to No. 15 Southern California on Oct. 12 that could prove difficult and a possible trap game at Wisconsin the week before hosting the Buckeyes, though the Badgers probably lack the firepower to keep pace with Penn State. History says the Nittany Lions will lose to Ohio State, winners of seven in a row and 11 of 12 in the series.

No. 8 Miami (5-0)

First loss: at No. 22 Louisville, Oct. 19.

There’s a loss lurking somewhere on this schedule as shown by the home struggle against Virginia Tech that had a controversial ending. The toughest road trip will be at Louisville later this month, so let’s go with the Cardinals winning a shootout against Cam Ward and the vastly improved Hurricanes.

No. 9 Missouri (4-0)

First loss: at Alabama, Oct. 26.

After needing double overtime to get past Vanderbilt its last time out, Missouri’s first loss could come as soon as Saturday’s game at No. 21 Texas A&M. If not there, the Tigers will likely be heavy underdogs in Tuscaloosa to end the month.

No. 16 Iowa State (4-0)

First loss: vs. Central Florida, Oct. 19.

The Cyclones could run the table until facing No. 18 Utah and No. 20 Kansas State to end November. While it was just blown out at home by Colorado, UCF has the team speed and running game to knock off the Cyclones in Ames.

No. 19 Brigham Young (5-0)

First loss: vs. Oklahoma State, Oct. 19.

Arizona could sneak up and knock off BYU on Oct. 12 given how the Wildcats were able to smother Utah. The better pick is Oklahoma State a week later, though the Cowboys have to first figure out a way to get running back Ollie Gordon back on track.

No. 23 UNLV (4-0)

First loss: vs. Syracuse, Friday.

The Rebels looked great against Fresno State with quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams starting in place of Matthew Sluka. But Syracuse is a solid Power Four team and the Rebels’ toughest opponent to date. If not Friday, look for Boise State to win at UNLV on Oct. 25.

No. 24 Indiana (5-0)

First loss: vs. Washington, Oct. 26.

Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers clearly have the scoring punch to get past Northwestern and Nebraska to continue the program’s best start since 1967. The Huskies are better than their 3-2 record suggests and will be a very tough matchup for Indiana even with the game at home.

Army (4-0)

First loss: vs. East Carolina, Oct. 19.

Army’s three FBS defeated opponents are a combined 4-11 and its next two, Tulsa and Alabama-Birmingham, are among the worst teams in the country. So how good are the Black Knights, really? ECU has turned the page on a dreadful 2023 season and should end up around seven wins in the regular season.

Duke (5-0)

First loss: at Georgia Tech, Saturday.

Duke has wins against Northwestern, Connecticut and North Carolina by a combined 12 points, giving the strong impression a loss is lurking somewhere around the corner. That may be as soon as Saturday at Georgia Tech, which is about a touchdown favorite.

James Madison (4-0)

First loss: vs. Coastal Carolina, Oct. 10.

James Madison started slowly but has stepped on the gas in wins against North Carolina (70-50) and Ball State (63-7). Going unbeaten and reaching the playoff is a real possibility. But of the matchups still to come, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern one week later look like the biggest hurdles in the way of 12-0.

Liberty (4-0)

First loss: vs. Western Kentucky, Nov. 23.

Liberty has played only one team of any consequence (East Carolina) and won’t play another until hosting Western Kentucky in late November. The Hilltoppers have a great win against Toledo and a very close loss to Boston College, painting the picture of a team that could win nine or more games to reach the Conference USA title game.

Navy (4-0)

First loss: vs. No. 13 Notre Dame (in East Rutherford, N.J.), Oct. 26.

The Midshipmen could lose this weekend to Air Force given the nature of this rivalry, though the Falcons have been absolutely awful through one month. If it gets past Saturday, look for Navy to roll over Charlotte before getting handed a seventh loss in a row against the Fighting Irish.

Pittsburgh (4-0)

First loss: at North Carolina, Saturday.

Picking the Tar Heels to beat anybody feels wrong given how it has imploded against James Madison and Duke. But after sneaking past Cincinnati (28-27) and West Virginia (38-34) in recent weeks, the Panthers are unlikely to stay perfect in what has shaped up to be a must-win game for North Carolina.

Rutgers (4-0)

First loss: at Nebraska, Saturday.

Like Pittsburgh, Rutgers was very fortunate to beat Washington last weekend after giving up 7.1 yards per carry and being outgained by more than 200 yards. The key to winning in Lincoln will be to force turnovers, but that’s something the Cornhuskers have been able to avoid in starting 4-1. Nebraska has committed just three giveaways after turning the ball over an FBS-worst 31 times a year ago.