By the third game of his NFL career, Malik Nabers had become such a presence in the New York Giants offense that he did more than catch the football against the Cleveland Browns. 

The rookie wide receiver recorded his first two rushing attempts and took a direct snap near the goal for his first-ever pass as a pro (Nabers wisely threw the ball away out of bounds).

The message was clear: Nabers is already the centerpiece of the Giants’ offense. Beyond the potentially historic number of targets he will see in the traditional passing game, head coach Brian Daboll – who is also the team’s offensive playcaller – will put the ball in the 21-year-old’s hands every chance he has, continuing against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. 

“I think we target him a fair amount, but I think he’s earned that,” Daboll said Monday. “He’s earned the right to have those opportunities.”

After his quarterback moment, Nabers went back to making plays as a receiver. He ran a corner route to the back-left pylon, and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones sailed the ball his way. Nabers rose up like he had a trampoline underneath him and spun counterclockwise at the same time before catching the ball. The former LSU Tiger demonstrated sufficient body control to touch his right foot in bounds before his arm landed outside the field of play. 

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“I didn’t want to try to fall backwards … so I caught it and just kept my body moving and turned my waist,” Nabers said after the game, a 21-15 victory over the Browns for the Giants’ first win of the season. “Then my feet just followed my waist. After I turned around, I saw where I was and I knew I had some extra room, so I just tried to get two feet down.”

Don’t sleep on his throwing abilities, though. 

“Check out that film at LSU,” Nabers said. “I can definitely throw it.” 

But the Giants, widely viewed as a team that might have selected Jones’ eventual replacement at the top of the 2024 draft were it positioned to do so, took Nabers sixth overall for plays like that touchdown catch and one earlier the same drive when he somehow hovered in the air long enough to wrestle a deep ball away from Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. for a 28-yard completion.

“They were good catches, but I’ve made some way better catches than that,” Nabers said. “I’m not surprised by it, it’s just how I play, it’s how I am.”

Nabers scored his second touchdown against the Browns in the closing seconds before halftime and became the youngest (21 years and 56 days) wide receiver in NFL history with two touchdown receptions in a game, eclipsing Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21 years and 73 days old on Nov. 2, 2014).

What impressed Daboll the most on Sunday wasn’t even a catch. Jones’ arm was hit on a pass intended for tight end Theo Johnson and the ball popped in the air. Daboll feared it could be returned the other way for a Cleveland touchdown. Nabers raced to the ball in time to knock it down and avert crisis.

“That play says more to me about Malik than some of the other things,” Daboll said. “Everyone can see the touchdowns, but the unselfish play, the smart play he made was a huge play in the game.”

Nabers’ production has been prolific. He is the first player in NFL history with more than 20 catches (23) and three touchdowns in his first three career games (271 receiving yards). The Louisiana native has the most catches of more than 20 yards this season (6), a mark he’s achieved that with both route-running capabilities and his skill in picking up yards after the catch. 

His 37 total targets – 30 in the last two games, including 18 during a Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders – easily leads the Giants in that category. He ranks second in the NFL in target share (37.8%). Nabers has accounted for 56% of the Giants’ air yards, per Next Gen Stats, and is the lone player able to claim half of his team’s air yards this season. 

“You have to see how the game declares itself,” assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said last week. “But I think you always want to put your best player, your best scheme, or your best players in those spots so that they can be successful.” 

Nabers is on track to beat out former Indianapolis Colts wideout Marvin Harrison’s all-time target high from 2002, when Peyton Manning threw his way a record 205 times – and that was during a 16-game season. 

Thus far, Jones has had reason to throw Nabers’ way – the receiver has 12 catches and 175 receiving yards against man-to-man coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. When facing press coverage, per TruMedia, Nabers leads the league in target per route run rate (40%), first-down per route run rate (23%) and yards per route run (4.47). 

“I think in matchup situations where he’s one-on-one with a guy, he’s won and made explosive plays for us time and time again,” Jones said last week. “He’s done a good job and been a big help to us so far.” 

The early lowlight of Nabers’ career was a ball that hit off his hands on fourth down late with the game tied in the Giants’ eventual loss to Washington. 

For someone who expects to make every play, Jones said, Nabers took the drop hard. The quarterback also noted that had it not been for the rookie, the Giants would not have been in a position to win the game. 

“He’s a competitor and holds himself to a high standard,” Jones said. “I think you realize that pretty quickly spending any time with him.”  

Nabers flushed that mishap – which came in a 10-catch performance that featured his first career touchdown – to shine against Cleveland. Facing Dallas on short rest in his prime-time debut arrives with added drama.

In May during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event, Nabers said the Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs was the cornerback he was most excited to face. Diggs took offense as the feud devolved into the two trading backhanded social media barbs. 

Nabers did not want to discuss any of that Tuesday. 

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he said, “a dream come true.”

Of all the things Caitlin Clark has been asked to do the last two-plus years, this is the most important:

She needs to publicly call out the racist and homophobic trash purporting to be her fans and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that she neither approves of nor condones their bigotry. They need to make a choice, right now, and it’s her or their gleeful hate.

Yes, Clark disavowed the toxic discourse in June, calling it ‘disappointing’ and saying, ‘People should not be using my name to push those agendas.’ But that was in response to a question, not a statement of her own initiative. And it’s gotten much, much worse since then.

Clark did not ask for this, any of it. She just wants to play basketball. But so do the other 143 women of the WNBA and, right now, some of Clark’s fans are making that impossible.

Like the one who sent DiJonai Carrington a message Tuesday with racial and misogynistic slurs in the subject line and a wish that she would be raped and murdered. Like the woman at Wednesday night’s game who mocked the (almost exclusively) Black players with stiletto nails by wearing Edward Scissorhands-like fake tips and a T-shirt with the words “Ban nails.” Like the people who’ve sent fake nudes of Angel Reese to her relatives.

Shall I continue?

“In my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Alyssa Thomas said Wednesday night, after the Connecticut Sun ended Clark’s rookie season with a sweep of Indiana in the best-of-three series.

“It’s unacceptable, honestly, and there’s no place for it,” Thomas continued, her voice measured but strong. “We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it. Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things.”

And Clark shouldn’t want them, either.

Clark has been, arguably, the most exciting and entertaining athlete in any sport over the last two years, with her logo 3s and passes that make you rub your eyes to make sure you really did just see that. She’s brought a legion of new fans to women’s basketball and, for many, that love of Clark has blossomed into a love for the entire game and a new appreciation for players like A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

But there are others whose ignorance is ruining it for everyone.

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Some simply don’t know the game or the history of the WNBA and are outraged that the rest of the league isn’t bowing in Clark’s wake. They howl at the physical play and hard fouls that have always been a staple of the WNBA, conveniently ignoring both that Clark knows it’s part of the game and that she can give every bit as good as she gets.

Those people are irritating, their over-the-top fandom prompting eye rolls and deep sighs. They are largely harmless, though.

Not so the “fans” who use rooting for Clark as cover for their bigotry and biases, hurling slurs at Black players and perpetuating the ugly stereotypes of Black athletes. They see their abuse as justified because Clark needs to be protected and cherished and elevated, privileges that society has long demanded for white women at the expense of Black people.

“It matters to certain people that Clark is in this Black woman-dominated sport and has been doing so well,” said Moya Bailey, a professor at Northwestern University who coined the term “misogynoir” to describe the unique prejudice directed at Black women.

“There’s something specific about how people see Black women as opposed to other women of color or other women, and that needs to be discussed,” Bailey said. “One of the things I say is misogynoir is something people find useful, and they are finding more and more reasons to use it.”

The WNBA bears part of the blame for this. The toxicity was evident from the very beginning of the season, an amplification of the mischaracterized college rivalry between Clark and Reese, and the silence from commissioner Cathy Engelbert was deafening. When she was asked about it during an appearance on CNBC earlier this month, she blathered on about rivalries and marketing opportunities.

The WNBA did release a strong statement Wednesday night, saying it is monitoring threats to players and will involve law enforcement if necessary.

“While we welcome the growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league,” the league said.

Too bad it came four months too late. With Clark out of the playoffs, and out of the spotlight, the garbage segment of her fanbase will disappear back into its cesspool, not to be heard from again until next spring. Hopefully.

This is too important to let fester, however, which is why Clark needs to speak out. Now.

It might not be fair to put this kind of burden on Clark, who, again, has done nothing to encourage the bigoted behavior. But the burden the Black women in the league have been carrying for months isn’t fair, either, and Clark is the one person who might be able to quash the hate. She at least needs to try.

Clark has been a marvel these last two years, always rising to the occasion and showing an uncanny ability to make the right move. She needs to do it again, this time off the court.

This story was updated to add new information.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Inter Miami, Royal Caribbean and Fanatics made 23 wishes come true this week, gifting a four-day experience that included meeting the world’s greatest soccer player to Make-A-Wish children and their families.

The children — who live across the globe, from South Florida to Texas and Canada to Israel — met Lionel Messi and the whole Inter Miami squad Tuesday after a private practice at Chase Stadium, where the Make-A-Wish families were hosted in a field-level suite and received personalized, team-signed jerseys.

‘It’s really nice to make them smile, and we’re really happy about it,’ Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright said.

The families spent Saturday on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas ship, and Monday with Fanatics at the local South Florida office, where the children had a photoshoot and a custom plaque designed. They also received an abundance of trading cards, team merchandise and other surprises.

“At the heart of Inter Miami’s ‘Freedom to Dream’ ethos is the belief that we pursue our dreams boldly and support our fans and community in achieving theirs,” Inter Miami CF Managing Owner Jorge Mas said in a statement. ‘To make these extraordinary children’s dreams come true is an inspiring reminder that fútbol is more than a game – it’s a transformative force for joy, hope, and connection.’

Added Make-A-Wish America president and CEO Leslie Motter: “A wish is a turning point for children battling critical illnesses — it sparks the hope and strength they need to keep fighting. Partners like Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami CF help us make these life-changing wishes a reality. Whether on the field or at sea, we’re creating moments of joy and fostering hope that truly transforms lives.”

Messi and Inter Miami, the favorite to win the MLS Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best record, return to action Saturday at home against Charlotte FC.

Former NFL star Brett Favre couldn’t properly use a screwdriver with his famed right arm anymore, and then he couldn’t put his arm into a jacket. That is what led Favre to seek out the doctors and specialists who eventually diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease, according to an interview with the Hall of Fame quarterback published by TMZ on Wednesday.

“They all said the same thing,” Favre explained, ‘If it’s not in your family,’ – and there’s none on either side of my family – ‘then the first thing we look at is head trauma.’ Well, hell, I wrote the book on head trauma.”

Favre said he received the diagnosis in January after consultation with five doctors. He initially revealed the condition one day earlier during testimony at a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill about welfare reform.

Favre described a few of his symptoms in a video clip posted by TMZ, noting they occurred for about a year before he was diagnosed. He’d notice that his right arm “was just stuck” at times. He also struggled to use a screwdriver with his right hand, demonstrating how he eventually had to use his left hand to steady the right in order to use the tool.

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“The weirdest one was, a long sleeve shirt or a jacket, I would go to put my arm in it and I couldn’t get it through the hole for nothing,” Favre said. “I felt my arm, the strength was there, but I could not guide it and it was the most frustrating thing.”

TMZ said it spoke with Favre in August, but Favre asked the outlet to not make his Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis public. He granted TMZ permission following his testimony to Congress.   

Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He last appeared in a game in 2010. The former NFL MVP told the Today Show in 2018 that he “had hundreds” of concussions, even though only “three or four” were officially diagnosed. Favre finished his career with 508 touchdown passes, won Super Bowl XXXI and holds the NFL record for most consecutive games started (297).

Favre was in Washington on Tuesday to testify to Congress about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare funds that have entangled him in legal issues since 2022. Favre is among dozens of defendants still being sued by the state of Mississippi over the improper use of welfare money that instead went to projects pushed by wealthy and well-connected people.

After his testimony, Favre posted a video to social media expressing gratitude in light of his diagnosis.

“I just wanted to thank everyone for your support after the news that I had Parkinson’s when I testified at Congress. Unbelievable show of support and I want you to know I truly appreciate it,” Favre said. “Hopefully this will shed some light on concussions and head trauma, and also Parkinson’s. There’s a lot of people that are out there with it. Some know it. Some don’t know it. So it can happen to anyone at any time. Again, thank you for your support. I really appreciate it.”

With the Athletics playing their final game at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday, players and fans alike have been clamoring to get their hands on some mementos from the stadium that has hosted the team for 57 years.

One of the most popular (and legally-obtained) keepsakes will be dirt from the field. After Wednesday’s penultimate game at the Coliseum, a stadium grounds crew member was seen helping out fans along the railing by pouring dirt into water bottles and bags.

A handful of Athletics players are planning on going home with some gravel – even if it’s just a consolation prize for a bigger-ticket item.

“It would be really cool to have home plate, if they let me,’ Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers told USA TODAY Sports. “If not, I’ll have to settle on a jar of dirt. No matter what it is, I know it’s going to be emotional. There’s a lot of emotions and feelings colliding together now.’

Said All-Star closer Mason Miller: “I’ll get some jars of dirt, knowing I made my debut here less than two years ago. Having the opportunity to come back to the place where it all started kind of weighs a little heavy.’

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Infielder Jacob Wilson: “To have (dirt) from the same spot I stepped on the field for the first time as a big leaguer, that would be pretty special. That’s the one thing I’ll look for.’

The Athletics will play in Sacramento from 2025-2027 before the expected 2028 opening of a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

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Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left Dallas to take the head coaching job with the Washington Commanders in the offseason. In 2024, the Cowboys rank among the worst defenses in the NFL.

According to one former NFL head coach, it didn’t have to be this way.

‘I could’ve fixed [the Cowboys’ defense] in a New York minute,’ Rex Ryan told ESPN’s DiPietro and Rothenberg. ‘But, that being said, they couldn’t pony up the money, or I would’ve been there.’

Ryan hasn’t coached in the NFL since he was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2015-2016, but a report in the offseason suggested the Cowboys interviewed the now-ESPN analyst for their defensive coordinator job.

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Instead, Dallas hired Mike Zimmer, whose last NFL job was as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014-2021. The Cowboys are 1-2 to start the season, and their defense ranks 30th in scoring (29.7 points allowed per game), 28th in total yardage allowed (372.7 yards per game) and dead last in rushing yardage (185.7 rushing yards per game).

Ryan, who has been an ESPN analyst since 2017, went as far as to criticize the Zimmer hire on the ESPN radio show.

‘You brought in a guy that was 29th in the league his last two years at Minnesota, the enthusiasm he brings when he left, that’s the guy that’s gonna inspire you? This can go really bad for Dallas,’ he said.

Ryan’s last defensive coordinator job was with the Baltimore Ravens, where he served in that role from 2005-2008.

He took the New York Jets’ head coach job from there, taking the team to the AFC championship game twice in his first two seasons. The Jets fired him in 2014, and the Bills made him their new head coach in 2015 before firing him the following year amidst a second straight disappointing season.

The Cowboys will play the New York Giants on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Both teams enter the prime-time matchup with a 1-2 record.

Rex Ryan head coaching record

2009 Jets: 9-7, second in AFC East, AFC championship game appearance
2010 Jets: 11-5, second in AFC East, AFC championship game appearance
2011 Jets: 8-8, second in AFC East, missed playoffs
2012 Jets: 6-10, third in AFC East, missed playoffs
2013 Jets: 8-8, second in AFC East, missed playoffs
2014 Jets: 4-12, fourth in AFC East, missed playoffs
2015 Bills: 8-8, third in AFC East, missed playoffs
2016 Bills: 7-8, fired, missed playoffs

Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, is calling it a career after 16 seasons in the league.

Rose, 35, made his decision public Thursday morning on social media and with full-page ads in six local newspapers in cities where he played.

‘Thank You, My First Love,’ Rose wrote on Instagram in a tribute to the game of basketball. ‘You gave me a gift, our time together, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days. You told me it’s okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you’ll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me.

‘Forever yours, Derrick Rose.’

The Chicago Bulls selected Rose first overall in the 2008 NBA draft out of Memphis, and he quickly rose to superstar level − earning the first of three consecutive All-Star berths in 2010 and winning MVP honors in 2011 at the age of 22 when he led Chicago to an NBA-best 62-20 record.

The 2009 NBA rookie of the year, Rose’s best statistical season came two years later, when he averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game for the Bulls in being named the league’s MVP. They ended up losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals that season − the closest Rose ever came to winning an NBA championship.

His career was derailed when he suffered a torn ACL during the first round of the playoffs in 2012, an injury that forced him to miss all of the following season. From there, his game was never quite as explosive.

Rose remained with the Bulls for eight seasons (sitting out the entire 2012-13 season with a knee injury), before playing for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and, last season, the Memphis Grizzlies.

Over his career, Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games.

The Mike Tyson training videos are back, but what they reveal is uncertain.

Before Tyson’s medical emergency May 26 that led to the postponement of the fight, eight short video clips of Tyson workouts were posted on his social media accounts as he trained for his fight against Jake Paul. Following Tyson’s return to training in July has come the release of new video clips.

Like the old ones, the new ones feature Iron Mike power, and more power.

“It’s not an illusion,’’ Teddy Atlas, the boxing analyst, said after watching the first set of videos before Tyson’s medical emergency. “People are like, ‘Oh, man, he’s going to kill this guy (Paul).’ ’’

Atlas is not convinced. Neither are oddsmakers. And that was before Tyson’s health scare. Why? Because of what those Tyson videos, about 60 seconds of combined action, do not show.

Atlas and three other trainers reviewed the video clips taped before Tyson experienced the medical emergency the boxer’s team identified as an ‘ulcer flareup.’ And those trainers offered their analyses to USA TODAY Sports.

Is Mike Tyson’s left hook enough against Jake Paul?

Atlas worked with Tyson when the former heavyweight champion was a young teenager under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato. He said he’s not surprised the video clips show spurts of Tyson at his peak.

“Even in its later years when it’s out to pasture, a racehorse is still probably going to show little spurts of a gallop that an ordinary horse would not be able to show,’ Atlas said.

“But it should not be misconstrued into thinking that necessarily (Tyson) can do that with a fighter where you don’t know what’s coming and when it’s coming in the way that you did when you were in your 20s.’’

Recalling the end of Tyson’s career, which included three losses in his last four fights, Atlas said, “I don’t know what his fortitude level is at this point.’’

He also said Tyson’s once-devastating left hook might not be enough to win the fight.

“The best punch Paul has is a straight right hand,’’ Atlas said. “A straight right hand still beats a left hook, if the left hook is thrown at the wrong time.

“If (Paul) is experienced enough to throw (the right hand), not only straight but without hesitation … a straight right hand can beat the left hook, and that would be my concentration as a trainer.’’

What could be the fight’s decisive factor? Stamina

Robert Garcia was named trainer of the year by The Ring magazine in 2011, and he has worked with champions such as heavyweight Anthony Joshua.

Of the videos, Garcia said, Tyson looks, “explosive and impressive.’’

“But at (57) years old, man, eight rounds is not going to be easy for him,’’ he added. “It’s going to be hard.

“He’s dangerous because he is a strong person. But I don’t think it takes more than one or two rounds before he probably won’t be able to do much.’’

Stamina will be key, according to Garcia, and it’s something that can’t be determined on the videos. Tyson is 30 years older than Paul.

“The good thing is the power is never going to go,’’ Garcia said. “He has the heart, he has the power. His stamina is probably going to be the main thing, especially if (he’s) able to take some punches and push two or three rounds.

“Then it could get to a point where Tyson, even if he tried as hard as he trained, I don’t think he’ll be able to go all eight rounds on a real fight. Because it’s tough, man.’’

Mike Tyson: No longer ‘frail and just broken?’

Between 1998 and 2006, Ann Wolfe was one of the baddest women on the planet. She recorded 16 knockouts, including five in the first round, and won world titles in four weight divisions.

Now she’s a trainer who said she sees more than power in Tyson’s videos.

“You can see the focus and determination,’’ she said, noting that was not the case at the end of Tyson’s pro career. “He was losing and he looked so frail and just broken.’’

Wolfe also said she sees signs of Tyson’s signature timing that could offset Paul’s youth.

“Sometimes the other guy can be faster, but the timing,’’ she said. “And Mike Tyson seems like he’s just as fast.’’

And what does the video leave Wolfe wondering?

“He’s in shape,’’ she said. “But I would like to see how his body does when he takes a punch.’’

What fighters like Mike Tyson lose as they age

As a trainer, Buddy McGirt worked with Antonio Tarver, Arturo Gatti and Laila Ali.

Of Tyson’s video, McGirt said, ““He’s very powerful, man. You don’t lose that. That’s the last thing a fighter loses is his punch.

“He looks fast, he looks strong. But there’s nothing like the real thing.’’

The real thing – as in a real fight – could expose something that happens as fighters age, McGirt suggested.

“You lose your reflexes, your ability to take shots,’’ he said. “You haven’t taken shots in over 20 years.

“I mean, he’s been living a beautiful life for the last 20 years. So all that adds up. Here’s a young man (Paul) who’s been busy, who’s been active.’’

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11