This week’s results in college football led to some expected changes in the top 10 of the new US LBM Coaches Poll. The first six teams, however, hold steady.

Georgia remains No. 1, picking up 50 of 54 first-place votes cast this week. Ohio State hangs on at No. 2 with three firsts, with third-ranked Texas retaining the last No. 1 nod. Alabama, Mississippi and Oregon stay put in the next three positions.

The changes begin at the No. 7 spot vacated by Notre Dame, which tumbles all the way to No. 19 after its loss to Northern Illinois. Michigan falls eight places to No. 17 following its decisive home loss to Texas.

TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 2 of season

HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from college football’s Week 2

Penn State moves up to the No. 7 spot, finishing a single poll point ahead of Missouri. Tennessee and Utah round out the top 10, while Southern California climbs three more notches to No. 11.

Three newcomers join the rankings, headed by No. 23 Iowa State. No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Memphis also move in. Iowa, North Carolina State and Kansas fall out of the poll.

A second-half comeback from Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever ignited a thrilling finish inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday, defeating the Atlanta Dream, 104-100, in overtime.

For the majority of the first half and beginning of the second half, it appeared Atlanta would get its first win against Indiana. Despite the Fever shooting the ball well, they couldn’t take care of the ball and had 12 turnovers after two quarters while the Dream only had one. Atlanta then surged out of halftime to take a 16-point lead and the Fever looked deflated.

Indiana then flipped the switch to get back into the game. Atlanta retook control and strengthened its lead to nine points in the fourth, but the Fever responded again to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra period, both teams traded buckets until the Dream couldn’t get the ball in the basket in the final minute. They had to start fouling, and Clark knocked down free throws to seal the season sweep over Atlanta, taking all four games against the Eastern Conference foe.

Rhyne Howard had a game-high 36 points, but Aliyah Boston had another dominating game to propel an Indiana victory. She finished with a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds, owning the post.

Caitlin Clark stats vs. Dream

Sunday was the first overtime game for Clark and the Fever this season, and the rookie sensation finished with 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds for her 14th double-double this season, a franchise record. While Clark had another solid outing, she contributed to most of the team turnovers. He nine turnovers was the most she’s committed since she turned it over 10 times in her debut game.

Clark entered the day third on the WNBA rookie scoring list with 666 points this season, needing 17 points to pass A’ja Wilson’s 682 points she scored in her debut season in 2018. After Sunday, Clark has 692 points.

Now, Clark is only behind Seimone Augustus’ 744 points that she scored in 2006. Augustus did it in 34 games with the Minnesota Lynx and Clark just played her 36th game, but the 2024 No. 1 pick will have the opportunity to claim the record.

Indiana has four games left this season, and since Clark is 52 points away from the rookie record, she’ll need to average 13 points per game to finish off the season. She has pretty much wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award, but she has a solid chance to make more history after she already claimed the rookie assist record. Clark averages 19 points per game this season and she’s scored at least 13 points in 29 of her 36 games this year.

Indiana has already clinched a playoff spot and remains the No. 6 seed in the playoff standings. The Fever will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Indiana will again play Las Vegas at home on Friday.

Joey Logano came up clutch when it mattered with a big assist from teammate Ryan Blaney to win the first NASCAR Cup Series playoff race in overtime, Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Logano, who entered the playoffs ranked ninth of 16 drivers, won just his second race of the season and his first since taking the checkered flag at Nashville on June 30. But the two-time Cup Series champion knows how to turn it on once the playoffs begin, and the trend continued in overtime of the Quaker State 400.

‘They just give me really fast cars on superspeedways and we always find ourselves towards the front of them,’ Logano said of his No. 22 Team Penske Ford crew. ‘We had such a really good team here today. It was awesome to finally capitalize on a fast race car and win here in Atlanta again.’

Logano lined up on the inside of the front row for the overtime restart alongside Daniel Suarez, who won the February race at Atlanta in a three-wide photo finish over Blaney and Kyle Busch. Blaney was positioned directly behind his Team Penske teammate on the second row, while Suarez had his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain lined up behind him on the green-white-checkered restart. Both Logano and Suarez got strong pushes from their teammates once the green flag flew, but Chastain got loose and couldn’t sustain his push, allowing Logano to take the lead and Blaney to pull up alongside Suarez.

Logano was able to hold his lead with the checkered flag in site as a multi-car crash broke out behind the leaders. Suarez just edged Blaney for second as playoff drivers finished in the first six spots, with Christopher Bell coming home fourth, Alex Bowman fifth and Tyler Reddick sixth. Kyle Busch was the only non-playoff driver to finish in the top 10, taking seventh. He was followed by Chase Elliott, William Byron and Stage 2 winner Austin Cindric.

‘It was nice to run strong today, but when you are that close and obviously we had a good shot, it’s never too fun,’ Suarez said. ‘Ross was doing an amazing job of pushing, and I don’t know if he got a flat tire or something, but once I lost him, I knew it was going to be tough.’

Chastain got into the wall on the final lap, losing control of his car as he tried to get back to Suarez to give him one final push. That caused as stack-up behind him with playoff drivers Harrison Burton and Denny Hamlin getting caught up in the incident along with Bubba Wallace, Cody Ware, Todd Gilliland, BJ McLeod, Josh Berry, Erik Jones and Zane Smith.

With the victory, Logano advances to the second round of the playoffs.

NASCAR playoff standings following Atlanta race

Logano vaults into the lead of the playoff standings with his victory in Sunday’s Quaker State 400, while Ryan Blaney moves from fifth up to second with his third-place finish and Suarez jumps from 11th to ninth. Kyle Larson, who entered the playoffs first among the 16 drivers, took a hit when an early crash forced him out of the race.

The top 12 drivers after three races will advance to the second round, while the bottom four will be eliminated. The second playoff race is a road-course race next Sunday at Watkins Glen International.

Here are the playoff standings through Atlanta:

Logano wins NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta

Joey Logano prevailed in a green-white-checkered overtime to win the opening playoff race of the NASCAR Cup Series, Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Logano got multiple huge pushes from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney to pull in front of Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez on the first lap of overtime in the Quaker State 400. Suarez just eged Blaney for second place coming to the checkered flag as a big collision broke out behind them.

NASCAR playoff race heads to overtime after Gragson spins

Noah Gragson spun in his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford after contact from Harrison Burton and hit the inside wall to bring out the caution flag and send the race to overtime.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano had just passed Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez for the lead before the yello2 flag came out. Each driver will have a teammate behind him on green-white checkered restart with Penske’s Ryan Blaney in third and Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain in fourth. Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell will make up the third row in fifth and sixth.

Caution comes out for debris with 11 laps to go at Atlanta

A sponsor sign fell onto the track on Lap 249 of 260, bringing out the caution flag, just as Daniel Suarez had taken the lead from Ty Gibbs. Suarez won the February race at Atlanta in a three-wide photo finish over Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch.

Busch and Joey Logano make up the second row, followed by Ross Chastain and William Byron in Row 3 and Blaney and Christopher Bell in Row 4. A handful of cars came down pit road for a splash of fuel prior to the restart.

Busch and Byron lead on restart in Stage 3 at Atlanta

Kyle Busch and William Byron led the field on the restart with 49 laps to go in the playoff race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott make up the second row followed by Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman.

Three-car collision brings out caution in Stage 3 at Atlanta

Chris Buescher got loose and slid up into Ryan Blaney, who spun and collected Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 206 of 260 bringing out the caution. Buescher hit the wall and ended up driving his car to garage with damage. Truex drove his car to pit road for repairs. Separately, Erik Jones brought his car to pit road with a flat tire.

On the ensuing caution lap, a number of cars hit pit road for fuel including race leaders Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs and playoff drivers Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Harrison Burton and Denny Hamlin. Blaney also came down pit road for minor repairs and fuel.

Gibbs and Wallace lead field after not pitting at Atlanta

Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace stayed out on the most recent caution and led the field to green with 79 laps to go. Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney, who both pitted, followed in third and fourth.

Nemechek hits inside wall to bring out caution early in Stage 3 at Atlanta

John Hunter Nemechek got loose on Lap 176 of 260 and spun all the way across the track before hitting nose first on the inside wall with his No. 42 Toyota to bring out the caution flag. Nemechek was running 23rd at the time.

Ross Chastain and Michael McDowell were leading the field at the time of the caution with William Byron, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suarez rounding out the top six.

Cindric wins Stage 2 of Atlanta playoff race

Team Penske’s Austin Cindric led nearly wire to wire in the second stage and maintained it to win it over teammate Ryan Blaney, who won Stage 1. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman finished third, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez was fourth and Hendrick’s William Byron was fifth. All are playoff drivers.

Non-playoff drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ross Chastain finished sixth and seventh, followed by playoff drivers Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell.

Cindric broght the field down pit road for fuel and tires for the final stage. Ross Chastain and Michael McDowell took just two tires as opposed to four to win the race off pit road.

Caution flag comes out for debris on front stretch at Atlanta

Following 55 green-flag laps in the second stage, the yellow flag waved for debris on the front stretch. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric has led every lap of Stage 2 so far and led the field down pit road for fuel and tires.

Cindric maintained the lead, followed by Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez, who won at Atlanta back in February. Tyler Reddick made contact with Carson Hocevar on pit road and Christopher Bell was penalized for pitting outside of his box. Forty-one laps remain in Stage 2.

Austin Cindric takes the lead in opening laps of Stage 2 at Atlanta

Austin Cindric, who finished second in the opening stage, took the lead in the early laps of Stage 2 following a strong push from teammate Ryan Blaney, who won Stage 1. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Willam Byron run third and fourth on Lap 80. The second stage is 100 laps, following a 60-lap opening stage.

Ryan Blaney wins Stage 1 at Atlanta under caution

Following Kyle Larson’s huge crash on Lap 57, which also collected Chase Briscoe, the opening stage of the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway ended under caution. Ryan Blaney won the stage followed by his Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Penske’s Joey Logano. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fifth, followed by Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs.

All but Stenhouse and Chastain made the 2024 playoffs.

Kyle Larson suffers huge crash in the closing laps of Stage 1 at Atlanta

Kyle Larson slammed hard into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 57 in a violent crash as the opening stage was nearing its end. Larson, who entered the playoffs as the points leader, was racing in the Top 3 when he wiggled then hit the wall straight on with the front of his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet before sliding back onto the track and getting hit in the rear by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe.

Both drivers were able to climb out of their cars, which were badly damaged, ending their race early. Briscoe made the playoffs in the final regular-season race by winning last weekend at Darlington.

Blaney takes lead in NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta

After Michael McDowell led the first 28 laps of the Quaker State 400, there was finally a pass for the lead. Reigning series champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske dived down low in Turn 1 and cleared McDowell for the lead on Lap 29. The top six cars are all from Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports: Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano of Penkse, and Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman and William Byron from Hendrick.

McDowell leads first 25 laps of NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta

Michael McDowell may not be in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean he’s not as hungry for a victory as the 16 drivers seeking a championship. McDowell won the pole in Saturday’s qualifying and has led all 25 laps so far in the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Green flag waves for NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta

The green flag has waved for the first NASCAR Cup Series playoff race of the 2024 season. Pole winner Michael McDowell and reigning series champion are on the front row to start the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta on?

USA Network is broadcasting the Quaker State 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?

The Quaker State 400 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo.

What is the weather forecast for the NASCAR race at Atlanta? 

It’s going to be a great day for racing! The forecast at the track, according to AccuWeather, is calling for sunny to partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the high-70s or low-80s by the time the race begins.

How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta? 

The Quaker State 400 is 260 laps around the 1.54-mile track for a total of 400.4 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) – Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 100 laps; Stage 3: 100 laps. 

Three of four JGR drivers will start at the rear in Atlanta playoff race

Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers – Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs – will start at the rear in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta after changing plug wires. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota had an issue with the plug wire Saturday and was well off the pace in qualifying. The issue with Truex’s No. 19 Toyota and Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota were discovered post-qualifying. All three JGR drivers are in the playoffs, along with Christopher Bell, who had no issues.

Who is starting on the pole in the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta? 

Michael McDowell will start on the pole Sunday after posting the top spot in Saturday’s qualifying. Reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney will start alongside on the front row as Ford drivers took the top five spots in qualifying and six of the top seven. 

What is the lineup for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta? 

Car number in parentheses; (P)=playoff driver 

1. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 
2. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford 
3. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford 
4. (4) Josh Berry, Ford 
5. (2) Austin Cindric (P), Ford 
6. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet 
7. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford 
8. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 
9. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet 
10. (14) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford 
11. (48) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet 
12. (21) Harrison Burton (P), Ford 
13. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford 
14. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet 
15. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet 
16. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet 
17. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford 
18. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 
19. (6) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford 
20. (54) Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota 
21. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford 
22. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota 
23. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota 
24. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota 
25. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 
26. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota 
27. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet 
28. (16) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet 
29. (51) Justin Haley, Ford 
30. (99) Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet 
31. (15) Cody Ware, Ford 
32. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet 
33. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota 
34. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet 
35. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota 
36. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 
37. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet 
38. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota 

Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup races at Atlanta? 

Daniel Suarez led nine laps before outdueling Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a photo finish to take the checkered flag on Feb. 25, 2024. 

And in last year’s Quaker State 400, William Byron led the final 19 laps before the race was halted due to rain after 185 laps on July 9, 2023. 

What are the driver standings heading into the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta?

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports … 2040
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2032
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing … 2028
William Bryon, Hendrick Motorsports … 2022
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske … 2018
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2015
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports … 2014
Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing … 2008
Joey Logano, Team Penske … 2007
Austin Cindric, Team Penske … 2007
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing … 2006
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports … 2005
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing … 2005
Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing … 2005
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing … 2004
Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing … 2004

How do the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs work? 

Sixteen drivers earned berths in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – 14 by virtue of a regular season victory and two winless drivers who made the playoffs on points. 

There are 10 total races in the playoffs, including the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10. The playoffs feature three rounds with three races per round before the final race. The four drivers with the fewest points will be eliminated after the third, sixth and ninth races, leaving a final four to race for the title. 

If a playoff driver wins a race in one of the three rounds, he will automatically advance to the next round. If non-playoff drivers win those races, however, playoff drivers will advance based on points accumulated during each of the three rounds. 

What is the full schedule for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs?

Here is the schedule with dates, tracks, times and TV for each of the 10 races of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs (All times Eastern)

Sunday, Sept. 8: Atlanta Motor Speedway, USA, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 15: Watkins Glen International, USA, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21: Bristol Motor Speedway, USA, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 29: Kansas Speedway, USA, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 6: Talladega Superspeedway, NBC, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 13: Charlotte Roval, NBC, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NBC, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 27: Homestead-Miami Speedway, NBC, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3: Martinsville Speedway, NBC, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 10: Phoenix Raceway, NBC, 3 p.m.

What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Atlanta start?

The Quaker State 400 starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

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It took nearly three quarters, but Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has his first career NFL touchdown.

Starting his first career game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels hasn’t done much through the air, but the mobile quarterback has shown off his legs. After one of his biggest plays of the day with a pass to Brian Robinson Jr., who took it 32 yards down the field to the Tampa Bay 1-yard line, Daniels kept the ball on a read option to hurry his way into end zone. Daniels then broke out a dance with receiver Dyami Brown.

The touchdown made it a 23-14 Buccaneers lead late in the third quarter. As of his touchdown, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is 10-for-17 for 106 yards and 11 rushes for 72 yards.

Daniels is also the first quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class to score a touchdown this season. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams didn’t get a score in the Chicago Bears’ win over the Tennessee Titans, and Daniels scored before Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix could on Sunday.

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CLEVELAND – Jerry Jones attended the Dallas Cowboys’ walkthrough Saturday and saw his quarterback, Dak Prescott. The octogenarian owner approached Prescott, who became the highest-paid player in football Sunday as he and the Cowboys agreed to a record-setting $240 million contract extension.  

“And I said, ‘Now, let’s go, now, before kickoff,’” Jones said Sunday.  

They had a handshake deal before practice even started. Of course, Prescott’s representation and Cowboys executives had a lot to do over the next few hours to wrap things up before the Cowboys’ 2024 season opener against the Cleveland Browns. 

Jones confirmed the deal was worth the reported $60 million annually, with $231 million guaranteed. 

“What it means is a big commitment to the next five years, our future, if you will,” Jones, 81, said. “There’s a lot of me that hopes Dak is our quarterback for the rest of my time – and that’s just not limited to the terms of this contract, either.”

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For the Cowboys, Prescott’s signing eliminates a distraction that lasted all offseason and the duration of training camp. Sometimes, deadlines can be good things, Cowboys executive vice president and CEO Stephen Jones said.

“I know Dak’s the best at compartmentalizing things, but (I) still think it feeds down into the team and staff and organization,” Stephen Jones said. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Jerry Jones said the team follows Prescott, and that he has known all along that Prescott is a franchise quarterback, one of the best in the league. 

“I’ve seen too many very important deals not work out just because of miscalculating the right time, when everyone’s ready to go,” said Jones, who became convinced in recent days that the ideal time had indeed arrived.  

Jones added: “This was the thing to do for what we’re here for, and that is to win a championship. I know our fans know that.” 

After persistent facing persistent criticism for following his offseason claim that he’s ‘all in’ by making scant personnel moves, Jones said he disagrees that he isn’t fully committed to building a winner. After all, he said, he just handed out the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport. 

“I gave everything I ever had or hoped to have for a chance to be a part of the Cowboys,” Jones said, “beyond my fondest dreams of where we stand today.” 

Jones said he never doubted that the two sides would be unable to reach a deal. 

“My prayer is that we have the ability to put the supporting cast around him,” he said. 

That won’t be easy. CeeDee Lamb, Prescott’s favorite receiving target, signed a four-year, $136 million extension ($100 guaranteed). The team will have to pay big money to linebacker Micah Parsons, and he’s also worthy of a record deal. The challenge is what Jones appreciates about his job. 

“It was never about whether Dak should be the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said. “It was, ‘What kind of team could we put around him?’ I’ve gotten peace of mind, satisfied, that we (can) put a good team around him.”

The NFL hoped a major change to its kickoff rules would result in greater player safety – and perhaps more important – additional excitement this season.

So far during the opening weekend of regular-season games, the early returns (ahem) are positive.

Midway through the fourth quarter in Buffalo, Arizona Cardinals return man DeeJay Dallas entered his name into the history books, taking a kickoff against the Bills 96 yards for the first touchdown of the ‘dynamic kickoff’ era.

Although many NFL teams seemed to be content to continue kicking the ball through the end zone and give the returning team the ball at the 30-yard-line. However, strong winds in Buffalo may have been a factor in Dallas getting his historic opportunity.

According to the NFL, the new rules were partly in response to the lowest kickoff return rate in NFL history during the 2023 season.

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In his fifth NFL season, Dallas signed with the Cardinals this offseason after playing the previous four years with the Seattle Seahawks.

Though he returned both kickoffs and punts during his tenure in Seattle, Dallas never took one back for a touchdown.

INDIANAPOLIS — One day after Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky announced that Reese had suffered a season-ending wrist injury, Caitlin Clark called the news about her fellow WNBA rookie ‘devastating.’

‘It’s obviously, definitely sad, anytime you see anybody go down with an injury, especially people that you came into this league with, whether it was Cam (Brink), whether it was Angel, and especially Angel. Like, you want to see her finish out this year, obviously, she’s had a historic year, and she’s done some incredible things,’ Clark said Sunday in her pregame news conference prior to the Indiana Fever’s game with the Atlanta Dream.

‘For me, getting to play against her, her motor is up there, if not the best in the league, like she just doesn’t stop working,’ Clark said. ‘So you know, congratulations to her, I thought she had a tremendous year, and I thought she came to the league and really did what she’s done well her entire career, as long as I’ve known her. So it’s definitely devastating. That’s never anything you want to see from a player.

‘And then obviously, our rookie class has kind of been hit with a few more injuries than you would have liked to see.’

Clark also was asked what it was like for her trying to stay healthy playing all but a few minutes of every game.

‘I think, for myself, I think just some of those things you can’t avoid, especially in their two instances,’ Clark said. ‘Obviously, I don’t know the specific details, but that’s kind of what comes with basketball at times. So, you know, it’s sad for them, but I think at the same time for myself, just continue to take care of your body, take care of yourself. It becomes a long season, especially when you’re playing games with one day in between. You really have to prioritize that. But like I said, some of those things are just unavoidable and it’s sad to see.’

Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, and Reese, the seventh pick, have both had record-breaking rookie seasons, with Clark the strong favorite to become WNBA rookie of the year.

Editor’s note: Christine Brennan is writing a book on Caitlin Clark and the revolution in women’s sports to be published by Scribner in spring/summer 2025.

Simone Biles isn’t the only one in her family doing big things these days.

Jonathan Owens recovered a blocked punt Sunday afternoon and returned it for a touchdown, the Chicago Bears’ first of the season. It is the second TD of Owens’ career; he scored on a fumble recovery for the Green Bay Packers last year in their Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions.

Biles, who married Owens in April 2023, immediately reacted. ‘My heart,’ the seven-time Olympic champion wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The TD was a big lift for the Bears, who looked otherwise dismal in the much-anticipated debut of quarterback Caleb Williams. The No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft was 8 of 14 for 54 yards in the first half against the Tennessee Titans, as Chicago fell behind 17-3.

But Owens’ third quarter score jump-started a Chicago comeback that ended with a 24-17 victory. Daniel Hardy blocked Ryan Stonehouse’s punt and Owens scooped up the ball at the Tennessee 21 and sprinted into the end zone for the score. It pared Tennessee’s lead to 17-10.

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Owens signed with the Bears in the offseason, and his support for Biles was a big theme of this season’s Hard Knocks. The team gave Owens permission to miss part of training camp so he could go to Paris and watch Biles compete at the Olympics. He arrived in time to watch Biles and the U.S. women win the team gold and was there two days later when she became only the third woman to win two Olympic all-around titles.

Biles also won gold on the vault and silver on floor exercise after Owens had returned to Chicago. That gives her 11 Olympic medals overall.

Though Williams made a couple of nice throws in the first 30 minutes, he repeatedly overthrew his receivers on third down. That included a third-and-5 from the Tennessee 6 on Chicago’s final possession of the first half. The Bears had begun the drive with great field position, thanks to a 66-yard kickoff return by DeAndre Carter. But after a 13-yard completion to D.J. Moore on the second play, Williams and the Bears sputtered and wound up settling for Cairo Santos’ 24-yard field goal.

Williams finished the game 14 of 29 for 93 yards. He added 15 rushing yards on five attempts.

Date weekend continues for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce as the two are spotted at the U.S. Open men’s final match between American Taylor Fritz and Italian Jannik Sinner.

The couple arrived hand-in-hand at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. Swift wore a red and white gingham dress with caramel pumps while Kelce sported a red, light brown and green Gucci bucket hat and a stripe-trimmed white cardigan over a matching polo shirt and shorts. Joining the couple in the tennis suite was Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany.

The Sunday match is the first time in 18 years that an American has made it to the finals since 2006, when Andy Roddick competed.

‘Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you’

Immediately following Thursday’s Kansas City Chiefs game against the Baltimore Ravens, the two flew to New York City. To start the weekend festivities on Friday, Kelce and Swift attended Lucali, a pizza spot in Brooklyn. Swift dressed in a black blazer and sheer top and clasped Kelce’s hand as they walked in. The restaurant crowd grew quiet as they watched the couple enter the pizzeria. Word traveled fast and a crowd formed outside while Swift and Kelce enjoyed dinner.

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On Saturday night, Kelce and Swift attended model Karen Elson’s wedding to Electric Lady Studios owner Lee Foster. Paparazzi caught the two arriving outside of the Greenwich Village studios. Kelce, with a James Dean slicked-back hair and black tee, held Swift’s hand as she strutted in a cream Zimmerman dress with a floral design on the skirt.

Swift has recorded most of her recent work at the Electric Lady Studios, including ‘Lover,’ ‘Midnights,’ ‘Folklore,’ ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ ‘Red (Taylor’s Version),’ ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ and ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version).’

Swift is on a two-month break from her massive Eras tour. She will return to the stage on Oct. 18 in Miami. She is also up for 12 awards at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Wednesday night. Kelce is expected back in Kansas City this week for a Sunday afternoon game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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