To say Joe Burrow has been beat up in his career is an understatement.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback has an injury history that dates back to his college years at Ohio State – pre-LSU – and includes pretty significant injuries in just about every year he’s had as a pro, besides last year.

His most recent injury, a turf toe ailment he sustained in Week 2’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is just the latest in a long line of injuries. It’s also yet another injury that can partially be blamed on the poor state of the offensive line blocking in front of him, as he suffered the turf toe while taking a sack.

In 2021, Burrow led the league with 51 sacks taken. In the ensuing postseason, he endured 19 sacks, the most ever taken by a quarterback in a single playoff run. That included seven sacks in Super Bowl 56, which the Bengals ultimately lost.

Over the years, the sacks, hits and injuries have piled up. Here’s a complete look at Burrow’s injury history:

Joe Burrow injury history: Full timeline of ailments

Aug. 22, 2017: Burrow, a backup quarterback at Ohio State, undergoes surgery after breaking a bone in his throwing hand during practice. The surgery knocks him out of a competition with Dwayne Haskins Jr. for the QB2 spot.
Jan. 13, 2020: Burrow, the starting quarterback for LSU, tears his rib cartilage in the first half of the 2020 CFP National Championship against Clemson. He remains in the game and wins the national title.
Nov. 22, 2020: In Week 11 of Burrow’s rookie season with the Bengals, he takes a low hit while throwing his pass. He tears his ACL and MCL and suffers additional damage to his PCL and meniscus in his left knee.
Dec. 5, 2021: Burrow dislocates his pinky finger on his throwing hand while taking a sack on the first series of the game. He remains in the game, throwing for 300 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Jan. 2, 2022: Burrow aggravates previous knee injury on one of the final plays in a game against the Chiefs. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports later that Burrow told head coach Zac Taylor he could have gone back in.
Feb. 13, 2022: Burrow sprains his MCL while taking a sack in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. The injury requires rehab, but Burrow avoids surgery.
July 27, 2023: Burrow strains his calf during a training camp practice and is carted off of the field. He returns in time for the regular season.
Nov. 16, 2023: Burrow tears a ligament in his wrist in the first half of a Week 11 game against the Ravens. He misses the rest of the season.
Sept. 14, 2025: Burrow sustains a turf toe injury in a Week 2 game against the Jaguars while taking a sack in the second quarter. The Bengals declare him out for the game, and the following day, reports emerge that Burrow needs surgery to repair the torn ligaments in his foot. He is due to miss at least three months.

Bengals QB depth chart

Cincinnati has two quarterbacks on its active roster, plus an additional signal-caller on its practice squad.

Joe Burrow (injured)
Jake Browning
Brett Rypien (practice squad)

Browning has been with the Bengals since 2021, when Cincinnati signed him to its practice squad. He filled in for Burrow over the back half of the 2023 season after the starter injured his wrist. Browning led the team to a 4-3 record down the stretch with a 70.4% completion rate, 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his seven starts.

Rypien signed with the Bengals’ practice squad in August, three days after the Vikings released him. Cincinnati is Rypien’s seventh stop in an NFL career that dates back to 2019, when he signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. He is former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien’s nephew.

Jake Browning saved the Bengals on Sunday, but Cincinnati could be in trouble if Joe Burrow is sidelined for long with a toe injury.
The Lions rediscovered their mojo in major way by scoring 52 points against former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Bears.
One week after a disastrous debut against the Colts, the Dolphins lost their composure in crunch time against the Patriots.

Two weeks of NFL games might not yield enough data to establish many firm trends. But with the regular-season cadence now in full swing, the hypotheticals of the offseason have now given way to realities that can’t soon be ignored.

Sunday’s slate featured plenty of games that helped dispel some pressing questions from the openers, with the likes of the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions bouncing back in a big way. But other teams confirmed some of the emerging narratives around them – for better or worse.

With the Monday night twin bill of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers at the Las Vegas Raiders still to go, here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 2 in the NFL:

NFL Week 2 winners

Brandon Aubrey

How many times does a kicker outshine a quarterback? While Dak Prescott did more than his part to propel the Dallas Cowboys to a 40-37 overtime win against the New York Giants, Aubrey was his team’s unquestioned hero. In a game that lacked any sense of uncertainty throughout a twisty fourth quarter, Aubrey’s 64-yard field goal to force extra time never seemed in doubt. By comparison, his 46-yard game-winner was a relative chip shot. With both, he became the first player in NFL history to convert a game-tying field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter and a game-winning field goal with no time remaining in overtime in the same game. And if he continues on this track, it’s likely that more historic achievements are on the way.

Jerry Jones

For a few moments Sunday, Jones was staring down the prospect of his team’s first 0-2 start since 2010 – and the very real possibility of being winless headed into the Week 4 matchup against the Green Bay Packers and Micah Parsons. Instead, the Cowboys can catch their breath with Brian Schottenheimer earning his first win. The owner even managed to command the spotlight once again with his postgame announcement that the team had signed defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Jake Browning

Losing a starting quarterback for more than a half would render many teams unable to compete, much less generate a comeback. No one will confuse Browning’s capabilities with that of Joe Burrow, but when the Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback was sidelined by a toe injury, the backup once again mustered just enough of a spark in his team’s time of need. The signal-caller stepped in and kept a team reliant on its aerial attack rolling by throwing for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Driven by what he said after the game was a ‘delusional’ approach, Browning completed nine of 10 passes on the game-winning 92-yard drive, which he punctuated by diving into the end zone. Other teams might be put off by the volatility in his game, as evidenced by his three interceptions on the day, but Browning has entrenched his place as one of the league’s better stopgap solutions. With Burrow needing toe surgery that will sideline him for at least three months according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, however, he’ll have to be more than that

Daniel Jones

It was easy to write off the Indianapolis Colts quarterback’s Week 1 outing as an aberration given the lack of resistance he faced in dicing up the Miami Dolphins. Dismissing his follow-up performance in a 29-28 win against the Denver Broncos will be decidedly more difficult. Jones confidently attacked a defense that ranked as last season’s third-stingiest in scoring, racking up 316 passing yards and leading Indianapolis to a record 10 consecutive scoring drives to open the season. The veteran still requires a good amount of support on several fronts, but he’s living up to what Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard envisioned for the offense.

Detroit Lions’ mojo

After the NFL’s highest-scoring offense in 2024 dropped a dud in the season opener, first-year Lions offensive coordinator John Morton implored outsiders not to panic. Sunday’s performance will go a lot further toward assuaging any fears than his words did. The 52-21 outburst against the Chicago Bears helped reinforce that Ben Johnson didn’t take all the magic of this attack with him when he left town. Between Jared Goff tossing five touchdowns and three players – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams – topping 100 yards from scrimmage, the highest scoring output of the season so far felt like a needed return to form. And if it wasn’t clear that Dan Campbell’s crew still had plenty of confidence, Kerby Joseph celebrating an interception by re-enacting Johnson’s ‘stumble bum’ play call was a masterful jab against Detroit’s former play caller and a division rival.

San Francisco 49ers’ fill-ins

Just one week into a fresh slate, the 49ers were once again hounded by a familiar problem: injuries. San Francisco was without both quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder, toe) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) but still managed to squeeze out a 26-21 win over the New Orleans Saints thanks to its understudies. The long-awaited Mac Jones-Kyle Shanahan partnership proved fruitful, with the backup tossing three touchdowns in a clean and efficient outing. At tight end, Luke Farrell caught his first career touchdown pass, while unlikely Week 1 hero Jake Tonges added four catches for 31 yards. Meanwhile, in replacing Jake Moody, kicker Eddy Pineiro got off to a shaky start with his first-quarter missed extra point but settled in to make all four of his remaining kicks (two field goals, two XPs).

Parker Romo

If you didn’t have a kicker revenge subplot circled for ‘Sunday Night Football,’ you could be forgiven – especially because it didn’t become apparent until Saturday that the Atlanta Falcons would be benching Younghoe Koo for Romo. But after signing with the Falcons just last week, Romo gave his former team the boot by converting all five of his field goals – tied for the second most by any player in a team debut – and an extra point in a 22-6 win against the Minnesota Vikings. After spending time with six other teams in the last three years, Romo might have found a place he can stick around for a while.

NFL Week 2 losers

Kansas City Chiefs

Falling to the defending Super Bowl champions is hardly deflating in and of itself. But accompanying the 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was the unshakeable reality that these Chiefs don’t have nearly the same margin of error as past editions do. The offense’s slippage has been years in the making, but a unit that last year managed to claw its way to wins no longer can establish a firm grip, with Patrick Mahomes once again left to compensate for a lack of support across the board on offense. Mahomes rushed for a career-high 66 yards against a defense that flipped its Super Bowl script by repeatedly blitzing the quarterback, and he was essentially bottled up as a passer until he fired a 49-yard scoring strike to Tyquan Thornton with three minutes remaining. With Travis Kelce again forced into a featured playmaker role due to the absences of leading receivers Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder injury), the tight end committed a costly miscue with a drop near the goal line that was intercepted and returned 41 yards by rookie safety Andrew Mukuba. Now 0-2 for the first time since 2014 – three years prior to Mahomes’ arrival – Kansas City can’t say with any certainty it can mount yet another surge come playoff time. And while getting Rice and Worthy back will boost a woefully undermanned receiving corps, there aren’t any quick fixes in sight for the short term.

Bengals’ hopes of running it back

As previously mentioned, few teams can truly weather a long-term injury to a star signal-caller. With Burrow set to be sidelined until at least mid-December, according to Schefter, the team could be staring down yet another lost season. But while the toe injury might just be the product of happenstance, it’s difficult to ignore that it came on a play that featured interior pressure, with Jaguars defensive lineman Arik Armstead walking back right guard Dalton Risner before bagging the sack. Persistent issues on the inside are just one of many problems that Cincinnati has shrugged off and tasked Burrow with overcoming. Now, Browning could be forced to navigate the shortcomings of both the offensive front and a shaky defense still trying to find its footing. Browning led Cincinnati to a 4-3 mark in 2023 when Burrow was lost for the second half of the season, but asking him to keep things running for months with this formula – even with elite playmakers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – might be leaning a bit too much into the delusional mindset the backup quarterback cited after Sunday’s game.

J.J. McCarthy’s encore

The Vikings quarterback’s debut went down as a masterclass in how a young quarterback can pull out of a tailspin, as McCarthy notched fourth-quarter touchdowns in a comeback win over the Bears. In a loss to the Falcons, however, the second-year signal-caller never managed to crack the defense’s code. With left tackle Christian Darrisaw still out, McCarthy took six sacks and committed three turnovers (two interceptions, one lost fumble). A run game that again struggled to pose much of a threat surely played into the troubles, with the team’s running backs accounting for just 53 yards on 14 carries. But McCarthy looked unsettled, whether it was repeatedly holding onto the ball for too long or airmailing his last interception. Resist any definitive conclusions for a player who already has proven to have such a wide range of possible outcomes on any given snap, but it seems clear that the Vikings will have to bake in at least a few more rocky outings from McCarthy this year.

Brian Daboll

Russell Wilson’s all-out aerial assault – he went 7-of-9 for 264 yards on passes of 20-plus yards, according to Next Gen Stats – showed what the offense is capable of in its highest form). But Wilson’s confounding heave deep in overtime not only robbed New York of an opportunity for a game-winning drive but also set Dallas up in prime position to get Aubrey into range for the deciding kick. In a back-and-forth contest that could have gone either way, it’s difficult not to dwell on the Giants’ self-imposed errors, which were highlighted by 14 penalties for 160 yards. With the Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers closing out Big Blue’s September schedule, scrutiny seems bound to rachet up even more in the coming weeks.

Sean Payton

Many coaches downplay the importance of the early season. Not Payton. ‘We need to start fast,’ the Broncos coach said before the start of the season, citing how the team had stumbled out of the gates in his first two years with the franchise. It’s now clear he won’t get his wish in Year 3. After Bo Nix floundered in the opener, it was the defense that was responsible for the most costly slip-ups against Indianapolis, with the linebackers struggling to bottle up Jonathan Taylor (25 carries, 165 yards) or handle their coverage assignments. Yet Denver was still in prime position to hold its lead until defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike’s leverage penalty on Spencer Shrader’s missed 60-yard field goal allowed for the winning attempt to come 15 yards closer in. With matchups against the Chargers, Bengals and Eagles looming, Denver could see its sluggish start worsen. Said Payton after the game: ‘We did a lot of things late in that game to keep us from winning. It will be painful to watch that film.’

Steelers’ defense

It’s possible that the excitement of Aaron Rodgers’ debut and a close Week 1 win drowned out any alarm regarding this unit. But there’s no ignoring the problem following a 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Steelers leaned on a handful of big plays, including two sacks and two interceptions, to offset the many liabilities of a group that ceded 6.2 yards per play. But the breaking point came late in the fourth, when Kenneth Walker III somehow took a third-and-goal toss from the Pittsburgh 19 all the way to the end zone, putting the game out of reach on a play seemingly designed to be a concession. Yes, there were plenty of other meaningful mistakes, including rookie Kaleb Johnson gift-wrapping a touchdown when he didn’t attempt to recover a kickoff that glanced off him as well as Rodgers throwing two interceptions and another pass that should have been picked. But the Steelers have now given up 30 points in as many games as they did all last year, and this group isn’t built to win this way.

Miami Dolphins’ composure

The Dolphins’ 33-27 loss to the New England Patriots didn’t approach the levels of dysfunction that defined the Week 1 drubbing by the Colts. Still, a team in turmoil short-circuited when it counted most. After Tua Tagovailoa threw his second interception of the day late in the fourth quarter, Miami was granted another chance and got the ball down to New England’s 26-yard line with a little more than a minute remaining. But the offense committed a false start and delay of game that doomed the rest of the drive, with Tua Tagovailoa taking a fourth-down sack to end any threat. Afterward, both Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel bemoaned the communication and procedural problems. A dilapidated defense – largely the product of embattled general manager Chris Grier’s moves – might be more difficult to overcome in the long term, but the simple operational breakdown was a reminder of why so many in the organization are on the hot seat.

New York Jets’ revival

Maybe everyone was flying a bit too high on this new regime after one week. The 30-3 drumming at the hand of the Buffalo Bills might be more indicative of the turbulence that the rebooting franchise is sure to face. Most disappointing was the run defense, as New York couldn’t control the line of scrimmage and allowed 224 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. But Justin Fields also underwent a major regression with his decisiveness and precision, completing just three of 11 passes for 27 yards before being knocked out of the game with a concussion. For all of the team’s failures, however, Gang Green at least appears to be continuing to demand accountability, with coach Aaron Glenn saying after the loss, ‘Apparently, I didn’t have the guys ready to play. … It’s not OK to lose like that.’

Xavier Legette

No need to get into the myriad ways Legette has been a letdown for the Carolina Panthers since the team selected him with the No. 32 pick last April. On Sunday, the receiver hit a new nadir with one catch for -2 yards on eight targets. Unlike last year, Legette’s lack of production can’t be pinned on the passing attack’s larger problems, as Bryce Young bounced back from a shaky start and formed solid connections with rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan (six catches, 100 yards) and veteran Hunter Renfrow (seven catches, 48 yards, two touchdowns), both newcomers to the offense. Legette’s usage might not take an immediate hit, but he risks losing relevance if he can’t foster a better connection with Young.

James Hudson

In Week 1, the Giants sorely missed standout left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has been sidelined by a foot injury. His absence was even more glaring at the start of Sunday’s game. Hudson, the replacement on Wilson’s blind side, was flagged for four penalties on the opening drive. New York settled for a field goal and quickly gave Hudson the hook, replacing him with fifth-round rookie Marcus Mbow. Swing tackles can’t be expected to be saviors, but some degree of is required for the role.

The 2025 WNBA playoffs are off and running with Game 1 completed in every first-round series. There were two blowouts, one convincing defensive performance and a thrilling finish involving the defending champions.

The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces and No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream each got comfortable wins at home, while the New York Liberty needed overtime to beat the Phoenix Mercury in a game that also featured an injury to Liberty star Breanna Stewart.

The best-of-three format in the WNBA playoffs first round also means four teams now face win-or-go-home matchups in Game 2, with tip times scheduled this week for every series that will decide the four teams to advance to this year’s WNBA semifinals.

Here’s a look at the latest scores, results and schedule for the 2025 WNBA playoffs:

WNBA playoffs 2025: Scores, results and schedule for first-round series

No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 Golden State Valkyries

Lynx lead series, 1-0

Game 1: Lynx 101, Valkyries 72
Game 2: Lynx at Valkyries, 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Valkyries at Lynx, TBD on Friday (ESPN2)*

No. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7 Seattle Storm

Aces lead series, 1-0

Game 1: Aces 102, Storm 77
Game 2: Aces at Storm, 9:30 ET on Tuesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Storm at Aces, TBD on Thursday (ESPN2)*

Watch WNBA playoffs with Fubo

No. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever

Dream lead series, 1-0

Game 1: Dream 80, Fever 68
Game 2: Mercury at Fever, 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Fever at Mercury, TBD on Thursday (ESPN2)*

No. 4 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 5 New York Liberty

Liberty lead series, 1-0

Game 1: Liberty 76, Mercury 69
Game 2: Mercury at Liberty, 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Liberty at Mercury, TBD on Friday (ESPN2)*

*if necessary

The Detroit Red Wings will wear uniforms celebrating 100 years of franchise history during the upcoming season.

The jersey, unveiled Monday, Sept. 15, will be worn during select games. The sweaters pay tribute to the franchise’s arrival on the shores of Detroit in the fall of 1926, when the club — an Original Six member — was known as the Detroit Cougars. After a two-year stint from 1930-32 as the Detroit Falcons, the club was bought by grain merchant James E. Norris, who renamed the club the Detroit Red Wings.

The centennial jersey will make its debut during the team’s home opener Oct. 9, when the Wings host another Original Six franchise, the Montreal Canadiens.

Here is how each iteration of the franchise will be memorialized:

DETROIT COUGARS TRIBUTE: The original 1926–27 Detroit Cougars jersey prominently featured an Olde English “D.” This classic logo has been thoughtfully redrawn and reintroduced as a secondary mark for Red Wings Centennial, appearing on the front leg of the solid-red pants, the jock tag at the bottom front of the jersey and the hem loop on the back. The jersey’s number font is inspired by the Cougars’ “Barber Pole” uniforms, worn in 1927-28.
DETROIT FALCONS TRIBUTE: The striping along the hem, sleeves and socks draws from Detroit Falcons uniforms from 1930-1932. Both the font and striping use a vintage off-white tone to reflect the heritage aesthetic.
LEATHER-LIKE FEATURES: Patches on the jersey are designed to match the leather-brown hue of the Centennial uniform gloves, a nod to the traditional leather used in gloves and goalie pads. Featured patches include:

The jersey will be worn for more than a dozen home games. They’re also available for pre-order at ShopHockeytown.com, and in person starting in early October at the Red Wings Team Store at Little Caesars Arena.

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Centennial’s (Corona, Calif.) upset win over Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), the Monarchs’ first loss to a team that isn’t St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in a decade, has shaken up the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 rankings.

The instant classic dropped Mater Dei to one of its lowest rankings in Super 25 history, while Centennial jumped from No. 25 to inside the top 10, entrenching itself among the best of the best.

With that, a new No. 1 team appears atop the high school football hierarchy in 2025.

Meanwhile, Edna Karr’s (New Orleans, La.) win over American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) gave the Patriots their second loss of the season and opened the door for Allen (Texas) to enter the rankings. The Eagles posted 70 points in their most recent win and have outscored opponents 154-27 through three games.

As high school football action moves to Week 5, here is the full Super 25:

1. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 2

Last result: Defeated East St. Louis (Ill.) 35-10

2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 3

Last result: Defeated Junipero Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) 42-0

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 4

Last result: Defeated Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 79-6

4. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 5

Last result: Defeated St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) 34-26

5. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 6

Last result: DNP

6. Buford (Ga.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 7

Last result: Defeated Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.) 34-26

7. Duncanville (Texas)

Record: 1-0

Previous rank: 8

Last result: DNP

8. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 25

Last result: Defeated No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 43-36

9. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 1

Last result: Lost to No. 25 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 43-36

10. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

Record: 5-0

Previous rank: 9

Last result: Defeated Brighton (Salt Lake City, Utah) 56-14

11. Mission Viejo (Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 10

Last result: Defeated Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) 34-24

12. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 11

Last result: Defeated Western (Davie, Fla.) 45-6

13. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 12

Last result: Defeated Downey (Calif.) 49-7

14. Edna Karr (New Orleans, La.)

Record: 2-0

Previous rank: 17

Last result: Defeated No. 18 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 24-17 (OT)

15. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 13

Last result: DNP

16. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 16

Last result: Defeated Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.) 41-0

17. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 20

Last result: Defeated Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 44-7

18. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 15

Last result: Defeated Winslow Township (Atco, N.J.) 41-14

19. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 23

Last result: Defeated Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) 44-14

20. Carrollton (Ga.)

Record: 5-0

Previous rank: 21

Last result: Defeated Gainesville (Ga.) 43-21

21. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 14

Last result: Defeated Guyer (Denton, Texas) 28-27

22. Southlake Carroll (Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 24

Last result: Defeated Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) 52-3

23. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 19

Last result: Defeated Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) 40-0

24. Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 23

Last result: DNP

25. Allen (Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: NR

Last result: Defeated Rock Hill (Frisco, Texas) 70-14

Super 25 watchlist

Brownsburg (Ind.)
Basha (Chandler, Ariz.)
Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.)
St. Edward (Lakeland, Ohio)
Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

With college football and fall sports back, I am reminded of what a special time of the year it is for student-athletes who have sacrificed so much for this moment, and classmates, alumni and fans who passionately cheer them on. Stadiums spread across every community in the nation are filled with excitement, providing hope for students and creating an economic boom for large and small college towns. Sadly, behind the scenes, the system is broken with these programs facing a historic financial strain that has led to cutting women’s and Olympic sports just for athletics departments to stay in business … but this is just the beginning of a downward spiral that will lead to the destruction of college sports.

As Congress returns from August recess, it has a historic opportunity to end this strain and put the system back together. Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives is fast-tracking a very narrow bill, via the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. The SCORE Act is a good starting point for some of the key elements of the discussion, and it is encouraging that this issue is finally gaining traction in Washington. However, as the the legislation is currently drafted, it does not achieve President Trump’s clearly-stated objectives of saving women’s sports, protecting Olympic sports, and looking out for the interests of smaller schools. The President, and the American public (over 85% of them, as shown in recent polling) feel stronly that ALL of collegesports and ALL of the schools continue to provide opportunity to the 500,000 student athletes that they do today.  

After years of studying this problem, we know Congress will need a comprehensive solution that not only addresses the splashy items, such as NIL and the Transfer Portal, but also tackles massive issues of the need for a new independent body to oversee collegiate athletics, address cavernous revenue shortfalls all college programs (big and small) are facing, and, for the first time in the history of college sports, provide student-athletes with a meaningful voice in how rules are made and enforced.   

We have said it before and we will say it again: we need a new governing body to accomplish this goal. It cannot be the NCAA, which, for years fought tooth and nail against any rule that would benefit student-athletes and protect the most vulnerable schools and sports. The NCAA is now lobbying Congress and the public for the ability to override the multitude of court cases they have lost (including a 9-0 loss at the U.S. Supreme Court), so that it can re-take control of rule-making and crack down on the athletes and the schools.

Of course the NCAA wants to re-gain power. Of course it wants to go back to raking in billions at the expense of the student-athletes and the schools it is ostensibly charged to represent. The NCAA’s version of the SCORE Act ensures that the powerful colleges stay powerful and relegates the lesser-advantaged schools to permanent irrelevance. The SCORE Act also does not address the fact that there will not be enough money to pay for sports, like track, swimming, volleyball, soccer and softball. Through sneaky and strategic drafting, the SCORE Act does not explicitly grant the NCAA direct power, but the implications are clear – they will regain control if this bill becomes law. 

Language should be added to the bill that allows the entire college sports system to come together and form a new governing body that represents everyone.  Big, small, Women, Olympics, revenue sports, non-revenue sports – ALL of them!

This new governing body will be especially necessary if Congress were to make the economically necessary move to modernize the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), a law that was written in 1961 – a lot has changed since then.  With the rights under this act, we will need smart and savvy media minds that can create the value necessary to make sure that all of the sports continue to be funded, and that revenue is fairly allocated.  Doing this would open a massive spigot of revenue that will solve many of the critical problems facing college sports today and will keep the enterprise in business.

An antitrust exemption is necessary to allow fair rules to be made and enforced, and to stop the disruptive onslaught of litigation.  But providing an antitrust exemption is a HUGE legal concession that vests a tremendous amount of power and should not be given without the utmost thought, care and intentionality.  We cannot trust the NCAA with this level of power. The NCAA has proven for decades that it cannot effectively manage such authority. Giving them this power will allow a return to their old ways and roll back the progress student-athletes have fought for, shielding the entity from lawsuits and allow them to resort to their collusive practices. The NCAA is a voluntary membership organization that is funded by revenue generated by all of its member institutions and is now almost completely controlled by the biggest and most powerful schools (Power 4 Schools now get 65% of the votes).  Because of its governing structure, the NCAA is too conflicted to put student-athletes first and to represent the interests of its entire membership.

It is absolutely critical in the future governance of college sports to give student-athletes a true seat at the table. They need a voice in crafting policies on payments, health, and workload — things they’ve been left out of for the entire history of college sports. And women and Olympic athletes should have the same seat and the same influence that football players and men’s basketball players do. Their voices should be heard!! After all, athletes in these non-revenue generating sports, usually played by athletes who will not see serious profit from their NIL, represent the vast majority of students who have an opportunity to get a leg up in life because of an athletic scholarship. We must not leave these student athletes behind by focusing on the small percentage of athletes who are seeing record NIL profits.

As we all cheer on the college programs we love passionately, all fans and communities must recognize that the entire system is at great risk.  As we cheer from the stands, or our living rooms, we must use that same passion to ensure Congress doesn’t forget about any of the student-athletes. Remind them of the students who will have the opportunity of a lifetime by playing a sport, but also to get an education that will return dividends far greater than the small amount of NIL money they will receive. Congress cannot leave these women, men, and future Olympians behind.

We invite Congress to join us in meeting President Trump’s mandate by modernizing the Sports Broadcasting Act, dismantling the NCAA’s outdated model, and building a governing body where student-athletes aren’t pawns but partners. By recognizing the TRUE problems in college sports and taking action to solve them, we will protect every program, every student-athlete at ALL schools, big and small, and protect ALL of the communities and institutions that rely on college sports as the center of our economy and culture.

This is our fight, and we cannot let up until we win. I hope you will join us at www.savingcollegesports.com.

Cody Campbell is co-founder and co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings. He is also chairman of the board of regents of the Texas Tech University System and a former Texas Tech football player.

Colts just accomplished something never done during the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Sunday featured four games pitting at least two former No. 1 draft picks against each other.
Trouble in K.C.? Mahomes, Kelce part of worst start for perennial AFC West champs in more than a decade.

The 32 things we learned from Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season:

0. Number of NFL victories New Orleans Saints QB Spencer Rattler has in eight starts following Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the undermanned San Francisco 49ers. But Rattler did throw a career-best three TD passes in defeat, the first time he’d thrown multiple in nine pro appearances.

1. The number of times three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has been 0-2 in his nine-year NFL career, now marking the first. In fact, the last time he was 0-2? High school. Going back to Super Bowl 59, this is also the first time Mahomes has lost three straight games in the NFL. As for his Kansas City Chiefs, who have won nine straight AFC West crowns? They’re 0-2 for the first time since 2014 … which is also the last time they missed the postseason.

1a. By winning their first Week 2 game in the tenure of seventh-year head coach Zac Taylor, the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018 − former HC Marvin Lewis’ final season. Yet with QB Joe Burrow headed to the shelf for three months now that he requires surgery for his injured toe, which knocked him out for most of Sunday’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars − and threatens to sideline him much longer − it may also wind up as something of a Pyrrhic victory.

1b. Number of wins the New England Patriots have against Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa after holding on for a recently rare 33-27 victory in South Florida. Sunday was the Pats’ eighth crack at Tua, who was sacked for the fifth time on Miami’s final snap.

2. Yards shy New York Giants QB Russell Wilson, 36, was of matching his career best for passing yards (452) in Sunday’s 40-37 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However Wilson was sacked three times, which turned out to be just enough − along with the INT ‘Mr. Unlimited’ airmailed in OT.

3. The number of consecutive regular seasons that have featured a Super Bowl rematch after the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs teed it up Sunday, seven months after Philly opened a can of you know what on K.C.’s three-peat bid. The Eagles won 20-17, making the reigning champions 8-3 all-time in a Super Sunday redux that occurs in the subsequent season.

4. The number of field goals and PATs apiece − 16 points total − scored by Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey, unassailably the league’s best kicker, on Sunday. Aubrey hit a 64-yarder at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime and drilled a 46-yarder to win it. He might be the Cowboys’ most important player.

5. The number of NFL quarterbacks − ever − with at least 500 regular-season TD passes. Aaron Rodgers threw his 508th on Sunday, tying former teammate Brett Favre for fourth place all time.

6. If Sunday’s performance made it seem like Dallas could, uh, really use another pass rusher, well owner Jerry Jones revealed after his team’s escape act that he’d signed three-time Pro Bowler Jadeveon Clowney. The No. 1 pick (by the Houston Texans) in the 2014 draft, Clowney has never had a double-digit sack season. Ex-Cowboy Micah Parsons, who’s now wreaking havoc for the Green Bay Packers, hasn’t had fewer than 12 in any of his first four seasons. Still, ‘America’s Team’ did limit the G-Men to 84 rushing yards, so maybe Jones is absolutely tickled by the performance of his Big D run D.

7. Will Chiefs TE Travis Kelce rue returning for a 13th NFL season when he could be sampling potential wedding cakes? A week after taking out teammate Xavier Worthy while running a poor route, Kelce’s deflection of a Mahomes’ pass at the goal line into an Eagles interception effectively sparked a 14-point swing − Philly scoring what turned out to be the decisive TD on its ensuing drive.

8. The number of 2-0 teams following Sunday’s games. More may yet join their ranks Monday, but for now, the Bills, Colts, Bengals, Packers, 49ers, Eagles, Cardinals and Rams stand among the unbeatens who have played twice.

9. The number of 0-2 teams following Sunday’s games. More may yet join their ranks Monday, but for now, the Chiefs, Titans, Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Saints, Panthers, Bears and Giants are all quickly descending into desperation mode.

10. The Indianapolis Colts became the first team in NFL history to start a season by scoring on each of their first 10 possessions.

10a. And how about this: The Colts are the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that didn’t punt in their first two games. Admit it, you knew Daniel Jones and Co. would be this good.

11. The number of games Detroit Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery need to set an NFL record for teammates both scoring rushing TDs in the same contest − which is to say one more time. The duo matched the 10 instances old-time wingmen Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung (Packers) and Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny (49ers) turned the trick in Sunday’s 52-21 thrashing of the Chicago Bears and their former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

12. The number of Jags rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter, which may as well be a target. While contributing just three catches for 22 yards in his second game, Hunter also committed a 25-yard pass interference penalty − and not against one of Cincinnati’s star wideouts but Andrei Iosivas − on fourth down of the Bengals’ final drive, which ended with them bleeding the clock before scoring the game-winning TD. Without Burrow.

12a. But give Hunter credit for playing through heavy usage, 42 of his 81 snaps in Week 2 coming on the defensive side.

13. The number of consecutive drives, going back to last season − and the most this century − that Miami’s defense had surrendered points … before halftime (briefly) stymied the Patriots on Sunday.

14. The number of field goals − without a miss, incidentally − Colts K Spencer Shrader has made in six NFL games split among three different teams. He drilled five Sunday, including the game-winning 45-yarder at the gun, in Indy’s 29-28 defeat of the Denver Broncos.

14a. Of course, a Denver penalty for leverage nullified Schrader’s first attempt to win the game, a 60-yarder that fell short.

15th. The overall selection QB Mac Jones was (to the Patriots) in the 2021 NFL draft − despite rampant pre-draft speculation that he was headed to the Niners with the third pick. (San Francisco took Trey Lance instead.) But Sunday, Jones finally got to play for HC Kyle Shanahan and matched his career high with three TD throws while filing in for injured Brock Purdy, the same guy who Wally Pipped Lance three years ago. Beware, Brock.

15a. Lance, now the Los Angeles Chargers’ backup QB, hasn’t throw a TD pass since his rookie year.

16. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey caught one of Jones’ TD strikes, making CMC the third NFL player ever with at least 50 career rushing touchdowns plus 30 through the air. Hall of Famers Lenny Moore and Marshall Faulk are the others.

17. The jersey number of Daniel Jones. We’re loving life for ‘Indiana Jones,’ who’s led the Colts to their first 2-0 start since 2009, when Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was taking the snaps. Jones passed for 316 yards and a TD on Sunday and ran for another score − and given that production came against Denver’s vaunted D, it was arguably a more impressive performance than his debut for his new team in Week 1 agaisnt lowly Miami.

18. In a battle of former New York Jets quarterbacks, the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold got the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rodgers in the latter’s Acrisure Stadium debut. Both were picked off twice in a fairly sloppy affair that also saw Seattle recover a kickoff in the Steelers’ end zone for a touchdown.

19. Worth wondering if the Steelers are falling into a similar trap as the 2024 Jets, who averaged a league-low 21.4 runs per game while putting too much emphasis on Rodgers’ aging arm. Pittsburgh has run 41 times through two games.

20. As for the 2025 Jets? They’ve run it 60 times, though just 21 in Sunday’s 30-10 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. And with new QB1 Justin Fields in the concussion protocol? Different cast, same old Jets (so far).

21. The Los Angeles Rams’ 33-19 defeat of the Tennessee Titans featured a meeting of the league’s newest No. 1 overall pick (Titans QB Cam Ward) against its oldest active No. 1 overall pick (Rams QB Matthew Stafford, 2009).

22. The Bengals’ defeat of the Jags featured three No. 1 picks: Burrow, Jags QB Trevor Lawrence and Jags DE Travon Walker … plus Hunter, the second overall selection this year.

23. In Detroit, Lions QB Jared Goff – the No. 1 pick in 2016 (by the Rams) – threw five TD passes while outdueling Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the struggling top pick from last year’s draft.

24. And there was a fourth game featuring a pair of No. 1 picks, the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray (2019) surviving a late charge from the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young (2022).

25. Eagles DT Jalen Carter, thrown out of the opener, played his first snaps of the 2025 season and registered one TFL and three hits on Mahomes on a day when Philly once again very much limited Kansas City’s offense.

26. Number of penalties (for 266 yards) in the Cowboys-Giants thriller. Good thing the teams made a potential slopfest watchable with 77 points and nearly 1,000 yards of offense.

27. New England’s Mike Vrabel and Dallas’ Brian Schottenheimer notched their first wins with their current teams Sunday.

28. For Schottenheimer, 51, it’s his first win ever as a head coach. Now he’s just 204 behind his legendary father, Marty.

29. Elsewhere, Johnson, the Jets’ Aaron Glenn – both were on Detroit’s staff prior to this season – and the Saints’ Kellen Moore, who won a ring with the Eagles in 2024, are all still awaiting their first HC Ws.

30. The Baltimore Ravens’ home opener also served as the kickoff celebration of their 30th NFL season since they relocated from Cleveland and were renamed in 1996. As part of the festivities, the Ravens painted their end zones in throwback font styles. Would love to see the uniforms Hall of Famer Ray Lewis wore as a rookie next time …

31. Week 2 will end with a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Houston Texans before the unbeaten Las Vegas Raiders host the unbeaten Chargers.

32. And hope you like “MNF” twinbills – because you’re going to get four of them over the next six weeks.