Montreal’s Lane Hutson is the latest young NHL defenseman to cash in with a major contract extension.

The Canadiens announced that Hutson, 21, will average $8.85 million in the eight-year deal that he agreed to on Monday, Oct. 13. The $70.8 million contract will start next season and run through 2033-34.

Hutson won rookie of the year in 2024-25 after recording six goals and 60 assists. He tied the all-time NHL record for assists by a rookie defenseman (Larry Murphy in 1980-81), and his 66 points set a record for a Canadiens rookie defenseman.

‘There wouldn’t be an eight-year deal if we didn’t believe in who you were at your core,’ Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes told reporters about his conversation over the weekend with Hutson. ‘The kind of person he is, how committed he is to being his best version of himself but also being the best version of a teammate.’

The NHL market has been reset this month for defensemen coming out of their entry-level contracts.

A day later, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe signed an eight-year, $72 million extension for the same $9 million cap hit. He will be the Ducks’ highest-paid player next season.

This is the last season that eight-year contracts are possible. The new collective bargaining agreement calls for a maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their teams or six years for players signing elsewhere.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Detroit Lions 30-17, improving their record to 3-3.
Kansas City’s defense shut down the Lions’ high-scoring offense after struggling in a previous loss to Jacksonville.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes accounted for four touchdowns in the bounce-back victory.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – These Kansas City Chiefs can indeed take a punch.

This much is true with or without any sucker punches from Brian Branch, the Detroit Lions safety who ignited the dust-up at Arrowhead Stadium after the Chiefs took the kneel-downs to bag a 30-17 victory on Sunday night.

After all, the Chiefs absorbed some serious body blows in losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars six nights earlier. But boy did they get up off the mat.

The defense that couldn’t hold a lead in crunch time at Jacksonville?

Kansas City only shut down the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, which included putting a lid on Detroit’s dynamic running back tandem, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and turning up the heat on sizzling quarterback Jared Goff when it mattered most.

The undisciplined outfit that committed 13 penalties for 109 yards in Week 5?

How’s this for a perfect game in the Flag Department: 0 penalties for 0 yards.

The offense that sputtered before and after halftime against the Jags?

Patrick Mahomes & Co. seized the tempo, momentum and, well, the punch stats, too, by scoring touchdowns before and after halftime to turn a 4-point deficit into a 10-point advantage that forced the Lions into a pass-heavy catch-up mode.

It’s no wonder that Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton called it, “Good, clean football.”

Hey, Branch might offer a counterpunch to that narrative. He maintained that the punch he threw at Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after the game – which will surely land him in hot water with the NFL – was a retaliatory blow stemming from an illegal block in the back. But it might also have been some good old-fashioned frustration flowing out of a dominating performance.

In any event, the Chiefs (3-3) won the round to stay within striking distance of the 4-2 Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos atop the AFC West in what could shape up this season to be the equivalent of a 15-round slug fest for the division crown that Kansas City has won nine times in a row.

Chiefs, Mahomes show they won’t back down from a fight

No, they won’t back down from a fight. They’ve surely had to scratch and claw to get here. Kansas City opened the season by dropping the first two games for the first time during the Mahomes era. Beating the Russell Wilson-quarterbacked New York Giants and the undermanned Baltimore Ravens counted as W’s, but they were nothing like the type of statement victory the Chiefs achieved by snapping Detroit’s four-game winning streak.

This time, the Chiefs demonstrated a certain grit in getting the best of a Detroit team that wears “grit” on its sleeve and in its messaging. Sure, with Mahomes as their leader, the Chiefs’ identity is inextricably linked to the quarterback’s magic.

Yet it’s deeper than that. Maybe it was fitting that the game ended with the mini skirmish. The Chiefs went into the contest thinking they needed to be aggressive – Andy Reid went for it on fourth down three times, converting twice, while his defense didn’t allow Detroit to convert on either of its fourth-down tries – and challenged themselves to match Detroit’s physical intensity.

That’s why Mahomes shrugged off the end-game drama that included Branch brushing off his attempt to shake hands when it was over.

“You’re playing football, you’re being chippy,” Mahomes said. “That’s a physical football team. They have a mentality that they’re going to come in and play with. We’re going to match that mentality. We’re not afraid to go up against anybody. That’s the mentality that Coach Reid brings every day. We’re going to match the intensity of whoever steps on that football field.”

Mahomes completed 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards, with 3 TDs, and ran for another score. He rushed for 31 yards, too, and didn’t commit a turnover. Yet he also was probably encouraged that the contributions came from several members of his supporting cast.

With Isiah Pacheco rushing for 51 yards, Mahomes didn’t have to pace the running game. Travis Kelce had his best game of the season with 6 catches for 78 yards. A healthy Hollywood Brown caught 2 TDs. Smith-Schuster broke off the game’s longest play from scrimmage with a 30-yard catch and run.

Said Mahomes, “The great thing about this offense is it can come from anywhere.”

Rashee Rice’s return, improved O-line add to Chiefs’ momentum

Especially if it starts up front. As critical as any of the contributions from the skill-position cast on Sunday night was the performance of swing tackle Jaylon Moore, who was thrust into the lineup after impressive rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was scratched because of a personal issue. Moore’s solid showing added a layer of credence to the rebuilding of an O-line that was manhandled in the Super Bowl 59 loss to the Eagles.

And the unit figures to get another spark with the return of big-play receiver Rashee Rice, who has now served his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

What a difference a week makes for the mood of this team. After the loss at Jacksonville, Mahomes bemoaned that the Chiefs let one slip away. And the Chiefs’ defensive leader, Chris Jones, felt even worse. Jones was disappointed in himself for giving up on the 1-yard, game-winning TD run by Trevor Lawrence at Jacksonville, thinking the play was over after the quarterback stumbled while coming out of the snap.

During the week, Jones called it a teaching moment. Lesson learned.

Although Jones didn’t have a sack and was credited with just one tackle, he created a key, third-down sack on Detroit’s next-to-last drive in the fourth quarter as he forced Goff to step up in the pocket, where he was dropped by Charles Omenihu.

Of course, the tests will keep coming. The season is still weeks from the halfway point. Yet rebound performances like Sunday night provide fuel.

“Every week, we are getting better,” Bolton said.

Even when they take it on the chin.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on  X: @JarrettBell

You might be hard-pressed to guess which teams currently project as No. 1 playoff seeds.
Young Patriots QB Drake Maye has entered some rarefied, if granular, historical air.
Remember ‘Tank for Tua?’ Remember who was drafted after Dolphins QB?

The 32 things we learned from Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season:

0. Still the number of wins the New York Jets have since Jan. 5, former QB Aaron Rodgers’ final game with the organization. Rookie coach Aaron Glenn, now 0-6, was already the first head man in team history to start his career 0-5.

1. The number of undrafted players to amass at least 200 yards from scrimmage in consecutive games since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. That would be Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle, who followed up his 234-yard performance in Week 5 with 239 more (plus a TD) on Sunday while making good on his bid for revenge against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. He is the only player of any kind in the past five seasons with back-to-back 200-yard days. Dowdle, who rushed for nearly 1,100 yards with Dallas in 2024 but was not re-signed, has started the past two games for injured Chuba Hubbard – both of them narrow Carolina wins.

1a. Dowdle’s big day also marked the most yards from scrimmage a player had posted against his former team … ever.

2. The top two players picked atop the 2024 NFL draft – Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – will meet for the second time in two seasons Monday night outside the nation’s capital. Last year’s matchup ended with Daniels tossing a game-winning Hail Mary, which helped spark the Commanders’ push to the NFC title game while sending Chicago into a 10-game tailspin.

3. Yet New England Patriots QB Drake Maye, the third player off the draft board in 2024, is compiling quite a case that he might eventually be the best of the bunch. Maye tied his career high with three TD passes in Sunday’s 25-19 defeat of the New Orleans Saints. His 140.1 passer rating was the second best of his young tenure.

4. And while it’s a rather granular accomplishment – thank you, analytics and Major League Baseball, for the rise of arcane factoids – Maye joined Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and Dan Marino as the only passers with at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of at least 100.0 in five consecutive games prior to their 24th birthdays. Obviously – good company.

5. The number of wins the Indianapolis Colts have in their first six games, something they last accomplished in Hall of Famer Peyton Manning’s heyday (2009) – a season that concluded in Super Bowl 44.

5a. If the season ended now – it won’t – the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be your No. 1 playoff seeds.

6. Indianapolis rookie Tyler Warren continues to be a huge component of Indy’s success, pacing the team with six catches, 63 yards and a TD in Sunday’s 31-27 escape from the decimated Arizona Cardinals. The most notable thing about Warren is that he’s been able to sustain, let’s call it his position-less tight end usage, from Penn State.

7. Remember when “Tank for Tua” was a thing prior to the 2020 draft? Sunday, QB Tua Tagovailoa was picked off three times for the Miami Dolphins, who got him with the fifth pick five years ago, before calling out his teammates following a 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

8. Tagovailoa was completely upstaged by the player chosen one spot after him, Bolts QB Justin Herbert, who passed for 264 yards and two TDs as his team broke a two-game slide. Herbert’s, well, Herculean 42-yard completion to WR Ladd McConkey in the game’s final minute set up LA’s game-winning field goal.

9. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Jaguars 20-12 in Jacksonville on Sunday for their club-record ninth consecutive road victory, which is currently the longest in the NFL. Second-year coach Mike Macdonald is 10-1 overall away from Seattle’s raucous Lumen Field … which has witnessed just four wins since the start of the 2024 season.

9a. The number of times – spread over eight different defenders – that the Broncos sacked Jets QB Justin Fields, pushing Denver’s league-leading total to 30. Fields was bagged by Jonathon Cooper and Justin Strnad on New York’s final snap, a fourth-and-8 from the Denver 44-yard line … which apparently was not within K Nick Folk’s range.

(Negative) 10. The Jets’ net passing yardage total after Fields threw for 45; the Broncos’ nine sacks led to 55 yards in aggregate losses. The figure marked the fewest passing yards in NYJ history – and league-wide this century – while also being the fewest Denver has allowed. Both teams were founded in 1960 as original members of the AFL.

11. The number of consecutive games in which the Cleveland Browns have failed to score more than 17 points. They’re 1-10 in that stretch following Sunday’s 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

12. Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel threw the ball 52 times Sunday … which produced all of 221 yards, or 4.3 per attempt. That doesn’t even account for 38 yards lost on the six sacks he suffered.

13. Still, coach Kevin Stefanski opted not to give newly promoted rookie backup QB Shedeur Sanders the opportunity to make his NFL regular-season debut.

14. Elsewhere in the AFC North, former Browns QB1 Joe Flacco, now starting for the Cincinnati Bengals following last Tuesday’s trade, needed 45 attempts to pass for 219 yards (and two TDs) in his Cincy debut.

15. Unfortunately, the Burrow-less, Flacco-ful Bengals could only change so many stripes – still unable run the ball (55 yards) or stop a nosebleed in Sunday’s 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers, who racked up 409 yards.

16. Speaking of misfortune, at some point you have to feel for the snakebitten San Francisco 49ers, who lost All-Pro LB Fred Warner on Sunday to a dislocated and fractured ankle that will require surgery and undoubtedly end his season.

17. The number of points scored Sunday by Chargers K Cameron Dicker, who drilled all five of his field-goal attempts and both PATs. (Eat your hearts out, Cleveland.) Dicker is currently, by far, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, his field-goal success rate now at 94.6%. He’s perfect on all 14 of his FG tries in 2025.

18. Elsewhere in the AFC North, how bad has it gotten for the Baltimore Ravens? They managed to hold the Los Angeles Rams to 17 points and WR Puka Nacua to two catches before he was injured … and still lost by 14.

19. Might help to hand the ball to RB Derrick Henry near the goal line and leave the Tush Push-ing to the Eagles, fellas.

20. But don’t worry – all that much – Ravens fans, injured QB Lamar Jackson should be ready to ride to the rescue, with reinforcements, following the team’s Week 7 (and Week 6) bye.

21.Elsewhere in the AFC North, Pittsburgh now has as many wins (4) as the rest of the division … combined. Woof.

22. The number of consecutive times the Steelers have beaten the Browns in Pittsburgh – in the regular season – a streak that dates to 2003. Led by then-QB Baker Mayfield, the Browns did win a playoff game at Acrisure Stadium during the 2020 postseason.

23. The Steelers are turning veteran DB Jalen Ramsey into quite the multi-faceted weapon. The seven-time Pro Bowler, acquired over the summer from the Dolphins, has been deployed all over Pittsburgh’s defense and recorded the first multi-sack game of his 10-year career Sunday.

24. Despite losing Warner and dealing with myriad other injuries – including QB1 Brock Purdy missing Sunday’s game – the Niners are getting plenty from Christian McCaffrey, who became the first running back with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his team’s first six games since Saquon Barkley did it for the New York Giants in 2018.

25. CMC is also the first back to post at least 50 receiving yards in each of his team’s first six games to start a season. With 46 catches already, he’s also tied for the most by a running back through six games of a season with Matt Forte (2014) and Alvin Kamara (2020).

26. What kind of company is Maxx Crosby keeping? He had two sacks in the Las Vegas Raiders’ defeat of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. But here’s the greater context: Crosby now has 10 tackles for loss in 2025, joining Jared Allen and Aaron Donald as the only players in the 21st century with at least 10 TFLs in each of their first seven seasons.

27. The latest feather in Mahomes’ immortal hat? Sunday night, his 138th career game (including postseason), he threw his 300th TD pass and reached that benchmark nine games earlier than Rodgers, previously the fastest player to the plateau. The three-time Super Bowl MVP wound up with three TD passes in a decisive 30-17 defeat of the Detroit Lions, who entered the night on a four-game heater. Are the Chiefs back … to the extent they went anywhere at all? Could we see these teams again in Super Bowl 60? Who’s to say in a league that appears quite wide open. (Duh, it is Week 6.)

27a. And guess whose six-game suspension has now been fully served? Yep, WR Rashee Rice is on the way, K.C.

28. The number of 1 p.m. kickoffs the Seahawks have had on the East Coast over the past decade. They’re 22-6 in those games.

29. It was the hometown Jags who appeared to be jet-lagged against Seattle six days after their Monday night win over the Chiefs. Jacksonville entered Week 6 with a league-best 14 takeaways but failed to record one in a game for the first time this season. The Jaguars also committed 10 penalties and surrendered seven sacks of QB Trevor Lawrence.

30. And while you could continue to question the impact of Jags rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter, his double duty did place him in the same company as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who was also Hunter’s head coach at the University of Colorado. Per OptaSTATS, Hunter became the first NFL player to catch at least four passes and record multiple tackles on defense in the same game since Sanders did it 29 years ago. (Though Deion probably didn’t commit an offsides infraction nullifying a TD, but onward …)

31. Let’s scrap this (relative) negativity for the 4-2 Jags, who also provided Sunday’s best moment – when DE Josh Hines-Allen’s son, a cancer survivor, participated in the pre-game coin toss as an honorary team captain. The NFL always gets it share of backlash, but the league is a force for good with its “Crucial Catch” campaign.

32. Your MVP through six weeks? Gotta be the Bucs’ Mayfield, who continues losing wideouts to injury – including rookie Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) on Sunday – but keeps firing scoring strikes to whomever is downfield (Kameron Johnson and Tez Johnson, each catching their first NFL TDs, in Sunday’s defeat of San Francisco) for NFC-leading Tampa Bay.

It’s getting to that point in the season where it’s make or break time for some fantasy football teams. If you’re sitting at 2-4 or worse, it’s time to make a move to get back on track.

One bold, but sometimes necessary, strategy is selling high on one of your elite players to a team with depth. The goal is to bring back multiple pieces that, combined, outweigh the single player you’re giving up. The other team is likely focused on the long game, stacking stars for a playoff run, while you’re trying to save your season now.

If that kind of trade isn’t your style, the classic buy low and sell high approach is always in play. Here are eight players who fit that mold as Week 7 approaches.

Week 7 fantasy football players to buy

RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Barkley has struggled compared to last year, and managers could be frustrated with their likely top-three pick. Despite the slow start, he still ranks as RB14 in fantasy points per game.

He entered Week 6 dealing with a knee injury, which likely affected his performance. Even so, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry for the second straight week. His total output was limited because the Eagles were forced to pass often in a blowout loss to the Giants.

It feels inevitable that the Eagles offense will figure things out. They’ve shown flashes with one strong half in each of the last three games before stalling in the other. Once they put together a complete performance, Barkley should start producing those big fantasy games again.

WR Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams

Adams had been on a hot streak, scoring touchdowns in Weeks 2, 3, and 4. Since then, he has caught nine passes for 127 yards without finding the end zone. This week was expected to be a big one against a Ravens defense that has struggled all season, but he delivered his worst performance of the year.

Despite that, this may not be a true buy-low situation since the Adams manager is unlikely to be frustrated with his overall production so far. The real opportunity comes from Puka Nacua likely missing time after suffering an ankle injury. Buying Adams now could pay off while Nacua is sidelined.

RB Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

Judkins had his lowet output since Week 2, his first career game.

This was largely due to the Browns falling behind early, and running more plays on third downs and in the two-minute drill than in typical game scripts.

Even with the offense struggling, the defense is likely to keep Cleveland competitive more often than not, which keeps Judkins on the field to make plays. The Browns also want to avoid letting rookie QB Dillon Gabriel throw the ball 52 times again if they can help it, another positive for Judkins.

WR Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots

Diggs finished Week 6 with a disappointing 3-for-28 line. To make matters worse, teammates Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas benefited from Drake Maye’s three-touchdown performance.

Despite the poor outing, Diggs is still the receiver to roster in New England. Remember, he comes off two strong games totaling 247 yards and 16 receptions.

Also, his stat line would have looked much better if not for two questionable offensive pass interference calls, including one that nullified a 50-yard reception.

Week 7 fantasy football players to sell

RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers

An unbelievable two-game stretch puts Dowdle on this list for a second week in a row. After a fantastic Week 5 scoring 32.4 PPR points, he followed up with 33.9 this week.

Why sell Dowdle after he has been the RB1 each of the last two weeks? Because Chuba Hubbard is returning and will restore this backfield to the split it was before.

As noted last week, that likely means a 50/50 split rather than the 60/40 we have seen. It may seem crazy after Dowdle’s dominance, but remember Chuba was the more efficient runner in the first four weeks, averaging 4.1 yards per carry compared to Dowdle’s 3.0.

Dowdle has thrived not only because he had most of the backfield to himself, but also because he faced two of the NFL’s worst run defenses.

RB Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

The hype train for the Giants after their Thursday night beatdown of the Eagles is at full speed.

It is being driven by Skattebo, who scored three touchdowns and looked incredible all night.

Skattebo will have some good games going forward, but none like this. On top of that, there are concerns.

First, Tyrone Tracy has returned from injury. He had a very small role Thursday, but expect that to grow. Second, the Giants are likely to be playing from behind in more games than ahead, unlike this one. That will limit how much they can lean on Skattebo.

Third, his running style is very physical and he does not shy away from contact. He could hold up the rest of the season, but the odds are against it.

WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

McConkey had his best game of the season and has now scored in two straight games.

This performance was a direct result of Quentin Johnston being out with an ankle injury. It also helped that the Chargers faced the Miami Dolphins, one of the worst defenses in the league.

If other managers in your league are ignoring injury reports and just chasing box scores, McConkey is an immediate sell.

WR George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

Since CeeDee Lamb’s injury, Pickens has performed like a true WR1. The problem is Lamb could return in Week 7, likely ending Pickens’ hot streak.

Before Lamb’s injury, Pickens averaged 6.5 targets per game. That has since risen to 8.8 per game. The number would be even higher if not for the blowout victory over the Jets in Week 5, when he saw just four targets. Being shadowed by Sauce Gardner didn’t help either.

If you can, try to flip him now for a WR1 with reliable production before it’s too late.

Brewers had MLB’s best record and now face reigning World Series champions in NLCS.
“How many of our position players would be on the Dodgers’ team?’ manager Pat Murphy wondered.
Dodgers aren’t underestimating the Brewers after Milwaukee won all six regular season meetings.

MILWAUKEE — The congratulatory text message arrived late Saturday night on Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s cell phone.

It was one of about 600 messages that Murphy received in the aftermath of knocking off the Chicago Cubs to clinch his club’s first berth in the National League Championship Series since 2018.

The sender was Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, whose team is in the NLCS virtually every year, reaching the postseason 13 consecutive years with 12 division titles, four NL pennants and two World Series championships.

“Congrats, look forward to seeing you,’ Murphy told USA TODAY Sports, reading Friedman’s text from his phone.  “Please see if you can be a little more hospitable than you were with us this season. Thanks for your consideration.’

The Brewers, in fact, did beat the Dodgers all six times they played this season en route to a major-league leading 97 victories, but that’s not stopping the Brewers from claiming the underdog role in this NLCS beginning Oct. 13 at American Family Field.

Let’s see, they play in baseball’s smallest market. Their player payroll of about $130 million is three times smaller than the Dodgers’ $400 million luxury tax payroll. They have a team filled with faces only their mothers can recognize while the Dodgers are splashed on billboards everywhere from New York to Tokyo to Mexico City. The Dodgers lineup is a collection of ‘who’s who’ in baseball. The Brewers lineup is filled with a collection of “who are you?’

The Dodgers are starting two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell in Game 1, have three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in the bullpen, and three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in another start.

The Brewers don’t even know who’ll they even be starting in Game 1.

“How many of our position players would be on the Dodgers’ team?’ Murphy said. “You can’t really project that many of them would.’

David, meet Goliath.

“We’re not overconfident, that’s for sure,’ Murphy said. “The Dodgers are a powerhouse … You don’t see many commercials in the United States, Canada, Japan, anywhere across the world [that] you don’t have Dodgers in it because they have the star power.’

Murphy was just getting started with praise.

“Freddie Freeman is like my favorite person, player in the game,’ Murphy said. “He’s ruined Brewers history many times, but I still love him. I think he’s a terrific player and an even more terrific person.

“Ohtani, you know, I don’t know how many years he’s played. but he’s one of the all-time greats. … The guy is amazing. I’ve never seen a baseball player with that much ability.

“And [Tyler] Glasnow is really good. And [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto is really good. The guy at the end, who is the guy at the end throwing 100 with a split?’

That would be 23-year-old rookie Roki Sasaki.

“That shouldn’t be fair,’ Murphy said. “We’re going to try to petition the league and see if we can get him suspended for something. Isn’t there something we can get him on to get him out?’

And, please don’t get Murphy started on Mookie Betts, the MVP right fielder who is now playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop.

“Mookie Betts, what he’s doing, transitioning back to the infield and playing shortstop on America’s team, like, are you kidding me?,’ Murphy said. “And doing it so well. I mean, his performance this year is by far the most underrated. If you’re watching baseball and value to a team, that dude is some kind of special. It would be like Steph Curry playing forward, you know what I mean? He could do it because superstars can do that. Mookie is doing something in our game that’s unprecedented, I love it.’

Murphy still wasn’t done.

“I respect the whole team. Teoscar [Hernandez], one of the great dudes in the game. And he’s just performing in the clutch. They’ve got great ones. The [Miguel] Rojas kid has killed us. If he hits against us, he gets a hit. He’s been unbelievable.

“So, I respect the heck out of them. I really do.’

No wonder Murphy responded to Friedman’s text saying the only way to make this a fair competition would be to have Betts, Freeman, and Hernandez playing with gloves on their opposite hands.

“We’re just a bunch of average Joes,’ said Murphy. “Yelly [All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich] calls it the collection of misfit toys. Everybody has been DFA’d or moved around or been through really tough stretches.’

The Dodgers listen to it all and are thoroughly amused, scoffing at the idea that this is a mismatch.

“I’m not falling for the ‘Average Joes,’’ Snell said. “They’re not. They have the best record in the NL. They’re a really good team.’

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who used to be on Murphy’s coaching staff in San Diego, made sure that his players aren’t buying it.

“They’re just gritty, they’re tough,’ Roberts said, “and they take on Murph’s personality. They’ve got some guys that can slug. They’ve got some athleticism. They really defend well. They can pitch well. They’ve got complete buy-in, and so they’re hungry. Those things are components that are scary.

“So, anything Murph speaks to, in the Lou Holtz vein, we’re not buying, because that’s a very good ballclub.’

And as Cubs manager Craig Counsell kept saying over and over, the guys can pitch.

The Brewers certainly believe in themselves, and after getting past the Cubs in their emotional five-game series, it’s as if they’re playing with house money. The pressure is off. They finally won their first postseason series in seven years. They beat their hated rivals when it mattered.

How can there be pressure when no in the world – outside their own clubhouse – expects them to beat the mighty Dodgers?

“It doesn’t get any bigger than big market vs. small market than Brewers and Dodgers,’ Yelich said. “We’re up against it. We know it. We love being in that situation. It’s fitting for us that it’s going to come down to that series against that team, all the star power, the defending champs, and we got the average Joes coming in there.

“We’re going to do what we’ve done all year. We’re going to compete our (butts) off and see what happens.’

No one in their right mind believed the Brewers could win more games during the regular season than the Dodgers.

And when the Brewers lost back-to-back games at Wrigley Field, few thought they’d be the ones playing the Dodgers now for the right to be in the World Series.

“When you go against the Dodgers and that payroll,’ Brewers veteran starter Brandon Woodruff said, “we’re the underdogs, man. We’ve been like that all season. We got nothing to lose, which is a freeing thing for our team. I know we played well against them during the regular season, but this is a different time, so we’ll see how we stack up.’

But not everyone is buying that narrative.

The Brewers won more games. They went 6-0 against the Dodgers. And they have home-field advantage.

“Watch out,’ Woodruff said. “But we’re still the underdogs every time, man. There’s no getting around it. Anytime you go up against the Dodgers, you’re the underdog.

“But we proved this year we can play with them, so we’ll see what happens.’

Hey, Buster Douglas once knocked out Mike Tyson.

USA’s “Miracle on Ice’ hockey team beat the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics.

Joe Namath and the New York Jets shocked the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

So, why not the Brewers?

“The Dodgers are fantastic,’ Murphy said. “They’re probably better at almost every position than us. But you know, it doesn’t come down to that. It’s who plays the hardest.

“They’re hungry.

“I don’t underestimate them.’

In return, neither do the Dodgers.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Losing Fred Warner for the season could take an irreparable toll on the 49ers’ defense.
From Mike McDaniel to Aaron Glenn and Brian Callahan, several embattled coaches had rough outings in Week 6.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and George Pickens were among several receivers who showed out on Sunday.

The NFL’s march to midseason – and the trade deadline – is decidedly on.

With one-third of the 2025 campaign complete after Monday night’s twin bill – the Buffalo Bills facing the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders hosting the Chicago Bears – it’s time to put the excuses that abound in the early season to bed. Week 6’s action was often close if not riveting, with six games Sunday decided by one score. But even with the lack of a clear pecking order atop each conference, teams have to face the emerging reality of the season at hand and decide on a path before the cutoff for in-season swaps, which lands on Nov. 4.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 6 in the NFL:

Winners

Rico Dowdle

Regardless of how long the Carolina Panthers running back’s time in the spotlight lasts, Dowdle is unquestionably making the most of it. In stepping in for injured starter Chuba Hubbard once again, the sixth-year ball carrier racked up 183 yards and set the single-game franchise record for yards from scrimmage with 239. Even sweeter: That output came in a 30-27 win against the Dallas Cowboys, for whom Dowdle played for five years before the team opted to look elsewhere for a lead back this offseason. After warning the Cowboys last Sunday they needed to ‘buckle up’ in preparation for him, Dowdle had a message for Dallas that was as blunt as his running style. ‘They wasn’t buckled up,’ he said.

Kansas City Chiefs offense

Here’s your case against writing off any team – or unit – off just a few weeks of work. An extra dose of caution is required when any assessment entails determining the trajectory of the Chiefs, who long have had a gulf between their process and results. In a 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions, an offense that struggled to execute anything within structure in the first three weeks finally looked at ease. Patrick Mahomes tallied four touchdowns and diced up a battered Lions secondary in the quick passing game. Travis Kelce led the way with six catches for 78 yards, but he didn’t have to take on too much for a receiving corps that also got significant contributions from Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, among others. It might not be the lethally explosive edition of the offense that Mahomes envisioned in the offseason, but it’s more than efficient enough to keep Kansas City squarely in contention. And that’s before Rashee Rice returns next week.

Drake Maye

The biggest star turn of the first six weeks definitively belongs to Maye, who tossed three more touchdowns to power the New England Patriots’ 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. His numbers (18-of-26, 261 yards) would look even gaudier if not for a pair of controversial offensive pass interference penalties that wiped out long gains. Maye is managing to keep New England’s offense rolling despite the lack of any consistent presence in the ground game, as he led all rushers with 28 yards. It’s not the best formula to foist on your second-year quarterback, but the Patriots will take any solution that propels them in the AFC playoff race.

NFL trade deadline fire sale?

The teams constituting the league’s bottom tier continue to fall further behind the rest of the pack. Might that prove to be sufficient incentive for a veteran selloff in the next three weeks? Activity is already picking up, with three deals completed last week. And while some teams might be holding off in hopes of a resurgence, it might be time to face reality with a third of the regular season in the books. It’s probably time for the likes of the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans, among others, to see what they can get for notable holdovers as they look to carry out the second phase of their respective resets.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

With Puka Nacua being hampered by an ankle injury suffered Sunday in the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Baltimore Ravens, Smith-Njigba overtook his NFC West rival for the lead in receiving yards thanks to a 162-yard day in the Seattle Seahawks’ 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Somehow, however, the third-year receiver still isn’t getting his proper due. While many saw him as a high-volume possession target when he entered the league, Smith-Njigba has ascended to the role of a go-to weapon, with his 13 targets Sunday constituting nearly half of Seattle’s pass attempts. He’s been nothing short of essential for an offense yet to make good on the promises of installing a hard-charging, efficient rushing attack, as Seattle’s backs combined for just 58 yards on 22 carries against the Jaguars.

Ladd McConkey

His sophomore campaign hasn’t seen the same highs as his spectacular rookie debut, in part due to a more diversified Los Angeles Chargers’ passing attack. On Sunday, however, McConkey served a reminder that he’s still central to the aerial attack. With accusations of ‘Chargering’ starting to stir up online as the Bolts squandered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, the receiver came up big when Justin Herbert evaded a sack and found him on second down, as McConkey shook rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. and dashed down the left sideline for a 42-yard gain. That set up Cameron Dicker for the go-ahead field goal, and Los Angeles avoided a three-game skid. McConkey finished with seven catches for a season-high 100 yards and a touchdown on a day when every bit of his production was vital.

George Pickens

Acquired by the Cowboys in a post-draft move to lighten the load on CeeDee Lamb in the passing attack, Pickens figured to be a particularly combustible addition given his turbulent run with the Steelers. So far, however, he’s been explosive in all the right ways for Dallas. With Lamb still sidelined by an ankle injury, Pickens routinely victimized Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson on Sunday, tallying season highs of nine catches and 168 yards. His latest score also extended his streak of games with a touchdown to five. It’s fun to envision what this offense is capable of with Lamb likely returning in the near future and Dak Prescott playing at a near-MVP level. But this game highlighted that Dallas might see its chance at remaining relevant down the stretch undone by a defense incapable of generating consistent stops.

Losers

49ers’ hopes of hanging on

No other team has had its resiliency tested quite like the San Francisco 49ers, who have been hit at almost every level imaginable by a broad spectrum of injuries. But Sunday’s expected season-ending loss of four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to a fractured and dislocated ankle feels distinctly different from the rest. A roving playmaker capable of flying to the ball on deep passes or in the backfield, Warner simply cannot be replaced in the aggregate by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who previously managed to compensate for Nick Bosa’s torn anterior cruciate ligament by dialing up an array of blitzes. But Warner’s loss also seems bound to be felt in the leadership vacuum his absence creates on defense. Meanwhile, wide receiver Jauan Jennings revealed he’s been playing through five broken ribs and two ankle injuries. At 4-2 with a favorable schedule remaining, San Francisco is hardly out of the NFC playoff race. But threatening for a division title will be exceedingly difficult given that a return to full health – or somewhere close to there – is clearly not on the table.

Ravens’ revival odds

If Baltimore is to save its season after a 1-5 start, it’s going to take a rare blend of accomplishment and help. Since the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field five years ago, only one team – Washington in 2020 – has managed to make it to the postseason with the same mark out through the first six contests. And that was only possible thanks to an NFC East race that didn’t produce a single team with a winning record, which seems wildly unlikely to be repeated in this year’s AFC North given the presence of the 4-1 Pittsburgh Steelers atop the division. Getting Lamar Jackson back after the bye should alleviate many woes from an offense that was held without a touchdown for the first time since 2022, and maybe the defense gets an additional boost from the expected return of Roquan Smith. By now, however, it should be evident that there’s no panacea for a team with this many ailments.

Shedeur Sanders

It should probably be considered a win for the fifth-round pick to begin his stint as Dillon Gabriel’s backup, as Sanders is now actually somewhat close to his first action. But it’s hard to shake the thought that the former Colorado standout could actually have seen time this week as benched Baltimore Ravens backup Cooper Rush’s replacement on Sunday had he not instructed the team not to draft him. Maybe it’s a moot point with Lamar Jackson seemingly coming back after the bye, but Cleveland looks poised to exhibit plenty of patience with Gabriel given how widespread the offensive problems are.

Greg Newsome II and Tyson Campbell

The two cornerbacks were exchanged for one another in a somewhat surprising trade last week between the Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. Each had a rough outing in making a debut with a short turnaround. On his first snap with the Jaguars, Newsome was roasted by Smith-Njigba for a 61-yard touchdown. Campbell fared better at certain points, recording two pass breakups and a forced fumble. But DK Metcalf also got the better of him on several occasions, including on an easy 25-yard touchdown connection with Aaron Rodgers. Better days should be ahead with more experience in their respective schemes, but both defenders might be swimming for a bit as they try to make a pretty significant midseason adjustment.

Embattled coaches

The New York Giants’ statement win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night provided a major dose of relief to Brian Daboll. Beyond that, however, it feels as though hot seats around the league are only getting warmer as fall temperatures dip. Aaron Glenn, Mike McDaniel, Brian Callahan and Jonathan Gannon all lost while facing sizable scrutiny over the directions of their respective franchises. None of the defeats reached blowout territory, and it’s difficult to tell if the first firing of the season is anywhere close. But the season is slipping away for all of these struggling teams, and so too might be the coaches’ chances of saving themselves.

Dolphins in distress

After McDaniel declared following the Week 1 debacle that ‘I don’t see how it could be worse,’ things seemed to settle down for the Dolphins a little bit, even if the results were still largely disappointing. But Miami veered back into dysfunction after the Chargers regrouped in the final minute to push back into the lead after a late collapse. Tua Tagovailoa called out ‘leadership’ and cited attendance in players-only meetings as issues taking a toll on the organization. But that assessment would seem to point back at the quarterback, a captain who should be blazing a trail of accountability for a team that can’t seem to get on the same page. McDaniel said Tagovailoa was ‘sending a message,’ but what’s achieved by players airing out their issues without anyone being specifically put on notice? For a franchise that placed a special focus on rooting out its cultural issues this offseason, Miami sure looks due for another overhaul in the coming months.

Justin Fields

Pin the blame for this performance wherever you want; there’s plenty to go around. But when a quarterback finishes with as many sacks (nine) as completions and his team ends up with -10 net passing yards, it’s clear he also took a pretty hefty L. Fields will have to answer for the processing questions that he brushed aside last week, though New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand didn’t provide much help in the form of ways to mitigate the Denver Broncos’ fierce pass rush. At least he has the backing of coach Aaron Glenn, who responded to an inquiry about a potential change behind center by saying, ‘What kind of question is that?’

The college football landscape is chaotic midway through the season with no clear leader for the College Football Playoff.
Several top teams, including Georgia and Oregon, have shown significant vulnerabilities in recent games.
The current College Football Playoff bracket projection has Miami, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas Tech as the top four seeds.

We’ve officially reached peak crazy midway through the college football season, without a College Football Playoff leader in sight. 

If Alabama is on the top of the big, bad SEC (because it sure isn’t Ole Miss or Texas A&M), what does that make ACC middling Florida State? The Noles have played four games against Power conference teams, and won once.

I’ll let you guess who the one is. 

If USC coach Lincoln Riley can call the Trojans a “tough-ass” team, imagine the toughness of Illinois, whose two losses were to Indiana and Ohio State by a combined 71 points. The Illini, of course, beat USC ― after nearly blowing a two-touchdown lead on the tough-ass Trojans.

If Kirby Smart is dancing on tables at Auburn because once mighty Georgia escaped The Plains with a second-half rally to beat an Auburn, does that say more about the Dawgs ― or Auburn’s decision three years ago to hire offensive-minded coach Hugh Freeze, whose offense A.) can’t protect the quarterback, and B.) couldn’t throw the ball efficiently even if it could protect the quarterback. 

If James Franklin was fired at Penn State because he couldn’t win big games, what does that make Dan Lanning at Oregon? Because the Ducks’ record in games of significance is beginning to look a lot like Franklin’s record in those games at Penn State.

Franklin won a Big Ten title (so did Lanning), Franklin once beat Ohio State at home (so did Lanning). And Lanning, like Franklin, has had it handed to him in big games. Washington twice, Ohio State in last year’s Rose Bowl, and Indiana on Saturday. 

And speaking of Indiana, you really want crazy? The Hoosiers sure look like the best team in the nation. Which, of course, is absolutely absurd.

All of that can only mean one thing: it’s about to get all kinds of crazy in the second half of the season.

A look at this week’s CFP bracket projection: 

1. Miami: Out of sight, nearly out of mind. Canes need to wallop everything in sight (which won’t be difficult in the ACC) to have a legit chance at top seed. 

2. Indiana: I can’t believe I’m writing this: if Indiana isn’t 12-0 in late November, it will be the biggest upset of the season. Next: Michigan State. 

3. Ohio State: I get the Matt Patricia love with the defense. The Buckeyes after that? OK … fine. But No.1? We’ll know a lot more after Ohio State and Indiana play in Indianapolis in the Big Ten championship game. Next: at Wisconsin.

4. Texas Tech: You’ve got to actually take time to watch this team. The suffocating defense, the quick-strike offense. Stop looking at the Red Raiders through the Big 12 lens. Next: at Arizona State. 

5. Alabama: Let’s be honest, if Missouri QB Beau Pribula doesn’t throw two interceptions, we’re talking about Missouri as the best team in the SEC. Next: Tennessee.

6. Oregon: The biggest concern for Oregon after the Indiana loss: pass protection. Dante Moore was sacked six times, and but for his unique escapability, would’ve been sacked 10. 

7. Texas A&M: The day beating Florida is a big deal, is the day Lane Kiffin is coaching the Gators. Next: at Arkansas. 

8. Oklahoma: I get it, injured QB John Mateer wanted to play. Shouldn’t have, should’ve completely healed first. Forget the battle, think of the war. Next: at South Carolina.

10. Georgia: Just barely hanging on, and doing it on reputation alone (and a little help from SEC officiating). Something tells me we’ll all jump back on the boogeyman bandwagon after this coming weekend in Athens. Next: Ole Miss.  

11. Ole Miss: The 2024 team was Kiffin’s best. This group is finding ways to win, but living dangerously. And could still make the CFP. Next: at Georgia.

12. South Florida: You’re a No. 5 seed and you get this team in the first round? Oh, boy. Next: Florida Atlantic.

The Bracket

First round byes: Miami, Indiana, Ohio State, Texas Tech. 

First round games

(12) South Florida at Alabama (5)

(11) Ole Miss at (6) Oregon

(10) Georgia at (7) Texas A&M (7)

(9) Georgia Tech at (8) Oklahoma

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.