The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 after a dominant start to the second half.
Matthew Stafford threw two quick touchdown passes in the third quarter to secure the lead.
The Ravens played without injured quarterback Lamar Jackson for the second consecutive game.

“It’s early in the season. You don’t take wins for granted,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “I’ve certainly learned that. I’m really happy for the group to be able to find a way.” 

Finding a way to beat a beleaguered Baltimore squad and figuring out how to contend for a Super Bowl – certainly the goal for the talented group assembled by general manager Les Snead and coached by McVay, the braintrust that led the Rams to a Super Bowl 56 victory – are two different goals. For Sunday, however, the former was sufficient, regardless of how much they tried to beat themselves. The Rams went 2-for-5 in the red zone, and Baltimore held the ball 15 minutes longer than Los Angeles. 

“I feel like we moved the ball up and down the field last week and had 400-something yards of offense and lost the game and felt pretty (expletive) about it,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had 181 passing yards while completing 17-of-26 attempts. “Felt good about this one.” 

The Rams had last played Thursday, Oct. 2 – a surprising 26-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, who were also missing their starting quarterback. Los Angeles had made plenty of mistakes to lose that game despite the offense putting up more than 450 yards, with Stafford accounting for 389 through the air. The Rams’ first-half performance in Baltimore 11 days later, was a continuation of that lack of execution. 

Other than the Ravens’ first drive, which ended in a field goal after Derrick Henry ran for 45 of his 122 yards, the defense led the way to victory. Linebacker Nate Landman set a Rams single-game record for tackles (17). They forced three turnovers and forced three turnovers on downs. To start the fourth quarter, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh inserted Tyler “Snoop” Huntley to replace the ineffective Rush. On the other side of the ball, the Rams’ offense was hit-or-miss, Stafford said. 

“I don’t think we threw it and caught it as best as we can,” he said. “Sometimes those days happen.” 

Stafford – who passed Dan Marino for ninth on the all-time passing yards list – dialed it up out of the locker room, where McVay said he gave his team some added inspiration to live up to their potential. The Rams went on a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that took three minutes and eight seconds off the clock. Davante Adams and Stafford connected for 21 yards on the first play of the half and Stafford also found running back Kyren Williams for a 30-yard fourth-down conversion; Williams scored from three yards out on the next play. 

“They’re a team that’s battered and bruised right now, obviously they’re missing their quarterback,” Adams said, “but that’s something we’re not going to apologize for.” 

“I feel like we did a good job of figuring out a way to win the game … it’s good. It was a weird one. But we move on and turn the page.” 

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, part of the Baltimore offense that desperately missed quarterback Lamar Jackson for the second straight game, coughed up a fumble forced by Rams defensive end Jared Verse and returned to the Baltimore 21-yard line by safety Quentin Lake. 

Two plays later, Stafford found Tyler Higbee for a walk-in score and the Rams were up 17-3 with 10:20 left in the third quarter. In less than five minutes, before fans even returned to their seats from halftime restroom and refreshment trips, the Rams reminded everybody why they’re among the NFL’s most dangerous teams. 

“We did just enough to win the game,” Stafford said, “which is the name of the game.” 

Special teams remained an issue for McVay’s squad. Joshua Karty’s kicking struggles reemerged immediately as he missed a 26-yard chip shot on the Rams’ first possession. His 36-yard field goal in the second quarter had the elegance of a wounded pigeon. 

That wasn’t the end of the mishaps. Lake intercepted Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush – starting in place of Jackson, who has a hamstring injury, in the first quarter. Stafford was strip-sacked by John Jenkins on the very next play and Baltimore regained possession. 

In the second quarter, a false-start penalty nuked the Rams’ next drive, a three-and-out four minutes before halftime. The Rams punted and forced a fumble on the return. But an ineligible man downfield flag induced a redo of the play. Ravens returner LaJohntay Wester took the next kick 36 yards back to the Rams’ 32-yard line.  

It took a goal-line stand by the defense and some suspect Ravens playcalling bailed out the special teams gaffe. The Rams went into halftime tied 3-3 with a team that resembled the corpses of a Halloween display. Whether it was the turnovers or negative plays, McVay knew things had to turn around in the second half. 

“The best thing that I saw was the sense of urgency and then the execution that occurred that allowed us to go up 14 points,” he said. “The way that our defense was playing, as long as we didn’t make a catastrophic mistake, we felt like that was enough to control it.” 

Stafford and the Rams’ had to navigate a handful of possessions without the league’s top receiver, Puka Nacua. He limped off the field with a left foot injury but eventually returned to the game in the second half. 

“Maybe he could have pressed through,” McVay said, “but we were being smart more than anything.” 

To start the fourth quarter, McVay left his offense on the field for a fourth-and-3 play from the Ravens six-yard line. Stafford was sacked and instead of making it a three-possession game, the score remained 17-3. Granted, his field-goal unit has not performed at a high level throughout the season, including against the Ravens. 

“You’d love to be able to finish some of those drives to close it out,” McVay said. 

He added: “We’ll keep growing. We’ll keep learning together.” 

The San Francisco 49ers were already playing today’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without edge rusher Nick Bosa, who is out for the season with an ACL injury.

They may be without another one of their stars for a while.

All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner went down on a 1st and 10 run by the Buccaneers halfway through the first quarter. A replay showed a gruesome ankle injury as Warner got rolled up on as safety Ji’Ayir Brown made a tackle on Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.

Warner’s right leg was put in an air cast and he was carted off the field and into the locker room.

Multiple players for the Buccaneers’ offense and 49ers’ defense knelt on the field as San Francisco’s training staff tended to Warner.

Almost the entire 49ers bench cleared to check on Warner as he was placed on the cart and taken off the field.

Second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune has entered the game in Warner’s place.

This story will be updated with more information when available.

UAB football added another coach firing to the docket, parting ways with third-year coach Trent Dilfer, the school announced on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion, went 9-21 with the Blazers, never winning more than four games in a season. He was an out-of-the-box hire at the time, having only coached at the high school level before getting the job.

UAB went 2-4 this season under Dilfer, with its lone wins against Alabama State and Akron. It fell to Florida Atlantic, 53-33, on Oct. 11. Offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen will serve as interim head coach of the Blazers.

‘This decision will allow us to move forward in the best long-term interest of the program,’ UAB director of athletics Mark Ingram said in a statement.

Dilfer is the third head coach fired on Oct. 12, joining James Franklin, who was fired by Penn State and Trent Bray, who was fired by Oregon State.

Dilfer was making $1.45 million this season, according to USA TODAY Sports’ head coaches salaries database. His buyout as of Dec. 1, 2025, was set at more than $2.8 million.

Prior to coaching at UAB, Dilfer coached high school football at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville and was an analyst on ESPN. He also helped establish the Elite 11 Academy, which trains the most elite prep quarterbacks in the country and has developed numerous NFL starters.

Dilfer won multiple state championships and finished 26-1 in his final two seasons at Lipscomb Academy.

Dilfer was the No. 6 overall pick out of Fresno State in the 1994 NFL Draft. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1994-99, before spending one season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, serving as the starting quarterback en route to a Super Bowl win.

Dilfer also played for the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, with his final season coming in 2007.

UAB took a chance on Dilfer as its seventh head coach, and missed big. The program will look to get on track with its next hire.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

After a chaotic Week 6 of the 2025 college football season in which top-10 Penn State and Texas teams lost on the road against unranked opponents, Week 7 was slightly more normal.

Only slightly, though.

No. 7 Indiana went on the road and knocked off No. 2 Oregon 30-20 to snap the Ducks’ 18-game home win streak at Autzen Stadium. It was a resounding victory for coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, who made the College Football Playoff last season, but whose multi-possession losses against the only two ranked teams they faced raised questions about just how good they actually were. Now, with transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza leading the way, those concerns have largely vanished.

Elsewhere in the sport, No. 6 Oklahoma fell to No. 19 Texas in the Red River Rivalry, with Sooners quarterback John Mateer tossing three interceptions in his first game back after undergoing hand surgery last month. No. 8 Alabama knocked off No. 14 Missouri 27-24, continuing the hot run for coach Kalen DeBoer and his team after an embarrassing season-opening loss to Florida State. No. 1 Ohio State continued to show why it might be the best team in the sport, rolling past No. 17 Illinois 34-16.

A pair of the Buckeyes’ ranked Big Ten counterparts didn’t fare nearly as well. No. 15 Michigan made the cross-country trip to USC and lost handily, with the Trojans delivering it a 31-13 setback. In what might have been the most surprising result of the day, No. 22 Penn State was stunned by a Big Ten cellar-dweller for the second-consecutive week, getting upset 22-21 at home by Northwestern.

Here’s how those games impacted the Week 8 US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25:

College football rankings after Week 7

First-place votes in parentheses.

US LBM Coaches Poll

Ohio State (63)
Miami (2)
Indiana (1)
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Alabama
Georgia
Texas Tech
Oregon
LSU
Tennessee
Georgia Tech
Oklahoma
BYU
Notre Dame
Missouri
Texas
Vanderbilt
Virginia
Memphis
USC
Utah
South Florida
Cincinnati
Illinois

Others receiving votes: Michigan 119; Nebraska 90; Washington 85; UNLV 43; Navy 43; Louisville 18; Tulane 17; Arizona State 17; Duke 11; Iowa 9; Iowa State 7; Clemson 6; Houston 4; TCU 1; San Diego State 1; Pittsburgh 1.

AP Top 25

Ohio State (50)
Miami (13)
Indiana (3)
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Alabama
Texas Tech
Oregon
Georgia
LSU
Tennessee
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
BYU
Missouri
Vanderbilt
Virginia
South Florida
Southern California
Texas
Memphis
Utah
Cincinnati
Nebraska

Others receiving votes: Illinois 113; Michigan 73; Washington 36; UNLV 30; Navy 11; Mississippi State 8; Tulane 2; San Diego State 2.

Penn State fans chanted for James Franklin’s firing. They got their wish.
Now that Franklin is out, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell inherits the hottest seat in the Big Ten.
Down South, hot seats are smoldering at Florida, Florida State and Auburn.

Penn State’s James Franklin beat Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Florida’s Billy Napier in the race to buyout bliss.

Penn State fans mercilessly chanted for Franklin’s firing after an embarrassing home loss to Northwestern. Hours later, they got their wish. Franklin is out at Penn State.

The hot seat remains cranked on high at Wisconsin and down to Auburn, Florida State and Florida.

For at least a couple of these guys, hot seat seems like a misnomer. They’re fired coaches in waiting, sideline stiffs waiting on their failure money to be delivered in the form of a buyout check.

Here are a few snap judgments from Week 7:

Penn State fans chant for James Franklin’s firing and get their wish

James Franklin wouldn’t say yes. Asked multiple times whether he wanted to remain Penn State’s coach after another flop, this one to Northwestern, Franklin did everything but answer yes.

He spoke of his commitment to his players. He expressed an understanding for fans’ frustration. He took “full responsibility for what’s happened this season.” He said a lot of words when answering direct questions about his future, but he wouldn’t say whether he wanted to remain Penn State’s coach.

Franklin must have realized once the home fans are booing you before you lose to Northwestern, you’re already on your way out. The loss to the Wildcats made it official.

Just a few days ago, I mused whether a Penn State-Franklin breakup could unfold with Franklin leaving for another job, rather than the Nittany Lions firing him. Franklin slinking out the back door would have saved Penn State a whopper buyout.

Franklin leaving for another job became a pipe dream. Northwestern made sure of that. Not even P.T. Barnum could sell a fan base on a Franklin hire, not after a loss to the Wildcats.

Penn State fans were at no loss for words, chanting “Fire Franklin!” and booing as the final seconds ticked off inside Beaver Stadium.

Franklin beat Fickell on the journey to buyout utopia.

Wisconsin, Luke Fickell challenge Penn State, James Franklin for misery

Nobody described Wisconsin’s 37-0 loss to Iowa better than the man who served it up.

“I’m dumbfounded,” Fickell said, amid his brutal assessment.

I’m dumbfounded, too, at how Wisconsin could be this inept. The Badgers (2-4) are on pace for their worst season since going 1-10 in 1990 in Barry Alvarez’s first season.

Wisconsin fired Paul Chryst in 2022 after it lost 34-10 at home to Illinois. The Illini were so much better that day at playing like how Wisconsin is supposed to play. That’s a tough look. But, in firing Chryst, Wisconsin ousted a coach who won 72% of his games.

Oh, how glorious that clip would look right now in Madison compared to this trash heap festering under Fickell, who’s not recruiting well, either.

Why is Fickell, who is 15-17 at Wisconsin, still employed today? Two words: Pricey buyout. It tops $27 million.

Pass the hat.

Curt Cignetti: Great hire. Luke Fickell: Bad hire. Go figure.

Let’s all just admit this hiring business is a glorified crapshoot.

Fickell seemed like he’d be a good fit for Wisconsin on the surface. He’d won consistently at Cincinnati while establishing a hard-nosed style that seemed like it ought to translate to Wisconsin and the Big Ten.

So much for that idea. While Fickell flops in Madison, Curt Cignetti ignites Indiana. Cignetti was such an unknown commodity when he arrived at IU he encouraged skeptics to Google him. In doing so, they’d learn he won in the Division II and Group of Five ranks. Now, he’s crushing it at Indiana.

Cignetti’s Hoosiers authored a cute little subplot last season while they made a shocking uprising to the playoff, but Cignetti’s sequel is no sideshow.

These Hoosiers can play with anybody. They proved that by bullying Oregon at Autzen Stadium. The Hoosiers played with more physicality than the Ducks in a 30-20 victory, and they looked every bit as athletic.

Unranked Maryland is the best opponent left on Indiana’s schedule. Look for Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to pick up Heisman steam if the No. 3 Hoosiers should roll into a Big Ten championship clash with Ohio State undefeated.

ESPN’s Nick Saban caused a ripple this week when he downplayed the Big Ten and hailed the SEC’s depth of “pretty good” teams.

Perhaps so many SEC teams appear pretty good, because the conference lacks any force that’s as dominant as Indiana or Ohio State. While the SEC pushes its parity in a quest to stockpile playoff bids, Ohio State, Indiana, Miami and Texas Tech separate from the pack.

Oklahoma’s playoff hopes absorb a punch

Credit John Mateer’s grit that he played in Red River just 17 days after he had hand surgery, but he did more harm than good for Oklahoma. He threw three interceptions in a 23-6 loss to Texas that props up the Longhorns a bit and casts some serious doubt on the Sooners.

Mateer starting did Oklahoma no favors. The playoff selection committee might have handled this Oklahoma loss more gently if it had come while the Sooners started a backup quarterback.

Arch Manning started authoring his comeback story, but give most of the credit to Texas’ defense and its offensive line solidifying.

Three and out

1. Has there been a more disappointing coach in the Power Four the past two seasons than Mike Norvell? Years from now, the AI bots that rule the world will be at a loss for how Florida State managed to beat Alabama in the 2025 season opener. The Seminoles are a wilted bunch after losing at home to Pittsburgh. If you’re wondering about Norvell’s buyout, it’s a whopper topping $58 million. Score another one for agent Jimmy Sexton.

2. Auburn, riding a three-game losing streak, will play its next five games against Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Mercer. That’s as favorable of a midseason stretch as Hugh Freeze can ever expect. Here’s his chance to reshape his tenure. Consider it his final chance.

3. Texas Tech played the second half against Kansas using its backup quarterback after Behren Morton’s injury and still won 42-17. One of these Big 12 teams is not like the others. It’s the one bankrolled by a billionaire.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Aaron Glenn left many puzzled by the Jets’ game management in a loss to the Broncos.
Denver’s pass rush was downright dominant, securing nine sacks against Justin Fields and New York.
The Jets defense stepped up in a major way, but it wasn’t enough in the loss.

Even the NFL’s duller International Series games have a way of engineering some intrigue.

Sunday’s London matchup between the Denver Broncos and winless New York Jets marked a meeting of teams on divergent trajectories. For a good deal of the day, the two seemed to be continuing along their respective paths. But after the Jets seized the lead on a safety in the third quarter, an outcome that would have gone down as one of the NFL’s biggest – and strangest – early-season upsets was distinctly in play.

Late in the fourth quarter, however, the Broncos regrouped to set up the go-ahead field goal before the defense wrapped up a dominant outing in a 13-11 win.

It was the sort of sloppy affair that was difficult for both participants and onlookers to process. Nevertheless, here is our breakdown of the game’s biggest winners and losers:

Winners

Broncos defense

The league leaders in sacks coming into the game teed off against Gang Green, bagging Justin Fields for nine more. And while potential NFL Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Nik Bonitto made his mark, the pass rush came from an array of sources, with eight players recording at least a half-sack. And with the game potentially on the line on a fourth down in Denver territory, the Broncos closed the lid by corralling Fields yet again. No room for error in this one, and the unit was about as stout as anyone could ask for.

Kickers

The scoring in this game didn’t amount to much more than literal legwork. Nick Folk’s two first-quarter field goals helped salvage two Jets drives that quickly came to a halt despite beginning with promising field position, and he later banged in one more. In addition to hitting the game winner, counterpart Wil Lutz also booted a 57-yard field goal, his longest conversion since joining Denver in 2023. This might not be your sport if you enjoy this kind of action, but this was your game.

Sean Payton

He won’t be happy with how the trip went down – nor should he be – but the Broncos coach has a way of working things out away from his home country. Payton, who in 1988 wound down his playing career by playing for the Leicester Panthers in what was then known as the Budweiser National League, extended his perfect mark in international games to 3-0. Now standing at 4-2, Denver won’t face a team with a winning record until a Week 11 meetup with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the bye. Good chance for the coach with the highest October winning percentage among those with at least 50 games to continue his autumnal dominance.

Jets special teams

The kickers weren’t the only ones doing more than their fair share for New York. Kene Nwangwu and Isaiah Williams repeatedly put the offense in favorable positions only to watch the unit fall flat. The former’s 72-yard kick return on the team’s second drive marked the second consecutive possession in which the Jets started with the ball in Broncos territory and then settled for a Folk field goal after going three-and-out.

Steve Wilks

Aaron Glenn last week deflected inquiries about whether it was time to shift defensive play-calling duties given the unit’s widespread struggles through five weeks. Against the Broncos, Wilks’ crew finally rid itself of the rampant missed tackles and penalties that had dogged previous efforts. Jermaine Johnson’s return after the edge rusher missed the previous three games with an ankle injury proved particularly meaningful, as the defense frequently created problems up front for Denver in both the run and pass game. It wasn’t a totally sterling effort, as the first half featured the Broncos racking up 175 yards, and the group buckled late on the game-winning drive. But at least this showed what the group is capable of when it stays clean.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Doesn’t get much better for a defensive player than forcing a fumble on the first play for a new team. In his first action since being dealt by the Tennessee Titans in September, the second-year cornerback managed to fluster Broncos receiver Troy Franklin into parting with the ball, which safety Andre Cisco then pounced on for the Jets’ long-awaited first takeaway of the season. He got trucked by Nix later in the first half, but a solid showing helped Brownlee make a claim to the nickel job.

Losers

Justin Fields

In the lead-up to the game, the Jets quarterback bristled when reporters brought up statistics indicating that he holds onto the ball too long. Hard to ignore the narrative after this one. Forced to look beyond his go-to target with wide receiver Garrett Wilson locked down, Fields repeatedly looked out of sorts, finishing with just 45 yards passing. Worse yet: The Jets sent a clear message in trying to minimize his impact until the final drive, with Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand content to run Breece Hall into a wall and play the field position game. In a game when the defense and special teams did more than enough to secure the win, Fields was unquestionably the greatest on-field limitation for Gang Green.

Aaron Glenn

The leader of the NFL’s lone winless franchise looks bound to become a reference point for what not to do in critical game management situations. Running out the clock to end the first half rightfully stirred up plenty of consternation – including from one of his own star players. But the blunders didn’t end there. Faced with a fourth-and-1 from his team’s own 30-yard line while holding an 11-10 lead, Glenn had the offense line up to go for it before burning a timeout for no discernible reason and punting. Then, after the Broncos took the lead on the ensuing drive and Hall helped get New York close to Folk’s field goal range, New York called on Fields to drop back four consecutive times despite the incessant pressure and disastrous results that had been so pervasive throughout the previous three-plus quarters. Folk converting a 62-yard field goal might seem outlandish, but no more so than this passing attack handling a fourth-and-8. New York has a good shot at ending its drought in the coming weeks against the likes of the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns, but this was a major missed opportunity that will increase the heat on Glenn exponentially.

Garrett Wilson

His day was tough enough with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II draped all over him. But the Jets star was boxed in by far more than the Broncos cornerback on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand didn’t seem to find many ways to generate touches for Wilson, who finished with just three catches for 13 yards on eight targets. The receiver was also done few favors by Fields, who was too often late with the ball, allowing Broncos defenders to close in and force an incompletion. Wilson has been a steadying force through a difficult era, but the disconnect felt like something that would be seen in last year’s routine dysfunction.

Woody Johnson

Can’t have felt good for the Jets owner and former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom to have heard lusty boos from the London crowd as his team took the field. Must have been even tougher to take in this performance as his team dropped to 0-6. And unlike after last year’s flop abroad against the Minnesota Vikings that led to Robert Saleh’s firing two days later, Johnson doesn’t have much of a choice to jettison his first-year coach. Any in-season changes are going to be hard to come by.

Kurt Warner

Long known as one of the NFL world’s true nice guys, the Hall of Fame quarterback seemed to be sent into a spiral of madness by the bizarre decision-making and offensive ineptitude throughout the day, with his confusion peaking at the end-of-half sequence. Good thing Warner is going to be treated to two ace play-callers in Liam Coen and Sean McVay in next week’s Jacksonville Jaguars-Los Angeles Rams tilt to wrap up his London stint.

Broncos offensive line

Tough day for one of the league’s more accomplished fronts. The rushing attack netted just 78 yards on 26 carries, with a good chunk of that coming from Bo Nix (five carries, 24 yards) and his scrambles. Left guard Matt Peart had three of the Broncos’ five first-half penalties, including a second holding that negated a big play to Troy Franklin. Left tackle Garett Bolles was responsible for a holding call that yielded a safety. Far too many problems holding up at the point of attack – particularly on the interior – for this attack to get anything going.

The Arizona Cardinals’ second-year wide receiver – the son of Indianapolis Colts icon Marvin Harrison – injured his head during the second quarter of the Cardinals’ clash with the Colts in Indianapolis.

The Cardinals announced that they have ruled Harrison out for the remainder of the game after diagnosing him with a concussion.

Harrison caught a deep pass over the middle from quarterback Jacoby Brissett but slammed the back of his head on the ground after making the catch in the second quarter.

The wideout was slow to get up after the play and headed to the blue medical tent for a concussion evaluation. Shortly thereafter, he headed to the locker room with the Cardinals’ training staff.

Marvin Harrison Jr. injury update

Harrison was downgraded to out for the remainder of Sunday’s game after the Cardinals’ training staff diagnosed him with a concussion.

The injury occurred in the second quarter against the Colts, when Harrison slammed the back of his head on the ground while he got tackled.

He was slow to get up initially and exited to the blue medical tent on the Arizona sideline after the play ended. The Cardinals’ training staff brought Harrison back to the team’s locker room after a short stint in the tent, and the team announced he was being evaluated for a concussion.

Harrison will enter the NFL’s concussion protocol and may be in danger of missing more time if the concussion is severe.

Marvin Harrison Jr. stats

Through five games, Harrison was on pace for a better sophomore campaign after a middling first season for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Targets: 32
Receptions: 20
Receiving yards: 306
Touchdowns: 2

Harrison’s 15.3 yards per reception are a full yard better than his 14.3 yards per catch last year. His 61.2 yards per game entering Week 6 also had him on pace for his first 1,000-yard season.

This story has been updated.

Denny Hamlin has driven for Joe Gibbs Racing since 2005. In 2021, he also launched 23XI Racing, a team he co-owns with Michael Jordan.
Hamlin’s unique conflict came to a head two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway while he was racing 23XI’s Bubba Wallace for the win.
Hamlin, who will turn 45 on Nov. 18, is still seeking the one thing missing from his résumé: a NASCAR Cup championship.

LAS VEGAS — Denny Hamlin will start on the pole at South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 12 in the middle of an ongoing predicament in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Hamlin, a likely Hall-of-Famer with 59 career victories, is chasing his first NASCAR Cup championship while testing the boundaries between driving for one team (Joe Gibbs Racing) and co-owning another team (23XI Racing) with Michael Jordan.

“It sounds easy, running a race team, but it’s not,’’ Hamlin told USA TODAY Sports while addressing the dynamic. “You’re always putting out fires and then understanding how to manage those fires is the key.’

It was a fire Hamlin started that drew attention to the predicament.

On Sept. 28 during the second round of the NASCAR playoffs, Hamlin drove his No. 11 Toyota onto Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 amid the field of 37 cars, which also included 23XI Racing’s top drivers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. On the final lap of the race, with Hamlin and Wallace competing for the win in overtime, the aggressive-driving Hamlin forced Wallace up the track, into the outside wall and out of the lead.

“You’re going to have those situations, and it won’t be the last where I’m racing a 23XI car for a victory,’’ Hamlin said. “And do I wish that I could do things maybe differently had things happened all over again? Yeah, that’s part of life lessons that you continue even as an adult.

“Been doing this 20 years. I always feel like I’m a student of the game and a student of learning as a person and a man how I can be better.’’

Hamlin did not elaborate what he would have done differently in Kansas. But the heart-to-heart he later apparently had with Wallace did not extinguish all embers of the fire.

A Wallace victory would have guaranteed a 23XI Racing driver a berth in the Round of 8, which kicks of at Las Vegas as the playoffs continue with four races remaining in the 2025 season. Instead, Wallace and Reddick were both eliminated the next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin, the driver, remains in championship contention after safely advancing to the third round on points.

“I think about it every day,’’ Wallace, who has driven for 23XI Racing since its inception, told USA TODAY Sports about the incident with Hamlin at Kansas. “It’s still difficult to swallow just being out (of the playoffs) at this point because I didn’t have it in our playbook when the playoffs started.’’

Hamlin likely didn’t either, despite having to navigate the delicate balance between racing for one team and owning another since 23XI Racing debuted as a NASCAR Cup Series team at the 2021 Daytona 500. It’s one of the most unique conundrums in sports, especially as Hamlin, who will turn 45 on Nov. 18, seeks the one thing missing from his résumé: a NASCAR Cup championship.

“I’m in a tough situation because I also compete, so there’s a couple days of the weekend where I can’t really be the owner of 23XI. I have to go and compete against them,’ Hamlin told USA TODAY Sports. ‘But for the rest of the time … my success long term is in that (23XI Racing) building. That’s where my goals are long term, is to see that team succeed. In the short term, they’re competitors of mine, on at least Sunday.

‘What I’ve found for myself is I’ve got a really big tackle box in my brain that’s able to compartmentalize different parts of my life. Even though I’ve got so much going on, I find little spaces for each one of them.’

Hamlin, brought to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media room after winning the pole Saturday, ended up fielding questions about the incident with Wallace yet again, two weeks after that race. He also addressed the issues with USA TODAY Sports before qualifying started.

“I’ve been with Joe Gibbs Racing for over 20 years now and I have to make sure on Sundays I have to do everything to win for that team,’’ Hamlin said. “Because they’re the ones that hired me and they wouldn’t hire a driver that is conflicted in the end.’

While Hamlin sounded contrite at one point, he later stressed how he’s helped 23XI Racing drivers and that he works more with them than with his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, fellow playoff drivers Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.

“Not because I chose that, but because they (23XI drivers) pick my brain a little bit more than my Joe Gibbs Racing teammates do,’’ he said. “So I try to make them faster for six days of the week and sometimes they go out there and use that information I give them and they go and beat me with it, and then I’m kicking myself. But I always bring myself back to, their success is going to be good for me in the long term.’’

Hamlin said he’s not surprised the incident with one of the 23XI Racing drivers took place.

“It’s just amazing it took five years …’’ he said. “But when you’re looking for a win, it’s an interesting, complex thing that I find myself in, right?”

(This story has been updated to correct a date.)

The host Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals are locked in a close battle in Week 6.

Indianapolis led 14-10 at halftime despite missing one of their best players on defense for an unusual reason.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward was ruled out of today’s game because of a concussion suffered during pregame warmups.

The game’s broadcast showed video of Ward colliding with a teammate in the hours leading up to the game. Ward was backpedaling and did not see another player walking on to the field behind him. The two collided and Ward went down hard on the turf in Lucas Oil Stadium.

He wasn’t the only Colts player to suffer an injury during warmups, either. Backup quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered an eye injury and was downgraded to inactive for the game, per multiple reports.

This is Ward’s first recorded concussion in his NFL career. He hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the 2021 NFL season when he suffered a quad injury and played just three contests.

This story will be updated with more information when available.