Sports category, Page 1189
Mark Madden: Futures bets that could pay off during NFL season
The NFL season is here. The most important thing is to get your bets down. What would football be without gambling? The most flawed wager I’ve witnessed so far this season is Carolina back Christian McCaffrey drafted second overall in a $6,500-per-team fantasy league. McCaffrey has played just 10 games...
Pitt Take 5: Victory against Vols could push Panthers toward early-season elite status
The outcome of Saturday’s game between Pitt and Tennessee might decide the Panthers’ status going forward: elite or just another above-average team. Nothing wrong with above-average, but the national perception around Pitt may need the kind of jolt that a victory in a showdown of ranked teams would bring. Pitt...
Friday Football Footnotes: Steelers history in openers vs. division foes; Aaron Donald’s ‘retirement’ note; NFL revenge games
This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” examines the Steelers’ history in AFC North season-opening games — and why this one in Cincinnati is so unique. There are some other quirks to the NFL’s schedule to begin 2022. We get the story behind Aaron Donald’s alleged retirement letter. An old Tennessee team...
Tim Benz: How the Steelers can replicate the 2021 season-opening upset in Buffalo this year in Cincinnati
The Pittsburgh Steelers began 2021 on the road in Buffalo as a 6 ½ point underdog against a Bills team that was coming off a division championship and was among the AFC Super Bowl favorites. Yet Mike Tomlin’s team won 23-16. This year they are opening on the road in...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 8, 2022: Luis Ortiz throws 6 no-hit innings in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 68-63) gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose 5-4 to Omaha (Royals). RHP John O’Reilly (5-3, 5.56) took the loss, giving up three runs on five hits in two innings. RHP Luis Ortiz (3.60) started and gave up two unearned runs without allowing...
Bills rout defending champion Rams in season opener
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Josh Allen passed for 297 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Von Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as a clear contender for the Rams’ Super Bowl crown with a 31-10 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night. Gabe Davis, Isaiah...
Ons Jabeur beats shaky Caroline Garcia in U.S. Open semis
NEW YORK — Ons Jabeur reached a second consecutive Grand Slam title match without needing to produce her best tennis Thursday night, taking full advantage of a shaky showing by Caroline Garcia to win their U.S. Open semifinal 6-1, 6-3. The No. 5-seeded Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia, was the...
AFC West: tough division with talented group of QBs
DENVER — The AFC West no longer looks like such a cakewalk for the Kansas City Chiefs now that Tyreek Hill is dashing past defenders in Miami. Not only did the Chiefs shockingly send Patrick Mahomes’ top receiver to the Dolphins for a fistful of draft picks, but their rivals...
Bengals try to stay on top in balanced, brutal AFC North
CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett’s face cringed as if he had just missed a certain sack by letting a quarterback escape. On the brink of a new season, Garrett hates to think about how Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, coming off three straight fourth-place finishes and expected to do little...
Steelers rookie George Pickens wants to show off blocking abilities in season opener
George Pickens made his mark in his first NFL training camp with the type of body control and spatial awareness that led to a series of artistic catches which he carried over into the preseason. As his NFL debut approaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team’s second-round draft pick would...
If Pitt can score quickly, Pat Narduzzi will take his chances against Tennessee’s up-tempo offense
Pat Narduzzi might have been exaggerating Thursday afternoon when he mentioned that Tennessee could actually run 100 plays against Pitt’s defense on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. How big of a departure from the norm would that be? West Virginia ran 73 plays last Thursday night. Keeping the No. 24 Volunteers...
After eventful offseason, Larry Ogunjobi to make Steelers debut vs. former Bengals teammates
Larry Ogunjobi’s first game with his new team is on the same field as his last game with his most recent team. It’s against that team, too. “We always say,” the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman said, “that God has a funny sense of humor.” Ogunjobi has had quite a ride...
Diontae Johnson deals with cramps; Cam Heyward, Chuks Okorafor sit out practice
For the second day in a row, wide receiver Diontae Johnson was a limited participant in practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to dealing with a shoulder injury, Johnson was bothered by cramps Thursday. Miles Boykin said he had to take Johnson’s spot with the first-team offense when the...
Bills rule AFC East, with Dolphins, Jets, Pats far behind
NEW YORK — Josh Allen refuses to live in anything but the present. The fact the Buffalo Bills have won the AFC East the past two years is nice, and so is having made the playoffs three straight seasons while building a bright future. It’s all about this season, though...
Adrian Peterson set to box Le’Veon Bell, wants to play again
Adrian Peterson still wants to play in the NFL after he fights Le’Veon Bell in the boxing ring. A four-time All-Pro running back, Peterson is taking on the two-time All-Pro back Bell on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It’ll be the first boxing match for the former...
Titans, Henry go for AFC South 3-peat chased by Colts, Ryan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Another year, yet another new starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts brings high expectations that this time Matt Ryan will put them back atop the AFC South. Then there’s the defending two-time divisional champ. The Tennessee Titans insist they aren’t paying much attention to the Colts. “I’ve...
All-Star closer David Bednar named Pirates nominee for Roberto Clemente Award
Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer David Bednar, a Mars alum, was named the team’s 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, one of MLB’s most prestigious individual honors. The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes a major league player who best represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions,...
Dead last? Above average? Varied rankings for Steelers’ Mitch Trubisky among NFL starting QBs
After 18 years of a future Hall of Famer at the position, the Pittsburgh Steelers are learning how the other side lives in regards to their starting quarterback in 2022. Free-agent acquisition Mitch Trubisky was officially confirmed as the starter Tuesday. A day later, three national outlets who cover the...
Packers’ defense of NFC North title starts, yes, on defense
The transition for the Green Bay Packers has been ongoing for a few years, starting with their first-round draft picks in the spring and extending to the field in the fall. Despite the transcendent presence of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Packers quietly have evolved into a...
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gets raise, extended through 2031
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has a reworked contract that will pay him $115 million over 10 seasons through 2031. Swinney’s enhanced contract follows megadeals given to Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day earlier this season. Swinney’s average yearly salary of $11.5 million...
Tim Benz: How Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt thinks he can improve upon an award-winning season in 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and his brothers (J.J. and Derek) weren’t just youth football players growing up in Wisconsin. En route to their NFL careers, they played a lot of hockey, too. So Watt can appreciate an NHL analogy when there is one to make. That’s good because Watt...
Eagles maneuver to try to overtake Cowboys in NFC East
The Philadelphia Eagles made a big move to help quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Dallas Cowboys didn’t do the same for Dak Prescott and might have backtracked with his supporting cast. Now it’s time to see how each approach in the offseason will translate for last season’s pair of playoff qualifiers...
Sean Clifford reflects on two-minute drill, Drew Allar and wild win at Purdue
STATE COLLEGE — Sean Clifford had himself quite the start to the season. Three touchdowns paved the way for a double-digit halftime lead at Purdue. Third-quarter cramping forced him to the locker room for an IV, letting Drew Allar give a glimpse of the future. Clifford’s pick-six made fans wonder...
Super Bowl champion Rams, 49ers lead the way in NFC West
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The margin between the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and rival San Francisco 49ers couldn’t have been much smaller last season. A dropped interception, a failed short-yardage attempt and a well-executed winning drive was the difference in sending the Rams to the title game and...
First Call: NFL.com’s low rating for Mitch Trubisky; ex-Steelers WR retires; Heinz Field name-change gets bad poll results
Thursday’s “First Call” features an unfavorable view of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Meanwhile, a former Steelers wide receiver is walking away from the game. New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson may make his season debut in Pittsburgh. Gerrit Cole had a huge night for the Yankees. And Heinz Field’s...
