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Good morning! I’d never trade you.
What’s for Lunch? Is the Kyler Murray era over already?
The sports calendar rarely has a lull, but today brings a little peace. There is no MLB season ending tonight, or an NFL team brought to its knees by an injury or catapulted by a heroic performance. And yet we are busy evermore.
Today’s filled with beginnings and changes, lookaheads and whip-arounds. So I’m packing you a lunch full of sports news. Let’s start with something light:
Snack: Arizona’s big win — and difficult choice
What was your lunchbox favorite snack growing up? I’m imagining a cheese stick here for me.
Last night, the Arizona Cardinals walloped the confusing Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football,” 27-17, which places Arizona in a strange reality. The team is 3-5, with no real shot to make the playoffs (2 percent, according to our simulator), but the future is a sizzling topic: Does the team stick with red-hot Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, or revert to “franchise” signal caller Kyler Murray (in the second year of a $230 million deal) when he’s healthy?
That’s a question that should loom over today. Which brings us to our next item in the lunchbox.
Heavy snack: The NFL trade deadline
For this nosh, I’ll go with some peanut butter pretzels. Not flashy, but important.
The trade timer goes off at 4 p.m. ET today for any swaps to go through. Will Murray be traded? If the Cardinals opt for Brissett, it would make sense, but the logistics are difficult.
We had some early action yesterday as the Eagles acquired linebacker Jaelan Phillips while the Ravens traded for Titans pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones. Two of the NFL’s most talented teams go for broke. Let’s keep that energy.
Other names we could see moved today: Jakobi Meyers, Trey Hendrickson, Kirk Cousins and more. See our running live blog for the latest.
Meanwhile: Fresh NFL Power Rankings have arrived. Click. And are the Seahawks sneaky Super Bowl contenders? Watch.
Quick news break before we get to the rest of the meal.
News to Know
Giannis continues bonkers start
Giannis Antetokounmpo hit the above shot to push his Bucks past the Pacers last night, 117-115, in one of the best wins of the early NBA season. Milwaukee is 5-2 and Antetokounmpo is averaging 34 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists per game. Also fun in Indianapolis: Myles Turner’s return, which came with a video … that got booed.
Quinn owns up on Daniels injury
Commanders coach Dan Quinn took full responsibility yesterday for Jayden Daniels’ gruesome elbow injury, which the young quarterback suffered while Washington was down 38-7 late in a loss to the Seahawks. “I missed it,” Quinn said. Props to him for that. See his full comments.
More news
- The exhibition fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis has been canceled after Davis was accused of domestic violence.
- Victor Conte, founder of Balco (the lab at the center of the Barry Bonds steroid scandal), died at 75.
- Speaking of Bonds: He and Roger Clemens both have a chance at the Hall of Fame via the Contemporary Era ballot. Read more.
- The Marlins promoted Gabe Kapler to general manager. He’s had a fascinating career arc. The Braves, meanwhile, decided to promote bench coach Walt Weiss to manager.
- Chargers tackle Joe Alt will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. The fate of L.A.’s season now lies solely with Justin Herbert.
- A former Hawks VP was charged with embezzling $3.8 million to buy a Porsche, among other things. More details here.
- Police arrested a soccer agent after he allegedly threatened a Premier League player with a gun. See our full story.
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Lunch, Pt. 2: Brackets now, brackets later
OK, let’s finish making that lunchbox.
Main: College Football Playoff rankings
I keep thinking of, like, a ham and cheese sandwich here. Sounds boring — Playoff rankings a full six weeks before the first round begins — but it always delivers and legitimately means something.
The committee releases its first rankings of the season tonight, which will give us an actual sense of what these people value this year. We have what should be an undisputed trio at the top: Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M. The rest gets murky … which means exciting at this point.
See our current projected bracket for now.
Dessert: College basketball, everywhere
Amid all this, this week marks the premiere of both men’s and women’s college basketball in the 2025-26 season. It’s a long year, mind you, and it’s excusable if you lose track of these games for a bit.
Two things to know before we zip this thing back up:
- Which stars fill the void in women’s hoops this year? This is such a star-driven sport, but the losses of Paige Bueckers to the draft and JuJu Watkins to injury muddle things. Chantel Jennings named a few candidates in her questions for this season.
- On the men’s side, Houston — perennially elite with no rings to show for it — is our staff’s choice to win it all this year. See all their picks here. Wunderkind A.J. Dybantsa scored 21 for BYU in an opening win last night, too.
Are we sated? At least until tomorrow. Almost done:
What to Watch
📺 NCAAW: No. 20 Louisville vs. No. 1 UConn
5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Start your night off by watching the defending champion Huskies debut this year. It’s good to have college hoops back. UConn, even without Bueckers, is the title favorite.
📺 NHL: Hurricanes at Rangers
7 p.m. ET on TNT/HBO Max
The best nationally available pro game in this early window. Both of these teams have been solid, though Carolina remains No. 2 in our Stanley Cup projections. If you need to hit the sack early tonight, this is your bet.
📺 NCAAM: Texas at No. 6 Duke
8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN
Get a first glimpse of the Blue Devils here — most notably the Boozer twins, who should be a big storyline this year in men’s college hoops. Time for some preheated takes.
📺 NBA: Thunder at Clippers
11 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
A game between two of the NBA’s best, saved for our West Coast crowd. The defending champs are undefeated through seven games, while the Clippers are stuck in an early mushy middle of the Western Conference. Good game.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images
Forgive us for one last bit on that bonkers World Series Game 7. Tyler Kepner argues it was the greatest Game 7 in World Series history. It’s a compelling case.
Just published: Tim Britton’s predictions for what MLB’s top free agents will get this winter. Tim’s numbers are always an industry standard.
Maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, but hearing pro athletes speak candidly on the difficulty of retirement — the decision to do so, the act itself and life afterward — feels so meaningful. Wild legend Josh Harding’s interview with Michael Russo this morning was precisely that.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: MLB Gold Glove winners.
Most-read on the website yesterday: David Aldridge’s scathing column on the Jayden Daniels injury.