The Vikings will be looking to overcome some widespread doubt about their abilities (or lack thereof) in 2026. Doing so will largely come down to answering some questions.

In particular, onlookers will want to know how things get sorted out at quarterback. Kyler Murray is now the QB1, meaning he’s working into the best situation he’s ever been in within his NFL career. Minnesota does have a football team beyond just the modestly-paid passer who is looking to play well in the Twin Cities.

The Vikings Will Be Looking to Answer Some Questions

Question No. 1 — Can a Draft Class Finally Be Helpful?

Caleb Banks doesn’t lack for potential. However, there’s some concern about his lack of polish, a possible problem that has commonly been described as a “pad level” issue.

All of LB Jake Golday, DT Domonique Orange, CB Chuck Demmings, and FB Max Bredeson have ignited optimism in training camp and the preseason. How that translates to the regular season is somewhat murky. Others, such as OT/OG Caleb Tiernan, S Jakobe Thomas, and RB Demond Claiborne, have struggled more.

Already, a draftee has been set free. 7th-Round Center Gavin Gerhardt has been cut and released from the practice squad. The Vikings are desperate for youth to shine, but they’re down to eight out of nine draftees.

Question No. 2 — Can Health Cooperate at Key Positions?

So much of last year’s problems could get worked back to health.

Consider, for instance, positions other than quarterback. Each of the top two edge rushers, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, missed time. So did the OT starters, LG1 Donovan Jackson, and C1 Ryan Kelly. Aaron Jones had injury issues and so did Josh Metellus. Blake Cashman played well but wasn’t out there the whole time. All of these absences added up.

And then, of course, there were the quarterback injuries. Needing to start a UDFA rookie in Max Brosmer was never in the plan. Can Kyler Murray start all seventeen games? He has never been mistaken for Cal Ripken out there.

Question No. 3 — Can the Vikings Achieve Playoff Success?

There can be no playoff success unless a few issues get fixed. Most notable is the lack of balance on offense between the passing and ground game. At some point, the issue needs to get fixed.

Usually, the Vikings’ defense has been a stingy crew but that’s not always so. There have been times when runners have consistently found running lanes, creating a scenario where it’s tough for Brian Flores to get his guys off the field. Again, something to monitor.

Bringing things down to football basics might involve looking at the trenches in the final tournament. Losing to the Giants following the 2022 regular season and Rams following the 2024 season was largely the result of the Vikings getting walloped at the line of scrimmage. Fixing that reoccurring issue is a must.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc competes at the start of the race during the Italian Formula One Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit in Monza, northern Italy on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza was halted after just two laps on Sunday after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc slid off the track and smashed into barriers.

The Monegasque, who is a two-time winner at Monza, lost control on the exit of the parabolica at the end of lap two, going straight into the gravel and flying sideways into the barriers.

Leclerc stepped out of the car, looking winded but otherwise unhurt.

READ: F1: Charles Leclerc rules British Grand Prix, Ferrari gets 250th win

Huge impact for Charles 🎥

A reminder that he’s out of the car and okay#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/AYTRyQn0gI

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 6, 2026

The race was red-flagged with Mercedes’ George Russell in the lead, having overtaken pole-sitter Pierre Gasly of Alpine.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third ahead of Franco Colapinto in the second Alpine.

Lewis Hamilton, who started fourth, lost ground when he was forced off the track by teammate Leclerc at the first chicane, and was running eighth.

READ: Charles Leclerc signs new multi-year deal with Ferrari in F1

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli began at the back of the field after exceeding the permitted number of power unit changes but had already moved his way up to 12th in his Mercedes by the time the race was suspended.

The race will resume once the tire barrier has been repaired.

On the same day that a college football game consisted of one second more than 60 minutes, another college football game had five minutes fewer than the usual amount.

Like many early-season games featuring an established program against an FCS slappie, Saturday’s game between Arizona State and Morgan State turned into a blowout. Andwith the Sun Devils leading 70-7 after three quarters, the two teams agreed to shrink the fourth quarter to 10 minutes.

Advertisement

“I’ve never been a part of a game like that,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dilligham told reporters after the game, via Bailey Leasure of ArizonaSports.com. “I didn’t even know that was legal, but I learned something today. When he asked to shorten it. I said, ‘Whatever he wants, we’ll do.’”

Arizona State had scored 28 points, 21 points, and 21 points in the first three quarters, respectively. Neither team scored in the final 10 minutes, which consisted of 19 total plays.

It’s a strange outcome, to say the least. And it opens the door to a situation in which certain potential wagers would be undermined by a 60-minute game shrinking unexpectedly to 55 minutes.

But it also opens the door to a new universe of potential prediction markets: Will the game be shortened by the agreement of the teams for reasons other than the weather?

“It’s far too late for those decisions to come. It’s too late. All I can do is just try and turn up. I’ll get up tomorrow morning and I’ll give it my best.”

He added: “It’s never over until it’s over. I don’t know how many points it is now, but I’m sure it’s 60, 70. It’s an amount that, with the pace that they have, it’s a very, very difficult amount to close out.”

Ferrari were left answering similar questions about who should take priority following the team’s performance at the Dutch Grand Prix last month.

Hamilton, who is two places higher than Leclerc in the championship, was left frustrated in Zandvoort, as he felt the team took too long to move Leclerc – who was third and on a differernt strategy – out of the way so he could challenge for a podium, as he was on fresher tyres and quicker.

When they eventually did pit Leclerc, Hamilton responded over team radio: “Great way of wasting time, good job”. He later apologised for his comments.

But the first-lap incident between the pair in Italy seems to have only intensified Hamilton’s concerns.

Speaking after his lap-two crash, Leclerc crash was “it was way too close into turn one” between himself and Hamilton. He added that he was unaware whether the pair had made contact.

“I was quite a lot on the inside kerb and tried to make the corner, which I didn’t do it tight enough,” said Leclerc.

“And then I only saw in the mirrors what happened, which is never what you want between two cars of the same team.”

However, Hamilton said: “I was ahead in turn two by the ethics, I was ahead. There was no ‘we’ in it.”

When asked if Ferrari fans should be worried the dynamics between himself and Leclerc may turn into a team-mate feud, he said: “Look, I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space. So I don’t think they should be worried about me.

“I’ve come into the team and tried to be respectful of space and definitely not put the team in jeopardy. I stand by that and that’s all I can talk about.”

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said the incident between his two drivers was “not good”. But he also was keen to stress that every team on the grid has to manage intra-team tensions.

“Now, to see if we have a team order or whatever, I think that the comparison that I made was that last year, [Oscar] Piastri was leading McLaren at this stage of the season, and if McLaren put everything on Piastri, [Red Bull’s] Max Verstappen would have been champion.

“For sure, at one stage you have to make a decision, but I think it was too early to make a decision before Monza. Now we have time to discuss with the guys.”

Hamilton said Ferrari needed to look at how they communicate.

“If we continue to travel the same path, we get the same result,” he said. “And it’s like we keep getting the same result. We’ve got to change things because it’s not helping us to move forward. I think they’re receptive to it and we’ll take it offline.”

Cork’s Shane Sweetnam aboard Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z triumphed in the $500,000 first Grand Prix of Major League Show Jumping Season 6 in Toronto, Canada, last night.

With a total of 30 combinations taking on the Juilherme Jorge-designed 1.60m course in the 5* Kubota Grand Prix, the triple combination late in the track caused problems for a number of the competitors.

Colombia’s Ilan Bluman and Acajou set the standard when they produced the first clear round in 80.85 seconds. By midway in the class, they were the only combination qualified for the second round jump-off.

Shane Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z were the next to leave every fence intact, with the Irish combination jumping clear, and stopping the clock in 78.66 seconds to force a jump-off.

American Kent Farrington and Descartes SR produced the third clear round, setting up a three-horse jump-off from the original field of 30 starters.

Jump-Off

Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z stopped the clock in 39.08 seconds to take control of the class and put the pressure on Farrington.

With Farrington still to come as the final combination in the jump-off, Sweetnam knew there would be little room for error.

“It’s something I’m always trying to figure out, as I finish second to Kent a lot” recounted Sweetnam after winning the 5* competition.

The US rider returned with Toronto history on his side. A Grand Prix winner in Season 3, the World No. 2 entered the ring with a chance to add another title to his record.

Last to challenge Sweetnam’s time, Farrington and Descartes SR had the pace to take the lead, but the penultimate fence came down. Four faults left the pair in second, Farrington’s third consecutive runner-up finish in the Toronto Grand Prix.

Shane Sweetnam was delighted with Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z’s performance as he is still early in his 5* Grand Prix career.

“This is only his second 5* Grand Prix and the last one he did was in Monterrey (MLSJ Finals), which he was also clear in” said Sweetnam of his mount.

With Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z securing the opening Grand Prix win of Season 6, the League will now move to Traverse City, Michigan, USA, for Leg 2, September 10- 12.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

The 2026 INDYCAR season comes to a close at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey. The season-finale race airs Sunday, Sept. 6 on FOX and FOX One, with practice and qualifying coverage beginning Friday on FS2.

Alex Palou already clinched his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, and fourth in a row, at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 30, becoming the first driver in series history to win five titles in six years. The finale still carries stakes further down the standings, with Pato O’Ward surging into podium contention after sweeping the Milwaukee doubleheader. Here is how to watch the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey, including the start time, TV channel, streaming information and complete weekend schedule.

How to Watch the 2026 INDYCAR Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One
• Location: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California

Race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the green flag scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. ET. Broadcast times are subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR Monterey Weekend Schedule

All times Eastern.

Friday, Sept. 4

• Practice 1: 5 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One)

Saturday, Sept. 5

• Practice 2: 1 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One)
• Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX One)

Sunday, Sept. 6

• Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey: 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX One)

Where Is the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey?

The race takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The 2.238-mile road course has 11 turns, including the famous Corkscrew, and has hosted racing since 1957.

How Long Is the Grand Prix of Monterey?

The race is scheduled for 95 laps and approximately 213 miles.

Is This the Last Race of the 2026 INDYCAR Season?

Yes. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey is Race 17 of 17 on the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule and closes out the season.

Who Won the INDYCAR Championship?

Palou clinched the 2026 championship, his fifth series title and fourth consecutive, at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 30. He is the first driver in INDYCAR history to win five championships in a six-year span and the youngest to reach five titles.

The finale still matters for the rest of the field. Pato O’Ward swept both Milwaukee races, becoming the first INDYCAR driver to win two races in one day since 1981, and enters Monterey with momentum in the fight for the remaining top championship positions.

Who Won the Most Recent INDYCAR Race at Laguna Seca?

Palou won the 2025 Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca on July 27, 2025.

Who Won the Most Recent INDYCAR Race?

O’Ward won the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Aug. 30, sweeping both Milwaukee Mile races that weekend. Watch the full highlights from the most recently completed NTT INDYCAR SERIES race below.

Who Are the Monterey Announcers?

Will Buxton calls the race on FOX alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey report from pit road.

How Can I Stream the 2026 INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey?

Fans can stream the race, practice and qualifying live and watch three days free on FOX One. Coverage is also available through FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App.

Follow the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on FOX Sports for the latest race information and results.

Forget, for a minute, the signing Everton did not make and concentrate on ones they did. Their deadline day ended in shambolic fashion, but the last buy they made conjured a spectacular, sensational end to his debut.

The consensus was that they lost the transfer window. Yet when they were losing against Manchester United, two newcomers delivered a draw in glorious fashion.

First to equalise was Tyrique George, proof that, while Everton left some of their business too late in the summer, they got much of it done early. Then it was Ainsley Maitland-Niles, whose arrival was only announced 45 minutes before the deadline.

He was perhaps Everton’s sixth choice among their right-back targets. He was the third right-back they used against Manchester United, only summoned because James Garner had to go off a minute after dropping back into defence. “Jimmy went down with cramp,” said David Moyes. “We are still trying to get to know Ainsley.” This was quite an introduction. “A brilliant goal,” purred his new manager.

Some 19 minutes into his debut, six minutes into stoppage time, the ball fell to Maitland-Niles; 25 yards out, he curled a shot into the top corner. “It’s amazing; everyone wants to start off like that and thankfully I did,” said the former Arsenal player.

Everton can reflect on another kind of late drama. Folarin Balogun, whose midnight U-turn on Tuesday left them short of strikers, may have starred at the World Cup, but the United States centre-forward may have struggled to conjure finishes of such quality.

George’s shot was rising and rasping, unstoppable and, for him anyway, unforgettable. At £18m, George is not the most expensive winger to arrive on Merseyside this summer; not when Bradley Barcola could cost Liverpool over £100m more. Maybe, had Iliman Ndiaye not been sold to Manchester City, he would not have been on the pitch. Instead, after starting on the left, he switched to the right when Jack Grealish was introduced for his second coming. His first Everton goal came after a pass from Hayden Hackney, another of the summer additions.

Moyes might have done some fine business on the cheap. At £4.2m, Maitland-Niles may be the last-ditch, cut-price replacement for Seamus Coleman, but over two spells at Everton, the Scot has shown a capacity to galvanise Everton in adversity. He could be doing it again.

He had a no-excuses mantra when he spoke to his squad. “The players have hugely bought into it,” he said. They sought to find a positive from a negative. “Sometimes when you have less players it means everybody has to be ready.”

And they have been. This was a second successive week when Everton delivered an injury-time equaliser, following James Tarkowski’s goal at Bournemouth, to extend their unbeaten start to the season. “As a manager you don’t plan it that you are going to get a result at the last minute, but when you are behind you need the boys to dig in deep,” said Moyes. They did.

And so Everton are above United in the table. “We haven’t started the season that bad,” insisted Michael Carrick. They haven’t started it that well, either, especially after Maitland-Niles let fly.

“It feels like a defeat,” admitted Carrick. “The cliche is the obvious thing to say. We are bitterly disappointed to be up twice, so close to the end and with all the work that went into putting us into that position. We have taken a point, but it feels like we should have got a lot more.”

But United were punished for twice sitting back and trying to defend a lead. They earned it belatedly. While Bruno Fernandes hooked a shot against the bar, their first half was notable for a failure to turn territory, possession and pressure into clear-cut chances. Marcus Rashford had the beating of Merlin Rohl, the makeshift right-back whose place is now under threat from Maitland-Niles, but United mustered a lone shot on target.

A minute into the second half, however, Bryan Mbeumo provided an immediate improvement, driving infield purposefully to drive a shot past Jordan Pickford.

It suggested that Carrick’s half-time team talk had drawn a response. There was a second managerial intervention to give United a lead, and one which may have made Moyes fear history was repeating itself.

Benjamin Sesko has been confined to the bench for the start of United’s season by a shin problem, but he has proved a very effective replacement in 2026. His fifth goal as a substitute for Carrick was a second at Hill Dickinson Stadium; it looked a second winner, too, when Luke Shaw, whose United career is so long that he was scouted by Moyes in his ill-fated spell as boss at Old Trafford, rolled back the years with his attacking efforts, surged forward and crossed. Sesko headed it in.

Shaw and Rashford had combined well before the Mancunian came off. “He was feeling a bit of something,” said Carrick vaguely, while allaying fears it was serious. Yet United were feeling something, too, as two points slipped from their grasp: bitter disappointment.

Alejandro Garnacho has been slammed for his cameo performance as Aston Villa failed to win for a third straight game in a goalless draw at Hull City

Alejandro Garnacho looked “completely disinterested” on his third appearance for Aston Villa. That is the opinion of ex-Villa and Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock, who delivered a brutal assessment of Garnacho’s performance during the Villans’ 0-0 draw at Hull City on Saturday.

The 22-year-old, who joined Villa on loan with a conditional obligation to buy earlier this summer, came on as a second-half substitute at the MKM Stadium. The former Manchester United winger replaced Emiliano Buendia for the final quarter of an hour as Unai Emery’s side looked to win their first game of the season.

But it’s safe to say Garnacho struggled when he was introduced and failed to make an impact. Indeed, the Argentina international didn’t have a single shot, create a chance, complete a cross and made just nine passes during 15 minutes plus stoppage-time.

With Garnacho having a difficult cameo, Warnock lambasted his performance and believes he – and Tammy Abraham – did nothing when they came on the pitch. Abraham was brought on in the 85th minute by Emery with Nicolas Jackson coming off.

Speaking on co-commentary, Warnock said: “You may as well take off Alejandro Garnacho and Tammy Abraham. They have done nothing since they have come on the pitch. Garnacho going down. He looks completely disinterested. Unai Emery will be furious with his changes.”

Garnacho left United last summer after making 144 first-team appearances for the Reds, scoring 26 times. He joined Chelsea in a £40million deal, though he endured a miserable debut season in west London.

It led to the Blues allowing Garnacho to move on with Villa capturing his services in July. Since, Garnacho has featured in Villa’s first three Premier League matches this campaign, but has been kept of the side by teenager George Hemmings, who has been a standout performer for the Villans.

Asked how he has managed to earn that position, Emery suggested post-Hull that Hemmings is already a Premier League player, while Garnacho still has work to do.

“George, he worked last year the whole year with us and played minutes. He is performing fantastic and getting better. He created one assist for Buendia. He is working in the intensity and kilometres we need. He is doing it. I think he is a player now, clearly, to be in the Premier League.

“Then, we have other players who joined who need to adapt to us in training, playing matches, and Garnacho is in this way. We need their performance to try to add things, working and getting numbers. Garnacho is in this way. How he is responding, George, is really fantastic.”

Essential 26/27 Sky Sports Bundle for the new season

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£51

£35

Advertisement

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.

This introductory offer saves £384 compared to the standard price, with every package also providing 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ subscriptions.