Boss Gary O’Neil says Wolves cannot continue to rely on excuses and the clock is ticking to find results.

Currently bottom of the Premier League after one point from their opening seven games, they host second-placed Manchester City on Sunday.

Wolves have faced five of the top seven and, by the time they travel to Brighton next week, will have played all of them in their first nine matches.

They also sold captain Max Kilman and forward Pedro Neto in the summer while defender Yerson Mosquera suffered a season-ending injury in the defeat at Aston Villa last month but O’Neil admits Wolves are running out of defences.

The 41-year-old said: “I understand one point from seven isn’t good enough and we need to prove we are better than that. That tipping point will come soon.

“We can’t sit here forever and say we’ve had tough games and lost a couple of important players in the summer.

“Now what? Come on then, let’s go. At some point it’s going to come and we need to get it going.”

Wolves have conceded 21 goals – the highest in the league – and were beaten 5-3 at Brentford before the international break.

O’Neil will also be without forward Hwang Hee-chan for at least two weeks after he suffered an ankle injury on international duty with South Korea.

“It would be unrealistic of me to think everyone outside of here will have a real detailed look at how we played and the numbers,” added O’Neil, who has managed the club since last summer.

“Look at the league table, we’ve got one point from seven and everyone starts panicking would be the reaction I would expect outside of here.

“Points-wise it has been very bad. We sit here now, seven games in with one point, and if you don’t look into the depths of how and why then it sounds like a disaster.

“I have 100% faith myself and the playing group will show everyone we are more than capable of competing at this level but the longer it goes on the more urgent it becomes.”

Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira meet Saturday in the main event of PFL: Battle of the Giants at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira PFL Super Fights preview

Ngannou (17-3) hasn’t competed in MMA since successfully defending the UFC heavyweight championship against Ciryl Gane in January 2022. Ngannou fought Tyson Fury and lost a split decision then followed up that sterling performance by taking on Anthony Joshua this past March, a fight in which he was dominated and lost by second-round knockout. In MMA, Ngannou has won six fights in a row dating back to November 2018, with five finishes during that span. … Ferreira (13-3) is the reigning 2023 PFL heavyweight champion after scoring three knockouts last season. Ferreira is coming off a 21-second dismantling of Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader this past February.

Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira expert pick, prediction

A PFL heavyweight tournament winner who is already accruing an insane highlight reel, Ferreira has proven to be an undeniable force in this weight class.

Not only is Ferreira massive in all the measurements that are the primary talking points for MMA pundits and gamblers alike, but the Brazilian can move surprisingly well for a man of his size and skills only appear to be improving since he moved shop stateside to train at American Top Team.

Although Ferreira’s ground game is still a work in progress, “Problema” has been seemingly upgrading his striking presence a la Alex Pereira imitations in the way in which he’s jabbing to the body and kicking at calves.

These weapons, of course, will be a potent two-way street when facing a fighter with some length parity who can also jab and low kick.

Enter Ngannou.

Jan 22, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Francis Ngannou (red gloves) before his fight against Ciryl Gane during UFC 270 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Advertisement

Although MMA’s beloved lineal heavyweight champ was last seen hitting the canvas opposite Anthony Joshua in a boxing bout, it’s hard to question the life-changing power that Ngannou possesses.

From the lead-hand work he displayed against Stipe Miocic to the ability to adjust demonstrated against Ciryl Gane, Ngannou – with the help of bright minds like Eric Nicksick and company – will undoubtedly be the more flexible fighter from a tactical standpoint.

That said, for as natural as wrestling has seemingly come to Ngannou, it’s hard to know just how sharp those tools will be given everything that has been going on in his life (in and out of the ring).

For that reason, I can understand why anyone would be tempted to take a flier on the underdog in Ferreira.

Aside from heavyweight MMA being the most volatile sector of a volatile sport, Ferreira has legitimate counters that could hurt Ngannou that range from intercepting hooks to sneaky lifting knees. In fact, I believe that countering will be a key dynamic in this contest.

For as good as Ferreira’s offense is, the towering Brazilian is not beyond being countered. However, Ferreira is also at his best when he is the one with the striking initiative, so being able to take that away from the PFL tournament champion is also a big factor for those who have had success against him – – which is usually accomplished via a heavy wrestling-based attack.

I’m not sure if Ngannou can or will come out of the gate looking to wrestle, but I do suspect that those opportunities will naturally present themselves the longer this fight progresses. I also think that Ngannou’s countering presence will be a factor regarding winning or stalemating exchanges (as I wouldn’t be entirely shocked to see portions of this fight resemble the staring contest Ngannou had with Derrick Lewis).

Aggressive exchanges will be your usual heavyweight coin flip scenarios, but I can’t help but stick with Ngannou as far as a side goes.

My inherent bias toward Ngannou’s camp aside, Ngannou is the more proven product both on the feet and the floor.

I’ll be happy to see Ferreira get his guaranteed $2 million, but the official pick – so long as neither party immediately steals the other’s consciousness – is for Ngannou to drag things out a bit from a shaky start to find a ground-and-pound stoppage by the end of Round 3.

Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira odds

Despite the oddsmakers opening the champion as a wider favorite, public money has come trickling in on the challenger, listing Ngannou (-310) and Ferreira (+225) via FanDuel.

Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira start time, how to watch

As the main event, Ngannou and Ferreira are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 7 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the U.S. and DAZN pay-per-view internationally.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

David Helman

NFL Reporter

Advertisement

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

The first six games of the season for the Dallas Cowboys have felt more like six years. They’ve seen their Super Bowl dreams deteriorate. They’ve seen all their old problems resurface. They’ve even lost all three of their games at home.

And boy, do they ever need their bye week after their humiliating, 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday. They are beaten, bruised and their egos are battered. It is the perfect time for a rest.

But as they take their break, there’s no avoiding how bad the start to their season has been at times. Even their 3-0 start on the road has been propped up by games against the Browns (1-5) and Giants (2-4). It’s not all terrible. They are a .500 team and they’re only one game back in the NFC East race.

It just hasn’t been the championship-caliber start they expected in a season when their owner promised they were “all in.”

So, as the Cowboys take stock of where they are, FOX Sports NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano will do that too, turning this week’s Cowboys corner into a not-quite-midseason report card. Here are the grades for some key people and the team overall:

Head Coach Mike McCarthy

Helman: I’ve been a longtime defender of McCarthy, because he’s brought a level of stability to Dallas that the organization hadn’t seen in decades. You can scoff at the playoff failures all you want, but 2021-23 was the first time the Cowboys had strung together three consecutive playoff appearances since they were winning championships in the 90s.

With all of that said, I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to defend six weeks into 2024. This team looks mostly abysmal on both sides of the ball, and a lot of that lies at McCarthy’s feet. He certainly deserves some blame for a shaky offensive performance, as he is in his second year as the playcaller. Everything looks hard for that unit. The Cowboys can’t run the ball, their receivers can’t generate separation and they can’t convert in the red zone. There are no “easy” buttons in this offense. Some of that might be on the front office for failing to upgrade the personnel, but a good playcaller can negate some of that. McCarthy has not.

McCarthy might not oversee the Dallas defense on a day-to-day level, but as the head coach, he still bears some responsibility for that side of the ball — which, yikes.

All in all, I’ll give McCarthy credit that the team is 3-3, and the Cowboys have managed to outplay some of the manageable teams on their schedule. That’s not the expectation or the standard in Dallas, though. 

Grade: D-

[Read more: Ranking NFL head coaches on the hot seat: Doug Pederson leads 7 at risk] 

Quarterback Dak Prescott

Vacchiano: The bar for the Cowboys quarterback is high because he’s got MVP talent. But he’s really treading a dangerous line this season because he knows he has to carry his one-dimensional team and he really doesn’t have a great array of weapons. The result is that he tends to force throws at times, which is a big reason why he’s got six interceptions so far and nearly had a few more.

 To be fair, he kind of has to force some of those throws. He needs to make things happen, because no one else on offense will. And the defenses are just waiting for him, because they certainly don’t respect the Dallas run game. But unfortunately for Prescott, he needs to recapture his MVP form for the Cowboys to be any good. That means he has to do better than the eight touchdown passes he’s thrown in his six starts, and cut down on his interceptions since he’s on pace for what would be a ridiculous (and career-high) 17. The turnovers, especially, have to stop, regardless of the circumstances. 

Grade: B

Owner/GM Jerry Jones

Vacchiano: He already got an F for the offseason when he passed on all the available running backs (including Derrick Henry, who got just $9 million guaranteed from Baltimore). Now he’s passed on available receivers like Davante Adams (traded to the Jets) and old friend Amari Cooper (traded to the Bills). Meanwhile, he continues to make the laughable excuse that they don’t have the salary cap room to add any outside help.

He does get credit for locking up Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to long-term contract extensions and for his plan to lock up Micah Parsons in the offseason. That’s great for the future, but what about the now? Maybe he’ll wake up before the trading deadline. But for now, the only good thing Jones has done to help his team is not panic. He could become reactionary and fire McCarthy or something. But he at least is smart enough to recognize they’re just one game back in the NFC East and the division and conference are very ripe for the taking. He just has to do something to help them take it. 

Grade: D

Offense

Vacchiano: The Cowboys have the NFL’s 14th-ranked offense, and it’s only that high because of Prescott and Lamb. There is nothing else they have going for them. They are arguably the most one-dimensional team in the NFL. That is going to be a huge problem for them going forward.

 Granted, Prescott and Lamb are good enough to carry this offense a long way, especially if they get hot. But the offensive line is starting to show cracks, and that really won’t help a rushing attack that ranks dead last in the NFL, generating just 77.2 yards per game. That’s pathetic, but not surprising considering the Cowboys decided pairing Rico Dowdle with whatever is left of Ezekiel Elliott was somehow a good idea.

If they don’t develop (or find) a running game or at least a second option in the passing game, they are doomed to have a middling offense all year. 

Grade: B-

Mike McCarthy responds to ‘soft’ label for Cowboys following blowout loss to Lions

Defense

Helman: I’m going to give Mike Zimmer some credit for the factors here that are outside his control. For starters, injuries have been a real thing. Zimmer has yet to have both of his primary corners, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, available together for a game. That matters for the type of defenses he likes to run. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence have both also been out now for two weeks, which makes life tough on the pass rush. Eric Kendricks also sat out of the debacle against Detroit.

That stuff does matter. It’s not a good enough of an excuse, though — not considering the depth of ineptitude we’ve seen to this point. The Cowboys were mostly healthy in Week 2 when the Saints ran over them to the tune of 190 yards, and it’s been that bad ever since. Consider this fun stat: In their three losses, their opponents have had 31 total possessions. They’ve scored on 20 of those 31 possessions, which means the Cowboys are allowing points 65% of the time their opponent touches the ball. The Saints and Lions both scored on every possession of the first half! Even if the Dallas offense was playing well, it’d be impossible to win games playing that way. They’re the worst run defense in the league and their pass defense doesn’t do much to offset that issue. It’s a brutal combination. They aren’t even getting takeaways to offset these problems, with just five on the year.

I’m not convinced it’s all Zimmer’s fault between injuries and a lack of personnel, but he also knew what he signed up for when he agreed to join on with a front office that doesn’t spend in free agency and a head coach who is in the last year of his contract. Even with all the variables, this level of execution just isn’t good enough from an NFL defense. 

Grade: F

Special Teams

Helman: Finally, something encouraging.

It might not count for much with all of the other issues, but Brandon Aubrey can officially stake his claim as the best kicker in football. The guy has been on an absolute heater, leading the league with 17 made field goals and just two misses on the year. Roughly half of those attempts have come from beyond 50 yards, with a mind-bending long of 65. It speaks to the Cowboys’ ineptitude on offense that Aubrey is routinely kicking from beyond the 35-yard line — but at least he’s justifying those decisions.

Aubrey’s ability to hit kicks from the logo means Bryan Anger hasn’t had to do as much work. The Cowboys’ punter has just 17 attempts this year, which is one of the lower totals in the league.

Add in the fact that KaVontae Turpin has been one of the league’s most dangerous returners in both the kick and punt game, and this is pretty much the only aspect of this Cowboys team worth feeling good about. 

Grade: A+

[Read more: ‘Steph Curry of kickers’: Why Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey embraces Tom Brady’s comparison]

Overall

Vacchiano: A 3-3 record is OK. Being one game out of the division lead is OK, especially with 11 games still to go. In fact, for the most part, the Cowboys’ start to this season has been generally OK.

The problem is that they set their own bar higher than just OK. It’s not OK that they are so up and down in a year when they were so convinced that they had enough to make a Super Bowl run that they sat out the free-agent market. It’s not OK that coming off three straight 12-win seasons they somehow have to go 9-2 the rest of the way to do it again. And it’s not OK that they are 0-3 at home and two of the losses were by a combined score of 91-28. In fact, all three would have been blowouts if they hadn’t mounted a furious and futile late rally against the Ravens.

If they were a team starting over, or a perennial loser like the Jets, then sure, they could pop the champagne over this and get a mediocre grade. But the standard, as they say, is the standard. And they’re not meeting it right now. 

Grade: C

Helman: The record says they’re mediocre, but man this is one of the worst 3-3 teams I can remember watching. To illustrate my point, here’s a fun stat: there are four other 3-3 teams in the NFL right now. Those four teams have point differentials of +32, +16, 0 and -4. The Cowboys’ point differential is -42. They’re escaping by an average margin of 8 points in their wins and getting run out of the building by an average of 22 points in their losses.

So, to Ralph’s point, they’re certainly not meeting the expectation of reaching the playoffs and going beyond. But in addition, they just don’t look like a quality football team right now. Even their wins haven’t been something to get excited about.

The one bright spot is that they’ve done enough to stay in the conversation. They’re .500 and they do have a 1-0 record in the division, which isn’t a terrible place to be. But it’s going to take some serious soul-searching to right the ship. After this week off, it’s back-to-back road trips to San Francisco and Atlanta, followed by home games against Houston and Philadelphia. Then, another road trip to face the upstart Commanders. The next five opponents currently have a combined record of 19-10, and the Cowboys will be lucky to be favored in one of those games. The season’s not over, but it’s on the ropes. 

Grade: D

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

THERE is a big delay to racing at Fakenham after a catastrophic first race… and ‘the sun being too bright’.

A tractor is currently on the course sanding the turf in an attempt to make it safe after three jockeys suffered awful falls in the first.

2

2

Advertisement

Jockey Ben Sutton had to go into an ambulance after he came down.

Racing TV presenter Tom Bull confirmed several jockeys were unhappy with conditions.

A number of hurdles were omitted in the first due to the blazing sun.

Bull explained the seriousness of the situation while commenting it was basically a result of the ‘sun being too bright’.

He said: “The stewards are holding an enquiry into horses slipping on the bend in the first race.

“The tractor is sanding the track, hopefully it will make a difference but quite a few of the jockeys are unhappy with how quickly the track was riding.

“Three jockeys were unseated in the first contest and it didn’t look the safest in the world.

“Fakenham had three meetings abandoned last year due to rain and now it’s delayed due to the sun being too bright!”

More to follow.

FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

ADXC 6 has a new main event for next week’s grappling show in Abu Dhabi.

The previously announced match between UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov and former Bellator champion Eduardo Dantas is off, and rising UFC star Raul Rosas Jr. has agreed to grapple ex-UFC fighter Muhammad Mokaev on seven days’ notice on Oct. 25.

The event will take place at the Mubadala Arena a day before the octagon returns to Abu Dhabi for UFC 308.

Rosas Jr. won three straight inside the octagon, including a rear-naked choke finish against Ricky Turcios. In his most recent appearance, the 20-year-old prospect defeated Aoriqileng via decision at UFC 306. His MMA record now stands at 10-1 with six submissions to his credit.

Mokaev went 12-0 as a professional MMA fighter — and 23-0 in amateur bouts — before parting ways with the UFC earlier this year despite a perfect 7-0 run under the company’s banner.

UFC CEO Dana White justified his decision citing “so much bad shit that happened behind the scenes” following his win over Manel Kape. Mokaev was re-signed by Brave CF shortly after, but has yet to book his first MMA fight back.

Red Bull hopes that car modifications to assure the FIA its ride height adjustment device is not used under parc ferme conditions will be ready for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Milton Keynes-based team has been at the centre of technical intrigue ahead of this weekend’s United States GP after it emerged the FIA was ramping up its monitoring of a potential way that adjustments could be made to its car between qualifying and the race.

As first revealed by Motorsport.com, concerns had been voiced by several teams that a device Red Bull had inside its car allowed settings to be changed to alter the height of its front bib under parc ferme conditions.

The FIA is clear that there is no evidence Red Bull had ever made changes illegally, and the Milton Keynes-based squad is also adamant that it has always fully complied with the regulations.

However, from this weekend’s race in the USA, the FIA is being more robust in checking what teams are doing – and looks set to add seals to the Red Bull device to ensure that it cannot be moved once parc ferme conditions begin in qualifying.

Furthermore, following discussions that have taken place between Red Bull and the FIA, a plan has been agreed about further guaranteeing that it is doing nothing untoward – and it is understood that part of this involves the team making modifications to its car in this area.

Red Bull RB20

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Sources have suggested that the revisions are not something that can be done immediately, because the adjustment device is in an intricate part of the car, but it is hoped the changes will be ready for the race at Interlagos next month.

The height adjustment device is nothing more than a screw-type system that can be twisted by a mechanic with a tool to raise and lower the height of the T-tray.

All teams have such a system, although it is understood that Red Bull’s is unique in it being accessible from inside the car – so it is hidden from view to outside observers.

The outfit has also been open that it is not hiding anything, especially because the design of its adjustment device has to be published on FIA servers as part of the open source element of the regulations.

A senior team figure said in Austin about the adjuster: “Yes, it exists although it is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled and ready to run.”

The device is not very easy to see, with it requiring a panel fitted to the cockpit to be lifted, to allow a mechanic to then reach within a recess to adjust it.

While this means it is not something that can be done quickly and easily by the team, the FIA is well aware that it is also something that could be done during the work that is regularly completed on cars after qualifying to prepare them for the race.