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Akwa Ibom Sports Festival Begins Today With Over 4,000 Athletes Ready For Action

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The 2026 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival begins today, Tuesday, September 22, with more than 4,000 indigenous athletes from the 31 Local Government Areas expected to compete for medals and the overall title.

The festival will feature 27 sports, with competitions taking place at venues across Uyo and its environs.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Uyo Township Stadium by 2pm, where athletes, officials and spectators will gather to officially mark the beginning of the state-wide sporting event.

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The competitions will then move to various venues, including the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, West Itam Sports Centre, Ibom Hotels & Golf Resort, Nigerian Christian Institute (NCI), Uyo Sports Club and other designated centres.

Football will be played at the Uyo Township Stadium and Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

The sports approved for the festival include athletics, para-athletics, weightlifting, boxing, kickboxing, chess, scrabble, ayo, para-powerlifting, basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, badminton, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, rugby, table tennis, karate, kung-fu, squash, cricket and baseball.

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The Chairman of the Main Organising Committee and Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, said the festival is designed to provide opportunities for athletes from all 31 LGAs to showcase their talents and compete at state level.

Beyond the medals and competition, the festival is expected to help discover new talents and promote unity, sportsmanship and tourism across Akwa Ibom State.

Team Itu, which won the overall title at the 2025 edition, will be seeking to defend its crown as other Local Government Areas battle for the top position.

The festival will run through September 27, with the closing ceremony scheduled to take place at the Uyo Township Stadium.

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With athletes from all 31 LGAs ready to compete, Akwa Ibom is set for days of sporting action, rivalry and celebration.

Akwa Ibom Sports Festival: Nurturing Talents, Promoting Tourism.

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Aaron Donald charges out of retirement in return to Rams

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Aaron Donald shrugged off a block, stepped into a gap and wrapped up Najee Harris, stuffing the Giants running back on a key third down in the red zone Monday night.

The tackle for loss was vintage AD, and it was the biggest highlight of the 35-year-old star’s successful return to the Los Angeles Rams after a 2 1/2-year retirement. Donald is officially back on the Rams’ defensive line, and they celebrated with a 28-6 victory over New York.

Rams fans let Donald know how much they appreciated his decision all night — but particularly after he swallowed up Harris to force a field goal at a vulnerable moment for Los Angeles’ defence.

“It felt good,” Donald said with a grin. “It would have felt better if I’d been able to slam him. … I felt the love. I felt it when I made that little tackle for loss and heard the fans say, ‘Hey, Aaron!’ or whatever.”

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The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made three tackles during his first NFL game action in 32 months, taking regular snaps on the defensive line all night at SoFi Stadium. He saw fewer double-teams than he normally faced during his first 10 years in the league, and he regretted the minor technique mistakes that prevented him from making more of those opportunities.

Donald was pleased overall with his return, even though he gave an exaggerated wince as he took the postgame podium.

“I’m just a little sore,” he said with a grin. “Man, just two padded practices, and then a game!”

“The game wasn’t really as fast as I thought,” Donald added. “It was more me, calming myself down. Overrunning stuff, or my feet not being on the ground where they’re supposed to be, not trusting my eyes, little stuff like that.”

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Donald felt some similarities to 2017 and 2018, when he held out of training camp and the preseason in a contract dispute with the Rams. When the holdouts ended, his famed technique wasn’t pinpoint-perfect.

“It was the same way when I came back,” he said. “It took a couple of games to get going. But it’s a little different: I ain’t played in two years, so I’ve got to watch the film and see what I did good, what I did wrong.”

Donald remained a popular figure in Los Angeles during his retirement, and fans were eager to celebrate his return. He was introduced last in the Rams’ pregame starting lineup, setting off frenzied roars throughout the SoFi stands as he sprinted onto the field through a corridor of hyped teammates.

“I was so juiced,” NFL MVP Matthew Stafford said. “He came running out of the tunnel, and I couldn’t control myself. I was freaking hyped up, man. I’m sure you all were in there, but man, the fans were happy to see him back, and we all were, too. Just the human being, the player, all of it combined, what he brings to our team, into our locker room, is unmatched — and really to the city, which I thought was amazing. I thought it was a great reception for him tonight.”

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Many fans sported his No. 99 jersey or held up signs welcoming him back. Donald huddled with his wife and children on the field while the Rams warmed up, and he even stopped to autograph a sign held by a young fan declaring: “The Beast Is Back!”

Donald retired in March 2024 after a 10-year career spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. Along with his three Player of the Year awards, he was an eight-time All-Pro and a 10-time Pro Bowl selection who had 111 sacks — an extraordinary number for an interior lineman — and won a Super Bowl ring.

Donald began to entertain the notion of a comeback after the arrival of Myles Garrett, a two-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year after setting the league’s single-season sacks record with 23 last season for Cleveland.

Donald couldn’t resist the chance to team up with one of his few contemporary peers in defensive line play — but that connection likely will have to wait for a month. After a zero-tackle debut in Australia in which he clearly wasn’t at his best, Garrett had surgery on his knee last week, and he will miss at least the next four games while on the injured list.

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The Rams’ defence improved sharply from Week 1 with Donald in the lineup, although everybody realized the injury absence of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was the biggest reason. Los Angeles allowed just 182 yards — a paltry 3.3 per play — and kept New York out of the end zone.

Donald contributed, but he wants to do more. He lamented a few rushes that got “a little too high” — a key for an undersized lineman who built a stellar career on winning leverage battles with strength and technique.

“I had some 1-on-1s, (but) I’ve just got to win them a little faster,” Donald said. “I popped up, got a little high, got too excited. Hopefully we keep getting blocked like that, and we’ll get going. I’m not worried about it.”

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£45m leisure centre to transform Stevenage’s sport and wellbeing offer

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Work has started on a new £45 million (US$60.2 million) sports and leisure centre in
Stevenage, which will bring the town’s existing wet and dry sports facilities together under one
roof.

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Asiad 2026: India’s women’s hockey team storm past Indonesia by 17-1 | Asian Games 2026

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The troika of destructive young forward Deepika Sehrawat, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal and Navneet Kaur fired a hat-trick each as the Indian women’s hockey team hammered Indonesia 17-1 to register its second consecutive Pool B win at the Asian Games here on Monday.

The 22-year-old Deepika (8th, 28th, 40th minutes), who scored eight goals in India’s 19-0 drubbing of Uzbekistan in the lung-opener, converted three penalty corners, while Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (15th, 20th, 38th) found the net thrice from field play.

Navneet’s goals came in the 35th, 56th and 57th minutes.

In addition, Sunelita Toppo (11th, 30th), Lalremsiami (12th, 16th) and Sakshi Rana (25th, 57th), scored a brace each while skipper Salima Tete (35th) Ishika Chaudhary (36th) also found the net once.

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Indonesia’s solitary goal was scored by Innes Aditiya in the 32nd minute.

India will next place Thailand on Wednesday.

After the resounding 19-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan on Sunday, the Indians made a steady start.

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India had the first chance in the fourth minute in the form of a penalty stroke but Navneet’s attempt was saved by the Indonesia goalkeeper.

It was Deepika who gave India the lead by converting a penalty corner in the eighth minute.

The goal opened the floodgates as Sunelita doubled the lead three minutes later, tapping in a pass from Neha.

Two minutes after that, Lalremsiami scored from a rebound after Deepika’s flick from a set piece was saved by the Indonesian custodian.

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It was raining goals thereafter with Rutuja next to register her name on the score-sheet, pushing the ball in after Sakshi Rana’s attempt was saved.

A minute later, Lalremsiami scored her second goal of the match from a field effort and then Rutuja followed suit, stretching full to guide home Neha’s pass.

Sakshi made the scoreline 7-0 in the 27th minute scoring from a rebound before Deepika converted another penalty corner. Sunelita then sent in Navneet’s hit from a penalty corner to hand India a commanding 9-0 lead at half-time.

Two minutes after the change of ends, Indonesia pulled a goal back when Innes Aditiya scored from a penalty corner before India skipper Salima found the back of the net from a field try.

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India kept toying with the inexperienced Indonesian defence and scored goals at will to register their second consecutive resounding victory. The team needs to win a gold to earn direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

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American Presidents Cup dominance comes down to 1 word | News

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Asian Games 2026 LIVE UPDATES Day 3: Cricket- Smriti keeps India in control; IND 118/1 (13 overs) | Asian Games 2026

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India’s Day 3 campaign at the Asian Games 2026 has produced a mixed set of results, with the women’s table tennis team advancing to the next round and Sakshi Chaudhary making a winning start in boxing. India’s women’s badminton team, however, bowed out of the team event after a 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Japan.

 

The women’s cricket team is currently facing Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match after winning the toss and opting to bat. India’s men’s kabaddi team also registered a comprehensive 63-31 win over South Korea, while the 10m air rifle mixed team pairing of Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the final after qualifying second.

 

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Shooting remains live in the skeet events, while the men’s badminton team will face Japan in the quarter-final at 11:30 am IST.

 

Asian Games 2026 Day 3: India schedule, live events and results
Time (IST) Sport Event Round/Stage India/Indian athlete(s) Opponent/Details Status/Result
Completed Sepaktakraw Men’s team regu Group B India Malaysia India lost 0-3 vs Malaysia
Completed Esports eFootball Group F India Uzbekistan India play 0-0 draw
Completed Equestrian Dressage Event Fouaad Mirza/Camouflage 38 Multiple Finish 26th
Completed Equestrian Dressage Event Arjan Nagra/Cooley Goodwood Multiple Finish 23rd
Completed Equestrian Dressage Event Ashish Limaye/Willy Be Dun Multiple Finish 13th
Completed Badminton Women’s team Quarter-final India Japan Japan beat India 3-1
Live Shooting Men’s skeet Individual qualification and team final, Day 2 Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill Multiple Awaited
Live Shooting Women’s skeet Individual qualification and team final, Day 2 Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Maheshwari Chauhan Multiple Awaited
Completed Table tennis Women’s team Round of 16 India Thailand India beat Thailand 3-2
Live Fencing Men’s individual foil, women’s individual epee Pool bouts; knockouts later Sachin, Hemash Singh, Mitva Chaudhari, Tanishka Khatri Multiple Men’s individual foil- Hemansh, Sachin elmintaded in RO32; Women’s Epee- Mitva eliminated in round of 32
Completed Kabaddi Men’s team Group A India South Korea India beat Korea 63-31
Completed Soft tennis Women’s singles Group D Aadhya Tiwari Alisha Ziegler, Thailand Lost 1-4
Completed Shooting 10m air rifle mixed team Qualification Elavenil Valarivan/Parth Mane Multiple Finished second, qualified for gold medal match
Completed Wushu Women’s nanquan Final Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam Multiple Finished 9th
Completed Soft tennis Men’s singles Group D Jay Meena Hussain Arain, Pakistan Won 4-1
Completed Swimming Men’s 1500m freestyle Final B Aryan Nehra Multiple Finished 4th
Completed Karate Men’s kumite -84kg Semi-final Chetan Bhatt Mohammad Alja’Fari, Jordan Lost (lost in bronze medal match)
Completed Swimming Men’s 4x100m medley relay Heats Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston, Dhanush Suresh Multiple India qualifies for final
Completed Shooting 10m air rifle mixed team Gold-medal match Elavenil Valarivan/Parth Mane Multiple Finish 4th in the final
Completed Boxing Women’s 51kg Round of 32 Sakshi Chaudhary Aira Villegas, Philippines Sakshi beat Aira 5-0 (Into RO16)
Completed Karate Women’s kumite -55kg Round of 16 Alisha Choudhary Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani, Indonesia Alisha lost 1-6
Completed Soft tennis Men’s singles Group C Aryan Thakur Bold-erdene Altangerel, Mongolia Aryan win 4-0
Completed Karate Women’s kumite -55kg Quarter-final Alisha Choudhary Subject to qualification Did not qualify
10:30 a.m. Boxing Men’s 55kg Round of 32 Jadumani Singh Chandra Bahadur Thapa, Nepal Awaited
Completed Soft tennis Women’s singles Group D Aadhya Tiwari Kainaat Shallwani, Pakistan India beat Pakistan 4-0 (Fails to qualify for Q/F)
Live Cricket Women’s team Gold-medal match India Sri Lanka India win the toss; opt to bat
Completed Karate Men’s kumite -84kg Final Chetan Bhatt Subject to qualification Did not qualify
Completed Karate Women’s kumite -55kg Bronze-medal match Alisha Choudhary Subject to qualification Did not qualify
11:30 a.m. Badminton Men’s team Quarter-final India Japan Awaited
11:59 a.m. Wushu Women’s nandao Final Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam Multiple Awaited
12:00 p.m. Equestrian Jumping Event Fouaad Mirza/Camouflage 38, Arjan Nagra/Cooley Goodwood, Ashish Limaye/Willy Be Dun Multiple Awaited
12:00 p.m. Soft tennis Men’s singles Group C Aryan Thakur Chen Po-Yi, Chinese Taipei Awaited
Completed Karate Men’s kumite -84kg Final Chetan Bhatt Subject to qualification Did not qualify
Completed Karate Women’s kumite -55kg Gold-medal match Alisha Choudhary Subject to qualification Did not qualify
2:00 p.m. Esports eFootball Group F India Mongolia Awaited
Around 3:15 p.m. Wushu Women’s 60kg Quarter-final Roshibina Devi Man Sin Chu, Macao, China Awaited
3:30 p.m. Hockey Men’s team Pool A India Sri Lanka Awaited
Around 3:45 p.m. Wushu Men’s 56kg Quarter-final Aryan Saydullo Abdurashitov, Uzbekistan Awaited

Cricket: India bat first against Sri Lanka in gold-medal match

 

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India’s women’s cricket team is currently facing Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match.

 

India won the toss and elected to bat first. The team reached the final after defeating Bangladesh in the semi-final and is now fighting for the gold medal.

 

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Shooting: Elavenil and Parth finish fourth

 

Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team gold-medal match.

 

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The Indian pair had earlier finished second in qualification to book their place in the final but could not secure a podium finish.

 

India’s skeet campaign is still underway, with Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill competing in the men’s event. Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan are in action in the women’s skeet competition.

 

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Badminton: Women’s team knocked out by Japan

 

India’s women’s badminton team suffered a 3-1 defeat to Japan in the quarter-final and were eliminated from the team event.

 

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India’s men’s team will face Japan in their quarter-final at 11:30 am IST.

 

Table tennis: India beat Thailand 3-2

 

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India’s women’s table tennis team advanced from the round of 16 after beating Thailand 3-2.

 

The Indian team remains in contention in the women’s team event as the knockout stages continue.

 

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Boxing: Sakshi advances after 5-0 win

 

Sakshi Chaudhary made a winning start to her women’s 51kg campaign, defeating the Philippines’ Aira Villegas 5-0 in the round of 32.

 

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She has advanced to the round of 16.

 

Jadumani Singh is scheduled to begin his men’s 55kg campaign against Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa at 10:30 am IST.

 

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Karate: Chetan and Alisha miss out on medals

 

India’s karate campaign has ended without a medal for Chetan Bhatt and Alisha Choudhary.

 

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Chetan lost his men’s kumite -84kg semi-final against Jordan’s Mohammad Alja’Fari and subsequently lost in the bronze-medal match. He therefore did not qualify for the final.

 

Alisha was beaten 1-6 by Indonesia’s Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the women’s kumite -55kg round of 16 and did not qualify for the quarter-final or subsequent medal rounds.

 

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Wushu: Langlentombi finishes ninth

 

Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam finished ninth in the women’s nanquan final. She is scheduled to return for the women’s nandao final at 11:59 am IST.

 

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Roshibina Devi will face Macao, China’s Man Sin Chu in the women’s 60kg quarter-final around 3:15 pm, while Aryan will take on Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov in the men’s 56kg quarter-final around 3:45 pm.

 

Kabaddi: India beat South Korea 63-31

 

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India’s men’s kabaddi team registered a convincing 63-31 victory over South Korea in their Group A match.

 

Equestrian: Indian riders complete dressage

 

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India’s three dressage riders have completed their events.

 

Ashish Limaye finished 13th on Willy Be Dun, while Arjan Nagra finished 23rd with Cooley Goodwood. Fouaad Mirza and Camouflage 38 finished 26th.

 

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The trio is also scheduled to compete in jumping later in the day.

 

EFootball: India draw 0-0 with Uzbekistan

 

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India played out a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in the eFootball Group F match.

 

The Indian team will face Mongolia in its next Group F fixture at 2 pm IST.

 

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Fencing: Hemansh and Sachin eliminated in round of 32

 

India’s men’s individual foil campaign has suffered an early setback, with Hemansh and Sachin eliminated in the round of 32.

 

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Mitva Chaudhari and Tanishka Khatri are representing India in the women’s individual epee competition, with pool bouts and subsequent knockout rounds scheduled.

 

Soft tennis: Mixed results for India

 

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Aryan Thakur registered a 4-0 win over Mongolia’s Bold-erdene Altangerel in the men’s singles Group C match.

 

Jay Meena also won his Group D contest, defeating Pakistan’s Hussain Arain 4-1.

 

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In the women’s singles, Aadhya Tiwari beat Pakistan’s Kainaat Shallwani 4-0 but failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. She had earlier lost 1-4 to Thailand’s Alisha Ziegler.

 

Swimming: India qualify for medley final

 

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India’s men’s 4x100m medley relay team of Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston and Dhanush Suresh qualified for the final after competing in the heats.

 

Aryan Nehra finished fourth in Final B of the men’s 1500m freestyle.

 

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India began its campaign with a 13-1 win over Indonesia and will look to maintain its strong start against Sri Lanka. 

Follow all live updates from India’s Asian Games 2026 Day 3 campaign here

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Why Bears TE Colston Loveland has only one catch through two games

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It is understandable that in a game where the Chicago Bears managed just three points, star tight end Colston Loveland had a quiet performance. Where it becomes head-scratching, though, is that it followed a Week 1 outing in which Loveland went without a single catch. That begs the question of whether this is simply a slow start or if there is reason for concern about his season-long outlook.

Entering the season, Loveland would have been among the last tight ends one would expect to tally just a single catch for three yards across two games. He ranks 76th at the position in receiving yards despite the fact that his team exploded for 59 points in the season opener. Mind you, this is a tight end who last year was the fourth-best in yards per route and who closed the campaign on a tear.

Loveland’s rookie season had its peaks and valleys, so perhaps his second year with the Bears will eventually resemble that 2025 picture. Anyone talented enough to rack up 28 catches, 378 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of his debut season ought to be capable of stringing together a similar stretch a year later, right?

Here is what went wrong for Loveland in the first two games of 2026 and a few reasons why the best is still ahead for the former No. 10 overall draft pick.

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Why Colston Loveland lacks targets through two games

Loveland’s five targets rank 31st most among tight ends. That is an unimaginably low number for a player who commanded 10 or more targets in the final two games of the 2025 regular season and both of the Bears’ playoff contests. The reason behind that downturn appears to be twofold.

First, Loveland is not getting nearly as much separation on his routes this year as he did as a rookie. He generated an average of 3.7 yards of separation in 2025 compared to just 2.1 yards in Weeks 1 and 2. The most logical explanation is that defenses are keying in on him. They had all offseason to dial up coverage schemes, knowing that they would face him early in the year.

What’s more, in the instances where Loveland does break free from his defender, quarterback Caleb Williams does not feed him the ball. Against the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings, on numerous routes where Loveland found himself in open space, Williams had already locked in on or thrown to another receiver, was in escape mode or found himself in the arms of a pass rusher.

Colston Loveland deployed as a pass-blocker in Week 2

It is not as though the Bears scrapped Loveland as a route-runner, but they did utilize him more at the line of scrimmage against the Vikings than in most other games. Loveland took on one of the largest pass-blocking roles of his career against Brian Flores’ vaunted Minnesota defense. His pass-blocking rate, in fact, was higher in Week 2 than at any point in the second half of last season, per PFF.

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This makes quite a bit of sense considering the opponent. Not only does Minnesota dial up blitzes at the highest rate of any defense in the NFL, but it does so by an extreme margin. The Vikings blitzed on 75.3% of pass plays in their first two games, while the next-most aggressive team did so at just 46.6%. Chicago responded by enhancing its protection with Loveland stepping in to aid the offensive line.

Perhaps the Bears overused Loveland as a blocker, though. The most questionable decision in that regard came on the final play of the game. Chicago needed a touchdown, had the ball on the 12-yard line and instead of sending its star tight end to the end zone, it held him back in pass protection. Not only did this take a tall and physical weapon out of play downfield, but it also resulted in Loveland’s assignment getting home for a game-sealing sack of backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Loveland’s past blocking rates suggest this was a one-time uptick against an aggressive defense. The result of the final play against the Vikings should also serve as a reminder to Ben Johnson and the coaching staff that the star tight end is best used down the field rather than in the trenches.

The bigger red flag is that Chicago might not trust its offensive line to protect Williams in its toughest matchups. The less time Williams has to operate in the pocket, the less time Loveland has to get downfield. That could hold him back from replicating the tremendous per-route yardage numbers he logged as a rookie.

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Opportunities still abound for Colston Loveland

Loveland’s blocking duties in Week 2 should not cast doubt on his usage moving forward. More likely than not, it was a product of playing against a formidable defensive front. Look no further than the previous week for reassurance about Loveland’s role as a receiver, because he ran a team-high 33 routes against the Panthers. It may not have resulted in a single catch, but Chicago was more adamant about getting Loveland downfield than any other player on the offense.

Not even his reduction in opportunities last week was enough to unseat Loveland as the Bears’ most active route-runner. Below are the Bears’ five leaders in routes run through two games.

  1. Colston Loveland, 61
  2. Rome Odunze, 57
  3. Luther Burden III, 55
  4. Kalif Raymond, 53
  5. Cole Kmet, 32

Two games is a small sample size. After two more weeks, Loveland could look up at the stat sheet and find himself as the Bears’ season-long receiving leader. The fact that Raymond — not Loveland, Odunze nor Burden — is the team’s most productive receiver is likely nothing more than early-season noise.

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Jameis Winston sinks Giants with forgettable performance in relief of Jaxson Dart

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Jameis Winston‘s initial thoughts when he first saw Jaxson Dart go down to injury in the first quarter on Monday night were just to pray.

“Lifting him up, hoping that everything would be fine,” Winston said.

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Things, of course, didn’t end up being fine for Dart and the Giants though as the young quarterback would be ruled out for the contest due to a knee injury.

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So Winston was quickly thrust into the QB1 spot, and it didn’t quite go as planned.

“We didn’t execute,” head coach John Harbaugh said.

Winston certainly looked the part of a backup as he missed open receiver after open receiver, under throwing several seemingly makable throws.

He completed just 11-of-27 passes for 111 yards and threw a bad interception in the red zone, forcing a throw on third-and-seven to end what was shaping up to be a successful drive.

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“We had one-on-one coverage,” the QB explained. “They got pressure up the middle and I gave our guy a chance and the corner slipped underneath — he saw the ball coming out of my hand before the receiver and made a play on it.”

Unfortunately for Winston that became a common theme throughout the night.

New York failed in their only other red zone opportunity for the contest, putting just six points on the board while also finishing an ugly 3-for-14 on third down.

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“We have to execute better,” Winston said. “We are focusing on being in better down-and-distance — we were in third-and-long a lot, so we have to execute better — I have to execute better on first and second down.”

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And the Giants will certainly need him to be better very quickly, as Dart is expected to be sidelined for about 2-to-4 weeks, sources tell SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes.

While Dart may push to be back sooner, that likely means Winston will be back as QB1 in Week 3 against the Titans.

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“My role is to keep him lifted up, keep this team motivated and put this game behind us,” Winston said. “Find ways to be solution-oriented and have a better week of preparation, a better game of efficiency, and to get a win.”

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“He’s the hardest worker” – Nacho names Real Madrid star who is receiving ‘unfair treatment’

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Former Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez named attacker Vinicius Junior as the player who receives unfair treatment despite playing a key role in the club’s recent success.

Vinicius, 26, has played over 380 times across competitions for Los Blancos since arriving from Flamengo in the summer of 2018, contributing 129 goals and 103 assists and winning three La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles.

The Brazil international has had a slow start to the season, though, scoring once in eight games across competitions. Having signed a contract extension this summer, Vinicius has attracted criticism for his underwhelming returns. Nevertheless, Nacho lauded the Brazilian for being the hardest worker in the team (as per Cadena SER):

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“Vinicius has been getting unfair treatment lately. He’s won so much at Real Madrid and given so much to the club. Every player has moments when they’re below their best.

“Besides, I know Vinicius personally, and I have no doubt that he’s the hardest worker, for sure. We need to find a way to get them both to perform at their peak during the most important part of the season.”

Nacho and Vinicius played together at the Santiago Bernabeu for six seasons, between 2018 and 2024, before the Spaniard left for Al-Qadsiah.


Nacho Fernandez lauds Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo

2016-17 UEFA Champions League - Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid - Source: Getty2016-17 UEFA Champions League - Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid - Source: Getty
2016-17 UEFA Champions League – Atletico de Madrid vs Real Madrid – Source: Getty

Nacho Fernandez had words of praise for Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s still going strong despite turning 41 earlier this year. The Portugal captain was at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2009 and 2018 before leaving for Juventus.

Ronaldo scored a club record 450 goals in just 438 games across competitions, winning two La Liga and four UEFA Champions League titles, including an unprecedented three-peat in the competition between 2016 and 2018.

Now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he arrived on a free transfer in December 2022, Ronaldo has amassed over 100 goals for his side. Nacho lauded Ronaldo for still playing at a high level (as per CADENA SER):

“What Cristiano does is out of this world; it’s crazy to reach that age still competing. I’m definitely not going to reach that age.”

Ronaldo won four of his five Ballon d’Or awards while at the Santiago Bernabeu and became the first player to win the Champions League five times, which he achieved in 2018.

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