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We are down to one week until the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos for “Monday Night Football” in Week 1, capping off the Week 1 slate of NFL action.

Enjoy your Labor Day!

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2026-27 Super Bowl Predictions: Will Chiefs Win It All Again, Or Do Bills Breakthrough? | FOX Sports

Nick Wright’s Super Bowl Prediction:

Chiefs Defeat Eagles

As Nick Wright continues to share his unwavering pride in the Kansas City Chiefs, he sees the AFC Championship Game as a matchup between two powerhouses: the Baltimore Ravens and the Chiefs. For the NFC, the Seahawks will return, and the Eagles make it back after their 2025 appearance.

“I have the Ravens hosting the Chiefs in the AFC, much like they did two years ago,” Wright said. “In the NFC, I have the Seahawks hosting the Eagles.”

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Patrick Mahomes’ Family News Emerges Before Broncos-Chiefs Game | Heavy Sports

“Patrick Mahomes Sr. is seeking approval to see his son’s NFL games, according to a motion filed Friday in the 7th District Court in Tyler, Texas,” Fox 10’s Nic Huber wrote in a September 4, 2026, story titled, “Patrick Mahomes Sr. files motion to amend probation to let him travel for NFL games.”

“Court records show Mahomes Sr. filed the motion requesting permission to travel out of state to see seven of his son’s football games in Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Cincinnati, Ohio,” Huber added.

“… The filing states Mahomes Sr. understands he is required to submit urinalysis testing as requested by his supervision officer before and after travel, on each occasion.”

How Xavier Nwankpa went from undrafted rookie to making Chiefs’ 53-man roster | The Kansas City Star

Safety Alohi Gilman was ruled out shortly before kickoff, and Nwankpa was told to get ready to start.

“It was kind of crazy,” Nwankpa said. “I found out in the locker room, but it really was just next-man-up mentality. I was blessed to be in that position and then went out and played a pretty solid game.”

The Chiefs liked enough of what they saw in the preseason and throughout the offseason to keep Nwankpa as the fourth safety when cuts were made earlier this week.

“I felt super blessed,” Nwankpa said. “I wanted to make it a tough decision, and they obviously made the decision to keep me. So I’m pretty ecstatic and just blessed to be here.”

One bold prediction for every NFL team in 2026: Giants make stunning run while Dolphins face 0-17 | CBS Sports

Kansas City Chiefs

Prediction: The Chiefs will miss the playoffs again

The Chiefs failed to make an AFC title game last season for the first time since Mahomes became a full-time starter. Instead of rebounding to make another run this year they are going to miss the playoffs again as Mahomes won’t have enough help from his supporting cast. The Chiefs are amazingly the only team without a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver in the past three seasons. Rashee Rice can’t stay on the field, Xavier Worthy hasn’t turned all-world speed into production and Travis Kelce doesn’t have much left in the tank. Chris Jones is on the decline and the defense lost most of its starting secondary. It all adds up to another disappointing season in Kansas City and the need to reinvent themselves in 2027.

Ranking the Biggest AFC Threats to the Chiefs in 2026: Which Teams Are Scariest? | Sports Illustrated

1: Houston Texans

If the perceived top dog in the conference is a team quarterbacked by C.J. Stroud, the Chiefs might not be doomed. Even with Nico Collins leading the receiver room and David Montgomery acquired this offseason, the Houston Texans remain a work in progress on that side of the ball and likely wouldn’t be able to keep pace with KC if a game became a high-scoring affair.

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The issue resides on defense, where the Texans may not only be the best group in the sport but might have one of the best defenses this century. After being top-three in points and yards per drive, head coach DeMeco Ryans’ crew returns a star-studded front with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter waiting to rush the passer and players like Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter clamping wideouts in the secondary.

Around the NFL

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gets 4-year extension through 2030 season | The Athletic

“To that end,” the memo reads, “the agreement is heavily performance based, with more than 95 percent of the total compensation tied to Roger’s and the NFL’s performance measured against various metrics and at the discretion of the Compensation Committee.

“We believe we are very fortunate to have Roger at the helm for the next four years.”

This is Goodell’s fifth contract extension — he previously agreed to new deals in 2009, 2012, 2017 and 2023 — since taking over for Paul Tagliabue in September 2006. Goodell’s most recent extension came in 2023, and his previous contract was set to expire in the spring of 2027.

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Giants reach 2-year extensions with Jameis Winston, Jon Runyan | ESPN

The New York Giants extended backup quarterback Jameis Winston through the 2028 season on a two-year deal worth $13 million, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

The Giants also agreed to a two-year extension with guard Jon Runyan. That deal is worth $22 million and includes $21.5 million guaranteed, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Winston gets two years added to his current contract, which has him signed for just over $4 million this season. He’s set to serve as the backup to Jaxson Dart.

Kyle Shanahan “a little confused” playing Friday in Australia, which is Thursday in America | Pro Football Talk

“We’re a little confused with — when I look at my clock and it says a time and then I try to see my family’s time and then it says the time, but it says yesterday. I don’t even get how that’s possible,” Shanahan said. “So I feel like I’m in the future. And then also when we play on Friday, which I think is a Thursday in the US, we’re such creatures of habit.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs sign international tight end, release 3 from IR

On Friday, the Chiefs reached injury settlements with three players who were waived/injured during Sunday’s final roster cuts. Quarterback Chris Oladokun, guard CJ Hanson and running back EJ Smith have all been waived from Kansas City’s Reserve/Injured (IR) list.

Players with less than four accrued seasons who are cut while injured revert to a team’s IR if unclaimed on waivers. An injury settlement has the player and team negotiate an estimated recovery timeframe and pay a prorated portion of base salary to cover the expected missed weeks.

The covered timeline rarely becomes public. After the settlement expires, Oladokun, Hanson and Smith will be free to join the active roster or practice squad of any of the NFL’s other 31 teams. A return to Kansas City will not be possible for an additional three weeks after that.

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Paris FC beat Olympique de Marseille 3–2 at the Vélodrome thanks to a hat-trick from Lassine Sinayoko. Paris FC sit second while OM remain stuck in 10th place in the table.

Team Great Britain and Ireland are Walker Cup champions once again — and they did so in improbable fashion.

Entering the final singles session on Sunday afternoon at Lahinch Golf Club, Team USA looked to be on their way to a sixth consecutive victory in the biennial team competition as they held a 9.5 to 6.5 advantage. However, thanks to a historic final session that saw GB&I win seven of the available 10 points, the team from across the pond completed the comeback for a 13.5 to 12.5 victory.

“I believed in the team the whole time,” said GB&I captain Dean Robertson. “I’m so proud of them. Just so special.”

After Team USA swept the morning foursomes session, the three-point lead entering the final session looked all but insurmountable. Needing seven points in the final singles session, GB&I’s margin for error was razor thin. Luckily, many of them saved their best golf for last.

GB&I swept the first four matches of the session — including a historic 8&7 beatdown in the third match courtesy of newly minted U.S. Amateur champ Jack Whaley — and went on to halve the fifth match as well. Suddenly, what looked like a Team USA coronation transformed into a furious comeback bid.

“I mean, just said, look, I’m just going to go out there and have fun,” said Luke Poulter, who won his match over Ethan Feng 3&1. “I was looking over at the leaderboard and I could see a bunch of blue on the board and that’s all I wanted to see.”

On the strength of sweeping the first four matches, GB&I suddenly found itself in the lead by a single point. Still with work to be done, the bottom half of the lineup fed off the momentum from earlier matches and continued the spirited surge.

In matches 5 and 7, Niall Sheils Donegan and Connor Graham were each able to earn a half point, with each tying their matches against young Americans Miles Russell and Kihei Akina. Sandwiched between the halved matches, Eliot Baker earned a full point over Walker Cup veteran Stewart Hagestad with a birdie on the final hole.

With the GB&I tally pushed to 12.5, just a single point was all that separated them from breaking their Walker Cup drought — and that point would come courtesy of Josh Hill.

Facing off against American Tyler Watts (and future teammate at the University of Tennessee), Hill found himself all square in his match as he played the finishing hole. Then, it what will go down in Walker Cup lore, Hill managed to card birdie on the par-5 finisher (aided by a spectacular bunker shot to three feet), officially pushing his team over the finish line to victory.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hill said. “Doesn’t get better than this.”

No it does not.

Oleksandr Usyk has revealed who he deems to be the best fighter he’s taken on during his illustrious career.

Usyk has established himself one of the best stars of the modern era, turning professional in 2013 after claiming a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.

He became cruiserweight world champion in just his 10th bout when he defeated Krzysztof Głowacki to win the WBO strap, and went on to earn undisputed honours before moving up to the heavyweight division.

The Ukrainian repeated that success at heavyweight to become only the second man to accomplish that after Evander Holyfield, defeating Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois all on two occasions each to twice become undisputed in the banner division.

None of those names came to mind for Usyk though when he was asked by Ring Champs With Ak & Barak who the best fighter he ever faced was, instead going for the man he took on in his final cruiserweight outing.

“Tony Bellew. Big heart, big fighter’s heart, and smart.”

Usyk defended his undisputed cruiserweight crown against Tony Bellew in November 2018, claiming an eighth round knockout win in what would prove to be Bellew’s final bout before retirement.

After two unsuccessful world title bids at light heavyweight, Bellew’s crowning moment had come in May 2016 when he defeated Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park in Liverpool to become WBC cruiserweight champion.

He notably then headed up to heavyweight for two fights with David Haye, with Bellew winning both of them by stoppage, with his final record reading 30 wins from 34 professional fights.

Nigeria will be without Victor Osimhen for the opening matches of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after Galatasaray confirmed that the striker is nursing a significant groin injury.

Osimhen suffered the injury during Galatasaray’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir, despite making an early impact by scoring the opening goal.

The Turkish champions revealed that Osimhen and midfielder Mario Lemina have both sustained a “moderate to advanced level strain with bleeding in the right groin area.”

According to the club, both players are receiving treatment and are expected to return after the current international break.

The development means Osimhen is unlikely to feature when the Super Eagles begin their AFCON qualifying campaign against Madagascar in Uyo on September 25.

Nigeria will then travel to face Guinea-Bissau four days later, with both matches scheduled for 16:00 GMT.

The Super Eagles are in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania, who are automatically qualified for the tournament as co-hosts. Nigeria will need to finish as the best-ranked qualifying team in the group to secure their place at the 2027 AFCON.

Osimhen’s absence is a major setback for head coach Eric Chelle, particularly at the beginning of a new qualifying campaign.

The Galatasaray forward has become one of Nigeria’s most important attacking players, with his pace, strength, movement and goals making him a difficult player to replace.

His injury also comes at a challenging time for the Super Eagles following their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria have faced both September opponents in previous AFCON qualifying campaigns. The Super Eagles defeated Madagascar home and away during the qualifiers for the 2012 tournament, while Guinea-Bissau recorded a famous victory in Abuja during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers before Nigeria responded with a win in Bissau.

With Osimhen unavailable, Chelle will have to find an alternative attacking option for the two fixtures.

Nigeria still have other talented forwards available, but replacing Osimhen’s all-round contribution will be a difficult task. His ability to stretch defences, battle with defenders, hold up play and attack balls in the box gives the Super Eagles an attacking dimension that will be missed.

The first challenge will come against Madagascar in Uyo, where Nigeria will be expected to begin the campaign with three points.

The trip to Guinea-Bissau four days later could provide an even tougher test, making Osimhen’s absence particularly significant.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, will hope the striker responds well to treatment and is able to return to action soon after the international break.

The passing of former AEW star Andy Williams has broken the hearts of thousands worldwide. He was an amazing human being, a talented musician, and a good in-ring competitor. Many wrestlers paid tribute to him after his death. Even one of Triple H’s closest friends was shattered by this tragedy.

WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac was distraught when he learned of Andy Williams’s death. The 54-year-old retired from in-ring competition a few years back; however, he is still signed to the sports entertainment juggernaut under a legends contract. He shared screenshots of his chat with the departed wrestler a few hours ago on X.

The former AEW star had texted him back in April 2022. Williams’s wanted to help the legend recover from an injury.

“Hey brother! I know we don’t know each other, but I’ve torn both of my biceps and never had them repaired. Let me know if I can help in anyway. I’ve dealt with this for about 6 years now and it’s not the end of the world and pretty easy recovery!” read William’s text.

X-Pac’s reply was equally wholesome.

“Hey man! I appreciate you reaching out. I noticed you tore yours. I already tore the right one & didn’t get it fixed. Tore my pec at same time. Now this one. 🙂 saw my surgeon & had git an MRI when I got home Monday. I made it through my match I Dallas ok. At least my bicep made it through. My groin is pulled or torn, but whatever. So I’m waiting to see when I can get it fixed,” read his reply.

The veteran wrote in the caption of this post that he is sad that he never got to meet the former Butcher in person.

“I’m sad that we’ll never get that chance to meet. I wish we had more people with a heart like your’s in our industry. Rest well, Andy.🙏💔,” he wrote.

Andy Williams was with AEW from 2019 to 2026

Andy Williams was under All Elite Wrestling’s banner for seven years. He is best known for his partnership with the Blade. The duo was collectively known as the Butcher and the Blade.

Although the Butcher and the Blade never became AEW World Tag Team Champions, they had a strong fan base. They held the PWR Tag Team Championship once.