Teddy Atlas has highlighted a key advantage of David Benavidez, which Jai Opetaia must attempt to nullify if they end up colliding next year.
The two cruiserweights have verbally agreed to lock horns in 2027, with Benavidez acknowledging the Australian as a worthy opponent for Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Before targeting their potential showdown in May, though, ‘The Mexican Monster’ is expected to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak on December 12.
By scoring a sixth-round finish, the Mexican-American not only became a three-division world champion but also demonstrated his speed and power at 200lbs.
Top trainer Atlas has therefore suggested on his YouTube channel that these attributes, combined with his punches in bunches, could see the 29-year-old defeat Opetaia.
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“He’s got the quicker hands – I think that’s one advantage. But he’s got power, too – just like Opetaia. And he’s a warrior – just like Opetaia. They’re both undefeated; they’re both champions.
“[Benavidez is] a guy, though, that throws with speed and power and punches in clusters. And that can be a problem.
“You can time it … but that might give [Benavidez] an edge. Opetaia might have to hurt him to slow him down and win the fight [on points]. It’s hard to visualise Opetaia outworking him when it comes to volume.”
Indeed, Opetaia is unlikely to match Benavidez’ tremendous punch output but, as the naturally bigger man, he may find success in other areas of their hoped-for contest.
BROSSARD, Que. — So much of goaltending is about mindset, and it’s hard to imagine Jakub Dobes having a better one heading into his first official season as Montreal Canadiens starter.
That he’s unwilling to even acknowledge the job is his to lose — after an electric run from last trade deadline to Eastern Conference Final put him in pole position — is proof positive his head is in the right place.
“I don’t really look at it” as a job to lose, Dobes said after Thursday’s camp-opening practice. “We have a really good trio of goalies right now. (Samuel Montembeault and Jacob Fowler) are awesome. They were supporting me. I think it’s unfair to come here and say it’s my spot. We will be battling all three together for a spot, and whoever gets the start on the 29th will play. Whoever plays better deserves to play. So, that’s the mentality.”
Perhaps the cautionary tale Montembeault wrote last season helped Dobes adopt it.
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Seeing the Becancour, Que., native come in without any real threat of being knocked out of that chair before he was not only ejected from it but also relegated to the third one had to have reinforced to Dobes just how tenuous the starter’s job is.
Montembeault earned it and was extended a long leash to keep it after finishing top-five in the NHL in goals saved above expected over 62 appearances the season prior.
But seeing the six-foot-three goaltender trip over it to fall so far from grace would provide a valuable lesson to any backup in his presence — but especially one of Dobes’ age and experience level.
The Ostrava, Czech Republic, native was just 24 years old at the start of last season. He was just 16 games into his NHL career. And he, too, went on to experience dramatic highs and lows over a very short period.
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It’s a good thing Dobes has that in perspective.
“I kind of remember the struggles, too,” he said. “People can say it was a really good season, but I remember that I wasn’t always at my best or I struggled a bit, too. I take that into consideration, and every day I will try to prove myself. I want to repeat (last season’s success) and (also) win the Stanley Cup. I feel like we were pretty close, but not close enough. So, I don’t think I’m satisfied with what happened last year, because we needed to get past Carolina and then Vegas, so that’s still seven more wins away. So no, I don’t think anything changed. I will try to be better than I was last year.”
He was dynamite from last trade deadline through the end of the regular season, winning 10 of 14 games and posting a .924 save percentage. And no goaltender was better in the playoffs, with a league-leading 13.3 goals saved above expected through 19 games pushing him to a level few thought he’d attain when he was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.
Heck, it was even somewhat unforeseeable Dobes would get there so soon after he failed to unseat a struggling Montembeault from October through the beginning of December.
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It was at that time that Fowler was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket to the Canadiens, and the highly touted prospect didn’t waste a minute before showing Dobes he was a threat to leapfrog him on the depth chart.
The 21-year-old, who went 69th overall in the 2023 draft, went back down and then came back up. He ended up going 9-6-2 through his first 17 appearances in the league. He posted a .908 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average. And in the process, he served notice he’d arrived ahead of schedule.
Now Fowler is fighting to stay, to keep Montembeault on the margins, and to push Dobes for the net.
He’s got the talent to steal it — and probably would, if Dobes felt too high on himself.
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Instead, the six-foot-four, 215-pound goaltender made it clear on Thursday just how grounded he is.
“I might not even be here after two weeks,” Dobes said. “Two weeks is such a long time, especially in this market. It’s hard to predict the future. I try to take it day by day. Today was a good practice and tomorrow I will try to be even better because I feel like I could be.
“I’m just trying to enjoy everything. I’m 25 years old, playing in the best market in the world. I try to enjoy every day and not think too much ahead because the time flies and you’ve got to live in the present.”
That feels like the best way to take advantage of the opportunity Dobes has in front of him.
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Saturday Night Hockey setup
Lines and pairings from Thursday remained the same Friday.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis confirmed the A group (featuring Nick Suzuki’s line) would remain in Montreal while the B group (featuring Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson) would go to Toronto for games against the Maple Leafs Saturday night.
Manchester United suffered a painful Carabao Cup exit on Wednesday after throwing away a 2-0 lead to lose to Brighton at Old Trafford.
The defeat ended a 50-year record for United. The last time the club lost at home after taking a two-goal lead was in 1976, when Sir Alex Ferguson was still managing St Mirren.
United’s latest setback came only days after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, increasing the pressure around Michael Carrick and his players.
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Fans showed their anger after the final whistle. Many supporters left the stadium before the players completed their traditional lap of appreciation, while others stayed behind to boo the team and question the players as they headed towards the tunnel.
Carrick made eight changes to his starting XI, with teenager Shea Lacey among those given an opportunity. The youngster made the most of his chance by scoring in the eighth minute with a well-taken finish.
The goal made Lacey the first teenager to score on his first Manchester United start since Marcus Rashford achieved the feat in 2016.
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However, United struggled to maintain control of the match. Brighton gradually took charge and eventually completed the comeback.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said his team deserved the victory.
“The longer the game went, the more we had control. I thought we deserved to win,” he said.
Carrick did not disagree with that assessment, admitting that his team had not produced enough to prevent another disappointing result.
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United have now lost three games this season, while they have recorded only two victories. The latest defeat also ended their hopes of winning the Carabao Cup.
Carrick said he was particularly disappointed for Lacey, whose impressive first start was overshadowed by the team’s collapse.
“It’s a shame that Shea’s moment, such a great moment for him, for his family, his friends and the whole academy, gets a bit lost, unfortunately,” Carrick said.
The United manager also spoke about 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, who had been expected to make his senior debut. Carrick said the club must be careful with the youngster because of his age and wellbeing.
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“He’s a young boy, he’s 15, and for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, looking after our younger players, their welfare, their wellbeing, their exposure, we’ve got to be really conscious of that,” he said.
Despite the growing criticism, Carrick insisted he does not feel under pressure.
“I don’t feel under pressure,” he said. “What bothers me is winning games, having a good feeling around the place and a good feeling around the group to know we’re moving in a good direction.”
United now have one match left before the international break, with Fulham waiting at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
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After a difficult few weeks, another poor result could increase the pressure around the club.
Saturday’s $1 million Shorts at Randwick is a date apprentice jockey Mollie Fitzgerald is eagerly awaiting, marking her debut ride in a Group race aboard the capable mare Flying For Fun.
The 24-year-old, who is indentured to Annabel and Rob Archibald, has previously ridden in three Listed races but is thrilled that trainer Bryce Heys has entrusted her with the reins of his dual stakes winner in a race renowned as a key audition for The Everest.
“It’s an awesome opportunity. A very ‘pinch myself’ moment,” Fitzgerald said.
“She’s a beautiful mare. I’ve had the benefit of riding her in a trial, but it’s so exciting. It’s what you dream of, to be in these races, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
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Flying For Fun, a daughter of Heys’ former top sprinter Spieth, captured the Starlight Stakes (1100m) in November and later demonstrated her quality by winning the Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) in March.
Her subsequent runs in Adelaide resulted in two unfortunate Group 1 placings; she surged home to narrowly miss out in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) and was unable to gain a clear passage when midfield in the Goodwood (1200m).
She has a strong record when fresh, and while the outside draw in barrier 12 presents a significant challenge against horses like Joliestar, Headwall, and Everest slot holder Ninja, Flying For Fun has shown promising form in two lead-up trials, with Fitzgerald aboard for the initial one.
“It was her first trial and she wasn’t asked to do much, but I had a lot of horse underneath me,” Fitzgerald noted.
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“James (McDonald) trialled her at her second trial and he was pretty happy with her as well. You can feel the difference being on those quality horses.
“She’s a model of consistency. She tries very hard, and she loves her racing. Towards the end of her last prep, she was ridden a bit more quietly and you do need luck from back there, but she has raced in good races and been honest.”
Fitzgerald’s booking for Flying For Fun is a one-off arrangement for now, but she is determined to make the most of this significant chance and hopes it might pave the way for more opportunities.
“It’s just an awesome opportunity. Hopefully everything goes right on Saturday, and we’ll see what comes of it,” she remarked.
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Fitzgerald’s Randwick engagements also include the Luke Pepper-trained Brave Xena in the Highway Handicap (1000m), marking a reunion after she partnered the mare to victory in a similar race during the summer.
“There’s not much of her, but she’s beautiful,” Fitzgerald said.
“I won a Highway on her, and she’s honest, so I’m looking forward to getting back on her. She’s got a tricky draw (barrier 12), but she’s probably good enough to overcome that.”
Explore the best racing betting markets for the Shorts at Australian betting sites.
A wrestling star suffered a brutal rejection on the latest episode of TNA Impact.
John Skyler has apparently developed a crush on Mila Moore, Mustafa Ali’s Secretary of Strategic Affairs. Moore has been closely associated with Ali’s Order 4 faction in TNA Wrestling, while Skyler is also part of the group.
Thanks for the submission!
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Skyler previously tried to ask Moore out, but a phone call interrupted his attempt. He decided to give it another shot this week and even came prepared with roses. Unfortunately for him, things went from awkward to heartbreaking very quickly.
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Skyler once again found Moore on the phone with somebody and overheard part of her conversation. The TNA Wrestling star realized that she was discussing him and apparently had no interest in going on a date. Here is what Moore said during the call backstage:
“John Skyler… Yeah, John. No, we’re talking about the same John. He was gonna ask me out on a date? I would NEVER go out with someone who looks like John Skyler! Are you kidding me? He was not gonna ask me out – that’s a joke, you’re joking, right? Aww… that’s sad. That can’t be real. John Skyler, really? Urgh. You have to be kidding me. Who would believe that? How’d he believe that?”
A hopeful John Skyler immediately turned into a man who looked like his heart had been broken. As you can see in the clip below, he dropped the roses upon hearing Mila Moore’s harsh words:
Interestingly, this could turn into something much bigger for John Skyler. As part of Order 4, getting rejected by someone close to Mustafa Ali could potentially create some entertaining tension within the faction. For now, though, Skyler simply has to deal with the heartbreak.
Mila Moore previously had her referee shirt ripped off in TNA Wrestling
This isn’t the first time Mila Moore has found herself at the center of an unusual TNA moment. Earlier this month, Moore served as the special guest referee during a match involving Jason Hotch and Order 4’s Agent 0. She heavily favored Agent 0, repeatedly frustrating Hotch during the bout.
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TNA Wrestling’s Tasha Steelz eventually had enough and attacked Moore. Steelz then forcibly removed Moore’s referee shirt during the broadcast, leaving her to retreat backstage in her bra. You can read more about that HERE.
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Tom Brady’s power rankings are back for a third season, and before he reveals his first top-10 of the new season, there are a few rules the GOAT has.
One, in order to make this week’s top 10, you’ve had to have won in Week 1. Two, the power rankings are all about what you’ve done lately, not what you can be. And three, if you have any complaints, direct them to the new FOX Sports digital show “Gronk & Jules.”
So, now that’s out of the way, let’s dive into Brady’s first top 10 of the 2026 NFL season.
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Brady’s thoughts: They had a great win against a very good Bucs team. I thought that Bucs team was going to go into Cincy and upset some people. Sorry to Ja’Marr Chase and all those fantasy owners. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
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Brady’s thoughts: If you turned this one off early, you’re probably wondering why the Lions aren’t higher. But you really don’t want to see how this one went down.
I think it’s very brave of these teams to go for 2 [to win the game like the Saints did]. It’s basically a 45/50% chance of making it. That’s what the stats say. Sometimes, I think you should make the other team beat you. But when you’re the road team against a good team, sometimes I don’t mind going for broke.
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Brady’s thoughts: How about the Jags? At No. 8, they ran it up against Cleveland. That’s what a lot of people forgot about Jacksonville last season. They won 13 games last year. Keep an eye out for this team. Liam Coen, really impressed, man. Keep it up.
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Brady’s thoughts: Kenneth Walker, he’s your [Super Bowl LX] MVP and the Chiefs are sitting at No. 7. Patrick Mahomes, are you kidding me? He might be able to contribute something to this offense as well. He wasn’t avoiding any contact [on Monday night]; I’m sure of that.
I think, in a lot of ways, he’s back to [being] Patrick Mahomes. What do I mean by that? His leadership, discipline, tenacity — all of those things were on display. He’s going to pick up some steam. He’s missed some football, missed a lot of the offseason. But never sleep on No. 15 for the Chiefs.
Why are we counting them out? Never count them out.
I always felt like when you’ve got a great coach and you’ve got a great QB, and that organization has championship standards … watch out, man.
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Tom Brady is bullish on the Kenneth Walker-Patrick Mahomes pairing. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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Brady’s thoughts: KB and I, we were on the call in Philly, and the Eagles are knocking on the door of the top five. They knocked a little rust off, but they took care of business, starting 1-0 in the division.
They know how to start fast. I like this team. They’re always going to play great defense. Once they figure out how to run the ball a little bit better, and they’ve still got Saquon [Barkley] back there and Tank Bigsby — they’re making those explosive plays. That’s the formula that set them up a few years ago, too.
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Brady’s thoughts: In our top five, you can shuffle a lot of teams here, but remember, when in doubt, my rankings are always the correct ones.
The Bills are starting at five. That was a huge win in Houston. Houston had one of the best defenses in the league last year, and there’s going to be arguments to put Buffalo at the top of the list. But they were a dropped pick away from being off the [list] entirely. We know Josh [Allen], we know James Cook — they’re going to move the ball all year long. But those Bills fans are waiting for January at this point. Who can blame them?
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Brady’s thoughts: Another team with a new head coach, Jesse Minter. Lamar [Jackson] dominated in Indy. They brought in Minter for this defense, but I’ll be watching [offensive coordinator] Declan Doyle and what he does with the weapons on this offense. It looked pretty good the other night.
They’ll need the depth chart to step up at receiver for a few weeks. But Baltimore fans, guess what? You should be excited.
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Brady’s thoughts: We now have the definitive guide on how to travel to Australia now, right? I think people talked more about that than the game this past week. Hats off to the Niners and Kyle Shanahan for tuning out a lot of the B.S., a lot of the noise and doing what they do: dominate a great Rams team Down Under.
Brock [Purdy], quick word of advice: Keep throwing it to Mike Evans. He’s really good at catching the football, especially when you get close to the end zone.
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Mike Evans logged a touchdown grab in his 49ers debut. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
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Brady’s thoughts: The Caleb Williams MVP watch is under way. They put 59 on Carolina in Week 1. Ben Johnson wants the highest-scoring offense ever. But how about a little defense from this team when they get back to Chicago? Or, you know what, screw it — keep scoring 59 points. I’m an offensive guy, either way works.
They make it look easy — 300 yards rushing, Caleb does his thing and when guys aren’t open, he scrambles. When they get that offense rolling, it’s hard to stop. I saw it a lot last year. I know we’re going to see it a lot this year.
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Brady’s thoughts: I don’t care, to be the champ, you’ve gotta beat the champ. When you win the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl rematch in the first game back, I don’t care who is playing QB, you’ve got to get the top spot. The defense, they haven’t skipped a beat. And I’ve got another secret QB hack for Drew Lock: As long as Sam [Darnold’s] out, throw it anywhere on JSN’s (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) side of the field; he’s going to come down with it.
India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza is just a win away from securing a historic medal for the country in Teqball after marching into the women’s singles semifinals at the Asian Games here on Friday.
Making her Asian Games debut, Quimcy stunned top-seeded Yuina Sakamoto of Japan 2-1 (10-12, 12-11, 13-11) in her opening Group A match that lasted 43 minutes at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Centre.
The young Indian carried the momentum into her second group match and defeated Cambodia’s Koemyean DY 2-0 (12-9 12-7) in 24 minutes to top her group and qualify for the semifinals.
Quimcy got a bye in the quarterfinals by virtue of topping her group.
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She will take on Indonesia’s Sumaya in the semifinals on Saturday and a win will ensure the first-ever medal for India in Teqball, one of the six sports making its debut at the continental showpiece.
If the 24-year-old Indian loses in the last four match, she will have another shot at a medal through the bronze medal play-off tie.
Teqball is one of the six sports alongside Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Padel, Surfing, BMX Freestyle and Virtual Taekwondo which are making their debut in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
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Teqball is a dynamic sport, a combination of football and table tennis. The game was invented by football enthusiasts Gabor Borsanyi, Gyorgy Gattyan, and Viktor Huszar in Hungary in 2014.
The first official Teqball World Championships was held in Budapest in 2017.
In Teqball, players use almost every part of their body except hands and arms to rally with a standard size five football across a curved table, divided by a transparent plexiglass.
As the Kyler Murray concussion watch continues and Carson Wentz prepares for a possible 100th NFL start Sunday in Chicago, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is scheming up ways to disrupt the high-flying Bears offense coming off their 59 point, 552-yard explosion in their opening win at Carolina.
It’s a battle of 1-0 teams who split their series last season with each team winning memorable come-from-behind games on the road. In his first NFL start, J.J. McCarthy led a late rally for a three-point opening victory for the Vikings. Later in Week 11, a long kickoff return by Devin Duvernay set up a short drive for Caleb Williams before Cairo Santos’ game-winning field goal in a game that helped spur the Bears on to the NFC North title while damaging the Vikings’ playoff chances.
The Bears are a 5 ½ point favorite as the oddsmakers are enamored with the Bears offense directed by boastful coach Ben Johnson, rising star QB Caleb Johnson, and the running back duo of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai (who each rushed for over 100 yards last Sunday). Overlooked are the problems the defense had in allowing 37 points and 478 total yards including 361 passing yards and three TD passes (plus one rushing TD) by Panthers QB Bryce Young.
The Vikings have beaten the Bears six straight times in Chicago and will head to Soldier Field full of confidence after their thrilling rally to beat the Packers as all three areas—offense, defense and special teams—contributed to the victory. But there is plenty for the coaches to clean up this week starting with poor first half coverage by the secondary.
1. Win up front on defense especially against Garrett Bradbury at center and Braxton Jones or Ozzy Trapilo at left tackle. Bradbury, the former Vikings center, has had problems in his career against big, athletic defensive tackles with the prime example being Dexter Lawrence in the 2022 playoff loss to the Giants. I expect to see more of big DTs Domonique Orange and Caleb Banks this week as Flores tries to take advantage of Bradbury to stop the run and pressure Williams up the middle although the Bears probably will give Bradbury guard help.
Aug 22, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Domonique Orange (97) in action against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Bears likely will chip with tight ends and backs to help Jones or Trapilo against Dallas Turner who had a big opener with a sack and seven QB hits on Jordan Love. Left tackle is a potential weakness if Jones or Trapilo try to single block Turner.
A big question is how will the Bears handle the inside blitzing of Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel’s edge pass rushing after they (with Turner) wreaked havoc on the Packers.
2. Stop the run: Kevin O’Connell says of the Bears “at their core they want to run the football.” That was obvious last week with 291 rushing yards including 124 yards and three TDs from D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai contributed 100 yards and one TD. The Vikings held the Packers to 66 yards on 21 carries (3.1 average) but the Bears have better backs with Josh Jacobs out last week for the Pack and the Green Bay O-line was banged up and ran out of gas in the second half. But both Swift (ankle/knee) and Monangai (hamstring) were limited in practice this week.
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3. Pressure Williams into sacks and turnovers and contain his running: Williams is coming off an outstanding performance at Carolina (21 or 29 for 269 yards, two TD passes, 10 rushes for 65 yards, two rushing TDs, no turnovers). He was only sacked twice which was the case in both games against the Vikings last season but the Minnesota D held him to 210 yards and 193 yards through the air last season. He had 58 rushing yards and a TD on the ground in the Week 1 game of 2025 but was held to 26 rushing yards in Week 11.
Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) greets Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) following a game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
4. Better coverage than in first half against Green Bay: the Vikings allowed seven pass plays over 20 yards in the game, most of them in the first half from Jordan Love to Christian Watson including the 81 yard TD in which there was confusion among Vikings defenders on the coverage. Things seemed to settle down more in the second half as Harrison Smith played more snaps and was able to get the secondary properly aligned. Theo Jackson had several coverage issues and so did Josh Metellus. The Vikings need Smith on the field for more snaps against the Bears and should limit Jackson’s snaps while getting third rounder Jakobe Thomas more action in place of Jackson (or play Jay Ward or Jacob Thomas).
Byron Murphy must play up to his Pro Bowl status after he had a rough first half against Watson. Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers and James Pierre (who did have a big interception in his first game as a Viking) will be tested by Bears WRs Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Kalif Raymond.
The safeties and linebackers need to do a better job covering two good tight ends in Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet after the Packers’ Tucker Kraft and Jonnu Smith combined for five catches and 115 yards.
5. Offense run it more consistently: with Jordan Mason on IR (fractured thumb), Aaron Jones, Demond Claiborne and DeeJay Dallas will carry the load. The offensive line, tight ends and fullback Max Bredeson came on in the second half to lead the way for Jones and Mason (one TD each) after rough going early on. The Vikings need to come out with a more consistent rushing attack to take pressure off the QB, set up play action, and win time of possession to keep the Bears offense off the field as much as possible.
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6. Pass protect and get the ball to Jefferson and Addison: the Bears aren’t a great pass rushing team although Montez Sweat is dangerous (10 sacks last season, one sack last week). Wentz was sacked three times last week and either he or Murray must be protected so the dynamic skill players led by Jefferson and Addison have time to get open.
Jefferson had a great game last week (eight catches, 92 yards, two TDs) but Addison was shut out on only two targets (bad throws early by Wentz) and needs to be more involved this week. T.J. Hockenson should be a key part of the game plan in the intermediate zones after his solid game against the Packers (four catches, 36 yards, one TD).
The Vikings need their excellent right tackle Brian O’Neill to be able to play after he was limited on Wednesday and did not practice Thursday with a knee injury. O’Neill would be lined up against Sweat. If he can’t go, backup Ryan Van Demark steps in and will likely need help against Sweat.
7. Protect the ball and win the turnover battle: the Bears led the league in takeaways with 33 last season and the Vikings were the worst in giveaways (30). The Bears were +2 and the Vikings +1 in turnover ratio last week.
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8. Continued excellence on third down: the Vikings controlled time of possession with 8 of 15 on third down while the defense held the Packers to 3 of 12 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down. This is a good formula to get a win.
9. Deeper kickoffs and better kickoff coverage: I’d like to see either much better kickoff coverage than last week (Bo Melton averaged 31 yards per return with a 59 yarder) or Will Reichard should just kick if deep in the end zone and let the Bears start at the 35. Anything to avoid a repeat of the disaster in Week 11 last year when Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard return set up the winning field goal by Cairo Santos. Fortunately Duvernay is now a Cardinal and Josh Blackwell averaged only 21 yards per return last week.
Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard (46) kicks off against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
Another big return or two from Myles Price would be a huge help to the Vikings cause as was the case last week when his 68-yard return set up the touchdown that brought the Vikings within five points in the third quarter and was a momentum changer at that point.
10. Reichard outkick Santos: Reichard, a first-team All-Pro last season, tied a Soldier Field record with his 59-yard field goal in Week 1. He was perfect against the Bears in the two games and Santos missed one field goal in each game but also made the clutch 48-yarder for the Week 11 victory.
11. Continue last week’s low penalty total: the Vikings had only three penalties for 15 yards last Sunday which was impressive in an opener while the Bears had 12 penalties for 57 yards at Carolina.
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Prediction
I see a close game with both teams trying to control the clock with the run game and working play action for several big pass plays. Similar to the two games last year, I think it will come down to a final Bears drive with Williams making some key passes and runs to set up the winning field goal. Sorry to say I predict a 27-24 victory for the Bears but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if the Vikings stretch their winning streak to seven straight at Soldier Field.
Around the NFL in Week 2
1. Will Packers bounce back at the Jets? Green Bay has lost six straight dating back to last season. The Jets have added a lot of young talent and had a dominant opening day win in Tennessee over the lousy Titans. I think Jordan Love is a lot better than Geno Smith in the QB matchup and I see the Packers winning a close game.
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2. There are several Week 1 losers looking to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Included in this group is the Vikings’ Week 3 opponent on the road—Tampa Bay. The Bucs had fumble issues in Cincinnati where they had four lost fumbles (three by Baker Mayfield) the Bucs shouldn’t have any trouble with Mayfield’s former team—the hapless Browns who are sticking with Deshaun Watson after getting hammered in Jacksonville on Sunday.
Houston looks to rebound against Cincinnati in a critical home game as the Texans were one of the AFC favorites and don’t want to start the season with two home losses after their close loss to the Bills.
Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) is introduced before playing against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
I like the Patriots and Drake Maye to get a win at home against the Steelers after Maye’s rough three-pick outing in the opening loss at Seattle. The Seahawks will battle the heat at surprising Arizona who are feeling good after upsetting the Chargers but Seattle’s defense will bring the Cards back to earth.
Denver comes off a poor performance at Kansas City and hosts a solid Jacksonville team. I’m picking the underrated Jaguars in a mild upset. The Chiefs were surprisingly good running the ball with Kenneth Walker. He and Patrick Mahomes along with a strong defense should win on Sunday night in Indianapolis.
The Chargers had perhaps the worst loss of Week 1 in falling at home to the Cardinals. Now the Chargers badly need a home win over Kirk Cousins and the Raiders who beat lowly Miami in their opener. It’s critical considering these next seven games for LAC—at Buffalo, at Seattle, home vs. Denver, at Kansas City, at the Rams, home vs. Houston and at Baltimore. Yikes.
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Week 2 will wrap up with the Rams bouncing back from their lousy game in Australia against the 49ers to beat the Giants who handled the Cowboys in the opener. Despite Myles Garrett being out with a knee injury, the Rams will get after Jaxson Dart in the possible return of Aaron Donald.
India’s Chef de Mission for the Asian Games, Sahdev Yadav, said on Friday that he only learned after arriving in the city that organisers had removed around 30 to 35 Indian athletes from the accommodation list, forcing the contingent to book hotels for them.
Several Indian athletes faced logistical and accommodation hassles after arriving in the city, with some forced to spend long hours waiting for rooms.
“They (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee) informed us that more players than expected had come (from India). But as far as India is concerned, that’s not the case. We stuck to the number of players they had invoiced. But they removed some names, so we booked hotels for them… we faced difficulty with regard to 30-35 athletes,” said Yadav on the sidelines of the flag-hoisting function here.
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“Our team quickly swung into action to get accommodation for the athletes as quickly as possible.” Yadav acknowledged there had been mismanagement in handling the arrival of contingents but said such problems could occur at an event of this scale.
“Yes, there is mismanagement, but it’s a big event and it can happen. But we have to look beyond that. We have to take care of our athletes and solve their problems and get them good accommodation so that they are in the right frame, both physically and mentally, to win medals and are relaxed,” said the official.
He assured that all Indian athletes had now been accommodated, with the deputy chefs de mission working to resolve the initial problems.
“Everyone has got accommodation and there is absolutely no problem at our end. Initially, when there were problems, we booked extra hotel rooms. Our team is going to the airport every time to fetch the athletes.
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“Last night, two deputy chefs de mission, Alaknanda Ashok and Anjali Bhagwat, had gone to the airport to receive the athletes.” Yadav said athletes had also faced long delays in getting accreditation, particularly those housed on the cruise ship, but the Indian team had arranged vehicles and additional hotel rooms to ease their stay.
“Of course, there have been delays in getting the accreditation cards of athletes, as it’s a long process for those who are being housed on the cruise ship. Yes, there are long delays there, but we dispatched cars and arranged hotels to make things easy for them.
“We have booked 18 hotel rooms and will book 10 more today to accommodate about 30 athletes. Definitely, they (organisers) have a paucity of accommodation,” he added.
The affected athletes were from badminton and shooting, Yadav said, adding that the situation had now settled down.
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On unconfirmed reports that male and female athletes and coaches had, in a few instances, been accommodated in the same rooms, Yadav said no such arrangement had been made for the Indian contingent and that he was unaware of any such incident involving other contingents.
With a storm expected to hit the city, Yadav said athletes had been advised to remain indoors at their hotels and on the cruise ship where some members of the contingent are housed.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Stephon Gilmore wasn’t known for being much of a talker during his 13 NFL seasons.
But one of the most dominant cornerbacks of his era is officially retiring with the team with whom he had the most success during his career.
The 35-year-old Gilmore is returning to New England on Friday to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Patriots, the team he won his lone Super Bowl with to cap the 2018 season.
Gilmore last played in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings and previously announced his retirement in April via an Instagram post.
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Selected 10th in the 2012 draft by the Buffalo Bills, Gilmore established himself as one of the league’s premier players in the secondary over the next five seasons.
Gilmore was an instant standout in New England’s secondary after arriving as a free agent from Buffalo in 2017.
He earned the first of two straight AP All-Pro selections in his second season with the Patriots in 2018. He also had the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter of New England’s 13-3 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams to cap that season.
In 2019 he became the first player in Patriots history to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league with a career-high six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. In addition, he had a career-high 20 pass breakups in both 2018 and 2019.
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He was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 season.
His career includes stints with the Bills (2012-16), Patriots (2017-20), Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022), Dallas Cowboys (2023) and Vikings (2024).
The five-time Pro Bowl selection ends his career with 32 interceptions and 149 pass breakouts.
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