Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan celebrates after a match against Magdalena Frech of Poland on day seven of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP

Elena Rybakina needed two hours on court plus two one-hour rain interruptions to defeat Magdalena Frech 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) on Monday and reach the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.

The second-seeded Kazakh admitted she struggled to close out a match which dragged on for much of the afternoon.

The players were forced off court after nine games of the first set and again in the seventh game of the second.

READ: Iga Swiatek rolls past Elena Rybakina for Canadian Open title

Upon the second return at the start of a week when rain is repeatedly forecast, two-time Grand Slam champion Rybakina was unable to wrap it up on three match points against the Frech serve in the 12th game.

With the Pole holding serve, the match went to a tie-breaker, where the seed finally got the job done on her fourth chance to get off court barely 10 minutes before more weather arrived.

“It was a crazy day, to be honest, coming out every time into clouds and humidity,” Rybakina said. “I felt that I was on top of the ball in the tie-break, but it was a difficult one.

“I had the opportunities on the three match points but when you are tired it’s difficult to keep concentration.

“I’m happy the tiebreak went my way, I just tried to win as many points as I could.”

Former world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek was able to go through hours before the poor weather, turning the tables after losing the first set to defeat Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

The Polish seventh seed, who won the Toronto title last week, improved to 6-4 over her Greek opponent, heading to the changing rooms after dropping the first set and returning as if another player.

Swiatek, winner of six Grand Slam titles including the US Open four years ago, only lost two more games after her remarkable turnaround.

The seventh seed needed two hours to complete her reversal in form, saving seven of eight break points while breaking Sakkari five times. The Greek hit the net with a return on Swiatek’s first match point.

‘Lacked precision’

“It’s hard to analyze this match,” Swiatek said. “I was playing good in the first set but I lacked precision, I was playing too much to her.

“After that I wanted to push her and not give so many opportunities. I’m happy it started working in the second set I played a bit better.

“She made mistakes and the momentum changed a little bit.”

Swiatek moved into a match against Diane Parry, winner of an all-French battle with Lois Boisson 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In the men’s draw, Thiago Tirante maintained his pace after ousting Novak Djokovic in the second round with the Argentine advancing past Spain’s Martin Landaluce 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) to reach the third Masters round of 16 in his career.

Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli came from a break down in the deciding set to defeat Alexander Blockx 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 and avenge a loss to the Belgian in Monte Carlo.

Kyle Walker accused Pep Guardiola of picking on him and blaming him for everything in a dressing-room row as their relationship as Manchester City captain and manager broke down.

And Guardiola told Walker he did not understand and to accept more responsibility as skipper of the side during City’s awful autumn of 2024.

City’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in December 2024 came during a spell of nine losses in 12 games, the worst run of Guardiola’s career.

And he turned on right-back Walker in an argument after the match, saying: “You don’t understand, Kyle.”

Walker replied: “Pep, you keep saying my name, every meeting in every f***ing thing. Every f***ing meeting it’s my name.”

In the argument, shown in Prime Video’s forthcoming documentary A Beautiful Obsession, Guardiola responded: “Maybe it’s because you are captain.”

The Catalan is also seen warning Walker about balls over the City defence at half-time in the Manchester derby in the same month – and before one led to a Manchester United winner.

Walker only played three more games for City before telling Guardiola he wanted to look for a move abroad.

He joined AC Milan on loan for the rest of the 2024-25 season before getting a permanent deal to Burnley last summer.

Whereas Walker had been elected City captain by his teammates, Guardiola appointed Bernardo Silva as skipper in the summer of 2025.

:: A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK & Ireland 19 August 2026

A clue was caught on camera. Would the interviewee be Manchester City manager in five or six years? “Absolutely not,” smiled Pep Guardiola. He proved true to his word. But, in Prime Video’s A Beautiful Obsession, a last glimpse into the City dressing room in the Catalan’s reign revealed some unexpected sights: City losing every week, Guardiola emotional and befuddled by the loss of his powers. It became a time of farewells, some bitter, some sad, some sudden, some drawn out.

In particular, there is the breakdown of Guardiola’s relationship with Kyle Walker, manager finding his captain culpable for goals, the right-back feeling it was wrong to blame him. “You don’t understand, Kyle,” exclaimed an exasperated Guardiola after the December 2024 loss at Anfield. “You keep saying my name, every meeting in every f****** thing. Every f****** meeting, it’s my name,” replied the defender.

Two weeks later, in the Manchester derby, Guardiola warned Walker at half-time to be wary of balls over the City defence. One then led to Amad Diallo’s winner for Manchester United. Walker only played three more times before his City career came to an abrupt end, the right-back eyeing a move abroad, his manager omitting him.

There are other images of everything falling apart. The injured Rodri sat in the dressing room in a hoodie with the slogan “the Untouchables” after City slid to another loss; or Kevin De Bruyne, after the 4-0 home demolition by Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, walking in and saying “f****** soft, guys”.

Central to it all, there is Guardiola, confounded by the sight of an all-conquering side in relegation form. “If I am the problem, you have to tell me,” he begged his players, voice welling up. After another game, he said: “Make me feel you are here, f****** hell, it is a f****** good team, a f****** good club. Now we have to do more because we are in a mess.” Strangest of all, perhaps, comes after defeat to Juventus when he tells his players he still loves his ex-wife but the passion between them is gone; whether Cristina Serra hoped that such details would be revealed in team-talks is sadly unrecorded.

All of which nevertheless is a welcome antidote to some of the more sanitised footballing documentaries, particularly those produced by City themselves chronicling their successes. But Kevin MacDonald, director of The Last King Of Scotland, understood there is something more interesting in watching the serial winner lose. City tasted victory in 33 games of the 2024-25 season and 30 of them are not featured. The first episode draws heavily on City’s autumnal meltdown of nine defeats in 12. The four episodes, it should be noted, contain no mention of City’s 115 charges; although, perhaps, because nothing changes.

But there are plenty of other developments. Characters are written out of the drama brutally; but some with more regret. “It kills me,” Guardiola said of the decision to release De Bruyne at the end of his contract. Chief executive Ferran Soriano added: “Kevin spoke to Pep and he understood the message but was sad about it. He really doesn’t want to go.” The midfielder goes further than before in underlining that, partly for family reasons, he wanted to stay.

The task of rebuilding City occupies much of the club’s attention. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admits that the club did too little in the transfer market during the summer of 2024, an approach Guardiola had then endorsed. “We paid a price,” he said.

They paid in a different way afterwards: by buying more players. The challenge of replacing De Bruyne is documented. City ran 43 metrics on their software to look at prospective signings, to find No 10s with a similar profile. They alighted on Rayan Cherki, despite concerns about his character. “The information on Cherki was not so positive,” said sporting director Hugo Viana. “There was this idea he was chaotic.” Viana and his predecessor Txiki Begiristain investigated, saying the only negative reference they got about the Frenchman came when he was young, and Guardiola spoke to the playmaker on a video call to persuade him to sign.

Even with Cherki, however, City’s own AI quality index only rated them third favourites to win the Premier League last season. The software picked Arsenal; the computer turned out to be correct.

It proved Guardiola’s final year. “I had energy that I will not have any more,” he admitted in his belated explanation to his players. Even before then, there are a couple of clips which set up the ending and, indeed mean Guardiola was considering quitting even around the time in November 2024 when he signed his last contract.

“To lose five six seven in a row, that doesn’t happen to me,” he said. “I said to the club, ‘maybe it’s over’.”

It wasn’t yet but Al Mubarak was accustomed to his manager contemplating his own departure. “Pep was the boy who cried wolf,” he said. And eventually City reached the point where “this time he is actually the wolf” and where, former director of football Txiki Begiristain felt, Guardiola had to discover what comes next. “He needs rest and he needs to see there is a life after football,” said his former Barcelona teammate. “If he knows only football and football people, he will be on the same rollercoaster he has been living.” Sage advice, perhaps particularly as another recent documentary showed the rival who never found that other life: Jose Mourinho.

:: A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK & Ireland 19 August 2026

Ayush Shetty produced one of the biggest wins of his young career, stunning world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in a pulsating three-game contest at the BWF World Championships.

Playing against the top-ranked Chinese shuttler in first round,  21-year-old Shetty displayed remarkable composure throughout the deciding game to prevail 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 and send the Indian crowd into raptures.

Shetty dominates first game

Shetty made an impressive start against the heavily favoured Chinese opponent, taking an 11-5 lead in the opening game. The Indian showed confidence during the extended rallies and repeatedly forced Shi into errors.

Shi appeared frustrated as the game progressed, frequently expressing his disappointment after losing points. Shetty, meanwhile, continued to attack and made excellent use of his smashes, particularly when forced into awkward positions.

The Chinese star did produce some spectacular attacking shots of his own, finding gaps on Shetty’s left side that even the diving Indian struggled to cover. But Shetty held his nerve during a tense exchange of smashes late in the game to take the opener 21-14.

Shi Yu Qi responds

The world No. 1 showed why he occupies the top spot in the second game, making a quick start and taking an early two-point advantage. His clever use of drop shots disrupted Shetty’s rhythm and helped him regain control of rallies.

Shetty continued to fight through long exchanges and produced several impressive winners from difficult positions. However, Shi entered the interval with a narrow lead and maintained his advantage after the break.

The Chinese shuttler looked far more composed than he had in the opening game and eventually levelled the contest by taking Game 2, 21-13.

Shetty keeps his nerve in decider

The deciding game began with both players showing signs of fatigue, but Shetty delivered a spectacular smash at 2-2 that electrified the home crowd and appeared to shift the momentum in his favour.

The Indian quickly established a five-point advantage, capitalising on several errors from Shi around the net. Shetty also continued to dominate the longer rallies and reached the interval with a commanding 11-5 lead.

He then moved further ahead with a brilliant run of five consecutive points. At 17-9, however, Shetty required medical attention on court, giving Shi an opportunity to fight his way back.

The Chinese player capitalised on Shetty’s growing fatigue, cutting the deficit to 18-14. Shetty recovered his serve at 19-15 and moved to match point, but Shi refused to surrender and reduced the gap to 20-16.

The drama intensified as Shetty appeared increasingly tired and gifted three successive points to Shi, leaving the score at 20-19.

But the Indian held his nerve when it mattered most. He won the decisive final point to complete a stunning 21-19 victory in the third game and knock the world No. 1 out of the BWF World Championships.

For Shetty, it was a statement victory that underlined his emergence as one of India’s brightest badminton prospects.

The New Orleans Saints will be without prized rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson for a while. 

According to a report from NFL Media, Tyson will miss approximately two months due to a hamstring injury sustained during a training-camp practice last week. Tyson has been consulting with specialists and could begin the season on injured reserve as he rehabs from the injury. 

Tyson has a history of hamstring issues dating back to his time at Colorado and Arizona State, but the NFL Media report stated that this appears to be a new injury unrelated to his prior ailments. 

“I think my understanding of this one, any player that was put in his situation where your foot slips and you get shoved from behind, this has nothing to do with Jordyn’s history,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said at the time, via ESPN. “Any player in that situation probably has the same diagnosis coming out of this.”

The injury is a huge blow for the Saints, who selected Tyson with the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The rookie was expected to team with star wideout Chris Olave to give second-year quarterback Tyler Shough a high-level duo to attack defenses in the passing game, and he was shining throughout New Orleans’ training camp.

Who fills Tyson’s spot?

In Tyson’s absence, No. 2 receiver duties likely fall to DeVaughn Vele, who served in that role after the Saints traded Rashid Shaheed to the eventual-champion Seattle Seahawks at midseason. Vele caught 25 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns last year, with 20 of those grabs and 254 of those yards coming in the final five games of his season.

The Saints also have Tyson’s fellow 2026 draftees Bryce Lance (fourth round) and Barion Brown (sixth round) on the roster to provide depth behind Olave and Vele. It’s possible that one of them could emerge and earn a real role in Tyson’s extended absence, which could last into October.

It’s also possible that the Saints could dip into the free-agent market for wide receiver help. Former Chargers wideout Keenan Allen remains a free agent, for example, and he caught 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 under Moore, who was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator at the time.

Allen is 34 years old now, though, and coming off a season where he averaged a career-low 45.7 receiving yards per game in his return to L.A. He wouldn’t be the most inspiring option to replace Tyson on the depth chart, but he could help the Saints hold down the fort until the rookie returns, if they choose to go in that direction.

There’s also the trade market potentially available to them. There’s been speculation that Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte could be available, given New England’s newfound depth at the position after the team traded for A.J. Brown and signed Romeo Doubs. Boutte is reportedly having a standout camp, however, and that could make the Pats more reluctant to give him up in a trade.

Either way, the most likely course of action is for the Saints to let Tyson’s injury heal and hope he returns at full strength around a month into the NFL season. Still, it’s a rough way for Tyson to begin his NFL career, given how good he was reportedly looking during training camp.

President of the Los Angeles Lakers Jeanie Buss speaks during a banner unveiling ceremony for the Los Angeles Lakers 2020 NBA Championship before the game against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center on May 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES — The Buss family has voted to sell its 17.8% minority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to new majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, ESPN and The Athletic are reporting.

The decision Monday by the six children of late owner Jerry Buss will end the family’s 47 years in an ownership role with the 17-time NBA champion franchise. The move also appears to end Jeanie Buss’ tenure as the Lakers’ governor.

“We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the Buss family said in a statement issued to ESPN. “We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles, but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”

READ: Lakers sold in blockbuster $12.5B deal to Josh Kushner, Bob Iger

Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ governor since Jerry Buss’ death in 2013, led the family’s decision to sell a controlling stake in the Lakers to Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year at a valuation of $10 billion.

Not all of the six Buss siblings — Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse — were in favor of the deal despite retaining their family trust’s minority ownership stake, and Joey and Jesse were fired from their front-office jobs with the team last November.

The siblings have been in frequent conflict since their father’s death, with Jeanie firing Jim from his job as the Lakers’ head of basketball operations in 2017, followed a week later with a lawsuit against her brothers amid an attempt by Jim and Johnny to oust Jeanie from her role as the Lakers’ controlling owner.

Walter, who is under federal investigation for tax issues, abruptly reached a deal earlier this month to flip the Lakers to Kushner and Iger at a valuation of $12.5 billion, another record for a pro sports team. Venture capitalist Kushner and former Disney CEO Iger reportedly bought about 65% of the team from Walter, but will now own about 83% of the Lakers — and Jeanie Buss apparently will no longer be able to serve as their governor.

READ: Josh Kushner moves into spotlight after purchase of Lakers

She had been allowed to keep the role at least through 2030 under the deal with Walter, and Iger said last week that the new group planned to honor that arrangement — but governors are required to control at least 15% of team ownership.

Jerry Buss was a chemist and real estate investor who bought the Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Forum arena from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5 million. The Lakers quickly entered a renaissance in which they became known for their flashy “Showtime” style of play while winning five NBA titles between 1980 and 1988 behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While the NBA and professional sports became increasingly more corporate, the Lakers remained essentially a family business despite their massive profile and steady success. Jerry Buss and the Lakers have employed many of the basketball world’s greatest players and coaches of the past five decades, and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to five additional championships between 2000 and 2010 before LeBron James added the 17th in 2020.

The sale agreement still must be approved by the NBA’s board of governors, and the process could take months.

Manchester United have had a largely fruitful summer transfer window thus far, but could be left rueing missing the opportunity to sign one talent who is burning bright with Barcelona

Manchester United may be kicking themselves at passing up on signing Karim Adeyemi this summer, with the forward impressing with Barcelona. The Reds were linked with the 24-year-old over the course of the January transfer window, but ultimately opted not to make a move.

The German international racked up an impressive tally with Red Bull Salzburg immediately after penning professional terms with the club in 2018, managing 33 goals and 24 assists from 94 appearances before he was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Adeyemi managed a further 36 goals and 25 assists in 125 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben, as a number of European giants began to pay attention. While Adeyemi was valued at around £70million in January, Barcelona ultimately managed to secure him for just £26.5m last month after playing a successful waiting game.

United, meanwhile, rushed to strengthen the heart of their midfield following the departure of Casemiro instead of reigniting an interest in Adeyemi, welcoming Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa and Andrey Santos from Chelsea.

However, that could come back to bite the Reds, should Adeyemi continue to impress in Catalunya. Barca enjoyed a 5-2 win over FC Basel on Sunday, as they worked to put the final touches on their pre-season preparations.

And Adeyemi managed his first goal and an assist for the Blaugrana during the contest, as football fans worldwide lick their lips at the prospect of the damage the forward can do in La Liga and the Champions League this season.

Worldwide media were quick to shower Adeyemi with praise for his individual and team performance against Basel, with SPORT labelling the talent as the ‘star’ of the fixture as Marca claimed he had ‘particularly stood out.’

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Social media was also ablaze with compliments directed toward Adeyemi. One user wrote on X: “How on earth did we convince Dortmund to let Adeyemi come for just €22M???”

Another added: “He arrived quietly but could spring a surprise. Karim Adeyemi,” while a third said: “Adeyemi is far from an average player. A player who single-handedly took a team like Dortmund to a UCL final is consider elite for me.

“And a quick reminder: he’s just 24yr. His output is pretty impressive. 30+ G/A averaging Saka’s best szn, and he never played for an elite team.”

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A fourth opined: “Man, I’ve always believed in Adeyemi, but I never knew he had this in his locker. What a player!”

A fifth also explained: “A preseason match against Basel certifies nothing, due to the level of the opposition, but one can appreciate, in Adeyemi, the spark, the will to hurt, a certain degree of skill in the dribble, the intent of the pass and the shot.”

Trainer Michael Freedman was still processing the stewards’ decision regarding Transcend’s disqualification when Polyglot notched a win for the stable in the subsequent race, the Proven Thoroughbreds Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Freedman was briefly taken aback when the trainer of the third-placed horse, Street Artist, approached and remarked: “We might protest.”

It was revealed that the comment was made in jest by Michael’s brother, Anthony.

Polyglot’s victory offered some compensation for the disappointment Michael Freedman was still feeling following Transcend’s demotion.

“In this business, you have to abide by the judge’s decision,” Freedman offered diplomatically when asked for his thoughts on the protest ruling that saw Transcend, the initial leader, relegated to second place behind Mind Ya Buzz.

However, Polyglot ($6), ridden by Tim Clark, managed to bring a smile back to Freedman’s face as it held off a late surge from Off The Press ($7) by a neck, with Street Artist ($3.70 favourite) a nose behind in third.

“We got into a nice spot but I had to be patient as he only has as short, sharp sprint,” Clark stated. “But he was very tough today.”

Freedman praised Clark’s tactically faultless ride on Polyglot, a former Godolphin galloper that Scott Darby of Darby Racing Syndications purchased before the start of last season.

“I recommended Darby Racing buy this horse because I thought he would be the perfect type for them,” Freedman shared. “He’s a tough, sound horse, he’s genuine and rarely runs a bad race. He’s done a great job for us so far with two wins from his last three starts and he’s very consistent.”

Earlier on the Rosehill program, Concordia Wind delivered an early double for Sydney racing’s premier trainer-jockey combination of Chris Waller and James McDonald when she took out the Schweppes Handicap (1900m).

Concordia Wind ($3.80 favourite) was afforded an ideal run by McDonald and raced clear to win by one-and-a-half lengths from Flying From Above ($18), with Leovanni ($5) finishing a close third.

“This was the right race for her today,” said Waller, who also trained Steel Will to an earlier win.

“James gave her a good ride and she has run the 1900m out well, so she should get out to 2000m at least.”

When McDonald was asked about Concordia Wind’s potential distance capabilities, the jockey made a light-hearted comment that still held a ring of truth.

“Chris could train a 1200m horse to run 2400m!” McDonald declared.

Explore the latest racing betting markets for upcoming events.

In a notable turn of events at Rosehill, trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald found themselves on opposing sides, a scenario Waller skillfully capitalised on.

With the Waller-trained mare Eagle Express ($4) carrying just 52kg in Saturday’s Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1200m), lightweight hoop Zac Lloyd was engaged. Lloyd shadowed McDonald, who was leading on the eventual fourth-placegetter Hawker Hall ($2.05 fav), and managed to surge through on the inside to secure the win.

“That was the plan today, to get into James’ slipstream and not expose her too early and just have a crack late,” Waller said. “She’s a talented filly turned mare now. We wanted to see her do that today to justify another year with us.”

Eagle Express, now a five-year-old, has had a relatively light racing career, with this being her fifth victory from 21 starts. She proved herself capable in black type company during the autumn, and Waller believes she can measure up to that grade again in the right circumstances.

“The race next week, the Toy Show Quality, is probably the right race for her. She won’t be running there, but that type of race. A handicap where we can hold her up,” he suggested.

Waller also expressed his strong approval of Lloyd’s ride, which marked his second win of the day, having previously secured a victory on protest aboard the Brad Widdup-trained Mind Ya Bizz.

The young jockey, who was McDonald’s closest rival for the Sydney premiership last season, is considered one of the sport’s ascending stars. Waller noted that Lloyd’s recent international riding experiences in South Africa and at Royal Ascot have been particularly beneficial.

While McDonald remains the benchmark, Waller suggested that the emergence of riders like Lloyd is a positive influence, pushing all elite jockeys to extend their capabilities.

“You don’t want the gap too big and there are a few chomping away,” Waller stated. “There’s some good, healthy competition. It’s great for James, and it’s good for jockeys when they do some international trips like Zac has done. Jason Collett is in Japan at the moment. We’re the winner, Sydney, when they come back.”

Lloyd is set to miss next Saturday’s Winx Stakes meeting due to his participation in the World All-Star Jockeys competition in Japan, continuing his recent international racing engagements.

Check out the online bookmakers for the latest racing odds on upcoming events.

The Minnesota Vikings preseason started with a 13-10 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. The preseason is less about results and more about individual players trying to impress and secure their position in the team’s plans going forward.

3 Vikings Who Impressed in the Vikings Preseason Opener

Kevin O’Connell sent his starters out to begin the game, but they quickly made way as the second- and third-string players filtered in. Three players made a statement, suggesting they can have important roles this season with their performance in the Vikings’ preseason opener.

Myles Price 

As an undrafted rookie in 2025, Myles Price carved out a role for himself in Minnesota as the team’s kick and punt returner. Price did jet on the field a handful of times with the Vikings offense but he never recorded a single target. Now trying to keep his place on the roster for a second season, Price put his name in the WR4 conversation by totally outperforming Tai Felton against the Giants. His 4 targets went for 4 catches for 51 yards and 1 touchdown.

It was a good day’s work for Price with two catches that would make any highlight reel. His superb one-handed touchdown catch took all the attention, but a contested catch along the sideline earlier in the drive was also impressive. There’s not a huge amount of room for even the Vikings WR4 to get opportunities (barring injuries) but Price is making his case to get some involvement when the regular season comes around.

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Jay Ward

Safety is a problem position in Minnesota right now and that was compounded when Jamal Adams went down injured on Saturday. On a brighter note Jay Ward was on every football platform there is after sacking Giants QB Jaxson Dart.

A safety in a Brian Flores defense needs to be able to get up at the line of scrimmage, use disguise, and be able to blitz. Ward showed his pass rushing prowess when he got to Dart and laid in a massive (and importantly, fair) hit on the Giants QB. As it stands Ward is a starter on the Vikings’ depth chart.

Max Bredeson

The retirement of CJ Ham left a big hole on the Vikings’ roster. This early in his career Max Bredeson won’t be expected to take on the leadership role Ham had but the fullback looks capable of taking on the playing role. Bredeson was a key factor in opening running lanes as Minnesota dominated on the ground to start the game and even got involved in the pass game early, bringing in the first catch of the Vikings preseason on a short pass from Kyler Murray.

Small detail, but watch @Showtyme_33 threaten going outside before cutting into the gap between Bredeson and Oliver. Forces No. 2 from the #Giants to get onto FB’s outside shoulder. Savvy, veteran running to help the young blocker. https://t.co/gzLIsGJxNd

— K. Joudry (@VikingsGazette) August 16, 2026

The nature of a fullback’s role means Bredeson’s impact won’t always show up on the stat sheet, but the man who played a ton of tight end is showing how his size and strength can be of value as both a run blocker, pass blocker, and as a receiver when required. The early signs suggest Bredeson should see plenty of the field during his rookie campaign.

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Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.