Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) scans the field during fourth-quarter action against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 17, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cousins set up to deliver a pass as pressure closed in late in the game. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports..
The Atlanta Falcons will probably release Kirk Cousins in the next few weeks, and his next team can sign him for cheap. Because Cousins will basically be free in 2026 — he’s already been paid by Atlanta — so media members have already speculated that a reunion in Minnesota is on the table. Well, that’s an awful idea.
A Cousins return sounds familiar, yet Minnesota’s 2026 priorities at QB point toward younger upside and smarter team-building value.
Cousins might have a decent season or two left in the tank, but he should play them out with a squad outside Minnesota.
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Why a Cousins Reunion Fails the 2026 Test
The idea of a Cousins reunion is unflattering.
Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) brings down Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) during second-half action on Nov. 17, 2024, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Bonitto closed quickly off the edge and finished the sack as the Broncos defense pressured Cousins late in the contest. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.
The Age — 38
Cousins will turn 38 this summer. His talents will not increase as he ages; this never happens for athletes, except in rare cases of GOAT behavior like Tom Brady.
The Vikings turned the page on Cousins three offseasons ago because age and injury had entered the equation. It would be silly for decision-makers to convince themselves that an age-38 Cousins would have some big reclamation tour waiting.
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The Jared Allen Quote
With Cousins’s name floating around Minnesota’s rumor mill, Kay Adams asked Vikings Hall of Famer Jared Allen about a Cousins reunion.
Allen replied, “No — no. In his prime, we weren’t winning championships with him.”
This is the correct stance, a common Allen dub. The Cousins’ plan in Minnesota didn’t work to the tune of a Super Bowl in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023. Hell, Minnesota only reached the postseason twice in those six campaigns. Allen is right. Why would the Vikings start contending with a Super Bowl in 2026 if they did no such thing with Cousins from 2018 to 2023? How would that work?
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Minnesota already has proof that Cousins can’t guide the team to the Promised Land. Six years of proof.
Already a Lightning Rod among Fans
Because of his ability to habitually maximize his pocketbook while usually offering the 11th- or 12th-best quarterback play in the NFL, Cousins represented a divisive creature in the Twin Cities during his run. Re-upping with Cousins would force the 35%-%40% of the fan base that didn’t care for him to get inspired all over again. Instead, most of that camp will groan and grimace.
The vibes would not be off the charts.
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He Can’t Move
Most of J.J. McCarthy’s fantastic moments in 2025 arrived when he operated off schedule, using his legs to flee a collapsing pocket. There’s no reason to believe that a Vikings quarterback won’t be asked to do that again in 2026. Cousins cannot do that. He’s old.
Wherever Cousins lands next season, he’ll be a classic pocket passer — almost a caricature of it — and nothing more. His mobility hasn’t really been showcased since the Washington Commanders days. He likes to sling the rock from the pocket, and late into his 30s, that’s all he’s got.
Minnesota will need a nimble quarterback. Cousins is not nimble. In his late 30s, he’s one of the least nimble players in all of football.
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The Optics
This one might be lame, so bear with us.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) reacts following a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 29, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Cousins celebrated with teammates on the field after securing the late-season victory in front of the home crowd. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.
In the court of public opinion, Minnesota will be perceived as striking out on McCarthy and crawling back to Cousins. His signing will resemble the boxing towel-throw of McCarthy’s early development. It really doesn’t matter if folks roast the Vikings for reuniting with Cousins — but they will roast, rest assured. It will be a terrible look for McCarthy.
Cousins Was Not Good in 2025
Thirty-five quarterbacks threw the ball as much or more than Cousins in 2025, and he ranked 30th of those 35 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per play when the season concluded.
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Assuming the Vikings take the Cousins bait this offseason, they will knowingly and willfully sign the NFL’s fifth-worst quarterback from the season prior, expecting the plan to translate into Super Bowl contention.
It might be the worst idea imaginable to think that’s wise. “We need a good quarterback to contend for the Super Bowl. Let’s sign the fifth-worst one then from 2025 — who’s also 38 years old and can’t move.”
It just doesn’t add up.
What Would It Really Achieve?
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Unless Minnesota has changed its mission statement without telling the public, the goal is to win a Super Bowl and end a 65-year drought. Signing Cousins might allow the club to contend for a 10-7 or 11-6 record if everything goes well and high-profile players stay healthy.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) shares a postgame moment with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell on Dec. 8, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The two exchanged words near midfield following the matchup between Cousins’ Falcons and his former team. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
The goal should be finding a quarterback who keeps the Super Bowl window open for multiple seasons — not loading up around a 38-year-old whose team couldn’t win a non-competitive NFC South in 2025.
Rolling with a Cousins would signal a concession that 10-7 seasons are good enough.
Bet365 are offering a bet £10 get £30 welcome bonus for new customers signing up for Cheltenham Festival.
It’s a simple promotion for new customers signing up to one of the best betting sites for Cheltenham 2026.
The Bet365 Cheltenham offer stands out due to its flexibility – new players can deposit and bet between £5-£10, with free bets awarded at 300 per cent of their first wager.
• Deposit and bet £7.50 – Receive £22.50 in free bets.
• Deposit and bet £10 – Receive £30 in free bets.
This means those on a lower budget can still claim a welcome bonus tailored to their needs. Free bet credits can be used on Cheltenham odds or any other sports markets on Bet365’s website or online betting app.
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However, they must be used within seven days of being credited.
Is there a Bet365 bonus code for Cheltenham 2026?
No, there is no need to enter a bonus code when signing up to Bet365 for Cheltenham.
All you have to do is click through to this link or any links to Bet365 on this page, then sign up and deposit using a valid payment method before placing your qualifying bet.
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New Bet365 feature ‘Position Payout’ for Cheltenham
Bet365’s new Position Payout market offers a simpler alternative to traditional Each Way betting and will be available on selected races at Cheltenham Festival.
Instead of dealing with place terms or fractions, bettors can see exactly what they will be paid for every finishing position before placing their stake.
Each horse displays fixed returns for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th (and sometimes more, depending on the race).
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The higher your selection finishes, the bigger the payout. The transparency of knowing what you’ll win for each potential place removes the need to calculate 1/5 or 1/4 odds and makes it easier to understand potential returns.
Position Payout is a pre-race, fixed-odds market that can be included in multiples, with Cash Out available before the off.
However, it won’t apply to ante-post Cheltenham bets or Best Odds Guaranteed markets, but for festival races where big fields create place uncertainty, it provides a clearer, more straightforward betting option.
Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) – BOG is a popular racing promo, whereby if the starting price (SP) is higher than the odds taken, Bet365 pays out at the bigger price.
Bet Boosts – Selected runners at Cheltenham receive enhanced odds. Each day, there will also be a Super Boost. For example, Constitution Hill was boosted to an industry-best 6/4 on the opening day of the 2025 festival.
Racing Value – ‘First past the post’ payouts now include ante-post bets, ensuring you still get paid even if your horse is later disqualified.
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Position Payout – Go to any Cheltenham race that offers the Position Payout feature. Each selection will display a return for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Place your bet, and the higher your selection finishes, the higher your payout.
Winnings Boost – Navigate to the selected classification or specific race and add your selection to the bet slip. Click the ‘Winnings Boost’ option at the bottom and your return will be adjusted to include the increase to your winnings.
Each Way Extra – Each Way Extra gives you the option to increase or decrease the number of places in a race when you are betting Each Way on selected races.
My Horses – Track your favourite horses and receive alerts.
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Colossus Bets – Engage in pool betting with the chance to win a share of a large prize fund.
Live Streaming – Watch all Cheltenham races live via Bet365’s website and betting app.
Racing Replay Archive – Review past performances to analyse form before placing a bet.
Responsible gambling
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Cheltenham Festival is an exciting time for punters, but it’s essential to gamble responsibly.
The same applies whether you’re using online bookmakers, online casinos, slot sites, or any other gambling platform.
Bet365 provides safer gambling tools to help players stay in control, including:
Deposit limits – Set a spending cap.
Reality checks – Receive pop-up alerts on betting time.
Time-outs – Take a short break (24 hours to six weeks).
Self-exclusion – Ban yourself from betting for six months or longer if needed.
If you or someone you know needs support, here are some UK organisations offering free, confidential help:
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Holloway, 34, first did the point-down against Ricardo Lamas in 2016, while he repeated it against Dustin Poirier last year in becoming the first fighter to defend the BMF title.
In every fight Holloway has initiated the point-down, he has been up on the judges’ scorecards and closing in on a win, meaning he has given opponents one final opportunity to steal victory.
“My coaches aren’t a fan of it, they want me to circle away, stay away and be smart for the 10 seconds,” said Holloway.
“But they come up with great game plans and we execute it to that point. So let me have my 10 seconds of fun, you know. If I’m on the wrong end, then so be it.”
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Fans imitate the gesture during meet-and-greets with Holloway, while fellow fighters have also copied it during bouts.
Charles Oliveira, who faces Holloway for the BMF title at UFC 326 in Las Vegas on Saturday, has even been filmed training for the edge-of-your-seat exchange which follows the point-down.
Holloway has created a set of rules for any fighter, including Oliveira, planning to initiate the point-down.
“If you’re winning the fight, you are the person who can call the 10 seconds. And then when you call the 10 seconds, you cannot step back, or shoot or clinch,” said Holloway.
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“The other guy, if he obliges and then shoots or clinches, whatever, because he’s on the losing side already.”
Seven years ago a rangy young Slovenian took his first professional victory, outsprinting bona fide climbers Wout Poels and Enric Mas atop the gruelling Alto da Foia climb, the highest peak in the Algarve.
That Slovenian went on to be the dominant force of modern cycling, certainly the best rider of the 21st century and increasingly non-contentiously, the best rider of all time.
But all eras must come to an end and while Tadej Pogacar, now 27 and in his prime, shows no sign of being conquered, the next generation are coming. And this weekend’s Strade Bianche, one of the most thrilling of all the Classics, may be the time they shine.
One of them, 19-year-old Paul Seixas, is unnervingly similar in many ways to the four-time Tour de France champion – and recently took his own maiden pro victory on the very same Alto da Foia, before soloing away Pogacar-style to a dominant win at Faun Ardeche.
And in years to come the teenager from Lyon will be able to call on a similar financial might to the super-teams, as his Decathlon CMA CGM squad bid to become a top-three team in the next three seasons, having dispensed with long-time sponsor AG2R La Mondiale.
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Last year’s European bronze medallist, Seixas is one of the most exciting talents in a sport which all too frequently churns through brilliant young things and discards them when they fail to live up to expectations. French cycling abounds with such cautionary tales, most recently with the permanently unlucky Thibaut Pinot and yesterday’s hopeful, David Gaudu.
But if Seixas can keep his feet on the ground – perhaps not the best metaphor for a man whose best attribute is pedalling up into the clouds – he may yet end a French Tour de France drought going back decades, and challenge the indomitable Pogacar.
Potentially starting at Strade Bianche. The sweeping white roads of sterrato – gravel – of the Tuscan hills play host to one of the most romantic races on the cycling calendar, not quite a Monument but almost monumental in its grip on the sporting imagination.
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Pogacar crashed last year but still powered back to win (AFP via Getty Images)
Three of the last four editions have been won by Pogacar, both times soloing away into the distance, disappearing in a plume of white smoke, and striding up the punishing Via Santa Caterina to glory in Siena’s honey-coloured city centre.
But there is positive news for the challengers. This year’s parcours is slightly shorter, at 203km, and features 18km less gravel than last year, in a bid to open up the race slightly and avoid yet another Pogacar procession.
And he is not infallible: last year he made a rare mistake on the sterrato,put under pressure by Britain’s Tom Pidcock on a descent, and slid out. Pidcock – the champion in 2023 – waited for the blooded and bruised Slovenian but may have regretted the sportsmanlike gesture as he ultimately finished second, nearly a minute and a half behind Pogacar.
But the 26-year-old is at his best in Classics like Strade Bianche and remains a serious threat this weekend, even after a disappointing 48th-place finish in last week’s curtain-raiser, Omloop Nieuwsblad.
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French teenager Seixas beat Pogacar’s former teammate Ayuso to the line on stage two of the Volta ao Algarve (AFP via Getty Images)
The Briton is the undisputed core of Pinarello Q36.5, the second-tier outfit pushing to disrupt the hegemony of big-budget squads like Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
What they lack in resources they make up for in ambition and fighting talk: Pidcock’s coach Kurt Bogaerts told Dutch outlet Wielerflits this is “one of the races that [Pidcock] gets out of bed for”, and added: “Tom has a good sense of his capabilities, and then it’s a matter of waiting to see how the opposition reacts. We’re going to try to do that again.”
This is Pogacar’s first outing of the season and his form is unknown. While it’s unlikely he’ll have an off-day, the rest of the peloton can still dream of glory in Tuscany, with the season wide open before them.
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Strade Bianche is a race for the Classics specialists, but also the mavericks. Swashbuckling Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe may be in the mix; at the very least he will put in a romantic, possibly doomed attack. Wout van Aert will be there too, but on the basis of his crash-ridden, disrupted winter and season so far, it will be disappointment again for the Belgian star.
Puncheur Ben Healy – another born racer – is a major contender after a stellar 2024, in which he wore the yellow jersey, won a stage of the Tour de France, and came third in the World Championships.
Pogacar has not raced since winning his fifth Il Lombardia title in October (AP)
A race like Strade Bianche suits the Irishman’s unpredictability, as it does moustachioed cowboy Quinn Simmons. The American is another capable of keeping pace with Pogacar on difficult Classics terrain, most recently at Il Lombardia last October, and if he takes to the start line with his hair flowing in the breeze – indicative of an impending attack – he could be a major threat too.
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Seixas may have company in the young super-talent category, in the form of Pogacar’s teammate Isaac del Toro who on any given day can shine too. Here it is likely to be in the Slovenian’s shadows, as he is expected to serve as the springboard for a race-winning attack, but he has outsmarted and outmuscled teammates before, notably Juan Ayuso at last year’s Giro d’Italia.
All this may be wishful thinking, but even if it takes years to arise, the results of this spring may well set in motion the beginnings of a new era in cycling.
The decision of organisers RCS to make the parcours easier compared to some in previous years could reverse the trend of the past decade towards tougher and tougher racing, with inevitable results.
And even if brutally hilly courses are here to stay, the likes of Seixas are not content to let Pogacar run amok. Instead the talented teenager plans on taking the fight to him, come what may – and that may be just the shake-up cycling needs.
Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois collide in Manchester in two months’ time in what a sparring partner of both men calls a ‘barnstormer.’
Champion Wardley takes on challenger Dubois in one of the year’s standout heavyweight bouts, with extreme power in each corner and questions for both men to answer.
Wardley was elevated from interim to full WBO champion, and is looking to satisfy fans with a dangerous first defence. The best way to do that is by facing a genuine knockout puncher – something his record arguably lacks so far.
Speaking to Seconds Out, fan favourite heavyweight Johnny Fisher looked back on his experiences sparring both men.
“Great fight. Fabio – I’ve seen his rise. I’ve sparred him many times in the earlier days, four, five years ago. Daniel, obviously I’ve been around him in the Sims gym, been around and sparred him before that as well. It’s a fantastic match-up.
“People have written off Fabio Wardley many times. That’s probably not a wise thing to do, so I’m not going to do that. And Daniel Dubois – unbelievable, electric power that I’ve felt myself … It’s a barnstormer.”
Fisher, who did not make a prediction, went on to praise Wardley more.
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“[Fabio] is everything that we see that he is – a warrior. His mental toughness, coming back from looking like you’re in trouble, to swinging and getting someone out of there… He’s also a great boxing technician, we’ve got to give him credit for that fight with Parker as well – not just knocking someone out, showing the skills to be a world class heavyweight.”
Here is an up-to-date list of all NFL Players from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
Consequently, players taken in the upcoming draft will not be included until they have seen the field.
The League does not officially recognize players who appeared only in preseason exhibition games.
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Long Beach Poly is a prep football powerhouse, ranked as the No. 1 pro football player-producing high school in the state, and the second NFL football player-producing high school in the nation.
California has produced a total of 3,331 NFL players from 793 schools, with 264 pros currently active.
See where all the other schools in the Golden State rank here, with links to their respective players.
CHICAGO – The roiling, dark skies above Chicago flashed with lightning Friday evening. Incredibly, it was sunny around the Vancouver Canucks.
Blue-sky days have been rarer than wins for the Canucks this season. But the merciful passing of Friday’s National Hockey League trade deadline allowed the rain to pause above the Canucks, who took advantage of the break in the weather to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 in the first game of the rest of their season.
After the strain of this dismal season for the Canucks and the stifling stress of deadline week, when virtually all of their experienced players were mentioned in trade conjecture, and three – Tyler Myers, Conor Garland and David Kampf – were dealt elsewhere for draft picks, there was an obvious lightness around the team.
Judging by the boisterous cheers rolling into the hallway outside their dressing room at the United Center after the game, there was some honest-to-goodness joy, too.
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“You could feel before the game that guys were just kind of, you know, excited to play and I think looking forward to the rest of the way here, just knowing this is the group we’re going with,” veteran winger Drew O’Connor said. “It felt good, kind of a weight off our shoulders.
“It was a stressful week. It’s kind of the first time I’ve been a part of it where you didn’t really know who was going to go and who was going to stay, and it was difficult. I think it was difficult on all of us leading up to this week. We lost some guys that have been here a long time and meant a lot to the organization, so that’s difficult. At same time, I think it’s a bit of a relief now that we know what our group is. We’ve got to move forward and try to build something. It was really nice to get the win tonight.”
The Canucks will meet their newest player, waiver pickup Curtis Douglas, Saturday in Winnipeg before Vancouver plays for the second time in less than 24 hours. Maybe the rain will be back, but not the storm.
They have some emotional clarity and some freedom now to just go play the final quarter of their season, even if it starts with them hopelessly last in the NHL standings.
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Dangled as trade rentals since November, free-agent-eligible Canucks Teddy Blueger and Evander Kane were not jettisoned on Friday. General manager Patrik Allvin said he received no offers for them. He did, however, wrangle sixth-round picks from the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins for Kampf and minor-leaguer Lukas Reichel, respectively.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Blueger smiled about three hours after taking the opening faceoff. “Nothing has changed with me wanting to be here and be a part of this group. I haven’t been here that long, but I feel like we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with guys like Fil (Chytil) and Demmer (Thatcher Demko) and Brock (Boeser). You feel like you get close with guys when you go through stuff, both the ups and the downs. And as a person, I value loyalty, so that is something that definitely plays a role with me.”
Allvin has left open the possibility of the Canucks circling back on Blueger and seeing what it might cost to bring him back next season. Kane is gone – but not yet. Management’s plan is to have him finish the season in the NHL with the Canucks before the 34-year-old embarks on free agency.
Other veterans whose names had been cast on social media like breadcrumbs to pigeons this week, like Boeser, O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk, and Elias Pettersson, survived the deadline.
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“Every time that deadline is done . . . there’s definitely a sense of relief,” DeBrusk said. “You know where you are; you don’t have to question anything. Obviously, there were some guys that didn’t know . . . and we lost some troops as well. So it’s a tough day.
“I don’t know if I agree with playing on the trade deadline day itself. Guys didn’t nap today (waiting for the deadline to pass). They (the Blackhawks) lost their captain, Nick Foligno. You’re looking at everything going on and, you know, obviously other guys in different positions are probably doing the same thing. (But) we have a job to do, and that’s what it is.”
The Canucks did the job Friday better than the Blackhawks, who traded their captain to the Minnesota Wild so the Foligno brothers, Marcus and Nick, can try and win a Stanley Cup together.
Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, capping the team’s third win in 24 games with an empty-netter. Fittingly, O’Connor, DeBrusk and Blueger all scored. Max Sasson also scored into an empty net while goalie Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped 20 of 23 shots, made his best saves at pivotal moments.
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“Yeah, it’s so hard,” Boeser said of losing Myers and Garland this week. “Some of my closest friends over the years. It sucks. We kind of knew it was coming (but) we didn’t know who was going to go. We’ve got to make sure we’re looking forward now and really start to build this thing up.
“It’s nice to get (the deadline) past and now we can just focus on some better hockey.”
Mired in a poor season personally, like so many Canucks, Boeser suddenly has six goals in his last 11 games and is up to 15 goals for the season – two behind team leader, Kiefer Sherwood, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 19.
“I’ll catch him,” Boeser smiled.
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He said it was “crazy” how few Canucks remain from the team that went two rounds deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than two years ago.
“Someone posted the lineup of our playoff series against Edmonton, and how much has changed in just two years,” Blueger said. “Such a short period of time. Obviously, that’s not ideal, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
The transaction Friday that will have the most immediate impact on the Canucks was the waiver claim of Douglas from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a six-foot-nine forward who has 92 penalty minutes (and two assists) in 29 games this season.
“With our young guys in the lineup … I want the players to feel safe,” Allvin explained. “I don’t want them to get beaten up. And we’ve been looking for a player like this with more size, physicality. So when he was available here … we felt that would be a good fit for us.”
Mar 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) and center Jay Huff (32) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Luka Doncic recorded 44 points, nine rebounds and three steals in three quarters of action to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a solid 128-117 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Doncic made seven 3-pointers and notched his 10th 40-point effort of the season to break a tie with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for the most this season. He also became the fourth different Laker to record 10 or more 40-point games in a season, joining a trio of Hall of Famers — Kobe Bryant (four times), Elgin Baylor (three) and Jerry West (three)
Doncic’s scoring was needed on a night in which the Lakers were without LeBron James (left elbow, left foot). James injured the elbow in a hard fall during Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Austin Reaves scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter before fouling out for Los Angeles, which won for the fourth time in the past five games. Luke Kennard had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench, Rui Hachimura scored 13 points and Marcus Smart added 11.
Pascal Siakam scored 26 points for the Pacers, who lost their eighth straight game. Indiana has dropped the past five games by an average of 19.6 points.
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Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and eight assists and Jay Huff scored 16 points for the Pacers. T.J. McConnell added 10 points off the bench for Indiana.
The Lakers, who also were without Deandre Ayton (left knee), shot 52.9% from the field and made 17 of 37 from 3-point range.
Indiana connected on 46.9% of its attempts but was just 8 of 35 from behind the arc.
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Doncic was 5 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 22 points in the opening quarter as the Lakers led 35-27.
Doncic scored seven points in the second quarter to increase his output to 29 as Los Angeles led 64-51 at the break.
He tallied 15 points in the Lakers’ 35-point third quarter before exiting. He capped the period in style by banking in a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left as Los Angeles took a 99-80 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Pacers were within 103-89 after a 3-pointer by Jarace Walker. However, Reaves scored nine points during an 11-2 surge as the Lakers pushed the lead to 114-91 with 7:34 left. The margin topped out at 24 before Indiana narrowed the score.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025.(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one report said.
The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks last season and has reached double digits four times in his seven seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2025.(Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
The Raiders last appeared in the playoffs back in 2021 but have gone 7-27 over the past two seasons. They have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, which is expected to land them Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The Ravens, meanwhile, are entering a new era, after firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh and replacing him with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
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Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.(Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Aaron Judge wasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer.
Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a first-inning two-run home run, while Brice Turang had three hits and four RBI to lead Team USA to a whopping win over Brazil in its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.
Cal Raleigh #29, Byron Buxton #25, and Roman Anthony #3 of the United States celebrate after scoring from an RBI double hit by Brice Turang #13 of the United States in the fifth inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston’s Daikin Park.
Lucas Ramirez homered twice for Brazil with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.
Aaron Judge #99 of the United States celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against Brazil during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between the United States and Brazil at Daikin Park on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game.
Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1. Turang cleared the bases with his double to left field two pitches later to make it 7-1.
Brice Turang #13 of Team USA hits a three-run double in the fifth inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game presented by Capital One between Team USA and Team Brazil at Daikin Park on Friday, March 6, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Brazil is in the WBC for just the second time and first since 2013. The team fell to 0-4 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013.
Another highlight for Brazil came when 17-year-old high school senior Joseph Contreras got Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play to end the second inning. Contreras, the youngest player in the WBC this year, is the son of pitcher José Contreras, who played 11 MLB seasons.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
