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A Senate Republican warned Monday that Congress would likely have to change the law following deep Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said during an appearance at the Global Health Innovation Forum at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that ‘pressure’ would grow over time for lawmakers to make a change to the megabill’s steep cuts to Medicaid.

She said she supported other big-ticket items in the bill, like extending provisions from Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the beefing up of Medicaid’s work requirement.

But Collins argued that while there should be an effort to trim the costs of Medicaid and Medicare in the country, the deep, nearly $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid would hurt Americans.

‘They don’t go into effect next year, they go into effect the following year,’ Collins said. ‘But a year is not going to make any difference at all, and I’m just very concerned that people who need the care aren’t going to get it.’

Collins warned that once ‘we start seeing Americans getting sicker as a result of this, having delayed treatment because they no longer have the coverage,’ then lawmakers will have to take a better look at the cuts they greenlit in June.

‘I don’t see the states having the ability to step up and fill the gap here. I just don’t. Even wealthy states,’ she said. ‘I just don’t see that happening. And as the implications of the bill become better known, I think there’s going to be tremendous pressure on Congress to change the law. But we’re going to need the evidence, the stories, the research that didn’t occur.’

She was one of only three Senate Republicans — the others were Sens. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina — to vote against the colossal package in June. At the time, she cited Medicaid cuts as the key reason behind her decision not to back the bill.

Collins noted that before the bill ever went to the floor for what would become a marathon, 29-hour vote-a-rama before final passage in the upper chamber, she told both Republican leaders in the Senate and officials at the White House that she was a hard ‘no’ unless changes were made to the bill.

She offered leaders and the administration a list of 10 items she took issue with, including cuts that would affect rural hospitals. Maine has 32 rural hospitals, she said, with one having just been closed.

‘We have five that are teetering on the brink of closure because they’re already in trouble, because the Medicaid reimbursements are not high enough, and also because of population changes,’ she said.

Collins and other skeptics of the Medicaid cuts, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., did notch a minor victory with the inclusion of a $50 billion rural hospital fund to help offset the broader cuts — and she vowed to pressure Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Mehmet Oz to hustle that funding out the door.

Still, in a state like Maine, which has roughly 31% of the population on Medicaid, she worried that the cuts would see hospitals shoulder more of the costs of care.

‘These cuts, I worry, are going to be devastating for states like Maine, for the people who rely on it,’ Collins said. ‘But you know, a lot of those individuals are still going to show up in the hospital emergency room.’

‘They won’t have been getting the care that they need to keep them out of the hospital emergency room,’ she continued. ‘They’re going to be coming to you with their problems, and they’re not going to be covered by Medicaid, and the problem with that is it’s going to be uncompensated care for hospitals.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump doubled down on his demand that European nations cease all energy purchases from Russia as he mulls his first sanctions on Moscow since re-entering office amid its war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters Sunday evening, Trump said European nations, especially those in NATO, are not doing enough to counter Russia, despite the new round of sanctions enacted by the EU last week. 

‘They’re not doing the job. NATO has to get together. Europe has to get together,’ Trump said. ‘Europe… they’re my friends, but they’re buying oil from Russia, so we can’t be expected to be the only ones that are, you know, full bore.’ 

‘Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don’t want them to buy oil,’ he continued, noting that the sanctions Europe has issued on Russia and Russian officials ‘are not tough enough.’

 ‘I’m willing to do sanctions, but they’re going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I’m doing,’ Trump confirmed. 

While European nations have drastically cut their reliance on Moscow’s oil following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, they have not cut it off entirely – particularly nations like Hungary, Slovakia, France, Belgium and Spain, which are Europe’s top importers of Russian energy. 

Hungary – whose president remains friendly with Putin despite being a NATO nation – is Europe’s chief importer of Russian crude oil and pipeline gas, purchasing more than double any other European nation’s Russian energy imports.

France, which is the second-largest European purchaser of Russian energy, continues to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), which has largely bypassed EU sanctions, in part due to long-standing legally binding commitments.

These agreements mean Paris has committed to ‘take-or-pay’ contracts through the early 2030s or would face arbitration or penalties. Reporting suggests, however, that the LNG imports are not only slated for French consumption, but are also being passed on to third-party nations like Germany.

Last month, the EU’s Data Protection Authority confirmed that the bloc had imported nearly $5.2 billion worth of Russian LNG in the first half of 2025. 

Trump’s comments came just one day after he sent a letter to NATO that said he is ‘ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia,’ according to a post he made on Truth Social. 

But when asked on Sunday about his plans to hit Russia with additional U.S. sanctions – which have not been expanded since the Biden administration – he suggested Europe might need to stop all LNG imports as well.

The president claimed that all Russian imports are supposed to be barred at this time and said, ‘The deal is, they’re not supposed – whether it’s natural gas or whether it’s cigarettes, I don’t care – they’re not supposed to be buying from Russia.’

The president didn’t expand on which deal he was referring to, and he didn’t comment on the U.S.’s $2.1 billion worth of Russian imports it has purchased in the first five months of 2025, largely consisting of enriched uranium, palladium and fertilizers. 

In addition, he called on NATO allies to hit China with ‘50% to 100% tariffs’ that he said would be withdrawn only after the war in Ukraine concluded – a rate which is currently higher than the 30% tariffs Washington has slapped on Beijing, though which could significantly expand given Trump’s recent threats to hit China with tariffs as high as 200%.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding this reporting. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The Detroit Red Wings will wear uniforms celebrating 100 years of franchise history during the upcoming season.

The jersey, unveiled Monday, Sept. 15, will be worn during select games. The sweaters pay tribute to the franchise’s arrival on the shores of Detroit in the fall of 1926, when the club — an Original Six member — was known as the Detroit Cougars. After a two-year stint from 1930-32 as the Detroit Falcons, the club was bought by grain merchant James E. Norris, who renamed the club the Detroit Red Wings.

The centennial jersey will make its debut during the team’s home opener Oct. 9, when the Wings host another Original Six franchise, the Montreal Canadiens.

Here is how each iteration of the franchise will be memorialized:

  • DETROIT COUGARS TRIBUTE: The original 1926–27 Detroit Cougars jersey prominently featured an Olde English “D.” This classic logo has been thoughtfully redrawn and reintroduced as a secondary mark for Red Wings Centennial, appearing on the front leg of the solid-red pants, the jock tag at the bottom front of the jersey and the hem loop on the back. The jersey’s number font is inspired by the Cougars’ “Barber Pole” uniforms, worn in 1927-28.
  • DETROIT FALCONS TRIBUTE: The striping along the hem, sleeves and socks draws from Detroit Falcons uniforms from 1930-1932. Both the font and striping use a vintage off-white tone to reflect the heritage aesthetic.
  • LEATHER-LIKE FEATURES: Patches on the jersey are designed to match the leather-brown hue of the Centennial uniform gloves, a nod to the traditional leather used in gloves and goalie pads. Featured patches include:

The jersey will be worn for more than a dozen home games. They’re also available for pre-order at ShopHockeytown.com, and in person starting in early October at the Red Wings Team Store at Little Caesars Arena.

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Centennial’s (Corona, Calif.) upset win over Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), the Monarchs’ first loss to a team that isn’t St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in a decade, has shaken up the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 rankings.

The instant classic dropped Mater Dei to one of its lowest rankings in Super 25 history, while Centennial jumped from No. 25 to inside the top 10, entrenching itself among the best of the best.

With that, a new No. 1 team appears atop the high school football hierarchy in 2025.

Meanwhile, Edna Karr’s (New Orleans, La.) win over American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) gave the Patriots their second loss of the season and opened the door for Allen (Texas) to enter the rankings. The Eagles posted 70 points in their most recent win and have outscored opponents 154-27 through three games.

As high school football action moves to Week 5, here is the full Super 25:

1. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 2

Last result: Defeated East St. Louis (Ill.) 35-10

2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 3

Last result: Defeated Junipero Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) 42-0

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 4

Last result: Defeated Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 79-6

4. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 5

Last result: Defeated St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) 34-26

5. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 6

Last result: DNP

6. Buford (Ga.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 7

Last result: Defeated Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.) 34-26

7. Duncanville (Texas)

Record: 1-0

Previous rank: 8

Last result: DNP

8. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 25

Last result: Defeated No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 43-36

9. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 1

Last result: Lost to No. 25 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 43-36

10. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

Record: 5-0

Previous rank: 9

Last result: Defeated Brighton (Salt Lake City, Utah) 56-14

11. Mission Viejo (Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 10

Last result: Defeated Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) 34-24

12. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 11

Last result: Defeated Western (Davie, Fla.) 45-6

13. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 12

Last result: Defeated Downey (Calif.) 49-7

14. Edna Karr (New Orleans, La.)

Record: 2-0

Previous rank: 17

Last result: Defeated No. 18 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 24-17 (OT)

15. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

Record: 2-1

Previous rank: 13

Last result: DNP

16. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 16

Last result: Defeated Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.) 41-0

17. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 20

Last result: Defeated Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) 44-7

18. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 15

Last result: Defeated Winslow Township (Atco, N.J.) 41-14

19. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Record: 3-1

Previous rank: 23

Last result: Defeated Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) 44-14

20. Carrollton (Ga.)

Record: 5-0

Previous rank: 21

Last result: Defeated Gainesville (Ga.) 43-21

21. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 14

Last result: Defeated Guyer (Denton, Texas) 28-27

22. Southlake Carroll (Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 24

Last result: Defeated Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) 52-3

23. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 19

Last result: Defeated Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) 40-0

24. Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 23

Last result: DNP

25. Allen (Texas)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: NR

Last result: Defeated Rock Hill (Frisco, Texas) 70-14

Super 25 watchlist

  • Brownsburg (Ind.)
  • Basha (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.)
  • St. Edward (Lakeland, Ohio)
  • Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The House Republicans’ campaign arm is launching a pressure campaign against vulnerable Democrats as the deadline for a government shutdown looms on Capitol Hill.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is rolling out an ad campaign on Monday targeting 25 House Democrats in battleground districts, urging voters there to pressure their representatives to vote in favor of whatever government funding plan the GOP unveils.

The House and Senate have just seven planned working days left together before the end of fiscal 2025 comes on Sept. 30. If a deal is not struck on federal funding by then, both Republicans and Democrats could face the political backlash of a partial government shutdown.

‘Democrats are threatening a government shutdown to stop President Trump’s policies – like Trump’s crackdown on MS-13 and violent criminals,’ a voice-over said in the short clip. ‘Democrats want to abolish ICE, allowing violent criminal illegal aliens roaming our streets. And to do it? They’re putting veterans’ care at risk while risking military pay, police and Border Patrol.’

The clip ended with a message to voters: ‘Tell Democrats: Don’t hold the government hostage to put illegals before us.’

Republican leaders are expected to unveil a short-term extension of FY 2025 government funding levels, called a continuing resolution, or CR, this week.

Democrats have warned for weeks that they will not accept a government funding deal that was written without their input. They’ve also threatened to oppose any spending measure without guarantees that the Trump administration will not seek to cut back those funds down the line.

‘The American people are hurting because of how they have decimated healthcare. We need a bipartisan negotiation to undo that damage,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during an appearance alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Thursday.

‘If they try to jam something down our throats without any compromise, without any bipartisan or real bipartisan discussion, they ain’t going to get the votes. Plain and simple.’

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, told Republicans on Friday not to work with Democrats on the issue, accusing them of making impossible demands.

‘They want to give away money to this or that and destroy the country. If you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it,’ Trump said on ‘Fox & Friends.’ ‘Don’t even bother dealing with them.’

But Republican leaders are hoping that a ‘clean’ CR, free of any additional partisan measures, will be enough to sway enough Democrats into voting to avert a shutdown. 

‘Democrats currently are playing games with this government funding idea. They’re trying to bring in extraneous issues,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘We may need a stopgap funding measure, a CR, for a short period of time to allow [funding] negotiations to continue. But it will be clean in its scope, and I surely hope the Democrats will not try to make this a big partisan fight.’

Speaker Johnson says public officials have an ‘obligation to speak clearly’ after Kirk’s murder

Congress passed a CR lasting from March through September 2025, with just one Democratic vote from Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

Meanwhile, Schumer is under pressure from progressives to reject any GOP-led funding deal without compromises for the left after his vote was key to averting a shutdown in March.

‘Out of touch House Democrats would rather grind our government to a halt than let President Trump crack down on violent criminals and secure our border,’ NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. ‘They’ll risk veterans’ care, military pay and public safety just to appease their radical base.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

With college football and fall sports back, I am reminded of what a special time of the year it is for student-athletes who have sacrificed so much for this moment, and classmates, alumni and fans who passionately cheer them on. Stadiums spread across every community in the nation are filled with excitement, providing hope for students and creating an economic boom for large and small college towns. Sadly, behind the scenes, the system is broken with these programs facing a historic financial strain that has led to cutting women’s and Olympic sports just for athletics departments to stay in business … but this is just the beginning of a downward spiral that will lead to the destruction of college sports.

As Congress returns from August recess, it has a historic opportunity to end this strain and put the system back together. Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives is fast-tracking a very narrow bill, via the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. The SCORE Act is a good starting point for some of the key elements of the discussion, and it is encouraging that this issue is finally gaining traction in Washington. However, as the the legislation is currently drafted, it does not achieve President Trump’s clearly-stated objectives of saving women’s sports, protecting Olympic sports, and looking out for the interests of smaller schools. The President, and the American public (over 85% of them, as shown in recent polling) feel stronly that ALL of collegesports and ALL of the schools continue to provide opportunity to the 500,000 student athletes that they do today.  

After years of studying this problem, we know Congress will need a comprehensive solution that not only addresses the splashy items, such as NIL and the Transfer Portal, but also tackles massive issues of the need for a new independent body to oversee collegiate athletics, address cavernous revenue shortfalls all college programs (big and small) are facing, and, for the first time in the history of college sports, provide student-athletes with a meaningful voice in how rules are made and enforced.   

We have said it before and we will say it again: we need a new governing body to accomplish this goal. It cannot be the NCAA, which, for years fought tooth and nail against any rule that would benefit student-athletes and protect the most vulnerable schools and sports. The NCAA is now lobbying Congress and the public for the ability to override the multitude of court cases they have lost (including a 9-0 loss at the U.S. Supreme Court), so that it can re-take control of rule-making and crack down on the athletes and the schools.

Of course the NCAA wants to re-gain power. Of course it wants to go back to raking in billions at the expense of the student-athletes and the schools it is ostensibly charged to represent. The NCAA’s version of the SCORE Act ensures that the powerful colleges stay powerful and relegates the lesser-advantaged schools to permanent irrelevance. The SCORE Act also does not address the fact that there will not be enough money to pay for sports, like track, swimming, volleyball, soccer and softball. Through sneaky and strategic drafting, the SCORE Act does not explicitly grant the NCAA direct power, but the implications are clear – they will regain control if this bill becomes law. 

Language should be added to the bill that allows the entire college sports system to come together and form a new governing body that represents everyone.  Big, small, Women, Olympics, revenue sports, non-revenue sports – ALL of them!

This new governing body will be especially necessary if Congress were to make the economically necessary move to modernize the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), a law that was written in 1961 – a lot has changed since then.  With the rights under this act, we will need smart and savvy media minds that can create the value necessary to make sure that all of the sports continue to be funded, and that revenue is fairly allocated.  Doing this would open a massive spigot of revenue that will solve many of the critical problems facing college sports today and will keep the enterprise in business.

An antitrust exemption is necessary to allow fair rules to be made and enforced, and to stop the disruptive onslaught of litigation.  But providing an antitrust exemption is a HUGE legal concession that vests a tremendous amount of power and should not be given without the utmost thought, care and intentionality.  We cannot trust the NCAA with this level of power. The NCAA has proven for decades that it cannot effectively manage such authority. Giving them this power will allow a return to their old ways and roll back the progress student-athletes have fought for, shielding the entity from lawsuits and allow them to resort to their collusive practices. The NCAA is a voluntary membership organization that is funded by revenue generated by all of its member institutions and is now almost completely controlled by the biggest and most powerful schools (Power 4 Schools now get 65% of the votes).  Because of its governing structure, the NCAA is too conflicted to put student-athletes first and to represent the interests of its entire membership.

It is absolutely critical in the future governance of college sports to give student-athletes a true seat at the table. They need a voice in crafting policies on payments, health, and workload — things they’ve been left out of for the entire history of college sports. And women and Olympic athletes should have the same seat and the same influence that football players and men’s basketball players do. Their voices should be heard!! After all, athletes in these non-revenue generating sports, usually played by athletes who will not see serious profit from their NIL, represent the vast majority of students who have an opportunity to get a leg up in life because of an athletic scholarship. We must not leave these student athletes behind by focusing on the small percentage of athletes who are seeing record NIL profits.

As we all cheer on the college programs we love passionately, all fans and communities must recognize that the entire system is at great risk.  As we cheer from the stands, or our living rooms, we must use that same passion to ensure Congress doesn’t forget about any of the student-athletes. Remind them of the students who will have the opportunity of a lifetime by playing a sport, but also to get an education that will return dividends far greater than the small amount of NIL money they will receive. Congress cannot leave these women, men, and future Olympians behind.

We invite Congress to join us in meeting President Trump’s mandate by modernizing the Sports Broadcasting Act, dismantling the NCAA’s outdated model, and building a governing body where student-athletes aren’t pawns but partners. By recognizing the TRUE problems in college sports and taking action to solve them, we will protect every program, every student-athlete at ALL schools, big and small, and protect ALL of the communities and institutions that rely on college sports as the center of our economy and culture.

This is our fight, and we cannot let up until we win. I hope you will join us at www.savingcollegesports.com.

Cody Campbell is co-founder and co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings. He is also chairman of the board of regents of the Texas Tech University System and a former Texas Tech football player.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • Colts just accomplished something never done during the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
  • Sunday featured four games pitting at least two former No. 1 draft picks against each other.
  • Trouble in K.C.? Mahomes, Kelce part of worst start for perennial AFC West champs in more than a decade.

The 32 things we learned from Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season:

0. Number of NFL victories New Orleans Saints QB Spencer Rattler has in eight starts following Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the undermanned San Francisco 49ers. But Rattler did throw a career-best three TD passes in defeat, the first time he’d thrown multiple in nine pro appearances.

1. The number of times three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has been 0-2 in his nine-year NFL career, now marking the first. In fact, the last time he was 0-2? High school. Going back to Super Bowl 59, this is also the first time Mahomes has lost three straight games in the NFL. As for his Kansas City Chiefs, who have won nine straight AFC West crowns? They’re 0-2 for the first time since 2014 … which is also the last time they missed the postseason.

1a. By winning their first Week 2 game in the tenure of seventh-year head coach Zac Taylor, the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018 − former HC Marvin Lewis’ final season. Yet with QB Joe Burrow headed to the shelf for three months now that he requires surgery for his injured toe, which knocked him out for most of Sunday’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars − and threatens to sideline him much longer − it may also wind up as something of a Pyrrhic victory.

1b. Number of wins the New England Patriots have against Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa after holding on for a recently rare 33-27 victory in South Florida. Sunday was the Pats’ eighth crack at Tua, who was sacked for the fifth time on Miami’s final snap.

2. Yards shy New York Giants QB Russell Wilson, 36, was of matching his career best for passing yards (452) in Sunday’s 40-37 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However Wilson was sacked three times, which turned out to be just enough − along with the INT ‘Mr. Unlimited’ airmailed in OT.

3. The number of consecutive regular seasons that have featured a Super Bowl rematch after the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs teed it up Sunday, seven months after Philly opened a can of you know what on K.C.’s three-peat bid. The Eagles won 20-17, making the reigning champions 8-3 all-time in a Super Sunday redux that occurs in the subsequent season.

4. The number of field goals and PATs apiece − 16 points total − scored by Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey, unassailably the league’s best kicker, on Sunday. Aubrey hit a 64-yarder at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime and drilled a 46-yarder to win it. He might be the Cowboys’ most important player.

5. The number of NFL quarterbacks − ever − with at least 500 regular-season TD passes. Aaron Rodgers threw his 508th on Sunday, tying former teammate Brett Favre for fourth place all time.

6. If Sunday’s performance made it seem like Dallas could, uh, really use another pass rusher, well owner Jerry Jones revealed after his team’s escape act that he’d signed three-time Pro Bowler Jadeveon Clowney. The No. 1 pick (by the Houston Texans) in the 2014 draft, Clowney has never had a double-digit sack season. Ex-Cowboy Micah Parsons, who’s now wreaking havoc for the Green Bay Packers, hasn’t had fewer than 12 in any of his first four seasons. Still, ‘America’s Team’ did limit the G-Men to 84 rushing yards, so maybe Jones is absolutely tickled by the performance of his Big D run D.

7. Will Chiefs TE Travis Kelce rue returning for a 13th NFL season when he could be sampling potential wedding cakes? A week after taking out teammate Xavier Worthy while running a poor route, Kelce’s deflection of a Mahomes’ pass at the goal line into an Eagles interception effectively sparked a 14-point swing − Philly scoring what turned out to be the decisive TD on its ensuing drive.

8. The number of 2-0 teams following Sunday’s games. More may yet join their ranks Monday, but for now, the Bills, Colts, Bengals, Packers, 49ers, Eagles, Cardinals and Rams stand among the unbeatens who have played twice.

9. The number of 0-2 teams following Sunday’s games. More may yet join their ranks Monday, but for now, the Chiefs, Titans, Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Saints, Panthers, Bears and Giants are all quickly descending into desperation mode.

10. The Indianapolis Colts became the first team in NFL history to start a season by scoring on each of their first 10 possessions.

10a. And how about this: The Colts are the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that didn’t punt in their first two games. Admit it, you knew Daniel Jones and Co. would be this good.

11. The number of games Detroit Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery need to set an NFL record for teammates both scoring rushing TDs in the same contest − which is to say one more time. The duo matched the 10 instances old-time wingmen Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung (Packers) and Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny (49ers) turned the trick in Sunday’s 52-21 thrashing of the Chicago Bears and their former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

12. The number of Jags rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter, which may as well be a target. While contributing just three catches for 22 yards in his second game, Hunter also committed a 25-yard pass interference penalty − and not against one of Cincinnati’s star wideouts but Andrei Iosivas − on fourth down of the Bengals’ final drive, which ended with them bleeding the clock before scoring the game-winning TD. Without Burrow.

12a. But give Hunter credit for playing through heavy usage, 42 of his 81 snaps in Week 2 coming on the defensive side.

13. The number of consecutive drives, going back to last season − and the most this century − that Miami’s defense had surrendered points … before halftime (briefly) stymied the Patriots on Sunday.

14. The number of field goals − without a miss, incidentally − Colts K Spencer Shrader has made in six NFL games split among three different teams. He drilled five Sunday, including the game-winning 45-yarder at the gun, in Indy’s 29-28 defeat of the Denver Broncos.

14a. Of course, a Denver penalty for leverage nullified Schrader’s first attempt to win the game, a 60-yarder that fell short.

15th. The overall selection QB Mac Jones was (to the Patriots) in the 2021 NFL draft − despite rampant pre-draft speculation that he was headed to the Niners with the third pick. (San Francisco took Trey Lance instead.) But Sunday, Jones finally got to play for HC Kyle Shanahan and matched his career high with three TD throws while filing in for injured Brock Purdy, the same guy who Wally Pipped Lance three years ago. Beware, Brock.

15a. Lance, now the Los Angeles Chargers’ backup QB, hasn’t throw a TD pass since his rookie year.

16. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey caught one of Jones’ TD strikes, making CMC the third NFL player ever with at least 50 career rushing touchdowns plus 30 through the air. Hall of Famers Lenny Moore and Marshall Faulk are the others.

17. The jersey number of Daniel Jones. We’re loving life for ‘Indiana Jones,’ who’s led the Colts to their first 2-0 start since 2009, when Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was taking the snaps. Jones passed for 316 yards and a TD on Sunday and ran for another score − and given that production came against Denver’s vaunted D, it was arguably a more impressive performance than his debut for his new team in Week 1 agaisnt lowly Miami.

18. In a battle of former New York Jets quarterbacks, the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold got the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rodgers in the latter’s Acrisure Stadium debut. Both were picked off twice in a fairly sloppy affair that also saw Seattle recover a kickoff in the Steelers’ end zone for a touchdown.

19. Worth wondering if the Steelers are falling into a similar trap as the 2024 Jets, who averaged a league-low 21.4 runs per game while putting too much emphasis on Rodgers’ aging arm. Pittsburgh has run 41 times through two games.

20. As for the 2025 Jets? They’ve run it 60 times, though just 21 in Sunday’s 30-10 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. And with new QB1 Justin Fields in the concussion protocol? Different cast, same old Jets (so far).

21. The Los Angeles Rams’ 33-19 defeat of the Tennessee Titans featured a meeting of the league’s newest No. 1 overall pick (Titans QB Cam Ward) against its oldest active No. 1 overall pick (Rams QB Matthew Stafford, 2009).

22. The Bengals’ defeat of the Jags featured three No. 1 picks: Burrow, Jags QB Trevor Lawrence and Jags DE Travon Walker … plus Hunter, the second overall selection this year.

23. In Detroit, Lions QB Jared Goff – the No. 1 pick in 2016 (by the Rams) – threw five TD passes while outdueling Chicago’s Caleb Williams, the struggling top pick from last year’s draft.

24. And there was a fourth game featuring a pair of No. 1 picks, the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray (2019) surviving a late charge from the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young (2022).

25. Eagles DT Jalen Carter, thrown out of the opener, played his first snaps of the 2025 season and registered one TFL and three hits on Mahomes on a day when Philly once again very much limited Kansas City’s offense.

26. Number of penalties (for 266 yards) in the Cowboys-Giants thriller. Good thing the teams made a potential slopfest watchable with 77 points and nearly 1,000 yards of offense.

27. New England’s Mike Vrabel and Dallas’ Brian Schottenheimer notched their first wins with their current teams Sunday.

28. For Schottenheimer, 51, it’s his first win ever as a head coach. Now he’s just 204 behind his legendary father, Marty.

29. Elsewhere, Johnson, the Jets’ Aaron Glenn – both were on Detroit’s staff prior to this season – and the Saints’ Kellen Moore, who won a ring with the Eagles in 2024, are all still awaiting their first HC Ws.

30. The Baltimore Ravens’ home opener also served as the kickoff celebration of their 30th NFL season since they relocated from Cleveland and were renamed in 1996. As part of the festivities, the Ravens painted their end zones in throwback font styles. Would love to see the uniforms Hall of Famer Ray Lewis wore as a rookie next time …

31. Week 2 will end with a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Houston Texans before the unbeaten Las Vegas Raiders host the unbeaten Chargers.

32. And hope you like “MNF” twinbills – because you’re going to get four of them over the next six weeks.

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Just as they seemed to be throwing away the final playoff berth in the NL, the New York Mets righted themselves just enough Sept. 14, getting a three-run, walk-off home run from Pete Alonso to salvage the final game of a Citi Field series against the Texas Rangers.

It was a bold strategy – losing eight consecutive games in the middle of an ever-tightening National League wild-card race – and somehow it just might work out for the Mets.

And after the sunflower seeds hit the dirt and the Gatorade bath dried up and the Mets rubbed their eyes and looked up, they somehow had a 1 ½-game lead for the final wild-card spot

We should all be so lucky.

See, the Mets’ streak started with two losses to their direct wild card pursuer, the Cincinnati Reds, before thoroughly folding their tent against the division-leading Phillies, losing four at Philadelphia. And they further galvanized the Rangers’ AL playoff hopes by losing the first two games against them.

How ugly was it? Well, it was their longest losing streak since 2018, when they lost 11 in a row, and their pitchers posted a 6.27 ERA as they got outscored 47-20.

Yet the Reds and San Francisco Giants had mercy on them. Cincinnati could have passed the Mets this weekend, but instead got swept by the Athletics in Yolo County, while the Giants’ hot streak of nine wins in 13 games finally cooled with a pair of weekend losses to the Dodgers. The Giants now lurk 1 ½ games back, while Arizona is two out and the Reds 2½ games back.

Still, the damage was done – the Mets have fallen three spots to No. 14 in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings. But Citi Field is somehow still standing.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

  • ‘PECOTA had us at 80 wins,’ Pat Murphy says after clinching playoff spot. (Hey Murph: We had you at 83).

2. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

  • Injury ends Jose Alvarado’s season. Might as well get used to life without him before the playoffs hit.

3. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

  • Surprise, surprise: Top prospect Trey Yesavage recalled, will start Monday’s game.

4. Chicago Cubs (-)

  • Nico Hoerner batting .362 with runners in scoring position.

5. Detroit Tigers (-)

  • What a relief: Tarik Skubal expected to make next start after side scare.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)

  • Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández combine for 10 extra-base hits as Dodgers win five of six.

7. New York Yankees (-1)

  • ‘We’re the best team in the league,’ says Jazz Chisholm. About time to find out.

8. San Diego Padres (+1)

  • Win five of seven in 10-game stretch against Rockies to solidify playoff prospects.

9. Boston Red Sox (-1)

  • ‘I think we should stop talking about October, to be honest with you,’ says Alex Cora.

10. Seattle Mariners (+2)

  • A nine-game winning streak to take control of first place? That’s the way you do it.

11. Houston Astros (-1)

  • Week of reckoning arrives: Final homestand welcomes Rangers, Mariners to the 713.

12. Texas Rangers (+1)

  • Sweeping Brewers, taking series against Mets a heck of a way to get back in it.

13. Cleveland Guardians (+2)

  • Cade Smith up to 15 saves as he fills in for Emmanuel Clase.

14. New York Mets (-3)

  • They own almost all the relevant tiebreakers against their wild-card pursuers.

15. San Francisco Giants (+1)

  • Willy Adames two away from Giants’ first 30-homer season since Barry Bonds.

16. Kansas City Royals (-2)

  • Might just be curtains on their playoff hopes.

17. Cincinnati Reds (-)

  • Terry Francona convenes team meeting after untimely sweep: ‘When it’s hardest to believe, that’s when you gotta dig deep.’

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

  • Wait, what’s this? A playoff race?

19. St. Louis Cardinals (-)

  • Masyn Winn shuts it down for the season due to knee injury.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

  • Junior Caminero, 22, has 43 home runs.

21. Miami Marlins (+1)

  • Ryan Weathers returns from 60-day IL with five scoreless innings.

22. Baltimore Orioles (+1)

  • Probably should’ve announced the title inflation for their GM before embarking on such a rough season.

23. Athletics (+2)

  • Go figure: Yolo County’s bullpen is best in MLB (2.94 ERA) since trading Mason Miller.

24. Los Angeles Angels (-3)

  • Christian Moore returns after two-week minor league reset.

25. Atlanta Braves (-1)

  • Brian Snitker reaches 800 wins as possible retirement looms.

26. Minnesota Twins (+1)

  • Kody Clemens’ three-homer night gives him 19 longballs with Twins.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (-1)

  • Bubba Chandler bounces back from brutal start to take perfect game into sixth inning.

28. Washington Nationals (-)

  • Strained back ends Cole Henry’s promising rookie campaign out of bullpen.

29. Chicago White Sox (-)

  • A mildly encouraging 25-28 since All-Star break.

30. Colorado Rockies (-)

  • Will need an 0-12 season-ending finish to match White Sox’s record 121 losses.
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  • Joe Burrow’s injury was the biggest fantasy football news from Week 2, impacting the entire Cincinnati Bengals offense.
  • Quarterback Jared Goff and the Miami Dolphins offense were among the top fantasy performers of the week.
  • Quarterbacks Justin Fields and J.J. McCarthy struggled, landing them on the list of fantasy losers.

Obviously, the biggest fantasy football news from Week 2 was the unfortunate injury to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow – and the impact it will have on the team’s offense for what could be several months.

Backup Jake Browning was able to step in and competently keep the chains moving by completing 21-of-32 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns (and also score on a 1-yard sneak). But he’s no Joe Cool.

While Ja’Marr Chase led all receivers with 16 targets and 14 catches, the other Cincinnati skill players were not as effective. And they won’t have the Jaguars defense to push around every week.

Meanwhile, the other major development was the … major development from Week 1 to Week 2 of several rookie running backs. Fantasy managers went in pretty heavy in drafts this year on the plentiful crop of young RBs. And the dividends are already starting to pay off.

Fantasy football winners for Week 2

Rookie RBs Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, Bhayshul Tuten

While the collective output from rookie running backs was disappointing in Week 1, several of them saw their workloads increase Sunday.

Judkins signed his rookie contract, practiced with the Browns for the first time and led the team in rushing – all in the space of one week. He was drafted to be the lead back and was on Sunday, rushing 10 times for 61 yards.

The Giants’ Skattebo outsnapped Tyrone Tracy 33-27 against Dallas and scored his first NFL touchdown.

And Tuten saw far more work in the wake of the Jaguars trading Tank Bigsby, carrying eight times for 42 yards and catching a touchdown pass.

QB Jared Goff

There were some concerns in the preseason about how effective the Detroit Lions offense would be without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Maybe not with star RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, but moreso with Goff.

But the veteran was deadly efficient against the Bears, completing 23-of-28 passes for 334 yards and five touchdowns – three of them to St. Brown. At the same time both Gibbs and David Montgomery scored rushing TDs. Just because Johnson has moved to Chicago, Goff (QB5 through two games) hasn’t forgotten how to use his many weapons.

Miami Dolphins offense

After a pitiful performance on both sides of the ball in their opener, the Dolphins offense looked much more like themselves at home against the Patriots. The still-horrible defense forced Tua Tagovailoa to throw 32 times, which opened the door for a 100-yard receiving day for Tyreek Hill, a touchdown for Jaylen Waddle and a team-high eight receptions (for 92 yards and a score) for De’Von Achane.

WRs Rome Odunze and Wan’Dale Robinson

Playing second fiddle to much more high-profile wide receivers on their own teams, both Odunze and Robinson turned double-digit targets into top-5 performances for the week. The Bears had to throw a ton in a blowout loss to Goff and the Lions. That opened the door for Odunze to catch a pair of TD passes among his seven receptions and 128 yards. Meanwhile, the Giants’ Robinson managed to get beyond the Cowboys secondary for some big-gainers in racking up 142 yards and a score.

Fantasy football losers for Week 2

QB Justin Fields

Burrow wasn’t the only starting quarterback to leave early in Week 2. Fields was just 3-for-11 for 27 yards when he was hit hard and left with a possible concussion. He was the No. 2 fantasy quarterback in the season opener, thanks in part to his two rushing touchdowns. Even if Fields is able to return soon, a head injury is a bad omen for someone who relies more on his legs than his arm for fantasy value.

RB Kaleb Johnson

Johnson is perhaps the biggest disappointment among the rookie running back crop. He was drafted as someone who could ascend to the lead back role in Pittsburgh, but instead he’s hardly seen the field on offense during the first two weeks. Given a chance in the return game to show off his elusiveness, Johnson committed a boneheaded play Sunday of not fielding a kickoff against Seattle and having it recovered in the end zone for a Seahawks touchdown. That won’t help his case.

TE Mark Andrews

While the Baltimore Ravens continue to generate yardage and points (a league-leading 81 through two games), Andrews has been silent. He’s had exactly one catch in each of the first two weeks – and fellow tight end Isiah Likely could be back from injury next week to cut into his value even more. After being drafted in the top eight at the position, Andrews is looking more like a drop.

QB J.J. McCarthy

Yes, McCarthy did redeem himself with a furious fourth quarter in the opener, but that momentum didn’t carry over into his second consecutive appearance in prime time. He was bad for all four quarters Sunday night vs. the Falcons, hitting on just 11-of-21 passes for 158 yards and turning the ball over three times. Even worse, he’s not getting the ball to his best weapons. WR Justin Jefferson had just three receptions for 81 yards and TE T.J. Hockenson has seemed to disappear with four catches in two games.

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No matter the sport, a top draft pick’s rookie season is usually a rough go.

Your team most likely had that pick for a reason (they were bad) and you are expected to help right away. You’re getting used to a new league, and you may or may not have veteran players to ease the learning curve.

For Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft by the Seattle Storm, it’s been the opposite experience.

She got to play behind, and learn from, veterans Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor. She didn’t have to absorb a full load of the WNBA’s physicality every game. She was allowed the time and space to see how her game fit in the W rather than figuring it out on the fly.

All of which will make Malonga, and the Storm, who lost Game 1 of their best-of-3 series against the Las Vegas Aces 102-77 on Sunday, even better down the road.

“I knew I wouldn’t be starting because of the players we already had here,” Malonga, who had a double-double in her playoff debut with 12 points and 11 rebounds, told USA TODAY Sports. “I would have amazing vets in front of me, and it would be a good place to learn and grow up.

“My coaching staff, Seattle, had no expectations for me,” she added. “That helped. In terms of basketball, it was just about coming and playing hard.”

Malonga did more than that, however. The 19-year-old from France made a case to be Sixth Player of the Year.

Malonga set a WNBA record with 262 points in the paint off the bench, and led all reserves in six statistical categories. That included field goal percentage (.551), rebounds (195), blocks (28) and double-doubles (four).

Malonga played just over 14 minutes a game and averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Storm, who are the seventh seed in the WNBA playoffs.

“This season is going to benefit me so much,” said Malonga, who was named to the Associated Press’ All-Rookie team on Friday. “This year was about discovering and growing. A first year with no pressure, now I can go to year two and three and I’m comfortable and I can just play.”

This is not to say Malonga wouldn’t have thrived if she’d gone to a different team.

The hype around her has been intense since she was 15, when Tony Parker called her the female Victor Wembanyama. It grew last summer, when Malonga was the youngest member of the France team that took the U.S. women down to the last second of the gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics.

And it grew again last fall, when the 6-foot-6 Malonga dunked in EuroCup play.

“I’ve been watching film of her and I can’t wait to get my eyes on her in person,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo gushed before the draft. “A 6-6 player with the versatility that she has and the ability to come off flare screens and hit 3s at her size and length, … the way she can move in space, she’s an incredible talent.”

But the Storm put Malonga in a position to thrive, and that’s exactly what she’s done.

Malonga had been the focal point of her teams in Europe, so coming off the bench was an adjustment. It’s a different mindset, Malonga said, and it forced her to be patient. The physicality of the WNBA also took some getting used to.

“I won’t lie, the first game was really shocking to me for the physicality and how fast the game was,” she said.

Malonga quickly settled in, however. Her playing time increased as the season went on and so did her production. She gave a glimpse of just how formidable she will be in the years to come last month, when she had 22 points and 12 rebounds in a close loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

“It was about being comfortable on the court and the game has slowed down for me. I wasn’t discovering anymore,” Malonga said.

Malonga’s adjustment to the WNBA has also been helped by Williams, one of her teammates on France’s national team.

Though Malonga is fluent in English, being able to speak French with Williams is a comfort. She also knows she can ask Williams about anything, be it basketball or whether there’s a good French bakery in Seattle. (There is.)

“She made everything way easier for me,” Malonga said.

The priority for Malonga now is the playoffs, where the Storm are facing the Aces. But she acknowledges it’s nice to hear her name in conversation for Sixth Player, because it means people outside Seattle have recognized her game and how it’s grown throughout the season.

“It would be amazing (to win), especially when it’s something I didn’t expect or put pressure on myself,” she said. “It would just be a reward for all the work I put in this season and the path we went through.

“But if not, it’s going to be fine.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

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