Bugaluu :: Sports

The Detroit Lions’ coach was forced to issue an apology after one of his players waged a bloody brawl with the Kansas City Chiefs after Sunday night’s 30-17 loss.

“It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologized to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs, and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be OK. He knows it,” Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said. “Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”

The brawl came after the Lions dropped the game to the Chiefs in Kansas City. After the game concluded, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tried to high-five Branch near midfield, but Branch walked past him, offending Smith-Schuster, who walked up to Branch to speak with him, according to ESPN.

Branch responded by striking Smith-Schuster across his facemask, sending him to the ground. After leaping to his feet, Smith-Schuster went after Branch, who then ripped the Chiefs’ player’s helmet off as players from both teams tried to intervene.

“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said.

The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs got into a bloody brawl after their Sunday night game, which the Chiefs won 30-17 (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)The fight broke out after the game concluded when one player on the Chiefs tried to high-five a Lions player. Instead the Lions’ Brian Branch slapped JuJu Smith-Schuster’s helmet. (AP)

Smith-Schuster, who was smacked and thrown to the ground, said he expected better from Branch.

“He’s a great player and he’s huge for [their] team,” he said. “After the game, I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he threw a punch.”

Smith-Schuster, who walked away from the fight with a bloody nose, noted that he blocked Branch toward the end of the game, which was likely what prompted the brawl.

“I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I play between the whistles.”

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid also spoke about the fight in his post-game comments, according to KMBC.

“We’l, you guys saw it. I mean, it was, you know, the guy came up and hit JuJu for what looked like no reason,” Reid said. “We were taking a knee, that’s tough. I mean, they put pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose.”

The win moved the Chiefs to 3-3 on the season, while the Lions fell to 4-2.

The fight left several players bloodied and with injured noses, their coaches said. (Getty Images)The Lions’ coach, Dan Campbell, said the player’s actions were ‘inexcusable’ as he issued a post-game apology. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Social media had strong reactions following the brawl.

‘I’d like to use my platform to not ask, but DEMAND that Brian Branch gets suspended for his Week 7 game, whoever that may be against. The NFL needs to have a high standard and send a message that this type of behavior is unacceptable. Do it!,” Barstool Sports commentator Steven Cheah wrote on X.

‘Loser energy from Brian Branch. Every post-game players shake hands and give respect to their opponents Ignoring Patrick Mahomes is petty but isn’t a big deal, smacking Juju Smith-Schuster is RIDICULOUS,” fellow commentator Dalton Feely stated on social media.

‘This is the most fight the Lions showed all night,” one social media poster quipped.

​https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/detroit-lions-kansas-city-chiefs-fight-b2844442.html 

The Detroit Lions’ coach was forced to issue an apology after one of his players waged a bloody brawl with the Kansas City Chiefs after Sunday night’s 30-17 loss.

“It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologized to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs, and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be OK. He knows it,” Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said. “Our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”

The brawl came after the Lions dropped the game to the Chiefs in Kansas City. After the game concluded, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tried to high-five Branch near midfield, but Branch walked past him, offending Smith-Schuster, who walked up to Branch to speak with him, according to ESPN.

Branch responded by striking Smith-Schuster across his facemask, sending him to the ground. After leaping to his feet, Smith-Schuster went after Branch, who then ripped the Chiefs’ player’s helmet off as players from both teams tried to intervene.

“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said.

The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs got into a bloody brawl after their Sunday night game, which the Chiefs won 30-17 (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)The fight broke out after the game concluded when one player on the Chiefs tried to high-five a Lions player. Instead the Lions’ Brian Branch slapped JuJu Smith-Schuster’s helmet. (AP)

Smith-Schuster, who was smacked and thrown to the ground, said he expected better from Branch.

“He’s a great player and he’s huge for [their] team,” he said. “After the game, I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he threw a punch.”

Smith-Schuster, who walked away from the fight with a bloody nose, noted that he blocked Branch toward the end of the game, which was likely what prompted the brawl.

“I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I play between the whistles.”

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid also spoke about the fight in his post-game comments, according to KMBC.

“We’l, you guys saw it. I mean, it was, you know, the guy came up and hit JuJu for what looked like no reason,” Reid said. “We were taking a knee, that’s tough. I mean, they put pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose.”

The win moved the Chiefs to 3-3 on the season, while the Lions fell to 4-2.

The fight left several players bloodied and with injured noses, their coaches said. (Getty Images)The Lions’ coach, Dan Campbell, said the player’s actions were ‘inexcusable’ as he issued a post-game apology. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Social media had strong reactions following the brawl.

‘I’d like to use my platform to not ask, but DEMAND that Brian Branch gets suspended for his Week 7 game, whoever that may be against. The NFL needs to have a high standard and send a message that this type of behavior is unacceptable. Do it!,” Barstool Sports commentator Steven Cheah wrote on X.

‘Loser energy from Brian Branch. Every post-game players shake hands and give respect to their opponents Ignoring Patrick Mahomes is petty but isn’t a big deal, smacking Juju Smith-Schuster is RIDICULOUS,” fellow commentator Dalton Feely stated on social media.

‘This is the most fight the Lions showed all night,” one social media poster quipped.

​https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/detroit-lions-kansas-city-chiefs-fight-b2844442.html 

The Seattle Mariners stole home-field advantage with a Game 1 win, and they’ll now look to make it two in a row over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre tonight.

Seattle has rolling righty Logan Gilbert toeing the rubber, while Toronto counters with rookie Trey Yesavage, and he headlines Mariners vs. Blue Jays predictions and top MLB picks.

Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 predictions

Who will win Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2

I expect to see a back-and-forth series, with the Toronto Blue Jays finding a way to eke out a win at the Rogers Centre in Game 2. These Seattle Mariners bats have been quiet to start the playoffs, and Trey Yesavage has the pitch arsenal to keep them off balance again on Monday.

Mariners vs Blue Jays best bet

Trey Yesavage Over 13.5 outs recorded (-110)

Sure, it might be a small sample from Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage, but he’s aced the eye test and checks out statistically.

The rookie fanned 11 Yankees across 5 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings during Game 2 of the ALDS, and he posted a rock-solid 3.21 ERA and 3.23 xFIP over three regular-season starts.

Yesavage skyrocketed through the Toronto minor-league system, and the Mariners will face him for the first time in Game 2. The Mariners aren’t exactly dialed in at the dish, either.

After posting a ninth-ranked .324 wOBA and seventh-ranked .174 ISO against right-handed pitchers during the regular season, Seattle ranks seventh in both with respective .277 and .133 overall marks in the postseason. Additionally, the Mariners have fanned at the third-highest rate (28.0%).

I expect Yesavage to be up to the task again and finish five frames in Game 2.

Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 same-game parlay (SGP)

Make no mistake, Seattle righty Logan Gilbert will be tough on the Toronto lineup. He cruised down the stretch with a 2.42 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 3.45 xFIP while striking out 5+ batters in six of his final seven starts. 

He also fanned seven through six innings while allowing just a single run to the Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS. 

Still, the Blue Jays went 54-27 at the Rogers Centre in the regular season before winning both home games in the ALDS, so I like them to even the series tonight.

Turning to the final leg of this SGP, Toronto star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 6-for-15 with a pair of doubles and two more home runs while posting a monster 1.404 OPS against Gilbert for his career.

Of course, Guerrero has also been hot during the postseason with a trio of long flies and otherworldly .526 wOBA.

Mariners vs Blue Jays SGP

Blue Jays moneylineLogan Gilbert Over 4.5 strikeoutsVladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases

Mariners vs Blue Jays home run pick for Game 2

Vladimir Guerrero (+350)

As noted, Vladdy has had success against Gilbert, and the Blue Jays star has already hit three home runs with a .429 ISO during the postseason. 

Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 odds

Moneyline: Seattle +110 | Toronto -130Run line: Seattle +1.5 (-185) | Toronto -1.5 (+155)Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

How to watch Mariners vs Blue Jays and Game 2 info

Mariners vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Mariners vs Blue Jays weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

​https://www.covers.com/mlb/mariners-vs-blue-jays-prediction-picks-odds-game-2-monday-10-13-2025 

Good news, everyone! The Patriots have a franchise quarterback again! The (very brief) Boston-area nightmare is over!

Drake Maye had yet another strong game on Sunday, leading the Patriots to yet another victory and stacking up yet more social-media-friendly highlight throws. This is becoming a legitimate trend now; New England (4-2) has already won as many games this season as it did in the entirety of 2024. Under the Mike Vrabel regime, Maye and the Patriots are looking comfortable

Hope you enjoyed that brief break, AFC.

The organizational foundations of Maye’s success are visible all around him, starting with the fact the Patriots remade a horrendous, porous offensive line. With time to throw, Maye is throwing.

Observe, for instance, Maye’s performance Sunday in the win over New Orleans as visualized by NFL NextGen Stats. The three blue arcs are touchdowns. (There probably should have been a fourth, as a 61-yard Maye would-be touchdown pass to DeMario Douglas was called back because of a suspiciously ticky-tack OPI call elsewhere on the field.) You’ll note that each of Maye’s touchdown passes traveled more than 25 yards; the precise technical term for that is “slingin’ it.”

(NFL NextGen Stats)

Arm talent is a necessary element of a star quarterback, and increasingly, so are rushing explosiveness and general leathery toughness. But Wikipedia’s rundowns of NFL drafts past are littered with names of quarterbacks who had strong arms, piston legs and a whole lot of no-quit.

What differentiates the could-have-beens from the future stars is more ethereal, an ability to visualize both the game and the arc of one’s own career on a broader, more existential level. Seeing the full picture, in other words, and adjusting course accordingly, whether within a play, on a drive, in a game, in the locker room, over the course of a season, or across multiple years.

Most quarterbacks break down at some point along this journey, unable to shoulder the load, unable to inspire others on the journey, unable to rise above challenges that range from charging defensive ends to the looming dread of a career’s end. There’s no shame in falling short, really; everyone this side of Brady, Montana, Marino, Manning and a few others does, eventually. The goal, then, is to see how far up the mountain you can climb.

Drake Maye is looking strong this season. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Maye already has what it takes — overwhelming physical talent — to start his journey. He’s thrown for more than 200 yards in all six games this season. He’s thrown a touchdown in five, and he hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3. His passer rating has topped 100 the last five weeks in a row. At this point, not even the University of North Carolina can ignore the fact that he’s one of the best QBs of the early 2025 season.

Now comes the next obstacle: handling adversity, starting with in-game frustrations. Late in the first quarter on Sunday, Maye found Douglas for what sure looked like a spectacular touchdown, called back for offensive pass interference on Stefon Diggs way back upfield:

The call came so late that the Patriots’ extra-point team was already trotting onto the field. But Maye and the offense saddled back up, and six snaps later, found Kayshon Boutte for the first of Boutte’s two touchdowns on the day.

Later in the game, Maye found Diggs for a falling-out-of-bounds 51-yard strike that was called back after Diggs again was tagged for OPI. The legitimacy of both calls is something for Boston talk radio to debate, but Maye’s long-range precision was elite, and his ability to shake off the early frustration, when the game’s outcome was still in doubt, speaks well to his ability to handle the larger burdens that are inevitably coming.

Ecstatic Boston sports fans and fearful AFC East rivals should probably wait until Maye leads New England to, say, a winning season before deeming him an MVP candidate or, worse, a true heir to tom Brady. Maye has a long way to go just to solidify his standing among rookie-contract quarterbacks, much less the best in the game.

Over the next two weeks, Maye will have a chance to — well, we won’t say “pad,” but we will say enhance his stats with games at Tennessee and against Cleveland. Two weeks after that will come one of the season’s unexpected but indisputable highlight games: Maye and New England against Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay. By then, we’ll have a few more data points on Maye, and he might just be a few further steps up the mountain.

​https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/drake-mayes-ascent-to-stardom-is-gathering-speed-as-patriots-stack-wins-143941480.html 

Mike Evans injury update: Buccaneers wide receiver gets hope for Week 7 return originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been without the services of wide receiver Mike Evans for three straight games now due to injury.

Evans suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 that forced his early exit from the game. The veteran wideout has yet to return to practice since and the expectation has been he would miss three to four weeks.

With Emeka Egbuka now expected to miss time, and with Chris Godwin on the shelf and uncertain for Week 7, also, Evans’ return is crucial for the Bucs.

Here’s what we know about his possible return in Week 7.

Mike Evans injury update

According to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, Evans’ initial three-to-four-week timeline leads him to believe that Evans could get back to practice and play this week.

“The initial reporting on Evans was 3-4 weeks out with his hamstring, and he’s missed three games now, so seems viable that he’d return to practice this week,” Auman wrote.

“How he feels there Friday-Saturday will determine whether he can go Monday vs. Lions in Detroit,” Auman added.

With the Lions and Bucs playing on Monday night, that gives Evans an extra day this week to get right, so that’s good news for his chances of playing.

Given the fact that Evans wasn’t placed on injured reserve, we can assume the Bucs don’t expect him to miss a fourth game. So, that’s another potential positive for Evans’ chances of suiting up.

Making Evans’ presence even more important is the fact that the Bucs have a matchup against one the NFL’s elite offenses in the Detroit Lions, so plenty of points will likely be needed.

Godwin is dealing with a fibula injury that has his status up in the air, and Egbuka exited the Week 6 contest early with a hamstring injury that could sideline him for one or more games.

And, lest we forget, Jalen McMillan is still on injured reserve and there is currently no timetable for his return.

With Evans, Egbuka and Godwin all out, the Bucs saw huge contributions from guys like Kameron Johnson, Sterling Shepard, Cade Otton and Tez Johnson.

We would expect all of those players to have an increased role if Tampa Bay’s three best wideouts sit on Monday night.

More NFL News

Brian Branch explains reason behind punching JuJu Smith-SchusterJuJu Smith-Schuster takes high road after Brian Branch punchDan Campbell denounces Brian Branch after brawlWhat Patrick Mahomes said about Lions-Chiefs brawlWhy Josh Simmons was ruled out for Chiefs vs. LionsEstimated return timelines for Lions’ key injured players49ers’ Fred Warner gets brutal injury diagnosis after Week 6Dave Canales confirms Panthers have an RB controversy

​https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/news/mike-evans-injury-update-buccaneers-wide-receiver-hope-week-7-return/6315b3822a7e864b080723bd 

Roddy White sends four-word message to UAB after Trent Dilfer’s firing originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Will the UAB Blazers hire another NFL star as head coach? 

Immediately after firing Trent Dilfer on Sunday, an unlikely name entered himself into the conversation. Former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro receiver and UAB alum Roddy White made his intentions clear by saying, “I want the job” in response on X.  

I want the job https://t.co/x7KEr4GnGi

— Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) October 12, 2025

If White were to land the job, he would be the latest former player to take the reins at the college level. It would also be a contiunation started by Deion Sanders at Jackson State in 2020. He would also be coming in with no coaching experience on the books. 

UAB moved on from Dilfer six games into his third season. The team fell to Florida Atlantic 53-33, dropping to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the American Athletic Conference. Offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. 

“We have made a decision to part ways with head football coach Trent Dilfer,” UAB athletic director Mark Ingram said in a statement. “We agree that — unfortunately — our on-field performance has not lived up to the standard of winning we have for the program. This decision will allow us to move forward in the best long-term interest of the program.”

Dilfer’s tenure began in 2023 after he was hired to replace longtime coach Bill Clark. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback arrived in Birmingham with no prior college coaching experience, having previously led Lipscomb Academy in Nashville to back-to-back Tennessee state championships.

At UAB, Dilfer posted a 9-21 overall record, including 6-14 in conference play, and failed to win a single road game.

Whether White would be able to land the job or not remains to be seen. However, like Sanders, the move would bring attention in ways Dilfer never really could over the past three years. 

More college football news: 

Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coachBill Belichick and UNC documentary reportedly being shopped after Hulu pulls plugEight college football stadiums to host Savannah Bananas in 2026Bill Belichick buyout, contract details as North Carolina Tar Heels coachDeion Sanders sends four-word message to his son over trust fund

​https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/roddy-white-sends-four-word-message-uab-after-trent-dilfers-firing/36beb47810c90204b80d100c 

José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Moises Caicedo all feature in this week’s mailbag.Composite: Getty Images

Do you believe playing styles are developing incrementally or cyclically? Will things naturally come back around, or is it more a matter of rock, paper, scissors where one style counters another for a short while, as the current style gets broadly adopted? – Paul

I dislike the term “cyclical” for tactics because it implies inevitability. Winter, spring, summer, autumn is a cycle; what happens in football tactics is not. When older ideas are repurposed for the modern age, they come with knowledge of what went before. So, to take an extreme example, when Pep Guardiola started fielding teams in a sort of 3-2-2-3 shape, it wasn’t the W-M used by Herbert Chapman in the late 1920s, because in the 100 years since, football has changed enormously: players are fitter, pitches are better, kit is better, we understand pressing, we have data and sophisticated analytical modelling.

Equally, we should be cautious of imagining there is a preferred model – that one tactical system is necessarily better than another. It’s not that there is a best way to play and everybody is striving to achieve the style closest to that. Everything is contingent: there is only ever a best way to play for a particular set of players in particular circumstances.

Related: Next Generation 2025: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs

That said, there are clearly periods when one style is dominant. The arrival of Rafa Benítez and José Mourinho to English football in the summer of 2004, for instance, made control the defining attitude of the Premier League. The appointment of Pep Guardiola in 2016 brought his juego de posición to England, which has had a huge impact throughout the divisions, even as he evolved. First, there was the challenge of Jürgen Klopp, which resulted in Guardiola’s approach and German Gegenpressing moving closer together. Since then, he has inverted full-backs, gone to a back four comprised entirely of central defenders, and had John Stones stepping forward as the signing of Erling Haaland effectively meant the centre-forward no longer functioned as an auxiliary midfielder.

Over the last few months, there has been a radical change. There seems a general acceptance, not least from Guardiola himself, that the style he brought to England is no longer effective. Last season he spoke of the likes of Bournemouth and Newcastle playing modern football – although, in context, he was talking less about having players run more with the ball (as it has been widely interpreted) than about how the crowded fixture list makes it almost impossible to prepare players properly for juego de posición, which requires a different strategic approach for every game. In that sense, the recent shift towards more direct football is less cyclical or incremental than reactive – a means of dealing with external factors.

More generally, football finds itself not so much in a cycle as in a series of competing dialectics. As the emphasis on maintaining possession grew, central defenders – at least at elite clubs – began to be selected less for their defensive qualities than for their ability to pass the ball. That meant less focus on strength or heading ability, leaving them vulnerable against big, powerful centre-forwards. Bring back the big lumbering centre-backs of old, though, and they become susceptible to a well-targeted press. But then, big centre-forwards may not be capable of the constant rapid sprints required to press effectively.

And that’s just one element. We’ve got used to wide forwards who cut infield on to their stronger foot, but as centre-forwards get bigger, better at heading and perhaps less adept at vacating space for a teammate cutting infield, it may be that a preference grows for wide players who do not invert but beat the full-back on the outside to put in outswinging crosses.

There are always wheels within wheels, and that means terms like “cyclical” or “incremental” will always seem reductive.

With summer temperatures in North America consistently hot, will we see a return to the type of World Cup we saw in 1970 and 1982 when oppressive heat reduced the efficacy of pressing? And does this open up the tournament to teams who could pack the pitch with creative No 10s? – Jonathan

I enjoyed your newsletter in September about the new defensive mentality in football, where, as you pointed out, “we are seeing a more physical game centred on crosses, set plays and giving nothing away.” Do you think we’ll see that at next year’s World Cup too? – Bethany

This pair carry on from the previous question. The temperature definitely will be a factor. Consistent pressing will be very difficult and, as at the Club World Cup, I think we’ll see spells in games in which both teams effectively take a breather. Most sides, I suspect, will sit deep in a low block, which means very little space for No 10s. It may be that what ends up being effective is controlling the pace of games, remaining tight defensively and breaking down opponents through attrition. Set plays are likely to be a major factor.

In 2022 we had Morocco making a surprise run to the semi-finals, and in 2018 Croatia got all the way to the final itself. Which “smaller” nation do you think could make a deep run this time around (I’ve got my eye on Norway)? – Wally

It’s slightly baffling that the World Cup is such a closed shop, when there have been shocks at the Euros, the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup. But it does seem that something about the occasion – or having to play one game more than at confederational tournaments – makes a big difference. Morocco again and Senegal are probably the likeliest African sides to have a decent run (or DR Congo if they make it through the play-offs). As you say, Norway, who have had some excellent players for a while now, are playing extremely well, and Switzerland have become a very consistent side. But the team I think could really surprise people is Ecuador, who have the likes of Moisés Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Pervis Estupiñán, and qualified second from Conmebol.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.

​https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-no-thing-perfect-football-143752430.html