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Admit it. You were starting to wonder. After a loss to the Rams and a less-than-inspiring zero-touchdown effort against the Patriots, two crucial games, the tiniest spark of doubt about Tom Brady flickered to life in your mind. We've been writing his professional obituary for what seems like a decade now, but he's got to slow down sometime, right?

Not yet. Playing at home for the first time in three weeks, and in the early-game slot for the first time all season, Brady eviscerated the Dolphins. He threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns in the 45-17 victory, a sterling effort that ranks among his finest statistical performances ever.

This marked Brady's ninth career five-touchdown game, three of which have come with Tampa Bay, and 11th career 400-yard game, second with Tampa Bay. In all of Brady's career, he's never once thrown for 400+ yards and 5+ touchdowns in a single game, until now.

Brady spread the love around the field, connecting with 10 different receivers. The finest play of the game was his 62-yard touchdown strike to Antonio Brown, but Brady had no trouble distributing the ball to two full basketball teams' worth of receivers.

"He's got a lot of weapons," Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said after the game. "There's a contribution from everybody. And he really trusts guys ... he still can throw that deep ball as good as anybody."

It's impossible to overestimate the value that Brady has brought to the Bucs organization. Per The Athletic, Tampa Bay has scored 44 points or more six times in Brady's 25 games. They had scored that total six times in 44 seasons before Brady arrived.

Brady draws the Eagles this coming Thursday night, then the Bears and Saints. While he may not post magnificent stats against any of those three, he's ended any premature burials of his career. Again.

TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 10: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to pass during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybusbee or contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.

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Tom Brady silences any doubts with five-touchdown victory - Yahoo Sports

Third-quarter earnings season ramps up in earnest this week with a packed schedule of major financial companies poised to report results. Key economic data will include the U.S. consumer price index for September, in the latest print on the state of inflation in the U.S. economy.

Investors have been anxiously awaiting the start of the latest earnings season and bracing for a deceleration in corporate profit growth after a strong second quarter.

S&P 500 earnings are expected to grow by 27.6% in aggregate for the third quarter, slowing sharply from the second quarter's nearly 90% growth rate, according to data from FactSet. Still, last quarter's results had been aided by easy comparisons to the pandemic-depressed profit levels of mid-2020. And at nearly 30%, the expected earnings growth rate for the third quarter would still be the third-fastest pace for the index since 2010.

Traders are especially looking to see that supply-side challenges and rising input and labor costs weighed heavily on corporate profits for the latest quarter. Nearly two dozen S&P 500 companies including major names like FedEx (FDX) and Nike (NKE) have already reported third-quarter results, giving hints about the magnitude of the margin pressure being exerted by supply-side challenges.

"Supply chain disruptions and costs have been cited by the highest number companies in the index to date as a factor that either had a negative impact on earnings or revenues in Q3, or is expected to have a negative impact on earnings or revenues in future quarters," FactSet's John Butters wrote in a note on Friday. Of the 21 S&P 500 component companies that have reported results so far, 15 of them have discussed negative impacts from these factors, Butters added.

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"After supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and costs (14), COVID costs and impacts (11), and transportation and freight costs (11) have been discussed by the highest number of S&P 500 companies," he added.

For many companies, the specter of eventual interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and the present inflationary environment has presented a slew of concerns over higher input and borrowing costs. But for the Big Banks, a higher interest-rate environment generally translates into stronger profits in their key lending businesses, allowing them to command higher rates on loans.

CHINA - 2021/04/23: In this photo illustration the Goldman Sachs logo seen on an Android mobile device screen with the currency of the United States in the background. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The major U.S. banks including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) are each set to report quarterly results this week. Heading into these results, many analysts have said they expect to see net interest margins expand alongside the creep higher in benchmark interest rates this year. And as the economic recovery chugs along, banks may further release loan loss reserves they set aside to protect against potential defaults and nonpayments over the course of the pandemic.

"We expect 3Q21 EPS [earnings per share] results to be stronger on a year-over-year basis as loan loss reserves continue to be released albeit at a lower level than 1Q/2Q21 and the group posts positive revenue growth," RBC Capital Markets analyst Gerard Cassidy wrote in a note last week.

"Key themes that we expect to see in the results include: (1) more signs of net interest margin (NIM) stabilization; (2) growth in the consumer loan, residential mortgage and commercial real estate mortgage portfolios; and (3) positive outlook guidance on credit, loan growth (especially commercial & industrial loans,) and NIM," he added. "Lastly, commentary on core operating expenses should be listened to carefully to see if the banks are starting to feel non-incentive compensation wage pressure."

According to Matt O'Connor, Deutsche Bank managing director of U.S. banks equity research, banks still have considerable room for loan growth with the economic recovery under way. Total industry loans are still 1% below pre-pandemic levels from the fourth quarter of 2019, he said, and are down by an even more significant mid-single-digits percentage when excluding loans made via the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.

We remain positive on bank stocks given a likely multi-year positive backdrop for credit, interest rates and loan growth, O'Connor wrote in a note. Its hard to be too negative on the banks given a generally favorable macroeconomic outlook among most (despite some slower activity more recently) and the prospect for higher rates and faster loan growth, though was weve noted before the timing/magnitude of this remains unclear.

For the year-to-date, the financials sector remains the second-best performer in the S&P 500 after the energy sector, climbing more than 30% so far in 2021.

One of the most closely watched economic reports this week will be the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, due for release on Wednesday.

The report is expected to show consumer prices rose at roughly the same month-on-month and annual rate in September as in August, reinforcing the persistent inflationary pressures present even as the economic recovery rolls on.

Consensus economists are looking for the consumer price index to jump by 0.3% in September over the previous month and by 5.3% over the prior year.

At least some of that increase will likely come as a result of jumping energy prices, with crude oil and natural gas prices spiking amid elevated demand and tight supply over the past month. However, even excluding more volatile food and energy prices, the CPI likely still rose at a 4.0% annual pace.

The so-called core measure of CPI has moderated from June's 4.5% annual clip, or the fastest rate since 1991, but has still held markedly higher compared to pre-pandemic standards. Some of the categories mostly closely associated with the economic reopening have seen prices pull back after initial surges in the spring and early summer but not by enough to bring down the overall level of CPI.

The key takeaway from the upcoming consumer price index will be how broadly across categories we are seeing price increases," Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate, said in an email on Friday. "While used car prices, airfares, and lodging have all pulled back a bit, underscoring the idea that higher inflation might indeed be transitory, increases in others like shelter costs might just be heating up.

Other areas of the economy have also begun to show persistently heightened levels of inflation, with U.S. crude oil futures skyrocketing to their highest level since 2014 last week and commodity prices across the board moving higher. And last week's September jobs report also reflected a number of inflationary pressures in the labor market, with average hourly wages accelerating to the fastest year-over-year pace since February, and rise in the workweek taking place alongside a drop in labor force participation.

"We expect reopening effects to continue to fade, but the risk from supply constraints is likely to be longer-lasting than previously expected," High Frequency Economics' Rubeela Farooqi wrote in a note. "That should provide ongoing support to goods prices, even as services inflation continues to revert to more typical trends on a normalization of activity."

Monday: No notable reports scheduled for release

Tuesday: NFIB Small Business Optimism, September (99.5 expected, 100.1 during prior month); JOLTS Job Openings, August (10.938 million expected, 10.934 million during prior month)

Wednesday: MBA Mortgage Applications, week ended Oct. 8 (-6.9% during prior week); Consumer price index, month-over-month, September (0.3% expected, 0.3% during prior month); CPI excluding food and energy, month-over-month, September (0.2% expected, 0.1% during prior month); CPI year-over-year, September (5.3% expected, 5.3% during prior month); CPI excluding food and energy, year-over-year, September (4.0% expected, 4.0% during prior month); Real Average Hourly earnings, year-over-year, September (-1.1% during prior month); Real Average Weekly earnings, year-over-year, September (-1.4% during prior month); FOMC meeting minutes

Thursday: Initial jobless claims, week ended Oct. 9 (325,000 expected, 326,000 during prior week); Continuing claims, week ended Oct. 2 (2.696 million expected, 2.714 million during prior week); Producer price index, month-over-month, September (0.6% expected, 0.7% during prior month); PPI excluding food and energy, month-over-month, September (0.5% expected, 0.6% during prior month); PPI, year-over-year, September (8.7% expected, 8.3% during prior month); PPI excluding food and energy, year-over-year. September (7.1% expected, 6.7% during prior month)

Friday: Empire Manufacturing, October (25.0 expected, 34.3 during prior month); Retail sales, month-over-month, September (-0.2% expected, 0.7% during prior month); Retail sales excluding autos and gas, month-over-month, September (0.6% expected, 1.8% during prior month); Import price index, month-over-month, September (0.6% expected, -0.3% during prior month); University of Michigan sentiment, October preliminary (73.5 expected, 72.8 during prior month)

Monday: No notable reports scheduled for release

Tuesday: No notable reports scheduled for release

Wednesday: JPMorgan Chase (JPM), BlackRock (BLK), First Republic Bank (FRC), Delta Air Lines (DAL) before market open

Thursday: Bank of America (BAC), Domino's Pizza (DPZ), Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), The Progressive Corp. (PGR), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), US Bancorp (USB), Wells Fargo (WFC), Morgan Stanley (MS), Citigroup (C) before market open; Alcoa (AA) after market close

Friday: PNC Financial Services (PNC), Truist Financial Corp. (TFC), Coinbase Global (COIN), The Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW), Goldman Sachs (GS) before market open

Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck

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Big banks kick off Q3 earnings season, CPI inflation data: What to know this week - Yahoo Finance

Shares of two of the oldest automakers around have run over the S&P 500 in the past month as each unveiled detailed plans to take on electric vehicle king Tesla (TSLA).

Over the last month, shares of Ford (F) and General Motors (GM) have each gained about 15.5%, according to Yahoo Finance Plus data. The S&P 500 has returned a more pedestrian 4.5% as investors fret about the debt ceiling, inflation, climbing 10-year yields and a legion of other headline risks.

Ford's stock has trounced GM in the year-to-date battle (Ford is up 31% vs. GM, up 16%), but the latter has seen its stock perk up this week (finally) after executives further pulled back the tarp on an EV product and financial roadmap.

General Motors told investors at a two-day meeting in Detroit this week it aims to double sales by 2030 amid a flurry of new EV models. The company believes it could take its operating profit margin to a range of 12% to 14%, from 7.9% last year.

Meanwhile, GM said it would debut an all-electric Silverado pickup truck at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, and boost sales from software services in coming years.

The news out of GM sent the stock up 6% in Thursday's session.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, who attended the meeting, told Yahoo Finance, GM "came out swinging" this week, and was impressed by the tone at the event.

But not everyone on the Street who trucked on over to GM's big EV party was convinced.

"GMs target of a doubling of revenues and 12[%] to 14% margins by 2030 imply roughly $30 of EPS and $50 billion of EBITDA. The stock today trades at roughly 1.5x PE and 1x EBITDA on these targets. Even discounted for time value, the market appears to be ascribing an extremely low probability these targets are achieved," explained auto analyst Adam Jonas at Morgan Stanley.

Jonas added, "Overall, we were left with a sense of great capability at the company but still many unanswered questions regarding execution. While so many company targets tend to be back-end loaded, we believe the next 12 months will prove critical for setting the strategic course for GMs future."

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As for Ford, it's probably having the more impressive past month or so.

The Detroit-based auto giant said last week it will partner with SK Innovation to invest $11.4 billion to construct two "mega-sites" one in Tennessee and the other in Kentucky that will build electric trucks and batteries. Ford's portion of the investment $7 billion is the largest manufacturing investment in the company's 118-year-old history.

Ford will construct Blue Oval City in Stanton, Tennessee, the site will aid in building an "expanded" electric-truck lineup. Currently, Ford has released the all-electric SUV called the Mach-E and soon will begin producing the all-electric F-150 Lightning. The 3,600-acre campus will cover nearly 6 square miles, at a total of $5.6 billion. It's expected to create 6,000 jobs.

No less impressive is the other mega-campus slated to open in Glendale, Kentucky. Dubbed BlueOvalSK Battery Park, it will be a dedicated battery manufacturing complex for Ford's expanding roster of electric vehicles. The 1,500-acre site will cost $5.8 billion to build and create 5,000 jobs. The location is targeted to open in 2025.

Ford CEO Jim Farley told Yahoo Finance Live the investment is akin to planting a major flag in the ground in its efforts to lead the EV market.

"In our view, this new production capacity for batteries and battery electric vehicles underscores that Ford is building the needed foundation in terms of platforms and battery capacity to be a winner in the EV market," said Barclays analyst Brian Johnson.

Johnson reiterated an Overweight (Buy) rating on Ford's stock with a $17 price target.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Why shares of these two old automakers are on fire - Yahoo Finance

The housing market continues to be characterized by low inventories and soaring prices, with year-over-year deceleration not expected until January 2022. Within this hot real estate market, Tricon Residential (TCNGF, TCN.TO) President and CEO Gary Berman believes that the best new asset class may be single-family rental properties.

Single-family rental we think this is potentially the best new asset class in real estate, both for investors and consumers, Berman told Yahoo Finance Live. And it provides an unbelievable opportunity for consumers as well who may be struggling in the pandemic with affordability.

Berman joined Yahoo Finance Live on Tricon Residentials U.S. listing day to discuss the state of the housing market as well as the forward outlook for real estate investment in areas such as the Sun Belt. A Toronto-based real estate company which has also been trading publicly in Canada, Tricon Residential invests in single-family rental and multi-family rental homes, and owns about 33,000 properties across the U.S. and Canada.

The company focuses on the middle market, Berman said, and invests heavily in properties located in the Sun Belt.

People are challenged looking for housing during the pandemic, and we provide what we think is a hotel-ready product and a maintenance-free lifestyle with affordable rent. And we think it's exactly what the market needs, Berman said. And it's a real win, a real victory, we think, both for the consumer or renter and obviously our investors as well.

The California housing market is expected to remain solid if the pandemic is kept under control, but structural challenges may still persist. Existing single-family home sales in the state are forecasted to decline 5.2 percent from 2021 to 2022, and Californias median home price is also expected to rise 5.2 percent to $834,400 next year. This follows a projected 20.3 percent increase to $793,100 in 2021.

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According to Berman, in order to satisfy the insatiable demand currently seen in the housing market, Tricon Residential is going to focus on doubling its single-family rental holdings.

Right now, we own about 25,000 single family homes throughout the Sun Belt. We want to double that to 50,000 homes over the next three years, he said. And really, at the end of the day, there's so much demand for what we're doing. It's a high-class problem.

'For Rent' sign in front of new house on the real estate market.

With eviction moratoriums formally ending in states around the country such as California, Berman said that Tricon Residential remains cognizant of the challenges that its customer base has been and continues to experience as the economic ramifications of the pandemic persist.

A priority at the company [is] what we call self-governed or limited renewal increases, Berman said. So our renewal increases during the pandemic have been anywhere from 0 percent to maybe 5 percent in an environment where we could probably be passing on renewal increases of 10 percent to 12 percent.

In the long run, he said, striving for low turnover benefits both the companys tenants as well as its investors.

We're really trying to put ourselves in the shoes of our residents and really drive the best low turnover model we can, Berman said. We don't want to force our residents out of their homes. We want them to stay with us and really be long-term renters. And we think in the long-term, that's the best thing for investors as well.

Thomas Hum is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @thomashumTV

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Heres the best new asset class in real estate: Tricon Residential CEO - Yahoo Finance

The September jobs report disappointed on Friday, and one particular sector's decline worries U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

Noting the declines in public education over the month after an initial rebound earlier this year, Walsh told Yahoo Finance Live (video above) that the drop was puzzling.

"In the educational sector, there's something going on there we have to do some more research on," Walsh said, "particularly the education public sector number. I think a lot of people expected with school starting that we'd see that number a lot higher... I'll say it was disappointing."

Employment decreased by 144,000 in local government education and by 17,000 in state government education in September. Employment changed little in private education, which dropped by 19,000.

The September drop "is likely due to the seasonal adjustment," Glassdoor Economist Daniel Zhao told Yahoo Finance. "Schools are running with leaner workforces because of the pandemic so the start-of-year hiring spree and end-of-year layoffs are both smaller than what the seasonal adjustment expects."

Seasonal adjustment refers to a technique in statistics that attempts to remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns and reveal how employment changes month to month. Zhao added that looking at the seasonal adjustment over the course of the full year, "the changes will net out, but it does result in unusual spikes and drops on a monthly basis."

"Most back-to-school hiring typically occurs in September," the report stated. "Hiring this September was lower than usual, resulting in a decline after seasonal adjustment. Recent employment changes are challenging to interpret, as pandemic-related staffing fluctuations in public and private education have distorted the normal seasonal hiring and layoff patterns."

A teacher sings a song with her kindergarten class during the first day of class at Laguna Niguel Elementary School in Laguna Niguel, CA on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

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Overall, local government education is down by 310,000 jobs, state government education is down by 194,000, and private education is down by 172,000 since February 2020. In August, economists at J.P. Morgan wrote that as school districts resume in-person learning, the sector is "poised for strong job gains."

In response to the September number, J.P. Morgan's Daniel Silver wrote in a note that the 180,000 drop in education employment "was less than anticipated by the seasonal factors."

The Delta variant and the "persistence of COVID may still be preventing schools from returning fully to in-person instruction and it is possible that schools are having a hard time hiring some workers," Silver added.

Zhao noted that "disruptions to school reopenings due to the Delta variant may have delayed some hiring but those jobs are likely to return in the coming months as the latest wave of Delta recedes."

Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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Labor Secretary Walsh: Theres something going on in the education sector - Yahoo Finance

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection on Thursday issued subpoenas to a prominent organizer of the rallies preceding the assault on the U.S. Capitol and his affiliates, saying it wanted to question them about threats of violence, coordination with the Trump White House and misleading permit applications.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee chairman, sent a subpoena to Ali Alexander, also known as Ali Akbar, who created an LLC called Stop the Steal after Joe Biden was announced the winner of the 2020 election, and another subpoena to Nathan Martin, whose name was on permit applications for a rally on Jan. 6 on the Capitol grounds.

From right: Then-Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Ali Alexander at the Georgia Capitol on Nov. 18, 2020, in Atlanta. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A third subpoena was sent to George B. Coleman, who was listed as the registered agent on the records for the LLC.

The subpoenas give all three individuals two weeks to produce relevant documents and compel them to appear for sworn depositions at the end of this month.

The rally on the Capitol grounds on January 6th, like the rally near the White House that day, immediately preceded the violent attack on the seat of our democracy. Over the course of that day, demonstrations escalated to violence and protestors became rioters. The Select Committee needs to understand all the details about the events that came before the attack, including who was involved in planning and funding them. We expect these witnesses to cooperate fully with our probe, Thompson said in a statement.

The subpoena notes that in the weeks before the January 6th attack, Mr. Alexander made repeated reference during Stop-the-Steal-sponsored events to the possible use of violence to achieve the organizations goals.

Alexander also claimed to have been in communication with the White House and Members of Congress regarding events planned to coincide with the certification of the 2020 Electoral College results, the subpoena says.

And at a D.C. rally on the evening of Jan. 5, where conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump ally Roger Stone both spoke, Alexander addressed the crowd and led members in a chant of Victory or death.

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Roger Stone in front of the Supreme Court on Jan. 5. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The committee also has an interest in why Alexander and Martin were involved in permit applications for a rally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 that claimed to be expecting only 50 people.

In September, BuzzFeed News revealed that Alexander was associated with several permit applications for rallies at different points around the U.S. Capitol, raising questions about whether there was a coordinated effort to surround the building with thousands of aggressive protesters who became violent insurrectionists after then-President Donald Trumps speech that day.

About a week ago, the bipartisan committee sent subpoenas to 11 individuals who helped organize a rally on the Ellipse in front of the White House, where Trump urged his followers to go to the Capitol and fight like hell.

And a week before that, the committee sent subpoenas to four top aides to Trump: former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former White House adviser Steve Bannon, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and former Pentagon chief of staff Kashyap Patel. In addition to testimony, the committee is seeking documents and electronic records from all four.

A press release from the committee said that it is seeking more information on how Meadows was part of an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election or prevent the elections certification.

Thompson said a week ago that for those who dont agree to come in voluntarily, well do criminal referrals and let that process work out.

Chairman Bennie Thompson after the House Jan. 6 committee concluded its first hearing with Capitol and D.C. police officers on July 27. (Jabin Botsford/the Washington Post via Getty Images)

The committee has also sent letters to eight different federal agencies with sweeping requests for information and records on the roles that Trump administration officials might have played in the attack on the American democratic process. And it has issued subpoenas to private telecom companies seeking phone records for those who may have been involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, potentially including some Republican members of Congress.

Before the insurrection, Trump spent months repeating false and unsupported claims of a rigged and stolen election. He deceived millions of supporters into believing this alternative reality. At least 25,000 people came to Washington on Jan. 6 to attend Trumps rally in front of the White House, and the majority of those headed to the Capitol afterward, according to internal Secret Service documents.

Many of those Trump supporters violently assaulted police officers outside the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. Over 1,600 people entered the Capitol building, according to Sedition Hunters, a website devoted to cataloguing the names and faces of the insurrectionists who went in through doors and windows.

The insurrection resulted in the deaths of four people that day, and one Capitol Police officer who died the next day of a stroke. About 140 police officers were injured during the attack, and four additional police officers who responded to the assault have since died by suicide.

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Jan. 6 committee issues subpoenas to right-wing activist Ali Alexander and his associates - Yahoo News

The Boston Marathon was rescheduled for Monday, but the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays decided go the distance on Sunday. With the ALDS tied, 1-1, the clubs battled through a 13-inning staredown in Game 3 until Red Sox catcher Christian Vzquez crushed a walk-off two-run homer to win it, 6-4.

After innings and innings that lacked offense, the end came with a sudden turnabout and a burst of drama.

In the top of the 13th, the game was altered by a baseball situation most had never encountered. With Yandy Diaz on first, Kevin Kiermaier smoked a fly ball to the wall in right field. It bounced off Fenway Park's short fence, clanged off of Red Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe and landed in the bullpen.

The umpires ruled it was a ground-rule double, denying Diaz the run he would have otherwise scored if the ball hadn't gone out of play. Which, as it turns out, is the rule as written making Renfroe's deflection an accidentally brilliant strategic play.

Pivetta struck out the next batter to strand Diaz and Kiermaier.

Game 3 started out like the rest of the series with plenty of early scoring. Rays outfielder Austin Meadows walloped a two-run homer in the top of the first, and Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber answered with a solo blast in the bottom of the frame.

As Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi settled in and cruised through five innings, it appeared the Red Sox had taken control. Kik Hernndez, who has eight hits in the last two games, tied the game with an RBI knock in the third, then made it a two-run lead with a humongous homer over the Green Monster in the fifth.

But the Rays rallied in the eighth inning behind wunderkind Wander Francos first postseason homer and further October heroics from Randy Arozarena that have become commonplace at this point.

Garrett Whitlock, in from the Red Sox bullpen a batter or two too late, stabilized the situation but the game stretched into extras.

Manuel Margot reached base for Tampa in the 10th, but was thrown out on a steal attempt when he lost contact with second base on the slide. It appeared he may have been safe, but replay upheld the call. Nick Pivetta, who was projected to start Game 4 for Boston, was called upon and delivered four shutout innings with seven strikeouts and several excellent, warp-speed struts off the mound.

The Rays similarly deployed Luis Patino, who was slated to be in the mix in Game 4. He wound up giving up the game-winning blast. It's now unclear who will take the hill for either team on Monday, but the top-seeded Rays will now be fighting to avoid elimination.

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Red Sox benefit from bizarre deflection, crush walk-off homer to beat Rays in marathon ALDS Game 3 - Yahoo Sports

It was one play among hundreds in the Arizona Cardinals season, but it said a lot.

It's the kind of play that only Kyler Murray (and maybe maybe Lamar Jackson) could make.

The Cardinals had a third-and-16 in Rams territory. The Cardinals led 14-10. Murray dropped back and there was nothing open downfield. The Rams are too well-coached to give up anything easy on third-and-16 that deep in their own territory. So Murray, even with five defenders rushing to keep him contained, simply got outside with a shifty move, beat two defenders to the corner with his speed, and got 18 yards and a first down.

This is why Kyler Murray is the MVP favorite and this is why the Cardinals have taken the title, for the moment, of the best team in the NFL:

That is far from a routine play. Murray just made it look easy, improvising when the Rams cut off every other option. Two plays later, the Cardinals scored a touchdown. They never led by fewer than eight points after that.

When you have a talent like Murray, it can take a good team to greatness. Murray does have talent around him too. But he can take the Cardinals to another level, making plays out of nothing at crucial points in the game, just like he did on that third down against the Rams.

It will take a while to wrap our heads around the Cardinals as Super Bowl contenders. It's not like they were considered an elite team before the season. But two of their wins were a road demolition of the Tennessee Titans and a dominant win at the Los Angeles Rams, who everyone spent last week hyping as a Super Bowl favorite. Even when they played their C game against the Jaguars, they won by 12.

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We saw the Cardinals play at a high level last season too. They were 6-3 after a Hail Mary win over the Buffalo Bills last season. Murray was playing as well as anyone. Then Murray's play fell off when he hurt his shoulder, and the Cardinals followed. They missed the playoffs and everyone forgot that their best is very good. They were mostly picked to finish in last place of the NFC West this season.

Perhaps this start is a mirage. It's just four games in a long season. Murray is always going to be in danger of getting injured or worn down due to his size and style of play. There should still be skepticism over Kliff Kingsbury's ability to keep this up. It's worth keeping in mind that if the Vikings hit a short field goal or the lowly Jaguars hold a halftime lead, we're having a much different conversation about the Cardinals.

But this is also the truth: Four games into the NFL season, the Cardinals deserve the top spot in the power rankings and Kyler Murray is the first-month MVP, whatever that means. And maybe we shouldn't be too surprised if they hold those spots all season.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has pointed his team to a 4-0 start. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Here are the power rankings following Week 4 of the NFL season:

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4, Last week: 32)

We could be talking about how the Jaguars showed some life on Thursday night, even in a loss. How Trevor Lawrence looked more comfortable than he had in his first three games. But, instead, we're talking about Urban Meyer's video.

31. Houston Texans (1-3, LW: 30)

After a few weeks of being competitive, a 40-0 loss to the Bills had to be disheartening. Rookie quarterback Davis Mills had a rough day, to say the least. Houston had -23 net passing yards at halftime. It'll a long wait until Dec. 19, when they get to beat the Jaguars again.

30. Detroit Lions (0-4, LW: 28)

At least the Lions are getting something out of their unheralded receivers. Quintez Cephus had 83 yards,Amon-Ra St. Brown had 70 yards and Kalif Raymond had two touchdowns. Sunday wasn't a positive day, and it'll be a rough season, but Detroit has to take its small wins when it can.

29. New York Jets (1-3, LW: 31)

The Titans couldn't take advantage of the Jets'main weakness, the offensive line. Tennessee can't rush the quarterback. And we saw Zach Wilson play well when he wasn't on his back the whole game. It's a sign that when the Jets fix their offensive line, Wilson should thrive.

28. Atlanta Falcons (1-3, LW: 27)

The Cordarrelle Patterson breakout is pretty wild. I still wonder, however, why the Falcons are relying more heavily on him than Calvin Ridley or Kyle Pitts. It seems odd.

27. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3, LW: 24)

The Eagles' offensive day probably said more about the Chiefs' defense, but 387 passing yards from Jalen Hurts and 122 receiving yards from DeVonta Smith is a positive. The Eagles aren't a good team, particularly on defense, but their young offensive stars could be fun to watch.

26. New York Giants (1-3, LW: 29)

Was Sunday a turning point for Daniel Jones? Without top receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, against a Saints defense that totally shut down Aaron Rodgers, Jones threw for 402 yards and two touchdowns. He has had some moments this season. He just needs to string a few good performances together.

25. Miami Dolphins (1-3, LW: 21)

The Dolphins offense has been bad. Considering they lost their quarterback, it shouldn't be a big surprise. The defense hasn't been good, and that is a surprise. The Colts did whatever they wanted on Sunday. The Dolphins aren't turning things around unless the defense is much better going forward.

24. Chicago Bears (2-2, LW: 26)

The insistence that Andy Dalton must start is weird. Justin Fields showed progress on Sunday in a win. What's the point in turning back to Dalton now?

23. Minnesota Vikings (1-3, LW: 22)

The moments after a 14-7 loss, which dropped Minnesota to 1-3, probably wasn't the best time to put a positive spin on things. Ive been doing this (for) 27 years, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said, via the Pioneer Press. I know good teams and I know bad teams, and I know that this team has a chance to be pretty darn good. The Vikings have had three very close losses so maybe Zimmer isn't that far off, but fans want to see some better bottom-line results.

22. Indianapolis Colts (1-3, LW: 25)

The Colts had to feel surprisingly good after Week 4. They had a horrendous August. They've dealt with plenty of injuries and lost their first three games, including two home games and a matchup against the Titans. But they woke up Monday one game behind Tennessee thanks to a win at Miami and the Titans blowing a game against the Jets. Given the circumstances, that's not too bad.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3, LW: 20)

It's a broken record to talk about the Steelers' offense. The line is bad, Ben Roethlisberger is missing throws on the rare occasions he goes downfield, there's no running game to speak of and the receivers are being wasted. It's a season going south fast. How did they ever win at Buffalo?

20. Washington Football Team (2-2, LW: 23)

I don't think Washington can go back to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Taylor Heinicke isn't perfect but he makes plays. He had 290 yards, three touchdowns and a 127.1 passer rating in Sunday's dramatic win. The offense has done OK with him. WFT just needs the defense to do something.

19. New England Patriots (1-3, LW: 18)

Mac Jones played well, and that was a positive. He was efficient and gave his team a chance to beat a very good Buccaneers team. The Patriots need more explosive plays out of him, which is why they rank 27th in points and 26th in yards. But it will take time, and Jones' first steps are promising.

18. Tennessee Titans (2-2, LW: 16)

It's easy to rip the Titans for losing to the Jets, but they were without two of their three players. Both of them, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, play the same position. It's still a bad loss, but it's not one that tells us much about the Titans. Other than they aren't great when they're without two of their three best guys.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1, LW: 19)

Not all wins will be pretty and last Thursday night's was pretty uninspiring. But it was a win, and those haven't been plentiful in Cincinnati recently. Maybe they should have beaten a bad Jacksonville team more soundly, but give a young team credit for finding a way to come back and win.

16. Seattle Seahawks (2-2, LW: 17)

We're used to Russell Wilson doing the impossible, but his touchdown pass to Freddie Swaim on Sunday shouldn't go unnoticed. He spun away from a sure sack, immediately had the presence of mind to keep his eyes downfield to where Swaim was, and squeezed in a pass that wasn't exactly automatic. Watch other quarterbacks on similar plays and see how many can not only elude the rush but keep their poise to immediately find a big play downfield. There aren't many.

15. Carolina Panthers (3-1, LW: 14)

The Panthers didn't have Christian McCaffrey and still competed with a good Cowboys team until Trevon Diggs picked off passes on consecutive possessions. The Panthers were never going to be a great team this season, but they're still on track to be very good. A Week 4 loss doesn't change that.

14. Denver Broncos (3-1, LW: 10)

It's a bit troubling that the Broncos are so mad at the Ravens for trying to get 100 yards rushing on a meaningless play at the end. Why weren't they that mad about getting blown out for the first 59:57 of that game? It's a weird thing to be that fired up about. It's the type of things losing organizations care too much about.

13. New Orleans Saints (2-2, LW: 6)

The Saints were perhaps the NFL's best team in Week 1 and the league's worst team in Week 2. They got a really nice and decisive road win at New England in Week 3 and then got shredded by the Giants at home in Week 4. There's no rhyme or reason to that pattern. Their offense will be limited to what Alvin Kamara's talent and Sean Payton's play-calling can do. But the defense can't give up more than 400 yards passing to Daniel Jones, who was without two top receivers.

12. San Francisco 49ers (2-2, LW: 8)

Assuming Jimmy Garoppolo does miss a couple games due to a calf injury, Kyle Shanahan can build game plans around Lance's talent and give him all week in practice to get ready. Don't worry about what happens with the 49ers' quarterback situation when Garoppolo is healthy; we should have a clear picture by then if Lance is ready to take the reins or not.

11. Las Vegas Raiders (3-1, LW: 5)

The Raiders weren't going undefeated. Their comeback in the second half said a lot about them, as did how the cornerbacks battled the Chargers' receivers all night. The Raiders are still going to be pretty good, the Chargers might just be better.

10. Baltimore Ravens (3-1, LW: 12)

Week 4 was promising because the Ravens beat a 3-0 Broncos team decisively, and did so with the kind of passing game they need to maintain. Five different players had more than 30 yards receiving as Lamar Jackson finished with 316 yards against a very good secondary. That's the Ravens team that can still win a tough division.

9. Los Angeles Chargers (3-1, LW: 13)

The Chargers have played Washington, the Cowboys, Chiefs and Raiders. All four of those teams have either been great on offense or shown some flashes. All four of those teams had their worst offensive game this season against Brandon Staley's defense. The Chargers might have hired a good one.

8. Cleveland Browns (3-1, LW: 11)

Baker Mayfield was hard on himself after Sunday's game, when he was misfiring to everyone. "I pride myself on being extremely accurate," Mayfield said. "And today, I don't know what the hell that was." The beauty of this Browns team is it doesn't need a great day from Mayfield to win. The defense has come a long way from last season.

7. Dallas Cowboys (3-1, LW: 15)

Yeah, it's time to move the Cowboys way up after being a little stubborn on them. Young players like Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons have made a big difference to the defense. I have no idea how you slow down the offense when Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are running it this well. This is a really good team.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2, LW: 9)

Nobody on the Chiefs aside from Tyreek Hill had more than 23 yards receiving. Patrick Mahomes still had a big day as the Chiefs rolled up 42 points. You'd like the Chiefs to have more options, but Hill and Travis Kelce are so hard to defend that it usually doesn't matter. What might matter is a defense that has been bad so far this season. It's not a good time for them to be facing a hot Buffalo offense in Week 5.

5. Green Bay Packers (3-1, LW: 7)

Randall Cobb led the Packers with 69 yards and two touchdowns. There were a lot of jokes made when Aaron Rodgers nudged the Packers trade for Cobb. While Week 4 was probably the outlier in Cobb's age-31 season, Rodgers was probably right that Cobb can be a usable receiver this season.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1, LW: 2)

The Buccaneers were the healthiest team in the NFL, by far, last season. That usually doesn't repeat. Rob Gronkowski's absence mattered on Sunday night. The multiple injuries to cornerback will be a big challenge for the defense. The Buccaneers keep winning, but the injuries are piling up. Tampa Bay didn't have to deal with that last season.

3. Los Angeles Rams (3-1, LW: 1)

I have a tough time buying there was an emotional letdown after beating the Buccaneers, since the Cardinals were undefeated and a division rival. I think the Rams just got outplayed by a hot Cardinals team. That happens. It's not like the defense was exposed. Most opponents won't have Kyler Murray. The only real lingering effect from this game was that in a tight NFC West, the Rams lost a home divisional game and that could be a big factor when it comes to tiebreakers.

2. Buffalo Bills (3-1, LW: 4)

If we remove Week 1, the Bills would be No. 1 without much question. They've been really impressive in three straight blowouts. Their depth of talent on offense and defense gives them a shot to win a Super Bowl. Buffalo will have to beat teams better than the Texans, but that test comes up this week at Kansas City.

1. Arizona Cardinals (4-0, LW: 3)

Lost in the Kyler Murray hoopla is that the defense has given two A+ performances, against the Titans and Rams. Consistency for the defense will be the key going forward, but it's more important at this stage to show it has a top gear.

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NFL Power Rankings: Kyler Murray is an MVP candidate, but are the Cardinals Super Bowl worthy? - Yahoo Sports

The child-care crunch sparked by the pandemic has become a crisis for many workers and small businesses, as would-be employees stay at home rather than working.

The dynamic is hindering the economic recovery, and disproportionately impacting women in ways that may last for years, some observers say.

Only a month ago, the consensus among top economists and business leaders was that fall would bring a surge in hiring, with the end of extended unemployment benefits, schools reopening and continued vaccinations boosting labor participation.

However US employers added far fewer jobs than expected in September the lowest number of the pandemic-era recovery. A defining feature of the recovery has been vast numbers of open jobs that employers cant fill, which is making new job creation increasingly lackluster.

Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Wells Fargo Asset Management, told Yahoo Finance Live this week that rather than a big bang, a flow of workers coming into the market and getting employed, it now seems more likely that itll be a slow trickle of employees returning to the workforce over the course of months.

Tustin, CA - August 11: A student talks with his mom before his first day of kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

While economists were hoping to see recovery in sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, female labor force participation was also expected to go up as reopened schools eased child care issues for some. Yet the number actually fell from 56.2% to 55.9%.

We've been struggling trying to get new people in, Tiara Flynn, owner and CEO of Sumnu Marketing, a marketing consulting firm for small businesses, told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

As more employers push to get employees back in-house, some new applicants themselves are taking a harder stand.

A lot of them either want pay raises or they don't want to have to come into the office, even if it is on a hybrid schedule, Flynn added.

And childcare has emerged as another flashpoint between workers and potential employers.

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Flynn added that many applicants and employees are complaining about caretaking costs. Recent Harris Poll data reflected how working parents feel overwhelmed by decisions related to managing their children.

There's not a lot of programs that are available or fitting for the working mother, Flynn said.

A recent report from the Small Business for Americas Future found that over 50% of small business owners believe that the lack of affordable high-quality child care for employees has had a negative impact on their business.

Of those polled, 66% believe the federal government has a role in supporting universal access to affordable, high-quality child care. Only 70% of small business owners support federal funding dedicated to providing child care services to underserved communities.

There is still a real need. Data shows that 72% of small business owners say they have employees with at least one child under 13, or that have a need for daily child care services and just 28% offer benefits related to child care.

We have a broken market. Small businesses just don't have the same resources that large companies do so we think that there is a federal solution that needs to happen,

said Rhett Buttle, senior advisor for Small Business for Americas Future, a national coalition of small business owners and leaders.

Working women have always shouldered more of the household responsibilities, the pandemic which some observers have called a she-cession has made the childcare issue undeniably worse.

Still the pandemic-era may offer another opportunity to create a change for working parents, especially women.

President Joe Biden has earmarked his plans for a $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which includes provisions spanning from universal preschool to paid family leave and an extension of the child-tax credit expansion. It also calls to ensure low- and middle-income families spend no more than 7% of their income on child care.

As the lack of child care options persists, some small business employers have adapted and allowed their employees to bring their children in during workday hours.

We kind of set up shop, said Flynn. This half of the room everybody's working and this other half, you have kids, they need to be on their computer.

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @daniromerotv

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit

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Child care woes leave small biz 'struggling to get people in' as job growth fizzles - Yahoo Finance

ROMEMarie was placed in a French Catholic boarding school for young girls from good families when she was in the fifth grade. She remembers a nun who would come to her class every day to choose a student to help her with Mass. But the nun wasnt looking for someone to help her. She was looking for a victim.

I was 11 and looked 9. She would choose me once every two or three times, she recalls. She would take me to her office, lock the door, and then draw the curtains. After which she would put me on her knees to make me read the gospel according to Saint Paul or another saint, while she squeezed me with one hand to her chest and pulled down my panties with the other hand. We were of course in pleated skirts and not in pants. It terrified me and paralyzed.

Marie couldnt talk to her devout Catholic parents about the abuse until a friend convinced her to do so. The result, she says, was catastrophic. You are really a pervert, a vicious liar. How dare you say such things? her parents told her. In fact, her parents had told the nuns that she was being sent to boarding school because she needed to be tamed. I was truly [a gift] for this nun... because she knew full well that she did not risk anything.

The abuse lasted the whole year. At the age of 35, Marie told her mother again about the abuse. My mother blissfully told me that it was impossible for a nun to whom she entrusted her daughter to abuse a girl, she says. Female pedophilia exists and unfortunately the media never talk about it.

Marie was certainly not alone. Dozens of other victims of priests, nuns, and Catholic school personnel in France form the basis of a 2,500-page report released Tuesday by a special commission led by Jean-Marc Sauv. While 80 percent of the victims were young boys between the ages of 10 and 13, many young girls were abused as well, and not only by priests. Nuns used crucifixes to rape little girls or forced boys to have sex with them, too.

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German Nuns Sold Orphaned Children to Sexual Predators: Report

The commission spent nearly three years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims going back to the 1950s. Of the 3,000 abusers identified by the commission, two-thirds are priests. They found that priests and nuns alone abused around 216,000 children, but that the number climbs to 330,000 when they counted abuse at the hands of non-clergy who worked in Catholic schools and other institutions. The report only covers minors; the authors, who include scholars, psychologists, and law enforcement officials, say there could be many young men and women over the age of 18 who were also victims.

Their summary is damning, determining that the Catholic Church in France showed a deep, cruel indifference toward victims.

Olivier Savignac was another of those victims. He wanted to believe the priest in his home parish in France was a devout man. But when the priest asked him to take off his clothes and lie on the bed in a room at a Catholic summer camp when he was 13 years old, he knew something wasnt right. I perceived this priest as someone who was good, a caring person who would not harm me, said Savignac, who now heads a group for victims of clerical sex abuse. But it was when I found myself on that bed half-naked and he was touching me that I realized something was wrong.

Savignac says the abuse, which went on for years, damaged him for life: Its like a growing cyst, its like gangrene inside the victims body and the victims psyche.

Only 22 of the thousands of cases of criminal pedophilia qualify under French law for legal action. More than 40 cases that are past the statutes of limitations have been forwarded to the French Catholic Church in hopes that the perpetrators will be punished. On average, each perpetrator abused 70 children. The president of the French Conference of Bishops, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, said the church is appalled by the report. I wish on that day to ask for pardon, pardon to each of you, he told the victims. Pope Francis also expressed sorrow over the findings, saying he will pray for those affected. His first thoughts are with the victims, with great sadness for their wounds, Francis said in a statement through his press office, adding that he hoped the French church would now undertake a way of redemption.

Survivor Francois Devaux, who founded the victims' group La Parole Liberee, attended the presentation of the report. You are a disgrace to our humanity, he said, addressing the church as a whole. In this hell, there have been abominable mass crimes... but there has been even worse: betrayal of trust, betrayal of morale, betrayal of children.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Nuns Raped Girls With Crucifixes as Female Pedophilia Was Covered Up by the Church - Yahoo! Voices