Category Archives: Yahoo

Fantasy football sit-and-start advice should always be relative and league-dependent. Note that some players are targeted for DFS. Good luck with your Week 5 lineups!

The Giants are dealing with a ton of injuries, including Daniel Jones limited by an ankle sprain. Most of the QBs fantasy value has come from his rushing ability, so Barkley is the only viable NYG player this week. Green Bays defense will be focused on him, but they enter with the 28th-ranked run defense in DVOA.

Doubs couldnt pull down a long touchdown last week, but the rookie has acted as Green Bays No. 1 receiver over the last two games. Theres upside for more moving forward.

Pickens has seen his target share increase each week during his rookie season and was Kenny Picketts clear preferred target once the QB took over last week. Buffalo isnt exactly an easy opponent, but Pickens could see double-digit targets this week with Pittsburgh likely playing from behind the moment they step off the bus.

Jamison Crowder is out with a fractured ankle and Isaiah McKenzie remains in concussion protocol as of Friday, so Shakir could suddenly be Buffalos starting slot receiver. With Jake Kumerow dealing with a high-ankle sprain as well, Shakir could be looking at a healthy number of targets in a pass-happy Bills offense. The rookie WR is a good athlete and faces a Steelers defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to slot receivers this season.

As for Gabe Davis, theres renewed confidence to put him back in fantasy lineups after returning to a full practice this week.

Ekeler is coming off an eruption game, but youre not overpaying for last weeks stats with his reasonable salary here. He gets yet another favorable matchup against a Browns defense allowing the second-most EPA/rush this season. He should remain plenty busy as a receiver with Keenan Allen still out and Josh Palmer questionable. These teams combined for 89 points during last seasons matchup, and this weeks over/under is one of the highest on the slate.

Story continues

Cooper has remained as inconsistent as ever in Cleveland, sandwiching two top-10 finishes with two bust performances over the first month of the season. However, his tendency to perform far better at home (101.0 ypg, 2 TDs) than on the road (13.0 ypg, 0 TD) hasnt changed with his new team. Hell get a matchup Sunday in Cleveland against a Chargers defense thats allowed the 10th most fantasy points to wide receivers. Nick Chubb should have another big day, but the Browns are going to pass more than usual facing the Chargers offense.

Goff is the No. 5 fantasy QB after the first month of the season and its certainly good news that Amon-Ra St. Brown was able to return to practice Friday but he belongs on benches this week. Goff will be playing his first game of the season outdoors Sunday against a Patriots defense thats yet to allow 275 passing yards from a QB this season (theyve faced Tua Tagovailoa, Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers) despite playing just one home game.

Expect Bill Belichick to slow it down while leaning heavily on NEs running backs this week with fourth-round rookie Bailey Zappe making his first career start.

Jared Goff has been a fantasy beast this season, but that could come to a halt against New England. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Facing a Lions defense allowing a league-worst 5.6 YPC and an NFL-high 10 rushing touchdowns as well as the second-most fantasy points to running backs, theres no need to debate New Englands RB usage this week.Both Stevenson and Harris can finish as top-12 fantasy backs. Detroit is somehow on pace to allow the most points in NFL history while scoring the second-most points. They have become the perfect fantasy matchup. New England figures to be even run-heavier than usual this week as home favorites.

It doesnt have to make sense, but Smith is cooking while taking over as Seattles quarterback. Despite facing two of the NFLs toughest defenses to open the season, Smith has gotten 7.9 YPA and has been a top-10 fantasy QB. With an increased pass rate and suddenly a much faster pace over recent weeks, Smith is in a nice situation in Seattle while throwing to a healthy DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. This week the Seahawks play indoors against a Saints defense thats stingy against the run, so Smith can once again be started in fantasy lineups.

Olave didnt see as many air yards last week with Andy Dalton at QB, but he once again led New Orleans in receiving and brought down the first TD of his career. This week the Saints should have to pass more, and while Alvin Kamara should return Sunday, Michael Thomas looks likely to miss another game. Olave has been 26 percent more likely to be targeted without Thomas on the field. The Seahawks have also been gashed for a league-worst 0.31 EPA/pass this season.

Edmonds saw a 28% snap share, a 22.7% carry share and an 8.3% target share last week and has taken a complete backseat to Raheem Mostert. New Yorks defense has also performed far better against the run (-0.12 EPA/rush) than pass (0.20 EPA/pass). Edmonds shouldnt be anywhere near fantasy starting lineups.

Wilson balled out in the fourth quarter last week during his season debut, and he now gets a pass-funnel Dolphins defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Miamis defense ranks bottom-three in EPA/pass (0.26) yet top-five in EPA/rush (-0.23), so it doesnt get much more funnel than that. Moreover, the Dolphins have yielded the second-most YPA (7.8) with an 8:1 TD:INT ratio and possess the second-lowest pressure rate in football.

Wilson remains a major work in progress, but he has sneaky rushing upside and is loaded with weapons in Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Corey Davis and Breece Hall (Dolphins corner Xavien Howard is questionable too).

Jacksonville should be fired up coming off a tough loss to the Eagles and enter with a defense allowing the third-fewest EPA/play (-0.18) in the NFL. Over eight games on the road during his career, Davis Mills has gotten 5.5 YPA with five TD passes and 17 interceptions/fumbles. Its not a great setup for Houstons fantasy players this week, while Jacksonvilles D/ST and both Travis Etienne and James Robinson should be started with confidence.

The Falcons have been extremely run-heavy with Marcus Mariota being incredibly loose with the ball. But as near double-digit road underdogs Sunday facing a Tampa Bay team coming off two losses, game script is likely to demand more passing. With no Cordarrelle Patterson or Kyle Pitts this week, London should see all the targets. The rookie ranks second behind only Cooper Kupp in target share, so start London in fantasy lineups Sunday despite a tough Bucs secondary looking to stop him.

Brady matched his previous season total with three TD passes last week with his receivers finally close to full strength, and he figures to be plenty motivated Sunday coming off back-to-back home losses. With a depleted offensive line, Tampa Bay has struggled badly when trying to run (fourth-worst EPA/rush), and Bradys at home facing a Falcons defense that ranks third worst in pressure rate and has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

With no Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes on the slate and with Josh Allen possibly not having to do as much as usual (with Buffalo favored by two touchdowns), Brady is an intriguing DFS option this week.

Woods slow start gets a pass considering he was coming off a torn ACL and learning a new system. Hes become more involved over the last two weeks, however, and will see increased targets with rookie Treylon Burks out. The Titans have arguably the worst WR group behind him, and while Derrick Henry has put up bigger receiving numbers recently, we must realize thats a bit misleading with him running just 16 routes over two games.

Robert Woods makes for a solid start in Week 5. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Woods moves around, but for what its worth, Washington has allowed the most fantasy points in the NFL this season to his primary side thanks to William Jackson. Woods can be treated as a top-30 fantasy WR this week.

Its been an incredibly disappointing year for McLaurin, but his arrow is pointing up with rookie Jahan Dotson out, Logan Thomas battling a calf injury and Curtis Samuel dealing with an illness that cost him practice most of the week. Tennessee has been tough against the run but has ceded the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers, so McLaurin can be treated as a top-20 fantasy WR this week.

Dont be surprised when theres a Tevin Coleman sighting this week, but Wilson has become San Franciscos undisputed No. 1 back. No other SF RB saw a carry last week, and Wilson is the teams preferred passing-down back as well. Carolinas defense is solid, but game script should once again call for 20+ touches from Wilson.

Moore managed just 50 scoreless yards on 11 targets against an Arizona defense allowing the most EPA/pass last week, so he belongs firmly on fantasy benches during this weeks biggest offense/defense mismatch.

No one is benching Christian McCaffrey, but his expectations need to be tempered this week as well.

The biggest challenge with the Eagles in fantasy this season has been their lack of needing to pass in the second half of games. That doesnt exactly appear likely to change this week facing a Cardinals team thats been outscored 31-0 in the first quarter this year. Still, this matchup is indoors with the second-highest total of the week against a pass-funnel Arizona defense; the Cardinals have yielded an NFL-low -0.28 EPA/rush yet are close to bottom-five in EPA/pass (0.17). Its a favorable setup for Philadelphias passing attack Sunday.

Marquise Brown, A.J. Green and Rondale Moore are all banged up and have missed practice throughout the week, while James Conner is getting 3.2 YPC. Expect a bunch of targets Ertzs way in what should be a high-scoring game Sunday.

Lamb is top-five in targets this year and has actually put up his biggest games with Cooper Rush dating back to last season. The Cowboys are unlikely to have any success rushing against LAs funnel defense that ranks top-seven in EPA/rush (-0.20) but bottom-five in EPA/pass (0.21). Lamb is listed on the injury report with a groin issue but is fully expected to be fine Sunday. Hes my WR4 this week.

Higbee leads all tight ends in targets, and while most have occurred around the line of scrimmage, its still a money role in PPR leagues. Its also a role that may not change any time soon with the Rams inability to run the ball and Allen Robinson looking done like dinner. The defending Super Bowl champ Rams legit could have a bottom-three offense in the NFL if Cooper Kupp went down.

Boyd could see extra work this week with Tee Higgins and Hayden Hurst battling injuries while facing a Baltimore defense far easier to pass against. Moreover, Boyd has run 86% of his routes from the slot this season, where the Ravens have been gashed for the most fantasy points this year.

With Rashod Bateman out, Baltimore enters Sunday night with one of the thinnest WR groups in the league. Justice Hill is also out, so Dobbins should see an increased workload. During just his second game of the year last week, Dobbins tied for the league lead in carries/targets inside the five-yard line.

Editor's Note: You'll notice there are no picks for Chiefs/Raiders and Bears/Vikings. The stars to start and the non-productive names to avoid/leave on the waiver wire in these two matchups are obvious, so, in an effort to avoid redundancy, we've left these games off Dalton's list.

Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter

View original post here:

Fantasy Football: Sit/Start tips for Week 5 of the NFL season - Yahoo Sports

Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is finally sounding off on its blockbuster $5.4 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Mandiant, expressing the extent of the company's ambitions in the sector.

The mega-deal was all about strengthening Google's capabilities in detecting cyber threats something Mandiant has become well-known for, said Google Cloud Chief Information Security Officer Phil Venables at a press conference yesterday.

I want to emphasize that this is adding more frontline threat intelligence, Venables said. When you look at what weve got existing at Google, which includes very complementary things from VirusTotal and our other threat intelligence capabilities, bringing that together really gives us this kind of end-to-end security operations stack. Again, Google Cloud is already strong when we think about how we analyze data and put it in context, and that only gets stronger with Mandiant.

Venables was very clear that Google Cloud's ambitions in cybersecurity are massive, but on some level, the size of the deal already said it all. The acquisition is Google's second-largest ever, surpassed only by the company's $12.5 billion buyout of Motorola ten years ago. The more than $5 billion the company spent on Mandiant overshadows even what Google shelled out for Fitbit, which it bought for $2.1 billion.

The timing of this deal also wasn't an accident it's a response to a changing environment. The cyber threat landscape is evolving and expanding rapidly and there are two key reasons why, according to Hari Ravichandran, CEO and founder of identity protection company Aura.

Google logo is seen on a smartphone in front of Mandiant logo in this illustration taken March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

First, we are more connected than we have ever been. Whether you are talking about the enterprise or the American home, every system is online and therefore open to cyber criminals. Second, cybercriminals are more sophisticated than ever. With access to the same tools, from the cloud to AI, that has transformed the enterprise, professional cybercriminals can create attacks that can fool and evade even the most diligent enterprise or consumer.

Story continues

The deal was fundamentally seen as a positive signal by the rest of the cybersecurity space that one of Big Tech's most storied names is taking the increasingly risk-laden cyber landscape seriously, said Andrew Rubin, CEO, and co-founder of Illumio, a zero trust-focused cybersecurity company.

"Google Clouds cyber focus shows that security is a top priority for their business as a whole," he told Yahoo Finance. "Its promising to see industry titans commit in this way to safeguarding cloud environments from todays evolving threats."

It's also not an accident that the deal's coincided with Google's increased commitment to its cloud business and enterprise customers. The reality is, the more secure your enterprise business is, the more valuable it is, said Ritu Bhargava, President and Chief Product Officer of SAP CX/CRM.

To enable screen reader support, press +Option+Z To learn about keyboard shortcuts, press slash

Now its non-negotiable for any enterprise to have security and compliance as the number one priority, she said. Companies just wont have a seat at the table if they arent thinking about security first because its a business imperative.

Experts agree: If Google wants to build out its cloud business, tripling down on security is essential.

"The enterprise is only as secure as its least secure employee," said Ravichandran.

The cybersecurity space is one that's generally been deal-heavy, so looking ahead we'll likely see Big Tech, investors, and private companies strike more deals in the sector, said Ravichandran.

"Historically, weve seen fairly regular M&A in the cybersecurity industry," he said. "In September alone, there were nearly 40 cybersecurity company acquisitions, which signals that there is still a lot of opportunity when companies identify a strategic fit."

Rubin agrees, adding that these deals will grow even more important as cybersecurity becomes an increasingly indispensable part of business strategies and outlooks.

"The Google and Mandiant deal is the latest in a string of high-profile, billion-dollar cybersecurity acquisitions over the past few years, and it certainly wont be the last," he told Yahoo Finance. "If Google is willing to go 'all in' on cyber, clearly their customers believe security is core to everything."

Allie Garfinkle is a Senior Tech Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @agarfinks.

Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance.

Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android.

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

More here:

Google's finally talking about its Mandiant acquisition here's what they said - Yahoo Finance

Bettors overwhelmingly like three teams ahead of Week 5 of the NFL season.

The Tennessee Titans are getting 87% of bets and 92% of the money at BetMGM as 1.5-point favorites against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The Titans are getting the biggest share of money of any NFL team in Week 5, though its worth noting that the line hasnt reflected bettors love for Tennessee. The Titans opened as 2.5-point favorites and are now 1.5-point favorites over Washington. Perhaps that should make you wary.

The San Francisco 49ers are getting 82% of bets and 87% of the money as 6.5-point favorites against the Carolina Panthers. Unlike the Titans, the line has grown as San Francisco has gotten more money. The 49ers opened as 5-point favorites over a Carolina team that has been terrible against the spread in the Matt Rhule era.

Another team thats getting a ton of money from bettors is the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are getting 88% of bets and 86% of the cash at home against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. Similar to the Titans, however, the Chiefs are now 7-point favorites after opening as 7.5-point favorites.

The biggest line of the weekend is Buffalo as a 14-point favorite over the Pittsburgh Steelers as Kenny Pickett prepares to make his first NFL start. Bettors trending toward Pittsburghs chances of keeping it relatively close. Exactly 60% of bets are on the Steelers to cover the two-TD spread while 57% of the money is on Pittsburgh.

The Chiefs are favored by a TD over the Raiders in Week 5 ahead of their Monday night NFL matchup. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Bettors are also trending heavily toward the under in the 49ers visit to Carolina. Over 90% of bets and money are on under 39.5 in Carolina and that is the biggest betting difference on any total so far ahead of Week 5.

Bettors also really like the over to hit in Seattles visit to New Orleans and the under to hit in Atlantas visit to Tampa Bay. The total in New Orleans has grown from 43.5 to 46 as 92% of the money is on the over. Just over 90% of the money is on the under in Tampa Bay as that total has dropped from 48.5 to 46.5.

The under is also the favored play in the Rams game against Dallas (88% of the money at 43) and the Vikings game against the Bears. The under is getting just under 90% of the cash in Minnesota, though the total has gone from 42.5 to 44.

Excerpt from:

NFL Week 5 betting: Bettors love the Titans, 49ers and Chiefs to cover the spread - Yahoo Sports

The NFL Players Association's investigation into why Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to return in Week 3 after appearing to suffer a head injury took a drastic turn Saturday afternoon.

The union fired the independent neurotrauma doctor who was "involved" in the situation at the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, according to Pro Football Talk. Tagovailoa suffered what the team announced was a "head injury" after being knocked to the ground, standing up and stumbling before leaving the game. The hit appeared to end Tagovailoa's day, but he ended up returning to the game for the second half to lead the Dolphins to a 21-19 win.

That decision raised a lot of eyebrows and prompted the NFLPA to officially open up an investigation into the incident.

Tagovailoa was reportedly checked for a concussion all week and passed all the necessary tests leading to the Dolphins' Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals just four days later. Tagovailoa suffered another scary-looking injury Thursday night, though, after being slammed to the ground before he was stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital. He was discharged that night and flew home with the team.

The investigation is still ongoing, but the independent doctor and the Dolphins team physician were reportedly interviewed on Friday as part of the investigation, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The NFLPA reportedly found that the doctor made "several mistakes" during the game.

Tua Tagovailoa is at the center of a major NLFPA investigation. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Continue reading here:

NFLPA reportedly fires independent neurologist who was at Week 3 game where Tua Tagovailoa returned after head injury - Yahoo Sports

LOS ANGELES To say Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is eager to embark upon the 2022-23 season would be an understatement.

Im so excited that Ive got goosebumps just thinking about this year, Davis told Yahoo Sports this week. Im looking forward to a healthy year and doing what I know we can do.

Having played in only 40 games due to injuries last season, and with the Lakers missing the playoffs altogether, the 29-year-old power forward said hes on a mission to help lead the franchise to a bounce-back year.

I went into this summer focusing on strengthening my body, Davis told Yahoo Sports. I have to be on the court and at my best to put us in position to be our best. Im ready to do that.

Head coach Darvin Ham will look to utilize the eight-time All-Star as the No. 1 offensive option to aid in minimizing the workload of four-time MVP LeBron James, who is entering his 20th season.

Davis said James, 37, has been in his ear about taking over the reins of the team, while the rest of the roster would follow his lead.

Being a dominant force on both ends of the court, the skill set is there. The question all along has been his durability.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis and head coach Darvin Ham chat during Lakers media day at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California, on Sept. 26, 2022. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Those close to Davis shared with Yahoo Sports that the forward had his best summer of training. There has always been chatter about Davis leading the Lakers for a full season, but those close to him believe he has positioned himself to do so this year.

All I can do is lead by my actions, Davis told Yahoo Sports. Im excited for this challenge and whats ahead. I think we have a great group of guys to get the job done. Its now about putting in the work.

Ham has already put members of the team on notice: If you dont commit to playing defense, you wont play.

Offseason addition Patrick Beverley said he has already started watching film on some of the Lakers games from last season to get a feel for the defensive adjustments he can implement.

Davis said the team has bought into Hams defensive philosophy and hes looking forward to it all coming together.

Thats where well be at our strongest, defensively, Davis told Yahoo Sports. Im going to demand we stay committed and lead on that end, as well. I love playing defense. I think youll see a much different Lakers team, and I cant wait to get out there.

Read the original here:

Anthony Davis ready to be Lakers' No. 1 offensive option: 'I've got goosebumps just thinking about this year' - Yahoo Sports

The Miami Dolphins are 3-0. Strip away everything else and that's all that should matter at this moment to them and their fans. It has been a long time since there was this much justifiable excitement for that franchise. Celebrate it.

For those who aren't emotionally invested, it's worth taking a closer look under the hood.

The Dolphins are undeniably better this season. They've been adding talent for the past few years and it's finally paying off. They're probably a playoff team. Through the years, 76 percent of teams that start 3-0 make the playoffs, and it's easier now since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams in the 2020 season. The Dolphins look like they got the right head coach in Mike McDaniel, the Tyreek Hill trade has transformed the offense and Tua Tagovailoa is making strides. The defense has given up a lot of yards and points the past two weeks but there is talent on that side of the ball. They also have a one-game lead on the Buffalo Bills after Sunday with a head-to-head win in hand, which is big for tiebreakers.

[Watch Thursday Night Football on Prime Video: Sign up for a 30-day free trial]

But it's hard to buy the Dolphins as the new AFC East favorite, and really hard to believe they could be more than that. Miami had a great, memorable comeback in Week 2, but you can only have a comeback if you played really poorly for most of a game. The Dolphins were down 35-14 to the Baltimore Ravens before getting hot in the fourth quarter. In Week 3, the Bills outgained Miami 497-212, had 90 plays to 39 for Miami, and Buffalo held the ball for 40:40. The Bills dominated play and came up short on the scoreboard. It happens. The Bills should have won but Josh Allen short-armed a pass to wide-open Isaiah McKenzie in the end zone late in the game. The Bills lost by two points on the road with multiple starters either injured or dealing with problems from the heat. It's not like the Dolphins dominated the game.

Story continues

And all of that is OK. Miami is 3-0 and has a great quality win in its pocket for the rest of the season. The Ravens win will age well too. For a team that has been to the playoffs just once since 2008 and hasn't had a playoff win since 2000, there's nothing wrong with a step this season that doesn't include them being launched into the tier of Super Bowl contenders. The Dolphins are much better. They look like a playoff team. They have a promising coach and can feel a lot better about their quarterback than they did three games ago. All that's positive. Now we'll see what comes next.

Here are the power rankings after Week 3 of the NFL season:

The Jets have played two good minutes all season. They've led for 22 seconds. The comeback against Cleveland was incredible but that was a clear outlier. I know I'm supposed to say we can't judge them until we see them with Zach Wilson, but do you believe he's transforming this team? Me either.

The Texans would be 1-2 if they didn't decide to try to sit on a Week 1 lead with Rex Burkhead, giving him all the playing time at running back over rookie Dameon Pierce. That was one of the weirdest coaching decisions of the season. That has corrected. Pierce had 80 yards on 20 carries Sunday, had a number of good runs, and it'll keep getting better from here. Houston still won't be very good overall.

The Seahawks drafted Kenneth Walker III in the second round. They gave him nine snaps on Sunday. One of his three carries was fantastic. The Seahawks gave more snaps to DeeJay Dallas than Walker. In related news, the Seahawks lost at home to the Falcons.

The Falcons finally got Kyle Pitts involved, with 87 yards on five catches. They got their first win of the season. Must be a coincidence. The Falcons have been fairly good this season, a lot better than their record or their roster would indicate. They won't be an easy out.

Justin Fields has 23 completions in three games. This calendar year, every single decision the Bears have made including the defensive-minded coach they hired, the lack of free-agent additions on offense, drafting defense first and continuing to the playcalling seems to indicate they have zero belief in Fields.

Christian McCaffrey, one of the greatest receiving running backs ever with two 100-catch seasons on his resume, has 10 catches for 57 yards in three games. One of the signs of a bad coaching staff is when it doesn't understand how to play to the strengths of its best players.

Pocket awareness sometimes fails Carson Wentz, and it definitely did when he was getting sacked nine times on Sunday. I'll write that off as facing a good Eagles defense, because Washington's offense was mostly fine before that. But it's a reminder that there will be some ugly games.

Maybe the Steelers know that Kenny Pickett isn't ready and starting him now would set him back. But it didn't look that way in preseason. Other than that, I can't think of a single reason to not start Pickett right now. Mitchell Trubisky isn't the answer. What's the point in waiting?

Hopefully you didn't buy too much into that 2-0 start. The Giants haven't arrived yet, but they are better. They have a much better head coach. It's a work in progress, and Monday night showed that.

It's funny that this is the only 0-3 team in the NFL. They're not bad. They've been outscored by just 13 points. But they're also 0-3 in a tough conference that is very unlikely to have a wild-card entry with less than 10 wins. It's a huge hole. The first order of business is figuring out how Davante Adams can have 12 and 36 yards in their last two games. That's inexcusable.

I'm not sure how the Cardinals fix this. No, DeAndre Hopkins' return isn't going to turn them into a top-10 offense. James Conner hasn't been able to pick up where he left off last season. Kyler Murray isn't doing enough for a $230 million quarterback. Kliff Kingsbury doesn't seem to have the answers. And the defense isn't good enough to keep them in contention. This season could get ugly for the Cardinals.

The next few weeks will either be Mac Jones playing at presumably far less than 100 percent on a high ankle sprain or Brian Hoyer taking over. I'm not sure how an offense that already had its issues (though, it was better Sunday) gets much better than that scenario. These next few weeks are critical for the Patriots. They need to grind out some wins to stay relevant.

The Titans rediscovered their winning formula. They're not going to play well from behind because it minimizes Derrick Henry and puts more pressure on Ryan Tannehill. If they can get a lead and lean on Henry, they are a different team. That's easier said than done, but we know what the Titans need to do going forward.

The Lions blew it on Sunday. They should have gone for it on fourth-and-4 with a little more than a minute to go but decided on a 54-yard field goal instead, a decision Dan Campbell said he regrets. This is where the Lions' history is a problem. Other teams can lose a game like that and while it stings, it doesn't follow them. It'll be hard for Detroit, which deserves much more than its 1-2 record right now, to not slip into the mindset that they're just the same old Lions.

The good news is rookie receiver Chris Olave seems like a great pick. He had nine catches for 147 yards on Sunday, a week after getting a ton of air yards but being unable to connect better with Jameis Winston. The bad news is there's not much else to like about the Saints offense right now.

Uh oh. The Chargers took a bad loss on Sunday, not because they lost to Jacksonville, but 38-10 at home? And they lost fantastic left tackle Rashawn Slater to a torn biceps. That's one of their best players out for the season. Edge rusher Joey Bosa went down with what appears to be a significant groin injury. They were already without center Corey Linsley, cornerback J.C. Jackson and receiver Keenan Allen, and quarterback Justin Herbert was clearly playing hurt. The Chargers aren't finished this season or anything, but if you had high hopes for them, it's time to recalibrate.

The defense has to be beside itself. In one loss, it allowed eight completions. In the second loss, the Broncos had five points deep into the fourth quarter, and two of those points were on Jimmy Garoppolo's safety when he channeled Dan Orlovsky. The good news is San Francisco's defense is awesome and will help them dig out of this 1-2 start.

The Bengals did what they needed to do against a bad Jets team. They play a good Dolphins team at home on Thursday, and that will be a better barometer of what they'll be this season.

The Broncos offense looks terrible through three games. All of the yelling about Nathaniel Hackett's game management overshadowed that Russell Wilson hasn't looked good either. I should be patient, given that it's just three games after an offseason of total change, but it has been three ugly games on offense. There should be some legitimate concern.

The Colts can't worry about how it looked, they needed a win and got it against a good Chiefs team. They get the Titans at home this week and if they win that, they'll be right back on track in the AFC South. A suddenly huge rematch against the Jaguars comes early, in Week 6.

Dallas could have been in some real trouble without Dak Prescott. Cooper Rush has filled in well and the Cowboys are 2-0 in his starts. He got a big assist from CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter on Monday night, and from a defense that is relentless. The Eagles aren't out of the woods in the NFC East yet. The Cowboys' Week 1 loss seems like a long time ago.

I wonder if Nick Chubb can make a run at NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He has 341 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 62 carries, and leads the NFL in all three categories. The Browns are going to ride him hard. If he keeps up close to this pace and the Browns stay in the AFC North race with their backup quarterback for 11 games, Chubb will get a lot of the credit.

I had the Jaguars too low last week. It was just a mistake. I probably was penalizing them too much for a Week 1 loss to Washington (and holding onto preseason preconceptions) and not giving enough credit for the Week 2 win over the Colts. The Jaguars are a good team. Trevor Lawrence is becoming everything he was hyped to be. They're fun. A trip to Philly this week is a fantastic test.

We're back on the Dalvin Cook shoulder injury roller coaster, earlier than ever this season. Not great. They'll be fine at running back with Alexander Mattison. What is concerning is how Justin Jefferson has 62 yards in two games. He had just 14 yards on three catches Sunday. That should never happen.

Lamar Jackson is amazing. Full stop. Sometimes on social media we focus on the small groups with awful takes, because it's easy to dunk on them. And I don't think the percentage of people still criticizing Jackson is very high. It just shocks me that any exist anymore.

It's reasonable to wonder if the Buccaneers are in some trouble. My answer is still no, or at least "not yet." If the Bucs get all their players healthy and they're still laboring on offense, I'll worry. Until then I see a team playing great defense (seriously, Tampa Bay's defense is the most underrated unit of these first three weeks) and playing offense without a handful of Pro Bowlers or possible Hall of Famers. Let's give it some time.

Arizona is the one team that can slow down Cooper Kupp. Since the start of last season, Kupp has played 24 games, including playoffs. He has at least 92 receiving yards in 21 of those games. All three of his games under 92 receiving yards are against the Cardinals (he had games of 64 and 61 yards last season and 44 on Sunday). Kupp still scored a touchdown Sunday on a jet sweep because he's unstoppable, but his hex against the Cardinals is tough to figure out.

It would have been nice if the Packers offense put that Buccaneers game away early, so the defense didn't have to face a two-point conversion in the final seconds. But the Packers were going against a very good Bucs defense. And they got a win that is going to matter a lot when the NFC gets seeded in January.

The Dolphins defense was on the field for 90 plays in ridiculous heat against a Bills offense that wanted to spread it out and pass it all over the place. Now the Dolphins go on the road on short rest for a Thursday night game at the Bengals. They also have injury issues, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (though excuse me for not worrying too much about him playing through his, ahem, back and neck injury). If the Dolphins win in that situation, it will be really impressive.

The Chiefs offense isn't the same. It doesn't help when Clyde Edwards-Helaire has zero yards on seven carries against the Colts. It will still be good because Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen, but over the last couple weeks there have been more challenges than we're used to seeing.

If you're dismissing the Eagles defense for playing "only" the Vikings and Commanders the last two weeks, go check what those two offenses did in their games that weren't against the Eagles. Philadelphia's defense is good. I'm bumping the Eagles way up because I was too conservative on them before. I kept seeing a team that had Super Bowl upside but didn't act on that enough in these power rankings. That has been corrected.

One of the main tenets of the power rankings here is, when there's a difficult decision to be made we ask a simple question: If Team A played Team B on a neutral field, who would win? Well, I'd still pick the Bills to beat anyone listed above. You probably would too. A two-point road loss in sweltering heat, when they more than doubled up the Dolphins in yards, plays and time of possession, all with multiple starters out of the lineup, really doesn't lead me to believe Buffalo isn't the best team in the NFL. Every NFL team loses a game, unless you're the 1972 Dolphins.

Original post:

NFL Power Rankings: Dolphins are 3-0, though we need to keep it in perspective - Yahoo Sports

It's tough to tell which team felt the most tension this week, the Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders.

And the Broncos won last week to improve to 2-1.

The Broncos are already having a weird season. The offseason had so much hype and promise in Colorado. Fans were excited after the Russell Wilson trade. Instead of an end to their quarterback troubles, they have a different level of quarterback concern. The Broncos offense has looked horrible. Wilson hasn't looked right. Coach Nathaniel Hackett has been under constant scrutiny just three games into his head-coaching career. You'd never know the Broncos are 2-1 listening to practically anyone talk about them. Playing in prime time last Sunday night shined a harsh light on an offense that looks broken.

The Raiders have a more traditional problem. They're the only 0-3 team in the NFL. It seems unfair. They're not close to being the worst team in football. They've lost three games by 13 points. If the Arizona Cardinals' final-play touchdown or two-point conversion doesn't work in Week 2, or the Raiders' two-point conversion late against the Tennessee Titans ties that game, maybe the Raiders are 2-1 and feeling good about themselves. That's how tight the margins are in the NFL.

The two AFC West foes play on Sunday. The Raiders are 2.5-point favorites at BetMGM and the line has been moving their way. There's not much faith in the Broncos.

The Raiders are pretty much the epitome of the 2022 NFL. They're not a bad team. They're certainly not the worst team. But in a league in which every team is practically the same 28 of 32 teams are between 1-2 and 2-1, and the Texans are 0-2-1 the Raiders have lost three games that could have gone either way and now their entire season is in danger. They can't start 0-4 and expect to make the playoffs.

The urgency for the Raiders and the dysfunction of the Broncos is why I like Las Vegas to win and cover the 2.5 points in Week 4. One of these teams will be feeling even more heat next week. It would be a positive step if one of them feels good.

Story continues

Quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders are the only 0-3 team in the NFL. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

Here are the against-the-spread picks for Week 4 of the NFL season, with lines from BetMGM:

Just a terrible spot for the Dolphins, as I discussed in The Daily Sweat.

It's funny how quickly things change. The Vikings were the Dolphins of two weeks ago, with everyone excited about how great they were. A loss to the Eagles and a near-miss to the Lions and they're less than a field-goal favorite over a struggling Saints team on a neutral site in London. Jameis Winston is banged up, though maybe the Saints would be better off if Andy Dalton played anyway. Wake up early, take the Vikings and be glad you don't have an investment in the struggling Saints offense.

I believed before the season that the Colts were the better team than the Titans. I still believe that, though by now that has more to do with the Titans' struggles. Tennessee did get an important win over the Raiders last week, but I still don't think they'll be very good this season. The Colts better win this one.

Can I interest you in a game between two 2-1 teams? No, didn't think so. This is our "only because I pick every game" selection of the week. I don't like either team. I am just keeping in mind that underdogs are covering at a healthy rate.

It's hard to pass on taking a good team like the Ravens catching a field goal at home. The Bills are also coming off a rough, long game in the Miami heat. I just don't know how the Ravens secondary slows down the Bills offense. Even though I believe in the Bills, this isn't a pick I feel great about. Good game though.

The Chargers looked awful last week against the Jaguars and a lot of those injuries aren't going away. Houston is a pest for opponents. They're not very good but they're going to cover plenty of spreads this season. They're already 3-0 against the spread even though they're 0-2-1 straight up. Don't forget they beat the Chargers last season, too. I'm just concerned the Chargers aren't snapping out of this funk anytime soon.

I don't get why this line isn't higher. Sure, the Lions have injury issues including Amon-Ra St. Brown and D'Andre Swift. But the Seahawks just lost at home to the Falcons. Since the first half of the Broncos game in Week 1 they've been awful. It's simple but I think Detroit is the far superior team.

This season it has paid to take underdogs you don't quite believe in. I don't believe in the Jets. I'm not too excited about Zach Wilson playing this defense in his first game back. But the Steelers offense isn't good and maybe Wilson does spark the Jets offense a bit. Sometimes in the NFL, you have to take sides you don't like much.

A few weeks ago, who would have thought this might be the most intriguing game of the day? It should be a good one. The Jaguars are legit. Philadelphia is too of course, but the spread is pretty high in the NFL's parity party. Jacksonville keeps this one close, and maybe more.

Remember when we all thought the Cowboys were dead? Two weeks in the NFL is an eternity. Now we're on the Cooper Rush train and Dallas is laying a field goal against Washington (the line was 3.5 earlier in the week and hopefully gets there again). I don't necessarily hate the Commanders after last week's loss. I just think the Eagles are miles better. Dallas, with Rush, isn't miles better than Washington.

Atlanta has been much better than I anticipated. Arthur Smith has this team playing competitive ball (though his "It's not fantasy football. We're just trying to win," comment about Kyle Pitts' lack of targets makes me wonder about him). If the Falcons win here, I'll probably stop picking against them every week.

Too bad I already used my "only because i pick every game" card. Could have used it on this one. If you bet this game with any conviction, I applaud you. I have no idea what to make of either team, other than neither one is very good. The Panthers have an absolutely broken offense and the Cardinals are horrendous on defense. The Cardinals can move the ball well enough but can't score. This is one ugly game.

The lookahead line on this game last week was Packers -6.5. It's 9.5 now and you can probably find this one at Patriots +10 later in the week if you are patient. Is Mac Jones' injury really worth 3.5 points on the spread? I don't think so. I'll trust the Patriots' defense to keep it close.

I'll keep saying this: The Bucs defense isn't getting nearly enough attention. It has been great. The Chiefs offense was great in Week 1 and not so great since. Tampa Bay's offense has been inconsistent too, but at least it will have Mike Evans back. I'll trust the Bucs defense at home.

The 49ers offense hasn't been great, but the defense has been fantastic. We all saw that last Sunday night. The Rams looked better last week, but I'll take the more desperate team here. They're also at home, and Kyle Shanahan has done well against Sean McVay other than that pesky NFC championship game last season.

Last week: 9-7

Season to date: 25-23

Go here to read the rest:

NFL against-the-spread picks: Raiders and Broncos both need a win and some confidence - Yahoo Sports

We're a little more than a month into the college football season and some teams with massive preseason expectations have already been major disappointments. Here are 10 teams in particular who have fallen well short of what their fan bases were hoping to this point in the season.

Brent Venables hasnt been able to make much of an impact on Oklahomas leaky defense. The Sooners were torched for 668 yards in an embarrassing 55-24 loss to TCU on Saturday. It marked the second straight Big 12 loss for the Sooners after a 3-0 start in non-conference play.

Venables, the longtime defensive coordinator at Clemson, was brought back to Oklahoma after Lincoln Rileys departure to USC. With Riley as coach, OU frequently had explosive offenses but struggled on defense. The Sooners won four Big 12 titles in Riley's five seasons and made three trips to the College Football Playoff. All three of those trips resulted in semifinal losses.

OU fans were hopeful Venables defensive acumen would be an upgrade over Riley. So far, that clearly has not been the case, with losses to Kansas State and TCU already this year. Venables is playing a lot of young players, but thats no excuse for TCU players continually running wide open for 60-plus yard touchdowns. There were four of those on Saturday.

The Sooners opened the season ranked No. 9 in the country but will likely find themselves unranked ahead of next weeks rivalry game vs. Texas. The Big 12 is wide open and its still early in the year, but these two losses have put the Sooners in a big hole. And its a place very few expected the Venables era in Norman to begin.

Texas A&M should be better than this by this point in the Jimbo Fisher era. After losing four games a year ago, the Aggies are now 3-2 through five games in 2022 following a 42-24 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville on Saturday. In the loss, Fishers offense again was unimpressive as it turned the ball over four times. There were also issues on defense and special teams. A&M had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown and the defense allowed MSU to put up 473 yards of offense.

Story continues

A&M had an ugly home loss to Appalachian State back in Week 2 and then was able to squeak out victories over Miami and Arkansas. The Arkansas win contained some fortuitous bounces, otherwise A&Ms record could be even worse.

With the way Fisher and his staff have recruited, fans have expected the Aggies to compete for national championships. Instead, the offense is still mediocre at best and the Aggies appear destined to finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC yet again. Next weeks trip to Alabama could be ugly.

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher looks on as he paces the sidelines against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Getting blown out by Ohio State in Columbus was one thing, but getting embarrassed at home by Illinois has some alarm bells ringing in Madison.

The Fighting Illini, led by former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema, torched the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, 34-10. Wisconsin finished with a measly two rushing yards and were doomed by three turnovers in the loss.

Wisconsin opened the year ranked No. 18 but is now 2-3 on the year. UW also was upset at home by Washington State in Week 2. After years as the class of the Big Ten West, the Badgers have quietly descended into the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is now 9-8 in conference play since the beginning of the 2020 season and fans are starting to voice frustration about the job Paul Chryst is doing.

Many looked at Houston as the favorite to represent the Group of Five conferences in a big bowl game. Instead, the Cougars look like a team that may not even reach a bowl game.

Houston, which went 12-2 last year, dropped to 2-3 with an ugly loss to Tulane on Friday night. Tulane was down to its third-string quarterback, yet the UH defense could not get the stops it needed in the 27-24 overtime loss. The Cougars are the most-penalized team in the country and Dana Holgorsen has continually voiced displeasure with his teams undisciplined play. Its pretty clear hes not getting through to his players.

Mario Cristobal was supposed to be the savior for Miami football, but losing 45-31 at home to Middle Tennessee was not part of the plan. With the loss, the Hurricanes dropped to 2-2 on the year. It was the teams third underwhelming effort in four outings. Miami struggled in a home win over Southern Miss, didnt reach the end zone a single time in a road loss to Texas A&M and then allowed 507 yards in the loss to MTSU.

Miami, which began the year ranked No. 16, had a well-timed bye this week before ACC play begins at home against North Carolina next Saturday.

Notre Dame was ranked No. 5 to start the year but promptly lost its first two games of the season. Losing on the road to Ohio State was expected, but getting beat 26-21 at home by Marshall was an ugly outcome.

The Fighting Irish have since won games over Cal and North Carolina, but a 2-2 start after losing no more than two regular season games in every season since 2017 is not a great way for the Marcus Freeman era in South Bend to begin.

After a remarkable 2021 season, Michigan State has come crashing back to earth. The Spartans fell to 2-3 with a 27-13 road loss to Maryland on Saturday. It was MSUs third consecutive double-digit loss. MSU previously got blown out by Washington and Minnesota.

MSU overcame its complete inability to defend the pass last year en route to a surprising 11-win season, but hasnt been able to do so this year. Mel Tuckers group allowed Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa to complete 32-of-41 throws in this one. In all, the Terps had 489 yards of offense and completely controlled the game.

With a very challenging upcoming schedule, the Spartans could be in danger of missing a bowl game. After Tucker received a $95 million contract, thatd be a significant step back for the program.

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker watches from the sideline against Minnesota, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in East Lansing, Mich. Minnesota won 34-7. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Scott Satterfield is on tenuous ground with Louisville off to an 0-3 start in ACC play. The Cardinals now have losses to Syracuse, Florida State and Boston College so far this season. Saturdays 34-33 loss to BC may have been the worst of the bunch.

BCs offensive line is decimated, leaving the Eagles struggling mightily to put up points. But against Louisville, BC had 454 yards of offense and were able to pull out a win despite three turnovers.

Satterfield is now 20-22 overall and 12-17 in ACC play during his time coaching the Cardinals.

After finishing No. 121 in the country in total offense in 2021, Kirk Ferentz's big plan to improve the offense in 2022 was to keep his son Brian in place as offensive coordinator and also give him the title of quarterbacks coach. Unsurprisingly, it hasnt made a difference.

The Hawkeyes entered Week 5 dead last in total offense, averaging 232.5 yards per game. That average will move up a bit after the Hawkeyes had 281 yards in a 27-14 loss to Michigan, but a significant amount of that yardage came in the second half when Michigan had a three-score lead.

Iowa dropped to 3-2 with the loss and looks like a team that could struggle mightily as Big Ten play progresses.

It took just three weeks for Nebraska to finally pull the plug on the Scott Frost era. Frost made changes throughout the offseason in an effort to finally get things going at his alma mater, but he was fired after an ugly 45-42 home loss to Georgia Southern. That loss came on the heels of a loss to Northwestern in Dublin and a home win over FCS North Dakota that was too close for comfort.

In the first game after Frosts firing, the Huskers were blitzed 49-14 at home by Oklahoma. They had a bye last week before beating Indiana 35-21 on Saturday. Many thought this would be the year the Huskers started stringing wins together. Instead, its been another disastrous season in Lincoln.

Louisiana started the season 2-0 to increase the nations longest winning streak to 15. Since then, UL lost to both Rice, Louisiana Monroe and South Alabama to drop to 2-3. That start comes after the Ragin Cajuns went a combined 33-5 from 2019 to 2021, Billy Napiers final three seasons with the program.

Napier has since gone to Florida and his longtime assistant, Michael Desormeaux, has stepped in. But UL lost more than Napier. The Ragin Cajuns were a veteran group that won multiple Sun Belt titles. While some players graduated, others followed Napier to Gainesville. It looks like Desormeaux has a bit of a rebuild ahead.

Here are Week 5's winners and losers.

UCLA: The Bruins moved to 5-0 with a 40-32 win over No. 15 Washington that wasnt as close as the score indicated. Washington scored 16 points in the fourth quarter after UCLA had opened up a 24-point lead. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 24-of-33 passing for 315 yards and three TDs while rushing for another and Zach Charbonnet ran for 124 yards and a score. The Pac-12 is wide open and UCLA has a huge win in the race for the conference title game now that the conference has ditched its divisions. The Bruins will undoubtedly be ranked in the AP Top 25 come Sunday.

TCU: The Horned Frogs just steamrolled Oklahoma through the first three quarters in a 55-24 win. Oklahomas defense couldnt do anything to stop TCUs offense. TCU had a whopping 668 yards of offense and averaged nearly nine yards a carry. Kendre Miller had a 69-yard run and Max Duggan had a 67-yard run as each rushed for two scores. Duggan also threw for 302 yards. The win pushes TCU to 4-0 and the Horned Frogs should also be ranked on Sunday ahead of a suddenly massive matchup for the Big 12 in Week 6 at Kansas.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons bounced back from a Week 4 loss to Clemson with a great 31-21 win over previously undefeated Florida State. Sam Hartman was 22-of-34 passing for 234 yards and two scores and Justice Ellison ran for 114 yards. The Wake Forest defense, meanwhile, kept Florida States run game in check and forced the Seminoles into seven failed third down attempts. And Wake Forest was by far the more disciplined team too. Wake had just four penalties to FSUs 11.

Illinois: The Illini got their first win at Wisconsin since 2002 as Bret Bielema beat his former employer 34-10. Illinois forced three Wisconsin turnovers in the game and barely cracked 300 yards of total offense. But QB Tommy DeVito rushed for three touchdowns as the Illini are now 4-1 and eyeing a bowl game. A bowl looks very possible in whats a wide-open and very mediocre Big Ten West. Theres no real favorite in the division and every team has at least one loss.

Kansas State: The Wildcats rushed for 343 yards in a 37-28 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn each had nice 69-yard runs and Martinez had 75 yards rushing and a TD just 40 seconds into the game. KSUs defense also did what Texas was unable to do a week ago and stopped Tech on fourth downs. The Red Raiders were just 1-of-3 on fourth downs against the Wildcats. Kansas State is now 4-1 and, more importantly, 2-0 in the conference. Farmaggedeon looms next week at Iowa State.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs bounced back from a loss to LSU with an easy 42-24 win over Texas A&M. Will Rodgers threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns and the MSU defense held a struggling A&M offense in check again. MSU scored the 18-point win despite 13 penalties for 138 yards. Those penalties were canceled out by four A&M turnovers. The Aggies fumbled twice and Haynes King threw two interceptions in mop-up duty. At 4-1, Mississippi State is still a factor in the SEC West and will likely be favored at home in Week 6 in a very intriguing game against Arkansas.

Maryland: The Terrapins are 4-1 after an easy 27-13 win over Michigan State. Taulia Tagovailoa was 32-of-41 passing for 314 yards and a TD while Antwain Littleton rushed for 120 yards and a score. The defense held Michigan State QB Payton Thorne to just five yards a pass and MSU kickers missed two field goals. Maryland can get to a bowl game with just two more wins that would be back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2013 and 2014 in the Randy Edsall era.

Boston College WR Zay Flowers: Flowers had five catches for 151 yards and two scores as Boston College beat Louisville 34-33. Flowers scored on a 57-yard catch in the second quarter and put Boston College on top in the third quarter with a 69-yard TD catch. Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec was 18-of-21 passing for 304 yards and threw three touchdowns as the Eagles got a huge second win of the season. Boston College has dealt with injuries all over the offensive line and those injures have led to a lot of offensive struggles.

Georgia State: The Panthers got their first win of the season in a 31-14 win over Army on Saturday. Georgia State ran the ball 46 times for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Army cut Georgia States lead to three at the start of the fourth quarter but the Panthers picked off Cade Ballard and Tucker Gregg ran for a 56-yard TD two plays later to put the game out of reach with less than three minutes to go. Even after that 0-4 start, GSU has enough talent to compete for the Sun Belt title.

Minnesota: The Golden Gophers undefeated season is no more. Minnesota lost 20-10 at home to Purdue in an ugly game. Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan threw three interceptions while Purdue QB Aidan OConnell threw two after missing last weeks game with an injury. Neither QB threw for a TD. Minnesotas run game was nonexistent, too. Without Mo Ibrahim available, Minnesota ran 26 times for 47 yards and leading rusher Bryce Williams had 11 carries for 35 yards. With most everyone else struggling in the Big Ten West, Minnesota had a great chance to establish itself as the division frontrunner. Instead, theres no clear favorite.

Kentucky: The Wildcats had two chances to get a tie late against Ole Miss and both of their late drives ended in Will Levis fumbles in Ole Miss 22-19 win. Levis fumbled while going for a first down on third and short with 2:55 left and then was strip sacked by Jared Ivey with less than a minute to go after Kentucky got in position for a potential game-winning touchdown. Levis is being talked about as a potential early pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but its hard not to wonder about the validity of that discussion until Levis comes up big in big games for the Wildcats.

Mississippi safety AJ Finley (21) and linebacker Austin Keys (11) force a fumble from Kentucky quarterback Will Levis (7) in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Mississippi won 22-19. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)

San Diego State: The Aztecs havent been known for explosive passing in recent years but the lack of passing attack in 2022 is pretty incredible. SDSU lost 35-13 to Boise State on Friday night as its quarterbacks were a combined 2-of-16 for 33 yards. Braxton Burmeister was 2-of-8 and Liu Aumavae was 0-of-7. Kyle Crum was 0-of-1 for good measure. Burmeister, a Virginia Tech transfer, is 36-of-72 passing for 263 yards and two TDs and three interceptions through five games. Friday's struggles led to the Saturday firing of offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinksi.

Iowa State: The Cyclones could have and perhaps should have beaten Kansas. Instead, the Jayhawks are 5-0 and ISU is 3-2 after KUs 14-11 win. Kicker Jace Gilbert was 1-of-4 on field goal attempts. Two of his three misses hit an upright and his third miss came in the waning seconds and could have sent the game to overtime. Oh, Iowa State also botched an extra point, but the holder was able to run it in for two points. ISU did a phenomenal job of keeping Kansas QB Jalon Daniels in check, as he had just 93 yards passing and nine yards rushing. But ISU was just 5-of-18 on third downs and couldnt take advantage of KUs first offensive struggles of the season.

Iowa State place kicker Jace Gilbert (20) walks past teammate Blake Clark (10) after missing a field goal that would have tied the game against Kansas, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas won, 14-11. (AP Reed/Hoffmann)

South Florida: The Bulls defense got torched by ECU QB Holton Ahlers in a 48-28 loss on Saturday. Ahlers threw for 465 yards and six touchdowns in the rout as ECU moved to 3-2 and South Florida dropped to 1-4. The 2022 season looked to be a pivotal one for USF and it was easy to be optimistic about the progress under coach Jeff Scott after USF hung tough with Florida in Week 3. But that game now looks like an aberration after a 41-3 loss to Louisville in Week 4 and this defeat to ECU.

Auburn: Things were going great for Auburn as the Tigers took a 17-0 lead on LSU. Then everything went badly. Auburn gave up 21 consecutive points in a 21-17 loss at home to the other Tigers to fall to 3-2. The home Tigers had the ball inside the LSU 10 early in the fourth quarter but inexplicably called a trick play on second down. Koy Moore threw an ill-advised interception on the ill-timed call and Auburn never got close to the end zone again despite a bizarre final sequence that included two punts, two fumbles and an interception before LSU finally closed out the game.

Auburn's Keionte Scott attempts to grab the ball in a muffed opening kickoff against the LSU Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 1, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)

Virginia: Things are not going well in Charlottesville. Virginia didnt have a chance in a 38-17 loss to Duke on Saturday as the Blue Devils had a 21-10 halftime lead and pulled away in the second half. Virginia has struggled to run the ball and averaged less than four yards a carry while Brennan Armstrong threw for just 202 yards. After throwing for 4,449 yards in 2021, Armstrong has just 1,050 yards passing through five games in 2022. Its not a great start for former Clemson assistant Tony Elliott.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers were three-TD favorites against Georgia Tech and lost 26-21 on Saturday night. It was Georgia Techs first win against a ranked opponent on the road since 2016 and the teams first win under interim coach Brent Key after Geoff Collins was fired earlier in the week. Pitts newfound commitment to the run game didnt pay off on Saturday as the Panthers ran 31 times for just 106 yards. Kedon Slovis threw 45 times for 305 yards but many of those passes came after Georgia Tech had gone up 19-7. Pitt is now 3-2 and Duke yes, Duke is suddenly looking like an ACC Coastal contender.

Read more:

Week 5 winners and losers: The most disappointing teams in college football - Yahoo Sports

By Hyunjoo Jin

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off on Friday a prototype of its humanoid robot 'Optimus', predicting the electric vehicle maker would be able to produce millions and sell them for under $20,000 - less than a third of the price of a Model Y.

Musk said he expected Tesla would be ready to take orders for the robot in three to five years, and described an effort to develop the product over a decade or more, the most detailed vision he has provided to date on a business he has said could be bigger than Tesla's EV revenue.

Tesla's push to design and build mass-market robots that would also be tested by working jobs in its factories sets it apart from other manufacturers that have experimented with humanoid robots.

The eagerly awaited reveal of prototype robots at Tesla's office in Palo Alto, California was also part of what Musk has described as an effort to have Tesla seen as a leader in fields like artificial intelligence, not just a company that makes "cool cars."

An experimental test robot that Tesla said was developed in February walked out to wave at the crowd on Friday, and Tesla showed a video of it doing simple tasks, such as watering plants, carrying boxes and lifting metal bars at a production station at the company's California plant.

But a more streamlined current one, which Musk said was closer to what he hoped to put into production, had to be rolled out on a platform and did a slow wave to the crowd. Musk called it Optimus and said it would be able to walk in a few weeks.

"There's still a lot of work to be done to refine Optimus and prove it," Musk said, adding later, "I think Optimus is going to be incredible in five or 10 years, like mind blowing."

He said existing humanoid robots are missing a brain and the ability to solve problems on their own. By contrast, he said, Optimus would be an "extremely capable robot" that Tesla would aim to produce in the millions.

Story continues

Other automakers, including Toyota Motor and Honda Motor, have developed humanoid robot prototypes capable of doing complicated things like shooting a basketball, and production robots from ABB and others are a mainstay of auto manufacturing.

But Tesla is alone in pushing the market opportunity for a mass-market robot that could also be used in factory work.

The next-generation Tesla bot will use Tesla-designed components, including a 2.3-kWh battery pack carried in its torso, a chip system and actuators to drive its limbs. The robot is designed to weigh 73 kg.

Tesla engineers, who like Musk were all wearing black T-shirts with an image of metallic robotic hands making a heart shape, described how they developed the robot's features - including in areas like how the fingers move - with a focus on making the cost of production lower.

"We are trying to follow the goal of fastest path to a useful robot that can be made at volume," Musk said.

By developing a robotics business, Musk said, Tesla is shifting the terms of a well-known mission statement that has become part of its appeal to investors and climate activists by committing to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."

"Optimus is not directly in line with accelerating sustainable energy," Musk said. "I think the mission does somewhat broaden with the advent of Optimus to - you know, I don't know: making the future awesome."

MIXED REVIEWS

Musk has described the event as intended to recruit workers, and the engineers on stage catered to a technical audience. They detailed the process by which Tesla designed robot hands and used crash-simulator technology to test the robots ability to fall on its face without breaking.

Musk, who has spoken before about the risks of artificial intelligence, said the mass rollout of robots had the potential to transform civilization and create a future of abundance, a future of no poverty. But he said he believed it was important that Tesla shareholders had a role in vetting the companys efforts.

If I go crazy, you can fire me, Musk said. This is important.

Many reactions on Twitter were positive, focusing on the speed of Tesla's development effort since August last year, when Tesla announced its project with a stunt that had a person in a white suit simulate a humanoid robot.

Henri Ben Amor, a robotics professor at Arizona State University, said Musk's price target of $20,000 was a "good proposition," since current costs are about $100,000 for humanoid robots.

"There's some discrepancy between sort of the ambition and what they have presented," he said. "When it comes to dexterity, speed, the ability to walk in a stable fashion and so on, there's still a lot of work to be done."

Aaron Johnson, a mechanical engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, also said the robot's need was debatable.

"What is really impressive is that they got to that level so quickly. What is still a little murky is what exactly the use case is for them to make millions of these," Johnson said.

Tesla also discussed its long-delayed self-driving technology at the event. Engineers working on the auto self-driving software described how they trained software to choose actions, such as when to merge into traffic, and how they sped up the computer decision-making process.

In May, Musk said that the world's most valuable car maker would be "worth basically zero" without achieving full self-driving capability, and it faces growing regulatory probes, as well as technological hurdles.

Musk said on Friday beta testing of Tesla's full self-driving capability will be "technically" ready for global rollout by the end of 2022, but regulations represent hurdles.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Kevin Krolicki; Writing by Muralikumar Anantharaman; Editing by Peter Henderson and Daniel Wallis)

See the rest here:

Tesla's robot waves but can't walk, yet. Musk plans to make millions of them - Yahoo Finance

The box office is gearing up for a busy fourth quarter following a strong showing in Q3.

Current estimates see $2.1 billion in Q4 ticket sales, according to Box Office Pro, with a full-year haul of $7.5 billion. Increased momentum, coupled with upcoming blockbusters like "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Avatar: The Way of Water," should help shoulder some of that demand.

Analysts highlighted that a lack of movie supply, triggered by COVID-19 production headwinds, is the biggest issue facing the industry today.

"Theaters need the quantity of movies and studios need the quality that's the biggest narrative for 2023," Shawn Robbins, Box Office Pro chief analyst, told Yahoo Finance.

Robbins added that mid-level movies like "The Woman King," "Bullet Train," "Elvis," and "Where the Crawdads Sing" also outperformed, debunking the notion that non-blockbusters no longer have a place at the box office.

"The summer was living proof of the fact that people are ready to go back to movies," Robbins said.

A lack of box office supply has hammered theater chains over the past two-and-a-half years.

Bloomberg Intelligence's Geetha Ranganathan told Yahoo Finance that only 50 movies have been released so far this year almost 40% lower compared to the same point in 2019. The domestic box office has suffered as a result with year-to-date ticket sales down about 30% versus 2019, according to Comscore data.

Britain's Cineworld Group (CINE.L), the parent company of Regal Cinemas, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month after struggling to climb back from pandemic lows. The Chapter 11 filing, obtained by Yahoo Finance, shows that the company will be allowed to continue operations and restructure its business in order to significantly reduce debt and strengthen its balance sheet.

Cineworld, which operates more than 9,000 screens across 10 countries, is the second-largest theater chain after AMC (AMC), but has run up a debt load of more than $5 billion after losses accelerated during the pandemic. Last month, the chain warned that a lack of big-budget movies will likely impact attendance through the fall, further affecting its ability to cut that debt.

Story continues

The company also revised its short and medium-term cinema admission forecasts, noting that "slower-than-expected recovery being experienced in 2022 combined with external forecasts [indicates] a lower volume of theatrical releases in 2023 and 2024." That would keep the box office below pre-pandemic levels until 2025.

However, that doesn't mean the industry can't improve in 2023.

"As long as we see that normalization of supply and studios are once again able to get back to their regular production schedule, the demand is going to be there," Ranganathan said.

It took all of 2021 for most studios to come to that conclusion, with the movie industry deploying multiple experiments to combat the pandemic downturn primarily through hybrid streaming releases.

Since then, production studios have reverted back to theatrical-first strategies. The one change? A shortened, 45-day theatrical window.

"There is going to be some headwinds from that [shortened window] because it does shave off at least 8% to 10% of box office receipts," Ranganathan explained, adding that there could be potential upside for studios that also have direct-to-streaming platforms.

"The Woman King" has been both a box office and critical success. (Photo: The Woman King)

Moving forward, the analyst predicted that day-and-date releases will be a thing of the past at least for the major blockbusters.

"With this whole reset in the streaming space shifting away from subscribers and focusing on profits I don't think studios are going going to do the day-and-date release anymore, at least for the big ones," Ranganathan said.

"The question then becomes: Are we ever going to get back to that $11.3 billion mark?" she added. "Maybe not, but we'll get pretty close ... This is a really good sign for studios that have been grappling with this question of: Does a theatrical release even make sense? I think they've gotten their answer."

Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Food Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android

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

Original post:

Box office analyst lays out 'the biggest narrative for 2023' - Yahoo Finance