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Kansas City's return to dominance and the disappearance of the Yankees

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Good morning! Make an interception from the end zone today.


Call: A juggernaut maintains its status

There was a lot at stake in several sports last night, with elite teams fighting for their professional survival. two literally and one figuratively. Let's start with the winner:

The Chiefs are 5-0 in the NFL after a 26-13 win over the Saints finally looked like this the dynastic team we know. The two-time defending champions had navigated this year's schedule with cunning and luck, leaving many wondering whether they deserved the credit of an undefeated record. Rashee Rice lose didn't help either.

There was no doubt about this team last night. Don't let the box score fool you: Kansas City was in control of this game throughout thanks to its defense. This would have been a miss without one of the most impressive plays you'll ever see from a defensive lineman:

This is New Orleans defensive tackle Khalen Saunders catching a tip-drill interception and Absolutely awesome almost 35 meters in the other direction. Saunders is reported to have weighed 324 pounds and reached a top speed of nearly 16 miles per hour while fleeing. Saunders is also a former Chief and his brother Kameron is a backup dancer for Taylor Swift, who was in the building last night. A tiny world indeed.

Now to the losers (in the truest sense of the word):

  • Another team from Kansas City, the Royals, entered Yankee Stadium and defeated the Bronx Bombers 4-2 to even their ALDS match 1-1. New York's offense has been spectacular this season. but disappeared last night. Worrying.

  • Cleveland is home to the AL Central Champion Guardians couldn't muster a run against the fateful Tigersor Gritty Tigs, in a 3-0 loss that also tied this ALDS at one game each. Detroit has some juice.

Incredibly, all four MLB division series are tied 1-1 for the first time in history. It continues:

Interesting facts

The housing development is progressing
The House-NCAA settlement that would pave the way for a new revenue model in college sports received preliminary approval from a judge yesterday, meaning the new model could take effect by next year. This comes after another judge last month raised issues with parts of the settlement and asked the parties involved to change the terms. More details here.

Poch is already planning to leave?
In an interview, new USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said he would be open to coaching Argentina's national team in the future “if the opportunity arises.” That's understandable because Pochettino is from Argentina and the country currently has the best football team in the world. The timing is just…funny. His full comments can be found here.

Peppers arrested
Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was arrested over the weekend on charges of assault, battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and possession of a Class “B” substance suspected to be cocaine. His alleged victim is a woman. Read our full report here.

More news


Debuts: Hello, Utah

The sports world is busy right now, which means the start of the NHL season is upon us on a larger scale. And tonight one of the most interesting ice hockey games of the last decade is on the program.

The Utah Hockey Club – nickname pending – plays its first regular-season NHL game tonight. This makes them the 53rd team to ever achieve this. The journey here to Utah was unsettling. This morning Mark Lazerus posted a great piece with all these details, but I would like to highlight a few levels:

  • Remember, these are the former Arizona CoyotesWHO left the desert in a hurry this spring after a bitter stadium dispute left the league in turmoil.

  • The transition to Utah was surprisingly quick: One day in mid-April, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman asked new owner Ryan Smith if he was willing to bring hockey to Utah. Smith said yes, and later that day he and his wife gave a speech to their new “shocked” team.

  • The players were understandably skeptical. Their lives were uprooted and they were moved from a desirable location in Phoenix to a place where there had never been a team. But that quickly changed.

  • Smith spends money. Players say amenities are better even if the current arena is still being converted for ice hockey. There will be nearly 5,000 limited-view seats at the Delta Center for hockey, but the owners plan to eliminate that nuisance in the coming months.

This is what excites me: Utah should be good this year. Historically, we haven't seen new franchises compete in the early years, but hockey has done well with it, particularly in Las Vegas and Seattle. And as Mark detailed, there is palpable hype in Utah. The players are also excited.

The first-ever UHC puck drop takes place tonight against the Chicago Blackhawksone of the league's oldest franchises, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Until then, Read Mark's full storywhich contains incredible details about an extremely stressful – and impressive – six months.


Watch, listen and play

📺 WNBA: Sun at Lynx
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
The winner goes to the WNBA Finals. Enough said.

📺 MLB: Dodgers at Padres
9:00 p.m. ET on FS1
Both this and Phillies-Mets should be great today, but I'll pick this one later an extremely lively game 2. Imagine if the Dodgers lost this game.

Stream games like this Here and get tickets Here.

🎧 The “Scoop City” Gang asks an appropriate question: What will it take for the Browns to bench Deshaun Watson? Listen here.

Try it today Connections: Sports Edition Beta. No mistakes for me.


Pulse picks

Jalen BrunsonMVP? I can support that. Read More, along with a variety of bold NBA predictions for the season, Here.

Mike Sando's Pick Six column is a must read every week, I thought his analysis of buffaloThis is a terrible loss – and the need for someone like that Davante Adams – was enlightening.

College football Bubble clock is back this week with a look at how everything and nothing changed last weekend.

Two NHL Games in one day? transmitter Ray Ferraro do it tonight. Richard Deitsch has the complete overview.

Game 2 of Phillies-Mets deserved more shine. Jayson Stark obliged and was listed the most unforgettable moments from one of the best games of this postseason.

Most clicked on in the newsletter yesterday: Our takeaways for Week 5 of the NFL.

Most read on the site yesterday: Jason Lloyd's column on how the Browns can save their season by benching Deshaun Watson. Worth reading.

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(Top photo: Denny Medley / Imagn Images)

By Vanessa

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