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UFC 333 predictions

One way or another, history will be made at UFC 333. Maybe more than once.
First, you have Alexander Volkanovski, facing the classic combat sports conundrum of getting older while the competitions only gets younger and hungrier. “The Great” has done it all in his career and has nothing left to prove—other than maybe that he belongs to be placed even higher on the all-time great list than he already is.
He couldn’t ask for a more compelling challenge than Movsar Evloev. The undefeated Evloev has battled inactivity and a lack of fan-friendly highlights to earn his shot, going 10-0 in the UFC and bumping every other contender out of his way. Inside the distance or on the cards, winning’s winning, as a wise man once said.
Then there’s Petr Yan, once hanging on to the edge of the title picture by a thread, now back where he belongs in the greatest bantamweight of all time discussion. All he had to do was defeat three ranked opponents and then deliver the performance of his life this past December to avenge a past loss and become champion a second time.
The man he beat, Merab Dvalishvili, can restore order and cement himself as the 135-pound GOAT if he wins his series with Yan. Dvalishvili might have flown too close to the sun in 2025, attempting to become the first UFC fighter to successfully defend a title four times in a calendar year; now, with 10 months to rest, recover, and evolve, can he get back to his overwhelming ways and go on another dominant run?
Elsewhere on a stacked main card, Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov jockey for position in an increasingly crowded flyweight division, Alexander Volkov looks to keep his heavyweight title hopes alive when he takes on Rizvan Kuniev, and Aaron Pico faces short-notice replacement Losene Keita in a sizzling featherweight opener.
What: UFC 333
Where: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday, Oct. 24. The five-fight early preliminary card begins at 10 a.m. ET, followed by a four-fight preliminary card at 12 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 2 p.m. ET with the entire event streaming live on Paramount+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)
Alexander Volkanovski (1, P4P-5) vs. Movsar Evloev (2, P4P-19)
For the first time in a while, I can say with confidence that Alexander Volkanovski’s time is up.
All credit to Volkanovski for silencing the doubters time and time again, and for never wavering from wanting to give Movsar Evloev an opportunity. It’s hardly an unwinnable fight for the venerated Volkanovski, as his all-around game remains as sharp as ever, plus he’s survived the wrestling of Islam Makhachev and lived to tell about it. Keep it on the feet, box Evloev up, and live to fight another day as champion.
Making the case for Evloev, I want to shut down the notion that his lack of finishes somehow makes him less of a championship threat. Look at his most recent wins: Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, Dan Ige, heck, throw Hakeem Dawodu in there. Which of those fighters is easy to finish? Those are some of the toughest outs at 145 pounds, so yes, while we’d love to have seen Evloev put a stamp on his No. 1 contender status by emphatically putting one of those names away, it’s not essential.
As far as Evloev’s skills go, obviously his clearest path to victory involves grounding Volkanovski, smothering him against the fence, just wearing the older fighter down for 25 minutes. That said, and I could be fooling myself, I think Evloev actually finds his first finish here. Volkanovski gets hit. Lopes caught him. Makhachev and Ilia Topuria knocked him out. When Evloev throws, he has some pop to his punches, and all it takes is one good one to rattle Volkanovski’s chin these days.
So yes, I’m counting out Volkanovski. Again. And I’m ready to look dumb. Again. Give me a fresh face at the top, though, and Volkanovski moving one step closer to a well-deserved retirement.
Evloev by knockout.
Pick: Evloev
Petr Yan (1, P4P-2) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (2, P4P-10)
I hate to take away from Petr Yan’s amazing performance in their rematch, but did we really see the best version of Merab Dvalishvili that night?
Look, I’m a man of science—and Xyience, obviously—and I can say with 90 percent confidence that cutting weight and preparing for four title fights in 12 months can’t possibly be good for you, even if you have Dvalishvili’s freakish physical and mental conditioning. Then you remember the fourth was against Yan, a guy who might just be the best ever at 135 pounds who already had five rounds of data to work with. Trouble.
Yan denied Dvalishvili at every turn in their second fight, never letting Dvalishvili reach that extra gear that has broken so many challengers. Unsurprisingly, Yan got the better of the majority of the striking exchanges, showing once again that he is pound-for-pound one of the best strikers in all of MMA. I don’t see a scenario where Dvalishvili wins on the feet, even as much as his standup skills have improved.
Where Dvalishvili excels is in relentlessly mixing up his techniques and, yes, frustrating his opponents with his wrestling whether it’s against the fence or on the ground. His main goal is to give his opponents zero room to breathe, much less think. That’s how he beat Yan the first time and it’s a strategy that is repeatable, albeit with a few tweaks.
At their very best, I lean slightly towards Dvalishvili, but not for a second do I think either fighter will have a comfortable lead on the cards this time around. We could even take a trip to Splitty City. I hope not, but I do suspect we’ll be treated to a close decision—one that possibly sets up a fourth encounter down the road.
Pick: Dvalishvili
Lone’er Kavanagh (8) vs. Ramazan Temirov (12)
Speed vs. power? That’s how Lone’er Kavanagh sees it and who am I to disagree?
The 27-year-old Kavanagh has been swimming with the sharks since his third UFC fight, when he received a rude awakening from Mr. Spoiler himself, Charles Johnson. He followed that up with a career-best performance against two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and then had to tap out in the third round of a gritty battle with another elite veteran, Brandon Royval. Ramazan Temirov is closer to Kavanagh in terms of octagon experience, but arguably just as dangerous as those other standouts.
Outside of Manel Kape, Temirov might be the scariest hitter at 125 pounds. He’s blessed with one-shot knockout power and he’ll be looking land a hammer before Kavanagh can establish any sort of rhythm. I believe Kavanagh has learned a ton from his past three fights though, even if it’s only that there are levels to this. Now it’s his turn to impart a version of that lesson on Temirov.
Watch for Kavanagh to stick and move for three rounds, mix the martial arts, and outlast Temirov en route to another impressive decision win.
Pick: Kavanagh
Alexander Volkov (4) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (9)
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have Alexander Volkov becoming The People’s Champ on my bingo card. But here we are, as much of the community has rallied around Volkov being robbed of a heavyweight title shot after years of battling top 10 opponents.
Rizvan Kuniev is the scariest kind of up-and-coming heavyweight in that he actually does stuff. That might sound like the faintest of praise, but in this division, being busy and pushing the pace immediately separates you from the pack. Ciryl Gane, Josh Hokit, and Gable Steveson are the names that spring to the mind of most fans when talking about athletic heavys, but I feel like Kuniev is flying under the radar in these discussions. He’s always coming forward and looking to engage and he has the cardio to drown Volkov with volume for 15 minutes.
Maybe I just need to see more of Big Riz, but I still think Volkov has the edge in striking and grappling. He’s one of the few giants we’ve seen in MMA that actually knows how to utilize his reach advantage (he’s not amazing at it, but better than Stefan Struve, to put it nicely), and that length should keep Kuniev from just walking him down with no repercussions. Taking Kuniev down is unlikely, but should the fight go to the ground, the more experienced Volkov can give Kuniev some problems.
Full disclosure, this is as much of a hope pick as anything else, because it would be a damn shame if Volkov never received his UFC title shot. I fully expect Kuniev to be a contender for years to come, so let tonight be Volkov’s night as he comes out on the right end of a hard-fought decision.
Pick: Volkov
Aaron Pico (12) vs. Losene Keita
I’ll say it: I don’t believe in the more measured, more mature Aaron Pico. Even though he put together a fine three-round performance against Patricio Pitbull, the berserker is still in there. And Losene Keita is the kind of opponent who can bring it out.
If I’m wrong about this, then I’ll be thrilled, because we need more fighters like Pico and if he’s learned to consistently channel his aggression and prodigious talents into a complete approach to the game, even better. What worries me here is that he’s arguably landed himself in an even more dangerous situation with Keita stepping in to replace an injured Arnold Allen, who was the perfect opponent to move Pico up the rankings and give him a few more high-level rounds. Keita is more willing to risk it all to make a statement.
Call this a coin flip, but I’ve seen Pico go full desperado too many times to trust him, especially against a guy who’s only loss inside the distance was due to a freak leg injury. Keita strikes first, gets the knockout, and takes home another $100,000 bonus.
Pick: Keita
Preliminaries
Azamat Murzakanov (9) def. Dominick Reyes (11)
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov
Cam Rowston def. Abus Magomedov
Nurullo Aliev def. Grant Dawson
Asaf Chopurov def. Colby Thicknesse
Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun
Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki
Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon

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Anthony Edwards Needs Knee Surgery, Could Miss Two Months

9:38 pm: Edwards will have surgery on Thursday and the club will then have a clearer timeline for his recovery, Krawczynski tweets. Right now, it’s expected to be more than two months, which means he likely wouldn’t play until January.
5:51 pm: Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and will miss up to two months, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
As Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix points out (Twitter link), it’s been a brutal opening week in terms of player health. Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, Kawhi Leonard, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cason Wallace and Jalen Suggs are among the players to be sidelined by injuries that will require multi-week or multi-month absences and now Edwards has joined that group.
Edwards has been dealing with knee soreness and the club decided to address the issue as soon as possible with the hope he’ll be back sometime in December and be back to full health for the rest of the season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Despite the ailment, Edwards was off to a spectacular start, averaging 33.3 points per game, including a 47-point eruption in an overtime loss to Cleveland on Monday.
In a story published before the surgery, Krawczynski noted that while his shots were falling, Edwards didn’t have the usual burst and occasionally walked with a limp. He wasn’t cleared to play against the Cavs until after pregame warmups and had been listed as questionable to suit up Wednesday against Golden State.
Edwards dealt with a hyperextended left knee in the playoffs last season and was also bothered by inflammation in his right knee, Krawcyznski added.
During his first five NBA seasons, Edwards never appeared in fewer than 72 games. He saw action in 79 contests for three consecutive seasons leading up to 2025/26, when he was limited to 61 regular season appearances, mainly due to a foot injury.

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Valkyries stars tells fans to ‘call in sick’ for Game 6 as early WNBA Finals tipoff sparks fan reaction

Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries has been moved up to 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday to give State Farm Arena enough time to get the building ready for an NBA game that evening.
The early tipoff could create a challenge for fans in California, where the game will begin at 9:30 a.m. PT. The Valkyries defeated the Dream in Monday’s Game 5 in San Francisco to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, meaning Game 6 could determine the WNBA champion.
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While championship series games, especially potential championship-clinching contests, are routinely played in prime time, Thursday’s less-than-ideal scheduling doesn’t appear likely to stop Valkyries fans from tuning in to watch their favorite team.
WNBA FINALS GAME 6, A POTENTIAL TITLE-CLINCHER, WILL BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is among those who plan to tune in, even if he’s having breakfast when the game is starting. “We’ll have a day off that day, so, yeah, I’ll be watching,” he said.
Several of the WNBA Finals games have drawn record ratings, showing how much interest there is in the league, this series and its athletes. The Valkyries have sold out every game since they began as an expansion franchise last year.
Shaunice Christmas-Miller and her wife, Kendall, have attended every home playoff game this season at Chase Center. Their jobs allow them to be flexible and work from home Thursday. Nevertheless, the couple believes the fan base will still show up Thursday.
“Absolutely, they will definitely find a way,” Shaunice said.
Valkyries co-owner Peter Guber was largely unconcerned that the franchise’s devoted home crowd would come together when it matters most, despite morning challenges such as commuter traffic heading into San Francisco for a watch party.
DREAM COACH KARL SMESKO CALLS WNBA FINALS OFFICIATING ‘JUST RIDICULOUS’ AS ANGEL REESE ALSO QUESTIONS REFS
Supporters have been invited to gather outside Chase Center’s Thrive City viewing area beneath the big screen.
Shaunice added that she wishes everybody involved had considered the various options well in advance to avoid such last-minute scrambling.
“They should have thought ahead for the whole seven-game series,” Shaunice noted. “The women deserve primetime slots.”
Others expressed their feelings on social media.
Rapper Flavor Flav posted Tuesday: “Thursday is a paid holiday. Because Flavor Flav said so.” Included in his post was a photo of a note directed to bosses everywhere as a permission slip of sorts requesting excused absences for employees, signed by Flavor Flav with dual titles beneath his name — “The World’s Greatest Hype Man” and “Official Supporter of Women’s Sports.”
Ole Miss women’s coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin sounded off.
“I’d rather play anywhere else than have a 12:30 tip for a WNBA FINALS game man! Not a good look! For fans and for the players,” she posted on X. “Just my 2cents that no one asked for.”
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Golden State coach Natalie Nakase and her players have focused all along on what they can control, and this certainly isn’t one of those things.
But there were some clever postgame offerings:
“Call in sick, I recommend it,” point guard Veronica Burton cracked.
“Yeah, right? Y’all know how to fake a cough, didn’t we all do that?” teammate Kiah Stokes added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
Golden State guard Kaila Charles has no doubt the Valkyries will adjust for the early tipoff.
“I think it’s a good thing that we’re able to play in a bigger arena so that they can have more people come and support women’s basketball,” Charles said.

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Max Dowman red card: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta explains his reaction to 16-year-old after sending off in Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town

Mikel Arteta has explained his reaction to Max Dowman as the 16-year-old went down the tunnel after being sent off in Arsenal’s shock Carabao Cup exit to Fleetwood Town.
Moments before Arsenal exited the competition on penalties to the League Two sidee, Dowman was sent off for violent conduct for allegedly lashing out at Fleetwood defender Harrison Neal. The pair challenged for a couple of 50-50s before a brawl broke out.
Dowman then went down the tunnel and Arteta appeared to lean towards and say something to the teenager as he walked past. That treatment of the youngster was criticised by Paul Merson, who felt the Arsenal manager should have put an arm around him.
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Asked what he said to Dowman, Arteta told reporters: “It was something that we discussed before the game.” Arteta refused to go into any more detail on that when pressed on it.
On Sky Sports co-commentary duty, Andy Hinchcliffe said the red card was harsh on Dowman and Arteta replied: “I haven’t seen it with the camera. You can’t really see what happens. The decision was made by the referee and that’s it.
“And even with 10 men, we have three big chances to score the second goal.”
Asked if the incident is something Dowman has to learn from, Arteta replied: “We knew when we prepared the context of the match, we were very clear on the things to expect, the things that emotionally we have to dominate.”
Merson questions Arteta reaction
Reacting to the incident, Merson said: “If that’s [Viktor] Gyokeres, who’s an experienced international, he [Arteta] isn’t doing that – but he does that to a 16-year-old kid?
“He’s not the last person to get sent off for Arsenal, nor the first. If it was me, I’d have put my arm around him. It’s still 1-1, they’re still in the game.
“We all say things in life we wish we hadn’t and if he [Arteta] could have that back, he’d do it differently.”
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff said: “I can’t understand the reaction. Arteta probably feels it was petulant, naive which I think it is.
“It is frustration from Dowman, but when you see the reaction from Arteta… we have to remember he’s 16.
“Yes, he’s a fantastic talent, but he will make mistakes along the way. I didn’t like the reaction at all.”
He added: “Dowman is potentially the future of Arsenal. Arteta didn’t get that quite right.”
Arteta has no complaints about Arsenal effort in defeat
Speaking after the game, Arteta was graceful in congratulating Fleetwood for the shock victory – but did not think his Arsenal players showed a lack of fight against the League Two side.
Instead, Arteta was frustrated that his side did not show a more clinical edge – putting 19 shots off target, with Kai Havertz the most guilty of missing three or four top opportunities.
“First of all, congratulations to Fleetwood for going through to the next round in the manner they’ve done it,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“A really sad day for us. I cannot fault at all the attitude of the players, I haven’t seen anybody not doing what is required at this level but we had so much of the ball, had so many chances, so many shots and if you want the margins to be bigger than going to penalties, you have to capitalise on that. We didn’t and football is about that.
“It wasn’t to do with attitude otherwise I would be here fuming. I’m sad, we’re all sad.
“We have a responsibility to represent this badge in the best possible way. It was nothing to do with effort, application or determination to go and win it, but we lacked other things to create much bigger margins.
“With what we produced, it should have showed in the scoreline.”

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NFL news, live updates: Colts trade Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to Seahawks, send DeForest Buckner to 49ers in reunion

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on Tuesday that Matt LaFleur changed his tune when asked about Micah Parsons’ status.
Green Bay plays the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, and Parsons isn’t expected to practice this week.
LaFleur was asked about next week, though, and said, “I sure hope so.” Previously, he had just said no, so this change in answer was notable.
The Indianapolis Colts continued moving assets out on Tuesday, reportedly trading defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
After moving guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, Colts interim general manager Ed Dodds is stockpiling draft picks in order to rebuild the roster. A 2-5 record and three straight losses have put the organization in a position to wave the white flag and look towards 2027.
Buckner expressed his frustration with the Colts’ lack of success this season following the Week 7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That came a week after saying, “I’m sick and tired of the same song and dance every year,” after losing to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.
The 32-year-old Buckner is in the final year of his contract and, after receiving a $10 million roster bonus in March, is still owed a little under $8 million for the rest of the season. He carries a $26.6 million salary cap hit, which will leave $10.8 million in dead money on the Colts’ books, according to Over the Cap.
Read more at Yahoo Sports.
The Indianapolis Colts fired longtime general manager Chris Ballard last week. On Tuesday, after their latest loss dropped them to 2-5, they dealt eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
So whom might Indianapolis trade next?
It could be veteran defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who also reported on “The Pat McAfee Show” that, at this moment, the Colts aren’t planning on shipping off star running back Jonathan Taylor.
“They don’t want to trade Jonathan Taylor, which doesn’t mean that they won’t trade him, but I don’t think they want to. And today I would say they don’t,” Schefter said. “But there are other players that I believe will wind up being on the move here. And I think the players you look at would be DeForest Buckner, Josh Downs, Grover Stewart on the defense line, they’ll get calls on him.”
Schefter continued: “Now, again, what winds up happening and who winds up getting traded? I would say this, the name that we’re watching next would be DeForest Buckner because he’s also in a very similar situation to Quenton Nelson. On an expiring deal, he’s a veteran. And here’s the thing that you have to keep in mind on DeForest Buckner. As a 10-year veteran … the most that the Colts could get back, the highest compensatory draft pick that the Colts would get back if he signed elsewhere after the season would be a fifth-round pick. So that, to me, frames the compensation that the Colts will wind up getting back for DeForest Buckner. It won’t be as good, I don’t think, as Quenton Nelson, who is a little younger and who would’ve gone for more compensatory draft pick compensation if he had left.”
Chiefs offensive tackle Josh Simmons made headlines last week after head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes reportedly asked him to leave a team meeting.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the dispute stemmed from Simmons having his feet on the desk, Reid and Mahomes telling him to put them down, and his saying he needed to keep them up for physical rehab.
Mahomes and Reid told him to go to a physical rehab appointment, and it became a whole thing.
Simmons has since apologized, but he was then added to the injured reserve. Rapoport said he doesn’t know if or when Simmons will play for the Chiefs again.
NFL teams can trade players on IR as long as they pass a physical or the new team agrees to the issues found. The 2026 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10.
Simmons has already missed one game, but has to miss three more before he is eligible to be activated from IR, even if he is traded.
One of the themes to this NFL season is a lack of permanence.
Every time a team starts to look good, they take a bad loss. Teams we thought would be fantastic this season are hanging around .500 or below it. The circle of trust is small through seven weeks. In that scope, what the Minnesota Vikings have done is impressive.
It’s not even Halloween and there’s just one team left without a loss. That’s the Vikings, who had the longest odds to win the NFC North coming into the season. Simply winning every game in this chaotic season is worth praise. It’s not like anyone else could do it.
Does that make the Vikings the best team in the NFL? That’s way more complicated. Oddsmakers aren’t convinced. Minnesota is tied for 10th in Super Bowl odds at BetMGM. DVOA isn’t convinced. The Vikings are ranked sixth there. Part of that is the Vikings have played the third-easiest schedule in the NFL, according to DVOA. Their future schedule is the fifth-toughest.
Read more here.
Even by the standards of the “this has to be scripted, right?” modern NFL, J.J. McCarthy’s story is a wild one. Drafted 10th overall, injured his entire rookie season, bouncing back and forth between the field and the medical tent in his second year, losing his job and getting traded away, then immediately setting a franchise record with his new team … every time his NFL saga seems over, it turns out he’s on to a new chapter.
Dealt from Minnesota to New York last month, McCarthy entered the Giants’ Week 6 game against New Orleans and tied a franchise-record with 243 fourth-quarter passing yards. In start No. 2 with the Giants, he led New York to victory over Houston on the road, apparently cementing himself as the Giants’ QB1 going forward. Yes, it was an overtime win over an unspectacular two-win team, but at this point McCarthy must take what he can get.
Read more here.
The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-1 with only a road loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, they’re fine.
Yet, Sunday night had to be an unnerving performance. The Seahawks were the first team to shut down Kenneth Walker III, and the Chiefs offense melted. They had the fewest points (3), yards (213) and first downs (11) in any start over Patrick Mahomes’ career, according to NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno.
The Seahawks defense can do that to teams. But for the Chiefs, it renewed the worry about the weapons around Patrick Mahomes. Nobody made plays on Sunday night. Kansas City’s leading receiver had 44 yards. And while Walker will not have many games in which he has just 36 rushing yards, he has never been asked to carry an offense over a long season. He had 14.2 carries per game through four seasons with the Seahawks and this season he’s at 20. That’s a lot of extra carries for a running back over a full season. There has to be concern about putting so much pressure on him over 17 games and then a postseason.
Read more here.
Perhaps the Cowboys leaders’ muted tones, if not outward humility, sound like a change from the “GOTI” acronym they touted during training camp for the “Greatest Offense There Is,” with Prescott and Co. also speaking openly then about their Super Bowl visions. But to Prescott and at least some others, “GOTI” was not a pronouncement that the roster had arrived at deserving the praise. It was a challenge to teammates that their roster was assembled in a way suggesting they could be the greatest ever.
Consecutive prime-time losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (starting undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels in place of Baker Mayfield) and the Green Bay Packers began to cloud Dallas’ upside and control of playoff hopes. Schottenheimer has led the charge in shifting his tone in at least some ways.
Sure, a 17-point road division win matters. And “absolutely” was Prescott willing to deem Monday night a must-win game. But beating a team that’s lost half a dozen offensive starters won’t be sufficient to make the type of playoff run for which the Cowboys hope. Scoring 35+ points only against the Commanders and Eagles after they’d lost Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Jalen Hurts (blood clots) respectively doesn’t warrant crowning as the offense to fear.
Consider Schottenheimer aware of the criticism some are leveling against his play-calling, game management and team organizing. Consider the Cowboys eager to prove it all wrong.
Read more here.
If Troy Aikman finds himself out of a job after the 2026 NFL season, he won’t stay unemployed for long. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke glowingly about Aikman during a radio appearance Tuesday, with the owner saying he would have interest in bringing Aikman back to the organization if he’s looking for work.
Jones, 84, called Aikman “one of the hardest working, most focused people” he knows during an interview with 105.3 The Fan. While Jones said there were no immediate plans to bring Aikman in now, he added, “Don’t rule it out. It’s very possible.”
Jones’ comments come amid reports of unrest between Aikman, his broadcast partner Joe Buck and ESPN. The reported feud stems from Aikman’s contract situation. The former Cowboys quarterback is in his final year with ESPN and has yet to sign a long-term extension with the network to continue calling “Monday Night Football” games.
Read more here.
Asked about the return of Myles Garrett from injury, Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that he didn’t know when the star pass rusher would be activated.
Garrett’s been on injured reserve since Week 2 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and was required to miss a minimum of four weeks. He’s missed six games since, and updates about his condition and return have been sparse.
Garrett’s been eligible to return for two weeks, but McVay said Monday that he hadn’t gotten word from the Rams’ medical staff on whether or not the 21-day practice window would be opened for Garrett this week.
Once it’s opened, Garrett will have then have 21 days to be activated or be placed on season-ending injured reserve.

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Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 7, Eagles vs. Cowboys

In their Week 7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys the Philadelphia Eagles played 66 snaps on offense and 68 on defense. Let’s just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.
Quarterback
• 66 snaps: Tanner McKee
Notes: McKee made one really bad decision and it resulted in a DeMarvion Overshown INT, but for the most part I thought he played a decent enough backup-level game.
Running back
• 42 snaps: Dameon Pierce
• 14 snaps: Elijah Mitchell
• 10 snaps: Saquon Barkley
Notes: Barkley had 7 carries for 62 yards and a TD. He also had 2 catches for 9 yards. He got the ball nine times in his 10 snaps. He played through hamstring and back injuries, and was in obvious pain after pretty much all of his snaps. However, when he ran, he was also very clearly still the Eagles’ best skill position player, by far. I thought he showed a lot of heart and gave everything he had to a team that would have been easy to quit on.
Wide receiver
• 61 snaps: Darius Cooper
• 60 snaps: Makai Lemon
• 36 snaps: Hollywood Brown
• 22 snaps: Elijah Moore
Notes: DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) both missed this game with injuries.
Lemon had 7 catches on 8 targets for 67 yards and a TD. I cut up those targets:
That was Lemon’s best game so far this season, and he scored his first ever NFL TD. I thought he did a nice job of making catches and then absorbing contact. He also ran decent routes and gave McKee some open looks. He can perhaps grow into a useful, gritty chain mover from the slot in an efficient offense. However, I don’t see a lot of explosiveness, and I do think his ceiling is capped by the combination of that and his lack of size.
Tight end
• 48 snaps: Dallas Goedert
• 16 snaps: Johnny Mundt
• 12 snaps: Eli Stowers
• 8 snaps: Grant Calcaterra
Notes: Stowers made his NFL debut, and played 12 snaps. He got one target on a play in which he slowed up after his break when he looked back toward the quarterback. SPRINT! GET OPEN!
Stowers has elite athleticism, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t actually use it.
Zach Ertz remains on the practice squad. He watched as guys like Mundt, Stowers, and Calcaterra dressed for a must-win game. He’s probably not going to get on the field unless Goedert is traded, which does feel like a decent possibility.
Offensive line
• 66 snaps each: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Drew Kendall, Tyler Steen, Markel Bell
• 1 snap: Fred Johnson
Notes: Dickerson returned to the lineup and had a rough outing. There was a two-play sequence in the fourth quarter where Quinnen Williams beat him for a pressure that nearly led to a sack (McKee gained a yard), and on the next play Williams beat Dickerson for a sack.
Following that series, Dickerson punched himself in the head repeatedly as he left the field. He then sat on the bench and punched himself in the head some more until his helmet popped off. I think he understands that the end could be near.
Edge defenders
• 48 snaps: Arnold Ebiketie
• 29 snaps each: Jonathan Greenard, A.J. Epenesa
• 25 snaps: Jalyx Hunt
• 5 snaps: Keyshawn James-Newby
Notes: It didn’t help that Nolan Smith was out and Hunt/Greenard are both playing through injuries, but the Eagles got absolutely no pass rush whatsoever, and certainly not from the edges.
No surprise there 👆.
Interior defensive line
• 59 snaps: Jalen Carter
• 44 snaps: Jordan Davis
• 35 snaps: Moro Ojomo
• 26 snaps: Byron Young
• 5 snaps: Ty Robinson
Notes: Carter had one great game this season against the Jaguars. Otherwise he has been a massive disappointment. On Monday night, he looked like an ordinary backup lineman.
After the game, for the second straight week, Carter refused to talk to reporters. Side note: I don’t need players to talk to me to do my job. I don’t use a lot of quotes, frankly. But I do think that there is something to be said for guys who stand up and take accountability after losses.
Linebacker
• 68 snaps: Zack Baun
• 37 snaps: Jihaad Campbell
• 24 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter
Notes: Last week the Campbell/Trotter platoon was 48-28 in favor of Campbell. That disparity remained similar against the Cowboys. Once again, Trotter was more productive. He had 5 tackles; Campbell had 2.
Cornerback and safety
• 68 snaps each: Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba
• 67 snaps: Riq Woolen
• 64 snaps: Quinyon Mitchell
• 44 snaps: Kenny Moore
• 4 snaps: Jonathan Jones
Notes: DeJean, Mukuba, and Woolen were all beaten for touchdowns. The secondary in general — Mitchell aside — did not have a good game. Of course, they are directly affected by the complete lack of a pass rush.
Three stars 🤩
⭐⭐⭐: Saquon Barkley
🌟🌟: Makai Lemon
✨: Quinyon Mitchell
Game ball 🏈
Saquon Barkley
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