- The Patriots worked out veteran RB Jamaal Williams after lead back Rhamondre Stevenson limped off, a possible short‑term addition as New England heads into Sunday’s game with two roster spots open.
- Williams was the NFL rushing‑TD leader in 2022 (17) during a breakout season with Detroit and is remembered for a tearful, emotional Lambeau postgame interview — a great comeback story topic.
- Now 31, he hasn’t taken an NFL handoff since January 2025, was released by the Saints, auditioned for Chicago and Miami last August, and is waiting to see if New England calls back.
The news, distilled into what matters.
- Mauricio Pochettino used the Sept./Oct. friendlies to blood a wave of youngsters, playing many debuts and winning all four matches.
- Teenagers stole the show — Mathis Albert briefly became the youngest US scorer before 17‑year‑old Cavan Sullivan broke the mark; Justin Ellis and Julian Hall also scored, highlighting fresh talent.
- Stakes ramp up in November with a Nations League quarterfinal vs. Haiti and tough roster battles ahead as veterans (Pepi, Balogun, McKennie, Pulisic) return.
- ALDS update: White Sox and Rays each jumped to 2-0 series leads — Braden Montgomery’s two‑run double fueled Chicago’s Game 2 win, and Tampa Bay capitalized on four Yankees errors plus a Richie Palacios two‑run single.
- NLDS momentum: Dodgers took a 2-1 lead over the Braves after Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 in Game 3 (Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman homered).
- Padres kept their season alive with a 4-3 Game 3 win over the Brewers — Jake Cronenworth homered and a costly Brewers error cut Milwaukee’s series edge to 2-1.
- Standings can flip quickly — Tyler Reddick blew a 100‑point lead and Joey Logano joked that maybe “we’re not as smart as we think.”
- Wins (plus stage sweeps and the fastest lap) can create 60–70 point swings, so getting a victory in the final races is basically essential.
- Several drivers are still mathematically alive, but the realistic field is small — Denny Hamlin is a name to watch — and Kasey Kahne is returning full‑time in 2027, a fun storyline for fans.
- A rare start: a record-tying five teams are 0-4 after one month — surprisingly including Tampa Bay, Houston and the LA Chargers, while Miami’s struggles tie to a rebuild and huge dead‑money cap hits.
- Different kinds of losing: the Buccaneers have dropped four one‑score games (agonizingly close), whereas the Chargers have been getting blown out and have one of the worst point differentials.
- Odd stat to share: Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud is the first quarterback since 1950 to lose the first four games of a season without throwing an interception.
- Dana Altman, 68, is retiring effective immediately after 16 seasons at Oregon — the Ducks’ all-time winningest coach who led them to the 2017 Final Four.
- Over a 37‑year head‑coaching career he went 792–425 overall and at Oregon won four Pac‑12 regular‑season and four tournament titles with nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Oregon will begin a national search while assistant Tony Stubblefield will coach the 2026–27 season amid recent roster turnover and last year’s 12–20 finish.
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