🥊 Du Plessis Defends Title, EPL Opening Weekend, & News Around the NFL

Good Morning!

This past weekend featured a little bit of everything, MLB, pre-season NFL, the start of the EPL, UFC, golf and more. We have a jam-packed newsletter, so let’s get right into it!

WTF Stat: The record for most interceptions in a season is held by QB George Blanda with 42 in the 1962 season. Over 10% of his passes went for interceptions. Most impressive is that his Houston Oilers team went 11-3 that season, and he was selected to the All-AFL second team. Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in AFL/NFL history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.

🥊 Dricus Du Plessis defended his UFC middleweight title by submitting Israel Adesanya in the fourth round of their UFC 305 main event in Perth, Australia. The fight was back and forth throughout. But ultimately Du Plessis landed a left hook, followed by a takedown that led to a rear-naked choke submission. It was Du Plessis' tenth consecutive win and first title defense.

• 🔥 Take: Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland will reportedly be next, hard to bet again Du Plessis with the way he is fighting, he doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses.

🏈 The Vikings have signed veteran CB Stephon Gilmore to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, with $7 million guaranteed. Gilmore, a two-time All-Pro, joins the Vikings as they attempt to strengthen a cornerback group that has been severely impacted by injuries and tragedy. The 34-year-old reunites with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who previously coached him during his All-Pro years with the Patriots.

• 🔥Take: No offense to the Vikings (who are projected to come in last in the NFC North), but it’s surprising Gilmore didn’t land with a contender in need of CB depth like the Chiefs, Bengals, or Eagles.

🏀 The 76ers have signed forward Guerschon Yabusele to a one-year, $2.1 million contract after his standout performance for France in the 2024 Olympics. Yabusele, a 6'8", 260-pound power forward, went toe-to-toe with Team USA’s best players and earned himself another shot in the NBA. Yabusele was originally a 2016 first-round draft pick (16th overall) by the Boston Celtics but saw limited playing time in the NBA before playing in China and Europe. Yabusele now has an opportunity to earn a spot in the 76ers' rotation.

• 🔥 Take: Looks like the 76ers finally got a big man that won’t crumble in big games…

🏌️‍♂️ Hideki Matsuyama won the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the opening leg of the PGA Tour playoffs, with a two-shot victory. Matsuyama, who started the final round with a five-shot lead, faced challenges after a series of bogeys and a double bogey, but he recovered with crucial birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to secure the win. This victory marks Matsuyama's second win of the year and moves him from No. 8 to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings.

• 🔥 Take: I agree with Scottie Scheffler, bit of a misnomer for it to be considered a true ‘season-long race’.

NFL - News & Notes Around the League

AFC

Bills - Defensive line is looking dangerous, QB Josh Allen may need to the put offense on his back this year.

Jets - They have rested QB Aaron Rodgers so far, and we’re still waiting for LB Haason Reddick's holdout to be resolved.

Dolphins - QB Tua Tagovailoa looks to already be in mid season form, going 5/5, 51 yards and a TD in limited playing time on Saturday.

Patriots - New head coach Jerod Mayo says the QB1 position is still an open competition, which is good news for rookie QB Drake Maye (and fans of QB Joe Milton III).

Broncos - QB Bo Nix has been absolutely lights out in his two pre-season games, going 23/30, 205 yards, 2 TDs-0 INTs.

Chargers - QB Justin Herbert is still out with a plantar fascia injury, overall the team looked pretty sloppy in their second pre-season game, 3 turnovers and subpar QB play.

Chiefs - It looks like QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce are playing a video game on easy mode. Check out this behind the back pass they pulled off in an actual game:

Raiders - Officially name Gardner Minshew as starting QB for Week 1.

Bengals - The Bears beat the Bengals 27-3 in their second pre-season game. Nothing to see here, as the Bears had a surprisingly raucous home crowd and their starters in — we’ll wait until QB Joe Burrow and company are starting before we start to worry.

Browns - More injuries to the offensive line - LT James Hudson, LT Hakeem Adeniji, and G Germain Ifedi all left Saturday’s game — good news is none of the injuries sound serious.

Ravens - LB Trenton Simpson has looked impressive this offseason filling the big shoes of Patrick Queen (who signed with the Steelers in the off-season).

Steelers - They played a gross game against the Bills, their QB competition is still wide open between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Colts - CB JuJu Brents who many had as a breakout candidate this year, suffered a nose injury. Former first-rounder WR Laquon Treadwell, had a nice game (7 receptions, 72 yards).

Jaguars - There’s a lot of buzz about rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. dominating in practice, for those playing fantasy football, a name to remember.

Texans - Defense has looked great, albeit it was against QB Daniel Jones. If you ever wondered what it takes to be a successful NFL QB, check out CJ Stroud breaking down game film:

Titans - No one was busier than the Titans in the off-season, yet we haven’t had a chance to see their starters on the field much, looking forward to seeing all of their new faces on the field soon: RB Tony Pollard, WR Calvin Ridley, WR Tyler Boyd, LB Kenneth Murray Jr., CB L'Jarius Sneed, CB Chidobe Awuzie… to name just a few.

NFC

Commanders - QB Jayden Daniels is looking comfortable, he went 10/12, 78 yards passing, it would be a bit shocking if he wasn’t named the starter.

Cowboys - WR Ceedee Lamb is still MIA, reportedly asking for $33/million a year.

Eagles - LB Nolan Smith Jr., had a quiet year last year after being the 30th pick overall, but he’s already racked up 2 sacks this pre-season, the eagles front 7 is talented and deep.

Giants - We loved this hustle play from DT Elijah Chatman; hope he makes it onto the final roster:

49ers - All-Pro LT Trent Williams has still now showed up to practice for the 49ers'. Williams' total fines have reached more than $3 million due to his contract holdout this summer.

Cardinals - Rookie RB Trey Benson has been a bright spot, he is elusive, and has been a problem for defenses to bring down so far.

Rams - QB Matt Stafford has a hamstring injury, but should be back at practice sometime this week, with backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo serving a 2-game suspension, the Rams would have to rely on former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett, if anything happens to Stafford.

Seahawks -The Seahawks may have one of the best backup QBs in Sam Howell. Howell is only in his third year, and has a lot of game experience and it showed as he went 11/14, 153 yards, 1 TD in his half of playing time.

Bears - Just watch this throw from 1st overall pick QB Caleb Williams to 9th overall pick WR Rome Odunze… this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Lions - Undrafted rookie WR Isaiah Williams has been a bright spot for the Lions, with 10 catches, 106 yards, this pre-season, to go along with his dangerous punt returning abilities. The Illinois alum may have played himself onto the roster.

Packers - With most of their starters not playing, the biggest news around the Packers has been that it appears that 7x gold medalist Simone Biles is a fan of the team (her husband S Jonathan Owens now plays for the Bears).

Vikings - It’s been a pretty brutal off-season for the Vikings, one positive is former first rounder, S Lewis Cine, and his pre-season play so far. Cine has been hampered by injuries the last two seasons, but had 11 combined tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits, an interception and a pass deflection in Saturday’s game.

Buccaneers - Released LB Randy Gregory who never showed up for training camp.

Falcons - We didn’t get to see QB Kirk Cousins or QB Michael Penix Jr. play in the most recent pre-season game, but WR Chris Blair (from Alcorn State), has put up 6 receptions for 136 yards (22.7 ypc) so far, the deep-threat did the same thing in the XFL last year averaging 22.8 ypc on 26 receptions.

Panthers - Rookie RB Dillon Johnson, who went undrafted despite his performance in the Washington Huskies playoff run, had 18 carries, for 83 yards and a touchdown as time expired. Easy guy to root for, but he has an uphill battle to make the roster.

Saints - Rookie QB Spencer Rattler is talented, but still raw, he’s had a slow start in his two pre-season games going 13/25, 97 yards.

English Premier League Opening Weekend 

Chuffed (British for delighted; pleased)

1. Liverpool - Took down newly promoted Ipswich Town, 2-0, in Arne Slot’s first Premier League match at the helm of the Reds.

2. Man United - Groans turned into elation when Joshua Zirkzee masterfully deflected Alejandro Garnacho’s cross into the net in the 87th minute to give Man U three points vs. Fulham.

3. Mateo Kovacic - Dodged getting called for a crucial hand-ball penalty and then scored the dagger against his old club, Chelsea, in Man City’s 2-0 win.

Gutted (British for feeling extremely upset or disappointed)

1. Everton - The Toffees narrowly avoided relegation last season and this season did not get off to an inspiring start getting thrashed 3-0 at home against Brighton.

2. Nottingham Forest - A botched clearance led to an 86th-minute equalizer by Antoine Semenyo.

3. Chelsea - It was a missed opportunity for new manager Enzo Maresca to make a statement at home.

Five Stars

1. Bukayo Saka/Kai Havertz (Arsenal) - Goal, assist, 5 shots each in 2-0 win over Wolves

2. Danny Welbeck (Brighton) - Goal, assist in 3-0 win over Everton

3. Joshua Zirkzee (Man U) - 87th minute go-ahead goal vs. Fulham

4. Yoane Wissa (Brentford) - Assist and go-ahead goal vs. Crystal Palace

5. Goalies - Six goalkeepers with clean sheets on the opening weekend

The Mint Matches of the Week

Brighton v. Man United - Sat. 7:30 AM EST, American Express Stadium

Aston Villa v. Arsenal - Sat. 12:30 PM EST, Villa Park

Liverpool v. Brentford - Sun. 11:30 PM EST, Anfield

MLB - Top Games

• Baltimore Orioles 4, Boston Red Sox 2: Albert Suárez delivered a strong performance for the Orioles, pitching six scoreless innings, which earned the Orioles a split in their four-game series. Suárez, has now pitched 17 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings across three starts. Despite being outhit 11-3, the Orioles secured the win with home runs from Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. The victory puts the Orioles at the top of AL east, tied with the Yankees, while the Red Sox fell further behind in the wild card race.

Key Highlight: Suárez is now quietly 6-4 with a 3.18 ERA

• Tampa Bay Rays 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 7: The Rays completed the three-game sweep in 12 innings. Dylan Carlson hit a walk-off RBI single in the 12th inning after the Rays had blown a six-run lead. The Diamondbacks were hitless for the first six innings but mounted a late comeback, with Corbin Carroll hitting a two-run homer in the eighth and Adrian Del Castillo tying the game with a three-run homer in the ninth. The Diamondbacks, now dealing with several injuries, including to Ketel Marte and Christian Walker, remain in NL wild-card contention.

Key Highlight: Even though they lost, Castillo's comeback in the 9th was pretty awesome:

• Texas Ranger 6, Minnesota Twins 5: The Rangers, who trailed 4-0 going into the seventh inning, staged a comeback led by Josh Jung. Jung hit a solo homer in the seventh and later delivered the game-winning infield single in the 10th inning, which, combined with a throwing error, allowed Adolis García to score the winning run. Minnesota's Carlos Santana hit a game-tying home run in the ninth, but the Twins ultimately fell short. The Rangers now hold the best record in extra innings this season at 8-2.

Key Highlight: Adolis García has been on an absolute tear in August batting .345 and helping tie this one up:

• Miami Marlins 3, New York Mets 2: Derek Hill's go-ahead single in the eighth inning lifted the Marlins to victory. Hill also made a spectacular catch and scored the tying run earlier in the game. The Marlins overcame three pickoffs, with key performances from their bullpen, including Andrew Nardi and Calvin Faucher, who secured the save. The Mets' Brandon Nimmo hit a home run but later exited the game due to a shoulder injury.

Key Highlight: This double play was absolutely insane. Just your standard 8-9-4-2 double play.

• Detroit Tigers 3, New York Yankees 2: Marcus Stroman and Tarik Skubal had a pitchers duel going early. Jace Jung delivered his first career RBI in the ninth inning to tie the game. Although the Yankees responded in the 10th, the Tigers rallied with key hits from Zach McKinstry and Parker Meadows, who drove in the winning run.

Key Highlight: The game was played in Williamsport, Pennsylvania (in front of the little leaguers playing in the Little League Classic). They challenged newly called up Jasson Domínguez in left field to win the game:

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

On this day in 1995, Mike Tyson returned to the ring after serving 3 years in prison to fight Peter McNeeley. The fight only lasted 89 seconds, and included 2 knockdowns before McNeeley’s corner entered the ring to end the fight. The fight grossed $96 million worldwide, and was purchased by 1.52 million American homes.

Trivia Time Answer

C. Tottenham Hotspur was the first British club to win a major European competition. They won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1963, defeating Atlético Madrid 5-1 in the final. While it went through many iterations over time, this competition would eventually become the Champions League we know and love today.