Bears QB Caleb Williams is ‘week to week’ with hamstring injury, coach Ben Johnson says
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson is leaving open the possibility that Caleb Williams could play in Week 3 against Philadelphia. Williams left Sunday’s 9-3 loss to Minnesota with a right hamstring injury. The third-year quarterback got hurt on a scramble deep in Vikings territory with about 7 1/2 minutes left. Johnson says he doesn’t think Williams will practice this week, but he isn’t ruling him out for the matchup with the Eagles next Monday night. After the home game against Philadelphia, the Bears take on the New York Jets on Oct. 4 before visiting the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 11.
While awaiting more info on Daniels’ injury, the Commanders announce Mariota will start this weekend
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback for the Washington Commanders this weekend after Jayden Daniels went down with a dislocated left elbow. Coach Dan Quinn says Daniels had imaging done Monday and will see specialists Tuesday and Wednesday. Quinn says he might have an update on Daniels on Thursday or Friday. The injury in Sunday’s loss at Dallas came on a broken play at the end of the first half. Daniels used his non-throwing arm to brace his fall and in doing so injured the elbow. A similar thing happened last November, when Daniels dislocated the same elbow during a game against Seattle.
The latest on MLB postseason clinches, Ohtani and Judge health updates, awards races and more
Major League Baseball’s postseason is rapidly approaching, with the Los Angeles Dodgers seeking a third straight World Series title. It remains to be seen how much some of the game’s biggest stars will be able to participate in the playoffs, though. The Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they’ll have several challengers in October, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. All three teams could finish the regular season with 100 wins or more. Los Angeles is rolling even though four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani’s health is a concern.
Insisting that his coaching career is over, Doc Rivers joins NBC as an NBA analyst
Doc Rivers turned down an offer to become an NBA analyst for NBC after retiring as a player in 1996 because he couldn’t promise then-NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol that he wouldn’t become a coach. With Rivers now insisting that his Hall of Fame coaching career is over, the time seemed right for him to join NBC. The network announced on Monday that Rivers will be an analyst on games this season across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN along with the possibility for some studio work. Rivers has previously worked as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports and ESPN/ABC.
Infantino open to an independent FIFA governance review after backlash over failed project
MEXICO CITY (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino has suggested he’d be open to an independent review of the organization’s governance system. Infantino sent a letter on Monday to FIFA Council members and 211 member associations, proposing an external assessment of FIFA’s governance framework. This follows the failure of the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” project, which faced backlash. The plan involved private investors buying shares in competitions, sparking criticism and causing some members to withdraw support. The governance crisis comes as Infantino prepares for a fourth term starting in 2027.
Amid backdrop of Middle East war, soccer’s 8-country Arabian Gulf Cup starts Wednesday
Amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia will host soccer’s eight-country Arabian Gulf Cup starting Wednesday under pressure to bounce back from a disappointing World Cup. Yemen is the only one of the eight teams never to have won the trophy in 26 previous tournaments and opens against the United Arab Emirates in Jeddah on Thursday, just days after Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced that they had targeted the Saudi capital with missiles. On the field, the pressure is on Saudi Arabia, eliminated at the group stage at the World Cup after failing to win a game.
Mixed martial arts — without the wire cage and the blood — bids to make the Olympics
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Mixed martial arts could be coming to the Olympics — but it’s a long shot. It’s a version of the sport without the cage and with added safety measures. It’s being contested at the two-week Asian Games, and the campaign to get the sport into the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 is being led by Chinese billionaire Gordon Tang. Tang heads the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts, one of many groups lobbying to represent a very fractured global sport. The International Olympic Committee would have to approve, and then Brisbane organizers must do the same.
New signing Caroline Weir wants to help OL Lyonnes return to the top of women’s soccer
LYON, France (AP) — Not only did OL Lyonnes miss the chance of a record-extending ninth Women’s Champions League title, the crushing 4-0 loss to Barcelona in last season’s final underlined its rival’s status as the best side in the game. When goal-scoring midfielder Caroline Weir joined Lyon from Real Madrid she understood how much that loss hurt. In an interview with The Associated Press, Weir spoke of the disappointment of that final. She says “I know the players felt that.” The Women’s Champions League begins on Tuesday and the Scotland captain Weir could make her Lyon debut at Swiss team Servette on Wednesday.