Sports, in brief

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams pulled his right hamstring on Sunday while outrunning a tackler, with nobody touching him, and was taken off on a cart. [1][2] It is the first serious injury of his career; he had started all 38 games, playoffs included, since being drafted first overall in 2024. [2]

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow in the same afternoon, putting a hand down as he fell. [1][2] It is the second time he has dislocated that elbow in eleven months. [2]

On Monday night the New York Giants lost their quarterback Jaxson Dart to a knee injury on the opening drive against the Los Angeles Rams. [5][6] He took a hit from two Rams defenders, walked off under his own power and went to the medical tent. [18] He did not come back. [6]

Chicago's coach Ben Johnson said on Monday morning that Williams is week to week and will probably miss some time. [3][4] The Bears will not know more until scans are read. [4] One report put the likely absence at anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months. [20]

Neither club could sign a replacement. Each played the stand-in it already had on the payroll: Jameis Winston for the Giants [7], Tyson Bagent for the Bears. [10]

Winston is in his twelfth season and was kept on as the Giants' backup. He completed 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards, threw an interception and scored no touchdowns, and the Giants lost 28-6. [7][8][13] Malik Nabers, the Giants' best receiver, now catches passes from him. [19]

Seattle turned to Drew Lock when Sam Darnold was hurt, Minnesota to Carson Wentz when Kyler Murray was concussed, and Atlanta started its third-choice quarterback with the other two unfit. [9][11] Chicago used Tyson Bagent on Sunday [10] and the Giants used Winston on Monday. [7] That is five of the 32 clubs, two weeks into a season of 17 games.

The Giants had no third quarterback available. Most clubs use a rule that lets them dress a 49th player for emergencies, but their only other quarterback was on the practice squad and had not been added to the main roster. [8]

Had Winston been hurt too, the Giants would have had to hand the ball to a wide receiver or a running back who last played quarterback at school. [8]

Scoring fell across the league on Sunday, a week after the highest-scoring opening Sunday in its history, when games averaged 53.3 points between the two sides. [15] Williams and Daniels both play in the National Football Conference, one of the league's two halves, where ESPN called their injuries the biggest story of the day. [16] A weekly review named the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers, in the other half, as the week's biggest disappointments. [17]

One betting company lengthened the Giants' price on winning the season's final to 80-to-1 within minutes of the injury, while another still had them at 45-to-1. [12]

Why it matters. Watch what Tuesday's tests say about Jaxson Dart's knee. A long absence would hand the Giants' season to a man who completed 11 of 27 passes on Monday.

Major League Baseball's regular season ends on Sunday, and 17 of the 30 clubs can still reach the playoffs. [21] The three National League division titles are settled, and three American League places are taken by Tampa Bay, Boston and New York. [21] Twelve clubs qualify in all, and the first knockout round is scheduled for 29 September to 1 October. [22] Seeding decides who plays at home, and none of that is settled. [21]

Why it matters. A week of games that usually decide nothing will decide half the field, and the clubs already through are the ones handing out the places.

The Atlanta Braves needed one more win to take their division after beating the Houston Astros 6-3 on Saturday. [23] Ronald Acuna Jr hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, his 20th home run of the year. [23] The division has now been clinched. [21] It is the first season in charge for the manager Walt Weiss. [23]

Why it matters. A division title means Atlanta skip the first knockout round, which is three games long and often ends a good season in three days.

The Toronto Blue Jays were two and a half games behind the last American League playoff place after Sunday's win, with six games left; by Monday one count had them three back. [24][22] Winning all six would give them a 57 per cent chance, by one published projection, but they have not won more than four in a row all year. [24] Their pitching is down to two reliable starters. [24] Their overall chance is about five per cent. [24]

Why it matters. Toronto's season now depends on results in other stadiums, played by clubs that have already qualified. In a seven-game series the first two starting pitchers matter far more than the rest, and Toronto is down to two. [28]

The Boston Red Sox secured a playoff place on Sunday. [21][25] They are now chasing the second of the three wild-card places, which decides who they meet first. [25] The New York Yankees are ahead of them. [25] Tampa Bay need one win in four games against the Yankees to take the division, the top seed and a bye into the second round. [21]

Why it matters. The higher seed hosts all three games of the first round, so even a club that has already qualified plays its last week at full strength. [22]

The San Francisco Giants sent the outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and the first baseman Bryce Eldridge to the injured list on Monday. [26] Of the nine players in their opening-day batting order, three have been traded and the other six are hurt. [26] They now have 23 players on that list. [26] In their place the club promoted two young players from its own minor-league teams, Bo Davidson and Marcelo Mayer. [26]

Why it matters. Baseball's trading deadline passed in July, so a club this late in the season can only use players it already owns.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have baseball's biggest wage bill and are chasing a third title in a row. [27] The Milwaukee Brewers, who have the 19th biggest, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who have the 23rd, have been among the best clubs all season. [27] The three are ranked first, second and third in one widely read power ranking. [27] Baseball's clubs and players start bargaining over a new labour deal this winter. [27]

Why it matters. Whoever wins in October becomes the example both sides quote when they argue about whether baseball needs a wage cap.

The New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, a three-time most valuable player, has a strained right calf and will stay on the injured list until the last day of the regular season at the earliest. [22] The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is also a doubt. [22] Both clubs have already qualified for the playoffs. [22] The first knockout round is scheduled for 29 September to 1 October. [22]

Why it matters. Both clubs can rest their stars precisely because their place is safe, which is a luxury the clubs still fighting do not have.

The Indianapolis Colts expect their main receiver Alec Pierce to miss several weeks with a heel injury, and hope he returns around midseason. [29] It is the same heel that was operated on in March, and the recovery from that ran long enough to cost him training camp. [29] Pierce signed a four-year deal worth $114m in March. [29] Laquon Treadwell, already on the roster, took most of his snaps against Kansas City. [29]

Why it matters. Experienced receivers can still be signed in September in a way quarterbacks cannot, so Indianapolis had an option that Chicago and the Giants did not.

The New England Patriots' guard Mike Onwenu broke his right ankle in the first quarter against Pittsburgh. [30] He is 28 and had played 100 of the club's last 102 games. [30] In the close season he agreed to cut this year's cap charge by $7.5m in exchange for $10m more guaranteed. [30] His contract ends in March. [30]

Why it matters. The injury will probably cost him a long contract next spring, so the guaranteed money he took in the summer is most of what he ends up with.

Michael Penix Jr will start for the Atlanta Falcons against Green Bay on Thursday night. [31] It is his first game since he tore a knee ligament in the eleventh week of last season. [31] He was cleared for full training on 24 August and split practice with the veteran Cooper Rush, who started the first two games. [31] Atlanta have lost both, including 34-3 to Carolina. [31]

Why it matters. Atlanta paid three quarterbacks this year and has needed all three. Cooper Rush started the first two games as the third choice. [9][31]

Deshaun Watson helped the Cleveland Browns beat Tampa Bay 23-19 on Sunday. [32] It was only his second league-average game or better for Cleveland since 2023, by one measure of how much each throw is worth. [32] He missed all of last season with an Achilles tendon that tore twice, and the opener was his first game in almost 22 months. [32] He was booed by his own crowd in a warm-up game in August. [32]

Why it matters. Cleveland have no cheap way out of Watson's contract, so the outcome the club wants is the one it got on Sunday: him playing well.

Southampton's head coach Tonda Eckert is waiting to hear whether England's Football Association will punish him further for spying on three rival clubs. [33] A separate English Football League panel found in June that he had run a deliberate plan to watch Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough before a play-off semi-final. [33] Southampton were docked four points. [33] Without that deduction the club would be fourth rather than 13th. [33]

Why it matters. Two bodies are judging the same acts one after the other, so a club that has already been punished cannot plan its season.

At least half the clubs in England's professional divisions are either up for sale or looking for investors, and Chelsea announced a change to its ownership structure last week. [34] Nine of the ten lawyers and advisers asked replied, and all of them said they were unusually busy. [34] Liverpool's minority investors are expected to clear the league's approval process shortly. [34]

Why it matters. Chelsea, Liverpool and clubs far down the divisions are all raising money at the same time, which is why the advisers say they are busy. [34]

Chelsea have taken seven points from their first five Premier League matches under their new manager Xabi Alonso. [35] They have conceded 12 goals, more than any other club in the division, and have let in at least two in every game. [35] They have now gone 21 league matches without keeping the other side scoreless. [35] They lost at Brentford for the first time since 1938. [35]

Why it matters. Chelsea spent heavily on a new centre-back and a new goalkeeper this summer, and they have still conceded more goals than anyone else.

A study says the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles could add between $20.5bn and $40.6bn to the wider region and support as many as 224,000 jobs. [36] It also forecasts $5.1bn to $5.9bn in tax revenue for national, state and local government. [36] The work was done by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. [36] It was commissioned by LA28, the body organising the Games. [36]

Why it matters. The organisers paid for the study, and its top figure is twice its bottom one, which is a wide range to build a public argument on.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed the venues for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. [37] Ice hockey goes to the LDLC Arena next to Lyon's football stadium, and a housing project in the city's suburbs becomes the athletes' village. [37] The downhill races are in Courchevel and the slalom in Val d'Isere. [37] Long-track speed skating will be held in Heerenveen in the Netherlands, about 600 miles away. [37]

Why it matters. France decided it was cheaper to borrow a Dutch rink than to build one, so a home Games will send one sport out of the country.

Athlos, a women-only track and field competition started in New York in 2024 by the Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, held its first event outside the United States at a sold-out StoneX Stadium in London. [38] The Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and the American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson were among those racing. [38] The BBC showed it live. [38] Ohanian says he wants four to six meetings a year. [38]

Why it matters. It is the third meeting the series has ever held, and a sold-out ground and a national broadcaster are what a new competition needs before sponsors will pay.

The Golden State Valkyries finished the season with a sold-out crowd of 18,064 and a home record of 17 wins and five losses. [39] That is 397,408 people through the doors over the year. [39] The club has now sold out every home game in both of its two seasons. [39] No club in the history of the women's league has done that. [39]

Why it matters. Seattle, the visitors, finished 8-34 in one of the worst seasons the club has had, and the ground was full for that game too. [39]

Madison Square Garden Sports stopped selling single tickets for New York Knicks games after pricing them wrongly. [40] Some upper-tier seats for the 20 October opener against Philadelphia went on sale at more than $1,000. [40] Resale seats for that game started at $1,314 on one exchange. [40] The company said it would refund anyone who overpaid and reset prices at last season's level plus an average rise of 12 per cent. [40]

Why it matters. The club won the title last season after 53 years without one, and the resale market is what set the expectation the seller then tried to match.

Dahlin is stepping down after eight years as president of the International Biathlon Union, the body that runs the winter sport of skiing and shooting. [41] He took over after his predecessor was sentenced to three years in prison for accepting improper benefits and acting in Russia's favour, including on doping cases. [41] That man denies wrongdoing and is appealing. [41] Dahlin set up an outside review of the union's past conduct. [41]

Why it matters. Eight years is roughly how long it takes to rebuild a sport's reputation, and the next president inherits the result rather than the crisis.

FIFA, football's world governing body, has reshaped the international match calendar. [42] National teams used to play two matches in each of three autumn breaks; now all six are squeezed into one break of three weeks and one of two, and the September and October windows have been merged. [42][43] The current break lasts 16 days and club football resumes on 10 October. [42][43] Wrexham's manager Phil Parkinson said the extra time lets injured players recover. [42]

Why it matters. Clubs lose their internationals for longer in one go, and the ones with no internationals get a rest their rivals do not.

Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina against Benin in Buenos Aires on 6 October. [43] He announced his international retirement in August. [43] He is 39 and scored eight goals with four assists at the 2026 World Cup, which Argentina lost in the final to Spain. [43] He won the World Cup in 2022 and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. [43]

Why it matters. A farewell fixture against a small opponent at home is a national association's way of keeping the ticket money and the goodbye in the same place.

The United States were knocked out of the Under-20 Women's World Cup in the last 16, losing 5-4 on penalties to Brazil after a 1-1 draw. [44] The country has not won the tournament since 2012, across six editions. [44] Emma Hayes, who coaches the senior United States women's team, has said publicly she is worried about how young players are developed there. [44]

Why it matters. The United States built the women's game and is now being caught, and the under-20 result is the earliest place that shows up.

Bay FC, a women's club in San Jose, California, named Paul Green as its chief football officer on Monday. [45] Green spent 12 years at Chelsea as head of women's football, working alongside Emma Hayes, and the team won 19 trophies in that time, including eight league titles. [45] He will run all of the club's sporting operations. [45]

Why it matters. American clubs are now buying English football executives rather than the other way round, which is a change in where the money and the ambition sit.

Hibernian have dismissed David Gray, who as a player was part of the club's famous 2016 cup win at Hampden Park. [46] As manager he was the first at the club to qualify for European football in two seasons running since the early 1970s. [46] He is also the only Hibernian manager to win at Ibrox, Rangers' ground, in three seasons running. [46] The club has made a poor start this season. [46]

Why it matters. A record like that bought him nothing once results turned, which is the going rate for a manager at a mid-sized club.

Campaigners protested outside the town hall in Dewsbury, in northern England, over a leisure centre that shut in 2023. [47] It closed when a weak form of concrete was found in the building, and Kirklees Council closed it permanently last year. [47] The council says it has secured 35m pounds for a replacement, but it is still in planning and may not open until around 2031. [47] Campaigners want the old building repaired as a stopgap. [47]

Why it matters. Children in the town have no local place to learn to swim, and the gap between closing and replacing is now heading for eight years.

The charity Youth Music says more than 33,000 young people in the United Kingdom are waiting for a place at a youth club or music project. [48] It also says 37 per cent of the organisations it funds are at risk of closing. [48] One project in Totnes went from 15 young people before the pandemic to 100 now. [48] The UK government said expanding access was a vital part of what it spends on young people. [48]