#defense

#defense

"You're never out of the fight," Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said.

Duncan Robinson left the Miami Heat this summer in a sign-and-trade with the Pistons, agreeing to a three-year, $48 million deal. Detroit has played only four games this season, but fans have already gotten a taste of the Duncan Robinson experience. He scored in double-digits in one of those four games, finishing with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three in the Pistons' 115-111 win against the Rockets. It came at a good time, as in Detroit's season opener, Robinson had only two points on 0-of-5 shooting from deep in 32 minutes. In the Pistons' previous two games (a win over the Celtics and a loss to the Cavaliers), Robinson shot a combined 4-of-12 from three for 16 points (eight in each game).

Pleasantries weren't the point of the conference call with Mick Cronin. The UCLA basketball coach asked the player who could help his team contend for a national title about his plans after college. That was easy enough. Dent told Cronin that he wanted to play in the NBA. OK, Cronin responded, let's say you're playing the Lakers tomorrow. Who would you guard?

That legendary Jose Mourinho side strolled to victory in the Premier League title race that year, conceding a record low number of just 15 goals in 38 games. The previous record had been Arsenal's, when they conceded just 17 goals in the 1998/99 campaign, but it looks like the Gunners could reclaim the record if they carry on performing as well as they have this season.

The biggest play was the last one. With one out in the ninth and Toronto's Addison Barger at second base, representing the tying run, Andrés Giménez sliced a broken-ball liner to left field. The Dodgers' Kiké Hernández got a great jump on the ball and made a running catch, followed by a poor throw to second in an attempt to double off Barger. The ball took a tricky hop but Rojas stuck with it, catching the ball behind his left knee and hanging on as the retreating Barger knocked him to the ground. Rojas rolled on his back and pumped him right arm three times in celebration.

Jarren Duran continues to be an absolute speed demon and make teams pay for it. Not only was his sprint speed in the 91st percentile in 2025, his base running value overall was in the 98th percentile. Consider his 24 stolen bases, 13 triples, and an inside-the-park home run, and it's clear that Duran was absolutely punishing on the base paths. His Fielding Run Value was just 2-a dramatic drop from his mark of 11 in 2024, and his Outs Above Average dropped from 10 in 2024 to -4 in 2025. He took a wicked step back with his glove, but still made up for it with a 93rd percentile Arm Value and arm strength in the 71st percentile.

Looking at the Patriots' roster and how they have collectively performed so far this season, there are plenty of guesses about what positions they might target with the trade deadline right around the corner. Many have suggested they'll prioritize the offense, but the latest from reporters like The Athletic's Chad Graff suggests otherwise -and with some of the rumored names potentially becoming available, it makes sense.

He told me, `Dude, you can be a head coach in this league," Ryans told reporters this week in Houston. "I was kind of shocked, because no one had ever said that to me before . . . Kyle was the guy who believed in me. It just shows you speak life into people. Your words mean a lot. That's what I'm always doing, just trying to speak life into people, speak life into others. Be positive about attacking each day.

So, during a timeout, assistants Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco made a suggestion. Butler subbed in for Will Richard at the 4:21 mark of the fourth quarter, Green took the place of Brandin Podziemski with 3:50 to play, and besides a few seconds on the final possession of regulation, the five-man lineup closed out the final 8 minutes, 50 seconds of what turned into a 137-131 overtime win.

In four days, the Chargers' defense went from rattled to relentless. The Minnesota Vikings were the victims, unable to move the ball Thursday night against a unit that looked shaky and unsure of itself in a humbling loss to Indianapolis the previous Sunday. That, along with the consistently excellent play of quarterback Justin Herbert and a solid ground attack, paved the way for a 37-10 victory by the Chargers before a national audience.

The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards gave even more credit to the Cubs. Sports Info Solutions (SIS), the company that developed Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), honors the best defenders each year. It is the 20th season of the awards, although some recent changes have been made. Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants won the third annual Defensive Player of the Year Award, while the Cubs were named the Defensive Team of the Year.

It is an issue that will be present all season. I won't understand the exit even if Deco and company explain it to me. He arrived for free in Barcelona and made a strong effort because he could not be registered,

The Rangers lines tonight will remain largely unchanged, but the Blueshirts will welcome back defenseman Carson Soucy, who has been on IR for a week with a suspected concussion. Soucy's return seemed imminent, and there were rumblings that Matthew Robertson could find himself back on the bench despite solid play. Mike Sullivan surprised us though, as Urho Vaakanainen will sit, and Robertson will stick in the lineup.

Four takeaways. That's where the bar has been set for Chicago's defense after pushing past an 0-2 start, which included one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history in a 52-21 loss at Detroit in Week 2. It's become a rallying cry for the Bears, who took the ball away four times against Dallas in Week 4 and four more times in Las Vegas one week later.