Sports
NFL Week 2 roundtable: Jordan Love’s status, Bears-Texans and underrated Week 1 storylines
While Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion has been the talk of the league in Week 2, the Green Bay Packers could attempt to tread water without quarterback Jordan Love, the early Dallas Cowboys hype train looks to run through the New Orleans Saints, Joe Burrow meets Patrick Mahomes once again and the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans cap Sunday’s action.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer break down the weekend ahead.
Which storyline from Week 1 didn’t get talked about enough?
Sando: How bad the Carolina Panthers looked. It was realistic to expect some progress this season, but after losing 47-10 at New Orleans and losing top defensive lineman Derrick Brown for the season, what is the path forward?
Howe: I was impressed by the way Jalen Hurts rebounded from the Philadelphia Eagles’ horrific start, which was partly on him, of course. They opened with two turnovers, including an ugly interception and a botched snap by the center, but Hurts led the Eagles to three touchdowns and a field goal on the next four drives to seize control against the Packers. Hurts deservedly got criticized for his two picks, but they wouldn’t have won that game without his mental toughness.
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Keefer: Maybe this is because they’ve been in the spotlight for the better part of five seasons, but I thought the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening-night win over the Baltimore Ravens was extremely impressive. Not only do the Chiefs have one of the stiffest defenses in the league, but with Xavier Worthy, they also have another offensive weapon who should alleviate some of the midseason struggles they had on that side of the ball last season. The Ravens are as consistent as any team in football, and the Chiefs have now beaten them in six of the past seven games. That’s impressive. It’s not a stretch to say Kansas City can win 14 or 15 games this season and cruise to a No. 1 seed. A three-peat, assuming all the key pieces stay healthy, is very much in play.
It’s only Week 2, but did you see anything from the Cowboys to make you believe this year can end any differently? Were the Saints just playing a bad Panthers team, or is there something to believe in, in New Orleans?
Sando: It’s hard to say this Cowboys season will end any differently after watching the San Francisco 49ers dominate the New York Jets on both lines. Dallas needs regression elsewhere in the NFC to avoid falling short. On the Saints, the great start suggested they might not be a disaster. I think people forget they finished 9-8 last season.
Howe: I was fully on board with the Cowboys taking that long-awaited jump last season, but another playoff dud ruined all the goodwill they had built. They’re again one of the most talented teams in the league, so it’s looking like a similar regular season is in store. There probably isn’t anything they can do before mid-January to extinguish the doubts from the last playoff performance. The Saints are 25-26 over the past three seasons. They’ve proven capable of looking good at times and mediocre at others. This will be more about the Panthers unless the Saints prove otherwise over the next five games against high-quality opponents.
Keefer: The problem with the Cowboys is their postseason collapses of the past few years have overshadowed how consistent and productive they’ve been throughout the regular season. As long as Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are on the field, this is one of the best offenses in football, and the way the defense played Sunday at the Cleveland Browns speaks to how much that unit can disrupt the game. As for the Saints, I’m not taking anything away from them, but this was more about Carolina — the Panthers are the least talented team in football, and it’s not even close. I’m looking forward to how New Orleans does with a much more legitimate test Sunday versus Dallas.
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Colts-Packers is an intriguing game as well. How can Green Bay tread water without Love (listed as questionable Friday) if he has to miss significant time? Though Anthony Richardson flashed the special ability in Week 1 that makes him so unique, what else do you need to see from him to believe he can take a step forward this year?
Sando: I don’t see how the Packers can tread water with Malik Willis as their interim starting quarterback. There isn’t any evidence to suggest he can play well enough consistently enough to win. For Richardson, let’s see him string together games without an injury. Then we can focus on the finer points of his play.
Howe: The Packers needed a strong September to counterbalance a challenging schedule over the final three months, so they’re in trouble if Love misses this stretch against the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. They’ll need mistake-free play from Willis, a great running game, some chunk catch-and-runs from their talented receivers and takeaways on defense. That’s a lot that has to go right while Love gets healthy. Richardson looks ready to take the next step. He just needs to stay healthy to get there.
Keefer: Mike is right — nothing we’ve seen so far from Willis suggests he can step into the starting role in Green Bay and beat a pretty solid Indianapolis team. He has also only been with the Packers for about three weeks, so it’s not like he has mastered the playbook yet. As for Richardson, this season is about becoming more than a highlight reel: His highs are unreal, but he missed too many open throws Sunday — including a walk-in touchdown for A.D. Mitchell — and that was the difference in the game. But remember: That was his fifth NFL start. This will take time. He’s shown enough promise to make you think he’ll get there.
Which Texans offseason addition was more impressive Sunday: Joe Mixon or Stefon Diggs? Caleb Williams’ performance left a lot to be desired, but what positives did you take away from his debut?
Sando: Mixon became the sixth player since the start of the 2020 season to carry at least 30 times and average at least 5.0 yards per rush in a game. That’s tough work and more impressive than Diggs, whose six receptions were not remarkable.
Howe: Wow, this would be a great barroom debate. Mixon gives the Texans an element they didn’t have last season when they finished 22nd in rushing, and C.J. Stroud was going to be great regardless of Diggs’ arrival because they’re already so good at receiver. But if Diggs comes as self-advertised and recaptures the difference-making ability, it might be enough to get the Texans over the top in the playoffs. For now, I’d say Mixon is the better answer, though. As for Williams, I’m not worried about him long-term, but I don’t know how many positives there were Sunday. More than anything, the Bears look ready to play at a high level on defense and special teams, and that could mean more to their success this season than anything.
Keefer: I covered Sunday’s Houston Texans-Colts game, and I thought Mixon was running like he was five years younger. He absolutely torched the Colts in the second half. The week before in practice, he told his offensive linemen, “Let’s go get 150 to start it off.” He finished with 159 and salted the game away late in the fourth. If he can become a consistent threat in Bobby Slowik’s scheme, this will be one of the top offenses in football. As we saw, the receiving room is stacked. As for Williams, the most encouraging takeaway was how he handled it; this was a dud of a debut, but he handled it like a veteran, praising his defense and special teams and vowing to get back to work. Having the humility to bury a bad game and start over the following week is vital for a young quarterback. He’ll get a good look at how one of the best in the league, Stroud, does it Sunday.
C.J. Stroud’s softspoken, laid-back persona belies an edge he’s always played with — and now leads with.
He doesn’t unleash it often. But when he does, teammates feel the fire.
Quarterbacks don’t get far in this league being polite, writes @zkeefer.https://t.co/VRHPvZUFq4 pic.twitter.com/niFjqLyJeI
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 12, 2024
We had a pair of post-Achilles injury returns in Week 1 from the Falcons’ Kirk Cousins and the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers. Thoughts on both QBs? Are they rusty and in need of time, in good shape or is there some cause for concern?
Sando: They both looked good throwing the ball. The questions I have deal more with the offensive design and their play callers. Rodgers showed he can throw the ball well. But will this be a dynamic attack? Cousins threw the ball fine, but he was under pressure and got hit hard, which affected his play. Cousins also was in the shotgun or pistol way more frequently than in the past, with zero under-center play-action looks, which he has thrived on. Is that best for Cousins?
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Howe: I thought Rodgers looked good at times. The 49ers overwhelmed the Jets, who weren’t ready to compete with one of the league’s best teams. It was a nice starting point for the QB, though. Cousins was a little more concerning just because the Atlanta Falcons had so many chances to take control of the game and simply couldn’t. Maybe it’s because T.J. Watt looked like the best defender on the planet last week, so I’m interested to see more from Cousins and the Falcons as a whole.
Keefer: It’s too early to panic in either case — especially with experienced QBs like these two — but that was some bad offensive football from both teams. Rodgers still throws one of the prettiest balls in the league, but he didn’t look to be moving around the pocket all that great — certainly not like he did for most of his time in Green Bay. Some of this was probably the 49ers defense, which was excellent, but other than one good drive in the first half and the free-play touchdown, they didn’t do a thing. On the Falcons’ front, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense made Cousins’ life pretty miserable for most of the day — Watt was flat-out unstoppable at times. Can they protect him better? Cousins will likely settle in more as the season progresses, but Mike’s concerns about the scheme are valid. We’ll learn more Monday night.
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(Photo of Jordan Love: Wagner Meier / Getty Images)
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.
As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.
In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.
It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.
Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.
While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.
Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.
Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.
Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.
Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.
One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.
“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.
Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.
A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.
There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.
While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.
World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.
“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.
On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.
The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.
“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”
For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.
As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.
“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”
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The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he will also miss the Midsummer Classic with what the team called left knee irritation.
Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become an All-Star Game fixture. He has earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.
Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The two-way phenom is on his way to winning his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.
The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter up until the break, but he will “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”
Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.
It is certainly a big hit for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him out since late May.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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Ohtani hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, a figure he also put up in 2022 that led the American League.
The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have 300-plus plate appearances and 40-plus innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he has more than excelled at both.
Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
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Ohtani is not hitting like he has in the past, but certainly the best pitching performance of his career will make up for it. He “only” has 20 homers and 56 RBI this season.
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