Saints starting cornerback carted off the field vs. Broncos

Paulson Adebo was carted off against the Broncos with a serious leg injury. Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry stepped into the lineup:

New Orleans Saints starting cornerback Paulson Adebo suffered a brutal leg injury in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Safety Jordan Howden tackled Broncos running back Javonte Williams, and they collided with Adebo right on his upper leg when he crashed in to assist with the tackle.

Adebo was clearly in pain after the play and unable to get up. The medical staff brought a cart out for the cornerback, and he was fitted with a vacuum splint to stabilize his leg.

Rookie corner Kool-Aid McKinstry stepped in to substitute Adebo. He and Alontae Taylor will split time on the outside opposite Marshon Lattimore. McKinstry started against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 when Lattimore was out with injury. Taylor played outside when they were in base defense, and slid into the slot in nickel defense.

This looks like a season ending injury. What it does is give the Saints a chance to get an evaluation of the rookie. McKinstry seemed like a pick who would contribute more in his second year.

That timeline has been pushed up. The injury is a tough blow for Adebo. He was entering a contract year.

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Updated injury report for Alabama vs. Tennessee matchup on Saturday

Alabama had two prominent players come off the Availability Report on Thursday night.

While there were no changes for the Tennessee Volunteers on the latest Week 8 SEC Availability Report from Thursday night, there were however a few notable differences for the Alabama Crimson Tide that could affect the game this Saturday.

In all, the Crimson Tide had five players mentioned on Thursday night’s report, which is the same total as Wednesday. However, not all names were the same, as some players came off the availability report, while others were added.

Let’s take a look at some of the latest Alabama injury updates for Week 8 vs. Tennessee:

Daniel Hill, Running Back

Hill was a new addition Thursday night, as the true freshman running back is now ruled as “out” for the Tennessee game, joining linebacker Cayden Jones. The freshman is Alabama’s fourth leading rusher so far this season, rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts.

Kendrick Law & Kobe Prentice, Wide Receiver

The biggest news from Thursday night was that both Law and Prentice came off the availability report entirely, meaning that both will likely be good to go against Tennessee. If both of Law and Prentice are available for Alabama on Saturday, that is significant news for the Crimson Tide’s wide receiver group.

Keon Sabb, Safety

Sabb was a new addition to the injury report Thursday night, as the safety is now listed as probable for Saturday. Alabama’s third leading tackler, Sabb joins cornerback Domani Jackson as starters in the Crimson Tide secondary who are now probable.

Yhonzae Pierre, Linebacker

Lastly, Pierre took a step in the right direction when it comes to being available for Saturday, as the outside linebacker is now listed as probable. The talented pass rusher was previously listed as questionable Wednesday night.

The Guardians’ radio call of David Fry’s Game 3 walk-off home run was so electric

“THERE SHE GOES!”

The Cleveland Guardians won an all-time classic playoff game on Thursday thanks to some clutch home runs to walk off Game 3 of the ALCS.

After Jhonkensy Noel tied things up for the Guardians in the ninth inning with a two-run home run against the New York Yankees, David Fry finished things up in extras with a walk off blast of his own. The Guardians now are down 2-1 in the series to the Yankees instead of facing elimination like they could have should they had lost.

It was an absolutely incredible moment, one that has given the Guardians new life in this series headed into Game 4 on Friday, and Cleveland’s radio play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton put his all into the final call of the night.

Talk about electric!

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Chiefs coach ‘can’t find weakness’ in 49ers QB Brock Purdy

The Chiefs have a terrific defense, but their defensive coordinator doesn’t know how to stop the 49ers’ QB.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo hasn’t changed his opinion of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Spagnuolo had a ton of praise for Purdy after Super Bowl LVIII, going as far as to seek out the QB’s phone number to reach out individually. Purdy’s performance in 2024 has only solidified Spagnuolo’s thoughts on the 49ers’ signal caller.

The Chiefs’ defensive coordinator spoke with reporters Thursday and said he can’t find a weakness in Purdy’s game.

“I can’t find a weakness in this quarterback,” Spagnuolo said via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “Every time I put the film on, I’m more and more impressed.”

Perhaps Spagnuolo is simply trying not to enflame an already big Super Bowl rematch. However, given his praise for Purdy immediately after the game and Purdy’s strong start to the 2024 campaign, it’s tough to imagine he’s being entirely untruthful.

On the other hand, if there was something Spagnuolo thought he could exploit with the 49ers’ QB, he wouldn’t divulge that in a press conference.

So far this season there’s not a glaring weakness in the way Purdy has succeeded. Teams have tried heavily blitzing him. Teams have tried not blitzing him. They’ve taken away the middle of the field. They’ve forced him to scramble. There’s nothing in particular that jumps out as the secret to beating the 49ers’ QB.

If there is a secret to doing so and Spagnuolo has it, the 49ers would love to have it come out in Week 7 instead of later in the regular season or in the playoffs.

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Belal Muhammad: UFC 310 opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t faced someone who ‘won’t back down, won’t fold’

UFC champ Belal Muhammad believes Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t been tested to the degree he’ll experience when they meet at UFC 310.

You can say Shavkat Rakhmonov has a certain “aura” or call him the “boogeyman” of the division – [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is ready to shut all that down.

At UFC 310, Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) puts his recently acquired 170-pound title on the line against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. It’s a quick turnaround, as Muhammad won the belt at UFC 304 in July by soundly winning a unanimous decision over Leon Edwards.

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is viewed as one of the scariest fighters in the division, if not the entirety of the sport. He’s fearless and aggressive, and has never needed the judges to determine the winner of a fight. However, Muhammad believes Rakhmonov hasn’t been in there with someone like him, who can force him into difficult situations.

“He’s mentally tough, he’s mentally strong, and if it comes down to grit for grit, he’s going to beat a lot of these guys based off of his toughness and his will to win,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “Now you’re going against someone with a stronger will. Now you’re going against somebody that’s  tougher. Now you’re going against somebody that won’t back down, won’t fold.

“So now, it’s how he’s going to react now, and I don’t think that he’s really had to face that type of adversity in the UFC yet. He really hasn’t. He’s always been in the lead. Now he’s going to be falling behind. Now you’re going to be getting to later rounds. Now when it starts getting tougher and you can’t breathe, and you’re getting tired and this is not working, and that’s not working, how do you make your adjustments?”

The champ says he’s been through those trials and tribulations under the bright lights already, so he’s prepared for those moments. To his point, Rakhmonov has not been scheduled for a five-round fight in the UFC. In fact, he’s only reached Round 3 once, in a Fight of the Night against Geoff Neal last March.

Muhammad doesn’t like the assumption that just because Rakhmonov hasn’t been into deep waters, he can’t perform well.

“I just think that he doesn’t get tired, this, this and this – he hasn’t been in front of me,” Muhammad said. “No matter who you are, who’s in front of me, you’re going to get tired fighting me. I don’t care what your path was like, what your cardio regiment is, I’m a different fighter. I’m a different pace than anybody you’ve ever seen.”

Muhammad believes he will present new challenges for his undefeated opponent. He’s confident his approach and his experience as a perennial underdog will carry him to victory against another undefeated opponent that some see as unbeatable.

Just like Sean Brady, who was undefeated before Muhammad got a hold of him in 2022, the champ sees a path to putting a blemish on another pristine record.

“We see weaknesses in these guys,” Muhammad said. “He may have a zero next to his name, but we see holes. That’s what we see in those zeros, those are the holes that we see, and we’re going to walk through those holes.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

WATCH: Broncos RB Javonte Williams scores easy TD vs. Saints

Broncos RB Javonte Williams scores to extend the TNF lead to 13-0 in the second quarter.

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams scored an easy eight-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, going untouched as he rushed for a score in the second quarter.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:

At the time of publication, Denver leads New Orleans 13-0.

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What to know from Indianapolis Colts second Week 7 injury report

Here is everything you need to know from the Indianapolis Colts’ second Week 7 injury report.

The Indianapolis Colts were back on the practice field Thursday for the second practice of the week in preparation for their Week 7 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

And with that came an updated injury report. Here’s what you need to know:

https://twitter.com/Colts/status/1847003520102248688/

– For the second day in a row, Anthony Richardson was a full participant in practice. On Monday, head coach Shane Steichen said that, barring a setback, the plan was to have Richardson play this Sunday, and things would continue to trend in that direction.

– Some more good news, a number of the key starters that did not practice on Wednesday were available on Thursday. This included Josh Downs, Ryan Kelly, Dayo Odeyingbo, Michael Pittman, Trey Sermon, Braden Smith, and EJ Speed. Of that group, Pittman and Smith were the full participants, while the others were limited.

– Now for the not-so-good news. Jonathan Taylor was still sidelined and did not practice. Given that this is now the third week where he hasn’t practice since sustaining the injury, we may not see him on Sunday. I would guess that the Colts would want to give him some ramp up time before he returns to game action.

– Popping up on the injury report on Thursday was Alec Pierce with a shoulder injury. He did not practice and now all three of the Colts’ receivers are on the injury report in some capacity. When the offense has needed a spark this season, oftentimes it has been Pierce providing it as one of the best downfield threats this season.

Jhonkensy Noel had the coldest bat flip after his ninth-inning, game-tying home run in Game 3

BIG CHRISTMAS!

Jhonkensy Noel knew instantly that his game-tying ninth-inning home run was a massive one and he celebrated accordingly with an absolutely cold bat flip.

On Thursday, with the Cleveland Guardians down 5-3 in Game 3 of the ALCS to the New York Yankees, the home team was down to its final out of the game. Already down 2-0 in the series, the Guardians needed a jolt to get them back in Game 3 or risk being one game away from elimination. And in the clutch, Big Christmas delivered the best present of all with a massive two-run home run to tie the game.

It was a monster blast, made all the better by Noel’s instant reaction to throw his bat aside so emphatically for an insanely cold bat flip.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1847075651481645187

Sheesh!

And you can absolutely make the case Noel’s home run saved the Guardians’ season, as in extra innings, David Fry walked it off with a two-run home run of his own to cut the Yankees’ series lead to 2-1.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1847080653373710755

What an awesome night in Cleveland!

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