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NFL Week 2: Wild comeback wins for Cowboys, Colts, Bengals
Esports

NFL Week 2: Wild comeback wins for Cowboys, Colts, Bengals

by admin September 16, 2025


  • Bill BarnwellSep 15, 2025, 08:45 AM ET

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      Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X’s and O’s, offseason transactions and so much more.

      He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast, with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland.

You certainly can’t say it was a boring Sunday. While there were a few blowout victories here and there, we saw seven of the 12 games Sunday decided by seven points or fewer. Outside of the 49ers, who firmly shut the door on the Saints to seal up their second consecutive close victory on the road to start the season, none of those wins felt resounding.

Three teams pulled off comebacks by scoring in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. The Cowboys topped the Giants, the Bengals beat the Jaguars and the Colts pulled out a last-second victory over the Broncos.

I’m going to break down those three games. What happened? How did those teams fuel their comebacks? Are these types of performances sustainable? And should we feel concerned about the three losers of those games?

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Let’s begin in Dallas, where the Cowboys needed help from one of the superstars it still has to overcome the absence of the one it traded away. (And if you want to read more about the Giants’ side of things, come back Thursday, when I’ll have my annual look at the league’s 0-2 teams and how they’re essentially all about to suit up for playoff games in Week 3. It’ll be the Chiefs’ first appearance in that column, too.)

Jump to a game:
Giants-Cowboys | Broncos-Colts
Jaguars-Bengals

Demoted to the 1 p.m. ET window after seemingly decades of being a nationally televised game between two of the league’s most storied franchises, the Cowboys and Giants responded with their own version of last week’s Ravens-Bills game. After a Dak Prescott interception started the second half and the Giants responded by stalling out in the red zone and turning the ball over on downs, these two teams scored on nine of the remaining 10 possessions in regulation. The lead changed hands six times in the process before the Cowboys finally took advantage of an inexplicable Russell Wilson interception in overtime to set up Brandon Aubrey for a 46-yard field goal to win the game.

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It was Aubrey’s 64-yard field goal at the end of regulation that sent the game to overtime — a once-in-a-lifetime boot for most professionals that seems almost ho-hum for the league’s biggest leg. Cowboys kickers have a habit of bailing out coaches who mismanage end-game scenarios the moment their team crosses that fake “field goal range” line, and Brian Schottenheimer appears to be no exception.

After a Prescott pass to Jake Ferguson got the ball to midfield with nine seconds left, the Cowboys decided against using their two remaining timeouts and their $60-million-per-year quarterback to make Aubrey’s kick easier. Instead, they handed the ball off to Javonte Williams for a 3-yard gain. Aubrey came through, but that sort of late-game management won’t play well when the Cowboys try to beat stiffer competition.

The Giants weren’t supposed to give the Cowboys much trouble after an ugly loss to the Commanders in Week 1. But in what was seen as potentially his final start as a pro QB if he played poorly, Wilson put together his best start since leaving Seattle. Through the end of regulation, his 93.1 Total QBR was the second-best mark of the day and would have been the best mark he posted in a game since the 2021 season. After hitting Malik Nabers with a 48-yard touchdown pass to take the lead back for the Giants with 25 seconds to go, Wilson was 27-of-36 for 433 yards, three touchdown passes and no picks. He took just two sacks on 39 dropbacks and added a first down on a 15-yard scramble.

Of course, I’m leaving overtime out of that equation, and that appeared to be the moment when the carriage turned into a pumpkin. The Giants couldn’t score on the second drive of the extra session, when a field goal would have won them the game. When Wilson got the ball back again, he threw an incomprehensible interception under pressure.

Generously, I’d like to think that he was trying to throw the ball out of bounds in Nabers’ direction (or somewhere close enough to make it a 50-50 ball) and just missed by about 5 yards. However, there was nothing in the pass concept suggesting that Wilson was throwing somewhere Nabers was supposed to be on that play. The interception didn’t end the game — the Cowboys only took over on their own 30-yard line — but it changed the Giants’ best-case scenario from a win to a tie.

Before then, though, Wilson was having a blast picking the Cowboys apart deep. On throws traveling 20 or more yards in the air during regulation, Wilson went 7-of-10 for 264 yards and three scores. The last time somebody completed seven or more deep passes in a game was when Nick Mullens did it for the Vikings against the Lions on Christmas Eve in 2023. And frankly, while these aren’t easy throws, the only one of these completions that was really spectacular was the late TD pass to Nabers to take the lead. I say that less to disparage what Wilson did and more to just emphasize how vacant and open for business the Cowboys’ defense was downfield.

Wilson picked them apart with big throws against all kinds of coverages. The Giants hit two long completions against Tampa 2, where linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr. and Jack Sanborn couldn’t get near seam routes from Wan’Dale Robinson. Nabers torched Trevon Diggs off the line for a big gain on a fade. Wilson hit a couple more go balls against three-deep looks, where Diggs and fellow starting cornerback Kaiir Elam just couldn’t get close enough to squeeze routes. And then there were a pair of long completions against quarters coverage, where the two corners were simply going to have to run with the Giants’ wide receivers and couldn’t do so.

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0:19

Russell Wilson’s heave finds Malik Nabers for late go-ahead TD

Russell Wilson airs out a 48-yard touchdown pass to Malik Nabers to give the Giants a late lead in the fourth quarter.

Personnel-wise, perhaps none of this should be surprising. Elam wasn’t able to get on the field consistently for much of his tenure with the Bills, and he wasn’t convincing when Buffalo did get him in the lineup. Murray, another former first-rounder and fellow addition for the Cowboys this offseason, has allowed a career passer rating north of 107 in coverage. And Sanborn is in Dallas because he played under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in Chicago and came cheap, with the former undrafted free agent making $1.5 million in 2025.

Diggs, meanwhile, is the microcosm of why things are so frustrating for the Cowboys on defense and unlikely to get better. He has struggled to get back to his former form after tearing his ACL early in the 2023 season, but it’s going to be even more difficult in 2025 because of what the Cowboys have done to their roster. Last season, even with Micah Parsons sidelined for four games (ankle), the Cowboys were sixth in pressure rate and second in sack rate. In fact, Dallas led the league in both categories across Parsons’ four years with the organization before his recent trade to Green Bay.

Without Parsons, the Cowboys are still generating pressures, but the sacks haven’t come. They rank sixth in pressure rate but just 19th in sack rate, and that has come against two of the most sack-friendly quarterbacks in football in Wilson and Jalen Hurts. Against pressure, Wilson was 6-of-10 for 99 yards and a touchdown throw before the overtime interception.

When Diggs and currently injured cornerback DaRon Bland were at their best during the Dan Quinn days in Dallas, the presence and even the threat of Parsons influenced what opposing coordinators were comfortable calling. It was easier for two of the league’s most aggressive corners to sit on routes, trusting that Parsons would get home before any receiver could get past them. And while that still led to some big plays and long completions, Diggs and Bland were able to more than make up for the missteps with league-leading interception totals.

Now, without that reliable pass rush, the cornerbacks can’t sit on routes at the sticks and trust that the ball is going to come out quick. They have to be prepared to consistently deal with scramble drills and plays out of structure. You might have noticed that Jayden Daniels went 3-of-10 for 44 yards on throws 10 or more yards downfield on Thursday night against Parsons’ new team; Green Bay’s corners — the weakest spot on its roster — suddenly have much easier lives as a product of their new star teammate.

Even while allowing the explosives downfield, the Cowboys were able to survive by relying on New York’s penchant for self-immolation in the red zone. In a matchup of last season’s worst red zone offense against its worst red zone defense, the Cowboys swung the game in their favor by limiting the Giants to one touchdown, three field goals and a turnover on downs across five trips inside the 20-yard line.

One of those was on a meltdown from fill-in left tackle James Hudson III, who was benched and limited to special teams duties after he committed two unnecessary roughness penalties and two false starts in a four-play sequence. One of the penalties cost the Giants a first-and-goal opportunity at the 2-yard line after a deep Robinson catch. It would have been one of the more unique moments of Sunday’s action if Xavien Howard hadn’t strung together four penalties in six plays for the Colts later in the afternoon.

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0:16

Donovan Wilson gives Cowboys ball back with OT INT

Donovan Wilson leaps to pick off Russell Wilson and give the Cowboys the ball back in overtime.

There isn’t just one problem for the Giants in the red zone. One drive stalled because of the Hudson penalties. Another ended on downs when Cam Skattebo dropped a pass into the flat that would have produced a first down. Kenny Clark had back-to-back pressures to blow up another sequence and force the Giants into a field goal. In general, the Giants can’t run the ball consistently, and the only truly dynamic playmaker they have in tight quarters is Nabers.

Through two weeks, by EPA per play, the Giants are the fourth-best offense in the NFL outside the red zone but the worst by a considerable margin inside the 20-yard line. I would say that has to regress toward the mean, but I was also saying that before the season — and well, it hasn’t yet.

The Cowboys narrowly avoided their nightmare scenario of starting 0-2 in the division. Amid the widespread frustration surrounding Parsons’ departure, there are a few reasons to be optimistic. The run game has been surprisingly effective early this season, with Williams turning 18 carries into 97 yards against the Giants, including a 30-yard touchdown. As Jerry Jones would happily tell you, Dallas’ run defense is better than it has been in years past, too. And with some better hands from CeeDee Lamb against the Eagles, they might be 2-0 right now.

Of course, without a spectacular kick from Aubrey, the Cowboys might also be 0-2.

Some back-and-forth battles are more spectacular than others. That fateful Bills-Chiefs game in the 2021 postseason was a prize fight with two great teams trading haymakers and somehow surviving to land another shot. The Broncos-Colts game in Indianapolis was something closer to two teams opening the door for each other and refusing to go through. The last one to make a critical mistake was going to lose.

That mistake came from the Broncos, who appeared to be escaping with a two-point win after a Spencer Shrader field goal miss from 60 yards, only for a long conference among officials to end with defender Dondrea Tillman getting flagged 15 yards for leverage. He attempted to dive over the center and instead hit him with an Ultimate Warrior-esque big splash. Teammate Eyioma Uwazurike clearly pushed down on long-snapper Luke Rhodes to help create more space for Tillman’s leap. It’s one of the more obscure rules in the NFL to decide a game in recent memory, but it is a clear and obvious foul. Shrader hit a 45-yarder with his ensuing kick to push the Colts to 2-0 and drop the Broncos to 1-1.

From the Broncos’ side, this felt like the same story for the second consecutive week, just told with a completely different plot and a new ending. Last week, an abysmal performance from Bo Nix kept the Titans in the game. But despite turning the ball over four times, the Broncos were able to ride a dominant defensive display against a hapless Titans offensive line to hold onto a narrow lead before sealing things up with their running game in the fourth quarter.

Catch up on NFL Week 2

• Takeaways, questions from all games »
• Graziano overreacts to Week 2 »
• Barnwell on three comeback wins »
• Fantasy football winners and losers »
• Full Week 2 scoreboard » | More »

This week, Nix was much better for most of the contest, going 22-of-30 for 206 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception. The jittery feet, inconsistent ball placement and ill-advised decision-making that popped up throughout Nix’s Week 1 performance weren’t on display against the Colts, especially during an excellent first half. He made a beautiful throw on a scramble drill to hit Troy Franklin for 42 yards in the second quarter, wasn’t sacked and turned just under 37% of his dropbacks into first downs, which is right above league average. His 72.6 Total QBR was up more than 45 points from where it fell in Week 1, when Nix finished 29th of 32 quarterbacks.

But after turning the ball over three times against the Titans, Nix threw a critical interception in the fourth quarter. With the Broncos up five points and in position to either kick a field goal or potentially go up two scores with a touchdown, Nix was put into a dropback passing situation on third-and-3 and attempted to throw the ball with defensive lineman Grover Stewart in his face. The tackle deflected the pass, and while Nix had an open Courtland Sutton on a crosser, the throw wobbled and sailed to safety Cam Bynum, who picked up his second INT in two games with Indianapolis.

For the second week in a row, there also were special teams blunders. After a Colts field goal got them to within one score, the Broncos drove back into field goal range, only for Wil Lutz to miss a 42-yarder with 3:20 left that would have restored Denver’s five-point lead. On a day in which Shrader was 5-for-5 on field goal tries, the miss by Lutz meant the Broncos lost out on six points on trips near or into the red zone.

And there were also penalty issues. After J.K. Dobbins had a 23-yard run to put the Broncos briefly into the red zone, he was flagged and penalized five yards for spiking the football. On the next play, the Broncos ran Dobbins for no gain, and tight end Adam Trautman was flagged for a face mask penalty, pushing the Broncos into a first-and-25 situation. A screen on third-and-24 got them back into field goal range, but the penalties brought the drive to a halt and kept them from scoring a touchdown that probably would have sealed the game.

Last week, the Broncos had a significant margin of error for mistakes on offense and special teams because their defense was able to bully the opposing offense. But this week, the Broncos’ defense wasn’t able to carry Sean Payton’s team to a victory. It allowed the Colts to average more than 7 yards per play and make six trips into the red zone. And Indy became only the second team in NFL history (after the 2024 Commanders) to go two consecutive games without a punt, fumble or interception.

The Broncos weren’t able to slow down the Colts’ run game in particular, with Jonathan Taylor gashing Denver for 165 yards on 25 carries. Though the Colts lost Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to the Vikings in free agency and swapped out Anthony Richardson Sr. (who played a meaningful role in the quarterback run game) for Daniel Jones (who has mostly been limited to sneaks and scrambles), they’ve been extremely impressive on the ground to start the season.

They were able to take advantage of a tactic that’s becoming widespread around the NFL. Defenses have been stemming (or making slight adjustments to their alignment or front just before the snap) for years. But after seeing it come more into vogue with the best college defenses in recent seasons, we’re seeing more NFL defenses use it to create confusion for blocking schemes just before the snap.

On Sunday, the Colts hit three first downs in the second half on run plays in which the Broncos stemmed just before the snap, trying to change the blocking calculus for the offensive line or free up their linebackers to attack the football. Those runs all hit the places the Broncos were making late adjustments. There’s nothing wrong with stemming or making late adjustments on the front as a tool, but just as it creates uncertainty for the offense, it can also make things hairy for the defense on the fly. Take the 68-yard run by Taylor in the fourth quarter on the drive after the Nix interception.

THERE GOES JONATHAN TAYLOR. 69 YARDS!

DENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PJaCD6ZM0x

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

It’s tough to see on replay, but just before the play begins, edge defender Jonathon Cooper sneaks one gap to the interior and tries to create more difficult blocking angles for the run blitz that’s coming from cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. The Colts are running a wham concept, where the tight end comes across the play after the snap and attempts to take on an unblocked defensive lineman; in this case, Tyler Warren has to get on his horse to try to influence nose tackle D.J. Jones. Jones nearly makes the tackle for a loss, but Warren does just enough to get him out of Taylor’s way, while McMillian is blocked out of the play by Michael Pittman Jr.

Now, the Broncos have to improvise. Alex Singleton ends up in the gap where Cooper was before he stemmed, but Taylor does a great job of quickly regaining his balance and juking Singleton before running away from him. Taylor actually has two potential lanes to hit for huge gains after beating Singleton; he chooses to go outside, simply accelerating away from safety Brandon Jones and heading up the sideline.

The Broncos thrive in coverage, meanwhile, by playing a ton of man. With cornerback Pat Surtain II capable of taking on anybody one-on-one, the Broncos played man coverage on 56.3% of opposing dropbacks last season, the second-highest rate in the NFL. They led the league in EPA per dropback (minus-0.07) on those man coverage snaps and were comfortably the best defense in man by the same metric against the Titans in Week 1.

Yet on Sunday, Jones went 13-of-22 against man coverage for 221 yards. The Broncos pressured him on more than 54% of his man-coverage dropbacks but turned only one of those 12 pressures into a sack. Jones and his offense deserve credit for what they accomplished in those moments, but Colts coach Shane Steichen also had an answer for all the man coverage ready to go.

Everyone’s favorite man-beating play in the NFL is mesh, the concept that almost always includes two crossers passing in opposite directions over the middle of the field, an over route above those crossers and a wheel or “rail” route out of the backfield. Steichen’s Colts run mesh more than most teams, and while it wasn’t always a success, they went back to mesh over and over again in key situations Sunday, when they felt as if the Broncos were likely to play man.

I counted at least four instances of mesh in important spots. Two were disappointing; Pittman dropped one crosser in the red zone, and though Warren got open on an underneath drag route on fourth-and-2 with 13 minutes to go, Jones was pressured and sailed his throw. (He also had Taylor open on a wheel route against Tillman for what could have been a touchdown.)

But it worked in two other situations. Taylor caught a touchdown pass in the red zone when the Broncos simply didn’t cover the wheel route, giving Jones one of the easiest throws he’ll ever make for a score. And then on a critical third-and-6 with 1:50 to go, the Colts not only dialed up mesh again but also threw at Surtain, hitting Alec Pierce on the underneath drag route for a huge first down and forcing the Broncos to use their final timeout.

play

0:25

Colts stun Broncos after penalty gives Indy a second chance

Spencer Shrader misses his initial kick, but the Broncos are called for a personal foul, giving the Colts a second chance which is converted for a game-winning field goal.

From there, Steichen curiously chose to take the air out of the football. Indy ran twice for 2 yards, drew the clock down to 17 seconds, took a timeout and then ran the ball a third time with Taylor, who lost two yards on a failed counter run. The Colts obviously were hoping to gain more than 1 yard on those three plays, but I was surprised to see Steichen almost entirely take the ball out of Jones’ hands. Settling for what ended up being a 60-yard field goal was a bad process, even if it ended up working out well for them in the end.

It seems foolish to start the discussion about this game without touching on the biggest storyline. It’s clear that Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow is going to miss time after suffering a serious toe injury during Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, with further testing to determine whether he will be week-to-week as he heals or sidelined for several months if the injury requires surgery. (Update: Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Burrow will need surgery.) Neither option would be good, but it’s easier to imagine the Bengals hanging on and playing vaguely .500 ball with Jake Browning at quarterback for one month than it would be for three.

When we last saw Browning starting in 2023, he went 4-3 and had a 60.9 Total QBR, which was good for ninth in the NFL from Week 10 onward. The Bengals helped Browning out by posting the league’s second-best average YAC per reception over that span, but he also had the league’s third-best off-target rate and third-best precise pass rate, the latter measuring how reliably each QB puts the ball on his receivers in stride with throws near the torso. Browning was throwing some of the shortest passes in the league, but he’s an accurate passer.

He’s also prone to more negative plays than Burrow, as Browning ran worse-than-average sack and interception rates during his time under center. While he was sacked only once on Sunday, the backup did throw three interceptions after entering the lineup. Two were wild throws under pressure, including one where the Bengals were not able to pass off a simple twist up front. The third was an attempt to fit a dig into a space that simply was not there. Those sort of throws are going to happen when you haven’t played live football in more than a year.

If all you knew about this game was that Burrow went out in the second quarter, Browning threw three interceptions and the Jaguars scored 27 points, you probably would have assumed that this was going to be a fourth straight losing home opener for the Bengals. And frankly, this should have been a Jags win; when Devin Lloyd intercepted Browning’s pass and handed the ball to Trevor Lawrence’s offense on the Cincinnati 12-yard line with 5:22 to go, the Jaguars were in the driver’s seat. Up three, they needed one touchdown to make it a two-score game, which could have put things out of reach.

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Instead, Jacksonville melted down. It had some solid success running the football for the second consecutive week, but a misdirection attempt with Travis Etienne Jr. on first down lost four yards. A second-down pass went off Dyami Brown’s fingertips (his second drop of the game). After a third-down run got the Jags to fourth-and-5, Liam Coen called for the Jags to run mesh. (Yes, everybody runs it — and often in key situations.) The Bengals responded by playing zone, which isn’t the ideal look for mesh, but Brian Thomas got open right over the ball, only to drop Lawrence’s pass and turn the ball over on downs.

Let’s talk about the play itself before we get to the decision. Thomas is being hounded on social media after this game for wanting to avoid hits, with the most damning evidence being Lawrence’s second interception of this game, where Thomas appeared to stick one arm out halfheartedly with a collision coming. It’s not a great look, though I’m not sure why Thomas would suddenly exhibit some reticence about contact after breaking plenty of tackles a year ago and racking up 146 yards on tight-window catches, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

I’m also not sure the fourth-down incompletion has anything to do with the other play. While the Jags are running these crossing routes, Thomas’ shallow route has only about two yards of depth, meaning he needed to pick up three yards after the catch to at least move the chains. Because he’s facing zone, he is supposed to throttle down and present a stationary target for Lawrence. (Against man, he would continue running his route to run away from coverage.) As the ball arrives, Thomas begins to turn upfield to look and see where he needs to run for the first down, not whether a hit is coming. It seems more likely that he took his eye off the ball a fraction of a second too early than anything else (although only the second-year wideout can say for sure).

Should the Jags have kicked a field goal to go up six? Overwhelmingly, we can say the answer to this question is no, and it shouldn’t even be considered anything revolutionary or aggressive at this point. Going for it allows you to score a game-sealing touchdown or hold onto the football with a first down or penalty. Even if you fail, you’re handing the ball over deep in opposing territory, with that opponent often anchored to a game-tying field goal down three as opposed to striking for a game-winning touchdown. Down six, that team would have no choice but to play four-down football and go for the jugular.

ESPN’s model had the decision to go for it as a 5.9% win probability swing relative to trying a field goal. The Bengals ultimately didn’t settle for three, but their drive also required two fourth-down conversions, including a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Travis Hunter that extended the game and served as Cincinnati’s biggest play. And if you want to treat what we saw as gospel, of course, the Bengals proved that Jacksonville kicking a field goal to go up six wouldn’t have made a difference, given that they marched downfield for a touchdown on a long field anyway.

Hunter is off to a slow start as a pro. Through two games, he has nine catches for 55 yards on 14 targets as a receiver. An early injury to Jarrian Jones forced Hunter to play 60% of the defensive snaps on Sunday, and while he forced Andrei Iosivas out of bounds to prevent a catch, Hunter allowed a first down via illegal contact before the 25-yard pass interference call that extended the game. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the other side, it seems telling that the Bengals were willing to put their game on the line with a fade to Iosivas, their third-best wideout, isolated against Hunter. It’s obviously too early to draw meaningful conclusions, but so far, Hunter hasn’t been a difference-maker on either side of the ball.

Realistically, the Jags should have put this game away before it came down to a final drive. In the second quarter, Lawrence threw a brutal interception in the red zone under pressure from Trey Hendrickson and then nearly threw another, only for that one to be overturned. That second drive ended when Lawrence scrambled 3 yards past the line of scrimmage, threw a pass to Brenton Strange and argued for pass interference on what was an illegal forward pass. Brown dropped what should have been an easy touchdown catch on a crossing route in the fourth quarter, too. Both those drives ended in field goals when they should have been touchdowns.

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0:16

Jake Browning storms over for go-ahead Bengals TD

Jake Browning leaps into the end zone to give the Bengals the lead late in the fourth quarter vs. the Jaguars.

Of course, this stuff happens to the Jaguars all the time. The malaise that eventually ended the Doug Pederson era and brought Coen into town started with the help of Browning, who took on an 8-3 Jaguars team in his second start filling in for Burrow. The Jags were competing for the top seed in the AFC that day, but after Lawrence was injured late and the Jags lost in overtime, it started a brutal losing streak. They lost 18 of Pederson’s final 23 games in charge. They went from ascending to rapidly descending overnight.

And with that in mind, you can understand why there’s a fatalistic feeling about what’s going on with the Jags, even though I’m not sure it’s entirely supported by the evidence. Thomas stopping on a route is proof that he doesn’t want to get hit. Lawrence visibly waiving off a Coen criticism in the fourth quarter is a sign that he’s not impressed with his new coach. Blowing the late lead with some dismal work in the red zone is a sign that these are the same old Jaguars.

Maybe they are. I’m just not sure I’m comfortable drawing that conclusion after two games, especially given that they were a drop or a pass interference penalty away from starting 2-0. That Coen has finally gotten the run game going and that the defense has nearly as many interceptions in two games (five) as it did all of last season (six) are more meaningful positives to me.

And as for the Bengals, well, luck is in the eye of the beholder. It’s obviously not lucky to lose your MVP candidate at quarterback for a significant stretch of time in September. And yet, does this feel like a team that deserves to be 2-0? The offense melted down against the Browns, who lost after their kicker missed an extra point and a chip-shot field goal in the second half. The Bengals turned the ball over three times and needed some very fortuitous drops to win Sunday. I’m not sure they can keep playing this way and expect to keep racking up victories.

And unfortunately, with a two-game road trip against the Vikings and Broncos to come, they’re about to face much stiffer defensive competition without their best player.





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September 16, 2025 0 comments
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First 'Spot' XRP ETF Launching This Week, but There's a Catch
NFT Gaming

First ‘Spot’ XRP ETF Launching This Week, but There’s a Catch

by admin September 15, 2025


  • A spot ETF with a twist 
  • Existing XRP ETFs 

REX Shares, a US-based provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has confirmed that the REX-Osprey XRP ETF (XRPR) will go live this week.

The product, which will be launched in collaboration with the Osprey Funds this week, will be the first US product to provide US investors with “spot exposure,” according to a Monday announcement.  

A spot ETF with a twist 

Some market observers were probably puzzled by the announcement, given that spot Bitcoin ETFs are yet to be greenlit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  

However, the REX-Osprey XRP ETF is not your typical spot ETF because of its structure. Instead of directly holding the Ripple-linked token, the product is meant to operate like a “40 Act” fund. On top of XRP, it will also hold other assets such as cash, derivatives, and Treasuries.

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The approval process for such products is dramatically different since they do not have to be explicitly greenlit by the SEC. They become effective after 75 days unless the agency blocks their launch. 

Existing XRP ETFs 

Currently, there are already several spot XRP ETFs that offer leveraged exposure to the prominent token. These include the Teucrium 2x Long Daily XRP ETF and the Volatility Shares Trust XRP ETF (XRPI).

Hence, the REX-Osprey XRP ETF will indeed stand out as the only spot-style product. 

However, there are several pending spot ETFs that are highly expected to be approved in the near future. 

As reported by U.Today, the SEC recently delayed its decision on Franklin Templeton’s XRP ETF to Nov. 14. 



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September 15, 2025 0 comments
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Dogecoin (DOGE) ETF Likely This Week
GameFi Guides

Dogecoin (DOGE) ETF Likely This Week

by admin September 15, 2025



The first exchange-traded fund (ETF) built around a meme coin could hit the market this week, after multiple delays and much speculation.

The DOGE ETF — formally called the Rex Shares-Osprey Dogecoin ETF (DOJE) — was originally slated to debut last week, alongside a handful of politically themed and crypto-related ETFs. Those included funds tied to Bonk BONK$0.0₄2313, XRP, Bitcoin BTC$115,322.63 and even a Trump-themed fund. But DOJE’s debut never materialized.

Now, Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart believe Wednesday is the most likely launch date, though they caution nothing is certain.

“It’s more likely than not,” Seyffart said. “That seems like the base case.”

Ahead of the introduction of the ETF, DOGE has been among the top performers over the past month, ahead 15% even including a decline of 3.5% over the past 24 horus.

If launched, DOJE would mark a milestone as the first U.S. ETF to focus on a meme coin — cryptocurrencies that generally lack utility or a clear economic purpose. These include tokens like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu SHIB$0.0₄1303 and Bonk, which often surge in popularity thanks to internet culture, celebrity endorsements and speculative trading.

Balchunas described DOJE’s significance in a post on X: “First-ever US ETF to hold something that has no utility on purpose.”

DOJE is not a spot ETF. That means it won’t hold DOGE directly. Instead, the fund will use a Cayman Islands-based subsidiary to gain exposure through futures and other derivatives. This approach sidesteps the need for physical custody of the coin while still offering traders a way to bet on its performance within a traditional brokerage account.

The ETF was approved earlier this month under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which is typically used for mutual funds and diversified ETFs. That sets it apart from the wave of bitcoin ETFs that received green lights under the Securities Act of 1933, a framework used for commodity-based and asset-backed products. In short, DOJE is structured more like a mutual fund than a commodity trust.

More direct exposure may be coming soon. Several firms have filed applications to launch spot DOGE ETFs, which would hold the meme coin itself rather than derivatives. These applications are still under review by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has grown more comfortable with crypto ETFs since approving a slate of bitcoin products in early 2024.

The broader crypto market has shown that investor demand can outweigh fundamental critiques. Meme coins have long drawn skepticism for having no underlying value or use case, but that hasn’t kept them from drawing billions in speculative capital.

Seyffart said the ETF market is likely to follow the same path. “There’s going to be a bunch of products like this, whether you love it or need it, they’re going to be coming to market,” he said.

He added that many existing financial products serve no deeper purpose than providing a vehicle for short-term bets. “There’s plenty of products out there that are just being used as gambling or short-term trading,” he said. “So if there’s an audience for this in the crypto world, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this finds an audience in the ETF and TradFi world.”

Whether the DOJE ETF opens the door to more meme coin funds — or just proves the concept is viable — may depend on how the market responds this week. Either way, it signals a new phase in the merging of internet culture and traditional finance.



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Image Of Ripple's XRP Token
NFT Gaming

REX-Osprey to launch first XRP ETF in U.S. this week

by admin September 15, 2025



REX Shares will launch the first spot exchange-traded fund on XRP this week, according to an update the company shared on Monday.

Summary

  • REX-Osprey’s XRP exchange-traded fund will debut this week, REX Shares revealed.
  • The spot fund, REX-Osprey XRPR ETF, joins others on Solana and Dogecoin that REX Shares has filed for under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

The REX-Osprey XRPR ETF, a spot exchange-traded fund structured as a spot ETF under the securities laws of the Investment Company Act of 1940, will hold real XRP, cash, derivatives and Treasuries.

In this case, XRPR is set to be the first ETF to allow spot exposure to XRP (XRP) in the United States.

While the Securities and Exchange Commission is yet to greenlight multiple spot crypto ETFs structured under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, the REX Shares and Osprey Funds have already seen their REX-Osprey Solana + Staking ETF go live. 

The product, with the ticker SSK, debuted at the end of June 2025, bringing to the market the first U.S.-listed ETF that gives investors spot exposure to Solana (SOL) as well as staking rewards. Investors can benefit from both direct exposure and SOL staking, with this possible directly from an investor’s securities brokerage account.

A Dogecoin (DOGE) spot ETF that brings a similar Act 40 registration structure, is also in the pipeline for debut this week after an anticipated rollout last week failed. XRPR also gets into the spotlight as REX-Osprey’s “short cut” sees the ETFs offered in an environment where they are more regulated than the traditional spot products.

Interestingly, the debut of Act 40 funds has not dampened investor anticipation around the multitude of crypto ETF applications before the SEC. Despite the agency postponing its decision across, investor sentiment is extremely high. 

According to timelines provided for under the U.S. securities laws, the regulator is expected to deliver its final decision on filings for many of these proposals in October. 

XRP price

As noted, the REX-Osprey XRP spot ETF fund will invest in and hold XRP (XRP), a cryptocurrency launched by Ripple and which rose to an all-time high of $3.84 in January 2018. 

In recent months, particularly after Ripple-related legal victories against the SEC, the XRP token’s price has skyrocketed to near the all-time peak. XRP traded around $3.00 at the time of writing, up more than 400% in the past year and with a market capitalization of over $178 billion.



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Sony's PSP lives on via Patapon spiritual successor Ratatan, out in PC early access this week - roadmap revealed
Game Updates

Sony’s PSP lives on via Patapon spiritual successor Ratatan, out in PC early access this week – roadmap revealed

by admin September 15, 2025



Ratatan, the spiritual successor to PSP rhythm platformer Patapon, releases this week in early access on PC.


The game has been developed by veterans of Sony Japan Studio, known for both Patapon and LocoRoco among other games.


In a livestream over the weekend, the developers revealed the launch timing as well as a look at the roadmap for the game over the next few months.

Ratatan livestreamWatch on YouTube


Ratatan will launch at midnight on 19th September in Japan – that’s 4pm on 18th September UK time. Check out the infographic below for more times.

Image credit: TVT


It’ll cost $24.99 / €24.50 / ¥2800 (UK price TBC), and receive a 10 percent discount for 10 days following launch.


As for the roadmap, three major updates are planned for the end of October, December, and spring 2026.


The first of these will introduce Super Fever skills and additional Ratatan upgrades, as well as headwear for Cobun characters and random events. The second update will add Dark Ratatan Battles as new scenarios among other additions.


Next year a new world is promised, as well as console compatibility. For now, the game will only be available on PC, with console releases next year.

Image credit: TVT

Ratatan was first revealed at BitSummit in July 2023 – the following month its Kickstarter was funded within an hour.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.

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Decrypt logo
NFT Gaming

Bitcoin ETFs Drew In $2.3B Last Week, Marking ‘Clear Demand Impulse’

by admin September 15, 2025



In brief

  • U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in around $2.3 billion from September 8 to 12.
  • BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC captured the bulk of flows, with other issuers posting smaller gains.
  • Observers said the surge reflects structural demand from institutions, with inflows expected to scale further.

U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds pulled in roughly $2.3 billion last week, marking the highest weekly inflows since mid-July.

The streak ran across all five trading sessions from September 8 to September 12, according to aggregated data from Farside and SoSoValue. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust led with just over $1 billion of inflows, while Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund brought in nearly $850 million. Other issuers, including Ark Invest and Bitwise, also posted gains, though smaller.



Daily flows showed steady demand. Monday started with $364 million, followed by a muted $23 million on Tuesday. The pace accelerated to $742 million on Wednesday, $553 million on Thursday, and $642 million on Friday.

Last week’s inflows “signal clear demand impulse, the one that looks both meaningful and timely,” Georgii Verbitskii, a derivatives trader and founder of decentralized protocol TYMIO, told Decrypt.

With September to October marking “the start of the business season,” Verbitskii notes that the this “often sets the tone for trends that play out through the end of the year.” The base case, he added, is that this could be “the beginning of a new uptrend, with strong potential for further growth into Q4.”

Still, while the inflows show a marked return to mid-July levels, “the number itself isn’t transformative on its own,” Wesley Crook, CEO of blockchain engineering firm FP Block, told Decrypt.

“Much of this activity is being driven by expectations of rate cuts alongside the broader trend of enterprises entering the market,” Crook said, adding that he expects the momentum to likely continue as institutional allocations for Bitcoin bring “upward pressure on prices.”

Pre-Fed surge

The surge aligned with growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut rates at its next meeting set this week, with users of prediction market Myriad, launched by Decrypt’s parent company DASTAN, placing an 88% chance on a 25bps rate cut.

During the same period, Bitcoin’s price recovered above $115,000, reinforcing investor optimism. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is changing hands at around $114,600, per CoinGecko data.



“Structural demand is the real story here,” Farbod Sadeghian, founder of Dubai-headquartered international virtual asset chamber TheBlock., told Decrypt.

While rate cut expectations could provide “a friendlier backdrop for risk assets,” such a setting is temporary, Sadeghian said.

“The bigger factor is that investors, especially at the institutional level, now see Bitcoin as an allocation worth holding over the long term,” he said, adding that “the ETF wrapper makes it easier and safer to access, but the underlying appetite is clearly about exposure to the asset itself.”

On the broader end,  Sadeghian notes that Bitcoin ETF inflows, while “never perfectly smooth,” could expect to “stabilize and scale further” over macro-driven momentum as institutional investors steadily “integrate Bitcoin ETFs into standard portfolios.”

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College Football Power Rankings: How did the Top 25 look in Week 3?
Esports

College Football Power Rankings: How did the Top 25 look in Week 3?

by admin September 15, 2025



Sep 15, 2025, 07:30 AM ET

With three full weeks of action in the books and conference play underway, the 2025 college football landscape is taking shape and so is the sport’s new crop of breakout stars.

Big Ten powers Ohio State (Julian Sayin), Penn State (Trebor Pena) and Oregon (Dante Moore) all took care of business with help from their early standouts in Week 3. Georgia Tech toppled Clemson with help from Florida International transfer Eric Rivers. Georgia and Tennessee leaned on their new starting quarterbacks in an overtime classic at Neyland Stadium. And at Notre Dame, Texas A&M passer Marcel Reed and Mississippi State transfer receiver Mario Craver were the stars in the Aggies’ last-minute victory over the Irish.

Elsewhere, from LSU (Davhon Keys) to Miami (Carson Beck) to Missouri (Ahmad Hardy), college football’s breakout stars were on display this past weekend. Here’s our take on the Top 25 after Week 3. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

Out of the Buckeyes’ running back by-committee approach, freshman Bo Jackson has emerged in a big way. The Cleveland native is averaging 12.1 yards per carry with 217 rushing yards, showing he has the potential to be Ohio State’s next great running back. Jackson didn’t get a carry in the season-opening win over Texas and figures to continue sharing carries with CJ Donaldson and James Peoples in the coming weeks. But if he keeps reeling off big plays — like his 64-yard scamper in Saturday’s 37-9 victory over the Ohio Bobcats — he will warrant more opportunities. — Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 4

It was another ho-hum performance for Dan Lanning’s team as it traveled to Northwestern and didn’t let the Wildcats score until the fourth quarter in the 34-14 win that took them to 3-0. Though the Ducks remain balanced on offense, sophomore quarterback Dante Moore and freshman wideout Dakorien Moore deserve praise. Dakorien Moore has 144 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he is also averaging 16 yards per catch this season. A special chemistry is already brewing between the two young players who are supercharging the Ducks’ potent offense. As Dante Moore gets more comfortable in Will Stein’s offense throughout the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dakorien Moore be his top target and Oregon’s leading wideout. — Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 5

Coaches raved about true freshman receiver Malachi Toney all offseason, and through three games, it is easy to see why. Toney has been electric for a revamped receiver corps, leading Miami with 18 catches for 228 yards and a score. Coach Mario Cristobal has praised Toney for his approach, saying he practices and prepares like an NFL veteran. Toney has six catches in each of his first three games. He finished with 66 yards in a 49-12 win over South Florida on Saturday. True freshman Josh Moore had two touchdown catches in the win, also earning praise. Miami lost its top four receivers from a year ago, but with Toney, Moore and transfer CJ Daniels emerging, this group has not missed a beat. — Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 2

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

The Tigers got a big boost from sophomore Dashawn Spears, who grabbed his first two career interceptions against Florida QB DJ Lagway, and returned one 58 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers some breathing room in a 20-10 slugfest Saturday. The defense never let Lagway get comfortable, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of five interceptions, and Brian Kelly was fiery in his defense of his team’s style points. He has a point: If you have a championship-level defense, you don’t want to force your offense to make risky plays, so it’s a work in progress. But at the same time, 116 of the Tigers’ 322 yards came on two plays — a Caden Durham run on third-and-1, and a catch and run by tight end Bauer Sharp. Kelly knows the offensive line is struggling and wants quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to get rolling. But for now, the Tigers are leaning on the defense. — Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 6

There were plenty of doubts about whether new quarterback Gunner Stockton had enough arm and willingness to throw the ball down the field, and he more than answered those questions in a 44-41 victory at Tennessee in overtime. Stockton completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with 2 touchdowns and one more rushing. He showed plenty of toughness in the pocket, taking several shots as the Volunteers tried to bring heat in the second half. Stockton’s best throw of his short career came on fourth down with about 2 ½ minutes remaining, completing a 28-yard touchdown pass to London Humphreys that helped tie the score. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Stockton grew up Saturday, and though he wants his quarterback to use his legs, he wants Stockton to keep his eyes down the field when he runs. — Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 12

The Aggies have teased us before, and were far from perfect at Notre Dame Stadium. But their talent and resilience showed in the most critical moments, and they have a new star in wide receiver Mario Craver. The 165-pound transfer from Mississippi State torched a celebrated Notre Dame secondary for 207 receiving yards on seven catches, including an 86-yard touchdown dash where he miraculously stayed along the sideline. Craver, who had 368 receiving yards last season in Starkville, Mississippi, has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in each of his first three games with the Aggies. Quarterback Marcel Reed also is quieting the doubts about his passing ability, as he averaged 21.2 yards per completion against Notre Dame. Defensive end Cashius Howell has anchored the pass rush with three sacks and four tackles for loss. — Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 3

Tyler Warren, who broke tight end receiving records last season before becoming an All-American and first-round draft pick, is gone. But sophomore Luke Reynolds has stepped up in his place with a productive start to the season. After catching only nine passes in 2024, Reynolds already has 13 receptions for 142 yards through three games and seems to have a rapport with quarterback Drew Allar. After three easy wins against non-Power 4 competition, Penn State’s season really begins Sept. 27 when Oregon travels to State College. With Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions already had a dynamite rushing attack. Reynolds’ emergence, combined with the strong start of transfer receivers Trebor Pena and Kyron Hudson, could give Allar what he needs in the passing game, too. — Trotter

Previous ranking: 9

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Though the 2-0 Seminoles had an open date in Week 3, Earl Little Jr. has been the unquestioned leader on a revamped defense. Little transferred to the Seminoles last season from Alabama but played out of position for large swaths of the season. New defensive coordinator Tony White moved Little to the rover safety position, and it feels tailor-made for him. Little leads Florida State with 11 tackles, including a sack, and his physicality has set the tone. Perhaps White summed it up best when he recently said, “He is trying to hit somebody’s soul out of their body.” — Adelson

Previous ranking: 11

The Sooners traveled to Philadelphia for the second time in program history and notched a 39-point win at Temple. As Oklahoma works to identify a lead running back, it has freshman Tory Blaylock — ahead of Cal transfer Jaydn Ott and veteran Jovantae Barnes — making the case to lead the rushing attack in next weekend’s SEC opener against Auburn. ESPN’s No. 210 recruit in the 2025 class, Blaylock paced the Sooners with 100 yards and two rushing scores on a team-high 14 carries against the Owls. Linebacker-to-tight end convert Jaren Kanak has been a surprise volume target for transfer quarterback John Mateer, and Kanak hauled in another four passes for 86 yards at Temple. In the secondary, freshman Courtland Guillory made his third consecutive start Saturday and will face his toughest challenge yet against a talented Auburn wide receiver corps in Week 4. — Lederman

Previous ranking: 7

What to make of this Texas offense? Arch Manning’s struggles continued this week, CJ Baxter left because of an injury on the first play of the game, and the Longhorns fans, starting to worry, booed their heroes at halftime. The Longhorns weren’t taking UTEP lightly, but they struggled to put up 341 total yards, just 114 of those passing, with Manning going 11-of-25 with a touchdown and an interception in the end zone. Ryan Wingo, who was expected to be a breakout star this year, caught his first touchdown of the season, but he has just nine catches for 97 yards in three games. The good news is, like LSU, the Longhorns’ defense is elite, allowing just four touchdowns this year. Texas gets one more tuneup against 0-3 Sam Houston before the SEC grind begins. — Wilson

Previous ranking: 13

Hank Beatty proved he can be an All-Big Ten performer as a return man last season, but the 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout has taken his game to another level as a senior. Luke Altmyer’s go-to receiver has 289 receiving yards on 19 catches and ranks third in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 466 through three games. Beatty caught his first touchdown pass of the year in Illinois’ 38-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday — it was just the second of his career. He has already scored rushing and punt return touchdowns as well. NFL scouts are paying attention with big tests ahead against Indiana and USC. — Max Olson

Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy is putting up big numbers already with 334 total yards and five touchdowns. Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire

Previous ranking: 18

The Rebels did an excellent job, as usual, at reloading on offense during portal season. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy is proving he’s ready to be a true No. 1 back with 334 total yards and five TDs through three games, but it was Harrison Wallace III who stood out yet again in Ole Miss’ 41-35 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Wallace, who had just one 100-yard performance over his three seasons at Penn State, is thriving as the Rebels’ go-to receiver. After catching six passes for 92 yards and a TD to help beat the Razorbacks, Wallace ranks third in the FBS with 339 receiving yards. — Olson

Previous ranking: 10

Iowa State’s 24-16 win against Arkansas State wasn’t a performance that inspires optimism. It’s a win and the Cyclones get to move on, but to be in a competitive game with the Red Wolves late into the fourth quarter isn’t a sign of a team ready to win the Big 12. One bright spot was Carson Hansen, who set a career high with 116 yards rushing on 18 attempts (it was his first 100-yard game). But the offense needs more explosive plays as conference play ramps up this week against Arizona, which is 3-0. — Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 17

The Utes have looked like a complete team this season, but after taking down Wyoming 31-6 Saturday, quarterback Devon Dampier is their obvious breakout player. The New Mexico transfer already has 826 all-purpose yards through three games, as well as eight total touchdowns. Dampier is completing 74% of his passes, averaging over 6 yards per carry and hasn’t turned the ball over. He has had a carry of at least 14 yards in each game and a completion of at least 24 yards in every contest. Dampier isn’t just running Utah’s offense; he is Utah’s offense. — Uggetti

Previous ranking: 20

Since a frustrating season opener against Florida State, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has completed 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards, seven touchdowns and no picks. He had 382 of those yards and four of those scores in a 38-14 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. It was 28-0 just 15 seconds into the second half after a 75-yard Simpson-to-Ryan Williams score. Bama shifted into cruise control from there. Williams finished with 5 catches for 165 and 2 scores, a breakout performance after a poor game against Florida State and a week in concussion protocol. The Crimson Tide defense allowed just 118 yards in the first three quarters and 209 for the game as Bray Hubbard picked off two passes, and four defenders had sacks. It was the second straight comprehensive blowout for Bama. — Bill Connelly

Previous ranking: 15

After losing their top three wide receivers from 2024, the Volunteers desperately needed someone to step up early this season. Former Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II has more than answered the call so far. He caught 3 touchdowns on 6 catches for 177 yards against the Bulldogs, including TDs of 72 and 56 yards. Brazzell was the first UT receiver with more than 150 receiving yards in a game since Jalin Hyatt had 207 against Alabama in 2022. At 6-feet-5 and 200 pounds, Brazzell twice beat UGA defensive backs for 50/50 balls. He already has 20 catches for 364 yards with 5 scores in three games, and has been quarterback Joey Aguilar’s most reliable option. Last season, Brazzell had 29 receptions for 333 yards with 2 scores. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 21

Sophomore running back J’Koby Williams had more receiving yards (116) Saturday than his entire freshman year (100), including a 30-yard TD catch. The Red Raiders still haven’t allowed a point in the first three quarters of any game this season, led 45-0 through that point of this one, and put up 513 yards to Oregon State’s 282. The Red Raiders muddled through their second extended weather delay (90 minutes in the first game, 2½ hours in this one) in three games. Behren Morton lit up the Beavers for 442 yards and four TDs, and the Red Raiders are on fire rolling into Big 12 play, with a huge showdown Saturday at Utah. — Wilson

Previous ranking: NR

Brent Key said before Saturday’s game his team had grown tired of the underdog label. Yes, it has suited Georgia Tech, which now has seven wins as an underdog against ranked ACC foes under Key, but it’s a label that suggests low expectations. This team, he said, is ready for something bigger. The Yellow Jackets proved the point with a 24-21 win over Clemson in Week 3, riding Haynes King and Eric Rivers to a program-defining victory. Rivers, a transfer from Florida International, has quickly become a favorite target for King. He had three catches for 72 yards Saturday, and his downfield explosiveness has offered Georgia Tech an opportunity to force defenders out of the box, opening options in the run game, too. The Jackets’ next three games are against struggling teams — Temple, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech — giving King and the offense a chance to pad some stats and keep building a new narrative that Georgia Tech is a legitimate playoff contender. — David Hale

After transferring from UL Monroe, RB Ahmad Hardy is making a name for himself at Missouri with 462 total rushing yards. AP Photo/L.G. Patterson

Previous ranking: 25

After rushing for 172 yards against Louisiana in 2024 when he was with UL Monroe, Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy topped himself Saturday, carrying 22 times for 250 yards and 3 scores in a 52-10 win. Mizzou rushed for 427 yards and scored TDs on five of its first six drives, and quarterback Beau Pribula (15-for-22 for 174 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT) didn’t have much to do. The Tigers’ defense gave up 84 yards on a long Zylan Perry touchdown run, but 35 other Ragin’ Cajun snaps netted just 37 yards as end Zion Young and linebacker Josiah Trotter each made a pair of tackles for loss. Mizzou was 9-for-13 on third down, Louisiana 1-for-11. Ahead of next week’s big SEC opener against South Carolina, this one was an easy tuneup. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 22

The Hoosiers dominated the final two games of an insipid nonleague schedule, and received breakout performances from outside their usual sources. After three players eclipsed 150 rushing yards during the first two contests, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. grabbed the spotlight Friday in a 73-0 win against Indiana State, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. He tied a team record for single-game touchdown receptions and became just the fifth Big Ten player to reach 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in a game. Junior linebacker Isaiah Jones starred for Indiana’s defense with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, as the Hoosiers held Indiana State to five first downs and 77 total yards, and recorded their second-largest margin of victory in the AP Poll era. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 24

True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is living up to the hype. The former No. 1-ranked recruit in the country struggled in Michigan’s Week 2 loss at Oklahoma. But Underwood bounced back with a dominant performance in the Wolverines’ 63-3 victory Saturday over Central Michigan. He passed for 235 yards and rushed for 114, totaling 3 touchdowns while posting a sterling QBR of 97.1. Said interim coach Biff Poggi: “I have a Labrador retriever who could coach that guy.” Despite the loss in Norman, Underwood clearly has the talent to keep Michigan on the fringe of the playoff conversation. — Trotter

Previous ranking: NR

Quarterback Diego Pavia remains the face of Vanderbilt’s recent surge, injecting the team with swagger and belief, as well as excellent production (73.5% completions, 645 passing yards, 7 touchdowns). But others have contributed to the Commodores’ 3-0 start, including running backs Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young, who are averaging a combined 6.5 yards per carry, and Jamezell Lassiter, who has scored on his first two carries of the season. Alexander has scored in each of the first three games for the second straight season. Senior linebacker Nick Rinaldi was solid last season, but already looks like one of the SEC’s best defenders with five tackles for loss and two sacks in the first three games. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: NR

South Alabama made Auburn put in a full shift, but the Tigers were never in serious danger, racing to an early 21-3 lead and eventually prevailing 31-15. Jackson Arnold was hit-or-miss in the passing game, completing 13 of 24 passes for 142 yards and a TD, but Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Arnold staked out the early lead with two touchdown runs and an early TD pass to Cam Coleman. South Alabama put together three long drives in the second half but scored on only one of them, thanks to a fumble recovery by Xavier Atkins and a turnover on downs. The win moved the Tigers to 3-0 and set up an enormous visit to fellow unbeaten Oklahoma next Saturday. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 8

An 0-2 start might have removed Notre Dame from the CFP picture by mid-September, but there have been some individual bright spots. Eli Raridon looks like the next great Fighting Irish tight end, as he leads the team in receptions (9) and receiving yards (182) after recording just 16 total receptions in his first two college seasons. Jadarian Price continues to show that he’s an excellent complement to Jeremiyah Love, averaging 6.3 yards per carry despite limited opportunities in the first two games. Quarterback CJ Carr also has displayed tremendous promise for a young player, and had the highest passing total (293 yards) for a Notre Dame player making his first career home start since Terry Hanratty had 304 against Purdue in 1966. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 23

Let’s not try to read too much into a 42-21 win against Abilene Christian. TCU got its ticket sales, its easy win and moved on. This week’s game against SMU is much more interesting with the Iron Skillet up for grabs as coach Sonny Dykes goes up against his former program. It’s the last scheduled game in this rivalry (a shame), which adds to the stakes a bit as both teams wrap up nonconference play. — Bonagura



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49ers vs. Saints Livestream: How to Watch NFL Week 2 Online Today
Gaming Gear

49ers vs. Saints Livestream: How to Watch NFL Week 2 Online Today

by admin September 15, 2025


When to watch San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

  • Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. ET).

Where to watch

  • The 49ers-Saints game will air on Fox, with Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston on the call.

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The 49ers started the season with a win, but lost quarterback Brock Purdy in the process. With Purdy unlikely to play, backup Mac Jones is in line to start in New Orleans. Second-year QB Spencer Rattler is the Saints’ starter, and helped keep them in the game last week before a late rally came up short in Arizona. Rattler started six games last year for New Orleans and is still looking for his first NFL win. 

The 49ers and Saints kick off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Fox. Here’s how you can watch or stream it live, even if the game isn’t available on your local Fox channel.

The game will be shown on TV in the San Francisco and New Orleans areas (according to 506 Sports) and on live TV streaming services, but there may be cases where you’re blocked because of an internet location glitch. But there’s an option that doesn’t require subscribing to something like NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL Plus or searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a virtual private network.  

Here’s how you can watch the game from anywhere in the US with a VPN.  

Read more: How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable in 2025

Mac Jones is set to make his 50th career start on Sunday as he fills in for the 49ers’ first-choice QB Brock Purdy.

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

How to watch the 49ers vs. Saints game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the game and that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, plus it’s a great idea for when you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. 

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. 

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you’ve got a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. 

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now. 

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Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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How to watch 49ers vs. Saints in the US

Sunday’s 49ers vs. Saints game is on Fox. The good news for football fans is that Fox is available on all five major live TV streaming services, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area. You can also stream games broadcast on Fox with the new Fox One streaming app.

Fox

Fox’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service launched in August. Fox One costs $20 a month or $200 a year and lets NFL fans watch their local Sunday afternoon games on Fox. You’ll also get access to Fox’s complete TV portfolio, including sports-related channels such as Fox Sports, B1G, FS1, FS2 and local Fox stations.

Sling’s new skinny bundle costs $20 and includes local Fox, ABC and NBC stations in select markets. It does not, however, offer CBS in any of its plans. It’s also worth noting that Sling Select charges an extra fee of $5 or $10 in select markets for Fox in addition to the $20 base fee.  

Sling also offers a Day Pass for $5 or a Weekend Pass for $10. If you also wanted to get ESPN in addition to the local networks, you would need to get the $61-a-month Sling Orange and Blue plan. Read our Sling TV review.

Fubo

Fubo’s main package costs $85 per month, but it has a new skinny bundle that includes most of the channels you need for the NFL. This new Fubo Sports plan costs $56 per month ($46 for the first month) and includes Fox along with ABC and CBS (but not NBC) in addition to ESPN and NFL Network. It also includes access to ESPN’s new streaming app. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

For $83 a month, you’ll get all the major football channels with YouTube TV, including Fox. You can also add RedZone for an extra $11 per month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.

YouTube TV is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket. But note that Sunday Ticket doesn’t include local games. You can only watch Sunday afternoon games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS or Fox in your area. If you want to watch all the football on Sundays you’ll need Sunday Ticket plus a YouTube TV subscription (or just get Sunday Ticket and then use an antenna for local games).

To get the full experience of your local games, NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone, you’ll need the YouTube TV base plan ($83 per month), Sunday Ticket ($276 for returning subscribers or $480 for new subscribers for the season) and the Sports Plus add-on ($11 per month).

DirecTV

All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide. 

An over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option for Fox. The best part about antennas is that there are no streaming or monthly fees required, although you will need to make sure you have good reception.

Quick tips for streaming the 49ers vs. Saints game using a VPN 

  • With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary. 
  • If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
  • If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
  • All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
  • And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.



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September 15, 2025 0 comments
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Top catalysts for the crypto market this week
Crypto Trends

Top catalysts for the crypto market this week

by admin September 14, 2025



The crypto market had a strong performance last week, with the combined market capitalization of all coins jumping back to over $4 trillion. 

Summary

  • The crypto market will react to the upcoming Federal Reserve rate decision.
  • The Altcoin Season Index has been in a strong uptrend lately.
  • Some notable coins will have major token unlocks this week.

Renewed hopes that the Federal Reserve would make interest rate cuts a reality field the rally, along with the Gemini IPO.

Here are the top catalysts that will drive the crypto market this week.

Crypto market to react to Federal Reserve decision

Economists polled by Reuters expect the U.S. central bank to cut the interest rate after the upcoming meeting begins this Tuesday, Sept. 16, and wraps on Wednesday, Sept. 17

Odds of a cut have intensified after the U.S. released weak jobs numbers earlier this month. A report showed that the economy added just 22,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%. 

Historically, stocks and the crypto markets do well when the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates as it normally incentivizes a risk-on sentiment among investors. For example, Bitcoin (BTC) and most altcoins jumped to a record high during the pandemic as it slashed rates to zero and implemented quantitative easing.

The risk, however, is that the upcoming interest rate cuts have been priced in, which may lead to a pullback. 

Altcoin Season Index rising

The other primary catalyst for the crypto market will be the rising Altcoin Season Index, which has moved to over 80. Top altcoins like MYX Finance, MemeCore, OKB, Pudgy Penguins, Cronos, Story, and Mantle drove this increase. 

The rising Altcoin Season Index may drive more investors to these coins this week, leading to a strong performance. 

However, in some instances in the past, the entry into the altcoin season has led to a pullback as investors book profits. For example, most altcoins pulled back in late July after the index jumped to 55. 

Dogecoin and XRP ETFs launch

The other primary catalyst for the crypto market will be the launch of the first Dogecoin (DOGE) and Ripple (XRP) ETFs, potentially on Thursday. 

These ETFs will be from Rex-Osprey, whose ETFs were approved a few months ago. The funds will be different from the standard ETFs in that they are based on the Investment Company act and, possibly, more expensive. 

These ETFs will come as market participants wait for the main crypto ETFs, which will likely be approved in October.

Major token unlocks

The crypto market will also react to the upcoming token unlocks. Arbitrum, the second-biggest layer-2 network, will unlock token worth over $49.9 million on Monday. 

ApeCoin will release coins worth over $9.69 million, while Zetachain will unlock coins worth $8.6 million. The other top unlocks this week will be Melania, LayerZero, Velo Finance, and Kaito.



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September 14, 2025 0 comments
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An image of Hornet from Silksong engulfed with rage.
Gaming Gear

It only took a week for the ultimate Silksong sicko to beat every boss in the game without getting hit

by admin September 14, 2025



Last night, I was annoying my fiancee by swearing every time I died to the early Silksong boss, Splinter Sister⁠—the boss herself isn’t the problem, it’s the stupid little mooks she summons. Meanwhile, there are people not only no-hitting the game’s hardest bosses, one true student of the needle has no-hit every boss in the game.

This early Silksong champion is CrankyTemplar on YouTube, who also appears to have done a lot of Hollow Knight 1 challenge content previously. CrankyTemplar uploaded a first no-hit compilation of Silksong’s early bosses the day it came out, releasing subsequent addendums over the following days.

Silksong – All Bosses (No Damage) & Endings – YouTube

Watch On

CrankyTemplar put out a crowning, nearly two hour-long supercut of beating every boss without taking damage on Thursday, September 11⁠—exactly one week after the game released. For a game widely agreed to be extremely challenging, one that PCG contributor Tyler Colp called “worth the pain” in his 90% review of Silksong, I find this to be a staggering accomplishment for how quickly CrankyTemplar managed it.


Related articles

With Silksong being such a massive game, CrankyTemplar does caveat that this “should” be every boss in the game, but the list looks exhaustive to me: They even took out a boss exclusive to the hidden Steel Soul permadeath mode, and provide detailed instructions for completing every ending, including the “true” ending and a hidden, seemingly very bad ending. If it needs to be said: Don’t watch too far or read the whole video description if you want to avoid spoilers.

CrankyTemplar also largely avoided using Silksong’s many powerful tools and even alternate crests. Scrubbing through the full video, it looks like they stuck with the starting Hunter style for the entire game. I was slightly tickled to discover that even this hardcore player is not fond of Silksong’s long boss runbacks⁠—a frustration that was only magnified by the self-imposed challenge of restarting after taking a single hit.

The one-week turnaround on this still floors me, but there’s still a vast frontier of Silksong challenge and speedruns to take on⁠—Speedrun.com leaderboards for Silksong haven’t even opened yet. A no-hit run of the entire game seems like an inevitability, but my mind boggles at the skill and, above all, patience that will require. 100% speedruns also seem like they’ll be quite the ordeal, given Silksong’s enormous world.

Me? I’m content to take my time working toward Silksong’s true ending eventually. I’m always eager to admire these sorts of achievements, but I’m happy not to feel any pressure to rush through this excellent game.

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.



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September 14, 2025 0 comments
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