No case of the Mondays here
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
It’s a new week!
But there’s no case of the Mondays here: The WNBA playoffs tipped off yesterday, and the MLB postseason begins tomorrow (but not before our special edition preview hits your inbox). That’s just the beginning of the sports-filled slate — let’s do this.
WNBA
🏀 The rest is still unwritten
The GIST: And they’re off. The WNBA’s best showed up in yesterday’s first-round openers — here’s one takeaway from all four games before half of the best-of-three showdowns continue tomorrow.
🃏 No. 3 Las Vegas Aces (up 1-0) vs. 🥵 No. 6 Indiana Fever: Vegas’ three-time reigning AP Player of the Year A’ja Wilson was spectacular — even by her lofty standards. The 30-year-old imposed her will in the 102–85 win, dropping 38 points on just 19 shots and adding 16 rebounds and four blocks. It’s just what she does.
- ➡️ The Aces shoot for the sweep on the road tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. ET.
🐱 No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. 🗽 No. 8 NY Liberty (up 1-0): NY sure looked like they could become the lowest seed to win a title. Yes, it’s just one game, but Breanna Stewart and the seafoam superstars frustrated the Lynx on both ends of the floor, using stellar shooting (52% from three as a team) to earn a convincing 91–75 win.
- ➡️ See if rookie phenom Olivia Miles and the Lynx can bounce back tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET.
💭 No. 4 Dream (up 1-0) vs. 🔮 No. 5 Washington Mystics: Dream star (and AP Defensive Player of the Year) Angel Reese looked and played like a superhero in her playoff debut, tallying a signature double-double in a physical 92–77 win. Breaking that first-round curse is on this (briefly) masked Barbie’s to-do list.
💜 No. 2 Golden State Valkyries (up 1-0) vs. 🪽 No. 7 Dallas Wings: Everything that makes the Valkyries great was on display in last night’s dominant 104–80 win — their depth, their defensive tenacity, and their penchant for taking care of the ball. In fact, they only turned the ball over four times, matching the WNBA playoff record.
🗣️ Consider this your official invitation to talk a big game. Put your hot takes to the test with our free-to-enter MLB Postseason Bracket. Whether you’re a certified ball-knower or here for the good vibes, this challenge is for everyone — no expertise required.
🤑 What's at stake? The top three brackets will win Ticketmaster gift cards:
- 🥇 First place takes home $300
- 🥈 Second place wins $200
- 🥉 Third place wins $100
Entries close September 29th (tomorrow!) at 5 p.m. ET. Play ball, baby.
NFL
🏈 Ask the Magic 8 ball
The GIST: From big upsets to sloppy play to a truly bonkers Sunday Night Football tilt, NFL Week 3 left us rethinking everything — and it’s not just because the Las Vegas Raiders are off to a perfect start. That glow up aside, let’s dig into the headlines after a wonky weekend on the gridiron.
🐷 Washington Commanders stun reigning champ Seattle Seahawks: Nobody picked Washington to win 33–31 yesterday, but don’t tell backup quarterback (QB) Marcus Mariota. The veteran tossed three touchdowns in the Commanders’ first win of the season, outshining Seahawks QB Sam Darnold in the latter’s return from injury.
- As for last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, the New England Patriots’ regression continued with yesterday’s 35–6 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, an L that saw Pats QB Drake Maye toss two more interceptions. Yikes.
😵💫 Buffalo Bills overcome turnovers to beat LA Chargers: Buffalo had a whopping five giveaways yesterday but still pulled out the 24–16 win — due in part to a late endzone interception from Chargers QB Justin Herbert. Timing is everything.
- Speaking of, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson tossed a gem to WR Zay Flowers with just seconds left, setting up a 56-yard walk-off field goal from Tyler Loop in Baltimore’s 34–31 international win over the Dallas Cowboys. Chills in São Paulo.
❤️🩹 Checking in on the injury report: Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver (WR) Justin Jefferson (ankle), Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (knee), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Baker Mayfield (throwing hand thumb) all headed to the locker room with injuries.
- And the NFL’s most-injured squad, the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, lost two key players: WR Mike Evans and offensive lineman Trent Williams. Say it ain’t so.
➡️ Week 3’s not over yet: Monday Night Football features the Chicago Bears, who are deep in their QB depth chart already, and Philadelphia Eagles, with kickoff slated for 8:15 p.m. ET.
P.S. If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love The GIST’s Weekly Blitz, our Tuesday newsletter breaking down the top stories from around the league.Together With Toyota
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🎓🏈 Major upsets define NCAA football Week 4
The No. 1 Texas defense notched 10 sacks to help the Longhorns avoid a loss to then–No. 14 Tennessee, but five other ranked schools weren’t so lucky. No. 4 Ole Miss stumbled in the Swamp, losing 52–28 to No. 21 Florida, who in turn jumped 13 spots in the most recent AP poll.
- Over on the west coast, Oregon senior QB Dante Moore was stretchered off the field after a scary illegal hit, but QB2 Dylan Raiola stepped in and stepped up, leading his squad to an emotional 41–27 win over then–No. 12 USC.
- As for the other victorious underdogs, then–No. 24 Mississippi State beat No. 19 Missouri 31–24 while unranked Wisconsin and Wake Forest took down No. 13 Penn State and No. 16 Louisville, respectively. Any given Saturday, right?
⚽ Nine teams battle for seven remaining postseason spots as NWSL season winds down
The Kansas City Current entered the weekend on the outside looking in, but their come-from-behind 4–1 win over the Denver Summit catapulted them to the No. 7 seed. Meanwhile, Angel City FC was the biggest mover of the month, jumping from ninth-place to the No. 6 seed after an undefeated September capped off by a huge 1–0 Friday win against the Washington Spirit.
⚾ MLB postseason field locked in; Three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander retires
As you read, all 12 MLB playoffs spots are accounted for after the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros clinched the final two berths during yesterday’s regular-season finale. Elsewhere, 10-time All-Star Verlander made his final start in a 21-year career that featured two World Series titles, 3,560 career strikeouts, and countless memorable moments. Who’s cutting onions in here?
🏎️ Mercedes’ George Russell tops the podium at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Russell held off Max Verstappen’s charging Red Bull for the final ten laps to earn his third win of the season by just 0.196 seconds — the smallest margin of victory in over two decades. The 28-year-old now sits 66 points (a race win is worth 25) behind teammate and World Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli with eight races remaining. Buckle up.
🌎⚽ First international window since FIFA men’s World Cup (WC) sees big winners and injuries
The USMNT’s post-WC era started with a 4–1 friendly dub over Peru on Saturday as four different players found the back of the net, including two teenagers. Let’s hope the youngsters can keep the energy high when they play Chile tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET in St. Louis.
- Across the pond, the UEFA Nations League is off to a blazing start: WC champs Spain beat England 3–2, French star Kylian Mbappe notched game-winner over Türkiye but then exited with injury, and a short-haired Erling Haaland scoring for Norway. Missed that row.
TOGETHER WITH Atlantis Paradise Island
🌴 Away game vacay or tropical getaway? Take 20% off both. Battle 4 Atlantis is back, celebrating its 15th year of bringing college basketball to paradise for a one-of-a-kind tournament.
- 🏀 From November 24th to 27th, rep your school at both the women’s and men’s tourneys, all under one roof.
- 🏖️ After the final buzzer, head to Atlantis Paradise Island and soak up the many amenities the 154-acre resort has to offer.
❤️🩹 A note on the upcoming NHL season
A new NHL season begins tomorrow, and we’re feeling conflicted. We plan to cover the league throughout the expanded 84-game regular-season slate and into the playoffs, but we’d be remiss not to mention the offseason news that once again left us questioning the league’s insistence that “hockey is for everyone.”
- From the Edmonton Oilers signing Alex Formenton, one of the five players from Canada’s 2018 World Juniors team charged with sexual assault, to the team’s controversial coaching hire, we can’t help but ask…again: “How do you love a game that doesn’t love you back?”
- We will discuss the NHL (both the on- and off-ice events) in the weeks and months ahead, but today and always, we commit to leading with care and compassion in that coverage — humans first, hockey second.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Rachel Fuenzalida, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Lisa Minutillo. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
