Sports Express | October 26, 2026: Seahawks Hand Chiefs First Loss of Season

1. Seahawks hand Chiefs first loss of season with 20-3 statement

Source: Sportsnet

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown as the Seattle Seahawks handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season, 20-3 on Sunday night. Frustrated by a two-game skid, Seattle played like it was the postseason: Sam Darnold threw for 257 yards and a score, while Emanuel Wilson carried 24 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Kansas City managed just 213 total yards, 50 of them on the ground. Patrick Mahomes threw for 165 yards and an interception. Kenneth Walker III — the Super Bowl MVP with Seattle last season before signing with the Chiefs in the offseason — was held to 36 yards on 14 carries after entering the night averaging a league-leading 133 yards per game. The Seahawks have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 36 games, the NFL's longest active streak.

"All three phases we struggled, so we've got to do better, and that's my responsibility," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "I take full responsibility for this." Travis Kelce was Kansas City's lone bright spot, catching four passes to reach 1,104 for his career and move past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter for fifth in NFL history. Kicker Harrison Butker missed a 45-yard attempt in the fourth quarter; he has now missed 10 field goals since the start of last season. "He's off a bit. Got to fix it," Reid said.

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2. Mbappe brace gives Mourinho a Clasico win as Real Madrid close on Barca

Source: BBC

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou on Sunday, ending the champions' nine-game unbeaten run in domestic competition. The result cut Real's deficit to the La Liga leaders to three points; a defeat would have allowed Barcelona to move nine points clear.

Jose Mourinho celebrated Mbappe's late winner with a trademark knee slide. He is now just the third Real Madrid manager to go six El Clasicos in a row without defeat, alongside Miguel Munoz (1962-1965) and Vicente del Bosque (2001-2003), with four wins and two draws in his past six meetings. "In my view, Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid play to win La Liga," Mourinho said. "We could win with luck, but we won with calmness and with all merit. The credit goes to the players."

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick declined to offer excuses but admitted his side lacked energy after a demanding stretch. "We missed the freshness," he said. "In big games, small things are important and they decide the games, and today it wasn't on our side."

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3. Fowler's 33 saves carry Canadiens past Jets in Heritage Classic

Source: Sportsnet

Jacob Fowler made 33 saves as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday. The 21-year-old from Melbourne, Fla., became the youngest goaltender ever to start an NHL outdoor game, and looked like a seasoned veteran in front of 32,343 fans.

Fowler is now 5-1-0 with a .924 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average, and ranks fourth in the NHL in goals saved above expected. He was recalled after an injury to Samuel Montembeault and has won four of his first five games since. Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson, both defencemen, scored for Montreal; Isak Rosen beat Fowler on Winnipeg's 32nd shot for the Jets' only goal.

"He's just really good," Cole Caufield said. "He just looks so calm and confident in there," added Noah Dobson, whose assist on Hutson's opener was his fourth in an outdoor game — the most by a defenceman in NHL outdoor history. Coach Martin St. Louis kept it simple: "He's done it at every level."

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4. Thunder's Jalen Williams stretchered off with serious leg injury

Source: TSN

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star guard Jalen Williams was taken off the floor on a stretcher after suffering a significant injury to his lower left leg in Sunday night's 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. There was no immediate diagnosis; coach Mark Daigneault said the team would be briefed Monday morning. "We're not doing great," he said.

Williams was hurt while being fouled on a drive with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. He came down awkwardly, his left leg collapsing beneath him with his foot bending out at an unnatural angle. A staffer quickly covered the leg with a towel as teammates and Clippers players reacted in shock. The game was stopped for about five minutes, and Williams gave the crowd two thumbs-up as he was wheeled off to a standing ovation.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teared up during his postgame television interview. "I just feel bad for him," he said. "It's obviously going to be tough without a player like that. But he's not gone forever. He'll be back better than ever... We've just got to hold the fort down until he comes back." Williams averaged 18 points over his first 250 NBA games, has been an All-Star and All-NBA selection, and was a key part of Oklahoma City's 2025 title team. He missed 49 games last season, mostly due to hamstring problems and recovery from major right wrist surgery.

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5. Hughes booed in Vancouver return: 'It won't change how I feel about that place'

Source: Sportsnet

A chorus of boos greeted Quinn Hughes as he stepped on the ice for warm-ups at Rogers Arena on Sunday, his first time back in the building since being traded to the Minnesota Wild in December. Hundreds of fans, many wearing Canucks jerseys with his name and No. 43, lined the glass; one held a sign reading "And I thought I had commitment issues."

Chants of "Quinn you suck!" erupted in the first minute of the game, followed by jeers of "Quit-er! Quit-er!" When a tribute to the defenceman played on the big screen during the first TV timeout, the reaction became a mixed review of whistles and applause, with some fans standing in ovation. Hughes skated out from the bench and raised his stick in salute as both his current and former teammates tapped their sticks on the boards.

"I don't know what to expect too much, but whether I'm booed or whatnot, it won't change how I feel about that place and how grateful I am for the experiences I had there," Hughes said Saturday. Picked seventh overall in 2018, he spent six and a half seasons in Vancouver, recording 432 points in 459 regular-season games — a franchise record for a Canucks defenceman — and winning the 2024 Norris Trophy. The trade brought back Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.

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6. Antonelli wins U.S. GP, moves to brink of the title

Source: Sportsnet

Andrea Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into his ninth win of the season at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, crossing the line 13.078 seconds clear of the field. The Mercedes driver needed teammate George Russell to finish ninth or lower and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower to clinch the championship; Hamilton came home fourth and Russell eighth, postponing the inevitable.

Antonelli now leads Russell by 123 points heading into next week's Mexico City Grand Prix, where ninth place or better — two points — would seal the title. He has not finished outside the top five in his past nine races. The 2026 crown would make him the youngest world champion in F1 history, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record from 2010 (23 years, 134 days), and the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Charles Leclerc overtook Max Verstappen on the opening lap and finished second, while Verstappen faded to third with an engine-braking issue and fading grip in the closing stages. Earlier in the weekend, Alisha Palmowski clinched the F1 Academy title with a round to spare. Russell was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the opening lap while defending from Oscar Piastri.

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7. Raptors lose Leonard, then fall 117-94 to Timberwolves

Source: Sportsnet

Anthony Edwards scored 26 points in 27 minutes as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 117-94 win over the Toronto Raptors in their home opener on Sunday. Minnesota (3-0) has won its first three games by 25, 22 and 23 points, shooting 56 per cent from the floor and 48 per cent from three while outrebounding Toronto 49-34. Rudy Gobert grabbed 13 rebounds.

Toronto was without Kawhi Leonard, who was ruled out with swelling in his left knee — an addition to the injury report that came only an hour before tip-off. Ja'Kobe Walter scored 22 points in his place, Canadian R.J. Barrett added 20 and Immanuel Quickley had 19 for the Raptors (2-1), who shot 9-for-29 in the first quarter, including 1-for-10 from deep, and trailed by as many as 32 points.

LaMelo Ball had 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three in 16 minutes in his regular-season home debut, with foul trouble limiting his time. Jaden McDaniels added 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks for Minnesota. Kyle Anderson, a fan favourite over two-plus seasons with the Timberwolves, received a loud ovation when he checked in late in the third quarter and went scoreless in 10 minutes.

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8. Rodgers throws TD as Steelers beat Saints in NFL's France debut

Source: Sportsnet

Aaron Rodgers completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown, and Chris Boswell kicked three field goals as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at Stade de France on Sunday in the NFL's first regular-season game in France. The Steelers (5-2) won their third straight; the Saints fell to 2-5 after rushing for just 18 yards on 17 attempts.

The decisive play came in the fourth quarter, when the 42-year-old Rodgers scrambled 8 yards on third-and-6 and was tackled just before the two-minute warning. "Sometimes you've got to suck it up and make a play for your guys," Rodgers said. "I think because I am so much less athletic than I used to be, it actually fires up the guys even more." Jaylen Warren rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries.

Linebacker Payton Wilson intercepted Tyler Shough in the red zone in the third quarter, setting up Boswell's 39-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead. Shough finished 30 of 38 for 278 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Rodgers' 4-yard scoring pass to 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington put Pittsburgh up 10-3. Attendance was 78,488. "When you have a day like today, 17 runs for 18 yards, it's going to be hard to win football games doing that," Saints coach Kellen Moore said.

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9. Baylor fires Dave Aranda after seven seasons

Source: CBS Sports

Baylor fired coach Dave Aranda on Sunday after seven seasons, ending a tenure that produced a 40-40 overall record and a 26-32 mark in Big 12 play. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman will serve as interim coach.

Aranda arrived in Waco as a national championship-winning defensive coordinator at LSU and quickly delivered the best season in program history, winning the 2021 Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl to record the first AP Top 5 finish in Baylor history. But he could not build on it: the Bears finished with a losing record the following season, went 3-9 two years later, and posted four losing records in six full seasons without ever recording consecutive winning seasons.

"Anyone who knows Dave Aranda understands what a genuine and honorable person he is and how much he deeply cares for his players, staff and this university," athletic director Doug McNamee said in a statement. "While this is a difficult moment, we believe a change in leadership is necessary at this time for our program." Baylor lost 17-6 at home to TCU on Oct. 17, then fell 25-24 to Kansas after a blocked field goal near the end of regulation, ending a 14-game winning streak in the series. It is the first major hire for McNamee, a first-year athletic director.

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10. Canadian women win relay gold, Laoun takes 500m silver in Vancouver

Source: CBC

Florence Brunelle, Courtney Sarault, Claudia Gagnon and Danae Blais won gold in a chaotic women's 3,000-metre relay final at the ISU Short Track World Tour opener in Vancouver on Saturday night, crossing the line in 4:13.609 to beat South Korea by 0.272 seconds.

Canada was running third behind Italy and the Netherlands when the top two teams collided on the final lap. Italy's Elisa Confortola was penalized for an arm block that took down Dutch skater Xandra Velzeboer, leaving anchor Brunelle to cross first; the Netherlands finished third. The Canadian team was without six-time Olympic medallist Kim Boutin, who retired after the world championships in Montreal in March. Ann-Sophie Bachand, who skated the semifinal in place of Blais, also received a gold medal.

Maxime Laoun of Montreal took silver in the men's 500m, finishing 0.174 seconds behind Dutch skater Jens van 't Wout (40.551). Turkey's Furkan Akar took bronze in 41.334 after South Korea's Lee Jeong-min was penalized, while reigning Olympic and world 500m champion Steven Dubois crashed on the final corner and finished fourth. Laoun, 30, said the medal carried extra meaning: it came a day after what would have been his late grandfather's birthday.

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