Sports Express | September 22, 2026

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1. Stafford Throws Four TDs as Rams Rout Giants 28-6

Source: Yahoo Sports The Los Angeles Rams pounded the New York Giants 28-6 on Monday night. Even without Puka Nacua (hip) and Myles Garrett (knee, injured reserve), the Rams' offense clicked — Davante Adams, starting in place of Nacua, exploded for 195 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, looking far more like his MVP self than in a listless Week 1 loss to the 49ers. Newcomer cornerback Trent McDuffie played strong defense against Malik Nabers and grabbed his first interception of the season, while defensive tackle Aaron Donald played for the first time since the 2023 season. It was a rough night all around for the Giants. Quarterback Jaxson Dart left after the opening possession with what is believed to be a sprained MCL, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Nabers suffered a shoulder injury but returned, and edge rusher Brian Burns went down late in the game.

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2. Giants' Harbaugh Won't Confirm Dart's MCL Sprain

Source: Sportsnet.ca Giants coach John Harbaugh would not confirm reports that Jaxson Dart sprained his MCL following the 28-6 loss to the Rams on Monday night, saying he would wait for further testing. "That's in the neighbourhood of it," Harbaugh said. "We'll get an MRI on Tuesday and have a real good feel for it." Dart was hurt less than four minutes into the game, pressured on third-and-8 when Rams linebacker Byron Young hit him from the right and sent him into linebacker Josaiah Stewart, who undercut his legs. Dart, who was 3-of-5 for 20 yards, spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes. Jameis Winston replaced him and went 11 of 27 for 111 yards with one interception. The Giants kept getting banged up: top pass rusher Burns sprained his left ankle, left tackle Andrew Thomas sustained a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter, and Nabers dislocated his right shoulder on the second-to-last play of the first quarter before popping it back in. "That's just part of football," Burns said. "Guys go down every day, and it's always next guy up."

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3. Blue Jays on the Brink of Elimination After 4-3 Loss

Source: Sportsnet.ca The Toronto Blue Jays could be eliminated from the playoff race as early as Tuesday. After a 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, Toronto sits 3.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the third AL wild-card spot with five games to go. The Blue Jays would be eliminated Tuesday with a loss to the Orioles combined with a White Sox win over the Royals and a Guardians win over the Red Sox. Tuesday's wild-card slate (all times ET): Toronto at Baltimore (6:35 p.m.), Cleveland at Boston, the White Sox at Kansas City, Texas vs. the Mets and Houston at Seattle. Pete Alonso homered twice, including a two-run shot in the eighth, to lift Baltimore. It was his 40th home run of the season, the fourth time he has reached that mark. Toronto starter Trey Yesavage, back from knee inflammation, lasted just two innings and allowed Alonso's first-inning homer; the Blue Jays led 3-0 after the first thanks to RBI singles from Nathan Lukes and George Springer. Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson homered in the sixth, finishing a double shy of the cycle.

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4. Cubs' Bregman Suffers Facial Fractures From Foul Ball

Source: theguardian.com Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman suffered facial fractures when he was hit in the head by a foul ball on Sunday, according to ESPN. He was standing in the on-deck circle when teammate Michael Busch checked his swing and fouled off a pitch from Cincinnati Reds' Luis Mey; the ball struck Bregman in the face. He jogged to the dugout covering the left side of his face and was taken to hospital for X-rays and CT scans. ESPN reports the 32-year-old will not require surgery and hopes to return for the postseason. "He got hit in the left cheekbone essentially, under the eye," manager Craig Counsell said. "It's a terrible, terrible accident. We hope he's OK." Bregman posted a photo on Instagram showing a swollen eye and blood on his cheek, writing: "Thanks for all the messages yall. I'll be back." He is batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs after signing a five-year, $175m free-agent deal in January.

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5. Senate Moves Protect College Sports Act Toward Final Vote

Source: The Daily Texan The U.S. Senate could vote as soon as this week to send the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 to the House, after voting on Sept. 17 to advance the bill to final debate. The sweeping bill would protect Olympic sports, reshape how universities compensate athletes and regulate name, image and likeness. The legislation centers on limiting how much schools can pay athletes directly, capping revenue sharing at 22% of the average annual athletic revenue generated by Power Four schools, and setting federal rules for compensation and NIL. The Senate also made changes, including requiring the NCAA to ensure compliance, shortening the waiting period for a school moving between Power Four conferences, and requiring medical coverage for student-athletes. The bill was introduced in May by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) as Senate Bill 4668. It still needs one final Senate vote before moving to the House, which is out of session until after the November midterm elections. Opponents include the NAACP and labor groups.

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6. Infantino Open to FIFA Reform and External Review

Source: BBC FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed an external review of how world football's governing body operates and says he is open to reform. In a letter to members of the FIFA Council and national associations, Infantino said the independent process would "recommend potential improvements." Before a Council meeting next month, he is also suggesting a consultation on "how FIFA's decision-making can be further strengthened," including proposals on the role of the president and "practical ways to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability in major strategic initiatives." The move is seen as a conciliatory gesture after the collapse of his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which would have sold stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors and sparked a major backlash. Infantino insists "democratic processes, independence and sporting authority were never for sale, and never will be," adding he remains "fully committed to leading FIFA." Uefa and Concacaf had demanded FIFA pay $10m to all 211 member associations from its cash reserves.

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7. Sydney Sweeney Ad Sparks Sports-Betting Debate

Source: The Globe and Mail An ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney for the sports prediction app Novig drew criticism over the past week, with several female athletes saying it sexualized women and undermined their work in their sports. Sweeney owns a stake in the app. In a Globe and Mail discussion, sports editor Jamie Ross and national sports columnist Cathal Kelly weighed in. Kelly's reaction to the "nude-but-for-sports-equipment" ad was a shrug; his real qualm was that someone who already has a ton of money feels the need to shill for an industry he called "the financial equivalent of heroin." Ross argued everyone again danced around the broader issue: legal sports betting has become a behemoth that has infiltrated the culture completely. He noted a colleague who tried to watch a Blue Jays game with her 10-year-old son found the experience so saturated with gambling ads that he could recite one verbatim. Governments, he said, should treat it the way they did tobacco ads.

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8. Canadians Abroad: David's Derby Winner for Atleti

Source: TSN Canadian striker Jonathan David stayed red-hot, scoring the winner in the Madrid derby as Atletico Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1. The 26-year-old, Brooklyn-born and Ottawa-raised and on loan from Juventus, has now scored in each of his first three La Liga matches. David became the first player this century to score three goals in his first three La Liga matches for Atletico. Alex Grimaldo converted a penalty first, and David slotted home Giuliano Simeone's cross in the 59th to make it 2-0; Rudiger pulled one back in the 89th for Real. Two other Canadians scored: Leamington, Ont., native Stephen Eustaquio netted his first Championship goal to help Swansea City win 2-1 at Lincoln City and climb atop the table, while Toronto-born Liam Millar scored his first goal for Birmingham City in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.

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9. Ovechkin Dealing With Injury, May Miss Preseason

Source: nhl.com Alex Ovechkin may not play in the preseason for the Capitals because of a lower-body injury. The 41-year-old left wing did not practice Monday for the second straight day and is day to day, as he begins his 22nd NHL season. Washington coach Spencer Carbery was not ready to say whether Ovechkin will play at all in the preseason. "Right now, we'll see how it goes this week," Carbery said. The Capitals have two preseason games left, at home against the Bruins on Friday and at Philadelphia on Saturday. Elsewhere, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly returned to practice with the main group Monday after a virus kept him out of Toronto's preseason opener, and he expects to be available for Wednesday's split-squad game against the Senators. Stars forward Matt Duchene is expected to start skating this week.

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10. Bears' Williams Week-to-Week After MRI

Source: NBC 5 Chicago Details on the injury suffered by Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams were reportedly released Monday, and they likely had Bears fans breathing a sigh of relief. According to multiple reports, Williams avoided major hamstring injury and could return sooner than expected, not yet ruled out for Monday's game against the Eagles. Head coach Ben Johnson told ESPN that Williams is now "week to week" following an MRI on Monday. Williams was carted off the field during the home opener against the Vikings after a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury. "I'm actually happy it's nothing with the knee, that was my first inclination," Johnson said after the game. "But yeah, the hamstring could be pretty damaging as well." Even with the encouraging test results, the team could stay cautious given that mobility is a big part of Williams' game; Johnson reportedly told ESPN that Williams "will likely miss some time."

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