It’s amazing what a road win can do to flip the vibes. After a gut wrenching loss at home to the 49ers, a desperate Seattle Seahawks team came into hostile territory in Pittsburgh and came out with a huge 31-17 victory over the Steelers.

It was a wild game where you could’ve easily seen the Seahawks win 34-3, or could have just as easily seen the game tied in the final moments, there were truly that many massive swing plays.

Let’s break down the win and what it means.

1st Down – Those who were doubted, stepped up

LET’S GOOOOO

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/dy9x8w7hhn

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 14, 2025

Week one was rough, but it was really rough for guys like Kenneth Walker, Cooper Kupp and Riq Woolen. On Sunday, all three played really well and showed their potential on this team.

Woolen might have lost his starting job last game if it wasn’t for the injury to Devon Witherspoon. With his back against the wall, he stepped up and showed again the potential top corner talent he has. A motivated Riq paired with what Josh Jobe has been doing, this secondary is going to be elite when Spoon and Emmanwori return.

Cooper Kupp looked fresh and a high level number two receiver against a banged up Steelers secondary. He caught seven of nine targets for 90 yards and looked strong after the catch, moving the chains multiple times. If he can provide anything close to that level of production this year, then this passing game will be fine.

Arguably the biggest winner on Sunday was Walker. After a week that saw a near unanimous (myself included) push for Zach Charbonnet to take the lead running back job, angry K9 showed up on the field and was incredible.

Aggressive, powerful runs that looked decisive, K9 had 105 rushing yards on 13 carries, including the game sealing touchdown run. He also had a 13 yard reception in what was one of the best days we’ve seen him in nearly two years.

We may never see both Walker and Charbonnet humming at the same time, but it was a reminder what these two are capable of the last two weeks.

2nd Down – Byron Murphy is becoming that dude 

Another sack for Byron. pic.twitter.com/YMSvP3U84G

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 14, 2025

Sunday was a second week of evidence that this defense has the makings of something special. Two brutal mistakes last week allowed the 49ers to reach 17 points, but they lost half of their team to injury in the process. This week, on the road against a team that put up 32 to the week before, Seattle gave up only 17 again, with 10 of the points coming off short fields after turnovers.

There are a ton of reasons why this defense currently looks like a top five unit, but the emergence of Byron Murphy II is arguably the biggest. After a rookie season that looked like a learning and growing experience, Murphy was good last week and looked like a game wrecker in Pittsburgh.

With five tackles and 1.5 sacks, Byron generated five QB pressures and blew up the Steelers running game multiple times. If this is the type of player that is going to be along the defensive line that already has Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and a stable of pass rushers, then this defense can carry this team a long way.

3rd Down- Heads up by Holani

That’s six. Just like that.

George Holani TOUCHDOWN.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/wqiNaQLEB1

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 14, 2025

The special teams gaff by the Steelers was one of those more rare plays you’ll ever see. A very tough rookie moment for Kaleb Johnson, turned into a heads up opportunity for Seattle’s special teams ace George Holani.

While Johnson and Pittsburgh froze, Holani used his returning experience to know that the ball was live, and he somehow managed to get down there and recover the loose ball without stepping out of bounds. It was just a stunning haymaker that took the life out of the stadium and more accurately shows how dominant the score should have looked for Seattle on Sunday.

It has been a really strong start by the Seahawks special teams crew, which is currently ranked 2nd according to PFF. If you’re a team that’s gonna lean on defense, having an elite special teams unit will go a long way in whether you can go from 10 wins to say 12.

4th Down – Seahawks identity still needs to be figured out, but blueprint is there

I think the overall identity of this team early on is clear. This is a potential championship level defense that is gonna hold the door open as long as it takes for the offense to catch up. If it can within the next month, then this is a team that can most definitely live in the tier just below Green Bay and Philadelphia on the NFC hierarchy. If the offense can’t get to a top 12 or 15 unit, then you’re probably hoping for a wildcard berth at best.

Offensively, I think we saw what the blueprint for their identity and potential success is on Sunday. The Seahawks looked more comfortable running the ball (minus the toss plays) and making things happen with the play action game. They were deliberate when they took shots and found ways to get everyone involved on Sunday, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to look like an All-Pro.

If Seattle can stay committed to their philosophy, and cut down on the turnovers, there’s a strong case to be made that this could be a borderline top 10 offensive unit in the NFL. Four turnovers and a missed field goal in two games, with three of those turnovers in plus territory. That’s the difference in being 1-1 with a 22 points per game average so far, instead of 2-0 and averaging around 30 points ppg.

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 3. For a lot of fantasy managers, the focus this week is going to be at the QB position. Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Brock Purdy, Justin Fields, and J.J. McCarthy all suffered injuries before or during Week 2 and there’s a pretty good chance that none of them will play in Week 3. Burrow is out until at least Thanksgiving, and that’s the biggest blow for fantasy managers. The good news is that there are some decent options at QB, which I’ll get to.

The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short- and long-term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I look at streamers who might help you in a pinch (this is usually more important during Bye weeks). Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the two Week 2 Monday night games (TB@HOU, LAC@LV)

Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger Free Agent pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I won’t list Trevor Lawrence, Quinshon Judkins, Rasheed Shahid, or Cedric Tillmanthis week, among others who probably aren’t available in any of your leagues. All are priority pickups if available.

Two quick words about Week 3 waivers, and I’m more or less copying and pasting from last week’s column: (1) If you’re in a league that uses FAAB bids to process waivers, remember that your dollars are worth more right now than they will be later, since you could be using them to buy players for almost the entire season, potentially; and (2) People overreact to Weeks 1 and 2, and they do so every year. Keep an eye on who gets dropped this week, and especially rookies who’ve done very little so far. You might be able to scoop up someone else’s discarded treasure. An example from last season: Mark Andrews basically did nothing for the first five or six weeks, was dropped by many, and ended up leading all TEs with 11 touchdowns. You might see frustrated Andrews managers dumping him this week. Ditto Matthew Golden.

WEEK 3 BYES:  NONE

Week 3 Waiver Wire

Quarterback:

The availability of QBs is going to vary widely between 1-QB and Superflex leagues. Players like Daniel Jones, Michael, Penix, Jr., Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Bryce Young, and Cam Ward aren’t going to be available in most Superflex leagues, but should be in a lot of 1-QB leagues. They’re the obvious places to start if you’re stuck due to injury (or otherwise) in a 1-QB league. Jones would be my top choice here as he’s been a beast (QB3 on the season heading into tonight) through two weeks, but we’ll have to see if it’s real. Regular Big Blue readers are no doubt skeptical.

Others to consider if you’re scrambling in a Superflex league include Russell Wilson (the drag on him is mainly the uncertainty around how long he’ll be the starter), Jake Browning (who averaged 19 fantasy points per game and was a borderline Top-10 QB when he started for an injured Burrow across the last eight games of the 2023 season), Mac Jones (we’ve seen Kyle Shanahan do this before with backup QBs, and Jones had a big game this past Sunday), Spencer Rattler, Carson Wentz, and Marcus Mariota.

I’d prioritize them roughly in this order. I particularly like Browning given the situation and the likely long tenure as starter. It really depends how long you think you’ll need the help. No, I don’t think the Bengals are going to trade for Jameis Winston or another player to step in front of Browning. I do think they’ll add a backup to Browning though.

Running Back:

There are a few names to recommend coming out of Week 2.

Bhayshul Tuten took advantage of Tank Bigsby’s absence and makes for a nice stash right now. He’s the only back on the roster that was drafted by the current regime and is one of several rookies who could keep carving out a larger role. Cam Skattebo fits that bill as well. Like Tuten, he scored his first career TD this week, and notably, he garnered a larger share of snaps and touches than in Week 1.

With Austin Ekeer done for the year, both Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez should get added work behind presumptive early-down back JCR, but this could be a messy backfield all year.

Cleveland used all three backs in Week 2, but I’ll again recommend rostering Dylan Sampson. OK, that’s three rookies, but I do think this is a year where several rookie backs will emerge as the season goes along. Trey Benson, Blake Corum, and Kyle Monangai (another rookie) are stashes that I like longer-term. All three saw meaningful snaps and touches in Week 2 (although the Bears got blown out, so factor that in).  One more rookie to consider is pass-catching specialist Woody Marks.

Tyler Allgeier and Tyjae Spears are two season-long stashes I like, if you have the room.

Wide Receiver

It’s not a great crop, but here are a few names to consider adding if you’re stuck:

Hunter Renfrow scored twice in Week 2, but remember that Jalen Coker should be back in a few weeks, so I’d temper expectations and probably wouldn’t chase that performance.

Wan’Dale Robinson, on the other hand, is someone I would take a serious look at, as a WR3 or Flex option and especially in Full PPR. Through two games, he’s got 14 catches for 197 yards and a TD on 18 targets, and is the clear #2 pass-catching option on a team that’s throwing a lot, and not playing particularly good defense. He caught 93 balls on 140 targets last season, so this kind of usage isn’t new.

Christian Kirk should be back in a week or two, and C.J. Stroud needs him. I was high on him this offseason and think he’ll be a WR3/Flex type with upside once healthy.

Titan’s rookie Elic Ayomanour has the opportunity to emerge as the clear second receiving option on his team and is worth a roster spot.

Others to consider for depth: Dyami Brown, Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, Jr., Troy Horton, Joshua Palmer, and Malik Washington. Washington could have nice value if Tyreek Hill is traded, and especially in leagues that reward return yards.

Tight End:

I’ll repeat three names from last week. Juwan Johnson, Harold Fannin, Jr., and Brenton Strange are all worth adding, and I’d prioritize them in that order. Johnson and Zach Ertz are seeing significant target share on their teams. Ertz takes a hit if Jayden Daniels misses time, but I’d still add him if you need help at TE.

It sounds like Isaiah Likely is close to returning. If you’re a believer (I am), grab him now, before he gets expensive.

PK and D/ST Streamers, Week 3: (ranked outside the Top-15 for the week):

PK:J. Parker Romo (@CAR), S. Shrader (@TEN), E. Pineiro (vs. ARI).

D/ST:  IND (@TEN), ARI (@SF).

That’s a wrap. Good luck with your waiver claims!

 ***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly Giants Props of the week, also right here. ***

The transfer window may have only just closed but that is of absolutely no concern at all to the rumor mill which continues to churn out updates.

The latest hot gossip comes from the rather prolific (and wholly overexcited) Fichajes and a claim that Liverpool are willing to spend €50 million on Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.

Liverpool have already splashed the cash this summer on a host of new players, as Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have all arrived at Anfield on huge transfers. Now the word is that the Reds want to throw money in Barca’s direction.

Fichajes say Liverpool have been following Araujo for a while and think he could be a “strategic reinforcement” for the defence. There’s also a claim that Araujo is “open to all possibilities, aware that his time at Barcelona could be coming to an end.”

With Liverpool expected lose Ibrahima Konate in the summer, it’s no surprise to see defenders linked with the Reds, and Barcelona’s financial situation makes Araujo an easy target for the gossip columns.

Araujo’s future has been the subject of transfer talk for a little while now, and Fichajes certainly aren’t ready to let go just yet.

The history of Phoenix begins with Jack Swilling, a Confederate veteran of the Civil War who prospected in the nearby mining town of Wickenburg in the newly formed Arizona Territory. As he traveled through the Salt River Valley in 1867, he saw a potential for farming to supply Wickenburg with food. He also noted the eroded mounds of dirt that indicated previous canals dug by native peoples who had long since left the area. He formed the Swilling Irrigation and Canal Company that year, dug a large canal that drew in river water, and erected several crop fields in a location that is now within the eastern portion of central Phoenix near its airport.

Other settlers soon began to arrive, appreciating the area’s fertile soil and lack of frost, and the farmhouse Swilling constructed became a frequently-visited location in the valley. Lord Darrell Duppa was one of the original settlers in Swilling’s party, and he suggested the name “Phoenix”, as it described a city born from the ruins of a former civilization. The Board of Supervisors in Yavapai County officially recognized the new town on May 4, 1868, and the first post office was established the following month with Swilling as the postmaster.

[Spain update: back to Madrid tonight, but have an early flight out tomorrow, so no SnakePit After Dark for me this evening! There’s actually a decent shot we might be getting up in time for the final action, but we’ll see…]

The NFL’s 2025-2026 week two slate of games will finally wind down with this possibly ill-advised late game on a Monday night, no less. The second of the two games this evening features the Los Angeles Chargers at the Las Vegas Raiders. The two teams enter the evening tied for first place in their division, the AFC West. The hosting Raiders are coming off a week one win over the New England Patriots, 20 to 13. The Chargers are likewise coming off a win, but at home, over the reigning division champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, 27 to 21.

Please use this evening thread to discuss this evening’s MNF game, and as always, your Miami Dolphins. Remember to continue to follow all site rules during the live threads as you would any other post on the Phinsider. Personal attacks of any kind for any reason are not allowed. Additionally, please do not venture into any discussion of politics or religion. Also, remember that sharing of illegal game streams is one of SBNation’s biggest no-nos, and requesting, discussing, or providing any illegal game streams could result in a temporary suspension/ban from the site.

LA Chargers (1-0) 1st AFC West @ LV Raiders (1-0) 1st AFC West

• When: Monday, September 15th, 10:00 PM EST
• Where: Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
• TV: ESPN; ESPN Deportes
• Streaming: Fubo, DirecTV, ESPN unlimited, NFL+ (following the game)
• FANDUEL Sportsbook betting Odds: Spread: Chargers -3.5; Point total: 46.5; Moneyline: Chargers -194 | Raiders +162

Welcome to the FC Bayern Campus Round Up, where the matches of Bayern Munich’s U-17, U-19 and U-23 squads are recapped, line ups are provided and the highlights to each match are hyperlinked on top of the score lines of the corresponding matches. Information on the U-17, U-19 and U-23 matches is provided by the official FC Bayern website here, here and here, respectively. Additionally, none of these matches can be viewed in full length without an FCBayernTV subscription. Without further ado, here is the round up:

SpVgg Hankofen-Hailing 1-0 Bayern II (U-23s), Matchday 8

Bayern lineup: Bärtl – Dalpiaz, Heindl, Deziel Jr., Nasrawe (82. Yanda) – Chávez, Schmitz, Della Rovere (72. Ličina) – Degraf (46. Meier), Heinz, Binder.

Goal: 1:0 Hoffmann (79.)

Unused subs: Klanac – Dettoni, Mergner, Rüger, Scott, Darboe

Unavailable players:  Steve Breitkreuz, Javier Fernández, Younes Aitamer, Roko Mijatović, Hannes Heilmair, Vincent Manuba, Ljubo Puljić

It all seemed so good in the build up to the match. Due to the international break and several international call ups, Bayern II had to call off last week’s match. Instead, a friendly was played. It gave Richard Meier, Max Mergner and Michael Scott a chance to recover from their respective injuries, reduce the injury list and leave the team with a really formidable starting XI and bench. Manuba and Puljić are nearing their own separate returns. League leaders SpVgg Unterhaching drew during the international break and lost this weekend. Everything was going up Bayern.

Then Bayern lost. Traveling to a team in SpVgg Hankofen-Hailing who had not won since the beginning of August and are expected to be in a relegation fight, it was expected that Bayern would dominate the match. They did, at first, succeed in that regard and came close to scoring multiple times. The football was good and the opponents could rarely get out of their half. But the finishing was poor and saw Bayern go into halftime level with the hosts. In the second half, it was clear that the Bayern youngsters were getting frustrated. More passes were mishit. Heads were dropping with every missed chance. Attacks became less patient. It all culminated in some dangerous counter attacks by the home team, one of which the team took to take the lead in the 79th minute. Unfortunately, Bayern were unable to force home any sort of advantage and Hankofen-Hailing created the best chances of the ending phase of the match. It was another frustrating, wasteful match that happens to young teams. But it is not the kind this team can afford, given its’ clear goal of becoming champion.

This result leaves Bayern II down in 9th place, still just 6 points off the top with a game in hand though.

Bayern U-19 7-1 Stuttgarter Kickers U-19

Bayern lineup: Ruland – Wijks, Kiala (62. Pavlić), Schäfer, Ofli (46. Moumouni) – Göttlicher (46. Douglas), Santos (72. Lambe), Olychenko (62. Gashi) – Chemwor, Egwuatu, Mike (46. Snip).

Goals: 1:0 Kiala (12.), 2:0 Göttlicher (13.), 3:0 Ofli (21.), 4:0 Olychenko (33.), 4:1 Schmidt (46.), 5:1 Ewuatu (55.), 6:1 Gashi (68.), 7:1 Gashi (80., p).

Unused player: Kösters

Unavailable players: Oluwaseyi Wilson, Noah Codjo-Evora, Michel Ekodi

Now THAT is how you do it. Hosting the bottom placed Stuttgarter Kickers in the group, Bayern made short work of their opponents, beating them 7-1. Notably, midfielder Bogdan Olychenko continued his good form, assisting goal 1, pulling out a clever dummy for goal 3 and scoring goal 4 himself. Moritz Göttlicher continued his goal scoring form with a sumptuous strike from the top of the box. But striker Yll Gashi was the main story today, making his first appearance of the season after a really difficult injury and promptly netting two goals on his return. All in all, it was a very good day for the U-19s.

The result leaves Bayern’s U-19s on top of their 7 team group. They are level on points with SC Freiburg’s U-19s on top of the table on 10 apiece and 2 points ahead of SSV Ulm’s U-19s, though Bayern have played a game less than both clubs. Remember, Bayerns U-19s play 12 games total and have to finish in the top 2 of the group to progress.

FC Ingolstadt U-17 3-4 Bayern U-17, Matchday 3

Bayern lineup: Podar-Stiube- Horvath, Pucci, Pavic, Ajayi- Osmani, Zogaj- Danioko, Horoszczak- von Taube, Schaff

Goals: 1:0 Kabbia (12.), 2:0 Eggers (25., p), 2:1 Danioko (33.), 2:2 Contentos o.g. (45.), 2:3 Ajayi (55.), 2:4 Schaff (73.), 3:4 Eggers (85.)

Bayerns U-17s start the season with 3 wins from 3 games. They were also the only Bayern youth team to play during the international break, winning 4-1 away at Sandhausen despite playing with 10 men nearly the entire match after a 4th minute red card. This game would prove to be more difficult, with Ingolstadt going up 2-0 but Bayern again showed strength of character, clawing back a vital victory.

This leaves the U-17s level on points with Stuttgarter Kickers on top of the 8-team table with 9 points from 3 games.

SEATTLE (AP) — As much as the Seattle Seahawks struggled to run the ball or spread it around through the air in a season-opening loss to San Francisco, they had no such challenges in Week 2.

The Seahawks finished with 395 yards of offense in Sunday’s 31-17 win at Pittsburgh. Kenneth Walker III eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the first time since the 2024 season opener, and five players caught at least two passes.

“This offense is designed to get everybody the ball,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “And I felt like it did that (Sunday). And we’re on our way on that front.”

Sam Darnold threw two interceptions but bounced back and with a solid performance, finishing with 295 yards passing and two touchdowns. Darnold got veteran receiver Cooper Kupp involved after he was limited to two catches against the 49ers. Kupp had seven catches for 90 yards to complement top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who exceeded 100 yards for the second straight game.

“We put ourselves in good positions on first and second down to get us into good third downs, third and manageable,” Darnold said. “And we converted a lot of those third downs.”

To Darnold’s point, the Seahawks converted 6 of 14 third downs after going 3 for 10 against the 49ers. Seattle’s commitment to establishing the run paid off in the second half, when the Seahawks scored 24 of their 31 points.

Rather than slip to their first 0-2 start since 2018, the Seahawks found a way on the road.

“It was just a great team win,” Darnold said.

What’s working

The secondary. Safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Derion Kendrick intercepted Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, and the Seahawks are tied for the third-most takeaways in the league.

What needs help

The Seahawks recorded three sacks on Sunday, including 1 1/2 from defensive lineman Byron Murphy II, but they are still just 22nd in the league in team sacks.

Stock up

Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton, a fifth-round draft pick, caught his first two passes, including a touchdown in the first quarter.

Stock down

Cornerback Riq Woolen, who had what Macdonald called a “rough week” leading up to Sunday’s game, committed an early holding penalty. However, he helped to keep former Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf in check.

Injuries

Macdonald said Monday that he is “optimistic” about safety Nick Emmanwori (high ankle sprain) and Devon Witherspoon (knee) playing against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He would prefer if Emmanwori and Witherspoon could practice this week before suiting up.

Key number

295 — Days since the Seahawks won a game at Lumen Field. Seattle beat the Arizona Cardinals 16-6 on Nov. 24, 2024.

Next steps

The Seahawks return home, where they went just 3-6 last season, to host the rebuilding Saints (0-2).

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Yankees’ Aaron Judge receives message from rival pitcher
originally appeared on The Sporting News

It’s no secret that Aaron Judge is on his way to his third AL MVP award in the past four seasons after the elite numbers he has been producing in 2025. 

A .326 batting average, 48 homers, 102 runs batted in, and a league-leading 8.2 WAR? Aside from Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, there’s really no opposition for the Yankees slugger, and even then, many voters would rule the battle in Judge’s favor. 

And those many would likely also include Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who could also be on the verge of an award himself. 

Crochet vs. Judge

The showdown between the two AL East stars has become quite the sight to see, and Sunday night’s finale between the two rival teams saw Crochet fan Judge the first two times, but still saw Judge get his blow in, launching his 48th home run of the season in his third at-bat. 

And Crochet can’t get enough of it. 

“He’s looking down the barrel of another MVP,” Crochet said, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. “I don’t think it’s been a secret since he entered the league that he’s one of the best players, if not the best. So, it’s always an intense at-bat and one that I feel like I’ve risen to the challenge for. Just trying to keep him in the park is tough but just doing the best I can.”

And given that both teams are favored to make the playoffs, it seems that their battles for this year might not be over yet.