Yankees on to ALDS after Red Sox sweep; Cowboys win trade with Steelers for Joey Porter Jr.

Oct 1, 2026 at 8:46 am ET • 5 min read

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🤯 Five things to know Thursday

1. The Yankees, Padres and White Sox advanced, and the Phillies forced a Game 3. The latest chapter of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry will not be remembered for its drama. With its 9-2 thumping of Boston in Game 2, New York humiliated its bitter rival en route to a sweep. In the NL, the Phillies bashed their way to a Game 3 win against the Braves with clutch back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Elsewhere, the White Sox continued their improbable run by sweeping the Astros, and the Padres easily dispatched the Cubs. But before we turn out the lights on the vanquished, here are three questions facing the Cubs and Red Sox as they enter the offseason.
2. Joey Porter Jr. has been traded to the Cowboys. A lengthy standoff between Porter and the Steelers ends with the veteran cornerback in a Cowboys uniform. Pittsburgh traded Porter to Dallas in exchange for a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-round pick, a deal we say was won by the 'Boys. The Cowboys' defense has already been decimated by injuries, but even before that it struggled against the pass. This addition will certainly shore up the secondary.
3. The Dream are through to the WNBA semifinals, and Arike Ogunbowale made history. For the first time in 13 years, the Dream have won a multi-game playoff series by sweeping their best-of-three series against the Mystics. Veteran Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combined for 37 points while Angel Reese chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds. Down in Arlington, the Wings extended their series with a thrilling OT victory against the Valkyries as Arike Ogunbowale dropped FORTY-FIVE points, a WNBA record for most points in a playoff game.
4. The Panthers have placed Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on IR. Things could not be much worse for the Panthers secondary. They will be without their two starting cornerbacks for at least the next four games after placing Horn and Jackson on IR. To make matters worse, Carolina draws a high-powered Lions offense on Sunday night. As more information on injuries from around the NFL rolls in, follow along with our Week 4 injury tracker.
5. Keelon Russell and Kamario Taylor are set for a showdown in Starkville. Quarterback play won't get much better than what you're about to witness in Starkville on Saturday. Russell and Taylor -- two early Heisman Trophy hopefuls -- will go head-to-head as No. 7 Alabama takes on No. 16 Mississippi State. Both featured in the top five of our latest College Football QB Power Rankings, Russell and Taylor are capable of putting on quite the show at Davis Wade Stadium.

🏈 Do not miss this: Week 4 NFL picks

As we roll into Week 4 of the NFL season, John Breech has predicted the score of every single game on the slate, and he will be closely watching a big game in The Lone Star State.

The Cowboys (1-2) and Texans (0-3) both need wins or they'll risk falling into a deep hole just prior to the quarter pole. Unfortunately for Dallas, the NFL schedule-makers seem to have a bone to pick because the Cowboys have to do something no other team has done in league history. Breech has the details.

• Breech: "The one-way trip to Rio covered more than 5,200 miles. Every team that has ever had to fly that far for a game got a bye or extra rest the following week, but not the Cowboys. That's right: The Cowboys are the FIRST team in NFL history to fly at least 5,000 miles for a game and not get any extra rest for their next game. Not only do the Cowboys have to play in Week 4 without any extra rest, but they have to play ON THE ROAD."

You can get the compelete slate of picks right here -- along with Pete Prisco's game-by-game picks -- but here are a few of Breech's score predictions:

• Vikings 20, Dolphins 13
• Falcons 26, Saints 23
• Ravens 27, Titans 13
• Colts 24, Commanders 17

On the topic of scheduling, the winless Dolphhins have gotten a historically tough draw through the first month of the season. The good news for Jeff Hafley is that things could be worse. You could be Mike Vrabel fielding questions about rumors of a rift with Drake Maye.

🔥 Hot Seat Watch: Norvell is starting to sweat

We've entered October, and the sounds of the college football coaching carousel are faint, but they're growing louder. in that spirit, our own John Talty has conducted a hot seat check on coaches around the country.

Some coaches, like Bill Belichick at North Carolina and Jeff Lebby at Mississippi State, have improved their standing. But Mike Norvell is not in that group. Florida State is off to another mediocre start, and a gargantuan buyout can only protect Norvell for so long unless he starts picking up wins.

• Talty: "There's a path to Mike Norvell keeping his job, but it almost certainly needs to include a win over Virginia this weekend. Norvell needs to be in that 7-win range and still has games against Louisville, Miami and Florida on the schedule. With an athletic department in transition, a $46.7 million buyout is still a huge sum to pay out, and it could help Norvell's cause if he can get a few more wins."

Mike Elko didn't make Talty's list -- nor should he -- but it's hard to like anything we've seen from Texas A&M so far. That's why Elko lands among our list of six coaches who didn't earn their paychecks in September. On the flip side, Florida OC Buster Faulkner and QB Aaron Philo have been worth every penny.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• The Avalanche and Panthers have serious Cup aspirations in the first NHL Power Rankings of the season.
• Packers WR Jayden Reed has been ruled out of the season with a neck injury.
• Tyreek Hill could be eyeing one of these five "cold weather" teams as he pushes toward a comeback.
• The J.J. McCarthy trade was polarizing, but Russell Wilson says it's a "great fit" for the Giants.
• On the other hand, the Odell Beckham Jr. reunion "just wasn't working" for New York.
• High praise: Jaxon Smith-Njigba says Jeremiah Smith is the LeBron James of Ohio State.
• The Texas AD has blasted his own players' vulgar celebrations against Tennessee.
• Two-time NBA champ J.R. Smith was arrested on an assault charge in Texas.
• Raoni Barcelos has been discharged from the hospital after his scary Fight Night incident.
• Ronaldo has left the Portugal national team after getting benched vs. Norway.

📺 What we're watching Thursday

⚽ UEFA Nations League: Norway at Wales, 2:45 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Western Kentucky at NMSU, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
⚾ Game 3: Phillies at Braves, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏈 Steelers at Browns, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 North Texas at Tulsa, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Game 3: Fever at Aces, 9 p.m. on USA Network