Eagles top Vikings thanks to dominant rushing attack. Plus, NFL and college football best bets, predictions

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🦅 Good morning to everyone but especially ...

THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Give the Eagles an inch, and they'll take a mile. And they'll do so ... swiftly. Behind a career-high 175 yards rushing from D'Andre Swift -- most by an Eagles player since LeSean McCoy in 2013 -- and 259 yards rushing overall, the Eagles ran over, around and through the Vikings in a 34-28 win.

The biggest turning point of the game came with 41 seconds left in the first half: Kirk Cousins found Justin Jefferson on a 30-yard gain down to the 1-yard line. However, Jefferson fumbled reaching for the end zone, and after a review, it was called a touchback. Instead of likely leading 14-10 at halftime, the Vikings surrendered a field goal and trailed 13-7 at the break.
Then the mistakes piled up: A Cousins fumble set up Jalen Hurts' second rushing touchdown, and after a quick Minnesota three and out, DeVonta Smith broke free for a 63-yard TD catch. The Vikings battled valiantly but couldn't string together enough stops and scores. Swift -- who only took over the backfield because Kenneth Gainwell was out injured -- put the game out of reach with a late TD of his own.
The Eagles are 2-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1992-93.

Jeff Kerr was in Philadelphia for the game, and he has overreactions and reality checks for the Birds, including the sideline dispute between Hurts and Brown ...

Kerr: "Much will be made of this, especially with Brown not at his locker when the locker room was open to reporters. Jalen Hurts didn't discuss the situation much in his press conference, while DeVonta Smith denied anything existed."

👍 Honorable mentions

Andrew Luck is back in football ... as a part-time high school coach.
It looks like the Broncos are getting Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) back this weekend.
Could the NFL's next international stop be Spain?
Talk your talk, Ronald Acuña Jr.
The Rangers' winning streak is up to six games after a sweep of the Blue Jays.
The Rays are within one game of the Orioles in the AL East.
The Orioles called up Heston Kjerstad.
Several coaches -- including Nick Saban and Kirby Smart -- reflected on Mike Leach's legacy.
Miami landed 2025 five-star defensive tackle Armondo Blount.
Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb won WNBA Executive of the Year.

😵 And not such a good morning for ...

THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

We'll make this quick: There is no shame going into the home of the reigning NFC champions on a short week and losing by a single possession. Aside from one fumble each, Cousins (364 yards, four touchdowns) and Jefferson (11 receptions, 159 yards) were fantastic.

But here's the problem: "Aside from one play here or there" is a killer in the NFL. The Vikings have seven turnovers through two games, most since the 2019 Dolphins. They have six lost fumbles through two games, most since the 2003 Rams. The defense remains iffy. The running game is non-existent. And even so, they've had chances to win both games.

Last year, the Vikings went an NFL-record 11-0 in one-score games. They're already 0-2 in such games this year. When there's no margin for error, wins become losses with one bad bounce or one bad play. The Vikings are finding that out the hard way.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

We've got an awkward situation between Stefon Diggs, a Bills reporter and a hot mic.
The Patriots reportedly aren't impressed with JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Cameron Heyward (groin) is expected to miss eight weeks. Here's our full Week 2 injury tracker.
Jasson Domínguez will undergo Tommy John surgery.
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell poked the bear -- well, technically the Buffaloes -- by calling out Deion Sanders. Coach Prime fired back.

🏈 NFL Week 2 picks, previews: Huge AFC showdowns loom

We're into Week 2 of the NFL season, and it's time for teams to either reinforce or reverse the first impressions they made in Week 1.

There are great matchups across the board Sunday, but Chiefs-Jaguars has my attention. No reigning Super Bowl champion has started 0-2 since the 1999 Broncos, and Kansas City wants to keep it that way. Having Travis Kelce (knee) and Chris Jones (contract dispute) back will surely help, but the Jaguars -- led by rising superstar Trevor Lawrence -- are legit. Will Jacksonville make a huge statement? Here's John Breech's pick.

Breech: "If there's one quarterback you don't ever want to pick against coming off a loss, it's definitely Patrick Mahomes. As the old saying goes, 'hell hath no fury like Patrick Mahomes coming off a loss.' At least, I think that's how that old saying goes. ... If Kelce plays, I think the Chiefs win comfortably. If Kelce doesn't play, I don't feel as comfortable picking the Chiefs, but I'm still taking them because this game is being played on Patrick Mahomes' birthday and there's no way I'm picking against Patrick Mahomes on his birthday. The pick: Chiefs 27-24 over Jaguars"

Sunday night should be an absolute doozy between an unstoppable force (the Dolphins offense) and an unmovable object (the Patriots defense). Will Brinson says ...

Brinson: "This New England defense is legit and Bill Belichick remains a mastermind on that side of the ball. Mike McDaniel's offense is no joke, but Belichick and the Pats held the Dolphins to 21 points or less both times these teams met last year. Mac Jones looked a million times better last week than at any point in 2022 and the Dolphins were not adept at slowing down the Chargers rushing attack last week. I love the Pats to pull off the upset here."

Here are all of our expert picks:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

We also have quarterbacks most likely to bounce back.

🏈 College football Week 3 picks, previews

NCAA Football: Ball State at Georgia — USATSI

Go back just two summers ago, and Spencer Rattler was a potential future No.1 pick while Carson Beck was fighting for backup snaps. Fast forward to now and Rattler, after losing his job to Caleb Williams at Oklahoma, is in his second year at South Carolina still trying to fulfill his considerable potential. Meanwhile, Beck is trying to guide No. 1 Georgia to its third straight title.

The two meet this weekend as the Gamecocks visit the Bulldogs. Is an upset in store? In his Six Pack of picks, Tom Fornelli says ... no ... not even close.

Fornelli: "So far this season, South Carolina ranks 122nd in sack rate allowed, 102nd in pressure rate allowed and 122nd in yards before contact per rush. I can't see why that would be a problem against a team like Georgia! You know, the team that has sent roughly eleven billion defensive linemen to the NFL in the last two years. The Pick: Georgia -27.5 (-110)"

Meanwhile, after a whirlwind offseason, No. 18 Colorado is off to a 2-0 start. But what about the guys Sanders replaced? Dennis Dodd looked at the flip side of the Buffaloes' makeover.

Dodd also previewed the game of Saturday night as No. 11 Tennessee visits The Swamp where Florida has won nine straight in the rivalry series. The Gators will have a clear homefield advantage, but will Joe Milton prove he's ready for prime time?

⚾ Red Sox fire Chaim Bloom; who could replace him?

The Red Sox fired chief baseball executive Chaim Bloom on Thursday as the franchise approaches its third missed postseason in four years under his direction. Bloom was dealt a tough hand with one of his first tasks being the Mookie Betts trade that yielded an underwhelming return. Even a 2021 ALCS appearance wasn't enough to prevent his firing.

Where could the Red Sox go next? R.J. Anderson has six options, including ...

Anderson: "Mike Hazen, Arizona Diamondbacks general manager -- It doesn't get more obvious than Hazen. He's a familiar quantity to owner John Henry and the other high-ranking members of Boston's front office, having spent more than a decade with the Red Sox before taking over the Diamondbacks in fall 2016. ... Hazen is about to record his fourth winning season in seven seasons out west."

R.J. also has other executives on the hot seat.

🏀 WNBA playoffs: Previewing Mystics-Liberty, Dream-Wings

After the Aces and Sun won Wednesday, the Liberty and the Wings look to make favorites 4 for 4 in Game 1s as they open their respective first-round series against the Mystics and Dream.

The Liberty are loaded with potential MVP Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu among five double-digit scorers. New York is viewed as Las Vegas' top competition for the title, but the Liberty can't get caught looking past the talented Mystics, writes Jack Maloney.

Maloney: "The Mystics have three aggressive and athletic guards in Brittney Sykes, Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins. In the regular four season meetings between these two teams -- which finished 2-2 -- that trio combined to average 51.9 points, 15.2 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game on 46.1% shooting from the field. If the Mystics' backcourt can consistently get into the paint and cause havoc, they could make this an interesting series."

Jack also has his preview and prediction for Dream-Wings.

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 Mystics at Liberty, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Utah State at Air Force, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Dream at Wings, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Saturday

🏈 No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State, Noon on ESPN
🏈 South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 No. 11 Tennessee at Florida, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Sunday

🏈 Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Chiefs at Jaguars, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏀 Lynx at Sun, 1 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Sky at Aces, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 49ers at Rams, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Jets at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
⚾ Cubs at Diamondbacks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Dolphins at Patriots, 8:20 p.m. on NBC