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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.


Happy Tuesday! Brent Brookhouse here to take you through all the sports news you need to get your day going.

With the first week of the NFL season and two full weeks of college football in the books, we are fully, truly and officially in the greatest time of the year: Football season. With the Vikings capping off a dramatic comeback to take down the Bears in the Monday Night Football opener (more on that in a bit), NFL fans have been treated to two furious rallies in as many nights.

Football drama is in full swing and it's now time to buckle up as we ride through the next few days before the action starts up again on Thursday night.

🏈 Five things to know Tuesday

  1. Putting a bow (for now) on Ravens-Bills. My editor's calculation says that 94.1% of the NFL regular season still needs to be played, but we might not see a better game this year than what we saw Sunday night. Buffalo's history-making comeback win over Baltimore was one for the ages. Joey Bosa, the Bills new defensive end said it felt like he was "in a dream" watching Josh Allen, who is the new betting favorite to win NFL MVP, do his thing in the fourth quarter. There are plenty more storylines, including how Matt Prater was on dad duty just days before kicking the game-winning field goal, how the Ravens gave away a winnable game, and Allen's message to fans who left the stadium when the home team was down 15 with four minutes to play.
  2. MLB playoffs are drawing closer. With the MLB playoffs fast approaching, our R.J. Anderson took a look at which contenders have the easiest -- and hardest -- remaining schedules. The path looks clear for teams like the Padres and Mariners, while fans of the Diamondbacks and Rays may be left hoping for a miracle.
  3. Men's national team is still a work in progress. The USMNT is still trying to figure things out under Mauricio Pochettino. After losing 2-0 to South Korea, the Americans only have one match left in the current international break, a clash with Japan on Tuesday. Pardeep Cattry broke down the three keys for the USMNT to start pulling things together before next summer's World Cup. As for Pochettino, he had some harsh words for critics of his ever-changing lineups.
  4. Texans-sized disappointment? There were some frustrating Week 1 losses across the NFL, including the Texans' 14-9 loss to the Rams. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud was not pleased with the team "lollygagging and going through the motions" on Sunday. These are the AFC South champs were talking about, so we see why Stroud's upset.
  5. Could the Lakers be interested in adding a former No. 1 draft pick? According to a report, Los Angeles is interested in potentially landing Miami's Andrew Wiggins should the Heat make the wing available. Wiggins would fill a needed role for the Lakers after the team signed Luka Dončić to a three-year contract extension.

🏈 Do not miss this: Vikings storm back vs. Bears in season's MNF opener

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It may not have been quite as historic as what the Bills and Allen pulled off on Sunday night, but J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings had an impressive comeback of their own on "Monday Night Football." After a solid start had Soldier Field rocking and a halftime celebration of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears, the game ended with the Chicago faithful raining down boos after a 27-24 Vikings victory.

The Bears carried a 17-6 lead into the fourth quarter and things looked rocky for McCarthy, especially after a pick-six had extended the Chicago lead to 11. Everything changed in the fourth quarter, with the Vikings rattling off 21 straight points. (And that was an NFL first.) Chicago scored a late touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the game to cut the Minnesota lead to three, but the scoring stopped there.

McCarthy completed 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards, two passing TDs and an interception. He also added 25 yards and a touchdown rushing.

The result was a waste of a solid game from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who was 21 of 35 for 210 yards and a touchdown through the air in addition to 58 rushing yards and a touchdown.

🏈 Pete Prisco has Eagles atop NFL Power Rankings

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The season is young and there's no need to overreact ... right? Sure, your team may look like the best squad in the world -- or the worst -- but an NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Pete Prisco would like you to keep that in mind as he releases his newest power rankings after one week of NFL action.

  • Prisco: "It's overreaction week in the NFL, but remember that one week does not make a season -- yet you'd sure think it does based on some of the comments being made the past few days. Among them:

    "The Kansas City Chiefs are done.

    "The Detroit Lions can't overcome the loss of their two coordinators.

    "Bo Nix and Drake Maye will have sophomore slumps.

    "Aaron Rodgers has the Steelers with a Super Bowl look.

    "The Raiders are back.

    "Let's slow the roll. Please. It's one game. While we live in an era of immediate reactions, let's try not to get caught up in the outrageous."

As for the actual rankings of it all, here are Prisco's top five teams after Week 1:

  1. Philadelphia Eagles: Picking up right where they left off, the Eagles took care of the Dallas Cowboys behind two Jalen Hurts rushing touchdowns and a third from Saquon Barkley.
  2. Buffalo Bills: Standing tall as the NFL's No. 2 ranked team, Buffalo's shocking comeback set the right tone for a team with eyes on the Super Bowl.
  3. Green Bay Packers: As Micah Parsons debuts with his new team, Green Bay climbed one spot in the rankings with a victory over the Detroit Lions.
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa topped the Atlanta Falcons, 23-20, in Week 1 action to climb to spots in Prisco's rankings.
  5. Baltimore Ravens: A shocking loss to Buffalo does not hurt Baltimore in the rankings as the Ravens stay strong at No. 5. Lamar Jackson and company host the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.

🏈 Florida takes a mighty tumble in polls

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With the release of the newest AP Poll on Monday, the CBS Sports college experts have gotten to work on a variety of different rankings and ratings. We can start our look through which team ranks where with the CBS Sports 136, which ranks every team from No. 1 Ohio State all the way through No. 136 Kent State. Bad news for Gators fans who see Florida drop 25 spots, all the way down to No. 36.

Florida is all the way out of the College Football Power Rankings. The team who defeated them, South Florida, is, however, and they are the biggest riser in the rankings, jumping 14 spots to No. 11.

CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello broke down USF's rise.

  • Marcello: "How about those Bulls? USF shocked the country and may have put a fork in Billy Napier's career coaching the Gators with an 18-16 victory in walk-off fashion.Quarterback Byrum Brown continues to dazzle, but big kudos to USF's defense for holding DJ Lagway in check. USF is only the third unranked team in the AP poll since 1995 to defeat back-to-back ranked opponents. Next up is the toughest test of the season: a trip to Miami."

🏆 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

Tigers at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS
USMNT vs. Japan, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Lynx at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Reds at Padres, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Valkyries at Storm, 10 p.m. on WNBA League Pass