AI-assisted summary
• Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris is out for the season after tearing his Achilles.
• Harris suffered the non-contact injury during the team’s Week 3 victory over the Denver Broncos.
• Rookie Omarion Hampton will continue in his role as the Chargers’ starting running back.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ initial fears were confirmed Monday.

Running back Najee Harris tore his Achilles and is out for the season, according to Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Harris suffered the Achilles injury during the second quarter of the Chargers’ 23-20 Week 3 victory against the Denver Broncos. He went down with a non-contact injury in the backfield during a pass play and immediately grabbed his lower leg. 

The Chargers initially ruled him out of the game with an ankle injury but Harbaugh updated Harris’ diagnosis after Sunday’s win.

Harris’ injury puts an end to his impressive streak of playing in all of the first 71 regular-season games of his career.

The fifth-year running back was initially drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. He started 68 straight regular-season games for the Steelers.

The Chargers signed Harris in March. He sustained a superficial eye injury during a fireworks accident during the offseason. The injury caused him to miss all of training camp.

Omarion Hampton to continue role as starting running back

The rookie is the top running back on the Chargers’ depth chart. He’s started the first three games of the season.  

Hampton is coming off the best game of his young career in which he produced 129 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown during the Chargers’ Week 3 victory.

“It feels amazing to go out there with the guys and get a win,” Hampton said to USA TODAY Sports after the win versus Denver. “I feel like we all executed well and played to the last whistle.”

The three-yard rushing touchdown Hampton scored Sunday was the first of his career. The Chargers 2025 first-round pick running back told USA TODAY Sports the Chargers saved the football from the rushing TD for him.

With Harris out for the remainder of the season, the Chargers are hoping Hampton builds on his Week 3 performance and reaches paydirt a lot more this season.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League Central division after the Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0, on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The Brewers won the division crown for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the past five seasons. 

The team celebrated the news at Busch Stadium after a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Christian Yelich and the Brewers will play their next three games on the road against the San Diego Padres before closing out the regular season at home against the Reds

The Brewers have the best overall record at 95-61 and sit at the top of the standings, setting Milwaukee up to have one of the top two seeds in the National League. 

The Brewers will have a bye before playing Game 1 of the National League Division Series at American Family Field.

The game will be played Saturday, Oct. 4, against an opponent yet to be determined.

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AI-assisted summary
• The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots 21-14, improving their record to 2-1 for the 2025 season.
• Despite the win, the Steelers’ offense, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, struggled with consistency and rhythm.
• Pittsburgh’s defense was crucial, forcing five turnovers, including four fumbles and a key interception.
• While the Steelers are winning, questions remain about whether the offense can compete with top AFC teams.

FOXBOROUGH, MA — If the first three weeks of the season are any indication, Mike Tomlin’s experiment with Aaron Rodgers should end up just about where everybody predicted it would – no different than how the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season usually ends in the post-prime-Ben-Roethlisberger era.

Pittsburgh will finish with a record slightly above .500. They’ll sneak into the playoffs with an above-average defense and shaky offense. And then promptly exit in the wild-card round, as they’ve done four of the last five seasons. 

Because even as the defense finally starts playing like a Tomlin-led unit, the offense – despite the arrival of a 41-year-old all-time great – still lacks the basics, such as cohesion, rhythm and execution. 

Yes, the Steelers defeated the New England Patriots, 21-14, on Sunday to move to 2-1 in the still-young 2025 season. There aren’t many better alternatives. But Rodgers was brought here to give the Steelers the firepower to make these types of games blowouts and to challenge the elites of the AFC – Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City. January football may seem like the distant future, but nothing about September would give a Steelers’ supporter optimism that slaying those kings could be a possibility.

“I think it was one of those weird, disjointed games,” Rodgers said after the game, noting the Steelers scored on their first two drives before a three-and-out halfway through the second quarter. 

Rodgers gesticulated angrily while walking toward the sidelines after that drive. And on the third play of the second half, he didn’t see Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane in underneath coverage and hit Spillane right in his hands for an interception. 

“We just couldn’t get into a rhythm at all,” Rodgers said. “We came out (in) the second half and I made a terrible throw. (Our) defense just kind of stood on their head all day. I thought the first two drives were good rhythm-wise, and we couldn’t find that rhythm in the second half.”

Luckily for the Steelers, their defense forced five turnovers – four fumbles and a timely interception in the end zone by Brandin Echols with seven seconds remaining before halftime.  Rhamondre Stevenson’s second fumble of the day came on the goal line at the start of the third quarter. 

“We spend a lot of time on our ball search culture. But it’s just words, it’s an agenda,” Tomlin said after the game. “The efforts of the guys make it real, not only on Sunday but during the course of the week. It just felt like we were heading toward a good game in that area, just the way we worked this week.”

The takeaway margin might disguise the fact that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, making his 15th career start, outplayed the four-time MVP for most of the game. The Steelers managed to win the 66 rushing yards (before Rodgers’ final two kneel-downs to ice the game). The defense entered with three sacks over the first two games but put Maye on the ground five times. 

Rodgers definitely dials it up when he needs to. The back-shoulder throw to Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:16 remaining looked like it was from 2015, let alone 202. His passing touchdown to DK Metcalf was equally impressive. A pass up the seam to tight end Jonnu Smith in the first half was a laser. 

Too many of the Steelers’ plays are quick passes to keep Rodgers clean; the Patriots recorded zero sacks. Rodgers said he tried to take accountability through the season’s opening weeks on sacks that were “probably my fault.” Against the Patriots, he was mobile enough. 

“There’s some things to clean up, but I have a lot of confidence in those guys and thought (offensive coordinator Arthur Smith) did a good job keeping them off balance with some different protection schemes and some moving the pocket stuff. I thought those guys played well. They were a little upset after last week. They played with a better attitude this week.”

In Smith’s quick-game scheme, Rodgers has found an ally in Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, who received a team-high six targets (five catches). 

“I just do what he tells me,” Warren told USA TODAY Sports about Rodgers. “That’s a pretty good guy to listen to.” 

Rodgers and the Steelers put up gaudy numbers against a listless New York Jets defense in a Week 1 victory that was a revenge game for Rodgers. But the unit was stifled by the Seahawks and Mike Macdonald, three years younger than Rodgers, in Week 2. On Sunday, Pittsburgh put up 203 yards of total offense – 67 of them coming on the game-winning drive – with the Patriots missing their top secondary player in cornerback Christian Gonzalez. 

Stacking wins against the teams on the schedule is all the Steelers, Tomlin and Rodgers can possibly do. But how they do it matters. Regardless of the small sample size, it’s worth questioning whether bringing in the acquisition of Rodgers this offseason will propel the Steelers to the upper echelons of the AFC. 

“Our goals and our expectations are to play until February,” Austin said. “We know as an offense we have to do better if we want to get there. It’s Week 3. We got a win. We got the right guys and stuff. Everybody is locked in, engaged, and happy for each other.”

February? Have to get through January first, something with which the Steelers are all-too familiar.  

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Field goal kicking seems like a simple operation.

Line up, swing the leg and live with the results – except it wasn’t that easy in Week 3. From blocked punts to blocked field goals and seemingly everything in between, special teams had some special moments.

In NFL RedZone’s famous ‘Witching Hour,’ chaos reigned supreme. The Philadelphia Eagles blocked multiple kicks from the Los Angeles Rams en route to a comeback victory. The New York Jets almost pulled off the improbable comeback before falling short.

At the same time, the Cleveland Browns had some insanity of their own before the unlikely upset.

Blocked field goals don’t happen often, except on this Sunday. Here are the best blocks and where they rank in Week 3.

Week 3 field goal blocks, ranked

4. Eagles block Rams’ FG to keep deficit at five

While there’s no doubt it had an impact on the result, this one is fairly boring compared to the others. The Rams maintained a five-point lead and the Eagles didn’t get off a big return on this block. Even if the kick weren’t blocked, this would’ve remained a one-score game. Philly did enjoy a nice momentum boost though.

3. Jets’ Will McDonald block, scoop and score

Trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, the Jets looked down and out. No one in their right mind saw a comeback coming, but McDonald had other ideas. Showing off his athleticism, the second-year pro leapt over the line, blocked the field goal, scooped and scored to give ‘Gang Green’ the lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In typical Jets fashion, they quickly gave up the game-winning field goal to eliminate any good vibes associated with the play. Nice work by McDonald, but this one will ultimately be forgotten.

2. Browns block the go-ahead FG

The effort was there all day from the Browns’ defense, but it looked like they would ultimately fall short against a Super Bowl-contending Packers team. After driving into field goal range with less than a minute to go, Green Bay lined up for the 43-yard attempt with 27 seconds to go.

Denzel Ward had other ideas as he came flying in off the edge and soared into the path of Brandon McManus’ attempt. Cleveland would recover the kick and go on to kick a game-winner of its own, knocking off the Packers in shocking fashion.

1. Eagles block Rams’ game-winning FG attempt

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, shame on the Rams. Lining up for the game-winning field goal, Joshua Karty had a chance at redemption. Just 44 yards away with three seconds left, it appeared certain that the Rams would overcome all their mistakes and missed opportunities to leave Philadelphia with a win.

Then the ball was snapped. It was almost like Karty didn’t have any blockers on the play, with all of the Eagles right in his face. The kick had no chance and Jordan Davis added salt to the wound, returning it for a touchdown. Rams fans, sports bettors and fantasy football players can all unite in what will almost certainly become the biggest bad beat of the season. Yikes.

The Indiana Fever continued their somewhat surprising postseason run by stunning the Las Vegas Aces, 89-73, in Game 1 of their semifinal series on Sunday.

“I think what you guys see is just me trying to just be a kid in the playground,’ Mitchell said.

In the second game of the day, the top-seed Minnesota Lynx took care of business. They defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 82-69, in Minneapolis at the Target Center. Courtney Williams has 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lynx.

‘We never feel like we are down, we are resilient group,’ Williams said when asked about Minnesota being down 47-40 at halftime. ‘We never look up at the scoreboard. We just try and go get kills, which is stops.’

Winners

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell

Mitchell may have finished fifth in the voting, but she looked like the MVP on the court in Game 1. Mitchell scored a career playoff best 34 points in the Fever’s victory over four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. Mitchell shot an efficient 12-of-23 from the field including 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. Mitchell is the first Fever player to score 30 or more points in a playoff game since Shavonte Zellous in the 2012 WNBA Finals. Aces coach Becky Hammon summed it up perfectly: “Clearly we had no answer for (Kelsey) Mitchell. Couldn’t even attempt to slow her down a little bit.”

Fever guard Odyssey Sims

Sims started the 2025 WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks. After being waived on July 2, the point guard signed an emergency hardship contract with the Fever on Aug. 10. Sims seamlessly stepped in for Indiana’s injured guards and has been a key part of the Fever’s postseason run. She stepped on the gas (literally) in the Fever’s Game 1 blowout win and finished with 17 points (13 in the second half), three assists, three steals and only one turnover. 

Lynx guard Courtney Williams

Williams was due for a breakout game and turned it in on Sunday. After averaging 8.8 points in the Lynx’s first-round series against the Golden State Valkyries, Williams exploded for a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals in Game 1 vs. Phoenix. Williams effortlessly controlled the game, creating her own shots, while simultaneously making the right passes. She becomes the fifth player in WNBA playoff history with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a playoff game, joining Breanna Stewart, Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes and Alyssa Thomas. ‘We needed aggression against these guys and Courtney (Williams) did it for us, even though she’s one of the smallest on the court,’ Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves said.

Courtney Williams’ dad

Donald Williams, the father of Lynx guard Courtney Williams, had plenty to cheer about in the Lynx’s Game 1 win. (See above.) He was seen cheering and dancing courtside at Target Center.

Lynx foward Maria Kliundikova

Maria Kliundikova added instant impact off the bench in the second half for the Lynx. Reeve opted to put in Kliundikova for Alanna Smith in the closing seconds of the third quarter and her presence was instantly felt. She got a clutch offensive rebound with 8:36 remaining in the game that led to a made 3-pointer from Kayla McBride to put the Lynx up 64-59. Kliundikova finished with four points, four rebounds, two steals, one assist and was plus-14 in eight minutes of work. ‘It was huge… we were all turnt for her because we know what she can do,’ Courtney Williams said. ‘She was a game changer for us. When you sit most of the game and have to come in and make that instant impact, you just have to be mentally strong and that’s what she is.’

Minnesota’s Big 3

Minnesota’s Big 3 of Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams won the first battle against Phoenix’s Big 3. McBride finished with 21 points (6-of-17, 4-of-9 3PT), six rebounds and two assists, while Collier scored 18 points (8-of-16 FG, 2-of-6 3PT), nine rebounds and two assists. Can’t forget about Williams, who Reeve called the ‘player of the game for us.’

Losers

Phoenix’s Big 3 

The Mercury’s Big 3 started red hot in Game 1, with forward Alyssa Thomas (16 points), guard Kahleah Copper (11) and forward Satou Sabally (8) combining for 35 of the Phoenix’s 47 points in the first half. But the Mercury’s trio appeared to hit a wall during the second half. Copper scored 11 points in the second half to bring her to 22 points total, but Thomas and Sabally scored two points each in the second half, finishing with 18 and 10 points respectively. Fatigue could be a factor as the Mercury are coming off a Game 3 win over the New York Liberty in the first round less than 48 hours before the semis tipped off on Sunday. Entering Sunday, the Mercury were 15-0 this season when their Big 3 score 10-plus points each.

Aces center A’ja Wilson

Aces center A’ja Wilson was awarded her record-setting fourth MVP trophy ahead of Game 1 vs. the Fever on Sunday, but her special night was spoiled by a blowout loss to the Fever. Indiana forced Wilson into tough shots all night long and held her to 27.2% from the field (6-of-22) and 0-of-1 from the 3-point line. (In comparison, Wilson averaged 50.5% from the field this season.) She was held to just one field goal the entire second half (1-of-6) and was limited with four fouls trouble by the third quarter. To add insult to injury, the loss snapped the Aces’ 12-game home win streak. Wilson didn’t look like herself and will need to bounce back to get even with the Fever.

Aces guard Jewell Loyd 

The Aces have the luxury of having a two-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA scoring leader and six-time WNBA All-Star coming off the bench, but Jewell Loyd was nearly nonexistent in Game 1 vs. the Fever. Loyd was held scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter when she knocked down a 3-point shot for her sole field goal of the game. Loyd finished with three points in 28 minutes, going 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line. Her stat sheet was rounded out by three steals, one rebound and one assist. Becky Hammon lamented her team’s depth afterward, adding, “God forbid A’ja (Wilson) doesn’t drop 40 for us.”

Phoenix’s 3-point shooting

The Mercury were held to 3-of-23 from the 3-point line in Sunday’s loss. Phoenix has a significant advantage when their 3-point shot is falling and was 12-1 this regular season when shooting 40% or better from the 3-point line. The Mercury, who recorded a league-leading four games with 15 or more 3-pointers, haven’t hit the 40% mark from 3 in all four of their playoff games so far.

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