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Good morning! Seize your chance to go behind-the-back today.
Things you need to see: More Mahomes Magic
Patrick Mahomes at least tried to do something wrong, we’ll give him that. But he’s not human, so instead, it turned out great. Watch this behind-the-back pass (!) from yesterday’s preseason game, and then we’ll explain:
MAHOMES BEHIND THE BACK 🫢
📺: #DETvsKC on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/eewdYOpS8c— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
Mahomes told NFL Network that Travis Kelce “didn’t run the route he was supposed to run” on this play, so the QB improvised the pass because he “was mad.”
“So out of spite, I threw a behind-the-back pass, but now it’s gonna be a highlight,” Mahomes added. Both the QB and tight end explained a lot more about what went wrong (and right).
And it goes deeper. Apparently, Andy Reid has been encouraging Mahomes to try this maneuver in a game after doing it in practice all the time. One such practice clip went viral last year, and as of 2020, the QB had allegedly been working “for years” on preparing a behind-the-back pass for regular-season action. Is 2024 the season?
Either way, even Kansas City’s miscommunications turn into highlights. Must be nice!
Three Questions: The NFL’s most interesting division
The NFC North, for decades, has largely been defined by two Packers quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Since 2010, Green Bay has won the division eight times. Everyone else: just once or twice each.
Now, the group many once thought boring is the NFL’s most fascinating. The Packers have another franchise QB in Jordan Love. The Bears have the No. 1 draft pick in Caleb Williams. The Vikings have a deep roster and might actually be fine at QB. The defending-champion Lions came within a whiff of the Super Bowl last year.
Who wins this division? I have no idea. I brought in Mike Sando to help:
The Lions are the division favorite, right? … Right?
Mike: The Lions should be favored, but there’s tons of volatility with Williams and Love having high ceilings. The Lions’ expensive re-signings felt self-affirming, but teams do not pick up where they left off the previous season. I always keep that in mind.
Minnesota losing first-round QB J.J. McCarthy is a blow, but maybe not an immediate one. What’s your read on the Vikings right now? Are we finally going to see fully activated Sam Darnold?
Darnold will play better because of the supporting cast, the indoor stadium, the tempered expectations and because I presume he’s matured. But he’s never started more than 13 games in a season, so we could see several games of Nick Mullens or another replacement-level option. Minnesota will struggle to match its 7-10 record from 2023.
Including Jared Goff, is this the best — or at least most exciting — QB division in football?
I’ll call it the most interesting. Williams and Love make Chicago and Green Bay riveting. The Darnold experiment in Minnesota gives us another nature-versus-nurture case study. Can he become another Geno Smith? It wouldn’t shock me if Darnold fared well enough to get a starting job somewhere in 2025.
All hail the NFC North.
News to Know
Clark’s mind-boggling run
Caitlin Clark went into the WNBA’s Olympic break on a heater, and on Friday, picked up right where she left off. In her last two games, Clark has put up a combined 53 points, 29 assists and 11 rebounds. She’s now also reached the 25-point, 10-assist threshold twice in her last five games — all other rookies in WNBA history combined have done it only once. Friday’s 98-89 win over Phoenix secured Indiana’s first season sweep against any opponent since 2020 and its first against the Mercury since 2015. Sheesh.
Stalions back on the sidelines
Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the heart of the Wolverines’ alleged sign-stealing scandal last season, has a new job as a volunteer defensive coordinator at Mumford High School in Detroit. The team’s coach, William McMichael, said he didn’t think twice about hiring Stalions: “What happens in the NCAA, at that level, really has nothing to do with high school or Mumford.”
More news
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The NWSL’s San Diego Wave hired U.S. soccer great Landon Donovan as their interim head coach. Read the full report.
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Reds starter Hunter Greene, a candidate for the NL Cy Young Award, went on the IL with elbow soreness. He had Tommy John surgery in 2019.
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A judge temporarily blocked the launch of Venu, the new streaming service from ESPN, Fox Sports and TNT Sports, threatening its ability to debut in time for the NFL season.
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Gymnast Ana Bărbosu received her Olympic bronze medal in a ceremony in Romania, following the controversial ruling that stripped American Jordan Chiles of the medal.
What We’re Watching: The duality of the world’s most famous cheerleaders
Say hi again to Hannah Vanbiber, who’s back with another review. Take it away, Hannah:
My whole life, I have disliked the institution of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They felt like the convergence of so many icky parts of American culture: objectifying, underpaying and ignoring the pain of women.
Now I follow them all on Instagram! The power of television, folks.
Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” tracks the 2023-24 squad through auditions, training camp and the NFL season. We see the absolute ringer they outlast to make the team, the sexist/racist obstacles they endure from inside and out, the contradictory standards they must meet (ones any human woman will recognize) and the dangers they face without either good pay or personal security.
Why watch? Mix the joyful thrill and amazement of Netflix’s “Cheer” with the shock and outrage of a cult documentary, and you’ve got the recipe for this winner. You will feel anger and awe in equal measure. It’ll have you going on a rant, but also attempting high kicks in your living room.
Breakout star: *Mom voice* All of them! These are real people with real ambitions, real insecurities, real struggles, real pain, real life. They’re amazing. (But if I HAVE to pick one: Reece and her extremely SEC-core fiancé, Will.)
Villain edit: Some say the “villain award” goes to the DCC director, Kelli Finglass. But she was tremendously nuanced to me. For me, the villain edit goes to the Jones family writ large, and Jerry’s EVP daughter Charlotte in particular, who says: “There’s a lot of cynicism around pay for NFL cheerleaders, as it should be,” as if she is not the one signing the checks. And then goes on about how it’s “not about the money.” Cue my millennial brain screaming 🚩🚩🚩.
The verdict: I am of two opposite minds. The DCC as an institution is probably toxic. The DCC as people are badass, awesome, brilliant high-kicking assassins, and I’m rooting for all of them and watching all their home games this season!
The entire first season of “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” is on Netflix now, ready to binge. Thanks, Hannah!
Watch This Game
WNBA: Storm at Fever
3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
A microcosm for the entire WNBA experience this season: Come to see Caitlin Clark on national TV, but stay to watch Jewell Lloyd and an extremely good Seattle team, which earned a B+ in our midseason grades.
NFL: Saints at 49ers
8 p.m. ET on Fox
I will be watching my Saints as I brace for a bad season. Join me.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
I was captivated by this story on Pinky Deras, America’s greatest-ever Little Leaguer, who led an “enigmatic” life even his son failed to understand sometimes. Very moving.
Gardner Minshew II is all at once a nomad, one of the NFL’s most interesting characters — and mostly a backup. Now he wants to be the Raiders’ answer at quarterback.
John Tavares may no longer be the Maple Leafs’ captain, but his graceful exit could extend his stay in Toronto, according to Chris Johnston.
Did you notice? Shohei Ohtani is a legitimate base-stealing threat now. A 40-40 season is possible. Can this guy be bad at something, please?
Most-clicked in the newsletter Friday: Andrew Marchand’s report on ESPN firing Robert Griffin III and Sam Ponder. Curious timing.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Adam Crafton’s fantastic piece that sets the ominous backdrop for Man City in this Premier League season, where the team is chasing a fifth straight title.
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(Top photo: David Eulitt/Getty Images)
