The Sportsletter - Roster Busters 🏈

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 22, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

We're trimming the NFL preseason rosters in the coming days. A pair of playoff features highlight the B and C spots. And there was a UFC kick that shook the world. More baseball (MLB and LLWS) is on the way. A new week begins now...

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NFL

Preseason Week 2: Roster Busters

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

All the NFL Preseason Week 2 Highlights, Top Performers & Roster Cuts

We’re inching closer to the start of the 2022 NFL season, and Week 2 of the preseason brought roster cuts. The initial cutdown occurred last Tuesday (Aug. 16) as teams trimmed their depth charts from 90 to 85. The rosters go from 85 to 80 this Tuesday (Aug. 23) before the big cuts to 53 a week later (Aug. 30). For the time being, most of your notable players remain employed, but the surprise names on the chopping block will come in 10 days.

Top Performers (Preseason Week 2)

Rookie QBs: Both Kenny Pickett (Steelers) and Malik Willis (Titans) looked solid again in Week 2. The rookie quarterbacks both threw for roughly 80 yards and a TD. Other rookies like Skylar Thompson (Dolphins) and Brock Purdy (49ers) have made their case for the No. 2 job on their respective teams.

Receivers: Cowboys wideout KaVontae Turpin made a splash with two punt return touchdowns, and he likely wrapped up a roster spot as a return man. Ravens receiver Isaiah Likely also turned heads in Baltimore. He’s quickly becoming one of Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets. Eagles’ wideout Devon Allen also used his track speed to blaze a 55-yard game-winning touchdown for the Birds.

The Bills: A lot of teams played their cards close to the chest in Week 2, but Buffalo went wild. The Bills hung 42 points and everyone on the offense ate. The quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Matt Barkley and Case Keenum — combined for 300-plus yards and 2 TDs while the run game racked up 208 yards and 4 TDs.

NFL Preseason Week 2 Highlights

Bears def. Seahawks (27-11) | Patriots def. Panthers (20-10) | Packers def. Saints (20-10) | Texans def. Rams (24-20) | Lions def. Colts (27-26) | Bills def. Broncos (42-15) | Chiefs def. Commanders (24-14) | Titans def. Bucs (13-3) | 49ers def. Vikings (17-7) | Steelers def. Jaguars (16-15) | Raiders def. Dolphins (15-13) | Cowboys def. Chargers (32-18) | Eagles def. Browns (21-20)

Tonight’s Schedule

Falcons at Jets (8:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NFL: Cuts Tracker: Team-by-Team Roster Moves Ahead of 2022 Season

B/R: Preseason NFL Week 2 Takeaways: Rookies Shine During Sunday’s Action

SI: Ravens Continue Record Preseason Streak With 22nd Straight Win

PGA

Cantlay Captures BMW

Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Patrick Cantlay (-14) Defends BMW Championship Title, Scottie Scheffler Takes Lead in FedEx Cup Standings

Patrick Cantlay won the weekend, but Scottie Scheffler is winning the playoffs. Sunday at the BMW Championship came down to a frantic finish between Cantlay (-14) and Scott Stallings (-13). Stallings held the lead entering the back-nine before Cantlay reeled off three birdies in the final eight holes to swipe a one-stroke win and defend his title. He won the event in 2021.

FedEx Cup Playoff Points: The points he accumulated would’ve boosted him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings, but Scottie Scheffler (-11) holds the overall lead heading into the final weekend thanks to his hot streak back in the spring. One event remains with an $18 million purse at the Tour Championship next weekend.

Final Leaderboard

P. Cantlay (-14)

S. Stallings (-13)

S. Scheffler (-11)

X. Schauffele (-11)

A. Scott (-10)

K.H. Lee (-10)

C. Conners (-10)

Other Notable Scorecards: J. Rahm (-9), R. McIlroy (-9), S. Im (-7), J. Spieth (-6), T. Finau (-4) | Full Leaderboard

Watch: Patrick Cantlay Wins BMW Championship

FedEx Cup Standings

1. S. Scheffler (4,205 points)

2. P. Cantlay (4,129 points)

3. W. Zalatoris (3,680 points)

4. X. Schauffele (2,824 points)

5. S. Burns (2,604 points)

Additional Storylines

WaPo: Patrick Cantlay Wins Another Thriller at BMW Championship

Golf Channel: BMW Championship Purse Payout: Cantlay, Stallings Cash In

WNBA

Aces Gone Wild

Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Aces Into WNBA Semifinals After Breaking 3-Point Record; Storm Sweep Mystics

The first round of the WNBA Playoffs is halfway over, and two teams are en route to the semifinals. The top-seed Aces and 5-seed Storm are moving on after sweeping their opponents in Round 1. Vegas fired off a rout against the Mercury in Game 2 (117-80) behind a record-setting shooting performance. The Aces broke the WNBA record for 3s in a game with 22. Chelsea Gray (27 points) buried seven 3s. The Storm got a boost with a near-triple-double from Breanna Stewart (21-10-8). The other two first-round series are heading to Game 3. Let’s run back the highlights.

WNBA Playoff Highlights

Gm 2: #1 Aces def. #8 Mercury (117-80)

LV Wins Series (2-0)

Gm 2: #5 Storm def. #4 Mystics (97-84)

SEA Wins Series (2-0)

Gm 2: #2 Sky def. #7 Liberty (100-62)

Series Tied (1-1)

Gm 2: #6 Wings def. #3 Sun (89-79)

Series Tied (1-1)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Aces Into Semifinals After Breaking WNBA Record With 23 3-Pointers

CBS Sports: Wings Upset Sun to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 3

UFC

A Kick to Remember

Photo: Chris Unger / Getty Images

Leon Edwards Upsets Kamaru Usman With Late TKO Kick Heard ‘Round the World

It ain’t over ’til it’s over! Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards squared off in the UFC 278 welterweight title fight on Saturday in Salt Lake City, and the end result was absolutely stunning. Despite Edwards’ competitive opening round, Usman dominated the fight and was a surefire winner on the cards had the fight went to the horn. Instead, with less than a minute remaining in the fifth and final round, Edwards delivered a lights-out kick that sent Usman to the canvas. In a moment, the tide swung, and Leon Edwards is the new welterweight champ.

“We thought [Edwards] was dejected and defeated, and he head-kicked Kamaru Usman into the shadow realm… Leon Edwards just shook the world!” — Joe Rogan

Watch: Full Fight Video Highlights

Additional Storylines

ESPN: UFC Crowd, Announcers in Disbelief After Leon Edwards Kick

Yahoo! Sports: Leon Edwards Etches Name in Sports Lore With Last-Minute, Title-Winning Head-Kick KO

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Orioles Win Little League Classic

The surging Orioles continued to stay hot over the weekend by beating the AL East rival Red Sox (5-3) in the Little League Classic in front of the Little Leaguers in Williamsport, PA. Jorge Mateo hit a three-run double in the 8th to swing the scoreboard.

⚽️ SOCCER: Aaronson Scores First PL Goal

Brenden Aaronson, one of the USMNT’s rising stars, scored his first Premier League goal over the weekend for Leeds United in a 3-0 win against Chelsea. Aaronson kicked off the scoring by swiping the ball off the Chelsea keeper.

🥊 BOXING: Usyk Retains Heavyweight Title

Ukrainian heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk edged out Anthony Joshua by split decision in the rematch fight Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Usyk won on the scorecards (115-113, 116-112, 113-115).

🎾 TENNIS: Coric Completes Fairytale in Cincinnati

World, meet Borna Coric. The 25-year-old Croatian stormed through the field to win the Cincinnati Open. He stunned #2 Rafael Nadal in the Round of 32 before defeating four more ranked opponents, including #4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final (7-6, 6-2).

THE STORYLINES

🏈 CFB Coaches on the Hot Seat

Could we be looking at a less silly “silly season” this fall? There is some optimism within the college football coaching industry that this cycle may be less tumultuous. Here are some of the coaches on the hot seat entering the 2022 season. (Sports Illustrated)

🏀 Top-15 Must-See NBA Games

The NBA revealed its full schedule Wednesday, and now it's time to dig in and uncover the best 2022-23 matchups. Opening night typically has some of the best games you can find all season, too. Here are the top-15 must-see games on the calendar. (Bleacher Report)

⚾️ Yankees at a Crossroads

New York's hot start made it the third-fastest team in franchise history to win 50 games in a season, recalibrating expectations for the 2022 Yankees to not just win a World Series, but do it in historic fashion. Then those expectations crashed, hard. (ESPN)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Tom Brady to Return to Bucs Monday After Being Away for Personal Matters (B/R)
• Panthers Rookie QB Matt Corral Out for Season With Torn Ligament in Foot (ESPN)
• Dennis Rodman Plans to Visit Russia to Seek Brittney Griner’s Release (SI)
• Padres Giving Closer Josh Hader ‘Little Break’ After Latest Meltdown (CBS Sports)
• Tom Weiskopf, 16-Time PGA Tour Winner & Golf Course Architect, Dies at 79 (USA Today)
• Yankees Retire Paul O’Neill’s No. 21 Jersey (NBC Sports)

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Content Intern: Marissa Kasch

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

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