Month: November 2025

The Cleveland Browns confirmed Wednesday that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will get the start for Week 12 on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, as Dillon Gabriel remains in concussion protocol.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said: “Dillon is still in the concussion protocol,” noting that while Gabriel is improving, but “obviously we’ve got to put a plan together for all of our players, our offense, our defense, our special teams, a plan of attack, and give our guys a chance.”

Sanders stepped in for Gabriel during last week’s 23–16 loss to the Ravens, marking his NFL debut. Thrust into the second half, he struggled against a Baltimore defense that ranks near the bottom of the league in pass defense, finishing 4-of-16 for 47 yards with an interception, two sacks and no scoring drives. His passer rating was 13.3. Afterward the game, Sanders didn’t shy away from the rough outing: “I don’t think I played good,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week … I just think overall, we just got to go next week and understand, so that we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”

This week marks the first time the fifth-round pick will handle all first-team reps, something Stefanski believes will streamline the offensive plan. “You want to make sure that all the concepts are things that he feels confident in … definitely want to lean into those types of things,” the coach said, adding he has seen “significant growth” from the rookie since his arrival.

Sanders agreed the additional work should help. “I’m truly excited for that,” he said. “Knowing that I have a piece of [the] offense … and a say so in how things fit my eye, placing the players exactly where they need to be, seeing how the come in and out of routes, seeing the structure of the o-linemen, seeing their sets, just having a feeling. I’m more of a feel type of person. That’s how I learn. That’s how I do everything … I gotta be out there and feel it. I gotta move around. It’s like so many details that it takes for me to feel my best and play my best. I’m doing everything in my power and the team is doing everything to help me get prepared.”  Sanders added that his preparation won’t change, and praised Raiders coach Pete Carroll, saying he will “do what I can to prepare mentally, physically, emotionally, to make sure I’m my best self.”

Kickoff between the Browns and Raiders is set for 4:05 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium.

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The Atlanta Falcons announced Wednesday that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after tests confirmed a partial ACL tear in his left knee.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted: #Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr does, in fact, need surgery to repair his ACL, with 9 months of recovery, at least, coming. He’s sought the opinion of experts, including from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Penix has an ACL sprain, but full reconstruction is needed … The timeline for Michael Penix’s ACL surgery puts him right up against the start of the 2026 season. Nine months from now is mid-August. At the least, Atlanta will have to have a secure backup plan in case all does not go as anticipated.”

The injury occurred in the third quarter of Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers, when Penix was sacked on third down and left the field for evaluation. He finished the day completing 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards before exiting with Atlanta ahead 21-19. The defeat dropped the Falcons to 3-7.

Head coach Raheem Morris said there is no formal timetable for his return, adding that medical evaluations so far have been encouraging, saying “Obviously, everybody’s different … but it was really positive news from all the doctors that looked at it.” Despite the setbacks, Morris expressed confidence in Penix’s resilience, saying “He has dealt with it, but what we know of Mike … from all the injuries he has come back stronger. We feel really confident that this will be the same way. I have no doubt that Mike’s going to attack this rehab and attack all things that can get done to be ready for his team and ready to go as soon as possible.”

This is Penix’s fifth season-ending injury in eight combined seasons between college and the NFL. The 2024 first-round pick previously tore his right ACL twice in college and now faces a lengthy rehab on his left knee. Before the ACL tear, he had completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards with nine touchdowns, three interceptions, and one rushing score. He had also missed one game earlier this season due to a bone bruise in the same knee.

Veteran Kirk Cousins, who replaced Penix on Sunday, will take over as the starter as Atlanta heads to New Orleans for a key NFC South matchup. Cousins – who signed a four-year, $180 million deal before the Falcons drafted Penix – is 32-for-52 for 250 yards this season and went 6-of-14 for 48 yards in the loss to Carolina. With Penix now out long-term, the Falcons elevated Easton Stick from the practice squad and added Kyle Trask to the practice unit to restore depth behind Cousins.

Atlanta will also head into Sunday’s game without top receiver Drake London, who injured his left knee late in regulation against Carolina and did not return for overtime. Morris confirmed London will sit out Sunday’s game, marking his second absence of the season. London had produced seven catches for 119 yards before exiting, extending a streak of three straight 100-yard outings and giving him five such performances in his last six games. He ranks among the league leaders with 60 receptions (tied seventh), 810 yards (fourth), and six touchdowns (tied sixth).

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The Seattle Mariners have signed first baseman Josh Naylor on a five-year, $92.5 million contract, the team announced, making him the club’s top early-offseason acquisition and the first major free-agent signing of the winter. The deal, which runs through 2030, includes a full no-trade clause and follows Naylor’s physical earlier in the day.

Naylor, 28, joined Seattle at last season’s trade deadline and quickly became a central piece of the lineup and clubhouse. An All-Star in 2024 with Cleveland before being traded to Arizona, Naylor has hit .269 with 104 home runs and 435 RBIs across seven MLB seasons. Originally drafted 12th overall by Miami in 2015, he is the oldest of three pro baseball brothers, including Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and Athletics prospect Myles Naylor.

In 54 regular-season games with the Mariners, he hit .299 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and a perfect 19-for-19 mark in stolen bases, helping fuel the team’s first AL West title since 2001. He continued that momentum in October, batting .340 with three homers across 12 postseason games, including a standout ALCS performance after posting a 138 OPS+ down the stretch. Combined with his time in Arizona earlier in the year, Naylor finished the 2025 season with a .295/.353/.462 line, 20 home runs, 92 RBIs and a career-high 3.1 WAR.

Naylor said in a statement: “I’m going to be a Mariner again and I couldn’t be more excited. The players brought me in and loved my game right away, and the fans were incredible… I can’t wait to continue to play with these guys and bring the city a championship.”

Front-office leadership echoed that sentiment: “Ensuring that Josh remains a Mariner for the long haul was a priority for us,” team president Jerry Dipoto said. “Josh’s intelligence, intensity, toughness, and competitiveness show up every day. He’s simply a winner.”

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World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of this week’s Davis Cup Finals in Bologna after doctors advised him to rest a swollen right hamstring, ending his hopes of leading Spain in Thursday’s quarterfinal against the Czech Republic.

The 22-year-old confirmed the news Tuesday, saying the injury stemmed from last week’s ATP Finals in Turin. “I’m so sorry to announce that I won’t be able to play for Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna,” he wrote on social media. “I have an edema in my right hamstring and the medical recommendation is not to compete.”

Alcaraz, who lost Sunday’s ATP Finals match to Jannik Sinner but still locked down the year-end No. 1 ranking, was expected to anchor a Spanish squad featuring Jaume Lunar, Pedro Martinez and Pablo Carreno Busta under captain David Ferrer. Spain’s last Davis Cup title came in 2019. Alcaraz said he was returning home with a “heavy heart … I’ve always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is, and I was really looking forward to helping us fight for the Davis Cup. I’m going home hurt.”

The top seed had been eager for another chance at the trophy after previous setbacks — he did not compete in 2023 because of fitness issues, and Spain exited early last year in Malaga, ending Rafael Nadal’s illustrious Davis Cup career. Alcaraz, 6-2 overall in the event since debuting in 2022, has often spoken about his desire “to win the Davis Cup one day … because for me, it’s a really important, important tournament.”

This year he won the French Open and U.S. Open, bringing his major tally to six, and finished the season with a 71–8 record. Sinner, his closest rival at 58–6, also withdrew from the 2025 Davis Cup earlier, leaving Italy without its star.

Spain’s quarterfinal opponent, No. 4 seed Czech Republic, will be led by Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik, who reached Bologna after eliminating the United States in September. The winner will advance to face Argentina or Germany in the semifinals, with the Davis Cup final set for Sunday.

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