The best WNBA finals ever, plus the NFL pain meter

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Good morning! You’re in my top 25 today.

In the best way, last night in the sports world was so busy. At one point, I had a three-game multi-view on my TV, with each box feeling just as important as the other. Let’s get through two of those quickly, starting with the one that delivered a ring:

The New York Liberty are WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history after a hair-raising (and controversial) 67-62 overtime win against the Minnesota Lynx. Every second of this game was stressful, and the atmosphere felt incredible, even through the TV. Spike Lee spent the last minutes of the game on his knees, and the Liberty won this game despite Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart combining to go 5-34 from the field. Champions persist. Jonquel Jones is the deserving series MVP.

The only thing missing from a series that will be remembered as the best in league history: more games, which we’ll get next season when the format shifts to best-of-seven. Two of the five contests went to overtime in this matchup and the average margin of victory was just five points.

Moving on:

At this point in the NFL slate, dreams are being slashed. Injuries are mounting. Teams are figuring out who they are, for better or worse, after much dust has settled.

Yesterday was defined by painful realizations for so many teams. Four teams stood out to me:

1. The Jets, of course

All of the above pretty much always applies to the Jets, who acquired Davante Adams last week in hopes of a season turnaround. And for moments of last night’s 37-15 blowout loss at 5-2 Pittsburgh, things looked up. Then Aaron Rodgers threw two INTs, and the defense crumbled against Russell Wilson in his first Steelers start. The Jets are 2-5, and the panic meter should be full.

2. The 49ers, woof

Brandon Aiyuk might be lost for the season, Deebo Samuel was ruled out minutes before the game and Jauan Jennings didn’t play because of a hip injury, which all added up to a brutal 28-18 loss at home to the Chiefs for the 3-4 Niners. Ricky Pearsall, injured in a shooting before the season started, is the lone bright spot for a team with Super Bowl hopes. Meanwhile, Kansas City remains inevitable at 6-0.

3. Cleveland. Sigh

A cursed season took another twist yesterday when Deshaun Watson crumpled to the turf with a non-contact injury the team suspects is a torn Achilles tendon. The result of the game — a 21-14 loss to 3-4 Cincinnati — mattered less than the long-term ramifications for the 1-6 Browns, whose QB situation was already painful before Watson’s injury. Jason Lloyd says the Watson era is essentially over, but actually moving on remains murky. Evidence of Cleveland’s weird existence: fans cheering their starting quarterback’s injury.

4. The Giants tried?

New York football is thriving, baby. The G-Men welcomed Saquon Barkley and his new team, the Eagles, back to MetLife Stadium and watched Barkley run all over his former team in a 28-3 rout. Daniel Jones was awful enough to get benched for Drew Lock, who was just as bad. Philadelphia, 4-2, sacked Jones seven times and Lock once. For 2-5 New York, questions abound about everyone, and it was a nightmare for every Giant involved, especially owner John Mara.

Two other observations:

We had plenty more action yesterday. See our full Week 7 takeaways here.

Indiana? Vandy?

Say what you want about the conference-realignment of it all, but this college football season has been  fun. Just look at the latest AP Top 25 poll, in which Indiana ranks higher than Alabama and Vanderbilt appears for the first time in 11 years. Also, the Oregon Ducks claimed the top slot, making them the fourth team to be No. 1 this year — the most in a season since 2014. See the full list here.

More news

Did you watch Tom Brady on the Chiefs-49ers call yesterday? He was, as Andrew Marchand noted, walking a tightrope thanks to those new ownership handcuffs he has, which we discussed in yesterday’s Pulse Poll. 

We asked if you thought it would impact his job, and the answer was overwhelming, as you can see above: 97 percent of you think the juggling act is unimpressive, while just 3 percent of you think it’s fine. Just … wow. I did not expect such a blowout. Pulse Polls are often split down the middle.

But I tend to agree, and I default to Richard Deitsch’s point from last week: This entire setup feels unsustainable. Brady cannot do most of the things he needs to be able to do as a color commentator — .

Richard predicted Brady leaves the booth well before his Fox contract is up. I think he’s right. Thank you as always for voting.

📺 NHL: Lightning at Maple Leafs

7:30 p.m. ET on NHL Network

Both of these teams have been solid so far, and stars abound in this matchup. Catch up on how both — and every team — are doing in the season’s early going. 

📺 Soccer: Crystal Palace at Nottingham Forest

3 p.m. ET on USA

Neither of these teams have been spectacular this season (Palace would be relegated if the season ended right now), but it is one of our best options today nonetheless. It’s a chance for Forest to correct its “wobbly” home form. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

🎧 “The Athletic Football Show” is always appointment listening on Monday mornings. Catch it here.

On the eve of the NBA season, Knicks fans are back in a place they’ve missed for so long: having legitimate title dreams. James L. Edwards III talked with the fans who have experienced everything over the last 20 years. Read their stories here. Such a good piece. 

A penalty or a “beautiful piece of motorsport?” Lando Norris’ unfortunate end at the U.S. Grand Prix snatched momentum from an F1 title fight, Luke Smith writes. 

Pierre LeBrun talked to former Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft about what it was like watching his former team make a Stanley Cup Final run last year. Really interesting conversation. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Joe Rexrode’s column about Tony Bennett’s unfortunate departure from Virginia. Read it here. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Chris Vannini’s column on why Steve Sarkisian created a QB controversy at Texas, even if he says he didn’t mean to.

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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