Happy Monday! It’s Austin filling in for Zach as we inch close to the start of football season. So let’s dive right in, shall we?

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HIGH-PROFILE ROOKIE QBS

The first weekend of NFL preseason action is in the books, and that means rookies got their first taste of life in the professional ranks.

Despite the lack of love surrounding the 2025 quarterback class, a handful of players made the most of their first opportunity in the NFL. More specifically, Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders stole the show.

Tyler Sullivan ranked each rookie quarterback’s performance from Week 1 of the preseason, and those two took the top spots. Dart, who saw plenty of work in relief of starter Russell Wilson, lived up to that very apropos last name.

Sullivan: “In all, Dart was in the driver’s seat for three scoring drives on his four first-half possessions. Dart looked comfortable in the pocket, made tight window throws, and when the pressure started to get home, he showed off his mobility with 24 yards on the ground.”

Perhaps the most shocking outing of the weekend came from Sanders, who has apparently been buried at fourth on the depth chart in training camp. That probably won’t be the case for much longer, as Cody Benjamin explained in his piece on the winners and losers from Sanders’ debut.

Benjamin: “Yes, it’s preseason. Yes, it’s early. But Sanders showed precisely the kind of composure and downfield vision you’d expect from an NFL passer. His place on the 2025 roster is now secure.”

Other highly-anticipated rookies, like No. 1 overall pick Cameron Ward and J.J. McCarthy, had good but very brief outings in their preseason debuts. Here are a few of the more notable rookie QB stat lines:

Jaxson Dart (NYG): 12 of 19, 154 passing yards, 1 TD, 24 rushing yardsShedeur Sanders (CLE): 14 of 23, 138 passing yards, 2 TDs, 19 rushing yardsJalen Milroe (SEA): 6 of 10, 61 passing yards, 38 rushing yardsCameron Ward (TEN): 5 of 8, 67 passing yardsJ.J. McCarthy (MIN): 4 of 7, 30 passing yards, 8 rushing yards

The most exciting debut outside of the QB position — and maybe even including it — was that of two-way superstar Travis Hunter. The Jaguars rookie played 11 snaps on offense, catching both of his targets for nine yards, and eight snaps on defense.

Want a few more highlights from the first weekend of preseason football? Alright, here are some Week 1 takeaways:

Jags kicker Cam Little drilled (maybe) the first 70-yard FG in NFL history.Patrick Mahomes was highly efficient in his first preseason action.Ward flashed a mind meld with Titans receiver Calvin Ridley. 😃 Honorable mentions ⚜️ And not such a good morning for…
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THE SAINTS QB ROOM

I might’ve painted with too broad a brush above. It was a good weekend for most high-profile rookie QBs.

One of the exceptions was Saints rookie Tyler Shough, the No. 40 overall pick in this year’s draft. Shough had a very uneven day in a 27-13 loss to the Chargers, which included a pick six and a 54-yard touchdown throw.

Shough’s performance probably wasn’t enough for him to pull away in one of the NFL’s uglier quarterback competitions. Here’s how each of the candidates performed on Sunday:

Tyler Shough: 15 of 22, 165 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacksSpencer Rattler: 7 of 11, 53 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, 1 fumbleJake Haener: 5 of 8, 41 passing yards, 1 INT, 7 rushing yards

Needless to say, those outings did not make Kellen Moore’s job any easier in The Big Easy. According to Bryan DeArdo, Shough may just be the only decent option Moore has with the regular season approaching rapidly.

DeArdo: “Shough played OK against backups who weren’t doing much from a schematic standpoint. With the regular season less than a month away, Shough may be the best option for a Saints quarterback situation that looks rather bleak entering Year 1 under coach Kellen Moore.”

The salt in the wound for Saints fans was watching their quarterbacks struggle just two days after Sanders lit it up in his debut. Remember that list of winners and losers from Sanders’ big night? The Saints were mentioned … and not in a good way.

😩 Not so honorable mentions ⛳ Justin Rose takes dramatic finish at St. Jude Championship
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The first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs set the bar very high with a dramatic finish at the St. Jude Championship. Justin Rose looked lost for much of the final round on Sunday until he came roaring back for a three-hole playoff victory.

Rose entered the final round just one stroke behind leader Tommy Fleetwood, but he instantly took a big step backward with a bogey on No. 1. At one point in the back nine, Rose was three strokes off the lead, but then he caught fire.

The Englishman rattled off six birdies in his last eight holes, including the playoff, to defeat J.J. Spaun and win his first PGA Tour event since 2023. At the age of 45, Rose also made a little history, as Patrick McDonald points out.

McDonald: “With his triumph, Rose at age 45 becomes the oldest winner on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship, the oldest winner in the postseason since Vijay Singh and the first player in his 40s to win on the PGA Tour this season.”

While Rose comes out of this as a major winner, Fleetwood suffered another devastating loss. Over a stretch of four holes on the back nine, Fleetwood recorded three bogies, which put him in position to finish atop the leaderboard. Then, a bogey on No. 17 cost him a shot at the playoff and the winner’s circle.

To no one’s surprise, Scottie Scheffler was also in the hunt all weekend, and he had to play with a fill-in caddie on Sunday. Scheffler came up just short, but he still earned high marks from McDonald, especially given the circumstances.

Here’s how the full top five shook out:

1. Justin Rose (-16)
2. J.J. Spaun (-16)
T-3. Scottie Scheffler (-15)
T-3. Tommy Fleetwood (-15)
5. Cameron Young (-11)

🏈 Predicting the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll
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Do you hear that buzz? Can you feel the anticipation? Is that a whiff of fraudulence? That’s right, the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll releases later today as the excitement for the 2025 college football season grows.

The good news is that you don’t need to wait for the poll to be released because Chip Patterson took a swing at predicting the rankings in his Tomorrow’s Top 25 Today. While Texas and Ohio State are a presumed one-two punch at the top, things get interesting a little later.

Entering his second year at Alabama, Kalen DeBoer is already feeling pressure to win big. His 9-4 debut would have been lauded at 99% of programs, but not in Tuscaloosa. Can he deliver on the promise of a highly skilled roster?

Patterson: “Kalen DeBoer got a heavy dose of Alabama expectations when a nine-win season was viewed as a disappointment because the Crimson Tide missed out on the College Football Playoff and proceeded to lose to Michigan in the bowl game. Now he’s had a college football calendar to fine tune a roster that’s more than capable of achieving the championship contention that’s expected in Tuscaloosa.”

Skeptics may question the importance or accuracy of preseason polls (see: Florida State in the top 10 last year), but Shehan Jeyarajah is here to explain why they actually matter quite a bit.

If you’re still fiending for some college football content with less than 14 days until Week 0, Will Backus has you covered with the biggest non-QB questions around the country.

⚾ Brewers retain spot atop MLB Power Rankings
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When the Brewers fell behind 5-0 to the Mets on Sunday, were you under the impression that they might actually lose a game? How foolish! The Brew Crew roared back for a 7-5 win and their ninth straight victory.

That’s been life in Milwaukee lately. Well, if you consider “lately” to be the last two-plus months. As they continue to slice through the rest of the league like a hot knife through butter, the Brewers hold down the top spot in the latest edition of our MLB Power Rankings.

1. Brewers (previous: 1)
2. Phillies (5)
3. Dodgers (3)
4. Blue Jays (4)
5. Padres (7)

Matt Snyder has the numbers on this epic streak, and they are astounding.

Snyder: “The same Brewers that were 25-28 through May 24. They have been playing like one of the greatest teams in MLB history since. The Brewers are 48-16 since that date, an outrageous 12 games better than the second-best NL team. That 48-16 mark for the Brewers? Yeah, that’s a 162-game pace of 122 wins. They aren’t slowing down. They are 24-4 since July 5. They’re 9-0 in August.” 📺 What we’re watching Monday

⚾ Twins at Yankees, 7:05 on MLB Network
⚾ Pirates at Brewers, 7:40 p.m. on MLB Network