Browsing: Jackson

Amid a 1-5 start to the season, the Baltimore Ravens appear to be headed for another disappointing finish after entering the year with Super Bowl aspirations.

While Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the best players in the league, his struggles in the playoffs are no secret, and some around the NFL are starting to question whether he has what it takes to win the big one.

“They won the whole f–king thing with (Joe) Flacco,” an executive from another team told The Athletic’s Mike Sando, referring to Baltimore’s last Super Bowl win in 2012. “The guy (John Harbaugh) knows how to do it. You give him a guy (Jackson) that can’t win the whole thing because he can’t pass accurately enough in the playoffs to have the four-game magical carpet ride that Flacco took them on, so they are a championship game contender and out, a divisional game contender and out.”

Jackson has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, but Harbaugh said the team is hopeful to have him back after returning from a Week 7 bye next Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Baltimore scored a combined 13 points in the two games he missed.

Meanwhile, Flacco showed that he can still sling it at 40 years old, leading the Cincinnati Bengals to a 33-31 upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football to snap a four-game losing streak.

The book on Jackson is far from reaching the final chapter, so he still has a lot of time left to write his own story and silence his doubters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that he will get the chance to shut down his critics this year while the Ravens try to climb out of their early-season hole.

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LOS ANGELES — Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio said he hopes to play in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series after right hamstring cramps caused him to leave Milwaukee’s 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 on Thursday.

“Right now I feel physically good, and I think (Friday) I could play,” Chourio said through an interpreter following the defeat, which left the Brewers facing a 3-0 series deficit and needing to win Game 4 at Dodger Stadium with Shohei Ohtani scheduled to start for Los Angeles.

The 21-year-old Chourio, Milwaukee’s leadoff hitter and most productive offensive player this postseason, was given intravenous treatment following his exit, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

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In the middle of a seventh-inning at-bat against Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen, Chourio swung at a pitch and immediately grabbed at the back of his right leg. On the swing, Chourio said, he was “giving it a little extra and it kind of happened.”

After an athletic trainer came onto the field to see him and Chourio tried stretching, he hopped off the field on his left leg, barely putting any pressure on the right.

Blake Perkins replaced Chourio and eventually struck out, spoiling another opportunity for the Brewers to cut into their deficit.

Right hamstring issues have vexed Chourio since July 29, when he left a game and wound up missing a month. The injury recurred when Chourio exited Milwaukee’s first playoff game Oct. 4, though he returned for Game 2 on Oct. 6 and hit a home run.

“He feels like he’s going to be OK,” Murphy said. “So I’m hopeful.”

Chourio, who signed an eight-year, $82 million contract before his major league debut, also homered in Game 2 of the NLCS and has been one of the lone bright spots in a Milwaukee offense that has disappeared against the Dodgers’ cadre of front-line starting pitchers.

Milwaukee has mustered just nine hits and three runs in three NLCS games, batting .101/.165/.180 with 30 strikeouts in 97 plate appearances after scoring 22 runs in the division series. Only one team in baseball history, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, has come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. The Brewers entered the postseason with a major league-best 97 wins and ousted NL Central rival Chicago in the division series.

Milwaukee players tried to keep their spirits up after their offense was again shut down by Los Angeles pitching, with Tyler Glasnow giving up one run over 5â…” innings and four Dodgers relievers allowing one hit over a scoreless 3â…“.

“It’s not finished,” Chourio said. “I know it’s tough. Things haven’t necessarily gone our way. But I feel confident it’s going to come.”

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Quinton “Rampage” Jackson/Facebook Raja Jackson

In August this year, viral footage was shared across social media showing MMA fighter, Raja Jackson – son of UFC legend “Rampage Jackson – brutally attacking a wrestler, later identified as indie wrestler Syko Stu, in the ring and continuing to pummel him long after he was clearly knocked out. Since then, Jackson has been arrested, and former WWE wrestler and lawyer David Otunga has reacted to the news and shared what options Jackson has now.

“I wasn’t surprised that this happened, I just was surprised that it took so long!” Otunga said during an appearance on the “Something To Wrestle” podcast with JBL, adding that Jackson was only arrested after 26 days. “The amount of people that were speculating why that was – myself included – I feel like the police had a hard time figuring out what exactly happened here. Was this a work, was this a shoot?” Otunga further emphasized that the usage of wrestling terms like “receipt” during the clip likely made it difficult for investigators to properly file it as a crime.

“If you watched the video and you saw what happened, you know there was a crime!” he noted, however. “So, I think it was more them trying to figure out what the exact crime was.” Otunga further expressed that he believes Jackson got the correct charge, and noted that attempted murder is more difficult to prove than the felony Jackson was charged with. “I think it’s in Raja’s best interest to try and get a plea deal, because his stream and his video? This is damning evidence. (…) I think that is gonna be a slam dunk for prosecutors.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Lamar Jackson will miss his second straight game on Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback is still recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 4.

The Ravens struggled without Jackson in Week 5. A similar outcome is expected against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6. The injury will not just affect the AFC standings, but plenty of fantasy football matchups.

Elsewhere in the AFC North, Ja’Marr Chase is questionable for the Cincinnati Bengals’ clash with the Green Bay Packers.

Below is a look at all of the significant injury news affecting fantasy football matchups in Week 6.

• Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL: Out (hamstring), per team injury report.
• Ja’Marr Chase, WR, CIN: Questionable (illness), per Underdog.
• Kyler Murray, QB, ARI: Questionable (foot), per Underdog.
• Brock Purdy, QB, SF: Out (toe), per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
• Bucky Irving, RB, TB: Out (foot/shoulder), per Underdog.
• Mike Evans, WR, TB: Out (hamstring), per Underdog.
• Chris Godwin, WR, TB: Out (fibula), per Underdog
• Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: Questionable (ankle), per New Orleans Football’s Mike Triplett.
• Juwan Johnson, TE, NO: Full participant in Friday practice (ankle), per Triplett.
• Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR: Out (calf), per Underdog.
• Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT: Not on injury report (knee), per Underdog.
• CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL: Out (ankle), per Ed Werder.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET: Not on injury report (wrist), per Underdog.
• Terry McLaurin, WR, WSH: Did not practice Friday (quad), per team injury report.
• Quentin Johnston, WR, LAC: Questionable (hamstring), per team injury report.
• Xavier Worthy, WR, KC: No injury designation, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
• Zay Flowers, WR, BAL: Questionable (shoulder), per team injury report.
• Darnell Mooney, WR, ATL: Did not participate in Friday practice (hamstring), per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
• Alec Pierce, WR, IND: Will play Sunday (head), per Underdog.
• Brock Bowers, TE, LV: Not expected to play (knee), per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.

Lamar Jackson Out For Second Straight Week

The Ravens could be in for another week without Lamar Jackson.

Baltimore lost 44-10 to the Houston Texans in Week 5, a game in which the Ravens were not competitive in.

A similar fate likely awaits the Ravens in Week 6 versus the Rams. With that in mind, fantasy football players should turn away from most Ravens pass-catchers.

Zay Flowers was the only Ravens pass-catcher to have more than two catches in Week 5. Flowers is questionable for Sunday with a shoulder injury of his own.

Derrick Henry’s workload did not significantly increase with Jackson out either. He had 33 yards on 15 carries in Week 5.

The Rams defense has been more susceptible to concessions through the air, but that is Baltimore’s weakness at the moment. Sean McVay’s team held its last three opponents under 100 rushing yards, a bad sign for Henry’s Week 6 fantasy stats.

Mac Jones, Sam Darnold and Trevor Lawrence are among the potential pickups to replace Jackson in Week 6.

Baltimore has a Week 7 bye and there’s a chance Jackson returns for the Week 8 clash with the Chicago Bears, but that is still to be determined.

Ja’Marr Chase Questionable For Clash With Packers

Ja’Marr Chase is listed as questionable with an illness for Cincinnati’s trip to Lambeau Field.

If Chase plays, he’ll be catching passes from Joe Flacco, who was named the starting quarterback earlier in the week after his trade from Cleveland.

Chase put up mixed numbers with Jake Browning at quarterback. He had a pair of 100-yard performances, but also recorded 50 and 23 receiving yards in the two other games.

Flacco appears to be an upgrade over Browning, but the Bengals won’t go back to the high production level they had with Joe Burrow under center.

Green Bay poses a tough matchup for the Bengals as well. The Packers held two of their four opponents under 200 passing yards.

If Chase can’t play, or you don’t trust the matchup, Kendrick Bourne, Tre Tucker, Rashid Shaheed and Hollywood Brown are among the best waiver-wire pickups at wide receiver.

Brown could be a sneaky waiver-wire pickup for a potential high-scoring affair between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions. He has the most targets and receptions on the Chiefs roster, but his play has been overshadowed a bit by Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy and the big-play potential of Tyquan Thornton.

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It doesn’t look like Syko Stu ever intends to get back in the ring following the injuries he sustained in Raja Jackson’s attack.

While speaking with TMZ, wrestler Douglas Malo said that — from what he’s heard — Stu’s career in the ring is “done.” Malo, a friend of Stu’s, was one of the wrestlers who intervened to stop Jackson’s attack when it occurred at a KnokX Pro Wrestling show on August 23.

“His close friend that I talked to thatâ€s throwing this [benefit] event said that Stu’s done with any ring work,” Malo responded when TMZ asked if he thinks Stu would like to wrestle again to help find closure.

“And then I also know about some of the stuff that he was dealing with from when I talked to his wife last and his friends, I donâ€t think being in the ring would work ever again.”

Malo said he thinks it would be cool to do an angle where Stu makes a save for him — reversing the situation that played out when he helped stop Jackson’s attack. But Malo doesn’t know if even that would be a smart idea.

“That was a lot of damage he received, plus what he was already dealing with,” Malo said. “You know, he wasnâ€t necessarily a spring chicken before the event. So I donâ€t know.â€

A show to help Stu is being put on by Valor Pro Wrestling on November 15. Malo is excited to see Stu there and give him a hug. To this point, Malo has tried to mostly avoid reaching out to Stu directly because he doesn’t want Stu to have to relive the trauma he experienced.

Stu (Stuart Smith) is a U.S. Army veteran who has used wrestling as a way to help deal with PTSD. A GoFundMe to support his recovery from Jackson’s attack has raised more than $220,000.

This week, Jackson — the son of UFC legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — appeared in a Los Angeles court and entered a not guilty plea in response to the two charges he’s facing. He could potentially serve up to seven years in jail if convicted.

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MILWAUKEE — Jackson Chourio discovered the safest way to run the bases on a questionable hamstring:

Not only was Chourio still able to play this National League Division Series after experiencing right hamstring tightness in Game 1. Not only did he bat leadoff and play left field in Mondayâ€s Game 2. He also delivered one of the biggest homers of the season for the Brewers in the fourth inning, a three-run, 419-foot blast to center field that proved the dagger en route to a 7-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

“Heâ€s a star,†said Brewers catcher William Contreras, who hit another of the Brewers†three difference-making home runs, a go-ahead solo shot in the third. “For me, I think heâ€s the best player that we have here. But I like the way we go about it; nobody feels like theyâ€re better than the other and everyone is here focused on doing their job.â€

Chourio just happens to do his job very well, including on Monday when he tallied two more hits and made a tricky catch in foul ground against the side wall in left field.

And heâ€s still only 21 years old.

“Heâ€s got an incredible future ahead of him and an incredible talent for what he does out on the field,†Contreras said. “I love watching him go out there from the very first pitch and give it everything that he has.â€

Whether he would be able to do so was in serious question in the run-up to Game 2.

Chourio exited in the second inning of Saturdayâ€s Game 1 win after legging out an RBI infield single, which marked his third hit and third RBI of the afternoon. The Brewers had built a sizable 9-1 lead by that point and erred on the side of caution, lifting him for pinch-runner Isaac Collins.

Chourio said after Game 1 that he felt fine physically, but an MRI was inconclusive, putting his status for the rest of the series in question. He did some light baserunning during the teamâ€s workout on Sunday, but he did not take part in batting practice or shagging fly balls.

“I feel like Iâ€m in a really good position to go out there and compete, so Iâ€m going to go out there and give it the best that I can,†Chourio said. “I felt like I was able to do that today and make all the plays I needed to make and continue to play the game pretty normal.â€

This was the second flare-up of that right hamstring for Chourio, who missed almost all of August the first time. Chourio maintained that he was in “a very good position†compared to his first injury when he spoke on Saturday, but an injury scare this late in the season is a reason for caution.

The Brewers also had to see how their young star responds to the adversity, both physically and mentally.

“It’s the mental hurdle,†manager Pat Murphy said pregame Monday. “I’m sure it’s not 100 percent. But I’m more worried about behavior than feelings. However he feels isn’t as important as how he behaves.â€

Getting Chourio back at his top gear would be a huge development for the Brewers as they try to win their first playoff series since 2018. Heâ€s the youngest player to have multiple seasons of at least 20 home runs and 20 steals, and he has been outstanding in his brief playoff career, going 10-for-18 with three home runs. In Game 1, he became the first player in postseason history to record three hits in the first two innings of a game. His nine career postseason RBIs are already tied for third most in team history.

Game 2 brought more history. His homer came off a 101.4 mph Daniel Palencia fastball. Palencia was ahead in the count 0-2 and Chourio was hitless in his first two trips to the plate, but Palencia’s fastball caught too much plate and Chourio sent it out with an exit velocity of 103.9 mph. Since the advent of pitch tracking in 2008, no playoff home run had been hit on a harder thrown pitch.

“Unbelievable. He’s 21 years old and doing the things he’s doing in the first couple games here, in the environment, just know that’s special,†Murphy said. “We all wish we could have that — have that ‘it†factor the way Jack-Jack does.â€

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  Jesse RogersOct 5, 2025, 04:41 PM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Jackson Chourio’s status for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs on Monday is uncertain after an MRI on his right hamstring came back inconclusive, according to manager Pat Murphy.

Chourio, 21, left Game 1 on Saturday after legging out an infield hit in the bottom of the second inning. It’s the same hamstring he injured in July — also while playing against the Cubs — putting his immediate playing future in doubt.

“I can’t give you a definitive, but I know that we’re going to test some things today,” Murphy said on Sunday afternoon. “He’s going to be out there today. I don’t know that he’ll do much, but the MRI came back and it’s inconclusive and it’s not a serious hamstring strain, but it’s not necessarily something that won’t limit him.”

Chourio was 3 for 3 in the game before leaving. Murphy indicated rookie Isaac Collins would likely take Chourio’s place in the lineup if the latter player can’t go.

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The Brewers manager also announced lefty Aaron Ashby will start Game 2 for his team, though he probably won’t last long after throwing 1â…“ innings on Saturday. He’s likely opening the game to help neutralize Cubs leadoff man Michael Busch — also a lefty — who homered to start Game 1.

“He could go as long as we want him to,” Murphy said of Ashby.

Righty Quinn Priester is likely the bulk innings guy for the Brewers after Ashby, but Murphy stopped short of declaring his plans. The Cubs are countering with lefty Shota Imanaga, who pitched in Game 2 of the wild-card round against the San Diego Padres.

“He’s a competitor,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And I think he’s a thinking-man’s competitor, and he also pitches with a lot of joy on the mound, while competing at a really high level.”

Imanaga has a 5.73 ERA in four career games against the Brewers, including three starts this season.

“I think all the hitters, they understand what they need to do, and I think that’s the Brewers’ offense,” Imanaga said of his struggles against Milwaukee. “Even yesterday, just the next guy was up, the next guy was ready. So I think, for me, it’s just making sure, take it one out at a time, and then thinking about that one out.”

Murphy was asked about facing the second-year Cub who features a rising fastball and a sinking splitter.

“His heater plays way up,” Murphy said. “If it says 91, the hitter sees it as 95 to 96.”

Milwaukee won Game 1 in a route, 9-3.

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The Baltimore Ravens were Super Bowl contenders heading into the 2025 season. Right now, even reaching the postseason is starting to look like a long shot.

The Houston Texans dismantled a beat-up Ravens team on Sunday, 44-10, moving Baltimore to a shocking 1-4 record on the season.

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw three interceptions in relief of the injured Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry was held to just 33 yards and a touchdown on the ground and the short-handed Baltimore defense allowed C.J. Stroud to throw for 244 yards and four touchdowns.

Given how much the Houston offense had struggled coming into the game, that last stat may be the most stunning of all. And it had fans and pundits alike writing Baltimore’s obituary:

There is a huge caveat in all of this, and it is that the Ravens have been absolutely decimated by injuries on the season. Just look at this injury report coming into today:

Overcoming the Jackson injury alone would be difficult, given how dynamic he is. But the Ravens are missing other hugely impactful players on both sides of the ball.

There are losses, though, and then there are embarrassments, and Sunday was the latter. Injuries are not an excuse to get absolutely shellacked, especially against an offense that has been pretty mediocre for large stretches of the season.

The Ravens have a major uphill climb to return to contender status. Right now, the team just needs to find a way to get a single win.

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The No. 1 seed in the National League sure looked like it Saturday, with the Milwaukee Brewers crushing the Chicago Cubs 9-3 behind a red-hot first and second inning.

Although Cubs first baseman Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer, it didnâ€t take long for the Brewers to build an insurmountable lead. They raced to a 6-1 score after the first inning, thanks to five RBI doubles and singles, and expanded that lead to 9-1 in the second.

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Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner added solo home runs of their own in the sixth and eighth innings, but it was far too little, too late for the Cubs to undo the damage of Milwaukee’s opening two frames. It didn’t help Chicago that Brewers starter Freddy Peralta had a stellar game in his own right, with nine strikeouts and just four hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee finished the game with a whopping 13 hits and eight RBI. Three of those hits and RBI came off the bat of left fielder Jackson Chourio, who was pulled from the game after the second inning due to hamstring tightness.

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“Itâ€s the same hamstring and so weâ€re worried about it,†manager Pat Murphy told the TBS broadcast during the game.

Churio’s forecast was a little rosier, telling reporters postgame through an interpreter, “Physically, I feel good.”

Game 2 for Chicago and Milwaukee begins at 9:08 p.m. ET Monday.

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  Greg WyshynskiOct 2, 2025, 02:43 PM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

The Anaheim Ducks have locked up defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a key part of their rebuilding team, on an eight-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

The deal carries a $9 million average annual value, a source told ESPN on Thursday, the same AAV as the deal defenseman Luke Hughes signed with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, although that was on a seven-year term.

LaCombe’s contract is the largest ever given out by the Ducks and will begin in the 2026-27 season and end in 2033-34. He has one year left on a two-year bridge deal ($925,000 AAV) that he signed in 2024.

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Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said extending LaCombe was “a priority” for the team and that the young defenseman has “all of the tools to be an anchor on our back end for many years to come.”

“Both sides were looking at long-term deals, so I think it came together pretty quickly,” Verbeek said after the Ducks’ practice in Irvine, California. “What we’re all trying to gauge the landscape of where salaries are going [with the future NHL salary cap], so I feel really comfortable with the contract and the character of Jackson LaCombe. And the player, and I still think there’s lots of upside and growth in his game. I think the best is still to come from Jackson.”

LaCombe, 24, was selected No. 39 in the 2019 NHL draft. He has 60 points in 148 NHL games, with a career-best 14 goals and 29 assists in 75 games last season for the Ducks as he formed an effective pairing with bruising veteran defenseman Radko Gudas.

LaCombe said it was an “easy decision” to go long term in Anaheim.

“I love it here,” LaCombe said. “I love being here. I love playing here. I love all my teammates here, too, so for me it was an easy decision. … It’s easy to live here. You could say the weather [is a positive] and the place is so nice, but just the group we have has been great for me. Everybody has been so welcoming for the last two years, so I’m grateful for that and I’m just excited to be here for a long time.”

A Minnesota alum, LaCombe was invited to the U.S. men’s Olympic orientation camp, putting him in contention for a spot on the 2026 men’s hockey team that will contend for gold in Italy. LaCombe helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 world championships — the Americans’ first gold at the event in 92 years.

LaCombe is the first player to re-sign in the Ducks’ large class of restricted free agents coming up next summer. He was slated to be an RFA alongside center Leo Carlsson, left wing Cutter Gauthier and defensemen Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov.

“Jackson is the first domino to fall, and we’re working on other stuff as well,” Verbeek said.

Overall, LaCombe is the second big signing for Verbeek in the past week. The Ducks and restricted free agent center Mason McTavish agreed to a six-year, $42 million extension Saturday, ending a contentious negotiation that kept him out of training camp.

Anaheim is seeking its first playoff berth since 2018.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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