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USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL schedule release winners, losers: NFC East is back, red carpet ready for Aaron Rodgers
NFL schedule release winners, losers: NFC East is back, red carpet ready for Aaron Rodgers Show Caption Hide Caption Five NFL games we can't wait to watch in the 2025 season The NFL schedule for the 2025-2026 season has been released. Here are a few games on our must-watch list. The annual unveiling of the NFL schedule is perhaps the most manufactured of all 'events' on the sports calendar. But that's not to say it isn't informative, provocative and sometimes controversial … even if it's now morphed into something that takes the better part of three days to reveal a slowly creeping big picture. Yet the fact that the schedule release has actually become a landmark of the NFL offseason at all is a testament to the league's brilliant marketing and business acumen combined with the gargantuan – and ever-growing – undertaking the league's vice president of broadcasting, Mike North, and his team embrace and execute year after year. What does it all mean? Winners and losers, quite naturally – and a wide range of them: WINNERS NFC East It's back in a big way, baby. The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles – those longtime rivals ring in the season with the Thursday night kickoff opener on September 4 – and Washington Commanders are scheduled for six prime-time appearances apiece, tied for the second-most league-wide following the Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo Bills No team that made the playoffs in 2024 has an easier schedule based on its opponents' collective winning percentage (.467) from last season. The perennial AFC East champions will also enjoy three prime-time home games during their final season at Highmark Stadium. Colts' 'Indiana Nights' uniforms It's been two years since Indianapolis unveiled its alternate uniform, which features a black helmet and "heathered" uniform design – the team claims the locals clamored for these. Unfortunately, the Colts have been relegated to wearing the 'Indiana Nights' kit for 1 p.m. ET kickoffs because they haven't been relevant enough to play in prime time. But fear not, the Colts will host the San Francisco 49ers on 'Monday Night Football' in Week 16. Open the Lucas Oil Stadium roof and drink in the Indiana night, you Hoosiers! Streaming services They continue to make inroads into what used to purely be the domain of network broadcasts. This year, Prime Video, YouTube, ESPN+ and Netflix will all be in the mix in some way, shape or form as the league continues to broaden its content distribution model. Aaron Rodgers? The Pittsburgh Steelers' would-be QB1 – right? – won't be inordinately saddled with marquee games after North loaded him and the New York Jets up with a mulligan 2024 schedule that didn't work out for anyone … though you can bet Rodgers will be raring to go in Week 1, when his apparent Black-and-Gold debut will come on the road against those same J-E-T-S who summarily dumped him after changing regimes. Four prime-time games – not to mention being the designated home team in the league's Ireland debut – feels like a pretty standard Steelers schedule, regardless of quarterback … though you know Rodgers will be licking his chops when the Green Bay Packers come to Pittsburgh for a 'Sunday Night Football' date in Week 8. Cincinnati Bengals' travel schedule The centrally located Stripes are the only team in the league set to have fewer than 10,000 travel miles in 2025. They'll doubtless reinvest the savings into rewarding DE Trey Hendrickson with the contract he's more than earned … NFL social media teams (mostly) The schedule release is tantamount to the Super Bowl for social departments throughout the league as they brew up a mixture of creativity, shade and anticipation while rolling out their respective teams' fall lineup. USA TODAY Sports' Jordan Mendoza has ranked this year's efforts, and the Los Angeles Chargers once again distinguished themselves. The Colts did not ... hardly the first time the franchise has been embarrassed in the Super Bowl, regardless of version. LOSERS Families of Dallas, Detroit and Kansas City players For the third straight year, the Chiefs will be playing on Christmas – though at least they'll be at Arrowhead this season. Yet the twist for 2025 is that the reigning AFC champions will also play on Thanksgiving at Dallas. Speaking of the Cowboys (and Lions), perennial home fixtures on Turkey Day, both of those clubs also draw Christmas assignments in 2025 – on the road in each case. Do it up on Labor Day, y'all! Chargers' travel schedule The Bolts are scheduled to log a league-high 37,000 miles getting from Point A – LA – to Points east and far south, including that trip to Brazil in Week 1. Frequent flyer points would be nice but, hey, nobody's got it better than you guys. 10 p.m. ET kickoffs The league had moved away from the late-night games it often used to roll out in Week 1 'MNF' doubleheaders, that second matchup often featuring a West Coast team or two – football diehards east of the Mississippi paying a heavy price while trying to post for work on Tuesday morning. This year, the Monday night lineup on ESPN will merely kick off with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings to cap the opening weekend. But Week 2 and Week 7 will feature twin bills without overlapping games, Las Vegas and Seattle, respectively earning after-hours spotlights with 10 p.m. ET start times. Keep the Red Bull handy, Right Coasters. Football fans with Chiefs fatigue Tired of watching Patrick Mahomes and Co., who have reached five of the past six Super Bowls and have some folks pining for the 'Patriot Way'? Welp. Not only does Kansas City have those league-leading seven prime-time appearances, factor in Thanksgiving, and you've got eight exclusive broadcast windows. New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans Respect is earned in the NFL and these teams ... combined for zero exclusive broadcast slots in 2025. Get to work, fellas. College Football Playoff It's set to enter its second year with the expanded, 12-team format … one that didn't fare well, from a TV ratings perspective, while attempting to intrude on the late-season Saturday time slots the NFL had claimed years ago when the college game had entered its pre-Bowl season hiatus. Moving forward, sure doesn't seem like the pros are willing to concede any viewership eyeballs, slotting a pair of compelling division rivalry games on the Saturday (Dec. 20) of Week 16, when the Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in the league's longest-running series while the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game. Good luck with that, Penn State. And be careful, NCAA decision-makers ... the NFL has already rendered the NBA irrelevant from the Christmas showcase the Association once owned. Germany Decades removed from World War II, they've been valued American allies for the past 80 years. Yet we keep sending them Daniel Jones as an NFL ambassador? Maybe Volkswagen is still being penalized for that emissions scandal … All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Mint
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Whitecaps Brian White scores twice to earn draw with LAFC
Brian White scored his seventh and eighth goals and the Vancouver Whitecaps rallied to a 2-2 draw against visiting Los Angeles FC on Sunday. White's second multi-goal performance of the season pulled him into a three-way tie for the MLS scoring lead. He scored both goals through the air to help Western Conference-leading Vancouver (8-1-3, 27 points) extend its league unbeaten run to seven matches. The Whitecaps are unbeaten in their last 11 in all competitions after also advancing to the Concacaf Champions Cup with two-leg quarterfinal and semifinal series wins last month. Sebastian Berhalter and Ali Ahmed had Vancouver's assists. Mark Delgado gave LAFC (5-4-3, 18 points) an early advantage and Denis Bouanga doubled the visitors' lead from the penalty spot after only 19 minutes with his team-leading fifth goal. The Black-and-Gold extended their own unbeaten MLS run to five games while scoring multiple goals in all five. But they've settled for draws in three of those contests. Bouanga converted his penalty decisively after Edier Ocampo's clumsy, late challenge on Ryan Hollingshead left referee Joe Dickerson no choice but to point to the spot. White had his first goal only seven minutes later. On a free kick from about 35 yards out on the right, Berhalter provided a diagonal cross into the box, and White out-jumped center back Aaron Long to direct a firm header past Hugo Lloris from close range. The leveler came in the 70th minute. Ocampo's challenge helped Vancouver turn LAFC over in its own half, and Ahmed switched play with a long ball to find Emmanuel Sabbi on the left. Sabbi crossed the ball back into the penalty area, where it deflected off the head of an LAFC defender before reaching Ahmed on the back post. Ahmed headed the ball across the goal again, where White outmuscled Eddie Segura and powered in a second header past the sprawling Lloris. The visitors had the best late chances to earn a victory, but Yohei Takaoka made a pair of impressive stops to deny Jeremy Ebobisse in the 90th minute and Cengiz Under in second-half stoppage time.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie were the few sure things in 2024-25
BOSTON — David Pastrnak has known for weeks that Game 82 would be the end of the line for the Boston Bruins. But when the end came Tuesday in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, the reality of the situation hit Pastrnak hard. For the first time since 2015-16, Pastrnak will not be playing on following the conclusion of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Devils and 15 other teams still have work to do. Advertisement 'I want to keep playing as a player,' Pastrnak said. 'We'll leave it at that, I guess.' Pastrnak once took postseason participation as a given. He went to the playoffs eight straight times, and not necessarily as the lead dog. Pastrnak had company, from Zdeno Chara to Patrice Bergeron to David Krejci to Brad Marchand. But the infrastructure around Pastrnak has crumbled to the point where he can barely recognize his surroundings. Consider that Pastrnak was the only player in uniform for the Bruins on Tuesday who had shared ice time with Chara, who wrapped up his Black-and-Gold run in 2020. Everybody else arrived after Chara, including players who got only NHL sniffs this season because of the depth of roster deconstruction. John Farinacci and Frederic Brunet were the latest. Both made their NHL debuts Tuesday. They would never have left Providence if not for management's decision to cut so deep. 'They had an opportunity this year to get their feet wet in the National Hockey League,' interim coach Joe Sacco said, referring not only to Farinacci and Brunet but Fabian Lysell and Fraser Minten. 'Maybe under the circumstances, if they were different, they might not get that chance.' It was a goosebumps debut for Farinacci, who played right wing on the fourth line. The native of Red Bank, N.J., has local ties. He went to prep school at Dexter Southfield. He played at Harvard. His uncle is Harvard coach Ted Donato, who attended Tuesday's game. In the second period, Farinacci scored his first career goal by slamming home a net-front rebound. 'That was awesome,' Farinacci said. 'That was a pinch-me moment, for sure.' FARINACCI'S FIRST 🚨 — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 16, 2025 Farinacci, 24, is dreaming he can stick around for good in 2025-26 as a fourth-liner and penalty killer. Lysell, 22, hopes he can stretch his 12-game audition into a permanent spot next year, perhaps as the No. 2 right wing behind Pastrnak. Minten, 20, would like to be in the NHL as a second-year pro. The odds are against the 21-year-old Brunet developing enough defensive stoutness to become a full-time NHLer next season, but he has some up-ice skill that can catch coaches' attention. Advertisement The Bruins should also get a good player in the 2025 NHL Draft. They are guaranteed to finish no better than fifth-worst in the NHL. A top-five selection should be an impact player. But they are all question marks. Nobody, from Sacco to general manager Don Sweeney to anyone else in the organization, can project with certainty whether any of the hopefuls can spin their dreams into reality anytime soon. The truth of the matter is that the Bruins are short on NHL sure things to a degree that Sweeney has never experienced since becoming GM in 2015. Just about the only thing Sweeney can guarantee for 2025-26, assuming good health, is Pastrnak leading the offense yet again. No. 88 capped off the season with his 43rd goal with a close-range tuck behind Jake Allen. Pastrnak is automatic offense, now a threat to set up goals just as often as he scores them. That is because Morgan Geekie is making a strong case to be Pastrnak's permanent linemate. Geekie, named NESN's Seventh Player of the Year on Tuesday for performing beyond expectations, clapped home his career-best 33rd goal in the first period. Geekie scored on what has become a trademark sequence: Pastrnak controlling the puck on the right side and snapping a slot-line pass to Geekie for a one-timer. This time, Geekie was positioned beyond his preferred launchpad. But even from above the top of the left circle, Geekie got enough behind his one-timer to beat Allen from distance. 'Just not be afraid to shoot,' Geekie said of his approach this year. 'I've always had a good shot. You always start deferring, especially when you play with guys that produce. You get in spots where you don't expect to score. There's pucks that have went in for me this year that maybe don't in other years. It's just having a shoot-first mentality. Dave's been unbelievable.' Advertisement Sweeney's job is to unearth other partnerships besides the Pastrnak-Geekie combination that can pull the Bruins forward in years to come. It could be Lysell working with Pavel Zacha. Or Minten finding third-line chemistry with Marat Khusnutdinov. There is a lot of work to do.
New York Times
08-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins offseason rebuild will be huge with how few players are under contract
Don Sweeney has executed the rebuild's simplest part, though the Boston Bruins general manager may disagree if you call trading 2,549 games of Black-and-Gold experience 'easy.' The hard part of replacing Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau and Max Jones, all while repairing everything else that went sideways in 2024-25, is coming. Consider that of the 20 roster spots occupied on game days, only 11 project to be populated by players currently under contract in 2025-26. The difficulty of addressing these vacancies ranges from straightforward to just about impossible. For this exercise, we'll start with the simple stuff: Five players who should be on next year's roster will reach restricted free agency on July 1: Morgan Geekie, Mason Lohrei, Jakub Lauko, Johnny Beecher and Marat Khusnutdinov. Advertisement Of this cohort, extending the 22-year-old Khusnutdinov should be the most basic transaction. The former Minnesota Wild forward is coming off his entry-level contract, and he does not have arbitration rights. Typically, a player of his profile (five goals and four assists in 87 career games) earns a two-year bridge contract with a modest bump from his entry-level compensation. Beecher, 24, is also coming out of entry level. The 2019 first-rounder has played center and left wing on the fourth line. He is averaging 1:32 of ice time on the penalty kill, third-most among team forwards. But Beecher hasn't scored a goal since Jan. 18. The fourth line appears to be his ceiling. Like Khusnutdinov, a two-year extension at short money is likely for Beecher. Lauko, 25, is exiting a two-year, $1.575 million second contract. He has three goals and five assists this season between the Bruins and Wild. While Lauko has arbitration rights, his production would not necessarily help him in a hearing. He is looking at short term, fourth-line money. If Beecher and Lauko re-sign, they could skate with Mark Kastelic on the fourth line. Lohrei leads team defensemen with 33 points. The 24-year-old could be the Bruins' long-term point man on the No. 1 power-play unit. He is creative and fearless on offense. Defensively, Lohrei has work to do. He has been on the ice for 68 five-on-five opposing goals, according to Natural Stat Trick, seventh-most among NHL defensemen. That makes projecting Lohrei's next deal a tricky exercise. Lohrei will have arbitration rights. His points will serve him well. But it's not easy for a youngster like Lohrei to attend a hearing and have his employer disclose his shortcomings. If the Bruins are confident Lohrei will improve his defense, they could be interested in a long-term agreement. Otherwise, if the sides go for a two-year extension, for example, it could give Lohrei the point total to go for a bigger payday on his third contract. The Bruins went with consecutive one-year deals with Torey Krug, an offensive defenseman like Lohrei, once his ELC expired. Advertisement Geekie has a career-high 29 goals. The 26-year-old has picked the right time to unlock his offense. The cap is rising. He will have arbitration rights. Part of Geekie's production is tied to his career-best 20.7 percent shooting percentage. He is likely to regress. But Geekie has the confidence of riding with David Pastrnak and being a backup shooter on the No. 1 line. Negotiations could be lengthy given the degree of Geekie's inbound payday. But based on the market, the right-shot forward could double his current $2 million AAV. Fabian Lysell and Fraser Minten are currently on the varsity. Whether they stick for 2025-26 is unknown. Lysell is scoreless in eight games. He has NHL wheels and a good shot. But the 22-year-old is still learning how to be strong on pucks, dependable on the walls and reliable in defensive coverage. At this point, his shortcomings outweigh his skill. Minten, 20, plays more of a professional game away from the puck. His next step is to transition his good defensive habits into offense. Minten will be a second-year pro in 2025-26. More time in the AHL will not hurt. As for current AHLers, Georgii Merkulov and Matt Poitras would be next in line. But Merkulov, 24, has no goals and one assist in 10 NHL appearances. It's possible the left-shot forward's AHL production does not translate to the NHL. The 21-year-old Poitras had one goal and 10 assists in 33 NHL games this year. In retrospect, he was rushed, both this year and in 2023-24. The organization has to be 100 percent certain Poitras is ready for the NHL before bringing him up. At this point, that is not guaranteed. If the Bruins re-sign their restricted free agents and leave their prospects in Providence, that gives them with four slots to fill. Three are significant: second-line wings for Casey Mittelstadt and a right-shot partner for Hampus Lindholm on the No. 2 pair. Advertisement Given the weakness of their futures, it's unlikely the Bruins flip any of the picks they acquired before the deadline for present-day reinforcements. The 2025 second-rounders that Frederic and Coyle helped to bring back could develop into NHLers in several seasons. The team's amateur scouting staff needs every pick possible to refill the prospects pool. That leaves free agency as the route to fill out the roster. It did not go well last summer when the Bruins invested in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. As desperate as they'll be for NHL help, it won't be worth tying up big dollars in players who fall short of their expected thresholds. The Bruins have all of their 2026 picks, save for the fifth-rounder they sent to the Colorado Avalanche in the Coyle transaction. They project to have cap space. So while they're not in a position to trade picks, it could be worth it to pluck a specific RFA away from a cap-strapped team. Next year, for example, Igor Shesterkin will begin earning $11.5 million annually from the New York Rangers. Would that leave GM Chris Drury with enough to match an offer sheet for Will Cuylle? (Top photo of Morgan Geekie, David Pastrnak and Mason Lohrei: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Boston Globe
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
At NESN, Rose Mirakian-Wheeler has called the shots on her career direction
Advertisement 'Bergeron scored, and I don't think we replayed it until after the handshake line,' recalled NESN producer Brian Zechello. 'The moment was bigger than the replay and you couldn't replay what was happening on the ice, the way Rose was capturing it was so perfect.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up As one of the longest-tenured employees at our area's regional sports network, and one of the very few women directing NHL broadcasts, Mirakian-Wheeler's story is as captivating as those she helps tell on a nightly basis. From dance major at nearby Emerson College to sports television pioneer, from one-time NESN office receptionist to self-taught technical wizard, Mirakian-Wheeler is a New England sports staple. Related : As March draws to a close and takes Women's History Month with it, as the Bruins ramp up for their Women in Sports Night on Tuesday at TD Garden, this spotlight takes a well-deserved turn toward her, highlighting the amazing work she does behind the Bruins scenes. 'That comeback, we're watching as the Bruins were down, 4-1, and as the comeback builds, we said to each other, 'Let's lock in, we're doing something special,' ' Zechello said. 'I'll never forget that moment, being calm, telling the story, being on the same page. I'm really proud of that work we did together.' Much like the group of Black-and-Gold skaters down below, the people behind the scenes of a Bruins broadcast rely on their own brand of teamwork, coordinating in concert to make sure viewers experience the sights and sounds to make them feel as if they are in the building. That Mirakian-Wheeler is such an integral part of that team is a credit to her unconventional path, but also to her unwavering drive. Advertisement While an interdisciplinary degree in dance and television might not have predicted a career as a director, especially when she was hired by the fledgling network in 1984 to be a receptionist, Mirakian-Wheeler never stopped feeding her intellectual curiosity, knowing she wanted to do more. She worked in the office by day and sat in on the broadcasts of the network's sporting events by night. Far from a natural sports fan, she absorbed it all, soccer broadcasts, lacrosse games, and, not surprisingly, lots of college hockey. She made her own copies of all the technical manuals she could find, studying by night at home to learn how to work all of the studio's equipment. Related : 'Within a year or two, I kind of moved up to the traffic department in the front office and after two years, per my request, transitioned into production,' she said. 'I did various things, we were really short-staffed, maybe eight to 10 people who were actually employees, the rest were freelance. Gradually I taught myself how to edit, the small switcher, how to technical direct, writing, producing. 'I wanted to direct and produce. I started on college soccer and lacrosse, did those games, producing and directing, did my best with what I knew and what I learned. It was a huge learning curve and, looking back, I probably wasn't very good. But you get better. Advertisement 'Luckily the majority of people I worked with were supportive, never made me feel like I couldn't do it, not that that would have mattered. I had it in my head that I could do it. In my head, I didn't think about myself as a girl, I just thought, 'I can do this.' So after many years of producing and directing college sports, college hockey was kind of my forte, doing that from '88-89 through '97, I kept bothering my boss at the time, begging him really to do some Bruins games.' Wisely, they said yes. Since then, Mirakian-Wheeler has been tireless, at the rink as early as 11 a.m. for a 7 p.m. puck drop, a determined road warrior, traveling to set up every technical aspect ahead of a road game, then working throughout the broadcast to direct the visual traffic. In an industry that remains heavily male-dominated, she has made her mark, paying it forward by joining NESN's in-house group called WON (Women of NESN), a willing mentor ready to provide the type of help, assistance, and representation not available when she was starting out. 'I wish I could be more involved, but one thing about these jobs is that it's all consuming, long hours on game days, and travel,' she said. 'But I think [WON] is great. The women of NESN really support women at NESN and in the New England community, and I try to amplify women's successes. It's nice to have that at a company you're working for and with that will actively promote women and celebrate their jobs, their lives, their successes. I'm lucky to be part of that.' Advertisement With more than four decades as the beneficiaries of her expertise, NESN is just as lucky. For Zechello, who has two daughters, the trust that exists among his entire team is just the sort of example he wants them to see when they get to tag along on the job. 'As anyone who works in a business for a long time, I've gained a lot of knowledge and expertise, and I'm always willing if anyone wants to talk, ask questions, how did you get here,' Mirakian-Wheeler said, recalling a recent conversation with Janet Bryan, a fellow director who debuted by directing the women's Beanpot at TD Garden. From her past to the network's future, she gets it: 'I'm part of a team,' she said, 'and I could not do my job well without them.' Nor could they without her. Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
