Chiefs remain perfect; CFP rankings predictions; NFL trade deadline preview

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Ankle intact? Clutch gene intact? Perfect record intact? Check, check, and check. Patrick Mahomes overcame a late ankle injury scare and the Chiefs overcame a valiant effort from the Buccaneers for a rain-soaked 30-24 overtime win.

• Let’s pick things up early in the fourth quarter, when Mahomes ran right, stopped, skidded on the slippery field and flipped the ball to Samaje Perine for a touchdown. Replays showed Mahomes’ left ankle — which bothered him all week — bending awkwardly, and he stayed down before eventually being helped off.
• Baker Mayfield led a terrific two-minute drill and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to Ryan Miller.
• To overtime they went, and as soon as the Chiefs won the coin toss, even Mayfield had the feeling it was over. Mahomes methodically drove Kansas City down the field, and Kareem Hunt plowed in from two yards out to win it.
• Mahomes is 6-0 in regular-season overtime games, the most wins without a loss by any quarterback.

The Chiefs’ perfect 8-0 record covers what is an imperfect team — the offense has stops and starts, and the defensive secondary is dealing with injuries — but Mahomes seems to have every answer, every time. And don’t look now, but Travis Kelce (100 yards) and DeAndre Hopkins (two touchdowns, one awesome celebration) are giving him even more ways to solve any and all problems. I especially liked how the Chiefs deployed Hopkins. 

Finally, for the “Buccaneers should have gone for two” crowd, I’m not so sure. If you’re so scared of Mahomes driving for a game-winning kick in regulation, wouldn’t you be more scared of him trying to do so while down one point and therefore allowing him to be more aggressive?

People much smarter than I am said the win probability is about even regardless of the decision. Hindsight is 20/20. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, Kansas City just seems to win these games over and over again.

👍 Honorable mentions

• Cooper Flagg threw down a nasty dunk in his college debut, and No. 6 Gonzaga flattened No. 8 Baylor, 101-63. Here are our opening night takeaways and top early-season games.
• UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 begins today! We have expert picks and bold predictions.
• Christian McCaffrey is on track to make his season debut this weekend.
• A.J. Brown (knee) is day-to-day, a good outcome.
• Domantas Sabonis for the win!!!
• The Knicks signed Matt Ryan.
• I loved Sam Quinn’s look at the past and future of NBA expansion.
• DJ Lagway could be back this weekend for Florida.
• No. 3 USC survived an upset bid from No. 20 Ole Miss in women’s college basketball action from Paris.
• The Rangers promoted Ross Fenstermaker to GM.
• Here are the Baseball Hall of Fame classic era committee candidates.

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

DAK PRESCOTT AND THE DALLAS COWBOYS …

The Cowboys were in this section yesterday, and since then, things have only gotten worse. Dak Prescott (hamstring) will miss several games. Cooper Rush will be the new starter, with Trey Lance behind him.

We can be quick here: The Cowboys are 3-5. There is no room for error. Keep in mind this is a team that has won 12 straight games each of the past three seasons; they would have to win out to reach that number again. It’s a pipe dream. Even the playoffs seem unlikely.

And so just two months after entering the season with high hopes, the Cowboys should consider being trade-deadline sellers, Jared Dubin writes. The problem? They might not have many movable assets.

… AND ALSO DENNIS ALLEN AND THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

For the second time in as many coaching stops, Dennis Allen has been fired midseason. His Saints are 2-7 after a 2-0 start. Darren Rizzi is the interim coach.

The vibes surrounding this team stink. Derek Carr is getting lambasted by former teammate Michael Thomas after Chris Olave left an eventual 23-22 loss to the Panthers with a concussion. The defense doesn’t seem to be interested in tackling anyone. Long story short, owner Gayle Benson was absolutely right to make a change. More are coming.

The Saints have been pushing off huge salaries for years and years, trying to stay in contention with a veteran-heavy roster. But this may finally spell the end of that practice, Cody Benjamin notes; pillars like Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Marshon Lattimore could end up elsewhere soon as New Orleans enters a rebuild.

Of course, the Saints will need a coach to oversee that rebuild, and Jordan Dajani ranked five potential candidates.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

• Gregg Popovich will miss the Spurs‘ road trip with an undisclosed illness.
• Le’Veon Moss (leg) is out for the season, a huge loss for No. 15 Texas A&M.
• Neymar suffered another significant injury.
• Tyreek Smith entered the transfer portal just before Memphis‘ season opener due to a longstanding NIL dispute.

🏈 What will tonight’s College Football Playoff reveal look like?

With seven ranked teams losing over the weekend, chaos has descended upon every ranking, from the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll to our CBS Sports 134 and Brandon Marcello’s Power Rankings.

But the biggest reveal comes tonight: The College Football Playoff makes its first reveal in the 12-team playoff era. Brad Crawford’s projected bracket has also been thrown upside-down after last weekend, and his top four seeds (which receive byes) are …

1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)
2. Georgia (SEC champion)
3. BYU (Big 12 champion)
4. Miami (ACC champion)

Meanwhile, No. 11 Alabama earned Brad’s projected 11th spot, but the Crimson Tide at No. 14 LSU this weekend in what is essentially an elimination game for both teams. “Death Valley” has never been a more appropriately named host stadium.

Cameron Salerno has five key questions (and answers) ahead of the reveal, including …

• Salerno: “Where does Boise State land? — Boise State is unquestionably the most consequential team in the first CFP Rankings. The Broncos are favorites to earn the Group of Five’s guaranteed slot in the CFP (assuming they win the Mountain West), but things may not stop there. Depending on where Boise State slots in the initial group, it could threaten for either a higher seed than No. 12 in the final field and could even push the ACC or Big 12 champion for a first-round bye.”

Finally, I highly encourage you to check out Shehan Jeyarajah explaining the College Football Playoff Selection Committee selection process.

🏈 NFL trades plus trade deadline preview

Let’s make a deal! The NFL trade deadline is today at 4 p.m. ET, there’s plenty of buzz in the air, and we’re keeping track of it all right here.

After wide receivers were at the center of big moves across the league over the past few weeks, the Cardinals swung things to the defensive side of the ball Monday, acquiring Baron Browning from the Broncos for a sixth-round pick. In his trade grades, Jordan Dajani says Arizona comes out slightly ahead.

Who else could be on the move today? Cody has five bold trade predictions, including …

• Benjamin: “Seahawks send WR Tyler Lockett to Pittsburgh — The Steelers are undefeated in near-misses when it comes to the wide receiver trade market this year. At 32, however, Lockett wouldn’t necessarily require a premium haul, especially with the Seahawks already boasting two young studs at the position in DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His history with new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson would make him a savvy complement to No. 1 George Pickens.”

Here’s more:

• Live blog updates
• Grades tracker
• Could this big offseason addition be on the move already?

⚾ Gerrit Cole stays with Yankees, plus free agent matchmaking

As the Yankees emerge from the heartache of losing a World Series, they’re moving forward with their top pitcher: Gerrit Cole is staying in New York on the four-year, $144 million deal remaining on his contract.

• Cole originally opted out of said contract, but the player and team decided to return to the agreement.
• Cole, 34, dealt with several ailments and failed to pitch 100 innings in a full season for the first time in his career, but he still went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in the regular season.
• In the postseason, he went 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five starts. Of course, that work was all overshadowed by a meltdown in the fifth inning of the series-clinching Game 5.

It’s certainly a gamble given Cole’s age and recent injury history plus the fact that Juan Soto is a free agent (and the top-ranked one at that), all while the Yankees are trying to cut payroll.

Here’s more:

• What we learned Monday
• Ranking Soto’s landing spots
• Top 50 free agents
• Free agent tracker
• Contract option decision tracker
• Qualifying offer explainer

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
🏈 CFP rankings reveal, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Bowling Green at Central Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Miami (Ohio) at Ball State, 8 p.m. on ESPN