Sports

‘The Athletic Football Show’ previews the 2026 Baltimore Ravens

Published

2 hours ago

August 27, 2026

“The Athletic Football Show” is previewing all 32 teams leading up to the start of the 2026 NFL season. Below are select quotes from the show’s preview of the Baltimore Ravens. The quotes are edited for clarity. You can watch the whole preview on YouTube and in the embedded video below, or listen to the full AFC North preview wherever you get your podcasts.

Robert Mays on what excites him most about the Ravens: I’m excited to see what Jesse Minter can do with some serious dudes. The Chargers have a decent collection of personnel. Derwin James is a good player. Khalil Mack is pretty ageless at this point. Tuli Tuipulotu had a nice season. They have Teair Tart, who they’ve gotten a lot out of, but a lot of the excitement about the Chargers over the last couple of years is their ability to get more than they’ve paid for with some of these guys. The Ravens have invested in some big-name guys all the way across that defense, and I’m excited to see what Minter can do with this level of defensive talent on the high end. Kyle Hamilton. Nate Wiggins. We’ll see what we get from Nnamdi Madubuike. Malaki Starks was a first-round pick. Trey Hendrickson, who they paid a (ton) of money.

I’m interested in not only the overall quality of this, but also how they play. Do they feel like they can play a little bit more man coverage because they have Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey on the outside? Do they get a little bit matchier? The Chargers played two-and-a-half times the amount of quarters that the Ravens played last year. When the Ravens were at their best with this core of pieces two years ago when Mike Macdonald was there, it was these ideas. Even if the system and the language were the same with Zach Orr, stylistically, they had really drifted away from a lot of the stuff that they were doing with Macdonald when this was the best defense in the NFL. And so I think we’ll see them move back in that general direction. And I think with this collection of players and just what we’ve seen from Minter over the last couple of years, it’s a group that’s pretty easy to get excited about.

Dave Helman on what’s keeping him up at night: I’m rooting for him, but Ja’Kobi Lane’s super camp is jumping the shark a little bit. And all of a sudden being excited about a young receiver is doing a lot to distract us from what is otherwise a pretty OK group of pass catchers. I’ve come around on Zay Flowers, I commend the Ravens for getting the deal done early, and I think Zay’s production last year flew under the radar for myself and many others. Even with Zay in the mix, what’s getting you excited about the Ravens pass catchers, unless Lane really is just a rookie phenom? I guess that’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Mark Andrews was third on the Ravens roster and 46th in the league among tight ends in yards per route run. That’s down from seventh in 2024 and third the year before that. Behind Andrews, Durham Smythe is going to have a role in what the Ravens want to do. He’s not a pass-catching threat.

Derrik Klassen on what would be a successful season for the 2026 Ravens: I still think that this is a team that should, at worst, get to the divisional round and play a pretty strong game in the divisional round, and I think that they can be even better than that. I still think that this is a really good team and roster. Last year’s disappointment was just that things got a little bit stale and the quarterback was banged up, but I still ultimately think that this is one of the better teams in the NFL.

Subscribe to “The Athletic Football Show” on YouTube

Sports

United Rugby Championship: Ospreys sign former Australia wing Marika Koroibete

Published

2 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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He added: “I spoke to Mark [Jones, Ospreys head coach] prior to making my decision and he was very clear in what he expects of me in my work on the pitch and my work off it.

“There are some young, high-potential players in this squad and if I can play a part in helping them to reach the next level of their game, then that is something I will take pride in doing.”

Koroibete was spotted playing in Fiji by NRL scouts and played for Wests Tigers and Melbourne Storm before switching from rugby league to union in 2016.

Since his 2017 Australia debut he has scored 20 tries in 63 Tests, featuring at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups.

The powerful wing becomes eligible to represent Fiji before next year’s tournament in Australia.

Koroibete is the fourth Australian to follow Ryan Smith to Ospreys after the lock made a big impression in 2025-26.

Head coach Jones has also signed former Wallabies captain Liam Wright to bolster the back row, nine-times-capped centre Lalakai Foketi and versatile Australian back Lawson Creighton.

On signing Koroibete, Jones said: “I think I speak for everyone involved with the club when I say how happy we are to have added such an explosive talent to our squad.

“I think it says a lot about the club that we are still able to attract overseas players of his calibre. This is a signing that we believe will get our supporters up out of their seats.

“We feel his experience will be extremely beneficial to our youngsters and will have a real ripple effect on their development over the next few years.”

Ospreys play Coventry in a friendly on Friday, 4 September (19:30 BST) as they build towards their URC opener at Sharks on Saturday, 26 September.

Sports

England v Pakistan Second Test: Khurram Shahzad makes an incredible diving catch to remove Jordan Cox

Published

10 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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England’s Jordan Cox sees his innings ended on 55 after an unbelievable, diving catch by substitute Salman Agha, with England 187-6 on the opening day of the second Test at Lord’s.

FOLLOW LIVE: England v Pakistan – Second Test, day one

Available to UK users only.

Sports

Colts take Alec Pierce off PUP list; WR to rejoin practice

Published

16 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have taken wide receiver Alec Pierce off the physically unable to perform list, the team announced Thursday. Pierce is expected to take part in practice this afternoon, according to league sources who were not permitted to speak publicly. If Pierce practices Thursday, it will mark the first time he will have participated in an on-field team activity since undergoing left ankle and heel surgery in late March. While on the PUP list, Pierce has missed all of training camp amid his monthslong rehab.

Pierce initially tried to avoid surgery at the end of last season, opting for a platelet-rich plasma injection instead. However, when that injection didn’t alleviate the discomfort Pierce felt, which he said he’d been managing since the 2024 season, he eventually moved forward with a procedure. Pierce revealed in June that he faced a four- to six-month recovery timeline that could threaten his availability for the start of the season.

Another catch from #Colts WR Alec Pierce in his first practice since undergoing left ankle/heel surgery in March.

(This is a warmup before anyone starts any nonsense about him not running full speed.) pic.twitter.com/PVlRlJ19A6

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 27, 2026

Now, less than a month away from Week 1, Pierce is on track to be on the field when the Colts host the Baltimore Ravens. The fifth-year pro signed a four-year, $114 million deal in March, the richest free-agent contract for a receiver in NFL history. Pierce, who is the 15th-highest-paid wideout annually, has led the NFL in yards per reception in each of the past two years (22.3 in 2024 and 21.3 in 2025).

Pierce is poised to take over as Indy’s No. 1 receiver after the team traded veteran Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Pittman led the Colts in catches in four of the past five years. In Pittman’s absence, the Colts’ starting receiver trio will consist of Pierce, Josh Downs and, most likely, Keenan Allen. Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler, reached a one-year agreement with the Colts last week.

The 34-year-old is one of 18 players in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions; he’s also recorded at least 65 catches, 700 yards and four touchdowns in nine consecutive seasons.