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Allisha Gray scored a game-high 27 points on Saturday afternoon, helping lead the Atlanta Dream to an 83-75 victory over the visiting Dallas Wings in College Park, Ga.
Brittney Griner added 15 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta (2-2), while Brionna Jones compiled 11 points and 15 boards. Rhyne Howard chipped in with nine points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Dream, who have won two of their last three games.
NaLyssa Smith led Dallas (0-4) with 13 points, followed by Maddy Siegrist's 12 and Paige Bueckers' 11. Teaira McCowan and Tyasha Harris each added 10 points for the Wings, who remain the Western Conference's last winless team.
After taking a seven-point lead at halftime, Atlanta's margin ballooned to 13 after Jones' three-point play and layup gave the Dream a 48-35 advantage with 6:24 left in the third -- forcing a Wings' timeout.
Nia Coffey's 3-pointer later extended Atlanta's commanding lead to 59-39, before Arike Ogunbowale's jumper and Siegrist's layup pulled Dallas' deficit to 15 with less than two minutes left in the third.
After Gray's triple was answered with Ogunbowale's mid-range jumper, the Dream grabbed a 68-50 lead entering the final quarter. Dallas opened the fourth on a 11-0 run, stamped with Siegrist's layup at the 6:29 mark.
Gray's basket with 5:35 to go took the lid off the basket for Atlanta before five straight Dallas points cut the Wings' deficit to five. Kaila Charles' layup trimmed the gap to eight with 2:11 left, but Howard knocked down three free throws to ice the win.
Dallas took an 18-17 lead into the second quarter despite shooting just 1-for-6 on its 3-point attempts. From there, neither team took a lead larger than four until the 3:06 mark, when Griner's layup gave Atlanta a 30-26 edge.
After Myisha Hines-Allen's first basket cut the Dream's lead to two, Maya Caldwell's triple and Gray's free throws gave Atlanta a 37-30 halftime-lead. Gray led all scorers with 11 first-quarter points as the two sides combined to shoot 5-for-22 from 3-point range.
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Bears have major concern heading into Steelers Week 12 showdown
The NFC North-leading Chicago Bears have a potential problem heading into Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4). At Wednesday's practice, the Bears (7-3) were without their top three linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds (groin), T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell (elbow), making their health something to monitor before Sunday's game between division leaders. Linebacker injuries an area of concern for Chicago Bears in Week 12 versus Pittsburgh Steelers Chicago's depth at linebacker will be tested if the trio can't play. D'Marco Jackson, Amen Ogbongbemiga and rookie fourth-rounder Ruben Hyppolite II are the only healthy linebackers on the active roster. They've combined to play 50 defensive snaps this season. Nine-year veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Carl Jones Jr., a 2024 undrafted free agent, could be in line to move up from the practice squad. Edwards has missed Chicago's past two games after undergoing hand surgery, but the team declined to put him on injured reserve, avoiding a mandatory four-game absence. Sewell, who previously missed Week 7 with a concussion, has started in Edwards' place and led the team in tackles against the Minnesota Vikings (4-6) in Week 11. Edmunds has made 34 consecutive starts dating back to Nov. 19, 2023 and is having an All-Pro-caliber season, leading the team with 89 tackles while adding four interceptions, a sack and nine passes defended. The Steelers have their own injury concerns with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist) uncertain to play on Sunday, though it remains a possibility after he was determined not to need surgery. "This might go right up until Friday or Saturday," ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano wrote about a potential timeline for a decision on Rodgers' availability. The Bears have been tormented by Rodgers throughout his 18-year career. The longtime Packers quarterback (2005-22) is 11-3 all-time at Soldier Field, including 10-1 in his last 11 starts. He's won four in a row dating back to 2019. If Rodgers plays, Chicago could have a much more difficult time stopping the Steelers offense considering the state of its linebackers. The Bears may need a magical elixir to get back to full health in time for the pivotal showdown. With only a one-game lead in the NFC North, every game counts for Chicago. But it could be severely undermanned if its top three linebackers are forced to watch from the sideline.
Scout shares take on why Vikings' J.J. McCarthy has struggled with accuracy this season
Second-year Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has mostly played like a work in progress when healthy and on the field this fall. For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano pointed out that McCarthy is "obviously missing too many throws" at this stage of his development. Graziano spoke with an unnamed "scout with another team" to learn more about McCarthy's struggles. Are Vikings panicking about J.J. McCarthy? "McCarthy's throwing at only one speed -- all fastballs -- and attributed that to trying to be the hero in a situation where he knows his team is counting on him to help it win," Graziano said about his chat with the scout. "The general sense I get from inside the Vikings' building and out is that he just needs time and reps." The Vikings made McCarthy a first-round draft pick in the spring of 2024, but he then spent his entire rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair. More recently, what became a lingering ankle injury limited McCarthy to just five starts over Minnesota's first 10 games of the ongoing campaign. According to Pro Football Reference, McCarthy began Wednesday ranked last in the league among qualified players with a 52.9 percent completion percentage, a 26.6 adjusted QBR and a 61.7 passer rating for the season. Nevertheless, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said in Wednesday's article that the Vikings really have "no choice" but to stick with McCarthy over undrafted free agent Max Brosmer. Veteran Carson Wentz previously started when McCarthy was sidelined with the ankle issue, but Wentz has since had season-ending shoulder surgery. What Vikings like about J.J. McCarthy amid struggles "The accuracy is a concern," Fowler added about McCarthy. "There's no hiding from that. Balls are sailing, and that affects the entire offense. McCarthy needs to hit the layups. The Vikings will be working to help him find more consistency as a thrower. From a developmental standpoint, the team still believes in his work ethic and skill set." For what it's worth, McCarthy tossed a go-ahead touchdown pass versus the Chicago Bears with under a minute to play in this past Sunday's matchup between the clubs. He then could only watch as Chicago's Cairo Santos kicked a walk-off game-winning field goal. 4-6 Minnesota next plays at the rival Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the Vikings as 6.5-point underdogs for that game.
There's 'already chatter' Vikings could make Mac Jones call amid J.J. McCarthy's struggles
The ongoing struggles of second-year pro J.J. McCarthy have already sparked conversations among the NFL community about how the Minnesota Vikings might manage their quarterback situation next year. On Wednesday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared an interesting update regarding the Vikings' plans beyond January. Why Mac Jones could be an option for the Vikings According to Florio, "there’s already chatter in some circles that" the Vikings will explore trading for San Francisco 49ers backup Mac Jones during the offseason. Jones signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in March and, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, is under contract for $4.66M for the 2026 season. Breer also linked Jones with the Vikings. Jones went 5-3 across eight starts with the 49ers this season in place of QB1 Brock Purdy, who was dealing with a toe injury. Purdy inked a massive extension with the 49ers last offseason, and there's no indication he's in any danger of losing the starting job to Jones. Meanwhile, McCarthy has made just five career regular-season starts after he missed time this fall due to an ankle injury. The 2024 first-round draft pick spent his entire rookie campaign recovering from a full meniscus repair. According to Pro Football Reference, McCarthy heads into Week 12 ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 26.6 adjusted QBR, a 61.7 passer rating and a 52.9 percent completion percentage. He's 2-3 as a starter, while Minnesota is 4-6. Could history repeat itself for Vikings? Last year, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell repeatedly said that spending the 2023 season working with 49ers head coach and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan helped current Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold experience a necessary career reset. With Darnold in the lineup, the 2024 Vikings finished 14-3 before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Breer mentioned that the Vikings trading for Jones would "be a way to bring in competition for J.J. McCarthy and provide a layer of insurance at an affordable rate for a loaded roster, should McCarthy not ascend through the rest of this season." In short, it sounds like McCarthy will be playing for more than just wins from Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1) through Week 18. As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Vikings as six-point underdogs against the Packers.
The Big Five: Most dangerous teams currently outside the playoff picture
With just a week until Thanksgiving, the NFL playoff picture is beginning to take shape. But seven weeks remain in the regular season, giving teams on the outside looking in time to turn things around. Below, we rank the five most dangerous teams currently not in the playoff field. 5. Houston Texans (5-5, eight in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 40-31 (.563) • Currently in playoff field: 4 • Above .500: 4 With a defense as good as Houston's, it can't be taken lightly despite a brutal remaining schedule. Over the Texans' final seven games, they only play two teams currently with a losing record — the Arizona Cardinals (3-7) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-8). With C.J. Stroud (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills (7-3), the team's hopes of remaining in contention will be even tougher. But Houston has won its past two games with Davis Mills at quarterback, thanks in large part to a defense allowing 221 yards per game. The Texans have the league's longest active streak of holding opponents under 200 passing yards (seven games), per Stathead research. In addition to the Bills, the Texans play the Indianapolis Colts (8-2) twice, Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), teams that can put up points. Houston, which is No. 21 in scoring offense (22 points per game), likely won't be able to keep pace in shootouts — even when Stroud returns — so it must lean on the defense to complete the long trek from 0-3 to the playoffs. 4. Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1, 10th in NFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 35-38 (.479) • Currently in playoff field: 2 • Above .500: 3 While we can't glean much from Dallas' convincing Monday night win over the directionless Raiders, it was still telling that the defense, a sore spot all season, kept an inept Las Vegas attack from having a season-best performance. Among the five teams listed here, the Cowboys have the easiest remaining strength of schedule, with more games against teams with losing records (three) than those in the playoff field (two). Their next three games — against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), Chiefs and Detroit Lions (6-4) — will inform how heavily Dallas factors into the playoff race through December. But for a team that seemingly had no hope following a Week 9 loss to the Cardinals, Dallas could be feistier down the stretch than most predicted. 3. Detroit Lions (6-4, eighth in NFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 37-32-2 (.521) • Currently in playoff field: 4 • Above .500: 4 Sunday's game against the New York Giants (2-9) is almost a must-win considering what lies ahead for Detroit. Over its final five games, it plays the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1), Los Angeles Rams (8-2), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) and Chicago Bears (7-3) plus the division-rival Minnesota Vikings (4-6). The Lions, who rank in the top five in total offense and defense, are more than capable of holding their own against stiff competition, although injures (particularly to the offensive line) have made them more vulnerable than the past two seasons, when they reached the NFC Championship Game (2023) and claimed the conference's No. 1 seed (2024). 2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-5, ninth in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 36-35-1 (.500) • Currently in playoff field: 3 • Above .500: 3 ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently laid out a convincing argument why this year's Chiefs squad isn't much different from last year's team that went 15-2. Other than a staggering regression in one-score games and special teams lapses, Kansas City is good enough to go on a run and crash the playoffs. The Chiefs' toughest remaining games (Colts, Chargers, Broncos) are at home. They also have a head-to-head with the Texans at Arrowhead. It's far too early to write Kansas City's obituary. The AFC West might be out of play, yet NFL Next Gen Stats still gives the Chiefs a 52 percent chance of making the playoffs. However, NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri noted in a recently column that Kansas City's odds will drop to less than 33 percent with a loss this Sunday to Indianapolis. 1. Baltimore Ravens (5-5, 10th in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 35-35-1 (.493) • Currently in playoff field: 3 • Above .500: 4 The Ravens are just one game out of first in the AFC North and have the New York Jets (2-8) and Cincinnati Bengals (3-7) on the schedule before the first of two games with the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4). By the end of the first weekend in December, Baltimore, which has won four in a row following a Week 7 bye, could easily be in pole position for a third straight AFC North title.
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