On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
While Atlanta Dream coach Tanisha Wright wants her team to push the pace on offense, ball security remains a concern entering Friday night's road game against the Dallas Wings at Arlington, Texas.
The Dream (7-11) have committed at least 15 turnovers in three straight games, although they still remain one of the better teams at protecting the ball with 12.4 turnovers per game, third best in the league.
Wright's squad tallied a season-high 18 turnovers in Tuesday's 85-77 home loss to the Chicago Sky. It was Atlanta's second straight setback and its ninth in 12 games following a 4-2 start.
"We have to do a better job understanding that we want to play fast ... but with that, we still need to take care of the ball," Wright said. "Those are opportunities and shots on goal that we're not getting."
The Dream's recent turnover troubles have added a new challenge to an offense that has struggled to score this season. Atlanta's 76 points per game and 40.4 field-goal percentage each rank last in the WNBA entering Thursday's action.
All-Star guard Allisha Gray leads the Dream with 15.8 points per game. She scored 21 in Atlanta's 83-78 home win over Dallas on May 21 in the teams' first meeting this season.
A porous Wings defense allows a league-high 88.9 points per game. Dallas surrendered a season-high 104 points in an eight-point home loss on Wednesday to the Phoenix Mercury, the Wings' 14th defeat in their last 15 games.
Exactly halfway through its 40-game regular season slate, Dallas (4-16) has drastically regressed after posting a 22-win campaign last year.
The Wings have played the entire season so far without 2023 All-Star Satou Sabally because of a shoulder injury. Natasha Howard missed 12 games earlier this year with a broken foot, but she delivered a career-high 36 points with 11 rebounds on Wednesday.
Her breakout performance complemented a 26-point game from Arike Ogunbowale, who has scored at least 20 points in all but two of her 19 games this season and averages 23.8 per contest.
Howard and Ogunbowale were both key contributors to Dallas's run to the semifinals last season, and coach Latricia Trammell appreciates their leadership amid this year's trying campaign.
"They bring that championship mentality anytime we step on the floor," Trammell said. "I don't expect anything less from them."
More must-reads:
- Details emerge on injury to Cowboys star wide receiver
- Are Giants making quarterback change for Chargers game?
- The 'Multiple 30-TD pass NFL seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
'I’m Not Surprised': Sophie Cunningham Reacts To Mahomes-Kelce Steakhouse Being Packed For Months
Indiana Fever Earn New Nickname Amid Playoff Run Without Caitlin Clark
The Indiana Fever's star guard, Caitlin Clark, never missed a game through college or her rookie year, but three soft-tissue injuries sidelined her for 31 contests this season. Yet, even without their franchise player, the Fever are now just two wins away from their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2015, and fans online have since seized the moment. One recent Reddit thread spotlighted a tweet reminding Las Vegas Aces supporters that in 2022, the team dropped Game 1 of the semis before winning the title. The top comment, however, is what caught attention, with one user referring to Indiana as the "Build-A-Bear Fever team" after having to roll out several different lineups amid an injury-riddled season. "Aces are a very good team when everyone is shooting well, but man, this Build-A-Bear Fever team is on another level somehow," the comment wrote. A couple of other users reacted to this new "Build-A-Bear" nickname, saying, "Okay. There have been a lot of names for the Fever team. Build-A-Bear might be my new favorite" and "'Build-a-Bear Fever team' I've been partial to 'Fever hospital wing squad' but I'm gonna have to use this too." After opening with a left quad sprain on May 24, Clark returned on June 14 only to suffer a left groin sprain less than two weeks later. A right groin injury on July 15 ultimately ended her season, finishing with averages of 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals across just 13 games. Adding insult to (literal) injury, the supporting cast bore the brunt of Clark’s absence. Seventh-year vet Sophie Cunningham tore her MCL on August 17, closing her first season in Indiana after averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 30 games. Point guard Aari McDonald (broken right foot), Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Chloe Bibby (left knee injury) and Damiris Dantas (concussion protocol) also saw their seasons end abruptly, forcing Indiana to navigate season-ending injuries to six key players. Despite the turmoil, the Fever rallied to a 24–20 finish, clinched the No. 6 seed and stunned the No. 3 Atlanta Dream in a first-round, do-or-die Game 3, marking the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2016. Their reward: a semifinal matchup with the No. 2 seed Aces (30-14). Game 1 on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena provided the latest twist, with Indiana pulling off the upset on the road as Kelsey Mitchell erupted for a playoff-career-high 34 points, shooting 52.2% and drilling 4-of-6 from deep. Odyssey Sims, a late-season addition following all of the season-ending injuries, added 17 points, while Natasha Howard posted a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double. Game 2 in Las Vegas tips off Tuesday, with the "Build-A-Bear Fever team" seeking to seize home-court advantage and inch closer to a Finals berth.
Former HC does not hold back on Cowboys' atrocious defense
The Dallas Cowboys have played about as poorly as they possibly can on defense through the first three weeks of the NFL season. One week after needing a pair of late field goals from kicker Brandon Aubrey to outlast the New York Giants, 40-37, in overtime, the Cowboys dropped their second game in three weeks on Sunday in a 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, showing no signs of improvement whatsoever. Rex Ryan blasts Cowboys defense Simply put, Dallas just looks lost on defense, leading to former head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan going off during Monday's edition of "Get Up." "Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, this defense comes up with even a worse performance," Ryan said. ... "You're so dumb. I can't stand it. Do something. I don't want to hear about you can't rush the passer. Then how about we send more players on the quarterback. We can't play zone coverage, then how about we play man coverage. You guys stink. Dumbsday defense." Dallas had no answers for the Bears and QB Caleb Williams on Sunday. After struggling to find a rhythm in the first two games, Williams was sensational, throwing for 298 yards and four TDs to pick up head coach Ben Johnson's first win in Chicago. As good as Williams was, though, the Cowboys defense certainly helped. Dallas (1-2) has given up 92 points through three games and is 28th in the league in opponent points per game (30.7 PPG), per TeamRankings. Something Ryan alluded to in his rant was Dallas' inability to stop Chicago on a 19-play, 76-yard drive in the third quarter that took 9:54 off the clock. It was a 24-14 game before then, and the Cowboys were picked off on each of their final three drives afterward to seal their fate. Quarterback Dak Prescott has been solid, accounting for 800 passing yards — fourth-most in the league — and three TDs. Before Sunday, he had only thrown one interception. The run game has also contributed four combined TDs between Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, providing a much-needed balance. That has ultimately not mattered with the defense unable to get stops and limit drives from opposing teams. To make matters worse, star wideout CeeDee Lamb suffered a left ankle injury in the loss on Sunday, and it sounds like he could land on injured reserve, which would put him out of action for at least four games. That is the last thing Dallas needs right now. The team will likely be without its best player for an extended period of time, in addition to having an abysmal defense, which does not sound encouraging going forward for a franchise that always seems to be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Steelers' Once Promising Third-Year Defender Could Be Relegated On The Depth Chart
The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun the 2025 NFL season with a 2-1 record, however there are some things that need to be figured out. The defense is shaky at best despite forcing five turnovers in Sunday's win over the New England Patriots in Week 3. The group still struggles to get off of the field on possession downs, and stopping the run has been an issue throughout the first three weeks of the season. A lot of that starts with the front seven and the interior defensive line. Pittsburgh has been banged up in that area, but some healthy contributors returning could shake up the lineup. Pittsburgh was able to see the regular season debut of Derrick Harmon on Sunday. The organization selected Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he suffered a sprained MCL in the preseason finale which kept him on the sidelines throughout the first two weeks of the regular season. He made an impact while serving in a limited role on Sunday against New England as he recorded a sack and two total tackles, and he is expected to help the run defense in the near future. Team insider Mark Kaboly spoke about the interior defensive line after the game on Sunday on the most recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, and he believes there will be two rookies starting in that area very soon. "They made some moves there, and it was able to help them out," Kaboly said. "That's a definite difference in what they were able to do. And I think it's just a matter of time until Yahya Black, Derrick Harmon and Cam Heyward's your one, two and three across the front. It's just a matter of time." Currently, Cam Heyward and Yahya Black are the starting defensive tackles for Pittsburgh while Keeanu Benton has been the starting nose tackle. That is the part of the lineup that will be shuffled, as Benton will likely switch to being a rotational piece, while Harmon enters the starting lineup. He will likely takeover the duties at defensive tackle, while Black shuffles to nose tackle. Benton was expected to take a leap forward going into his second season in 2024, but that didn't necessarily happen. He has made some big plays for Pittsburgh, but he has not been the consistent force that the organization had hoped he would be to this point. There was hope he would improve once again during the 2025 season, but if anything, the third-year pro has shown some regression since his rookie season. Moving to a rotational role where he can fill in at both defensive tackle and nose tackle might be best for Benton at this point. He doesn't necessarily have the size to be a true nose tackle in the NFL, so the coaching staff in Pittsburgh has seemingly been setting him up for failure a little bit in that regard. He would likely play better at defensive tackle, which is something the coaching staff could find out if the starting defensive line gets shuffled. Steelers Need To See Keeanu Benton Step Up No matter what role he is serving, Benton needs to play better moving forward. The interior defensive line is a key part of stopping the run, and Pittsburgh has struggled to do that. It is going to be hard to win meaningful games if that problem persists, especially against the better teams in the NFL that show up on the schedule later in the year. Benton needs to show some signs of progression, whether that be as a starter, or as someone who rotates in with the starting lineup throughout a game. Benton can still have a future in Pittsburgh, but he is going to need to improve in 2025 while setting himself up for success in 2026.
Steelers Could Be Planning To Use Week 5 Bye As An Opportunity To Make Unexpected Trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 2-1 after defeating the New England Patriots by a score of 21-14 in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season. It has appeared as if Aaron Rodgers still has some game left at 41 years old, but the box score on Sunday didn't exactly instill confidence from an outside observer. He was only able to throw for 139 yards in the contest and the offense as a whole was only able to muster up 203 total yards. The unit will be facing a tough test in Week 4 when the team plays against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland. The long-term plan for the Steelers at quarterback is a bit of a mystery. The organization could draft a signal-caller in 2026, or let Mason Rudolph and Will Howard compete for the job in training camp. The latter seems unlikely, given the fact that franchises need a dominant force playing quarterback to win, and neither of the options under contract for 2026 have proven themselves as much as fans would have liked. The fourth piece to the puzzle currently is Skylar Thompson. The former seventh-round pick showcased his talents in the preseason, and ended up putting plenty of good film on tape. He was one of the better signal-callers throughout the league during the exhibition period, and should have no business being an organization's fourth option. With Howard and Thompson both currently on Injured Reserve (IR), a decision is going to have to be made in the coming weeks about what to do with the emergency quarterback spot on game days. The Steelers are known for not holding onto more than three quarterbacks, so it's very possible that Thompson ends up getting released when, and if, all four players are healthy at the same time. After Pittsburgh's Week 4 matchup overseas, the team will have an early bye in Week 5. This will allow guys to get healthy, but also provide a unique opportunity to explore additions, or subtractions from the roster. Franchises have already experienced quarterback injury issues early on in 2025, and by the time Thompson is healthy, a decision could be made to deal him for a late-round draft selection. There's no guarantee that the Steelers would find a trade partner for Thompson, but as long as he is fully healthy, he's definitely someone to shop around. He is highly likely never going to see the field in Pittsburgh, but has some value because of how well he played during the preseason. Unfortunately for the Steelers, it doesn't make sense to part ways with a rookie while keeping someone else who is on a one-year deal. While Thompson won't be able to return to action until Week 7 (because the bye week does not count when a player is on IR) there is precedent to trade him anyway. The Patriots just traded Ja'Lynn Polk to the New Orleans Saints despite the receiver being on season-ending IR. Thompson's situation is a bit different, as he should be expected to return in 2025. Any team inquiring would need to be confident that he is fully healthy, because his 21-day window would need to be activated upon any deal. General Manager Omar Khan could be interested in getting yet another draft pick for 2026 if another organization throughout the league needs quarterback help. Steelers Hoping To Keep Rodgers Healthy All Season Pittsburgh's offensive line performed better in Week 3, but there is still a long way to go for the unit. While the other three quarterbacks don't necessarily matter for on-field play in games, the 41-year-old in Rodgers could be one hit away from the Steelers' signal-caller situation drastically changing. Overall, Thompson is at the bottom of the list, and could get traded soon if he is almost fully recovered from his injury.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
