Saturday’s sport features Liverpool’s comeback at nine-man Brentford, Barcelona equalling the best start in LaLiga history, a Luis Díaz hat-trick for Bayern Munich, Ombudsman’s victory on British Champions Day, a fatal fall in the Caulfield Cup, Ohio State ending Indiana’s long winning run, Florida’s upset of Texas and Jalen Hurts being placed on injured reserve.
Liverpool come from behind to beat nine-man Brentford
Liverpool fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Brentford in the Premier League, in a match that turned on a red card shown to the home midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk at the end of the first half. Brentford had taken the lead after Liverpool failed to clear their lines: Igor Thiago crossed and the left-back Keane Lewis-Potter ran in to head into the top corner. Moments earlier, Liverpool had seen a penalty overturned after replays showed that Brentford’s Dango Ouattara had made clear contact with the ball before colliding with Alexis Mac Allister. Deep into stoppage time at the end of the half, Yarmolyuk clashed with the Liverpool defender Jérémy Jacquet before a corner. The contact was more of a jut of the head than a full blow, but after the referee John Brooks consulted the pitchside monitor the midfielder was sent off.
Liverpool took time to adjust after the interval and suffered further setbacks when Jeremie Frimpong was forced off injured only seven minutes after replacing Ronald Araújo at right-back. They had already lost Dominik Szoboszlai to injury in the first half, with Ryan Gravenberch suspended, leaving the side short of midfield options. The breakthrough came on the counter-attack in the 62nd minute. Florian Wirtz dropped deep and played a clever pass inside Lewis-Potter, and Victor Muñoz raced clear before drilling a low left-footed shot into the far corner. The winner arrived in the 70th minute: Mac Allister took a pass from Wirtz and crossed, Bradley Barcola headed the ball down and Alexander Isak finished from close range. Brentford later had Vitaly Janelt sent off for a second yellow card and finished the match with nine players.
Wirtz, who has struggled with the responsibility of playing as Liverpool’s number 10 since his £100m move from Bayer Leverkusen, was the decisive figure. No player had created as many as nine open-play chances in a single Premier League game since Sadio Mané did so for Liverpool against Burnley in January 2021, and the first to do it in an away game since Samir Nasri for Manchester City against Tottenham in August 2011. His pass for Muñoz was his second assist of the season, both for the same player. Isak, whose time at Liverpool since his £125m move from Newcastle has been disrupted by injuries, has now scored in all five of his Premier League appearances against Brentford. It was also the first time Brentford had received two red cards in the same league match since a game against Sheffield United in League One in April 2013.
Liverpool’s manager, Andoni Iraola, said it had been a good battle and singled out Barcola and Wirtz, describing them as players who are lovely to have against ten men. He was less happy with his side’s play after they took the lead, as Brentford threatened an equaliser through Thiago and Liverpool looked rushed. Iraola also questioned some of the video assistant referee decisions and was gloomy about his growing list of injuries. Brentford’s manager, Keith Andrews, said his side had been edging the game before the dismissal and felt too many decisions had gone Liverpool’s way. He had no complaints about the first red card, however. He suggested Liverpool had been cute and clever in the way they handled the incident, while insisting that Yarmolyuk would take lessons from the episode, and said he still wanted his team to play on the edge.
The result lifted Liverpool into fifth place, while Brentford’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end and they dropped out of the top four. For Iraola, the win represented a positive end to a week in which his side had lost to Manchester City in the league before Barcola scored a hat-trick against LASK in midweek. Liverpool’s expensive attacking line, assembled at a cost of close to £400m, had been slow to gel, and this was the first time Barcola had created a goal since his move from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106m. There are still flaws to iron out, but the manager will hope that surviving one of the league’s toughest away fixtures is a sign that his methods are starting to take effect. Liverpool lost this fixture under Arne Slot a year ago, and looked far better prepared this time.
Barcelona thrash Real Betis to equal LaLiga’s best-ever start
Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 in Seville to win their ninth consecutive LaLiga match and equal the best start to a season in the competition’s history. The record was set by Real Madrid in 1961-62 and matched by them in 1968-69. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a stunning solo goal, and Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, described the 19-year-old afterwards as the best player in the world at the moment. Flick said it had been an intense and amazing match for the fans and for everyone who loves football. He added that Yamal was under a lot of pressure at such a young age but was completely focused and committed, and that his performance and attitude had been remarkable, saying that this is how truly great players behave. Barcelona can set an outright record by winning their next league game.
The match was eventful from start to finish. Valentín Gómez drew Betis level before the half-hour mark, but Rodri, with his first goal for the club, restored Barcelona’s lead in the 41st minute. A goal by Giovani Lo Celso was then disallowed because of a handball by Cucho Hernández in the build-up, before Gabriel Jesus made it 3-1 early in the second half. Abde Ezzalzouli quickly pulled another goal back for Betis, but amid the celebrations that followed, Facundo Bernal headbutted Yamal and was shown a red card. Playing against ten men for the last 30 minutes, Barcelona made their advantage count, and late goals from Eric García and Dani Olmo completed the scoring. The Betis coach, Manuel Pellegrini, blamed what he called inexplicable refereeing decisions for his side’s defeat, while Barcelona’s players celebrated another commanding display in front of the travelling supporters.
Yamal’s form this season has been exceptional. The Spain international has now scored nine goals and provided nine assists in eleven appearances in all competitions. His solo goal against Betis set the tone for the evening, and he was the target of the challenge that led to Bernal’s red card. Comparisons between Yamal and Lionel Messi, who also emerged as a teenager at Barcelona, have become increasingly common, and analysts have examined whether his record at this age exceeds that of his illustrious predecessor. Flick’s praise was among the strongest he has offered for any of his players. Although he acknowledged the pressure on such a young player, he insisted Yamal was handling it, and he highlighted the forward’s commitment as much as his talent, suggesting that his attitude was a key reason for his success.
Barcelona’s attacking output has been remarkable. Flick’s side have won all nine of their league matches, scoring 39 goals, which is 20 more than any other team in the division. That combination of results and goals has given them a commanding position at the top of the table early in the season. Flick, however, played down the significance of the milestone. He said the record was nice but that his team wanted to win titles and achieve bigger things, which he said was the reason they played football. He added that they were fighting for trophies rather than records, describing records as nice to have, and emphasised the importance of the team’s mentality and the way the players work together. The German coach has built a reputation for attacking football since arriving at the club.
The record will be on the line in the biggest fixture of the Spanish season. If Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Clásico next Sunday, they will set a new record for the best start to a LaLiga campaign, taking it away from their great rivals. Madrid will be determined to stop them, both to protect their own place in the record books and to close the gap at the top of the table. The meeting has already attracted attention away from the pitch, with Barcelona announcing that the rapper Tyler, The Creator would join a list of music stars to appear on the club’s shirt for the match. For Yamal, the game will offer another opportunity to shine on the biggest stage, and for Flick a chance to demonstrate that his side’s dominance is more than a run of favourable fixtures.
Luis Díaz scores a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrash RB Leipzig
Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga with a 6-1 home victory over RB Leipzig, inspired by a hat-trick from Luis Díaz. Vincent Kompany’s side took the lead after just twelve minutes, when Díaz latched on to an exquisite through-ball from Joshua Kimmich and finished emphatically past the Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt. Díaz then turned provider, driving at the visiting defence before setting up Aleksandar Pavlovic, who crashed home an unstoppable left-footed shot 14 minutes later. Michael Olise added a third in the 34th minute after a neat one-two with Harry Kane, striking from distance for his ninth goal of the campaign. The match was also Kane’s 100th Bundesliga appearance for the club. The result was a powerful response from Bayern, who had come into the game after successive draws against Augsburg and the Danish side Viking.
There was no let-up after the interval. Díaz scored his second just 95 seconds into the second half, picking up a pass from Kane and driving the ball home. Having created the previous two goals, Kane got on the scoresheet himself in the 53rd minute, converting from a few yards after a pull-back from Nathaniel Brown. The goal took the England captain’s tally for club and country to eleven for the season. Díaz completed his hat-trick with 21 minutes remaining, curling a superb shot into the net from about 20 yards. Andrija Maksimovic scored a consolation goal for Leipzig in the second minute of stoppage time. Leipzig had arrived in good form, having scored six against Eintracht Frankfurt in their previous league game and then beaten PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, but they could not cope with Bayern.
Díaz, who joined Bayern from Liverpool, was the outstanding player on the pitch, both scoring and creating goals. His three goals and an assist underlined his growing importance to Kompany’s side, alongside Kane, who also continued his remarkable record in German football. The England captain, who is reported to be close to agreeing a new contract with Bayern, provided two assists before scoring himself, showing the all-round contribution that has made him so valuable since his move from Tottenham. Olise, meanwhile, scored for the ninth time this season but will miss the next European match through suspension, having been sent off in the draw with Viking in midweek. Bayern will have to find a replacement for one of their most creative players for that game, which is likely to be one of the most significant of their European campaign so far.
The win allowed Bayern to take advantage of a goalless draw for Borussia Dortmund away to Union Berlin earlier on Saturday. Bayern and Dortmund are now level on 14 points after six matches, with Bayern ahead on goal difference by a wide margin. Their position at the top may be short-lived, however. Freiburg, who are third with 13 points from five games, will move above them if they win away to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. The early-season table is unusually tight, with several clubs within a few points of the leaders, and Bayern’s two recent draws had raised questions about whether the champions would be able to dominate the league as comfortably as in previous seasons. A performance of this quality suggests they remain the team to beat in Germany this season.
Bayern now turn their attention to a major Champions League fixture. They host Arsenal, the Premier League champions, at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, and the emphatic win over Leipzig was widely seen as a warning to Mikel Arteta’s side. Kompany will be without Olise, but the form of Díaz and Kane will give him confidence as he prepares to face one of the strongest teams in Europe. The match will be an important test of Bayern’s credentials in a competition they are always expected to challenge for. For Arsenal, the trip to Munich is among the most difficult of their European campaign, and they will have studied this performance closely. Leipzig, meanwhile, will hope to recover quickly from a heavy defeat that halted a run of encouraging results in both domestic and European competition.
Ombudsman beats Calandagan to win the Champion Stakes at Ascot
Ombudsman won the Champion Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot, reversing last year’s result by beating the French-trained Calandagan by three and three-quarter lengths. Trained by John Gosden and his son Thady and ridden by William Buick, the five-year-old started as the 5-4 favourite in a field of six. A year ago, Calandagan, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, had taken the race, but this time the verdict was decisive in favour of the home horse. With the field grouped tightly as they entered the home straight, Buick asked Ombudsman to quicken and he produced the sharp acceleration that has been a hallmark of his career. He swept past Bay City Roller, who finished third, and then saw off Calandagan, who had been slow from the stalls and made some ground from the rear before Ombudsman kicked again to settle the outcome.
The victory made up for a disappointing run in the Juddmonte International at York. John Gosden said he had thought Buick was riding the horse very confidently in the straight and had wondered when he was going to make his move. He said the ground, which was on the slow side of good, suited Ombudsman, whereas at York the horse had simply spun his wheels. The stable’s pacemaker, Devil’s Advocate, set even fractions, and Gosden said there had been no plan to go fast or slow. He described it as a special performance from a special horse, adding that last year the horse had been too far back, ten or eleven lengths off the pace, and that the team had been determined not to repeat that mistake. He was also generous to Calandagan, saying the French horse had won well a year ago.
Ombudsman’s future is now under discussion. Gosden said the horse would either retire to stud or, after consultation with his owner, Sheikh Mohammed, could make a final appearance at the Breeders’ Cup Turf, held at Keeneland a fortnight from now. He said the track would suit the horse and that it was a possibility, but that there was no need for a rapid decision. Gosden described Ombudsman as definitely the best horse over a mile and a quarter that he has trained, before joking that he had better say so because it would help to sell the horse’s stud nominations. Buick said Ombudsman would have no problems travelling to America, although the race would be his first at a mile and a half, and said that he would leave that decision to the trainers and the rest of the team.
Thady Gosden said it was fantastic to have a horse of this calibre win on such a big day. He said the race at York had simply not worked out, that nobody was to blame and that the weather could not be controlled, adding that Ombudsman had had a short break afterwards and arrived at Ascot in good form. He said the horse was a year older than last time but had kept his enthusiasm. Beating a horse like Calandagan, he said, took some doing, as the team had discovered last year when the French horse went around the world proving his quality, but that this time it was their turn. Buick praised both horses, saying they had produced a great race last year and had done so again, and noted that Ombudsman had twice won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The success was one of three on the day for Ombudsman’s owners, Godolphin, who also won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes with Talk Of New York and the Balmoral Handicap. Talk Of New York, trained by Charlie Appleby, took the mile contest in the race before the Champion Stakes, completing a double for Godolphin in the two most valuable races on the card. Appleby described the three-year-old’s win as exciting, saying the horse had done little wrong in his career apart from some immaturity early on, which now appeared to have been ironed out. He said the colt would not run again this year and would return next spring. Buick also completed a treble of his own on the card. British Champions Day brings together the leading horses of the European season in the final major meeting of the British flat racing calendar.
A mare dies after a fall in the Caulfield Cup won by Kingswood
The New Zealand-bred mare Ohope Wins was euthanised after a fall in the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne, a race that also saw last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours go down heavily. The race, run over 2,400 metres, was won by Kingswood, trained by Gavin Bedggood and ridden by John Allen, at odds of $24. With about 200 metres to go, Half Yours, ridden by Mark Zahra, was racing in midfield when he seemed to make contact with another runner, Kings Valley. Half Yours fell, throwing Zahra on to the turf, and Ohope Wins, ridden by Jye McNeil and running towards the back of the field, was unable to avoid the fallen horse, clipped heels and fell heavily. The incident reportedly also involved another runner, Green Spaces, and stewards will hold an inquiry into the cause of the fall.
Racing Victoria stewards confirmed that the on-course veterinarian had euthanised Ohope Wins, trained by Chris Waller and owned by Yulong. Racing Victoria said the mare could not be saved because of the nature of the injury she suffered, and extended its condolences to her owners, her trainer and the stable staff who had cared for her. Waller and Yulong released a statement saying that few words could express their emotions. They described Ohope Wins as a true star of the turf but said that, to the people who looked after her every day, she was much more. She was brave, she was kind and she was full of character, the statement said, but above all she was loved. Ohope Wins had won the Oaks at Randwick in April, and Waller thanked people for the many kind messages he had received.
Half Yours, the defending Caulfield Cup champion, got up after the fall and crossed the finishing line without his jockey before being caught by the course clerk and led back to his stall. His trainer, Tony McEvoy, said the incident had been terrible to watch. He said the horse had a couple of lacerations, one beneath a foreleg and one on a hind leg, but that they looked superficial and the horse seemed bright and composed. Stewards said Half Yours would undergo a thorough veterinary examination. Both Zahra and McNeil were described by stewards as conscious and alert, and were taken to hospital for further assessment, although both are believed to have escaped serious injury. The final race of the day at Caulfield was delayed as a result of the incident, which took place in front of a crowd of 30,051.
The tragedy overshadowed a famous win for Kingswood and his connections. Allen was on the outside as the field turned into the straight and was still two lengths behind the leaders with 300 metres to go as the horses fell behind him. He hit the front about 100 metres from home and led home Saint George, a fellow grey, with Enfjaar third and Cosmic Crusader fourth. Kingswood paid $24 for the win and $8.30 for a place. Bedggood shed tears of joy after the race and paid tribute to his stepdaughter and partner, who both work in his team. He said there had been little to do with the horse all week other than manage him, and thanked the owners for backing him. The crowd was the biggest at the Caulfield Cup for a decade, reflecting strong interest in the spring racing carnival.
The fatal fall is likely to renew debate in Australia about the safety of racehorses, particularly in the big-field staying races of the spring carnival. Animal welfare groups have long called for changes to protect horses, and every serious incident during the carnival is closely scrutinised by the public and the racing authorities. Racing Victoria has introduced a range of safety measures in recent years, including veterinary checks before major races. The stewards’ inquiry will examine how the initial contact occurred and whether any rider was at fault. Attention will now turn to the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup, the highlight of the carnival, in the coming weeks. Half Yours’ participation in the Melbourne Cup, which he won last year, is likely to depend on the outcome of his veterinary examination.
Ohio State end Indiana’s 22-game winning streak in a tense top-five clash
Ohio State beat Indiana 19-15 in Bloomington in a meeting of the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams in college football, ending the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak and their 19-game unbeaten run at home. Those were the two longest active streaks in the top tier of college football, and it was Indiana’s first defeat since December 2024. The game was a rematch of last season’s Big Ten championship game and the first meeting of two top-five teams in the history of Indiana’s Memorial Stadium. It was also the first home loss in coach Curt Cignetti’s three seasons. Early in the final quarter, on a fourth-down play, the Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin found Jeremiah Smith with a 38-yard scoring pass that put the Buckeyes 19-7 ahead, but Indiana fought back strongly in the closing stages.
Indiana’s quarterback, Josh Hoover, who had appeared to hurt his right shoulder in the third quarter before returning, found Nick Marsh with a 19-yard touchdown pass and then connected with Turbo Richard for a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 19-15 with 10 minutes 30 seconds remaining. On fourth-and-four from the Ohio State 27-yard line, Hoover appeared to have produced the winning score when he found a wide-open Marsh in the front corner of the end zone. Fireworks even went off in the stadium. But Marsh’s left foot was ruled to have come down out of bounds, and the touchdown did not stand. Ohio State’s defence held firm through the rest of the fourth quarter to keep the reigning national champions at bay and secure a victory that ended a three-game losing run against top-ten opponents.
The win may have come at a heavy cost. Sayin seemed to hurt his right arm during the final quarter and had to leave the field, spending the closing minutes on the sideline with his arm in a sling. Ohio State’s coach, Ryan Day, estimated afterwards that the quarterback would be out for several weeks with what has been described as a shoulder injury. Sayin’s performance had been mixed even before he was hurt: he completed 15 of his 29 passes for 235 yards, but threw two interceptions for the second week in a row. Hoover finished 20 of 40 for 296 yards, with one touchdown and one lost fumble, his first turnover of the season. Smith, regarded as the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, had an uncharacteristically quiet day, catching only four passes for 68 yards, although his touchdown was spectacular.
The game lived up to the considerable hype that surrounded it, even if neither quarterback was at his best. Ohio State scored at the start and end of the first half, with Sayin driving the Buckeyes into Indiana territory early before the Hoosiers’ defence forced a field goal, and then leading another drive into a goal-to-go position on the final possession of the half. Indiana’s defence repeatedly held firm near its own end zone, keeping the game close and giving the home side a chance to win it late on. The atmosphere in Bloomington reflected how far Indiana’s programme has come under Cignetti, transforming a team with a long history of losing seasons into national champions and one of the most feared sides in the country in a remarkably short time.
The result moves Ohio State to six wins and one defeat, and four wins from four in the Big Ten, strengthening their position in the race for the conference title and a place in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes now face the challenge of maintaining that form without their starting quarterback for an extended period, which will place considerable pressure on the back-up and on the rest of the offence. Indiana, despite the loss, remain well placed in the national picture and will be determined to bounce back. The two teams could yet meet again later in the season if both reach the Big Ten championship game, which would set up a third meeting in little over a year. The proposed expansion of the playoff to 24 teams would also give both sides a cushion.
Florida stun seventh-ranked Texas with a backup quarterback
Florida came from behind to upset seventh-ranked Texas 27-24 in Austin, with a quarterback making his first career start. The Gators arrived at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on a two-game losing streak, with the 110th-ranked defence in the country and with Tramell Jones Jr. starting at quarterback while Aaron Philo recovers from injury. Texas built a 14-point lead but Florida then scored 24 unanswered points to take control of the game. Jones completed 22 of his 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and added 41 yards on ten carries. Texas quarterback Arch Manning was sacked five times and managed only 68 passing yards in the first half. He finished with 173 yards and a touchdown but lost a crucial fumble when he was sacked with 1 minute 58 seconds remaining.
That fumble was recovered by Florida’s Kanye Clark and allowed the Gators to run out the clock and complete the win. The defeat was the first home loss of Manning’s career as a starter, and it raised further questions about the Texas offence, which ran just 50 plays, its lowest total since Steve Sarkisian became head coach. The Longhorns were also dealt an injury blow when their star pass rusher Colin Simmons was hurt during the game. The defeat ended Texas’s 22-game home winning streak against unranked opponents, and made the Longhorns only the third team in the history of the Associated Press poll, which dates back to 1936, to be ranked first and then lose consecutive games to unranked opponents. Only a fortnight ago, Texas had been ranked as the best team in the country.
Sarkisian was blunt in his assessment. He said he was extremely disappointed and that his team had not played good football apart from the first quarter, adding that they had simply bled out. He said Texas were not playing very good football at the moment and that he would have to evaluate everything, warning that it would be a long night. Asked whether he had considered changing quarterback to give someone else an opportunity, Sarkisian said that everything meant everything. He added that it would be easy to say Manning had been the problem, and acknowledged that the quarterback had not been perfect, but suggested that the difficulties extended across the team. The comments raised the prospect of changes to the line-up and possibly the coaching staff in the coming weeks as Texas try to rescue their season.
For Florida, the win was a much-needed boost after a difficult run of form. Jones outplayed Manning in a convincing manner, managing the game calmly and making key plays as the Gators took control in the second half. The defence, criticised for much of the season, responded with five sacks and the decisive late turnover. Florida’s victory also comes at a time of positive news off the field, with the programme climbing into the top five of the recruiting rankings for the 2027 class after persuading a five-star prospect to switch his commitment. The result will be celebrated as one of the most significant for the Gators in recent seasons, given that Texas had been ranked as the best team in the country only two weeks earlier.
The defeat represents a remarkable collapse for Texas, which has gone from first in the country to a crisis in the space of two weeks. Manning, among the most high-profile players in college football because of his famous family, had been expected to lead the Longhorns to a national championship challenge this season. Instead, his struggles have become the focus of intense scrutiny, along with the performance of the offensive line that has failed to protect him. Texas’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff are now in serious doubt, though the planned expansion of the playoff field could yet offer a route back. Sarkisian will need to find answers quickly, with demanding fixtures still to come in the Southeastern Conference schedule and supporters increasingly frustrated by the team’s decline.
Eagles place Jalen Hurts on injured reserve because of a blood clot
The Philadelphia Eagles have placed their star quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve because of a blood clot in his calf, a decision that will sideline him indefinitely. The team announced the move on Saturday afternoon after consultations with numerous doctors and medical experts that continued into the day. Ever since Hurts began dealing with the superficial clot, the Eagles have tried to explore every option and gather as much information as possible, with the quarterback meeting several doctors and others reviewing his case. Additional information that emerged over the previous 24 hours persuaded the team that the wisest course was to place him on the injured reserve list, giving him the time he needs to heal. The Eagles had already ruled the three-time Pro Bowl player out of Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers.
Being placed on injured reserve means Hurts will miss at least four games: against the Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants. The Eagles then have their bye in Week 10, which will give them a chance to evaluate fully both their quarterback’s health and their team’s prospects for the rest of the season. Philadelphia believes the blood clot is treatable, and the final decision about when Hurts returns will come from his medical team, with the club ready to follow its lead. The Eagles released a lengthy statement on Thursday explaining the process that led to the discovery of the clot and to the decision to rule Hurts out of the Carolina game, stressing that his long-term health was their priority rather than his immediate availability.
Medical experts say the timeline for a return is uncertain. In most cases, blood clots are treated with anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, and a player cannot take part in games while using them. The minimum period for a moderate course of anticoagulants is generally six weeks. If the clot is minor enough, doctors may start with anti-inflammatory medication only while continuing to monitor it, but when a clot moves, which the team said had occurred with Hurts, blood thinners tend to be the usual treatment. Should the condition worsen, a course of blood thinners lasting about three months would be the next step. Team doctors elsewhere in the league who have not examined Hurts have suggested the clot could keep him out for several weeks, with one estimating that six weeks was possible.
While Hurts receives treatment, the Eagles have been strengthening their roster at quarterback. Tanner McKee will start against the Panthers, and the rookie Cole Payton has been promoted to the back-up role. Philadelphia has also signed quarterback Joe Milton from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad; under league rules, Milton must remain on the Eagles’ roster for three weeks. The team has also been dealing with injuries elsewhere, with its backfield depleted by the absence of running back Saquon Barkley among others, and the Eagles have signed the running back Jaydon Blue to the active roster. Teammates and the head coach, Nick Sirianni, have spoken about their concern for Hurts, emphasising that his health is more important than football, and that the team will support him through his recovery.
The loss of Hurts is a major blow for an Eagles team that has been struggling this season and has already faced questions about its form. Hurts has been central to Philadelphia’s success in recent years, leading the team on deep playoff runs, and his absence leaves McKee with the task of keeping the season on track during a demanding run of divisional games. The NFC East title race has been reshaped by the news, with oddsmakers adjusting their forecasts for the division after the announcement. The Eagles will hope that the four-game stretch before the bye gives Hurts’ medical team enough time to assess his condition and decide on the best course of treatment, so that he can return safely if his recovery goes well and the clot responds to treatment.