Every single NFL team has at least one reason for optimism in 2026

Hello, sports fans. Brent Brookhouse is here to bring you all the news you need to know.

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter, the ultimate guide to everyday sports. You can sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏀 Five things to know on Thursday

1. Spurs topple Wolves, Knicks beat 76ers again. San Antonio showed what it could be, even if Victor Wembanyama didn’t even have a stellar stat line — and that was to beat Minnesota 133-95 to tie this series at 1. And the Knicks showed they could win close games, too, beating a Sixers team 108-102 without Joel Embiid, who was dealing with ankle and hip soreness. New York leads this series 2-0, which puts the orange and blue front and center in today’s matchup. NBA Playoff Winners and Losers. Tonight’s program has Pistons-Cavaliers and Thunder-Lakers.
2. Carlos Correa is out for the season. The Astros have been devastated by injuries, and that situation only got worse on Wednesday when Correa injured his ankle during batting practice on Tuesday. Correa will undergo surgery on injured left ankle and miss the rest of the season.
3. Ted Turner dies at age 87. Turner left an incredible sporting legacy as the former owner of the Atlanta Hawks and Braves, as well as the founder of World Championship Wrestling, which spent nearly two years as the largest professional wrestling company in the world. Additionally, Turner won the America’s Cup yacht race in 1977.
4. Get ready for the WNBA season. The WNBA season begins Friday with a trio of games. In anticipation of the season, we have predictions about how things will turn outincluding the teams who will meet in this year’s final.
5. Which teams will make the College Football Playoff? Spring practices are scheduled and that means we have a little more information about how many college football teams will appear when the season begins. With this in mind, Brad Crawford new look at bowl games and PCP projections.

🏀 Don’t miss this: A Complete History of the NBA Draft Lottery and Four Decades of Tanking

Tanking has long been one of the most controversial team decisions in all of sports. When landing a high draft pick can have franchise implications for years to come, especially in a five-on-five sport like basketball, it’s only natural that teams are willing to make moves to try to intentionally lose games and increase the likelihood of a higher pick once the playoffs are out of reach. This logic doesn’t do much for fans, however, because watching a professional team take actions that reduce competitiveness goes against the very heart of why people love sports.

Sam Quinn took a look at the entire history of the NBA draftincluding the years before – and after – the introduction of the lottery system. Even more interesting, Quinn broke down the history of tanking teams in an effort to increase their chances of seeing the top pick go by, singling out 1984 as “the dawn of tanking.”

• Quinn: “While it is impossible to truly connect the first example of tanking, the concept became common by 1984. The Houston Rockets won the first pick in the 1983 NBA draft through the coin toss and selected the Virginia star Ralph Sampsonbut as a University of Houston star Hakeem Olajuwon went away, the Rockets finished the season on a somewhat suspicious downward spiral. After starting the year 24-36, they closed the season losing 17 of their final 22 games.
  “That would be considered quaint by modern standards. Over a period measured by Yahoo’s Tom Haberstroh, for example, the nine tanking teams this season went 12-167 in a 179-game sample compared to the winning 21 in 2025-26. But Houston’s actions raised eyebrows, particularly in its penultimate game. The Rockets used a 36-year-old future Hall of Famer. Elvin Hayes in total 53 minutes in overtime loss, while he averaged less than 13 minutes per game throughout the season. »

⚽ PSG and Arsenal ready for a huge Champions League final

The UEFA Champions League final is set and, as befits a tournament of such scale, two big clubs are set to battle it out for silverware. Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 against Bayern Munich Wednesday in the second leg of their semifinal, advancing 6-5 on aggregate. 2026 marks the second year in a row that PSG reached the Champions League final, although their victory was not without controversy, as two Bayern appeals for handball have failed.

James Benge wrote that PSG against. Arsenal is a battle of a potential dynasty facing off against a team of destiny.

• Benge: “A third Champions League title as a coach would establish Luis Enrique not just as the man who transformed PSG from football’s elite punching bag to its powerhouse, aided by tons of Qatari money. His counterpart Arteta has already proven by turning Arsenal into Champions League and Premier League contenders that he is one of football’s most remarkable young managers. Win in Budapest and these qualifiers will soon be gone.”

Also see:

🏈 Finding Hope for Every NFL Team After the Draft

We are now well away from the NFL Draft, which means all attention turns to hope and expectations for the upcoming season. Has your favorite team attacked the draft and free agency in a way that will improve its chances of success? For example, patience Invoices fans like me wonder if the team ultimately did enough to help Josh Allen lead Buffalo to the promised land, or are we just ready for more heartache and disappointment?

Bryan DeArdo found a reason for optimism for every NFL team after the draft and free agency. Although I’d rather close my eyes and cover my ears than hear about Kansas City, here’s what DeArdo had to say about the Chefs‘ ability to bounce back this season.

• Dear Ardo: “Kansas City has aggressively addressed its running game by signing the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Kenneth Walkerwho was part of a free agent class that includes three other projected starters on defense Khyiris Tonga and defensive backs Alohi Gilman And Kader Kohou. The Chiefs added even more talent to their defense when they used their first three draft picks on that side of the ball. Mansoor Delanethe sixth overall pick in the draft, should be an immediate starter in Kansas City’s secondary. “

👍👎 The best (and least best) of the rest

• March Madness or March Meh-ness? …Some of the most prominent coaches in men’s college basketball, including John Calipari, Dan Hurley, Tom Izzo And Score a few — are not convinced by the idea of ​​​​expanding the NCAA tournament.
• THE Cardinals‘ decision to make Jeremy Love third in the NFL draft will have a lingering impact on the running back market.
• THE Small“The pitching staff, already plagued by injuries, took another hit as the starting pitcher. Matthew Boyd will have to undergo knee surgery for a torn meniscus he suffered playing with your children.
• Scratch 2026 as Triple Crown year after Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo withdrawn from Preakness Stakes.
• Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur didn’t really stop the team from adding Aaron Rodgers in the quarterback room.
• There is an important dynamic behind expand College Football Playoff to 24 teams.
• Bryson DeChambeau believes that a full-time YouTube careerand not the PGA Tour, could be his next move if LIV Golf folds.
• Ancient South Carolina strategist Stéphane Garcia shared this he was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer.
• Tatsuro Taira said he don’t believe Joshua Van is the real flyweight champion ahead of their clash at UFC 328 on Saturday.
• Chris Hummer took a look at how LSU landed college football’s most expensive offensive lineman, Jordan Seaton.
• Celtics president Brad Stevens said that Jaylen Brown did not express frustration to him and that a conversation with Brown on Monday was “nothing but positive.”
• A second Masters victory will not be enough Rory McIlroy complacentas the golfer said: “On the contrary, I am more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I have ever been.”
• Tigers left-handed Framber Valdez was suspended for five matches after diving Red Sox hitter Trevor’s Story.
• Deer owner Jimmy Haslam resolved the lingering uncertainty surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo“We don’t know if Giannis will stay with us or not, but we will work on it with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
• THE Cowboys can say they want to trade Micah Parsons It was the right decision, but Garrett Podell says Dallas would have been better off keeping the defensive superstar.
• While he has a big argument with Sean Brady this weekend at UFC 328, Joaquin Buckley took a moment to point out that he believes in the welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is beatable.

📺 What we watch on Thursday

⚽ UEFA Europa League: Nottingham Forest at Aston Villa3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Europa League: Braga vs SC Friborg3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Cavaliers at Pistons, Game 27 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Rays to the Red Sox7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Hurricanes at Flyers, game 38 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Lakers at Thunder, Game 29:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Cardinals at Padres10 p.m. on ESPN