usatoday--2020-09-27--Opinion: The Big 12 is in big trouble and other takeaways from college football's Week 4

Way , way back in mid-August — in pandemic time , six weeks feels more like six months — the fate of the entire college football season was in the hands of the Big 12 .
At that point , the Big Ten and Pac-12 had already announced they were going to shut down fall football and try to play in the spring .
The SEC and the ACC , meanwhile , seemed pretty dug in on trying to pull it off in the fall .
But those two conferences trying to go it alone among the Power Five was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed the wobbling Big 12 to give them a quorum , so to speak , that would allow a legitimate season to happen .
Ultimately , the Big 12 said “ Game on , '' allowing the season to proceed .
( And all the leagues that opted out have subsequently opted back in ) .
But purely in football terms , the Big 12 has not looked at all ready to play .
Though you can ’ t really write anyone in or out of the College Football Playoff after just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Big 12 is going to have a massive climb after Oklahoma ’ s fourth-quarter collapse against Kansas State in a 38-35 loss on Saturday and Texas ’ remarkable overtime escape against Texas Tech .
So far , the Big 12 isn ’ t merely living up to its reputation as the league most susceptible to chaos and parity ; it ’ s signaling that the bad teams are really bad and the good teams aren ’ t particularly good .
That ’ s not a great recipe for a CFP bid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues with the conference ’ s two premiere programs haven ’ t changed .
Oklahoma ’ s defense is still a problem .
Leading 35-14 late in the third quarter , the game turned on a 78-yard completion by Kansas State , which then out-scored the Sooners 17-0 in the fourth .
Meanwhile , Texas looked bad on defense , special teams and the offensive line and faced almost certain defeat in Lubbock trailing 56-41 with 3:13 remaining .
The fact the Longhorns somehow won the game 63-56 is a testament to some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Red Raiders .
But while Texas can momentarily breathe a sigh of relief , this was not an encouraging performance for Tom Herman , who retooled his entire coaching staff after a disappointing 8-5 record in 2019 .
Maybe one of those two teams can resolve enough issues to run the table , but the Big 12 looks like the kind of league where flawed teams are going to beat each other all year .
That makes for entertaining viewing , but not playoff success .
Winners and losers : Auburn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best and work of college football 's Week 4 Analysis : Spencer Rattler starts strong , but struggles late as No .
3 Oklahoma is shocked by Kansas State Here are nine other takeaways from the first truly big weekend of college football games : ►The sport ’ s most intriguing long-term question is whether LSU ’ s historic 2019 season was a one-time alignment of the cosmos or something Ed Orgeron can recreate time and again the way Dabo Swinney did at Clemson after breaking through for his first title .
Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know the answer and won ’ t for awhile .
But the first look at LSU after its post-championship exodus was not particularly impressive .
The Tigers got pretty thoroughly handled by Mississippi State , 44-34 , and will surely take a deserved tumble out of the Top 10 .
It wasn ’ t just that LSU ’ s defense ( led by former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini ) yielded 632 total yards , but on offense the Tigers only were able to run for 80 yards on 38 attempts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ led after the second quarter .
Again , regression was inevitable when you lose pretty much every major contributor from last season , including the No .
1 overall draft pick in Joe Burrow , defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and passing game coordinator Joe Brady .
But the visual LSU offered Saturday was that of a rebuild , not a reload .
►Georgia will surely be happy to get USC transfer quarterback J.T .
Daniels into the mix as soon as possible after a 37-10 win at Arkansas that was far stickier for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would indicate .
Daniels , who tore his ACL last season , hasn ’ t been cleared for full contact practice but coach Kirby Smart had suggested before the game that it could come any time .
There seems to be some hope he ’ ll be available soon .
And Georgia probably needs him as the games get tougher because its offense looked pretty rough against the Razorbacks until the talent gap just took over and helped break the game open .
The situation was so bad , in fact , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and went to former walk-on Stetson Bennett , who would have been the fourth-stringer this summer behind Mathis , Daniels and Jamie Newman , the Wake Forest transfer who ultimately decided to opt out of the season .
Bennett did a solid job and made the easy throws , going 20-for-29 for 211 yards .
But until there ’ s some continuity and certainty at the quarterback position , things are going to look a bit out of sync .
It ’ s worth noting that Georgia plays Auburn next week — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November — so there ’ s huge urgency to figure things out .
►The coolest story of the day was Louisiana kicker Nate Snyder , who hit a 53-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat Georgia Southern , 20-18 .
How improbable was that kick ?
Snyder , a graduate transfer from Indiana where he was a kickoff specialist , came into Saturday just 1-for-4 on the season .
Earlier in the game , he missed a 34-yarder .
So the odds of that 53-yarder going through seemed pretty low for Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its spot in the Amway Coaches Poll after a 2-0 start .
But Snyder got it through , and Louisiana — after escaping a scare last week against Georgia State — has the early look of a team that is dancing between the raindrops .
“ I just had a slow start to the season , ” Snyder said .
“ The team believed in me , picked me up at halftime .
Just wanted to go out and prove I ’ m here for a reason.
” ►Though Ole Miss did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida , Lane Kiffin ’ s debut was exciting enough in a 51-35 loss to raise already-high expectations to unrealistic levels .
If nothing else , Kiffin ’ s offense promises to be pretty fun this year , racking up 613 yards — 443 through the air — on a Florida defense that will probably be one of the better units in the league when it ’ s all said and done .
Ole Miss ’ numbers were inflated a bit by a couple touchdown drives at the end when the game was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s willingness to go for broke and reach into the bag of tricks is going to keep opponents on their toes all year .
The more important revelation , though , is that Matt Corral looked like a quarterback with real potential , throwing for 395 yards on 22-of-31 attempts .
Corral , if you remember , was a big-time recruit for former coach Matt Luke but lost his job to John Rhys Plumlee early last season .
Plumlee , who is more of a runner , was the type of quarterback former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but clearly Corral is the more impressive talent and will benefit greatly from being under Kiffin ’ s tutelage .
►Of course , nothing happens in the state of Mississippi without one of its schools being compared to and connected to the other .
And Kiffin ’ s debut was pretty quickly and dramatically one-upped by Mike Leach ’ s , as Mississippi State pretty much did as it pleased against LSU .
In classic Leach fashion , the Bulldogs had just nine rushing yards and only 16 attempts but threw it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 623 passing yards in Stanford transfer K.J .
Costello ’ s debut at quarterback .
Now , let ’ s keep a couple things in context .
It ’ s possible that this was just a particularly good matchup for Mississippi State against a brand new LSU defense , which as also missing the nation ’ s best cornerback , Derek Stingley Jr. , due to a non-COVID illness .
And the popular narrative that Leach ’ s Air Raid offense was never going to work in the SEC was never actually a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already has worked as Leach was Hal Mumme ’ s offensive coordinator in 1997-98 .
And a version of it has been working the last several years as SEC offenses have become more modern .
Mississippi State will be a formidable pain in the rear under Leach , just as Washington State was in the Pac-12 .
But a win like the one they had Saturday does not mean the Bulldogs are about to take over the SEC .
►Florida State fans might want to hide their eyes this season .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to relevance .
It was very clear in the Hurricanes ’ blowout win that Miami ’ s build under Manny Diaz is much further along than Mike Norvell ’ s .
Though Norvell couldn ’ t participate in the game due to testing positive for COVID-19 last week , that doesn ’ t fully account for how lost the Seminoles looked most of the night .
Florida State won seven straight in this series between 2010-2016 , but the Hurricanes have now won the last four .
More interesting : Very few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this series have been blowouts .
Miami won 47-0 in 1976 , 31-0 in 1988 and 49-27 in 2001 .
Otherwise , they ’ ve pretty much all been close until Saturday when the Canes led 38-3 at halftime .
►Mac Jones is going to be just fine , folks .
In a sense , Jones taking over at quarterback represents a return to normalcy for Alabama , which played a style that doesn ’ t necessarily suit its personality the last couple years with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback .
Jones isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed last year after Tagovailoa ’ s injury that he 's solid enough to get the job done and distribute the ball to Alabama ’ s elite playmakers .
If Jones replicates what he did against Missouri on Saturday — 18-of-24 , 249 yards , two touchdowns , no interceptions — it will be plenty good enough .
►If you had polled every coach in FBS about which team they projected to be the worst in the country this year , UTEP would ’ ve gotten a lot of votes — maybe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears , have already blown past those low expectations as they sit at 3-1 following a 31-6 win over Louisiana-Monroe .
Nobody is going to get carried away about what that means — the other two wins were against FCS programs Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian — but it ’ s still a nice place to be for coach Dana Dimel , who went 1-11 in each of his first two seasons .
Going back even further to 2017 , UTEP was just 2-34 over the last three years .
So it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miners to be 3-1 — and clearly not the worst team in FBS .
►Cincinnati scored a no-nonsense , low-drama win over Army in one of the most impressive defensive performances of the young season .
During a period when it seems like defenses are struggling to tackle and play with physicality due to limited offseason training , Cincinnati held Army to 276 total yards ( and just 182 rushing ) in a 24-10 win .
Circle Nov. 21 on your calendar : That ’ s the day Cincinnati travels to UCF , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bowl berth could very well be determined by who wins that game .

Opinion: The Big 12 is in big trouble and other takeaways from college football's Week 4
Show Caption Hide Caption Heisman contender on playing college football amidst COVID-19: 'If you want to play you need to chill out' SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard and asked how he's handling playing this college football season during a pandemic, as well as how his current relationship is with head coach Mike Gundy. USA TODAY
Way, way back in mid-August — in pandemic time, six weeks feels more like six months — the fate of the entire college football season was in the hands of the Big 12.
At that point, the Big Ten and Pac-12 had already announced they were going to shut down fall football and try to play in the spring. The SEC and the ACC, meanwhile, seemed pretty dug in on trying to pull it off in the fall. But those two conferences trying to go it alone among the Power Five was probably not going to work. They needed the wobbling Big 12 to give them a quorum, so to speak, that would allow a legitimate season to happen.
Ultimately, the Big 12 said “Game on," allowing the season to proceed. (And all the leagues that opted out have subsequently opted back in). But purely in football terms, the Big 12 has not looked at all ready to play.
Though you can’t really write anyone in or out of the College Football Playoff after just a few weeks, it seems pretty clear that the Big 12 is going to have a massive climb after Oklahoma’s fourth-quarter collapse against Kansas State in a 38-35 loss on Saturday and Texas’ remarkable overtime escape against Texas Tech.
So far, the Big 12 isn’t merely living up to its reputation as the league most susceptible to chaos and parity; it’s signaling that the bad teams are really bad and the good teams aren’t particularly good. That’s not a great recipe for a CFP bid.
The bottom line is, the issues with the conference’s two premiere programs haven’t changed. Oklahoma’s defense is still a problem. Leading 35-14 late in the third quarter, the game turned on a 78-yard completion by Kansas State, which then out-scored the Sooners 17-0 in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Texas looked bad on defense, special teams and the offensive line and faced almost certain defeat in Lubbock trailing 56-41 with 3:13 remaining. The fact the Longhorns somehow won the game 63-56 is a testament to some clutch playmaking late and a complete collapse by the Red Raiders.
But while Texas can momentarily breathe a sigh of relief, this was not an encouraging performance for Tom Herman, who retooled his entire coaching staff after a disappointing 8-5 record in 2019.
Maybe one of those two teams can resolve enough issues to run the table, but the Big 12 looks like the kind of league where flawed teams are going to beat each other all year. That makes for entertaining viewing, but not playoff success.
Winners and losers: Auburn, Mississippi State, Big 12 highlight best and work of college football's Week 4
Analysis: Spencer Rattler starts strong, but struggles late as No. 3 Oklahoma is shocked by Kansas State
Here are nine other takeaways from the first truly big weekend of college football games:
►The sport’s most intriguing long-term question is whether LSU’s historic 2019 season was a one-time alignment of the cosmos or something Ed Orgeron can recreate time and again the way Dabo Swinney did at Clemson after breaking through for his first title. Let’s be clear — we don’t know the answer and won’t for awhile.
But the first look at LSU after its post-championship exodus was not particularly impressive. The Tigers got pretty thoroughly handled by Mississippi State, 44-34, and will surely take a deserved tumble out of the Top 10. It wasn’t just that LSU’s defense (led by former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini) yielded 632 total yards, but on offense the Tigers only were able to run for 80 yards on 38 attempts. LSU was plus-2 in turnovers and never led after the second quarter.
Again, regression was inevitable when you lose pretty much every major contributor from last season, including the No. 1 overall draft pick in Joe Burrow, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and passing game coordinator Joe Brady. But the visual LSU offered Saturday was that of a rebuild, not a reload.
►Georgia will surely be happy to get USC transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels into the mix as soon as possible after a 37-10 win at Arkansas that was far stickier for about 2½ quarters than the final score would indicate. Daniels, who tore his ACL last season, hasn’t been cleared for full contact practice but coach Kirby Smart had suggested before the game that it could come any time. There seems to be some hope he’ll be available soon.
And Georgia probably needs him as the games get tougher because its offense looked pretty rough against the Razorbacks until the talent gap just took over and helped break the game open. The situation was so bad, in fact, that Georgia benched starter D’Wan Mathis and went to former walk-on Stetson Bennett, who would have been the fourth-stringer this summer behind Mathis, Daniels and Jamie Newman, the Wake Forest transfer who ultimately decided to opt out of the season.
Bennett did a solid job and made the easy throws, going 20-for-29 for 211 yards. But until there’s some continuity and certainty at the quarterback position, things are going to look a bit out of sync.
It’s worth noting that Georgia plays Auburn next week — a rivalry game that usually takes place in November — so there’s huge urgency to figure things out.
►The coolest story of the day was Louisiana kicker Nate Snyder, who hit a 53-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat Georgia Southern, 20-18. How improbable was that kick? Snyder, a graduate transfer from Indiana where he was a kickoff specialist, came into Saturday just 1-for-4 on the season. Earlier in the game, he missed a 34-yarder.
So the odds of that 53-yarder going through seemed pretty low for Louisiana, which was at risk of losing its spot in the Amway Coaches Poll after a 2-0 start. But Snyder got it through, and Louisiana — after escaping a scare last week against Georgia State — has the early look of a team that is dancing between the raindrops.
LOUISIANA DRILLS A 53-YARD FIELD GOAL FOR THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/2qL0S6sAZN — ESPN (@espn) September 26, 2020
“I just had a slow start to the season,” Snyder said. “The team believed in me, picked me up at halftime. Just wanted to go out and prove I’m here for a reason.”
►Though Ole Miss did not have nearly enough to keep up with Florida, Lane Kiffin’s debut was exciting enough in a 51-35 loss to raise already-high expectations to unrealistic levels. If nothing else, Kiffin’s offense promises to be pretty fun this year, racking up 613 yards — 443 through the air — on a Florida defense that will probably be one of the better units in the league when it’s all said and done.
Ole Miss’ numbers were inflated a bit by a couple touchdown drives at the end when the game was well in hand, but Kiffin’s willingness to go for broke and reach into the bag of tricks is going to keep opponents on their toes all year. The more important revelation, though, is that Matt Corral looked like a quarterback with real potential, throwing for 395 yards on 22-of-31 attempts. Corral, if you remember, was a big-time recruit for former coach Matt Luke but lost his job to John Rhys Plumlee early last season. Plumlee, who is more of a runner, was the type of quarterback former offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez likes to use, but clearly Corral is the more impressive talent and will benefit greatly from being under Kiffin’s tutelage.
►Of course, nothing happens in the state of Mississippi without one of its schools being compared to and connected to the other. And Kiffin’s debut was pretty quickly and dramatically one-upped by Mike Leach’s, as Mississippi State pretty much did as it pleased against LSU. In classic Leach fashion, the Bulldogs had just nine rushing yards and only 16 attempts but threw it 60 times and set a record with 623 passing yards in Stanford transfer K.J. Costello’s debut at quarterback.
Now, let’s keep a couple things in context. It’s possible that this was just a particularly good matchup for Mississippi State against a brand new LSU defense, which as also missing the nation’s best cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr., due to a non-COVID illness. And the popular narrative that Leach’s Air Raid offense was never going to work in the SEC was never actually a narrative. First of all, it already has worked as Leach was Hal Mumme’s offensive coordinator in 1997-98. And a version of it has been working the last several years as SEC offenses have become more modern.
Mississippi State will be a formidable pain in the rear under Leach, just as Washington State was in the Pac-12. But a win like the one they had Saturday does not mean the Bulldogs are about to take over the SEC.
►Florida State fans might want to hide their eyes this season. It’s going to be an ugly slog back to relevance. It was very clear in the Hurricanes’ blowout win that Miami’s build under Manny Diaz is much further along than Mike Norvell’s. Though Norvell couldn’t participate in the game due to testing positive for COVID-19 last week, that doesn’t fully account for how lost the Seminoles looked most of the night.
Florida State won seven straight in this series between 2010-2016, but the Hurricanes have now won the last four. More interesting: Very few of their wins in the modern era of this series have been blowouts. Miami won 47-0 in 1976, 31-0 in 1988 and 49-27 in 2001. Otherwise, they’ve pretty much all been close until Saturday when the Canes led 38-3 at halftime.
►Mac Jones is going to be just fine, folks. In a sense, Jones taking over at quarterback represents a return to normalcy for Alabama, which played a style that doesn’t necessarily suit its personality the last couple years with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Jones isn’t as flashy, but he showed last year after Tagovailoa’s injury that he's solid enough to get the job done and distribute the ball to Alabama’s elite playmakers. If Jones replicates what he did against Missouri on Saturday — 18-of-24, 249 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions — it will be plenty good enough.
►If you had polled every coach in FBS about which team they projected to be the worst in the country this year, UTEP would’ve gotten a lot of votes — maybe the most. But the Miners, it appears, have already blown past those low expectations as they sit at 3-1 following a 31-6 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Nobody is going to get carried away about what that means — the other two wins were against FCS programs Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian — but it’s still a nice place to be for coach Dana Dimel, who went 1-11 in each of his first two seasons. Going back even further to 2017, UTEP was just 2-34 over the last three years. So it's a pretty big deal for the Miners to be 3-1 — and clearly not the worst team in FBS.
►Cincinnati scored a no-nonsense, low-drama win over Army in one of the most impressive defensive performances of the young season. During a period when it seems like defenses are struggling to tackle and play with physicality due to limited offseason training, Cincinnati held Army to 276 total yards (and just 182 rushing) in a 24-10 win. Circle Nov. 21 on your calendar: That’s the day Cincinnati travels to UCF, and a New Year’s Six bowl berth could very well be determined by who wins that game.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken


usatoday--2020-09-27--A new database tracks COVID-19's effects on sex and gender

This story was published in partnership with The 19th , a nonprofit , nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender , politics and policy .
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic , details about the virus ’ sex and gender implications have begun to emerge : More men than women are dying from the coronavirus .
But other details — such as why , or what social or biological mechanisms are involved , or what that means for treatment or public health — remain unknown .
One problem , experts say , is an international blind spot to sex and gender .
Global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job of monitoring how the virus affects people of different gender identities or sexes .
A new database is trying to address that .
The project , compiled by researchers across the globe and spearheaded by gender equity group Global Health 5050 , is the first major effort to capture and quantify COVID ’ s gendered impact .
The data highlights blind spots in how countries track the virus .
And the United States is particularly far behind , said Sarah Hawkes , an epidemiologist and co-director of Global Health 5050 .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Understanding COVID-19 ’ s sex and gender disparities can help researchers develop effective medical responses to the virus , or craft effective public health outreach campaigns .
Hawkes spoke with The 19th about the shortcomings in global COVID data , what this database shows , and how its findings could help fight gender inequities in coronavirus .
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity .
The 19th : What prompted you to do this work ?
Hawkes : At the start of the epidemic , we started looking for sex disaggregation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see it .
We discovered that , although global [ disease ] monitoring systems recommend sex disaggregation , they can ’ t mandate it .
They also don ’ t have a mandate to report by sex disaggregation .
So we thought , “ Well , somebody should do it , so we may as well.
” What were the challenges in getting that data together ?
One was our own resource capacity .
It ’ s very time-consuming to be able to go through websites to find the data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of access to sex-disaggregated data .
We ’ re pretty sure that most of the countries that are collecting data on COVID actually have , somewhere in their system , a box ticked to say “ this is a data point on a man or a woman.
” But when they put the data out publicly , they put it out collapsed together .
So the biggest challenge is , how do you find the sex-disaggregated data ?
And it ’ s actually very difficult to find the data itself .
Not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] data , because frequently , governments are not putting it out .
I ’ m trained originally as an epidemiologist , so I would expect if I wanted to know national data on XYZ disease , to be able to go to a ministry of health website for most countries and look up the information .
But because it ’ s a pandemic , what we found is that a lot of the data is being put out in really — from an academic perspective — quite unusual channels .
We find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Facebook .
On even YouTube .
Which is great in some ways , because it means you ’ ve got a really wide audience , but going back to our first challenge , which is our own human resource capacity , then it ’ s really hard to have to go to so many different channels .
Are you having similar challenges finding data for gender identity ?
And why aren ’ t governments publishing sex and gender data ?
Is it a blind spot ?
What we are asking for is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by sex .
And we can then , as the research community , think about the gendered reasons why we might see difference .
Let ’ s say we see 100 COVID deaths in men and 85 in women .
We would never , or very rarely , think that ’ s all down to gender .
We would put forward the notion that some of that is possibly due to absolute biological differences between people with XX chromosomes and people with XY chromosomes .
We know from some of the evidence on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for example , between men and women that might explain the outcome differences we ’ re capturing .
It would be great if surveillance systems captured gender identity as well as sex .
But they don ’ t .
If you go and have a COVID test , they don ’ t say , “ What ’ s your biological sex and what ’ s your gender identity.
” It ’ s simply a case the forms don ’ t say that .
As feminists , and as people doing research , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex and gender both play a very important role in the outcomes .
Pragmatically , we also recognize that current data capture systems generally only capture self-indentified sex .
The systems aren ’ t nuanced enough .
One of the things we ’ re trying to say is , at a minimum , give us the sex disaggregation .
If you can now please talk about gender identity , we can investigate even more carefully why you see differences .
But you ’ ve got huge numbers of countries not even giving us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got any data on nonbinary populations .
It ’ s not that we don ’ t want to report it ; the data aren ’ t there .
How did the United States fare on collecting gender or sex information and making it public ?
They were late to the party .
Which I think characterizes several characteristics of the U.S. ’ response , does it not ?
As an epidemiologist , I was really surprised .
I ’ ve spent over 30 years working predominantly in Asia and the Middle East .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention ] is second to none when it comes to global strengthening for epidemiological surveillance .
I could see there were countries where capacity is generally quite low in the health system that were reporting sex-disaggregated data well in advance of the U.S .
The same for the U.K .
The U.K. and the U.S. both have very strong system capacity to think about sex , gender , racial identity , class identity and present data in that way .
But it took them a number of weeks to do so .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to provide gender or sex-based data for testing in the United States at all .
Is that not there ?
I ’ m sure that somewhere in the testing system , someone knows whether they ’ ve tested men or women .
But they ’ re just not giving that data out publicly .
That ’ s the same for all of it .
Countries that don ’ t present death data disaggregated — they know if it ’ s men or women dying .
They know .
They just don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be important .
Why is this data important ?
What are we starting to see in the case of COVID-19 with regard to sex and gender that we wouldn ’ t have ?
We ’ ve got really good data to show that there is a very clear gender impact of the secondary outcomes — social impact , economic impact .
But the data we ’ re providing is the best way of beginning to think about what the actual impact of the infection itself is , and whether that has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s only by measuring the data that you actually see a difference that you can begin to investigate .
Once you see a difference , you can begin to really investigate : Is this down to biology ?
Is there something about women ’ s immune systems ?
We see lots of countries don ’ t provide sex-disaggregated data .
There ’ s no excuse for it .
But when we do have the data , what we see is that more women get tested .
That allows you to think , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got public health messaging that is gender responsive to men ’ s lack of participation ?
” We need to change the way we talk about the way men get screening .
When you look at the rest of the data , you see a pretty even split between men and women in cases , but men are more likely to be hospitalized , and they ’ re more likely to die .
If I was a lab researcher , I ’ d say , “ Is that because there ’ s something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means they survive better ?
And what can I identify as the biological mechanisms , that can then help me think about treatments for everybody ?
” People could use the data to think about hypotheses .
Public health researchers should think about the big gaps between men and women .
Do you see more cases of deaths in men because they have more heart disease and lung disease ?
Do we see that gap because women don ’ t have access to services ?
Are we seeing more men in hospitals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t access services , and their deaths don ’ t get counted ?
What we hope is our data will mean people can start to investigate why those differences are there .
What do you hope this work leads toward ?
We need a stronger global surveillance system that can actually mandate disaggregated reporting .
Right now , we ’ re doing it and , to be really honest , we ’ ve all got day jobs .
We think , actually , there are agencies that should have the mandate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s nationally , and in the case of countries like the U.S. or India , where you ’ ve got federated systems , subnational .
There should be an absolute requirement that , at a minimum , you have sex and age disaggregated .
If you could add on other intersectional issues , that would be fantastic .
Globally , we want sex and age ; nationally , we want more .
This should be a mandated part of the surveillance system .
The only purpose of collecting accountability data leads to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data ’ s not there just because we like producing pretty graphs ; the data is there for people to act on it .
Whether they ’ re going to use it to investigate differences , or use it to ensure that policies and programs are more equitable and more effective .
COVID-19 vaccine : First people to get vaccines also will get daily check-in text messages from the CDC

A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: How coronavirus COVID-19 attacks the body How does coronavirus enter the body, and why does it become fatal for some compared to just a cough or fever for others? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
This story was published in partnership with The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, details about the virus’ sex and gender implications have begun to emerge: More men than women are dying from the coronavirus. But other details – such as why, or what social or biological mechanisms are involved, or what that means for treatment or public health – remain unknown.
One problem, experts say, is an international blind spot to sex and gender. Global disease surveillance systems have done a poor job of monitoring how the virus affects people of different gender identities or sexes.
A new database is trying to address that. The project, compiled by researchers across the globe and spearheaded by gender equity group Global Health 5050, is the first major effort to capture and quantify COVID’s gendered impact.
The data highlights blind spots in how countries track the virus. And the United States is particularly far behind, said Sarah Hawkes, an epidemiologist and co-director of Global Health 5050.
Those information gaps matter, she added. Understanding COVID-19’s sex and gender disparities can help researchers develop effective medical responses to the virus, or craft effective public health outreach campaigns.
Hawkes spoke with The 19th about the shortcomings in global COVID-19 data, what this database shows, and how its findings could help fight gender inequities in coronavirus.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: What prompted you to do this work?
Hawkes: At the start of the epidemic, we started looking for sex disaggregation data on COVID. And we didn’t see it. We discovered that, although global (disease) monitoring systems recommend sex disaggregation, they can’t mandate it. They also don’t have a mandate to report by sex disaggregation. So we thought, “Well, somebody should do it, so we may as well.”
Q: What were the challenges in getting that data together?
Hawkes: One was our own resource capacity. It’s very time-consuming to be able to go through websites to find the data.
The second big challenge is the lack of access to sex-disaggregated data. We’re pretty sure that most of the countries that are collecting data on COVID actually have, somewhere in their system, a box ticked to say “this is a data point on a man or a woman.” But when they put the data out publicly, they put it out collapsed together. So the biggest challenge is, how do you find the sex-disaggregated data?
And it’s actually very difficult to find the data itself. Not just sex-disaggregated, but the actual (COVID) data, because frequently, governments are not putting it out. I’m trained originally as an epidemiologist, so I would expect if I wanted to know national data on XYZ disease, to be able to go to a ministry of health website for most countries and look up the information.
But because it’s a pandemic, what we found is that a lot of the data is being put out in really – from an academic perspective – quite unusual channels. We find some of this data on Twitter. On Facebook. On even YouTube. Which is great in some ways, because it means you’ve got a really wide audience, but going back to our first challenge, which is our own human resource capacity, then it’s really hard to have to go to so many different channels.
Q: Are you having similar challenges finding data for gender identity? And why aren’t governments publishing sex and gender data? Is it a blind spot?
Hawkes: What we are asking for is data that is disaggregated at a minimum by sex. And we can then, as the research community, think about the gendered reasons why we might see difference.
Let’s say we see 100 COVID deaths in men and 85 in women. We would never, or very rarely, think that’s all down to gender. We would put forward the notion that some of that is possibly due to absolute biological differences between people with XX chromosomes and people with XY chromosomes. We know from some of the evidence on COVID that there are immunological differences, for example, between men and women that might explain the outcome differences we’re capturing.
It would be great if surveillance systems captured gender identity as well as sex. But they don’t. If you go and have a COVID test, they don’t say, “What’s your biological sex and what’s your gender identity.” It’s simply a case the forms don’t say that.
As feminists, and as people doing research, we’re really keen to recognize that sex and gender both play a very important role in the outcomes. Pragmatically, we also recognize that current data capture systems generally only capture self-identified sex. The systems aren’t nuanced enough.
One of the things we’re trying to say is, at a minimum, give us the sex disaggregation. If you can now please talk about gender identity, we can investigate even more carefully why you see differences.
But you’ve got huge numbers of countries not even giving us sex disaggregation. We haven’t got any data on nonbinary populations. It’s not that we don’t want to report it; the data aren’t there.
Q: How did the United States fare on collecting gender or sex information and making it public?
Hawkes: They were late to the party. Which I think characterizes several characteristics of the U.S.’ response, does it not? As an epidemiologist, I was really surprised.
I’ve spent over 30 years working predominantly in Asia and the Middle East. The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is second to none when it comes to global strengthening for epidemiological surveillance. I could see there were countries where capacity is generally quite low in the health system that were reporting sex-disaggregated data well in advance of the U.S. The same for the U.K. The U.K. and the U.S. both have very strong system capacity to think about sex, gender, racial identity, class identity and present data in that way. But it took them a number of weeks to do so.
Q: In your database, you weren’t able to provide gender or sex-based data for testing in the United States at all. Is that not there?
Hawkes: I’m sure that somewhere in the testing system, someone knows whether they’ve tested men or women. But they’re just not giving that data out publicly.
That’s the same for all of it. Countries that don’t present death data disaggregated – they know if it’s men or women dying. They know. They just don’t have the mind-set to think it might be important.
Q: Why is this data important? What are we starting to see in the case of COVID-19 with regard to sex and gender that we wouldn’t have?
Hawkes: We’ve got really good data to show that there is a very clear gender impact of the secondary outcomes – social impact, economic impact. But the data we’re providing is the best way of beginning to think about what the actual impact of the infection itself is, and whether that has a sex and gender component. It’s only by measuring the data that you actually see a difference that you can begin to investigate.
Q: Once you see a difference, you can begin to really investigate: Is this down to biology? Is there something about women’s immune systems?
Hawkes: We see lots of countries don’t provide sex-disaggregated data. There’s no excuse for it. But when we do have the data, what we see is that more women get tested. That allows you to think, “Well, why haven’t we got public health messaging that is gender responsive to men’s lack of participation?” We need to change the way we talk about the way men get screening.
When you look at the rest of the data, you see a pretty even split between men and women in cases, but men are more likely to be hospitalized, and they’re more likely to die. If I was a lab researcher, I’d say, “Is that because there’s something about women’s immune systems that means they survive better? And what can I identify as the biological mechanisms, that can then help me think about treatments for everybody?” People could use the data to think about hypotheses.
Public health researchers should think about the big gaps between men and women. Do you see more cases of deaths in men because they have more heart disease and lung disease? Do we see that gap because women don’t have access to services? Are we seeing more men in hospitals and in the death registration system because women can’t access services, and their deaths don’t get counted? What we hope is our data will mean people can start to investigate why those differences are there.
Q: What do you hope this work leads toward?
Hawkes: We need a stronger global surveillance system that can actually mandate disaggregated reporting. Right now, we’re doing it and, to be really honest, we’ve all got day jobs. We think, actually, there are agencies that should have the mandate to do this.
Then there’s nationally, and in the case of countries like the U.S. or India, where you’ve got federated systems, subnational. There should be an absolute requirement that, at a minimum, you have sex and age disaggregated. If you could add on other intersectional issues, that would be fantastic. Globally, we want sex and age; nationally, we want more. This should be a mandated part of the surveillance system.
The only purpose of collecting accountability data leads to the third, most important point. The data’s not there just because we like producing pretty graphs; the data is there for people to act on it. Whether they’re going to use it to investigate differences, or use it to ensure that policies and programs are more equitable and more effective.
COVID-19 vaccine: First people to get vaccines also will get daily check-in text messages from the CDC


usatoday--2020-09-27--Breonna Taylor protests: Hundreds disperse in Louisville after curfew, car burned; 2 injured in Cali

LOUISVILLE , Ky. — Hundreds of people who took to the streets of Louisville on Saturday ran to churches and other indoor spaces as curfew fell across the city on the fourth night of nationwide protests after a grand jury did not indict three police officers directly connected to Breonna Taylor 's death .
People in more than a dozen cities and towns across the country on Saturday invoked Taylor 's name during gatherings demanding justice for her case .
Larger marches and rallies took place in Portland , Nashville , Chicago , New York City , Washington , D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Baltimore .
Smaller demonstrations also cropped up in Worcester , Massachusetts ; Greenville , South Carolina ; Poughkeepsie , New York ; Akron , Ohio ; and Daytona Beach , Florida .
In Bristol , Pennsylvania , several dozen people held a candlelight vigil on the banks of the Delaware River .
Louisville saw one of its largest crowds in months .
More than 500 protesters marched for nearly an hour around 7 p.m. , chanting `` This is what democracy looks like '' and `` Breeway . ''
The group returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the ongoing protests , but dispersed by 9 p.m. , running to `` safe houses '' as sirens blared and city and state police and National Guard vehicles drove by the area .
At least four people on the sidewalk were arrested , according to reporters at the scene , but it was n't immediately clear what they were charged with .
Several people returned to First Unitarian Church , which protesters have used over the past two nights as a sanctuary from police after the curfew .
The group stayed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — eating food , drinking water and debating next steps — before some began to leave .
Just before midnight , Louisville police said on Twitter that `` marchers are starting to break windows , set fires ( including a car ) , and destroy property . ''
The department said more arrests would be made .
Several windows at Spalding University and a nearby high school were broken , and a city map sign was shattered , according to the Louisville police live stream .
A burned vehicle was sitting in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car , which was engulfed in flames before the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire , according to the live stream .
Earlier Saturday , a small group of people gathered outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's home in Louisville for the second consecutive day .
The dozen or so protesters used spoons to hit pots and pans while they chanted `` Vote him out '' and `` Say her name , '' referring to Taylor .
The night before , 22 people were arrested in Louisville after violating curfew .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure to disperse , all misdemeanors .
Subscribe : USA TODAY launches This Is America , a newsletter on race and identity Hundreds of people in Raleigh , North Carolina , gathered downtown Saturday and headed toward a police precinct as officers in riot gear stood outside the courthouse , according to local news reports and social media posts .
At one point , someone in a group of protesters threw a firework toward a group of police officers , and it exploded in the air between the two groups , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporter .
Around 10 p.m .
ET , Raleigh police said on Twitter that protesters were breaking windows and damaging property , and police declared an unlawful assembly .
The department said it had extinguished a small fire and was making arrests .
In Nashville , about 300 protesters gathered and marched around the State Capitol and downtown after a series of speeches from legislators , Black Lives Matter representatives , community organizers and members of People 's Plaza Tennessee , a group that set up camp outside the Capitol for 62 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total indifference to the value of Black lives , '' said Xtiana Danielle , a member of the People ’ s Plaza group , which is calling for the police to be defunded and all Confederate monuments removed .
`` I ’ m sad , and I ’ m mad .
This is a call to action .
The final say is always white supremacy , and we can ’ t allow that anymore . ''
Earlier in the day , dozens of people gathered in downtown Chicago for a `` Say Her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pink roses to the Black women there and raised money for organizations led by Black women and girls , according to recordings of the event .
`` Do you know what America has done to the Black woman ? ''
said Dr. Niama Malachi , director of a youth development program who spoke at the rally .
`` Every day we are persecuted , unjustly prosecuted , abused and ridiculed , wrongly accused .
And none of us are exempt . ''
Protesters and counterprotesters face off in Portland , clash in Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon , hundreds of people – dozens of them wearing militarized body armor – gathered for a right-wing rally Saturday organized by the Proud Boys .
The group , designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center , has frequently clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in the embattled city since Memorial Day , when the death of George Floyd in police custody prompted protests nationwide .
The group described it as a free speech event to support President Donald Trump and the police , restore law and order and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` violent gangs of rioting felons '' in the streets .
Police said at one point 1,000 other people gathered at a nearby park where local media reported that multiple anti-fascist groups planned to gather in response to the Proud Boys rally .
Law enforcement said the Proud Boys rally ended without serious violence and the counterprotest started `` winding down . ''
Police are investigating an assault after a suspect kicked a man who was livestreaming at the rally .
Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said police made three arrests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to deter criminal activity .
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown announced Friday that she would invoke a state of emergency , sending in state troopers and sheriff ’ s deputies .
`` The pattern of these particular groups is clear : to intimidate , instigate and inflame , '' Brown said .
At a `` march for equality '' in Yorba Linda , California , south of Los Angeles , on Saturday protesters yelled at counter-protesters holding American and `` Trump 2020 '' flags .
The two groups were initially on opposite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , engaging in physical altercations , according to the Orange County Sheriff 's Department .
At least one person was pepper-sprayed .
About 40 minutes after the demonstrations began , officers declared an unlawful assembly .
A woman , who was part of the demonstrations , drove through the crowd and hit a man and a woman , who had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken by ambulance , according to the sheriff 's department .
The man had possible broken legs and the woman had `` multiple injuries all over her body , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public affairs for the department .
The woman who struck the two demonstrators was quickly detained and was being questioned .
It was unclear if she would be arrested , Braun said .
`` It 's unknown at this time if that was an intentional act or if that person was attempting to leave the area , '' Braun said .
'Be very careful in the middle of the street ' : People have driven into protests 104 times this summer Police in Kansas City , Missouri , arrested multiple people during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Trump truck rally that were caught on camera by a reporter on the scene .
Altercations occasionally broke out between counterprotesters holding anti-Trump signs and the thousands driving in cars adorned with red , white and blue and pro-Trump slogans , according to the city 's NPR affiliate .
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment .
In Seattle , dozens of people dressed in all black marched through the city Saturday evening .
Some broke windows , sprayed graffiti and set fires in bins on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At least eight were arrested .
The group did not appear to be marching in honor of Breonna Taylor , according to Seattle police .
It was not immediately clear who the group was .
Contributing : Joel Shannon , John Bacon and Jordan Culver , USA TODAY ; Sandy Mazza , Nashville Tennessean ; The Associated Press .

Joshua Bote, Matt Mencarini, N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Grace Hauck, USA TODAY NETWORK

Breonna Taylor protests: Hundreds disperse in Louisville after curfew, car burned; 2 injured in Calif. protest
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hundreds of people who took to the streets of Louisville on Saturday ran to churches and other indoor spaces as curfew fell across the city on the fourth night of nationwide protests after a grand jury did not indict three police officers directly connected to Breonna Taylor's death.
People in more than a dozen cities and towns across the country on Saturday invoked Taylor's name during gatherings demanding justice for her case. Larger marches and rallies took place in Portland, Nashville, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Raleigh, Kansas City, Boston and Baltimore.
Smaller demonstrations also cropped up in Worcester, Massachusetts; Greenville, South Carolina; Poughkeepsie, New York; Akron, Ohio; and Daytona Beach, Florida. In Bristol, Pennsylvania, several dozen people held a candlelight vigil on the banks of the Delaware River.
Louisville saw one of its largest crowds in months. More than 500 protesters marched for nearly an hour around 7 p.m., chanting "This is what democracy looks like" and "Breeway."
Breonna Taylor: Autopsy report reveals how Louisville police shots killed her
The group returned to Jefferson Square Park, the heart of the ongoing protests, but dispersed by 9 p.m., running to "safe houses" as sirens blared and city and state police and National Guard vehicles drove by the area. At least four people on the sidewalk were arrested, according to reporters at the scene, but it wasn't immediately clear what they were charged with.
Several people returned to First Unitarian Church, which protesters have used over the past two nights as a sanctuary from police after the curfew. The group stayed on church grounds for more than two hours — eating food, drinking water and debating next steps — before some began to leave.
Just before midnight, Louisville police said on Twitter that "marchers are starting to break windows, set fires (including a car), and destroy property." The department said more arrests would be made.
Several windows at Spalding University and a nearby high school were broken, and a city map sign was shattered, according to the Louisville police live stream. A burned vehicle was sitting in a parking lot. Fireworks had ignited the car, which was engulfed in flames before the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire, according to the live stream.
Earlier Saturday, a small group of people gathered outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home in Louisville for the second consecutive day. The dozen or so protesters used spoons to hit pots and pans while they chanted "Vote him out" and "Say her name," referring to Taylor.
The night before, 22 people were arrested in Louisville after violating curfew. Many were charged with unlawful assembly and failure to disperse, all misdemeanors.
Subscribe: USA TODAY launches This Is America, a newsletter on race and identity
Only sound at the park now, 20 minutes after curfew, is the whirring of a helicopter. Here’s the Breonna Taylor, David McAtee and Tyler Gerth memorials. #Louisville pic.twitter.com/WGDAelLJIN — Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) September 27, 2020
Any question about whether momentum would continue on the fourth night of Louisville protest since the #BreonnaTaylor grand jury ruling were answered Saturday with one of the largest demonstrations in days @courierjournal pic.twitter.com/eZrbmBwMCD — Chris Kenning (@chris_kenning) September 26, 2020
Protests continue in Raleigh, Nashville, Chicago
Hundreds of people in Raleigh, North Carolina, gathered downtown Saturday and headed toward a police precinct as officers in riot gear stood outside the courthouse, according to local news reports and social media posts. At one point, someone in a group of protesters threw a firework toward a group of police officers, and it exploded in the air between the two groups, according to video posted to Twitter by a local reporter.
Around 10 p.m. ET, Raleigh police said on Twitter that protesters were breaking windows and damaging property, and police declared an unlawful assembly. The department said it had extinguished a small fire and was making arrests.
In Nashville, about 300 protesters gathered and marched around the State Capitol and downtown after a series of speeches from legislators, Black Lives Matter representatives, community organizers and members of People's Plaza Tennessee, a group that set up camp outside the Capitol for 62 days.
"Every institution is perpetuating a total indifference to the value of Black lives," said Xtiana Danielle, a member of the People’s Plaza group, which is calling for the police to be defunded and all Confederate monuments removed. "I’m sad, and I’m mad. This is a call to action. The final say is always white supremacy, and we can’t allow that anymore."
Earlier in the day, dozens of people gathered in downtown Chicago for a "Say Her Name Rally," where organizers gave pink roses to the Black women there and raised money for organizations led by Black women and girls, according to recordings of the event.
"Do you know what America has done to the Black woman?" said Dr. Niama Malachi, director of a youth development program who spoke at the rally. "Every day we are persecuted, unjustly prosecuted, abused and ridiculed, wrongly accused. And none of us are exempt."
Protesters and counterprotesters face off in Portland, clash in Kansas City, Yorba Linda
In Portland, Oregon, hundreds of people – dozens of them wearing militarized body armor – gathered for a right-wing rally Saturday organized by the Proud Boys. The group, designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has frequently clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in the embattled city since Memorial Day, when the death of George Floyd in police custody prompted protests nationwide.
The group described it as a free speech event to support President Donald Trump and the police, restore law and order and condemn anti-fascists, "domestic terrorism" and "violent gangs of rioting felons" in the streets.
Police said at one point 1,000 other people gathered at a nearby park where local media reported that multiple anti-fascist groups planned to gather in response to the Proud Boys rally.
Law enforcement said the Proud Boys rally ended without serious violence and the counterprotest started "winding down." Police are investigating an assault after a suspect kicked a man who was livestreaming at the rally.
Breonna Taylor decision: The 'very troubling' questions Kentucky's attorney general isn't answering
Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said police made three arrests and will maintain a "highly visible presence" to deter criminal activity. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday that she would invoke a state of emergency, sending in state troopers and sheriff’s deputies.
"The pattern of these particular groups is clear: to intimidate, instigate and inflame," Brown said.
At a "march for equality" in Yorba Linda, California, south of Los Angeles, on Saturday protesters yelled at counter-protesters holding American and "Trump 2020" flags. The two groups were initially on opposite side of the street but later merged, engaging in physical altercations, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. At least one person was pepper-sprayed. About 40 minutes after the demonstrations began, officers declared an unlawful assembly.
A woman, who was part of the demonstrations, drove through the crowd and hit a man and a woman, who had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken by ambulance, according to the sheriff's department. The man had possible broken legs and the woman had "multiple injuries all over her body," according to Carrie Braun, director of public affairs for the department.
The woman who struck the two demonstrators was quickly detained and was being questioned. It was unclear if she would be arrested, Braun said.
"It's unknown at this time if that was an intentional act or if that person was attempting to leave the area," Braun said.
'Be very careful in the middle of the street': People have driven into protests 104 times this summer
Police in Kansas City, Missouri, arrested multiple people during clashes between demonstrators and counterprotesters at a pro-Trump truck rally that were caught on camera by a reporter on the scene. Altercations occasionally broke out between counterprotesters holding anti-Trump signs and the thousands driving in cars adorned with red, white and blue and pro-Trump slogans, according to the city's NPR affiliate.
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment.
In Seattle, dozens of people dressed in all black marched through the city Saturday evening. Some broke windows, sprayed graffiti and set fires in bins on the street, according to Seattle police. At least eight were arrested.
The group did not appear to be marching in honor of Breonna Taylor, according to Seattle police. It was not immediately clear who the group was.
Contributing: Joel Shannon, John Bacon and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY; Sandy Mazza, Nashville Tennessean; The Associated Press.


usatoday--2020-09-27--Opinion: With brilliant fourth quarter, LeBron James shows why he's in NBA Finals for 10th time

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. — LeBron James watched last season ’ s playoffs from Cabo San Lucas , Mexico , a hookah lounge and his home .
“ My wife didn ’ t like it , but she ’ ll be OK , ” James said with a smile .
It was the first time since 2006 James didn ’ t reach the playoffs , ending a streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances and eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances .
If you didn ’ t think watching Golden State and Toronto play in the NBA Finals didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid attention to his 2019-20 season .
More than 15 months after the Raptors defeated the Warriors for the championship , James is back in the Finals but for the first time with the Lakers .
In a closeout game with a chance to reach the Finals for the first time with the Lakers , James delivered a spectacular performance .
His 27th career playoff triple-double – 38 points , 16 rebounds and 10 assists – carried the Lakers to a 117-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've always had the mindset that in a close-out game for me personally , I 'm just as desperate as the team that we are trying to close out , ” James said .
`` I do n't want to play another game .
And if we are in a position where we can win that game , that 's just my mindset .
Does it always go that route ?
No , because I 'm not undefeated in close-out games .
“ My mindset is that I do not – if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the fourth quarter and we have a chance to win – I do not want to play another game.
” It just wasn ’ t the triple-double , which leaves him three shy of tying Magic Johnson for the most in playoff history , it was the manner in which he seized control of the game .
James scored 16 points in the fourth quarter , including nine consecutive in a 103-second span , stretching the Lakers ’ lead to 115-103 with 1:57 left in the game on a 3-pointer .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever witnessed a guy take over the game the way he did in the fourth quarter tonight in person , ” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said .
“ It was remarkable .
… Obviously , taking over down the stretch , possession after possession after possession of big shots , big plays .
Just a remarkable performance . ''
James is 16-1 in closeout games since 2015 .
In those 16 victories , he averages 29.1 points , 10 rebounds and 8.1 assists while shooting 51.9 % from the field and 35 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t a match at this point for James on this stage .
Basketball 'just a glimpse ' of who he is : Celtics ' Jaylen Brown shows maturity , leadership beyond his 23 years “ I know everybody wants to get caught up in the whole argument , the greatest of all time , ” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone , who remains close with James since their time together in Cleveland 1.0 .
“ That is an unwinnable debate .
LeBron is a great player , and he 's one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resume speaks for itself .
“ And like I mentioned earlier , in a Game 5 , closeout game , when the game was hanging in the balance , who took over ?
The best player on the floor .
And that 's what you 've come to expect from him.
” There ’ s no need for a greatest of all-time discussion .
It ’ s been hashed and rehashed and no one will convince another .
Save it for the tweets .
James will play in his 10th NBA Finals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy , ” Lakers guard Danny Green said .
“ Time and time again .
People forget he ’ s the greatest player in the God damn world .
He ’ s been doing it for 17 years .
It ’ s crazy .
It just shows you what he ’ s capable of .
Obviously he doesn ’ t do it as much as he used to do it .
He ’ s willing to take a backseat to AD ( Anthony Davis ) and the offense because he ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s very capable at any given time at any particular moment with taking over a game .
He did it tonight .
He closed out that game .
He closed out the series for us .
He made sure we would come out with a W. '' James savored the moment briefly .
He wants to bring the Lakers another championship .
“ This is what I came here for , ” said James , whose memory doesn ’ t forget the slightest of slights .
“ I heard all the conversations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I decide to come to L.A – the reason I came to L.A. , it was not about basketball .
“ All those conversations , just naysayers and things of that nature .
I understood that , with the season I had last year and my injury , it just gave them more sticks and more wood to throw in the fire to continue to say the things that they would say about me .
But it never stopped my journey and never stopped my mindset and never stopped my goal.
” At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hookah lounges and Los Angeles thousands of miles away – James is the Finals in a strange place in a strange time .
And yet , James in the Finals restores some normalcy to the NBA .

Opinion: With brilliant fourth quarter, LeBron James shows why he's in NBA Finals for 10th time
Show Caption Hide Caption LeBron James on Lakers reaching NBA Finals: 'The job is not done' SportsPulse: The Los Angeles Lakers are headed back to the NBA Finals after knocking off the Nuggets in Game 5, but LeBron James is not ready to celebrate anything yet. USA TODAY
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — LeBron James watched last season’s playoffs from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a hookah lounge and his home.
Every single playoff game.
“My wife didn’t like it, but she’ll be OK,” James said with a smile.
It was the first time since 2006 James didn’t reach the playoffs, ending a streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances and eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
If you didn’t think watching Golden State and Toronto play in the NBA Finals didn’t motivate James, you haven’t paid attention to his 2019-20 season.
More than 15 months after the Raptors defeated the Warriors for the championship, James is back in the Finals but for the first time with the Lakers.
In a closeout game with a chance to reach the Finals for the first time with the Lakers, James delivered a spectacular performance. His 27th career playoff triple-double – 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists – carried the Lakers to a 117-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday.
“I've always had the mindset that in a close-out game for me personally, I'm just as desperate as the team that we are trying to close out,” James said. "I don't want to play another game. And if we are in a position where we can win that game, that's just my mindset. Does it always go that route? No, because I'm not undefeated in close-out games.
“My mindset is that I do not – if we have played well enough and we are in the fourth quarter and we have a chance to win – I do not want to play another game.”
It just wasn’t the triple-double, which leaves him three shy of tying Magic Johnson for the most in playoff history, it was the manner in which he seized control of the game.
James scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including nine consecutive in a 103-second span, stretching the Lakers’ lead to 115-103 with 1:57 left in the game on a 3-pointer.
"I don't know if I've ever witnessed a guy take over the game the way he did in the fourth quarter tonight in person,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “It was remarkable. … Obviously, taking over down the stretch, possession after possession after possession of big shots, big plays. Just a remarkable performance."
James is 16-1 in closeout games since 2015. In those 16 victories, he averages 29.1 points, 10 rebounds and 8.1 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field and 35% on 3-pointers.
The Nuggets weren’t a match at this point for James on this stage.
According to @EliasSports LeBron James improves to 38-10 (.792 win pct) all-time in closeout games.
That is the best record by a player in NBA postseason history (min. 25 games).
James is the first player to reach the Finals with five different head coaches in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/JHhmbthlSi — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 27, 2020
Basketball 'just a glimpse' of who he is: Celtics' Jaylen Brown shows maturity, leadership beyond his 23 years
'Stats don't mean anything': All-Star Trae Young determined to make Atlanta Hawks a winner
“I know everybody wants to get caught up in the whole argument, the greatest of all time,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who remains close with James since their time together in Cleveland 1.0. “That is an unwinnable debate. LeBron is a great player, and he's one of the greatest to ever do it and his resume speaks for itself.
“And like I mentioned earlier, in a Game 5, closeout game, when the game was hanging in the balance, who took over? The best player on the floor. And that's what you've come to expect from him.”
There’s no need for a greatest of all-time discussion. It’s been hashed and rehashed and no one will convince another. Save it for the tweets.
James will play in his 10th NBA Finals and ninth in 10 seasons.
▪ 38 PTS, 16 REB, 10 AST
▪ 27th playoff triple-double
▪ 16 4th quarter points@KingJames' triple-double and late game take over propel the @Lakers to the #NBAFinals presented by YouTube TV!#LakeShow #WholeNewGame pic.twitter.com/KmYbYApuyV — NBA (@NBA) September 27, 2020
“Special guy,” Lakers guard Danny Green said. “Time and time again. People forget he’s the greatest player in the God damn world. He’s been doing it for 17 years. It’s crazy. It just shows you what he’s capable of. Obviously he doesn’t do it as much as he used to do it. He’s willing to take a backseat to AD (Anthony Davis) and the offense because he’s a little bit older. But he’s very capable at any given time at any particular moment with taking over a game. He did it tonight. He closed out that game. He closed out the series for us. He made sure we would come out with a W."
James savored the moment briefly. He wants to bring the Lakers another championship.
“This is what I came here for,” said James, whose memory doesn’t forget the slightest of slights. “I heard all the conversations and everything that was said about why did I decide to come to L.A – the reason I came to L.A., it was not about basketball.
“All those conversations, just naysayers and things of that nature. I understood that, with the season I had last year and my injury, it just gave them more sticks and more wood to throw in the fire to continue to say the things that they would say about me. But it never stopped my journey and never stopped my mindset and never stopped my goal.”
At 35 years old – with Cabo, hookah lounges and Los Angeles thousands of miles away – James is the Finals in a strange place in a strange time. And yet, James in the Finals restores some normalcy to the NBA.


usatoday--2020-09-27--Ranking the SEC from first to worst after opening weekend

Alabama was in midseason form against Missouri .
LSU lost at home to Mississippi State .
Georgia struggled in the first half against Arkansas .
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask looked the part of a Heisman Trophy contender with six touchdown passes in the Gators ’ win against Ole Miss .
Auburn had the best win of any ranked SEC team in fending off Kentucky .
With every team kicking off against a conference opponent , Saturday gave early insight into how the SEC race might shake out during an abbreviated and unorthodox regular season .
One thing is certain : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After one week , here ’ s how the SEC ranks from first to worst .
No issues here .
While other teams struggled to find the right tempo from the start , the Crimson Tide rolled past Missouri 38-19 and look ready to make a run at the national title .
Quarterback Mac Jones finished 18 of 24 for 249 yards and two touchdowns as he begins to build his case for all-conference honors .
I think Florida ’ s defense has had better days ( 613 yards and 29 first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s scheme at Ole Miss is going to take advantage of the Rebels ’ speed and skill talent .
While the defense improves , Trask and star tight end Kyle Pitts lead an offense that has made miles of improvement since Dan Mullen ’ s arrival in 2018 .
It ’ s just one game , and a win at that ( 37-10 ) .
It still contained enough sloppiness and misplays to worry Kirby Smart while highlighting a major concern : What is Georgia going to do at quarterback ?
Backup Stetson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D ’ Wan Mathis , who really struggled , but the Bulldogs need a healthy JT Daniels .
Kentucky was just outside the Amway Coaches Poll heading into Saturday , so Auburn had the best start of any ranked SEC team .
( Though Mississippi State had the best win overall , obviously . )
The inability to get things going on the ground is temporarily worrisome , but the Tigers got a solid performance from sophomore quarterback Bo Nix .
Who saw this coming ?
Maybe it ’ s a little more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long list of changes since the end of last season .
But the Bulldogs were expected to struggle a bit transitioning to Mike Leach ’ s offensive scheme without a full offseason to work out the kinks .
Not quite .
Quarterback K.J .
Costello rewrote several of the school ’ s single-game records in the 44-34 upset .
Remember how much was lost since last season ?
Maybe a few of us forgot .
It ’ s a bad loss that puts LSU in a very bad spot in terms of getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But a New Year ’ s Six bowl is very much an option for a team that will almost certainly improve as the regular season rolls on and be a tough out for any opponent come December .
Struggling against South Carolina is nothing new for Tennessee , which might 've had higher expectations than a 31-27 win to kick off the season but should be happy to escape and stretch its winning streak to seven games , the longest active stretch in the conference .
Turnovers doomed Kentucky and cost the Wildcats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ranked Auburn team .
In the end , the 29-13 loss highlighted what this team is built to do : Kentucky is strong on both lines but not flashy , and the team ’ s straightest line to success is to own the line of scrimmage and protect the football .
Beating Vanderbilt 17-12 after leading 7-5 at halftime isn ’ t going to please Jimbo Fisher or the Aggies ’ fan base , which is expecting a step into major playoff contention after two seasons of so-so results to start the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t ignore how hard it can be for many teams to get the engine restarted after missing the spring and going through an oddly scheduled fall camp .
In good news , LSU ’ s struggles provide an avenue for A & M to sneak into the top two or three in the West and reach a major bowl .
But there needs to be major improvements on offense .
All things considered , there were a bunch of positives to take out of the 51-35 loss to Florida , all on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to see rival Mississippi State actually pull off the upset as the underdog , the Rebels showed enough punch to imagine knocking off a ranked team at some point in the next few months .
Hanging tight with Tennessee is a positive sign for South Carolina 's chances against teams outside the top quarter of the SEC .
Another good omen is the play of quarterback Collin Hill , who transferred from Colorado State to be reunited with former CSU coach Mike Bobo , the Gamecocks ' new offensive coordinator .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggests that Vanderbilt wo n't be the pushover most expected heading into 2020 .
Could the Commodores stay out of the bottom of the East division ?
It 's too early to tell .
But they might have found something in freshman quarterback Ken Seals .
It ’ s going to be a tough season for Missouri , which gets few breathers ( outside of Vanderbilt ) and must try to cobble wins in any way possible under first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz .
Starting with Alabama wasn ’ t kind .
As with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better judged in 2021 and 2022 after not being able to spend the entire spring and summer breaking in his schemes .
Hey , after losing 20 games in a row in the SEC , heading into halftime up 7-5 against Georgia is pretty exciting .
Losing is bad , though .

Ranking the SEC from first to worst after opening weekend
Show Caption Hide Caption Amway Coaches Poll: Miami and Central Florida rise in the latest poll USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest Amway Coaches Poll. USA TODAY
Alabama was in midseason form against Missouri.
LSU lost at home to Mississippi State. Georgia struggled in the first half against Arkansas.
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask looked the part of a Heisman Trophy contender with six touchdown passes in the Gators’ win against Ole Miss.
Auburn had the best win of any ranked SEC team in fending off Kentucky.
With every team kicking off against a conference opponent, Saturday gave early insight into how the SEC race might shake out during an abbreviated and unorthodox regular season.
One thing is certain: The picture isn’t any clearer. After one week, here’s how the SEC ranks from first to worst.
1. Alabama
No issues here. While other teams struggled to find the right tempo from the start, the Crimson Tide rolled past Missouri 38-19 and look ready to make a run at the national title. Quarterback Mac Jones finished 18 of 24 for 249 yards and two touchdowns as he begins to build his case for all-conference honors.
2. Florida
I think Florida’s defense has had better days (613 yards and 29 first downs allowed) but Lane Kiffin’s scheme at Ole Miss is going to take advantage of the Rebels’ speed and skill talent. While the defense improves, Trask and star tight end Kyle Pitts lead an offense that has made miles of improvement since Dan Mullen’s arrival in 2018.
3. Georgia
It’s just one game, and a win at that (37-10). It still contained enough sloppiness and misplays to worry Kirby Smart while highlighting a major concern: What is Georgia going to do at quarterback? Backup Stetson Bennett played well enough in place of D’Wan Mathis, who really struggled, but the Bulldogs need a healthy JT Daniels.
4. Auburn
Kentucky was just outside the Amway Coaches Poll heading into Saturday, so Auburn had the best start of any ranked SEC team. (Though Mississippi State had the best win overall, obviously.) The inability to get things going on the ground is temporarily worrisome, but the Tigers got a solid performance from sophomore quarterback Bo Nix.
5. Mississippi State
Who saw this coming? Maybe it’s a little more obvious looking back at LSU’s long list of changes since the end of last season. But the Bulldogs were expected to struggle a bit transitioning to Mike Leach’s offensive scheme without a full offseason to work out the kinks. Not quite. Quarterback K.J. Costello rewrote several of the school’s single-game records in the 44-34 upset.
6. LSU
Remember how much was lost since last season? Maybe a few of us forgot. It’s a bad loss that puts LSU in a very bad spot in terms of getting back to the College Football Playoff. But a New Year’s Six bowl is very much an option for a team that will almost certainly improve as the regular season rolls on and be a tough out for any opponent come December.
7. Tennessee
Struggling against South Carolina is nothing new for Tennessee, which might've had higher expectations than a 31-27 win to kick off the season but should be happy to escape and stretch its winning streak to seven games, the longest active stretch in the conference.
8. Kentucky
Turnovers doomed Kentucky and cost the Wildcats the shot at a rare win against a ranked Auburn team. In the end, the 29-13 loss highlighted what this team is built to do: Kentucky is strong on both lines but not flashy, and the team’s straightest line to success is to own the line of scrimmage and protect the football.
9. Texas A&M
Beating Vanderbilt 17-12 after leading 7-5 at halftime isn’t going to please Jimbo Fisher or the Aggies’ fan base, which is expecting a step into major playoff contention after two seasons of so-so results to start the Fisher era. Still, don’t ignore how hard it can be for many teams to get the engine restarted after missing the spring and going through an oddly scheduled fall camp. In good news, LSU’s struggles provide an avenue for A&M to sneak into the top two or three in the West and reach a major bowl. But there needs to be major improvements on offense.
10. Ole Miss
All things considered, there were a bunch of positives to take out of the 51-35 loss to Florida, all on the offensive side. While it’s hard to see rival Mississippi State actually pull off the upset as the underdog, the Rebels showed enough punch to imagine knocking off a ranked team at some point in the next few months.
11. South Carolina
Hanging tight with Tennessee is a positive sign for South Carolina's chances against teams outside the top quarter of the SEC. Another good omen is the play of quarterback Collin Hill, who transferred from Colorado State to be reunited with former CSU coach Mike Bobo, the Gamecocks' new offensive coordinator.
12. Vanderbilt
The competitive loss to Texas A&M suggests that Vanderbilt won't be the pushover most expected heading into 2020. Could the Commodores stay out of the bottom of the East division? It's too early to tell. But they might have found something in freshman quarterback Ken Seals.
13. Missouri
It’s going to be a tough season for Missouri, which gets few breathers (outside of Vanderbilt) and must try to cobble wins in any way possible under first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz. Starting with Alabama wasn’t kind. As with all new coaches, Drinkwitz will be better judged in 2021 and 2022 after not being able to spend the entire spring and summer breaking in his schemes.
14. Arkansas
Hey, after losing 20 games in a row in the SEC, heading into halftime up 7-5 against Georgia is pretty exciting. Losing is bad, though.
Follow USA TODAY Sports colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg


usatoday--2020-09-27--Washington-Cleveland game to make NFL history, with two women coaching and one officiating

When the 1-1 Cleveland Browns host the 1-1 Washington Football Team Sunday ( 1 p.m .
ET , Fox ) , history will be made , regardless of who wins .
The game will mark the first time in NFL history that women will be on both sidelines coaching and on the field officiating .
A closer look at the women who are taking part in the game : Thomas was named the league 's first female official in 2015 .
She also became the first woman to officiate in an NFL playoff game when she worked the New England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Jan. 13 , 2019 .
King , in her first season with Washington , became the first Black woman in the league 's history to serve in a coaching capacity in 2018 .
King was a coaching intern in 2018 with Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers .
When Rivera took the head coaching job in Washington , King followed him there as an offensive assistant and full-year coaching intern .
After playing in the Women 's Football Alliance , Brownson started coaching high school football , then coached at Dartmouth before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McDermott in 2019 as a full-season intern .
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hired Brownson as chief of staff shortly after taking over in Cleveland .
The game will be covered by longtime NFL Fox broadcaster Laura Okmin , adding another woman on the sideline to the historic mix .
Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey @ usatoday.com or on Twitter @ analisbailey .

Washington-Cleveland game to make NFL history, with two women coaching and one officiating
Show Caption Hide Caption Lorenzo's Locks: The 3 best bets you should consider for NFL Week 3 SportsPulse: Lorenzo had another solid week going 2-1 but he's still searching for the perfect weekend. He's back to provide his best 3 bets for Week 3. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
When the 1-1 Cleveland Browns host the 1-1 Washington Football Team Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox), history will be made, regardless of who wins.
The game will mark the first time in NFL history that women will be on both sidelines coaching and on the field officiating.
A closer look at the women who are taking part in the game:
SARAH THOMAS
Thomas was named the league's first female official in 2015. She also became the first woman to officiate in an NFL playoff game when she worked the New England Patriots-Los Angeles Chargers AFC divisional round game on Jan. 13, 2019.
JENNIFER KING
King, in her first season with Washington, became the first Black woman in the league's history to serve in a coaching capacity in 2018. King was a coaching intern in 2018 with Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers. When Rivera took the head coaching job in Washington, King followed him there as an offensive assistant and full-year coaching intern.
CALLIE BROWNSON
After playing in the Women's Football Alliance, Brownson started coaching high school football, then coached at Dartmouth before being hired by Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott in 2019 as a full-season intern. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hired Brownson as chief of staff shortly after taking over in Cleveland.
The game will be covered by longtime NFL Fox broadcaster Laura Okmin, adding another woman on the sideline to the historic mix.
Guess who gets to cover this game?! I’m so beyond thrilled to be talking to all 3 rockstars this week and cannot wait to share it on our @NFLonFOX broadcast. Making HERstory!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 https://t.co/QiBeRfIYRf — Laura Okmin (@LauraOkmin) September 24, 2020
Contact Analis Bailey at aabailey@usatoday.com or on Twitter @analisbailey.


usatoday--2020-09-27--Who will be next must-see player to emerge in NFL?

The Week 3 edition of `` Monday Night Football '' will feature one of the most anticipated matchups of the NFL season .
The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens boast not only two of the most well-rounded rosters in the league , but also the last two MVPs : quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson .
Both signal-callers occupy a rare space as dynamic playmakers whose dazzling play compels fans to follow them closely whenever they play .
But while the two stars take the spotlight , the natural question for the 2020 season is which player will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in mind , we asked USA TODAY Sports ' NFL reporters and columnists : Who is the NFL 's next must-watch player ?
Kyler Murray .
It is so often suggested that an NFL player makes his biggest jump in Year 2 , which would mean we 'd better not blink this season in following the Arizona Cardinals quarterback .
It just so happens that Murray on Sunday will face the team that he made his NFL debut against .
The Lions — who blitzed the rookie unmercifully in the season opener @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead the Cards back from a huge deficit to earn a tie — are about to get a first-hand measure of Murray 's progress in a little more than a year .
It 's the multi-dimensional skill-set that makes Murray so fun to watch , just as it is with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes .
In addition to the rocket arm , Murray has an uncanny knack for losing defenders — not just because of his speed , but for his open-field moves .
One of his most effective jukes : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to briefly let up , which then allows for full exploitation from the slippery Murray .
Just do n't think it 's all natural .
Sage receiver Larry Fitzgerald praised Murray for maturity that has been reflected this season when it comes to running .
As Fitzgerald put it , `` He knows when hold it and when to fold it . ''
And when to throw it away rather take a sack .
Murray 's maturation surely accounts for preservation .
He 's bulked up a bit , adding muscle .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slide — and on a dime — as effectively as Murray .
It all adds up to dynamic performances you 've got ta see .
Can I select a pair ?
I ’ ve already been really impressed by the top two picks of this year ’ s NFL draft .
No .
1 selection Joe Burrow looks to be fully in command with Cincinnati — named a team captain out of the chute , playing with poise beyond his years and looking like the guy who just might lead the Bengals out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not physically spectacular — though he has flashed nice ( and needed ) mobility — but you can already see him quickly processing what he sees on the field and keeping broken plays alive with his eyes typically downfield .
Let ’ s also give a shoutout to Washington pass rusher Chase Young , who ’ s tied for the league lead ( with T.J. Watt ) after registering 2½ sacks through two games .
Young surely appeared like a uniquely gifted quarterback hunter coming out of Ohio State and should continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stacked D-line .
Those Julius Peppers comparisons he drew might not be sufficient .
Kyler Murray ’ s qualified as a must-watch football and baseball player for half his life .
And the athlete whom both leagues deemed a first-round draft selection has a new toy in his second pro year .
Adding three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to an offense that also features Larry Fitzgerald and running back Kenyan Drake will further unleash Murray ’ s well-documented potential .
What Kliff Kingsbury draws up for Murray in tandem with his teammates will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murray ’ s antics will continue to delight .
He ’ s scored by air and by ground in each of his first two weeks as Arizona mounted its first 2-0 start in five years .
Murray has scrambled for more yards ( 120 , two scores ) in two weeks of the season than any quarterback since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006 .
No , Murray won ’ t be perfect .
Stout San Francisco and Washington defenses each picked him off ; Hopkins blamed his incorrect route for Murray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 5-foot-10 Murray will continue to improvise and reinvent the game as Seattle ’ s Russell Wilson has .
Arizona , before long , will be must-watch TV .
I 'm going with Kyler Murray .
He showed promise as a rookie , but now in Year 2 , he 's flat out electric .
Week 1 we saw him shred a very good 49ers defense for 230 passing yards and a touchdown , and 91 rushing yards and a touchdown in an upset victory .
Then in Week 2 , he lit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very imposing front seven , recording 286 passing yards and a touchdown , and 67 rushing yards and two touchdowns .
Murray and DeAndre Hopkins have an instant connection , and we 're seeing great presence and awareness out of the young quarterback He knows how to extend plays , and when to tuck the ball and run , and once he 's in the open field , that speed and elusiveness are second to none .
Lamar Jackson is a dangerous and elusive runner , but Murray is even faster and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your next must-see player .
If last week ’ s thrilling matchup against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was any indication , Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is pretty-much must-watch right now .
Metcalf went toe-to-toe with Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore and didn ’ t back down to any challenge — even appearing to get under the skin of the notoriously-calm and measured Gilmore .
It helps when you catch four of six targets for 92 yards , including a 54-yard touchdown during the game of the week , but Metcalf has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is developing great chemistry with Russell Wilson .
The craziest thing may be that Metcalf , in his second season , still has so much room to grow and is on his way to becoming a legitimate No .
1 threat .

Who will be next must-see player to emerge in NFL?
Show Caption Hide Caption Lorenzo's Locks: The 3 best bets you should consider for NFL Week 3 SportsPulse: Lorenzo had another solid week going 2-1 but he's still searching for the perfect weekend. He's back to provide his best 3 bets for Week 3. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
The Week 3 edition of "Monday Night Football" will feature one of the most anticipated matchups of the NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens boast not only two of the most well-rounded rosters in the league, but also the last two MVPs: quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Both signal-callers occupy a rare space as dynamic playmakers whose dazzling play compels fans to follow them closely whenever they play. But while the two stars take the spotlight, the natural question for the 2020 season is which player will be next to follow their trajectory.
With that in mind, we asked USA TODAY Sports' NFL reporters and columnists: Who is the NFL's next must-watch player?
Kyler Murray. It is so often suggested that an NFL player makes his biggest jump in Year 2, which would mean we'd better not blink this season in following the Arizona Cardinals quarterback. It just so happens that Murray on Sunday will face the team that he made his NFL debut against. The Lions — who blitzed the rookie unmercifully in the season opener last year, only to see Murray lead the Cards back from a huge deficit to earn a tie — are about to get a first-hand measure of Murray's progress in a little more than a year. It's the multi-dimensional skill-set that makes Murray so fun to watch, just as it is with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. In addition to the rocket arm, Murray has an uncanny knack for losing defenders — not just because of his speed, but for his open-field moves. One of his most effective jukes: The hesitation that often causes a would-be tackler to briefly let up, which then allows for full exploitation from the slippery Murray. Just don't think it's all natural. Sage receiver Larry Fitzgerald praised Murray for maturity that has been reflected this season when it comes to running. As Fitzgerald put it, "He knows when hold it and when to fold it." And when to throw it away rather take a sack. Murray's maturation surely accounts for preservation. He's bulked up a bit, adding muscle. And probably no quarterback in the NFL can slide — and on a dime — as effectively as Murray. It all adds up to dynamic performances you've gotta see.
Can I select a pair? I’ve already been really impressed by the top two picks of this year’s NFL draft. No. 1 selection Joe Burrow looks to be fully in command with Cincinnati — named a team captain out of the chute, playing with poise beyond his years and looking like the guy who just might lead the Bengals out of the wilderness. He’s not physically spectacular — though he has flashed nice (and needed) mobility — but you can already see him quickly processing what he sees on the field and keeping broken plays alive with his eyes typically downfield. Let’s also give a shoutout to Washington pass rusher Chase Young, who’s tied for the league lead (with T.J. Watt) after registering 2½ sacks through two games. Young surely appeared like a uniquely gifted quarterback hunter coming out of Ohio State and should continue to flourish playing on the WFT’s stacked D-line. Those Julius Peppers comparisons he drew might not be sufficient.
Kyler Murray’s qualified as a must-watch football and baseball player for half his life. And the athlete whom both leagues deemed a first-round draft selection has a new toy in his second pro year. Adding three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to an offense that also features Larry Fitzgerald and running back Kenyan Drake will further unleash Murray’s well-documented potential. What Kliff Kingsbury draws up for Murray in tandem with his teammates will be fun. But even solo, Murray’s antics will continue to delight. He’s scored by air and by ground in each of his first two weeks as Arizona mounted its first 2-0 start in five years. Murray has scrambled for more yards (120, two scores) in two weeks of the season than any quarterback since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006. No, Murray won’t be perfect. Stout San Francisco and Washington defenses each picked him off; Hopkins blamed his incorrect route for Murray’s Week 2 gift. But the 5-foot-10 Murray will continue to improvise and reinvent the game as Seattle’s Russell Wilson has. Arizona, before long, will be must-watch TV.
I'm going with Kyler Murray. He showed promise as a rookie, but now in Year 2, he's flat out electric. Week 1 we saw him shred a very good 49ers defense for 230 passing yards and a touchdown, and 91 rushing yards and a touchdown in an upset victory. Then in Week 2, he lit up a Washington defense that has a very imposing front seven, recording 286 passing yards and a touchdown, and 67 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Murray and DeAndre Hopkins have an instant connection, and we're seeing great presence and awareness out of the young quarterback He knows how to extend plays, and when to tuck the ball and run, and once he's in the open field, that speed and elusiveness are second to none. Lamar Jackson is a dangerous and elusive runner, but Murray is even faster and even more of shifty. This is definitely your next must-see player.
If last week’s thrilling matchup against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was any indication, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is pretty-much must-watch right now. Metcalf went toe-to-toe with Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore and didn’t back down to any challenge — even appearing to get under the skin of the notoriously-calm and measured Gilmore. It helps when you catch four of six targets for 92 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown during the game of the week, but Metcalf has size, speed, plenty of personality and is developing great chemistry with Russell Wilson. The craziest thing may be that Metcalf, in his second season, still has so much room to grow and is on his way to becoming a legitimate No. 1 threat.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' NFL coverage on Twitter @usatodaynfl.