Homestead will again host NASCAR championship weekend in 2027

Sorry to spoil the list for you, but following a year in which a player broke the NFL's single-season record for sacks, you can't name any other player as the league's top pass rusher. So, who is the NFL's best pass rusher after Myles Garrett? There are a lot of names worth considering for the No. 2 spot. Micah Parsons has been one of the league's most consistent pass rushers since he entered the league in 2021. However, he's coming off an ACL tear. Ascending players like Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson should also be considered, along with veterans like T.J. Watt. As we continue to rank the top 10 players at key positions ahead of the 2026 season, here are our top 10 pass rushers entering the year. Eric D. Williams: The Defensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago and a Pro Bowler in his first two seasons in the league, Verse is adapting to new surroundings in Cleveland after being included as part of the blockbuster trade this offseason. Verse's former team, the Los Angeles Rams, traded him for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, making him the centerpiece of the package. While Verse has been among the league leaders in pressure rate since entering the league in 2024, he still only has 12 sacks in two seasons. Verse must become a more consistent closer to be considered among the elite pass rushers in the league. For now, though, he's in the top 10 as the Browns hope he can be a cornerstone moving forward. Ralph Vacchiano: The 31-year-old Steelers star is coming off one of his least-productive NFL seasons, and one in which Watt missed three late-season games due to a partially collapsed lung. And it’s possible, after nine NFL seasons, that a decline has begun. But given Watt's Hall of Fame-worthy track record, it’s hard to bet on that. His seven sacks in 14 games last season were definitely a downturn, and so was his pass-rush win rate of 11.7%. But he’s still had double-digit sacks in six of his nine seasons and can still be dangerous when he’s fully healthy. Watt could also be in line for a boost in the new, aggressive scheme of new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who plans to move Watt around more than he’s been moved in recent seasons. That could be enough to give Watt the jolt he needs to stay in the top 10 for another season or two before he heads to Canton. Greg Auman: The Broncos had 68 sacks last season — 11 more than any other NFL team — and Bonitto led the way with 14 sacks, six more than his closest teammate. The 26-year-old had 13.5 the year before and made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons. Denver rewarded him before last season with a four-year, $106 million contract, and he helped the Broncos earn the AFC’s top seed with a 14-3 record. A 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots stung – it matched the fewest points allowed in a playoff loss in 28 years – and Denver will lean on Bonitto and the defense just as much in 2026 as they seek a trip to the Super Bowl. Vacchiano: In the midst of a miserable season for the Giants, the seven-year veteran re-established himself as a star with a career-high 16.5 sacks and a pass rush win-rate of 16% that ranked him just outside the top 10. Considering it was a down year for Burns' defensive line mates — defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence had just a half sack and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux played in only 10 games — his explosion was even more surprising. This year, Burns might have to share the wealth, with Thibodeaux plus young stars Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese (whom the Giants took in the last two first rounds) all figuring to be a part of New York's pass rush. But that’s the only thing standing in his way. He showed he’s still got the speed and explosiveness that made him so dangerous during his years in Carolina. He hasn’t slowed down at all at age 28 and should be a centerpiece of new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s scheme. Arthur: The 31-year-old Hunter may be the most underappreciated, dominant pass rusher of this era. He’s recorded double-digit sacks in seven of his 10 NFL seasons, but has never been a first-team All-Pro selection. The former third-round pick is playing some of his best ball late in his career, too. He’s had at least 10.5 sacks in four consecutive years, including 15 last season (third in the NFL), which earned him a second-team All-Pro nod and a one-year, $40 million extension this spring. He also forms one half of the league’s best edge rushing tandem with Will Anderson Jr. Henry McKenna: Last season, Hutchinson recorded career highs in sacks (14.5), QB hits (35) and pressures (90). That pressure total is the highest in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and is often the most coveted statistic when you speak to pass rushers. Hutchinson has long been an ascending pass rusher since arriving in the NFL as the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. But he has officially arrived as one of the NFL’s elite pass-rushers and defensive playmakers. He’s a defensive coordinator’s dream and an offensive coordinator’s nightmare. Williams: After the Baltimore Ravens rescinded a massive trade for his services due to a failed physical. Crosby returned to the Las Vegas Raiders recommitted to ushering in sustainable winning for this once-proud franchise. Even though he turns 29 years old later in August, Crosby remains one of the most feared and productive pass rushers in the league. A five-time Pro Bowler, Crosby has posted double-digit sacks in three of the last four seasons, totaling 44.5 sacks since 2022. McKenna: The Packers will do everything they can to get Parsons to the top of this list in 2026. The franchise traded a massive haul before last season to acquire Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys before Green Bay awarded Parsons with a massive deal. He then posted 12.5 sacks before suffering his season-ending knee injury. At some point in the first half of the season, Parsons will return. And even if he’s off to a slow start, he should be among the league’s most dangerous playmakers by the time the postseason rolls around. Arthur: Anderson will be a staple in the conversation for best edge rusher over the next several years. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick is already a complete player — he had 48 pressures on just third downs alone in 2025, the most by any player in a single season in at least eight years (!). His 20 tackles for loss tied for fourth among edge defenders, which shows that he wreaks at an elite level against both the pass and the run. Anderson’s sack, TFL, forced fumble and pass breakup numbers have improved in each of his three seasons as well. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year. Just 24 years old, Anderson is a young superstar who is still getting better at an exponential rate. Bucky Brooks: The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is a destructive force off the edge, exhibiting an array of power and finesse maneuvers that keep blockers guessing in their stances. Garrett’s dominance and consistency as a sack artist, despite previously playing for a team that is routinely in "catch-up" mode, speak to his efficiency and effectiveness in hounding quarterbacks in less-than-ideal circumstances. With the single-season sack record in hand (23) and at least 10 sacks in eight of his nine seasons, the future Hall of Fame inductee is a lock to take down Bruce Smith’s career mark (200) before he hangs up the cleats. newsbetting.cv

Israel’s football federation has decided to withhold its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the March election. The decision follows a letter from president Moshe Zuares, who cited a growing trust crisis and the deep split between UEFA and FIFA that forces a reassessment of the sport’s future direction.

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Earlier this week, FIFA’s operational chief Kevin Lamour resigned after publicly criticizing Infantino. Israel hopes that renewed dialogue among all parties can restore a shared vision for world football.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) — It's August, but the Atlanta Falcons are not trending in the right direction. Two weeks ago, Atlanta was riding high on news of a massive extension for star running back Bijan Robinson, their offensive core locked up as they moved forward with new coach Kevin Stefanski. Just hours after news of Robinson's extension, though, the Falcons lost promising edge rusher Jalon Walker to a season-ending knee injury. Then, hours before Friday's preseason opener, less surprising news came that their other starting edge, James Pearce, would be suspended for the first eight games of 2026 related to an offseason domestic violence arrest. Then came a rough night against the Denver Broncos. It was only the preseason, but it was Atlanta's only such game at home, and Denver rolled out to a 24-0 lead before halftime. At one point, the Broncos had outgained the Falcons 217-28, enough to draw a smattering of boos from the home crowd. Atlanta held out Robinson on Friday, as well as key parts of its defensive secondary, but what was out there didn't look good. New quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a snap go off his hand on the second play to scuttle one drive, and he managed only one first down on his only other drive. Backup Cooper Rush promptly threw two interceptions, with the second one being returned 97 yards for a touchdown. "What we put out there is not a reflection of the hard work that we've put in the first two weeks of training camp," Tagovailoa said after the game. "It does no justice for the work that our coaches as well have implemented. It starts with me. I've got to be better with that." "Our standard for our football team, offense, defense, special teams, remains the same whether it's the first quarter or the fourth quarter of the preseason game," Stefanski added. "So not good enough really across the board, and again, that's why we'll get back to work." Tagovailoa, cut by the Miami Dolphins after two straight disappointing seasons, was brought in to compete with third-year pro Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from knee surgery but has gone 4-8 in limited work as a starter. Stefanski is an offensive-minded coach, and the team has extended its young core — Robinson, receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts — with new deals totaling $270 million. But will the Falcons' defense hold up without its top two pass-rushers for the first two months of the season? Atlanta took a major step forward in 2025, going from 31 sacks in 2024 (second-fewest in the NFL) to 57 sacks, second-most last year. The depth behind Walker and Pearce isn't exactly starter caliber, though. Samson Ebukam, 31, had two sacks with the Indianapolis Colts last year and is playing on a one-year, $2.8 million deal and Azeez Ojulari, 26, missed much of last year with a hamstring injury and had zero sacks, signing on a league-minimum veteran deal. The response to losing Walker was signing Cam Sample, 26, who had two sacks last year with the Cleveland Browns. "Next man up," Ebukam said after the game. "It's football. It's the NFL. Obviously, we're going to miss [Pearce], but he's going to be back and he's going to be strong." If the Pearce suspension was anticipated, Walker's injury could not have been, but the Falcons have not added a proven pass-rusher since he was lost for the year. Leonard Floyd, 33, started 15 games for Atlanta last year with 3.5 sacks and remains unsigned, and other older options have recently signed elsewhere, with Jadeveon Clowney landing with the Houston Texans and Von Miller with the Dallas Cowboys. The Falcons were able to scoop Za'Darius Smith on Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year deal with the soon-to-be 34-year-old edge rusher. But while Smith is a three-time Pro Bowler, he logged just 1.5 sacks in five games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season before stepping away. "Again, confident in our group. Injuries are part of this game," Stefanski said when asked about his existing depth. "We talked about that with losing Jalon. Don't like it, but we trust that we have the guys to step up." It's possible the Falcons comb the waiver wire for edge help at final cuts, and there are still unsigned veterans, though their dropoff in production explains why they're available in August. Haason Reddick, who had 2.5 sacks in 12 starts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, overlapped with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with the Jets in 2024, but that might not be a positive history. Another concern in the middle of the defense is at linebacker, where Atlanta lost Kaden Elliss, a 100-tackle starter in each of the last three seasons, in free agency to the Saints. Atlanta did little to replace him, using two third-day draft picks on linebackers and signing Christian Harris, a former Texans starter who was mostly a special-teams player in Houston last season. The NFC South is closely bunched enough that all four teams can enter the season with the confidence they could win the division, but a slow start could be trouble for the Falcons. They open the year with three of four games on the road, including two against 2025 playoff teams in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. Then they're home to face three of their toughest opponents of the year in the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. It's possible they could open 2-5 or worse in the first seven without even playing that poorly. Penix isn't fully cleared in his recovery, and Stefanski said he's comfortable waiting before a starting quarterback is chosen between him and Tagovailoa, whose nine-play debut Friday was a small sample, but one that left room for improvement. "He wants to get better. Our offense wants to get better. Our coaches want to be better in those nine plays," Stefanski said Monday. "But our focus will be continuing to get ready for this season and not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We want to be where our feet are, try to improve on some of the small things that we identify as coaches and correct them."