Versatile running back Roger Craig, former MVP Ken Anderson, and 2024 finalist Art Powell are among the nominees in the Seniors category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Tuesday, the Hall announced a list of 183 nominees to be reviewed by a new Seniors Screening Committee. This committee will narrow down the list to 50 players over the coming weeks.
A different Seniors Blue Ribbon Committee will then further reduce this list to three finalists, who will be considered by the full selection committee in early 2025.
The three senior nominees will be reviewed alongside one coach and one contributor, with one to three of these finalists expected to be inducted based on the voting.
Roger Craig smiles in the game
Craig, Anderson, and Powell are among the 10 players from this year’s nominees who reached the semifinals last year, where Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar were inducted as seniors. Powell reached the final cut but did not achieve the 80% vote needed for induction.
Other returning semifinalists are Maxie Baughan, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor, and Al Wistert.
Craig played a crucial role in San Francisco’s successful teams in the 1980s with his skills as both a strong runner and a receiver. In 1985, Craig became the first player to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. He also led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage in 1988, helping the 49ers win the Super Bowl.
Craig was part of the Super Bowl-winning teams in San Francisco in 1984 and 1989. His 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl victories are the third-most ever, behind only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.
Seattle Seahawks running back Adrian Peterson looks on during player arrivals before an NFL football game
Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson has been directed by a Texas judge to hand over personal assets to help settle a debt that has now reached over $12 million.
A receiver appointed by the court has been trying to collect money from Peterson due to a judgment from a lawsuit. This lawsuit was filed against Peterson, who is a four-time All-Pro running back, because he did not repay a $5.2 million loan from a lending company in Pennsylvania. The debt has increased significantly because of interest and fees.
The receiver, Robert Berleth, requested in July that a judge allow constables to accompany him to Peterson’s home in Missouri City, a suburb of Houston, to inventory and seize assets that can be sold.
Berleth stated in a court document that he needed constable support to maintain order and prevent any disruption while he was performing his duties.
Adrian Peterson in a post match conference
The judge approved this request on Monday. Peterson’s attorneys did not respond immediately to emails seeking comments on Tuesday.
Earlier in February, Peterson’s legal team had filed documents asking the court to stop Berleth from auctioning off various items taken from storage units, including Peterson’s 2007 NFL “Rookie of the Year” trophy.
Later that month, a judge ordered Berleth to halt the sale of items from Peterson’s storage units.
During his career, Peterson was selected for seven Pro Bowls in his 10 years with the Vikings and was named NFL MVP by the Associated Press in 2012. After his time with Minnesota, he played for six other teams, including Arizona, New Orleans, Washington, and Detroit.
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips prepares to play the Las Vegas Raiders
The Minnesota Vikings reached an agreement on Tuesday for a two-year contract extension with defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who is a key player for stopping runs and one of their most reliable performers.
Phillips, 28, is in his third year with the Vikings. In the season opener against the New York Giants, he recorded five tackles, one sack, one quarterback hurry, and deflected a pass. The Vikings allowed only 240 yards and six points in that game.
Phillips started all 17 games in each of his first two seasons with the Vikings. Last year, he achieved a career-high 92 tackles, which was the second most among NFL defensive linemen, behind Derrick Brown with 103.
Minnesota Vikings players in the training camp
With the 6-foot-3, 307-pound Phillips playing a key role in the middle, the Vikings allowed an average of 3.76 yards per rush in 2023, ranking fourth in the league.
Phillips, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, was drafted by Buffalo in the third round in 2018 after playing at Stanford. This season, he was named one of eight team captains for the Vikings and has been a three-time nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
From rookies having a tough time in their first games, to highly paid quarterbacks not meeting expectations, to experienced players returning from injuries, the passing game in Week 1 of the NFL season seemed out of place compared to recent years.
More than half of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL did not reach the common benchmark of 200 yards passing in a game, making it the least productive week for passing in the NFL since the 2007 season.
Teams averaged just 188.3 net passing yards per game, the lowest for any week since Week 15 of 2007 when the average was 187.1. This was a significant drop of 28.6% from the Week 1 record average of 263.8 set five years ago.
Seventeen starting quarterbacks threw for less than 200 yards, a figure only matched once before since the start of the 2011 season. There were 18 such cases in the last week of the 2023 season when several regular starters rested before the playoffs.
Jordan Love reacts in the 2nd half of the game
The three rookie quarterbacks combined for only 415 passing yards: Jayden Daniels of Washington had 184 yards, Bo Nix of Denver had 138 yards, and Caleb Williams of Chicago had 93 yards.
Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins were both far below their usual performance in their first games back from Achilles injuries. Rodgers threw for 167 yards and Cousins for 155 yards. High-paid veterans like Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson also faced difficulties.
Jones threw for 186 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the New York Giants’ 28-6 loss to Minnesota. He threw an interception returned for a touchdown by Andrew Van Ginkel and has now thrown more touchdowns to opponents (three) than to his own teammates (two) since signing a $160 million, four-year contract before the 2023 season.
Watson threw for 165 yards on 49 attempts in Cleveland’s 33-17 loss to Dallas and had trouble completing long passes. He failed to complete any of his 10 attempts at throws of at least 15 yards downfield. Since Sportradar started tracking air yards in 2006, there have been 1,753 instances where a quarterback had at least 10 attempts of 15 or more yards downfield, and Watson is the first to have zero completions.
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon can’t get to a ball hit for an RBI single
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been put on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique muscle. This is the third time this season that the 34-year-old has been sidelined by an injury.
The Angels also placed closer Ben Joyce on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. To cover for these absences, they have called up infielder Eric Wagaman and right-handed reliever Guillo Zuñiga from Triple-A Salt Lake.
Rendon’s current injury started with back issues, which kept him out of the lineup on Sunday and Monday. The team then discovered that he needed more time to recover from the oblique strain.
The injured list move is retroactive to Sunday, meaning Rendon could have up to 11 games left to play if he’s ready to return when eligible.
“Just have to wait and see what happens,” manager Ron Washington said. “I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the end of the year.”
Ben Joyce pitches in the 9th inning
Earlier this season, Rendon missed 68 games due to a strained left hamstring and later sat out for eight games with lower back inflammation. After leaving the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals, Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels.
Since joining the Angels in the shortened 2020 season, Rendon has not played more than 58 games in any season. In 2019, he had a 1.010 OPS with 34 home runs and a major league-leading 126 RBIs. However, his OPS with the Angels over five years is only .717. This season, Rendon is batting .218 with no home runs in 206 at-bats.
Joyce’s injury is not considered severe, and he is expected to return later this year. This move was made retroactive to Saturday. Joyce has a 2.08 ERA in 31 appearances and has saved all four of his opportunities.
Eric Wagaman, a 27-year-old from Southern California who played at Orange Coast College near Angels Stadium, was selected in the Rule 5 draft last winter from the New York Yankees organization.
Philadelphia Phillies player Kyle Schwarber set a new MLB record on Tuesday night by hitting his 14th leadoff home run of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. He achieved this milestone before leaving the game in the fourth inning due to a hyperextended left elbow.
In the first inning, Schwarber hit a 1-0 fastball from Rays pitcher Taj Bradley 437 feet into center field. This home run gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead and put Schwarber ahead of Alfonso Soriano, who had 13 leadoff homers in 2003 with the New York Yankees. The Phillies eventually won the game 9-4.
This home run was Schwarber’s 35th of the season and his 45th leadoff homer of his career, with 32 of those coming since he joined the Phillies in 2022.
“It’s a cool thing,” Schwarber said. “When you’re all said and done, whenever it’s over with, you can look back at all the cool things that happened in your career. It’ll probably be a little more enjoyable whenever I play my last game.”
Schwarber walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning and seemed to hurt his elbow while diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt by Rays catcher Logan Driscoll.
Kyle Schwarber runs the bases in the 1st inning
He was replaced by Buddy Kennedy as the designated hitter in the fourth inning.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s day-to-day,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I’m going to put him in (tomorrow’s) lineup tonight and then we’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.”
Schwarber mentioned that he received treatment during the game and had a bit of swelling. He said there’s no structural damage to his elbow, so if he can handle the feeling of swinging a bat, he plans to play in Wednesday’s series finale as the Phillies aim for a three-game sweep.
After a period of 17 games without a home run and only one homer in 23 games, Schwarber has been hitting well recently, with seven home runs in his last eight games, including three in his first at-bat of a game.
The Cubs scored five runs in the eighth inning to pull ahead and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3 on Tuesday night. During that inning, the Dodgers made three errors, which allowed Chicago to secure the win. The game featured a pitching duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.
The Dodgers, who lead the NL West, lost their second straight game to the Cubs. This marked their first series loss since early August when they faced the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers’ lead in their division was reduced to 4 1/2 games ahead of the San Diego Padres.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell praised the team’s defense, saying they played exceptionally well throughout the series.
The Cubs are now four games behind the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets, who are tied for the last NL wild card spot.
In the ninth inning, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made a spectacular catch, taking away a possible two-run homer from Max Muncy. Crow-Armstrong also made a great sliding catch on Kiké Hernández’s hit to end the seventh inning.
“I love it,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It feels better winning these last two and going home tomorrow with some good momentum.”
The Dodgers’ mistakes in the eighth inning included a leadoff walk by Alex Vesia, a throwing error by catcher Austin Barnes, a misthrow by center fielder Tommy Edman into the camera well, and a fielding error by second baseman Hernández, which allowed the Cubs to score and take the lead.
“It was a frustrating way to lose that game,” Muncy said. “We made a lot of mental mistakes. We’ve got to eliminate that.”
Tommy Edman hits a home run in the 2nd inning
Yamamoto struck out the first four batters he faced in his first start in nearly three months. He and Imanaga, who has a 13-3 record, were facing each other for the first time in Major League Baseball after competing against each other in Japan.
Imanaga pitched seven innings, giving up three runs and seven hits, while striking out four and walking none.
“Today I pitched well because I was facing him,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “I had a limit and kind of exceeded it. It was a good day.”
Porter Hodge closed out the game with his fifth save. He had to step off the mound with two outs remaining because he felt his heart racing. He has had this issue before but was cleared to pitch, according to Counsell.
Evan Phillips (3-1) gave up two runs and four hits in the eighth inning.
Yamamoto allowed one run and three hits in four innings during his first start since June 16, following an injury that kept him out due to a rotator cuff strain. He struck out eight and did not walk any batters.
“Today was pretty close to the best of the year,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “Today’s outing turned out much better than I expected.”
Pete Crow Armstrong takes a catch in the 7th inning
Before his injury, Yamamoto had an impressive start to the season. He was 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA and had struck out 84 batters in 74 innings. He won his first MLB game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 6. Yamamoto signed a $325 million, 12-year contract with the Dodgers last offseason.
“It was good to see Yoshi back,” Muncy said. “His stuff looked really sharp, his velocity was there, and his execution was solid, so it was good to see. We just need to get his pitch count up, and he’ll be very important for us going forward.”
In front of 51,923 fans, the game featured Imanaga and Suzuki facing off against Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. They were teammates for Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning the title against the U.S., though Suzuki was injured and did not play.
Suzuki went 3 for 5 with a run, while Ohtani went hitless in four at-bats. He remains four home runs and three stolen bases short of becoming the first player in major league history to achieve a 50-50 season.
Veteran pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will return to the Texas Rangers’ rotation later this week after both missed time due to injuries.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy announced on Tuesday that deGrom is scheduled to pitch on Friday and Scherzer on Saturday. The Rangers are still in the race for an American League playoff spot, but they are six games behind for the final wild-card position.
“They might go for around five innings or 60 pitches, depending on how things are going,” Bochy said. “If all goes well, they might pitch a bit longer.”
DeGrom, 36, will make his season debut after missing more than a year following Tommy John surgery. He has had five consecutive seasons troubled by injuries.
Max Scherzer pitches in the 1st inning
His last game for the Rangers was on April 28, 2023, after signing a $185 million, five-year contract. He had surgery six weeks later.
Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, has been out for about six weeks due to a shoulder injury. He has also dealt with back surgery and a thumb injury. The 40-year-old has a record of 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA in eight starts this season.
The Rangers will also have top prospect Kumar Rocker start on Thursday. The 24-year-old, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, will make his major league debut.
Ben Lively lays on the field after being hit by the ball
Ben Lively and the Cleveland Guardians were relieved on Tuesday night after it seemed the pitcher avoided a serious injury.
Lively left Cleveland’s 5-0 win over the Chicago White Sox after being hit by a comebacker in the second inning. The right-hander fell to the ground but the team reported he had a right thigh contusion and believed he would be ready for his next start.
“I didn’t feel much after the first hit,” Lively said. “Luckily, it’s just right there on that muscle.”
Lively, age 32, was struck on the outside of his right leg by a line drive from Dominic Fletcher. The ball bounced off Lively to first baseman Josh Naylor, who caught it for the final out of the inning.
Ben Lively leaves the ground with the staff in the 2nd inning
The 6-foot-4 Lively was assisted off the field but walked the last few steps into the Guardians’ dugout by himself. He mentioned that he did not need X-rays.
“We just put ice on it and treated it,” he said, “and we’re getting ready for the next one.”
Lively had two strikeouts in two innings for the AL Central leaders. He holds a record of 11-9 with a 4.01 ERA in a career-high 26 starts and 137 innings.
“He’s sore. Really sore,” manager Stephen Vogt said, “but the exam showed everything is fine. It’s just a contusion. Probably just a really bad charley horse.”
Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda was added to the injured list on Tuesday night after getting a hairline fracture in his left hand when he hit a “solid object.”
Manager Dave Roberts said Banda injured his hand out of frustration after his performance on Monday night, where he allowed two runs and three hits in one inning against the Chicago Cubs.
“I know it’s something he regrets. We all regret it,” Roberts said, but he could not provide a return timeline for Banda.
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Anthony Banda throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game
The decision to place Banda on the injured list was made just before Tuesday’s game, leading to the earlier activation of reliever Brusdar Graterol from the IL by one day. Graterol pitched the ninth inning in a 6-3 loss to the Cubs.
Banda, who was traded to the Dodgers from Cleveland on May 17, has appeared in 46 games this season with a 3.23 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
The Seattle Mariners put right-hander Luis Castillo on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday because of a hamstring injury, meaning they will be without one of their key pitchers for the important games ahead.
General manager Justin Hollander mentioned that Castillo will get an injection in his hamstring to help speed up recovery and increase the chances that he’ll be back in two weeks.
Hollander explained that Castillo experienced a Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring during the fourth inning of Sunday’s game against St. Louis. Castillo felt the injury while pitching.
“According to the trainers, it’s possible he could return after the 15 days,” Hollander said. “He heals quickly. He already feels stronger and better today.”
Seattle’s rotation has mostly stayed healthy this season, with Bryan Woo being the only pitcher to miss significant time until now.
Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo throws during the second inning of a baseball game
Hollander wasn’t sure how the Mariners would manage Castillo’s spot in the rotation for the next couple of weeks.
Castillo has a record of 11-12 with a 3.64 ERA in 30 starts this season.
The Mariners also moved right-handed reliever Yimi García to the 60-day injured list, ending his season. Hollander said earlier that García had been shut down from throwing while dealing with inflammation in his right elbow. García was placed on the injured list on Aug. 23 and had been rehabbing in Arizona.
García was acquired from Toronto before the trade deadline to strengthen the Mariners’ bullpen. He made 10 appearances for Seattle and has a 6.00 ERA.
To fill the vacant roster spot, Seattle called up catcher Seby Zavala from Triple-A Tacoma.
Rookie Keider Montero threw the first individual shutout for the Detroit Tigers in three seasons, leading his team to an 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Montero (5-6) made his 14th major league start and became the first Tigers pitcher to throw nine shutout innings since Spencer Turnbull’s no-hitter on May 18, 2021.
At 24 years and 66 days old, Montero is the third-youngest Tigers pitcher to throw a shutout in the past 20 years, younger than only Justin Verlander in May 2006 and Michael Fulmer in August 2016.
“I was just trying to put every pitch in the strike zone and (catcher Jake Rogers) called a great game,” Montero said through a translator. “Regardless of the score, I was attacking hitters. I knew I had the guys behind me who would make the plays.”
The right-hander needed 96 pitches to face the minimum 27 batters. He allowed three singles, struck out five, and didn’t walk any batters.
Bradley Blalock pitches in thw 1st inning
“Obviously, this is a huge night for Keider and a huge night for us,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.
Montero was expected to pitch to Dillon Dingler, who regularly catches for him in Triple-A Toledo and Detroit, but a late lineup change meant he worked with Rogers for only the second time this season.
“We ambushed him with a new catcher about 90 minutes before the game, which isn’t the plan, but he and Jake did a great job,” Hinch said.
All of Colorado’s singles—by Ryan McMahon in the second inning, Ezequiel Tovar in the seventh, and Aaron Schunk in the eighth—were followed by double plays by the Tigers’ infield.
“He’s just got a really solid four-pitch mix—a lively fastball, two different breaking balls, and a good changeup—and he throws a ton of strikes,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “A game like that is rare in this era—a complete game with a low pitch count.”
