Even without Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers flaunted their other offensive weapons and their dominating defense in overwhelming the New York Giants on “Thursday Night Football.

The “First Take” host was immediately mocked by several ESPN colleagues.

Stephen A. Smith threw out the first pitch at the Yankees game Thursday night, and he might want another take
Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN analyst and personality, was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Thursday night’s New York Yankees game.
It did not go well.
Before the Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays, Smith marched to the pitcher’s mound wearing a Derek Jeter No. 2 jersey to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
And promptly fired a 56-foot fastball that bounced well short of home plate:

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It was Bell’s first NFL reception while McCaffrey scored in his 12th straight game.

The New York Giants are on the ropes.
San Francisco got off to a quick start in the first half of Thursday night’s primetime game between the Niners and Giants.
Trent Williams Smacks Robinson, Giants
Things got chippy at the end of the first half. San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams started bickering with Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.
Williams’ frustrations led to him catching Robinson with a right hook to the face mask.
WATCH:

Here’s another angle of what Trent Williams did. This is almost always an ejection.
Brian Daboll was livid.pic.twitter.

Tempers flared between the Giants and 49ers just before halftime on Thursday Night Football. 
San Francisco’s star offensive lineman Trent Williams could be seen giving a hard shove to New York’s DT A’Shawn Robinson, before quickly jabbing him in the helmet. 
The referees were all over it, but somehow, Williams escaped without an ejection, which is the standard discipline a player receives for throwing a punch during an NFL game. Instead, both Williams and Robinson were issued offsetting penalties for unnecessary roughness.

Fans were reminded that Al Michaels is human during Thursday night’s Amazon Prime broadcast of the 49ers–Giants game.
The legendary broadcaster had a major mess up, which sparked quite the social media reaction.
“So you think about the 49ers, this is a franchise that has won four Super Bowls, Bill Walsh won two, George Seifert won two,” Michaels said.
However, Michaels clearly forgot to mention one of the 49ers’ other Super Bowl titles since the franchise actually has five championships. Walsh, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led the team to three titles, not two.

This isn’t the first time Trent Williams has punched someone on an NFL field.

The decision by the coaches and administration at USC to suspend a reporter over supposed policy violations has been widely panned by most in the sports media world.
Head coach Lincoln Riley announced the suspension earlier this week, saying it would last for two weeks.
READ: USC SUSPENDS LOCAL REPORTER TWO WEEKS FOR ‘VIOLATING POLICIES’ BUT HERE’S WHAT REALLY HAPPENED | TREY WALLACE
But after widespread criticism and pressure from other USC-based reporters, Riley and the athletic department quickly backed down.

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Don’t block the best pass-rusher in the NFL … bold move, Giants.
The New York Giants are so bereft of talent on the offensive line that they’re throwing up the white flag against San Francisco’s Nick Bosa early Thursday night.
Bosa, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, enjoyed the easiest sack of his career, so far, in the first quarter of TNF’s primetime game against the Giants.
Daniel Jones and the Giants offense had their backs against their end zone.

The San Francisco 49ers elected to play it safe with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants. Aiyuk suffered a shoulder injury during the team’s Week 2 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. With the wideout missing the game, rookie Ronnie Bell figured to see some opportunities on offense.
Though Aiyuk practiced on a limited basis on both Tuesday and Wednesday, San Francisco decided not to push their top receiver out there on a short week.

TMZ caught up with ESPN First Take’s newest addition, former NFL player Shannon Sharpe, on the street recently, but then the paparazzi was quickly distracted by an arguably more famous celebrity: Selena Gomez.
A video of the quick interaction went viral on social media Thursday. The video shows the paparazzi beginning to speak with Sharpe, and then they suddenly walk past Sharpe to get footage of Gomez getting in her car. Sharpe can be seen standing on the sidelines of the incident by a wall, which made for quite the amusing scene.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t have the sharpest opening drive on Thursday night against the Giants. Fortunately, tight end George Kittle was able to save his quarterback some grief by batting down an errant pass that could otherwise have been intercepted.
Purdy’s throw sailed wide of the mark, and looked to be headed for New York cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. Kittle noticed the pass wasn’t catchable, but reacted sharply in order to bat the ball down and prevent Jackson from recording an early pick.

Julie Ertz walked off the soccer field as a member of the United States Women’s National Team for the final time in her career on Thursday night in Cincinnati.
Ertz announced that she would be retiring from all professional levels of soccer following Thursday night’s competition against South Africa. Earlier in the evening, she was met with thunderous applause when the team honoring her ahead of the match.
Ertz was then subbed out during the 35th minute of the exhibition. The 31-year-old hugged various USWNT teammates while the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley announced on Thursday that the university elected to lift its ban on OC Register reporter Luca Evans — who, according to Riley, previously violated USC media guidelines.
Luca Evans and Lincoln Riley posted statements on Thursday, combining their intent to move on from the situation now that the beat reporter’s media credentials are restored.
According to their statements, Riley and Evans shared a frank discussion over the phone Wednesday night.
Riley determined that Evans’ comments didn’t warrant the two-week suspension after their talk.

It’s been almost three years since we’ve seen Deshaun Watson play a truly great game. The Browns still believe he can turn things around.

As running backs struggle to find their place in the modern NFL, McCaffrey’s elite rushing and receiving ability could forge the best path forward.

“Out of all the teams I played on, this is the least-hardest working group of position players I’ve ever played with,” Pham said.

The 2023 New York Mets are baseball’s cautionary tale. The most expensive team ever assembled, with a collection of All-Stars in the lineup and experienced Cy Young winners in the rotation.
Yet they were eliminated from the division by early September, and their next loss will ensure a losing record.
The data indicates any number of potential explanations, starting with underperformance from key contributors like Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor. But as always with disappointing teams, there’s always more going on that’s not publicly visible.

ESPN analyst Stephen. A Smith took the mound to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees–Blue Jays game in New York on Thursday night, and while it wasn’t the worst entry into first pitch lore, it certainly wasn’t the best—and fans were quick to poke fun at him for it.
The First Take star’s effort didn’t reach home plate, as the ball bounced about 10 feet before it, one-hopping into the catcher’s glove. Yankee Stadium erupted in boos at the sight.

NHL training camps are getting underway which meant it was one of the first opportunities for the media to ask Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin about the strange incident that occurred at the team’s Seattle hotel ahead of Game 3 of their first-round series against the Seattle Kraken.
A woman, believed to be heavily intoxicated, was found in Nichushkin’s hotel room. Team personnel deemed her to be inebriated to get a taxi or an Uber, so they called an ambulance. The woman spoke with what sounded like a Russian accent and claimed to be from Ukraine.

In the aftermath of suffering a season-ending knee injury on Thursday, Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs shared an uplifting message addressing well-wishers and his long road to recovery.
An MRI following Thursday’s practice confirmed Diggs, 25, sustained a torn ACL after he was forced to leave the session on crutches. As reactions to the devastating news made the rounds online, Diggs shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) vowing to “be back and better” as he eyes a return in 2024.

The Chicago Bears are a complete mess. Justin Fields isn’t a franchise quarterback. Their defensive coordinator just resigned under dubious circumstances. Now, one of their starting safeties — Jaquan Brisker — is “liking tweets” trashing the team and the organization.
But, his reason for doing that might not be what you think.
Stephen A. Smith ranted about the Bears during First Take on ESPN this week. Smith obliterated the Chicago Bears from an organizational standpoint and a team standpoint.

After quarterback Justin Fields made and retracted some comments seemingly critical of the Bears‘ coaching staff on Wednesday, footage began circulating on social media of an exchange between wide receiver D.J. Moore.  and Buccaneers’ Devin White.
In their conversation, which was overheard by hot mics, White could be heard telling Moore that he’s not being properly utilized by the team. The wide receiver seemed to agree with that sentiment.
“Oh, tell me about it,” said Moore in response.

49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will not play Thursday night against the Giants because of a shoulder injury.

Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs has a torn ACL in his left knee, the team announced.

Fantasy football analyst Antonio Losada offers a full breakdown for tonight’s matchup between the Giants and 49ers.

Will the Giants’ Week 2 comeback get their season back on track?

Jones was chewed up by the Cowboys defense in Week 1 before leading a huge comeback vs. the Cardinals last week. Now he faces San Francisco’s ferocious D without Saquon Barkley.

The Patriots are signing quarterback Will Grier to their active roster off the Bengals practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Grier was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of West Virginia, spending parts of two seasons in Carolina. He got his only NFL action as a rookie, totaling 228 passing yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions in 2019.
Carolina released Grier before the 2021 season, but the Cowboys claimed him off waivers.

The Niners are a heavy favorite despite missing their top receiver.

19-year NBA veteran Andre Iguodala explained the differences between Miami Heat and Warriors championship culture.

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football last week. The Eagles took a 20-point lead in third quarter and appeared in complete control. However, wide receiver AJ Brown went off on quarterback Jalen Hurts on the sideline despite the lead.
Philadelphia seized control after taking a 27-7 lead in the third quarter. The Vikings cut the lead to 27-13 but the Eagles had a chance to put the game away just after the start of the fourth quarter. With the ball in Vikings territory, teams switched sides after the end of the third.

At least five Louisville football players came to the rescue of a crash that occurred near L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium that resulted in one car overturning on Monday afternoon.
It’s unknown at this time which players helped the car crash victims, although a Louisville spokesperson stated that junior wide receiver Jadon Thompson was one of them, per The Associated Press.
The Louisville Metro police posted a video thanking the players on Thursday. The video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the players flipping the car upright in the middle of the road.

Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons extended a heartfelt message to his teammate and friend Trevon Diggs on Thursday following news of the cornerback suffering a torn ACL during practice.
Diggs’s devastating season-ending knee injury sent shockwaves around the NFL at a time where the Dallas defense has been clicking on all cylinders through two weeks. As reactions to the star corner’s diagnosis poured in, Parsons took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to show his support for Diggs in a post that included two pictures of the pair on game day.

Oregon State and Washington State have been set adrift together this year, as their Pac-12 conference-mates have all preemptively defected to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.
However, the Beavers and Cougars have made the most of their sticky situation. First, both teams started 3–0 and cracked the Top 25 ahead of their meeting Saturday. Then, on Thursday, the two schools’ leaders unveiled a joint Zoom background with both institutions’ logos.

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts could be seen having what appeared to be a heated discussion during the win over the Vikings last Thursday. 
After Hurts addressed the incident in a postgame interview, Brown spoke on the matter on Thursday, indicating that he has no beef with his quarterback.
“The little sideline discussion, I want you all to know that’s what it was — it was a discussion,” said Brown to reporters on Thursday, via ESPN. “This is a game that we both love, and I want everybody to understand that sometimes emotions run high.

There are less than two weeks left in the regular season — and while some teams’ spots are locked up, others still have a lot to play for.

Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said Thursday his animated sideline interaction with Jalen Hurts last Thursday night was not indicative of an issue between himself and his quarterback.

Andy Dalton again took all the first-team snaps in practice for the Panthers with Bryce Young (ankle) not expected to play vs. the Seahawks.

Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs has a torn ACL in his left knee, sources told ESPN.

Celine Boutier celebrates Europe’s victory at the 2021 Solheim Cup. | Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
For the first time since 2002, the Solheim and Ryder Cups are played in consecutive weeks. That should be the case every year.
The Solheim Cup begins Friday at Finca Cortesín in Southern Spain, where the 12 best European female golfers square off against the 12 finest American players.
It is the LPGA equivalent of the Ryder Cup, which begins the following Friday, on Sept. 29, in Rome, Italy.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s status for Monday night’s game vs. the Rams is still uncertain, and Burrow himself isn’t even offering any additional information about his injury.
Following Sunday’s 27–24 loss to the Ravens, Burrow told reporters that he re-aggravated his right calf injury that he sustained at the end of July during training camp. The update immediately left his status for Week 3’s game up in the air.

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Zhang may be a rookie on Team USA for the Solheim Cup, but it’s something the young golfer has always wanted to achieve in her career.
Rose Zhang is playing in her first team event as a professional golfer. She will tee it up this weekend with Team USA at the Solheim Cup in Andalucia, Spain.
It has been quite the year for the 20-year-old phenom. She became Stanford’s all-time wins leader surpassing Tiger Woods’ mark, was the No. 1 ranked amateur and won back-to-back NCAA individual titles.

Colorado is about to enter the toughest two-game stretch of its season so far with a road trip to Oregon and a home date against USC. So what happens if Colorado loses either or both of these games?
Even the nature of that question signals that the goalposts have moved for the Buffaloes—Vegas expected them to win around four games. They’ve already almost matched that number at 3–0, and if you haven’t adjusted your priors on what this team can be, you aren’t paying attention.

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was riding high through the first two games of the 2023 season.
The fourth-year Alabama product had an interception and four tackles for a 2–0 Dallas team. It looked like Diggs was set to play a starring role on a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
However, Diggs’s season appears to have come to an end. Per reports from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Diggs tore his ACL in practice Thursday and is out for the rest of the season.

Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Team USA and Team Europe have announced their opening round pairings for the 2023 Solheim Cup as the competition begins Friday morning.
The first round of the 2023 Solheim Cup begins on Friday, and the opening pairings have finally been set. As the ladies get set to take on the Finca Cortesin golf course in Andalucia, Spain, they revealed on Thursday their opening lineups during the opening ceremony.
There are some interesting notes of these pairings as the Americans are going with experience over young talent.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Paris on June 16, 2023. | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, spoke with Bret Baier of Fox News and didn’t shy away or deny any criticism.
In a wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday, Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, sat down with Bret Baier of Fox News.
Baier and bin Salman touched on numerous topics, such as relations with Israel and the danger of nuclear weapons, but his comments on sportswashing turned many heads.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Cowboys fans are fearing the worst after Trevon Diggs left practice with a knee injury
The Dallas Cowboys are fearing the worst after cornerback Trevon Diggs left practice with a knee injury on Thursday. According to multiple reports, Diggs was spotted on crutches following practice, and the team is awaiting results of an MRI.