Quick Hits

• Welcome back, Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers star played his first game in more than 16 months on Wednesday — against the Timberwolves — as he returns from an Achilles injury. He called himself "hyped" to be back.
• The MLB playoffs just lost a giant. The Rays swept the Yankees out of the ALDS, while the Dodgers and Brewers also advanced. The Guardians forced a deciding Game 4 against the White Sox.
• WNBA semi madness. Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson won a record fifth MVP award — but her Aces trail 2-0 in their series, as do the New York Liberty. Both face elimination in Game 3.
• Ovechkin's farewell tour begins. The NHL's all-time goals leader played the final home opener of his career Wednesday — fittingly, against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
• NFL Week 5 starts tonight. The Cowboys host the still-winless Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.

Minnesota Teams

It was a quiet day on the local beat except for one genuinely great story at the Wolves' expense — or maybe in their preseason spotlight. Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, one of the NBA's best young point guards, returned from an Achilles injury that had kept him out for over 16 months, scoring 7 points in 16 minutes against Minnesota. For a casual-frame-of-reference: an Achilles tear is one of sports' toughest comebacks, so simply being back on the floor — on a minutes restriction, no less — is the win here. No Vikings, Twins, Wild, Lynx, United or Gophers headlines made Thursday's feed, and the Vikings aren't among the marquee Week 5 matchups being previewed.

NFL

Week 5 kicks off tonight in Arlington, where Dak Prescott's Cowboys host a Tampa Bay team still searching for its first win — CBS Sports' model likes a high-scoring game (the "over"). The weekend's headliners: the 49ers at the Seahawks, Falcons-Ravens on Sunday night (Atlanta's Brian Robinson, who scored three touchdowns last week, is a massive longshot to repeat, per CBS), and the Eagles and Jaguars playing in London — yes, a regular-season game abroad. Among CBS expert picks, Jordan Dajani likes the Steelers to bounce back against the Colts and the Browns to upset the Jets. In CBS's league-wide tier rankings, the 49ers sit among the elite, and the Rams are still highly regarded despite a slow start.

NBA

The WNBA semifinals are the story, and both series are lopsided in the same direction. League MVP A'ja Wilson won a record fifth award, then said she'll skip the pregame trophy ceremony to stay locked in — understandable, since her Aces are down 2-0 to the Golden State Valkyries and face elimination in Game 3. Same goes for the New York Liberty, down 2-0 to an Atlanta Dream team that won Game 2 without its top scorer, Allisha Gray. CBS Sports credited Angel Reese with a clutch performance in Wednesday's games — both winners' bracket leaders are now one win from the Finals.

MLB

The biggest October surprise: the Yankees are done. Tampa Bay completed a sweep of New York in their best-of-five Division Series on Wednesday, sending the Bronx home early. The Dodgers and Brewers also advanced, while the Braves and Padres were eliminated. Cleveland keeps its season alive after beating the White Sox to force a Game 4 on Thursday. As for the Padres, the post-mortem is already juicy: payroll has dropped every year since owner Peter Seidler's death, and CBS notes the new ownership group must now prove its vow to "do what it takes" to win a World Series.

NHL

The new season is underway, and one of hockey's great rivalries delivered a sentimental moment: Alex Ovechkin — the NHL's all-time goals leader, in his farewell season — played the final home opener of his career Wednesday against Sidney Crosby's Penguins. Elsewhere, ESPN dropped its first regular-season power rankings of 2026-27 along with its Top 100 player list, and league executives weighed in on who was ranked too high or too low.

College Sports

The headline-grabber isn't on the field: CBS Sports reports that between five and 10 Power Four programs — including multiple College Football Playoff contenders — are being investigated by the College Sports Commission over alleged efforts to evade the spending cap on NIL money (the payments athletes can now earn from their name, image and likeness), reportedly through third-party arrangements. On the field, Week 6 begins with some Thursday night warmups, including South Alabama–Arkansas State and Missouri State at Western Kentucky, where the Hilltoppers are trying to snap a four-game skid against top-tier opponents.

Other Sports

In soccer, ESPN ran a provocative piece asking whether the epic Manchester City–Liverpool rivalry of the Klopp-and-Guardiola years was "all a sham" in light of City's cheating scandal — a real gut-punch question for fans of that era. ESPN also re-ranked all 20 Premier League teams, digging into a possible fatal flaw for Arsenal, Chelsea's surprisingly bad start, and whether Hull City can avoid relegation.