Quick Hits

• The Brewers are going to the World Series. Milwaukee swept the Dodgers — winning all four games of the NLCS, the series that decides the National League pennant — to reach the World Series for the first time in 44 years. Jake Bauers was named series MVP.
• Scary NFL news: Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been sidelined by a blood-clot diagnosis, and backup Tanner McKee now takes over an Eagles team on a three-game losing streak.
• The WNBA Finals start Saturday with a guaranteed first-time champion: the Golden State Valkyries face the Atlanta Dream, and neither franchise has ever won a title.
• Cleveland is halfway to a World Series matchup with Milwaukee: the Guardians took a 2-1 lead over Tampa Bay in the ALCS after Thursday's rescheduled Game 3.
• College football's playoff is about to double: conferences are nearing a deal to expand the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams as soon as next year, per CBS Sports — a change that could eliminate conference championship games.

Minnesota Teams

Quiet day for the home teams — no Vikings, Twins, Wild, Gophers, or Minnesota United items crossed the wire. The closest local thread: former Timberwolves cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns is at the center of what ESPN's Brian Windhorst calls "extension drama" in New York, and how that contract situation resolves is one of the NBA's biggest preseason storylines. Wolves fans, the new season tips off in just days.

NFL

The biggest story is off the field: Jalen Hurts' blood-clot diagnosis, which Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott called "scary" while urging players to communicate openly with team medical staffs. Former Stanford QB Tanner McKee gets his biggest opportunity yet as the Eagles try to stay in the NFC East race.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, working back from a hamstring tear, said his "character's been attacked" amid the injury chatter — he's practiced fully two days in a row but hasn't been cleared for games, though he could return this week.

Keep an eye on the league's international experiment: the NFL says it's still planning to play the Steelers-Saints game in France as scheduled despite ongoing protests in Paris, while addressing safety concerns.

Tonight's Thursday night game features Seattle at Denver, with the Broncos ruling out star cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Elsewhere on the injury front, Lamar Jackson and Michael Penix Jr. could return this week, and the Eagles hope to get running back Saquon Barkley back.

MLB

The Brewers completed a stunning four-game dismantling of the Dodgers to win the National League pennant — their first trip to the World Series since 1982. Bauers, meanwhile, became the first LCS MVP in franchise history despite the team having won a pennant back in '82.

Over in the American League, Cleveland took a 2-1 lead over Tampa Bay after Thursday's rescheduled afternoon Game 3. CBS Sports' pregame read: whoever won that game would likely win the series — so advantage, Guardians.

NBA

The WNBA Finals tip off Saturday afternoon, pitting Gabby Williams and Golden State against Angel Reese and Atlanta. ESPN expects a "defensive master class," and with both franchises seeking their first title, a new champion is guaranteed.

With the NBA season days away, ESPN's fantasy crew is mocking Cooper Flagg and Derrick White off the board early, and Windhorst flags three storylines to watch: Seattle expansion taking its next steps, the Towns extension saga in New York, and a potential trade decision looming in Orlando.

NHL

The season is rolling, and ESPN's power rankings have Carolina back on top of the league. Friday brings just two games — Penguins-Avalanche and Bruins-Ducks — but ESPN calls both worth watching.

Fun one: Ducks rookie Roger McQueen, who wears No. 95 and met Lightning McQueen at Disneyland on draft night, made his NHL debut with the "Cars" jokes fully writing themselves.

College Sports

Saturday's headliner: No. 3 Miami hosts Florida State in the traditional October rivalry, with the Hurricanes red-hot and the Seminoles floundering. Texas also faces Florida, with revenge on the menu — last season's loss to the Gators is what kept the Longhorns out of the playoff, and Florida arrives free-falling.

Other Sports

In Champions League soccer, PSG rolled Manchester City, with CBS Sports framing it as PSG showing "why they own the present" while City struggle. Tough golf news: Will Zalatoris will miss the entire 2027 PGA Tour season after another back surgery — he managed only four events in 2026. And ESPN says the UFC's flyweights are must-watch again, with Britain's Lone'er Kavanagh potentially crashing the title picture with a breakout win at UFC 333.