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Taking over early in the game, Ty Johnson played 65-percent of Detroit’s’ snaps, while logging 14 touches. Ten of these touches came on the ground and another four coming as targets through the air. While J.D. McKissic mixed in for 24% of Detroit’s snaps and eight touches himself, Johnson appears to be the leader of this backfield. MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting advice at Sportsbook Review...

After Trey Lance went down for the 49ers with an ankle injury in Week 2, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Mac Jones and non first-rounder Davis Mills are trying to prove they can be long-term franchise passers. Removing Lance the rest of the class — Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, Ian Book, Sam Ehlinger — from the equation, here are our grades for how the five have done this season, led by the QB who went first:...

Richard Craig Smith told the AP on Friday night that the NFL has not provided documents and witnesses requested by the NFLPA’s investigators, while the Ravens have refused any cooperation with similar requests. MORE: Rice files grievance against Ravens | Goodell ordered to testify in Rice hearing | Rice hearing puts Goodell, NFL under pressure “I am interested in the facts, and if we get cooperation from all the parties that were involved, we will have an understanding of what happened,” Smith said....

On Saturday’s “Coach’s Corner” broadcast, Cherry called out immigrants for not buying enough poppies. The poppy is the symbol of remembrance for Canadian veterans and those who served in times of war. It is traditionally worn during the two weeks prior to Remembrance Day on Nov. 11. “You people love, they come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey. The least you could pay [is] a couple of bucks for a poppy or something like that,” Cherry said on the air....

Friday’s Skills Competition allowed the league’s stars to shine in a more relaxed setting, while still satisfying the competitive nature that drives players at the elite level. Five individual events plus a dazzling women’s game between Canada and the U.S. filled the night’s docket in St. Louis, with a hometown winner in one event giving the Blues fans in attendance a little something extra to cheer for. The night began with the popular Fastest Skater event, with most in attendance expecting Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid to take the crown once again....

Well, someone (i.e., commissioner Gary Bettman) must have taken note, because now the league will allow Voynov’s $4.17 million cap hit to be treated the same as if he were on long-term injured reserve. This gives the Kings more flexibility in making roster moves. The defending Stanley Cup champs have been unable to recall players from the minors to replace injured players recently. As a result, they’ve at times played with five defensemen, one fewer than usual....

With a flat cap and free agency on the horizon, the moves started to come fast and furious, and all before the draft itself got going. Sporting News is keeping track of the latest rumors, trades and picks, as well as handing out some grades, as it all goes down July 23 and 24. NHL Draft tracker 2021 (All times are Eastern) Day 2 12:15 p.m. — Rangers have officially bought out the contract of Tony DeAngelo....

Dubas told reporters Thursday that If Marner signs an offer sheet with another team, the Maple Leafs may not match it and Marner should be prepared to walk. And the same goes for Marner’s fellow forwards and restricted free agents Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. “If there were an offer sheet, we would look at what they are, and what the compensation is for our team, and make a decision based off of that,” Dubas said (via the Toronto Star)....

Here is a betting preview for the Tuesday’s NHL playoff card. Lines are current as of early Tuesday morning. Check our live odds page for updated numbers from Las Vegas. Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN Best Chicago line: +130 (Westgate, CG Technology)Best Minnesota line: -135 (MGM, Wynn)Total: 5 (under -120) Analysis: Minnesota had been one of the best road teams to back during the regular season, especially after Devan Dubnyk joined the club in January....

After the Predators eliminated the Avalanche from the playoffs in Round 1 with a 5-0 shutout on Sunday, Subban told MacKinnon in the post-game handshake line that he hopes Colorado’s alternate captain wins this year’s MVP award. “In my opinion, he was the best player in the league this year,” Subban told reporters after Game 6. “That’s not to take anything away from other guys like Taylor Hall who have had great years....

OK, now that that’s done, let’s, of course, freak out because — don’t be shocked — the unexpected has happened. The Sabres and Red Wings are winning! The Bruins and Avalanche are .500! The Coyotes are bad! Well, that last one was definitely expected. While things have certainly been shaken and stirred, it’s way too early to ink in not only the 16 postseason teams but also the Stanley Cup champs....

With the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Rangers are dominating the rumor mill. The club’s admission last week in a statement to their fans indicating changes were coming fueled speculation over their potential moves leading up to deadline day. Most of the trade chatter involves veteran forward Rick Nash, who’s due to become a free agent in July. While the 33-year-old winger’s production has declined since his 42-goal performance in 2014-15, he remains a hot commodity in the trade market....

This summer, however, there’s been more business than usual. Since June 14, 23 trades occurred involving at least one NHL roster regular. The biggest move was during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft when the Nashville Predators shipped defenseman P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils . Other significant swaps saw the Winnipeg Jets send blueliner Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers while the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt center Nazem Kadri in a multi-player deal to the Colorado Avalanche for rearguard Tyson Barrie....

St. Louis, tied for second in the Western Conference with 84 points, acquired Miller and forward Steve Ott from the Buffalo Sabres on Friday for goalie Jaroslav Halak, winger Chris Stewart, a first-round draft pick in 2015, a third-round pick in 2016 and forward prospect William Carrier. MORE: Ryan Miller freaks out — the greatest hits | Additional trade details | Emergency backups That's a lot of assets changing hands, and we'll get to them in a minute....

The NHL’s rationale behind sending players to the Olympics was based partially on an opportunity to showcase the game before a worldwide audience, with an eye towards the ratings the Olympics draw on NBC. While sending NHL players to NBC’s biggest winter TV property made perfect sense initially, it’s in the best interest of the NHL to end the experiment. There are several good reasons: — Leading the list, playing a full NHL schedule in the weeks that immediately follow the Super Bowl and precede the NCAA men’s basketball tournament represents the best three-to-four week period for the NHL to promote its product to its largest fan base — those living in the United States....

Pokemon GO has long been special in that it is played by traveling around in the real world. After the game released, Pokemon GO debuted PVP battles that allow for a competitive scene among friends and online rivals. Since then, a ranked mode has also been released, and with COVID keeping many players indoors, the online battle functionality has become a bigger part of the game. RELATED: Pokemon GO: 15 Strongest Pokemon In Great League PVP...

The Eaglets had to settle for a point in their league opener in their 1-1 draw against the league’s newcomers Toulouse. They struggled to find their feet in the first half and were a goal down at the interval. Former Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to rescue a point for Lucien Favre’s side. Strasbourg, meanwhile, suffered defeat in their first Ligue 1 outing of the season, losing 2-1 to Monaco in an end-to-end clash at the Stade de la Meinau....

Nadal closed out a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) victory over Kyrgios in an entertaining second-round clash Thursday. But the Spanish 18-time grand slam champion appeared to be annoyed when Kyrgios blasted a forehand into him from behind the baseline in the third set, winning the point and opting not to apologize. Kyrgios, 24, stood by his decision not to apologize to Nadal for the incident. “Why would I apologize?...