YIS 08 14 22
8/22/2026
"Lucky Rebel" Mentions
Full Transcript
Hey, I'm Chris Horvidell and this is Yesterday in Sports. The show that gets you caught up on the biggest things that happened yesterday, why they mattered, and what you need to know before pretending you watched every second of it. Here we go. Welcome to Yesterday in Sports, I'm Chris Horvidell. Thursday brought the professional debut of the NFL's number one pick, Atlanta's most dominant WNBA performance of the season, and an extraordinary and unfortunate collapse by Shamrock Rovers. We've also got two consequential signings, a complete game in Miami, and a crowded opening round golf leader board in Memphis. We begin in Las Vegas where Fernando Mendoza threw a touchdown during his first NFL appearance although the Raiders lost 27-14 to Arizona. Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards across four drives. His touchdown came on a 6-yard throw to Jake Beck and he moved Las Vegas into field goal range during the final possession. The number one pick wasn't the Raiders' only effective quarterback. Kirk Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown on his only drive. That distinction matters. That distinction matters. Mendoza is the long-term centerpiece after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to a national championship. But Las Vegas doesn't need to rush him. Cousins remains the likely week one starter and one composed preseason performance is not going to alter that structure. On the other side, Arizona rested Carson Beck because of rib discomfort, but rookie running back Jeremiah Love, the number three pick in the draft, rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries. In Pittsburgh, rookie Drew Aller threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers beat Green Bay 28-9. Lucky Rebel had Pittsburgh at plus 130 before kickoff, making that the clearest upset of Thursday's preseason schedule. Cincinnati edged Detroit 16-14 while Indianapolis and New England finished a 13-13 tie. The Chargers beat Houston 27-7 behind two touchdowns from Amar Johnson, winning after Lucky Rebel listed Los Angeles at plus 117. Tennessee completed the NFL scoreboard with a 19-13 victory over San Francisco. Joey Sly made four field goals, including three from at least 50 yards. There's also an interesting potential NFL transaction to look at. ESPN reported that Seattle is signing 23-year-old cornerback Terrion Arnold, a 2024 first-round pick who was released by Detroit following his June arrest. Arnold faces eight felony charges stemming from an alleged kidnapping and robbery in Florida. He's pled not guilty and his representation maintained that he wasn't involved. To this point, there's been no conviction. The contract terms haven't been reported and the NFL could place Arnold on the commissioner's exempt list while the case proceeds. On the field, Arnold started 22 games for Detroit and recorded 91 tackles and 18 passes defended. Seattle sees this as a potential value acquisition acquiring a young, experienced cornerback, but his availability is an entirely unresolved other question. In the WNBA, Atlanta produced its most decisive win of the season, beating Connecticut 104-69. Ryan Howard and Alicia Gray scored 29 points apiece. Howard made five three-pointers while Angel Reese contributed 15 rebounds in four blocks. Lucky Rebel had Atlanta favored by 10.5 points and priced at minus 500 before the game. The Dream won by 35, holding Connecticut to 29 points during the second half. Atlanta is now 21-12 and continues to look like a legitimate championship threat because it doesn't depend on one kind of offense. Howard creates volume from the perimeter, Gray can score at every level, and Reese gives the Dream additional possessions around the basket. Las Vegas secured a playoff position by beating Washington 83-76. Jackie Young scored a season-high 32 points and made five three-pointers. Asia Wilson added 15 points as the Aces defeated the Mystics for the second time in three nights. Lucky Rebel made Las Vegas a six-point favorite at minus 225. The Aces covered by a single point with Young scoring 12 consecutive Las Vegas points during the fourth quarter. New York nearly surrendered a 28-point fourth-quarter lead before holding off Los Angeles 85-81. Sabrina Ionescu scored 20 points and made the final free throw after the Spark used a 21-0 run to get within one. Cameron Brink left with a rib injury after colliding with Brianna Stewart. LA hasn't announced the severity so her status remains under evaluation. In European Soccer Europa League action, Shamrock Rovers carried a 3-1 first-leg advantage to Albania and somehow exited the Europa League after losing 5-1 to Enyatia Rogozinja. Daniela Jessa scored twice, Alessandro Albanese added another two, and Eldi Grota also scored as the Albanian side built a 4-0 lead within 38 minutes. Enyatia then lost Edison Andresa to a red card before halftime, but Rovers couldn't take advantage. Graham Burke's 74th-minute goal was the only consolation. Lucky Rebel had Enyatia at plus 1-10 before the second leg. The result eliminated Rovers 6-4 on aggregate and dropped the Irish champions into a Conference League playoff against Finnish club Huppes. Rangers also exited Europa League after drawing 1-1 with Jagiellonia Biaistock and losing 3-2 on aggregate. Parts drew Benfica 1-1 but went out 7-2 across two legs. Los Angeles FC completed a significant addition by signing 23-year-old German forward Armindo Sieb from Bayern Munich. Sieb signed through the 2028-29 season with an additional year option. He produced 22 goals and 7 assists across 128 German League appearances, including time for Minz and Goethe-Ferd. LA FC gets a young forward who can play centrally or behind a striker. Sieb receives a clearer path to consistent minutes than he had inside Bayern's crowded roster. NBA Bradley Beal agreed to return to the Clippers on a reported two-year $13.2 million contract with a player option for the second year. Beal is 33 and appeared in only six games last season before undergoing surgery for a hip fracture. He averaged 8.2 points, dramatically below his career average of 21.4. The price limits the Clippers' financial risk but the basketball value depends entirely on his recovery. A healthy Beal can provide secondary creation and shooting. Another injury-affected season would leave LA heavily depending on an older core once again. In Major League Baseball Braxton Ashcroft threw his first career complete game as Pittsburgh demolished Miami 13-1. Ashcroft allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out 10. Rafael Flores had two three-run home runs during the game. Lucky Rebel had Pittsburgh at minus-123 with a total of 8. Pittsburgh cleared the total themselves while ending Miami's four-game winning streak. Milwaukee scored three times in the ninth to beat the Dodgers 5-4. Philadelphia defeated Minnesota 7-1 in the Field of Dreams game behind two Kyle Schwarber home runs. Boston shut out Toronto 7-0, Cincinnati edged the White Sox 9-8, and Detroit blanked Cleveland 3-0. Seattle ended its sixth-game losing streak by shutting out the Yankees 1-0. Washington beat the Cubs 7-0 as Cade Covelli carried a no-hitter into the seventh. Lucky Rebel had Washington at plus-128 before that game. The Nationals allowed only one hit against a Cubs team that had won 8-9. Arizona completed the baseball scoreboard by shutting out Texas 7-0. Rangers starter Jacob deGrom left after two innings with right triceps fatigue and the team hasn't established how much time he might miss. Finally, five players share the opening round lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after shooting five under 65s. Jordan Spieth, Jake Knapp, Michael Kim, Kirk Kitayama, and Michael Thornbjörnsson. Scotty Scheffler shot 68 while Rory McIlroy struggled to a 74. Lucky Rebel had McIlroy at plus-1600 in Thursday morning's tournament market, but he struggled through the day. The playoff opener is being contested in extreme Memphis heat, making the hours after each round part of the competition. Players need to replace fluids, eat properly, and recover before going out the next morning. Factor can make the meal portion of that a little bit easier away from the course, with fresh, chef-prepared, dietitian-approved meals that are ready to heat and eat in about two minutes. High-protein, calorie-smart, keto and vegan plus veggie options are available so everyone can find something great to eat. I'm not saying that the lack of a Factor meal was the reason Rory shot a 74, but I'm also not saying it wasn't. Check out factor75.com for more information. I'm Chris Horvidell and that's it for today's show about what happened yesterday. We'll see you tomorrow.