The Playbook

Real Madrid beat 10-man Valencia 3-0 at Mestalla on Saturday 7 November, with Federico Valverde opening the scoring and Kylian Mbappé scoring for the seventh match running, The Guardian reported. The win came after a 3-2 victory at AEK Athens in the Champions League on 4 November and a 3-0 league win at Racing Santander on 1 November. Real Madrid are second on 30 points from 12 games. Barcelona, who won at Atlético Madrid the next day, are three points ahead. Madrid have won each of their last five games, including the 2-1 win at Camp Nou on 25 October. Arda Güler has four goals and six assists in all competitions. Celta Vigo visit the Santiago Bernabéu next, on Saturday 21 November, with the kickoff time still to be set.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Real Madrid's defence is the strongest part of their title case. They have conceded 10 goals in 12 league games, which is joint-fewest in La Liga, and with 10 wins and two defeats they own the second-best record in the division. The defence is what keeps them in touch.

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Borussia Dortmund sit 2nd in the league and inside the top four with 21 points from 9 games — a 6W 3D 0L record that puts them on a 67% win rate. The +9 goal difference reflects a team doing more right than wrong across the season.

The most recent result was a win, which keeps the momentum positive.

The next fixture comes away against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2026 27 German Bundesliga. On current form, maintaining a clean sheet will be central to the game plan — the defensive metrics across the season show that results largely follow the defensive performance rather than individual attacking brilliance.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Borussia Dortmund sit 2nd on 21 points from 9 matches — 6W / 3D / 0L. That is 2.33 points per game, a tempo that defines the ceiling and floor of the season. The squad has scored 16 and conceded 7 for a goal difference of +9, a telling fingerprint of how the games are actually being won and lost.

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Juventus drew 2-2 at Fiorentina on 8 November and sit seventh in Serie A on 18 points, after a 2-1 win at AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. The record is five wins, three draws and three defeats from eleven league games, with 15 goals scored and 12 conceded. Randal Kolo Muani has four goals and four assists in all competitions, and Nick Woltemade has four goals. Venezia visit the Allianz Stadium on Sunday 22 November, kicking off at 6:30 am ET. They are 19th, with two wins in eleven league games and eight goals scored, so Juventus have a clear chance to move closer to the places above them against the side with the division's weakest attack, and a good result would ease the pressure.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Juventus' ceiling is set by the attack. The defence is among the league's best four, with 12 goals conceded in eleven games and three sides conceding fewer, while the attack is mid-table: 15 scored, with twelve sides having scored more.

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Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 at Atlético Madrid on Sunday 8 November, with Fermín López scoring both goals, BBC Sport and The Guardian reported. The Guardian framed the result as the end of a fortnight in which Barcelona lost to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and called the night at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano a proper test. Barcelona are top on 33 points from 12 games. Real Madrid, second, are three points behind. The win followed a 3-0 home victory over Aston Villa in the Champions League on 3 November, when Raphinha scored twice, and a 6-1 league win over Alavés on 31 October. Villarreal visit Spotify Camp Nou next, on Sunday 22 November, with the kickoff time still to be set.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Barcelona's title case rests on attack rather than defence. Their 48 league goals and goal difference of plus 35 are the best in La Liga by a distance, while the 13 goals they have conceded in 12 games are not the league's lowest. Three sides have conceded fewer. A title case can be built either way, and the question is which half is doing the carrying. Here it is the goals, and the defence is good enough rather than exceptional. Over 12 league games that is a verdict on the whole squad, and it favours the side that scores.

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Chelsea lost 1-0 at Sunderland on Sunday 8 November, Enzo Le Fée's penalty deciding it, according to The Guardian. In his Sky Sports column, Paul Merson said missing the Champions League would be a massive failure for Chelsea, and Sky Sports described Xabi Alonso's start at Stamford Bridge as inconsistent. The league results back that up: a win at Everton on 17 October, a home loss to Tottenham on 24 October, a win over Manchester United on 31 October and now the defeat on Wearside. Chelsea are 5th on 16 points, with five wins, one draw and four defeats from ten league games, scoring 19 and conceding 16. The next chance to break the pattern is at home to Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 21 November, 10:00 am ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Chelsea's defence is not good enough for the top four, and the season-long numbers make the point. Sixteen league goals conceded in ten matches is the most of any side in the top five, and it is why 19 scored has brought only 16 points. A goal difference of plus three is also the narrowest in the top five, a long way behind Brighton's plus 19 and Arsenal's plus 10, and it leaves Chelsea little protection when results turn. A top-four side usually wins its close games by keeping the opposition out, and Chelsea have not been able to do that often enough this season.

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Manchester City lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday 7 November, a third straight league defeat, and manager Enzo Maresca says he will use the international break to reassess. The Guardian reports that City's problems may go beyond tactics and says the weaknesses under Maresca are being exposed. The league defeats were 1-2 at Aston Villa, 0-1 against Brighton and now Forest, and City won in between, 3-2 at RB Leipzig in the Champions League on 4 November. City are 3rd on 21 points, with seven wins and three defeats from ten league games. Erling Haaland has 14 goals in all competitions, and Rayan Cherki has 7. Fulham visit the Etihad on Saturday 21 November, 7:30 am ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Manchester City's attack leans heavily on Erling Haaland, and that is the season-long question behind third place. Haaland has 14 goals in all competitions, twice the total of the next best, Rayan Cherki on 7. Phil Foden has 4, and no one else among the club's leading contributors has more than 2. Haaland has no assists, so his contribution is almost entirely as the finisher. One player carrying the scoring is a strength while he is fit and a risk the moment he is not, and the three straight league defeats have shown how quickly the margin for error can disappear.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Arsenal's title case does not rest on a striker, and over a full season that is less of a weakness than it looks. No Arsenal player has more than 4 goals in all competitions: Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka are on 4 each, Kai Havertz has 3 and Viktor Gyökeres 2. Declan Rice leads the club with 5 assists, and Gyökeres has 3. The goals arrive from midfield and the flanks as often as from the centre-forward, and the leaders have reached the top without a single player near the top of the scoring charts.

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Inter Miami drew 3-3 with Charlotte at Nu Stadium on 7 November to finish second in the Eastern Conference on 60 points, with a record of 16 wins, 12 draws and six defeats from 34 games. The regular season ended after a 2-1 win at New England and a 2-2 home draw with Cincinnati, so the form going into the playoffs is mixed. Miami scored 80 goals, the most in the East, and they host Columbus in Round One Game 1 at Nu Stadium on Saturday 21 November, kicking off at 6:00 pm ET. Columbus finished seventh on 47 points, 13 behind, and have scored 59 goals, so Miami begin the series with the stronger record and the better attack, though the draws on the way in show how close the margins can be.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Miami's defence is the weak side of the team. They conceded 59 goals in 34 games, the most of any club in the East's top seven, and 12 draws show leads that were not held.

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Hull City lost 1-0 at Arsenal on Saturday 7 November, and the home draws before it are the bigger story. At the MKM Stadium they drew 1-1 with Brentford on 25 October and 2-2 with Ipswich Town on 31 October, and each visitor left with a point. Hull are 13th on 11 points. They have won two, drawn five and lost three of their ten league games, with 11 goals scored and 11 conceded. Mohamed Belloumi leads the scoring with 3 goals in all competitions, and Oliver McBurnie has 2 goals and 2 assists. Turning draws into wins is the step that lifts a side in the middle of the table. The next chance comes on Sunday 22 November, 9:00 am ET, when Brighton & Hove Albion visit the MKM Stadium after the international break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Hull's season-long numbers say mid-table rather than relegation, though the margin is thinner than the goal difference suggests. A goal difference of zero after ten games, with 11 scored and 11 conceded, is the record of a side level with the division, and it is the best goal difference in the bottom half of the table. Yet 11 points leaves Hull only three clear of the bottom three, because two wins from ten is not enough to pull away from the clubs below. The goal difference describes a sound side; the points total describes one that has not yet been rewarded for it.

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Liverpool stopped a slide at Selhurst Park on Sunday 8 November, beating Crystal Palace 3-1 after defeats by Arsenal at Anfield and at Fenerbahce in the Champions League. The Guardian says Alexis Mac Allister headed the opener from a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick and Florian Wirtz made it 2-0 from Bradley Barcola's pull-back, and credits Wirtz with the quality that settled the match. BBC Sport and Sky Sports report that goalkeeper Alisson Becker wants to stay at the club beyond the end of the season, when his contract expires. Liverpool are 4th on 18 points, with five wins, three draws and two defeats. The next test is at home, with Manchester United visiting Anfield on Sunday 22 November, 11:30 am ET, after the international break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Liverpool's scoring is the limit on their top-four case, and the defence is carrying more of the load than the attack. Fourteen league goals in ten matches is the lowest total among the top five, one fewer than leaders Arsenal and well short of Brighton's 26, and a goal difference of plus four is thin for a club with Champions League ambitions. Ten conceded is the figure keeping the points total healthy, and a side scoring at this rate has little margin when it needs to defend fourth place across a full season.

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Noah Okafor scored the only goal as Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November, in a match The Guardian called an intense battle, with Jayden Bogle doing well to escape a red card. Leeds are 9th on 14 points. They have won three, drawn five and lost two of their ten league games, scoring 10 goals and conceding 8, a defensive return that keeps them competitive in most games. The win followed a 0-2 defeat at Bournemouth on 31 October. Okafor has 2 goals in all competitions and Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the club with 4. The next test is away at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge on Saturday 21 November, 10:00 am ET, after the international break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Leeds' scoring caps them at mid-table, and the season-long numbers show why. Ten league goals in ten matches is among the lowest totals in the division, even with a defence that has conceded only 8, the third-fewest behind Arsenal and Brighton. A side that scores about once a game and concedes fewer earns points from level games, but it rarely wins enough to push higher, and three wins from ten is the result. Only two league defeats show how hard Leeds are to beat; the low scoring explains why that resilience has not lifted them further.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Inter's attack is title-class and the defence is the question. They have scored 28 league goals, second-most in Serie A, and the record of nine wins, one draw and one defeat is among the best in the division. The 13 goals conceded is more than any other side in the top three has let in.

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Paris Saint-Germain stay top of Ligue 1 after edging Troyes 1-0 at the Parc des Princes on 7 November, days after a 6-0 win at Villarreal in the Champions League that BBC Sport called a thrashing. The league win lifts them to 23 points from ten games, with seven wins, two draws and one defeat. Five wins in their last five games, at home and away and in league and Europe, have kept the pressure on everyone behind them. Next comes the trip to Nice at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday 21 November, kicking off at 11:15 am ET. Nice are a side that has scored 15 in ten league games, so the visit is a proper test, but PSG carry the league's best goal difference at plus 12 and travel as the stronger team.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Paris Saint-Germain's title case rests on scoring more than on defending. Their 22 league goals are joint-most in Ligue 1, and a goal difference of plus 12 is the best in the division. The defence is good rather than the best: 10 conceded means three sides have conceded fewer, so the back line is not the reason PSG lead the table.

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Manchester United's head coach is the subject of a meeting today, and the club's league record explains why. BBC Sport reports that Michael Carrick's future will be discussed on Wednesday, while executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox retain the support of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Guardian says Mauricio Pochettino is interested in leaving the US national team job for United, and Sky Sports says he is open to talks if the club approach him. No outcome is confirmed. The backdrop is a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday 8 November. United are 18th on 8 points, with one win, five draws and four losses in ten league games. The international break gives the club room to act before the next league match, at Liverpool on Sunday 22 November, 11:30 am ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The defence is the bigger problem in Manchester United's season, and the totals make the case. United have conceded 19 league goals in ten matches, a figure only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have exceeded, while their 14 scored sits in the middle of the division. A goal difference of minus five built that way says the points are being lost at the back rather than in front of goal, and it is the defending, not the scoring, that has dragged the club into the bottom three.

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Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Mainz on 7 November to stay unbeaten in the Bundesliga, and the better news came off the pitch. BBC Sport reports that head coach Vincent Kompany is back at training after his recent collapse, with the club saying he is on the road to recovery, and that Harry Kane has signed a new contract that runs until 2029. Nine league games have brought six wins and three draws, 21 points and a goal difference of plus 20. Cologne visit the Allianz Arena on Friday 20 November, with kickoff at 2:30 pm ET, and they arrive having won only two of their nine league games. Bayern's league record is the best in the division on goals, and the home side should expect to dominate this one.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Bayern's edge at the top is bigger than the level points suggest. The goal difference of plus 20 is eleven better than second-placed Borussia Dortmund's, and it says Bayern are the stronger side even though the table shows a dead heat on points. They have scored 29, the most in the Bundesliga, and conceded 9, with only one side conceding fewer.

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AC Milan won 2-1 at Genoa on 8 November to stay fourth in Serie A on 24 points, a result that followed a 2-0 home defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League. In the league, Milan have lost only once in eleven games, with seven wins and three draws, and the 3-1 derby win over Inter on 31 October, which The Guardian credited to head coach Ruben Amorim in a piece on his first Milan derby, still stands as the high point. Alphadjo Cissè has eight goals and Adrien Rabiot five goals and five assists in all competitions. Frosinone come to San Siro on Sunday 22 November, kicking off at 12:00 pm ET. They sit sixth and have scored 24 league goals, so Milan will need more than the reputation of the derby result.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Milan are a top-four side for now, not yet title contenders. They have lost once in eleven league games, a record of seven wins, three draws and one defeat, but the goal difference of plus 10 is well short of the three clubs above them in the table.

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Toronto FC's season ended with a 4-1 defeat at Philadelphia on 7 November, leaving them 12th in the Eastern Conference on 39 points with a record of nine wins, 12 draws and 13 defeats from 34 games. The finish was seven points short of the last playoff place, so there is no postseason and no fixture left this year. The closing run was two defeats, at Atlanta and then at Philadelphia, after a 2-1 home win over D.C. United on 28 October. The league lists a provisional 2027 opener at Atlanta United, but nothing is confirmed. For a club that finished with 52 goals scored and 67 conceded, the work for next season starts at the back, and the long winter will give the club time to think about it.

Bayer Leverkusen won 2-1 at Cologne on 8 November to stay fifth in the Bundesliga on 16 points, steadying a week that had begun badly. Before the derby they lost 1-0 at home to Marseille in the Europa League, and before that came a 4-2 league defeat at home to Stuttgart. The record after nine league games is five wins, one draw and three defeats, with 20 goals scored and 17 conceded. Patrik Schick leads the scoring with 12 goals in all competitions. Paderborn visit the BayArena on Saturday 21 November, with kickoff at 9:30 am ET. They are 13th and have scored only 8 league goals in nine games, which makes this the right kind of test for a team trying to turn one good result into a run.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The defence is what keeps Leverkusen out of the top four. They have conceded 17 goals in nine league games, the most of any side in the top six, and a goal difference of plus 3 shows how much of their scoring is being given back.

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Seattle beat Arizona 17-3 at home on Sunday, 8 November, to go 5-4, and now faces Las Vegas without its starting quarterback. Sam Darnold is listed out, and Drew Lock is questionable with an oblique injury after coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that his tests were good. Zach Charbonnet carried 16 times for 77 yards, and AJ Barner scored twice. Left tackle Charles Cross and guard Quenton Nelson are both listed doubtful. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 1,036 receiving yards this season, and Cooper Kupp caught three of four targets for 32 yards on Sunday. Next is at Las Vegas, at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 4:05 pm ET. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams and receiver Rashid Shaheed are listed questionable as well.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

A +40 margin says Seattle is somewhat better than 5-4. The Seahawks have scored 202 points and allowed 162 in nine games, and the margin is real without being large. Seattle has been competitive more often than not, and the margin reflects a team that wins big when it wins.

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Kansas City routed the Jets 35-12 at home on Sunday, 8 November, to go 6-2, and the quarterback's elbow is the story that follows. Coach Andy Reid said Monday that Patrick Mahomes (elbow) is day-to-day ahead of Sunday's game, and Xavier Worthy (hamstring) is day-to-day as well. Kenneth Walker III rushed 18 times for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught all four of his targets for 41 yards and two more scores. The Chiefs also agreed to acquire receiver Josh Downs from the Colts, a deal CBS Sports says brings much-needed help in the receiving corps. Downs asked for a trade, the outlet notes. Next is at Atlanta, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Dallas has scored 246 points and allowed 236, and that is why it is only 4-5. The Cowboys' margin is +10 over nine games, which is a profile closer to .500 than to the offense's reputation. Offense is not the reason: Dak Prescott has 2,381 passing yards and CeeDee Lamb 904 receiving yards.

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Jacksonville is winning with its defense. The Jaguars won at Baltimore 33-10 on Thursday, 5 November, to go 6-2, and The Guardian notes it was their fifth win in six games. Trevor Lawrence threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, while the Ravens' Joe Fagnano managed just 60 passing yards, per The Guardian. Rayuan Lane III had a pick-six in the 42-7 win over the Colts on 1 November. At the deadline Jacksonville acquired defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from New Orleans for a 2028 sixth-round pick and relayed that it intended to keep receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Next is at Tennessee, at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET. Foyesade Oluokun recorded seven tackles and a sack at Baltimore.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Yes, a 6-2 record undersells Jacksonville. The Jaguars have scored 229 points and allowed 121 in eight games, a +108 margin that belongs to a team better than its record suggests. Eight games is a small sample, but a margin of that size is rarely an accident.

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Philadelphia's season is now about what comes next. The Eagles lost 19-11 at home to the Giants on Sunday, 8 November, to fall to 2-7, and they have lost each of their last five. Joe Milton completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards and rushed nine times for 64 yards, and Saquon Barkley carried 13 times for 22 yards and a touchdown. On the eve of the deadline the Eagles traded defensive tackle Jordan Davis to Jacksonville, a deal CBS Sports headlines as the Eagles kickstarting a rebuild. Linebacker Arnold Ebiketie stays, since his reported move to Cincinnati fell through. There is no game this weekend. Next is Pittsburgh at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, 22 November, at 1:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The scoring is the deeper problem in Philadelphia. The Eagles have 148 points in nine games against 221 allowed, a -73 margin, and the offense is the lighter half of that ledger. The Eagles' defense has its own question as well, with Jordan Davis gone from the front and Arnold Ebiketie staying.

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Miami's season has become an evaluation. The Dolphins lost 19-9 at home to Detroit on Sunday, 8 November, to fall to 1-7, and captain Zach Sieler ruptured his biceps on the opening play yet finished the game, CBS Sports reports. Sieler was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and is out for the season. Quarterback Malik Willis (core) is also on injured reserve, so Kyle McCord starts Sunday's game at Indianapolis. Caleb Douglas caught six of eight targets for 70 yards against the Lions, and Ollie Gordon II rushed 16 times for 55 yards. Running back Jaylen Wright is questionable. Next is at Indianapolis, at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Mainly offense. Miami has scored 126 points in eight games and allowed 200, a -74 margin, and the scoring side is the weaker half of that ledger. A 1-7 record with a margin of that depth is not about one bad half.

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Green Bay won 45-27 at New England on Sunday, 8 November, to go 6-3, and now plays the Vikings without Josh Jacobs. Jordan Love completed 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and he ran for a 13-yard score. Jacobs is out with a finger injury and is expected to miss multiple weeks. Kaleb Johnson could serve as the lead option on the ground, with MarShawn Lloyd (knee) questionable and Chris Brooks possibly ready to return from injured reserve. Matthew Golden caught all 10 of his targets for 164 yards, and Christian Watson had 171. Linebacker Zaire Franklin is doubtful. Next is Minnesota at Lambeau Field on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Not yet. A +25 margin makes 6-3 Green Bay a good team rather than a contender: 216 points scored and 191 allowed in nine games is modest for a team with this much passing production. A team can win six of nine with that margin, and the margin is the reason to wait before handing out the title.

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Buffalo won the way contenders win on the road: by wearing a good defense down. The Bills beat Minnesota 23-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday night, 9 November, to go 7-1, and The Guardian notes it matches their best eight-game start since 1993. Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass with 44 seconds left before half-time, and linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams each intercepted a pass. The week's roster news is in the secondary. CBS Sports reports the Bills acquired safety Amani Hooker from the Titans for a second-round pick, and it calls him one of the NFL's best safeties. Buffalo had a clear need there, the outlet says. Next comes the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET, with the Hooker deal done and a road win behind them.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

A +69 margin backs up a 7-1 record, but it is thinner than the record suggests. Buffalo has 256 points for and 187 against over eight games, the profile of a good team rather than a runaway one, and the results in hand show why. Seven wins from eight games is the headline. The margin is the footnote that asks how many of them were safe.

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Next: New York Giants vs Washington Commanders  |  2026-11-12  |  NFL

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

San Francisco beat Las Vegas 38-17 at home on Sunday, 8 November, to go 7-1, then used the deadline to patch a thinning receiver room. Brock Purdy completed 17 of 25 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and Christian McCaffrey scored once rushing and once receiving. Jordan Watkins caught all four of his targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. The move that follows is Keenan Allen, a veteran receiver the 49ers acquired from the Colts for a Day 3 pick, CBS Sports reports. The need is plain. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are both listed questionable, and Christian Kirk is on injured reserve with a knee injury. Next is Dallas at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, 15 November, at 4:25 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

San Francisco's 7-1 is a defensive record. The 49ers have allowed 156 points in eight games and scored 235, a +79 margin that rests on the defensive side of the ledger. Of the five results in hand, the one defeat was the 20-29 loss at Atlanta on 25 October, and the 29 allowed there matched the most the 49ers gave up in any of the five. The offense is capable of its share: Brock Purdy has 1,980 passing yards, Christian McCaffrey 457 rushing yards and George Kittle 483 receiving yards. They give the defense a lead to protect.

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Baltimore's season now turns on a veteran quarterback. The Ravens lost 33-10 at home to Jacksonville on Thursday, 5 November, their fourth straight loss, to fall to 4-5. With Lamar Jackson scheduled for thumb surgery and Tyler Huntley on injured reserve with a toe injury, the Ravens moved for Jacoby Brissett from Arizona, The Guardian reports. Coach Jesse Minter said he expects Brissett to be the starter against the Chargers. Center Ryan Neuzil arrived from Atlanta. Safety Kyle Hamilton, who could not finish the Jacksonville game with a hip injury, is questionable. Next are the Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday, 16 November, at 8:15 pm ET. Derrick Henry has 689 rushing yards this season, and Zay Flowers has 614 receiving yards.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Partly. Quarterback injuries explain some of Baltimore's slide, but not all of it. The Ravens have allowed 236 points in nine games against 189 scored, a -47 margin, and the defense is a large part of that.

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Minnesota's answer to a quarterback problem arrived on Tuesday. The Vikings lost 23-6 at home to Buffalo on Monday night, 9 November, with Carson Wentz committing three turnovers while starting for the injured Kyler Murray, The Guardian reports, and they sit 6-2. Wentz completed eight of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions. The Vikings then acquired Kirk Cousins from the Raiders for a third-round pick, The Guardian says, and CBS Sports writes that the 6-2 start is being dragged down by dreadful quarterback play. Murray is listed doubtful, and Odell Beckham Jr. was released Tuesday. Next is at Green Bay, at Lambeau Field on Sunday, 15 November, at 1:00 pm ET. Justin Jefferson caught three of 11 targets for 58 yards.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

It has so far. A defense The Guardian calls NFL-leading has allowed 116 points in eight games, and that has produced a +30 margin with an offense that has scored 146. A +30 margin at 6-2 is the profile of a team that wins close, and the three wins in hand were all by ten or fewer: 15-10, 23-13 and 16-10. The 146 points the offense has scored is the soft spot, and the new quarterback is meant to move it.

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New York finished 74-88 and missed the postseason. The final series at Washington went 6-7 on Friday 25 September, 7-1 on Saturday 26 September and 4-6 on Sunday 27 September, so the season closed with a defeat. The offseason has opened with Tarik Skubal: CBS Sports' hot-stove column says the Mets are to meet with him as the general managers' meetings began on Tuesday 10 November. The meeting comes with no deal reported and no game on the calendar until 2027, so for now it is the first real item of the winter for a club that missed October, and the clearest sign yet of where the front office is looking. A meeting is a first step, and the Mets have taken it.

Los Angeles went 100-62, then lost the National League Championship Series 0-4 to Milwaukee, the last game a 4-6 home loss on Thursday 15 October. The Dodgers had beaten Atlanta three games to one in the previous round, closing it out 4-1 on 7 October. CBS Sports' hot-stove column says the club could be Tarik Skubal or bust this winter. The regular season had ended with a 5-1 win at San Francisco on 27 September. There is no game scheduled until 2027, so the winter will be decided by signings, not by scores, and Skubal is the name the column keeps returning to. Any move would be aimed at a club that won 100 games and still went out without a win in its final series.

Washington finished 77-85, eight games under .500, and closed the season with a 6-4 win over the Mets on Sunday 27 September to take two of the final three games. The Nationals won 7-6 on Friday 25 September and lost 1-7 on Saturday 26 September in that series, so the last weekend at home ended on a winning note. Catcher Drew Millas is to have surgery on a fractured left index finger, the one injury on the club's list, so the roster goes into the winter largely intact. There is no game scheduled until 2027, so the winter now turns to how the club builds around the players who carried this season, and to how quickly Millas is back behind the plate.

Toronto sit at 5-5 after Monday's 102-118 home loss to Memphis, and the injury report has turned tonight's game with Boston into a test of depth. Scottie Barnes is out with a groin injury, Immanuel Quickley is questionable with a hamstring problem, and forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Collin Murray-Boyles are both questionable with illness. Kawhi Leonard is still out while his knee reconditioning continues, with another update due in a week. RJ Barrett, at 21.3 points a game, is the leading scorer not on the injury report, and Jamal Shead's 7.0 assists a game make him the club's main passer on a night when the ball handling will be tested. The Celtics visit Scotiabank Arena tonight at 7:00 pm ET, and Quickley's status is the one to watch before tip-off.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Toronto are a .500 team so far: 5-5, and nothing in the results yet marks them as clearly better or clearly worse than that. The last five results alternate loss, win, loss, win, loss, with no two results in a row going the same way, and over the seven most recent games the Raptors won three and lost four.

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Next: New York Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers  |  Wed 11 Nov 2026  |  NBA

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

Golden State beat New Orleans 138-87 at home on Monday, their seventh straight win, six of them at home, and they are 8-3 as they head to Houston. Gary Payton II is out tonight with a knee injury, and Will Richard is questionable with a thumb injury. Brandon Williams, a guard, will miss at least a week with a hamstring injury, and Kristaps Porzingis has stepped away from basketball, according to The Guardian. Stephen Curry leads the Warriors at 30.6 points a game, with Yaxel Lendeborg at 21.4 and Draymond Green passing for 7.6 assists. Houston is the opponent, and Golden State will be playing away from its own floor after a run at home. The Warriors play at Toyota Center tonight, with tip-off at 9:30 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Twenty-four points from 19 games is a contender's pace on the record. Colorado has 11 wins, 6 regulation losses and 2 overtime losses, so it has taken 24 of a possible 38 points, a little under two-thirds, with a quarter of the season gone. A team in the Central that keeps collecting at that rate has the base of a playoff place, and the regulation losses are the only real blemish on the start.

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Boston's winning run reached four games on Sunday, when the Bruins beat Florida 4-1 at TD Garden. Before that came a 5-4 overtime win over Chicago on 31 Oct, a 3-2 shootout win over Vegas on 2 Nov and a 6-2 win at Pittsburgh on 5 Nov. The record is 13-4-1 from 18 games, worth 27 points. The cost came at centre, where James Hagens is on injured reserve with a back injury, and head coach Marco Sturm has said he is expected to miss multiple weeks. The Bruins now turn to Thursday 12 Nov, when Montreal visits TD Garden at 7:00 pm ET, and the test is how the lineup covers for that missing centre while the run is still going.

Vancouver lost 3-1 at home to Philadelphia on Monday after defeats at Winnipeg (6-2) on 5 Nov and at Edmonton (4-2) on 7 Nov, leaving the Canucks at 3-16-1 with 7 points from 20 games. Filip Chytil, a centre, missed the Flyers game with a shoulder injury, and defenceman Tom Willander is day-to-day. The longer-term news is in goal, where Henrik Sedin said Monday he hopes Thatcher Demko, out with a hip injury, will be ready before Christmas. The next game is Friday 13 Nov at Rogers Arena, where the New York Rangers visit at 9:00 pm ET. The Canucks have lost six in a row, a run that began with a 3-2 loss at San Jose on 29 Oct, and the next result matters more than any plan.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The hole is deep: three wins and 7 points from a possible 40 is not a rough patch but a season that has already slipped. With 16 regulation losses against 3 wins, Vancouver has lost more than five times for every win, and the one overtime defeat does little to soften that.

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Carolina brings 30 points and a 14-3-2 record to Veikkaus Arena for a Thursday game against Seattle, the home side at an alternate site, with the puck dropping at 12:00 pm ET on 12 Nov. The Hurricanes arrive after a 9-2 home win over Chicago on Saturday, which followed a 5-3 win at the Islanders on 5 Nov and a 4-1 loss at Nashville on 3 Nov. Jordan Staal, a centre, is on injured reserve, and William Carrier, a left winger, is day-to-day. Sebastian Aho leads the scoring, and Logan Stankoven leads in goals, so the Hurricanes take a deep forward group on the road. They have lost only three times in regulation all season, and the 4-1 defeat in Nashville is the only one in their last six games.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Four of the Islanders' 18 points came from overtime or shootout losses, which makes the record look healthier than it is, but only in part. Seven wins in 17 games is .500 hockey, and the points from games that went past regulation have done much of the lifting a quarter of the way into the season.

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Toronto's home slide reached four games on Tuesday, when Colorado won 6-3 at Scotiabank Arena. Utah had won 3-2 there on 3 Nov, Montreal won 4-2 on Saturday and New Jersey won 4-0 on Sunday. Morgan Rielly, a defenceman, sat out against Colorado with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, and centre Colton Sissons was out as well. The Maple Leafs are 8-10-2 after 20 games. Their next chance to stop the slide comes on Thursday 12 Nov, when Minnesota visits Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 pm ET. Whether Rielly is cleared by then has not been confirmed, and winger Kirill Marchenko remains on injured reserve, so Toronto will go into that game short on the back end and up front.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Eight wins and ten regulation losses from 20 games leave Toronto with 18 points out of a possible 40, and over a full season that is a hole rather than a playoff-pace start. The two overtime losses add a point each, but they do not change the shape: the Maple Leafs have lost more often in regulation than they have won, and the four straight home defeats have pushed the gap wider.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

The record is elite, and it is built on more than the top line: 13 wins, 3 regulation losses and 3 overtime losses leave Edmonton with 29 of a possible 38 points from 19 games. A Pacific side that collects at that rate is on course for a playoff place, and only three regulation losses in 19 games is the number that stands out. The three overtime and shootout defeats still added a point each, so even the games Edmonton has not won have usually left it with something.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Seventeen points from 20 games is well off a playoff pace. San Jose has 8 wins, 11 regulation losses and 1 overtime loss, so it has taken 17 of a possible 40 points, a little over two in five. A team in that position needs a long run of results to climb back, and the schedule does not wait. Twenty games is a quarter of the season, and the points left on the table in that stretch cannot be won back.

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Lando Norris won the Brazilian Grand Prix on 8 November from pole position, with Oscar Piastri sixth, on the weekend McLaren introduced an upgrade package at Interlagos. Team principal Andrea Stella told Motorsport that the 2027-spec front wing concept has improved the car's driveability and predictability. Autosport reported that the team had surged to the front after updating the car in Hungary, when Norris won there and at Zandvoort, before slipping back in the pecking order. Brazil was the team's first win since Zandvoort. McLaren are fourth in the constructors' championship on 398 points with three races left, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix is next, on Saturday 21 November at 11:00 pm ET, the first chance to see whether the new parts hold up away from Interlagos.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

McLaren's points this season have come mostly from Lando Norris. All three of the team's race wins are his, and Oscar Piastri is winless. In the drivers' standings Norris is sixth and Piastri seventh, and the wins have all gone one way.

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Max Verstappen started the Brazilian Grand Prix 21st on the grid after an engine penalty and finished second on 8 November, with Isack Hadjar third behind winner Lando Norris, giving Red Bull two cars on the podium. Team principal Laurent Mekies told Motorsport that Verstappen is "beating the sim on a regular basis", adding that no simulation could have predicted the charge from 21st to second. Motorsport noted it was the third year in a row that Verstappen produced a comeback drive in Sao Paulo. Verstappen also gave his race helmet to long-serving mechanic Ole Schack, who has been with the team since its first season in 2005 and worked his final race at Interlagos, Motorsport reported. Red Bull are third in the constructors' championship on 415 points with three races left, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix is next, on Saturday 21 November at 11:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Red Bull have been a one-driver team this season. All three of the team's race wins belong to Max Verstappen, who is second in the drivers' standings, while Isack Hadjar has no wins and is eighth. In the drivers' standings Verstappen has 279 points and Hadjar 122, so more than two-thirds of the pair's total has come from one car. The second seat has supplied support but not victories, and that is the pattern the season-long record shows.

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Mercedes are constructors' champions for the ninth time, and the first since 2021. George Russell finished fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix on 8 November, won by Lando Norris, and that was enough to seal the title at Interlagos, Motorsport reported. The Guardian said it was Mercedes' first drivers' and constructors' double since 2020, with Antonelli the new world champion. Antonelli paid tribute to the 2,500 people at the team, calling them an amazing group of people. Team principal Toto Wolff also revealed that Lewis Hamilton, now a Ferrari driver, would share the flight home from Brazil with the new champions, according to Motorsport. Mercedes stand on 652 points with three races left, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix is next, on Saturday 21 November at 11:00 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The constructors' margin this season has been commanding. Mercedes have 652 points to the 510 of the next team, a lead of 142 points, with three races still to run and round 21 of 23 next. Twelve race wins sit behind that total, and the title was settled with three rounds to spare.

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Ferrari left Interlagos with their weakest result in five races. Charles Leclerc finished eighth and Lewis Hamilton ninth, a lap down, in the Brazilian Grand Prix on 8 November, won by Lando Norris from pole. Hamilton started 20th after an engine penalty, climbed through the field and then spun in the closing laps; he told fans he was "devastated", Motorsport reported. Before the race he said the tension with Leclerc after the Mexico City clash had been "squashed" without Fred Vasseur's involvement, according to Autosport. Second in the constructors' championship is still Ferrari's, on 510 points with three races left. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is next, on Saturday 21 November at 11:00 pm ET, round 21 of 23, and the season ends in Abu Dhabi on 6 December.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Ferrari have not had a lead driver this season; they have had two equals, and that is the problem The Guardian described when it asked how the team can solve the issue of two number one drivers. Lewis Hamilton is fourth in the drivers' standings and Charles Leclerc fifth, and each has one of the team's two race wins. A genuine number one usually separates from his teammate in the standings, and neither of these two has.

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Between events: Shuri Sakuma won the TOTO Japan Classic on Sunday 8 November at 20 under, the last stop of the tour's run of events in Asia. The LPGA Tour now turns to The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, which runs Thursday 12 November to Sunday 15 November on CNBC and Golf Channel. Golf Channel reported that Nichols, discussing the LPGA awards, defended Nelly's decision to skip the Asian swing. IndyStar published photos of Annabelle Pancake-Webb of Zionsville, the newest member of the LPGA Tour, a reminder that the tour's membership is already turning towards next season. With the Asian swing over, The ANNIKA is the first event back in the United States, and Sakuma's 20-under total is the latest winning score the field will be measured against.

Between events: Blades Brown, 19, won the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico on 8 November at 23 under, and BBC Sport called him the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years. The Tour now moves to the Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions, which runs Thursday 12 November to Sunday 15 November in Austin, with coverage on ESPN+ and Golf Channel. Away from the Tour's own events, the Guardian reported that the DP World Tour is ready to welcome former LIV players after LIV Golf began bankruptcy proceedings in a New Jersey court, with Bryson DeChambeau among them. The DP World Tour expects an influx of LIV players next year, the Guardian said, so the landscape around the PGA Tour is shifting as its fall schedule nears its end.

The 2026 WorldTour is over. All 36 scheduled races are complete, and the last of them was the Tour of Guangxi, held from 13 to 18 October. Jarno Widar won it, with Tom Pidcock second and Louis Barré third, so the season's final podium went to a stage race rather than a one-day classic. There is no next WorldTour race scheduled, and the calendar now sits empty until the new season is published. The closing weeks were busy before that: the Vuelta a España finished on 13 September, the two Canadian one-day races were run on 11 and 13 September, and Il Lombardia was raced on 10 October. With the racing done, the next WorldTour news will come from the 2027 calendar and route announcements rather than results, and the off-season begins in earnest.

Johnny Walker beat Waldo Cortes Acosta in the heavyweight main event at the Meta APEX on 7 November, with the bout ending in round three of five scheduled. A week earlier, at the same venue, Tom Nolan beat Renato Moicano in the lightweight main event, also ending in round three. The next big card is UFC 334 on Saturday 14 November at Madison Square Garden, live on Paramount+, where heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane defends the belt against unbeaten Josh Hokit. Bloody Elbow reported that Norma Dumont is leaving the UFC with two fights left on her contract, after losing her last two. UFC 334 is scheduled for 13 bouts, with the heavyweight title fight at the top of the card and the build-up already centred on whether Hokit's record survives.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The UFC's title belts are unsettled. Of the UFC's 11 current champions, six have yet to make a defence: Ciryl Gane, Carlos Ulberg, Sean Strickland, Justin Gaethje, Kayla Harrison and Natália Silva. A division with a champion who has never defended is a division where the next fight decides whether the reign has legs, and the belts that have not yet been defended are the ones with the least history.

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