This Week in Sports Talk (TWIST) is our weekly report on the big sports news headlines and major events, plus a preview of what’s up next. For October 9, 2022, here are the weekly top 10 sports news headlines to know: the big stories and major events in sports news this week in the NFL, MLB and more.

weekly top 10 big sports news headlines and major events: October 9, 2022

I hope you’re sitting down for this one, dear reader: the New York Times reported this week that “following a period of tabloid and fan speculation over Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s marriage, the couple has reportedly hired divorce lawyers. The New York Post first cited “multiple sources” as saying that the couple had hired lawyers and were starting to sort out the financial and personal details of a divorce. CNN and NBC also reported the development.”

Have the supermodel and the GOAT reached the end of the road after a 13-year marriage? And if so, why? The consensus seems to be that Bündchen put her career on hold for years, raising the couple’s children and supporting Brady’s career. The quarterback’s “retirement-unretirement” saga last year seems to have been the final straw. An interview in Elle magazine earlier this year portrayed Bündchen as being ready to start a new era in her life: “I feel very fulfilled in that way, as a mother and as a wife,” she said. “And now it’s going to be my turn.”

It’s hard to argue with that, actually. Our Sports Desk seems to have some inside information on how all of this is shaping up. They report that Pete Davidson has been seen squiring Bündchen around town. That would be the same Pete Davidson who held Kim Kardashian’s hand through the dark days of her divorce from Kanye West. The ex-Mrs. West said this week that “hot girls always fall for Pete.” It’s gotta be a tough job, being a shoulder to cry on for all these newly-divorced celebrities. But someone’s got to do it.

Meanwhile, today is a big day in sports, and here are 10 other top headlines from the world of sports to know this Sunday.

1. NFL week 4 roundup.

Courtesy of CBS Sports, here are the highlights of Week 4 of the NFL season, in case you missed any of it.

• The New York Jets’ Zach Wilson got a win in his season debut, with a 24-20 upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• The Green Bay Packers narrowly avoided a loss to the New England Patriots with a 27-24 overtime win.
• The Dallas Cowboys dominated the Commanders, 25-10, for their third win in a row.
• In a “statement win,” on Sunday night the Kansas City Chiefs thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-31.
• The Baltimore Ravens, incredibly, blew a 20-3 lead on Sunday in a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
• On Monday night, San Francisco scored a 24-9 win over the LA Rams, making it seven straight regular-season victories over the their intra-state rivals.

2. Thursday Night Football: Colts 12, Broncos 9.

On Week 5 Thursday Night Football, two injury-plagued NFL teams with new quarterbacks and a slow start to the season delivered an uninspiring touchdown-free game. The Indianapolis Colts slogged their way to a 12-9 win in overtime over the Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. CBS Sports notes that it was the Colts’ first win without scoring a touchdown since 2003.

It was a terrible night for the Broncos, who acquired Russell Wilson from Seattle in a $250 million deal to solve their quarterback problems, alongside new head coach Nathaniel Hackett. So far, no good. This was just the fifth game in Wilson’s career with no touchdowns. Ugh!

The big winner on Thursday night was actually Amazon – the streaming service has seen a major lift from its exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football.

3. NFL Week 5 notable games to come

Heading into Week 5, the Philadelphia Eagles remain on top as the last team with no losses this season. The Eagles are 4-0 for the first time since 2004 after they pulled off a 29-21 comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. The Houston Texans, on the other hand, are the only winless team through the first four games.

In Gotham, there’s a happy shock flowing through the system, as the New York Giants and New York Jets are collectively 5-3 for the season. What??? No one expected that.

Courtesy of our Sports Desk, here are some of the big games of note for the rest of week 5:

• The defending Super Bowl champion LA Rams (2-2) take on the Dallas Cowboys (3-1), who have won three straight with Cooper Rush (who is one of the most interesting stories of the season so far).
• The best quarterback matchup of the week will see Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (2-2) host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) on Sunday night. These are the two best 2-2 teams in the league right now, and their early records may not be the full story on how their seasons will shape up.
• After taking over as quarterback from Russell Wilson in Seattle, Geno Smith has played the best football of his career. No one expected much of anything from the Seahawks this season, yet they’re at 2-2. They meet the New Orleans Saints (1-3) this afternoon.
• The undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) meet the once-formidable Arizona Cardinals (2-2) this afternoon. Fox Sports opines that the Cardinals are just trying to stay afloat until their wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins returns from his six-game suspension.
• The Green Bay Packers (3-1) are playing the New York Giants (3-1) this morning in London – it’s the first time in Packers franchise history, and apparently they had some differences of opinion on whether it should be a business trip or a mini-vacation. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly wanted to spend the entire week in England. But the team flew over Friday night, and will be on the ground for just two days. That’s caused some disgruntlement among the troops, but the coaches won the day with a quick turnaround planned. Every NFL team has to play at least one international game every eight years, so perhaps next time the Green Bay players will get to . . . play out.

4. A record-setting MLB season comes to a close

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . extreme winning and extreme losing were the norm in the MLB this year.

In the 2022 season, four teams (the Houston Astros, LA Dodgers, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves) had over 100 wins. If the Yankees had won just one more game, this would have been the season with highest number of teams with 100+ wins in league history. The Dodgers’ 111 wins make them the 4th winningest team in MLB history for the regular season.

On the flip side, in the 2022 season, four teams (the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates) had over 100 losses. That has happened before, and seems to be a trend – what’s new is that the divide between the weak and the strong is growing ever wider.

5. Aaron Judge makes it 62 homers this season, setting new AL record.

Aaron Judge hit his 62nd homer of the season on Tuesday in a game against the Texas Rangers. With the long-awaited run, he passed Roger Maris’ record, set in 1961, for the most regular season home runs by an American League player. He’s now number seven on the all-time list of the most homers in a season.

In addition to setting this new record, Judge had a real shot at achieving the AL Triple Crown (leading the league in homers, RBI and average). The slugger led the AL in home runs and RBI for the season, but his .311 batting average was five points shy of the .316 mark posted by Twins infielder Luis Arraez. So Judge fell just short, leaving Miguel Cabrera as MLB’s most recent Triple Crown winner, won in 2012.

The MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards are based on regular-season performance only, making Judge the clear front-runner for AL MVP. The only other serious contender for that title, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, just signed a one-year $30-million deal to avoid arbitration for the 2023 season. It’s the most money ever paid to an arbitration-eligible player.

6. Albert Pujols hits 703, surpasses Babe Ruth on career RBI’s.

The Cardinals’ Albert Pujols passed Babe Ruth this week, securing second place on the all-time RBI list. He hit career home run No. 703, and trails only Hank Aaron in the RBI category.

7. MLB Playoff News: wild card weekend coming to a close

The Major League Baseball Playoffs started on Friday with four games, and if you want a detailed overview of the new format, the teams playing, key storylines and the potential breakout stars, have a look at our special report on everything you need to know to get excited about the 2022 playoffs, here.

Three of the wild cards are done, with just one NL game yet to be played.

MLB National league Wild Card Series

The NL Wild Card games saw the No. 5 Padres at the No. 4 Mets (with the winner facing the LA Dodgers). And the No. 6 Phillies at the No. 3 Cardinals (with the winner facing the Atlanta Braves).

The Mets staved off elimination last night, after Max Scherzer gave up 4 homers in Game 1 and the Mets lost 7-1. Jacob deGrom took the mound for Game 2, and thanks in part to Pete Alonso, the Mets pulled off a 7-3 win. Game 3 is tonight at Citi Field, with the hopes for a Subway World Series hanging on the outcome. Go, Mets!

The Phillies upset the Cardinals last night to advance to the first NLDS since 2011.

Whatever happens in Gotham tonight, the consensus is that the LA Dodgers are the team to beat right now in the NL. They’re also currently the favorites to win the World Series this year.

MLB American league Wild Card Series

At the start of the weekend, the AL Wild Card best-of-three series saw the No. 5 Mariners at the No. 4 Blue Jays (with the winner going on to face the Houston Astros). And the No. 6 Rays at the No. 3 Guardians (with the winner facing the New York Yankees).

Both wild cards are now settled in the AL. In Game 2, Tampa Bay faced elimination and they definitely hung on longer than anyone could have expected. As of the 14th inning, both Cleveland and Tampa Bay were scoreless. Cleveland scored a walk-off solo home run at the bottom of the 15th, sending the Rays home for the season. The Guardians meet the New York Yankees in a best-of-5 series starting Tuesday.

Also on Saturday, the second AL wild card series came to a close when the Seattle Mariners eliminated the Toronto Blue Jays in a 10-9 nail-biter (at one point, the Mariners were down 7 runs). They meet the Astros on Tuesday for a best-of-5 ALDS series.

8. College football week 6 highlights

In a surprise move, this week Wisconsin fired head football coach Paul Chryst. The university will reportedly owe Chryst more than $16 million, even though he’s no longer on the job. Five coaches in the Power Five have already been terminated this season. In addition to Chryst, they are Colorado’s Karl Dorrell; Nebraska’s Scott Frost; Arizona State’s Herm Edwards; and Georgia Tech’s Geoff Collins.

• Alabama’s injured QB Bryce Young didn’t take the field against Texas A&M, but the Crimson Tide still ground out a 24-20 win yesterday.
• No. 2 Georgia thumped Auburn in the Bulldogs’ first home game of the season.
• No. 3 Ohio State visited Michigan State and trounced them.
• No. 25 LSU had been on 4-game winning streak heading into the weekend. But No. 8 Tennessee emerged undefeated, annihilating LSU 40-13.
• The college Catholic and Mormon flagships played each other in Las Vegas yesterday, and Notre Dame beat BYU, 28-20.

9. NBA’s Warriors at war in practice this week.

The Warriors are considering internally disciplining their star forward Draymond Green after he got into a physical altercation at practice this week. Green reportedly got in a heated argument with Jordan Poole on Wednesday. After the two confronted each other, pushing and shoving ensued, and Green reportedly “forcefully struck” Poole.

Our Sports Desk speculates that the brawl occurred because both players are up for contract negotiations, and the younger Poole is likely to be considered more valuable than the aging Green. Poole’s team is working against an October 17the deadline. It’s not the first time the two have had disputes, but this is the first one where a haymaker was thrown.

Late yesterday came word that Green has offered a public apology and announced he will step away from the team indefinitely after the altercation.

The Warriors begin the regular season in less than 10 days against the LA Lakers.

10. King James anoints a new potential NBA star

LeBron James was so impressed with what he saw this week from Victor Wembanyama, the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2023 NBA Draft that his hyperbole extended to the extraterrestrial. “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years,” said James on Wednesday, “but [Wembanyama] is more like an alien.”

The 7’4,” 18-year-old phenom currently plays for the Metropolitans 92 team from France. Remember that name – he’s being touted as a once-in-a-generation talent.

Weekly Top sports news headlines and major events to know: October 9, 2022

That’s our take on the big sports news headlines and major events, and a preview of the week ahead, including what to know about football, baseball and more. Have a great week, dear reader. See you next Sunday.