Lamar Jackson, a quarterback, made his injury debut by completing four touchdown passes for the Baltimore Ravens, 28-6.
Jackson missed three games with a hamstring injury in the team’s 37-20 defeat at the Kansas City Chiefs on September 28.
The 28-year-old completed 18 of his 23 passes for 204 yards with no interceptions, which is second-placed twice in the NFL MVP poll.
He twice won the MVP award, according to tight end Mark Andrews.
We are a dangerous team with [number] 8 leading the charge.
Baltimore (3-5) have won their first six games, and they are attempting to become the only NFL team to reach the playoffs after losing five of their first six games.
At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the Ravens managed just two field goals, putting together a strong defensive display.
Jackson acknowledged after the first play that he initially felt “a little rusty,” but he quickly found a rhythm.
After scoring Charlie Kolar to end an 11-play, 68-yard drive in the third quarter, he found Andrews with two of his touchdown passes in the first half. Rashod Bateman completed his touchdown pass.
Running back Derrick Henry, who became the 17th player in NFL history to surpass the 12, 000-yard career rushing mark, said, “Whenever you’re away from the game, you miss it.”
One of the constant refrains throughout England’s triumphant run at Euro 2025 – and most women’s football matches in recent years – has been how important the success of the national team has been for the growth of the game.
And there has undoubtedly grown. Since England finished third at the 2015 World Cup, the media has grown significantly and discussion of women’s football has increased significantly over the past ten years, especially since their Euro title was won in 2022.
What is going on with WSL attendance?
Following England’s victory at Euro 2022 and their bid to reach the 2023 World Cup final, there was a noticeable increase in average attendance over the previous four Women’s Super League (WSL) seasons, but figures for the last campaign only slightly increased.
This season the league has averaged almost 6, 500 fans per game. And while it’s important to remember that the season is still in its early stages, with most teams only having played six games, and that larger men’s stadiums like Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham haven’t yet had the same level of bounce as they did three years ago, it’s obvious that there hasn’t been as much.
This season, there have also been two WSL fixture rounds that have been played on weekends without Premier League games, compared to the previous round’s one, which is typically when the WSL will be aiming for larger crowds.
Comparing the first six games of the season to this stage last year, the Women’s Sport Trust reported a fall of 1% in attendances.
However, some clubs exhibit signs of success.
Since Everton’s men moved to Hill Dickinson Stadium, they now play the majority of their home games at Goodison Park.
Their two WSL matches at their new home have drawn crowds of 6, 473 and 4, 313 – a huge rise from the previous two seasons, when they averaged 2, 000 at Walton Hall Park. 18, 154 people turned out for their first game against Manchester United at Hill Dickinson.
For their 0-0 draw against Arsenal this season, Manchester United had an audience of 8,665 at their Leigh Sports Village home, which is a club record for a WSL game.
There has been a more concerted push in women’s football for a dedicated fan base, to solidify the recent success and exposure into something longer term.
Nicky Kemp, editorial director of marketing consultancy Creativebrief, calls it “a really good strategy.”
The women’s game will always lose if we use the men’s game as a model. It will always be behind the curve if you compare transfer fees or how many people are in the stadiums.
Many clubs need to learn how to get fans to experience games because they have never had a strategy for filling stadiums.
“We have a lot of fans,” said one fan.
Arsenal is a fascinating case study. Playing all their WSL home games at the 60, 000-seater Emirates for the first time this season, they have the largest permanent home capacity of any English women’s side.
In three games this campaign, none of their attendances have exceeded 40, 000, compared to two out of three at the start of the previous season.
The club is not concerned about lower crowds because they are more pressing for a returning core of supporters than tens of thousands of day-trippers, even though they did not host one of the other big four teams this campaign in those first three games last year.
“We are very happy with the fans we have”, Arsenal manager Renee Slegers told her post-Brighton news conference when asked by BBC Sport about the attendance of 27, 336.
“I’m happy and proud of the fans and attendances we have,” he said.
On November 8th, Arsenal plays Chelsea, and they already had sold 50 000 tickets by last Friday. Last season 45, 860 fans attended the same fixture.
About 17, 000 season tickets for women’s soccer have been sold by Arsenal between 2025 and 2026. Compare this to Meadow Park’s 4,500 capacity, which was where they played the majority of their home games up until 2024.
“Our focus this season is on working together with these supporters to make the Emirates feel like the true home of Arsenal Women now all WSL matches are here”, a club spokesperson said.
Kick-off times are another problem for WSL fans.
New timings this season mean many more games start at noon, rather than the staggered kick-off times WSL fans were used to, while the divisive 18.45 slot on a Sunday has been scrapped.
To avoid conflict with Sky’s Premier League pick, which started at 14:00, three matches started at 11.55 on October 5.
Sports-mad families must choose between participating and attending, and using public transportation on a Sunday morning to travel to games can be challenging.
One plus is that games not picked for broadcast on BBC or Sky are now on YouTube, with the much-maligned FA Player consigned to the scrapheap.
Brands on the women’s football bandwagon
Sponsorship is a key factor in the success of major brands, which continue to be focused on women’s football.
Similar to the Premier League, the WSL, which is an independent company as of August 2024, is currently in the second year of a three-year, £45 million title sponsorship deal with Barclays, while a new agreement allows British Gas customers to obtain free tickets.
WSL players and clubs will appear in the Football Manager series of video games for the first time in the 2026 version which will be released in November.
According to Kemp, “The biggest brands are choosing to invest their money in women’s sports.” And since it’s in the challenger stage, it’s incredibly good value. While WSL is an independent entity, they can do their own activations”.
Other than the buzz surrounding major tournaments, other brands have also made longer commitments to women’s football.
Kerstin Casperij, a City and Netherlands defender, and her partner Ruth have become the faces of Tinder’s dating app, making one of the most eye-catching changes.
On social media England players are garnering a greater following.
Chloe Kelly, Leah Williamson, and Alessia Russo are the three current England players with more than a million Instagram followers. Not far behind are Ella Toone (850, 000), Lucy Bronze (905, 000), and Lauren James (950, 000).
Images courtesy of Getty
What about the pyramid’s lower reaches?
After newly promoted Ipswich and Nottingham Forest both advanced to professional football over the summer, the second tier, WSL2, was renamed WSL2 for the 2025-26 season, and now has 12 full-time teams for the first time.
Professionalism also means treating players like professionals. Women’s use of men’s boots has become a common complaint due to the recent spate of serious knee ligament injuries in the WSL.
Nike, a sportswear giant, announced in September that it would offer free gloves to keepers and boots for WSL and WSL2 players. These are standard practice at the highest level of the men’s game.
Below the professional level, an extra promotion place has been added from the third tier. The women’s national league North and South winners used to compete for a spot in the second division, but now both winners move up.
And at the grassroots, it appears to be in good health.
Before the Euros, Sport England released figures stating that 835, 000 girls regularly play football – an increase of 165, 000 compared to 2017 – and that over the past decade almost 100, 000 women have taken up the sport, 215, 000 regularly played football a decade ago compared to 310, 000 now.
49 people have already been killed by Hurricane Melissa, but that number is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue to traverse the northern Caribbean’s trail of destruction.
At least 30 people died and 20 were missing, according to Haitian authorities on Thursday. The lumbering storm caused days of torrential rains to the impoverished country, which was not directly affected. The Reuters news agency reports 19 fatalities in Jamaica, according to Reuters. Before the hurricane made landfall elsewhere, one death has been reported in the Dominican Republic.
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One of the strongest Atlantic storms ever, Melissa, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of up to 295 kilometres per hour (183 miles per hour). According to government officials, the hurricane did not directly hit Kingston, but it did strike Jamaica’s western side, causing “devastation.”
Melissa then made contact with Cuba, moving along a Category 3 hurricane, before cutting off its path on Wednesday night. According to the US National Hurricane Center, it will pass close to Bermuda and be within 60 kilometers (37 miles).
Even though the storm’s strength has steadily decreased over the past week, it has caused destructive winds, rain, and flooding in the Caribbean.
Although neither the island of Hispaniola and Haiti, which share it, were directly hit, neither country’s island nor the Dominican Republic, reported heavy flooding.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, people are residing inside a shelter for families who have been displaced by gang violence and the flooding brought by Hurricane Melissa.
Although the eastern half of Cuba was heavily impacted by strong winds, Reuters reported no deaths in Cuba as of yet.
According to the newswire, hundreds of thousands of people in the Caribbean are still without power, including 70% of Jamaica’s electricity users.
Local authorities are assessing the extent of the damage done to the infrastructure, including power lines and downed trees.
UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu claims that the island has experienced “never before” devastation despite preliminary assessments for Jamaica, where UN agencies claim they are still calculating the damage caused by Melissa.
The US Disaster Assistance Response Team has been assigned by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to assist Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba, according to a statement released by the US State Department on Thursday.
After hearing the “bittersweet” news that Andrew would lose his titles, Giuffre’s brother sobbed. Hours after it was revealed that King Charles had chosen Andrew to be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sky Roberts and his wife Amanda made an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
In response to the scandal surrounding his close ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew had been under increased pressure to leave his Royal Lodge home in recent weeks. Virginia charged Andrew with having sex with her when she was just 17 in March 2001.
She claimed that Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, had arranged her for her. Virginia claimed that Andrew and his girlfriend took her to the London Tramp club where they later had sex that night. She claimed that after having sex with Andrew, Epstein paid her $15, 000. Andrew vehemently refuted the allegations in a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight and admitted to not remembering meeting Virginia. Andrew vehemently refutes all accusations made against him.
Sky and Amanda Virginia’s brother, Sky, appeared on Good Morning Britain and cried.
On Good Morning Britain, a tearful Sky said, “It means everything to me.” He continued, “I was aware that Virginia would be forever affected by it.” We wished we were embracing her at this time, laughing with her, and celebrating this moment, Amanda continued.
He should be ready to come forward and appear in court, Sky continued. He has not yet completed his investigation, and he has almost always refused to cooperate with it. We’re asking for a thorough investigation, and we’re asking for his court appearance. Andrew has vehemently stated his willingness to assist American investigators.
Before continuing, Sky said, “I’m more than willing to have that conversation with him, I’ll come to London tomorrow, and we can have that conversation together,” “I’m] more than willing to give my sister’s testimony in front of him [King Charles].” Sky expressed his hope that this is doing her a little justice. I’m extremely proud of her, the British people, and the King. It just proves that change can occur if you simply come forward, tell the truth, and make your voice heard.
Virginia had claimed that Andrew had slept with her when she was just 17 (AP).
Virginia’s family reported on Thursday evening that Virginia had “declared a victory” as a result of the news. They claimed in a statement that she “brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage” in a statement shared with BBC News. An ordinary American girl from a typical American family carried out a remarkable bravery against a British prince today.
When our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, was just a child when Andrew sexually assaulted her, never gave up fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and countless other victims. She declares victory today. Virginia’s battle is ongoing, her family, and her survivors’ sisters, and we must work together to bring about the same level of accountability for all of her abusers and advocates connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
He will now go by the name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (AFP via Getty Images).
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King had started the legal process to remove all of his titles in a rare move on Thursday. Their Majesty has started a formal procedure to remove Prince Andrew’s style, titles, and honors, according to them. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor will now be known as Prince Andrew. He has since been given legal protection to remain in residence thanks to his lease on Royal Lodge.
He will move to another private accommodation after receiving formal notice that the lease has been revoked. Despite the fact that he continues to refute the accusations against him, these critiques are deemed necessary. Their Majesties are happy to express to the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse that their thoughts and sympathies have been and will remain with them forever.
At the age of 41, Virginia tragically committed suicide in April at her Neergabby, Western Australia, home. Her father initially disputed her death as suicide because he thought “someone got to her.”
The Samaritans have a free helpline that is available 24/7, accessible at 116 123, for those who are struggling and need to talk. You can also contact Jo at jo@samaritans.org or visit their website to find your neighborhood branch.
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