The Morning Shot: September 14, 2026
The sports stories worth knowing before your coffee gets cold.
Good morning. The U.S. Open is complete, Team USA is once again on top of the basketball world, the Packers gave us an opening-day gut punch, and there is a new #1 in college football.
Here’s what you need to know.
01 | The U.S. Open Ends With Two New Champions
The U.S. Open gave us a spectacular final weekend—and two champions who had very different paths to the trophy.
On Saturday, Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 to win the women’s title. Sabalenka was attempting to win her third straight U.S. Open, but Rybakina took control in the third set and finished the tournament as the new world No. 1.
Then yesterday, Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6–3, 7–6 (2), 5–7, 6–2 for his first U.S. Open title.
Shelton gave the Arthur Ashe crowd a real reason to believe after fighting back to take the third set, but Zverev was simply steadier when it mattered. He broke early in the fourth and never gave the match back.
It is a tough ending for Shelton, who was playing in his first major final—and came within one win of ending the American men’s 23-year Grand Slam drought. But getting to this stage still matters. He looked like he belonged there and I don’t doubt that he will be back.
The takeaway: The U.S. Open did not give American fans the ending they wanted, but it gave tennis two meaningful champions—and Ben Shelton’s run feels much more like a beginning than an ending.
02 | Team USA Is Still Team USA
France came out swinging but Team USA still left Berlin with gold.
The Americans beat France 97–79 Sunday to win their fifth straight FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title.
France led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter after going on a 21–2 run and, for a minute, it felt like we might actually be in for a stunning finish. Team USA cut the deficit to two by halftime, then absolutely took over in the third quarter.
Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, while Jackie Young added 18. Caitlin Clark hit a massive three at the halftime buzzer, then helped the Americans pull away for good in the second half.
The win extends Team USA’s unbeaten run in Olympic and World Cup competition to 20 years. Read that again: 20 years.
The takeaway: France made this interesting—and that matters for the future of international women’s basketball, but when it was time to respond, Team USA did what it has done for two decades: found another level and a way to win.
03 | The Polls Are In—and Texas Is No. 1
The new AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll are in, and there is a new team at the top.
Texas is No. 1 after its remarkable comeback win over Ohio State. Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami round out the top five, while Ohio State drops to No. 6.
The biggest fall belongs to Oregon. After losing to unranked Oklahoma State, the Ducks fell from No. 6 to No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, respectively.
Michigan is back in the rankings at No. 19 in both polls after a fairly convincing win over Oklahoma, while the Sooners fell to No. 24 in the AP rankings. Penn State climbed to No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll.
Looking ahead, we already have some major matchups shaping the next round of movement: No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss (mark your calendars!), No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville, and No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech.
The takeaway: Two weeks in, the polls are already doing what college-football polls do best: creating debate. Texas earned the top spot, Oregon has a lot of work to do, and the SEC is once again taking up a whole lot of real estate near the top which Nick Saban loves.
04 | A Brutal Finish for the Packers
I would love to tell you the Packers started their season on a high note. I cannot.
Green Bay led Minnesota 22–10 late in the third quarter, but the Vikings scored 29 straight points to win 39–22 in Minneapolis. The turning point was when Matt LaFleur decided to take points off the board and opt for a 4th & 1 quarterback sneak that was stuffed at the line short of the marker. An interesting (and bad) call considering how the offensive line had been bullied throughout the game.
Jordan Love finished with 387 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Christian Watson had six catches for 147 yards and two scores. There was plenty to like offensively—until there was not.
A stopped fourth-and-one, a strip-sack and an interception gave Minnesota short fields and turned a five-point game into a rout. Carson Wentz, who entered after Kyler Murray left injured, threw three touchdown passes for the Vikings. As a reminder, the Packers have still not won a game since Micah Parsons went down with his ACL injury last December.
Elsewhere around the NFL, Caleb Williams and the Bears scored 59 points in a Week 1 win (hate having to celebrate the Bears), Josh Allen led Buffalo to a late win over Houston, and Detroit escaped New Orleans in overtime.
The takeaway: It is one game but blowing a 12-point lead in a division matchup is exactly the kind of loss that lingers longer than it should and was very reminiscent of last season. The offense showed real promise even with a pathetic offensive line performance; the collapse showed how little margin there is in the NFC North. On to Week 2.
05 | Manchester City Won the Derby With 10 Players
A Manchester derby is dramatic enough on its own. This one came with a red card, a controversial VAR decision and a massive goal from Erling Haaland.
Manchester City beat Manchester United 1–0 despite playing the final hour with 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute.
United hit the post twice and had opportunities to take control, but Haaland scored in the 60th minute. The goal was initially ruled offside before VAR overturned the call after a lengthy review. City held on behind a late Gianluigi Donnarumma save and moved into second place in the Premier League, level on points with Arsenal.
The takeaway: United will be frustrated by the VAR decision, but City just won a derby while a man down for more than an hour. That is the kind of result that creates early-season momentum in a hurry.
☕ ONE TO WATCH | Broncos vs. Chiefs
The NFL’s opening weekend wraps up tonight with Denver at Kansas City on Monday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs, a division opponent and the first Monday night game of the season. That is plenty of reason to tune in.
Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The takeaway: After an entertaining Sunday slate, the NFL has one more chance to remind us why September football is still fun to watch.
Five stories. A few minutes. Now you can pretend you spent all morning following sports.
