The Playbook

Real Madrid won 3-0 at Valencia on Saturday 7 November, their fifth straight win in all competitions, and Kylian Mbappé scored for the seventh match running, according to The Guardian. The run began with a 4-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig on 21 October and the 2-1 Clásico win at Camp Nou on 25 October, then continued with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander on 1 November and a 3-2 win at AEK Athens in the Champions League on 4 November. Madrid are second in La Liga with 30 points from 12 games, from 10 wins and two defeats. Barcelona lead them by three points after winning at Atlético Madrid the following day. Next is Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 3:00 pm ET, after the international break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Real Madrid's title chase is being carried by the defence more than the attack. Real Madrid have conceded 10 league goals, joint-fewest in La Liga with Atlético Madrid and Celta Vigo, and a goal difference of plus 21 is second only to Barcelona in the division.

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Juventus drew 2-2 at Fiorentina on Sunday 8 November, a result that keeps them 7th in Serie A on 18 points from 11 games. Before it they beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday 5 November, and before that they won 2-0 at home against Napoli on Sunday 1 November, so they are unbeaten across the three results on file. The draw is the one that costs something. AC Milan are 4th on 24 points, six clear of Juventus, and a draw at a club in the lower half of the table does not close that gap. Fiorentina are 15th on 9 points, which is why the result feels like two points dropped. Next is Venezia at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 6:30 AM ET. Venezia are 19th on 6 points, so Juventus are the heavy favourites and a win is close to a requirement.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Juventus are seventh with a positive goal difference because they defend like a top-four side and score like a bottom-half one. Over 11 games they have conceded 12 goals, fourth-fewest among the 20 clubs, but scored only 15, which ranks 13th. A goal difference of +3 is the arithmetic result of those two ranks, and it is a small number for a side that wants a European place.

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Fermín López scored twice as Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1 at Atlético Madrid on Sunday 8 November, BBC Sport and The Guardian reported. Barcelona are top of La Liga on 33 points from 12 games. It was a third win in a row in all competitions, after the 6-1 home win over Alavés on 31 October and the 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa on 3 November. The only league defeat so far remains the 2-1 home loss to Real Madrid on 25 October. The international break now gives the squad two weeks to recover before Villarreal visit Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 8:00 am ET. The win kept them three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid going into the break.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Attack. Barcelona have scored 48 league goals, the most in La Liga, and their goal difference of plus 35 is the best in the division by a distance. Whatever lead the club carries into the break was built at one end of the pitch, and the record of 11 wins in 12 league games says the attack has rarely had a quiet afternoon.

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Chelsea's last four league results read win, loss, win, loss: 2-0 at Everton on 17 October, 0-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 24 October, 2-0 at home to Manchester United on 31 October and 0-1 at Sunderland on Sunday 8 November, Le Fée's penalty deciding it at the Stadium of Light, the Guardian reports. The BBC calls Xabi Alonso a "Tinkerman" and says his side is still searching for an identity. Chelsea are fifth with 16 points from 10 games, and Morgan Rogers leads the club with six goals, and BBC Sport reports that João Pedro's injury appeared to have been disclosed through Fantasy Premier League team selections. Next comes Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 10:00 am ET, a chance to put two league wins in a row together.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

On the season numbers Chelsea are a borderline top-four side. They are fifth with 16 points from 10 games, and a goal difference of +3 is the figure that keeps them there rather than higher: 19 scored and 16 conceded is a modest margin for a club of this ambition, and the goals-against column is where it leaks.

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Next: Manchester City vs Fulham  |  2026-11-21  |  2026 27 English Premier League

Tactical identity — derived from season-long metrics

Playing Style

Pragmatic & Balanced

A functional side that adapts to the game rather than imposing on it.

The Playbook

The LA Galaxy's season is over. They lost 2-1 at Real Salt Lake on the final day of the regular season and finished 11th in the Western Conference on 44 points from 34 games, with a goal difference of -7, outside the playoffs. Real Salt Lake took the last playoff place, 9th, on 45 points, one above the Galaxy, and beat them head to head on the day it mattered. Minnesota United, 10th, were level with the Galaxy on 44. Before the final game the Galaxy drew 2-2 with LAFC and beat Austin FC 4-1, so the closing run included a good home result and a derby draw. The Galaxy scored 50 goals and conceded 57. There is no next game until the 2027 season, and the story now is the winter and what the club decides to do with it.

Captain Martin Ødegaard's winner beat Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates on Saturday 7 November, with the Guardian noting that it took patience to break down Hull's resistance. Arsenal lead the table by five points. The win followed a 1-0 win at Liverpool on 1 November and a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague in the Champions League on 4 November, and former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport that Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty against Hull for a foul on Kai Havertz. Arsenal have 27 points from 10 games, and the BBC is already asking whether "outstanding" Brighton are now the main title challengers. The international break now freezes the table with Arsenal on top. Next comes Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 12:30 pm ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Arsenal lead the Premier League with the joint-sixth-best attack in it. Their 15 league goals in 10 games are fewer than Brighton's 26, Manchester City's 21, Chelsea's 19 and the 16 each scored by AFC Bournemouth and Brentford, and level with Ipswich Town. Arsenal have built a five-point lead without leading the scoring, so the margin has come from somewhere other than the volume of goals they score.

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Inter Miami drew 3-3 with Charlotte FC at home on Saturday 7 November, the final day of the regular season, and finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference on 60 points from 34 games. Before that they won 2-1 at New England Revolution on Sunday 1 November. The attack is the story: 80 goals is the highest total in the East, and the defence has conceded 59, which is the doubt going into the playoffs. Nashville SC finished 1st on 77 points, a long way clear. Round One of the Eastern Conference Playoffs opens at Nu Stadium against Columbus Crew on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 6:00 PM ET. Columbus finished 7th on 47 points with a goal difference of +7, so the two sides finished well apart in the table, and the home side has the better of the numbers before the first whistle.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Nashville's goal difference of +46 is more than double Miami's +21, and that is the cleanest explanation for the 17 points that separate first from second in the East. Across 34 games, the two sides finished in different places because their margins were different in kind: Nashville's was large and broad, Miami's was narrower and rested on goals scored.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Hull City have a defence that belongs in the top half of the Premier League. They have conceded 11 league goals in 10 games, the joint-sixth-fewest in the division, level with Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur. The 11 they have scored is the weaker number: seven clubs have scored fewer, but 12 have scored more, so the season so far has been built on keeping games tight rather than on winning them.

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Alisson Becker wants to stay at Liverpool. The goalkeeper told Sky Sports "my will is to stay" at Anfield beyond the end of the season, when his contract expires, and the BBC reports that he wants to sign a new deal; neither outlet says anything has been agreed. The news arrives after a busy week of results: a 1-0 league defeat by Arsenal at Anfield on 1 November, a 3-2 defeat at Fenerbahce in the Champions League on 4 November and then a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday 8 November. Sky also reports that Virgil van Dijk has pulled out of the Netherlands squad, and the headline gives no reason. Liverpool are fourth with 18 points. Next comes Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 11:30 ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Fourth place on 18 points is about right for Liverpool. The ten-game record says they are a contender, not yet a challenger, and the goal difference is the clearest evidence: 14 scored and 10 conceded gives +4, a mid-contender's figure and well short of the margins at the very top.

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Leeds United drew 1-1 at home to Manchester United on 18 October, drew 0-0 at Sunderland on 25 October, lost 2-0 at AFC Bournemouth on 31 October and then beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November, the Guardian's match blog calling it an intense battle. Elland Road has been kinder to Leeds than the road this autumn. Leeds are ninth with 14 points from 10 games and a goal difference of +2. Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the club with four goals. Next comes a trip to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 10:00 ET, where the away record gets another test.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Leeds are mid-table on merit. They are ninth with 14 points from 10 games, and a goal difference of +2 describes a side that is neither struggling nor pushing for anything higher. Three wins, five draws and two defeats is the record of a team that avoids losing and does not win often enough to climb.

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Inter beat Como 2-0 at home on Sunday 8 November, five days after a 3-0 win at Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday 3 November, and both results came after the derby defeat to Milan. Two shutouts in a row are the answer to that loss. They are 2nd in Serie A on 28 points from 11 games, one point behind leaders Lazio on 29. The goals have come from several places: Marcus Thuram has 6 goals and 2 assists, and Lautaro Martínez has 6 goals and 1 assist in 7 appearances. Roma are 3rd on 27 points, one behind Inter, so the chase is crowded as well as close. Next is a trip to Atalanta at the New Balance Arena on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 2:45 PM ET. Atalanta are 12th on 14 points, a mid-table side with a negative goal difference, so Inter are the clear favourites on the table.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Over 11 games, Inter's +15 goal difference is a contender's profile, but it is not the best in the division, and that qualification is what turns a title race into a three-way one. Roma's +21 is better than Inter's, and Lazio's +16 is also ahead, so on the numbers behind the table, Inter are third among the leading group, not first.

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Paris Saint-Germain beat Troyes 1-0 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday 7 November, four days after a 6-0 win at Villarreal in the Champions League, which BBC Sport billed as a big win. A narrow result at home and a wide one on the road make a tidy pair for a side that has lost one league game all season. They go into the international break 1st on 23 points from 10, with a goal difference of +12, the best in the division. Lille are 2nd on 21 points, so the lead is thin on the board even if the goals say otherwise. League football returns with a trip to Nice at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 11:15 am ET. Nice are 6th on 17 points with a goal difference of +3, a real test, but not a peer.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

PSG's edge over ten games is built mostly on attack. Their goal difference of +12 is anchored by 22 goals scored, joint-most in Ligue 1 with Marseille, while their 10 conceded are only joint-fourth-fewest among the 18 clubs, level with Paris FC. A side with this profile wins by outscoring opponents rather than by shutting them out, and the table has rewarded that so far.

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Napoli drew 1-1 with leaders Lazio at the Maradona on Sunday 8 November, ending a week of bad results. Before it they lost 0-2 at Juventus on Sunday 1 November and 1-4 at FC Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday 4 November, so the point against the league's best side is a floor rather than a recovery. They are 10th in Serie A on 15 points from 11 games, with Lazio on 29 at the top. Scott McTominay has 5 goals in 11 appearances, and Kevin De Bruyne has 4 goals and 2 assists, so the quality is there and the results are not. Torino are the next opponent, at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November, kick-off 2:45 PM ET. Torino are 11th on 14 points, one point behind Napoli in the table, which makes it the kind of home game a club in this position has to win to stop drifting.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Napoli's goal difference of +4 sits uneasily beside a 10th-place position, and the reason is that their points return trails their goal output. Over 11 games the club has scored 18 goals, sixth-most among the 20 clubs, and conceded 14, seventh-fewest. Both ranks are in the upper half of Serie A, and the table position is not.

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Substitute Julia Zigiotti Olme came off the bench to score the only goal as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park on Sunday 8 November, per BBC Sport, a result that followed a 0-0 draw at Everton on Saturday 31 October and gave United clean sheets in two straight league games. United are 5th in the Women's Super League on 15 points after nine games, with four wins, three draws and two defeats. Mared Griffiths leads the scoring list with six goals in seven appearances, and Lea Schüller has five. Crystal Palace visit Leigh Sports Village on Saturday 14 November at 07:45 ET, giving United a home game against a side that sits 10th on 9 points, lower in the table than United.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Squeezed is the verdict. Manchester United are 5th in the Women's Super League on 15 points after nine games, but their goal difference is -1, so the record is running ahead of the margins behind it.

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Manchester United's head coach is on borrowed time. The BBC reports that Michael Carrick is expected to be sacked after the club's worst start to a domestic campaign in 40 years, and the Guardian says director of football Jason Wilcox is reviewing his position; the BBC also reports that the board has yet to make a final decision, so nothing is confirmed. The review follows a 0-2 defeat at Chelsea on 31 October, a 3-2 Champions League win over AS Roma on 3 November and a 4-4 home draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday 8 November. United are 18th with eight points from 10 league games. Next comes a trip to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 11:30 am ET.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Manchester United's season-long problem sits at the back. They have conceded 19 league goals in 10 games, the joint-third-most in the Premier League, level with Coventry City and behind only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town. Their 14 goals scored is a mid-table return, more than 10 other clubs have managed, so the attack is not where the points have gone. That is a defensive record, not a finishing one. Bruno Fernandes has six goals and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo four each, which is enough scoring to stay in most matches.

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Harry Kane has signed a new contract at Bayern Munich, BBC Sport reported on 5 November, and joked afterwards that he is still learning German slowly. It came in a week when the team kept winning: Bayern won 2-0 at Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday 3 November, then won 2-1 at Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday 7 November. They stay top of the league on 21 points from nine games, with +20, the best goal difference in the league. Borussia Dortmund are level on 21 points, which is why the margin rests on goals rather than points. Bayern's next game is at home to FC Cologne at the Allianz Arena on Friday 20 November, kick-off 2:30 PM ET. Cologne are 15th on 9 points, so the table gives Bayern the better of it before a ball is kicked.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Bayern's season-long case is the size of their attack. They have scored 29 Bundesliga goals in nine games, the most in the division. RB Leipzig are next on 27, and Borussia Dortmund, level with Bayern on points, have scored 16. At the other end Bayern have conceded 9, the second-fewest of the 18 clubs. Six wins and three draws with no defeat is the record that comes out of those two numbers, and a side that is first for goals and second for goals conceded has very few weak spots to point at.

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AC Milan won 2-1 at Genoa on Sunday 8 November, three days after a 0-2 home defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday 5 November. The league win kept them 4th in Serie A on 24 points from 11 games, and it followed the derby win over Inter, 3-1 at San Siro on Saturday 31 October, which the Guardian put under the headline 'Amorim's Milan surge puts rivals on notice'. The European setback is the one blemish in a good week. Lazio lead the table on 29 points, five clear of Milan, and the next fixture is at home: Frosinone visit San Siro on Sunday 22 November, kick-off 12:00 PM ET. Frosinone are 6th on 20 points, the nearest side below Milan, so the game matters for the top four as much as for the chase above.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Milan's +10 goal difference is the weakest in the top four, behind Roma at +21, Lazio at +16 and Inter at +15, and the five-point gap to first place tracks it. Over 11 games that is the cleanest way to place Milan: a team whose margins are smaller than those of the clubs it is trying to catch, even when its points total looks healthy.

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Seattle Sounders FC beat LAFC 2-1 at home on the final day of the regular season, ending a run of two defeats, and finished 8th in the Western Conference on 46 points from 34 games. Those defeats were 0-1 at home to Houston Dynamo and 5-1 to Vancouver Whitecaps, so the LAFC win mattered more for confidence than for the table. It earned a home Wild Card against 9th-placed Real Salt Lake at Lumen Field. Real Salt Lake finished on 45 points with a goal difference of +1, one point behind Seattle, whose own goal difference is -2. A draw goes to penalties, so there is no extra time to lean on. Seattle are slight favourites on the strength of home field, and the winner advances to Round One of the playoffs.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Seattle's problem is scoring. Over 34 games they scored 44 goals, which ranks 12th among the 15 clubs in the Western Conference, and conceded 46, which ranks fourth-fewest. A defence in the top third and an attack in the bottom three is a lopsided profile, and the goal difference of -2 is the result of it.

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Toronto FC's season is over. They lost 4-1 at Philadelphia Union on the final day of the regular season, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference on 39 points from 34 games, outside the playoff places, with a goal difference of -15. The ending was a continuation of the closing weeks: Toronto beat D.C. United 2-1, then lost 3-1 to Atlanta United the week before, so the last three results were one win and two defeats. FC Cincinnati took the last playoff place, 9th, on 46 points, seven clear of Toronto. Only three clubs in the East finished below them, Atlanta, D.C. United and CF Montréal. There is no next game until the 2027 season, and no roster or coaching news is available, so the story now moves to the off-season and the decisions that follow it.

Seattle beat Arizona 17-3 at home on Sunday 8 November and is 5-4. Zach Charbonnet carried 16 times for 77 yards. The quarterback picture is the bigger story: Sam Darnold will miss another game, and Drew Lock will start despite an oblique injury, his third start of the season, per CBS Sports. Coach Mike Macdonald said Lock's tests on the oblique were good. The next game is at Las Vegas on Sunday 15 November, a 4:05 pm ET kickoff at Allegiant Stadium. Quenton Nelson had a minor knee procedure on Monday. The decision for Macdonald is whether his defense can keep the game low-scoring enough for Lock to manage it. Charles Cross and Rashid Shaheed are also out, and Seattle held Kansas City and Arizona to three points each.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Jaxon Smith-Njigba carries a large share of this offense. He has 1,036 receiving yards, a four-figure total no other Seahawk comes close to, and Cooper Kupp is next with 238.

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Kansas City beat the New York Jets 35-12 at home on Sunday 8 November and is 6-2. Kenneth Walker III ran 18 times for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 41 yards. The bigger story is kicking: Harrison Butker missed his only field-goal attempt, and CBS Sports reports he has made a career-low 63.2% this season, with Justin Tucker waiting on the practice squad. Andy Reid stayed noncommittal on Butker's future. Next comes a trip to Atlanta on Sunday 15 November, a 1:00 pm ET kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The decision Reid faces is whether to wait on a kicker who keeps costing points while a five-time All-Pro sits one roster spot away. Reid also said Monday that Patrick Mahomes is day-to-day with an elbow injury, and Peter Woods and Mansoor Delane are out.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Kenneth Walker III has made the Chiefs' run game the engine. His 872 rushing yards sit far above Emmett Johnson's 111, so the carries are concentrated, and the offense now runs through him as much as through the quarterback. Kansas City has scored 202 points and allowed 143 over eight games, a plus 59 that fits a 6-2 team, and the wins shown have come when Walker controls the ground and the passing game is not forced to rescue them: 22-6 over the Chargers and 35-12 over the Jets.

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The standard for a Dallas comeback is whether it survives the next hard week. The Cowboys rallied to beat Indianapolis 27-23 on Sunday 8 November, and the Guardian credited Dak Prescott's 335 passing yards and a late score from Javonte Williams. The record is 4-5. Tyler Goodson will miss multiple weeks with a knee sprain, per his coach, and George Pickens and Jake Ferguson are out. The next opponent is the 7-1 San Francisco 49ers, who visit AT&T Stadium on Sunday 15 November at 4:25 pm ET. The test is whether an offense that scores freely can do it again with two of its main targets on the sideline. George Pickens and Jake Ferguson are also out, which leaves CeeDee Lamb as the receiver San Francisco must plan around.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

A team that scores this much is only 4-5 because it gives up nearly as much. Dallas has scored 246 points and allowed 236, a plus 10, and the record follows that margin closely.

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Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33-10 at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday 5 November, then went shopping on Monday. The Jaguars acquired safety Jessie Bates III from the Falcons for two future draft picks, per CBS Sports, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the Saints for a 2028 sixth-round pick, and Jordan Davis from the Eagles. CBS Sports described it as Jacksonville pushing for the AFC and Super Bowl titles. The Jaguars are 6-2 and lead the AFC South, and the next game is at Tennessee on Sunday 15 November, a 1:00 pm ET kickoff at Nissan Stadium. The decision for the front office was already taken: three defensive additions in one day for a unit that was the team's strength. Safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig is out, and the new arrivals will have only a few days of practice before Sunday's kickoff.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Jacksonville's point margin is as strong as any in the games covered today. The Jaguars have scored 229 points and allowed 121 over eight games, a plus 108, and both halves of that figure are healthy.

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Philadelphia lost 19-11 to the New York Giants at home on Sunday 8 November, the Eagles' first home loss to them in 13 years, per CBS Sports. The week then got stranger: the Eagles traded Jordan Davis to Jacksonville, and CBS Sports graded the deal as Philadelphia kickstarting a rebuild. Nick Sirianni, meanwhile, denied giving fans the middle finger after the loss, and said coaching changes could come as the struggling offense enters the bye. The record is 2-7. The next game is at home against Pittsburgh on Sunday 22 November at 1:00 pm ET at Lincoln Financial Field. DeVonta Smith is out, and the decision in front of Sirianni is what, if anything, changes over the bye. Dontayvion Wicks, Britain Covey and cornerback Michael Carter II are also out, so the bye comes with an injury list to match.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Philadelphia's problem runs through both sides of the ball. The Eagles have scored 148 points and allowed 221 over nine games, a minus 73, and neither number lets the other off the hook. CBS Sports counts seven straight defeats, and a margin that size is the mark of a team being beaten on the scoreboard most weeks rather than losing close games by bad luck.

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Miami lost 19-9 at home to Detroit on Sunday 8 November and is 1-7. Caleb Douglas caught six passes for 70 yards, one of the few bright spots in a game where the offense managed nine points. Malik Willis is listed as questionable, and Jaylen Wright is out. The Dolphins have scored 126 points this season. The next game is at Indianapolis on Sunday 15 November, a 1:00 pm ET kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium. The decision for Miami is where its points will come from, and the clearest answer is the quarterback who runs: Willis has 232 rushing yards beside his 1,396 passing, and Ollie Gordon II has 463 on the ground. Jaylen Wright is out, and Malik Willis is questionable after a game in which he threw for 128 yards.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Miami is far behind, and the margin says so. The Dolphins have scored 126 points and allowed 200, a minus 74 over eight games, and a 1-7 record is the honest result.

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Buffalo won 23-6 at Minnesota on Monday night, 9 November, and stands 7-1. James Cook carried 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown, per the Guardian, and linebackers Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams each intercepted a pass. Josh Allen threw for 234 yards with one touchdown and one interception, so this was a defense-and-ground-game win rather than a shootout. The Bills now turn to the New York Jets, who host them at MetLife Stadium on Sunday 15 November at 1:00 pm ET. Tyler Bass made four field goals, the Guardian added, and Damar Hamlin and Christian Benford both returned to the game after injuries. Buffalo's task is to carry the Monday night template to New Jersey: tight control up front, a heavy dose of Cook, and no loose passes.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Buffalo's 7-1 record is mostly backed by its scoring margin. The Bills have scored 256 points and allowed 187 over eight games, a plus 69 that fits a team winning most weeks by a comfortable gap. The record sits slightly ahead of the margin, and the reason is clear in the results.

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New York beat the Eagles 19-11 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday 8 November and is 5-2-1. Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals on four attempts, and Isaiah Likely caught five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Cam Skattebo is out, which leaves Devin Singletary as the lead back; he carried 21 times for 31 yards on Sunday. Next comes a quick turnaround: Washington visits MetLife Stadium on Thursday 12 November at 8:15 pm ET, four days after the road win. The Giants tied Washington 27-27 on 11 October. The decision for the staff is how to rebuild a running game without the back who has done most of the work. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is listed as questionable with a hip injury, and linebacker Abdul Carter is questionable too.

San Francisco beat Las Vegas 38-17 at home on Sunday 8 November and stands 7-1. Jordan Watkins caught all four of his targets for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Kaelon Black ran 11 times for 70 yards. The win answers the 20-29 loss at Atlanta two weeks earlier and keeps the 49ers moving into a hard road game. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr. are both out, which leaves the outside receiver room thin. The next test comes at Dallas on Sunday 15 November, a 4:25 pm ET kickoff at AT&T Stadium. Brock Purdy now has to move the offense without Evans and Samuel, and the decision for Kyle Shanahan's staff is how much to lean on George Kittle and the running backs.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

San Francisco's 7-1 is backed by its scoring margin. The 49ers have scored 235 points and allowed 156 over eight games, a plus 79, close to ten points a game, with one defeat in eight. That is the profile of a team that wins most weeks with room to spare, and it makes the 20-29 defeat at Atlanta on 25 October look like the exception rather than the trend. A team that loses once and wins its other games by an average margin that wide is not living on luck.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Baltimore's season has gone wrong on the scoreboard in both directions. The Ravens have scored 189 points and allowed 236, a minus 47 over nine games, and a 4-5 record is not far from what that margin says.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

Minnesota's foundation is its defense. The Vikings have allowed 116 points over eight games, and the Guardian calls them the NFL-leading defense. That is the reason a team with a thin offense is 6-2.

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Next Fixture: Between seasons — check club channels for the new schedule.

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

The Dodgers won 100 games and the NL West, and their season ended in a sweep. Milwaukee beat them four straight in the NL Championship Series: 1-2 and 4-7 in Milwaukee on 11 and 12 October, then 2-6 and 4-6 at home on 14 and 15 October, the last on Thursday 15 October. The regular season finished 100-62. Shohei Ohtani hit 30 home runs and Max Muncy 29, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted a 2.53 ERA. The winter talk has already turned to pitching: CBS Sports ran a rumors column suggesting the club could be "Tarik Skubal or bust", which is speculation about the market and not a report of talks. There is no next game; what comes next is the offseason, and the first question is how the club answers a series in which it never led the count.

The Blue Jays finished 79-83 and missed the playoffs, and their season ended with a win at home against Cincinnati. Toronto beat the Reds 6-5 on Friday 25 September, lost 1-5 on Saturday 26 September and closed with a 5-1 win on Sunday 27 September, the last game on the schedule. Kazuma Okamoto led the lineup with 33 home runs and 92 runs batted in, and Dylan Cease posted a 2.40 ERA at the top of the rotation. One injury note carries into the winter: Addison Barger is expected to be sidelined six months after surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow. There is no next game, so the next Blue Jays news will come from the offseason market rather than the field, and the first question is what the club does to turn a losing record into a winning one.

Next Fixture: Between seasons — check club channels for the new schedule.

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

The Knicks have won three straight and are 5-4, and they host Milwaukee tonight at 7:30 pm ET at Madison Square Garden. After a 93-98 loss at Philadelphia on 30 October, New York beat Brooklyn 103-90 on 2 November, Chicago 135-105 on 4 November and Cleveland 109-97 on Saturday, each by double figures. Jalen Brunson leads the team at 26.2 points a game, Karl-Anthony Towns is next at 20.9 and OG Anunoby follows at 16.4. The one doubt for Milwaukee is Josh Hart, the guard, who is listed as questionable with right ankle soreness. Off the court, the Knicks defended Taylor Swift after teammates Tyler Kolek and Deuce McBride called her fandom performative, according to CBS Sports and The Guardian.

Next: Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors  |  Wed 11 Nov 2026  |  NBA

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

Next: Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens  |  2026-11-12  |  NHL

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Very little of Vancouver's season works. The Canucks are 3-16-1, 7 points from 20 games, and no player on the roster has more than seven goals.

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Next: Seattle Kraken vs Carolina Hurricanes  |  2026-11-12  |  NHL

The metrics that define this season

The Playbook

The Islanders lost 2-3 in a shootout at San Jose, their third straight defeat, after a 4-5 overtime loss at home to New Jersey and a 3-5 home loss to Carolina. Two of the three still earned a point, and the record stands at 7-6-4 with 18 points from 17 games. Bo Horvat and Matthew Schaefer share the team scoring lead on 17 points each. Next up is Los Angeles on Thursday at 10 pm ET at Crypto.com Arena, and the defence goes west short: Ryan Pulock is out and Alexander Romanov is on injured reserve. Matias Maccelli, a left wing, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Calum Ritchie, a centre, is on injured reserve. The Kings won the first meeting in October, 3-2 in overtime.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

The Islanders look like a .500 team, and extra time is doing a lot of the lifting. They are 7-6-4 with 18 points from 17 games, and four of the 17 ended in an overtime or shootout loss that still brought a point. Take those out of the table and the picture is seven wins from 17 games, the record of a club in the middle of the league rather than one on a playoff pace.

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Toronto have lost three straight at home, the latest a 0-4 defeat to the New Jersey Devils, after a 2-4 loss to Montreal and a 2-3 loss to Utah. The Maple Leafs are 8-9-2 with 18 points from 19 games. Colorado visit Scotiabank Arena tonight at 7 pm ET, and the home side is short up front: Jack Roslovic and Colton Sissons are day-to-day centres, Morgan Rielly is a day-to-day defenceman, and Kirill Marchenko is on injured reserve. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have 11 goals each, the most on the club, so the scoring load sits on two players while the lineup around them thins. Tonight is simple for Toronto: they need a result in front of their own crowd, and they need goals from somewhere other than the top two.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Toronto's 8-9-2 record is the season so far and not just a bad week, but the week has changed what the season looks like. Before the three home losses, the Maple Leafs had 18 points from 16 games, a pace above a point a game. The three regulation defeats have taken that to 18 points from 19, under a point a game, and over 82 games that is a pace of about 78 points.

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Edmonton beat the Rangers 3-1 at home for a second straight win, after a 4-2 win over Vancouver and a 4-5 loss to Anaheim. The Oilers are 13-3-3 with 29 points from 19 games. They host Philadelphia on Wednesday at 9 pm ET at Rogers Place. McDavid leads the club with 11 goals and 48 points, Draisaitl has 18 goals, and Bouchard has 31 points from the blue line, a trio far ahead of everyone else on the list. Dach, a centre, missed the Rangers game with an illness, and Andersen, the goaltender, is out with a knee injury. The recent run shows what the top three can do, and Wednesday shows whether the rest of the roster can add enough to keep the record where it is.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Edmonton's record is elite and top-heavy. The Oilers have 29 points from 19 games, a mark of 13-3-3, and three players are far ahead of everyone else on the roster.

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THE ANALYST’S DESK

The Rangers' goals come from the blue line and one winger. Fox, a defenceman, leads the team with two goals and 20 assists for 22 points, and Lafrenière leads the forwards with nine goals.

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The Sharks ended a losing run with a 3-2 shootout win over the Islanders at SAP Center. Before it they lost 3-4 at Dallas and 1-4 at Minnesota. San Jose are 8-11-1 with 17 points from 20 games. Macklin Celebrini leads the scoring list with seven goals and 14 assists, and Will Smith is next with 13 points. Ivar Stenberg has 12, and Tyler Toffoli and Michael Misa are on 11 each. Igor Chernyshov, a left wing, is on injured reserve. The next game is at home against Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 10 pm ET at SAP Center, and the question for the Sharks is whether the shootout win can become two wins in a row. Celebrini's seven goals and 14 assists set the pace, and the four players behind him are separated by only two points.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

San Jose depend heavily on Macklin Celebrini, and the season's scoring list shows it. He has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points, and the next forward, Will Smith, has 13. That is an eight-point gap, the widest on the roster, and it is the clearest feature of the Sharks' year so far.

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Red Bull ended Brazil on the podium twice. Max Verstappen was second and Isack Hadjar third in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday 8 November, which Lando Norris won. A week earlier Verstappen had won in Mexico City. Motorsport reported how he beat Red Bull’s own simulation tools to take second, and a Red Bull boss said he is “beating the sim on a regular basis”. Red Bull are third in the constructors’ championship on 415 points. McLaren are fourth on 398. Ferrari’s lead is large, so third place is the real contest now. The next race is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday 21 November, with the start at 11:00 pm ET. Three races remain, with Abu Dhabi to finish.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Most of Red Bull’s season is Verstappen alone. He has 279 points, second in the drivers’ standings, and all three of the team’s wins. Hadjar has 122 and is eighth, with no wins. The distance between them is the whole story of how Red Bull reached third in the constructors’ championship.

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Mercedes are constructors’ champions. They clinched the title in Brazil on Sunday 8 November, The Guardian reported, with George Russell fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth as Lando Norris won the race. The title comes on top of Antonelli’s drivers’ championship. Mercedes finished the weekend on 652 points. Ferrari are second on 510, 142 back, with three races to go. Antonelli praised the team’s “incredible job” after the win in Brazil. The lead was already big enough by the time Brazil arrived. Three races remain, starting with Las Vegas. The next race is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday 21 November, with the start at 11:00 pm ET. Motorsport also reports Lewis Hamilton will share a flight with Mercedes after the title.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Russell has had the weaker half of the Mercedes season. He is third in the drivers’ standings on 262, with three wins, while his team-mate Antonelli leads on 390 with nine. The gap inside one garage is far larger than the gap between Russell and the cars behind him, and it frames the question of what is still open for Mercedes.

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Ferrari left Brazil with the weakest result of a good run. Charles Leclerc finished eighth and Lewis Hamilton ninth, lapped, in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday 8 November, which Lando Norris won. Hamilton called it a “devastating” Grand Prix and sent a message to the fans, Motorsport reported. A week earlier in Mexico City he had been second and Leclerc fourth. The table barely moved. Ferrari stay second in the constructors’ championship on 510 points. Red Bull are third on 415. Three races remain. The next is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday 21 November, with the start at 11:00 pm ET, round 21 of 23. Ferrari need a clean weekend there. Their best car had finished in the top three at each of the four races before Brazil.

THE ANALYST’S DESK

Ferrari are a points team, not a race-winning team. Second place in the constructors’ championship on 510 points has come with only two wins, one each for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Mercedes lead on 652. In the last five races the wins went to Max Verstappen three times and to Lando Norris and Andrea Kimi Antonelli once each, and Ferrari won none of them. Their route to second has been steady points rather than victories, and that route is slower to build and harder to lose.

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The Tour is between competitive rounds today — the most recent result was TOTO Japan Classic, where Sakuma closed at -20. That result is the baseline for how the field stacks up heading into the next scheduled start.

A wider read on the stretch: Yamashita took Maybank Championship at -22. Different courses reward different profiles — bomber-friendly setups versus position-off-the-tee layouts tell you who's built for which stops.

Next up: The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican (2026-11-12). Watch the early-week commits and the practice-round groupings — they hint at who's treating this week as a marker.

Blades Brown, 19, won the World Wide Technology Championship on Sunday 8 November, beating Ben James in a playoff after the two finished 72 holes tied at 23 under. BBC Sport reports he is the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years. Michael Kim was third at 22 under. The PGA Tour now moves on quickly. The Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions begins on Thursday 12 November and runs through Sunday 15 November, with coverage on ESPN+ and Golf Channel. No venue, field or tee times are listed yet. Brown is the fourth different winner in the four fall events listed, after Brennan, Smotherman and Novak, and his 9-under final round was the round that took him level with James.

The 2026 UCI WorldTour season is over. All 36 races are complete, and no further race is scheduled. The last was the Tour of Guangxi, which ran from 13 to 18 October and was won by Jarno Widar, ahead of Tom Pidcock and Louis Barré. Before it came Il Lombardia on Saturday 10 October, where Paul Seixas won from Enric Mas and Giulio Ciccone. Seixas ended the year as the rider of its closing weeks, a podium finisher in Montréal on 13 September and the winner of the last Monument. The Vuelta a España finished on the same September day, with Mas first, Primož Roglič second and Felix Gall third. There is no race on the calendar to preview, so the story now is how the year looked in total and who carries form into 2027.