Florida Sports Wire

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire For the Jaguars, the time is now. They’ll get back into action Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas against the hapless Raiders, who have lost four of the last five games and stand at 2-5. The last time the Jaguars went to the West Coast they were involved in a tight battle with the 49ers, and they dug down deep to pull out a rather unexpected victory. That catapulted them into their epic Monday night victory over the Chiefs, and the Jags were suddenly in the discussion with the league elites with their 4-1 record.   Unfortunately, their stay at the top was short lived, as they suddenly slipped through a trap door. A London loss to the Rams, and a flat game against the Seahawks left them at 4-3, and those postseason aspirations now  have a longer route. Then there’s the Colts at 7-1, and they’re not going away anytime soon. Daniel Jones has a solid line in front of him, arguably the league’s best running back in Jonathan Taylor, and a ...

  ORLANDO - No. 9 Orlando City SC will face No. 8 Chicago Fire FC in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Wild Card game on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at SeatGeek Stadium, the league announced today. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass and Apple TV. The winner of Wednesday’s Wild Card game will advance to the Audi MLS Cup Round One Best-of-3 series.  The Lions’ six straight playoffs appearances stand as the longest active streak in MLS. Over that six-year span, Orlando City has amassed 308 regular-season points, fourth-most in the league. This year’s squad added to that legacy, setting a new club record with 63 goals scored in a single season.  Orlando City will host a series of activations to celebrate the start of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, including Kingston’s Scavenger Hunt—a city-wide fan experience featuring exclusive prizes, playoff swag, and more—along with official watch parties for all away playoff matches. More details, along with addi...

  Photo Courtesy LA Rams NEW YORK –– Three teams – Cincinnati, Denver and Green Bay – recorded game winning scores in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter in Week 7. Denver defeated the New York Giants, 33-32, after trailing 19-0 entering the fourth quarter and 26-8 with six minutes remaining, becoming the first team since 1970 to overcome a deficit of 18-or-more points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and win in regulation. The Broncos’ 33 fourth quarter points are tied with Dallas on Dec. 4, 2022 (33 points) for the second-most points scored by one team in a fourth quarter in NFL history, trailing only Detroit on Sept. 30, 2007 (34 points en route to a 37-27 win against the Chicago Bears). Denver quarterback Bo Nix became the first player in NFL history with two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in a fourth quarter. Seven teams that missed the playoffs last year have at least four wins through Week 7, including three – Carolina, Chicago and New En...

Photo Courtesy LA Rams By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire For Liam Coen, the honeymoon is officially over. It appeared to end prematurely last week when the Jaguars overall looked flat on a home loss to the Seahawks, who most of the football world didn’t take seriously despite having Sam Darnold and their 4-1 record.  Yet, there was redemption ahead in a trip to London despite playing the 4-2 Rams. This time around, though, London wasn’t calling for them. Instead, they suffered another clunker in a 35-7 loss that wasn’t even as close as that. The 35 points were the most allowed by new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s unit that once led the league in takeaways. Now, Coen has to deal with his first problem. If the Jags had a reality check last week against the Seahawks, this was a real awakening against the Rams. The Jags’ offense that hasn’t  been hitting on all cylinders, but still  getting some good mileage, needs a tuneup. That issue centered around Trevor La...

NEW YORK  –– A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during ton Sunday, October 12, the sixth week of the 2025 season. With three games remaining in Week 6, eight games were within one score in the fourth quarter and six games were decided by one score (eight points or fewer), including two – wins by Carolina and the Los Angeles Chargers – that featured the game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter. The Indianapolis Colts improved to 5-1 after missing the postseason last year. In 35 of the past 36 seasons (1990-2025), at least one team that missed the playoffs the year before has won at least five of its first six games the following season. The Denver Broncos totaled nine sacks in their 13-11 victory over the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking the second of three games to be played in London this season. The Broncos are the third team since 1990 with at least five sacks in four of their first six games of the season, joining th...

By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - There was that feeling. It wasn’t the anticipated atmosphere at EverBank Stadium for a 4-1 Jaguars team that has the chance to move to 5-1 for the first time since 1999. There wasn’t the buzz you might have expected for a team that already looked postseason bound, and there was a good share of empty seats among the announced tickets distributed crowd of over 61,000. It was the same type of an electric playoff atmosphere of the Chiefs’ win last Monday night. Instead, it was a Chiefs’ hangover. You had the feeling the Jaguars would have a clunker like they have had at the start of the season the past several years. Unfortunately, for the most part of Sunday afternoon’s 20-12 loss to the Seahawks, it was. This was a reality check for the Jaguars, and a reminder that you have to show up on both sides the ball. It was an afternoon lost mainly on the offensive line that allowed seven sacks and 17 quarterbacks hits and 20 press...

  By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire The Jaguars’ 28-point playoff game comeback over the Chargers in 2022 still stands as one of their all-time signature wins. Back then, it was seen as Trevor Lawrence’s coming out party as the generational player many expected, and the Jags were ready to reach another level. Unfortunately, Lawrence never reached that level, mainly due to injuries and inconsistencies. In turn, the team took a turn in the opposite direction.  Their last-second 31-28 victory over the Chiefs Monday night may have topped it. And Lawrence once again showed his anticipated potential, and the team is on its way to another level with their 4-1 record. This was one of Lawrence’s finest performances, as he remained poised battling through his share of adversity - his 22nd lost fumble in his career - and never lost his composure and concentration like he has in the past. However, was Lawrence convincing enough to keep pulling the Jaguars out of their state of mediocri...

  LOS ANGELES and PONTE VEDRA BEACH – For the first time since 2008, “The Skins Game,” one of golf’s most celebrated television franchises, will officially return on Black Friday with Prime Video set to exclusively broadcast the special event globally, produced by Pro Shop and Propagate Content in coordination with PGA TOUR Studios. Slated to compete in the relaunched “The Skins Game” are 2025 FedExCup Champion, 2025 Ryder Cup points leader and seven-time DP World Tour champion Tommy Fleetwood, 16-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Thomas, two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and eight-time PGA TOUR winner Keegan Bradley. The foursome —which has combined to win 34 career PGA TOUR events — will compete at the new Panther National in South Florida, the vision of Jack Nicklaus and Thomas in his debut design. Coverage will begin at 9 a.m. ET on Nov. 28 and lead directly into a historic day of live sports for Prime Video, including the third annual Black Friday Football game and a brand-n...

  ORLANDO – (Florida Sports Wire)   Inter&Co Stadium and the United Football League today announced a multi-year partnership that will see the Downtown Orlando venue become the home of the newly unveiled Orlando Storm franchise. “We’re proud to welcome the UFL to Inter&Co Stadium as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering world-class events to our fans and the Central Florida community,” said Jarrod Dillon, Orlando City SC, Orlando Pride and Inter&Co Stadium President of Business Operations. “With over 750,000 visitors last year, Inter&Co Stadium continues to build on its role as a key driver of economic growth in our region, while reinforcing Orlando’s status as one of the best places for sporting events in the nation.” The Orlando Storm will play its home regular season games at Inter&Co Stadium during the 2026 season, which kicks off on March 27. The full 43-game UFL schedule will be announced at a later date. Inter&Co Stadium will join Lynn Fam...

  Florida Sports Wire (Jacksonville) NEW YORK — Fantastic finishes and thrilling comebacks are the norm in the NFL this season, as there have been 24 games to feature a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, the most-ever through the first five weeks of a season.  Seven teams – Carolina, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Tennessee – accomplished the feat last week, the most in a single week since Week 15, 2022. Last week also featured four teams – Tennessee (18 points), Carolina (17), Denver (14) and Jacksonville (14) – to complete comebacks of at least 14 points and win, tied with Week 13, 2013 for the most 14-point comebacks in a single week in NFL history. Two additional teams – New Orleans (11 points) and Washington (10 points) – completed comebacks of at least 10 points. The six wins by teams after trailing by at least 10 points also ties the most in a single week all-time, with the most recent occurrenc...

NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The IIHF, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), and the global women’s hockey community have come together to reimagine the international calendar, aligning around a shared vision to grow the women’s game and strengthen opportunities for players at every level. As part of this collaboration, the IIHF Women’s World Championship will move to a new November timeslot, in advance of the PWHL season. The revised tournament calendar ensures there will be no clash with the closing stages of the PWHL campaign. It also enables a full World Championship program in Olympic seasons. In addition, a new European Women’s Championship is set to start in April 2027, creating more opportunities for elite international competition, ensuring the development of women players throughout the entire season, and elevating visibility for women’s hockey across Europe. “This was a complex situation to solve and we have reached a landmark moment for women’s hockey,” said IIHF Presid...

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The United Football League (UFL) announced a major step forward in its continued growth, unveiling three new franchises set to debut in the spring of 2026 when the league kicks off its third season.  The new teams will be located in Columbus, Ohio, playing at Historic Crew Stadium, former home of the Columbus Crew of the MLS; Louisville, Kentucky, playing at Lynn Family Stadium, home of the Louisville City FC of the USL and Racing Louisville FC of the NWSL; and Orlando, Florida, playing at Inter&Co Stadium, home of the Orlando City SC of the MLS and Orlando Pride of the NWSL The league also announced updated team names and new venues for two legacy teams; the Arlington Renegades will become the Dallas Renegades when they move to Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas of the MLS, and the Houston Roughnecks will be named the Houston Gamblers when they relocate to Shell Energy Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo FC of the MLS and Houston Dash of the NWSL. “Today mar...

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning announced a variety of exciting special events taking place this Thursday, October 9, as the club kicks off the 2025-26 NHL season, presented by AdventHealth, with a divisional matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Benchmark International Arena. Prior to puck drop at 7 p.m., Bolts fans can enjoy an afternoon packed with the return of the blue carpet walk, electrifying live entertainment, happy hour pre-game specials and more. The afternoon festivities will begin at 3:45 p.m. with the return of the Lightning Blue Carpet Walk as the team will arrive and greet fans on Ford Thunder Alley. Shortly after, Bolts Nation won’t want to miss a FREE pre-game concert on the Ford Thunder Alley stage, featuring local Tampa rock band, Saints of Saturn, from 5-7 p.m. Fans enjoying the festivities can pair the live music with a number of specials during Lightning Happy Hour, also running from 5-7 p.m. and highlighted by $2.50 waters and sodas, $5 beers and seltzers, ...