Mets, Padres, Royals and Tigers kick off Wild Card Series in style; new NFL, college football Power Rankings

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

⚾ Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE MLB WILD CARD SERIES GAME 1 WINNERS

These Mets just won’t quit. One day after a wild comeback clinched a playoff spot, New York rallied on the road again to take Game 1 of their Wild Card Series, 8-4, against the Brewers.

This time, a five-run fifth inning turned the tide. Milwaukee pulled Freddy Peralta after just four innings despite leading 4-3. Joel Payamps and Andy Ashby made that look like a big mistake, retiring just two of the 10 batters they faced.

The Brewers very nearly escaped the fifth unscathed, but with two on and two out, Jose Iglesias beat Payamps to first base for an infield single that tied the game — the sort of relentlessness that has defined this team recently. The next five New York batters also reached, with J.D. Martinez notably coming through with a big knock.

In the NL nightcap, the Padres rolled over the Braves, 4-0, behind seven dominant innings from Michael King (12 strikeouts, five hits, zero walks). Fernando Tatis Jr. nailed a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw, and Kyle Higashioka had the other two RBI, including a solo shot in the eighth. Atlanta, one day after its doubleheader with the Mets, had a compromised pitching staff, but it was really King limiting the Atlanta offense that was the storyline.

King wasn’t the only postseason debutant to shine. Likely AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal threw six dominant scoreless innings in his postseason debut, and the Tigers‘ bullpen bent but didn’t break, holding on for a 3-1 win over the Astros. Beau Brieske got Jason Heyward to line out with the bases loaded to end the game, a moment that surely had Detroit fans holding their breath — and then exhaling deeply.

This is the formula for the Tigers: just enough offense and great pitching and defense. Through one game — their first playoff win since 2013 — it’s working.

Shortly after that one wrapped up, the Royals followed a similar formula in a 1-0 win over the Orioles. Cole Ragans pitched six brilliant innings, and Bobby Witt Jr.‘s two-out single plated Maikel Garcia. More on this in a bit.

Here’s what we learned from the Game 1s, and here’s today’s schedule.

👍 Honorable mentions

⚾ And not such a good morning for …

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Make it nine straight playoff losses for the Orioles, this one as demoralizing and frustrating as any.

Corbin Burnes pitched into the ninth inning. He was brought in to win playoff games, and he pitched well enough to do so. But the offense was nowhere to be found, neither from the guys who have had great seasons (Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander) nor the long-slumping Adley Rutschman. The top five spots in Baltimore’s lineup went 1 for 18.

Last year, when the 101-win Orioles got swept out of the ALDS, you could make excuses: youth, inexperience, lack of an ace. This year, they have as many excuses as runs scored Tuesday: zero.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 WNBA playoffs: Liberty take 2-0 lead, Lynx even series

The Liberty are one win away from returning to the WNBA Finals. Sabrina Ionescu scored a team-high 24 points, Breanna Stewart flirted with a triple-double, and Jonquel Jones flirted with a double-double in an 88-84 win over the two-time reigning-champion Aces. New York also got 21 huge points combined from Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla Thornton off the bench.

Ionescu is known for her long-range shooting, but her progress inside the arc has been huge, Jack Maloney writes.

• Maloney: “Ionescu responded immediately with a driving layup in which she finished over Wilson’s outstretched arm. That’s not a play we saw her make last season, particularly in the playoffs, when she was too affected by opponents’ physicality and pressure. She made just 16 total two-pointers in 10 games during the Liberty’s run to the Finals in 2023, and has already made 21 shots inside the arc in the first four games this postseason.”

In the other Game 2 semifinal, the Lynx knotted up their series with the Sun with a 77-70 win. Napheesa Collier finally slowed down after a historic start to the postseason, but Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith came up huge for Minnesota with a combined 32 points.

🏈 NFL Power Rankings: Major shakeup in top five

The Chiefs are still No. 1 in Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings, but the teams behind them are making major pushes. The also-undefeated Vikings are up to No. 2 in a new-look top five.

1. Chiefs (previous: 1)
2. Vikings (3)
3. Texans (6)
4. Buccaneers (9)
5. Lions (10)

The Ravens jumped up seven spots from 13th to sixth, but they’re not even the biggest jumpers in their own state: The Commanders rose nine spots from 17th to ninth, and Pete says, “It’s time to believe in this group.” I wrote about the keys behind Washington’s incredible offensive start led by Jayden Daniels.

While one NFC East rose, another fell. The Eagles dropped nine spots from seventh to 16th, the week’s biggest fall off. Injuries have played a huge role, and Nick Sirianni‘s seat feels warm. Tyler Sullivan’s panic meter says Philadelphia has zero margin for error.

🏈 CBS Sports 134, projected CFP and Heisman voting

The first full month of the college football season is over, and thanks to its thrilling victory over Georgia, Alabama is No. 1 in the CBS Sports 134 (see the biggest risers and fallers here) as well as Brandon Marcello’s Power Rankings. However, it’s Ohio State that has the No. 1 seed in Brad Crawford’s projected College Football Playoff.

The argument for best team in the nation is as intense as the argument for who should win the Heisman Trophy. So we polled our writers for who they would vote for if the season ended today, and the most popular pick, including from Will Backus, is …

• Backus: “Jalen Milroe — Milroe’s the obvious choice at this point, but that doesn’t make it a bad choice. … Carving a team like Georgia up for almost 500 total yards of offense and four touchdowns — by himself — in the biggest game of the year will stick in everyone’s memories for a while. And if he can do that against the Bulldogs, he can do it against anybody.”

As John Talty explains, though, don’t sleep on Ashton Jeanty.

🆕 Gonzaga joining Pac-12, UTEP to Mountain West

The latest go ’round on the realignment carousel is sending Gonzaga to the Pac-12 and UTEP to the Mountain West.

Gonzaga will leave the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12 starting in 2026; the football-less Bulldogs will be the conference’s eighth basketball program, but the Pac-12 still needs an eighth football program to join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

Still, the basketball aspect is a huge win for the remade conference, which boasts a really impressive group. Six of the eight basketball members made the men’s NCAA Tournament last year, and Cameron Salerno says Gonzaga is the new top dog.

Many of the above-mentioned teams heading to the Pac-12 came from the Mountain West, which is why the Mountain West adding UTEP from Conference USA is a big deal, too. Last week, the seven current Mountain West schools signed a memorandum of understanding to stay together through 2032, and UTEP is the all-important eighth team. Conferences need at least eight programs to be recognized by the NCAA when it comes to potential CFP berths.

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Arsenal top PSG, previewing today

The first day of UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 featured plenty of goals and a massive statement from Arsenal. The Gunners topped PSG, 2-0, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Havertz, James Benge says, is taking command of the team.

• Benge: “He might have arrived in north London convinced he shouldn’t be a center forward anymore, but he is extremely good at it. Like all the best strikers, he has that sense of where the defense’s attention is and is not. … This is Arsenal at their most smash mouth. If that seems a curious description for Havertz and the team who is taking on his image, you simply have not been watching him closely enough.”

Meanwhile, Luis Enrique got it all wrong for PSG, Jonathan Johnson says.

Here’s how to watch today’s matches on CBS Sports Network, CBS Golazo Network and Paramount+.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
⚾ AL Wild Card Series Game 2: Tigers at Astros, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ AL Wild Card Series Game 2: Royals at Orioles, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Mets at Brewers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Braves at Padres, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2