What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

🏈 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

GARDNER MINSHEW

Fear the ‘stache. The Raiders named Gardner Minshew their starting quarterback, ending what had been one of the league’s last quarterback battles three weeks ahead of their regular-season opener.

Minshew, 28, beat out Aidan O’Connell , who started 10 games for Las Vegas last season as a rookie. Minshew signed a two-year, $25-million deal this offseason, and he and O’Connell had been in competition ever since.

, who started 10 games for Las Vegas last season as a rookie. Minshew signed a two-year, $25-million deal this offseason, and he and O’Connell had been in competition ever since. Though Minshew has completed fewer than 50% of his preseason passes, O’Connell threw a pick-six on his final throw Saturday. Head coach Antonio Pierce said he took months’ worth of reps into consideration, of course, but that O’Connell interception certainly didn’t help.

said he took months’ worth of reps into consideration, of course, but that O’Connell interception certainly didn’t help. “Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start,” Pierce said.

Minshew, who is on his fourth team in five seasons, filled in admirably for the Colts last year after Anthony Richardson‘s injury, accumulating 18 total touchdowns and nearly leading Indianapolis to a playoff berth. However, he also had 14 turnovers. Using expected points added per dropback, Minshew was the 18th-best quarterback in the league, slightly ahead of O’Connell (23rd).

😁 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

RUSSELL WILSON, JUSTIN FIELDS AND THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS …

The quarterback battle in Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is not going great. Russell Wilson made his (unofficial) Steelers debut, but neither he nor Justin Fields impressed in a 9-3 loss to the Bills.

Wilson went 8 for 10 but for a measly 47 yards. He also took three sacks.

Fields entered after and went 11 for 17 for 92 yards while adding 42 yards on the ground. Like much of his career, Fields showed signs of brilliance and frustrating moments of inconsistency. The Steelers turned the ball over on downs on each of their final three drives, all led by Fields.

Mike Tomlin called the competition an “incomplete study”

Making matters worse, Jaylen Warren (hamstring) will miss multiple weeks, and Nate Herbig (torn rotator cuff) could miss the entire season.

… AND DANIEL JONES AND THE NEW YORK GIANTS

Giants fans probably wish they had a quarterback competition on their hands. In his unofficial first game back from a torn ACL, Daniel Jones threw two interceptions, including a truly awful pick-six, against the Texans.

Though Jones did get going eventually, connecting with Malik Nabers and others, that’s the type of play you can’t have. Backed up deep in his own territory, Jones didn’t get the ball out on time, then nearly took a safety, only to “escape” it by … throwing the ball right to Jalen Pitre, who waltzed into the end zone.

Jones also caught a stray regarding his interceptions from Tom Brady. Timely!

😬 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Caitlin Clark sets WNBA rookie assists record

Caitlin Clark is back to doing what she does best: breaking records. On Sunday, the Fever all-star did it again, toppling the league’s former rookie assists record, which had stood since 1998 when Ticha Penicheiro racked up 225 dimes for the defunct Sacramento Monarchs. Clark added 23 points and five rebounds in the Fever’s 92-75 win over the Storm, a win that helped Indiana inch closer to securing a playoff berth.

Overall, Clark’s 232 assists this season are 10th-most in a single season in WNBA history, and Indiana still has 12 games left this regular season.

Her 8.3 assists per game are not only leading the league this season but on pace to be the fifth-highest average in league history, with Courtney Vandersloot owning the top four. Clark’s 17.6 points per game are also first among rookies and 11th in the league this season.

owning the top four. Clark’s 17.6 points per game are also first among rookies and 11th in the league this season. Alyssa Thomas owns the single-season assists record (316 last year), but Clark’s current pace puts her on track to eclipse that one, too.

Happy college football week! By this time next week, we’ll be analyzing every aspect of Week 0, but for now, we’re just very, very excited that it’s nearly here.

If college football has piqued your interest this offseason — whether it was EA Sports College Football 25, realignment, NIL, transfers or whatever the case — and you’re looking for a team to root for, Tom Fornelli has plenty of recommendations, big and small. One of those “big” teams is …

Fornelli: “Tennessee — Everything I have seen from Nico Iamaleava and everything I’ve been told from scouts who have watched him for years leads me to believe this kid has a very high ceiling. When you combine his skill set with the offense he’ll be playing in, I am not kidding when I say I believe Iamaleava is a legitimate Heisman candidate in 2024. He can take Tennessee from ‘CFP at-large hopeful’ to ‘possible SEC champion.’ In a season where we don’t have the no-doubt superstar quarterback, Nico could be the guy. Scratch that; Nico will be the guy.”

All right, now that you’re a Volunteers fan, get to know David Sanders Jr., your now five-star offensive lineman who committed over the weekend.

⚾ MLB Power Rankings, ‘pencil’ bats, weekend roundup

MLB Players’ Weekend has come and gone, and while there weren’t any nicknames, there were “crayon” and “pencil” bats, Scooby-Doo cleats, Kobe Bryant cleats and much, much more.

But it’s not all fun and games. We’ve got some serious baseball coming up over the next month-plus. Four of the six division races — including all three in the AL — are within four games, with the Yankees and Orioles tied atop the AL East. Here’s the top five of Matt Snyder’s latest Power Rankings.

Phillies (previous: 3) Dodgers (4) Yankees (1) Orioles (2) Brewers (8)

Elsewhere around the majors …

📺 What we’re watching Monday

⚾ Orioles at Mets, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN+

⚾ Twins at Padres, 9:40 p.m. on FS1

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