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Falcons vs. Vikings: Atlanta keeps J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota out of end zone in strong 22-6 victory

J.J. McCarthy has played eight quarters in the NFL. Seven of them have been bad.
The Vikings’ fourth-quarter comeback in Week 1 was fun, but it masked the other problems that were evident from McCarthy and the offense. The McCarthy we saw from the first three quarters in the opener against the Bears showed up in Week 2. He struggled to complete passes and keep drives going. This time there was no fantastic fourth quarter rally to save the win.
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The Falcons didn’t play well on offense either but they didn’t have to. A deluge of field goals was enough for a 22-6 win against the Vikings, who had a miserable night on offense. McCarthy completed 11-of-21 passes for 158 yards, two interceptions and a fumble lost. The Vikings didn’t score a touchdown.
What looked like a fun Sunday night matchup between second-year quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and McCarthy was mostly a slog. It was a lesson that playing quarterback can still be a big challenge in a QB’s first few career starts.
The Falcons’ win was far from an instant classic. But at least it was a win for them. The Vikings have to worry that McCarthy is far behind the curve, and one good quarter didn’t erase that.
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Vikings stall in first half
McCarthy apparently isn’t a fast starter.
For the second straight week, the Vikings’ offense was poor in the first half. As he did in the opener, McCarthy threw an interception. However, the one he threw late in the first half against the Falcons wasn’t returned for a touchdown, like his pick last week against the Bears.
McCarthy was not good through three quarters of the Vikings’ Week 1 game. That was forgotten when he came alive in the fourth quarter and led the Vikings to a win, but the first half Sunday night was another troubling sign for McCarthy. He took five sacks in the first half against a team that has in recent seasons had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. He also bobbled a snap on a sneak on fourth-and-inches and was stopped short of the first down. McCarthy finally hit one big play, a 50-yard gain to Justin Jefferson with two seconds left to set up a field goal. The Falcons led 9-6 at halftime.
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Minnesota’s defense, as was the case last week, kept the Vikings in the game. The home crowd helped, too, disrupting the Falcons on their first drive and helping them settle for a field goal. The Falcons couldn’t get in the end zone and Drake London lost a fumble that took more points off the board. Even after the Falcons’ interception off McCarthy in Minnesota territory, all Atlanta could get out of it was a field goal.
It wasn’t a pretty first half for Minnesota. The only good news was that Penix didn’t do more for the Falcons to open up a big lead. Minnesota couldn’t take advantage, as NBC probably saw its viewership numbers drop during an uneventful game.
Falcons pull away
The game didn’t pick up much in the third quarter. The Vikings’ offense continued to stall. The Falcons still were settling for field goals. Atlanta led 12-6 after three quarters.
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The Vikings had another turnover to start the fourth quarter, when Atlanta’s Zach Harrison came unblocked on a rush and hit McCarthy, causing a fumble that the Falcons recovered at the Vikings’ 38-yard line. The Falcons settled for yet another field goal, Parker Romo’s fifth of the night.
There were no signs of life from the Vikings’ offense. Minnesota’s run game didn’t do much to take pressure off McCarthy. He didn’t look comfortable all night, either due to the pressure from the Falcons or not finding any receivers for meaningful completions. When Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier scored the game’s first touchdown with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter, it was officially a rout. At that point McCarthy had completed just nine passes and the Vikings had only 164 yards of offense.
The Vikings are 1-1, and still have time for McCarthy to improve as a passer. But it’s apparent a lot of improvement is needed.
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Northrop Grumman’s new spacecraft is a real chonker

What happens when you use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus supply ship? A record-setting resupply mission to the International Space Station.
The first flight of Northrop’s upgraded Cygnus spacecraft, called Cygnus XL, is on its way to the international research lab after launching Sunday evening from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This mission, known as NG-23, is set to arrive at the ISS early Wednesday with 10,827 pounds (4,911 kilograms) of cargo to sustain the lab and its seven-person crew.
By a sizable margin, this is the heaviest cargo load transported to the ISS by a commercial resupply mission. NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will use the space station’s Canadian-built robotic arm to capture the cargo ship on Wednesday, then place it on an attachment port for crew members to open hatches and start unpacking the goodies inside.
A bigger keg
The Cygnus XL spacecraft looks a lot like Northrop’s previous missions to the station. It has a service module manufactured at the company’s factory in Northern Virginia. This segment of the spacecraft provides power, propulsion, and other necessities to keep Cygnus operating in orbit.
The most prominent features of the Cygnus cargo freighter are its circular, fan-like solar arrays and an aluminum cylinder called the pressurized cargo module that bears some resemblance to a keg of beer. This is the element that distinguishes the Cygnus XL from earlier versions of the Cygnus supply ship.
The cargo module is 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) longer on the Cygnus XL. The full spacecraft is roughly the size of two Apollo command modules, according to Ryan Tintner, vice president of civil space systems at Northrop Grumman. Put another way, the volume of the cargo section is equivalent to two-and-a-half minivans.
“The most notable thing on this mission is we are debuting the Cygnus XL configuration of the spacecraft,” Tintner said. “It’s got 33 percent more capacity than the prior Cygnus spacecraft had. Obviously, more may sound like better, but it’s really critical because we can deliver significantly more science, as well as we’re able to deliver a lot more cargo per launch, really trying to drive down the cost per kilogram to NASA.”
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit Sunday after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft toward the International Space Station.
Credit:
Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cargo modules for Northrop’s Cygnus spacecraft are built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, employing a similar design to the one Thales used for several of the space station’s permanent modules. Officials moved forward with the first Cygnus XL mission after the preceding cargo module was damaged during shipment from Italy to the United States earlier this year.
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Texans vs. Buccaneers prediction, odds, time: 2025 NFL Week 2 Monday Night Football picks from proven model

A double dose of ‘Monday Night Football’ kicks off with C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans hosting Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The hosts are looking for their first win of the 2025 NFL season after stumbling in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams 14-9. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers head into NFL Week 2 with a victory under their belts, having held off the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 to start their season. Both teams will be missing a key receiver with Christian Kirk (hamstring) out for Houston and Chris Godwin (foot) out for Tampa Bay.
Kickoff from NRG Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET. Houston is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Buccaneers vs. Texans odds, and the over/under for total points scored is 42.5. The Texans are -146 favorites on the money line (risk $146 to win $100), while the Bucs are +122 underdogs (risk $100 to win $122). Before making any Texans vs. Buccaneers picks, be sure to see what the SportsLine projection model has to say.
New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model is on a 33-17 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Now, the model has zeroed in on Texans vs. Buccaneers. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Buccaneers vs. Texans:
Buccaneers vs. Texans spread |
Texans -2.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook |
Buccaneers vs. Texans over/under |
42.5 points |
Buccaneers vs. Texans money line |
Houston -146, Tampa Bay +122 |
Buccaneers vs. Texans picks |
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Buccaneers vs. Texans streaming |
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Why the Buccaneers can cover
The Bucs went 10-7-0 ATS last season and have already covered the spread in their first game of the season. They were arguably lucky to get the win in Week 1 since they didn’t generate much yardage, but Mayfield still threw three touchdown passes and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka shined by catching two of those TDs. Egbuka can help open up the offense by taking some of the attention off of Mike Evans, giving Mayfield options against a Texans defense that allowed 244 passing yards in Week 1. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Texans can cover
Houston is in a position to rebound after Ka’imi Fairbairn scored all of its Week 1 points with three first-half field goals. Nico Collins can have a bounce-back game by frustrating a Buccaneers defense that allowed the fourth-most passing yards in Week 1 (289 out of 358 yards total). Nick Chubb had 13 carries for 60 yards against the Rams, so he should be firing on all cylinders in his first home game with the Texans. Houston was 7-8-2 ATS in 2024 and covered four times at home. See which team to back at SportsLine.
New users can also check out the latest FanDuel promo code and get $300 in bonus bets instantly at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins.
How to make Texans vs. Buccaneers picks
For this NFL Week 2 Monday Night Football game, the model is leaning over the total, and also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. See what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins Buccaneers vs. Texans, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texans vs. Buccaneers spread you need to jump, all from the model that is 33-17 on top-rated picks since 2024, and find out.
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Video of ‘Meta Ray-Ban Display’ glasses surfaces ahead of Connect

Meta’s smart glasses plans were already one of the worst kept secrets, as there have been more than a year of leaks and reports about its work to add a heads-up display to the product. Now, just days before their unveiling at Connect, a promotional video of the new frames seems to have leaked.
The video, reported and reposted by UploadVR, shows the new “Meta Ray-Ban Display” frames as well as a new model of camera-enabled Oakley sunglasses. The clip mainly features the new Ray-Ban glasses, and shows a pair of black frames with clear lenses that look similar to the company’s previous Wayfarer frames.
Meta is adding two new pairs of glasses to its lineup.
(Screenshot)
The glasses also include a small display that’s able to show info like a map preview, chats with friends and information related to what you’re looking at. As reported, it also shows a dedicated wristband for the device. The video briefly shows someone swiping with their fingers in order to type out a reply to a message in a chat app.
The clip also shows a new pair of Oakley frames that don’t have a display. The sunglasses seem to be based on the company’s wraparound Sphaera frames and show a camera in the center directly over the nosepiece. That would line up with prior reporting about the glasses that suggested Meta planned to market the glasses to cyclists and other athletes.

The latest Oakley Meta glasses will have a different camera placement.
(Screenshot)
A separate promotional video of the Sphaera sunglasses also cropped up on Monday. That video more clearly shows the placement of the camera in the center of the glasses, but doesn’t reveal what, if any, new features might be arriving with the device.
UploadVR reports that both videos briefly appeared on Meta’s official YouTube channel as unlisted clips but were later removed. We’ve reached out to the company for comment.In the meantime, you can read more about the company’s new smart glasses lineup and what to expect at Connect here. Engadget will be reporting live from the event beginning September 17.
Update, September 15, 2025, 2:56PM PT: Added info about a second video showing the Oakley sunglasses.
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