😤 A New, Unexpected NFL Rivalry Emerges

The Patriots and Panthers are suddenly the league’s hottest new rivalry. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: Two days of fighting during joint practices have led to an incredibly random rivalry we can’t get enough of ... a look at the L.A. Lakers’ future now that LeBron James has agreed to a massive extension ... and more! The most random and unexpected rivalry in the NFL is now officially, categorically, and … enjoyably, a thing. Take a bow, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, and accept the plaudits for having come with up one of the preseason's quirkiest developments. Two days of fights during joint practices this week were enough to take two teams with an extremely limited shared history and morph them into mortal enemies. The Patriots got mad when Panthers safety Kenny Robinson delivered a clattering hit on New England returner Kristian Wilkerson, then stood over him as he lay prone on the turf. The Panthers got mad when their star running back Christian McCaffrey was on the wrong end of a big hit from Deatrich Wise Jr., then threw a ball at Wise, igniting the latest in a series of fisticuffs and flareups. Head coaches Bill Belichick and Matt Rhule got mad at the unprofessional nature of it all and expressed frustration at the lost preparation time caused by having to cut short the sessions. "I know a lot of [the talk] will be about what happened," Rhule told reporters. "That’s not how we want to practice, right?" Everyone else has treated it with no small measure of glee, partly because of the absurdity and the surprise factor and partly because it might be the best sign yet that football – finally – is just around the corner. There is no faux outrage going on — if you are deeply offended by some training field aggression then football’s probably not for you. If anything, it sparks some intrigue as to what other rivalries might sprout from nowhere and end up with helmet-and-pads imitations of Tyson Fury. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - NASCAR will set a record with seven countries represented among Sunday's drivers. [Bob Pockrass surveys the international field.]( - LeBron James extended his stay in Los Angeles by agreeing to a two-year, $97.1 million deal on Tuesday. [Melissa Rohlin explains]( what it means for the Lakers. - LIV Golf has stirred up a lot of controversy in its ongoing battle with the PGA Tour. But which aspects of the feud are “Sports”? [Charlotte Wilder decides.]( For the latest news and updates, [click here](. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET) NFL preseason action continues with Geno Smith and the Seahawks hosting the Bears. Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees (MLBN, 7:05 p.m. ET) The Yankees look to keep shaking off their demons against their AL East foes. Dallas Wings vs. Connecticut Sun (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET) The Wings visit the Sun for Game 1 of their WNBA first-round playoff series. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Baker Mayfield wins Comeback Player of the Year: +1000 FOX Sports Betting Analyst Geoff Schwartz: Simply put, voters love a good story. And name a better story than Baker Mayfield reviving his career in Carolina as the Panthers’ starting quarterback, especially if he can sneak them into the playoffs as a wild-card team. After leading the downtrodden Browns to the playoffs in 2020 — breaking an 18-year drought — he was unceremoniously discarded for a player who will miss at least 11 games this season. Make no mistake about it, people will be rooting for Mayfield to play well for his new team. And I, for one, know Mayfield is going to play well if he’s healthy. "Well" does not mean he’s winning the Super Bowl or getting a Pro Bowl bid. Mayfield’s career has been up and down, and if we are following the pattern, this season will be up. I believe him getting back his mojo, combined with a Panthers playoff run and people rooting for Mayfield to succeed, will win him the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2022 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900