The Precedent Daily: Monday, October 26, 2026

Sunday, October 25: the NFL, the Premier League, MLS, the NHL and the NBA, through the lens of The Precedent's Rating. Plus what to watch today.

Sunday's top five

1. Minnesota is the NFL's only unbeaten team. The Vikings trailed Indianapolis 10-6 entering the fourth quarter, scored the last 10 points and won 16-10. At 6-0, Minnesota stays first in The Precedent's Rating. San Francisco and Kansas City both lost, so no other team is still unbeaten.
2. Tampa Bay scored 26 points in the second quarter at Carolina. The Buccaneers, 29th in the Rating yesterday, led 33-6 at halftime and won 43-13. It was the biggest upset of the day by Rating. Tampa Bay climbed eight places to 21st, and Carolina fell from ninth to 15th.
3. In the NBA, Minnesota beat No. 1 Toronto 117-94. Minnesota outscored Toronto 35-15 in the third quarter and is 3-0. It jumped from 22nd to sixth, the biggest climb of the day. Toronto still shares first place with Atlanta.
4. Cincinnati scored 35 straight points at Baltimore. The Bengals trailed 13-0 at halftime, then scored 14 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth to win 35-13. Cincinnati moved from 17th to 11th; Baltimore fell from 14th to 18th.
5. Liverpool moved to second in the Premier League Rating. Liverpool scored twice in the first half and beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0, jumping from fifth to second behind Arsenal. Bournemouth won 3-0 at Manchester United, which fell from 10th to 15th.

NFL

Minnesota's comeback kept it alone at the top. Indianapolis led 7-0 after the first quarter and 10-6 after three, and the Vikings scored all 10 points of the fourth. Denver won 30-16 at Arizona and moved up to share second place with Chicago. San Francisco lost for the first time, 29-20 at Atlanta. The 49ers led 14-12 at halftime, but Atlanta scored 17 points in the second half, and San Francisco slipped from fourth to fifth.

Kansas City also lost for the first time, 20-3 at Seattle, and still moved up a place, from 11th to 10th. The Rating counts the record of every opponent. Pittsburgh beat New Orleans 16-10 at a neutral site, with the only points of the second half coming in the third quarter, and climbed from 12th to eighth. Cleveland won 27-24 at Tennessee but slipped from seventh to ninth; the Titans are 1-6.

The NY Giants won 27-21 at Houston in overtime. The game was tied 21-21 after regulation, and the Giants scored the only points of overtime. Miami won for the first time, 28-25 at the NY Jets, after leading 21-7 at halftime and holding on through an 11-point Jets fourth quarter. The LA Rams led Las Vegas 28-6 at halftime and won 35-21. Detroit beat Green Bay 20-17 in a game never more than three points apart at the end of any quarter.

Sunday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Biggest upsets by Rating

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Full NFL standings and playoff picture →

Premier League

Liverpool did all its scoring before halftime against Brighton and Hove Albion and is now second in The Precedent's Rating, behind Arsenal and just ahead of Manchester City. Brighton, second yesterday, fell to fourth. Bournemouth led 2-0 at halftime at Manchester United and won 3-0, climbing from 14th to 10th. United, with one win in eight games, was the day's biggest faller.

Newcastle United won 2-0 at Crystal Palace with both goals in the second half. Hull City led Brentford 1-0 at halftime before Brentford equalized for a 1-1 draw. Leeds United and Sunderland drew 0-0. It was Leeds' fifth draw of the season, and it slipped from sixth to eighth.

Sunday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Full Premier League standings →

MLS

The LA Galaxy led Los Angeles FC 1-0 at halftime, and the two clubs shared three goals in the second half for a 2-2 draw. Neither club moved in The Precedent's Rating: Los Angeles FC stays 11th and the Galaxy 16th. Nashville SC remains first.

Sunday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Full MLS standings →

NHL

Nashville, 28th in The Precedent's Rating yesterday, beat Colorado 6-2. The Predators led 5-1 after two periods and moved up five places to 23rd. Colorado fell from 16th to 20th. Dallas and the NY Islanders were tied 3-3 after two periods, and the Stars scored three times in the third to win 6-3. Dallas moved into the top 10.

Montreal scored twice in the second period and won 2-1 at Winnipeg, jumping from 21st to 16th. Minnesota led 3-0 after two periods and won 4-2 at last-place Vancouver. Florida won 3-2 at Chicago with the only goal of the third period. Utah stays first, ahead of Boston and Edmonton.

Sunday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today. In The Precedent's Rating, an overtime or shootout winner gets a win and the other team a loss, so records here are W-L.

Biggest upsets by Rating

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Full NHL standings and playoff picture →

NBA

Minnesota's win over Toronto was the biggest upset of the day by Rating: No. 22 over No. 1. Detroit beat Philadelphia 106-93 after leading 34-22 after the first quarter and climbed from 12th to third. Philadelphia lost and still rose from 20th to seventh. Memphis went the other way: it won 123-112 at Sacramento to reach 3-0 and fell from 12th to 22nd. A win over a team with a poor record can lower a Rating.

Orlando trailed the New York Knicks 75-71 after three quarters, scored 40 points in the fourth and won 111-102. The LA Lakers fell behind Utah 47-29 after the first quarter, scored 45 in the second and won 132-123 to stay unbeaten. Oklahoma City led the LA Clippers by one point after three quarters and won 108-101. Indiana won 136-109 at Brooklyn. Detroit, Houston, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, the LA Lakers and Memphis are all 3-0.

Sunday's results

Ranks are The Precedent's Rating, yesterday → today.

Biggest upsets by Rating

Rating Top 10

Teams tied on Rating share a rank. SOS = average Rating of the opponents played.

Biggest risers

Biggest fallers

Full NBA standings →

Coming up today

NFL · 1 game

Dallas (2-4, 26th) plays at Philadelphia (2-4, 25th) at 7:15 PM. The two NFC East teams are level on record, so the winner moves into second place in the division alone.

NHL · 3 games

Edmonton, third in The Precedent's Rating, hosts Detroit (28th) at 8:30 PM. The NY Rangers, ninth, host Los Angeles, 2-7 and 31st, and Toronto plays at Calgary.

NBA · 9 games

The best matchup by Rating is Atlanta, tied for first, at Houston, 3-0 and tied for third, at 7:30 PM. Minnesota puts its 3-0 start on the line at Cleveland, and Oklahoma City, also 3-0, hosts Phoenix. Miami, Milwaukee and Golden State are all still looking for a first win: Miami hosts Dallas, Milwaukee hosts Indiana and Golden State plays at Denver.