Monday’s completed slate featured one NFL game, two American League Division Series games and five NBA preseason games. The college sections record the no-game status for the date. Reported results and statistics are separated from ISR’s review of what they may mean.
NFL: Atlanta’s ground game takes over
| Matchup | Final |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints | Falcons 45–24 |
Five rushing touchdowns set the tone
Bijan Robinson ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard score on Atlanta’s third play. Brian Robinson Jr. added 62 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Atlanta stays ahead of the game script
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 223 yards and a touchdown, and the Falcons led 24–7 at halftime. New Orleans finished with 50 rushing yards; Tyler Shough threw for 286 yards on 48 attempts.
ISR analysis: The score was built on more than one explosive run. Atlanta’s ability to keep producing on the ground let it protect a favorable down-and-distance script, while New Orleans’ low rushing output pushed more of the comeback burden onto the passing game.
MLB: both AL home teams take 2–0 leads
| Matchup | Final |
|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians | White Sox 4–3 |
| New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays | Rays 5–2 |
Montgomery flips Game 2
Braden Montgomery’s two-run double in the sixth put Chicago ahead, and Chase Meidroth followed with an RBI single. Sean Burke supplied 5 1/3 innings of one-hit relief as the White Sox took a 2–0 series lead.
Contact and defense decide Tampa Bay’s fifth
The Rays scored four runs in the fifth, highlighted by Richie Palacios’ two-run single. New York committed four errors, three in the first inning, while Ben Rice accounted for both Yankees runs with two solo homers.
ISR analysis: Chicago’s comeback and Tampa Bay’s pressure offense arrived in different forms, but both games turned when the opponent’s starter left or lost control of the inning. Reviewing postseason results by bullpen handoff and defensive execution is more useful than treating the final margin alone as the full story.
NBA: five preseason finals
| Matchup | Final |
|---|---|
| Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks | Grizzlies 132–123 |
| Phoenix Suns at Detroit Pistons | Pistons 109–107 |
| New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers | 76ers 120–97 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks | Timberwolves 116–97 |
| Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings | Lakers 127–103 |
Early looks at new faces
Cameron Boozer recorded 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 18 minutes for Memphis. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points in 17 minutes in Philadelphia’s win.
Late finish in Detroit, fast start in Sacramento
Ebuka Okorie’s driving layup with 5.8 seconds left gave Detroit its two-point win. Luka Dončić scored 21 points as the Lakers won by 24.
ISR analysis: Preseason score margins deserve restraint because rotations and workloads are experimental. The useful early information is narrower: role, pace, lineup fit and how efficiently a player used a limited stint.
College sports: no Monday games
NCAA Football FBS: No games were listed for Monday, October 5.
NCAA men’s basketball: No games were listed for Monday, October 5.
Betting notebook: one documented postseason result
ATS means against the spread. The result below is measured only against the explicitly cited source line; it is not presented as a universal closing line or as a record of Insider Sports Report’s paid selections.
FOX Sports’ Game 2 result listing identifies Cleveland −1.5 and a total of 6.5. Chicago’s 4–3 win covered the run line, and the seven combined runs finished over that number.
ISR analysis: A sourced result is more useful than reconstructing a line after the fact. The number above is tied to one identified source; other books or timestamps may have differed.
Scores & source notes
Reported facts come from the sources below. Paragraphs labeled “ISR analysis” are editorial interpretation. Scoreboard matchup links open official recaps or box scores.
- NFL.com: Falcons 45, Saints 24 · NFL.com Falcons schedule and final status.
- MLB postseason schedule and results · White Sox–Guardians Game 2 recap · Yankees–Rays Game 2 recap.
- NBA games and final statuses · individual NBA game pages are linked in the score table above.
- ESPN: October 5 college football date scoreboard · ESPN: October 5 men’s college basketball date scoreboard. Date queries and final statuses checked October 6, 2026.
- FOX Sports: White Sox–Guardians ALDS odds and results, used only for the explicitly labeled run-line and total outcomes above.
