NFL:
Brian Johnson kicked a 33-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in his NFL debut, and the New Orleans Saints capitalized on a series of Seattle mistakes for a 13-10 win over the Seahawks.
Alvin Kamara carried the load for New Orleans and Jameis Winston made a handful of plays when needed. But the Saints escaped Seattle thanks largely to a series of blunders by the home team. Seattle was flagged for two crucial penalties on New Orleans’ deciding drive. The Seahawks lost their third straight game for the first time since 2011 and fell to 0-3 at home.
Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Nagy, who is vaccinated, announced the result during a Zoom call Monday minutes after his usual in-person session was switched. He said from his car he was feeling “pretty good.”
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will run meetings that Nagy can’t conduct virtually. League rules say vaccinated individuals who are asymptomatic can return to the practice facility once they have two consecutive negative PCR tests taken at least 24 hours apart. If they are symptomatic, they need two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart and must be symptom-free for 48 hours.
In other NFL news:
The injury-riddled Denver Broncos have acquired the Los Angeles Rams’ second-leading tackler. The Rams are sending inside linebacker Kenny Young and a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 to the Broncos for a sixth-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft. Young is in the midst of a breakout fourth NFL season and goes from a 6-1 team to a 3-4 Broncos squad that has been hit hard by injuries at linebacker. The Broncos lost both of their starters and two backups and have lost four straight after a 3-0 start.
The Green Bay Packers likely will have to face the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals without 2020 All-Pro receiver Davante Adams and defensive coordinator Joe Barry. General manager Brian Gutekunst announced Monday that the team has placed Adams on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That announcement came just over an hour after coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that Barry had tested positive.
The Atlanta Falcons have activated offensive lineman Kaleb McGary from the COVID-19 reserve list. McGary missed a 30-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins after starting the first five games for the 3-3 Falcons. Jason Spriggs got the start at right tackle. Cornerback T.J. Green has been released to make room for McGary.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield remains out with a left shoulder injury that could sideline him for this week’s game against Pittsburgh. Mayfield was not on the practice field during the portion of practice open to reporters. He didn’t play against Denver on Thursday, when it was disclosed he also has a fracture in his non-throwing shoulder along with a completely torn labrum.
A person with direct knowledge of the diagnosis says an MRI confirmed that New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be sidelined at least two weeks. Wilson was injured in the second quarter of New York’s 54-13 loss to New England on Sunday.
Carl Madsen, who worked as an NFL on-field umpire and then as a replay official, has died. He was 71. The league confirmed Monday that Madsen died on his way home after working the Kansas City-Tennessee game.. Madsen joined the NFL officiating staff as an umpire in 1997 and worked on the field through the 2008 season. He worked in replay from 2009.
NBA:
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Khris Middleton added 27 points to lead defending NBA champion Milwaukee past Indiana 119-109. The Bucks took the lead on Middleton’s four-point play to close the first quarter and never trailed again. The Pacers have lost three of their first four games under new coach Rick Carlisle. The Pacers were led by Malcolm Brogdon with 25 points.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Brooklyn Nets bounced back from a poor finish a day earlier with a blistering start that sent them to a 104-90 victory over the Washington Wizards. Patty Mills made five 3-pointers and added 21 points off the bench, while James Harden finished with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. The Wizards won their first two games but fell behind early in this one.
Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 41 points, Jaylen Brown added 30 points including an emphatic dunk in overtime and the Boston Celtics handed the Charlotte Hornets their first loss of the season Monday night 140-129. Dennis Schroder had nine of his 23 points in overtime, and Robert Williams added 12 points and 16 rebounds in a game that featured 28 lead changes. Miles Bridges had 25 points and 10 rebounds and LaMelo Ball added 25 points.
Jimmy Butler scored 36 points on 15-for-21 shooting and the Miami Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Orlando Magic 107-90 on Monday night. Bam Adebayo added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Markieff Morris had 16 points off the Miami bench. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 15 points. Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton each added 12 for the Magic. Mo Bamba and Robin Lopez had 11 apiece for Orlando.
Trae Young had 32 points and nine assists, John Collins scored 22 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons 122-104 on Monday night. The Hawks have won 24 of their last 30 home games, dating Feb. 21. Like in the 2021 playoffs,. Kelly Olynyk had 17 of his 21 points in the first half and Saddiq Bey scored 21 for Detroit, which dropped to 0-3.
The Chicago Bulls opened a season with four straight wins for the first time since 1996-97, holding off the Toronto Raptors 111-108. DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points against his former team and Zach LaVine had 22 points for the Bulls. Nikola Vucevic scored 17 points and Lonzo Ball had 15 as the Bulls won their fourth straight meeting with Toronto. OG Anunoby scored 22 points to lead the Raptors, who have lost three of four.
Kevin Love scored 22 points, Jarrett Allen recorded his second straight double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Denver Nuggets 99-87. Allen finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds to help the Cavaliers start a five-game trip on the right note. The Cavaliers overcame a big night from Nikola Jokic. The NBA MVP scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
NHL:
Gregory Hofmann scored his first NHL goal and added an assist, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. The Blue Jackets won for the second time in three games.
Oliver Bjorkstrand added a goal and his 100th career assist, and Zach Werenski finished with a goal and assist. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 31 shots and is unbeaten in four starts this season. Tyler Seguin scored and Braden Holtby made 22 saves for the Stars.
In other Monday action on the ice:
T.J. Oshie picked up his fifth career hat trick as the Washington Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators 7-5 on Monday night. Alex Ovechkin extended his point streak to six games with his sixth and seventh goals of the season for Washington. Nick Jensen and John Carlson also scored as Ilya Samsonov made 32 saves for the win. Drake Batherson led the way for Ottawa with his first career hat trick, while Chris Tierney and Josh Norris also chipped in.
Frederik Andersen made 24 saves against his former team and the unbeaten Carolina Hurricanes matched the best five-game start in franchise history by defeating the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Sebastian Aho, Steven Lorentz and Nino Niederreiter scored second-period goals for the Hurricanes. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-netter and Jaccob Slavin had two assists.
Andrew Mangiapane scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat the New York Rangers 5-1 for their third straight win. Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund each had a goal and an assist, and Christopher Tanev also scored for Calgary. Johnny Gaudreau got his seventh assist of the season and Jacob Markstrom stopped 28 shots. Dryden Hunt scored for the Rangers, who had won four straight — all on the road.
Frank Vatrano and Joe Thornton each scored their first goals of the season and the Florida Panthers stretched their unbeaten streak to six games with a 5-3 victory over the winless Arizona Coyotes. Anthony Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad also scored goals for the Panthers. Spencer Knight made 18 saves. Brandon Montour had two assists. Liam O’Brien and Phil Kessel scored late goals for the Coyotes. Clayton Keller also scored a goal.
Victor Olofsson scored two goals and Craig Anderson made 35 saves for the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. Drake Caggiula, Vinnie Hinostroza and Robert Hagg also scored for the Sabres in their first win against the Lightning in eight meetings. Tage Thompson had two assists. Alex Killorn had a goal for the Lightning, who opened a back-to-back trip with their first road loss of the season. Brian Elliott stopped 20 shots in his Tampa Bay debut.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals and Ville Husso recorded his second career shutout as the St. Louis Blues remained undefeated in five games with a 2-0 victory Monday night over the Los Angeles Kings. The Blues are off to a 5-0 start for the first time in franchise history. The Kings haven’t won since their season opener. Husso stopped 34 shots in making his first start of the season between the pipes. Quick had 32 saves in falling to 12-16-3 lifetime against St. Louis.
MLB:
The Houston Astros are in the World Series for the third time in five years.
They go into Game 1 against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night as the betting favorites in Las Vegas and sure to be cheered at home at Minute Maid Park. But everywhere else, they’re seen as villains, considered baseball’s biggest cheaters after using an illegal sign-stealing scheme on their way to winning the 2017 championship. Astros star Carlos Correa says the outside noise doesn’t motivate the team. There sure is a lot of it when they go on the road, where the team has been heckled, cursed and taunted all season.
In other Series news:
Chris Conroy will be behind the plate for Tuesday night’s opener between Atlanta and Houston, one of three umpires working the World Series for the first time along with Dan Bellino and Mike Muchlinski. Crew chief Tom Hallion will be at first for the opener, Bellino at second, Ted Barrett at third, Muchlinksi in left and Alfonso Marquez in right. Ron Kulpa will be the reserve umpire as part of the seven-man crew.
Oliver Marmol has been promoted from bench coach to the majors’ youngest manager, taking over the St. Louis Cardinals almost two weeks after Mike Shildt was fired in a surprise move by one of baseball’s most stable franchises.
The 35-year-old Marmol is the team’s youngest manager since Marty Marion at age 34 in 1951. Marmol was picked by St. Louis in the sixth round of the 2007 amateur draft out of the College of Charleston, but his playing career stalled at Class A Palm Beach. After coaching and managing in the minors, he joined the Cardinals’ major league staff in 2017 as the first base coach.
Elsewhere in the majors:
The Philadelphia Phillies have hired Bobby Dickerson for a second stint as their infield coach. The 56-year-old Dickerson served as Philadelphia’s infield coach in 2019. He spent the last two seasons with the San Diego Padres.
Longtime Milwaukee Brewers coach Ed Sedar has retired after a 30-year career with the organization. The 60-year-old Sedar had worked as the Brewers’ first base coach from 2007 until 2010 and third base coach from 2011 until 2020. He spent this season as an adviser to the Brewers’ major league coaching staff.
Seattle Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. is joining the team’s ownership group. The team announced Griffey has purchased a stake in the club that drafted him in 1987 and watched him grow into a Hall of Famer. Griffey spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Mariners and returned in 2009 for part of two more seasons in Seattle. He’s held the role of special consultant to the franchise but is the first former player to become a part owner of the Seattle franchise.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Texas Tech has fired coach Matt Wells. The move comes two days after the Red Raiders couldn’t hold a two-touchdown halftime lead in a loss at home to Kansas State.
Wells had a shot at his first winning record in three seasons with the Red Raiders. An inability to win Big 12 games plagued him just as it did his predecessor. Kliff Kingsbury also was fired. Texas Tech didn’t win consecutive Big 12 games and was in 7-16 in league play under Wells.
In other college football news:
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin declined to address his vaccination status days after the university imposed a mandate requiring all employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The university mandate, which went into effect last Friday, imposes a Dec. 8 deadline for employees to be vaccinated or they could face termination. Harsin has declined to say whether he’s vaccinated since first asked during the Southeastern Conference media days in July. He says he is aware of the new policy.
North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren says starting linebacker Isaiah Moore and starting left guard Chandler Zavala have suffered season-ending injuries. Doeren said Monday that both players will need surgery, He didn’t specify the exact nature of the injuries. Moore went down holding his knee during Saturday’s loss at Miami.
USA-BASKETBALL BOARD:
Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey was reelected chairperson of USA Basketball on Monday.
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird and three-time gold medalist Kevin Durant were among those added to the federation’s board of directors. Dempsey was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Barack Obama. He is the second person to be elected chair for back-to-back Olympic cycles, following Jerry Colangelo.
OHIO STATE-TEAM DOCTOR:
A federal judge has dismissed more of the unsettled lawsuits filed by men who say Ohio State University officials failed to stop decades-old sexual abuse by now-deceased team doctor Richard Strauss.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson’s rulings Monday weren’t much of a surprise, because he’d previously dismissed related cases for the same reasons. In rulings, Watson acknowledged Strauss abused hundreds of young men while Ohio State officials turned a blind eye, but he ruled the legal window for such claims has passed. Lawyers for the plaintiffs plan appeals. OSU has apologized publicly and previously announced settlements with some of the other survivors.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
According to WNYT, former UAlbany men's basketball coach Will Brown will be the next head coach and general manager of the Albany Patroons. A press conference is set for Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Armory. Brown coached the Great Danes for 20 seasons, but his contract was not renewed after last year. He won more than 300 games at UAlbany and coached five of his teams to the NCAA Tournament.
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