NFL:
Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with the coronavirus on Sunday, but it was the Green Bay Packers’ offense that looked sick.
The Chiefs relentlessly blitzed the Packers’ Jordan Love in a 13-7 victory at Kansas City. Making his first NFL start, Love was 19 of 34 for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception, both of them coming in the fourth quarter. Love’s touchdown pass to Allen Lazard with 4:49 left gave Green Bay a chance, but the Packers finished with just 301 yards of total offense in ending a seven-game winning streak.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 166 yards and a touchdown for the 5-4 Chiefs, who won despite amassing just 237 total yards.
Elsewhere in Week 9 of the NFL schedule:
James Conner ran for two touchdowns and caught a 45-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Colt McCoy as the Cardinals earned aa 31-17 win over the 49ers. The 8-1 Cardinals played without quarterback Kyler Murray and receivers DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green but still had little trouble completing the season sweep against the 3-5 49ers. Conner finished with 173 yards from scrimmage and now leads the NFL in TDs with 11, all scored in the past seven games.
Kevin Byard returned Matthew Stafford’s second consecutive interception 24 yards for a touchdown, part of a defensive effort that sent the Titans to a 28-16 win over the Rams. Jeffery Simmons had three of Tennessee’s five sacks of Stafford during a stifling performance against the Rams’ prolific passing offense. Ryan Tannehill threw for a TD and ran for another as the Titans won despite just 194 offensive yards in their first game without injured NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry.
The Cowboys’ six-game winning streak has ended with a 30-16 home loss to the Broncos. Teddy Bridgewater threw for a touchdown and had a sneak for another while Denver built a 30-0 lead. Bridgewater threw for 249 yards and Javonte Williams rushed for 111 yards while helping the Broncos maintain possession for over 41 minutes.
Justin Tucker drilled a 36-yard field goal with 16 seconds left on the clock in overtime to give the Ravens a 34-31 victory over the Vikings. The AFC North leaders rallied from a 14-point, third-quarter deficit and survived an acrobatic interception by Minnesota’s Anthony Barr on the first possession of OT. Lamar Jackson ran for 120 yards on 21 carries and threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions as Baltimore moved to 6-2.
Denzel Ward’s early 99-yard interception return for a touchdown ignited the Browns’ 41-16 pounding of the Bengals, leaving both teams 5-4. Baker Mayfield threw for two scores and Nick Chubb ran for 137 as Cleveland racked up the same point total it mustered in its three previous games combined. Mayfield connected with Donovan Peoples-Jones on a 60-yard TD pass in the first half and an 18-yarder to David Njoku in the fourth.
Jacksonville’s Josh Allen hounded Buffalo’s Josh Allen with an interception, a sack and a fumble recovery in the Jaguar’s 9-6 stunner over the Bills. Allen turned over the ball three times while completing 31 of 47 passes for 264 yards in Buffalo’s second loss in seven games. Matt Wright missed three kicks in the third quarter, but he delivered on a tiebreaking, 21-yard boot with 12:10 remaining as the Jags improved to 2-6.
Xavier McKinney’s two interceptions sparked the Giants’ 23-16 upset of the Raiders. McKinney returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown early in the second half and picked off another errant throw by Derek Carr to set up a field goal. Daniel Jones threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram and Graham Gano added three field goals, helping the 3-6 Giants drop the Raiders to 5-3.
J.C. Jackson returned one of three Sam Darnold interceptions for an 88-yard touchdown as the Patriots defeated the Panthers, 24-6. Rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 106 yards from scrimmage before leaving the game with a head injury. Damien Harris and Hunter Henry scored touchdowns as the 5-4 Patriots improved to 4-0 on the road.
Dustin Hopkins nailed a 29-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to send the Chargers past the Eagles, 27-24. Justin Herbert was 32 of 38 passing for 356 yards and two touchdowns as Los Angeles ended a two-game skid and improved to 5-3. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for 62 yards and was 11 of 17 for 162 yards and a score.
The Falcons pulled out a 27-25 win over the Saints as Matt Ryan hit Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard gain with a minute to go, setting up Younghoe Koo’s 29-yard field goal as time expired. Ryan passed for 343 yards, connecting twice with Olamide Zaccheaus for touchdowns and running for a score on a bootleg.
The Dolphins and Texans combined for nine turnovers before Miami came away with a 17-9 victory. The Dolphins got 244 yards passing and a touchdown throw from surprise starter Jacoby Brissett. Neither team had won since Week 1.
First-place teams had a rough Sunday. Dak Prescott returned to the lineup for the Dallas Cowboys and they didn’t score until Denver led 30-0 in the fourth quarter on the road.
Josh Allen had three turnovers and the Buffalo Bills showed no discipline in an embarrassing 9-6 loss at woeful Jacksonville.
Without Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers couldn’t muster enough offense to upend Kansas City in rookie Jordan Love’s first start.
Coming off an emotional week, the Las Vegas Raiders struggled in a 23-16 loss at the Giants.
NASCAR:
Kyle Larson has closed his comeback season in NASCAR with his first championship, capping his return from a nearly yearlong suspension with a title-winning victory at Phoenix Raceway.
Larson received a flawless final pit stop from his Hendrick Motorsports crew to get the No. 5 Chevrolet back on track ahead of his three title rivals. He controlled a restart with 25 laps remaining, quickly cleared Martin Truex Jr., then held off several of Truex’s challenges.
Larson had a Cup-leading 10 victories this year, success that was in stark contrast to his troubles in 2020. He was fired four races into last season and lost nearly every sponsor for his use of a racial slur while racing online. Hendrick signed him and came away with its 14th NASCAR title.
Truex finished second and was followed by Denny Hamlin, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
NBA:
The Brooklyn Nets are unbeaten since they traded losses and wins for their first five games of the NBA season.
James Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ fifth consecutive win, 116-103 at Toronto. Harden narrowly missed his second straight triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Kevin Durant had 31 points to lead the Nets, while Blake Griffin chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Jordan Poole scored 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter as the Warriors dealt the Rockets their eighth straight loss, 120-107. Stephen Curry added 20 points and three steals to help the league leaders improve to 8-1 with their fourth victory in a row. Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points, and Draymond Green had six points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 37 to help the Cavaliers pick up their fourth straight win, 126-109 at New York. Evan Mobley added 26 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 and Darius Garland 16 to help Cleveland improve to 7-4. Julius Randle had a team-high 19 points in the Knicks’ third loss in their last four games.
The Wizards had dropped eight straight to the Bucks before Bradley Beal dropped in 30 points and Kyle Kuzma had a double-double in Washington’s 101-94 victory against Milwaukee. Kuzma added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Montrezl Harrell also provided 15 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 18 rebounds for the defending champion Bucks, who have lost five of six to drop to 4-6.
Cole Anthony scored 10 of his season-best 33 points in the fourth quarter and keyed a game-closing, 24-11 run that lifted the Magic past the Jazz, 107-100. Wendell Carter Jr. had a season-best 22 points and 15 rebounds for Orlando, which trailed 89-81 with eight minutes remaining. Utah lost its second straight since an 8-1 start despite Rudy Gobert’s 21 points and 15 boards.
The Clippers won their fourth in a row as Paul George scored 20 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 in a 120-106 win against the Hornets. Luke Kennard had 18 points and Terance Mann furnished 17 with 10 rebounds. Los Angeles trailed by nine midway through the fourth quarter before scoring 22 straight points to take a 115-102 lead.
Mike Muscala scored 20 points in just 14 minutes of the Thunder’s 99-94 downing of the Spurs. The 30-year-old Muscala made 5 of 6 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws in one of the most productive offensive games of his career. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City.
The Pacers squandered a 15-point lead before winning in Sacramento for the first time since 2018, 94-91. Caris LeVert paced Indiana with 22 points and Domontas Sabonis posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Harrison Barnes scored 22 points for the Kings, who opened the fourth quarter on an 11-1 spurt to take a three-point lead.
The NBA has told its players, coaches and referees that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus.
The league and the players association placed particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saying those who received the J&J shot more than two months ago should get a booster.
The booster recommendation also was made for those who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.
The league recommendations were acquired by The Associated Press and call for those who got Johnson & Johnson vaccines originally to seek a Pfizer or Moderna booster.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Cincinnati has held onto the No. 2 spot in The Associated Press college football poll, but the Bearcats’ performance on Saturday probably did little to raise them from sixth in the CFP rankings.
The Bearcats four points ahead of No. 3 Alabama after a 28-20 victory over Tulsa. The Crimson Tide struggled with LSU before posting a 20-14 victory.
Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 for the fifth straight week. Oklahoma remains No. 4 and Oregon moved up two spots to fifth following a 10-point win at Washington.
Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan and Oklahoma State round out the top 10. The Spartans dropped from third with a 58-55 loss at Purdue.
The CFP rankings will be revealed on Tuesday.
UMass has fired coach Walt Bell after he went 2-23 over two-plus seasons at the helm.
Athletic director Ryan Bamford announced defensive coordinator Tommy Restivo also had been relieved of his duties.
Offensive assistant and former Minutemen four-year starter Alex Miller has been named interim coach for the final three games of the season.
NHL:
New coach, different result as the Chicago Blackhawks won for just the second time this season.
The Hawks were 2-1 winners over the Predators in Derek King’s first game as interim head coach. Chicago improved to 2-9-2 when Alex DeBrincat scored 37 seconds into overtime.
Chicago’s Brandon Hagel and Nashville’s Alexandre Carrier scored 1:50 apart in the second period for the only goals in regulation.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
The Islanders’ seven-game point streak is over after the Wild scored four unanswered goals in the third period of a 5-2 victory against New York. Brandon Duhaime scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third, about two minutes after Ryan Hartman tied the game for Minnesota.
Troy Terry and Benoit-Olivier Groulx each had a goal and an assist, and John Gibson stopped 34 shots to lead the Ducks to a 4-1 win over the Blues. Sam Steel and Sam Carrick also scored for Anaheim.
The Red Wings came away with a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights as Pius Suter and Tyler Bertuzzi each had a goal and an assist. Sam Gagner, Filip Hronek and Nick Leddy each had two assists, and Thomas Greiss stopped 38 shots in the victory.
J.T. Miller had two power-play goals and the Canucks scored four times in the second period to beat the Stars, 6-3. Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson each had a goal and two assists in Vancouver's second win in six games.
MLB:
The Chicago Cubs have exercised their $10 million option for left-hander Wade Miley, a move that was expected after he was acquired off waivers from Cincinnati on Friday.
Miley went 12-7 with a 3.37 ERA in 28 starts for the Reds this past season, tossing his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win at Cleveland on May 7.
Also around the majors:
Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon and Padres utilityman Jurickson Profar have declined to opt out of their contracts to become free agents.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS:
Steven Alker’s surprising stretch has continued with a victory in the TimberTech Championship.
Alker closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory over Jim Furyk and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Alker won $305,000, pushing his total to $896,207 in just nine tournaments since he qualified for the Boeing Classic in late August for his Champions debut. He also became among the top 36 players who advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
GOLF-MAYAKOBA:
Viktor Hovland has repeated as winner at Mayakoba in Mexico while picking up the third title of his young PGA Tour career.
The Norwegian star closed with a 67 to win by four shots over Carlos Ortiz.
SOCCER:
The NYCFC tied Philadelphia, 1-1, the New York Red Bulls tied Nashville, 1-1 and Inter Miami bested New England, 1-0.
All contents © copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved