European teams abandon plan to wear armbands at World Cup
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — FIFA’s threat of on-field punishment for players has forced World Cup teams to back down and abandon an anti-discrimination campaign aimed at host nation Qatar. The seven soccer federations say "we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions.” The decision was made after threats from FIFA a few hours before England’s Harry Kane, the Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk and Wales' Gareth Bale were due to wear the One Love armbands in Monday’s games. The captains of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark were also expected to wear the armbands in the coming days.
Kelce scores 3 touchdowns, Chiefs rally past Chargers 30-27
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for their third touchdown of the game with 31 seconds remaining, and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied past the Los Angeles Chargers 30-27 to stay atop the AFC. Mahomes hit Kelce on a short crossing route that Kelce took to the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown, concluding a six-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:15. The Chargers had pulled ahead 27-23 on Justin Herbert’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:46 left. The Chiefs swept the season series from Los Angeles and took a three-game lead in the AFC West. Kansas City leads four teams by one game in the conference.
Cowboys crush Vikings' 7-game win streak with 40-3 romp
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys sacked Kirk Cousins a career-most seven times in a 40-3 victory over Minnesota. That slammed the Vikings’ seven-game winning streak to a screeching halt. Tony Pollard had two touchdown catches for Dallas with a career-high 189 yards from scrimmage. Dak Prescott was flawless at quarterback, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for two scores in his return from injury and Brett Maher made four field goals including a 60-yarder to end the first half. The Cowboys improved to 7-3 with their biggest road win in franchise history. The Vikings fell to 8-2.
Bills beat Browns 31-23 after snow shifts game to Motor City
DETROIT (AP) — Josh Allen threw a go-ahead, 5-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs late in the first half and Buffalo beat the Cleveland Browns 31-23 after the NFL moved the Bills’ home game to Detroit due to several feet of snow blanketing western New York. The Bills avoided blowing a third straight halftime lead by scoring on all five of their possessions in the second half and doing a better job protecting the ball. Cleveland rallied within eight points, setting up an onside kick in the final seconds that Bills receiver Gabe Davis failed to grab and running back Taiwan Jones knocked out of bounds.
AP Top 25: USC moves into top 5 for 1st time in 5 years
Southern California moved into the top five of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in five years. Georgia received 62 of the 63 first-place votes in the AP Top 25 as the top four teams held their places after playing varying degrees of close games Saturday. No. 2 Ohio State received the other first-place vote. Michigan was No. 3 again, followed by TCU. The Trojans edged up two spots after a thrilling victory against rival UCLA. The last time USC was ranked in the top five was September of 2017, when it started at No. 4 but spent most of the season ranked in the teens before finishing at 12th.
Staley, VanDerveer back Griner at S Carolina-Stanford game
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer each wore white long-sleeved T-shirts featuring Brittney Griner's name and image during their game Sunday. Top-ranked South Carolina topped No. 2 Stanford 76-71 in overtime in a matchup of the past two NCAA champions. Before South Carolina boarded the bus and left Maples Pavilion, Staley had her Gamecocks write letters to Griner. On the arena concourse, a “Dear BG” table with an invitation to “Write a letter to Brittney Griner” collected hundreds of hand-written messages. The 32-year-old Griner is serving a nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
World Cup dismay for Qatar as Ecuador wins opening game
AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Qatar’s first ever World Cup match ended in dismay for an overmatched team and with a place in unwanted soccer history. The controversy-laced tournament opened with Qatar getting outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Ecuador in front of 67,372 fans at Al Bayt Stadium. A host team had never lost its opening game in 92 years of soccer’s biggest event. The first World Cup in the Middle East is a chance for Qatar to showcase itself to the wider world but its soccer team couldn't live up to the moment. Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored both of his team's goals in the first half.
World Cup Viewer's Guide: Qatar loses opener, US up on Day 2
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The first World Cup in the Middle East finally began Sunday night with a flashy opening ceremony and a loss by host Qatar against Ecuador. Two of the best players in the world were ruled out of the tournament with injuries before it even began. France striker Karim Benzema is out after hurting his left thigh and Senegal forward Sadio Mane has a leg injury. Monday's matches consist of the United States against Wales, England versus Iran and the Netherlands facing Senegal. Eight of the 13 team captains of European nations have planned to wear “One Love” armbands promoting inclusivity but they could face penalties for breaking rules regarding FIFA-issued uniforms.
Patterson sets NFL record with 9th career kickoff return TD
ATLANTA (AP) — Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kickoff 103 yards to become the NFL career leader with nine touchdowns. Patterson, a 10-year veteran, caught the ball in the end zone and gathered a head of steam and outran the coverage up the middle. Matthew Adams missed a tackle attempt when he dove at Patterson’s feet, and Patterson was too fast for Elijah Hicks to catch as he approached the end zone. Patterson broke the record he shared with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington, each of whom had eight.
Marcus Jones' late punt return lifts Patriots over Jets 10-3
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with 5 seconds remaining and the New England Patriots outlasted the New York Jets 10-3. The rookie's score was the first on a punt return in the NFL this season. It was also the lone TD of the game and broke a stalemate on a day when both offenses struggled to move the ball. It was the third straight win for the Patriots and their 14th straight over New York. It denied the Jets a chance to move into first place in the AFC East. Instead New York dropped to last. The Jets haven’t won in Foxborough since the 2010 playoffs.