Cowboys score 33 points in 4th quarter, rout Colts 54-19
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Malik Hooker returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown against his former team in a 33-point fourth quarter for Dallas, propelling the Cowboys to a 54-19 rout of the Indianapolis Colts. Dallas led 21-19 entering the fourth when Dak Prescott threw the last of his three touchdown passes. Hooker’s scoop-and-score was the first of four fourth-quarter takeaways by Dallas, all of which led to touchdowns. The Cowboys had their highest-scoring quarter since at least 1991. It was just the third time in NFL history a team scored as many as 33 points in the fourth. Matt Ryan threw three interceptions and lost a fumble for the Colts.
Deshaun Watson returns from ban, declines to express remorse
HOUSTON (AP) — Deshaun Watson signed autographs, posed for selfies, ignored the boos and earned a sloppy win. Again, he declined to express remorse for behavior that earned him an 11-game suspension. Back in his old home to play his first game in 700 days, Watson showed plenty of rust in his debut with Cleveland but the Browns didn’t need him to do much in a 27-14 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday. After signing jerseys for Texans and Browns fans and taking pictures with a few more before the game, Watson was overwhelmed with boos once it started. He heard jeers before each snap in the first half and for much of the afternoon.
CFP: Georgia vs Ohio St in Peach; Michigan vs TCU in Fiesta
Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State have made the College Football Playoff, giving the Big Ten multiple programs in the four-team field for the first time. The defending national champion and top-ranked Bulldogs and fourth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Dec. 31 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The second-seeded Wolverines and third-ranked Horned Frogs will play at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the same day. The national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Georgia and Michigan have both opened as the favorites to win their semifinals and reach the title game.
Ronaldo looks to shine like Mbappé and Messi at World Cup
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has been overshadowed by the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé so far at the World Cup. Maybe he is about to burst into life in the knockout stage. The five-time world player of the year heads into the round of 16 with Portugal in likely his final World Cup facing a match against Switzerland. The Swiss haven’t advanced beyond this stage since 1954 but did beat France in the last 16 at the European Championship last season. Portugal hasn’t got past the last 16 since making the semifinals in 2006. None of Ronaldo’s eight World Cup goals have come in the knockout stage.
Bonds, Clemens left out of Hall again; McGriff elected
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were passed over by a Baseball Hall of Fame committee that elected former big league slugger Fred McGriff to Cooperstown on Sunday. It was the first time that Bonds, Clemens and Schilling had faced a Hall committee since their 10th and final appearances on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Bonds and Clemens have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, and support for Schilling dropped after he made hateful remarks toward Muslims, transgender people, reporters and others.
49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo out for season with broken left foot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left foot in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Garoppolo got up slowly after being sacked by Jerome Baker and Jaelan Phillips on third down on San Francisco’s first drive. He went into the injury tent before being taken by cart to the locker room. The NFC West-leading Niners ruled him out for at least the rest of the game, and coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Garoppolo’s foot was broken after the game.
Ravens hopeful on Lamar Jackson injury, confident in Huntley
BALTIMORE (AP) — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is not expected to miss significant time after injuring his knee in a 10-9 win over Denver. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said Jackson may not return in time for next week's game against Pittsburgh, but he shouldn't be far off. Backup Tyler Huntley appears far more comfortable in his role as stand-in for the 2019 NFL MVP after guiding Baltimore to a win against the Broncos. Jackson missed the final four games of the 2021 season with an ankle injury, and Baltimore lost every one of them.
Burrow tops Mahomes again, rallies Bengals past Chiefs 27-24
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Samaje Perine rushed for a season-high 106 yards and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in their first meeting since the Bengals prevailed in last season’s AFC championship game. Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs missed their chance to avenge two losses to Burrow and Cincinnati last season. The Bengals beat the Chiefs last Jan. 2 to clinch the AFC North title, then won four weeks later in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl. On Sunday, Burrow threw a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Chris Evans with 8:54 remaining.
Coach Prime delivers pizzazz to college football's wasteland
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has brought the buzz back to Boulder. He was introduced Sunday as Colorado's new football coach. Sanders plans to coach Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 before turning his attention full-time to rebuilding a Buffaloes program that has only one winning full-length season since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. Sanders delivered promises and one-liners during an introductory news conference that doubled as a party for long-suffering Buffs fans whose team just finished a 1-11 season. He says his son, Shedeur Sanders, will be Colorado's new quarterback.
Davis scores 55 points, leads Lakers over Wizards 130-119
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 55 points on sizzling 22-of-30 shooting and added 17 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers over the Washington Wizards 130-119. After scoring 44 points against Milwaukee in his previous game, Davis came close to his career-high of 59 against Detroit in 2016. Davis was 2 of 3 on 3-pointers and made all nine of his foul shots. LeBron James had 29 points for the Lakers. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games while trying to extricate themselves from a 2-10 start. Washington lost leading scorer and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to an undisclosed injury with 8:31 to play in the first quarter. Beal sat on the bench after an early substitution, talked with a trainer, then went to the locker room. He did not return.
UMass faces Albany (NY), seeks 6th straight win
UMass seeks to keep its five-game win streak going when the Minutemen take on Albany (NY). The Minutemen have gone 1-1 at home. UMass has a 1-1 record in games decided by 10 or more points. The Great Danes are 1-4 on the road. Albany (NY) is sixth in the America East scoring 67.7 points per game and is shooting 42.4%. T.J. Weeks averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Minutemen, scoring 9.7 points while shooting 50.0% from beyond the arc. Noah Fernandes is shooting 44.8% and averaging 11.4 points for UMass. Gerald Drumgoole Jr. is averaging 13.2 points for the Great Danes. Jonathan Beagle is averaging 10.6 points for Albany (NY).