NFL
Jalen Hurts braved a direct hit on his injured left knee to throw for 207 yards and two touchdowns and he ran for another tush push score to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are the only 8-1 team in the NFL. Prescott threw for 374 yards and three scores. CeeDee Lamb had 11 catches for 191 yards for Dallas.
Joe Burrow threw for a season-high 348 yards and had two touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals won their fourth straight, beating the Buffalo Bills 24-18 in a key AFC matchup. Burrow was 31 for 44, completing passes to eight different receivers, with tight ends Irv Smith Jr. and Drew Sample making the touchdown grabs. Tee Higgins had eight receptions for a season-high 110 yards. Cincinnati's defense kept Josh Allen and the Bills playing from behind.
Josh Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Aidan O’Connell passed for 209 yards and Antonio Pierce won his debut as Las Vegas' interim coach as the Raiders routed the New York Giants 30-6. Maxx Crosby had three of the Raiders’ eight sacks. Las Vegas held the Giants to 275 yards in the Raiders’ largest margin of victory since beating the Denver Broncos 37-12 on Nov. 15, 2020. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones left one play into the second quarter with a right knee injury.
The New England Patriots were driving toward a potential winning score when Mac Jones' pass went off JuJu Smith-Schuster's hands and into the arms of a defender. That sealed the Patriots' 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Patriots have had few answers as they are off to a 2-7 start. That's the worst since Bill Belichick's first season in New England. The Patriots insist they aren't giving up on the season. Belichick had no answers for what's gone wrong.
Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes, safety Bryan Cook scored on a 59-yard fumble return, and the Kansas City Chiefs held on to beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 at Deutsche Bank Park in Germany. The Chiefs did just enough to slow the NFL’s top-ranked offense in the first-ever regular season game in Frankfurt, but nearly blew a big lead. Miami’s comeback fell short when Tua Tagovailoa couldn’t handle a snap on fourth-and-10 from the Kansas City 31 with 1:03 to play. Tight end Travis Kelce had just three catches for 14 yards, which was just enough to become the franchise’s career leader in receiving yards.
Keaton Mitchell ran for 138 yards and his first NFL touchdown, Odell Beckham Jr. scored for the first time since the Super Bowl two seasons ago and the Baltimore Ravens routed another first-place team in beating the Seattle Seahawks 37-3. Gus Edwards ran for two touchdowns for the Ravens, who remained tied for the best record in the AFC after holding an opponent to nine points or fewer for the fourth time this season. Lamar Jackson threw for 187 yards and ran for 60 before sitting out the fourth quarter. The Seahawks managed only six first downs and were outgained 515-151.
Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes in his second start for Cleveland in five weeks because of a right shoulder injury and the Browns held the Cardinals to just 58 yards in a 27-0 win. It was Cleveland’s first shutout since 2007. Watson looked rusty and indecisive at times in his first full game since Sept. 24, when he sustained a strained rotator cuff. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards — 139 to Amari Cooper. Cleveland's defense had a field day against Cardinals rookie quarterback Clayton Tune. The Browns sacked Tune seven times.
Aaron Jones scored Green Bay's first first-half touchdown since mid-September, and the Packers snapped a four-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Rams 20-3 on Sunday. Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from Jordan Love and Anders Carlson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts for the Packers. Love went 20 of 26 for 228 yards despite getting sacked four times. The Rams dropped their third straight as they played without quarterback Matthew Stafford because of a thumb injury.
Rookie C.J. Stroud threw for five touchdowns and a rookie-record 470 yards to lift Houston Texans to a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wild back-and-forth game. Baker Mayfield put the Buccaneers on top with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 46 seconds left. But the Texans drove down the field and Stroud found Tank Dell in the end zone to give the Texans the lead. He kneeled instead of attempting the 2-point conversion with kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn out with a quadriceps injury. The Buccaneers fumbled on the final play to give Houston the victory.
Joshua Dobbs threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 6-yarder to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining, and also ran for a score five days after being acquired in a trade to help rally the Minnesota Vikings past the Atlanta Falcons 31-28 on Sunday for their fourth straight win. Minnesota overcame the loss of rookie quarterback Jaren Hall to a concussion in the first quarter. Dobbs led the go-ahead drive after Tyler Allgeier’s 5-yard scoring run gave Atlanta the lead with 2:08 remaining. Dobbs was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday. Dobbs made his case to keep the starting job for Minnesota.
Taysom Hill caught a touchdown pass and threw for another, Paulson Adebo intercepted two passes and also forced a fumble that he recovered, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears 24-17. The Saints forced five turnovers, intercepting rookie QB Tyson Bagent three times and recovering two fumbles. Those plays tipped the balance of a game in which the undrafted Bagent and the Bears often had the Saints’ defense off balance, outgaining New Orleans 368-301 in total yards and possessing the ball for just more than half the game.
Kenny Moore returned two Bryce Young interceptions for touchdowns, Jonathan Taylor caught a touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew and the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-13 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak. Indianapolis’ much-maligned defense had allowed at least 37 points in each of its past three games and had allowed more points than any team in the league. But the Colts had no problem slowing down the No. 1 overall pick and a mostly listless Panthers offense. Moore became the first Colts player in history with two pick-6s in a game and the first NFL player to accomplish the feat since Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards did it against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 of the 2021 season.
C.J. Stroud had much bigger things on his mind than football after a record-setting performance in Houston’s win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. When asked about setting the NFL mark for most yards passing by a rookie with 470 yards and five touchdowns, he instead took the moment to talk about what he’s going through off the field. His father Coleridge Bernard Stroud, III, remains incarcerated after receiving a 38-years-to-life sentence in 2016 after pleading guilty to charges of carjacking, kidnapping and robbery in a drug-related incident. He said he talked to his father from a California prison this week and shared his hope that he might get out in time to one day see him play before talking more about widespread prison reform.
On Monday night football, the Chargers are at the Jets at 8:15 p.m. tonight.
NHL
Dawson Mercer and Max Willman scored in the first period and the New Jersey Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Curtis Lazar and Michael McLeod also scored as the Devils won for the sixth time in eight games. Vitek Vanecek stopped 32 shots for his sixth win in eight starts. Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato scored for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in seven games. Arvid Soderblom finished with 36 saves.
Mason McTavish scored the go-ahead goal with 3:40 to play, Sam Carrick scored two late goals, and the Anaheim Ducks rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to snap the Vegas Golden Knights’ 12-game point streak with a 4-2 victory. Carrick got the tying goal with 9:05 left and an empty-net goal for the upstart Ducks, who have won six straight games for the first time in nearly two years. Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights, who faded late on the second night of a back-to-back set.
NBA
Scottie Barnes scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and had 11 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors overcame a 22-point deficit to force overtime and beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-116 on Sunday. Dennis Schroder and O.G. Anunoby each had 24 points to help Toronto win for the first time on the road this season. Keldon Johnson had 26 points, Zach Collins added 21 points and 11 rebounds and Victor Wembanyama had 20 points for San Antonio. The Spurs had won two in a row. Barnes tied it 108 with a 3-pointer. After a pair of free throws by Johnson, Anunoby grabbed a loose ball and tossed in a floater to tie it at 110 with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Kevin Durant had a season-high 41 points, Eric Gordon scored 21 points and the short-handed Phoenix Suns snapped a three-game losing streak with a 120-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Phoenix was without guards Devin Booker (calf) and Bradley Beal (back). Grayson Allen had 14 points and Josh Okogie scored 10 points, taking advantage of more playing time and shots with the standout guards out with injuries. Cade Cunningham had 26 points, six assists and six turnovers for the Pistons, who have lost four in a row. Detroit coach Monty Williams faced his former team for the first time in the regular season after matching up in the preseason.
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State 115-104 on Sunday night to end a 16-game losing streak against the Warriors. Darius Garland added 24 points and seven assists, Evan Mobley had 13 points and 16 rebounds and Max Strus scored 15 points for Cleveland, which had lost its first three home games. The Cavaliers beat Golden State for the first time since Dec. 25, 2016, spanning 12 regular-season and four playoff losses. Stephen Curry scored 28 points and made seven of 11 3-pointers, and Draymond Green had 18 points and eight assists for the Warriors. Golden State never got closer than five points in the second half and lost for the first time on the road.
Luka Doncic scored 23 points after a rare scoreless first quarter point and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back from their first loss with a 124-118 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. Grant Williams added 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and rookie Dereck Lively II had 15 points, 14 rebounds and a big fourth-quarter block. LaMelo Ball scored 23 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter of his first 30-point triple-double, getting 13 assists and 10 rebounds. But Charlotte couldn’t hold a 15-point first-half lead a night after rallying for a one-point victory at Indiana.
Doncic was 8 of 15 after his 0-for-4 start — but was 1 of 9 from long range — while finishing with 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Desmond Bane had 30 points and the Memphis Grizzlies won their first game of the season, rallying late to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-100 on Sunday night. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points for the Grizzlies, who opened the season with six straight losses, most since the 2002-03 season when the team opened 0-13. Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 27 points. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak.
MLB
Toronto third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier won their fourth Gold Gloves, while New York Yankees rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe and Colorado rookie center fielder Brenton Doyle were among 13 first-time winners. Toronto, Texas and the Chicago Cubs tied for the high among clubs with three winners each. Cleveland second baseman Andrés Giménez and left fielder Steven Kwan won their second Gold Gloves, along with Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ and Arizona first baseman Christian Walker.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Southern California dropped out of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in more than two years and Oklahoma State vaulted into the rankings for the first time this year at No. 15. The top nine teams in the Top 25 held their spots, led by No. 1 Georgia. The Bulldogs have now tied the second-longest streak atop the poll at 21 straight weeks, dating back to the middle of last season. Georgia received 49 first-place votes. No. 2 Michigan got nine first-place votes, No. 3 Ohio State had three and No. 4 Florida State had two.
Southern California has fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch with two games left in the Trojans’ disappointing regular season. Head coach Lincoln Riley dropped his longtime top assistant one day after USC gave up 572 yards and 52 points to No. 5 Washington in the Trojans’ third loss in four games. USC’s defense has played poorly for the past six games. The Trojans have lost three of their last four.
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP
Erik van Rooyen made a 16-foot eagle putt on the par-5 closing hole Sunday to win the World Wide Technology Championship, a day after Matt Kuchar squandered a six-stroke lead with a late meltdown. Playing alongside Kuchar at Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante, van Rooyen played the back nine in 8-under 28 in a 9-under 63. The 33-year-old South African finished at 27-under 261, two strokes ahead of Kuchar and Camilo Villegas. Van Rooyen won for the second time on the PGA Tour. Kuchar and Villegas each shot 66. On Saturday, Kuchar was six strokes ahead at 24 under when he pulled his drive on 15 left into dense bushes and made a quadruple-bogey 8. He then bogeyed the par-3 16th.
WTA FINALS
Iga Swiatek has given herself a shot at her first WTA Finals title and the year-end top ranking by eliminating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in a rain-suspended semifinal. The second-seeded Swiatek will meet the fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula (Today) on Monday for the trophy. Both players have claimed all eight sets they’ve played on the outdoor hard court in Cancun. The final was supposed to be held on Sunday, but a series of showers throughout the week continued on Saturday, when Pegula defeated Coco Gauff in the first semifinal. The second semifinal, Swiatek vs. Sabalenka, was stopped in the fourth game. When they resumed on Sunday, Swiatek took a 4-1 lead and never looked back.
NYC MARATHON
Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia has set a course record to win the New York City Marathon men’s race. Hellen Obiri of Kenya pulled away in the final 400 meters to take the women’s title. Tola finished Sunday in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds, topping the time set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 by eight seconds. Tola pulled away from countrymate Jemal Yimer when the pair were heading toward the Bronx at mile 20. Obiri, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia and defending champion Sharon Lokedi were all running together exchanging the lead before Obiri made a move.
NASCAR
Ryan Blaney raced to his first career NASCAR championship on Sunday by banging his way past contender Kyle Larson in the closing laps at Phoenix Raceway to give Team Penske back-to-back Cup titles. The third generation racer is the first Ohio-born driver to win the Cup title and followed teammate Joey Logano, who won for Roger Penske a year ago. Ross Chastain won the race in a Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing and is the first driver to win the season finale while not racing for the championship since Denny Hamlin in 2013, one year before this current elimination format began.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Siena College’s Men’s Basketball team begins its 2023-2024 season in a match against Holy Cross in Albany at 7 tonight.
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