NFL
James Cook caught a touchdown pass and ran for two scores and the Buffalo Bills routed Miami 31-10 last night, with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leaving early because of a concussion. Tagovailoa left in the third quarter after colliding with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf. It’s Tagovailoa’s third concussion of his NFL career and he was quickly ruled out, casting doubt on his season after a history of dealing with head injuries. Josh Allen, playing with a glove on his left non-throwing hand after hurting it in Buffalo’s opener, completed 13 of 19 passes for 139 yards. He’s 12-2 against the Dolphins and the Bills are 14-2 against Miami since coach Sean McDermott’s first year as head coach in 2017.
Looking ahead, the Seahawks and Patriots face off at Foxboro, the Giants take on the Commanders in D.C., and the Jets head to Nashville to take on the Titans, all at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tyreek Hill smiled and waved at cameras as he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Dolphins’ game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, four days after he was pulled from his sports car by police officers during a traffic stop on his way to the stadium. A verbal dispute between Hill and Miami-Dade police officers escalated quickly just hours before the Dolphins kicked off their season on Sunday. Hill was eventually released after receiving citations for careless driving and failing to wear his seat belt.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf. Tagovailoa remained (remaining) down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room. The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion in college at Alabama. Buffalo won 31-10.
A woman accusing Deshaun Watson of sexual assault may meet in the next two weeks with the NFL, which is investigating the Cleveland Browns quarterback’s off-field behavior, the woman’s lawyer said Thursday. Attorney Tony Buzbee said in an email to several media outlets that his client, who filed a civil lawsuit in Houston on Monday accusing Watson of sexual assault and battery, will soon speak with the league. Watson has said he “strongly denies” the woman’s assertions and that the lawsuit caught him by surprise.
The NFL says Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy received "appropriate" care from Kansas City’s medical staff after sustaining an eye injury during the teams’ season opener last week. “It’s disappointing the NFLPA would publicize unsupported conclusions without attempting to understand the facts. We have reviewed the case with the Chiefs’ and Ravens’ medical staffs and are comfortable he received appropriate care,” the league said Thursday night in a statement released by spokesman Brian McCarthy. Van Noy injured his right eye in the third quarter of the first NFL game last week and said he was “disappointed” about how long it took for Chiefs doctors to see him in the locker room after leaving the field.
MLB
Juan Soto hit a game-ending single leading off the 10th inning to lift the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 2-1 as Aaron Judge’s homerless streak stretched to a career-high 16 games. With pinch-runner Jon Berti on second as the automatic runner, Soto grounded a single against Josh Winckowski just past the glove of diving shortstop Trevor Story, and Berti slid home ahead of center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to give the Yankees back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time in three years. Judge went 1 for 4 with a single and is batting .207 with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26.
Judge’s homerless streak stretched to a career-high 16 games as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox Thursday. Judge leads the major leagues with 51 homers and 126 RBIs. He went 1 for 4 with a single and is batting .207 with 21 strikeouts since Aug. 26, a day after he went deep twice against Colorado. He went homerless in 15 games from Aug. 17 through Sept. 2 in 2017.
Meantime, the Mets and Phillies were off last night and will kick off a three-game series at 6:40 tonight in Philadelphia.
Jacob Stallings’ RBI double in the ninth inning helped the Colorado Rockies beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2. The Tigers began Thursday three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third American League wild-card spot and Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal on the mound. With the score tied at 2, Brendan Rodgers led off the ninth with a single off Jason Foley and took second on a passed ball. Stallings hit a flare into right field that got past Matt Vierling, allowing Stallings to take second. Pinch-runner Nolan Jones moved to third on a groundout and Jake Cave made it 4-2 with a long sacrifice fly.
Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer early and Jon Singleton had three hits, capped by a tiebreaking RBI single in Houston’s four-run eighth inning, and the Astros got a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. Brent Rooker homered off Ryan Pressly with one out in the eighth to tie it at 2-all. Yainer Diaz and Kyle Tucker hit consecutive singles with one out in the eighth to chase T.J. McFarland and bring on Grant Holman. There were two outs in the inning when Singleton’s single to center field scored Diaz to put the Astros on top.
Brandon Lowe homered, Tampa Bay’s bullpen held Cleveland to one hit over seven innings and the Rays snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Guardians. Lowe connected for his 18th homer in the first inning. The Rays were swept earlier this week in a three-game series at Philadelphia. They improved to 3-4 on their 10-game trip, which started in Baltimore and finishes Sunday in Cleveland. Tampa Bay will be the first MLB team to face three division leaders on the same trip in September or later. The Guardians missed a chance to increase their division lead over idle second-place Kansas City.
Nathaniel Lowe drove in the go-ahead run for Texas with an infield single during a three-run eighth inning, hit a solo homer in the seventh, and the Rangers erased a three-run deficit for a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners in top prospect Kumar Rocker’s major league debut. After Lowe made it a 4-2 game with his seventh-inning homer, Marcus Semien brought Texas within one with a solo homer in the eighth. Adolis García drove in a run on a groundout before Lowe delivered. Randy Arozarena drove in two runs for the Mariners and Justin Turner hit a homer. Rocker struck out seven in four innings.
Masyn Winn and Brendan Donovan each homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1. Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray was perfect Thursday through five innings before Jake Fraley singled to lead off the sixth. He finished the day allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters in six innings. Andrew Kittredge pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief before JoJo Romero got the final four outs for his first save of the season.
Jake Burger had three hits, Jonah Bride and Connor Norby had two RBIs apiece and the Miami Marlins scored three unearned runs off three errors in a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series. Bride had a game-tying single in the eighth inning and Otto Lopez added a go-ahead grounder two batters later for the Marlins, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-9 against the Nationals this season. Washington lost its 81st game, assuring its fifth straight season without a winning record since its 2019 World Series title.
Jackson Chourio hit a two-run home run, Frankie Montas pitched six scoreless innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0 on Thursday night to take another step toward clinching the NL Central. The game was scoreless until Milwaukee’s Willy Adames reached base with a walk in the seventh and rounded the bases on three Camilo Doval wild pitches. Milwaukee added to the lead when Chourio hit a two-run shot off Spencer Bivens in the eighth. The Giants had the tying run on base with one out in the ninth but Devin Williams escaped to record his 11th save.
WNBA
Sabrina Ionescu scored 20 points, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had 17 and the New York Liberty never trailed on the way to their fifth straight win, a 99-67 romp over the Dallas Wings. Ionescu made 8 of 18 shots with four 3-pointers, and added six assists for New York (31-6), which has the league’s best record with beat the Wings for the second time in three days. Laney-Hamilton sank three 3-pointers and half of her 12 shots, grabbing six rebounds. Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist both scored 11 to lead Dallas (9-28), which has lost six in a row.
The Pac-12 is adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State, starting in 2026, to join Oregon State and Washington State in a rebuilt Conference of Champions. The additions will rob the Mountain West of four of its more prominent schools and successful football programs, most notably Boise State, and still leave the Pac-12 two schools short of the eight they need to have in place by NCAA rule in two years. The Pac-12 and the departing schools will likely be on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West.
You can’t say the Pac-12 is making a comeback because it never really went away. The Conference of Champions was certainly in critical condition, but the remaining members Oregon State and Washington State vowed to keep it alive if a power conference invite didn’t come. Now, the Beavers and Cougars will be joined by Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State in 2026. The Pac-12 is still two schools short of what it needs to be a recognized conference by the NCAA in two years.
Gio Lopez threw three touchdown passes and Fluff Bothwell ran for 143 yards and two scores — in the first half — as South Alabama steamrolled FCS-member Northwestern State 87-10, setting the school’s scoring record and giving new coach Major Applewhite his first victory. Jamaal Pritchett returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown after South Alabama’s defense forced a three-and-out on the opening possession and the Jaguars (1-2) took a 7-0 lead just 96 seconds into the game.It was all downhill from there for Northwestern State (0-3), which trailed 24-10 after the first period, 52-10 at halftime, and 80-10 heading to the fourth quarter.
GOLF
Lexi Thompson enters what looks like her final Solheim Cup as the most popular American player among fans, a team leader and a key contributor for captain Stacy Lewis. The 29-year-old Thompson has announced this will be her last year as a full-time player. She has played in six Solheim Cups and is one of just two players on the U.S. team who has won it. Europe has captured the cup the last three times, and no team has won four in a row. The Solheim Cup begins Friday morning with four alternate-shot matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in northern Virginia.
© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
