NFL
Drake Maye got the better of Caleb Williams in a matchup between top rookie quarterbacks and the New England Patriots beat the struggling Chicago Bears 19-3. Maye led five scoring drives and the defense sacked Williams a season-high nine times, helping New England come away with the win after losing seven of eight. The Bears managed just 142 yards and were 1 of 14 on third downs facing a team that came in tied with six others for the worst record in the NFL. It got so bad that fans started calling for coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal.
Taron Johnson returned Joe Flacco’s first pass 23 yards for a touchdown, and Josh Allen and James Cook each scored on TD runs to lead the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills past the Indianapolis Colts 30-20. The Bills extended their winning streak to five with their first victory at Indianapolis since 1998. Allen was 22 of 37 for 280 yards with two interceptions while running eight times for 50 yards. Cook had 19 carries for 80 yards. Flacco had four turnovers — three interceptions and a fumble. He also threw for two touchdowns in his second start in place of the benched Anthony Richardson.
Eddy Pineiro kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime and the Carolina Panthers made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season, beating the New York Giants 20-17 in Germany. The Giants won the coin toss to start overtime, but rookie running back Tyrone Tracy fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Josey Jewell recovered at the 23 for the Panthers. The Giants rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and forced overtime on Graham Gano’s 42-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
Any momentum the New York Jets had from an impressive win over the Houston Texans 10 days ago is officially gone. Aaron Rodgers threw for 151 yards and the Jets’ offense managed just two field goals in a lopsided 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The defense wasn’t much better, surrendering four touchdowns on the Cardinals’ first five drives. New York has lost six of its past seven, sinking further down the standings in the AFC East. With a 3-7 record, time is running out to make a postseason push.
Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores, and the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a 34-6 victory over the bumbling Cowboys. It was the first game since Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott tore a hamstring. Hurts shook off two sacks from Micah Parsons in the star pass rusher’s return from injury. He connected with Dallas Goedert for one of the TDs after his tight end missed three games with a hamstring issue. The Eagles took over first place in the NFC East with their fifth consecutive victory. Dallas fell to 0-4 at home in a fourth straight loss overall. Cooper Rush didn’t look anything like the replacement who went 4-1 filling in for Prescott two years ago, going 13 of 23 for just 45 yards.
Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb is throwing shade at his home field after losing a ball in the sun on a potential touchdown catch. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is bristling once again over questions of curtains beyond the end zones at AT&T Stadium. Lamb wants the curtains. Jones says everybody is playing in the same sunny conditions and should be prepared for it. Frustrations are high with the Cowboys on a four-game losing streak overall and 0-4 at home after a 34-6 loss to Philadelphia.
Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal blocked Broncos kicker Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired, and Kansas City escaped with a 16-14 victory over the Broncos that extended the Super Bowl champs’ winning streak to 15 games. The Chiefs had taken the lead on Harrison Butker’s field goal with 5:57 remaining, but Bo Nix and the Broncos marched back down the field. They set up Lutz for the winner, but Chenal came up the middle amid a big push by the Kansas City defensive line to get his hand on the kick. The Chiefs became only the fifth team to follow a Super Bowl triumph 9-0. The Broncos dropped to 5-5.
Minnesota’s stingy defense held Jacksonville to 143 yards which are the fewest in coach Doug Pederson’s three seasons and the Vikings overcame Sam Darnold’s three interceptions to beat the Jaguars 12-7. It was Darnold’s first three-interception game in three years. All came while targeting All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with five catches for 48 yards. The Vikings trailed most of the day but took the lead on John Parker Romo’s third of four field goals. Romo made his NFL debut and hit from 29, 34, 33 and 45 yards. The Jaguars had a chance late, but Mac Jones threw his second interception to essentially end it.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his second game for New Orleans, and the Saints began Darren Rizzi’s tenure as interim coach by snapping a seven-game skid with a 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The 54-year-old Rizzi was given his first NFL head coaching opportunity after the firing last Monday of third-year coach Dennis Allen. Tyrann Mathieu's fourth-quarter interception and Chase Young's sack of the Falcons' Kirk Cousins in the final minute helped New Orleans protect a slim lead. The Falcons had three failed field goals in the game.
Russell Wilson shook off his first interception in 11 months and hit trade-deadline pickup Mike Williams for a 32-yard touchdown with less than 2 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 28-27 comeback victory over Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Coming off a bye, the AFC North-leading Steelers won their fourth game in a row Sunday to improve to 7-2. They are 3-0 since Wilson took over from Justin Fields as the starting QB. Wilson was 14 for 28 for 195 yards, the three TDs and the one pick. Washington led 24-14 but couldn’t hold on. It fell to 7-3.
Jake Moody redeemed himself after missing three earlier field goals by booting a 44-yarder as time expired to give the San Francisco 49ers a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in running back Christian McCaffrey’s season debut. In his first game back after being sidelined three weeks with a sprained ankle, Moody also kicked field goals of 28 and 33 yards for the defending NFC champion 49ers, who have won consecutive games for the first time this season. But the usually reliable kicker also missed wide left from 49 and 50 yards before missing wide right on a 44-yard attempt that would have given San Francisco a six-point lead with 3:09 remaining.
Justin Herbert threw for a touchdown and ran for one as the Los Angeles Chargers won their third straight game, pulling away in the second half to beat the Tennessee Titans 27-17. The Chargers have won four of five and are 6-3 overall. They are the fourth team since 1990 and the first since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first nine games. The Titans came in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense overall and against the pass but forced Los Angeles to go three-and-out only twice in nine possessions. Tennessee fell to 2-7.
The Houston Texans set a franchise record by intercepting Detroit’s Jared Goff a career-high five times. But they failed again and again to take advantage of those miscues and became the first NFL team in almost 12 years to lose a game when getting five or more interceptions in the 26-23 loss on Sunday night. Coach DeMeco Ryans said his team did not make plays to win the game. He says to win games guys have to step up and make plays. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud blamed himself for the loss and says he has to be better.
On Monday Night Football, the Dolphins and Rams face off at 8:15 tonight in L.A.
NBA
Bennedict Mathurin scored a career-high 38 points, including a career-best seven 3-pointers, and Tyrese Haliburton added 35 points and 14 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 132-121 victory over the New York Knicks yesterday. Myles Turner finished with 26 points for the Pacers, who drained a season-high 21 3-pointers and outscored New York 63-21 from beyond the arc. Jalen Brunson had 33 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Knicks while Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 30 points and nine boards.
Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and the Boston Celtics rallied in the second half to beat the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 113-107. Tatum put the Celtics ahead for good by hitting two free throws with 5:51 left as Boston erased a nine-point halftime deficit. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 43 points for the Bucks, who have lost eight of nine. Antetokounmpo also had 13 rebounds and five assists. Payton Pritchard added 18 points for Boston. Bobby Portis had 15 for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered a handshake to Jaylen Brown after committing an offensive foul against the Boston Celtics wing — only to pull his hand back at the last moment. The incident in the first half of the Celtics’ 113-107 victory over the Bucks on Sunday caused Brown to refer to Antetokounmpo as a “child.” Antetokounmpo responded that he was only joking around and he likes to have fun when he plays basketball. Brown was called for a flagrant foul against Antetokounmpo later in the game but said the two incidents were unrelated.
Jared McCain had a career-high 27 points as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 107-105 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. Guerschon Yabusele finished with his career high of 20 points for Philadelphia, which has yet to win a game in regulation. Paul George added 15 points and nine assists. Lamelo Ball finished with 38 points in the losing effort for Charlotte. Ball hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the 4th quarter to send the game to overtime. Brandon Miller had 22 points while Grant Williams added 17.
Jake Bates made a 52-yard field goal as time expired, and the Detroit Lions overcame a career-high five interceptions by Jared Goff to rally for a 26-23 win over the Houston Texans. The Lions improved to 8-1 for the first time since 1954 with their seventh straight victory. Detroit trailed 23-7 at halftime after Goff threw three interceptions in the first two quarters. He threw two more picks in the third. Nonetheless, the Lions scored 16 straight points to tie it with about five minutes to go on Bates’ 58-yard field goal. Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a go-ahead try from 58 yards for the Texans.
Franz Wagner had 23 points and seven assists, Goga Bitadze added 10 points and 12 rebounds and the Orlando Magic pulled away in the second half to a 121-94 win over the Washington Wizards. Mo Wagner, Cole Anthony and Anthony Black came off the bench with double-digit scoring, and Jett Howard hit all three of his 3-point shots for the Magic. Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 24 points, and Bilal Coulibaly added 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks in Washington’s fourth straight loss. Rookie Alexandre Sarr finished with 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points, and the Golden State Warriors held off a late rally to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-116. It was a double whammy for the Thunder as forward Chet Holmgren didn’t return after suffering a right hip injury in the first quarter. The injury put a damper on a matchup between two of the top teams in the Western Conference. The Warriors led by 30 late in the third quarter before the Thunder stormed back and got as close as six points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points.
Nikola Jovic made the tying layup and go-ahead foul shot with 7.8 seconds left to send the Miami Heat past the Minnesota Timberwolves 95-94 and stop their three-game losing streak. Jovic had 15 points and seven rebounds in his first time off the bench this season. He drove to the rim with four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert subbed out. Jovic went to the line to give the Heat their first lead since 63-61. Mike Conley left a 3-pointer short at the buzzer for Minnesota. Tyler Herro had 26 points as Miami played without star Jimmy Butler.
Michael Porter Jr. hit a mid-range jumper with seven seconds left to give the Denver Nuggets their fifth straight win, 122-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists for his fourth straight triple-double and his NBA-best sixth this season. Jamal Murray had 18 points and Porter finished with 17. Kyrie Irving had a season-high 43 points for Dallas. Luka Doncic added 24 points and Daniel Gafford had 16. Down by 10 midway through the first quarter, Dallas outscored Denver by nine points in the second period and led 63-60 at halftime.
DeMar DeRozan scored the Kings’ first eight points in overtime and Sacramento snapped the Phoenix Suns’ winning streak at seven with a 127-118 win Sunday night. DeRozan finished with 34 points. Domantas Sabonis recorded his ninth consecutive double-double for the Kings with 20 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Keegan Murray had 14 points and 13 rebounds while De’Aaron Fox put up 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Huerter, who also fouled out in the extra period, had 17 points for Sacramento. Bradley Beal led Phoenix with 28 points. Devin Booker had 23 points and 12 assists, and Tyus Jones finished with 22 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 20 points and seven rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Portland Trail Blazers 134-89 on Sunday night. Jake LaRavia added 18 points off the bench for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 45 points. Memphis has won five of their last six games. Jerami Grant scored 20 points for Portland, which has lost three straight.
LeBron James recorded his second straight triple-double, and Anthony Davis scored 22 points before leaving with an eye injury in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 123-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Davis was hit in the face by Jakob Poeltl’s off hand while he blocked the Toronto center’s dunk attempt with 5:16 left in the third quarter. James had 19 points, a season-high 16 assists and 10 rebounds in his third triple-double of the season and the 115th of his matchless 22-season career. Chris Boucher and RJ Barrett scored 18 points apiece for the Raptors.
NHL
Nico Sturm scored late in the first period and Mackenzie Blackwood made 44 saves as the San Jose Sharks beat the New Jersey Devils 1-0. Sturm scored his third goal of the season when his backhand caromed off New Jersey’s Timo Meier and past Devils netminder Jake Allen with less than four minutes to play in the opening period. Carl Grundstrom and Henry Thrun assisted. Blackwood, who played five seasons for the Devils before he was traded to the Sharks in June 2023, recorded the 11th shutout of his career. The loss ended the Devils’ three-game winning streak. Allen made 26 saves.
Philipp Kurashev’s goal at 1:48 of overtime lifted the Blackhawks to a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night, snapping Chicago’s two-game slide. Kurashev ripped a shot from left wing that sailed past Filip Gustavsson’s glove. Petr Mrazek finished with 32 saves to help the Blackhawks end a 12-game losing streak against the Wild. Chicago hadn’t beaten Minnesota since Dec. 15, 2019. Matt Boldy scored with 4:31 left in the third period to tie it at 1 on Minnesota’s 32nd shot of the game.
Brett Leason and Jackson LaCombe each scored their first goals of the season as the Anaheim Ducks ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. John Gibson made 38 saves for the Ducks in his season debut after having an emergency appendectomy in September. Leo Carlsson and Isac Lundestrom each added goals for Anaheim. Yegor Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Washington 94 Siena 51
St. Joseph’s 84 Syracuse 70
Marist 62 Cornell 56
UMass 66 Central Connecticut 60
UConn 86 South Florida 49
© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
NASCAR
Joey Logano won his third NASCAR championship Sunday with a relentless drive at Phoenix Raceway that gave Team Penske its third major motorsports title in less than a month. Logano held off Penske teammate Ryan Blaney over the final 20 laps to beat him to the Cup Series title by 0.330 seconds. Blaney was trying to become the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006 to 2010. Instead, Logano became the 10th driver in NASCAR history to win three or more championships. Kyle Busch is the only other active driver with multiple titles.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oregon is the No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the fourth straight week. Georgia and Miami dropped out of the top 10 following losses and there was additional movement caused by four other ranked teams getting beat. Voters made the Ducks a unanimous No. 1 for the second straight week. Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 2 and Texas got a two-rung bump to No. 3. Penn State and Indiana rounded out the top five.
PGA TOUR
Bernhard Langer won for the 18th straight year on the PGA Tour Champions, holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to hold off Steven Alker in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club. The 67-year-old Langer closed with a 5-under 66 — shooting his age or better for the third straight day and 23rd time on the tour — for a one-stroke victory over defending champion Alker — who won the season points title and a $1 million bonus — and Richard Green. Langer pushed his tour victory record to 47, just over eight months after tearing his left Achilles playing pickelball. The German star won the season-ending event for the first time and extended his record as the tour’s oldest winner.
OLYMPICS
The two biggest events in world sports are coming to America. And if President-elect Donald Trump is not thinking about them yet, organizers of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics certainly are. The World Cup and the Summer Games are rare globally shared cultural moments but there are questions around issues like granting visas and providing security that will cross Trump’s desk. And that requires diplomacy. Soccer body FIFA is in a better place to resume warm relations with Trump from his first administration compared to the International Olympic Committee, which had a difficult White House encounter in 2017.
© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
