Nick Folk kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired, and Cam Newton and the New England Patriots rallied to beat the winless New York Jets 30-27 to end a four-game losing streak. Newton had two touchdown runs and the second tied it at 27 with 1:57 remaining, erasing a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
After the Jets went three-and-out, the Patriots got the ball back with 47 seconds left and went to work to put Folk in position for the winning field goal. The Jets dropped to 0-9 for the first time in franchise history, and this was an agonizing loss.
The New England Patriots won't be allowed to have fans at any home games this season at Gillette Stadium. Team officials say they've been informed that an executive order from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker prohibiting large capacity venues from opening to the public will remain in force for the remainder of the 2020 NFL season and the pro soccer season. Stadium officials and Kraft Sports Entertainment tried to develop a plan to safely host a reduced number of fans that complies with guidelines issued by the CDC, the National Football League and Major League Soccer, but a rising number of virus cases in Massachusetts forced the decision.
In other NFL news:
The Browns welcomed back several starters from injury for their first practice after the bye, but quarterback Baker Mayfield was missing. Mayfield was placed on the COVID-19 list on Sunday after coming in close contact with a staff member who tested positive with the virus. Mayfield could be back as soon as Wednesday if he continues to test negative. Running back Nick Chubb practiced for the first time since spraining his right knee last month. Chubb, who missed four games, looked quick while wearing a brace in drills. The Browns also got back starting right guard Wyatt Teller.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald has tested positive for COVID-19. He's the first player from the NFL's last unbeaten team to be diagnosed with the novel coronavirus since the start of the regular season. The team says it was notified of the positive test on Monday morning, hours after the Steelers improved to 8-0 with a 24-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. McDonald traveled to Dallas with the team and played 24 snaps against the Cowboys. He immediately self-quarantined after receiving news of the positive test and the Steelers remain in the NFL's intensive protocol.
The San Francisco 49ers have placed receiver Kendrick Bourne back on the COVID-19 list three days after removing him. Bourne tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was forced to miss the game against Green Bay along with three teammates who were deemed "high-risk" contacts. Bourne then was removed from the list following two straight negative tests but now is back on it. The Niners also opened the 21-day practice window for cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman has been sidelined since injuring his calf in Week 1.
The Green Bay Packers have activated linebacker Kamal Martin and running back Jamaal Williams from the COVID-19 reserve list. Martin and Williams both sat out the Packers' 34-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.
The Chicago Bears have activated backup offensive tackle Jason Spriggs from the COVID-19 reserve list. Spriggs was one of two Bears players to test positive last week. Starting right guard Germain Ifedi was also placed on the list because of a close contact, and the Bears shut their facility and canceled practice last Thursday. Ifedi was cleared to play against Tennessee on Sunday. The Bears also removed defensive back Michael Joseph from the list, but he's on injured reserve.
The Denver Broncos tight end group took another hit Monday with when tests showed rookie Albert Okwuegbunam sustained a torn ACL in his right knee at Atlanta on Sunday. The fourth-round pick from Missouri had a built-in chemistry with Broncos quarterback Drew Lock after the two played together two years in college. Okwuegbunam caught 17 touchdown passes from Lock in college and last week hauled in his first TD in the NFL. He was injured on his only catch Sunday in Denver's loss at Atlanta.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule says running back Christian McCaffrey is "day to day" with a shoulder injury he suffered in the closing minutes of Carolina's 33-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rhule would not say if McCaffrey has had an MRI or an X-ray, adding that he should know more about the extent of the injury on Wednesday. McCaffrey missed six games with a high ankle sprain before returning on Sunday against the Chiefs and racking up 151 total yards and two touchdowns. He was injured with 1:10 left in the game when he was tackled near the sideline by Chiefs linebacker Dan Sorenson and landed on his shoulder.
The Atlanta Falcons have waived defensive end Takk McKinley, a 2017 first-round pick who recently made public his displeasure he had not been traded. McKinley battled groin injuries this season and missed five games, including Sunday's 34-27 win over Denver. The Falcons' release of McKinley was not a surprise. Interim coach Raheem Morris said last week McKinley's status with the team was uncertain after McKinley posted on his Twitter account that he requested trades in 2019 and again this year. Morris said last week he planned to determine if McKinley "can even be on this team."
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
No. 13 Wisconsin expects to play Saturday at Michigan after canceling its last two games due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. Wisconsin officials said Monday they have five active COVID-19 cases involving three staff members and two players. Five of the last six days have resulted in no positive cases. Only one staffer and one player have tested positive over the last week. Wisconsin hasn't played since a season-opening 45-7 victory over Illinois on Oct. 23. The Badgers canceled games at Nebraska and at home with Purdue over the last two weeks.
In other developments in college football:
No. 5 Texas A&M has paused in-person activities after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The tests came after the team returned from its win at South Carolina over the weekend. Coach Jimbo Fisher says he is confident the Aggies will play Saturday at Tennessee. But he also says additional testing and contact tracing is under way.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron says a coronavirus outbreak and resulting quarantines among his players have made it difficult to know whether a number of starters or regulars will be available for Saturday's scheduled game against No. 1 Alabama. Orgeron says he's not even sure whether the game might need to be postponed but stresses that for now LSU is planning to play this weekend.
Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman has tested positive for COVID-19 and could miss the Razorbacks' game at No. 6 Florida on Saturday. The university made the announcement Monday in a news release. Pittman was tested Sunday as part of the team's regular protocol and learned Monday that his test came back positive
No. 1 Alabama's coach Nick Saban says running back Trey Sanders is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for unspecified injuries sustained in a car accident. Saban says Sanders' surgery was successful and that he was at UAB Hospital in Birmingham. The redshirt freshman was injured in a car accident Friday morning.
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will be out of Saturday's lineup against No. 13 Wisconsin and likely for the rest of the season. Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh says Hutchinson needs surgery after breaking his leg against Indiana. The junior led all linemen with eight tackles against Minnesota and seven tackles against Michigan State.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga will begin the college basketball season at No. 1 for the first time. The Zags earned 28 first-place votes in the preseason Top 25 from The Associated Press. That was four more first-place votes than second-place Baylor and gave the Bulldogs the top spot by a single point. Villanova received 11 first-place votes and was third while Virginia received one first-place vote and was fourth. Iowa was fifth behind national player of the year contender Luka Garza. Then came a wave of bluebloods with Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Duke and Kentucky completing the top 10.
In other college sports news:
The D3 Liberty League and New England Collegiate Conference have both canceled their winter sports competition and championships due to the pandemic. Sports impacted in the Liberty League, which includes schools like RPI, Union College, and Skidmore College, are men’s and women’s basketball, squash, swimming and diving, and indoor track and field.
Also, Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim is being sued over a fatal accident he was involved in nearly two years ago. According to Syracuse.com, the family of Jorge Jimenez alleged the coach’s actions were “negligent, reckless and wanton.” Jimenez was struck and killed by an SUV driven by Boeheim in early 2019 after he had exited a disabled car. Boeheim hit Jimenez while swerving to avoid the car. Police found Boeheim was not reckless and did not charge him. The four-page lawsuit was filed in Onondaga County Supreme Court in Syracuse and seeks an unspecified settlement.
MLB
Seattle Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis is the unanimous winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award, and Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams won the NL honor on Monday night. The 25-year-old Lewis was one of baseball's breakout stars during the pandemic-shortened season, batting .262 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 58 games. He led big league rookies with 37 runs, 90 total bases and a .364 on-base percentage. Lewis also made a couple of memorable plays in center, robbing Oakland's Ramón Laureano of a grand slam on Sept. 14. He is the first player to win the award for Seattle since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. Featuring a devastating changeup and a four-seam fastball that gets into the upper 90s, Williams was practically unhittable during the pandemic-shortened season. The 26-year-old right-hander went 4-1 with a microscopic 0.33 ERA, striking out 53 in just 27 innings. Williams is the first player to win the award for Milwaukee since Ryan Braun in 2007. He is the first reliever to take home the honor in either league since Craig Kimbrel for Atlanta in 2011. San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth and Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm finished tied for second in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
In other MLB news:
The Los Angeles Dodgers organization has five people that have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That's according to figures from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. County health officials say one family member from the organization also has tested positive. The identities of those testing positive have not been released and the team has not commented publicly. It's not clear if the number of positive tests includes third baseman Justin Turner. He was removed from the team's World Series clinching win after testing positive but after the game celebrated on the field with his teammates.
Right-handed pitcher Dereck Rodríguez has signed a minor-league contract with the Colorado Rockies. The 28-year-old is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodríguez. Dereck Rodríguez appeared in 51 games over three seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He compiled a 12-15 record with a 4.27 ERA before being designated for assignment by the Giants on Aug. 26. He was claimed off waivers five days later by Detroit before recently becoming a free agent.
Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the team, seeking more than $22 million in salary owed under his deal when he was fired in January. The suit filed in Houston claims Luhnow was unaware a camera was used to steal signs during the team's run to the 2017 World Series title, which Commissioner Rob Manfred found violated baseball rules against electronics. Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended for the season on Jan. 13 by Manfred and fired by the Astros later that day.
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has been charged with driving under the influence again. According to the Maricopa County Justice Courts website, the arrest occurred in February, but the case was filed on Oct. 28, one day before La Russa's hiring was announced by the White Sox. Team spokesman Scott Reifert said the White Sox were aware of the arrest when the 76-year-old La Russa was hired. La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in Florida in 2007 after police found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light and smelling of alcohol. He said then he accepted full responsibility and it would never happen again.
GOLF
Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia is the second player to withdraw from Augusta National after testing positive for the coronavirus. Garcia won the green jacket three years ago for his only major. Joaquin Niemann of Chile announced on social media last week that he tested positive. That brings the field to 94 players on the first day of Masters week. Garcia won the Sanderson Farms Championship last month for his first U.S. victory since his Masters win. He missed the cut last week in Houston. That was the first domestic PGA Tour event that allowed limited fans.
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