NFL
The New England Patriots were able to earn their fourth straight win since a 1-2 start, but they came about 36 inches from blowing a lead at the end of regulation.
Kevin White was stopped at the New England 1 on the final play after grabbing a 54-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky, preserving the Patriots' 38-31 victory over the Bears at Chicago's Soldier Field. Some Bears players tried to push White across, but he was stopped just short of the goal line.
Tom Brady is 5-0 lifetime against the Bears after throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns despite the absence of Rob Gronkowski, who missed the game with ankle and back issues. Josh Gordon caught four passes for 100 yards, including a 55-yard grab that set up James White's two-yard touchdown grab with 8:40 remaining.
Trubisky was 26 of 50 for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the 3-3 Bears.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
The Rams remain the league's only unbeaten team after Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns and Jared Goff threw for a pair of TDs in a 39-10 rout of the 49ers. The Rams intercepted C.J. Beathard twice and recovered two fumbles to give them their first 7-0 record in 33 years. The turnovers set up 24 points for the Rams, who put up the big scoring day despite gaining a season-low 331 yards of offense. The 1-6 Niners have committed 14 straight turnovers since their last takeaway on Sept. 30 against the Chargers.
Patrick Mahomes was 28 of 39 for 358 yards and four touchdowns as the Chiefs buried the Bengals, 45-10 to improve to an AFC-best 6-1. Kareem Hunt caught two scoring passes and finished with three scores to help Kansas City rebound from a last-second loss in New England. The Bengals' Andy Dalton was held to just 148 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception by the NFL's worst defense. The loss dropped the Bengals to 4-3 and allowed the idle Steelers from taking over the AFC North lead.
The Panthers turned a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit into a 21-17 win at Philadelphia as Cam Newton tossed a one-yard TD pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 remaining. Curtis Samuel began the comeback with a 14-yard touchdown off a reverse, and Newton made it a three-point game by tossing an 18-yard TD pass to Devin Funchess and a two-point conversion to Jarius Wright. Newton had 269 passing yards for the 4-2 Panthers. Carson Wentz was 30 of 37 for 310 yards and two touchdowns for the defending Super Bowl champs, who are 3-4 following their fourth loss in six games.
The Saints were able to pull out a 24-23 win over the Ravens once Justin Tucker missed the first extra point of his career with 24 seconds left. The miss came right after Joe Flacco's second TD toss of the game, a 14-yarder to John Brown. Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes for the 5-1 Saints, who trailed by 10 in the second half. Brees also became the fourth player in NFL history with 500 career touchdown passes when he connected with tight end Benjamin Watson for a 1-yard score to put New Orleans up 7-3 late in the second quarter.
Ryan Kerrigan's strip-sack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was recovered for a touchdown by Preston Smith with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter of Washington's 20-17 triumph over Dallas. Adrian Peterson had 99 yards rushing to allow the 4-2 Redskins to compensate for a so-so performance by Alex Smith, who was just 14 of 25 for 178 yards and a TD. Dallas had a chance to force overtime until Brett Maher missed a 52-yard try, an attempt that was pushed back five yards by a snap infraction. Ezekiel Elliott generated just 33 yards on 15 carries for the 3-4 Cowboys.
Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes and Latavius Murray ran for two scores while the Vikings were frustrating Sam Darnold and the Jets, 37-17. Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen became the fifth player in NFL history to get at least 100 yards receiving in seven consecutive games, catching nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. The 4-2-1 Vikings didn't allow the Jets to convert a third-down play until late in the third quarter. Darnold was picked off three times and was 17-for-42 for 206 yards, with one touchdown pass and a scoring run for the 3-4 Jets.
Kerryon Johnson accounted for 158 of the Lions' 248 rushing yards in a 32-21 victory at Miami. Michael Roberts caught two scoring passes from Matthew Stafford, who was 18 of 22 for 217 yards for Detroit. Kenyan Drake had a 54-yard touchdown run and Brock Osweiler threw for 239 yards and a score for the 4-3 Dolphins. The 3-3 Lions punted once and had no turnovers in their first road win of the season.
Philip Rivers threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers squeaked out a 20-19 win over the Titans in London. Rivers hit Tyrell Williams for a 76-yard touchdown on the Chargers' first play from scrimmage, and threw a 55-yard scoring strike to Mike Williams on the first drive of the second half. The Titans went for a victory after scoring a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining, but Marcus Mariota had his two-point conversion pass tipped by Adrian Phillips to keep Los Angeles ahead. The Chargers improved to 5-2, while the Titans fell to 3-4.
Houston won its fourth in a row as Lamar Miller ran for a season-high 100 yards and a TD in the Texans' 20-8 win at Jacksonville. DeShaun Watson threw for a touchdown while playing with bruised lung and injured ribs, which reportedly forced him to make the 800-mile trip from Houston to Jacksonville by bus. Blake Bortles fumbled on the Jaguars' third play of each half, leading to 10 points and his benching before Jacksonville completed its third straight loss. The 4-3 Texans dropped the Jaguars to 3-4.
The Buccaneers celebrated a 26-23 win over the Browns when Chandler Catanzaro nailed a 59-yard field goal with 1:50 remaining in overtime. Tampa Bay blew a 23-9 fourth-quarter lead before Catanzaro hit the longest overtime field goal ever to atone for his missed extra point and an errant 40-yard field-goal try on the final play of regulation. Jameis Winston and DeSean Jackson scored on 14-yard runs as the 3-3 Bucs ended a three-game losing streak. The Browns are 2-4-1 following their NFL record-tying 24th consecutive road loss.
Andrew Luck had just 156 passing yards but threw for four touchdowns as the Colts clobbered the Bills, 37-5. Marlon Mack grabbed a 29-yard TD reception and had his first rushing touchdown of the season while running for 126 yards on 19 carries. Adam Vinatieri scored five points for the 2-5 Colts, leaving him five away from breaking Morten Andersen's career record of 2,544. Indianapolis ended a four-game losing streak and dropped the Bills to 2-5.
Monday Night Matchup:
The New York Giants take on the Atlanta Falcons at 8:15 p.m.
NBA
The Denver Nuggets missed 18 free throws and shot 6-for-32 from 3-point range, yet they still managed to improve to 3-0 with a victory over the two-time defending NBA champs.
Juancho Hernangomez blocked a potential tying layup just before the buzzer to preserve the Nuggets' 100-98 triumph against the Warriors. Golden State had erased most of a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit before Hernangomez deflected Damian Jones' shot in the paint.
Gary Harris scored 28 points to help Denver get to 3-0 for the first time since 2009.
Stephen Curry hit six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 30 points in the Warriors' first loss of the season.
Checking out Sunday's other NBA action:
Russell Westbrook delivered 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in his season debut, but Iman Shumpert scored 26 points to carry the Sacramento Kings past the Oklahoma Thunder, 131-120. Westbrook missed the preseason and the first two regular-season games after having a procedure to deal with inflammation in his right knee. De'Aaron Fox scored 22 points and Buddy Hield added 17 in Sacramento's first win of the season.
Cleveland is 0-3 after Trae Young contributed 35 points and 11 assists to the Hawks' 133-111 rout of the Cavaliers. Young is the first rookie to reach at least 35 points and 10 assists in the same game since Stephen Curry in 2010. Young made six of Atlanta's 22 3-pointers.
Montrezl Harrell led a fourth-quarter charge by the Clippers' reserves and finished with 17 points with 10 rebounds in a 115-112 victory over the Rockets. Tobias Harris led the Clippers with 23 points, three more than teammate Danilo Gallinari. James Harden scored 31 points, had 14 assists and went on a personal 9-0 run to get Houston within three with 29 seconds left.
Monday on the Court:
The New York Knicks take on Milwaukee at 8 p.m.
Boston hosts Orlando at 7:30 p.m.
NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning played Sunday as if they were coached by Paul Westhead instead of Jon Cooper.
The Lightning set an NHL record by firing 33 shots on Cam Ward in the second period of a 6-3 win at Chicago. The total was the most in a single stanza since shots by period became an official NHL statistic 21 years ago.
Braydon Point had a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who scored three times during their second-period onslaught. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each had a goal and assist for Tampa Bay, which ended up with a team-record 55 shots on goal.
Louis Domingue turned back 33 shots in his second start of the season.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Calgary had dropped six straight at Madison Square Garden before Johnny Gaudreau and Garnet Hathaway each scored twice in the Flames' 4-1 verdict over the Rangers. David Rittich made 44 saves and was perfect until Mika Zibanejad scored 6:41 into the third period.
Buffalo climbed out of a 2-0 hole before Rasmus Ristolainen scored a tiebreaking, power-play goal early in the third period of the Sabres' 4-2 win at Anaheim. Kyle Okposo and Jeff Skinner scored 88 seconds apart in the second period to even it. Sam Reinhart had two assists and Carter Hutton stopped 26 shots as Buffalo completed a 3-2 road trip.
Tonight the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m.
Ex-Isles owner Wang dies:
Former New York Islanders owner and Computer Associates founder Charles Wang has died of lung cancer at age 74, according to his attorney.
Wang founded Computer Associates in 1976 and purchased the NHL franchise 24 years later. He lost millions on the Isles each season and was unable to build a new arena for the club before he sold the team, a deal that went into effect two years ago.
MLB
The Los Angeles Dodgers have two days off after their NLCS game seven defeat Saturday 5-1 of the Brewers. The Dodgers will take on AL Champions the Boston Red Sox in game one of the World Series Tuesday at 8:09 p.m. at Fenway.
Angels hire Ausmus, Reds pick Bell to run their dugouts:
The Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds have hired new managers.
Angels’ general manager Billy Eppler has announced the hiring of Brad Ausmus, who served as his special assistant last season. Ausmus managed the Tigers from 2014-17, going 314-332 and winning the AL Central in his first season with the team.
Ausmus replaces Mike Scioscia, who left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons in charge.
David Bell is the Reds' manager and takes over a franchise that finished last in the NL Central this year at 67-95 under Bryan Price and Jim Riggleman. Bell was a minor league manager for the Reds from 2009-12 and spent three years as the Cardinals' bench coach. He was San Francisco's vice president of player development last season.
Bell and his father Buddy are the fourth father-son duo to serve as major league managers.
NASCAR
Chase Elliott will carry the momentum into the third round of NASCAR's playoffs after winning at Kansas Speedway.
The win bookended his victory at Dover, which opened the second round of the playoffs.
Kyle Busch was second, followed by Kyle Larson, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr.
Also advancing into the third round were Truex, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano.
Kyle Larson needed a victory to make it into the third round and was frantically chasing Elliott in the closing laps before finishing third. Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman were also eliminated.
T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Saturday's loss to Purdue has dropped Ohio State from second to 11th in the latest AP college football poll.
Clemson is back at No. 2, where it started the season before falling as low as fourth. But Alabama continues its season-long hold on the top spot after claiming all 61 first-place votes for the first time since the 2017 final poll.
Notre Dame is third, following by LSU, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida and UCF.
No. 25 Appalachian State is ranked in the AP poll for the first time in school history.
PGA
Woody Austin shot a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer in the PGA Tour Champions' playoff-opening tournament at Richmond, Virginia.
The 54-year-old Austin finished at an 11-under total for his fourth senior title and first since 2016.
HORSE RACING
Richard Violette Jr., a thoroughbred trainer who advocated tirelessly on behalf of racetrack backstretch workers and improved care for retired racehorses, has died. He was 65.
Violette died Sunday at his home in Delray Beach, Florida, after a long struggle with lung cancer, according to the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.
Violette had trained Diversify to victories in the Grade 2 Suburban and Grade 1 Whitney handicaps last summer, as well as last year's Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. The 5-year-old gelding has earned nearly $2 million, with 10 wins in 16 starts.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Diversify would not run in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 because he had not been training well.
Violette began his career in June 1977 and less than two months later he saddled his first winner in Rockingham, New Hampshire. He had 870 career victories and purse earnings of $44,521,759.
Among his other Grade 1 winners were Dream Rush and Man From Wicklow, whom Violette also owned.
His final winner was Byself on Oct. 14 at Belmont Park.
"Rick Violette embodied New York racing, and his commitment to the men and women who are the backbone of our sport was unparalleled," NYRA CEO and president Chris Kay said in a statement. "Knowing how hard he worked, and the determination he showed throughout his life, it was particularly fitting to see the success Rick enjoyed over the past year with multiple Grade 1 winner Diversify."
Born Jan. 30, 1953, in Worchester, Massachusetts, Violette showed hunters and jumpers as a teenager. After graduating from Lowell University, he turned his attention to thoroughbred racing.
Violette later worked as an assistant trainer before going back out on his own in 1983.
He retired in 2017 after 10 years as president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and more than 25 years as a member of its board. He oversaw the expansion of several initiatives, including the group's college scholarship program and racehorse aftercare.
"Rick was a champion, plain and simple. His work, largely unnoticed and often unrecognized, made the lives of the backstretch workers better," NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum said. "He was their promoter and defender — creating and solidifying programs that have real impact on people's lives — health care, college scholarships, rider safety, substance-abuse counseling. These programs would not exist without Rick's foresight and perseverance."
Violette sought and secured funding for an education program for backstretch workers that offered English-language classes and a groom development program. He was co-chair of a nonprofit based at Belmont Park that provides free health and social services to backstretch workers at all New York Racing Association tracks.
Violette was a founding member of the board for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and co-created the Take the Lead Thoroughbred Retirement Program. In 2012, he co-founded TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program with a focus on providing an avenue for the retraining of retired racehorses for the show-horse world. He served as the organization's president until his death.
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