Lamar Jackson came back in the nick of time to possibly save the Baltimore Ravens' season. Jackson led two scoring drives after the two-minute warning and Justin Tucker nailed a 55-yard field goal with two seconds left as the Ravens survived a 47-42 win over the Browns at Cleveland. Jackson had to go to the locker room in the fourth quarter due to cramping. He returned to the field just as backup Trace McSorley was being taken off the field with a left knee injury. One play later, Jackson hit Marquise Brown for a 44-yard TD on 4th-and-5 with 1:51 remaining to put the Ravens on top. But the Browns weren't done, tying it on Baker Mayfield's 22-yards scoring strike to Kareem Hunt just 47 seconds late. Tucker's long kick put Baltimore ahead for good before Cleveland lateraled the ensuing kickoff into a game-ending safety. Jackson finished with 162 yards passing and carried nine times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The outcome keeps the 9-4 Browns two games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Ravens are another game back at 8-5.
In NFL news:
Jalen Hurts will spend a second week as the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback after helping them earn a stunning 24-21 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The rookie was productive in place of Carson Wentz, rushing for 106 yards and passing for 167 yards and a touchdown. With Hurts at the helm, the Eagles built a 17-0 halftime lead and ended the Saints' nine-game winning streak. Hurts has appeared in 12 games this season, running for 188 yards on 35 carries and throwing for 309 yards, two TDs and one interception.
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus says he's going on the COVID-19 reserve list because he's been in close contact with someone outside the team facility who has the novel coronavirus. McManus will self-isolate at a hotel and says he hopes to play Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.
MLB
The Cleveland Indians are changing their name. They just don't know to what or when. Owner Paul Dolan told the Associated Press in an interview Monday that the team will continue to be called Indians until a new name is chosen. That process is in its early stages and it's possible the team will play their entire 2021 season as the Indians. After months of discussions with a variety of groups, including Native Americans who have long protested against the team's use of a moniker and symbols that many deem racist, the American League team is dropping the name it has been known by since 1915. Cleveland's move follows a similar decision earlier this year by the NFL's Washington Football Team, previously known as the Redskins.
In other MLB news:
The Boston Red Sox have signed outfielder Hunter Renfroe to a one-year deal. Renfroe has batted .228 with 97 home runs and 226 RBIs over five seasons with San Diego and Tampa Bay. The former first-round pick hit 25 or more homers in three straight seasons for the Padres. But he struggled with the Rays in the pandemic-shortened season this year, batting .156 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in 42 games. He homered twice in the postseason this year.
Free agent reliever Greg Holland is staying with the Royals after signing a one-year contract worth $2.75 million. The 35-year-old Holland was 3-0 with six saves and a 1.91 ERA in 28 appearances for Kansas City this year. The right-hander didn't permit a run in his final 13 games, covering 13 1-3 innings.
Dusty Baker isn't sure if he'd like to manage the Houston Astros beyond the upcoming season. The 71-year-old Baker was hired in January to replace AJ Hinch, who was fired by the team after he and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball for their roles in Houston's sign-stealing scandal. The Astros picked Baker's 2021 contract option before he helped the team reach the AL Championship Series.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Just two games into their season, Siena’s women’s basketball team is on pause again, after one of its Tier 1 personnel tested positive for COVID-19. Its Friday and Saturday games against Canisius are postponed, as is a December 23 nonconference game against UAlbany at SEFCU Arena.
Meantime, the NCAA plans to host the entire 64-team women's basketball NCAA Tournament in a single area, and San Antonio is the likely host site. The move was made to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19, and matches that of the men's tournament, which is expected to be played in its entirety in Indianapolis. The decision means Albany’s Times Union Center won’t host the East Regional from March 26-29 as initially planned.
In men’s top-25 basketball:
Marquette won its Big East Conference opener by downing the nation's No. 9 team. Greg Elliott and Dawson Garcia combined for 23 of their 28 in the second half to lead Marquette past No. 9 Creighton 89-84. Elliott and Garcia scored 14 points apiece for the Golden Eagles, who came back from a 12-point deficit to take a lead before holding off a couple of late comeback bids by the Bluejays. Marquette took control by holding Creighton to one field goal over five minutes while using a 19-7 spurt to create a 75-63 cushion with 5 1/2 minutes left. D.J. Carton scored a career-high 20 points to help the Golden Eagles pin Creighton with its second loss. Mitch Ballock went 8 of 13 on 3-pointers and had a season-high 26 points to lead Creighton.
Ron Harper Jr. poured in 19 of his 27 points after halftime to lead 19th-ranked Rutgers to a 74-60 win at Maryland. Harper shot 10-for-17 from the floor, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, while providing five rebounds and four assists. The Scarlet Knights led by just two until Myles Johnson supplied a pair of dunks during a 10-0 run that made it 50-38 with 11:24 remaining.
Gonzaga and Baylor top the latest AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll. Iowa, Michigan State and Kansas round out the top five. West Virginia and Tennessee climbed into the top 10. No. 16 Missouri, No. 24 Clemson and No. 25 Michigan were new additions to the poll. No. 21 Duke took the biggest tumble by falling 11 spots. No. 13 Illinois also slid seven spots to fall out of the top 10. The Big Ten has a national-best seven teams in the poll. Virginia Tech, Richmond and Arizona State fell out of the Top 25.
NBA
James Harden is practicing with the Houston Rockets, and coach Stephen Silas says he'll make his preseason debut Tuesday night. What the first-year coach wasn't able to answer were questions about whether the superstar wants to be in Houston as talk swirls that he wants to be traded. Harden missed Houston's first two preseason games as he went through the NBA's COVID-19 testing protocols.
Also, the Pistons have waived guard LiAngelo Ball and forwards Louis King and Anthony Lamb. Ball is the brother of Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball and Hornets lottery pick LaMelo Ball. LiAngelo Ball entered the 2018 NBA draft and was not selected.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Washington is out and Oregon is in as Southern California's opponent for the Pac-12 football championship game on Friday. The Huskies have pulled out due to COVID-19 issues in the Huskies program. The school has determined the Huskies didn't have at least 53 scholarship players available and did not meet the minimum number of scholarship athletes at specific positions. Washington coach Jimmy Lake said his team did not expect to have any offensive lineman - scholarship players or walk-ons - available to play this week because of positive tests and contact tracing.
Also in college football:
Vanderbilt has hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea as its new head coach. Lea has helped the Fighting Irish go 10-0 this season and rank eighth in the nation in yards allowed per play. The Nashville native and former Commodores fullback will try to revive a program that is 0-9 this season.
Vanderbilt's season finale at No. 10 Georgia has been canceled with the Commodores falling below both the number of scholarship players available and position requirements. Vanderbilt was a 42-17 loser against Tennessee on Saturday after deciding to play despite having only 49 scholarship athletes available. Interim coach Todd Fitch had hoped to get some players back this week, but COVID-19 issues, contact tracing and opt-outs left Vanderbilt thin.
GOLF
A Lim Kim made a U.S. Women's Open debut she won't forget. The 25-year-old South Korean birdied her last three holes and tied the record for the largest comeback to win the biggest event in women's golf. That makes nine South Korean winners in the last 13 years at the U.S Women's Open. Kim won by one shot over Amy Olson and Jin Young Ko in frigid weather at Champions Golf Club in Houston. The Women's Open concluded Monday because of rain.
© The Associated Press 2020. All Rights Reserved.