The Buffalo Bills were hopeful Von Miller would be healthy enough to suit up in Week 1.

Turns out, the earliest he'll play is Week 5.

The Bills are keeping the three-time All Pro on the PUP list ahead of Tuesday's deadline, meaning he's ineligible for at least the first four games of the 2023 NFL season.

Miller, 34, has been working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 12 of the 2022 season, and it had been reported last week that the Bills weren't ruling out the eight-time Pro Bowler returning for the September 11 season opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.

He's been training with the team throughout training camp, though has yet to partake in a fully-padded practice and the Bills ultimately decided to give him more time to recover from the surgery he underwent last December.

The earliest he could possibly begin his 12th NFL season is Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 8 in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Miller, who signed a six-year, $120million contract with the Bills in March 2022 after helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl, finished his first season with the Bills tied with Greg Rousseau for the team lead with eight sacks despite playing in just 11 games. His 48 quarterback pressures were one fewer than Rousseau's for the team lead, and his pressure-rate of 20.8 was highest on Buffalo.

The league's active leader with 123.5 sacks, Miller has recorded eight consecutive seasons of eight or more sacks - the longest active streak in the NFL.

With Miller out, the Bills will rely on Leonard Floyd, who signed with the team over the summer, and Rousseau to generate a pass rush.

Justin Thomas has admitted he is “very, very fortunate” to be given a wild card for this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs on the PGA Tour and admitted it had been “humiliating and embarrassing” to card a second round of 81 in the US Open in June.

The two-time major winner also shot an opening 82 in the Open at Royal Liverpool and finished 15th in qualifying, behind both Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley and just one place above the in-form Lucas Glover.

However, United States captain Zach Johnson hailed Thomas as the “heart and soul” of American teams after selecting the former world number one along with Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Jordan Spieth to face Europe at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club next month.

The wild cards join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele on Johnson’s team, who will attempt to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.

“I have had a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what could happen and wanting to be on the team, wondering if I was or I wasn’t, and then I just came to the realisation that it was out of my hands and I couldn’t do anything about it,” Thomas said.

“After getting the call yesterday (Monday) from Zach I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited. It’s cool to be part of this team.

“You can want something too bad. I’m sure all of us have tried to win golf tournaments too much and have tried to force the issue, and there were potentially times this season I did.

“I’m very, very fortunate to be here and Zach has been very vocal and made it sound great that we are all equal on this team. I feel I’m just as important as everybody else and my team-mates have voiced that the same way.”

Johnson had earlier been fulsome in his praise of Thomas, who won four points from five matches on a losing side in Paris in 2018, including victory over Rory McIlroy in the opening match of the singles.

“Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion,” Johnson said.

“He has been, without question, the heart and soul of US Ryder Cup teams, our emotional leader.

“Overall (he has) a fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind he is born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

Johnson admitted the topic of selecting LIV Golf players such as Dustin Johnson – who went 5-0 at Whistling Straits two years ago – and Bryson DeChambeau did come up, but that Koepka had been the only one to “seize the opportunity” of playing well in the majors.

Koepka only slipped out of the automatic qualifying places in the final event, having finished second in the Masters and winning his fifth major title in the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“A five-time major champion, he is built in my mind for the biggest of stages and there’s no bigger stage than the Ryder Cup,” Johnson said.

“It was a pretty easy pick, a very natural fit. He basically earned his way onto the team. Brooks is great in the team room.”

Johnson’s selections came a month after one of his vice-captains, former Masters champion Fred Couples, said on his own radio show that Homa, Spieth and Young would be given wild cards if they remained outside the automatic places.

Homa subsequently qualified and Spieth was duly selected but Young, who finished just 61 points behind Spieth in the standings, was left out.

“Cam, phenomenal player, a better person, he was nothing but class,” Johnson said of calling Young with the bad news.

“I know what was said (by Couples), but I think that was a while back, it was kind of in jest.”

Regional is set to be stepped up in trip for the Betfair Sprint Cup after running with credit in the Nunthorpe at York last week.

Having won a handicap on the Knavesmire in May before successfully stepping up in class in the Listed Achilles Stakes at Haydock the following month, the five-year-old was kept fresh for a tilt at Group One glory by trainer Ed Bethell.

He was beaten only two and a half lengths into fifth place, and Bethell is now keen to bid for another top-level prize over an extra furlong.

He said: “He ran a really good race. I was really happy with how he got on and he wasn’t beaten far.

“The complexion of the race changed when the winner went off like a scalded cat and fair play to the winner, he kept going and it was a fair performance.

“We’re pretty quick and we jumped well, but we just weren’t as quick as the winner into our stride. If you took him out of it, the complexion of the race would probably have changed dramatically, but it’s a horse race, he set a relentless gallop and won fair and square.

“It looked as if we need to step up to six furlongs maybe at that level. He just got run off his feet the whole way, but on the whole I’m delighted with how he ran and I think we’re possibly going to target the Sprint Cup at Haydock.

“Hopefully it stays dry and we’ll see how we get on.”

Claressa Shields believes Savannah Marshall's move into mixed martial arts is good for women's sport and wishes her rival well, despite the "love-hate" relationship between the duo.

Unified middleweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Shields, one of the biggest names in women's boxing, made her MMA debut in 2021 after signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where she has a 1-1 record.

British boxer Marshall, Shields' long-term rival who beat the American as an amateur in 2012 before losing by unanimous decision when they met last year, signed with the PFL last week.

Marshall then declared her intention to face Shields in her new discipline, saying: "It doesn't look like a rematch in the ring is coming off, so I've had to chase her into another sport."

There has been no love lost between the fighters in the past, with Shields calling Marshall "delusional" and "disrespectful" after the Brit called for a rematch earlier this year.

While Shields initially had misgivings over Marshall's MMA switch, she believes the move will benefit the sport and even claims to have offered her rival tips to aid her transition. 

"Any time I fight Savannah Marshall is a good time for me," Shields told Stats Perform. "Whether it's in boxing for the rematch or in MMA. I mean, if she wanted to go the track and race, I am down for it!

"The satisfaction of beating her makes me very happy. I have a love-hate relationship with Savannah. I love that she's a competitor. I love that we had our experiences together. 

"She keeps mentioning the amateur loss, but it was, what, 11 years ago? Other than that, I think it was very clever and very inspiring for her to come and sign with the PFL. 

"When I heard about it, [I thought], 'man, she is just obsessed with me'. But [then] I asked her, 'why are you here?' 

"She was like, 'I want to fight you in a cage, and I want to be bigger in boxing too. I want to build my brand'. 

"Hearing her say those things… It's like, now you're on the same mental that I'm on, because I've been doing this and I've been saying this.

"We both agree that women's boxing is big but it's not as big as women's MMA and we get paid more in MMA, [with] equal TV time, equal fight time, equal promotion. 

"There's just way more eyes on us and we can get the bang for our buck. So, the fact that she came over here, I thought it was a good move. 

"We can still do our fight in boxing for the rematch, and we can still fight in the cage. When we're done, they're going to writing like documentaries and stuff about our beef! 

"But I don't have beef with her right now. I will save that for when she's my opponent again. Right now, I just wish her well. I even gave her some tips. Boxing and MMA, they are like apples and oranges. I just gave her a few tips on what I think she should do."

Asked about the development of women's sport in recent years, Shields hailed the progress already made but called for more female representation across sport's governing bodies.  

"Well women's sports right now are being viewed more than ever in today's time," She added. "I think we need the CEOs, the CFOs, the people in charge to just be equal and whatever you want to do, do it for the women. It's not that hard. 

"But people saying, 'the women need to do this or do that'… We're already doing everything that we're doing. It is the same as the men. 

"It's really about the people in charge making those financial decisions with their budgets and just being fair. We are working our way up there. 

"I'm a fan of the Olympics because I went and I just liked to see how women are represented on track and field, represented in boxing, represented in MMA, represented in soccer. 

"We are putting in our time, and Coco Gauff just won the [Cincinnati Open] trophy in tennis. Women's sports right now are really on an up and up and it's going to get better."

Wordsworth will be pointed towards the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket having recently joined David Pipe ahead of dual-purpose duties.

He finished second at Royal Ascot, third in the Irish Derby and also runner-up in the Grand Prix de Paris when at his peak as a three-year-old, with the son of Galileo also going close in the Sagaro Stakes and Curragh Cup when tried in staying contests by former trainer Aidan O’Brien last year.

Since leaving Ballydoyle, Wordsworth has appeared twice for Irish handler Josh Halley, finishing fourth in His Majesty’s Plate at Down Royal before rattling the crossbar when jumping hurdles for the first time at Ballinrobe.

He has now switched to Pond House with further endeavours over timber on the agenda for the winter, but before that he will line-up in the Newmarket marathon on October 14 for which he is a general 20-1 chance and where Pipe will bid to replicate his father, Martin, who won the race in both 2000 and 2002.

“He ran over hurdles the other day in Ireland and finished second and he’s only just recently arrived,” said the trainer.

“He has an entry in the Cesarewitch and that will be the plan.

“He is rated very highly and a nice addition to the team. He’ll be a dual-purpose horse for us and it’s nice to have him on board.”

United States captain Zach Johnson has selected Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Rickie Fowler as his wild cards for the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.

Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup play-offs and admitted it had been “humiliating and embarrassing” to card a second round of 81 in the US Open in June.

The two-time major winner also shot an opening 82 in the Open at Royal Liverpool, but has still been selected by Johnson ahead of the likes of Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young.

The wild cards join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele on Johnson’s team, which will attempt to win on European soil for the first time since 1993.

“Justin Thomas is one of the most talented players on the PGA Tour in my opinion,” Johnson said.

“He has been, without question, the heart and soul of US Ryder Cup teams, our emotional leader.

“Overall (he has) a fantastic Ryder Cup record. His passion for the Ryder Cup is very evident. In my mind he is born for this and you just don’t leave JT at home.”

Koepka, who is the only LIV Golf League player to make the team, slipped out of the automatic qualifying places in the final event, having finished second in the Masters and won the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“A five-time major champion, he is built in my mind for the biggest of stages and there’s no bigger stage than the Ryder Cup,” Johnson said.

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is "crazy" for agreeing to switch to boxing for October's bout with Tyson Fury, according to unified middleweight champion Claressa Shields.

Ngannou, who relinquished his UFC Heavyweight title as part of his move to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) earlier this year, will make his professional boxing debut against the WBC Heavyweight champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 28.

Fury's decision to face the unranked Ngannou has been criticised by many boxing fans after the Gypsy King failed to reach an agreement on a unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year.

Shields made the opposite switch from boxing to mixed martial arts in 2021 and has a 1-1 PFL record, meaning she is well-versed in the differences between the disciplines. 

Ngannou will be a huge underdog when he steps into the ring for the first time, and while Shields is excited to see him in such a high-profile fight, she knows he is at a major disadvantage.

"It's going to be very interesting fight," Shields told Stats Perform. "Francis left UFC because of low pay. He wasn't being paid properly as a champion, which I felt terrible for – he had a couple of injuries and everything. 

"I think him coming to the PFL, they can offer him a nice cheque and really honour that he was a UFC champion and that he's going to work hard to be PFL champion. 

"I'm happy that Francis is getting his just [reward], fighting against Tyson Fury in boxing. I think he's just so crazy. 

"All the girls in MMA, I think, are very, very smart. If they were to come to box me inside the ring, I would destroy them, truth be told." 

Ngannou is, however, known for his punching power and is being trained for the bout by Mike Tyson, which Shields hopes may help the Cameroon-born fighter keep things interesting. 

"Francis has great hands, but in boxing and in MMA, distancing and everything is completely different," she added.

"I just feel like I just want to see it. I'm excited about it, and Francis is training with Mike Tyson, so we may see some things we weren't expecting to see. 

"I just know that Tyson Fury is a really great boxer. He's strong and I believe Tyson's going to win the fight, but I can't wait to see what Francis does to move from the cage."

Fury has previously discussed the idea of competing in MMA, but Shields is sceptical, adding: "I heard Tyson talking about it, but I don't think he would get inside the cage. 

"Inside the cage, under MMA rules, he gets kicked, [opponents] take you down to the ground and knee you and things like that. I just don't see Fury doing it. But he's crazy, so you never know."

Elsewhere, Anthony Joshua says "positive" talks have taken place over a heavyweight meeting with Deontay Wilder following the Brit's one-punch knockout of Robert Helenius earlier this month.

While Shields is fond of both fighters, she feels compelled to back fellow American Wilder if the bout is made.

"I am a fan of both," she said. "Deontay Wilder's like a big brother to me and Anthony Joshua's the heavyweight I have a crush on because he is so gorgeous! 

"But it has to be the American Deontay. Even though I think Joshua has better skill, I think Deontay Wilder has just got dynamite in both hands and we've seen Joshua get knocked out before. 

"I know I'm going to be cheering for Deontay Wilder, he's like my brother."

England limited-overs captain Jos Buttler hailed “superstar” Ben Stokes following his decision to come out of ODI retirement.

The England Test skipper had originally called time on his 50-over career last summer amid concerns surrounding workload and a knee problem.

However, Stokes announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month and has subsequently been named in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand with the World Cup in India looming in October.

England play the Black Caps in four T20s first before the same amount of ODIs, which begin in Cardiff next month, and Buttler admitted he was “delighted” to have Stokes back in the fold.

“It’s excellent news on all fronts, it’s great for cricket to have a superstar like Ben Stokes in a World Cup,” Buttler told a press conference.

“You want to see those players in those major showpiece events so it’s fantastic that he’s made himself available.

“When a player of that calibre is available again it’s a no-brainer really that you want them back in your team.

“You look at the impact he has in every game he plays really, but especially in the last couple of World Cups, he’s the man in the middle with the crucial moment.

“We’re delighted to have him back, it’s not just the cricket but everything else he brings to the group.”

Stokes played a pivotal role in England winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019, scoring an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand before starring in the Super Over alongside Buttler.

He will be returning to the ODI squad as a specialist batter and Buttler added that Stokes made his decision following the conclusion of the Ashes series.

He said: “Ben and I caught up during the IPL, had some good conversations about what he wanted to achieve in the year, so him coming to me and saying that the Ashes is his main priority, but if he could come through that physically he’d like to be considered for the World Cup.

“So I just left it at that and said you let me know after the Ashes how you’re feeling.

“We spoke after that, he said he’d be available as a batter and that was enough for me to just say brilliant ‘can’t wait to have you back’.”

England’s last T20 outing came in Bangladesh, where they suffered a series whitewash, and after a five-month hiatus they open the 20-over leg of the New Zealand series at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.

Although one eye is on the World Cup later this year, Buttler is looking forward to a “great test”.

“It’s great to be back together as a squad having not played together since Bangladesh in March,” Buttler added.

“It’s very exciting stuff on the horizon obviously with the World Cup in India, but we start with the T20 series here against New Zealand which we’re determined to do well in.

“Of course I suppose the main priority is the ODIs against New Zealand, I think they’ll be a great test for us ahead of the World Cup.”

Grand Prix de Paris hero Feed The Flame will target the Prix Niel as he prepares to set his sights on the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Pascal Bary-trained three-year-old has won three of his four runs since taking to the track for the first time in April.

He was an impressive five-and-a-half-length winner on debut at ParisLongchamp when running over a mile and two and half furlongs and stepped up incrementally later that month to strike again at the same track.

At Chantilly in early June he made the leap up to Group One company when contesting the Prix du Jockey Club and was far from disgraced on his first attempt at stakes level when finishing fourth of 11 runners.

That experience clearly served him well on his next start, as he then landed the Grand Prix de Paris back at Longchamp, a Group One over an extended mile and a half that he won by a length from Adelaide River and Oaks heroine Soul Sister.

That performance will pave to way to the Prix Niel at Longchamp in early September, which will in turn lead to the Arc as both races are run over the same course and distance.

Only Ace Impact and Hukum are in front of Feed The Flame in the Arc market, which is one of the few races to have so-far eluded his decorated handler.

“Tres bien, he is very well,” said Chantilly-based Bary.

“He’s to run on the 10th of September in the Prix Niel.

“He needs that (run over course and distance) before the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

“He knows the course very well now, he has won there three times.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident the club’s Academy stars can rise to the challenge when handed a chance to impress in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon.

Pochettino is set to fully utilise all the options at his disposal for the visit of the Sky Bet League Two side, looking to manage the workload on a squad which is already depleted by injury.

Forward Mason Burstow, midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu and Noni Madueke have all come off the bench in the Premier League this season so could be handed a start, while Diego Moreira and defender Bashir Humphreys may also be involved.

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Whatever side he selects, Pochettino has no doubt the talented teenagers will have what it takes to make the step up.

“We are thinking to start with 11 players that can perform in the way that we want,” Pochettino told a press conference.

“(We want to be) right in our assessment, in our risk because you have many injuries and the squad is not big at the moment.

“We are going to use four or five young guys from the academy – 17 years old, 16 years old – but Chelsea has always produced good talent, young kids and now is a good opportunity.

“It is not because it is our philosophy at the moment, it is because we need to bring young guys to the first team because we have some players that cannot play tomorrow.

“But I think it should be good to create the possibility for the young guys to be part of the project, part of producing players for the first team because the Academy and the coaches there are working so hard.

“For a club like Chelsea, it is always good to have players from the Academy that can translate the identity of the club.”

Pochettino refused to be drawn on continued transfer speculation, with defender Marc Cucurella reportedly subject of interest from Manchester United.

“I cannot talk about supposition or rumours. For tomorrow he (Cucurella) is going to be able to play,” the Chelsea boss said.

“The club did not communicate (anything else) to me. All of the players that are in our squad are in our plans even if they didn’t play at the moment.”

With Chelsea not involved in European football this season, Pochettino intends to focus on just one thing – winning matches, whatever the competition.

“I want to win the Carabao Cup, I want to win the FA Cup and I want to win the Premier League, then we will see what happens after,” the former Tottenham boss said.

“Even if we are involved in the next few years in the Champions League or different European competitions – every single one is going to be a challenge for us and an opportunity to win.”

Chelsea, who beat Luton on Friday night for a first Premier League win of the new season, have agreed a season-long loan deal with Roma for Romelu Lukaku.

The Blues have already spent around £350million on new arrivals during the transfer window and have been linked with bringing in at least one more attacking player – with Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe reportedly on the radar.

Pochettino said: “I know very well that the club is working very hard to try and finish our business with still a few days, so I think that will happen, maybe yes (another player).

“At the moment, we are working to try and deliver what we want, but there is nothing to communicate at the moment.”

Pochettino added: “If we had someone who can maybe improve different positions, of course they are welcome, but I am happy with how we are now.”

Connections of Gregory remain positive about his chances of victory in the Betfred St Leger, despite his short-priced defeat at York last week.

Having maintained his unbeaten record in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, John and Thady Gosden’s colt was a warm order to cement his Classic claims with Group Two success in the Great Voltigeur Stakes.

But having cut out much of the running on the Knavesmire under Frankie Dettori, Gregory ultimately had to settle for third place, although he was staying on again at the line.

The son of Golden Horn remains at the head of ante-post lists for the Doncaster showpiece with some bookmakers and hopes remain high within his camp.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to Gregory’s owners Wathnan Racing, said: “We said after Ascot that his main target would be the Leger and that this (Great Voltigeur) was the obvious race to take en route.

“We’d love to have won it, but they went pretty hard up front – those early fractions were pretty fierce. We were initially disappointed, but then you see where the two horses that went with him finished and where he finished.

“Frankie looked after him when his winning chance had gone and actually when he stood up on him, the horse ran on again on his own.

“Back up to a mile and six (furlongs) in the Leger is going to be much more his game. I’ve been in racing long enough not to be overly optimistic as things go wrong and maybe he’s not good enough, but I think he’s going to go there with a big chance.”

Gregory is the 3-1 market leader for the Leger with Paddy Power, with his York conqueror Continuous a 4-1 shot and Desert Hero, who carries the colours of the King and Queen, next in line at 11-2.

Brown added: “He’s come out of the race in great shape, John and Thady are very happy with him, it’s all systems go and we’re looking forward to it.

“It looks like it could be a very good renewal and with the royal runner as well, it’s exciting for racing.”