Barcelona will be without injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for several months, but Hansi Flick is confident they have a capable deputy in Inaki Pena.
Germany international Ter Stegen underwent a successful operation on Monday after suffering a complete rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee.
The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Barca's 5-1 win at Villarreal in LaLiga on Sunday and is expected to be out for at least eight months, according to Spanish media reports.
Despite Ter Stegen's season likely being over, Flick is remaining upbeat, backing academy product Pena to handle the step up.
"Inaki is doing very well, in pre-season too. He has worked very hard to be here. He is focused and ready to play," Flick said ahead of Wednesday's home game versus Getafe.
"We are confident but we also have to look at what we do because the players at the back are very young. For the moment, we don't feel under pressure and we trust in Inaki."
Having joined Barcelona's La Masia academy aged 13, 25-year-old Pena has made 23 first-team appearances, conceding 39 goals and keeping five clean sheets.
Pena made 10 league appearances for Barca last term, with his save percentage of 56.4% falling some way short of Ter Stegen's 73.5%.
Pena also conceded 17 goals from 13.89 expected goals on target (xGoT) faced, giving him an underperformance of 3.1 in terms of goals prevented. Ter Stegen, by contrast, conceded 27 times from 27.84 xGoT faced.
The Catalans were already without new signing Dani Olmo and fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez, plus defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, due to injuries.
However, they have made a perfect start to the season under Flick, with six straight wins putting them top of LaLiga, four points ahead of reigning champions Real Madrid in second.
But the former Bayern Munich boss is striving for more, adding: "We analysed the game against Villarreal and we saw a lot of things that can be improved.
"We haven't reached the end of the road. You can always do more. We are moving forward step by step."
The Jamaica Boxing Association staged its long awaited first fight card for 2024 with four fights and an exhibition bout on Saturday at the Stanley Couch Gym in Kingston. It was an all amateur fight card under the banner Gloves Over Guns Futures Programme.
Three of the four fights went to the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) whose boxers looked well prepared and physically fitter than their opponents. Arguably the fight of the night was the final (elite) bout between Delano McLaughlin of the JDF and Kirk-Patrick Heron of the Port Antonio Gym in a light heavyweight match-up. Both fighters were very determined while going all three rounds of three minutes each. At times they traded blow for blow while taking some big punches but in the end McLaughlin landed more hits and was adjudged the winner.
The first JDF boxer to enter the ring was Gervin Garrison in a light heavyweight matchup with Sadeki Harris of GC Foster Gym. Both boxers got busy immediately but Garrison soon showed that he was the better fighter with cleaner punches and was more agile around the ring. Harris took a lot of punishment and showed a lot of heart to stay toe to toe with Garrison but just did not have the strength to throw some winning punches as Garrison came out the clear winner.
That fight gave way to another JDF match-up between with Shawn Morgan in a lop-sided super heavyweight face off with Vernando McKenzie of Funrobics Gym. McKenzie entered the ring confidently but could not handle the force and speed of Morgan. He faced referee Wayne Roberts count more than once in the less than two rounds that he was in the ring, as Roberts eventually stopped the fight midway in the second round.
The only boxer out of the blue corner to record a win on the night was Mark-Andre Mendez of Control Strike Gym against Hammid Gordon of Funrobics Gym. They put on a spirited light middleweight show for the crowd but Mendez sent down more punches and was definitely under less pressure in the ring.
The opening action on the night was an entertaining exhibition bout which went to Alex Grant of Suga Gym over Crishaun McPherson of Funrobics Gym. They were the youngest boxers on show at just fourteen years old.
Stephen Bomber Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Association was pleased with the response from the boxing community. “I am very encouraged. I am extremely encouraged by what I saw. I am more encouraged also by the response by the boxers, the gyms and the managers themselves because tonight represents what they have been asking for, at least an answer, one of the answers for what they have been asking for. They have had their boxers training without being able to showcase their skills so this gives a platform to answer that so I am very happy.”
He also said ‘the last Saturday of every month we intend to have the same show but going forward it won’t just be amateurs. We want this platform to be from the most novice boxer which is our grassroot boxers – children, the elite amateurs – those that will over the next couple of years give the activities so that they can represent us internationally and also those boxers who want to turn pro, we give them this platform to have monthly bouts so that they can build a professional record so that they can be the choice of boxers that we carry around the island. The public deserves the best boxers when we do the Fight Night Series so this will be kind of be a feeder programme into the Series. The best boxers, the best amateurs and the best professionals that come out of this we will showcase around the island.”
The fight card was sponsored by Pepsi, S&G Road Surfacing, Vere Events, Locker room Sports and Creative Sports
Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella has suffered a thigh injury and will miss at least the next two games for the Italian champions.
The 27-year-old Italy international, who has made 175 league appearances for Inter, has a strain in the rectus femoris of his right thigh, the club said in a statement.
"His condition will be reassessed next week," the club added when announcing his injury on Tuesday.
Inter, sixth in the Serie A standings with eight points from five matches, visit Udinese on Saturday, before hosting Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League next Tuesday.
Simone Inzaghi's side will be desperate to recover Barella for their clash with surprise league leaders Torino on October 5.
Barella impressed as the Nerazzurri began their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw at Manchester City last week, creating two chances for team-mates and ranking first among all Inter players for possession regains (seven) and passes played in the final third (10).
After hinting at retirement from international cricket following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup back in June, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has made an about turn and is now aiming to parade his skills at the next global cricket showpiece in 2026.
Russell, who ahead of that World Cup said he believes the region possesses enough young talent to fill the gap after his departure, in the same breath, declared that he would be happy to return, if needed.
As such, the 36-year-old Jamaican will stick around just a bit longer, thanks to some convincing from West Indies white ball head coach Darren Sammy.
Interestingly, Russell’s return to international T20 action against England late last year, after a two-year absence, was also based on a conversation with Sammy, but beyond that, the explosive all-rounder pointed out that the emergence of exciting young talent in the region also influenced his decision to stay put—at least for another two years.
“I’ve talked with Sammy, and he said he wants me to keep playing some international cricket, and I think by looking around and seeing the talents that’s in the Caribbean, I think I’m going to push my body and push myself to play international cricket for another two years,” Russell declared.
One of the most feared all-rounders in T20 cricket, Russell, a two-time T20 World Cup winner for the West Indies, packs incredible power-hitting and athletic prowess that can change the course of a game single-handedly.
Though he has graced other formats of the game before, it is as a T20 legend, sought after by every franchise league in the world, that he will be remembered. Russell has experience in over 500 T20 matches with over 8,000 runs to his credit at a strike rate of just over 169. He also has over 450 wickets at a remarkable bowling average of 25.31.
Russell’s ability to clear the boundary with ease and finish innings on a high note is unparalleled, a quality he consistently demonstrates, both internationally and in franchise leagues.
While he will be 38 at the time of the next T20 World Cup to be hosted jointly in India and Sri Lanka, Russell said he still has enough in the tank to significantly contribute to the team’s future success both on and off the field.
“I could have walked away from the game international-wise, but I just want to see the youngsters do well in terms of all-rounders. So I definitely want to play the World Cup of 2026 because there is a lot of talent that you know we have, and I want to help nurture those young talents,” he said.
“I still can hit the ball anywhere I want to hit the ball, still bowling at a good pace, still fit, and can move around, so I don’t see why I should stop,” he added.
It is already clear Liverpool have appointed the right manager in Arne Slot and the Reds are on track to compete for the Premier League title this season.
That is the view of former Liverpool goalkeeper David James, who has been impressed by the early returns of former Feyenoord boss Slot since he replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield hotseat.
Liverpool have won four of their first five Premier league matches and beaten AC Milan in the Champions League so far under Slot.
Champions Manchester City and Arsenal are widely seen as the leading title contenders, but James has been suitably encouraged by the Reds’ start to believe they will also be in the mix if they can keep key players like Mohamed Salah fit.
Speaking to Stats Perform, James said: "I know the conversations are about the City and Arsenal rivalry and challenging for titles.
"I’m not saying this through any previous connection [to the club], but I just think Liverpool are in the conversation [for the title], as they were last year.
"Last season, because of the amount of injuries they had, a lot of it was just pure grit and determination rather than a formulaic way of getting your best players to win games of football.
"If Arne keeps his players fit, which is always the case for teams, then you see them [Man City and Arsenal] being challenged [by Liverpool] at the end of the season.
"He has been a great appointment, everything I hear about him is positive, and when you see the performances on the field being as positive as they are, then you know they’ve got the right man.
"You can already see a positive difference [to the end of last season] with what is effectively the same squad."
After a 3-0 win over Bournemouth last time out, the Opta supercomputer is not discounting the possibility of a Liverpool title bid, as it appears almost certain they will be contending towards the top of the standings.
While their title chance is just 5.7% at this stage (Man City are at 80.2% and Arsenal are at 13.8%), the predictive model thinks there is a 34.3% chance of Liverpool finishing in the top two and an 80.6% chance of the Reds ending up in the top three once again.
In a start to the campaign that has also included an impressive 3-0 away win over rivals Manchester United, a shock 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest on Matchday 4 has been the only negative for Liverpool so far.
James added: "The learning curve for Arne [Slot] and his team will be what they do after international breaks. You can see how teams like City often turn a negative experience into a positive.
"If you look at it, he came in pre-season, they were exposed to Arne’s training regime from day one, all the way through to the first three games [before the] international break, and things were getting better.
"And I think after the international break, there was a disconnect: they didn’t look good, didn’t play well, and ended up defeated.
"Therefore, Arne’s learning curve will be, what do I do now next time my team, most of my players, go off on international breaks, what do I have to rejig to make sure that we continue this kind of performance?"
Liverpool host West Ham in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday, before travelling to face bottom-of-the-table Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Reds are on an impressive defensive run of form, having conceded just one goal in their last six top-flight games dating back to last season, with five clean sheets.
But attackers Salah and Luis Diaz have also been key to Slot’s flying start.
Diaz has been involved in six goals in his last four Premier League appearances, scoring five and assisting one. The Colombia attacker has scored a double in two of his last three Liverpool matches, having netted multiple goals in just one of his first 69 top-flight games.
James said: "The improvement in Luis Diaz, firstly through the goalscoring, is helped by the way that Liverpool play [under Slot], they play a lot more through the middle.
"It means Luis has more space. The goals he scored on the weekend, yes came from good passes, but he’s got a little bit more space and the skill to be able to take advantage of that."
Liverpool have won 14 of their last 15 league matches against Wolves and, as things stand, look well-placed to extend that run as the Opta prediction model gives them a healthy 65.7% win probability at Molineux.
The San Francisco 49ers' selection woes show no signs of easing with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffering a potentially season-ending injury and Christian McCaffrey needing specialist treatment on an Achilles issue.
The 49ers have made a 1-2 start to the 2024 season after winning the NFC championship for the eighth time last campaign, with injuries hampering them early on.
McCaffrey, the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was placed on injured reserve last week after missing the entirety of preseason with what was later diagnosed as Achilles tendonitis.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missed Sunday's 27-24 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, during which Hargrave partially tore his right triceps.
That injury will require surgery and will likely bring his 2024 season to a premature end.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said: "It's a big loss. I thought he had his best game. I thought he was a huge factor, really affected the quarterback in that game.
"He's one of our better players. He was definitely going in the right direction and was going to have a big year."
McCaffrey, meanwhile, has flown to Germany to see a specialist regarding his Achilles issue.
He must miss four games after being placed on IR. Having missed two thus far, he cannot return until after the 49ers' October 6 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals at the earliest.
Shanahan also revealed quarterback Brock Purdy had complained of back soreness after the Rams game and would be evaluated daily, though an MRI scan came back all-clear.
Mikel Arteta joked he has told Arsenal's players to "play without the ball" after seeing Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard sent off for delaying restarts in recent weeks.
Arsenal were moments away from a famous win over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday despite playing over half the game with 10 men, after Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
However, John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser broke their resistance as they drew for the second time this term, having also drawn 1-1 with Brighton when Declan Rice saw red over a similar incident.
Arsenal's use of the "dark arts" has come in for criticism in the last few days, but Arteta has not warned his players against employing similar tactics in the future.
Asked if he had taken steps to avoid seeing another player dismissed for kicking the ball away, he said: "For passing the ball, you mean?
"Just leave the ball. Don't touch the ball. We will play without the ball."
Asked if he had any new thoughts on Trossard's sending off, he said: "I reflected post-match, it's the same reflection today. It's the same answer. I was very clear about it."
Arsenal spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.
Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term. The Gunners' average delay time of 41.1 seconds against Brighton is third on that list.
Arteta, though, insists his team had no choice but to play that way when a man down, rejecting assertions that Arsenal push the limits more than any other side.
"I always prefer facts rather than words, so let's see who's available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or these things," he said.
"We had to play the game that we had to play. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we couldn't, then we got much better.
"We were thrown into a very different context. Every team does it. They played 30 seconds with 10 men, you look at what they did. We had to do it in a different way.
"We learned from the past as well because unfortunately we've been in that situation with them three times very recently. I would be very thick if we didn't learn from it."
Arsenal host Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before taking on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Red Bull would be "foolish" not to consider an approach for George Russell when his Mercedes contract expires next year, says team principal Christian Horner.
While three-time world champion Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, the poor form of team-mate Sergio Perez has cast doubt on their lineup.
Perez started 2024 with four podium finishes in his first five races, but he has since endured a run of 13 outings without a top-three finish to slip to eighth in the drivers' championship.
Russell is set to become Mercedes' lead driver for 2025 when Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari, but with the Silver Arrows' team principal Toto Wolff repeatedly talking up the possibility of moving for Verstappen, his long-term future is in doubt.
With Russell's contract expiring after next season, Horner says Red Bull could swoop for him to fill a "gap" between their current drivers and those coming through their academy.
"We've got a gap now but we just want to take time to consider what those options look like for the future," Horner told Sky Sports F1.
"And we're not afraid to go out of the pool. You know, George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.
"There are other talented drivers that could well be out of contract as well."
Russell claimed his second F1 race win in Austria earlier this year and currently sits seventh in the drivers' standings, 11 points ahead of Perez.
Horner's comments on Russell were put to Mercedes boss Wolff, who accused his counterpart of "stirring".
"He is always stirring s*** up on his part," Wolff said. "It's part of the game.
"George is a Mercedes driver, has been forever and hopefully will be forever. He has a long contract with the team."
The Silver Arrows endured a frustrating outing at last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton finishing fourth and Russell sixth after early difficulties with the team's split strategy.
Josh Allen had a historic performance as the Buffalo Bills crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, but he said stats were not important to a team where "everybody eats".
The Bills rolled to a 3-0 start by routing the winless Jaguars 47-10 in New York, with Allen maintaining his best start to an NFL season with a brilliant display.
Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 75% of his passes (23-of-30), throw four touchdown passes, have no turnovers or sacks and lead his team in rushing yards (44) in the same game.
It is the first time he has not thrown a pick through three games of a season, while he also has the highest total QBR (92.6), completion rate (75%) and yards per dropback (8.2) through three games in his NFL career.
However, Allen says he and his team-mates are not focused on individual stats, with the collective being the most important thing.
"I think it's paying dividends from what we've worked on throughout the entire offseason and through training camp, the 'everybody eats' mentality," Allen said.
"It could be your play this play, you never know when it's going to happen, and that's the beauty of it, when guys get to buy into this.
"It's a fun and wonderful thing when you've got a bunch of guys that don't care about the stats, they don't care about the touchdowns.
"I think throughout practice we just had this mindset of, 'let's just do things the right way and find ways to win football games'. That's what we're doing right now."
The Jaguars, meanwhile, are 0-3 for the season and have lost eight of their last nine games in a run dating back to last year, having made a flying 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign.
Their offense has toiled since the first half of their 20-17 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, scoring just 23 points and converting five of 27 third-down attempts in their last 10 quarters.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence – who signed a huge $275million contract extension during the offseason – has completed just 47.5% of his passes in that time, being sacked 10 times.
The Bills defense got to him four times on Monday as he suffered his eighth straight loss as a starter, leading coach Doug Pederson to give a non-committal answer when asked whether Lawrence's place in the lineup could be at risk.
"You say everything is on the table, we've got to take a look at injuries," Pederson said.
"Tonight, we had some guys injured. Things could be moved that way, it could be performance. They're all things we have to evaluate as we move forward.
"This is who we are right now and it's not very good. We have to be honest with ourselves and I've got to be honest with myself and just keep plugging away."
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said making the NFL Playoffs was the "furthest thing" from his mind after the Washington Commanders dropped them to 0-3 on Monday.
Despite Burrow returning to fitness after a wrist injury ended his 2023 season prematurely, the Bengals have endured a dismal start to 2024.
Defeats to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs were followed by Monday's 38-33 loss to Washington, as visiting rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels took centre-stage.
Daniels completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career as Washington improved to 2-1.
Burrow, meanwhile, finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase, but a porous Cincinnati defense was unable to keep Washington quiet.
This is Cincinnati's worst start to a campaign since before Burrows' arrival in 2019, leading him to push thoughts of a playoff charge to the back of his mind.
"We're by no means out of it, but playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind," Burrow said.
"That'll be some critical thinking that I'll have to do. See what kind of leader I want to be going forward, what I feel like the team needs from me going forward."
Daniels, meanwhile, was hailed by his Washington team-mates after setting a new NFL single-game record for pass completion by a rookie quarterback (91.3%).
Defensive tackle Jon Allen said of Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft: "He is the answer."
Washington scored on 14 consecutive drives, excluding taking a knee at the end of each half, and receiver Terry McLaurin – the recipient of Daniels' second touchdown pass while he was being hit by a rushing defender – praised his maturity.
"I think he grew up tonight," McLaurin said. "I'm so excited for him because now as a rookie, once you see those throws, you get more confidence.
"His confidence is just going through the roof right now. When we needed it most, Jayden did a great job of taking a hit. Those are big-time throws for a rookie to make."
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said making the NFL Playoffs was the "furthest thing" from his mind after the Washington Commanders dropped them to 0-3 on Monday.
Despite Burrow returning to fitness after a wrist injury ended his 2023 season prematurely, the Bengals have endured a dismal start to 2024.
Defeats to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs were followed by Monday's 38-33 loss to Washington, as visiting rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels took centre-stage.
Daniels completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career as Washington improved to 2-1.
Burrow, meanwhile, finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase, but a porous Cincinnati defense was unable to keep Washington quiet.
This is Cincinnati's worst start to a campaign since before Burrows' arrival in 2019, leading him to push thoughts of a playoff charge to the back of his mind.
"We're by no means out of it, but playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind," Burrow said.
"That'll be some critical thinking that I'll have to do. See what kind of leader I want to be going forward, what I feel like the team needs from me going forward."
Daniels, meanwhile, was hailed by his Washington team-mates after setting a new NFL single-game record for pass completion by a rookie quarterback (91.3%).
Defensive tackle Jon Allen said of Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft: "He is the answer."
Washington scored on 14 consecutive drives, excluding taking a knee at the end of each half, and receiver Terry McLaurin – the recipient of Daniels' second touchdown pass while he was being hit by a rushing defender – praised his maturity.
"I think he grew up tonight," McLaurin said. "I'm so excited for him because now as a rookie, once you see those throws, you get more confidence.
"His confidence is just going through the roof right now. When we needed it most, Jayden did a great job of taking a hit. Those are big-time throws for a rookie to make."
Home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber backed six solid innings from Aaron Nola as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first National League East title since 2011 with Monday's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies also received a run-scoring single from Nick Castellanos to enhance their chances of earning one of the NL's top two seeds and a first-round bye for the upcoming playoffs. Philadelphia (93-64) now trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half-game for the majors' best record with less than a week remaining in the regular season.
Nola (13-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven while allowing just two runs. The steady veteran pitcher held the Cubs scoreless through the first six innings of play as the Phillies gradually built a 6-0 lead.
Realmuto opened the scoring with his 14th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Caleb Kilian in the second inning. Schwarber made it 3-0 an inning later with a lead-off homer that gave him 100 runs batted in for a second straight season.
The Phillies added another run off Kilian in the third when Trea Turner followed Schwarber's blast with a double and later scored on Castellanos' single.
Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and eventually crossed the plate on an error by Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner to increase the margin to 5-0. The Phillies scored again in the sixth when Brandon Marsh drew a walk, advanced to third on Johan Rojas' single and came home on a double-play grounder off the bat of Schwarber.
Nola was removed after surrendering back-to-back doubles by Isaac Paredes and Hoerner that got the Cubs on the board. Hoerner later scored on a groundout for the game's final run.
Kilian (0-1) allowed all six Philadelphia runs - five earned - and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings.
Mariners put Astros' AL West title plans on hold
The Seattle Mariners got seven scoreless innings from Bryce Miller and two runs batted in from Julio Rodriguez to prevent the Houston Astros from clinching the American League West with Monday's 6-1 win.
Rodriguez went 3 for 5 to lead a 13-hit attack that closed Seattle within 1 1/2 games of the co-holders of the AL's final two wild-card spots, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.
The Mariners still have a faint chance of winning the AL West, though Houston needs to win just one of this series' two remaining games to claim its fourth straight division title.
Miller (12-8) continued a strong finish to his season by yielding just two hits and a pair of walks. The right-hander is now 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA over his last four starts.
Hunter Brown (11-9) allowed just one run while striking out eight over six innings for Houston, but issued two walks in the third inning that led to Seattle taking a 1-0 lead on Cal Raleigh's single that plated Victor Robles.
The Mariners added on in the seventh after loading the bases on singles by Justin Turner and J.P. Crawford and a walk to Dylan Moore. Two batters later, Rodriguez singled to center to drive in Turner for a 2-0 advantage.
Seattle loaded the bases again in the eighth on three consecutive singles before Turner brought in Raleigh with a sacrifice fly. Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring double to stretch the margin to 4-0.
Jason Heyward finally got Houston on the board with a solo home run in the eighth, but the Mariners scored twice more in the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Back-to-back doubles by Robles and Rodriguez increased the lead to 5-1 before Rodriguez scored on Randy Arozarena's double.
Giants drop Diamondbacks back in NL wild card standings
The San Francisco Giants hit three home runs, including an inside-the-park shot from Matt Chapman, to come through with a 6-3 win over Arizona that knocked the Diamondbacks out of a tie for the NL's second wild card.
Casey Schmitt and Michael Conforto also homered to help the Giants to a fourth straight win. Chapman finished 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, while San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong (5-5) struck out six while holding the Diamondbacks to two runs in five innings.
Arizona fell a half-game behind the New York Mets in the standings and now holds a 1 1/2-game lead on the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card. The Braves and Mets begin a pivotal three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks had an early 1-0 lead after consecutive doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson in the first inning, but the Giants went ahead with three runs in the third off Eduardo Rodriguez.
After Heliot Ramos singled and scored on Jerar Encarnacion's double, Chapman drove a pitch off the center field wall and sprinted around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer by a Giants' player since Denard Span in 2017.
Christian Walker drove in Corbin Carroll with a double in the bottom of the third to pull Arizona within 3-2, but Schmitt's solo homer in the fourth restored the Giants' two-run advantage.
Conforto went deep an inning later to increase the lead to 5-2, then doubled in the seventh before crossing the plate on a Chapman triple.
Arizona got a run back in its half of the seventh when Jose Herrera doubled and scored on Perdomo's single. The Diamondbacks failed to score thereafter, though, with Ryan Walker throwing a perfect ninth for San Francisco to record his 10th save.
Rodriguez (3-4) struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings but was tagged for five runs on seven hits.
Jayden Daniels delivered a nearly perfect Monday Night Football debut that carried the upstart Washington Commanders to a 38-33 victory over the scuffling Cincinnati Bengals.
The No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his young career, leading Washington (2-1) to a second straight win following a season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that began first-year head coach Dan Quinn's tenure. Daniels' completion percentage of 91.3 set an NFL single-game record for a rookie.
Washington scored on every one of its possessions, save for kneel-downs to end the first half and the game, to overcome Joe Burrow's three touchdown passes and drop Cincinnati to 0-3.
Daniels added a rushing touchdown while Terry McLaurin recorded 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches for the Commanders.
Jayden Daniels was dealing. pic.twitter.com/h89iQbd7KF
— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024Burrow finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase as the star wide receiver totalled 118 yards on six catches.
The Bengals piled up 436 total yards for the game, but their defence never had an answer for Daniels as Washington matched every score Cincinnati offered while leading from the second quarter on.
Cincinnati started strong as Chase got behind the Washington secondary to haul in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Burrow on the game's opening drive.
The Commanders responded by going 70 yards on 10 plays to tie the game at 7-7 on Brian Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run, a play set up by Daniels' 30-yard completion to Luke McCaffrey on 4th-and-2.
After Cincinnati's Evan McPherson missed a 48-yard field goal on the next possession, Washington marched back into Bengals' territory before Austin Ekeler broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
The Bengals moved inside Washington's 10-yard line on their next series, but settled for McPherson's 28-yard field goal that the Commanders countered with another touchdown.
Daniels hit McLaurin on a deep pass for a 55-yard gain to the Bengals' 4-yard line, then ran untouched into the end zone on the following play for a 21-10 advantage with 2:04 left before half-time.
McPherson's 31-yard field goal brought Cincinnati within 21-13 at the half, but Ekeler took the second-half kick-off 62 yards deep into Bengals' territory to quickly get Washington in scoring range again.
Daniels finished that drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to reserve offensive lineman Trent Scott on a trick play to extend the lead to 28-13.
Burrow kept the Bengals in it by hitting Andrei Iosivas for a 2-yard touchdown on the subsequent possession, and the defence was able to hold Washington to a field goal on its next drive as the Commanders went up 31-20 with 11:30 to go.
Cincinnati again answered, as Burrow completed all four of his passes on a 70-yard drive that Chase finished with a 31-yard touchdown grab with 9:42 left. Burrow's pass for Tee Higgins on the 2-point attempt was broken up, however, to keep Washington's lead at 31-26.
Daniels converted a 4th-and-4 with a 9-yard pass to Zach Ertz on the following possession, however, and McLaurin came down with a diving 27-yard touchdown catch shortly afterward to again give Washington a two-score lead with 2:10 remaining.
Burrow led the Bengals down the field once again in the waning moments as Cincinnati closed within 38-33 on Zack Moss' 1-yard run with 40 seconds left. Washington then recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Bills move to 3-0 with 47-10 rout of spiralling Jaguars
Josh Allen threw four first-half touchdown passes to lead a dominant performance by the Buffalo Bills, who remained unbeaten with a 47-10 thrashing of the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half drives to build a commanding 34-3 half-time lead en route to its first 3-0 start since 2020. Allen finished with 263 yards while completing 23 of 30 passes before being removed early in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.
The Jaguars dropped to 0-3 and were never competitive as their free-fall continued. Jacksonville has now lost eight of nine games dating back to last season following an 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign.
Trevor Lawrence's struggles were extended as well as the former No. 1 overall draft pick threw for just 178 yards and one touchdown on 21 of 38 passing. Jacksonville's expected franchise quarterback was also sacked four times and threw an interception to Damar Hamlin, the first pick of the inspirational safety's career.
Allen and the Bills set the tone from the get-go, as the star quarterback connected on 6 of 7 passes while orchestrating a 10-play, 70-yard opening drive capped by James Cook's 6-yard touchdown run less than 5 1/2 minutes in.
Tyler Bass' extra-point attempt was blocked, about the only thing that went wrong for Buffalo over the first two quarters.
Following a three-and-out from Jacksonville, the Bills marched 65 yards in 11 plays to take a 13-0 lead on Allen's 6-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid on 3rd-and-goal with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
The Jaguars answered with Cam Little's 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Allen hit Keon Coleman for a 24-yard score on the following possession - the rookie's first career touchdown - to extend Buffalo's advantage to 20-3.
Hamlin then intercepted Lawrence's overthrown pass on the next drive to put the Bills back into Jacksonville territory. Five plays later, Khalil Shakir caught a short pass from Allen and broke a tackle before racing 27 yards for a touchdown that put the Jaguars in a further hole late in the first half.
The Bills got the ball back with 1:12 remaining before the half and needed just 53 seconds to find the end zone again, as Allen hit running back Ty Johnson for a 16-yard score for his fourth TD pass of the evening.
Jacksonville's offence did show some life to start the second half, as Lawrence went 4 for 5 for 53 yards on an 8-play drive that he finished with a 6-yard touchdown strike to Brenton Strange to cut the lead to 34-10.
The Jaguars faltered from there on, however. After two Bass field goals got the Bills to the 40-point mark, Jacksonville backup quarterback Mac Jones fumbled when sacked by Javon Solomon and Buffalo recovered at the Jaguars' 21-yard line with 6:21 left.
Four plays later, rookie Ray Davis scored his first NFL touchdown with a 3-yard run to finish off the rout.
Adil Rashid says he has no plans to retire "any time soon" after becoming the first English spinner to reach 200 ODI wickets.
England are aiming to avoid a series defeat in their third ODI match against Australia after being consigned to a 68-run defeat at Headingley on Saturday to see the tourists take a 2-0 lead.
Rashid along with Jofra Archer are the only survivors of England's 2019 World Cup-winning squad as England aim to rebuild their white-ball sides.
With captain Jos Buttler sitting out the ODI series against Australia through injury, 36-year-old Rashid is the oldest player in a fresh-faced squad by five years.
While newcomers Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox and John Turner are taking their first steps on the international stage, Rashid remains an integral part of England's future.
Tuesday's clash in Durham will be Rashid's 138th cap for England, but the spin bowler has no plans to follow fellow spinner Moeen Ali into retirement.
"I have not thought about it [retirement] yet," Rashid told the BBC.
"Keep playing, enjoy it, stay fit, bowl well, contribute to wins, hopefully World Cups and Champions Trophies - that is my ultimate aim.
"I have not thought about retiring or calling it a day any time soon."
Having failed in the defence of both their white-ball world titles in the past year, England are rebuilding with a view to the Champions Trophy in February.
Both Joe Root, who was rested before next month's Test tour of Pakistan, and injured captain Jos Buttler are expected to be in England's future plans.
However, the Headingley defeat against Australia was England's 10th in their past 14 ODIs, but Rashid insisted that they have the talent coming through to improve.
"There have been big changes, new batters, new bowlers," Rashid said. "It will take time. It will always take time when it is a rebuilding process.
"We have got every base covered in terms of bowling, batting, keeping.
"Everything is there for us. All we have to do now is play the game of cricket, enjoy it, string a few games together of winning and then off we go."
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