Fabio Quartararo cannot conceive a strategy for starting the Malaysian Grand Prix from 12th after a dramatic qualifying session saw Jorge Martin claim pole.
Defending MotoGP champion Quartararo trails Francesco Bagnaia by 14 points in the standings, which he once led by 91 points, with two races to go.
Bagnaia could claim a first world championship this weekend, and Monster Energy Yamaha's Quartararo did not help hopes of denying his rival as he could only manage a best lap of one minute and 59.215 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit.
Yet the damage for Quartararo was limited as Ducati rider Bagnaia and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, who is third in the title race and not yet out of the mix, both crashed.
Bagnaia will start ninth while Espargaro, who trails the Italian by 27 points, joins Quartararo and 2020 champion Joan Mir on the fourth row of the grid in 10th.
Martin claimed a second successive pole and his fourth of the season with a lap record of 1:57.790. The Pramac rider has not won this season despite his strong qualifying efforts.
Enea Bastianini starts second for Gresini, with six-time world champion Marc Marquez third for Repsol Honda.
“I think starting from P12, you have no strategy," Quartararo said. "The strategy is to try to go as fast as possible, and then see how it's going. But I think there is not a specific strategy."
Quartararo crashed in FP4, suffering a fractured middle finger, but denied that hindered him in qualifying or that he was feeling the pressure of a title defence.
"In the qualifying it [the finger] was not a problem,” Quartararo added.
"Maybe I was not as focused or I don't know, but the first run is something I still don't understand.
"To be honest I don't really feel the pressure, but it's really strange how we are having these last races
"I don’t know if we work in the correct way or not, but we are missing many things and maybe we should do something different. But really strange last races."
CLASSIFICATION
1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 1:57.790
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) + 0.456
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) + 0.664
4. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) + 0.700
5. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.785
6. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) + 0.789
7. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) + 0.864
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.976
9. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) + 1.072
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 1.145
11. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) + 1.355
12. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +1.425
The Denver Broncos have listed quarterback Russell Wilson as questionable for their Week 7 meeting with the New York Jets.
Wilson injured his hamstring during the Broncos' 19-16 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, a game in which the 33-year-old started brightly before Denver collapsed.
Wilson finished the first quarter with a perfect 10 completions, including a touchdown, but completed just five of his subsequent 18 passes as the Chargers fought back.
Things then went from bad to worse for the Broncos as Wilson confirmed he had played through the pain barrier after straining his hamstring in the latter stages of the game.
On Friday, the Broncos listed Wilson as questionable for the clash with the Jets, while head coach Nathaniel Hackett said the team will make a "game-time decision" on his involvement.
Wilson was already managing a shoulder injury sustained in the Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and has been seen wearing a wrap under his pads in recent outings.
The Broncos enter their meeting with the Jets with a 2-4 record for the season, with nine-time Pro Bowl QB Wilson completing just 58.6 per cent of his passes since arriving in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
Although Tyson Fury's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua appears to be dead in the water, the latter remains in the WBC heavyweight champion's head.
That is according to Fury's next opponent, Derek Chisora.
The Gypsy King will defend his title against Chisora on December 3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what will be the third fight between the pair.
Fury beat Chisora when they first met in 2011, before also defeating him almost eight years ago.
A deal recently seemed to have been reached for Fury to face Joshua, with both parties appearing optimistic about contracts being signed.
However, after missing a deadline imposed by Fury, the champion's camp called negotiations off and instead turned attention to a bout against Chisora.
Despite being the new contender, Chisora has claimed Fury is unable to take his focus off Joshua, and defended AJ's decision not to sign the deal.
"AJ is living in Tyson's head rent-free," Chisora said. "Tyson wakes up every day thinking about AJ and cannot do an interview without mentioning AJ.
"AJ is off living his life, doing his own thing. I don't know why Tyson keeps talking about AJ.
"AJ could not take the fight because there were so many complications with sponsors and promoters.
"The fighters always want to fight, just fight, but the complications come from the business people around them who get in the way."
Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will miss up to six weeks of action following knee surgery.
The 23-year-old, who was the 55th overall pick for the Ravens in the 2020 draft, missed the whole of the 2021 season after suffering a knee injury in his team's final preseason game.
Dobbins returned to action in Week 3 of the 2022 campaign against the New England Patriots, and has played four games in all, scoring a touchdown in the 23-20 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
However, he did not practice all week after not playing in the second half of the 24-20 defeat at the New York Giants in Week 6.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Dobbins will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the next few days that will keep him out for "four to six weeks".
The 3-3 Ravens, who face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, will have to turn to Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill over the next few weeks to maintain their impressive running game, spearheaded by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who himself has rushed for 451 yards in six games this season.
Baltimore rank seventh in the NFL for rushing yards (934) but are first for average yards (5.95).
Ben Simmons is "starting to show the player he can be", according to his coach Steve Nash after the Australian played a role in the Brooklyn Nets' win against the Toronto Raptors.
Simmons played over 32 minutes at Barclays Center on Friday, scoring six points and recording 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Kevin Durant (30 points) and Kyrie Irving (27) led the scoring for the Nets in a 109-105 victory, edging out Toronto despite an impressive triple-double from Pascal Siakam (37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists).
Simmons played his first game in 16 months on Wednesday in defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans and struggled to make an impact, fouling out during his 23-minute appearance.
He was much-improved in Friday's win, though, and Nash expressed his pride for the 26-year-old, saying post-game: "From the jump he was more aggressive - he got in the paint, every time he gets in the paint he causes problems.
"He's starting to show the player he can be, and I still think he's got a ways to go, so really proud of him. He shook off the first night, and I thought he was much more aggressive in an important game for us."
The player himself revealed Nash has been telling him to "Just attack, just be me," adding: "It's easy to say, but to go and do it, it's tough. But that's on me. Keep pushing myself."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr feels nobody has figured out the correct answer for how to defend reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic after the Denver Nuggets left Chase Center with a 128-123 upset win on Friday night.
With the Nuggets' second-best player Jamal Murray sitting out the game as part of his recovery plan from a long-term injury, Denver's fate was left in the hands of Jokic, and he delivered once again.
Jokic posted a triple-double in the win, finishing with 26 points (seven-of-13 shooting), 12 rebounds and 10 assists in his 34 minutes.
The Nuggets led by 10 points with just 74 seconds remaining, but a Warriors flurry saw them cut the lead to 124-123 after a steal in the backcourt gave Jordan Poole an easy layup with 14 seconds on the clock.
But Jokic steadied the ship, immediately heaving a full-court pass to Bruce Brown for an uncontested dunk to avoid having to sweat through a pair of free throws, before the big Serbian went to the line to close the game out himself, hitting both foul shots to finish 11-of-11 from the charity stripe.
When asked after the game if the seven-foot maestro is the Warriors' kryptonite, Kerr said he does not know how anyone would slow him down.
"He’s everybody’s kryptonite,” he said. "He’s a two-time MVP for a reason. The guy is a phenomenal player, and he just makes the game so much easier on his teammates.
"They've done a really good job in Denver the past few years, building their roster, building their identity. But yeah, Jokic is Jokic. I don't know if any other team gives him a hard time."
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone echoed the sentiment, saying at this point the only advice he can give the 27-year-old is about being a vocal leader.
"My biggest challenge for Nikola is always finding a way to use his voice and be a leader," he said.
"This is his team. He’s a great player, and what makes him great is he makes every one of those guys better.
"That chemistry is only going to continue to get better and better as the season goes along – but tonight was a great example of what it has potential to be."
Maria Sakkari secured the eighth and final place at the WTA Finals after defeating Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 5-7 6-4 to reach the semi-finals at the Guadalajara Open on Friday.
The WTA Finals – which is contested by the women who finish top-eight for the season in ranking points – already had seven entrants locked in, with the eighth to be decided by the winner between world number six Sakkari and world number 12 Kudermetova.
Sakkari's ability to fight her way out of tough situations proved to be the difference as she saved 14 of the 15 break points she faced, while converting three of her nine chances. In the deciding third set, Sakkari made the most of her only break point, while saving all five of Kudermetova's chances to get back into the contest.
She will play Marie Bouzkova in the semi-final after the unseeded Czech was the beneficiary of Anna Kalinskaya's injury retirement in the first set, with Bouzkova leading 5-2.
It continues a terrific run of form for the 24-year-old Bouzkova, who is 19-3 in her past 22 matches, with her only losses in that span coming against world number 20 Karolina Pliskova, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and world number two Ons Jabeur.
On the other side of the draw, Jessica Pegula breezed through the challenge of Sloane Stephens to win 6-2 6-2, which would have set up a tantalising all-American matchup against her doubles partner and rising star Coco Gauff, but she could not hold up her end of the bargain.
Gauff fell 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-3 to Victoria Azarenka, giving the Belarusian her third consecutive top-20 win after earning her spot in the quarter-final with victories over world number eight Paula Badosa and world number 15 Madison Keys.
A stunning 49-point outburst from Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant carried his side back from a 16-point first-half deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets 129-122 on Friday.
Morant had 18 points and six assists in the first half, but the rest of the Grizzlies were struggling, falling into a 42-26 hole early in the second quarter before trimming the margin to 70-62 at halftime.
The second pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, Jalen Green, showed why Rockets fans are so excited as he piled up 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting while going four-of-five from long range, but Morant was matching him step-for-step before running away late.
Memphis won the fourth quarter 34-22 as the Rockets ran out of gas, with Morant finishing 17-of-26 from the field, and five-of-six from long range, while adding eight assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He had 31 in the second half, and only a missed free throw in the fourth quarter kept him from scoring 50.
In an eye-catching performance, second-year center Alperen Sengun tallied 23 points (nine-of-13 shooting) with 12 rebounds in 27 minutes off the Houston bench.
Beal wins it for the Wizards
The Washington Wizards are now 2-0 after a Bradley Beal game-winner with seven seconds remaining handed his side a 102-100 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Chicago trailed by nine points with less than five minutes to play, but from that point on DeMar DeRozan dropped 11 of his 32 points (11-of-23 shooting), tying things up at 98-98 with a minute remaining after a pair of free throws.
Beal answered back with a layup, and DeRozan leveled the score again with a dunk, before Beal sank the dagger to finish with 19 points (nine-of-14 shooting) and eight assists. DeRozan had a chance to win it with a three-pointer on the buzzer, but could not deliver.
Brown and Tatum carry the Celtics
The combination of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum proved too much for the Miami Heat to overcome, with the duo combining for 57 points in the Boston Celtics' 111-104 triumph.
Tatum finished with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting, getting to the line and hitting all seven of his free throws, while Brown was more efficient from the field, hitting 12-of-18 shots for 28 points after they scored 35 each in Boston's season opener.
The Heat could not survive in the minutes center Bam Adebayo had to sit down, as the big man posted 19 points (eight-of-11 shooting) with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a plus/minus of plus 20 in his 35 minutes. Unfortunately for Miami, they were minus 26 in the 12 minutes he was on the bench.
Simmons banks first win as a Net
The Brooklyn Nets won their first game with Ben Simmons as they defeated the Toronto Raptors 109-105 at home.
Simmons was solid without contributing much on the scoreboard, finishing with six points (three-of-five shooting), but he grabbed 10 rebounds, dished eight assists and blocked two shots.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant carried the scoring load, as Irving top-scored, producing 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting while adding seven assists, while Durant hit eight-of-18 shots for 27 points and six assists.
The Philadelphia Phillies rode an explosive start from slugger Kyle Schwarber to a 4-2 home victory in Game 3 of the NLCS on Friday, taking a 2-1 lead.
Only Aaron Judge (62) hit more home runs in the regular season than Schwarber (46), and he continued his spectacular season with his second of the postseason to snatch a 1-0 lead for the Phillies with a 405-foot bomb as their very first batter.
That lead would hold until the fourth inning, when Jake Cronenworth was able to bring Juan Soto home from third with a groundout to shortstop, but the Phillies wasted no time retaking the advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, Jean Segura came through with a big two-run single to jump ahead 3-1, with Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott coming around to score.
Schwarber, Stott and Bohm were the three Phillies to collect multiple hits on the day, and Bohm's second was crucial, ripping a double to right-field in the sixth inning to again restore their buffer to 4-2, which their bullpen protected beautifully.
Zach Eflin and Jose Alvarado pitched the sixth and seventh inning, before Seranthony Dominguez saw out the final two frames, giving up just one baserunner while striking out three batters for a six-out save.
Phillies starter Ranger Suarez did enough to earn the win on the mound, getting through five innings for two earned runs in 68 pitches while only giving up two hits and no walks.
Game 4 and Game 5 will remain in Philadelphia, before the best-of-seven series heads back to San Diego for Game 6 and Game 7 if necessary.
Christian McCaffrey officially joined the San Francisco 49ers on Friday and expressed excitement about joining the Kyle Shanahan-led offense.
Acquired from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday for a haul of draft picks, McCaffrey met with the media after taking part in his first practice with the 49ers.
"In my opinion, the best run game and one of the most explosive offenses in the league. How could you not want to play here as an offensive weapon," McCaffrey said. "I couldn’t be more fired up to be here. Obviously, I have a little bit of a history with coach Shanahan. I can’t express how happy I am to be here."
The trade sends McCaffrey back to the Bay Area where he starred in college at Stanford.
McCaffrey’s father, former NFL wild receiver Ed McCaffrey, won a Super with the 49ers in 1994 and won two more titles in Denver with Shanahan’s father, Mike, as his head coach.
"I don’t think there’s anybody better at putting guys in position to have success and tailoring to what they’re good at," McCaffrey said of Kyle Shanahan. "I’ve watched him to do some unbelievable things with some great running backs, even the guys in the room right now. I’m just excited to learn from them."
The 49ers will add McCaffrey to a group of playmakers that includes versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, star tight end George Kittle and receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Samuel has thrived under Shanahan in becoming one of the league’s most productive players and McCaffrey should be able to do many of the similar things, whether lining up in the backfield or in the slot as a receiver.
"It’s an honour to be compared to him [Samuel]," McCaffrey said. "I’m happy to share the locker room with him and I think we can do some exciting things."
While clearly one of the best running backs in the league, McCaffrey has had trouble staying healthy in recent seasons. He missed 23 games over the previous two seasons due to injuries but has played in all six games in 2022.
"I think you’re always adapting every offseason," McCaffrey said regarding injuries. "It’s a constant change in figuring out what’s the best thing to do, so I made some tweaks here and there, talked to some different guys. Every year I’ve made certain changes and at the end of the day, it’s an ongoing process. Just take it day by day."
McCaffrey ranks fourth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (607) despite playing for the league’s 32nd-ranked offense. He and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb are the only players in the league to have five games this year with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.
Jon Rahm was the star of the show on Friday at the CJ Cup, shooting a nine-under 62 to jump all the way up into a share for first place at 11 under with Kurt Kitayama.
Rahm's 62 came after an opening 69, raising his birdie count from six to 10, while cutting his bogeys from four to one as he figured out the Congaree Golf Club course.
Kitayama has been a much steadier presence this week, posting rounds of 66 and 65, with his second round highlighted by an impressive eagle on the par-five 12th hole.
Those two players lead the pack by one stroke, with Australia's Cam Davis and America's Aaron Wise tied for third at 10 under with back-to-back 66s.
Rory McIlroy is alone in fifth at nine under after following a front-nine score of 37 with an impressive 30 on the back-nine, and he is two strokes clear of a logjam tied for sixth at seven under.
The group includes young phenom Tom Kim, as well as former major champion Shane Lowry and England's Tyrrell Hatton, while Masters champion Danny Willett is a further shot back at six under.
Presidents Cup representatives Max Homa and Im Sung-jae enter the weekend six strokes off the pace at five under, with former world number one Jason Day at four under and current world number one Scottie Scheffler at three under.
Being an invitational event with no cut, Collin Morikawa (three under), Rickie Fowler (two under), Justin Thomas (one under) and Hideki Matsuyama (even par) will all get to stick around and play two more rounds.
The Texas Rangers have lured former San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy out of a brief retirement to take over as manager.
Bochy stepped away from managing after the 2019 season following a successful 13-year run in San Francisco in which he guided the Giants to three World Series titles between 2010 and 2014.
The 67-year-old previously spent 12 seasons as the San Diego Padres' manager from 1995-2006, a period that saw them make four postseason appearances and reached the World Series in 1998.
One of 12 managers to achieve 2,000 victories, Bochy sports an overall record of 2,003-2,029 in regular-season play and 44-33 in postseason games.
The 1996 National League Manager of the Year also has ties to Rangers general manager Chris Young, who pitched for the Padres during Bochy's final season there in 2006.
"In his 25 years with San Diego and San Francisco, Bruce was one of the most successful and respected managers in Major League Baseball," Young said in a statement.
"With a calm and steady presence, he has a remarkable ability to connect and communicate with players, coaches and staff, and his teams have always played with maximum effort. His knowledge of the game, as well as his integrity, is unmatched.
"As we went through the interview process, Bruce's passion and excitement about returning to the dugout was very evident. It became clear he was the ideal individual to lead our club as we continue to build a championship culture here in Arlington."
Bochy takes over a Texas team that has been mired in six straight losing seasons and failed to meet heightened expectations in 2022.
The Rangers were big spenders in free agency this past offseason, handing out big contracts to land ex-Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and former Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Marcus Semien, but finished second-last in the American League West at 68-94.
The Rangers fired manager Chris Woodward in August and went just 17-31 after third base coach Tony Beasley was promoted to interim manager.
Dominic Thiem saved three match points before beating Hubert Hurkacz for the first time to reach the semi-finals of the European Open on Friday.
Thiem was on the brink of being knocked out by the top seed in Antwerp, but fought back to win 3-6 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-4).
The 2020 US Open champion fended off all three match points in a second-set tie-break to take a thrilling quarter-final the distance and then came out on top in another breaker to advance.
Thiem will do battle with Sebastian Korda for a place in the final after the American emphatically defeated eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-2.
Richard Gasquet moved into the last four at the expense of David Goffin and will face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who came from a set down to beat Dan Evans.
Matteo Berrettini remains in the hunt to win the Tennis Napoli Cup on home soil after a 6-2 6-3 quarter-final triumph over Taro Daniel.
Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta crashed out in Italy, losing 7-5 6-2 to Miomir Kecmanovic, who will face Lorenzo Musetti after he got the better of Daniel Elahi Galan. Mackenzie McDonald will come up against Berrettini after getting past Zhang Zhizhen.
Stefanos Tsitsipas sealed a Stockholm Open semi-final spot with a 7-5 6-3 win over Mikael Ymer and will take on Emil Ruusuvuori, who eliminated Frances Tiafoe.
Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur meet in the other last-four match in the Swedish capital following wins over Cameron Norrie and Denis Shapovalov respectively.
Josh Addo-Carr scored four tries and Campbell Graham claimed a hat-trick as Australia dished out an 84-0 Rugby League World Cup thrashing to Scotland.
The rampant holders made it two Group B wins out of two, running in 15 tries to claim victory by their second-biggest margin ever on a miserable Friday in Coventry for Scotland.
Australia showed no mercy on the Bravehearts as they equalled their own record of 14 consecutive World Cup wins, Addo-Carr following up his double in the win over Fiji with an early score before Jack Wighton, Angus Crichton and Graham crossed.
Fragile Scotland were unable to live with the relentless Kangaroos, who had 44 points on the board at half-time after the rapid Addo-Carr raced from his own half to score, Wighton touched down again and Nathan Cleary helped himself to a debut try.
There was no let-up from the tournament favourites after the break, Addo-Carr and Graham completing their trebles after Ben Hunt and James Tedesco went over.
Matt Burton also scored a debut try and set up Addo-Carr for the try of the night in the closing stages with an incredible pass, while Isaah Yeo got in on the act with a score and the excellent Cleary finished with a 28-point haul in a ruthless rout.
Trinidad & Tobago’s Calypso Girls defeated the Barbados Gems 50-40 in a top-of-the-table clash on day five of the Netball Americas World Cup Qualifiers at the national Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on Thursday.
Entering the game, the Calypso Girls had already booked their spot in next year’s World Cup on the back of a perfect record after six games while the Gems were also unbeaten after five games and would’ve sealed their trip to Cape Town next year with a win.
The end of the first quarter saw Trinidad & Tobago build a 12-7 lead before Barbados outscored them 14-10 in the second to trail 21-22 at half-time. T&T then outscored them by four in the third quarter to lead 35-30 before eventually winning 50-40.
T&T was led by goal shooter Afeisha Noel’s 33 goals from 35 attempts while goal attack Joelisa Cooper had 17 goals from 21 attempts. Bajan goal shooters Faye Agard and Shonica Wharton had 14 goals from 16 attempts and 15 goals from 20 attempts, respectively.
“I am ecstatic about that performance. I think we went out there and executed exactly what the coach wanted and I can’t ask for anything else from the girls,” said Trinidad & Tobago captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel.
Barbados captain Shonette Azore-Bruce praised her team’s fighting spirit despite the result not going their way.
“It’s not the outcome that we wanted but I must say that I am proud of my girls for fighting to the end. We did not score the goals we should have but I’m still proud of my girls for fighting. At least we had that fight in us.”
The Gems will have another chance to confirm their spot at the World Cup when they take on Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday’s seventh and final day.
Other Thursday results saw Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls get by St. Lucia 85-30, St. Vincent beat Antigua & Barbuda 66-30 and the USA getting a 44-35 win over the Cayman Islands.
On Friday, Antigua and Barbuda will play St. Lucia, the USA will battle Grenada, Jamaica will play Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines will play the Cayman Islands.
The New York Jets travel to face the Denver Broncos on the back of a three-game winning streak on Sunday, though their recent record in this contest suggests it could be a struggle for their offense.
Denver's defense has recorded a shutout in each of the Broncos' last two home games with the Jets.
The Broncos might have expected to enter this Week 7 contest with a winning record, but it is the Jets who are in much better shape in the AFC after six weeks.
Having started the season 1-2, the Jets have claimed three wins in a row since Zach Wilson returned from injury and face a Broncos team now 2-4 after two consecutive overtime defeats and with questions lingering over the performances of Russell Wilson.
The Broncos' blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks for the nine-time Pro Bowl QB has not worked out as intended so far. Wilson has a completion percentage of 58.6 this season. In 10 seasons with the Seahawks, his lowest single-season completion percentage was 61.3 in 2017.
His Week 6 performance in overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers was particularly poor as Wilson completed just 15 of his 28 passes (53.6 per cent), with Wilson's former Seahawks team-mate Michael Robinson warning there could be a 'mutiny' in the locker room due to his 'robot' approach.
A yards per game average of 240.3 is only enough to rank 14th in the NFL and Wilson's well-thrown rate, a Stats Perform metric that measures how often a pass is accurate and well-thrown, stands at 72.6 per cent. Of players with over 100 passing attempts this season, only the Chicago Bears' Justin Fields has a lower percentage (72.1).
In contrast to the Broncos' woes, the Jets come into the matchup on a high after securing their first three-game win streak since 2019, with last week's victory at the Green Bay Packers also marking their first three-game road winning run in a single season since 2010.
That year, the Jets season ended with a trip to the AFC Championship game. They have not been back to the playoffs since and recorded a winning record just once in that time (10-6 in 2015).
Only once since 2018 have the Jets had more wins in a single season (seven in 2019) than the four they have amassed so far yet, while the feeling is positive, it is no secret Zach Wilson still has work to do.
In his three games since returning from injury, all of which have been victories, he has thrown 572 yards with a completion percentage of 56. He has thrown only one touchdown completion while tossing two interceptions.
The No.2 pick from the 2021 draft has seen general manager Joe Douglas vastly improving Wilson's supporting cast, but their recent surge has been in spite of Wilson rather than because of him.
A well-thrown rate of 72.5 is a concern on its own but is especially concerning given 82.6 percent of his throws have been to an open target, the fifth-highest rate among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts.
No player in the NFL with at least 50 pass attempts this season has a higher pickable pass percentage than Wilson's 10.14, while he is continuing to hold the ball for far too long.
Indeed, his average time of 2.94 seconds from the snap of the ball to the throw is the longest of any player to have a passing attempt in 2022.
Clearly, both Wilsons have significant strides to make, but the difference is Denver is locked into Russell Wilson for the long-term on an extremely lucrative contract. Zach Wilson is still on his rookie deal and the Jets could soon start to have conversations about whether to activate his fifth-year option or look to move on to a new potential answer at the game's most important position. Breaking their scoreless streak in Denver against a vaunted Bronco defense will at least improve the case of the player the Jets hope will blossom into their franchise quarterback.
LeBron James was encouraged by the Los Angeles Lakers' ability to limit the Los Angeles Clippers scoring on Thursday, despite ultimately losing the game.
The Clippers ran out 103-97 victors at Crypto.com Arena in Kawhi Leonard's first outing in 16 months.
It was another frustrating game for the Lakers as they failed to land enough of their shots, especially from three-point range, which was also an issue in their season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Having only hit 10 from 40 from beyond the arc on Tuesday, the Lakers were successful with just nine from 45 attempts against the Clippers, who scored as many from 16 fewer shots.
Speaking after the defeat, LeBron was in no mood to focus on the negatives, instead praising his team-mates for putting pressure on the visitors at the other end of the court, limiting them to just 80 shots in the contest.
"I'm definitely not going to sit here and harp on [about] what we can't do every single game," he said. "That's not a leader.
"What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win and we just couldn't make it happen. But I'm OK with that."
On his team's inefficient shooting, James added: "If we're reliant on [that] every single game, then we're in trouble.
"So, I'm not worried about that or thinking about that. It's how hard we play, how aggressive we play, how determined we are to go out and compete every night.
"And we've got to defend. When we defend, we're going to give ourselves a good chance to win."
Courtney Lawes will miss England’s pre-Autumn Nations Series training camp next week as he continues to work through his return to play protocols.
Lawes was initially named in a 36-man squad by Eddie Jones this week, but the lock will not travel to Jersey.
Captain of his country in the series win over Australia in July, Lawes has been suffering with concussion issues after taking a blow to the head during Northampton Saints’ derby defeat to Leicester Tigers last month.
The absence of Lawes will cast doubt on whether he will be fit for the Red Rose's first November Test against Argentina at Twickenham on November 6.
London Irish's Tom Pearson has been added to the squad and will join up for a five-day camp on Monday.
Head coach Jones would face a decision over who would lead his side if Lawes is unable to play, with Owen Farrell among the contenders to have the honour once again.
England will face Japan, New Zealand and world champions South Africa next month after taking on the Pumas.
Simona Halep said she felt "confused and betrayed" after being handed a provisional suspension for failing a drug test.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Friday the 31-year-old had tested positive for roxadustat, a prohibited substance, after providing two samples while competing at the US Open in August.
She was notified of a rule violation on October 7 and now faces a fight to avoid a ban from the sport.
In a statement, the ITIA said: "While provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis event organised by the governing bodies of the sport."
Swiftly responding, former French Open and Wimbledon champion Halep denied all knowledge of taking the substance and said the sanction was the "biggest shock" of her life.
"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth," she posted on social media.
"I have been notified that I tested positive for a substance called roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.
"Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.
"I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.
"It's not about the titles or the money. It's about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years."
The 31-year-old former world number one announced in September she would miss the rest of the season after undergoing nose surgery, with it unclear how long her recovery would take.
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