Anthony Davis declared the Los Angeles Lakers can banish sorry memories of the previous two seasons by roaring back to past glories in the new campaign.
The Lakers, NBA champions in 2020, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs before trailing in 11th in the Western Conference last term with a 33-49 record, missing out on the postseason.
Considering their star-studded squad, those were underwhelming performances, but this year Davis says the story can change. He is talking about championships again.
"We're motivated to get back to where we belong," Davis said.
"The last two seasons were not what we envisioned. It was not Lakers basketball and we know that, not what our organisation's standard is."
Coach Frank Vogel was sacked in April and Darvin Ham has come in, charged with getting the best out of a roster that, along with Davis, features the likes of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.
The star trio are listed as probable for Tuesday's season-opening game against last season's champions, the Golden State Warriors, at Chase Center.
Westbrook has been waylaid by a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen how Ham uses him, if fit. He appears set for a reserve role, initially.
If the Lakers needed any reminder about their 2021-22 failings, it will come when the Warriors collect their championship rings, with the Los Angeles players knowing they simply were not a factor last time out.
After losing five of six warm-up games, the Lakers will know they cannot let that form drip into the new campaign.
Davis said: "Our standard is to compete for championships, and in the last two seasons we have not. So, it's motivation and hunger from every guy on the floor, everybody in the locker room, all the coaches, the front office, to make sure that we get back to that level of basketball that we know we can play at."
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson confirmed he injured his hamstring in his side's 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
Wilson began the game brightly, finishing the first quarter with a perfect 10 completions from 10 attempts including a touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich to build a 10-0 lead at quarter-time.
Things broke down for the Broncos' offense after that, with Wilson going on to complete just five-of-18 passes the rest of the way as their only points in the last three quarters came from a pair of Brandon McManus field goals.
After the game, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett opened up his press conference by listing Wilson among the injuries for the game, saying he hurt his hamstring and not expanding any further.
When questioned about it in his own interview, Wilson confirmed he did indeed have to nurse the injury through the latter stages of the contest after feeling it pull in the fourth quarter..
"Yeah, I got my hammy," he said. "I was kind of scrambling and moving around on one, and had to throw it away. It got me pretty good in the fourth quarter, but I just tried to play through it and all that.
"I felt good moving around, running around, throwing it and everything else – especially early on – and then that happened.
"So that was kind of a little unfortunate, but, you know, [we were still] trying to find a way to win the game."
Wilson entered the game with a nagging shoulder injury, and he said his "shoulder did good", but that "the only thing that matters is us winning".
If Wilson did indeed strain his hamstring, even a minor injury will likely mean at least one game on the sideline, while a medium-severity strain would force him to miss two or three games at a minimum.
The loss relegates the Broncos to a 2-4 record through Week 6, with a home fixture against the New York Jets scheduled for this Sunday.
Victoria Azarenka has booked a clash with the top seed of the Guadalajara Open after defeating Elina Avanesyan 6-4 6-2 in Monday's opening round.
In the last event of the season before the WTA Finals, Belarus' Azarenka was too strong with her return game for her Russian opponent, winning 53 per cent (32-of-60) of her return points while capitalising on five-of-seven break point opportunities to earn a shot at world number eight Paula Badosa.
While Azarenka has no chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals – with only the top-eight players in the rankings making it through – Belinda Bencic is one of the players who can sneak in with a great result this week.
Needing to make the semi-finals to have a chance, she got off on the right foot with a 7-5 6-7 (10-12) 6-3 win against Leylah Fernandez in her opening match.
Petra Kvitova can also qualify if she reaches the final, and she started without issue, defeating Bernarda Pera 6-3 7-5.
Ekaterina Alexandrova had an outside chance of claiming a WTA Finals spot if she won this tournament, but she was the victim of the day's biggest upset, falling 6-4 7-6 (10-8) to Camila Osorio.
At 22nd in the world, Liudmila Samsonova is the lowest-ranked player in the field with a mathematical chance at qualification, but she is a step closer after handling Kaia Kanepi 6-1 7-5.
Despite Fernandez's earlier loss, it was a strong day for the Canadians, with Bianca Andreescu proving too good in her 6-2 6-4 victory against Jil Teichmann, and Rebecca Marino also only needed two sets to defeat Ann Li 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
China's Lin Zhu came from a set behind to beat France's Alize Cornet 3-6 6-3 6-4, while Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk had a much quicker result in her 6-1 6-3 triumph over Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
World number 34 Elise Mertens had no problems in one of the biggest mismatches of the day as she defeated world number 185 Asia Muhammad 6-3 6-2, and Sloane Stephens needed only 54 minutes to advance 6-0 6-2 past Linda Fruhvirtova.
In the last match of the night, Mexico's top chance Fernanda Contreras Gomez was eliminated by Alja Tomljanovic 6-2 6-1.
The Los Angeles Chargers needed a Dustin Hopkins field goal in overtime to defeat the Denver Broncos 19-16 on Monday night.
Despite the final result, it was a bright start for Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed all 10 of his passes in the first quarter, including a 39-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich to lead 10-0 at quarter-time.
Whatever adjustments the Chargers made during the first break seemed to have an immediate effect, with Wilson only completing five of his next 18 passes as the Broncos could only muster a pair of field goals the rest of the way while committing 151 yards of penalties – a Monday Night Football record since penalty yardage began being tracked in 2000.
The Chargers also only had one touchdown in the game, opening the second quarter with a 15-play drive capped off by a six-yard Austin Ekeler touchdown run.
A field goal from either side in the final minute of the half had the Broncos up 13-10, and they continued to trade field goals the rest of regulation, with Hopkins nailing his third of the night to tie the game at 16-16 with four minutes remaining.
Neither team was able to mount a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, and things looked headed for the tie after overtime started with four consecutive three-and-out punts. But the fourth was unsuccessfully fielded by Broncos punt returner Montrell Washington after a blocking teammate was pushed into him, resulting in a fumble and turnover.
After again failing to get a first down, the Chargers called on Hopkins to end it, and while playing with an injury, he sealed the win with his fourth field goal from four attempts.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 37 of his 57 passes for 238 yards and one interception, while Wilson finished 15-of-28 for 188 yards and one touchdown. Ekeler was the top skill-position player, rushing 14 times for 36 yards and a touchdown while catching 10 of 16 targets for 47 receiving yards.
The Atlanta Hawks announced they have signed wing De’Andre Hunter to a four-year, $95million contract prior to Monday’s deadline for teams and players to reach rookie-scale extensions.
ESPN reported terms of the new deal, which will begin next season and run through the 2026-27 campaign.
The fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft after the Hawks traded up to select him, Hunter has averaged 13.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game through his first three NBA seasons and shot a career-best 37.9 per cent from 3-point range in 2021-22.
The 24-year-old is also valued for his defensive ability and versatility as the player often assigned to guard opponents top scoring threats.
Hunter is coming off a 2021-22 season where he averaged 13.4 points in 53 games and starred in Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. He averaged 21.2 points for the series and recorded a career-high 35 points and 11 rebounds in the Hawks’ Game 5 loss.
The University of Virginia product becomes the latest core player that Atlanta have locked up on a long-term deal. All-Star guard Trae Young and forward John Collins agreed to five-year extensions last offseason, while center Clint Capela is under contract through 2024-25 after signing a two-year extension in September 2021.
Atlanta, who finished 43-37 last season and earned the Eastern Conference’s eight seed through the play-in tournament, also acquired standout guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in July. The 2021-22 All-Star is signed for two more seasons.
Game 5 of the ALDS series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians has been pushed back to Tuesday after the scheduled fixture on Monday was rained out.
The teams are tied at 2-2 through four games after Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings with eight strikeouts to help the Yankees extend the series with a 4-2 win in Sunday's Game 4.
For the Yankees, Jameson Taillon was scheduled to start in the series decider, while Aaron Civale was set to take the hill for the Guardians. It is not yet known if the extra day of rest will impact the decision on the game's starters.
The winner of Game 5 will play the Houston Astros in the ALCS, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday.
The Miami Dolphins are preparing to have Tua Tagovailoa return as the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 7 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday.
Tagovailoa resumed football activities last week and cleared concussion protocols on Saturday, but remained inactive during Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
"The plan is for him to approach the game as the starter," McDaniel said. “He'll be able to get those reps on Wednesday… we felt really good about how he was able to get back on the field."
Tagovailoa last had a full week of practice in Week 3 and has been inactive since being carted off the field with a concussion on September 29.
The Dolphins jumped out to a 3-0 start this season, and their third-year quarterback appeared on his way to a career year. Miami is 0-3 since, and McDaniel is hoping that having Tagovailoa under center again will help the team find its way back in the win column.
"He's a captain. He's a captain for a reason, and as I've told you guys from the onset, I think he's a very, very good player at that position," McDaniel said. "So very good players, they definitely give people a boost – not because of what other people aren't but more just because he is who he is.
"So he's a strong fabric of this team, and that's exciting when you get to go play with one of your brothers, which is why the team will be excited, and it will be exciting."
Tagovailoa’s first injury of the season came on September 25 when he took a hit from Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano and appeared to hit his head on the ground. He stumbled when he got up and was immediately taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.
He returned to the game shortly thereafter and was not in the concussion protocol the following week, despite questions about why he was allowed to return to the game after displaying motor impairment.
Just four days later, Tagovailoa was slammed to the turf by Cincinnati Bengals lineman Josh Tupou in a startling scene that has left many to question the NFL's efforts to minimize head and neck injuries, and led to the league altering their concussion protocol to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Both injuries occurred after Tagovailoa extended plays outside the pocket.
"There's risks in this game and you've got to be able to control the controllables," McDaniel said. "One thing for him is you love his competitive nature, but there is a time in a play where you have to kind of concede, and that's where he's kind of been focusing on because it's something that's not natural to him.
"He wants to break every tackle, and he doesn't like when plays don't work. Well, sometimes they won't.
"So that's something that he's mindful of, and I think that that's a consistency of all the really great quarterbacks that you think of, the guys that you look up to, the guys that kind of set forth the example of how to play the position, they do find ways to be available.
"Part of that is that concession, but that is – all things considered, that's probably a good problem to have in terms of a competitor. You just need to be able to understand your importance to the team and how sometimes the best play you can make is a throwaway."
Washington Commanders starting quarterback Carson Wentz has undergone surgery after fracturing the ring finger on his throwing hand.
Wentz, who led his team to an uninspiring 12-7 win on Sunday against the Chicago Bears to take a 2-4 record into Week 7, has been disappointing since arriving in Washington in the offseason.
In that contest, he suffered the injury when his hand was hit hard during the follow-through of a throw in the second quarter, clearly causing him discomfort, although he never left the game.
Only two quarterbacks – Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan – have thrown more interceptions than Wentz's six this season, and he is tied with Chicago Bears second-year starter Justin Fields as the most sacked quarterback in the league (23 times).
The report from ESPN states the Commanders are unsure about how much time Wentz will have to miss, although they have a capable backup in Taylor Heinicke, as well as rookie Sam Howell who impressed in preseason.
Heinicke started 16 games last season for a 7-9 record, throwing 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while also showing his mobility with a 95-yard rushing game against the Green Bay Packers.
The Commanders sit at least two wins behind the three other teams in the NFC East, but can move one step closer to a .500 record with a home win against the Packers this Sunday.
Holger Rune maintained his impressive form by beating Thiago Monteiro in straight sets to reach the second round of the Stockholm Open on Monday.
Rune was beaten by Marc-Andrea Huesler in the final of the last tournament he entered in Sofia following a quarter-final appearance in Metz.
The Danish teenager, who last week announced Patrick Mouratoglou had joined his team for the rest of this season, defeated Monteiro 7-5 6-2 on his debut in the Swedish capital.
Rune did not face a break point and won 86 per cent of points on his first serve as he booked a meeting with Cristian Garin.
Garin beat qualifier Jason Kubler 6-2 6-4, while Maxime Cressy and Aslan Karatsev advanced to the last 16 at the expense of Ilya Ivashka and Lukas Rosol respectively.
Richard Gasquet consigned Stan Wawrinka to an early exit at the European Open, coming from a set down to win 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 in a battle of two of the most experienced players on the circuit.
Fifth seed Dan Evans beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 6-4 in the first round in Antwerp, while his fellow Brit Jack Draper was an emphatic 6-1 6-2 winner against Jenson Brooksby of the United States.
Last season, the Buffalo Bills looked to have cracked the code of how to topple the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills beat the Chiefs 38-20 in Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5 of 2021, averaging 8.1 yards per play to Kansas City's 5.0, frustrating Patrick Mahomes and intercepting him twice in a display that suggested the balance of power in the AFC was about to shift.
Yet it proved a false dawn, with the Bills unable to contain Mahomes in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and famously failing to prevent him leading the Chiefs down the field in 13 seconds for a game-tying field goal that forced overtime in arguably the finest playoff game in NFL history.
While that game confirmed Josh Allen as existing on Mahomes' level among the NFL elite at quarterback, throwing for 329 yards and four touchdowns, it also was an irritating illustration of the Bills' lack of closers on defense.
The Bills pressured Mahomes 23 times but managed to sack him just twice, a dreadful conversion rate that prompted Buffalo to hand a six-year, $133million contract to 33-year-old edge rusher Von Miller.
Though Buffalo can get out of the contract much earlier, the length of the deal handed to Miller raised eyebrows, with the Bills making a substantial bet on the veteran who played a critical role in the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl run following his mid-season trade from the Denver Broncos maintaining the level that helped him claim a second ring.
Few are likely to be questioning his deal in the wake of his performance on Sunday, however, as 371 days on from their win at Arrowhead last season, Miller helped the Bills repeat the feat, recording two sacks in a Buffalo performance that will substantially boost hope they have a formula to defeat Kansas City in the postseason.
On offense, the Bills leaned on one of the most devastating quarterback-wide receiver connections in the NFL.
Allen targeted Stefon Diggs 13 times in the Bills' 24-20 win, hooking up with the former Minnesota Viking on 10 occasions as Diggs finished with 148 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Though not all of his targets resulted in a completion, Diggs delivered reinforcement, not that it was needed, of his status as one the game's top separation artists. He registered a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, on 12 of those 13 targets. Only the two receivers who posted 100 per cent burn rates, Tyler Boyd (six targets) and Juju Smith-Schuster (five) fared better than Diggs in that sense in Week 6 (min. five targets).
The volume Diggs receives as Allen's top target and the consistency he shows in creating separation makes for a frightening combination for defenses, and he proved too much for the Chiefs on the Bills' go-ahead drive, Allen finding Diggs for two first-down receptions, including one that set Buffalo up at the Kansas City 28-yard line.
With the Chiefs running a two-high safety zone coverage, Diggs displayed his route-running acumen by attacking the leverage of cornerback Jaylen Watson at the top of his downfield route to buy himself critical extra cushion as he settled in the soft spot in the zone before making a superb adjustment at the catch point.
Allen created extra time for himself by subtly shuffling to his left as Carlos Dunlap pushed the pocket, hanging in there and delivering a high-velocity ball that was further in front of Diggs than intended due to the interior rush from Chris Jones reducing his throwing platform. Diggs put his body on the line by laying out for the ball and survived the contact from Watson and safety Juan Thornhill.
Three plays later, after Allen had remarkably hurdled a defender on a 16-yard rush, he found Dawson Knox on a superbly accurate throw to the endzone to put the Bills ahead for good, the tight end deserving of great credit for the manner in which he worked his way back to the ball at the end of his corner route.
That drive came after Miller had forced the Chiefs off the field with a third-down sack of Mahomes, showcasing his still impressive physical flexibility and his motor to work his way around the corner and past right tackle Andrew Wylie to bring down the quarterback.
And Miller played a critical role in the game-clinching interception that followed on the subsequent drive.
Given Mahomes' exploits in last year's playoff matchup, 64 seconds appeared to be plenty of time for him to drive the Chiefs down the field for a game-winning touchdown following Knox's score.
Miller, though, provided the finishing touch the Bills lacked in the postseason, winning inside with his lateral quickness to get pressure through the B gap, forcing Mahomes into a late throw to Skyy Moore on a crossing route that corner Taron Johnson read all the way, breaking down from his position in the Bills' zone coverage to intercept the pass and end the game.
While the Bills only improved their sack total from the Divisional Round shoot-out by one, Miller's ability to frequently dominate his pass rush matchups at this point in his career had a direct influence on Buffalo knocking off their biggest challenger for the one seed in the AFC and the team most expect them to meet again in the conference title game.
The rapport between Allen and Diggs and the big-play production of Gabe Davis – who followed up his stunning two touchdown-effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 34-yard touchdown reception and leads the league in burn yards per target among receivers with at least 20 targets (16.98) – should ensure the Bills will continue to boast an explosive passing game few in the NFL can rival.
If Miller can supplement that by serving as the closer on a defense that has Pro Bowl talent at every level, the Bills may finally have the recipe to land the knockout blow against the Chiefs when it matters most.
The Arizona Cardinals boosted their wide receiver corps by acquiring Robbie Anderson from the Carolina Panthers in a trade on Monday.
Draft compensation was undisclosed as Anderson's career with the Panthers ended on a sour note.
The seven-year veteran was sent to the locker room by interim coach Steve Wilks in the second half of Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Earlier in the game, Anderson got into a heated argument with position coach Joe Dailey before being separated by teammates.
Later in the third quarter, he again exchanged words with Dailey before Wilks, who was coaching his first game after Matt Rhule was fired last week, sent him off.
He now joins a 2-4 Cardinals team that could be without leading receiver Marquise Brown after he suffered a left ankle injury late in Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
In fact, Kyler Murray will have a pair of new weapons at his disposal for Arizona's Thursday night game against the New Orleans Saints with DeAndre Hopkins set to rejoin the team with his six-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs now over.
Hopkins had 42 catches and eight touchdowns last season in only 10 games.
Anderson caught five passes for 102 yards with a touchdown in the season opener for Carolina but was limited to just eight receptions for 104 yards without a score in the next five games.
He was not targeted a single time in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Signed to a two-year, $29.5million extension through 2023 prior to last season, the 29-year-old Anderson was upset about being taken out on third down when he believed he should be on the field.
"It's third down, it's a money down. I don't think I should be okay with that [being taken out],'' Anderson said.
"So I made a comment on why I was taken out.
"Honestly, I was confused because I have never been told get out of the game. And, you know, upset by that. Nobody that is a true competitor would be OK with that.''
Competitor or not, Wilks said his behaviour was unacceptable.
"No one is bigger than the team," Wilks told reporters. "I'm not going to focus and put a lot of attention on one individual… I'm not putting a lot of energy into one individual."
Prior to joining the Panthers in 2020, Anderson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the New York Jets.
Connie Francis, the head coach of Jamaica’s senior netball team was effusive in praise of the young, inexperienced team that soundly defeated a game St Vincent and the Grenadines team 74-35 in an exhibition match at the Americas Netball Qualifier at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday night.
Led by Jhanielle Fowler, the best shooter in the world, the Sunshine Girls was comprised of Goal Attack Amanda Pinkney, Wing Attack Quannia Walker, Centre Abigale Sutherland, Wing Defense Tafiya Hunter, Goal Defense Kimone Shaw, and Goal Keep Theresa Beckford.
Passing at speed before feeding Fowler and Pinkney in the circle, Jamaica quickly established a lead in the opening quarter 18-8 with Fowler scoring 11 goals. Pinkney added six goals before being subbed off for Gezelle Allison who played the rest of the half.
Francis explained afterwards that taking Pinkney out early in the game was at the request of the player who was feeling the frantic pace.
“She indicated to us that she was winded and it was only fair for us to pull her because we have eager players willing to go out there and play,” the coach said.
“I thought that she was really having a fantastic game but you could see that the intensity from attack to defense was not there so we pulled her and re-inserted her and she came in and she did a really fantastic job.”
Allison’s entry into the game caused a temporary disruption to the flow which resulted in several unforced turnovers. However, she quickly settled in to support Fowler who was not at her sharpest missing five shots by the half-time break as Jamaica widened their lead 42-15.
Pinkney returned as a replacement for Fowler to start the third quarter and demonstrated her natural shooting skills scoring 25 from 30 for the game as Jamaica took a 61-24 lead into the final quarter.
Jamaica outscored their opponents 13-11 in the final stanza to secure an easy win before a vociferously vocal crowd.
Francis said the close margin between the teams in the final quarter was caused by a couple of factors.
“I think it’s just how we take care of the ball. We had lots of ball in our possession and we gave up some. It’s about sticking to the tactical play because at times St Vincent had this front play and it was really giving us some form of headache,” she said, “but we keep reinforcing that we have to recognize and do allow the coaching staff to say people are making a run because of this particular play, but overall I think that this young bunch, six debutantes in a game like this, this is the type of exposure that we need to give our young players to grow in order to make the final cut for Cape Town.”
The Netball World Cup will be played in South Africa next summer.
During the game, St Vincent and Grenadines head coach Godfrey Harry frequently switched out their attacking players, which created some problems for the inexperienced Jamaican team. Chief among the disrupters was Joseann Antoine whose movements off the ball challenged Jamaica’s defenders, who struggled to keep up with her.
She was the best of the scorers for her team netting 17 goals from 20 attempts and got good support from Shellise Davis, who scored three goals from five attempts.
Francis conceded that the frequent substitutions did create problems.
“I thought that their players actually were making an impact. I thought that was really a good tactical play because the first change that he made it really inspired their team and they were having a run at us so it’s for us to recognize when teams come up with tactical plays and making changes that we just stick to the game plan and keep pushing forward in order to put more points on the board,” she said, while praising her girls for facing up to the challenge.
“It’s a young team. We just have to big them up for all the effort because I thought that we were contested. The Vincent and the Grenadines team is not an easy team. Not because the scoreboard didn’t reflect that; I thought that it was not a true reflection of what was happening on court but all in all I love this bunch of young players who came in and gave 110 percent.”
In other games on Sunday night, Trinidad and Tobago defeated St Lucia 63-25, while Grenada came from behind to beat the Cayman Islands 50-40. Meanwhile, the USA defeated Antigua and Barbuda 34-22.
Kyle Shanahan felt the San Francisco 49ers had opportunities to overcome their swathe of defensive injuries and avoid defeat to the Atlanta Falcons.
The 49ers were favoured to move 4-2 with victory in Atlanta, but instead fell to a 28-14 defeat at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Starting cornerback Charvarius Ward suffered a groin injury in the loss, a week on from fellow starter Emmanuel Moseley sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the blowout win over the Carolina Panthers.
On defense, the Niners entered the game without star pass rusher Nick Bosa (groin), Javon Kinlaw (knee), and Arik Armstead (foot), as well as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and safety Jimmie Ward (hand). Edge rusher Samson Ebukam battled injury throughout the game.
The Falcons took advantage of the 49ers' plethora of absentees, quarterback Marcus Mariota completing 13 of his 14 pass attempts and accounting for three touchdowns.
Mariota is the third player in NFL history to record at least two touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and a completion percentage of 90-or-higher (minimum 10 attempts) in a single game, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick (September 24, 2020) and Frank Ryan (December 12, 1964).
The 49ers entered the game allowing just three yards a carry but gave up 168 yards rushing against the Falcons.
San Francisco fell 14-0 behind but recovered to tie things up at 14-14 through a pair of Brandon Aiyuk touchdowns.
"I think we had our chances to overcome," Shanahan said. "We made it harder on ourselves. I'm not taking anything away from them.
"Yeah, that's a big deal missing those people, but we had every chance to still pull that off."
Tight end George Kittle echoed his coach's sentiments, adding: "You could use [injuries] as an excuse but we're the San Francisco 49ers."But I've got to give them props for dictating the entire game in the run game. We were getting knocked back, me included, and we've just got to be better up front in the front seven.
"It [the injuries] does suck. You wish you have your guys out there, but at the same time, I feel like for me, I put a lot of pressure on myself in the fact that I command the defense.
"I'm the one who should get all 11 lined up at all times regardless of who's out there, and everybody else who's coming into the game, they've got to be ready to go no matter what. It's all about being prepared. Regardless of the circumstance, whoever's out there we've got to make sure we're playing to our standard."
The 49ers have consistently battled injuries during Shahanan's tenure, overcoming them to reach the Super Bowl in the 2019 season and the NFC Championship Game last term. In 2020, the Niners finished 6-10 after a year in which they were decimated by injuries and COVID issues.
"The five years I've been here, this isn't anything new. I've seen it," said Warner. "At some point you've got to adjust and guys have got to be ready to go no matter the situation. We've got to find ways to win regardless of the circumstance."
Two-time European champions Wasps have been placed into administration.
The Coventry-based club were suspended from the Premiership last week after announcing they were "likely" to go into administration "within days" after racking up large debts.
Wasps Holdings Limited, the holding company for Wasps Men, Wasps Ladies, Wasps Netball, the associated coaching and support teams, and the respective academies and pathways ceased trading with immediate effect on Monday.
Andrew Sheridan and Raj Mittal, partners at specialist business advisory firm FRP, were appointed as joint administrators.
The administrators have made 167 Wasps employees redundant, including all members of the playing squads and coaching staff.
Wasps follow fellow Premiership club Worcester Warriors in entering administration, reducing the number of teams in the top flight of English rugby to 11.
Champions of Europe in 2004 and 2007, Wasps have also won the Premiership on six occasions and lifted the European Challenge Cup in 2003.
Joint administrator Sheridan said: "This is a dark day for English rugby, and we know this will be devastating news for every Wasps player and member of staff, past players, sponsors, and their thousands of supporters throughout the world, and anyone who has ever been involved with this great club.
"Our immediate focus is on supporting those who have lost their jobs this morning. This will be an incredibly challenging time for every individual, and we will be assisting them in making claims to the redundancy payments service.
“The board and many others across the club have worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to try and find a solution that would allow the club to move forward, and it is with great regret that there has been insufficient time to allow this to happen.
"However, we remain in ongoing discussions with interested parties and are confident that a deal will be secured that will allow Wasps to continue."
When he arrived as the New York Giants head coach this offseason, Brian Daboll preached the importance of continuing to compete regardless of the scoreline.
Through six weeks of the 2022 season, it could not be more clear they have absorbed that message.
The Giants improved to 5-1 on Sunday with another comeback win, this time over the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore led 20-10 with under 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. However, the Giants produced an improbable turnaround as Daniel Jones connected with Daniel Bellinger for an eight-yard touchdown and, after Lamar Jackson was intercepted by Julian Love, Saquon Barkley rushed for his second game-winning score in as many weeks.
Kayvon Thibodeaux then sacked Jackson, forcing a fumble that sealed victory for the Giants, who sit second in the NFC East behind the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles.
The win over the Ravens followed the Giants' dramatic triumph in London, in which they recovered from a 17-3 deficit to stun the Green Bay Packers 27-22.
Daboll's men have trailed in all six of their games this season, with their five comeback wins the most in the NFL.
"It's something we’ve preached since day one — since we've been here: coaches, people in the building," Daboll said.
"This league is hard. It’s not always going to be perfect. There will be a lot of people down on you. And you might be down on yourself, wish you could do better.
"But you keep on getting back up. You keep on swinging, keep on competing, regardless of the score or the situation of the game. And that’s not easy to do, right? That’s not easy to do when you're down.
"If you sit on the bench and start bitching and complaining, that’s easy to do. It’s hard to stick with it and get ready to play the next series and not worry about if you just got beat on a pass or if you got sacked. You've got to flush it pretty quick."
The Ravens will want to flush away the memory of this defeat in short order, but their latest collapse was a continuation of a theme for Baltimore.
All three of their defeats have come by one score and in the final minutes. They are the 39th team in NFL history to hold a double-digit lead in all of their first six games, but the only one not to have a winning record.
"When you are your own biggest enemy, that's really something that can frustrate anyone," Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. "We know how much talent we have on this team. We're going to pull it together. That's kind of the frustration that everybody has."
Jackson added: "We just can't keep beating ourselves up because that's what it is. It is not our opponent ... I feel like we just beating ourselves with little mistakes here and there."
Despite their consistent failure to close games out, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is upbeat they can still be a contender in the AFC.
"We'll regroup, we'll go to work, and we're going to find ourselves as a football team," Harbaugh said.
"That's what we have to do right now: find ourselves as a football team. We have an opportunity to be a very good football team. We can be as good as we want to be and decide to be."
Henry Slade has been left out of England's squad for the Autumn Nations Series but Kyle Sinckler returns.
Slade missed the 2-1 series win in Australia after undergoing shoulder surgery, but has been back in action for Exeter Chiefs.
The centre was not among the 36 players Eddie Jones has called up for the Tests against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa next month.
Sinckler is back in the fold after recovering from a back injury, while wing Cadan Murley has earned a first call-up.
Val Rapava Ruskin and Raffi Quirke have also been recalled less than a year before the Rugby World Cup starts in France.
Anthony Watson, George Ford and Jamie George are among the absentees due to injury.
Head coach Jones said: "There are a number of disappointed players who have been left out. Their job is to make sure they go back to their clubs and play so that they have to be selected. They all know what they have to do.
"This is a very strong, vibrant squad and a number of good players have been left out. We are pleased with the depth and strength of the squad."
England squad:
Forwards: Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Curry, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, George McGuigan, Val Rapava Ruskin, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Jack Singleton, Hugh Tizard, Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Joe Cokanasiga, Owen Farrell, Max Malins, George Furbank, Will Joseph, Jonny May, Cadan Murley, Guy Porter, Raffi Quirke, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi Jack van Poortlviet, Ben Youngs.
The Buffalo Bills leaned on a familiar combination to help them prevail against the Kansas City Chiefs, with the enduring brilliance of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs no surprise to their team-mates in a potentially critical win.
Buffalo gained a measure of revenge for the Bills' incredible overtime loss in the AFC Divisional Round last season with a 24-20 win at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
Taron Johnson's fourth-quarter interception of Patrick Mahomes sealed the win at the end of an absorbing contest between two teams that entered Week 6 at 4-1.
Prior to the pick by Johnson, Allen and Diggs linked up three times on a go-ahead drive, including for an 18-yard completion that set Buffalo up at the Kansas City 28-yard line. Allen then showed astonishing athleticism to hurdle a defender on a 16-yard run before finding tight end Dawson Knox on a pinpoint touchdown throw to the corner of the endzone.
Diggs finished the game with 148 yards and a touchdown, with Knox saying of his rapport with Allen: "We see it every single game, every quarter.
"Those two making plays where it's almost not surprising at this point. I mean, they make incredible plays every game, but we're so used to it now, it's like, 'Oh there's Josh and Stef making another incredible play.'
"You know, Josh hurdling people yet again - it scares me. It works so yeah… it's fun being team-mates with those guys."
While Knox seemingly attributed little importance to the Bills standing atop the AFC after six games, he understood the significance of the victory over the team likely to be their primary challenger for the top seed in the conference and home advantage throughout the road to the Super Bowl.
Knox added: "Obviously, it's great to be on top of the conference, but we'll enjoy this one for 24 hours and then move on to the next one.
"We do know the importance of a home playoff game. It's a testament to their fans here in Kansas City. It's a great home field advantage for them. And they're so loud that we have to go silent count.
"Communication is really hard, which is a whole extra level of difficulty, but we know that in Buffalo, it's a whole different level. So, we want to do everything we can to get home playoff games."
Johnson sealed the win as he broke downfield after dropping into zone coverage and picked off a late throw from Mahomes over the middle to rookie receiver Skyy Moore.
"We were playing zone and he read it perfectly," said safety Jordan Poyer of Johnson.
"I told him that was one of the greatest plays that I have seen on the field. The situation, the moment, that was just a hell of a play for this team.
"Taron has been a guy who's been in the system a long time, who we all trust. We all know he's going to go out there and make plays. Nobody played perfect and it was just always, 'Next play, next play, next play.' And at the end of the day, he came up with the biggest play of the game and allowed us to win the game."
Stephen Curry is the best player in the NBA, former forward Kendall Gill has told Stats Perform.
Curry and the Golden State Warriors overcame the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals to land the point guard's fourth title.
It was made extra sweet for Curry by winning his first Finals MVP after averaging 31.2 points.
That prompted 2021 Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to call Curry "the best player in the world" as the main man on the NBA's premier team.
Gill agrees in part with Antetokounmpo's assessment, telling Stats Perform of Curry: "He's changed the game because he's not the huge athlete that most people think you need to be in this league.
"He's small for basketball, but I think that he's shown all these kids out here that you don't have to be a massive, huge, strong athlete to play this game of basketball at this level.
"He's changed the game as far as shooting, now you see everybody trying to shoot three-point shots.
"Back when I played, we would never do the things that the guys did today, where you actually have a lay-up, you're right in front of the basket, but then you reject it and throw it out for three, even though you're wide open under the basket.
"That's how Steph Curry has changed the game because of his elite three-point shooting.
"And in the era of super athletes and big guys, Steph is probably, in my opinion, the best player in the league right now.
"And it's not because he won a championship, I disagree with Giannis on that, but because of all of the things that he brings to the table, because of the way that he wins.
"He has a winning pedigree, his jump shot, the way that he handles the basketball, the way he gets his team-mates involved, the way that he moves without the basketball.
"You don't see anybody else able to dominate a basketball game like Steph Curry can at his size. And that's why I think that he's the best."
Gill rates the Warriors as one of the favourites to win the championship again in the coming season, with Golden State beginning the defence of their title by hosting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
"My early picks are the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets in the championship," Gill said.
"The reason why is because James Wiseman has come back and the way that he's looked in the preseason, he's going to help them out a great deal. He didn't play at all last year, was their number one pick, and at seven feet tall, he's gotten more mature.
"You throw Klay Thompson in there, you throw Steph Curry in there, Draymond Green when he's not punching [Jordan] Poole in the face, they are going to be very tough to beat out in the Western Conference.
"The Golden State Warriors just have something special. You know that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, as long as those two are on the floor for them, and they had the rest of the guys in place, they always would probably be the favourite."
Jalen Hurts was "unfazed" and "in complete control" against the Dallas Cowboys as he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 6-0 start, said coach Nick Sirianni.
Dual-threat Eagles quarterback Hurts threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 27 yards to help protect the last remaining unbeaten record in this NFL season on Sunday.
A meeting with NFC East rivals the Cowboys represented the Eagles' biggest test so far, but they ran out 26-17 winners as Hurts' TD pass to DeVonta Smith early in the fourth quarter ensured there would be no nervy finish.
Sirianni would not have anticipated his QB having any problems regardless.
The Eagles coach, in his second year with the team, is in awe of Hurts' demeanour – that of "great quarterbacks", Sirianni said.
Hurts now has 1,514 passing yards and 293 rushing yards on the year, becoming the first QB in NFL history to surpass 1,500 passing yards and 250 rushing yards while going undefeated over any six-game span.
"The guy's not fazed by things," Sirianni said. "He's got a great demeanour that you see in great quarterbacks.
"There are so many big games in the NFL. It's a huge game, right? Sunday Night Football, division rival, both at the top of the division, and he's unfazed by things.
"That's what I love about him. He just goes and plays the next play – and he made a big play on third-and-four when we didn't have anybody open [on the drive from which Smith scored].
"He made a play with his legs, he controlled the clock, he was in complete control. It was Quarterback 101 by Jalen."
The Eagles are one win away from their best ever start to a season going into a bye, but the first seven weeks of 2021 were very different.
Philly were 2-5 heading into Halloween, before a 6-2 end to the campaign secured a playoff place and set the stage for this sublime stretch.
"I think being 2-5 did a lot for this team," Sirianni added. "Not everybody was involved with that 2-5, I get it, but a big part of the meat and potatoes of this team was involved in that, and they just kept coming to work.
"All we wanted to do was improve daily and get better and get better and get better. You do that by practising harder.
"The best teams that I've been on have the common denominator that they practise hard, they walk-through hard, they meet hard; then you get this trajectory of where you're building and building and building."
The Eagles are not done building, though, with Sirianni considering this a key point in the season.
"Teams are either coming together or they're not and this team is coming together, and they fight each week," he said.
"The motivation of not letting your team-mate down – coach to player, player to coach, player to player, coach to coach – that's just love, right? There is no greater motivation than that.
"This is a close team, and we're going to keep working on getting closer and keep working on getting better."
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