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."
Dak Prescott is planning to return to the Dallas Cowboys team against the Detroit Lions in Week 7 and is "happy as hell" with the job the team have done in his absence.
Quarterback Prescott was speaking after Sunday's defeat to NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, who improved to a stunning 6-0 with their 26-17 success.
But the Cowboys are still a highly competitive 4-2, despite being without Prescott since the fourth quarter of their only other defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
"That's my plan," he said of facing the Lions. "Obviously got to see the doc, but that's my plan.
"I plan on going into this week and trying to get my full week of practice."
Cooper Rush has deputised at QB, although he has Dallas ranking down in 27th in total offense (300.8 yards per game). In 2021, when Prescott started 16 of 17 games, the Cowboys ranked first (407.0).
That room for improvement gives the Cowboys cause for optimism, though. The defense has kept them in contention, ranking eighth (304.2) in a significant improvement on last year (19th – 351.0).
"I never really had any doubt that the team wouldn't do what they just did," Prescott added. "Obviously, you all know me, very optimistic.
"I've got a lot of pride in this team, know the guys that are on this team, the defense, know what Cooper is capable of.
"So, I'm obviously disappointed I couldn't be with the guys along the past five weeks but excited to move forward and happy as hell with the position that we're in, and we can get rolling."
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is certainly looking forward to having his QB back, although he has remained on course for a second straight 1,000-yard season with Rush under center, averaging 68.2 per game.
"The sky's the limit," Lamb said. "The offense is very good, and everyone knows this. When we get [Prescott] back, we're going to show everybody."
Patrick Mahomes was left stunned after the Kansas City Chiefs fell to a 24-20 home loss against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
With time running out, Bills quarterback Josh Allen led his team on a brilliant 76-yard, 13-play drive, ending in a touchdown pass to tight-end Dawson Knox to give the visitors the lead with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter.
But Bills' hearts were in mouths as they feared a situation similar to January's Divisional-Round game, where Allen's touchdown pass to Gabe Davis with 13 seconds left on the clock looked to have sent Buffalo to the AFC Championship, only for Mahomes to set up a match-tying field goal before the Chiefs won in overtime.
However, Mahomes was not able to conjure up the same magic this time, throwing a crucial interception to cornerback Taron Johnson with 41 seconds remaining to seal victory for the Bills.
Mahomes was frustrated after the loss, telling reporters: "Every time I get the ball, no matter what the situation, is I expect to find a way to win.
"That's what this whole offense [and] this team expects. I always expect to win until there's literally no time so any time you lose definitely hurts. You lose a game, especially at home, it's never a good feeling.
"I thought we played some good football, we just made too many mistakes at the end of the day and when you make mistakes against another great football team you lose football games. It'll be good to learn from, but right now it stinks for sure."
Mahomes' killer pick to Johnson came as he tried to elude pressure from Bills' star edge rusher Von Miller, who signed a six-year $120million deal with Buffalo in March after winning the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams the month prior.
Miller finished Sunday's game with two sacks, and Mahomes acknowledged his impact on the Bills' defense, saying: "Von [Miller] obviously made plays.
"He's a Hall of Famer for a reason so he's going to make plays here and there. He's a great player so any time you add a great player like that, a Hall-of-Fame player, you have to account for him on every single play."
With the Chiefs and Bills both starting the season impressively, there is a decent chance the teams meet again in this season's AFC playoffs.
But Mahomes was keen to divert his team's focus to next weekend's clash with the San Francisco 49ers, who the Chiefs beat in the 2020 Super Bowl to give Mahomes his first Vince Lombardi trophy.
When asked whether he expects to play the Bills again in the postseason, the 27-year-old replied: "You can definitely see it because they're going to be a team that's going to be in the playoffs or competing for the playoffs.
"But you can't look ahead, and I think that's the biggest thing to me. I think I learned that last year in the AFC Championship game. Sometimes if you start looking ahead that's when you get beat and we don't want to look ahead.
"We have a great football team we're playing [the 49ers] and [then] we're going into the bye [week], and then we're going to have a schedule of a lot of division opponents coming up.
"So we want to make sure we focus on this next week - how can we get better to go out there, to go out there execute and try to find a way to win against a great football team at their home."
The new NBA season is about to get underway, with narrative everywhere across the league.
The defending champions in Golden State are many people's favourites to go again, but the Warriors have not exactly prepared perfectly after two of their stars recently came to blows during the preseason.
The Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving saga seems to have ended with hope that the pair can fire the Brooklyn Nets to glory, especially if the team's third star in the form of Ben Simmons can finally join them on the court.
Will back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic lead the Denver Nuggets to glory? Or can Luka Doncic do the same for the Dallas Mavericks? Might Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks get back to the top again?
Stats Perform's experts give their predictions on who could thrive in the regular season, who might take the MVP crown and who will go all the way and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June 2023.
Liam Phillips
East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks
West first seed: Denver Nuggets
MVP: Joel Embiid
Champions: Denver Nuggets
Simply put, the Nuggets will have a terrific regular season record as long as Jokic is healthy, and he is one of the most durable superstars of his era.
Jokic has played at least 73 games in six of his seven years, and the other season he played 72 out of 72 in the shortened 2020-21 season.
The Nuggets went 48-34 this past season with their second and third-best scorers being Aaron Gordon (15.0 points per game) and Will Barton (14.7).
With ascending talents Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning from long-term injuries to assume those roles and give the Nuggets three elite scoring options, they could ride the best offense in the league all the way through the Finals.
Ben Spratt
East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks
West first seed: Denver Nuggets
MVP: Luka Doncic
Champions: Milwaukee Bucks
There are no shortage of potential contenders in the West, with each of the Nuggets, the Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers looking strong candidates depending on injuries or – in the case of Golden State – off-court (or, rather, practice court) issues.
In the East, however, a fit Bucks team would appear to be clear of the rest, particularly given the Boston Celtics' tumultuous offseason.
The Bucks were a disappointing 13-13 in the regular season and playoffs last year when missing Khris Middleton, who did not play the final 10 games of the postseason as the Bucks narrowly lost to the Celtics.
With his return and the omnipresent threat of Antetokounmpo, it might be difficult to bet against the 2021 champions.
Nicholas McGee
East first seed: Philadelphia 76ers
West first seed: Golden State Warriors
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Champions: Golden State Warriors
Preseason fights, Klay Thompson being restricted to limited action in the exhibition schedule, key bench players leaving in free agency. Will any of it matter? No.
The Warriors have navigated discord before during title defences and will do so again in 2022-23. Even with the likes of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. departing, the Warriors have excellent depth with several emerging talents complementing a core that reaffirmed their championship pedigree by beating the Celtics in six games last season.
Golden State will bank on Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody taking the next step in their second seasons, while Jordan Poole has the chance to ascend to stardom once the fallout from him being punched by Draymond Green dies down.
Everything revolves around Stephen Curry, though, and there is no sign of him slowing down or his game-tilting range reducing at 34 years old.
This is a team with an insatiable appetite for proving themselves all over again, and they have all the resources to do so once more. If James Wiseman stays healthy and blossoms into an impactful starting center, it will be difficult to envisage anyone stopping them.
David Segar
East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks
West first seed: Memphis Grizzlies
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Champions: Milwaukee Bucks
As Ben said, it is difficult to see a stronger contender in the East than Milwaukee, presuming their stars can stay fit.
With Ja Morant getting better all the time and the Phoenix Suns looking like they might fall away slightly, it would not be a huge surprise to see an ever-improving Grizzlies team top the West and perhaps even make it to the NBA Finals this time.
However, it feels like Giannis is ready for another big campaign and, in a team that includes the likes of Middleton, Jrue Holiday and new arrival Joe Ingles, he should have plenty of capable support.
Only Embiid (30.6) and LeBron James (30.3) averaged more points per game than Antetokounmpo's 29.9 last year, a career high for the Greek.
Anything can happen in the NBA, but of all the big teams who could threaten, Milwaukee feel like the one with the fewest issues heading into the season, and they will want to make up for their early playoff elimination at the hands of the Celtics last time out.
Iga Swiatek says she "wanted to go all in" to ensure she won her eighth WTA Tour title of 2022 with a 6-3 3-6 6-0 victory over Donna Vekic in the San Diego Open final on Sunday.
Swiatek became the fifth player since 2000 to win eight or more WTA-level titles in a single season after Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.
She did not have it all her own way against Vekic, with the Croatian world number 47 battling back from losing the opener to take the second set and level the match.
But Swiatek showed her class in the decisive third set, breaking Vekic three times to romp to the title.
The world number one says she had to give it everything to ensure victory over Vekic in a tough match, saying at her on-court presentation: "It was a really tight match and pretty long.
"We felt the intensity for sure. At the end I wanted to be the one who played the last ball in. I wanted to go all in.
"Knowing how well she can serve, I just wanted to be more loosened up on my return games - not think too much, use my intuition and fight for every ball."
With her round-of-16 win over Zheng Qinwen, Swiatek became the first player to win 61 matches in a single season since Caroline Wozniacki in 2017.
Frighteningly for her opponents, the 21-year-old spoke after that win of her belief that she was still a few years away from her prime.
"I wasn't expecting to have this kind of season this year," Swiatek told reporters.
"I thought, maybe, I'm going to be at my peak when I'm 24, 25, and have that experience, maybe results like that are going to come."
Swiatek's 64 wins in 2022 is the most for any woman since Serena Williams' 78 in 2013, while the Pole has lost just one match in the United States this year.
Swiatek intends to take full advantage of San Diego's sun and sand as she celebrates another title, making it 11 wins and just two defeats in finals.
"I am speechless," the 21-year-old said in a video on Twitter. "I'm so proud of me and the team that we actually won this tournament.
"It wasn't easy so I'm happy that I believe in myself and I fought to the last point.
"I love San Diego, I'm going to enjoy the beach tomorrow!"
Aaron Rodgers believes the Green Bay Packers must find a way to keep matters simple after suffering a second straight defeat, though Matt LaFleur's assessment was blunter.
The Packers slipped to a 10-27 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, a week on from Green Bay having a three-game winning streak ended by the New York Giants.
Those defeats leave Green Bay 3-3 for the season, with the Packers second in the NFC North, trailing the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings.
Quarterback Rodgers, the NFL's MVP for the last two seasons, believes the solution is to go back to basics.
"Simpler. Simplify some things," Rodgers, who was sacked four times against the Jets, told reporters. "All of it. I don't want to get too specific.
"I'm not attacking anything, I think based on how we've played the last two weeks it's going to be at our best interest to simplify things for everybody... the line, the backs, the receivers, especially with [Randall] Cobb's injury.
"Just need to simplify some things and maybe that will help us get back on track.
"[The offense was] very inconsistent. That's why I think we need to simplify things, because on a couple drives we didn't move the ball because it was very simple things.
"It was very simple plays, no motion. So we need to look at everything and the guys that we got and what we can accomplish with them and let's be smart about moving forward."
Coach LaFleur, however, did not hold back in his criticism of the Packers' offense, which has averaged 17.8 points per game through the opening six weeks of the season.
"That's about as frustrating of a game that I've ever been a part of from an offensive perspective," he said.
"We're in a pretty bad predicament right now."
For his part, Rodgers puts no blame onto the coaching staff.
"Nobody works harder than Matt on the plan each week, and nobody comes with better ideas than Matt and his staff," the 38-year-old added.
"If it's not working it's not because those guys aren't grinding, it's because we are not executing. If you think we have the right players, then we need to simplify things. If you don't, that's a whole other conversation."
Todd Bowles said any players "living off the Super Bowl are living in fantasy land" while Tom Brady told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to "look in the mirror" after Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers had lost four straight games and were playing with a rookie quarterback in the form of Kenny Pickett but still earned a 20-18 win at Heinz Field.
For the Bucs it was a case of profligacy, with Tampa Bay scoring only once from four trips to the red zone. That was despite the Steelers lining up without three stop corners (Cam Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace), outside linebacker T.J. Watt, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Bucs were Super Bowl victors in the 2020 season before losing in the Divisional Round last year but head coach Bowles said some home truths after defeat in Pittsburgh.
"We didn't take them lightly, number one. Number two, I think guys that are living off the Super Bowl are living in a fantasy land," he said.
"You've gotta get your hands dirty and go to work like everybody else. We've been working hard and we've gotta work harder. Nobody's gonna give us anything. Nobody's gonna feel sorry.
"We've gotta go back as coaches, as players - the time for talking is over. You either gotta put up or shut up."
Asked for clarity on if anyone in the playing or coaching staff are living in "fantasy land", Bowles replied: "I didn't say we were. I'm just saying, you get patted on the back so much, you gotta relive -every year and every week, you've gotta go out there and earn your pay and earn your keep.
"If you don't live like that, it's gonna be a result like today."
The loss saw a 12-game win streak against rookies snapped for Brady, who also failed to convert off a sneak for the first time as a Buccaneer at third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, having done so on 13 previous occasions.
"We didn't earn it," Brady said. "We didn't earn the win. It's a game of earning it and it's a game of playing well and performing well and we're just not doing a good job of that.
"I don't think we've done it for six weeks. I think we're all playing less than what we're capable of. We've all gotta look at ourselves in the mirror and figure out why."
The Bucs remain top of the NFC South with a 3-3 record through six games.
Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks says "no one is bigger than the team" after he kicked Robbie Anderson out mid-game in their 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Panthers wide receiver was seen in a heated argument with position coach Joe Dailey late in the first half, before resuming their verbal exchange midway through the third quarter. Anderson had been benched for the third quarter and had been sitting alone on a cooler, before the second argument.
Wilks, who was taking charge for the first time after Matt Rhule was fired in midweek, intervened and sent Anderson to the locker room.
"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."
Anderson has been linked with a trade away from Carolina and Wilks said when asked about the 29-year-old's future: "Right now everybody is being evaluated, as well as myself.
"We've got to figure out what's going to be right chemistry to put out on the field, offensively and defensively."
Anderson proactively spoke to reporters after the game, stating he was "honestly confused" by the situation.
"I wanted to be in the game. I've never had somebody yell to get out of the game," Anderson said.
"I was honestly confused and upset by that. I should be. I don't see nobody that is a true competitor, that knows the value they bring and has true passion for the game, that will be okay with being told not to do something or being taken out of something when they didn't do nothing wrong."
Anderson failed to have a catch in Sunday's game, having entered the game with 13 receptions for 206 yards.
The former New York Jets receiver had signed a two-year $29.5 million extension through 2023 prior to last season, but only had 53 receptions for 519 yards in 2021.
"I wouldn't say I want to be traded," Anderson said. "I'm going to let God follow his plans for my life. I'll let things take his course on his time.
"I've been in trade rumours before. It's part of the game. I don't let it affect me."
The Philadelphia Eagles withstood the Dallas Cowboys' second-half charge to maintain their undefeated run to start the season with 26-17 victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
The Eagles raced away to a 20-0 lead after 20 second-quarter points, before the Cowboys stormed back within three points when Cooper Rush found Jake Ferguson for a fourth-quarter TD.
But Jalen Hurts, who completed 15 of 25 attempts for 255 yards and rushed 27 yards on nine carries, added his second touchdown pass of the game for DeVonta Smith as the Eagles moved to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2004.
Cowboys QB Rush, starting for the injured Dak Prescott for the fifth straight game, threw three picks having previously gone 158 pass attempts without an interception. Rush finished making 18-of-38 for 181 yards with the one TD pass as the Cowboys moved to 4-2.
After a scoreless first quarter, Miles Sanders scored the Eagles' 13th rushing touchdown of the season, the most for a team league-wide through six games since 2005. Sanders finished the game with 18 carries for 71 yards.
From the next play, C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted Rush's pass, commencing the Eagles' drive for Hurts to lay off to A.J. Brown who crossed into the endzone after a nice step.
KaVontae Turpin's explosive kickoff run helped kicker Brett Maher get the Cowboys on the board prior to half-time, before Rush found Ferguson, allowing Ezekiel Elliott to score from the next play, capping a nine-play 79-yard drive.
The Cowboys had the momentum when Dante Fowler Jr sacked Hurts, with Rush finding Ferguson for a career-first TD in the last quarter to make it 20-17. But Hurts showed composure to lead a 13-play drive resulting in Smith's TD, before Gardner-Johnson picked another Rush pass intended for Ceedee Lamb.
The New York Yankees held their nerve in the ninth inning this time after Gerrit Cole set up a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians to force an ALDS-deciding Game 5.
Yankees starting pitcher Cole had eight punchouts across seven innings where he allowed only two runs at Progressive Field as the visitors squared up the series at 2-2 on Sunday.
The Guardians had rallied back from a 5-3 deficit to win Game 3 on Saturday, but Wandy Peralta closed it out comfortably this time, needing only seven pitches to claim the outs of Josh Naylor, Oscar Gonzalez and Andres Gimenez.
Facing elimination, the Yankees opted to shake up their lineup with rookie Oswaldo Cabrera replacing Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and Aaron Hicks shuffling into Cabrera's spot in left field.
Anthony Rizzo, who went two-for-four, drove in Gleyber Torres for the opening run of the game in the first inning, before the Yankees added two more in the second from a Harrison Bader two-run blast over deep left-center field from Cal Quantrill. Bader's blast was his third home run of the ALDS.
The Guardians rallied with runs in each of the third and fourth innings, firstly from Jose Ramirez's RBI bloop single into shallow left field followed by Naylor's solo homer.
Aaron Judge went one-for-four and tagged in the sixth inning from Giancarlo Stanton's sacrifice fly to pad the lead before Cole was retired after the seventh, with the Yankees bullpen finishing the job.
The win means the Yankees will host the series-deciding Game 5 on Monday for a spot in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
The Yankees boast a 15-15 record in winner-take-all postseason games compared to Cleveland's 1-7.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
