The Golden State Warriors have begun their title defense in fine fashion, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 at home on the opening night of the NBA season.
With the Warriors receiving their championship rings in a ceremony before the game, they were determined to make it a night to remember, with reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry leading the way.
Curry finished with 33 points on 10-of-22 shooting, hitting four-of-13 from long range and all nine of his free throws to lead both teams in scoring. He also chipped in seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Jordan Poole had 10 of his 12 points in the first half to lead the Warriors to a 59-52 halftime lead, before Klay Thompson took over to begin the third quarter, scoring his side's first seven points on three consecutive shots to ignite a 32-19 frame, blowing the game open in the process.
The Warriors' lead peaked at 91-64 late in the third quarter, before the visiting Lakers scored 38 in the fourth to trim the final score to a respectable figure.
In his 20th season, LeBron James looked as strong as ever, finishing with 31 points (12-of-25 shooting) with 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Anthony Davis had 27 points (10-of-22 shooting) with six rebounds, four steals and two blocks, although Davis posted the worst plus/minus of the game at minus 21.
Tatum, Brown combine for 70 in Celtics win
In what was officially the first game of the season, the Boston Celtics and interim head coach Joe Mazzulla collected an impressive 126-117 home win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics had to compete with a spectacular James Harden performance, who led the 76ers with 35 points on nine-of-14 shooting, including five-of-nine from long range and 12-of-12 from the free throw line, while adding eight rebounds and seven assists.
Harden had a plus/minus of plus one in his 37 minutes, meaning the 76ers were outscored by 10 in the 11 minutes he was on the bench.
For Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were almost unstoppable all night, scoring 35 points each at a combined 61 per cent from the field (27-of-44), while Tatum also grabbed 12 rebounds and Brown had two steals.
New signing Malcolm Brogdon showed no signs of needing an adjustment period, making an immediate impact off the Celtics' bench with 16 points (seven-of-11 shooting) and four assists in 24 minutes.
The top seed in action on Tuesday at the Guadalajara Open made it through her opening match unscathed as Maria Sakkari defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-4.
Sakkari is one of the players needing a strong result in the tournament to break into the top-eight of the world rankings to qualify for the upcoming WTA Finals, entering the week at 10th, but only needing to make up one spot, with number eight Simona Halep out due to injury.
With her victory over Kostyuk, Sakkari avoided notching four consecutive losses for the first time this season, and will likely only need one more win to move into WTA Finals contention.
Her next opponent appears to be world number 16 Danielle Collins, who had no issue dispatching American compatriot Caroline Dolehide 6-4 6-1 to book her second-round fixture against Magdalena Frech after the Polish qualifier beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-4.
World number seven Daria Kasatkina also should be locked into the WTA Finals after cruising past China's Lin Zhu 6-1 6-2, while 18th-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia's season is over after a disappointing 7-5 6-2 upset loss to Katerina Siniakova.
Petra Kvitova needed to reach the final to have a chance of qualifying, but after a strong first set she fell 3-6 6-2 6-0 against Canada's Bianca Andreescu. In a good day for the Canadians, Eugenie Bouchard also beat Kayla Day 7-5 6-3 as the former world number five fights her way back up the rankings after a long injury layoff.
Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto defeated Russia's Anastasia Potapova 6-2 6-1, while Latvia's top talent Jelena Ostapenko cruised past America's Lauren Davis 6-1 6-3.
Madison Keys was too strong for Magda Linette in a 6-3 6-3 triumph, and in an all-Czech matchup, Marie Bouzkova downed Tereza Martincova 6-2 7-5.
Croatia's Donna Vekic eliminated Brazil's Laura Pigossi 6-4 6-1, and Italy's Martina Trevisan showed why she is top-30 in the world with a convincing 6-4 6-3 straight sets win against Japan's Nao Hibino.
In the last match of the night, world number 10 Caroline Garcia survived an early scared to come from behind and defeat Rebecca Marino 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper implored his players to "man up" after their 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday left them with only one win from their first four games.
The Lightning have made it to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning championships in 2020 and 2021 before falling to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 decider.
Against the Flyers, Tampa Bay led 2-0 in the second period after a quick double from Steven Stamkos, but they were unable to defend their lead.
Scott Laughton snatched one goal back in the second term for the Flyers, before James van Riemsdyk and Noah Cates struck in the third for the comeback win.
Speaking to the media after the game, Cooper said it was inexcusable to fall apart the way his side did, and that it is easy to take for granted all the winning they have had in recent years.
"This is a stinger," he said. "We should never leave this game with zero points... probably should have left with two.
"This group should close that game out, and we didn't. That's probably a little bit of a concern. We probably take things for granted with this team, just for the past decade, what's gone on.
"Early on in this first week and half, two weeks, it's not going the way we're used to it going. We have to fight through it, you've got to man up."
Flyers coach Jon Tortorella heaped praise on his 24-year-old goaltender Carter Hart, who saved 38 shots in the victory.
"Carter was outstanding," he said. "He kept us in it, and we found a way at the end.
"We hope we're building a little bit of a mindset of resiliency. I think each time it happens that way and you succeed, it just builds it for you.
"We've done some good things in just finding ways to win the games at key times late in the game.
"They're showing me they're ugly, they're showing me it doesn't matter, and they still have a little bit left in the tank to get things done."
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was at his dominant best as he held the San Diego Padres scoreless through the first seven innings to set up a 2-0 road win in Game 1 of the NLCS.
With a trip to the World Series on the line, the Phillies got off to the perfect start thanks to starring performances from their marquee players.
Wheeler allowed only one hit and one walk in his seven innings, striking out eight batters, after a season where he posted the sixth-best ERA (2.82) in the National League.
His opposing number starting on the mound for the Padres, Yu Darvish, was not much worse, also pitching seven full innings, and while he only allowed three hits, two of them traveled over the fence to decide the game.
Two-time MVP Bryce Harper broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning, connecting on a 368-foot home run to left-field, and teammate Kyle Schwarber dwarfed that distance with his home run in the sixth.
Schwarber – who finished the season second in the majors with 46 home runs – blasted his longest of the year with a 488-foot nuke into the upper deck at right-field.
In a pitching masterclass, there were only four combined hits in the game, and with his performance, Wheeler became only the second player to ever have a playoff game with seven shutout innings, at least seven strikeouts and no more than one hit in less than 100 pitches. The only other instance was Don Larsen's perfect game for the New York Yankees back in 1956.
The New York Yankees are through to the ALCS for the third time in the past six seasons after defeating the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 in the win-or-go-home Game 5 of the ALDS on Tuesday.
New York's Jameson Taillon and Cleveland's Aaron Civale were the scheduled starters on Monday, but with the game being rained out, the extra day of rest allowed the Yankees to hand Nestor Cortes the start, while the Guardians stuck with Civale.
Civale was only able to get one out before his night was over, after a walk and a hit-by-pitch set up Giancarlo Stanton for a three-run home run in the first inning.
An inning later, likely AL MVP Aaron Judge also blasted a home run to extend the Yankees' lead to 4-0.
Cortes ended up pitching beautifully on short rest, making his way through five innings in 61 pitches, conceding one run from three hits and one walk.
Jonathan Loaisiga, Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta combined out of the Yankees' bullpen to hold the Guardians scoreless for the last four frames, with Anthony Rizzo driving home one more insurance run in the fifth inning.
Judge finished the game two-for-four as the only Yankee with multiple hits, and for Stanton, his big home run salvaged a series where he had only one hit from his other 15 plate appearances.
The Yankees will meet the Houston Astros in the ALCS, which kicks off on Wednesday. The Astros were the Yankees' opponents in both of their other ALCS appearances in the past six years, with the Astros winning both times.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has become the first NFL owner to back the removal of Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder.
"I believe there’s merit to removing him," Irsay told reporters gathered for the NFL owners meetings in New York on Tuesday. "There’s consideration that he should be removed."
His comments come as Snyder faces several scandals and investigations into workplace conduct in Washington. The league has been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and financial impropriety.
Removing Snyder would be unprecedented and requires 24 votes from the other owners.
"I think potentially there could be, but we’ll see," Irsay said when asked if at least 24 owners would vote for removal.
"It’s something we have to review, we have to look at all the evidence and we have to be thorough and it’s something that has to be given serious consideration.
"I believe in the workplace today, the standard that the shield stands for in the NFL, that you have to stand for that and protect that. I just think once owners talk among each other they will arrive at the right decision."
Snyder’s problematic ownership became an issue again last week when ESPN reported, citing anonymous sources, that he has hired private investigators and told people he has enough information to expose fellow owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The Commanders released a statement saying the Snyders will not sell the team.
"It is highly inappropriate, but not surprising, that Mr. Irsay opted to make statements publicly based on falsehoods in the media,'' the statement said.
"It is unfortunate that Mr. Irsay decided to go public with his statement today, while an investigation is in process, and the team has had no opportunity to formally respond to allegations.
"The Commanders have made remarkable progress over the past two years. We are confident that, when he has an opportunity to see the actual evidence in this case, Mr. Irsay will conclude that there is no reason for the Snyders to consider selling the franchise. And they won't.''
Snyder then issued a second official statement addressing specific allegations made by the ESPN article, which he said contained "false and malicious statements".
"There is one allegation in the ESPN article that I feel it is important to address immediately," it says. "The article cited unnamed sources who said: 'they've been told that Snyder instructed his law firms to hire private investigators to look into other owners' and Commissioner Goodell.
"That is patently false and intended to erode the trust and goodwill between owners that I take quite seriously. I have never hired any private investigator to look into any owner or the Commissioner. I have never instructed or authorised my lawyers to hire any private investigator on my behalf for any such purpose. And I never would."
Tanya Snyder, the team's co-CEO, and Commanders president Jason Wright are representing the team at this week's owners' meetings.
Grigor Dimitrov crashed out of the Stockholm Open to the unseeded Jiri Lehecka in a three-set thriller on Tuesday, as Botic van de Zandschulp also fell at the first hurdle at the European Open.
Dimitrov, seeded sixth in the Swedish capital, came up short against Lehecka, who seized a surprise 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-5) win, his first on the ATP Tour since July.
Victory for Alex de Minaur was far more predictable, a 150th at tour level coming courtesy of a straight-sets defeat of Benjamin Bonzi.
In Antwerp, Dominic Stricker handed Van de Zandschulp a swift exit, winning 6-2 6-4 to stay on Lehecka's coat tails in pursuit of a place at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Stricker's reward for this win will be a second-round encounter with French veteran Richard Gasquet, who knocked out three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka on Monday.
At the Napoli Cup, fifth seed Miomir Kecmanovic saw off wildcard Flavio Cobolli with ease, but others found life rather tougher.
Respective seventh and eighth seeds Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Adrian Mannarino fell to Nuno Borges and Pedro Cachin.
Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada are the early leaders in the points standings after day two of the Netball Americas World Cup Qualifiers at the National Indoor Sports Center in Kingston on Monday.
Trinidad & Tobago got their third win in as many games with a close 49-42 win over St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
In a back-and forth opening quarter, the teams traded baskets throughout, with T&T coming out 10-9 leaders. They stepped up the tempo in the second quarter to enter halftime with a 28-19 lead before a spirited third quarter effort from the Vincentians meant the score was 37-30 in favor of T&T entering the last quarter. St. Vincent & the Grenadines were able to get the lead down to as low as four but turnovers at crucial times meant that Trinidad & Tobago walked away with a seven-point win to move to six points from three games.
Goal shooter Afeisha Noel led the way for T&T with 32 goals from 37 attempts while goal attack Joelisa Cooper had 17 goals from 19 attempts.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines were led by goal shooter Mary Ann Frederick’s 42 goals from 48 attempts.
Trinidad & Tobago head coach Kemba Duncan credited her team for recovering from a difficult third quarter to pull out the win.
“We made some errors but they were able to keep their head in the game and stay steady knowing that they came in at a higher rank and maintain the discipline needed to get the win. They did a good job keeping it together,” she said.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines head coach Godfrey Harry lamented the team’s turnovers after getting as close as they did in the fourth quarter.
“I think the players got a little to anxious and, because of that, we kept giving up the ball. It was a hard game but it was in our grasp and we allowed it to get away from us,” he said.
Grenada joined T&T on six points from three games thanks to a 62-29 win over Antigua and Barbuda while hosts, Jamaica, hammered the United States 70-16 in the other games on day two.
Tuesday's day three will feature a top-of-the-table clash between Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands playing hosts Jamaica, United States tackling Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines facing St. Lucia.
Since Dak Prescott was injured in the season opener, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained optimistic that his quarterback would return sooner than originally estimated.
He now believes Prescott will be back on the field this Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
"Well, let's just say this: He's determined to [play]," Jones said during an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. "I think he's, from my perspective, from what I can know and see, I think he's going to get there. We feel like that physically, he's at a position that the risk/reward justifies him being out there in terms of any reoccurrence of the injury."
Prescott was originally expected to be sidelined between six-and-eight weeks after suffering a fracture near his right thumb in the fourth quarter of a 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 11.
He began throwing again last week and coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Prescott would be medically cleared to return to practice Wednesday.
"He’s going to be given every opportunity this week to go play," Jones said. "He looks ready to go."
Jones said Prescott had a "very impressive" throwing session prior to Sunday’s 26-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and afterwards said he was planning to return in Week 7.
Sunday’s defeat marked Dallas’ only setback since the season opener.
Cooper Rush led the Cowboys to four consecutive wins in place of Prescott, completing 61.9 per cent of his passes for 775 yards for an average of 7.4 yards per attempt with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 97.1 passer rating.
He looked a bit shaky this past weekend, however, completing 47.4 per cent of his 38 attempts for 181 yards and an average of 4.8 yards per pass with a TD throw and three picks for a 37.3 rating.
Prescott, however, also struggled in Week 1, completing 48.3 per cent of his 29 attempts for 134 yards and an average of 4.6 yards per throw with one interception and a 47.2 rating.
Michael Jordan is still the best NBA player of all time despite LeBron James' achievements, says former small forward Kendall Gill.
Since being drafted first overall by the Miami Heat in 2003, James has won four NBA championships and four Finals MVP awards, while being selected in 18 All-Star teams.
James is also just 1,325 points behind all-time NBA scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a record he could break this season - which gets under way with the Boston Celtics facing the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Gill says even if James breaks Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record, it does not make him the best player of all time above Jordan, telling Stats Perform: "You've got to be in the 'six five' club to be even mentioned in the conversation of the greatest of all time, and that's at least six championships and at least five MVPs.
"Only three players have ever done that; Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan. That's why LeBron can't be in that conversation right now.
"I think Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player of all time. Numbers don't lie.
"This is the one that really tells me what people think deep down inside. I say, 'if you have one game to win for your life, who are you gonna pick, Michael Jordan and LeBron James?'
"The answer is always Michael Jordan."
James' Los Angeles Lakers face a tricky season opener on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors, who are looking to retain the title they won in June by overcoming the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Gill does not believe the Lakers have what it takes to win the franchise's 18th NBA championship, adding: "I love LeBron James but I don't think that the LA Lakers have the chemistry to win.
"You've got Russell Westbrook there, you've got Anthony Davis, you have LeBron James, you have Pat Bev [Beverley] there.
"Sometimes too much talent on a team is bad. It's not good, because everybody is trying to be the guy that they used to be on their previous team.
"I tell people this all the time. It's very hard to play with Lebron James. The reason why is because you have to completely change your game.
"LeBron is really the de facto point guard. Even though he's six foot nine, 270 pounds. He's going to handle the basketball most of the time.
"Everybody has to change the game because LeBron has the basketball most of the time. That's why Westbrook struggled last year because he wasn’t really allowed to play his position full-time."
Dustin Hopkins lined up the field goal that would settle the Los Angeles Chargers' clash with the Denver Broncos and thought to himself: what's the worst that could happen?
Already carrying a hamstring injury, Hopkins figured he may as well take a full-blooded kick for glory and hold nothing back.
"In my mind, it was already at a point where it was a, 'Well, screw it' moment," said Hopkins. "Pretty much, if it's already feeling this bad at this point, let's just give it a ride."
The overtime heroics from Hopkins, who kicked four field goals in all, secured a 19-16 win for the Chargers, with quarterback Justin Herbert saluting the kicker.
"We have so much respect for him. We know that he is hurting," said Herbert. "He's tough. That's all you can say about him. For him to go out there and play and put up with some pain like that, it's great to see from him."
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley saw his team nullify the threat of Russell Wilson after the first quarter, in which the Broncos quarterback completed all 10 of his passes, including a 39-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich.
The Chargers rallied from 10-0 adrift but could only manage one touchdown that came at the start of the second quarter, with a 15-play drive capped off by a six-yard Austin Ekeler touchdown dash.
They had to grind it out, and Staley said: "This is a complete team win. It was a tough, rugged game. They have an outstanding defense over there. It was tough sledding in every way for all four quarters and overtime. It was just a tough and rugged game. It took everybody in Powder Blue to win it."
He added: "The fact that we're able to show our resilience in all three phases, and then be able to finish that game on our home field in front of our fans, I'm really proud of our group today."
Losses to the Chiefs and the Jaguars came as early season setbacks for the Chargers, but Herbert has been encouraged by the wins that have followed against the Texans, Browns and now the Broncos.
"I thought 4-2 has been a big step up for us," he said, "especially where we were at with 1-2.
"For us to answer back and to win three games in a row like that, I think it says a lot about our team, our defense, our special teams, because they have stepped up big time. It's been awesome to see from them."
Herbert completed 37 of his 57 passes for 238 yards and one interception. This made him the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw as many as 57 passes in a game with no TDs but still win, Opta said.
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.
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