Mathieu van der Poel has pleaded guilty to the common assault of two teenage girls in Sydney on the eve of the UCI Road World Championships finale.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was charged on two counts after an altercation with the pair, aged 13 and 14, whom he alleges to have been knocking on his hotel room door.
He was further fined 1,500 AUD (£909), though he has been allowed to leave the country following the return of his passport.
Van der Poel, who was taken into custody by New South Wales Police, intends to appeal against the conviction, according to his lawyer Michael Bowe.
"We went through the relevant events that occurred, he was arrested by police, was interviewed by police and said certain things to the police," he told Reuters.
"Mathieu agreed with some of those allegations. On discussing it was agreed he should plead guilty."
Belgium's Remco Evenepoel went on to win th World Championship on Sunday. Van der Poel, among the pre-race favourites, withdrew with 230 kilometres to go.
An MRI on Monday confirmed what the New England Patriots feared regarding Mac Jones' ankle.
Jones suffered a "pretty severe" high ankle sprain in Sunday’s 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, according to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
The team is hopeful the 24-year-old quarterback will be able to recover without needing surgery, and though they haven't given a timetable for a return or confirmed if a stint on injured reserve is necessary, it seems unlikely he'll be able to play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
That means veteran Brian Hoyer would be in line to make his first start since Week 4 of the 2020 season, when he threw for just 130 yards with no touchdown passes and one interception in New England's 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jones was hurt on the Patriots' final offensive play on Sunday, an interception with 1:55 remaining. The 2021 first-round pick landed hard on the turf from a hit by Baltimore defensive lineman Calais Campbell, then hobbled to the sidelines while grabbing his ankle before being taken straight to the locker room.
Jones threw for 321 yards in Sunday's loss, but was intercepted three times, giving him five through the 1-2 Patriots' first three games.
Tyson Fury says December's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua is "officially over" due to the contract not being signed by Monday's self-imposed deadline.
WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.
However, following drawn-out talks between the fighters' camps, Fury declared last week that Joshua had until 17:00 BST on Monday to put pen to paper on the terms.
That deadline came and went without any official confirmation, and Fury once again took to social media shortly after to declare the heavyweight fight will not be taking place.
"It's official. D-Day has come and gone," he said in a video message on his Instagram account. "It's gone past 5 o'clock Monday, no contract has been signed. It's officially over.
"Joshua is now out in the cold with the wolfpack. Forget about it. Idiot, coward, s***house, bodybuilder. Always knew you didn't have the minerals to fight the Gypsy King.
"Regardless of what you say now, I don't really care. Good luck with your career and your life, end of."
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.
That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight that has been years in the making.
In response, two-time world champion Joshua – who has lost three of his past five fights – said he fully intended to sign the deal, but it was currently with his legal team.
Should Fury be true to his word, the 34-year-old could look to arrange a title defence against Mahmoud Charr in the same December slot ahead of facing Usyk next year.
Floyd Mayweather has found his next opponent after social media star Deji confirmed the pair will meet in an exhibition bout on November 13.
The 45-year-old, who retired undefeated with a 50-0 record after defeating former UFC champion Conor McGregor in 2017, beat YouTuber Mikuru Asakura with a second-round TKO in a similar fight on Sunday in Japan.
It was the latest of several one-off matches the former boxer has taken since his retirement, having also previously fought internet personality Logan Paul.
Now, he will face Deji – brother of YouTuber-turned-professional fighter KSI – in a match in Dubai after his opponent took to social media to confirm the match.
"Huge thanks to Global Titans and my team for creating this incredible opportunity," Deji stated on Monday.
"It's a privilege to be headlining this phenomenal spectacle in Dubai, against the all-time great Floyd Mayweather. This is going to be fun!"
Mayweather prefaced his match with Asakura, who played his part in an entertaining encounter before he was dropped with a right hand, by stating he would meet McGregor again in 2023.
The Irishman took to social media however to shut down reports of a rematch, stating that he was "not interested" in another bout.
Former England head coach Stuart Lancaster will leave Leinster at the end of the season to join French side Racing 92 as director of rugby.
Lancaster has spent seven seasons as senior coach with Leinster, whom he joined in 2016 after stepping down as England boss on the back of a poor 2015 World Cup campaign.
The 52-year-old worked under Leo Cullen and helped guide the Irish side to the European Champions Cup title in 2018, as well as four Pro14 titles.
Racing confirmed on Monday that Lancaster will start his new position next July on a four-year contract, with current boss Laurent Travers taking up a role as chairman of the club's management board.
"It is with great joy and pride that I am taking on the role of rugby director for Racing 92," Lancaster said. "I thank Laurent Travers and the whole club for the trust they have chosen to place in me.
"I know the responsibilities that will be mine at the head of this extraordinary squad, certainly one of the most competitive in Europe. I look forward to working with all these talented players to support me in my mission."
The NFL's end-of-season All-Star game, the Pro Bowl, has been scrapped and replaced by The Pro Bowl Games, the league announced on Monday.
Set to take place the week before Super Bowl LVII, the Pro Bowl Games will pit the AFC and NFC against each other in a multi-day skills competition culminating in a flag football game on February 5 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
"We've received invaluable feedback from players, teams and fans about reimagining the Pro Bowl, and as a result, we're thrilled to use The Pro Bowl Games as a platform to spotlight Flag football as an integral part of the sport's future while also introducing fun, new forms of competition and entertainment that will bring our players, their families and fans closer than ever before," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President, Club Business and League Events.
"Building on the success of the 2022 Pro Bowl and 2022 Draft, as well as our strong partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Las Vegas Raiders, we look forward to bringing The 2023 Pro Bowl Games to the capital of world-class sports and entertainment."
The Pro Bowl has been a consistent feature of the NFL calendar since 1951.
Following the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, it has seen star players from the AFC and NFC face off, save for a three-year period between 2013 and 2015 when teams were drafted by legendary former players.
Yet the on-field product has received frequent criticism.
Since the 2009 season, the Pro Bowl has been held the week before the Super Bowl, firmly removing players from teams participating in the title game from the field, while many of the league's stars voted to feature in the Pro Bowl have regularly pulled out citing injury concerns.
The additional risk of injury in the exhibition led the game to become a disappointing spectacle, with players eschewing tackling and any significant contact to protect their bodies. With the changes, the league will now hope it has found a solution to a persistent problem.
The AFC won last year's game, prevailing 41-35.
Nathaniel Hackett hopes Russell Wilson's game-winning drive against the San Francisco 49ers will be the start of his success with the Denver Broncos.
Wilson piloted a struggling Denver offense through the first two games of the season, an underwhelming start to his Broncos career coming after they traded five draft picks, including two first-rounders, and three players to acquire him from the Seattle Seahawks.
Then handed a five-year, $245million extension by the Broncos, Wilson lost in Week 1 on an emotional return to Seattle, before the Denver offense was jeered and mocked by its own home fans in Week 2 in an unconvincing win over the Houston Texans.
Wilson and the Broncos struggled for most of their win over the 49ers against a ferocious San Francisco defense that held the quarterback to 184 yards passing and Denver to just 3.7 yards per play.
But the 49ers' ineptitude on offense in Jimmy Garoppolo's first start since Trey Lance's season-ending injury saw San Francisco waste a host of opportunities to take command, the Niners going one for 10 on third down.
And Wilson finally capitalised on their profligacy in the fourth quarter, showing some of his trademark elusiveness that some believed may be waning to lead a 12-play, 80-yard drive and give the Broncos a decisive 11-10 lead.
Garoppolo was intercepted on the subsequent drive, and a Jeff Wilson Jr. fumble then sealed the game for Denver.
"Russell has come to a new state, a new organisation, with 10 brand new guys in the huddle," Hackett told NBC Sports' Peter King for his Football Morning in America column.
"It's a completely new look, new team. He's jumped in here and tried to make it as familiar as he could. On that winning drive, he said, 'I'm comfortable, I'm gonna use my legs here, I've got to make this happen'. He did. Hopefully that's the start of it for him."
Hackett's game management came under severe scrutiny in the opening two weeks of his tenure as Denver head coach, his struggles in that regard encapsulated by the home crowd counting down the play clock in Week 2 after his offense had struggled to get the ball snapped in time on several plays.
Ahead of Week 3, Hackett brought in veteran assistant coach Jerry Rosburg to help with gameday decisions.
Asked if doing so felt embarrassing, Hackett said: "No. For me, I felt empowered that I was able to make a decision. Hey, let's fix it. I'm the leader of the team. Let’s do it.
"This was the first time, the past two games, that I felt I was hurting my team. Did I have enough info? I don't know. But I knew the setup wasn't right. I needed help to make the tough decision."
Lamar Jackson's sensational start to the 2022 season is "a natural next step", according to Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who always believed the quarterback could be "everything he is".
The Ravens improved to 2-1 with a 37-26 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, in which Jackson threw four touchdown passes and rushed for 107 yards and a further score.
The fifth-year QB became only the second player in NFL history with at least four TD passes, 100 rushing yards and a rushing TD in a game after the Philadelphia Eagles' Randall Cunningham – also against the Patriots – in Week 9 of the 1990 season.
But Jackson also had three TD passes and 100 rushing yards in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.
Only seven other QBs (including Cunningham) have previously enjoyed such a performance, and none of them have done so more than once. Jackson has achieved that feat in consecutive games and four times across his career.
Surely a contender again this year, Jackson was the MVP in 2019 when he led the league in passing TDs (36), as he does now (10).
The failure to agree a new Ravens contract in the offseason would likely have made Jackson more determined to bounce back from an injury-hit 2021, but Harbaugh has never doubted his star man.
"No one has to tell me about Lamar Jackson," the Baltimore coach said.
"I believe in him. I love him. I just believed him the first day we drafted him, the first day we talked about drafting him. I felt like he could be everything he is.
"I just think it's a natural next step in terms of like finding his rhythm during the week, what he's looking at, how he studies defenses, how he breaks defenses down.
"It's not a lightbulb thing; it's an evolution of studying the game that you see quarterbacks go through."
Jackson offered his own take on his development, adding: "I'd just say [it is down to] maturity, just because of my age, just knowing the game of football just basically inside out.
"You've just got to stay locked in. That's probably the thing, just being locked in no matter what's going on during the game."
Aleksandar Kovacevic marked his ATP Tour main-draw debut by knocking seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic out of the Korea Open on Monday.
American Kovacevic was only playing in the first round as a lucky loser in Seoul after he was beaten in the final round of qualifying, but he grasped his chance by winning 6-4 6-4.
The 24-year-old served 14 aces and broke the world number 32 three times to set up a second-round meeting with Christopher O'Connell or Tseng Chun-hsin.
Radu Albot got the better of Hiroki Moriya in his first appearance in Seoul, while Jaume Munar progressed when Yosuke Watanuki retired early in their match due to an ankle injury.
Kaichi Uchida came out on top in the final match of the day, consigning Hong Seong-chan to a 6-4 6-2 defeat.
Danny Care has been left out of England's training squad ahead of the Autumn Nations Series but Manu Tuilagi and Sam Simmonds return.
Scrum-half Care featured in the Red Rose's series victory over Australia in July, but is not among the 36 players who will report for a three-day camp this weekend.
Centre Tuilagi and number eight Simmonds are back in the fold after recovering from injuries, while pivot Ben Youngs has been selected ahead of the November encounters with Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
Simmonds gets the nod amid reports that he could leave Exeter Chiefs to join Montpellier, a move that would make him ineligible to play for his country.
Locks Alex Coles and Hugh Tizard have been called up for the first time, while Alex Mitchell, Tom Pearson and David Ribbans are also included.
Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje are among the absentees due to injury.
England head coach Eddie Jones said: "With a year to go to the Rugby World Cup, this is a big opportunity for players to come in and impress. We want them to show real energy and enthusiasm and that they want to be a part of this massive year.
"It doesn't mean that those who have been left out won't be considered for the Autumn Nations Series matches. We'll be looking at club games, form and fitness and the door is left open for those players.
"We finished the Australia tour well. It was a fantastic experience, particularly for the younger players. We now have to start again, but we'll build on what we've done there and continue that momentum."
England training squad:
Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Alex Coles, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Curry, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Lewis Ludlam, Tom Pearson, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Patrick Schickerling, Sam Simmonds, Will Stuart, Hugh Tizard, Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Joe Cokanasiga, Fraser Dingwall, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Will Joseph, Jonny May, Alex Mitchell, Jack Nowelll, Guy Porter, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Ben Youngs.
Tom Brady acknowledges there have been problems with "execution" right throughout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense this season.
The Bucs ranked second in both total touchdowns (63), yards (6,901) and points (511) in 2021, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys in each category.
But after losing 14-12 to the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 this year, Tampa Bay rank joint-27th in total TDs (four), 25th in yards (892) and joint-21st in points (51).
Never has Brady thrown fewer TD passes through his first three starts of a season (three), while only in four seasons has he had fewer passing yards at this stage (673).
"We've just got to do a better job," said Brady, who insisted a finger injury had "zero" impact on the Packers result.
"I wish it was one thing; we're not running as good as we're capable, the passing game hasn't been very good, our screen game. There are a lot of things."
He added: "Our job is to go out there and score points, so we're just not doing it. We're not going to score points if we don't execute well.
"They [the Packers] did a better job than us – good defense, good, physical defense, I give them a lot of credit.
"They forced us to make a lot of good plays, and we just didn't do a great job in execution."
Still, Brady is not panicking, saying: "We're 2-1. There's a lot of football left. We'll keep working at it.
"It doesn't get any easier next week, going up against the Chiefs, but no one feels sorry for us, nor should we. We've just got to go back to work."
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes Stephen Curry is the best player in the world after inspiring the Golden State Warriors' NBA title triumph last season.
Curry won his fourth NBA title in June at the expense of the Boston Celtics, taking the series 4-2.
Superstar guard Curry won the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 31.2 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in the six games.
The 34-year-old became only the seventh player to win at least four NBA titles and win two MVP awards, a feat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan have also achieved.
Antetokounmpo claimed the title and was Finals MVP for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but says Curry is now the best on the planet despite Nikola Jokic winning the 2021 and 2022 NBA MVP awards.
He said during a Bucks media day: "I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last man standing.
"It's the person that takes his team to the Finals, the finish line and helps them win the game. - that's how I view it. I believe the best player in the world is Steph Curry."
Antetokounmpo says no individual awards can match the feeling of winning the NBA title.
"The feeling I felt, it was a nice feeling," he said. "I got jealous of Golden State, seeing them in the parade and the ESPYs. You know that feeling now. You know what is getting stripped away from you."
The Jacksonville Jaguars believe they can be "something special" after Trevor Lawrence ended his wait for a first NFL road win in impressive fashion against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers are among the favourites in the AFC this season but were beaten 38-10 with Justin Herbert playing through injury at SoFi Stadium.
Lawrence outshone Herbert, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-39 passing.
After nine straight defeats on the road to start his career, Lawrence finally guided the Jaguars to victory; the last NFL quarterback to start his career with nine away road losses and then a win was Peyton Manning.
And this was a commanding win, too – the Jaguars' biggest on the road since the 2001 season (33-3 at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15).
Jacksonville have not enjoyed a winning season since 2017 and had only four victories over the previous two campaigns combined.
But they are halfway to that number already in 2022 at 2-1, boosted by the ability to select consecutive first overall draft picks in Lawrence and Travon Walker.
Team-mate Dawuane Smoot said after the win: "It's been all worth it, going through a rebuild each year. Now, I feel like we're finally starting to get it.
"We just started. It's only three [games]. We still have a long season to go. But I feel like we're turning the corner to being something special."
Having crushed the Indianapolis Colts 24-0 at home in Week 2, Lawrence added: "It's awesome, two weeks in a row.
"I think the coolest thing is [after] a big win last week to see that same focus and intensity and preparation this week. That's a sign we're heading in the right direction. We've got to keep doing that week in, week out.
"Obviously, every week is going to present new challenges; you've just got to come ready to play. We did that, and it was awesome."
Stephen Curry says he spoke to Adam Silver about Robert Sarver's punishment and is pleased with the sanctions imposed on the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner.
The NBA suspended Sarver for one year and fined him $10million after an investigation questioned 320 people over allegations about his behaviour during his 18 years with the Suns.
Sarver last week announced that he intends to sell up after he was found him to have engaged in racist and sexist conduct.
Golden State Warriors superstar Curry revealed he contacted NBA commissioner Silver about the issue and has given his backing to the outcome.
He said during a Warriors media day: "[I] got [Silver's] point of view of what decisions and, I guess, mechanisms he had to intervene and bring down a punishment that was worthy of the actions that we were all responding to and representing the league as a whole and protecting the integrity of the league and the standard that we set terms of from execs, ownership, all the way down to players.
"There should be a standard around what's tolerable and what's not."
Curry added: "I think the outcome was exactly what should have happened.
"Honestly, I thought with the punishment that was handed down, it would have dragged out a little longer, but I'm glad we got to a point where hopefully the team is up for sale sooner than later and can kind of move on knowing that's where it should be."
Patrick Mahomes has taken responsibility for the Kansas City Chiefs' inconsistent start to the season on offense despite a largely new cast of receivers.
The Chiefs fell to 2-1 with Sunday's 20-17 defeat to the previously winless Indianapolis Colts.
After dominating the Arizona Cardinals in a 44-21 Week 1 victory, Kansas City had just 20 points on offense in their 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and came up short against the Colts.
Only three times in Mahomes' career have the Chiefs scored fewer than 17 points in a regular season game.
The superstar quarterback completed only 20 of his 35 pass attempts for 262 yards and a single touchdown, also throwing an interception on the team's final drive as they sought to force overtime.
After scoring TDs on their first two visits to the red zone, the Chiefs returned only three points from their final two, with Matt Ammendola's fourth-quarter field-goal miss proving costly.
This inefficiency might be explained by the absence of Tyreek Hill – traded to the 3-0 Miami Dolphins – but Mahomes is not looking for excuses.
"I don't expect any growing pains," he said. "Obviously we have new players and you don't know everybody's going to respond to tough situations.
"We've got to gel all together. It starts with me. There were certain throws I was putting on guys' back hips instead of in front of him. There were certain situations where we were just barely off of it.
"Whenever you're playing a tough game like that, you have to execute at a higher level and we have to learn from it.
"Our schedule gets no easier. We have a hard game Sunday [against] Tampa next week with a great defense, so we have to get better quickly.
"And if we don't, we don't want these [losses] to start piling up. We want to make sure we get back on that winning train."
For the season, only the Detroit Lions (11) have scored more red zone TDs than the Chiefs (nine from 13 RZ drives), who rank eighth in red zone TD efficiency.
Last year, the Chiefs were 14th in efficiency, scoring 41 touchdowns from 68 red zone drives.
Tua Tagovailoa suggested a back injury was the reason for his stumble in the Miami Dolphins' win over the Buffalo Bills, as he cleared concussion protocol to return to the game.
Coming off a career game against the Baltimore Ravens, Tagovailoa's involvement in Sunday's big AFC East match-up looked set to end early.
The Dolphins quarterback took a hit late in the first half from Bills linebacker Matt Milano, who was flagged for roughing the passer.
Tagovailoa quickly got to his feet but then stumbled back to the ground.
He left the game to be assessed by medical staff, with the team announcing a head injury that made him questionable to return.
Yet Tagovailoa did return – a decision that has reportedly prompted an investigation from the NFL Players Association.
According to the player himself, though, it was a back problem that led to his worrying wobble, explaining why he was able to play again despite appearing to hit his head against the ground.
"I got my legs caught under someone – they were trying to push back and it felt like I hyper-extended my back or something," Tagovailoa said. "It kind of hurt.
"I got up, and that's why I stumbled. My back locked up on me. But for the most part, I'm good. I passed whatever concussion protocol they had."
Indeed, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa was already ailing from an earlier incident.
"He got bent back pretty severe on a quarterback sneak earlier," the coach said.
"When he hit his head on the ground, I assumed it was a head injury, but his legs got wobbly because his lower back was completely loose, as he described it."
Josh Allen believed the Buffalo Bills "really beat ourselves" in a defeat to the Miami Dolphins that prompted members of the team to explain a dramatic final play.
The Bills lost 21-19 in Miami on Sunday but had the opportunity to preserve their winning start on the final drive.
Quarterback Allen's pass to Isaiah McKenzie allowed him to reach the Dolphins' 41, within field-goal range with nine seconds left.
However, McKenzie went down before he could get out of bounds and failed to return the ball to the hash before time expired.
It was the last of a number of frustrating plays for the Bills, who fell to 2-1 despite having possession for 40 minutes and 40 seconds.
After Buffalo had scored a touchdown on their opening drive for an eighth straight game, the Dolphins levelled the scores following an Allen fumble.
The Bills later punted in the first half of a game for the first time this season, and their only second-half points came from a Tyler Bass field goal and a bizarre Miami punt that went out the back of the Dolphins' end zone for a safety.
Allen, whose third 400-yard NFL passing game saw him finish with career highs in attempts (63) and completions (42), said: "We've got to finish drives.
"I think third down we were all right. Red zone we weren't very good. We've got to find a way to get it in the end zone there.
"We really beat ourselves. Credit to them; they had a really good game plan. They came out and did what they had to do.
"There's obviously plays we want back, and that's going to happen over the course of every single game – this one, especially."
McKenzie finished with 76 receiving yards and a TD – one of two thrown by Allen – but crucially came up short when it mattered most.
"I was trying to get out of bounds. I was also trying to get yards," McKenzie explained of the final play.
"I knew [Bass'] range, so I was trying to get out of bounds but also get up the field. I tried to get out of bounds.
"There was nine seconds left, and I was trying to get to the hash. I kind of got bumped by going to the ref, and it just went down from there.
"If I could take it back, I would probably just go up field, get down, put it on the hash myself and live to fight another down."
The Bills' failure to extend the game by another play led offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to slam his headset, hat and tablet down in frustration in a clip that quickly went viral.
"[Dorsey] is such a competitive guy," said defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. "He wants to win every situation.
"I think our players seem like they feed off of it. I know we were in training camp, and even when we were competing against each other in OTAs, I could sense the offense really having that same type of intensity that Kenny coaches with.
"But yet, he is a guy who's able to rein it back when he needs to and take it in a different direction, to encourage players at the same time."
Mike McGlinchey says it will be "impossible" for the San Francisco 49ers to replace Trent Williams after he suffered an ankle injury during an 11-10 defeat to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Left tackle Williams did the damage when he was blocking Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb during the third quarter and Denver defensive lineman D.J. Jones fell across his right leg.
On the same play, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stepped out of the end zone for an ultimately costly safety.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game nine-time Pro Bowler Williams, who was replaced by Jaylon Moore, was likely to have sustained a high right ankle sprain.
Right tackle McGlinchey said: "[Trent is] as important to our football team as anybody is. Colton [McKivitz] stepped up, and he's had an unbelievable last year and some change, and he's ready for that.
"Jaylon Moore is capable of playing in that role. We have guys to fill the spot, which is a good thing; but obviously, it's impossible to replace a Trent Williams, and that hurts our football team, for sure."
Garoppolo said: "It's tough. Trent's a warrior. Hopefully, he bounces back fast, but it's always tough when you lose a guy like that, especially the leadership that he brings to this team.
"The poise and everything that he brings, it will be tough to replace that. But we've got to."
Shanahan felt the 49ers could have no complaints after a loss at Empower Field at Mile High that left them at 1-2 early in the season.
"We had our opportunities, but we definitely didn't do enough offensively in the second half," he said.
"I thought we made way too many mistakes. We had our opportunities in the first half, where I thought we should have been a lot more than we were.
"We missed those. Came back in the second half and I thought the defense kept it going, offense had a chance early and started out with a fumbled snap, then we never got it going after that."
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley insists that protecting star quarterback Justin Herbert was on his mind despite letting him play out Sunday's 38-10 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Herbert returned for the first time after a fracture to his rib cartilage, throwing 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards with one touchdown, one lost sack fumble and one interception, while Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence starred with three TD passes.
The Chargers' decision to keep their franchise quarterback on the field with 4:54 remaining for a final series, despite the scoreline and his recent injury, led to many questions from reporters after the game.
"He wanted to be out there with his teammates," Staley told reporters. "He felt good and he wanted to finish the game.
"Throughout the entire game, that's the first thought throughout the game and at the end of the game, so trust me, there's no one that's thinking about it more than I am."
Herbert, who was the sixth pick overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, sustained the rib injury 10 days ago in the 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when he played on admirably in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
"I understand your entire line of questioning, I understand it," Staley said.
"Justin is going to be feeling like this when he is out there playing. This injury is going to be there for awhile. If you guys know the injury, it's not like it's going to feel better next week or the week after that.
"This thing is going to be present for awhile. He felt good today and we're going to continue to manage it the best we can."
The 24-year-old quarterback also defended the decision, insisting it was him putting the team first.
"I just didn't want to quit on the team," Herbert said. "It's what the team needs. Sometimes, you have to put your own goals and everything ahead, or behind the team and I think that's what's most important and I felt like I was safe out there and I didn't want to quit on my team.
"I trust the medical staff. I trust the training staff. They are not going to put me in harm's way. I felt like it was safe, they felt like it was safe, so I was going to go out there and play."
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