Kirk Cousins earned his first win at the Atlanta Falcons with a comeback win in the final minute of the game, and he believes it will only build their resolve.

The Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21, with Cousins picking out Drake London with 34 seconds left to snatch the victory.

At 21-15 down with less than two minutes on the clock, the quarterback completed 5 of 6 passes on a six-play, 70-yard drive before London finished it off. Younghoe Kim then converted a lengthy extra point to ensure they would not need to go to overtime.

And while Cousins was pleased to get off the mark with his new team, he thinks the nature of the win will benefit the Falcons in the long run.

"It's really, really important for us to be able to come in here and get a win," Cousins said. "Just proud of the way we kept playing, kept fighting.

"Coming from behind. Finding a way on the road in a tough environment against a good football team [makes it special].

"That builds resolve, builds some grit, builds some character that we're gonna have to lean on as the year goes on. This is how NFL football is.

"We've got to kind of get used to this and get comfortable in this because that's how these games tend to go.

"The more we can be battle-tested and have these moments, I think it will set us up well for what's coming down the road."

The game could have gone much differently if Philadelphia had completed a play with five-and-a-half minutes on the clock, but Saquon Barkley failed to catch Jalen Hurts' short pass inside the Atlanta 10.

The Eagles then settled for Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal to take a six-point lead, before the Falcons' late show denied them a second win of the season.

"I dropped the ball," Barkley told reporters. "Let my team down today. Shouldn't have put the defense in that position.

"If I make the catch, game's over. Relax, get back to my old habits, and just gotta go back and get to work.

"I thought it was a great play call. I just gotta make that catch."

Both teams now hold a 1-1 record for the season. Atlanta face Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs next time out, while the Eagles travel to the New Orleans Saints.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got a three-run homer from Freddie Freeman and a combined four-hit shutout from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and four relievers to hand the Atlanta Braves a potentially costly 9-0 loss on Monday.

Making his second start following a near three-month absence caused by a strained shoulder, Yamamoto scattered four hits and two walks in four innings. The Braves didn't record a hit against Evan Phillips (4-1), Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and Brent Honeywell the rest of the way to fall one game back of the New York Mets for the National League's final wild card.

The Mets came through with a 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Starling Marte's run-scoring single in the 10th inning.

Shohei Ohtani knocked in two runs to help Los Angeles split this four-game series and move within a game of the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL's best record. The superstar slugger finished 0 for 4, however, and remained at 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases as he attempts to become MLB's first 50-50 player in a season.

The Dodgers didn't get a hit off Atlanta's Max Fried until the fifth inning but still managed to manufacture a run following a lead-off walk to Miguel Rojas in the third. Rojas advanced to second on a groundout, stole third and scored when Fried uncorked a wild pitch.

Tommy Edman collected Los Angeles' initial hit with a ground-rule double to begin the fifth and scored on Rojas' single. After a hit batter and a fly ball advanced Rojas to third, he came home on Ohtani's fielder's choice grounder for a 3-0 advantage. 

Fried (9-10) yielded just two hits and struck out seven in six innings despite being touched for three runs.

The Dodgers put the game away with a six-run seventh inning capped by the ex-Brave fan favourite Freeman's opposite-field homer.

After three walks by Atlanta reliever Daysbel Hernandez loaded the bases, Ohtani reached on a fielder's choice that plated Rojas for a 4-0 cushion. Mookie Betts brought in another run with a sacrifice fly and Teoscar Hernandez delivered an RBI single in front of Freeman's blast. 

Brewers trim magic number to two with win over Phillies

William Contreras and Joey Ortiz each drove in two runs to back a solid start from Aaron Civale as the Milwaukee Brewers moved closer to capturing the NL Central with a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Brewers' fourth victory in five games reduced their magic number to two to claim their third division title in four years. Milwaukee also closed within three games of the NL-leading Phillies in the standings.

Civale (5-2) scattered seven hits and struck out six while limiting Philadelphia to one run in five-plus innings. Colin Rea closed out the win with 2 2/3 scoreless innings to notch his first career MLB save.

Contreras gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead with a third-inning double off Ranger Suarez that brought in Jackson Chourio and Blake Perkins, who reached via a walk and single, respectively.

The Brewers extended the margin in the fourth when ex-Phil Rhys Hoskins walked, advanced to third on Sal Frelick's double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ortiz.

Suarez (12-7) lasted five innings and allowed three runs despite giving up just four hits and fanning five.

Brandon Marsh homered in the fifth for the Phillies' lone run off Civale, but Milwaukee scored twice in the sixth to increase their lead further.

Ortiz knocked in Frelick with a triple to put the Brewers up 4-1 before crossing the plate on Brice Turang's single.

Philadelphia got a run back in the top of the seventh when Bryson Stott singled and later scored on Kyle Schwarber's two-out single. The Brewers countered in their half of the inning, however, when Perkins singled and stole two bases before coming home on Gary Sanchez's sac fly.

Manzardo's homer lifts Guardians over Twins

Kyle Manzardo's go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning rallied the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a key four-game series between American League Central contenders.

Cleveland overcame an early 3-0 deficit to earn its MLB-leading 40th comeback victory of the season, which increased the Guardians' lead atop the AL Central to five games over Kansas City.

The Royals were handed a 7-6 loss by the charging Detroit Tigers, who closed within 1 1/2 games of struggling Minnesota for the AL's final wild card. The Twins have lost seven of 10 and are 9-18 since Aug. 18.

Minnesota was clinging to a 3-2 lead when Josh Naylor led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off Twins reliever Griffin Jax. Two batters later, Manzardo clubbed the first pitch he saw from Jax into the right field seats to put the Guardians ahead.

Emmanuel Clase then retired the side in order in the ninth to record his 46th save, tying a Cleveland franchise season record.

The Twins got all of their runs in the third inning after loading the bases with one out on a Carlos Correa double and two walks issued by Cleveland starter Matthew Boyd. Correa scored the game's first run on a passed ball by Guardians' catcher Bo Naylor, and Byron Buxton knocked in two more with a single for a 3-0 advantage.

Minnesota's Pablo Lopez held Cleveland scoreless until the fifth, when he hit Brayan Rocchio with a pitch and allowed a double to Angel Martinez. Andres Gimenez followed with a single to drive in the Guardians' first run.

Lopez issued two walks around a Will Brennan single to allow Cleveland to inch closer in the seventh on Martinez's bases-loaded single which brought in Manzardo.

Martinez finished 3 for 4, while Brennan and Jose Ramirez each had two hits for the Guardians.

Lopez pitched 6 1/3 innings and permitted two runs on eight hits.

 

 

 

Kirk Cousins threw two second-half touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining, to earn his first win as an Atlanta Falcon with a 22-21 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

With his new team down 21-15 with under two minutes left, Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes on a six-play, 70-yard drive he capped with a 7-yard strike to London in the final minute. Younghoe Kim then converted a lengthy extra-point try from 48 yards out, with the distance increased due to a 15-yard penalty called on London after the touchdown, to break a 21-21 tie.

Jessie Bates sealed the win for Atlanta (1-1) by intercepting Jalen Hurts with 19 seconds left to send the partisan crowd at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field home stunned.

Cousins finished with 241 yards on 20-of-29 passing in his second start since signing a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in March. Darnell Mooney, another of Atlanta's offseason additions, caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Cousins in the third quarter and ended with 88 yards on three catches.

Hurts threw for 183 yards and a touchdown and added another TD on the ground while recording 85 rushing yards. His 1-yard touchdown run on the Eagles' patented "Tush Push" quarterback sneak play gave Philadelphia (1-1) an 18-15 lead with 6:47 remaining after Saquon Barkley successfully ran in the ensuing 2-point conversion.

The Eagles appeared headed for a third straight 2-0 start after stuffing Atlanta's Bijon Robinson on a 4th-and-1 run on the following possession to get the ball back at the Falcons' 39-yard line with 5:38 to go.

Philadelphia then moved to the Atlanta 10, but Barkley dropped a short pass from Hurts on third down and the Eagles settled for Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal and a six-point lead with 1:39 left.

Cousins responded by quickly driving the Falcons inside the Eagles' 10 with four consecutive completions, including gains of 21 and 26 yards to Mooney.

Mooney had given the Falcons a 15-10 edge late in the third quarter when he got behind Philadelphia's defence and hauled in a deep pass from Cousins for a 41-yard score. Atlanta failed to convert the resulting 2-point attempt.

The Eagles also came up empty in the red zone early in the contest, passing up a short field goal try from the Atlanta 9-yard line and throwing an incomplete pass on 4th-and-4 that kept the game scoreless after one quarter.

Atlanta opened the scoring on Koo's 39-yard field goal with 11:22 left in the second, but the Eagles answered with an 11-play, 70-yard drive culminating in Hurts' 7-yard touchdown pass to Devonta Smith.

The Falcons pulled within 7-6 at half-time after Koo's 22-yard field goal ended a 15-play series. Another Koo field goal, a 34-yard kick, put Atlanta in front early in the third quarter before Philadelphia took a 10-9 lead on Elliott's 29-yard field goal with 4:28 left in the period.

Barkley rushed for 95 yards on 22 attempts in his first home game since leaving the NFC East-rival New York Giants for the Eagles in the offseason. Robinson had 97 rushing yards for Atlanta on 14 carries.

 

The Carolina Panthers are making a quarterback change following their 0-2 start, benching 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young in favour of veteran Andy Dalton for Sunday’s road matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Young has struggled mightily in his NFL career after Carolina acquired the top overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears and used it to pick the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner out of the University of Alabama.

The 23-year-old Young has gone 2-16 in 18 starts while completing 59.3 percent of his pass attempts and throwing for 3,122 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a passer rating of 70.9.

Since the beginning of the 2023 season, Young’s completion percentage is the worst among qualifying quarterbacks and his passer rating ranks second-to-last.

The decision by first-year Panthers coach Dave Canales to switch quarterbacks comes after Young posted a 44.1 rating and passed for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in a pair of losses to open 2024.

Carolina has been outscored 73-13 and scored just one touchdown on a three-yard run by Young in Week 1.

Dalton started in Week 3 last season with Young out due to an ankle injury and threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns in a 37-27 loss at the Seattle Seahawks.

Six weeks shy of his 37th birthday, Dalton ranks 26th in NFL history with 38,511 passing yards and 28th with 246 touchdowns through the air.

Jamaica’s Valentino Evans reached the Round of 16 of both the U-14 Kata Male and U14 Kumite Male at the 2024 Pan American Karate Foundation (PKF) Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships held from August 26 to September 1 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Evans was beaten by Chilean Joaquin Ballestero in the Kata category before losing to Brazil’s Arthur Galante in the Kumite Male -40kg category.

The youngster won two medals at the Caribbean Karate Championships in Curacao in July.

He took bronze in the 12-13 Kata before going two better with gold in the 12-13 Kumite, his second straight Kumite gold after winning it in the 10-11 section at the 2023 Caribbean karate Championships in Santo Domingo.

He also won Kata silver at last year’s championships.

 

Daniel Ricciardo revealed his desire to experience the world of motorsport as his 13-year Formula One career hangs in the balance ahead of the 2025 season. 

Ricciardo, who has raced for five different teams in F1, is yet to find out whether he will race for RB next year. 

The Australian and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda were considered the favourites to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull until the Mexican signed a new two-year deal.

Red Bull is a team Ricciardo knows well, of course.

Ricciardo has won eight F1 races during his career, seven of which came with the Austrian-based team before his move to Renault in 2019.

Across his 257 race entries, the 35-year-old has also claimed 1,329 points and 32 podiums, but Ricciardo has been unable to get close to the top three in recent times. 

The Australian has not stood on the podium since his last victory at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, picking up just 55 points over the last three seasons for an RB team who have struggled to emerge from the midfield places in a competitive grid.

Ricciardo finds himself 14th in the drivers' championship this term, with his best finish coming at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, where he finished eighth. 

With time potentially running out on his F1 career heading into the final seven races of the 2024 season, Ricciardo kept his options open as to what may come next. 

“I mean there's things I would like to try and experience," Ricciardo said in an interview with Tourism Western Australia ahead of the release of his new film 'Drive the Dream 2.0'.

"I don't know, let's say on a competitive level, I grew up a fan of NASCAR. I'd like to drive a NASCAR. I'd love to drive around Daytona, for example.

"But would I like to compete? Yes and no, but I also know that, it's not what I grew up doing, and I'll probably get smoked so like, I don't know if I need that!

"I would love to experience it. I love motorbikes. I love MotoGP. I would love to try a MotoGP bike, but I would be very, very slow and probably horrendous. Just like, all in my own time.

"And actually Bathurst, if it's, obviously okay, it's the V8 that does the race there, but you know there's the 12 hour and stuff, so maybe that's one I could compete in.

"If a V8 team said 'hey, do you want to do a few laps around Bathurst, no pressure, just to experience it', then I'll definitely take that up."

The Kansas City Chiefs will place leading rusher Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve due to a fractured fibula sustained in Sunday’s 26-25 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pacheco’s right foot got trapped underneath him, and he was bent backwards while being tackled. He exited in the final minute of the game and was seen in a walking boot with crutches leaving the stadium.

A seventh-round pick in 2022, Pacheco rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 54 yards in helping the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs win their first two games.

Pacheco led Kansas City with 830 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground as a rookie in 2022 and did so again last season with 935 rushing yards and seven rushing scores.

Carson Steele and Samaje Perine are expected to lead the way in Kansas City’s backfield with Pacheco sidelined.

George Russell was left surprised after his podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, but tempered Mercedes' expectations for the rest of the season. 

Russell, who started fifth on the grid in Baku, inherited third place on the penultimate lap of proceedings after Sergio Perez's collision with Carlos Sainz. 

The Briton claimed his third podium for Mercedes this season, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton made it double points for the Silver Arrows after finishing ninth. 

Russell moved level with Red Bull's Perez in the drivers' championship and is now 23 points behind Hamilton ahead of the final seven races. 

However, Russell acknowledged where Mercedes ranked in the pecking order at the end of a tricky weekend that saw the team complete two power unit changes.

“Definitely surprised,” Russell said about his podium finish. “I think there was so much hard work this weekend for everybody in the team.

"There were engine changes on my side, engine changes for Lewis, so much going on, everybody was working so hard.

“We had a really bad start to the race. I was dropping off a lot, but on the hard tyre I think we were one of the quickest out there and that was great.

"Got past Max, so an added bonus to stand on the podium.

“I mean we’ve got to be realistic still. We should’ve finished fifth today. That was the true result.

"Obviously, with Lando [Norris’] qualifying yesterday, he probably would’ve been up there as well, so I don’t want to get carried away with ourselves with this podium today.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, Singapore’s a slightly better weekend.”

As for Hamilton, having taken on a raft of new power unit components after qualifying, he was resigned to a long afternoon after his pit lane start.

He made up plenty of ground early on, and again after his pit stop, but spent much of the latter part of the race battling Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman.

Colapinto impressed in just his second race for Williams, scoring four points after finishing in eighth, while team-mate Alex Albon finished one place in front. 

And Bearman, who replaced the suspended Kevin Magnussen for Haas, completed the top 10, which came with a record-breaking achievement. 

The 19-year-old became the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two Formula One races, having made his debut in March for Ferrari as a last-minute replacement for Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing in seventh. 

Seven-time world champion Hamilton showered praise on the two rookies after the race, with the Briton, who will be replaced by youngster Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes next season, insisting the future is bright for the sport. 

“Today was a difficult race,” Hamilton said.

"“We had a good day on Friday, but the rest of the weekend was tough. We made some changes heading into Saturday that didn’t work out, but we had to live with them.

“We also knew it would be challenging to overtake today. Despite the long straight, it is hard to follow through the second sector.

"Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman, who I was racing for a lot of the afternoon, did such a great job.

"It is great to see the youngsters like them coming through and doing so well. For their first and second races, it was very impressive.”

Rory McIlroy admitted that he was "getting used to" his near misses after another late collapse saw him lose the Irish Open by one stroke.

The Northern Irishman looked set to win on home soil after taking a commanding four-shot lead at one point on Sunday.

However, costly errors on the 15th and 17th holes put the pressure back on him, and he could not hold off Rasmus Hojgaard.

McIlroy's performance at Royal County Down had echoes of his US Open misery, where he also held a lead before mistakes at crucial moments saw him lose out to Bryson DeChambeau, extending his wait for a major title into an 11th year.

He also faltered late in his bid for an Olympic medal in Paris, but McIlroy attempted to take some positives out of his latest tournament.

"I'm getting used to it [the near misses] unfortunately this year," McIlroy said.

"Hopefully the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories."

"Missing the green right on 15 is the place you can't go, and then I just misjudged the speed with the first putt on 17.

"Overall, obviously really disappointed that I didn't win, but I'll try to take the positives and move on to next week to Wentworth [at the BMW PGA Championship].

"From where I was at the start of the week and what I wanted to do, it's a step in the right direction. You know, if anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush [the Open Championship] next year."

Aaron Rodgers says his first win with the New York Jets has been "a long time coming" after their comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The 40-year-old’s first season in New York ended in the fourth snap of the first game as he tore his left Achilles tendon.

Returning to action in 2024, he began the year with a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, but finally managed to get off the mark with the Jets on Sunday as they beat the Titans 24-17.

Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns, with one of those to 20-year-old Braelon Allen, making it a score between the NFL's oldest and youngest players.

And the quarterback was pleased to avoid the first 0-2 of his 20-year career.

"It was great. It was a long time coming," he said.

"These are kind of the games you look back on late in the season, and you're thankful you won these, because if we want to be a great team, we have to win in these type of environments against a team like that."

The Jets made a slow start to the game but rallied in the third quarter to take the lead, only to be pegged back at 17-17 going into the fourth.

However, Allen once again found his way to the end zone after a 20-yard run to make sure the Jets would be heading home with the win.

Rodgers admitted he was not happy with the first-half performance, but credited the team for staying patient to get it over the line.

"A lot of times people freak out," Rodgers added. "You have to be a calming force in there.

"I felt like the whole game we were frustrated at times, but we never got on each other. I was frustrated not getting [Garrett Wilson] balls. Didn't run the ball very well the first 2 1/2 quarters.

"We stayed confident. The defense came up with some really big plays to keep it a one-score game."

The Jets are back in action on Thursday against the New England Patriots. 

A'ja Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in a season in the Las Vegas Aces' 84-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

Wilson finished with 29 points and reached the 1,000-point mark on a pull-up jumper with two minutes remaining.

Wilson's latest milestone came just four days after she established the WNBA single-season scoring record, breaking the mark of 939 points set by Jewell Lloyd in 2023.

The Aces have won seven of eight games and own a one-game lead over the Seattle Storm for the No. 4 seed in the play-offs and home-court advantage in that series.

Wilson wasn't the only WNBA star with a memorable performance on Sunday, as Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 35 points in the Indiana Fever's 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings.

Clark also added eight assists and combined with Kelsey Mitchell to hit 12 of Indiana's 16 3-pointers.

Clark has already established a WNBA rookie record with 761 points, and her 329 assists are the most by any player in a single season in league history.

 

Giving Patrick Mahomes another chance rarely works out well for the opposition.

A pass interference call on the Cincinnati Bengals on a fourth-and-16 with 38 seconds left allowed the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to keep the ball, setting up Mahomes and company to steal a win.

Harrison Butker delivered the winner, kicking a 51-yard field goal as time expired to send the Chiefs to a 26-25 victory over the Bengals on Sunday.

Butker's game-winning kick came four plays after it appeared Kansas City turned the ball over on downs at their own 35-yard line, but Cincinnati safety Daijahn Anthony was called for pass interference, giving the Chiefs a fresh set of downs on the 29-yard penalty.

 

The game featured five lead changes in the second half, with the Chiefs taking their first lead on Mahomes' one-yard TD pass to offensive tackle Wanya Morris at 8:21 in the third quarter to make the score 17-16.

The Bengals then went back in front 22-17 on a three-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Andrei Iosivas with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter.

The game's final touchdown came when Chamarri Conner returned a Burrow fumble 37 yards for a touchdown to put Kansas City ahead 23-22 just 20 seconds into the final period.

Evan McPherson's fourth field goal of the game gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead with 5:12 to play, but Cincinnati couldn't hold on and dropped to 0-2 while Kansas City improved to 2-0.

Burrow finished with 258 yards passing, two touchdowns without an interception, while Mahomes completed 18-of-25 passes, but only threw for 151 yards - the second fewest of his career - with two TDs and two picks.

Mahomes had a 44-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice, who finished with 75 yards on five receptions.

Isiah Pacheco also had five catches for 21 yards, and rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries.

 

Kamara has 4 TDs as Saints make statement by demolishing Dallas

Beating a woeful team by 37 points at home in Week 1 was one thing.

Winning by 25 on the road against a reigning division champ in Week 2 is another.

The New Orleans Saints put the rest of the NFL on notice with an impressive 44-19 trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys, with Alvin Kamara scoring four touchdowns.

A week after setting a franchise record by starting the season with points on nine consecutive possessions in last Sunday's 47-10 dismantling of the lowly Carolina Panthers, the Saints scored touchdowns on their first six drives against the Cowboys and were in control all the way as they led 35-16 at half-time.

 

Derek Carr threw for 243 yards on just 11 completions with two touchdowns - including a 57-yard screen pass to Kamara and a 70-yarder to Rashid Shaheed.

Kamara finished with 115 rushing yards and another 65 yards receiving, while Shaheed led New Orleans with 96 receiving yards on four receptions.

The Saints racked up 432 total yards of offence against Dallas (1-1) and became the first NFL team to score 44 or more points in each of their first two games since the 2009 Saints did it on the way to winning the franchise's only Super Bowl.

Paulson Adebo and Tyrann Mathieu each intercepted Dak Prescott once and the New Orleans defence sacked him three times en route to snapping the Cowboys' home winning streak in the regular season at 16 games.

 

Buccaneers win at Detroit to avenge play-off loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a measure of revenge, beating the Detroit Lions 20-16 in a play-off rematch.

Baker Mayfield put the Buccaneers (2-0) ahead with a dazzling 11-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter for the game's final score and Tampa Bay's defence stepped up late.

 

Christian Izien intercepted Jared Goff at the Tampa Bay nine-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, and the Lions (1-1) turned the ball over on downs at the Bucs' six-yard line with 53 seconds remaining and again at their 26 with two seconds to play.

Detroit also had an opportunity late in the first half to score points but couldn't get a play off after Goff completed an eight-yard pass to Amon-ra St. Brown in the middle of the field without a timeout remaining.

The Lions, who ended Tampa Bay's 2023 season with a 31-23 win in the divisional round of the play-offs, outgained the Buccaneers 463-216 in total yards but only scored one touchdown on a David Montgomery one-yard run.

Goff completed 34-of-55 passes for 307 yards but threw a pair of costly interceptions.

Mayfield was 12 of 19 for 185 yards with a 41-yard touchdown to Chris Godwin, who finished with seven catches for 117 yards.

 

Rodgers gets first win with Jets

Aaron Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns as the New York Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17.

The four-time league MVP earned his first win with the Jets after his 2023 season ended when he tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap of the year and this year began with a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

The 40-year-old quarterback threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to a 20-year-old Braelon Allen, making it a score between the NFL's oldest and youngest players. At 20 years and 239 days, Allen is the youngest NFL player to score a scrimmage touchdown since Arnie Herber was the exact same age in 1930.

Allen also scored on a 20-yard run, while Breece Hall rushed for 62 yards and had 52 yards receiving with a 26-yard touchdown reception.

 

New York took advantage of some sloppy play by the Titans, including another head-scratching decision by Will Levis.

A week after throwing a pick-6 while being sacked in a season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, Levis tried to shovel a backward pass to Tyjae Spears and Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams ended up recovering the loose ball at the New York 12-yard line.

 

Fairbairn's big leg, Texans' defence leads way in win over Bears

In a matchup between two of NFL's most highly regarded young quarterbacks, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans got the better of Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, holding on for a 19-13 win.

Stroud threw for 260 yards with Nico Collins on the receiving end of eight of those passes for 135 yards as the Texans improved to 2-0.

The two hooked up for a 28-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, and Houston got the rest of its scoring from kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.

The kicker with the big leg connected from 47, 53, 56 and 59 yards after drilling field goals from 50, 51 and 51 yards in Houston's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.

Fairbairn is the first player in NFL history to have two games with three field goals of at least 50 yards in his entire career, and he's done it in the first two games of this season.

 

The Texans' defence harassed Williams all night in his second career start. Houston intercepted this year's No. 1 overall draft pick twice and sacked him seven times.

Williams completed 23-of-37 passes for 174 yards and ran for 44 yards, while running back D'Andre Swift was limited to 18 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The Bears (1-1) finished with just 205 total yards of offence after being held to a mere 148 total yards in their comeback win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

 

Darnold leads surprising Vikings over 49ers

The Minnesota Vikings took out the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, winning 23-17.

Taking over the offence after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury last month, Sam Darnold helped the Vikings improve to 2-0.

Darnold was 17 of 26 for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns, including a 97-yarder to Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson finished with 133 yards receiving on four catches, and Ty Chandler rushed for 82 yards on just 10 carries for a Minnesota team that compiled 146 yards on the ground.

 

Jordan Mason led the 49ers (1-1) with 100 yards rushing and scored on a 10-yard run in his second start in place of All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, who has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least two more games with lower leg injuries.

Brock Purdy completed 28-of-36 passes for 319 yards, but only one throw went for a touchdown - a seven-yarder to tight end Geroge Kittle in the second quarter.

Aaron Judge has once again found his power stroke.

Judge hit his major league-leading 53rd home run to help the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Sunday.

Judge's two-run homer travelled 445 feet and bounced off the glass window of a restaurant beyond the centre field fence at Yankee Stadium.

It marked the slugger's second home run in three games following a career-high 16-game homer-less streak.

 

Gleyber Torres also homered for the Yankees (87-63), who took three of four games from the Red Sox to open a three-game lead atop the AL East over the second-place Baltimore Orioles.

The Red Sox (75-75), meanwhile, dropped 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the AL's final wild-card spot.

Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run homer off Yankees starter Carlos Rodón for his 31st home run of the season and sixth in the last nine games.

Those were the only runs permitted by Rodón, who yielded six hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn his career-best 15th win.

 

Phillies top Mets on Realmuto's walk-off single

For the second day in a row the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies rallied late, winning 2-1 on J.T. Realmuto's walk-off single in the ninth inning to hand the New York Mets another discouraging defeat.

The game was scoreless until Tyrone Taylor homered in the top of the eighth inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

The Phillies responded with Buddy Kennedy's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth, and won it an inning later on Realmuto's game-ending single off Edwin Díaz with two outs for his sixth career walk-off hit.

 

Philadelphia (90-59) reached the 90-win mark for the second year in a row by winning the final two games of the three-game series with New York after rallying for a 6-4 victory on Saturday.

Adding to the Mets' woes, All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor left the game in the second inning with back discomfort.

Lindor, who has been instrumental to New York's play-off push, also left Friday's game with low back soreness, and is scheduled to get an MRI on Monday.

In a bit of good news for the Mets (81-68), the Atlanta Braves later lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving New York tied with Atlanta for the NL's final wild card-spot.

 

Dodgers use seven-run ninth inning to beat Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored seven runs in the ninth inning - all with two outs - to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2.

Mookie Betts started the ninth-inning outburst with a tiebreaking single and Freddie Freeman followed with a two-run single.

The Dodgers then poured it on with Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy hitting consecutive home runs.

 

Los Angeles' big ninth started against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who had not allowed an earned run since June 16 - a span of 35 1/3 innings.

Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored for the Dodgers (88-61), who own a two-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League's No. 2 seed.

Matt Olson and Travis d'Arnaud drove in runs for the Braves (81-68), who are tied with the Mets with 13 games remaining.

Canada beat Great Britain to ensure their progress to the Davis Cup Final 8 on Sunday, with Denis Shapovalov beating Dan Evans and Felix Auger Aliassime overcoming Jack Draper.

Canada needed just one point from their final group-stage tie, and Shapovalov did the honours at the first time of asking by beating Evans 6-0 7-5.

Shapovalov won 100% of first-serve points as he dominated an opening set that lasted just 27 minutes, and though Evans came back into the encounter in the second set, a break in the final game sealed the deal for Shapovalov.

With Canada's progress secured, Auger Aliassime then added some gloss by overcoming US Open semi-finalist Draper 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 in a fiercely contested affair.

British pair Neal Skupski and Henry Patten beat Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 in the doubles, but it was of little consequence with their elimination already certain.

Argentina joined Canada in qualifying from Group D with a sweep of Finland, while Italy finished top of Group A in Bologna, thanks to the efforts of Flavio Cobolli.

He beat Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 as the Netherlands were forced to settle for second, after Matteo Berrettini had put the defending champions in the driving seat with a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.

World number one Jannik Sinner was present to support Berrettini, embracing him after he capped his fightback by converting match point. 

Australia and Spain had already sealed qualification from Group B prior to Sunday's matches, while the United States and Germany had clinched their progress from Group C.

The Davis Cup Final 8 will take place in Malaga between November 19 and November 24, with Italy hoping to become the first team to defend the title since the Czech Republic in 2013.

Max Verstappen lamented Red Bull's changes that left the RB20 "uncontrollable" at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. 

Verstappen could only manage fifth place around the streets of Baku, but remains 59 points ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished one place in front. 

But the Dutchman was the beneficiary of a collision involving Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap of the race. 

Verstappen has now gone six grand prix without a pole position and seven without a victory, last winning at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

The three-time world champion cited issues with his car during qualifying that seemed to carry over into the race, but is confident Red Bull can respond in Singapore next time. 

"I think the changes we did to the car were positive, but then you still need of course to do the set-up on the car," Verstappen said.

“I think we were heading in the right direction but then the changes that we made before qualifying tipped it over the edge.

"We paid the price for that in the race unfortunately.”

The Dutchman was able to further detail the difficulties he experienced on track, saying: “My wheels were literally coming off the ground. 

“Then of course you lose contact patch with the tarmac which you don’t want.

"That then caused me to slide a lot more, overheat the tyres more and there was no way to drive around it so the pace was just a bit all over the place.

“I had to box and then it was just a bit unfortunate I got stuck behind Alex and Lando.

"I was in that fight, George passed me, and then we actually had good pace, the two of us.

"We were catching the leaders but then as soon as I got close to George again within that window where you have the dirty air, because of the jumping that I’m dealing with I’m sliding already quite a bit.

“And then when I get close to him I’m sliding even more and that just tipped it over the edge where it becomes quite uncontrollable towards the end of the race, which was very difficult again.”

Luke Littler is eyeing redemption at the World Championship finals later this year after securing his maiden World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam on Sunday.

Littler, who won the Premier League in May, comfortably dispatched Michael Smith 11-4 in the final on Sunday with a 102.21 average after losing the first two legs. 

The 17-year-old began the day with a quarter-final triumph over Chris Dobey before turning on the style against home favourite Michael van Gerwen in the semis. 

Littler took home the £80,000 prize money but remains behind Dirk van Duijvenbode in the world rankings due to the tournament being an invitational one. 

The teenager rose to fame earlier this year with his impressive run at the World Championships, reaching the final but losing to world number one Luke Humphries. 

And Littler, who avenged Humphries in the Premier League final, wants to go one better at Alexandra Palace later this year. 

"I'm playing well so I will go back home and practice even more. There is no time to sit about, it's a busy winter coming up," Littler said. 

"Everyone wants to win everything but I've learned you can't do that. I would like to win another major [title].

"I want the Worlds as anyone else does but another major would mean the world."

Charles Leclerc pledged to learn from his mistakes after squandering pole position at Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing second to Oscar Piastri.

Leclerc started at the front of the grid in Baku for the fourth time in a row, having also claimed a memorable triumph for Ferrari at their home circuit of Monza last time out.

However, Piastri passed Leclerc on a straight on the 20th lap, and a spirited fightback was not enough for the Monegasque driver as the McLaren held on for his second win of the year.

The result means Leclerc remains third in the drivers' championship standings with 235 points, behind Max Verstappen (313) and Lando Norris (254), while Ferrari remain third in the constructors' table.

Speaking about his battle with Piastri after the race, Leclerc said: "It is enjoyable when you've got many opportunities every lap. 

"I think maybe McLaren had less downforce and in the straights they were very quick, in the corners we were a bit quicker. 

"I couldn't get as close as I wanted and eventually we lost the race when I didn't defend as well as I could have at the end of the straight. Sometimes you make mistakes and I'll learn from it."

Asked at what stage he realised victory was unlikely, Leclerc said: "I think as soon as we put the hard tyres on. On the medium we were very competitive, and the car felt good. 

"Unfortunately for me, we didn't do any high fuel running in FP1 and FP2. We went for a setup direction which in the race was a bit more difficult to manage. 

"McLaren and Oscar have done an exceptional job and done better than us."

Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, was pushing for a podium finish when he crashed with Baku specialist Sergio Perez, taking both drivers out of the race.

"It's a huge shame for Carlos on the last laps," Leclerc said. "Hopefully everyone is okay, and obviously it's not a great day for the team."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri labelled his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the most stressful afternoon of his life after claiming his second career win in Formula One. 

Piastri, who started second on the grid, emerged victorious ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to put McLaren at the summit of the constructors' championship. 

The Australian's team-mate, Lando Norris, managed a fourth-place finish in Baku having endured a difficult qualifying that saw him start in 17th on Sunday.

Piastri's triumph saw him move up to 222 points in the drivers' championship, and he is now 13 points behind Leclerc in third place. 

The McLaren driver performed a huge lunge on the inside on lap 20 to take the lead from the Monegasque, defending admirably to secure the victory in Azerbaijan. 

“I tried at the start of the race to get in front but once I dropped out of DRS I just didn’t have the pace,” said winner Piastri.

“After the stop, I saw we were pretty close again and I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip.

"I had to go for it because I knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint, I was never going to get past.

“I went for a pretty big lunge but managed to pull it off and then hang on for dear life for the next 35 laps.

"The last couple of laps, once [Leclerc] dropped out of DRS, were a little bit more relaxing, but there’s no such thing as a relaxing lap around here so it was hard work.

"It definitely goes down as one of the better races of my career.”

Piastri (two) and Norris (two) are the first pair of drivers to get two wins in the same season for McLaren since 2012 (Lewis Hamilton, four, and Jenson Button, three).

The Australian's victory also continued the British-based team's record of having one or both of their drivers on the podium in each of the last 13 races. 

It equalled their second-best run in the competition (13, which they recorded on two other occasions, between the United States and Portugal in 1990, and Germany 2011 and China 2012).

Up next on the F1 calendar is the Singapore Grand Prix, a race that saw Norris claim second last year, with Piastri finishing down in seventh. 

Oscar Piastri held off Charles Leclerc to claim his second win of the Formula 1 season in a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

And the Australian's victory means McLaren have leapfrogged Red Bull in the constructors' championship after an impressive run.

Leclerc started on pole in Baku for the fourth time in a row, and, after winning in Monza last time out, put himself in a good position to get a second consecutive win after a strong start.

However, Piastri took advantage on a straight in the 20th lap, stealing in front of the Ferrari, who he managed to hold off in the latter stages despite a spirited fightback from Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris started in P15 after struggling in qualifying, but after a brilliant opening stint, he then slipped in front of his championship rival Max Verstappen with two laps remaining, eventually finishing fourth.

There was still a thrilling finish, as Sergio Perez, who has scored the most points in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and Carlos Sainz both pushed to clinch the final podium spot and tangled in a huge crash on the penultimate lap, taking both of them out of the race.

George Russell benefitted from that to claim third, while his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished in ninth after a pit-lane start for taking a new engine ahead of the race. 

Data Debrief: McLaren gain the edge

McLaren now have a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the championship. It is the first time the team have held the lead after at least 17 Grands Prix since Brazil in 2005.

It was quite the result for Piastri, who has now finished in the top two in four of his last five F1 races (winner in Hungary and Azerbaijan, runner-up in Belgium and Italy). That is more than he managed in his previous 34 Grand Prix.

Norris will be pleased with his own exploits though, given where he started on the grid, and by nipping in front of Verstappen, he keeps his hopes alive in the drivers' championship. The gap is now 59 points.

Top 10

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

3. George Russell (Mercedes)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

7. Alex Albon (Williams)

8. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

10. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 313

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 254

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 235

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 476

2. Red Bull - 456

3. Ferrari - 425

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