Justin Jefferson's critical fourth-quarter catch in the Minnesota Vikings' thrilling Week 10 win over the Buffalo Bills will go down as one of the best of all-time, but for the All-Pro wideout it was simply a case of him meeting expectations he has held since childhood.
Jefferson's astonishing one-handed grab on fourth-and-18 with the Bills ahead 27-23 kept the Vikings' hopes alive in an instant classic, the 23-year-old arcing his body backwards and leaping to rip the ball away from Cam Lewis for a 32-yard reception.
Despite driving down to the Buffalo one-yard line, Minnesota failed to get across the goal-line, but the Vikings were handed a reprieve when Bills quarterback Josh Allen fumbled the snap after the turnover on downs, Eric Kendricks recovering to put the visitors ahead with 41 seconds left.
Allen led the Bills down the field for a game-tying field goal that forced overtime, in which the Vikings took the lead on a field goal after once again failing to convert from inside the Buffalo five-yard line following another Jefferson-inspired drive. That gave Allen the chance to win it for Buffalo with a touchdown, but he was intercepted in the endzone by Patrick Peterson as Minnesota clung on for a remarkable 33-30 success.
In a game of so many dramatic moments, it is the image of Jefferson wresting the ball from Lewis in mid-air while falling backwards that will be the defining one.
Yet the Vikings star appeared to see nothing extraordinary about his pivotal play.
"Before we left the huddle," Jefferson told Peter King for Football Morning in America.
"Kirk [Cousins] said to me, 'Hey, I might just throw this up to you.' Kirk knew. We just needed to make something happen.
"I felt how close [Lewis] was. I knew it was going to be a battle for the ball. On plays like that, I don't remember exactly what happened. But I'm going up, I'm going to fight for the ball.
"That's my ball. Since ninth grade, those are the balls I think I should catch. I'm just happy Kirk trusted me and put the ball up for me to catch."
Jefferson finished with 193 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. It marked his 20th career game with at least 100 receiving yards and saw him surpass Odell Beckham Jr. (19) and Randy Moss (19) for the most such games by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.
He has yet to play in a postseason game, but with his latest heroics helping the Vikings improve to 8-1, that appears destined to change.
Aaron Rodgers was delighted to "knock back" the negative voice in his head by leading the Green Bay Packers to an overtime comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers went into the game, which saw Rodgers go against former head coach Mike McCarthy, on a five-game losing streak that dropped them to 3-6.
Green Bay last week scored only nine points in a defeat to the Detroit Lions, with many viewing that as the final nail in their coffin.
Rodgers agreed that loss was a low point, but felt the Packers could only go in one direction from there.
He ensured they went on an upward trajectory, throwing three touchdown passes to rookie receiver Christian Watson as the Packers fought back from 28-14 down in the fourth quarter to see off the Cowboys 31-28.
"Last week was definitely a low, rock-bottomish for sure," Rodgers said. "Not in a depressive, isolationism way but more disappointment. And I felt like that was the bottom and it was only up from there.
"I think a lot of the battles that we face are between I and I, between the person that can go out there and dominate and knows that they can, and the little voice in your head that tries to knock you out of that confident perch around you.
"I'm happy that I knocked that voice back into hell and had a good performance today."
The Packers' win over the 6-3 Cowboys and the coach in McCarthy who led them to glory in Super Bowl XLV in the 2010 season keeps them alive in the NFC playoff picture.
They are 4-6, two games back in the loss column of the 5-4 San Francisco 49ers, who would be the seventh and final seed in the conference if the season ended today.
And Rodgers is hopeful it could be the start of a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes.
"That was a turning point for us, hopefully a turning point that leads us to go on a streak," Rodgers said of the fourth-quarter fightback.
"But that [trailing 28-14] was a chance for guys to [go], 'Ah, it's not our season, 3-7, what are we doing in the offseason, it's not gonna be our year.'
"It just felt like energetically something was gonna go our way, and we stuck together in the fourth."
Lewis Hamilton is "not concerned" about racing against Max Verstappen in future despite the two clashing in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
After a red flag on the opening lap in Sao Paulo, the restart saw the two familiar foes make contact heading into the second corner, forcing both off the track.
The incident dropped Hamilton from second to eighth, while Verstappen required a new front wing.
The world champion was handed a five-second time penalty for his part in the crash, which was reminiscent of a number of battles between the pair in their thrilling title battle last season.
Verstappen blamed his rival after the race, which Hamilton's team-mate George Russell went on to win while the seven-time world champion followed up in second to earn a Mercedes one-two.
"It cost him the race win and it gave me five seconds," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "It wouldn't have mattered anything for my race.
"I thought we could race quite well together but clearly the intention was not there to race."
Hamilton responded in the post-race press conference, saying: "I am not concerned.
"I think it's natural when you have the success and the numbers on your chest that you become a bit of a target.
"But it's okay, it's nothing that I've not dealt with before."
The clash with Hamilton was not Verstappen's sole controversy from the race, after he refused to hand sixth place to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who called Verstappen's decision "disappointing" with the Mexican battling Charles Leclerc for second place in the drivers' championship.
Former UFC light-heavyweight title contender Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson has died at the age of 38.
The American, who ended his UFC career with a record of 22 wins and six defeats, had been suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Johnson came out of retirement to join Bellator last year, but he was forced to pull out of a light-heavyweight title bout in September 2021 on health grounds.
Speaking to ESPN in October, manager Ali Abdelaziz said Johnson "was not doing well" and asked the MMA world to pray for him.
Bellator's official Twitter account confirmed on Sunday that Johnson had passed away.
"It is with great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson," the tweet read.
"The Bellator family is devastated by his untimely passing and we send our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Johnson also competed as a welterweight and middleweight in UFC, with 17 of his 23 overall career wins coming by knockout.
Amid all the furore around his appointment as interim head coach, Jeff Saturday may have been the coolest man in the building as he guided the Indianapolis Colts to a 25-20 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
In his first game as a head coach above the high school level, Saturday tasted a victory that will have gone some way to silencing his critics.
Saturday's lack of experience made the former Pro Bowl center unlikely candidate, with others among the Colts coaching staff seen as having more valid claims, but owner Jim Irsay had little hesitation in turning to the 47-year-old to replace the fired Frank Reich.
Despite all the controversy surrounding him, Saturday remained cool, calm and collected.
"In all honesty and in all truth, I felt very at peace," he said, before diverting all the praise to his players.
"I told the guys just all three phases was an incredible team effort. These guys have been through it.
"I told the staff, the coaches, the players, [about] the fortitude that they presented and the way they played. They laid it all out there and I just could not be more appreciative of those guys and the way they played.
"Everybody from offense, defense and, obviously, on special teams, these guys, they rallied and it's a special moment for all of those guys and I tipped my hat to all of them. It's just an honour to be a part of it."
"I just kept telling them, man, just keep pushing through and I said it's going to come down to the last play. It always does in the NFL. And who goes hardest, the longest ultimately wins.
"We made a couple plays there at the end that were spectacular."
In a surprising move, Saturday opted to return the starting quarterback role to veteran Matt Ryan, pivoting away from second-year youngster Sam Ehlinger.
Ryan was serviceable, completing 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards and no turnovers, but they relied on their running game to get the job done.
"I wanted to talk to the staff on Friday afternoon, but I knew what I was going to do," Saturday said of his call to bring Ryan back in.
"I knew everybody was with it and I felt like Matt gave us the best chance to win. I had the conversation with Sam, who was a true pro, and I have so much respect for that young man and the way that he's conducting himself and the type of team-mate he is."
The Los Angeles Rams are unclear on the severity of the ankle injury that forced Cooper Kupp out of Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but head coach Sean McVay says "it didn’t look good".
Kupp clutched his right ankle when he landed awkwardly trying to catch a fourth-quarter John Wolford pass and was checked by the Rams medical staff before walking to the locker room.
The Rams wide receiver, who also hurt his right ankle late in their Week 8 game but played the following week, did not speak to media afterwards.
"I don't have anything right now," McVay told reporters. "I just know it didn't look good, it didn't sound good."
Kupp, who won last year's Super Bowl MVP, has been the Rams' key offensive player this season. The wide receiver has 72 receptions for 813 yards with six touchdowns, with one rushing TD from nine carries this season.
The Rams' latest loss left the Super Bowl LVI champions with a 3-6 record, sitting last in the NFC West after three straight losses.
Kupp enjoyed an historic 2021 season, becoming the fourth player in NFL history to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the same season, alongside Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe and Steve Smith Sr.
The 29-year-old had 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in the 2021 regular season, before adding 33 receptions for 478 yards and six touchdowns in the postseason.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has never seen anything like Joel Embiid's performance at both ends in Sunday's 105-98 win over the Utah Jazz.
Embiid scored a career-best 59 points, with a joint career-high seven blocks, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
The Cameroonian scored 26 of Philadelphia's 27 final quarter points and more than half their total score, a feat not achieved in the NBA since Damian Lillard in 2019.
"I've seen a guy score a lot of points," Rivers told reporters. "I haven't seen guys score a lot of points, rebound, and then the blocked shots. That was impressive.
"He was just getting everything. I've never seen a more dominating performance when you combine defense and offense."
Embiid's teammates were left in awe too, with Matisse Thybulle labelling his stat line as "pretty ridiculous".
"It’s absurd. Actually, my friends were texting me after the game and they were like 'It's like a 2K stat line' and it's not one of those things you see in a real basketball game," Thybulle said.
"It's like when you pick one player on 2K and just do everything with him. It's pretty ridiculous if I'm being honest. It's amazing."
Embiid's 59 points is the best in the NBA this season, exceeding Darius Garland's mark of 51 set earlier on Sunday in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 129-124 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite his monstrous performance, Embiid played down the significance of his individual display.
"This is not about me. We did it as a team," the 28-year-old center said. "Obviously, the coaches put me in those positions, and obviously, my teammates fed me the ball. I thought we had great spacing around everything we were doing.
"Like I said, all the credit goes to my teammates just being in the right spots and trusting me and giving me the ball."
Embiid shot 19-of-28 from the field including making a three-pointer, which reinforced to him that it was going to be his game.
"When I finally made a three [I knew it was going to be a big game] because I’ve been shooting the ball so bad this year from three," he said.
"It was early in the game. I saw how they were guarding me. Just like last night, I'll take that every night. If they’re not gonna double team as much, I hope every team does it so I'll take it, but from the beginning... Obviously, in the fourth quarter with the game being so close, I just wanted to do whatever it took."
Joel Embiid flexed his muscles with arguably the best game of his career, with a season-best 59-point haul in the Philadelphia 76ers' 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Embiid was dominant in every facet, with his 59 points coming on 19-of-28 shooting, making 20-of-24 from the stripe, while having 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks.
The Sixers center is the first player since blocks became official in 1973-74, to record 50-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus blocks in a game.
Embiid is also the first player since Damian Lillard in 2019 to have more than half of his team's points in a game.
The Cameroonian erupted in the fourth quarter with 26 points, taking him into fifth spot for the best scoring performances in franchise history. It was a career-best points haul for 28-year-old Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey was Philadelphia's next best with 18 points and four steals, with James Harden still out with a foot injury.
The Jazz had no answers to Embiid, who had scored 42 points on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, with Malik Beasley scoring 18 off the bench while Lauri Markkanen had 15 points with 10 rebounds.
Garland briefly holds season-high points haul
Darius Garland piled on 27 fourth-quarter points for a career-high 51 points, but he could not lift the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 129-124.
Garland's 51 points, which included 10 triples, was briefly a league season-high, before Embiid's monster game for the Sixers.
The Timberwolves led by 24 points late in the third before the Cavs rallied, led by Garland, who became the fourth Cleveland player to reach 50 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points with 13 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell added 30 points with 12 assists.
AD lifts Lakers without LeBron to snap skid
Anthony Davis stepped up in LeBron James' absence, scoring 37 points with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their five-game losing run with a 116-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Davis shot 15-of-25 from the field, while bringing down 10 offensive rebounds among his 18 for the game, with Lonnie Walker adding 25 points, making four-of-five from beyond the arc.
Kevin Durant was a lone hand on offense for the Nets with Seth Curry, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving all absent. Durant scored 31 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry hit 27 points as the Golden State Warriors' winless road run (0-7) extended to 0-7 after being downed 122-115 by the Sacramento Kings.
Joel Embiid flexed his muscles with arguably the best game of his career, with a season-best 59-point haul in the Philadelphia 76ers' 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Embiid was dominant in every facet, with his 59 points coming on 19-of-28 shooting, making 20-of-24 from the stripe, while having 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks.
The Sixers center is the first player since blocks became official in 1973-74, to record 50-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus blocks in a game.
Embiid is also the first player since Damian Lillard in 2019 to have more than half of his team's points in a game.
The Cameroonian erupted in the fourth quarter with 26 points, taking him into fifth spot for the best scoring performances in franchise history. It was a career-best points haul for 28-year-old Embiid.
Tyrese Maxey was Philadelphia's next best with 18 points and four steals, with James Harden still out with a foot injury.
The Jazz had no answers to Embiid, who had scored 42 points on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, with Malik Beasley scoring 18 off the bench while Lauri Markkanen had 15 points with 10 rebounds.
Garland briefly holds season-high points haul
Darius Garland piled on 27 fourth-quarter points for a career-high 51 points, but he could not lift the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 129-124.
Garland's 51 points, which included 10 triples, was briefly a league season-high, before Embiid's monster game for the Sixers.
The Timberwolves led by 24 points late in the third before the Cavs rallied, led by Garland, who became the fourth Cleveland player to reach 50 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points with 13 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell added 30 points with 12 assists.
AD lifts Lakers without LeBron to snap skid
Anthony Davis stepped up in LeBron James' absence, scoring 37 points with 18 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their five-game losing run with a 116-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Davis shot 15-of-25 from the field, while bringing down 10 offensive rebounds among his 18 for the game, with Lonnie Walker adding 25 points, making four-of-five from beyond the arc.
Kevin Durant was a lone hand on offense for the Nets with Seth Curry, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving all absent. Durant scored 31 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry hit 27 points as the Golden State Warriors' winless road run (0-7) extended to 0-7 after being downed 122-115 by the Sacramento Kings.
The San Francisco 49ers had a dominant second half to end the Los Angeles Chargers' dominance over them with a 22-16 victory at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
The Niners' running game came to the fore in the second half, taking the lead for the first time with 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter after Christian McCaffrey's touchdown.
San Francisco went 12-0 in the second half, turning around a 16-10 half-time deficit, ending the Chargers' five-game streak against them. The win means San Francisco claimed back-to-back victories to improve to 5-4, while the Chargers dip to 5-4 having lost two of their past three games.
The Niners enjoyed more possession, rushing for 157 yards compared to the Chargers' 51, with Elijah Mitchell (89 yards on 18 carries) and Deebo Samuel (27 yards on four carries) contributing well on their returns from injury.
Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed 15 of 23 passes for 197 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, although he ran in a TD late in the first half.
Garoppolo linked up with Brandon Aiyuk, who had six receptions for 84 yards, on a 24-yard pass leading to McCaffrey's decisive rushing two-yard TD.
The Chargers scored on the opening drive of the game when QB Justin Herbert pinpointed DeAndre Carter on a 32-yard deep left pass.
In the final two minutes, a one-handed Josh Palmer could not reel in a desperate fourth-down pass from Herbert, who finished the game on 21-of-35 passing for 196 yards with one TD and one interception, before Robbie Gould made it a six-point game with a 20-yard field goal.
Miami Dolphins edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his triceps in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, according to multiple reports.
Ogbah exited in the second quarter with what was initially termed an elbow injury, and did not return to Miami’s 39-17 win.
The injury ends a disappointing campaign for Ogbah, whom the Dolphins re-signed to a four-year, $65million contract in March. The seven-year veteran managed just one sack and 11 tackles in nine games.
Ogbah was coming off back-to-back nine-sack seasons and ranked second among Dolphins players with 12 passes defensed in 2021.
Miami did address a need for pass-rush help at the recent trade deadline by acquiring outside linebacker Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos on November 1. The Dolphins signed the impending free agent to a five-year, $110m extension shortly after the trade.
The Dolphins also have 2021 first-round pick Jaelan Phillips and veteran Melvin Ingram available as edge rushers.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was on the verge of tears as he faced the media following his side's third consecutive loss, dropping their record to a borderline unsalvageable 2-7.
The Raiders were favourites at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday after the visitors named a new interim head coach and offensive playcaller during the week, but an explosive performance from running back Jonathan Taylor carried the Colts to a 25-20 win.
Las Vegas committed no turnovers, but struggled to move the ball, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry on 24 attempts, while the Colts had 207 rushing yards from 30 attempts, buoyed by a 66-yard touchdown scamper from Taylor.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Carr had to pause several times to gather himself as he tried to explain how it does not feel to him that every member of the team is giving their all.
"I can't speak for everybody – I know where I stand, I love the silver and black, and I'm going to give it everything I can every time I'm out there," he said.
"I love [head coach] Josh [McDaniels], I love our coaches. They've had nothing but success – way more than I've ever had.
"I'm sorry for being emotional, I'm just p***** off about some of the things that a lot of us try and do just to practise, and what we put our bodies through just to sleep at night.
"For that to be the result of all that effort, it p***** me off, it p***** a lot of guys off. It's hard… I wish everybody in that room felt the same way about this place.
"As a leader, that p***** me off, if I'm being honest."
He said there was a players' meeting immediately after the loss where leaders addressed their concerns "man-to-man".
"We had our leaders address it man-to-man just now," he said. "It was good, it needed to be done, it needed to be said, and I think for me, I'm always going to just show the way.
"I'm going to show the way, show them what it looks like, show them how hard it is. In the huddle in the second quarter I told them 'this is going to be hard, but we're going to come back and win this game, I believe it'.
"It's going to be hard, though. It's not going to be easy, you've got to do the hard things. Josh always preaches 'do the hard things right'.
"I'm not perfect, I'm never going to be perfect, but the love I have for this place and the effort I give is going to be second-to-none every time.
"I think the emotion of just nine years of stuff hit me today, for how much I really love this place. It's not going to change anything, I'm going to come out here and fight and compete next week, and that's what I'm going to do."
When asked if he believes the coaching staff needs to take accountability for their six losses by one-possession margins – including three blown leads of at least 17 points – Carr refused to point the finger.
"We all take accountability, and the NFL, it's one-score games all the time," he said. "So this team has to learn how to finish those.
"There's been so many of them – six, right? You flip all of those, and everyone is feeling good about it, and I'd feel great about everything.
"That just isn't the case, but it's on all of us. But for me, I'm going to speak for myself and I'm going to come in, take my coaching from Josh, and he'll be hard on me like he always is.
"And I'm thankful for it, we'll keep going forward, and all that. I think if everyone takes that mindset, that's when you get better."
The Raiders travel to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 11, needing a win to keep their slim playoff chances alive.
Green Bay Packers rookie Christian Watson was the star of the show in his side's 31-28 comeback win in overtime against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
With no career receiving touchdowns coming into the contest, the second-round draft pick got one on the board in the first quarter, reeling in a deep ball for a 58-yard touchdown in response to CeeDee Lamb's opening score.
A 12-yard rush from Aaron Jones would give the Packers a lead, before Dalton Schultz tied things up with the fourth touchdown of the first frame.
Second-quarter scores to Cowboys running back Tony Pollard and a second for Lamb gave their side a 28-14 lead at halftime, but Dallas would not score the rest of the way.
Watson brought it back to a one-possession game with his second touchdown to begin the fourth quarter, and he struck again with 2:29 remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
After the Cowboys failed to convert a fourth down in the extra period, the Packers marched downfield and set-up a game-winning 28-yard field goal for Mason Crosby.
With Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers desperate for a new go-to option, Watson was targeting on eight of his 20 passes for a whopping 40 per cent target share. For reference, Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams leads the league with a 31.7 per cent target share entering Week 10.
Watson caught four of his eight targets for 107 yards and three touchdowns, while to all other receivers Rodgers completed 10 passes for 117 yards and no scores.
Saturday gets his first Sunday win
In his first game as a head coach above the high school level, Indianapolis Colts legend Jeff Saturday led his team to a 25-20 road win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In a surprising move that was not announced pre-game, interim coach Saturday opted to return the starting quarterback role to veteran Matt Ryan, pivoting away from second-year youngster Sam Ehlinger.
Ryan was serviceable, completing 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards and no turnovers, but they relied on their running game to get the job done.
Star running back Jonathan Taylor was the Colts' workhorse, carrying 22 times for 147 yards and two scores, highlighted by a 66-yard touchdown run to take the lead in the third quarter.
Floyd Mayweather collected a routine victory in his exhibition boxing match against YouTube star Deji Olatunji on Sunday.
Mayweather, who is considered one of the greatest boxers to ever live, was never threatened, slowly building his pace in the eight-round fight.
He finished the job in the sixth round with an extended flurry, allowing the referee to step in and call it off for a TKO victory.
It is Mayweather's third exhibition since May as he continues to accept fights from non-professional boxers, having last fought professionally against Conor McGregor back in 2017, while his last win against a boxer was in 2015.
Speaking in the ring to DAZN after the result, Mayweather pointed to some swelling under his own eye as an indication that the crowd got their money's worth.
"I'm glad that he landed a good shot, this is part of fighting, this is a part of entertainment," he said. "These people want to see entertainment, and fun, and that's what we both gave them tonight."
He finished with some encouraging words to his opponent, saying "you're a hell of a fighter, a hell of a competitor, keep up the great work, and keep building".
Taylor Fritz stunned Rafael Nadal on his ATP Finals debut on Sunday, producing a powerful display to beat the 22-time grand slam winner 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in the duo's group-stage opener.
The American put Nadal under pressure from the off in Turin, failing to give up a single break point as he dominated on his own serve to take the 36-year-old to a tie-break in the opening set.
Nadal allowed Fritz to seize the initiative with a double fault at the start of that tie-break, and the American grasped his opportunity by clinching the first set with a big forehand winner.
The top seed's struggles continued into the second set as Fritz, moving well and dictating proceedings from the baseline, claimed the match's first break four games in before going 5-1 up by repeating the trick in a back-and-forth sixth game.
Fritz then wrapped up the win with another dominant display of serving, clinching his second victory over Nadal and denting the Spaniard's bid to win a title that has eluded him throughout his illustrious career.
Having been beaten by Tommy Paul at the Paris Masters and Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, Nadal has now suffered three consecutive defeats, and he must bounce back when he faces Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Nadal – 7/4
Fritz – 8/1
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Nadal – 18/4
Fritz – 23/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal – 0/0
Fritz – 2/9
Kyrie Irving remains suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for his sharing of problematic material on Twitter, and he took to the social media platform again on Sunday in an attempt to explain himself.
Irving, 30, played a career-low 29 games last season as he took a stand against New York's vaccine mandate, and he has a list of tasks to complete before he can return to the floor for this campaign.
The former champion with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers is facing intense backlash after sharing a film containing anti-semitic conspiracies, and when initially asked to apologise, he refused, instead choosing to dance around the subject without taking accountability.
Irving eventually did issue an apology after his suspension was announced, and he vaguely tweeted again on Sunday in defense of his character.
"I was not put here on earth to participate in any religious/political wars or incite racial disharmony/prejudice within communities," he wrote.
"We are all equal under the sun and I am here to participate in the building of an Equal world and follow the Word from the Most High/GOD/YAH."
Irving has met with league commissioner Adam Silver, who is Jewish, and still has to meet with Jewish leaders in order to fulfil the requirements set before he can begin the process of returning to play.
Josh Allen threw an overtime interception as the Justin Jefferson-inspired Minnesota Vikings fought back to prevail 33-30 in the game of the NFL season so far.
Minnesota looked set to fall short in the biggest test of their credentials as contenders to date when Greg Joseph missed an extra point after a C.J. Ham touchdown to leave the Vikings trailing 27-23 in the fourth quarter.
Yet an already engrossing contest to that point served as merely a prelude to an inexplicable finale that ensured this game will go down as an all-time classic.
The Vikings' hopes looked to be over when they faced fourth and 18 on their own 27-yard line with two minutes remaining, only for Jefferson to produce an astonishing show of athleticism to leap and bend backwards to snatch a desperation throw away from the clutches of Bills defender Cam Lewis and keep the drive alive.
Six plays later, after two more completions to Jefferson, the Vikings had fourth down at the Bills' one-yard line. Dalvin Cook's drop of a Kirk Cousins pass looked to have sealed the game for Buffalo, but the Bills were flagged for offside. The Vikings did not take their second chance, though, with Cousins stopped short on a quarterback sneak.
Incredibly, however, the Bills likewise could not execute a quarterback sneak from their own goal-line, Allen fumbling the snap into the hands of Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks for a go-ahead touchdown.
Allen still had 36 seconds to force overtime and, with the help of a hugely controversial diving catch from Gabe Davis, he did just that, setting up Tyler Bass for a game-tying 29-yard field goal.
The Vikings won the coin toss and, though they again failed to find the endzone after a stunning 24-yard throw from Cousins to Jefferson put Minnesota on the Buffalo two-yard line, the boot of Joseph gave them the lead.
Minnesota's profligacy meant Allen had the chance to win the game with a touchdown, but having driven the Bills to the Vikings' 20-yard line, Allen threw his fourth red-zone interception in two games to Patrick Peterson as Kevin O'Connell's visitors held on to triumph and move to 8-1. A second straight loss drops the Bills to 6-3.
Chiefs in cruise control
While the Bills, their primary AFC rivals, lost the game of the year, the Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed a much calmer afternoon, easing past the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-17 thanks to a four-touchdown day for Patrick Mahomes.
They now have the lead of the AFC at 7-2, with the Miami Dolphins their closest challengers at 7-3 as a 39-17 win over the Cleveland Browns moved Mike McDaniel's team to the top of the AFC East ahead of the Bills, who are now third in their division. The Tennessee Titans are 6-3 after a 17-10 defeat of the Denver Broncos.
Fields heroics not enough for Bears
Justin Fields is emerging as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL over recent weeks, and he delivered another scintillating showing for the Chicago Bears versus the Detroit Lions.
Fields threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 147 yards and another two scores, including an incredible 67-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. However, a missed extra point gave the Lions a chance to win with a touchdown, and Jamaal Williams clinched it for Detroit with a one-yard run that sealed a 31-30 triumph.
The Bears made unwanted history in defeat, becoming the first NFL team ever to score at least 29 points in three consecutive games and lose all three.
George Russell was lauded by team-mate Lewis Hamilton after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, with the first-time Formula One race winner left "speechless" by his success.
Having won Saturday's sprint race, Russell led from the start in an eventful race on Sunday, coming out on top after two restarts following safety cars at the Interlagos Circuit.
Russell had to fend off Hamilton – who had earlier clashed with Max Verstappen but come away largely unscathed and unpunished – after the second safety car, but there was no bad blood between the Mercedes duo at the end.
"What an amazing feeling," said Russell after sealing Mercedes' first win of the season. "Just a huge thank you to the whole team for making this possible.
"It has been an emotional rollercoaster this season. This was a tough race, I felt in control.
"Lewis was super-fast and when I saw the Safety Car, I thought this is going to be a really difficult end, he put me under so much pressure.
"I am speechless. On the in lap, all of these memories start flooding back, starting with my mum and dad at go-karting and going through to all of the support I have had from the rest of my family, my girlfriend, my trainer, my manager.
"The list is endless. I can't thank them all enough, I am super proud."
Hamilton said: "A huge congratulations to George. What an amazing drive he did today.
"He did an amazing qualifying yesterday, so he truly deserves it. To my team, so proud of everyone back at the factory and here. This is an incredible result.
"We’ve worked so hard through this year to get a 1-2 and to get a win, and so this is hugely deserved by everybody so a huge thank you."
On his collision with old rival Verstappen, who received a five-second time penalty, Hamilton added: "What can I say, you know how it is with Max."
The harmony in the Mercedes camp was not replicated in the other teams.
While Red Bull's Sergio Perez was left infuriated by Verstappen, who refused to hand sixth place back to the Mexican after failing to overtake Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc also wanted Ferrari to concede Carlos Sainz's place on the podium to boost his chances of finishing second in the world championship.
Leclerc will now head into the final race in Abu Dhabi on level points with Perez.
"I think we can be happy with that," said Sainz. "It is a shame that Mercedes are so quick but congratulations to George."
Tony Finau collected the third win from his past seven PGA Tour starts as he cruised to a convincing four-stroke triumph at the Houston Open on Sunday.
Finau's four-stroke lead was the same buffer he held coming into the final trip around Memorial Park Golf Course after posting rounds of 65, 62 and 68.
After winning back-to-back events in July at the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Finau – who finished with a final-round score of 16 under – has now won more titles in his past seven starts than he did in his first 211 to begin his career (two).
Speaking to NBC after stepping off the final green, Finau admitted he was not comfortable in such an unfamiliar position with a giant lead.
"It feels great – honestly, on the first hole I didn't know if I had it in me today," he said. "It was one of those days where I just fought, and fought, and I made a lot of nice putts on the front-nine to calm me into things.
"I've never been in this position before, with that big of a lead with nine holes to play. A lot of new nerves, I would say, but overall as the round went on I felt better, and I'm just happy to get the 'W' today.
"I've always had belief, but the confidence when you win is contagious. I've always been a very hopeful person, I work extremely hard on my body and my game, and now I'm starting to bear the fruits of that labour. It feels amazing to have that be the case.
"You never know what's going to happen in this game, but you always try to put your best foot forward, that's what I've done over the years, and I'm starting to put together a pretty full-package game."
Alone in second place at 12 under was Tyson Alexander, who had never previously finished better than tied for 44th in his seven PGA Tour starts.
Ben Taylor was the only player at 11 under in third, and there was a further three-stroke gap to the rest of the field.
World number two Scottie Scheffler finished tied for ninth at six under for his second consecutive top-10 finish, while former world number one Jason Day was one further back.
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