It's fair to say that, eight weeks into the 2022 NFL season, it has been a year of surprises.
The New York Giants have six wins, the Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West and two preseason NFC favourites, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, have collapsed to 3-5 starts.
This is a campaign in which to expect the unexpected and, as such, three of the top quarterback displays from Week 8 heading into Monday Night Football are entirely in keeping with the theme of 2022.
While one star still shaking the rust off following an injury lay-off delivered the kind of game most have come to anticipate from him, the degree of accuracy displayed by the trio of signal-callers surrounding him at the top of Stats Perform's well-thrown rate chart by the end of Sunday's action was eyebrow-raising to say the least.
And there was one quarterback who tried and failed to find a new team in the offseason who rose above the rest.
Jimmy G's perfect day
There will never be a game that definitively decides the endless Jimmy Garoppolo debate in the Bay Area, where the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback who was meant to be elsewhere this season remains a beloved but polarising figure.
But nobody could argue Garoppolo was not excellent in Week 8 as the 49ers scored 24 unanswered points to sweep the Los Angeles Rams with an emphatic 31-14 win at SoFi Stadium.
So much of the attention in the immediate aftermath was rightly on Christian McCaffrey, who became the fourth player with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and touchdown reception in a single game since the 1970 merger in a remarkable performance just 10 days on from his trade from the Carolina Panthers.
However, Garoppolo also deserves a share of the spotlight following what was, by at least one measure, a perfect game from a quarterback frequently criticised for his volatility.
Garoppolo ended the defeat of the Rams with a 100 per cent well-thrown rate. Each of his 25 passes, excluding throwaways, was deemed to be accurate and well-thrown.
He is the 35th player to achieve such a feat and the second this season following Trevor Lawrence for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.
While Garoppolo averaged only 6.76 yards per attempt, he still completed a host of big-time throws, including a third-down touchdown shot to a leaping McCaffrey and a 56-yard bomb down the left sideline to Ross Dwelley that was followed by a perfectly placed ball to George Kittle in the back of the endzone on a sprint out pass that iced the game.
At 4-4 heading into the bye with a star-studded offense and a series of players still to return from injury on defense, the 49ers are ideally positioned for a surge down the stretch. They won't get perfect every game from Garoppolo, but if he maintains a level close to what he produced in Inglewood on Sunday, San Francisco will be a major threat in the NFC.
Air Marcus has Falcons on top
Marcus Mariota had hardly been trusted to throw the ball over the four games prior to Atlanta's wild win over the Carolina Panthers by head coach Arthur Smith.
Only once over those four games had he registered more than 20 passing attempts, but Mariota was allowed to air it out on Sunday, and the Falcons should be delighted by the manner in which he did so.
The former second overall pick delivered an accurate well-thrown ball on 92.6 per cent of his 27 pass attempts, maintaining remarkable accuracy while pushing the ball down field with consistency in a captivating shoot-out.
Mariota averaged 10.15 air yards per attempt against Carolina. Just five quarterbacks – Josh Allen (12.96), P.J. Walker (12.33), Tua Tagovailoa (11.79), Russell Wilson (11.04) and Jalen Hurts (11.04) – were more aggressive in that respect.
Of that quintet, Tagovailoa (82.4 per cent) and Wilson (84.6 per cent) were the only two signal-callers to even post a well-thrown rate of 80 per cent.
Mariota blended accuracy and deep-ball aggression in a way most quarterbacks struggle to replicate and, though he tossed an overtime interception that should have cost the Falcons the game, his performance may convince Smith to diversify his approach and shift to a more balanced attack as the 4-4 Falcons look to make a surprise run at the NFC South title.
Dak looks all the way back
The case could be made that the Cowboys were still running the 'Cooper Rush' offense in Prescott's first game back from a finger injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.
Dallas laboured somewhat in that one before pulling away and, though the Week 8 performance was not a faultless one from Prescott, it was one to breed hope the Cowboys can legitimately contend to go deep into the NFC playoffs with him at the helm of the attack.
Prescott posted a well-thrown rate of 92.3 per cent in the Cowboys' 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears, with arguably his most aesthetically pleasing throw coming on his first touchdown pass as he split safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker on a 21-yard rope to CeeDee Lamb on third-and-nine.
Third down did not prove a challenge for Prescott at any point. He completed five of his six third-down throws for 85 yards and a touchdown, with a Bears defense ill-equipped to stop the Cowboys consistently frustrated when they got into positions to get off the field.
An interception by Jackson was the sole blemish on the day for Prescott, who also had a rushing touchdown, and the room for improvement he clearly still has after a showing of this calibre should be of great excitement to the 6-2 Cowboys as they attack the second half of the season.
Fields fills Chicago with hope
The Bears did not produce the all-round performance to keep pace with the Cowboys, but it was another effort by last year's first-round pick Justin Fields to boost optimism around his prospects of blossoming into one of the league's better quarterbacks.
After finally building a gameplan around his athleticism in the Monday Night Football win over the New England Patriots, the Bears once again leant on Fields' mobility. He threw seven times on the move, with Chicago also implementing play-action and the quarterback bootleg into the attack.
The results were impressive as Fields finished the game with a well-thrown rate of 90.9 per cent while averaging 9.5 air yards per attempt. On top of that, he did not throw a single interceptable pass, though he did have one pick called back because of a roughing the passer penalty.
Fields was perfect on play-action, with all six of his passes from those concepts well thrown, and he would have had significantly more than 151 passing yards to his name had rookie receiver Velus Jones not dropped an outstandingly placed moonball down the right sideline from the Chicago 47-yard line in the second quarter.
But Fields still accounted for three touchdowns, throwing two and rushing for another in a 60-yard display on the ground. Though the Bears' decision to trade defensive stars Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith will play a role in limiting their wins in 2022, the Bears will be increasingly convinced Fields is the right man to rebuild the team around if he continues in this vein of form.
Anthony Joshua acknowledged he needed to "rest mentally" after being "torn apart" by his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, though he vowed he will eventually face Tyson Fury.
A 'Battle of Britain' clash between Joshua and Fury seemed set for December 3 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, only to for the bout to break down after negotiations collapsed.
The meeting between the two British heavyweights would have followed Joshua's rematch loss to Usyk, who successfully defended his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in August's title match in Saudi Arabia.
While Joshua suggested he will meet in the ring with Fury at some point, the former admitted he needed time off after a draining defeat to the Ukrainian.
"You saw after my last fight, it tore me apart," Joshua said in an interview with DAZN.
"I had so much riding on it, for me, the British fans, the undisputed fight, it just really tore me apart. So from a mental capacity, my close ones are telling me, 'you should rest mentally'.
"Physically, I'm down to fight. I'm a warrior, I like this game, I like competing. But on a mental aspect, I think people have really seen it means a lot.
"I was supposed to be in the ring on December 3. When you're saying, 'when are we going to see you back in the ring?' that was the date but obviously it's not happening.
"But I've got a good team and I've got to just leave certain things to them because all that other stuff, back and forth and social media, it's quite time-consuming. But you've got to play the game as well.
"And my dance partner, the last geezer I was supposed to fight (Fury), he's a good dance partner, he handles the social media side and I think we do good business behind the scenes to be fair.
"It will happen, we’re in the same era. Just as two competitors, two fighters. He's definitely someone that's a fighting man."
Joshua is yet to confirm his next opponent after failing to agree a deal with Fury, who settled for another all-British fight with Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.
The Chicago Bears' tear down continues.
The Bears traded two-time All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday for a 2023 second-round pick along with a fifth-round selection in next year's draft. Chicago acquired linebacker A.J. Klein in the deal.
Smith becomes the second high-profile defensive player traded by the Bears in less than a week after sending pass-rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday.
Smith leaves behind the rebuilding Bears to join a 5-3 Ravens team that is in first place in the AFC North.
Selected eighth overall in the 2018 draft, Smith requested a trade prior to the start of the season after being unable to work out a new contract before ultimately agreeing to play out his rookie deal.
The 25-year-old has been one of the league’s top linebackers and was looking to be paid like one.
He leads the league with 83 total tackles this season while also registering 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Since his rookie season, his 606 total tackles trail only Bobby Wagner for the most in the NFL and his 47 tackles for loss are tied for 14th.
In his final game with the Bears on Sunday, Chicago's defense was shredded in a 49-29 loss at Dallas, surrendering a season-high 442 yards with the Cowboys averaging 7.8 yards per play.
The loss dropped the Bears to 3-5, and the team has essentially conceded this season as general manager Ryan Poles goes into the offseason looking to build around Justin Fields, who put together a second straight encouraging performance in Week 8.
Chicago received a 2023 fourth-round draft pick for Quinn, who set a Bears franchise record for sacks in a single season last year with 18.5.
Auburn fired coach Bryan Harsin on Monday after less than two seasons in charge.
The decision was made to dismiss him after Saturday's 41-27 loss to Arkansas, dropping the Tigers to 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
That setback was the fourth straight loss for Auburn, which included a 42-10 drubbing to top-ranked Georgia on October 8.
"Auburn University has decided to make a change in the leadership of the Auburn University football programme," the school said in a brief statement announcing the move.
''Auburn will begin an immediate search for a coach that will return the Auburn programme to a place where it is consistently competing at the highest levels and representing the winning tradition that is Auburn football."
Auburn hired Harsin in December 2020 after he went 69-19 in seven seasons at Boise State, leading the Broncos to four Mountain West titles and three bowl victories.
He was unable to find similar success at Auburn, however, going 6-7 in his first season at the helm, with a 3-5 record in the SEC.
The Tigers also struggled mightily against top-tier competition, going 2-8 against ranked opponents in the 45-year-old's time in charge.
Auburn gave Harsin a six-year, $31.5million contract, and the school still owes him more than $15m as part of his buyout
Trinidad and Tobago swimmer Dylan Carter won his third gold medal at leg two of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 in Toronto, Canada on Sunday.
Carter won the men’s 50-metre butterfly event in 22.28 seconds at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre ahead of South African Chad Le Clos in 22.45 and Italian Thomas Ceccon in 22.60.
On Friday night, Carter also swam to gold in the men’s 50m freestyle before breaking his own national record on his way to gold in the men’s 50m backstroke a day later.
Carter now has six gold medals at the World Cup. At the first leg of the World Cup in Berlin, Germany from October 21-23, Carter won the 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke and the 50m butterfly, setting national records in the first two.
Rory McIlroy could not have scripted a better start to his latest PGA Tour season.
The Northern Irishman, making his 2022-23 debut at the CJ Cup in South Carolina, carded four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to claim his third win of the calendar year. The victory moved him back to number one in the world for the ninth time in his career, but the first time since July 2020.
"I've worked so hard over the last 12 months to get myself back to this place," he said afterward. "I feel like I'm enjoying the game as much as I ever have. I absolutely love the game of golf and I think that when I go out there and I play with that joy, it's definitely showed over these last 12 months. Yeah, it feels awesome."
The 33-year-old, who captured the Tour Championship in August, became the first FedExCup champion to open his season with a win since Tiger Woods did it at the 2007 Buick Invitational. He also became the fifth player since 1983 to successfully defend a title on a different course and joined Woods as the only player in Tour history to do it multiple times (McIlroy won the 2019 and 2022 RBC Canadian Opens at two different locations, while the CJ Cup moved this year to Congaree Golf Club from The Summit Club in Las Vegas).
As always, McIlroy used his prodigious skill set with the driver to power his way to victory. He averaged 323 yards off the tee at Congaree, marking the fourth-longest average by a winner in the ShotLink era. It was the 31st time of McIlroy's storied career where he has led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, the most of any player since 2020.
Tom Kim chugs along
Tom Kim shocked the golf world when he burst on the scene at the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship in August, when the youthful Korean came out of nowhere to shoot a final-round 61 and claim the regular-season finale.
The Korean would not be surprising anyone this year, though, especially after his breakout performance at the Presidents Cup. And yet there he was just a few weeks later, surprising everyone once again as he held up another trophy, this time at the Shriners Children's Open.
At 20 years, three months and 18 days old, Kim became the second-youngest player to win two PGA Tour events on the all-time list, behind only Ralph Guldahl, who won his second event in 1932 at 20 years, two months and 10 days.
Now trailing Kim on that list as a who's who of world-class players and Hall of Famers – Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith, Tom Creavy, John McDermott and some guy named Tiger Woods (he won his second event at 20 years, nine months and 20 days).
"Golf on the PGA Tour is really hard. It's really hard to win tournaments," said Kim, who also became the fastest Korean to multiple wins, taking just 18 starts. "You can't expect everything in life. I've just got to keep working hard on my game. I'm very fortunate to win twice on Tour and to be even out here. I think the mindset is for me I've just got to keep working hard and be grateful for what things come along."
Kim certainly makes the game look easy, despite what he may suggest. He became the first player since J.T. Poston in 2019 to go bogey-free in a tournament and win and was only the third to do it all-time (Lee Trevino first accomplished the feat in 1974). He hit 87.5 percent of his greens in regulation – the best mark by a Shriners winner since 2008 – and was a perfect 100 per cent in scrambling for the week.
Canadian Hughes nabs second win
But Kim was not the only player in October to card the second win of his PGA Tour career, as Canadian Mackenzie Hughes survived in the first play-off of the season to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.
The 31-year-old poured in an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to outlast Sepp Straka, notching his first victory since winning the RSM Classic six years ago. As the sun set over Mississippi, Hughes had to convert six critical putts over his final seven holes – four of them for par – before ultimately outlasting Straka.
"I kept telling myself the whole week that I was going to do it. That was the only thing I saw in my mind," Hughes said. "Those par saves down the stretch, I was just trying to will the ball into the hole."
It seemed to work. Hughes finished with a 91.67 scrambling percentage, the highest mark of his career and best since winning the aforementioned RSM Classic, where he finished with an 85 scrambling percentage (that was good for second at that event). His +2.31 average in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green was also the second-best average of his career, behind last year's RSM Classic, where he finished second after carding a +3.14 average.
"The second [win] felt harder because I've had to wait a lot longer for it," he said. "The first one came in my fifth tournament as a PGA Tour member. I felt like, 'Oh, man, this is going to be easy, I'm going to be able to rack up a few of these,' and it's been six years since I did that.
"It's been unbelievable. I didn't need the validation, but it's nice to be a two-time winner instead of a one-time winner and help to add to that tally."
Daniel Ricciardo believes spending time away from Formula One could act as a "blessing in disguise" after seeing his chances of staying on the grid next year diminish.
Since McLaren announced an early termination of Ricciardo's contract in August, the Australian has seen several vacant seats filled ahead of next season.
Only Haas now have an empty seat on the grid for 2023, but Ricciardo is not interested in joining the team.
Ricciardo offered a reminder of his quality when he overcame a 10-second penalty to finish seventh at Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix, and believes the opportunity to reflect on his achievements may allow him to return stronger in 2024.
Looking ahead to the 2023 campaign when speaking to Sky Sports, Ricciardo acknowledged: "I can confidently say I won't be on the grid, behind a wheel.
"But I still want to be in the sport, I want to be working with a team, still with the ambition to be back on the grid in 2024.
"I feel like a bit of time away from a race seat will actually do me good, and then [I'll] try to rebuild something for 2024.
"The way the seasons are, it's pretty relentless, you don't really get a chance to rebuild.
"Everyone's different, but I truly believe that will be, in a way, a blessing in disguise for me. By doing less, I'll achieve more."
Ricciardo has been linked with a reserve role at Mercedes since conceding a seat was unlikely for next year, but the Silver Arrows' team principal Toto Wolff was giving nothing away when asked about a potential move.
"We very much like him; he's a great character," Wolff said. "But we are not in a position yet to decide who is going to do reserve and be third driver."
Micah Parsons believes he deserves to play some snaps on offense after his stunning fumble return for a touchdown in the Dallas Cowboys' Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears.
Parsons put the Cowboys in command in the third quarter of their 49-29 win at AT&T Stadium on Sunday when he returned a David Montgomery fumble 36 yards for the score.
Dallas' star pass rusher forced Justin Fields from the pocket before he found running back Montgomery, who subsequently coughed up the ball after a hit from Leighton Vander Esch.
Parsons got back in position to recover the ball and, after realising Fields had leapt over him rather than touch him down by contact, evaded several scrambling Bears players to find the endzone and give the Cowboys a 42-23 lead.
It marked Parsons' first touchdown of his NFL career, and he now feels he should have the chance to add to that tally on offense.
"Zeke [Ezekiel Elliott] said I look just like him," Parsons said of his touchdown.
"I think I definitely deserve a rep now. They can't say they haven't seen it in a game. So hopefully I get thrown in a goal-line package or red-zone package."
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, whose team are 6-2 behind only the 7-0 Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, is concerned the score will lead to him being pestered by Parsons to play on offense.
"I was obviously very excited," McCarthy said. "But part of me is annoyed because he wants to be on offense already.
"Now I'm going to have a hard time keeping him out of my office."
Courtney Lawes will miss England's autumn international opener with Argentina on Sunday after the captain was omitted from Eddie Jones' squad.
The forward is continuing to struggle with symptoms following a head injury sustained in September, and had been mooted as a doubt for the match at Twickenham.
Ahead of England gathering for a pre-autumn camp in Jersey, Lawes had signalled his withdrawal, with his absence an expected one.
Regardless, his departure leaves questions over who will skipper the side, though Owen Farrell could take on the captaincy once more following his inclusion.
The back is continuing through return-to-play protocols himself and will go through the latter stages in camp.
Alongside Lawes, Lewis Ludlum misses out following an abdominal wall injury, with Sean Robinson called up to replace him.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 7-0, but A.J. Brown still does not believe they have played close to their best.
Brown was the star of the show for the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field as they routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13.
He caught six passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns in an emphatic demonstration of why the Eagles traded a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire Brown.
But the former Ole Miss star still sees plenty of room for the Eagles to improve as they bid to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
"This team is hungry and, most importantly, humble. We know there is a lot of work to be done," said Brown.
"We still have not played a complete game, and I promise you, everybody in this room is going to know when we play a complete game.
"Once we do that, the whole world will know that."
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is enjoying an excellent second season as the Philadelphia starter and has rapidly developed an excellent rapport with Brown.
They have combined for 659 yards and five touchdowns through the air, Hurts registering a passer rating of 121.8 when targeting Brown.
"I have a lot of trust in A.J. I think that’s a lot of the reason why he’s here," Hurts said. "We’ve always had a great relationship.
"It’s been beautiful to see how it’s unfolded throughout the year, personally for him and I, and us on the field.
"I always had a lot of admiration for his mentality. He's been doing great things for us, I'm proud of him as a friend and as a quarterback."
Hurts and Brown will look to develop their understanding further and move to 8-0 when they visit the Houston Texans on Thursday.Steve Kerr feels the Golden State Warriors look like they are playing "a pick-up game" rather than NBA-level basketball right now after their latest loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The Warriors went down 128-114 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, taking them to four losses for the season and leaving them mired in the lower half of the Western Conference.
With 38 free throws conceded, Golden State were also outscored by fast break and second-chance points throughout the encounter, slumped to a third loss in four games.
Kerr feels his side's struggles are self-inflicted, stressing the importance of being more disciplined.
"I always talk about the game being connected," he told reporters. "It just feels like we're putting ourselves in tough spots offensively.
"Then that translates to defense, and then we're late in either in transition or on rotations, and we just can't stop fouling.
"[There were] 38 more free throws tonight. We talk about it every day, but something has to click with our guys.
"I don't think they're all just blatant hacks. I think the way we're playing is affecting our defense. I think it looks like a pick-up game out there."
Kerr believes that if the Warriors can bring purpose and grit back into their performances., they will be able to turn their fortunes around.
"Until we do, then we're going to be experiencing games like this where [we] just never quite get the traction you need to build momentum," he added.
The Carolina Panthers did not place the blame for their defeat to the Atlanta Falcons squarely at the feet of D.J. Moore, despite his hugely costly penalty in the final moments of regulation.
A sublime touchdown pass from P.J. Walker to Moore looked to have stolen victory for the Panthers, tying the game with only 12 seconds left.
But the extra point that would have won it for the Panthers was pushed back by 15 yards after Moore ripped off his helmet in celebration and earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Eddy Pineiro's attempt from 48 yards missed, and the Falcons won 37-34 in overtime after another Pineiro miss.
Moore accepted his mistake, even if he described the celebration as "a natural reaction", as the Panthers slumped to 2-6, now two games back on the 4-4 Falcons in the wide-open NFC South.
Steve Wilks, the team's interim head coach, said: "We didn't find a way to finish. We had too many opportunities to win this football game, and we didn't find a way to get it done. And that falls on me.
"We've got to make sure we're smart enough. Something to learn from. Celebration penalty, big play like that, we've got to keep our poise.
"It was a great job with D.J. coming up with the big play in the end zone. Great pass by P.J. But as a team we've got to make sure that we're smart and just ready. Take it to the next level, next step."
Wilks added: "It didn't come down to that [penalty]. Of course, it would have given us an opportunity to win, but offense and defense, special teams, we could have had it way before then.
"And with me, I'm encouraging [Moore] and trying to build him up. I told him, 'Hopefully we give you the opportunity to come back and win it for us,' which unfortunately we didn't."
Moore had been a hero for the Panthers the previous week as he caught the opening TD pass from Walker in a shock defeat of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"D.J. is smart enough to understand that's something to learn from," Wilks said.
"Very talented player, glad he's on our team. But moving forward that's something we'll learn from, and we won't make that same mistake."
Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell claimed his first-ever Group E win on Sunday at the fourth leg of the 2022 Nitro Rallycross championship at Glen Helen Raceway in Los Angeles.
Aaron Rodgers warned "nobody feels sorry for us" and the Green Bay Packers must "take a beat" after the Buffalo Bills consigned them to a fourth consecutive defeat.
The Packers slipped to 3-5 with a 27-17 loss to the Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
Stefon Diggs took six catches for 108 yards, scoring a 26-yard touchdown as Green Bay's miserable run continued.
Rodgers had some harsh words for his team-mates on the Pat McAfee Show last week, stating: "Guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn't be playing, you know. Gotta start cutting some reps, and maybe guys who aren't playing, give them a chance."
The straight-talking quarterback says the Packers must find a way to stop the rot, with the Minnesota Vikings looking like running away with the NFC North at 6-1.
"Nobody feels sorry for us, and we've got to find a way to get one win," he said. "I feel like if we can just get one, then the whole momentum changes."
The Bills charged into a 24-7 half-time lead but were restricted to only three points in the second half.
Rodgers says Green Bay's first-half display was not good enough, but he took heart from their play in the second half.
He added: "We felt like the Packers again. I felt like, for whatever reason, we didn't have the confidence for a few weeks and weren't playing with a lot of energy, weren't amped up before the game, so I liked the way we felt before the game.
"Maybe it's not football, maybe it was being counted out, maybe it was this environment, but that's encouraging. But the play in the first half wasn't very encouraging."
The Packers lost Christian Watson to concussion early on, while De'Vondre Campbell departed with a knee injury and Quay Walker was ejected in the first half for shoving a member of the Bills staff.
Cooper Kupp is hopeful he dodged "a bullet" with the right ankle injury he sustained late in the Los Angeles Rams' defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The wide receiver was taped up during the postgame news conference, having looked to have rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter of his side's 14-31 loss, sparking fears of a potential lay-off.
But Kupp is optimistic he has not done serious damage as he waits to discover the extent of his injury.
"It just got rolled up a little bit," he said. "[My] foot got caught, but I think it was able to slide out of there before there was too much damage done.
"So, we'll see over these next few days how it responds. Right now, things are pointing towards dodging a bullet."
Rams head coach Sean McVay felt he should not have put Kupp - who made eight catches and scored a touchdown - in the position to suffer the injury in the first place.
The 29-year-old has no issue with his boss, stressing that such an injury is simply the nature of the game.
"Beyond just the coach that he is, he cares about his guys and about his players, and so I know he feels bad about that," he added.
"But at the end of the day you're playing a football game. So I obviously don't hold anything against him in that regard.
"It's a violent random game, and you play it as hard as you possibly can until the fourth quarter hits zero. And I can respect that and appreciate that."
Bill Belichick has become the outright number two in NFL career victories as a head coach after claiming his 325th win on Sunday.
The New England Patriots head coach surpassed George Halas' tally, notching up his 258th regular season scalp at the expense of the New York Jets.
Combined with the 36 wins he claimed in charge of the Cleveland Browns, along with postseason victories and six Super Bowl triumphs, Belichick now trails only Don Shula (347).
After a 22-17 win over the Jets, to move 4-4 for the season, the 70-year-old expressed his gratitude to the players who have enabled him to have such success.
"Maybe we can talk about that [his tally of wins] when it's over," Belichick stated. "Add them up at the end here or whatever. I appreciate all the great players we've had that have won those games.
"We had a couple of them in the locker room there. Besides our players -- guys like [Devin] McCourty and [Matthew] Slater -- [Jerod] Mayo, Troy Brown, those guys won a lot for us, for me. So it's really a team win."
Belichick's record now stands at 325 wins from 440 games, with Halas racking up 324 in 497.
He is significantly behind Halas for regular season victories as a head coach with one team, with his 258 wins in charge of the Patriots considerably fewer than the former Chicago Bears chief, who notched 318.
Christian McCaffrey declared he was "proud to be a 49er" after his rare touchdown hat-trick inspired San Francisco's 31-14 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Playing in only his second game for the Niners following his blockbuster trade from the Carolina Panthers, McCaffrey made a huge impact at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
The star running back ran for a touchdown, took a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to score another and also picked out Brandon Aiyuk with a 34-yard pass for a rare treble.
McCaffrey is the first NFL player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to achieve a touchdown trifecta feat.
He racked up 94 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards, as well as turning provider for wide receiver Aiyuk.
The 49ers stormed back in the second half to move to 4-4 ahead of their bye week and McCaffrey says the victory was more important than personal achievements.
"Obviously, those things are really cool," McCaffrey said. "I think the biggest thing is coming out with a win and playing a second half like that, too. ... But I'm just proud to be a 49er and it felt good to get a win today."
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan knows he is fortune to have McCaffrey after they got back on track despite being without Deebo Samuel.
"I think everyone knows how good of a player he is, but I just like how consistent he is and under control in what he does," Shanahan said.
"He's a very smart player, and he makes a lot of plays and stuff, but it's the consistency of how he plays his game. I feel like he was a great guy to add for us."
A win for the Niners leaves them second in the NFC West ahead of the 3-4 Rams.
New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green says Zion Williamson always makes the right play after marking his return from a hip injury with a double-double on Sunday.
The 2019 NBA Draft top overall pick scored 21 points, shooting nine-of-17 from the field, with 12 rebounds and seven assists in the Pelicans' 112-91 win over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.
Williamson had missed the Pelicans' past two games after suffering a posterior hip contusion in a heavy fall following a dunk attempt in their loss to the Utah Jazz last Sunday.
"Glad to have him back," Green said. "When he touches the ball - I've said it before - he makes the right play. Whether it's a score for himself or finding his teammates and kicking it out and continuing to move. He was fantastic."
Williamson missed all of last season with a broken foot having developed into an All-Star in his second season in 2020-21, averaging 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
The Pelicans power forward is averaging 22 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists across four games this season as he works his way back.
New Orleans have started the season 4-2 and loom as a danger side in the Western Conference with Williamson in full flight and he said he had developed his offensive game since his All-Star year.
"I would say before, I think I would rush it sometimes trying to see the open pass," Williamson said. "But now I just let it develop. I let the defense kind of shift towards me as soon as I see them take that shift.
"We got some special shooters on this team, and I'm able to find them and they knock the shots down."
Williamson also reassured that he was feeling better, albeit sore, after his hip injury.
"Still a little sore, man," Williamson said. "I've taken a lot of falls, but I ain't never had a fall like that one. But it was fine enough for me to play.
"Unless I'm truly injured, I'm going to be playing the game of basketball. That's just how I am."
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was almost brought to tears when speaking about Russell Westbrook buying in and delivering as a bench player after ending their winless start to the season.
Westbrook made a strong contribution for the Lakers, coming off the bench for the second straight game and playing 32 minutes with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers won 121-110 over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday to end their five-game losing run.
The 2017 MVP shot six-of-12 from the field including two three-pointers, while he was perfect with four-of-four from the free-throw line.
Westbrook's new role under Ham, who took over from Frank Vogel in the off-season, comes after the point guard was the subject of widespread criticism for the Lakers missing the playoffs in his first year at the franchise last season.
"I'm so happy for him," Ham told reporters. "Last couple of games, Minnesota and tonight, he's been phenomenal. Nothing short of amazing. But I'm so happy. I can't even imagine what that kid is going through.
"One of the biggest things about me getting this job was for him to get that respect that he deserved because a lot of what went on last year was not his fault.
"And everything, all the blame was placed on him. I told him, 'man, just listen to me, believe in me bro. I'm gonna put you in a position to succeed with the group, but you have to put the group first. I can't be about me or I or mine. It's got to be us, ours, we'. And he's done that."
Westbrook, who had 18 points and eight rebounds against the Timberwolves on Friday, may not have started on Sunday but he played a key role down the stretch, with a lay-up and two free-throws in the final two minutes.
"Like I've mentioned since day one, whatever is needed from me to help the team win, that’s what I'll do," Westbrook said.
The win improved the Lakers, who were the last winless team in the NBA, to 1-5 having missed the playoffs last season with a 33-49 record.
"I just think guys got tired of going through the same motions through the last four, five games where we've been highly competitive," Ham said. "I saw a different type of focus… It's a part of the process.
"Tonight we needed to prove something to ourselves, not the world, not to the media. That felt great how we responded throughout the game."
LeBron James top scored with 26 points, while power forward Anthony Davis was exceptional with 23 points and 15 rebounds but appeared to labor with a back issue.
"It's day by day," Davis said. "One day I feel great, the next day [I don't]. Just try to manage it and keep getting treatment. I'm not going to let that stop me."
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