Thursday night’s marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs features two potent offenses, but one team will be decidedly short-handed with decorated Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Allen was forced to leave the Chargers’ Week 1 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half after he had four receptions for 66 yards. Allen said he felt a slight pull, and the hamstring tightened after he planted his foot to the turf during the second quarter.
Coach Brandon Staley on Tuesday said Allen's injury ''is going to take some time''.
Without Allen, fellow receivers Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer figure to assume enlarged roles, with DeAndre Carter also likely to see increased playing time. Both Palmer and Carter had three catches against the Raiders.
Allen has been mostly durable during his 10-year career and has appeared in 16 games in four of the previous five seasons. The only significant time he missed was after he tore his ACL in the opening week of the 2016 season.
The 30-year-old Allen has caught at least 95 passes each of the past five years, tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history. He leads the league in catches over the past five seasons, where he has posted at least 1000 receiving yards in each and is a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the third round of the Slovenia Open after a convincing 6-4 6-1 victory against Tereza Martincova on Wednesday.
Rybakina, who in July became Kazakhstan's first ever grand slam champion, was too strong for her Czech opponent, creating 14 break point opportunities in the match while only facing two herself.
Her first serve accuracy was not great at 52 per cent, but she was devastating when she landed it fair, converting 21-of-24 chances.
Rybakina will face Lesia Tsurenko in the next round after the Ukrainian upset fifth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
Second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia also had no issue navigating the challenge of Cristina Bucsa 6-1 6-4, and she will meet Ana Bogdan in the third round after the Romanian defeated Tamara Zidansek 6-1 6-7 (7-5) 6-1.
Meanwhile, in India at the Chennai Open, popular Canadian Eugenie Bouchard collected consecutive wins for the first time March 2021 following a lengthy recovery from shoulder surgery.
The 28-year-old defeated Karman Kaur Thandi 6-2 7-6 (7-2) as she looks to climb back up the rankings, currently sitting 902nd in the world after peaking at number five back in 2014.
Earlier in the day, sixth seed Qiang Wang was upset by Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino 6-2 6-3, while fifth seed Rebecca Peterson was also eliminated, going down 6-4 6-2 to Linda Fruhvirtova.
Wrapping up the day's action, Canada's Rebecca Marino booked a potential showdown with third seed Magda Linette after beating Poland's Katarzyna Kawa 7-5 6-3.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has defended his decision to not impose a lifetime ban on Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver following the outcome of an independent investigation into his tenure with the franchise.
The scathing 43-page report found Sarver was known to make a number of inappropriate comments to women in the workplace – including discussing oral sex at a business meeting as recently as 2021 – as well as repeating the n-word on five occasions in situations he claimed he was "recounting the statements of others".
There is precedent for forcing an owner to sell his team, with former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling receiving a lifetime ban from the league in 2014 – barring him from owning a team, entering the Clippers facility, and ever attending an NBA game.
Instead, Sarver was issued with a $10million fine and one-year suspension, in a ruling that caused superstar LeBron James to come out and tweet "our league definitely got this wrong".
But when addressing the media following Wednesday's meeting with the Board of Governors, Silver said they were very different situations, and that Sarver's comments were "wholly of a different kind than we saw in the [Sterling] case".
That outlook comes from the authors of the investigative report concluding that Sarver's behaviour was not the result of "racial or gender-based animus", giving him the benefit of the doubt with what they describe as his "sophomoric" sense of humour and desire to provoke.
"I think all of us would want to be judged by the totality of all we’ve done, good and bad," Silver said.
"His track record of hiring, his track record of support for particular employees. There were many, many people who had very positive things to say about him. I took all of that into account."
Silver repeatedly defended the 60-year-old real estate developer, saying he had taken "complete accountability and seemed fully remorseful" during a recent conversation, and asserting that he had done "many very positive things" during his time as owner of the Suns.
When asked why Sarver should be allowed to retain ownership of the team when any other employee would surely be fired, Silver highlighted the difficult process of actually removing an owner, and implied that the hit to Sarver's reputation is a punishment in itself.
"There are particular rights here for people who own an NBA team," he said.
"There’s no neat answer here. Owning property, the rights that come with owning a team, how that’s set up within our constitution… is different than holding a job. It just is, when you own a team. It’s just a very different proposition.
"The consequences are severe here for Mr. Sarver, reputationally. It’s hard to even make those comparisons to somebody who commits an inappropriate act in the workplace in an anonymous fashion, compared to what is a huge public issue.
"In terms of future behaviour, he’s on notice. He knows that."
In a statement on Tuesday, Sarver said he disagrees "with some of the particulars of the NBA's report".
Week 1 didn't go to plan for a host of NFL teams expected to contend to go deep into the postseason.
As a result, fantasy owners who picked players from those apparent contenders may have seen their line-ups fail to deliver the points needed for victory.
But in many cases, Week 1 is not indicative of how a team's season will pan out, with the opener often seen almost as an extension of the preseason.
There is plenty of time for teams to get back on track, especially following the advent of the 17-game season, and the four players and a defense selected as this week's fantasy picks all come from teams who will be looking to bounce back from defeat in Week 1 on Sunday.
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons
Is it time to worry about Stafford after his and the Rams' opening night shocker against the Buffalo Bills?
Probably not, but it may well be if those struggles are repeated against the Falcons.
The Falcons allowed the ninth-most yards per play in the NFL last season and conceded 16 fourth-quarter points in their collapse versus the New Orleans Saints last week.
Stafford should have no problems exploiting their defense and rebounding in style with a performance to delight fantasy owners.
Running Back: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys
Mixon struggled to get going against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Bengals' remarkable overtime loss last week. He should not have the same difficulty against the Cowboys, who were gashed for six yards a carry by Leonard Fournette of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
With Mixon also making seven catches and winning his matchup with a defender on six of his nine targets against Pittsburgh, according to Stats Perform data, he should also be in line for plenty of touches through the air as Joe Burrow and the Bengals look to frustrate a Dallas pass rush that should have plenty of success against their offensive line.
Mixon likely won't come close to the 34 touches he had last week, but he will still be heavily involved and will be expected to have much more success on the touches he does receive against a defense that showed scant resistance to the ground game in its opener.
Wide Receiver: Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
With the 49ers' starting running back, Elijah Mitchell, going down with a knee injury in Week 1, the lion's share of the carries in the backfield are up for grabs.
Chances are they won't go to Mitchell's backups in the running back room, but to Samuel, San Francisco's 'wide back'.
The versatile wide receiver was the heartbeat of the 49er offense down the stretch in their run to the NFC Championship Game last season and had eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's surprise Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears.
With Mitchell on the sideline, Samuel should see a much larger workload against a Seahawks defense that surrendered 5.2 yards per rush on Monday against the Denver Broncos.
Through the air last season, Samuel racked up 156 yards and two touchdowns in his lone game against the Seahawks. With the prospect of additional running back work on top of his receiving targets, Samuel could be the difference for the Niners and for scores of fantasy players in Week 2.
Tight End: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals
After giving up 121 yards and a touchdown to Travis Kelce in their blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cardinals draw another of the game's top tight ends in Week 2.
Waller was held to 79 yards receiving in the Raiders' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers but won his matchup with his defender on five of his six targets.
Look for Waller to emulate Kelce in taking advantage of a Cardinals back seven seemingly ill-prepared for the challenge of facing an elite tight end and putting a together an impressive statistical performance.
Defense/Special Teams: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
It may be easy to be concerned about the Packers after their opening 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but such worries are likely to alleviated against the Bears.
Even with Justin Jefferson exploding for 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the Packers' defense still produced what should have been a winning effort in Week 1.
Green Bay gave up fewer first downs than Minnesota and held the Vikings to 4-13 on third down, but the Packers' defense received little support from the offense.
That will not be the case versus Chicago. The Bears stunned the 49ers in Week 1 with 19 unanswered points, but they turned the ball over twice while Justin Fields completed just eight passes. A Packers defense that has talent at every level should have similar success forcing Chicago into negative plays and generating fantasy points in a bounce-back win for Green Bay.
Jon Rahm has denied speculation he is set to become the latest addition to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, making his position clear on social media.
The controversial Saudi-backed series is at loggerheads with the PGA Tour, snatching the services of a host of high-profile stars, including Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka.
Speculation regarding future additions persists, and Rahm's name was thrown into the mix by a social media account claiming a move for the Spaniard was "indeed a GO".
"I've never been wrong about a LIV signing," the post from a claimed "LIV Golf Insider" added. "Just look at my track record. PGA Tour is on the ropes."
But Rahm responded on his own Twitter account, swiftly quelling any concern he would be the latest big name to abandon the PGA Tour.
"I must inform you that you have started a losing streak because you and your source are wrong," he replied, adding alongside a crying laughter emoji: "I want to thank you for the lift in the PIP."
Rahm's comment referenced the PGA Tour's Player Impact Programme, which financially rewards the players who bring the most attention to the sport each year.
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson returned to the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee last month.
Wilson, who was injured in the Jets' preseason opener on August 12, did some throwing and took some dropbacks, according to ESPN. The 2021 No. 2 overall pick has yet to be cleared for team drills and isn't expected to return until the team's Week 4 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 2 at the earliest.
Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters veteran Joe Flacco will make a second straight start in Wilson's place when the Jets visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Flacco threw for 309 yards in last week's season opener, though the Jets' offense struggled as a whole in a 24-9 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The veteran completed 37 of 59 attempts with one interception and one touchdown, a three-yard strike to tight end Tyler Conklin in the game's final minute with the outcome already decided.
Though he admitted Flacco’s performance left room for improvement, Saleh attributed the offense's ineffectiveness to several other factors beyond the quarterback’s control. Jets receivers dropped four passes on the day and there were notable protection issues as Flacco was sacked three times and took nine knockdowns.
"There was a comedy of errors that just led to what looked like a bad performance by [Flacco]," Saleh said. "Now, it wasn't his best performance, but I don't think it was as bad as people think.
"When you look back at the game, when he had a clean pocket, he was very, very efficient. Part of the clean pocket is the offensive line's responsibility to give it to him and for him to just deliver the ball where it needs to and get off of certain reads."
Flacco has now lost all six of his starts with the Jets over the past three seasons, and last week's showing had fans at MetLife Stadium calling for the former Super Bowl MVP to be replaced by backup Mike White throughout the second half.
White made three starts in place of an injured Wilson last season and won the first by throwing for 405 yards and three touchdowns against the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. The 27-year-old had a combined 346 passing yards and four interceptions in losing the other two, however, and opened camp as the Jets' No. 3 quarterback until Wilson's latest injury.
To measure the scope of the Presidents Cup, a suggestion is to travel back in time – 28 years, to be exact – to when this international team golf tournament was introduced.
It was the brainchild of Tim Finchem, back when he was a deputy for PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman. But when Beman handed the reigns over to Finchem early in the summer of 1994, going full throttle on the debut of Presidents Cup consumed him.
The naysayers were lined up, but Finchem was steadfast in his belief that great players from beyond the borders of the United States and Europe deserved to compete on a global stage in an international team match. Should you point to the lopsided results – the Americans are 11-1-1 and have won eight in a row – you would be an egregious point-misser.
The Presidents Cup was about bringing the game a little closer together, because global golf, Finchem insisted, was here to stay. He knew it would be a somewhat awkward fit at first, but he begged for patience and offered a vision that a lot of folk struggled with.
To wit, there would be a day when the world's best players competed in the same tournaments dozens of time per year and American golf fans would know the international stars quite well.
If he were the type to seek the limelight, Finchem could take a bow. But instead, let's take a measurement to indicate how his vision has played out beautifully.
In 1994, half the International Team needed to introduce themselves to their American counterparts at the Robert Trent Jones Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Aussie Bradley Hughes had only played in six PGA Tour tournaments that season, while Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe (five), Peter Senior of Australia (three) and Frank Nobilo of New Zealand (two) attended even fewer. As for Robert Allenby of Australia and Tsukasa Watanabe of Japan, they hadn't played at all.
In all, the 12 International Team members had combined for just 141 PGA Tour tournaments in 1994, which is not an indictment of them whatsoever. It is a reminder of the era, when global traffic was limited to the world's very elite names and, while the Presidents Cup perhaps appealed back then to those who are intrigued by players they know little about, Finchem was convinced the stature of the competition would grow as American fans became educated about the Aussies and South Africans, the South Americans and the Canadians.
"In 20 years," he told reporters back then, "we can have an event of really premier quality."
Critique Finchem's statement as much as you'd like, there is an argument to be made that he's been proven correct. Three of the past five competitions have been close (16-14 in Australia in 2019; a one-point match in South Korea in 2015; a closer-than-it-looks 18.5-15.5 decision at Muirfield Village in 2013), and then there is the familiarity aspect: whereas 28 years ago the 12-man International Team combined for just 141 PGA Tour starts, in 2021-22 the 12 members of this year's Presidents Cup team totalled 282 starts.
That is a growth of 100 per cent, and the difference can be seen up and down the line-up. Eleven of the 12 members of this year's International Team made 20-plus Tour starts this year – Tom Kim appeared in 11 events as he eventually earned his card by the end of the season – while seven of them made 25 starts or more.
Budding stars from Chile (Mito Pereira, 27 starts) and South Korea (Lee Kyoung-hoon, 28) head the list of workhorses. Lee's fellow countryman, Kim Si-woo, will join him in Charlotte for his second Presidents Cup after a team-leading 29 starts this season.
Corey Conners made his first team after a year of admirable consistency, as did fellow Canadian Taylor Pendirth (21 starts). Aussie Cam Davis (25), South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout (24), Colombian Sebastian Munoz (25) and Japanese Hideki Matsuyama (21) also help comprise the roster.
Round out the team with South Korean Im Sung-jae, who with 'only' 26 starts this season is almost slacking off, and you have an International Team that is getting more and more comfortable in the US by the week. That, in turn, is why optimism continues to be an International strong suit.
"We're still talking about 18 holes of match play, and we've got to remember anything can happen in an 18-hole match," Adam Scott told reporters at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in late July.
"Momentum plays a big deal in these things. We saw that at the last one. We kind of got up early and we nearly hung on [to win]."
Veteran that he is, Scott would tell you that even as he and his mates have become more comfortable in the US thanks to a full complement of PGA Tour tournaments, another aspect of this biennial affair continues to make matters difficult.
That is an American team that is constantly deep and consistently young.
How deep? Ten of the 12 players on the US team are ranked in the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and the only two who aren't check in at numbers 22 (Max Homa) and 26 (Kevin Kisner). The team features number one Scottie Scheffler and four others in the first 10 – Patrick Cantlay, number four; Xander Schauffele, number five; Justin Thomas, number seven; and Collin Morikawa, number nine.
How young? Two are just 25 years old (Morikawa and Cameron Young) and five others are in their 20s. As for the 'old' guard, we're talking Cantlay, 30; Max Homa, 31; Tony Finau, 32; and Billy Horschel, 35.
That's deep, that's young, and that's one potent group teeing it up next week at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It's an indication that the Americans will likely be heavy favourites to win for a ninth straight time. Then again, being the underdog is news to the Aussies, the South Africans, the Fijians, the Kiwi, the Canadians, the South Americans, the Japanese and the Koreans.
True, they've not yet come up with an answer to this biennial puzzle, but you'd be doing them a massive disservice if you sold them short. The big picture does them justice as you look at the 2021-22 season: four of their players (Matsuyama, Im, Lee and Kim) combined for five wins on the PGA Tour this season.
True, the Americans have bigger numbers (they combined for 18 victories this season), but Finchem's vision has played out as he predicted. International players have established global stature thanks to a high level of play on the PGA Tour and that will be prominently displayed in this year's Presidents Cup.
Focus on the individuals who'll make up the two line-ups, and not the past results, and you'll likely find 15 of the world's top 20 names. As promised more than 20 years ago, the Presidents Cup has reached a level of premier quality.
Tyson Fury's long-awaited bout with Anthony Joshua is '90 per cent' finalised, according to promoter Frank Warren, who says "everybody wants it to happen".
Fury has made a series of U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and originally sought a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month.
However, the Ukrainian's reluctance to fight before the end of 2022 led Fury to offer Joshua the chance to face off for the WBC heavyweight belt.
On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 revealed the terms of the fight had been agreed last week, only for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to delay confirmation.
Warren, who handles Fury's fights, says there is still work to be done on the bout – which will seemingly take place on December 3 – but does not anticipate any issues.
"The contracts are on their way," Warren told talkSPORT on Wednesday. "I'm not going into great detail about this, because we saw what happened last time around with people making statements and so forth, and it all fell apart.
"This fight won't be on until it's signed, but everybody wants it to happen.
"The basis of the deal, 90 per cent of what counts, is okay, 10 per cent we've got to sort out. There aren't any obstacles in the way, so hopefully very quickly we can get it over the line.
"When you're a promoter, you're an optimist. That's what you do. You're in the business of trying to make events happen, so we're all excited by it.
"I'm excited about it as a fight, because I always felt that Tyson has the beating of AJ, and now we're going to find out if we get this over the line."
While Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.
Matt Fitzpatrick is "not really too bothered" about the prospect of playing alongside LIV Golf rebels in Europe's Ryder Cup team.
Debate around the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway series has dominated this year and is only likely to ramp up further ahead of the Ryder Cup in 2023.
Rory McIlroy has been a fierce opponent of LIV Golf, and speaking on Wednesday, ahead of the Italian Open, he reiterated his stance on selection for the prestigious team event.
"If I have said it once, I've said it a hundred times: I don't think any of those guys should be on the Ryder Cup team," he said.
However, U.S. Open champion Fitzpatrick, McIlroy's European team-mate, does not agree.
McIlroy is set to play the Ryder Cup for the seventh time and already has four triumphs to his name. On the other hand, Fitzpatrick has only been on the losing team, in both 2016 and 2021.
"I just want to win the Ryder Cup," Fitzpatrick said. "I want to be part of the team myself, but I want the 11 best guys we can get.
"I'm not really too bothered about where they are going to come from. I just want to make sure that we win, and I think that's what's most important.
"I know other guys might not necessarily agree with that, but I know the winning feeling is worth more than any sort of arguments you might have with other players.
"There's one that I had a conversation with last week – I told him I'd happily have him on the team. I'd have no issues."
Bernd Wiesberger, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter were all team-mates of McIlroy and Fitzpatrick in Europe's 2021 team and have each since played LIV Golf events.
Defending champions Duhaney Park Red Sharks face Washington Boulevard Bulls, the latter in their first decider in the Jamaica Rugby League National Club Championship Grand Final on Saturday, September 17 at the University of West Indies Mona Bowl (kick-off 4 pm, local time).
The Bulls, who joined the NCC in 2017, beat Jamaica Defence Force Warriors 24-18 in their semi-final, whilst the Red Sharks qualified for their sixth straight championship tie - and 14th in the last 16 years – by beating West Kingston Hyenas, 54-6.
The Warriors and Hyenas meet as part of a Grand Final double-header to contest third place (kick-off 2 pm, local time), both games will be played at the UWI Mona Bowl.
Bulls Head Coach Derone Davis said of reaching the final: “Our first half was poor but we got it together in the second 40. Our forwards are usually our strength and gave us momentum but our back line stood up, especially defensively. Overall, I am proud of the team. For the finals, we hope we can put together a more complete performance as we will have to be at our best to challenge the champions.”
Adrian Brown with two tries and two goals led the way for Duhaney in their triumph.
“The semis was about getting our combinations right as we are still looking for the perfect game,” said Head Coach Roy Calvert. “The finals will be exciting, we are going for victory and are confident of achieving it but know we need to play a certain way to win. Bulls are a good team and have been on our heels all season.”
The penultimate round of Rugby Championship fixtures are upon us and it is all to play for with every side having won two and lost two of their opening four games.
An inconsistent New Zealand side are a point better off than Argentina, South Africa and next opponents Australia by virtue of picking up two bonus points.
Despite a thumping win over Argentina last time out, the pressure still remains on head coach Ian Foster heading into Thursday's contest with great rivals Australia in Melbourne.
The hosts are looking to bounce back from a 16-point loss against South Africa, who make the trip to Buenos Aires in the second of this week's fixtures on Saturday.
Here, Stats Perform previews both clashes in round five of the championship using Opta data.
AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND
FORM
New Zealand may lead the way at the top, but their form this year has been very poor by their usual high standards. The All Blacks have lost four of their seven Tests in 2022 – only in 1998 (five) and 1949 (six) have they ever lost more in a calendar year.
Back-to-back victories would provide a major confidence boost for Foster's charges, and they have a good record in this fixture. Of the past 20 Tests meetings between the sides, New Zealand have won 16 and lost only three, a run that includes three wins in a row.
Australia have not lost back-to-back Tests with New Zealand since August 2017, however, and their return of three wins from their past six matches against the All Blacks on home turf is more than they managed in the previous 13 such encounters.
The Wallabies have won the opening game of the Bledisloe Cup – which New Zealand have dominated for the past two decades – only twice in the past 13 years. However, one of those victories came when they last hosted the opening game three years ago.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia will have to watch their discipline in what is a highly charged fixture. Skipper James Slipper has conceded 11 penalties so far in this year's Rugby Championship, which is four more than any other player in the competition.
All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane continued his good form last time out by scoring a try and setting up another in the 50-point win against Argentina. That could spell bad news for Australia, against whom he has been directly involved in 13 tries across 12 Test appearances.
ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA
FORM
Argentina fell short of registering three wins in a row in this competition for the first time ever when falling heavily to New Zealand two weeks ago.
Los Pumas will take great confidence from beating Australia last time out at home, though, and are now seeking successive wins on their own patch for the first time since 2012.
South Africa may not be in full flow, but they have won 28 of their 32 Tests against Argentina, including the past four in a row. In fact, only against Italy (93 per cent) do they have a better win percentage than they do against Los Pumas (88 per cent) among teams they have faced at least 10 times.
The Springboks did manage to build a little momentum with their win over Australia two weeks ago, yet that was one of only three victories in their past eight games in the championship after winning six of the previous eight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Matias Moroni has put in some strong displays to keep Argentina in the hunt for the title, his five dominant tackles more than any other player in the competition. The centre has also won five turnovers, a tally only Malcolm Marx (six) – who he will face off against this weekend – can better.
South Africa are the lowest points scorers after four rounds of matches. Willie le Roux could hold the key to finding a way through Argentina this weekend as he leads the way for try assists this tournament with three, while also providing six assists in his past six meetings with Argentina.
Patrick Mahomes and Saquon Barkley were recognised as the respective AFC and NFC Offensive Player of the Week after flying starts to the new NFL season.
Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a dominant 44-21 Week 1 win at the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2018 MVP leads the league in passing touchdowns (five), passing yards (360) and quarterback rating (144.2) at this early stage.
Only Joe Burrow matched Mahomes' 22 passes for first downs, while he did not throw an interception and was not sacked, making him an obvious choice as the standout player in the AFC.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, who played a vital role in the Pittsburgh Steelers' wild win over Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals, is the AFC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Steelers safety caught a pick-six from Burrow's first pass of the game and later, crucially, blocked Evan McPherson's PAT to take the game to overtime.
Cade York was more accurate as time expired in the Cleveland Browns' dramatic victory over the Carolina Panthers, kicking the winning field goal to earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week recognition.
In the NFC, New York Giants running back Barkley was the standout player on offense, stealing the show against a Tennessee Titans team featuring two-time rushing yards and rushing TDs leader Derrick Henry.
Barkley has the most rushing yards at this early stage with 164 and a score. His 68-yard run in the drive that culminated in his TD was the longest carry of the week.
The fifth-year superstar, who has been hampered by injuries since an outstanding rookie season, also caught a Daniel Jones pass for the decisive two-point conversion in a 21-20 Giants victory.
Also honoured in the NFC were debutant Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Zech McPhearson.
Nwosu sacked the Denver Broncos' former Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and forced a fumble from Melvin Gordon at the one-yard line, while McPhearson fielded the Detroit Lions' attempted onside kick to set up a Boston Scott touchdown in an Eagles win.
Serena Williams joked NFL superstar Brady "started an amazing trend" as she hinted at a possible return to tennis in the future.
Williams, a 23-time grand slam champion, revealed before the US Open she was soon to retire from the sport, with her Flushing Meadows run widely expected to mark the end of her career.
The 40-year-old exited her home major at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round but was unwilling to categorically state if she was retiring.
Speaking at a news conference after that loss to Tomljanovic two weeks ago, Williams said: "I've come a long way since last year at Wimbledon. I'm just not sure if that was my last moment or not."
Some of the biggest names from around the sporting world have since paid tribute to Williams, but she has offered a further indication she is not done just yet.
"Tom Brady started an amazing trend. That's what I want to say," Williams said during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Brady announced his retirement in February after 22 seasons in the NFL, only to reverse that decision 40 days later by agreeing to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I think retirement is something that is super earned and that people work really hard for," Williams added.
"I feel like I'm at an age where I definitely have a lot more to give and there's a lot more that I want to do, so I'm not going to be relaxing, there's so much more for me.
"I feel it's more of an evolution of Serena. There's many things I've been wanting to do for so many years, and I've had such a passion for tennis for so long I've never done them.
"Now it's time for me to start to enjoy those things."
The Indianapolis Colts have waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after his crucial missed field goal against the Houston Texans.
Indianapolis had the chance to beat their AFC South rivals on Sunday, only for Blankenship to send a 42-yard attempt wide right.
The Colts, who came into the season as division favourites, ultimately had to settle for a disappointing 20-20 tie.
Blankenship, an undrafted free agent in 2020, played all 16 games for the Colts in his rookie year but was restricted to five outings last season as he battled with a hip injury.
Chase McLaughlin and Lucas Havrisik have been added to the Colts' practice squad and one of those kickers will be selected to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
Bayern Munich have been left with a hole after Robert Lewandowski's exit for Barcelona.
Sadio Mane moved to Munich from Liverpool in the close season but he is not a like-for-like replacement.
Bayern have started the new Bundesliga campaign in indifferent form, following up three wins with as many draws.
TOP STORY – NEGOTIATIONS UNDERWAY BETWEEN KANE AND BAYERN
Harry Kane is increasingly open to the idea of making the move to join German champions Bayern Munich, claims Sky Sports.
Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg reports that negotiations have already been held by Bayern and Kane's brother Charlie, who represents him.
Bayern have made the Tottenham striker their number one target and can offer him the likelihood of silverware, in comparison to Spurs.
ROUND-UP
– Fabrizio Romano reports that Lionel Messi will not make a decision on his future until after the World Cup, but Paris Saint-Germain are planning to offer him a new deal, while Barcelona are interested in re-signing him. Messi is contracted until 2023 but there is the option of another year in Paris.
– Jude Bellingham's list of suitors is growing with Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all keen on Borussia Dortmund's English talent according to AS.
– New Chelsea boss Graham Potter has approved the club's pursuit of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, with the club to try to sign him again in June 2023 reports Fichajes.
– Germany international forward Max Kruse's contract with Wolfsburg is set to be mutually terminated during the Bundesliga break, claims Sport.
– The Guardian reports that Lens head coach Franck Haise is under consideration for the vacant Brighton and Hove Albion managerial post, along with Bodo/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen and ex-Shakhtar Donetsk boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett says he "definitely" made a mistake opting not to run a fourth-and-five play instead of going for a 64-yard field goal in the closing stages of Monday's defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Hackett decided to send on kicker Brandon McManus with 20 seconds left to play instead of allowing quarterback Russell Wilson – playing against his former team – to run a play.
McManus could only drag his long-range effort left and thus allowed the Seahawks to take the knee for a 17-16 opening-round victory.
Since 1960 there have been only two kickers who have converted field-goal attempts of at least 64 yards, while the longest made at Lumen Field stands at 56. McManus is just one-of-five from 60-plus efforts.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, rookie NFL head coach Hackett conceded he got the decision wrong.
"Looking back at it, we definitely should've gone for it," Hackett said.
"One of those things, you look back at it and you say, 'of course we should go for it, we missed the field goal'.
"But, in that situation, we had a plan. We had a plan, we knew the [46-yard line] was the mark."
Hackett explained how the plan to was to get into the 46-yard range, a target McManus said he was comfortable kicking from, and that he had more of an issue with a play earlier in the drive that saw Javonte Williams lose four yards on first-and-10 from Denver's 49.
"I'm more upset about that play before it, to lose yards," Hackett said. "Getting that there would've definitely been better to be able to call that same play and get extra yards.
"[Wilson] dumps it out to Javonte, Javonte makes a move, goes a lot farther than I think we had anticipated. We were expecting to go for it on fourth down.
"And then you hit the mark. The mark that we had all set before we started. We said, 46-yard line was where we wanted to be. And we got there, so we had to make the decision if we wanted to give it to Brandon. And we did. It didn't work. Sucks. But hey, that's part of it.
"Looking back at it, if you miss the field goal, you're always gonna wish you would've gone for it and if you would've gone for it and not gotten it, you wish you would've given him a chance."
Aaron Judge blasted two home runs to move another few steps closer to history as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Tuesday.
The Yankees outfielder delivered his 56th blast in the sixth inning, taking another over the Green Monster in the eighth inning for his 57th of the season.
Judge remains on pace for 65 home runs this season, which would break Roger Maris' American League (AL) and Yankees single-season record of 61 set in 1961. The pair of solo blasts comes after Judge went without a homer across five games.
The 30-year-old also has 10 multi-homer games this season which is one short of the AL record held by Hank Greenberg from 1938.
"I'm out of adjectives," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Just really impressive what he did."
Gerrit Cole, who came into the game with a 7.13 career ERA as a Yankee at Fenway Park, had 10 strikeouts across six innings.
Xander Bogaerts blasted Cole for a game-tying solo home run in sixth inning, before the game went to extras where Gleyber Torres had a go-ahead three-run double.
Trout misses out on eight-game HR streak
Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout fell one game short of tying the majors record for homering in consecutive games, going 0-for-3 in the Los Angeles Angels' 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
Trout, who walked on four pitches in his second at-bat, lined out to center on a 3-2 cutter from left-hander reliever Kirk McCarty.
The 10-time All-Star's streak ends at seven games, falling one shy of the record of eight held by Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr (1993).
Twins pair fall agonisingly short in no-no-bid
Minnesota Twins' pair Joe Ryan and Jovani Moran doubled up but fell agonisingly two outs short in their no-hitter bid in a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Rookie Ryan was pulled after seven innings and 106 pitches, with the Twins crowd booing that call, before Moran got through the eighth and attempted to close it out, only to lose the no-no bid with Bobby Witt's RBI double.
The failed bid means there have five no-hit bids lost in the ninth inning this season, which is the most since 2017.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina came from a set down against Laura Siegemund to secure her place in the second round of the Slovenia Open.
Siegemund won the first set on a tie break, but Kazakhstan representative Rybakina stormed back to win the second before winning a tense 10-8 tie break in the crucial third set, surviving a match point in the process.
The world number 25's victory sets up a second round meeting with Tereza Martincova, who overcame a poor first set to beat Harriet Dart 0-6 6-4 6-1.
At the Chennai Open, top seed Alison Riske-Amritraj was beaten in straight sets in an upset defeat to world number 147 Anastasia Gasanova.
There were no such upsets for the second and third seeds though, as Varvara Gracheva and Magda Linette both cruised to victory to clinch their safe passage to the second round.
Elsewhere, Katie Swan beat Arianne Hartono 6-1 6-2 while India's number one singles player Ankita Raina was knocked out of her home tournament by Tatjana Maria.
Jamaica Olympic Association scholar, Brandon Sealy is quickly becoming a household name in taekwondo.
A 2019 Lima Pan American quarter finalist, Sealy, since then, has made tremendous strides under the watchful and expert eyes of his coach for over ten years, Master Tony Byon.
Quite recently, he earned historic podium placings in major international competitions. In July, at the Pan American sponsored Costa Rica Open, he not only copped the gold medal in fine style, winning all fights in the qualifying rounds, but was also adjudged the best male athlete.
In August, he secured the bronze medal in another Pan American sponsored tournament – the prestigious 2022 President’s Cup in Mexico where some of the best in the sport in the region assembled in combat.
As a result of his admirable performances, Sealy now ranks 27th in the world, a feat which has gained him an historic invitation to the Grand Prix, a competitive sanctuary reserved for the world’s top taekwondo athletes.
Sealy, humbled by his achievements and grateful for the opportunity to represent his country said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I wish to thank the JOA for selecting me for the solidarity scholarship and having faith in my ability to deliver on this Olympic journey.”
President of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), Christopher Samuda, who has been tracking Sealy’s progress, remarked “Sealy inspires confidence, engenders faith in his abilities and commands goodwill in combat and ‘at ease’ and by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games it should be “signed, Sealy sealed and delivered.”
A Princeton University grandaunt, the calibre of his performance has undoubtedly earned him the respect of his competitors. In responding to Sealy’s continued good form and accomplishments, JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, said: “Brandon is not only a scholar of whom the JOA is proud but a model and talented athlete whose humility, diligence and decency along with his skills will always, for us, earn him the MVP award.”
The local governing body for the sport, World Korean Taekwondo Jamaica, under the leadership of President Christopher Chok and First Vice President, Kenroy Clarke, is on an Olympic mission and Sealy, in recognizing their contribution to his successes, said “Big thanks to President Chok and First Vice President Clarke for their unwavering support and encouragement.
The JOA continues to invest and resource what some persons describe as the “smaller sports” which Samuda discounts in stating: “Taekwondo and those so called minor sports have an equal right to occupy the Olympic stage and create their own legacies and they will always have a solid partner in their governing body.”
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