Home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber backed six solid innings from Aaron Nola as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first National League East title since 2011 with Monday's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Phillies also received a run-scoring single from Nick Castellanos to enhance their chances of earning one of the NL's top two seeds and a first-round bye for the upcoming playoffs. Philadelphia (93-64) now trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half-game for the majors' best record with less than a week remaining in the regular season.

Nola (13-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven while allowing just two runs. The steady veteran pitcher held the Cubs scoreless through the first six innings of play as the Phillies gradually built a 6-0 lead.

Realmuto opened the scoring with his 14th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Caleb Kilian in the second inning. Schwarber made it 3-0 an inning later with a lead-off homer that gave him 100 runs batted in for a second straight season.

The Phillies added another run off Kilian in the third when Trea Turner followed Schwarber's blast with a double and later scored on Castellanos' single.

Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and eventually crossed the plate on an error by Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner to increase the margin to 5-0. The Phillies scored again in the sixth when Brandon Marsh drew a walk, advanced to third on Johan Rojas' single and came home on a double-play grounder off the bat of Schwarber.

Nola was removed after surrendering back-to-back doubles by Isaac Paredes and Hoerner that got the Cubs on the board. Hoerner later scored on a groundout for the game's final run.

Kilian (0-1) allowed all six Philadelphia runs - five earned - and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings. 

Mariners put Astros' AL West title plans on hold

The Seattle Mariners got seven scoreless innings from Bryce Miller and two runs batted in from Julio Rodriguez to prevent the Houston Astros from clinching the American League West with Monday's 6-1 win.

Rodriguez went 3 for 5 to lead a 13-hit attack that closed Seattle within 1 1/2 games of the co-holders of the AL's final two wild-card spots, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.

The Mariners still have a faint chance of winning the AL West, though Houston needs to win just one of this series' two remaining games to claim its fourth straight division title.

Miller (12-8) continued a strong finish to his season by yielding just two hits and a pair of walks. The right-hander is now 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA over his last four starts.

Hunter Brown (11-9) allowed just one run while striking out eight over six innings for Houston, but issued two walks in the third inning that led to Seattle taking a 1-0 lead on Cal Raleigh's single that plated Victor Robles.

The Mariners added on in the seventh after loading the bases on singles by Justin Turner and J.P. Crawford and a walk to Dylan Moore. Two batters later, Rodriguez singled to center to drive in Turner for a 2-0 advantage.

Seattle loaded the bases again in the eighth on three consecutive singles before Turner brought in Raleigh with a sacrifice fly. Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring double to stretch the margin to 4-0.

Jason Heyward finally got Houston on the board with a solo home run in the eighth, but the Mariners scored twice more in the ninth to put the game out of reach. 

Back-to-back doubles by Robles and Rodriguez increased the lead to 5-1 before Rodriguez scored on Randy Arozarena's double.

Giants drop Diamondbacks back in NL wild card standings

The San Francisco Giants hit three home runs, including an inside-the-park shot from Matt Chapman, to come through with a 6-3 win over Arizona that knocked the Diamondbacks out of a tie for the NL's second wild card.

Casey Schmitt and Michael Conforto also homered to help the Giants to a fourth straight win. Chapman finished 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, while San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong (5-5) struck out six while holding the Diamondbacks to two runs in five innings.

Arizona fell a half-game behind the New York Mets in the standings and now holds a 1 1/2-game lead on the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card. The Braves and Mets begin a pivotal three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks had an early 1-0 lead after consecutive doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson in the first inning, but the Giants went ahead with three runs in the third off Eduardo Rodriguez.

After Heliot Ramos singled and scored on Jerar Encarnacion's double, Chapman drove a pitch off the center field wall and sprinted around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer by a Giants' player since Denard Span in 2017.

Christian Walker drove in Corbin Carroll with a double in the bottom of the third to pull Arizona within 3-2, but Schmitt's solo homer in the fourth restored the Giants' two-run advantage.

Conforto went deep an inning later to increase the lead to 5-2, then doubled in the seventh before crossing the plate on a Chapman triple.

Arizona got a run back in its half of the seventh when Jose Herrera doubled and scored on Perdomo's single. The Diamondbacks failed to score thereafter, though, with Ryan Walker throwing a perfect ninth for San Francisco to record his 10th save.

Rodriguez (3-4) struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings but was tagged for five runs on seven hits. 

Jayden Daniels delivered a nearly perfect Monday Night Football debut that carried the upstart Washington Commanders to a 38-33 victory over the scuffling Cincinnati Bengals.

The No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his young career, leading Washington (2-1) to a second straight win following a season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that began first-year head coach Dan Quinn's tenure. Daniels' completion percentage of 91.3 set an NFL single-game record for a rookie.

Washington scored on every one of its possessions, save for kneel-downs to end the first half and the game, to overcome Joe Burrow's three touchdown passes and drop Cincinnati to 0-3.

Daniels added a rushing touchdown while Terry McLaurin recorded 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches for the Commanders.

Jayden Daniels was dealing. pic.twitter.com/h89iQbd7KF

Burrow finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase as the star wide receiver totalled 118 yards on six catches.

The Bengals piled up 436 total yards for the game, but their defence never had an answer for Daniels as Washington matched every score Cincinnati offered while leading from the second quarter on.

Cincinnati started strong as Chase got behind the Washington secondary to haul in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Burrow on the game's opening drive. 

The Commanders responded by going 70 yards on 10 plays to tie the game at 7-7 on Brian Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run, a play set up by Daniels' 30-yard completion to Luke McCaffrey on 4th-and-2.

After Cincinnati's Evan McPherson missed a 48-yard field goal on the next possession, Washington marched back into Bengals' territory before Austin Ekeler broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.

The Bengals moved inside Washington's 10-yard line on their next series, but settled for McPherson's 28-yard field goal that the Commanders countered with another touchdown.

Daniels hit McLaurin on a deep pass for a 55-yard gain to the Bengals' 4-yard line, then ran untouched into the end zone on the following play for a 21-10 advantage with 2:04 left before half-time.

McPherson's 31-yard field goal brought Cincinnati within 21-13 at the half, but Ekeler took the second-half kick-off 62 yards deep into Bengals' territory to quickly get Washington in scoring range again.

Daniels finished that drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to reserve offensive lineman Trent Scott on a trick play to extend the lead to 28-13.

Burrow kept the Bengals in it by hitting Andrei Iosivas for a 2-yard touchdown on the subsequent possession, and the defence was able to hold Washington to a field goal on its next drive as the Commanders went up 31-20 with 11:30 to go.

Cincinnati again answered, as Burrow completed all four of his passes on a 70-yard drive that Chase finished with a 31-yard touchdown grab with 9:42 left. Burrow's pass for Tee Higgins on the 2-point attempt was broken up, however, to keep Washington's lead at 31-26.

Daniels converted a 4th-and-4 with a 9-yard pass to Zach Ertz on the following possession, however, and McLaurin came down with a diving 27-yard touchdown catch shortly afterward to again give Washington a two-score lead with 2:10 remaining.

Burrow led the Bengals down the field once again in the waning moments as Cincinnati closed within 38-33 on Zack Moss' 1-yard run with 40 seconds left. Washington then recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Bills move to 3-0 with 47-10 rout of spiralling Jaguars

Josh Allen threw four first-half touchdown passes to lead a dominant performance by the Buffalo Bills, who remained unbeaten with a 47-10 thrashing of the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars.

Buffalo scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half drives to build a commanding 34-3 half-time lead en route to its first 3-0 start since 2020. Allen finished with 263 yards while completing 23 of 30 passes before being removed early in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.

The Jaguars dropped to 0-3 and were never competitive as their free-fall continued. Jacksonville has now lost eight of nine games dating back to last season following an 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign.

Trevor Lawrence's struggles were extended as well as the former No. 1 overall draft pick threw for just 178 yards and one touchdown on 21 of 38 passing. Jacksonville's expected franchise quarterback was also sacked four times and threw an interception to Damar Hamlin, the first pick of the inspirational safety's career.

Allen and the Bills set the tone from the get-go, as the star quarterback connected on 6 of 7 passes while orchestrating a 10-play, 70-yard opening drive capped by James Cook's 6-yard touchdown run less than 5 1/2 minutes in.

Tyler Bass' extra-point attempt was blocked, about the only thing that went wrong for Buffalo over the first two quarters.

Following a three-and-out from Jacksonville, the Bills marched 65 yards in 11 plays to take a 13-0 lead on Allen's 6-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid on 3rd-and-goal with 3:25 left in the first quarter.

The Jaguars answered with Cam Little's 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Allen hit Keon Coleman for a 24-yard score on the following possession - the rookie's first career touchdown - to extend Buffalo's advantage to 20-3.

Hamlin then intercepted Lawrence's overthrown pass on the next drive to put the Bills back into Jacksonville territory. Five plays later, Khalil Shakir caught a short pass from Allen and broke a tackle before racing 27 yards for a touchdown that put the Jaguars in a further hole late in the first half.

The Bills got the ball back with 1:12 remaining before the half and needed just 53 seconds to find the end zone again, as Allen hit running back Ty Johnson for a 16-yard score for his fourth TD pass of the evening.

Jacksonville's offence did show some life to start the second half, as Lawrence went 4 for 5 for 53 yards on an 8-play drive that he finished with a 6-yard touchdown strike to Brenton Strange to cut the lead to 34-10.

The Jaguars faltered from there on, however. After two Bass field goals got the Bills to the 40-point mark, Jacksonville backup quarterback Mac Jones fumbled when sacked by Javon Solomon and Buffalo recovered at the Jaguars' 21-yard line with 6:21 left.

Four plays later, rookie Ray Davis scored his first NFL touchdown with a 3-yard run to finish off the rout.

Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton endured a "frustrating" Singapore Grand Prix having failed to build on their impressive showing in qualifying.  

Hamilton started one place ahead of his team-mate in third, but the Silver Arrows' split strategy proved costly during the gruelling 62-lap race. 

The seven-time world champion gambled by starting on the soft tyres but was unable to get away with the runaway front two of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. 

Russell, however, elected to start on the favoured medium tyre, but Hamilton's decision arguably held up his Mercedes team-mate in the opening stint. 

The pair finished fourth and sixth respectively, with Hamilton overtaking the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc late on to move to 174 points in the drivers' championship. 

“After a very difficult Friday, we would have likely taken P4 in the Grand Prix,” Russell said.

“Our pace in qualifying, however, made us believe we could achieve more.

"Today was no doubt a difficult race for us, both challenging in terms of our pace but also physically.

“The McLarens were very impressive and in another league to us, whilst Max [Verstappen] had the legs on us.

We were able to hold off the Ferrari of Charles [Leclerc] in the closing stages, so it was very much an evening of damage limitation.

"Given the pace of the car, that was the very best we could have achieved.”

Hamilton further relayed his frustrations about the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit but is confident the Silver Arrows can bounce back in Austin next month. 

“It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that,” Hamilton said.

“This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can.

"We don’t always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy.

“We have lost some form to the leaders in the past few races and we’re working hard to figure out why that is.”

Mercedes had won three of the last four races before the summer break but have since managed just one podium since after Russell benefitted from Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez's crash on the penultimate lap of proceedings. 

But up next is a track Hamilton has relished over the years, with the Briton winning the American Grand Prix in Austin more times than anyone else (five), though he has not prevailed around the Texas circuit since 2017. 

Rafael Nadal has been included in Spain's squad for the Davis Cup Final Eight in November, which could well be his farewell event. 

Nadal, who has not featured on court since the Paris Olympics, has previously suggested the current season could be the last of his glittering career. 

The Spaniard withdrew from the US Open in August and also pulled out of Bjorn Borg's Team World squad for the Laver Cup in Berlin last week. 

World number three Alcaraz is also in the Spain team named by captain David Ferrer, alongside Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno and Marcel Granollers.

Alcaraz starred for Team World at the Laver Cup, winning eight points for his team, which is the most any player has managed in the competition. 

Six-time champions Spain, whose most recent success came in 2019, face Netherlands in the quarter-finals, starting on November 19.

Defending champions Italy, led by world number one Jannik Sinner, take on Argentina, aiming to become the first team to retain the title since 2013. 

The United States, whose squad includes Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, face Australia and Germany will meet Canada.

Andrea Stella believes "the mission is on" for McLaren in their quest for both championships this year after Lando Norris' dominant showing at the Singapore Grand Prix. 

Norris claimed his third career win on Sunday, finishing 20 seconds clear of title rival Max Verstappen to move within 52 points of the Dutchman in the drivers' standings.

The Briton's emphatic triumph, coupled with Oscar Piastri's third-place finish, also saw McLaren extend their lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Norris led the race from start to finish, becoming the 60th different driver to do so in a Grand Prix, having struggled off the mark in recent races when starting on pole. 

With six races and three sprint sessions remaining in the season, the momentum is very much in the cockpit of the McLaren driver, though Verstappen can finish second to Norris in every event left and still win the title.

However, team principal Stella believes that despite Verstappen's sizeable margin in the drivers' championship, that both titles are still up for grabs this season. 

"It’s not always going to be that easy in the next few races," Stella said.

"But it’s very promising, and it is also promising that Oscar [Piastri] found a way to beat the two Mercedes today, got back on the podium. 

"Many points for the championship and definitely the drivers’ championship is still on, the mission is on.

But with Verstappen finishing second despite struggling in Friday's practice sessions, McLaren have a difficult task in trying to outscore the Dutchman in the final six races of the season. 

The next leg of the Formula One season takes place in Austin on October 20, a race that Verstappen has won for three consecutive seasons, with his trio of victories a total only bettered by Lewis Hamilton (five) around the Texas circuit. 

"Hopefully we’ll have a few more [wins] in the next six races. Yeah, fully deserved by Lando. In fairness, he’s been very quick throughout the weekend," Stella continued. 

"I think yesterday, he was very conscious in his Q3 lap.

"We thought that by pushing 100% we could have gone even faster, so everything just came together this weekend.”

Brock Purdy insisted the San Francisco 49ers' stellar 2023 season "means nothing" after they went down 27-24 to their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, on Sunday. 

The Rams trailed 21-7 late in the third quarter and 24-14 in the fourth before scoring 13 points to deal a depleted 49ers team a second defeat of the campaign. 

San Francisco were without three of their offensive stars, with Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve and both wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missing out. 

But the Rams were also missing some of their key men, with their top two receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, sidelined due to injury.

After starting last season 5-0 on their way to the NFC Championship, San Francisco have failed to build on their Week 1 triumph against the New York Jets this year.

At 1-2, the Niners are well aware that there is plenty of the season left, but they also know missing opportunities like Sunday's may come back to haunt them.

"That's just part of the NFL and being a professional in a professional sport, everybody's really good," Purdy said. "Last year means absolutely nothing.

"And every time you show up on Sunday, you're going to get everybody's best shot. It's the NFL, and we all have to be real with that.

"We have to have the mindset of going and taking it every Sunday and nothing's ever going to be given to us."

The Niners still had the chance to win the encounter, with wide receiver Jauan Jennings delivering a career-best 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns. 

In doing so, Jennings became the fourth player in franchise history to have 175 receiving yards and three scores in the same game.

Purdy, meanwhile, didn't miss a beat without his usual weapons, finishing 22-of-30 for 292 passing yards and three touchdowns with a 137.1 passer rating. 

However, Purdy didn't get much help from his targets, most notably Ronnie Bell, who dropped a catch in the final quarter to spurn a golden game-winning opportunity.

The loss made Purdy the third 49ers signal caller (alongside Joe Montana and Steve Young) to lose a game in which he completed at least 70% of his passes and threw for three or more touchdowns.

It also dropped the Niners below the .500 mark for the first time with Purdy as their starter, with head coach Kyle Shanahan left furious at the conclusion of proceedings. 

"You've got to take their hope away," Shanahan said.

"You give [Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford too much hope [and] you put a ball in his hands at the end, it's not a situation you want to be in."

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Lamar Jackson's performance as "phenomenal" after his team held off the Dallas Cowboys for their first win of the season.

Having achieved the NFL's best regular-season record in 2023 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, Baltimore made a slow start to the new campaign.

A marginal out-of-bounds call against Isiah Likely denied them a potential game-winning touchdown as they lost to the Chiefs in Week 1, before the Las Vegas Raiders produced a stunning upset to beat them 26-23 in Week 2.

On Sunday, the Ravens put up a much-improved display in Dallas, racing into a 22-point fourth-quarter lead, though they almost let that advantage slip.

The Cowboys outscored their visitors 19-0 in the fourth but were ultimately unable to level things, with Jackson taking charge late on.

The reigning NFL MVP completed a 9-yard pass to Zay Flowers on 3rd-and-6 to prevent Dallas regaining possession at the death, ensuring the Ravens avoided the second 0-3 start in their history.

Jackson threw for 182 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 87 yards and a score on the ground, but it was his leadership that most impressed Harbaugh. 

"I thought Lamar was just phenomenal throughout the game and then he took over the last drive," Harbaugh told reporters.

"The big throw at the end... the big catches at the end; Zay made that huge catch, and Rashod Bateman had a big catch. We had some big runs at the end, too. 

"We ran the ball well at the end, and to finish out that way was really important, to win the game on offense, that's how they got it done. I didn't really want it to get to that situation, but it did, and they came through."

Jackson was not the only Raven to have a big game on the ground, with Derrick Henry rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns as they moved to 1-2 ahead of their Week 4 clash with the Buffalo Bills.

Harbaugh added: "We consider every game a must-win, but if you don't win a game, your season is not over. There’s a lot of football to be played.

"Last week doesn't matter, next week doesn't matter, it's this week that we're focused on. Lamar preaches it to the guys all the time; I'm proud of those guys."

Dallas are also 1-2 and have struggled to defend the run all season, with their average of 5.4 yards allowed per carry being the worst figure on record through three games of an NFL campaign since 1979. 

Their eight rushing touchdowns conceded, meanwhile, is the most in their history through three games, leading edge rusher Micah Parsons to slam their defensive efforts.

"Now we've got people trying to be Superman," he said. "People have just got to do their jobs, bro. 

"We don't need everyone to be Superman. We don't know Superman at all. We just need 11 guys playing together, and right now it's just not in unison."

Emma Raducanu has confirmed she will not play at this week's China Open after sustaining a foot injury. 

Raducanu was forced to withdraw from her Korea Open quarter-final match against Daria Kasatkina after needing a medical timeout in the opening set. 

The Briton was initially included in the draw for the Beijing event, but confirmation of her withdrawal was revealed soon afterwards.

The world number 54 was due to face a qualifier in the first round, with Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen potentially waiting in the next round.

"I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal," Raducanu wrote on X.

"It means I can't play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can."

Raducanu has again struggled with injuries during the 2024 season but has managed to rise up the rankings, playing 33 matches on the WTA Tour this term.

She suffered a lower back injury during the Miami Open in March and was also hampered by a stomach bug at the Australian Open in the first major of the year. 

The Briton also sat out the French Open but managed to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon, though an untimely slip against Lulu Sun saw her bow out in three sets. 

The Korea Open was her first tournament since losing in the first round of the US Open, and she is next scheduled to play in Wuhan, China next month.

Iga Swiatek has passed Ashleigh Barty to go seventh in the all-time charts for most weeks spent as the WTA's world number one.

Swiatek won her fifth career grand slam title at the French Open in June, though she did suffer third-round exits from the Australian Open and Wimbledon before going out in the last eight at the US Open earlier this month.

However, Swiatek still sits over 2,000 points clear of her closest rival, Flushing Meadows champion Aryna Sabalenka, at the top of the women's world rankings.

She has now spent a total of 122 weeks at the top of the rankings, moving clear of Barty, who spent 121 weeks as the world's top-ranked female player.

Only Steffi Graf (377 weeks), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209) and Monica Seles (178) have now spent more time as world number one than Swiatek since the rankings were introduced in 1975.

Patrick Mahomes feels he has not played his best football in the early stages of the season, despite the Kansas City Chiefs being 3-0 after Sunday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Chiefs – who are targeting a historic Super Bowl three-peat this term – opened their campaign with dramatic victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

They were handed another stern test by the Falcons in Sunday's late game, relying on their defense to produce two big fourth-down stops in the closing minutes of a 22-17 win.

The Falcons, who impressively dispatched the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, had multiple chances to score a go-ahead touchdown, only for Kirk Cousins to throw a pair of incompletions in the end zone with just over four minutes to play.

Mahomes threw for 217 yards including touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he also threw a pick to Justin Simmons, who now has six career interceptions against the three-time Super Bowl champion.

"I feel like I haven't played very well and that's not a stats thing," Mahomes said after the game. 

"I just feel like I'm missing opportunities whenever they're out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at. 

"I'm not playing my best football and we're still getting wins, so I've got to get better to make the offense better."

Mahomes' 659 passing yards for the season ranks 10th among all quarterbacks, while his passer rating of 89.9 is just the 17th-best in the league.

Ahead of a challenging Week 4 visit to the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes is determined to step things up.

"It's about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right positions, and then we've got to execute at a higher level offensively," he said.

"If teams are going to make us drive the field, we have to prove that we're able to do that, and I'm sure we'll get a lot of the same this next week with the Chargers."

Rory McIlroy admitted golf is "testing" him more than usual after enduring yet another near miss at the BMW PGA Championship, losing to Billy Horschel in a play-off.

McIlroy, Horschel and Thriston Lawrence were forced into a three-way play-off after they all finished 20-under through four rounds at Wentworth.

Lawrence carded a final round of 65 to close a two-shot gap to McIlroy and Horschel, but the South African bogeyed the first play-off hole to put himself out of contention.

Horschel then wrapped up his second triumph at Wentworth with an eagle on the second, having previously triumphed at the event in 2021.

McIlroy has endured a frustrating year, missing two close-range putts when in pole position to win the US Open in June, then slipping again on the final round to finish second at last week's Irish Open.

Speaking after Sunday's play-off, the Northern Irishman said: "Last week was a tough one but I left there with my head held high with the way I played the last hole, trying to make three.

"Two weeks in a row I've played well. Just not quite well enough. The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that's fine.

"It could have been a different year but the nice thing is there's next year and the year after and the year after and the year after.

"If you think of my career as a 30-year journey, it's only one year in a 30-year journey, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive or a little bit better."

Horschel, meanwhile, admitted the struggles of the four-time major winner, a close friend of his, put a slight dampener on his victory.

"I'm thrilled and excited for the way I played," Horschel said.

"At the same time I'm a little disappointed – Rory is a great friend of mine and he's a generational talent. I know how close he's been this year so I feel for him.

"I needed a bit of luck. There was a lot of luck on my side to get this victory today."

Sam Darnold tied a career high with four touchdown passes to continue a strong start for himself and the Minnesota Vikings, who moved to 3-0 on the season with Sunday's 34-7 rout of the previously unbeaten Houston Texans.

Darnold finished with 181 passing yards to outplay 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, who was intercepted twice and sacked four times by a relentless Minnesota defence that shut down Houston's high-powered offence nearly the entire afternoon.

Aaron Jones caught one of Darnold's touchdown throws while adding 102 rushing yards for Minnesota, a team with the longest odds to win the NFC's North division entering the season. Former Texan Jonathan Greenard spurred the defensive effort with three sacks of his ex-teammate Stroud.

Stroud's day began ominously as his first pass of the game was deflected at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by the Vikings' Kamu Grugier-Hill, setting up Minnesota at the Houston 21-yard line. Six plays later, Darnold hit Justin Jefferson for a 6-yard touchdown pass for a 7–0 lead nearly three minutes into the contest.

Houston (2-1) missed a long field goal on its next drive, and the Vikings increased the margin with a six-play, 56-yard series capped by Jones' 8-yard touchdown reception late in the first quarter.

The Vikings marched 77 yards in eight plays to start the second half and went up 21-0 on Darnold's 4-yard scoring pass to Jalen Nailor. 

Houston put together its best drive of the day later in the third quarter to get on the board on Stroud's 8-yard touchdown pass to Cam Akers with 3:56 remaining in the period.

After Will Reichard's 35-yard field goal gave Minnesota a 24–7 advantage seven seconds into the fourth quarter, Stroud was picked off by Camryn Bynum on the ensuing possession to give the Vikings the ball back near midfield. 

The interception led to Darnold's fourth TD pass of the game, a 2-yard strike to Johnny Mundt with 10:14 left to play.

Reichard knocked home a career-long 58-yard field goal with under five minutes left for the final points.

Stroud finished with 215 yards on 20-of-31 passing, while former Vikings star Stefon Diggs had 10 catches for 94 yards for the Texans.

Steelers move to 3-0, Chargers' Herbert re-injures ankle

The Pittsburgh Steelers are also on a three-game winning streak to begin the season after pulling away for a 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, who saw star quarterback Justin Herbert leave the contest in the third quarter due to an ankle injury that had him questionable to play going in.

Pittsburgh scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to move to 3-0 behind another solid performance from quarterback Justin Fields, as well as another stout effort from a defence that produced five sacks and limited the Chargers to 168 total yards.

Fields had a rushing and passing touchdown to remain undefeated as a Steeler and help give Los Angeles (2-1) its first loss under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. The former Chicago Bear completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards and an interception while making a third straight start with expected No. 1 quarterback Russell Wilson still dealing with a calf injury.

Herbert completed 12 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown before bowing out shortly after being sacked late in the third quarter. The 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year sustained a high ankle sprain in the Chargers' win over the Carolina Panthers last week. 

The game was tied at 10-10 at the time of Herbert's departure. Fields then moved the Steelers 73 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing possession to set up Chris Boswell's 30-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

After the Chargers were forced to punt with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback for their next series, Fields hit Calvin Austin over the middle and the wide receiver sprinted past the Los Angeles defence for a 55-yard touchdown that put Pittsburgh up 20-10 with 7:02 remaining.

The Chargers then went three-and-out and never got the ball back again, as Pittsburgh ran out the clock after taking possession with just under five minutes left.

Herbert showed no effects of the injury early on, as he connected with Quentin Johnson for a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Steelers answered with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that Fields ended with a 5-yard touchdown run with 10:17 left before half-time.

Cameron Dicker put Los Angeles back ahead with a 28-yard field goal late in the first half, but Boswell's 38-yard field goal with 9:05 remaining in the third quarter created a 10-10 tie.

Dalton sparks Panthers to first win in first start in place of Young

Andy Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns to give the Carolina Panthers the spark they needed with a 36-22 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the first victory for first-year head coach Dave Canales.

Dalton was called into action after Canales opted to bench struggling 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young following two straight losses to begin the season. The 14-year veteran made the rookie coach's decision a wise one by completing a sharp 70.3 per cent (26 of 37) of his passes while directing an offence that put up 437 total yards, surpassing the 352 Carolina mustered in two games with Young at the controls.

Diontae Johnson put up 122 yards and a touchdown on eight catches as Dalton's top target, while the Panthers also got a lift in the running game from Chuba Hubbard's 114 yards on 21 carries.

Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers had touchdown catches for Las Vegas (1-2), which came out flat off last week's 26-23 upset road win over the Baltimore Ravens. Gardner Minshew threw for 214 yards on 18 of 28 passing with one touchdown and one interception.

Dalton marched Carolina right down the field on the game's first possession, a nine-play, 70-yard drive he capped with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Hubbard. 

The Raiders tied the game on Alexander Mattison's 2-yard run late in the first quarter that completed a 97-yard series, but the offence stagnated from there as the Panthers scored the next 26 points to put the contest away.

Dalton tossed two more touchdown passes in the second quarter, a 5-yarder to Johnson and a 31-yard strike to Adam Thielen, to send Carolina into half-time with a 21-7 advantage.

The Raiders continued to get nothing going offensively in the third quarter as the Panthers pushed the lead to 27-7 entering the fourth on two Eddy Piniero field goals.

Hubbard accounted for 52 yards from scrimmage on an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended on Miles Sanders' 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers missed a 2-point conversion try to keep it a 33-7 lead.

Minshew found Meyers for a 13-yard touchdown as well as the ensuing 2-point try to get Las Vegas within 33-15 with just under 11 minutes left. The Raiders also scored in the final minute via backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell's 8-yard touchdown pass to Tucker that followed Pineiro's 26-yard field goal.

Rams rally to edge hobbled 49ers on late field goal

Joshua Karty's 37-yard field goal with two seconds left capped a fourth-quarter rally that propelled the Los Angeles Rams to a sorely needed 27-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers in a clash of NFC West rivals each dealing with a slew of early-season injuries.

The Rams trailed 21-7 late in the third quarter and 24-14 in the fourth before ripping off 13 points in the final 6:15 to deal defending NFC champion San Francisco (1-2) a second straight loss following a season-opening victory over the New York Jets.

San Francisco was playing without three star offensive players with running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve and both wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) inactive. Los Angeles (1-2) came in short-handed as well with its top two receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, sidelined and multiple starters on the offensive line out as well.

Tutu Atwell helped fill the void with 93 receiving yards on four catches, and the Rams also got a big lift from Kyren WIlliams' 89 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 15-yard scoring catch from quarterback Matthew Stafford. 

Stafford finished with 221 yards and one touchdown on 16-of-25 passing to help Los Angeles avoid an 0-3 start.

The 49ers lost despite three touchdown passes from Brock Purdy to Jauan Jennings, who racked up 175 yards on 11 receptions while stepping up in Samuel and Kittle's absence. Purdy completed 22 of 30 throws for 292 yards without an interception.

San Francisco took a 21-7 lead when Jennings got behind the Los Angeles defence to haul in Purdy's 31-yard dart with 7:01 left in the third quarter. The Rams quickly answered, though, with a six-play, 70-yard drive that Williams finished with a 3-yard run to make it a one-score game just over three minutes later.

The 49ers moved inside the Rams' 10-yard line on the subsequent possession, but settled for Jake Moody's 26-yard field goal for a 24-14 advantage with under 12 minutes to go.

Karty's 33-yard field goal trimmed Los Angeles' deficit to seven points with 6:15 remaining, and Moody missed a 55-yard attempt on the ensuing drive to give the Rams the ball near midfield with 2:43 left.

Stafford found Atwell for a 50-yard gain on the next snap, and Williams crossed the goal line from four yards out two plays later to tie the game at 24-24 with 1:51 remaining.

After the Rams forced a quick punt, 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell was called for a 25-yard pass interference penalty that set up Karty's winning kick.

The 49ers dominated the first quarter, building a 14-0 lead on a pair of touchdown passes from Purdy to Jennings from 13 and four yards out.

After stalling on their opening two possessions, the Rams got untracked with a 16-play, 87-yard drive that consumed nearly eight minutes. Williams finished it with a 15-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter to get Los Angeles within 14-7 at the half. 

Ravens hold off Cowboys behind Henry's big game

The Baltimore Ravens were also able to avert a dreaded 0-3 start, though they needed to hold off a frantic fourth-quarter comeback attempt from the Dallas Cowboys to secure an important 28-25 win.

Baltimore (1-2) opened up a 28-6 lead after three quarters behind big rushing efforts from Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson, then held on after Dak Prescott led Dallas on a late rally in which the Cowboys outscored the Ravens 19-0 in the fourth.

Henry amassed 151 yards and two touchdowns in his biggest game since joining Baltimore in free agency, while Jackson had 87 yards and a touchdown on the ground in addition to throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens put up 274 rushing yards to help withstand Prescott's 379 yards and two touchdowns through the air as well as a 65-yard field goal from Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey, the second-longest in NFL history.

Baltimore dominated the game's early stages, however, as the offence scored touchdowns on its first two drives and the defence kept the Cowboys out of the end zone for the first three quarters.

The Ravens needed just five plays to take a quick 7-0 lead, as Jackson followed a 30-yard completion to Charlie Kolar with a 9-yard touchdown run less than 5 1/2 minutes in. 

After Aubrey knocked through his career-long field goal to get Dallas on the board, a 56-yard pass from Jackson to Nelson Agholor set up Henry's 1-yard run that increased the margin to 14-3 late in the first quarter.

The Ravens went ahead further on Jackson's 13-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman with 25 seconds left in the first half, capping an 8-play, 88-yard drive. The Cowboys were able to position themselves for Aubrey's 51-yard field goal, however, that trimmed the lead to 21-6 at half-time.

Baltimore continued to move the ball at will to begin the second half, as Henry ripped off a 29-yard run before scampering into the end zone from 26 yards out on the opening possession of the third quarter.

Dallas finally came to life with two fourth-quarter touchdowns that came less than two minutes apart. After Prescott's 1-yard run brought Dallas within 28-12 after it failed on the 2-point conversion, the Cowboys recovered an onside kick to get the ball back near midfield.

Prescott finished the resulting 7-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown toss to Jalen Tolbert, though the Cowboys again couldn't convert the 2-point try as Baltimore's lead dwindled to 28-18 with just over seven minutes left. 

The Dallas defence then forced a three-and-out before Prescott led an 11-play, 91-yard series culminating in KaVontae Turpin's 16-yard touchdown catch that made it a three-point game with 2:53 to go.

Dallas didn't get the ball back again, however, as Jackson completed a critical 9-yard pass to Zay Flowers on 3rd-and-6 to help allow the Ravens to run out the clock.

Barkley's two touchdowns lift Eagles over Saints

Saquon Barkley rushed for 147 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:01 remaining that gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 15-12 victory over the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints.

Barkley also had a 65-yard touchdown run to help Philadelphia (2-1) bounce back from blowing a late lead in a frustrating 22-21 loss to Atlanta on Monday night, in which the Falcons quickly marched down the field for a winning touchdown in the final seconds.

The Eagles' defence redeemed itself this time, however, by holding a potent Saints offence to 219 total yards and keeping it out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. New Orleans (2-1) had scored a combined 91 points in winning its first two games.

Philadelphia also received a huge game from Dallas Goedert. The tight end compiled career highs of 10 catches and 170 receiving yards, 61 of which came on a late reception that led to Barkley's deciding touchdown.

The Saints were clinging to a 3-0 lead after three quarters in a game where both teams failed to convert several scoring opportunities, but that all changed when Barkley broke through the line of scrimmage and out-sprinted the New Orleans secondary to put the Eagles ahead with 13:17 to go.

New Orleans countered with Blake Grupe's 38-yard field goal on the following possession, then got the ball back at midfield with 6:41 left after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had Jake Elliott try a 60-yard field goal that missed the mark.

The Saints proceeded to go 50 yards in nine plays and took a 12-7 lead on Derek Carr's 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave with 2:03 remaining. New Orleans failed on the subsequent 2-point conversion attempt.

Faced with a 3rd-and-16 with just over a minute left, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Goedert open on a crossing route and the tight end raced down the sideline before being brought down at the New Orleans 4-yard line.

Barkley powered into the end zone on the next play, then scored on the 2-point conversion to give the Eagles a 15-12 edge.

Reed Blankenship then sealed Philadelphia's win by intercepting Carr with 48 seconds to play.

Hurts completed 29 of 38 passes for 311 yards but was intercepted in the end zone early in the second quarter, one of a few first-half possessions in which Philadelphia came away empty after moving into scoring range.

Carr managed just 142 yards on 14-of-25 passing with one touchdown and the late interception.

Kerry Carpenter hit two home runs, including the tie-breaking blast in the sixth inning, and the surging Detroit Tigers moved into possession of an American League wild card spot with Sunday's 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

The Tigers' sixth win in seven games moved them one game ahead of reeling Minnesota and into a tie with also-slumping Kansas City for the AL's second wild card. The Twins lost both games of a doubleheader with the Boston Red Sox, who got a three-homer game from Triston Casas to win the opener 8-1. The Royals have now lost seven straight following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to the San Francisco Giants.

Spencer Torkelson also homered while Trey Sweeney delivered a run-scoring double for Detroit, which last reached the post-season in 2014. 

Cedric Mullins had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which is four games up on the Tigers and Royals for the first wild card.

Carpenter drilled a pitch from Albert Suarez into the right field seats in the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead that Detroit's bullpen made stand by holding the Orioles scoreless over the final four innings. Jason Foley finished it out with a perfect ninth for his 26th save.

The Tigers had taken a 2-0 advantage on Torkelson's second-inning homer and back-to-back doubles by Jace Jung and Sweeney later in the frame. Carpenter's first homer of the afternoon increased the margin in the third.

Baltimore drew even with a three-run fifth inning, with Mullins cutting the deficit to 3-2 with his 18th homer of the season. Gunnar Henderson followed with a single before scoring the tying run on Jordan Westburg's double.

Mets edge Phillies to keep rival from clinching NL East

Brandon Nimmo's tie-breaking solo home run in the sixth inning provided the difference as the New York Mets prevented the Philadelphia Phillies from clinching the National League East with a 2-1 victory.

The result kept Philadelphia's magic number to win the division at one but, more importantly, dropped the Phillies one game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the NL's best record. The Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the ninth inning.

New York took three of four matchups from their division rivals in the weekend series and are now tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL's final two wild-card spots, with the Atlanta Braves two games behind both teams.

Nimmo's drive off Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler just eluded the glove of a leaping Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos and cleared the wall to snap a 1-1 tie. Relievers Jose Butto and Edwin Diaz successfully protected the one-run lead over the final three innings, with Diaz working the last two to earn his 20th save.

Wheeler (16-7) struck out eight over seven innings while permitting just two runs in a hard-luck loss.

The Phillies got their lone run in the opening inning when Trea Turner singled, moved to second on a wild pitch from New York starter Tylor Megill and scored on Alec Bohm's single.

New York pulled even an inning later when Tyrone Taylor followed Mark Vientos' double off Wheeler with a run-scoring single.

Taylor and Jose Iglesias each had two hits for the Mets, while Castellanos and Turner each went 2 for 4 for Philadelphia.

White Sox tie modern era record with 120th loss

The San Diego Padres rallied for three eighth-inning runs to hand the Chicago White Sox their 120th loss of the season, a 4-2 setback that tied an MLB record for most defeats in a season in the post-1900 era.

Chicago (36-120) matched the 1962 expansion New York Mets, who finished 40-120, for the most losses in a season in baseball's modern era and have six more chances to eclipse the dubious record. The White Sox will open a three-game series at home with the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

The White Sox took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth that quickly evaporated as San Diego's Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez led off with consecutive doubles, with Arraez's hit off Fraser Ellard scoring pinch-runner Tyler Wade. 

Ellard then threw a wild pitch that advanced pinch-runner Brandon Lockridge to third. Jurickson Profar followed with a sacrifice fly that put the Padres ahead in front of Fernando Tatis' solo homer that increased the lead to 4-2.

The comeback win kept the Padres three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. San Diego has won four straight and holds a three-game lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets for the league's top wild card. 

Profar finished 2 for 3 and drove in another run with a solo homer in the bottom of the third that tied the game at 1-1. The White Sox had briefly gone ahead on Korey Lee's solo homer in the top of the inning.

Chicago went back in front on Miguel Vargas' solo homer in the sixth, his second hit in four at-bats for the game.

Both starting pitchers performed well while not factoring in the final outcome. San Diego's Yu Darvish struck out nine while allowing two runs in 6 1/3 innings, while Chicago's Sean Burke fanned eight while yielding one run on two hits in six innings.