NFL
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and added a 33-yarder with 6:09 left in overtime and the Jets staged an unlikely comeback in a defensive struggle to stun the Giants 13-10 in overtime Sunday. The Jets moved 46 yards in six plays with the game-winning kick set up by a pass interference penalty against Adoree Jackson that gave them a first-down at the 15. Coach Robert Saleh didn’t give his offense a chance to make a mistake and Zuerlein came out and put his kick just inside the left upright for the Jets’ third straight win.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, Jalen Ramsey intercepted a pass in his Dolphins debut, and Miami beat the New England Patriots 31-17. Miami won for the 16th time in its past 18 home games, and Tagovailoa moved to 6-0 in his career against Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The Dolphins are 6-2 for the first time since 2001. They have a one-game lead over Buffalo for the AFC East lead. Tagovailoa completed 30 of 45 passes and moved his league-leading yardage total to 2,416. Mac Jones had another uneven day for the Patriots, throwing for 161 yards on 19-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
Jalen Hurts threw for four touchdown passes on an injured left knee to help the Philadelphia Eagles improve to 7-1 with a 38-31 victory at the Washington Commanders. A.J. Brown had two of them as part of his 130 yards receiving. Brown became the first player in NFL history with 125-plus yards receiving in six consecutive games. Reed Blankenship intercepted Sam Howell in the fourth quarter and Haason Reddick got to him on a late fourth down for Philadelphia’s first sack of the game. The Commanders fell to 3-5 with a fifth loss in six games despite Howell throwing for a career-high 397 yards and four TDs.
Trevor Lawrence threw for 292 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10. The Jaguars have won five straight to improve to 6-2. Jacksonville broke it open in the third quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Travis Etienne. The Steelers played the second half without quarterback Kenny Pickett, who left late in the second quarter with a rib injury and did not return. Mitch Trubisky threw a touchdown in relief but added two late interceptions as Pittsburgh fell to 4-3.
As Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro prepared for a winning field-goal attempt with 3 seconds left, he turned to holder Johnny Hekker and said: “Listen, when I make this kick, I’m jumping on your back and you’re taking me all the way to the 50-yard line.” Hekker responded: “Alright. Done deal.” Three successful kicks later, Pineiro found himself getting a piggyback from the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Hekker out to the team’s logo at midfield, his hand raised in victory after a 23-yard field goal lifted the Panthers to a 15-13 victory over the Houston Texans.
Dak Prescott threw two of his four touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb, DaRon Bland recorded his NFL-leading third interception return for a score and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-20. It was a rough-and-tumble homecoming for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The former Dallas high school standout was replaced by Brett Rypien late in the third quarter. Stafford injured a thumb on a failed 2-point conversion pass. The Cowboys won their 11th consecutive home game.
Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Vikings beat the slumping Green Bay Packers 24-10 on Sunday. This marked the first Packers-Vikings matchup since 2006 in which both teams entered the game with losing records. Minnesota got back to the .500 on Sunday with its third consecutive victory.
Derek Carr threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in a bounce-back performance, Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara scored two TDs apiece, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 38-27. The Saints snapped a two-game skid and moved into a share of the NFC South lead with Atlanta at 4-4. Carr spent this week answering questions about scolding teammates on the sideline and shouting at offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Rashid Shaheed caught three passes for a career-best 153 yards and one TD. Indy has lost three straight and four of its five home games. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 95 yards, and Zack Moss added 66 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Rookie Will Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his NFL debut, and the Tennessee Titans scored their most points since 2021 in beating the Atlanta Falcons 28-23 on Sunday. The Titans capped an alumni weekend wearing Houston Oilers’ throwback uniforms. Levis became the seventh rookie quarterback to start this season. Then he joined Fran Tarkenton and Marcus Mariota as the only NFL quarterbacks ever to throw for four TDs in their NFL debuts. Atlanta switched quarterbacks at halftime with Desmond Ridder cleared from a concussion. Taylor Heinicke tried to rally the Falcons but fell short.
Geno Smith threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 38 seconds left, and the Seattle Seahawks rallied for a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns after blowing an early 14-point lead. After struggling for long stretches against the best defense in the NFL, Smith was sensational on Seattle’s final drive. He connected on 4 of 5 passes, the last of which was a quick screen to Smith-Njigba. The rookie first-round pick used a terrific block from DK Metcalf on the perimeter to sneak down the sideline and score. Seattle gave itself a chance by intercepting Cleveland quarterback P.J. Walker near midfield with 1:57 remaining.
Gus Edwards ran for two of his three touchdowns following interceptions by Baltimore’s stout defense, and the Ravens beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-24. A week after blowing out Detroit 38-6, the Ravens labored offensively. The Cardinals prevented Lamar Jackson from scrambling for more than a few yards at a time and the Ravens finished with 268 total yards. Jackson threw for 157 yards on 18-of-27 passing and ran for 18 yards on four carries. Baltimore’s defense made up for its struggling offense, harassing Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs all afternoon.
Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, Cincinnati intercepted Brock Purdy on back-to-back passes in the second half and the Bengals beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-17 for their fourth win in five games. After being hampered early in the season by a calf injury, Burrow came out of the bye week looking like his old self for the Bengals. He managed to escape a sack attempt on a TD drive in the first quarter, had two long runs and was sharp all game throwing the ball against the 49ers. San Francisco has lost three straight games.
The Denver Broncos snapped their 16-game skid to the Kansas City Chiefs in a big way. They turned three touchdown passes from Russell Wilson and five takeaways into a 24-9 win in cold conditions in Denver. Safety Justin Simmons had a pair of takeways and the Broncos beat Patrick Mahomes for the first time in 13 tries. Mahomes was added to the injury report before the game because of an illness and he was held without a touchdown throw for the first time since a 22-9 Chiefs’ win over the Broncos in 2021.
Justin Herbert passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns, including a 39-yarder to Austin Ekeler, and the Los Angeles Chargers stopped a two-game slide by routing the Chicago Bears 30-13. Herbert had struggled with accuracy the past two games after breaking the middle finger of his left, non-throwing hand four weeks ago. But he completed his first 15 passes against Chicago and was 31 of 40 in front of a prime-time audience. Herbert directed the Chargers to points on their first five drives, marking the first time in six seasons they have accomplished that feat.
Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Kenny Pickett and Tyrod Taylor were the latest quarterbacks to go down with injuries. Cousins’ injury is likely the worst of the bunch. Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the team fears the four-time Pro Bowl QB hurt his Achilles tendon. If the tendon is torn, Cousins’ season would be over. The 35-year-old veteran limped to the sideline after suffering the non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of a 24-10 win at Green Bay. Stafford couldn’t finish a lopsided loss at Dallas because of a thumb injury. Pickett and Taylor both injured ribs.
Meanwhile, on Monday night football, Las Vegas is at Detroit at 8:15 tonight.
MLB
Max Scherzer is glued together for his World Series Game 3 start at 8:03 tonight. The 3-time Cy Young Award winner says he “found a way to use cotton and super glue” to patch a cut on his pitching thumb that developed when he returned October 18 after five weeks from a right shoulder strain. His Rangers are tied with the Diamondbacks at a game apiece.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers combined for zero errors over the first two games of the Fall Classic, which is the first time that’s happened since 2018. That’s no accident. The two teams made the fewest errors in the big leagues during the regular season and have a combined eight finalists for Gold Glove awards. The Rangers have five of them season, including catcher Jonah Heim, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and right fielder Adolis García, who has one of the best outfield arms in the big leagues. The D-backs’ finalists are catcher Gabriel Moreno, center fielder Alek Thomas and first baseman Christian Walker.
NBA
Joel Embiid had 35 points and 15 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 126-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. James Harden watched the game from the bench. The disgruntled guard has not played this season. The 76ers say Harden needs to get into game shape. Harden has been at odds with the Sixers since an offseason trade demand. The Trail Blazers dropped to 0-3.
James Harden was out for the 76ers. Joel Embiid was in. The reigning NBA MVP skipped a chance to rest and started Sunday night in Philadelphia’s home opener. Harden’s absence against Portland was no surprise. The 10-time All-Star has now missed all three games in the wake of his offseason trade demand. Nurse said he expected Harden to practice on Tuesday. The 76ers don’t play again until Thursday. Embiid almost sat out Sunday to get some rest. But he did get the start against Portland.
Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 14 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-95. Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray added 19 points and eight assists for the Nuggets. Denver shot just over 60% from the field. Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren missed last season with a foot injury, so this was his first regular-season game in front of the home fans. He got a loud cheer when he was introduced and delivered a team-leading 19 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just seven points on 2-for-16 shooting.
Chris Paul has come off the bench for the first time in his NBA career. Paul entered Sunday’s Golden State game at Houston as a substitute, checking in with 6:58 left in the first quarter for the Warriors. He started the first two games of the season for Golden State but was out of Sunday’s lineup because Draymond Green returned from an ankle injury and rejoined the starting five. Since the NBA began tracking games started in 1982, no player had appeared in more games and started them all than Paul had entering Sunday. Including playoffs, Paul started the first 1,365 games of his NBA career.
NHL
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves in his first career shutout and JJ Peterka, Casey Mittelstadt, Tyson Jost, and Rasmus Dahlin scored for the Buffalo Sabres in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado closed a three-game trip Sunday with consecutive shutout losses, ending a record NHL streak of 15 wins in a row on the road. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 25 shots in his second loss for Colorado. Georgiev tied an NHL record with 12 consecutive road victories going into Thursday night’s 4-0 loss in Pittsburgh. Colorado’s All-Star defenseman Cale Makar returned to the game after sliding into the end boards and going to the dressing room during the second period.
Jesper Bratt scored twice and added an assist, Vitek Vanecek made 31 saves, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3. Erik Haula and Tyler Toffoli also scored to help the Devils get their fifth win in eight games. Luke Hughes had two assists. Pat Maroon, Ryan Hartman and Jake Middleton scored for Minnesota, which has lost three straight. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 26 saves. Bratt got his sixth of the season on the power play with 3:21 remaining in the second to give New Jersey a two-goal lead. Middleton’s first of the season pulled the Wild back within one with 4:43 left in the third. Minnesota had a power-play for the game’s final 1:37 but could not covert.
American hockey player Adam Johnson has died after a “freak accident” during a game in England on Saturday, according to his team. The 29-year-old from Minnesota was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered a slashed neck during the second period. Johnson played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks. He went on to play in the American Hockey League and Germany before agreeing to join Nottingham for this season.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Álvaro Barreal scored two goals, Luciano Acosta added a goal and an assist, and Cincinnati beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 in Match 1 of their best-of-3 first-round series in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Cincinnati can clinch a berth in the conference semifinals with a win in Match 2. Barreal ran onto a perfectly-placed through ball, played by Junior Moreno, and bent a one-touch shot inside the far post to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Acosta — whose 17 goals and 19 assists in the regular season were tied for second and fourth, respectively, in the MLS — scored from near midfield to make it 2-0 in the 35th. The Red Bulls have lost six consecutive road playoff games, dating to 2018.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oklahoma dropped four spots to No. 10 after being upset by Kansas, the top five teams held their places and the Jayhawks and rival Kansas State both entered The Associated Press college football poll. Georgia is No. 1 for the 20th straight week, receiving 48 of 63 first-place votes, distancing itself from No. 2 Michigan. The Wolverines, who were off Saturday after a week of being in the news for an NCAA sign-stealing investigation, received nine first-place votes. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each received three first-place votes. No. 5 Washington stayed a spot ahead of Pac-12 rival Oregon.
NASCAR
Ryan Blaney will race for his first Cup championship after qualifying for NASCAR’s title-deciding finale with a Sunday win at Martinsville Speedway. William Byron, who led the Cup Series with six wins this season, earned the fourth and final slot in the championship by limping to a 13th-place finish at the Virginia short track. Byron had padded his position with bonus points earned all season and edged Denny Hamlin, who finished third at Martinsville on Sunday, by eight points to qualify for NASCAR’s championship. Blaney and Byron will race Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where the Cup championship will go to the highest-finishing driver.
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