The Pittsburgh Steelers are perfect, and Chase Claypool is, too.
Pittsburgh walloped the one-win Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-3, on Sunday to move to 10-0 on the year. The Steelers are just the eighth team in the past 25 years to start with 10-straight wins — and it’s the first time they’ve done it in their 88-season history.
Claypool, meanwhile, snagged the 10th touchdown reception of his stellar rookie season, streaking past single coverage for a 31-yard score.
That put Canada’s favourite receiver in a very select group: he’s one of just four players in NFL history to have 10-plus touchdowns in his first 10 career games. The others, all from the pre-Super Bowl era, are Houston’s Bill Groman (1960), Chicago’s Harlon Hill (1954) and Green Bay’s Billy Howton (1952).
In the past 10 years, only one wide receiver has won the Rookie of the Year award (Odell Beckham Jr., 2014). Claypool is doing all he can to change that narrative.
After Burrow injury, Bengals brace for the worst
It is not hyperbolic to say that Joe Burrow is the Cincinnati Bengals’ offence. Or at least that he was.
Burrow entered the week averaging 41 pass attempts per game, the most in the NFL, with five games of 300-plus passing yards (one shy of the rookie record). But now 2020’s top pick will miss the rest of the season, following an awkward injury to his left knee.
Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year
During Sunday’s game against Washington, a pair of linemen fell on Burrow’s left leg — his plant leg — as he heaved a pass downfield. Burrow appeared to be in considerable pain and required a cart to leave the field.
Several NFLers, including Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Burrow’s college teammate at LSU), quickly showed their support on Twitter. That was an immediate indicator for how severe the injury was.
The Bengals were already far from a complete team. But without Burrow for the rest of the year — and with starting running back Joe Mixon on injured reserve — we’re about to see how ugly things can get.
Herbert continues playing beyond his years
As one rookie quarterback falls, another one continues to rise.
For the seventh consecutive game, Justin Herbert threw multiple touchdown passes for the Los Angeles Chargers, en route to a 34-28 win over the New York Jets. Oh, and he torched the Jets for 366 passing yards, too.
That sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen for someone who was playing against amateurs and attending general science lectures this time last year. And yet here we are.
It’s strange to think that the Herbert Era in Hollywood only began because a Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lung back in September, forcing L.A. to go to its rookie sooner than intended.
Taylor’s injury might have been a fluke, but Herbert’s ascendance hasn’t been. And it’s encouraging to know that his powers aren’t Samson-like, because he still balled out this week despite getting a pretty brutal haircut.
Valdes-Scantling fumbles game away for Packers
Ah, the highs and lows of professional sports.
After blowing a 14-point lead against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half, the Green Bay Packers needed someone to make a big play in their final drive of regulation — and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling did just that.
Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay’s speediest offensive weapon, hauled in a 47-yard bomb in triple coverage to help set up Mason Crosby’s game-tying field goal with three seconds left. After catching just one ball all day prior to that moment, it looked like Valdes-Scantling might have put Green Bay in position to win.
And then overtime started. On the second play, Valdes-Scantling caught a screen pass, planted his foot to make a cut, and had the ball punched loose. Fumble, recovered by the Colts.
Indianapolis connected on a field goal in its ensuing possession to win the game, a game in which the Packers had a 90.6 per cent win probability at halftime, according to ESPN.
The Colts’ victory allows them to keep pace with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South, at 7-3. The Packers dropped to 7-3, but they still hold a two-game cushion on the laggards of the NFC North.
Hill, Saints keep marching
If you’re being honest with yourself, you didn’t expect Taysom Hill to start at quarterback in place of the injured Drew Brees this week.
If you’re being really honest with yourself, you didn’t expect it to go nearly as well as it did.
Hill (41 career pass attempts) got the nod over Jameis Winston (2,559 career pass attempts) and helped the New Orleans Saints to a seventh-straight victory, which propels them to the top of the NFC South standings.
When Brees is healthy, Hill is largely a gadget player — taking design runs and read options from shotgun, running routes from the slot, etc. So it’s no surprise that Hill did most of his damage with the ball in his hands on Sunday, rushing for 51 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries (while also completing 18-of-23 passes for 233 yards).
In the fantasy football realm, Hill was available as a tight end and/or wide receiver in some formats. For those of you who took advantage, bravo.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
