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DIGITAL SPORTS DESK The LEDE Sox Earn Big Win in Baltimore

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Boston 10, Baltimore 8
When: 7:05 PM ET, Monday, September 18, 2017
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
Attendance: 16,716
Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange
Tampa Bay Rays v Boston Red Sox

Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox  (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images).

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BALTIMORE — The Boston Red Sox don’t mind playing in extra-inning games. In fact, they kind of enjoy it due to their success rate this season.

Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run single in the 11th inning to give Boston a come-from behind, 10-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Camden Yards.

The Red Sox (86-64) improved to 14-3 in extra-inning games. Manager John Farrell said that is helping them sit where they are right now, three games up in the American League East on of the second-place New York Yankees (83-67). Both teams have 12 games left.

“There’s some level of comfort (playing in extra innings),” Farrell said. “I can’t say you’re always feeling great about the situation, particularly on the road, but the number of games and how we’ve executed late in games, I’m extremely proud of the way they go about it.”

Sandy Leon started the winning rally with a one-out walk off Miguel Castro (3-2) in the 11th. Leon went to second when first baseman Chris Davis bobbled a Jackie Bradley Jr. grounder before tagging the base.

Blake Swihart then pinch-ran for Leon, and Xander Bogaerts drew an intentional walk. Tzu-Wei Lin followed with another walk to load the bases before Benintendi singled to right, scoring Swihart and Bogaerts.

“We’re never really out of it,” Benintendi said. “We can put rallies together like that and score six runs like we did pretty quickly. We’re kind of used to these extra-inning games now, so we kind of know what it takes.”

Benintendi said that Castro was throwing his changeup a lot, and since he had two strikes — the count was 2-2 — the left fielder shortened his stroke. The move worked out.

“I just tried my make pitch,” Castro said. “Locate the ball down in the zone, try to make my pitches. Everybody’s just trying to do their job, so just trying to locate my pitches.”

Matt Barnes (7-3) posted the victory thanks to a scoreless 10th inning. Carson Smith closed it in the 11th for his first save.

The Orioles (73-78) fell to 12-3 in extra-inning contests.

The game swung back and forth. Baltimore couldn’t hold an early 6-1 lead as the Red Sox scored six runs in the fifth.

The Orioles took the lead back that inning before Boston tied it at 8-8 on a Bogaerts homer against Donnie Hart in the seventh.

Both starters had problems. Baltimore’s Dylan Bundy gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings, and Boston’s Doug Fister allowed five runs in two-plus innings.

This is the most Bundy has ever pitched in the majors, now 169 2/3 innings, but manager Buck Showalter said the right-hander doesn’t appear in need of a shut-down yet.

“Stuff’s fine, he feels great between starts, he’s getting extra days’ rest,” Showalter said. “As long as we think it’s beneficial for him and the club, then we’ll continue down that path. But we’re not at that point yet.”

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Jonathan Schoop grounded into an RBI forceout.

Baltimore added three in the second after loading the bases with no outs. Austin Hays then hit a grounder that banged off second base and caromed toward left field, an odd two-run double.

Manny Machado later added a sacrifice fly in the inning, and Welington Castillo greeted Heath Hembree with a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 5-0.

In the fourth, Boston’s Brock Holt came on to pinch-hit for Dustin Pedroia after the second baseman fouled a ball off home plate that bounced up and hit him in the face. Pedroia is day-to-day with a nose contusion.

Holt picked up a 1-2 count and doubled, later scoring on a Mookie Betts single.

Adam Jones added an RBI single in the fourth to put Baltimore up 6-1 before the Red Sox answered with a six-run fifth inning, the big hits being Holt’s two-run single that ended Bundy’s night, and a three-run home run by Betts off Mychal Givens that handed Boston a 7-6 lead.

That didn’t last long as Alvarez tied it with a solo homer off Fernando Abad in the fifth. Tim Beckham gave Baltimore an 8-7 lead with an RBI double after Brandon Workman entered later that inning.

NOTES: Orioles minor league pitcher Miguel Gonzalez, 21, died Monday after being hurt in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on Saturday. The Orioles held a moment of silence in his honor before the game. … Boston RF Mookie Betts played in his 500th career game and notched his 600th career hit, an RBI single in the fourth inning. … The Red Sox have come from behind in nine of their past 13 wins.

Patriots Ready for Tough Texans

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FOXBOROUGH – (Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – Ironically, winning a game under the roof of the Superdome was all it took to prove to New England Patriots fans that the sky was not falling in Patriot Nation following the shocking opening-night loss in Foxborough to the Chiefs.

Quarterback Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions got off to a fast start against the Saints’ sub-par pass defense, putting up a trio of first-quarter touchdowns in New Orleans on the way to the 36-20 victory in Week 2.

Kansas City Chiefs v New England Patriots

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots calls a play during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images).

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Much like Sam Bradford and the Vikings had done to Sean Payton’s defense a week earlier, Brady carved up the Saints young, ripe-for-the-taking secondary. Brady completed 30 of his 39 throws for 447 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 139.6 passer rating.

And though New England allowed Drew Brees to throw for 356 yards, the Patriots held New Orleans to just 13 points until what was essentially a garbage-time touchdown to tight end Coby Fleener in the final few minutes.

So, a week after Brady was left questioning the “attitude and competitiveness” of his team following a fourth-quarter collapse against Kansas City, the New England leader took to the postgame podium with a 1-1 record and a far more positive outlook in New Orleans.

“The NFL’s tough, man,” Brady said. “Every game is tough, every quarter is tough, every play is tough, and you can’t take it for granted. In order to win, you’ve got to go out and compete as hard as you can on every play. We did a good job of that today.”

After a night to sleep on the win, Brady made his point even more clear in his weekly appearance on WEEI Radio in Boston.

Critiques of his team were replaced with post-win praise.

“I thought it was four quarters of really tough, competitive football,” Brady told WEEI. “That is what we talked about. I think one thing coming out of the previous week was just understanding four quarters of football is what it takes to win. That is what we needed yesterday and we got it from the start.

“We hadn’t won a game in a long time, since February. I think to get that feeling of winning again felt good for everybody. It was a fun flight home and now it’s quickly evaluating the film and getting on to Houston.”

While beating up on the hapless Saints’ defense left Brady in a better mood, he and his banged-up receiving corps face a tougher challenge this week at home against the Texans.

With Julian Edelman (ACL) and Malcolm Mitchell (knee) already on injured reserve, Danny Amendola (concussion/knee) missed Sunday’s win in New Orleans.

Sunday, two of the Patriots’ three healthy receivers got dinged themselves as Phillip Dorsett suffered a knee injury while Chris Hogan was left hobbling off the field with an undisclosed injury, leaving Brandin Cooks as the only healthy body at the position.

Tight Rob Gronkowski also left the win for good in the third quarter with what was announced as a groin injury after he put up more than 100 yards receiving in little more than a half.

Losing players to injury aside, for Brady and Co. Sunday’s victory was a true win in New Orleans. It avoided a dreaded, unprecedented 0-2 start in the future Hall of Famer’s career.

And it eased the pressure both inside and outside the New England locker room, even for a team that prides itself in its ability to “ignore the noise” from the outside.

“We have to put together another good week and be ready for the Texans,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “But it’s good to be 1-1.”

–Tight end Rob Gronkowski left the Week 2 win in New Orleans in the third quarter with what was announced as a groin injury and did not return. Gronkowski was in the midst of a big day when he gestured for the training staff after being tackled by two Saints defenders on what would be his final catch of the day. After a quiet opener against Kansas City, Gronkowski had six catches for 116 yards, including a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown before leaving because of the injury in New Orleans.

After the game Gronkowski declined to speak to reporters other than telling them he was a “no-go” media wise before smiling, offering a thumbs up and saying, “But I’m good.”

A day later, to no one’s surprise, head coach Bill Belichick offered no update on his key pass-catcher.

“No, I don’t have any updates,” Belichick said. “We’ll put the injury report out on Wednesday like we always do and follow the procedures that are outlined by the league.”

On Monday afternoon, Gronkowski spoke with reporters in the Gillette Stadium locker room and confirmed the groin injury.

“It’s nothing serious and I’m just day-to-day,” Gronkowski said, making it clear he had no concerns about his back, which required season-ending surgery last December.

Asked if he might play on Sunday against the Texans, Gronkowski went into full Patriots mode.

“Day-to-day,” he said with a smile. “I feel good. It’s nothing serious.”

–Cornerback Malcolm Butler started all 16 games for the Patriots over each of the last two seasons, establishing himself as the team’s No. 1 Pro Bowl cornerback. But Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, Butler was utilized in a reserve role with Eric Rowe getting the starting nod opposite $65 million offseason addition Stephon Gilmore.

Butler did end up playing 49 of 65 defensive snaps against the Saints, at least in part due to Rowe leaving with a groin injury. Still, it was strange to see Butler, who actually made a restricted free-agent visit to New Orleans this offseason after New England signed Gilmore, as anything other than a starter.

Butler declined to speak with the media after the New England win, saying he wanted to spend time with family that was in New Orleans. And Belichick offered little explanation a day after the game regarding the new-look starting lineup.

“There are a lot of things that go into it, but that’s what we decided to do,” Belichick said of starting Rowe over Butler.

–Linebacker Dont’a Hightower (knee) was inactive for the Week 2 win in New Orleans. The Pro Bowler and captain suffered the injury on opening night against the Chiefs and missed all three days of practice last week.

Given Hightower’s recent history of missing a handful of games each season to knee and shoulder injuries – he’s missed at least three games in each of the last three seasons – and the fact that he sat out the preseason to a knee injury, it’s probably not too stunning that he’s already missing time.

But, a report from ESPN Boston over the weekend painted what was initially reported as a sprain in a bit more concerning light. ESPN reported that Hightower “sought a second opinion” from noted orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews last week.

NFL Network followed that report by saying the injury was diagnosed as the “2-3 week variety” and that Hightower could return as early as the Week 3 battle with the Texans.

Still, given Hightower’s importance to a New England defense that struggled with communication and in allowing too many big plays in the first two weeks, the injury situation bears watching.

NOTES: LB Dont’a Hightower (knee) was ruled out before the trip to New Orleans, missing the game with what has been reported as a minor MCL sprain suffered in the opener against K.C. Hightower has missed at least three games in each of the last three seasons to knee and shoulder issues and also sat out the preseason after opening the summer on PUP due to a knee problem. … WR Danny Amendola (concussion/knee) was ruled out on Friday after missing the entire week of practice for the Week 2 trip to New Orleans. Amendola left the opener against the Chiefs in the third quarter with a head injury. … WR Matthew Slater (hamstring) was ruled out for the Saints game after missing practice all last week to the injury that dates to the early practice action of training camp. Slater had returned to the practice field on a limited basis prior to the season opener, but seemingly suffered a setback at some point. … DT Vincent Valentine (ankle) was ruled out last Friday prior to the trip to New Orleans. It’s the second straight week the second-year player has been inactive, despite practicing on a limited basis on Thursday. He did not practice on either Wednesday or Friday.

–S Nate Ebner (shoulder) was inactive against the Saints, being downgraded when New England traveled to New Orleans on Saturday. Ebner also sat out the opener to the injury, though he did practice on a limited basis last week. … T LaAdrian Waddle was a healthy scratch in New Orleans. The veteran backup was a healthy scratch for 14 of 16 games last season. … OL Cole Croston, an undrafted rookie who made the roster as a backup at both guard and tackle, was a healthy scratch for the second straight week. … –OL Willie Beavers was released from the Patriots practice squad Sept. 16. The former 2016 sixth-round pick of the Vikings had joined the New England practice squad Sept. 5. … TE Rob Gronkowski left the Saints game in the third quarter with what was reported as a groin injury and did not return. Gronkowski remained in the bench area the rest of the afternoon and spent some time riding the stationary bike. … CB Eric Rowe left the Saints game with a groin injury in the third quarter and did not return. … WR Phillip Dorsett was attended to by trainers late in the win in New Orleans for a knee injury. … RB Rex Burkhead left the win over the Saints in the first half because of a rib injury and did not return. … WR Chris Hogan appeared to be dealing with a right leg injury in the second half in New Orleans. The receiver was limping around and had the right knee/thigh area wrapped on the sideline.

Patriots Make Progress

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NEW ORLEANS — For the last 18 seasons, the mantras of the New England Patriots — drummed into them by head guru Bill Belichick — have been “next guy up” and “winning, not stats, is all that matters.”

Sunday’s 36-20 pasting of the Saints — in which the Patriots jumped out to a 20-3 first-quarter lead behind Tom Brady’s three touchdown passes — was simply more evidence of Belichick stamping his personality on a team that doesn’t sweat the small stuff — like injuries, headset snafus and individual statistics.

New England Patriots Vs. New Orleans Saints At Mercedes-Benz Superdome

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski spikes the ball following a 53-yard touchdown on a first quarter pass from Tom Brady during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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The Patriots (1-1) are already down two big-play receivers: Julian Edelman was lost for the season in training camp with an ACL tear, and slot receiver Danny Amendola missed Sunday’s game with a concussion and knee injury.

New England dressed only three receivers Sunday, and at one point in the second half, Chris Hogan was limping noticeably before returning. At the end of the game, Belichick was flanking out running backs as wide receivers.

Still, Brady threw for 447 yards and completed 30 of 39 passes. In addition, the Patriots played without linebacker Dont’a Hightower, a high-volume tackler.

“Well, we’ll do the best with what we have available to us,” Belichick said.

Running back James White is the prototype Patriot. With time to survey the field, Brady threw eight times to White for 85 yards, and he gained another 11 yards on two carries. Nothing splashy, but it got the job done.

“Every time he touches the ball is important,” Brady said of White. “He’s so dependable and consistent. He shows up every day doing his job. He’s got the best attitude — it’s team-first all the time. He’s just a great teammate. I’ve played with a lot of great teammates, and James is right there at the top. I love his effort and style.”

Belichick mentioned the communications problems that prevented both sides of the ball from hearing about plays or calls from their coordinators. It didn’t matter.

The only thing the Saints “won” Sunday was keeping wide receiver Brandin Cooks, their former No. 1 pick who was traded to the Patriots in the offseason, under control. Cooks caught just two passes for 37 yards while being well covered by rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Belichick almost laughed at the suggestion that Cooks might have wanted to have a big game against his former team.

“We came down here to try to win — that’s what we came down for,” Belichick said. “I’m not really concerned about the stats. We came down to win, so it was a good trip. We’re not anywhere close to where we need to be, but we made good progress from last week.”

That’s the Patriots way.

Red Sox: Pedroia Exits

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BALTIMORE — Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia left the Red Sox’s game with the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning Monday with a nasal contusion.

Pedroia fouled off a Dylan Bundy pitch, and the ball bounced down off home plate and then came up and appeared to hit the second baseman in the nose. He stumbled away from the plate and went down to his knees, clutching the area around his nose.

Baltimore Orioles v Boston Red Sox

The bat of Dustin Pedroia #15 of the Boston Red Sox (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

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The Boston medical staff came to check him out, and Pedroia was able to walk off and left the game. He replaced by Brock Holt, who then doubled on the next pitch.

Career Day for Brady vs. Saints

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New England 36, New Orleans 20
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 17, 2017
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Attendance: 73,168
Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange
New Orleans Saints v New England Patriots

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots (Jim Rogash/Getty Images).

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NEW ORLEANS — Tom Brady didn’t look quite like himself in the season opener, but it took the New England Patriots’ future Hall of Famer exactly 30 minutes Sunday to transform himself into the man in the mirror, with a nice assist from the defensively inept New Orleans Saints.

Brady threw for 302 of his 447 passing yards in a 30-point first-half explosion, and the Patriots rolled up 555 yards and 29 first downs in a 36-20 spanking of the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“We were 0-1, and with the 10-day break, it felt like a year,” Brady said. “It was a good four quarters of great competition. We got off to a good start with some situational things, but we still left some things out there.”

Brady completed only 16 of 36 passes for 267 yards in an opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 7, but he connected on 19 of 25 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone against the Saints.

New England (1-1) raced to a 30-13 halftime lead and coasted to the win. Brady finished 30 of 39 for 447 yards.

“We had a really good week of preparation, and it showed up this afternoon,” said New England head coach Bill Belichick, adding that the offensive blitz came despite communications issues in getting the plays in to Brady.

“Communication was difficult — before the game and all game. We always try to play well early and get off to a fast start. We were able to do that, and that was good.”

It was the first time in Brady’s career — spanning 273 games, including the playoffs — that he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter.

Brady connected with three different targets for scores on the Patriots’ first three series. He found running back Rex Burkhead for a 19-yard catch over rookie linebacker Alex Anzalone and then threw a sideline pass to Rob Gronkowski that the big tight end converted into a 53-yard score, niftily side-stepping rookie safety Marcus Williams at the 10.

“He had a crossing route, and I was able to hold on to the ball because I got great protection,” Brady said on the throw to Gronkowski. “I made eye contact and I saw it was open behind him. If he does the wheel route, the linebacker doesn’t have any vision. He turned and caught it. He’s a tough guy to handle in the open field, and we need more of those plays. You make those type of plays and it hurts the defense pretty bad.”

Brady’s final scoring pass went to wide receiver Chris Hogan, who was wide open in the left corner of the end zone on a rub route that resulted in a 13-yard touchdown and a 20-3 lead.

Gronkowski played just eight games last season because of injury and looked somewhat rusty with just two catches in the opener. He caught six passes for 116 yards on Sunday before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a reported groin injury.

Gronkowski had a chance at another touchdown, but dropped a lob pass from Brady in the end zone at the end of the first half.

The Patriots rolled up 354 yards in total offense and 18 first downs in the first half, and Brady was nearly perfect. The Patriots could have made it even more lopsided, but their final three scoring drives ended inside the New Orleans 10-yard line with field goals of 28, 24 and 27 yards by Stephen Gostkowski.

The Patriots scored on five of their first six possessions and punted only twice in the game until the final minute.

Drew Brees (27 of 45 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) tried to keep the Saints close, connecting with Brandon Coleman on a 5-yard fade that began a 10-point comeback in the second quarter and cut New England’s lead to 20-13.

“We only have one way to go, and that’s up,” Brees said after the Saints (0-2) lost their ninth consecutive game in September.

But the Patriots responded by scoring 10 points in the final 4:47 of the half and put the game away.

Trailing 27-13 with under three minutes left in the half, Saints head coach Sean Payton elected to gamble on fourth-and-3 from the New England 25, passing up a field-goal attempt. Brees’ deep fade for Ted Ginn Jr. fell incomplete.

“Obviously, to start off like this, there’s disappointment,” Payton said. “Yet, we have the right type of locker room. We’ve got Carolina on the road (next Sunday). We’ll find out what we’re made of.”

NOTES: The Patriots played without WR Danny Amendola (concussion/knee) and LB Dont’a Hightower (knee). … WR Chris Hogan also looked gimpy in the second half before returning. … The Patriots are 43-6 following a loss since 2004. … The Saints dropped to 0-2, not a good omen for them. In their last three 7-9 seasons, in which they failed to make the playoffs, they started 0-2, 0-3 and 0-3. … CB Marshon Lattimore, the Saints’ No. 1 pick, was put under the concussion protocol after a fourth-quarter tackle. … RB James White had eight receptions for 85 yards as Brady picked apart the Saints underneath.

NFL: Week 2 Round-Up

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NEW ORLEANS – (Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange) – Tom Brady threw for 302 of his 447 passing yards in a 30-point first-half explosion and the New England Patriots rebounded from a season-opening loss to Kansas City with a 36-20 rout of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Brady connected on 19 of 25 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as New England (1-1) raced to a 30-13 lead and coasted to the win over the Saints, who fell to 0-2. Brady finished 30 of 39.

It was the first time in Brady’s career — spanning 273 games, including the playoffs — that he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter. He hit three different targets: Rex Burkhead for 19 yards, Rob Gronkowski for 53 and Chris Hogan for 13.

Drew Brees (27 of 44 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) tried to keep the Saints close, connecting with Brandon Coleman on a 5-yard fade that began a 10-point comeback in the second quarter and cut New England’s lead to 20-13. But the Patriots responded by scoring 10 points in the final 4:47 of the half and put the game away.

New England Patriots vs New Orleans Saints

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots reacts to a penalty against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 17, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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Falcons 34, Packers 23 
ATLANTA — Atlanta led by 24 points after three quarters and didn’t wilt despite two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in the opening regular-season game at the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Matt Ryan completed 19 of 28 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones had five catches for 108 yards, and Devonta Freeman rushed for 84 yards and two short touchdowns for the Falcons (2-0).
Falcons safety Desmond Trufant, who missed the second half of last season, had a 15-yard fumble return for a touchdown and set up another TD with an interception. Rodgers was 33 of 50 for 343 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Packers (1-1).

Chiefs 27, Eagles 20 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two second-half touchdowns from Kareem Hunt helped Kansas City post the victory over Philadelphia.
Hunt broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter to give the Chiefs (2-0) a 13-10 lead. Late in the fourth quarter, Hunt struck again by punching the ball in with a 2-yard score. He finished the game with 81 yards rushing on 13 carries, and added 28 yards receiving on three catches.
The Eagles (1-1) scored a late touchdown with Carson Wentz connecting on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor with eight seconds remaining in the game.

Steelers 26, Vikings 9 
PITTSBURGH — A week after beating a rookie quarterback in the opener, Pittsburgh (2-0) harassed Minnesota reserve quarterback Case Keenum in the win.
Keenum got the call over Sam Bradford, who developed swelling in his knee during the week and was ruled out after a brief pregame workout. The Steelers recorded only two sacks, but consistently pressured Keenum, the fifth-year veteran who completed 20 of 37 passes for 167 yards without an interception.
Ben Roethlisberger completed 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half. Le’Veon Bell led all rushers with 87 yards on 27 carries. Minnesota drops to 1-1.

Ravens 24, Browns 10 
BALTIMORE — Joe Flacco threw a pair of touchdown passes and Baltimore forced five turnovers for the second straight game while notching the victory over Cleveland.

Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 217 yards and an interception. He has thrown for at least one touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games against the Browns and improved to a 16-2 all-time against them. The Ravens are 2-0 for the second straight year, while Cleveland fell to 0-2.

Rookie DeShone Kizer was sidelined with a migraine midway through the second quarter. Kizer returned in the third quarter. He completed 15 of 31 passes for 182 yards with three interceptions and was sacked twice.

Cardinals 16, Colts 13 (OT) 
INDIANAPOLIS — Phil Dawson’s 30-yard field goal with 8:02 remaining in overtime rallied Arizona (1-1) from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to the victory over Indianapolis.

Dawson, who missed a potential 42-yard, game-winning field goal on the final play of regulation, made the most of his chance for redemption after Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Jacoby Brissett at the Colts’ 22 on the first play of overtime.

Acquired in a Sept. 2 trade with the New England Patriots, Brissett replaced Week 1 starter Scott Tolzien, and was 20 of 37 for 216 yards for the Colts (0-2).

Titans 37, Jaguars 16 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Marcus Mariota was 15-of-27 passing for 215 yards with one touchdown as Tennessee defeated Jacksonville.
The Titans (1-1) forced turnovers on three straight possessions spanning parts of the second and third quarters, including an interception by defensive back Curtis Riley on a pass that was deflected near the line of scrimmage and an interception by Da’Norris Searcy on a pass that was tipped by Marqise Lee.
Jacksonville fell to 1-1. Blake Bortles finished 20 of 34 for 223 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, clearly missing top receiver Allen Robinson, who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Buccaneers 29, Bears 7 
TAMPA, Fla. — After nearly a week of Hurricane Irma-forced inactivity, Tampa Bay wasn’t the least bit rusty while routing Chicago (0-2).
The Buccaneers (1-0) led 26-0 at halftime, a team-record advantage at the break in a season opener. It was Tampa Bay’s largest halftime advantage since 2001.
Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay’s third-round draft pick in 2013 who played four seasons for the Bucs, completed 31 of 45 passes for 301 yards for the Bears.

Panthers 9, Bills 3 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina relied on relentless defense and three Graham Gano field goals in the victory over Buffalo.
The Bills (1-1) put together a potential winning drive, moving to the Carolina 32 in the final minute before an offensive pass interference penalty contributed to derailing the threat.
Cam Newton completed 20 of 32 passes for 228 yards for Carolina (2-0). Kelvin Benjamin was the game’s top receiver with 77 yards on six receptions.

Dolphins 19, Chargers 17 
CARSON, Calif. — Cody Parkey’s fourth field goal, a 54-yarder with 65 seconds remaining, lifted Miami over Los Angeles.
Rookie Younghoe Koo’s 44-yard field goal with five seconds left was off the mark. It was the second straight game Koo had a chance to win or tie the game in the closing seconds, and he failed on both occasions.
While the Chargers fell to 0-2, it was the Dolphins’ first game as their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was postponed because of Hurricane Irma.
Miami’s Jay Cutler completed 24 of 33 passes 230 yards and a touchdown and Jay Ajayi paced all rushers with 122 yards on 28 carries. Philip Rivers was 31 of 39 for 282 yards with a touchdown for the Chargers.

Raiders 45, Jets 20 
OAKLAND, Calif. — Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes to Michael Crabtree, Jalen Richard scored on a 52-yard run and Cordarrelle Patterson added a 43-yard scoring run as Oakland rolled over New York.
Marshawn Lynch carried 12 times for 45 yards and scored on a 2-yard touchdown in his first home game with the Raiders (2-0), his hometown team. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes for 230 yards with no interceptions or sacks and a 136.6 passer rating. Crabtree caught six passes for 80 yards.
Josh McCown completed 17 of 25 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jermaine Kearse, for the Jets (0-2). McCown had no interceptions, but was sacked four times and lost a fumble.

Seahawks 12, 49ers 9 
SEATTLE — Russell Wilson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Paul Richardson with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Seattle’s first touchdown of the season, elevated Seattle past San Francisco.
Wilson overcame a poor passing performance on a rainy afternoon to put together a 10-play, 82-yard drive that included several scrambles for first downs before throwing the go-ahead touchdown pass to Richardson with 7:06 remaining. Wilson completed 23 of 39 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown while adding 35 yards on 11 carries for the Seahawks (1-1).
Carlos Hyde has 124 rushing yards for the 49ers (0-2). San Francisco’s Bobby Hoyer completed 15 of 27 passes for 99 yards and an interception.

Redskins 27, Rams 20 
LOS ANGELES — Kirk Cousins’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grant with 1:49 remaining lifted Washington over Los Angeles.
Cousins hit 18 of 27 passes for 179 yards with no interceptions for the Redskins (1-1). Jordan Reed had six receptions for 48 yards.
Jared Goff completed 15 of 25 throws for 224 yards and one touchdown with one interception for the Rams (1-1). Todd Gurley ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, and also had 48 receiving yards on three catches, including a touchdown.

Broncos 42, Cowboys 17 
DENVER — Trevor Siemian shook off a pair of costly turnovers to throw for four touchdowns, and Denver (2-0) dominated Dallas (1-1) in a game that was suspended for about an hour due to the danger of lightning strikes in the area.
Denver’s defense capped its performance with a flourish as cornerback Aqib Talib returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown, stepping in front of Dak Prescott’s end-zone pass intended for Dez Bryant and sprinting down the sideline for the score.
Siemian completed 22 of 32 for 231 yards and had touchdown passes of 10 and 6 yards to Emmanuel Sanders, along with a 16-yard scoring pass to C.J. Anderson and 2 yards to Virgil Green. Prescott finished with 238 yards passing, completing 30 of 50 with two interceptions and two TD passes

PGA Tour: Leishman Takes BMW

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LAKE FOREST – Marc Leishman led from start to finish as he eased to a five-stroke victory at the BMW Championship in Lake Forest, just outside of Chicago. Leishman started Sunday with a five-stroke lead, and the Australian carded a 4-under-par 67 in the final round for a four-round total of 23-under 261 at the Conway Farms Golf Club. That broke the 72-hole tournament record that Tiger Woods set at Cog Hill in 2007, and sends him to the Tour Championship as the No. 4 seed in the FedExCup, giving him a chance to win the $10 million prize.

BMW Championship - Final Round

Marc Leishman of Australia poses with the Wadley Cup after winning the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club on September 17, 2017 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR).

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Five strokes back, tied for second, were Rickie Fowler and England’s Justin Rose. Australia’s Jason Day finished alone in fourth at 268 after a final-round 69, and Matt Kuchar and Spain’s Jon Rahm were another stroke back at 269.

Leishman, 33, lost a two-shot lead on the back nine at the TPC Boston two weeks ago, and he said that defeat affected him.

“I had a few scars from a few weeks ago,” Leishman said. “I was just really, really determined to not let that happen again. Got it done.”
Rose, who finished the round with a 65, provided the only challenge. He got within two shots of the top spot before Leishman sank birdie putts on the 15th and 16th holes.

Fowler finished with a 67, and he needed a birdie on the 18th to capture the No. 5 seed for the FedExCup finale next week at the Tour Championship. He got a par instead.

Rahm birdied four of his last five holes for a 67 and will be the No. 5 seed.

Jordan Spieth shot 65 to tie for seventh at 271 and retain the No. 1 seed. Justin Thomas is the second seed, and Dustin Johnson is third.

All 30 players at East Lake have a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup, but the top five seeds only have to win the Tour Championship to take it.

Patrick Cantlay tied for ninth Sunday at 272 and snuck into the top 30 at No. 29. Cantlay returned to golf after a three-year absence caused by a back injury.

“Feels good. You know, nice to play all the playoff events,” Cantlay said after his round. “It means a lot for next week. I can pick my schedule and it’s great. I played well today. The golf course was harder, but Leishman doesn’t make it seem that way.”

Phil Mickelson needed an eagle on the 18th hole to make it to East Lake, but his 140-foot pitch for eagle hit the hole and popped out. He finished the tournament at 274.

Rory McIlroy had a disappointing final day, shooting an even-par 71 to finish at 282, tied for 58th. That dropped him out of the top 30

Tour Championship: Top 5 or Bust?

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ATLANTA – The magic number on the PGA Tour is five.

Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman of Australia and Jon Rahm of Spain hold the top five positions in the point standings. If one of them wins the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf this week, he would take home the FedExCup.

GOLF: SEP 25 PGA - TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola - Final Round

LAST YEAR: Rory McIlroy celebrates his victory at the 2016 PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

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The last seven winners of the Cup won the final event of the season.

“It’s obviously been a great year thus far, but you don’t want to say it’s nothing,” said Thomas, who has won five times this season, including his first major in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

“I’m in a great opportunity to finish this thing off and win the FedExCup, but there’s a lot of other great players that are playing great golf.”
Spieth is trying to join Tiger Woods (2007, 2009) as the only two-time winner of the Cup. He said of being in the top five heading into the fourth and final tournament in the playoffs: “Well, it’s vital. It allows you to control your own destiny.”

Taking the Cup would check another box on the career resume for Johnson. He leads the world rankings, claimed his first major title last year at the U.S. Open, has won five World Golf Championships events and has played for the U.S. in multiple Ryder and Presidents cups. A year ago, Johnson collected the PGA Tour

Player of the Year Award, the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Award while leading the money list.

Johnson also would have been holding the Cup last year had Rory McIlroy not beaten Kevin Chappell in a playoff to capture the Tour Championship and the season-long title. Johnson tied for sixth at East Lake.

“Well, I’ve won a major; I haven’t won the FedExCup, but to me, they go pretty hand-in-hand,” said Johnson, who has four playoff victories in his career. “It’s a big tournament where we get paid very, very well if we win, so you know it means a lot. … It’s something that I want to win, and I drive myself to win it. Being the FedExCup champion is something that I want on my resume. …

“The next step in my career is to put my name on that trophy.”

Leishman climbed into the top five by winning the BMW Championship by five strokes on Sunday.

Lurking right behind and hoping to steal away with the Cup should one of the top five not win the Tour Championship are Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Justin Rose of England, U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey of England.

The past seven winners of the FedExCup who won at East Lake were Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014), Spieth (2015) and McIlroy (2016).

Surprisingly, Spieth and Snedeker are the only Cup winners to make to back to the Tour Championship the following year.

McIlroy, slowed by injury this season, joined the group of those who failed to make the top 30 and qualify for the finale, finishing 58th this season.

Furyk, Haas and McIlroy are the only players who were not in the top five heading into East Lake to walk away with the Cup since that format was instituted in 2009, and Horschel is the only player to claim the title after starting the playoffs outside the top 30.

Anybody who doesn’t like the format can blame Woods and Vijay Singh.

The Big Fijian captured The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship to almost wrap up the FedExCup midway through the 2008 playoffs. He already had the trophy in hand before the Tour Championship, sucking all the drama out of the finale at East Lake.

A year earlier, Woods virtually had the Cup in his possession going to Atlanta. So, then-commissioner Tim Finchem and the PGA Tour powers-that-be introduced the format in which the point totals are adjusted before the Tour Championship, setting it up so that any player in the top five who won the final event would take home both trophies.

Of course, that’s given us some dramatic moments at East Lake.

The latest was McIlroy coming from three strokes down with an 8-under-par 64 in the final round last year, including a hole-out eagle from 137 yards on the 16th hole, and then winning a playoff against Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell by sinking a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole.

In 2011, Haas hit a chip shot from the edge of a lake for an improbable par on the second playoff hole and beat Hunter Mahan one hole later with a 3-foot par putt to win the Tour Championship and FedExCup after Mahan could not get up and down from a greenside bunker.

Furyk claimed both trophies in 2010, providing some drama on the final hole of the Tour Championship. He saved par from a greenside bunker with a brilliant shot out of the sand and a 3-foot putt to beat Luke Donald of England by one shot.

It was an interesting finish in 2009 when Phil Mickelson captured the Tour Championship by three strokes. He outplayed Woods in the final round but had to share the spotlight with his rival as Tiger took the Cup for the second time in three years.

Since 2016-17 has been one of the most exciting PGA Tour seasons in recent memory, it figures to be another fight to the finish at East Lake

DIGITAL SPORTS DESK The LEDE Big Series in Baltimore

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Boston at Baltimore
When: 7:05 PM ET, Monday, September 18, 2017
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote
New York Yankees v Baltimore Orioles

Oriole Park at Camden Yards before a baseball game hosted by the Baltimore Orioles (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images).

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BALTIMORE – The Boston Red Sox will try to start a new winning streak and inch closer to clinching the American League East when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Monday for the opener of a three-game series. The Red Sox had won three in a row before dropping a 3-2 decision at Tampa Bay on Sunday while managing just three hits.

Boston remained three games up on the New York Yankees in the AL East and has a magic number of five to clinch a playoff spot. Boston played again Sunday without designated hitter Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) and lost right fielder Mookie Betts, who is day-to-day after leaving with a thumb contusion due to a collision at first base. The Orioles snapped a three-game slide with a 6-4 win in Yankee Stadium on Sunday, but they have a 5 1/2-game deficit to overcome in the race for the AL’s second wild card. A pair of right-handers enjoying late-season success meet in the opener when Boston’s Doug Fister opposes Dylan Bundy for the hosts.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), MASN (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Doug Fister (5-8, 4.40 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (13-9, 4.03)

Fister has surprisingly worked his way into potential postseason rotation discussions amid a solid run, although he hit a snag last time out against Oakland. The Fresno State product had posted a 1.50 ERA through his previous four starts before giving up six runs in four frames versus the Athletics. He limited the Orioles to two runs in seven innings Aug. 27 and has a 4.24 ERA in 10 career encounters (nine starts) with Baltimore.

The Orioles are being careful with Bundy’s workload down the stretch and he will be making just his second start in a span of 14 days. He has won five of his last six decisions and boasts quality starts in six of seven outings. The 24-year-old faced the Red Sox four times in the first two months of the season and held them to seven runs in 25 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia is 0-for-12 over his last two games.

2. Baltimore swept three straight at Fenway Park last month by a combined margin of 25-4.

3. Orioles LF Trey Mancini has three doubles, one triple and one home run during a seven-game hitting streak.

Rays Stop Streaking Red Sox

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Tampa Bay 3, Boston 2
When: 1:10 PM ET, Sunday, September 17, 2017
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Attendance: 14,936
Special to Digital Sports Desk by The Sports Xchange
Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Mets

Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays  (Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

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ST. PETERSBURG — With the Tampa Bay Rays clinging on to fading hopes to sneak into the postseason, Evan Longoria and Jesus Sucre made sure they would survive for another day.

Longoria had two RBIs and Sucre hit a solo home run to lift the Rays to a 3-2 win against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on Sunday.

Tampa Bay (73-77) salvaged the final game of the three-game set against the Red Sox to keep its fading hopes at the second American League wild-card spot alive.

“We needed a bounce back after two tough losses,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “(Jake) Odorizzi threw the ball really, really well to say the least. Bullpen came in and did their thing and then Jesue Sucre — they tie it up and he answers right back.”

Boston (85-64) had its three-game win streak snapped.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi pitched five innings of no-hit ball before running into trouble in the sixth inning. Odorizzi gave up a lead-off walk to Brock Holt and then served up a fastball that center fielder Jackie Bradley sent over the right-field wall for a home run that tied the game 2-2.

“I was just throwing what was working for me,” Odorizzi said. “I had good life on my fastball and he was sitting dead-red on it. If I had thrown him a changeup, he probably would have swung and missed by a good bit, but I didn’t and he didn’t. I was just going with my strength right there and what was working well for me that day and he hit it. Good for him.”

Sucre put the Rays ahead again in the bottom of the sixth when he hit a solo shot off Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez to make the score 3-2.

“Just (trying to) go away for a strike, on the outside corner for a strike,” Rodriguez said. “And I just missed it right in the middle of the plate.”

Rodriguez and Sucre, friends from their native Venezuela, joked about the pitch before it happened.

“When I got my first hit he was looking at me when I was inside and he was like ‘I’m not going to throw you a fastball,’ ” Sucre said. “So he did, he threw me one fastball right there, I got a pretty good swing on it.”

Alex Colome closed out the game for his 45th save, which leads the major leagues.

Longoria had an RBI single in the first inning that scored Kevin Kiermaier and added an RBI single with the bases loaded in the fifth that scored Sucre.

Odorizzi (9-8) gave up the one hit and two runs over six innings and struck out six.

Rodriguez (5-6) gave up three runs, two earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.

“I thought he pitched and used all his stuff very well today,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “We didn’t really help him too much defensively in the first inning but he was able to get a number of key strikeouts with men in scoring position. All along I thought he used all three pitches really well.”

Red Sox pitcher David Price, in his first bullpen appearance since coming off the disabled list, threw two scoreless innings in relief.

“I felt good,” Price said. “I put up two zeroes in a one-run game. It’s fun to get back out there.”

NOTES: Red Sox manager John Farrell had no additional updates on INF Eduardo Nunez (knee) or 1B/DH Hanley Ramirez (shoulder, biceps) and said INF Dustin Pedroia (knee) would play 2B on Monday. … Rays 1B Logan Morrison (lower back soreness) was not in the starting lineup for the third consecutive day and is hitless in his last 19 at-bats. … Red Sox OF Mookie Betts left Sunday’s game in the fifth inning with a right thumb contusion. He is day-to-day. Farrell said X-rays were negative.

PGA Tour: At A Glance

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ATLANTA – The PGA Tour winds down the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs and the 2017-18 golf season with the TOUR Championship:

TOUR Championship - Final Round

ATLANTA — Fans wait on the 16th green for the players to arrive on the fourth playoff hole during the final round of the TOUR Championship, the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at East Lake Golf Club. (Ryan Young/PGA TOUR)

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PGA TOUR: Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Thursday through Sunday.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 1-6 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel; Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 2:30-6:30 p.m. EDT on NBC; and Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 1:30-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.
LAST YEAR: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland came from three shots behind in the final round, closing with an 8-under-par 64 and to get into a playoff with Kevin Chappell and Ryan Moore. McIlroy then won the event with a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole to claim the FedExCup. McIlroy’s closing run included a hole-out eagle from 137 yards on the 16th hole and a birdie at No. 18, when he blasted out of a bunker to within 2 feet. Moore also finished with a 64, while Chappell had a 66. Dustin Johnson led the point standings heading into the finale and would have taken the Cup with a victory at East Lake. He was tied for the lead with Chappell entering the final round, but he finished with a 73 to tie for sixth.

Copyright 2017

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