EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—So far, so good for Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions.
Eli Manning and the N.Y. Giants are heading in the opposite direction.
Stafford threw for two touchdowns, and rookie Jamal Agnew broke the game open with an 88-yard punt return, as the Lions beat the Giants 24-10 last night.
NEW YORK—With the Yankees barely clinging to a late lead in a game with October implications, Aroldis Chapman made fast work of Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins.
Really fast.
Throwing all four pitches at least 100 m.p.h., Chapman worked out of big trouble in the eighth inning as New York edged Minnesota 2-1 last night to increase its AL wild-card cushion.
OTTAWA—Pre-season game or not, Mike Babcock was less than impressed after the Ottawa Senators beat his Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 last night.
“Any way you look at it we got slapped,” said the Leafs' head coach.
Mike Hoffman scored twice to lead the Senators while Mark Stone, Tyler Randell, Gabriel Gagne, and Cody Ceci added singles.
JOLIET, Ill.—Martin Truex Jr. stretched his arms to his side and waited for a shower of green slime—the coloured goop traditionally poured over the heads of game-show contestants and A-list celebrities.
Add NASCAR race winner to the list.
“It's a lot funner to watch people get slimed than it is to get slimed,” a smiling and sticky Truex said.
LAKE FOREST, Ill.—The clutch shots down the stretch in the BMW Championship belonged to everyone except the winner.
Marc Leishman didn't really need them.
Staked to a five-shot lead, and determined to not let another FedEx Cup playoff event get away from him, Leishman never gave anyone much of a chance yesterday at Conway Farms.
PITTSBURGH—Ben Roethlisberger took a knee in prayer, then sprinted to mid-field holding the flag honouring the man who helped guide the Pittsburgh Steelers from irrelevance into a dynasty.
Five months after longtime president and chairman Dan Rooney's death, the Steelers won a game like so many during his tenure.
MONTREAL—The Montreal Alouettes had a new head coach on the sidelines but the result on the field didn't change.
General manager Kavis Reed made his Alouettes' coaching debut yesterday as Montreal lost 29-11 to the Ottawa Redblacks for their fifth-straight defeat.
Reed took over as head coach Wednesday after firing Jacques Chapdelaine and defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe.
MINNEAPOLIS—Kyle Gibson appeared headed for a short outing, and the Minnesota Twins' playoff outlook looked as shaky as their starting pitcher.
Minnesota's offence boosted both with a big rally.
LAKE FOREST, Ill.—Marc Leishman left his golf clubs in his garage during his week break from the FedEx Cup playoff and it didn't change anything.
He made 10 birdies in the opening round of the BMW Championship for a nine-under 62 to build a two-shot lead.
Jason Day, meanwhile, made the biggest change of his career and had a 64—his best start in 16 months.
CINCINNATI—Deshaun Watson showed up in a black tuxedo for his first NFL start.
From his snazzy bowtie to his game-turning scramble, he did it all his style.
The rookie ran 49 yards for a touchdown and led the Houston Texans' depleted offence to a late clinching field goal in a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last night.
