Ahead of his retirement from tennis, Roger Federer has said he "totally overachieved" in the game.
The 20-time grand slam champion announced last week he will bring an end to a highly decorated career after the upcoming Laver Cup.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Federer admitted his disappointment in being forced to retire through injury, but reflected on one of the most impressive careers the sport has ever seen.
"The last three years have been tough to say the least," he said. "I knew I was on very thin ice for the last year ever since I played Wimbledon.
"I tried to come back but there was a limit to what I could do. And I stopped believing in it, to be honest."
After a scan earlier in the year that Federer said was "not what I was hoping for", he added: "Very quickly we realised this was it.
"Then the question becomes 'How do you announce and when do you announce?' This is when it becomes reality. It was OK but stressful."
The 41-year-old had been spending the last few weeks preparing his retirement statement, and said that part of the process almost felt like "rehab".
"It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right, that they reflect how I'm feeling and thanking all the people who have helped along the way," he said.
"I always pushed my retirement thoughts away. I said, the more I think about it, the more I'm already halfway retired and this is not the way to go to work, you know, for me as a tennis player, so we'll deal with it when it comes. And it did. And I dealt with it.
"I think writing those words was, for me parts, partially also like rehab, like going myself through all those words, feeling them."
Federer has spent 750 weeks in the top 10 of the men's singles rankings, the highest tally for a male player since they were first published in 1973.
The Swiss maestro has also won more men's singles main draw matches in grand slam tournaments than any other player in the Open Era (369).
"I don't think anybody grows up and thinks they're gonna win this much," he added. "You know, you're happy with winning a Wimbledon title, which is already crazy, or becoming number one, being the best.
"But then you don't think how many weeks, this is only the media and the fans talking about breaking records.
"Before it was just, I hope to be on tour one day. Just to make it into the top 100 is a huge deal. Coming from a small country, we don't have a base of so many players.
"I totally overachieved in my mind. It's been an absolute dream that I've had for so long. And I know that, and that's why I'm totally happy to step away as well."
Federer also praised the "incredible storytelling" in the game, and reminisced about the period of dominance after his emergence was followed by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray through the 2000s.
"When I came up, we didn't expect it either," he said. "We were more on a bit of a downslope after [Pete] Sampras retired. What's gonna come next, right? Well, here I came, and then came Rafa. And then there was Novak, and then Andy, all together.
"All of a sudden, there was this beautiful mix, we're all winning for 10 plus years, all the same tournaments, almost nobody else could win anything else. It was like a lock on the big tournaments.
"So I think, also for the fans, it's been a joy to watch, and I'm sure some fans will be sad I'm leaving, of course, but then again, there will always be wonderful new people.
"I think our tour allows for incredible storytelling so that's why I know that the game is very safe, and I'm sure it will see incredible new superstars."
Raul Rosas Jr., the UFC's new youngest fighter, has outlined his aim to become a champion by the time he is 20.
The Mexican bantamweight fighter is only 17 but defeated Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday.
Rosas was offered a deal by White before the end of the show to make him the youngest contracted fighter in the UFC's history.
And speaking afterwards, Rosas revealed his intention to secure a belt as soon as possible.
"I'm the new king in here, so I'm coming for that belt now," he said. "Respect to everybody, but I'm going to be champion when I'm 20, or even earlier. Nobody is going to stop me."
The youngest UFC champion to date is legendary light-heavyweight fighter Jon Jones, who captured his belt in 2011, aged 23, when he defeated Brazilian Mauricio Rua by technical knockout.
Rosas could also become the youngest person to fight in the UFC should he compete in the next 216 days, taking that record from Dan Lauzon (18 years, 198 days).
It seems the teenager has no plays to slow any time soon, adding: "I'm ready to fight every week, every month – all gas, no breaks.
"I'll rest when I'm retired, when I'm old, but right now we are just getting started."
Rosas is unbeaten in his six professional fights so far, with his debut bout only taking place in November last year. His bout on Tuesday was his first to go the distance, with all previous bouts finishing via submission or TKO.
White, the UFC president, was certainly enthused by what he saw.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said. "He's absolutely, positively talented. He's special, he's different."
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Bobby Hart has been suspended for one game after hitting a Tennessee Titans coach.
The NFL confirmed the ban for an action at the end of the Bills' 41-7 victory over the Titans on Monday.
Hart was deemed to have taken a swing at an opposing player and missed, making contact with a coach instead, although the NFL did not identify either Titan.
In a letter to Hart, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote: "As both teams were heading to the tunnel, you walked directly across the field to seek out your opponent.
"You approached him near the end zone and a coach had to hold you back as others shook hands.
"Once you and your opponent were in the end zone near the tunnel, you confronted him and immediately swung at him with a closed fist, striking the head of a Tennessee coach.
"Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
ESPN reported Hart, who played three games for Tennessee last year before joining the Bills, would appeal against the suspension.
Having played in a quarter of Buffalo's offensive snaps during Monday's game, Hart is eligible to return to their active roster following Week 3, in which the Bills play the Miami Dolphins.
Travis d'Arnaud focused on the Atlanta Braves' "marathon" pursuit of the New York Mets after their postseason place was confirmed for a fifth straight year on Tuesday.
The defending World Series champions defeated the Washington Nationals 3-2 at Truist Park, with their playoff spot clinched shortly afterwards as the Mets rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-5.
It was not necessarily the outcome the Braves wanted, however, as a victory for the Brewers would have seen Atlanta level with the Mets atop the NL East.
As it is, the Braves are one game back, but d'Arnaud warned their rivals they have plenty still left in the tank.
"It's a marathon, it's not over," d'Arnaud said. "So we'll just keep going after it until the end."
All-Star catcher d'Arnaud had extended his career-high home run total to 18, while William Contreras, his backup, has 19.
They are just the fourth catching duo in NL or AL history to each hit at least 18 homers in a season with at least two-thirds of their games played at catcher.
And Arnaud was effusive in his praise of Contreras, adding: "It's been so much fun.
"The energy he brings every day honestly inspires me and makes me feel young. So I don't know if I'd be having as good of a year if he wasn't here."
The Braves face the Nationals again on Wednesday, looking for a clean sweep as the Mets do likewise against the Brewers.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone credited Aaron Judge for "igniting" a stunning ninth-inning turnaround with his 60th home run of the season.
Judge is now one shy of the American League record after yet another homer in the Yankees' 9-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Yankees were 8-4 down heading to the bottom of the ninth, but the team's superstar outfielder turned the game on its head with a homer on a 3-1 count.
That set the stage for a stunning revival, which was complete with Giancarlo Stanton's walkoff grand slam.
The Yankees became the first team in MLB history to have a player reach 60 home runs and a player hit a walkoff grand slam in the same season – and Judge and Stanton achieved the feat in the same inning.
"I think there's something to be said for that kind of igniting," Boone said of Judge's hit.
"In a game we're down four runs, igniting some kind of magical spark that kind of went tonight in that inning. That was a special one."
But Judge, who already held the AL record for the most homers by a right-hander, is staying focused with further milestones and a pennant to chase.
"I don't think about the numbers," he said.
"When you talk about [Babe] Ruth and [Roger] Maris and [Mickey] Mantle and all these Yankees greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid being mentioned with them.
"It's an incredible honour. It's something I don't take lightly at all. But we're not done.
"We still have a couple games left in this season and hopefully a couple of more wins come with them.
"I'm trying to enjoy it all, soak it all in, but I know I still have a job to do out on the field every single day, and I just have to keep my head down, keep preparing and stay mentally focused."
This approach has amazed Stanton, who added: "He hit 60 tonight, and it's like nothing happened.
"He's got more work to do, and that's the mindset, and that's how it will always be. It's fun to be a part of."
Taro Daniel has booked a matchup against top overall seed at the San Diego Open Daniel Evans after defeating Emilio Nava 6-4 6-3 in the opening round on Tuesday.
Daniel started beautifully, securing a break in the first game of the match, and his superior returning ability would carry him through the first set, winning 51 per cent (21-of-41) of his return points in the opening frame.
It was Daniel's serve which controlled the second set, winning 80 per cent (16-of-20) of his service points while allowing no break point opportunities for Nava, finishing the job in 94 minutes.
He will play world number 25 Evans next, who he has beaten in two of their past three meetings, although they have only gone head-to-head once since 2015 – in 2019, when Daniel won in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Krueger ended a three-match losing streak against American compatriot Christopher Eubanks with a 6-4 6-4 triumph.
Eubanks had the power advantage, winning the ace count nine-to-four and the winner count 25-to-18, but he was also far sloppier, committing all four of the match's double faults as well as totalling 20 unforced errors to Kreuger's four.
In a clash between two veterans, 30-year-old Denis Kudla proved to be too much for 38-year-old Fernando Versaco, winning 6-3 6-3 to relegate the Spaniard to four losses from his past five matches.
In the final match of the night, Brandon Nakashima overcame Zachary Svajda 7-5 7-6 (7-5) after a gruelling 69-minute second set, contesting 96 points in the second frame after 66 in the first.
Aaron Judge hit his 60th home run of the season to kick-start an incredible last-inning 9-8 comeback win for the New York Yankees against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Judge, who has 20 more home runs than any other player this campaign, is now one away from tying the Yankees and American League record for home runs in a single season, set by Roger Maris in 1961.
Against the Pirates, the Yankees found themselves trailing 8-4 entering the final inning after Pittsburgh's Rodolfo Castro's three-run homer in the eighth frame, with Bryan Reynolds and Jason Delay each driving home a pair of runs earlier in the contest.
Judge finished the game one-for-four at the plate, but his one hit was emphatic, leading off the ninth inning with a 430-foot launch over the left-field wall to trim the margin to 8-5.
An Anthony Rizzo double, followed by a walk to Gleyber Torres and a single to Josh Donaldson loaded the bases, allowing Giancarlo Stanton a chance to be the hero.
On a 2-2 count, Stanton connected with a changeup on the outer-half of the plate and pulled it 410 feet into the New York sky to end the game, sending the Yankees fans wild.
With the win, the Yankees remain five-and-a-half games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East, and they trail only the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League.
Lindor's grand slam delivers a Mets win
Two big home runs were the key for the New York Mets in their 7-5 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, highlighted by Francisco Lindor's grand slam.
The Mets trailed 4-0 heading into the sixth inning, where Pete Alonso blasted a three-run home run. An inning later, it was Lindor's turn for a big bomb, launching his grand slam 413 feet to left-field to grab the lead.
After a late RBI single to Willy Adames, Mets closer Edwin Diaz came in to finish the job, striking out three of the four batters he faced for his 31st save of the season – the seventh most in the majors.
Blue Jays win a 29-run shootout
A combined 14 runs were scored in just the last two innings of the Toronto Blue Jays' 18-11 win against the Philadelphia Phillies, with the teams combining for 36 hits.
Despite being on the losing side, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto had a memorable day at the plate as he finished five-for-five with a home run and a double.
For the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hernandez went four-for-five with two doubles, while All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk went three-for-five, and Danny Jansen was three-for-six.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to sign veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad, according to sources.
With Mike Evans facing a one-game suspension, and the duo of Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) dealing with injuries, Tampa Bay will add Beasley, a 10-year veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. It is expected that he will be elevated to the active roster in the near future.
Beasley was released by the Bills in March despite matching a career high with 82 receptions in 16 games last season. He had been granted permission to seek a trade before he was released but was eventually let go in a move that created roughly $6.1million in salary-cap space.
Tampa Bay will likely enter this Sunday’s Week 3 showdown against the Green Bay Packers without Evans, unless the suspension for his role in a brawl with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday is overturned. Godwin and Jones, meanwhile, both missed the 20-10 victory and are questionable to face the Packers.
Evans’ appeal of his suspension was heard Tuesday, sources told ESPN, and a ruling is expected possibly as soon as Wednesday.
Beasley has been a reliable slot receiver during his career with the Bills and Dallas Cowboys, accumulating 550 catches for 5,709 yards with 34 touchdowns in 149 games.
With the Cleveland Browns still reeling from their 31-30 loss to the New York Jets in Week 2, star running back Nick Chubb stepped forward to take his share of the blame for the blown lead.
Chubb scored a touchdown with 1:55 remaining from 12 yards out, putting the Browns up 30-17. The Jets, however, were out of timeouts, and if Chubb had gone down voluntarily, Cleveland could have knelt to bleed the rest of the clock.
Instead, Chubb’s third touchdown of the day left the Browns up 13 points, and the Jets pulled off a historic comeback.
"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have scored right there," Chubb said Tuesday. "Honestly, looking back at it, it cost us the game.
"A lot of things went wrong, not just one thing. But collectively as a unit, as a team, we could've all done things different. But it's only a problem because we didn't win. So, I probably should've went down."
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski also took his share of the blame for failing to instruct his players on the appropriate strategy.
"That's something that's my responsibility to communicate to that huddle," Stefanski said. "Putting yourself up potentially 14 points inside of two minutes, you should close out that game.
"Yes, I wish I had said that to Nick, and Nick would've done it. But it does not change the fact that we had plenty of opportunities to win that game."
Among the other factors that led to the Browns’ collapse were a missed PAT after Chubb’s ill-timed touchdown, Cleveland’s defense allowing two touchdowns in the span of a minute and the Jets recovering an onside kick, a play with just a 16.1 per cent success rate last season.
The loss dropped the Browns to 1-1 on the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland on Thursday night to kick off Week 3.
Anthony Edwards has been fined by the NBA after the Minnesota Timberwolves guard used homophobic language in a social media post.
The 21-year-old shared a video on his Instagram account in which he could be heard passing comment on a group of men gathered near the car he was sat in.
Edwards deleted the video in question and issued an apology on Twitter, saying: "What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I'm incredibly sorry.
"It's unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there's no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!"
He has now been hit with a $40,000 fine by the NBA for using "offensive and derogatory language".
A statement issued by the NBA added Edwards has "acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate".
The Timberwolves previously issued an apology last week, attributed to president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
"We are disappointed in the language and actions Anthony Edwards displayed on social media," it read.
"The Timberwolves are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming organisation for all and apologise for the offense this has caused to so many."
David Goffin fell to a first-round exit at the Moselle Open in Metz on Tuesday, as Nikoloz Basilashvili received a reprieve courtesy of Zizou Bergs' retirement.
Goffin, who won the event in 2014, fell to a 6-3 6-3 defeat to three-time champion Gilles Simon, who is set to retire at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Simon needed 93 minutes to wrap up his victory over the four-time grand slam quarter-finalist, teeing up a round-of-16 meeting with Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
"We've known each other for a very long time and I’m always happy to play against [Goffin] one more time before the end," Simon said after the win.
"It was really perfect from the start until the end and that's how I won this one."
Elsewhere, Basilashvili was a set down in his meeting with Bergs when the Belgian qualifier was forced to retire through injury, allowing the fifth seed to progress to a meeting with Arthur Rinderknech.
Rinderknech downed Spain's Jaume Munar in three sets to reach the next round, while Emil Ruusuvuori comfortably saw off Jiri Lehecka 6-4 6-4.
Rafael Nadal has declared his career is "far from" over despite an injury-plagued 2022.
The 22-time grand slam champion has won both the Australian and French Opens this year despite suffering numerous injuries, while seeing other stars hang up their rackets.
Serena Williams announced her intention to retire ahead of the US Open, with Roger Federer following suit as he prepares for a farewell at this week's Laver Cup.
However, speaking after receiving the 'Camino Real Award' from King Felipe VI at the University of Alcala, the 36-year-old made it clear he does not intend to do likewise.
"It is also true that it has been a complicated year, not only because of injuries, which have followed me throughout my career, but also because of personal and family news, which in this case is very good news," he said.
"It is for this reason that, in a year full of joys and difficult moments, to receive recognition like today's is a great joy.
"I hope that this event does not imply that my career is over, far from it, or at least that is not the intention.
"The intention is to continue to carry the name of Spain around the world while I am still active and competing."
Nadal is set to compete alongside Federer at the Laver Cup in London, with Team Europe also featuring Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Team Europe have won all four previous editions of the Laver Cup, including a 14-1 thrashing of Team World in Boston last year.
Roger Federer looks set to play the final match of his tennis career on Friday after opting to only take part in doubles at the Laver Cup, and has described his great rival Rafael Nadal as his "dream" partner.
Federer is set to join the likes of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – the other members of tennis' 'Big Four' – in representing Team Europe at the O2 Arena in London, but his fitness issues have led to doubts over the extent of his involvement.
On Sunday, fitness coach Pierre Paganini said Federer would make "a last-minute decision" regarding the nature of his participation in the Laver Cup.
Paganini added: "His aim is to play something, though whether it's singles or doubles we'll have to see," and Federer appears to have opted for the latter option.
On Tuesday, Federer told the Swiss press he would only be appearing in doubles at the event, though his partner is yet to be revealed.
"I'm happy and surprised at how good my shots are. But I won't be able to play singles, that was pretty clear beforehand," he told NZZ.
"That's why it was no longer an option to compete at the Swiss Indoors at the end of October. I guess I'll play doubles here on Friday night and that's it."
Nadal, one of just two men's players to have won more grand slam titles than the Swiss maestro (22, also Novak Djokovic with 21) appears the most obvious candidate, with Federer telling SRF: "Maybe I can play doubles with Rafa, that would be an absolute dream."
Asked whether he had any regrets at the end of his career, Federer added: "Of course, there are smaller things, but I can't think of any examples. I see it as an absolute dream career.
"I had a relaxed childhood. If I had been a bit more professional when I was younger, I might have been more successful.
"But then I might have burned out earlier because it would have been too serious for me."
The Swiss great, who has won 20 grand slam singles titles, announced last week that he was to retire from tennis after battling knee injuries.
When revealing the end of his career was imminent, Federer said: "I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear".
Boston Celtics centre Robert Williams III reportedly will miss between 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery this week, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
It is the second surgery on the same knee in six months for Williams, who had a meniscus procedure performed March 30. That specific surgery enabled Williams to recover quicker and return to the court for Boston’s run to the NBA Finals.
The 24-year-old Williams injured the knee in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 27, forcing him to miss the final seven regular-season games and Boston's first two playoff contests.
He came off the bench in Games 3 and 4 of the Celtics' first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, and started the first three games of the Eastern Conference semi-final series with the Milwaukee Bucks before suffering a bone bruise in the same knee in Game 3.
He missed the remainder of the seven-game series with the Bucks before returning to start Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.
Another knee injury sent him back to the bench for Game 3, but he then played the rest of Boston's seven-game series with the Heat and every game of Finals with the Golden State Warriors.
Williams has battled injuries throughout his four-year career and wasn't as effective in last season's playoffs compared to the regular season, averaging 7.7 points on 67.9% shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 17 playoff games.
In 61 regular-season games last season, he averaged 10 points on 73.6% shooting, 9.6 boards and 2.2 blocks.
The Celtics went 40-21 in the regular season when he played and 11-10 when he didn't suit up.
Without one of the league's premier rim protectors, veteran Al Horford will be tasked with playing more minutes until Williams returns early in the regular season.
Boston tips off the 2022-23 season on October 18 against the rival Philadelphia 76ers.
The FIA has approved the calendar for the 2023 Formula One season, which will include a record-breaking 24 races.
Las Vegas becomes the third United States Grand Prix on the calendar, after Miami and Austin, and will be the penultimate race of the 2023 season.
Qatar and China both return to the F1 calendar following absences, with the former missing from the 2022 schedule and the latter not hosting a race since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monaco also retains a spot on the calendar amid speculation the iconic race in Monte Carlo could be dropped, but as expected the French Grand Prix has not been included.
The 2023 F1 calendar will avoid a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the World Motor Sport Council members' efforts to optimise all world championship race calendars.
"The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale," FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
"The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA's sound stewardship of the sport. I am delighted that we will be able to take Formula One's new era of exciting racing, created by the FIA's 2022 regulations, to a broader fan base in 2023."
The FIA has approved the calendar for the 2023 Formula One season, which will include a record-breaking 24 races.
Las Vegas becomes the third United States Grand Prix on the calendar, after Miami and Austin, and will be the penultimate race of the 2023 season.
Qatar and China both return to the F1 calendar following absences, with the former missing from the 2022 schedule and the latter not hosting a race since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monaco also retains a spot on the calendar amid speculation the iconic race in Monte Carlo could be dropped, but as expected the French Grand Prix has not been included.
The 2023 F1 calendar will avoid a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the World Motor Sport Council members' efforts to optimise all world championship race calendars.
"The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale," FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
"The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA's sound stewardship of the sport. I am delighted that we will be able to take Formula One's new era of exciting racing, created by the FIA's 2022 regulations, to a broader fan base in 2023."
Naomi Osaka began the defence of her Pan Pacific Open crown with a quick win after opponent Daria Saville was forced to retire in just the second game.
Four-time grand slam champion Osaka won the opening game, before Saville was unable to continue due to a scary-looking injury to her left knee.
The former world number one will now face a second round match with world number 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia, who eased to a straight sets victory over Yuki Naito.
Karolina Pliskova secured her place in the next round in Tokyo with a 6-2 6-1 demolition of Isabella Shinikova, while Zhang Shuai will face second seed Caroline Garcia on Wednesday after overcoming Mai Hontama in two sets.
In Seoul, Jelena Ostapenko's hopes of repeating her 2017 heroics at the Korea Open are still alive after the number one seed narrowly beat 19-year-old Jeong Bo-young.
The world number 19 looked to be cruising after the opening set, but the unheralded South Korean hit back in the second and took it to a tie-break in the third, before Ostapenko's class showed as she won the crucial tie-break 7-2.
Elsewhere, 2021's beaten finalist Kristina Mladenovic saw off wildcard Park So-hyun 6-4 4-6 6-3, while second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova overcame a worrying second set to beat Asia Muhammad 6-1 3-6 6-1.
Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria is also safely through to the second round after a tight 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) triumph over Eugenie Bouchard.
Kevin O'Connell accepted the blame for Kirk Cousins' three-interception performance in the Minnesota Vikings' 24-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cousins and the Vikings' offense endured a dismal night in Philadelphia as Minnesota crashed back down to earth following their Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Picked off twice by Darius Slay and once by Avonte Maddox, Cousins was sacked twice and hit a further seven times during a game in which he ended up having completed 58.7 per cent of his passes for 221 yards.
All three of his interceptions came inside the Eagles' 30-yard line and saw the Vikings miss out on the chance to score points, with the two from Slay each coming on throws to the endzone.
Despite Cousins' critical mistakes, it was head coach O'Connell who took responsibility after a game in which his quarterback came under heavy fire.
"I thought Kirk battled tonight," O'Connell said. "Put him in some tough spots, and I think our overall offensive philosophy, when we do not succeed in activating those things, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and that's where I once again put this one 100 per cent on me."
For his part, Cousins felt the Vikings falling 14 points behind in the second quarter and 24-7 down at half-time contributed to a less balanced offensive approach, which he believed was behind the disappointing display.
"I think that getting behind early we probably had to throw a little more often than we would have liked, and didn't stay as balanced as we'd like to be," he said.
"It's probably more just the nature of how the game went, and we certainly want to be balanced as best we can."
The Vikings went three-and-out on four of their five offensive series in the first half, the sole exception a drive that ended with a touchdown throw to Irv Smith Jr.
"Part of the challenge is we didn't stay on the field, we didn't run enough plays, and so those three-and-outs early aren't how we want to start," Cousins added.
"I think their defense deserves credit. They did a good job with rush and with coverage, and the combination made it tough for us."
Coach Sean McDermott said he and his team were praying for Dane Jackson after the Buffalo Bills cornerback suffered a worrying neck injury in Monday's win over the Tennessee Titans.
The 25-year-old Jackson was taken away in an ambulance for scans at the Erie County Medical Center.
He suffered the injury in a collision with a team-mate, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, near the end of the first half.
McDermott said in a post-game press conference: "We're still waiting word. We're praying for Dane. Dane Jackson has, I think, full movement in his extremities, which is good.
"You go from being a coach to being a human when you're watching him being loaded into the ambulance. That's a real moment. It's an unfortunate situation.
"The game's important and trying to win a game is important, but there's bigger things, especially at that moment when their team-mate's down there.
"I saw him in the ambulance at half-time. I had a chance to talk to him real quick before they headed out."
The blow to Jackson took some of the attention away from a fine win for the Bills, which saw Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs connect for three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Diggs had 12 receptions for 148 yards, and he savoured seeing the Bills move to 2-0 for the third time in the past four seasons.
He said: "As a receiver, you want to be able to do everything, especially if you consider yourself a wide receiver one.
"You've got to be everything for your quarterback. If your quarterback wants to throw a bomb, you better be able to catch it. [Same for] if he wants to carve things up in the middle.
"I've got a quarterback that can do everything, so I've just got to do everything. If I do my job, I'm all right, giving my quarterback that comfortable feel, that safety play, so he's out there not thinking too much, just trusting I'm going to be open and I'll make a play for you."
Week 3 will see the Bills tackle the Miami Dolphins, AFC East rivals who have also begun with two wins.
"That's definitely going to be another test for us, and it's something we look forward to," Diggs said. "They're in our division, so we've got to get a win.
"I feel like they're a good-ass team, they've got a hell of a defense, they call on the right plays on offense, and they're having a lot of success."
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