Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has explained the reasoning behind two apparent gaffes that occurred during Sunday's overtime defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last season's defeated Super Bowl side had a rollercoaster ride in Week 1 of the new season, quarterback Joe Burrow having five turnovers – four of which came before half-time.
It was, however, two questionable decisions from the sideline that ultimately paved the way for the Steelers' dramatic win, one of which saw Taylor's special teams unit head out with a running clock to punt the ball early.
That gave Pittsburgh enough time to get into field goal range and win it, with questions asked as to why the Bengals did not run the clock all the way down – and Taylor reasoned it was due to a change in long-snapper, after Clark Harris suffered an early injury and was ruled out.
"New operation. We snapped there with 13 seconds, I understand that, trust me, we'd rather do something different," he said after the game.
"But just trying to make sure the operation ran smoothly, it turned out that we sacrificed some seconds just to make sure that we were all on the same page there."
The Bengals may have been able to avoid overtime entirely had the team elected to challenge the play that saw Ja'Marr Chase score an apparent touchdown that was not caught by the officials, Taylor again admitting mistakes were made.
"Part of it was that that's the hardest place for us to see in the entire field is that spot. I didn't think there was a chance there was a touchdown there initially. So, we got on the ball to run it in quickly," he added.
"It's hard with all the craziness in that moment, all the communication to get that 'Stop, stop. Let's evaluate this.'
"We just couldn't get it done fast enough by the time we'd seen a replay and realised 'Oh shoot, he might have gotten in there.' We've just got to learn from those.
"It's a fine line — when you get the ball on the inch, you just want to punch it in real quick. In hindsight, maybe he was in and we could have given ourselves a chance."
The Bengals travel to Dallas in Week 2 to face a Cowboys side set to be without quarterback Dak Prescott due to injury.
Carlos Alcaraz has a mixture of the qualities Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic possess, according to the man he defeated in the men's US Open final Casper Ruud.
Prodigious Spanish talent Alcaraz became a grand slam champion for the first time at the age of just 19 thanks to a 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 triumph at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
It was a win that propelled him to the top of the world rankings for the first time, while Ruud has now lost two slam finals this year having been defeated by Nadal at the French Open.
Ruud was philosophical about losing to a player many believe will be the dominant force in the men's game, likening his movement on the court to legends Nadal and Djokovic.
"When someone asks about a player's biggest weapon you tend to think forehand, backhand, serve, whatever it is," Ruud said.
"But sort of his movement is one of his many weapons. It makes us other players feel like you need to paint the lines sort of to be able to hit a winner. Sometimes even that's not enough.
"He's very fast. He's very quick. He's a great mover. He can get to balls that we've probably never seen before.
"But you have other great movers, as well. I mean, this game has become so physically demanding, and all the players in the top of the world, they do the right things to improve always.
"Speed, agility of the players I think are just improving, improving. The physical aspect has been not changed but it has improved by everyone.
"I think Novak and Rafa and also [Roger] Federer, I think they kind of set the bar on how well you can move out there.
"Rafa, when he was Carlos' age, he was also similar. He tracked down everything. Almost no one could hit a winner on him. Novak the same with his flexibility. He gets to certain shots that you think, 'how is that even possible?'
"Carlos has sort of a mixture of both. He's fast, flexible. He can slide around. It's impressive. He's a hard nut to crack."
Ruud can take consolation from the fact his second appearance at a slam final was a marked improvement on Roland Garros where Nadal breezed to a 6-3 6-3 6-0 triumph.
The Norwegian conceded he had more belief going up against Alcaraz in New York, though he – somewhat tongue-in-cheek – added he hopes not to play a Spaniard in any future slam finals.
"I think obviously if you reach a grand slam final, whoever you play will be a great player on the opposite side of the net," he added.
"At Roland Garros, it was hard for me to believe that I could beat Rafa. Today was not easier, but I believed it more. I think these two tournaments have sort of made my self-belief to win a grand slam grow.
"Hopefully these two experiences can help me. I guess I hope I don't play a Spanish player if I ever reach another slam final! They know what they're doing in the slam finals. Let's hope for another than a Spanish [player]."
Ruud added: "I still thought I was the underdog in a way because of Carlos, he's on paper higher ranking and all these things.
"But it was more fun for me today. I didn't need to play the biggest idol of my life on the biggest match of my life. It was sort of easier for me to believe that I could win."
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing his right thumb during Sunday night’s 19-3 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team owner Jerry Jones announced following the game.
Jones said Prescott’s injury would require surgery and will keep the star quarterback out for "several weeks" when speaking to reporters afterward. Prescott said he would undergo the procedure Monday while wearing a brace on his right hand during his postgame press conference.
"I was told it was much cleaner than it could have been," Prescott said.
Prescott sustained the injury when his hand struck the helmet of Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaquille Barrett with about six minutes remaining in the game. Cooper Rush replaced the two-time Pro Bowl selection for the rest of the contest.
The seventh-year veteran struggled prior to departing, completing just 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards and an interception.
Dallas, who played without one of its top receivers in Michael Gallup, and traded wideout Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, managed only 244 total yards and finished 3-of-15 on third-down attempts.
After missing most of the 2020 season with a fractured right ankle, Prescott bounced back with an outstanding 2021 campaign in which he threw for 4449 yards and a career-high 37 touchdown passes in leading the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and an NFC East title. Dallas signed the 29-year-old to a four-year, $160million extension in March.
"It’s not the worst thing that has happened to me," Prescott said of this injury. "It’s just a bump in the road, and I will keep moving forward."
The Cowboys went 4-7 in Prescott’s absence in 2020 with three different quarterbacks making at least one start, with veteran Andy Dalton getting the bulk of playing time.
Rush is expected to make his second career start when the Cowboys host the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday. The former undrafted free agent helped Dallas to a 20-16 win at Minnesota in Week 8 of last season by throwing for 325 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
How quickly the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense would adjust to the loss of Tyreek Hill was the question on everyone’s minds entering the 2022 NFL season – but Patrick Mahomes and his teammates had a quick and emphatic answer.
Mahomes was nearly flawless and the offense unstoppable at times as the AFC powerhouses started their campaign with Sunday’s 44-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, extending the NFL’s current longest active wining streak in season openers.
The Chiefs didn’t miss a beat in their first outing since trading Hill, a six-time Pro Bowler who amassed a team-high 111 catches and 1,239 receiving yards in 2021, to the Miami Dolphins in March. Kansas City scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, with each drive 75 yards or longer, to build a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter and force the Cardinals into catch-up mode right from the outset.
Mahomes capped each of those series with touchdown passes – two to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire – while completing a razor-sharp 16 of 19 throws for 163 yards over the course of those three drives.
"Guys were just ready to go," Mahomes said. "They were excited to get out there and show what we had. Everybody’s asked us the questions of what this offense, what this team’s going to look like. We’ve always believed that we were going to go out there and put on a show and I thought guys did that."
Mahomes didn’t stop there, finishing with five TD passes while completing 30 of 39 attempts for 360 yards without an interception to lead Kansas City to their eighth consecutive season-opening win under coach Andy Reid.
The 2018 NFL MVP has started the past five of those lid-lifters, and thrown for 18 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games.
"It’s coach Reid getting more weeks to game-plan," Mahomes said of his history of early-season success. "That’s always a good thing for me because he’s getting guys kind of running wide open.
"But then I think it’s (also) how we do training camp. It prepares you to be ready Week 1. Coach has a great game-plan in, you have guys flying around that are ready to go, ready to play a game and not be at practice against each other. We’ve done a great job of just executing in Week 1."
Mahomes’ rapport with the two players brought in to help replace Hill was instant as well. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster produced six catches for 79 yards (all in the first half) in his Chiefs debut, while ex-Green Bay Packer Marques Valdes-Scantling hauled in all four of his targets for 44 yards.
Six Kansas City players finished with at least three receptions on a day when Mahomes emphasised spreading the ball around, though star tight end Travis Kelce unsurprisingly was the focal point with 121 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
"With the amount of tight ends, running backs and receivers that we have, it’s going to be everyone,” Mahomes remarked. "It’s going to be a lot of guys catching passes. It’s going to be running the football, it’s going to be throwing the football. It’s going to be the short game. It’s going to be the deep passes.
"I think that makes this a hard offence to stop."
The Dallas Cowboys had no answer for the swarming Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in the first Sunday night football matchup of the season, going down 19-3.
In a low-scoring contest, the only scores in the first half came from field goals, with Tampa Bay's Ryan Succop hitting four-of-five tries while the Cowboys only made it into field goal range once, with their first drive.
After their initial field goal to open the game, the Cowboys had nine more offensive drives in the game. They resulted in five punts, three turnovers-on-downs and one interception.
The only touchdown in the game came on a spectacular one-hand snag from Mike Evans on a five-yard goal-line fade in the endzone late in the third quarter, which would be the last score of any kind in the game.
It was far from Tom Brady's best performance, but the 45-year-old was more than serviceable, completing 18-of-27 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Evans was his top receiver, catching five of his seven targets for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Julio Jones had an impressive debut with his new team, catching three of his five targets – including a 48-yard bomb down the sideline – for 69 yards.
In his return from a torn ACL, Tampa Bay's other elite receiver Chris Godwin left the game after suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
Leonard Fournette was excellent running the ball for the Bucs, tallying 127 yards from his 21 carries while also adding two catches for 10 yards.
For the Cowboys, Noah Brown (five catches for 68 yards) and Dalton Schultz (seven catches for 62 yards) were the only players to have more than Ceedee Lamb's 29 receiving yards, while Ezekiel Elliot led the way on the ground with 52 rushing yards from 10 carries.
Things went from bad-to-worse late in the fourth quarter when Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott was hit awkwardly on the hand as he released a throw, leaving the game with three minutes to play and not returning.
Speaking after the game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed Prescott will need surgery on his hand and will miss multiple weeks.
Carlos Alcaraz never thought his success would come as quickly as it has, with the 19-year-old becoming the youngest men's world number one in history by defeating Casper Ruud in the US Open final on Sunday.
It was Alcaraz's first grand slam final, and in the process he broke the record for the most cumulative court time at a single grand slam after grinding through three consecutive five-set matches in the lead-up to the four-set final.
This is the third big tournament the Spaniard has won this year. He became the first player born after the year 2000 to win an ATP 1000 Masters event when he beat Ruud at the Miami Open, and then followed it up with a straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final.
Speaking to the media after his maiden major title, Alcaraz called it "crazy" and a "dream".
"Well, it's crazy for me," he said. "I never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old – everything has come so fast.
"For me it's unbelievable. It's something I've dreamed since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis. Of course, lifting this trophy today is amazing for me.
"Right now I'm enjoying the moment – I'm enjoying having the trophy in my hands – but, of course, I'm hungry for more.
"I want to be at the top for many, many weeks – hopefully many years. I'm going to work hard again after this… I'm going to fight for more of this."
With his rapid rise to the pinnacle of the sport, Alcaraz said his victory in Miami was when he realised the path he was on could include grand slam titles.
"Honestly, since I won Miami," he said. "Since I won Miami, I thought I was able to have a grand slam in my hands.
"But before Miami, I was thinking that I have to still grow up. I thought that I'm able to have good results in a grand slam, but not a champion.
"But I would say after Miami – I won great matches in a row – I would say after that I thought that I'm able to win a grand slam."
Two-time All-Star Justin Turner hit a pair of home runs to help his Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Diego Padres 11-2 on Sunday, giving them three consecutive series wins against their California rivals.
It was a bright start for the Padres, who led 2-0 through four innings of action as Joe Musgrove was pitching well and Jake Cronenworth hit a home run – before it all unravelled.
Turner got the first run on the board for the Dodgers with a solo home run in the fifth inning, before Chris Taylor followed suit two batters later to tie the game at 2-2.
A two-RBI, bases loaded single in the next frame from Max Muncy was the end of Musgrove, who finished with four earned runs from six hits and a walk.
But it was just the beginning for the Dodgers, who added six more runs in the seventh inning, capped off with a grand slam from Turner for his second homer of the game and 13th of the season.
Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney gave another good showing as he finished with two earned runs in five innings, striking out six.
After going four-for-five at the plate on Saturday and two-for-three on Sunday, Freddie Freeman now leads the majors in batting average at .331, and he has hit four more doubles (45) than any other player.
The Dodgers are 7-2 in their nine games against the Padres since the All-Star break, opening up a 20-game lead in the NL West.
Ohtani homers again in Angels loss
Shohei Ohtani is now tied for the fifth-most home runs in the league, with his 34th of the campaign coming in a 12-4 loss against the Houston Astros.
Ohtani – who is also seventh in the league for strikeouts as a pitcher (188 in 24 starts) – connected on his big two-run blast as the second batter of the game, but after teammate Andrew Velazquez put the Angels up 3-0 in the second inning, it would be all downhill from there.
The Astros rattled off the next 12 runs in a row, with home runs to Mauricio Dubon, Alex Bregman, Trey Mancini, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, extending their lead atop the American League to five-and-a-half games.
Pujols moves into fourth place on all-time home run list
Albert Pujols inched closer to the magical 700 home run mark on Sunday as he launched number 697 to help his St Louis Cardinals come from behind in the last inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.
Trailing 2-0 in the last inning, a Corey Dickerson RBI double cut the margin to one, before Pujols drilled a high fastball 403 feet over the center-field wall.
Retiring at the end of the season, the 42-year-old seemed incredibly unlikely to reach 700 at the All-Star break, but he has since posted one of the best second halves to a season of his career, hitting 11 home runs in 99 at-bats while slashing .343/.400/.737.
Casper Ruud was understandably disappointed to miss out on the US Open title and the world number one spot, but he vowed to continue his pursuit of a major breakthrough.
Ruud played his second grand slam final of the season at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, yet that match ended in the same manner as his French Open defeat to Rafael Nadal.
The Norwegian, who would have led the rankings had he taken the title, went down 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 to Carlos Alcaraz, who instead himself became the youngest ever number one.
It was the first major final played between two men looking to become number one for the first time.
Ruud was bidding to make the biggest leap to the top of the rankings, having previously been the world number seven.
It was not to be, but the 23-year-old's reward for his form in New York was number two – a fine consolation prize.
"It's tough to explain everything," Ruud said, reflecting on his season. "Things have been going so well. I'm so excited for it.
"Today was a special evening. Both Carlos and I knew what we were playing for, we knew what was at stake.
"It's fun that both finalists would be number two and number one tomorrow. I think it's fitting.
"I'm disappointed, of course, that I'm not number one, but number two is not too bad either. I will continue to chase for my first grand slam and the number one ranking."
Carlos Alcaraz was determined fatigue would not get the better of his US Open title tilt, but he accepted he was "a little bit" tired after defeating Casper Ruud in Sunday's final.
Alcaraz set a grand slam record for the most time spent on court at a single tournament, in large part due to playing five-set matches in the fourth round, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Still, the 19-year-old had enough energy left to take down Ruud in four sets, with his 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 victory making him a first-time major champion and the new world number one.
Asked if he would now acknowledge the effects of this run on him, Alcaraz replied: "A little bit.
"I always say it's not time to be tired in the final round of a grand slam or any tournament; you have to give everything on court, everything you have inside. It's something I work really, really hard on."
Alcaraz is the youngest player to ever sit atop the men's rankings, and he added: "This is something I dreamt of since I was a kid, to be number one in the world, to be a champion of a grand slam.
"It's something I worked really, really hard for. It's tough to talk right now. There's a lot of emotions right now.
"This is something I tried to achieve. All the hard work I did with my team, my family... I'm just 19 years old, so all the tough decisions are with my parents, my team as well. This is something that is really, really special for me."
Carson Wentz was as inconsistent as ever in his Washington Commanders debut, but he has the support of head coach Ron Rivera.
Wentz, who was traded to Washington from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, made his first Commanders start in Sunday's 28-22 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The quarterback was typically unpredictable in his play as he threw four touchdown passes and two interceptions.
However, the second of two TD passes for rookie Jahan Dotson put Wentz's new team in a position to win and showed why he has the trust of Rivera.
"I'll take antacids," Rivera said. "We're going to ride with him, we'll go with the good, we'll go with the bad.
"We did a lot of research on him, and we felt comfortable and confident that this is a guy we need around here, a guy that has some courage."
Wentz added: "I've played a lot of football, I've seen the ups and the downs.
"I know from the past trying to do too much in those situations can come back to haunt you. I believed in them and guys made plays when it mattered."
The Minnesota Vikings earned an important divisional win at home in Week 1, defeating the Green Bay Packers 23-7 after a massive game from star receiver Justin Jefferson on Sunday.
Jefferson was named second-team All-Pro last year in his second season in the league, and he showed against the Packers why many feel he could be the top wide receiver in the entire league.
He had three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on the first drive alone, before going on to finish with gaudy figures of nine catches for 184 yards and two scores.
While Jefferson was the offensive star, the Vikings' defense was the reason they won the game, holding the Packers scoreless in the first half to head into the long break leading 17-0.
With Aaron Rodgers' former top target Davante Adams traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason, he struggled to move the ball downfield. While Adams racked up 10 catches and 141 yards from 17 targets in his Raiders debut, no Green Bay receiver finished with more than Romeo Doubs' four catches for 37 yards from five targets, although running back A.J. Dillon did reach 46 receiving yards after some garbage-time action.
Coming off back-to-back league MVP awards, Rodgers finished a disappointing 22-of-34 for 195 yards, throwing one interception and no touchdowns. He was also sacked four times by the impressive Vikings pass rush, including one by former Packers edge rusher Za'Darius Smith.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins enjoyed a clean start to the season, going 23-of-32 for 277 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, while top running back Dalvin Cook was strong with 20 carries for 90 yards.
Barkley announces return to form in Giants win
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley had not scored a touchdown since Week 4 of last season, but he found form again in style as he carried his side to a 21-20 win on the road against the Tennessee Titans.
Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, had been questioned about if he would ever return to his best, but he looked like the old Barkley against the Titans as he piled up 164 yards and a touchdown from 18 carries, while adding six catches for 30 yards through the air.
As well as dominating through the middle stages of the contest, he also delivered in a big spot to decide the game, converting a two-point conversion after Daniel Jones threw what ended up being the game-winning touchdown with one minute to play.
The Titans got the ball back and worked their way into field goal range, but with a chance to hit a walk-off game winner, Randy Bullock pulled the 47-yard kick left to gift the win to the Giants.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to win his first major at the US Open and make history in moving to the top of the ATP rankings.
Either Alcaraz or Ruud would have taken the world number one spot had they won at Flushing Meadows, and it was the 19-year-old who prevailed 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 on Sunday.
The teenager – the second-youngest New York champion of the Open Era after Pete Sampras – therefore became the youngest ever men's number one.
Alcaraz had come through five-set matches in each of the prior three rounds, and he was again worked hard by Ruud – the new number two.
Ultimately, though, the highly talented Spaniard had the staying power to win his first grand slam title, becoming the first teenager to do so since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.
Despite the draining efforts of previous nights, Alcaraz made a rapid start, quickly forging three break points in the third game of the match and taking the second of them.
Ruud did little else wrong in the first set but had to bide his time to respond, losing the opener and fending off an opportunity for a break in the second before immediately applying pressure going the other way.
The Norwegian reached an Alcaraz drop shot and lobbed his opponent before watching the backhand reply land long to lead, although three unforced errors in the next game almost let Alcaraz back in.
Instead, Ruud dug in and then profited when a sloppy Alcaraz service game allowed him to clinch the second set.
Alcaraz responded in sublime fashion, immediately piling on the pressure in the third frame and breaking down Ruud's defence with a pinpoint drop shot, yet the set was level again when he crashed into the net, with a sensational rally required to reach a tie-break.
A couple of wild Ruud strokes decided the 73-minute set in Alcaraz's favour, though, and the fifth seed went long in the fourth to set his opponent on course, with an emotional victory secured in ruthless style.
Data Slam: Marathon man Carlos crowned in New York
Only the third player to reach the US Open final after winning in five sets in each of the prior three rounds, Alcaraz avoided seeing another match going all the way – even if past results suggest that would have worked in his favour.
Regardless, Alcaraz set a new record for the most time spent on court at a major tournament. Since 1999, when this data was first available, Kevin Anderson's 2018 Wimbledon run had previously represented the benchmark.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Alcaraz – 14/3
Ruud – 4/2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Alcaraz – 55/41
Ruud – 37/29
BREAK POINTS WON
Alcaraz – 3/11
Ruud – 3/10
T.J. Watt is being assessed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as reports suggest the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has suffered a torn pectoral.
Watt left the game in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' wild 23-20 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
The Pittsburgh pass-rusher had played a key role in stifling Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who finished with five turnovers – four interceptions and a lost fumble.
Watt dominated the game with six tackles, three tackles-for-loss, an interception and a sack, but the Steelers now fear he faces an extended period on the sideline.
"I'm appreciative of the effort – it wasn't without cost," said coach Mike Tomlin afterwards, revealing Watt was "being evaluated with an upper body injury".
Running back Najee Harris was also being evaluated having exited the game with a foot injury.
Remco Evenepoel rubber-stamped his Vuelta a Espana title on Sunday, safely negotiating the procession into Madrid.
The 22-year-old joins an illustrious list of names from his native Belgium to have won a Grand Tour, albeit his triumph in Spain marks the end of a long drought for the nation.
Evenepoel's success, however, came at the expense of Primoz Roglic's shot at history.
Roglic was hunting an unprecedented fourth straight Vuelta title, and looked set to overtake Evenepoel in the general classification in stage 16, only to suffer a crash 100 metres from the line.
The Slovenian was unable to carry on due to the injuries he sustained and abandoned La Vuelta for the first time in his career. Roglic has had awful luck in recent Grand Tours, having had to abandon three of the last four he has appeared in.
There were 49 withdrawals across this edition of La Vuelta, the highest number since 2013.
But of the riders that did finish, there were plenty of records and statistics to dive into, courtesy of Opta data.
Belgium's long wait is over
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen shrugged off the jeers and boos he received after triumphing at The son of former pro cyclist Patrick Evenepoel, a young Remco actually started his sporting career in football, with one of his old clubs – Dutch giants PSV – among those to offer their congratulations as he became Vuelta champion.
It marks Evenepoel's first Grand Tour crown, in what was his first appearance at La Vuelta. He led the race for a remarkable 16 stages, which is more than any other rider has led it for since two-time champion Chris Froome managed 19 stages in red back in 2017.
Belgium has produced some fantastic riders, not least the great Eddy Merckx, who counts one Vuelta crown among his 11 Grand Tour titles, yet shockingly Evenepoel is the nation's first GT champion since 1978, when Johan de Muynck won the Giro d'Italia.
Evenepoel is the eighth Belgian to win the Vuelta – the first since Freddy Maertens in 1977. Only Spain (32) and France (nine) have produced more Vuelta champions than Belgium (eight).
Out with the old...
Alejandro Valverde won La Vuelta in 2009, but on his farewell appearance at his home Grand Tour, the 42-year-old was never going to compete for top honours.
Instead, this was his goodbye lap, as Valverde completed his 14th Vuelta, matching the record tallies of Federico Etxabe, Chente Garcia Acosta and Inigo Cuesta.
Spain did have a GC contender to cheer on in the form of Movistar's Enric Mas, but after Roglic's crash, he was unable to close the gap on Evenepoel, finishing over two minutes back. No Spaniard has now won it since 2014, which is the longest streak in the race's history without a home champion.
Mas has finished second in three of his four Vuelta appearances, and came in ahead of Juan Ayuso, with two Spanish riders finishing in the top three for the first time since 2014, when Valverde joined champion Alberto Contador on the podium.
Ayuso, who contracted COVID-19 early in the race but carried on, is the youngest rider to achieve a podium finish at La Vuelta (19 years and 360 days). Spain's future seems in good hands.
Carapaz caps personal best, Pedersen a rising star
The red jersey was, of course, not the only one up for grabs. Richard Carapaz and Mads Pedersen both finished with three stage victories to their name.
Carapaz became the first cyclist from the Americas to win the mountain classification since Felix Cardenas of Colombia in 2004, while the INEOS Grenadier rider also marked his best effort at a Grand Tour, surpassing the two stage wins he managed at the 2019 Giro d'Italia.
Vuelta debutant Pedersen, meanwhile, became the first Dane to win the points jersey in any Grand Tour.
It has been a brilliant year for Denmark, with Jonas Vingegaard having claimed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, and Pedersen is among their best riders. Indeed, the only Dane to have won more stages at La Vuelta than the sprinter is Magnus Cort (six), though the latter has made three appearances in the race.
The worst game of Joe Burrow's NFL career almost turned into a memorable Week 1 win for the Cincinnati Bengals, who instead blew their chance for an overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals went down 23-20 to the Steelers after missing kicks at the end of regulation and in the additional period that would have secured a winning start.
Instead, Chris Boswell kicked the game-winning field goal for the Steelers in the final seconds of overtime.
Burrow had put the Bengals in position to succeed despite his dismal start, looking nothing like the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year who led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.
The quarterback had four turnovers before half-time – a career high for an entire game – including a pick-six for Minkah Fitzpatrick from his very first pass.
Burrow finished with four interceptions, a lost fumble and seven sacks, but he also threw two touchdown passes, including one for Ja'Marr Chase that appeared to set up a stunning Bengals win.
However, Fitzpatrick blocked Evan McPherson's PAT, and McPherson missed his target again in overtime.
Boswell similarly squandered a chance to win the game, hitting the left post, but he made amends just as it looked as though the NFL would see two ties in the same week for the first time since Week 2 in 1973, with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts also tied 20-20.
Browns deny Baker's Panthers
The Bengals were the only team not to win in the AFC North – a division that had it all on Sunday. While Lamar Jackson guided the Baltimore Ravens to victory over the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns celebrated their first Week 1 win since 2004 as former QB Baker Mayfield saw his Carolina Panthers beaten 24-23 by a late field goal.
The Miami Dolphins' 20-7 win over AFC East rivals the Patriots was far more straightforward, with Tua Tagovailoa becoming the first QB to remain unbeaten against Bill Belichick in the regular season having started at least four games against New England.
49ers flounder at sodden Soldier Field
Miserable conditions in Chicago hampered the San Francisco 49ers as they suffered a shock 19-10 loss to the Bears, with Trey Lance's miserable 13-of-28 passing including an awful fourth-quarter interception for a quarterback rating of just 50.3.
Elsewhere in the NFC, Jalen Hurts also did not throw a single touchdown pass in the Philadelphia Eagles' 38-35 victory over the Detroit Lions – he contributed one of four rushing scores – but the QB connected with A.J. Brown for 155 yards on 10 catches. Marquee offseason trade signing Brown had 128 receiving yards before half-time, the most in the first half of a team debut by any non-rookie since at least 1991.
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen shrugged off the jeers and boos he received after triumphing at the Italian Grand Prix.
Verstappen won behind a safety car on Sunday, having capitalised on Ferrari's questionable tactics, which left Charles Leclerc having to settle for second place on the team's home race.
The victory moves Verstappen – who had never won at Monza – 116 points clear of Leclerc in the driver standings, with Red Bull also safely at the summit of the constructor table.
Yet after celebrating an 11th win of the season, Verstappen had to contend with jeers from the stands during his post-race interview.
"It happens, everyone speaks to me about it with the booing and stuff but at the end of the day I am here to try and win the race which we've done," Verstappen subsequently told reporters.
"Some people of course they cannot appreciate that because they are very passionate fans for a different team. It is what it is.
"It is not going to spoil my day, I am just enjoying the moment."
Leclerc, however, was disappointed, telling reporters: "Nobody likes booing and I think it shouldn't happen. That's it."
Verstappen, who had to overcome a grid penalty to seal his maiden Monza success, has won the last five races and the Dutchman could wrap up his second world title when F1 returns in Singapore in October.
Remco Evenepoel hailed his Vuelta a Espana win as an "historic moment for the team, my country and myself".
The 22-year-old on Sunday became Belgium's first Grand Tour winner since Johan De Muynck took the 1978 Giro d'Italia title.
The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider safely came through Sunday's 96.7km procession from Las Rozas to the finish in Madrid, which was won by UAE Team Emirates rider Juan Sebastian Molano.
Colombian Molano was the lead-out man, and he claimed his first Vuelta victory ahead of Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and his team-mate Pascal Ackermann.
Evenepoel, who led the Vuelta for 16 stages, longer than any other rider has held the red jersey since Chris Froome in 2017 (19 stages), was joined on the podium by Spaniards Enric Mas and Juan Ayuso, and put the victory down to his team and how they managed three gruelling weeks of racing.
"Yesterday the emotions were quite high because you could feel that we were actually there, but you still have to finish the race here [on stage 21] safe and in a good way," he told reporters.
"I think we did it perfectly. We enjoyed it as much as possible and now we can really enjoy it.
"I didn't have much time to think today because it was a technical course and it was getting more nervous on every lap, so it was not that nice. I'm happy we survived and that we are here now.
"It's an historic moment for the team, for my country and for myself. I think we can be really proud of what we did during the last three weeks."
Mas the nearly man
Mas and Ayuso took second and third, with this year the first time since 2014 that Spain has had two riders finish on the podium.
Movistar leader Mas, who also finished on the podium in the points and mountain classifications, had vowed to push Evenepoel in the wake of Primoz Rolgic's abandonment, but could not quite manage to do so. He has finished second in three of his four Vuelta appearances.
STAGE RESULT
1. Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) 02:26:36
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) same time
4. Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma) same time
5. Danny van Poppel (BORA-Hansgrohe) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 80:26:59
2. Enric Mas (Movistar) +2:02
3. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +4:57
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 409
2. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 186
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) 138
King of the Mountains
1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 73
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 36
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) 28
An emotional Shane Lowry described his victory at the BMW PGA Championship as "one for the good guys".
Lowry finished ahead of Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy by one shot at Wentworth to win the sixth DP Tour title of his career in a tournament that had caused some controversy with the inclusion of players from the breakaway LIV Golf series.
One of those players, Patrick Reed, was the clubhouse leader after going round in 63 on Sunday to finish on 14 under overall, before an even better round from Rahm of 62 gave the Spaniard a two-shot clubhouse lead.
Lowry managed to catch Rahm on 16 under with six holes remaining, but struggled to edge ahead as he could only score par on his next five holes.
He eventually managed to add that elusive birdie on the par-five 18th to secure the win, and admitted afterwards it was a tournament he particularly wanted to succeed in.
"It means a lot," he said. "It's been a good year but I felt like I've been close a few times and I only have a few tournaments left this season and I really wanted to try and win one.
"Obviously this one is right up there at the top of the list. I love it here, I've contended in the past and even going down the back nine today… the bad shots I've hit down the years when I've been in contention actually started to creep into my head. It's amazing what this game does.
"I'm so happy, words can't [describe] how happy I am, how much this means to me, how much I love this tour, how much I love this tournament, and I'm the happiest man in the world right now."
The Irishman recalled the 2017 tournament when he had been in contention against eventual winner Alex Noren, only for the Swede to shoot 62 in his final round just as Rahm did on Sunday.
"I remember Alex Noren did that to me one year, the year he won he went out early and shot 62 and that came into my head," he added.
"I got to 16 [under] and tried to get past that but I also had to worry about Rory behind me because he could do anything down the last few holes, you know how good he is.
"I said to my coach this morning 'I need to just allow myself to play golf today, I'm playing the best golf of my life and I need to just allow myself to do that', and I did."
When asked if the circumstances around the tournament heightened his emotions when he won, Lowry conceded it had been a factor, having been among those who openly criticised the inclusion of LIV Golf members.
"I think so, yeah. I made no secrets as to how I feel about the whole thing at the start of the week and I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself first and foremost, but I think for this tour and everyone who has stayed loyal to this tour and everyone that's done everything for this tour," he said.
"I really feel like this is one for the good guys."
Shane Lowry clinched victory at the BMW PGA Championship on the final hole at Wentworth, pipping Jon Rahm despite a historic final round from the Spaniard.
Following the suspension of play on Friday due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the tournament was reduced to 54 holes.
Rahm's round of 62 on Sunday gave him the clubhouse lead on 16 under par, and it could have been even lower had he not narrowly missed some birdie attempts early on.
His total of 29 on the back nine, which included two eagles, was the lowest in the tournament's history, despite a bogey on 15.
It looked likely that Lowry would overtake him when the Irishman also reached 16 under with six holes remaining, hitting an eagle on the fourth, and birdies on the seventh, eighth, 10th and 12th.
However, Lowry – the 2019 champion at The Open Championship – went on to par the next five, leaving a nervous wait to see if he could take advantage on the par five 18th.
Lowry did just that after an excellent approach shot that left him with two putts for birdie, which he executed to seal a sixth DP Tour win of his career.
Rory McIlroy finished joint-second with Rahm after carding a final round of 67, while overnight leaders Viktor Hovland and Soren Kjeldsen both slipped to T5 after only being able to go round in 70.
Patrick Reed had set the bar early in the day with his impressive round of 63, before Rahm overtook him, and the American also finished joint-fifth alongside Thomas Detry on 14 under, with Talor Gooch able to earn outright fourth after an eagle at the 18th.
A round of 65 from Lee Westwood saw him climb to T13, where he was joined by world number 443 Matthew Southgate, who carded his second round of 67 in a row.
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