The Dallas Cowboys have now won four games in a row with backup quarterback Cooper Rush after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 22-10 away from home on Sunday.
Rush, who now owns a 5-0 record as a starter as he continues to fill-in for the injured Dak Prescott, was not burdened with a large responsibility against the Rams as it was the running backs and defense doing the heavy-lifting.
Cowboys pass-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence got things started with a fumble recovery for a touchdown after just 93 seconds, and the only other touchdown they scored came from a 57-yard Tony Pollard run in the second quarter.
The Dallas defense made life miserable for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, sacking him five times, as well as snagging an interception and recovering two forced fumbles. Second-year star Micah Parsons led the way with two sacks, and Malik Hooker came up with the interception in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
Often considered a controversial aspect of the Cowboys offense, their two-pronged running back attack was the key to their success on the offensive end.
Highly paid Ezekiel Elliott was again given the larger workload, carrying 22 times for 78 yards, and he was once again outperformed by his backup, Pollard, who tallied 86 yards and a touchdown from just eight carries.
Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp was as reliable as ever for the Rams, catching seven passes for 125 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.
Eagles move to 5-0 after late kick fails to send it to overtime
The Philadelphia Eagles remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL after a 20-17 road win against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals had a chance to tie the game with a 43-yard field goal in the dying seconds, but missed, allowing the Eagles to secure the win in regulation.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a clean game, completing 26 of 36 passes for 239 yards and no turnovers, and he was also his side's leading rusher with 15 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Marquise Brown was on the end of Kyler Murray's only touchdown pass of the day, and adding insult to injury is the fact that starting running back James Conner (ribs) and third-stringer Darrel Williams (knee) both suffered injuries.
Tom Brady called on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve after he equalled an NFL record by moving to 11-0 in his career meetings with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Brady shook off a shoulder injury to help the Bucs to go 3-2 for the season with a 21-15 home win over their NFC South rivals, cutting a two-game losing streak.
The 45-year-old's 11th straight win against Atlanta saw him equal the record for most wins by a quarterback without losing against a single NFL opponent, matching John Elway's 11-0 return against the New England Patriots and Andrew Luck's perfect record against the Tennessee Titans.
Speaking after the win, however, Brady said he was simply focused on halting the Bucs' alarming slide following recent defeats to the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
"Yeah, it's obviously tough to lose straight at home, right? And we didn't deserve it, but that's football, you've got to earn it," Brady said.
"There's no easy games, you've got to play good. Certainly, five games in, we've got a lot of work to do.
"We need a lot of people to step up. We've got to get people out there, healthy, playing consistently, we've got to keep practicing, make the corrections and continue to improve."
Brady threw 52 passes throughout Sunday's game, completing 35 for 351 yards and a touchdown.
However, the Bucs were pegged back after storming into a 21-0 lead, and Brady acknowledged they failed to maintain their standards in the second half, adding: "We just had a lot of three and outs, we just weren't very good.
"Bad execution and it wasn't our best in the second half. We've got to learn from it and get better."
Brady was aided by a questionable roughing the passer call against Atlanta's Grady Jarrett late on, when a third-down sack would have given Atlanta the ball with a chance to steal victory late on.
But the Bucs star was unwilling to get involved in debates surrounding the controversial call, simply stating: "I don't throw the flags."
Seattle Seahawks leading rusher Rashaad Penny’s season is likely in jeopardy after the running back reportedly fractured his left tibia in Sunday’s game at New Orleans.
According to NFL.com, Penny is expected to need surgery and will undergo further testing Monday to determine if he sustained additional damage.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters after his team’s 39-32 loss that Penny sustained a "serious" ankle injury, but did not elaborate further.
Penny entered the contest with 292 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 49 attempts through four games, and added 54 yards on eight carries Sunday before exiting early in the second half. He had his lower left leg bend awkwardly while being tackled on a third-quarter run and was taken off the field on a cart.
Rookie Kenneth Walker III replaced Penny and recorded 88 yards on eight rushes, including a 69-yard touchdown that gave Seattle a short-lived 32-31 lead with 6:54 remaining.
A first-round pick of Seattle in 2018, Penny re-signed with the Seahawks on a one-year contract in March after setting career highs of 749 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2021.
The Seahawks took Walker, who won the 2021 Doak Walker Award honouring the nation’s top college running back, after rushing for 1636 yards and 16 touchdowns for Michigan State, in the second round (41st overall) of this year’s draft. The 21-year-old has 146 yards and one touchdown on 23 rush attempts through his first four NFL games.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater became the first player to be removed from play under the new concussion protocols established by the NFL and NFL Players Association in recent days.
Bridgewater was starting his first game of the season in place of Tua Tagovailoa, whose concussion during the Dolphins' Week 4 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals led to the protocols being changed.
The Dolphins came under heavy scrutiny for their decision to field Tagovailoa against the Bengals.
In Tagovailoa's previous outing against the Buffalo Bills, he appeared unsteady on his feet after his head slammed against the turf following a heavy collision.
The NFL and NFLPA launched an investigation into the handling of that injury after he returned to the field shortly thereafter.
Although it found the Dolphins to have followed existing protocols "as written”, the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to modify protocols.
Remarkably, Tagovailoa's replacement Bridgewater was ruled out after the very first play of Miami's 40-17 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday due to the changes to the concussion protocol.
The quarterback left with an elbow injury and was evaluated for a head injury, with Miami stating that Bridgewater would not return.
Third-choice quarterback Skylar Thompson replaced him, and after the game Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel showed confidence in the rookie's ability to hold down the fort.
"It's rough," McDaniel said. "But the whole team has confidence in Skylar. I think our team in general doesn't look at it like we're a one-man saviour at any spot.
"So it is a new set of circumstances of adversity so early, but I don't think that the rest of the team's response to losing Teddy had anything to do with losing the game."
Saquon Barkley is unconcerned whether outsiders take the New York Giants' 4-1 start seriously after they produced a superb comeback to stun the Green Bay Packers in Week 5.
The Giants trailed 20-10 at half-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Packers, backed by a raucous crowd, looked set to ease to victory in their first game in the United Kingdom.
However, the Giants flipped the script in the second half to prevail 27-22, with running back Barkley playing a critical role.
Barkley's game appeared as if it could be over in the second half because of a shoulder injury, but he returned after Gary Brightwell punched in a two-yard run to tie the game at 20-20.
And Barkley then took centre stage as the Giants produced a game-winning drive. Barkley moved the Giants inside the red zone with a 41-yard catch and run from Daniel Jones and then took a direct snap into the endzone for a two-yard score that proved decisive despite Green Bay's MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers driving the Packers down to the six-yard line in response.
The Giants were not seen as contenders heading into the season and three wins from the first four games for Brian Daboll's men did little to change that perception.
Asked if a win over the Packers will change minds as to the Giants' legitimacy, Barkley told his post-game press conference: "I don't think it's any statement to the league.
"To be completely honest, it's the NFL. Every time you go against somebody, this isn't college. It isn't like you're playing at Penn State and going against your Week 1 team who is someone you should beat by 40. It's the NFL and it's hard to win in this league.
"For us, we can't even focus on that. If anyone want to take us serious or not, the main thing we got to focus on is interior, inside our building, continue to love the process and continue to get better and continue to lean on each other and find ways to get wins."
The Giants' 4-1 start is their best for 13 years, but Barkley refuses to think too much about their achievements to this point.
"Yeah, it's great start. 4-1. It’s where you want to be. But like I said, you can't get too caught up in it, you've just got to keep working and there's a reason why we're 4-1 and that's because of the process," he added.
"That's because we've got guys coming in and working and believing in the system, setting the culture, setting the standard and following it. That's what it means.
"We've got to continue to do that and if we continue to do that, continue to believe in each other - when we look back at this thing we'll be pretty excited."
The Los Angeles Chargers survived a late scare to defeat the Cleveland Browns 30-28 on Sunday afternoon thanks to a massive performance from running back Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler finished with two of the Chargers' three touchdowns, rushing for 173 yards and a score from 16 carries, and adding 26 yards and a touchdown from four catches.
Both times Ekeler scored he put the Chargers back into the lead in a rollercoaster of a game, where the Browns jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter through touchdowns to focal points Amari Cooper and Nick Chubb.
Chubb's second rushing touchdown gave the Browns a 17-14 lead at half-time, and they were up 28-27 going into the fourth quarter after Kareem Hunt converted a goal-line carry for a touchdown of his own.
Taylor Bertolet's field goal put the Chargers back in front with nine minutes to play, finishing three-for-three with his kicks for the day, and the game looked to be sealed when Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw an interception with under three minutes on the clock.
Needing a couple of first downs to put on the finishing touches, the Chargers were presented with a fourth-and-one at their own 46-yard line, and instead of punting and playing it safe, they went for it and failed.
A short completion gave the Browns a 54-yard field goal opportunity to win the game in the final seconds, but it drifted wide right, with kicker Cade York missing both of his attempts for the game.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 22 of his 34 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, with his top receiver Mike Williams catching 10 for 134 yards.
Chubb was the offensive star for the Browns, carrying 17 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Bills blow away the Steelers
The Buffalo Bills took their foot off the gas in the second half to coast to a dominant 38-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wide receiver Gabriel Davis was the star of the show along with quarterback Josh Allen, combining on a 98-yard passing touchdown just 64 seconds into the game. It was the longest touchdown in the NFL this season.
They were not finished there, linking up again to begin the second quarter with a 62-yard touchdown.
Allen added two more touchdown passes in the first half – one to Stefon Diggs and one to Khalil Shakir – to open up a 31-3 lead at the long break, and from there they were never tested.
Another Dolphins quarterback leaves with concussion
Making his first start of the season after Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with his concussion last week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was pulled after the first play in a 40-17 loss to the New York Jets.
Bridgewater was evaluated for a concussion and could not return, handing rookie Skylar Thompson his first snaps as a professional.
Neither team threw for a touchdown in the game, with the Jets rushing for five scores as exciting rookie Breece Hall finished with 18 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 100 yards, and goal-line back Michael Carter pushed his way in for two touchdowns.
Adding to the great day for Jets fans was the fourth overall pick from this year's NFL Draft, cornerback Sauce Gardner, recording his first career interception.
Brian Robinson Jr. made his NFL bow on Sunday, as the Washington Commanders rookie played his first game just six weeks after he was shot twice.
The running back survived an attempted robbery in the capital on August 28 and has not played since, but was activated from the non-football injury list ahead of this weekend's game with the Tennessee Titans.
Brought on to a hero's welcome at FedExField, the third-round pick was unable to prevent another loss, which leaves the Commanders' record at 1-4 after a 21-17 defeat.
But Robinson nevertheless notched solid numbers for the NFC East outfit, posting 22 yards from nine carries with an average 2.4 gain.
The 23-year-old will hope his performance earns him further game-time over the coming weeks, with Washington set to travel to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
Matt LaFleur conceded he did not call a good enough game as a head coach after the Green Bay Packers' collapse in their shock 27-22 defeat to the New York Giants.
Playing in their first game in the United Kingdom, the Packers looked in command at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after building a 20-10 half-time lead.
From there, however, the Packers scored just two points, which came on an intentional safety given up by the Giants at the end of the game, as New York produced a remarkable comeback.
A 15-play, 91-yard drive capped by a two-yard rush for Gary Brightwell saw the Giants tie the game at 20-20 before Saquon Barkley, who finished with 106 yards from scrimmage, averaging over six yards per touch, gave New York the lead with a two-yard run on a direct snap.
Green Bay responded with a drive to the Giants' six-yard line but failed to punch in the tying score, Aaron Rodgers seeing a fourth-down throw to Allen Lazard batted down before he was sacked on a failed Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds.
The Packers had dictated matters in the first half through the ground attack and the short passing game, but the run was a non-factor in the second, as Green Bay was forced to punt after gaining only 46 yards on their first two drives before the failed effort to tie the game.
While LaFleur credited the Giants' defense and their coordinator Wink Martindale for forcing the Packers away from the run, he did take responsibility for an anaemic second-half showing.
Asked if he anticipated going pass-heavy, LaFleur told his post-game press conference: "Just depended upon what they were giving us. Like I said, we had a lot of run-pass cans [options].
"They played a lot of single high [safety coverages], manned us up. Do you want to run into a loaded box or try to get it through the air?
"Unfortunately that didn't work for us. Like I said, give credit. Wink is a guy I got a lot of respect for. He out-coached us in the second half, and they outplayed us.
"Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, they outplayed us. They definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves. They kicked our butt in the second half. You can't do that in this league.
"Obviously the plan and the play calls that I gave weren't good enough.
"We just got to regroup. Everybody's got to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do better because it was a collective effort right there in terms of not being able to come out on top.
"They kept playing. Give New York a ton of credit. I don't think the mindset for our guys was ever to let up. Certainly you look at the results out there. There was too many mistakes. It wasn't just one person; it was a collective effort like I talked about.
"It starts with myself. I got to be better. I got to be better for this team. We got to demand that we get better in certain areas. It's just disappointing."
Former U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm romped to his eighth DP World Tour title with a six-stroke victory on home turf in the Open de Espana on Sunday.
The 2021 major winner delivered a stunning nine-under round to card 62 on the final day, blowing away the competition at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
With an eagle on the 14th and eight further birdies, the 27-year-old proved too strong for Matthieu Pavon, with the Frenchman's six-under for the fourth round leaving him in a distant second place.
Rahm's triumph saw him take the Open de Espana title for the third time in his career, having previously triumphed in 2018 and 2019.
It means he equals the record set by his fellow countryman, the late Seve Ballesteros, who also won the competition on three occasions.
"You might need to ask me in a few days because I take quite a while to process these things," Rahm stated when asked for his thoughts on matching Ballesteros' feat.
"It was the goal coming in; Seve is a great hero of mine and to do something he took his whole career to do in just a few years is quite humbling.
"It's emotional. Going up the 18th hole, I knew what was about to happen and to get it done like that, I can't describe it."
Australia's Min Woo Lee carded three-under to finish in third, seven strokes off the lead, while Italy's Edoardo Molinari and South Africa's Zander Lombard tied for fourth after posting equal rounds of four-under.
The father of the late Formula One driver Jules Bianchi strongly criticised an incident that saw Pierre Gasly nearly collide with a tractor during Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
The race in torrential conditions saw a number of first-lap crashes, with the safety car coming in almost immediately.
And after the race was red-flagged on lap three, Gasly came close to hitting a tractor that was attempting to recover Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari just seconds after drivers were notified of the red flag.
Bianchi was the last F1 driver to suffer a fatal crash, having done so in a similar incident when he hit a recovery vehicle, also at the Japanese Grand Prix.
And Sunday's incident provoked widespread criticism, including from Bianchi's father.
"No respect for the life of the driver," Philippe Bianchi said in an Instagram caption. "No respect for Jules' memory. Incredible."
The event also sparked furious reaction from current drivers, with Gasly himself saying "I could have f****** killed myself" while Red Bull's Sergio Perez called it "the lowest point we've seen in the sport for years."
Barbora Krejcikova completed a fairytale home tournament as she won the Ostrava Open by beating world number one Iga Swiatek 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in Sunday's final.
Krejcikova lifted the Tallinn Open last week for her first title of the season, and made it two from two with an impressive run to the final before a hard-fought triumph over Swiatek to earn a ninth straight victory and another championship trophy.
Swiatek herself had won 10 matches on the bounce, and the Pole raced to five of the first six games to lead the opener 5-1, though Krejcikova rattled off four straight games to level it up.
However, after making it 6-5, Swiatek then found a crucial break to clinch the first set.
The second went all the way to a tie-break, which Krejcikova took the ascendancy of by putting herself 6-1 up, and despite a late Swiatek rally, the Czech 26-year-old finally levelled the match after watching four set points come and go.
In the decider, neither could find a break until the eighth game, with Krejcikova doing so to put herself within a game of winning.
And in an extraordinary final stand, Swiatek survived five championship points before her resistance was ultimately broken to deny her an eighth final victory in 2022.
It was Krejcikova's first win against Swiatek, having lost their previous two meetings, as the seventh seed sealed an incredible victory.
The New York Giants produced a stunning comeback to upset the Green Bay Packers 27-22 and move to an improbable 4-1 with victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Green Bay, playing in the United Kingdom for the first time in front of a raucous crowd dominated by Packer fans, dominated the first half and led 20-10 at half-time.
Two touchdown throws from Aaron Rodgers to Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis along with a pair of Mason Crosby field goals seemingly had Green Bay in command.
The second of those three-pointers came after the Giants' first touchdown drive, capped by a double reverse touchdown by tight end Daniel Bellinger, which served as a harbinger of what was to come in the second half.
A field goal from Graham Gano cut the deficit to seven points and, after a Dexter Lawrence sack stopped a promising Packers drive, the Giants drove 91 yards on 15 plays with star running back Saquon Barkley back in the locker room nursing a shoulder injury, Gary Brightwell's two-yard rushing touchdown tying the game.
Barkley returned for the next drive after a quick Packers three-and-out and, having set up the Giants' first score with a 40-yard scamper, he gave New York the lead, getting them into the red zone with a 41-yard catch-and run before taking a direct snap two yards to complete the turnaround.
Green Bay responded with a drive deep into Giants' territory but, on fourth-and-one from the New York six, Rodgers saw his pass to Allen Lazard batted into the air, sealing a remarkable win to drop the Packers to 3-2, an intentional late safety taken by Brian Daboll's men proving immaterial.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has described Charles Leclerc's five-second penalty at the Japanese Grand Prix – which handed Max Verstappen his second Formula One world title – as "ridiculous and unacceptable".
Verstappen sealed consecutive championships by winning a rain-shortened race at Suzuka on Sunday – though it initially appeared he would have to wait after Leclerc crossed the line in second.
However, Leclerc's late move to stay ahead of Sergio Perez landed him a five-second penalty, putting the Ferrari man third and unable to catch Verstappen in the drivers' standings.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the bizarre conclusion, a furious Binotto contrasted Sunday's immediate decision to penalise Leclerc with the long delay required to hand Perez a similar sanction in Singapore last week.
"The decision of the five-second penalty to Leclerc is ridiculous and unacceptable, it is something that does not make sense," he said.
"Leclerc did not gain position or time, when we saw the note, we were calm. This time it was decided without even listening to the drivers, unlike Singapore.
"Incredible decision, which is not clear: two identical infractions and two different penalties seven days apart."
Race organisers have also come under fire after Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided a high-speed collision with a tractor, which was recovering Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari after a series of early collisions.
Binotto also made reference to that incident as he warned poor management of the sport could harm its reputation.
"Then the start in those conditions, the crane on the track… this shows that the moment is difficult [for F1]," Binotto continued. "The risk is to lose the credibility of the sport.
"We have to understand how to improve the situation, because this management is not going well."
Elise Mertens claimed her first WTA title of the year after defeating Alize Cornet in straight sets to capture the Jasmin Open crown on Sunday.
The world number 42 reeled off the last 11 games as she soared to a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory after just 80 minutes in Monastir.
Mertens landed the seventh WTA title of her career - and first since the 2021 Gippsland Trophy - following a timely return to form off the back of a disappointing 2022 that had seen her reach just two quarter-finals.
The Belgian overcame Cornet in three sets when they met in St. Petersburg earlier this year, and she quickly gained the upper hand in the fifth contest between the pair.
Mertens rescued two break points to hold for 2-2, before breaking twice as she eventually cruised to the opening set.
A late wildcard in Tunisia, Cornet had progressed to her first final since Chicago last year without dropping a set, and was targeting her first silverware since triumphing in Gstaad four years ago.
But the world number 37 could not establish any momentum in her quest to get back into the final; nine double-faults certainly hindering her intentions.
Mertens fully capitalised. The fifth seed won 83 per cent of her first-service points, while breaking a further three times as she breezed to a commanding victory.
J.T. Realmuto insisted that "nobody's excited" to play the Philadelphia Phillies after they secured their National League Division Series place with victory over the St Louis Cardinals.
The Phillies advanced to their first NLDS showdown in 11 years, where they will face the Atalanta Braves after defeating the Cardinals 2-0 in the National League Wildcard Series.
Bryce Harper's homer off the first pitch of the second inning set the tone at Busch Stadium, where Aaron Nola's pitching kept the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at bay as they prevailed with a game to spare.
"I can promise you, nobody's excited to play the Phillies right now," Realmuto said. "Not one person on this team is surprised. We all expected to be here. This is where we wanted to be to start the season, and we're not done yet.
"We felt like it was our night to begin with and as soon as Bryce [Harper] hit that home run, we felt like we were going to win the game.
"There's a lot of confidence in that dugout right now and with the way Aaron has been throwing the ball, we were confident he and the bullpen were going to hold it down."
Rhys Hoskins also heaped praise on Harper following his "MVP-type" display, revealing he was a man on a mission upon arriving in the locker room.
"The first thing Bryce told me today is we are not losing this game," Hoskins added. "Then he goes out and hits a home run in his first at-bat. That's MVP-type stuff right there. It was awesome."
Defeat for the Cardinals abruptly brought the curtain down on the glittering careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, who boast 21 All Star appearances between them.
Manager Oliver Marmol was disappointed not to give the decorated duo a more fitting send-off, saying: "Everybody in that clubhouse is feeling it right now. It's a tough one.
"When you know it's Yadi's last year and Albert's last year, there's this extra motivation to deliver for them and do something special and allow that story to end with a championship, so it's obviously disappointing. But it's where we're at."
Max Verstappen struck a philosophical tone as he celebrated a second Formula One drivers' title, admitting this could be as good as it gets for him.
The 25-year-old Dutchman has been dominant in the 2022 season, with his 12th race win in 18 races coming at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
It came in curious fashion, with Verstappen initially moving only to the brink of the title with victory. His triumph was confirmed later, when a penalty was imposed on second-placed finisher Charles Leclerc, nudging the Ferrari driver down to third place in the race and giving Verstappen an unassailable championship lead.
He has wrapped up the title with four races to spare, and Verstappen might go on to be the leading light in many more seasons to come. Indeed, it would be a surprise if he does not; but great drivers from years gone by have not necessarily stacked up the titles expected of them.
Fernando Alonso, for one, captured titles in 2005 and 2006 but has not added to those back-to-back successes.
Verstappen is conscious that the car must be right, so he is determined to make the most of Red Bull equipping him with a formidable set of wheels, for as long as that lasts.
"I've got four race weekends at least to celebrate," he said. "There is no real pressure any more, but I still want to of course try and win more races, because with the car we have now you have to try and take advantage of that.
"You don't know if you're ever going to have that again, next year, in the years to come. So, we'll definitely try to win a few more."
Verstappen already accepts that following up the 2022 performance will be a lot to ask of Red Bull and their driver team.
Because of Leclerc's five-second penalty, Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez took second place at Suzuka, and also sits second in the championship, some 113 points behind the champion.
Red Bull are emphatically the team to beat, but many teams have been in such a position across the history of Formula One, and what history tells us is that a rival will at some stage overhaul them.
Next season will be a 24-race slog, two races longer than this campaign, and that will test all the teams.
"Yeah, it's going to be a long season," Verstappen said. "I thought this one was already pretty long – but we'll see. We're going to try and prepare for next year as good as we can.
"Then we'll try to get it as close as we can to this year, because replicating something like this will be very tough – but I have a lot of good hope within the people in the team that we can create again a really good car."
Taylor Fritz became the first American to win the Japan Open since Pete Sampras in 1996 after seeing off compatriot Frances Tiafoe with a victory that will take him into the top 10.
The 24-year-old beat Tiafoe in straight sets, though it was a tight affair as the match was decided via two tie-breaks, Fritz eventually triumphing 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) to clinch the ATP 500 event.
Nevertheless, Fritz looked the composed player for much of the contest as he created eight break chances to Tiafoe's three – though the latter managed to hang in for the most part.
The only breaks of serve came in back-to-back games early in the first set, with Tiafoe quickly hitting back before later holding off two set points to force a tie-break.
He would have been confident going into it after winning 13 successive singles tie-breaks prior to Sunday, but Fritz blew Tiafoe away in both, with the second coming at the end of a set in which neither player gave an inch.
A third tournament victory of 2022 ensures Fritz will break into the top 10 on Monday and provides a real boost to his hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season ATP Finals.
"Crazy, I don't even think it's set in just how fast the last four or five days have been," Fritz said afterwards.
"It's so crazy, and I couldn't have written it any better. It's exactly what I needed for the race [to Turin for the ATP Finals], for my ranking, to kind of put me in a good position for the end of the year, so it's amazing."
Fritz will be eighth in the world when the new rankings are released, making him the first American man to break the top 10 since Jack Sock did so in 2017.
Novak Djokovic claimed the 90th ATP Tour title of his illustrious career after landing the Astana Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Serbian also secured a place at next month's ATP Finals in Turin after prevailing 6-3 6-4 in just 75 minutes.
It was Djokovic's fourth piece of silverware of the season – adding to his triumphs in Wimbledon, Rome and Tel Aviv – and stretched his winning streak to nine matches.
The 21-time major winner had prevailed in each of his last six encounters with Tsitsipas and claimed a crucial break in game eight of the opening set, before serving it out to draw first blood.
Seeking his maiden ATP 500 title at the ninth attempt, Tsitsipas was aiming to join Djokovic in becoming only the second male player to win a tour-level title on all three surfaces this season.
However, the Greek ace hit 25 unforced errors throughout the contest to his opponent's seven and was broken again in game five of the second set.
Djokovic, who won 33 of his 38 first-serve points and did not face a single break point, subsequently sealed victory with a brilliant backhand winner to make it back-to-back titles following last week's triumph in Tel Aviv.
"I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career. Obviously, [I] didn't know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport.
"I'm just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life. I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way.
"I could not ask for a better restart of the season. I'm super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks."
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra claimed the LIV Golf Bangkok title after carding a final-round 69 to win by three strokes on a weather-affected final day.
The 22-year-old took a five-shot lead into the final round and did enough to hold off late charges from the likes of Patrick Reed and Paul Casey, the latter of whom will be left to rue an opening round of 71 after shooting 65 on both the second and third days.
Nobody bettered Lopez-Chacarra's first and second rounds of 65 and 63 respectively, and he overcame two bogies on the front nine to finish three under on the final day and seal victory, maintaining his focus despite play being suspended for an hour and a half because of a storm in the area.
The Spaniard was a high-ranked amateur before joining the controversial Saudi-backed tour in June and now earns his first professional championship, as well as a $4million purse.
Richard Bland and Branden Grace formed part of a leading trio with Lopez-Chacarra on seven under after the opening round, but Grace withdrew with injury on Saturday while Bland could not follow up his first-day success, losing pace on the eventual winner to finish joint-third – alongside Casey and Sihwan Kim and a stroke behind second-placed Reed.
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka was joint-eighth at 13 under, while Bryson DeChambeau ended 14th at 10 under.
Other big names were way off the pace, with Phil Mickelson 10 shots behind Lopez-Chacarra and 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith finishing a disappointing tournament tied for 41st at four under.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
