Task Force looks set to represent race sponsors Juddmonte in this weekend’s Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, with Saturday’s Mill Reef hero Array more likely to wait for a possible tilt at the Dewhurst Stakes next month.

The Andrew Balding-trained Array notched his second win from five career starts in Group Two company at Newbury and retains the option of turning out just seven days later for a Group One assignment on the Rowley Mile.

However, while no final decision has been made, Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon raised the possibility of the youngster instead being supplemented for the Dewhurst on October 14.

He said: “We left Array in to keep options open until we speak with the ownership group, but it’s probably less likely that he’ll run and we’ll see if the owners would like to give consideration to the Dewhurst a couple of weeks later.

“We just said we’d leave him in there (Middle Park) in case there was a lot of rain and the ground came up on the soft side, as he obviously showed he liked that on Saturday.

“He came out of the race so well Andrew just said we’d keep our options open.

“He’s not in the Dewhurst, so he’d have to be supplemented. Once we’ve spoken to the ownership group we’ll come up with a plan.”

Task Force, a son of two Guineas winners in Frankel and Special Duty, impressed on his debut for Ralph Beckett at Salisbury before landing a Listed prize at Ripon and further improvement can be expected.

Mahon added: “He’s an intended runner in the Middle Park. He’s in good form, Ralph is happy with him and he worked nicely on Saturday.

“It’s a big jump from a Listed race to a Group One, but he’s a well-bred horse and we’re hopeful he can make the jump.”

Beckett has a second string to his bow in the supplemented Sirenia Stakes winner Starlust, while Aidan O’Brien has confirmed Battle Cry, Military and Coventry Stakes hero River Tiber, with the last-named colt the obvious candidate as he looks to bounce back from defeat in the Prix Morny.

He could renew rivalry with the winner of that Group One contest at Deauville six weeks ago, Simon and Ed Crisford’s Vandeek.

The William Haggas-trained Gimcrack winner Lake Forest and Paddy Twomey’s Round Tower Stakes victor Letsbefrankaboutit also feature among 13 contenders.

Fourteen fillies remain in the mix for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, with Relief Rally the potential favourite for the Haggas team.

The daughter of Kodiac’s only defeat in five starts to date came at Royal Ascot when beaten a nose by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary, since when she has landed the Super Sprint at Newbury and the Lowther Stakes at York.

Her potential rivals include unbeaten French-trained filly Jasna’s Secret, Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom and the consistent Soprano from George Boughey’s yard.

A top-class card gets under way with the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, in which Solario Stakes winner Aablan must be considered a major player for Charlie Appleby.

Aidan O’Brien is responsible for six of the 18 acceptors, with Capulet perhaps the most interesting having pushed stablemate Diego Velazquez close in a Leopardstown Group Two last time.

Roger Varian’s pair of Al Musmak and Defiance are also on the list, as are Ollie Sangster’s unbeaten youngster Per Contra and Beckett’s Macduff, runner-up to Al Musmak in a Haydock Listed event last time in the Juddmonte silks.

Mahon added: “It’s a possibility Macduff will run, it’s not a definite. We left him in there and we’ll see how he is during the week.

“I think we’ve said a few times he’s a big horse and it’s all about next year with him, but he seems in good shape and we’ll give strong consideration to running him.

“The horse that beat him at Haydock looked a very good horse that day, but you’re always hoping on a different day, on a different track and with a different set-up you might get a different result. You should never be afraid to give it a go.”

The Juddmonte team are also responsible for the ante-post favourite for the bet365 Cambridgeshire in Harry and Roger Charlton’s Greek Order.

A winner at Sandown in May and Newbury last month, the three-year-old will look to complete his hat-trick in the prestigious handicap.

Mahon said: “I’m looking forward to seeing him – he was very impressive on his last start.

“You’re always going to need a lot of luck in a Cambridgeshire with plenty of runners, but the ground should be OK and hopefully we get a nice draw and everything goes well.”

The weights for the Cambridgeshire are headed by Daniel and Claire Kubler’s York scorer Astro King, who is 1lb above the King and Queen’s Saga.

Captain Johnny Sexton insists Ireland are not thinking about anything beyond Scotland as they seek to avoid complacency following previous World Cup failures.

Andy Farrell’s men are within touching distance of the quarter-finals and a likely clash with either hosts France or three-time winners New Zealand.

Yet, despite defeating defending champions South Africa in Paris to register a third consecutive Pool B victory, rugby’s top-ranked nation could still be denied a spot in the knock-out stages by the Scots.

Experienced fly-half Sexton, who has suffered last-eight exits at his previous three World Cups, admits his side cannot get ahead of themselves.

“We are not talking about being champions, we are talking about the next game,” he said on the back of the 13-8 win over the Springboks.

“Now it’s all about Scotland. We’re not thinking about anything beyond that.

“Scotland are an excellent team. I think that they would be frustrated about how they played against South Africa (an 18-3 loss on September 10).

“It’s all geared up towards that game now and making sure that we do what’s required to try and win the pool.

“But we can’t look beyond the next game. This competition will hurt you, that’s the biggest lesson we can take from the last few World Cups.”

Ireland return to Stade de France on October 7 to take on Gregor Townsend’s side after upsetting South Africa.

Head coach Farrell believes the narrow win from a bruising encounter with the reigning champions is ideal preparation for future challenges.

“Let’s be honest, it’s wonderful to win, but there was not much in it between two good sides,” said Farrell.

“I think the best thing about it for us is we get to feel the intensity of a big game within this World Cup and know what that feels like for further down the line.

“How we are able to be a little bit more composed, be a little bit more accurate and play our game a little bit more. It’s invaluable to be able to learn those lessons with a win.

“But what I would say is when you love defending as much as we did within that game, it stands us in good stead as far as our want and our fight for the rest of competition.”

Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Alshinfarah could be headed for Newmarket’s Rockfel Stakes after a pleasing juvenile campaign so far.

The Shadwell homebred filly, who is by Noble Mission, made a winning start to her career when taking a Doncaster fillies’ maiden over seven furlongs in July.

She followed that victory with another at Haydock, this time in a novice event that she won by a length and a quarter when the only filly in the field.

Alshinfarah then took a step up to Group Three level at ParisLongchamp in early September for the Prix d’Aumale over mile, making the running under Jim Crowley and missing out by half a length when passed in the final strides of the race.

Philippart de Foy was nevertheless encouraged by the run and all being well, the bay will drop back to seven furlongs to contest the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday, a Group Two for which she is currently a 10-1 chance.

The trainer said: “The filly has been confirmed for the Rockfel on Friday and, depending on the weather, we will make a decision on Wednesday as to whether she runs or not.

“She came out of her French race in good form, she did a good piece of work on Saturday and we are very happy, everything is good with her.

“Her run in France was very good, she had to make the running for the first time over a mile, she was just caught in the last 50 yards but she didn’t disgrace herself at all. She was very gutsy.”

Warren Gatland has hailed Wales’ ability to keep “punching above our weight” after clinching a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

It maintains Gatland’s 100 per record of reaching the last-eight in four World Cup campaigns as Wales head coach.

And the achievement is further underlined by where Wales were just six months ago on and off the pitch.

They finished fifth in the Six Nations, with a solitary win being against Italy, while Welsh professional rugby was engulfed by financial issues and contractual uncertainty for many players.

That scenario almost led to Gatland’s squad going on strike in protest over the situation just days before Wales faced England in Cardiff.

Now, though, they find themselves at the business end of a World Cup, having progressed from Pool C with one game to spare and seemingly on course for a quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille on October 14.

“There were a lot of things going on before the Six Nations,” Gatland said, following a record 40-6 victory over Australia that confirmed Wales’ progression to the knockout phase.

“Contract issues and the players getting offered them, and then just understanding the frustrations from them in terms of security, future, families and stuff.

“I probably didn’t realise at the time the impact that had on the coaching staff and probably even myself.

“I had to sit back and let things unfold until after the Six Nations, when you can get a squad together.

“We have been together for four months now. You know you can put the detail, preparation and hard work in that we always pride ourselves on.

“We are such a small nation as a tier one nation in terms of playing numbers, and we are proud that our success has been based on hard work and punching above our weight.

“Everyone has made a lot of sacrifices in the last four months, and the message from me beforehand was ‘you get what you deserve in life’ from putting that hard work and effort in.

“We have been through some pain and tough times. We have pushed some players right to the edge, and they have fronted up.

“We have got a brilliant balance in this group in terms of taking the mickey out of each other and some real banter, which is brilliant.

“But when they are asked to front up and perform at training, they get their heads on and they knuckle down.”

Wales were World Cup semi-finalists in 2011 – the first time for 24 years – and 2019, with that achievement now having an outstanding chance of being repeated.

Among Wales’ many successes in the tournament so far has been co-captain Jac Morgan’s form and leadership, which he highlighted through an immense display against Australia.

It evokes memories of New Zealand in 2011 when a 22-year-old Sam Warburton was handed the captaincy reins and delivered magnificently. At 23, flanker Morgan is so far ticking every box.

Gatland added: “He is still a young man, and I threw him in at the deep end. He has been absolutely outstanding.

“I have a huge amount of admiration for him. He is definitely a player who leads from the front, and he did exactly that (against Australia). It was a brilliant performance from him.”

Ace Impact and Hukum are among 15 horses to stand their ground for the the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Sunday following the first forfeit stage.

French Derby hero Ace Impact is the clear favourite to provide trainer Jean-Claude Rouget with his second victory in Europe’s premier middle-distance contest, following the success of Sottsass three years ago, but looks set to face a strong challenge from across the Channel.

The Owen Burrows-trained Hukum and Ralph Beckett’s Westover look the pick of the British contingent, with both having been kept fresh since their titanic tussle in the King George at Ascot in July.

Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge and John and Thady Gosden’s Free Wind, the potential final Arc ride for Frankie Dettori, also remain in contention.

Aidan O’Brien has left in Emily Dickinson, but on Sunday indicated she is likely to head for the Prix du Cadran instead, paving the way for his St Leger hero Continuous to be supplemented on Wednesday.

Irish hopes could also be carried by Sprewell from Jessica Harrington’s yard.

Other contenders for the home team include Pascal Bary’s Grand Prix de Paris hero Feed The Flame, last seen finishing second in the Prix Niel, and Simca Mille from Stephane Wattel’s yard.

The latter has won twice and finished second twice from four visits to the track and was last seen breaking his Group One duck in the Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten in August.

Wattel said: “I have to say everything is fine, he’s in good shape and he has done some nice work. We are expecting good ground, which is important for him, and really I am happy with his condition.

“I don’t think we will have heavy ground and that would have been a reason not to run.

“I am really happy to have a runner in the Arc, not a first (top) chance but a fair chance to run well, which is exciting for us as a stable.

“He loves Longchamp and has always run very well there, which gives us a little more expectation than if we were running in England.

“I know the quality of the English horses and I know the quality of the two three-year-old French horses (Ace Impact and Feed The Flame), but our horse is running on his best racetrack and hopefully his best ground, so that gives us a little more chance.”

The German pair of Sisfahan and Mr Hollywood (Henk Grewe), Japan’s Through Seven Seas (Tomohito Ozeki), Haya Zark (Adrien Fouassier), Onesto (Fabrice Chappet) and Place Du Carrousel (Andre Fabre) are the others in the mix.

Lando Norris believes McLaren’s strong driver pairing can be a big advantage as the team celebrated an “important milestone” with a double podium at the Japanese Grand Prix.

British driver Norris finished second for a second consecutive race, albeit well behind dominant race-winner Max Verstappen, while team-mate Oscar Piastri secured his first podium in his debut Formula One season.

After a tough start to the year, McLaren have impressed since their first big upgrade began at July’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Norris finished fourth at Spielberg before picking up back-to-back second-places at Silverstone and in Hungary.

Piastri, 22, has exceeded expectations this season, with a number of strong displays earning the Australian an extended contract earlier this week – none more so than at Suzuka given he had never even been to Japan before.

Norris feels their combined strength is a major plus for McLaren as they chase down Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.

“I think our advantage at the minute comparing to almost every team, bar a couple, is we have two drivers who are up there fighting for these positions and fighting for these points,” Norris said after the race at Suzuka.

“And not every team has that at the minute. So I think that’s helping us. We can help one another, we can use one another, and I think that’s a good advantage we have over a lot of other teams at the minute.

“So we’re on an upward trend. We’re making good progress and days like today prove exactly that.

“The progress we’ve made this season has been pretty incredible from my eyes, and from where we were to finishing 19 seconds behind the lead is, I think, evidence of exactly that.

“So I’m proud of everyone and we’ll keep pushing.”

Team principal Andrea Stella described the result at Suzuka as “an important milestone in our journey at McLaren”, while Piastri celebrated a significant day.

“You never forget your first podium, regardless of whether it’s been a strong performance or not,” he said.

“So yeah, it will be a special day and I won’t forget it and also ticking the first podium off the list is always a nice achievement to have.”

There are six races remaining in the 2023 season, including three sprint weekends, with a trip to Qatar next on the agenda in two weeks’ time.

McLaren have closed to 49 points of Aston Martin in the standings and CEO Zak Brown is confident they have a well-rounded car to be strong for the rest of the campaign.

“The team is just doing such a fantastic job, executing week in, week out,” Brown told Sky Sports F1.

“We are trying to catch Red Bull. All we can do is chip a tenth at a time but Max was pretty dominant. I think we will be strong at the next race, so will keep pushing.

“I feel as confident as I can we will be pretty strong everywhere, but we know there will be some tracks that favour your car more than others and we are good in the high speed, which Qatar is, so we will be strong there and not be weak anywhere.”

Gregor Townsend admitted Scotland will have to “do it the hard way” if they are to reach the World Cup quarter-finals but the head coach is hoping the renewed clarity of their situation in Pool B can help his team in their quest to progress.

After Ireland’s narrow victory over South Africa on Saturday and the Scots’ bonus-point 45-17 win over Tonga on Sunday, the picture has become slightly clearer for everyone in a lop-sided section containing three of the top five teams in the world rankings.

From Scotland’s perspective, they now know they will have to get a bonus-point win over Romania in Lille on Saturday and then ensure they defeat Ireland in Paris the following weekend with a bonus point or win by more than seven points to deny the Irish a losing bonus.

Townsend is pleased that his team emerged from the past weekend with five points and still with a fighting chance of qualifying.

“It keeps us on track,” he said. “The South Africa-Ireland game could have gone either way, it was a close Test match.

“But the fact South Africa picked up a bonus point means now it’s a straight shoot-out between us and Ireland.

“If South Africa pick five points up against Tonga – which they might do, they might not – that would mean they will likely get to 15 points.

“So we are competing with Ireland to get to 14 points, unless either of us pick up bonus points in our game against them.

“Ireland are already on 14 points, so we have to get to 10 points (by beating Romania on Saturday) to make sure it becomes a straight shoot-out between us and them, and if we were to win that game by more than seven points we get through to the quarter-final. It’s as straightforward as that.

“We know it’s going to be a difficult challenge against the number one team in the world. We’re going to have to do it the hard way to get out of this group but we believe in our players.”

Finn Russell admitted Ireland’s win over the Boks has made things slightly more difficult for Scotland because they will have to beat the Irish by more than seven points – as opposed to simply beating them by any score – but the stand-off does not feel it has changed things significantly for his side.

“Ideally for us South Africa would have won but we know what we need to do now,” he said. “We knew what we had to do against Tonga, and going into the Romania game we know what we need to get to have that final game against Ireland in Paris.

“I don’t think it’s changed too much for us because after (losing to) South Africa, we were always going to have to go and beat Ireland. We knew at the start this was potentially a situation we could be in.”

The Scots scored seven tries against Tonga – all from different players – but Russell feels they will have to be far more clinical going forward, particularly against the Irish.

“Seven different try-scorers is great but I think we left five or six chances out there potentially,” he said.

“It’s great we’re getting balls out wide, the backs scored a few tries, we got a driving maul try which is really pleasing as well but there were times when we got to five metres from the line and we’ve got to do a lot better there.

“It’s good the boys are scoring but I think we need to be a lot better and a lot harder on ourselves in training and in games.

“It doesn’t matter if there’s one guy that scores seven tries or seven individuals, it’s a team effort. But we need to up it. If we want to progress in this tournament we need to be a lot better than that.”

Jonathan Humphreys says Wales are looking no further ahead than next opponents Georgia as their Rugby World Cup campaign continues to gather impressive momentum.

A record 40-6 victory over Eddie Jones’ Australia confirmed a quarter-final place one game inside the distance.

Wales will top the pool if they defeat Georgia in Nantes next week, before a last-eight clash potentially against Argentina in Marseille.

But while Wales have reached the tournament’s business end for a fourth successive World Cup, assistant coach Humphreys underlined that there are no thoughts beyond Georgia.

“We need to fully concentrate on Georgia. We know we are in the quarter-finals, but Georgia is a massive game for us,” Humphreys said.

“We want to keep momentum going and we don’t want to fall off the standards we are setting. We will just focus on them.

“We want to finish top of our group. It was only a few short months ago that Georgia beat us at the (Principality) stadium.

“We will be treating them with massive respect. Like we said in the changing rooms afterwards, our focus after a couple of days off will turn directly to Georgia.

“For us, the next thing is to finish top of our group, and then the quarter-final becomes the massive part for us. Literally, that’s it – I think it is dangerous to be thinking anything other than that.”

Georgia beat Wales 13-12 during last year’s autumn Tests, and Humphreys added: “They deserved it, they were excellent on the day.

“It is not about revenge or anything like that. It’s about making sure we’re at our best to win the game and top our group.”

Wales are a team transformed from the Six Nations earlier this year, when only Italy finished below them.

Significant momentum has been generated, a Welsh rugby nation believes again and there is every chance that a semi-final appearance will be Wales’ minimum World Cup return.

“He (Wales head coach Warren Gatland) has just taken us back to the DNA of this team – be fit, work hard.

“We believe that we work harder than anybody else, and that is a powerful tool. We are becoming a very tough team to beat.

“You see the team spirit here, you see everyone walking around with their families and kids. We are a very united group.

“In our meeting room yesterday where we have food, there was a big family event going on with all our kids, families and wives.

“You could hear them all laughing and joking and having a good time. We reiterate we do this for them – that’s what it is about. Right down to the bones, it is incorporated in everything we do.

“It was definitely a memory to cherish yesterday. Leaving the hotel with all the families clapping you on the bus, and then just seeing the excitement and seas of red as you are going in on the bus.

“It has been like that everywhere we’ve been. When you see a (fans) village in the middle of the city just full of people in red singing the national anthem, it is awesome, a great feeling.”

Ireland believe they are capable of significant improvement moving towards a pivotal Paris showdown with Scotland.

Andy Farrell’s side underlined their Rugby World Cup credentials by scalping defending champions South Africa to register a third successive Pool B victory.

Saturday evening’s thrilling 13-8 success at Stade de France put Ireland on the brink of the quarter-finals but they will likely need to avoid defeat against the Scots at the same venue on October 7 to complete the job.

Players are currently enjoying a few days off following a stirring display against the Springboks and departed camp feeling they can and must perform better.

Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “There’s so much belief in what the players are doing. They pitch up time and time again.

“We got the reward (against South Africa) but there’s lots we could be better at and that’s the feeling in the changing room.

“(We’re) really pleased with a lot of aspects of the performance but we know we have to be better.

“The games will get tougher.

“There’s a few things that have gone on over the last couple of seasons that give the guys confidence and trust in what we’re doing.

“This is another stepping stone I guess towards what we all want to try to achieve over the next couple of weeks.

“We’re genuinely feeling that we can get better and we need to get better as the competition goes on. There’s more in us and we have to get better.”

Ireland lead their group on 14 points after backing up bonus-point victories over Romania and Tonga in style in front of tens of thousands of Irish fans in the French capital.

Yet the Springboks and upcoming opponents Scotland can still deny Test rugby’s top-ranked nation a place in the knockout rounds.

Easterby says Six Nations champions Ireland have proven they are a team for big occasions, having defeated each of their major rivals during the past two years, including last summer’s historic tour success over the All Blacks.

“That’s not a one-off,” he said of the weekend result. “We’ve done it in New Zealand, we’ve done it in the autumn series last year against South Africa so that doesn’t surprise us.

“I guess the level of physicality and the brutality of the game these days, that’s something that the players have got to get their heads around and to a man they did that.

“You’ve got to make sure you enjoy these occasions.

“The support was incredible and those of us who were lucky enough to be at the stadium will remember that type of support for a long time.”

Feliciano Lopez has doubts whether Spain's golden generation led by Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will ever be replicated.

With Nadal's glittering career nearing its end, the torch for Spanish tennis has been passed on to Alcaraz, who at just 20 has already won Wimbledon and the US Open.

The pair have now combined for over half of Spain's grand slam titles, and while Lopez feels his nation will have more success in the future, the former world number 12 has concerns whether it will match the levels that Nadal produced. 

"I believe that we are not going to experience the generation of Spanish tennis players that we lived through again," Lopez told Stats Perform. "People have to be clear about that.

"But that does not mean that there will not be other great tennis players that will represent the country very well in the coming years.

"I don't know Spanish tennis in the minor categories, beyond some names that have been told to me, but I know that there are kids of 16 or 17 who play well.

"In the end, I think Spanish tennis has been in a place that is very difficult to get back to, but I'm sure that apart from Carlitos, there will be other young players who will bring us joy during the next four, five or six years."

Alcaraz has reached at least the semi-finals in the last four grand slam tournaments he has played, winning two of them, and Lopez has faith that he can carry the torch for Spanish tennis once Nadal calls it a day.

"Spanish tennis is in the hands of Carlitos and when Rafa announces his retirement, the entire country will want him to win," Lopez added. 

"He has already won two grand slams and has been number one. It is a blessing to have a player like Carlos at a time when Rafa has a year left to retire."

Nadal's decorated career has coincided with a great era of Spanish sport, with the nation's male and female football teams both winning World Cup titles while they have also enjoyed success in the likes of basketball and motorsport.

Lopez takes pride in his country's sporting achievements, explaining: "A country like Spain that is not a world power, and sport does not have the aid that neighbouring countries invest, in the last 20 years, has not stopped winning titles in all disciplines: Tennis, football, and basketball."

Snooker player Stephen Lee was banned for 12 years after being found guilty of seven charges of match-fixing, on this day in 2013.

The then 38-year-old was found guilty of the charges by an independent tribunal and the sanction was imposed on Lee a week later.

The former world number five was found guilty of match-fixing charges relating to seven matches in 2008 and 2009.

As well as the 12-year ban, tribunal chairman Adam Lewis QC also ordered that Lee pay costs of £40,000.

A statement from the World Professional Billards and Snooker Association confirmed the suspension was calculated from 12 October 2012, when the interim suspension was imposed, and the ban would continue until 12 October 2024.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “We take no pride in having to deal with such serious issues. However this demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that snooker is free from corruption.

“It is an important part of our anti-corruption approach that players found to be involved in fixing matches or any aspect of a match are severely dealt with.

“We work closely with partners globally and the message we are sending is that if you get involved in match-fixing you will be found out and removed from the sport.”

The WPBSA had been seeking a lifetime ban but the organisation’s head of disciplinary Nigel Mawer insisted the 12-year suspension was effectively the same thing.

Mawer told PA: “We did say we were seeking a life ban because if it was seven matches that had been fixed including during the World Championship.

“But in effect it is a life ban because I think it is highly unlikely that Stephen Lee will be able to come back to the sport at this level.

“We don’t take great pleasure out of that – this is a case of a fantastic snooker player who has thrown it all away through making the wrong decisions.

“It is only human to have a degree of sympathy for him and it is going to be very difficult for him but we have to send a very strong message that match-fixing is not going to be tolerated.

“To my knowledge this is the longest ban ever handed down and there are £40,000 costs to pay too if he ever wants to come back.”

The Miami Dolphins rattled up the highest points total in the NFL since 1966 as they overwhelmed the winless Denver Broncos 70-20.

Rookie De’Von Achane ran for 203 yards, two touchdowns and collected a touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa – who completed his first 17 passes – while fellow running back Raheen Mostert ran for three touchdowns and caught another.

Coach Mike McDaniel opted against a last-ditch field-goal attempt which would have broken the record of 72 points set by Washington against the Giants 57 years ago.

AFC East rivals Buffalo Bills also had a commanding victory as they routed the Washington Commanders 37-3.

Josh Allen threw for one touchdown and ran for another as the Bills defence sacked home quarterback Sam Howell nine times.

Howell threw four interceptions, once of which was returned for a touchdown by AJ Epenesa – as the Commanders went scoreless until a field goal with 46 seconds left on the clock.

Elsewhere in the AFC East, the New England Patriots won 15-10 to beat the New York Jets for a 15th successive game and avoid a first 0-3 start since 2000.

Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdown passes, two to Jerick McKinnon, but had to take second billing to a watching Taylor Swift as Kansas City Chiefs ease passed the winless Chicago Bears 41-10.

Swift cheered on from a suite at the invitation of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, with whom she has been romantically linked and who also grabbed a touchdown pass from Mahomes.

Reigning MVP Mahomes threw for 272 yards, Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire adding touchdown runs as the Bears fell to a 13th straight defeat ahead of a clash with the Broncos next week.

Kenny Pickett passed for 235 yards with two touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers held off a fourth quarter comeback from the Las Vegas Raiders to win 23-18.

The Raiders, who trailed 23-7 going into the final quarter, cut the deficit to eight points but opted to take a field goal on fourth and four in the closing moments.

Dallas Cowboys’ impressive start to the season hit came to an abrupt end as they lost 28-16 at Arizona Cardinals, Joshua Dobbs throwing for a touchdown and 189 yards to secure his first win as a starting quarterback in his seventh NFL season.

Quarterback Derek Carr was forced off with a shoulder injury as the New Orleans Saints coughed up a 17-0 lead to lose 18-7 to the Green Bay Packers while Kenneth Walker II rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks won 37-27 over the winless Carolina Panthers.

The Minnesota Vikings are also 0-3 after they went down 28-24 to the Los Angeles Chargers, Justin Herbert completing 40 of 47 passes – a franchise record 18 of them to Keenan Allen – for 405 yards and three touchdowns.

Andrew Beck returned a kick-off 85 yards for a touchdown and CJ Stroud threw for two more as the Houston Texans beat the faltering Jacksonville Jaguars 37-17.

Matt Gay kicked four field goals from more than 50 yards, including the game winner in overtime from 53 yards, as the Indianapolis Colts won 22-19 to inflict a first defeat of the season on the Baltimore Ravens.

The Tennessee Titans totalled just 94 yards in offence as they went down 27-3 at the Cleveland Browns, while the Atlanta Falcons went down 20-6 at the Detroit Lions.

Marcus Semien had two of a season-high six home runs for the Texas Rangers, who held on for a 9-8 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday to extend their lead atop the American League West.

Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Leody Tavares and Evan Carter also homered to help the Rangers complete a three-game sweep of their division rival and fellow playoff contender. Texas has now won five in a row overall to increase its lead over slumping Houston to 2 1/2 games, with the Mariners now three games back in the AL West race.

The Astros were dealt a 6-5 defeat to Kansas City as the 102-loss Royals finished a stunning three-game sweep in Houston. The defending World Series champions did remain a half-game ahead of Seattle for the AL's final wild card spot. 

Seager's 33rd homer of the season, a two-run shot off Bryan Woo, gave Texas a 3-2 lead in the third inning. The Rangers went deep three more times in the bottom of the fourth, which Garcia led off with his 36th home run before Tavares later launched a two-run blast to chase Woo and extend the margin to 6-2.

Semien, who led off the bottom of the first with a home run, connected again later in the fourth to increase Texas' lead to five runs.

Seattle scored three times in the top of the sixth before Carter's two-run shot in the bottom of the inning put the Rangers up 9-5, but the Mariners closed the gap once more as Teoscar Hernandez, Jarred Kelenic and Eugenio Suarez delivered consecutive RBI singles in the seventh to cut the lead to one.

The Mariners weren't able to score off relievers Jonathan Hernandez, Brock Burke and Jose Leclerc in the final two innings, however, despite putting the tying run in scoring position in both frames.

Hernandez and J.P. Crawford had solo homers for Seattle, while Hernandez, Kelenic and Suarez each drove in two runs.

Blue Jays take series from Rays to strengthen playoff hopes

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered twice and George Springer added a three-run, inside-the-park shot that helped the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bo Bichette also homered as the Blue Jays took two of three from the playoff-bound Rays in the weekend series and increased their lead in the race for the AL's second wild card. Toronto now holds a two-game advantage over Houston and leads Seattle by 2 1/2 games.

Toronto scored five times in the second inning, highlighted by Springer's third career inside-the-park homer, to take a 5-2 lead. The Rays got a run back in the fourth before Guerrero restored the three-run margin with a solo blast off Tampa starter Taj Bradley in the sixth.

Isaac Paredes' 30th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh, cut the Rays' deficit to 6-5, but Daulton Varsho's RBI triple in the eighth gave Toronto some insurance before Bichette and Guerrero connected on back-to-back homers in the ninth.

Whit Merrifield added a two-run single for Toronto, which has won seven of its last nine to boost its chances for a second straight postseason appearance.

Paredes finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs to lead the Rays offensively. Bradley pitched a career-high seven innings but surrendered six runs. 

Diamondbacks eliminate Yankees, keep hold on NL's second wild card

Zac Gallen threw six scoreless innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks maintained their grasp on the National League's second wild card spot with a 7-1 win over the New York Yankees, who will now officially miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Gallen yielded just three hits and struck out eight to notch his 17th victory of the season and keep Arizona a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the second wild card. The Cubs earned a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday to maintain a one-game edge on the Miami Marlins for the No. 3 wild card.

Christian Walker and Evan Longoria each drove in two runs to back Gallen, while Gabriel Moreno went 2 for 5 with an RBI double to help the Diamondbacks (82-73) secure their first winning season since 2019.

The Yankees, who have lost four of six and are now just one game over .500 (78-77), did not score until Jake Bauers doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and later crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk to Aaron Judge. 

New York starter Carlos Rodon was charged with five runs - three earned - over 6 1/3 innings.