CHICAGO (AP) — J.J. McCarthy threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another in his long-awaited NFL debut, and the Minnesota Vikings rallied for a season-opening 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears. Chicago’s Caleb Williams had his first career rushing touchdown and threw for a score in Ben Johnson’s first game as the Bears’ coach. McCarthy delivered down the stretch after struggling through the first three quarters. The Vikings and coach Kevin O’Connell are counting on the former Michigan star after he missed his rookie season due to a knee injury, and he delivered when it mattered.
Inter Miami’s Luis Suárez further damaged his reputation. Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles cost himself the chance to play in a season-opening game. Florida’s Brendan Bett gave South Florida a 15-yard gift on its drive that decided its win over the Gators. Their transgression: spitting. In the span of seven days from last Sunday through this past Saturday, there were three high-profile spitting incidents — all immediately and universally reviled, actions the likes of which teammates of the guilty parties couldn’t even justify.
DENVER (AP) — Titans coach Brian Callahan admits he misunderstood the NFL catch rule during Tennessee's 20-12 loss to Denver. On Monday, Callahan acknowledged he should have challenged a call when rookie Elic Ayomanor appeared to catch a 21-yard pass but was ruled out of bounds. Callahan initially believed an elbow down wasn't enough for a catch, but the NFL rulebook states otherwise. He now accepts the mistake was his. Meanwhile, Broncos coach Sean Payton defended his decision not to attempt a field goal late in the game, opting instead for a pass play that failed.
JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — The sister of Minnesota Timberwolves player Naz Reid was fatally shot at a New Jersey apartment complex by her boyfriend. Twenty-nine-year-old Shaquille Green has been charged with murder. Ocean County prosecutors say Jackson police went to the Paragon apartment complex around 11 a.m. Saturday, after receiving reports of shots fired. They soon found 28-year-old Toraya Reid unresponsive. Officers also saw Green running down a nearby road, and he was soon taken into custody without incident. Prosecutors say Toraya Reid and Green had been in “a dating relationship” but did not provide further details. They didn't know whether Green had retained an attorney.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Recent changes in college football are prompting some long-time college coaches to more eagerly pursue NFL opportunities. One of them is Saints first-year defensive backs coach Terry Joseph, who says he loved working in college football for most of the past 19 years. He says he left the Texas Longhorns because of how recruiting had changed since recent rule changes liberalizing player movement and payments. Joseph and other long-time college coaches say those changes have largely ended the days when lifelong relationships could be built out of years of mentoring and developing players. They say college coaches now constantly must monitor whether players they'd successfully recruited previously are looking to leave for better financial or playing-time opportunities.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Slade Cecconi didn’t need anyone to tell him he was throwing a no-hitter. He found out on his own. Stealing a glance at Progressive Field’s giant scoreboard, Cecconi noticed something unusual — zeros. Cecconi took a no-hitter into the eighth before Kansas City’s Micheal Massey hit a single to spoil the right-hander’s bid to throw the majors’ first no-hitter this season and end Cleveland’s 44-year drought without a no-hitter. That hardly mattered as the Guardians rolled to their fourth straight win, 10-2 and jumped the Royals in the standings. Cleveland's last no-hitter was Len Barker's perfect game in 1981.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have narrowly missed a no-hitter for the second time in three games. On Monday night, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Treinen held the Colorado Rockies hitless through eight innings. Ryan Ritter's double against Tanner Scott in the ninth broke the bid. The Dodgers rallied for a 3-1 victory, maintaining their one-game lead over San Diego in the NL West. Glasnow struck out 11 over seven innings in his first career start against Colorado. Scott secured his 21st save after Ritter's hit. On Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto lost a no-hitter in the ninth against Baltimore, who won 4-3.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies star shortstop Trea Turner is out with a strained right hamstring. This injury could keep him sidelined until the postseason. Manager Rob Thomson said Monday the MRI results were “better than expected.” Turner left Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning because of the injury. Turner leads the National League in batting average and hits this season. Without him, Bryce Harper was batting first against the New York Mets. The Phillies also expect Alec Bohm to miss 10 days with a left shoulder injury. The team recalled two players from Triple-A to fill their spots.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett publicly apologized for spitting at South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner and says “there is no excuse for my actions.” Bett also apologized to his teammates earlier in the day. Coach Billy Napier says the now-unranked Gators have yet to decide whether Bett will be suspended for Saturday night’s game at No. 3 LSU. Bett was ejected during the final drive against USF on Saturday, a 15-yard penalty that helped propel the Bulls to a stunning victory. It was one of two penalties assessed against the Gators during an 87-yard drive that set up Nico Gramatica’s 20-yard field goal on the final play.
DEBRECEN, Hungary (AP) — The coach of Israel’s national soccer team says he is “standing behind my country” amid calls for the squad to be suspended from international competition because of the war in Gaza. He adds that “we are in a very complicated situation.” Israel “hosts” Italy in neutral Hungary in a World Cup qualifier Monday and the Italian Soccer Coaches’ Association said last month that it had written a formal letter calling for Israel to be suspended. Israel routed Moldova 4-0 on Friday and sits second in Group I behind Norway. Group winners qualify automatically while the second-place finishers will enter the playoffs. The only World Cup Israel has qualified for was the 1970 tournament.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Texas 5 Milwaukee 0
Final Seattle 4 St. Louis 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 10 Kansas City 2
Final Boston 7 Athletics 0
Final Minnesota 12 L.A. Angels 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 1 N.Y. Mets 0
Final Atlanta 4 Chicago Cubs 1
Final Washington 15 Miami 7
Final San Francisco 11 Arizona 5
Final San Diego 4 Cincinnati 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 3 Colorado 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 27 Chicago 24