September 15, 2023 4:34 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and threw a 63-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith, D’Andre Swift ran for 175 yards and a score, and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles held off the turnover-prone Minnesota Vikings 34-28. Hurts shook off a sluggish passing performance in the first half when he connected with Smith for the scoring strike in the third quarter that made it 27-7. It almost wasn’t enough as Kirk Cousins tried to rally the Vikings late. But Minnesota couldn’t overcome four lost fumbles as it fell to 0-2. The Eagles are 2-0.
September 15, 2023 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched eight innings of two-hit ball, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0. Keller struck out seven and walked one. The 27-year-old right-hander improved to 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA in his last seven starts. David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 35th save. Pittsburgh won the final three games of the four-game set against last-place Washington. The Pirates have won 11 of 16 overall. The Nationals wasted a solid performance by Josiah Gray, who struck out 10 in 6 1/3 innings. The game took less than two-hours to play.
September 14, 2023 5:20 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without injured wide receiver Diontae Johnson when they host Cleveland in Week 2. Johnson is dealing with a hamstring injury and is out indefinitely. The Steelers will turn to second-year wide receiver Calvin Austin and 10-year vet Allen Robinson to help carry some of the load with Johnson sidelined. Austin caught six passes for 37 yards in a Week 1 loss to San Francisco. Robinson hauled in five passes for 64 yards, his most productive game in two years.
September 14, 2023 2:59 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched eight innings of two-hit ball, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0. Keller struck out seven and walked one. The 27-year-old right-hander improved to 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA in his last seven starts. David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 35th save. Pittsburgh won the final three games of the four-game set against last-place Washington. The Pirates have won 11 of 16 overall. The Nationals wasted a solid performance by Josiah Gray, who struck out 10 in 6 1/3 innings.
September 13, 2023 4:35 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit his 21st homer and singled twice to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 7-6 on Wednesday night. Josh Palacios and Liover Pegeuro added two hits and an RBI apiece for the Pirates, who jumped on Jackson Rutledge (0-1) early in his major league debut — then held on late. Pittsburgh rookie Quinn Priester (3-2), back up for his second stint in the majors after six rocky starts earlier in the season, worked four-plus innings to earn the victory. David Bednar endured a bumpy ninth, allowing a run and loading the bases with one out before getting C.J. Abrams to strike out and Lane Thomas to fly out to end it.
September 14, 2023 4:38 am
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers’ season is over. It appears he might not be ready to call it a career. The New York Jets quarterback wrote on Instagram on Wednesday night that “I shall rise yet again.” That came after coach Robert Saleh said he’d be shocked if Rodgers ends his playing career this way, but he hasn’t had any conversations along those lines with him. The 39-year-old quarterback tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap in his debut with the Jets on Monday night in a 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo. Saleh said Rodgers is currently going for some medical consultations to determine his next step, which will include surgery.
September 14, 2023 4:36 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NFL players prefer playing on natural grass. It’s why the NFL Players Association called on the league Wednesday to switch all fields to grass. The union’s executive director Lloyd Howell says it’s the easiest decision the NFL can make. Players consider it a matter of career preservation. The union’s repeated request for all grass comes less than 48 hours after four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets. A new artificial surface was installed this year at MetLife Stadium. Carolina linebacker Shaq Thompson has been fighting for grass the past two years. He says he hopes to see everyone to take a stand.
September 13, 2023 4:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Palacios hit a two-run homer against his former team, Bailey Falter pitched six efficient innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 5-1. Palacios gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the second with his eighth home run. Falter allowed one run and four hits with four strikeouts and a walk in his first start since Aug. 27. He threw 44 of 67 pitches for strikes. The left-hander improved to 2-1 in eight games, including five starts, with Pittsburgh since being acquired from Philadelphia at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The Pirates have nine wins in their last 14 games. Pittsburgh won this one despite going 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranding 15 overall.
September 13, 2023 4:40 am
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets delivered record numbers for their season opener. Rodgers’ ill-fated Jets debut – which ended after four plays when he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon – averaged 22.6 million viewers on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The Jets have five more prime-time appearances scheduled but only two can be subbed out due to the league’s flexible schedule rules. Those are the Week 10 “Sunday Night Football” contest at Las Vegas on Nov. 12 and the Dec. 28 game at Cleveland on “Thursday Night Football.”
September 13, 2023 4:42 am
New Columbus Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock says he did nothing wrong in asking players to show him photos off their phone. A former NHL player Paul Bissonnette says he heard from the Blue Jackets that the coach was invading players’ privacy. Babcock called that a gross representation of his meetings with players and staff. He says he asked for family photos as a way of getting to know people around the team better. Team captain Boone Jenner expressed disappointment at the situation being blown out of proportion.
