November 18, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says his 9-0 team is perfect in name only. The Steelers are searching for ways to kickstart a running game that has taken a step backward in recent weeks. Pittsburgh managed a season-low 44 yards rushing in a victory over Cincinnati, relying largely on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw four touchdown passes. Tomlin says the play by both the running backs and the offensive line has been subpar and needs to improve. Pittsburgh heads to Jacksonville next week to face the 1-8 Jaguars.
November 18, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders put players on the COVID-19 list on the same day Washington had its first instance of someone in the organization testing positive for the coronavirus since the season began. The NFL said there were 17 new confirmed positives among players and 35 among other personnel during testing last week. Giants kicker Graham Gano, Falcons wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, Washington injured defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, and Las Vegas defenders Clelin Ferrell and Lamarcus Joyner all went on the list.
November 18, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Atlantic Coast Conference says this weekend’s game between Duke and Wake Forest won’t be played due to coronavirus issues and injuries within the Demon Deacons’ football program. The league made the announcement Tuesday night ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Duke. The ACC’s statement made no mention of rescheduling. In a separate release, Wake Forest said it would work with Duke and the ACC on the possibility of rescheduling the game. Wake Forest said the decision was due to positive cases, quarantines of close contacts and injuries. The team won’t practice or hold team activities Wednesday or Thursday.
November 18, 2020 3:52 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Theo Epstein is stepping down after nine seasons as the Chicago Cubs’ president of baseball operations. The team announced Epstein is leaving the organization, and general manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted to take his place. Epstein transformed the long-suffering Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016. He said after the season he anticipated remaining on the job for at least one more year, with his contract set to expire in 2021. Epstein said in a statement Tuesday he will “cherish” his time with the Cubs and said it was simply time to make a change.
November 17, 2020 3:45 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Kirk Cousins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 104-yard kickoff return by Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson to beat the Bears 19-13. Cousins won for the first time in 10 career Monday night starts. He hit Adam Thielen with a 6-yard TD early in the fourth quarter to put Minnesota on top 19-13, and the Vikings hung on for their third straight win. They also snapped a four-game losing streak against Chicago. Bears quarterback Nick Foles got taken from the field on a cart in the game’s final minute after landing on his right, throwing shoulder.
November 17, 2020 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s play has thrust the 17-year veteran into the mix for the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Roethlisberger is on pace to set a career high in touchdown passes and a career low in interceptions for the NFL’s last unbeaten team. Roethlisberger also appears to be getting stronger as the season goes along. He threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns in a blustery 36-10 victory over Cincinnati that pushed the Steelers to 9-0. Roethlisberger did it despite spending last week in self-quarantine as part of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
November 17, 2020 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NCAA says it plans to hold the entire 2021 men’s college basketball tournament in one location to mitigate the risks of the coronavirus. It is in talks with Indianapolis to be the host city. The Final Four is already set to be held in Indianapolis next year. The association said it is relocating early round games that had been scheduled for 13 cities across the country. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee says hosting all 68 teams in one place is safer.
November 17, 2020 3:50 am
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – All-Star guard Chris Paul has been traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Phoenix Suns, where he’ll play alongside one of the league’s most dynamic young scorers in fellow All-Star Devin Booker. The Thunder got Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Jalen Lecque, Ty Jerome and a 2022 first-round pick. The Suns also got Abdel Nader from the Thunder. The trade sending Paul to the Suns from Oklahoma City was completed Monday night, a blockbuster to start what could be a wild few days of NBA transactions before training camps begin next month.
November 17, 2020 3:52 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Just months after winning the Stanley Cup, officials with the Tampa Bay Lightning says they’re eliminating 30 positions in a sign that even winning a championship doesn’t spare a team from the effects of the coronavirus. Team officials said Monday that the positions were across the company and effective immediately. The layoffs represent less than 10% of the team’s workforce. Because the National Hockey League’s postseason was played in bubbles in Canada, the team didn’t earn any revenue from the playoffs.
November 16, 2020 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ben Roethlisberger threw for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns despite being forced to stay away from the team facility all week due to COVID-19 protocols, and the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed unbeaten with a 36-10 victory over the Bengals. Roethlisberger was one of four Steelers put on the COVID-19 list last Monday due to contact tracing after tight end Vance McDonald tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He connected with Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster for touchdowns in the first half and found rookie Chase Claypool twice in the second half as Pittsburgh improved to 9-0.
