KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The struggling Bears are headed to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs on Sunday. The Bears will be without a defensive coordinator following Alan Williams’ surprising and abrupt resignation and their offense has been embroiled in controversy after quarterback Josh Fields blamed coaching for his “robotic” play the first two weeks. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are starting to hit their stride after their Week 2 win in Jacksonville. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones ended his holdout and was back to his disruptive self, and tight end Travis Kelce was back on the field after missing the season opener with a knee injury.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown in his 12th straight game, Brock Purdy threw two TD passes and the San Francisco 49ers won their 13th straight regular season game, 30-12 over the New York Giants. The Niners weren’t particularly sharp on offense in their home opener but got enough from McCaffrey and on big runs after the catch by Deebo Samuel and George Kittle to earn their second 3-0 start in 25 seasons. The defense did the rest against the short-handed Giants. New York finished with 150 yards of offense while missing star running back Saquon Barkley and left tackle Andrew Thomas.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs has sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in practice. It's a blow for a defense off to a great start in 2023. The 2021 All-Pro was seen leaving the team’s headquarters on crutches. Diggs had his first interception of the season in last week’s 30-10 victory over the Jets. Diggs is tied for the NFL lead with 18 interceptions since entering the league in 2020. Diggs signed a $97 million, five-year contract extension at the start of training camp.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick believes the hit that ended Browns running back Nick Chubb’s season was unfortunate but not dirty. Fitzpatrick hit Chubb in his left knee while Chubb was trying to score in the second quarter of Pittsburgh's 26-22 victory. Chubb bent awkwardly over the knee and now faces surgery and a lengthy rehab. Fitzpatrick says he told Chubb on the field the hit was not intentional. The All-Pro added he does not have a reputation as a dirty player, saying football is a fast game and injuries are a part of it.
UNDATED (AP) — UCF will begin its life in the Big 12 against the defending conference champion when it visits Kansas State on Saturday. The Knights are off to a 3-0 start led by their defense, which has yet to allow more than 16 points in a game. The Wildcats are 2-1. Quarterback will be a concern for both teams. The Knights will be without John Rhys Plumlee after he was hurt against Boise State, meaning transfer Timmy McClain will get the start. Kansas State's Will Howard was shaken up against Missouri and is questionable with freshman Avery Johnson next in line.
UNDATED (AP) — Now that the Power Five is about to become a Power Four in college sports, the schools left out of conference realignment are looking at creative ways to stay relevant. One plan calls for a multi-tiered alliance of leagues that would use a promotion and relegation system, similar to what happens in European soccer. It’s a complicated way to reach what might be the best move for schools like Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State and others: A best-of-the-rest, football-only conference.
UNDATED (AP) — Big 12 newcomers BYU, Cincinnati and UCF all play their first league games this weekend. BYU takes a seven-game winning streak into its conference opener at Kansas. The Jayhawks have consecutive 3-0 starts for the first time since 1991 and 1992. UCF is also 3-0 going into its game at Kansas State. The Knights lead the nation with nearly 618 total yards and are second at 299 yards rushing per game. Kansas State has allowed only 50 yards rushing a game. Cincinnati is home against 16th-ranked Oklahoma. Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel has completed a national-best 82.5% of his passes and has 11 TD passes.
PHOENIX (AP) — Ten days remain in MLB’s regular season, and the playoff races are hot, particulary in a crowded National League. The NL wild-card race has been tight for the better part of a month, with the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Marlins, Reds and Giants scrambling to claim three playoff positions. It’s exactly the kind of drama MLB hoped for when it expanded the playoff field from 10 to 12 teams before the 2022 season. The American League race also has some drama with the Rangers, Astros, Blue Jays and Mariners fighting for three playoff spots.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins added a solo shot, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the final game of a four-game series. The Brewers’ magic number to clinch their second National League Central title in three years fell to two on Thursday with nine games to play. Milwaukee could wrap up the division title as soon as Friday in Miami with another victory along with a Chicago Cubs loss. The number to just clinch a postseason berth is two over the Marlins. Wade Miley breezed through six scoreless innings, throwing 92 pitches.
THURSDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 5 L.A. Angels 4
Final N.Y. Yankees 5 Toronto 3
Final Cleveland 5 Baltimore 2
Final Detroit 7 Oakland 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 6 St. Louis 0
Final Philadelphia 5 N.Y. Mets 4
Final Atlanta 10 Washington 3
Final Pittsburgh 8 Chicago Cubs 6
Final L.A. Dodgers 7 San Francisco 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final San Francisco 30 N-Y Giants 12