AP Sports

Chiefs acquire three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans, AP source says

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are acquiring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t announced the trade. The Chiefs are sending a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans, according to NFL Network. The 32-year-old Hopkins gives Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs another playmaker to help replace injured receiver Rashee Rice. Hopkins was in his second season with the Titans after spending his first seven in Arizona and three in Houston.

Panthers QB Bryce Young will start against Broncos after Andy Dalton sprains thumb in car crash

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young will start Sunday at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers against the Denver Broncos after Andy Dalton sprained the thumb on his right throwing hand during a car crash in Charlotte. Panthers coach Dave Canales made the announcement Wednesday after practice. Dalton did not practice. Canales said there were no serious injuries in Tuesday’s crash, and the 36-year-old Dalton will be listed as day to day. Canales said it’s possible that Dalton could be the team’s No. 2 quarterback on Sunday. Young was benched two games into the season after starting 0-2. Dalton has gone 1-4 as a starter since then, losing his last four starts.

Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels misses practice because of his rib injury

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels missed practice because of a rib injury. Daniels’ status for Sunday against the Chicago Bears is uncertain. He is listed as week to week. Coach Dan Quinn said Daniels would still take part in meetings and expects to provide a further update following practice Friday. Veteran Marcus Mariota would start if Daniels is unable to play. Mariota replaced Daniels early in a 40-7 rout of Carolina that got the Commanders to 5-2 this season.

Japan prepares to cheer on Ohtani and the Dodgers, and the country is dressing for the occasion

TOKYO (AP) — Television ratings in Japan have set records as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani have reached the World Series against the New York Yankees. The first game is Friday evening in the United States, which will be Saturday morning in Japan. Ohtani has stoked national pride, even among the Japanese who don’t care about baseball. Youth players in Japan adore him and newscasts often lead with Ohtani even though Japan is voting on Sunday in critical parliamentary elections.

Tua Tagovailoa practices for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2, and the Dolphins are aiming for him to start Sunday against Arizona. Tagovailoa still needs to progress through the final stages of the NFL’s concussion protocol for that to happen, but he moved one step closer by returning to the practice field. Tagovailoa has met with numerous medical experts who specialize in brain and head injuries since being diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL career on Sept. 12. The experts deemed it safe for him to return to football, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

Washington Mystics part ways with coach Eric Thibault and GM Mike Thibault

The Washington Mystics are parting ways with coach Eric Thibault and general manager Mike Thibault. Eric Thibault is the fifth WNBA coach to be let go this offseason, joining Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. He took over for his father after the 2022 season. He spent 10 years as an assistant coach with the Mystics, including four as associate head coach. The Mystics finished this season 14-26. Mike Thibault came to the franchise in 2012 as both the GM and coach, leading the team to its first title in 2019. The Mystics made eight postseason appearances and he earned the league’s WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2013.

College football picks: No. 25 Vanderbilt, No. 24 Navy get chances to punch above their weights

Opportunity comes knocking Saturday for two of the surprise teams in college football. No. 25 Vanderbilt hosts No. 5 Texas three weeks after it shocked the nation with its upset of then-No. 1 Alabama. The Commodores are in an Associated Press regular-season poll for the first time since 2008 and coming off 10 consecutive losing seasons. No. 24 Navy plays its annual game against No. 12 Notre Dame. The Midshipmen are unbeaten halfway through their season following four straight losing campaigns.

French club Brest frustrates Leverkusen in 1-1 draw in Champions League

A superb goal from Pierre Lees-Melou helped minnows Brest to a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League match, as both teams remained unbeaten. The French team played with verve throughout the second half but was unable to find the second goal that would have extended its winning streak to three matches. Both Leverkusen and Brest missed the chance to join Aston Villa on nine points at the top of the standings. Elsewhere, Celtic struggled but frustrated Atalanta with a 0-0 draw.

World Series analysis: Despite so much star power, Yankees-Dodgers could be decided by role players

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. No doubt, many of baseball’s biggest names will be center stage when the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers square off in a dream World Series matchup between two of the sport’s most successful and storied franchises. But even with all that star power on the field, this Fall Classic could be decided by the less-celebrated players batting in front of Soto and Judge, and the grind-it-out guys hitting behind Ohtani and Betts. Or the unheralded arms coming out of the bullpen to replace Cole and Yamamoto on the mound.

Lamar Jackson’s 5-TD game fell just short of a perfect passer rating

Lamar Jackson couldn’t have performed much better as a passer when he threw five TD passes, only five incompletions and no interceptions while throwing for 281 yards in a victory for Baltimore over Tampa Bay. It just wasn’t perfect, according to the NFL’s arcane passer rating formula. Jackson fell two-tenths of a point short in completion percentage from generating the highest attainable rating of 158.3 for a record-setting fourth time in his career. That mark has been hit 60 times in the regular season or playoffs in the last 75 seasons for a player with at least 15 attempts in a game.