AP Sports

Analysis: 6 teams saved their season by avoiding an 0-3 start

Six NFL teams saved their season on Sunday by earning their first win. That’s no overstatement considering only six teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, including just one since 2000, and none have won a Super Bowl. After the Ravens, Rams, Broncos, Colts, Giants and Panthers avoided that dreaded start. Four of the six first-time winners on Sunday played on the road. Getting to 1-2 was a big step for all six teams. Of course, they still have an uphill climb. Only two of the 32 teams that started 0-2 have made the playoffs since the NFL expanded the postseason field to 14 teams in 2020.

Michigan State football player Armorion Smith heads household with 5 siblings after mother’s death

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Armorion Smith pressed his palms together over the bridge of his nose and leaned against the kitchen sink in a home he shares with five younger siblings. The Michigan State defensive back has a lot on his plate, more than most college students and certainly more than most student-athletes. His mother died in August and without a father in the family’s life, he became head of the household while studying criminal justice and playing college football. The 21-year-old Smith became the legal guardian for four siblings on Sept. 11. The Spartans plays on Saturday at home against Ohio State.

Christine Bumstead once took Panthers coach Paul Maurice hunting. And her coaching career took off

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers brought a female coach in for training camp to help out for a few days. Christine Bumstead says those days made her a better coach. She got to know Panthers coach Paul Maurice through her father and a hunting trip a few years ago. Maurice has raved about Bumstead ever since and she was on the Panthers’ bench for a preseason game on Sunday. It was a big moment for Bumstead, who is part of an NHL program designed to give more opportunities for women who want to coach the game.

An improbable late-season surge from the Detroit Tigers has them fighting for a playoff spot

The Detroit Tigers were sellers at MLB’s trade deadline on July 30. The pessimism was understandable considering the team had a 52-57 record. But two months later, the Tigers are fighting for a playoff spot in a tight AL race. Young standouts like Riley Greene and Colt Keith have gotten hot at the plate in September while lefty Tarik Skubal is among the leading candidates to win the AL Cy Young award. Detroit has won 11 of its past 14 games to leapfrog the Minnesota Twins for the final American League wild-card spot with six games remaining.

Arsenal gets under Man City’s skin amid ‘dark arts’ accusations in English soccer’s new big rivalry

Arsenal has gotten under Manchester City’s skin in what has fast become the new big rivalry in English soccer. City’s players accused their Arsenal counterparts of deploying “dark arts” and “being clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it” after the teams’ 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Sunday. City midfielder Bernardo Silva grumbled that “there was only one team that came to play football.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks to have taken a page out of former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho’s playbook. Mourinho was once a huge rival of Guardiola’s and used to take cynical play to the extremes at times. Arteta’s Arsenal can also play beautiful football and has been runner-up to City in the last two Premier League seasons.

IndyCar finalizes charter system that doesn’t guarantee spots in Indianapolis 500

IndyCar has finalized a charter system for 25 entrants that pales in comparison to the contentious deal reached between NASCAR and its teams but does give 10 open wheel organizations some guarantees. The initial agreement runs through the 2031 season and ensures the 25 chartered cars a starting spot in all IndyCar races except the Indianapolis 500. Teams will still have to qualify on speed for the Indy 500’s 33-car field, and this was one of the biggest elements of negotiations as opinions were divided among traditionalists and those seeking greater value for their teams.

Dubois changes perceptions and muscles onto the top table of heavyweights. He wants Usyk next

Boxing’s marquee heavyweight division has been further shaken up by Daniel Dubois’ dismantling of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium. Joshua, a two-time former champion, looks to be out of the picture for the bigger fights and that is a blow to Tyson Fury. Boxing’s new overlords in Saudi Arabia had reportedly been planning a double-header between Fury and Joshua, and Fury was heard at ringside saying “that’s cost me 150 million” after Dubois’ win on Saturday. Instead it’s Dubois who has muscled his way onto the sport’s top table and could now face the winner of the Dec. 21 rematch between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

AP Player of the week: James Madison’s Alonza Barnett III accounts for 7 TDs in win over Tar Heels

James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III is The Associated Press national player of the week in college football. Barnett had a hand in a program-record seven touchdowns and amassed 487 yards of total offense in his team’s 70-50 win over North Carolina. He was 22 of 34 for 388 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran 13 times for 99 yards and two more TDs. Michigan running back Kalel Mullings was the runner-up. He rushed for over 150 yards in a second straight game, with nearly half coming on the decisive drive in the Wolverines’ 27-24 win over Southern California.

Caitlin Clark struggles in WNBA postseason debut as Indiana drops playoff opener to Connecticut

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Caitlin Clark had a rough playoff debut, sporting a black eye after accidently getting poked in it early on. The Indiana Fever’s star rookie missed 10 of her first 11 shots before finishing with 11 points and eight assists in the team’s 93-69 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. The AP’s Rookie of the Year refused to use the early first quarter eye-poke as an excuse for her off-night.