Here's a look at what's happening in professional golf this week, and how you can watch it:

PGA Tour

Houston Open

Thursday-Sunday, Golf Club of Houston, Humble, TX

Course specs: Par 72, 7,441 yards

Purse: $7.5 million

Defending champion: Ian Poulter

Notables in the field: Keegan Bradley, Cameron Champ, Cole Hammer (a), Beau Hossler, Scottie Scheffler, Henrik Stenson

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.- 7 p.m. ET (Featured Groups)

European Tour

Italian Open

Thursday-Sunday, Olgiata Golf Club, Rome, Italy

Course specs: Par 71, 7,523 yards

Purse: $7 million

Defending champion: Thorbjørn Olesen

Notables in the field: Paul Casey, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Matt Wallace

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 4:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 6:30-11:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6-11:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)

LPGA

Buick LPGA Shanghai

Thursday-Sunday, Qizhong Garden Golf Club, Shanghai, China

Course specs: Par 72, 6,729 yards

Purse: $2.1 million

Defending champion: Danielle Kang

Notables in the field: Marina Alex, Brittany Altomare, Celine Boutier, Brooke Henderson, Jin Young Ko, Cheyenne Knight, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Jennifer Kupcho, Bronte Law, Jeongeun Lee6

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Thursday-Sunday, 2-4 a.m. ET (Golf Channel)

PGA Tour Champions

SAS Championship

Friday-Sunday, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC

Course specs: Par 72, 7,137 yards

Purse: $2.1 million

Defending champion: Bernhard Langer

Notables in the field: Angel Cabrera, Fred Couples, John Daly, Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Rocco Mediate, Collin Montgomerie, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh, 

Tee times: TBD

TV schedule: Friday, 12:30-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Cameron Champ will play alongside a pair of former major champions this week as he helps to headline the field at the Houston Open.

Traditionally played in the spring and often the week before the Masters, the tournament is moving into its new fall date for the first time this week. Prior to a move to Memorial Park near downtown Houston next year, it will be played one final time at the Golf Club of Houston which has hosted the event since 2003.

Champ is two weeks removed from an emotional victory at the Safeway Open, which he dedicated to his ailing grandfather who is in hospice. He missed the cut last week in Las Vegas and this week will be joined for the first two rounds by Henrik Stenson and Jason Dufner. Stenson has been a regular in Houston, finishing second in both 2013 and 2016, while Dufner has played each of the last two years.

Another group featuring a major winner includes Keegan Bradley, who has three top-10 finishes in eight career Houston appearances. He'll play the first two rounds with Daniel Berger, who cracked the top 5 at this event in both 2016 and 2017, and Kevin Chappell who shot a 59 last month at The Greenbrier.

Jim Herman earned the first of two career PGA Tour wins at this event three years ago when he edged Stenson, and he'll be joined by another former winner in 2013 champ D.A. Points. The two will play the first two days alongside Jhonattan Vegas, who lives in Houston and attended the University of Texas. The final featured group will include Sanderson Farms champ Sebastian Munoz, who currently leads the FedExCup. He'll play with Andrew Landry, who is making his tournament debut, and Pat Perez, who finished third last week in Las Vegas.

Exact tee times and full-field groupings are expected to be announced Tuesday afternoon.

MLS announced that Portland Timbers forward Brian Fernandez has voluntarily entered the league's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health ("SABH") Program.

Fernandez will be unavailable for team activities until he has undergone an assessment and is cleared for participation by the SABH Program doctors.

"Our number one priority is Brian's emotional and physical well-being," the Timbers said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with him."

Fernandez, 25, was acquired by the Timbers from Liga MX side Necaxa back on May 6 for a club record fee of just under $10 million. The Argentine made an instant impact, scoring eight goals in his first nine league appearances. But he cooled off thereafter as he was reportedly sidelined by illness as well as a red card he received in the Timbers' penultimate game of the season against Sporting Kansas City. All told, Fernandez scored 15 goals and added one assist in 20 league and cup appearances this season.

Fernandez was expected to play a significant role in the Timbers' push to return to the MLS Cup final. Portland is slated to face Real Salt Lake in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs on Oct. 19, but his participation now seems unlikely.

Fernandez has previously battled substance abuse during his career. In 2015, while on the books of Racing Club, he was suspended for more than a year by CONMEBOL following multiple failed drug tests in which he tested positive for cocaine. Upon his return, he was loaned out to the likes of Sarmiento, Metz and Union La Calera, before securing a move to Necaxa. His time in Aguascalientes proved highly productive, with the Argentine scoring 12 goals in 15 games during the 2019 Clausura. Overall, Fernandez scored 18 goals in 32 league and cup appearances.

The Athletic reported that Portland's transfer agreement with Necaxa included some contractual protections due to Fernandez's past, though it's not clear what those clauses entail.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is unlikely to play again this year after scans showed he suffered damaged ligaments in his left elbow during the 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League, the club said on Monday.

Lloris suffered a dislocated elbow as he landed awkwardly when attempting to save a Pascal Gross shot and the ball fell to Brighton's Neal Maupay to tap into an unguarded net for the opening goal.

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The club said the 32-year-old is in a brace and will undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation under the supervision of team medical staff.

Lloris travelled to Paris on Monday to undergo an MRI scan on the elbow, which revealed no fracture but ligament damage. He also met with France head coach Didier Deschamps at Les Bleus' training centre at Clairefontaine.

"I spoke to him [Hugo]," Deschamps said in a news conference. "He is on the mend.

"He had more exams this morning [Monday]. It is difficult today to say how long exactly he will be unavailable for. The possibility of a fracture has been ruled out but the ligaments have been damaged.

"I am not a doctor but I know that he will not be with us during this international break or the next one in November for sure. He will start a protocol now for his rehabilitation.

"But he will be out for a few weeks and a few months. He won't play again in 2019 that is almost a certitude."

France play at Iceland on Friday (watch on ESPN2) in a Euro 2020 qualifying match before hosting Turkey on October 14 (stream on ESPN+).

Scans taken on Saturday showed there was no fracture but Lloris was waiting on this MRI to understand more more on how long he would be out for.

Another busy weekend in Europe means it's time for another bumper edition of Monday Musings. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer.

Jump to: Juve too good for Inter | Man City in crisis? | Barca ride their luck again | Man United go from bad to worse | Real continue to confuse | Rose helping Gladbach bloom | Liverpool win again | Bayern hungover in Bundesliga? | Milan scrap it out vs. Genoa | Where is Ozil? | Is Pochettino to blame at Spurs? | Dortmund's flaws exposed again | Stop worrying about Pulisic | Icardi shines for PSG | Atletico still work in progress

Sarri and Juve simply too good for Inter

So this is why Maurizio Sarri was brought in. Why Juventus embarked on that cultural and tactical 180-degree turn. Why Max Allegri was effectively shown the door after five years of success. Everything came together on Sunday night as Juve won away to Inter.

Sarri made some big calls -- Paulo Dybala ahead of Gonzalo Higuain, Federico Bernardeschi in the attacking midfield hole, Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur coming on to safeguard the three points -- and gave his Juve side the right tactical impetus. (Witness the 24-pass build-up to Higuain's game-winning goal.) The rest was about setting great players free to make their quality count, with Miralem Pjanic's metronomic point guard play, Dybala's run and strike and the two Ronaldo efforts: the first, crashing against the bar with raw violence, the other disallowed (correctly) after a give-and-go with Dybala.

- Horncastle: Sarri pulled the right strings vs. Inter
- Replay: Stream Juve vs. Inter on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

When your opponents are more talented and well-coached, there's only so much you can do. Antonio Conte did it, which is why one Italian TV pundit was probably correct when he said "Sarri won this game, but Conte didn't lose it." You need fight and desire, creativity and individuals to turn the tide in those circumstances. Conte's Inter has plenty of the first two but the latter two are pretty much trapped in the same man, Stefano Sensi, and he went off after 30 minutes due to injury. That's when the creative light went out and it left Inter relying on willpower alone. Not enough.

It remains remarkable how Dybala and Higuain, two guys who weren't even supposed to be here, should prove to be so important to Juve. And equally, that a guy like Sarri -- a tactical nerd supposedly not exactly well-versed in man-management -- is getting production out of both of them and even rotating them. In fact, speaking of guys who were not supposed to stick around, you can make the same point about Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira, both of whom are proving to be invaluable in Sarri's set-up. At the back, penalty aside, Matthijs de Ligt continues his journey: it remains a bumpy ride but it certainly helps to grow on a winning team rather than one in turmoil.

As for Inter, their last two games pitted them against superior opponents stacked with superstars (Barcelona and Juventus). It's a process for them too and it's also a discovery of their squad. Romelu Lukaku still hasn't found his feet, not for lack of trying either. It's the sort of thing Conte can fix on the training ground. Diego Godin in the back three, especially as a wide center-back, isn't convincing. And for a team that plays two up front, they probably could have used a serviceable fourth striker rather than forcing Matteo Politano (nice player, but more of a winger) to adapt. Still, there's plenty to go. And these are the sort of games that tell you a lot about yourself.

Are Man City in crisis?

It had been flagged up by plenty, including yours truly. For Manchester City, letting Vincent Kompany leave without replacing him would most likely be fine unless something bad happened. Well, that happened with the injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones. And now chickens are coming home to roost because there is no insurance policy.

Both Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi started each of the past five games that matter (i.e. Champions League and Premier League). They played every minute, except for the last half-hour against Watford, when Otamendi came off because they were up 7-0. It's not just their limitations -- Fernandinho is 34 and not a central defender, Otamendi is 31, not the second coming of Walter Samuel and started only 14 league games last year -- it's also about how Pep Guardiola tried to mask them. It's not gone well.

You knew what was going to happen when Wolves came to visit because we've seen it before from Nuno Espirito Santo on the road against Big Six sides. He'd sit tight, create human density in front of Rui Patricio and try to hit on the counter: the inclusion of Adama Traore was as obvious a "tell" as you're going to get. Wolves did it brilliantly. In the first half alone, they had four dangerous counterattacks, each of which could (should?) have led to a goal.

- Miller: Man City are fading fast
- Man City ratings: Otamendi 3/10 in defeat

Otamendi and Fernandinho aren't suited to defending out in the open, especially against speedy opponents. It's hard to fathom why Guardiola failed to address this after the early scares. Instead, he took off Kyle Walker (probably City's quickest defender) at half-time, and sent on Oleksandr Zinchenko, switching Joao Cancelo to right-back. That made it two D.I.N.O.s (Defenders In Name Only) in the back four.

All around, a bad day at the office for Pep. It can happen even to the very best. And if the front five had done their job properly rather than managing just two shots on target, it might not have been an issue because they might have scored three or four. But Wolves kept them out and, at the end, with City gambling and lopsided, they sunk Pep's battleship.

Stones will be back soon, you'd imagine, and that will help. At least there will be an extra option. But on days like these, Pep has to coach his way out of the mire. And against Wolves, he failed to do it.

Barcelona ride their luck again... and it works again

Two games in a row doesn't quite make a trend, but if you don't learn your history you're condemned to repeat it. Just as happened against Inter in midweek, Barcelona were battered for long stretches, could have conceded three or four times and then turned things around thanks to individual brilliance. Sevilla came out of the gates with gusto on Sunday and with somebody other than Luuk de Jong (even another Luke... Hemmings, Harper, Campbell from 2 Live Crew even though he's 58 years old) might have converted the many chances they created. De Jong hasn't scored in nearly six months for club or country and, for a center-forward, that's not good.

Luis Suarez keyed the turnaround with a highlight-reel overhead kick, Arthur and Arturo (Vidal) connected to make it two and an Ousmane Dembele "worldie" made it three. All in the space of eight minutes. Lionel Messi made it four with his first goal of the campaign. So while the turnaround was stunning, you can't get overly carried away no matter how gaudy the scoreline.

- Barca ratings: Messi 7/10 in victory

Dembele's performance in his first start since Week 1 was as encouraging as his bonehead sending-off was discouraging. Maybe referee Mateu Lahoz was harsh in showing red after Dembele said, in his limited Spanish, "you are very bad," but there's no excuse to get sent off when you're 4-0 up. The same applies, of course, to Ronald Araujo's red, though given it was his debut and he's 20, you're going to be a bit more lenient.

Dembele is heading for a likely suspension, which means Antoine Griezmann will probably be back and that will dampen any controversy over Ernesto Valverde's decision to leave him out, at least for a while. Griezmann has had some rough spots, but that's more than understandable when you're adapting to Barca after five years under Diego Simeone at Atletico. Suarez turns 33 in January and will need breathers so he's realistically not just competing with Dembele for tie.

Man United are bad. Real bad

Strip away the heartwarming story of two Longstaffs, one of them scoring on his debut, and the Geordie Nation discovering more tales they can pass on to their grandchildren and you have what Manchester United is right now: not a good side, with plenty of issues.

Craig Burley made the point on Sunday's FC TV show that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is getting an easier ride than his predecessors, Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gaal. He's probably correct, though you're also tempted to say it's down to two factors: He hasn't had the transfer support that Mourinho and Van Gaal enjoyed and, equally, he's a much more pleasant, affable guy.

- Ogden: Are United in a relegation fight?

What grates is how one-dimensional this Man United team is. Other than playing in transition, there's not much they know how to do (and they don't always do it well). There's little creativity with Paul Pogba out and, while they're better defensively, you expect more if not in terms of execution, at least in terms of ideas.

Solskjaer is just one of many issues at this club. It's a long list. Crucially, though, he's the manager, which means he's also the easiest to fix. That may offer a short-term boost, but it will also be a meaningless one unless they get under the hood and fix the structural issues. That will take time, but will also require a real appetite for change on the part of the owners.

Will the real Real Madrid please stand up?

Six weeks into the 2019-20 season and you're still not sure what to make of this Real Madrid team. Last in their Champions League group and coming off a nervy home draw with Bruges, it seemed like once again they'd bounced back straight away after an hour or so against Granada. They were 3-0 up, Eden Hazard opened his account, Luka Modric scored a peach of a goal. Everything was fine (other than Toni Kroos' muscular injury, the club's 12th of the campaign) and then came the Alphonse Areola horror show.

The Frenchman, standing in for the injured Thibaut Courtois, foolishly gave away a penalty and then looked anything but sound as Granada pulled one back and then another. It was a nervous, messy ending, the sort where you could feel the Bernabeu boo-birds going full Pavlov's dog in terms of salivating for a "panolada." The nerves lasted until James Rodriguez scored the fourth, to make it 4-2.

This Real team has tons of quality, no question. But we still don't know how they are. Will the real "merengues" please stand up? Please?

Rose is making Gladbach bloom

Remember that old trope whereby it takes hundreds of millions of dollars and four or five transfer windows to change a club's culture and fortunes? Yeah. It's nonsense. Provided you have the right people and structure, of course.

Borussia Monchengladach leapt to the top of the Bundesliga with a 5-1 win over Augsburg and while they may not stay there -- there are seven teams within two points -- long-term, manager Marco Rose has already proven the point. An alumnus of the Ralf Rangnick school of football, he arrived at Gladbach after two title-winning seasons at Salzburg and immediately turned things around.

They were flat in terms of net spend and lost Thorgan Hazard, arguably their best player last year, and just three of Gladbach's summer signings -- Stefan Lainer, Breel Embolo and Marcus Thuram (yes, it's you-know-who's son -- have had significant playing time, yet the style has been radically transformed from the Dieter Hecking grind-them-out days.

Rose is understandably one of the hottest young managers in Europe, shaped by both Rangnick and Jurgen Klopp. But it's one thing to do it at Salzburg, with the Red Bull machine taking care of your every need. Quite another to hit the ground running at Gladbach in a totally different environment.

Liverpool keep finding new ways to win

Another week, another case of Liverpool squeaking out a win without necessarily impressing. As we've written before, it's either a sign of maturity or a sign that you're getting the breaks now, but you'd better shape up because you might not get them later. Klopp is evidently working on finding the right mix up front, as evidenced by his reshuffling with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

Equally though, while the penalty at the end may be contentious -- and Marc Albrighton's clumsy tackle on Sadio Mane was a gift from the heavens -- this is no time to go Chicken Little. Leicester didn't have a real chance until Denis Praet's speculative effort with 20 minutes to go. Defensively, Liverpool held up nicely.

The gap between them and Manchester City is eight points. Avoid defeat on Nov. 10 against Guardiola and you're halfway there.

Bayern follow up win at Spurs with stunning defeat

Bayern Munich's first Bundesliga defeat since February came thanks to two goals scored by a 26-year-old who was playing amateur football until two years ago and who was making his first-ever start. Sargis Adamyan punished a hungover Bayern side with the sort of clinical precision we normally see from his opposite number, Robert Lewandowski (oh, he scored too).

The 2-1 defeat leaves the Bavarians in a third-place cluster mess with four other clubs, behind Wolfsburg and table-topping Borussia Monchengladbach. It's a bit of a cliche to chalk it up to a comedown after the 7-2 win over Spurs, but you wonder why manager Niko Kovac didn't see fit to do some rotation here. A home game against Hoffenheim, who hadn't won since August, might have been a logical place to find some minutes for the likes of Ivan Perisic, Javi Martinez and, of course, Thomas Muller.

Milan scrap it out vs. Genoa

I'm not sure if it was quite the "worst half of Milan's season," as my colleague Matteo Bonetti suggested, but those first 45 minutes against Genoa were a cartoonish synthesis of Marco Giampaolo's season so far. Poor personnel choices, poor tactics, listless performance.

At half-time, he made the changes most would have begged for -- Hakan Calhanoglu and Krzysztof Piatek off, Lucas Paqueta and Rafael Leal on -- and within 15 minutes, Milan went from 0-1 down to 2-1 up. It was still a wild second half culminating in Pepe Reina's penalty save (Gianluigi Donnarumma had helpfully injured himself in the warm-up). And if reports are to be believed, Giampaolo is still hanging onto his job by a thread. But it showed there's fight in this team.

Now, if he can just find the right tactics to get the quality out -- yes, there's quality too, not a lot, but more than we've seen -- maybe this season won't be a write-off. Assuming he's still around after the international break, that is.

What's going on with Ozil?

I don't know what it says about Arsenal that they're third in the Premier League table despite not exactly firing on all cylinders this season. Unai Emery has had injuries, sure, but so have other top four contenders. I guess the good news is that there is a lot of room for improvement and they're grinding out results, like the 1-0 win over Bournemouth, while still finding themselves.

Less understandable is the Mesut Ozil situation. Despite being fully fit, he was left out of the 18 both in the Europa League and against Bournemouth. This is the same Ozil who was made one of the three highest-paid players in the Premier League just 20 months ago. Emery simply says "others deserve a place in the squad more than Ozil."

Maybe one day we'll find out what's going on. And yeah, I like to think there's something going on, mainly because I don't want to believe this guy is simply mailing it in while collecting a (huge) paycheck.

Is Pochettino to blame for Tottenham's slump?

It's well and truly finger-pointing time at Tottenham, which is what happens when you concede 10 goals over two games between Europe and the Premier League. Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Brighton was a massive blow. The issues run far deeper than Mauricio Pochettino -- see what fun it is when you have three key players on expiring deals -- but it's also pretty evident that this team just plays differently.

It's not just the 4-3-1-2 we saw the last few games, it's also the lack of intensity and pressing, which had been Pochettino hallmarks earlier in his tenure. Some of it may be by choice and some of it may be forced upon him, but it looks like a whole other team, despite the fact that many of the names are the same.

The silver lining? Pochettino's mega-contact makes him extremely difficult to sack, which means he'll have plenty of time to take on what may be the biggest challenge of his career.

Dortmund's flaws hurt them again

OK, this isn't funny anymore. Borussia Dortmund threw away yet another opportunity to nose their way into the Bundesliga hunt, drawing 2-2 at Freiburg. You can budget for that sort of result -- Freiburg are a good side -- but it's hard to fathom how you twice let a lead slip away, eventually dropping two points on an own-goal with a minute to go.

Fingers will be pointed at defender Manuel Akanji but the truth is that Dortmund broke down further up the pitch, wasting opportunity and simply taking their foot off the gas with a 2-0 lead. Lucien Favre has been around the block and has a reputation as a cerebral boss. Time for him to live up to it. And, if necessary, crack the whip.

Stop worrying about Pulisic at Chelsea!

I was thousands of miles away from the ESPN studio in Bristol when we were asked for the umpteenth time about Christian Pulisic and Frank Lampard, but even then I could sense Craig Burley rapidly reaching his boiling point. I covered this last week, so no need to get into it again, but no, an assist for Michy Batshuayi in garbage time of a 4-1 away win against Southampton isn't going to move the needle for him in terms of playing time.

What will move the needle is what he shows every day in training and the performance of the guys who play his position. So far, those performances have been so good that Lampard rightly put his faith in other players. Leave Pulisic alone: he turned 21 last month, let him reach the level he's going to reach. Hopefully, though, the 11 minutes he got after being left out of the squad entirely in midweek might convince some that Lampard doesn't bear a personal grudge against him.

Icardi stars as PSG dismantle Angers

Technically, it was a top-of-the-table clash but you wouldn't have known it given the way Paris Saint-Germain disassembled Angers at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1. With Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani still out, Mauro Icardi notched his first Ligue 1 goal, turning in a typically minimalist performance (just 21 touches) on the way to a 4-0 win.

The big question is what happens when Cavani returns. Is Icardi just a guy to eat up minutes and bang in goals while the veteran Uruguayan (who goes out of contract in June) saves himself for the big games? Time, and Thomas Tuchel, will tell.

Atletico still a work in progress

If you want to insist on seeing the glass as half-full, you'll note that Atletico Madrid are on track in the Champions League for a spot in the round of 16 and are third in La Liga, three points off the pace. If you're more of a glass half-empty inclination, then "Cholismo 2.0" is proving to be a dud.

Joao Felix, Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa all started together for the first time this season and achieved something close to nothing away to Valladolid, who also managed to miss a penalty. The tinkering continues but the impression is that we don't need to see this trio again. Not unless the midfield suddenly kicks it up a notch.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips found another opening to beat Taylor Lewan -- this time on social media.

Lewan, the Titans' three-time Pro Bowl left tackle, tweeted a mock shout-out Monday to Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson -- a screen shot of the former first-round pick's modest stats entering Sunday's 14-7 win by Buffalo. Lawson had no tackles or sacks against Tennessee.

Lewan's swipe at Lawson on Twitter apparently was sparked by a postgame comment from Lawson on Sunday.

"We knew what his weakness was -- he gives up inside moves and this was an inside game. He's a fake tough guy. ... He was quiet today," Lawson said.

You wanna use my name to get clout stud there you go! Enjoy.

— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) October 7, 2019

Phillips, who had a career-high three sacks by halftime, took over.

The defensive tackle wrote that Lewan should get drug tested again and called him a "soft cry baby." Phillips then shared a couple of videos of Lawson tying up Lewan so Phillips could get his second sack, followed by a tweet with a screen grab of a story about Lewan failing a drug test earlier this year with "People don't forget (at)taylorlewan77."

Then Phillips -- who played against the Titans and Lewan twice last season, first with the Dolphins and then Buffalo -- tweeted a screen grab of the Tennessee left tackle unconscious in the 2018 season opener at Miami with the hashtag "NSFW." Lewan missed the next game with a concussion.

Man didn't say one word during the game because he was getting tore up now he wants to take it to social media your a joke always been a joke

— Jordan Phillips (@bigj9797) October 7, 2019

People don't forget @TaylorLewan77 pic.twitter.com/DzJuU0E6l3

— Jordan Phillips (@bigj9797) October 7, 2019

Although the Bills and Titans aren't slated to face each other again this season, it's likely that Lawson and Lewan will cross paths in Arizona. Apparently, the two players have done so while training during the offseason, as Lawson tweeted he hopes to see Lewan there during the offseason.

The Tennessee Titans have cut placekicker Cairo Santos a day after he missed four field goals in a 14-7 home loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Santos missed a 50-yard field goal in the second quarter as well as a 36-yard attempt with 49 seconds left in the first half. The Bills blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter and Santos later missed a 53-yarder.

Immediately after the game, teammates and head coach Mike Vrabel were supportive of Santos.

"I have confidence in him," Vrabel said Sunday. "... I think we all have a job to do. We like to think that if you make mistakes, we can get them fixed and corrected. This is a guy who's made some kicks for us. We'll have to do a better job making them, and coaching him, and executing them."

The 27-year-old was far more critical of his own play, however.

"It was a very painful, extremely disappointing day," Santos said Sunday. "I don't feel sorry for myself, I feel sorry for my teammates and coaches that work hard all week, including myself. I feel sorry for my teammates, my coaches and they deserve to win and I have just got to do a better job."

Santos has made 4 of 9 field goals and all 12 of his extra points this season.

Tennessee also waived offensive lineman David Quessenberry on Monday.

Quessenberry was a feel-good story for the Titans as the cancer survivor scored his first and only career touchdown in a Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts this season.

Information from ESPN's Turron Davenport was used in this report.

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins team president Bruce Allen said the organization reached a conclusion Sunday night: Jay Gruden needed to be fired. Gruden entered the season with questions about his job security, and with an 0-5 record, team officials felt they needed to make a move.

"We had much different expectations," Allen said.

The decision was made around 8 p.m. Sunday, Allen said, after he and owner Dan Snyder met following a 33-7 loss to the New England Patriots. They informed Gruden of the news around 5:30 a.m. Monday. Allen called it a brief conversation.

Bill Callahan was named the interim coach. Callahan would be in charge of making any other staff changes. Allen said it'll be up to Callahan to decide who starts at quarterback, whether it's Colt McCoy, Case Keenum or rookie 15th overall pick Dwayne Haskins.

Callahan told reporters on Monday that he's not ready to start Haskins, saying he wants him to continue building his game.

"We're going to continue to develop him and heighten his maturation process," Callahan said. "Try to get him on schedule so he is prepared."

There have been multiple reports since the night of the draft about a split within the Redskins over Haskins' selection. One source said the quarterback's name did not come up when they informed Gruden of the decision.

"As far as Dwayne, we're excited as hell to have him on this football team," Allen said. "We think he has a great future. He's working very hard. He's learning the system. When Coach Callahan decides to put him in, he'll make that decision. But Jay was excited about Dwayne Haskins. I think he talked to several of you from OTAs to training camp about how well he was doing."

But a big part of Allen's 13-minute news conference involved questions on his own record in nearly 10 years with the Redskins, as well as Snyder's overall mark. In Allen's nine seasons, the Redskins are 59-89-1. The Redskins are 139-185-1 under Snyder with two playoff wins.

"We're all involved in this," Allen said. "I don't ever want to hide from our record. I don't want to hide from things that didn't go the way we wanted them to go. All we can do is work. And do I believe in the group that's here? Yes."

The Redskins were hit hard by injuries the past two seasons with a combined 52 players having gone on injured reserve. They have 10 players on injured reserve this season, including quarterback Alex Smith. Also, Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams remains a holdout and Allen said they have no plans at this time to trade him. Tight end Jordan Reed has missed all five games with a concussion.

Sunday, Patriots fans seemed to outnumber Washington's fans at the Redskins' home stadium.

"All we can do is try to improve our product," Allen said. "These games, we weren't close in. We've lost five games, and we didn't lose them in the last second. We lost these games decisively. And we have to change that. And our fans deserve that. And this market deserves that. We're in the nation's capital, and it deserves better than that, and we have to get it done."

Allen defended the Redskins' culture, which has come under fire over the years. Allen pointed to a 6-3 record a year ago, before Smith suffered a leg injury that left his career in jeopardy.

"You know the culture is actually damn good," Allen said. "Last year at this time we're in first place and we're doing well, so it was working pretty damn good. Unfortunately our quarterback got injured. The pieces are here for a winning team. We have to put them in the right place."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday the league backs the free speech rights of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.

But Silver, speaking to Kyodo News in Tokyo, acknowledged the impact of Morey's recent tweet, which supported anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.

"There is no doubt, the economic impact is already clear," Silver said. "There have already been fairly dramatic consequences from that tweet, and I have read some of the media suggesting that we are not supporting Daryl Morey, but in fact we have.

"I think as a values-based organization that I want to make it clear ... that Daryl Morey is supported in terms of his ability to exercise his freedom of expression."

Silver spoke ahead of an exhibition game between the Rockets and Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan.

Morey on Friday posted a tweet with an image that read: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." He later deleted the post and tweeted an apology. That came after Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta publicly clarified the team does not take political positions.

The strong reactions to Morey's tweet underscore China's sensitivity about foreign attitudes toward the ongoing Hong Kong protests that have grown into violence in the semi-autonomous territory. China has accused foreign parties in the United States and elsewhere of encouraging the demonstrations.

The protests were sparked by a proposed extradition law that would have allowed suspects to be sent to China to face trial. Activists saw that as a threat to the legal rights that Hong Kong residents have under the current "one country, two systems" framework.

The NBA has been criticized for putting its economic interests ahead of defending Morey's right to express his views. Silver answered that criticism Monday, saying, "What I am supporting is his freedom of political expression in this situation."

Silver noted, however, that he also supports Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, a co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, who posted a 736-word open letter on his Facebook page late Sunday night saying Morey stepped on what he described as "a third-rail issue'' when it comes to China and Hong Kong.

"These are complex issues they don't lend themselves easily to social media," Silver said. "I can't ultimately run the NBA based on trying to satisfy everyone on Twitter.

"For those who choose also to engage, they'll see that we are dealing with a complex set of issues. And I will just add that the fact that we have apologized to fans in China is not inconsistent with supporting someone's right to have a point of view."

Silver's comments came after the NBA weighed in on the controversy Sunday night, saying in a statement: "We recognize that the views expressed by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable. While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals' educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them."

The NBA has worked for at least 30 years to promote strong relationships with China. The league has an office in China and just announced plans to add a gaming team in Shanghai to the NBA 2K League. Officials in both countries say as many as 500 million Chinese fans watched at least one NBA game last season.

"Members of the NBA community remain free to express their opinions and the league backs their right to do so," Silver said. "There are the values that have been part of this league from its earliest days, and that includes free expression.

"I accept that it is also Chinese governments' and Chinese businesses' right to react to those words and, at least from my longtime experience in the NBA, it will take some time to heal some of these issues.

"We are a platform in which people can engage and I would like to believe that for each side who believes they have a point of view here, that this engagement is positive."

ATLANTA -- Hours before the New Orleans Pelicans played in their first preseason game, coach Alvin Gentry did his best to paint Zion Williamson's game as just a learning opportunity for another young player.

"There's very few guys -- at 19 years old -- who can come in and impact this league," Gentry said. "There's one in California but there's also not anybody like him."

Gentry knows that, like it or not, the comparisons between Williamson and that California-based star, LeBron James, have already begun. And Williamson's debut scheduling wasn't an accident. After all, 16 years ago to the day, James made his NBA preseason debut.

"They shouldn't do that [comparing]," Gentry said. "We are not doing that. We are comparing Zion to Zion. We want Zion to be the best Zion Williamson that he can be. Not anybody else. We want him to be the best basketball player he can become using his name and no comparison."

He continued: "I know that it's inevitable that that's going to be the case, but we are not drinking that Kool-Aid."

Williamson shuffled past Gentry and toward a group of reporters after his first NBA shoot-around.

"Did they ask about me?" Williamson asked Gentry, grinning.

"Now why would they do that?" Gentry said, smirking.