LAFC's Carlos Vela tied the Major League Soccer single-season goals record of 31 on Sunday in his team's 1-1 draw at Minnesota United.

Vela fired a looping, left-footed shot into the far corner from an LAFC counterattack in the 70th minute at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Vela, 30, is now level with Atlanta United's Josef Martinez, who just broke the record held by Roy Lassiter, Chris Wondolowski and Bradley Wright-Phillips during the 2018 season.

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The LAFC striker has the chance to break the record next Sunday, Oct. 6, when his team hosts the Colorado Rapids on Decision Day (live at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+).

Vela is trailed in the 2019 goals race by LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has 29 on the season.

The Galaxy finish their 2019 season on the road against the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 6 (live at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+).

Both the Galaxy and LAFC have already clinched playoff spots.

Keeper howlers, injury crises, and chef Brendan Rodgers serving up some delightful delicacies. Buckle up: It's Nick Miller's Premier League weekend review.

JUMP TO: 'It's like a new signing' | The KDB Assist-O-Meter | Compliments to Chef Rodgers | Doom and gloom for the Toon | What will please Chris Wilder? | Liverpool's luck strikes again | Finally, the real Jorginho | Injuries scuppering Norwich's safety hopes | Why Villa is 'Frustration Central'

Lloris emphasises the task ahead for Spurs

"Don't blame Hugo," said Mauricio Pochettino about his captain's stinking error that donated a goal to Southampton on Saturday.

"Blame me. I ask him to play that way."

Of course, Pochettino was always going to defend goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after a mistake like the one that donated a goal to Danny Ings, and the caveat should be added that Lloris made a couple of excellent saves later on in Spurs' 2-1 win over Southampton, but costly mistakes are a pattern for the France international now.

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Indeed, he made an almost identical one to this in the World Cup final, which is often forgotten because it was ultimately of no consequence, but nobody can say they didn't see this sort of thing coming.

Saturday's result was good for morale at Tottenham, and the fortitude they showed to beat Southampton with 10 men is at least a hint that the dressing room isn't quite as divided as Pochettino has implied in recent weeks.

But Lloris' error emphasised that they potentially have a massive rebuilding job to do over the next year, with the contracts of Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen expiring, plus the need for a new goalkeeper will become impossible to ignore with more errors like this one from Lloris.

City are keeping things new with old blood

There has been much talk this season about keeping squads fresh, in the light of Tottenham's troubles, and Manchester City also have to deal with the problem of keeping their squad motivated to continually produce excellence.

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne might be taking care of both those problems for City. The phrase "like a new signing" is a cliche usually reserved for managers who haven't signed anyone and want to convince their fans that the guy coming back from injury is enough, but in this case it genuinely might be true.

Last season De Bruyne and Mahrez were barely factors for City, through a combination of injury, poor form and the excellence of others, but they have returned to relevance this term, with some gusto. De Bruyne has reclaimed his status as the best player in the Premier League, while Mahrez is now basically undroppable after another goal and brilliant showing against Everton. And that, in this City squad, is certainly saying something.

The Official Kevin De Bruyne Assist-O-Meter

A new regular feature for this column will be a tally of how many goals De Bruyne lays on for his teammates this season.

After setting up Gabriel Jesus' opener against Everton, De Bruyne has eight assists from six starts: If he continues at this pace, he'll break the Premier League assists record for the season at some point in December.

Chef Rodgers cooks well with the right ingredients

The wisdom of Leicester and Brendan Rodgers joining forces in February last season, rather than waiting for the summer, has once again shown to be a brilliant move by all parties.

Rodgers has made this team the most impressive outside of the top two, collecting 31 points from his 17 games in charge so far, all of which was helped by him starting work last term and carrying their form across seasons.

But Rodgers isn't some footballing shaman who has sprinkled a spell over Leicester: This is a triumph of recruitment as much as anything else, and that group of richer clubs who are currently floundering beneath them will only feel worse as they observe James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Ricardo Pereira, Caglar Soyuncu, Dennis Praet and others, wondering why they didn't spot that talent and grab it for themselves.

Newcastle look doomed and hopeless

Newcastle have three more points than they did at the same stage last season, so the optimist might think that if they could stay up then, they can do so now. The trouble is you'll be hard pressed to find any optimists around Newcastle at the moment, and any remaining ones will probably have disappeared after their pathetic 5-0 defeat to Leicester.

Jamaal Lascelles said the blame should be on the players and manager Steve Bruce hinted at the same by pointing to the "complete surrender" of his team. That might be true to a point, but you have to wonder why that might be the case, and that wondering only leads you to the manager and those above him.

Newcastle might have been winless a year ago, but you could at least see what they were trying to do, and had a manager with the requisite gravitas to make you think things were going to be OK. Not this time: If your local bookmakers will still give you odds against for Newcastle to go down, snap that up now.

These are early days, but they already look doomed and hopeless.

Should Wilder go easy on his players?

After Sheffield United won at Everton last weekend, Chris Wilder was busy rebuking his players for their poor performance before Phil Jagielka reminded him they had just beaten the side who finished eighth in the Premier League last season.

This weekend, Wilder was annoyed his newly-promoted team hadn't beaten the European champions.

"I think we've missed an opportunity to get a big result today. When they're off, we've got to jump all over them," he said after the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, citing Norwich's win over Manchester City as something to aspire to.

It's terrific for the Premier League that Wilder has ambitions beyond survival, that he expects more from his players than mere existence. They're not happy just to be there, wide-eyed at being on the same pitch as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk.

But the hope is that he doesn't go too far the other way, that he doesn't expect too much, too quickly of his players: After all, before this season Saturday's starting XI had 48 Premier League appearances between them, 19 of which belong to Chris Basham for Bolton a decade ago.

Maybe cut them just a little bit of slack, Chris.

Luckiest moment of the weekend

On any other weekend, Tanguy Ndombele's shot bursting through the hands of Angus Gunn might take this award, but there can obviously be no other candidate than Dean Henderson letting Gini Wijnaldum's strike go through his legs and donate the points to Liverpool.

Even Jurgen Klopp admitted that a draw would probably have been a fair result, but these are the strokes of luck one needs to challenge for the title.

Jorginho finally establishing himself at Chelsea

Most of the talk about Chelsea this season has surrounded their youngsters, and rightly so: Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori were both terrific again in their 2-0 win over Brighton, but arguably their key man was Jorginho.

The Italy midfielder pulled all the strings and was the hub of the team that Maurizio Sarri wanted him to be last season, so when Frank Lampard said afterwards that this was the first game of his tenure Chelsea had controlled from start to finish, that was a compliment to Jorginho.

Injuries are scuppering Norwich

Norwich's defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend -- their fifth loss in seven and another game in which they haven't kept a clean sheet -- will naturally be concerning for Daniel Farke, but more worrying is their injury list.

They went into the game at Selhurst Park already without six players -- Alex Tettey, Tim Krul, Christoph Zimmermann, Timm Klose, Tom Trybull and Onel Hernandez -- while Krul's replacement Ralf Fahrmann probably shouldn't have played and did aggravate his groin injury, while Jamal Lewis is due for a scan on a suspected broken elbow.

The challenge of staying in the Premier League is already a steep one for clubs like Norwich, but to be hampered like this makes it doubly so.

Aston Villa: Frustration Central

Aston Villa have now thrown away points from winning positions in three of their seven games so far this season.

Indeed, they have conceded five equalisers in those games, and Burnley levelling things within 90 seconds of their second goal on Saturday almost felt inevitable.

Watching them as a neutral can be a pretty frustrating experience, so who knows what it's like supporting them.

Greg Chappell will retire from his role as a selector and national talent manager at Cricket Australia on Monday, ending an association with the sport that stretches back more than 50 years. From a player to captain to coach and selector, Chappell has covered most of the roles in the game.

Kevin Roberts, the CA chief executive, said: "Greg has had a profound and positive impact on cricket for generations. Greg was one of the finest players in the history of international cricket. Additionally, as a captain, coach, selector and mentor, Greg has been a true pioneer and innovator. His passion and commitment to the game are clear to anyone who has interacted with him, and Australian cricket is all the stronger for his involvement."

Here is a recap of his half a century in the sport.

Batsman

One of Australia's greats. Chappell started and ended his Test career with centuries, against England and Pakistan respectively, in all amassing 7110 runs at 53.86 - which remains the sixth-highest average for a batsman with at least 80 Tests - with 24 hundreds in a career that spanned 1970-1984. It won't show in official records, but some of his most dominant batting came during World Series Cricket when he scored 621 runs in five "SuperTests" against a West Indies side that had an attack of Holding, Garner, Croft and Roberts.

Captain

His captaincy stint came either side of World Series Cricket, in which he was a key figure, and in total it encompassed 48 matches with Ashes series in 1977 (a defeat) and 1982-83 (a victory). He scored centuries in each innings in his first match as captain against West Indies in Brisbane. However, his captaincy career is most famously remembered for when he instructed his brother, Trevor, to bowl underarm against New Zealand at the MCG in 1981.

Coach

Chappell had a five-year spell as South Australia coach from 1998-99 to 2002-03, and in 2008 headed up CA's centre of excellence, which included being involved with Australia's Under-19 team. He has also worked with the Australia A side and U-19s in his latter role as national talent manager. But his headline stint as a coach came when he was in charge of India between 2005-2007. It became a controversial spell, which included crashing out in the first round of the 2007 World Cup and falling out with captain Sourav Ganguly.

Selector

His first spell as an Australian selector came straight after he finished playing and lasted from 1984-1988. It was a time when the team struggled in Tests - although it included the 1987 World Cup victory - but during that spell names who would lead an era of great success, including David Boon and Steve Waugh, made their debuts. He was again appointed a selector in 2010, although it was a brief stay; he was part of the Argus Review clear out and in 2011 moved into his role as national talent manager. In 2016, following the upheaval created by the crushing defeat by South Africa in Hobart, Chappell returned to a selection role alongside Trevor Hohns.

Administrator

After finishing his playing career, Chappell became a member of the Australia Cricket Board alongside his first selection role. During his most recent stint as national talent manager, Cricket Australia's methods have not always been met with approval, particularly around the fast-tracking of young talent and the formation of a CA XI to play in the one-day competition, but Chappell remained a voice of experience at a time of considerable change. In an interview with cricket.com.au last year to mark his 70th birthday, he was asked what he would like his legacy to be. "Someone who cared for the game," he said.

Barbados Tridents 141 for 6 (Charles 47, Santokie 2-25, Viljoen 2-26) beat St Lucia Zouks 117 (Ingram 25, Walsh 4-26, Gurney 3-17) by 24 runs

From coasting towards their target of 142 for the most part of their chase, St Lucia Zouks suddenly batted like staunch believers in Sigmund Freud's theory about the society's deeply repressed death wish, losing their last six wickets for just six runs to hand Barbados Tridents a playoff berth. Legspinner Hayden Walsh was in the thick of things again, bagging a four-for that included three in a single over. He is now the tournament's highest wicket-taker with 15 wickets in just five matches. He had support from Harry Gurney and Shakib Al Hasan, who struck at crucial points to keep Tridents in the contest before Walsh finished off the lower order.

Johnson Charles led the way with the bat for Tridents after they opted to bat, top-scoring with a 36-ball 47, and with contributions from Shakib Al Hasan (22) and Justin Greaves (27*), they were able to post a competitive 141 on a tired surface. It looked insufficient with Zouks requiring just 31 off 27 balls, but the wicket of Hardus Viljoen swung the pendulum Tridents' way, who went on to win by a comfortable margin of 24 runs.

Charles' measured aggression

Although the Tridents lost Alex Hales early, the manner of dismissal vindicated the decision to bat as the slowness of the surface became apparent. The first three overs, with the ball holding in the surface, were difficult and produced just 12 runs. Then, Johnson Charles found his groove with a slog-swept six off Rahkeem Cornwall, and runs started to flow. A rattled Cornwall fired the next two wide of off and Charles just gave them direction, bisecting short third man and point on both occasions. The feature of Charles' knock was the measured manner in which he found ways of scoring quickly, on a pitch not conducive to strokeplay. He glanced one fine when Kesrick Williams strayed in line next over as Tridents picked eight from the fifth over before going on the attack in the final over of the powerplay. Viljoen's pace and predictable length seemed to suit Charles as he clobbered one over long-on, Tridents picking up 13 from the sixth making the tally 36 for the last three overs of the Powerplay. At that stage, they looked set for a bigger score, but as it turned out, they didn't need one.

Ingram, de Grandhomme go berserk

If Tridents were satisfied with the total on the board seeing how the pitch was behaving they wouldn't have been feeling as confident after the start they had with the ball. Even though they managed to dislodge the openers, the runs were flowing. In fact, just as Tridents got a sniff with a wicket, Zouks went on the attack, first through Colin Ingram and then through Colin de Grandhomme. Cornwall had fallen in the fifth over and the last three balls of that over produced just one run. But Ingram took full advantage of the field restrictions as he tore into Jason Holder in the last over of the Powerplay with a short-arm jab that sailed over deep midwicket, a ferocious cut that cleared the point boundary and a more delicate cut that bisected short third man and backward point. The sixth produced 18, and the seventh was a brief period of calm as only three runs came from it, but in the eighth, de Grandhomme smashed Walsh out of the attack with two sixes, pulled over the leg side, leaving the Zouks requiring under six an over in the last 12 overs.

Gurney's timely blow sets it up for Walsh

The window for Tridents to claw back into the contest was small despite the quick wickets of the set Ingram and de Grandhomme, at least if Zouks batted sensibly. After Viljoen hammered Gurney for a six over deep midwicket to bring the equation down to 31 needed off 28 balls, the left-arm seamer held his nerve and produced an excellent slower ball that stuck in the surface and had Viljoen searching for it with his hands way in front of his body and took the glove before lobbing up for the wicketkeeper to dive forward and pouch it. That was when Walsh, who had suffered at the hands of de Grandhomme, was immediately reintroduced for a final throw of the dice, and he repaid the faith by running through the lower order, albeit with a lot of help from the batsmen themselves. Chris Barnwell perished caught on the boundary trying to clear the long-off, Darren Sammy holed out to deep midwicket two balls later, and all of a sudden, Walsh was on a hat-trick for the second time in three matches as Krishmar Santokie thought it wise to slog sweep against the turn, resulting in a top edge that was taken smartly by JP Duminy at cow corner. Jeavor Royal survived the hat-trick ball but fittingly, Walsh returned to bowl the penultimate over and sealed the game by dismissing Fawad Ahmed who holed out to long-off.

Baylor officials have reached a contract extension with third-year football coach Matt Rhule, which could take him through the 2027 season, the university announced Sunday.

Rhule has guided the Bears to a 4-0 start this season after Saturday's 23-21 victory over Iowa State. He has a 12-17 record in two-plus seasons with Baylor.

Rhule inherited a program that was plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct by players and the mishandling of other off-field issues, which led to the firing of former coach Art Briles and resignation of other university officials in 2016.

The Bears went 1-11 in Rhule's first season in 2017 and 7-6 in 2018, including a 45-38 victory over Vanderbilt in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl. It was the largest increase in wins by a Power 5 program last season.

Rhule, 44, signed an original seven-year contract with the Texas school that would have taken him through the 2023 season. The school said he would receive an increase in salary, along with performance and retention bonuses, but didn't release the annual salary average or total value of the new deal.

"Since arriving at Baylor in December 2016, Waco has become our home. My family is very happy here," Rhule said in a statement. "Baylor, its mission, and its people are a tremendous fit for myself and our staff and all the things we believe in. Most importantly, I have grown to love these players and I am proud of the things they are accomplishing on and off the field."

Rhule, a former Penn State linebacker, was 28-23 in four seasons as Temple's coach in 2013-16. He interviewed with Oregon officials before taking the Baylor job in December 2016. He also met with the Indianapolis Colts about their head-coaching vacancy in January 2018.

"I'm incredibly excited Matt and [his wife] Julie have decided to extend their time at Baylor," athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a statement. "I truly feel Matt was called to Waco, and as a family, they are a wonderful asset to the greater community. ... We look forward to continued growth in all areas under his leadership. Matt is without a doubt one of the elite head football coaches in the country."

The new deal, which runs through March 31, 2028, is expected to be formally ratified by the school's board of regents Nov. 1.

The Bears still have unresolved issues with the NCAA concerning the sexual assault scandal that led to Briles' firing and a restructuring of the university's leadership. After an investigation and administrative process that has lasted more than three years, a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions hasn't yet been scheduled.

The Chiefs bested the Lions in Motor City, New England moved to 4-0 in Buffalo, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones continued the impressive start to his career, Cleveland's offense got back on track against the Ravens, and Houston couldn't get going against Carolina. In the late games, the Bucs and Rams ran up the score, and Minshew Mania continued in Denver.

All that and more in Week 4's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

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Kansas City Chiefs 34, Detroit Lions 30

Patrick Mahomes can impact a game even when he isn't throwing touchdown passes. His impact on the win over the Lions happened in a different way. Mahomes served notice to opponents who play a lot of man-to-man coverage that he's willing to run. His 15-yard scramble on fourth down was the biggest play of the winning touchdown drive. "On the final drive, he made every play we needed him to,'' Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz said. "He won't play a game where he's not the most important player on the field. It doesn't matter what the stats show.'' -- Adam Teicher

Next game: vs. Indianapolis (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

It ended with a loss, but Detroit made a statement on Sunday. The Lions may not like the result, but the defense held Mahomes without a touchdown, the offense moved the ball well, and with a minute left in the game, Detroit was leading. It'll live on as a loss, but on Sunday, the Lions showed they can play with any team in the NFL. "We showed a lot as a team," cornerback Mike Ford said. "Being able to show that we're tough -- that we don't give up." -- Michael Rothstein

Next game: at Green Bay (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 14)

New England Patriots 16, Buffalo Bills 10

The Patriots are a team led by their defense. It's been a while since that could be said decisively in the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era, but that's where things stand after a close call Sunday on the road. The defense (and special teams) came to the rescue with an end zone interception on fourth down and, ultimately, a stop on the Bills' final drive. The Brady-led passing offense hasn't looked sharp for the past seven quarters. -- Mike Reiss

Next game: at Washington (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Josh Allen becomes the big question after entering concussion protocol. The Bills holding the Patriots to 224 yards and 3.6 yards per play no longer matters. The main focus in Buffalo is the health of Allen, who is in concussion protocol after an ugly helmet-to-helmet hit from Patriots safety Jonathan Jones. Even before his injury, however, Allen struggled to make plays in the pocket, where the Patriots seemed intent to keep him. Buffalo's defense will keep it in most games, if not every week, but its offense needs to hold up its end of the bargain. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: at Tennessee (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Tennessee Titans 24, Atlanta Falcons 10

The Titans kept Marcus Mariota from getting sacked after giving up a league-high 17 sacks through three weeks. The solution is to keep him on schedule with decisive throws in the quick passing game. As a result, Mariota connected with rookie wideout A.J. Brown for two scores and Corey Davis for another. Tennessee is tough to beat when it plays complementary football. "For the first time, I feel as a team we showed what we can really do when we hit on all cylinders," linebacker Rashaan Evans said. The challenge for the Titans is being consistent, starting next week at home against a tough Buffalo defense. -- Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Buffalo (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Whatever message the Falcons' coaching staff is sending to the players is not getting through. It's the same song every week as the Falcons get off to a slow start and aren't able to recover. This time, it was a 24-7 hole in the second quarter against the Titans. They've been outscored 38-10 in first quarters and 71-20 in first halves this season, a major contributor in their 1-3 start. Asked why these slow starts keep mounting, especially for an offense that's supposed to be extremely explosive, quarterback Matt Ryan responded, "Usually it comes down to all 11 of us executing and finishing our plays, and winning our one-on-one matchups ... across the board, we haven't done a good enough job of that.'' Recovering from their latest loss won't be easy -- the Falcons have to travel to Houston. -- Vaughn McClure

Next game: at Houston (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Cleveland Browns 40, Baltimore Ravens 25

The Browns' offense finally came alive. Quarterback Baker Mayfield delivered his sharpest performance of the season, while running back Nick Chubb and wide receiver Jarvis Landry exploded, as the Browns produced a 300-yard passer, 150-yard rusher and 150-yard receiver for the first time in franchise history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was held to a career-low two catches but demonstrably helped open up space for his teammates. "This sets the standard of our offense," Mayfield said. The Browns now lead the AFC North for the first time in five years, and their offense has momentum going to San Francisco for Monday Night Football next week. -- Jake Trotter

Next game: at San Francisco (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 7)

The Ravens lost more than sole possession of the AFC North lead -- they also lost the pride of what has been one of the traditionally strong defenses. The Ravens gave up 531 yards in an embarrassing performance in which receivers went uncovered downfield and running backs went untouched on long runs. This marked the first time in the Ravens' 24-year existence that they've allowed more than 500 yards in back-to-back games. The 40 points were the second most allowed by Baltimore at home in the John Harbaugh era. The Ravens will look to get their defense back on track against the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers. -- Jamison Hensley

Next game: at Pittsburgh (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Carolina Panthers 16, Houston Texans 10

Carolina had six sacks at Houston and has 14 in the past two games. That's the second most in a two-game span within the same season in team history. (Carolina had 15 sacks in Games 15 and 16 of the 2013 season.) This is what coach Ron Rivera envisioned during the offseason when he added more speed to the defense, particularly at outside linebacker, and made the switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front after finishing 27th in the NFL in sacks a season ago. Despite Kyle Allen holding the offense together while quarterback Cam Newton rehabs a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot, the Panthers have won their past two games to get back into the conversation as a playoff contender in the NFC. If the defense can maintain pressure on the quarterback, the Panthers have a chance to continue their win streak next week against Jacksonville. -- David Newton

Next game: vs. Jacksonville (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Deshaun Watson faced pressure all game -- again -- and was sacked six times. After guard Zach Fulton was scratched before the game, the Texans started their fourth different offensive line in four games. Watson has been sacked 18 times in four games, something left tackle Laremy Tunsil said the Texans have to fix going forward. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: vs. Atlanta (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Oakland Raiders 31, Indianapolis Colts 24

The Raiders dictated the pace of the game early. They found a certain synergy -- a balance between the passing and running games -- that bodes well for Oakland as it prepares for a trip to London to face the Bears. Consider that the Raiders had 189 yards through the air and 188 yards on the ground, a week after being pummeled by the Vikings. "You have to be able to run it and throw it against this defense," quarterback Derek Carr said. "We were able to run the ball efficiently. We were able to pass the ball very efficiently ... overall, you sit back and look and it was very balanced." -- Paul Gutierrez

Next game: vs. Chicago (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

The defense hasn't actually progressed. The Colts were supposed to take a step forward defensively this season after surprising many by finishing 11th overall last season and using seven of 10 draft picks on that side of the ball in the spring. The Colts appeared to be on their way to having a good pass-rush when they recorded eight sacks in the first two weeks of the season. But that pass-rush has vanished the past two weeks, as they had one sack combined in those two games. The Raiders also rushed for 188 yards. Things won't get any easier for the Colts next week when they face Kansas City. -- Mike Wells

Next game: at Kansas City (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Miami Dolphins 10

The much-anticipated return of Melvin Gordon will have to wait another week. With only two practices, the Chargers chose to use the Wisconsin product only in case of emergency. With Gordon sitting, Austin Ekeler continued to carry the load for the Chargers' running game, totaling 122 yards from scrimmage and scoring his fifth and sixth touchdowns of the season. With three touchdown catches this season, Ekeler became the first undrafted running back since 1967 to have at least three TD catches in each of his first three pro seasons. Will he remain the Chargers' workhorse back next week at home with Gordon back in the fold? -- Eric D. Williams

Next game: vs. Denver (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

The Dolphins aren't even close to getting a win, even when they play OK. Josh Rosen played a near-perfect first half, going 12-of-16 for 159 yards, one touchdown and a 126.8 quarterback rating, his highest in a single half for his young NFL career. But the Dolphins' second-half horrors -- they've been outscored 81-0 in their first four games -- have doomed any realistic chances they have had of winning a game. They've now been outscored 163-26 in their first four games. Still, perhaps their best chance at a win is looming after their bye week, when they face Washington in Week 6. -- Cameron Wolfe

Next game: vs. Washington (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 13)

New York Giants 24, Washington Redskins 3

There is a noticeable difference between rookie quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins. It's not the be-all, end-all for the first-round picks, but it was a major factor in the Giants' victory. Haskins threw for barely more than 100 yards and had three interceptions after entering in the second quarter and admittedly "didn't execute the way I wanted." Jones threw for 225 yards and a touchdown as the Giants moved the ball effectively most of the afternoon prior to shutting it down early with a big lead. For one day, at least, the Giants proved that they made the right selection by taking Jones over Haskins with the sixth pick. -- Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Minnesota (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

The Redskins don't have a quarterback controversy as much as a quandary. Do they go back to an ineffective starter in Case Keenum? Do they turn to the rookie they think wasn't close to being ready in Haskins? Or do they hope Colt McCoy's right leg is ready? Nobody has grabbed this job, and that's a huge part of the problem. Keenum can be upset about being pulled, but then he needs to play better. Haskins didn't show enough to automatically keep the job, especially with New England up next week. Yes, he's the future, but the team has wanted him to be further along before starting the clock on that future. At 0-4, that time is close -- regardless of where he is in his development. -- John Keim

Next game: vs. New England (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 55, Los Angeles Rams 40

The Bucs finished. Coach Bruce Arians wrote "finish" in big letters on the team's dry-erase board this week, and after surrendering an 18-point lead at the half and losing to the Giants at home last week, the Buccaneers found themselves in a similar predicament against the Rams on the road. But this time, they didn't let up, setting a franchise record with 55 points and forcing four turnovers to upset the defending NFC Champions. Now they have a shot to take control of the NFC South with a trip to New Orleans and then a Carolina rematch in London. -- Jenna Laine

Next game: at New Orleans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Despite a 3-1 start, the Rams are figuring things out this season. They have no time to sulk and must quickly turn the page to prepare for a division opener on Thursday against the Seahawks. But before the Rams can totally move on, they must find answers to a few pressing questions: Why has their offense started slowly through four games? How did their defense, which was stout through three games, suddenly collapse against Jameis Winston? How can they find a way to get running back Todd Gurley, their best offensive player the past two seasons, more involved? -- Lindsey Thiry

Next game: at Seattle (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, Oct. 3)

Seattle Seahawks 27, Arizona Cardinals 10

The Seahawks are capable of staying out of their own way, something they couldn't do in their first three games. Seattle went the first half without committing a penalty, and running back Chris Carson went the whole game without a fumble after losing one in each of the first three weeks. With a quick turnaround to their Thursday showdown with the Rams, it's good news for the Seahawks that they appeared to make it out of State Farm Stadium without any injuries of note. They haven't been as lucky in that building in recent seasons. -- Brady Henderson

Next game: vs. L.A. Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, Oct. 3)

The Cardinals need to minimize their mistakes. Sitting at 0-3-1 wasn't where the Cardinals expected to be a quarter of the way through the season, even with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback. The road ahead doesn't look any easier. But the feeling from the locker room after Arizona's loss to the Seahawks was that they are losing because of self-inflicted wounds -- penalties, dropped catches, missed blocks and bad passes. All of which, rookie quarterback Kyler Murray said, are easily correctable. If they're all fixed, the offense, which yet again struggled in the red zone, can be excel. Only time will tell, though. -- Josh Weinfuss

Next game: at Cincinnati (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Chicago Bears 16, Minnesota Vikings 6

Bears quarterback Chase Daniel is a better fit in coach Matt Nagy's offensive scheme than the more athletic Mitchell Trubisky. However, there is no official quarterback controversy in Chicago. Trubisky -- the second overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft -- will be the Bears' starter whenever his shoulder heals, but it's impossible to ignore how much Nagy opens up the playbook when Daniel is under center. Nagy trusts Daniel. The coach is still learning to trust Trubisky, who struggles when asked to do too much on offense. -- Jeff Dickerson

Next game: at Oakland (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

The Vikings still haven't figured out their offense. When does it become apparent that quarterback Kirk Cousins' limitations and the desire to run the ball have come to a head? How much longer can Minnesota stumble on offense against a team with a dominant defense? We're a quarter of the way into the season, and Minnesota's offensive issues, from its quarterback to a game plan that hasn't featured one of the best receiving duos in the NFL, need to be addressed before things get out of hand, blame gets publicly assigned and the wheels come off a team with playoff hopes. -- Courtney Cronin

Next game: at N.Y. Giants (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Denver Broncos 24

The offense's second-half revival won the game for the Jaguars. Gardner Minshew II turned in a little Mile High magic on Sunday, leading the Jaguars to four scoring drives after halftime -- including the game winner -- to add another chapter to Minshew Mania. The Jaguars had 115 yards of total offense in the first half but rolled up 340 in the second, including 190 yards rushing by Leonard Fournette. Minshew threw two touchdown passes -- including one on which he danced to avoid three tacklers -- and led the Jaguars to 23 second-half points. Jacksonville is now 2-2, despite losing its starting QB to injury (Nick Foles) and playing without its best defensive player (Jalen Ramsey) this week. -- Mike DiRocco

Next game: at Carolina (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

For the Broncos, it's now put-up or shut-up. "That's the bottom line, man, if you consider yourself a tough, NFL football player, well then, damn, look at yourself in the mirror, pick yourself up, and get ready to go back to work,'' quarterback Joe Flacco said. The Broncos fell to 0-4 for the first time since 1999. Their losing spiral dates to Week 14 of the 2018 season, the first loss in their current eight-game skid. The Broncos have three-quarters of a season left, and though they keep saying they have the character to keep from pouting their way to a historically dismal run, they will have to prove it. -- Jeff Legwold

Next game: at L.A. Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Philadelphia Eagles 34, Green Bay Packers 27

Jordan Howard helped relieve some concern for Philadelphia. He busted up his old rival for 115 total yards and three touchdowns, as the Eagles (2-2) turned to the ground game for a hope-restoring victory. Not all the Eagles' ailments were fixed -- the defense continues to struggle against the pass, and they lost cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Sidney Jones to injury. But they can at least breathe a little easier as they set their sights on a Week 5 home game against the Jets. -- Tim McManus

Next game: vs. N.Y. Jets (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

This game showed the Packers how much they need Davante Adams -- and how much they miss him. After Aaron Rodgers said they needed to get the ball to Adams more, he did just that. And Adams delivered with 10 catches and a career-high 180 yards. Then they lost him to a turf toe injury midway through the fourth quarter and failed on two separate drives deep in Eagles territory, including one that included four plays from the 1-yard line. If the Packers are going to put together a complete game on offense next week at Dallas, they're going to need Adams both available and heavily involved. -- Rob Demovsky

Next game: at Dallas (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 6)

Brad Ausmus may lose his job as manager of the Los Angeles Angels after just one year with the team, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

His status has been under review by the team's leadership in recent days, at the end of what has been a disappointing season on the field and a tragic one off the field, with the midseason death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

The Angels finished 72-90, 35 games behind AL West champion Houston, and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

If the 49-year-old Ausmus is fired, then there will be immediate speculation that his replacement will be Joe Maddon, who was just pushed out by the Chicago Cubs. Before his first big-league managerial job with the Rays, Maddon worked for years in the Angels organization, and sources say that owner Arte Moreno has high regard for Maddon.

Ausmus was hired as the franchise's first new manager in nearly two decades with Mike Scioscia's departure after the 2018 season. Scioscia managed 19 major league seasons, wound up with 1,650 career victories and led the wild-card Angels to a World Series title in 2002.

BARRE, Vt. – Bobby Therrien was nearly unstoppable on his way to victory in the 57th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Sunday.

The 2017 “King of the Road” bounced back from a heartbreaking runner-up finish in the 2018 Milk Bowl by winning it from the pole with an overall score of eight points.

One year after losing the overall win on the final corner, Therrien left no doubt all weekend that he was the man to beat. The veteran got his Sunday started out on the right foot by going wire-to-wire to win the first segment from the pole.

Therrien then found the luck every Milk Bowl winner needs, when he evaded a six-car pile-up on the opening corner of the second segment that swept up contenders Scott Payea and Patrick Laperle, among others.

With the field thinned out considerably thanks to the crash, plus several more cautions that followed, Therrien sliced through the pack to finish runner-up in the second segment while Plainfield, NH’s Rich Dubeau ran away with the win.

The result gave Therrien a subtotal of three points entering the final segment – six ahead of former Milk Bowl winner Joey Polewarczyk and 10 up on Brooks Clark.

Therrien started the final segment three spots behind Polewarczyk on the grid. However, he needed only three laps to get underneath “Joey Pole”, further cementing his status as the frontrunner. As Polewarczyk remained hung up in traffic, Therrien coolly drove his way up through the field once again.

He broke into the top-five of the caution-free segment on lap 40, which was more than enough to put him in a clinching position.

Although Clark gave it his best effort and captured the runner-up spot in the final segment, Therrien’s edge was too much to overcome.

The result made Therrien the second consecutive driver to win the Milk Bowl with a single-digit score, after the Milk Bowl had previously gone 20 years without such a feat.

It also landed him more than $12,000 in unofficial total prize money, an entry on the Milk Bowl granite monument – and perhaps most importantly, a kiss with genuine Vermont beauty Ayris (a 10-year-old Ayrshire dairy cow) in victory lane.

Clark’s second-place finish in the final segment also gave him second place in the overall with 15 points. Tyler Cahoon took third overall thanks in part to a third-segment win.

Polewarczyk’s struggles in the final segment dropped him to fourth overall. Newly-crowned “King of the Road” Jason Corliss finished fifth in his bid for a third straight Milk Bowl crown.

Marcel J. Gravel, Scott Dragon, Jimmy Hebert, Dubeau, and Matthew Smith rounded out the top 10 at the finish.

Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard put the cap on a dream season by taking the victory in the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger “Mini Milk Bowl”.

Woodard won the first segment from the pole on Saturday, and on Sunday, he charged up to sixth in the caution-free 40-lap second segment.

His total of seven points gave him the overall win by two markers over Barre’s Jason Pelkey, who finished fourth and fifth in the two stanzas.

It was Woodard’s fourth win of the year in a campaign where he also won the Thunder Road track championship, Myers Container Services Triple Crown Series championship, and White Mountain Motorsports Park Flying Tiger Triple Crown Series title.

Kyle Streeter completed the podium with a total of 10 points. Cooper Bouchard, Kelsea Woodard, Mike Billado, Tyler Austin, Mike Martin, Brad Bushey, and Stephen Martin completed the overall top-10.

Kevin Streeter won the second segment.

Jason Kenison took advantage of a crazy final lap to win the Allen Lumber Street Stock Mini Milk Bowl. Kenison opened the day with a victory in a first segment that included the whole division getting a mid-race “time out” for rough driving.

In the second segment, Kenison entered the final lap in the ninth position, putting him in a tie for the provisional overall with St. Johnsbury’s Kasey Beattie – but with Beattie having the tiebreaker advantage by leading the pack they were racing in.

However, a lapped car drifted up the track into Beattie’s path exiting turn two, creating a mad scramble. Kenison saw a hole down low and filled it, gaining two spots to take the overall with a score of eight points.

Beattie settled for second with 10 total points after finishing fourth and sixth in the two segments. Tommy “Thunder” Smith came in third overall.

Justin Blakely topped a three-way tie for fourth after Ryan Ware was disqualified for being too low. J.T. Blanchard, Kyle MacAskill, segment two winner Brandon Gray, Keegan Lamson, Tom Campbell, and Darren Newland finished fifth through 10th.

Brian Putney inherited his third win of the season in the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Mini Milk Bowl. Putney came in second overall on the track after finishing third in the first segment on Saturday and fifth in the second segment on Sunday.

He then was awarded the first-place trophy after Luke Marcheski was disqualified for tire and air intake violations.

Eric “Pork” Chase became the new second-place overall finisher, while Dan Garrett Jr. inherited third. James Dopp, Josh Vilbrin, Fred Fleurly, Paige Whittemore, Mike Mitchell, Frank Putney, and Anthony Campbell also earned top-10 finishes.

Andy Hill pulled a clean sweep in the 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars by winning both segments of their Mini Milk Bowl.

Hill, this year’s White Mountain Motorsports Park Champion, got around the outside of Jason Wyman with two laps to go to win the first 20-lap segment. He then came from shotgun on the field in the second segment to run down Norman Forest in the closing laps.

Forest finished runner-up in the second segment and the overall. Colby Bourgeois used a pair of fourth-places in the two segments to take third in the final rundown.

Bourgeois was followed by Chad Dufour, Jeff Ainsworth, Cody Wyman, Jason Wyman, Dave Gyger, Kevin Wyman, and Tom Harwood.

MADISON, Ill. – In an all-Kalitta Motorsports final round, Shawn Langdon beat teammate J.R. Todd to win in Funny Car Sunday during the eighth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the second of six races in the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Langdon, a former Top Fuel world champion, became just the second driver in NHRA history to win in both nitro classes at St. Louis, going 4.068 seconds at 310.41 mph in his Global Electronic Technology Toyota Camry to beat Todd, the defending world champion.

Langdon who also beat Tommy Johnson Jr., Jim Campbell and Bob Tasca III on Sunday, earned his second career Funny Car win and 16th overall victory.

Todd, who is now fifth in points, picked up his 33rd final-round appearance with wins against Jack Beckman, No. 1 qualifier John Force and Robert Hight, who took over the points lead on Sunday.

It was also the first all-Kalitta Motorsports final round in Funny Car since 2016, a matchup that included Del Worsham, who is the co-crew chief on Langdon’s car.

“What an incredible day,” said Langdon, who climbed to seventh in the Funny Car standings. “Going through qualifying, we had a consistent car. We’ve got such a great group of guys and it was a pretty good day. Anytime you can get a win in this class, it builds momentum. We had to make some big changes coming into St. Louis and the car was flawless for me to drive.

“I love racing for (team owner) Connie (Kalitta). He just has so much passion. He’s a great motivator and a great leader, and we just follow his vision. We all just work together.”

Billy Torrence beat his son Steve in an all-Torrence final round, going 3.835 at 319.67 in his Capco Contractors dragster.

It was the second time father and son have met in the finals, with Steve taking the first matchup, and just the third father-son final-round matchup in NHRA history.

Billy Torrence beat Kyle Wurtzel, points leader Doug Kalitta and Leah Pritchett to reach the final round before picking up his third win this season and fourth in his career.

Steve Torrence reached the final round for the 52nd time in his career, as the defending world champ beat Scott Palmer, Pat Dakin and No. 1 qualifier Mike Salinas.

The runner-up showing also pulled him to within two points of points leader Kalitta, but the final round belonged to his father, who moved to ninth in the standings with four playoff races remaining.

“To get to race Steve in the final was the goal,” Billy Torrence said. “We watched how we qualified and we did a good job of staying on opposite sides of the ladder. It came out a little better for me in the end this time. It’s tough to come out here. You’re at the pinnacle of drag racing on this level, but I’ve got to have fun.

“It’s just a blessing to get to be out here with my family. We’ve raced everything and it’s just really fun. It’s a family sport and we’re right in the middle of it.”

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