Six quarterbacks made their first starts this season in Week 3. The group had a combined record of 3-3. Here's a look at how they fared:

Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers

Statistics: 19-for-26 with 261 yards passing, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, Total QBR 85.6

Performance in two words: Season-saving. Had Kyle Allen not come through for the injured Cam Newton (foot) and the Panthers fallen to 0-3, this team might have self-destructed. For sure, there would have been rumblings about the job security of coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney. Now the only rumblings will be about whether the Panthers should stick with Allen as long as he's on a hot streak because the offense clicked on practically all cylinders with him spreading the ball around. It hasn't with Newton. -- David Newton

Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints

Statistics: 19-for-27 with 177 yards passing, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, Total QBR 65.6

Performance in two words: Long overdue. Bridgewater delivered in his first "meaningful start" since the 2015 season -- and admitted that he was filled with emotions pregame. He didn't light up the stat sheet, but he was savvy enough to get the ball to Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas while avoiding sacks and turnovers in one of the NFL's toughest road venues. His poise was exactly what the Saints expected when they made him the NFL's highest-paid backup quarterback. -- Mike Triplett

Luke Falk, New York Jets

Statistics: 12-for-22 with 98 yards passing, 0 TDs, 1 INT, Total QBR 13.4

Performance in two words: No chance. Falk was overwhelmed in his first NFL start, orchestrating two drives that crossed midfield. Facing one of the top defenses in the league, Falk was under heavy pressure (five sacks), some of it due to his inability to read defenses. Patriots coach Bill Belichick toyed with the 24-year-old quarterback, confusing him with pass coverages you can bet he didn't see in the Pac-12. Falk didn't see the field well and completed seven passes to his wide receivers. It could be one-and-done for him, as Sam Darnold (mono) is hoping to return after the Week 4 bye. -- Rich Cimini

Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Statistics: 23-for-36 with 336 yards and 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 4 carries for 28 yards, 2 TDs, Total QBR 88.0

Performance in two words: Absolutely incredible. In his first career start, Jones became the second player (joining Eric Hipple) since the 1970 merger to record two rushing TDs and two passing TDs, according to Elias. Giants co-owner Steve Tisch described it as a "new chapter." It included an 18-point comeback and a game-winning touchdown scamper with less than two minutes remaining on a fourth-down prayer. Jones made coach Pat Shurmur look smart in his belief that the rookie was the better quarterback for the Giants right now when deciding to start Jones over Eli Manning. -- Jordan Raanan

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers

Statistics:14-for-27 with 174 yards passing, 2 TDs, 1 INTs, Total QBR 18.9

Performance in two words: Too conservative. Rudolph didn't uncork a long pass until the second half. In the first half, seven of his eight completions were caught at or behind the line of scrimmage. But when he went vertical in the second half -- including touchdown throws of 76 and 39 yards -- the offense picked up. Rudolph made a couple of young quarterback mistakes, including taking a few sacks and throwing a bad interception, but the biggest mistake was on the coaching staff for not dialing up plays that fit his skill set until it was too late. -- Brooke Pryor

Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins

Statistics: 18-for-39 with 200 yards passing, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, Total QBR 52.7

Describe his performance in two words: Initial spark. Rosen brought more aggression to the Dolphins' offense than it had the first two weeks with Ryan Fitzpatrick, including a 40-yard reception to DeVante Parker and a 25-yarder to Preston Williams. Rosen flashed some solid pocket presence and looked to be on the way to a strong day when he led four first-half drives deep into Cowboys territory. But drops and an untimely turnover got the Dolphins a total of six points. In the second half, Rosen took a step back, throwing for 46 yards and failing to get any rhythm going. -- Cam Wolfe

The Bills, Pats, Chiefs, Packers and Cowboys all sailed to 3-0 while the Lions also remained undefeated at 2-0-1. In big Week 3 wins, the Vikings' run game dominated Oakland, while Jacksonville was forced to rely on its passing game. And Daniel Jones debuted in a big way.

All that and more in Week 3's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

Jump to a matchup:
LAR-CLE | BAL-KC | ATL-IND
DET-PHI | DEN-GB | NYJ-NE
OAK-MIN | MIA-DAL | CIN-BUF
NYG-TB | CAR-ARI | HOU-LAC
NO-SEA | PIT-SF | TEN-JAX

Los Angeles Rams 20, Cleveland Browns 13

The Rams escaped Cleveland with a victory despite an uneven performance by the offense. The Rams up-and-down night included two touchdown passes and two intercepted passes from quarterback Jared Goff. The defense maintained pressure on Baker Mayfield and sacked the Browns quarterback three times. The Rams return to Los Angeles 3-0, but must find solutions for their first-half offensive woes before they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. -- Lindsey Thiry

Next game: vs. Tampa Bay (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Cleveland had an opportunity for a statement victory against the defending NFC champions. Instead, questionable play-calling in the fourth quarter and the inability to punch the ball in for a touchdown in the final seconds dropped the Browns to 1-2. Coach Freddie Kitchens' decision to call a draw on fourth-and-9, and then to follow that up by not calling a single running play from the Rams' 4-yard line in the final minute, will surely be debated in the coming days. The bigger question for the Browns, though, is whether they can tread water as they work through their struggles offensively. The schedule doesn't get any easier, with a trip to the Baltimore Ravens up next. But as QB Baker Mayfield said, starting 1-2 is no reason to hit the panic button. That's of course assuming the Browns can hover around .500 until the schedule softens down the back half of the season. -- Jake Trotter

Next game: at Baltimore (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Kansas City Chiefs 33, Baltimore Ravens 28

Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Darrel Williams showed the Chiefs' quality offensive depth. The Chiefs can thrive in the passing game when the injured Tyreek Hill is out of the lineup, as evidenced by Hardman and Robinson each scoring a touchdown. And Williams led the Chiefs in rushing, giving the Chiefs some confidence they will be OK if Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy can't play because of injuries in next week's game at Detroit. -- Adam Teicher

Next game: at Detroit (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The Ravens aren't ready to be mentioned among the NFL's elite. Lamar Jackson struggled for three quarters, the defense couldn't slow down Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and costly penalties proved too much to overcome. The Ravens (2-1) generated plenty of national buzz in routing the woeful Dolphins and beating Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in his first road start. But when matched against one of the best teams in the AFC, the Ravens made too many mistakes to pull off an upset. The Ravens will find where they measure up in the AFC North next Sunday when they host the Browns. -- Jamison Hensley

Next game: vs. Cleveland (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Indianapolis Colts 27, Atlanta Falcons 24

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett showed he can be the guy. He opened the game with 16 consecutive completions to tie Peyton Manning for the fifth-most in franchise history, and his 310 yards passing should end the talk of him not being able to be throw downfield. Brissett didn't rely on one or two receivers, either -- he completed passes to nine different players. He finished the game 28-of-37 for 310 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. -- Mike Wells

Next game: vs. Oakland (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The Falcons have to play with more discipline. They were penalized 16 times for 128 yards on Sunday, including a defensive holding call on Damontae Kazee at the 10:33 mark of the fourth quarter when the Colts faced third-and-10 from their own 47 and Brissett threw an incomplete pass. It kept the Indianapolis drive alive with a first down and eventually resulted in Marlon Mack's 4-yard touchdown that proved to be the difference. "You just can't hold. That's it,'' Kazee said. Coach Dan Quinn, now coordinating defense, expects more, particularly with procedural penalties. In three games, the Falcons have accumulated 35 penalties for 264 yards. The lack of discipline needs to end, starting with the Titans next week. -- Vaughn McClure

Next game: vs. Tennessee (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Detroit Lions 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24

Winning on the road against a good team shows the Lions will compete in the NFC North. "Obviously, it's a tough game against a tough team," wide receiver Marvin Jones II said. "That's a good team right there ... so us doing that, showing resiliency throughout whatever, that's big." Are the Lions for real? We'll find out next week when they host Patrick Mahomes and the unbeaten Chiefs. -- Michael Rothstein

Next game: vs. Kansas City (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Mistakes cost the Eagles amid injuries. The Eagles' inability to capitalize on Malcolm Jenkins' blocked field goal put the Super Bowl hopefuls in a precarious position. Philadelphia (1-2) has loads of talent, but early injuries have hit the veteran-laden roster. And with DeSean Jackson (abdominal strain) expected to miss Thursday's game in Green Bay, and Alshon Jeffery (quad) iffy, the Eagles remain shorthanded. -- Tim McManus

Next game: at Green Bay (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, Sept. 26)

Green Bay Packers 27, Denver Broncos 16

The Packers are getting their money's worth out of Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith. They dished out $36 million in signing-bonus money alone to the duo, but they already have more combined sacks (7.5) than last year's starting edge rusher combo of Clay Matthews (3.5) and Nick Perry (1.5) posted all season. That sent the Packers to 3-0 heading into Thursday's quick turnaround game against the Eagles, as the Smiths combined for five of the Packers' six sacks and nine of their 13 pressures. It was also the second time in three weeks the defense has forced at least three turnovers, helping to allow Aaron Rodgers and the offense to get away with the slow start. -- Rob Demovsky

Next game: vs. Philadelphia (8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday, Sept. 26)

The Broncos are battling themselves in addition to their opponents. They have moments when they look to be rounding into the tough-minded team, but there are still too many when they make the mistakes that doom their chances. It makes a Week 4 home game against Jacksonville all the more important. The Broncos keep saying they're close to putting things together. "Right there, one or two plays,'' defensive end Shelby Harris said. But there has to be some kind of payoff on the field for their efforts. -- Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Jacksonville (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

New England Patriots 30, New York Jets 14

The Patriots are winning with defense. With the Tom Brady-led offense dealing with myriad injuries, the attacking defense is the backbone of the team, sparking memories of the dominant units of the early 2000s that led the team to three Super Bowl titles. The D made it look easy Sunday against third-string quarterback Luke Falk and the Jets (touchdowns were scored on a pick-six and a muffed punt). Next up is a visit to face the Bills, who aren't in the offensive powerhouse category, either, but should provide a greater challenge. -- Mike Reiss

Next game: at Buffalo (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The spotlight will be on coach Adam Gase as the Jets head into their bye week. The Jets are off to one of the worst offensive starts in team history, and Gase used words such as "brutal" and "atrocious" to describe Sunday's performance. He should get some slack because he started Falk, but there were other issues, including a veteran offensive line that looked completely out of sync. They need quarterback Sam Darnold (mono) in the lineup, and soon. -- Rich Cimini

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

Minnesota Vikings 34, Oakland Raiders 14

The Vikings are getting a major return on their investment in running back Dalvin Cook. Yes, Minnesota has faced some lackluster defenses that have struggled against the run, but topping 100 yards and scoring a rushing touchdown in the first three games is incredible. He's averaging more than 6.5 yards per carry and has breathed life into this offense. Given the way the Vikings have built a run-first mentality, it's not hard to predict Cook continuing to turn in performances like he did against the Raiders, even against defenses that are harder to run on, like the Bears next Sunday. -- Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Chicago (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

It's only three games old, but the season might already be on the brink. Defensive end Josh Mauro said, "If you feel comfortable after losing like that, there's something wrong with you." Added linebacker Tahir Whitehead: "If we don't get this corrected, it's going to continue to poke its head up. We just need to ... hold ourselves accountable, and make sure that there aren't any people that are feeling comfortable after this loss because there are a lot of things that need to be fixed. And unless we fix them, it's going to be a long season." The Raiders head to Indianapolis to face the Colts next week and don't play in Oakland again until Nov. 3. -- Paul Gutierrez

Next game: at Indianapolis (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Dallas Cowboys 31, Miami Dolphins 6

Dallas adjusted at halftime to reach 3-0 for the first time since 2008 and for the sixth time in Jerry Jones' tenure as owner. In four of the previous five times, they made the playoffs, including Super Bowl seasons in 1992 and 1995. Nobody is saying that about this team -- yet -- but it is off to the start it needed with a more difficult schedule later in the season. The Cowboys overcame a poor first half to win Sunday. "Our ability to kind of process what's keeping us back and then getting it fixed then seeing that transfer over into success, I mean, it doesn't always happen within games," tight end Jason Witten said. -- Todd Archer

Next game: at New Orleans (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

There was positive progress for the Dolphins after being embarrassed over their first two weeks. Quarterback Josh Rosen had a few nice drives early in his first start for the Dolphins, who outplayed the Cowboys in the first half. But the result was ultimately the same -- a mistake-heavy blowout loss. The Dolphins don't want any moral victories. The Chargers come to town next Sunday, and it doesn't seem like the blowouts will stop anytime soon. The Dolphins have been outscored 133-16 in their first three games, a minus-117 point differential, the worst in the Super Bowl era. -- Cameron Wolfe

Next game: vs. L.A. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Buffalo Bills 21, Cincinnati Bengals 17

Josh Allen needs to discover the balance between extending a play and extending a drive. His ability to keep plays alive and make throws downfield put the Bills ahead for good Sunday -- but also kept them from putting the Bengals away throughout most of the second half. His delayed decision to throw the ball away and move on to the next play led to an ugly interception and the Bengals' first touchdown of the game. "I was trying to do the right thing," he said. "Just one of those plays where, at the last split-second, I made a bad decision." Bad decisions by Allen would cost the unbeaten Bills any chance of beating the unbeaten Patriots next week at home. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: vs. New England (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

A top priority for Bengals coach Zac Taylor will be making sure the team doesn't believe it's as bad as its 0-3 record. The Bengals almost pulled off their second road win in as many games but couldn't put together two solid drives to withstand the Bills. As the onslaught from outsiders begins, Taylor is working to fortify the self-belief of a team that has lost 10 of its past 11 games. "We know that it's errors that we're bringing upon ourselves," Taylor said. "Once we can fix that and just catch our break eventually, we're going to be in good shape." -- Ben Baby

Next game: at Pittsburgh (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 30)

New York Giants 32, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31

Daniel Jones can do it all. He rallied the Giants from an 18-point halftime deficit without running back Saquon Barkley in his first career start. And he threw for 300 yards and had three total touchdowns in the second half alone, something Eli Manning never did in any half of his career, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Giants co-owner Steve Tisch called this the start of a "new chapter." He was blown away by the 22-year-old's poise and composure. His teammates were equally impressed. They loved when Jones -- who doesn't curse much -- yelled "Let's f---ing score!" in a second-quarter huddle. Moments later, he kept the ball on a zone-read for his first touchdown as a professional. -- Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Washington (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The Bucs' well-documented kicking woes aren't behind them. Rookie Matt Gay missed a 34-yard field goal with four seconds left, and he missed an extra-point attempt after the Bucs' opening possession and had a blocked extra point at the end of the first quarter. Gay also had a 42-yard miss last week against the Panthers. But the disappearance of the defense in the second half was perhaps more troubling. This group had given up one touchdown in the first eight quarters of the season and gave up four to a rookie quarterback on Sunday. It won't get any easier with a daunting five-game road stretch ahead. -- Jenna Laine

Next game: at L.A. Rams (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Carolina Panthers 38, Arizona Cardinals 20

Kyle Allen gave the Panthers a spark. If you've followed the Panthers for any length of time, you know quarterback Cam Newton takes at least an hour after games to prepare for his news conference. Allen, who replaced the injured starter on Sunday at Arizona, was in front of the podium less than 15 minutes after the locker room opened. No fancy outfits. Just a polo shirt, slacks and tennis shoes. It won't go into the records books as the fastest turnaround ever for a Carolina quarterback after a game, and Allen's four touchdown passes aren't a record, either. But Allen was impressive enough that the Panthers shouldn't think twice about giving Newton at least another week to rest his sore left foot. Allen gave the offense what it needed after an 0-2 start, in which the ailing Newton became the focus of attention. -- David Newton

Next game: at Houston (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The education of Kyler Murray continues. The rookie quarterback learned what it was like to run a nearly flawless drive for a touchdown and get sacked eight times in a game on Sunday. But as he and coach Kliff Kingsbury have done through three weeks, they'll address the issues that are broken and try to fix them with their first taste of an NFC West rivalry coming up Sunday against the Seahawks. But as they've also learned, every time they fix something, something else seems to pop up. -- Josh Weinfuss

Next game: vs. Seattle (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Houston Texans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 20

The offensive line finally looked pretty good. The Texans hoped they fixed their line problem by starting their third right tackle in three games. Houston moved first-round pick Tytus Howard from left guard to right tackle and replaced him with second-round pick Max Scharping. After allowing 10 sacks in the first two games, the offensive line only gave up two sacks Sunday. Going into the season, figuring out how to better protect quarterback Deshaun Watson was the priority for the Texans, and against the Chargers, O'Brien said, "Watson had a lot of time," especially considering the talent of Los Angeles' front seven. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: vs. Carolina (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The Chargers have struggled in second halves so far this season, getting outscored 45-10. Turnovers and costly penalties have been at the root of the team's 1-2 record, with five of the team's turnovers this season in the second half, leading to 15 points for the opposing team. It was a strength for the Chargers last season, so they have to figure out how to close games now, starting next week at winless Miami. -- Eric D. Williams

Next game: at Miami (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

New Orleans Saints 33, Seattle Seahawks 27

The Saints proved they can win some games during Drew Brees' absence. Teddy Bridgewater showed he is savvy enough to lean on Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and a standout offensive line. And, by the way, the Saints regained sole possession of first place in the NFC South at 2-1. They are now three quarters of the way through a grueling September schedule that will culminate with a Sunday night showdown at home against the 3-0 Cowboys. -- Mike Triplett

Next game: vs. Dallas (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

Ball security is still an issue for Chris Carson. Coach Pete Carroll doesn't seem to have reached his breaking point yet with the running back despite his sudden fumbling problem. Carson lost a fumble Sunday that the Saints returned for a touchdown, a key play in Seattle's 33-27 loss. It was his third fumble in as many games (not counting a botched handoff that wasn't entirely his fault). But Carroll was supportive of Carson postgame. "He's had three remarkable, remarkable punches that have knocked the ball out, and he was covering it and his conscious was in the right place and it happened again," Carroll said. In other words, expect Carson to remain the starter when Seattle heads to Arizona next week. -- Brady Henderson

Next game: at Arizona (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

San Francisco 49ers 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 20

San Francisco is finding ways to win. By rule of the most important stat in football -- turnover margin -- the 49ers not only should have lost to Pittsburgh, they probably should have lost handily. Instead, these Niners again found a way to win, and for as ugly as it might have been, it was a victory they wouldn't have gotten a season ago. Overcoming five turnovers and coming up with timely drives and a pair of takeaways of their own yielded the team's first 3-0 start since 1998. "It's just the mindset of the locker room," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. "Complementary football. ... That's how you create a good football team. We're getting there." Indeed, there's still plenty of work for the 49ers to do moving forward, work that begins even on next week's bye. But the early returns indicate they're finally moving in the right direction. -- Nick Wagoner

Next game: vs. Cleveland (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 7)

The Steelers are 0-3 for the first time since 2013, a season in which they finished 8-8. Though newcomer Minkah Fitzpatrick was optimistic about his team's outlook after Sunday's loss, there is mounting frustration in the locker room. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward expressed his surprise at being winless. "We've just got to finish games," he said. "Two times, defense has just got to make a stop. We didn't." But center Maurkice Pouncey said the Steelers can bounce back. It starts next week on Monday Night Football. -- Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Cincinnati (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 30)

Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 7

The Jaguars were abysmal at running the ball. They had to rely on rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II to move the offense, and the sixth-round pick showed Thursday night that he's up to the challenge, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars ran for 89 yards, but 69 of that came on one run in the fourth quarter. Until that point, Leonard Fournette had negative rushing yards, mainly because of how poorly the offensive line played. That's happened in back-to-back weeks, and there needs to be significant improvement next week in Denver or it's going to be the Minshew show again. -- Mike DiRocco

Next game: at Denver (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

The Titans offense is reeling after two lifeless losses to division rivals. Quarterback Marcus Mariota made a couple of nice throws but also missed a couple of wide-open receivers for what would have been timely big gains. Tennessee's offensive line gave up nine sacks against the Jaguars, increasing their total to 17 allowed this season. That trend can't continue if the Titans plan to break their two-game losing streak next week against the Falcons. -- Turron Davenport

Next game: at Atlanta (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)

CHICAGO -- There was a time when the sight of rain at a Chicago Cubs game would elicit a smile and bring back a happy memory. After all, rain is associated with the team's 2016 World Series championship, as much as anything that went down in their Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

On that night, the Cubs rallied around each other during a late-inning rain delay, famously led by right fielder Jason Heyward.

Fast-forward to Sunday. At Wrigley Field. With rain falling once again, just as it did on that November night nearly three years ago, the Cubs were again trying to rally. This time around starter Yu Darvish, as well as their own legacy. For the second straight day, they had a ninth-inning lead against their archrivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. And again, they lost it.

And in doing so, they lost who they were. The Cubs who won that championship are gone forever -- leaving behind only the memory of a dominant team. Some players will remain -- though likely not the manager -- but the vibe won't ever be the same.

And that's a good thing.

As these things go, the Cubs need a shakeup of epic proportions. The math says they still have a chance at the playoffs, but no one really believes that. Not after losing five consecutive one-run games and six overall at home.

At Wrigley Field. In the hunt for the playoffs.

The Cubs folded.

Using a twist of a Joe Maddon saying, there is little doubt they let the pressure of the moment exceed the pleasure of the game.

"No matter what the end results end up being, the character is not determined by the final results," veteran outfielder Ben Zobrist said as philosophically as possible. "It's determined by how you go about the process. We do believe in the process here."

But that process might be broken. It's possible that it began to break the day the Cubs won that World Series, but first, it started to bend. And then bend some more, in 2018, and slowly but surely, the team -- and its players -- lost what set them apart in 2016.

"It's hard to pinpoint anything," Maddon said of the breakdowns this season. "Lot of guys are having really good seasons. We've lost a lot of one-run games. Is that the lack of a hit or is that lack of a pitch? I don't know."

It's a lack of everything, including the fundamentals of the game. Some numbers lie, but some don't: The Cubs lead the majors in outs made on the bases, are third in the National League in errors and have the worst save rate in the NL in the ninth inning or later, blowing an MLB-worst 15 of 50 opportunities. They do some things well, such as hitting home runs and shutting down the opponent during blowout wins.

In perhaps the most misleading statistic of any team, the Cubs actually rank third in bullpen ERA in the NL. But take a shovel and dig just below the surface -- not very far at all -- and you see the underbelly of a bullpen that has been a mess. In high-leverage situations -- you know, close games -- the Cubs' relief crew is last in the NL in walk rate (13.6%) and K/BB ratio (1.6) and 12th in WHIP (1.50) and opponents' OPS (.856). Talk about the pressure exceeding the pleasure.

It happened over and over again to the Cubs this season. Not good enough to run away from teams, they also weren't good enough to grind their way to a better season.

Then came the injuries. Baseball has a cruel way of revealing who you really are over the course of 162 games. And so do the baseball gods. What they told the Cubs over and over again -- including Maddon -- was that they weren't good enough or deep enough to play sloppy baseball and still win enough games. The team fought back on that notion, reinforcing the roster by calling up hot-shot Double-A prospect Nico Hoerner to fill in for the ailing Javier Baez. And before that, the front office traded for doubles machine Nicholas Castellanos. We're deep enough now, they thought.

Still, it wasn't enough.

Neither was a heroic return to the field for their ailing captain, first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Days after spraining an ankle, he was back to lead the team to greatness.

They haven't won since his return.

Of course, there is nothing they can do about injuries, but the issues facing the team came long before anyone got hurt. A lot of them came when the front office didn't properly equip itself with a closer to start the season. And either Craig Kimbrel is simply struggling because he got a late start or this is who he is. Either way, it's a problem for the Cubs. That's what happens when you mess with the baseball gods. Signing a pitcher midseason who had been struggling at the end of the previous year is a recipe for disaster. That is, unless, you're sure those workouts at a local high school have proved his readiness.

The manager isn't off the hook, either. How many more runs do the Cubs score if they don't lead the league in outs on the bases? How many runs do they save -- as well as pitches they subsequently wouldn't have to throw -- if not for being at the top of the league in errors? Does a manager have no influence in these areas? Does he not affect young players? When shortstop Addison Russell came up from the minors in 2015, Maddon was praised for the environment he set for him to succeed. Is criticism unfair when that player regresses? When several others do, as well?

Perhaps no single person is emblematic of the Cubs' regression than center fielder Albert Almora Jr. The very first draft pick of the Theo Epstein regime -- No. 6 overall -- is a shell of himself. Once an up-and-coming Gold Glover who could at least mash lefties, he has been relegated to backup-to-the-backup duty. On Sunday, Almora entered the game in the ninth inning only to misplay the very first ball he saw. It led to the Cardinals' win and the Cubs' collapse.

Pressure. Exceeding. Pleasure.

"We want to win the World Series," a dejected Almora said after that play. "The chances of that are getting slim."

Slim has left the building. Miracles are the only thing left, for this season and perhaps for Almora as a Cub. But make no mistake, he isn't the only player who has regressed.

As for Maddon, he'll go out as the Cubs' manager confused about several things, but he really shouldn't be. When you're not good enough and you're not playing sharp, strange things occur. Maddon has wondered: Why is the Cubs' record in road night games (19-35) so bad? It's simple, because the team isn't good enough, and those losses have to show up somewhere, right? It means nothing that it has happened more at night and on the road. It's an oddity, not the big reason for the Cubs' woes. There's more.

"Statistically, if you look at all of the numbers, it doesn't correspond to where we're at," Maddon said. "We've had a lot of good individual years offensively. We've had starting-pitching issues recently. And then the bullpen has been maligned; but look at the overall numbers with the bullpen, they're actually really, really good."

It's inconceivable, with all the metrics available to the team and manager, that anyone would look at those high-leverage numbers and believe the bullpen has been "really, really good." But Maddon is right about individual performances. They've had some good ones, before the injuries hit. But it's a further indictment on the group that they haven't played better as a team.

"It's hard to cull it down to one particular event or moment or thought," Maddon said. "It's difficult."

On that, Maddon could not have been more right. Not just about this season, but about the Cubs since that November night in 2016. It's not any one thing that has gone wrong. In fact, it's possible, everything that has happened since that moment was going to happen. Living in a post-Cubs-World Series-winning world was been nothing like anyone in baseball -- even Theo Epstein -- could have imagined. Sorry Boston, the Red Sox can't touch the Cubs in the rags-to-riches narrative -- and the adulation that comes with winning it all as a Cub.

"It's the big leagues of the big leagues," Zobrist said. "That's the way fans make you feel here. The front office, the organization, the way everything is run. It's hard to beat the experience of being a Chicago Cubs player."

And so the time has come for change. To create something new without having to start over. The time is upon us. And the next six games won't do anything to change that.

"You would like to have a season where things go your way, but that hasn't been our path this year," Epstein said.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Victor Gonzalez survived a wet and wild TC America TCR/TCA feature to collect the TCR victory Sunday afternoon at Road America.

After a slight delay due to rainy conditions, the second race of the weekend for the TCR and TCA classes got underway with championship leader Michael Hurczyn leading the field to green after two laps behind the safety car to test conditions.

Heading into turn five at the start, Michael McCann Jr. went wide, falling to the back of the field from fifth position. At the same time, Nick Wittmer would shoot past Tomas Mejia for the lead in TCA as Mejia would fall to third in class as Tyler Maxson would slot into second position. Maxson would then have a moment and fall to fifth position in class seeing Chris Haldeman inherit second in the TCA class.

At the start of lap two, leader Michael Hurczyn would go off track at the fast turn one, handing the lead to Gonzalez. Hurczyn would continue, landing in fourth position. Gonzalez would pull out an eleven second lead over Nate Vincent in second and James Walker in third. Gonzalez would control the rest of the race, and go on to claim his second win of the season.

“I’m so happy and I know everybody back home is watching the race and are happy too. I have to thank the team and HPD Honda for giving us such a great car, I’m looking forward to one more in Las Vegas,” said Gonzalez.

Two laps later Hurczyn would get past Walker for third and set off for his teammate in second position.

Late in the race Hurczyn would get past Vincent with the FCP Euro teammates finishing second and third overall, with Walker coming home fourth.

With 24 minutes remaining, Haldeman would get past Wittmer for the TCA lead at turn 14. Two minutes later, TCA championship Tyler Maxson would face engine issues and pull into the pits. Maxson would continue a few laps later in the 12th position, one lap down.

At the 20 minute mark, Haldeman would then have a moment of his own, falling to third, giving Wittmer the class lead and promoting Mat Pombo.

With 15 minutes remaining, Pombo would power past Wittmer for the TCA class lead with the top three in class running nose to tail. Three minutes later Wittmer would get past Pombo for the lead at the outside of turn one with less than a second separating the three TCA class leaders.

Four laps later, Pombo would make a move on the outside of turn seven around Wittmer and take the class lead with under six minutes remaining in the race. Haldeman would follow Pombo through, demoting Wittmer to third in two corners. On the next lap, Haldeman would go wide at turn five, giving second place back to Wittmer with only two laps remaining.

On the final lap, Wittmer would sneak past Pombo for the lead at Canada Corner, but Pombo would fall right behind the No. 91 at turn 14, then win the drag race up the front straight to claim the class victory by a mere one-tenth of a second.

“It was a hard fight the whole time and everyone was respectful. On the last lap, I had to lift a little, but luckily Wittmer made a little mistake out of 14, so I was able to go left and drag race up the straight to take the win. It was a great race with Nick [Wittmer] and [Chris} Haldeman. Very fun,” said Pombo.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Trent Hindman and Alan Byrnjolfsson piloted the Park Place Motorsports No. 77 Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR to victory in Sunday’s Pirelli GT4 America SprintX event at Road America.

Guy Cosmo and the No. 89 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT4 led the field to green under wet and slippery conditions. As the field crossed the starting line, the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR would stop on track but would restart, continuing in 15th position.

On lap two, Alec Udell and the No. 2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR would power past Gregory Liefooghe’s No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 for third overall and begin to hunt down Szymczak in second. Three laps later Udell would get past Szymczak, but would face a 10 second gap to the leader.

At the same time, Hindman would get past Steven McAleer in the No. 29 Classic BMW M4 GT4 for fifth overall, but was not done as he then overtook Liefooghe for fourth on the next lap. With 27 minutes left on the clock, Hindman would then get past Szymczak for third overall with a daring pass on the outside of turn one.

After the pit window for mandatory driver changes ended, Patrick Byrne, in for Guy Cosmo in the No. 89, would lose the overall lead and fall behind the No. 2 of Jason Bell and No. 77 of Byrnjolfsson.

Later in the outlap Bell would go wide at turn six, handing the lead to Brynjolfsson with 18 minutes to go. Brynjolfsson would never look back and cruise to the overall victory by nearly 22 seconds.

“I love Road America and I love driving in the rain, so today feels great to get the win. It helped racing in the Sprint event earlier in the day for the conditions, but we’re very excited,” said Brynjolfsson.

Five minutes later Byrne would fall behind the No. 34 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 of Matthew Fassnacht. Fassnacht would then power past Bell for second position at the Billy Mitchell Bend, where he would finish. The No. 34 would claim the SprintX East Am-class victory with the No. 89 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT4 finishing third overall, second in the GT4 East Pro-Am class.

Matt Travis and the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsceh 718 Cayman CS MR would fight back through the grid and claim the SprintX Pro-Am win, finishing fourth overall with Sean Quinlan and the No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 finishing second in SprintX Pro-Am, fifth overall.

Drew Staveley and Karl Wittmer, in the No. 24 Ian Lacy Racing Ford Mustang GT4, would come home sixth overall, third in the SprintX East Pro-Am category with Justin Raphael and the No. 29 Classic BMW M4 GT4 finishing seventh overall, fourth in the SprintX East Pro-Am class.

The No. 92 Classic BMW M4 GT4 of Chris Ohmacht and Toby Grahovec would finish eighth overall, third in the SprintX Pro-Am category.

After a strong start, the No. 2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR of Bell and Udell would face an issue and tumble through the order, falling to ninth overall, fourth in the SprintX Pro-Am class.

Michael Dinan and Robby Foley would bring the No. 21 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR home 10th overall, fifth in the SprintX Pro-Am class.

Preston Calvert and Matthew Keegan would take the SprintX Am class victory, finishing 11th overall.

MONTEREY, Calif. – The good news for Kyle Kirkwood is that he needed only to start Sunday’s Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to claim the series title.

So when he was involved in an accident on the opening corner of the final race of the season, it was nothing more than a disappointment and a minor inconvenience.

With Kirkwood out of contention for the win, his closest championship rival, polesitter Rasmus Lindh, was able to emerge from a dramatic 25-lap race to claim his third victory of the season. In the final reckoning he was two points shy of Kirkwood’s victorious tally of 419.

“We wanted to end the season with a bang, get into double-digit victories and take eight in a row, but the championship was the main goal,” said Kirkwood. “That’s all that matters now. We’re over the moon, the race is minute compared to that. But I can’t thank the RP Motorsports team enough, they’ve been flawless since Road America. The car has just been on rails. The only times we haven’t won were because we got crashed out. To walk away with this title means so much. I don’t know if I would have believed it possible before Road America, so many things had to go right. But Juncos was outstanding as well. Rasmus has been on the podium in almost every race; we needed every one of those wins.

“Honestly, I haven’t given a thought to next year yet. It will probably start to sink in tomorrow night at the banquet, but right now we’re going to enjoy this moment with the team.”

Canadian Parker Thompson charged through the field to finish second for Abel Motorsports, while Kory Enders matched his career-best finish in third.

The initial start was clean, with Lindh making a solid start from the pole and leading the way toward turn two, chased by Kirkwood, who had qualified second fastest for RP Motorsport USA. Behind, though, Kirkwood’s teammate Artem Petrov tangled with Sting Ray Robb, then lost control and spun directly into the path of Kirkwood. Both teammates were out on the spot.

After three laps behind the pace car while the two damaged cars were removed from the racing surface, Lindh took off again into the lead, chased by Singapore’s Danial Frost.

A mistake by Lindh on lap six allowed Frost to take over the lead. Lindh recovered quickly enough to resume in second ahead of the DEForce pair of Enders and Moises de la Vara and the two Abel cars of Thompson and Jacob Abel.

The next drama came on lap 14, when Frost’s car suddenly speared off the road at turn nine and out of the race due to a suspected suspension failure following contact on the first lap.

The pace car was scrambled again to remove Frost’s damaged car, whereupon Lindh took off once again into the lead. He quickly managed to eke out some breathing space over Enders, who in turn came under increasing pressure from Thompson. Unfortunately, a slight slip by Enders with just four laps to go enabled Thompson to complete his impressive drive through the field.

All of that happened behind Lindh, who took the win by .868 of a second.

“I had a good jump at the start and I saw that Kyle was on the outside, so I went inside to protect and we grabbed the lead,” Lindh said. “I did a mistake midway through the race that lost us the lead, but I was able to get it back when Danial had his problems. It’s good to end the season this way. The Juncos team did such a great job this year. We were fighting for podiums and wins at every single race. The car has been just perfect. It was a consistent year, so I’m happy in the end.”

Enders held on for third ahead of teammate de la Vara, who claimed his best career finish, with Abel completing the top six just ahead of Robb, who did well to recover so well after being forced to make a pit stop following the first-lap incident.

MONTEREY, Calif. – As soon as he climbed from his No. 79 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machine after Sunday’s second race of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Roman De Angelis held up both hands, with all 10 fingers extended.

That’s because the 18-year-old Canadian had just parked his car in victory lane for the 10th time this year. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the 45-minute race, De Angelis took advantage as slower traffic boxed in race leader and polesitter Max Root in the No. 7 Wright Motorsports Porsche to take the lead coming out of turn five.

He then pulled away before a full-course caution came out for an incident in turn three involving the No. 18 of Richard Edge and the No. 19 of Juan Manuel Fayen. Both drivers were evaluated and released from the care center, but the race ended under full-course caution, giving De Angelis his first victory since sweeping both races of the doubleheader at Road America last month.

The victory enabled De Angelis to extend his lead to 58 points, 474-416, over Root in the driver standings for the Platinum Cup class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars built between 2017 and 2019. De Angelis can clinch the title if his lead is 35 points or greater following the next race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 10.

“I think it was pretty important to get that one off my chest,” De Angelis said. “Max had a really good run there with three races in a row. We had a tire go in (race one at) Virginia and then I made a mistake myself in race two. Then, yesterday he just outpaced us.

“I think it shows a lot. Coming into the weekend, I had never been here and the guys had never with the Gen 2 GT3 Cup car. We put in a lot of work last night to figure out what the issues were from yesterday and clearly it paid off for us.”

Root led a race-high 23 laps in what was a 30-lap race, but his winning streak was snapped at three consecutive races. Nevertheless, he came home in second place for his 11th podium result of the season and fifth in a row.

Canadian driver Jeff Kingsley completed the podium with a third-place showing in the No. 3 JDX Racing Porsche. It was Kingsley’s third podium of the season and first since a second-place result at Road America.

In the Platinum Masters class for drivers 45 years of age and over, Alan Metni returned to victory lane in the No. 99 Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports Porsche for the first time since Race 2 at Road America last month. Metni held the Platinum Masters lead throughout the race en route to his sixth class win of the season.

It also allowed Metni to slightly extend his Platinum Masters points lead to 15, 435-420, over No. 20 Wright Motorsports Porsche driver Fred Poordad.

After winning the Platinum Masters race on Saturday, Poordad finished second on Sunday in the No. 20. Completing the class podium was Chris Bellomo in the No. 63 Moorespeed Porsche with a third-place run. Bellomo finished second in his first race in the series on Saturday, wrapping up his debut weekend with a pair of trophies.

In the Gold Cup class for 911 GT3 Cup cars built between 2014 and 2016, Sebastian Carazo led every lap in the No. 27 NGT Motorsport Porsche to earn his 10th victory of the season. Carazo now has finished on the podium in all 14 races so far this season, and leads the Gold Cup standings by 47 points, 476-429, over Rob Ferriol in the No. 5 Moorespeed Porsche.

An added bonus for Carazo came in the form of the Yokohama Hard Charger Award as the Gold Cup driver who improved the most overall positions from start to finish in Race 2. Carazo finished ninth overall after starting 10th.

Ferriol finished second, followed by Curt Swearingin, who finished third in the No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche. Both drivers finished in the same positions in Saturday’s race as well.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Pro/Am Class driver duo Mike Hedlund and Dane Cameron, driving for local favorites RealTime Racing, took the overall and Pro/Am Blancpain GT World Challenge America victories at Road America on Sunday afternoon.

The Pro Division R. Ferri Motorsport team of Daniel Serra and Toni Vilander crossed the line in second overall and first in class.

The 90-minute contest was held under threatening skies and damp track conditions after rain had fallen on Road America for much of the morning and early afternoon. At the drop of the green, second-on-the-grid Cameron, piloting the No. 43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX drag raced pole sitter Kyle Marcelli in the No. 80 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX into turn one and deftly maneuvered the outside line and into the lead.

With Marcelli slotting into second, Pro/Am division driver Matt Campbell in the No. 91 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R settled into third, while Pro division driver Alvaro Parente in the no. 9 K-PAX Racing Bentley Continental GT3 rocketed up from his sixth starting position and into fourth. Ryan Dalziel, in the DXDT Racing No. 63 Mercedes-AMG GT3, slotted into fifth with Vilander, driving the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3, shuffling back from his fifth on the grid starting position and into sixth. Am division pilot Takuya Shirasaka in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW F13 M6 GT3 slotted into 12th overall.

Cameron then set sail building a more than five-second lead over Marcelli leading up to the pit window with 50 minutes remaining in the contest. The lead group all held their positions as the pit window opened. Cameron was the last competitor onto pit lane handing the reins over to Hedlund.

When the window closed, Hedlund maintained a three-second lead over Barkey who had taken over for Marcelli, with Anthony Imperato who had taken over for Campbell in third overall. Andy Soucek, who took over from Parente maintained fourth. Serra took over from Vilander and began pursuing K-PAX Racing’s Rodrigo Baptista in the No. 3 Bentley Continental GT3.

With Hedlund hitting his marks and maintaining the lead up from, the battle behind raged as Serra closed on Baptista battling for fifth overall. Barkey in second defended well against Imperato as Parente closed in on the Pro/Am competitors running in fourth. Late in the contest on lap 33, Parente moved around Imperato and into third overall and looked to close on Barkey. Meanwhile, Serra continued to look for a way around Baptista.

Then the DXDT Racing No. 63 Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by David Askew slid off and into the barrier through turn 11. While Race Control issued a yellow and directed competitors to safety car speed, Askew was able to get his machine under power and proceeded to bring it into pit lane for repair. Race control issued a return to full green conditions and the front runners all returned to pursuing Hedlund. Serra was able to maintain his momentum and it allowed him to vault up into second overall by lap 36.

Serra then pursued Hedlund for the overall race lead with under four laps to go, but the driver of the No. 43 machine put his head down, hit his marks and crossed the line .495 seconds ahead of the driver of the No. 61 machine. With the second-place finish, Vilander wins the 2019 Pro Division driver’s championship. Soucek (Parente) finished third and second overall in the Pro Division, Baptista (Soulet) finished fourth and third in the Pro Division. Barkey (Marcelli) finished sixth overall and second in Pro/Am, while Imperato (Campbell) finished seventh overall and third in Pro/Am. Am division pilot Naoto Takeda (Shirasaka) in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW F13 M6 GT3 finished 11th overall.

The victory for the RealTime Racing duo was the squad’s 100th series victory.

“I didn’t even know Realtime had that many wins until after Sonoma and after that both Dane and I said to each other okay now there’s a little bit of pressure because that’s a big deal, especially if we were able to get it here at their home track so it’s kind of been the perfect weekend,” said Hedlund. “I can’t ask for anything more, the team did a really amazing job, we had no mistakes, pitstops were excellent, the car was good from the time we unloaded. Even with this questionable weather which mixes it up, everyone executed well, and we were able to get a win.”

JACKSON, Miss. – Sebastian Munoz made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff, and then beat Sungjae Im with a par on the first extra hole to win the Sanderson Farms Championship for his first PGA Tour victory.

Munoz, who closed with a 2-under 70, made it two straight weeks for South American winners, following Joaquin Niemann winning last week at the Greenbrier.

"Jaco's win gave me the belief I needed, the little extra belief I'm good enough, I'm here," Munoz said.

Niemann won by six shots at the Greenbrier. Munoz had it far more difficult.

He was among four players in the mix over the back nine at the Country Club of Jackson, and it looked as though the 21-year-old Im would snatch his first victory when he made a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th, got up-and-down from a bunker on the reachable 15th for birdie, and made it three straight birdies with a 12-foot putt.

He closed with a 66, and that looked like it might be enough.

Byeong Hun An made consecutive bogeys to fall out of the mix. Carlos Ortiz couldn't get a putt to fall.

Munoz lost two good scoring opportunities with a drive well right of the fairway on the 14th, and then flubbing a lob shot left of the 15th green that went into the bunker, leading to bogey. Down to his last hole, he played it to perfection with a big drive, an approach to 15 feet below the hole and the most important putt of his young career.

The 26-year-old from Bogota, who played his college golf at North Texas, poured in the birdie putt to join Im at 18-under 270.

"We just decided on a line, kept it as as simple as can and just strike the putt," Munoz said.

The playoff on the 18th hole wasn't as clean.

Im went left into the Bermuda rough and caught a flier, sending the ball well over the green against the grandstand. Munoz was in the right rough and, expecting the ball to come out hot, he abbreviated his swing and it came out some 30 yards short. His chip-and-run rolled out to just under 4 feet. Im did well to pitch out of rough to just over 6 feet by the hole, but his par putt didn't even touch the cup and he started walking soon after he hit it.

Munoz rolled in the par putt and the celebration was on.

"I'm speechless," he said.

This is the first time since the tournament began in 1986 that it was not held the same week as another PGA Tour event with a stronger field. That means it gets full FedEx Cup points, and Munoz earned a spot in the Masters for the first time.

Im, voted PGA Tour rookie of the year last season for reaching the Tour Championship, is still looking for his first win.

An wound up alone in third with a birdie on the final hole for a 69, while Ortiz had to settle for a 71 and a tie for fourth with Kevin Streelman (64).

The playoff ended a peculiar streak of 38 consecutive PGA Tour events that were decided in regulation, dating to Charles Howell III winning in a playoff at Sea Island at the end of last year.