The Golden State Warriors are still trying to find the magic that earned them the NBA title last season and will be looking to get back on the winning track when they host the scratch-and-claw San Antonio Spurs on Monday in San Francisco.
Monday’s contest is the second of a road-home back-to-back and the third game in four nights for the Warriors, who head home after a 122-115 loss at Sacramento on Sunday.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 27 points in the setback, with Andrew Wiggins adding 26, Jordan Poole hitting for 18 points, Klay Thompson scoring 17 and Draymond Green dishing out 11 assists. Golden State has lost six of its past eight games to fall into 13th place in the Western Conference 13 games into the season.
The Warriors led by 15 points in the first quarter but were down 64-62 at halftime. The game went back and forth in the third quarter, with Golden State up by as many as six before the Kings rallied to go up by seven points on the way to a 98-91 advantage heading to the final period.
A Green layup capped a Warriors rally and pushed Golden State’s advantage to 113-110. But the Kings scored the next nine points to take charge, snapping Golden State’s season-best two-game winning streak. The Warriors had 18 turnovers in the loss.
Thompson, who has been held out for the backend of the Warriors’ last two sets of back-to-backs, likely won’t play Monday.
The Spurs travel to the Bay Area after two off days and for the first game of a five-games-in-seven-days road trip. San Antonio’s most recent outing was a 111-93 win over Milwaukee on Friday at home. The victory was over a short-handed Bucks squad and snapped a five-game losing skid for the Spurs.
Keldon Johnson racked up in 29 points in the win, with Devin Vassell adding 22 points, Jakob Poeltl amassing 15 points and 10 rebounds, Jeremy Sochan and Doug McDermott scoring 10 points each and Charles Bassey grabbing 14 rebounds.
The Spurs led by seven points heading into the final quarter but put the game out of reach via a 16-5 run over the first half of the period. Johnson had seven points and Vassell hit for five in that decisive stretch.
San Antonio is a team with role players rather than marquee attractions and, according to Johnson, understands that it needs to share the ball to be at its best.
After Monday’s game with the Warriors, the Spurs play in Portland on Tuesday, in Sacramento on Thursday and in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Milwaukee Bucks will seek a little payback on Monday when they host the Atlanta Hawks, the team that tagged them with their first loss of the season.
Milwaukee won its first nine games, one of them coming against Atlanta, before the Hawks tripped the Bucks last Monday. Since then Milwaukee has split two games, including a 111-93 loss to San Antonio on Friday, while Atlanta has lost two of three, including Saturday’s 121-109 defeat to Philadelphia.
Milwaukee is dealing with health issues that have thinned the roster. The Bucks played Friday without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness), Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain), Khris Middleton (left wrist), Pat Connaughton (right calf strain), Grayson Allen (illness), Joe Ingles (left knee) and A.J. Green (nasal surgery).
Allen was in the starting lineup when he was scratched minutes before tipoff because of a non-COVID illness. Conspiracy theorists had a field day, as Allen has been the subject of trade rumors.
Jordan Nwora made his first start of the season in place of Allen and scored eight points. MarJon Beauchamp got his third start at forward and scored eight. Veteran Bobby Portis started for the third time and had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Brook Lopez had two more blocks on Friday and leads the league with 2.7 per game.
Atlanta had an outstanding defensive effort when they beat the Bucks the first time around. That aspect of the game did not show up against the Sixers, who got a season-high 42 points from Joel Embiid.
Turnovers have not been a real problem for the Hawks this season. They commit 13.1 turnovers per game, third-fewest in the league.
Trae Young had 27 points and 11 assists against the Sixers. Young has scored 25-plus points in 155 games and passed Pete Maravich for the seventh-most games with 25-plus points in franchise history.
The Hawks were without reserve center Onyeka Okongwu, who missed the game for personal reasons. But veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has missed the first 13 games because of a knee injury, worked out before the game and is getting closer to returning.
Milwaukee beat Atlanta 123-115 on Oct. 29 before Atlanta won 117-98 last Monday. The two teams will play for the final time on Jan. 11 in The Milwaukee Bucks will seek a little payback on Monday when they host the Atlanta Hawks, the team that tagged them with their first loss of the season.
Milwaukee won its first nine games, one of them coming against Atlanta, before the Hawks tripped the Bucks last Monday. Since then Milwaukee has split two games, including a 111-93 loss to San Antonio on Friday, while Atlanta has lost two of three, including Saturday’s 121-109 defeat to Philadelphia.
Milwaukee is dealing with health issues that have thinned the roster. The Bucks played Friday without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness), Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain), Khris Middleton (left wrist), Pat Connaughton (right calf strain), Grayson Allen (illness), Joe Ingles (left knee) and A.J. Green (nasal surgery).
Allen was in the starting lineup when he was scratched minutes before tipoff because of a non-COVID illness. Conspiracy theorists had a field day, as Allen has been the subject of trade rumors.
Jordan Nwora made his first start of the season in place of Allen and scored eight points. MarJon Beauchamp got his third start at forward and scored eight. Veteran Bobby Portis started for the third time and had 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Brook Lopez had two more blocks on Friday and leads the league with 2.7 per game.
Atlanta had an outstanding defensive effort when they beat the Bucks the first time around. That aspect of the game did not show up against the Sixers, who got a season-high 42 points from Joel Embiid.
Turnovers have not been a real problem for the Hawks this season. They commit 13.1 turnovers per game, third-fewest in the league.
Trae Young had 27 points and 11 assists against the Sixers. Young has scored 25-plus points in 155 games and passed Pete Maravich for the seventh-most games with 25-plus points in franchise history.
The Hawks were without reserve center Onyeka Okongwu, who missed the game for personal reasons. But veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has missed the first 13 games because of a knee injury, worked out before the game and is getting closer to returning.
Milwaukee beat Atlanta 123-115 on Oct. 29 before Atlanta won 117-98 last Monday. The two teams will play for the final time on Jan. 11 in Atlanta.
The Los Angeles Clippers seemed convinced that, even in the prolonged and ongoing absence of Kawhi Leonard, they had discovered the path to consistent success.
With nine members of the rotation. excluding Leonard. averaging more than 17 minutes per game, the Clippers had come to rely upon their depth to wear down the opposition. Their multitude of options served them well on both ends of the court during a stretch of five wins over six games before the Brooklyn Nets pulled away late for a 110-95 victory on Saturday.
The Clippers, who will visit the Houston Rockets on Monday for the third matchup between the teams already this season, must recommit to playing in a manner that best suits their roster without Leonard, who remains sidelined with right knee injury management.
Leonard has participated in only two games this season with the last one coming on Oct. 23 against the Phoenix Suns.
Against the Nets, star Paul George missed 16 of 21 shots yet scored a team-high 17 points. The Clippers got 16 points apiece from Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, with that duo combining to shoot a robust 12 of 22 from the floor. But Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Terance Mann and Nicolas Batum combined to shoot 6 of 20.
Much like the Clippers, the Rockets fell apart late on Saturday, surrendering a 33-point fourth quarter on the road to the New Orleans Pelicans in a 119-106 loss. Houston led by one point entering the final quarter, led by as many as eight in the fourth, and remained tied with just under three minutes remaining before allowing the Pelicans to close the game on a 13-0 run.
Late losses have been a familiar refrain for the Rockets, who have shown a tendency to rally from sizable deficits only to fall short at the final buzzer. The Pelicans led by as many as 18 points in the second half before the Rockets mustered the will to fight back behind their bench.
What the Rockets haven’t discovered is how to finish the job.
The Phoenix Suns have played two straight games without injured point guard Chris Paul.
They may be line to be without Paul again on Monday when they visit the Miami Heat.
Paul, who leads the Suns in assists (9.4) and steals (1.7), is listed as day-to-day with a sore right heel. His presence was surely missed on Friday night, when the Suns dropped a 114-97 decision at the Orlando Magic.
The Suns shot just 40.0 percent from the field, and the Magic made 52.4 percent of their shot attempts.
Without Paul, Suns star Devin Booker made just 6-of-19 shots against Orlando.
The other issue for Suns so far is that their 2-3 road record pales in comparison to their 6-1 home mark.
Booker averages a team-best 26.7 points per game, is making 38.4 percent of his 3-point attempts, 86.8 percent on free throws and 47.5 percent on field goals overall.
Deandre Ayton is averaging 14.5 points and leads the Suns in rebounds (7.3).
Mikal Bridges is the Suns’ second-leading scorer (15.7). He is shooting 44.1 percent on 3-pointers, 88.6 on free throws and 55.5 percent from the floor overall.
Cameron Payne is another key Suns player to watch as he starts when Paul sits. For the season, Payne is averaging 12.1 points and 3.7 assists.
However in his two starts with Paul as a spectator, Payne is averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 assists.
Miami, just 5-4 at home this season, is coming off of two straight wins over the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
Heat guard Tyler Herro has missed three straight games due to a sprained left ankle. But in Miami’s 132-115 win over the Hornets, Max Strus stepped up in place of Herro and scored 31 points.
The Heat, who have struggled for much of this season, might have found something in Saturday’s win. They shot 52.7 percent from the floor, including 16 of 41 from 3-point range (39.0 percent).
In addition to Strus, who was 8 of 14 on 3-pointers, the Heat also received 24 points from Bam Adebayo and 20 points each from Jimmy Butler and Gabe Vincent.
Butler and Kyle Lowry each had eight assists for Miami.
Adebayo, who added a game-high 15 rebounds and four assists, was also pleased.
Butler leads Miami in scoring (22.1) and assists (6.1). He also ranks second in rebounds (6.5).
Adebayo leads the team in rebounds (9.1) and ranks third in scoring (18.2). Strus is fourth in scoring (15.5), even though he has started only six of his 13 games.
Lowry is averaging 13.0 points and ranks second on the team in assists (5.8).
A busy stretch for the Boston Celtics continues when they bring a six-game winning streak into Monday night’s home bout with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jaylen Brown (knee), Al Horford (back) and Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) were all out with injuries on Saturday, but Jayson Tatum’s season-high 43 points led the way as the Celtics were 117-108 winners at Detroit.
With or without injuries to the supporting cast, Tatum has been the driving force behind Boston’s 10-3 start. His 420 points in 13 games (32.3 per game) lead the NBA. His average during the team’s current six-game winning streak is even higher (34.8) on 47.0 percent shooting.
Tatum, who scored 28 points in the second half on Saturday, also supplied 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
The team effort also included 19 points from Grant Williams, as well as 18 and 10 assists from Smart.
The Thunder have curbed a four-game skid with two triumphs and looks to complete a back-to-back sweep after Sunday’s 145-135 victory over the Knicks in New York.
The Thunder’s 145 points were four points shy of tying a franchise record, following a 132-113 Friday win over Toronto in which eight players scored in double figures for the first time in team history.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 37 points on Sunday, eclipsing the 30-point mark for the eighth time, while adding eight assists, three steals and two blocks.
Josh Giddey (24 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds) was also impressive, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record triple-doubles in each of their first two games at Madison Square Garden.
Oklahoma City’s 110.7 defensive rating ranks 15th in the NBA, and Monday’s meeting in Boston will pit them against the Celtics’ league-best offense (119.5 points per game).
Boston won both meetings with Oklahoma City last season, with Tatum leading the team in scoring.
LaMelo Ball alone isn’t going to fix the problems facing the Charlotte Hornets, but he figures to be a big part of the solution.
The Hornets already appear in a desperate situation, so his season debut during the weekend was a much-needed boost for the club.
Ball’s appearance won’t be the only notable storyline when Charlotte visits the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Clifford is a former Magic coach who returned this season to begin his second stint with the Hornets.
The Magic are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Magic have sputtered this season, but by winning their past two games against Dallas and Phoenix, they’ve pushed their win total to four — one more than Charlotte.
Meanwhile, the Hornets will try to snap an eight-game losing streak, their longest since January 2020. They’ve lost the first two games of a three-game road trip, dropping games Thursday night and Saturday night in Miami.
Having Ball, who had been out since a preseason injury, in the lineup should bode well for the Hornets in the long run, though it might take time to see the dividends.
Many of the Hornets’ snags have come on offense. Ball’s presence could start to remedy those, something that might have begun to develop when they shot a season-best 51.1 percent from the field Saturday night in a 132-115 loss to Miami.
Defensive woes have also popped up for the Hornets, who surrendered 45 third-quarter points to Miami on Saturday night. Part of the problem was the lack of much rim protection.
Orlando has an emerging star in rookie Paolo Banchero, who turned 20 on Saturday. He has missed the past two games with an ankle sprain. His status for Monday night is murky.
Banchero has averaged 23.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in 11 outings.
The Magic have found offensive success, shooting a combined 53.1 percent from the field in the last five games.
Defense might be taking a turn for Orlando as well.
A 50-38 rebounding edge in the Phoenix game helped the Magic, with Bol Bol’s 15 boards the most for any player on the team this season.
The Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons are trying to get by without their top players. One of those teams will collect a much-needed victory when they meet in Detroit on Monday.
Toronto has lost three of its last four games and four of its last six. Forward Pascal Siakam has missed the last five games and will remain sidelined on Monday due to a right adductor strain.
The Raptors are also playing without forward Precious Achiuwa, who has partial ligament tears in his right ankle. Top guard Fred VanVleet didn’t suit up in a 118-104 loss at Indiana on Saturday due to a non-COVID illness.
Detroit has dropped three straight and is tied with Charlotte for the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 3-11. Franchise player and second-leading scorer Cade Cunningham has missed the last two games due to left shin soreness. The team announced prior to its 117-108 loss to Boston on Saturday that Cunningham will be sidelined at least three more games.
After allowing 132 points to Oklahoma City the previous night, the Raptors’ defense wasn’t much better against the Pacers. Indiana shot 50 percent from the field and racked up 33 assists on 41 baskets. Toronto did force 21 turnovers but gave 66 second-half points while squandering a 13-point halftime advantage.
Offensively, the perimeter game was severely lacking as the Raptors made just seven of 35 3-point attempts.
O.G. Anunoby tried to pick up the slack with 26 points, one off his season high, but Scottie Barnes was limited to eight points on 4-for-16 shooting.
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 28 points on Saturday and rookie Jaden Ivey had 26 but the Pistons couldn’t overcome a 43-point eruption from Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Ivey, who had four turnovers, was upset with his play during crunch time.
The Pistons will need big performances from their rookie floor leader to offset the temporary loss of Cunningham, who has battled shin pain since training camp.
NEW YORK – Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slew-footing Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois during NHL Game No. 236 in Calgary on Saturday, Nov. 12, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 18:30 of the first period. Coleman was assessed a minor penalty for tripping.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
* MikhailSergachev had a four-point first period to match the NHL record for points in a frame by a defenseman.
* The Bruins set a club benchmark for the longest season-opening home winning streak, 98 years after their inaugural season.
* Blake Wheeler scored with six seconds remaining in regulation to match the latest game-tying goal by a Jets skater since the franchise relocated to Winnipeg, while Erik Karlsson added to his defensemen-leading point total as the Sharks recorded the NHL’s 20th multi-goal, third-period comeback victory of 2022-23.
HOCKEY HALL OF INDUCTION CEREMONY SET FOR TONIGHT IN TORONTO
The Hockey Hall of Fame will officially induct its newest members Monday during a ceremony at Meridian Hall in Toronto. The Class of 2022 includes players Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Riikka Sallinen, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, as well as the late Herb Carnegie in the builder’s category. The ceremony will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the U.S. (Image: Hockey Hall of Fame).
SERGACHEV TIES NHL RECORD WITH FOUR POINTS IN FIRST PERIOD ON ESPN
With the Sunday spotlight focused on an ESPN national telecast featuring the Capitals and Lightning, MikhailSergachev tallied 2-2—4 in the first period to spot Tampa Bay to a 4-0 and match the NHL record for points in any period by a defenseman. Overall, it was the 37th time in League history that a blueliner collected four points in one frame and 11th instance in the first period.
* Sergachev and Bobby Orr are the only defensemen in NHL history to notch multiple goals and multiple assists in the first period of a game.
* Sergachev also tied the Lightning record for points in any period by a player of any position, equaling a feat last achieved by Martin St. Louis on Feb. 12, 2009. He was the first Tampa Bay defenseman to tally four points in the opening period of a game.
BRUINS SET FRANCHISE RECORD 98 YEARS IN THE MAKING
A franchise record 98 years in the making was set Sunday as the Bruins improved to 9-0-0 at TD Garden toestablish the longest season-opening home win streak in club history. Hampus Lindholm (0-3—3) tallied his second three-assist outing of the season as the Bruins (14-2-0, 28 points) took the outright lead in points atop the NHL standings and moved to a League-best 10-0-0 when scoring first.
* This is the 14th time the Bruins have strung together a home winning streak of at least nine games at any point in a campaign and first since 2018-19 (12-0-0 from Feb. 5 – March 27, 2019).
* Linus Ullmark (29 saves) has manned the net in seven of Boston’s nine home games this season, owning a 7-0-0 record to go along with a .945 save percentage and 1.68 goals-against average in those contests. He is the fourth goaltender in Bruins history to post a home winning streak of seven or more games from their first home appearance of a campaign, following Gilles Gilbert (16-0-0 in 1973-74), Ross Brooks (8-0-0 in 1973-74) and Manny Fernandez (7-0-0 in 2008-09).
* Ullmark has a record of 21-3-1 in 28 home games since joining Boston in 2021-22 (.750 W%). Among goaltenders with at least 15 home appearances over that span, only Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (.771 W%; 27-3-1 in 35 GP) has a higher win percentage. Bobrovsky won nine straight home decisions to start the 2021-22 season, with seven of those earned during the Panthers’ NHL record-tying season-opening home win streak noted in the graphic above.
JETS AND SHARKS SHOW NO QUIT, EARN COMEBACK WINS ON THE ROAD
The Jets and Sharks each rallied from behind on the road to win, boosting the total number of comeback victories in 2022-23 to 120 – the most ever at this stage of a campaign (243 GP).
* Jets captain Blake Wheeler (1-0—1) scored his 300th career goal in dramatic fashion, tying the game with six seconds remaining in regulation to force extra time, where Mark Scheifele (2-0—2) netted his 12th career overtime winner – the most by any skater in franchise history – to seal the comeback victory. Wheeler’s tally was the latest tying goal in the NHL this season and the second in the final minute of regulation in 2022-23 (also Oskar Sundqvist: 19:19 of P3 on Oct. 17 w/ DET).
* Erik Karlsson (0-1—1) assisted on San Jose’s game-tying goal with less than five minutes remaining in the third period to boost his defensemen-leading point total to 10-12—22 and help the Sharks stage their first multi-goal, third period comeback win of the season. It was the NHL’s 20th such victory of 2022-23, the most ever at this stage of a campaign (243 GP).
ROBERTSON, PAVELSKI HELP STARS KEEP PACE ATOP CENTRAL DIVISION The duo of Jason Robertson (1-1—2) and Joe Pavelski (1-2—3) each registered multiple points to help the Stars earn a road win in Philadelphia and keep pace with the Jets atop the Central Division standings. It marked Dallas’ fifth consecutive win against the Flyers, tied for their longest active streak against one opponent (also 5 GP vs. ANA).
* Robertson extended his point streak to eight games (8-8—16 in 8 GP) – he has scored at least one goal in seven of those eight contests. Additionally, it marked Robertson’s eighth multi-point game of the season (15 GP), tied with Nathan MacKinnon (8 in 13 GP) and David Pastrnak (8 in 16 GP) for the second most in the NHL this season behind only Connor McDavid (9 in 16 GP).
* Pavelski’s three points marked his fifth multi-point game of the season and 41st since joining Dallas in 2019-20. Only two Stars have notched more multi-point games for the franchise than the now 38-year-old Pavelski over that span: Roope Hintz (45) and Robertson (44).
WORLD DIABETES DAY: KUNIN GIVES BACK
The philanthropy work Luke Kunin is doing to improve his communities is highlighted on World Diabetes Day – the largest diabetes awareness campaign. Kunin, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 12, wants to help kids with the same diagnosis, and he has done just that. He’s an ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation (JDRF) and founded the Luke Kunin T1D Fund. The Sharks forward has partnered with the Sharks Foundation and JDRF San Francisco to host youth and families impacted by diabetes at home games throughout the season.
SENATORS GET EARLY START, INVITE FANS TO STAY FOR ‘ALFIE’ INDUCTION On the same night franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Senators will host the Islanders for a special 5:30 p.m. ET puck drop. The first 4,000 fans will receive a commemorative Alfredsson bobblehead and all fans are invited to stay after the game to enjoy the induction ceremony on the in-arena screen.
* Ottawa is led in scoring by current captain, Brady Tkachuk (6-13—19 in 14 GP), who is coming off a three-assist performance in a 4-1 victory over the Flyers Nov. 12. He can become the first Senators skater to reach 20 points in 15 games or less since current teammate Thomas Chabot in 2018-19 and the first forward from the franchise to do so since Alfredsson (14 GP) and Jason Spezza (15 GP) both did so in 2007-08.
* Alfredsson is one of three Swedish-born players in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022, entering alongside Henrik and DanielSedin. This is the first time multiple players from the Tre Kroner will be inducted in the same year, bringing the country’s overall total to seven.
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 9:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 13, the tenth week of the 2022 season.
CLOSE GAMES: With two games yet to be completed in Week 10, there have been 67 games decided by a touchdown (six points) or less, the most such games through the first 10 weeks all-time.
Ten of 12 games (83.3 percent) that have been completed in Week 10 have been within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter and there have been 114 games within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter this season, the most such games through the first 10 weeks in NFL history.
COMEBACKS: Four teams overcame deficits of at least 10 points on Sunday: DETROIT (14-point deficit), GREEN BAY (14), MINNESOTA (17) and TENNESSEE (10). There have been 31 games in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 10 points to win or tie, tied with 1987 (31 games) and 2020 (31) for the most such games through the first 10 weeks of a season all-time.
Four teams came back to win after trailing in the fourth quarter on Sunday: DETROIT, GREEN BAY, INDIANAPOLIS and MINNESOTA. There have been 46 games this season in which a team has come back to win or tie after trailing in the fourth quarter, trailing only the 2016 season (47) for the most such games through the first 10 weeks in NFL history.
The TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS defeated Seattle, 21-16, at Allianz Arena in Munich in the first NFL regular-season game played in Germany as quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 258 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a 111 rating.
Brady is 4-0 in international games and became the first quarterback to start a game in three different countries outside of the United States. Each of his three previous international starts came with New England, with one start in Mexico City (Week 11, 2017) and two starts in London (Week 7, 2009 and Week 8, 2012).
From Week 1 to Week 10, Brady recorded 399 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the second-most consecutive pass attempts without an interception in NFL history, trailing only AARON RODGERS in 2018 (402).
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 27-17 win over Jacksonville.
Mahomes has 16 career games with at least four touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (16) for the most such games by a player in his first six career seasons in NFL history.
Mahomes has 25 touchdown passes this season and became the third player in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes in five of his first six career seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING (first six seasons) and DAN MARINO (five of first six).
Mahomes has 176 touchdown passes in 72 career games and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (173) for the most touchdown passes by a player in his first 75 career games in NFL history.
Miami quarterback TUA TAGOVAILOA passed for 285 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 135 rating in the Dolphins’ 39-17 win over Cleveland.
Tagovailoa is the second player in NFL history with at least 275 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 135-or-higher in three consecutive games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (Weeks 3-5, 1999). Tagovailoa passed for 382 yards with three touchdowns and a 138.7 rating in Week 8 and recorded 302 passing yards with three touchdowns and a 135.7 rating in Week 9.
Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON recorded 10 receptions for a career-high 193 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings’ 33-30 overtime win at Buffalo.
Jefferson recorded his 20th career game with at least 100 receiving yards and surpassed ODELL BECKHAM JR. (19 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (19) for the most such games by a player in his first three career seasons in NFL history.
Jefferson has seven games with at least 150 receiving yards and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famers LANCE ALWORTH (six games) and RANDY MOSS (six) for the most games with at least 150 receiving yards by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.
Jefferson, who has 4,076 receiving yards in 42 career games, tied Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (42 games) and ODELL BECKHAM JR. (42) for the fewest games to reach 4,000 career receiving yards in NFL history.
Buffalo quarterback JOSH ALLEN totaled 414 yards (330 passing, 84 rushing) with a touchdown pass on Sunday.
Allen, who had 308 passing yards and 109 rushing yards in Week 14 of the 2021 season, is the third player in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards and 75 rushing yards in multiple games, joining MICHAEL VICK (three games) and RUSSELL WILSON (three).
Allen has 3,209 combined passing and rushing yards this season and is the third quarterback with at least 3,200 combined passing and rushing yards in his team’s first nine games of a season in NFL history, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (3,222 in 2013) and ANDREW LUCK (3,214 in 2014).
Chicago quarterback JUSTIN FIELDS totaled 314 yards (167 passing, 147 rushing) and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) as the Bears became the first team in NFL history to rush for at least 225 yards in five consecutive games.
Chicago has 2,017 rushing yards this season and are the second team with at least 2,000 rushing yards in their first 10 games of a season since 1980, joining the 2019 BALTIMORE RAVENS (2,031).
Fields is the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to record at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown in four consecutive games, joining KYLER MURRAY (five consecutive games in 2020), JIM HART (four in 1968), RYAN TANNEHILL (four from 2020-21) and MICHAEL VICK (four in 2010).
Fields, who rushed for a 67-yard touchdown and recorded a 50-yard touchdown pass, is the fourth player in league annals to record a 50-yard touchdown pass and 50-yard rushing touchdown in the same game, joining LAMAR JACKSON (2022), CAM NEWTON (2012) and Pro Football Hall of Famer ACE PARKER (1938).
Fields, who rushed for a quarterback regular-season single-game NFL record 178 yards in Week 9, is the first quarterback since TOBIN ROTE (Weeks 8-9, 1951) with at least 125 rushing yards in consecutive games. Fields’ 325 yards over his past two games are the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a two-game span in NFL history.
Denver quarterback RUSSELL WILSON passed for 286 yards and one touchdown on Sunday.
Wilson has 299 career touchdown passes and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (298) for the second-most touchdown passes by a player in his first 11 career seasons. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (333 touchdown passes) has more.
