NFL – National Football League – Week 7
Yesterday
Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 29
Indianapolis Colts 16, Miami Dolphins 10

Lions 31, Vikings 29 – Lions top previously unbeaten Vikings 31-29 on late FG to cap NFC North thriller
Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to lift the Detroit Lions to a 31-29 victory that handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL’s strongest division. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit’s three second-quarter touchdowns. Jared Goff guided the Lions 48 yards in four plays to get in range for Bates and force the Vikings to burn their timeouts. Bates is 10 for 10 on field goals. He was in the UFL last season. Both teams are tied for the division lead at 5-1.  Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond and no turnovers in his third straight game with a 140-plus passer rating, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.  The Lions return home to Ford Field next Sunday to take on Tennessee (1=5).

Colts 16, Dolphins 10 – QB Richardson’s late scoring drives send Colts past Dolphins 16-10
Tyler Goodson ran for one touchdown and Anthony Richardson led the Indianapolis Colts on two fourth-quarter scoring drives to earn a 16-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Indy has won four of its past five and three straight home games. Matt Gay’s 22-yard field goal with 8:41 to play gave Indy its first lead. A defensive stop at the Indianapolis 33-yard line in the final minute sealed the victory over the NFL’s lowest-scoring team. The Dolphins had a chance to tie the score at 13 on a 54-yard field goal with 5:14 to go, but Jason Sanders’ kick hit the left upright and bounced harmlessly into the end zone. Miami has lost four of five.

Other Week 7 Games
Denver 33, New Orleans 10
Jacksonville 32, New England 16
Buffalo 34, Tennessee 10
Cincinnati 21, Cleveland 14
Green Bay 24, Houston 22
Philadelphia 28, N.Y. Giants 3
Seattle 34, Atlanta 14
L.A. Rams 20, Las Vegas 15
Washington 40, Carolina 7
Kansas City 28, San Francisco 18
Pittsburgh 37, N.Y. Jets 15
Open: Chicago, Dallas

Tonight
Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m.
Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals, 9:00 p.m.

NFL – Lions rookie kicker Jake Bates thought his football dream was dead
A year and a half ago, Jake Bates was selling bricks. Now he’s making game-winning kicks.  Bates connected on a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to give the Detroit Lions a 31-29 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.  The rookie is now 10-for-10 on field goals this season and has made 20 of 21 extra-point attempts. Bates signed with the Lions in June coming off a strong showing for the Michigan Panthers of the UFL, where he made three field goals of at least 60 yards in the spring league.  Bates, 25, was the Southeastern Conference Kicker of the Year in 2022, his only year at Arkansas. After going undrafted, he got a tryout with his hometown Houston Texans. He spent 10 days in their training camp before being cut in August 2023.  That led him to the UFL, where he made 7 of 11 field goals from 50-plus yards for the Panthers last spring.  The Lions gave him a chance to compete with Michael Badgley for the team’s kicking job. The competition ended on July 25 when Badgley suffered a season-ending injury. Since then, it’s been Bates’ job, and it didn’t take him long to earn the confidence of coach Dan Campbell.

MLB – Major League Baseball Playoffs – League Championship Series – Best of 7
Last Night
Los Angeles Dodgers 10, New York Mets 5                                        (LAD wins 4-2)

Dodgers 10, Mets 5 – Dodgers finish off Mets with 10-5 win in NLCS and advance to face Yankees in World Series
Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered to send Shohei Ohtani into the World Series for the first time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. The Dodgers clinched their record 25th NL pennant and first at home since 1988, when they beat the Mets in seven games. They moved on to their 22nd World Series — 13th in Los Angeles — and first since 2020, when they beat Tampa Bay during the pandemic-delayed season. Next up for Ohtani and company is Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees, who are back in the World Series for the 41st time. Game 1 is Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Friday
2024 World Series
New York Yankees (Cole 8-5) at Los Angeles Dodgers (TBA), TBD          (Game 1)

NCAAFB – Oregon is No. 1 for first time since 2012; Michigan out
Oregon has become the fourth team this season to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press college football poll. The Ducks moved into the top spot for the first time in 12 years after Texas lost at home to Georgia. Vanderbilt at No. 25 makes its first appearance since the 2013 season and defending national champion Michigan is out after a second straight loss. Michigan, which scored its fewest points in a game since 2014 in its 21-7 loss at Illinois, had been ranked in 54 consecutive polls since 2021.  Unbeaten Oregon followed its one-point home win over Ohio State with a 35-0 rout at Purdue. The Ducks received 59 of 61 first-place votes. Georgia got the other two.

NCAAFB – Oregon also top seed in expanded playoff projection
Oregon takes over as the No. 1 seed in The Associated Press College Football Playoff bracket projection. The Ducks won 35-0 at Purdue on Friday and move to the top line as the projected Big Ten champion and new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. Georgia’s win over previous No. 1 Texas moved the Bulldogs from the No. 7 seed to No. 2 as the projected Southeastern Conference champ. Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference continued to hold the No. 3 seed and Iowa State of the Big 12 remained No. 4. BYU made its debut on the bracket at No. 11.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association Finals – (best of 5)
Last Night
New York Liberty 67, Minnesota Lynx 62 – OT                           (NYL wins 3-2)

Liberty 67, Lynx 62 – OT – NY Liberty WNBA championship, beat Minnesota 67-62 in OT
The New York Liberty finally have a WNBA championship after beating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night. Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league. The Liberty made the WNBA Finals five times before, losing each one, including last season. This time they wouldn’t be denied, although it took an extra five minutes. The win gave the city of New York its first basketball title since 1976 when the Nets won the ABA title.

NCAAMBB – Men’s college basketball – Exhibition
Last Night
Michigan 92, Oakland 48               at Little Caesars Arena

Michigan 92, Oakland 48 – Wolverines win exhibition in first game for new coach Dusty May.
Will Tschetter led Michigan with 15 points as the Wolverines defeated Oakland University at an exhibition charity game held at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.  Michigan had four other players in double figures, Roddy Gayle Junior had 13, Sam Walters scored 12, and Vladislav Golden and Danny Wolf each had 11.  The game was the first for the Wolverines under new head coach Dusty May.

MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Today
Girls Volleyball
Berrien Springs at St. Joseph, 6:30 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake at Covert, 6:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Michigan Lutheran, 6:00 p.m.
Buchanan at Niles, 6:00 p.m.
Hartford at Howardsville Christian, 6:00 p.m.