Tim Tebow had a triumphant homecoming by rallying the Denver Broncos to a dramatic 18-15 overtime win against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday as the NFL quarterback carousel continued to spin.
Making his first start of the season, the former Heisman Trophy winner produced the magic that many football fans have come to expect with an unlikely comeback that set up a 52-yard overtime field-goal for Denver (2-4) and left Miami winless (0-6).
Injuries and poor performances prompted many NFL teams to reshuffle the quarterback deck, but there were no thoughts of change in Green Bay as Aaron Rodgers had another brilliant game, tossing three touchdown passes in the Packers’ 33-27 win over the Vikings (1-6).
Photo: Reuters
Rookie Christian Ponder made his first career start for the Vikings in place of the inconsistent Donovan McNabb and showed plenty of promise. Ponder threw a pair of touchdowns, but could not get the better of the Super Bowl champions, who improved to 7-0 and remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team.
John Beck, making his first NFL start in four years for the Washington Redskins (3-3), had little to celebrate as the Carolina Panthers (2-5) romped to a 33-20 win, while former Pro Bowler Carson Palmer had trouble shaking off the rust in his first appearance for Oakland.
Palmer, who refused to report to the Cincinnati Bengals all season, was traded to the Raiders (4-3) early last week and he will need more time to adjust as he threw interceptions in a 28-0 shellacking by the Kansas City Chiefs (3-3).
The Detroit Lions (5-2) could also be looking at bringing in a backup next week as Matthew Stafford limped off the field with an apparent ankle injury in a 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons (4-3).
In London, the focus was on elusive running back Matt Forte, who scampered for 145 yards and a touchdown as the Chicago Bears (4-3) stopped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) 24-18 in front of an packed house at Wembley Stadium.
Mark Sanchez, another quarterback under attack, silenced his critics by tossing three touchdown passes to wide receiver Plaxico Burress as the New York Jets (4-3) rallied for a 27-21 win over the San Diego Chargers (4-2). Burress, back in the NFL after serving a 20-month prison sentence on gun charges, was Sanchez’s go-to man as the Jets struck for 17 unanswered second-half points to improve to 4-3.
Sunday’s other results:
‧ Cowboys 34, Rams 7
‧ Steelers 32, Cardinals 20
‧ Saints 62, Colts 7
‧ Browns 6, Seahawks 3
‧ Texans 41, Titans 7
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS