NFL:
On Thursday Night Football, Tennessee bested Jacksonville 36-22.
On Sunday, New England is in Buffalo to take on the Bills at 1 p.m., the Jets take on Cleveland, and the Giants have a bye week.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been caught on camera asking his AFC rival Tom Brady for a jersey to hang on his wall. A clip of Showtime's "Inside the NFL" captured Roethlisberger's on-field pregame conversation with the Patriots quarterback ahead of last Sunday's matchup in Pittsburgh. The admiration is mutual. Brady last week called Roethlisberger "one of the best quarterbacks" he's ever played against. Postgame jersey swaps are commonplace among soccer players, and the tradition has recently taken hold in the NFL as well.
A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Broncos running back C.J. Anderson will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The extent of the damage will determine how long he's out. Anderson has disputed a report that he had told people close to him that he was done for the season. The injury occurred while he was compiling 107 yards rushing in Monday's 27-9 victory over the Texans.
Elsewhere:
— Vikings wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson has a concussion that kept him out of Thursday's practice. He took some hard hits in the team's loss last week at Philadelphia, where he caught all seven passes thrown to him for 67 yards and a touchdown.
— The father of Bills safety Aaron Williams says his son intends to wait until the offseason to determine whether to continue playing after sustaining his latest neck injury. Williams suffered a severe neck injury when he was blindsided by Miami's Jarvis Landry in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins. Williams missed the final 11 games last season and had neck surgery, during which doctors shaved two disks to alleviate nerve damage.
— Oakland pass rusher Aldon Smith has applied to the NFL to be reinstated from his one-year suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. A person with knowledge of the application told The Associated Press that Smith has asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to be allowed back on the field once his ban ends on Nov. 17. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the move.
— A judge in Las Vegas has sentenced Darren Sharper to as many as eight years in prison for attempted sexual assault as part of a four-state plea deal. Sharper was ordered to serve the Nevada sentence concurrently with an 18-year sentence he's already started on state and federal charges in Louisiana. The former Packers and Saints defensive back is appealing his conviction and 18-year prison sentence in Louisiana after earlier pleading guilty to drug and sexual assault charges. He previously pleaded guilty to similar charges in Arizona and no-contest in California.
MLB:
The Cubs and Indians held their workouts at Wrigley Field Thursday in preparation of Game 3 of the World Series the following night. The teams enjoyed an off day after splitting the first two games in Cleveland. Friday's contest will be the first World Series game at Wrigley since 1945, when the Cubs extended their championship drought by falling to the Tigers in Game 7.
Josh Tomlin gets the starting assignment for the Indians, while the Cubs will go with major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks. Cubs star Kyle Schwarber won't be in the starting lineup for the three World Series games this weekend after he was denied medical clearance to play the outfield following his return from knee surgery. Schwarber is 3-for-7 with two RBIs in the series, including a pair of RBI singles in Game 2 on Thursday.
The change of venue also means Indians manager Terry Francona will use Carlos Santana in left field instead of his usual DH role. Santana is a defensive liability but an offensive upgrade over left fielders Coco Crisp or Brandon Guyer (GY'-ur) after providing 34 home runs and 99 RBIs during the regular season.
NBA:
In the NBA, Chicago topped Boston 105-99, Atlanta bested Washington 114-99, San Antonio defeated Sacramento 102-94, and it was the Clippers over Portland 114-106.
The Detroit Pistons could be starting their final season at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The team is in advanced discussions about moving downtown to play at the Red Wings' new arena. That's according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Pistons have not commented. The source says the intention is for the NBA franchise to start playing downtown next season if possible.
NHL:
In the NHL, Pittsburgh doubled up the Islanders 4-2, Minnesota blanked Buffalo 4-0, Toronto edged Florida 3-2, Montreal skated past Tampa Bay 3-1, Winnipeg topped Dallas 4-1, Detroit beat St. Louis in a shootout 2-1, Los Angeles edged Nashville 3-2, San Jose beat Columbus 3-1, and it was Arizona over Philadelphia 5-4.
Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm has ended his holdout and signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract. The 22-year-old has scored 92 points in 236 games over his three NHL seasons and ranks second among all league defensemen with a +61 during that span. The Swede missed the Ducks' first eight games while sitting out as a restricted free agent.
NCAA:
In top 25 college football, No. 25 Virginia Tech won against Pittsburgh 39-36.
Penn State has taken another financial hit in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky revelations. A jury has awarded former Nittany Lions assistant football coach Mike McQueary over $7 million in damages. The jury determined the university defamed McQueary once it became public that his testimony helped prosecutors charge Sandusky with child molestation.
Jurors awarded McQueary $1.15 million on the defamation claim and $1.15 million on the misrepresentation allegation that two administrators lied to him when they said they took his report of Sandusky seriously and would respond appropriately. They also awarded $5 million in punitive damages.
A Penn State spokesman said the university would not comment on the case and the jury's decision until a final decision is rendered on all counts.
World Golf Championships:
Sweden's Rikard Karlberg has the lead after the opening round of the World Golf Championships HSBC tournament in Shanghai. He opened with an 8-under-64, one shot better than Rickie Fowler and two in front of Daniel Berger. All four major champions are in the field of the HSBC Champions for the first time since 2011.
PGA:
Kevin Streelman is the leader through 18 holes of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi. Streelman fired a 9-under 63 for a two-shot edge over Trey Mullinax, Carl Pettersson and Seamus Power. Streelman had 10 birdies, including eight in an 11-hole stretch. Lucas Glover, Camilo Villegas and Graham DeLaet are among seven players at minus-6.
LPGA:
South Korea's Amy Yang has the lead after the first round of the LPGA event in Malaysia. She opened with an 8-under-63 with American's holding down the next three spots. Alone in second is Marina Alex at 6-under while Michelle Wie and Mo Martin are tied at 5-under with several other players. The score for Wie was her best in more than a year. Winless in 57 tournaments since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, she's coming off a season-best 10th-place tie last week in China in the Blue Bay LPGA.
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