Texans' Stroud takes beating in opener, sacked five times in 25-9 loss to Ravens

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested Monday and charged with assault and strangulation after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a New York City hotel. Porter, 23, is accused of hitting the woman several times and putting his hands around her neck. The woman, 26, was taken to a hospital with a cut to the right side of her face. Police said the incident happened around 6:45 a.m. at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan. Porter remained in police custody as of Monday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. A message seeking comment was left for his agent.

The medals had barely been hung on the necks of the German, Serbian and Canadian teams when word began to circulate about Team USA's savior assembling an Avengers-style group of colleagues to fix American basketball in the upcoming Olympics.

Retired Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is teaming up with the organization RIP Medical Debt to help eliminate $10 million in medical bills for residents around the state. The program is set to start later this month, with recipients around Colorado receiving letters that notify them their medical bills have been paid in full. Medical expenses have been among the leading causes for bankruptcy in the United States. Helton retired in 2013 and is the franchise’s all-time leader in many statistical categories. He said in a release that he drew inspiration from his friend and philanthropist Ryan ‘Jume’ Jumonville.

The Kansas City Chiefs are optimistic that All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce will be back from a knee injury for Sunday's game at Jacksonville. Kelce hyperextended the knee in practice last week and missed the Chiefs' season-opening loss to Detroit. Coach Andy Reid said Monday that “Travis is getting better” and that “we'll see how he does the rest of today or tomorrow and go from there.” Meanwhile, Reid had no update on All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones' holdout, other than to say the two sides continue to communicate. Jones has racked up millions in fines while trying to get a new contract. He watched the 21-20 loss to the Lions from a suite in Arrowhead Stadium last Thursday night.

Croatia climbed atop its European Championship qualifying group by beating Armenia 1-0 away thanks to Andrej Kramarić’s goal in a first half that saw the game briefly delayed because of a drone carrying a political message. The striker tapped in at the far post after a 13th-minute corner from Luka Modric deflected off an Armenia player and went straight to Kramaric. The match in Yerevan was delayed for about 70 seconds when a drone carrying the flag of Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, flew over the field. The incident comes amid soaring tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and will likely lead to a UEFA disciplinary case.

Sports betting company DraftKings has apologized after using the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to entice people to bet on baseball and football games. The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion titled “Never Forget.” It required the Yankees, Mets and Jets to win their games Monday. That is the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania. The tragedy killed nearly 3,000 people. An outcry on social media from people offended by the promotion followed. DraftKings later took it down and apologized.

This weekend, C.J. Stroud became the second rookie quarterback in franchise history to start an opener and first since David Carr in Houston’s first game in 2002. And he, like Carr, took a beating. Carr was sacked six times in the Texans’ inaugural contest, setting the tone for a season where the No. 1 overall pick was taken down an NFL-record 76 times. Stroud, the second pick in this year’s draft, was sacked five times behind a makeshift offensive line as the Texans fell to the Ravens 25-9.

The Falcons' 24-10 win over Carolina in their opener was not a great showing for their passing game. Desmond Ridder threw for only 115 yards. The running game led by rookie Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier and the bolstered defense led by Jessie Bates was enough to beat the Panthers. Falcons coach Arthur Smith insists he doesn't worry about statistics. The Falcons finished 7-10 in each of Smith’s first two seasons. Based on that context, the impressive debut by the first-year coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s defense and the production of Robinson and Allgeier were ample reasons for encouragement.

Tyler Reddick took advantage of good speed and good fortune, perhaps the two things most needed for success in the NASCAR Cup Series, to win at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. The win clinched his spot in the second round of the playoffs for the first time. Meanwhile, second-place finisher Denny Hamlin was missing the luck element, with a late caution spoiling what appeared to be a stress-free win. And Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr. were also fast but both blew tires and sustained damage that not only ruined their chances Sunday but put them in peril heading to the last race in the first round of the playoffs.

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has tested positive for testosterone. Italy’s anti-doping agency announced the positive test. The test was carried out after Juventus’ game at Udinese on Aug. 20. Pogba did not play in the Serie A match but was on Juve’s bench. Nado Italia says Pogba was suspended provisionally with immediate effect. Pending a trial and testing of a backup “B” sample the 30-year-old Pogba risks a suspension of up to four years. It’s another negative note for a player who has been bothered by injuries ever since rejoining Juventus from Manchester United a little over a year ago. There’s also been a police investigation ongoing in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists.

Jack Conklin's season ended before the Browns' season opener was over. Conklin will miss the rest of 2023 after suffering a major left knee injury in the first half of Sunday's win over Cincinnati. Conklin tore two ligaments when he was accidentally hit from the side by Bengals end Trey Hendrickson. It's the latest injury for the 29-year-old Conklin. He came back earlier than expected to play last season after sustaining a serious injury to his right knee in 2021. The Browns signed Conklin to a four-year extension in December. On Sunday, he was replaced by rookie Dawand Jones, who is expected to stay in the starting lineup.

UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will miss Saturday's home game against Villanova and likely remain sidelined beyond the start of the Knights’ Big 12 schedule due to a leg injury suffered during last weekend’s 18-16 victory at Boise State. Coach Gus Malzahn said Plumlee will miss a “few weeks” but not require surgery. The team expects the fifth-year senior to return before the end of the season. Redshirt  sophomore Timmy McClain will replace Plumlee, who’s in his second season as UCF’s starter after transferring from Ole Miss. After hosting Villanova, UCF will begin its inaugural Big 12 season at Kansas State on Sept. 23.

Josh Allen essentially earned a pay raise in Week 1. He might have to wait until March to cash in, though. The seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft had three sacks in Jacksonville’s season opener at Indianapolis and gave himself early leverage in future contract negotiations. Allen is in the final year of his rookie deal, playing on a fifth-year option that guarantees him $10.9 million in 2023. He took a huge step toward convincing the Jaguars to keep him, and if not, surely increased his value in free agency.

Authorities say a man competing in Ironman Wisconsin fell ill during the grueling triathlon and later died. Ironman Wisconsin says the competitor needed medical attention during the bike portion of Sunday's race. He died at a local hospital after being assisted by a race staff member and an off-duty police officer. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office says the 51-year-old Madison, Wisconsin, man died after suffering “a medical event” in the town of Cross Plains. The full 140.6-mile Ironman contested Sunday included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Two athletes died in 2019 during the swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin triathlon.

U.S. Open women’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka and men’s champion Novak Djokovic each moved up one spot to No. 1 in the rankings. Monday's moves mark Sabalenka’s first week atop the WTA, and Djokovic’s record-extending 390th week atop the ATP. Women's champion Coco Gauff rose to a career-high No. 3 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka is a 25-year-old from Belarus who is the 29th player to top the women’s list since computerized rankings began in the 1970s. She overtook Iga Swiatek, who slides to No. 2 after holding No. 1 since April 2022. Swiatek won the trophy at year ago but lost in the fourth round this time.

A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart head into the playoffs this week as the top contenders to win the WNBA’s most valuable player award. That’s no surprise. They are the two superstars on the league's “super teams” — the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. But there is a third contender for MVP as well. Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas has played her way into the conversation. She has recorded a league-record six triple-doubles in leading the Sun to the No. 3 seed. Thomas is the first player in league history to record at least 600 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists in a single season.

Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested early Monday after police responded to a report of an “unruly passenger” at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Airport spokesperson Mindy Kerschner confirmed that Jones was the passenger arrested prior to takeoff. Captain Kevin Klute of the Boone County Jail says Jones was booked on misdemeanor counts of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening. Jones told WKRC-TV he asked to be moved because the charger at the two seats he had purchased wasn’t working and was told that they would have to turn the plane around. He vehemently denied being intoxicated and also rejected the terroristic threat allegation.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has apologized after his father-in-law, disgraced former Baylor coach Art Briles, was seen on the field with Lebby after Oklahoma’s 28-11 win over SMU on Saturday night. Baylor fired Briles in 2016 after an investigation concluded he and his staff took no action against players named in sexual assault allegations. The images of Briles decked out in Oklahoma gear on Owen Field drew backlash from Sooners fans on social media. Lebby said the issue will not come up again.

The Pittsburgh Steelers say it's far too early to panic after a lopsided loss to San Francisco in the season opener. The Steelers fell behind by 20 points in the first half and never recovered on their way to a 30-7 setback. Second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett struggled, throwing a pair of interceptions and failing to make the kind of big plays downfield the Steelers say is an important part of their plan in 2023. Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland on "Monday Night Football" in Week 2.

Damar Hamlin isn't expected to play in a regular-season game for the first time since going into cardiac arrest when the Buffalo Bills open the season against the New York Jets on Monday night. That's according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Bills didn't announce their lineup ahead of the game. Hamlin had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati in January. He made the Bills’ roster as a backup safety after many doubted he would be able to take the field again. He played in three exhibition games this summer.

Disney and Charter Communications announced a deal to settle a dispute that had cut some 15 million cable TV customers off from ESPN and other Disney-owned stations. The two businesses faced a pressing deadline — the year's first ‘Monday Night Football’ game, that would have left a lot of angry football fans if they weren't able to watch the game. It matches the New York Jets against the Buffalo Bills, and many of the affected customers with the Charter-owned Spectrum TV are in the New York area. The companies were seeking to nail an agreement for Spectrum to carry Disney's stations, made difficult by cord-cutting that has cut into cable's audience.

So much about Nick Saban’s 17 seasons at Alabama represents unprecedented success in college football football. Even the slightest dip in performance is notable. For any other program, permanent residence in the top 10 of The Associated College football poll for nine consecutive seasons would be celebrated. For the Crimson Tide, there are signs of slippage. No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan held their places atop the AP poll, with Florida State moving up to No. 3 and Texas vaulting to No. 4 after beating ’Bama. The Tide fell to No. 10.

New England defender DeJuan Jones replaced Joe Scally on the United States roster for Tuesday night’s exhibition against Oman at St. Paul, Minnesota. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Scally left the team for family reasons. Scally was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Uzbekistan in a friendly. Jones, 26, made his U.S. debut in January and has six international appearances. The U.S. also will be without goalkeeper Matt Turner, who returned to Britain for the birth of a daughter. Ethan Horvath and Drake Callender are the goalkeepers remaining with the team.

The World Cup is over. The U.S. didn’t medal. The world proved again that the Americans, even with NBA players, are vulnerable on the international stage. And now, every bit of USA Basketball’s focus shifts to the Paris Olympics. There, the challenge will be even tougher than the World Cup, which again reminded the Americans how much the FIBA game has changed.

The two biggest takeaways from the first block of games at the Rugby World Cup have reinforced a couple of pre-tournament predictions. France and Ireland both appear to be the real deal and ready to challenge the southern hemisphere’s vise-like grip on the trophy. Rugby’s newish rules on head contact and player safety also threaten to be an overriding theme at the tournament and match officials are already under scrutiny for apparent inconsistency. There was one red card for a head clash in the opening set of eight games and there might easily have been at least two more.

A major rescue operation is underway in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to bring out an American researcher who fell seriously ill nine days ago at a depth of some 1,000 meters — or about 3,000 feet — from one of world’s deepest caves. Mark Dickey is a 40-year-old cave explorer and a cave rescuer himself. He became stricken with severe stomach bleeding on Sept. 2. There were several other people with him, including three other Americans, on the mission to map the deep cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association. Dickey is being assisted by teams of international rescuers who by Monday had brought him up a level about 300 meters, or nearly 1,000 feet) from the surface.

UNDATED (AP) — Texas jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press college football poll after beating Alabama and the Pac-12 became just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25. Georgia received 55 first-place votes to remain the clear No. 1. Michigan is No. 2, with …