Lamar Jackson desperately rallies Ravens, falls 27-20 to Chiefs for 5th loss in 6 meetings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and ran for 122 yards, gamely trying to rally Baltimore from 10-point deficit against two-time defending NFL champion Kansas City. And it looked for a moment as if Jackson had at least forced overtime when he hit Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left. The play immediately went to a video review, though, and the evidence was clear: The tight end’s toe had landed on the endline, putting him out of bounds. The pass was incomplete. The game was over. And the disappointment quickly set in. The Ravens lost 27-20, the fifth time in six matchups that Jackson has lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Taylor Swift shows up at Arrowhead Stadium to watch Travis Kelce, Chiefs face Ravens in NFL opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pop superstar Taylor Swift has returned to Arrowhead Stadium to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and the rest of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs open the NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens. Swift arrived about 90 minutes prior to the AFC title game rematch, wearing a denim crop top and shorts along with red, knee-high boots. She joined nearly 80,000 fans who were hoping that storms in the area did not disrupt a festive night in Kansas City. Swift became one of the Chiefs’ biggest fans last season, when she began a high-profile her romance with Kelce after a game against Chicago.

US Open: Jessica Pegula reaches her first Grand Slam final at age 30 and will play Aryna Sabalenka

NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula has shrugged off a sluggish start and come back from a set and a break down at the U.S. Open to defeat Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 for a berth in her first Grand Slam final. The No. 6-seeded Pegula won for the 15th time in her past 16 matches Thursday night. She will meet No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday. Sabalenka reached her second consecutive U.S. Open final by beating Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) with her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis. The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka is a 26-year-old from Belarus who won each of the past two Australian Opens.

Analysis: History suggests a team will make a big leap to reach a conference championship game

Some of the 18 NFL teams that missed the playoffs last year have reason to hope for much greater success this season. Since 2019, seven teams have reached a conference championship game after failing to make the playoffs the previous season. Four of those seven teams won six or fewer games the year before advancing to the NFL’s Final Four. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from 7-9 in 2019 to Super Bowl champions in 2020. The San Francisco 49ers rebounded from a 4-12 season in 2018 to reach the Super Bowl the following year.

US Open: The spray that caused Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests has ‘DOPING’ warning

ROME (AP) — The word “DOPING” is printed in all caps inside a red circle with a slash through it on the box containing the over-the-counter spray sold in Italy that caused No. 1-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner to fail two drug tests in March. He was exonerated in the case and will play in the U.S. Open semifinals Friday. Trofodermin contains the anabolic steroid Clostebol and is available without a prescription in Sinner’s home country. The product is meant for treating cuts and scrapes. It contains an underlined doping warning on the medication guide that comes inside the box. A small spray can of Trofodermin was purchased for $16 at a Rome pharmacy by an Associated Press reporter.

Chiefs hold off Ravens 27-20 when review overturns TD on final play of NFL’s season opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and a touchdown, and the Kansas City defense kept Lamar Jackson and the Ravens out of the end zone on three consecutive plays in the closing seconds. That allowed the Chiefs to begin their pursuit of a third straight Super Bowl title with a 27-20 victory over Baltimore on Thursday night. The game ended with a video review after Jackson appeared to hit Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left for a touchdown. The video clearly showed Likely’s toe on the line, though, and the call was overturned and the pass ruled incomplete.

Sarah Storey secures her 19th Paralympic gold with sprint finish in cycling road race

PARIS (AP) — Sarah Storey won her 19th Paralympic gold medal in the women’s C4-5 road race, narrowly defeating French teenager Heidi Gaugain. Storey and Gaugain completed the 71-kilometer race in 1 hour, 54 minutes, and 24 seconds, with Storey winning in a sprint finish. Storey previously won the C5 individual time trial, adding to her extensive Paralympic success across cycling and swimming since 1992. Also, China set a world record in the 4×100-meter universal relay in para athletics, clocking 45.09 seconds in the heats to qualify for the final.

Jannik Sinner plays Jack Draper in the US Open semifinals weeks after a doping exoneration

NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner will play in the U.S. Open semifinals six months after he failed two drug tests, and 2 1/2 weeks after he was exonerated because he said trace amounts of an anabolic steroid entered his system unintentionally via a massage. The No. 1-ranked Sinner will play No. 25 Jack Draper on Friday for a spot in the championship match. No. 12 Taylor Fritz faces No. 20 Frances Tiafoe in the other men’s semifinal. That will be the first matchup in the final four at Flushing Meadows between two American men in 19 years.

Aaron Rodgers might have ‘a little smirk’ before his 5th snap in the Jets’ opener to mark his return

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is nearly a year removed from the torn Achilles tendon that ended his first season with the New York Jets after just four snaps. The 40-year-old quarterback says he always has something to prove, but as he gets older he focuses on proving things to himself. He’s looking forward to getting back on the field and in the huddle in the season opener Monday night at San Francisco. Rodgers said he’s feeling ready and in a good mind space and expects “greatness.” He adds he might even give “a little smirk” to the “Monday Night Football” cameras when he gets to his fifth snap against the 49ers.

The director of the Paralympic closing ceremony wants to turn the Stade de France into a dance floor

PARIS (AP) — The final act of the Paralympics in Paris will be a giant dance party. That’s a promise from Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. Jolly says 24 DJs will perform thumping techno and dance music at the Stade de France on Sunday as the curtain falls on the 2024 Paralympics. In an interview with AP, Jolly says he wants to “turn the Stade de France into the biggest dance floor.” Much like during the Paralympic opening ceremony, which featured artists with disabilities and dancers using crutches or wheelchairs, the dance floor will be open for all.