Flacco leads Ravens to 44-13 rout…Chargers flatten Raiders 22-14
BALTIMORE (AP) — Joe Flacco threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Ed Reed took an interception 34 yards for a score, and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals 44-13 for their 11th straight win at home.
Baltimore’s high-powered, no-huddle offense also produced two short touchdown runs by Ray Rice. After letting an early 14-point lead dwindle to 17-13, the Ravens pulled away by scoring 24 straight points in just over six minutes.
Flacco watched the final eight minutes of the blowout on the sideline after going 21 for 29 in Baltimore’s ninth consecutive victory in the AFC North. The Ravens were the only team in the division to win the opener. The Ravens sacked Bengals QB Andy Dalton four times.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) —The San Diego Chargers held Oakland without a touchdown until the final minute of their 22-14 road victory. Philip Rivers completed 24 of 33 passes for 231 yards and one TD, a 6-yarder to Malcom Floyd, for the Chargers. Nate Kaeding booted five field goals.
The Chargers took advantage of three Raiders penalties that led to first downs on the 13-play, 90-yard drive late in the second quarter. Oakland had problems on special teams, botching three punts after an injury to the Raiders Pro Bowl long snapper, Jon Condo.
Buffalo loses Nelson…Jets’ Revis has “mild concussion
UNDATED (AP) — Buffalo Bills receiver David Nelson is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his right knee. The status of running back Fred Jackson remains uncertain. Doctors will now wait between seven and 10 days to conduct further tests to determine the severity of Jackson’s injury.
In other NFL news:
— The New York Jets report that defensive back Darrelle Revis suffered a “mild concussion” in Sunday’s win over the Bills. His status for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh is unclear.
— Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings has a groin injury, and his status for Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears is unclear.
— Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton has a low ankle sprain. Coach Ken Whisenhunt called the diagnosis “good news,” considering Skelton had to be carted off the field in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 20-16 victory over Seattle.
— The Atlanta Falcons have lost cornerback Brent Grimes to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Grimes went out in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 40-24 win at Kansas City in the season opener. Grimes was a Pro Bowler in the 2010 season and got the franchise tag this past offseason when he couldn’t agree on a new contract, receiving a salary of $10.2 million.
— Washington Redskins rookie safety Jordan Bernstine is out for the season with torn ligaments in his right knee. The Redskins moved quickly to replace him with third-year safety Jordan Pugh, who was cut this month by the Carolina Panthers.
— Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden has been suspended without pay for four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances.
— A person familiar with the schedule tells The Associated Press that the NFL has devised a temporary five-week setup for using replacement officials. The regular on-field officials are locked out and replacements worked the preseason and the first week of the regular season.
Murray outlasts Djokovic in five sets for first Grand Slam
NEW YORK (AP) — In an epic, four-hour, 54-minute men’s title match at the U.S. Open, Olympic champion Andy Murray outlasted second-seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 to win his first Grand Slam title.
Murray is the first man to bring a major championship back to Britain since Fred Perry in 1936. It’s Murray’s first Grand Slam title after failing in four previous major tournament finals.
Murray vs. Djokovic was a test of will as much as skill. The match tied the record for longest U.S. Open final. The first-set tiebreaker’s 22 points set a tournament mark.
When it was finally over, Murray crouched to the court with both hands over his face, exhausted but exalted.
Fred Perry won Britain’s last Grand Slam men’s title 76 years ago at the U.S. Championships, the Open’s predecessor.
Gio first to 19…Reds outlast Pirates in 14
UNDATED (AP) — Gio Gonzalez is baseball’s first 19-game winner. The Washington southpaw pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits in the Nationals’ 5-1 win over the Mets. Gonzalez is 19-7.
The Nationals got just five hits but three of them left Citi Field. Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman both hit two-run homers. Catcher Kurt Suzuki added a solo shot.
Gonzalez didn’t allow a hit until Scott Hairston homered in the fourth.
In the rest of the NL:
— Atlanta fell six and a-half games back of the Nationals after losing 4-1 in Milwaukee. Norichika Aoki had a two-run double to key a four-run seventh inning.
— NL Central-leading Cincinnati outlasted Pittsburgh 4-3 in 14 innings. Ryan Ludwick delivered the game-winning hit, an infield single. The Pirates have lost four straight and 21 of their last 30.
— Kyle Kendrick struck out a career-high eight over seven strong innings to lead the surging Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight win, 3-1 over Miami. The Phils have won 13 of 17 and are only five games out of the final NL wild card.
— Dave Sappelt scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and had three RBIs, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros in a matchup of the teams with the worst records in the majors.
__ San Diego routed St. Louis 11-3. Cameron Maybin hit a two-run homer, Will Venable had three RBIs. The Cards’ lead for the final wild card berth in the NL is down to one game over the Dodgers.
In the AL:
— The Chicago White Sox opened a crucial four-game series with Detroit with a 6-1 win over the Tigers. Alex Rios, A.J. Pierzynski and Gordon Beckham homered. The White Sox now the lead the Tigers by three games in the AL Central.
— Oakland stayed atop the wild card chase by beating the L.A. Angels 3-1. Brandon Moss and Cliff Pennington homered. Jarrod Parker pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as the A’s halted the Angels’ six-game win streak.
— Minnesota beat Cleveland 7-2. Samuel Deduno struck out six in seven innings.
Coach takes sick leave
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A Texas Tech athletics official says men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie is on indefinite sick leave. The school announced Aug. 31 that it had opened an investigation into alleged mistreatment of players by Gillispie. Earlier that day and hours before he was to meet with athletic director Kirby Hocutt, Gillispie called 911 and was taken to a Lubbock hospital.
He told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal he thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke.
He spent six days at University Medical Center before being released last Thursday.
Utah loses quarterback
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) —Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn has decided to end his football career after yet another shoulder injury, and possibly a fourth operation. Coach Kyle Whittingham made the announcement after he talked to Wynn and Wynn talked to his father.
Whittingham said further medical tests need to be done but that it’s likely Wynn will need surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder.
Whittingham says senior Jon Hays and freshman Travis Wilson will battle it out this week for the right to start Saturday’s game against No. 25 Brigham Young.