Ravens trade CB Jaire Alexander to Philadelphia; teams also swap late-round draft picks The Associated Press OWINGS MILLS, Md.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to trade cornerback Jaire Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
The Ravens announced the move Saturday.
Alexander joined the Ravens before this season, but he's played in only two games for them, even though Baltimore was ravaged by injuries for a period of time. The Ravens are healthier now, and they also traded for defensive back Alohi Gilman last month.
Alexander played seven years with the Green Bay Packers before this season. He's a two-time Pro Bowler.
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Lindsey's OT touchdown run helps Minnesota deny Michigan State first Big Ten win with 23-20 victory The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Drake Lindsey scored on a 3-yard run on third down in overtime after he had the tying rushing touchdown with 29 seconds left in regulation, and Minnesota kept Michigan State winless in Big Ten play with a 23-20 victory on Saturday.
The Spartans (3-6, 0-6) took possession first in OT but had to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Martin Connington, who missed kicks from 46 and 23 yards in regulation, for a 20-17 lead.
A pass interference penalty on Michigan State's Malcolm Bell on third-and-4 kept the drive alive for the Gophers (6-3, 4-2), and Lindsey capped the comeback when he faked a handoff and rolled left on a bootleg that put him one-on-one with Spartans linebacker Darius Snow. Lindsey stiff-armed Snow to get the corner and beelined for the front corner of the end zone.
“It was really cool to see Drake kind of just put the ball in his hands and put the game on his shoulders,” tight end Jameson Geers said. “He’s a playmaker, and he went out and won the game for us.”
The Spartans, who had a season-high 467 total yards on offense, trailed 10-0 at halftime and took their first lead at 17-10 with 1:52 remaining. Elijah Tau-Tolliver gained 85 yards on a first-down run, and Brandon Tullis ran it in from a yard out two plays later.
But after Connington's kickoff went out of bounds, the Gophers got to start at the 35 with two timeouts. A facemask penalty on Michigan State's Jordan Hall got them going with a 15-yard boost, and a pass interference call on Malik Spencer on a second-and-1 incompletion from the 8 gave Minnesota first-and-goal from the 2 with 30 seconds left.
Lindsey completed 26 of 39 passes for 197 yards.
“I just love his guts, and the team believes in him,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “When you’ve got a team who believes in your quarterback, and he’s really young, you feel really good as a head coach.”
After a 41-3 loss to rival Iowa the week before, Lindsey reset his mind after a meeting with close friend and former Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer, who's now in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
“You’ve just got to stay mellow,” Lindsey said. “This game’s so full of highs and lows, and if you ride that rollercoaster you’re just going to caught up in it.”
Fame Ijeboi, who had 108 yards on 17 rushes for the Gophers, had a 49-yard rush in the first quarter and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Brady Denaburg kicked a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter but missed one from 33 with 17 seconds left.
Spark for the Spartans
Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles had made 20 consecutive starts, but coach Jonathan Smith turned to Milivojevic after giving both players equal time with the offense in practice during the week. The Spartans found the spark they were seeking with 311 yards on 20-for-28 passing for the redshirt freshman Milivojevic.
“He’s got some moxie,” Smith said. “He worked really hard. He was prepared.”
Milivojevic found Rodney Bullard Jr. along the sideline for a 71-yard touchdown pass three plays into the third quarter to pull the Spartans within 10-7. Bullard had four catches for 102 yards and Tau-Tolliver had 127 yards on 11 carries for the Spartans, who had 10 penalties for 96 yards.
The takeaway
Michigan State: The Spartans are 0-6 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2016 when they lost their first seven and finished 1-9. Their only conference victory that season was a 49-0 win over Rutgers.
Minnesota: The Gophers, who set a program record with nine sacks in a 24-6 victory over then-No. 25 Nebraska two weeks ago, had six sacks in the first half and finished with seven. The Gophers had 12 tackles for loss in all for 72 yards in lost yardage for the Spartans.
Up next
Minnesota: Plays at No. 6 Oregon on Nov. 14.
Michigan State: Hosts Penn State on Nov. 15.
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Noah Fifita's 4 TD throws, Arizona's 5 takeaways help Wildcats crush Colorado 52-17 By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press BOULER, Colo.
BOULER, Colo. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw four first-half touchdown passes and the Arizona Wildcats forced five turnovers in rebounding from two closes losses with a 52-17 rout of the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night.
“This is a huge win coming off two heartbreaking losses,” said coach Brent Brennan, whose Wildcats had lost in double-overtime to BYU and by a field goal at Houston. “We're gonna enjoy the plane ride home.”
The Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) raced to a 38-7 halftime lead by scoring on six of their first seven drives, and the Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5) trudged into the locker room with more penalties (nine) than points.
For the first time in his three-year tenure in Boulder, Colorado, coach Deion “Prime” Sanders didn't allow any of his players to talk post-game. He said that was because he was solely to blame for the bedraggled Buffs' second straight blowout loss.
“Don't attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don't attack the players. Come at me," Sanders said.
Sanders had no answers as to why the Buffs played so poorly again, insisting good practices had given no inkling another rout was forthcoming. He bristled when asked if his team had checked out: “I know a quitter when I see one. I haven't seen that."
Sanders added that he's confident he can coach Colorado back into winning ways, saying, "I don't doubt me. Let's get that straight: I. Don't. Doubt. Me.”
Buffaloes QB Kaidon Salter was benched late in the first half for Ryan Staub, who was also benched after both of his passes were intercepted in the third quarter. Freshman Ju-Ju Lewis came on and threw a 59-yard touchdown strike — the first of his career — to Omarion Miller. The pass also was 10 yards longer than the 49 yards passing that Salter managed while completing 11 of 15.
Lewis left the game in the final minute with an injury to his throwing hand.
Colorado's two most damaging first-half flags wiped out a 75-yard touchdown catch and an interception.
Fifita got the rout started just three snaps into the game when he threw a short pass to Tre Spivey, who eluded six tacklers and outraced two others to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown — his seventh TD in just a dozen touches this season.
After a field goal made it 10-0, linebacker Chase Kennedy strip-sacked Salter and defensive tackle Leroy Palu recovered at the Colorado 12. On the next snap, Fifita found Kris Hutson for the score and a 17-0 lead.
“A very big win,” Arizona defender Jay'vion Cole said, “especially on the road, on the road in the Big 12 at a challenging place like this.”
The Buffaloes finally got on the board with Salter's 8-yard strike to Miller that capped a 17-play, 75-yard drive which took nearly eight minutes and prompted returning alum Shedeur Sanders, now a backup QB for the Cleveland Browns, to pull up a folding chair at midfield along the Buffs' sideline.
The takeaway
Arizona: Fifita directed the 'Cats on eight scoring drives in 10 possessions before giving way to backup Braedyn Locke. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 213 yards. The Wildcats got touchdowns from seven different players. Their 18 takeaways are two more than they had all of last season.
Colorado: The Buffaloes were still hung over from their 53-7 bashing at Utah a week earlier. Over their last two games, the Buffs have been outscored by halftime 81-7. They racked up 14 penalties against Arizona.
Up Next
Arizona: Hosts the University of Kansas on Saturday.
Colorado: Visits West Virginia on Saturday.
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At age 41, Marcedes Lewis becomes oldest tight end to play in NFL game By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer The Associated Press HOUSTON
HOUSTON (AP) — Denver's Marcedes Lewis made history Sunday against the Houston Texans, when at age 41 he became the oldest tight end to ever play in an NFL game.
When he entered the game on the fourth snap of Denver's first drive he also became the oldest player to appear in a game in franchise history.
Lewis is the second-oldest active player in the NFL behind Aaron Rodgers, who will turn 42 in December.
Lewis was signed to the practice squad on Wednesday and promoted to the active roster Saturday.
Evan Engram and Adam Trautman are the Broncos’ only healthy tight ends with Lucas Krull (foot) on IR and Nate Adkins suffering a knee injury last weekend in Denver’s 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys . Adkins also routinely lined up at fullback and H-back, and Lewis has long been one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL.
Lewis was a first-round pick (28th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of UCLA in 2006, the same year that Broncos coach Sean Payton got his first head coaching gig in New Orleans. Lewis played 12 seasons in Jacksonville, five in Green Bay and the past two in Chicago, where he appeared in all 17 games last season.
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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.
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Kenny Clark quietly steadies Cowboys as the player that came in the Micah Parsons trade By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press FRISCO, Texas
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Kenny Clark focused on his new teammates after the stocky defensive tackle was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in the blockbuster deal that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season.
That's all Clark could do in the whirlwind of the moment as the only tangible and immediate return for a passionate fan base losing one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.
“Like I said weeks before, everybody’s just been welcoming me,” said Clark, who had to say goodbye to the Packers after nine seasons and almost immediately play in the NFL opener at defending champion Philadelphia, a suddenly new division rival in the NFC East. “I’m all about the people. And the people here have been great. My teammates have been great. That’s all you can ask for.”
What the Cowboys (3-4-1), who host Arizona (2-5) on Monday night , got in return was a steadying influence for what has been a mostly rough ride for a defense that ranks among the worst in the league.
Clark hasn't hidden from reporters at the storied franchise's vast headquarters in the suburbs north of Dallas. He stopped outside the locker room to chat with a smaller group of writers, beyond the view of cameras, after a particularly troublesome performance by the defense in a loss at Carolina.
He answered the rosier questions after the best showing of the season in a win over Washington, and again when the issue was consistency in another poor showing at Denver last week.
Clark isn't a vocal leader, but recognized he was immediately one of the most vested veterans the minute he walked into the Dallas locker room. That's where keeping the focus on people helped.
“That’s what makes me happy to come into work and work every day,” Clark said. “That’s what keeps you going. You spend a lot more time with these guys than you do with your own family sometimes. Everybody’s got to be on the same page. It’s a true brotherhood when you come in here, so you’ve got to treat it that way.”
Clark earned the respect of his new teammates by working the same way he did in Green Bay: asking questions, taking notes, treating all the reps the same.
The 30-year-old says he learned that from the Packers veterans he joined as a first-round pick out of UCLA in 2016, the same year star quarterback Dak Prescott went in the fourth round to the Cowboys.
First-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer prides himself on getting to know his players as people. He realized recently there's a hole in that resume as it relates to Clark.
“The way he practices, I don’t know where he learned that,” Schottenheimer said. “Actually, I should ask him.”
Whatever the answer, new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has noticed, too.
“I wasn’t happy with a couple of walkthrough reps and I showed them that,” Eberflus said, recalling a moment from last month. “And the ones I showed that were really good was him. Really taking his steps, feet, hands and eyes, going through the rudiments of the game, even in the walkthrough. We have to all do that all the time. So there’s a process to it. And he understands that process. That’s why he’s played 10 years."
Clark looks the part of a defensive run stopper, a wide frame at 6-foot-3 and 314 pounds with a low center of gravity. He's a three-time Pro Bowler who has moved beyond an injury-filled 2024 season to give the Cowboys what they sought.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he wouldn't have done the deal without Clark as Dallas tried to improve a persistently subpar run defense. The trade, which gave the Cowboys an extra first-round pick each of the next two drafts, came after months of a contract stalemate with Parsons.
The numbers still aren't good — the Cowboys entered the week ranked 29th against the run — but the interior of the defensive front is less to blame than it used to be.
Fellow defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa knew Clark better than the rest of his Dallas teammates because Clark played with his older brother, Owa Odighizuwa, at UCLA.
Osa Odighizuwa, a third-round pick by Dallas in 2021, signed an $80 million contract extension during the offseason, not realizing he would soon have a pairing that could be in place a few years. Clark is under contract through 2027.
“I’m like, ‘Well, I know he’s going to help,’” Odighizuwa said of his immediate reaction to the trade. “It’s another veteran guy who knows how to do it right, who knows how to work and is going to be able to, one, fall in line with the culture that we have and then, two, just add to it in terms of adding another leader to the room.”
Clark was clear the day he arrived he wouldn't spend much time trying to convince anyone of his value ("Man, you gotta just watch the film"). Two months later, his message hasn't changed.
“All that stuff is behind me,” Clark said. “I’m here now and blessed and excited to be here, just trying to do my best to help this team win football games and just keep getting better.”
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Bengals' Charlie Jones becomes first player to return 2 kickoffs for touchdowns under new NFL rules The Associated Press CINCINNATI
CINCINNATI (AP) — Charlie Jones has certainly become a fan of the NFL's dynamic kickoff rules.
The Bengals wide receiver became the first player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns since the new rules were put in place last season.
Jones returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score during Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.
Jones got a great seam near the numbers on the left side of the field and avoided a diving tackle attempt by Bears kicker Cairo Santos at the Bengals 49 before going up the left sideline untouched. The third-year wide receiver then leaped into the stands to celebrate with fans.
Of the nine kickoffs run back for touchdowns since last season, Jones is also the only one who has run both back on the game's opening kickoff. He had a 100-yard return during last season's Week 7 matchup at Cleveland.
The dynamic kickoff rule put in place last season, and made permanent this year, made kickoffs more like scrimmage plays. It placed coverage players and blockers closer together to eliminate the high-speed collisions that caused injuries in past seasons.
Owners also voted in April to move touchbacks on kicks that reach the end zone on the fly from the 30 to the 35. That has meant kicks have reached the end zone and have been put in the landing zone from the goal line to the 20-yard line.
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Houston's C.J. Stroud out with concussion after hit against Denver By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer The Associated Press HOUSTON
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s C.J. Stroud won't return after sustaining a concussion after hitting his head hard on the ground at the end of a run in the second quarter Sunday against Denver.
The team announced just after halftime that he had a concussion and was out for the remainder of the game.
Stroud scrambled for 6 yards and was hit on the shoulder near the end of his slide by Kris Abrams-Draine and the back of his head violently bounced off the ground.
Abrams-Draine was initially flagged for unnecessary roughness. But the play was reviewed and the call was overturned when officials said he didn’t make contact with Stroud's head or neck.
Stroud remained on the ground for a few minutes while he was tended to by the medical staff. He eventually got up and walked to the sideline and entered the medical tent.
He then walked to the locker room and Davis Mills took over at quarterback.
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Packers star tight end Tucker Kraft carted into locker room with knee injury By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was carted into the locker room after suffering a knee injury in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Kraft lined up left and was moving to his right behind the line of scrimmage when he ran into the backside of Packers guard Sean Rhyan, who was blocking Carolina’s Nic Scourton on the play.
After getting helped to the sideline, Kraft went into the blue injury tent. He then went directly from the injury tent to the cart.
The Packers announced Kraft had a knee injury and was questionable to return.
Kraft, who turns 25 on Monday, had entered this game with 30 catches for 469 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Packers in all three categories.
He had been just the third tight end in NFL history to have at least 30 receptions, 450 yards receiving and six touchdown catches while averaging 15.5-plus yards per reception in the first seven games of a season. The others were Jimmy Graham in 2013 and Rob Gronkowski in 2015.
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Chargers' Joe Alt carted off field with ankle injury against Titans The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Joe Alt hurt his right ankle late in the second quarter Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and was carted off the field.
The Chargers said Alt was questionable to return.
Alt missed three games with a sprained right ankle and returned Oct. 23 in the Chargers' win over Minnesota. He didn't get up after a long incompletion by Justin Herbert with 4:49 left in the first half against Tennessee.
Jamaree Salyer replaced Alt, and the Chargers gave up their second sack on the next play after Alt was taken off the field. The Chargers already had right tackle Bobby Hart leave in the first quarter with a groin injury.
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Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers run all over the Giants on the way to winning 34-24 By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer The Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. kept getting the ball and carving through the New York Giants' defense. San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan wondered if he should mix in a pass or two before deciding against it.
“Screw it,” Shanahan thought. “We’ll just keep running it.”
The 49ers did that for the entire game, running all over the Giants on the way to a 34-24 victory on Sunday. McCaffrey accounted for 173 scrimmage yards — 106 on the ground on his 28 carries and 67 receiving on five catches. Many of the 49ers fans in attendance chanted “CMC! CMC!” after he got into the end zone past the midway point of the fourth quarter.
A week after a franchise-low 10 rushing attempts, Shanahan’s team ran the ball 39 times for 159 yards, including Robinson's 18-yard touchdown that sent a lot of the Giants crowd to the exits.
“Collectively as a team, we were able to stick with it,” Shanahan said. “It was a huge team deal getting those run calls.”
Jones completed his first 14 passes on the way to finishing 19 of 24 for 235 yards and TD passes to McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings. Jones bounced back from a fumble forced by Brian Burns and caught by Abdul Carter to improve to 5-2 as a starter this season.
Pounding the ball against the Giants with not much resistance and plenty of missed tackles, the 49ers (6-3) quickly moved past a clunker of a loss at Houston, even without starting quarterback Brock Purdy for a fifth consecutive game. Robinson — who torched the Giants (2-7) during his first three NFL seasons with Washington — averaged 10.6 yards a carry to show it was not just McCaffrey having success on the ground.
“He runs so hard,” said McCaffrey, who had his 16th career game with a TD run and a TD catch, breaking a tie with Marshall Faulk for the most in league history. “To have him is huge for me. It means a lot to me. He pushes me, and the way he runs, if we can continue to kind of get that flow of the game in there, man, I'm really excited.”
San Francisco's defense bounced back from allowing a touchdown on its opponent's opening drive for the first time this year. The pass rush that has struggled got going as Clelin Ferrell and Sam Okuayinonu each sacked Jaxson Dart, whose TD run and pass to Gunner Olszewski came in garbage time when the result had already been determined.
“Chasing around Jaxson all day is such a big challenge,” Shanahan said. “But I thought we swarmed him very well and can’t say enough good things about the D-line.”
Dart was 24 of 33 for 191 yards with the TD passes to Theo Johnson and Olszewski. Johnson and Wan'Dale Robinson each had a drop on third down that cut short a couple of promising drives.
Combine those with blunders on defense and special teams and New York has lost three in a row, giving up at least 33 points in each of those games. A plane flew overhead before the game reading, “Mr. Mara enough is enough — clean house,” and coach Brian Daboll was asked afterward if his team's record has him concerned.
"Look, we’re not where we need to be," Daboll said. “We’ve got to continue to improve here. There’s some things that, I think, are improving and there’s some things that are not.”
Avoiding what would have been their first back-to-back losses this season, the Niners are in the thick of the race for first place in the NFC West.
“You really have to look at this game like a playoff game almost, and I feel like we answered the bell there," Jones said. “We definitely answered the bell, but the challenge is don’t be complacent and we’ve got to do it again next week.”
Injuries
49ers: DL Mykel Williams left with a knee injury that Shanahan fears is a torn ACL. ... Purdy was inactive after being listed as questionable.
Giants: C John Michael Schmitz left with a left shin injury in the third quarter and did not return. ... ILB Darius Muasau injured an ankle in the second. ... WR Beaux Collins was quickly ruled out in the second half with a neck injury. ... CBs Paulson Adebo (knee) and Cor'Dale Flott (concussion) and S Jevon Holland (knee) were inactive, along with TE Daniel Bellinger (neck) and RT Jermaine Eluemunor (pectoral muscle).
Up next
49ers: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
Giants: Visit the Chicago Bears next Sunday.
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