8/19/24 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
19 August 2024 Sports
Rookie Bo Nix made another strong case for the Broncos’ starting quarterback job Sunday night when he led Denver to scores on both of his drives in his first NFL start, a 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers’ backups.
Nix, the former Oregon star and the sixth QB selected in the 2024 NFL draft, has now led Denver to scores on six of his seven drives in the preseason.
Nix threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick, who’s come on strong in his bid to return to the lineup after missing the last two seasons with leg injuries. Nix also had a 14-yard strike to Javonte Williams that was overturned on review as he was ruled just past the line of scrimmage when he threw.
Denver (2-0) settled for the first of Wil Lutz’s two field goals instead.
Nix finished 8 of 9 for 90 yards and a stellar 140.7 passer rating. Patrick caught four of his passes for 30 yards. Nix also ran three times for a dozen yards.
Nix relieved incumbent Jarrett Stidham last week at Indianapolis before getting the bulk of the first-team work leading up to his first start as a pro, which included a joint practice Friday.
That workout was more competitive than this game because Packers coach Matt LaFleur advised his starters they’d have to play Sunday if they didn’t get after it at the Broncos’ suburban training complex Friday.
The Packers (1-1) ending up sitting out 31 players Sunday, including all of their regular starters.
Stidham’s 9-yard scramble into the end zone made it 17-0 just before halftime following Keidron Smith’s 56-yard interception return of a deep pass from Sean Clifford, who got the start with Jordan Love in a baseball cap.
Zach Wilson mopped up for Denver and Green Bay finally got on the scoreboard in the final minute of the third quarter when Zach Morton sacked Wilson in the end zone for a safety.
What followed was the first post-safety kickoff under the new rules, and Lutz, using a tee that hadn’t been allowed on a safety kickoff before, blasted the ball from his 20-yard line to the Green Bay 2. Dimitri Stanley returned it to the 29.
That aspect of the rule change might have unintended consequences because it can prevent teams that recorded the safety from having the favorable field position they generally got in the past with the ensuing punt, drop kick or place kick without the tee.
Wilson’s 7-yard strike to Tyler Badie made it 27-2 late in the fourth.
Another rookie who shined for Denver was linebacker Jonah Ellis, a third-round selection out of Utah, who forced an interception for the second straight game. He also had a strip-sack and recovery of Michael Pratt in the third quarter that led to a field goal.
Denver was flagged 13 times for 120 yards compared to four infractions by the Packers for 40 yards.
On the injury front, Packers LB Ralen Goforth sustained a concussion on Stidham’s touchdown just before halftime. The Packers host the Ravens on Saturday.
Colin Rea and two relievers combined on a two-hit shutout as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory.
The NL Central-leading Brewers (72-52) improved to a season-best 20 games above .500 after going 7-3 on a 10-game homestand that included a four-game split with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and a three-game sweep of the AL Central-leading Guardians.
Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak matches its longest of the season.
Rea (11-4) held the Guardians hitless for the first 5 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander struck out five and allowed two hits and no walks in his seven-inning stint.
Rea credited the way Eric Haase — starting at catcher for just the 10th time this season — called the game.
Rea departed after hitting Jhonkensy Noel with a pitch for the second time to start the eighth inning. Bryan Hudson came out of the bullpen and retired the next three batters in order.
With usual closer Devin Williams unavailable after pitching three of the last four days, 30-year-old left-hander Jared Koenig retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first career save.
Cleveland’s Ben Lively (10-8) gave up a run in each of the first two innings, but shut the Brewers down for the rest of his six-inning stint. He struck out five and allowed five hits and two walks to go with the two runs.
In the first inning, Milwaukee’s Brice Turang hit a leadoff triple to right and scored on Willy Adames’ two-out single to center.
Sal Frelick hit a one-out single in the second, advanced to third on a hit-and-run single from Joey Ortiz and scored when Haase grounded to short.
That was more than enough offense for Rea, who didn’t allow a hit until Steven Kwan lined a single to left with two outs in the sixth.
Will Brennan followed Kwan’s base hit with a single to center that put the potential tying run on base, but Rea ended the threat by retiring José Ramírez on a pop fly that first baseman Rhys Hoskins caught in foul territory.
The Brewers are off today before opening a series in St. Louis Tuesday night. RHP Frankie Montas (5-8, 4.86) starts for the Brewers on Tuesday, while RHP Erick Fedde (8-6, 3.40) pitches for the Cardinals. First pitch is at 6:45.
Before Sunday’s game, the Brewers honored Hall of Famer Robin Yount to recognize the 50th anniversary of the two-time MVP’s major league debut. Yount spent his entire career with the Brewers and is regarded as the best player in franchise history.
Yount received a standing ovation before throwing out the first pitch.
During a pregame media session with former Brewers owner and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Yount said that he’s “the luckiest guy in the world, to have been drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers.”
“I love Milwaukee,” Yount said. “I love Wisconsin. It’s just worked out great for me.” Elsewhere in the NL Central Sunday the Mariners beat on the Pirates 10-3, the Royals downed the Reds 8-1, the Dodgers nipped the Cardinals 2-1 and Toronto shutout he Cubs 1-0. The Brewers opened up their lead over the Cardinals to 11 games, the Cubs are 11 ½ out, the Reds 12 and the Pirates are 13 ½ games behind.
In the Midwest League Sunday Peoria beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 at Fox Cities Stadium. There are no games scheduled in the league today.
Add yet another milestone to Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking 2014, her latest coming Sunday in the Indians Fever’s 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm, as she broke the WNBA single-season rookie mark for assists.
Clark, who leads the WNBA in assists at 8.3 per game, had 9 Sunday to reach 232, passing Ticha Penicheiro’s previous rookie record of 224 set in 1998.
Clark also had 23 points and Lexie Hull had 22. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever 27 points.
Penicheiro was the No. 2 pick that year for the Sacramento Monarchs, who are no longer in the WNBA. She helped lead the Monarchs to the 2005 league championship and finished her career with 2,600 assists, third most in WNBA history.
ndiana, seventh in the WNBA standings, is now 13-15, matching last season’s win total. The Fever haven’t finished with a winning record since 2015, when they went 20-14 and made the WNBA Finals.
They haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, when they were 17-17.
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