10/21/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Monday
21 October 2024 Sports
Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in his debut performance with Green Bay, lifting the Packers past the Houston Texans 24-22 on Sunday.
Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap the Texans’ three-game winning streak.
The Packers released rookie Brayden Narveson and signed the 33-year-old McManus on Wednesday. McManus had been out of a job since the summer, when two women sued him and the Jacksonville Jaguars in civil court alleging he sexually assaulted them when they were working as flight attendants on the Jaguars’ trip to London last year.
The NFL said late last month it didn’t find sufficient evidence that McManus violated the personal conduct policy. Lawyers representing McManus and the women said the civil case had been resolved.
Green Bay signed McManus because of his history of reliability from within 50 yards. And McManus delivered by making a winning kick on his first field-goal attempt with the Packers. He celebrated by doing a “Lambeau leap” into the corner of the end-zone stands.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love was 23 of 31 for 214 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Houston’s Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Ka’imi Fairbairn was 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts and put the Texans (5-2) ahead by making a 35-yarder with 1:44 left.
C.J. Stroud was just 10 of 21 for a career-low 86 yards and was sacked four times.
On the game’s final drive, the Packers were at midfield when Love hit Romeo Doubs for a 13-yard gain. An offside penalty on Houston’s Will Anderson brought the Packers 5 yards closer. After a 6-yard completion from Love to Doubs got Green Bay to Houston’s 26, the Packers called a timeout with 3 seconds left to set things up for McManus.
Josh Jacobs put the Packers ahead midway through the third quarter when he got his first career touchdown catch, on the sixth-year pro’s 212th overall reception. Jacobs had the NFL record for most career catches without a touchdown reception.
On second-and-goal from the 8, Jacobs caught a screen a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and ran across the middle of the field into the end zone.
But the Packers went three-and-out on their next three possessions, allowing the Texans to come back again.
The Texans built a 19-14 halftime lead by scoring 16 points off three Packers turnovers.
Packers LB Quay Walker left in the first half to get evaluated for a concussion after teammate Kingsley Enagbare’s leg inadvertently hit him in the head at the end of a play.
The Packers visit the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.
Elsewhere in the NFC North the Lions beat the Vikings in Minneapolis 31-29, on a late field goal. The loss was Minnesota’s first of the season and drops them to 5-1 and into a tie with the Lions. The Bears, 4-2, had a bye.
In Sunday Night Football the Steelers pounded the Jets in Pittsburgh, 37-15. Russell Wilson replaced Justin Fields at quarterback and completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns to George Pickens and Van Jefferson. Pickens caught 5 passes for 111 yards and Najee Harris rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.
The Jets Aaron Rodgers was 24 of 39 for 276 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. New York was limited to just 54 yards rushing.
Running back Breece Hall gained 38 yards on 12 carries and caught 6 passes for 100 yards. Newly acquired Davante Adams caught just 3 passes for 30 yards. The Jets drop to 2-5 while the Steelers improve to 5-2.
There are two games in Monday Night Football. Baltimore, 4-2, plays at Tampa Bay, also 4-2. In the other matchup, the Chargers, 3-2, are at Arizona, 2-4.
Pairings for the World Series have been set. Sunday the Dodgers beat the Mets 10-5 to win their series, 4-2. They’ll play the Yankees, who eliminated the Indians in five games Saturday, with a 5-2 win on the road.
The Yankees are at the Dodgers in the first game of the Fall Classic on Friday.
The New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime Sunday night to win the title in five games. It was the first-ever championship for New York.
Tawee Walker ran for 126 yards in another big performance, Braedyn Locke threw for a touchdown and ran for a score, and Wisconsin beat Northwestern 23-3 on Saturday.
The Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) came away with another easy win, locking down the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) after pummeling Purdue and Rutgers by a combined 94-13.
Walker, coming off a career-best 198-yard outburst against Rutgers, delivered again. He carried 23 times, including a 24-yarder that helped set up Wisconsin’s first TD, facing a defense that was ninth in the nation against the run.
Locke threw for 160 yards, completing 14 of 24 with an interception, in his fourth start since Tyler Van Dyke was injured in a loss to Alabama on Sept. 14. He also ran for an 8-yard touchdown that made it 7-0 early in the second quarter.
Cade Yacamelli ran for a 3-yard touchdown after a strip-sack by John Pius near the end of the first half. Sebastian Cheeks and Curt Neal strip-sacked Jack Lausch at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 23-3.
Northwestern missed some big opportunities and couldn’t sustain drives. It all added up to a rough afternoon in the fifth and final game this year at its temporary lakefront stadium.
The Wildcats host No. 4 Ohio State and No. 22 Illinois at Wrigley Field on Nov. 16 and 30. A new Ryan Field is scheduled to open in 2026.
Lausch was just 9 for 24 with 82 yards.
Wisconsin led 14-0 at the half after a big takeaway in the closing minute.
Northwestern had Lausch, who was 4 for 14 in the half, drop back to pass with the ball on its own 8. Pius came through with a strip-sack, and Elijah Hills recovered at the 3. Cade Yacamelli took the pitch on the next play and scored.
Wisconsin’s first touchdown came in the opening minute of the second quarter, when Locke scored from the 8 on a keeper. That capped a 66-yard drive, after Northwestern’s Luke Akers came up short on a 51-yard field goal attempt.
After Wisconsin’s touchdown, Northwestern drove to the 10. But the Badgers’ Ben Barten blocked Akers’ field goal. The Wildcats then returned the favor when Jaiden Cameron knocked down Nathanial Vakos’ 41-yard attempt.
Akers cut it to 14-3 midway through the third with a 26-yard field goal. The Wildcats then took over at the Wisconsin 44 Greyson Metz poked the ball away from Locke as he dropped back to pass. But instead of scoring, they went three and out.
Wisconsin hosts #3 Penn State Saturday.
In area college football action Saturday, University of Chicago 30, Ripon College6-The Red Hawks drop to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
#16 UW-Oshkosh 24, #6 UW-Platteville 17-The Titans improve to 4-2 and 2-1 in the conference.
Saint Norbert College 63, Concordia Chicago 0.
Lawrence University 24, Beloit College:10
With the regular season in the books, brackets are out and first round playoff matchups are set in high school football.
Local one-seeds in their respective brackets include Kaukauna (Div. 2), Freedom (Div. 4), Winneconne (Div. 4), Wrightstown (Div. 5), Coleman (Div. 6), and Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas (8-player).
Berlin has a #3 seed in Division 4.
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