(Photo Source: si.com)

Recapping all the top games from over the weekend

The Cleveland Browns, so long a joke in the NFL, embarked upon this new season of hope with the same ineptness of the past.

They were penalized 18 times. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions – one returned for a touchdown – and the Browns fell 43-13 at home to the Tennessee Titans. So much for the opener. “Everyone is going to throw us in the trash,” said Mayfield, who left the stadium with his throwing hand heavily taped (X-rays were negative). “I think that’s good. I know how this team will react.”

The Miami Dolphins, who were not expected to be any good after stripping down their roster for a rebuild, are not any good. They lost 59-10 to the Baltimore Ravens, the 59 being the most points they’ve ever allowed at home. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson passed for 324 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters and earned a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a 17-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Redskins 32-27 and the Kansas City Chiefs trounced the Jacksonville Jaguars 40-26. Jacksonville lost QB Nick Foles (clavicle) for what will be an extended period of time.

Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw four TD passes and compiled a perfect passer rating in the Cowboys’ 35-17 win over the New York Giants. The Arizona Cardinals, in the debut of head coach Kliff Kingsbury and rookie QB Kyler Murray, overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter and wound up in a 27-27 overtime tie at home with the Detroit Lions.

On Saturday, the Oakland Raiders cut controversial receiver Antonio Brown, who promptly reached a contract agreement with the New England Patriots.

Tennis:
Rafael Nadal held off Daniil Medvedev’s bid for his first win in a major on Sunday at the U.S. Open. Nadal earned his 19th grand slam victory, 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 victory in 4 hours, 50 minutes. Nadal won the U.S. Open for the fourth time and is one victory behind Roger Federer for the men’s record.

On Saturday, 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 for the women’s crown. It marked the fourth consecutive time Williams had lost in the finals of a major as she seeks to tie the record of 24 grand slam titles. Andreescu is the first Canadian to win a major.

NASCAR:
Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman clinched the last of the 16 spots available for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. Kevin Harvick won the Brickyard 400. Jimmie Johnson, who had qualified for the postseason every year since its inception in 2004, missed the cut. He’s a seven-time Cup series champion.

Baseball:
The Cincinnati Reds turned to relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Lorenzen doubled home the winning run in a 4-3 victory.

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0, leaving them two games shy of clinching the National League West title.

Gerrit Cole struck out 15 in eight innings on his 29th birthday as the Houston Astros routed the Seattle Mariners 21-1 to sweep a four-game series.

The Boston Red Sox fired Dave Dombrowski, their president of baseball operations, just one season after winning the World Series. The Sox are likely to miss the playoffs.

College football:
Three of the top four spots in the Associated Press poll released Sunday now belong to SEC teams. LSU, after defeating Texas, moved up from sixth to fourth. Clemson (of the ACC) remains No. 1, followed by Alabama and Georgia.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman