Weekend Sports Recap

The Cleveland Browns must think they’re getting paid overtime. Because they keep playing overtime. And this time, after a tie and a loss in OT, they won one.

Greg Joseph, who earlier had missed an extra point, sent a 37-yard knuckleball of a kick through the goalposts with two seconds left in the extra period to lift the Browns to a 12-9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. It was the Browns’ first win on a Sunday since Dec. 13, 2015, and it ended an 18-game winless streak in AFC North games.

A slightly better kick made the difference for the Carolina Panthers. They beat the New York Giants 33-31 as Graham Gano made a 63-yard field goal. On the other foot – Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed five kicks (four field goals and a PAT) as the Packers fell 31-23 to the Detroit Lions.

In the Sunday night game, the Houston Texans topped the Dallas Cowboys 19-16 in overtime on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 36-yard field goal. DeAndre Hopkins made three spin moves on a 49-yard reception to set up the kick.

MLB:
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-0 on Sunday to sweep their best-of-five National League Division Series in three games. The Atlanta Braves, who dropped the first two games of their NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, returned home for a 6-5 victory. Ronald Acuna hit a grand slam in the first inning and the Braves built a 5-0 lead that they squandered.

Freddie Freeman’s solo home run in the sixth provided the winning margin. The Houston Astros can close out their ALDS series with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, while the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, who also play Monday, are tied at a game apiece.

College Football:
The Associated Press football poll got a bit of a shakeup after three teams in the top eight and eight ranked teams overall lost over the weekend. The top remains the same – Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson – but Notre Dame is the new No. 5 after its win over Virginia Tech. Texas barged into the Top Ten for the first time since 2010, moving up 10 spots to ninth after beating Oklahoma.

Elsewhere:
Chase Elliott won the Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway to qualify for the round of eight in the NASCAR playoffs. It was Elliott’s second victory of the season.

The PGA Tour, which seemingly never ends before beginning again, saw Kevin Tway get his first career victory at the Safeway Open in Napa, California.

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