JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is reviewing online videos that show police officers punching fans during the Florida-Georgia game Saturday at EverBank Stadium.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she has spoken to Sheriff T.K. Waters regarding altercations at the rivalry game known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."

"I'm aware of several disturbing videos circulating from [Saturday's] game," Deegan posted on X on Sunday. "We are awaiting the outcome of that investigation."

The Sheriff's Office said Sunday it won't comment until its review is complete.

"The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's Professional Standards Division is aware of the videos circulating from the Georgia-Florida football game. Administrative reviews of the incidents are being opened. As such, the agency will not comment until all facts are known and the reviews have been completed," the office said.

One video shows two officers struggling with two spectators in the stands. Surrounding fans could be heard screaming at officers to stop.

A second video shows an argument between a man and two JSO officers escalate into a fight that left the man with his face bloodied and handcuffed after being shot repeatedly with a stun gun.

Neither video showed circumstances that led to the confrontations.

The New Orleans Saints have fired coach Dennis Allen after losing their seventh straight game Sunday, the team announced Monday.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has been named the interim coach.

The Saints won their first two games this season but haven't won since, with their latest loss coming to the Carolina Panthers in a 23-22 defeat.

"Dennis has been part of our organization for many years. He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal and professional and most importantly an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization," Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. "However, this decision is something that I felt we needed to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best in the future for Dennis and his family. He will always be considered in the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization."

This is the first midseason firing for the Saints since the late Tom Benson purchased the team in 1985. The last in-season firing occurred when Dick Nolan was fired after an 0-12 start to his third season in 1980. The team also made an in-season coaching change in 1996 when Jim Mora resigned after a 2-6 start, and New Orleans then went 1-7 under Rick Venturi.

Allen, who replaced Sean Payton as the coach in 2022, went 18-25 as the team's coach.

"That's a message heard loud and clear. ... Got to find a way to win," one player told ESPN regarding Allen's firing.

This is the first time since 1999 the Saints have lost seven straight games. The team went 3-13 that season and fired coach Mike Ditka and general manager Bill Kuharich.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis defended Allen in January after the Saints finished 9-8, citing several Hall of Fame coaches who had slow starts to their careers. Instead, the Saints made sweeping changes to the offensive staff and parted ways with longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

While Allen inherited much of Payton's staff when he took over in 2022, most of the coaching staff had been hired by Allen by his third season. Quarterback Derek Carr, signed by the Saints in 2023, was also an Allen selection -- from the 2014 draft, when Allen was with the Raiders.

Allen went 8-28 as the coach of the Raiders and was fired after an 0-4 start to his third season with the franchise in 2014.

Loomis also defended Allen again recently, saying everyone needed to look "beyond the results," alluding to the significant number of injuries the Saints had this season. Some of those injuries included Carr, several starting offensive linemen, and top wide receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave.

Olave sustained his second concussion this season in Sunday's loss, drawing a rant from former Saints receiver Michael Thomas, who blamed Carr for Olave's injury in a series of posts to X.

"DA is an excellent football coach," Loomis said in a statement Monday. "This season, we have had an avalanche of injuries. It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses, he fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing. Dennis has been an integral part of this organization's success for the better part of twenty years. He will be missed."

The Saints' fan base, which showed its displeasure by leaving the Caesars Superdome in droves during a 33-10 loss to the Denver Broncos and Payton in Week 7, clamored again on social media for Allen's firing.

Players also took to social media to express their frustration.

"We just lost to the panthers... I love y'all New Orleans truly had higher expectations and the best of hopes for us, y'all deserve it," longtime defensive end Cameron Jordan wrote on X, prompting a flurry of back-and-forth between Saints and Panthers players about their respective 2-7 records.

Allen spent the majority of his professional career in New Orleans. He was hired by Payton in 2006 as an assistant defensive line coach and was the secondary coach for the 2009 Super Bowl winning team.

Allen left in 2011 for a one-year stint as the Broncos' defensive coordinator but returned to New Orleans in 2015 after he was fired in Oakland. Allen took over for Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator during the 2015 season and remained in that position until he was promoted to head coach after Payton stepped away after the 2021 season.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suffered a health issue before Saturday's game, and assistant Mitch Johnson is expected to be the interim head coach for the near future, including Monday vs. the Clippers, sources told ESPN.

Popovich, 75, experienced a health situation before the Spurs' win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. The team said Popovich had an undisclosed illness.

The Spurs said Monday that Popovich did not travel with the team for games in Los Angeles and Houston.

"Mitch did a great job, man," Spurs guard Chris Paul said after Saturday's win. "I think our whole coaching staff [did]. Things happen within this league all the time and just like with the players, it's next man. So, shoutout to Mitch; he did a great job tonight."

Popovich is the NBA's career leader with 1,390 victories and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles. He is in his 29th season, all with San Antonio.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said all football in Spain should have been put on hold after flash floods in Valencia left at least 217 people dead.

Madrid's LaLiga game at Valencia -- which was due to be played on Saturday -- was postponed, along with Villarreal's game with Rayo Vallecano, but the remaining eight top-flight matches in Spain went ahead.

LaLiga has been collaborating with the Red Cross to raise money for those affected by the flooding, after thousands of homes and businesses were damaged, and transport links disrupted, in one of the most severe natural disasters in recent Spanish history.

"It's been a week of tragedy, and we're sad," Ancelotti said in a news conference on Monday. "We're very close to Valencia and all the affected towns. Hopefully it can be resolved soon. Talking about football is difficult, and so is playing football. We are part of this country, and it affects us a lot."

Madrid, whose appearance saw them beaten 4-0 by Barcelona on Oct. 26, host AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"Your head isn't in your work," Ancelotti said, when asked if it had been difficult to prepare. "We are going to prepare for the game, because we're professionals. That's what we have to do."

A number of players and coaches have suggested that no professional football should have taken place in Spain over the weekend, with Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone saying the decision to continue "makes no sense."

"Everyone has been clear," Ancelotti said. "Nobody wanted to play. But we are not the ones in charge. Those at the top make the decision ... Football is a party, and you can celebrate and have a party when you're OK.

"When people are not OK, you don't have to party. Football has to stop. Because it is the most important of the least important things."

"The power we have is equal to zero," Ancelotti added. "All the coaches wanted to stop the games. Some played, others did not. The decision-making power of the coach, in these cases, is equal to zero."

"The coach is absolutely right," full-back Lucas Vázquez said. "Our opinion is zero, our strength is zero. We have to be professional, and do what we are told."

Ancelotti denied that forward Vinícius Júnior has been affected by missing out on the 2024 men's Ballon d'Or, which was won by Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri last week, with Vinícius second.

"He's doing fine," Ancelotti said. "Fortunately we didn't play on Saturday and Vinicius has trained well, like everyone else ... Vinicius is sad, not because of the Ballon d'Or, but because he's seeing the situation in Valencia."

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

In this week's VAR Review: Should Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez have been sent off for his challenge on Chelsea's Cole Palmer? Why was Crystal Palace's stoppage-time winner at Wolverhampton Wanderers disallowed? And are Ipswich Town being hard done by with VAR?

Man United 1-1 Chelsea

Possible red card: Martínez foul on Palmer

What happened: The game was into the third minute of stoppage time when Palmer tried to lift the ball past Martínez, with the United defender sticking out a leg to stop his opponent. Referee Rob Jones tried to play an advantage, but brought it back after Chelsea quickly lost possession. Martínez was shown a yellow card but the VAR, Michael Salisbury, checked for a possible red.

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: Red cards for serious foul play through VAR aren't a rarity in the Premier League, but it's been a long-standing issue for the video referees to get the balance right.

Last season, there were 10 serious foul play red cards through VAR, though the Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel ruled a further six should have been given. It's a success rate of 62.5% on this area of law, with cases of serious foul play making up a quarter of the 24 missed subjective interventions.

We're yet to see a VAR red card for serious foul play this season, and Martínez can consider himself fortunate. It's only the Premier League's high bar for an intervention -- the root cause for a VAR second guessing -- which prevented Jones being sent to the monitor (we'll come back to this discussion again shortly.)

Indeed, it's that same high bar which led to Bruno Fernandes' red card against Tottenham Hotspur not being overturned. It usually creates a situation where a VAR can look for any evidence to support the on-field decision rather than being more forthright about what they can actually see.

Martínez caught Palmer high around the knee area with his studs showing, and only a lack of any real force could have led the VAR to judge a yellow card was a justifiable disciplinary outcome.

High contact with studs, in a way which couldn't realistically be considered a genuine attempt to play the ball, could easily be seen as endangering the safety of the opponent. And if Jones had produced a red card, the VAR wouldn't have told the referee he'd made a mistake. We saw this last season, when Arsenal's Fabio Vieira was sent off in a 3-1 win over Burnley. It's a perfect example of why VAR isn't going to give consistency of decision-making when the on-field call has the weight.

With the Premier League's high bar, it's often too easy to support an on-field call of a yellow card (or in the case of Fernandes, the red.)

Verdict: Just about the correct call for no VAR intervention taking into account the process in the Premier League.

Possible penalty overturn: Sánchez foul on Højlund

What happened: Man United were awarded a penalty in the 70th minute when Robert Sánchez brought down Rasmus Højlund. It was checked by the VAR. (watch here)

VAR decision: Penalty stood, scored by Fernandes.

VAR review: As with the penalty Newcastle United were awarded against Manchester City earlier this season, when Éderson brought down Anthony Gordon, once the VAR has identified contact between the on-rushing goalkeeper and the boot of the attacker there isn't going to be an intervention.

Højlund gets a toe to the ball first, and Sanchez does catch the striker.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Ipswich 1-1 Leicester

Possible penalty: Issahaku challenge on Chaplin

What happened: Ipswich Town had a free kick in the 77th minute. After a melee inside the area the ball fell to Conor Chaplin. Fatawu Issahaku came running out and collided with the Ipswich player, who went to ground. Referee Tim Robinson allowed play to continue, which resulted in Kalvin Phillips fouling Ricardo Pereira and picking up his second yellow card. The VAR, Stuart Attwell, checked for a possible penalty. (watch here)

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: Ipswich have endured a baptism of fire to life with VAR. Mark Ashton, the club's chairman and CEO, pulled no punches in an interview on Friday, saying "we will not go quietly into the night," and that "[PGMOL chief refereeing officer] Howard [Webb] is going to see my number flashing up a hell of a lot more." And those comments came before Saturday's events.

All clubs will, naturally, feel they should be getting more decisions than they do. Perhaps for Ipswich -- the only club in the division who hadn't experienced VAR before -- expectation levels needed to be lowered and they need to realise that subjective interventions don't happen all that often.

No club can ever get every decision they want -- because most calls sit in the subjective grey area where either decision is acceptable; there's no definitive right call.

Ipswich sit at the bottom of the VAR overturns table this season, with three going against them and not one in their favour. But while Ipswich may feel aggrieved, the KMI Panel has judged that all three decisions were correct, and there hasn't been a missed VAR intervention which should have gone their way.

Many are going to disagree, but while the challenge on Issahaku could be a penalty on the field, it probably doesn't meet the Premier League's high bar for an intervention.

Last season, Brentford's Ivan Toney was bundled over in the box by Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson. A penalty wasn't awarded, which was backed up by the VAR. The KMI Panel unanimously said that it should have been given as a spot kick on the field by referee Michael Oliver, but voted 4-1 that the VAR was right not to get involved.

Against Man City at the start of the season, Ipswich were denied a penalty and the KMI Panel ruled that while it should have been awarded by the referee, the VAR was right not to get involved -- it would be no surprise if the same decision was reached on this too. It leaves Ipswich with grounds for complaint with refereeing, but also frustration with VAR process.

If the penalty had been awarded through VAR then Phillips' second yellow card would have stood. The only cards that are rescinded are those directly resulted to the play, such as through DOGSO (Denying an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity), and not those issued for other disciplinary matters.

Verdict: As referee Robinson saw the incident and described it as a collision between the players, it goes down as referee's call.

Wolves 2-2 Crystal Palace

Possible DOGSO red card: Handball by Dawson

What happened: The game was in the 49th minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta tried to help a ball through to Ismaïla Sarr, who would have been through on goal. The ball hit Craig Dawson, and possession switched to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner was adamant that Dawson should have received a red card for DOGSO, but referee Anthony Taylor gave no free kick, let alone a card.

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: The ball did hit the arm of Dawson, but it was close to his body by his side. For this to be an offence, Dawson would need to have made, as Glasner claimed, a deliberate movement to block the ball going through to Sarr, but there doesn't appear to be evidence of this.

Then it would be a question of Sarr having an obvious scoring chance; he would have been ahead of the Wolves defence though with Toti Gomes close behind.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Possible goal: No foul by Muñoz on Sá

What happened: Crystal Palace thought they had scored a dramatic winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time. José Sá collected a cross into the area but was challenged by Daniel Muñoz, and Mateta put the loose ball into the net. However, referee Taylor blew for a foul on the goalkeeper as soon as the ball crossed the line. (watch here)

VAR decision: No goal.

VAR review: The referee held his whistle to give the VAR the chance to review the incident, but Taylor's decision was correct.

When a goalkeeper has even one finger on top of the ball when it's touching the ground, they are deemed to be in control and cannot be challenged. Sá has his hand on the ball so is in control, and Muñoz cannot in any way bundle into him -- even if the Palace player didn't actually touch the ball.

Had the goal been awarded it would have been disallowed. In the 2021-22 season, Aston Villa had a goal ruled out through VAR against Leicester City, with Jacob Ramsey kicking the ball when goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had a glove on the ball as it was touching the ground.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Nottingham Forest 3-0 West Ham

Possible red card: Rodríguez foul on Gibbs-White

What happened: Morgan Gibbs-White collected the ball on the edge of the box in the 18th minute, with the Nottingham Forest player brought down by a tackle from Guido Rodríguez. Referee Peter Bankes showed the yellow card, which was checked by the VAR, Alex Chilowicz.

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: This wouldn't be the case in other top European leagues, but in the Premier League the point of contact on a challenge of this nature is important.

Rodríguez catches Gibbs-White around the boot area, which is only likely to be a yellow card. That changes if a player jumps into the challenge with additional force, but for a standard challenge we wouldn't expect to see a red card.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Southampton 1-0 Everton

Possible red card: Tarkowski foul on Archer

What happened: Cameron Archer was brought down by a strong challenge by James Tarkowski in the 24th minute, with the Everton defender booked by referee Andy Madley. The VAR, Matt Donohue, considered a possible red card.

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: If the Rodríguez tackle lacked the extra intensity for a possible red card, then the Tarkowski challenge came very close.

Tarkowski's attempt to win the ball also saw him come in low, but with more force. It's a bad challenge, but again it didn't quite meet what we'd expect for an intervention.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Possible DOGSO red card: Bendarek foul on Beto

What happened: Jan Bednarek was shown the yellow card in the 76th minute after bringing down Beto. The referee showed the yellow card, but was there a case for a DOGSO red card? (watch here)

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: DOGSO has been a running theme for a number of weeks now, with a number of borderline decisions -- though only Arsenal's William Saliba has been sent off through VAR.

Bednarek knows that Beto is going to out-pace him, so brings down the Everton striker. Beto has already played the ball toward goal, so the direction of play ticks the box for DOGSO. What saves the Southampton defender is that the foul itself takes place in a wide area, meaning there's a case that Taylor Harwood-Bellis may be able to make a challenge on the cover.

Verdict: No VAR intervention.

Some factual parts of this article include information provided by the Premier League and PGMOL.

GATHERED AT THE Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas during summer league, the Golden State Warriors held one of their first offseason workouts. The workouts were often quiet, usually consisting of individual, one-on-one drills.

But in mid-July, practice was the different. It was loud with live action.

Every Warriors coach except Steve Kerr attended, and several players, including Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, participated.

For a portion of the session, coaches guarded the players, and with no one acting as a referee to call any fouls, play got chippy and physical. As Wiggins sized up one of the coaches defending him, he bolted along the baseline, spun around the next defender and rose for a dunk.

Then he did it two more times.

"It was like, 'Oh, s---,'" Warriors assistant coach Jacob Rubin told ESPN. "That was the moment this summer a lot of other people were able to see that he was on a different level. ... It was like 'Yup, I'm here, I'm here.' You could feel it in the building."

Wiggins had been waiting to make that statement for a while. He missed 56 games over the past two seasons as he cared for his ailing father, Mitchell, who died in July. And when he was able to play, he struggled through two of the worst seasons of his career.

So Wiggins spent the summer traveling between Houston and San Francisco, working with a personal trainer and Warriors assistant coach Jacob Rubin. He practiced ballhandling, shooting, closeout shots and driving and finishing at the rim. Wiggins and Rubin worked out seven days a week for about two hours each day. Some days, it was workouts with four to five other coaches playing with them. Other days, it was focusing on technique and skill development.

"It was really just about polishing up everything I know I can already do," Wiggins told ESPN.

Coming off two years he considers underperforming, Wiggins knew he had to be prepared, even before training camp began.

"We had to be able to read where he's at," Rubin said. "There was a time over the summer where he still had his dad but that didn't mean every day was good. It meant some days were more difficult. It was about being able to switch it up and being able to have fun and say you know what, what we had planned for today might not be it. Let's change it."

All of their offseason work led to Wiggins arriving at camp in peak shape, but he ended up missing the Warriors' entire time in Hawaii and their first three preseason games due to an illness. Still, the Warriors remain confident Wiggins can return to the form that helped them win a title in 2022.

"It looks like he's primed to have a hell of a season," Kerr said.

With Klay Thompson's departure to the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors desperately need Wiggins to regain his All-Star form as they fight to find a new identity with their retooled roster.

Wiggins wants to prove he is still an elite player.

"I want to do right by them," Wiggins said. "It feels so good when they have that confidence in you, when they have that high praise. You want to show up for them."

IT WAS THE middle of February 2023 when Wiggins was first listed as inactive for personal reasons. What was first treated as a day-to-day absence turned into Wiggins missing the final 25 games of the regular season.

The Warriors gave Wiggins permission to be away from the team, not putting any pressure on him to return before he felt he was ready, even as they found themselves in a tight battle to earn a top-six playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament. As questions grew about Wiggins' extended absence, the Warriors kept the public messaging concise: His personal matter remained private.

"Every guy is different, and Wiggs is a very private person," Kerr said. "I think it's important to let him know that we care about him and then give him his space. He's a guy who needed his space."

Wiggins returned for the 2023 playoffs, coming off the bench in Golden State's postseason opener, then starting the remaining 12 games. He played in 71 games in 2023-24, missing a week in late February 2024 for personal reasons. But even during the times Wiggins was with the team, he didn't seem like himself.

"It's been a tough two-year stretch," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told ESPN. "He got off to such an amazing start in 2022, he was an All-Star the year before, a champion and then when his dad got sick it really derailed him."

During the 2021-22 season, Wiggins averaged 17.2 points and made 157 3-pointers -- most in his career. But in the two years following his All-Star campaign, Wiggins averaged 14.6 points on 46% shooting, including a career-low 13.2 points in the 2023-24 season.

On defense, he held opponents to a career best 40% shooting as the contesting defender on the way to the championship in 2022. But in 2022-23 and 2023-24, that jumped to 45%, as the Warriors defense slipped from the league's best in 2021-22 to middle of the pack the following two seasons.

"Life doesn't stop just because the game is going on," Green told ESPN. "For most of us, basketball is a safe place. So when things are going on, you try to dive into the game. But sometimes when you do that, it doesn't work a,nd it just feels worse. You have to find that balance. For him, to have kids, to have his significant other, those things help. Sometimes, as much as you are around people, it can be a lonely job."

Since Wiggins' father's death, Kerr believes there's a sense of peace for Wiggins as he enters the new season.

"I think he's in a place where he knows the last couple years have been tough for a lot of reasons," Kerr said, "and I think he's primed to get back to where he was a couple years ago.

"He's at the age where he's right in his physical prime, and we've seen him do it. He helped us win a championship. I'm expecting a big year from Wiggs."

Wiggins is playing in honor of his father, who played six seasons in the NBA before becoming a three-time All-Star in Greece. The former No. 1 overall pick has a plethora of memories on and off the court he is carrying close to his heart.

"Oh man, there are so many moments," Wiggins told ESPN, a grin spreading across his face as he looked around an empty T-Mobile Arena ahead of a preseason contest against the Los Angeles Lakers. "But, I'm a pretty private guy. So I'm going to keep them to myself."

STEPHEN CURRY DISHED the ball over his shoulder without looking early in the third quarter of the Warriors home opener against the LA Clippers. It found Wiggins, who was waiting just outside the 3-point arc.

Wiggins pump-faked as James Harden closed on him, then he brought the ball down and made a jab into the paint. He split three defenders and then leaped for a dunk.

That positioning, decision-making and aggressiveness is what Wiggins worked on all summer.

"I feel really good," Wiggins said. "I feel like I got a really good summer of work ... every day I was grinding, trying to push up my game, get stronger and just back to the old me."

Wiggins opened the season as Kerr's starting shooting guard with Curry in the backcourt, taking the place of Thompson. A lower back strain forced him to miss a pair of games against the New Orleans Pelicans, but he returned to the lineup Saturday -- though alongside a different group of players, as injuries have already forced Kerr to four different starting lineups this season. Still, he hopes Wiggins will be a mainstay, especially as the team tries to make up for the nine 3-pointers per game Thompson attempted last season.

"We want him shooting a lot of 3s -- he's worked hard on his shooting. It's free throws, we want him to get to the line. We've got to put him in the position to do all of that," Kerr said. "But he's done this before. He's been a 20-point scorer before."

Through four games, Wiggins is averaging 18.5 points on 51% shooting, including 56.5% from 3, and 5.8 rebounds in 26.8 minutes. His 5.8 3-point attempts per game would be the third-highest mark of his career.

Often, Wiggins will be asked to take on the defensive assignment of the opponent's best scorer and wing. Wiggins is no stranger to that role, as he filled in for Thompson as he recovered from injury and helped lead the Warriors to a title in 2022 as a secondary scorer and lockdown defender.

That year, Green and former assistant coach Mike Brown, now the head coach with the Sacramento Kings, told Wiggins that he would be defending the top player every night. That kind of accountability helped fuel his game.

"It was encouraging for me -- them putting that kind of responsibility on my shoulders," Wiggins said. "I wanted to succeed. I wanted to do good by my team and give them every chance to win that I could. I feel like that's what really got me going."

Wiggins arrived in Golden State in 2020 wanting to reward the Warriors for believing in him. He opens this season hoping to reward their faith with a second ring.

"Any time you get traded, you want to prove them wrong," Wiggins said. "You want to prove that you are an asset to this team now, and you want to change the narrative that people think about you. You put your head down and just get to work."

England's two-point defeat by New Zealand on Saturday was not entirely George Ford's fault after his crucial missed kicks, says fellow fly-half Marcus Smith.

Smith, 25, scored 17 points and set up England's only try before being replaced in the final quarter by 97-cap Ford, who missed a potential match-winning penalty and last-gasp drop-goal.

At the time of Smith's departure, England had an eight-point advantage.

But a try by wing Mark Tele'a, who shrugged off Ford's attempted tackle, and five points from replacement Damian McKenzie put the All Blacks ahead with three minutes left at Allianz Stadium.

Ford was handed opportunities to swing the match back England's way but could not find the clinical kicks required as New Zealand clung on for a 24-22 victory.

"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith, who struggled off the tee in the first Test defeat by New Zealand in July.

"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.

"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that."

Following McKenzie's brilliant touchline conversion from Tele'a's try, Anton Lienert-Brown mistimed a tackle to give Steve Borthwick's home side a chance to reclaim the lead.

Ford's penalty struck the post and was dropped by New Zealand, giving England an unexpected second chance to snatch the game, but Ford was unable to convert the drop-goal with the clock in the red.

In March, Smith landed a final-play drop-goal from a slightly closer spot to defeat Grand Slam-chasing Ireland.

"As kickers we always practise the drop-goal, but it's very different when you're out there in front of 80,000 people and the All Blacks shouting 'Drop-goal! Drop-goal!'," Smith added.

"It's an extremely tough kick. Fordy is a master of that drop-goal kick. We go through that scenario week-in, week-out.

"We practise it as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."