The weather had taken away roughly half the playing time of India's last home Test, in Kanpur against Bangladesh just over two weeks ago, but India still managed to win the game with some quick run-scoring and fantastic bowling. New Zealand's tour of the subcontinent has also had its share of weather woes - their first Test of the tour, a non-World Test Championship (WTC) game against Afghanistan in Greater Noida, couldn't be played at all, though the lack of proper drainage facilities at the venue played as big a role as the weather for that eventuality.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For the third straight week, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was left to explain a loss in which his team missed an opportunity to win the game on its final possession. This time, he seemed more frustrated -- and concerned -- than ever.

"We need to get going," Rodgers said Monday night after the Jets -- in their first game under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich -- dropped to 2-4 with a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. "This was a golden opportunity. Some games you win in the NFL and some games you give away. This was a giveaway."

Not only was he critical of the Jets' performance, but Rodgers questioned the officiating, too. The teams combined for 22 penalties and 204 yards, including 11 for 110 by the Jets, who suffered the same issues under former coach Robert Saleh.

"It seemed a little ridiculous," Rodgers said of the officiating. "Some of (the calls) seemed really bad, including the roughing-the-passer on me [by AJ Epenesa]. That's not roughing the passer. You might as well play Sarcastaball [a reference to the TV show 'South Park'] if we're going to call those things. And I thought the one on [Javon] Kinlaw wasn't roughing the passer, either."

Rodgers also bemoaned a "phantom holding call" on tackle Tyron Smith that nullified a scoring run by Braelon Allen that would've given the Jets a 27-20 lead in the third quarter. They got no points out of it, as Greg Zuerlein missed his second field goal of the night.

The Jets, who fired Saleh last Tuesday, capped a tumultuous week with a performance that smacked of so many others. There were too many penalties and too many blown opportunities.

Under new play caller Todd Downing, who replaced the demoted Nathaniel Hackett, the offense managed to produce 393 total yards, but it went 1-for-4 in the red zone. One of their two touchdowns was a miracle play -- a 52-yard Hail Mary to Allen Lazard at the end of the first half, which closed the Bills' lead to 20-17.

"Demoralizing" was how wide receiver Garrett Wilson described the penalties, mistakes and squandered chances. "We have to find a way to score touchdowns because I don't want to keep feeling like this."

The Jets have lost three in a row by a combined total of 10 points, the latter two games ending with a Rodgers interception on their final possession. For the first time in his 20-year career, Rodgers has a losing record after six games.

"It's frustrating," he said. "I'm here to win those games."

This time, Rodgers got the ball at his 30 with 3:43 remaining in the game -- 70 yards away from a touchdown that might have vaulted the Jets into a first-place tie with the Bills (4-2). The last time the Jets shared first place after Week 6 was 2012 -- the NFL's longest drought.

There was no Rodgers magic.

The drive imploded with a sack and two Jets penalties (one offsetting), ending with a third-and-16 deep ball to Mike Williams that was picked off by Taron Johnson at the Bills' 18 yard line. Rodgers intimated that there was a miscommunication between him and Williams, who suffered a head injury on the play.

Rodgers (23-for-35) threw for a season-high 294 yards, including two touchdowns, but he wasn't happy with the overall execution by the offense. He said the attention to detail must improve. He could improve, too. In the red zone, he was only 3-for-8, including four passes that were either tipped or defended.

"I thought we were going to have a big night on offense," he said. "Again, this should have been a 30-plus point game on offense, and this shouldn't even be a conversation."

Owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh with the hope of creating a new energy under the fiery Ulbrich. It worked -- for a short time. After Rodgers' Hail Mary to Lazard -- the fourth Hail Mary touchdown of Rodgers' career -- the Jets went into halftime with the momentum. But they left it in the locker room, managing only a field goal in the second half.

Now they're in danger of falling out of contention.

"We are by no means out of this thing. By no means," Ulbrich said. "I know the character of that locker room. I know the way we will respond. ... We have to start stacking these weeks of exceptional preparation. I promise you it will start to pay off on Sundays."

THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS might have won the NBA offseason, but not before massively gambling on the franchise's future.

After falling in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Philadelphia entered the offseason with just two players under contract: 2023 undrafted rookie guard Ricky Council IV and 2023 Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.

But within a few weeks, the 76ers had transformed themselves into a championship threat once again. Paul George left his hometown of Los Angeles to join Philly on a four-year maximum deal, the first current All-Star to change teams in free agency in five years. Tyrese Maxey, after being told to wait his turn the prior summer to preserve cap space rather than signing a rookie contract extension, landed a new five-year max contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry re-signed, and Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond were brought in. And last month, Embiid signed a three-year contract extension of his own.

"It's probably not recommended," 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN with a laugh while speaking on the team's high-wire act this summer. "But it was definitely the best plan -- even though it was a very, very risky plan."

It was a risk the franchise believed it needed to take.

After several years of instability, drama and a revolving door of stars slotting next to Embiid -- from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden -- the 76ers have surrounded Embiid with a stable cast of supporting talent, led by a pair of co-stars in Maxey and George. And after years of watching their superstar center deal with season-defining injuries, the 76ers appear to have ramped up their plan to keep Embiid healthy as he chases the feat eluding his Hall of Fame career.

"I've accomplished everything [individually]," Embiid told ESPN. "But there's one thing missing, which is to win a championship."

---

EMBIID'S CAREER HAS been hampered by ill-timed injuries, most notably in the playoffs.

He suffered facial fractures in 2018 and 2022 and knee injuries in 2021 and 2023. Last season, Embiid was on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with more points than minutes played, but a left knee injury in late January forced him out until April with little ramp-up time heading into the postseason. (Embiid also revealed during the first round that he had been playing through Bell's palsy.)

As a result, after the Knicks series ended, Embiid texted Morey.

"'We got to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I'm healthy,'" Embiid recalled at the team's media day last month.

The 30-year-old Embiid is doing his part, arriving at training camp having lost 25 to 30 pounds with the goal to lose more. Pointing to how Hall of Fame big man Tim Duncan transformed his body as his career progressed as inspiration, Embiid hopes a slimmer version of himself can better handle the rigors of the NBA season. "It's just the evolution of your body, and getting older and finding ways to stay afloat and be as dominant as I've always been," he said.

And, after playing in just 433 of a possible 637 games across the past eight seasons -- not counting the first two years of his career that were lost to foot injuries -- Embiid's days of playing back-to-backs appear to be over.

"If I had to guess," Embiid said, "I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career."

"We're going to be smart about it," Morey said. "Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back to backs, if any."

It has become an organization-wide priority to get Embiid, who on Sunday was ruled out for the rest of the preseason as he ramps up for the 76ers' season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, to the playoffs in the best health possible.

For Nurse, Philly's plan should look familiar. Nurse coached Kawhi Leonard during the Raptors' breakthrough championship season in 2018-19, during which Leonard played just 60 games and sat one leg of every back-to-back. The plan helped Leonard play all 24 games during Toronto's postseason run, averaging 30.5 points and 39.1 minutes per game en route to Finals MVP.

For Embiid and Philadelphia, emulating that plan could present a challenge. In 2018-19, the Raptors went 17-5 in the 22 games Leonard sat. Nurse, though, was quick to point out that the version of the East was far shallower, in terms of top-end teams, than the current conference projects.

"It wasn't the same deal," Nurse told ESPN. "But I'm OK with that. I don't think we can get super caught up with [getting to] 45 wins, 55 wins or 65 wins."

Embiid will also -- begrudgingly -- continue to wear a brace on the left knee he injured in January. But while he has always been uncomfortable wearing either a facemask or brace at any point in his career, he said it won't stop him from doing the things that have made him one of the league's most dominant forces.

"It's the right thing to do, and the right thing that's going to give me the support for the rest of my career," Embiid said. "For me, it's a mental thing. I hated it. [But] I started telling myself, 'OK, I have to do it, that's the only way they're going to let me play. ...

"It might not look as good as it used to, with the jab or the pull-up and all that stuff, but it'll still work."

---

IN THE OPENING hours of free agency, Drummond looked at his phone and saw a surprising name pop up. It was Embiid. He was hoping for a reunion.

"Getting a phone call from the best center in the NBA saying, 'I need you here' ... it's hard to tell him no," Drummond told ESPN with a smile. "I spoke to a lot of teams this summer, and he was probably the third or fourth person to call me.

"I wasn't even expecting to hear from him. ... He just gave me an idea of what he was looking for and he needed me to come back to really help him out to win something bigger than him. He's already been an MVP, he's got his scoring title ... he's done everything.

"And now he's going to try to win a championship."

Landing Drummond -- arguably the best backup center in the NBA and someone, sources told ESPN, Philadelphia has repeatedly tried to get back with the franchise since trading him in the Harden deal two years ago -- should help the 76ers avoid hemorrhaging points whenever their superstar center is on the bench.

Across each of the past four seasons, the 76ers have been at least 10 points per 100 possessions better with Embiid on the court than when he sits. And even with the series of injuries he has had in the playoffs, and when his individual numbers have dipped, that disparity has carried over.

For example, Philadelphia outscored New York by 46 points in 248 minutes with Embiid on the court in their six-game series in last season's playoffs. The Knicks outscored the the 76ers by 47 points in the 45 minutes he sat.

"The splits the last couple years, and even the series against New York, we can't have that," Embiid said. "When we put another team on the floor, we got to make sure that we have enough to stay afloat, so [recruiting] was a big deal for me."

Philadelphia knew it would need more than just Drummond to solve its depth issue. The 76ers initially expected to be in play for Martin only if George opted to stay with the Clippers or went elsewhere in free agency. Instead, Philadelphia swooped in and landed him on a four-year deal when the market broke against him. Now, Martin, George and Oubre -- one of the best value signings in the league last season who returned on a two-year, $16 million deal -- will all start, with Gordon and Lowry both providing veteran depth.

"I like where we stack up," George told ESPN. "As we've been saying, Joel, he's still a trump card, right? There's nobody that can really match up with him. And then you just have great complimentary pieces around him.

"There's just so much talent in this group. We can play fast, we can play small, we can play big, we can be a great defensive group. We can be really good offensively. ... it's definitely going to make for a fun season."

In the East race, the defending champion Boston Celtics brought back their entire rotation, with Morey telling ESPN that he believes Boston is the NBA's best team since the Golden State Warriors had Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant together five years ago. The Knicks swung a pair of massive trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns; the Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard; the Miami Heat still have Butler, Bam Adebayo and coach Erik Spoelstra; and young, up-and-coming teams, such as the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, all believe they can finish in the top four in the conference.

Still, the 76ers are hopeful this season will see them tell a different story after repeated postseason disappointments. By making the number of quality additions that it did, Philadelphia believes it can stick to its plan to monitor the games and minutes for both Embiid and George, preserving their health for later. The drama from the past few years has seemingly been left in the past, too, with annual roster uncertainty giving way to a core under contract for the next several years.

"The names on the sheet look really good, but this isn't 2K. It's not fantasy basketball. It's real life," Maxey told ESPN. "So the pieces got to fit together. If we get the pieces to fit together, then we play extremely hard, then we have a chance."

"That's a question I can only answer after we get on the floor," Embiid said, when asked if he saw this season as his best chance to break through for a title. "We've got a pretty good amount of talent, but you've still got to go out and figure out how to do it.

"That's why I'm excited for everybody to just be locked in for a couple years. ... We've got a pretty good chance to accomplish something."

1: Hope Rogers (USA)

The Exeter Chiefs prop was one of the standout forwards in WXV1. She crossed for two tries and made plenty of hard yards with ball in hand her 42 carries were the most of any tight-five forward, while she was the only one to gain over 100 metres (105). It wasnt just in attack that she had an impact though, with Irelands Linda Djougang (44) being the only front rower to make more tackles than the American (42).

2: Emily Tuttosi (Canada)

The Canadian hooker put in an all-action performance during this years WXV1, ranking in the top three front rowers for carries (31), tackles (41) and attacking rucks (55). Even when tackled she was a threat for opposition defenders, making four offloads the joint most of any front row forward - while at the set-piece her tally of 34 successful line-out throws was at least 10 more than any other hooker.

3: Eva Karpani (Australia)

Karpani was the standout front row in WXV, according to the Opta Index, and its easy to see why, particularly with ball in hand. From her 26 carries she gained 111 metres, more than twice as many as any other front row, while her tally of three line breaks was as many as every other front row in WXV2 combined. Similarly, her nine defenders beaten was a high for her position in WXV2, while Italy's Silvia Turani was the only front row in the division to match her try tally of two.

4: Zoe Aldcroft (England)

Aldcroft is a player of huge importance to England, owing to her incredible work-rate. The second row is in the top five players in WXV1 for both tackles made per 80 minutes (18.2) and attacking ruck hits per 80 minutes (24). She was a menace at the line-out, stealing three opposition throws despite playing just 180 minutes in total.

5: Laetitia Royer (Canada)

Royer was relentless at the breakdown, hitting more than 20 defensive rucks and winning five turnovers in total the joint most of any player alongside Ireland's Aoife Wafer and France's Emeline Gros. She was a threat with ball in hand - her two line breaks and six defenders beaten were joint-highs for any second row, while she made the most offloads of any lock (five) and crossed for two tries.

6: Erin King (Ireland)

Irelands top try-scorer in WXV1 crossed for more tries than any other back rower in the top division (3). Her defensive numbers were very impressive too. King was one of three players in WXV1 to hit 20 or more defensive rucks, winning four turnovers in the process. At the set-piece she was a key cog in the Irish line-out, winning 13 in total, including one steal.

7: Aoife Wafer (Ireland)

Wafer is fast becoming one of the first names on the Ireland team sheet, with an impressive WXV1 campaign further increasing her stock. The Irish back row beat more defenders than any other forward (25) and also ranked joint-first for turnovers won with five. Her two tries, both in the historic win over the Black Ferns, will live long in the memory of Ireland fans.

8: Rachel Johnson (USA)

If there was an award for the hardest worker in WXV1 it might just go to the USA back row. She made a competition high 54 carries, along with 40 tackles and 80 ruck hits, with her combined tally for all three (174) being the most of any player. From her carries she gained 204 metres, the most of any forward and the second most of any player overall, behind Englands Kildunne.

Hobart Hurricanes have called up 13-year-old Mia Barwick to their squad for the T20 Spring Challenge to replace Heather Graham who has traveled to the T20 World Cup after Tayla Vlaeminck's tournament-ending injury.

Barwick is a pace bowler who has impressed in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League and has been involved in the Under-16 and Under-19 Female National Championships.

She carried the drinks against Perth Scorchers on Monday and has a chance to feature in the closing stages of the new early-season competition which is acting as preparation to the WBBL.

"At only 13 years of age, the Hobart Hurricanes are proud to see a Cricket Tasmania pathways athlete given exposure to the professional game early on in Barwick's career," Hurricanes said.

With leading Australia players involved at the T20 World Cup and WBBL overseas players yet to join, the T20 Spring Challenge has seen opportunities for a number of young players to come into the squads.

At Sydney Sixers, 15-year-old allrounder Caoimhe Bray has made her mark following an impressive outing for Australia Under-19s earlier in the month. Bray took 2 for 19 on debut against ACT before claiming the wicket of Laura Harris when facing Brisbane Heat, the day after Harris had flayed a 46-ball century

The Spring Challenge was introduced to make up for the reduction of games in the WBBL which will be played across a 40-game regular season. It had initially been envisaged as a state competition but pressure from New South Wales and Victoria led it to being aligned with WBBL clubs.

NEW YORK -- Last Thursday, while Gerrit Cole mowed down the Kansas City Royals in the New York Yankees' series-clinching Game 4 win in the American League Division Series, Carlos Rodón took mental notes from the dugout. Not on anything Cole did to Royals hitters. Not on his approach or his pitch selection or his mechanics. But on Cole's demeanor around the mound. His tranquility as he navigated the only jam he encountered. The lack of screams and fist pumps. So cool, so calm.

"It's just like a robot walking to the dugout," Rodón noted.

Rodón's emotions sabotaged his first start of this postseason, in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Royals. He saw in Cole the model to emulate. On Monday, in the most important start of his professional career, Rodón nailed the imitation, tossing six brilliant innings in the Yankees' 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Rodón held the Guardians to one run on three hits without a walk. He tallied nine strikeouts, seven on a wipeout slider he played off his fastball to near perfection. He threw 93 pitches and collected 25 swing-and-misses -- the most by a Yankees pitcher in a playoff game in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), according to ESPN Research. He was composed and he was dominant as the Yankees moved within three wins of their first World Series appearance since 2009.

"Gosh, he was good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "We talked about would he take the experience of the first time out? And I felt like he totally applied all of that. I thought he was just in complete command of himself and of his emotions."

Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Luke Weaver followed Rodón out of the bullpen to record the final nine outs. The Guardians added a run in the eighth inning against Hill and threatened for more before Weaver entered with one out and runners on first and second.

The right-hander wiggled out of the jam by striking out pinch-hitter Will Brennan and getting Jose Ramirez, the Guardians' superstar third baseman, to ground out. Weaver, a failed-starter-turned-shutdown-closer, shut the door with three strikeouts in the ninth inning, becoming the first Yankees pitcher with multiple five-out saves since Aroldis Chapman in 2017.

The Guardians' counter to Rodón was Alex Cobb, a veteran right-hander making just his fifth start in 2024. He secured just eight outs before departing with a tight left hip, back spasms, and mess for the bullpen to clean.

Cobb's unraveling began with Juan Soto blasting a leadoff home run in the third inning. He then walked the bases loaded with two outs, prompting Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt to summon left-hander Joey Cantillo to face the left-handed-hitting Anthony Rizzo, who was playing in his first game since fracturing two fingers in his right hand in the penultimate game of the regular season 16 days earlier. The move did not stem the tide.

Cantillo allowed two runs to score on two wild pitches around a walk to Rizzo. He then walked Gleyber Torres to start the bottom of the fifth inning before uncorking two more wild pitches, walking Soto, and exiting without recording an out. Pedro Avila was called on to face Aaron Judge with runners on the corners and surrendered a sacrifice fly before escaping the inning.

"I didn't execute pitches and the control obviously was not there and just got to be better next time," Cantillo said. "That performance was obviously the difference in the game. So that's on me."

Six Guardians pitchers combined for seven walks and five wild pitches, tying the all-time postseason record, according to ESPN Research.

"These guys work the count," Vogt said. "They don't chase a whole lot. I think if I take something away from tonight, we just need to attack the zone better, and we didn't tonight. They made us work."

An amped up Rodón took the mound in his first start of the postseason. He came out firing in the first against the Royals, filling up the strike zone with 10 of his 12 pitches and touching 98 mph. He stuck out his tongue. He strutted. Monday was different. Guardians All-Star leadoff batter Steven Kwan, one of the sport's premier contact hitters, flied out on the ninth pitch of his at-bat to begin the game. Rodón threw 22 pitches in the first inning and 39 through two. Then he shifted gears.

Rodón retired 11 straight batters from the second inning until Brayan Rocchio tagged a fastball for a solo home run to lead off the sixth. Seven of the outs came via the strikeout. All were swinging.

"I thought he held his stuff really well," Boone said. "You just watched him out there with intensity, but a lot of poise, and that's what stood out."

Rodón ended his night by winning a nine-pitch battle against Ramírez, who roped a line drive that Judge chased down at the warning track in center field. He walked off the mound for the final time to cheers. Cool and calm, almost like a robot.

"The goal was to just stay in control, stay in control of what I can do, obviously physically and emotionally," Rodón said. "I thought I executed that well tonight."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- All game long, the Buffalo Bills gave up uncharacteristic big plays against the New York Jets. None more notable than allowing the Jets to score on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half to make it a three-point game, despite the Bills' offense scoring a touchdown on three of its first four drives.

But it was on another throw when nickel corner Taron Johnson announced his return to the starting lineup in the loudest way possible, picking off an Aaron Rodgers pass with just under two minutes remaining to preserve a 23-20 win.

Johnson, a 2023 second-team All-Pro, was playing in his first game since Week 1 when he suffered a forearm injury.

The Bills' defense gave up eight plays of 20 or more yards to the Jets. In the first three games of the year, the Bills allowed seven such plays. That number is now at 15 from Weeks 4 to 6. Buffalo also allowed a Jets offense that came into the game averaging 80.4 rushing yards per game to get 121 yards on the ground.

The unit was saved by two missed field goals by Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein in the second half, in addition to a strong red zone defense that allowed the Jets to convert on one of four red zone trips.

Though the Bills missed opportunities (notably where penalties were involved), they came away with the win by forcing needed turnovers and avoiding crucial mistakes. Quarterback Josh Allen has now gone six straight games without throwing an interception, the longest stretch of his career.

Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Describe the game in two words: Bouncing back. It wasn't pretty, but the Bills avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2018 and maintained a significant lead in the AFC East.

Eye-popping stat: Josh Allen was traveling 16.26 mph when he let go of the ball on his 42-yard completion to RB Ray Davis in the second quarter, the fastest speed by a quarterback on a deep completion (20-plus air yards) over the past two-plus seasons (since Week 1, 2022), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Most surprising performance: Davis. Ty Johnson has been the team's second back behind James Cook in terms of snaps, and while Davis has flashed his potential, this was a significant performance on a night when Cook (toe) was inactive. Davis' 116 scrimmage yards in the first half were the most by a Bills rookie in a half since 1980. He finished with 20 rushes for 97 yards and three catches for 55 more. This offense is at its best when the running game gets going, and this kind of depth behind Cook is a good sign.

Troubling trend: Tyler Bass' kicking. Bass' woes have been a concern since training camp, and Monday night was a reminder. While it was a blustery night -- 17 mph sustained winds and gusts in the 30-35 mph range -- the issues aren't new. Bass likely would have missed a PAT that went very wide left, but it was also blocked, and he missed a 47-yard field goal too. He made a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter but is now 2-of-5 from 40-49 yards this season (tied for the 31st-worst percentage from that distance). -- Alaina Getzenberg

Next game: vs. Titans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

---

New York Jets (2-4)

New head coach, new offensive playcaller, same result for the New York Jets, who dropped their third straight game and missed a chance to grab a share of first place in the AFC East.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced the abruptly fired Robert Saleh six days ago, presided over the same kind of performance that prompted owner Woody Johnson to sack Saleh: too many penalties (11 for 110 yards), too many wasted opportunities and too many points left on the field, including a pair of missed field goals by kicker Greg Zuerlein in the second half.

The Jets showed some signs of life on offense under new playcaller Todd Downing, who replaced the demoted Nathaniel Hackett, but the result was another crushing loss. They have lost by a combined 10 points in the past three games, and now they're on the verge of falling out of contention.

It wasn't supposed to go like this for the Jets (2-4), who fancied themselves as Super Bowl contenders. Johnson called this the best roster he has had in 25 years, but it's not performing up to expectations. Not even close. Johnson figured a coaching shake-up would help, but this was just more of the same. Unless they turn it around quickly, the 2024 Jets will go down as one of the biggest busts in recent history.

QB breakdown: You can hold the "Rodgers-is-washed up" headlines. Rebounding from last week's three-interception clunker, Aaron Rodgers passed for 294 yards -- just shy of his first 300-yard performance in 28 games. Typical, right? The whole night was just a tease. Rodgers played well enough to win, but he was undermined by three dropped passes; the Jets lead the league in drops. Rodgers (23-for-35, 2 TD, 1 INT) made one magical moment, a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half, but he ran out of magic with an interception on the Jets' final drive of the game.

Most surprising performance: Welcome back, Breece Hall. A nonfactor in the previous two games, Hall came alive with Downing calling the plays. Buffalo's shaky run defense might have had something to do with it, too. Either way, Hall was back to his dual-threat ways, producing 113 yards rushing and 56 receiving. There was more creativity in the run game and the holes were bigger. Ultimately, it wasn't good enough because of the red zone inefficiency (1-for-4).

Troubling trend: What is it with the Jets and backup running backs? They had no answers for rookie Ray Davis (152 yards from scrimmage), who replaced James Cook and became the latest understudy to shine against them. Remember Week 1? San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey was a late scratch and in came Jordan Mason, who rushed for a career-high 147 yards. Truth is, the Jets' run defense wasn't very good. Once again, the tackling was shoddy, and the gap discipline left a lot to be desired. Linebacker C.J. Mosley returned from a three-game toe injury, but he played limited snaps as Jamien Sherwood remained the Mike linebacker. Mosley was removed in the nickel.

Eye-popping stat: Rodgers' Hail Mary to Allen Lazard traveled 52 air yards -- the most on a completion by a Jets quarterback since Mark Sanchez in 2010. It was the fourth Hail Mary touchdown of Rodgers' career; no other player had more than two since 2008. -- Rich Cimini

Next game: at Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason, and his status for the LA Clippers' season opener Oct. 23 remains uncertain.

Clippers coach Ty Lue confirmed Monday that Leonard will not play in the team's preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Leonard has not suited up this preseason, missing the first three games and Monday night's 110-96 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Intuit Dome because of inflammation in his right knee.

"Continue to keep rehabbing," Lue said when asked about the plan for Leonard this week. "Keep getting better. Keep checking the boxes."

Leonard has not participated in contact drills in training camp, as the team has been cautious with its franchise star. Lue has said that Leonard has spent practices strengthening his knee.

Leonard missed the final eight games of last regular season and was limited to two games in the six-game, first-round loss to Dallas in the postseason because of inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.

Leonard and the Clippers have gone through a variety of medical treatments to control the inflammation since the end of last season. The All-Star said at the start of camp that he was much more confident that he and the medical staff have a better handle on the condition.

While Leonard said he is feeling much better now, the two-time Finals MVP said he wants to make sure that he is available late in the season and doesn't have to deal with the troublesome inflammation in his knee, which has had surgeries on his ACL and meniscus.

Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said before the start of camp that Leonard still had some inflammation in his knee and that the team wanted to be as safe as possible and would hold Leonard out of contact drills.

Asked during the Clippers' preseason game against the Golden State Warriors in Hawai'i on Oct. 5 if he needed to play in the preseason in order to play in the season opener, Leonard said there's always a "buildup ... especially in the position I'm in."

Whenever Leonard returns to the court, he and the Clippers will have to determine the best path toward keeping him healthy long term, including potentially sitting out back-to-back games.

"I feel good," Leonard said Oct. 5. "Just been taking my time, getting stronger and getting ready.

"We're just taking it slow, day by day and just trying to get me back on the floor. Once those conversations come, we'll see what they're talking about [on the best approach for back-to-backs]."

The Clippers play the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23 in the Intuit Dome's first regular-season basketball game.