CINCINNATI (AP) — For the first time all season, Joe Burrow found his top form against the San Francisco 49ers last week for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just in the nick of time.

The franchise quarterback had struggled through much of the early season because of a calf injury that had sidelined him for the entirety of training camp. One of the NFL’s best signal-callers just wasn’t at his best.

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An uneven 17-13 win over Seattle on Oct. 15 pushed the Bengals to a manageable 3-3 before their bye week.

“Joe is Joe, man,” said safety Micah Hyde whose Buffalo Bills (5-3) will face the Bengals on Sunday night in Cincinnati. “Last week was a big indication of what they’re able to do on offense with the weapons he has around him. We know that’s their team, that’s their offense, and they go when Joe goes.”

In the previous meeting of the teams, Burrow threw two touchdown passes and Cincinnati’s defense swarmed quarterback Josh Allen on snow-slicked field in Orchard Park, New York, as the Bengals prevailed 27-10 in an AFC divisional playoff game Jan. 22.

The most recent time Buffalo played at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, during “Monday Night Football” last Jan. 2, is seared in the memory of everyone who was there because of a terrifying incident that brought the game to a halt.

Hamlin recovered and is back with the Bills, although he is not expected to play on Sunday night.

“I think what happened is in the past,” Burrow said when asked about it this week. “I think everybody remembers it, but is not going to dwell on it. I know he’s not dwelling on it, either.”

Allen has been bothered by a sore shoulder, but his 71.7% completion rate leads the league. His favorite option, Stefon Diggs, averages 93.5 receiving yards per game.

HAMLIN EXPECTED TO BE INACTIVE ON SUNDAY

As much as he’d like to play, Hamlin told The Associated Press he has no problem with having been inactive for seven of Buffalo’s first eight games this season.

“Since I first got drafted by the Buffalo Bills, I think the first interview that I did, with whomever I spoke to, I told them I don’t care if I had to carry the water,” Hamlin said. “I just want to do my part to win games. … A team is never ‘I.’ It’s always ‘we.’ So that’s my mission.”

The third-year player’s only game this season was against Miami on Oct. 1, and he was limited to special teams.

The Bills shored up their roster this week by acquiring cornerback Rasul Douglas in a trade with Green Bay and signing free agent defensive tackle Linval Joseph. It’s unclear whether they’ll be available to play on Sunday, though Douglas is a likely candidate to suit up against the Bengals.

Douglas, who had 10 interceptions during the past two-plus seasons with the Packers, is taking over the starting spot for Tre’Davious White (torn right Achilles tendon). And Joseph, who has 13 seasons of NFL experience, will fill in for DaQuan Jones, who is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle.

Buffalo also signed running back Leonard Fournette to their practice squad with backup Damien Harris on injured reserve with a neck injury.

WANTED: AN AFC WIN FOR BENGALS

The Bengals beat the two top teams in the NFC West in consecutive weeks, but haven’t managed to beat an AFC team yet. They opened the season by losing to AFC North rivals Cleveland and Baltimore. It was in the Ravens game that Burrow aggravated his calf injury. Then they lost to Tennessee in Week 4 before winning the past three straight against NFC teams.

“There’s a lot of guys on this team who have experienced continued success before, and they know how hard it is,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “And so they’re not going to be fooled by having a big road win and thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve arrived, here in a Week 8.’ Not even close. And so that is the benefit of having the team that we have. They know how hard it is going to be going forward to continue this, and I know that they’re willing to put in the work for it.”

AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed.

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Nearly to the midseason mark in the regular season, we’re gearing up to maintain momentum after last week’s Eagles and Falcons betting victories.

This time, it’s the Battle for New Jersey between a pair of “New York” teams, the Jets and Giants.

This is also an “eye test” game, with several factors to compare as these squads’ respective seasons continue to circle the drain.

As a betting experience, this matchup provides plenty of intrigue because, by and large, you just can’t trust one of these options.

We have our pick and a couple of bonus options ready to roll.

(Odds per BetMGM.com)

THE HEADLINER

Jets at Giants, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

The line: Jets -3, total 36.5.

The lead running backs, Breece Hall of the Jets and Saquon Barkley of the Giants, are ranked No. 12 and 11, respectively, in yards per game.

Barkley has had the advantage of facing the Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals over his past three games, while Hall has shown flashes of elite talent. Metrics also credit Barkley with more than 40 percent more yards gained over expected.

Both defenses will aim to slow the ground game, and that’s where the pass rush comes in.

The Jets have one and the Giants suffer in pass protection. This isn’t good news for backup Tyrod Taylor, who is set to start in place of Daniel Jones again Sunday.

A quick nugget from Action Network:

“The Jets have played the toughest schedule of QBs in the entire NFL – Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Josh Allen. Despite this tough schedule, the Jets are 10th in success rate and 12th in EPA per play allowed.”

The Jets are dialed in after a week off – which followed their upset of the Philadelphia Eagles – and if they are able to stuff the run, their pass defense could have a big day.

With a top-five defensive secondary in terms of coverage stats, the Jets aren’t likely to allow much from a very average Giants receiving group.

The Jets’ eight interceptions have come off the Bills’ Josh Allen (three), Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (two) and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (two).

The pick: Jets -3.

THEY SAID IT

“I say they have a really good front four. Call it more than a front four with the amount of times they rotate in there. Two good cover corners (Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed). … This is a challenging defense to get ready for, and it shows.”

– Giants coach Brian Daboll on Sunday’s opponent, the Jets

BONUS COMBO

Who doesn’t like a good story? Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent may be the exciting blend of good story and serviceable player.

Bears at Chargers, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday

The line: Chargers -8.5.

You didn’t think you needed to watch the “Sunday Night Football” game? With undrafted Bagent starting at quarterback for the Chicago Bears, you almost have to tune in with the World Series on a travel day.

The Bears are looking to go back-to-back after Bagent’s impressive debut last week.

Bagent, a product of Division II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., started in place of Justin Fields (right thumb) and completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in Chicago’s 30-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

With receiver DJ Moore clicking, the Bears offense could do some business against a leaky Chargers defense.

And the Chargers don’t look like a team capable of covering this wide margin. Should be fun – for a while anyway.

The pick: Bears +8.5.

PROP CORNER

The good fortune Kirk Cousins found in leading the Minnesota Vikings past the San Francisco 49ers can’t continue.

In this road contest against the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings figure to begin more conservatively as the Packers employ lessons from last Monday night’s game tape (Cousins throwing everywhere – successfully).

The number is too high for a team that relied on a stolen 60-yard TD pass last week and remains without Justin Jefferson.

Prop play: Vikings’ Cousins under 250.5 passing yards (BetMGM).

–Field Level Media

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San Francisco Giants (54-44, 3rd in NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (39-58, 5th in NL East)

Washington; Saturday, 7:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABIES: Giants: Logan Webb (8-7, 3.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 134 strikeouts); Internationals: Josiah Gray (6-8, 3.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 94 strikeouts)

SUMMARY: The San Francisco Giants are looking to break a three-game deficit with a win over the Washington Nationals.

Washington is 16-32 at home and 39-58 overall. The Nationals have a 31-11 record in games where they score more than their opponents.

San Francisco is 54-44 overall and 28-22 away. The Giants have a 26-9 record in games where they didn’t hit home runs.

Saturday’s game is the teams’ fifth meeting of the season. The Nationals are up 3-1 in the season series.

TOP PERFORMER: Lane Thomas has 24 doubles, two trebles and 16 homers while hitting .292 for the Nationals. Joey Meneses is 11 of 39 with three doubles and four home runs in his last 10 games.

LaMonte Wade Jr. has 13 doubles, a triple and nine home runs while hitting .275 for the Giants. Wilmer Flores has 13 of 32 with four doubles and four home runs in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 5-5, .265 batting average, 6.93 ERA, 15 runs surpassed

Giants: 7-3, .213 batting average, 3.54 ERA, seven runs better than opponents

INJURIES: Internationals: Israel Pineda: 60-day IL (fingers), Paolo Espino: 15-day IL (fingers), Hunter Harvey: 15-day IL (elbows), Cade Cavalli: 60-day IL (elbows ), Thad Ward: 15-day IL (shoulder), Carl Edwards Jr.: 15-day IL (shoulder), Victor Robles: 10-day IL (back), Stephen Strasburg: 60-day IL (ribs /shoulder), Tanner Rainey: 60-Day IL (elbow), Victor Arano: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

Giants: Brandon Crawford: 10-day IL (knee), Cole Waites: 60-day IL (elbow), Thairo Estrada: 10-day IL (hand), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (arm), Luke Jackson: 15-day IL (back), Mitch Haniger: 60-day IL (forearm), John Brebbia: 15-day IL (wide), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (Shoulder), Luis Gonzalez: 60-Day IL (Back)

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

© Data Script. All rights reserved.

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Pittsburgh Pirates (26-27, 2nd in NL Central) vs. San Francisco Giants (28-26, 3rd in NL West)

San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABIES: Pirates: Johan Oviedo (3-4, 4.70 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 48 strikeouts); Giants: John Brebbia (2-0, 3.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates will be looking to break their three-game hiatus in a match against the San Francisco Giants.

San Francisco is 16-11 at home and 28-26 overall. The Giants rank fifth in the majors with 76 total home runs, averaging 1.4 per game.

Pittsburgh are 26-27 overall and 14-14 away. The Pirates’ pitchers have a collective ERA of 4.07, which ranks third in the Netherlands.

Tuesday’s duel is the second meeting of these teams this season.

TOP PERFORMER: Michael Conforto has three doubles, 11 homers and 27 RBI for the Giants. Mitch Haniger is 15 of 41 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in his last 10 games.

Bryan Reynolds has 16 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 33 RBI for the Pirates. Jack Suwinski is 10 of 36 with two doubles, four homers and eight RBI in his last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 7-3, .270 batting average, 2.66 ERA, outperformed opponents by 28 runs

Pirates: 3-7, .251 batting average, 5.71 ERA, 13 runs surpassed

INJURIES: Giants: Thairo Estrada: 10-day IL (wrist), Ross Stripling: 15-day IL (back), Joey Bart: 10-day IL (groin), Heliot Ramos: 60-day IL (oblique ), Joc Pederson: 10-day IL (hand), Roberto Perez: 60-day IL (shoulder), Luke Jackson: 60-day IL (elbow), Thomas Szapucki: 60-day IL (left arm) , Luis Gonzalez: 60-day IL (back)

Pirates: Carlos Santana: Day-to-Day (Lumbar), Vince Velasquez: 15-Day IL (Elbow), Wil Crowe: 60-Day IL (Shoulder), Ji-Man Choi: 60-Day IL (Achilles ), Oneil Cruz: 60-day IL (ankle), JT Brubaker: 60-day IL (elbow), Jarlin Garcia: 60-day IL (arm), Max Kranick: 60-day IL (elbow)

The Associated Press created this story using technology and data provided by Sportradar by Data Skrive.

© Data Script. All rights reserved.

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Houston will face a National League West roster in their first-ever (non-Canadian) international competition.

May 1, 2023Updated: May 1, 2023 11:14 am

Astros star Yordan Alvarez is likely to have a big day when Houston takes on Colorado in the racquet-friendly heights of Mexico City.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

The Houston Astros are heading south in 2024 as they are reportedly set to become the newest team to compete in Major League Baseball’s international competition during the regular season.

Dusty Baker’s side will take on the Colorado Rockies in a regular-season series next season in Mexico, with the competitions set to be held at the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome. The date for next season’s international series is set for Monday.

Twitter

— ken_rosenthal Twitter

Twitter

– Ken_Rosenthal Twitter

Fans will likely see plenty of runs scored when the two teams travel to Mexico City in 2024. The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants combined 37 runs in two games at the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú over the weekend and hit 14 homers thanks to the stadium’s elevation and height. Denver’s Coors Field — perhaps considered the most locally-owned baseball stadium — sits just 5,280 feet above sea level. Located in Mexico City, the stadium sits over 7,300 feet above sea level, creating even less drag when the ball is batted. Maybe in 2024, like we did over the weekend, we’ll see a soccer score break out on the lozenge.

Twitter

— Covers Twitter

Next year will be the Astros’ second (non-Canadian) regular-season international, following a contest against the Angels in Monterrey, Mexico in 2019. And based on recent trends, it’s unlikely we’ll see the list of competitions going abroad end anytime soon. The Yankees and Red Sox faced off in London in 2019, and numerous regular-season games have been played in both Tokyo and Mexico City in the 21st century. As MLB seeks to expand its presence internationally, taking the game’s stars overseas is a natural move.

Houston has remained firmly focused on the pursuits in 2023 despite Monday’s announcement. The Astros will look to improve on their 15-13 record in 2023 on Monday when they host the Giants at Minute Maid Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Rockets, Astros and every team in town. A Denver native, University of Texas at Austin graduate, Michael is a noted fan of three-piece pull-ups, wide receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

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