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Fuel Masters fan top-four push

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE TOP-FOUR push in the PBA Philippine Cup of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters got a boost on Monday after they dug deep and defeated the upset-minded Blackwater Elite, 100-95, at the Angeles University Foundation Arena in Pampanga.

Led by the double-double efforts of Jason Perkins and Calvin Abueva, Phoenix bucked a slow start to surge past Blackwater to improve to 7-3 in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament, in prime position for one of the top four spots that carry a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

The victory thrusts the Fuel Masters to joint first place, as of this writing, with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and TNT Tropang Giga.

The Elite got early traction in the game, led by veteran Nino Canaleta.

They would claim the opening quarter, 21-15, before creating further distance by the halftime break, 45-34.

In the third quarter, Phoenix came out with more bounce in its fight.

Mr. Perkins unleashed 10 points in the opening minutes of the frame to tow his team to a 21-9 run that had them seizing the lead, 55-54, at the 5:27 mark.

The two teams slugged it out thereafter before a late spurt gave the Elite a three-point cushion, 70-67, heading into the payoff quarter.

But the Fuel Masters took cue from their spirited run in the third to begin the fourth canto.

The count stood at 81-all with 7:34 left in the contest and thereafter Phoenix sped to an 8-1 run in the next four minutes to go up, 89-82.

Blackwater made a last-ditch effort to come back, inching to within three, 96-93, with 17 seconds remaining.

It would not come any closer than that though as the Fuel Masters moved to shut the door on their opponents from there.

Mr. Perkins finished with 18 points, 3-of-5 from three-point country, and 12 rebounds for Phoenix, with Mr. Abueva tallying all-around numbers of 17 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Matthew Wright also had 17 points while Brian Heruela had 15 for the Fuel Masters, who won their third straight game with the victory.

For Blackwater (2-8), it was Mr. Canaleta who top-scored with 21, followed by Mac Belo with 17.

Phoenix and Blackwater finish their elimination round assignments on Nov. 11 with the Fuel Masters taking on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Elite battling the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok.

Meanwhile, games on Tuesday will see TNT against Rain or Shine at 4 p.m., followed by the San Miguel Beermen versus the Northport Batang Pier.

FIBA Esports Open set for bigger field in second edition

THE second edition of the FIBA Esports Open unfurls later this week with a bigger field than its first staging earlier this year.

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, announced that an expanded roster of 38 national teams is taking part this time around in the Open, from 17 previously, in tournaments taking place over three weekends with seven regional conferences.

Action kicks off from Nov. 14-15 in the Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia conferences, to be followed by that in Europe (Dec, 12-13), the North, Central, and South America conferences (Dec. 19-20).

Finals will take place in all conferences, with a best-of-three format.

For the tournament, each team will consist of seven players, five on the court and two reserves. Games will be played remotely on NBA 2K using the Pro-AM mode and allowing full customization of player avatars, uniforms and arena designs.

Team Philippines, or “E-Gilas,” was among the winners in the first edition of the FIBA Esports Open held in June, ruling the Southeast Asian conference by sweeping Indonesia in their five-game series.

E-Gilas, composed of Aljon “Shintarou” Gruzin (point guard), Rial “Rial” Polog Jr. (shooting guard), Custer “Aguila” Galas (small forward), Rocky “Rak” Brana (center/power forward), Philippe “Izzo” Alcaraz Herrero IV (center), Clark “Clark” Banzon (power forward), and Al “Alt” Timajo (center/power forward), capped its dominant performance in the tournament by beating its Indonesian counterpart, 71-35, in the fifth game of their joust.

The 36-point win took the Philippines’ average margin of victory to 32.8 points for the series.

Following its impressive showing, E-Gilas said “preparation and teamwork” played a key role in it.

In the second edition of the Esports Open, Australia is joining the Philippines and Indonesia in the combined Southeast Asia/Oceania group.

Other winners in the inaugural edition of the FIBA Esports Open were Italy (Europe Conference), Argentina (South America Conference), Saudi Arabia (Middle East Conference), and Australia (Oceania Conference).

As was the case in the first edition, the series will be produced from the FIBA Esports Studio in Riga, Latvia, with 54 hours of live content to be streamed on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube channels. Each game will be available online with live commentary in English, as well as a daily show featuring up to 12 games.

The FIBA Esports Open 2020 is angled by the world basketbal governing body to add further dimension to it as an organization while also affording the basketball community some action after activities were halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

For more information on the tournament, check out http://www.fiba.basketball/esports/open2/2020. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Azkals Development Team ends 2020 PFL bid strong with third win in a row

THE Azkals Development Team (ADT) capped its 2020 Philippines Football League (PFL) campaign on a high note, running to its third straight win with a 2-0 victory over Stallion-Laguna FC on Monday morning at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.

The squad of national team coach Scott Cooper used a strong effort in the second half, punctuated by goals from Carlo Dorin (52’) and Jarvey Gayoso (62’), to soar past Stallion to finish its PFL bid with nine points built on a record of three wins and two losses.

It also put itself in good position to wind up at second place, behind league champion United City Football Club (FC).

The opening half was tight for ADT and Stallion, with both teams having early chances at goals which unfortunately they could not complete.

In the second half, ADT picked it up, taking it to its opponents and capitalizing on opportunities it could get.

It did not take long before the team broke through with the first goal of the match, care of substitute Dorin, who found himself in the right spot for a rebound off a miss by teammate Yrik Gallantes and give his team a 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes later, ADT added another goal to make it 2-0 after Mr. Gayoso converted a spot kick awarded to them off a foul on Mr. Gallantes.

Stallion made desperate attempts to claw its way back to the match, but ADT proved to be up to the challenge as it went on to park the win.

Mr. Cooper said they were happy with the performance of their team, which competed in the PFL for the first time this year as a regular member of the field.

“There were inconsistencies along the way, but I think with the results, the players did well,” said Mr. Cooper, who made it known that primary for them in joining the tournament, presented by Qatar Airways, was to help develop their players in preparation for the next level. For Stallion (0-1-3), it was its second straight defeat heading into its final game of the season on Thursday.

Meanwhile, later on Monday, Maharlika Manila FC was to take on Mendiola FC 1991 at 4:30 p.m. while United City was to battle Kaya FC-Iloilo at 8 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Three Team Lakay fighters return to ONE action

BAGUIO-based Team Lakay will be prominently featured at ONE Championship’s “Inside The Matrix III” event on Nov. 13.

Former champions Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon and Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and fast-rising Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang will take the ONE stage in the scheduled five-fight offering at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Mr. Belingon (20-7) will be part of the headlining fight against Brazilian John “Hands of Stone” Lineker in a clash of bantamweight contenders.

Thirty-three-year-old Belingon, the number one contender in the rankings, is out to arrest a two-fight losing streak, both coming at the hands of reigning ONE world bantamweight champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil last year.

Apart from getting back on the winning track and getting another shot at the title, Mr. Belingon is also using as added motivation the birth of his daughter, Kelsey, in August.

“Family has always been my first priority. Having a child in that picture makes me level up my game as the head of the family. I feel more motivated in everything in life right now, especially in providing a good future for our child,” Mr. Belingon said.

Waiting for Mr. Belingon in the third iteration of the Inside The Matrix event is Mr. Lineker (32-9), a former Ultimate Fighting Championship campaigner.

He made his ONE debut in October and was a unanimous decision winner over Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan.

Mr. Eustaquio (13-8), meanwhile, battles South Korean Song Min Jong (11-7) in a 64kg catchweight joust.

The former flyweight champion Eustaquio, 31, last fought in November 2019, beating Toni Tauru of Finland by knockout (spinning back kick) in the third round.

He is looking at using the win as a springboard to string back-to-back wins, something he has not done since 2018.

Mr. Song, 28, for his part, seeks to remain unbeaten in ONE Championship in his third outing in the promotion.

Completing the night for Team Lakay is Mr. Adiwang (11-2), who is to take on Hiroba Minowa (10-2) of Japan.

The Filipino strawweight, the number five-ranked fighter in the division, has been unbeaten in two fights to date in the main draw of ONE Championship.

In his last fight in January here in Manila, Mr. Adiwang impressed anew with a first-round submission win (kimura) over Thai Ponsiri Mitsatit.

He looks to extend his winning ways against ONE-debuting Minowa.

Messrs. Belingon, Eustaquio, and Adiwang are the latest Team Lakay stalwarts to make a return to ONE after months of waiting because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Eduard Folayang was the first to return for the team in October. He lost to Australian Antonio Caruso by unanimous decision. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Ayo named as new coach of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas team

Former University of Santo Tomas men’s basketball team coach Aldin Ayo will now handle the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 team seeing action in FIBA tournaments.

Mr. Ayo was unveiled Monday afternoon as the new head coach of the renamed squad, which will now be known as Manila Chooks TM.

The 43-year-old champion coach took the place of Eric Altamirano, who resigned from his post effective Nov. 1 following a two-year run that saw the Philippines rise to contention in 3×3.

“I’m very grateful because, for me, this will bring another dimension to my coaching career,” Mr. Ayo said as he was introduced to the players as well as Manila Mayor Isko Moreno inside City Hall.

“Throughout my coaching career, it was the full-length of the court, but this time will be different. I can’t wait to try out new schemes for half-court,” he added.

Despite the new name, Manila Chooks TM will still be bannered top 3×3 player in the country Joshua Munzon, no. 2 Alvin Pasaol, no. 5 Troy Rike, and no. 6 Santi Santillan.

“Coach Ayo is my personal choice,” said Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president and 3×3 patron Ronald Mascariñas, underscoring the proven track record of Mr. Ayo, a champion coach in both the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“He is the most decorated coach in college right now and we are excited that he is now here with us,” Mr. Mascariñas further said.

Mr. Ayo admitted that he is still in the process of learning his way in coaching 3×3 basketball but is looking forward to the challenge.

Unfortunately, the team said Mr. Aup would not be able to join it as the squad sees action in the Doha Masters of the 2020 FIBA 3×3 World Tour later in the month but would start formal training with him before the year ends. — MASM

Biden’s economic challenge rests on sustaining pace of recovery

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden inherits one of the most fraught economies in generations, requiring his administration to sustain its fragile momentum and help millions of Americans get back to work.

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases begin to spike again, stricter health policies to contain the virus’s spread would risk stifling the recovery and make it even more difficult for companies to boost hiring. At the same time, the pandemic has introduced its own economic hurdles that could become systemic if left unaddressed.

Things are gradually improving: 638,000 jobs were added in October, sending the unemployment rate down to 6.9%. Record household spending propelled a huge rebound in third-quarter growth and manufacturing is gaining pace. A higher-than-normal saving rate also provides firepower for the consumer in coming months — and for the president-elect’s economy.

But the labor market still has a long way to go. There are 10 million fewer employed people than in February, prior to the virus-related lockdowns.

Building on these nascent gains is dependent on vaccine development and deployment in scale, especially as COVID-19 cases reach records and risk another wave of business shutdowns. Maintaining the recent economic momentum also depends in part on another round of fiscal stimulus from Congress, which lawmakers failed to agree on in the months before the election.

Absent additional government aid for unemployed Americans and small businesses, the pace of consumer spending will probably slow. A weekly $600 extra jobless benefit ended months ago and many more consumer protections are expiring at the end of the year, threatening the household finances of millions of unemployed.

“It’s going to take a long time to get back to where we were, but we’re moving in the right direction,” said Joshua Shapiro, the chief US economist at Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc. “The path of the virus is going to be extremely important, in terms of what that means for people’s behavior and economic activity. So there’s still a lot of question marks.”

The most recent data on the number of people filing for jobless claims bears testament to this; more Americans than expected filed for state unemployment benefits in the week ended Oct. 31, underscoring churn in a labor market that continues to recover only gradually.

The October jobs report also highlights the tailwinds for Biden.

More people are back to work now than analysts expected just six months ago. Gains were broad-based — with increases in retail, food services, and transportation and warehousing as businesses continued to reopen their doors.

There were also encouraging signs for women, whose unemployment rate fell below men’s, and drops in joblessness for Black Americans and Latinos.

“The pace of the recovery seems to be holding up,” said Nick Bunker, an economist at Indeed, Inc. At the same time, “we’re still in a significant hole” and “the pace of this recovery really is constrained by the virus,” he said.

The employment data also highlighted the importance of additional benefits. One-third of unemployed Americans have been out of work since at least April, during the initial round of layoffs tied to COVID-19-related business closures.

Research has shown that this category of long-term unemployed, those without a job for at least 27 weeks, have a harder time re-entering the labor market in the future.

The jobs they once had in travel and hospitality may not be there any longer even when the economy recovers, requiring retraining and government help.

“The longer you’re out of work the more difficult it is to get back in,” said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. “During the Great Recession people started to feel their skills were getting outdated. That’s where the government spending has to come in.” — Bloomberg

US crosses 10 million COVID-19 cases as third wave of infections surges

THE UNITED States became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass 10 million coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the third wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus surges across the nation.

The grim milestone came on the same day as global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million.

The United states has reported about a million cases in the past 10 days, the highest rate of infections since the nation reported its first novel coronavirus case in Washington state 293 days ago.

The country reported a record 131,420 COVID-19 cases on Saturday and has reported over 100,000 infections five times in the past seven days, according to a Reuters tally. The US latest reported seven-day average of 105,600 daily cases, ramped up by at least 29%, is more than the combined average for India and France, two of the worst affected countries in Asia and Europe.

More than 237,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since the illness caused by the coronavirus first emerged in China late last year.

The daily average of reported new deaths in the United States account for one in every 11 deaths reported worldwide each day, according to a Reuters analysis.

The number of reported deaths nationwide climbed by more than 1,000 for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday, a trend last seen in mid-August, according to a Reuters tally.

Health experts say deaths tend to increase four to six weeks after a surge in infections.

US President-elect Joe Biden, who spent much of his election campaign criticizing President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic, pledged on Saturday to make tackling the pandemic a top priority.

Biden will announce a 12-member task force on Monday to deal with the pandemic that will be led by former surgeon general Vivek Murthy and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner David Kessler. The coronavirus task force will be charged with developing a blueprint for containing the disease once Biden takes office in January.

The Midwest remains the hardest-hit region based on the most cases per capita with North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska the top five worst-affected US states.

Illinois emerged as the new epicenter in the Midwest, with the state reporting over 60,000 COVID-19 infections in the last seven days, the highest in the country, according to Reuters data. The state reported more than 12,454 new cases on Saturday, the highest single-day number so far.

Texas, which accounts for 10% of total US cases, is the hardest-hit state and became the first to surpass a million coronavirus cases in the United States on Saturday.

According to a Reuters analysis, the South region comprises nearly 43% of all the cases in the United States since the pandemic began, with nearly 4.3 million cases in the region alone, followed by the Midwest, West and Northeast.

New York, with over 33,000 fatalities, remains the state with highest number of deaths and accounts for about 14% of total US deaths.

The United States performed about 10.5 million coronavirus tests in the first seven days of November, of which 6.22% came back positive, compared with 6.17% the prior seven-days, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak. — Reuters

Sydney restricts New Year’s Eve fireworks to limit coronavirus spread

SYDNEY — New Year’s Eve fireworks over Sydney Harbour will go ahead this year but will be shortened to just a few minutes and the city precinct will be restricted to those with restaurant, cafe and hotel bookings in order to limit the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Prime harborside spots, normally coveted by thousands of revellers to watch the traditional 12-minute pyrotechnic display, will be set aside for health workers who have been treating COVID-19 patients and firefighters.

Although Australia has for weeks recorded just daily single digit new cases of COVID-19, New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said crowd numbers will be limited for the event in areas that typically draw thousands of viewers.

“New Year’s Eve celebrations will be a symbol of hope and optimism for next year,” Ms. Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. “But unless you have a booking in a restaurant or cafe, please do not expect to go.” Those without a booking will be unable to gain access into the city, Ms. Berejiklian said.

Australia has recorded just over 27,600 novel coronavirus infections and 907 deaths, far fewer than many other developed countries.

Victoria state — the epicenter of Australia’s COVID-19 outbreak — said it has now gone 10 days with detecting any infections. — Reuters

Medvedev wears down Zverev in Paris to claim third Masters title

PARIS — Russian Daniil Medvedev outclassed German Alexander Zverev (5-7 6-4 6-1) in the Paris final on Sunday to claim his third Masters title.

The third seed, who also defeated Zverev in the Shanghai final last year, returned strongly throughout the match to take his first title of the year.

Medvedev, 24, had more energy in the deciding set and made the most of his opportunities against an inconsistent Zverev, who had won five of their six previous meetings.

A double fault earned the Russian his eighth ATP title after two hours and seven minutes.

Medvedev said he pulled off the win by making his “opponent crazy”.

Both players had a high first serve percentage early on, holding comfortably. Zverev went 40-0 up on the Russian’s serve at 6-5 to earn the first break points of the match.

Medvedev saved the first two by dictating the rallies, but he whacked a forehand long on the third and conceded his second set of the tournament.

Zverev faced his first break points in a fiercely contested third game in the second set, which he won, but he dropped serve in the ninth game when he sent a crosscourt backhand long.

Medvedev won his service game to love to level the match and send it into a decider. He broke to love, held serve after saving four break points and broke again thanks to a booming service return as he moved 4-0 up.

With his confidence shattered, Zverev never looked capable of mounting a comeback as Medvedev added to his 2019 Shanghai and Cincinnati Masters titles.

Both players will take part in the season-ending ATP Tour Finals at the O2 in London from Nov. 15-22.

Medvedev, the fourth Russian player to win at Bercy after three-time champion Marat Safin, Nikolay Davydenko, and Karen Khachanov, said he would go into the tournament full of confidence. — Reuters

Woods bids to repeat Augusta glory after disappointing run

TIGER Woods will hope familiarity helps him recapture his form at Augusta National this week as the 15-time major winner aims to repeat the magic of his stunning Masters win last year.

Overcoming personal and physical obstacles that at times in his career appeared insurmountable, Woods ended an 11-year major drought to claim his fifth Masters in 2019, capping one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of professional sport.

But a recent string of lacklustre performances have rendered that success a distant memory.

Woods has failed to crack the top 30 at any event since the PGA Tour returned from its COVID-19 hiatus in June, missing the cut at the US Open in September and finishing tied 72nd in the Zozo Championship last month—a tournament he won a year ago.

“Last year, he came into the Masters doing a lot of things well. His iron play was really, really good a year ago. We haven’t seen that this year,” said compatriot Andy North, a retired twice major winner and now golf analyst for ESPN.

Woods, who won his first major at Augusta 23 years ago, knows the course’s unique tests, giving him a possible advantage over youngsters such as PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa, 23, and 21-year-old Matthew Wolff, the US Open runner-up.

But changes to the tournament this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic — including the move from April to November and the absence of fans — could limit Wood’s expertise.

“There are a lot of guys that haven’t played there very much,” said North. “You know, I kind of thought, is this going to negate some of the history that our veteran players have and some of the course knowledge that they have versus some of the younger guys that we have seen play so well this fall?”

For Woods, the quieting of the crowd’s roar may be the hardest part to reconcile.

“The one component that is going to be just, I think, so odd for all of us who have played there and who have been there is to have no spectators,” Woods told reporters after the final round at the Zozo Championship.

“Sometimes, we’ve been on the putting green there before we tee off and you hear roars down there, 12 and 13, they reverberate all the way up to the clubhouse, and there’s going to be nothing.”

The Masters starts on Thursday. — Reuters

NFL Roundup: Steelers edge Cowboys, stay uneaten

QUARTERBACK Ben Roethlisberger led a six-play, 79-yard drive capped by an eigth-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ebron with 2:14 left Sunday as the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers eked out a 24-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, to remain unbeaten.

Pittsburgh, down 13 points in the first half and 10 points entering the fourth quarter, is 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. Roethlisberger, who tweaked his left knee late in the first half but finished, was 29 of 42 for 306 yards, and also had touchdown passes to James Washington and Juju Smith-Schuster.

For Dallas (2-7), Garrett Gilbert, in his first career start because of injuries to Andy Dalton and Dak Prescott, was 21 of 38 for 243 yards with a scoring pass to CeeDee Lamb. Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals

The Cowboys drove 65 yards and made it 10-0 as Gilbert rolled right and hooked up with Lamb in the end zone from 20 yards. Zuerlein’s 44-yard field goal made it 13-0.

With 1:31 left in the half, Neville Gallimore hit Roethlisberger, who came up limping. But, three plays later, Roethlisberger threw 17 yards to James Washington in the back of the end zone. Chris Boswell missed the extra point, leaving it 13-6.

Roethlisberger retreated to the locker room, pressing backup Mason Rudolph into action for four plays, ending with Boswell’s franchise-record 59-yard field goal to make it 13-9 at halftime.

DOLPHINS 34, CARDINALS 31
Rookie Tua Tagovailoa — locked in a battle against fellow 23-and-under quarterback Kyler Murray — threw two touchdown passes as Miami defeated host Arizona to win their fourth straight game, its longest streak in four years.

Tagovailoa, 2-0 in National Football League (NFL) starts, completed 20-of-28 passes for 248 yards, with no turnovers. He also ran seven times for 35 yards for the Dolphins as Miami (5-3). Murray completed 21-of-26 passes for 283 yards, with one turnover (a fumble for a Miami touchdown). He also ran for a career-best 106 yards on 11 carries, but it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals (5-3) had their three-game win streak snapped.

Besides Tagovailoa, a Dolphins hero was kicker Jason Sanders, who made two field goals, including a career-best 56-yarder. His other conversion, from 50 yards, set a Dolphins record for consecutive kicks without a miss (20). That field goal, with 3:30 left in the game, was the winning score.

RAIDERS 31, CHARGERS 26
Justin Herbert’s apparent game-winning 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Donald Parham Jr. on the final play of the game was reversed on replay and Las Vegas held on for a wild 31-26 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon at Inglewood, California.

Parham appeared to have won the game when he caught Herbert’s fade pass over defensive back Isaiah Johnson while falling out of the right corner of the end zone. But the touchdown call was overturned when replay showed that the ball hit the ground as he rolled on the sideline chalk.

Derek Carr completed 13-of-23 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns for Las Vegas (5-3) which improved to 4-1 on the road and won its third straight away from home for just the third time in the past 15 seasons. Herbet Herbert completed 28-of-42 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns for Los Angeles (2-6), which lost for the sixth time in seven games. Keenan Allen caught nine passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.

BILLS 44, SEAHAWKS 34
Josh Allen threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score to outduel Russell Wilson, and Buffalo defeated visiting Seattle in Orchard Park, NY

Stefon Diggs and John Brown combined for 17 receptions for 217 yards and the defense forced four turnovers for the Bills (7-2), who remained atop the AFC East.

The NFC West-leading Seahawks (6-2) suffered their second defeat in the past three games. Wilson was 28 of 41 for 390 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for a score.

VIKINGS 34, LIONS 20
Dalvin Cook rushed for a career-high 206 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard scamper, and Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes as Minnesota manhandled visiting Detroit in Minneapolis.

Cook, who has scored six touchdowns in the last two games, carried 22 times and also caught two passes for 46 yards. Cousins passed for 220 yards, while tight end Irv Smith Jr. had two receiving touchdowns. Alexander Mattison added 69 rushing yards for the Vikings (3-5).

Detroit’s Matthew Stafford passed for 211 yards and a touchdown, but was also intercepted twice. T.J. Hockenson and Marvin Jones Jr. caught touchdown passes for the Lions (3-5).

FALCONS 34, BRONCOS 27
Matt Ryan threw for three touchdowns and Atlanta continued its resurgence under interim coach Raheem Morris with a victory against visiting Denver as Ryan finished 25-of-35 passing for 284 yards and an interception. Olamide Zaccheaus racked up 103 receiving yards on four catches — all in the first half.

The Falcons (3-6) are 3-1 with Morris in charge after firing coach Dan Quinn last month. This marked Atlanta’s first victory in five home games this season.

Denver quarterback Drew Lock was 25-of-48 passing for 313 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also led the Broncos on the ground with 47 yards on six carries, with his 10-yard run with 1:52 to play helping cut the deficit to 34-27 on a drive that covered 82 yards in five plays.

TEXANS 27, JAGUARS 25
Deshaun Watson passed for 281 yards and two touchdowns and Houston’s maligned defense denied a late two-point conversion attempt for a victory over host Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field.

Watson added a team-leading 50 rushing yards and repeatedly produced when the Texans (2-6) were most desperate. His scramble to the 1-yard line set up a touchdown run by Duke Johnson with 30 seconds remaining in the first half and his 77-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter extended the Houston lead to 27-16.

Houston made a pair of timely defensive stops in the fourth quarter, stuffing running back James Robinson on fourth down to preserve an eight-point lead over the Jaguars (1-7). J.J. Watt added a strip sack of Jaguars rookie quarterback Jake Luton at the 6:26 mark of the final period, becoming the 35th player in NFL history to record 100 career sacks.

CHIEFS 33, PANTHERS 31
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 372 yards and four touchdowns to lead host Kansas City past Carolina.

Tight end Travis Kelce came up huge for Kansas City (8-1), snagging 10 receptions for 159 yards as the Chiefs gained their fourth straight win and remained entrenched in the AFC West lead.

Sparked by the return of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who missed the previous six games with an ankle injury, Carolina (3-6) produced touchdowns on its first two possessions and grabbed a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. But the Chiefs took the lead for good at 20-17 as Clyde Edwards-Helaire caught a 4-yard TD pass from Mahomes with 4:42 left in the third quarter. McCaffrey finished with 151 yards on 28 touches, including 10 receptions.

TITANS 24, BEARS 17
Ryan Tannehill threw for two touchdowns, and Tennessee’s maligned defense played one of its best games of the year in a win over struggling Chicago in Nashville, Tenn.

Tannehill completed just 10 of 21 passes, but for 158 yards with no interceptions. NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry was held to 68 yards on 21 carries for the Titans, who gained a season-low 228 total yards. But the defense came up big against one of the league’s weaker offenses. Tennessee (6-2) held Chicago off the scoreboard through three quarters while posting a season-high three sacks, and held the Bears to just 2 of 15 on third down conversions.

Chicago (5-4) saw quarterback Nick Foles hit on 36 of 52 passes for 335 yards, and fourth-quarter touchdowns to Ryan Nall and Jimmy Graham. But the Bears trailed 24-3 before scoring twice in the last 5:06.

RAVENS 24, COLTS 10
Lamar Jackson had 228 yards of total offense and a rushing touchdown and Gus Edwards ran for another score to lead visiting Baltimore to a victory against Indianapolis.

Baltimore (6-2) became the first team to defeat the Colts (5-3) at Lucas Oil Stadium this season despite being outgained 339-266.

The Ravens outscored the Colts 17-0 in the second half. Edwards gave Baltimore a 14-10 lead with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter. Jackson padded the lead with 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 9-yard run.

GIANTS 23, WASHINGTON 20
Logan Ryan intercepted Alex Smith with 1:15 remaining as visiting New York nearly squandered another lead, but held on for a victory over the Washington Football Team.

The Giants (2-7) beat Washington (2-6) for the fifth straight time and picked up the season sweep after Ryan stepped in front of Smith’s pass for Terry McLaurin in the middle of the field. New York quarterback Daniel Jones completed 23-of-34 for 212 yards and threw a 16-yard touchdown to Evan Engram in the second quarter to help the Giants build a 20-3 lead.

The Giants forced five turnovers, and Washington lost starting quarterback Kyle Allen to a serious ankle injury late in the first quarter. Smith, Allen’s replacement, completed 24-of-32 for 325 yards and a 68-yard TD to McLaurin, but he was also picked off three times. — Reuters

Personal branding: an effective recruitment strategy for HR

Human resource (HR) professionals must take on a more active and consistent form of recruitment by working on their personal branding, according to an executive in the field.  

The first step is to create meaningful and valuable content. Recruiters can provide job hunting tips, share allowable industry secrets that will pique the curiosity of potential applicants, give honest and valuable opinions about recruiters and candidates, and express their care for the candidate market.

Content can take the form of a simple post, an image, or even a video, depending on the message and objective. If an HR professional wants to discuss a job that is not well-known in the industry, for instance, a video can clearly paint a picture of its tasks and expectations.

Danica Octa, president and CEO of career development and empowerment platform Metamorphosis Group, said traditional recruiters post rigidly formatted content only when there is a job opening, getting minimal engagement. On the other hand, socially engaged recruiters regularly share interesting and thought-provoking content. As a result, they get wide engagement and are kept top-of-mind among candidates because of the good impression that they make.

The second step is to host career events that provide value to potential applicants. Aside from the usual job fairs, this includes career tips webinars, mock interviews, resumé workshops, and networking events.

Ms. Octa cited “Rebuild your working world,” a public Facebook group by professional services network Ernst & Young (EY), which conducts workshops on topics such as resumé writing and networking. UnionBank, meanwhile, hosts the Virtual Career Conversation webinar series, which helps fresh graduates find work amid the pandemic.

“It will make them feel like you really want to help them get a job, which is very friendly, which is very approachable. Chances are, you will get the leads that you need,” said Ms. Octa.

The third and final step is to provide applicants with candidate success kits. These are documents that prepare them before an interview and give them an idea of what it is like to work at one’s company. These can include snapshots of the employee benefits packages, photos of the office, and tips on how to deal with different interview methods such as Situation-Task-Action-Resolve (STAR).

This kind of preparation benefits not only the candidates but also the recruiter and the company. “If you don’t teach your candidates how to talk properly during an interview, you yourself will have a hard time understanding if they’re the right fit. The problem with that is, just because of their bad communication skills, you’ll reject them. What if they’re a really good candidate? That’s a waste of opportunity for you. You would have to spend some time finding another person,” said Ms. Octa.

By employing these strategies, recruiters can help candidates feel valued. Candidates will always remember this feeling, which will influence whether they would want to work for a company or not. “The problem for some practices is that candidates don’t feel very important, they feel disposable, and you don’t want them to feel that, or else you will never get their trust once you do that,” said Ms. Octa.

 “Building a Strong Digital Recruitment Strategy” was a webinar hosted by KMC Solutions, a flexible workspace solutions provider, on November 3. — Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

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