Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Sunday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:
– FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Neither team is looking particularly super as the Atlanta Falcons visit the New England Patriots in a redux of the historic championship game last February.
– HOUSTON – Just four short years ago the Houston Astros weren’t just bad, they were embarassing, so embarassing in fact that many dubbed them the ”Lastros.” Now Houston is heading to its second World Series in franchise history and its time as the league’s laughingstock seems like a distant memory.
– LOS ANGELES – Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and the Los Angeles Dodgers get set for the World Series, now that they know they’re playing the Houston Astros.
– The Associated Press releases the new college football Top 25 poll.
– GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brett Hundley makes his first NFL start in place of injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers when the Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints.
– SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Ezekiel Elliott will be on the field thanks to a legal reprieve when the Dallas Cowboys visit the winless San Francisco 49ers.
– RICHMOND, Va. – Bernhard Langer takes a three-shot lead into the final round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first event in the PGA Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.
– KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Jimmie Johnson is on the bubble and Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are among those on the outside looking in as the Monster Energy Series trims its playoff field from 12 to eight with its race Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
– AUSTIN, Texas – Title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel start 1-2 Sunday at the U.S. Grand Prix. Vettel needs a win if the Ferrari driver hopes to chase down Hamilton in the hunt for the Formula One season championship.
