The Sports Mac: The Daily Fives for September 27, 2010

Top Five Stories From Yesterday

1. Week 3 of the NFL sees the Chiefs and Steelers remain undefeated, while the Cowboys and Vikings get their first victory of the season.

2. The Yankees and Phillies both clinch playoff spots as New York comes back to beat the Red Sox, but Philadelphia falls in its final home game against the Mets.

3. Jimmie Johnson pulls himself back into the hunt for another Sprint Cup title as he wins at Dover, and moves to second in the Chase.

4. Jim Furyk wins a double, capturing the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup after his win in Atlanta.

5. Carmelo Anthony is still a Denver Nugget, as no trade has been accepted by Denver management.

Top Five Games From Yesterday

1. Falcons 27, Saints 24, Overtime: Atlanta gets a big division win after Garrett Hartley missed a FG in OT for New Orleans, but Matt Bryant made the game-winner for the Falcons.

2. Cardinals 24, Raiders 23: Arizona hangs on for the win as Oakland drives down the field in the closing minutes, but Sebastian Janikowski misses the game-winning FG with under 30 seconds left.

3. Yankees 4, Red Sox 3, 10 innings: After Boston scores two in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, New York ties the game in the bottom of the inning, and wins it in the 10^th to secure a playoff spot.

4. Seahawks 27, Chargers 20: In a wild affair that saw Leon Washington return two kickoffs for TDs, it's Seattle rookie Earl Thomas who gets an interception with 13 seconds left to preserve the win.

5. Jets 31, Dolphins 23: New York hangs on for the win as Miami drives inside the 10-yard line, but are unable to score and possibly force overtime.

Top Five Performances From Yesterday

1. Kyle Orton, Broncos QB: 37-of-57 for 476 yards, and a TD in DEN’s 27-13 loss to IND.

2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings RB: 23 carries for 160 yards, and two TDs in MIN’s 24-10 win over DET.

3. Matt Cain, Giants SP: Two runs on three hits with eight K’s, and the CG victory in SF’s 4-2 win over COL.

4. Austin Collie, Colts WR: 12 catches for 171 yards, and two TDs in IND’s 27-13 win over DEN.

5. Philip Rivers, Chargers QB: 29-of-53 for 455 yards, and two TDs in SD’s 27-20 loss to SEA.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1. Lawrence Maroney, Broncos RB: 12 carries for 24 yards to lead Denver in rushing in the Broncos' 27-13 loss to Indianapolis.

2. Henry Rodriguez, Athletics RP: Three earned runs on two hits, facing five batters in OAK’s 16-9 loss to TEX.

3. Frank Gore, 49ers RB: 15 carries for 43 yards to lead San Francisco in rushing in the 49ers' 31-10 loss to Kansas City.

4. Adam Russell, Padres RP: Three earned runs on three hits, facing five batters in SD’s 12-2 loss to CIN.

5. Jahvid Best, Lions RB: Seven carries for 26 yards to lead Detroit in rushing in the Lions' 24-10 loss to Minnesota.

Top Five Events To Follow Today

1. MLB: Yankees (93-63) at Blue Jays (80-75), 7:00 PM: New York looks to move back into first in the division; (Burnett (NYY) vs. Rzepczynski (TOR))

2. MLB: Orioles (61-94) at Rays (93-62), 7:00 PM: Tampa Bay tries to maintain its AL East lead; (Matusz (BAL) vs. Davis (TB))

3. NFL: Packers (2-0) at Bears (2-0), 8:30 PM, ESPN: The two old rivals meet for the first time this season to see who takes the early lead in the NFC North.

4. MLB: Dodgers (75-81) at Rockies (83-72), 8:30 PM: Colorado is running out of games to make the playoffs; (Good match-up; Lilly (LAD) vs. Jimenez (COL))

5. MLB: Cubs (70-85) at Padres (87-68), 10:00 PM: San Diego’s chance to make up the half-game deficit in the NL West; (Good match-up; Zambrano (CHC) vs. Stauffer (SD))