Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, September 13

Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Thursday, including Jets QB Sam Darnold expected to be out indefinitely after he was diagnosed with mono and the Buccaneers get a late stop near the goal line to beat the Panthers and get into the win column.

All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Friday!

GROUNDED: Jets Quarterback Sam Darnold Out Indefinitely With Mono

After blowing a 16 point second-half lead on Sunday, things went from bad to worse for the New York Jets this week, as they found out their quarterback Sam Darnold will be out indefinitely after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.

The second-year QB, who had been suffering from a sore throat that caused him to miss practice on Wednesday, had also lost five pounds, according to Jets head coach Adam Gase.

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to mono is an enlarged spleen, which could rupture if Darnold took a shot to the midsection over the next few weeks.

The Jets, who will turn to Trevor Siemian to start under center on Monday night against the Browns, are preparing for the possibility of being without Darnold for multiple weeks.

“Looks like it,” Gase said. “Good thing we’ve got an early bye week.”

The Jets’ bye week falls in Week 4, so the earliest likely return for Darnold would be against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 6.

The season could not have gotten off to a worse start for New York, coming off their second-half meltdown last weekend against Buffalo, they also lost WR Quincy Enunwa for the season with a neck injury and RB Le’Veon Bell had shoulder soreness that led him to undergo an MRI on Thursday.

Jet fans got one piece of good news late Thursday, however, as Bell’s MRI revealed no major damage or tears in his shoulder, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

MORE FROM HEAVY.COM: Le’Veon Bell reveals status for Monday night’s game

ROAD WARRIORS: Bucs Defense Holds on to Win in Carolina, Beat Panthers 20-14

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a huge stop near the goal line to seal the game on Thursday night, beating the Panthers on the road, 20-14.

The Buccaneers, who came into the game off a short week where they lost to the 49ers on Sunday, bounced back Thursday with a stout defensive performance, shutting down Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey.

Trailing 20-14, the Panthers drove the ball down to the Buccaneers’ 3-yard line and faced a 4th down and less than a yard with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter.

The star RB McCaffrey took a direct snap and tried to break it outside but was forced out of bounds short of the first down by a tremendous play by Bucs cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who finished the night with 12 total tackles.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston was sharp on the night, completing 16-of-25 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. The same could not be said for Newton, who was pressured throughout the game by the Bucs defense and finished completing only 25 of 51 passes.

The Panthers, who fell to 0-2, will be in desperation mode next Sunday as they travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Bucs, who evened their record at 1-1, will host the Giants in Week 3.

DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Headlines

• • Angels’ Shohei Ohtani to have season-ending knee surgery
  • Detroit Pistons agree to deal with Joe Johnson
  • Bob Baffert stands by record amid NYT report that Triple Crown winner failed drug test
  • Team USA loses to Serbia in FIBA World Cup consolation round
  • Former Bengals CB Terrell Roberts shot and killed in San Francisco area
  • PGA star Justin Thomas has melanoma scare

WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: No. 1 Clemson (2-0) at Syracuse (1-1)
Clemson heads on the road this week to play in a Saturday night primetime game against ACC rival Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.
WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC

MLB: Pennant Races Heat Up This Weekend
With just over two weeks remaining in the regular season, the race to the playoffs really revs up this weekend with division matchups that will go a long way in deciding who moves on to October.

The top two teams in the AL Central face off for a three-game set in Cleveland, with the Twins currently leading the Twins by 3 1/2 games.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have a four-game lead on the Brewers and Cubs in the NL Central, as they open up a three-game series with Milwaukee.

Twins at Indians: Tonight, 7:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network, Out-of-market only)
Brewers at Cardinals: Tonight, 8:15 p.m. ET

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.