FOOTBALL

Ravens stay perfect in preseason — Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass in the first half, Lamar Jackson added another in the second half and the Baltimore Ravens ruined Andrew Luck’s Indianapolis homecoming by topping the Colts 20-19 on Monday night. Flacco looked sharp, going 7 of 9 for 72 yards before departing. Jackson then showed flashes of what helped him win the 2016 Heisman Trophy. He was 7 of 15 for 49 yards and carried four times for 26 yards before giving way to another Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, in the fourth quarter. Luck had a tough night. He threw an interception before logging his first completion, took a hard hit from Terrell Suggs on the first of two sacks and only led Indy on one scoring drive — setting up 45-year-old Adam Vinateiri for a 57-yard field goal. Luck was 6 of 13 for 50 yards with a quarterback rating of 24.5.

Officials to discuss helmet rule — Amid the uproar among some players and fans over the NFL’s new helmet rule, league officials plan to discuss the rule in the coming days but are unlikely to make major changes to it before the regular season. According to one person familiar with the league’s inner workings, rulemakers do not expect to change the language of the rule in a significant way nor do they plan to expand the use of instant replay to include all penalties assessed under the rule and not merely those resulting in ejections. If any changes are made, they apparently would be minor modifications meant to clarify the existing rule. The rule, ratified by NFL owners in May and enacted for this season, makes it a 15-yard penalty for a player to lower his head and use his helmet to hit an opponent. A player is subject to a possible ejection, reviewable by replay, and could draw a fine or suspension for an egregious violation.

RUGBY

Usain Bolt trains with Aussie football team — Usain Bolt’s attempt to win a contract to play as a professional in Australian football’s A-League began in earnest on his 32nd birthday Tuesday when he trained for the first time with the Central Coast Mariners. The eight-time Olympic sprint champion began an “indefinite” training period with the Mariners with a 15-minute passing drill under the eyes of head coach Mike Mulvey. A crowd of around 50 reporters and photographers crowded around the players tunnel at the Mariners’ Central Coast Stadium to catch a glimpse of Bolt, who smiled and offered a thumb’s-up. “I’m entirely out of my comfort zone but that’s why I am here,” Bolt said after training. Bolt has a long-held ambition to play professional football. Mulvey has said the Jamaican sprint star will be treated as any other player and will not receive an A-League contract unless he meets the required standard.

— From wire reports