NFL
James Cook had a career-best 179 yards rushing and scored twice as Buffalo dominated on the ground, and the Bills beat Dallas 31-10, ending the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak. Josh Allen threw for just 94 yards for the Bills, who won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on Oct. 1. Buffalo gained ground in the AFC playoff race, moving one game ahead of Denver and Pittsburgh. The Cowboys clinched their third playoff berth before kickoff thanks to other results around the league. But nothing else went right for Dallas. The Bills rushed for 266 yards and had 28 first downs to the Cowboys’ 14.
Derek Carr passed for 218 yards and three touchdowns, New Orleans sacked Tommy DeVito seven times and the Saints defeated the New York Giants 24-6. Carr connected on 23 of 28 passes without a turnover in one of his most efficient outings this season. His scoring passes went for 7 yards to Keith Kirkwood, 24 to Juwan Johnson and 1 to Jimmy Graham. The result kept the Saints tied atop the NFC South with Tampa Bay at 7-7- and snapped the Giants' three-game winning streak. DeVito was 20 of 34 for 177 yards as the Giants fell to 5-9 to guarantee themselves a losing record.
Raheem Mostert scored two more touchdowns to break Miami’s single-season record with 20, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, and the Dolphins shut out the New York Jets 30-0 without star receiver Tyreek Hill. Mostert scored on a 2-yard run that put Miami ahead 7-0 and gave him a franchise-record 17 rushing touchdowns this season. Tagovailoa was 21 of 24 with a 60-yard touchdown pass. Hill missed the first game of his Dolphins tenure after injuring his left ankle against Tennessee on Monday night. Jets quarterback Zach Wilson left late in the second quarter with a concussion. New York was also eliminated from postseason contention.
Running back Jerick McKinnon threw for one touchdown and ran for another to help Kansas City beat the New England Patriots 27-17 in front of Chiefs superfan Taylor Swift. Patrick Mahomes passed for 305 yards and two scores. The defending Super Bowl champions snapped a two-game losing streak and maintained control of the AFC West race. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, who is in a relationship with Swift, caught five passes for 28 yards, but also had a potential touchdown bounce off his hands. Bailey Zappe made his third straight start in place of benched first-round draft pick Mac Jones. He completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards for the Patriots. New England lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Eddy Pineiro kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired and the Carolina Panthers defeated Atlanta 9-7 in a steady downpour Sunday, dealing the Falcons' playoff hopes a huge blow. Atlanta (6-8) entered the game tied with New Orleans and Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South, but now finds itself needing help to get into the postseason after the Saints and Buccaneers both won. Bryce Young threw for 167 yards in his second NFL win and Chuba Hubbard ran for 87 yards for Carolina. The Falcons led 7-6 and were driving for more points when Desmond Ridder threw into traffic and was intercepted at the Carolina 5 by safety Xavier Woods. Young, who had struggled all afternoon, led the Panthers on a 17-play, 90-yard drive that took all 7:35 off the clock.
Joe Flacco passed for 374 yards and led Cleveland to 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Browns withstood a Hail Mary on the final play to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17. Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds left to put the Browns ahead. Flacco was intercepted three times but made some brilliant throws in the closing minutes, including two passes to David Njoku for 65 yards to set up Hopkins' kick. Bears receiver Darnell Mooney got his hands on a heave to the end zone by Justin Fields on the game's final play, but he couldn't hold on.
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired in overtime and the Houston Texans rallied from a 13-point deficit without C.J. Stroud to beat the Tennessee Titans 19-16. The Texans entered the day one spot outside of the AFC’s seven-team playoff field. They pushed themselves into that seventh spot for the moment by winning without several key players, including Stroud — their standout rookie quarterback — along with top receiver Nico Collins, right tackle George Fant and a pair of defensive starters out injured. Case Keenum made his first start since Week 17 of the 2021 season for Cleveland.
Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their third straight, 34-20 over the Green Bay Packers. Mayfield went 22 of 28 and threw touchdown passes to Mike Evans, Rachaad White, Ko Kieft and David Moore to help the Buccaneers keep pace with the New Orleans Saints atop the NFC North. Both teams are 7-7. Mayfield’s passer rating was a perfect 158.3. Chris Godwin had 10 catches for 155 yards for the Bucs. Green Bay lost its second straight to fall to 6-8. Jordan Love was 29 of 39 for 284 yards with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.
The Los Angeles Rams hung on for a 28-20 victory over the freefalling Washington Commanders. Matthew Stafford passed for 258 yards and hit Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson for touchdowns. The Rams have won four of five to push their way into the NFC playoff picture even in a self-described remodeling season. Kyren Williams rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown. Jacoby Brissett relieved Sam Howell in the fourth quarter and immediately led two touchdown drives for the Commanders, who have lost five straight. Curtis Samuel caught two TD passes, including a 3-yard grab with 1:46 to play.
Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, Charvarius Ward had two interceptions, including a pick-6, and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West while pushing their winning streak to six games with a 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 25 passes for 242 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns, shaking off a hard hit in the second quarter that caused him to miss a few plays. The 49ers have won all their games during the winning streak by at least 12 points. They have also won 12 straight against divisional opponents in the NFC West.
Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass and made the play of night when he avoided a sack and threw to Isaiah Likely near the goal line, and the Baltimore Ravens clinched a postseason berth with a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville. The Ravens won their fourth in a row and moved a step closer to securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Jaguars lost their third straight — all against AFC North teams — and are now tied with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South. Self-inflicted mistakes were a common thread in Jacksonville’s skid.
Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, Charvarius Ward had two interceptions, including a pick-6, and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West while pushing their winning streak to six games with a 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 25 passes for 242 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns, shaking off a hard hit in the second quarter that caused him to miss a few plays. The 49ers have won all their games during the winning streak by at least 12 points. They have also won 12 straight against divisional opponents in the NFC West.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is questionable for Monday night’s game at Seattle because of an illness, a person familiar with his status told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the injury report hasn’t been released yet, said Hurts will travel separately from the team. The Eagles have lost two straight games but would secure the NFC East title if they beat the Seahawks and win their final three games.
Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase is day to day with a shoulder injury suffered in Saturday's win over the Vikings. Coach Zac Taylor said Sunday that Chase has a sprained shoulder joint. The Bengals will be without defensive tackle DJ Reader and cornerback DJ Ivey for the rest of the season. Cincinnati will play at Pittsburgh on Saturday as both teams fight to stay in the playoff race. Bengals quarterback Jake Browning won his third consecutive start after being pushed into service when franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury Nov. 16.
On Monday Night Football, the Eagles are in Seattle at 8:15 tonight.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Payton Pritchard added 21 off the bench and the Celtics remained unbeaten in Boston this season with a 128-111 victory over the Orlando Magic. The victory was the Celtics’ 13th straight in Boston. It's the second-longest streak to start a season in franchise history. Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn led Boston to 17 home wins in a row to open the 1957-58 season. Jaylen Brown scored 18 points for Boston, Derrick White added 19 points and eight assists and Pritchard went 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Goga Bitadze had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic. Orlando had beaten the Celtics four times in a row.
CJ McCollum had 29 points, Brandon Ingram added 26 and the New Orleans Pelicans set a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in rolling past Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 146-110 on Sunday. Wembanyama had 17 points and 13 rebounds in front of former San Antonio All-Star Tony Parker, his childhood idol turned mentor. Wembanyama’s eighth consecutive double-double surpassed the previous league record by a teenager of seven straight set by Dwight Howard in 2005. New Orleans was 22 for 42 on 3-pointers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 17 rebounds, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the Bucks’ career rebounding leader, and Damian Lillard scored 39 points in Milwaukee’s 128-119 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Antetokounmpo’s highest rebounding total of the season allowed him to pass Abdul-Jabbar after he had already moved past the Hall of Famer for the team’s scoring record. He is also the Bucks’ career leader in assists, joining Michael Jordan (Chicago), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) as the only players to lead a franchise in all three categories.
Devin Booker shook off a subpar shooting night, scoring 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Suns overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the Washington Wizards 112-108 on Sunday night. Booker missed six of seven 3-point attempts in the first three quarters, then connected on a pair as the Suns came back from an eight-point deficit to start the final period. Booker also had eight assists. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 28 points, including a dunk on a three-point play in the final minute. Phoenix outscored Washington 31-19 in the fourth to snap a two-game losing streak and stay above .500 at 14-12. Daniel Gafford had 26 points and 17 rebounds for the Wizards. They fell to 4-21.
Klay Thompson scored 28 points on a night Stephen Curry’s NBA-record 3-pointer streak ended at 268 games and the Golden State Warriors held off the Portland Trail Blazers 118-114 on Sunday for their second straight victory. Curry was 0 for 8 from 3-point range, 2 for 12 overall and scored seven points. He began the streak Dec. 1, 2018, at Detroit. Andrew Wiggins, who was recently taken out of the Golden State’s starting lineup, had 25 points and seven rebounds to help the Warriors win consecutive games for the first time since the end of a five-game winning streak in early November. Jerami Grant led Portland with 30 points. Anfernee Simons scored all 21 of his points in the second half.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Adam Henrique scored three goals for his first career hat trick and the Anaheim Ducks beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 to snap a five-game losing streak. Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists, Troy Terry had a goal and an assist, and defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Cam Fowler each had two assists for the Ducks, who were 1-13-0 since their last regulation win on Nov. 14. John Gibson had 18 saves through two periods and Lukas Dostal stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third. The Ducks announced Gibson was pulled because he was feeling “under the weather.” Michael McLeod scored for New Jersey, and Akira Schmid finished with 22 saves. The Devils had won two straight and five of six.
Brock Boeser, Ilya Mikheyev and Dakota Joshua scored in the second period, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the depleted Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Elias Pettersson also scored as Vancouver shook off a slow start in a quick turnaround after a 2-1 shootout loss at Minnesota on Saturday. J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers each had two assists, and Thatcher Demko made 25 saves. The Canucks improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Nick Foligno had two goals for Chicago, and Connor Bedard had two assists. Cole Guttman scored in the third period, and Petr Mrazek made 22 saves.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the deciding goal in the shootout to lead the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night. Martin Fehervary scored for the Capitals while Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves and stopped all three attempts in the shootout. Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who lost their second straight game. Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov made 20 saves.
Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and two assists to extend his point streak to 15 games, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the San Jose Sharks 6-2. Mikko Rantanen, Ryan Johansen, Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood also had goals for Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev had 27 saves in rebound game from a poor start last Monday. Tomas Hertl scored two goals for the Sharks and MacKenzie Blackwood finished with 23 saves.
Logan Thompson came off the bench to make 20 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-3 on Sunday night. Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev each had a goal and an assist, while Jonathan Marchessault, Nicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson also scored for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill, who allowed one goal, made just two saves in his return to the net for the first time since Nov. 30. He left only 6:25 into the game. Josh Norris, Ridly Greig and Brady Tkachuk each scored for the Senators and Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves.
GOLF
Bernhard Langer capped off a magical year by winning the PNC Championship for the fifth time with his son. Never mind the 30 mph wind. Langer and Jason Langer put together a 59 with 10 birdies on the opening 11 holes. They won by two shots over David Duval and his son. Tiger Woods and 14-year-old son Charlie tied for fifth after a 61. Charlie delivered a big moment when he chipped for birdie and Woods couldn't help but smile. The 66-year-old Langer earlier this year set the PGA Tour Champions record with his 46th win.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 83 Oregon 63
Stonehill 71 Hartford 44
Aden Holloway scored 15 points with six assists and Jaylin Williams had 14 points to help Auburn beat USC 91-75 as the Trojans’ Bronny James continued to work his way back to the court after suffering cardiac arrest. The Tigers controlled the game most of the way Sunday in the first road appearance for James. The Trojans dropped their third straight game. The son of NBA superstar LeBron James, Bronny James scored five points in 14 minutes, making 3 of 4 free throws late. He couldn’t corral the ball on an alley-oop chance in the final two minutes.
Siena College is mourning the death of former women’s basketball coach Joe Hogan. The private Catholic college in Loudonville says Hogan died on December 13th at 87. Hogan led the program, then known as the Indians, from 1979 to 1985, compiling winning records each year and leading the program to an overall 119-51 record during his tenure. Hogan led Siena to the 1982 Division II championship and also led the women’s program’s transition to Division I play during the 1983-84 season. For his accomplishments, Hogan was inducted into Siena’s Hall of Fame in 1989, a cap on a career which also included seven years coaching Watervliet High School’s boys’ varsity team, an Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame induction, a similar induction at Watervliet High, and a selection to St. Edward’s University’s Golden Guard.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Quarterback Kyle McCord, who started every game this season for Ohio State, has announced he is transferring to Syracuse. McCord passed for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in his third season at Ohio State, but first as a starter. He was a four-star recruit out of Philadelphia. McCord is the latest transfer addition for new Syracuse coach Fran Brown. The former Georgia assistant coach has also received transfer commits from former Bulldogs receivers Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes. Brown is a New Jersey native who previously worked at Temple and Rutgers before spending two seasons with Georgia.
SUNY Cortland’s Division III football team has won a national championship trophy for the first time in the team’s history.
The Red Dragons defeated the North Central College Cardinals, the defending champions, 38 to 37 Friday in Virginia.
And in Division I, the University at Albany Great Danes football team ended its most successful season in program history Friday. UAlbany was defeated by top-seeded South Dakota State Friday 59-0 in the NCAA FCS semifinals.
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