NFL
Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns, cornerback Rasul Douglas returned one of his two interceptions for a score and the Buffalo Bills maintained their clear path to the playoffs with a 27-21 win over the New England Patriots. The three-time division champion Bills now prepare for a season-ending showdown at Miami next weekend that will decide the AFC East title. Buffalo has already defeated the Dolphins this year, and Miami blew a chance at clinching the division title with a 56-19 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. The Bills will have to wait until Week 18 to clinch a playoff berth after Pittsburgh (9-7) defeated Seattle 30-23.
Kyren Williams ran for 87 yards and a career-best three touchdowns and the Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Giants and clinched a playoff berth later when Seattle lost to Pittsburgh. Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards and a touchdown but also had his first two interceptions in the last five games. The Rams won their third straight and sixth in the last seven games. The Giants had a chance to win but missed a 2-point conversion and a 54-yard field goal in the final 3:27.
James Conner ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining, Kyler Murray threw three TD passes, and the Arizona Cardinals rallied from a 15-point deficit to stun Philadelphia 35-31 and disrupt the Eagles’ playoff path. Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon returned to Philly and got his biggest win yet as Arizona’s coach. Granted, there haven’t been many of them for the Cardinals. But the playoff-bound Eagles’ fourth loss this month was a huge setback to their standing in the NFC. Dallas now has the inside track to win the NFC East and San Francisco has locked up the top seed in the conference.
Najee Harris rushed for a season-high 122 yards and bullied his way into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive into Week 18 with a 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Using a punishing running attack that faced little resistance from Seattle, the Steelers pushed their way into the final week of the regular season with a chance at the postseason and ensured that Mike Tomlin’s team would yet again avoid a losing record. Pittsburgh thrived against Seattle’s run defense that has been awful for more than half the season and finished with 202 yards rushing and a season-high 468 total yards.
In what may have been his final bid for the MVP award, Lamar Jackson threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns, finishing with a perfect passer rating and helping the Baltimore Ravens clinch the top seed in the AFC with a 56-19 rout of the Miami Dolphins. Isaiah Likely caught two TDs for the Ravens, who won their sixth straight game and also wrapped up their first AFC North title since 2019. Now Baltimore can rest Jackson in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. Miami is also postseason bound, but now the winner of next weekend’s Dolphins-Bills game will take the AFC East. Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb had to be carted off after hurting his knee.
Justin Fields threw for 268 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing TD in what could be his final home game for Chicago, and Bears dealt Atlanta’s postseason hopes a big blow, beating the Falcons 37-17. DJ Moore finished with nine catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, and Khalil Herbert ran for 124 yards and a score as the Bears overwhelmed the Falcons in snowy conditions. Atlanta fell to 7-9 and has little wiggle room to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Taylor Heinicke threw three interceptions for the Falcons. The Bears have won four of five.
C.J. Stroud threw for 213 yards and a touchdown in his return from a concussion and the Houston Texans rolled to a 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans Sunday to boost their playoff chances. Houston (9-7), Indianapolis and Jacksonville all won Sunday to leave the three teams with identical records in the AFC South and keep the Texans in contention for both the division title and a playoff spot. A victory next week at Indianapolis will guarantee the Texans, who won just three games last season, their first postseason berth since 2019.
Gardner Minshew threw one TD pass, Jonathan Taylor ran for another score and two late defensive penalties helped the Indianapolis Colts stay in the AFC playoff chase with a crucial 23-20 victory over Las Vegas. Indy now heads into its regular-season finale with three straight home wins. It hosts Houston next week in a matchup featuring two of three teams tied for the AFC South lead. The loss eliminated the Raiders from postseason play. Indy never trailed after Taylor scored on a 5-yard run just six plays into the game.
Travis Etienne scored twice, including one on his longest run of the season, and the Jacksonville Jaguars ended a four-game skid with a 26-0 shutout of woeful Carolina on Sunday. The Jaguars won for the first time in December and with quarterback Trevor Lawrence watching from the sideline with a shoulder injury. It sets up a regular-season finale at Tennessee that will help decide the AFC South. The Panthers dropped to 0-9 on the road and were held scoreless for the first time since losing to Atlanta in Week 12 in 2002.
Derek Carr threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns to help the New Orleans Saints stop Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak and climb back into a tie for first place in the NFC South with a 23-13 victory over Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Carr tossed TD passes of 4 yards to Juwan Johnson and 22 yards to Taysom Hill in the first half. The Saints defense did its part to keep the Bucs from clinching their third consecutive division title, too, by intercepting Mayfield twice and forcing a pair of fumbles. At 8-8, Tampa Bay can still repeat as NFC South champions by winning at division rival Carolina next Sunday.
Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the top seed in the NFC by beating the Washington Commanders 27-10. The victory combined with Philadelphia’s home loss to Arizona wrapped up a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Christian McCaffrey left the game in the second half with a right calf injury. He and San Francisco’s starters will now get multiple weeks to rest before their first playoff game. Sam Howell threw two interceptions as the Commanders fell to 4-12 with their seventh consecutive loss.
Jarrett Stidham threw for 224 yards and a touchdown in an uneven performance in his first start in place of a benched Russell Wilson as the Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9. Stidham earned his first career NFL win as a starter thanks to some timely plays like a nifty 54-yard catch-and-run for a score by Lil’Jordan Humphrey and a stellar defensive performance. The Broncos forced one turnover and allowed two third-down conversions on 11 attempts. The Broncos saw their playoff chances end despite the win with Kansas City beating Cincinnati. The Broncos haven’t been to the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season.
The Cincinnati Bengals blew an early 10-point lead and were eliminated from playoff contention in a 25-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. They had a chance to tie the game in the closing minutes, but the Chiefs got back-to-back sacks on the final series by Cincinnati to help put the game away. The Bengals had a roller-coaster season that included a season-ending wrist injury to franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. Backup Jake Browning led the Bengals to three straight wins that kept them in playoff contention. But Cincinnati has lost two straight since then to fall to 8-8.
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to put the Green Bay Packers in control of a spot in the playoffs with a 33-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Aaron Jones rushed for 120 yards and Jayden Reed had two touchdown catches as the Packers moved to 8-8. They can get the NFC’s last wild-card spot by beating Chicago at home next week. Green Bay moved above the cut when Seattle lost earlier in the day. The Vikings fell to 7-9. They benched Jaren Hall for Nick Mullens in another quarterback switch.
In what may have been his final bid for the MVP award, Lamar Jackson threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns, finishing with a perfect passer rating and helping the Baltimore Ravens clinch the top seed in the AFC with a 56-19 rout of the Miami Dolphins. Isaiah Likely caught two TDs for the Ravens, who won their sixth straight game and also wrapped up their first AFC North title since 2019. Now Baltimore can rest Jackson in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. Miami is also postseason bound, but now the winner of next weekend’s Dolphins-Bills game will take the AFC East. Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb had to be carted off after hurting his knee.
Panthers owner David Tepper threw the contents of a drink into the visiting crowd near the end of Carolina’s 26-0 loss at Jacksonville. Tepper’s reaction came after rookie Bryce Young threw an interception with less than 3 minutes to play. It was unclear whether Tepper was reacting to something said to him or the latest miscue for the team with the NFL’s worst record. General manager Scott Fitterer was standing near Tepper when he tossed the remnants of his drink while watching the game from a club suite. The Panthers dropped to 0-9 on the road and were shut out for the first time since losing to Atlanta in Week 12 in 2002.
NBA
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points and six assists and the Oklahoma City Thunder won their fourth straight game, beating the Brooklyn Nets 124-108. Josh Giddey had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, and rookie Chet Holmgren added 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots for Oklahoma City, which improved to 22-9, good for second place in the Western Conference. Mikal Bridges had 22 points – 15 in the first quarter – to go with seven rebounds and seven assists for Brooklyn, which has lost three straight games. Cam Thomas had 20 points.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, Jaylen Brown added 24 and the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to six games with a 134-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Derrick White scored 17 points against his former team, and Kristaps Porzingis added 14 points and nine rebounds in his return after missing one game due to a calf injury. Devin Vassell scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and seven rebounds for San Antonio. The Spurs have lost seven of eight.
Trae Young had 40 points and 13 assists, Dejounte Murray added 32 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a slow start and spotty late foul shooting to beat the Washington Wizards 130-126. Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 24 points and had 13 rebounds on Sunday, a day when four Hawks finished with double-doubles to help their team remain unbeaten against the Wizards this season. Kyle Kuzma scored 38 points and hit seven 3-pointers for Washington, which was trying to secure its first consecutive wins of the season.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram each scored 26 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the road-weary Los Angeles Lakers 129-109 on Sunday night. Los Angeles was coming off a 108-106 loss at Minnesota on Saturday night, while New Orleans was off two days after beating Utah at home Thursday night. LeBron James scored 34 points and former Pelican Anthony Davis added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but they didn’t get enough help as the Lakers lost for the seventh time in nine games. CJ McCollum added 22 points for the Pelicans. The meeting was the first since the Lakers dismantled New Orleans 133-89 in the In-Season Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Bradley Beal added a season-high 25 and the Phoenix Suns won their third straight game, beating the Orlando Magic 112-107 on Sunday night. Beal was playing in just his eighth game this season because of back and ankle injuries. The three-time All-Star — acquired in an offseason trade with Washington — shot 10 of 13 from the field, including a powerful dunk in the third quarter.. Durant shot 12 of 21 from the field and added five rebounds and five assists. Devin Booker scored 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Suns’ backups scored only six points, all by Chimezie Metu. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 28 points. Franz Wagner added 27.
Malik Monk scored 27 points, Domantas Sabonis added 13 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists and the Sacramento Kings routed the Memphis Grizzlies 123-92 on Sunday night. De’Aaron Fox scored 24 for the Kings, who won their second straight. Sabonis recorded his sixth triple-double of the season. Jaren Jackson led Memphis with 18 points. Desmond Bane, Ja Morant and Luke Kennard finished with 17 points apiece as the Grizzlies lost their third in a row.
NHL
Alex Nedeljkovic made 37 saves, Lars Eller scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Islanders 3-1 on Sunday night. Nedeljkovic was spectacular at times to help the Penguins win for the fifth time in six games following a blowout loss to Toronto on Dec. 16. Eller scored early in the first period and added an empty-netter in the final minute as Pittsburgh beat the Islanders for the second time in five days. Noel Acciari added third of the season for Pittsburgh. Samuel Bolduc drew the Islanders within one with 6:09 left. Pittsburgh has at least a point in each of its last six games and is 7-1-1 over its last nine to climb into wild-card contention.
Trent Frederic scored twice, Charlie Coyle had the go-ahead goal and the Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3. Bruins forward Pavel Zacha scored an empty-net goal in his 500th regular-season game. Jake DeBrusk also added an empty-netter and Charlie McAvoy had three assists for the Bruins, who have won three straight. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. Jake Walman scored his third goal in two games for Detroit. Ben Chiarot and J.T. Compher had the Red Wings’ other goals, and Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots. The Atlantic Division opponents split their four-game season series.
Anton Forsberg made 45 saves and Ottawa beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Sunday night in Senators interim coach Jacques Martin’s 1,300th NHL game. Ottawa won after removing the interim tag and appointing Steve Staios as general manager Sunday. Martin took over as interim coach about two weeks ago after D.J. Smith was fired. Zack MacEwen and Mark Kastelic each had their first goal of the season and Dominik Kubalik, Jakob Chychrun and Artem Zub also scored to help Ottawa improve to 15-18-0. Thomas Chabot had two assists in his return after missing 12 games because of a leg injury. Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo, and Devon Levi made 26 saves.The Sabres are 15-19-4.
Mikael Backlund, Dennis Gilbert, Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman scored and the Calgary Flames outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday night. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves to help the Flames improve to 15-16-5. Andrew Mangiapane had three assists and Jonathan Huberdeau added an assist to snap a 12-game points drought. Rasmus Ristolainen, with his first of the season, and Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula scored for Philadelphia and Sam Ersson made 28 saves. The Flyers dropped to 19-12-5, failing to earn points for the first time in their last 10 road games.
Dominic Toninato scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 to sweep a weekend home-and-home series. Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for Winnipeg. Laurent Brossoit stopped 24 shots for the Jets, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight games. Marcus Foligno and Frederick Gaudreau scored for Minnesota, which lost for just the third time in its last 10 games. Marc-Andre Fleury, who was playing in his 1,000th NHL game, made 26 saves for the Wild
Calvin de Haan ended his 46-game goal drought with the tiebreaking score in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied past the Montreal Canadiens 4-3. The defenseman put Tampa Bay up 3-2 with a shot from the left circle at 7:49 off a pass from Nikita Kucherov, who became the first NHL player to reach 60 points this season. Kucherov added an insurance goal before Nick Suzuki pulled Montreal to 4-3 with 2:05 left. Tampa Bay backup Jonas Johansson made 27 saves in his first game since Dec. 7. The Lightning got also goals from Brayden Point and Austin Watson. Johnathan Kovacevic scored from his own defensive zone and Cole Caufield had the other Montreal goal. Sam Montembeault stopped 16 shots.
Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, Derek Ryan scored in the fourth round of a shootout and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Leon Draisaitl also scored, Stuart Skinner made 26 saves, and the Oilers picked up their fourth straight win. Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist, Kevin Fiala scored, Cam Talbot made 24 saves and the Kings lost their second straight game. McDavid played in his 600th career game and has 316 goals and 581 assists.
Mason Marchment had three goals and an assist, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves to improve to 11-2-2 and the Dallas Stars routed the Chicago Blackhawks 8-1 on Sunday night to complete a two-game set. Tyler Seguin had a goal and two assists and Roope Hintz, Ryan Suter, Craig Smith and Sam Steel also scored. The Stars matched a season high in goals in their sixth consecutive home victory, two nights after topping Chicago 5-4 in overtime at American Airlines Center. Wedgewood made his seventh consecutive start since Jake Oettinger went down with a lower-body injury early in Dallas’ game Dec. 15. Philipp Kurashev scored for the Blackhawks. They have lost 11 consecutive road games (0-10-1) and have the second-fewest points in the NHL at 24.
Valeri Nichushkin scored a tiebreaking goal late in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the slumping San Jose Sharks 3-1. Nichushkin also had an assist, Mikko Rantanen scored and Nathan MacKinnon had two assists for Colorado. MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 19 games, the longest to start a season in franchise history. He matched his longest home point streak and is four games shy of tying Joe Sakic for the club record.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh are among the few larger-than-life figures still standing in a sport long defined by its coaching giants. They’ll meet on opposite sidelines as coaches for only the second time when the Crimson Tide face the Wolverines in a tantalizing Rose Bowl pitting the two winningest schools in major college football against each other. In no small part because of the coaching matchup, this 110th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All is one of the most anticipated games in the 10-year history of the College Football Playoff, with the winner headed to Houston next week to play for a title.
Washington's Kalen DeBoer and Texas' Steve Sarkisian are newcomers as head coaches in the College Football Playoff, with career paths that could not be more different. DeBoer methodically climbed from the lowest levels of college football to become the AP's coach of the year in 2023. Sarkisian was a coaching prodigy whose meteoric rise was interrupted by a drinking problem. On New Year’s Day, the second-ranked, Pac-12 champion Huskies and third-ranked, Big 12 champion Longhorns will play in the Sugar Bowl for a spot in the national championship game.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle scored 25 points, Spencer Jones added 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting and Stanford surprised No. 4 Arizona 100-82 in a Pac-12 matchup Sunday. Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 points and center Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinal. Caleb Love led Arizona with 23 points and center Oumar Ballo added 12 points and seven rebounds. The victory was Stanford's first over a ranked opponent since beating Arizona last season and its eighth over a ranked team since 2020.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 86 Notre Dame 81
NASCAR
Cale Yarborough, considered one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers and the first to win three consecutive Cup titles, has died. NASCAR announced that the Hall of Famer and South Carolina native died Sunday. He was 84. Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times and the Southern 500 at his home track of Darlington Raceway five times. His 83 Cup Series victories are tied for sixth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. But one of Yarborough’s most famous moments came in the 1979 Daytona 500. He crashed while racing with Donnie Allison on the final lap for the win. The two drivers got out of their wrecked cars to fight, Allison’s brother, Bobby, pulled over to join the scrap, and it was two Allison brothers versus Yarborough as Richard Petty crossed the finish line first.
PGA TOUR
The PGA Tour's agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf is expiring and Commissioner Jay Monahan wants more time. Monahan is telling players in a memo that it has made enough progress in negotiations to take them into 2024. Monahan also says it has made meaningful progress with the private investment group Strategic Sports Group. That's a consortium of U.S. professional team sports owners. The more complicated negotiations are with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Monahan is describing those conversations as active and productive. So there's still no deal, and the new PGA Tour season starts Thursday.
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