NFL
Josh Allen ran for a 26-yard touchdown on fourth down with 2:17 left, sealing the Buffalo Bills’ 30-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs and handing the two-time defending Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season. James Cook rushed for two touchdowns and Allen threw a 12-yard TD pass to Curtis Samuel for Buffalo. The Bills moved to 9-2 and closed the gap on the 9-1 Chiefs in the race for the AFC’s top seed. Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs were the NFL’s last undefeated team. They had won 15 straight, including the playoffs, since last December. The Bills have won six straight.
Anthony Richardson ran for a 4-yard touchdown, his second of the game, with 46 seconds left in his return to the starting role to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 28-27 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. The Colts snapped a three-game skid. Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick last year and the league’s second-youngest starting QB, had perhaps his best overall game in the NFL. He was 20 of 30 for 272 and a touchdown and ran for 32 yards and the two scores on 10 carries. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and Breece Hall had a TD catch and ran for a score.
Matthew Stafford threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns to help the Los Angeles Rams beat the New England Patriots 28-22. Stafford hit Cooper Kupp for a 69-yard score on the second play of the second half to help the Rams pull away and win for the fourth time in five games. Drake Maye threw for 282 yards and two TDs. New England has yet to win back-to-back games this season.
Jared Goff threw two of his four touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for three rushing touchdowns and the Detroit Lions routed the Jacksonville Jaguars 52-6. The NFC-leading Lions are 9-1. They have won eight straight and nine of their first 10 games in a season for the first time since 1934. Detroit’s winning margin of 46 points was the largest in franchise history, and it handed Jacksonville its biggest-ever defeat. The Lions also set a franchise record in total yards with 645 while holding the Jaguars to 170 yards. The Jaguars have lost four consecutive games for the second time this season.
Jordan Love ran for a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes, and the Green Bay Packers hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 20-19 when Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired. The Packers made just enough plays to avoid falling further behind Detroit and Minnesota in the NFC North and beat the Bears for the 11th straight time, the longest streak by either team in the storied rivalry. The Packers are 7-3 and the Bears fell to 4-6 with their fourth straight loss. Love put Green Bay on top when he scored from the 1 with 2:59 left.
Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, De’Von Achane ran for a score, and the Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders 34-19 to win their second straight game. It was another strong victory for the Dolphins (4-6), who have not matched their offensive fireworks from last season but are coming off a gritty Monday night win over the Rams. The Raiders (2-8) lost their sixth straight game. Tagovailoa led the Dolphins down the field with long, methodical drives — three of them more than seven minutes — that all ended in scores, as Miami scored 30 points for the first time this season.
Sam Darnold overcame an early fumble by throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and running for a score and the Minnesota Vikings beat the Tennessee Titans 23-13. Darnold had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season. Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings’ third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans. Darnold helped the Vikings win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. The Titans lost their second straight.
Taysom Hill capped a career-best 138-yard, three-touchdown performance on the ground with a 75-yard scoring run, and the New Orleans Saints improved to 2-0 under interim coach Darren Rizzi with a 35-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Hill's two other touchdowns went for 10 and 33 yards — the second on fourth and short — to more than balance out his two turnovers on an interception and fumble. Derek Carr passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns for New Orleans, highlighted by Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 71-yard catch and run. Jameis Winston passed for 395 yards and two TDs for the Browns in his return to the city he called home for the previous four NFL seasons.
Chris Boswell tied a franchise record with six field goals and the Pittsburgh Steelers limited Lamar Jackson and the NFL’s top-ranked offense in an 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers (8-2) won their fifth straight behind Boswell and a defense that never let Jackson, Derrick Henry or the rest of the offense get into a rhythm, opening up a little breathing room atop the AFC North. The Ravens were held to season lows in points and yards and while turning it over three times to fall to 7-4.
Bo Nix threw a season-high four touchdown passes and the Denver Broncos rolled past the Atlanta Falcons 38-6 to snap a two-game losing streak. The Falcons lost for the second straight week. Nix became just the second rookie quarterback to throw for 200 or more yards with multiple touchdowns in four consecutive home games. The only other one to accomplish that feat was Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Kirk Cousins had an ineffective day for the Falcons and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Michael Penix Jr. with the game out of reach.
Geno Smith scored on a 13-yard scramble with 12 seconds remaining and the Seattle Seahawks snapped a six-game losing streak against the San Francisco 49ers with a 20-17 victory. Smith completed seven of eight passes for 65 yards to get the Seahawks in position to score after taking over at the 20 with 2:38 remaining. The win moved Seattle into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC West with San Francisco and the Rams, a game behind Arizona.
J.K. Dobbins rushed for a 29-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 after squandering a 21-point third-quarter lead. Justin Herbert passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 65 yards as the Chargers won their fourth straight. Dobbins ran for two TDs. Joe Burrow passed for 356 yards and three touchdowns, but the Bengals suffered another excruciating loss. They have five defeats by seven points or fewer. After its offense stalled for most of the second half, Los Angeles went 84 yards on four plays in 26 seconds on the decisive drive.
The Trump dance is becoming a trend around the NFL. Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith followed Nick Bosa’s lead on Sunday and celebrated big plays with dance moves inspired by President-elect Donald Trump. Bowers had 13 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown for Las Vegas in a 34-19 loss at Miami on Sunday. The rookie shook his arms and swayed his hips like Trump after a 23-yard catch-and-run TD in the third quarter.
Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix announced late Sunday that the megastar would perform during halftime of a Christmas Day matchup in her hometown of Houston. The streaming service didn’t reveal details about the performance but teased that it would likely feature guest appearances from her “Cowboy Carter” album, which delivered Beyoncé a leading 11 Grammy nominations earlier this month. Netflix is also streaming a Christmas day Kansas City Chiefs game, setting up the possibility that another of the world's biggest stars, Taylor Swift, would be on the stream. Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
On Monday Night Football, the Texans take on the Cowboys at 8:15 tonight in Dallas.
NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns returned from a one-game absence with 26 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, and the New York Knicks completed a two-game weekend sweep of the Brooklyn Nets with a 114-104 victory last night. OG Anunoby had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who were without Towns because of a bruised left knee when they beat the Nets 124-122 on Friday on Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining. Mikal Bridges added 21 points and Josh Hart had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks, who beat their city rivals for the eighth straight time. Brunson finished with just 12 points, shooting 3 for 14, but had 10 assists.
Julius Randle hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cap his 35-point night and lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a wild 120-117 win over the Phoenix Suns. Randle and the Wolves got the ball back with just 2.1 seconds remaining and called a timeout to advance the ball. The ball found Randle, who hit a 24-footer as time expired. Minnesota overcame a season-high 44 points from Devin Booker, who needed to carry the offensive load for a Suns team still missing Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal with injuries.
Myles Turner scored a season-high 34 points, and Bennedict Mathurin added 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 119-110 victory over the Miami Heat. Pascal Siakam added 23 points for the Pacers, who shot 52% from the field, and Tyrese Haliburton finished with 16 points and 13 assists. Tyler Herro scored 28 points, and Bam Adebayo had 24 for the Heat. Miami was outscored 62-28 in the paint.
Cade Cunningham had 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons over the Washington Wizards 124-104. Jaden Ivey scored 28 points and Malik Beasley added 26 for Detroit. Cunningham has four triple-doubles this season, two behind league leader Nikola Jokic. It was the eighth straight loss for Washington, which was back home from a five-game trip. Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points apiece for the Wizards. Detroit held Washington to 18 points in the first quarter and led 65-53 at halftime.
Jaren Jackson scored 20 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter in a 105-90 victory over the short-handed Denver Nuggets on Sunday in the opener of a two-game set. The teams will meet again Tuesday night in Memphis in an NBA Cup game. Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic missed the game for personal reasons, while forward Aaron Gordon is recovering from a strained right calf. Denver has lost two straight. Coach Michael Malone returned after missing the last game to attend his daughter’s prep volleyball playoff match. Rookie Jaylen Wells added 15 points to help Memphis win its fourth straight home game. Desmond Bane had 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Julian Strawther led Denver with 19 points.
Darius Garland scored 25 points, Ty Jerome matched his career-high with 24 in place of Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed unbeaten with a 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs are the fourth team to start 15-0, joining the Golden State Warriors (2016), Houston Rockets (1994) and Washington Capitols (1949). The Warriors set the league record by winning their first 24 games on the way to a 73-9 season. Evan Mobley had 23 points and Jarrett Allen 21 and 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which will play at defending champion Boston on Tuesday. Mitchell sat out to get rest. LaMelo Ball scored 31 to lead Charlotte.
The Cavaliers will put their perfect start on the line in the perfect place. Unbeaten through 15 games after defeating Charlotte 128-114 on Sunday, Cleveland will try to become just the second team to go 16-0 on Tuesday when it visits the defending champion Celtics, who bounced the Cavs from the playoffs last season. It's both a rematch and a chance for the Cavs to see how they stack up against the NBA's best. Despite resting All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell against the Hornets, the Cavs followed a familiar formula in joining the Golden State Warriors (2015-16), Houston Rockets (1993-94) and Washington Capitols (1948-49) as the only teams to open 15-0.
Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 28 points, Alperen Sengun had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double this season and the Houston Rockets routed the Chicago Bulls 143-107 for their fifth straight win. Jalen Green scored 18 points as all five Houston starters reached double figures, and the Rockets topped their previous season-high in points (128). Amen Thompson played despite right quad soreness and added 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Zach LaVine led Chicago with 15 points. Talen Horton-Tucker scored 12 off the bench he Bulls dropped their second straight and third in four.
P.J. Washington had 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 without star guard Luka Doncic. Washington averaged just over eight points and seven rebounds per game entering Sunday’s game but stepped up in the absence of Doncic, who was out with a bruised right knee. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and helped Dallas shoot 48% from the field. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and Jalen Williams added 27 for the Thunder, who entered the night with a Western Conference-best 11-2 record. The Thunder are now 3-1 without Chet Holmgren.
James Harden now stands alone at No. 2 in 3-pointers. Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers guard, connected on the 2,974th 3-pointer of his career on Sunday night and broke a tie with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen for the No. 2 spot on the NBA’s list. Harden’s history-making shot came from the right wing with 6:09 left in the first quarter in a 116-105 victory over the Utah Jazz. The only player ahead of Harden on the list is Golden State’s Stephen Curry at 3,782. Harden was 2 of 8 from 3-point range and finished with 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Allen needed 1,300 games to make his 2,973 3-pointers. Harden passed him in 1,086 games.
Shaedon Sharpe had 32 points, including a key 3-pointer down the stretch, and the Portland Trail Blazers withstood a late rally by the Atlanta Hawks for a 114-110 victory on Sunday. Dalano Banton added 23 for Portland, which has won its last three games. Portland led 94-81 heading into the last period but the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to get within 99-96 before Trae Young’s 3-pointer tied it at 99. Young made another 3 that gave Atlanta a 102-101 lead. Sharpe’s shot-clock beating 3-pointer with 1:03 left put Portland ahead 109-108 and the Blazers hung on the rest of the way.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones scored as the New York Rangers beat the Seattle Kraken 2-0 last night. Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots for his second straight shutout and 62nd of his career. Quick has won all five of his starts as the backup to Igor Shesterkin. Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves for the Kraken, who snapped a four-game winning streak.
Martin Necas had two goals and two assists as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Sunday. Andrei Svechnikov and Eric Robinson also scored for the Hurricanes, who’ve won two straight following a 1-2 road trip. Robinson added two assists. Pyotr Kochetkov made 29 saves. Necas has a 13-game points streak since he was kept off the scoresheet Oct. 19 at St. Louis. Jake Neighbours opened the scoring for St. Louis, but the Blues lost for the fifth time in six games.
Alex Ovechkin recorded his first hat trick of the season, scoring three goals Sunday night for the Washington Capitals in their 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. It was his first hat trick since Dec. 31, 2022, against the Montreal Canadiens and 31st of his career, the sixth most in NHL history. Vegas became the 19th team in which Ovechkin scored at least three goals against in a game. Ovechkin got the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 37 seconds left.
Steven Stamkos scored two power-play goals to help the Nashville Predators beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Sunday night.Nashville improved to 5-10-3, winning for the first time in four games and for only the second time on the road at this season. Zachary L’Heureux scored his first NHL goal and Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist — into an empty net — also scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros made 24 saves. Aatu Raty, Elias Pettersson and Kiefer Sherwood scored Vancouver, and former Predator Kevin Lankinen stopped 16 shots. The Canucks dropped to 9-5-3.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Syracuse 77 Fairleigh Dickinson 58
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
This year’s successful 9-1 football season for Brigham Young University, the Utah private school run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has an unexpected player at the helm: its first Jewish quarterback. Jake Retzlaff, a junior college transfer, has earned a hero’s embrace by rabbis and others in the tiny but tight-knit Jewish community in Provo while also becoming a favorite of the large fan base that lovingly calls him the “BYJew.” The starting quarterback has used his newfound stardom to shine a spotlight on his own faith at a school where 98.5% of students are members of the faith known widely as the Mormon church.
Oregon remains the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after its close call at Wisconsin. Georgia returned to the top 10 with its win over Tennessee and LSU was unranked for the first time in two years. The unbeaten Ducks are atop the AP Top 25 for the fifth straight week. They received all 62 first-place votes for the third week in a row after scoring their fewest points in 37 games in a 16-13 win over Wisconsin. Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Indiana rounded out the top five for the second straight week.
CANADIAN FOOTBALL
Backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle led the Toronto Argonauts to their record-extending 19th Grey Cup title, throwing two second-half touchdown passes in a 41-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night at B.C. Place. Forced into action after starter Chad Kelly broke his ankle in Toronto’s East championship victory over Montreal, Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards in Toronto’s second Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg in three seasons. Toronto has won its last eight appearances in the Grey Cup dating to 1991 and is 8-0 against Winnipeg. Winnipeg was appearing in its fifth straight Grey Cup. It won consecutive titles in 2019 and 2021, with the 2000 season canceled.
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