Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and the 11-2 Ravens secured their second consecutive playoff with a 24-17 win over the 9-4 Bills. Jackson finished 16 of 25 for 143 yards and appeared to seal the game by hitting Willie Snead for a four-yard TD to put Baltimore ahead, 24-9 with 9:49 left. Facing fourth-and-8 at Baltimore's 16, Josh Allen's pass over the middle was broken up by Marcus Peters at the goal line to secure the win.
Miami erased a 16-6 deficit before Sam Ficken kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give the Jets a 22-21 comeback victory over the Dolphins. The winning drive was prolonged after officials overturned a non-call for pass interference. San Darnold finished 20 of 36 for 270 yards, including touchdowns to Demaryius Thomas and Robby Anderson.
The 9-4 Chiefs clinched the AFC West as Patrick Mahomes completed 26 of his 40 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in a 23-16 victory over the Patriots. Tom Brady was under pressure all game and finished 19 of 36 for 169 yards, a touchdown and interception. The game was in doubt until Bashaud Breeland knocked away Brady's fourth-down pass attempt to Julian Edelman in the end zone, ending New England's 21-game home winning streak.
Diontae Johnson ran for an 85-yard touchdown on a punt return and caught a pass for another score to lead the Steelers past the Cardinals, 23-17. Joe Haden had two of the Steelers' three interceptions in the second half as Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in eight games to bolster its playoff hopes. Rookie free agent quarterback Devlin Hodges completed 16 of 19 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in his third career start for the Steelers.
Aaron Jones rushed for a season-high 134 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries as the Packers held off the Redskins, 20-15. Jones had his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and hauled in six catches for 58 yards as Green Bay improved to 10-3 to stay one game ahead of the Vikings atop the NFC North. Washington's Adrian Peterson became just the sixth back in NFL history to reach the 14,000-yard mark, running for 76 yards and a score.
The San Francisco 49ers have regained control of the top seed in the NFC after earning a wild shootout win over the Saints in New Orleans. Robbie Gould kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to complete the Niners' 48-46 victory over the Saints. Jimmy Garoppolo's clutch completion to tight end George Kittle for a 39-yard gain, along with a defensive facemask penalty on fourth-and-2 from the San Francisco 33, helped set up Gould's winning kick. Garoppolo passed for 349 yards and four touchdowns as the 49ers improved to 11-2, one game ahead of the Packers, Saints and Seahawks. Niners receiver Emmanuel Sanders had a 75-yard touchdown and added his second-career scoring toss after taking a handoff on a reverse.
The Saints took their last lead on Drew Brees' fifth touchdown pass of the game, an 18-yarder to Tre'Quan Smith with 53 seconds left. Meanwhile, the Niners regained sole possession of the NFC West lead with Seattle's 28-12 loss to the Rams. Jared Goff passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns as Los Angeles improved to 8-5 and increased its playoff chances. Todd Gurley ran for 79 yards and a fourth-quarter TD to help the Rams end the Seahawks' five-game winning streak.
Danielle Hunter had three of Minnesota's five sacks in a 20-7 victory against the Lions. Kirk Cousins passed for 242 yards and a touchdown. Dalvin Cook had 75 yards from scrimmage and a rushing score on 20 touches over three quarters as the Vikings moved to 9-4 while handing Detroit its sixth consecutive loss.
Rookie Drew Lock threw for 309 yards and had three scoring passes while the Broncos were building a 38-3 lead by the third quarter of a 38-24 victory over the Texans. Lock threw for 235 yards, the most in a first half by the Broncos since Peyton Manning had 282 in Week 5 of 2014. Kareem Jackson had an interception and returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown against his former team.
The Texans share the AFC South lead with Tennessee after Ryan Tannehill threw for 391 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans' fourth straight win, 42-21 versus the Raiders. Derrick Henry ran for two scores and the Titans bounced back from a deflected interception on the opening drive to score TDs on five of their next seven possessions. Henry rushed for 103 yards and broke a 21-all tie with a 10-yard TD run midway through the third quarter.
Nick Chubb produced 99 of his 106 yards rushing after halftime as the Browns dumped the Bengals, 27-19 to stay in the AFC playoff hunt at 6-7. Denzel Ward returned an interception 61 yards for Cleveland's first score. Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt had rushing touchdowns to help the Browns overcome Joe Mixon's career-high 146 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Jameis Winston threw for 456 yards and four touchdowns in guiding the Buccaneers to a 38-35 triumph over the sputtering Colts. Winston overcame three more interceptions and having one returned for a TD for the fifth time season, wiping out a 14-point, second-half deficit. Jacoby Brissett completed 19 of 36 passes for 251 yards, two TDs and no interceptions for Indianapolis, which is 6-7 following its fifth loss in six games.
Philip Rivers threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns, including an 84-yarder to Austin Ekeler in the Chargers's 45-10 trouncing of the Jaguars. The Chargers scored on four of five possessions in the first half to take a 24-3 into the locker room. It was Jacksonville's fifth consecutive lopsided loss, all by at least 17 points.
Matt Ryan threw the longest touchdown pass of his career and became the 10th quarterback in NFL history to reach 50,000 yards passing while guiding the Falcons' 40-20 thumping of the Panthers. Ryan finished off Carolina with a 93-yard touchdown pass to little-used Olamide Zaccheaus in the third quarter. The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention with their fifth straight loss and first under interim coach Perry Fewell.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oklahoma's overtime win in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday has put the Sooners in the CFP semifinals as the No. 4 seed. That's the good news. The bad news is that their semifinal opponent will be Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Burrow and the 13-0 LSU Tigers. The Tigers climbed over Ohio State for the top seed with their impressive 37-10 win over Georgia in the SEC title game. The Buckeyes dropped to second after turning a 21-7 halftime deficit into a 34-21 victory against Wisconsin in the Big 12 championship game. Ohio State's semifinal game will be against No. 3 Clemson, which stormed to a 62-17 win over Virginia in the ACC title game. The Tigers have a 28-game winning streak as they seek their third CFP crown in four years. LSU and Oklahoma will meet at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 28, the same day Ohio State and Clemson clash at the Fiesta Bowl.
On Jan. 1, Oregon will take on Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl will have Baylor against Georgia, Minnesota will face Auburn in the Outback Bowl and Alabama will clash with Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Utah is relegated to the Alamo Bowl against Texas on New Year's Eve after blowing a chance to earn a spot in the CFP semifinals. The Utes lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game.
Florida and Virginia will square off in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, two days after Memphis and Penn State play in the Cotton Bowl.
In other college football news, Mike Norvell is Florida State's new head coach, taking over a program that has struggled while he was helping to build Memphis into a Group of Five power. Norvell replaces Willie Taggart, who was fired Nov. 3 after going 9-12. The Seminoles became bowl eligible at 6-6 under interim coach Odell Haggins, six years after winning the national championship. Norvell just led the Tigers to the first 12-win season in school history. He captured at least eight victories in each of his fourth years at the helm.
A person with knowledge of the hiring says Missouri has reached an agreement with Eliah Drinkwitz to take over the Tigers' once-proud football program. Drinkwitz became in demand after making Appalachian State's successful coach the second-youngest in a Power Five conference during his lone season at the school.
Arkansas has hired Georgia assistant Sam Pittman as its head coach, giving the longtime offensive line coach his first chance to lead a college program. Arkansas is coming off a 2-10 campaign that led to the firing of coach Chad Morris after less than two seasons.
NBA
The Brooklyn Nets continue to win games without injured All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points and the Nets earned their third straight win by holding off the Nuggets, 105-102. Dinwiddie made consecutive driving layups to give Brooklyn a 103-102 lead with 26.3 seconds remaining. Jarrett Allen added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Brooklyn, which is 9-3 since Irving left the lineup with a shoulder injury. Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Nuggets' second straight loss.
The 76ers are 12-0 at home after Tobias Harris scored 26 points and rookie Matisse Thybulle had a season-high 20, including a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left in their 110-104 triumph over the Raptors. Ben Simmons had 16 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as Philadelphia handed Toronto its third straight loss.
Anthony Davis poured in a season-high 50 points and the Lakers improved to a league-best 21-3 with a 142-125 win versus the Timberwolves. LeBron James had 32 points and 13 assists despite committing four fouls in the first half of the Lakers' fourth straight win.
Nemanja Bjelica matched his career best with 30 points and Buddy Hield added 26 as the Kings ended the Mavericks' five-game winning streak, 110-106. Luka Doncic scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half after Sacramento took a 66-46 lead, but he missed a potential game-tying attempt in the closing seconds.
Tyler Herro scored 27 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 38.2 seconds left in overtime to carry the Heat to a 110-105 victory against the Bulls. Herro made three 3's in OT and another with 7.1 seconds left in regulation just to help Miami improve to 10-0 at home.
The Clippers rebounded from their worst loss of the season as Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 135-119 trouncing of the Wizards. Paul George scored 27 points and Montrezl Harrell had nine of his 20 in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles.
Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 21 points to help the Thunder open a four-game trip with a 108-96 victory over the Trail Blazers. Chris Paul finished with 20 points for Oklahoma City, which led by 18 in the first half of its fourth win in five games.
Trae Young furnished 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and finished with nine assists as the Hawks won for only the second time in their last 13 games, 122-107 against the Hornets. Jabari Parker added 19 points and Vince Carter had 17 off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting to help Atlanta improve to 6-17.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men’s college basketball, Sacred Heart topped Hartford 79-62.
In women’s college basketball, Syracuse ripped UMBC 82-48, Seton Hall crushed Iona 89-37, UMass defeated Holy Cross 75-72, and UConn routed Notre Dame 81-57.
In other top-25 basketball, fifth-ranked Virginia is 2-0 in the ACC after bouncing back from its blowout loss to Purdue last week. Mamadi Diakite scored 12 points and Francisco Caffaro had 10 with six rebounds in the Cavaliers' 56-47 stifling of No. 7 North Carolina. Virginia led just 39-35 before two free throws by Kihei Clark sparked a 10-0 run just past the midpoint of the second half. The Cavs moved to 8-1 and held an opponent under 50 points for the seventh time. Freshman Cole Anthony led the 6-3 Tar Heels with just 12 points.
Killian Tillie made a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:55 remaining and finished with 15 points to help ninth-ranked Gonzaga hold off No. 22 Washington, 83-76. Filip Petrusev finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who clinched the win when Joel Ayayi hit a trey with 24 seconds left.
No. 11 Michigan State won its Big Ten opener as Cassius Winston contributed 23 points and seven assists in a 77-65 downing of Rutgers. Gabe Brown scored a season-high 14 points, and Xavier Tillman had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Spartans move to 6-3.
No. 17 Florida State made 15 three-pointers in a 72-53 rout of Clemson. Devin Vassell had 14 points and nine rebounds for the 8-2 Seminoles, while Anthony Polite chipped in 12 points on four 3s.
Jalen Crutcher had a season-high 21 points and tied a career high with five 3-pointers in No. 19 Dayton's 78-68 victory over Saint Mary's. Obi Toppin had 16 points and Trey Landers had 15 points and eight rebounds for the 7-1 Flyers.
NHL
Alexandar Georgiev stopped 38 shots for his second shutout of the season to lead the Rangers' 5-0 rout of the Golden Knights. Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and an assist in New York's sixth victory in nine games.
Buffalo handed Edmonton its fourth loss in six games as Colin Miller scored 1:13 into overtime to give the Sabres a 3-2 victory. Kyle Okposo and Johan Larsson also scored, and Linus Ullmark stopped 26 to help the Sabres snap a two-game skid.
The Florida Panthers earned a sweep of their weekend games and helped their starting netminder improve to 11-6-4. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots to win for the second straight night as the Panthers posted a 5-1 decision over the Sharks. Aleksander Barkov, Keith Yandle and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist in Florida's third win in four games. Kevin Labanc scored and Martin Jones had 28 saves in San Jose's fourth consecutive loss.
Conor Garland and Nick Schmaltz scored in the shootout and the Coyotes rallied from two goals down to beat the Blackhawks, 4-3. Garland got his team-leading 12th goal in regulation, and Carl Soderberg and Christian Fischer also scored to back Darcy Kuemper's 26 saves.
Mark Scheifele's second goal of the night put the Jets ahead with 4:22 left in a 3-2 verdict over the Ducks. Adam Lowry also scored, Mathieu Perrault had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves as Winnipeg moved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games.
MLB
The Baseball Hall of Fame will soon include longtime catcher Ted Simmons and former union head Marvin Miller. Both have been elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee and will be inducted this summer. Simmons was an eight-time All-Star during a 21-year career spent with the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves. He batted .285 with 248 home runs, 483 doubles and 1,389 RBIs. Miller took control of the union in the 1960's and molded it into the most powerful in professional spots.
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