KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bo Nix ran for a touchdown and threw a go-ahead pass to R.J. Harvey, leading the Denver Broncos to a 20-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Nix finished with 182 yards passing, helping the Broncos bounce back from last week's loss to Jacksonville. The Chiefs, missing key players like Patrick Mahomes, struggle offensively. Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun and Travis Kelce give Kansas City a late chance, but they fall short. The Broncos can clinch the AFC West title on Saturday, if the Chargers lose. Kansas City faces more challenges with injuries impacting their lineup.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce tried to make Thursday night a memorable one if it is his last game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs tight end had five catches for 36 yards, playing with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun and nearly rallying his team down the stretch. Despite losing 20-13 to the Denver Broncos, Kelce's performance stood out. Now, the four-time All-Pro is left to ponder whether to play in next week's season finale in Las Vegas, and what might come next for him. Kelce said that the decision to retire will involve family, friends, and the Chiefs organization, but he expects to make it soon after the season ends.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders 30-23. Dallas scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders twice got within a touchdown, they couldn’t complete the comeback and absorbed their 10th loss in 11 games. Both teams were previously eliminated from playoff contention, which severely lessened the significance of this matchup between longtime NFC East rivals. Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes and helped Dallas convert all six of its fourth-down tries. His two TD passes gave him 30, tying Tony Romo’s franchise record of four seasons with at least 30 touchdown throws.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions have gifted the division rival Green Bay Packers a spot in the playoffs. With six turnovers in a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, Detroit was eliminated from postseason contention. That clinched at least a wild-card berth for Green Bay. The Lions took the past two NFC North titles. They fell to 8-8 with their third straight loss. The Lions had only eight turnovers over their first 15 games for the fewest in the league. Goff nearly matched the season total he entered with by throwing two interceptions and losing three fumbles.
UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff's first round averaged 9.9 million viewers across multiple networks, marking a 7% drop from last year. A key factor was the final game between James Madison and Oregon airing on TNT, TBS, and truTV instead of ABC and ESPN. It also faced competition from an NFL game. The Chicago Bears' victory over the Green Bay Packers drew 21.3 million viewers, overshadowing Oregon's win, which attracted 4.4 million. Alabama's comeback victory over Oklahoma was the most-watched CFP game, averaging 14.9 million viewers. ESPN sublicenses some CFP games to other networks, impacting viewership.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has retired, ending a coaching career after four-plus decades. He announced his decision on Tuesday. Heacock was known for a 3-3-5 scheme with the Cyclones. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award that recognizes college football’s top assistant coach in 2017 and was nominated for it from 2022-25. He was a top assistant on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State for 10 seasons and at Toledo for two seasons. Campbell left Iowa State earlier this month to lead Penn State’s program. Heacock was 60-44 as coach at Youngstown State from 2001 to 2009.
UNDATED (AP) — Jacob Rodriguez was sleeping on the floor of his brother’s apartment when he first got to Texas Tech as a walk-on in the spring of 2022. That was after a season as a quarterback at Virginia. The QB-turned-linebacker is now an AP All-American with a collection of trophies for national defensive player of the year awards. The fourth-ranked Red Raiders play No. 5 Oregon in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. Rodriguez finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He won the Bednarik and Nagurski awards as the top defensive player, and the Butkus as the top linebacker.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as a serious threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA dominance. After winning 24 of their first 25 games, the Thunder lost three times to the Spurs, including a 117-102 defeat on Thursday. Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been a key player, averaging 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds against the Thunder. The Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledges the need for improvement. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson is leading the team in his first full season, and the Spurs' focus on teamwork is paying off. The Thunder aim to learn from these losses as they prepare for their next matchup on January 13.
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic set an NBA record with 18 points in overtime, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 142-138 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas night. Jokic recorded a 56-point triple-double, adding 16 assists and 15 rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 35 points as the Nuggets improved to 3-0 against the Wolves this season. Anthony Edwards scored 44 points for Minnesota but was ejected in overtime. The Nuggets won despite missing three starters, including Cameron Johnson, who injured his knee Tuesday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Kolek sprinted back to chase down Donovan Mitchell and had enough energy left to gloat about his defensive stop afterward. Kolek told Mitchell that he had blocked his shot cleanly. He was right. A replay review turned what was originally called a foul into a block with 1:45 remaining, one of Kolek’s pivotal plays on Christmas Day that had fans chanting his name inside Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124.
THURSDAY SCORES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Dallas 30 Washington 23
Final Minnesota 23 Detroit 10
Final Denver 20 Kansas City 13
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 126 Cleveland 124
Final San Antonio 117 Oklahoma City 102
Final Golden State 126 Dallas 116
Final Houston 119 L.A. Lakers 96
Final OT Denver 142 Minnesota 138