KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to get even marginal play from their wide receivers this season. The group dragged them down again on Sunday. Kadarius Toney dropped an easy early pass, then was called for offside in the closing minutes, wiping out what would have been a go-ahead TD in a 20-17 loss to Buffalo. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was whistled for a penalty and Rashee Rice, one of the few bright spots for Kansas City this season, lost a fumble. The result was a fourth loss in six games, and one that left Kansas City at 8-5 and clinging to a one-game lead over Denver in the AFC West.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Will Levis threw for a career-high 327 yards and directed two touchdown drives in the final 4 1/2 minutes, and the Tennessee Titans rallied to stun Miami 28-27, knocking the Dolphins out of the top spot in the AFC. The Titans held Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s explosive offense in check for most of the game but still fell behind by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, thanks to critical mistakes that gave short fields to the Dolphins. Raheem Mostert ran for TDs of 3 yards and 5 yards to put Miami ahead 27-13. But Levis threw a TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins and then set up a 3-yard run by Derrick Henry for the go-ahead score.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tommy DeVito threw a 32-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to set up Randy Bullock’s 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the New York Giants beat Green Bay 24-22 to hand the Packers their first December loss since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019. The Giants went 57 yards in eight plays after Jordan Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath with 1:33 to play. Green Bay then tried a 2-point conversion but Jayden Reed was stopped by linebacker Bobby Okereke. The go-ahead drive was set up by a Saquon Barkley fumble. DeVito rushed for 71 yards in the third straight win for the Giants.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill sat out a big portion of Miami’s 28-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans with an ankle injury after he landed awkwardly while being tackled in the first quarter. The star Dolphins receiver returned to the game late in the third quarter as fans chanted “MVP!” and caught a 21-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa as the quarter ended. Hill got hurt when he was tackled on a catch that went for a 6-yard loss. He went down briefly and grabbed at his left leg. He began limping off the field, then ran off. Hill stood on the sideline with his helmet in his hand as the second quarter started.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani will receive just $20 million of his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the next 10 years, with $680 million payable from 2034-43 in an unusual structure that gives the team greater payroll flexibility in coming seasons. Ohtani’s record-setting deal, agreed to Saturday, calls for annual salaries of $70 million, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. Of each year’s salary, $68 million is deferred with no interest, payable in equal installments each July 1 from 2034-43. For purposes of baseball's luxury tax, the contract is valued as a yearly addition to the Dodgers' payroll of about $46 million.
UNDATED (AP) — Arizona has solidified its place atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll, setting up ashowdown this weekend against Purdue, the former No. 1 team in the nation. The Wildcats were followed by Kansas and the Boilermakers, who jumped Houston to third. The Cougars are fourth, while UConn rounded out the five. Virginia returned to the poll at No. 22 while Northwestern made its season debut at No. 25. Texas A&M and San Diego State dropped out this week.
UNDATED (AP) — Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU was one of seven players in either their fifth or sixth season of college football selected to The Associated Press All-America team. Daniels, a fifth-year quarterback, won the Heisman and AP player of the year honors after accounting for 50 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards of offense this season. He was joined in the backfield by Missouri’s Cody Schrader, a sixth-year running back who leads the nation at 124.9 rushing yards per game. Sixth-year linebacker Payton Wilson from North Carolina State led the first-team defense.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Former Boise State head coach Andy Avalos has been named TCU’s new defensive coordinator. Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes announced the hiring of Avalos on Monday, a day after the decision was made to not bring Joe Gillespie back for a third season running the TCU defense. Avalos was 10 games into his third season as Boise State’s head coach when he was fired in mid-November with a 22-14 overall record. He was a former Broncos player and assistant coach who was Oregon’s defensive coordinator before that.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech senior running back Tahj Brooks plans to use his final season of eligibility and return to play again with the Red Raiders in 2024. He revealed his decision in a social media post. The first-team AP All-Big 12 pick is fourth nationally and second in the Big 12 with 1,443 yards rushing. He has 2,957 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns over 44 games in his career at Texas Tech. It began as a freshman during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season that didn’t count against the eligibility of any players. Coach Joey McGuires says it's exciting for the Red Raiders.
UNDATED (AP) — NIL experts say donor-fueled collectives that raise money and funnel it to college athletes through name, image and likeness opportunities probably won’t go away entirely if NCAA president Charlie Baker’s proposals for paying athletes become reality. Baker proposes Division I schools be allowed to enter into NIL deals directly with their athletes. Collectives that technically operate independently from the schools they serve seek donations from boosters and arrange opportunities for athletes to be paid for activities such as public appearances. NIL experts say the collectives could be absorbed into athletic departments to provide some of the same services.
MONDAY SCORES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final N-Y Giants 24 Green Bay 22
Final Tennessee 28 Miami 27
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (10)Gonzaga 78 MVSU 40
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Indiana 131 Detroit 123
Final Philadelphia 146 Washington 101
Final Miami 116 Charlotte 114
Final Orlando 104 Cleveland 94
Final New York 136 Toronto 130
Final Denver 129 Atlanta 122
Final Oklahoma City 134 Utah 120
Final Houston 93 San Antonio 82
Final Dallas 120 Memphis 113
Final New Orleans 121 Minnesota 107
Final OT Milwaukee 133 Chicago 129
Final Sacramento 131 Brooklyn 118
Final L.A. Clippers 132 Portland 127
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 5 Arizona 2
Final OT N-Y Islanders 4 Toronto 3
Final Dallas 6 Detroit 3