BALTIMORE (AP) — Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Maye answered with a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play. Then Stevenson scored on a 21-yard run with 2:07 to play. The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter.
Jaguars can't get overlooked anymore after an impressive, statement win over Denver
Maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars and coach Liam Coen will get the credit they deserve now. Trevor Lawrence and the Jags went to Denver and scored 34 points against one of the NFL’s best defenses, extending their winning streak to six games with a 14-point victory on Sunday that gave the Broncos their first loss since Week 3. This was an impressive, convincing win for an underrated team that’s been overlooked throughout the season. The Broncos (12-3) and Patriots (12-3) deserved recognition for double-digit winning streaks. The Colts (8-6) were the talk of the AFC the first two months during a 7-1 start.
Steelers outlast Lions 29-24 in wild finish when penalty on St. Brown negates Goff's winning TD
DETROIT (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have pushed the Detroit Lions to the brink of elimination from the playoffs thanks to a wild finish. Pittsburgh held on for a 29-24 win when Jared Goff’s touchdown on the final play was negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff threw a fourth-down pass to St. Brown just short of the goal line. The receiver pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get free, and before the Steelers could bring St. Brown to the ground, he threw the quarterback a lateral to set up an apparent score. Officials huddled for some time on the field before announcing the decision.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson’s injury-plagued season has thrust Baltimore’s star quarterback to the sideline again. And there’s no guarantee the two-time NFL MVP will get back on the field in 2025. Jackson sustained a back bruise in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night. After being kneed by safety Craig Woodson just after the two-minute warning, Jackson handed the ball off to Keaton Mitchell before shuffling to the sideline during a timeout. It's too early to determine if the injury will keep him out of Baltimore's final two games.
The NBA and FIBA have announced plans to engage with teams and owners about a new European league. This league will offer permanent spots and a merit-based pathway for qualification through FIBA's Basketball Champions League. Details like the start date and number of teams are still being finalized, with October 2027 as a working target. The league could feature 16 teams, with 12 permanent spots. The NBA and FIBA have been discussing this for years, and efforts intensified around the 2024 Paris Olympics. Target countries include Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
DETROIT (AP) — Steelers receiver DK Metcalf swiped at a fan leaning over the railing in the front row at Ford Field during the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. Metcalf and the fan, wearing a black-and-blue shirt and a blue wig, were speaking to each other before the two-time Pro Bowler threw a right hand toward the man’s face. Metcalf did not appear to make much, if any contact. Although there wasn’t a penalty flag thrown on the field, the league will review the incident and Metcalf could face discipline.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid says quarterback Gardner Minshew will have an MRI on his injured left knee. Minshew was hurt in the second quarter of the Chiefs' 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It was the second straight game that Kansas City lost its starting QB to a knee injury. Patrick Mahomes tore two knee ligaments last week, ending his season. Chris Oladokun replaced Minshew and finished the game. Oladukun went 11 of 16 for 111 yards took four sacks in the first extensive action of his career.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record with a goal and an assist in the first period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night. Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. It also moved him past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history. Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the record. He then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell tapped the rebound behind Jakub Dobes. Crosby, Rust and Rakell embraced behind the net after the goal and the Penguins spilled over the bench to congratulate their captain.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger. The 25-year-old Murakami joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season. Murakami was the Central League’s MVP in 2021 and ’22 with the Yakult Swallows.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was carted off with a right leg injury late in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills. He suffered the injury after catching a swing pass and being hit low by Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Officials initially ruled a fumble, but replay showed Judkins was down by contact. Before the injury, Judkins led NFL rookies with 784 rushing yards and was tied for first with seven rushing touchdowns. He had eight carries for 22 yards in the game.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Detroit 3 Washington 2
Final Colorado 5 Minnesota 1
Final Buffalo 3 New Jersey 1
Final Dallas 5 Toronto 1
Final Nashville 2 N-Y Rangers 1
Final OT Utah 4 Winnipeg 3
Final Ottawa 6 Boston 2
Final SO Pittsburgh 4 Montreal 3
Final Edmonton 4 Vegas 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 23 Cleveland 20
Final Carolina 23 Tampa Bay 20
Final Cincinnati 45 Miami 21
Final L.A. Chargers 34 Dallas 17
Final Minnesota 16 N-Y Giants 13
Final New Orleans 29 N-Y Jets 6
Final Tennessee 26 Kansas City 9
Final Atlanta 26 Arizona 19
Final Jacksonville 34 Denver 20
Final Houston 23 Las Vegas 21
Final Pittsburgh 29 Detroit 24
Final New England 28 Baltimore 24
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Michigan 102 La Salle 50
Final (4)Iowa State 91 Long Beach State 60
Final (5)UConn 72 DePaul 54
Final (7)Gonzaga 91 Oregon 82
Final (13)Vanderbilt 98 Wake Forest 67
Final (15)Nebraska 78 North Dakota 55
Final (16)Alabama 92 Kennesaw State 81
Final (20)Tennessee 94 Gardner-Webb 52
Final (23)Florida 90 Colgate 60