January 5, 2022 3:55 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will sit out the season finale against Cincinnati so he can undergo shoulder surgery. Mayfield was sacked nine times in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Cincinnati sacks leader Trey Hendrickson and three other starters are among five Bengals that have been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Center Trey Hopkins and left guard Quinton Spain were sidelined along with safety Vonn Bell. The fifth player is Akeem Davis-Gaither. The Bengals have clinched the AFC North title for their first trip to the playoffs since the 2015 season. Playoff qualifiers Green Bay and Arizona have players coming off and going on the COVID-19 list. Each team has two starters returning.
January 4, 2022 3:54 am
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 123 yards and a touchdown in likely his final start at Heinz Field as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Cleveland 26-14. Roethlisberger says he is leaning toward retirement. He improved to 26-3-1 against the Browns in his 18-year career. The Steelers also kept their slim playoff hopes alive with the victory. Pittsburgh needs a win in its regular-season finale against Baltimore and a loss by Indianapolis to Jacksonville to reach the postseason. Baker Mayfield threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Browns.
January 4, 2022 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL’s schedule changes for Week 18 will feature a Sunday night showdown for a playoff berth. To finish off the NFL’s first 17-game season, the Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders game was flexed from daytime to primetime. Both AFC West rivals are 9-7 and the winner will advance to the postseason. The league also switched two games from Sunday to Saturday. Kansas City, already the AFC West champion, will be at Denver, followed by Dallas at Philadelphia. Neither of those games has the strong postseason implications of Chargers-Raiders.
January 4, 2022 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – A contingency plan is in place for the FCS championship game if Montana State or North Dakota State are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teams are scheduled to arrive in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday, three days before the Football Championship Subdivision title game. Saturday’s game could be pushed back nearly a week if one or both teams fall below a minimum 53 players before arriving in Texas. If one or both teams are unable to play after arriving in Texas, the game would be declared a no-contest.
January 3, 2022 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust both finished off hat tricks in the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 8-5 for their eighth straight win. Rodrigues and Rust each scored twice as the Pens built a 6-1 lead in the first period. Both added insurance goals in the final period, with Rodrigues completing his first career hat trick with 2:01 left and Rust scoring into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining. Rust had a career-best five points. San Jose scored three times in the first 4:09 of the third period but couldn’t overcome the huge deficit.
January 3, 2022 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be making his 135th and final start at Heinz Field when the Steelers host Cleveland. The 39-year-old Roethlisberger says all signs are pointing to his 18th season in the NFL as his last. Roethlisberger has been dominant at Heinz Field through the years, winning 91 games in the regular season and six more in the playoffs while leading the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl triumphs. Pittsburgh needs to win its final two games and get help elsewhere to have any shot at returning to the playoffs.
January 3, 2022 3:56 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Antonio Brown was kicked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field before Tom Brady coolly led the Bucs on a 93-yard drive in the final minutes for a 28-24 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. Coach Bruce Arians said after the game that Brown was off the team. Brown’s mid-game meltdown came late in the third quarter with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10. He appeared animated while talking to teammate Mike Evans when he stripped off his pads, jersey, gloves and T-shirt – tossing the gloves and T-shirt into the stands. He then jogged into the tunnel.
January 2, 2022 1:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns could be his last at Heinz Field. The 39-year-old insisted that he won’t make any final decisions until after the season, and Roethlisberger noted that his team remains in the playoff hunt. But for now, the veteran quarterback publicly acknowledged for the first time that he could play his final home game on Monday.
January 2, 2022 7:42 am
TAMPA, Fla. — Arkansas football is on the rise. KJ Jefferson picked up 104 of his 110 rushing yards in the second half and threw for 90 more to lead No. 22 Arkansas past Penn State 24-10 in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. Raheim Sanders had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts and Dominique Johnson added 85 yards on 11 carries as the Razorbacks finished with 361 yards on the ground. Arkansas (9-4), coming off four consecutive seasons of four or fewer wins, got its first nine-win year since going 11-2 in 2011. The Razorbacks also played in their first bowl game since the 2016 Belk Bowl. Sean Clifford went 14 of 32 or 195 yards for Penn State (7-6). He gained 47 yards on the ground on 11 attempts. Jefferson ran 20 times while completing 14 of 19 passes. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore was sacked five times and limited to 6 yards rushing on 11 carries during the first half.
January 2, 2022 7:45 am
AUSTIN, Texas — Marcus Carr spent the nonconference portion of his first season at Texas becoming comfortable in coach Chris Beard’s offense, trying to be a good teammate and working to create shots for others. On Saturday, Carr was assertive looking for his own shots. Carr scored a season-best 20 points and No. 17 Texas defeated short-handed West Virginia 74-59 in the teams’ Big 12 opener, snapping the Mountaineers’ eight-game winning streak. West Virginia (11-2) played without starting guard and leading scorer Taz Sherman (20.9 points per game) along with reserves Gabe Osabuohien and Kobe Johnson. All three are in COVID-19 protocols. Carr averaged 16 shot attempts, seven free throws and more than 19 points as an all-Big Ten player at Minnesota last season. In his first 12 games at Texas, Carr averaged eight field goal attempts, 3.5 free throws and 8.6 points. Against West Virginia, Carr converted 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 free throws. Texas (11-2) led by 28 points with 13 minutes remaining, but West Virginia used improved shooting and dogged defense to make the game more competitive. Courtney Ramey scored 15 points for Texas, and Andrew Jones added 14. Jalen Bridges led West Virginia with 18 points, and Malik Curry scored 14. Sean McNeill, West Virginia’s No. 2 scorer this season, had 12 points, two fewer than his average. He hit 5 of 13 shots.
