December 27, 2024 4:27 am
DETROIT (AP) — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field. The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawaii Bowl on Tuesday. Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game.
December 27, 2024 4:30 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams’ late pass and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss. Jason Myers kicked field goals on the game’s first possession and near the end of the second quarter. Woolen picked off a deep pass intended for Keenan Allen at the Seattle 22 with 20 seconds left, ending Williams’ NFL rookie-record string of passes without an interception at 353. The Seahawks (9-7) made just enough plays to come away with a win they sorely needed after dropping two in a row. Leonard Williams had two of Seattle’s seven sacks. Chicago dropped to 4-12.
December 27, 2024 4:30 am
LeBron James and the NBA are going to have make room for the NFL on Christmas. That shouldn’t be a problem. In the battle for TV viewers, sports fans will be among the big winners. Netflix set records as the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history while the NBA had its best holiday numbers in five years according to Nielsen. The Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans averaged 24.3 million while Kansas City’s 29-10 win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen on Thursday. The NBA’s five-game slate averaged about 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.
December 27, 2024 4:28 am
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Commanders tight end Zach Ertz cleared the air after they exchanged words following Washington’s comeback win over Philadelphia on Sunday. Videos show Ertz gave Sirianni a high-five as they were headed in opposite directions. Sirianni turned to say something to Ertz, who then turned around and walked back toward his former coach. Sirianni called Ertz this week to apologize, according to a report. Ertz spent his first eight-plus seasons with the Eagles, catching the go-ahead touchdown pass from Nick Foles in the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory. He was traded to Arizona during the 2021 season after playing six games under Sirianni.
December 26, 2024 4:38 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling following a 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh has dropped three straight to fall to 10-6. The slide has severely damaged the Steelers’ chances of winning the AFC North. Pittsburgh struggled on both offense and defense against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and the Chiefs defense sacked Russell Wilson five times. Pittsburgh gets an extended break before hosting Cincinnati in its regular-season finale.
December 26, 2024 4:42 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday. Jackson moved past Vick on a 6-yard run in the third quarter. Jackson had 87 yards rushing to give him 6,110 yards, moving him past Vick, who piled up 6,109 in his 13-year career.
December 26, 2024 4:41 am
DETROIT (AP) — At the beginning of November, the Pittsburgh Panthers were 7-0 and dreaming of finishing the season in the College Football Playoff. Instead, they were spending their Christmas in Detroit. Pitt went 0-5 in November, losing to SMU, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville and Boston College before accepting an invitation to the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Thursday at Ford Field, where they face Toledo. Although Pitt and Toledo are separated by only 230 miles, the football rivalry has never taken off. The Panthers and Rockets have faced each three times between 2002 and 2006. Pitt won twice at home. Toledo pulled off a 35-31 victory at the Glass Bowl in 2003.
December 25, 2024 6:37 am
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Games on Christmas aren’t new to the NFL. The Miami Dolphins famously beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff game on Dec. 25, 1971 — a double-overtime classic that still holds the record for the NFL’s longest game. In 2020, New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record with six touchdowns in a game when the Saints beat Minnesota on Christmas. Lately the league has been much more aggressive about scheduling games on Christmas. That’s been met with mixed feelings among the players. Baltimore tackle Ronnie Stanley says there is an offensive line Christmas party planned for Friday at center Tyler Linderbaum’s house. Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s plan is to celebrate on Thursday.
December 25, 2024 6:34 am
No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl. This time it’s in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year’s Eve. Boise State’s first appearance on the national stage was in a memorable victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007. But former coach Chris Petersen said the victory in that bowl three years later over TCU was even more meaningful for the program.
December 24, 2024 4:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is back in elite company and this time it’s alongside his Hall of Fame former teammate. Crosby tied Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for most assists in team history during the first period of Monday’s 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Philip Tomasino finished Crosby’s backhand pass for a power-play goal at 17:44 of the first period, giving Pittsburgh a 4-1 lead and equaling Lemieux’s mark. “I was just trying to take it to the net,” Crosby said. “At the last second, I saw he was on the back door.” Crosby and Lemieux both have 1,033 assists, which ranks 12th all-time in NHL history. Only three players in league history have more assists with a single team than Lemieux and Crosby. “I didn’t ever think about that,” Crosby said. “I dreamed of playing in the NHL and I’m grateful for that for all these years, but I don’t think about where I’m at on the list. To be with Mario, though, that’s pretty cool. I never would have expected that. So, that’s just a bonus.” Crosby scored an empty-net goal in the third period and also assisted on goals by Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust in the first period to give him four points. It’s Crosby’s 42nd four-point game of his career — and second in three games. Crosby has 10 goals and 39 points in 36 games this season. “Mario’s one of the greatest players of all time, as is Sid,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “There’s very few players in the history of the game that have reached the milestones that Mario and Sid have reached.” Lemieux, who finished his Hall of Fame career with 1,723 points, led Pittsburgh to its first two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992 as a player and owned the team when Crosby captained the Penguins to championships in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
