November 23, 2021 3:50 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tom Brady threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New York Giants 30-10. The Super Bowl champion Buccaneers snapped a two-game losing streak as Brady avoided dropping three in a row for the first time since 2002. Daniel Jones threw a TD pass to left tackle Andrew Thomas and the Giants stayed close for one half before unraveling. Down 17-10, the Giants drove to the Buccaneers 25 on the opening drive of the third quarter before Jones was pressured and threw incomplete on fourth-and-1. Jones threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.
November 23, 2021 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is struggling without injured stars T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pittsburgh allowed 533 yards in a 41-37 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. That marks the most the Steelers have surrendered in a game in eight years. While Fitzpatrick should return this week after dealing with COVID-19, Watt’s status is more uncertain while he deals with hip and knee injuries. Pittsburgh has struggled with Watt out of the lineup during his career. The Steelers are 0-4 when Watt is unavailable.
November 23, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – No. 20 Pittsburgh is hardly satisfied with earning its second trip to the ACC title game in four years. The Panthers are hoping to lock up the program’s first 10-win regular season since 1981 when it visits Syracuse. Head coach Pat Narduzzi says the standards have been raised within the program during his seven-year tenure. Narduzzi says the players were simply happy to reach the ACC title game in 2018 when they were drilled by Clemson. Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett says the vibe is different this time around and that the Panthers won’t be satisfied until they win the conference championship.
November 22, 2021 5:33 am
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Justin Herbert threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with 2:17 remaining and the Los Angeles Chargers held off the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-37 on Sunday night. Los Angeles (6-4) had a 27-10 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Steelers (5-4-1) rallied to take a 37-34 lead on Chris Boswell’s 45-yard field goal with 3:24 left. Los Angeles took over at the 25 and scored four plays later when Williams was wide open and went untouched up the left sideline. Herbert was 30 of 41 for 382 yards and three touchdowns. He had 90 yards rushing, which is the most by a Chargers quarterback in a game. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 273 yards and three touchdowns for Pittsburgh.
November 22, 2021 5:36 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Joe Mixon rushed for 123 yards and scored two touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13. The well-rested Bengals came out of their bye week and snapped a two-game skid to climb back into the AFC North race, while the Raiders lost their third straight since their bye week when they led the AFC West.
November 22, 2021 5:38 am
CLEVELAND (AP) — Nick Chubb caught a touchdown pass and ran for 130 yards as the Cleveland Browns held on to avoid a season-wrecking upset and keep Detroit winless with a sloppy 13-10 victory over the Lions. Chubb returned to Cleveland’s lineup after a one-game absence due to COVID-19. The star running back caught a 5-yard TD pass from Baker Mayfield and then helped the Browns run out the clock. With Cleveland’s crowd chanting his name before every snap Chubb gained 36 yards on the final drive as the Browns chewed up the last 2:29. D’Andre Swift had 136 yards and 57-yard TD for the Lions, who fell to 0-9-1.
November 21, 2021 1:18 am
Alex Tecza ran for nearly 200 yards and scored four times leading Mt. Lebanon to a 47-7 win over Central Catholic in the WPIAL 6A Football Championship game. The senior scored on runs of 2, 59 and 25 yards and caught one of three Joey Daniels scoring passes, a 23 yard toss late in the first half. Brandon Anderson ( 5 yards) and Eli Heidenreich (28 yards) caught the others. Daniels finished the night 11-of-13 for 135 yards. Heidenreich also ran 67 yards for the game’s final score, sending the title tilt into the 35-point mercy rule. Mt. Lebanon will host District 10 champion McDowell Friday in the PIAA 6A quarterfinals. Game time is 7 pm.
With a victory in its first title game appearance since claiming the 2000 title, Mt. Lebanon moved into a tie for sixth place all-time Central Catholic, Rochester and West Allegheny, all with eight titles. Bob Palko was the head coach at WA for all of the Indians’ titles and now joins Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak as the only WPIAL coaches to win nine.
Semifinal games were played Friday night for the other classifications including the 4A Belle Vernon/Thomas Jefferson game on WJPA. Devin Whitlock scored on back-to-back offensive plays for Belle Vernon, leading the Leopards to the 21-7 win over the defending champion Jaguars. Whitlock scored on runs of 22 and 79 yards late in the first quarter. Belle Vernon will play Aliquippa next Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field and on WJPA-FM (95.3). WPIAL Brackets PIAA Brackets
WPIAL Semifinals
5A Moon Area 14, Penn Hills 9
5A Penn-Trafford 24, Pine-Richland 6
4A Belle Vernon 21, Thomas Jefferson 7
4A Aliquippa 27, McKeesport 21 2OT
3A Central Valley 51, Elizabeth-Forward 0
3A North Catholic 7, Avonworth 0
2A Beaver Falls 21, Steel Valley 8
2A Serra Catholic 13, Sto-Rox 12
1A OLSH 14, Rochester 13
1A Bishop Canevin 24, Cornell 7
November 21, 2021 7:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett knew a year ago. Something in the Pittsburgh quarterback’s gut told him coming back for one more season offered the opportunity to do something special. Something that looked and felt an awful lot like Pitt’s 48-38 victory over Virginia on Saturday, when Pickett, rising star wide receiver Jordan Addison and the 20th-ranked Panthers put to bed the idea that this is the “Same Old Pitt” for now, and maybe for good. There will be no chaos in the ACC’s Coastal Division this year. Not with Pickett re-writing the Pitt record book and Addison making a compelling case that the conversation on who the best receiver in the country is starts with the skinny sophomore with video game moves and understated swagger. Pickett and Addison connected for four touchdowns, the last a 62-yard catch-and-run with 2:10 remaining that sealed a second Coastal Division title in four years for the Panthers (9-2, 6-1 ACC), a play symbolic of the inherent trust between the two that’s made them one of the most dynamic combinations in the country.
November 21, 2021 7:48 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Coaches preach about preparing for all contingencies. Rarely has it been more accurate than what Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Los Angeles’ Brandon Staley are dealing with going into Sunday night’s pivotal AFC matchup. Both entered the weekend with key players on the COVID-19 list. However, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was cleared Saturday to start after passing the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. Pittsburgh will still be without star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is out after being put onto the COVID-19 list Monday. Chargers outside linebacker Joey Bosa was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday as a close contact after Jerry Tillery had a positive test. Bosa was removed from the list on Saturday after testing negative for five straight days. Roethlisberger’s uncertain status during the week forced Los Angeles to prepare for both Roethlisberger and backup Mason Rudolph, though Staley doesn’t consider the added prep an issue.
November 21, 2021 7:50 am
TORONTO (AP) — Tristan Jarry made 26 saves for his second straight shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Toronto 2-0 on Saturday night to snap the Maple Leafs’ five-game winning streak. Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter scored for Pittsburgh. Jarry continued a string of strong performances to extend his shutout streak to 151 minutes and six seconds. Jack Campbell stopped 29 shots for Toronto, which had won 10 of its last 11 entering Saturday. The Penguins, who have dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak and a number of key injuries, won consecutive games for the first time this season; they beat Montreal 6-0 on Thursday.
