December 28, 2024 4:33 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won’t play Sunday against Dallas. Hurts is still in the NFL concussion protocol. The Eagles will turn to backup Kenny Pickett on Sunday because Hurts is dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion suffered against Washington. Hurts was injured early at Washington after his head slammed against the ground on one run and he was hit in the helmet by Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu at the end of another. Hurts isn’t healthy enough to play just yet.
December 28, 2024 4:30 am
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press the Cleveland Browns have again restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson’s massive contract to create salary-cap space and give them future flexibility. Watson has been limited to just 19 games in three seasons because of an NFL suspension and injuries with the Browns, who signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in 2022. The restructuring allows the team to spread out the salary-cap hit after the 2026 season, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team does not disclose contract details.
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.
