December 11, 2023 4:38 am
CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his home debut for Cleveland, and the Browns survived a late rally by Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville for a 31-27 win. The 38-year-old Flacco delivered the kind of performance he had almost annually as a visitor with Baltimore. Flacco went 26 of 45 and improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland. Lawrence played despite spraining his right ankle Monday night. He threw three interceptions before rallying the Jaguars in the fourth quarter. His third TD pass — to Evan Engram with 1:33 left — pulled the Jaguars within four. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett sacked Lawrence on the 2-point conversion, and the Browns recovered an onside kick.
December 11, 2023 4:41 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Tylan Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 37-31 victory over Los Angeles, snapping the Rams’ three-game winning streak. Wallace, who committed a crucial penalty on special teams earlier in the game that led to points for Los Angeles, eluded a couple of tackles after fielding the punt and stayed on his feet when Shaun Jolly made a diving attempt at him along the left sideline. The Ravens remained atop the AFC standings, a half-game ahead of Miami. The Dolphins host Tennessee on Monday night.
December 11, 2023 4:44 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — In a span of six days, Jake Browning has gone from Joe Burrow’s little-known backup to the potential savior of the Bengals’ season. Making his third NFL start, the 27-year-old Browning was outstanding again on Sunday, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for a score as Cincinnati beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-14. With Burrow out for the season with a wrist injury, the Bengals seemed in danger of slipping into irrelevance before Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in a win at Jacksonville last Monday night. Browning’s follow-up performance was just as good, and it kept the Bengals (7-6) in the mix for a playoff spot. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with an interception against the playoff-contending Colts (7-6), whose four-game winning streak ended.
December 11, 2023 4:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pitt has hired Kade Bell as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Bell replaces Frank Cignetti, who was fired two weeks ago following the program’s worst season in 25 years. Bell comes to Pitt from Western Carolina, where he held the same position while helping the Catamounts become one of the most dynamic offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision. Western Carolina led the FCS in total offense this season while finishing third in passing yards and fourth in scoring. Pitt went 3-9 in 2023, its first nine-loss season since 1998. The offense was a major issue. The Panthers finished last in the 14-team ACC in points and scoring.
December 10, 2023 8:26 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed star outside linebacker T.J. Watt in concussion protocol. The perennial All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year candidate reported concussion-like symptoms to team doctors the day after a 21-18 loss to New England. Watt briefly exited the game in the first quarter after taking an inadvertent knee to the facemask from New England running back Ezekiel Elliott. Watt spent a brief period on the sideline before returning, recording five tackles while playing 51 of Pittsburgh’s 57 defensive snaps. He was held without a sack for the third time in 13 games.
December 10, 2023 5:00 am
Peters Township came up short in its bid for a state championship. The Indians fell to Imhotep Charter 38-13 in the 5A title game at Cumberland Valley. Peters Township’s defense had allowed only one team to score more than 20 points all season, but the Panthers did that by halftime. Quarterback Mikal Davis, who is an Army recruit, scored on three touchdown runs and threw for another. Peter Township finishes the season 15-1.
December 9, 2023 10:28 am
Just what the struggling Steelers didn’t need. More bad injury news. Reports say linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are in concussion protocol. Watt reported symptoms when he reported to the team facility for meetings and film study on Friday. The Steelers don’t play again until Saturday when they visit Indianapolis. Watt was injured on the first play of Thursday nights game with New England when he was hit under the chin by the knee of Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott. He returned after missing just a few plays and ended up playing 52 of 57 defensive snaps. Highsmith also left that game in the first quarter with what was reported as a neck injury and did not return.
December 9, 2023 4:44 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots, Eetu Luostarinen got the go-ahead goal in the third period and the Florida Panthers topped the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Friday night. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored a goal and Anton Lundell had two assists for the Panthers, who have won three of their last four games. Aleksander Barkov got an empty-netter to seal the win for Florida. Former Panthers forward Reilly Smith scored for Pittsburgh, which has dropped a season-high four straight to fall to 11-12-4. Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots for the Penguins.
December 10, 2023 5:00 am
NCAA President Charlie Baker’s call for sweeping changes in compensating athletes comes with the organization facing a series of high-profile lawsuits. Baker says some schools should be required to pay their athletes at least $30,000 a year, Tulane law professor Gabe Feldman says the plan is unlikely to protect the NCAA from ongoing lawsuits. Some of those cases could cost the NCAA and its member schools billions in payouts to current and former athletes.
December 9, 2023 4:47 am
GENEVA (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The decision removes the option of a blanket ban due to the invasion of Ukraine. It confirms moves the IOC started one year ago to reintegrate Russia and its military ally Belarus into global sports. In March, the IOC urged sports governing bodies to look at ways to let individual athletes compete. The IOC says eight Russians and three from Belarus in individual sports have so far qualified for Paris.
