National Sports

By JOE REEDY – AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers could have their AFC playoff seeding locked in before going to bed Saturday night in Las Vegas. When it comes to Jim Harbaugh’s plans for playing or resting his starters, he is keeping things close to the vest as

By TERESA M. WALKER – AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blake Craig kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter, his second a 56-yarder with 4:36 left as No. 23 Missouri rallied to beat Iowa 27-24 on Monday in the Music City Bowl. Missouri trailed 24-14 when the Tigers started the comeback, scoring

By AP AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Auckland tennis classic, saying a back injury she has been nursing in recent weeks had not improved as much as she hoped. The 22-year-old British player was seeded sixth for the tournament and was due to play her

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. – AP Pro Football Writer Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have one more game left before bidding farewell to what has been a miserable season. An offseason of uncertainty will follow for the quarterback and the franchise, but the four-time MVP will start the finale at home Sunday against

By GREG BEACHAM – AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday with gratitude for his basketball longevity and optimism about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. And when James was asked how he’ll know when it’s finally time to retire, the top scorer in NBA

By AP NEW YORK (AP) — The Dallas Stars were fined $100,000 by the National Hockey League on Monday for an optional practice session during the mandatory Christmas break that was attended by several young players. That session the day after Christmas was in violation of the collective bargaining agreement. Any sort of on-ice activity

By SCHUYLER DIXON – AP Sports Writer Micah Parsons had never seen anything close to a losing record with the Dallas Cowboys, or at Penn State, and didn’t have any reason to believe his fourth NFL season would be different. Even after a stunning and gutting blowout loss to Green Bay at home in a

By DAVE CAMPBELL – AP Pro Football Writer EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings had just retaken possession with a precarious two-point lead on Green Bay right before the two-minute warning, badly needing to drain the clock and stem the momentum the Packers seized down the stretch. Convention calls for running the ball. Coach

By FRED GOODALL – AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The stakes aren’t as high as they were when No. 11 Alabama and Michigan last met in the postseason, however the Crimson Tide and Wolverines say they’re excited about their New Years Eve matchup in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Tuesday’s game at Raymond James Stadium

By AP ROME (AP) — Benjamín Domínguez scored a brace for Bologna but a red card for Tommaso Pobega and a late own-goal by Santiago Castro sent the host team crashing to a 3-2 defeat against Verona in Serie A on Monday. Domínguez scored in the 20th and 58th minutes, either side of a Verona

By JOE REEDY – AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ask anyone on Ohio State’s offense what the biggest difference is for Oregon on defense going into Wednesday’s Rose Bowl, and the near unanimous answer is Jordan Burch. The senior defensive end did not play in the first meeting on Oct. 12 after he

By AP GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft’s low block on Patrick Jones apparently didn’t lead to any serious injury for the Minnesota Vikings edge rusher. However, it did produce plenty of debate between the two NFC North rivals. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday that he wasn’t ruling

By AP LONDON (AP) — Alexander Isak scored for the sixth straight Premier League game as Newcastle beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford on Monday to condemn Ruben Amorim’s side to its worst home run in the top tier since the 1970s. Relegation-threatened Ipswich beat Chelsea 2-0 to win at home for the first

By AP LONDON (AP) — Former England soccer manager Gareth Southgate has been given a knighthood in the New Year Honors list. Southgate led England to two consecutive European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semifinals, making him the most successful incumbent since Alf Ramsey. The 54-year-old Southgate, who left the role shortly after

By BRIAN MELLEY – Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Actors Carey Mulligan and Stephen Fry and author Kazuo Ishiguro were awarded New Year Honors on Monday that celebrate artists, athletes, politicians and others who make notable contributions to British society. Mulligan, a winner of a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for “An

By BRETT MARTEL – AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — What looked like such a promising season for the New Orleans Saints back in mid-September will instead go down as their worst since the franchise was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and went 3-13 in 2005. The Saints (5-11) have lost three straight and four

By PAUL NEWBERRY – AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Two games into the Michael Penix Jr. era, it’s clear the Atlanta Falcons are in good hands at quarterback. Trouble is, there might not be enough time to salvage a trip to the playoffs. A gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders, who rallied from a

By TOM WITHERS – AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns celebrated the anniversary of clinching a playoff berth by scoring three points, losing their home finale in front of a half-filled stadium and improving their 2025 draft position. A season of colossal failure plunged to a new low Sunday. And there’s still

By LARRY LAGE – AP Sports Writer EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jaden Akins scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half, helping No. 18 Michigan State build a double-digit lead to set up an 80-62 win over Western Michigan on Monday. The Spartans (11-2) have won six in a row and nine

By JOHN WAWROW – AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — There was plenty of back slapping going around in the immediate aftermath of the Buffalo Bills defense’s dominating performance over Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. Three takeaways, four sacks — including one for a safety — and chasing Rodgers to the

By ALANIS THAMES – AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — There are several unknowns for the Miami Dolphins entering their regular-season finale, beginning with their starting quarterback. Coach Mike McDaniel said the Dolphins are in a “gray area” with Tua Tagovailoa after the quarterback was scratched ahead of Sunday’s win at Cleveland because

By STEVE MEGARGEE – AP Sports Writer Sam Darnold’s ability to pick apart Green Bay’s defense underscored one of the biggest challenges facing the Packers as they head into the playoffs. Injuries to the secondary have left the Packers vulnerable against quality passing attacks. Jaire Alexander, the Packers’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, missed a sixth

By AP BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Record-setting tight end Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green will pass on his final season of college football and enter the NFL draft. Fannin, who set Football Bowl Subdivision tight end records for receiving yards and receptions, announced his decision on social media Monday. Fannin caught 117 passes

By AP NEW YORK (AP) — The final viewership numbers are in for the NBA’s five games on Christmas Day and they were even better than first thought, the league and ESPN announced Monday. An average of 5.335 million viewers tuned in for the five games that spanned 13 hours on ESPN platforms, according to

By MICHAEL MAROT – AP Sports Writer Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen tried to provide answers after Sunday’s embarrassing playoff-eliminating loss to the New York Giants. His responses only created more questions. After seeing his injured starting quarterback sit out again and the defense turn in yet another baffling performance, Indy’s second-year coach struggled to

By MARK LONG – AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A question is hovering over the Jacksonville Jaguars lately: How appealing would the openings be if owner Shad Khan fires coach Doug Pederson and/or general manager Trent Baalke? They might be the best NFL jobs available, especially if Khan cleans house for the