Drake Maye leads the Patriots to a 28-24 win over the Ravens that clinches a playoff spot
BALTIMORE (AP) — Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Maye answered with a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play. Then Stevenson scored on a 21-yard run with 2:07 to play. The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter.
Steelers outlast Lions 29-24 in wild finish when penalty on St. Brown negates Goff’s winning TD
DETROIT (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have pushed the Detroit Lions to the brink of elimination from the playoffs thanks to a wild finish. Pittsburgh held on for a 29-24 win when Jared Goff’s touchdown on the final play was negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty on Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff threw a fourth-down pass to St. Brown just short of the goal line. The receiver pushed off cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get free, and before the Steelers could bring St. Brown to the ground, he threw the quarterback a lateral to set up an apparent score. Officials huddled for some time on the field before announcing the decision.
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson forced out of game against Patriots with a back injury
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson’s injury-plagued season has thrust Baltimore’s star quarterback to the sideline again. And there’s no guarantee the two-time NFL MVP will get back on the field in 2025. Jackson sustained a back bruise in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night. After being kneed by safety Craig Woodson just after the two-minute warning, Jackson handed the ball off to Keaton Mitchell before shuffling to the sideline during a timeout. It’s too early to determine if the injury will keep him out of Baltimore’s final two games.
Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins has dislocated ankle and broken leg
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was carted off with a right leg injury late in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills. He suffered the injury after catching a swing pass and being hit low by Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Officials initially ruled a fumble, but replay showed Judkins was down by contact. Before the injury, Judkins led NFL rookies with 784 rushing yards and was tied for first with seven rushing touchdowns. He had eight carries for 22 yards in the game.
Chiefs lose another QB to a knee injury. Gardner Minshew knocked out of loss to Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid says quarterback Gardner Minshew will have an MRI on his injured left knee. Minshew was hurt in the second quarter of the Chiefs’ 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It was the second straight game that Kansas City lost its starting QB to a knee injury. Patrick Mahomes tore two knee ligaments last week, ending his season. Chris Oladokun replaced Minshew and finished the game. Oladukun went 11 of 16 for 111 yards took four sacks in the first extensive action of his career.
Sidney Crosby breaks Penguins scoring record previously held by Mario Lemieux
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record with a goal and an assist in the first period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night. Crosby, who began the night one point behind Lemieux, now has 645 goals and 1,079 assists for 1,724 points in 1,387 games. It also moved him past Lemieux for the eighth-most points in NHL history. Crosby tipped Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 7:58 of the first period for a goal to tie the record. He then broke the mark with 7:20 left in the period when his shot on a power play hit Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell tapped the rebound behind Jakub Dobes. Crosby, Rust and Rakell embraced behind the net after the goal and the Penguins spilled over the bench to congratulate their captain.
White Sox add Munetaka Murakami with $34 million, 2-year contract
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger. The 25-year-old Murakami joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season. Murakami was the Central League’s MVP in 2021 and ’22 with the Yakult Swallows.
Steelers receiver DK Metcalf swipes at Lions fan leaning over railing in front row
DETROIT (AP) — Steelers receiver DK Metcalf swiped at a fan leaning over the railing in the front row at Ford Field during the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. Metcalf and the fan, wearing a black-and-blue shirt and a blue wig, were speaking to each other before the two-time Pro Bowler threw a right hand toward the man’s face. Metcalf did not appear to make much, if any contact. Although there wasn’t a penalty flag thrown on the field, the league will review the incident and Metcalf could face discipline.
Trevor Lawrence’s 4 TDs propel Jaguars past Broncos 34-20, ending Denver’s 11-game winning streak
DENVER (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 34-20 win over the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars snapped the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak and handed them their first home loss since October 2024. The Jaguars have won six straight games. Bo Nix threw for a career-high 335 yards but he wasn’t his usual sharp self as he threw an interception in crunch time, short-circuiting Denver’s comeback attempt.
Bulls beat the Hawks 152-150 in the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season
ATLANTA (AP) — Matas Buzelis scored 28 points to lead nine Chicago players in double figures and the Bulls outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 152-150 on Sunday in the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season. Chicago set season highs for points in a first half and game and held on in the closing seconds in the first of two straight games in Atlanta. The teams will meet again Tuesday night. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 36 points, and Trae Young had a season-high 35. The Hawks have lost three straight and seven of nine to fall back to .500 at 15-15. Buzelis made a career-high seven 3-pointers in eight attempts for the hot-shooting Bulls. They have won three straight to improve to 13-15.