The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a game they should not have lost Thursday night.
Entering the game tied with the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South lead at 7-6, the Buccaneers took a 28-14 lead over the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter. To that point, the Falcons had done a thorough job of beating themselves with a galling 19 penalties on the night, but then they finally started beating the Bucs.
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Even after the Falcons scored two touchdowns, with two failed 2-point attempts, Tampa Bay still managed to push them into a third-and-28. And then to a fourth-and-15. And still, they ended up losing 29-28 on a walk-off field goal.
QUESTION: “What do you tell them in the locker room after game like this?”
BOWLES: “It’s inexcusable. You don’t make excuses. You’ve got to f***ing care enough where this s*** hurts. You’ve got to f***ing care enough where this s*** hurts. It’s got f***ing mean something to you. It’s more than a job, it’s your f***ing livelihood.
“How well do you know your job, how well can you do your job? Well you can’t sugarcoat that s***. It was in-f***ing-excusable and there’s no f***ing answer for it. No excuse for it. That’s what you tell them in the locker room. Look in the f***ing mirror.”
“Disappointing, obviously, but it falls on my shoulders. Can’t turn the ball over, can’t have that interception.
“You can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense and that comes down to how I play. This one’s going to haunt me. This one falls on my shoulders.”
The loss leaves the Buccaneers second in the NFC South behind the Panthers with four games to play. Two of those games are still against the Panthers, so they still have time to right the ship, but they just lost most of their room for error in a supremely winnable game.
Week 15 is upon us as is our fantasy preview show for the weekend slate. Justin Boone joins Matt Harmon to breakdown every fantasy angle of Week 15. The two tackle Boone’s 6-pack of questions and Harmons’ 3 games of the week. The two then end the show with our wildly entertaining ‘hurry up offense’ segment.
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(1:00) – Matt’s solo TNF recap: Falcons 29, Buccaneers 28
(25:50) – Justin Boone’s 6 pack of fantasy questions for Week 15
(1:27:40) – Literally No One’s Games of the Week
(1:46:20) – Hurry Up Offense
Week 15 is upon us as is our fantasy preview show for the weekend slate. Justin Boone joins Matt Harmon to breakdown every fantasy angle of Week 15. The two tackle Boone’s 6-pack of questions and Harmons’ 3 games of the week. The two then end the show with our wildly entertaining ‘hurry up offense’ segment.
According to On3, the former Cleveland Browns head coach won’t return for a second season as the offensive coordinator on Bill Belichick’s staff. Additionally, ESPN reported that special teams coach Mike Priefer has been fired.
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Kitchens was retained by Belichick from Mack Brown’s staff after the ex-New England Patriots coach was hired in December of 2024. Kitchens was the team’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator in 2023 and 2024 and served as the interim coach in the Fenway Bowl at the end of the 2024 season after Brown’s departure. Kitchens was the only assistant who stayed at North Carolina from 2024 to 2025.
North Carolina’s offense struggled mightily in 2025. After the Tar Heels averaged nearly 31 points per game in a 6-7 season in 2024, UNC averaged just 19 points per game in 2025.
UNC didn’t score more than 27 points all season against an FBS opponent and had fewer than 20 points in seven games. The offense averaged just 4.9 yards a play and quarterbacks Gio Lopez, Max Johnson and Au’Tori Newkirk threw just 13 TD passes.
The possibility of Kitchens not returning to Chapel Hill was first publicly raised weeks ago as North Carolina scuffled to a 4-8 record and missed out on a bowl game for the first time in seven seasons. Instead of heading to the postseason in Belichick’s first season, the Tar Heels were blown out in their hyped Week 1 opener against TCU and then lost four straight games after wins over Charlotte and Richmond. UNC then closed the season on a three-game losing streak after back-to-back victories over Syracuse and Stanford.
Before working at UNC, Kitchens was an analyst for South Carolina for a season after working for two years with the Giants after his time with the Browns. Cleveland went 6-10 in his time in charge.
The downhill victory also made the 41-year-old Vonn the oldest woman ever to win a World Cup race.
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Vonn, a four-time World Champion, beat out Austria’s Magdalena Egger by 0.98 seconds with a time of 1 minute and 29.63 seconds for her first win since 2018.
“I knew I was skiing fast but you never know until the first race,” Vonn told TNT Sports. “I think I was a little faster than I expected. It’s a very exciting time.”
Vonn’s 83 World Cup wins are third all-time, men or women.
After retiring in 2019 due to knee problems, Vonn returned to competition in Dec. 2024 with an eye on qualifying for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics in Italy.
“Obviously my goal is Cortina, but if this is the way we start I think I’m in a good spot,” said Vonn.
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Vonn has dominated in her career at Cortina d’Ampezzo, the location of the women’s Olympic skiing competition in February, with 12 World Cup wins there. It’s a special place that played a factor in her deciding to come out of retirement.
“I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Cortina,” Vonn said in November. “If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it. But for me, there’s something special about Cortina that always pulls me back, and it’s pulled me back one last time.”
Vonn won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and picked up another bronze medal in downhill at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
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Vonn’s competition isn’t done in St. Moritz. She has another downhill race on Saturday and then a super-G on Sunday.
Kalei Mau, the partner of Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai, shared on social media Wednesday that the couple is mourning the loss of their unborn daughter, Ka ua.
In an Instagram post, Mau revealed that she developed a rare blood infection last month and was placed into a medically induced coma after being found unresponsive in bed. What Mau was dealing with was also affecting the baby, who passed away.
“I got an extremely rare blood infection. On November 20, I was placed in a medically induced coma after I was found unresponsive in my bed. I was asleep for six days. Unfortunately, with my organs failing and the sickness infecting my placenta, our baby passed away in my womb.
“Hours later, my body went into natural labor and Jahlani watched me deliver our baby unconscious. He said it was like my body just knew what to do.
“Her name is Ka ua, which means ‘The Rain’ in Olelo O Hawai’i. And with Ka ua, everything grows. By the grace of God and the power of prayer, I woke up and it was clear what I had to continue to live for. Thank you, Jesus.
“The day after I got out of the hospital, I got to kiss my daughter for the first and last time. She was perfect to me. It was so hard to leave her. But when I walked outside it started to rain and it brought me joy to know she’ll always be with me.”
Tavai was not with the Patriots for their Nov. 23 game in Cincinnati against the Bengals. The reason for his absence was labeled as a personal matter.
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Despite not being with the team, Tavai’s teammates did not forget about him during their 26-20 win. Following Hunter Henry’s second quarter touchdown, the tight end dedicated the score to Tavai.
The Patriots also showed their support by FaceTiming Tavai after the game.
“We just wanted him to know how much we love him, how much we care for him, and how much we care for everything he’s got going on. We’re brothers,” Henry said.
When Tavai returned to the Patriots for their Dec. 1 game against the New York Giants, head coach Mike Vrabel made Tavai a captain and the linebacker leader later broke down the team huddle following their 33-15 win.
“These guys have built a bond that I want to try to just help nurture and help grow throughout the team,” Vrabel said. “Jahlani is somebody like that. You see everybody reaching out and caring for each other, not just him. But it was great to see him out there, play defense, help us on special teams. He made some plays and contributed to us winning.”
Hello Yahoo! I’m Derek Carty of EV Analytics and the creator ofTHE BLITZ projection system, which if you have Yahoo+, you’ll notice is available this year to help you manage your teams. Each Friday morning, I’ll be digging into three players projected to play above their usual level, and three players projected to play below their usual level.
Last week’s list was a combination of hits and misses, with expected disappointments like Chris Olave and Tyjae Spears indeed disappointing, but we didn’t get the spike games from Deebo Samuel Sr. or Emeka Egbuka that we were hoping for. On to Week 15 …
Week 15 vs. ROS: 17.3 PPR points vs. 14.3 PPR points per game
After fumbling twice last week, Bhayshul Tuten was effectively benched, giving Etienne the highest share of the snaps (72%) he’s had in any week all year. While Jacksonville will likely want to get Tuten back involved, there’s always the chance it won’t, or that Etienne’s share of the pie will be larger than normal following last week. And it couldn’t come at a better time, given the Jaguars’ fourth-highest team total of the week (27.25) and the 13-point spread they’re being given against the Jets. This should mean lots of opportunities for Etienne to run the ball and to find the end zone. Wheels up.
Ferguson has one of the wider man/zone splits among relevant NFL tight ends, but he hasn’t had the benefit of facing many zone-heavy defensive schemes this year. That changes in Week 15 when he squares off against the team that runs more zone shells than any other: the Vikings. Combined with CeeDee Lamb’s (who may not play) and George Pickens’ splits that favor man shells, this sets up as a potential spike week for Ferguson after a string of ho-hum performances.
Meyers has found new life since joining the Jaguars at the trade deadline. While it took a bit of time to get up to speed in Liam Coen’s complex offense, Meyers has quietly established himself as the clear alpha here, ahead of Brian Thomas Jr. Meyers’ target shares the last four weeks: 30%, 21%, 26%, 30%. He’s also being utilized in the ground game far more than he was with Las Vegas, tallying three carries just last week. Meyers has always been one of the most underrated receivers from a talent perspective, and now that he’s in a competent offense, he could be a nice playoff surprise for those who had the patience to stick with him.
Taylor has been nothing short of a fantasy star this year, but his team situation suddenly becomes much different following the season-ending injury to Daniel Jones. It’s looking like Philip Rivers will be under center for Indy this Sunday, and it’s anyone’s guess how much he still has left in the tank. Betting markets aren’t optimistic, giving the Colts a mere 14.5 implied team total — 13.5 points below the opposing Seahawks. In a game where they figure to be trailing big, that means far fewer rush opportunities than Taylor has become accustomed to, along with a much lower chance of a TD.
Week 15 vs. ROS: 17.8 PPR points vs. 21.7 PPR points per game
Jeanty has been a favorite sleeper of mine for a few weeks, but this week, he is in a very similar situation to Taylor. His quarterback is also hurt, with Kenny Pickett likely taking the snaps this week. Betting markets give the Raiders an even worse 13.25 implied team total — 11.5 below opposing Philly. While Jeanty is much more involved in the passing game than Taylor is and could make up some fantasy points that way, the situation is ultimately very similar, where the team may not be able to run all that much and is unlikely to score many touchdowns.
Franklin has been a popular waiver wire pickup at times this year, but he’s looking like an easy drop candidate heading into the fantasy playoffs. His route share has been plummeting the past few weeks, dropping from 88% in Week 10 to 79% to 67%, all the way to 39% last week. It’s a crowded wide receiver room in Denver, and Franklin appears to be on the outside looking in. He’s not trustworthy in a fantasy context except by the extremely desperate.
There’s a good chance you scrolled through social media prior to the 2025 season and saw some pretty funny Kyle Pitts Sr. memes circulating. They were mostly centered around Pitts not living up to his lofty expectations coming into the league. While those likely made you laugh, it was Pitts laughing on the other end in Week 15 if you played him in the fantasy football playoffs.
The Falcons TE entered Thursday Night Football versus the Bucs as the TE12 in fantasy overall. By the end of the game, he became the TE2 in fantasy scoring, all with one fell swoop.
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Pitts had the game of his career against Tampa Bay, hauling in 11 of 12 targets for 166 yards and three touchdowns to help Atlanta pull off the upset 29-28 win.
The 40.1 fantasy points from Pitts were the highest total of any tight end all season. In fact, our own Yahoo analyst Matt Harmon rattled off some stats for Pitts after the game; you can watch his full recap here. It was the best performance from a TE in half-PPR scoring since 2002, when Broncos TE Shannon Sharpe had 39.4 fantasy points in a game versus the Chiefs. Yes, the same Sharpe you’ve seen on TV.
Pitts was started in 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues this week, most of those matchups being playoff games for managers. Needless to say, if you faced Pitts, you’re in a major hole to begin your postseason bout. If you started Pitts, you made one of the best decisions of your life (at least in terms of fantasy). Nobody saw this coming — not even Pitts saw this coming (probably).
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This single game accounted for 7% of his entire career fantasy point production. To put that in perspective, Pitts is in his fifth NFL season and has appeared in 75 regular-season games, racking up 269 catches on 430 targets with 14 touchdowns. The three scores on TNF accounted for 21% of his career TD total. The 40.1 points came 0.1 short of matching his fantasy points from Weeks 9-14 combined.
We can go on and on and on with more stats about how insane this game was from Pitts and what it meant for fantasy playoff matchups. But we must move on and look ahead to the Sunday slate. Regardless if this is a turning point for Pitts in his up-and-down career or not, we will always remember this TNF performance.
The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.
If you need help setting your fantasy football lineups for Week 15, Scott Pianowski offers some assistance.
Start-sit decisions can be vexing for even the best of fantasy managers, especially as we navigate the bye-week season. Here’s our Week 15 traffic report to help you set those lineups.
Green Light ✅
TE Harold Fannin Jr. at Bears: Perhaps the genie is out of the bottle after Fannin’s 8-114-1 explosion against Tennessee. The weather will be frigid in Chicago, but Fannin went to Bowling Green and now plays for Cleveland — he’s used to these conditions. More importantly, he shows rapport with fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders.
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RB Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Jets: He’s held off all challenges in the Jacksonville backfield, with Tank Bigsby getting traded and Bhayshul Tuten getting benched after fumbles last week. Etienne should get all the work he can handle in a positive game script against the Jets, and the New York rushing defense has struggled all year.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson vs. Commanders: Over the past six weeks, Robinson has quietly totaled the most catches and targets at the wide receiver position. Robinson can be a needle-mover in the fantasy playoffs, starting with a Washington secondary that’s been exploited all year.
QB Marcus Mariota at Giants: He’s been a handy substitute when needed, checking in as the QB3, QB9 and QB13 in his last three starts. Terry McLaurin is healthy again and the Giants defense has been a mess all year, setting up Mariota to be a sleeper quarterback in Week 15.
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Yellow Light 😕
RB TreVeyon Henderson vs. Bills: The Buffalo rushing defense is a matchup to exploit, but the last time we saw the Patriots, Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson were in a 50-50 timeshare (Henderson had 14 touches, Stevenson 15). Both backs are worth consideration in Week 15, but neither is a slam dunk.
WR Michael Wilson at Texans: He’s performed like a WR1 when Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn’t played, and Harrison (heel) will likely sit Week 15. But we need to downgrade Wilson to WR2 status against the NFL’s best overall defense.
TE Isaiah Likely at Bengals: Given that he’s the No. 2 tight end on his own team, I can’t quite push Likely into the green section. But he was Baltimore’s best player the last time they faced the Bengals (5-95-0), and he saw plenty of goal-line activity last week, scoring once and just missing a second touchdown. He’s earned a role here.
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RB Kareem Hunt vs. Chargers: He hasn’t been an explosive back for some time, averaging a pedestrian 3.6 yards per carry since the beginning of 2022. But the Chiefs call his number plenty (80 carries in five weeks), and Hunt also has six touchdowns in his last six games. Hunt holds flex appeal for Week 15.
Red Light 🚨
RB David Montgomery at Rams: The Detroit backfield now belongs to Jahmyr Gibbs, with Montgomery totaling just 32 touches the last four games. Montgomery needs to score a touchdown to meet his fantasy quota, and he’s not active enough in the passing game to carry Week 15 upside.
RB Tony Pollard at 49ers: His Week 14 smash game at Cleveland (25-161-2) came out of nowhere, his first finish inside the top 12 this season. But the Titans might have to junk the running game early at San Francisco as 12.5-point underdogs. We skate to where the puck is headed, not where it’s been.
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WR Michael Pittman Jr. at Seahawks: Philip Rivers returns to the NFL after a five-year absence, as the slumping Colts are in desperation mode after losing Daniel Jones. Seattle’s defense has been outstanding all year, and it’s particularly stingy against wide receivers. Root for the Rivers story, but keep your common sense.
TE Oronde Gadsden II vs. Chiefs: He’s hit the rookie wall in the final quarter of the year, and the Chargers likely want to employ a conservative game plan as they manage an injured Justin Herbert (hand) and a makeshift offensive line. Consider every piece of the LAC passing game a downgrade this week.
When the Atlanta Falcons declared Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, the next obvious step seemed to be for the team to cut or trade Kirk Cousins.
They kept him around. It’s not like Cousins’ big game saves the Falcons’ season or anything, but he and Kyle Pitts Sr. delivered a satisfying win that might end up ruining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season.
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Cousins had 373 yards, 166 of which went to Pitts, and three touchdowns that went to Pitts, and a last-second, 43-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez gave Atlanta a 29-28 win.
The Buccaneers fell to 7-7, a half-game behind the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South. It has been a tough time for Cousins, who was benched last season and lost his job. He got it back due to a season-ending knee injury to Penix. He had been written off at age 37. But for one night at least, the Falcons looked smart for keeping him on the roster.
Kyle Pitts has tremendous first half
Kyle Pitts decided that Thursday night was the right time to have the best half of his NFL career.
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Pitts, who had one touchdown in the Falcons’ previous 13 games, scored twice before halftime. He hadn’t had a 100-yard game all season before Thursday, but had six catches for 111 yards in the first half. Pitts was the first tight end with 100 yards and two touchdowns in a half since San Francisco’s George Kittle did it in Week 13 of 2021, according to NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno. Hopefully you didn’t face Pitts in the first round of your fantasy football playoff matchup.
Pitts’ enormous half carried the Falcons to a 14-13 halftime lead.
The Buccaneers stayed in the game, and eventually took back the lead in the second half because the Falcons are a mistake-prone team. Atlanta had a ton of penalties. In the third quarter, an illegal contact on Falcons cornerback Dee Alford turned a third-and-goal incompletion from the 13-yard line into a first down, and Baker Mayfield hit tight end Devin Culp for a 6-yard touchdown and a 20-14 lead. Atlanta was the first team with at least 18 penalties in a game since the Browns in 2019, according to the Amazon Prime Video broadcast. Atlanta finished with 19 penalties, yet still walked away with a victory.
Late in the third quarter, Bijan Robinson caught a pass over the middle and fumbled when he was hit. The Bucs recovered and a few plays later Chris Godwin Jr. caught a touchdown. A 2-point conversion to Godwin gave the Buccaneers a 28-14 lead.
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The Falcons kept making mistakes, but so did the Buccaneers.
Mayfield threw an interception to Alford in the fourth quarter in Falcons territory, shortly after Robinson scored to pull Atlanta to a 28-20 deficit. They went for the 2-point conversion and didn’t get it, which would matter later.
Atlanta avoided another big mistake when Darnell Mooney fumbled at Tampa Bay’s 10-yard line but somehow three Buccaneers couldn’t secure the recovery and the Falcons got it back. Pitts juggled a pass and it looked like his elbow might have hit out of bounds, but officials ruled that his backside landed in bounds first and the Falcons had a touchdown.
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But because the Falcons had failed on a 2-point conversion earlier, they had to go for another 2-point conversion and Cousins threw incomplete under pressure.
The Buccaneers couldn’t put the game away. They had to punt it away. The Falcons got saved on an unusual ruling, when Cousins fumbled but it was ruled that the recovery was simultaneous between the two teams so the offense kept possession. The Falcons kept moving backward, and a holding penalty put them in a second-and-28. On fourth-and-14, Cousins found David Sills for a first-down catch. The Buccaneers not being able to get off the field after Atlanta faced a third-and-28 might cost them a division title.
The Falcons finished the drive and got a field goal as time expired. If the Buccaneers miss the playoffs, they’ll wonder how Cousins knocked them out of a division title.
Live coverage is over87 updates
Kirk Cousins: 30-of-44, 373 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT Bijan Robinson: 175 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches, 1 TD Kyle Pitts: 11 catches, 166 yards, 3 TDs on 12 targets
Baker Mayfield: 19-for-34, 277 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Mike Evans: 6 catches, 132 yards on 12 targets
That’s a mortifying loss for the Bucs, who cede control of the NFC South to the Carolina Panthers. All they had to do was prevent Kirk Cousins from converting on 3rd-and-28, then 4th-and-14.
The Bucs went up 28-14 in the fourth quarter, then allowed two touchdowns and a game-winning field goal to choke away a vital win in the playoff race.
The Falcons won despite committing 19 penalties, mostly thanks to superlative nights from Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson.
It will be a 43-yard field goal attempt for Zane Gonzalez to win this.
David Sills V gets it! Kirk Cousins hits him downfield for a 20-yard gain. The Falcons are in field goal range.
It’s 4th-and-14 now and the Falcons are going for it with under a minute left.
And then the Falcons’ 19th penalty of the night pushes them back to 2nd-and-28.
Wow, Haason Reddick gets the ball loose from Kirk Cousins, but the officials call simultaneous recovery, which gives the ball to the offense. Close call for the Falcons.
The Buccaneers’ next drive goes nowhere and they’re facing 4th-and-14 in their own territory at the 2-minute warning. Against all odds, it looks like the Falcons are going to have a chance to win this.
Bijan Robinson: 93 rushing yards on 18 carries, 1 rushing TD, plus 8 catches and 82 receiving yards on 11 targets
They have 327 of the Falcons’ 426 yards tonight, and only three fewer yards than the Bucs have total.
The call stands, which is not a popular decision in Tampa Bay. However, the 2-point attempt fails so the Bucs still lead. There is going to be a lot of second-guessing of Atlanta’s decision to go for 2 on the last TD.
Have a night Kyle Pitts. The tight end hauls in his third touchdown of the night, but it’s under review. This could be close.
Hoo boy, the Falcons were on the verge of the red zone and got in there on a pass to Darnell Mooney, but Lavonte David rips the ball out. Somehow, the Falcons recover, but that was close.
Dee Alford picks it off! Baker Mayfield didn’t see him drifting in and suddenly the Falcons have a chance to tie this.
Falcons up to 18 penalties. Five of them are on A.J. Terrell, who’s having a rough night with Mike Evans.
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🚨 Headlines
🏈 Falcons stun Bucs on TNF: The Falcons stormed back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Buccaneers, 29-28, on a walk-off field goal. At one point, Tampa Bay’s win probability was 97.1%.
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⚽️ FIFA blasted for pricing: Fans are furious with FIFA’s latest World Cup ticket price hike. Get-in prices have risen by hundreds of dollars for some games and the affordable tickets long promised appear to be scarce, if not entirely unattainable.
🏈 SEC schedule release: The SEC’s inaugural nine-game conference schedule next season features a real doozy in Week 3, when new LSU coach Lane Kiffin is set to return to Oxford to face his former team.
Rivers pictured during Wednesday’s practice. (Indianapolis Colts)
Philip Rivers is a grandfather. He hasn’t played an NFL snap in almost five years. And on Sunday, he could start for the Colts.
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From Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein:
In the heat of the 2023 NFL season, an AFC team with a chance at the playoffs faced a dilemma. The club’s starting QB was out for the year with a fractured shoulder. The remaining QB room was shallow and soon to get shallower.
But the Browns’ defense ranked first overall that season. And at 7-3, they were just half a game out of the division lead. So on Nov. 20, 2023, Cleveland signed a 38-year-old Joe Flacco off the couch.
He’d been throwing two to three times a week with his brother while without an NFL roster spot all season and running some to keep his fitness up. “I definitely believe,” Flacco said two days after the signing, “I can still play.”
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Four 300-yard passing games in five starts, a Browns playoff berth and a still-now-revived NFL tenure suggest Flacco was right that he could.
Rivers pictured during the 2020 season with the Colts. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Philip Rivers’ unretirement this week to join the Colts is far from a clean parallel. And yet, the recent memory of Flacco tempts coaches, executives and players around the NFL to wonder: What if?
To be clear, Rivers is 44 years old, six more senior than Flacco at that signing. Rivers’ last NFL action came 59 months ago, a far cry from Flacco’s 11-month layoff. And Rivers’ omission of any clear throwing routine he’s recently followed suggests that his recent readiness probably doesn’t resemble that of 2023 Flacco.
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And yet, as the Colts took snaps in individual drills Thursday, reporters saw Rivers leading the charge. His chance to start against the Seahawks on Sunday is very real, as is the energy he’s bringing to the team after Daniel Jones joined fellow QB Anthony Richardson Sr. on injured reserve.
Will the admittedly not-mobile-in-his-prime-and-certainly-not-now Rivers be able to step back into form against the league’s No. 2 defense well enough to produce and stay healthy?
Head coach Shane Steichen said the club will take its decision day by day, as the Colts also assess sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard’s knee injury recovery.
But the tone from Rivers, Steichen and teammates did not suggest he was leaving his family and risking his 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist status (for at least five years) to ride the bench as a mentor.
The MLB Winter Meetings have come and gone, and though a few significant deals came together in Orlando, most of the biggest names are still out there waiting to be signed.
Who’s off the board? 16 of our Top 50 free agents have inked new contracts so far this offseason.
Kyle Schwarber, DH (our No. 3 free agent): Staying with the Phillies (5 years, $150M)
Pete Alonso, 1B (5): Going to the Orioles (5 years, $155M)
Dylan Cease, SP (10): Going to the Blue Jays (7 years, $210M)
Edwin Díaz, RP (11): Going to the Dodgers (3 years, $69M)
Josh Naylor, 1B (15): Staying with the Mariners (5 years, $92.5M)
Trent Grisham, OF (16): Accepted Yankees qualifying offer (1 year, $22M)
Devin Williams, RP (27): Going to the Mets (3 years, $51M)
Robert Suárez, RP (28): Going to the Braves (3 years, $45M)
Mike Yastrzemski, OF (31): Going to the Braves (2 years, $23M)
Ryan Helsley, RP (33): Going to the Orioles (2 years, $28M)
Cedric Mullins, OF (34): Going to the Rays (1 year, $7M)
Raisel Iglesias, RP (45): Staying with the Braves (1 year, $16M)
Anthony Kay, SP (50): Going to the White Sox (2 years, $12M)
Who’s still available? 34 of our Top 50 are still available, including 12 of our top 20.
Top 20 hitters: Kyle Tucker, OF (1); Alex Bregman, 3B (2); Bo Bichette, SS (4); Munetaka Murakami, IF (6); Cody Bellinger, OF (7); Kazuma Okamoto, 3B (13); Jorge Polanco, 2B (18)
The rest: Lucas Giolito, SP (21); JT Realmuto, C (23); Eugenio Suárez, 3B (24); Ha-Seong Kim, SS (25); Luis Arraez, IF (26); Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/OF (29); Harrison Bader, OF (30); Luke Weaver, RP (32); Willi Castro, UTIL (35); Merrill Kelly, SP (36); Tyler Mahle, SP (37); Zach Eflin, SP (38); Zack Littell, SP (39); Griffin Canning, SP (40); Max Kepler, OF (41); Miguel Andújar, OF (42); Rob Refsnyder, OF (43); Brad Keller, RP (44); Chris Bassitt, SP (46); José Quintana, SP (47); Justin Verlander, SP (48); Marcell Ozuna, DH (49)
📺 Weekend Watchlist
Army Cadets watch play behind a pair of Navy players at last year’s game. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
🏈 Army vs. Navy
Army (6-5) and Navy (9-2) face off on Saturday at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium in the 126th edition of America’s Game(3pm ET, CBS). The Midshipmen, who won last year, hold a 63-55-7 advantage in the rivalry over the Black Knights.
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What’s at stake: The winner will clinch this year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy as the winner of the annual series among the three service academies. Additionally, if Navy wins, it will mark the first time in program history they’ve won at least 10 games in back-to-back years.
🏈 NFL Week 15
Sunday is chock-full of critical matchups with playoff implications, headlined by a clash atop the AFC East, a meeting of first-place teams in Denver and the Chiefs’ potential 2025 swan song.
Bills at Patriots (1pm, CBS): New England (11-2) can clinch its first division title since 2019 by beating Buffalo (9-4) for the second time this season.
Packers at Broncos (4:25pm, CBS): Green Bay (9-3-1) leads Chicago by a half-game in the NFC North, while Denver (11-2) leads the Chargers by two games in the AFC West.
Lions at Rams (4:25pm, Fox): Detroit (7-5), coming off a victory, has alternated wins and losses every week since starting 4-1. The Rams (10-3) remain the Super Bowl betting favorites.
Best of the rest: The surging Seahawks (10-3) host the flailing Colts (8-5) in Seattle (4:25pm, CBS); the Bengals (4-9) host the division rival Ravens (6-7), who are a game behind Pittsburgh (1pm, CBS); the Cowboys (6-6-1) host the Vikings (5-8) on “Sunday Night Football” (8:20pm, NBC).
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🏀 NBA Cup Semifinals
The in-season tournament continues in Las Vegas on Saturday night, where the Magic face the Knicks in the East final (5:30pm, Prime) and the Thunder face the Spurs — who may get Victor Wembanyama back from injury — in the West final (9pm, Prime).
Historic start: The Thunder (24-1) are tied with the 2015-16 Warriors for the best 25-game start ever, and their scoring differential (+437) is significantly better than any other team through 25 games in NBA history.
🏈 FCS Playoffs
The quarterfinals kick off tonight, and the Final Four will be set by tomorrow evening.
Schedule: No. 7 Stephen F. Austin at No. 2 Montana State (Fri. 9pm, ESPN); No. 12 Villanova at No. 4 Tarleton State (Sat. 12pm, ESPN); No. 11 South Dakota at No. 3 Montana (Sat. 3:30pm, ABC); Illinois State at No. 8 UC Davis (Sat. 5pm, ESPN+).
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⚽️ Men’s College Cup
The Final Four kicks off tonight in Cary, North Carolina, where No. 16 Furman takes on Washington in the first semifinal (6pm, ESPNU) and No. 15 NC State takes on Saint Louis in the second (8:30pm, ESPNU).
A long time coming: Furman, Washington and NC State have never won a national championship, and though Saint Louis has a record 10 titles, the last one came all the way back in 1973.
More to watch:
🏐 NCAA Volleyball: Sweet 16, Elite Eight (Fri-Sun, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2) … The Final Four will be determined this weekend.
🏀 NCAAW: No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 23 Oklahoma State (Sat. 4pm, ESPNU); No. 1 UConn at No. 16 USC (Sat. 5:30pm, Fox); No. 2 Texas vs. No. 13 Baylor (Sun. 1pm, ABC); No. 22 Louisville at No. 12 North Carolina (Sun. 4pm, ACC)
🏒 NHL: Oilers at Canadiens (Sun. 7pm, NHL) … Connor McDavid has recorded 12 points in his last four games to climb into second on the league leaderboard, with 48.
🏈 Celebration Bowl: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M (Sat. 12pm, ABC) … Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosts the de facto HBCU National Championship.
⚽️ Premier League: Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City (Sun. 9am, NBC) … Second place vs. fourth place.
⛳️ Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational (Fri-Sun, Golf/NBC) … Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida, hosts the third annual edition of this co-ed event featuring 16 teams of PGA and LPGA golfers paired together.
🏒 Women’s Hockey: USA vs. Canada (Sat. 9pm, NHL) … Edmonton hosts the fourth and final game in this year’s Rivalry Series.
🐂 PBR: Unleash The Beast (Fri-Sat, 8pm, Paramount+) … The new Professional Bull Riders season opens in Manchester, New Hampshire.
This time last season, there were 18 calf injuries at the 20-game mark. This season, it’s up to 25 incidents, representing an increase of nearly 40%. More significant, however, is the elongated recovery timeline of these injuries. The number of games lost due to calf injuries, through 20 games played, skyrocketed from 36 to 108. A tripling of last season’s total.
Boston’s recent surge with Brown at quarterback (the team owns the league’s No. 1 offense over the past two weeks) and its quality of wins (a combined 4-2 against the Pistons, Knicks and Cavaliers) are forcing a recalibration of the Eastern Conference hierarchy in what was supposed to be a gap year.
In the last month, while Morant has been sidelined, something amazing happened: The Grizzlies started winning by running, cutting and sharing the ball. When Morant is on the floor, the Grizzlies make the fewest passes per half-court possession of any team in the NBA. They stop operating as a team and start functioning as an audience for one man. When he sits? They make the third-most passes. From last to third. Just by removing one person.
🇺🇸 Academy trivia
U.S. Naval Academy graduates throw their caps during the 2025 graduation and commissioning ceremony. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Question: Where are the three service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) located? Please provide city and state.
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Answer at the bottom.
🎓 ICYMI: Charlie Baker interview
(Porter Binks/Getty Images).
In just a few short years, sports betting has gone from an occasional Vegas detour to a constant presence in American life. A tap away on your phone. A fixture in every commercial break. A storyline woven into every game.
As betting has surged, so have the ripple effects: social media abuse, integrity concerns, pressure on athletes, and an entirely new culture forming around wins, losses, and prop bets. College sports sits at the center of that storm. So I spoke with NCAA President Charlie Baker (no relation) about what he’s seeing, what worries him and what comes next.
Trivia answer: West Point (New York), Annapolis (Maryland), Colorado Springs (Colorado)
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