Tag: Fox Sport News

The ups and downs in the NBA have made for a more exciting start to fantasy basketball in High Score’s inaugural season in 2025-26. One minute you’re topping the High Score leaderboard for the week with 99 fantasy points. The next, you’re exiting a game early with a leg contusion. But it doesn’t matter after that High Score is locked in. We’ve preached this plenty over the past couple months — it takes only one game and volatility isn’t always a bad thing.

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. It’s not too late to create or join a league]

Let’s talk a bit about the player we’re alluding to above and the rest of the perfect lineup for High Score from Week 9 of the NBA season.

More on the top performers

Luka Dončić, guard: We were reminded of Dončić’s ceiling with his 99-point performance on Thursday against the Jazz. He finished with 45 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists, plus five steals for 99 fantasy points. It was his second game all season with over 90 fantasy points and first game of 80+ points since Nov. 25, nearly a month ago. We’ve seen Dončić do this dance — missing time due to injury but being able to post a big High Score total. As the Lakers continue to deal with injuries (both to rotation players and Dončić), the superstar will have an increased ceiling.

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Cooper Flagg, guard: The Mavericks’ rookie phenom makes his first appearance in the perfect lineup for High Score. He started to show flashes back in November and his scoring has really come on of late. Flagg has at least 22 points in four straight games, one of those contests his 42-point explosion against Utah to start Week 9. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points, breaking a record held by LeBron James. Flagg is currently a top-30 asset in High Score and he should only get better with more experience.

Nikola Jokić, frontcourt: This story is obviously all about highlighting top performances but for Jokić that isn’t uncommon. What is uncommon is when he doesn’t post a lopsided fantasy point total. So we’re going to shift our focus to that since all we do in this piece week-to-week is talk about how incredible Jokić is at basketball. After opening the week with 86 fantasy points against the Rockets, he faced them for a second time on Saturday and posted a season-low 42 fantasy points on 25-7-5. The big man only played 29 minutes as Houston jumped out to a 16-point lead after the third quarter. Don’t get used to this but know that a team with talent like the Rockets and the length to defend Jokić can slow him down.

Jalen Johnson, frontcourt: We’d been waiting for Johnson to come back down to Earth with the return of Trae Young. It seems head coach Quin Snyder is going to ease Young back into the rotation. The Hawks PG was held to just 20 minutes in his return from injury on Thursday in Charlotte. That meant another game with ATL running the offense through Johnson, who finished with 43 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 stocks for 78 fantasy points. It was Johnson’s ninth straight game with at least a double-double. So long as Young is being restricted, Johnson will maintain his high fantasy ceiling.

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Lauri Markkanen, frontcourt: He started off the week on the right foot but has missed the past two games due to a groin injury. Markkanen and teammate Keyonte George combined to score 70 points in an OT win over the Mavericks on Monday. The big finished with 33 points, 16 boards, 5 dimes and 5 stocks to get into the perfect lineup. His outlook for Christmas week doesn’t look great; the injury is still a concern and Utah faces tough matchups against the Nuggets and Pistons.

Alperen Şengün, utility: Jokić wasn’t the only big to go off on Monday. The Rockets center posted his fourth game of the season of 70+ fantasy points with 72 in the narrow loss to the Nuggets to start last week. Şengün had a 33-point triple-double with three stocks. Şengün continues to offer Jokić-lite type of stat lines as a similarly skilled big man. The difference between the two is Şengün has a much lower floor and isn’t the No. 1 offensive option on his team (Kevin Durant is).

One of college football’s most storied rivalry series is going on hiatus.

Despite months of negotiations, USC and Notre Dame officials have failed to reach an agreement on playing what would be the 97th game in the series next year and are now each exploring replacement opponents for 2026, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.

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The Irish are finalizing a two-year agreement with BYU to play the Cougars in 2026-27. Next year’s game will be in October in Provo, Utah, before a return game the next season in South Bend, Indiana.

The temporary end of the USC-Notre Dame series is a jarring move and something that’s only happened once in nearly 80 years. Next year’s game would have been the 79th consecutive meeting, excluding the COVID-impacted 2020 season. The series began in 1926 and was only paused for a three-year stretch during World War II, before the arrival of the pandemic.

Steeped in great players, colorful coaches and rich tradition, the Irish and Trojans hold a pedigree unlike any in the sport’s history, as they’ve combined to win 24 national championships and 15 Heisman Trophies, and have produced more than 1,000 NFL draftees — believed to be the highest combined total of any college football rivalry series.

Yet, scheduling complications and College Football Playoff implications were at the root of the series’ demise, according to those familiar with the negotiations.

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The latest round of discussions among administrators at each school fizzled over the past two weeks — a stunning about-face. The two programs were on the verge of finalizing a two-year extension of their agreement in late November, with USC agreeing to host Notre Dame next season on the traditional date after Thanksgiving and the Irish hosting in 2027.

However, USC officials determined that the game date was not ideal considering past decisions from the CFP selection committee in punishing schools for losses, especially those late in the season.

The latest discussions between Trojans athletic director Jen Cohen and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua centered around a possible game next year on Week Zero, though that did not materialize. The two administrators have agreed to work to restart the series as soon as 2030, those with knowledge of their talks told Yahoo Sports.

Meanwhile, the Irish are expected to soon announce their new series with Big 12 member BYU — an interesting development considering what transpired earlier this month. Notre Dame opted out of a bowl game after missing the College Football Playoff. The Irish would have played BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

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The team’s decision to opt out, as well as critical comments from Bevacqua over the CFP selection, triggered a backlash from several administrators within college sports, especially Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who publicly chided Bevacqua’s comments two weeks ago.

Notre Dame’s schedule and position in the CFP is a subject of constant consternation among those in college athletics as the school remains only one of two independent programs in FBS (UConn is the other) and has a guaranteed path to the CFP in future years if they finish inside the top 12 in the rankings. The Irish play five ACC games each season in an agreement with that league, have annual traditional games against Stanford (ACC) and Navy, as well as normally playing USC, along with one or two other Big Ten programs.

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The Irish haven’t necessarily shied away from big matchups.

As part of the program’s Shamrock Series, Notre Dame kicks off next season with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field and plays Purdue and Michigan State. The Irish recently struck a 10-year, annual scheduling agreement with Clemson, assuring the two programs meet for the next decade — with or without the ACC deal — and they’ve played Texas A&M each of the past two seasons with future matchups scheduled against Auburn and Texas.

The University of North Carolina is working on bringing in former Arkansas and Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino as Bill Belichick’s new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.

Petrino is reportedly set to join UNC following a 0-7 run as interim head coach of the Razorbacks in 2025, marking his second stint at the SEC school. Belichick and the Tar Heels are coming off a rather disappointing first year of the Belichick era, finishing the season 4-8 with a 2-6 record in the ACC.

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Prior to his brief stint as interim head coach at Arkansas, Petrino had been the team’s offensive coordinator since 2024 and served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator in 2023. Petrino has a long coaching legacy in college football dating back to 2003, when he got his first head coaching gig with Louisville. Overall, Petrino’s journey as a football coach began two decades earlier in 1983 as a graduate assistant for Carroll College.

In 1999, Petrino ventured into the NFL for the first time, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as quarterback coach and eventually being promoted to offensive coordinator. That run lasted just three years, and by 2002, Petrino made his way back to college, taking a job at Auburn as offensive coordinator. In terms of success, Petrino’s first NFL run started strong with the Jaguars finishing the regular season 14-2 and making the AFC title game in his first year.

His most successful stints came as head coach for Louisville (2003-06, 2014-18), where Petrino’s teams qualified for bowl games in eight out of nine seasons. Petrino’s first stint at Arkansas from 2008 to 2011 was also quite successful, as the Razorbacks appeared in bowl games three out of four years. In 2007, Petrino got the opportunity to be an NFL head coach with the Atlanta Falcons and quickly realized he was better suited for college football when he abruptly resigned to take the Razorbacks’ job. The Falcons were 3-10 under Petrino.

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Controversy has followed Petrino during his coaching career, whether it be short stints, abrupt exits, or even a motorcycle accident turned scandal, which led to his dismissal from Arkansas in 2012. Despite all of this, Petrino is recognized as a great mind when it comes to coaching an offense, especially at the college level. He’s had hiccups along the way, but UNC is interested because Belichick just finished a season coaching one of the worst offenses across the board in college football.

For Belichick, it can’t get much worse offensively after his Tar Heels ranked toward the bottom in most major offensive statistical categories in his first year at Chapel Hill. Even if this ends up being another short stay for Petrino, if he gets the offense to where it needs to be, then everybody wins.

It was a pretty quiet week of college basketball, but there was one stunning upset to carry us through and shake up the top five.

Here’s everything you missed in the seventh week of the regular season, and the latest Associated Press poll.

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Duke finally goes down

It was only a matter of time before Duke slipped, but Saturday night’s loss at Madison Square Garden seemed to come out of nowhere.

The Blue Devils, who jumped up by 17 points against a short-handed Texas Tech team in the second half, let the Red Raiders come storming back to pick up an 82-81 upset win. That marked Texas Tech’s first win over a top-five team since 2022, and snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

The win jumped Texas Tech up four spots to No. 15 in this week’s poll.

The loss, meanwhile, was the first for Duke in what has otherwise been a perfect start to the season. The Blue Devils entered Saturday with a perfect 11-0 record and four wins over ranked opponents — including three straight earlier this month, one over Michigan State and another over defending national champion Florida.

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As a result, Duke fell three spots to No. 6.

Duke was actually the only team inside the top 10 to lose a game last week. Arizona held onto the No. 1 spot in the polls after a blowout win over San Diego State on Saturday, which got it to 11-0. Michigan remained at No. 2 after beating La Salle by 52 points on Sunday. Iowa State moved up a spot to No. 3, UConn took No. 4 and Purdue moved up to No. 5.

While it didn’t matter much this time, as they rolled to a blowout win over DePaul, UConn leading scorer Solo Ball missed Sunday’s game with a minor wrist injury. Ball has averaged a team-high 15.4 points per game, and was fresh off a 26-point outing against Butler.

The next big loss came when Tennessee rolled over Louisville by 21 points on Tuesday, which snapped a three-game losing skid for the Vols. That launched them up to No. 19, while Louisville fell to No. 16.

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Unfortunately, we’re looking at a very slow week of college basketball ahead. The sport is largely taking a break over Christmas. So enjoy the time, and get ready for conference play to kick off across the board on the other side.

Games to watch this week

All times ET | * denotes neutral site

Monday, Dec. 22

Missouri at No. 20 Illinois | 8 p.m. | FS1 *

AP Top 25

The full Associated Press men’s basketball poll from December 22, 2025.

1. Arizona (11-0)
2. Michigan (11-0)
3. Iowa State (12-0)
4. UConn (12-1)
5. Purdue (11-1)
6. Duke (11-1)
7. Gonzaga (12-1)
8. Houston (11-1)
9. Michigan State (11-1)
10. BYU (11-1)
11. Vanderbilt (12-0)
12. North Carolina (11-1)
13. Nebraska (12-0)
14. Alabama (9-3)
15. Texas Tech (9-3)
16. Louisville (10-2)
17. Kansas (9-3)
18. Arkansas (9-3)
19. Tennessee (9-3)
20. Illinois (8-3)
21. Virginia (10-1)
22. Florida (8-4)
23. Georgia (10-1)
24. USC (12-1)
25. Iowa (10-2)

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Others receiving votes: Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John’s 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah State 5, Arizona St 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma State 1, UCF 1, NC State 1

In his four seasons at South Florida, Byrum Brown transformed the school from a one-win team to a contender. Once Brown was installed as the team’s full-time starter, USF complied a 23-16 record. The team even managed to get ranked for the first time since the 2018 season and finished 9-4 this season.

But after four years at USF, Brown is reportedly on his way out, per multiple reports. The senior, who has one year of eligibility left, will reportedly leave USF once the transfer portal opens Jan. 2.

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Brown, 21, appeared in just four games as a freshman, attempting only 50 passes as USF finished the year 1-11. The following year, Brown burst onto the scene, leading USF to a 7-6 record while breaking the school’s record for passing yards in a single season with 3,292. He threw 26 touchdowns and added 11 on the ground, emerging as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.

Brown returned to USF for his junior season, but was limited to just six games due to injury. His numbers took a hit, as he threw just two touchdowns — and rushed for three scores — in those contests.

He bounced back as a senior, passing for 3,158 yards and throwing 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Brown was once again a force on the ground, rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 42 total touchdowns led the entire nation this season. That performance also earned Brown Comeback Player of the Year honors.

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Brown’s excellence also propelled USF to its first season with at least nine wins since 2017. It didn’t take long for USF to gain national recognition, either. After two weeks, the team ranked No. 18 following a win over then-No. 13 Florida. USF briefly lost that ranking, but appeared in the top-25 four other weeks during the 2025 season.

That success, however, led to the departure of head coach Alex Golesh, who left to coach Auburn in November. Because of that, some have already wondered whether Brown will join his former coach with the Tigers. The team is in desperate need of offense, as Auburn’s quarterbacks combined for just 11 passing touchdowns in 2025. The Tigers scored 26.8 points per game, which ranked 74th in the nation.

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Given Brown’s excellence and historic season, he should draw plenty of interest on the market. As long as Brown isn’t intent on joining Golesh at Auburn, he should have plenty of teams to choose from once he officially hits the market.

Philip Rivers will start once again for the Indianapolis Colts when the team faces the San Francisco 49ers in the Week 16 edition of Monday Night Football. The 8-6 Colts will host the 10-4 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts have slim chances of making the playoffs while the 49ers can clinch their playoff spot with a win on Monday.

You can tune into Monday Night Football’s 49ers vs. Colts game on ESPN and ABC, which are available on streaming platforms like ESPN Unlimited and DirecTV. The MNF game will also be simulcast on Disney+, a first for the streamer; it’ll be available for all standalone subscribers, no ESPN or Hulu bundle necessary. Here’s what you need to know to tune in to this week’s game.

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How to watch the San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts:

Date: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

TV channels: ESPN, ABC

Streaming: Disney+, Fubo, DirecTV, ESPN Unlimited, NFL+ and more

San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts game time:

The 49ers vs. Colts game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT this Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts game channel:

The Week 16 game between the 49ers and the Colts will air on ESPN and ABC.

How to watch the San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts game without cable:

You can tune in to ESPN and ABC through your cable provider, or on streaming platforms like DirecTV, Fubo and more. You can also stream the game on the ESPN App with ESPN Unlimited, on Disney+, or with NFL+ (via phone or tablet only).

all the options for subscribing to a standalone Disney+ plan, or a bundle. 

Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Disney Channel, and 30 more with no other subscriptions or commitment necessary. No strings attached. 

NFL Week 16 schedule:

All times Eastern.

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Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025

• Eagles vs. Commanders: 5:00 p.m. (FOX)

• Packers vs. Bears: 8:20 p.m. (FOX)

Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025

• Bills vs. Browns: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)

• Vikings vs. Giants: 1:00 p.m.(FOX)

• Buccaneers vs. Panthers: 1:00 p.m. (FOX)

• Chargers vs. Cowboys: 1:00 p.m. (FOX)

• Jets vs. Saints: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)

• Chiefs vs. Titans: 1:00 p.m.(CBS)

• Bengals vs. Dolphins: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)

• Falcons vs. Cardinals: 4:05 p.m. (FOX)

• Jaguars vs. Broncos: 4:05 p.m. (FOX)

• Steelers vs. Lions: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

• Raiders vs. Texans: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

• Patriots vs. Ravens: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

How to watch NFL games in 2025:

Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you’re looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.

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When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+, and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That’s six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that’s not counting your local RSN’s for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription into the mix. And we can’t forget about Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don’t already have access to it).

Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out during the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.

Pros

• Full package free trial available
• Many local RSNs included
• free ESPN Unlimited
• Unlimited Cloud DVR

Cons

• Cost
• Regional Sports Network fee

Pros

• Free trial available
• Unlimited cloud DVR storage
• Free ESPN unlimited

Cons

• Entirely sports-focused
• No NBC

Pros

• You probably already have access to Prime Video

Cons

• Only Thursday Night Football games

Cons

• Can only watch MOST live games on your phone

Pros

• All ESPN content in one place
• Content from NFL Network and NFL RedZone
• Bundle option with NFL+

Cons

• Only ESPN games available with the base service

Every way to watch NFL games this season:

To recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2025.

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February 22, 2026

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh discuss who is on the NBA ‘Naughty’ and ‘Nice’ lists. The duo breaks down how the Celtics’ rookies have made a splash without Jayson Tatum, how the Detroit Pistons can raise their ceiling and how the Warriors can maximize their opportunity with Steph Curry. Plus, should Anthony Edwards be the new face of the league for the next generation? Is Maxime Raynaud the steal of the draft? Are the Pacers tanking??

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Next, they discuss why the New York Knicks opting out of raising the NBA Cup banner landed them on the naughty list, Evan Mobley taking a step back this season and why referee and player relations are spiraling. Later, does Giannis truly want out of the Bucks? Is it time for the Lakers to trade Austin Reaves?

(0:13) NBA Naughty & Nice List

(0:49) Nice: Boston Celtics

(4:52) Nice: Detroit Pistons

(8:47) Nice: Steph Curry

(14:32) Nice: Minnesota Timberwolves

(17:51) Nice: Maxime Raynaud

(21:05) Nice: Indiana Pacers

(22:51) Stocking Stuffers

(26:21) Naughty: New York Knicks

(30:59) Naughty: Evan Mobley

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(36:03) Naughty: Referee relations

(50:06) Naughty: Giannis

(56:24) Naughty: Los Angeles Lakers

(1:03:43) Naughty: Nico Harrison

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

CLEVELAND — Josh Allen looked like he was turning two while securing a three-point win Sunday against the Browns. The superstar Buffalo Bills quarterback flipped the ball 10 yards downfield to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes as if he was a shortstop setting up a double play.

By the time the pitch reached Hawes for an 8-yard completion that set up a clock-draining and game-winning tush push, Allen was on his way to the ground. Browns defensive end Alex Wright delivered the hit, the latest the reigning NFL MVP took on a day when he needed X-rays on his right foot at halftime.

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Those were negative, and the vibes in the Bills’ locker room were positive after they survived that injury scare and a Cleveland comeback to escape a blustery Huntington Bank Field with a 23-20 win.

“His willingness, his will to win, it reminds me of somebody,” Bills receiver Brandin Cooks told Yahoo Sports, when asked about Allen postgame.

Cooks, who played with Tom Brady for the New England Patriots during the 2017 season, added: “It reminds me of who a lot of people say is the greatest quarterback of all time.”

[Get more Bills news: Buffalo team feed]

Allen completed only 12 passes for 130 yards against the Browns, but, in his words, the Bills found a way to win. Allen didn’t turn the ball over, and Buffalo neutralized pass rushing great Myles Garrett, who is a sack away from breaking the NFL’s official single-season sack record. James Cook ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries in the first half. Buffalo intercepted Shedeur Sanders twice, and defensive end Greg Rousseau dominated late, earning credit for 2.5 sacks as he exploited an injury-riddled Browns offensive line and uprooted two potential game-winning drives.

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With the win, Buffalo improved to 21-3 in December since the 2020 season, when the Allen rocket ship lifted off and the Bills started their streak of five consecutive AFC East titles.

They’re 3-0 in December this year, on track for an undefeated record in the month for the fourth time in that span. Hawes, a fifth-round rookie, theorizes it’s because of Buffalo’s affinity for the elements. Veteran safety Jordan Poyer attributes the success to his teammates’ sticking together.

“It’s December football. It’s totally different than the beginning of the year, right? Everybody’s looking for an edge. Everybody’s playing hard. It’s cold, wet. Fans are in it. It’s holiday season,” said the 34-year-old Poyer, who reunited with the Bills this summer after playing for them from 2017-23.

Sunday, Poyer recorded his first interception since the 2022 season, and he teamed up with Rousseau for one of those critical fourth-quarter sacks.

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“This is the time in football where you want to be playing for something,” Poyer said. “And it’s really cool that we still have that opportunity in front of us.”

Riding a four-game win streak, Buffalo still has paths to the division title. Perhaps the most direct calls for the Bills to win out and for the New England Patriots (12-3) to lose to the New York Jets (3-12) or the Miami Dolphins (6-9).

Buffalo erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago and rattled off five straight touchdown drives while climbing out of a 21-point hole on the road versus the Patriots last week.

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They have a hodgepodge of wide receivers and an imperfect defense that was gashed for 160 rushing yards by a Browns team that entered averaging a fourth-worst 92.4 rushing yards over the previous 14 games. But that same defense is incredibly opportunistic, as evidenced by its five takeaways across the past three outings. And the offense, although streaky, is fueled by the league-leading rusher in Cook and a superhero in Allen whose playoff kryptonite won’t zap his Bills of their powers this season.

The Kansas City Chiefs are out of the picture, and Buffalo is still finding ways to win in December.

“Yeah, again, we feel like we’re in playoff mode now,” said Allen, who noted that the pain he felt in his tweaked foot had subsided.

“We’ve got some stuff to clean up. But we’ll take a victory.”

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Captain America, Ted Lasso and a flu game

The Bills’ defense is malleable. It’s shapeshifted as the season has progressed, and as Buffalo has navigated poor injury luck by repeatedly using its maximum weekly allotment of two practice squad elevations. Poyer was one of those.

As safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp went on injured reserve in October, Poyer was thrust back into the spotlight. After signing with the Bills again in late August, he spent the beginning of the season helping out the scout team, a stark contrast from his first seven-year run with the Bills when he started 107 games.

Since, the 2021 first-team All-Pro has proven he still has some gas left in the tank. Two weeks ago against the Bengals, he stacked six solo tackles. Last week against the Patriots, he dropped what would have been an interception. This week against the Browns, he snagged a pick after a Sanders pass ricocheted off the shoulder pad of running back Quinshon Judkins and popped up in the air late in the first quarter.

But Poyer hasn’t just filled a gaping hole at safety. He’s also provided inspiration, Bills do-it-all nickel Cam Lewis told Yahoo Sports in the locker room.

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“Every time we go out there, he got a good speech,” Lewis said. “Like he got us a Captain America speech before we go out. We be like, ‘Oh, yeah, bet, say no more.’ We be ready to go.”

It must have worked on Rousseau, who teamed up with Poyer for a sack that dropped Sanders for a loss of 8 yards, setting the Browns way behind schedule on their final drive.

Rousseau, who went five games in a row without a sack earlier this season, has accounted for 3.5 over the past two games. One of those resulted from the 2021 first-rounder forcing an intentional grounding penalty on the very next play of that fateful Browns series.

“Those are big-time plays that Greg made for us, and we need that every week,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said postgame.

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Tight end Dawson Knox had the opportunity to make one as well. Gripping to its 23-20 lead with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Buffalo rolled the dice on fourth-and-1 from the Cleveland 11-yard line. Allen then rolled right and located a wide-open Knox.

An insurance touchdown was there for the taking. Knox dropped it.

He hated that it happened. He said he apologized to Allen afterward.

“The leader he is, he’s like, ‘Don’t sweat it. Move on. Play the next play. We’re going to be good,’” Knox recounted. “And thankfully we came out with a win.”

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Knox continued: “If you let one play get in your head and beat you twice, then it just starts a downhill slide that’s hard to recover from. So you really got to have a short-term memory in this game. There’s a great Ted Lasso quote: ‘Be a goldfish, have a short memory.’ It’s one of those things. You just kind of gotta learn from it, move on and don’t let it affect the next one.”

That’s usually the approach to blocking Garrett, who came into Sunday with 17.5 of his now-22 sacks in his past eight games.

But Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins more than held his own against the future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Dawkins, a four-time Pro Bowler himself, was the biggest reason why Garrett finished with one pressure on 22 pass rushes, according to Next Gen Stats.

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Dawkins faced Garrett on 18 of his 22 pass rushes, per NGS, and made him wait another week for a record-breaking performance.

Allen’s blind-side protector did so after battling the flu this past week. The 6-foot-5 Dawkins said he lost 14 pounds while feeling the effects of the illness.

“I mean, that’s a hell of a flu game,” Knox said.

It is December, after all. That’s flu season. And it’s also when Allen’s Bills consistently find a way to win.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left Sunday night’s loss to the New England Patriots early, and did not return.

The precise nature and severity of the injury weren’t initially clear, though Jackson left the field at M&T Bank Stadium in pain after sliding late in the second quarter.

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The Ravens announced before halftime that Jackson was questionable to return with a back injury before ruling him out for the game in the third quarter. On Monday, head coach John Harbaugh said that Jackson is day to day with a serious contusion to his back.

“It doesn’t look like it’s more than that,” Harbaugh said. “He’s in there getting treatment now.”

Jackson walked to the locker room in clear pain with trainers before the end of the half with 1:03 remaining.

Backup Tyler Huntley took over for Jackson just before the Ravens kicked a second-quarter field goal to tie the game at 10-10.

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Though Huntley and the Ravens built up an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, Drake Maye and the Patriots came storming back to grab a 28-24 win late in the game. That officially secured their spot in the playoffs. Drake Maye threw for a career-high 380 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the win for New England.

Huntley finished throwing 9-of-10 for 65 yards in the loss for Baltimore, which now sits at 7-8 on the season and is all but eliminated from playoff contention.

Another injury for Jackson

The ailment is the latest in a season that’s been filled with injuries for the two-time MVP. Jackson missed three games after Week 5 with a hamstring injury. Since his return in Week 9 against the Dolphins, Jackson has been sidelined in practices and limited by what the Ravens have announced as knee, toe and ankle injuries.

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Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the game that he has no idea how long Jackson will be out, if at all. Huntley said that Jackson was “bummed” and could “barely move” when he saw him, via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec.

The Ravens, meanwhile, now sit at 7-8 and are fighting for their playoff lives. The Steelers beat the Lions earlier Sunday to improve to 9-6 and widen the gap in the AFC North. Another injury to Jackson — especially if it sidelines him beyond Week 16 — further stunts Baltimore’s long-shot hopes of making the postseason.