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Security! Security! – Not

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The Philadelphia Eagles apparently will have to do without security chief Dom DiSandro on the sidelines for the rest of the regular season.

Multiple outlets reported Friday that the NFL denied the Eagles’ appeal of the league’s suspension of DiSandro for his involvement in a sideline incident with an opposing player in Week 13.

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The NFL reportedly also denied the Eagles’ appeal of the $100,000 fine to the team.

The suspension and fine stem from an incident in the Eagles’ 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 3.

At the end of a play, a scuffle broke out between Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith and 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who received an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play. As the scuffle bled into the sidelines where DiSandro was standing, he put himself between the two players and then made contact with Greenlaw in an attempt to move him away from the Eagles’ sideline. Greenlaw responded by swiping at DiSandro’s face, grazing him.

Both Greenlaw and DiSandro were ejected from the game. Greenlaw was fined $10,927 by the league for the unnecessary roughness penalty.

The Eagles received a $100,000 fine, which the team reportedly has paid. DiSandro can still be at the stadium and perform all other game-day security duties but cannot be on the sideline until the postseason.

DiSandro, 45, has been with the Eagles since 1999. He is a senior adviser to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman in addition to a variety of security matters for players, coaches and executives. He is in charge of security related to the team’s travel as well as at the team’s training complex.

–Field Level Media

Give Us a Break-Gate

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said the kicking footballs used in the first half of Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs were “under-inflated by 2, 2 1/2 pounds.”

“We don’t have anything to do with it. Were we aware of it? Yeah, definitely,” Belichick said on Friday. “As I understand it, they were all the same. I don’t know what the explanation is. It was the same for both teams.”

Patriots rookie kicker Chad Ryland misfired on a 41-yard attempt, and Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed on a 39-yard try. Butker made all 23 of his field-goal attempts and 34 extra-points tries heading into that game.

“The officials handle that, and they were underinflated by like 2, 2.5 pounds,” Belichick told reporters. “I think you could see that by the kicks. Both kickers missed kicks, and Butker hadn’t missed a kick all year.

“Kickoffs, we had two that almost went out of bounds. And so there were six balls. It was both sets of balls. It was all six of them. You’d have to talk to the league about what happened, because we don’t have anything to do with that part of it. They control all of that. And they fixed them at halftime but didn’t do it before then, which is another question you could ask. But we don’t have anything to do with it.”

If Belichick sounded like he was on the defensive, well consider that the Patriots were ultimately fined $1 million, docked two draft picks and saw then-quarterback Tom Brady suspended four games by the NFL for what is referred to as “Deflategate.” The league determined that a scheme was afoot to provide improperly inflated footballs for the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18, 2015.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Saturday Game Previews

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – It’ll be a weekend filled with NFL Playoff-like football as Christmas weekend scheduling will determine playoff contenders and those relegated to the land of NFL Draft prep. Here are the Saturday games:

Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7): Playoff football arrives early for AFC North rivals who’ve undergone major facelifts since Pittsburgh’s 16-10 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati on Nov. 26. The Steelers have lost three straight, temporarily remain without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, benched his backup Mitch Trubisky, lost starting safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to a knee injury and their other starting safety — Damontae Kazee — was suspended. Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning was making his first NFL start in that first meeting and generated just 222 yards of total offense, but Browning and the Bengals are back on their feet. They enter Week 16 with three straight wins, including a pair of overtime victories, and currently sit ahead of Pittsburgh and in playoff position in the packed AFC postseason picture. Browning has completed 76 percent of his passes since Week 12 and thrown for more than 1,000 yards in his first four NFL starts — the only NFL quarterback to do so since 1950. Steelers QB Mason Rudolph took over for Trubisky in last week’s loss to the Colts and will make his first start since 2021. The Steelers left the door “ajar” for Pickett if could return from ankle surgery to play, but he was officially ruled out on Thursday. While playoff probability metrics reveal odds of 64 percent to make the playoffs with a win this week, it’s not all roses and balloons for the Bengals, either. Cincinnati is without WR Ja’Marr Chase (shoulder).

Buffalo Bills (8-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (5-9): The Bills are desperate in their hunt for a playoff spot as one of five teams in the AFC with an 8-6 record, currently outside of the seven playoff spots in the conference and two games behind the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. “Every game from here on out’s a playoff game for us,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said. “That’s the mentality that we have. It’s essentially win or go home. We’ve got to be prepared for every punch the Chargers can throw at us.” The Bills have won consecutive games and coach Sean McDermott has cautioned his team all week about what can happen if preparation isn’t taken seriously. All is not well in L.A. The Chargers were loaded with bitter faces when they were annihilated 63-21 by the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 14. It was such a poor performance that the club fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. The Chargers have dropped five of their past six games, and their fortunes are low with star quarterback Justin Herbert done for the season after finger surgery on his throwing hand. Los Angeles will be without star receiver Keenan Allen (heel) for the second straight game. He didn’t practice all week and was ruled out Thursday. Allen has a league-high 108 receptions while accumulating 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

A Dodgers Dynasty to Be

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto Signs with LA for $325m

LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After signing reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract earlier this month, the Dodgers have landed star Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a 12-year, $325 million deal Thursday, per multiple media reports.

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Yamamato’s deal would eclipse New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s deal by $1 million, making it the largest contract for a pitcher in major league history. The Dodgers will also pay $50.6 million in a posting fee for Yamamoto.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays also pursued Yamamoto.

Yamamoto spent the past six-plus seasons with the Orix Buffaloes, compiling a 70-29 record with one save and a 1.82 ERA in 172 games. He has struck out 922 batters over 897 innings.

In 23 games in 2023, he finished with a 16-6 record and 1.21 ERA with 169 strikeouts in 164 innings. Those numbers helped him to his third straight Triple Crown in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball as he led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts.

Only three pitchers in Major League Baseball have won the pitching Triple Crown three times — Sandy Koufax, Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander.

Yamamoto also has won the Eiji Sawamura Award, which equals the Cy Young Award, three times.

The 5-foot-10 Yamamoto won a gold medal with Japan in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and another in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.

–Field Level Media

NFL Week 16: Playoff Possibilities

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The San Francisco 49ers’ Christmas gift could be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Niners, the only 11-3 team in the NFC, have a straightforward path to clinching the top seed and a first-round bye in Week 16, according to the NFL’s official playoff scenarios.

If the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles all lose, the 49ers would lock up the No. 1 seed on Christmas night by beating the visiting Baltimore Ravens — who happen to be the only other 11-3 team in the league.

Detroit visits the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas takes on the host Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Christmas Eve. Then, the Eagles play the middle game of a Christmas Day tripleheader against the visiting New York Giants before the Ravens visit San Francisco in the nightcap.

The Lions (10-4) would clinch the NFC North title with a win or tie against Minnesota. If that doesn’t happen, they can still lock up a playoff bid if the Seattle Seahawks lose or tie. The Rams bettered their chances with a win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. The Seahawks visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Over in the AFC, the Ravens — who have already punched their postseason ticket — can win the AFC North by beating the 49ers and having the Browns lose or tie against the Houston Texans, or if the Ravens tie and the Browns lose.

The Browns (9-5), for their part, have eight scenarios to clinch a playoff berth this week, all of which start with a win at Houston. The Browns are on the verge of their second playoff berth in 21 seasons.

If the Dolphins (10-4) beat the Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills lose or tie at the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Miami would clinch the AFC East title. That would also be the result if Miami ties Dallas and Buffalo loses.

The Christmas Day tripleheader begins with the struggling Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs (9-5) can lock up their eighth straight AFC West title if they beat Las Vegas, or if they tie with the Raiders and the Denver Broncos lose to New England.

–Field Level Media

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NFL: Rams Make a Stand

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INGLEWOOD – LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the surging Los Angeles Rams strengthened their playoff chances with a 30-22 victory against the visiting New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

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Stafford passed for 328 yards and threw touchdowns to Puka Nacua, who had 164 receiving yards, and Demarcus Robinson as the Rams (8-7), who entered the game in possession of the final wild-card berth in the NFC, won for the fifth time in six games.

Derek Carr passed for 319 yards, including 123 to Chris Olave, and three touchdowns, but two of them came after the Saints (6-7) fell behind 30-7.

The Rams received the second-half kickoff and drove to the Saints 3 before stalling, and Lucas Havrisik kicked a 22-yard field goal that gave them a 20-7 lead.

Kyren Williams ran for 10 of his 104 yards and a touchdown that pushed the lead to 27-7 and Havrisik added a 32-yard field goal before Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson.

Carr connected with A.T. Perry for a 35-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion to Olave to trim the lead to 30-22 with 3:53 left, but the Rams recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Los Angeles started its first possession at its 5 and the 14th play of the drive was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua on fourth-and-goal, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rams drove to Havrisik’s 20-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead, but missed an opportunity to increase the lead when Havrisik was wide left on a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

The Saints broke through when Carr connected with Rashid Shaheed for a 45-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 10-7.

New Orleans turned the ball over at the Rams 42 with 56 seconds left in the half when Carr threw an incompletion on fourth-and-5.

Five plays later, Stafford threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Robinson that increased the lead to 17-7 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Fit to Beat Kings

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SACRAMENTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics have the unenviable task of visiting the high-energy Sacramento Kings less than 24 hours after an overtime loss in San Francisco as they seek to end a road losing skid Wednesday night. Riding the momentum of a five-game winning streak, all at home, the Celtics appeared on their way to a rather comfortable road win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, running up a 17-point lead.

But Jayson Tatum, who had to leave the floor for almost an entire quarter after turning his left ankle, misfired on a potential winning shot at the end of regulation, leading to five more minutes of Celtics sweat that went for naught in a 132-126 defeat.

In the end, the Celtics wasted a 30-point night by Derrick White, who hit seven 3-pointers.

The loss was the fourth in a row on the road for Boston, which flew west for a four-game trip tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the NBA.

Fourteen of the Celtics’ 20 wins, however, have come at home; and, when they take the floor in Sacramento, the Celtics will do so with just a 6-6 road record.

Even before watching all five of his starters go 36 or more minutes against the Warriors, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla indicated Al Horford was a “load management” candidate on the second night of the back-to-back.

At the same time, Mazzulla noted that Kristaps Porzingis, who was held out of Tuesday’s trip opener, was likely to return against the Kings.

“Just calf management, back-to-back, a little slow after (Sunday’s home win over Orlando),” Mazzulla said of Porzingis. “Just really trying to manage that and make sure both those guys stay healthy.”

As they attempt to sidestep what would be just their second set of back-to-back losses this season, the Celtics will be running into a Kings team that likewise has taken advantage of its home dates of late. Sacramento has opened a six-game homestand with wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, producing a 12-point average margin of victory in those wins.

The Kings were firing on all cylinders Monday in a 143-131 win over the Wizards, rolling to a season-high point total on the strength of balanced scoring, 53 percent shooting and 17 3-pointers.

De’Aaron Fox (30 points), Domantas Sabonis (28) and Keegan Murray (25) led the way with a total of 83 points on 30-for-52 shooting.

Kings coach Mike Brown is happy to see his team build up a little momentum at home with three tough opponents – the Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Timberwolves – completing the six-game homestand.

“We’re doing good,” Brown said. “I think we have the best fans in the NBA and guys should be excited to play in this building. They should get energy from the fans. We have to take advantage of it when we are here.”

The Celtics have prevailed in each of their last two visits to Sacramento, including 132-109 last March behind 36 points from Tatum and 27 from Jaylen Brown.

–Field Level Media

Will Bill Belichick Be Charged-Up in LA?

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England’s longtime head coach Bill Belichick is widely expected to part ways with the Patriots after this season. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers got a head start on their search for a new head coach by dismissing Brandon Staley on Friday.

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Could the timing align for the two sides to become a fit?

Belichick, 71, has declined to address his future while focusing on the final four games of the 2023 season for the 3-10 Patriots. However, if he wants to continue coaching next season, there are already multiple openings where he is seen as a potential fit.

That includes Carolina, which fired Frank Reich earlier this season, and the Chargers. Other openings are likely to join the list in the coming weeks.

The Chargers are viewed as an appealing destination — and not just for Southern California’s weather. Franchise quarterback Justin Herbert leads a skill position group that also includes running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Keenan Allen.

The bigger issue — especially of late — is a defense that failed to hold leads, much less be dominant, under the defensive-minded Staley. That culminated in the Chargers allowing 63 points on Thursday night to a Las Vegas Raiders team that had been shut out just four days prior.

The 63 points allowed were a franchise record, and the tally also was the most the Chargers ever had given up. Los Angeles ranks 27th in opponents’ points scored per game with 24.6 and 29th in yards allowed with 375.3 per game.

Belichick is arguably the best defensive mind of his generation. Paired with a strong offensive coordinator, the Chargers could potentially make an immediate rebound to contender status in the loaded AFC.

SportsBetting.ag has installed Belichick as the 3/1 favorite to replace Staley. That is slightly ahead of the 4/1 odds placed on current Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith.

Ben Johnson, who oversees Detroit’s offense and has been viewed as a rising coaching candidate the past two years, is next at 7/1.

In all, the book is offering odds on 14 potential candidates, ranging from the most likely candidates all the way down to University of Colorado’s first-year coach Deion Sanders.

Chargers Next Head Coach Odds
Bill Belichick (3/1)
Frank Smith (4/1)
Kellen Moore (4/1)
Ben Johnson (7/1)
Bobby Slowik (8/1)
Brian Flores (9/1)
Jim Harbaugh (9/1)
Eric Bieniemy (10/1)
Dan Quinn (14/1)
Jerod Mayo (14/1)
Lincoln Riley (14/1)
Brian Johnson (16/1)
Raheem Morris (20/1)
Deion Sanders (40/1)

Fired along with Staley on Friday was Chargers general manager Tom Telesco. The move came less than a day after the team’s lopsided 63-21 loss to the Raiders.

“These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact,” Chargers owner and chairman Dean Spanos said. “We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need a new vision.”

Spanos said the franchise and its fans need to take the next step.

“Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.”

Telesco, 51, was named general manager of the Chargers in 2013 after 15 years in the Indianapolis Colts organization.

(Odds are provided for entertainment purposes only. SportsBetting.ag is not a regulated sportsbook in the United States).

–Field Level Media

Boston Wins 14th Straight at TD Garden

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Celtics Handle Orlando for Second Win of Weekend

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown heated up late to polish off a 31-point performance as the Boston Celtics continued to inch toward history with a 114-97 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday. Boston has won its first 14 home games of the season, becoming just the second team in franchise history to accomplish the feat. The 1957-58 Celtics got off to the best start in front of a home crowd, going 18-0.

Brown scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and went 12-for-20 from the field for the game.

Jayson Tatum added 23 points and eight rebounds for Boston, which also got 15 points and 10 boards from Kristaps Porzingis.

Paolo Banchero poured in a game-high 36 points to go along with 10 rebounds as Orlando fell to the Celtics for the second time in three days. Boston beat the Magic 128-111 on Friday.

Jalen Suggs (13 points) was the only other player to score in double figures for the visitors, who made just 38.2 percent of their shots.

Orlando managed to cut an 11-point halftime deficit to 69-65 when Banchero split a pair of free throws with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Porzingis helped Boston maintain control, though, throwing home a putback dunk and converting the ensuing foul shot for a three-point play. Tatum was later fouled while attempting a trey, and he too cashed in at the charity stripe, making all three free throws for a 75-65 Celtics lead with 3:11 to go.

Boston took an 83-74 advantage into the fourth.

Brown then took over, scoring 15 points in the first 5:45 of the final period to make it 103-86. The Magic never threatened the rest of the way, with Boston leading by as many as 23.

After being held to 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting during Friday’s loss, Banchero came roaring out of the gate on Sunday, scoring 19 points to lift the Magic to a 31-27 edge after 12 minutes of action.

But Boston came to life just past the midway point of the second quarter, and after Brown scored nine points during a 20-5 run, the hosts found themselves up 61-46 with 51.8 seconds left in the frame.

The Celtics settled for a 61-50 lead at the break.

–Field Level Media

Season on the Line for Ravens and Jags

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JACKSONVILLE – Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is hearing his name mentioned in the MVP conversation, but that doesn’t impress him much. The Baltimore star is more interested in making a run for the Super Bowl and Lombardi Trophy, and his top-seeded AFC team can take a big step in that direction when the Ravens visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.

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Baltimore (10-3) holds a one-game lead over the Miami Dolphins at the top of the conference. There are nine scenarios in which the Ravens can clinch a playoff spot Sunday should they defeat the Jaguars (8-5).

Linebacker Patrick Queen is one of many Baltimore players eyeing the top seed and first-round bye, especially with the Ravens winning three straight games and seven of their past eight.

“We want it bad,” Queen said. “If we don’t get it, we make the playoffs. We’re still in there.”

Jackson was the NFL MVP in 2019 and appreciates the praise for his 2023 individual season, which includes 2,934 passing yards and 16 touchdown throws. He also has 644 yards and five scores on the ground.

But Baltimore hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2020 season, and Jackson is focused on changing that.

“It’s an honor just being acknowledged — to be in the conversation with great guys,” Jackson said. “But I’m just trying to stay locked in trying to win, because I want (the Lombardi) trophy.”

Jackson is coming off a superb performance in which he passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns and tacked on 70 rushing yards in last week’s 37-31 overtime home win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Baltimore won that contest on a 76-yard punt-return score by Tylan Wallace. The third-year-pro was only handling the duties because two-time Pro Bowl selection Devin Duvernay injured his back earlier in the season.

Duvernay was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, and Wallace now will be the team’s main returner.

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Jacksonville will look to end a two-game slide in which it lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns by a combined seven points.

The Jaguars have seen their lead in the AFC South shrink to one game over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. But Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he’s not concerned.

“We’re in a fine position, record-wise,” Lawrence said. “We have to take care of business this week and moving forward. We have to take it one week at time. We need to get back on track this week for sure.”

Lawrence has been dealing with a high ankle sprain sustained against the Bengals on Dec. 4. He was questionable for last week’s game against the Browns before playing and getting mixed results — 257 passing yards and three touchdowns but also throwing three interceptions.

He practiced in full on Wednesday and said he’s making progress.

“It’s feeling better. Thankfully, I made out of the game pretty clean,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t re-aggravate it anymore. I’m just trying to keep getting better every day; hopefully it feels even better this week. I was able to move around decent on Sunday, so that was positive.”

As per containing Jackson, the Jaguars rank fourth in the NFL in rushing defense at 92.2 yards per game.

Jacksonville also features two standouts. Pass rusher Josh Allen is tied for third in the NFL with 13.5 sacks, and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun ranks second in tackles with 138. Oluokun led the league in tackles each of the past two seasons.

Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith is tied for third with 136 tackles, while safety Geno Stone is second with six interceptions.

Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) was injured against the Rams but was a limited practice participant on Wednesday. Smith (back) also was limited.

For Jacksonville, safety Andre Cisco (groin) and cornerback Tyson Campbell (quadriceps) didn’t practice. Cisco was hurt against the Browns while Campbell missed the contest.

The Jaguars notched a dramatic 28-27 home win over the Ravens last season. Lawrence tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to since-departed Marvin Jones with 14 seconds left, followed by a winning two-point conversion pass to Zay Jones.

–Field Level Media