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Bruins Try to Earn Wins

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With injuries leading to often-changing lineups for Boston, one thing has stayed the same: The Bruins have earned to very few easy wins this season. In fact, a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday was just their second by more than two goals.

Now, the Bruins turn the page to a matchup with the visiting New Jersey Devils, with Boston looking to post its first back-to-back triumphs since completing a seven-game winning streak nearly a month ago.

“Maybe we slip a little bit sometimes after one win or a few wins, so we’ve got to keep that consistency better and have a higher low point than we have right now,” said Boston forward Viktor Arvidsson, who recorded his 400th career point on Thursday.

Boston score twice in the first period against St. Louis before breaking open a 2-1 game with a three-goal middle frame in which Pavel Zacha netted the final two tallies. Joonas Korpisalo made a season-high 37 saves.

Boston forward Alex Steeves has stepped up in the absence of star David Pastrnak, who has missed four consecutive games due to an undisclosed injury and remains day-to-day.

Steeves tallied the game-opening goal against the Blues, his fifth goal in five games as he temporarily plays alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie on the top line. The New Hampshire native did not play in his first NHL game until Nov. 8 this season, working on his game with AHL Providence to earn a recall.

“A lot of guys say it. But to Steeves’ credit, a lot of guys don’t do it,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “He didn’t like to go down (after training camp), but I also remember he said, ‘I will be back.’ … The way he said it, I believed him. I knew his time would come.”

Friday also marked Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s second day skating in a non-contact jersey after taking a shot to the face on Nov. 15.

New Jersey hits the road to complete a back-to-back set and looks to change its luck after being swept in a four-game homestand. The Devils took their second straight shutout loss and third this season in a 3-0 setback against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

Prior to the recent skid that dropped them out of a playoff position in the ultra-tight Eastern Conference, the Devils were 9-0-1 on home ice this season. They are 7-7-0 on the road.

“We need everybody on board,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “We have our foundation, and it starts with just competing. We’ve also got to find a way to score goals. Without scoring goals, you aren’t winning. … We have to simplify our game and get a dirty win.”

New Jersey was right in it on Friday, trailing just 1-0 after two periods before Vegas padded its lead with a pair of power-play tallies late in the third.

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe searched for answers in another late-game situation, moving his top line to feature Hischier centering Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt.

Another change to the forward lineup came in the form of Angus Crookshank, who was recalled from AHL Utica and made his Devils debut on Friday. He had an even rating in 10:36 of ice time.

“He skates hard and shoots the puck extremely well,” Keefe said. “We think if he can get a scoring chance, he can shoot it in the net. We’re just trying to give him a chance.”

Crookshank had five goals in 17 AHL games at the time of his call-up. The first 21 games of his NHL career were with the Ottawa Senators over the past two seasons.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Sunday 4pm Game Previews

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Denver Broncos (10-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Broncos -7.5, Total 40.5
Series Rewind: The Raiders are 0-10 in AFC West games the past two seasons (0-4 this season). The last division victory for the Raiders was the 27-14 win over Denver in Las Vegas to end the 2023 regular season.

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The Raiders are out of playoff contention already, while Denver is fighting with New England for the top seed in the AFC. Even so, the Broncos were only three points better than Las Vegas in the first meeting this season last month. The Broncos’ win in Week 10 was their seventh in a row, and they’ve won their past two games to stretch the streak to nine. The Raiders, who entered that matchup with consecutive losses, have since lost three more games in succession and are planning January vacations. After going to overtime with the Commanders on Monday, the Broncos know they can take nothing for granted, coach Sean Payton said in a terse reminder. He certainly knows as well as anyone how scrappy Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defense can get. In their first meeting in Denver last month, the Raiders’ defense had Broncos quarterback Bo Nix under pressure all day and allowed just 10 points. Offensively-challenged Las Vegas has only one game with over 20 points since September. Offensive line issues are a chronic concern. Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty was preparing for the Heisman Trophy ceremony at this time last year. He leads rookies with 886 yards from scrimmage and was heavily involved in the passing game in the Raiders’ first game since firing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Jeanty caught six passes last week. He scored the Raiders’ only touchdown in the Week 10 loss at Denver. The Broncos last had a winning streak longer than the current run when they posted 11 in a row in 2012 with Payton Manning at quarterback.

Los Angeles Rams (9-3) at Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Rams -8.5, Total 47.5
Series Rewind:

Arizona draws an angry Matthew Stafford, whose streak of 28 consecutive TD passes without a pick ended in a 31-28 loss to the Panthers that included an INT return for a touchdown and nudged the Rams out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Stafford and the Rams have two looks at the Cardinals coming in the final five weeks of the regular season. Arizona’s desire to control the ball and keep Stafford on the sideline could see a boost if RB Trey Benson can get back in the lineup. He’s been on IR since Sept. 25, one week before the Cardinals lost Kyler Murray. Murray won’t return until at least Week 15. Jacoby Brissett makes his eighth consecutive start for the Cardinals. He threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in last Sunday’s 20-17 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The margin for error is slim if Stafford doesn’t cough up the ball because of his arsenal of playmakers. WR Davante Adams leads the NFL with 14 TD catches and Puka Nacua caught 10 passes for 129 yards in the last meeting. Kyren Williams has 1,052 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns. He scored in both games against Arizona last season.

Chicago Bears (9-3) at Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Packers -6.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: Green Bay’s only loss to the Bears in the past six years (12 games) was a 24-22 defeat in January to end the 2024 regular season. Cairo Santos answered a 55-yard Brandon McManus field goal with 54 seconds left with a 51-yarder as time expired.

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This is the first of two meetings in the next 13 days between NFC North rivals and the frontrunners for the division title with five weeks left in the regular season. Green Bay has owned the rivalry and is 11-1 against Chicago since Matt LaFleur was named head coach. New Bears coach Ben Johnson has reversed fortunes for the Bears in his first season and called out LaFleur in his introductory press conference, stating he enjoyed “beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” while coordinating the Lions’ offense. With two division losses, the Bears chances of winning the NFC North shrink with a loss at Lambeau Field. The Packers are still perfect (3-0) in the division and present challenges to the Chicago secondary after three wide receivers — Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson — hauled in Jordan Love TD passes last week. And Green Bay’s No. 1 receiver last season, Jayden Reed, could rejoin the offense for the first time since September. But the Bears are leading the league in takeaways (26) and turnover margin (17) with the No. 2-ranked rushing offense (153.8 yards per game) to help protect a defense allowing 6.09 yards per play (30th in the NFL). The sum of their parts has been a slew of tight games and a scoring differential of just six points.

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NFL: Sunday Night Football Preview

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Houston Texans (7-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Chiefs -3.5, Total 41.5
Series Rewind: Kansas City has won five straight meetings, including two in the postseason. Last season, the Chiefs eliminated the Texans 23-14 in the AFC divisional round.

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Kansas City’s playoff hopes hinge on the wild-card race, and Houston is one of the AFC teams with a better record entering the home stretch of the season. The Chiefs are 5-1 at home so that helps, but they have lost three of their past four overall games and stand just 1-6 in one-score games after the 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Winning close games was a Kansas City specialty just last season. Patrick Mahomes isn’t giving up on the Chiefs stretching their playoff streak to 11 seasons but he threw four touchdown passes against the Cowboys and still couldn’t deliver a victory. Also of concern to Mahomes is Houston’s top-ranked defense that leads in both scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and total defense (265.7 yards per game). The Texans have won four consecutive games and they made reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen (sacked eight times) feel miserable two games ago while beating the Buffalo Bills and have allowed 20 or fewer points on 10 occasions. Pass rushers Danielle Hunter (11 sacks) and Will Anderson Jr. (10.5) are both among the NFL sack leaders and S Calen Bullock has four interceptions and one forced fumble. C.J. Stroud passed for 276 yards in last Sunday’s 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts after missing three games due to a concussion.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cruise Past Lakers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-105 Friday night.

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Brown was one of six Boston players who scored in double figures. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White, 17 from Jordan Walsh and 15 from Payton Pritchard. Sam Hauser added 12 points and Neemias Queta finished with 10.

Walsh has made 18 of his 19 shots from the floor over the last three games.

The Lakers played without Luka Doncic (personal reasons), LeBron James (right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis) and Marcus Smart (muscle strain). Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer (35.3 points per game).

Boston made 24 of its 45 3-point attempts (53.3%). White connected on 5 of 10 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves had a 36-point performance for Los Angeles. Gabe Vincent tossed in 18, and Deandre Ayton had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles lost despite making 25 of 29 shots from the free throw line. Boston made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts.

Boston started off hot and had a 39-17 lead after one quarter. The Celtics had their largest lead of the first half after Pritchard made a stepback jumper that put Boston up 56-27 with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter.

The Celtics shot 52% from 3-point territory through the first two quarters (13 of 25) and had a 69-46 halftime lead. The Lakers were 13-of-40 (32.5%) from the floor in the first half.

A 9-0 run trimmed Boston’s lead to 17 points, 85-68, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. A Reaves jumper with 8.6 seconds left in the third capped an 8-0 Lakers run that made it 97-82 entering the final 12 minutes, but Boston regained the momentum by scoring the first nine points in the fourth.

Boston has won 9 of its last 11 games.

–Field Level Media

Spain Favored in World Cup

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Spain remained the favorite to win the 2026 World Cup following Friday’s draw, while the United States men’s national team saw its odds shorten after being placed in what’s widely viewed as a favorable bracket. The top-ranked team in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, Spain was the +400 pre-draw favorite at BetMGM. Those odds remained unchanged after being placed in Group H with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde.

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England holds the second shortest odds at +600, followed by France at +700 and defending champion Argentina at +800 along with Brazil. The odds are similar at DraftKings, where Spain is the +450 favorite ahead of England (+550) and France (+750) with Argentina and Brazil at +800. Spain is BetMGM’s second-biggest liability, leading all countries with 13.0% of all tickets and 17.0% of the money placed on the 2026 World Cup winner.

The biggest liability? That would be the emotional support thrown behind the USMNT.

A +6600 longshot before the draw, the USMNT had still been backed by 6.2% of all money wagered. Those odds shortened to +5000 after the USMNT was placed in Group D along with Australia, Paraguay and a yet-to-be determined European playoff team (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo). The U.S. will play Paraguay on June 12 (Inglewood, Calif.), Australia on June 19 (Seattle) and the third group member on June 25 (Inglewood, Calif.). It is a +125 favorite to beat Paraguay and the +100 favorite to win Group D.

The USMNT and rival Mexico also share the co-14th shortest odds in the 48-team field at +5000 each to win the title. Mexico will play the first match of the tournament on June 11 against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Mexico and South Africa are in Group A with South Korea and a yet-to-be determined European playoff team (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia or Ireland). Mexico opened as a -200 favorite to beat South Africa and as the +130 favorite to win the group.

Joining Canada in Group B are Switzerland, Qatar and a yet-to-be determined European playoff team (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina). Canada is the only one of the three co-host countries not to be favored to win its group, with the to-be-determined team — presumed to be 12th-ranked Italy — offered at +125 ahead of Switzerland (+175) and Canada (+250).

The USMNT remained +8000 at DraftKings, where it has the same odds as rival Mexico, Ecuador, Morocco and Switzerland. Canada is a +25000 longshot at the book.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP GROUPS
Group A: Korea, Mexico, South Africa, TBD (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia or Ireland)
Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, TBD (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: Australia, Paraguay, USA, TBD ((Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo)
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, TBD (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania)
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cabo Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, TBD (Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq)
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, TBD (New Caledonia, Jamaica or Congo DR)
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Forty-two nations have qualified.

The other six participants are still to be determined through UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs being held in March.

The top two finishers from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, will advance to the final 32 for the knockout stage.

The championship match will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Matches are taking place in 16 cities across North America, including two in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver) and three in Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara).

Locations across the U.S. are Atlanta, Boston (Foxborough, Mass.), Dallas (Arlington, Texas), Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles (Inglewood, Calif.), Miami (Miami Gardens, Fla.), New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford, N.J.), Philadelphia, San Francisco (Santa Clara, Calif.) and Seattle.

–Field Level Media

 

Sophomore Hijinx

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Drake Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns, and Marcus Jones returned a punt for a score as the New England Patriots extended their winning streak to 10 games by beating the New York Giants 33-15 on Monday night in Massachusetts.

Kicker Andy Borregales added four field goals for the Patriots (11-2).

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New England tight end Hunter Henry caught four passes for a team-high 73 yards. The Patriots had a 395-239 advantage in total offense.

New York quarterback Jaxson Dart returned from a concussion and completed 17 of 24 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. Devin Singletary led the Giants’ rushing attack with 67 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

New York (2-11) has lost its last seven games.

The Patriots jumped out to a 17-0 lead after one quarter and led 30-7 at halftime. It remained 30-7 entering the fourth.

After Borregales opened the scoring by kicking a 22-yard field goal on New England’s opening drive, Jones returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown that helped stretch the lead to 10-0.

Maye’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte, plus a Borregales PAT, gave New England a 17-0 advantage with one minute remaining in the first quarter.

The Giants scored on a 30-yard pass from Dart to Darius Slayton with 12:46 left in the second quarter, but New England answered when Maye connected with Kyle Williams for a 33-yard touch.

Borregales extended New England’s lead to 27-7 by making a 30-yard field goal with 1:48 remaining in the first half, and he made it 30-7 with a 28-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Singletary scored on a 22-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter. It was 30-15 after Dart completed a pass to Slayton for the two-point conversion.

Borregales finalized the scoring on a 23-yard field goal with 2:14 to play.

–Field Level Media

Fleet to Play Garden

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BOSTON – The Boston Fleet announced that the women’s pro ice hockey team will play a game at TD Garden in Boston for the first time. The PWHL club will host the Montreal Victoire on April 11 at the home of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and NBA’s Boston Celtics.

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“Hosting a Fleet game at TD Garden is an exciting milestone for our organization,” Fleet business operations director Laura Marie Davey said. “Playing at such an iconic venue presents an incredible opportunity to showcase the PWHL on one of the biggest stages in sports and to connect with fans from across Greater Boston.”

TD Garden has a capacity for nearly 18,000 spectators for ice hockey, nearly three times more than the Fleet’s home at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

“We’re honored to welcome the PWHL’s Boston Fleet to TD Garden for their first game this April,” said Glen Thornborough, president of TD Garden and COO of the Boston Bruins.

“TD Garden is built to give world-class athletes and fans a world-class stage, and we’re proud to bring the PWHL onto a platform that delivers the full NHL-level experience they deserve. The growth of women’s sports is inspiring, and adding more premier women’s events to our calendar is something we’re energized to champion.”

TD Garden also hosted the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun for games in each of the past two summers, with both games selling out.

–Field Level Media

Patriots: Nine Game Win Streak vs NYG

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FOXBORO – (Wire Service Preview) – The New England Patriots haven’t dealt with a tremendous amount of adversity this season, but they’ll be dealing with some when they face the New York Giants on Monday night in Massachusetts. New England (10-2) enters the matchup on a nine-game winning streak, but its offense will be without starting left tackle Will Campbell and starting left guard Jared Wilson.

Campbell, the fourth pick in the 2025 draft, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after he reportedly sustained an MCL sprain last Sunday in the 26-20 victory over Cincinnati. He will miss at least the next four games. Wilson (ankle) will not play Sunday, New England coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Wednesday.

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New England quarterback Drake Maye has been sacked 37 times this season — third most in the NFL — and Vrabel said New York’s defensive line presents plenty of challenges.

“I think 57 of the 66 quarterback hits come from those guys up front,” he said. “Three edge guys with (Brian) Burns, (Kayvon) Thibodeaux, (Abdul) Carter. Obviously what Big Dex (Dexter Lawrence II) can do inside and (Roy) Robertson-Harris. So, those guys are certainly impactful players that have to be accounted for every play. They rotate them through there pretty good, and so there’s a lot of juice there. There’s a lot of disruption.”

Through the first 12 games of this season, Maye leads the NFL with 3,130 passing yards and a 71.0 completion percentage. His 21 passing touchdowns rank fifth.

The Giants (2-10) are hoping to have rookie Jaxson Dart back at quarterback after he missed two games following a concussion he suffered against Chicago on Nov. 9. Dart threw for 10 touchdowns and had three passes intercepted in his first seven NFL starts. He was 19 of 29 for 242 yards against the Bears before his concussion. Jameis Winston was New York’s starting quarterback for its last two games.

Dart cleared concussion protocol on Thursday, but Lawrence (elbow) and Thibodeaux (shoulder) were both held out of practice Wednesday. Thibodeaux hasn’t played in New York’s past two games.

“If he’s healthy and cleared to go, then I’d like Jaxson Dart to play,” New York interim head coach Mike Kafka said last week of Dart’s return timeline. “Only if he’s healthy and ready to go, and that’s based on what the doctors say.”

The Giants will be seeking their first road victory since Week 5 of last season, when they beat Seattle 29-20. New York has lost 12 straight road games since then.

New York fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen on Monday, 12 games into his second season in that role. Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen was named as the interim replacement.

“The results just weren’t where we wanted them to be and so Charlie’s going to step up for us and rally the group,” Kafka said. “The defensive staff will rally around Charlie and put together a great plan. I got a lot of confidence in the room and a lot of confidence in our staff to do that.”

New York enters the game against the Patriots ranked 32nd among NFL teams in rushing defense, 23rd in passing defense and 30th in scoring defense.

In addition to Wilson, five other New England players did not practice Wednesday: tight end CJ Dippre (back), linebacker Harold Landry III (knee), offensive tackle Morgan Moses (illness), safety Brenden Schooler (ankle) and linebacker Jahlani Tavai (personal).

–Field Level Media

NFL on NBC Sunday Night Football

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Denver Broncos (9-2) at Washington Commanders (3-8)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Broncos -5.5, Total 43.5
Series Rewind: The all-time series is knotted 8-8 when counting Washington’s win in Super Bowl XXII. The teams have alternated wins and losses in the past eight meetings, with the Commanders prevailing 35-33 in 2023.

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The Broncos and Commanders are each coming out of their bye week but are pointed in distinctly opposite directions. Denver has won eight straight and most recently defeated division rival and AFC champion Kansas City 22-19. Washington has had the bottom fall out with six losses in a row, including 16-13 in overtime to the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago in Madrid. Broncos coach Sean Payton pointed out one of his team’s few deficiencies was discipline; they’ve committed a league-high 93 penalties for 883 yards, and they’re minus-3 in turnover ratio, with only nine takeaways. Denver’s third-ranked defense has carried it while Bo Nix has been hot and cold. After Nix was held to 173 and 150 yards in low-scoring wins over Houston and Las Vegas, he amassed 295 yards in the Chiefs win. Nix might be licking his chops against a Commanders defense that ranks 31st in yards allowed and 28th in scoring. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels (non-throwing elbow) returned to practice Wednesday, although Marcus Mariota is expected to make his sixth start Sunday. Wide receivers Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/knee) also returned Wednesday and practiced fully on Thursday. Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II (pectoral) was a full participant at Thursday’s practice.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Week 13 Capsules (1pm Games)

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New Orleans Saints (2-9) at Miami Dolphins (4-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Dolphins -5.5, Total 42.5
Series Rewind: Miami has only one victory in the past four meetings, a 20-3 victory in 2021 with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle snagging 10 passes for 92 yards. His 1-yard TD catch in the third quarter put Miami in front 17-3.

Self-described delusional pass rusher Bradley Chubb reminded naysayers the Dolphins are very much in the playoff picture if they refuse to lose the rest of the regular season. Implausible as it might seem, the Dolphins draw a home date with two-win New Orleans to close out November and keep hope alive for a late-season miracle. The Miami Dolphins were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL when they lost seven of their first nine games. But then they routed the Buffalo Bills 30-13 on Nov. 9, beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime in Madrid and return to action Sunday after a bye week. What running back De’Von Achane has done has been important, as well as coach Mike McDaniel’s points of appreciation for Tua Tagovailoa’s recent rise. Achane, who had 120 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards against the Commanders, is averaging 115.5 yards from scrimmage. New Orleans has a similar dual-threat running back in Alvin Kamara, but he’s fighting multiple injuries, a drain for an offense that didn’t score a touchdown against the Falcons and hasn’t produced as many as 20 points in any of the past six games. The Saints are last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage. They made three trips into the red zone against Atlanta and came away with a total of three points.

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Houston Texans (6-5) at Indianapolis Colts (8-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Colts -3.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is 3-1 against the Colts, who haven’t won the division title since 2014.

Much more than legitimacy as an AFC contender is at stake for Indianapolis in the Colts’ first home game since Oct. 26. The Texans have won three in a row to climb another rung closer in the South standings and now the two-time defending division champs are closer to being whole on offense. C.J. Stroud sat out the past three games in concussion protocol while Houston leaned on a defensive front with a dynamite pair of edge rushers crashing opposing quarterbacks. Danielle Hunter has 11 sacks and Will Anderson Jr. is at 10 1/2 this season. Stroud was a full practice participant on Wednesday and Thursday, signaling a potential return this week. Almost any outcome except the Tennessee Titans rising to the top remains possible in the division with Jacksonville (7-4) separating the Colts and third-place Texans. Indianapolis has lost two of three and visits the Jaguars next week. The bad news for Indy is QB Daniel Jones (fractured fibula) is far from healthy and has been turnover-prone this month. Anthony Richardson, Jones’ backup, has Indy’s only win over Houston the past two seasons and was drafted by the Colts after the Texans selected Stroud and Anderson with consecutive picks in the 2023 draft. But the Colts can stem the Texans’ pass rush by feeding NFL rushing leader Jonathan Taylor, who has 1,067 yards from scrimmage (133.4 per game) and 10 TDs (nine rushing) in eight career games vs. Houston.

San Francisco 49ers (8-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-8)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: 49ers -5, Total 36.5
Series Rewind: The Browns have won five of the past seven meetings, including a 19-17 home win in 2023 when San Francisco’s Brock Purdy was just 12-of-27 passing.

The 49ers have won their two games since Purdy (toe) returned, but he has been far from perfect. Purdy threw three interceptions in Monday’s 20-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers and averaged just 6.0 yards per passing attempt. For the season, Purdy has been picked off seven times in four games. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has 12 touchdowns (seven rushing, five receiving) and leads the NFL with 81 catches. San Francisco’s points allowed versus Carolina was a season low for a defense that earlier sustained season-ending injuries to star linebacker Fred Warner and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. Now the 49ers will look to confuse Cleveland’s Shedeur Sanders, who will be making his second career start. Sanders guided the Browns to a 24-10 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders in start No. 1, passing for 209 yards and one touchdown while being intercepted once. The Cleveland defense racked up 10 sacks, including three by Myles Garrett and 2 1/2 from Maliek Collins. Garrett has a league-leading 18 sacks – five more than any other NFL player — and has seven sacks over the past two games. He also is taking dead aim at the single-season record of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021).

Los Angeles Rams (9-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Rams -10.5, Total 45.5
Series Rewind: Los Angeles has won the past two meetings after the Panthers prevailed in six of the previous seven contests.

The Rams have won six consecutive games and own the best record in the NFC. Los Angeles allows a league-low 16.3 points per game and last week’s 34-7 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers marked the fifth team the Rams allowed 10 or fewer points this season. Byron Young has stood out with a career-high nine sacks and fellow linebacker Nate Landman leads the team with 98 tackles and four forced fumbles. Matthew Stafford has been superb with a league-high 30 touchdown passes – only three others have 20 or more – and just two interceptions. He’s in a two-horse MVP race with New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The Panthers are just a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South but offensive inconsistency is a problem. Carolina has scored 30 points three times and also has scored 13 or fewer points on six occasions. Bryce Young passed for a franchise-record 448 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 16 and has topped 200 yards just one other time this season. Cornerback Jaycee Horn has a career-high five interceptions but is dealing with a concussion and hasn’t practiced yet this week. The Panthers will be without safety Tre’von Moehrig (81 tackles), who was suspended one game for unsportsmanlike conduct due to an incident in last week’s loss to the 49ers.

Arizona Cardinals (6-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-8)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Buccaneers -2.5, Total 43.5
Series Rewind: The Buccaneers won each of the last two meetings by three points, including a 19-16 overtime win in overtime on Christmas Day 2022 when Tom Brady was the quarterback.

Baker Mayfield has made 45 consecutive starts since joining Tampa Bay, but that streak is in jeopardy due to his sprained left shoulder. Mayfield said it will come down to “pain tolerance” per whether he will be able to take the field. He hurt the shoulder multiple times during last week’s 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Teddy Bridgewater, who last started an NFL game in Week 17 of 2022 for the Miami Dolphins, is being prepared to start if necessary. The Buccaneers, who have lost three straight games and four of five, hope to have running back Bucky Irving (shoulder/foot) back after a seven-game absence. Arizona has lost three consecutive contests and eight of the past nine. Jacoby Brissett will be making his seventh consecutive start in place of Kyler Murray (foot). He has thrown for 769 yards on 80-for-106 passing (75.5%) over the past two games. Star tight end Trey McBride has caught five or more passes in 13 straight games, tying the club record set by Larry Fitzgerald. He also is tied for second in the NFL with 80 receptions. Wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendicitis) is expected to play after missing the past two games.

Atlanta Falcons (4-7) at New York Jets (2-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Falcons -2.5, Total 39.5
Series Rewind: The Falcons lead the all-time series 9-5 and have won the last three overall games vs. the Jets and the last three games at the Jets.

Atlanta slim playoff chances alive last week by snapping their five-game losing streak at New Orleans. They’ll have another chance to do so Sunday against their second straight two-win opponent in the Jets. Kirk Cousins, making his first start of the season after Michael Penix Jr. sustained a season-ending partially torn ACL, completed 16 of 23 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He was supported by a Falcons defense which had five sacks to run its season total up to 39, third-most in the league. Half of last week’s sacks came from rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, who have combined for nine this season. Unfortunately for Cousins, it sounds like he’ll be without star receiver Drake London (knee) again this week. He hasn’t practiced and was labeled doubtful. New York’s Tyrod Taylor will make his second straight start since Justin Fields was benched two weeks ago. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 23-10 loss to the Ravens. In four games this season, Taylor has completed 61.9% of his passes for 601 yards, four touchdowns and four picks. The Jets currently rank last in the league in passing offense (145.7), nearly 18 yards less than any other team, and are still looking for their first 400-yard receiver this season

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) at Tennessee Titans (1-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Jaguars -6.5, Total 41.5
Series Rewind: Jacksonville has won five of the last six games in this division rivalry, but Tennessee possesses a 35-26 lead in the all-time series.

Jacksonville enters this week in playoff position as the No. 6 seed and riding a two-game winning streak coming off last week’s 27-24 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals. Four of the team’s final six games will be played against division opponents, starting this week with the first of two matchups against the Tennessee Titans. A big part of the Jaguars’ recent success has been an uptick in pass-rush success. Coen challenged his defense, which had eight sacks through the first seven games, to make a bigger impact. The Jaguars responded with 13 sacks in four games since their bye week, including a season-high six last week. Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle) returned to full practice participation yesterday and appears possible to return from his three-game absence, but defensive end Travon Walker (knee) hasn’t practiced this week and may be missing his second straight game. Tennessee carries a six-game overall losing streak and a 10-game home losing streak into this week. Even with a depleted receiver room, Cam Ward completed 28 of 42 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown with a team-high 37 rushing yards and his first career rushing TD. The Titans have been putting up more of a fight recently despite the losses continuing to stack. After six of the Titans’ first seven losses were by 10-plus points – including four by 18-plus points – their last three have all one-score losses.

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