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Ravens Look Sharp with Jackson

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson set an NFL record, RB Derrick Henry achieved a single-season franchise mark and the visiting Ravens moved into first place in the AFC North with a 31-2 rout of the Houston Texans on Wednesday.

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Jackson rushed for 87 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, to give him 6,110 rushing yards for his career. That’s one more than Michael Vick, making Jackson the all-time leader in career rushing yards by a quarterback. Henry rushed for 147 yards and a score on 27 carries, giving him 16 touchdowns for the year, the most for a single season in team history.

His performance helped Baltimore (11-5) take a one-game lead on Pittsburgh with one week left in the season. The Ravens can clinch the AFC North title next week with a home win over Cleveland.

Jackson completed 10 of 15 passes for 168 yards with two touchdowns and another 87 yards on the ground with the score as Baltimore earned a 432-211 advantage in total yardage. The Ravens collected five sacks and came up with a goal-line stand in the second quarter with the game still up for grabs.

C.J. Stroud hit 17 of 31 attempts for 185 yards with an interception for Houston (9-7), which lost its second straight game and is now locked into the No. 4 spot for the AFC playoffs.

Henry initiated the scoring at the 10:08 mark of the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run, capping a 75-yard drive. Baltimore made it 10-0 the next time it touched the ball as Justin Tucker drilled a 52-yard field goal with 2:47 to go in the first.

The Texans got their only points with 10:09 left in the first half when Kamari Lassiter tackled Henry in the end zone for a 4-yard loss and a safety. Houston had a chance to score a touchdown on the ensuing possession but Joe Mixon was stopped at the 1 on a fourth-and-goal pass.

Baltimore sailed 99 yards down the field on its next possession, with Jackson throwing a 9-yard strike to Isaiah Likely with 1:51 remaining for a 17-2 halftime lead.

The Ravens made it a rout in the third quarter on Jackson’s long scoring run and his 1-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews at the 5:50 mark.

–Field Level Media

Chiefs Lock AFC No. 1 Seed

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns and the Chiefs clinched home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 29-10 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.

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KC’s Travis Kelce became the third tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions and also took over the franchise lead with his 77th career touchdown catch. Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson also caught scoring passes and Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown for the Chiefs (15-1) during the Christmas Day affair.

Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson completed 23 of 37 passes for 205 yards and one interception as Pittsburgh (10-6) failed to clinch the AFC North for the second straight game. The Steelers have lost three consecutive games.

Mahomes was 29-of-38 passing while helping the Chiefs win their sixth straight game. Kansas City also set a franchise record with its 15th victory.

Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards to raise his career receptions total to 1,004. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228) are the only two tight ends with more catches.

Ironically, it was Gonzalez’s franchise record for receiving scores that Kelce broke. He celebrated by doing Gonzalez’s signature dunking of the football through the uprights. Gonzalez was a college basketball player in addition to being a star football player.

The Chiefs racked up five sacks and thrived defensively without star tackle Chris Jones (calf).

Kansas City led by six at halftime and increased the lead to 16-7 on Harrison Butker’s 32-yard field goal with 12:21 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers responded with Chris Boswell’s 36-yard field goal to move back within six with 5:45 left in the quarter.

Kelce’s 1,000th grab was a 19-yard gain late in the third quarter and helped set up Hunt’s 2-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion pass failed and the Chiefs settled for a 22-10 advantage.

On the next possession, Kelce caught a 12-yard scoring pass with 12:38 remaining in the game to increase the margin to 19.

Mahomes threw two first-half touchdown passes as Kansas City held a 13-7 halftime lead.

On the first one, Worthy lined up in the backfield and flared into the left flat to catch a 7-yard scoring pass. His celebration drew a 15-yard penalty, and Butker’s ensuing 48-yard extra point was wide right.

Later, Mahomes tossed a 11-yard touchdown pass to Watson with four minutes left in the opening quarter. Mahomes also teamed up with Watson on a 49-yard play earlier in the drive.

The Steelers got on the board with 10:28 left in the half when Wilson scored from the 1 by barely getting the ball across the goal line at the left pylon.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Monday Night Football Previews

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Chicago Bears didn’t get much of a bounce from interim coach Thomas Brown.

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Brown replaced the fired Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving but instead of a spark, the Bears went to San Francisco and got pummeled by the 49ers.

Minnesota (11-2) welcomes Chicago as the Bears’ losing streak stands at seven games entering Monday night’s divisional matchup against the red-hot Vikings.

A six-game winning streak has the Vikings on the heels of the Eagles and Lions in the race for NFC homefield. Minnesota is in the playoffs, clinching a spot with the Seahawks’ loss on Sunday night. Most recently, the Vikings racked up 42 points at home against Atlanta in Week 14.

There aren’t too many venues that can get louder than the U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings are playing well.

Look for Minnesota to jump out to a fast start against a Bears team with a first-year quarterback and a coaching staff that’s clearly in a state of flux at this point of the year.

–It’s the coaching, stupid
The Bears’ decision to fire a head coach in midseason for the first time in franchise history indicates just how dire matters had become at Halas Hall.

Eberflus left them with no choice after his in-game blunder against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which was laid bare for the whole world to see.

With 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Chicago trailing 23-20 on Detroit’s 41-yard line, Eberflus opted not to call a timeout on third down following a sack to his quarterback Caleb Williams.

Instead, the Bears wasted 30 seconds trying to get organized at the line of scrimmage, throwing an incomplete pass as time expired. Thus, they were unable to attempt a game-tying 58-yard field goal.

After the game, Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen seemed to not so subtly blame the coaching staff directly, telling reporters, “We did enough as players to win this game.”

In other words, the players were the ones who held up their end of the bargain.

Unfortunately, the debacle against the Lions was just another example of Eberflus being completely beyond his depth as a head coach this season.

Two weeks before the loss to the Lions, the Bears had a chance for a game-winning field goal against the Packers, but instead of running another play to make the kick shorter, Eberflus ran 27 seconds off the clock only for Green Bay to block a 46-yarder.

–Prop pick: Vikings pass-catchers
Jordan Addison lit up the Chicago secondary in the first meeting Nov. 24 with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown and then went for 8-133-3 against the Falcons last week.

The Bears might shake things up with Eberflus no longer calling defensive shots, but Chicago sits in the same pick-your-poison predicament with Justin Jefferson opposite Addison. Tight end T.J. Hockenson also had seven receptions against the Bears last month and had 11 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in two games in this matchup last season.

Quarterback Sam Darnold spreads the wealth in this one with Jefferson and Addison recording six receptions apiece and Addison over 60 yards.

Prop: Two bets parlayed: Addison six-plus receptions, Addison 60-plus receiving yards (+248 FanDuel)

–Bears’ coaches are ill-prepared
Before the Bears canned Eberflus, he fired his offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. Last season, he fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

Thomas Brown, who took over for Waldron as coordinator, is now the interim head coach.

While the Bears’ performance on the field certainly warranted some change, this revolving door of coordinators and head coaches isn’t particularly beneficial for their rookie quarterback.

There are legitimate concerns about their coaching staff’s ability to prepare midweek and devise a plan in the early stages of a game.

Of all 32 teams, the Bears average the third-fewest points in the first half, 7.4, and when they’re on the road, that average drops to 4.7.

Given their coaching carousel and staff members being elevated into new positions to fill a void, one can only wonder if there’s a lack of quality due to inexperience.

And with the Bears yet to cover the first-half spread in all six road games this season, it’s difficult to see them turning the tide on Monday night against a quality Vikings team.

Best bet: Vikings 1H -3.5 (-115 DraftKings)

– Field Level Media

NFL: Sunday Night Football

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Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (8-5), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The “12s” raise the flag on Sunday night encouraged to know the home team has won four straight in the often-dramatic Packers-Seahawks rivalry. The potential playoff preview brings added significance to possible tiebreaking — and homefield — scenarios in January. To ensure a home game in the playoffs, Seattle would like to stay a game ahead of the pack of NFC West teams in close pursuit following the Rams (8-6) win over the 49ers on Thursday. The Seahawks might have unintentionally unearthed an unstoppable backfield pairing with starter Kenneth Walker III idle last week. Zach Charbonnet set career highs in catches (seven), total yards (193), rushing yards (134) and two rushing TDs in a critical victory over Arizona. His emergence coincides with the rapid rise of WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a corps of receivers that also includes DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Given the newfound playmaking, it’s a good time for Green Bay to have top corner Jaire Alexander (knee) healthy for the first time in a month and rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper expecting to play after a long absence. The Packers continue to push RB Josh Jacobs toward peak production. He has eight rushing touchdowns in the past four games. And in Jacobs’ only career game against the Seahawks while he wore a Raiders’ uniform, Jacobs delivered a career-high 229 rushing yards, 74 receiving and two TD runs. Seattle DT Leonard Williams plopped himself in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year conversation with a run of highlight reel games the past month.

–Field Level Med

NFL: Sunday Afternoon Late Games

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Today’s and tonight’s NFL Game previews:

New England Patriots (3-10) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
First-time general manager Eliot Wolf was on the clock with the No. 3 pick in the draft and two marquee players stood out: North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Wolf and the Patriots took the passer, and Maye is making strides. He hit 24 of 30 passes and one TD and rushed for 59 yards in Week 13 before New England’s bye week. During the time off Wolf & Company had a chance to take a look at Harrison Jr., who went one spot after Maye in the draft to the Cardinals. He leads all rookies with seven TD catches in 2024. Harrison is not the lead option for Arizona. TE Trey McBride is in the midst of an unstoppable stretch with seven-plus receptions (31 total) in the past three games. His 80 catches are tops on the Cardinals by a wide margin. The Patriots and Maye want to avoid playmaking S Budda Baker, who had 18 tackles last week and is second in the NFL with 132 tackles in 2024. Arizona is two games out of both the NFC West lead and the last wild-card spot, giving them two options to chase. While they would need to jump three teams to land a wild-card berth, they have to slip past two teams — the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams — to take the division.

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Indianapolis Colts (6-7) at Denver Broncos (8-5), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Broncos hold a two-game lead over the Miami Dolphins (6-7) and Colts in the wild-card race, and they meet Sunday after a December bye week that opened additional time to prepare for what Colts head coach Shane Steichen is framing as a must-win in his own locker room. That’s because the Colts are two games behind the Texans in the AFC South and Houston holds the tiebreaker. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor could hold the key to keeping his team from folding in a feisty road environment. He has six 100-yard games this season, but the Broncos are among the league’s best at penetrating to disrupt timing in the backfield. That often means sending LB Nik Bonitto (11.0 sacks this season) and causing interior linemen to communicate protections to also account for DE Zach Allen (12 tackles for loss in 2024). Denver steps into the final four games of the season after a bye last week and the Broncos are riding a three-game winning streak. Not many projected the Broncos’ Bo Nix-to-Courtland Sutton combination to be one of the best in the league this season, but here they are on the doorstep of the playoffs and five consecutive games with at least six connections and 70 yards. That’s more than any QB-WR combo in the NFL this season.

Buffalo Bills (10-3) at Detroit Lions (12-1), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
A clash of conference frontrunners at Ford Field might point to a possible preview of the Super Bowl, but more imminently signals a lot of points. The Lions are the NFL’s top-scoring team at 32.5 points per game and the Bills are first in the AFC with 30.5 ppg. Already safely in the postseason, neither team wants to drop a game at this juncture because of the likely ramifications on home-field advantage through the conference title games. Playing outside of their comfortable home environment, Buffalo already has three losses this season. The Bills lost on the road to the Rams in one of Josh Allen’s top career performances — 424 yards (342 passing, 82 rushing), career-high six TDs (three pass, three rush) — and are trying to avoid back-to-back road defeats for the second time this season. Detroit is withstanding the gravity of losing several key defensive players to date. Explosive with depth on the offensive side of the ball, the Lions are already in playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1993-95. QB Jared Goff has 25 touchdown passes to seven receivers and one to himself (no, seriously) and Detroit can grind with the best of them behind a powerful offensive line and RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The Lions compiled 1,964 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 as a team in 2024. The NFC homefield fight could be decided Jan. 5 at Ford Field when the Minnesota Vikings visit.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
In the playoff field as of final play of Week 14, there’s no ground to give for either team with four games remaining on the regular-season schedule. Up next for the Chargers is division rival Denver, which has a matching 8-5 record. Before the Chargers can get there, they’ll need to deal with Tampa Bay’s improved running game and QB Baker Mayfield. With Chargers leading receiver Ladd McConkey sidelined last week, WR Quentin Johnston seemed to awaken from a rough patch at Kansas City last week and has become a primary read for QB Justin Herbert again. Herbert rarely has put the ball in harm’s way with a run of 11 consecutive games and an NFL-record 335 consecutive attempts without an interception. Tight margins are customary to the Chargers. Los Angeles leads the NFL in points allowed (15.9 per game) but half of its eight wins were decided by seven points or fewer. Tampa Bay is back on track with three wins in a row, but the Buccaneers built that streak against the Raiders, Giants and Panthers. Those teams own a combined 7-32 record. Often overlooked in the NFC playoff picture because the South is anchored by three sub-.500 teams, the Buccaneers have wins over the Lions, Eagles and Commanders — two division leaders and one of the current wild-card spot holders. Tampa Bay has games with the Cowboys, Panthers and Saints left on the schedule.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-2), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
It’s feasible that Eagles WR A.J. Brown snuck a peek ahead at the schedule to see the Steelers coming and wanted a public decree to remind peers of his run of dominance against Pittsburgh. He had six catches for 153 yards and a career-high three TDs the last time he saw the Steelers and has consecutive games with at least 6-150-1 in the matchup. While “passing” has been backburnered, there’s a good and epically productive reason Philadelphia is last in the NFL in pass attempts: Saquon Barkley. He leads NFL and already set a franchise-record with 1,623 rushing yards this season. That’s the second-most all-time by a player in the first 13 games of season since 2000. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,890 scrimmage yards. The Eagles might appreciate the existing trend in this series with the home team winning nine of the past 10 meetings. But the Steelers are 6-1 with Russell Wilson at quarterback this season. Wilson is 5-0 in his career against the Eagles. He’s down his top wideout in George Pickens on Sunday. Pittsburgh does have familiar defensive stalwarts back together. LB Alex Highsmith was back in the lineup last week and record a sack. He’s the sidekick to T.J. Watt, who needs 0.5 sacks to hit 10 in a season for the sixth time in his career.

Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (8-5), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The “12s” raise the flag on Sunday night encouraged to know the home team has won four straight in the often-dramatic Packers-Seahawks rivalry. The potential playoff preview brings added significance to possible tiebreaking — and homefield — scenarios in January. To ensure a home game in the playoffs, Seattle would like to stay a game ahead of the pack of NFC West teams in close pursuit following the Rams (8-6) win over the 49ers on Thursday. The Seahawks might have unintentionally unearthed an unstoppable backfield pairing with starter Kenneth Walker III idle last week. Zach Charbonnet set career highs in catches (seven), total yards (193), rushing yards (134) and two rushing TDs in a critical victory over Arizona. His emergence coincides with the rapid rise of WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a corps of receivers that also includes DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Given the newfound playmaking, it’s a good time for Green Bay to have top corner Jaire Alexander (knee) healthy for the first time in a month and rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper expecting to play after a long absence. The Packers continue to push RB Josh Jacobs toward peak production. He has eight rushing touchdowns in the past four games. And in Jacobs’ only career game against the Seahawks while he wore a Raiders’ uniform, Jacobs delivered a career-high 229 rushing yards, 74 receiving and two TD runs. Seattle DT Leonard Williams plopped himself in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year conversation with a run of highlight reel games the past month.

–Field Level Med

 

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NFL: Week 15 Game Previews

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Here are this week’s NFL Game previews:

Dallas Cowboys (5-8) at Carolina Panthers (3-10) 1 p.m. ET, FOX
What are the odds the Carolina Panthers are favorites in a game this season? This is the week. Oddsmakers for the first time since December 2022 are giving the Panthers the edge — they’re 2.5-point favorites as of Friday afternoon — over the Cowboys. Dallas rolls into Charlotte on a short turnaround from a 27-20 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Playoff prospects are dimming for Dallas after a botched blocked punt gave the ball back to the Bengals for their game-winning score. The Panthers are familiar with bum luck. Carolina lost its last three games but had chances to win each one late in setbacks to the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas has been in one-possession games for three consecutive weeks, winning the first two of those. Cooper Rush remains at quarterback with Dak Prescott out. He didn’t reach the 200-yard mark in passing the past two weeks with RB Rico Dowell providing a boost with back-to-back games 100-plus-yard games on the ground. One name and face the Panthers know from their 33-10 loss to Dallas last season is LB Micah Parsons. Parsons had six tackles, including 2.5 sacks, in the 2023 meeting. Panthers QB Bryce Young threw an interception for the first time in four games last week and head coach Dave Canales continues to celebrate his progress and competitive fire.

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Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) at Cleveland Browns (3-10) 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Andy Reid has a 9-0 record against Cleveland and has two wins over Kevin Stefanski with the Browns, including a playoff victory in 2021. The Chiefs (12-1) clinched the division for the ninth straight season by edging the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17 last Sunday night. They could add PK Harrison Butker back to the roster from injured reserve, a weapon Kansas City would be glad to have given its penchant for close games this season. Pass rush is a constant talking point for both coaches, and in turn, pass protection. Breakdowns have led to turnovers — the starting quarterbacks have combined for 20 interceptions — and flipped momentum throughout the season. Browns QB Jameis Winston has 1,975 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has a 68.1 completion rate with 3,189 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Cleveland increased production on offense with Winston at quarterback. But a 27-14 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. The Chiefs are hoping to stockpile wins as they begin a stretch of three games in a 11 days sitting on a two-game lead in the AFC homefield race.

Miami Dolphins (6-7) at Houston Texans (8-5), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Slim and none are too harsh to describe Miami’s playoff chances, but those might be applicable tags if the Dolphins drop an eighth game of the season on Sunday at Houston. The Dolphins have won four of their past five games, but they remain a long shot to qualify for the AFC playoffs. The Dolphins went 1-3 and averaged 10 points per game while standout quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined due to a concussion and are still trying to climb out. They lost their first two games after Tagovailoa returned from IR and have topped 30 points in three of their past four games. Hope stayed alive last week. The Dolphins, who trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter, received a tying 52-yard field goal from Jason Sanders with seven seconds left to force overtime and beat the Jets. Off a bye last week, Houston could claim consecutive division titles on with a win Sunday and a loss by the Indianapolis Colts against the Denver Broncos. The Texans lead the Colts by two games and swept the two-game season series to hold the all-important tiebreaker. Because of a challenging closing schedule — Miami is the first of three opponents in a span of 11 days — head coach DeMeco Ryans wants all of Houston’s focus on Miami. The Texans visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 21 and then host the Baltimore Ravens four days later on Christmas Day, which falls on a Wednesday. The Texans are still trying to find firm footing with just two wins since a 5-1 start.

New York Jets (3-10) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
A matchup that feels quite draft-y, the Jaguars entered December in the race for the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in five years (2021, 2022). They’re even with the Jets with three wins meaning the losing team would have the draft order advantage in April. A dose of positive news would be welcome on either side. Jacksonville won for the first time since Oct. 20 snapping a five-game losing streak. The Jets last won on Halloween and extended their own losing streak to four games at Miami last week. The Jets have lost nine of their last 10 games, including four in a row. They are 2-7 in one-score games and have lost the last three games by a total of 12 points. QB Aaron Rodgers turned 41 this month but Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, a longtime Packers backup to Brett Favre, said he isn’t showing his age. Rodgers passed for 339 yards and a score in a 32-26 overtime loss at Miami. He 2,966 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’ll face Jaguars QB Mac Jones with Trevor Lawrence (concussion, shoulder) on IR.

Washington Commanders (8-5) at New Orleans Saints (5-8), 1 p.m., FOX
Saints fans, please welcome … Jake Haener? It’s possible New Orleans rolls out Haener for his first career start or turns to him early given the health of QB Derek Carr (hand). Maybe he’ll borrow from Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, who is back in Louisiana where he starred as the Heisman Trophy winner at LSU last season. Daniels can become the fourth rookie QB with 3,000 passing yards (2,819) and 500 rushing (589). It also could be a homecoming for Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who was acquired by Washington in a trade with New Orleans on Nov. 5. The four-time Pro Bowler has missed the past five games because of a hamstring injury sustained while with the Saints, but he practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday. If you need a little inspiration to squeeze in a holiday workout, consider the career of Commanders LB Bobby Wagner. He has 104 tackles in 2024 at age 34, giving him 100 tackles for the 13th consecutive season. Only London Fletcher has a streak that long since 2000. He gets a matchup with Saints RB Alvin Kamara worth watching. Kamara leads all backs with 64 receptions this season, ranks third in the NFL with 1,423 yards from scrimmage yards and is 62 yards shy of his first-ever 1,000-yard rushing season. Kamara also needs only 15 yards to hit 500 receiving yards for the season for his fifth time.

Baltimore Ravens (8-5) at New York Giants (2-11), 1 p.m. ET, CBS
It will be a marathon 11 days for the Ravens. Currently fifth seed in the conference playoff picture, there’s still time for Baltimore to make a jump in the standings. Just two games behind division-leading Pittsburgh with four games to go, the Ravens have a home date with the Steelers in Week 16 in the midst of a three-games-in-11-days gauntlet that includes a Christmas Day trip to Houston. One explicit focus for the Ravens is getting PK Justin Tucker fixed. He kicked outside in the rain this week while the Ravens were indoors working out in hopes of snapping a funk causing panic because of his existing legacy as one of the most reliable in the NFL. Tucker, who has a total of 10 missed kicks this season including two PATs, missed multiple kicks in the 24-19 loss to the Eagles in Week 13 before the Ravens’ bye week. It’s been an ultramarathon for the Giants already. With an eight-game losing streak, the Giants are making a QB change once more to start Tommy DeVito this week. DeVito was named starter after Daniel Jones was released last month. But he was battered by the Buccaneers in that game and Drew Lock started the Thanksgiving Day loss at Dallas. DeVito returns with the Giants still chasing their first win at home this season. First-round WR Malik Nabers wasn’t targeted in the first half of DeVito’s previous start. Still he’s been incredibly consistent — five-plus receptions in 10 of 11 games — while the QB carousel spins. Nabers has 80 receptions more than an NFL player in league history through their first 11 career games.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) at Tennessee Titans (3-10), 1 p.m. ET, FOX
Titans head coach Brian Callahan might be one of the few professionals who could pitch a believable plan to stop Joe Burrow’s flame-throwing run through the NFL this season. Callahan became Titans head coach in January after serving as offensive coordinator of the Bengals and a direct tutor of Burrow. The student is glad to show his work on Sunday. Burrow leads the NFL with 3,706 pass yards & 33 TD passes in 2024. At Dallas on Monday, he posted his seventh game this season with three-plus TD passes, his sixth game with at least 300 yards passing and if Burrow overcomes a sore knee to do both Sunday in Nashville, he’ll join former 49ers QB Steve Young (1998) as the only players with 300-3 in five consecutive games. There’s another probable All-Pro on Callahan’s mind this week: WR Ja’Marr Chase. While Titans leading receiver Calvin Ridley has 738 yards in 13 games, here’s what Chase has done the past four games: 602 yards (150.5 per game), 8 TDs. Chase leads the NFL with 93 catches, 1,319 yards and 15 TDs. The Titans could soon be on the clock looking for their Burrow clone. Will Levis was thought to be a potential franchise quarterback but results in 2024 are uneven to date. There has been improvement from Levis taking care of the ball after struggling in that area to start the season. He’s INT-free for the past two games.

New England Patriots (3-10) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
First-time general manager Eliot Wolf was on the clock with the No. 3 pick in the draft and two marquee players stood out: North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Wolf and the Patriots took the passer, and Maye is making strides. He hit 24 of 30 passes and one TD and rushed for 59 yards in Week 13 before New England’s bye week. During the time off Wolf & Company had a chance to take a look at Harrison Jr., who went one spot after Maye in the draft to the Cardinals. He leads all rookies with seven TD catches in 2024. Harrison is not the lead option for Arizona. TE Trey McBride is in the midst of an unstoppable stretch with seven-plus receptions (31 total) in the past three games. His 80 catches are tops on the Cardinals by a wide margin. The Patriots and Maye want to avoid playmaking S Budda Baker, who had 18 tackles last week and is second in the NFL with 132 tackles in 2024. Arizona is two games out of both the NFC West lead and the last wild-card spot, giving them two options to chase. While they would need to jump three teams to land a wild-card berth, they have to slip past two teams — the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams — to take the division.

Indianapolis Colts (6-7) at Denver Broncos (8-5), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
The Broncos hold a two-game lead over the Miami Dolphins (6-7) and Colts in the wild-card race, and they meet Sunday after a December bye week that opened additional time to prepare for what Colts head coach Shane Steichen is framing as a must-win in his own locker room. That’s because the Colts are two games behind the Texans in the AFC South and Houston holds the tiebreaker. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor could hold the key to keeping his team from folding in a feisty road environment. He has six 100-yard games this season, but the Broncos are among the league’s best at penetrating to disrupt timing in the backfield. That often means sending LB Nik Bonitto (11.0 sacks this season) and causing interior linemen to communicate protections to also account for DE Zach Allen (12 tackles for loss in 2024). Denver steps into the final four games of the season after a bye last week and the Broncos are riding a three-game winning streak. Not many projected the Broncos’ Bo Nix-to-Courtland Sutton combination to be one of the best in the league this season, but here they are on the doorstep of the playoffs and five consecutive games with at least six connections and 70 yards. That’s more than any QB-WR combo in the NFL this season.

Buffalo Bills (10-3) at Detroit Lions (12-1), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
A clash of conference frontrunners at Ford Field might point to a possible preview of the Super Bowl, but more imminently signals a lot of points. The Lions are the NFL’s top-scoring team at 32.5 points per game and the Bills are first in the AFC with 30.5 ppg. Already safely in the postseason, neither team wants to drop a game at this juncture because of the likely ramifications on home-field advantage through the conference title games. Playing outside of their comfortable home environment, Buffalo already has three losses this season. The Bills lost on the road to the Rams in one of Josh Allen’s top career performances — 424 yards (342 passing, 82 rushing), career-high six TDs (three pass, three rush) — and are trying to avoid back-to-back road defeats for the second time this season. Detroit is withstanding the gravity of losing several key defensive players to date. Explosive with depth on the offensive side of the ball, the Lions are already in playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1993-95. QB Jared Goff has 25 touchdown passes to seven receivers and one to himself (no, seriously) and Detroit can grind with the best of them behind a powerful offensive line and RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The Lions compiled 1,964 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 as a team in 2024. The NFC homefield fight could be decided Jan. 5 at Ford Field when the Minnesota Vikings visit.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
In the playoff field as of final play of Week 14, there’s no ground to give for either team with four games remaining on the regular-season schedule. Up next for the Chargers is division rival Denver, which has a matching 8-5 record. Before the Chargers can get there, they’ll need to deal with Tampa Bay’s improved running game and QB Baker Mayfield. With Chargers leading receiver Ladd McConkey sidelined last week, WR Quentin Johnston seemed to awaken from a rough patch at Kansas City last week and has become a primary read for QB Justin Herbert again. Herbert rarely has put the ball in harm’s way with a run of 11 consecutive games and an NFL-record 335 consecutive attempts without an interception. Tight margins are customary to the Chargers. Los Angeles leads the NFL in points allowed (15.9 per game) but half of its eight wins were decided by seven points or fewer. Tampa Bay is back on track with three wins in a row, but the Buccaneers built that streak against the Raiders, Giants and Panthers. Those teams own a combined 7-32 record. Often overlooked in the NFC playoff picture because the South is anchored by three sub-.500 teams, the Buccaneers have wins over the Lions, Eagles and Commanders — two division leaders and one of the current wild-card spot holders. Tampa Bay has games with the Cowboys, Panthers and Saints left on the schedule.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-2), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
It’s feasible that Eagles WR A.J. Brown snuck a peek ahead at the schedule to see the Steelers coming and wanted a public decree to remind peers of his run of dominance against Pittsburgh. He had six catches for 153 yards and a career-high three TDs the last time he saw the Steelers and has consecutive games with at least 6-150-1 in the matchup. While “passing” has been backburnered, there’s a good and epically productive reason Philadelphia is last in the NFL in pass attempts: Saquon Barkley. He leads NFL and already set a franchise-record with 1,623 rushing yards this season. That’s the second-most all-time by a player in the first 13 games of season since 2000. Barkley leads the NFL with 1,890 scrimmage yards. The Eagles might appreciate the existing trend in this series with the home team winning nine of the past 10 meetings. But the Steelers are 6-1 with Russell Wilson at quarterback this season. Wilson is 5-0 in his career against the Eagles. He’s down his top wideout in George Pickens on Sunday. Pittsburgh does have familiar defensive stalwarts back together. LB Alex Highsmith was back in the lineup last week and record a sack. He’s the sidekick to T.J. Watt, who needs 0.5 sacks to hit 10 in a season for the sixth time in his career.

Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (8-5), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The “12s” raise the flag on Sunday night encouraged to know the home team has won four straight in the often-dramatic Packers-Seahawks rivalry. The potential playoff preview brings added significance to possible tiebreaking — and homefield — scenarios in January. To ensure a home game in the playoffs, Seattle would like to stay a game ahead of the pack of NFC West teams in close pursuit following the Rams (8-6) win over the 49ers on Thursday. The Seahawks might have unintentionally unearthed an unstoppable backfield pairing with starter Kenneth Walker III idle last week. Zach Charbonnet set career highs in catches (seven), total yards (193), rushing yards (134) and two rushing TDs in a critical victory over Arizona. His emergence coincides with the rapid rise of WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a corps of receivers that also includes DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Given the newfound playmaking, it’s a good time for Green Bay to have top corner Jaire Alexander (knee) healthy for the first time in a month and rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper expecting to play after a long absence. The Packers continue to push RB Josh Jacobs toward peak production. He has eight rushing touchdowns in the past four games. And in Jacobs’ only career game against the Seahawks while he wore a Raiders’ uniform, Jacobs delivered a career-high 229 rushing yards, 74 receiving and two TD runs. Seattle DT Leonard Williams plopped himself in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year conversation with a run of highlight reel games the past month.

–Field Level Media

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KC Chiefs to Play Three in 11 Days

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – At a time when the Kansas City Chiefs want to be sprinting to the finish line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes fears the physical toll of playing three games in a span of 11 days will derail the two-time Super Bowl champions.

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“You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body,” said Mahomes of Kansas City’s upcoming Sunday-Saturday-Christmas Day (Wednesday) schedule combination. “But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession, you have to come to work and do it.”

The Chiefs begin the gauntlet of games Sunday in a Week 15 matchup at Cleveland. They return for a short week of preparation and a Saturday home game against the AFC South-leading Houston Texans, then play the Steelers at Pittsburgh on Christmas Day in the first scheduled NFL game on a Wednesday since 2012.

“It’s a unique situation,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who shared that he told the team to take one day at a time through the unprecedented stretch.

“The main thing is you get guys ready for the game. Give them a chance to get ready for the game. (Players are) going to do whatever you present to them. You try to help them out with that. Right now, we have a normal week right here. We have to take care of business here.”

When the season ends, the Chiefs will have played a regular-season game every day of the week except Tuesday. Kansas City beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

Injuries have caused havoc for the Chiefs this season. Current left tackle DJ Humphries (hamstring) was hurt Sunday night and required an MRI exam. He did not practice Wednesday.

Kansas City’s top two wide receivers Hollywood Brown (shoulder) and Rashee Rice (knee) have been out most of the season. Brown, Reid said Wednesday, is “getting close” to returning from a training camp injury. Top running back Isiah Pacheco missed Weeks 3-12 with a broken fibula.

Houston had a bye in Week 14 to rest for the daunting finishing stretch and largely the same scheduling challenges as the Chiefs. Houston hosts the Miami Dolphins on Sunday before the trek to play Kansas City six days later. The Texans are home on Christmas Day to play Baltimore.

Texans GM Nick Caserio broke down the logistics with a focus on limited practice time after the typical week of preparation for Miami.

No “O” – Rams Defeat SF 49ers, 12-6

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Los Angeles placekicker Joshua Karty booted a go-ahead 27-yard field goal with 9:28 remaining and Darious Williams came down with a crucial interception to lift the LA Rams to a 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers (thus 6ers) on Thursday night in Northern California.

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Heavy rain before halftime prevented both teams from finding an offensive rhythm, but Los Angeles (8-6) did just enough to earn its seventh win in nine games. The loss by the 49ers practically eliminated their chance of qualifying for the NFL postseason.

With the game tied at six-apiece, it looked as if the Rams were headed for the end zone after Puka Nacua got behind San Francisco’s secondary and hauled in a 51-yard pass from Matthew Stafford early in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers’ defense soon got a stop on third-and-2, though, forcing Los Angeles to bring out Karty for his 27-yarder.

San Francisco (6-8) quickly worked down to the Los Angeles 33 on its ensuing drive. Brock Purdy proceeded to throw a deep ball near the near-side pylon that Williams picked off, and Karty later made good on a 29-yard field goal with 18 seconds to go.

Although a horse-collar tackle on the following kickoff set the Niners up at the 50-yard line, they couldn’t generate a miracle in the final seconds.

Stafford completed 16 of 27 passes for 160 yards, with Nacua (seven catches, 97 yards) serving as his favorite target. Kyren Williams was a workhorse on the ground, going for 108 yards on 29 carries.

Star receiver Cooper Kupp didn’t have a single reception for the Rams.

Purdy finished 14 of 31 for 142 yards and the interception. Isaac Guerendo had 16 carries for 57 yards as San Francisco got outgained 302-191 in total yards.

Jake Moody and Karty exchanged second-half field goals within a span of just under 10 minutes to forge the 6-6 tie.

Amid the rain, San Francisco punted on six of its seven first-half drives.

The 49ers’ only successful drive before the break ended with Moody’s 53-yard field goal with 10:01 left in the first quarter. A 33-yard completion to George Kittle over the middle helped set up the kick.

After punting on its five first drives of the game, Los Angeles finally tied the contest with 65 seconds remaining in the first half on a 48-yard field goal from Karty.

The Rams climbed within a half-game of the first-place Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West. The defending conference champion 49ers are last in the division, a half-game behind the Arizona Cardinals (6-7).

–Field Level Media

Belichick Can Be Finer in Carolina

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CHAPEL HILL – (Staff and Wire Service Report). It probably could’ve been Chestnut Hill last summer but instead, it’s Chapel Hill today as Bill Belichick rejoined the coaching ranks at the collegiate level, landing a five-year contract to take over as the head coach at North Carolina.

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The deal must be ratified by the university’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. A special session will be held Thursday, according to multiple media outlets. Undoubtedly, the word money will come up.

Belichick’s five-year pact calls for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to earn a total of $50 million, The Athletic reported.

Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina from 1953-55. Bill Belichick takes over a Tar Heels program that has not won a conference title since 1980.

Belichick said in a statement released by North Carolina, “I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.”

North Carolina chancellor Lee H. Roberts added in a statement, “This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University. Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition. I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football.”

Belichick will replace Mack Brown, whom North Carolina fired at the end of the regular season. The Tar Heels (6-6) will play in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 in Boston.

Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement, “We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking. Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win — today and in the future.”

Belichick, 72, parted ways with the New England Patriots following the 2023 season after 24 years with the franchise. He was out of coaching this year despite interviewing for multiple NFL vacancies last offseason, and has been working multiple roles in the media.

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Belichick has 333 wins as an NFL coach and needs 14 more to break the all-time wins record for NFL coaches held by Don Shula. However, according to reports earlier this week, he was surprised not to hear from the NFL teams with existing vacancies.

It will be his first coaching position at the collegiate level. His son, Steve, is the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington and a prominent role for him at UNC was reportedly a part of his father’s pitch to the Tar Heels. Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch was a former assistant for Bill Belichick, who spent significant time around the Washington program over the past year.

During an interview with “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, Belichick outlined what he believed he could bring to a program during the NIL era that has contributed to other coaches such as Nick Saban leaving college football.

“The college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” he said. “It would be a professional program, training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was (at) the end of their college career or at the end of their pro career.

“But it would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that, that would be life skills, regardless of whether they’re in the NFL or somewhere in the business.”

–Field Level Media

NFL to Play in Berlin

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BERLIN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Football League will play its first-ever regular-season game in Berlin, Germany in 2025 as the league continues to prioritize global growth for American football. The NFL did not announce the teams that will be playing in the game.

The 2025 NFL Berlin game will be played at the Olympic Stadium as part of a multiyear commitment to playing games in the world famous German city..

The NFL has held regular-season games in Munich and Frankfurt dating back to 2022, and the game in Berlin will mark the fifth NFL regular-season game in Germany and the first in the German capital.

“Germany has a rich tradition of American football, and the NFL has a deep history with the city of Berlin,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We first held a preseason game at the Olympic Stadium 34 years ago, before it was home to NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder in the early 2000s. Now, with almost 20 million NFL fans in Germany, we’ll make a historic return to the city playing a regular-season game for the first time as we open the next chapter in our relationship with Berlin.”

“This long-term partnership with the NFL will continue to boost Berlin as a global sports metropolis, as well as excite fans at the Olympic Stadium,” said Senator for the Interior and Sports, State of Berlin, Iris Spranger. “The 2025 NFL Berlin game means worldwide visibility, numerous international guests, increased tourism and high economic value across the city. We’re looking forward to an incredible game and an ongoing successful partnership with the league, as we continue to strengthen the presence of American football throughout the state.”