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Analysis: officials, coaches had crucial Week 17 calls that could have huge playoff ramifications

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

The NFL is approaching the 5-year anniversary of a non-call on a blatant pass interference in the NFC championship game that helped the Rams advance to the Super Bowl over the Saints.It’s a black eye the league would like to forget, a difficult task in a season that’s been shaped to a significant degree by the men in stripes, particularly the debacle in Dallas Saturday night that kicked off Week 17 and has ramifications that could ripple through the road to Super Bowl 58.Crucial choices by coaches also proved pivotal over the weekend.LET RUSS STEWDenver will miss the playoffs for the eighth straight year but the Broncos’ quarterback carousel continues its perpetual churn with Sean Payton benching nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson in favor of journeyman Jarrett Stidham, who didn’t look like a significant upgrade in Denver’s 16-9 win over the Chargers. Still, the move forecasts a whopping $85 million in dead cap charges for the Broncos over the next tw...

In an era when home court means less and less, the Boston Celtics are 16-0 at TD Garden

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

When the Boston Celtics were winning championships with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in the 1980s, they were notoriously tough to beat at home. The old Boston Garden could be oppressively hot, and a rowdy home crowd added another obstacle.Buildings in the NBA aren’t like that anymore, but the current Celtics are on their own impressive run at home.Boston is 16-0 at TD Garden. With its corporate name and modern feel, that arena doesn’t have the mystique of the old Garden, but it does house a fine basketball team that is trying to leave its own mark on Celtics history.“We got the best fans in the league,” guard Derrick White said last month when asked about receiving “MVP” chants. “I know I’m not the MVP, but it’s always cool to hear.”Forgive Boston fans for getting a little carried away. At home at least, the Celtics look worthy of quite a few honors.Amazingly, Boston’s perfect home record nearly ended last week against a team trying to halt an even longe...

Washington gives Pac-12 chance to be conference of champions in football 1 more time before leaving

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The curtain will close on the Pac-12’s final season as a Power Five football conference on the biggest stage in the sport.Washington, one of 10 schools leaving the conference this coming summer, beat Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl to earn a spot in College Football Playoff national title game against Michigan next Monday in Houston.Lack of playoff success, or even participation, was one of several issues that brought upon the Pac-12’s demise.The second-ranked Huskies (14-0) snapped a six-year CFP drought for the Pac-12, winning the conference in its most entertaining and competitive season in years. The Huskies are just the second Pac-12 team to reach the championship game, and first since Oregon lost the first to Ohio State after the 2014 season.The last Pac-12 team to win a national title was Southern California in 2004. “Happy for the kids,” Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff told Yahoo Sports! after the game. “They don’t deserve all th...

Pressuring Penix problematic for Texas’ highly touted defensive line at the Sugar Bowl

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Texas defensive line anchored by two of the top tackles in the nation considered its College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Washington at the Sugar Bowl as an opportunity to — as All-American T’Vondre Sweat put it — “get our respect.”To succeed, they had to get to prolific Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. They couldn’t.Washington’s offensive line, winners of the Joe Moore Award that honors the best blocking unit in the country, kept the Longhorns at bay in the Huskies’ 37-31 triumph on Monday night. Penix had time to accurately unload the type of deep throws at which Washington has been spectacularly adept all season.“Our guys were fighting with the pass rush. We couldn’t put enough pressure on the tackles, quite frankly, to get a holding call to even get them off schedule,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “They really played on schedule all night, and that makes it difficult.” Sweat and second-team All-American Byron Murp...

Nadal returns with a win in Brisbane in first competitive singles match in a year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal showed no signs of rust from his year off the tour, winning his return match over former No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 at the Brisbane International on Tuesday. The 22-time major winner hadn’t played a singles match at the elite level since a second-round exit at the Australian Open last January. He didn’t show it. The 37-year-old Nadal made just six unforced errors and dropped only three points on his serve in the first set. He won eight of the last nine games to clinch victory in 89 minutes.Now ranked No. 672 and playing on a wild card in Brisbane after a long rehabilitation from a hip injury, Nadal said the last 12 months had been among the toughest of his professional career.“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me,” he said in a post-match TV interview. “It was a very positive level (for) the first day.”In the opening match of the day on the covered Pat Rafter Arena, No. 51-ranked Yannick Hanfmann of Germany beat fif...

Michigan’s defense ready for CFP title game after rising up with Rose Bowl goal-line stand

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — All those 9-on-7 drills paid off for Michigan.The Wolverines built their return to national relevance on a live tackling, good-on-good, run-blocking versus run-stopping drill that became the cornerstone of their practices. And when that very situation came up on fourth-and-goal at the 3 in overtime of the Rose Bowl on Monday, Michigan’s defense turned preparation into reality.“I knew we were gonna win ’cause we prepare for that,” running back Blake Corum said. “We do 9-on-7 all the dang time, and we have such a stout defense, and I knew we were gonna win.” No. 1 Michigan (14-0) will need another resolute showing from its rugged defense to win its first national championship since 1997 in the College Football Playoff title game next Monday. The Wolverines will face No. 2 Washington and its high-powered passing offense at NRG Stadium in Houston.How the Wolverines fared against No. 4 Alabama indicated they will be up for the challenge. When Jalen Milroe tried to...

No. 1 Purdue faces big tests in Big Ten with Maryland, No. 9 Illinois coming up

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

Purdue should be accustomed to playing highly ranked opponents by this point of the season.The top-ranked Boilermakers rolled through Tennessee, Gonzaga and Marquette in consecutive days to win the Maui Invitational when all three of them were among the top 11 teams in the country. A few weeks later, they took down Arizona for their first win over a team ranked No. 1 since beating the Wildcats on Nov. 25, 2000.Now, they will face ninth-ranked Illinois on Friday night in one of the early showdowns in Big Ten play.Purdue (12-1), which also faces Maryland on Tuesday night, has already dropped a conference game to Northwestern, and another loss this week would put coach Matt Painter’s crew in catch-up mode before they even hit mid-January.“We still haven’t won a road game and we’re going into a beehive where they didn’t lose in the Big Ten last season,” Painter said of the Terps (9-4), who have won six straight games. “I feel like we’ve made strides. We have experience. We&#...

Tren se descarrila e incendia dejando varios heridos en San Francisco

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

El tren del sistema Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) acababa de partir de la ciudad de Orinda en dirección a la ciudad de Lafayette aproximadamente a las 9 de la mañana del lunes cuando los dos carros delanteros se salieron de la vía, dijo Jim Allison, portavoz de la agencia.Todos los pasajeros fueron desalojados y los bomberos extinguieron las llamas rápidamente, agregó.Varios viajeros fueron trasladados a hospitales con lesiones menores, señaló Allison. Por el momento se desconocía el número total de heridos. El resto de los pasajeros caminaron de regreso a la Estación Orinda.El pasajero Enrique Gonzalez dijo que el tren se demoró, y cuando comenzó a avanzar de nuevo él escuchó unos “pocos tronidos sonoros” y vio “humo que surgía de entre los vagones”. “Estaba sentado justo allí en la ventana y vi las llamas elevarse”, le dijo al periódico San Francisco Chronicle. Impresionante video: enorme ola deja varios heridos en California Tiroteo en cen...

1 arrested after breach at Colorado Supreme Court building

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One person has been arrested after allegedly breaching the Colorado Supreme Court building early Tuesday morning.According to the Denver Police Department, officers responded to a call at 1:11 a.m. about a suspect breaching the building known as the Ralph Carr Judicial Center located at 2 East 14th Ave. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox DPD said the suspect fired shots from the building but no injuries have been reported.At 3:13 a.m. an adult male was taken into custody. FOX31 crews are at the scene where several agencies responded, including Denver Police Metro SWAT and Colorado State Patrol. Unfounded threat reported at Colorado Supreme Court justice’s home This incident follows the state’s controversial decision to disqualify former president Donald Trump from the Colorado primary ballot.It is unclear if the breach at the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday is due to the Trump ballot decision.The Ralph Carr Judicial Center will ...

Denver weather: Sunny and mild before light snow

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:50:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The sunny skies are here for the middle of the week with mild temperatures in the Denver weather forecast. Some snow chances move in later on Thursday.Weather today: Mostly sunny skiesMost of Colorado will see mainly sunny skies on Tuesday with light winds. Cheaper fares are here for RTD riders Afternoon high temperatures will be above average in the metro, topping out in the upper 40s.Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on Jan. 2 Weather tonight: Clear and coolSkies stay clear Tuesday night, and that will help temperatures drop back into the upper teens and low 20s with a light wind.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight forecast on Jan. 2 Looking ahead: A few chances for snowWednesday also has plenty of sunshine through the afternoon with just above average highs in the upper 40s. Clouds increase through Thursday afternoon with cooler highs in the upper 30s. Snow will move into the southern half of the state Thursday morning, but Denver won't see any snow until evening. 12...