Browns bring in Flacco; Thompson-Robinson to start
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There was no fire, no brimstone, either, but there were questions dodged, lots of talk about chips on the shoulder and the mandatory — and deserved — compliments paid to the opposing players.
Italy will defend its European Championship title next year in Germany after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine is enough to secure its place. The scoreless result comes as something of a surprise after both teams create plenty of chances. Italy stays devoted to coach Luciano Spalletti’s all-action attacking style despite needing only to avoid defeat. The game is technically a home fixture for Ukraine but is played at Bayer Leverkusen’s stadium in Germany because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine could still qualify for Euro 2024 via the playoffs.
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CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs fans wanting season tickets no longer need to hold off until their name comes up on the waiting list.
The San Francisco 49ers got back to their early-season form just in time for their most crucial stretch of the regular season. Thanks to a flawless performance from Brock Purdy, big plays from Brandon Aiyuk and a strong defensive performance, the 49ers beat Tampa Bay 27-14 for their second straight convincing win following a three-game losing streak. The 49ers will need to be in top form soon if they want to make a run at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. San Francisco has two games against Seattle and a trip to Philadelphia the next three weeks.
Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp has gone from being loaded into an ambulance with what appeared to be a frightening neck injury on Sunday to having a chance to play at Philadelphia this weekend. Coach Sean McDermott provided the update on Monday in saying all medical tests have come back negative. Rapp was hurt after he and defensive back Taron Johnson both struck New York Jets running back Breece Hall in the open field in the second quarter of Buffalo’s 32-6 win.
Jalen Ramsey's return has transformed the Miami Dolphins' defense. The All-Pro cornerback had two interceptions in Sunday's 20-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, including the game-sealing pick in the end zone with 32 seconds left. Ramsey made his season debut in Week 8 and since then, the Dolphins' defense has improved from 21st in the league to 12th. The Dolphins have only had the cornerback duo of Ramsey and Xavien Howard for two games, and they’ve held their opponents scoreless in the second half of both contests.
Jim Harbaugh is leaning on lessons from “Ted Lasso” to cope with the challenges that come with preparing No. 3 Michigan to face rival and second-ranked Ohio State amid a sign-stealing scandal that will keep him away from his team for a third straight game. Harbaugh says like Lasso, he likes his locker room in one piece. Harbaugh sidestepped a handful of questions at his weekly news conference, including sharing his take on the school not going through with its threat to take the Big Ten to court for suspending him for three games.
Jim Harbaugh is leaning on lessons from “Ted Lasso” to cope with the challenges that come with preparing No. 3 Michigan to face rival and second-ranked Ohio State amid a sign-stealing scandal that will keep him away from his team for a third straight game. Harbaugh says like Lasso, he likes his locker room in one piece. Harbaugh sidestepped a handful of questions at his weekly news conference, including sharing his take on the school not going through with its threat to take the Big Ten to court for suspending him for three games.
BOSTON — Bruins left wing Milan Lucic is scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court early this week facing an assault charge, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Tim Boyle replaced Zach Wilson during the third quarter of the Bills 32-6 drubbing of the Jets on Sunday.
Calvin Ridley is better when Zay Jones is around. Ridley’s top three games of the season came with Jones healthy and playing alongside him. The Jacksonville Jaguars consider it proof that Jones is an integral part of what makes their offense hum. Although Jones might not be as important as Ridley or Trevor Lawrence, it’s clear he makes everything easier for Ridley and the Jaguars when he’s on the field. Jones returned from a nagging right knee injury to play Sunday against Tennessee after missing four consecutive games and five of the previous six. Not coincidentally, Ridley scored twice and the Jaguars delivered their most efficient outing of the season.
This season of transition for Green Bay’s offense gives the Packers plenty of opportunities to figure out which of their young players could emerge as long-term key performers. It appears they’ve found a couple of keepers in rookie wide receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. Reed scored on a 32-yard end-around and Wicks had three catches for a career-high 91 yards Sunday in a 23-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Reed has a team-high 463 yards receiving. Wicks has 10 catches for 191 yards over his past three games.
Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, David Wright, José Bautista and Matt Holliday are among 12 new candidates on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday. Todd Helton, who fell 11 votes short this year in ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and Billy Wagner, who was 27 shy, are among 14 holdovers. Bartolo Colon, Adrián González, Victor Martinez, Brandon Phillips, José Reyes and James Shields also are making their first appearances on the ballot. BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Ballots must be postmarked by Dec. 31 and results will be announced Jan. 23.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host the opening game and South Florida's Hard Rock Stadium gets the final when Copa América returns to the United States in 2024. A joint announcement was made by CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the governing bodies of South American and North American soccer, respectively. Other sites and scheduling for the 16-team event will be revealed later. The tournament begins on June 20 at 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United has set numerous attendance records. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which seats 65,000, will host the June 14 final.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix blew past BetMGM betting handles for previous Formula One races. Trading manager Seamus Magee said BetMGM took three times the number of bets than any other previous F1 race. Westgate Las Vegas and Red Rock Resort reported on Saturday this race was the most-bet Formula One event at those sportsbooks. Formula One’s most expensive and hyped race that included the lure of drives competing on the famed Las Vegas Strip drove the betting action. Max Verstappen won that race for his 18th victory this season.
Marija Avlijas scored 11 points, Madison Scott added 10 points and No. 24 Mississippi beat Michigan 60-49 in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. Ole Miss (5-1) held an opponent to less than 50 points for the third time this season. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Ole Miss has held eight Power Five opponents under 50 points. The Rebels led 27-19 at halftime after shooting 50% from the field. Michigan was just 4-of-27 shooting (15%) in the half but scored nine points at the free-throw line to stay close. Tyia Singleton made a layup just before the third-quarter buzzer to extend Mississippi’s lead to 48-30. Scott, who secured her 24th career double-double against Arizona on Sunday, was named the tournament MVP.
Free agent quarterback Joe Flacco signed with the Cleveland Browns, giving them depth, experience and another viable starting option following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder surgery. The 38-year-old Flacco went 18-3 in his career against the Browns while playing mostly with the Ravens. He'll be on Cleveland's practice squad initially, with the expectation he’ll soon be added to the active roster. For now, the Browns will stick with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who made his second career start on Sunday and led them to a last-second win over the Steelers. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Thompson-Robinson will start this week at Denver while Flacco's role is still being determined
Inter Miami is putting together its preseason schedule, one that will likely have somewhere between four and six games early next year. There’s a 34-game Major League Soccer season. There’ll be appearances in the Leagues Cup, the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Add it all up, and Lionel Messi and many of his Inter Miami teammates will be asked to play a ton of soccer in 2024. And keeping Messi and other players healthy is part of the team’s thinking as it formulates its plan for next year.
Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers aren’t showing improvement — and that has to be testing the patience of owner David Tepper. Tepper hired head coach Frank Reich to fix one of the league’s worst offenses the past few seasons and develop Young, the No. 1 overall pick. But the Panthers couldn’t be further away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. They have the worst record in the league at 1-9 and are coming off a 33-10 home loss to Dallas. If anything, Carolina’s offense has gotten worse. The Panthers are 31st in the league in yards per game and 29th in scoring.
Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith has reinstated Desmond Ridder as the starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. The decision was expected. The Falcons will try to end a three-game losing streak. Atlanta is only one game behind New Orleans in the NFC South. Another loss would be difficult to overcome. Taylor Heinicke started the last two games but suffered a hamstring injury in Atlanta’s 25-23 loss at Arizona on Nov. 12. Heinicke was not available for Monday’s practice. Smith says he expects Ridder to keep the starting job the remainder of the season.
Ivory Coast has beaten Gambia 2-0 to record consecutive wins in its first World Cup qualifying games. Forward Christian Kouamé and midfielder Seko Fofana scored at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Tanzania capital city Dar es Salaam, Gambia’s adopted home. Djibouti hosted Guinea-Bissau in Cairo and lost 1-0. It came four days after Djibouti lost to Egypt 6-0 at the same venue. Liberia suffered back-to-back home defeats in its first two qualifiers after it was edged by Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Monrovia.
Cole Koepke was en route to a minor league game with Syracuse of the AHL when he heard from a friend that Adam Johnson had been cut by a skate blade during a hockey game in Britain. After the game last month, the Tampa Bay Lightning left wing found out the fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth product had died. Koepke knew Johnson and says the news was a lot to take in, a shock and just terrible. The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player has not only forced the sport to re-examine safety regulations but prompted Koepke to the wear a turtleneck-style neck guard.
Two people familiar with the decision say Tim Boyle will be the New York Jets’ starting quarterback against the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Boyle replaces the benched Zach Wilson, who took over as the starter when Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut with New York on Sept. 11. It will be Boyle’s fourth NFL start and his first since 2021 with the Detroit Lions. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the team hasn’t announced the decision. NFL Network first reported Boyle will take over at quarterback.
