Sports

By The Associated Press The Minnesota Vikings can clinch the NFC North with a win or a tie at Detroit. That suddenly seems like a challenging task. The Lions have won four of five games to surge into the playoff picture as a wild-card contender. Minnesota beat the Lions 28-24 in September at home and

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer World champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are looking to become the first American pairs team to win the prestigious Grand Prix Final. The Americans turned in a brilliant short program Thursday in Turin, Italy. Knierim and Frazier trail their biggest rivals, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan,

By The Associated Press The Philadelphia Eagles will try to become the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season when they face the New York Giants on Sunday. Coach Nick Sirianni’s team will bring an 11-1 record into the matchup. It can clinch a berth with either a win or a tie against

By The Associated Press The Seattle Seahawks begin a stretch of four of its final five regular-season games at home hosting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Seattle is seeking a second straight win after last week’s 27-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. It’s also an important game in the NFC West race with a

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is losing two assistant coaches to Wisconsin, including the one who has orchestrated the Tar Heels’ prolific attack the past four seasons. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo said he and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. leave Chapel Hill on

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. The deal comes a week after Smith was charged with a felony for having a gun in his pickup truck without a concealed-weapon permit. Smith’s record will be scrubbed clean if he stays out of trouble for a certain

By JACOB BENGE Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cotie McMahon tied a career high with 20 points and No. 3 Ohio State allowed only seven points in the second half as the Buckeyes beat New Hampshire 92-36 on Thursday afternoon. Ahead 39-29 at intermission, the Buckeyes (9-0) outscored the Wildcats 53-7 in the second

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev say they didn’t expect that UFC 282 would decide who gets the light heavyweight title belt. Previous light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka pulled out last month of his fight with Glover Teixeira because of a shoulder injury. Second-ranked Blachowicz  and

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has returned to practice less than two weeks after suffering a stroke. The 35-year-old Letang skated with his teammates before a trip to Buffalo. Letang suffered the second stroke of his career on Nov. 28. The six-time All-Star called the experience “scary,” adding he will take all

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer Army football continues to wrestle with the decision to keep its football team as an independent program. The Black Knights remain without a conference affiliation headed into Saturday’s annual game against Navy. Army’s other sports programs play in the Patriot League. Air Force hasn’t been an independent since 1979

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. says on social media that he will skip the Music City Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. The senior’s announcement Thursday on his Instagram account comes a day after Wildcats quarterback Will Levis announced he would miss the Dec. 31 contest against Iowa to

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Brittney Griner’s loved ones and extended basketball family were ecstatic when news broke about her release from a Russian prison and that she was on her way back to the United States. It has been nearly 300 days since the WNBA star was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The emergence of quarterback Justin Fields after a slow start to his second season is by far the most important development for the Chicago Bears in a year when wins have been scarce. The team stumbled into its bye with six consecutive losses since

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit doctor already jailed on criminal sexual conduct charges connected to his work with youth hockey organizations has been charged in two additional cases. The Oakland County prosecutor’s office says 66-year-old Zvi Levran is accused of sexually assaulting a 30-year-old man in 2020 in Levran’s Farmington Hills home

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not ready to say goodbye to the World Cup just yet. But the clock is ticking on their careers and Qatar could be the last time we see them on soccer’s biggest stage. With that in mind, thoughts naturally

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Committee on Oversight and Reform says the Washington Commanders created a “toxic work culture” for more than two decades and downplayed sexual misconduct by men at the top levels of the organization. That’s according to a report published Thursday. The report also says team owner Dan Snyder was involved in

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers are playing to win even if their NFC playoff chances are slim. General manager Brian Gutekunst says assessing younger players can wait. The Packers have four games left in the season and are still alive in the NFC playoff chase even with a 5-8 record. Green

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer The Washington Commanders started slow and heated up in the third season with Ron Rivera in charge of the team’s football operations. It’s a familiar script for the veteran NFL coach. The Commanders are 7-5-1 at their bye week and very much in the mix for a playoff spot.