Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL’s ever-evolving playoff picture – typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too). What just happened? What does it ...
Maybe the NFL’s Christmas tripleheader didn’t exactly pan out like the league’s schedule makers had hoped – and it was probably never going to measure up in some respects given the bangers that materialized just last month for Thanksgiving. But that hardly meant that Thursday didn’t provide some moments, memories and – generally – some solid yuletide entertainment. Unsurprisingly, the ...
Thanks to the Denver Broncos holding on for a win over Kansas City on Christmas, the New England Patriots need a win over the New York Jets in Week 17 to still have a chance at the No. 1 seed in the AFC. New England’s 10-game winning streak came to an end in Week 15 with a 35-31 loss to ...
After a much-publicized firing of its football coach and ensuing search for his replacement, Michigan seems to have found who next to lead its program. The Wolverines are finalizing a deal to bring longtime Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor to replace Sherrone Moore, who was fired on Dec. 10 and subsequently charged with home invasion, stalking, and ...
We’re all about informing here at Bowl Game Central. So we feel we should let you in on a key piece of knowledge related to the holiday season. Boxing Day, contrary to popular belief, has nothing to do with pugilism. Shocking, I know. In truth, it’s all about football. Well, OK, that’s probably only the case in the United States. ...
The Denver Broncos’ 11-game win streak came to an end at home last week against Jacksonville. On Christmas in Arrowhead Stadium, the Broncos bounced back. Denver’s defense held strong on fourth down late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 20-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Christmas’ final NFL matchup marked unfamiliar territory for fans: the Chiefs ...
The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling. With two of the most dynamic players in the league, including the NBA’s leading scorer, Luka Doncic, the Lakers’ glaring weakness is on defense. That weakness once again showed up in a 119-96 Christmas Day home loss to the Rockets, which Houston led wire-to-wire and had six players score in double figures. The Rockets shot 53% ...
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry starred for the Warriors on Christmas once again, though Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg made a strong case that he should be included in future NBA holiday extravaganzas. The Golden State Warriors (16-15) withstood a late push from the Dallas Mavericks, walking away with a 126-116 win, Dec. 25 at the Chase Center in San Francisco. ...
The USA will look to enter elite territory when it hosts the world junior hockey championship, starting the day after Christmas. The Americans have won back-to-back titles for the first time in their history and now will look for a three-peat at the tournament for under-20 players. Canada is the only country to do that this century, winning five in ...
The final game of the NBA Christmas Day slate was the best. The host Denver Nuggets outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves 142-138 in overtime, thanks to another brilliant performance by Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP scored 56 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and dished out 15 assists. Jamal Murray added 35 points for Denver. Their efforts helped Denver overcome another superstar ...