Lamar Jackson's perfect passer rating helps Ravens rout Dolphins 56-19 to clinch top seed in AFC
In what may have been his final bid for the MVP award, Lamar Jackson threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns, finishing with a perfect passer rating and helping the Baltimore Ravens clinch the top seed in the AFC with a 56-19 rout of the Miami Dolphins.
Hill's special TD catch and Holland's 99-yard INT return lead Dolphins past Jets 34-13
Tyreek Hill celebrated a touchdown catch by giving the ball to his new wife in the stands, Jevon Holland returned an intercepted first-half Hail Mary attempt 99 yards for a score, and the Miami Dolphins cruised past the New York Jets 34-13.
Dolphins rout Broncos 70-20, scoring the most points by an NFL team in a game since 1966
The Miami Dolphins scored the most points in a game by an NFL team since 1966, overwhelming the Denver Broncos 70-20 behind rookie speedster DeโVon Achaneโs 203 yards rushing and Tua Tagovailoaโs no-look shovel-pass TD.
Mostert runs for 2 TDs, Tagovailoa throws for another as Dolphins hold off Patriots 24-17
Raheem Mostert had a pair of TD runs, including a 43-yard romp in the fourth quarter, and Tua Tagovailoa added a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill to help the Miami Dolphins hold off the New England Patriots 24-17.
AP source: NFL to discuss roughing calls, no change imminent
A person with directly knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press that the NFL did not give officials a directive to emphasize roughing-the-passer penalties following Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoaโs concussion, but the topic will be discussed next week when NFL owners meet in New York.
NFL's concussion protocol modified after Tagovailoa review
The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to make changes to the leagueโs concussion protocol following a joint investigation into the procedures after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered what was described as a back injury against the Buffalo Bills last month.
AP source: NFL, NFLPA reviewing Tagovailoa's quick return
A person with knowledge of the matter said after the game that there will be a joint review by the NFL and the National Football League Players Association of what went into the decision to allow Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to return to a game despite what was called a head injury.
A stunner: Miami wins 2nd straight, tops Ravens 22-10
Xavien Howard forced a fumble and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench and capped his night with a 1-yard sneak for a score with 2:19 left and the Miami Dolphins stunned the Baltimore Ravens 22-10 on Thursday night.
Alabama follows up title by finalizing star-studded class
The recruiting class that Alabama finalized Wednesday has the highest rating in the history of the 247Sports Composite team rankings, which go back to 2010. Steve Wilfong, the director of recruiting for 247Sports, notes this celebrated Alabama class arrives as most of the Tideโs decorated 2017 class departs. AdโYouโre replacing one of the best recruiting classes ever for what they accomplished with maybe the best recruiting class on paper coming in,โ Wiltfong said. While plenty of SEC teams joined Alabama in signing impressive classes, Ohio State stood out from its Big Ten foes. All three were quarterbacks, with Bryce Young enrolling at Alabama, DJ Uiagalelei selecting Clemson and CJ Stroud selecting Ohio State.
Alabama QB Mac Jones heads into Senior Bowl on gimpy ankle
The next game he plays is for his NFL draft stock, provided the Alabama quarterback's gimpy left ankle is good to go. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said the plan is for Jones to dress out and see how his ankle feels. โJust being in that room, I already learned so much about NFL football,โ he said. Mond started 44 games for the Aggies, Ehlinger logged 43 starts for the Longhorns,Mond led the Aggies into College Football Playoffs contention in his final season. I just wanted to come and kind of learn more about NFL football and learn a new playbook, which I thought I did a good job with.
Unstoppable Tide: Alabama routs Ohio St for national title
1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul โBearโ Bryant for the most by a major college coach. โTo me this is the ultimate team,โ Saban said. โTo me this team accomplished more than almost any team," Saban said. โHeaven's knows what he would have done if he played the whole game,โ Saban said.
Alabama's Smith becomes 1st WR to win Heisman in 29 years
Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly quarterbacks have had on the award by beating out three of them. โJust to be one of the very few that played receiver to win the Heisman, it means a lot to me,โ Smith said. Smith is the third Alabama player to win the Heisman, all since 2009. 1 receiver, Smith shined. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
The Latest: Duke-Florida State basketball game postponed
18 Florida State on Saturday after coming into close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. ___Marquette womenโs basketball has paused activities because of a positive COVID-19 test. The Browns did not have any new positive COVID-19 tests on Friday, and after getting league approval, practiced indoors. Itโs the second straight postponement for the Sun Devils after their game scheduled for Thursday at Washington State was also called off. Every player on the active roster practiced Thursday and Friday, an indication none was identified as a high-risk close contact with Fitzpatrick.
Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick tests positive for COVID-19
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) warms up before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Miami Dolphins need a good game Sunday to ensure they get to keep playing, and that's especially true for Tua Tagovailoa. Coach Brian Flores has benched Tagovailoa twice in the fourth quarter, including last week at Las Vegas, when backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick helped Miami overcome a pair of deficits in the final 10 minutes. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI โ Any debate about who should start for the Miami Dolphins this week at quarterback ended Thursday with backup Ryan Fitzpatrick's positive test for COVID-19. The Dolphins placed Fitzpatrick on the reserve-COVID-19 list.
Dolphins stun Raiders 26-25 to move step closer to playoffs
during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Las Vegas. Fitzpatrick's desperation heave to Mack Hollins set up Jason Sandersโ 44-yard field goal as the Dolphins drove the field in the final 19 seconds to move one step closer to a playoff berth with an improbable 26-25 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. The move to play for the field goal backfired as the Raiders lost on a kick instead. My head was getting ripped off.โThe penalty moved the ball down to the Las Vegas 26, setting up Sandersโ winning kick. Las Vegas then ran out most of the clock but not enough.
Dolphins eliminate Patriots from playoff race with 22-12 win
The Dolphins (9-5) bolstered their wild-card chances and are assured of a winning record for only the second time since 2008. The Patriots (6-8) will finish at .500 or worse for the first time since 2000, the year they drafted Tom Brady. They mounted a 14-play, 90-yard touchdown drive midway through the second half to take the lead for good. They were shut out in the first half, but mounted a 72-yard touchdown drive to start the second half for a 7-6 lead. DE John Simon (hamstring) and C David Andrews (calf) were sidelined in the second half.
Chiefs lead AP Pro32 poll; Packers at No. 2, Bills at No. 3
The Chiefs took a 30-10 lead against Miami and held on for a 33-27 victory. The Chiefs clinched their fifth straight AFC West title with the victory and are the unanimous No. โIs there anybody in the NFC that can beat them?โAnd the surging Buffalo Bills also moved up two places to No. The Packers, who have clinched the NFC North, will host the Carolina Panthers and the Bills will head to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Saints will try to avoid a two-game skid as they host the Chiefs on Sunday.
The Latest: Steelers get AFC berth, Packers clinch NFC North
The Chargers and Falcons are tied at 17 midway through the fourth quarter. Kenny Moore also starred for the Colts with a spectacular one-handed, diving end-zone interception in the second quarter. Adams didnโt do much other than run the scrambling Darnold to the sideline midway through the second quarter. Seattle took its opening possession and got 19-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Freddie Swain. Mack also recovered a Duke Johnson fumble in the first quarter and deflected a Watson pass in the second quarter.
Dolphins earn 5th straight win by beating Chargers 29-21
Tua Tagovailoa had help from a less-heralded rookie while Justin Herbert struggled against a relentless pass rush, and the surprising Dolphins earned their fifth consecutive victory by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 29-21 Sunday. The Chargers could never catch up after they were hurt by two mistakes in the kicking game that allowed Miami to take a 14-0 lead. โI was disappointed in the special teams and some of the things that went on there. โIt changed the momentum.โSPECIALMost lopsided of all was the special teams matchup. Jakeem Grant, the NFL leader in punt return yards, helped the Dolphinsโ field position with three runbacks for 57 yards.
Tua approaches injury anniversary grateful to be with Miami
As he walked off the field after taking a knee on the final play, Tagovailoa presented the ball to Flores. Flores said Tagovailoa appears to have regained all of his mobility, and might be even shiftier than he was at Alabama. โAs a rookie, you donโt know what you donโt know,โ Flores said. And while his NFL career is off to a good start, his perspective is different from before the hip injury. โI donโt know if I'll ever be my old self,โ he said.
AFC features plenty of star power even without Tom Brady
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)The AFC doesnโt lack for drama or star power even though Tom Brady has taken his talents to Davis Beach. WEST: The Chiefs (8-1) are still the class of the conference despite a hiccup against the resurgent Raiders (5-3), who won 40-32 at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 11. Mahomes became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 100 TD passes, doing it in 40 games, four fewer than Dan Marino. The Broncos (3-5) have been waylaid by injuries and COVID-19 opt-outs, exposures and infections and Drew Lock went 45 drives without a TD pass.