Quincy Williams arrives in Joker makeup for Jets' Gotham City game against Dolphins By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Quincy Williams is no joker when it comes to dressing for the occasion.
The New York Jets linebacker arrived for the team's game Sunday against the Miami Dolphins with his face made up to look like the comic and movie villain Joker — complete with a big painted-on red grin.
The team posted the arrival video of Williams, who smiled on his way into MetLife Stadium.
It was fitting attire for Williams with the Jets wearing their “Gotham City Football” Rivalries uniforms for the game. Williams also wore a ”Gotham City Football" jacket into the stadium. The Joker, of course, is Batman's main adversary in the fictional Gotham City in the comics and movies.
It's a familiar getup for Williams, who has also dressed up as Joker for Halloween in the past.
AFC East and NFC West teams are wearing Rivalries uniforms for select games this season, with other divisions doing the same in future seasons.
The Jets' uniforms feature matte black helmets, “Gotham Green” jerseys and pants with black and iron ore stripes. Several elements around MetLife Stadium were added for the game, including redesigned end zones — with the city skyline silhouetted below the Jets' logo — and other signage around the field and stadium.
The game was also part of “Legends” weekend for the Jets, who were welcoming back 113 former players. As part of the celebration, the team is honoring the 25th anniversary of the “Monday Night Miracle,” when the Jets rallied to score 30 points in the fourth quarter and beat the Dolphins 40-37 in overtime.
Key members of that Jets squad were scheduled to serve as honorary captains for the game.
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With 10 sacks and growing leadership, Chargers OLB Tuli Tuipulotu elevating all aspects of his game By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press The Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Tuli Tuipulotu leads the Los Angeles Chargers with 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Those are not the only areas where Tuipulotu is guiding the Chargers, with their emerging star outside linebacker becoming more comfortable expressing himself in his third season.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said Tuipulotu spoke to the defense prior to their 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders , stressing the need to come out with the right mindset following an ugly loss in Jacksonville on Nov. 16 before their bye week.
Tuipulotu then led the way with two sacks and four tackles for loss as the Chargers (8-4) allowed a season-low 156 total yards.
“And when you speak that, and then you go out and play the way he played, that’s pretty cool, and that earns yourself a lot of respect, which he already has,” Minter said.
Tuipulotu played his first NFL game seven days after his 21st birthday in 2023, but he joined a position group that already had premier players in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Tuipulotu deferred to the veterans and wouldn’t even refer to them by their first names as a rookie.
“His mind was churning, but the words weren’t coming out yet,” Mack said.
Tuipulotu was content to focus on learning from the two proven edge defenders. That approach had already helped set up the Lawndale, California, native for success in high school and again in college at Southern California.
His older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, was a standout defensive tackle for the Trojans. Cousin Talanoa Hufanga was an All-America safety at USC and the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2020. Following their examples gave Tuli Tuipulotu an understanding of everything it took to excel, and he joined Hufanga as the Pac-12’s top defender in 2022 and was a unanimous All-American that season.
Drafted in the second round by the Chargers with the 54th overall pick in April 2023, Tuipulotu already had an understanding of what was coming. Marlon had two years of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chargers’ opponent on Monday night. Hufanga had just earned All-Pro honors in his second year in San Francisco.
Coincidentally, both are now playing in the AFC West for the Chargers’ divisional foes, as Marlon is with Kansas City and Hufanga in Denver.
“They just paved the way,” Tuli Tuipulotu said. “They made things a lot easier for me, just because I know what the process is. I knew what the process was going into college because of them. I know the process was going into the NFL because of them.”
Tuipulotu has been able to take the processes and experiences of family and teammates, including Mack and Bosa, to adapt and elevate in his own ways.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh raves about Tuipulotu’s fitness regiment. Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer was caught by surprise when he recently came in for a treatment session and saw Tuipulotu already out on the field in cleats at 6 a.m. Minter praised the detailed notes Tuipulotu takes and the questions he asks in meetings.
“It’s a process to be a good player,” Minter said. “And that word gets thrown around a lot, but for Tuli, it’s truly like everything he does leads to how he plays on game day.”
The carryover has been particularly evident of late as Tuipulotu has had five sacks and nine tackles for loss in his past five games. He has helped the Chargers navigate the departure of Bosa , who was cut in the offseason for salary cap reasons, both coming off the edge in base personnel and lining up inside in specialty packages.
Salyer, who has played guard and tackle for the Chargers, said Tuipulotu’s mix of physical tools and approach to the position exacerbates the mismatch between a natural pass rusher and interior offensive linemen that already exists in obvious throwing situations.
“I mean, Tuli is a player that really takes advantage of bad technique,” Salyer said. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks, and he just plays really hard. He plays the game harder than most guys really do, so if you take a play off, he’s gonna take advantage of that. If you take a bad set, he’s gonna take advantage of that.”
Minter sees the expanded versatility of Tuipulotu’s pass rush identity as another indicator of him reaching a new level.
“And when you’re like a dominant player, and you play with the physicality that he plays with, and the relentless motor that he plays with, it’s almost like, ‘Hey, put me wherever. Try and get me a one-on-one, and I can win.’ And I think he’s got that mindset, which is awesome to have,” Minter said.
Putting all those things together, Tuipulotu has already surged past his previous career highs of 8 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024 with five games remaining. The Chargers won’t put any limits on what he can accomplish this season or going forward.
“I always say the sky’s the limit for Tuli, man,” Mack said. “I’m not expecting him to just stop at 10, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
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Dolphins' Achane leaves with a rib injury; Jets rookie QB Cook steps in for injured Taylor By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane is questionable to return against the New York Jets after injuring his ribs Sunday.
Achane was slow to walk off the field after a 29-yard run late in the second quarter. He went into the injury tent on the sideline while Jaylen Wright replaced him as the Dolphins' primary ballcarrier.
Achane ran for 92 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and had a 13-yard catch before leaving. He rushed for at least 120 yards in each of his previous three games.
Jets rookie quarterback Brady Cook made his regular-season NFL debut when he replaced the injured Tyrod Taylor with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
Taylor left with what the Jets said is a groin injury. The team said his return was questionable.
Taylor was intercepted on a deflected pass on his last throw, which Miami took advantage of by later scoring a touchdown to take a 21-0 lead.
Cook, signed in May as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri, handed off to Breece Hall on his first two snaps and then threw incomplete to Adonai Mitchell before the Jets punted. Cook's first completion came two possessions later, a 6-yard pass to fellow rookie Mason Taylor.
With 30 seconds left in the first half, Cook also tossed his first interception when his throw for John Metchie III was picked off by Rasul Douglas deep in Dolphins territory.
Cook was serving as the backup to Tyrod Taylor because Justin Fields was ruled out Friday with knee soreness.
Cook, who threw for 9,008 yards and 49 touchdowns with 15 interceptions in five seasons at Missouri, was signed to the active roster Saturday. He had been promoted from the practice squad for two previous games this season but hadn’t played.
Cook was 25 of 38 for 235 yards and a touchdown with one interception in three preseason games.
The Jets lost a trio of rookies to injuries in the first half: defensive end Tyler Baron (knee), linebacker Kiko Mauigoa (evaluated for concussion) and cornerback Azareye’h Thomas (shoulder).
Dolphins linebacker Caleb Johnson left in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.
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Colts QB Daniel Jones sidelined with right Achilles tendon injury The Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, already playing with a lower left leg injury, hurt his right Achilles tendon against Jacksonville on Sunday.
Jones dropped to the ground and immediately grabbed the back of his right leg. He slammed his helmet to the ground several times before getting helped up by team trainers. He limped to the sideline for further evaluation and eventually made his way to the locker room for tests.
Riley Leonard replaced him, and the team quickly ruled Jones out for the game.
Jones has been playing with a broken bone in his left leg. He said he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the injury occurred or when he first noticed something didn’t seem right. He maintained the past two weeks he feels healthy enough to play.
Jones’ performance, however, has declined over the past month. As defenses put increasingly more pressure on Jones, he has looked less mobile, at times, and has been less accurate completing throws than he was in Indy’s first eight games.
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Defending national champion Ohio State to 3rd straight Cotton Bowl, will face Miami or Texas A&M By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer The Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Defending national champion Ohio State is going to the Cotton Bowl for the third year in a row, this time for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year's Eve against Miami or Texas A&M.
The Big Ten runner-up Buckeyes (12-1) won their CFP semifinal last January at the Cotton Bowl over Texas, then went on to beat Notre Dame for the national championship.
Ohio State got a first-round playoff bye when the final CFP rankings that came out Sunday, a day after its 13-10 loss to undefeated Indiana in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night. The Hoosiers had been No. 2 in the penultimate CFP rankings, but flipped spots with the previously top-ranked Buckeyes in both those and the new AP poll.
Seventh-ranked Texas A&M (11-1) from the Southeastern Conference and No. 10 Miami (10-2), the only playoff team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, both got at-large playoff berths after missing out on their conference championship games. They will play in College Station on Dec. 20, the first of three CFP games that day.
The Aggies, who would remain in their home state for a second-round game if they win, won their first 11 games this season before losing at Texas in the regular-season finale. They are one of five SEC teams in the 12-team playoff bracket.
Miami, which got into this year's field over Notre Dame, finished the regular season with a four-game winning streak since an overtime loss Nov. 1 at SMU, a playoff team last season. The Hurricanes and Mustangs were part of a five-way tie for second place in the ACC standings with two league losses each. Duke, with five losses overall, won that tiebreaker and then beat Virginia in the league championship game.
When Ohio State lost 14-3 to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2023 season, it wasn't a playoff game. The Buckeyes were without two-time AP All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. receiver, who opted out of the game before declaring for the NFL draft, and starting quarterback Kyle McCord after his departure for Syracuse.
Ohio State's other Cotton Bowl appearances were wins over Southern California at the end of the 2017 season and a 28-12 win over Texas A&M on New Year's Day 1987.
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QB Jayden Daniels out again for Commanders after landing hard on previously injured left elbow By BRIAN MURPHY Associated Press The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels , who missed the past three games with a dislocated left elbow, was forced out again at Minnesota on Sunday after landing hard on the previously injured non-throwing arm during an interception return.
With the Commanders facing fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 30 midway through the third quarter, Daniels tried a quick throw to his left that Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel leaped to deflect and secure before racing 40 yards.
During his runback, Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers delivered a clean block on Daniels with a two-handed shove to the chest that caused him to lose his balance and land on his left elbow.
Marcus Mariota, who went 1-5 as the starter during Daniels' earlier absences, replaced Daniels on the next drive while Daniels went into the medical tent for examination. The Commanders announced his return as questionable.
Daniels went just 9 for 20 for 78 yards passing with four rushes for 16 yards, leaving with Washington trailing 14-0.
Daniels, the second overall pick in the draft last year, has been sidelined for six of 12 games this season after winning the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award while the Commanders have slumped badly after reaching the NFC championship game.
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Raiders' Maxx Crosby questionable with knee injury but expected to play against Broncos By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby was listed as questionable with a knee injury for Sunday's home game against Denver, but Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said Friday he expects him to play.
Crosby has been battling a balky knee this season but has not missed any games. He was limited in practice Wednesday and held out Thursday and Friday.
Crosby has four sacks and 13 tackles for loss over his past five games.
“Maxx is going to play,” Carroll said. “I can’t believe him not playing. We really wanted to maximize the rest opportunity here. He’s planning on playing, but it still has to go down this way.”
Several Raiders are dealing with injuries this week.
Tight end Michael Mayer (ankle) and wide receivers Alex Bachman (thumb) and Dont'e Thornton Jr. (concussion) were ruled out. Linebacker Jamal Adams (knee), center/guard Jordan Meredith (ankle), guard Dylan Parham (back) and safety Jeremy Chinn (back) were questionable.
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UCLA hires Bob Chesney as football coach, aiming to revive struggling program By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer The Associated Press LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA hired Bob Chesney from James Madison as football coach on Saturday, hoping he can turn around a program that has struggled for years, including in its first two seasons in the Big Ten.
Chesney takes over from interim coach Tim Skipper, who guided the Bruins (3-9, 3-6) after athletic director Martin Jarmond fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14. Foster went 5-10 after taking over the program from Chip Kelly in February 2024. Skipper was hired as coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Wednesday.
Chesney becomes the 20th head coach in UCLA football history and the first sitting coach to be hired since Pepper Rodgers in 1971.
Chesney led No. 19 James Madison to a 12-1 record this season, with the Dukes making their case for a berth in the College Football Playoff after winning the Sun Belt Conference title game in his farewell on Friday. The Dukes hired Billy Napier as their new coach on Saturday, but the school said Chesney would coach the team if it is selected to the CFP. Napier was fired by Florida in mid-October.
“Bob Chesney has built programs into consistent winners at every stop in his career, and he’s ready to do it at UCLA,” Jarmond said in a statement.
Chesney, 48, will be introduced at a campus news conference on Tuesday.
He has been a head coach for 16 years, all on the East Coast, with a career record of 132-51. He comes to Westwood off two seasons at James Madison, where he was 21-5. The Dukes went 8-0 in league play. Chesney was named league coach of the year.
Prior to James Madison, Chesney spent six years at Holy Cross with a record of 44-21, including five straight Patriot League championships.
“From his detail-oriented approach to running a program, to his ability to connect, Bob impressed our search committee every step of the way,” Jarmond said. “He’s a leader, a consensus builder and a developer of young men.”
UCLA's search committee was comprised of Jarmond, UCLA alumni Casey Wasserman, Bob Myers, Eric Kendricks and Adam Peters, who is general manager of the Washington Commanders, as well as Erin Adkins, the school's executive senior associate athletic director.
At UCLA, Chesney will try to revive a program that hasn't been a factor since joining the Big Ten last year.
“Through our many conversations, it became abundantly clear to me that UCLA is willing to do what it takes to build a championship-level program,” Chesney said in a statement. “This is a program that can and will win at the highest level.”
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Packers activate wide receiver Jayden Reed from IR before showdown with NFC North-leading Bears The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay wide receiver Jayden Reed has been activated from injured reserve, clearing the way for him to play for the first time in nearly three months when the Packers host the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Packers (8-3-1) announced the activation of Reed in one of a series of moves Saturday. The Packers also claimed defensive lineman Quinton Bohanna off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks and released wide receiver Malik Heath.
Reed hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury in the Packers’ second game of the season, a 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sept. 11. The injury occurred as he was making a diving touchdown catch that got nullified by a penalty.
The 25-year-old Reed underwent surgeries on his shoulder and foot later that month. He had caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown before getting injured.
The 2023 second-round pick from Michigan State had 55 catches for 857 yards last season to lead the Packers in both categories. Reed also caught six touchdown passes and rushed for one touchdown last season.
That followed a rookie year in which Reed caught 64 passes for 793 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing 11 times for 119 yards and two more scores.
Bohanna, 26, has played 34 games and made 13 starts during an NFL career that has included stints with the Dallas Cowboys (2021-22), Detroit Lions (2023), Tennessee Titans (2023) and Seahawks (2024-25). Dallas selected him out of Kentucky in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
His addition helps shore up Green Bay’s defensive line depth after Devonte Wyatt suffered a season-ending ankle injury in a 31-24 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Detroit Lions.
Heath, 25, had caught six passes for 86 yards this season. He had 31 receptions for 308 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons with the Packers.
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Browns' Myles Garrett needs 4 sacks for the NFL single-season record. Could it happen vs. Titans? By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
Myles Garrett needs four sacks in the Cleveland Browns’ final five games to set the NFL's single-season record.
Given the All-Pro pass rusher’s recent performance and this week’s opponent, there is a possibility it could happen on Sunday when the Browns host the Tennessee Titans.
“Hopefully, he gets it. But I just pray he don’t get it this week,” Titans three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said.
Garrett has 19 sacks, and has his sights set on surpassing the mark of 22 1/2 shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt.
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward has been sacked a league-high 48 times. He has gone down at least twice in each of his 12 games, including eight games in which he has been sacked at least four times.
Garrett has had a sack in six straight games, amassing 15 in that span and reaching 19 on the season — the most ever by a player through 12 games since sacks became an official stat in 1982, and more than three teams this season: Cincinnati (18), Carolina (18), and San Francisco (16).
“Probably the best player that there is at that position. And he’s proved that game in and game out,” Ward said about Garrett. “So we got to do our job of not letting him affect the game each and every play. Try to keep a lid on it and just got to continue to execute our plays and just try to execute up and down the field.”
The two QBs behind Ward in sacks didn’t fare well against Garrett. Las Vegas’ Geno Smith was sacked four times, as the Browns totaled 10 sacks, their second most in a game since 1982. Garrett’s team-record five-sack game was against New England’s Drake Maye.
If Garrett gets four sacks on Sunday, he would be the first player in NFL history with three games with at least four in a season. He has had at least one sack in each of the four games he faced the Titans, including 3 1/2 in 2023.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said a team allowing the most sacks doesn’t drastically change the game plan.
“When the focus is on, not necessarily the number of sacks that they’ve given up, and when we look at film, a lot of times you’re looking at games that you think are similar or closer to where you’re playing, so maybe you don’t even see all those things,” he said. “I’d say this, like, when our D-line creates pressure, tackles for losses, just wreaks havoc — we’re at our best, and we need those guys to do that for us, not just in the pass game, but in the run game here also.”
Ward has been pressured on 37.5% of drop-backs. The Browns are fourth in the league with a 38.9% pressure rate.
Even though the Browns (3-9) are assured of their 23rd losing season since 1999, Garrett is still trying to maintain the same focus.
“We’ve got to continue to fight to win. Whoever’s our next opponent, they’re going to get our very best and let the chips fall as they may,” he said. “I can’t worry about how the end result’s going to be. Just worry about giving it your very best every play.”
Just win
The Titans (1-11) are the NFL’s only one-win team, putting them on pace to land the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight season. They’ve lost seven straight and need a win to avoid matching the fewest wins in a full season since 1973. The idea of landing the No. 1 pick to trade back for more talent to help Ward in 2026 is not something the Titans want to entertain with five games left.
“I can tell you no one in this building is talking about the No. 1 pick, and that’s outside noise, and we try to block outside noise out,” Simmons said. “ Right now we are trying to find out how to win another game, get win number two of the season.”
Sanders set for third start
Shedeur Sanders looks for his first home win after the Browns struggled in last week’s 26-8 loss to San Francisco.
While Sanders has thrown behind the line on 24.6% of attempts, the highest for a Browns QB this season, he has four 30-plus-yard completions in two starts compared to two in the first 11 games.
Even though Sanders and Ward trained together during the draft, he doesn’t view this matchup as personal. “I’m just playing against another opponent. It’s another week. We face great quarterbacks every week. This doesn’t add anything,” Sanders said.
Helping Cam
Simmons said he knows Sanders keeps plays alive by running around. Simmons isn’t really concerned with Sanders right now because he has a bigger challenge.
“My job is to have my quarterback’s back. I think we can help Cam out,” Simmons said. “When you look at all stats on defense, we haven’t had nothing but one strip-sack all year. It’s like, how can we get Cam in better position?”
The Titans held the Jaguars to five three-and-outs last week but couldn’t force a turnover.
Tennessee has been sacking quarterbacks with three last week for its fifth such game in the past six. The Titans have 21 sacks since Week 7, tying them for the fourth most in the NFL in that span. Yet Tennessee has only 10 combined takeaways, with five interceptions and five fumbles recovered.
Keep an eye on ...
Cleveland tight ends Harold Fannin and David Njoku, who have combined for 797 receiving yards. The duo also has five touchdowns when targeted 14 times in the red zone.
Tennessee has allowed the 10th-fewest tight end yards (560) and only four touchdowns (seventh fewest).
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