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Gardner Minshew, Colts bolster playoff chances, beat fading Steelers 30-13

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gardner Minshew got the most out of his depleted supporting cast.The Colts’ quarterback, himself a backup, made big plays with backup receivers. He got Indianapolis’ reserve running backs into play calls that would succeed. It was some of Minshew’s finest work of the season — perhaps of his entire career.Minshew matched his career high with three touchdown passes, Indianapolis rushed for 170 yards and the Colts improved their playoff prospects with a 30-13 win over the sagging Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.“We’ve needed to win these games and we’ve done a great job down the stretch,” Minshew said. “I think everybody was locked in, the urgency was there, the attention to details. At this point it’s all about winning games, however, you’ve got to get it done.”Minshew and the Colts (8-6) have won five of six to move from the bottom of the AFC South into playoff contention. They currently hold the No. 7 position in the AFC, and they will remain th...

Large fire burns 2nd residential construction site in 3 days in Denver suburb

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Firefighters in the Denver metro area responded to the second large fire at an Aurora construction site in three days on Saturday. Officials have not yet determined the cause for either fire and have not suggested that they were related, but both are under investigation. Saturday’s five-alarm fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m., said Aurora Fire Rescue spokesperson Andrew Logan, at a large apartment building that was still under construction. Responding crews went to the top floor of the five-story building where the blaze was reported to have started, but the dangerous conditions soon forced crews from several different agencies to focus on fighting the flames from outside the structure. One firefighter suffered minor injuries but was not taken to a hospital and is recovering, according to a department statement.No other buildings were damaged in the fire, Logan said, and firefighters were expected to remain on the scene through Saturday evening.Another fire...

Travis Scott performance at United Center postponed until January

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

CHICAGO — A concert taking place at United Center on Friday has been postponed only hours before it was set to begin.Gates were set to open at 6:30 p.m. for Travis Scott's show that was set to begin at 8 p.m., but only hours before showtime, the venue announced that Friday's show would be postponed to a later date.  Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines The announcement came in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and venue officials said all previously purchased tickets will be honored for the show's new date.The United Center offered an update for fans in another social media post on Saturday and said the show will now take place on Wednesday, Jan. 3.Currently, it is unclear why Friday's show was postponed. Man in custody after chase ends in crash in Waukegan United Center will host Scott again on January 22, during the second leg of his tour.Scott is currently on his Circus Maximus Tour, his first tour since the deadly crowd surge that happened at the&...

The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 15: Last-minute moves

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

UPDATE: 8:35 p.m. SaturdayA very familiar face to Minnesota football mavens is suddenly moving back into the spotlight, and the AFC playoff chase.Multiple media reports out of Houston say that Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will not play Sunday because he is still in the concussion protocol. And it appears former VIkings QB Case Keenum may get the start against Tennessee instead of the other backup, Davis Mills.The biggest name in doubt for Week 15 is Miami wideout and MVP candidate Tyreek Hill. He will reportedly be a gametime decision Sunday when the suddenly sliding Dolphins play the New York Jets.Also ruled out this weekend are three noteworthy running backs: the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco, the Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson and the Commanders’ Brian Robinson.Players considered doubtful include Green Bay WR Christian Watson and Houston receiver Nico Collins. Those listed as questionable include Saints WR Chris Olave, Bucs WR Chris Godwin and Seattle quarterback Geno Smith.One last not...

Avalanche observations: Jets look like Central Division contenders with convincing win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

A slow start on offense and a couple of defensive breakdowns spurred on a long night in Winnipeg for the Colorado Avalanche.Gabe Vilardi scored twice, and the Jets handled the Avalanche with relative ease for the second time in nine days in a 6-2 victory. This also looked more like a few of those early-season blowout losses than any of the Avs’ recent run of results.Most pundits saw the Central Division race as a two-team battle between the Avalanche and Dallas Stars in the preseason, but the Jets moved ahead of Colorado in the standings with this win and looked impressive even without leading goal-scorer Kyle Connor.Where’s Makar?: Cale Makar missed the game with a lower-body injury. He took part in the morning skate, according to reporters in Winnipeg. Makar has been dealing with a nagging injury for a while. Avs head coach Jared Bednar admitted that both he and Josh Manson have been nursing something. Makar has been heading for the bench during power plays earlier tha...

Keeler: If CU Buffs, CSU Rams rivals Travis Hunter, Henry Blackburn could hug it out, so can Deion Sanders, Jay Norvell. Here’s how.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

The adults in the room could learn a heck of a lot from the kids, couldn’t they? If Travis Hunter and Henry Blackburn found common ground, surely there’s hope for Colorado’s most star-crossed football lovers, Deion Sanders and Jay Norvell.(Opens Amazon Prime app)OK, sooo … maybe not.I mean, did you catch the audio of the exchange that followed the 2023 Rocky Mountain Showdown a few months back?“Congratulations,” Norvell, CSU’s second-year football coach said to Sanders at Folsom Field, per the “Coach Prime” Amazon television series. “And I was never talking about your family.”Sanders: “Oh, you was talking about my momma.”Norvell: “No, I was not.”Sanders: “Yes you were, yes you were.”Now Norvell, to be fair, fired the first metaphorical shot, having poked that curiously quiet bear a few days earlier.“When I sat down with ESPN (to talk about the CU-CSU game), and I don’t care if they hear it in B...

Nick Martinelli scores 16 points, No. 25 Northwestern bounces back to beat DePaul 56-46

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — No. 25 Northwestern struggled to find the touch against DePaul coming off a stunning loss. The Wildcats settled into a rhythm in the second half and made enough shots down the stretch to secure a victory they sorely needed. Nick Martinelli scored 16 points and Northwestern bounced back to beat DePaul 56-46 on Saturday.Ryan Langborg added 14 points, Brooks Barnhizer and Boo Buie each had 11 and the Wildcats (8-2) came away with the win after getting surprised at home by Chicago State on Wednesday night.“Everybody gets kicked to the pavement,” coach Chris Collins said. “Everybody has a tough moment in whatever you do. It’s how you bounce back.”The loss to Chicago State was one of those moments for a team that knocked off then-No. 1 Purdue less than two weeks earlier. The victory over the Boilermakers helped push the Wildcats into the Top 25. The loss to Chicago State will likely make it a one-week stay.Northwestern got all it could handle from DePaul before taking contr...

Holmes, Elvis power Dayton to 82-68 victory over Cincinnati

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

CINCINNATI (AP) — DaRon Holmes II had 28 points, Kobe Elvis scored 27 and Dayton cruised to an 82-68 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday.Holmes made 10 of 17 shots with three 3-pointers for the Flyers (8-2), who have won five in a row. He added seven rebounds and blocked five shots to extend his school record to 171 in his career. Elvis made 6 of 11 shots with a 3-pointer and all 14 of his free throws. He added five rebounds and three assists. Koby Brea scored 12 off the bench on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.Holmes had 12 points and Elvis scored 10 to help the Flyers take a 35-29 lead into halftime. The Bearcats (8-2), who have lost two of their last three games after a 7-0 start, shot 37% from the floor and made only 3 of 15 from 3-point range before intermission.Nate Santos had a three-point play after making two free throws to give Dayton its first double-digit lead at 53-39 with 13:48 left to play in the second half. The Flyers maintained at least a three-possession lead...

Ohtani and Acuña win MLB’s Hank Aaron Awards as outstanding offensive performers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. won the 2023 Hank Aaron Awards on Saturday, presented by Major League Baseball to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.The MLB award is picked by fan balloting combined with votes from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners, a group that this year included Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martínez, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, John Smoltz and Robin Yount.The pair also won Most Valuable Awards last month in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Ohtani was the first two-time unanimous MVP.Ohtani became a free agent after the season and left the Los Angeles Angels for a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the AL with 44 homers and hit .304 with 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases in a season at the plate that ended Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury. The right-hander was 10-5 with a 3.14...

UMass blows 18-point lead before Minutemen beat West Virginia 87-79

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:50:34 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Josh Cohen scored 19 points and Robert Davis Jr. hit six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points to help Massachusetts survive a furious rally by West Virginia and beat the Mountaineers 87-79 Saturday night at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Rahsool Diggins scored 15 points and Matt Cross added 13 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals for UMass (6-2). Quinn Slazinski, who picked up his third personal foul about 2 minutes into the second half, scored 10 consecutive West Virginia points in a 16-2 run sparked when Noah Farrakhan hit a 3-pointer with about 15 minutes to play and capped when Kerr Kriisa made another 3 with 10:29 left. The Mountaineers tied it on a 3-pointer by Seth Wilson about 90 seconds later and Akok Akok threw down a dunk to make it 62-all with 6:34 to go. Cohen answered with a layup 14 seconds later and UMass led the rest of the way.The Minutemen made 15 of 18 from the free-throw line in the final 3 minutes to seal it. Daniel ...