Russell Wilson conceded his inaugural season with the Denver Broncos has not been what he hoped for, though he made it clear that the necessary team improvements start with himself.
The quarterback threw three interceptions as the Los Angeles Rams ran out 51-14 victors on Christmas Day, leaving the Broncos 4-11 this year – the joint-third worst record across the NFL.
Wilson has struggled to perform following his mega trade from the Seattle Seahawks, with a pass completion of 60.1 per cent standing as the lowest-ever mark of his career.
Meanwhile, he has thrown a touchdown in just 2.9 per cent of his throws – again the worst record of his career.
Though the 34-year-old is not the only player to have disappointed this season, Wilson has vowed to "keep fighting" and remains confident of better displays in future campaigns.
"A lot needs to happen. I have to play to the standards that I know how to play to," he said, via Mike Klis of KUSA. "And I've been playing to my whole career. I'll never let a moment like tonight define me.
"We're at a low moment right now. I don't fear low moments because I know every time, I've always come out the other side. All I know how to do is keep fighting, keep battling.
"The reality is, it's been a storm. It's been a storm all year. It's not what we hoped for, not what we dreamed for. But it doesn't mean it's going to end that way for years to come. We got to change it, and it starts with me."
The Broncos travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, before concluding their season at home to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kathy Whitworth, the record-breaking former LPGA Tour player, has died at the age of 83.
Whitworth, who passed away suddenly on Christmas Eve, won 88 LPGA titles during her career – the most on any professional tour.
The six-time major winner was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976, a year after winning the last of her three Women's PGA Championship crowns.
Five years later, Whitworth became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1million on the LPGA Tour and, in 1990, was the United States' first Solheim Cup captain.
"The golf world and the world in general lost one of its most incredible women with the passing of Kathy Whitworth," LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a statement.
"Kathy was a champion in the truest sense of the word, both on the golf course and off."
Her partner Bettye Odle added: "It is with a heart full of love that we let everyone know of the passing of the winningest golf professional ever, Kathy Whitworth.
"Kathy passed suddenly Saturday night celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends. Kathy left this world the way she lived her life, loving, laughing and creating memories."
Harry Kane hoped to put his World Cup heartbreak behind him as he was named in Tottenham's starting line-up for Monday's trip to Brentford.
Kane missed a late penalty for England in their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar earlier this month.
With Tottenham and Brentford set to play the first Premier League game since the World Cup ended with Lionel Messi and Argentina beating Les Bleus in last week's final, it had been speculated that Spurs boss Antonio Conte would rest players who had featured in the latter stages of the tournament.
However, Kane was included in the team to face the Bees, along with other World Cup participants Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Captain Hugo Lloris was named on the bench, with Fraser Forster getting the nod in goal, and World Cup winner Cristian Romero was left out altogether.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank – fresh from signing a new deal until 2027 – named Ivan Toney in his starting line-up, despite the striker recently being charged with 262 alleged misconduct offences related to betting rules that took place over a four-year period.
The 26-year-old has until January 4 to respond.
England Test captain Ben Stokes believes the quality of international cricket has been damaged by the sport's packed schedule.
Stokes, who led his country to a historic 3-0 series win over Pakistan last week, retired from one-day internationals earlier this year, stating it was "unsustainable" for him to play in all three formats of the game.
And the 31-year-old thinks the intense schedule needs to be addressed to give players the best chance of performing at their highest level.
"It really has an impact on the multi-format players and people who want to play all three forms," he told the Today programme on BBC Radio Four.
"Obviously you want international cricket to be at the highest standard whenever you possibly can but over the last few years I think you've seen a lot of different squads being picked, a lot of different players coming in, coming out, being rested.
"And I don't think that's the way for international cricket to go. The scheduling and everything like that I think just doesn't get as much attention given to it as it should."
Stokes took a six-month break from the sport last year to prioritise his mental health – a decision he looks back on with pride.
"I felt I needed to obviously take a break, and I felt I needed some help to get me back to where I am today, and to get me back on the field from after I took the break," he added.
"I didn't ever really have an issue with coming out and expressing my feelings and opening up about it, because obviously I went into detail a lot in my documentary that I did about my break and how I was feeling, and the steps I took to get me back to a certain place.
"Out of all of that I can't tell you how much pride that I felt in myself in doing that, and some of the messages I received from people I don't know who have never met me.
"But that's why I took huge pride out of it, putting myself in the public eye, and that it's actually really helped a lot of people.
"I feel as if men in particular, because that's where the stigma is, the more men that can do it, great, because I feel if you do, you're going to help a lot more people around the world who are in a similar situation to you."
Cameron Green has credited his Australia team-mates with keeping him grounded after a maiden Test five-wicket haul followed his record-breaking IPL payday.
The all-rounder became the most expensive Australian player in competition history when he was sold for 17.5 crore (£1.75million) to Mumbai Indians, trailing only England's Sam Curran (18.5 crore, £1.85m) overall.
Green followed up his giant fee with a blockbuster red-ball performance to reinforce his credentials on Monday as well, with a five-for on the first day of the second Test against South Africa at the MCG.
But Green acknowledged he was yet to feel as if he had lived up to his price-tag, while thanking his team-mates for ensuring his feet stay earthbound.
"To be fair, I think I didn't do much to kind of earn that," he said. "I just put my name into the auction, and it just happened.
"It doesn't change who I am or how I think and all the confidence I have in my cricket. Hopefully, I didn't change too much.
"The players [here] can bring you back down pretty quickly. It's a good group that we've got at the moment. Everyone gets around you when they need to and can bring you back pretty quickly when they want to.
"I think everyone was focused on Boxing Day. It's a fixture that you point out at the start of the year, and you look forward to, so now that takes your focus 100 per cent."
Green's effort with the ball could be essential for Australia going forward, after Mitchell Starc suffered a finger injury while fielding on day one.
The fast bowler faces a wait to discover if he will be able to take part in the rest of the Test match against the Proteas.
Jayson Tatum said it was "fun playing on Christmas" after excelling for the Boston Celtics in the victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Christmas Day clash at TD Garden saw the two teams with the best records in the NBA this season collide, with Boston running out 139-118 victors.
Tatum posted 41 points with seven rebounds and five assists, scoring 20 points in the third quarter alone.
"It's fun. It's fun playing on national TV; it's fun playing on Christmas," Tatum said. "And those matchups are fun. You get to play against the other best players, and it just raises your level of play.
"The competition is exciting, but that's the game that you live for. The moments, the matchups, if you can't get up for those games, then you're probably in the wrong profession."
The Celtics appear to be back on track, recording back-to-back wins after a run of five defeats in six, and moving on to a record of 24-10.
"It did feel good to get back to playing the way we know how to play," Tatum added. "We have the emotional understanding of it [being] a long season, and there's going to be great stretches and there's going to be some bad ones. But not letting the bad ones snowball effect and getting back on track sooner than later. It helps when we make shots too."
Tatum has scored at least 30 points in his last five games and is averaging 30.9 for the season, fifth in the league behind only Joel Embiid (33.1), Luka Doncic (32.8), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.6) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.2), who the Celtics restricted to 27 points on Sunday.
"It's definitely an honour. I've said many times how much I love being here and what it means to play on Christmas, [this is my] sixth year in a row and something I never want to take for granted," Tatum said.
"As a kid, that was part of the tradition: Eat, be with family, watch all the games and try to envision myself playing out there one day. Now I get to do that."
Mitchell Starc's finger injury "doesn't look the greatest" but Nathan Lyon is hopeful he will be fit to feature in the rest of Australia's second Test against South Africa.
The fast bowler suffered a knock to his hand attempting to take a catch on day one, casting a shadow over an otherwise spectacular performance from the hosts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
With Cameron Green paying a fitting tribute to Shane Warne in the Boxing Day clash with a first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, South Africa were skittled for 189 in Victoria.
However, Starc was forced off during the final session and Lyon acknowledged they face a nervous wait to discover if he will be able to continue.
"[It is] not ideal, I don't think," he told cricket.com.au. "He's popped off for a scan now. Fingers crossed we can get the best possible result with his scan.
"I don't know what he's technically done, but it doesn't look the greatest. He went out the back and tried to bowl, but I think it [felt] a bit different.
"Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. All we can hope for is he gets the best possible result with the scan."
Starc has already suffered one hand injury this year, having sliced the top of his left index finger on his bowling shoe during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Australia have revealed their Test Player of the Year award will be renamed after Warne, who passed away suddenly in March aged 52.
Tua Tagovailoa's performance in the Miami Dolphins' defeat to the Green Bay Packers is "something every quarterback goes through", according to coach Mike McDaniel.
The 2020 first-round pick threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter as the Dolphins blew a 10-point lead on Christmas Day against the Packers, eventually going down 26-20 at Hard Rock Stadium.
With just a handful of games left until the end of the regular season, the loss moves the Dolphins to an 8-7 record, having suffered four straight defeats.
Tagovailoa's performance was widely criticised afterwards, but McDaniel offered his full backing to his quarterback, suggesting they will work as a team to figure out how to bounce back from a poor performance.
"It's a challenge, but it's also something every quarterback goes through," he said. "It's one of those necessary things you have to really figure out.
"You can't let the past influence the present. I think there could be some portions that have to do with him snowballing in his own mind.
"But he's such a strong individual that I've very confidence he'll be able to get through that. This team needs him.
"This team needs myself to make sure all those situations are not putting him behind the eight-ball, and then the quarterback needs the rest of his team to execute so he doesn't have to do too much on his own."
The Dolphins travel to the New England Patriots on New Year's Day, before wrapping up their regular campaign against the New York Jets, likely needing to win both to reach the postseason.
Tom Brady feels the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are "comfortable" in down-to-the-wire situations after orchestrating an overtime comeback win against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bucs rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 19-16 and keep a one-game lead atop the NFC South.
Brady completed 26 of 42 passes in regular time, with one touchdown pass to Rachaad White with eight minutes remaining, before throwing six from six to complete all of his passes in overtime.
It helped set up Ryan Succop's game-winning 40-yard field goal on the back of a nine-play 66-yard drive, and Brady acknowledged he and his team-mates believe they can thrive in pressure scenarios.
"If we keep it close in the fourth quarter, we know we've got a shot,” he said. "I think we’re all comfortable in those situations."
Leonard Fournette – who had nine receptions for 90 yards – was quick to pay tribute to Brady afterwards, suggesting their comeback was simply a by-product of what the seven-time Super Bowl champion brings to the field.
"That's just who he is," Fournette said. "He's been doing it for years. We're just playing a part in his greatness.
"[We] give him what he wants. He wants certain routes run certain ways. We're just here to try and make his job easier."
The Bucs have endured a tough year, with a 7-8 losing record, but they remain in with a postseason shot as they sit at the summit of NFC South ahead of the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints.
Devin Booker suffered a recurrence of his groin problem in the Phoenix Suns' overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.
The shooting guard had sat out his team's last three games with soreness, missing a win over the Los Angeles Lakers and defeats to the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies.
Any hope of a smooth comeback was dashed early in the first quarter against Denver after Booker's groin injury flared up, forcing him out of an eventual 128-125 overtime loss on Sunday after clocking just over four minutes on court.
The three-time All-Star needs just seven more three-pointers to pass Steve Nash for first place on the Suns' all-time franchise list, having scored 1,045 in his career with them to date.
In Booker's absence, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul posted a combined 39 points to take the Suns within a whisker of victory, only to come up short at the end.
Nikola Jokic proved best-in-show for the Nuggets again, with 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists as Denver notched 77 points after the half-time interval.
Return trips to the Grizzlies and the Wizards are next on the agenda for the 19-15 Suns, before they close out 2022 with a visit to the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
Cameron Green claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket as Australia bowled out South Africa for 189 to take charge of the second Test on Boxing Day at the MCG.
The Australians, who lead the three-game series 1-0, are 45-1 in reply with David Warner, playing his 100th Test, surviving through to stumps on 32 not out alongside Marnus Labuschagne (5no).
Australia captain Pat Cummins raised a few eyebrows by opting to bowl after winning the toss but will feel justified given the state of play, while South Africa have now gone seven Test innings without reaching 200.
The Proteas slumped to 67-5 with local hero Scott Boland claiming the opening wicket of Sarel Erwee (18) before some brilliance from Labuschagne in the field, running out skipper Dean Elgar for 26 with a direct hit before pulling off a flying catch to dismiss Khaya Zondo (5).
But Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen led the rearguard, which had the hosts worried before Green took centre stage with his ability to swing the old ball.
He dismissed both Verreynne (52) and Jansen (59) with edges to first slip Steve Smith and wicketkeeper Alex Carey respectively.
Verreynne and Jansen had combined for a 108-run stand which was only South Africa's third 100-run partnership of the calendar year.
From there, Western Australian all-rounder Green made light work of the tail to finish with 5-27 as the Proteas' final five wickets fell for just 10 runs.
In 12 overs late in the day, Australia lost Usman Khawaja (1) who was caught behind by Verreynne off Kagiso Rabada, while under-fire Warner appeared focused in his milestone game and navigated his way through to stumps.
Starc injury concern for Aussies
Green's five-wicket haul came at a good time for Australia with Verreynne and Jansen appearing settled, but also with left-arm quick Mitchell Starc nursing a finger injury.
Starc spent time off the field for treatment on the middle finger of his bowling hand after diving to catch Jansen's lofted shot to long-on, returning with heavy taping on the issue.
Local hero delights again
Boland only finished with 1-34 from his 14 overs but the Victorian right-arm fast bowler was cheered by his parochial crowd throughout, dating back to his heroics at the same venue 12 months ago in the Ashes when he took 6-7.
Boland got the opening wicket with perfect line and length, drawing an edge from opener Erwee to third slip Khawaja.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim a 19-16 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
Ryan Succop kicked a 40-yard field goal with 3:41 remaining in overtime as the Bucs scored the final 13 points to put themselves in a position to win the NFC South with a victory next week against the Carolina Panthers. Tampa Bay are now 7-8 ahead of the 6-9 Panthers in that division.
The Cardinals had led 16-6 with 10:47 remaining after running back James Conner ran into the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown.
But the Bucs responded when it mattered after an uninspired first half, with Leonard Fournette's 44-yard run leading to Brady finding Rachaad White to cut the margin to 16-13.
Tampa Bay won the ball back when Cardinals third-string QB Trace McSorley tried a quick pitch on a third-and-one to rookie Keaontay Ingram whose fumble fell kindly to Bucs defensive end William Gholston.
That allowed Succop to kick a 42-yard attempt to square the game up, eventually going to overtime with McSorley attempting a hail Mary pass as the clock expired.
In the first half, both sides had scored field goals in each quarter, while Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt's three tackles were a feature. Brady threw a third-quarter interception for Marco Wilson, his second of the game.
Brady completed 32 of 48 passes for 281 yards with one TD and two interceptions, while Fournette had 72 rushing yards from 20 carries along with 90 yards on nine receptions.
McSorley threw 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards, including a 47-yard gain for Marquise Brown, setting up Matt Prater's third field goal to give them the lead for the first time in the third quarter.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim a 19-16 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
Ryan Succop kicked a 40-yard field goal with 3:41 remaining in overtime as the Bucs scored the final 13 points to put themselves in a position to win the NFC South with a victory next week against the Carolina Panthers. Tampa Bay are now 7-8 ahead of the 6-9 Panthers in that division.
The Cardinals had led 16-6 with 10:47 remaining after running back James Conner ran into the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown.
But the Bucs responded when it mattered after an uninspired first half, with Leonard Fournette's 44-yard run leading to Brady finding Rachaad White to cut the margin to 16-13.
Tampa Bay won the ball back when Cardinals third-string QB Trace McSorley tried a quick pitch on a third-and-one to rookie Keaontay Ingram whose fumble fell kindly to Bucs defensive end William Gholston.
That allowed Succop to kick a 42-yard attempt to square the game up, eventually going to overtime with McSorley attempting a hail Mary pass as the clock expired.
In the first half, both sides had scored field goals in each quarter, while Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt's three tackles were a feature. Brady threw a third-quarter interception for Marco Wilson, his second of the game.
Brady completed 32 of 48 passes for 281 yards with one TD and two interceptions, while Fournette had 72 rushing yards from 20 carries along with 90 yards on nine receptions.
McSorley threw 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards, including a 47-yard gain for Marquise Brown, setting up Matt Prater's third field goal to give them the lead for the first time in the third quarter.
The Boston Celtics shot the lights out during their 139-118 Christmas Day win against the Milwaukee Bucks in a crunch clash between two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights.
Boston scored at least 36 points in three of the four quarters, including a 77-point second half as they proved unstoppable offensively.
They were led by MVP candidate Jayson Tatum with a game-high 41 points on 14-of-22 shooting, adding seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
His running-mate Jaylen Brown was just as effective in his supporting role, scoring 29 on 11-of-19 shooting with five rebounds and four assists, while reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart set the table with eight assists and only four total field goal attempts.
As a team, the Celtics shot 58.8 per cent from the field (50-of-85) and 48.7 per cent from long range (19-of-39) in a blistering performance.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was not at his best for the Bucks, shooting nine-of-22 from the field for his 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Jrue Holiday was more effective for his 23 points (eight-of-14), seven assists and six rebounds.
A win for the Bucks would have seen them overtake the Celtics for the top seed in the East, but they instead fell to 22-11 and are now one-and-a-half games behind Boston at 24-10.
Doncic, Mavs catch fire in the third
The Dallas Mavericks were a completely different team after half-time in their 124-115 home win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Trailing 54-43 at the long break, the Mavericks came out of the locker room and put up 51 points in the third period, setting a new record for the most points scored in a quarter on Christmas Day. They won that quarter by 30 points, racing to the lead before the duo of Luka Doncic and Christian Wood put the game to bed.
Doncic, who was being consistently double-teamed all night and being forced to give off early passes, still worked his way to 32 points (nine-of-16 shooting), nine rebounds and nine assists, while Wood added 30 points (12-of-17), eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks.
LeBron James was the lone bright spot for the Lakers, scoring a game-high 38 points (13-of-23) as his side lost their fourth in a row to fall to 13-20.
Warriors remain the league's best home team
There is no place like home for the Golden State Warriors this season, improving their league-best record in their own stadium to 13-2 with a 123-109 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors are still below .500 overall at 16-18 thanks to their 3-15 road record, but once again shot the ball beautifully in front of the Chase Center crowd.
Behind 32 points from Jordan Poole and 24 from Klay Thompson, Golden State shot 18-of-44 from three-point range (40.9 per cent). It was a throwback game for Draymond Green as well, delivering a gritty double-double with 13 rebounds and 13 assists to go with his two points.
Ja Morant was the only Grizzlies player to shine under the bright lights, scoring a game-high 36 points on 15-of-29 shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds on his Christmas Day debut.
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