Frederic Vasseur is to become Ferrari's new team principal in January after the departure of Mattia Binotto, the team announced on Tuesday.

Vasseur's newly vacant role as Alfa Romeo/Sauber's managing director is then expected to be filled by McLaren boss Andreas Seidl, ahead of Sauber's switch to becoming the Audi factory team in 2026.

Having been with Sauber in the team's various forms since 2017, Vasseur will join a Ferrari outfit that won four races in the 2022 season but remained well off the pace in challenging Red Bull and Max Verstappen for the constructors' and drivers' championships.

Ferrari announced in November that Binotto would step down at the end of the year, allowing Vasseur to join and reunite with Charles Leclerc.

He was in charge of Alfa Romeo during Leclerc's rookie F1 season in 2018.

Vasseur will be aiming to end Ferrari's long title drought, having not won a constructors' or drivers' championship since 2008.

Ferrari are still among the most prestigious and successful Formula One teams despite their long wait for more silverware, and Vasseur is thrilled to be joining such a historic constructor.

"I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal," Vasseur said in Ferrari's announcement.

"As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me."

Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari's CEO, added: "We are delighted to welcome Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as our Team Principal.

"Throughout his career he has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams.

"This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy."

Vasseur's move comes in the wake of Jost Capito leaving his role as Williams team principal, having finished bottom of the 2022 constructors' standings.

England captain Harry Kane will come back stronger from his penalty heartbreak against France, says Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris.

The Three Lions suffered a 2-1 loss in Saturday's keenly fought quarter-final tie, sending Gareth Southgate's side home from Qatar 2022 as Didier Deschamps' men remained on course for a title defence.

Having converted an earlier spot-kick to level both the match and Wayne Rooney's all-time England goal record, Kane subsequently skied another penalty over the crossbar late on, missing the chance to make it 2-2.

Lloris, who has played with Kane at Tottenham for a decade now, says he has briefly spoken with his club colleague, and believes he will pick himself up in impressive fashion when the dust has settled.

"I don't need to go too much further," he said. "We texted after the game. It was not easy to find the words straight after, in the changing room. I think he needed some rest.

"It's a difficult time for the English national team and for Harry, but I think he can be proud of what he's done for the team during this World Cup.

"In football history, many top players missed important penalties in their career – like Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

"I've no doubt he will keep his chin up, and he will have Tottenham and the national team to shine [for]."

Kane won the Golden Boot at Russia 2018 four years ago after leading England to the semi-finals, and helped fire the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final on home soil last year too.

He now has 53 goals in 80 caps for his country, leaving him one strike away from overhauling Rooney outright.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has no special tactical plan to stop France's star forward Kylian Mbappe.

The Atlas Lions are the underdog success story of the World Cup, having beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to becoming the first African team to reach a semi-final in the tournament's history.

France, on the other hand, lost their last meeting with an African side – against Tunisia in the group stage in Qatar – but are aiming to reach the final for a second successive World Cup after their triumph in 2018.

Mbappe has been their driving force, scoring five goals and setting up a further two. No other player in the competition has contributed to as many goals as the 23-year-old, who is the tournament's top scorer.

Trying to stop Mbappe will be his Paris Saint-Germain club-mate Achraf Hakimi, though Regragui – whose side have conceded only once at the World Cup – does not think Morocco can only focus on one threat.

"[Achraf] knows Mbappe better than me, he trains with him on a daily basis, I'm sure he is better placed than I am to know Kylian," Regragui said at a press conference.

"I'm not going to set up a plan to counter Mbappe, unfortunately for us France have other great players. [Antoine] Griezmann is on his game, [Ousmane] Dembele on the other wing is a great complement to Mbappe.

"To focus on Mbappe would be a mistake. Hakimi is one of the best in the world in his position too so it will be a great duel between two champions, both going at it hell for leather.

"We shouldn't focus on Kylian but how we will cause problems for France. I'm sure Hakimi will be on top of his game."

France might be favourites to go on and reach the final, but Morocco are not here to make up the numbers.

"We want to try and get rid of the mentality we perhaps had before," Regragui said. "We came with great ambition and to change mindsets in our continent in particular.

"If we say we are happy to reach the semi-final, many people might see that as a success, but I don't agree. 

"We're one of the best four teams in the world now and we'll give everything. We're confident, we've had perhaps the most difficult run beating some top sides. The closer we get to the final, the closer we get to our dreams.

"If you get to a World Cup semi-final and you're not hungry, there's a problem. We are determined to rewrite the history books, we want Africa to be at the top of the world.

"We know we're not the favourites but we're confident, you might call me crazy but I think a bit of craziness is good. We're not just going through the motions. We're not satisfied, we want to go further. Everyone is ready to pull off an upset."

Regragui's team have averaged just 31.3 per cent possession across their five games in Qatar, more than only Costa Rica (30.2), while their 39 shots is 16 fewer than any of the other teams left in the tournament.

Yet Morocco's coach is unconcerned by criticism of his defensive approach, adding: "This idea of possession – it's amazing how the journalists love these figures but what's the point if you have no shots? If we can keep the ball we will, but if they don't let us so be it. We're going to fight with the tools we have. 

"Didier Deschamps is probably the best coach in the world and he knows how to set up a team to win as well. 

"A lot of journalists have criticised our style, they don't like to see a team of our stature playing like a European team – cleverly. African teams before have been praised because they were fun, but they got knocked out.

"Well, those days are over. We want to win now, to win for Africa and for developing countries who are learning you can win."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes it is "already written" Lionel Messi will win the World Cup with Argentina and thinks the full truth about Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United exit will never come to light.

Messi has been influential in Argentina's run to the semi-finals in Qatar where La Albiceleste will face Croatia on Tuesday.

Should Messi lift the most prestigious international trophy of all with his country, it will further enhance claims the Argentina legend is the greatest to have played the game.

Milan veteran Ibrahimovic, a former team-mate of Messi's at Barcelona, thinks this is the year the Paris Saint-Germain star will get his hands on the prize.

"I think it's already written who will win, and you know who I mean," Ibrahimovic said.

"I think Messi will lift the trophy, it's already written."

Cristiano Ronaldo, a long-term rival of Messi's in the greatest of all time debate, saw his own hopes of World Cup glory dashed by Portugal's surprise quarter-final defeat to Morocco.

It marked the latest blow in a tough period for the legendary forward, who left Manchester United by mutual consent in the wake of an incendiary TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised the club's hierarchy and boss Erik ten Hag.

Former United striker Ibrahimovic says with all sides defending themselves the actual events of what occurred will never be known.

"His exiting United, I think when things happen, we will never know the true story," he added.

"They say what they want to say, he says what he needs to say to protect himself, then you have the coach that says these things to protect himself. 

"Then the club says things – not like me, I will tell you how it really happened. But we are all different. Everybody is careful about their image. 

"For me the perfect image is being yourself. The true story we will not know my friend."

Damian Lillard credited his Portland Trail Blazers team-mates for helping him match the franchise record for three-pointers in their impressive 133-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The point guard matched the Oregon outfit's previous best – set by himself – with 11-from-17, including eight in the first half, as his side ran out comfortable winners at Moda Center.

With an additional two rebounds and two assists, it was Lillard's performance that steered the Trail Blazers around the court and inspired a crucial victory to push them up to sixth in the Western Conference.

The 32-year-old claimed he had not realised he had matched the record, while thanking the rest of his squad for setting up his opportunities.

"I literally didn't know how many threes I had,'" Lillard said. "I was just shooting. I knew I was in double digits

"I thought I made a lot of threes tonight and then I think 'how many did I shoot?'

"Once I got hot, they were looking for me, making the right play. They just kept giving me opportunity after opportunity

"The basket looks huge. I felt I was hot tonight, but I didn't feel I was blazing."

Lillard did not return for the fourth quarter, denying him the chance to make it a dozen, but coach Chauncey Billups said he had no concerns over his decision to keep him on the side.

"He was on a heater that was fun to watch,'' he said. "He can always use some rest, as well. But we rode him as good as we could, and we were able to take care of business.''

Luis Enrique says Atletico Madrid "have to love me first" amid rumours the former Spain boss could be a long-term replacement for Diego Simeone.

La Roja and Luis Enrique parted ways in the aftermath of a shock last-16 defeat to Morocco on penalties at the World Cup last week, with Luis de la Fuente named as his replacement.

Spanish publication AS reported the former Barcelona head coach is a target for Manchester United and Atleti, despite both positions being occupied.

The links to Atleti would seemingly hold more credence. Diego Simeone has been in charge since 2011, winning two LaLiga titles, as many Europa Leagues, and the Copa del Rey, while they have finished as Champions League runners-up twice.

But with Atleti fifth in the table this season and already 13 points off the pace in LaLiga, there is a feeling the Argentine coach's time at the Wanda Metropolitano is winding down.

Atleti midfielder Koke and the club's CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin have over the past week endorsed Luis Enrique, who says no offers have come his way for his next venture.

"Hey, they have to love me, this is the usual," he said on a Twitch stream with Ibai Llanos.

"If they don't call me, if I don't have offers, I can't decide. I don't have any offers at the moment."

Luis Enrique, who in the same interview said he will wait until next season before deciding his next move and is planning to take part in a mountain bike race with his brother, was also asked about Barca's young midfield talent Pedri.

The 20-year-old was one of Spain's star performers and has been tipped to enjoy an exciting future at club and international level.

Luis Enrique is of the same opinion, likening him to a Barca legend and one of the world's most famous fictional wizards.

"For me Pedri is Harry Potter, he's a different player," he added.

"Watching him play, the closest [comparison] is [Andres] Iniesta. And Pedri as a person is a number one."

Morocco's celebrations said it all. Having done what many deemed the impossible against Spain, the Atlas Lions went one better by beating Portugal 1-0 in 90 minutes.

They only qualified for the World Cup semi-finals, so to some their jubilation might have even looked over the top.

But the significance of the win was not lost on Morocco's players.

Family members were on the pitch at full-time: goalkeeper Yassine Bounou brought his young son out to have a kickabout on the grass while the toddler adorably ran around wearing his dad's comically large gloves; Sofiane Boufal shared a heart-warming embrace with his mum, who subsequently joined him out on the turf; captain Romain Saiss held his son aloft; coach Walid Regragui was engulfed by a group of relatives in the stands.

These genuinely were comparable to celebrations that would be seen after winning the World Cup, and why not? After all, this is the closest any African team has ever come to lifting the famous trophy, with Wednesday's clash against France the first World Cup semi-final to include a CAF country.

While few would have picked them out as semi-finalists before the tournament, this run has been defined by tirelessness, spirit, and quality, with some perhaps surprised by how much of the latter they possess.

But who have been their standout performers to this point?

Bono's beautiful day

Any team that goes deep into a World Cup needs a dependable goalkeeper; when you look at the first-choice numbers ones in the semi-finals – Emiliano Martinez, Dominik Livakovic, Hugo Lloris and Yassine Bounou – the evidence is all there to see.

Bounou, or 'Bono' as he wears on his shirt, was named player of the match against Portugal. While he only made three saves, two of those were crucial stops near the end, and he was also just a generally assuring presence, swatting away high deliveries effectively.

The Sevilla goalkeeper, who was born in Canada, made his 50th appearance for Morocco on Saturday and became the first keeper to record three clean sheets at a single World Cup for an African team.

But he was also vital to Morocco's progression to the last eight, saving two spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out that saw them past Spain.

If the Atlas Lions get past France, he'll have surely played a key role again.

Hakimi living up to his reputation

If there's one player in the Morocco squad who needs no introduction...

Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi has been exceptional for Regragui's men. Some might have expected more from him in attack, but defensively he's really shown his class and work ethic.

No defender left in the tournament has contested (62) or won (35) more duels than Hakimi, while he also tops the charts for tackles (19) and tackles won (13).

Morocco haven't been scored against by an opposition player at the 2022 World Cup, with their only goal conceded coming via an own goal against Canada. They've kept four clean sheets, with the last two sides to record five in a single edition going on to lift the trophy (Spain 2010, Italy 2006).

Hakimi's certainly played his part.

Amrabat and Ounahi: the engine room

Sofyan Amrabat was by no means an unknown quantity coming into the tournament given he's had a bright start to the season with Fiorentina.

Azzedine Ounahi will have been much less familiar to many, but he'll leave Qatar with his reputation massively enhanced.

The 22-year-old Angers midfielder is a very satisfying player to watch. Elegant on the ball and a competitor without it, Ounahi has really stood out as a midfield all-rounder.

No other central midfielder can better his four carries leading to a key pass, while he has completed seven of 10 dribble attempts.

This elegance is matched by his guile, with just five midfielders winning more duels than Ounahi (26). With him alongside Amrabat, Morocco possess a legitimately excellent central pairing.

Amrabat can match Ounahi's combativeness, with his eight tackles won the fourth-highest among midfielders, but he also has a fine understanding of how to read the game, as demonstrated by his tournament-leading 41 recoveries.

The X-factor

There's rarely a dull moment when Boufal or Hakim Ziyech have the ball.

Of course, Ziyech came into the tournament with something of a point to prove after falling out with the previous coach.

He undoubtedly brings the capability to do something special out of nothing, though he also works extremely hard, with his 61 duels contested the joint-best among all midfielders in the tournament.

While that may not be what Ziyech is best known for, Hakimi will undoubtedly be happy for the help against Kylian Mbappe next time out.

Boufal on the other flank has been similarly tireless. Classed as a forward by Opta, only two other forwards have been in more duels (63) than the mercurial winger.

Additionally, his 22 take-on attempts has been bettered by only six players in the whole tournament, and his 54 per cent take-on success is the third best among players to attempt at least 12.

There's never been any doubt about Boufal's natural ability; he has just tended to frustrate. In Qatar, his talent on the ball has been key in helping Morocco turn defence into attack.

En-Nesyri out to silence the doubters

It's been a difficult 18 months or so for Youssef En-Nesyri, who is a team-mate of Bounou's at club level with Sevilla.

Injuries have disrupted his progress, and he's struggled to recapture his best form after a promising first full season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Nevertheless, he's got two goals now at this World Cup – that's two more than he has in LaLiga this term – and the second of those highlighted the striker's biggest strength: his aerial ability.

While that goal against Portugal went down as a Diogo Costa error, En-Nesyri's leap was remarkable. Counting it as a goalkeeping mistake arguably does the forward a disservice.

Regardless, he capitalised to become Morocco's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, with his two in Qatar adding to the one he netted against Spain in 2018.

Whatever happens on Wednesday, Morocco will have two more matches, with a final or a third-place game to come. One more goal for En-Nesyri and he becomes just the fourth African player to score three or more at one tournament after Roger Milla in 1990 (four), Papa Bouba Diop in 2002 (three) and Asamoah Gyan in 2010 (three).

Judging by Morocco's giant-slaying narrative so far, however, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised if one of their two remaining games is for the title.

Kawhi Leonard will not take any risks with his fitness after posting his best game of the season in the Los Angeles Clippers' 113-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday.

The five-time All-Star, who spent last season recovering from an ACL tear, has slowly worked his way back into contention this campaign, with nine games now under his belt.

In his latest outing, the small forward put up 25 points, second only to team-mate Paul George, while adding nine rebounds and six assists, as the Clippers kept the Celtics in double-digits.

Leonard shut down suggestions he had struggled in his previous games this campaign, but acknowledged he needs to ensure he does not push himself too fast, too soon.

"I've felt good all season," Leonard stated afterwards. "It's just a matter of game reps. I've just got to stay healthy.

"[It is] only my ninth game. You can't rush it. [I have] just got to keep moving."

George, who led for the Clippers with 26 points, was effusive in his praise for Leonard, suggesting glimmers of the star's championship-winning form are returning to the surface.

"That's the same Kawhi," he added. "He’s just playing more, getting more reps.

"We're still trying to figure out how we're going to play on the court with one another. It's just good if both of us are playing aggressive."

The Clippers will now mount a four-game home stand ahead of Christmas, capped off with a trip to the Philadelphia 76ers as they look to strengthen their hand in the Eastern Conference.

The Arizona Cardinals will discover the extent of Kyler Murray's injury later this week, with fears the quarterback suffered an ACL problem in Monday's loss to the New England Patriots.

Murray appeared to sustain a serious knee issue on the first drive and had to be taken from the field in a medical cart following a three-yard gain in just the third action of the match.

Colt McCoy took his place for the rest of the match as the Cardinals slipped to a 27-13 loss against the Patriots, to take them to 4-9 for the season.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury revealed the team were unsure as to the extent of Murray's injury, acknowledging his loss threw them out for the rest of the game, while revealing he would have scans on Tuesday.

"It doesn't look good," he said. "It's tough. There's no doubt. You see teams go through it every week, but when you lose your starter on the third play of the game, it's tough.

"[It was] non-contact, [so] it's just tough to watch and see. You've got to be able to rebound and play the game, though."

With 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his 10 starts this season, former top draft pick Murray has struggled to help drive the Cardinals forward amid a difficult campaign.

His loss though was a stinging one, with Patriots boss Bill Belichick passing on his regards to the quarterback after the match too.

"It's tough to see a player like Murray get hurt," he added. "I hope he's okay."

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving says there will be "no more distractions" for the team after they seized a 112-100 road win against the Washington Wizards on Monday.

The New York outfit improved to 17-12 for the season with a commanding victory at Capital One Arena, led by a 30-point haul for Kevin Durant.

The result helped the Nets further distance themselves from their early season controversy, when Irving was suspended over a series of tweets linking to an anti-semitic documentary, before initially refusing to apologise.

Now, the seven-time All-Star says the team are keeping their focus firmly on the court and know they have the players on hand to succeed this term.

"Man, let's just go win ballgames," he said. "That's it, that's really what the attitude is.

"We know the talent we have. This is our group. No more excuses, no more distractions."

Having been held back from building an early lead, the Nets raced out to 88-71 in the third quarter, and never let the Wizards get within eight after that.

Durant, who also posted nine rebounds and six assists, noted the visitors were aware letting their foot off the pedal could have proven dangerous.

"We talked about this being a trap game," he added. "If we'd have played too relaxed, with no sense of urgency, we definitely would have lost this game."

The Nets are now 5-1 across December, and have gone unbeaten over their last four matches, with trips to the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons next on the agenda.

Despite being tied for the league-lead in sacks, Matthew Judon insisted he is only the second-best pass-rusher playing for the New England Patriots after Josh Uche's career night against the Arizona Cardinals.

Uche, 24, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but struggled in his first two seasons, totaling only four combined sacks.

In Monday's 27-13 win against the Cardinals, he led all comers with three, taking his season tally to 10 – and all 10 have been in the past six weeks.

Judon was credited with one-and-a-half sacks on Cardinals backup quarterback Colt McCoy – who was thrust into the action after just three plays following Kyler Murray's knee injury – taking his total to 14.5 to tie with elite San Francisco 49ers talent Nick Bosa for the league's most.

Uche and Judon are the only pair of teammates this season with at least 10 sacks each.

The Patriots' defense was the dominant force in the win, turning a 13-13 tie into a two-score lead after returning a fumble for a touchdown, and securing an interception on the next drive to set up Pierre Strong Jr's sealer.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Judon said Uche's dominant performance was no surprise.

"I told y'all I wasn't our best pass-rusher," he said. "Our best pass-rusher is emerging. 

"People are going to have to block him, and if they don't, and they chip my side and worry about me, Uche will do that every week.

"I love the way he's playing with confidence, and poise, and this is the most he's played since he's been in the NFL. It's taken a toll on him, but he's going out there and having a lot of success.

"We all knew it, we all knew the type of player he was, he was drafted pretty high here, and now he's just emerging. Folks are going to have to watch out."

When asked how he feels about the Patriots' defense often having to carry their struggling offense, Judon said he has no issues with it.

"Honestly, as a defender, you relish it," he said. "You relish it.

"We'd love for our offense to go out there and score 40 points each game, but as a defender, it's like, skip it. It is what it is. We're going out there, and we've got to do our job.

"We can't let our offense down and come out there and slip, and let stuff go. Every play we have to defend every blade of grass, and that's what we came out and did.

"We got a lot of tipped balls, we put pressure on the quarterback, we were hitting receivers, jamming them – and that's how you beat a team like that with an explosive offense."

Judon's admiration of Uche is reciprocated, with Uche making a point to credit Judon in aiding his development.

"I've learned a lot, I've been through a lot of adversity," he said. "Just leaning back on my faith, my family, my teammates, my girl, my parents – everybody. Just leaning back on them, and them helping me stay up.

"Judon has been a blessing in my life, man. That's big bro. I don't know where I'd be without him."

Future Hall-of-Fame coach Bill Belichick also singled out Uche when asked about his defence's performance.

"Uche had a couple big plays for us," he said. "He hit McCoy to force the interception to [Marcus] Jones. 

"We were able to hit the quarterback, but of course that comes from getting ahead, and playing from ahead, and it became a passing game in the second half.

"Our defense did a pretty good job tonight. They have a lot of firepower, and Arizona moved the ball, but we fortunately got a couple red-area stops, and didn't give them much in the second half, so it was good."

The Patriots are now 7-6, and occupy the final AFC Wildcard spot with four weeks to play.

The Brooklyn Nets continued their hot run of form on Monday as they defeated the Washington Wizards 112-100 on the road for the eighth win from their past nine outings.

Kevin Durant's under-the-radar MVP campaign took another step in the right direction with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting, adding nine rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block.

For the season, he is averaging exactly 30.0 points per game – the sixth-highest figure in the league – while his 55.9 per cent field goal shooting is a new career-high in his 15th campaign, and he is eighth in the league for blocks at 1.7 per game.

Durant was supported well by Kyrie Irving with 24 points (seven-of-17 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, while Ben Simmons contributed 10 points (five-of-nine), eight rebounds and five assists in 23 productive minutes.

After beginning the season with five losses from their first six games, the Nets are now fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 17-12, and they can make it nine wins from 10 when they travel to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Jackson sets new career-high

Jaren Jackson Jr had six blocks in his first nine minutes of action against the Atlanta Hawks, going on to finish with a career-high eight in a 128-103 win.

The former fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft showed exactly the kind of defensive upside that, when coupled with his sweet shooting stroke, makes him one of the sport's most versatile big men.

He added 15 points and seven rebounds to go with his eight blocks, and he is also hitting 1.9 three-pointers per game at a 37.3 per cent clip.

The Grizzlies are now 18-9 and occupy the second seed in the Western Conference.

Luka outduels Shai to move the Mavs above .500

Luka Doncic raised his league-leading points per game figure to 33.1 as he dropped 38 in the Dallas Mavericks' 121-114 home win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With his 38 points on 13-of-27 shooting, Doncic has now eclipsed 30 points in 19 of his 25 games this season, while his 8.8 assists per game has him fourth in the league, chipping in another eight with his 11 rebounds against the Thunder.

It was also a terrific display from the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a game-high 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting to raise his average to 31.2 per game – now second in the league.

Dallas are now 14-13, and are tied for the eighth seed in the West.

The New England Patriots (7-6) moved into the last AFC Wildcard spot with a 27-13 win on Monday against the Kyler Murray-less Arizona Cardinals (4-9).

Murray's game lasted only three plays before he went down with a non-contact knee injury, promptly being ruled out and replaced by backup Colt McCoy.

McCoy started brightly, leading three consecutive scoring drives resulting in two field goals and a James Conner touchdown run to put the Cardinals up 13-7 late in the second quarter – but they would not score from that point on.

It was far from smooth sailing for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, but he was able to help tie the game with a pair of field goal drives, before a costly fumble from All-Pro Cardinals wide receiver De'Andre Hopkins was returned for a touchdown to put New England ahead 20-13.

The next Cardinals drive would end in an interception after Josh Uche hit McCoy on his release, with Uche and fellow pass-rusher Matthew Judon emerging as the dominant force in the game.

Uche collected a career-high three sacks, giving him 10 for the season, and all 10 have come in his past six games.

Meanwhile, Judon had one-and-a-half sacks to take his season tally to 14.5, tying San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa for the league-lead. They are the first pair of teammates this season to reach the 10-sack milestone.

After the Patriots' top running back Rhamondre Stevenson left the game due to an ankle injury, rookie Pierre Strong Jr was the beneficiary, tallying 70 yards from his five carries, including the first touchdown of his career to give his side some breathing room in the fourth quarter.