Aidan Hutchinson hailed the Detroit Lions' "unmatched" chemistry as they furthered hope of what once looked an unlikely playoff push with victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Eyebrows were raised in the build-up to the Week 14 encounter when the Lions were installed by bookmakers as the favourites against a 10-win Vikings team that would have clinched the NFC North title with a win.

But the Lions backed up that status with a hugely impressive display in a 34-23 win that improved their record to 6-7.

The Lions are 1.5 games back on the New York Giants in the final Wild Card spot and hold the tiebreaker over New York having beaten the Giants in a run that has seen them win five of their last six after a 1-6 start.

Hutchinson was the second overall pick of the Lions in this year's draft and produced another strong showing, registering a sack to take him to seven for his rookie year.

"The chemistry we've got right now, it's kind of unmatched," Hutchinson told Peter King for Football Morning in America.

"We're so complementary right now offensively and defensively and we never flinch at the end."

The Lions have long since been something of an NFL punchline, having failed to win a playoff game since the 1991 season.

But Hutchinson, who was born in nearby Plymouth, Michigan and played his college football at the University of Michigan, believes this Lions team is shedding that tag.

"It's no longer the same old Lions," Hutchinson added. "We've overcome that. Now we're on our way to becoming a really good football team.

"I got the chance to come somewhere and be part of coming alive and building a great team.

"I just wanted to come into the season and learn something every single game and make strides every game. I'm happy with my development so far."

Ben Stokes believes Harry Brook can emulate Virat Kohli's all-format batting dominance after the England youngster again impressed in Pakistan.

Yorkshire batter Brook played a key role as England secured a first Test series victory in Pakistan in 22 years after a nail-biting 26-run victory in Multan on Monday.

The 23-year-old managed only nine runs in the first innings but responded with 109 in the second – the only century of the second Test – to help England to an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

That form comes as no surprise given Brook blasted 153 and 87 in Rawalpindi, with his red-ball international average sitting at an impressive 73.8 from his five innings.

Yet Stokes believes this is only the start for Brook, who he expects to shine across all formats of cricket as he compared the England batter to India great Kohli.

"After the summer he had last year, getting all the big-ups before he made his debut, to come here and put in that kind of performance again was just phenomenal," Stokes told Sky Sports.

"He's one of those rare players that you look across all formats and you can just see him being successful everywhere.

"It's a massive shout, but Virat Kohli is one of those guys where his technique is just so simple and works everywhere. The pressure that he puts back onto opposition is exactly what we're about."

Brook accumulated just 56 runs, averaging just 11.2 across six innings, as England lifted their second T20 World Cup in Australia.

The middle-order batter has impressed in the shortest format for England in his 20 outings, though, with the expectation he will slot into Jos Buttler's side for the 50-over Cricket World Cup in India in 2023.

Stokes does not foresee the pressure impacting the form of Brook, given the comfortable manner in which he stepped into the Test side.

"The expectation on his shoulders coming into this team, because of how good he's been for Yorkshire, was obviously huge," he said.

"But I think that just shows that kind of stuff doesn't really affect him. He's a player whose technique is suited to all three formats, he wants to always look to be putting pressure back onto the opposition, and he's won another game for England.

"[He made a] huge contribution last week, and the hundred he scored here was obviously massive for us in getting that big lead.

"He's a pretty simple lad to captain: he just gets about his business, loves his batting, wants to constantly improve, constantly work on it. He's a pretty easy bloke to have in your dressing room."

Jonny Bairstow's injury offered Brook the chance to take the number-five role for Stokes, with the England Test captain acknowledging he is fortunate to have a wealth of batting talent to call upon.

"We're very, very lucky with the way in which we can replace Jonny, to have Harry coming in, because those two, batting No.5, they both go about it in exactly the same way," he added.

"They bring so much to the team and obviously Harry playing the way he has done at the moment with Jonny not being in the team, unfortunately, it's the best thing you want.

"You want competition for places, you want a strong squad to be able to pick from, and you want those headaches when it comes to the final XI every week, rather than saying 'I'm not sure who we're going to pick, let's pick a name out of the hat.'

"We're definitely not in that situation, and we feel like we've got all bases covered at the moment."

Morocco can "work miracles" under Walid Regragui with their "exemplary state of mind," says former midfielder and assistant coach Mustapha Hadji.

The Atlas Lions, who had only progressed beyond the group stage once in five previous World Cup appearances, are the first African nation to reach the semi-finals following an incredible run in Qatar.

Having only succeeded Vahid Halilhodzic in August, Regragui has overseen victories over Belgium, Spain and Portugal to set up a last-four clash with reigning champions France.

Hadji appeared for Morocco at two World Cups (1994 and 1998), while he served as his nation's assistant coach from 2014 until earlier this year.

The 51-year-old is thrilled with what he has seen, telling L'Equipe: "Here in Morocco, it's crazy, what's happening for the national team is extraordinary.

"It's only been two or three months since Walid Regragui arrived in the national team. There was an upheaval with Vahid. 

"The new coach was able to find the words and the way to bring out the best players and make a team with a lion's state of mind.

"The team plays with heart and an exemplary state of mind. With a coach like that, you can only flourish and work miracles."

Max Verstappen believes it is unlikely he will be as dominant in the 2023 Formula One season, with regulations allowing his rivals to be more competitive.

The Red Bull ace bounced back from a slow start to the season to dominate the 2022 campaign, securing a record-breaking 15 wins to finish 146 points ahead of his closest rival, Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen expects a much tougher fight from the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes next year, however, with the recent regulation changes allowing everyone to be "closer together".

"The others are not stupid. And certainly with these rules, which are a bit more restrictive than the previous set of rules, everyone is getting closer together," he told RacingNews365.

"All teams now have an idea of ​​which course to take so yes, I expect smaller differences next year, but that's only good. Of course, I hope that we are still ahead, but that is not at all as obvious as this year."

Red Bull's defence of their two titles will be further impacted by sanctions dished out after being found guilty of breaching Formula One's budget cap, with Verstappen questioning the punishment.

The 25-year-old added: "Probably everyone is more motivated because of this. I personally think it is a heavy punishment for what we have done, but yes, what can we do about it?

"It happened and we will see next year what effect it really has had on us."

The new season begins in Bahrain on March 5, with a record-high 24 races scheduled across the course of the year.

Patrick Mahomes is often the hero for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he heaped praise on their defense after a Week 14 win over the Denver Broncos, in which he threw three interceptions.

Mahomes and the Chiefs improved to 10-3 for the season with a 34-28 win in Denver, which eliminated the 3-10 Broncos from postseason contention.

The Kansas City quarterback recorded his 24th career game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes, surpassing Dan Marino (23) for the most such games by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history.

His 352-yard effort took Mahomes to 4,160 passing yards on the season. In doing so, he joined Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history with at least 4,000 passing yards in five of their first six seasons.

But Mahomes, who threw three touchdowns, also produced a trio of turnovers, two of which took place in the second quarter and culminated in Broncos touchdowns that allowed the hosts back into a game they had trailed 27-0.

His third in the fourth quarter gave the Broncos, quarterbacked by Brett Rypien late on after Russell Wilson left the game with a concussion, the chance to take the lead.

But Rypien was intercepted by L'Jarius Sneed on the subsequent drive, allowing Mahomes and the offense to kill the clock and clinch a 14th successive win over Denver.

Asked about his interceptions, Mahomes said: "Just three bad decisions. When you look at them, the first one, I probably just could've taken the easy throw to the outside, and I forced it to [Travis] Kelce.

"The second one, I was just trying to burn it, and he [Patrick Surtain II] made a hell of a play. And the third one was bad-bad just because the situation. We're in field-goal range - especially here in altitude and no one else is open - so [I] just throw the ball away and let [kicker] Harrison [Butker] end the game.

"Luckily for me, the rest of the team stepped up. The defense made a lot of stops in critical moments when we were putting them in some bad situations."

Head coach Andy Reid, though, expressed support for his former MVP quarterback and the aggressive nature of his play that has so often paid dividends for the Chiefs.

"Every quarterback that's played in this league a while has a game like that," said Reid. "The one great thing about him is he kept firing and had a lot of big plays.

"You can't take away the three interceptions, but there sure were some good ones in between those, and it's a great learning experience."

Croatia are "living for the moment" as they prepare for a World Cup semi-final against Lionel Messi's Argentina, so says Borna Sosa.

Zlatko Dalic's team reached the final in Russia four years ago, losing to France, who will play Morocco in the other semi-final in Qatar.

Croatia were not fancied among the favourites to succeed in Qatar but overcame Brazil on penalties to reach the last four for the third time in their history.

Now they face Argentina, with the prospect of knocking both South American giants out of the World Cup - should Croatia do so, they would be the first team since Germany in 2014 to manage it.

Borna Sosa was excellent against Brazil. keeping Raphinha and then Antony quiet down Croatia's left side, and the full-back has every confidence this team can go the distance.

"Of course. Now, everything is possible," he said. "We are very dangerous like we showed. If it comes to penalties, I think everybody will have in their heads that we've won many, many times.

"The last World Cup, we were second. We are coming with a new squad with 17 and 18-year-old players, and we are showing that we have a lot of quality in our country.

"We have only four million people and we are showing a lot of good results for many years. That's why I'm proud of the whole nation because we are really living for this moment.

"This is our biggest strength as a team - to fight together. We do not have stars in the team who don't want to run or defend.

"We are really showing a lot of respect to the game and we are trying to give everything on the pitch."

It was Argentina's continental rivals Brazil that had become renowned for their dancing at this tournament.

Lionel Scaloni, though, wants his team to "keep dancing" as they bid for a place in the showpiece on December 18.

He said: "It's an objective. Now that we're dancing, we have to keep dancing.

"We'd like to continue, with all the respect we have to have with Croatia. Let's hope we live up to it."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Argentina – Lionel Messi

Messi, likely playing at his final World Cup, is leading the charge for Argentina as he looks to add the trophy to his collection.

The 35-year-old has both scored and assisted a goal in three different World Cup matches, including two at this year's tournament (vs Mexico and Netherlands).

Since 1966, no player has ever done so in four separate games.

Croatia – Marcelo Brozovic

Marcelo Brozovic has been excellent as a deep-lying playmaker for Croatia, and the Inter midfielder might well be crucial to stopping Messi.

If Brozovic can block off the central space and force Argentina wide, then they might just be able to limit Messi's influence.

PREDICTION

This is the third World Cup meeting between Argentina and Croatia, and first in the knockout stages. Argentina won 1-0 in 1998, before Croatia's 3-0 win in the 2018 edition in Russia.

Opta makes Argentina the favourites (55.8 per cent), with Croatia given a 17.9 per cent chance of winning.

Eight of Croatia's last nine World Cup knockout matches have gone to extra-time, however, so do not be surprised if this match is drawn over 90 minutes, or even 120.

Jost Capito is stepping down as the principal of Williams, the team announced on Monday.

Capito had been in the position for two years having initially joined the team as CEO in December 2020.

The 64-year-old leaves his role after Williams finished bottom of the constructors' championship standings in 2022, having now done so four times in the last five years.

In Williams' announcement, Capito said: "It has been a huge privilege to lead Williams Racing for the last two seasons and to lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team. I look forward to watching the team as it continues on its path to future success."

Williams become the second team in Formula One to head into 2023 without a team principal appointed, after Ferrari announced in November that Mattia Binotto was to step down at the end of the year.

It is rumoured Sauber's Frederic Vasseur could soon be the third team principal to leave his job, amid speculation he could replace Binotto at Ferrari.

Brock Purdy and his family enjoyed a special moment after his stunning performance in his first start for the San Francisco 49ers, which saw him beat Tom Brady in a blowout 35-7 victory.

Purdy impressed when pressed into action in relief of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo last week, helping the Niners to a 33-17 defeat of the Miami Dolphins.

His second act was even more impressive, Purdy completing 16 of his 21 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for another score.

The seventh-round rookie, the final pick in this year's draft, had the Levi's Stadium crowd in the palm of his hand as the Niners brushed aside the Bucs to move to 9-4.

They chanted his name as the 49ers took complete command in a remarkable first half. His family had prime seats for the occasion, having originally bought tickets before the Garoppolo injury to see Brady play, and the moment was too much for his father, who was pictured in tears as he watched his son make history.

Purdy became the first quarterback to beat seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady in his first start, and was quick to embrace his family as he left the field.

He told his post-game press conference: "I saw them right after the game and, you know, the emotions on their face and just the way they look down at me from up on the railing, it just means a lot because just throughout my whole life, the ups and downs of playing quarterback in general, high school and college, they're the people at home that just believe in you and they always see the best in you.

"And so, they've believed in me even though I was the last draft pick and all that kind of stuff.

"They've always been telling me you're good enough and we know that you can do it. And so, to see them after that performance meant a lot to me and so very blessed to have them as my family."

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have no shortage of belief in Purdy, who had an interception negated by a penalty prior to his second touchdown pass, after their destruction of the Bucs.

"I think he did an awesome job. I think all you guys saw that, but he made a ton of plays," said Shanahan. "Made the plays that were there, made some plays that weren't there.

"He did a great job in the pocket. Had one mistake there, he was fortunate that we got that one back.

"He didn't hesitate. I think he threw a touchdown the next play, which was really cool, but it's really impressive how he played and I thought it was similar to the week before.

"They [the Bucs] mix in a lot of pressures, but they do that in every game. Some are to stop the run, some are to come after the quarterback. They mixed up a lot of zone coverages too, so there was no real theme of the day.

"They mixed up a bunch of stuff and he had to go against everything, so he did a good job with the variety of things he saw."

Purdy did suffer an oblique injury, but that was not the reason he was eventually withdrawn from a lopsided game. The 49ers visit the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday with a chance to clinch the NFC West title.

"We'll see how it goes this week," Purdy said of the injury. "Just felt a little tight at the end, just from taking some hits.

"But honestly man, like if I needed to play throughout the rest of the game, I definitely would have. So, I'm going to get some treatment on it and be ready to roll."

Fabio Quartararo has suffered a broken hand after crashing during a motocross training session on Sunday.

The 2021 MotoGP champion revealed he did not require surgery on damage done to his left hand.

He tweeted: "Yesterday I had a crash during my motocross training and I suffer a little fracture on my left hand. No surgery needed, time to recover."

It is another blow for Quartararo after he was unable to retain his title in the premier class this year.

The Frenchman finished second in the standings behind Francesco Bagnaia, who was crowned champion at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.

Monster Energy Yamaha rider Quartararo was 17 points adrift of the Italian.

Testing for the 2023 season gets under way in Sepang on February 5, with the first race coming in Portugal on March 26.

Ash Barty is adamant she "absolutely fulfilled every ounce" of her tennis aspirations following her shock retirement earlier this year.

The three-time grand slam winner was at the peak of her powers when, in March, she made the surprise decision to call time on her tennis career at the age of 26.

The former world number one and reigning Australian Open champion later revealed to friend and former player Casey Dellacqua that she was 'spent' and no longer had the 'physical drive' or 'emotional want'.

Following her triumph at Melbourne Park, making her the first home women's singles champion since Chris O'Neil in 1978, Barty became the first player to win the Newcombe Medal on five occasions.

She maintained her record of having won the award, the highest individual honour in Australian tennis, every year since it was first presented in 2017.

"This has obviously been a very big year in my career and in my life," said Barty, who beat Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios, US Open mixed doubles champion Storm Hunter, Ajla Tomljanovic and Alex De Minaur to the accolade.

"We've had exceptional change, we've had an amazing year of celebrating a journey of not only myself, but my team, and there is so much to be proud of.

"I stand here very proudly knowing that I absolutely fulfilled every ounce that I could to this beautiful sport that brought me so much more than I could have ever dreamt."

Shaq Thompson feels the Carolina Panthers' backing of interim head coach Steve Wilks is proving key following Sunday's 30-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Wilks took charge of the team following the axing of Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start to the season and has had a dramatic stint in charge of the team.

After trading away star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers before the deadline and then releasing Baker Mayfield last week, the Panthers have had a turbulent spell of change.

But, sitting 4-4 under Wills, they are making an unlikely push for the playoffs after their win in Seattle.

Wilks is receiving a lot of support in his bid to land the head coach job on a permanent basis and linebacker Thompson has made it clear the players are in his corner.

"We ride behind Wilks," he told the team's website after the Panthers forced Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith into two interceptions.

"He came in here, he's a true alpha, he's a true leader, and guys follow behind him. He's done amazing. Look what we've been going through."

Victory in Seattle put the Panthers just one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, with Thompson believing the team's bye week provided a push to secure the win.

"Once we had that first day of practice, we knew what type of team we were going to be [in this game]," he added.

"We talk about playoff mentality, and I told them boys last night, I talked to the team, I said, 'If you want to be a playoff team, these are the games you got to win — in these environments'.

"And these guys showed up, they played, we created turnovers and got the offense the ball back in great field position."

Meanwhile, the Seahawks endured their third defeat in four games, having won four in a row prior to that streak, with head coach Pete Carroll disappointed in the performances against sides who sit under .500 this season.

"It's the manner [of the loss]," he said after the game. "This really happened on the ground.

"I'm really disappointed in that because I pride myself in thinking we can scheme our way into all kinds of good things to offset that, and I've got to do better."

The Seahawks face a tough end to the regular season, facing division rivals the 49ers in Week 15 before tackling AFC top-seed contenders the Kansas City Chiefs, then bringing the season to a close against the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams.

Carolina, meanwhile, will next host the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also hold a 5-8 record.