Eddie Jones should be sacked as England head coach if his side fail to beat Scotland in next year's Six Nations opener, says former boss Clive Woodward.
The Australian oversaw a 27-13 defeat to world champions to South Africa on Saturday, another chastening result for his side ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup following a loss to Argentina at Twickenham.
With just one win in November against Japan, England were well beaten by a Springboks team missing key European-based players,
Woodward, who masterminded the Red Rose's 2003 Rugby World Cup, believes Jones' position should be under threat ahead of the latest Rugby Football Union (RFU) review.
"England are not just losing, they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots," he wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"A full and totally transparent review must be done immediately to look into where the team are at. As head coach, Eddie Jones has serious questions to answer. Everything must be scrutinised."
Woodward has pointed to the RFU's culpability too, in reference to a review panel that has assessed his tenure periodically.
The 66-year-old feels he should have been asked to investigate the incumbent head coach, while shooting down suggestions he wants a role within the governing body.
"Since 2019, when Jones' England failed to turn up in the World Cup final, this anonymous panel has conducted two utterly pointless reviews," he added.
"For reasons which have never been explained to me, I have never been invited to participate in any of these reviews. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I believe I am the most qualified Englishman to conduct an investigation.
"People might read that and think I'm angling for a job. Nothing could be further from the truth. The role as RFU director of rugby would have interested me 10 years ago, but that ship has long since sailed.
"Jones needs to feel some serious heat from his employers. I would say to him: 'Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you're out of your job.'
"If Jones has to get paid off [through his contract], then so be it. Stop talking about the World Cup. It epitomises the cosy culture of English rugby and is a sure-fire way to keep your job no matter how poorly you perform.
England will face Scotland at Twickenham on February 4 to kick off their Six Nations campaign ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
PROVEN Wealth and Supreme Ventures Limited on November 22 announced a partnership for the staging of the Caribbean’s single richest horse-racing event, the Mouttet Mile, at Caymanas Park on December 3.
The announcement was made in a ceremony at PROVEN Wealth Limited’s headquarters.
“We are very proud for Supreme Ventures to be associated with Proven Wealth. The Mouttet Mile is the pre-eminent celebration of horse racing in Jamaica,” said Executive Chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited, Gary Peart.
“It is the richest horse race in the Caribbean. The purse is over US $100,000 both for the Mouttet Mile and an ancillary race we call the Chairman’s Cup. The beautiful thing about the Mouttet Mile and where you see the best of Caymanas is the infield experience that our partners, PROVEN, have decided to come on board with. It will be a wonderful experience,” he added.
“It is our pleasure to partner with the team from Mouttet Mile,” said Assistant Vice President-Wealth Management at Proven Wealth, Miguel Walker.
“We believe that this prestigious sporting event is a game changer in the racing arena and here at PROVEN we are believers in innovation and performance, levers that once put in play, can lead to fundamental successes. We take this opportunity to congratulate our Partners, Supreme Ventures and Caymans Park and we wish them the very best on this execution,” Walker added.
Draymond Green expressed his frustration at being hit with a "crazy" and "ridiculous" technical foul during the Golden State Warriors' win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green scored a season-high 19 points and provided 11 assists - his first double-double of the season - in a commanding 134-114 victory for the defending NBA champions on Sunday.
The four-time All-Star was not impressed when he was slapped with a seventh technical foul of the season late in the fourth quarter, though.
Green was punished for moving slightly onto the court at Target Center when he rose from the bench to celebrate a late layup from Jordan Poole.
He said: "It's crazy. I probably got four techs this year that are questionable. They told me I was at the lane line, but I thought I was standing in the corner. So I don't know. It sucks, though."
Stephen Curry was also given a technical foul for coming on the court and waving his towel after Donte DiVincenzo hit a three-pointer following the incident involving Green.
Green added': "It's the NBA, man. Your team-mates make a good move, I didn't affect the play. There was no one near me. So it sucks. And the fact that that's going to count against my tech count? Come on, that's ridiculous."
The Warriors scored 47 points in the first quarter to lay the foundations for a third consecutive win, moving to 11-10 for the season.
Golden State's tally of 137 points was their biggest of the campaign, Curry scoring 25 of those and Poole weighing in with 24.
The Timberwolves have slipped to 10-10 following back-to-back losses, sitting just below the Warriors in 10th place in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic called Giannis Antetokounmpo "the best player in the NBA right now" after the Greek's Milwaukee Bucks downed the Slovenian's Dallas Mavericks 124-115 on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo starred for the NBA-best Bucks, with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds and four assists.
Doncic, who leads the NBA for points per game this season, could only manage 27 points for the Mavericks, who are 0-5 this season when he scores under 30.
"It's hard to go against a guy like that," Doncic told reporters about Antetokounmpo. "He's the best player in the NBA right now.
"He's almost impossible to stop. It's really fun to see him play, but it's not that fun to go against him."
Antetokounmpo's 30-point, 10-rebound double-double was his seventh this season.
"He improves every day. He works really hard, you can see it," Doncic added about Antetokounmpo.
"He works on everything. He works on his shot and he's gotten better at a lot of things. He just gets better every day."
Doncic is averaging 33.1 points per game this season, with Antetokounmpo fourth overall at 30.9, and the Greek returned the compliments.
"No matter wins or losses, just being respected by your peers, it's always a good feeling," Antetokounmpo said. "I always love playing against the best players in the league.
"He's an incredible player, incredible talent, arguably one of the most talented players I've ever seen in my lifetime. It's unbelievable what he can do for himself and his team."
Dallas have also fallen to a 9-10 record, losing their past four games and losing seven of their past 10.
"We've just got to keep going," Doncic said. "There’s 82 games. We've just got to keep going. Every day is a new day. Every game is a new game."
Aaron Rodgers feared he had suffered a punctured lung in Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but remains hopeful of playing next week.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback exited the game in the third quarter due to a ribs injury, which Rodgers said he sustained in the first half.
Rodgers said it was re-aggravated in the third quarter, leaving him in "intense pain".
"[I was] Just having a hard time breathing and rotating my upper body," Rodgers told reporters. "I was worried about a punctured lung as well, so I wanted to get that checked out. We'll get a scan tomorrow."
Rodgers jogged to the locker room in the third quarter for examination although he said initial X-rays provided little clarity on the extent of the issue.
Despite that, the 38-year-old quarterback, who has been playing with a broken thumb on his throwing hand since Week 5, remained hopeful of playing against the Chicago Bears next Sunday.
The four-time NFL MVP threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions in the first half before leaving the game. Rodgers has thrown seven interceptions this season, his most since 2016, along with 19 touchdowns across 11 starts.
Rodgers dismissed any talk of shutting him down either, as the loss left the Packers with a 4-8 record to be third in the NFC North.
"As long as I check out fine tomorrow, I'll expect to play next weekend," Rodgers said. "I might not be able to go Wednesday but as long as there's no major structural damage, I'll try to get back out there.
"Hopefully everything looks good tomorrow, then heal up for a couple of days and see if I can go back out there."
Packers head coach Matt LeFleur backed Rodgers' toughness to play through pain, in a sign he is not considering shutting him down either, despite 24-year-old backup Jordan Love throwing a TD pass for Christian Watson in a bright cameo.
"This is one of the toughest dudes I've ever been around so I don’t ever for a second question his toughness, his desire to be out there, his desire to compete," LeFleur said.
"He apologised to me. I said 'don't ever apologise to me'. I'll never question that. This guy is the ultimate competitor.
"He's been battling through a lot of stuff all year long. It hasn’t just been this year. It's been the last few years that we've been together. He doesn’t say anything about it, he just keeps competing and being the best he can."
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers exited the Green Bay Packers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter with a ribs injury.
The Packers initially said that Rodgers had sustained an oblique injury and was questionable to return after jogging down to the locker room, with his side down 34-23 at the time.
Rodgers appeared uncomfortable throughout a field-goal drive in the third quarter, before heading for the locker room.
The 38-year-old quarterback had spoken at length to Packers medical staff prior to the drive, but continued on, albeit with visible pain as he grimaced his way through plays. He had been sacked earlier in the third quarter by Brandon Graham.
Rodgers' backup Jordan Love entered the game for the Packers' next offensive drive in the fourth quarter.
The QB had completed 11-of-16 passes for 140 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. That marked the second time in Rodgers' career he had thrown two touchdowns and two picks in a half.
Rodgers revealed during the week that he had been playing with a broken thumb since suffering the injury in Week 5. The Packers were 4-7 heading into Sunday's game.
Jalen Hurts made NFL history as the Philadelphia Eagles improved to 10-1 with a 44-33 victory over the Green Bay Packers, who lost Aaron Rodgers due to an oblique injury on Sunday.
Hurts became the first player in NFL history with 125 passing yards or more and 125 rushing yards or more in a half, finishing on 16-of-28 passing for 153 yards with two touchdowns and 157 rushing yards on 17 carries in a high-scoring encounter at Lincoln Financial Field.
The two sides scored seven touchdowns from 13 full drives in the first half, which was the second game this season each team has 20-or-more points by half-time.
The NFL-leading Eagles got the edge with their running game, becoming the first side since 1978 with 300-plus rushing yards against the Packers, finishing with 363, which was a franchise-best since 1948.
Rodgers threw two touchdowns but also two interceptions in the first half, marking the second time in his career he has done that in a half, before exiting in the third quarter with an oblique injury.
Packers backup QB Jordan Love found Christian Watson for a 63-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 37-30, but Jake Elliott's 54-yard field goal with 2:09 remaining stretched the margin.
Miles Sanders ran in two touchdowns from his 21 carries for 143 yards while Kenneth Gainwell opening the scoring on the first drive of the game.
Hurts delivered to Quez Watkins in the corner on a 30-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left in the first half to open up a 27-20 lead. The Eagles QB found A.J. Brown for a third-quarter TD too.
The Packers, who fall to 4-8 overall, had trailed 13-0 in the first quarter but squared the game up after A.J. Dillon and Randall Cobb TDs. Aaron Jones also scored in the second quarter after Brown's fumble.
Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers exited the Green Bay Packers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter with an oblique injury.
The Packers said that Rodgers was questionable to return after jogging down to the locker room, with his side down 34-23 at the time.
Rodgers appeared uncomfortable throughout a field-goal drive in the third quarter, before heading for the locker room.
The 38-year-old quarterback had spoken at length to Packers medical staff prior to the drive, but continued on, albeit with visible pain as he grimaced his way through plays. He had been sacked earlier in the third quarter by Brandon Graham.
Rodgers' backup Jordan Love entered the game for the Packers' next offensive drive in the fourth quarter.
The QB had completed 11-of-16 passes for 140 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. That marked the second time in Rodgers' career he had thrown two touchdowns and two picks in a half.
Rodgers revealed during the week that he had been playing with a broken thumb since suffering the injury in Week 5. The Packers were 4-7 heading into Sunday's game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars produced a stunning 28-27 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, with Trevor Lawrence leading arguably the best drive of his career.
Trailing 27-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars got the ball back with two minutes and two seconds remaining on the clock, needing a touchdown.
Lawrence, the top overall pick from last year's NFL Draft, led a 10-play, 75-yard drive in 1:48 of game time, threading the needle down the sideline to find Marvin Jones Jr for a 10-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left over.
Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game and force overtime, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson opted to leave his offense on the field for a chance to win it with a two-point conversion.
Lawrence delivered yet again, finding Zay Jones in the flat to take the lead and seal the win.
Speaking to the media after the win, Pederson said he had supreme faith in his 23-year-old quarterback, and trusted him when he said he wanted to go for it.
"What have we got to lose?," he said. "This is something I told the staff during that last five or six minutes of the game – we’ve got to think players, not plays, and trust our guys.
"Our guys believe. They believe. Once we scored that touchdown at the end, they wanted to go for two. It wasn’t my decision.
"The players were like 'let’s go'. I got a lot of faith and trust in them, and it was just a well-executed play.
"Trevor today was lights out, he played extremely well. That throw, that catch for the two-point was a thing of beauty. I think as a football team too, a win like this just kind of heads us in the right direction."
The Jaguars have been on the losing end of six one-score games this season, and Lawrence said he is excited for this team to be figuring out how to win.
"We’ve been on the other side, so we understand what that feels like too," he said. "I think we’re just appreciative of where we are, how far we’ve come, kind of what’s in front of us still.
"We said it’s a new season once we got back from the bye week. You can’t win seven games until you win one, and we had to start today.
"Obviously there was some adversity and we had to battle through it, and we just found a way. It was incredible."
He went on to discuss his relationship with Pederson, and how he values the trust placed in him to win the game.
"Just that trust he has in us – we’ve been in that situation a lot and haven’t gotten it done,” he said.
"For him to keep trusting us and keep trusting me and our offense, it was big for us. But I’ve said it before, I’m the same guy. I’ve always been this guy.
"I haven’t always played my best every week, and that’s going to happen sometimes, but I really love the direction that this offense, this team is heading, and we feel really good about who we are."
With the result, the Jaguars are now 4-7, three wins behind the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South lead.
Ivica Zubac was a man possessed in the Los Angeles Clippers' 114-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, recording a stat-line only ever emulated by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
With star Clippers duo Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Paul George (hamstring) both absent, Zubac carried his team on both ends, scoring a season-high 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting, while grabbing a career-high 29 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Abdul-Jabbar is the only other player to offically tally those numbers, although it is widely believed both Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain should also be on that list, having played before the NBA began recording blocks and steals in the 1973-74 season.
Zubac became the first Clipper ever with 25 points and 25 rebounds, and since the 1983-84 season, there have only been 24 instances of a player grabbing at least 29 rebounds in a game, joining Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Love as the only active players to accomplish the feat.
He grabbed 12 offensive rebounds with his 17 defensive rebounds, raising his average to 10.8 for the season – the ninth-best figure in the league. He is also top-10 in blocked shots, averaging a career-high 1.8 per game.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 11 assists to continue maintaining his career-high and league-leading average of 11.1 assists. He is two assists per game clear of second-placed Trae Young (9.1).
The win improves the Clippers' record to 12-9, leaving them fifth in the Western Conference standings.
Nets machine begins to click into gear
The Brooklyn Nets showed the signs of a potential contender as they pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-97.
With offensive focal points Kevin Durant (31 points) and Kyrie Irving (22 points) combining to shoot 20-of-37 from the field (54 per cent), their perimeter-oriented style was thriving.
Ben Simmons only attempted three shots and finished with two points, but he played exactly the role envisioned for him, posting team-highs in rebounds (12), assists (eight) and steals (three) to keep the ball moving and the offense functioning.
Seth Curry was spectacular off the bench, hitting 11-of-15 shots for a season-high 27 points, showing off his supreme chemistry with former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Simmons.
Golden State's big-three deliver
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green turned back the clock as they had full control over the Golden State Warriors' 137-114 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Curry continued his MVP-calibre season with 25 points (seven-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds and eight assists, while his Splash Brother Klay Thompson contributed an efficient 21 points on eight-of-13 shooting, hitting five-of-eight from deep.
They were both set up by Green, who hit six of his seven shots for 19 points, while leading the game with 11 assists and two blocks.
The Warriors have now won five of their past six games to claw above .500 at 11-10.
Justin Herbert continues to show why he is one of the most promising young quarterbacks of his generation as he led another fourth-quarter comeback for the Los Angeles Chargers, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 25-24.
The Chargers were trailing all day, beginning with a first-quarter touchdown throw from Kyler Murray to Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Los Angeles briefly hit the front in the second quarter after touchdown passes to Keenan Allen and DeAndre Carter, but in his return from a two-game hamstring injury, Cardinals quarterback Murray scrambled into the endzone to send Arizona into half-time leading 17-14.
A six-yard James Conner touchdown catch had the Cardinals up by seven late in the fourth quarter, and a punt would give the Chargers one more chance with one minute and 48 seconds remaining.
As he has done so often in his young career, Herbert marched downfield with the game on the line, finding running back Austin Ekeler for a one-yard score with 15 seconds on the clock – and they had no interest in sending it to overtime.
Instead of kicking the extra point, the offense stayed on the field for a game-deciding two-point conversion, and got it done with a quick pass to tight end Gerald Everett.
Herbert completed 35 of his 47 passes for 274 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers, helping the Chargers improve their record to 6-5 and keep their playoff chances alive.
Jacobs powers the Raiders past the Seahawks
Josh Jacobs had the game of his life to carry his Las Vegas Raiders to a 40-34 overtime win on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jacobs finished with 33 carries for a career-high 229 rushing yards and two touchdowns, ripping off a 30-yard score in the second quarter before ending the contest with a walk-off 86-yarder in overtime.
He now leads the NFL in rushing yards with 1,159 – 149 more than second-placed Derrick Henry (1010).
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was thrilled with the nuance and subtlety displayed by new starting quarterback Mike White as he led a dominant 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
White was making his first start of the season after the benching of last year's second overall draft pick Zach Wilson, and he looked right at home running the offense.
He completed 22 of his 28 passes for three touchdowns and no turnovers, reaching 31 points in the third quarter before putting the cue in the rack.
Two of those touchdown passes were caught by impressive rookie Garrett Wilson, with the third going to Elijah Moore, who came into the contest with just 16 scoreless receptions for the season.
Speaking to the media after the win, Saleh pointed to White's ability to run the offense smoothly and play within himself.
"He did a great job," he said. "He didn't need to be anybody but Mike White.
"We didn't need to turn into the greatest show on turf – we just needed him to play within himself and play efficient, and he did that.
"Especially in the elements, he made the easy look easy. I thought he did a really good job of… mastering the obvious. He's really good at doing his job, he gets rid of the ball, he gets it where it needs to get to.
"I thought our O-Line did a great job of protecting him, and when he needed to be aggressive, he was aggressive.
"Any time you have success there's reinforcement, but I don't think there's a guy in the locker room who didn't think he would perform today."
Saleh was also impressed with how White got his receivers involved, including Moore, whose lack of targets from Wilson prompted a trade request at the deadline.
"We have a lot of good players who are worthy of the ball," he said. "It was good to see Elijah [Moore] get some production – and it was the same with all our receivers, we have a plethora of them.
"[Moore] has always been a great kid. I know whatever happened with the trade request – that's not him.
"I feel like he's been working his tail off, being patient and trusting the process. He is focusing on the things he has control over, and it's good to see him get that production."
White, who was making the fifth start of his career, told reporters it was special to hear the New York crowd chanting his name, and that he is looking forward to getting another chance next week against the Minnesota Vikings.
"It's always cool," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and give you some quarterback cliche that I'm not focusing on [the chanting].
"There are times that I'm not [thinking about it] – I think it would be a lot cooler if they didn't do it while we were trying to snap the ball – but no, I'm not going to complain about that.
"I thought today was a complete team win – our defense did what they always do, they dominated. They flew around the field, made big plays, turned the ball over.
"We ran the ball well when we needed to, late in the game we could have just hung it up, but we kept the run going and guys were running hard.
"I feel good, obviously. It was a good game for the offense. I'll enjoy this one with my friends and family, and then tomorrow turns into Minnesota prep, and we turn the page."
The win improves the Jets' record to 7-4, one game behind the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins for the AFC East lead.
Trevor Lawrence produced the greatest moment of his brief NFL career to date as the Jacksonville Jaguars fought back to stun the Baltimore Ravens 28-27.
The Ravens led 19-10 early in the fourth quarter after Gus Edwards' one-yard touchdown run, and then appeared destined for victory after surviving a fourth-quarter collapse to retake a 27-20 lead on Josh Oliver's 12-yard touchdown reception and a two-point conversion throw to Mark Andrews.
That left Lawrence, last year's first overall pick, with 75 yards to go for a game-tying touchdown with just over two minutes remaining.
The ensuing drive saw him show the poise and ability that led him to be dubbed as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, Lawrence expertly leading the Jags down the field in 10 plays.
A pinpoint throw to Marvin Jones Jr. in the corner of the endzone pulled the Jaguars within a point but, rather than going for the game-tying extra point, head coach Doug Pederson elected to try to win the game with a two-point attempt.
His belief in his young quarterback was vindicated as Lawrence connected with Zay Jones to give the Jaguars the lead.
In the dying seconds, Jackson got the Ravens on the edge of game-winning field goal range for Justin Tucker, who owns the NFL record for the longest kick in league history. However, Tucker's 67-yard attempt fell just short of the crossbar as the Jags clung on in a heart-stopping finish.
Baltimore's defeat means they drop to 7-4, ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals only on the head-to-head tiebreaker after the Bengals beat the Tennessee Titans 20-16 in their playoff rematch.
Brady beaten in OT
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed a chance to cement their grip on the NFC South as they suffered a dramatic overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns.
David Njoku's spectacular one-handed grab drew the Browns level 17-17 with 32 seconds remaining and the Bucs failed to rediscover offensive fluency in the extra period.
A 45-yard bomb from Tom Brady's former team-mate Jacoby Brissett to Amari Cooper put the Browns deep in the red zone, before Nick Chubb's three-yard plunge sealed the win for Cleveland.
With Tampa Bay's division rivals the Atlanta Falcons losing 19-13 to the Washington Commanders, the Buccaneers let slip an opportunity to go two games up in the loss column at the top of the NFC South.
Jets win without Wilson
Having benched last year's second overall pick Zach Wilson following their dismal offensive performance in defeat to the New England Patriots last week, the Jets got back on track with Mike White under center against the Chicago Bears.
White completed 22 of his 28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns as the Jets routed the Justin Fields-less Bears 31-10 to improve to 7-4. They are a game behind the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, with the latter now 8-3 following their 30-15 win over the lowly Houston Texans.
NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was escorted from a flight to Los Angeles after appearing to drift in and out of consciousness, according to police.
Beckham, without a team having suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals in February, boarded a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday.
He disembarked following a request from officers, having initially rejected the flight crew's request for him to leave the American Airlines flight, police said.
A statement from the Miami-Dade Police Department, reported by NFL Network and others, read: "At approximately 9:30am (EST), officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department were dispatched to a medical emergency at an American Airlines flight.
"The flight crew was concerned for a passenger [Mr Odell Beckham], as they tried to wake him to fasten his seat belt, he appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness, prior to their departure.
"Fearing that Mr Beckham was seriously ill, and that his condition would worsen through the expected five-hour flight, the attendants called for police and fire rescue.
"Upon the officers' arrival, the flight crew asked Mr Beckham several times to exit the aircraft, which he refused. The aircraft was deplaned, at which time Mr Beckham was asked by the officers to exit the plane, and did so without incident.
"Mr Beckham was escorted to the non-secure area of the terminal by the officers where he made other arrangements."
Beckham is reportedly set to visit his former team the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills on free-agent visits in this coming week as he seeks to help another playoff team to Super Bowl glory after achieving that feat with the Rams in the 2021 season.
The Miami Dolphins moved into a dominant position in their Week 12 game with the Houston Texans, but suffered a potentially significant injury blow.
Miami led 30-0 against the one-win Texans early in the third quarter, however, it came as a cost as tackle Terron Armstead was ruled out with a pectoral injury.
Armstead was signed to a five-year, $75million deal in March.
He has never completed a full season-long slate of games in his NFL career, and last season played only eight in his final year with the New Orleans Saints.
The speed with which he was ruled out by the Dolphins will raise concerns he could be set for a spell on the sidelines as the Dolphins attempt to clinch a place in the postseason and potentially win the AFC East.
A victory over the Texans would improve the Dolphins to 8-3 heading into a tough Week 13 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers.
Rory McIlroy thinks he may have given Tiger Woods COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship after the pair played at a charity event beforehand.
The Northern Irishman, who claimed a third FedEx Cup this year, has forged a close bond over the years with the American, one strengthened by their shared views on the LIV Golf breakaway this season.
While several of their rivals warmed up at the Scottish Open for this year's Open, McIlroy and Woods played at a fundraising event hosted by JP McManus at Adare Manor.
Now, four-time major winner McIlroy has revealed he played at St Andrews while battling COVID-19 – and that he fears he gave it to Woods after the two dined together.
"I woke up feeling a bit achy but didn't really think anything of it," he told the Irish Independent. "[But] as I'm getting up from the table, I'm sore and stiff and super tired.
"I slept for maybe two hours, and the sweat was just pouring off me. Erica [McIlory's wife] took my temperature, and it was sky-high.
"[Tiger] texted me that night with chills and fever. I'm like 'f****** hell, I've just given Tiger COVID. This is horrendous!'. So we both had COVID going into the Open.
"The whole week of the Open, I didn't have any taste, and everything [was] like vinegar to me. Everything. It was really strange."
Woods went on to miss the cut at the Open, while McIlroy was edged out by Cameron Smith on the final day at St Andrews.
McIlroy did end the season on a high, topping the DP World Tour rankings and returning to number one in the world.
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov steered Canada to Davis Cup glory in Sunday's final against Australia in Malaga, earning the country their first title in the competition.
Canada were runners-up three years ago in Madrid, when a 19-year-old Auger-Aliassime and 20-year-old Shapovalov lost their respective singles clashes with Roberto Bautista Agut and Rafael Nadal.
Three years older and three years wiser, this time the Canadians dominated the trophy match at the expense of 28-time champions Australia.
Shapovalov got Canada off to a flying start by crushing Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-2 6-4, setting up the chance for Auger-Aliassime to clinch victory without the need for the contest to go down to a doubles decider.
World number six Auger-Aliassime made no mistake as he fended off Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4, adding Davis Cup glory to the four singles titles he has gathered this year.
Auger-Aliassime saved three break points in the sixth game of the second set, from 0-40, when a trailing De Minaur was looking to hit back. He then sealed Canada's victory minutes later with a forehand into the corner that his opponent could only return out of court, before being mobbed by team-mates.
Each of Auger-Aliassime's 2022 titles came at indoor hard court events, and he has thrived again in those conditions this week, winning all three of his singles rubbers and a doubles tussle on Saturday against Italy alongside the experienced Vasek Pospisil.
The Canadian pair got the job done just minutes before kick-off time in their country's World Cup game against Croatia.
"The emotions are hard to describe," said Auger-Aliassime. "All of us here, we've dreamt of this moment.
"These guys around me, except Vasek, he's a little bit older than me, we grew up together from the ages of seven, eight years old in Canada dreaming about being on this stage, winning these types of matches, winning a Davis Cup.
"It's really a dream come true, for me personally and I think for all the team. It was a great moment for myself and the country."
Dan Bradbury sealed a first DP World Tour victory in just his third professional start as he won the Joburg Open on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Englishman only recently joined the paid ranks and was participating after a sponsor's invitation, but he won by three shots on 21 under par to not only secure the trophy, but also a place at the Open Championship next year.
Bradbury went into the final round with a one-stroke lead but never showed any sign of letting up on Sunday at Houghton Golf Club, shooting a round of 67 with five birdies and just one bogey, coming on the final hole.
Finland's Sami Valimaki claimed second place on 18 under, one shot ahead of South Africans Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Daniel van Tonder, who tied for third.
Bradbury said after his win: "It won't sink in for a few days, I don't think. It's just a lot of pressure taken off your back, that's nice, but it hasn't sunk in yet and I don't think it will for a while."
He felt pressure from Valimaki on the back nine yet kept his focus, securing a two-year tour exemption as well as his Open ticket.
"But it was kind of the same thing all week, just keep playing my own game and I knew I was playing good enough," Bradbury said. "It turned out that way in the end."
By taking the top three spots, Bradbury, Valimaki and Bezuidenhout all qualified for the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool in July 2023, with Bezuidenhout claiming the final place ahead of Van Tonder thanks to his higher position in the world rankings.
England's results this year are "not where we expect them to be", the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has accepted, as questions continue to be asked of Eddie Jones' future as head coach.
The Red Rose lost 27-13 to South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday to round off their worst calendar year since 2008 in terms of results, having lost six of their 12 Tests in 2022.
England were booed off the field after losing to the Springboks, but Jones, under contract until after next year's Rugby World Cup, remained bullish and said he "does not care what other people think".
The RFU has made clear England's form heading into a World Cup year has not been good enough, however, and meetings will now be held to review what changes can be made.
"We would like to thank England fans for their patience and support, it matters to us how they feel," RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said in a short statement on Sunday.
"Like them, we are really disappointed with the results of the Autumn Nations Series. Despite strong individual performances and some great new talent coming into the team, the overall results are not where we expect them to be.
"The review panel will hold a series of meetings in the next two weeks to discuss the Autumn Nations campaign and how improvements can be made ahead of the Six Nations."
England begin their 2023 Six Nations campaign at home to Scotland on February 4 as they seek to win the championship for a fourth time in eight years.
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