The list of things that have not gone entirely to plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is pretty extensive.
From offensive line injuries to an inconsistent pass rush and the questionable decision-making of head coach Todd Bowles in his first year in the job, the Buccaneers have had to deal with both misfortune and a host of self-inflicted problems.
Yet the most bemusing issue in what can at best be described as an up-and-down season for Tom Brady following his about-face on his initial offseason decision to retire has been his lack of a rapport with Mike Evans.
Sideline frustration between Brady and Evans has been a common theme for Tampa Bay in 2022, with the latter's struggles seeing him go 11 games without scoring a receiving touchdown.
That frustration was alleviated emphatically on Sunday as Evans exploded for a hat-trick of touchdowns in helping the Buccaneers overturn a 21-10 deficit against the Carolina Panthers and clinch the NFC South with a 30-24 victory at Raymond James Stadium.
Evans caught deep shots of 63, 57 and 30 yards from Brady as he destroyed an injury-hit Panthers secondary.
He created a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, on eight of his 12 targets in a performance that saw him rack up 207 receiving yards. Evans averaged 17.25 burn yards per target, trailing only Christian Watson and Davante Adams among wideouts with at least five targets in Week 17 as of Sunday.
It was belated reward for a season in which Evans, despite consistently appearing out of sync with Brady, he has excelled at getting open. Indeed, heading into Week 17, Evans led the NFL in combined open percentage (56.47) in matchups against man and zone coverage (min. 100 matchups).
His first deep touchdown reception saw Evans surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the season. It is his ninth successive 1,000-yard campaign, tying Tim Brown for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice (11) can claim to have more consecutive four-figure receiving seasons.
Evans' own record for the most successive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career was also extended, but more important than his individual milestones is the confidence his treble could give both him and Brady as they prepare for the postseason.
The Buccaneers have had precious little on which to rely on the offensive side of the ball, save for their performance when going no-huddle and Brady's ability to lead comebacks in the fourth quarter.
Brady has a career-high five game-winning drives this season and four fourth-quarter comebacks, a tally that is one shy of his career-high in that respect.
But the rekindling of Brady's connection with Evans gives Tampa Bay something to lean on, a route to explosive plays that will be all the more critical in the postseason.
A narrow win over the Panthers won't do much to change perceptions that the Bucs are a team well short of being able to compete for a Super Bowl. However, Brady and Evans connecting consistently downfield improves the odds of them at least doing damage in the playoffs, especially in a possible first-round matchup with a volatile and vulnerable Dallas Cowboys secondary.
It's likely to be the final year of the Brady-Evans partnership in Tampa, one that has resulted in 32 touchdowns since the quarterback left the New England Patriots to head to the Buccaneers.
Though it remains a long shot that Brady's expected swansong with the Bucs will result in a second title in three seasons, his farewell may be extended a few weeks longer than many anticipated if he and Evans can deliver a few more demonstrations of the rapport that had previously made this offense so devastating.
Billie Jean King insists Martina Navratilova is "as brave as she is strong" after the latter was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
Navratilova is one of the most decorated players of all time, having won 18 grand slam titles during a glittering career.
The 66-year-old underwent successful treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has now been confirmed she is battling the illness again.
Navratilova said the diagnosis is "serious but still fixable," while a representative confirmed she will start treatment later this month and subsequently not attend the Australian Open.
King, a 12-time major winner, offered her support.
"Martina is as brave as she is strong," the 79-year-old tweeted.
"She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers."
In preparation for their biggest game of the season, the Tennessee Titans are once again turning to a player who has not even been on the team for two weeks to run the offense.
The Titans are staying with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback for Saturday's clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that will determine the winner of the AFC South.
Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel made the decision on Monday, four days after Dobbs made his first career start in a 27-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
“I think he’s ready for the opportunity and looking forward to it,” Vrabel said.
Thursday’s defeat to the Cowboys marked the sixth straight loss for the Titans, dropping them to 7-9 and just behind the 8-8 Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. The winner of Saturday’s matchup in Jacksonville will secure the division title and fourth seed in the AFC.
Dobbs didn’t do much to impress against the Cowboys, completing 20-of-39 passes for 232 yards with a touchdown and interception. However, he had just been signed off the Detroit Lions' practice squad eight days earlier, so the Titans considered it a good starting point.
"I think that there will be some things that we'll try to add or maybe things that we practiced last week that we didn't run,” Vrabel said. "I think it's just going to be good to have a full week and be able to have first and second down, third down, red zone emphasis — that's probably where him not having been here as much, I think we need to dive into his knowledge of the overall red zone and everything that's going on down there."
Dobbs, a fourth-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, also showed more promise than rookie Malik Willis, who had taken over at quarterback after Ryan Tannehill was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Willis is 1-2 as a starter while throwing three interceptions without a TD pass. His 234 passing yards in his three starts are two more than Dobbs threw on Thursday.
Willis also had the luxury of playing alongside Derrick Henry in the backfield, while Dobbs played last Thursday without the two-time league rushing leader as he was inactive in Week 17 because of a hip injury.
Henry is slated to return for the winner-take-all matchup with the Jaguars.
A trio of Alabama superstars revealed they will be continuing their football careers in the NFL, as quarterback Bryce Young, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and running back Jahmyr Gibbs all announced on Monday they will forego their senior seasons and enter the draft.
Both Young and Anderson could be the number one pick, while Gibbs is considered one of the top running backs in the draft class and is projected to be selected in the first round.
The three made the decision to turn pro two days after Alabama cruised to a 45-20 win over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl to cap an 11-2 season.
Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns – an Alabama bowl record – in Saturday's rout to finish his career as one of the most prolific passers in school history.
In three years with the Crimson Tide, Young passed for 8,356 yards – second only to AJ McCarron's 9,019 yards – and 80 touchdowns – to trail only Tua Tagovailoa's school record of 87.
Anderson is a two-time unanimous All-American, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football. He leaves Alabama with 34.5 sacks and 62 tackles for loss – second only to Derrick Thomas for the most in school history.
Gibbs played one season at Alabama after transferring from Georgia Tech and was named a second-team All-SEC performer in 2022 after rushing for 926 yards and seven touchdowns while adding another 444 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.
Rafael Nadal is "not too alarmed" about suffering back-to-back losses ahead of the Australian Open following his latest United Cup defeat.
The Spaniard suffered a second successive reverse in Sydney, going down 3-6 6-1 7-5 to Alex de Minaur after falling to Cameron Norrie.
Nadal is set to go in search of a record-extending 23rd grand slam title later this month, having won in Melbourne in 2022.
Yet the 36-year-old is not getting hung up on his form, instead taking the losses as learning curves.
"I have two weeks before the Australian Open starts," he said. "I can't say the situation is ideal, but I can't say it's negative.
"I was playing good. I need hours on court, I need battles like this. Days like these two help. I need to keeping fighting.
"I'm not too alarmed, too negative about what happened. I think it was a real chance to lose these kinds of matches."
Nadal won the first set against De Minaur, and was a game away from victory in the decider before succumbing to a comeback.
"Alex played better in the crucial moments. That made the difference," Nadal said.
"I had my chances to win, but I made costly mistakes when I could not afford them. You can not win a match like this while doing that."
Daniel Jones was left to bask in a "special moment" as he received a standing ovation at MetLife Stadium after helping the New York Giants clinch a playoff berth.
The Giants qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016 with a dominant 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Jones has been much maligned since the Giants selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft.
But he completed 79.2 per cent of his passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a further 91 yards and a touchdown as the Giants secured the sixth seed in the NFC.
Jones, in the final year of his Giants contract after they declined his fifth-year option, was removed from the game with seven minutes and 30 seconds remaining, receiving a tremendous reception from the crowd and from his team-mates on the sideline.
"That was a special moment," Jones said. "A lot of guys who've put in a lot of work. We've been through, certainly, some tougher times and it feels good to be on this side of it, for sure.
"Special moment with those guys. Really proud of this team, proud of what we did today. Grateful to be a part of it."
The Giants cannot improve their seeding and have nothing to play for in their Week 18 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.
By contrast, the Eagles need to win to clinch the NFC East and the number one seed in the conference. Defeat for the Eagles would give the Dallas Cowboys the chance to snatch the division and both the Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers the opportunity to clinch the one seed.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll indicated he would not rest his starters and give the Eagles some help in an unexpectedly nervy end to the season for Philadelphia, who suffered a second successive loss at home to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
"You get rest after the season. It's a long season," Daboll said.
"This is the fun part of the season. It's the fun part of the season when you're winning. It's the bad part of the season when you're losing."
Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer, though a representative described the prognosis as "good".
Navratilova won 18 grand slam singles titles between 1978 and 1990, making her one of the most decorated players of all time.
She underwent successful treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has now been confirmed she is battling the illness again.
Navratilova said: "This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I'm hoping for a favourable outcome.
"It's going to stink for a while but I will fight with all I have got."
Navratilova, 66, was due to travel to Melbourne this month to work on coverage of the Australian Open, a tournament she won three times.
But with her treatment due to start later in January, it has been confirmed she will not be in attendance.
A statement from a representative explained: "The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month.
"The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment.
"Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth. When it didn't go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage one throat cancer.
"At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.
"Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.
"Martina won't be covering the Australian Open for Tennis Channel from their studio but hopes to be able to join in from time to time by Zoom."
Novak Djokovic was beaten in his first match back in Australia but did at least receive a warm reception from the crowd at the Adelaide International.
Djokovic – who saw a three-year visa ban lifted in November – was playing with Vasek Pospisil in the doubles, and the duo lost 4-6 6-3 10-5 to Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar on Monday, but the fans in attendance chanted "Novak" as they welcomed him back following his absence from last year's Australian Open.
The Serbian will face Constant Lestienne in the first round of the men's singles, but second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is already out after he lost to Alexei Popyrin.
Auger-Aliassime struggled throughout as his Australian opponent, ranked 120th in the world, put in a crowd-pleasing performance to go through 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
Another young star, Holger Rune, is also out after the fifth seed was beaten 2-6 6-4 6-4 by Yoshihito Nishioka.
Quentin Halys set up a potential second-round clash with Djokovic after beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets, while Miomir Kecmanovic, Jack Draper, Roman Safiullin and Thanasi Kokkinakis all progressed.
It was also a bad day for seeds at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, with Alex Molcan beaten 6-2 6-4 by Laslo Djere and Jaume Munar losing 6-4 7-5 to Tallon Griekspoor.
Dutchman Griekspoor will now play Marco Cecchinato after the Italian overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Roberto Carballes Baena set up a last-16 clash against top seed Marin Cilic by defeating fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Filip Krajinovic did make it through a tussle with home favourite Sumit Nagal to set up a meeting with Michael Mmoh, while Benjamin Bonzi will face third seed Emil Ruusuvuori after beating Tseng Chun-hsin.
Patrick Mahomes added yet more achievements to his sparkling resume in the Kansas City Chiefs' narrow Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs were made to work much harder than expected for their 27-24 victory against a Broncos team playing their first game since firing head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Mahomes threw for 328 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in helping the Chiefs come through a surprisingly tough test and improve to 13-3.
Those numbers took him to 5,000 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns for the 2022 season, marking the second time he has surpassed those milestones in a single campaign.
He joined Tom Brady and Drew Brees as the third quarterback with multiple seasons with 5,000 or more passing yards, while only he and Brees have more than one season with 5,000 yards and 40-plus touchdowns.
Now on 5,048 passing yards, he will likely surpass the career-high total of 5,097 he set in 2018 when he won the MVP award in the regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, in which the Chiefs could secure the number one seed for the AFC playoffs.
It would take a remarkable game, though, for Mahomes to better his career-high mark of 50 passing touchdowns, also set in 2018.
While the focus is on the Chiefs regaining a Lombardi Trophy they last won in the 2019 season, Mahomes understands the magnitude of his individual records.
"I mean, obviously it's really cool if you look at the names that are on that list," Mahomes said.
"You're talking about the all-time greats with Drew Brees and Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, so just to be a part of the list that has those names on there, it's a special accomplishment.
"And I'm glad I have the people around me and the coaches around me to be able to do it."
Rafael Nadal suffered his second defeat in as many matches after going down 3-6 6-1 7-5 against Alex de Minaur at the United Cup.
The 22-time grand slam champion, who was also beaten by Great Britain's Cameron Norrie in his opening match, is still seeking his first victory of the season with the Australian Open just around the corner.
Home favourite De Minaur delighted the Sydney crowd by recovering from a set and break down to claim his maiden win over the world number two.
"I think it's definitely up there [as one of my best wins]," he said. "It's one of those achievements that you have unlocked in your career.
"But also, it's a big win for myself, one that I really needed. I'm going to cherish and use, take all the confidence from this and be able to hopefully take it to have a good [Australian] summer."
Spain and Australia are unable to progress to the City Finals, but Nuria Parrizas Diaz levelled the Group D tie with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Maddison Inglis.
The USA, who required just two points against Germany to advance to the next stage, set up a showdown with Great Britain after Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys enjoyed straight-set successes over Alexander Zverev and Jule Niemeier respectively.
Italy moved to the brink of joining them in the City Finals after taking a 2-0 lead over Norway. Lorenzo Musetti overcame Viktor Durasovic in straight sets, while Martina Trevisan edged out Malene Helgo in three.
Greece require one win from their final three matches against Belgium to also advance, Stefanos Tsitsipas hit 12 aces on the way to defeating David Goffin 6-3 6-2 to level the Group A showdown at 1-1.
Poland's winner-takes-all Group B clash with Switzerland is also finely poised at 1-1. World number one Iga Swiatek beat Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-6 (7-3), before Marc-Andrea Huesler's 6-3 6-2 victory against Daniel Michalski.
Kyle Shanahan believes Brock Purdy having to come from behind to help the San Francisco 49ers to a 37-34 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders will be beneficial for the unbeaten rookie quarterback.
The 49ers were expected to brush aside the Raiders, for whom Jarrett Stidham was making his first NFL start at quarterback after they benched Derek Carr, but the anticipated blowout did not materialise.
Instead, the Niners were drawn into a compelling shootout, their league-best defense surrendering 500 yards to the Raider offense as Stidham delivering a stunning debut.
The 49ers trailed 24-14 in the third quarter but, even after overturning that deficit, were still forced into overtime despite Purdy delivering with the game on the line.
Having seen the defense quickly surrender a 34-27 advantage as the Raiders tied the game with 71 seconds remaining in regulation, Purdy gained 52 yards on four completions to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to put the Niners in range for a game-winning field goal, only for Robbie Gould to push his kick wide right.
A Tashaun Gipson interception in overtime gave Gould the chance for a reprieve, his 23-yard kick giving the 49ers a ninth straight win that saw them improve to 12-4 and move up to the second seed in the NFC playoffs.
It marked the first time Purdy, who became the fourth rookie quarterback to win his first four starts since 1950, had dealt with playing from behind.
And Shanahan was delighted to see him come through the experience.
"I think that was great for him," said Shanahan. "We had to come from behind, especially there at the end. Also, he made a ton of plays today, but there's a number that he missed too.
"And that's the coolest part. There were some he'd love to have back. It was never one way too much or the other where he was struggling or doing well, but there were some mixed plays.
"To keep coming back and keep attacking, he never got gun-shy, made some real good decisions too and fought it out throughout the whole game and found a way to win."
Linda Noskova produced the biggest win of her career as she defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 at the Adelaide International on Monday.
The 18-year-old Czech was impressive against the third seed as she recorded her first win against anyone in the top 30 of the world rankings.
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova eased past Amanda Anisimova in just an hour and 15 minutes, winning 6-3 6-0, while Liudmila Samsonova will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the next round after coming from a set down to beat Zhang Shuai 5-7 6-3 6-0.
Irina-Camelia Begu and Elena Rybakina also both came from behind to secure wins, with the latter beating fifth seed Danielle Collins to set up a last-16 clash against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who beat Jaimee Fourlis 6-1 3-6 6-4.
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, 42-year-old Venus Williams comfortably overcame her 21-year-old opponent Katie Volynets 7-6 (7-4) 6-2, and will play China's Zhu Lin next after she eliminated sixth seed Madison Brengle 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Third seed Leylah Fernandez beat Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-1 6-1 to set up a last-16 tie with Julia Grabher after she defeated Tereza Martincova in three sets.
Eighth seed Rebecca Marino is through after beating Dalma Galfi in straight sets and will now face Ysaline Bonaventure, who eventually put away Caty McNally 5-7 6-4 6-4.
Viktoria Kuzmova led fourth seed Bernarda Pera 5-4 in the opening set when rain stopped play for the day.
New York Jets quarterback Mike White described his side's elimination from the playoff race as "gut-wrenching" after suffering their fifth straight loss in Sunday's 23-6 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Jets had been primed for postseason action for the first time since the 2010 season after sitting at 7-4 following a 31-10 rout of the Chicago Bears in late November.
But their season fell apart amid an awkward period that saw White take over as starting QB from the struggling Zach Wilson.
White had been sidelined for two games due to a rib injury but his return against the Seahawks was not enough to lift the Jets, who have not had a winning season since 2015 (10-6).
Their 12-year playoff drought is the longest active streak in the NFL and now the franchise's longest ever as well, leaving White crestfallen.
"It stings," he told reporters. "It's tough. It's gut-wrenching. It's all of the above. You can use any adjective you want to use to describe it."
White failed to complete a touchdown pass against the 8-8 Seahawks at Lumen Field, completing 23 of 46 passes for 240 yards with two interceptions, while he was sacked four times.
"I was cleared to play by the doctors," he said. "The guys in that locker room deserve a certain standard. I knew what I was signing up for.
"I was cleared by the doctors, I practiced all week. Basically, what I'm saying is, there's a standard those guys deserve. I didn't live up to that standard today."
The game marked two in a row without a touchdown, which White described as "shocking", leaving question marks about the Jets' struggling offense.
Head coach Robert Saleh conceded the situation hurt but was eager to point out some of the positives in his second season in charge after going 4-13 last year.
"No one is hurting more than the people in the locker room, especially me," Saleh said.
"At the same time, I know it's hard to see light at the end of the tunnel, but there are a lot of really cool things to look at for this season. But right now it stings big time."
Aaron Rodgers says the Green Bay Packers' four-game win streak to set up a win-and-get-in scenario against the Detroit Lions "feels really special".
The Packers' season seemed doomed after slumping to a 4-8 record following their 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles barely a month ago.
Rodgers finished that Eagles defeat off the field with a rib injury, prompting talk of sitting him out for the season to allow backup QB Jordan Love to gain some experience with little for the Packers to play for.
The four-time NFL MVP, however, vowed to play on despite carrying a few injuries and has helped lift the side to an unlikely 8-8 record capped by Sunday's 41-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
"It feels really special, it does," Rodgers told reporters. "It's been an interesting year.
"It hasn't been my best football at times, but I've been asked to step up my leadership and be someone the guys can count on to keep it together, even when it doesn't seem like there's anything to play for or we don't have a chance to make a run.
"There's been a lot of special moments throughout the year."
Only one team has ever made the playoffs in NFL history after having a 4-8 record.
"It didn't look great for a while and I was resigned to some of those realities being possible," Rodgers said.
"When I took my mind there, I had a peace about it. I had a peace about all of it. Whatever was supposed to happen, I was surrendered to that reality - with also the resolute mindset that we could still get back in this thing.
"I think that's what I'm most proud of, for myself and our team, is that there were a lot of different things that could happen, and we stuck together and we put ourselves in position to do something special."
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone believes Nikola Jokic should not be penalized in the MVP race for winning the past two after recording yet another triple-double on Sunday.
Jokic scored 30 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the Nuggets' 123-111 win over the Boston Celtics, going down as his ninth triple-double across 32 games this season.
The reigning back-to-back MVP is on a quest to claim the first MVP three-peat since Larry Bird (1984-86), posting career-highs in assists per game (9.5) and true shooting percentage (68.6).
Jokic also sits 18th in the NBA for points per game (25.7), seventh for rebounds per game (10.9) and third for assists (9.5) per game.
"If people's reasons for not giving him the MVP is because he's won two in a row, that's lazy," Malone told reporters.
On his post-game team talk, Malone added: "I said 'oh by the way, Nikola got his 90th career triple-double, big deal'. Guys were cracking up because we're all becoming so accustomed to it.
"I promised myself I will never take Nikola and his greatness for granted. He is a phenomenal player, plays the game the right way and makes everybody around him better. What a joy to coach."
Nuggets guard Bruce Brown, who scored 21 points including making four-of-six three-point attempts, backed up Jokic's MVP credentials.
"He's my MVP. He should be the league's MVP three times in a row," Brown said. "He's doing everything for us. Without Jok, I don't know where we'd be."
Malone hailed his side's defense against the 26-11 Celtics, who have the best offense in the league.
Boston's own MVP candidate Jayson Tatum was restricted to 25 points, shooting seven-of-16 from the field and failing to make any of his four three-point attempts.
"Jayson Tatum is an All-MVP player and he's going to be an all-MVP finalist," Malone said "I thought Aaron Gordon and the rest of our guys, aside from putting him on the foul line, I thought we did a really good job of guarding Jayson Tatum."
The game was halted for approximately 35 minutes in the fourth quarter after Robert Williams III's dunk caused the rim to be bent.
Six workers attempted to re-level the rim, which was eventually taken off the backboard, with Malone worried the delay would impact the Nuggets' momentum leading by 18 points, while Celtics guard Jaylen Brown was not impressed by the time it took.
"There was no communication," Brown said. "They spent all that time trying to fix it but when we came back it still looked like it wasn't even level, in my opinion, so we just wasted all that time.
"That has an effect on the game. That's how injuries and stuff happen. Luckily that didn't [happen], but that wasn't good. That whole process was handled poorly, in my opinion, and that had an effect as well. But luckily nobody got hurt."
Kenny Pickett came up clutch for the second week running to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers alive with a come-from-behind 16-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The Steelers rallied from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to score the game's final 13 points, including Pickett's go-ahead touchdown pass for the dominant Najee Harris with 56 seconds left.
Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley's desperate pass with 13 seconds remaining to clinch victory for the Steelers, who claimed their third straight win to improve to 8-8 behind the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) and Ravens (10-6) in the AFC North.
The Ravens' defeat, which is the fourth time they have lost after having a double-digit lead this season, significantly impacts their aspirations to win the division, with the Bengals able to clinch it with victory against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. The Bengals host the Ravens in Week 18.
Pickett and Harris were the stars for the Steelers, with the 24-year-old quarterback completing 15 of 27 passes for 168 yards with his only touchdown coming when it mattered most.
In the game-winning 11-play drive, the QB made 20-yard and 28-yard gains with passes to Pat Freiermuth and Steven Sims Jr respectively before evading Jason Pierre-Paul's tackle and finding Harris in the left corner on a third-and-8.
Steelers running backs Harris (111 rushing yards on 22 carries) and Jaylen Warren (76 rushing yards on 12 carries) were outstanding. Huntley completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards for the Ravens.
Earlier, the Ravens benefitted from a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty against Cameron Heyward on a third-and-14, which led to a verbal exchange with team-mate Fitzpatrick, after Huntley threw a touchdown pass for Isaiah Likely on the next play shortly prior to half-time.
Ja Morant was almost unstoppable in the Memphis Grizzlies' 118-108 victory against the visiting Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Morant was the game's top-scorer with 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting, adding eight rebounds and five assists in an encouraging performance during what has been a relatively inefficient period for the Grizzlies star.
After posting a career-high field goal percentage of 49.3 this past season – earning a Most Improved Player trophy in the process – Morant's percentage has plummeted to 45.5 this campaign, while his true shooting percentage is also a mediocre 54.9 per cent.
Despite his dip in efficiency, Morant's 27.0 points per game has him 13th in the league, and he joins Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Nikola Jokic as the only players averaging at least 25 points and eight assists.
Morant was supported well by center Steven Adams, who tied his career-high with 23 rebounds. He has reached 23 rebounds once before – back in 2018 when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, also against the Kings.
Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr blocked three shots, and his 3.2 blocks per game is the best figure in the league, although he does not currently qualify for the official league leaderboards due to only playing in 19 of his side's 36 games.
The win is the Grizzlies' third in a row, improving their record to 23-13 – only a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Nuggets retain top spot
The Nuggets had to defeat the Boston Celtics to hold onto the top spot in the West, and they did just that, defending home court with a 123-111 triumph.
It was another showcase for reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, leading his team in scoring (30), rebounds (12) and assists (12) for his ninth triple-double in 32 games this season.
Jokic has somehow managed to reach new heights in his quest to become the first MVP three-peat since Larry Bird (1984-86), posting career-highs in assists per game (9.5) and true shooting percentage (68.6).
Kuzma collects triple-double in Wizards win
Kyle Kuzma and Rui Hachimura led the way in the Washington Wizards' 118-95 win against an undermanned Milwaukee Bucks team.
The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, and did not have the firepower to keep up with a Wizards side that shot 53.2 per cent from the field.
Former top-10 draft pick Hachimura scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting off the bench, while Kuzma had his first triple-double of the season with 10 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
After losing 10 games in a row earlier in the season, the Wizards are now on a five-game winning streak to improve their record to 17-21.
The Green Bay Packers are a win away from what once looked an unlikely Wild Card berth after they crushed the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 at Lambeau Field.
A playoff place looked a faint possibility when the Packers lost seven of eight games after a 3-1 start to drop to 4-8.
They responded by reeling off three straight wins prior to the visit of division rivals and NFC North champions the Vikings, but still faced the prospect of being eliminated with a loss.
That prospect looked all the more likely when, after a blocked punt, the Vikings got the ball at Green Bay's one-yard line.
However, the Packers held the Vikings to a field goal from there, setting the tone for a nightmare game for Minnesota.
Keisean Nixon returned the subsequent kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown to give Green Bay the lead, which was extended when Darnell Savage returned an interception on a deflected Kirk Cousins pass 75 yards.
Cousins turnovers were a theme of the day, with an interception by Adrian Amos setting up a 21-yard touchdown throw from Rodgers to Robert Tonyan, and a lost fumble in the redzone allowed the Packers to regain possession and drive down the field for A.J. Dillon to make it 34-3.
Another Cousins interception, this time picked off by Rudy Ford, put the Packers in position to pile on further misery with a two-yard run from Rodgers, who now can lead the 8-8 Packers into the postseason with victory over the Detroit Lions next Sunday.
Defeat for the 12-4 Vikings sees them fall out of the second seed, meaning the chance to potentially host two home playoff games is out of their hands heading into Week 18.
NINERS SURVIVE HUGE SCARE
The San Francisco 49ers now occupy the two seed, having held off the Las Vegas Raiders in a remarkable game at Allegiant Stadium.
A San Francisco blowout was anticipated but did not materialise, with Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham leading them to 500 yards of offense in his first start after Derek Carr was benched.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers put up 454 yards of their own and, after a Robbie Gould missed field goal sent the game to overtime, Tashaun Gipson's interception of Stidham set up the San Francisco kicker to redeem himself and clinch a wild 37-34 win.
San Francisco's division rivals the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a 23-6 win over the New York Jets, whose playoff hopes look to be all but over. Seattle will qualify for the postseason with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 and a Packers loss to the Lions.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is over the moon to be heading on the road next week to take on the Green Bay Packers with a spot in the playoffs potentially up for grabs.
The Lions bounced back from a loss last week to trounce the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday, making it seven wins from their past nine fixtures and improving their record to 8-8.
There was also some history made by the second overall selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, with Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson snagging his third interception to tie the record for the most by a defensive lineman in a season in the Super Bowl era.
Hutchinson also shared a sack with teammate Ifeatu Melifonwu, one of seven total sacks on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell pointed to a fully padded practice on Wednesday as the rallying point for his side facing a tricky quarterback matchup with their season on the line.
"We went full pads on Wednesday and said we were going to get our identity back, and we're going to recalibrate, and those guys did that," he said.
"They trusted us, and they came out and it looked like that. It looked like we were ready to go, it looked like we were more physical. I was proud of them.
"Here's the hard thing with playing a guy like [Justin] Fields, man. If you just come barrelling off the edge, and you're out of control, then he's gone.
"So you have to be able to bring a little bit of force and close the pocket in on him, but you can't commit one way or another because he'll break contain again.
"While all this is happening, our back-end is having to cover their rear off for five, six, seven seconds at a time. You give up a couple of holding calls, that's not an easy task there.
"But all-in-all, I thought we snapped back on defense. We were much more physical, we got takeaways, we got sacks, we were disruptive."
Detroit's win keeps their season alive for at least one more week, and Campbell said he feels blessed to get a chance to play a massive January game at the famous Lambeau Field.
"I think it means everything," he said. "I think it's just so special – it's as good as it can get, seriously.
"You get to go to Lambeau – historic Lambeau – where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years, with a chance to earn your right to potentially get in.
"Even if we do get the win, it doesn't mean we're guaranteed to get in. But I know this, we're guaranteed to get one more week, and so I just think this is as special as it gets. I don't think you'd want it any other way."
The Lions will be relying on another strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff, who Campbell said is "extremely hot" after his three-touchdown effort.
"He has a ton of confidence right now, and he's had that for a while," he said. "He's played pretty well all year.
"You can just tell he's in this mode right now where you feel like every time you dial up a pass, he's going to find somebody. He's going to find the throw, he's going to get it to the guy that's open.
"That's a great feeling, man. To feel your quarterback is in that mode, and he's been there, that's a great feeling."
Goff himself has played in playoff games and took the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still acknowledged how meaningful it still is to just have a chance at making the postseason.
"It's huge," he said. "Not every team, players, young guys get an opportunity to play in games like this.
"There are a bunch of guys here who, for the first half of their careers, have not had a chance to play a game in January that means something, and we're going to get that chance next week.
"Whether it gets us in or not, that's not up to us, but we're going in there and trying to win, and see where everything falls at the end."
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