The business end of the NFL season is here as the playoff picture starts to emerge.
You can tell things are getting interesting as this weekend sees three Saturday games, meaning football fans can stretch out their weekend viewing even further.
Saturday sees the Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts, the Baltimore Ravens visit the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins.
Sunday's action includes a clash in the NFC South where no team seems to want to finish first, but the winner of the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints will leave themselves with an inexplicable chance to do so.
Stats Perform has taken a look at the numbers behind a selection of Week 15's games.
Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (10-3)
While the Vikings have been having a far better season than the Colts, they are just 7-18-1 all-time in the series between the two (including playoffs). It is the Vikings' worst record against any single opponent.
Indianapolis entered their bye week with a 54-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, in which they were outscored by 33 points in the fourth quarter (33-0), the largest point differential in a single fourth quarter in NFL history.
Matt Ryan needs 125 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the 13th consecutive season, which would make him the eighth QB in NFL history to accomplish the feat, joining Philip Rivers as the only two to do so without a Super Bowl victory.
Justin Jefferson set a franchise record with 223 receiving yards on 11 catches against the Detroit Lions. Jefferson is up to 4,516 career receiving yards, the most of anyone in NFL history in a player's first three seasons (next most being Randy Moss with 4,163).
Miami Dolphins (8-5) @ Buffalo Bills (10-3)
The Bills have a five-game winning streak at home against the Dolphins, tied for their longest of all-time. This is just one game shy of matching Buffalo's longest home win streak against a divisional opponent (twice against the Colts and once against the New England Patriots).
The Dolphins lost 23-17 to the Chargers last week, posting a season-low 127 passing yards. Miami's 10 completions in the game were their fewest since Week 13 of 2015 (nine).
Tyreek Hill had a 57-yard fumble return touchdown and 60-yard receiving touchdown last week, and leads the NFL with four plays of 50 or more yards this season. Hill had four total plays of 50 or more yards in his last three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sean McDermott is 9-2 (.818) in his career as a head coach against the Dolphins, the best record by any head coach with at least eight games against Miami all-time. Only two coaches have 10 or more career wins against Miami (Bill Belichick, 26, and Marv Levy, 15).
Atlanta Falcons (5-8) @ New Orleans Saints (4-9)
The Falcons' three-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their last game was Atlanta's 10th game this season decided by six points or fewer, tied for the most in franchise history (also in 1995, 2015 and 2017).
Cordarrelle Patterson is one of three players in NFL history to average 5.0+ yards per rush and 9.0+ yards per reception over his career (minimum 400 rushes and 200 receptions), along with Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell.
The Saints have held their opponent to fewer than 300 net passing yards in 22 consecutive games, tied with the Bengals for the second-longest active streak in the NFL (after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 27).
Chris Olave has had at least 40 receiving yards in all 12 games of his career thus far, the second-longest streak by any NFL player to begin his career in the Super Bowl era behind fellow Saints player Michael Thomas (19).
Elsewhere...
Panthers QB Sam Darnold has won both of his starts this season and has not thrown a pick in either. He has now won seven straight starts dating back to 2020 in games where he has not thrown an interception, tied for the third-longest active streak among QBs (Jimmy Garoppolo 16, Jalen Hurts 13, Joe Burrow 7), and will look to extend it against the Steelers.
The Dallas Cowboys will have to find a way to stop Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. Since November 1, Lawrence has the highest completion percentage in the NFL among players with at least 100 attempts (71.8). On the season, the Jaguars are 5-2 when he completes at least 70.0 per cent of his passes compared to 0-6 when he does not.
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to bounce back against the New England Patriots after blowing a 13-point lead with fewer than four minutes remaining in their 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week. Over the last 40 seasons, the only other time the team had lost a game it led by 13+ points with four minutes or less remaining was in Week 3 of the 1993 season to the Cleveland Browns.
Tom Brady was 34-for-55 for 253 yards last week, the 11th time in his career he has attempted at least 55 passes. His teams are now 3-8 in such games, with wins in 2002 against Chicago, 2015 against Buffalo, and Week 9 of this season against the Rams. The Buccaneers (6-7) will hope he can guide them to a much-needed W against the Bengals.
Rafael Nadal on Friday revealed long-time coach Francis Roig is no longer on his team.
Former player Roig has been working with the legendary Spaniard since 2005, helping him win a record 22 grand slam titles.
Roig's long spell on the Nadal team has now come to an end, with the world number two announcing that his compatriot has taken on a "new project."
He wrote on social media: "I wanted to inform you that Francis Roig is leaving the team. Francis has been an important person in my career and I am very grateful to him for all these years of work and friendship.
"When we started working together I was a child and together with my uncle Toni, we started on the circuit.
"Francis is a great coach who knows tennis very well and has helped me a lot to get better and better. I only have words of gratitude and I wish him all the luck in the world in his new project."
Toni Nadal left his nephew's coaching team at the end of the 2017 season and is now working with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Carlos Moya was appointed as Nadal's coach following Toni Nadal's departure.
Bernard Laporte has been told he must stand down as president of the French Rugby Federation after his corruption conviction, reports said on Friday.
Former France coach Laporte had signalled an intention to remain at the helm of the federation (FFR), but the organisation's own ethics committee has decided he must go.
According to French newspapers Le Parisien and L'Equipe, the ethics committee has served Laporte with an injunction insisting he vacates his post.
Should Laporte not follow the instruction to leave office, the ethics committee would reportedly have the power to take control of the FFR disciplinary commission and impose sanctions on the 58-year-old president.
"We could not stay outside this situation," said the ethics committee, quoted by Le Parisien. "But it took time for the members to come together, far from the media tumult, to make a decision in calm and serenity."
Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby on Tuesday as an act of "self-suspension" after he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.
That came after an investigation which examined a number of decisions that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.
Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, was also hit with a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The ban from rugby activities is suspended pending the outcome of Laporte's planned appeal; however, France's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera and the French National Rugby League have this week both called for Laporte to be replaced.
France will host the Rugby World Cup next year.
Oudea-Castera said it would be inappropriate for Laporte to remain in charge "at a moment as decisive for French rugby as the home stretch before a Rugby World Cup where France will receive nations from all over the world".
George Russell has faith Mercedes will be much more competitive next season, believing they "just got it wrong" this year.
The Silver Arrows had won eight consecutive constructors' championships heading into 2022, also taking the drivers' title in seven of those seasons – including six for Lewis Hamilton.
But Russell's move to Mercedes coincided with a dismal year for their car, unable to match the pace of Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
Mercedes were third in the constructors' championship, with Russell fourth in the driver standings and Hamilton down in sixth.
That is not a theme Russell expects to continue into 2023, however, confident Mercedes are still capable of producing a title-winning car.
"They haven't forgotten how to build a fast race car," Russell told BBC Radio Norfolk. "We just got it wrong this year.
"We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route which turned out to be the wrong route.
"Sometimes it takes you a long time to dig yourself out of that hole. Now I feel we've dug ourselves out of that hole and we're building on top of that.
"We are a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari and we've got a lot of catching up to do – but we're definitely going to be in a much stronger position from race one next year than we were this year."
Russell ended his wait for a first career win at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in the penultimate race of the year, but he is hungry for more.
"When you join a team like Mercedes, you're expecting victories," he said. "I felt ready to fight for race wins and championships this year, but you've just got to manage your expectations.
"You've got to change those sights slightly, and it's been really intriguing for me this year, seeing how the team deal with this situation.
"I'm here for the long haul, and even though I wanted victories and [to be] fighting for that championship in 2022, as a team these struggles are going to set us up for the coming years.
"I hope I look back in 10 years' time and say the 2022 season was a positive one in the journey."
Chris Paul wants the Phoenix Suns to "keep this train moving" after they ended a five-match losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns stopped the rot on their travels on Thursday, seeing off the depleted Clippers 111-95.
Los Angeles were without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac as they were beaten in their own backyard.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, while Paul weighed in with 15 and also provided 13 assists in a win that moved them to 17-12.
Phoenix sit fourth in the Western Conference and point guard Paul is eager to get on a roll.
"I'm happy we finally got a win out of this road trip, and we're going to try to keep this train moving," he said.
Suns coach Monty Williams praised Bridges for the manner in which he responded to an off day against the Houston Rockets.
"He's a prideful player," Williams said. "He needed a forklift to get his lip off the ground the other night, he was so down about his performance.
"When he's shooting the ball like (tonight), we're a pretty good team."
The Clippers are 17-14 and occupy eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Tyler Herro was not thinking about earning a share of franchise history after another sensational display in the Miami Heat's 111-108 victory over the Houston Rockets.
A day after draining nine three-pointers against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Herro went one better against the Rockets on Thursday.
In doing so, Herro became just the fourth Heat player to land 10 threes in a game, the last to do so being Duncan Robinson in 2019.
Herro is only the third player to shoot at least nine threes in consecutive games, alongside Steph Curry and James Harden, and is the first to do it on back-to-back days.
"I didn't know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short," Herro said.
"I didn't have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get threes up. I think shooting more threes is helping."
Herro's tally of 41 was a career high, with 25 of those coming in the first half.
Aged 22 years and 329 days, Herro surpasses Dwayne Wade as the youngest Heat player to put up a 40-point game, while he is the first Miami star since LeBron James in 2014 to have at least 35 in consecutive outings.
Asked about Herro's threes heroics, head coach Erik Spoelstra said: "The last couple of games, that's been really the scheme against him. That's been open.
"But regardless, he's too good of a shooter for us to not take threes off the catch. He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities.
"He's just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch."
The Heat have won three straight games and sit eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-15 record.
Kyle Shanahan called the performance of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy "unbelievable" after he fought through injury to help the San Francisco 49ers clinch the NFC West title in Thursday's 21-13 win against the Seattle Seahawks.
Purdy, who was the very last pick of this year's NFL Draft, started his second consecutive game after taking over following the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.
For the second game in a row, Purdy did not commit a single turnover, finishing with 17 completions from 26 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
He also helped star tight end George Kittle have his best game of the season, catching four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, after entering the contest with only four touchdowns in 11 games.
With the victory, the 49ers clinched the NFC West and at least one home playoff game, improving their record to 10-4 on the back of a seven-game winning streak.
Purdy was questionable during the week due to oblique and rib injuries, but 49ers head coach Shanahan believes his young quarterback levelled up in the eyes of the locker room as he battled through it.
"It was definitely another level," he said. "It was another level for me, just watching someone do it.
"The injury he had last week, and for him to be ready to go today – and you could tell in pre-game warmups there were a number of things that were really tough for him. We had a number of plays we weren't going to call today because of where he was at.
"So for him to be able to play, let alone play the way he did… this team had a lot of respect for him before this game, but they have a lot more now."
Shanahan was not finished there with his praise, calling him "the most poised rookie I've ever had".
"From what I hear about him in college, he was very similar, starting as a freshman," he said. "He's been great, he was poised all week even when he was unsure about whether he could go or not.
"I think that was uneasy for him, because he didn't know what to expect until he got in the game.
"Under our circumstances, we didn't have any other options, or choices. We were going to see how long he could last, and we were ready to go with [backup quarterback] Josh [Johnson], but he got comfortable, and got better as the game went on – it was pretty unbelievable."
Purdy himself did his best to deflect a lot of the positive sentiments towards his teammates, particularly injured quarterbacks Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
"It's special and everything, but honestly, I'm just another component," he said. "I'm another piece to this team, in terms of a guy coming in, just doing what [is asked of him].
"I'm the quarterback, I have to make decisions. I trust in how the coaches teach me throughout the week, and I just try to get the ball out to the guys on time.
"Honestly, man, I don't think Jimmy and Trey get enough credit for what they've done. I'm just now coming on the scene where these guys have been here, throughout the offseason for Trey, and Jimmy coming in and leading these guys, and winning.
"So, for me to come in, I just want to continue what they got rolling. So a big credit to Jimmy and Trey for what they've done, especially in the quarterback room, for the team, and I'm just trying to do my part in terms of where we're at now in the season."
The Miami Heat needed a career night from Tyler Herro on Thursday to avoid becoming the Houston Rockets' third big-name scalp in a row.
Herro scored a game-high and career-high 41 points on 13-of-20 shooting, hitting 10-of-15 from three-point range in the 111-108 victory.
His All-Star teammate Jimmy Butler was terrific in a supporting role, chipping in 20 points (seven-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocks.
For the Rockets, who were coming into the game off consecutive wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, Jalen Green top-scored yet again with 22 points (eight-of-21), while Kevin Porter Jr was more efficient on his way to 21 points (10-of-17), five assists and four steals.
The Heat are now on a three-game winning streak to pull their record even at 15-15, and they have a golden opportunity to rise above .500 when they finish their four-game road trip on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Morant dominates the Bucks
The Memphis Grizzlies led by 46 points after three quarters of their blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks, allowing the starters to ride the bench down the stretch on the way to a 142-101 final score.
Last year's Most Improved Player, Ja Morant, was at the center of the Grizzlies' success with 25 points (nine-of-21), 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while eight Memphis players reached double-figures.
With the win, the Grizzlies improved their record to 19-9 and now sit alone atop the Western Conference.
Jazz fight off the Pelicans in overtime
The Utah Jazz continue to win at home, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 132-129 to improve their record at Vivint Arena to 11-5 this season.
It is the second game in a row the Jazz have defeated the Pelicans after Tuesday's 121-100 triumph, with Jordan Clarkson proving the hero this time around.
Clarkson scored a season-high 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting, adding eight rebounds and two steals, including the first four points of overtime after Pelicans youngster Trey Murphy III forced the extra period with a three-pointer in the dying seconds of regulation.
The San Francisco 49ers are officially NFC West champions with three games to spare after a 21-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.
It was another strong start at quarterback for the last pick in this year's NFL Draft, as Brock Purdy remained without a turnover through his first two starts.
Purdy completed 17 of his 26 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions, leading a touchdown drive in each of the first three quarters.
He was helped out with some terrific performances from his skill-position players, with tight end George Kittle getting on the receiving end of both touchdown passes, finishing with four catches for 93 yards.
Elite running back Christian McCaffrey was at his best as well, handling 26 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while also adding six catches for 30 yards through the air – with five of those catches coming in the first quarter.
The Seahawks scored their only touchdown of the game when Geno Smith connected with Noah Fant on an 11-yard pass with 3:35 remaining to cut the margin to one score, but the 49ers could have added another touchdown of their own in the final seconds, instead deciding to kneel it out from the two-yard line.
With the win, the 49ers improved their record to 10-4, continuing their incredible run of seven consecutive wins after opening the season 3-4.
The New York Yankees have added a key piece to their rotation by agreeing with left-handed free agent Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162million contract.
The move bolsters the Yankees' starting rotation, which already had Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino – along with a variety of other depth options.
Rodon, 30, was named an All-Star in each of the past two seasons and played last year for the San Francisco Giants. He opted out of his deal with the Giants – which would have paid him $22.5m in 2023 – and declined the $19.65m qualifying offer a few days later to become a free agent.
Rodon played seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the first six of which were marred by inconsistency and injury. Rodon broke out in 2021, his final year on the South Side.
Over the past two seasons with Chicago and San Francisco, Rodon has amassed a 27-13 record with a 2.67 ERA, averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rodon has a career 3.60 ERA and 56-46 record in 147 starts.
The Yankees are hoping that Rodon can help them improve on a 2022 season that produced a 99-63 record and an American League East title, but ended in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
With the exception of Rodon, the Yankees plan on fielding largely the same team that fell just short of the World Series last season, with most of this offseason’s attention going toward retaining AL MVP and home run champion Aaron Judge for nine years and $360m.
Clint Capela will miss one to two weeks after an MRI on Thursday revealed the Atlanta Hawks center had suffered a strained right calf in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.
Capela, 28, is currently third in the NBA for rebounds per game (12.0), and his 63.3 per cent field goal percentage is the seventh-highest mark in the league.
His injury adds to a troubling list for the Hawks, who have been without starting forward John Collins for the past seven games as he deals with an ankle injury, while starting guard Dejounte Murray has missed a week of action with his own ankle injury.
Franchise centerpiece Trae Young was also absent for Monday's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies due to lower-back tightness, but returned to the lineup for Wednesday's loss.
With Capela and Collins still out, it will be a real opportunity for former top-10 draft pick Onyeka Okongwu to play starter's minutes.
Okongwu, 22, is averaging 21 minutes per game and has only made three starts from his 28 appearances this season, but he boasts per-36 minute figures of 14.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
The Boston Celtics will welcome back their defensive anchor on Friday when Robert Williams III makes his season debut against the Orlando Magic.
Williams, 25, is coming off a breakout campaign where he started all 61 of his appearances, averaging the fourth-most blocks in the league at 2.2 per game.
With Williams protecting the rim, the Celtics emerged as the best defense in the NBA, conceding just 106.2 points per 100 possessions, although that number rose to 109.8 in the 21 games he missed.
For his stellar play, Williams was awarded a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, but he is yet to suit up this season as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left knee, having played through a torn meniscus in the playoffs.
His return will be a welcome addition for the Celtics, who have seen their defense fall to the eighth-ranked unit in the league in his absence, but have remained the best team in the NBA – based on both record (22-7) and net-rating (plus 7.0) – due to their top-ranked offense.
Without Williams, the Celtics have leaned into their three-point shooting. They are tied for the league-lead with 16.3 made three-pointers per game, so it remains to be seen how new head coach Joe Mazzulla will incorporate a non-shooter like Williams into his system and what effect he will have on the offense.
Los Angeles Clippers All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will both sit out Thursday's highly anticipated home game against the Phoenix Suns on the second night of a back-to-back.
The duo, who have a combined 11 All-NBA selections, both played in Wednesday's 99-88 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game where George posted his first triple-double in a Clippers uniform.
Leonard is yet to play in both legs of a back-to-back since returning from his long-term ACL injury, while George has played in all six games – including a back-to-back – since returning from his brief absence with a hamstring strain.
As a team, the Clippers sit sixth in the Western Conference with a 17-13 record, but they are 14-8 in games George is playing in, and an even more impressive 8-2 in games Leonard suits up for.
They will face a Suns team dealing with their own absences as starting center Deandre Ayton and backup point guard Cameron Payne are both out with injuries, as well as starting wing Cam Johnson, who has not played since November 4.
The Suns, at 16-12, are one spot ahead of the Clippers in the fifth seed, but are on a five-game losing streak after what was a promising 15-6 start to the campaign.
After this game, the Clippers should have their star tandem back for home games against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, before embarking on a five-game road trip.
Steph Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks" following his left shoulder injury sustained during the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The four-time NBA champion was set for an MRI following his exit from Wednesday's 125-119 defeat, after he was ruled out of the fourth quarter.
Curry had posted 38 points to spark a fightback from a 74-54 half-time deficit, but saw his side struggle and slip to another road loss in his absence.
Reports from ESPN now indicate the 34-year-old will be out for the immediate future and likely into the new year.
Curry injured himself attempting to strip Jalen Smith with just over two minutes left in the third quarter and will be a major loss for the Warriors.
They have picked up zero wins from three games in his absence so far this campaign, during which the point guard has averaged 29.6 points.
The Warriors stay on the road through to the festive period now for a four-game stretch, starting with a trip to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
They then return to Chase Center to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day, before rounding out the year with a further three games at home.
The Dallas Mavericks will be without Maxi Kleber for the foreseeable future after the German forward tore his right hamstring in practice on Tuesday.
The Mavericks released a statement on Thursday saying treatment options are being considered and there is no timetable for Kleber's return.
Kleber has appeared in 22 of Dallas' 28 contests this season and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game off the bench.
He had been playing well since missing four games last month due to a lower back contusion sustained on a hard fall against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 15.
In nine games since returning, Kleber was averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 59.6 per cent from the field and 46.9 per cent (15 of 32) from three-point range.
Kleber appeared in all 18 playoff contests for the Mavericks last season during their run to the Western Conference finals, averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game during that stretch.
Dallas (14-14) currently sit in third place in the Southwest Division and ninth in the West.
Serena Williams may return to the court "one more time," former world number two Tommy Haas believes.
The 23-time grand slam singles champion Williams declared her intention to "evolve" away from tennis prior to the US Open in September, with many thinking her third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic signalled the end of her illustrious career.
Although, the 41-year-old hinted she may return in a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, suggesting she may follow the example of another American sporting great.
"Tom Brady started an amazing trend," she said when asked if her competitive career may resume. "That's what I want to say."
Speaking to Eurosport Germany's tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, Haas said: "Serena had an incredible, long and strong career.
"But I have the feeling that she is going to come back and say, 'I'm going to play one more time.'
"She came so close to playing really well again and going far, so I think deep down it really annoys her.
"She might really be thinking about whether she wants to try again. I may be wrong because I'm not that close [to her].
"It will mostly depend on how it looks mentally, how she feels physically and whether she has the desire to torture herself like that again after achieving so much."
Trevor Lawrence has described the Jacksonville Jaguars' London Series loss to the Denver Broncos as the result that "flipped a switch" to inspire his remarkable turnaround in form.
The 2021 draft's number one pick initially struggled to deliver for the Jaguars, who headed to Wembley Stadium in late October with a 2-5 record for the season.
Lawrence disappointed in London as the Broncos sealed a comeback win, but the quarterback has since guided his team to three wins from their last five games, providing some of the best displays of his career.
The ex-Clemson graduate feels that defeat triggered something in him, claiming his improvement stemmed from the frustration of coming up short across the Atlantic Ocean.
"[We] should have won that game," Lawrence said. "I remember I never forgot how I felt in that locker room, so I don't want to feel like this anymore.
"I'm going to one, start taking care of the ball, but two, I just want to be the player that I know I can be.
"I think that kind of flipped a switch in me and honestly, I think I have a little bit more of a chip on my shoulder now.
"Last year and a half, I don't really forget what's been said and what people have written. Now you see people change their minds after a couple of weeks, but I remember everything.
"I don't use that necessarily as my only fuel, but [I] definitely use that, and I think that's something this team's done.
"We remember what people were saying when we lost five in a row, and then we've won some big games now and people changed their minds quicky.
"So, we just have that same mentality that we want to prove how good we can be every week."
Co-owner John Mara believes the New York Giants are enjoying their "best vibes" for a long time under first-year coach Brian Daboll, as they look to push on for the postseason.
The Giants are bottom of the NFC East, but sit seventh in the conference standings overall after an impressive 7-5-1 campaign to date.
In what was anticipated to be a season of transition under Daboll, the Giants have continued to upset expectations, though they are winless in their last four to check their momentum.
Still, Mara is enjoying what he sees so far, though he is waiting to reserve judgement until the end of the year, as his team look to break a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2016 season.
"We'll see how it finishes out," he told NJ Advance Media. "But right now, I feel good about the team, the direction we are going.
"You are always disappointed if you don't make the playoffs, but we are trying to take it one week at a time at this point.
"I know that sounds like coach-speak, but that's really the only way you can look at it right now.
"I just know the vibe in the building is the best that it has been in a long time. People are all pulling in the same direction."
The Giants - who posted their lone draw of the season during their last four matches - will look to get back to winning ways when they face the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
With both teams tied in the standings, the winner will see a boost for their playoff hopes at the expense of their rivals.
Andy Murray has been named the winner of the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for the second time after he donated his prize money for 2022 to Ukraine.
The Briton announced in March that his winnings earned throughout the rest of the year would be donated to UNICEF, for whom he is an ambassador.
Ukraine was invaded by neighbour Russia in February, escalating an ongoing conflict that saw players from the latter nation barred at Wimbledon this year amid sanctions.
After previously being presented with the honour in 2014, Murray revealed earnings of approximately £510,000 would be donated from his season.
"There are 7.5 million children in Ukraine and after more than nine months of increased conflict, 5.2 million of them are in need of assistance," he said.
"When you see images of children on the news who were impacted by things like this, that makes it even more difficult to stomach.
"I have four young children who are really fortunate that everything is fine with them. But being a parent, it affects you differently.
"You try to put yourself in their shoes. If something like that happened with your own family, how difficult would that be? It is hard to fathom."
Carlos Alcaraz was meanwhile named the Most Improved Player of the Year, after the Spaniard claimed a maiden grand slam at the US Open and reached number one in the ATP Rankings.
"Everything has come so fast," the teenager added. "I didn't think at the beginning of the year that I'm going to have the year that I'm having right now.
"I always believe in my team and in my work, so this is something that came with the hard work that I put in every day. Everything pays off."
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