Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 42 points while Zion Williamson was largely subdued by an excellent performance from Jrue Holiday as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New Orleans Pelicans.
Antetokounmpo made 12 of 17 field goal attempts, while also sinking 17 out of a hefty 22 shots from the free-throw line.
Williamson was restricted to 18 points in his team's 128-119 defeat at Smoothie King Center, with former Pelican Holiday shining back in New Orleans.
"I'm guessing I've done it quite a bit here," Holiday said, after also scoring 18 points with 11 assists. "So, just coming off that screen and letting it fly.
"We know [Williamson] is such a big part of their offense that if he's not scoring, we had a good chance. I feel like we kind of frustrated him."
Along with Antetokounmpo, three other players scored 30+ points, with Brook Lopez helping out his fellow Buck, while Jonas Valanciunas (37) and CJ McCollum (31) stepped up while Williamson struggled for the Pels.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer reserved praise for Holiday and the job he did on Williamson.
"Jrue, in a kind of subtle, understated way is very, very strong and I think he loved the challenge, beating him to a spot, having the strength to kind of take a hit, pressuring him a little bit," he said.
"There's probably only a handful of guards, if even that many, like Jrue that could maybe pick him up higher, pick him up earlier, do some different things to him."
Aaron Rodgers believes his Green Bay Packers are good enough to win the rest of their games and make a charge for the playoffs after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 24-12 on Monday.
In freezing conditions, Rodgers led the Packers to their second consecutive victory to take their record to 6-8, but they will need to win-out against the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to have any chance of postseason action.
The Rams were without several of their top players, including defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl before the game.
Rodgers said "nobody was upset AD wasn't playing" and that the Packers "should have scored 30" in his absence.
He was rather dismissive of the undermanned Rams in his post-game media appearance, but said he now believes the Packers can go undefeated the rest of the way, despite the tough tests that lie ahead.
"I do [believe]," he said. "We are going to play three better football teams, but I do, definitely.
"They're all good football teams. Miami are playing for the playoffs, Minnesota are obviously division-winners and coming off a big win, and Detroit have won six out of seven and are playing really well.
"It's going to be three difficult games, but two of them are at home against dome teams, and it will be January for those two. We've notoriously been pretty good in those games over the years."
When asked what has been the difference between the Packers in their past two wins compared to the eight-game stretch before where they went 1-7, he said this league is all about momentum.
"You win a game, the vibes are pretty good." he said. "We've just been practising a little bit better, the energy's been a little bit better.
"It’s hard to put your finger on it. We've played a couple of teams we should have beat, but that being said, it's still tough to win in the league.
"I think we can beat anybody. We can also lose to anybody, but when you win a couple in a row, it starts to give you some confidence."
It was Rodgers' ninth consecutive win in Monday night fixtures, but he joked that the primetime slot does not have the same shine it used to.
"When you're a young player, you dream about playing on Monday nights," he said. "When you're an older player, you want those noon games.
"It's past my bedtime. I'm ready to go home and go to sleep."
Damian Lillard wrote his name into his franchise's record books on Monday as he surpassed Hall-of-Famer Clyde Drexler to become the Portland Trail Blazers' new all-time leading scorer.
He entered the contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder trailing by just 20 points, and he crossed that mark with a three-pointer late in the third quarter on his way to 28 points on nine-of-17 shooting.
Lillard is also the franchise leader for career points per game at 24.7, meaning he reached the 18,040 point figure in 137 fewer games than Drexler, who sported a career average of 20.8 per game.
Speaking after the game, Lillard said how despite being largely unbothered by individual accomplishments, this is one he has had his eye on.
"It's a great feeling to reach the top," he said. "It's been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be number one is a special accomplishment that I'm proud of.
"Even during the game tonight, I wasn't playing focused on getting to the record. I was playing the game just trying to win. I knew it would happen eventually."
In a statement, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin paid tribute to his star player.
"Damian's commitment to Portland is now incapsulated with this prestigious career milestone," he said. "His dedication, humility and hard work have been pillars for his path to this very moment.
"On behalf of the organization, we would like to congratulate Damian on this great achievement and look forward to many more."
It is one of many franchise records Lillard will likely claim by the end of his stint in Portland, already owning the record for three-pointers with 2229 – almost 1000 more than C.J. McCollum in second-place (1297) – as well as made free throws (4047).
He is also only 460 assists away from Terry Porter's franchise record (5319), and at his current career average of 6.7 per game, Lillard will reach that mark in another 69 contests.
While it was all about Lillard for Portland, the Thunder rained on his parade as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drained a game-winning buzzer-beater to cap his 35-point night, including 24 in the second half.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's third-leading scorer this season at 31.3 points per game, and is the current favourite for Most Improved Player.
The Green Bay Packers remain in the playoff hunt for at least another week after a relatively comfortable 24-12 home win against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday.
After a field goal each to open the game, the Packers pulled ahead in the second quarter through A.J. Dillon's eight-yard touchdown run, and they were never in danger of being tracked down.
Dillon's second touchdown run of the game – this time from the one-yard line – gave Green Bay some breathing room, before fellow running back Aaron Jones got on the end of Aaron Rodgers' only touchdown pass of the game to extend the margin to 24-6.
The Rams snagged their only touchdown of the game in the final seconds of the third quarter, with Baker Mayfield finding Tyler Higbee on an eight-yard connection to make it a two-score game heading into the last, but they could not mount any more meaningful offense.
In freezing conditions, Rodgers completed 22 of his 30 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but it was the Packers' two-pronged rushing attack that was the difference.
Dillon was inefficient with just 36 yards from his 11 carries, but he made up for it with his two tough touchdown runs and three catches for 35 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Jones totalled 90 yards from his 17 carries, adding four catches for 36 yards and a score.
The Packers are now 6-8 after back-to-back wins, and they will need to keep it going to defeat the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions in the final three weeks to finish above .500 and potentially sneak into the playoffs.
Anthony Edwards continued to show what he can do as a true top option in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
With Karl-Anthony Towns still out, Rudy Gobert was also ruled out in the hours leading up to tip-off, leaving the home Timberwolves as the underdogs against a full-strength Mavericks outfit.
But after one of the best games of his career against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday – when Edwards had 37 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds – the former number one overall draft pick showed it was no fluke.
Playing against arguably the league's top one-man-show in Dallas' Luka Doncic, Edwards produced an all-round performance with 27 points (seven-of-21 shooting), 13 rebounds and nine assists, helping his side build a 20-point buffer heading into the last quarter.
After only exceeding six assists in two of his first 23 games this season, Edwards has now registered at least seven in five of his past eight outings.
He was supported strongly against the Mavericks by Naz Reid, with the sweet-shooting center taking full advantage of his team's absences and his expanded role. He had 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 13 rebounds, after a 28-point, nine-rebound performance on Friday.
Doncic was kept quiet in his 28 minutes, hitting just five-of-17 from the field for 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The win is the Timberwolves' third in a row, pulling their record above .500 at 16-15 after starting the season 2-6.
Giannis, Lopez dominate the Pelicans' interior
Giannis Antetokoumpo put up his third-highest point total of the season as he dropped 42 in the Milwaukee Bucks' 128-119 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Both teams entered the contest in the top-three of their respective conferences, but it was the 2021 NBA Champions coming out on top, with Antetokounmpo shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 17-of-22 from the free throw line while adding 10 rebounds.
Brook Lopez was similarly impressive, also shooting 12-of-17 from the field for 30 points, although his league-leading figure in blocks per game (2.8) took a small dip after only blocking one shot against the Pelicans.
Young carries the Hawks' offense
Trae Young had his fifth game of the season with at least 30 points and 10 assists in a close 126-125 victory to snap a six-game Orlando Magic winning streak.
Young finished with 37 points on 11-of-22 shooting, while also dishing 13 assists. None of his teammates scored more than rookie A.J. Griffin's 19 off the bench.
It was comfortably the best game of the season for former number one draft pick Markelle Fultz, scoring 24 points with nine assists and six rebounds as the Magic's starting point guard.
The best defensive player of his era, Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald was named to his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl on Monday.
Donald was one of the initial two Pro Bowl announcements, with Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander also receiving the honour ahead of Monday's clash between the Rams and Packers.
Drafted in 2014, Donald was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl in the process, and he has gone on to earn selection in every season of his career.
He joins Hall-of-Famers Joe Thomas, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Franco Harris, Derrick Thomas, Mel Renfro, Barry Sanders and Merlin Olsen as the only players to achieve the feat in their first nine seasons.
It adds to one of the sport's greatest defensive resumes, as Donald also has three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and seven consecutive selections to the All-Pro First Team from 2015 through 2021.
Having never played less than 14 games in any of his eight previous seasons, Donald's streak of All-Pro First Teams is in jeopardy after only tallying five sacks in 11 games, with his campaign likely over due to injury.
Meanwhile, Alexander, a first-round pick in 2018 will compete in his second Pro Bowl after also earning selection in 2020, a season where he was named to the All-Pro Second Team.
The rest of the Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Wednesday.
For so much of the 2022 season, the stars have seemed to be aligning for the Cowboys as they look to finally justify the hype that surrounds Dallas before every NFL campaign.
The Cowboys survived an early season quarterback injury to Dak Prescott to start 4-1 with Cooper Rush under center, and have since consistently shown signs of being a team that has the ingredients to go all the way to the Super Bowl.
Prescott, following an unconvincing performance on his return from injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, has rediscovered the level of performance that has helped him ascend to the fringes of the NFL's elite at the quarterback position. The loss of Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns has had a minimal negative impact on the offense, with CeeDee Lamb thriving as the undisputed number one receiver and Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard forming an explosive running back tandem.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys' defense has frequently shown its ability to derail opposing offense through dominance on the defensive line and success in generating takeaways, in which Dallas lead the NFL with 26.
Yet their strength on that side of the ball is now worthy of being called into question following a four-game stretch in which the Cowboys went 3-1 but saw their proficiency on defense drop off significantly.
Indeed, since Week 12, the Cowboys have allowed an average of 359.8 net yards per game. Only 10 teams have given up more in that span. Between Weeks 1 and 11, the Cowboys were the ninth-best defense in the NFL by the same measure.
The Cowboys were able to survive their defensive decline across Weeks 12 to 14, beating the New York Giants by a possession and blowing out the Indianapolis Colts with a fourth-quarter avalanche, before they narrowly avoided a humiliating loss to the Houston Texans in a game in which they gave up 23 points to the NFL's second-worst offense by yards per play.
But their Week 15 meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars arguably served as a harbinger of what could come for the Cowboys in the postseason if Dan Quinn's defense cannot get back on track.
Though their loss to the Jaguars was settled by a Prescott pick-six as Rayshawn Jenkins returned an overtime interception that clanked off the hands of Noah Brown, it was one borne of the Cowboys' inability to kill the Jaguars off having led 27-10 in the third quarter.
Dallas gave up two 75-yard touchdown drives, sandwiched by a 39-yard drive, to surrender that advantage in just under nine minutes of game time. The Cowboys' defense conceded eight explosive runs of at least 10 yards and 11 such passes, and were unable to preserve the lead Prescott restored with just over three minutes remaining with his second touchdown pass to Brown.
Of course, the Cowboys' defense did get the ball back to Prescott with a forced fumble from Trevor Lawrence immediately after that score, and criticism of the Dallas offense for calling a shot play to Brown on third down on the subsequent drive that fell incomplete and gave Lawrence another shot with a minute left is merited.
But the offense is rarely going to be perfect on every drive, and the frustrating thing for the Cowboys as that this was a defeat suffered amid one of Prescott's finest performances of the season.
Prescott delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 27 of his 30 pass attempts. His well-thrown rate of 90 per cent was the fourth best among quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts going into Monday and the best for signal-callers with an average of at least eight air yards per attempt. Prescott averaged 8.33, with his impressive combination of aggressiveness and accuracy exemplified by his perfectly placed 20-yard touchdown throw to Peyton Hendershot on a wheel route to put the Cowboys up 14-0 in the second quarter.
In terms of turnovers, the defense did offer support to Prescott by producing three, and the Cowboys' quarterback was not blameless in their loss of the original 17-point lead, throwing a third-quarter interception to Jenkins that set Jacksonville up for a touchdown to trim the advantage to 27-24.
But the reality is the offense scored enough points to beat Jacksonville and, instead of complementing that effort with a display that frustrated the Jags and an improving Jacksonville attack, the Dallas defense instead delivered volatility that should worry a team that will almost certainly have to go on the road as a Wild Card in the NFC playoffs.
Brown's unreliability in the clutch could be seen as an error that justifies owner Jerry Jones' continued apparent lobbying for the Cowboys to sign Odell Beckham Jr. for their playoff push.
Yet the Cowboys are not a wide receiver, especially one whose status in his recovery from a torn ACL remains unknown, away from winning their conference. They are instead seemingly short the kind of defense that can propel them to glory against opponents like the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers who can stymie their offense and whom they will surely need to overcome to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
With a postseason berth secured, there's plenty of reason for hope in Dallas, but there could be trouble ahead if the Cowboys cannot halt a worrying defensive downturn.
Atlanta Falcons running back Caleb Huntley suffered a torn Achilles in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, ending his season.
Huntley, 24, went undrafted in 2021 before spending his entire first campaign on the Falcons' practice squad.
He was elevated to the active roster for the first time in Week 2 this season, before being thrust into a starting role two weeks later, scoring his only professional touchdown in Atlanta's Week 4 win against the Cleveland Browns.
The former Ball State player set a new career-high in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, carrying 16 times for 91 yards in an overtime win, but he has since been relegated back to a depth role as Cordarrelle Patterson has returned to health and rookie Tyler Allgeier continues to impress.
Avery Williams will function as the third-stringer going forward, with the backfield trending towards Allgeier after he put up 139 rushing yards and a touchdown from 17 carries against the Saints.
Nick Kyrgios could "just retire" if he wins a grand slam in the upcoming 2023 season.
The Australian had one of his best years yet in 2022, winning three doubles titles and also collecting the Washington Open singles final in August.
However, Kyrgios fell short again at the season's grand slams despite reaching the Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in four sets.
With the Australian Open, Kyrgios' home tournament and first grand slam of the year, less than a month away, the 27-year-old could call it quits should he win a maiden grand slam.
Speaking between matches at an exhibition event, Kyrgios told reporters: "Hopefully I can win a Slam and just retire.
"Would I sign again? Honestly, I don't know about it.
"It took a lot of hard work this [2022] season, a lot of discipline and it seems the better you do, everyone wants a bit more of you and it becomes more stressful.
"But I had a lot of fun this season. And I’m finally just proud to say I made a Slam final and started to meet some expectations. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed it, definitely felt better off and on the court."
It is not the first time Kyrgios has suggested an early retirement, having stated in October he will "probably not" play past the age of 30.
With the intention of attracting more males to gymnastics, Colombian national Parkour leader Angie Julieth Sánchez Molina is in Jamaica to conduct an introductory course from December 20-22 at the National Gymnastics Training Centre on Slipe Road in Kingston.
Molina is an international Parkour judge and a Member of the Parkour Technical Commission International Gymnastics Federation coach.
Parkour is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing artistic-gymnastic maneuvers.
With roots in military obstacle course training and martial arts, parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, plyometrics, rolling, and quadrupedal movement—whatever is suitable for a given situation.
The course is designed to instruct the participants on the necessary information to start up this new discipline in their countries and form a united community that contributes to the development of the discipline in the Central American region of the Pan American Gymnastics Union.
It also aims to grow the number of parkour practitioners and athletes in the region, strengthen the start of parkour in the sports and federation field and encourage the creation of new programs adapted to the style of each country.
According to Nicole Grant President of the Jamaica Gymnastics Association, equipment to facilitate the course arrived about three weeks ago and is being set up for the start of the course on Tuesday, December 20.
Grant believes it was time to introduce a new discipline in gymnastics to the island that has made steady gains in traditional forms of the sport over the past few years.
“We really wanted to introduce a new discipline that appeals to the male population and we find that Parkour is one that more males may be interested in because there is a stigma when it comes on to artistic gymnastics, which is what we do now,” she said.
“So, we are hoping that Parkour, which is also a discipline at the world championships level and will soon be at the Olympics level and we do have a number of youngsters at our gym, especially boys, who are actually doing it but they don’t know that they are.
“Boys like to jump over stuff, they like challenges like that and I think it will definitely appeal to the boys.”
This realization, she said, prompted her to reach out to the Pan American Gymnastics Union about local interest in Parkour.
“It was really at short notice because it’s the end of the year and the year for Parkour is actually wrapping up, so it was a challenge for them to get us to do the course here because you really need the equipment and they so that sent us the equipment, which thankfully came on time and in time for the course.”
The Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday may have come at a cost, as Jalen Hurts reportedly sprained his throwing shoulder and is uncertain to play in this week's key divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
The injury is not expected to be a long-term one, but could prevent him from playing in Week 16, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
If Hurts is unable to play against the Cowboys on Saturday, Gardner Minshew would be in line to get the start.
Hurts was reportedly injured late in the third quarter of the 25-20 win at Chicago but was able to finish the game. He threw for 315 yards with two interceptions and had three touchdown runs while rushing for 61 yards.
With the win, the Eagles improved their NFL-best record to 13-1 and took a three-game lead over the Cowboys atop the NFC East with three games to play.
Already assured of a playoff berth, Philadelphia can clinch the division and the number one seed in the NFC playoffs with a victory at Dallas on Christmas Eve.
Hurts has been instrumental to Philadelphia's sensational season and is one of the leading candidates for league MVP with career highs of 3,472 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing TDs. He also ranks fourth in the NFL in quarterback rating (104.6).
Bernard Laporte will step back from his role as president of the French Rugby Federation after his corruption conviction, but he could return to the top office.
Former France coach Laporte wanted to remain in charge at the federation (FFR), but on Monday accepted a ruling by its ethics committee that he must relinquish power.
Handed a two-year suspended prison sentence last Tuesday, Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby within hours as an act of "self-suspension." Now he will follow a similar tack with French rugby's top authority.
An investigation examined a number of decisions made by Laporte 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.
He has denied any wrongdoing and is to appeal against his court punishments. Consequently, the FFR has not ousted Laporte permanently at this stage, giving him the chance to clear his name.
The ethics committee told the 58-year-old he must accept "provisional withdrawal, as a precaution until a final criminal decision" from all presidential duties, with a temporary successor to be put in place.
According to the FFR, Laporte elected to follow the instruction "to the letter." He will remain president, officially at least, but be powerless.
"He is asked to withdraw temporarily while the final criminal decision is made," the federation said.
"This implies in particular that the president will no longer participate in the various decision-making bodies of the French Rugby Federation, and will no longer sign any commitment under the FFR."
The FFR said it intended for the action to take effect after a meeting between Laporte and Amelie Oudea-Castera, France's sports minister, which is scheduled for Thursday.
Oudea-Castera was among the first to call for Laporte to step down following his conviction, saying it would be inappropriate for him to remain in control ahead of France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year.
She has also voiced opposition to the idea of a stand-in president, questioning the "legitimacy" of such a presence at the top of the organisation.
A year after shocking the college football world with his decision to play at Jackson State, former top-ranked recruit Travis Hunter announced he is entering the transfer portal.
Hunter's decision comes weeks after his former coach Deion Sanders left Jackson State to take the job at Colorado.
While Sanders made it clear that he expects plenty of former Jackson State players to follow him to Colorado, Hunter did not yet commit to playing for the Buffaloes.
The five-star recruit revealed the decision to transfer on his personal YouTube channel, saying "I don't know what I am going to do next."
While Colorado is a possible landing spot for Hunter, Georgia, USC and Miami are reportedly also in the mix.
Hunter had originally committed to play at Florida State after coming out of high school in Georgia atop the 2022 recruiting class before shockingly decide to play for Sanders at Jackson State – a historically black college that plays on the FCS level.
He enjoyed a solid freshman season playing on both sides of the ball for a Tigers team that finished the season 12-1 with a 41-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Central in Saturday's Celebration Bowl.
As a defensive back, Hunter had two interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery, while also hauling in 18 passes for 188 yards and four touchdowns while playing receiver.
Roger Federer is the greatest of all time and tennis' equivalent of NBA legend Michael Jordan, according to Frances Tiafoe.
Federer retired in September of this year after one of the most successful careers in tennis history, having won his first grand slam at Wimbledon in 2003.
Playing in one of male tennis' most competitive eras ever alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Federer went on to win 20 grand slam titles before calling it quits at the age of 41.
Tiafoe, ranked 19th in the world, is a big NBA fan and found a basketball parallel for Federer in the form of Jordan, who won six NBA championships in the 1990s as well as five MVP awards.
Asked which NBA player he would compare Federer with, Tiafoe told The Old man and the Three Podcast: "I would say MJ.
"You think of MJ and you think that brother was crazy and you think of Federer...everything they did, you're just in awe every time you watched them."
Questioned on whether the Jordan comparison meant he viewed Federer as the greatest tennis player ever, Tiafoe replied: "Oh absolutely. Even though Rafa [Nadal] has more grand slams."
Federer once held the record for most grand slams among male players, but he has now been surpassed by both Djokovic and Nadal, the latter of whom leads the way with 22 titles.
Tiafoe overcame Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open this year and compared the Spaniard's mentality to that of the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"I would give Giannis, just from how he approaches the game and the effort he brings every night," added Tiafoe.
"Just because Giannis is coming to kill you every night. He's going to kill you and Rafa has that attitude too.
"Super nice guy, but as soon we get out there you can just feel that aura and it's the same with Giannis."
Djokovic's chase of Nadal at the top of the grand slam leaderboard was hindered in 2022 by his vaccination status, which prevented him playing at the Australian Open or the US Open, the former of which was won by the Mallorcan.
Djokovic did however collect a seventh Wimbledon crown, and will be able to resume hunting down Nadal at the upcoming Australian Open in January having been granted a visa.
Tiafoe compared the 35-year-old to Denver Nuggets star and fellow Serbian Nikola Jokic, who is the reigning NBA MVP having won the prestigious award two seasons running.
"You're watching him [Jokic] play and you just like how but also you're just in awe of his greatness," Tiafoe added. "Like what can't this guy do on a basketball court?
"This guy [is] a freak. It doesn't look your most traditional way or how you want it to look or whatever.
"Same with Novak. It's not like the prettiest game ever but these guys just get it done."
Tom Brady's assessment that the Bengals' defense is "fairly tough" was proven to be a significant understatement, and Cincinnati revelled in illustrating his misjudgement after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback turned the ball over three times in their Week 15 clash.
A 34-23 victory gave the visitors the last laugh in Tampa, a result that marked the first time in 90 games a Brady side lost a home game after leading by 17, and extended the Bengals winning streak to six games.
Prior to the game, Brady said on the SiriusXM 'Let's Go!' podcast that the Bengals possessed a "fairly tough" defense.
Though the comments were blown out of proportion in the days leading up to the game, they were not forgotten by the Bengals.
Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt poked fun at Brady, saying: "Hearing that from an old, savvy vet from him, we're a 'fairly tough defense,' with four turnovers, what would you say - tough as nails?"
Defensive tackle BJ Hill admitted the team's early performance fitted Brady's description, though he was delighted to quiet a chatty Bucs offense in the second half.
"That's how we played in the first half, I'm not going to lie to you. But we just came out in the second half and played our tails off," he told reporters.
"They really didn't say too much when we got up on them. I told them, 'Just wait until the second half.' I knew what we were going to do in the second half. And we did that."
For safety Jessie Bates III, the Bengals' defensive efforts had little to do so with Brady's comments.
"We don't really care about what people say. It is how it is, week in and week out. Somebody's going to say something. At the end of the day, they got to see us," he said.
The 10-4 Bengals hold a narrow lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the battle for the AFC North crown. Cincinnati face Baltimore in their final regular-season game on January 8.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has no idea how the NFL MVP voters can pick anyone other than Patrick Mahomes for the league's highest individual honour.
Mahomes and the Chiefs had to go to overtime to defeat the one-win Houston Texans 30-24 and clinch the AFC West for the seventh successive season on Sunday.
The 2018 MVP completed 36 of his 41 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, as well as running for another score, though his impressive performance through the air was undermined somewhat by Kansas City committing 10 penalties for 102 yards and the Chiefs twice turning the ball over on fumbles.
Jalen Hurts, the quarterback of the 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles who look destined for the one seed in the NFC, is the bookmakers' favourite for the MVP.
The Chiefs are 11-3 and on course to finish as the AFC's second seed, but Reid believes Mahomes is still worthy of a second MVP despite the Eagles' superior record.
"You saw Pat and what he did. I mean, he took care of business today," Reid said in his press conference when asked about the team cleaning up penalties.
"He went back to work and worked on it. I mean, you're talking about a guy that, if he's not the MVP in the league, I'm not sure what’s wrong with them.
"But he cleaned it up and comes out, and we have almost 500 yards of offense, minus 100 of penalties.
"That’s a pretty spectacular day there. But that's what he did. Great example of how you go back to the drawing board and make sure that you clean everything up."
Mahomes leads the NFL with 4,496 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, while his 40 passing plays of 25 yards or more are the most in the league and nine more than that of Hurts.
Justin Fields received a fitting moniker from Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay after the Chicago Bears quarterback added yet more plays for his extensive 2022 highlight reel in their Week 15 clash.
A 25-20 victory for the Eagles put Philadelphia one win away from securing the top seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they were made to work hard by the three-win Bears.
Fields was the driving force behind the Bears' valiant efforts, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for 95 yards to break 1,000 rushing yards for the season, joining Lamar Jackson (2019, 2020) and Michael Vick (2006) as the only quarterbacks to hit the four-figure mark.
While the loss dropped the Bears to 3-11, the second-worst record in the NFL, Slay believes the future is bright for Chicago with Fields leading the team.
"He's a 4.4 guy [in the 40-yard dash]. That's what makes it tough. He is not like a 4.7 or nothing. When he gets up the field he can make you miss and he can run past you," he told reporters.
"The kid's tough. He gets hit a lot and keeps going. He had a cramp, went in and came back in for a two-minute drive. He's a tough kid.
"Chicago got a lot of upside coming from him. They're gonna have a great future with him. He's a highlight film, for real man. I salute my cap off to him and it's hard for a quarterback to be that tough."
With three games remaining in the Bears' season, Fields sits 207 yards away from breaking Jackson's single-season rushing record of 1,206 yards for a quarterback, set in 2019, and conceded breaking that mark is a goal for him with the Bears' playoff hopes having long since been ended.
"I'm already deep in it this year, so might as well try to go get that record," he told reporters.
"I think I need, what, 206? So, three games left? That's about 70 yards a game? We'll see what happens."
While Jackson has broken the 1,000-yard mark in two different seasons, Fields does not intend to make it a habit, adding: "I don't plan on rushing for 1,000 yards every year."
The Bears face a difficult end to the season, with home games against the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, who have already secured their playoff spots, either side of a trip to face a rejuvenated Lions side in Detroit.
Rafael Nadal has made a swift appointment after long-time ally Francis Roig left his coaching team.
The record 22-time men's grand slam singles champion has brought in Argentinian Gustavo Marcaccio to work with lead coach Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez.
Nadal announced on Friday that Roig was departing, having worked with the Spaniard since 2005, to take on "a new project".
With the new ATP season just days away from beginning, Marcaccio has accepted the chance to step in, with the 45-year-old having held a position at Nadal's academy in Mallorca for the past 20 months.
Marcaccio had a mostly undistinguished playing career, reaching a high of 284th on the rankings, but he has strong coaching credentials, having worked with the likes of Juan Monaco, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Guido Pella.
Nadal wrote on Twitter: "Hello everyone. I want to inform you of the incorporation of Gustavo Marcaccio to the technical team.
"Gustavo has been working at the @rafanadalacademy since April 2021 and I understand that he is a good addition to the team. I am sure he will help us a lot to follow the path. Welcome!"
Nadal will return to Melbourne as the defending champion at the Australian Open in January, having won that and the French Open in 2022 to move ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the men's all-time grand slam list.
Steve Borthwick has been appointed England's new head coach on a five-year contract.
The former Red Rose captain leaves Leicester Tigers to take over from Eddie Jones, who was sacked earlier this month.
Borthwick previously served as a forwards coach alongside Jones when England reached the 2019 World Cup final.
The new man at the helm also worked with Jones during the Australian's time in charge of Japan, and he vacates his Leicester role after winning the Premiership title last season.
The 43-year-old brings rugby league great Kevin Sinfield with him from the Tigers as defence coach.
Former lock Borthwick played 57 Tests for England and was part of the squad that reached the 2007 World Cup final.
The 43-year-old's first match in charge will be England's Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4, with Argentina their first Rugby World Cup opponents in Marseille on September 9.
Confirmation came in a statement from England Rugby, which read: "Former England captain and forwards coach Steve Borthwick has been announced as England men's head coach from today.
"Kevin Sinfield has also been appointed to the position of England men's defence coach, taking on the role this week."
Borthwick said: "I'm deeply honoured to be appointed England head coach, and I am very excited by the challenge.
"The English game is full of talent and I want to build a winning team which makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people to fall in love with rugby union the way I did. I want the whole country to be proud of us and to enjoy watching us play.
"The hard work starts now and planning for the Guinness Six Nations and Rugby World Cup begins today. I will give it everything.”
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