HOUSTON (AP) — The only thing standing between the Kansas City Chiefs and their seventh straight AFC West title are the lowly Houston Texans. But the Chiefs know better than to overlook the one-win Texans, especially after they nearly pulled off a huge upset over Dallas last week. The Chiefs have won six of their last seven games and the Texans need a win to avoid losing nine straight for the first time since dropping the final 14 games of the 2013 season.
SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie Brock Purdy a pair of touchdown passes to George Kittle, and the San Francisco 49ers won their first NFC West title since 2019, beating the Seattle Seahawks 21-13. Despite using their third starting quarterback this season, the 49ers continued to show they might be the class of the NFC alongside Philadelphia. San Francisco won its seventh straight, using its stifling defense to frustrate Seattle into countless mistakes. Playing on the road for the first time in his career, Purdy connected on his first 11 pass attempts. He finished 17 of 26 for 217 yards. Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games and its playoff hopes took another hit.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons isn't wasting time getting people talking about the Philadelphia rivalry again. The teams don't meet for the second time in 2022 until next week. But Parsons' exchange with Von Miller on “The Voncast” grabbed national attention. Parsons posed the question of whether quarterback Jalen Hurts or the team was more responsible for the Eagles' NFL-leading 12-1 record. Parsons and Miller both said it was the QB and the team. Parsons says he wasn't disrespecting Hurts. Parsons has said before he believes defensive players should be a bigger part of MVP conversations.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have added Carlos Rodón to their rotation, agreeing to a $162 million, six-year contract with the left-hander. A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed the contract to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical. New York took care of its most pressing question when it convinced AL MVP Aaron Judge to stay in the Bronx with a $360 million, nine-year contract — baseball’s biggest free agent deal ever. But the contract for Rodón is an addition for the reigning AL East champions. Rodón went 14-8 this year with a 2.88 ERA in his lone season with the San Francisco Giants.
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms with Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and twice led Japan's Pacific League in batting. The deal will pay him $90 million over five years. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated infielder Jeter Downs for assignment. Downs had been acquired in the trade for Mookie Betts. Yoshida led Orix to a victory in the Japan Series in October, homering twice in Game 5 — including a walk-off to help Buffaloes rally from a ninth-inning deficit.
UNDATED (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will be the next president of the NCAA, replacing Mark Emmert as the head of the largest college sports governing body in the country. Baker, a Republican, has been governor of Massachusetts since 2015. He announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election. He will start the job in March 2023. Emmert announced he would step down earlier this year after 12 years of leading the NCAA. Battered by losses in the court and attacks by politicians, the NCAA is going through a sweeping reform, trying to decentralize the way college sports is governed.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA isn’t backing away from enforcing rules and imposing penalties for rules violations amid a host of changes to college sports’ governing body. But it is hoping that changes to the enforcement process lead to cases being handled more efficiently. The NCAA announced an agreement with Memphis to resolve recruiting violations within the Tigers' men's basketball program. That allowed Memphis to begin serving penalties even while one individual in the case contests allegations. It marks the second time the NCAA has allowed a split case. The other came in September tied to football recruiting violations at Air Force.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Logan Eggleston, the three-time Big 12 player of the year, had the game-winning kill to reach 16 on the match and No. 1 overall seed Texas beat San Diego 26-28, 25-16, 25-18, 25-20 in the semifinals of the NCAA volleyball tournament. Texas, in its 14th semifinal appearance, is going to the championship match for the ninth time in program history. The Longhorns will go for their fourth national championship on Saturday. Texas trailed 4-0 to start the fourth set but rallied with four unanswered points for an 8-7 lead. Eggleston, who struggled with four attacking errors in the first set, turned it around and had the game-winning kill to send Texas to the championship match.
UNDATED (AP) — It has been three years since the the last time that every postseason college football game was played. The pandemic made a shell of the 2020 postseason. Last year, the pandemic caused five games to be canceled. There should be a full slate of bowl games over the next month, 42 of them in all. AP College Footbal Writer Ralph Russo is picking Georgia and Michigan to reach the national championship game.
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — As Lionel Messi approaches his second and likely last World Cup final the stakes could hardly be higher. The same goes for Argentina after more than 30 years of disappointment since it last won soccer’s ultimate prize. For Messi victory against France at Lusail Stadium on Sunday is a chance to finally get his hands on the one major trophy that has eluded him in his storied career. In doing so he would push ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo who has also never won a World Cup in the long-running rivalry between the two greatest players of their generation.
THURSDAY SCORES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final San Francisco 21 Seattle 13
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (22)Wisconsin 78 Lehigh 56
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Memphis 142 Milwaukee 101
Final Miami 111 Houston 108
Final OT Utah 132 New Orleans 129
Final Phoenix 111 L.A. Clippers 95
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 3 Seattle 2
Final N-Y Rangers 3 Toronto 1
Final Tampa Bay 4 Columbus 1
Final Philadelphia 2 New Jersey 1
Final Anaheim 5 Montreal 2
Final Dallas 2 Washington 1
Final Pittsburgh 4 Florida 2
Final SO Los Angeles 3 Boston 2
Final OT Winnipeg 2 Nashville 1
Final Vegas 4 Chicago 1
Final Buffalo 4 Colorado 2
Final SO St. Louis 4 Edmonton 3