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Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 37-3 win over Seahawks | COMMENTARY

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

Here’s how the Ravens (7-2) graded out at each position after a 37-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks (5-3) in Sunday’s Week 9 game at M&T Bank Stadium.QuarterbacksLamar Jackson started slowly but quickly took control of the game with both his passing and his legs. He made several good checks at the line of scrimmage, especially in the first half. Jackson and the rest of the offense got a little sloppy in the third quarter, but the Seahawks still couldn’t find a way to slow him down. Jackson completed 21 of 26 passes for 187 yards and ran for 60 yards on 10 carries. He had two fumbles, but one wasn’t his fault as left tackle Ronnie Stanley was beaten badly and Jackson was hit from behind as he attempted to throw. Grade: B+Running backsThe running game was dominant and overpowering, and the Ravens wore Seattle down in the second half. Gus Edwards was dominant inside and had 52 yards and two touchdowns on five carries. Justice Hill had 40 yards on 13 carries b...

Callahan: The Patriots lost to a tanking team, so what does that make them?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

FOXBORO — Five days before kickoff, the Commanders punted on their season.They traded two of the NFL’s most menacing pass-rushers, Chase Young and Montez Sweat, for draft picks. Those deals signaled to players, coaches and fans alike that Washington higher-ups had no regard for the rest of the season.On to the future. The tank is on.But Sunday, the Commanders beat the Patriots anyway.Allow that to hit you again, with all the force of a real tank.The Patriots lost to a team whose ownership would have preferred defeat. The one-time gold standard of the NFL fell to a franchise defined by top-down dysfunction and toxicity for 20 years. Facing a defanged defense, the Pats were out-gained by 104 yards and held the ball for 15 fewer minutes.So, what does that make them?For now, the answer is just 2-7. The Patriots are a bad team suffering through a lost season. They are not special in this regard, merely following in the footsteps of NFL losers past. In the same vein, their bleeding ...

Trump thumps Biden in swing states, new 2024 poll shows

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

If the 2024 general election were held today, a new multistate poll shows that many of the key swing states that propelled President Biden into the White House in 2020 would go to former President Donald Trump and likely return him to office.According to a survey of more than 3,000 registered voters released Sunday by the Siena College Research Institute and the New York Times, with just under a year left until election day Trump is beating Biden in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada.The poll shows Biden winning in Wisconsin, but that’s not enough to prevent Trump from securing more than enough electoral college votes to claim victory nationally.“The only good news for President Joe Biden in this New York Times/Siena College poll is that it was conducted a year before voters go to the polls,” Siena pollster Don Levy said in a statement. “Currently, former President Donald Trump leads Biden in five of six key battleground states – all won by Biden in 2020 – that will...

TVO workers vote to accept deal with employer, ending 11-week strike

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

TORONTO — Dozens of workers at Ontario’s public broadcaster will return to their jobs Monday after voting this weekend to accept a new collective agreement and end a strike that’s stretched on for nearly three months.TVO says the accepted offer includes a wage increase of 7.7 per cent over three years — three per cent retroactive to 2022, 2.75 per cent in 2023 and 1.75 per cent in 2024.“Everyone at TVO is looking forward to having our team at full strength once again and focusing our efforts on delivering the important educational content and current affairs journalism TVO is known for,” CEO Jeffrey Orridge said in a news release.The employer said TVO also withdrew various proposals that would have extended employment contracts beyond two years and the new deal increases access to job opportunities for production staff.Meredith Martin, president of the TVO branch of Canadian Media Guild, the union which represents around 70 journalists, producers and ed...

CTA employee injured in altercation on platform in Loop

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

CHICAGO — An altercation on a CTA platform in the Loop left an employee injured on Saturday night, according to police.Chicago police say the altercation unfolded on a platform in the 200 block of South State Street around 8 p.m.According to officers, the CTA employee, a 59-year-old man, allegedly got into a physical altercation with a man, and during the struggle, the employee fell down a nearby escalator. Chicago police: Anti-Semitic messages placed on parked cars in Portage Park Police say the employee suffered a laceration to his right arm and a bruise on his head during the fall.Officers say the other person involved in the altercation fled from the scene after the employee fell and was later taken into custody in the 100 block of North Dearborn Street.Currently, it is unclear what led to the altercation and authorities have not yet identified anyone involved.

Jefferson Park bike shop hosts 'Cranksgiving' food, bike drive

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

CHICAGO — It's a bike ride and a food drive, a Jefferson Park bike shop hosted a 'Cranksgiving.' With the holiday season shifting into gear, Cosmic Bikes on Milwaukee Avenue is bringing cycling enthusiasts together on a journey to give back. It was an idea that started in New York and Cosmic Bikes hosted its first 'Cranksgiving' last year."We were shocked by how well it went; it was really frigid that day and we had a good turnout. We really had a pile of goods at the end of the event," Chris Strodder from Cosmic Bikes said.Chris Stodder and Justyna Frank, the shop owners, designed the drive where participants receive a list of specific items including canned foods and dry goods they can purchase. "We also give them a list of stores, suggest locally owned also include your standard grocery stores located nearby people can make their own choice," Frank said. They choose their own route and roll out, coming back to the shop to drop off their donations and celebrate.All of the donation...

Vikings receiver Brandon Powell battled cramps to haul in winning touchdown

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

ATLANTA — Vikings receiver Brandon Powell joked that it was going to be a rough plane ride back to the Twin Cities. He was battling cramps toward the end of Sunday’s game between the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium. It got to a point where he felt pain every time he took a step.No matter.In the biggest moment of the game, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Powell made sure he was on the field. It’s a good thing because he hauled in the winning touchdown to lead the Vikings to a 31-28 victory over the Falcons. How did he push through the pain?“There’s nothing to do really except breathe,” Powell said. “You want to get back out there. Just breathe, suck it up, and try to make a play. You don’t feel it until after.”Nobody had a better view of Powell’s touchdown catch than rookie receiver Jordan Addison. He was running a route near the back of the end zone, taking the cornerback with him, which left Powell wide open in the en...

St. Louis City SC eliminated from MLS playoffs in upset

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sporting Kansas City pulled off one of the greatest upsets in MLS history as an 8-seed by sweeping 1-seed St. Louis City SC in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. Last Sunday, Sporting shocked STL on the road by beating them 4-1 in Game 1 of Round One. Chiefs players describe Bryan Cook’s fumble return touchdown In Game 2, Sporting defeated St. Louis 2-1 on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. At the end of a physical first half that saw Sporting dominate possession at 63% with 19 combined fouls (eight for Sporting) and three combined yellow cards (one for SKC), left back Logan Ndenbe knocked a right-footed shot home from the left side of the box to give Sporting a 1-0 lead at the half.Striker Alan Pulido got the assist on the goal on Ndenbe's second goal of the postseason. In the 73rd minute, forward Johnny Russell got a through pass to midfielder Gadi Kinda, who passed a ball through a defender's legs to connect with forward Dániel Sallói for the se...

'Strong' El Niño winter coming: Here's where we could see more snow

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – In these uncertain times, we know at least one thing for sure: El Niño is here. There's 100% certainty El Niño will last through early winter, the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recently said, and a 90% or higher chance it lasts into spring. El Niño typically divides the country in half, but where the dividing line falls varies from year to year. The southern third to half of the United States, including California, is likely to be wetter during an El Niño winter. The Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley are usually dry and warm. While El Niño's impacts are never a guarantee, the climate pattern tends to influence weather across the U.S. as it reaches peak strength in the winter. When will it feel like winter? NOAA updates holiday season forecast Does that mean El Niño will bring winter storms and feet of snow? Not everywhere and not necessarily, explains Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist with the Clim...

Chiefs hold off Dolphins comeback to win first NFL Germany game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:39:46 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany — The Kansas City Chiefs roared to a big first-half lead and held on to beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in the NFL's first game in Germany. The Chiefs got off to a hot start when they got the ball first and scored in seven plays with a Patrick Mahomes 11-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice. The next score didn't come until near the two-minute warning when the Chiefs capped a 13-play 95-yard drive with Mahomes' second TD pass to running back Jerick McKinnon to take a 14-0 lead.As the Dolphins worked to drive the field during the last minute of the first half, cornerback Trent McDuffie forced a fumble from former Chiefs star Tyreek Hill. Safety Mike Edwards recovered the ball and was tackled by Hill while lateraling the ball to safety Bryan Cook who galloped 59 yards to give the Chiefs a 21-0 lead at the half. In the second half, the Dolphins scored on an eight-play, 80-yard drive with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connecting with receiver Cedrick Wil...