NFL Playoff Projection: It's not a classic Ravens-Steelers game, but it could determine a playoff spot

The AFC North has seen better days. The Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens rivalry has too.

Plenty of seasons, the AFC North is among the best divisions in the NFL. That's not the case this season. Every other division has at least two teams with a record over .500. The AFC North has none. Barring a tie, that will change Sunday when the 6-6 Ravens take on the 6-6 Steelers. It will also go a long way in determining who gets a playoff spot out of the AFC North, though the 4-8 Cincinnati Bengals somehow aren't dead yet in the race.

The Ravens have rallied from a 1-5 start to the season, but a 32-14 loss to the Bengals last week indicated they still have plenty of issues that might keep them from a deep playoff run. The Steelers have their issues too. They struggled on both sides of the ball in a 26-7 loss to the Bills, which led some home fans to start a chant to fire coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers and Ravens once battled many years for AFC supremacy, now they're just hoping for a win to stay relevant.

Baltimore is still favored to win the division, at 51.1% onDVOA's projectionsvs. 42.4% for the Steelers. The Steelers can flip those odds and then some with a win at Baltimore.According to NFL.com, the Steelers will be 61% to make the playoffs with a win and 16% with a loss. For the Ravens it's 81% with a win and 36% with a loss. The teams have similar strength of schedule down the stretch. The division will likely be decided if either team can sweep the other. They face each other again at Pittsburgh in Week 18.

Someone has to win the worst division in the NFL this season. We'll be closer to an answer after Sunday's showdown between the two teams tied for first place.

Here are the other Week 14 games that will have the biggest impact on the playoff picture:

Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions

Neither team is in the playoff field heading into Week 14. The winner of this Thursday night game won't be assured of making it to the postseason. But the loser will be in rough shape with four weeks to go.

It feels like a bit of an elimination game in the NFC picture. The 6-5-1 Cowboys have clawed themselves back into the picture, but because they got off to such a slow start, they can't afford a loss that drops them back to .500. They're ninth in the NFC playoff race and barely ahead of the 7-6 Panthers in 10th place.

The Lions being out of the current playoff bracket in December is a shock. But they're just 7-5. Another loss, especially to a fellow wild-card contender, would be a damaging blow.

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts went from a 7-1 start tomaybe needing this win. They are tied with the Jaguars at 8-4 atop the division and the Texans are a game back at 7-5. The Colts' remaining schedule after this game: at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans. That's a brutal stretch. Falling a game behind the Jaguars with many tough games remaining wouldn't be great for their playoff hopes.

The Jaguars have quietly climbed to four games above .500 and have won three in a row. Winning Sunday would increase their chances of making the playoffs to 96%, according to NFL.com.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

The Bears are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and a win at Green Bay would be a sign that they can stay there. The 8-3-1 Packers are right behind the 9-3 Bears, and that Packers tie at Dallas early in the season eliminates a lot of the math concerning tiebreakers (which might be good for Chicago because they have two divisional losses, and the Packers have none). Chicago plays Green Bay in the late set of games on Sunday and plays the Packers again in Week 16. A loss wouldn't be a horrible blow to the Bears' chances of winning the division because they get the rematch at home, but a win would push them to a nice lead over the Packers with only four games left.

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefshaters, this is a big game. If the Chiefs lose, their playoff chances would be down to 11%, according to NFL.com. But a win boosts them to 50%. This game looked like a Chiefs win a few weeks ago, but the Texans have gotten hot. Houston's defense has been the best in the NFL. The Texans have won four in a row and are in the AFC South race and also the wild-card race. A loss here would hurt in both, and especially for the Texans in the wild-card race because they would cede the head-to-head tiebreaker to Kansas City. They'd also be two games behind the winner of the Colts-Jaguars game.

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December 03, 2025

NFL Playoff Projection: It's not a classic Ravens-Steelers game, but it could determine a playoff spot

The AFC North has seen better days. The Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens rivalry has too. Plenty of ...

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Chris Paul sent home after Clippers say they are 'parting ways' with the NBA legend

Los Angeles legend Chris Paul has been cut from the Clippers and sent home in a shock move confirmed by the franchise late Tuesday, less than two months into what was meant to be the player's last season.

"Just Found Out I'm Being Sent Home," Paul, 40, wrote on his Instagram Tuesday night.

In astatement toESPN, the Clippers president, Lawrence Frank, confirmed the team is "parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be with the team."

"We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career," Frank said in the statement.

"I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we've struggled. We're grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise," the statement added.

The Clippers did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.

The LA team has had 5-16 so far this season and sits 14th in the Western Conference. The Clippers are on the road in Atlanta and will face the Hawks on Wednesday night without Paul.

Paul averages 2.9 points this season, his 21st, with 15 appearances and no starts. He played on Monday, where the Clippers lost to the Miami Heat, scoring 8 points and recording three assists.

Paul, known as CP3 or "The Point God," is a modern basketball great, second on the all-time assists list with more than 12,500, and has been an NBA All-Star 12 times.

This is Paul's second stint with the Clippers, having played for the team during a hugely successful six seasons from 2011 to 2017, and his fans had hoped this season would have had a more celebratory ending for an almost certain future Hall of Famer.

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December 03, 2025

Chris Paul sent home after Clippers say they are 'parting ways' with the NBA legend

Los Angeles legend Chris Paul has been cut from the Clippers and sent home in a shock move confirmed by the franchise late Tuesday, less th...

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38-Year-Old Female Sports Commentator Collapses While Presenting Live from Side of Soccer Field

Sipa via AP Images

NEED TO KNOW

• British sports commentator Laura Woods shocked sports fans when she collapsed at the side of the field while presenting soccer coverage on Tuesday, Dec. 2

• The 38-year-old was commentating on the England vs. Ghana game which was taking place in England

• Following the incident, Woods later shared on her instagram stories that she had been taken ill due to a "virus" but was "ok"

British sports presenter Laura Woods shocked viewers after she collapsed during live coverage of the England vs. Ghana soccer game in England.

The 38-year-old TV host was leading the broadcast of the game in Southampton on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when she collapsed during the first few minutes of the show in a scary, on-screen moment.

Woods was caught by her co-hosts Ian Wright and Anita Asante as the show switched to game coverage before going into a five-minute commercial break,The Timesreported.

Presenter Katie Shanahan replaced Woods after the commercial break while announcing that she'd fallen ill.

"As you have probably noticed, we don't have the wonderful Laura Woods because she's just been taken ill, but she's in very good hands, so I'm stepping in at late notice," said Shanahan, perThe Times.

Woods later posted anupdateon her Instagram Stories, sharing that she collapsed due to a "virus" and was "ok," after being medically checked out.

"Gosh, that was a bit weird," she wrote. "Sorry to worry everyone, I'm ok, the wonderful paramedics at [St. Mary's] has said it's probably a virus, just need a bit of rest & hydration."

"I'm really embarrassed that happened on TV, but a big thank you to my colleagues at ITV who have really looked after me tonight. And to Wrighty and Neets for catching me and sorry again," added Woods, referring to her co-hosts.

Simon Traylen/ProSports/Shutterstock

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Woods' fiancé, formerLove Island U.K.star Adam Collard, also shared an update following the incident,writing on X, "Laura is all ok and with the right people. Thank you for all of your kind messages 🤍."

Woods and Collard, 30, got engaged in 2024 and are parents to an 11-month-old son called Leo.

Woods went on maternity leave in January, before returning to work in April, perThe Times.

The TV host has covered several major sports events in the U.K., including the 2023 Women's World Cup and the men's Euro 2024. She also previously hosted talkSPORT's breakfast show from 2020 to 2023 and worked for Sky Sports.

Read the original article onPeople

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December 03, 2025

38-Year-Old Female Sports Commentator Collapses While Presenting Live from Side of Soccer Field

Sipa via AP Images NEED TO KNOW British sports commentator Laura Woods shocked sports fans when she collapsed at the side of the field wh...

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Rivian to recall nearly 35,000 US vehicles over seatbelt issue, says NHTSA

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Rivian Automotive plans to ​recall 34,824 U.S. ‌vehicles due to a ‌damaged seat belt pretension cable that may fail to properly ⁠restrain the ‌driver's seat belt, increasing crash injury ‍risk, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ​said on Wednesday.

As ‌part of the fix, Rivian has issued an over-the-air software update for certain ⁠2022–2025 EDV models ​and will ​inspect and replace the driver's seat ‍belt ⁠pretension assembly if needed, the regulator added.

(Reporting ⁠by Mihika Sharma in ‌Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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December 03, 2025

Rivian to recall nearly 35,000 US vehicles over seatbelt issue, says NHTSA

Dec 3 (Reuters) - Rivian Automotive plans to ​recall 34,824 U.S. ‌vehicles due to a ‌damaged seat belt pretension cable t...

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Marine robotics firm will resume deep-sea search for MH370 plane that vanished a decade ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's transport ministry said Wednesday that a private firm will resume a deep-sea hunt forMalaysia Airlines Flight 370later this month, more than a decade after the jet vanished without a trace.

The search will be carried out by Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity, whichsigned a new "no-find, no-fee" contract with Malaysia's governmentin March.

It is unclear if the company has new evidence of the plane's location. Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett reportedly said last year that the company had improved its technology since 2018, when the firm made its first seabed search operation under a similar deal andfound nothing. Punkett has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and had narrowed the search area to the most likely site.

Earlier this year the firm restartedthe seabed search operationat a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the Indian Ocean after Malaysia's government gave it the greenlight, but the search was halted in April due to bad weather.

Ocean Infinity will be paid $70 million only if wreckage is discovered.

The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane turned from its flight path and headed south to the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it isbelieved to have crashed.

An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues to its location, althoughdebris washed ashoreon the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. Apart from those small fragments, no bodies or wreckage have ever been found.

Malaysia's transport ministry said in a brief statement Wednesday that Ocean Infinity will search intermittently from Dec. 30 for a total of 55 days, in targeted areas believed to have the highest likelihood of finding the missing aircraft.

"The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy," it said.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "We ... appreciate the efforts made by the Malaysian side."

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed.

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December 03, 2025

Marine robotics firm will resume deep-sea search for MH370 plane that vanished a decade ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's transport ministry said Wednesday that a private firm will resume a deep-sea...

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Supreme Court to debate if sidewalk preacher may pursue First Amendment suit

Gabriel Olivier's lawyers will tell the Supreme Court on Wednesday that his sidewalk ministry is about sharing his faith with his fellow citizens – and should be protected by the First Amendment.

But the suburban Mississippi community he sued will counter that Olivier was part of a group that used a loudspeaker to call people "whores" and "Jezebels" as they entered a country music concert – and that his case could open federal courts to a flood of new lawsuits from people critics say are effectively trying to reverse their convictions.

The justices are being asked to sort out whether Olivier may challenge the city of Brandon's ordinance regulating protests, even though he was convicted of violating that same ordinance months earlier. Under a1994 Supreme Court precedent, convicted criminals generally cannot file civil lawsuits that would undermine their convictions.

"These cases have never been about religious freedom or faith-based hostility," the city told the Supreme Court in written arguments this year. Instead, officials said, it is about Olivier's desire to have his "preferred method of protest, without regard for the rights or interests of anyone else."

Though the case is technical, the court's decision could have broad implications for similar ordinances across the country. Local governments fear Olivier's position will create new legal challenges to parade permitting requirements, zoning rules for adult businesses and regulations aroundhomeless encampments.

The conservative 6-3 Supreme Court has repeatedly sided with religious claims in recent years, although Olivier's case at this point is not directly about the First Amendment. There has also been a thorny debate percolating over the extent to which Americans can sue officials under a civil rights law Olivier is relying on for his case, a dispute that came into sharper view in an unrelated case earlier this year.

From Olivier's perspective, the appeal is about his ability "to exercise his free speech and free exercise rights without fear of a new prosecution."

Olivier is represented in part by First Liberty Institute, a group that has broughtseveral successful religious appealsto the Supreme Court in recent years.

Olivier traveled to Brandon several times in 2018 and 2019 to share his faith on sidewalks near the city's amphitheater. In 2019, the city passed an ordinance requiring protesters to gather in a designated area about 265 feet away. It banned loudspeakers audible more than 100 feet and required signs – regardless of their message – to be handheld.

The city described the protests as chaotic. The group sometimes held large signs depicting aborted fetuses, it said. Concertgoers would walk into traffic to avoid the group. Police would have to intervene to prevent fights between the group and attendees, the city said.

The group, according to the city, would shout out at patrons, calling them "grody," "nasty" and "sissies."

In 2021, as concertgoers arrived to hear country music artist Lee Brice perform, police advised Olivier and his group to move to the designated area. Olivier declined, according to court records, and was arrested for violating the ordinance. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a fine and a year's unsupervised probation.

Olivier did not appeal his conviction – an avenue he might have used to raise his First Amendment claims. Instead, he relied on a Reconstruction-era federal law known as Section 1983 that allows people to sue state and local officials for violating their constitutional rights. As part of that lawsuit, Olivier argued the city ordinance violated his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

The case turns on a 1994 Supreme Court decision, Heck v. Humphrey, which generally bars people convicted of a crime from filing a civil suit against police that would, if successful, effectively let them use a backdoor to invalidate their conviction. In this case, the city says Olivier's suit would do just that: He still had eight months left on his probation when he sued.

So if a federal court ruled that the city ordinance was unconstitutional, the city reasons, it would have shortened his punishment.

But Olivier countered that his civil suit has nothing to do with his prior conviction. Rather, he said, his litigation is about blocking future enforcement of the ordinance and would not disturb his prior conviction.

"The federal courthouse doors shouldn't be shut to Olivier simply because he's been prosecuted for exercising his rights in the past," his attorneys told the Supreme Court. "If anything, his past prosecution confirms that the threat of future enforcement against him is real."

The Supreme Courtshut down a Section 1983 lawsuitin June dealing with South Carolina's effort to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. That decision drew a sharp debate between conservative Justice Clarence Thomas and liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson about the scope of the law.

Thomas called for the court to "reexamine" its Section 1983 jurisprudence,which he wrote"bears little resemblance to the statute as originally understood."

No other justice joined Thomas' opinion.

Jackson, joined by her liberal colleagues, pushed back on Thomas' suggestion, writing that it was worth "pausing briefly to think about whether the historical account he offers reflects the level of depth, nuance, or context needed to support the wholesale reappraisal he is envisioning."

A decision is expected next year.

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December 03, 2025

Supreme Court to debate if sidewalk preacher may pursue First Amendment suit

Gabriel Olivier's lawyers will tell the Supreme Court on Wednesday that his sidewalk ministry is about sharing his faith with his fello...

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Mike Evans injury update: Buccaneers star expected to return to practice after quick recovery from broken clavicle

Despite dealing with major injuries to some of their most impactful players, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt in the NFC. With the team battling to hold onto its playoff spot down the stretch, one key member of the offense is reportedly ready to return.

That would be star wideout Mike Evans, who is expected to return to practice Wednesday after breaking his clavicle in October. Evans reportedly healed faster than expected, and will have his 21-day practice window opened, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Sources:#Bucslegendary WR Mike Evans is having his practice window opened off IR, and he'll return to practice today. A quicker than expected return from a broken clavicle, Evans has been medically cleared.So Jalen McMillan and Evans practice today.pic.twitter.com/rI3UxphRjX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)December 3, 2025

Evans, 32, was out to a bit of a slow start prior to the injury. In four games, the veteran had 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. Evans also missed time earlier in the year with a hamstring injury.

This story will be updated.

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December 03, 2025

Mike Evans injury update: Buccaneers star expected to return to practice after quick recovery from broken clavicle

Despite dealing with major injuries to some of their most impactful players, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in ...

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