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winner 777 slot TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay’s surest path to the NFL playoffs is a division championship. The Buccaneers will need help to repeat in the NFC South , but only if they first and foremost give themselves a chance. That means winning their remaining games at home against Carolina and New Orleans, while the Atlanta Falcons lose at least once in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bucs (8-7) and Falcons share the best record in the division, however Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series between the teams. Tampa Bay, which has won three consecutive division titles, is the only NFC team that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. “We’ve got to take care of business or else we’ve got no shot,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said after a 26-24 loss at Dallas cost the Bucs control of the NFC South race. “This one, we’ve got to take it on the chin,” Mayfield added. “It’s a short week. It’s Christmas week. We’ve got to focus on Carolina and figure out a way to win.” If Atlanta is able to maintain its lead, Tampa Bay could make the postseason as a wild card if the Bucs win out and the Commanders lose twice. Coach Todd Bowles sounds confident that his players understand the challenge ahead and will clean up mistakes that contributed to the end of their four-game win streak. “We’ve got to win a ballgame (this week). If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance,” Bowles said Monday. “We have to focus on us like we’ve been doing,” the coach added. “We have to correct the mistakes, and we have to go out and win Sunday, and we’ve got to win the next week, and then we’ll see what happens after that.” What’s working The offense, which ranks third in the NFL at 389.8 yards per game, isn’t a fluke. Despite losing to the Cowboys, Tampa Bay finished with 410 yards total offense. It was the team’s fifth straight game — as well as an NFL-high ninth overall — with 400-plus yards. The Bucs are seventh in rushing (143.7 yards per game) after ranking 32nd each of the past two seasons. What needs helps The defense yielded 292 yards passing against the Cowboys, 226 of it in the first half when Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Bowles said shoddy tackling was the biggest issue — not poor coverage. Lamb had one reception for 5 yards after halftime. Stock up Mayfield’s chemistry with rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who has 27 receptions for 336 yards and five TDs, continues to grow. McMillan had five catches for 57 yards and a touchdown — his fourth in the past three games — against Dallas. He was also the intended receiver on Mayfield’s deep throw that CB Jourdan Lewis intercepted in the end zone to help the Cowboys hold off the Bucs in the closing minutes. Stock down Turnovers were costly against Dallas. The end-zone interception stopped the Bucs from cutting into a 26-17 deficit with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rachaad White’s fumble with 1:31 left ended any hope for a last-minute victory. On both plays, defenders ripped the ball out of the grasp of the offensive player. “We knew they were going to rake at the ball going into the ballgame,” Bowles said. “We just have to have two hands on the ball, and we have to fight for it. We have to take better care of the football. That’s priority No. 1.” Injuries Bowles said it’s too early to project the status of several starters for coming games, including S Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee), who has missed the past two games. TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB K.J. Britt (ankle) were inactive against the Cowboys, while reserve WR Sterling Shepard left during the game with a hamstring injury. Key number 80. Bucky Irving leads all NFL rookie RBs with 920 yards rushing. He needs 80 over the next two games to reach 1,000. He scored his seventh rushing touchdown against Dallas. That tied Errict Rhett and Lars Tate for the second-most rushing TDs by a rookie running back in franchise history. Doug Martin set the record of 11 in 2012. Next up Host Carolina on Sunday. ___ NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflBiden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office

EUAN MCCOLM: Sarwar wants to be our next First Minister - now might be a good time for him to start telling the voters why Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By EUAN MCCOLM FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL Published: 22:39, 10 December 2024 | Updated: 22:46, 10 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments For the first time in living memory, the mood has lifted in SNP ranks. After a prolonged period of turmoil, Nationalist MSPs are indulging themselves with mild feelings of optimism. Brows have begun to unfurrow. Some SNP members have even been seen smiling in public. The game, they think, might not be over yet. Their spirits have been lifted by the contents of the draft Budget announced by Finance Secretary Shona Robison last week. So far as Nationalists at Holyrood are concerned, this document just might be the key, in 2026, to a fourth successive Scottish parliamentary election victory for the SNP. Ms Robison’s colleagues don’t rejoice because her draft Budget is in the best interests of Scotland. It is not. Rather, the Finance Secretary is now the toast of her colleagues because she has managed to make life difficult for the Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar. Finance Secretary Shona Robison's Budget earlier this month has made make life difficult for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar After receiving a £3.4billion funding increase in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first Budget, last month, the Scottish Government’s already tired attack line about ‘Westminster austerity’ finally ran out of steam. The challenge for Ms Robison was to show what she could do with a substantial sum of extra money, rather than simply to describe what she might do if only the cash was available. Inaction In the end, the Finance Secretary’s draft Budget was low on innovation. Much of the extra funding is earmarked for new pay agreements, while there is no significant planned spending on long overdue reform in the NHS or the education system. But Nationalist MSPs haven’t cared about the inaction of their government in those key areas for the past 17 and a half years, so we should not be surprised that this ongoing neglect is of no concern to them now. What matters to Nationalists at Holyrood is that two headline-grabbing announcements in Ms Robison’s draft Budget present political difficulties for Mr Sarwar. The Labour leader may wish to vote against the SNP’s Budget – and he would have many good reasons to withhold his support – but the political cost of refusing to back a plan which includes the maintenance of the winter fuel payment for pensioners and the removal of the two-child benefit cap would, I think, be too high for him to pay. Values The SNP became the dominant party of the left in Scotland by persuading former supporters of Labour that it maintained the values their party had abandoned . That accusation landed, hard. The refrain ‘I didn’t leave Labour, Labour left me’ could be heard across constituencies which had once seemed stained indelibly red. Ms Robison and First Minister John Swinney, whose fingerprints I detect on the draft Budget, have used money supplied by Labour at Westminster to make life difficult for Labour at Holyrood. This is smart, if unattractive, politics. If the SNP is to see off Labour in 2026, it will have to win back Scottish voters who got behind Sir Keir Starmer in July’s general election. The draft Budget is an attempt to do that. Over recent years, it has suited Mr Sarwar perfectly well to be seen to be close to Sir Keir. Scottish Labour leaders of the recent past may have suffered from the accusation made by SNP opponents that they were nothing more than ‘branch managers’, but the inevitability of Labour’s general election victory made a virtue of Mr Sarwar’s closeness to his boss. Now, however, while I don’t for a moment think Mr Sarwar should do anything to distance himself from the PM – unless it is politically necessary for him to do so – it is time for the Scottish Labour leader to tell us more about himself and – if he has one – his vision for Scotland. Mr Sarwar is clever and affable and, although the SNP may be back in the fight, there is a reasonable chance that he will become the next First Minister of Scotland. Scottish Labour leader Anar Sarwar must convince voters to give him a chance Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport Advertisement However, if the Scottish Labour leader is to achieve this ambition and break the nationalists’ political gridlock, he will have to do more than be clever and affable. For reasons of cynical political expediency, Mr Sarwar should support the SNP’s Budget. He cannot win an argument against the measures outlined by Ms Robison with the voters he will need if he is to replace John Swinney as First Minister (even if those measures are poorly thought through and largely uncosted). The Scottish Labour leader has no choice but to be reactive when it comes to the draft Budget. If he is to lead his party to victory in 2026, it’s time for him to get proactive on matters of policy. Bogged down in a police investigation and split over independence strategy, the SNP has not looked more vulnerable in two decades, yet it would be wrong to assume that the Nationalists are a spent force. Recent polling may have given Mr Swinney a net approval rating of -11 but Mr Sarwar fared worse, with -16. The Scottish Labour leader doesn’t have time to spare if he is to persuade voters to give him the chance to lead the country, yet even those closest to him struggle to describe his political vision. One ally said: ‘He’s been incredibly careful not to put a foot wrong. The party’s been disciplined and he’s been a great communicator. 'But all that said, you could also accuse us of lacking a real identity. ‘If we weren’t a viable alternative government, then it would be fine for us to just attack, attack, attack, but we need to start showing people at least the shape of a plan.’ His fear of provoking any kind of backlash left Mr Sarwar at odds with voters on the controversial issue of gender self-ID. While the majority of Scots are opposed to allowing male-bodied people access to female single-sex spaces , Mr Sarwar supported the SNP’s plan to allow just that. Since plans to allow self-ID were blocked last year by then Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, Mr Sarwar has remained conspicuously silent on the matter. Failure The Labour leader is naive if he thinks the matter of gender ideology and its impact on women’s rights won’t play a substantial part in the next Holyrood election campaign. On this – and, indeed, on a wide range of subjects – Mr Sarwar needs clear messages. The SNP’s government of Scotland since 2007 has been marked by failure after failure. All things considered, Scottish Labour should now be runaway favourites to head the next government at Holyrood. As things stand – thanks, in part, to Shona Robison’s tricksy draft Budget – Labour and the Nationalists are neck and neck in the polls. If Mr Sarwar is to change this state of affairs and take those smiles off Nationalist faces, I suggest he gets on with persuading us he’s more than merely Sir Keir’s man in the north. Anas Sarwar wishes to be Scotland’s next First Minister. This being so, it might be a good idea for him to start telling us why. SNP Share or comment on this article: EUAN MCCOLM: Sarwar wants to be our next First Minister - now might be a good time for him to start telling the voters why e-mail Add comment

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts drafted Anthony Richardson to be their franchise quarterback. On Sunday, they saw how he might be deployed most effectively. Richardson threw only 11 passes in Indy’s 38-30 victory over slumping Tennessee , becoming just the third player since 2000 to produce 38 points with fewer than 15 passing attempts. But the second-year quarterback and running back Jonathan Taylor executed the game plan perfectly by combining for 38 carries, 308 yards and four scores. “My job is to pass the ball, deliver the ball, so whenever there’s an opportunity to do so, I’m expected to complete passes, regardless of how long I’ve gone without throwing a pass,” Richardson said. “I’m just trying to do my job the best way I can.” While his stats have not improved dramatically since he regained the starting job, Richardson has made significant progress. He started and finished all five games, the longest stretch of his career. He orchestrated fourth-quarter comebacks on the road against the New York Jets and New England. On Sunday, he broke the franchise record for most TD runs by a quarterback in a season by powering his way in from 5 yards out to tie it at 7 with his sixth TD of the season. And when Indy (7-8) needed a late third-down conversion to close out the victory, Richardson did that, too — firing a 10-yard strike to Michael Pittman Jr. No, he wasn’t perfect. A late throw over the middle resulted in yet another interception that cost the Colts a scoring chance in the first half. But Richardson went 7 of 11 with 131 yards and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs with 15 seconds left in the first half to open up a 24-7 lead. And with Richardson and Taylor increasingly feeding off one another, the Colts may just be starting to unleash the full horsepower of what this dynamic duo can do. At least that’s the hope as the regular season winds down. “To add that element of (Richardson’s) run game was huge,” coach Shane Steichen said. “He had some good runs for us all day. So, him and J.T. back there is huge.” What’s working Ground game. What else? It has been a rollercoaster season for the Colts offense in general as well as the running game. On Sunday, it looked spectacular. Indy broke a 68-year-old franchise record by rushing for 335 yards. Taylor has 76 carries for 421 yards over the last three games and has his first 1,000-yard season since winning the 2021 rushing crown. What needs help Closing out games. Somehow, the Colts went from a 38-7 rout to needing an interception on the game’s final play. Maybe that explains why the Colts have played 12 one-possession games this season. If Indy could find a solution, it might not be on the cusp of making the playoffs instead of missing them for a fourth straight year. Stock up C Ryan Kelly. When the three-time Pro Bowl selection went on injured reserve in October, some thought Kelly may have played his last game in Indy. He’s in a contract year and rookie Tanor Bortolini played well in Kelly’s absence. But Kelly proved his value by making a big difference in the ground game. Stock down RG Dalton Tucker. The undrafted rookie moved into the starting lineup when Will Fries was sidelined with a season-ending leg injury. Then the Colts brought back veteran Mark Glowinski and plugged him into Tucker’s spot. Tucker was a healthy scratch Sunday. Injuries WR Alec Pierce (concussion) and LB E.J. Speed (knee) were both inactive in Week 16 and it’s unclear what their status will be next weekend. ... Two defensive backs — Jaylon Jones (throat) and Tre Flowers (shoulder) — left and did not return. ... Indy may have avoided a more concerning loss when Pro Bowl LG Quenton Nelson hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter. After slamming his helmet on the sideline, he returned for Indy’s last drive. Key number 18 — According to The New York Times, Indy has an 18% chance of making the playoffs heading into its final two games. Next steps Indy still has a manageable schedule with a trip to the New York Giants (2-13) next weekend before a rematch with Jacksonville (3-12) in the regular-season finale. If they replicate their play from the first three quarters Sunday, they’re likely to finish with a winning record and maybe get lucky enough to make the postseason. If they play like they did in the fourth quarter, the opposite could happen. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLMayor Ken Sim said it was "a great day for the City of Vancouver," as his council voted to approve a 2025 budget worth $2.4 billion in spending with a property tax increase of 3.9 per cent. The increase is broken down by 2.9 per cent for city services and a one per cent increase for infrastructure renewal. It was passed unanimously by council. It means an extra $149 for the median single-family home and an extra $286 for the median business property. Earlier this year, a seven per cent property tax increase was proposed to balance the books if no action was taken to increase revenues or reduce costs. Council passed a motion in the spring to limit any increase to a maximum of 5.5 per cent. "It's a very pragmatic budget that actually takes care of our people, and we're really proud of it," said Sim on Tuesday in approving the even lower number after staff were able to find extra revenue and efficiencies. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is pictured at City Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC) In achieving a lower property tax increase for 2025, staff were able to find around $9.5 million of additional revenue through measures such as increasing fees and through sponsorship, naming rights, advertising and donations. For example, $3.6 million is expected in revenue in 2025 from advertising on street furniture. The initiatives were shaped by a special mayor's budget task force, which was put in place in April 2023 to look at the city's budget for efficiencies and potential revenue. Today, Vancouver City Council approved the 2025 budget, delivering a tax increase of just 2.9%, with an additional 1% dedicated to renewing critical infrastructure such as water and sewer lines. We're investing in a stronger, safer, and more affordable city without cutting... pic.twitter.com/owtQMeSJmC — @KenSimCity For 2025, annual revenues from non-tax sources are projected to increase by $10 million, according to the budget, while $16.1 million was found in savings from police, parks, engineering services and the city's libraries. 'Going in the right direction' Coun. Mike Klassen said the 3.9 per cent increase would have Vancouver among the lowest in property tax increases for 2025 in Metro Vancouver and would not cut service levels or jobs. Vancouver mayor's budget task force proposes 'potentially divesting' some city assets Council, under Klassen's and Sim's ABC super majority, passed a property tax increase of 7.5 per cent in 2024 and 10.7 per cent in 2023 "The numbers were very hard to take," said Klassen. "We had to restore services. We've now got our arms around this, thanks to the mayor's budget task force. All of our staff and council, I think, we're going in the right direction here." Police budget In the lead-up to the municipal budget, the Vancouver Police Board approved a budget for the police force that sought an extra $13 million above what city staff had expected. Vancouver police seek to increase 2025 budget to $434M Vancouver police Chief Adam Palmer argued at a public city budget consultation meeting on Dec. 3 that the extra funds were needed to help pay to police a growing number of protests, help city staff respond to tent encampments and properly roll out body-worn cameras. On Tuesday, city council approved around $2.6 million in extra funding, with contingency funds to be used to help with police initiatives. Police Board Chair Frank Chong said at council on Tuesday that the funding plan for police for 2025 was "reasonable," with the body-worn cameras being the priority. Twenty-seven per cent of spending in the 2025 budget is allocated for police (19 per cent) and fire (eight per cent). Utilities pain Along with the 3.9 per cent property tax increase is a $386 increase for utilities for the median single-family home and $377 for the median business property. Sewer utility fees alone are increasing by 37 percent in 2025, mostly due to vast cost overruns from Metro Vancouver's embattled new North Shore Waste Water Treatment plant, which is now four years beyond its completion date and five times over budget. A timeline of Metro Vancouver's $3.86B wastewater treatment plant A coalition of housing experts, academics, builders, businesses and property tax appeal professionals are calling out both Metro Vancouver and the City of Vancouver for straying "well outside their lane into non-core services normally delivered by senior governments," such as social housing, health care and climate change. They say focusing on core services would make it easier to balance budgets and avoid unaffordable tax increases for businesses and residents. On Tuesday, City of Vancouver opposition Coun. Adriane Carr tried to bring a motion that would have staff look into how to recover $77 million in climate change mitigation. It was not passed by council.

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