FRISCO, Texas -- The National Football League at large is a "what have you done for me lately?" type of business, especially for its coaches. Even though Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy helped guide America's Team to three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021 to 2023, owner and general manager Jerry Jones decided to turn up the heat on McCarthy and his staff in 2024. The decision to have them coach out the final year of their five-year coaching contracts came after Dallas' 48-32 faceplant against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC wild-card round last January. Jones said, "We all have Green Bay on our mind," after the Cowboys' 2024 preseason finale when asked why McCarthy's expiring contract hadn't yet been addressed. Jones also said that "angst, pressure, competing" will bring out the best from his coaches and players. However, Jones changed his tune for the better regarding McCarthy's future in Dallas on Tuesday following the Cowboys' 34-26 upset win over the Washington Commanders that ran their record to 4-7 and snapped a five-game losing streak. "I don't think that's crazy at all," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan when asked about possibly re-signing McCarthy for 2025 and beyond, via The Athletic . "This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left." McCarthy claimed Tuesday afternoon that he hasn't consciously thought about his contract status, but he's open to positive speculation and/or vibes about his future. "I really haven't talked about all year and I'm definitely not going to start on a short week on an important division game," McCarthy said Tuesday. "I'm not going to throw away positive vibes, either. Keep them coming, its all good. That's not something I'm really focused on." To be fair to McCarthy, much of what has transpired has been the result of injury woes or poor depth after an inactive free agency period. Quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the year with a hamstring injury, four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has been out since Week 4, cornerback DaRon Bland made his 2024 season debut in Week 12 after suffering a foot stress fracture, and three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons missed an extended stretch with a high ankle strain, just to name a few injuries. "As a staff, this is very challenging," McCarthy said. "As we've talked as a staff, we'll be better coaches because of this experience. I believe that. I've experienced it in the past. That's what this league's about. It's not about players getting injured. It's really when and who, the timing of it, getting the young guys ready to play as fast as possible. You have different levels of that each and every year. If you're going to coach in this league, you have to be able to coach through these times. I know all of us will be better for this experience."The Pittsburgh Steelers take on what is typically an unenviable task -- traveling on a short week for a Thursday night primetime game. However, a few things are playing in Pittsburgh's favor as Week 12 of the NFL regular season kicks off. Namely, the "trip" to Cleveland is a little more than two hours by road and when the Steelers arrive there, they'll be facing a backup quarterback at the helm of a massively underwhelming 2-8 Browns team. The Steelers (8-2) are coming off a huge win over Baltimore to stay atop the AFC North. And Pittsburgh is beginning to set its sights on potential home-field advantage come playoff time. ODDS AND TRENDS The Steelers are a consensus 3.5-point favorite. That includes at BetRivers, where they have been backed by 80 percent of the spread-line money. Pittsburgh's -195 moneyline to simply win the game has been even more popular, drawing 95 percent of all money wagered. The Browns enter Thursday night having failed to cover the spread in nine of their past 12 games. Meanwhile, the Steelers have covered the spread in every game during their five-game win streak. The 37.0 total points line has seen the Over backed by 65 percent of the money and 70 percent of the total bets. Each of Cleveland's past eight November home games has gone under the total points line. PROP PICKS --Steelers WR George Pickens Over 50 Receiving Yards (-195 at DraftKings): Russell Wilson has thrown six touchdowns in the four games since he took over as the starting quarterback. Two of those have gone to Pickens, who has at least 74 receiving yards in each of those games. There is some concern that Pittsburgh gains a big early lead and turns to a run-heavy attack, but Wilson throws an excellent deep ball and that plays into Pickens' strength. This is the most popular player prop at the book. --Steelers RB Najee Harris Anytime TD (+100 at BetRivers): That potential for a run-heavy approach should benefit Harris, who found the sledding tough against Baltimore with 63 yards on the ground. He was also held out of the end zone for the second time in three games. Keep in mind that Cleveland has allowed only three touchdowns on the ground all season, but the Browns have allowed 12 through the air. Harris has a trio of scores on the ground and receiving through 10 games. KEY STAT The Browns have won the first quarter in five consecutive home games against the Steelers. THE NEWS The Steelers have certainly been locked in. They are currently riding a five-game winning streak, most recently edging the Baltimore Ravens 18-16 on Sunday. Chris Boswell booted six field goals against Baltimore, while Wilson completed 23 of 36 passes for 205 yards and an interception. Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to go through the wringer. The Browns ended up on the wrong end of a 35-14 blowout while facing the host New Orleans Saints on Sunday, marking their seventh loss in the past eight games. Cleveland now has to go up against one of the most unforgiving defenses in the league. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston is determined to direct a fundamentally sound performance against Pittsburgh, which allows the second-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.2). "It's precision passing. Getting the ball out on time. Elite operation and just doing our job. It's the simple things," Winston said. "This team (the Steelers) is not going to try and fool you. They're going to line up and say, 'Give us your best, we're going to give you our best.'" Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns on 30-for-46 passing in the setback against New Orleans, with Jerry Jeudy hauling in six catches for 142 yards and a score. Star running back Nick Chubb continued to struggle since his return from a knee injury that cut his 2023 season short, finishing with 50 yards on 11 carries. INJURY REPORT The Browns could be without standout defensive end Myles Garrett, who missed practice on Tuesday because of a hip injury. Wide receiver Elijah Moore (shoulder), guard Joel Bitonio (pectoral) and cornerbacks Denzel Ward (ribs/ankle) and Greg Newsome II (shoulder) were among those limited during the session. Linebacker Alex Highsmith is dealing with an ankle issue and was ruled out by the Steelers along with cornerback Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring). THEY SAID IT Wilson is starting to feel like he might be part of something special, but he also doesn't want Pittsburgh to get ahead of itself. "I definitely think that we have a chance (to make a deep playoff run)," said Wilson, who has played in two Super Bowls. "I think the biggest thing for us is continuing to just take each week as the most important week of it all. "I think that it's not really even just the week, it's just the day, it's just the moments in between. I think the greatest teams, the greatest players, in any sport, especially the teams I've been on, is the moment -- it's never too far away. It's right here, right now. And you're just locked into that." PREDICTION Divisional road games on short weeks typically shape up as a daunting task. That's not the case for the Steelers, who will be hyper-focused to put this one out of reach early before enjoying 10 days ahead of a trip to Cleveland. With a second game against the Browns before a huge game at Philadelphia, this is not an under-manned opponent Pittsburgh will look past. --Steelers 27, Browns 19 --Field Level Media
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John McGinn put Villa ahead (Jan Woitas/AP) Aston Villa’s impressive Champions League debut continued as they strengthened their chances of automatic qualification to the last 16 after a 3-2 win at RB Leipzig. Ross Barkley’s 85th-minute winner gave them victory after they had twice squandered the lead in Germany. John McGinn and Jhon Duran goals at the start of each half were cancelled out by Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner. But Barkley had the final say less than two minutes after coming off the bench as his deflected effort earned the points which sent his side third in the new Champions League league phase. John McGinn put Villa ahead (PA Wire via DPA) The top eight automatically qualify for the next stage and with games against Monaco and Celtic to come, Unai Emery’s men are a good bet to avoid the need for a play-off round in their first foray in this competition. Leipzig are out, having lost all six of their games. Villa enjoyed a dream start and were ahead with less than three minutes on the clock. Matty Cash, playing in a more advanced position on the right, crossed for Ollie Watkins, who nodded down into the path of McGinn and the skipper made no mistake from close range. That gave the visitors confidence and they had enough chances in the first 15 minutes to have the game wrapped up. Lois Openda missed a chance for the hosts (Jan Woitas/AP) Lucas Digne’s cross from the left was begging to be converted but Watkins could not make contact from close range and then Morgan Rogers shot straight at Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Then Youri Tielemans found himself with time and space on the edge of the area from Watkins’ tee-up but the Belgium international disappointingly dragged wide. All that good work was undone in the 27th minute, though, as Emiliano Martinez was left red-faced. The Argentinian was too casual waiting to collect Nicolas Seiwald’s long ball and Openda nipped in to get the ball first and tap into an empty net. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Duran was introduced at the break and needed just a couple of minutes to fire a warning when he drilled wide after a loose ball fell to him 14 yards out. But the Colombian got his goal in the 52nd minute, though it was another moment for the goalkeeper to forget. Duran was invited to drive forward and unleashed a 25-yard shot, which was hardly an Exocet, but still was too much for Gulacsi, who barely even jumped. It was his 10th goal of the season and sixth from the bench as he continues his super-sub role. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The striker was not complaining and he thought he had doubled his tally shortly after when he converted Cash’s centre but the provider was ruled offside by VAR. Five minutes later, Villa found themselves pegged back again with a finish of real quality. Openda was sent clear by another long ball and his cross was perfect for Baumgartner to cushion a far-post volley back across goal and into the corner. Digne brought a save out of Gulacsi and then Openda shot straight at Martinez as both sides pushed for a winner. It was Villa who got it as Barkley saw his deflected effort wrong-foot Gulacsi and hit the back of the net.
Kerala’s eventful 2024 marred by disasters, scandals and political twists40 crore pilgrims expected at Mahakumbh, govt ready for 100 crore: Yogi
One such game is "Voices of Tomorrow," a powerful narrative-driven experience that explores the lives of marginalized communities and the struggles they face in a post-apocalyptic world. Through its thought-provoking story and emotional resonance, "Voices of Tomorrow" has sparked meaningful conversations within the gaming community and earned a nomination for Best Narrative at the TGA awards.
Amazon (AMZN.US) Partners with Intuit (INTU.US) to Provide Online Accounting Software QuickBooks for Millions of Third-party SellersWhat we know about Luigi Mangione, the suspect arrested in UnitedHealthcare CEO killingThe news of this selfless act quickly spread across social media, garnering praise and admiration from people around the world. Many were touched by the owner's humility and generosity, noting that it was a rare and inspiring example of compassion in a world often dominated by materialism and self-interest.
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Keller: Jimmy Carter punctured myth of Kennedy family's political supremacyOverall, the outlook for next year suggests that China's efforts to promote consumption will continue to intensify, with new policies and measures expected to be rolled out to support domestic demand. By stimulating consumption, the government aims to bolster economic growth, enhance market vitality, and build a more sustainable and balanced growth model. As China navigates through a challenging global economic landscape, promoting consumption remains a key strategy to ensure continued economic progress and prosperity.