Julie Appleby | KFF Health News Unauthorized switching of Affordable Care Act plans appears to have tapered off in recent weeks based on an almost one-third drop in casework associated with consumer complaints, say federal regulators . The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the ACA, credits steps taken to thwart enrollment and switching problems that triggered more than 274,000 complaints this year through August. Now, the annual ACA open enrollment period that began Nov. 1 poses a real-world test: Will the changes curb fraud by rogue agents or brokerages without unduly slowing the process of enrolling or reducing the total number of sign-ups for 2025 coverage? “They really have this tightrope to walk,” said Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. “The more you tighten it up to prevent fraud, the more barriers there are that could inhibit enrollment among those who need the coverage.” CMS said in July that some types of policy changes — those in which the agent is not “affiliated” with the existing plan — will face more requirements, such as a three-way call with the consumer, broker, and a healthcare.gov call center representative. In August, the agency barred two of about a dozen private sector online-enrollment platforms from connecting with healthcare.gov over concerns related to improper switching. And CMS has suspended 850 agents suspected of being involved in unauthorized plan-switching from accessing the ACA marketplace. Still, the clampdown could add complexity to enrollment and slow the process. For example, a consumer might have to wait in a queue for a three-way call, or scramble to find a new agent because the one they previously worked with had been suspended. Given that phone lines with healthcare.gov staff already get busy — especially during mid-December — agents and policy analysts advise consumers not to dally this year. “Hit the ground running,” said Ronnell Nolan, president and CEO of Health Agents for America, a professional organization for brokers. Meanwhile, reports are emerging that some rogue entities are already figuring out workarounds that could undermine some of the anti-fraud protections CMS put in place, Nolan said. “Bottom line is: Fraud and abuse is still happening,” Nolan said. Brokers assist the majority of people actively enrolling in ACA plans and are paid a monthly commission by insurers for their efforts. Consumers can compare plans or enroll themselves online through federal or state marketplace websites. They can also seek help from people called assisters or navigators — certified helpers who are not paid commissions. Under a “find local help” button on the federal and state ACA websites , consumers can search for nearby brokers or navigators. CMS says it has “ramped up support operations” at its healthcare.gov marketplace call centers, which are open 24/7, in anticipation of increased demand for three-way calls, and it expects “minimal wait times,” said Jeff Wu, deputy director for policy of the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. Wu said those three-way calls are necessary only when an agent or a broker not already associated with a consumer’s enrollment wants to change that consumer’s enrollment or end that consumer’s coverage. It does not apply to people seeking coverage for the first time. Organizations paid by the government to offer navigator services have a dedicated phone line to the federal marketplace, and callers are not currently experiencing long waits, said Xonjenese Jacobs, director of Florida Covering Kids & Families, a program based at the University of South Florida that coordinates enrollment across the state through its Covering Florida navigator program. Navigators can assist with the three-way calls if a consumer’s situation requires it. “Because we have our quick line in, there’s no increased wait time,” Jacobs said. The problem of unauthorized switches has been around for a while but took off during last year’s open enrollment season. Brokers generally blamed much of the problem on the ease with which rogue agents can access ACA information in the federal marketplace, needing only a person’s name, date of birth, and state of residence. Though federal regulators have worked to tighten that access with the three-way call requirement, they stopped short of instituting what some agent groups say is needed: two-factor authentication, which could involve a code accessed by a consumer through a smartphone. Unauthorized switches can lead to a host of problems for consumers, from higher deductibles to landing in new networks that do not include their preferred physicians or hospitals. Some people have received tax bills when unauthorized policies came with premium credits for which they did not qualify. Unauthorized switches posed a political liability for the Biden administration, a blemish on two years of record ACA enrollment. The practice drew criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; Democrats demanded more oversight and punishment of rogue agents, while Republicans said fraud attempts were fueled by Biden administration moves that allowed for more generous premium subsidies and special enrollment periods. The fate of those enhanced subsidies, which are set to expire, will be decided by Congress next year as the Trump administration takes power. But the premiums and subsidies that come with 2025 plans that people are enrolling in now will remain in effect for the entire year. The actions taken this year to thwart the unauthorized enrollments apply to the federal marketplace, used by 31 states . The remaining states and the District of Columbia run their own websites, with many having in place additional layers of security. Related Articles Feds suspend ACA marketplace access to companies accused of falsely promising ‘cash cards’ More foods are making us sick: What to know as foodborne outbreaks hit Cities, states say they’ll need more help to replace millions of lead pipes At least 19 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall Which health insurance plan may be right for you? For its part, CMS says its efforts are working, pointing to the 30% drop in complaint casework. The agency also noted a 90% drop in the number of times an agent’s name was replaced by another’s, which it says indicates that it is tougher for rival agents to steal clients to gain the monthly commissions that insurers pay. Still, the move to suspend 850 agents has drawn pushback from agent groups that initially brought the problem to federal regulators’ attention. They say some of those accused were suspended before getting a chance to respond to the allegations. “There will be a certain number of agents and brokers who are going to be suspended without due process,” said Nolan, with the health agents’ group. She said that it has called for increased protections against unauthorized switching and that two-factor authentication, like that used in some state marketplaces or in the financial sector, would be more effective than what’s been done. “We now have to jump through so many hoops that I’m not sure we’re going to survive,” she said of agents in general. “They are just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks when they could just do two-factor.” The agency did not respond to questions asking for details about how the 850 agents suspended since July were selected, the states where they were located, or how many had their suspensions reversed after supplying additional information.
Lawyers for a voting machine company that’s suing Fox News want to question founder Rupert Murdoch about his contentious efforts to change his family trust , the attorneys told a court Monday. Election-tech company Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation suit regards Fox's reporting on 2020 voting fraud claims. But Smartmatic’s attorneys suggest the separate succession fight over Murdoch's media empire might shed light on any Fox Corp. involvement in editorial matters. It's an important, if technical, question as Smartmatic seeks to hold the deep-pocketed Fox parent company responsible for statements that the news network aired. Fox contends that there's no such liability and that it was engaging in journalism, not defamation, when it broadcast election-fraud allegations made by then-President Donald Trump 's attorneys. Rupert Murdoch may already have given a deposition — out-of-court questioning under oath — in the defamation suit. Such records aren't public at this stage, but plans for his deposition were briefly mentioned at a 2022 hearing. Smartmatic now is seeking to talk to Murdoch about his efforts to rewrite his plans for his businesses after his death. The matter is playing out behind closed doors and in sealed files in a Nevada probate court. The New York Times has reported that Rupert Murdoch wants to keep his eldest son, Lachlan , in charge of the conglomerate's newspapers and television networks in order to ensure a continued conservative editorial outlook . Smartmatic wants to get the 93-year-old patriarch on record while the probate matter plays out, company attorney Edward Wipper told a judge Monday. Fox News lawyer K. Winn Allen said the probate case “has nothing at all to do with” Smartmatic's claims and is “not appropriate” fodder for the suit. Fox Corp. declined to comment after court. Fox News' lawyers, meanwhile, want Smartmatic to provide records about a U.S. federal criminal case against people, including Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate, accused of scheming to bribe a Filipino election official . Piñate has pleaded not guilty. Smartmatic isn't charged in the criminal case, and Smartmatic attorneys have said the matter was irrelevant to the defamation suit. Fox lost prior bids for a court order to get the information, but a hearing on the network's renewed request is set next week. It's unclear how soon Judge David B. Cohen will decide on that request or on Smartmatic's bid to dig into the Murdoch family trust case. Both requests are part of pretrial information-gathering, and no trial date has been set. Smartmatic says it was a small player, working only with California's heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In subsequent Fox News appearances, Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell portrayed Smartmatic as part of a multi-state scheme to steal the vote from the Republican. Federal and state election officials , exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump’s own attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Dozens of courts, including by judges whom Trump had appointed, rejected his fraud claims. Fox News ultimately aired an interview with an election technology expert who refuted the allegations against Smartmatic — an interview done after the company demanded a retraction . The network is countersuing Smartmatic , claiming it violated a New York law against baseless suits aimed at squelching reporting or criticism on public issues. The New York defamation suit is one of several stemming from conservative-oriented news outlets' reports on Trump’s 2020 vote-rigging claims. Smartmatic recently settled with One America News Network and Newsmax . Fox News settled for $787 million last year with Dominion Voting Systems, another election-technology company that sued over conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Trump’s 2020 loss. Jennifer Peltz, The Associated PressWhich of Trump's high-profile nominees will be making history?
Scouted: PSA: LYMA’s Luxury At-Home Laser Is 20% Off Ahead of Black FridayDavid L. Duvall Sells 4,500 Shares of Core Molding Technologies, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:CMT) Stock
It is important to address the concerns raised in Farooq Kperogi’s recent article, “Tinubu’s Buharisation of the NNPC”, and to clarify some of the misconceptions about the operations and leadership structure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. First, employment, promotions, appointments, and movements of business leaders at the NNPC are not influenced by ethnicity, tribe, religion, or political affiliation. Therefore, decisions within the NNPC are guided strictly by merit, business requirements, and expertise. This approach ensures that only the most qualified and competent individuals occupy positions that are critical to the company’s success. It is significant that our company focuses on efficient and effective service delivery, which is anchored on the commitment of qualified work team. The NNPC prides itself on being a professional organisation with a diverse leadership lineup that includes individuals from various parts of the world, not just Nigeria. The presence of qualified foreigners in the employ of the NNPC, who have been bolstering the value chain of production and distribution of allied products, is verifiable. It is, thus, sad that a professor of Mr Kperogi’s standing would resort to and play up the issue of ethnic identities in the configuration of the work team in NNPC just to demonise President Tinubu. This editorial preoccupation of Mr Kperogi is nothing but sheer red herring, ostensibly orchestrated to detract the President’s disciplined leadership that upholds the freedom of the NNPC as well as the company’s work ethic that has produced its strings of sterling performances. Under the leadership of Mele Kyari, the NNPC has achieved remarkable milestones and recorded several “firsts” in the industry. These milestones were not defined, coloured or contoured by primordial fault lines of tribe and religion. They were inspired by the collective drive for excellence. These milestones include groundbreaking advancements in exploration, production, and global partnerships that were previously thought unattainable. This success is a testament to the company’s focus on competence and professionalism rather than on parochialism as insinuated in the editorial offerings by Mr Kperogi. Regarding Mr Kperogi’s notions about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is essential to highlight that Mr President has not interfered in the operations or leadership movements within the NNPC. On the contrary, his administration has introduced transformative policies that have added immense value to the oil and gas sector and the broader Nigerian economy. President Tinubu’s approach has been to empower institutions like the NNPC to operate independently while fostering a conducive environment for growth and innovation. His reforms have set a benchmark that has significantly improved the sector, surpassing the achievements of many of his predecessors. It is disappointing that individuals like Mr. Kperogi, who have lived and observed governance structures abroad, would overlook these accomplishments and focus on divisive narratives. Symbolism, while important, must not overshadow the substantive achievements and transformative impact of policies and leadership on national development. We extend an open invitation to Mr Kperogi to visit the NNPC and witness firsthand the professionalism, sacrifices, and daily efforts that go into driving Nigeria’s economic engine. He will see a team that works tirelessly to contribute to the growth of our economy and the prosperity of our nation. The NNPC remains committed to fostering unity, embracing diversity, and upholding the principles of meritocracy. It is through such commitments that we can continue to work to achieve and strengthen national cohesion and position Nigeria as a global leader in the energy sector. We urge commentators and stakeholders alike to base their assessments on hard facts and evidence, rather than conjectures, for the greater good of our nation. ■ Olufemi Soneye is the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNELandsea Homes Corporation Announces Proposed Secondary Offering of Common Stock
Total Revenues of $699.2M , up 13% Year Over Year Subscription Services Revenues of $580.9M , up 17% Year Over Year PLEASANTON, Calif. , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE: VEEV), a leading provider of industry cloud solutions for the global life sciences industry, today announced results for its third quarter ended October 31, 2024. "It was a great quarter of innovation and excellent execution across the board," said CEO Peter Gassner . "Especially significant was the hard work for the long term. We deepened a number of large, highly strategic relationships and are set to deliver the next generation of CRM this month with Vault CRM Suite to connect sales, marketing, and medical – a first for the industry." Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Results: "We delivered results ahead of guidance on all metrics, reflecting our operational discipline and the durability of our model," said CFO Brian Van Wagener . "With a clear product strategy, focused execution, and large market opportunity we are well positioned for strong growth and profitability for many years to come." Recent Highlights: Financial Outlook: Veeva is providing guidance for its fiscal fourth quarter ending January 31, 2025 as follows: Veeva is providing updated guidance for its fiscal year ending January 31, 2025 as follows: Conference Call Information Prepared remarks and an investor presentation providing additional information and analysis can be found on Veeva's investor relations website at ir.veeva.com . Veeva will host a Q&A conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT today, December 5, 2024, and a replay of the call will be available on Veeva's investor relations website. What: Veeva Systems Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Results Conference Call When: Thursday, December 5, 2024 Time: 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) Online Registration: https://registrations.events/direct/Q4I86021395 Webcast: ir.veeva.com ___________ (1) The customer contracting change that standardized termination for convenience (TFC) rights in our master subscription agreements resulted in a change in the timing of revenue for certain customer contracts and reduced revenues, operating income and non-GAAP operating income, and net income and non-GAAP net income in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. (2) This press release uses non-GAAP financial metrics that are adjusted for the impact of various GAAP items. See the section titled "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables entitled "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for details. (3) Veeva is not able, at this time, to provide GAAP targets for operating income and fully diluted net income per share for the fourth fiscal quarter ending January 31, 2025 or the fiscal year ending January 31, 2025 because of the difficulty of estimating certain items excluded from non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP fully diluted net income per share that cannot be reasonably predicted, such as charges related to stock-based compensation expense. The effect of these excluded items may be significant. About Veeva Systems Veeva is the global leader in cloud software for the life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer success, Veeva serves more than 1,000 customers, ranging from the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Veeva is committed to balancing the interests of all stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders and the industries it serves. For more information, visit veeva.com . Veeva uses its ir.veeva.com website as a means of disclosing material non-public information, announcing upcoming investor conferences, and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, you should monitor our investor relations website in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts. Forward-looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Veeva's expected future performance and, in particular, includes quotes from management and guidance, provided as of December 5, 2024, about Veeva's expected future financial results. Estimating guidance accurately for future periods is difficult. It involves assumptions and internal estimates that may prove to be incorrect and is based on plans that may change. Hence, there is a significant risk that actual results could differ materially from the guidance we have provided in this release and we have no obligation to update such guidance. There are also numerous risks that have the potential to negatively impact our financial performance, including issues related to the performance, availability, security, or privacy of our products, competitive factors, customer decisions and priorities, events that impact the life sciences industry, general macroeconomic and geopolitical events (including inflationary pressures, changes in interest rates, currency exchange fluctuations and impacts related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict), and issues that impact our ability to hire, retain and adequately compensate talented employees. We have summarized what we believe are the principal risks to our business in a section titled "Summary of Risk Factors" on pages 36 and 37 in our filing on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 31, 2024 which you can find here . Additional details on the risks and uncertainties that may impact our business can be found in the same filing on Form 10-Q and in our subsequent SEC filings, which you can access at sec.gov . We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these risks and uncertainties before making an investment decision. Investor Relations Contact: Media Contact: Gunnar Hansen Maria Scurry Veeva Systems Inc. Veeva Systems Inc. 267-460-5839 781-366-7617 ir@veeva.com pr@veeva.com VEEVA SYSTEMS INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands) (Unaudited) October 31, 2024 January 31, 2024 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,044,511 $ 703,487 Short-term investments 4,018,475 3,324,269 Accounts receivable, net 255,817 852,172 Unbilled accounts receivable 45,472 36,365 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 82,885 86,918 Total current assets 5,447,160 5,003,211 Property and equipment, net 55,695 58,532 Deferred costs, net 22,515 23,916 Lease right-of-use assets 60,325 45,602 Goodwill 439,877 439,877 Intangible assets, net 48,527 63,017 Deferred income taxes 322,652 233,463 Other long-term assets 56,102 43,302 Total assets $ 6,452,853 $ 5,910,920 Liabilities and stockholders ' equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 31,845 $ 31,513 Accrued compensation and benefits 34,634 43,433 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 30,906 32,980 Income tax payable 10,803 11,862 Deferred revenue 739,657 1,049,761 Lease liabilities 9,156 9,334 Total current liabilities 857,001 1,178,883 Deferred income taxes 475 2,052 Lease liabilities, noncurrent 62,545 46,441 Other long-term liabilities 31,429 38,720 Total liabilities 951,450 1,266,096 Stockholders' equity: Common stock 2 2 Additional paid-in capital 2,248,890 1,915,002 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (6,459) (10,637) Retained earnings 3,258,970 2,740,457 Total stockholders' equity 5,501,403 4,644,824 Total liabilities and stockholders ' equity $ 6,452,853 $ 5,910,920 VEEVA SYSTEMS INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (In thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Revenues: Subscription services (4) $ 580,850 $ 494,912 $ 1,676,082 $ 1,380,095 Professional services and other (5) 118,357 121,593 349,651 352,960 Total revenues 699,207 616,505 2,025,733 1,733,055 Cost of revenues (6) : Cost of subscription services 82,638 74,435 239,577 213,179 Cost of professional services and other 91,751 93,247 279,068 290,184 Total cost of revenues 174,389 167,682 518,645 503,363 Gross profit 524,818 448,823 1,507,088 1,229,692 Operating expenses (6) : Research and development 172,411 161,278 511,551 465,466 Sales and marketing 98,695 96,773 297,524 282,269 General and administrative 72,359 62,283 195,001 187,887 Total operating expenses 343,465 320,334 1,004,076 935,622 Operating income 181,353 128,489 503,012 294,070 Other income, net 60,937 42,187 171,239 111,260 Income before income taxes 242,290 170,676 674,251 405,330 Income tax provision 56,482 35,518 155,738 27,023 Net income $ 185,808 $ 135,158 $ 518,513 $ 378,307 Net income per share: Basic $ 1.15 $ 0.84 $ 3.21 $ 2.36 Diluted $ 1.13 $ 0.83 $ 3.15 $ 2.32 Weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share: Basic 161,987 160,768 161,707 160,344 Diluted 164,979 163,761 164,838 163,129 Other comprehensive income: Net change in unrealized (loss) gain on available-for-sale investments $ (738) $ (2,637) $ 5,576 $ (6,100) Net change in cumulative foreign currency translation loss (146) (518) (1,398) (309) Comprehensive income $ 184,924 $ 132,003 $ 522,691 $ 371,898 (4) Includes subscription services revenues from the following product areas: Veeva Commercial Solutions $ 278,377 $ 251,167 $ 811,503 $ 733,921 Veeva R&D Solutions 302,473 243,745 864,579 646,174 Total subscription services $ 580,850 $ 494,912 $ 1,676,082 $ 1,380,095 (5) Includes professional services and other revenues from the following product areas: Veeva Commercial Solutions $ 45,855 $ 47,899 $ 139,695 $ 140,082 Veeva R&D Solutions 72,502 73,694 209,956 212,878 Total professional services and other $ 118,357 $ 121,593 $ 349,651 $ 352,960 (6) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:
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Fluence Energy, Inc. Reports Record Performance in 2024 and Initiates 2025 Guidance
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington was minding his own business during practice recently, doing his due diligence while running his route when the ball suddenly came his way. Washington wasn't sure what option he was on the play. he certainly wasn't first. Probably not even second. Maybe not even third. Washington was on the back side all by his lonesome while a sea of wide receivers and running backs zig-zagged across quarterback Russell Wilson's field of vision. Only, Wilson didn't like what he saw. Not enough to throw it anyway. So he pivoted to his left and found Washington wide open for a big gain. Asked if he was surprised to find the ball in his hands, Washington nodded. “A little bit,” he said. “I don't know. I don't know what was going on with the other people.” Wilson did. He almost always seems to these days for the first-place Steelers (9-3), who find themselves atop the AFC North behind the play of their resurgent 36-year-old quarterback, who has taken a decidedly democratic approach to resurrecting his career. The nine-time Pro Bowler threw the ball to 10 different players while piling up 414 yards last week against the Bengals . Sure, mercurial star George Pickens got the ball. But so did Washington. And third tight end MyCole Pruitt. And wide receiver Ben Skowronek, who turned his second catch of the season into a 23-yard gain on a drive that ended with one of Wilson's three touchdown passes. “You never know when it’s coming your way,” Skowronek said. Not with Wilson at the controls. Fourteen different players have at least one catch this season for the Steelers. That includes Mike Williams, whose lone grab a month since being acquired from the New York Jets is a 32-yard rainbow for the winning score in the final minutes against Washington. It also includes Skowronek, who spent the early portion of the season on injured reserve and worried he'd sort of lost his place in line while he rehabbed. Skowronek and his teammates have quickly learned that with Wilson, there is no “line." During his six starts since returning from a calf injury, Wilson has thrown it wherever, whenever. “It’s like in baseball,” said Wilson, a former minor league second baseman. “You’ll never hit a home run if you don’t swing. And I really believe that you’ve got to swing, you’ve got to trust guys. You’ve got to be able to trust yourself.” Something that hasn't been an issue for Wilson for years, even if he arrived in Pittsburgh at a crossroads following an abrupt fall from grace in Denver. The Steelers couldn't sign Wilson to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum fast enough, and Wilson wasted little time building a rapport with players who were relative strangers. What began with throwing sessions in San Diego has morphed into team dinners and Friday nights where Wilson and first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will hole themselves up in the team facility poring over tapes and bouncing ideas off each other until their wives call wondering where they are. On game days, that work manifests itself in various ways. It's tight end Pat Freiermuth drifting toward an open area while Wilson scrambles, as he did two plays after Skowronek's grab for a 25-yard touchdown. It's Wilson calling an audible at the line of scrimmage late against Cincinnati to hit Van Jefferson for a 43-yard gain that led to a clinching field goal. It's not just good for the stat sheet, it's good for the vibes. “Morale is a big part,” Smith said. Guys who want to be invested. Spreading it around is beneficial in a myriad of ways. It means players don't feel they are “decoys on every play,” as Smith put it. It also means once you put it on film, it means opponents have to find a way to defend it. And the more things an opponent has to defend, the better for an offense, particularly one led by a quarterback who will make his 195th start on Sunday when Cleveland (3-9) visits. “Russ has seen every coverage,” Skowronek said. “He’s ran all these concepts before. So he knows progressions like probably the back of his hand.” Besides, Wilson knows he can't just preach about the importance of being unselfish without practicing it a little bit too. That means giving opportunities to those who have worked for it, no matter where they might fall on the depth chart. “I think that the best part about it is that we’re all super close,” Wilson said. “And I think that bond is really everything too, and just the understanding of each guy and the relationships that we have together, it’s fun. We’re having a great time.” It sure looks like it. The Steelers are averaging a healthy 28.7 points since Wilson recovered from a calf injury that forced him to watch the first six games from the sideline. For the first time in a long time, Pittsburgh no longer has to rely exclusively on its defense to get by. While Mike Tomlin will never get comfortable with the idea of getting into a shootout — blame his defensive coaching roots before taking over in Pittsburgh in 2007 — it's nice to know his team can match opponents score for score if necessary. Another one could be looming against the Browns, who piled up more than 500 yards in a loss to Denver on Monday night. If one materializes, Wilson is ready to do whatever is necessary and find whoever is necessary, regardless of pedigree, salary or resume. “We got to love that part of it,” Wilson said. “We can’t fear it. We’ve got to want it. We’ve got to expect it. We’ve got to embrace it. We’ve got to challenge that. We’ve got to be in those moments and be locked into that moment. I think we do an extremely good job of that.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflInterDigital Declares Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend
US Warns About Risk Of Default
The Arizona Cardinals were rested, relatively healthy and had been playing some of their best football in years. That's why Sunday's sobering 16-6 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks was so surprising.