Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There's no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley's historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He's not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. People are also reading... Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP's first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren't QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn't. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP's new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. Clinching scenarios The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. Status quo in Dallas? It's not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. "I don't think that's crazy at all. 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," Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven't reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team's struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a "tragic incident" following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. Putin's apology came as allegations mounted that Russian air defenses shot down the plane while attempting to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya. Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference Saturday at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. An official Kremlin statement issued Saturday said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny airport as the airliner "repeatedly" attempted to land there on Wednesday. It did not explicitly say one of these hit the plane. The statement said Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace." The readout said Russia has launched a criminal probe into the incident, and Azerbaijani state prosecutors have arrived in Grozny to participate. The Kremlin also said that "relevant services" from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and crashed while attempting to land. There were 29 survivors. According to a readout of the call provided by Aliyev's press office, the Azerbaijani president told Putin that the plane was subject to "external physical and technical interference," though he also stopped short of blaming Russian air defenses. Part of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane lies on the ground Thursday near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Aliyev noted the plane had holes in its fuselage and the occupants sustained injuries "due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight." He said that a team of international experts began a probe of the incident at Azerbaijan's initiative, but provided no details. Earlier this week, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's office confirmed that investigators from Azerbaijan are working in Grozny. On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon, echoing those made by aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack. U.S. President Joe Biden, responding Saturday to a reporter asking whether he thought Putin should take responsibility for the crash, said: "Apparently he did but I haven't spoken to him." Biden made the comment after leaving church in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Passengers and crew members who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it circled over Grozny. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic. Yadrov said after the captain made two unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly to Aktau. People attend a funeral Saturday for Mahammadali Eganov, who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau at the age of 13, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Earlier this past week, Rosaviatsia cited unspecified early evidence as showing that a bird strike led to an emergency on board. In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed "physical and technical interference" and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports. It didn't say where the interference came from or provide any further details. If proven that the plane crashed after being hit by Russian fire, it would be the second deadly civil aviation accident linked to fighting in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed with a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people aboard, as it flew over the area in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in 2014. Russia denied responsibility but a Dutch court in 2022 convicted two Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for their role in downing the plane with an air defense system brought into Ukraine from a Russian military base. The grave of Mahammadali Eganov, 13, who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's Aktau airport, is seen Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan. Following Wednesday's suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and nearby Makhachkala, Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it would also halt service to eight more Russian cities. Several other airlines made similar announcements since the crash. Kazakhstan's Qazaq Air on Friday said it would stop flying from Astana to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains for a month. Turkmenistan Airlines, the Central Asian country's flagship carrier, on Saturday halted flights to Moscow for at least a month, citing safety concerns. Earlier this past week, Israel's El Al carrier suspended service from Tel Aviv to the Russian capital, citing "developments in Russia's airspace." Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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CLEMSON — The days following a college football season have become a time for heartfelt messages, playful quotes, and cryptic emojis. "Let's run it back Clemson," sophomore defensive end T.J. Parker posted to X/formerly Twitter on Dec. 27, with a GIF image of WWE wrestler Roman Reigns screaming "The Big Dog is Back!" "I'll be back," junior linebacker Wade Woodaz posted on Dec. 24, opting for a clip of a stoic Arnold Schwarzenegger delivering his famous line from Terminator. "Run it," sophomore defensive lineman Peter Woods posted more cryptically on his Instagram on Dec. 28, though he paired it with emojis of a Tiger and a upward-trending stock line on his X account. This is very much a sign of the times, particularly with sophomores like Parker and Woods, because it was rarely questioned in previous decades whether a player would return for their junior seasons. But in this era of name, image, and likeness (NIL) pay and the transfer portal, these announcements are big news. It means Clemson — and its NIL collective, 110 Society — has done its work to retain some of the Tigers' top talent. These can be turbulent days and weeks for a college football program. But with every announcement, Clemson's 2025 roster becomes clearer and clearer. And it appears Dabo Swinney is keeping his roster mostly intact. Only a reserve defensive end, sophomore A.J. Hoffler , has joined departures from the receiver room, Troy Stellato and Noble Johnson , and a defensive back, Sherrod Covil Jr. , in hitting the transfer portal. The deadline to enter is Dec. 28. Parker, Woods, and Woodaz have each made clear — each in their own way — they intend to return to Clemson's defense next season. Woodaz was one of the Tigers' biggest risers in 2024, collecting a team-high 82 tackles after totals of 20 and 28, respectively, in his first two seasons. The rising senior will be expected to play a major role in 2025 alongside ACC defensive rookie of the year Sammy Brown . Parker, a second-team All-ACC selection, led Clemson in tackles for loss (19.5), sacks (11), and quarterback pressures (13) this season. He also forced a school-record six fumbles. He could be primed for a leap to the NFL after next season. Woods had more of an uneven 2024 because of injuries and switching positions between defensive tackle and defensive end. But he still produced 8.5 TFLs and three sacks this season, and Woods should return to tackle full-time as a junior with Purdue transfer Will Heldt fortifying the end rotation. Woodaz, Parker, and Woods represent the bulk of the clarifications expected to come from the defensive side of the ball, but now Clemson awaits word from several offensive starters. Quarterback Cade Klubnik made big strides as a junior, which revived his standing a potential NFL draft pick in 2026. But it would be surprising if Klubnik jumped to the pros this year absent a more robust track record of success. He has a chance to throw to rising redshirt junior Antonio Williams and rising sophomores T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. as a senior. Offensive tackle Blake Miller , on the other hand, was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and was named first-team All-ACC in 2024. Miller had allowed just one quarterback hit and no sacks in 485 pass rush snaps heading into the ACC title game, according to Pro Football Focus. The receiver Williams is another name to watch. Even though he missed most of his second season to an ankle injury, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver led the Tigers in receiving yards as a freshman (604) and led all Clemson wideouts in catches (75), yards (904) and touchdowns (11) as a redshirt sophomore. If Klubnik, Miller, and Williams return, Clemson's offense only has to withstand the loss of running back Phil Mafah , tight end Jake Briningstool , and offensive guard Marcus Tate in 2025. Clemson's No. 2 tight end, Olsen Patt-Henry, is heading into his junior season, while Mafah is likely to be replaced by one or both of redshirt freshman David Eziomume and true freshman Gideon Davidson . There are a number of possible successors to Tate, including rising junior Harris Sewell, redshirt junior Collin Sadler, and sophomore Elyjah Thurmon. Simply put, there don't appear to be many holes in Clemson's roster with the fall transfer window set to close. Most of the 2024 Tigers appear ready to "run it back" in 2025.
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