Balotelli apologises for offensive post

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Liverpool's Mario Balotelli apologises for Instagram post which appeared to contain potentially racist and anti-Semitic references.


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London - Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli apologised for his social media post which appeared to contain potentially racist and anti-Semitic references.


Balotelli, who made the post on his Instagram page on Monday, will be investigated by the Football Association (FA), according to British media reports.


The 24-year-old Italian later deleted the post.


“I apologize if I've offended anyone,” Balotelli said on Twitter. “The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour. I now understand that out of context it may have the opposite effect.”


Liverpool said they will speak to the striker who signed from AC Milan in August.


“We are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player,” a Liverpool spokesman told the BBC. “We will be speaking to the player about the issue.”


Former FA executive Simon Johnson, who is the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said Balotelli should be punished.


“We abhor all forms of racism, wherever it is found,” he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.


“We call upon the FA to investigate this offensive social media post and to take action if appropriate if we are to succeed in kicking racism out of football.” – Reuters






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News sport : NFL MVP race so deep, Luck and Peyton can't crack top five

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Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning are incredible quarterbacks and they're having great 2014 seasons. In almost any other season they might win NFL MVP.


This season just has so many great candidates.


When putting together the NFL's MVP rankings going into December, they just couldn't make the top five cut. Neither did other great players like Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown or Justin Houston. Our top five with four games to go can be seen in the countdown video at the top.


When there are this many great candidates, there's bound to be plenty of debate. We have another month to sort it out.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze reportedly agrees to contract extension

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Mississippi head coach Hugh Freeze celebrates with running back Jordan Wilkins (22) after Wilkins threw a 31-yard touchdown pass against Mississippi State in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) After a few days of speculation linking him to the Florida opening, Hugh Freeze is officially staying at Ole Miss.


According to The Clarion-Ledger, Freeze and Ole Miss have a deal in place for a contract extension that will keep Freeze in Oxford “for the next four years.” The deal also includes a raise that will pay Freeze $4 million per year and salary boosts for his assistant coaches. Freeze’s previous deal paid him $3 million annually.


The specifics of the deal have not been confirmed yet by Ole Miss, but Freeze and athletic director Ross Bjork tweeted the news Tuesday morning.




A few reports connected Freeze to the Florida job, one of which said Freeze had an offer on the table “in the range of $4.2 to $4.3 million annually.” Florida denied that the job had been offered to anyone.


Freeze recently completed his third season with the program with a win in the Egg Bowl over in-state rival Mississippi State. The Rebels have improved every season with Freeze at the helm, going 7-6 in 2012, 8-5 in 2013 and 9-3 this season with a bowl game on the horizon.


Overall, Freeze’s record at Ole Miss is 24-14 (11-13 SEC).


For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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Arsenal creating something special

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Arsenal are united as a club and are in the process of creating something special despite a turbulent start to the season, manager Arsene Wenger said.


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London - Arsenal are united as a club and are in the process of creating something special despite a turbulent start to the season, manager Arsene Wenger said.


Arsenal, who beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Saturday, have lacked consistency this season and are sixth in the Premier League table, 13 points behind leaders Chelsea.


Wenger has come under increasing pressure from frustrated fans and supporters unveiled a banner that read “thanks for the memories but it's time to say goodbye” during the victory at West Brom.


But speaking ahead of Arsenal's match against Southampton at the Emirates on Wednesday, Wenger, who has been in charge of the Gunners for 18 years, said he was unaffected by the criticism.


“We are internally very united,” Wenger told a news conference. “Our job is to be competitive and to fight and we are creating something special inside the club.


“But that has to come out through performances and games won. That's the best way to unite everybody.”


Arsenal's progress has not been helped by a number of injuries and defenders Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs face a battle to face the Saints.


First-choice goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina are still injured Along with midfielders Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta.


Third-placed Southampton travel to the Emirates on the back of a 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, but Wenger believes they are in the running for a top-four finish.


“Southampton are stable at the back and their new signings have integrated well,” he said. “If they can maintain their run, they can challenge for Champions League places.


“But it's a big game and an opportunity to show consistency in our results.”


Arsenal great Thierry Henry, who scored 228 goals in 377 appearances for the Gunners, left New York Red Bulls on Monday and Wenger expects the striker to return to north London in the future.


“He is an Arsenal man and enjoyed the best moments of his career here,” Wenger said. “I understand that he wants to reflect on what he wants to do.


“Certainly one day he will come back here. In what role I don't know. That is what he has to think about: what direction he wants to give to his next life.” – Reuters






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Bafana eager to see who awaits at Afcon

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Shakes Mashaba, crowned Coach of the Year at the SA Sports Awards, is eagerly awaiting the draw for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.


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Shakes Mashaba, crowned Coach of the Year at the SA Sports Awards, is eagerly awaiting the draw for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).


Having qualified Bafana Bafana for the tournament – the first time since 2008 – the national football coach needs to know who Bafana will come up against in the continent’s most prestigious event, in order to start planning and preparing.


The draw for Afcon 2015 takes place tomorrow in Malabo, the capital of the host country, Equatorial Guinea (live on SS7 at 8pm).


Over the weekend, an inexperienced, experimental Bafana side was impressive in defeating an equally under-strength Ivory Coast 2-0 in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge friendly. But, as good as the performance was, it’s unlikely that too many of those players will be on the plane to Equatorial Guinea in January next year.


Mashaba, no doubt, already has the bulk of the players he wants, including the midfield axis of Dean Furman and Andile Jali, and defenders such as Erick Mathoho, Tefu Mashamaite, Anele Ngcongca, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Rivaldo Coetzee.


Two players who will have Mashaba keeping his fingers crossed are striker Tokelo Rantie and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.


Rantie, who has been brilliant for Bafana, scoring four goals in six Afcon qualifiers, is in a race against time to be fit for the continental showpiece. He dislocated his shoulder playing for English Championship side Bournemouth last month and the initial prognosis was that he would be out for six weeks. The English club confirmed that Rantie, 24, would not require surgery, but that the recovery process would take time.


Bafana – and Mashaba – definitely need the in-form striker to be fit and ready, as he is about the only source of goals for the team at the moment.


Khune was the country’s number one goalkeeper before being struck down by a bad ankle injury. He has been out of action for four months and his club Kaizer Chiefs have emphasised that they are not going to push him hard. They want him to recover at his own pace to ensure that he recovers fully. Mashaba will have to monitor the situation carefully before deciding whether Khune will be part of the 2015 squad or not.


In any case, Bafana are adequately covered in the goalkeeping department, with Belgium-based Darren Keet and Chiefs’ rising star, Brilliant Khuzwayo, to choose from. And, if Mashaba needs more experience and quality, there’s also Ronwen Williams of SuperSport United and Wayne Sandilands of Mamelodi Sundowns.


The South Africans will certainly have to be at their best in Equatorial Guinea. While they were exceptional during the qualifiers, sealing their spot with an unbeaten run, the actual tournament presents different challenges and conditions.


South Africans are notoriously bad travellers on the continent. During the qualifiers, Bafana were able to jet in and out of the countries they played in – Sudan, Congo and Nigeria – via charter flight, ensuring that they spent as little time there as possible.


This is not possible at Afcon. They will have to adapt to the local conditions – and, at the same time, the nature of the opposition will be decidedly stronger, with top football nations like Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Cameroon and Senegal eager to be crowned African champions. - Cape Argus






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United getting fear factor back

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Michael Carrick has warned Manchester United’s rivals that their ‘scary’ strikeforce is starting to fire on all cylinders.


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Michael Carrick has warned Manchester United’s rivals that their ‘scary’ strikeforce is starting to fire on all cylinders.


Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were on target in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Hull City, and Radamel Falcao came off the bench after almost six weeks out following a calf injury.


Rooney is a doubt for tonight’s clash with Stoke at Old Trafford after suffering a knock on his knee at the weekend, and Angel di Maria definitely misses out due to a hamstring strain.


But the signs are there that United’s stars are starting to align, according to Carrick.


‘When you have got Robin and Wayne scoring, and Falcao coming off the bench and nearly scoring, we’ll be a threat to anyone,’ said the United midfielder. ‘You want those boys when they’re flying and it’s scary to play against. It gives the whole of our team huge confidence and belief.’


United face Stoke having won five of their seven home games this season, and Carrick believes that manager Louis van Gaal is gradually restoring the air of invincibility around Old Trafford that disappeared under David Moyes. ‘That’s the sort of standard we want to be at, dominating teams and winning,’ he said. ‘Hopefully we can carry on like this and that fear factor will creep back.’


Stoke Mark Hughes feels it is a bad time to be facing United. He said: ‘They are hitting a bit of form, which is unfortunate from our point of view. They have suffered with injuries but you do feel once they have everyone back they are going to have a say in who wins the league this year, although I think it’s beyond them.’ – Daily Mail






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Toure’s focus is on City

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Manchester City star Yaya Toure has insisted criticism of his performances won't distract him from concentrating on helping the champions overhaul leaders Chelsea.


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London – Manchester City star Yaya Toure has insisted criticism of his performances won't distract him from concentrating on helping the champions overhaul leaders Chelsea in the Premier League title race.


Ivory Coast midfielder Toure scored the opening goal with a typical 20-yard strike as City leapfrogged Southampton into second place with a 3-0 win at the Saints' St Mary's Stadium on Sunday.


City are now six points adrift of Chelsea heading into their trip to Sunderland on Wednesday.


The 31-year-old Toure has had a difficult few months, including having to cope with the death of his brother, but he is now focused solely on football.


“For me the most important thing is I try to do my best for the team,” said Toure. “Sometimes people are not thinking we are human beings, people are always trying to criticise you even though you are a human being.


“So I never think about those things, I always try to focus on my team.”


He added: “The Premier League is important, and whenever we lose we will get criticised.


“But we've just got to fight until the end; our squad is fantastic and we know exactly how to fight all the way in this league.


“Teams will always step up their game against us and we know we've got to try to keep pace with Chelsea.”


City will head to the north-east to face a Sunderland side fresh from holding Chelsea to a goalless draw at the Stadium of Light last weekend.


“Wednesday will be tough, we have always been unlucky at the Stadium of Light,” said Toure.


“They are very compact, strong at the back and have a great counter-attack, and we know our old team-mate (Adam) Johnson will come at us very well.”


Having struggled during the latter half of October and beginning of November Ä they were beaten at home by CSKA Moscow in the Champions League and Newcastle in the League Cup while they lost away to West Ham and drew at QPR in the league Ä City have picked up recently with three straight wins.


“Three or four games winning in a row is very good for confidence,” added Toure.


“It was a fantastic result for us (at Southampton), they've been scoring a lot of goals at home.


“We showed fantastic work as a group, realising that we need to work hard when we don't have the ball, realising that we have to be good defensively to win games like that.” – Sapa-AFP






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Welbeck hopes Arsenal keep winning

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Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck hopes to maintain the momentum generated by his match-winning header at West Bromwich Albion when Southampton visit the Emirates Stadium.


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London – Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck hopes to maintain the momentum generated by his match-winning header at West Bromwich Albion when Southampton visit the Emirates Stadium.


Welbeck's header at The Hawthorns was his first goal in seven games for Arsenal and secured a priceless victory for the Gunners as they attempt to force their way back into the Champions League spots.


Successive league defeats had seen the north London club drop away from the leading group, but after following up the Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund with victory at West Brom, Arsene Wenger's side moved up to sixth, two points behind Manchester United in fourth.


That wasn't enough to satisfy some of the travelling Arsenal supporters at the weekend who unfurled a banner demanding the veteran manager quit.


Victory against a Southampton side still smarting from a painful 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City last weekend will help defuse the anger of those fans frustrated at Arsenal's failure to keep pace with leaders Chelsea.


Welbeck is convinced the confidence generated by his much-needed goal will help turn things around.


The striker, signed from Manchester United for £16 million ($26.6 million, 20.2 million euros) at the end of the last transfer window, said: “I've had a couple blocked off the line and it just wasn't going my way, but I've got the goal and I'm just looking forward to scoring more and helping the team to win games.”


Welbeck's goal was timely as he attempts to retain his position as Arsenal's main striker following the return to fitness of Olivier Giroud.


“It gives the manager a good headache and he's got a lot of options going forward. Going into the games, everybody's going to be giving 100 percent,” he said.


Southampton remain third despite the defeat at the hands of City and Wenger knows they will pose a testing challenge.


The Gunners boss has been left with yet another injury headache ahead of the visit of Ronald Koeman's team.


Defenders Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal are both doubtful after suffering injuries at West Brom, forcing Wenger to consider using Calum Chambers or Laurent Koscielny as a makeshift left-back.


Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is again likely to miss out because of a hip problem but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to recover from a minor knock


Koeman criticised his side for the individual errors he believes were responsible for the loss to a City side reduced to 10 men for the last 16 minutes.


The Saints' hopes of returning to winning ways have not been helped by the loss of midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin due to injury.


“He's not ready for Wednesday,” said Koeman. “He's now having a scan on his right leg, we have to wait and see the results of the scan.


“We know exactly what Morgan means for our team, he's one of our key players and without key players it's always difficult for the rest of the team.”


Southampton have already tasted victory at the Emirates Stadium this season when they knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup.


“The previous result gives the confidence that we can beat them, but Arsenal in the last two games have had two good results,” said Koeman.


“I think they are a little bit back with the spirit about these two results.


“It will be difficult, but you always get space against Arsenal. They like to play, they like to play offensive.


“I think it will be an open game and, with our possibilities, we believe we will have chances for a good result,” added the former Dutch international. – Sapa-AFP






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Balotelli in hot water

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Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli is to be investigated by the Football Association for a potentially racist and anti-Semitic social media post.


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London - Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli is to be investigated by the Football Association (FA) for a potentially racist and anti-Semitic social media post, British media reported.


The Italian later deleted the post from his Instagram page.


“We are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player,” a Liverpool spokesman told the BBC. “We will be speaking to the player about the issue.”


Former FA executive Simon Johnson, who is the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said the 24-year-old should be punished.


“We abhor all forms of racism, wherever it is found,” he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.


“We call upon the FA to investigate this offensive social media post and to take action if appropriate if we are to succeed in kicking racism out of football.” – Reuters






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Swansea’s Bony won’t come cheaply

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It would take an “astronomical fee” for Swansea City to part with in-form Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony, manager Gary Monk said.


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London - It would take an “astronomical fee” for Swansea City to part with in-form Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony, manager Gary Monk said.


The 25-year-old has scored 18 Premier League goals in 2014, two more than his nearest rival Sergio Aguero, and has helped the Welsh team climb to eighth in the table with six goals in his last seven appearances.


According to media reports, Bony was a target for Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur during the close-season but he remained at the Liberty Stadium and last month signed a one-year contract extension that ties him to the club until 2018.


“It would take an astronomical fee for him to go anywhere,” Monk told reporters ahead of Tuesday's league visit of Queens Park Rangers.


“We are not a selling club, we don't need to sell. We are very much committed with our players and they are committed to us.


“It shows the work that we are doing with him is paying off. He works very hard on his finishing and his fitness so all credit to him and long may it continue.”


Swansea are likely to be without former Vitesse Arnhem striker Bony, who has scored 11 goals in 32 games for Ivory Coast, during the African Nations Cup next month and Monk said he might be forced to bolster his attacking options.


“With Wilfried being away for...a six or seven-game period we'll obviously be looking to bring in cover in that position,” the manager explained. – Reuters






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News sport : Marco Belinelli dunks on Henry Sims, Sixers now 0-17

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San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli is not known as much of a dunker. The TKTKT entered Monday night with 34 made dunks in 448 career NBA games, with total dunk attempts registering as just 1.0 percent of his total field goals. If Belinelli were ever to dunk on someone, it would not register as a posterization, because the use of the term suggests that any manufacturer would create a poster of a player doing something he almost never does. I mean, Chris Paul has blocked 60 shots as a pro, but no one is going to put together a highlight reel of his top swats.


Of course, games involving the Philadelphia 76ers do not currently resemble normal NBA contests, which provided Belinelli with the opportunity for a rare dunk during the second quarter of Tuesday night's game at Wells Fargo Center. Big man Henry Sims tried to get in his way but was not especially successful:



Belinelli shot just 3-of-13 for the game as a whole, but the Spurs managed a 109-103 win despite sitting Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 26 points and added 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals.


Meanwhile, the Sixers fell to 0-17, which puts them just one loss behind the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets for the worst start in NBA history. They have a reasonable chance of avoiding the mark on Wednesday when they travel to the 4-12 Minnesota Timberwolves. If Philly loses that game, they will have to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (potentially with Kevin Durant) on Friday to stop short of sole possession of the record.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Nick Markakis return to Orioles becoming increasingly uncertain

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(Getty Images) On the same day the Orioles lost Nelson Cruz to the Mariners, it looks like an unwilligness to guarantee long-term security to outfielder Nick Markakis might lead to his departure from Baltimore.


Cruz signed a reported four-year, $57 million deal with Seattle on Monday and Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun writes that Markakis' return to the Orioles appears increasingly unlikely:



For the first time this offseason, it appears more likely that free-agent outfielder Nick Markakis will sign elsewhere than rejoin an Orioles team he has been with since he debuted in 2006. According to multiple sources, there now looks to be less than a 50-50 chance that the 31-year-old will return to the Orioles, something that seemed to be a virtual certainty a month ago. There has been some talk within the Orioles organization that the club is no longer comfortable with a four-year deal for Markakis.



Negotiations have stalled and the rest of the league has noticed. With Markakis apparently available, teams are jumping at the opportunity to sign the veteran left-handed hitting outfielder who slashed .276/.342/.386 and won his second career Gold Glove in 2014. The Yankees, Blue Jays and Giants are said to be among those interested. Offering Markakis the four-year term Baltimore is struggling to give him might be enough to get a deal done.


Losing Markakis and Cruz would be a major shakeup for the Orioles, who won the AL East for the first time since 1997. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that Baltimore has at least reached out to the Dodgers about Matt Kemp as a potential replacement. Los Angeles has a significant surplus in the outfield and is poised to make a some changes there. Melky Cabrera, Nori Aoki, and Torii Hunter are some of the outfielders still out on the free agent market.


A month ago the Orioles re-signing Markis seemed all but sealed. Now the two sides couldn't appear to be any further apart. That's the Hot Stove for you.


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News sport : Shutdown Corner NFL Power Rankings: The best team nobody's talking about

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Which teams have generated the most buzz this season?


New England, of course. Their fall and rise has maybe been the story of the NFL season. The Packers and Broncos, with their great quarterbacks. The Cardinals had their time in the spotlight – although they might be getting ushered off the main stage now. The story of the Seahawks’ charge in the West is picking up steam. Dallas’ surprise season has been a hot topic all year. And there’s one elite team that has had surprisingly little said about them, is rarely mentioned as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but they might be as good anyone just listed.


The Philadelphia Eagles.


The Eagles rarely fly under the radar, but it has happened this season. There was a little bit of chatter about Mark Sanchez, but even that has died down. They went in and had a dominant performance at Dallas that should have stamped them as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and by Monday we had forgotten all about it as we start talking again about the Packers and Broncos – and Johnny Manziel, of course.


[Join FanDuel.com's $2.25M Week 14 fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 20,675 teams paid]


The Eagles are 9-3 with very close losses to the 49ers and Cardinals on the road. They were blown out by the Packers in Green Bay, but that's not unique to them. Philadelphia's final four games – vs. Seattle, vs. Dallas, at Washington, at N.Y. Giants – give them a real chance to finish 13-3. That would put them in good position to get the No. 1 seed, although Green Bay and Arizona would each have to lose at least one more because they both have the tiebreaker over Philadelphia.


The Eagles' defense has been pretty good all year, the special teams have been great, and like last year the offense is getting into a groove. Philadelphia has won four of five and scored 30 points in each win. I don't think the Eagles can win at Green Bay, but it's possible they might not have to. And I don't think anyone would want to play at Philadelphia in January, but then again, nobody is really saying much about the Eagles at all. If the Eagles beat the Seahawks this week, that might start to change.


Here are the post-Week 13 NFL power rankings:


32. Oakland Raiders (1-11, Last Week: 31)
 If you needed a hint of how important getting one win was, just look at how badly the Raiders let down the week after getting that one win.


31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10, LW: 32)
 It says something about them and coach Gus Bradley that they kept battling after falling behind 21-3. It says something about the Giants too, but that’s another topic.


30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10, LW: 29)
 Are there any positive signs that Lovie Smith was the right hire? They find new and strange ways to lose every week.


29. Tennessee Titans (2-10, LW: 28)
 When you allow six touchdown passes to Ryan Fitzpatrick, everything needs to be evaluated in a harsh light.


28. New York Jets (2-10, LW: 30)
 At least they made it competitive for a national audience.


27. New York Giants (3-9, LW: 26)
 Tom Coughlin has had a great run in New York, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the loss at Jacksonville is what ultimately ends it.


26. Washington Redskins (3-9, LW: 27)
 If Colt McCoy has a solid December, the Redskins face an interesting decision. McCoy will be a free agent. He has run Jay Gruden’s offense pretty well so far.



25. Carolina Panthers (3-8-1, LW: 25)
 They voted for Ron Rivera over Bill Belichick for coach of the year last season.


24. Chicago Bears (5-7, LW: 21)
 The game plans on both sides of the ball against Detroit were just confusing. They had no chance.


23. Minnesota Vikings (5-7, LW: 22)
 I keep thinking Cordarrelle Patterson is too talented to not play at all for this team. He played just three snaps on Sunday. Then I also understand that the coaching staff knows what he brings to the table, knows what else they have at the position and they’ve decided not to play him at all.


22. Atlanta Falcons (5-7, LW: 24)
 For as bad as the NFC South is, Sunday showed that Matt Ryan and Julio Jones could orchestrate a playoff upset against a good team, if they’re on.


21. New Orleans Saints (5-7, LW: 23)
 Drew Brees throwing for five touchdowns on a day that Jimmy Graham didn’t catch a pass is the best sign the offense has had in many weeks.


20. St. Louis Rams (5-7, LW: 20)
 I’ll give the Rams credit for this: Most NFL teams would have talked themselves into just rolling with Zac Stacy at running back for another year. The Rams saw a back in Tre Mason they thought was better, and drafted him despite Stacy having a decent rookie year. And it was the right move, obviously.



19. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5, LW: 17)
 When a team constantly plays down to its competition, that’s coaching. They should have a decent lead in the AFC North by now, but have blown too many games.


18. Houston Texans (6-6, LW: 19)
 If J.J. Watt is not the MVP, we’re just telling defensive players they don’t matter.


17. Cleveland Browns (7-5, LW: 14)
 I'd stick with Brian Hoyer. I think Johnny Manziel needs a full year of development and he won't have success this year. Also, in a few weeks you can go from Hoyer to Manziel a lot easier than you can go from Manziel back to Hoyer.


16. Buffalo Bills (7-5, LW: 18)
 The defense is really good. I just don’t see how they get into the playoffs, which is a shame.


15. San Francisco 49ers (7-5, LW: 12)

Chicken or the egg: Is it Colin Kaepernick’s issues that have caused Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis to fall off a cliff this season, or vice versa?


14. Baltimore Ravens (7-5, LW: 10)

They beat bad teams and lose to good teams. We shouldn’t be surprised when the pattern repeats itself.


13. San Diego Chargers (8-4, LW: 15)

Don't look now, but Keenan Allen's sophomore slump is over. He has 17 catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns the past two weeks. I'm not sure where that Allen was all season, but he's here now.



12. Kansas City Chiefs (7-5, LW: 9)
 Whatever the cause of their issues in the passing game, the Chiefs have to figure out a way to field an offense in 2015 that has a receiver or three who you actually notice over the course of a game.


11. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3-1, LW: 16)
 Hard to be too excited for that win in Tampa Bay, but it’s a win, which is more than we can say for the rest of that division this week.


10. Miami Dolphins (7-5, LW: 11)
 Take the ugly win, move on, don't look back.


9. Detroit Lions (8-4, LW: 13)
 Linebacker DeAndre Levy probably deserves a little more love for what he means to a really good defense. If you watch a Lions game, it won’t take long before you see him around the ball.


8. Dallas Cowboys (8-4, LW: 7)
 I’ve preferred the Eagles all season so that Thanksgiving result didn’t surprise me, but was a bit of a concern how lopsided it was.


7. Arizona Cardinals (9-3, LW: 3)
 I admire Cardinals fans for being so adamant that losing Carson Palmer meant nothing to the outlook of their team this season. And trust me, I think I heard from every one of them. But it was never realistic.


6. Indianapolis Colts (8-4, LW: 6)
 Is the Trent Richardson trade top 10 all-time bad? Top five?


5. Seattle Seahawks (8-4, LW: 8)
 The Marshawn Lynch retirement talk has never really seemed like an empty negotiating ploy to me, because I can only imagine how his body feels at the end of each season.


4. Philadelphia Eagles (9-3, LW: 5)
 I'm glad the Seattle defense has looked like its usual self the past couple weeks, because it makes Sunday's matchup very interesting.


3. Denver Broncos (9-3, LW: 4)
 The Broncos once again look capable of winning the AFC, but the problem is this: I don’t think they can win at New England. And I don't think they're getting the No. 1 seed.


2. Green Bay Packers (9-3, LW: 2)

I think the Packers have passed the Seahawks and Saints and anyone else as having the best home-field advantage in the NFL. That’s why the race for the NFC's No. 1 seed is so important.


1. New England Patriots (9-3, LW: 1)

I wasn’t really surprised by Sunday’s outcome at Lambeau, and I doubt many others were either. Nothing that happened on Sunday changed my mind about how good this team is.



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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Andre Miller shows the Heat his old man game

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Some players take to being veterans far better than they ever did to their roles as brash and/or athletic youngster. Take Washington Wizards point guard Andre Miller, now in his 16th NBA season. When Miller entered the league in 1999, he was a college-tested floor leader with a strong understanding of the game. Not surprisingly, those talents have served Miller very well as he has aged. On any give night, Miller may deliver a master class in veteran craftiness, along with very few hints of athleticism. He is the rare 38-year-old athlete who seems much older.


Miller showed the Miami Heat some of his old-man moves on a single play in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game at the Verizon Center. Miller fumbled the ball a bit while being covered by rookie Shabazz Napier, pulled off the world's slowest behind-the-back dribble, ambled towards the basket, and momentarily confused Chris Bosh with a ball fake. Take a look:



However, this basket wasn't especially representative of the Wizards' performance on the night. They needed need much misdirection to beat the Heat — this was good, old-fashioned domination. Washington shot 54.2 percent from the field and 10-of-19 from deep on their way to a 107-86 victory in which they never trailed. The Wizards are now 11-5 and in sole possession of second place in the East, just 1 1/2 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the conference's top spot.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Jon Lester free agency decision looms as Braves don't make offer

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(USA TODAY Sports) Jon Lester continues to make his way through the free agent process and he's now got one less offer to consider before making his decision.


The Braves were expected to be in the hunt for his signature, Lester makes his offseason home near Atlanta, but according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution they've been priced out of the race:



Bidding for the free-agent pitcher already climbed well above $20 million annually in six-year offers from the Cubs, Red Sox and possibly the Giants, and the Braves decided they couldn’t afford a competitive offer for the left-hander.



That leaves three teams in hot pursuit. The Cubs have reportedly offered Lester six years, $138 million while the Red Sox are believed to be coming in with the same term for slightly less cash.


The Giants met with him on Monday and have the funds to make a big play after Pablo Sandoval left San Francisco for the Red Sox. Longshots for Lester include the Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Royals.


The soon to be 31-year-old left-hander is coming off a career year split between Boston and Oakland, posting a 16-11 record and 2.46 ERA. His 6.1 fWAR was tied for fourth among all starting pitchers.


Signing with Chicago would reunite Lester with two familiar faces, former Red Sox executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. A return to Boston, where he has pitched all but two months of his nine-year major league career, would also put him back in a place where he is comfortable. San Francisco can throw three World Series rings on the negotiating table and try to convince Lester he can lead them to their next one along with Madison Bumgarner.


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