Chip Kelly lands at Northwestern a month after the Raiders fired him as offensive coordinator and less than a year after his play calling helped Ohio State to a CFP title.
No. 18 Michigan vs. No. 14 Texas – Citrus Bowl prediction: Odds, expert picks, team news, trends, and stats
Michigan Wolverines vs. Texas Longhorns - Citrus Bowl Game Preview
Former Eagles HC Chip Kelly’s puzzling coaching career continues
Former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly earns yet another opportunity.
100 years after Alabama’s Rose Bowl upended college football, another revolution has arrived
A century ago, Alabama was the upstart program that altered the course of college football history. On New Year's Day, Alabama will face an Indiana team trying to do what the Crimson Tide did 100 years ago.
Curt Cignetti wouldn’t have Indiana in Rose Bowl without Nick Saban, Alabama
Alabama was an instrumental part of Curt Cignetti's journey, and he now leads Indiana against the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl.
Travball emerges, athletics surges, Brisbane basks in success: Australia’s biggest sporting moments of 2025
An Ashes-defining intervention, an NRL showstopper, and new hope forced on the AFL are among our writers’ great moments in Australian sports this year
The highly anticipated Ashes was quickly torn apart by Travis Head’s cameo at the top of the order that has since turned into a much longer stay. The NRL grand final was another scene for an all-time breathtaking display, as the Broncos joined the AFL’s Lions in making Brisbane the epicentre of Australian sport. Here are our writers’ sporting highlights of 2025.
Continue reading...Canadiens: Make Or Break For Montembeault
Samuel Montembeault hasn’t played in the NHL since December 9, when he came in relief to Jakub Dobes in a 6-1 defeat at the end of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he hasn’t started a game in the NHL since December 2, a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Since then, he’s had a conditioning stint in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, played two games between a diminished side that was missing several of its regulars, lost them both and spent a lot of time working on his game with Rocket goaltending coach Marco Marciano, a man he’s known since he first worked with him when he played in the QMJHL with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. On Tuesday night, we’ll get to see if it worked, if he has his game back.
For most, it may just be yet another Tuesday night break, but for Montembeault, the stakes are much higher. The way he performs tonight will, in all likelihood, dictate how the Montreal Canadiens move forward with their goaltending this season. The fact that his first game back is against the Florida Panthers, the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2015 draft before putting him on waivers in 2021, is an interesting twist of fate. However, it’s not like the goaltender should need any more motivation than proving he still belongs in the Canadiens’ net.
Canadiens: Suzuki Waiting To Hear
Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky Rewarded For Big Week
Canadiens: Jordan And Patrik Laine Did The Honours
Tuesday night’s tilt will be the first of three meetings this season, and it comes as just two points separate the two teams in the standings. The Habs are currently third in the Atlantic Division, while the Panthers hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Should the Cats claim the two points tonight, they’d overtake the Habs despite having the same number of points in the standings since the Florida outfit has more regulation wins than Martin St-Louis’ men.
Interestingly, the last 10 games between the two teams have been split evenly, with each team claiming five wins. The Canadiens won the last five, while the Panthers won the first five, including a home game on February 29, 2024, which they took 4-3 in the shootout. Will the double defending champions call time on the Canadiens’ domination over them?
Just like the Canadiens, the Panthers have had their fair share of injury woes this season, and they are still without two huge names in Matthew Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov, who’s out for the season, but may come back in the playoffs, if the Cats get there. Dimitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek and Cole Schwindt are also all on injured reserve.
Florida has a 7-3-0 record in its last 10 games and won a duel against the Washington Capitals, 5-3, on Monday night with Sergei Bobrovsky in net. It was the Russian netminder’s 446th career win, allowing him to overtake Terry Sawchuk in eighth place on the all-time wins leader list. He needs nine more wins to overtake Curtis Joseph in seventh place. Florida has yet to confirm who will be in the net for the game against Montreal; it may be the second game of a back-to-back, but it’s a crucial match in the standings. Bobrovsky has a 16-9-1 record against the visitors with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. As for backup Daniil Tarasov, he’s only faced the Canadiens twice, and he has a 0-1-0 record with a 2.65 GAA and a .898 SV.
Meanwhile, Montembeault has a 4-4-1 record against his former team with a 3.75 GAA and a .892 SV. As for Jacob Fowler, he has never faced them, but they were the first team Jakub Dobes ever played. Just over one year ago, he made 34 saves to register a shutout against the Florida outfit and help the Canadiens turn their season around.
When the Canadiens practiced on Monday, there was one significant change in the lineup up front. Alexandre Texier was skating alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the top line. He had finished the last game there, but it looks like St-Louis wants to have a longer look at him in that spot. This means that Zachary Bolduc finds himself on the third line, playing alongside Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson. Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top points producer against the Panthers with 24 points in 40 games, while Suzuki has 20 points in just 19 duels, and Anderson has 14 points in 24 tilts. Caufiled is not far off from being a point-per-game player against the hosts with 12 points in just 14 games.
At the other end of the ice, Brad Marchand is the Panthers’ most productive player against the Habs with 48 points in 58 games, and he’s on an eight-game points streak, having put up 13 points in that span. Sam Reinhart comes in second place with 23 points in 34 duels, and Sam Bennet completes the top three with 21 points in 28 games.
The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on SCRIPPS, TSN2, and RDS. Cody Beach and Kendrick Nicholson will officiate, with Brad Kovachik and Tyson Baker serving as the linemen. Tuesday night’s tilt will be the Canadiens' last game of 2025 as they’ll be off for New Year’s Eve before taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year’s Day.
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Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Donovan Clingan leveling up
With the end of 2025 nearing, let's take a look at which players are ending the year on a high note and which could use a reset once the ball drops.
Without further ado…
→ Watch the NBA Coast 2 Coast Tuesday on NBC and Peacock! The 76ers take on the Grizzlies at 8 p.m. ET before the Pistons square off against the Lakers at 11 p.m. ET. Both games are available on Peacock. Check your local listings for the NBC game in your area.
Anthony Black had his best game of the season Saturday, but he’s been impressive for the last three weeks.
STOCK UP
Maxime Raynaud — C, Kings
Raynaud’s become a reliable starting center for the Kings in Domantas Sabonis’ absence. The rookie has notched four double-doubles over his last six games, which includes a career-high 29-point outing in the overtime loss to the Trail Blazers during mid-December. Raynaud doesn’t make three-pointers or tally many assists, and only occasionally produces more than a couple of blocks — potentially limiting fantasy basketball ceiling a bit. However, there’s no denying that he’s being heavily counted on to produce, and his stock is currently up during what’s been a pretty strong rookie season. What will happen to his production upon Sabonis’s return to the Kings' starting lineup? We’ll have to wait and see.
Anthony Black — PG/SG, Magic
If you were able to steal Anthony Black from your league’s pool of available players, congratulations! He’s been one of Orlando’s best and most productive players over the past week, averaging 27.8 points and 4.3 three-pointers over the past four games, while also tallying 4.5 assists and generating multiple steals in three of those four contests. In other words, Black is doing a lot and has delivered strong fantasy performances. There’s no reason to believe that he won’t remain aggressive on the offensive end in looking to create for both himself and others. His production is even more needed in the absence of Franz Wagner, who remains without a timeline for return.
Donovan Clingan — C, Trail Blazers
Portland has had a fun season, even with the team seemingly on a never-ending rollercoaster ride in regard to wins and losses. The recent absences of veteran players such as Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant have allowed a younger nucleus to form and find their way. Of the many, Donovan Clingan has been one of the most consistent of late. He’s averaging a double-double on the season and has secured five in the past six games, including a monster 18/18 line against the Celtics recently. What makes the sophomore center unique is his floor-spacing ability that complements the rebounding and shot blocking — he’s gone 9/13 from deep over the last six games and is slowly coming around as a three-point shooter after a rough start to the season. Clingan’s clearly “the guy” at center for Portland and should be going forward.
Donovan Clingan doing his thing
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2025
3Q on NBC & Peacock... tap to watch: https://t.co/rktxrc7zCBpic.twitter.com/dqIfB1OQuG
STOCK DOWN
Anfernee Simons — PG/SG, Celtics
I’ve been waiting for a Simons breakout game to reset his course, but not even a recent return game in Portland against his former club could serve as the turning point. While the veteran guard’s shooting efficiency held up over the first couple of months of his Celtics tenure, he’s struggled throughout December, posting 38.4/29.2/95.2 shooting splits en route to just 11.4 points per game. Simons has only logged more than 20 minutes once over the last three games and is firmly entrenched in his reserve role behind the starting backcourt of Payton Pritchard and Derrick White — that shouldn’t change so long as the Celtics continue to win games. Perhaps Simons will leave his cold shooting in December and regain his shooting touch in the new calendar year.
Zaccharie Risacher — SF/PF, Hawks
The second-year leap has yet to come for the first overall pick of the 2024 draft, nor does it appear on the horizon. The Hawks have lost seven straight games and Risacher has been held to single digits in three of those contests while hardly being involved on the offensive end. His failure to be a difference-maker on the glass or as a facilitator, combined with limited stocks, has left him with very little fantasy impact. Recent buzz from Marc Stein mentions Risacher as a potential trade candidate, and that buzz could potentially grow louder so long as the Hawks’ slide and his lack of production continue to coincide.
Deandre Ayton — C, Lakers
Ayton’s fantasy production has slowed since a relatively strong November. He’s dealt with some minor injuries of late, which caused him to miss a couple of games. But in his three games since returning, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging just 11.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and less than 1.0 blocked shot per game. Limited field goal attempts, no three-point production, and hardly any free-throw activity are some reasons for the low scoring output – things that aren’t likely to change overnight. Ayton’s high field-goal efficiency is notable, but without more activity, he won’t provide much value from a fantasy basketball perspective at the moment.
Blue Jackets Beat Travel Woes And Senators To Win Third Straight Game
Boone Jenner(6), Damon Severson(3), DentonMateycuk(7), and Kirill Marchenko(14) powered the offense, and Jet Greaves played great, making 27 saves to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Monday night.
The day began with their flight to Ottawa being delayed due to issues with the plane and the weather. They were supposed to fly out on Sunday night but didn't arrive in Ottawa until 3:40 PM. After hurrying to the arena and getting ready, they took warmups and got ready to play.
Soon after warmups, the club announced that forward Sean Monahan would miss the game for "maintenance," so Zach Aston-Reese stepped into the lineup for him.
It was not a normal gameday for the Columbus Blue Jackets in any way, shape, or form.
First Period - SOG 12-7 CBJ - CBJ Goal - Jenner
The first 5 minutes of the period were pretty slow, with not a lot of shots or action. Cole Sillinger changed that when he got called for tripping Tim Stützle 5:03 into the period, giving the Sens their first power play. The Jackets would kill it with ease, with Greaves making two saves.
The Blue Jackets earned their first power play when Fabian Zetterlund threw a dirty elbow at Dante Fabbro's face. Fabbro went down but popped right back up. Zetterlund skated off as if nothing happened but was escorted to the penalty box. The Senators would kill it, but Leevi Meriläinen had to make 5 big saves to keep the game scoreless.
But just a few seconds after the penalty expired, the Blue Jackets jumped on a Sens turnover and buried a goal passed Meriläinen. Cole Sillinger sent a no-look pass from the boards to a waiting Boone Jenner who was crashing the net.
Mathieu Olivier and Kurtis MacDermid had a quick scrap that ended fairly quick when both players went down.
Dylan Cozens took a tripping penalty that gave the CBJ their second power play of the game. The Sens killed it off, ending the period with Columbus owning a 1-0 lead.
Second Period - SOG 10-3 Senators - CBJ Goal - Severson
Damon Severson scored to make it 2-0 when he let loose an absolute missile to beat Meriläinen just 1:21 into the second period.
A little over three minutes in, Dante Fabbro was called for holding Claude Giroux, giving the Sens another power play. The Blue Jackets killed the penalty to keep their two-goal lead.
The Senators' Jake Sanderson, son of former CBJ great Geoff Sanderson, scored to make it 2-1 at the 8:16 mark of the period. Ottawa took a turnover down the ice, where the puck eventually found Sanderson's stick. He let a shot go that no one was stopping.
Damon Severson was called for tripping Dylan Cozens a little over halfway through the period. At this point, the Blue Jackets are starting to falter a bit.
The Blue Jackets killed the penalty, and just as it ended, got a power play of their own when David Perron tripped Brendan Smith, giving them their third man advantage. Mason Marchment was called for hooking with 49 seconds left on their power play, killing it.
Ottawa failed to score on the abbreviated power play they were awarded.
Third Period - SOG 11-7 Senators - CBJ Goals - Mateychuk, Marchenko
Denton Mateychuk scored to make it 3-1 just 1:55 into the third period. Damon Severson picked up his second point of the night, and 6th point in 4 games. It was a huge insurance goal to regain a two-goal lead.
Kirill Marchenko scored on a beautiful, odd-man rush to make the score 4-1. Kirill Marchenko is officially hot.
The Blue Jackets would again hold a third-period lead and finish it off to pick up the win. Despite the adversity of the day, they played very well at times and took advantage of a slumping Senators club.
Final Stats
Player Stats
- Boone Jenner scored his 6th of the season and 399th point of his career.
- Damon Severson scored his 3rd goal of the year and had an assist. He now has 6 points in his last 4 games.
- Denton Mateychuk scored his 7th of the year.
- Kirill Marchenko scored his 14th of the season
- Cole Sillinger picked up two assists and went 6/12 at the faceoff circle.
- Charlie Coyle had two assists and went 5/11 on faceoffs.
- Dmitri Voronkov had one assist.
- Mason Marchment had an assist, and now has points in all four games since being acquired.
- Adam Fantilli had an assist and went 10/20 on faceoffs.
- Jet Greaves made 27 saves, which included 4 on the power play.
Team Stats
- The Jackets' power play went 0/3.
- The Columbus PK stopped all four of the Senator power plays.
- Columbus won 54.4% of the faceoffs - 31/57
- The Blue Jackets had 23 hits.
Up Next: The Blue Jackets are back home on New Year's Eve to play the New Jersey Devils.
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Cleveland’s meh year in review: The top 10 sports stories in 2025
When I began reviewing the year for the top 10 moments of 2025, it was difficult to even find 10 items. The Cavs collapsed in the second round of the playoffs, the Guardians were eliminated quickly from the playoffs after a dismal summer and a thrilling September, and the Browns are forever double-dipping in the punch bowl.
Here it is. The 10 most, uh, impactful moments in 2025 Cleveland sports. Some are heartfelt, some leave a sting. Hopefully, better days lie ahead.
10. Bernie Kosar’s life-saving transplant
In the overall scheme of things, this could rank No. 1. But since it’s more of a medical miracle than a sports story, we’ll begin with uplifting Kosar news. The Cleveland football legend was fighting for his life, enduring multiple surgeries a day to try and stop internal bleeding, when a liver donor emerged in November. The family of Bryce Dunlap, a 21-year-old Browns fan, donated the liver to Kosar after Bryce died from a tragic medical emergency. Kosar is still battling additional health problems, but the new liver is giving him a fighting chance.
9. Cleveland awarded W team
WNBA basketball is returning to one of its original colonies — with a much larger fan base this time and wildly more popular. The Cleveland Rockers were a dud when they debuted in 1997. The team was barely drawing 7,000 fans when it folded in 2003. This time, it will likely look much different. The league is exploding in popularity, and the rebranded Rockers will be owned by Dan Gilbert. The Cavs are one of the best in the NBA at in-game entertainment. The Rockers will surely enjoy the same feel when they return as an expansion team in 2028.
8. Browns get their dome
It was a long, sometimes ugly battle, but Jimmy and Dee Haslam finally got approval for their long-coveted dome stadium. The total price tag is expected to be around $2.4 billion and should open in 2029. Haslam navigated legal battles with both city and county officials, but ultimately is getting what he wanted because Jimmy always gets what Jimmy wants — besides a winner. Now the question is whether anyone can afford to go, and will the product be worth watching in four years?
7. Atkinson, Vogt named coach/manager of the year
Kenny Atkinson was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in his first season and Steven Vogt was named MLB’s Manager of the Year. Vogt is now 2-for-2. He has managed a team twice in his life and was voted the best in the league at doing it both times. Quite impressive. The Cavs started on a 15-0 tear and won 64 games in their first season under Atkinson, although the second season hasn’t gone quite as well. Vogt navigated the Guardians through devastating gambling accusations over the summer and resuscitated a team that appeared dead in July. They rallied to win the division, which leads us to …
6. Guardians’ September rally
The Guardians were 15 1/2 games out of first place in July and remained 11 games behind Detroit in September. The Tigers’ collapse, coupled with the Guardians’ incredible tear of going 17-2 over three weeks in September, completed the unlikely comeback. It was all for naught since the Tigers won the Wild Card Series anyway, but the Guardians at least got their first look at George Valera and Chase DeLauter, two outfielders who will hopefully help this franchise for years to come.
Our top moment of the 2025?
Making history as we erased a 15.5 game deficit to take the AL Central.#GuardsBall | #12DaysOfGuardspic.twitter.com/0rFnVsiin1
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 24, 2025
5. Garrett chases sack record
Myles Garrett was about the only thing to get excited about with the Browns this season. It was an eventful year for Garrett, which began with his trade demand and his press tour during the Super Bowl. Garrett turned that into a massive $160 million extension and then responded with a career year in pursuing the single-season sack record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Garrett is the Browns’ Maserati that is fun to drive while their house is in foreclosure. If he breaks the mark next week in the season finale, it will come with a distinction. Strahan set the record during a 16-game season. Watt needed 17 to tie it. Garrett will also need 17 games. He has all but wrapped up another Defensive Player of the Year award. That will have to be his consolation prize.
4. Tom Hamilton inducted into Hall of Fame
One of the very best humans and broadcasters in professional sports finally had his day when Hamilton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last July as the Ford C. Frick winner after four other attempts as a finalist. Hamilton’s “Swing and a drive!” calls are legendary, as is his warmth and personality. Hammy is one of the best. Period. At life and in his chosen field. His election was richly deserved.
3. Cavs lose to Pacers
The Cavaliers’ remarkable 64-win regular season came crashing down quickly in the postseason. A stunning second-round exit in five games to the Indiana Pacers derailed what was expected to be a potential Finals run for the No. 1 seed in the East. Injuries certainly played a role, but the hangover still seems evident. This isn’t the same team as last season. Sure, there have been more injuries, but something looks broken right now. The Cavs have 3 1/2 months to get it fixed before we really begin keeping score.
THE DAGGER FROM TURNER 🔥
THE WAVE FROM HALIBURTON 👋
THE PACERS ELIMINATE THE CAVS‼️ pic.twitter.com/NMf2QA0WTE
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2025
2. Guardians’ gambling scandal
Major League Baseball, the Guardians and the sports world at large were stunned when a pair of Cleveland pitchers were taken off the field over gambling allegations. Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were ultimately charged in federal court for throwing fraudulent pitches, triggering a larger conversation around micro bets. Baseball responded with cap wagers on micro bets. I maintain that the only solution is to ban them entirely.
1. Browns draft Shedeur Sanders
The Browns rocked the draft when they selected Sanders in the fifth round, No. 144. Haslam has since acknowledged that when they left the team facility following the second night of the draft, taking Sanders was not in their plans. All of that changed by the next morning, and he was a Brown by that night. Sanders leads the team in passing yards and has been a constant source of headlines since his arrival. Sometimes his play has matched the attention. Mostly, it has not.
Thank you all for reading along this year. Have a safe and Happy New Year, and we’ll talk again in 2026.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, WNBA, NFL
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Panthers aim for second win in as many days, to face feisty division rival from Montreal
The Florida Panthers will look to complete a back-to-back set sweep when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
Florida is fresh off Monday’s exciting comeback victory over the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena, their ninth in 12 games since the start of December.
The Cats will have to dig deep if they want to pick up a win over the Habs though, as Florida will be playing their third game in four nights after exiting the league’s annual holiday break.
Montreal, on the other hand, has placed only one game since the pause ended, a 5-4 shootout loss in Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon.
Entering play Tuesday, the Habs sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 46 points through 38 games.
The Panthers are right on their heels, holding the second Wild Card spot with 44 points, also through 38 games.
A win for Florida would give them the edge over Montreal though, as the Cats already have five more regulation wins than their friends from the north (18 to 13, for those wondering).
It’s also worth noting that those 18 regulation wins are tied for the most in the conference with Washington and Tampa Bay.
Florida is expected to start Daniil Tarasov on the back end of the back-to-back set, which would also set up Sergei Bobrovsky to get the nod for Friday’s Winter Classic.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Monday’s matchup with the Capitals:
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – A.J. Greer
Jesper Boqvist – Luke Kunin – Jack Studnicks
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
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Photo caption: Dec 29, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jeff Romance-Imagn Images)
How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. Providence: TV, live stream info, storylines for Wednesday’s game
The Huskies will take their 29-game winning streak on the road.
‘I lost my head’: Luke Littler on darts crowd booing him at Alexandra Palace
PDC hot favourite was jeered during quarter-final victory
‘It definitely fuelled me up and it made me play better’
Luke Littler admits he “lost” his head when reacting to the hostile crowd during his fourth-round World Championship win over Rob Cross and still has some learning to do.
The 18-year-old was booed and jeered as he beat Cross 4-2 to book his place in the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace. Littler let the emotion out after throwing the winning darts, running around the stage gesturing to the crowd, who had wanted Cross to win.
Continue reading...Chip Kelly will be Northwestern’s offensive coordinator
Former Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has found a new job.
How to watch No. 4 UConn vs. Xavier: TV, live stream info, storylines for Wednesday’s game
The Huskes will bring a seven-game winning streak on the road.