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Ryan Blaney earns 1st career NASCAR championship and gives Roger Penske back-to-back Cup titles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Ryan Blaney raced to his first career NASCAR championship on Sunday by banging his way past contender Kyle Larson in the closing laps at Phoenix Raceway to give Team Penske back-to-back Cup titles.The third generation racer is the first Ohio-born driver to win the Cup title and followed teammate Joey Logano, who won for Roger Penske a year ago. It was an amazing finish for Ford Performance, which struggled most of the season but came on late with Blaney, who won two of the final six playoff races.The title was the fourth in the Cup Series for Penske, but first time “The Captain” has consecutive Cups. His IndyCar program won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017 with Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden.“What a year,” a tearful Blaney said after finishing second to Ross Chastain. “Congrats, RP. Thanks for giving me a shot.”He then noted how important it was to win for Penske; the 86-year-old was recently hospitalized with shingles and missed Blaney’s ...

Rain chances return Monday night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

After a dry weekend, rain returns into the forecast late Monday night as a storm system moves in from the Midwest. Monday starts dry and cold for most, with temps in the 30s and 40s. By midday, clouds move in, keeping conditions rather chilly with the lack of sunshine. Clouds continue to build in after sunset, with showers arriving by midnight Monday night. Although a few showers are also possibly on Tuesday, there is only a 30% risk during the day as dry air cuts into the precipitation development ahead of the cold front.

Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster takes blame for game-sealing INT in latest loss

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dropped the pass that led to a game-sealing interception in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Commanders.He took full responsibility for the play post-game.“It’s all on me. (Mac Jones) put the ball in a good position. I just have to make the catch, secure it, and now we’re in field goal range,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t do that, and we fell short.”Recalling the play, Smith-Schuster remembered he found open space over the middle. Jones bounced in the pocket, while most of the Patriots pass-catchers labored off the line at Washington’s 41, gassed by a long fourth quarter. Jones rifled a late pass over the middle, which hit Smith-Schuster in both hands but instead found Commanders safety Jartavius Martin.“Middle of the field was open,” Smith-Schuster said. “Ran an in-cut. It was a good ball, went through my hands, interception. Game over.”Smith-Schuster tackled Martin at Washington’s 33-yard line, the...

Ravens crush Seahawks, 37-3, strengthen claim as NFL’s best behind dominant defense, potent rushing attack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

First, it was the Detroit Lions. Sunday, it was the Seattle Seahawks.Another much-ballyhooed matchup, another week of the Ravens winning in a rout, and doing so led by a defense that is already the best in the NFL by any number of metrics — and seemingly growing stronger by the week.Two weeks ago, the Lions roared into M&T Bank Stadium with a 5-1 record and surrounded by talk of title contention and were completely shut down, run off the field by an explosive offensive attack on the first four drives of the game. Sunday, it was the Seahawks’ turn. It took a little longer this time, but not by much.The Ravens held the Seahawks to a meager 151 total yards, including just 28 rushing, sacked quarterback Geno Smith four times and intercepted him once, and allowed only one third-down conversion in 12 attempts en route to a 37-3 blowout.That allowed them to pour it on offensively, rolling up 515 yards, including 298 on the ground for the fourth-highest rushing total in fran...

Ravens RT Morgan Moses, S Marcus Williams, CB Rock Ya-Sin inactive against Seahawks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses didn’t practice all week but was still stretching on the field Sunday morning at M&T Bank Stadium. Alas, the 10-year veteran won’t be playing against the Seattle Seahawks.Moses, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury, is inactive for Baltimore, meaning Patrick Mekari will start in his place.It will be the second game Moses has missed this season after also being out in Week 5 against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. He had played in 134 consecutive games before that absence.Moses is one of six inactive players for the Ravens. The others are safety Marcus Williams (hamstring), cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and Jalyn Armour-Davis, rookie guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and quarterback Josh Johnson, who will serve as the emergency third quarterback. Rookie running back Keaton Mitchell is active.That the Ravens are without Williams, who practiced but was limited Friday, Ya-Sin and Armour-Davis speaks to their confidence in a secondary that was on...

Week 9 recap: 5 turnovers — including 4 by QB Tyson Bagent — doom Chicago Bears in a 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

Five turnovers doomed the Chicago Bears in the New Orleans Saints’ 24-17 victory Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, and wide receiver DJ Moore also lost a fumble as the Bears lost their seventh straight game at the Superdome dating to 1991.The Saints scored 10 points after the turnovers. They failed to capitalize on two second-half picks, but the takeaways still helped hold the Bears offense to a second-half field goal. The Bears defense didn’t get a takeaway.Bagent completed 18 of 30 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 70 yards on eight carries. Paulson Adebo had two of the Saints interceptions, and Marcus Maye had the other.With the Saints leading 24-17 with 2 minutes, 26 seconds to play, Saints kicker Blake Grupe missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt off the left upright to give the Bears a chance to tie.But Demario Davis got a strip-sack of Bagent on the next drive, and Saints ...

Chicago Bears DE Montez Sweat hoping to make a bigger impact after a whirlwind week: ‘I have to have more production’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

Forgive Montez Sweat if his enthusiasm wasn’t exactly flowing late Sunday afternoon. A day after signing a life-changing contract extension with the Chicago Bears — four years, $98 million with more than $72 million guaranteed — Sweat’s first public comments about that deal and his football future came in the minutes after his new team suffered its seventh loss of a wayward season.With a tough-to-swallow 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the stumbling Bears had a lot more on their minds than the continued orientation of their new standout pass rusher. And Sweat, who started the week on the practice field in Washington and finished it with a modest two-tackle effort for the Bears against the Saints, was still too caught up in the whirlwind to give much of a deep breakdown on all that has happened to him and for him in recent days.“It’s been a fast week,” he said. “I’ve really just been taking...

Odell Beckham Jr. scores first touchdown with Ravens on his 31st birthday: ‘I’m truly blessed’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

Happy birthday, Odell Beckham Jr.On the day the star wide receiver turned 31 years old, he scored his first touchdown with the Ravens in the fourth quarter of a 37-3 blowout win Sunday over the Seattle Seahawks at M&T Bank Stadium.It’s a significant milestone for a player who considered retiring from the NFL after suffering a torn ACL in the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in February 2022. Coincidentally, that was the time Beckham scored a touchdown, as he sat out the entire 2022 season.“It feels good to finally get that one off you,” he said.Sunday’s big catch — coming on a 6-yard pass to the corner of the end zone from backup quarterback Tyler Huntley as Lamar Jackson cheered from the sideline with the outcome already decided — couldn’t have come at a better time.Earlier in the week, Beckham said he’s “obviously not where I want to be” in terms of production after being held...

East Boston man arrested after police find 240 grams of fentanyl in home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

An East Boston man is facing a slew of drug charges after police found a stockpile of fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and thousands of dollars in his home, Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden announced Sunday.“Fentanyl is a death drug, plain and simple,” Hayden said in a release. “The amount seized here — 240 grams of fentanyl, plus sizeable quantities of other drugs — represents a tremendous amount of potential human devastation.”After months of investigating, police executed a search warrant for the apartment of Robert Ciampi, 63, on Orleans Street in East Boston on Nov. 1, according to the release.Through the search, officers found about 240 grams of fentanyl, 65 grams of cocaine, 12 grams of crack cocaine, 10 pounds of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and $7,500 in cash, the DA’s office said.Police noted they found narcotics throughout the apartment, including a plastic bag of white powder and another of tan powder in a black chest next to a...

Instant analysis from Ravens’ 37-3 win over Seattle Seahawks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:10 GMT

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 37-3 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Week 9 game at M&T Bank Stadium.Brian Wacker: The Ravens defense is the best in the NFL. The metrics say it and so do the results.Baltimore has played down to some of its opponents this season — losing to the Colts and Steelers — but it’s not as if they didn’t have several opportunities to win those games, either. Yet when they’ve played notable opponents — the Bengals, Browns, Lions and Seahawks — their play has reached another level. That’s especially true on defense. They’ve given up fewer points per game than any team in the league and have more sacks than anyone, despite not having a superstar edge rusher. That success speaks to the scheme of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and his ability to get the most from his players.Offensively, the Ravens still had some ...