What has transpired since has been surprising. All four teams are alive in the AFC playoff race deep into December. The Patriots and Jets haven’t seen the improvement they hoped for from their young quarterbacks, with the Jets eventually benching Zach Wilson for Mike White. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have become enamored with McDaniel and the play of Tua Tagovailoa, despite recent struggles. MORE: Dolphins vs. Bills odds, prediction, betting tips...

The Bengals, the 2021 champions, were coming off a Super Bowl appearance but faced a schedule that ranked among the toughest in the league. The Ravens, though they finished last a season ago, were loaded with talent, starting with 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson, and benefited from a last-place schedule. Through the first 14 weeks of the season, the division race has delivered. The Bengals beat the Browns 23-10 and the Ravens beat the Steelers 16-14, moving both teams to 9-4 with four games remaining in the regular season....

The AFC South suddenly is one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. There are question marks, of course, starting with all four quarterbacks. There are new coaching staffs in place, too. Based on SN’s picks and predictions for the 2018 NFL season, here is how we see view AFC South. MORE 2018 PICKS: AFC: East | West | North | South NFC: East | West | North | South AFC South: 2018 predictions Jacksonville Jaguars...

But for the purposes of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s declaration on behalf of the league against the views and mindset Los Angeles Donald Sterling voiced on an audio recording, this line from his statement Tuesday was at least as powerful: “To … pioneers of the game, like Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, Sweetwater Clifton, the great Bill Russell, and particularly Magic Johnson, I apologize.’’ Silver also apologized to all current and past players, coaches, fans and sponsors who saw everything that the NBA has represented throughout its history being dragged down by what one of its owners had said....

More than 11 years before U.S. contractor and Navy veteran Mark Frerichs was seized by the powerful Haqqani network in January 2020, a development first reported the following month by Newsweek, the same Taliban-aligned group captured U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who deserted his post prior to his 2009 disappearance. Bergdahl was ultimately released in a 2014 deal overseen by President Barack Obama, whom Biden served as vice president, in exchange for five high-ranking Taliban captives....

Zemerai Ahmadi had worked for 15 years for Nutrition & Education International, a California-based non-profit to counter malnutrition in Afghanistan. One of Zemerai’s brothers, Romal Ahmadi, had also worked briefly for NEI. Zemerai and Romal had applied for special visas to the U.S. for those who had worked with U.S. companies. His brother, Emal Ahmadi and his nephew who was killed in the drone strike, Ahmad Naser Haideri, had also applied for special visas because they had worked for the U....

Zebulon Simentov, 62, has survived the Soviet invasion of his homeland, the civil wars and the brutal rule of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001. He has lived in Kabul’s only synagogue in recent years, refusing to follow his wife and children, who emigrated to Israel in 1998. Earlier this year, Simentov said the prospect of the Taliban’s return once U.S. troops pulled out of the country had finally convinced him it was time to leave....

Discrepancies in health statistics for the more than 17 million Black men, when compared to others, highlight a great need to better address their causes. There are a number of reasons that can be pointed to as causes for the issues of poor health among Black men. Racial discrimination, high rates of incarceration, unemployment, a lack of affordable health services, poor health education, cultural barriers, poverty, access to health insurance, and insufficient medical and social services catering to Black men all negatively affect quality of life and health....

Besides that order, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain extended an injunction that temporarily halts litigation against the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma, from moving forward. Drain was also the judge who initially approved the original settlement in September. Under it, members of the Sackler family would provide $4.5 billion in cash and other assets to support opioid crisis victims and help remedy the health crisis. The Sackler family would have had to rescind ownership of Purdue Pharma, which would then become a new company that would funnel its profits into battling the opioid crisis....

Responding to Abdullah’s blunt warning that Sharon could drag the Middle East “over the cliff,” the president demanded that Israel peacefully end its sieges in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem. The Ramallah siege, in which Israel is holding Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat under effective house arrest, is especially sensitive. Sharon refuses to remove Israeli troops until Arafat hands over five men, four implicated in the murder of an Israeli cabinet minister and a fifth said to have organized arms deliveries to the West Bank....

His news conference figured to be mildly entertaining. Bauer, rarely one to hold back, had his start pushed back a couple of days because he cut his finger working on his drone — Bauer loves his drones — and he didn’t disappoint. MORE: The “Star Wars” films and the pro sports teams that mirrored them Bauer actually brought the drone to the press conference. That wasn’t the most surprising moment of the interview, though....

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tulane University warned that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) network of railroads faces threats of flooding over the next 50 years. “Severe flooding is a grave challenge for the T,” said Michael Martello, a researcher in MIT’s Transit Lab and lead author of the report, according to the Boston Globe. The study, which was commissioned by the MBTA, states: “Sea level rise (SLR) poses increasing flood risks to coastal cities and infrastructure....

Loudermilk, while preparing to cast his “nay” vote, said that, “Our founders knew a government without constraints could accuse anyone of any crime at any time even without compelling evidence.” “The Constitution also guarantees that the accused can call witnesses to testify on their behalf. But the Republicans and the president continually were denied that right throughout this process,” he said. Then he invoked the Sixth Amendment and questioned the continued protection of the identity of the whistleblower who filed the complaint which kicked off the hearings....

After getting knocked down by Ben Chiarot in the neutral zone in the first period, the defenseless Tavares was clipped in the face by the knee of Corey Perry. So, like any good teammate, Nick Foligno dropped the gloves with Perry at the next faceoff. But was it the right call to have the Canadiens forward answer the bell? Maybe not. The play looked 100 percent accidental. Granted, Foligno only saw it happen in real time....

Milwaukee acquired the veteran forward last week from the Los Angeles Clippers, who also gave up a conditional first-round draft pick, in exchange for Carlos Delfino and Miroslav Radulijca, both of whom were waived this week. MORE: Dudley traded to Bucks | Source: No Rondo trade in works | Spurs workout Clark Dudley is looking to bounce back from a rough season in Los Angeles. He appeared in 74 games, starting 43, and averaged 6....

During his time with the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Berman led the prosecution against President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The SDNY has also been conducting investigations into Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney. Some observers have seen Berman’s removal from office as evidence of corruption, claiming that Barr and the Department of Justice make special accommodations for Trump. In Thursday’s interview, Barr said that Berman’s firing did not indicate any kind of malfeasance....

They were 11 or 12 miles from shore when the raft sprang a leak and began to sink. Through the night they swam, each taking a turn resting as the others pushed the flimsy vessel back to Cuba. At dawn on Sunday the exhausted men came to within a half he film to Playbhey lived. But before heading home they walked more than four miles along the beach and found the guy who’d sold them the raft – and got their money back....

“You have to appreciate all that the NBA has done in this situation, what Adam Silver and the other owners are trying to do,” one prominent agent said, requesting anonymity because of possible future interactions with the team. “They came down hard on the guy, as they should have. "But I know I have players who just won’t go there now, not until Sterling is gone completely. If there is even a chance that you’re going to help that guy make even one dime, a lot of guys are not going to go play there....

Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the animal had been wearing a fluorescent orange collar when it was spotted by multiple residents in the areas of Franktown and Elizabeth between November 10 to November 13, when the latest attacks were reported to police. Officials confirmed the last two encounters took place near Tomichi Drive and Caribou Drive in Franktown within minutes of each other, CBS4 reported. Due to the collar around its neck and its initially friendly demeanour, experts believe the deer, a two-year old buck, was hand-raised by humans before being set free into the wild....

It remains a possibility, however, that Aguero could leave Manchester City in the coming months, with Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez identified as a priority signing as Pep Guardiola looks to shake up his squad. Guardiola hails ‘real defender’ Kompany The Argentine will meet with Guardiola at the end of the season to clarify where he fits into the Catalan’s plans. It was reported over the weekend that United would look to benefit from the uncertain situation by launching a big-money move for the striker and offering to match his annual salary of around £12 million after bonuses....