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Joe Flacco’s improbable season continues as Browns clinch playoff berth

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

By TOM WITHERS  | AP Sports WriterCLEVELAND — Joe Flacco has turned a seemingly cursed season into a charmed one.Cleveland’s quarterback for just over a month, Flacco passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns and the Browns clinched an unlikely playoff berth – just their second since 2002 – despite numerous injuries this season with a 37-20 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night.The Browns (11-5) are assured of at least a wild-card berth and still have a chance to win the AFC North and maybe the conference’s No. 1 overall seed, something that seemed unfathomable just weeks ago as major injuries piled up.But things have changed since Flacco arrived.The 38-year-old quarterback improved to 4-1 as a starter with the Browns, who plucked the Super Bowl 47 MVP off his couch in New Jersey last month to hopefully rescue their season. He’s done that and more.In the final minutes, Browns fans chanted “Flac-co! Flac-co!” to a quarterback they once reviled with Baltimore and now revere...

Bridge: Dec. 29, 2023

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

“`Dropping the ball’ really doesn’t sound like a great way to start a new year.” — graffitiLook at today’s North-South cards. West leads the nine of clubs against six spades. The actual declarer dropped the ball and went down. Can you do better?North opened one club on his balanced 16-point hand; apparently, he was unwilling to open 1NT with two unstopped suits. South won the first club with the king, drew trumps and tried a heart from dummy to his ten. West took the jack and led another club, and South ran the clubs, pitching his queen of diamonds, and tried a second heart to his queen. Down one.“Unlucky,” South asserted.UNLUCKY?Was he really unlucky or could he hold on to the ball?South should make the slam easily. After he draws trumps, he takes two more clubs, then leads a heart to his ten. When West wins, he is end-played. If he returns a diamond, South wins with the queen, South reaches dummy with a trump and discards his queen o...

Horoscopes Dec. 29, 2023: Patricia Clarkson, choose progress over revenge

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jude Law, 51; Patricia Clarkson, 64; Ted Danson, 76; Jon Voight, 85.Happy Birthday: Keep your goal in focus. Stick to the truth, do what you know and do best, and maintain consistency as you move forward. Look at the big picture and fine-tune each component of your plan as you proceed. Don’t ignore how much things cost or let anger take over or lead you astray. If you choose progress over revenge, you’ll find it easier to feel gratitude. Your numbers are 3, 14, 21, 25, 32, 37, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Travel, amusements and a carefree attitude may feel inviting, but if the price tag exceeds what you can afford, back away. Set boundaries and stick to a plan that doesn’t cause stress. Make maintaining structure and balance in your life your top priorities. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): A desire or offering will tempt you. Refuse to give anyone an inkling of how you feel or what you’ll do next. Recognize a pressure tactic an...

Word Game: Dec. 29, 2023

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — RIGHTFUL (RIGHTFUL: RITE-ful: Proper; just.)Average mark 23 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 33 or more words in RIGHTFUL? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — CONSENT cent cone conn cost cote once onset neon nest noes nonce none nose note scent scone sect sent sone sonnet steno stone tenon toneTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Amid 28-game losing streak, Detroit showed it can compete with NBA’s best. Now a win would be nice.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Detroit coach Monty Williams has believed it for a while, and now he has proof: The Pistons can compete with anybody in the NBA.And, he can only hope, the wins will come soon enough.The Pistons opened a 21-point lead over the league-best Celtics on Thursday night, forcing overtime before Boston pulled out a 128-122 victory and sent Detroit to an NBA record-tying 28th loss in a row. “As bad as they hurt right now, I hurt for them,” Williams said. “But I told them: `If we bring that kind of toughness and execution — minus the turnovers — we’re not just going to win one game. We’re going to put something together.’” It was the first time all season the Pistons led by more than 20 points, and the first time they had gotten to overtime in the two months since their last win. Detroit has also lost to Miami by one point, Milwaukee by two and defending champion Denver by four points this season. “We’re on the same level as all these teams were playing against,” said Detr...

Switching from one side of the offensive line to the other is among the NFL’s underrated tough tasks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Driving a car with the opposite foot or shaving with the other hand would be major challenges for anyone.That’s how offensive linemen describe moving from right tackle to left tackle and vice versa. It’s a new position that requires different footwork, hand-and-eye coordination and other techniques all while trying to keep strong and speedy edge rushers from annihilating their quarterback.Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs and Cincinnati’s Jonah Williams are among the players who’ve made that difficult switch this season. Detroit’s Penei Sewell has gone back and forth.It’s one of the toughest transitions for an NFL player that’s often overlooked because of the assumption that offensive linemen all do the same thing. Yes, linemen have to block. But each guy on the line has different responsibilities and major adjustments are necessary.“You have so many reps on one side and it’s muscle memory but then all of sudden you have do everything the other way and it feels weird,” sa...

Police: Prince George’s Co. officer fires shots in carjacking near National Harbor’s Tanger Outlets

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

Prince George's County, Maryland, police respond to a reported shooting in the National Harbor's Tanger Outlets shopping center on Dec. 28, 2023. (WTOP/Matt Kaufax) Prince George's County, Maryland, police respond to a reported shooting in the National Harbor's Tanger Outlets shopping center on Dec. 28, 2023. (WTOP/Matt Kaufax) An off-duty police officer fired shots during a carjacking in which his personal vehicle was taken near the Tanger Outlets shopping center in Oxon Hill, Maryland’s National Harbor area on Thursday evening, according to police.“This did not happen in the parking lot of the outlet mall, but just across the street,” said WTOP’s Matt Kaufax, who was on the scene in the 6...

10 and 15-year-old missing after allegedly being taken from home

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — An endangered missing persons alert has been activated for a 15 and 10-year-old who were allegedly taken from their home Thursday evening. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Paola Torres-Cuevas, 15, and Natalia Torres-Cuevas, 10, were last seen in Silverthorne near the 400 block of Brian Avenue at around 11 p.m.The girls are believed to be traveling with Kimberly Gomez in a white Acura. It is not clear what Gomez's relationship is with the girls. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox CBI said they are believed to be driving south towards Mexico.Natalia is described as:Female10 years oldHas brown hair and brown eyesWhite-Hispanic4 feet, 1 inch tallWeighs 60 lbs.Natalia Torres-Cuevas, 10, is considered an endangered missing person. She was last seen in Silverthorne on Dec. 29 (CBI)Paola is described as:Female15 years oldHas black hair and brown eyesWhite-Hispanic5 feet, 2 inches tallWeighs 80 lbs.Paola Torres-Cuevas, 15, is...

Denver weather: Warming up with sunny skies

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Abundant sunshine will be across the Front Range to finish off the week with temperatures climbing into the low 50s in the Denver weather forecast.Weather today: Lots of sunshineThe entire state will see plenty of sunshine on Friday as Coloradans enjoy the last Friday of 2023. JonBenét Ramsey cold case review leads to ‘recommendations’ Winds stay light through the afternoon as temperatures top out in the low 50s. Pinpoint Weather: daily forecast on Dec. 29 Weather tonight: Clear and coolDenver will keep clear skies in the forecast on Friday night. Overnight lows will be above average in the middle 20s with light winds.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight lows on Dec. 29 Looking ahead: Dry New Year's Eve, light mountain snowSaturday kicks off the weekend with sunny skies across the Front Range, but the mountains will see increasing clouds. On Saturday, highs are comfy in the lower 50s. Pinpoint Weather: Broncos game forecast on Dec. 31Sunday is closer to seasonal averages in...

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches X-37B plane, one of the US military’s most fascinating secrets

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:23:28 GMT

(CNN) — SpaceX’s hulking Falcon Heavy rocket returned to the skies Thursday evening, and this time it launched a mysterious spacecraft for the US military that will carry out cutting-edge research.The rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:07 p.m. ET, carrying the military’s X-37B space plane — which is uncrewed and operates autonomously — to unprecedented altitudes. The launch streamed live on SpaceX’s website. The side boosters returned to Earth and safely touched down.It is not clear, however, exactly where the space plane is going.The X-37B’s activities in space have long been the subject of fascination and speculation in the space community as amateur enthusiasts race to track its whereabouts and share theories about its activities.Resembling a miniature NASA space shuttle with the windows blacked out, the reusable and fully autonomous X-37B has been known to carry out research on concepts such as relaying solar energy from space for use back on...