Sidney Crosby is now the Pittsburgh Penguins’ all-time leading scorer, passing legend Mario Lemieux.

Crosby picked up a goal and an assist in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, Dec. 21 to give him 1,724 career points, all with the Penguins. That moved him past Hall of Famer Lemieux, who had been the Penguins’ leader since he passed Rick Kehoe in 1989.

Crosby also moves into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time NHL scoring list by passing Lemieux.

He scored his 20th goal of the season, then set up Rickard Rakell on the power play for the milestone point. Teammates streamed onto the ice to congratulate him.

Lemieux got his point total in 915 games (in two stints after coming out of retirement in 2000) as he dominated despite battling back problems and missing time for cancer treatment. Crosby, who had concussion issues early in his career, has played 1,387 games.

Lemieux was drafted No. 1 overall in 1984 and helped turn around the franchise, winning Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992.

Crosby, too, was a No. 1 overall draft pick and had a similar impact on the Penguins and the NHL after being selected in 2005 following a season-long lockout. He has led the Penguins to three championships.

Crosby’s first season (2005-26) was Lemieux’s last in the league. Lemieux, the Penguins co-owner at the time, had the generational prospect stay at his house early in his career, knowing he would be a special player.

Crosby has shown that and more.

In addition to the three Stanley Cups, he has won two points titles and two goal titles and was voted regular-season and playoff MVP twice. Like Lemieux, he was named to the NHL’s 100th anniversary team.

Last year, he broke Wayne Gretzky’s record with a 20th season averaging at least a point a game. He’s averaging that again this season. He has 645 goals and 1,079 assists in his career.

Next up on the scoring list for Crosby is No. 7 Steve Yzerman at 1,755.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf got into an altercation with a fan during the first half of his team’s Week 16 game against the Detroit Lions.

CBS’ cameras captured video of the skirmish. Metcalf was seen having a conversation with a fan sitting in the first row of the stands at Ford Field on Sunday.

The veteran receiver then took a swipe at the fan, who was clad in a blue wig and leaning over the railing during the duo’s discussion.

Below is a full look at the incident:

‘He doesn’t like his government name,’ Kennedy said. ‘I called him that and then he grabbed me and ripped my shirt. I’m a little shocked. Like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby.’

CBS’ sideline reporter, Tracy Wolfson, also provided an account of the incident after watching it unfold.

‘[Metcalf] came over because the fan in the stands was holding a ‘4’ Pittsburgh jersey,’ Wolfson explained. ‘He went over and the fan said something to him, obviously. Metcalf did not like what he said and you saw the swipe there. No Steelers came over to him and mentioned anything.’

Luckily for Metcalf, the officials did not see his altercation with the fan. As a result, the 28-year-old receiver was able to remain in Sunday’s game.

That said, Metcalf could face additional discipline from the NFL, which is expected to review the incident ahead of the Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns.

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac is expected to miss several weeks due to an injury suffered on Saturday, Dec. 20, against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers have already struggled throughout the season and the loss of their big man won’t help their cause.

Zubac’s absence will likely be noticeable out on the court despite the Clippers having a veteran-heavy roster.

Despite Zubac’s injury, the Clippers defeated the Lakers 103-88 and now have a 7-21 record. They currently sit 13th in the Western Conference standings, having finished in fifth place and ended the 2024-25 season in the first round of the playoffs.

Last season, Zubac finished sixth in the NBA defensive player of the year voting and was second for the most improved player award. He was also named to the league’s All-Defensive second-team.

Here’s the latest on Zubac’s injury and his expected timetable to return:

Ivica Zubac injury update

Zubac will miss three weeks due to a grade 2 left ankle sprain after being re-evaluated on Sunday, according to NBA on Prime reporter Chris Haynes.

Zubac suffered a left ankle injury late in the first quarter against the Lakers on Saturday. He was attempting to make a play under the basket when the injury occurred.

He was seen limping off the court and to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

Who is Ivica Zubac’s backup?

Brook Lopez is expected to start in place of Zubac while he is sidelined with the injury.

Lopez, an 18-year NBA veteran, signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Clippers in July.

He has averaged 15.7 points, six rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his career.

He has averaged just six points, two rebounds and 0.5 assists in 21 games off the bench this season.

Ivica Zubac stats

Zubac has averaged 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28 games played for the Clippers this season.

When do the Clippers play next?

The Clippers will host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love was injured in the second quarter of the team’s Week 16 game against the Chicago Bears.

Love’s injury occurred when he was hit by Bears defensive lineman Austin Booker. Booker lowered his head and hit Love square in the helmet while bringing the 27-year-old quarterback to the ground.

Love remained down on the ground after the play and was unable to get up. The Packers’ medical staff quickly came out to tend to him as the officials flagged Booker for a 15-yard penalty.

Love was able to run off the field under his own power but went straight into the blue medical tent. After a brief evaluation, he was taken to the locker room.

Jordan Love injury update

The Packers have officially ruled Love out for the remainder of Saturday’s game because of a concussion. He had originally been deemed ‘questionable’ to return but the team announced he would not return after halftime.

Love completed 8 of 13 passes for 77 yards before leaving the game. Green Bay was leading Chicago 3-0 when he exited.

Who is the Packers backup QB?

Willis, 26, is a four-year pro who is in his second season with the Packers. He was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Liberty and has completed 63.4% of his career passes for 913 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Willis went 2-0 in two starts in relief of Love last season with the Packers and has a career record of 3-2 as a starter. The 6-1, 225-pound signal-caller is well-known for his mobility and has 301 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 55 career carries.

Packers QB depth chart

The Packers have three quarterbacks currently in their organization. They are as follows:

1. Jordan Love
2. Malik Willis
3. Clayton Tune (practice squad)

Tune was not elevated for Saturday’s game, so the Packers do not have another quarterback available behind Willis against the Bears.

Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews reported Packers coach Matt LaFleur told her the team’s emergency QB would likely be starting running Josh Jacobs if Willis needs to leave the game for any reason.

(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)

COLLEGE STATION, TX – It ended with a smooch.

Mario Cristobal could’ve done without that smacker.

Moments after Miami upset Texas A&M 10-3 in a College Football Playoff game, former Hurricanes wide receiver Michael Irvin found Cristobal and kissed him on the cheek during his on-field postgame interview with ESPN.

“That,” Cristobal said, “was disgusting.”

Cristobal laughed in the moment, in response to Irvin’s hijinks, but upon further reflection …

“I couldn’t find enough wipeys to clean myself,” Cristobal joked.

Call it the cost of victory — and the realities of the effervescent Irvin being one of the program’s biggest supporters.

“That guy means so much to the program, to its fan base, to our community,” said Cristobal, himself a former Miami player. “The pride is returning to so many former players.”

Pucker up, because the Hurricanes are on to the CFP quarterfinals.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Luka Doncic was ruled out by the Los Angeles Lakers for the second half of Saturday night’s game against the L.A. Clippers.

The Lakers announced in the early minutes of the third quarter that Doncic would miss the rest of the game due to a left leg contusion.

He had a noticeable limp during the second quarter. The Lakers trailed the Clippers 54-39 at halftime.

Doncic has had three different stints in which he’s missed time this season, including one as a result of a leg injury on Nov. 3.

He also missed the early part of the season in October with a combination of a knee and foot injury. He was away from the team earlier this month for the birth of his second child.

What is a leg contusion?

‘A muscle contusion is a muscle bruise. It happens from a direct, blunt blow to your muscle,’ according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Luka Doncic stats vs. Clippers

Doncic was 4-for-13 from the field for 12 points in 20 minutes of play. He also had five rebounds, two assists and four turnovers. He was 1-for-6 from the 3-point line.

The Green Bay Packers appeared to be well on their way to a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season when they took a 10-point lead with about five minutes remaining in regulation.

Instead, the Bears came storming back thanks to an onside kick from Cairo Santos and heroics from Caleb Williams to earn a critical, 22-16 victory.

Chicago is now in firm control of the NFC North and can clinch a playoff berth if the Detroit Lions lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Even so, the divisional race is not over, and both the Packers and Lions will be hoping against hope they can make a last-ditch effort to challenge the Bears as they look to win a divisional title for the first time since Matt Nagy was the team’s head coach.

Here’s what to know about the NFC North standings after the result of the Bears vs. Packers Week 16 game.

NFC North standings

Below is a look at the pecking order in the NFC North after the Bears’ 22-16 win over the Packers:

1. Chicago Bears (11-4)
2. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
3. Detroit Lions (8-6)
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-8)

The Bears now hold a one-and-a-half game lead over the Packers atop the NFC North. As such, Chicago needs only to win one of its final two games to clinch the division title for the first time since 2018.

Chicago’s win over Green Bay also prevented the Packers from earning a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bears. That likely won’t be consequential, as the Packers’ tie made it unlikely they’d finish with an identical record to the Bears, but it will give Chicago just a modicum more flexibility in the unlikely event of another tie.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ win figures to make it difficult, but not impossible, for the Lions to win the division. Detroit would need to win out and have Chicago lose out to have a chance at winning the divisional crown.

The Lions’ best chance of making the playoffs is now to catch the Packers in the NFC standings. With a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, Detroit can position itself to be a half-game back of Green Bay in the NFC North and wild-card standings.

That said, the Lions may have actually preferred a Bears loss. Why? Because Detroit still has a game remaining on the schedule against Chicago, which would have put the Lions in a better position to control their playoff chances. They would only have needed to be within one game of the Bears in the standings before their Week 18 matchup to have a potential win-and-in scenario.

Instead, the Lions will have less ground to make up on the Packers, but no control over Green Bay’s potential results. As such, the Lions will rely on a slip-up from the Packers or another NFC wild-card team down the stretch, while Detroit will also need to take care of business on its own end to mount an 11th-hour playoff push.

Bears remaining schedule

The Bears can clinch the NFC North with a win in one of their last two games. That won’t be an easy task, however, as Chicago is playing a couple of teams who are in the thick of the NFC playoff race to close the season.

Below is a look at the Bears’ remaining opponents:

• Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
• Week 18: vs. Detroit Lions (8-6)

Packers remaining schedule

Neither of the Packers’ two remaining opponents has a winning record entering Week 16. Below is a look at Green Bay’s schedule over the season’s final two weeks:

• Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
• Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings (6-8)

Lions remaining schedule

The Lions still have to play their Week 16 game against the Steelers. After that, they will hit the road for a couple of divisional contests, including what could prove to be a critical, Week 18 battle with the Bears, pending the shape of the NFC playoff picture.

Below is a look at the Lions’ remaining opponents:

• Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
• Week 18: at Chicago Bears

NFC North division winner odds

The Bears’ win has established them as the clear-cut favorites to win the NFC North, according to odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Below is a look at each team’s chances of winning the tightly packed division:

• Chicago Bears (-380)
• Green Bay Packers (+650)
• Detroit Lions (+750)

The final spot in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals has been secured, and it belongs to Oregon football.

Behind a big game from quarterback Dante Moore, the fifth-seeded Ducks defeated No. 12 James Madison 51-34 on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. It’s the first win in the College Football Playoff for the Ducks under Dan Lanning.

Moore was outstanding for the Ducks’ offense, as he completed 19-of-27 passes for 313 yards with four passing touchdowns on the night. He also had a rushing touchdown on the night, which came near the end of the first quarter.

Here’s a quick look at what you need to know about who the Ducks/Dukes play next in the College Football Playoff:

Who does Oregon football play next in CFP?

With its first-round win, Oregon will now face fourth-seeded Texas Tech in the next round of the College Football Playoff. The Ducks will have their hands full in the CFP quarterfinals against the Red Raiders, who have one of the top defenses in the country, led by their Chuck Bednarik Award-winning linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. The Red Raiders’ defense ranks third in scoring defense (10.9 points allowed per game), fifth in total defense (254.4 yards per game), and first in rushing defense (68.5 points per game).

The Red Raiders secured the top-four seed in the CFP bracket with their Big 12 Championship win over BYU, a game in which Texas Tech’s defense created four takeaways and two sacks.

Texas Tech football: What to know on Red Raiders vs Oregon

Here’s three things to know on the Red Raiders:

Stat leaders:

• Leading passer: QB Behren Morton, 2,643 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions
• Leading rusher: RB Cameron Dickey, 1,095 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns
• Leading receiver: WR Caleb Douglas, 846 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns on 54 receptions
• Top defender: LB Jacobs Rodriguez, 117 total tackles, seven forced fumbles, six broken-up passes, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries (one touchdown score) and a sack

How they got here:

• Schedule: 12-1 overall, 8-1 in Big 12 play
• Big wins: at Utah, vs. BYU, vs. BYU (Big 12 championship game)

Playoff history:

• Have they been here before? No, Texas Tech is making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Texas Tech vs Oregon in CFP quarterfinals time, date, schedule

• Date: Thursday, Jan. 1
• Time: Noon ET
• Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming option: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

Texas Tech and Oregon will meet in the Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1 at noon ET inside the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. ESPN will broadcast the game with streaming options consisting of the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.