Football

In what has been a tight race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has at least one vocal supporter in his own locker room.

George Kittle told reporters Bosa "secured his defensive MVP" with a dominant performance in Saturday's 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders.

The 49ers tight end went on to say he doesn't see a reason why Bosa shouldn't be in the MVP conversation:

While it seems unlikely Bosa—or any defensive player—will garner much MVP discussion, he would presumably be one of the few players on that side of that ball who could steal a vote away from one of the top quarterbacks.

It's assumed the voting for Defensive Player of the Year will come down to a battle between Bosa and Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons. Other players who could get into the mix include New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.

If we go with the assumption that Bosa and Parsons have pulled ahead of the pack, the 49ers star certainly has a statistical advantage. His two sacks on Saturday brought his league-leading total up to 17.5 for the season.

Bosa also added four quarterback hits and two tackles for loss against the Commanders. He is up to 42 quarterback hits and 18 tackles on the season. The three-time Pro Bowler has put up those stats despite missing one game in Week 6 because of a groin injury.

Parsons didn't have a sack, quarterback hit or a tackle for loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 23-year-old has 24 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for loss and 13 sacks overall. He has played in all 15 games for the Cowboys this season.

Since returning to the lineup in Week 7, Bosa has recorded at least one sack in eight of the past nine games.

Bosa could also benefit from being arguably the best player on what has been the NFL's best defense this season. San Francisco allowed 20 points to the Commanders, ending its streak of seven consecutive games holding opponents to 17 points or fewer.

San Francisco's defense ranks first in yards allowed (290.3 per game), rushing yards (75.0) and points allowed (15.3). It is tied for third in turnover differential (+9) and tied for fourth in takeaways (24).

The 49ers haven't had a Defensive Player of the Year winner since Dana Stubblefield in 1997.

It seems like Dallas Cowboys fans hoping for Odell Beckham Jr. to join their team this holiday season are going to be disappointed.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday's 40-34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it's "not realistic to think about having [Beckham] in a meaningful way for the playoffs."

Jones added he was "not dismissing" the possibility of signing Beckham in the future.

It's become impossible to keep track of all the twists and turns in the courtship between the Cowboys and Beckham.

Jones told USA Today's Jarrett Bell just eight days ago Beckham was "going to join us," and a deal could become official after the Cowboys played the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 18.

No team seemed to be going after Beckham harder than Dallas. He had an official visit with the club on Dec. 5 and attended a Dallas Mavericks game with Cowboys stars Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons the same day.

The Cowboys did add help at wide receiver when they signed T.Y. Hilton on Dec. 12. Josina Anderson of CBS Sports noted Hilton's addition didn't necessarily take them out of the Beckham sweepstakes.

Anderson also noted she spoke to an NFL source who said the Cowboys wanted Hilton because he was available to play "right now." The 33-year-old made his season debut against the Eagles. He only had one catch, but it was a 52-yarder on 3rd-and-30 midway through the fourth quarter to help set up a game-tying touchdown.

Beckham's availability for the stretch run this season has been called into question recently. He is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl 56 while playing for the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Dec. 6 that Dallas had concerns about Beckham's knee after he took a physical that made it unclear if he would be able to play before mid-January.

The Cowboys have already clinched a playoff berth. Their victory over the Eagles kept their hopes of winning the NFC East and clinching a first-round bye alive, but they need to win out and have Philadelphia lose its final two games to have a shot.

After Saturday's 40-34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles to split the regular-season series, there's a chance that the Dallas Cowboys meet their NFC East rivals once again in the playoffs.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged the possibility of a rubber match and told reporters he would relish the opportunity to face the Eagles in a postseason game:

Prescott threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the Christmas Eve thriller. Dallas faced a 27-17 deficit in the second half before mounting a comeback. The Cowboys defense forced four turnovers in the win.

Dallas (11-4) will quickly turn the page to its Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans (7-8).

On just his third pass of the day, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw a pick-six against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Prescott would not let the early blunder deter him as he powered Dallas to its biggest win of the season.

The 29-year-old threw for 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to lead the Cowboys to a thrilling 40-34 victory over their NFC East rivals, who were hoping to clinch a division title on Christmas Eve.

Dallas had trailed 27-17 early in the second half before storming back to hand Philadelphia its second loss of the year. With the win, it is still mathematically viable for the Cowboys to win the NFC East in the final two weeks of the season.

Prescott showed flashes of brilliance on Saturday with dazzling throws that wowed the home fans at AT&T Stadium. His connection with star receiver CeeDee Lamb was clicking all day, as the wideout racked up 10 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

NFL Twitter heaped praise on Prescott for his heroics in the intense rivalry game:

Saturday's performance was Prescott's first 300-yard game of the 2022 season, and it came at the perfect time. With back-to-back road games to end the season, Dallas will need its signal-caller to be at his absolute best as the playoffs approach.

The Cowboys (11-4) will look to keep the momentum going with they return to action on Thursday Night Football this week to visit the Tennessee Titans (7-8), who have lost their last five games.

In a game where they could have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 on Saturday at AT&T Stadium to drop to 13-2 on the season.

It was a very winnable game for the Gardner Minshew-led Eagles, but four turnovers, including two interceptions by Minshew, resulted in Philly dropping their second game of the season.

Minshew completed 24-of-40 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions in the loss. He also fumbled once, as did running back Miles Sanders.

Following the loss, NFL Twitter ripped the Eagles for their string of turnovers, three of which came in the second half:

The Eagles still have a very good chance of locking up the No. 1 seed, especially if Jalen Hurts returns to the lineup next weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts missed Saturday's game with a shoulder injury. Before the matchup, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the signal-caller would push to return to the field against the Saints if the Eagles lost to the Cowboys this week.

The Washington Commanders have replaced Taylor Heinicke with Carson Wentz in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Washington was down 30-14 at the time it inserted Wentz into the game. Heinicke completed 13 of 18 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against one interception before being pulled.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (h/t NFL insider Dov Kleiman) reported before the game that the Commanders had a "plan" to bench Heinicke in favor of Wentz if he struggled in Saturday's game.

Additionally NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the leash was getting shorter for Heinicke following poor performances against the New York Giants on Dec. 4 and Dec. 18.

While Heinicke wasn't necessarily playing that poorly, the Commanders needed any kind of spark they could get against a 49ers team that has played very well behind rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.

Wentz, who returned from a stint on injured reserve late last month, told reporters Wednesday that he was "physically feeling good" and would be ready to go against the 49ers if his number was called.

The 29-year-old began the season as Washington's starter after coming over in a trade from the Indianapolis Colts. In the team's first six games, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,489 yards and 10 touchdowns against six interceptions as the Commanders went 2-4.

Heinicke has started every game since, going 5-3-1 including the 37-20 loss to the 49ers. He entered Saturday's game having completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,693 yards and 10 touchdowns against five interceptions.

Despite falling to 7-7-1 on Saturday, Washington is still very much in the NFC playoff picture.

The New York Giants squandered the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on Christmas Eve, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 at U.S. Bank Stadium to drop to 8-6-1 on the season.

The Giants had numerous opportunities to win Saturday's game, but a combination of drops and questionable decisions led to a disappointing afternoon for New York.

Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 30-of-42 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown in the loss, but an interception and a blocked punt in the fourth quarter ultimately cost them the game.

While the Giants went on to tie the game at 24 late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings won on a 61-yard field goal.

Following the loss, NFL Twitter mocked the Giants for failing to secure a playoff berth:

Earlier this season, fans were confident that the Giants would make the playoffs, but now the team's postseason hopes remain uncertain in a tight NFC race that has several teams on the bubble.

The Giants haven't made the postseason since 2016. If they make it this campaign, they could end up seeing the Vikings again.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could return from his knee injury next week, but it could come down to the team's playoff standing, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Ravens want to test him in "football-related movements" before clearing him to return, but Rapoport noted "a decision also could depend on where things stand in the playoff picture."

At 9-5, Baltimore is currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC. It could clinch a playoff berth in some scenarios in Week 16. The team might be more cautious with Jackson if it is already guaranteed to make the postseason and the AFC North is out of reach.

Conversely, a loss Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons could push the Ravens to use Jackson sooner.

The 2019 MVP sprained the PCL in his knee in a Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos and was later categorized as week-to-week by head coach John Harbaugh, who would not rule him out for the season. Jackson went on to miss Weeks 14 and 15, while Tyler Huntley started in his place.

Any injury to Jackson is cause for concern, especially for a Ravens squad that has relied on him heavily this year. The 25-year-old has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 12 games. He has also rushed for 764 yards and three scores.

Baltimore is 1-1 in Jackson's absence this season, although Huntley has thrown zero touchdown passes in two starts and has only one rushing score.

The 24-year-old Utah product also started four games for Baltimore in 2021 and appeared in seven games overall. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 1,081 yards and three touchdowns against four interceptions, in addition to rushing for 294 yards and two scores.

A Texas judge has ordered Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to take a paternity test in a case brought by 26-year-old Alexandra Davis, who says Jones is her father, per Jake Bleiberg of the Associated Press.

Jones has denied the allegation, and his lawyers plan to appeal the decision.

Davis' mother, Cynthia Davis, allegedly agreed to a financial settlement in 1998 that said Jones would support them financially if they didn't say publicly that Jones was the father. Alexandra Davis, who was born in 1996, filed a lawsuit in March claiming she wasn't bound to the agreement made by her mother.

In April, she dropped the lawsuit and planned to pursue a paternity test.

"Alexandra has just decided that she wants to go ahead and proceed with parentage and DNA testing," Jay Gray, one of Davis' lawyers, told the Associated Press. "She wants to remove any doubts that Jerry's her father."

On Thursday, a judge granted the motion to have Jones undergo testing.

The 80-year-old has been married since 1963 and has three children with his wife, Gene.