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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — There’s plenty of concern and second-guessing to unpack from how the Bills unraveled on defense, special teams and clock management in their loss to the Los Angeles Rams to wonder whether it was premature labeling Buffalo as Super Bowl contenders only a week earlier. But first, the good news. There’s very little wrong with Buffalo’s Josh Allen-led offense after the quarterback strengthened his NFL MVP case. A week after a four-TD performance that included the statistical anomaly of him scoring two touchdowns on the same play in a 35-10 win over San Francisco, Allen became the NFL’s first player to throw and rush for three scores apiece in 44-42 loss to Los Angeles on Sunday . That Allen's latest superhuman-like effort ended in defeat is what’s troubling for the five-time defending AFC East champions (10-3) in their bid to dispel questions of finding ways to fall short in the playoffs in each of the past five years. Buffalo’s defense had few answers in stopping the Rams’ dynamic attack while allowing a season-high 457 yards. Worse still, the Bills allowed Los Angeles to go 11 of 15 on third down for a 73.3 conversion percentage — the third highest allowed by Buffalo and worst since allowing Miami's 75% conversion rate in 1986. If that’s not bad enough, the Bills lost for the first time in 39 games in which they scored at least 42 points, while becoming the NFL’s second team to lose when scoring 42 or more and not committing a turnover. Special teams didn’t help. Aside from allowing a blocked punt to be returned for a touchdown, the Bills couldn’t muster an attempt to block the Rams’ final punt from midfield with 7 seconds left because they only had nine players on the field. As coach Sean McDermott concluded after finally addressing reporters more than an hour after the game ended: “I thought we lost two of the three phases today.” He failed to mention yet another clock management misstep. Rather than have Allen spike the ball to stop the clock after a failed quarterback keeper from the Rams 1 with 62 seconds remaining, McDermott called timeout. That left Buffalo with two timeouts and essentially relying on the slim chances of recovering an onside kick after Allen scored on his next attempt. McDermott defended his decision by saying he feared too much time would elapse before the Bills aligned for another snap. And yet, it would not have matched the 45 seconds the Rams ran off on their final possession after Buffalo used its final two timeouts. Together, these are the types of miscues that have haunted the Bills in their recent playoff losses. The bright side is the loss to the Rams didn’t end the Bills’ season, though they fell two games behind Kansas City (12-1) in the race for the AFC’s top seed . And perhaps, the loss can be chalked up to a team riding a little too high off a playoff-clinching win and having to travel across the country to face a Rams team in the thick of its divisional race. If that’s so, the Bills have a chance to address their flaws — and doubters — by how they respond in what still stands as a juicy showdown at the NFC-leading Detroit Lions (12-1) on Sunday. “They’re the top dog in football right now,” Allen said, looking ahead to Detroit. “We have to have a good week, learn from this one, and put it behind us.” What’s working Scoring. The Bills topped 30 points for a team-record seventh consecutive game and ninth time this season. Buffalo entered the day ranked second in the NFL averaging 30.5 points per outing, behind Detroit (32.1). What needs help Run defense. Though the Rams averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, they stuck with it in finishing with 137 yards, helping them enjoy a 17-minute edge in time of possession. Stock up Allen. If not for him, the Bills wouldn't have been in position to nearly overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. His 424 yards (342 passing and 82 rushing) accounted for all but 21 yards of Buffalo's total offense. Stock down With so many options, perhaps the focus falls on special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. This is the second time in 13 months special teams personnel management became an issue. Buffalo was flagged for having too many men as time expired, providing Wil Lutz a second chance to hit a decisive field goal in sealing Denver's 24-22 win last season . Injuries Starting CB Rasul Douglas was sidelined by a knee injury. ... DE Casey Toohill injured his ribs. Key number 80-1-1 — The Bills' record when scoring 38 or more points, including a 38-38 tie with Denver in 1960. Next steps Facing Detroit represents Buffalo's final major test before closing the season with two games against New England and hosting the New York Jets. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNoneStocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda’s U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. On Monday: The S&P 500 rose 43.22 points, or 0.7%, to 5,974.07. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 66.69 points, or 0.2%, to 42,906.95. The Nasdaq composite rose 192.29 points, or 1%, to 19,764.89. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 4.93 points, or 0.2%, to 2,237.44. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,204.24 points, or 25.2%. The Dow is up 5,217.41 points, or 13.8%. The Nasdaq is up 4,753.53 points, or 31.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 210.36 points, or 10.4%.‘No, it doesn’t pass pub test’: Mali backtracks on contentious job ad
Even with technology taking over much of our day-to-day lives, board games still offer quality entertainment that can’t be beaten. Of course, the popular board games of today are a far cry from the games your parents grew up playing. Board games are perfect for encouraging your family to work together or for bringing your group of friends around the table for an evening. If you’d like to start up a weekly game night, let this helpful list of the most popular board games be your guide. Utter Nonsense Ages 8+ This game will have every player rolling in stitches with each ridiculous phrase that’s uttered. Combine crazy accents and hilarious phrases to impress the Nonsense Judge and win the round. The player with the highest number of wins ultimately wins the game, but the true fun of this card game is listening to your fellow players trying to say some of the most entertaining phrases of all time. This game is perfect for game nights or parties. Speak Out Ages 8+ This hilarious game is perfect if you have teenagers or are hosting a party with all adults. To play, you insert a mouthpiece that alters the sound of your speech, making every word sound silly. Set the timer and read one of the phrases on the cards and try to help your teammate guess what you’re saying. Speak Out easily provides hours of fun that even grandparents will love. Escape Room in a Box Ages 13+ What’s the next best thing to trying to break out of a room? Escape Room in a Box, of course. This thrilling, immersive game involves solving 2D and 3D puzzles in order to prevent a mad scientist from turning you and your friends or family into werewolves. Work together to escape your fate and use Amazon Alexa to enhance the experience. Codenames Ages 14+ This fun strategy game is perfect for anyone with teenagers. Form two teams and select a spymaster on each team. Using clues, spymasters try to help their teammates find all 25 of the agents they’re in contact with, hopefully without selecting the other team’s agents or running into the deadly assassin. This innovative game offers a challenging and rewarding time working together. Harry Potter Clue Ages 9+ Excite your kids on game night with this modern twist on a classic. Play as six recognizable Hogwarts characters — Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny or Neville — to solve the mystery behind a fellow student’s disappearance. It’s up to you to figure out who attacked the student, what bewitching spell they used and where it occurred. Watch out for the Dark Mark, moving staircases and secret passages as you travel along in this magical family game. Pandemic Ages 8+ If you’ve ever wanted to save humanity from a deadly outbreak, you’ll love spending an hour playing Pandemic. You and your teammates must fight to contain four deadly diseases threatening the human race. Players must learn to work with their teammates to control outbreak hotspots and treat diseases. Win the game by curing all diseases without wiping out humanity first. Catan Ages 10+ This tactical 60-minute game will push your imagination to its limits as you embark on a journey across Catan. Acquire crucial resources as you travel, build roads, buildings, and cities, and be wary of the ruthless robber and other players halting you on your own road. Through careful trading and clever decisions, you can lead your travelers to victory in this role-playing game of limitless possibilities. Play again and again. Every game is different. Ticket to Ride Ages 8+ Train lovers will enjoy this innovative board game which has won numerous awards. This cross-country train adventure game mimics the concept of traveling around the world in 80 days. Collect train cars and claim railways across the country. Players earn the most points by establishing long train routes and connecting distant cities. Each game takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and every adventure is different. 5 Second Rule Ages 10+ This quick-paced game gives each player five seconds to name items on a certain topic. Although the topics are objectively easy —“Name 3 Mountains,” “Name 3 Types of Hats” or “Name 3 Super Heroes,” the pressure of the time crunch is likely to put you on edge. Race the clock and remain composed to win this game. You can even make up your own topics if you prefer. Half the fun is just hearing what other people blurt out, whether it’s relevant to the topic or not. Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change. Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.NoneOTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will not support a Liberal plan to give Canadians a GST holiday and $250 unless the government expands eligibility for the cheques, saying the rebate leaves out “the most vulnerable.” The Liberals announced a plan last week to cut the federal sales tax on a raft of items like toys and restaurant meals for two months, and to give $250 to more than 18.7 million Canadians in the spring. Speaking after a Canadian Labour Congress event in Ottawa, Singh says he’s open to passing the GST legislation, but the rebate needs to include seniors, students, people who are on disability benefits and those who were not able to work last year. Singh says he initially supported the idea because he thought the rebate cheques would go to anyone who earned under $150,000 last year. But the so-called working Canadians rebate will be sent to those who had an income, leaving out people Singh says need the help. The government intends to include the measures in the fall economic statement, which has not yet been introduced in the House of Commons. The proposed GST holiday would begin in mid-December, lasting for two months. It would remove the GST on prepared foods at grocery stores, some alcoholic drinks, children’s clothes and toys, Christmas trees, restaurant meals, books, video games and physical newspapers. A privilege debate has held up all government business in the House since late September, with the Conservatives pledging to continue a filibuster until the government hands over unredacted documents related to misspending at a green technology fund. The NDP said last week they had agreed to pause the privilege debate in order to pass the legislation to usher in the GST holiday. Singh said Tuesday that unless there are changes to the proposed legislation, he will not support pausing the debate. The Bloc Québécois is also pushing for the rebates to be sent to seniors and retirees. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.
Markey vows to oppose nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead health careWill Utah State or Boise State forfeit vs. San Jose State in the Mountain West semifinals?
NoneSpending not in the cards as credit purchases plummet after martial law declaration Published: 24 Dec. 2024, 06:00 CHO YONG-JUN [email protected] Myeong-dong in Jung District, central Seoul on Dec. 23 [NEWS1] All Korean cities and provinces posted a double-digit drop in credit card spending on Dec. 6 — three days after the Dec. 3 martial law declaration — showing signs of further contraction in domestic demand after already deteriorating over the recent months. On average, credit card spending plummeted by 26.3 percent nationwide on Dec. 6 compared to the previous week, according to Statistics Korea on Sunday, compiled through Shinhan Card’s data. Credit card spending in Seoul was also heavily affected, dropping 29.3 percent compared to the previous week. Gwangju, North Jeolla and South Jeolla were the three regions that had the most dramatic decrease in credit card spending at over 30 percent, with Gwangju suffering a 35.9 percent drop. Even Daegu — where the smallest drop occurred — saw its spending decrease by 19.6 percent. While average spending fluctuates weekly and monthly due to many factors including individual spending patterns, payday, holidays, discount promotions, payment due dates and even weather, such a drastic decrease across all 19 regions and cities in December — when festive end-of-year spending is very much expected — marked a first since Statistics Korea began publishing credit card transaction data in 2020. By category, spending in the entertainment, sport and culture sectors fell by 6.7 percent compared to the previous week, while the food and beverage category dropped by 6.5 percent. Credit card transactions in stores nationwide, too, experienced a 27.4 percent tumble during the same period — proof that small businesses were hit hard by the chaos started by the emergency martial law declaration. The tourism industry will likely take a hit from the political instability caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol: The United States, Britain and Canada issued travel advisories and urged caution for travelers and residents in Korea following the martial law declaration. While the advisories, along with the short-lived martial law, were soon lifted, the tourist sentiment may take longer to recover. The government said it plans to light up the economy next year by allocating three-quarters of the yearly budget for the first half of 2025; it will also encourage end-of-year government events to help increase spending. The budget for government-issued loans for small enterprises has also been increased by 60 billion won ($41.3 million) to 3.77 trillion won. The possibility of a supplementary budget allocation is also increasing, with Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minster Choi Sang-mok pledging to “continue the review on appropriate countermeasures” as he looks into “external uncertainties and the livelihoods of the public” during his recent visit to the National Assembly. A supplementary budget allocation at the start of the year is not only difficult for the government to justify but is also subject to pressure from the rise in inflation. “A more aggressive fiscal policy would be effective for a boost in domestic demand in the current situation,” said Kim Jung-sik, an honorary professor at Yonsei University’s Department of Economics. “Monetary policies like lowering the base rate may take a while to be effective.” “Both parties in the National Assembly should prospectively discuss a supplementary budget allocation in the first half of next year, and the government, too, should look at the big picture instead of just focusing on tightening the budget,” the professor said. “Without active efforts to boost the economy, the local economy might suffer until May or June of next year.” BY IM SOUNG-BIN [ [email protected] ] var admarutag = admarutag || {} admarutag.cmd = admarutag.cmd || [] admarutag.cmd.push(function () { admarutag.pageview('3bf9fc17-6e70-4776-9d65-ca3bb0c17cb7'); });Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. People are also reading... "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. 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