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NASCAR has embarked on a season where it hopes to generate some enthusiasm from the roots of the sport. Racing in the snow wasn’t included in that list. NASCAR has postponed its preseason exhibition Clash, moving it from Sunday night to Monday afternoon because of snow in North Carolina. The 200-lap exhibition race at the quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium — a historic track owned by the city of Winston-Salem that also serves as the football home of Winston-Salem State University — is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 2. Practice and qualifying is set for 11 a.m. ET Monday on FS2, with the 75-lap last-chance qualifying race kicking off the coverage on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET. Forecasts predict that up to nine inches of snow will fall in the area on Saturday — a part of the country not accustomed to that type of snowfall. After more than an inch had fallen Saturday morning, the league made the decision. FOX Weather forecasts that the snow will end on Saturday night, with temperatures in the 30s on Monday and in the 40s on Tuesday. There is no minimum temperature needed for NASCAR to conduct the race, but drivers could have concerns about their tires and brakes in the cold. Temperatures will be in the 20s by the time the main event starts Monday. “We’re going slow enough at Bowman Gray, I don’t think that the cars themselves, the engines, will be too cold or anything like that,” said 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick in a media call Thursday. “If we were running a really big race track with that amount of [cold] air, maybe. …. We’ll just kind of see what it does, if the [tires] lay rubber.” NASCAR has said it is treating this event just like any other race weekend with a weather challenge by racing once it feels it can hold the event. The next on-track activity following the Clash is practice and qualifying on Feb. 11 at Daytona. “If we do get a bunch of snow and it’s Monday, Tuesday or even goes out further, I think, we’ll be just fine in order to be able to get to Daytona,” said Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell in a media call Friday. The track surface should be ready by Monday. One complication could be any melting snow from up against the wall (some of the wall barrier is two sections as part of the SAFER Barrier system) melting and then possibly re-freezing. “Our biggest obstacle right now is we need to get the snow to stop, and we need to get the wind to die down,” said Justin Swilling, who oversees Clash operations for NASCAR. “After that, I’m very confident in our team and our equipment that we can get this place race ready, and we can put on a good show for fans on Monday. “We just need Mother Nature to stop as soon as she can, and we need the wind to die down, and we’ll be in a good place.” The other big issue is can the infrastructure safely handle fans? The stadium seats 17,000 and all the personnel needed to conduct the race will also need access to the facilities. A storm a week earlier had still left many of the city streets — while passable — with icy spots that are now covered with snow. Most of the teams are also based about an hour away, so the ability of crews to get to the race also would be considered. Swilling said NASCAR is in constant communication with city and state transportation officials to determine when teams and fans could potentially start coming to the facility. The cars for the race currently are nearby at the Winston-Salem Farigrounds (where they are inside to avoid the cold temperatures) and the current plan is for the team transporters to take the cars to the track early Monday morning.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Prior to arguably the most anticipated Big Ten matchup of the season to date (No. 3 Michigan against No. 7 Michigan State), Wolverines head coach Dusty May made himself a meme. Sitting on the bench prior to the Friday night ranked matchup, the Michigan head coach was surrounded by a group of Michigan State fans yelling over his shoulder. What happened here? “I was actually just taking a peak,” May said in his postgame press conference following Michigan’s 83-71 win over MSU. “I thought, when we pulled in, the students were still lined up down the block and even when we rode in at the Kalamazoo entrance. There [was] a long line, and I assumed it was students. I was like, ‘Okay, they’re not in yet,’ but, man, we’re building. There’s a lot of anticipation for this game, and so I walked by and I was greeted as soon as I stuck my head out on the court. At that point, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m ducking and running from this smoke now.'” “This stuff doesn’t bother me. I just let them get all their frustration and their animosity out early and then that way they can enjoy the game, so I felt like I contributed to the environment just a little bit.” As for the game, Michigan was 23 of 26 from the free-throw line, held Michigan State to 4 of 23 from behind the arc and was able to get a 12-point victory despite blowing an 18-point lead. For Michigan, Yaxel Lendeborg finished with a team-high 26 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and two blocks; Elliot Cadeau had 17 points, six assists and three rebounds; Morez Johnson Jr. had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks; as for the opposition, Jeremy Fears Jr. had a game-high 31 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals for Michigan State. Monday’s in-state rivalry win moved Michigan to 20-1 overall and 10-1 in Big Ten play, good for first in the conference. This win also came three days after Michigan delivered No. 5 Nebraska its first loss of the season on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. Meanwhile, Friday night’s loss dropped Michigan State to 19-3 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play, good for fourth in the conference. Michigan and Michigan State will face off again on March 8 in Ann Arbor. Next up for Michigan is a home matchup against Penn State on Feb. 5 (6:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

INDYCAR has added an 18th race to its schedule, and this one will feature a lot of red, white and blue. The Freedom 250 around the streets of Washington, D.C., is set for Aug. 23 on FOX. Most of the grounds will be free admission. INDYCAR had discussed a Washington race last year, but ultimately, the planning didn’t get to a point where they felt they could have the event. But after a push to be part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the race was announced Friday when President Donald Trump issued an executive order at the White House. “This is a really amazing time for us as a company to support the 250th anniversary for the country,” Penske Corporation Founder and Chairman Roger Penske said at the signing of the executive order. “And there’s no better way for us to bring automotive and speed into the D.C. area and to have the opportunity to be able to compete here with our INDYCARs. “As you know, we own the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And we are taking that history of over 100 years and the speed and what’s taking place there with your different manufacturers and bringing it here to this race will be amazing.” Penske said the event will be an economic benefit to Washington. FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks thanked the administration for getting the event across the finish line to happen this year. “Big shout out to [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy. This project was kind of on life support, until you stepped in recently and it got us here today,” Shanks said during the executive order ceremony. “[Interior] Secretary Doug Burgum, your team has been absolutely incredible. … We do the biggest events in sports. “This year, we have the FIFA World Cup. … And then dovetailing right after that, to be able to celebrate America’s birthday on FOX is an absolutely incredible honor. And everyone at FOX Sports can’t wait to see exactly how this is going to unfold and bring it to life.” The course has not been finalized. The executive order Friday directed: The event is not expected to take the place of any other event previously scheduled. It will be an added race to the NTT INDYCAR Series championship. “If we got to go race in Washington, it would be awesome, particularly in the National Mall,” Graham Rahal said earlier this week when asked about the possibility of the event. “One of my favorite things to do is go to the National Mall and walk around at night and see what it’s all about and understand history. “So for us to go get the opportunity, if it happens to race in Washington, I think it’s a damn good deal.” The race is expected to be only a one-time event, at least in the location around some of the country’s legislative headquarters. “To be able to race in the capital would be an awesome gift to the series and to the calendar,” said Santino Ferrucci, who carries the Homes For Our Troops sponsorship. “Supporting our veterans and all of our law enforcement, all of those people, and getting that opportunity would be really big.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Following a week of dominant wins (Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Alabama), a lot of close calls (Michigan, UConn, Virginia) and some upsets — Indiana topped No. 12 Purdue on Tuesday — it’s time for a new NCAA tournament bracket prediction. And we’ve got FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy’s updated bracket projections. Ahead of a loaded weekend basketball schedule on deck, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections. The ACC now joins the Big Ten with the most teams to make it to March Madness, and UConn, Duke, Michigan and Arizona sitting as the No. 1 seeds this time around. Here’s where his projected bracket stands through Jan. 30. EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION [NCAA: Men’s Rankings Have Nebraska, Michigan State Making Big Jumps] And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy’s projections, Ohio State, George Mason, Cal and Virginia Tech are the last four teams in the tournament, while San Diego State, Missouri, Indiana and Stanford are the first four out. As for conference representation, the Big Ten and the ACC lead the way with 10 teams each in DeCourcy’s latest tournament projections, followed by the SEC with nine teams, the Big 12 with seven teams and the Big East with three. The West Coast, Atlantic 10 and Mountain West conferences have two teams each. Selection Sunday is less than two months away, and these projections will inevitably evolve. But for now, DeCourcy’s latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s falling, and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March arrives.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Each winter, the college football coaching carousel sets social media ablaze with speculation surrounding who might leave for new jobs, which athletic directors and donors will give their existing coach another chance and which up-and-comers might get a big opportunity for the first time. The frenzied discussion is reasonable, considering just how much can change when a team swaps head coaches in the modern era. Not only will a new crew of assistants be coming in, but hordes of behind-the-scenes staffers are shuffled to and fro, as are scores of players via the transfer portal. Modern rules — or the absence of them — really do facilitate fresh starts in every sense of the term. Once the dust settles, few decisions are more important than which coordinators a new head coach will hire, especially if the program’s leader isn’t a play caller himself. The offensive and defensive coordinators will be the ones building the playbook, scheming for opponents and matching wits with their counterparts on the opposite sideline every Saturday. That said, our FOX Sports experts gathered for a discussion about some of the most interesting assistant coach hires of the current cycle: Which college football assistant coaching hire will have an immediate positive impact on the team? Laken Litman: Texas’ hiring of Will Muschamp as its new defensive coordinator Muschamp, who was most recently on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia, was the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator from 2008-10 and helped the program get to the national championship game in 2009. He was also Mack Brown’s head coach in waiting before later leaving to become the head coach at Florida. Muschamp knows Texas, and he knows Steve Sarkisian — both are former Nick Saban assistants. The Longhorns’ defense was supposed to be one of the best in 2025, but underperformed, leading to Sarkisian firing former defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. Now, it’s Muschamp’s turn to work some magic and help Sarkisian get the most out of a talented defensive roster. Michael Cohen: Northwestern’s hiring of Chip Kelly as its new offensive coordinator If this was two years ago, imagine being able to tell Northwestern head coach David Braun that he’d soon be able to hire someone who won a national championship with Ohio State in 2024 and then became one of the highest-paid play-callers in the NFL in 2025. And before all that, this same individual was the head coach of two different NFL franchises on the heels of an incredible run as the leading man at Oregon that included four consecutive 10-win seasons and a closet stuffed with national coach of the year awards. Talk about a farfetched idea. Yet here we are, entering the 2026 season with Kelly as the new offensive guru for Northwestern. On paper, it’s an incredible hire by Braun and one that should significantly elevate the Wildcats’ ceiling for as long as Kelly remains with the program. He’s as sharp an offensive mind as there is in college football. RJ Young: USC’s hiring of Gary Patterson as its new defensive coordinator Patterson’s hiring at USC stands out. While many were waiting on just who Ryan Day would appoint to call the offense at Ohio State — even if it was Day himself — I was waiting on just who Lincoln Riley would replace departed defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who took the same job at Penn State. When Riley pulled out progenitor of the 4-2-5 defense, a College Football Hall of Fame coach and all-but-retired Gary Patterson, I was taken aback. Riley and Patterson are friends, and each is renowned for their play-calling acumen and innovation on their respective sides of the ball. There’s no question that Patterson will be an asset — not just as head coach of the Trojans’ defense, but as a former Power 4 head coach who has seen and coached against Riley’s offense before — and a sounding board for what might turn out to be a pivotal season for USC. If Patterson can marry his scheme with Riley’s — an offense that is notoriously unfriendly to playing complimentary football — the Trojans might be a dark horse in the race to secure the 2026 Big Ten crown. I’m intrigued to find out just how a coach who hasn’t worked for anyone other than himself (as an on-the-field assistant) in 26 years meshes with Riley in this new era of the sport. [COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Top-10 Most Impactful Transfer Players From 2025] Which college football assistant coaching hire is the most perplexing? Laken Litman: Ohio State’s reported hiring of Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator The thing that’s most perplexing or intriguing about this hire is that Smith is the former Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, and most recently, he was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. That will give Day two former NFL coaches as his offensive and defensive coordinators (Matt Patricia joined the Buckeyes’ staff before last season). Both Smith and Patricia are experienced at what they do and overqualified for their respective jobs. It’s an interesting tactic that Day is implementing in having former NFL coaches on his staff. The players love it, and it prepares them even further for when they’re ready to turn pro. Will this become a trend in college football? We will see. Michael Cohen: Bill Belichick and North Carolina’s hiring of Bobby Petrino Alarm bells rang out around college football in early January when embattled UNC head coach Bill Belichick — whose debut season with the Tar Heels was closer to soap opera than success — made the stunning decision to hire Petrino as his new offensive coordinator. Petrino, who turns 65 in March, was previously the offensive coordinator and interim head coach at Arkansas the past two seasons, overseeing a unit that ranked 23rd in scoring (32.9 points per game) and 13th in total offense (454.8 yards per game) this fall. Nobody has ever doubted Petrino’s football acumen, particularly when it comes to putting together high-level offenses. A résumé that now includes more than five decades of coaching experience in college and the NFL demonstrates how attractive his services have been over the years. Even with all that success, Petrino is perhaps best known for a motorcycle accident that occurred while he was the head coach at Arkansas in which his significantly younger mistress was riding with him. The story became a tabloid sensation and has followed Petrino ever since. Is that really the type of figure Belichick, whose own romantic interests have become a defining narrative during his time at UNC, needs by his side? Some messes are self-inflicted. [COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 7 Bold Predictions for the 2026 CFB Season] RJ Young: Ohio State’s reported hiring of Arthur Smith as its new offensive coordinator. I’m with Laken on this: Smith as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator is going to feel odd for those who have not followed Day’s career as head coach. Bear in mind, former Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline is the only coach to call offensive plays at Ohio State without NFL position coaching experience or better since 2016. With his hiring of Chip Kelly in 2024, Day set a precedent that he has continued to follow through. He wants his play-callers to have experience as NFL coordinators and head coaches. So far, that strategy has been an unmitigated success. Kelly helped lead Ohio State to a national championship, and Patricia fielded the nation’s best scoring defense — all in their first years. Who’s to say Smith won’t be just as good? Not me.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s usually an act of desperation. One last roll of the dice that can produce the most spectacular results. At other times it can be the result of a shambolic mix-up. One for the blooper reel. It doesn’t happen often, but when goalkeepers score, it’s usually memorable for right or wrong reasons. Anatoliy Trubin’s header in the eighth minute of stoppage time for Benfica against Real Madrid on Wednesday produced one of the most dramatic moments in Champions League history. Not only did Trubin seal a 4-2 win over the 15-time European champion, but he also ensured his team clinched the final playoff spot by virtue of goal difference. “I didn’t realize what we needed,” the Ukrainian goalkeeper said. “But then I saw everyone telling me to go up. I also saw the manager, so I went up, went into the box and I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. It was a crazy moment.” No wonder Benfica coach Jose Mourinho celebrated so wildly. The two-time Champions League winner has achieved just about everything in a trophy-laden career, but this was new territory. Leading 3-2 going into stoppage time, the Portuguese club needed another goal to climb into the playoffs. “I remember winning or losing at the last minute, it had happened to me several times before, but in this situation where we are winning, it’s not enough,” Mourinho said. “You have to change things and take risks.” It was a risk that certainly paid off and there is a long history of goalkeepers causing mayhem in the opposition box. The Great Escape — an iconic moment in English soccer While Trubin’s goal came in European club soccer’s elite competition, veteran keeper Jimmy Glass earned iconic status among Carlisle fans his last-ditch effort that saved the then-fourth tier team from falling out of the English Football League. It was back in 1999 when the on-loan goalkeeper volleyed home a stoppage-time winner against Plymouth to secure Carlisle’s survival — a moment that has been dubbed “The Great Escape.” “You just try your luck,” he said at the time. “Never pick up the goalie do they? “I just kept my head down and hit it. I thought I was going to balloon it over the bar, but I couldn’t miss from that distance.” Manchester United’s goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel scored with a header against Rotor Volgograd in the UEFA Cup in 1995. To prove it wasn’t just a one off, he became the first keeper to score in the Premier League 2001 — netting for Aston Villa. More recently Liverpool’s Alisson glanced in a winner against West Brom in the Premier League in 2021. Paraguay’s prolific penalty-taking keeper Goalscoring keepers don’t have to be agents of chaos, merely sent in to pull off late rescue acts. Paraguay international Jose Luis Chilavert was prolific and once scored a hat trick for Argentine team Velez Sarsfield by converting three penalties. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, Chilavert, who also took free kicks, scored 67 goals in his career. He was the only goalkeeper to score a hat trick and is the highest-scoring keeper in international soccer with eight goals for Paraguay. But, the IFFHS says Brazilian Rogerio Ceni is the highest-scoring keeper of all time. According to Guinness World Records, Ceni scored 129 goals in his career. Colombia’s Rene Higuita — famed for his so-called scorpion kick saves and dribbling the ball out of his area — was another keeper known for scoring from free kicks and penalties. The weird and the wonderful Accustomed to punting the ball long from goal kicks, keepers have been responsible for some of the most outrageous goals from distance — but sometimes it can require a following wind, literally — or an embarrassing blunder from their opposite number. Stoke’s stadium is known as one of the windiest in English soccer and that certainly seemed to help keeper Asmir Begovic in 2013 when he scored after just 13 seconds against Southampton. He entered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest goal of all time, with his effort measured at measured at 91.9 meters. But it didn’t come without a little assistance from Southampton’s Artur Boruc, who was wrong-footed and left red-faced as the ball bounced over him. “It’s a cool feeling but it was a fortunate incident. I feel a bit bad for Boruc,” Begovic told the BBC. Tottenham’s Paul Robinson similarly caught out Watford’s Ben Foster with another launched effort from his own half in 2007. And to prove it’s not just a modern phenomenon, Tottenham’s Pat Jennings scored from his own area against Manchester United in 1967. The iconic Bobby Charlton, who played in that match later said: “I immediately turned around to look at the referee because I thought well maybe that’s illegal because I’d never seen it done before.” Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For the more than 70 players who have worn the U.S. men’s national team jersey since Mauricio Pochettino took over with a mandate to produce a good 2026 World Cup showing on home soil, March is the month that counts. The 48-team tournament — which the U.S. will co-host alongside North American neighbors Canada and Mexico — doesn’t kick off until June. Pochettino won’t name his 26-strong World Cup squad until late May. But with just a handful of tune-up games to play before then – against Belgium and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Atlanta – those exhibitions are anything but meaningless. “The idea is that the World Cup will start in March,” Pochettino said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. [Stock Up, Stock Down: Which USA Players Are Thriving?] It’s already been several months since the U.S. ended their 2025 slate of games with an impressive three-game win streak against World Cup-bound foes, a run that was capped off with an emphatic 5-1 drubbing of two-time champions Uruguay in November. That result came despite the absence of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and other veterans of the last World Cup in Qatar, where the Americans reached the round of 16 before being eliminated by the Netherlands. Pulisic and McKennie are expected to return in March if healthy, but Pochettino has made it clear that nobody’s World Cup spot is guaranteed.  And with competition for places for the March matches just as fierce, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager insisted that whoever is summoned will have to earn that privilege. That goes for those who are currently injured, like defender Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles surgery), striker Ricardo Pepi (broken arm) and 2022 captain Tyler Adams (torn MCL). “If they are not fit,” Pochettino said, “they are not going to be part of the roster in March.” With just four exhibition games (the two March matches in Atlanta, along with a May 31 game against Senegal in Charlotte and a June 6 rendezvous with Germany in Chicago) to go until the USA opens its World Cup campaign June 12 versus Paraguay in Los Angeles, there is no time left to waste. “It’s not that we have only four friendly games,” he said. “We have four ‘World Cup’ games that are important to take with the idea that we need to perform.” Freeman Transfer Gets Pochettino’s Blessing Fullback Alex Freeman is off to a Champions League participant in Spain’s Villarreal, another huge leap up for a player who was both an MLS and USMNT rookie last year. Pochettino was asked about the risks of players like Freeman and Ricardo Pepi — who is being hotly pursued by Premier League side Fulham — switching clubs so close to the World Cup and possibly failing to settle in right away. [Four Takeaways: Alex Freeman’s Villarreal Move A Risk?] “When you change, it’s because you are convinced that you’re going to be better in that place than in the place that you are,” said Pochettino, who added that Freeman called him beforehand. “I said you need to be very natural and take what you believe is the best option for you, for your family. “I am not worried,” he added. “I always expect the best thing, and for sure, always for me, it’s important that the player feels happy.” Will Pepi Be Back in March? The 23-year-old striker won’t return to action for Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven until the middle of March, just before the international break begins. I asked Pochettino if he expects Pepi to be fit and available for duty later that month. “We’ll see how he’s going to come back and start to play and to perform,” Pochettino said. “With Ricardo, we hope that he can be fit and have time to assess him. Of course, we are going to make the best decision for him and for us.” Poch praises Weston McKennie In November, after leaving a healthy McKennie off the USMNT’s final roster of 2025, Pochettino said then he wanted the Texan to settle in under new Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti. McKennie has responded with a career-best season so far. “It’s really good that he is playing in a regular way, being very consistent now in Juventus,” Pochettino said. “We are happy that our player is performing.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The sports world was shocked and outraged when news leaked this week that Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. It may be the worst snub ever by the hall’s selection committee. But it wasn’t the first. In fact, the legendary and well-decorated Belichick joins a long list of football legends who had to wait a year or more for their enshrinement in Canton, thanks to the fickleness of voters or the flaws of the complicated selection process. Here are the all-time top-10 first-ballot snubs: Honorable mentions: RB Curtis Martin Still sixth all-time with 14,101 rushing yards and topped 1,100 yards in 10 of his 11 seasons. Jimmy Johnson (coach) Quickly turned the Dallas Cowboys from a dormant into a powerhouse, winning back-to-back Super Bowls before he left. DT Alan Page Ranks eighth all-time with 148.5 sacks, was an eight-time All-Pro and a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary team. TE Antonio Gates Top-five all-time among tight ends in catches and receiving yards, and first among tight ends with 116 touchdowns. John Madden (coach) Still has the greatest regular-season winning percentage among coaches in the last 100 years (102-37-7, .759). Won a Super Bowl with the Raiders and was a legend as a broadcaster, too. Top 10 10. WR Marvin Harrison Harrison still ranks fifth all-time in catches (1,102) and touchdowns (128), and ninth in receiving yards (14,580). He was also an eight-time All-Pro and a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary team. He was Peyton Manning’s go-to receiver for 13 years, and a big reason why the Colts went to the playoffs 10 times and won a Super Bowl during that span. 9. LB Kevin Greene Greene still ranks fourth all-time with 160 sacks, which he split across five teams during his 15 NFL seasons. He had at least 10 sacks in 10 of those years, including seven of his last eight in the league, and led the league in sacks twice. He was a three-time All-Pro, was on the All-Decade team of the 1990s, and was one of the most disruptive pass rushers of the late 20th century. 8. CB Dick “Night Train” Lane A disruptive defensive back and punishing tackler, “Night Train” was good enough to make the NFL’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams. He was a 10-time All-Pro who had 68 career interceptions. That included 27 in his first three seasons and an NFL-record 14 in just 12 games as a rookie in 1952 — a single-season record that still stands 73 years later. 7. WR Cris Carter Despite playing in an era just before the NFL’s passing explosion, Carter still ranks sixth all-time in catches (1,101), fourth in touchdowns (130), and 13th in receiving yards (13,899). The three-time All-Pro was a member of the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team. The long-time Viking topped 120 catches in a season twice and 1,000 yards eight times. He also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns three times. 6. Joe Gibbs (coach) During his first 12-year run as coach in Washington (1981-92), he took the franchise to the Super Bowl four times, winning three championships. He also had an incredible 124-60 (.673) record, went to the playoffs eight times, and had just one losing season. That would’ve been more than enough, but he returned for a second four-year run 12 years later (2004-07) and added two more postseason trips. His all-time postseason record was 17-7 and his teams were only eliminated in the first round twice. Gibbs was inducted into the Hall of Fame in between those two stints, though. 5. DE Michael Strahan Strahan became the single-season Sack King with 22.5 in 2001, and made another run at the record two years later when he finished with 18.5. In all, he had 141.5 sacks in his 15 NFL seasons, which still ranks him 10th all-time. A six-time All-Pro, he was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team in the 2000s and won a Super Bowl in his final career game. He is also considered one of the greatest run-stopping defensive ends of all time, too. 4. QB Fran Tarkenton Known as “The Scrambler,” Trakenton is generally considered one of the first, dominant, dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. Despite playing in an era long before the NFL’s passing explosion, he still ranks 15th all-time with 47,003 passing yards in 18 seasons, and he ranks eighth all-time among quarterbacks with 3,674 yards. A nine-time Pro Bowler, he’s ranked on the lists of the 50 greatest players for two franchises (Vikings, Giants). He led the Vikings to the Super Bowl three times, though they lost each one. 3. Bill Walsh (coach) Known as “The Genius” for good reason, Walsh pioneered the West Coast offense that took the NFL by storm in the late 1980s and beyond. In 10 years with San Francisco, he turned the 49ers into a dynasty, reaching the playoffs seven times in eight years (1981-88) and winning three Super Bowls along the way. Walsh had a 92-59-1 regular-season record and went 10-4 in the playoffs. His 10 49ers teams won 10 or more games seven times. 2. WR Terrell Owens The victim of perhaps the most egregious Hall snub until this week, Owens was second on the NFL’s all-time receiving charts when he retired with 15,934 yards and 153 touchdown catches — behind only Jerry Rice in both categories. He still ranks third in both and ninth in catches (1,078). He was also a five-time All-Pro despite splitting his career amongst five teams. He was also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team in the 2000s. 1. Bill Belichick (coach) Where to begin? Belichick was the architect of perhaps the NFL’s greatest dynasty, leading the New England Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships in an 18-year span (2001-2018). He also won two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants before that. A three-time NFL Coach of the Year, Belichick was named a coach on the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 2000s and 2010s as well as their 100th anniversary team. Oh, and his 302 career wins in 29 seasons ranks third all-time, and his .647 winning percentage (302-165) is in the top 20. Add in his stellar 31-13 playoff record and his 333 total wins are second all-time.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Empower Field at Mile High (Denver) — For nearly two decades, the Patriots knew all too well the annual ritual of NFL teams in pursuit of a Super Bowl writing big checks to poach key players from the defending champs in free agency. This time, it was the Patriots trying to import a championship culture to their locker room. Last March, after the Eagles had won the Super Bowl, New England gave defensive tackle Milton Williams the largest contract in franchise history — four years, $104 million — hoping he could help get their defensive front back to an elite level. And Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos, as the Patriots trailed 7-0 in the second quarter, Denver went for it on fourth-and-1 at the New England 14, hoping to set up a two-score lead. But Williams broke through unblocked and pressured quarterback Jarrett Stidham into an incompletion and a turnover on downs. The Broncos would not score again, as the Patriots rode their defense to a 10-7 win and a trip to California in two weeks. “We’re going back to the Bowl,” Williams said from his locker as he celebrated the Patriots’ first playoff win in Denver in five tries. And it means something different for him, in his third Super Bowl in four years, than for the Patriots, going to their 12th but first since 2019. Williams has shown a penchant for playing his best football in the postseason — he had only 11.5 sacks in four years with the Eagles, but came up with two (and a forced fumble and recovery) against the Chiefs in last year’s Super Bowl. In New England, he had 3.5 sacks in the regular season, missing five games with injury, but came through with two sacks in the wild-card win over the Chargers, and his impact Sunday against the Broncos showed up beyond the stat sheet as well. “There’s a consistency there. He’s a tireless worker,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters of Williams’ impact earlier this week. “He worked hard. He was here in the offseason. I think that makes a difference. And then, obviously, just the disruption. I know everybody that rushes the passer, they strive for sacks, and certainly, our ability to affect the quarterback goes well beyond the sack numbers. You can get a sack. I mean, Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] got a sack. The quarterback ran out of bounds. And so, if you just look at that, it can be somewhat misleading. But he certainly has brought some disruption … I think he has improved some of his technique in the run game and things that we’ve talked about. He’s consciously tried to work on that, and I appreciate that.” NFL teams are often reluctant to give their biggest contracts to outside players, wanting to reward their own best players first and foremost. But Vrabel said his research showed him what kind of person Williams was as much as what kind of player, so he was confident a huge NFL payday wouldn’t change his motivation to be among the league’s best players. “Having done a lot of work with him coming out and just knowing who he is as a person, but all his family,” Vrabel said. “I think his parents have been fantastic raising him and his sisters. When you have good bones, you can survive a lot. So, for a young player to come into a lot of money like that, it is important that they remain grounded, they remain hungry and want to continue to work. And I know that his parents and his family have a lot to do with that.” Championship teams can’t keep all their best players, and the Eagles took a step back after losing players like Williams and edge rusher Josh Sweat, who had a career-best 12 sacks in his first year with the Cardinals. Philadelphia knew it had two young defensive tackles back in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo stepped up nicely into Williams’ role with six sacks in a breakout season. Williams did not go to New England expecting a return trip to the Super Bowl. The Patriots had finished 4-13 in each of the last two seasons, firing head coaches after each, and while there was optimism in improving under Vrabel, few expected this dramatic a turnaround in his first season. Williams said he first realized the Patriots could be special in Week 5, when they went to Buffalo and beat the Bills 23-20 on a field goal with 15 seconds left. “Young team, new pieces everywhere, and Buffalo was on a home win streak, I don’t know how many games they’d won, but they hadn’t lost in two seasons or something like that,” Williams said. “We didn’t care [anything] about that. We went in there and did what we were supposed to do, ended up getting the win. I said it after the game: We put it on display what kind of team we can be. We’ve got to be able to do it every week. I feel like we’ve been doing that all season.” Williams’ impact can be seen even when he doesn’t touch the quarterback. The fourth-down stop on Sunday was one of eight pressures for him. Next Gen Stats tracks “quick pressures” applied in the first 2.5 seconds after the snap, and Williams has six in the postseason — only once has a player had more in a single playoff run, and that was the Rams’ Aaron Donald in 2021. “Elite ballplayer,” Pro Bowl corner Christian Gonzalez told reporters this week. “He changes the game. The front seven, the front four, they do so many good things, working together, playing off each other. Milt, he’s a leader. I feel like he’s a little kind of more like me. We’re not too outspoken. We’re not going to be the ones to gather the huddle up and give a motivational speech, but he’s always doing the right things, always leading by example.” Like much of the Patriots’ defense, Williams has played this postseason with a chip on his shoulder, tired of hearing about other teams and other defenses, even as New England has held three playoff opponents to a combined 26 points. The Patriots’ defensive front has understood their role, whether the national media or the public was aware of it. “It’s going to be on us,” Williams said. “Every week. Hearing as much talk about the [Broncos] offensive line, what they can do and what we can’t do and all this. No, it was on us to go out there and dominate up front, to try to get Stidham off his spot. We did that.” As much as the Patriots are known for a dynastic run of nine Super Bowls and six championships under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, very few of the current players know the feeling of playing in a Super Bowl. Cornerback Carlton Davis won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2021, and receiver Mack Hollins was a backup with the Eagles in 2018 when they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Tight end Austin Hooper was on the field when the Patriots won a Super Bowl in 2017, but saw it from the other side, as a member of the Falcons team that lost a 28-3 lead. In the next two weeks, Williams can share with them what the sport’s biggest game is like, how it feels to win and to lose and what they can expect against the Seahawks with a chance to add to the franchise’s championship legacy. “He’s one of the only ones that’s been in this position on our team, so we’ve been able to talk to him about how the games feel,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s pretty cool he gets to go back-to-back. It’s been dope.” In the Big Picture, we contextualize key moves and moments so you can instantly understand why they matter.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

One of the veteran leaders and most versatile players to have ever played for the U.S. women’s national team will be moving on. Crystal Dunn announced her retirement on Thursday, capping off a 12-year senior international career that included helping the USWNT win the 2019 World Cup and the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She ends her national team playing days with 160 caps and 25 goals. Dunn, 33, will always be remembered as one of the legends of the game not only because of what she accomplished on the field, but for also being a role model off of it. She was one of the first Black stars of the national team. Her vivacious personality was contagious in every locker room she stepped in, especially when she’d start a dance party out of nowhere or show off her DJ skills. She’s mentored plenty of young players, and always put her team first. Dunn is one of the most versatile players the national team has ever had. She could play any position on the field and often did. She was an attacking player in college at North Carolina, where she was a four-time All-American, won the MAC Hermann Award, and helped the Tar Heels win a national championship. She played attacking midfielder, winger and forward for her club teams, but was often saddled at left back for the national team. Playing on the back line wasn’t always Dunn’s favorite, as she had a nose for scoring goals. But she did what the team needed and was considered to be one of the best outside backs in the world, especially when it came to winning one-on-one battles. “I leave the game with a sense of peace and deep fulfillment for all that I’ve accomplished,” Dunn said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with, from teammates and coaches to family and friends, and all the amazing moments we’ve shared. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter ahead.” Dunn gave birth to her son Marcel in May 2022 and impressively returned to the field just a few months later. That NWSL season, she scored the winning goal for the Portland Thorns in second-half stoppage time of the NWSL playoff semifinal to send her team to the championship game. The next year, Dunn was one of three moms to play for the USWNT at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Dunn played for six different clubs over the course of her professional career, including the Washington Spirit, Chelsea, the North Carolina Courage (where she won back-to-back NWSL titles in 2018 and 2019), the Portland Thorns (where she won another title in 2022) and Gotham FC. She most recently played for Paris Saint-Germain. While USWNT manager Emma Hayes is doing a remarkable job developing the talent pool and young leaders, Dunn’s veteran presence will certainly be missed in the locker room as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports