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SPORTS Thursday 5 January 2023
3 NFL teams look for rare trip from 2-6 start to playoffs

By JOSH DUBOW streak by any team in the
AP Pro Football Writer Super Bowl era.
Falling into a 2-6 hole near The Eagles have spread
the midpoint of a season is out the sacks, with Haa-
usually a recipe to look to son Reddick leading the
the future for NFL teams, way with 16, followed by
with only two teams ever 11 each for Josh Sweat,
climbing out of that hole to Javon Hargrave and Bran-
reach the postseason. don Graham. This is the first
Headed into Week 18 of time since individual sacks
this season, three teams became an official stat in
that lost six of their first eight 1982 that a team had four
games remain in the play- players reach double fig-
off hunt. ures in the same season.
Jacksonville can clinch the STREAKING
AFC South with a victory A few impressive streaks
over Tennessee or it could got extended in Week 17.
sneak in as a wild-card Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans
team with a loss and lots of had 207 yards receiving to
help. top the 1,000-yard mark for
Detroit and Pittsburgh have the ninth straight season.
more complicated paths, Evans is the first player to do
with the Lions needing a Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee (23) and linebacker Robert Spillane (41) celebrate an that in his first nine seasons
win and a Seattle loss to interception by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, center, against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football and joined Hall of Famers
clinch the seventh seed in game in Baltimore, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Jerry Rice (11 straight) and
the NFC and the Steelers Associated Press Tim Brown (9 straight) as the
needing a win plus losses ning the last four games. gals. having a shot at the AFC only players to do it at any
by Miami and New Eng- A victory Saturday night PLAYOFF NEWCOMERS South or wild-card spots, point in their careers.
land to clinch the final wild- against Tennessee would The Giants clinched their Miami in contention for an Kansas City’s Jerick McKin-
card spot in the AFC. make Jacksonville the fifth first playoff berth since 2016, AFC wild-card spot and non had a TD catch for the
The addition of an extra team to get to the playoffs assuring this will be the 33rd Detroit and Seattle in the fifth straight game, becom-
playoff team in 2020 and in a season with a both a straight season with at least running for the seventh ing the first running back to
a 17th game in 2021 made winning and losing streak of four new playoff teams. seed in the NFC. do that since the merger.
climbing out of a hole a bit at least five games. The last New York joins Baltimore, SACK PARTY New Orleans defensive
easier than in the past, but team to do it was Kansas the Los Angeles Chargers The Philadelphia Eagles end Cameron Jordan had
it still is rather remarkable. City in 2015. and Minnesota as teams are closing in on the NFL’s three sacks to give him 8
Before this season, 186 The Titans can also join that that made the postsea- single-season sacks record. 1/2 on the season, marking
teams in the Super Bowl era group win a win, having son a year after missing it. The Eagles have recorded the 11th straight year he
started a season 2-6, with won five straight early in the The last time there were 68 sacks so far this season has had at least seven.
only Cincinnati in 1970 and season and then losing the fewer than four new play- for the fourth-best total ever The only players to do that
Washington in 2020 making last six games. off teams in a season was and can pass the record since sacks became an of-
it to the postseason. The only teams to make the in 1989 when only three of 72 set by the 1984 Bears ficial stat in 1982 are Reg-
The Jaguars have gone on playoffs in a season with a teams did it. with five more in Week 18. gie White (14 straight), Chris
quite a roller-coaster ride, six-game losing streak are There’s still a chance for Philadelphia has had at Doleman (13), John Randle
having lost five straight from the 2020 Bears, the 2014 three more teams to join least six sacks in the past (12), Derrick Thomas (11)
Weeks 4-8 and then win- Panthers and the 1970 Ben- the list, with Jacksonville five games for the longest and Robert Mathis (11). q

Hudson interim U.S. men’s soccer coach during Berhalter probe

By RONALD BLUM team rather than Gregg The U.S. Soccer Federation Berhalter are ongoing. The to continuing my conver-
AP Sports Writer Berhalter ahead of the first announced Tuesday it was federation said Tuesday it sations with U.S. Soccer
NEW YORK (AP) — Antho- two matches of the cycle investigating Berhalter for a learned of the allegation about the future.” Hud-
ny Hudson will coach the leading to the 2026 World 1991 domestic violence in- against Berhalter on Dec. son’s staff will include U.S.
United States men’s soccer Cup. cident involving the wom- 11 and hired the law firm assistant coach B.J. Cal-
an who became his wife. Alston & Bird to investigate. laghan and current U.S. un-
Hudson will lead the team “Through this process, U.S. der-20 coach Mikey Varas.
ahead of exhibitions Soccer has learned about Luchi Gonzalez, the other
against Serbia on Jan. 25 potential inappropriate American assistant coach,
at Los Angeles and Colom- behavior towards multiple agreed last summer to be-
bia three days later at Car- members of our staff by in- come coach of MLS’s San
son, California, USSF sport- dividuals outside of our or- Jose Earthquakes following
ing director Earnie Stewart ganization,” the USSF said. the World Cup.
said Wednesday. Hudson, Berhalter said Tuesday a Hudson also has coached
41, was hired as coach of person contacted the USSF fifth-tier Newport in Eng-
the U.S. under-20 team in “saying that they had in- land in 2011, Bahrain’s na-
January 2020, and a year formation about me that tional team in 2013 and
United States head coach Gregg Berhalter follows the game later became an assistant would ‘take me down.” 2014, New Zealand’s na-
during the World Cup group B soccer match between England coach to Berhalter. He also said in his state- tional team from 2014-17
and The United States, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, The USSF said its assess- ment that his 1991 behav- and Major League Soc-
Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. ment of the 2018-22 cycle ior “shameful” and that cer’s Colorado Rapids from
Associated Press and the investigation of he was “looking forward 2017-19.q