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Starter to third-string quarterback and back again in a span of three weeks, Zach Wilson is QB1 for the New York Jets. Coach Robert Saleh declared Wilson “gives us the best chance to win” when the Jets try to pull out of a five-game losing streak Sunday against the Houston Texans in East Rutherford, N.J. Wilson, benched for ineffective play three times in the past two seasons, was demoted last month after the Jets (4-8)

Atlanta finds itself in the driver’s seat in the division and the Falcons get the chance to distance themselves from the pack on Sunday. With a slim lead over the Buccaneers (5-7) and New Orleans Saints (5-7), Atlanta (6-6) can accelerate its march toward its first playoff game since 2017 by sweeping Tampa Bay. The Falcons already own a win over the Bucs — 16-13 on Oct. 22 — who understand the gravity of this

Warning labels are unnecessary for coach Dan Campbell and the Lions when it comes to the obstacles presented by the last-place Chicago Bears on Detroit’s desired path to its first division title since 1993. The Lions scored two touchdowns in the last three minutes to defeat the Bears 31-26 last month, and the rematch is Sunday in Chicago. “We were fortunate to come out with a win,” Campbell said of the first meeting this season

From first in the draft to first eliminated from playoff contention, the Carolina Panthers are chasing their second win of the season entering Week 14. Meanwhile, three consecutive losses have bumped New Orleans down the NFC South standings. The Saints will attempt to renew their playoff hopes when they host the Panthers on Sunday afternoon. The Saints (5-7) were in sole possession of first place in the NFC South before losing to the Atlanta Falcons

The Indiana Pacers’ improbable run through the inaugural NBA in-season tournament continues Thursday night when they attempt to take down the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the semifinals at Las Vegas. The New Orleans Pelicans will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the West semifinal later Thursday, with the two winners advancing to the tournament final on Saturday night. The Pacers, who are the NBA’s highest scoring team at 128.4 points per

The Edmonton Oilers are riding a four-game winning streak as they kick off a crucial six-game homestand with a Wednesday clash against the Carolina Hurricanes. After a horrid start to the season, the Oilers finally appear to be finding their stride, having won seven of their past 10 games. “We still have some work to do to at least get to .500,” Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said. “This is a great chance to be home,

After thwarting the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in overtime Monday night, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington expects to see a big pushback from the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Golden Knights visit the Blues on Wednesday night in the back half of this unusual home-and-home sequence. “We’ll see what happens with that,” Binnington said. “They’ll be hungry to come at us, and we got to hold it down at home.” Binnington stopped 33 of

UC Riverside already has played a couple of Pac-12 opponents on the road this season, as well as North Carolina. So the Highlanders (4-5) won’t be intimidated traveling to Pullman, Wash., to face Washington State (6-1) on Wednesday night. Last Thursday, UCR made the short trip to Pauley Pavilion to take on UCLA. The Highlanders stayed in it until the end, suffering a 66-65 defeat. “I’ve been hard on this team (in practice),” UCR coach

The Arizona State Sun Devils are on a three-game winning streak since getting the stuffing knocked out of them on Thanksgiving, and they look to keep the momentum rolling on Wednesday against SMU in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils (5-2), who are 4-0 at home this season, have defeated Vanderbilt, Sam Houston and San Francisco by double digits after a 77-49 loss to BYU at Las Vegas. The conquests of Sam Houston and San Francisco

In a bit of a slump after a strong start, Pitt packs up and heads just over 75 miles south for its first true road game of the season Wednesday. The Panthers (5-3) will travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on former Big East Conference foe West Virginia (3-4) in the latest installment of the Backyard Brawl. Pitt has dropped three of its past four after a 4-0 start to the campaign, with its latest