ARLINGTON, Texas – A longtime friend of Mike Tyson said the boxer told him he slapped Jake Paul Thursday night because Paul stepped on his foot.

Video appears to show Paul briefly stepping on the front of Tyson’s right foot and quickly moving his foot back at the weigh-in for their Friday fight at AT&T Stadium. Tyson then slapped Paul across the face with his right hand and pointed toward the ground before the two men were pulled apart.

“Jake stepped on Mike’s foot, that prompted the reaction,’’ Tom Patti, one of Tyson’s longtime friends, told USA TODAY Sports by text message. “I was there and Mike just told me.’’

Patti and Tyson trained together under Cus D’Amato in Catskill, New York, and lived together at D’Amato’s house from 1982 to 1987, Patti said. In 2016, Patti was elected to the San Joaquin County (California) Board of Supervisors and Tyson told USA TODAY Sports in 2021 that he was the one who first encouraged Patti to go into politics.

In town for the fight, Patti said he was at the Toyota Music Factory Thursday night in Irving when the weigh-in drama unfolded. After Tyson and Paul took turns weighing in, the fighters walked to one end of the stage.

That’s where Paul crawled up to Tyson before standing and, apparently, stepping on Tyson’s right foot with his left foot.

“My personal opinion (is) Jake shows enough disrespect that he starts crawling up to Mike and then pouncing in front of him … like some sort of lurching animal. Mike put him in his place,’’ Patti said.

Tyson and Paul often appeared friendly during joint appearances since the fight was first announced in March. In May, both fighters pushed back against speculation the fight was rigged because they appeared to be so chummy.

But Tyson has grown increasingly withdrawn and Paul increasingly antagonistic this week.

Patti said Tyson’s reaction Thursday night at the weigh-in shows he’s “finished with all the publicity. It’s time to fight.’’

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without another key figure as they put their undefeated record on the line Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Kicker Harrison Butker is being placed on injured reserve with a left knee injury, according to multiple reports, ruling him out for at least the next four games. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Butker will undergo surgery to trim his meniscus, with a return expected towards the end of the regular season and playoffs.

Kansas City is signing Spencer Shrader off the New York Jets’ practice squad to take over kicking duties, per multiple reports.

Butker, whose career 89.21% field goal conversion rate ranks him third in league history, has converted 18 of 20 field goal attempts this season, with his lone misses coming from beyond 50 yards.

An undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, Shrader made all three of his extra-point attempts for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 before being waived. He signed to the Jets’ practice squad on Oct. 30 and was elevated to the active roster for last week’s 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, in which he kicked two field goals.

All things Chiefs: Latest Kansas City Chiefs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Chiefs, who are already without top receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, are navigating additional key injuries ahead of their matchup with the Bills. Running back Isiah Pacheco has practiced in a limited capacity after having his 21-day return window activated, but coach Andy Reid said he is not expected to play Sunday as he continues to recover from a fractured fibula that has sidelined him since Week 2. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, however, could be on track to play after being a full participant on Thursday despite his hamstring injury.

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IRVING, Texas — In another year, maybe even in another week, the spectacle and absurdity of this might have felt different. What are you supposed to say about a 58-year-old sports icon on a slickly-lit stage with a 27-year-old “content creator,” on the brink of a boxing match whose only relevance is the curiosity of a country with an insatiable appetite for spectacle and a media platform willing to pay massive amounts of money to help us scratch the itch? 

What are you supposed to think? What are you supposed to see?

Friday’s fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is a circus. It is also America. 

That may not have seemed so clear if this fight had taken place when it was originally scheduled back in July. Now, a little more than a week after a presidential election that has put Donald Trump into power for a second time, it is undeniable. 

Whatever side of the political divide you occupy, there is no mistaking the cross-currents that helped elect him for a second time reflect a society that has changed in many of the same ways that are turning an exhibition boxing match between two people who are not really professional boxers into the most culturally relevant boxing event of the past decade.

This fight isn’t merely happening outside the rules and norms of a sport with a wide berth for lawlessness and corruption, it’s happening expressly because the cult of absurdity that occurs daily on social media is now the most powerful and lucrative force in American life. 

“A lot of fighters go in there and have boring-ass fights, like Floyd Mayweather,” Paul said Wednesday at the official pre-fight press conference, referring to the all-time great who went 50-0 as a professional and won 15 major world championship belts across multiple weight classes.

“I’ve brought a lot of excitement to the sport going against the biggest names and making matchups fans want to see. I’m going to continue to do the biggest fights, biggest pay-per-views, biggest streams across the board, and I think people resonate with my content and promotional ability.”

What’s more preposterous? That a YouTube stunt man who only started boxing a few years ago would believe — perhaps correctly — that he is the future of a sport that once belonged to Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mayweather? Or that Tyson, several years closer to being eligible for Social Security than to his last official fight in 2005, has legitimate reasons to get in the ring Friday aside from a big payday and publicity for his cannabis ventures? 

“I’m not gonna lose,” Tyson said in a press conference where he offered few words but plenty of nostalgic glares for a few thousand fans holding their cell phones high above their heads to snap pictures of a man whose legend is ingrained in memories of their youth. 

We know we are being played. Millions of us aren’t going to care. 

In the days leading up to and following the presidential election, one of the major themes that emerged was the salience of the so-called influencers, people ranging from comedians to conspiracy theorists to a woman who literally became famous and now hosts a high-profile podcast because she made a funny reference to oral sex during a woman-on-the-street-style interview that blew up on social media. 

That presidential candidates were climbing over each other to appear alongside and answer questions from these types of “influencers” would have been considered evidence of a fundamentally unserious society less than a generation ago. Now, political pundits call it meeting the voters where they are. 

The consequences of that change in how Americans engage with civic life are not yet clear, but if politics aren’t immune from an attention economy that elevates narrative and storytelling over tradition and expertise, then sports won’t be either. 

And it’s why the ramifications of Friday night and the success it’s likely to have should be taken seriously across the entire sports industry. 

What’s happening here isn’t just a fight. It’s a test to see whether Netflix and one of the most famous social media influencers on the planet can create the veneer of legitimacy out of something that by any traditional measure would be illegitimate. What is a big-time boxing match without a belt, without being sanctioned by one of those well-known organizations with three letters, without traditional rules, without even the ability to bet on it in at least six states that otherwise allow gambling?

It’s nothing. But it’s everything.

For half a decade, sports leagues have pondered how the migration of viewers from cable and network television to native streaming platforms might change both the economics and the possibilities of their business model. 

So far, they have merely dabbled. The NFL and NBA have struck smaller deals with Amazon while keeping the bulk of their product on linear television. 

Netflix has largely eschewed live sports and focused on its highly successful sports documentaries, citing the high costs of bidding for those rights. But this year, Netflix has dipped its toe into live broadcasts, including a crossover golf match involving F1 drivers and PGA Tour players, an exhibition tennis match in Las Vegas between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal and a three-year deal with the NFL to broadcast games on Christmas Day. 

The so-called “Netflix Slam” event with Nadal and Alcaraz was interesting. Tennis exhibitions are notoriously non-competitive, but this one was slickly presented with professional announcers, high-level production values, lots of celebrities in the audience and a trophy ceremony that looked like a Grand Slam final. If you didn’t know any better, you’d have thought you were watching the best the sport had to offer — only without commercials. 

The data on how many people watched is opaque. Netflix hasn’t, and probably won’t, release the numbers. 

But what it showed is that you can create a high-profile sporting event that can hook millions of people on streaming without being tied to a traditional tournament like the US Open. And in this case, Netflix and Paul have created the boxing match of the decade on a platform that has gone around the pay-per-view model simply by pitting him against an aging cultural icon who hasn’t been a real professional boxer in decades. 

“No one has had a boxing career like mine,” Paul said, in one of the rare moments Wednesday that didn’t seem like hyperbole. “It’ll be studied and judged, but I’ve risen to the top because I’ve taken risks.”

It is incredibly audacious. It is also genius. 

What’s very clear in the wake of Trump’s second election is that many Americans, and maybe even a slight majority, do not have misgivings about the fungibility of our institutions. If that is true of the U.S. government, it is undeniably going to be true for sports as entities peck away at the way things have always been presented to the public. 

Does that mean the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or the International Olympic Committee are on the verge of being replaced by whatever absurdity the next influencer is cooking up?

Of course not. But millions of people have followed Paul’s evolution from someone they grew up laughing at on YouTube to someone who has reinvented himself into a plausible pro athlete. 

To deny the allure and efficacy of a famous person going around the system to create an entirely new reality is to deny what we have seen American voters lean into now twice in the last decade. 

For better or worse, this is who we are. And for better or worse, Netflix and Jake Paul are just the latest who figured out how to benefit. 

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PHILADELPHIA – Jason Kelce is never far from Philadelphia Eagles games. And there’s usually some artistic endeavor attached to his appearances. 

The former Eagles center, in his first year of retirement, performed his original single “Santa Drives an Astrovan” with indie rock band Mt. Joy on Thursday before the Eagles hosted the Washington Commanders. 

Kelce, a Super Bowl 52 champion, sang one verse of the song in his gravelly voice that he has displayed on his previous two Christmas albums, “A Philly Special Christmas” (2022) and “A Philly Special Christmas Special” (2023). The albums helped raise approximately $4.25 million for local Philadelphia charities, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center. 

Kelce promoted his newest Christmas album, “A Philly Special Christmas Album” Thursday. Other members of the Eagles, such as offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, have also held prominent roles on his earlier albums. 

Now an analyst for ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football,’ Kelce was in attendance for the Eagles’ Week 2 contest against the Atlanta Falcons; before his duties on the pregame show, Kelce hyped up the crowd. 

All things Eagles: Latest Philadelphia Eagles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

He did the same after his performance with Mt. Joy, telling the crowd “we win as a team, we lose as a team.” 

It hasn’t all been pretty for Kelce at games in Pennsylvania lately. On Nov. 2, before Penn State hosted Ohio State, a fan approached Kelce and called his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a derogatory slur. Jason Kelce responded by taking the offender’s cell phone and slamming it onto the ground — he also repeated the slur. He apologized for the incident on “New Heights.” 

On the podcast he hosts with Travis, Jason Kelce said he wasn’t sure if his performance and tone of the song would match the environment of an NFC East matchup that had first place on the line. 

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to do,” Kelce said on “New Heights.” “The Eagles are about to play the most important game of the year, they’re playing the Washington Commanders, and me and Mt. Joy are gonna go in there before the game kicks off and perform a Christmas song.”

“Santa Drives an Astrovan” is scheduled to be released at midnight ET on Friday, Nov. 15.

Now, his name is listed among the best players of all time.

The Edmonton Oilers star picked up his 1,000th career point on Thursday night, becoming the fourth-fastest NHL player to reach that milestone.

The 2015 No. 1 overall pick did it in 659 games. Wayne Gretzky got it in 424 games, Mario Lemieux took 516 and Mike Bossy needed 656. Peter Stastny was fifth at 682. Those four players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

McDavid, 27, is also the fourth-youngest NHL player to reach 1,000 points, which has been achieved by 98 other players.

All things Oilers: Latest Edmonton Oilers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

He picked up the milestone point with a goal in Thursday’s home game against the Nashville Predators. McDavid added an assist on the overtime winner. He now has 341 goals and 660 assists.

It continues his hot streak since he returned from a three-game absence for an ankle injury. He was shut out in his return but had three points against the Vancouver Canucks and four against the New York Islanders.

Connor McDavid’s achievements

He’s a three-time Hart Trophy winner as MVP to his team.

He has led the league in scoring five times, most recently in 2022-23.

He scored 105 points in 56 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, hitting 100 points in his 53rd game, the first to do that in fewer than 56 games since Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96.

He scored 153 points in 2022-23, the league’s first 150-point scorer since Lemieux in 1995-96.

Last season, he and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov became the fourth and fifth players to record 100 assists in a season.

He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season after the Oilers fell in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. He had 42 points, including a playoff-record 34 assists, during the 2024 postseason.

Bronny James is headed to the G League, but he won’t be far from home.

The Lakers have assigned the 20-year-old rookie guard — son of teammate and NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James — to the South Bay Lakers, where the current plan is for him to play in the G League affiliate’s home games, a person with knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment.

The Lakers are under no obligation to play Bronny James in the G League and are free to develop him as they please, given that the team signed him in July to a standard player contract. Two-way contracts, by comparison, mandate that a player spend a chunk of the season with his team’s G League affiliate, capping NBA game service at 50 games per season.

Bronny has the unique circumstance of being surrounded by an experienced team — his father, a 22-year veteran; long-time agent Rich Paul; Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, the former agent of Kobe Bryant; and coach JJ Reddick, a former player with a 15-year career — who can tailor a development program to fit Bronny’s needs.

It is also not uncommon for other NBA players whose G League affiliates play near the home markets of their NBA teams to play primarily in G League home games.

All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The Lakers selected Bronny James No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA draft in June. His contract is fully guaranteed for four years and $7.9 million, according to ESPN.

Bronny was with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night as the team hosted the Memphis Grizzlies, though he did not enter the game. He witnessed his father drop 35 points, 14-assists and 12 rebounds, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double. For LeBron, who turns 40 on December 30, it was his third consecutive triple-double.

The Lakers will travel to face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday as part of the NBA Cup. The South Bay Lakers play their next home game Sunday against the Stockton Kings.

The South Bay Lakers play their games at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California, which is about 15 miles from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, where the Lakers play.

“I haven’t been with the team as much as I can to figure out what my role is on that team,” Bronny James said of the South Bay squad after the game. “So I’m just going out and playing my game and just hooping.”

Bronny has also appeared in six NBA games with the Lakers, scoring two points on 1-of-6 shooting over 16 minutes, adding two assists and one rebound.

South Bay Lakers upcoming schedule

The South Bay Lakers will play seven games in the rest of November.

Friday, Nov. 15 at 10:00 p.m.: at the Santa Cruz Warriors; Santa Cruz, CA
Sunday, Nov. 17 at 8:00 p.m.: versus the Stockton Kings; El Segundo, CA
Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 10:00 p.m.: at the San Diego Clippers; Oceanside, CA
Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8:00 p.m.: versus the Stockton Kings; El Segundo, CA
Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 10:00 p.m.: versus the San Diego Clippers; El Segundo, CA
Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 10:00 p.m.: versus the Rip City Remix; El Segundo, CA
Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10:00 p.m.: at the Santa Cruz Warriors; Santa Cruz, CA

*All times eastern

Every week for the duration of the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture − starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday night, Jan. 5.

Here’s where things stand with Week 11 of the 2024 season underway:

AFC playoff picture

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0), AFC West leaders: Though they’re aiming for the league’s first Super Bowl three-peat, there are definitely some smoke and mirrors involved in their undefeated start. Be that as it may, K.C. is two clear of the field in the loss column as it tries to ensure the path to Super Bowl 59 will once again run through Arrowhead – though the margin for error would diminish significantly with a loss at Buffalo on Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Bills, at Panthers, vs. Raiders, vs. Chargers, at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

2. Buffalo Bills (8-2), AFC East leaders: They’ve won five straight and a fifth consecutive division title is practically a foregone conclusion. But if they want a viable shot at home-field advantage, it’s almost incumbent that they beat the Chiefs in Week 11. Remaining schedule: vs. Chiefs, BYE, vs. 49ers, at Rams, at Lions, vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2), AFC North leaders: The division has shaped up as a two-team race between them and Baltimore, with both meetings still to come – the first on Sunday. But the Steelers might yet capture much bigger prizes. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Browns, at Bengals, vs. Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals

4. Houston Texans (6-4), AFC South leaders: They’ve got a few issues to work through, primarily those that are injury related. But they should still cruise to a second straight division championship. Remaining schedule: at Cowboys, vs. Titans, at Jaguars, BYE, vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans

5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3), wild card No. 1: Their defensive issues are apparent. But the offense is so dominant, Baltimore could easily work its way up to the No. 2 seed. However the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Chiefs makes for an even steeper uphill climb to the No. 1 spot. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, at Chargers, vs. Eagles, BYE, at Giants, vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3), wild card No. 2: Their defense has been pretty tough. Their schedule has been anything but – though that’s about to change. However the Bolts are starting to build a nice pad between themselves and the clubs chasing them. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, vs. Ravens, at Falcons, at Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders

7. Denver Broncos (5-5), wild card No. 3: If they’d held on to beat the Chiefs, they would have done several teams favors, including themselves. But the Broncos lost the game – and the opportunity to take a two-game lead over their nearest pursuers. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Raiders, vs. Browns, BYE, vs. Colts, at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

8. Indianapolis Colts (4-6), in the hunt: Now-former QB1 Joe Flacco hasn’t been able to stop a three-game slide. But they – with Anthony Richardson back in the saddle – get a shot at the Broncos down the road. Remaining schedule: at Jets, vs. Lions, at Patriots, BYE, at Broncos, vs. Titans, at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6), in the hunt:QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase weren’t able to stop a three-game slide to start the season. But they get a shot at the Broncos down the road. (The Colts currently have a better conference record than Cincy but have also played more of their AFC games.) Remaining schedule: at Chargers, BYE, vs. Steelers, at Cowboys, at Titans, vs. Browns, vs. Broncos, at Steelers

10. Miami Dolphins (3-6), in the hunt: Their first win since QB Tua Tagovailoa’s return has restored them to the fringes of relevance – and the Fins’ upcoming games could further solidify that. Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, vs. Patriots, at Packers, vs. Jets, at Texans, vs. 49ers, at Browns, at Jets

11. New York Jets (3-7), in the hunt: Technically, they have a shot to end the league’s longest playoff drought, which dates to 2010. A Week 4 loss to Denver is problematic. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, BYE, vs. Seahawks, at Dolphins, at Jaguars, vs. Rams, at Bills, vs. Dolphins

12. New England Patriots (3-7), in the hunt: Technically, they have a shot to revive their dynastic ways, which seemingly died five years ago. A Week 1 win at Cincinnati could come in handy. Remaining schedule: vs. Rams, at Dolphins, vs. Colts, BYE, at Cardinals, at Bills, vs. Chargers, vs. Bills

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NFC playoff picture

1. Detroit Lions (8-1), NFC North leaders: Even had they lost Sunday night, they hold tiebreaker advantages over the Eagles and Vikings … which could yet prove quite helpful down the line. Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Packers, vs. Bills, at Bears, at 49ers, vs. Vikings

2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), NFC East leaders: Pulled away from Washington on Thursday night to solidify their hold on first place in the division – and they might need that padding down the line. However the Iggles are also now officially a clear and present danger to Detroit. Remaining schedule: at Rams, at Ravens, vs. Panthers, vs. Steelers, at Commanders, vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants

3. Atlanta Falcons (6-4), NFC South leaders: They might rue Sunday’s loss to the sliding Saints at some point. But a season sweep of the Bucs effectively gives Atlanta a three-game lead in the division. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, BYE, vs. Chargers, at Vikings, at Raiders, vs. Giants, at Commanders, vs. Panthers

4. Arizona Cardinals (6-4), NFC West leaders: Winners of four straight, their bye doesn’t necessarily come at the ideal time. The Cards’ 2-0 record in divisional games serves them well; their 3-3 mark in NFC games won’t help them in the tiebreaker department with Atlanta (6-2). Remaining schedule: BYE, at Seahawks, at Vikings, vs. Seahawks, vs. Patriots, at Panthers, at Rams, vs. 49ers

5. Minnesota Vikings (7-2), wild card No. 1: Their longship has been taking on water since a 5-0 start, though they escaped Jacksonville with a victory Sunday. The upcoming games seem forgiving, but the Vikes’ path will get progressively tougher down the stretch. Remaining schedule: at Titans, at Bears, vs. Cardinals, vs. Falcons, vs. Bears, at Seahawks, vs. Packers, at Lions

6. Green Bay Packers (6-3), wild card No. 2: Hopefully the week off helped battered QB Jordan Love as the Pack readies for the stretch drive – one that could bring a wide variance of outcomes. Remaining schedule: at Bears, vs. 49ers, vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Seahawks, vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington Commanders (7-4), wild card No. 3: Thursday night’s loss to Philly hurts but should also be a learning experience. And the Commanders do seem to have an easier lineup than Philly to contend with the rest of the way, one that might keep them in contention for the No. 1 seed. Remaining schedule: vs. Cowboys, vs. Titans, BYE, at Saints, vs. Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

8. San Francisco 49ers (5-4), in the hunt: RB Christian McCaffrey’s return could be the needed spark for a team that’s finished strongly in recent years. However a 1-2 record in NFC West games could prove a hindrance. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, at Packers, at Bills, vs. Bears, vs. Rams, at Dolphins, vs. Lions, at Cardinals

9. Chicago Bears (4-5), in the hunt: A three-game skid suggests they might not be in the hunt much longer – especially given what they’re about to face. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, vs. Vikings, at Lions, at 49ers, at Vikings, vs. Lions, vs. Seahawks, at Packers

10. Los Angeles Rams (4-5), in the hunt: A tough loss to the Dolphins on Monday also drops them behind the Bears due to a Week 4 loss at Chicago. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, vs. Eagles, at Saints, vs. Bills, at 49ers, at Jets, vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

11. Seattle Seahawks (4-5), in the hunt: A two-game skid suggests they might not be in the hunt much longer – especially given what they’re about to face. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, vs. Cardinals, at Jets, at Cardinals, vs. Packers, vs. Vikings, at Bears, at Rams

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6), in the hunt: A three-game skid suggests they might not be in the hunt much longer – yet if they can get key players like WR Mike Evans back after the week off, the opportunity is there to have a strong kick to the finish line. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Giants, at Panthers, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, at Cowboys, vs. Panthers, vs. Saints

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.