When the New York Mets needed a starting pitcher to the fill the role as the team’s ace after Kodai Senga went down during the 2024 season, Sean Manaea stepped up.

Now, the left-hander will share that responsibility atop the team’s rotation for the next few seasons. According to multiple reports, the Mets have agreed to bring back Manaea on a three-year, $75 million deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the deal.

The 32-year-old Manaea was arguably the Mets’ most impactful starter last season and during their run to the National League Championship Series. The lefty, who had spent the previous season shifting between the Giants’ rotation and bullpen, finished the season with a 12-6 record, 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in a career-high 181⅔ innings.

Manaea had to prove he was worthy of a starting spot as he joined the Mets on a two-year, $28 million deal, including an opt-out after the 2024 season. With Senga dealing with shoulder and calf injuries, Manaea ended up asserting himself as one of the team’s top-end arms.

As the Mets pushed for a playoff spot, Manaea reworked his delivery, shifting his arm angle down slightly, and finished with 12 quality starts in his final 17 starts across the last three months of the season. Nine of those outings went at least seven innings.

All things Mets: Latest New York Mets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The lefty was an essential cog in the rotation during the team’s playoff run. In his first three starts across each round, Manaea was 2-0, with wins over the Phillies in NLDS Game 3 and the Dodgers in NLCS Game 2, allowing five earned runs in 17 innings (2.65 ERA) and 17 strikeouts. Manaea hit a wall in his final start, allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in two innings in the Dodgers’ clinching Game 6 victory.

‘Special,’ Manaea said when asked to sum up last season’s Mets team after the loss. ‘I don’t think anybody expected us to be here, and that was one of the coolest, most magical runs I’ve ever been a part of. Just happy to be a little part of this team.’

Manaea earned an opportunity to re-enter free agency with his strong performance throughout the campaign. He opted out of the final year of his deal and turned down the team’s $21.05 million qualifying offer.

Now, he gets a longer-term deal with an opportunity to run it back in New York. During his lone season in Flushing, Manaea showed an affinity for the city, riding the subway to games and becoming a clear affable presence inside the clubhouse.

In his return, Manaea will be viewed as a top starter in the rotation, alongside Senga. The Mets have also added Frankie Montas on a two-year, $34 million deal and Clay Holmes on a three-year, $38 million contract. Both those deals include player options in the final season.

After a career season in 2024, fellow left-hander David Peterson is sure to occupy one of the team’s rotation spots in the upcoming season, as well.

The Mets also have some depth they can count on down the roster, with Paul Blackburn, new signing Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill all capable of providing big innings.

Penn State football backup quarterback Beau Pribula is off to the Southeastern Conference.

The dual-threat quarterback, who was the No. 12 ranked quarterback in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, committed to Missouri late Sunday night. It was first reported by On3’s Pete Nakos.

He chose the Tigers and Eliah Drinkwitz after making visits also to programs like Iowa, UCF and Ole Miss according to several reports. He canceled his visit to Indiana on Saturday, a day after the Hoosiers lost in the CFP first-round to Notre Dame.

Pribula’s decision to enter the transfer on Dec. 15 came as bit of surprise considering the Nittany Lions were less than a week away from playing in the College Football Playoff against SMU and he was used more than most backup quarterback’s in Penn State’s offense.

But the 6-foot-2 quarterback cited the time of his transfer ‘an impossible decision,’ as the transfer portal opened up on Dec. 8 and closes on Dec. 28 — an overlapping part of the college football schedule with the CFP. It also came a day before Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar announced he would be returning for his final season.

‘Growing up in Pennsylvania, it has always been a dream of mine to play football for Penn State. Wearing the blue & white these last 3 years has brought me some of the greatest moments of my life,’ Pribula wrote in a post on Sunday. ‘The current NCAA post-season model creates a challenge for student-athletes. The overlapping CFP playoff & transfer portal timeline has forced me into an impossible decision.’

Penn State coach James Franklin called it a ‘no-win situation’ for Pribula, who came in and led Penn State to a come-from-behind win against Wisconsin on Oct. 26 after Allar went down with an injury. Pribula threw for 275 yards and five touchdowns this season, while adding 242 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Pribula immediately provides an another option for Missouri at starting quarterback heading into the 2025 season, as starting quarterback Brady Cook is set to graduate after five seasons in Columbia with the Tigers. He will likely go into training camp fighting for the starting quarterback position with Drew Pyne.

Beau Pribula 247Sports

As transfer: Three-star recruit | No. 12 ranked quarterback
As prospect: Three-star recruit | No. 29 ranked quarterback

Pribula was listed as a three-star recruit and the No. 12 ranked quarterback in the transfer portal, according to his 247Sports profile page. He received similar marks coming out of high school, as he was a three-star recruit and the No. 29 ranked quarterback in 247Sports’ Composite rankings.

Beau Pribula stats

Here’s a breakdown of Pribula’s stats this season at Penn State:

2023: 11 of 21 (52.4%) passing for 149 yards and four touchdowns; 56 carries for 329 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns
2024: 26 of 35 (74.3%) passing for 275 yards with five touchdowns, one interception and a sack; 38 carries for 242 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns

LANDOVER, Md. – Dan Quinn refers to the NFL’s elite teams and players as “heavy hitters.” On Sunday, his rookie quarterback joined that category with a final-minute, come-from-behind, improbable victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

But it was already apparent Jayden Daniels was capable of such a feat. The consistency to do it as a 24-year-old playing his first season of professional football is the remarkable part. 

And the achievement earned his head coach’s highest honor.

“Today,” Quinn said after the game, “he became a heavy hitter. He really did.”  

With six seconds remaining, Jayden Daniels found Jamison Crowder for a 9-yard touchdown pass to give the Commanders a lead. A successful two-point conversion and a kickoff that never posed a threat later, and Washington walked away winners, 36-33. 

All things Commanders: Latest Washington Commanders news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

“I love those types of situations,” Daniels said. “Those are when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made. That’s what you live for if you really love this sport and live for those big time moments where it comes down to the end, back against the wall, how will you respond?

“I always believe that we could win the game no matter what. Games never over until the clock hits zero.”

Daniels passed Robert Griffin III’s franchise mark for total yards (rushing and passing) by a rookie quarterback – he now has 4,040 – and, according to the Commanders, became the first rookie quarterback in Washington franchise history to throw five touchdown passes in a game. He’s the sixth rookie in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Daniels finished 24-for-39 with 258 passing yards and also threw two interceptions.

With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined for the remainder of the game after suffering a first-quarter concussion, the Commanders found themselves in a 27-14 hole with 3:11 to go in the third quarter. But the Eagles’ win-streak did not reach 11 games, and they’ll have to wait at least another week to clinch the NFC East. 

“When there’s a little adversity, that’s when you get to see the true character of a group of people,” said wide receiver Terry McLaurin (five catches, 60 yards), who hauled in a 32-yard pass from Daniels near the left pylon for a touchdown in the second quarter. “That was a gritty win by us. And, hats off to them. That was a playoff atmosphere, honestly.” 

Perhaps that was some foreshadowing on McLaurin’s part. In three weeks’ time, there’s a chance these teams will face each other in the playoffs. 

The Commanders started the game with a turnover on downs, a fumble and a punt on their first three drives of the game. An interception by linebacker Frankie Luvu on backup quarterback Kenny Pickett set the Commanders up in the red zone, and Daniels found Crowder for a 6-yard touchdown to put Washington on the board. 

“Just a regular Sunday afternoon again,” Quinn said jokingly. “Just what a wild game.” 

The Eagles led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter; Saquon Barkley burst for a 68-yard touchdown on a perfectly blocked play and had 109 rushing yards on seven rushes and two scores in the first 13 minutes of the game. During their week of preparation, Quinn said he and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. preached containing Barkley in the second half; during the teams’ Nov. 14 matchup, Barkley had two fourth-quarter touchdowns. 

“Maybe I made too big a deal about the second half,” Quinn said with a laugh, “missed it on the starting fast.”  

Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled twice and spent most of the second half on the sidelines. Dyami Brown also fumbled, and Daniels threw a pair of interceptions over the middle on overthrown balls intended for rookie wideout Luke McCaffrey – the second of which came with the Eagles leading 30-28 and 2:53 remaining in the game. 

Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith dropped a third-down pass in the red zone with 2:02 remaining to prevent his team from running out the clock and walking away with a 30-28 victory. Instead, Nick Sirianni sent his field-goal unit out to extend the lead to 33-28 – leaving the door open for another late comeback at home for the Commanders. 

“I got a second chance to make things right,” Daniels said. 

Washington defeated the Chicago Bears in October on an improbable Hail Mary and wound up on the wrong side of late-game variance against the Dallas Cowboys, with 41 points in the final 5:16 of a 34-26 defeat. Last week, the defense stopped the New Orleans Saints on a two-point conversion that decided the game with no time remaining. 

But with much not going right for the Commanders early Sunday, Quinn said Daniels’ ability to salvage the outcomes of a game in the final minutes is what makes him – and the entire team – special. 

“To know that at the end you’re ready to go make a play to go give yourself a shot to win it, that’s a big deal,” Quinn said. “I thought there’s a lot to be gained from today. It was ugly in some ways, but it was also excellent in some ways, of resilience and these guys not backing down.” 

Daniels was clutch before the end of the game, too. At the end of the third quarter, Washington faced a fourth-and-11. The 2023 Heisman Trophy dropped back, saw a lane – closing by the millisecond – in the middle of the field and picked up 29 yards. 

 “We don’t look at him as a rookie. He carries himself like a vet,” right guard Sam Cosmi said. “So when it comes to that type of stuff, we don’t really have any doubt in his ability to get the offense getting where we need to get to.” 

Daniels’ play elevates the performance of the entire team, especially in crunch time. 

“You feel it,” he said. “We all do in these winning-time moments, that he is really capable in those spots.”  

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 − typically 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, Jan. 5.

Here’s where things stand with Week 16 of the 2024 season nearly complete:

NFC playoff picture

x – 1. Detroit Lions (13-2), NFC North leaders: They began Sunday in a three-way tie atop the conference and deadlocked for the division lead with Minnesota. By day’s end, things were looking up slightly after their win in Chicago and Philadelphia’s loss at Washington. The division remains neck and neck following Minnesota’s win at Seattle. Winning out gives the Lions everything they want, including home-field advantage. So would a win at San Francisco in Week 17 combined with a Minnesota loss. Remaining schedule: at 49ers, vs. Vikings

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

x – 2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3), NFC East leaders: Rough Sunday. They lost their 10-game winning streak, an opportunity to wrap up the division and fell a game behind Detroit and Minnesota in the race for home-field advantage. Remaining schedule: vs. Cowboys, vs. Giants

3. Los Angeles Rams (9-6), NFC West leaders: Beat Seattle in Week 18, and the division is theirs. A win and some help in Week 17 would get it done early. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks

4. Atlanta Falcons (8-7), NFC South leaders:Rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. won his starting debut Sunday against the lowly Giants. But the real payoff came later Sunday, when the Bucs – they were swept earlier in the season by Atlanta – lost at Dallas. The Falcons can win the division in Week 17. Remaining schedule: at Commanders, vs. Panthers

x – 5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2), wild card No. 1: Like Detroit, they control their own fate in the NFC North – win out, and the division and No. 1 seed are Minnesota’s. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, at Lions

6. Green Bay Packers (10-4), wild card No. 2: Getting swept by Detroit and losing once already to Minnesota has relegated the Pack to wild-card status. Win this Monday against New Orleans, and they lock into the postseason field. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, at Vikings, vs. Bears

7. Washington Commanders (10-5), wild card No. 3: By beating the Eagles on Sunday, they didn’t quite clinch a postseason berth – but they did remain alive in the NFC East while eliminating both the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers from the playoff picture. A win in Week 17 puts Washington into the dance. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Cowboys

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7), in the hunt: Sunday night, they couldn’t handle a Dallas team eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day. The Bucs could see their aspirations to keep the NFC South throne die next week. Remaining schedule: vs. Panthers, vs. Saints

9. Seattle Seahawks (8-7), in the hunt: After Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, they’re going to need some help to win the NFC West. Neither the Seahawks nor Rams have a pathway to a wild-card berth. Remaining schedule: at Bears, at Rams

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AFC playoff picture

y – 1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), AFC West champions: QB Patrick Mahomes weathered Saturday’s win over Houston, which means K.C. gets the No. 1 seed with one more win – perhaps on Christmas Day? – or Buffalo loss. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, at Broncos

y – 2. Buffalo Bills (12-3), AFC East champions: They barely beat lightly regarded New England on Sunday, but it’s enough to keep the Bills in the chase for home-field advantage – which will require two more wins plus two Chiefs defeats. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Patriots

x – 3. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5), AFC North leaders: Rough Saturday. First, They fell out of the running for the No. 1 seed by virtue of Kansas City’s win. Then, Pittsburgh fumbled an opportunity to clinch the division. Looks like they’re in a dogfight the rest of the way with Baltimore, which appears to have the more favorable schedule to close the regular season. The Steelers retain first place in the division – for now – by virtue of a one-game lead over the Ravens in AFC games, i.e., not much at all. Remaining schedule: vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals

y – 4. Houston Texans (9-6), AFC South champions: They rule a weak division for the second straight year but are just about locked in as the fourth seed … which would mean a tough wild-card matchup, very likely against an AFC North team. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Titans

x – 5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5), wild card No. 1: What a Christmas present. They clinched their postseason spot, averted a Pittsburgh AFC North crown, are now very much alive themselves to win the division … and might have recaptured the Super Bowl form they showed earlier in the season. Remaining schedule: at Texans, vs. Browns

6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6), wild card No. 2: By sweeping the Broncos for the first time in 14 years, they prevented Denver from clinching Thursday while leapfrogging their division rivals and picking up the season tiebreaker (by virtue of the sweep). One more win locks Bolts into the field. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, at Raiders

7. Denver Broncos (9-6), wild card No. 3: They had a win-and-in scenario Thursday to stamp their first postseason trip since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years ago. Now, they can’t get in this weekend, though one more win will advance the Broncos to the playoffs. But major trouble ahead if they lose to Cincinnati in Week 17. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Chiefs

8. Indianapolis Colts (7-8), in the hunt: Still technically alive after beating the Titans on Sunday. Their record in AFC games (6-5) is better than Miami’s (5-5) or Cincinnati’s (4-6). Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Jaguars

9. Miami Dolphins (7-8), in the hunt: Still technically alive after beating the 49ers on Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Browns, at Jets

10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8), in the hunt: Still technically alive after beating the Browns on Sunday. Though they appear like the best team outside the field, they’ll need the most help to get in, including losses by both the Colts and Dolphins. Remaining schedule: vs. Broncos, at Steelers

NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 16

Green Bay clinches playoff berth with:

Win or tie

NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 17 (incomplete)

Kansas City clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed (first-round bye and home-field advantage) with:

Win or Buffalo loss

Detroit clinches NFC’s No. 1 seed (first-round bye and home-field advantage) with:

Win and Minnesota loss

Atlanta clinches NFC South with:

Win and Tampa Bay loss

Philadelphia clinches NFC East with:

Win

Los Angeles Rams clinch NFC West with:

Win + Seattle loss

Denver clinches playoff berth with:

Win

Los Angeles Chargers clinch playoff berth with:

Win

Washington clinches playoff berth with:

Win

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2024

x – clinched playoff berth

y – clinched division

***

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

LANDOVER, Md. – The word Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni kept coming back to shortly after his team lost 36-33 to the Washington Commanders on Sunday was “sloppy.” 

Penalties. Turnovers. Drops. Alignment confusion. All of it. 

“When you play a good football team like we played today, and you’re sloppy regardless of how many turnovers you force, it’s going to be hard to win,” Sirianni said, referencing the five turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) the Commanders had. “What I said to those guys is like when it’s sloppy with every piece of that, that’s always going to be on me as the head coach.” 

The Eagles deserve whatever grace is warranted given quarterback Jalen Hurts exited less than six minutes into the game. He was ruled out with a concussion, and Kenny Pickett took over quarterback duties and went 14-for-24 for 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

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

“We talked about it on the field right there as it happened,” Sirianni said of the extracurricular penalties. “Again, if it didn’t get fixed though, that’s always going to be on me, they got to be better in those scenarios, and I got to be better in those scenarios to help them. So again, we look at this as an opportunity to get better for them because we know we need to. We know we need to get better from the things that we messed up today.” 

Cornerback Darius Slay couldn’t run off the field before Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels hit Olamide Zaccheaus for a 49-yard touchdown to give the Commanders their first lead of the game with 9:06 left in the game. 

Punter Braden Mann, who handles the kickoffs, struggled from the start of the game – when the ball didn’t reach the designated landing area – to the end, when another weak kick allowed a return (plus a penalty on Eagles safety Sydney Brown) that set the Commanders up needing only 57 yards to score a touchdown and take the lead. Daniels found Jamison Crowder for the receiver’s second touchdown of the game with six seconds remaining.

Running back Saquon Barkely scorched his way to 108 rushing yards on seven attempts in the first quarter with two touchdowns, including a 68-yarder. It looked like the Eagles’ offensive line would dominate all day. But Hurts’ injury changed the entire dynamic of the game, and Washington keyed on the run for the remainder of the afternoon. Barkley finished with 150 rushing yards on 29 attempts. 

Barkley said Sirianni stressed the “little things” in his message after the team’s first loss in 11 games. 

“Go back and look on it, there’s a lot of little things we left out there,” Barkley said. “We gotta be better all around, from all phases. You look at the penalties and like I said, all those little things we didn’t accomplish, you tend to lose those football games. Gotta give credit to (the Commanders). They were the better team.

“We didn’t do what we wanted to accomplish. We’re not gonna panic.”

The Eagles converted three of 16 third-down attempts (18.8%), while the Commanders were successful on seven of their 13 chances on third down. The most costly of the Eagles’ third-down mishaps came moments before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. 

DeVonta Smith was wide open for what would have been a first down and allowed Sirianni and the vaunted Eagles’ offensive line to essentially ice the game with a 30-28 lead. But after his drop forced a fourth down with the clock stopped, Sirianni extended the lead. Daniels made it irrelevant. 

Sirianni said the team has been aggressive in those types of scenarios before as an explanation of why the Eagles opted for a pass play rather than keeping it on the ground. 

“That’s how we’ve been able to run a lot of the clocks out,” Sirianni said one week after the Eagles held the ball for the final 10 minutes of the game in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. “We just didn’t do it this time.”

After the game, Smith said the drop is “over with.” There’s nothing he could do about it then and no teaching moment to take from it. He was open, he called for it and the ball wound up on the ground. 

“I was calling for it,” he said. “They put it in my hand. I got to make the goddamn play.” 

Smith acknowledging his error, much like Barkley did after a drop in a similar situation in a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, gives Sirianni hope – especially in the context of Hurts being sidelined for nearly the entire game. 

“Accountability doesn’t change though based off your result, right?” Sirianni said. “I’d be a hypocrite if I did that.”

We now know the eight quarterfinalists still alive in the College Football Playoff. Alas, we still have to wait for a little over a week before whittling the field down to four. But fret not, college football fans. There are plenty of bowl games in the meantime to keep us interested.

Monday’s bowl slate features another pair of matinee contests for your amusement if you want to take a break from last-minute shopping or other holiday preparations. By coincidence, both games will be staged at venues with oddly colored surfaces, so, as they used to say back in the early days of television, do not adjust your sets.

Here are today’s matchups.

Myrtle Beach Bowl – Coastal Carolina vs. Texas-San Antonio

Time/TV/location: 11 a.m. ET, ESPN, Conway, S.C.

Why watch: By recent standards, this wasn’t a great year for the Chanticleers, but they’re happy to have this opportunity for an additional game on their teal turf. Things didn’t go as planned for the Roadrunners either, though they did play better down the stretch winning three of their last four. Due to portal departures, freshman QB Tad Hudson will make his debut for Coastal. Texas-San Antonio will still have the services of QB Owen McCown, who also hopes to have RB Robert Henry back from an injury.

Why it could disappoint: It’s possible the Chanticleers’ young players will make hay against the Roadrunners’ defense that is somewhat leaky even when it has all its parts. If that happens we could be in for a fun afternoon, but it’s more likely Coastal Carolina will be playing catchup most of the way.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from College Football Playoff

Idaho Potato Bowl – Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois

Time/TV/location: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Boise, Idaho.

Why watch: The second game on the Monday matinee also features a couple of teams with a lot of roster uncertainty. The Huskies produced one of the splashiest results of the early season with their upset of Notre Dame but finished in the middle of the MAC pack, while the Bulldogs managed a .500 campaign under interim coach Tim Skipper with Southern California assistant Matt Entz set to take over. Due to extensive QB departures, both teams’ most proven commodities will be in the ground game. Northern Illinois RB Gavin Williams has done a good job stepping in for the injured Antario Brown, and the duo of RBs Elijah Gilliam and Bryson Donelson should carry the load for Fresno State.

Why it could disappoint: Even before all the portal departures, the defenses represented the stronger side of the ball for both teams, meaning we might be in for a punting contest on the blue turf. That might at least mean there will be late-game drama though, so it might still be worth a look.