2025

The Baltimore Ravens are riding a four-game winning streak into the NFL playoffs. The AFC North champions will begin their postseason campaign at home against divisional foe Pittsburgh in a third game between the two teams this season.

However, the Ravens may face the Steelers without Zay Flowers, their top wide receiver from the regular season.

The second-year wideout led the team in receptions and receiving yards but suffered a leg injury in the second quarter of Baltimore’s regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

After medical personnel helped him on the field, Flowers walked to the sideline under his own power and headed back to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

His status is up in the air for the wild card playoffs. Here’s the latest on his availability:

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

Zay Flowers injury update

Flowers did not practice on Tuesday, per the team’s injury report, and was not seen on the field for Wednesday’s practice.

The Ravens have one more practice on Thursday before Saturday night’s game against Pittsburgh.

Flowers has been an integral part of the Ravens’ offense this season. He notched his first career 1,000-yard season and led the pass-catching corps in first downs (48).

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the win over Cleveland that Flowers would have an MRI on his leg on Sunday morning after the game. Harbaugh confirmed on Monday that the injury was not season-ending.

‘It’s just going to be day-to-day,” Harbaugh said. “Try to do everything he can do to get back as soon as he can and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Ravens WR depth chart

Here’s who makes up the rest of the Ravens’ wide receiver corps with Flowers potentially out for Saturday’s game:

Rashod Bateman
Nelson Agholor
Steven Sims
Devontez Walker
Tylan Wallace

Baltimore also has wide receivers Malik Cunningham, Keith Kirkwood, Dayton Wade and Anthony Miller signed to the practice squad.

Zay Flowers stats

In 17 regular season games, Flowers had 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. He also had nine carries for 56 rushing yards.

Who are the Ravens playing in playoffs?

Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, AFC wild card No. 2)

The Ravens and Steelers will match up for the third time this season. They split the season series with Pittsburgh winning 18-16 in Week 11 and Baltimore winning 34-17 in Week 16.

This is the first time the two teams will meet in the playoffs since the 2014 NFL season. Baltimore won that game 30-17.

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Sports

Decorated female boxer challenges Jake Paul: ‘Whip his (expletive)’

Boxer Claressa Shields is preparing for a world title heavyweight bout against Danielle Perkins on Feb. 2, but she’s happy to discuss fighting someone else.

Jake Paul.

“I don’t know if it’s something that can happen, but I know that I can whip Jake Paul’s (expletive) and people who are against that are just sexist and they don’t know boxing,’ Shields, the most decorated female boxer in history, told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s very strange to me that they think that a YouTuber can beat a woman boxer who has two Olympic gold medals, (multiple) world titles and fought as a heavyweight. …

“He does not have the experience. They talk about power. You can have power, but you got to have the skills to land a punch.’’

A representative for Paul did not immediately respond to requests for comment made by voicemail and text message.

Shields, 29, is 15-0 as a pro with three knockouts. She is 5-foot-8 and is expected to weigh in at about 175 pounds for her second consecutive heavyweight bout.

Paul, 27, is 11-1 with seven knockouts and has fought mostly as a cruiserweight, which has a 200-pound maximum at weigh-in. He is coming off a victory over Mike Tyson by unanimous decision – which did not impress Shields.

“Jake Paul showed that he has not gotten better with his skills,’ she said. “He needs to train harder and better. And honestly, I think the girl that I’m getting ready to fight against, Danielle Perkins, can beat Jake Paul, too.’

Shields’ beef with Paul appears to stem in part from Paul having picked Savannah Marshall to beat Shields in 2022. The only defeat of Shields’ career came against Marshall as an amateur in 2012 at the world championships.

Shields avenged the loss by beating Marshall by unanimous decision.

“(Paul) tried to apologize and all that other type of stuff after he picked Savannah to beat me in a fight,’ Shields said. “But (expletive) that apology. Fight me.’

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Sports

Latest MLB free agency and trade rumors

The MLB season is coming up quick. In fact, pitchers and catchers report in a little over a month. However, despite the short timeline, there are still numerous free agents and trade targets ripe for the picking, ready to help improve your favorite team.

Game-changers like Roki Sasaki, Alex Bregman, and Anthony Santander remain unsigned. Players like Nolan Arenado are actively seeking trades as well. With so many talented players still up for grabs, trying to predict the outcome of the 2025 season seems an impossible task. Hopefully, as the offseason progresses, we’ll see more of those-high end players wind up on contenders across the league, rather than waiting deep into spring training like last year.

Here are the latest free agency and trade rumors form around MLB.

Bregman is Red Sox desired third baseman?

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, this sounds like a ‘rich get richer’ problem, where they’d have too much of a good thin.

Nolan Arenado seeking trade to Red Sox

Arraez headed to the Yankees?

With Gleyber Torres headed to Detroit, the Yankees are thin at second base, and are eyeing potential replacements. A name that has consistently come up is San Diego’s Luis Arraez. The soon-to-be 28-year-old just won his third consecutive batting title, but his lack of versatility on offense and defense makes him a tough sell for the Yankees according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

As of right now, it appears moving Jazz Chisholm back to second base and moving either DJ Lemahieu or Oswaldo Cabrera to third is their top option.

Padres emerging as favorites for Roki Sasaki?

Although many people believe Sasaki has already chosen the Dodgers, MLB executives have started shifting their opinions elsewhere in Southern California. The Padres appear to be one of the top teams for Sasaki, who have yet to spend any money in free agency – not that Sasaki would cost much this year given his situation.

Sasaki was mentored by Yu Darvish and the possibility of playing with one of his idols could sway Sasaki to join up in San Diego rather than opting for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

The Padres are in dire need of pitching. They will not have Joe Musgrove all season and could lose both Michael King and Dylan Cease to free agency following 2025.

Anthony Santander’s market heating up?

After hitting 44 home runs in 2024, it has been shocking just how slow the market for Anthony Santander has been. He’ll be 30 in 2025, but he still boasts immense power and has consistently improved his OPS in each of the last four seasons.

Well, it appears teams are finally starting to check in on him. KPRC’s Ari Alexander reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have made an official offer to Santander. Given Toronto’s desperate need for power after only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was able to pop 20 homers in 2024, Santander would be an incredible fit who could slide into the outfield right away.

Pete Alonso might get forced into short-term deal

Reports from both ESPN’s Bob Nightengale and Jeff Passan hint that Alonso may not get the deal he wants in free agency, instead having to opt for a short-term deal with multiple opt-out clauses. Nightengale elaborates, noting that there are eight teams that have expressed interest in Alonso, including the Blue Jays and Red Sox, but the fact that Alonso remains unsigned hints that one or both sides are unhappy with the other’s offer.

Given that Guerrero Jr. has expressed interest in joining the Red Sox if Toronto fails to give him an extension before spring training this year, the Red Sox are likely less willing to throw the kitchen sink at Alonso. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will likely wait to see if they can’t get a deal done with Guerrero before making a better offer to Alonso. This small game of chicken could open the door for another team to snag Alonso if they are willing to offer him a longer-term contract.

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Politics

Republican AGs double down on Biden administration lawsuits as president prepares to leave office

President Biden will be in office less than two more weeks, but that’s not slowing down Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans, from taking the Biden administration to court over new energy-efficient housing standards they argue undermine affordable housing and go beyond what federal law allows.

This isn’t the only late lawsuit or complaint filed against the Biden White House in its waning days, and it marks Paxton’s 103rd lawsuit challenging the Democratic administration.

‘So, I don’t know if anybody’s close to that, but he’s kept us busy because we’ve had to prevent him from being more of a king or a dictator than an elected executive who is responsible for implementing, not creating, laws,’ Paxton told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Paxton said they ‘may have another’ lawsuit on the way, but they may not have it ready in time.

In addition to Utah and Texas, the states participating in the lawsuit with the National Association of Home Builders are Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The coalition contends the administration’s energy standards are not only burdensome but also exceed the authority granted by Congress.

‘Even as our nation prepares to transition to a new administration, the outgoing HUD and USDA offices are committed to inflicting unwanted and unneeded cost increases on Americans who are already struggling to pay their bills, provide for their families, and secure a brighter future for their children,’ Reyes said in a statement.

The Biden administration has claimed these rules will save money by making homes more energy efficient. However, critics argue the rules are increasing upfront costs and reducing options for buyers.

The lawsuit also questions whether the administration had the legal authority to enforce these rules. The attorneys general say the administration is relying on private organizations, like the International Code Council, to set standards that go beyond what the original law intended.

Biden’s renewable energy agenda has been a controversial focal point of energy critics over the last four years. On Monday, Biden also signed an executive action that bans new drilling and further oil and natural gas development on more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters.

Trump’s press secretary quickly slammed the order on X.

‘This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,’ Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.

More than a dozen Republican AGs over the last four years have kept the Biden administration on alert and issued notices on several of his policies. In November, Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird, alongside more than 20 other attorneys general, sent a letter to special counsel Jack Smith, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, calling on them to drop their cases against President-elect Trump to avoid the risk of a ‘constitutional crisis.’

Paxton also filed a lawsuit in November against the Biden-Harris Department of Justice to prevent potential destruction of any records from Smith’s ‘corrupt investigation into President Donald Trump,’ according to his office.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Stocks

THIS is the BEST Market Sector Right Now!

In this exclusive StockCharts video, Julius takes a look at what he recently called “The Best Five Sectors” on a relative rotation graph side-by-side with their price charts. He then takes an in-depth at Consumer Discretionary, and shares some interesting stocks within, including AMZN, ULTA, and more.

This video was originally published on January 8, 2025. Click on the icon above to view on our dedicated page for Julius.

Past videos from Julius can be found here.

#StayAlert, -Julius

Business

Panera Brands CEO steps down; CFO to fill in as interim chief

Panera Bread’s parent company announced Tuesday that CEO Jose Dueñas is stepping down, effective immediately.

The change in leadership is the latest challenge to the company’s plans to go public eventually, following several years of hurdles.

Panera Brands CFO Paul Carbone will step in as interim chief executive while the board searches for a permanent replacement to lead the company, which includes Panera Bread, Einstein Bros. and Caribou Coffee.

Dueñas plans to stick around through the end of March as a special advisor, the company said. He took over as CEO of Panera Brands in July 2023 after four years leading bagel chain Einstein Bros.

JAB Holding, the investment arm of the Reimann family, bought Panera Bread in 2017 for $7.5 billion, taking it private and then forming Panera Brands with some of its other acquisitions.

JAB has been trying to take Panera public again for years. In 2022, Panera scrapped a deal with Danny Meyer’s special purpose acquisition company, citing market conditions.

In the same 2023 announcement tapping Dueñas as its latest CEO, Panera said the leadership transition is to prepare for an eventual initial public offering. Months later, in December 2023, the company confidentially filed for an IPO.

It has yet to go public, following lawsuits tied to its heavily caffeinated Charged Lemonade, a rocky year for the restaurant industry and a sluggish market for IPOs in 2024.

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Business

U.S. Steel CEO appeals to Trump after Biden blocks deal with Japanese firm

The chief executive of U.S. Steel appealed directly to President-elect Donald Trump to take a second look at a Japanese company’s $15 billion deal to buy the American steelmaker.

President Joe Biden blocked the deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel on Friday, citing national security concerns after a key business-review panel failed to reach a consensus on whether the acquisition posed any risks. Both companies sued the administration over the decision.

Trump has also opposed Nippon’s purchase of the once-iconic Pittsburgh-based firm and again questioned the proposed sale Monday. But U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt told CNBC on Tuesday that he believes he can appeal to Trump’s business sensibilities.

“We have a new president that will take a fresh look at this. We understand what his current views are, but he’s a smart guy,” Burritt said.

He added that he hopes Trump will “see how this helps make U.S. Steel great again. And frankly, Nippon is going to pay for it,” he said, echoing Trump’s frequent assertions during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for a wall along the U.S. southern border, which never came to pass.

A spokesperson for Trump referred to his earlier comments on the matter. A White House spokesperson reiterated a statement provided to NBC News on Monday night: “President Biden will never hesitate to protect the security of this nation, its infrastructure, and the resilience of its supply chains.”

Since Trump won the election, a deluge of business leaders have visited his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as they seek to win favor with the incoming administration, among them Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Trump’s inaugural committee has also received millions in donations from Apple, Amazon, OpenAI, Uber, Meta and some of their executives personally.

Twenty mayors and community leaders in Pennsylvania and Indiana called on Biden to approve the deal in a letter late last month. On the opposite side, the United Steelworkers International union repeatedly pressed Biden to block the deal. It said last week said it had ‘no doubt that it’s the right move for our members and our national security,’ and it praised Biden’s decision Friday.

Burritt said any potential national security concerns about the agreement could be “easily mitigated.” He said Biden had “tainted” the process by making it clear since the deal was announced that he would side with unions and didn’t allow the review to “play out as it is supposed to.”

Burritt, the U.S. Steel chief, also dismissed Biden’s concerns that the company needed to remain American-owned and -operated for national security and supply chain reasons. “In fact, it strengthens national security, it strengthens economic security, it strengthens job security. In fact, it grows the business,” he said.

Burritt declined to speculate on what would happen to U.S. Steel if the company’s lawsuits or the incoming administration don’t change the outcome. “Nobody in the integrated mill space is better than Nippon, and they’re going to do great things for the workers here in Pennsylvania, in Indiana and all the places we do business.”

Nippon Steel has said there is “no reason to need to give up” on its deal. “This is not just the most important matter for our company’s business strategy. I am firmly convinced this is something extremely beneficial for both Japan and the United States,” its chairman and CEO told reporters Tuesday.

Both companies have emphasized in their lawsuits that “never before has a President prohibited an acquisition by a company based in Japan, one of our closest allies.”

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Sports

Live updates: NBA’s top two teams collide in Cleveland

Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two best teams in the NBA. The two hottest teams in the NBA.

And they play Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in one of the biggest regular-season games of the past few seasons. No one will be surprised if Thunder-Cavaliers ends up the Finals series.

Cleveland owns the best record at 31-4, and Oklahoma City has the second-best record at 30-5. The Cavaliers are No. 1 offensively and No. 7 defensively, and the Thunder are No. 1 defensively and No. 8 offensively.

Oklahoma City rides a 15-game winning streak into the contest, and Cleveland has won 10 consecutive games.

Both teams are led by dynamic guards: Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished second in MVP voting last season and averages 31.3 points, 6.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks and shoots 52.4% from the field, 36% on 3-pointers and 88.8% on free throws; and the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, who averages 23.3 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals and shoots 45.7% from the field, 41.3% on 3s and 81.5% on free throws.

But these are not one-man teams as you’ll see in this much-anticipated matchup.

When is Cavaliers-Thunder game?

Opening tip will be Wednesday, Jan. 8 at about 7 p.m. ET.

Where is Cavaliers-Thunder game?

The Cavaliers will host the Thunder from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

How to watch Cavaliers-Thunder game on TV

The game will be televised on ESPN.

How to stream Cavaliers-Thunder game

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Cavaliers vs Thunder odds, line

The Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder during their regular-season matchup Wednesday, according to the BetMGM odds.

Spread: Cavaliers (-2.5)
Moneyline: Cavaliers (-140); Thunder (+115)
Over/under: 229.5

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Sports

L.A. Kings home game vs. Calgary Flames postponed due to wildfires

Wildfires continued to rage in California on Wednesday, resulting in evacuation and destruction in the Los Angeles area.

The fires destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday. There also were a ‘high number of significant injuries to residents who did not evacuate, in addition to first responders who were on the fire line.’

The Los Angeles Kings’ game against the Calgary Flames was postponed, with scheduling changes still possible for other professional and college sports in the days to come.

Here’s how the fires are affecting sports in Southern California:

Los Angeles Kings game postponed

The Los Angeles Kings’ game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday has been postponed, the NHL announced.

‘In light of the devastating effects of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena, NHL Game No. 653, has been postponed,’ the NHL said in a statement. ‘The thoughts of the entire NHL family are with the Kings, hockey fans and the people of the Los Angeles area during this difficult time.’

The league added that a makeup date will be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.

On Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams will play the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC wild-card game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

‘The NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA,’ the league said in a statement.

The Lakers return home to play the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. The Clippers start a three-game homestand against the Hornets on Saturday.

NBA coaches say family safe

Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said his family members are safe after being forced to evacuate their Southern California homes this week as wildfires continue to sweep across parts of Los Angeles County.

The fire has destroyed homes in several Los Angeles suburbs, including Pacific Palisades, where Redick and many others live. The Lakers just completed a two-game swing through Texas against the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks and have a scheduled home game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

‘I just want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now,’ Redick said. ‘That’s where I live.

‘Our family, my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated. I know a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family. From the sound of things, with the winds coming (Tuesday night), I know a lot of people are scared. So I just want to acknowledge that. Thoughts and prayers, for sure, and hope everybody stays safe.’

‘I want to send my thoughts and condolences to everybody in Los Angeles dealing with the fires,’ Kerr said after the Warriors’ 114-98 loss to the Miami Heat. ‘My mom lives in Pacific Palisades. She had to evacuate.’

Officials said that two people have been killed, 30,000 Los Angeles area residents are under evacuation orders, and more than 13,000 buildings or structures are in the fire’s path. The fires are driven by Santa Ana winds that have reached more than 80 miles per hour.

(This story has been updated with more information.)

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Sports

NFL playoff bracket: See every Wild Card Weekend matchup, schedule

The final pieces of the NFL’s playoff picture came together Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers securing their fifth consecutive playoff berth. On the other end of the spectrum, the Denver Broncos return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 when they won the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

The Broncos join three other teams newly qualifying for the postseason: the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings. All four will be back on the field Jan. 11-13 with eight other teams in what the NFL calls ‘Super Wild Card Weekend.’

How the 2025 NFL playoff bracket sets up for Super Wild Card Weekend

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How NFL playoff format works

After next weekend’s games, the records of the remaining four teams in each conference determine how the divisional championships set up Jan. 18 or 19:

No. 1 seed hosts the lowest remaining seed.

The next highest remaining seed hosts the other wild-card winner.

Odds for Wild Card Weekend games

BetMGM’s betting lines moved incrementally by Wednesday morning for two of the six wild card games. A plus before the number signifies the amount a bettor would win on a $100 bet. A minus signifies the amount a bettor must bet to win $100.

Odds for AFC wild card games

Chargers (-160) favored by 3 points at Texans (+135)

Steelers (+425) at Ravens (-600) favored by 10 points

Broncos (+350) at Bills (-450) favored by 9 points

Odds for NFC wild card games

Packers (+195) at Eagles (-250) favored by 4.5 points

Commanders (+140) at Buccaneers (-165) favored by 3 points

Vikings (-110) at Rams (-110) favored by 1 point

Best offenses and defenses of the 2024 NFL season

The Chiefs finished the regular season with the league’s best record, but did so with the lowest scoring differential among the top playoff teams. They outscored their opponents by just 59 points. Sunday’s 38-0 loss didn’t help, but less than a third of the NFC-leading Detroit Lions. Both the Lions and the Buffalo Bills scored more than 500 points this season – a milestone only the Dallas Cowboys hit in 2023.

In his first season back in the NFL, head coach Jim Harbaugh turned up the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense, cutting their ‘points against’ to 301 – almost than 100 points fewer than 2023 and leading the league in the category. The five-seed Chargers and Houston Texans will open Wild Card Weekend on Saturday afternoon. Interestingly, the underdog 10-7 Texans scored exactly as many points as they gave up this season.

Final NFL standings for the 2024 season

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