Here are the AP’s top sports stories that have moved or are planned to move today. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports.

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UPCOMING

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FBC--COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF-BETTING

DESCRIPTION: LAS VEGAS — Ohio State and Indiana are the top two favorites to win the college football national championship. By Mark Anderson. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.

UPCOMING: By 12/18/2025 6:00 p.m. EST, Text

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FBN--RAMS-SEAHAWKS

DESCRIPTION: Los Angeles Rams plays Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. UPCOMING 300 words, more on merit, photos. Game starts at 8:15 p.m. EST.

UPCOMING: By 12/18/2025 11:15 p.m. EST, Text, Photo

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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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FBN--COLTS-RICHARDSON

Anthony Richardson cleared to practice, but Colts plan to keep Philip Rivers as starting quarterback

SUMMARY: The Indianapolis Colts have cleared quarterback Anthony Richardson to start practicing but will continue to keep Philip Rivers as the starter. The move opens the door for Richardson to return from injured reserve before the end of this season. But coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Richardson wouldn’t be activated for Monday night’s crucial game against San Francisco. Richardson has been out since mid-October after fracturing an orbital bone near his eye during a freak accident in pregame warmups. Steichen said he was cleared because the bone has healed but that Richardson is still dealing with some vision limitations.

WORDS: 772 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 1:31 p.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f6bbb251b787b9f6bdbbc79db0b6a5b6&mediaType=text

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BOX--JOSHUA-PAUL

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua have a lot to lose in Netflix bout

SUMMARY: Jake Paul proudly boasts he has become the face of boxing during the past decade. Now the YouTuber-turned-fighter is ready to embark on his riskiest ring venture yet after 13 professional fights featuring a cross section of opponents that lack the active status and talent of his next rival. Paul will fight two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday night at the Kaseya Center, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat. The scheduled eight-round bout will be streamed on Netflix without the pay-per-view designation. The Olympic gold medal winner Joshua understands his perceived role as a boxing savior against the controversial Paul.

WORDS: 696 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 1:02 p.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:247abdc9e7fa7b268e225a9a23ba82ad&mediaType=text

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FBN--NFL-DRY NEEDLING

Dry needling is common around the NFL, and players aren’t worried despite Watt’s collapsed lung

SUMMARY: NFL players say they will continue with dry-needling sessions despite a recent incident involving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt. Watt suffered a partially collapsed lung during the procedure and is out indefinitely. Dry needling is used by physical therapists to treat pain and movement issues by inserting needles into muscles. It’s part of a larger pain management plan and can increase blood flow and release endorphins. NFL players like Trey McBride, Drew Dalman and Bobby Okereke use it for relief from muscle tension. Despite some concerns, many players plan to continue using the treatment.

WORDS: 886 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 11:38 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:72e2e0bb502c249e39812031005febf5&mediaType=text

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US--HELICOPTER-JET COLLISION-LAWSUIT

US government admits role in causing helicopter-plane collision that killed 67 in Washington

SUMMARY: The U.S. government says the actions of an air traffic controller and Army helicopter pilot played a role in a fatal collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk near the nation’s capital. The government responded Wednesday to the first lawsuit filed by one of the victims’ families. It said it is partly liable but suggested others may have also played a role. Authorities had said the helicopter was flying higher than allowed when it collided with the American Airlines regional jet landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The crash killed all three soldiers aboard the helicopter and the plane’s 60 passengers and four crew.

WORDS: 843 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 10:21 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:55684c08abd10ff78912fb54f8770ce0&mediaType=text

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SKI--WCUP-MEN’S DOWNHILL

Swiss ski star Odermatt wins foggy downhill to match Tomba’s 50 in World Cup races

SUMMARY: Marco Odermatt found moments of clarity on a foggy day in the Italian Dolomites to race to victory in a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena. A 50th career World Cup win for the Swiss generational talent came 50 days before the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics where Odermatt shapes to be a star. Odermatt rode the bumps and rolls of the Saslong course to finish 0.15 seconds faster than world champion Franjo von Allmen. Italian veteran Dominik Paris was third. The race started 75 minutes late because of fog and was delayed twice more.

WORDS: 477 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 10:05 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:33a7e9fb89fcdc11e8cab6c0c0aad1ba&mediaType=text

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SOC--WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

Titleholder Arsenal drawn on path to face Chelsea in Women’s Champions League quarterfinals

SUMMARY: Titleholder Arsenal must win a quick rematch with OH Leuven for the right to face city rival Chelsea in a Women’s Champions League quarterfinal. Arsenal beat Leuven 3-0 in Belgium on Wednesday to finish fifth in the inaugural 18-team standings format. That sent the defending champion into the knockout playoffs round drawn on Thursday. Arsenal goes back to Leuven for the playoffs first leg on Feb. 11 or 12. The winner over two games hosts Chelsea in quarterfinals starting on March 24. Barcelona will face the winner of a playoff between Real Madrid and Paris FC.

WORDS: 247 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 8:06 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:29aaf6f857d800751dac2b63853ee92d&mediaType=text

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OLY--CUR-SCOTLAND’S GOLDEN GRANITE

An uninhabited Scottish isle is home to the golden granite used in Olympic curling stones

SUMMARY: Ailsa Craig is an uninhabited isle off the coast of southwest Scotland and the source of the super-dense granite used to make curling stones for the Winter Olympics. It features both “common green” granite comprising the body of the stone and the “blue hone” granite that forms the running surface. Local company Kays Curling makes all the the curling stones for the Milan Cortina Winter Games. It has a history with the Olympics dating back to the first winter edition — 1924 in Chamonix, France. Kays produces up to 2,000 stones per year and Canada is its biggest market. Asian countries have been increasing their orders.

WORDS: 904 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 7:18 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:b8df5d2209dba6f3d3d36eda7d1443ee&mediaType=text

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SOC--AFCON-MOROCCO AMBITION

Staging the Africa Cup of Nations part of Morocco’s bid to become a soccer superpower

WORDS: 881 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 6:23 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:357703c615435bc98cbd0f0cf36daf8f&mediaType=text

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FBN--BUCCANEERS-BOWLES

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said his slumping team ‘got the message’ from his angry postgame rant

SUMMARY: Todd Bowles delivered a message to his team with an uncharacteristic profanity-laced reaction during a postgame news conference after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead last week. Whether it impacts the team’s performance will be known Sunday. The Buccaneers (7-7) have lost five of six and six of eight heading into a showdown for first place in the NFC South against the Carolina Panthers (7-7). Bowles lashed out at his team directly and in a news conference after the Bucs wasted a 28-14 lead and lost 29-28 to the Atlanta Falcons last Thursday night.

WORDS: 596 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 6:00 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:b68854f3a2a15982de1150fcb93f091e&mediaType=text

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YE--SPORTS-POLITICS

In 2025, Trump told FIFA, Olympics and NCAA to get in line. For the most part, they complied

SUMMARY: Whether he was accepting awards from FIFA, attending the Ryder Cup as a specially invited guest or hosting Olympic leaders at the White House, President Donald Trump figured out how to get himself in the headlines for sports stories, while also shaping those sports to fit his own worldview. In 2025, Trump and other U.S. politicians made inroads into sports in ways that will have a lasting impact. Among the most visceral examples are an executive order designed to prohibit transgender athletes from women’s sports — a policy adopted by the NCAA and Olympic leaders. Meanwhile, the country’s newly stringent immigration policy could have a profound impact on next year’s World Cup and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

WORDS: 1267 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 6:00 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:437234bb57cf1236aaa2f265b1f5b674&mediaType=text

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CRI--THE ASHES

Lyon moves to second on Australia’s all-time bowling list. England struggles in 3rd Ashes test

SUMMARY: Nathan Lyon took two wickets to move past Glenn McGrath for second place on Australia’s all-time bowling list, and returning skipper Pat Cummins took his first wickets of the series as a relentless bowling attack had England in trouble on the third test. Australia resumed Day 2 at 326 for eight and was all out for 371 with Mitchell Starc posting a half-century before Jofra Archer finished off the tailenders to complete a five-wicket haul. England was coasting at 37-0 in reply until Cummins struck. Lyon then took two wickets in his first over as England lost three wickets in 15 balls. England struggled to stumps at 213 for eight, still 158 behind.

WORDS: 801 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 4:10 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0ffbb2120ded3adeecd9c946eac78cd2&mediaType=text

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SOC--ECUADOR-PINEIDA KILLED

Ecuadorian police say soccer player Mario Pineida has been shot dead in an apparent attack

SUMMARY: Ecuadorian police said Mario Pineida, a 33-year-old Barcelona de Guayaquil defender, was shot dead in an apparent attack as violence escalates in the Andean nation. Another person who police did not identify was also killed in the Wednesday incident, and a third was wounded. Ecuador’s Interior Ministry confirmed Pineida’s death without providing details. Barcelona de Guayaquil said in a statement its fans are saddened by Pineida’s death. Ecuadorian media reported the incident took place in the region of Samanes in the north end of Guayaquil, which lies 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of the capital Quito.

WORDS: 325 - MOVED: 12/18/2025 3:55 a.m. EST

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0e4cce29ce6697a850e9ac5b71577e6f&mediaType=text

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MOVING TOMORROW

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BOX--PAUL-JOSHUA

MIAMI — Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are set to meet in an eight-round fight. Main event ring walks around expected around 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

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OLY--JUM-EDDIE THE EAGLE

Britain’s most unlikely Olympian, “Eddie the Eagle,” has swapped fear of falling for stage jitters in his latest act. Michael “Eddie” Edwards has added acting to the bustling business of being Eddie the Eagle, feathering his nest and stretching his celebrity far longer than his brief flight as a ski jumper won him fame despite finishing last in the 1988 Calgary Games.