The officiating crew from this past weekend’s Cowboys-Lions game has been assigned yet another high-profile game, this one with playoff implications.

Brad Allen and his crew became Public Enemy No. 1 when video appeared to show Detroit offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell and Dan Skipper seemingly discussing eligibility before a two-point conversion that was initially successful, being caught by Decker.

However, referees ruled that Decker never reported as eligible, and thus, a flag was thrown, wiping out the play. The Lions eventually lost, 20-19.

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In the postgame, the explanations contradicted each other. Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he was sure Decker reported as an eligible receiver and Skipper had not. Allen said Skipper reported to him as an eligible receiver but then went to the tackle spot, which meant he didn’t have to report at all. Decker was already in the game.

NFL fans, and seemingly the Lions, seemed certain that referees deemed the wrong lineman eligible, robbing the Lions of a likely victory.

It was then later revealed that this wasn’t the first primetime scandal involving Allen’s crew.

Well, Allen and Co. will have another tall task on their hands this week.

That crew will be in Baltimore for a crucial matchup between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Ravens have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and Lamar Jackson likely cemented his second MVP Award with his five-touchdown performance this past weekend. So, the Purple Birds don’t have much to play for.

Referee Brad Allen (122) checks the instant replay during the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles on October 22, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field.  (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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However, this game means everything for the black and yellow.

The Steelers do not control their own destiny for a path to the playoffs, but a victory keeps them alive.

If the Steelers do get the win on the road, they will need one of the Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars to lose — or they will need the Colts-Texans matchup to end in a tie.

A loss to the Ravens doesn’t officially knock Pittsburgh out, but they would need tons of help.

If the Steelers lose, they would need the Jaguars to win, the Denver Broncos to lose, and they would need the Colts-Texans game to not end in a tie.

Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts to a penalty during a two point conversion attempt against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.  (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

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But one thing is for certain: The Steelers do not want to have to root for a game to not end in a tie, so one could assume Mike Tomlin will have lengthy discussions with Allen and crew leading into the 4:30 p.m. ET matinée this Saturday.

Tomlin said Mason Rudolph will get the start despite Kenny Pickett being healthy.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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Rumors have run rampant across the NFL this season, speculating over whether Bill Belichick will return as the New England Patriots head coach despite the team’s struggles.

Belichick has been the focus of the rumors, which started to surface before the team’s Germany game and continued from then on. The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach appeared on WEEI Radio’s “The Greg Hill Show” and talked about why he’s not commenting on the rumors one way or another.

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“Whatever success I have had, I’ve tried to go about my job the same way every week: win, lose, good years, bad years, whatever they are,” he said. “Each week, get ready to go for that week, do the best you can to help your team win, and after that game, move on to the next one. And at the end of the season, that’s the end of the season.”

“But on a week-to-week basis, I don’t want to spend time or get caught up in what happened five years ago or what’s going to happen two years from now and a bunch of other random stuff – just working on the Jets.”

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Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is shown prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 31, 2023. (Rich Barnes/Getty Images)

Before he signed off, Belichick joked about how he would go about addressing his future.

“You know, if I was going to do anything, I’d put it out there on Twitter and MyFace so everybody could see it,” he said. “If I don’t do that, then I’ll just keep it private.”

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Rumors initially floated that Belichick could be fired if the game against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany didn’t go well. The Patriots lost the game, 10-6, and apparently that’s when the clock started to tick.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and head coach Bill Belichick are shown before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dec. 17, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said last month that a decision was already made.

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New England has a chance to end the 2023 season on a high note with a win against the New York Jets.

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers took a dig at comedian Jimmy Kimmel and said the late-night talk show host’s name would appear on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s client list.

Rodgers made the remark during his weekly spot on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, and it appeared to be just another page in the ongoing feud between the two.

“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said. “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle.”

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Kimmel, whose show runs on ABC, took a shot at Rodgers in March before he was traded to the Jets when he talked about theories of UFOs being shot down in the midst of the Chinese spy balloon scandal.

“Needless to say, all this UFO talk has the tinfoil-hatters going wild, including Green Bay whack Packer Aaron Rodgers, who offered this hot take on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’” Kimmel said before leading into a clip where Rodgers made note of potential names of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list being released.

“Might be time to revisit that concussion protocol,” Kimmel quipped.

Kimmel didn’t appear to be laughing at the jab he took from Rodgers on McAfee’s show and threatened to get lawyers involved if he kept it up.

“For the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality,” Kimmel wrote on X. “Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”

Kimmel didn’t appear to be laughing at the jab he took from Rodgers on McAfee’s show and threatened to get lawyers involved if he kept it up. (Mindy Small/Getty Images)

JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S FRIEND LIST: GHISLAINE MAXWELL LAWSUIT HOLDS CLUES TO NAMES ABOUT TO BE MADE PUBLIC

Nearly 200 names that had previously been redacted from court documents in a lawsuit against Epstein’s former lover and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell will soon be made public after a federal judge in New York ordered their unsealing last month.

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska issued a 51-page order in explanation for her reasoning on whether to unseal or continue to redact the names of about 180 John and Jane Does, giving some clues as to who they may be.

Some of the names were previously known through other means despite having been withheld from the public’s eye in the lawsuit. Many had publicly known ties to Epstein. Others on the list include his alleged victims, who were taken to his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands or one of his mansions in New York City and Florida.

Jimmy Kimmel, left, and Aaron Rodgers (Getty Images)

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Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser who said that he trafficked her as a minor in the early 2000s, sued Maxwell in 2015. The parties settled out of court in 2017. Epstein had relationships with numerous influential figures, from politicians, including former presidents and prime ministers, to Hollywood stars, leading academics and the U.K.’s Prince Andrew, whom Giuffre also sued.

Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz has faced a significant amount of criticism this season. In October, Iowa confirmed that the offensive playcaller would not return for the 2024 season.

The Hawkeyes struggled to put points on the scoreboard throughout the 2023 season, and their offensive woes continued on New Year’s Day. Iowa played Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl on Monday and trailed by 21 points entering the fourth quarter. 

Iowa’s offense only managed to produce 106 yards of total offense through the game’s first three quarters. The Volunteers ultimately shut out the Hawkeyes en route to a 35-0 victory. 

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The Hawkeyes were also shutout in their last game, a 26-0 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship game. Things were so bad for Iowa that ESPN analyst Brock Osweiler was pleading for mercy at the end of the game.

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Even as it appeared almost certain that Tennessee would win the game, the Volunteers did not take their foot off the pedal. Tennessee was in the red zone with less than one minute remaining, but decided to take and score on a fourth down. 

The Hawkeyes were flagged for jumping offside, prompting the Volunteers to again try and get into the end zone. Tennessee then gained enough yards for a first down, but at that point they seemed content with the score and let the clock run out.

Brock Osweiler, who was a member of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 team, expressed his displeasure with Tennessee’s late-game decisions.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game between Tennessee and Iowa in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)

“I don’t love this move here by the Vols right now,” said Osweiler who was one of the game’s broadcasters. “They had an opportunity to run out the clock, I get it, you got some backups in there. They’ve worked hard, they’ve earned reps. But there is also a sportsmanship element to this game well within hand, 35-0.”

Jan 1, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Deacon Hill (10) throws the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the third quarter at Camping World Stadium. (Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports)

Dave Flemming, who was broadcasting the game alongside Osweiler, also suggested that Tennessee should have simply taken a knee sooner and let the clock tick down. 

Fans also took to X, the company formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts on Iowa’s lackluster offensive performance.

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“I think I understand why Brian Ferentz was not retained by Iowa,” one fan wrote along with a picture showing the results of six of Iowa’s offensive possessions. Five of the possessions resulted in a punt, while Tennessee intercepted a pass on the other possession.

“Losing to this Iowa team should have counted as two losses. I have no idea how it won 10 games,” another fan wrote. 

Iowa punter Tory Taylor was arguably the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes as he set the NCAA single-season yards record during the Citrus Bowl.

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Boxing champions Ebanie Bridges and Amanda Serrano were among those to rip USA Boxing over its policies regarding transgender female fighters and their participation against women.

USA Boxing says a fighter who transitioned from male to female can compete in the female category under several conditions spelled out in the rulebook:

The boxer identifies as a female and has completed gender reassignment surgery. The fighter has undergone quarterly hormone testing and gives the organization documentation of hormone levels for a minimum of four years. The fighter’s testosterone levels have been below 5 nanomoles per liter 48 months before their first fight, the fighter’s total testosterone level must remain below 5 nmol/L through their eligibility to compete against females and the conditions will be monitored and tested at the fighter’s expense with a 12-month suspension for failing to meet the standards.

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Bridges, who has been outspoken about the idea of fighting a trans woman, was outraged about USA Boxing’s decision.

“This is wrong on so many levels,” the former IBF bantamweight champion wrote on X. “I will never agree to this… it’s bad enough having trans women breaking records in other sports like track and field, swimming and power lifting but it’s a bit different to them breaking our skulls in combat sports where the aim is to HURT YOU not just break a record…however I think it’s wrong in ALL SPORT… I have nothing against trans but can’t be skewing the line in sport…. You don’t see reference or debates for transmen in sport… cos it’s not a threat…

“It ain’t just about the test levels what about their bone density and a heap of other biological factors. Cutting ur bits off and adding boobs won’t take back the masculine maturity your body has gone thru before you decided u are now a woman.”

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Bridges said the solution was to have a transgender division in the sport.

Amanda Serrano faces off against Heather Hardy during the third round of their fight at the American Airlines Center on August 05, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

“I don’t care about ‘political correctness’ it’s politically incorrect to have a man fighting a woman.. and idc that’s exactly what it is… this society is too soft.. this is our health and safety. The girls need to stick together or women’s sport in 50 years will be filled with male born champions,” she added.

Serrano, who is the unified featherweight champion, weighed in.

“Make it make sense! Women who were born women can’t compete against women under the same rules as men according to the WBC….BUT men can identify as a woman, transition and then fight us women?” Serrano wrote on X.

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Claressa Shields attends Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute To Women In Sports at Cipriani Wall Street on October 12, 2023 in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for WSF)

“All I want is equal opportunity for all. Our bodies. Our decision.”

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields also reacted.

“this is idk……. Not the right decision,” she wrote.

The NFL handed down its discipline against Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper on Tuesday after video showed him throwing a drink at a Jacksonville Jaguars fan from his suite during Sunday’s loss.

The league released a statement that said Tepper had been fined $300,000 “for his unacceptable conduct in Jacksonville during Sunday’s game.”

“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” the statement reads.

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Tepper released a statement on the matter.

“I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday. I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior,” the statement reads. 

The video of the incident went viral after the Panthers suffered their 14th loss of the season, a 26-0 shutout to the Jaguars that saw quarterback Bryce Young and others visibly frustrated in a season that the franchise wants to forget quickly following Week 18.

FROM OUTKICK: MIKE VRABEL SHARES PASSIONATE EXPLANATION ABOUT WHY THE TITANS WINNING SEASON FINALE AGAINST JAGUARS ACTUALLY MATTERS

However, Tepper’s frustrations boiled over with one Jaguars fan who appeared to be heckling him from the seats below his suite. The video shows Tepper enter the frame, toss his drink in the direction of the fan and storm off after throwing his cup on a table.

The fan is seen standing on his chair to seemingly say something toward the suite.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager, bought the Panthers from Jerry Richardson in May 2018. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager who also owns Charlotte FC in the MLS, bought the Panthers from Jerry Richardson in May 2018 for, at the time, the highest price in NFL history at $2.2 billion. Tepper was forced to sell his shares in the Pittsburgh Steelers to take control of Carolina.

Since Tepper became the owner, the Panthers have not had the best of seasons, going a combined 31-67 since 2018.

Tepper has been through two head coaches in that span, including Frank Reich, who was fired mid-season in 2023. Matt Rhule was his first big hire in 2020 after moving on from Ron Rivera midway through the 2019 campaign. But Rhule didn’t last and was fired before the 2022 season ended.

The Panthers would also have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after their loss to the Jaguars. However, Tepper approved a trade to send that pick to the Chicago Bears in order to move up and draft Young last April.

David Tepper (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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So, it’s been turmoil for Tepper and Carolina, where frustrations have certainly grown. But no matter the frustrations, the NFL won’t stand for Tepper acting out against fans, and now he’s literally paying for it.

The Baltimore Ravens cruised to their sixth consecutive victory this past Sunday. The 56-19 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins clinched the AFC’s top seed.

The Ravens locker room was in celebration mode after the game, with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. offering some high praise.  

“It’s everything,” Beckham said. “It’s the way the organization is run. It’s the players. … This is the best team I’ve been on in the NFL.”

Beckham’s comments are particularly noteworthy when considering that he recently won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

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Beckham suffered a knee injury in Super Bowl LVI and sat out the entire 2022 season. Multiple teams reportedly expressed interest in Beckham this past offseason, but the three-time Pro Bowler ultimately signed a one-year contract with the Ravens in April.

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The move reunited Beckham with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who coached the standout receiver in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns. Monken spent 2020-2022 calling plays at Georgia, winning two national championships in his last two years as the Bulldogs offensive coordinator.

Beckham has 565 receiving yards with three touchdowns through 14 games this season.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) celebrates a touchdown reception against the Seattle Seahawks, Nov. 5, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Ravens have certainly been one of the best teams in the NFL this year. Baltimore enters the final week of the regular season with 13 wins, and a number of those victories have come against teams with winning records.

The Ravens host their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, but it remains unclear if NFL MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and other starters will suit up for Baltimore.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he is still weighing whether to play the starters in Week 18.

“We’ve got to work through the injury part of it first and that’ll take us probably 24 to 48 hours to get a real handle on that,” Harbaugh explained. “Then we’ll make those decisions.”

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Harbaugh, who coached the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory a decade ago, said that the importance of playing a rivalry game will play a role in the decision-making process.

“We have kind of a two-fold thought process right now,” Harbaugh said. “We have our priority, which is the Steelers game and putting our best foot forward, playing our best game against our biggest rival, who we expect to be playing great football.”

“We expect it to be a very hard-fought game. So, we’ve got to get our minds right for that, as we will, then just playing for the next step in the playoffs.”

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Family ties are running deep between two high-profile celebrities.

Singer-songwriter Ciara recently appeared on an episode of PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” where she went to see who out in the world she might be related to.

Well, she got one of the wildest shocks ever when she found out she is related to a Hall of Famer.

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Ciara is a distant relative of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., the host of the show, told Ciara that the two share “a long identical stretch of DNA on their 14th chromosome” from Jeter’s mother.

Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees celebrates following Game Four of the World Series against the Padres on Oct. 21, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. (Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

“What the world?!” Ciara yelled when she saw a photo of Jeter. “You are kidding me. Derek Jeter! That’s crazy.

Jeter isn’t Ciara’s first tie to the sports world – she’s been married to Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson since 2016.

Wilson shared the clip on X, formerly Twitter, and cracked a joke.

“Always knew it!” he wrote with a laughing emoji.

In another ironic twist, Wilson, like Jeter, is a former Yankee.

Russell Wilson works out with the New York Yankees during spring training on March 1, 2018, at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The quarterback was actually drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2010, playing minor league baseball while he was not playing college football. 

Over a year after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, though, the Texas Rangers acquired Wilson in the MLB Rule 5 Draft. 

Despite being a Pro Bowl quarterback, Wilson was still in the Rangers’ farm system. So, when he expressed his desire to one day wear a Yankee uniform, the Rangers traded him there in 2018. 

Wilson pinch-hit for Aaron Judge in a spring training game that March.

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Wilson, Ciara and Jeter were spotted together at the 2015 ESPYs – unaware of their relation, of course.

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Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is usually a stoic man who doesn’t like to show his emotions, especially in media availabilities. 

However, that changed after getting a question from the Tennessean’s sports columnist Gentry Estes on Tuesday ahead of the team’s final game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Estes brought up Vrabel wanting to win on Sunday with a team that is 5-11 following the Titan’s latest loss to the Houston Texans – a 26-3 blowout on the road. He was curious about Vrabel’s reasons, despite no playoff berth in sight, and the veteran head coach gave a stern response. 

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“Because it sucks to lose, Gentry,” Vrabel said sternly. 

Estes went to move on with another question, but Vrabel wasn’t done. 

“It f—ing sucks losing. Awful,” he said. “That’s why I want to win. Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players who bust their tail. That’s it. It’s not about, ‘Hey, we’re going to the offseason on a good note.’ Nobody knows what you did on Jan. 7, or 8, or 6 in April when we come back.

“But you want to see just it all come together and just put four quarters together.”

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Vrabel started to settle down a bit as he continued explaining why he wanted his Titans to end the season with a victory, adding an apology for cursing. 

He simply wants to see competitive football played, which wasn’t found in Week 17, as he pointed out. The Texans got ahead early due to solid play by their offense under rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Tennessee’s own rookie, Will Levis, struggled. 

Houston ran up the score, which included a strip sack fumble taken to the house for six points, and Tennessee couldn’t recover. 

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel on the sideline during the Steelers game at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 2, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Titans own a minus-70 point differential on the season, which is the worst in the AFC South. 

“You just put yourself in a competitive situation, come up with a way to make a play in a second half to win the game. That’s what I hope for,” Vrabel said. 

“Tanking” has been a term thrown around in sports for years now, which is a theory saying teams purposefully lose games to increase their chances at a higher draft pick, thinking about the future of the franchise while sacrificing the present. 

But any coach or player around any league in professional sports will tell you they don’t want to take part in tanking because it’s accepting losing, which isn’t on the agenda ever. 

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a postgame news conference, Dec. 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Vrabel’s Titans certainly won’t have that mindset on Sunday, where they could play spoiler for the Jaguars, who need a victory to win the AFC South over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. 

Kenny Pickett was inactive for a fourth-straight game despite being medically cleared to return this past weekend.

Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers went with Mason Rudolph, who had taken over for Mitch Trubisky the week prior.

The decision to sit Pickett wound up working out just fine as the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-23 win over the Seahawks, dampening Seattle’s odds in the process.

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However, when Pickett was ruled inactive, a report swirled online that Pickett had actually “refused” to be the backup to Rudolph, thus leading to him being inactive.

Pickett caught wind of that report and squashed it immediately.

“I saw reports out there that I felt like were attacking my character and how I am as a person, not even getting into the player standpoint of it,” Pickett told reporters Monday morning. 

Pickett then gave reporters a look behind the curtain that went into the quarterback decision for this past weekend.

“There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two,” Pickett said. “If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers and coaches felt like I would look good enough to play, I was going to start and play. If they believed I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress and suit up for the game.”

Pickett then took a shot at Mark Madden, the radio host who made that initial report.

When Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was ruled inactive, a report swirled online that Pickett had actually “refused” to be the backup. (AP Photo/Don Wright/File)

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“It’s kind of crazy what people will write and put out there to try to prove their point or help their standpoint or their careers in what you guys do; disappointed to see that without any proof or basis of it.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin said that he had not gotten “clarity” on Pickett until “later in the week.”

“And it was about the distribution of reps and who was best prepared and positioned to help us win,” Tomlin said Monday. “And so that’s the direction we went with.”

Despite that, though, Tomlin has tabbed Rudolph as the starter for Week 18 over Pickett.

“He’s done a good job, and we’ve done a good job, in the most recent two weeks. We’ve taken care of the ball, he’s taking care of the ball. We score points at a rate in which he hadn’t done to this point this year. And with the urgency of the moment, and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in [Rudolph’s] hands.”

Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers is shown during the game against the Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Nov. 19, 2023. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

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The Steelers need to beat the Baltimore Ravens – and either the Buffalo Bills to lose to the Miami Dolphins or the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose to the Tennessee Titans – in order to make the playoffs (or an Indianapolis Colts-Houston Texans tie).

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