Cowboys DE Donovan Ezeiruaku ejected from loss to Giants early after ripping Greg Van Roten's helmet off

Dallas defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected from the Cowboys' 34-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon after he got into an altercation in the second half and ripped a Giants player's helmet off his head.

Things erupted early in the third quarter after Jaxson Dart hit Tyrone Tracy in the back of the end zone at MetLife Stadium for a 13-yard touchdown, which extended the Giants' lead in the regular-season finale.

[Get more Cowboys news: Dallas team feed]

It's unclear exactly what started the altercation, but Ezeiruaku and Giants guard Greg Van Roten were at the center of it. Ezeiruaku held onto Van Roten's facemask as others ran into the pile and eventually ripped it off his head, which led to more flags being thrown.

Week 18 fight! Helmets coming off between Cowboys and Giants, you love to see itpic.twitter.com/HlIoOvmddK

— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs)January 4, 2026

Ezeiruaku was ejected from the contest after that, and Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty for his role. It looked like Van Roten was grabbing Sam Williams' facemask early on, too, but he was not penalized.

Once things settled down, the Giants went for a 2-point conversion and succeeded after running back Devin Singletary found Darius Slayton for a short completion. That put the Giants up 24-10.

Ezeiruaku had one tackle in Sunday's game before he was ejected. He finished his rookie season with 40 total tackles and two sacks. The Cowboys selected the 22-year-old in the second round of the draft last spring out of Boston College.

Both the Cowboys and the Giants entered Sunday's game, the final one of the regular season, having already been eliminated from playoff contention. The Giants had an outside shot at securing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft but their 17-point win over the Cowboyshanded that to the Las Vegas Raidersinstead.

The Giants ended the season 4-13 and the Cowboys fell to 7-9-1, which marked their fourth defeat in their final five games of the season.

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January 04, 2026

Cowboys DE Donovan Ezeiruaku ejected from loss to Giants early after ripping Greg Van Roten's helmet off

Dallas defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected from the Cowboys' 34-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday aft...

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Myles Garrett breaks NFL single-season sacks record

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett broke the NFL's single-season sacks record on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals with his 23rd on the season.

After being held without a sack last week, Garrett entered the 18th and final week of the regular season with 22, a half-sack away from the record shared by T.J. Watt (2021) and Michael Strahan (2001).

Garrett beat the Bengals' left tackle on a rush upfield with 5:16 to play in the fourth quarter and smothered quarterback Joe Burrow as he fell to the turf in Cincinnati.

Teammates surrounded Garrett for a brief celebration on the sideline before he returned to the field just one play later.

Though the NFL first recognized sacks officially in 1982, some accounting suggests Garrett is not the first player to reach 23 sacks in a season. Researchers who have studied past game logs and footage have said that Al "Bubba" Baker also recorded 23 sacks in 1978 with the Detroit Lions. That total is not recognized by the league, however, as it came before 1982.

While the season is lost — the Browns will miss the playoffs for the eighth time in Garrett's 10 seasons in Cleveland — this has been a career-best year for Garrett. The gulf between Garrett and the rest of the league's defenders is so wide that the 5.5-sack difference between his league-best sack total and the No. 2-ranked player — Brian Burns of the Giants, with 16.5 — is the same as the gap between Burns and the ninth-ranked player.

Garrett's previous season high in sacks was 16, and in tackles for loss was 22; this season, in addition to entering Week 18 with 22 sacks, he had a league-best 32 tackles for loss.

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January 04, 2026

Myles Garrett breaks NFL single-season sacks record

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett broke the NFL's single-season sacks record on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals with ...

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Raiders secure No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft after Giants' win over Cowboys

The Las Vegas Raiders will pick first in this year's NFL draft after the New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 on Sunday.

The Giants' victory assured that the Raiders, who were 2-14 entering their Sunday home game against theKansas City Chiefs, would have the worst record.

If the Giants (4-13) had lost to Dallas, Las Vegas only would have secured the top pick with a loss to the Chiefs. New York's victory made that outcome irrelevant for the Raiders as it relates to the draft.

This is just the second time the Raiders have had the top pick. The then-Oakland Raiders selected quarterback JaMarcus Russell out of LSU with the No. 1 choice in 2007. He became one of the franchise's top draft busts.

The Raiders could take a chance on another quarterback this year by draftingHeisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendozaof Indiana orOregon's Dante Moore.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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January 04, 2026

Raiders secure No. 1 overall pick in NFL draft after Giants' win over Cowboys

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Titans QB Cam Ward suffers season-ending shoulder injury in season finale vs. Jaguars

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward leftSunday's 41-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguarswith a season-ending right shoulder injury.

After the game, interim head coachMike McCoy told reportersthat Ward required more testing on his injury before the team could offer a precise diagnosis. The Athletic's Jeff Howe, meanwhile, reports thatWard sprained the AC joint in his shoulder.

The injury to Ward's throwing shoulder is cause for obvious concern heading into the offseason.

[Get more Titans news: Tennessee team feed]

Ward left the game after scoring a running touchdown on Tennessee's opening drive that stood as its only score of the game. He took a shot to his upper body as he crossed the goal line and went into the sideline medical tent after the play. He then walked to the locker room on the ensuing Jacksonville possession.

Cam Ward is heading back to the locker room after this Touchdown run.#TitansBrandon Allen will take over.Upper body injury is suspectedpic.twitter.com/PH81ofBwjJ

— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa)January 4, 2026

Ward did not return to the lineup for Tennessee's next possession. His backup, Brandon Allen, took over at quarterback and the Titans eventually lost, 41-7.

Tennessee initially listed Ward as questionable to return with a right shoulder injury, thenruled him outbefore the end of the first quarter.

The No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft, Ward had previously played every offensive snap of Tennessee's season.

While the 3-13 Titans entered Sunday having long been eliminated from the playoffs, the Jaguars had plenty at stake in Sunday's game. With the win, the Jaguars clinched the AFC South title over the Houston Texans. They still have an outside shot at securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. They need the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots to both lose to do so.

Ward finishes his rookie season having completed 59.8% of his passes for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He added 39 carries for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He finished Sunday's game 3-for-3 passing for 52 yards with 2 carries for 11 yards and a score.

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January 04, 2026

Titans QB Cam Ward suffers season-ending shoulder injury in season finale vs. Jaguars

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward leftSunday's 41-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguarswith a season-ending right s...

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Browns defense flagged on 2 straight defensive touchdowns for doing Marshawn Lynch crotch-grab celebration

The Cleveland Browns' defense had little to play for in Week 18, so the team decided to just have fun out there. That approach worked early on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, though it came with a cost.

With time running down in the first quarter, Browns linebacker Devin Bush intercepted a Joe Burrow pass deep in Browns territory. While it looked like Bush would run out of gas on the return, he got a key block from Myles Garrett deep down the field, eventually making it all the way to the end zone for a 97-yard score.

When Bush got there, he turned around to face the pursuing Bengals and did the Marshawn Lynch crotch-grab celebration. You know, the oneLynch did after his iconic "Beast Quake" run.

The officials didn't miss a beat, and immediately threw a penalty flag.

The touchdown stood, but the team was penalized for the crotch-grab celebration.

If you thought that was going to deter the Browns' defense moving forward ... you were wrong.

On the next drive, Cleveland forced a fumble in Bengals territory. Browns cornerback Sam Webb scooped up the ball and ran it all the way back to the end zone for another Cleveland defensive score.

As Webb crossed the goal line, he also turned around and did the Lynch celebration, immediately drawing another flag.

The Browns were again penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was the second straight drive they were flagged with that penalty after that specific celebration.

[Get more Browns news: Cleveland team feed]

While the Browns getting flagged on both plays should not come as a surprise, the fact that the team immediately performed the celebration a second time should draw questions. The defense clearly wasn't deterred by the first flag, and didn't seem to care about picking up another penalty.

In the Browns' defense, neither penalty played a major role in the game. Those defensive scores were the only TDs Cleveland got in the victory.

The Bengals turned the ball over after the first penalty and were forced to punt on the team's next offensive drive after the second penalty.

Aside fromMyles Garrett's sack record chase, which he achieved, the Browns didn't have much to play for after coming into Week 18 sitting at 4-12. Does it really matter if they get penalized for excessive celebrations after scoring twice on Burrow and the Bengals?

Of course, it also helped thatCleveland went on to win the contest 20-18. While theBrowns face a lot of questionsthis offseason, the team's defense should return as its biggest strength in 2026.

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January 04, 2026

Browns defense flagged on 2 straight defensive touchdowns for doing Marshawn Lynch crotch-grab celebration

The Cleveland Browns' defense had little to play for in Week 18, so the team decided to just have fun out there....

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