data-mm-id=”_8xi2v6ja5″>The 2019 NFL regular season was full of surprises. These were the biggest.Ryan TannehillTannehill was a revelation this season for the Titans. A castoff after six years with the Dolphins, he signed a one-year deal with Tennessee to back up Marcus Mariota. He replaced Mariota as the full-time starter on October 13 and never looked back.In 12 games, Tannehill completed 201 of 286 passes (70.3 percent), for 2,741 yards, with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the NFL in yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (117.5). In the 10 games he started, the Titans went 7-3, and he led them to a playoff berth. The 2019 season represented quite a renaissance for Tannehill, who could never take his game to the next level in Miami. Now the 31-year-old is in line for a big contract this offseason. San Francisco 49ersThe 49ers had a massive turnaround this season, from 4-12 in 2018 to 13-3, an NFC West title and the top seed in the conference in 2019. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh both deserve a ton of credit for San Francisco's incredible transformation. The 49ers ranked fourth in offensive yards per game (381.1), second in rushing yards per game (144.1) and second in points per game (29.9). Defensively, the 49ers ranked second in yards allowed per game (281.8), first in passing yards allowed per game (169.2) and eighth in points allowed per game (19.4). The Baltimore Ravens and 49ers were clearly the best teams in the NFL this season.The 49ers were expected to be improved this year with Jimmy Garoppolo back healthy and an improved defensive front, but no one expected them to dominate the NFC all year. Lamar JacksonI mean, obviously Lamar Jackson is on this list, he's the runaway favorite to win the MVP award. While some expected Jackson to work out in the NFL, very few — if any — experts thought he'd be this good. Jackson was incredible in 2019. He completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,127 yards, averaged 7.8 yards per attempt, and had an NFL-best 36 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. He ranked third in the league in passer rating (113.3) and first in QBR (81.7). He also ranked sixth in rushing yards (1,206), averaging an incredible 6.9 yards per rush, which was tops in the NFL. In concert with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Jackson improved dramatically in his second season. He went from completing 58.2 percent of his passes as a rookie, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt and 4.7 yards per rush, to dominating in 2019.Jackson didn't just have a great individual season, he led the Ravens to a 14-2 record and the top seed in the AFC. He earned every bit of his almost certainly incoming MVP award.Shaquil BarrettWhere they heck did this come from? In four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Barrett had 14 sacks. In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he led the NFL with 19.5, and also forced six fumbles. How did this happen all of a sudden? What changed to suddenly make him one of the NFL's best edge rushers?Barrett was undrafted out of Colorado State in 2014 but became a rotation player in Denver. The Buccaneers gave him a one-year deal this offseason and he's elevated himself to an All-Pro level in Tampa. Barrett is in contention to be named Defensive Player of the Year and is one of the best stories of the 2019 season.
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Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao has left Brazil s training camp ahead of World Cup qualifiers versus Ecuador and Paraguay due to a leg injury.
Brazil have made a dismal start to their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign and sit sixth in the 10-team CONMEBOL group after six games, with two wins, one draw and three defeats.
Dorival Junior s side will have to cope without key defender Militao for the first international break of the season, after the Brazilian FA (CBF) confirmed he had suffered an injury.
Defender Eder Militao complained of muscle pain in his right thigh after training on Wednesday and after medical exams carried out on Thursday, it was identified a small muscle injury in his right thigh, the CBF said in a statement.
The player has …
Didier Deschamps is set for a first round of talks about his future as France coach this week after the team s World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
His contract is up, but it is widely expected there will be another deal on offer if Deschamps wishes to stay on and target Euro 2024 success.
The disappointment of missing out on lifting the World Cup for a second time, four years after triumphing at Russia 2018, will take time to sink in.
That is why discussions over Deschamps future were not a matter for Monday, as the team travelled back to Paris.
However, French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet does not want to waste any time, and he is seeking clarity so has promised to call Deschamps by Wednesday at the latest.
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Nigeria boss Gernot Rohr is wary of being upstaged by an increasingly confident Madagascar as top spot in Group B goes on the line at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles have recorded unspectacular 1-0 wins over Burundi and Guinea to date and need only a draw in Alexandria on Sunday to stay first.
Madagascar, though, are reconfiguring their expectations following their first ever victory at the tournament, a 1-0 defeat of Burundi last time out.
The newcomers are not mathematically assured of a place in the knockout rounds but, with four points in the bank and something of a free hit at distinguished opposition ahead, Rohr is on alert.
Madagascar is a strong team and they have a great manager, said the German, who has been in charge of Nigeria …
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has apologised to Kalvin Phillips for saying publicly that he had returned from the Qatar World Cup overweight.
Guardiola made the comment in a press conference in December 2022 having left the City and England midfielder out of a Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool.
Phillips, who joined West Ham on loan in January, earlier this month told the Observer that “after the World Cup was probably the toughest, when Pep came out and said I was overweight”, adding: “I did not disagree with him but obviously I took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City.”
Guardiola was asked at a press conference on Monday if he regretted going public about Phillips’ weight, and he said: “Yeah, I’m sorry.
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Tottenham against Ajax is not a Champions League semi-final many will have predicted at the start of the season, but it is a welcome tie for those with allegiances to both teams.
There are four members of the Spurs squad who once donned the red and white of the Netherlands most famous outfit, while another four represented each in some fascinating careers.
It is fair to say the majority have been successes in London and Amsterdam – provided you accept that Mauricio Pochettino not winning a trophy does not automatically make him and his team a failure – but that cannot be said for all of them.
Below, we look at eight players to cross this particular divide, and how well they did it.
Our ex- contingent.
— Tottenha…
Liverpool will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend after producing a below-par display in their 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
The Reds 17-match winning run may have been ended at Old Trafford, but they have won 11 in a row at Anfield ahead of Sunday s visit of Tottenham.
Manchester City are now six points adrift of top spot and next face a home fixture with Aston Villa, who they have defeated in each of their last nine home top-flight meetings.
Ahead of another bumper weekend of Premier League action, test your knowledge with our Opta-powered Friday Premier League quiz!
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
1. Tottenham are without a win in their last 10 Premier League away games their longest …
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Desperate to claim a welcomed Serie A boost on Sunday lunchtime, Juventus will welcome Frosinone to Turin this weekend.
Juventus
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20:00 Liverpool vs Sparta Prague
With it announced back in January that Jurgen Klopp will be ending his nine-year stay at Anfield, Liverpool are desperate to make more history this season. While the Premier League giants might have eventually fallen short in their bid to punch a top-four finish among England�…
Frank Lampard will be the latest man to return to a club where he starred as a player if he agrees to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.
Derby County on Tuesday gave the Blues permission to speak to their former midfielder about the vacancy created by Sarri s departure for Juventus and the 41-year-old is expected to make an emotional return to Stamford Bridge, where he spent 13 years as a player.
Lampard scored 211 goals in his Chelsea career, setting a club record, and if he re-signs will be tasked with reviving the enthusiasm of supporters who struggled to warm to Sarri during a season of mixed fortunes.
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Michael Owen, who left Liverpool in 2004 and consequently missed the glorious chapter of their history the following season, reveals how close he was to returning to Anfeld after only a year with Real Madrid.
He ended up joining Newcastle, before signing for Manchester United in 2009 something that the majority of Liverpool supporters still haven t been able to forgive.
https://twitter.com/LivEchoLFC/status/1172208251816951808
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