DENVER -- The Denver Broncos continued their push for their first playoff berth since 2015, winning a wild 41-32 game over the Cleveland Browns on Monday night at Empower Field at Mile High in a matchup that produced 952 combined yards of offense.

The Broncos were able to prevail despite giving up 497 passing yards to Browns quarterback Jameis Winston thanks to big plays, namely pick-sixes by linebacker Nik Bonitto and nickel corner Ja'Quan McMillian along with a 93-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Bo Nix to Marvin Mims Jr. That was barely enough to withstand a barrage by Winston and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who had nine receptions for 235 yards and a 70-yard touchdown reception in his first game against his old team after being traded in the offseason.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

Denver Broncos (8-5)

So much has gone right for the Broncos this season, as they've shown so much progress while still having so much promise.

Monday night was their chance to show they were legitimate playoff contenders in the AFC. And what folks saw was a wild, back-and-forth game the Broncos somehow won, as they outlasted the Browns to maintain a two-game cushion for the final wild-card spot.

The win moves the Broncos to 8-5 as they head into their bye week and keeps them in the No. 7 spot in the AFC despite many staggering moments. Along the way, the Broncos had their longest defensive touchdown of the season (71 yards by Bonitto) and their longest offensive touchdown of the season, resulting in their first game with two touchdowns of at least 70 yards since 1997. Their defense surrendered a season high in yards before the third quarter was over, yet scored twice to get Denver the win.

It was by far their wildest game of the season, which will cause plenty of pause when they get back from the bye, but it was the win they needed to be three games above .500 after 13 games for the first time since 2016. And they're still in line to break that eight-year playoff drought.

Describe the game in two words: Great escape. A raucous home crowd, a beautiful evening and a national audience to see their work, but all of it almost evaporated into the messiest of losses. The Broncos had a clunky first half of offense -- the Broncos had two three-and-out drives in the first half -- and an absolute meltdown defensively which resulted in pinball numbers for Winston and Jeudy. The Broncos, wild night and all, are still in the thick of the playoff race, but they elevated the team's blood pressure to the limit to do it.

Most surprising performance: The Broncos' defense, which has been oh-so-reliable this season, had the wildest of rides Monday night, especially in the first half. Winston was 18-of-31 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns -- by halftime. Denver entered Monday with six games this season in which it surrendered fewer than 300 yards to an opposing offense and 10 games this season giving up fewer than 245 yards passing. Bonitto returned a first-half interception 71 yards for a touchdown and McMillian returned the clincher for a 46-yard score with 1:48 to play, but the Broncos were on their heels for much of the night. And there is plenty to repair before they play again.

Troubling trend: Cornerback Riley Moss' absence in the defense was certainly noticed by the Browns, as Jeudy caught nine passes for 235 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown. Moss sustained what coach Sean Payton called a sprained MCL in his right knee in Denver's Week 12 win over the Raiders and did not play. And while the Broncos' decision to not simply match up Pat Surtain II on Jeudy for the night can be debated, Winston repeatedly went after Moss' replacement -- Levi Wallace -- in coverage, especially when the Broncos were in nickel. Moss' status will bear watching as the Broncos go into their bye. -- Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Indianapolis Colts (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 15)

Cleveland Browns (3-9)

Winston produced the most prolific passing game of his 10-year career and Jeudy had a career night against his former team. But a valiant effort from Cleveland came up short in Denver.

A pair of Winston pick-sixes, including one on a potential game-winning drive, cost the Browns in Monday night's high-scoring affair. The loss clinches the Browns' 22nd losing season since returning to Cleveland in 1999.

It has been a disappointing season for Cleveland, which entered the season with aspirations of making a deep playoff run but was beset by poor play from Deshaun Watson before his season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7. Winston has invigorated life into the Browns since taking over as the starter, but his high-variance play was on display again for a national television audience.

QB breakdown: Winston continued his strong play since becoming the starter in Week 8 and made history in doing so. His 497 passing yards marked not only a career high but set a Browns franchise record, exceeding the 489 yards Bernie Kosar threw against the New York Jets in 1986 in the divisional playoffs. This was also Winston's third career game with at least 450 passing yards and four touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history. But this three interceptions and two pick-sixes were backbreaking. His second pick-six was ultimately the difference in the defeat but par for the course in his career.

Promising trend: Jeudy recorded his fifth straight game with at least 70 yards, continuing the longest streak of his career. His 235 receiving yards marked a career high and the most by a player in his first game game against a former team in NFL history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Silver lining: For the fourth time in five starts under Winston, the Browns were competitive against a playoff-contending team. Cleveland came up short this time in a heartbreaking loss, but it was another game that can give the Browns' decision-makers the thought that, despite a disappointing season, their roster might be in more need of a retool than an outright teardown. -- Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

MINNEAPOLIS -- With LeBron James in the midst of his worst outside shooting slump since his rookie year, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said he was unsure whether the veteran star's goal to play in all 82 games is sustainable this season.

"I don't know that's in the best interest of him and us if he does that, but if he's feeling well and feeling good, then he should play," Redick said after James tied a season low with 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field in L.A.'s 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. "But we obviously want to ... manage that as best we can."

James went 0-for-4 on 3-pointers against the Wolves, extending his drought to 0-for-19 from deep in his past four games -- the worst he has shot from 3 since he missed 24 straight from Dec. 26, 2003, to Jan. 13, 2004, according to ESPN Research.

James, who played in his 1,800th career game Monday between the regular season and playoffs combined -- the most all time by any player, ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,797) -- and turns 40 later this month, did not commit either way to continuing to suit up in every game this season.

"That's a goal, but, we'll see," James said. "It's something I ain't discussing right now."

James shot 25% from the field Monday -- his sixth straight game shooting below 45%. It's his longest streak shooting below 45% since 2004, according to ESPN Research, when he failed to hit the mark in 11 straight games as a rookie.

"It's everything," James said when asked what is frustrating him about his game at the moment. "It's the rhythm. I just feel off rhythm the last few, three or four games."

When asked what he will lean on to get his shot back, James replied: "Work. Just work. That's all."

James' outside shot wasn't the only thing not working for him against the Wolves. He had a team-high six turnovers and a team-worst plus-minus of minus-28 in 31 minutes. On the season, the Lakers have been outscored by 111 points in the time James has been on the court -- the worst plus-minus on the team.

As James has struggled, so have the Lakers. They've lost five out of their past seven games, and the 80 points they scored against Minnesota were the fewest the franchise has scored since Jan. 22, 2017, when L.A. lost 122-73 to the Dallas Mavericks.

"I've not seen us play the way we played earlier in the year," Redick said. "I mean, I've got to spend all day tomorrow with my staff trying to figure out how we get back to that."

Anthony Davis also had a season low against Minnesota, totaling just 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting with 11 rebounds and 5 assists. He said L.A.'s players are crowding one another on the offensive end.

"We got to get back into our spacing," Davis said. "We are kind of on top of each other when guys are trying to drive. When guys are in their spots for shooting, there's a guy right under them. So the spacing is bad."

With one quarter of the regular season completed, the Lakers are 12-9 -- No. 8 in the Western Conference. Redick called the Lakers' season "uneven and inconsistent" thus far.

James and Davis were more pointed in their critiques.

"Sometimes we look like a team that can compete with anyone, and sometimes we look like a team that looks terrible and is not going to do anything this season. So we just got to figure out what team that we want to be for the rest of the season," Davis said. "I think we had games where we were phenomenal and we had games where we were disgusting like tonight."

Added James: "Our offense is nasty right now."

Great Britain have been handed a trip to Japan in the first round of qualifying for the 2025 Davis Cup - which will see Italy host the eight-nation finals.

Britain, seeded 11th, will play Japan in the men's team event in late January/early February, a week after the Australian Open finishes.

If they win, Leon Smith's team will move into the second round of qualifying - which will also be a home or away tie following another revamp for the 124-year-old tournament - in September.

The opponents for Britain or Japan will be either fourth seeds Germany, who reached the semi-finals this year, or Israel.

Britain are ultimately aiming to earn a place at November's eight-team finals, which the International Tennis Federation has decided to move to Italy.

The city of Bologna will host the 2025 edition, replacing Spanish city Malaga which hosted this year's event in November.

American Olympic bronze medallist Ilona Maher has signed for Bristol Bears for the rest of the Premiership Women's Rugby season.

Maher is the most followed rugby union player in the world on social media, with 4.5 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million on TikTok.

The utility back, who can play at centre or on the wing, has signed a three-month deal from January.

The 28-year-old has arrived in Bristol to begin training with her new team-mates this week, before returning to her native United States until the new year.

Bears head coach Dave Ward said Maher's arrival is a "huge coup" for the club.

"Ilona is one of the biggest names in women's sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will add real value to our programme on and off the field," said Ward.

"She is one of the standout stars in the sevens game and we can't wait to see her play for Bears in XVs. Her ability ball-in-hand will give our attack a new dimension and her desire to star in the Rugby World Cup in England next summer is a huge driving force for her to achieve great things at Bears.

"Her profile as an athlete to inspire the next generation aligns exactly with ours as a club and we can only applaud the work she has and will do for the women's game."

The news comes as Maher returns to XVs for the first time since 2021, having focused on sevens for the past three years.

Speaking exclusively to BBC Sport, PWR chair Genevieve Shore said "we want the best athletes in the world playing in the PWR" and that Maher's arrival had been arranged in "just a few weeks - it's been fairly quick".

Shore went on to describe Maher's potential on and off the pitch as "endless".

"She's an incredible athlete, she's an incredible rugby player, she was amazing at the sevens," said Shore.

"I think she'll also have an incredible impact in person, too. Think of all those little girls and boys who are going to pitch up to that first game and watch her play.

"I'm excited to see what that impact looks like."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin skated by himself before Washington Capitals practice Monday as he works to return from a broken leg.

Ovechkin wore a tracksuit and a helmet with stick in hand but no hockey gear during his light workout. It was not immediately clear if it was his first time back on the ice since the injury.

Coach Spencer Carbery is expected to address Ovechkin's progress following practice.

The 39-year-old longtime captain broke his left fibula in a shin-on-shin collision with Utah's Jack McBain on Nov. 18. After initially being listed as week to week with a lower left leg injury, Ovechkin after further examination was ruled out for four to six weeks, with the team saying surgery would not be required.

That timeline would put Ovechkin in line to play again sometime in late December or early January.

Ovechkin scored 15 goals in his first 18 games before getting injured to move 27 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record. His next against a different goaltender will be his 179th, also setting a league record and breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr.

The Capitals have won four in a row since losing their first two without Ovechkin. They are first in the Eastern Conference about a quarter of the way through the season.

NEW YORK -- Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner has been fined $2,000 for embellishment during a recent game against the New York Rangers, the NHL said Monday.

Skinner was issued a warning after a diving/embellishment incident in an Oct. 22 game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the league said.

His second citation, which triggered the fine, came in the second period of a 6-2 victory over the Rangers on Nov. 23.

Skinner was being followed by Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller as he had the puck along the boards in the New York zone.

Skinner lost his footing and the puck despite minimal contact from Miller. The Oilers forward looked toward the referee as he got up but no penalty call was made on the play.

The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Monday approved expanded trials of Football Video Support (FVS), an alternative VAR system which gives coaches the chance to challenge decisions.

FVS, which was used at the U20 and U17 FIFA Women's World Cups this year, was initially given the green light for testing by the IFAB in March as a cost-effective alternative to VAR.

Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of FIFA's referees' committee, told ESPN last month that he would be making an application at the IFAB's Annual Business Meeting in London to have trials in more competitions.

Rather than reviews being overseen and controlled only by an official acting as a video assistant referee, FVS gives coaches the chance to make up to two challenges per match if they feel an error has been made.

At present, the challenge system is only intended for use in leagues with fewer resources, ideally with no more than four cameras, rather than top divisions like the Premier League. It could be used in a competition like the Women's Super League, which has problems using VAR due to the wide-ranging size and type of stadiums used.

"We are at the beginning of the trial and the experiences at both the U20 and U17 FIFA Women's World Cup will be carefully analysed but so far, we haven't noticed anything unexpected," Collina told ESPN. "Several FIFA member associations already showed the interest to participate to the trial.

"Making clear that FVS is not VAR is critical, in particular in terms of expectation. Because of the limited number of cameras, FVS won't be able to show what VAR can show. Offside is an example: without cameras properly positioned, only clear offside can be spotted. This makes the on-field decision important too.

"FVS is designed to work with a limited camera set up, ideally up to four to five. With more cameras, the process of checking all of the footage and available angles may become very long as, and differently from VAR, there are not any video match officials selecting those clips to be seen by the referee."

With FVS the coach makes a challenge to a decision and the referee then goes to the side of the pitch to view a replay of the incident. Unlike with VAR, there is only a replay operator who cues up the video. The match referee alone then assesses his own decision and isn't told he has made a clear and obvious error in advance.

The IFAB was also presented with update to a trial which addresses goalkeepers holding the ball for too long, and sees the opposition given a corner or throw-in (two separate trials) if it is held for more than eight seconds after they have clear control. Premier League 2, a competition for the 25 clubs with "Category One" academies, has been part of this trial.

Also discussed was the trial which sees only the captain able to speak to the referee, trials involving public announcements after lengthy VAR checks and VAR reviews, developments in relation to semi-automated offside technology and the use of referee body cameras.

The IFAB's Annual General Meeting on March 1 will take the next decisions in relation to these trials, and confirm any amendments to the Laws, to take effect from next July.

Everton defender Ashley Young could be in for a dream family clash in the FA Cup third round when his side take on Peterborough United, where his 18-year-old son Tyler plays.

Peterborough travel to Goodison Park next month with Young keen to see his son in action at the League One club where he made his first senior appearance this season.

"Dreams might come true," Young said in a post on social media Friday.

A former England international, Young boasts a remarkable total of 724 appearances for top clubs including Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Inter Milan.

The 39-year-old is in a similar situation to LeBron James and his son Bronny, who became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA regular-season game for the Los Angeles Lakers in October.

The third round will take place around the weekend of Jan. 11-12 and sees the 44 clubs from the Premier League and second-tier Championship enter the competition, joining the 20 lower-league and non-league sides who won in the previous round.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.

Ruben Amorim has said he is uncomfortable with Manchester United fans singing his name and would rather they showed their support for the players rather than the coach.

United supporters have been singing "Ruben Amorim" to the tune of "Give It Up" by KC and the Sunshine Band since the Portuguese head coach's first game in charge against Ipswich Town. The song could be heard all over Old Trafford during the 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday.

While Amorim is happy fans have already taken to him after just three weeks in the job, he insisted he would prefer if chants were used to support the players.

"I don't like my chant, I don't like it," Amorim said.

"I feel a little bit, not embarrassed, but because I'm the coach, they have to chant for the players and for the club. So it's not a good thing for me.

"I understand and really appreciate the connection with the supporters but I want them to support the team and the players because they are on the pitch and I'm outside the pitch.

"But I am really honoured by that, I feel a connection with the supporters but we know we need results to maintain that."

Amorim is facing his biggest test yet as United manager when he takes his team to face Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday.

He's been boosted by the availability of Bruno Fernandes, who is set to make the trip despite receiving treatment for an ankle injury after the win over Everton.

Leny Yoro could also make his competitive debut after recovering from the broken foot he suffered during the preseason tour of the United States.

Yoro, who signed for 52.2 million ($63 million) from Lille in the summer, has missed the last four months but Amorim is expecting the 19-year-old Frenchman to be part of the squad against Arsenal.

"I feel he is in a good moment now, his fitness is better, so I think he is going to be in the squad," Amorim said.

"I think he's a special talent, you have to be careful in this first moment, because we didn't have too many training [sessions] together. He is training not alone, but with a small group of players.

"He is really fast, a modern defender and that is good when you want to press high and you leave a lot of strikers one against one.

"I think he can manage that. I think he is very good with the ball. I am really excited. I have to be careful, we have to manage the loads, the minutes in the beginning but I am really excited to see Leny Yoro playing."