UNREAL: LUKE LITTLER JOINS TAYLOR AND ANDERSON IN THE HISTORY BOOKS AFTER DOMINANT WIN
Luke Littler crushes Ryan, Searle 6-1 to reach his third consecutive world final. He faces Gian van Veen tonight at Ally Pally!
Luke Littler barely broke a sweat as he crushed Ryan Searle 6-1, locking in a World Darts Championship final against Gian van Veen.
At just 18, Littler played out of his skin—averaged 105, fired in 10 180s, and nailed a 110 checkout. That’s three finals in a row for him now, putting him in the company of legends like Dennis Priestley, Phil Taylor, and Gary Anderson.
Van Veen’s win was wild, too. He went toe-to-toe with his idol, Gary Anderson, and came out on top 6-3. Now he’s set for the big showdown with Littler on Saturday.
Searle tried to put up a fight, but Littler just wouldn’t let up. He nailed 59% of his doubles, kept finishing on tops, and closed out the match in style. The only thing missing? That elusive nine-darter. It’s been bugging him. He got close—twice in the sixth set, actually—but Searle stole the leg with a jaw-dropping 170 checkout.
Still, it’s been a career-best run for Searle. He jumps up to number eight in the world, and honestly, he’s earned it. He’s done all this while dealing with autosomal dominant optic atrophy, an eye condition that sometimes leaves him blind to where his darts even land. Didn’t stop him from reaching the semis, dropping just two sets along the way.
But Littler was a different beast. He admitted he was frustrated at the start, going 1-0 down, but then he just switched on. “I went 1-0 down and was not the happiest. I thought I didn't play that well. Everyone knows I just want to go 1-0 up and get into that lead.” He made it look easy after that. He also gave Searle his due: “Big shout out to Ryan. He’s done amazing this tournament. He can be proud.”
Van Veen’s win, by the way, guarantees him the world number three spot, no matter what happens in the final. If he wins the whole thing, he leapfrogs Luke Humphries for the number two ranking. Big stakes, big night ahead.
REVIEW: WHY MATT LAFLEUR IS COUNTING ON VETERANS TO SAVE THE SEASON
Matt LaFleur rested starters in a 16-3 loss to the Vikings. We analyse the Packers' slump and life without Micah Parsons.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stood on the sideline, watching as his team slogged through a rough second quarter against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was January 4, 2026, and honestly, this game didn’t mean much for Green Bay. They’d already locked up their playoff spot, so LaFleur kept Jordan Love and several other starters on the bench. Instead, Clayton Tune got the nod at quarterback—a guy who’d been hanging out on the practice squad most of the year and only took a few snaps in Week 17.
Tune threw just 11 passes all game, completing six for 34 yards. Not exactly electric. The Vikings sacked him four times, so the Packers actually finished with negative passing yards. Yeah, minus 7. That pretty much sums up the afternoon.
The final score was 16-3, and the only reason Green Bay even got on the board was a late field goal they set up with a timeout. The run game looked a little better—they managed 128 yards on 35 carries, and that was without Josh Jacobs, who sat out too. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs didn’t play either, whether because of injuries or just getting some rest. So, the Packers were missing a lot of firepower.
Here’s the bigger problem: for the second year in a row, the Packers are stumbling into the playoffs on a losing streak. Just a few weeks ago, after beating the Bears in Week 14, they were leading the NFC North and looking sharp. But then things unravelled—four straight losses, injuries piling up, and the worst of it was losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL. He’s done till next season.
LaFleur isn’t pretending it’s all fine. He says the team has taken their lumps, but now it’s time to move on. “We’re in the dance,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to go on the road and play our best football from here.”
Nobody knows exactly who they’ll face in the first round, but LaFleur is counting on his veterans to remember what playoff football feels like. He wants them to step up when it matters most.
“You stick with what you believe in,” he said. “But everyone’s got to understand—the playoffs are different. There’s no next week if you lose. We need to play our best.”
Green Bay’s hoping that resting its stars will pay off. Whether it does, well, we’ll see soon enough.
“ LaFleur said, “Everything’s pretty fluid as we prep this week. It depends on when we actually play. But I thought practice went well—the guys who rested still got solid reps, first team offence versus first team defence. Physically, we’re in a good place.”
HOW MYLES GARRETT SURPASSED STRAHAN AND WATT FOR THE SACK RECORD
Myles Garrett makes history with his 23rd sack as Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal lifts the Browns over the Bengals 20-18.
Myles Garrett waited until the last possible moment to break the NFL sack record, but it was Cleveland’s kicker who stole the show at the end. As the clock hit zero, Andre Szmyt nailed a 49-yard field goal to give the Browns a 20-18 win over the Bengals—a little redemption for Szmyt, who missed a short field goal and an extra point against Cincinnati way back in the season opener. This time, he delivered. On the other side, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed two extra points, which ended up costing his team the game.
Garrett’s big moment came with just over five minutes left. He burst up the middle, and Joe Burrow just slid to the ground—sack number 23 for Garrett. That put him past Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season record. The Browns' bench cleared to celebrate with him, and the game paused while everyone soaked it in.
Cincinnati wasn’t done, though. Down 17-12 late, Burrow led the Bengals on a 61-yard drive and hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Cincinnati an 18-17 lead with 90 seconds left. Chase was his usual self—eight catches, 96 yards, and a score.
For Cleveland, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn’t light up the stat sheet—just 111 yards on 11-of-22 passing—but he picked up his third win as a starter. The Browns closed out the season with back-to-back victories over AFC North rivals, even though their offense sputtered most of the day and they lost center Luke Wypler to a knee injury.
Burrow finished with 236 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on 29-of-39 passing. Running back Chase Brown crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time and grabbed a touchdown as well, wrapping up a strong season with 72 yards on 13 carries.
Early on, it looked like Cincinnati would cruise. Burrow hit a wide-open Brown for a 4-yard touchdown after Cam Sample strip-sacked Sanders and Howard Cross recovered at the Cleveland 29. But the extra point got blocked, and that missed point loomed large later.
Cleveland’s defense made some noise, too. Devin Bush picked off Burrow and ran it back 97 yards for a score in the first quarter. Just a minute later, Sam Webb scooped up a fumble and sprinted 47 yards to the end zone. That gave the Browns a 14-6 lead.
Tee Higgins caught a 13-yard touchdown from Burrow just before halftime, and again, McPherson missed the extra point. It was that kind of day for Cincinnati.
The Browns lost their top corner, Denzel Ward, to a neck injury early on. He didn’t return.