FARGO, N.D. – A pair of World of Outlaws champions are teaming up this December.

Donny Schatz will field his own dirt late model for two-time World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series champion Brandon Sheppard during the upcoming Arizona Sport Shirts Gateway Dirt Nationals at the Dome at America’s Center December 19-21.

“We were at Volusia in February and after the races one night, Sheppard was over and we were having a few beers. I was saying how I wanted to go to the Dome this year, but I don’t want to race it myself. I want to go watch it one year first,” Schatz explained. “He said, ‘Well hey, I’ll drive your car.’”

“I told him you’re probably going to get the body tore up a little bit,” said Sheppard. “He was like, ‘Oh, I ain’t worried about that. Let’s go do it.’ It’s definitely an honor to drive for him. I’ve looked up to him for a long time. It’s going to be a great opportunity for me to hopefully make something happen.”

The first laps Sheppard will turn in Schatz’s Petro Fargo/Fastlane Car Wash No. 15 Rocket will be at the Gateway Dirt Nationals, but Sheppard is confident he will be comfortable in the car from the get-go.

“I think we can get everything changed over to my liking pretty quick,” he said. “I don’t think what Donny has been running lately is too far off from where we are at. He and Mark (Richards) keep in touch on a lot of things. I don’t think it’ll be too much of an adjustment. His motors are a little bit different than what I run, but truthfully, as small as that track is, you just have to take all the power away from it and go.”

Sheppard recently claimed his second World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series championshipin convincing fashion, collecting 18 wins and 37 top-five finishes in 41 events.

“Brandon is one of the best late model drivers there is and I’m pretty fortunate to have him in the car,” said Schatz, who owns 10 Northern Late Model Racing Ass’n late model wins. “I’m sure he’s going to be in a position to battle for a win and be competitive.”

Schatz said the uniqueness of the event is what attracted him to partake this year.

“It’s a cool event. There is nothing else going on at that time of year. We hear about the Chili Bowl and all of these indoor Midget races, but to be able to put the Late Models and Modifieds indoors is huge. It’s great for our sport,” said Schatz. “It’s just one of those things I haven’t experienced yet, but I’m looking forward to experiencing it this year.”

Schatz has played the role of car owner on a few other occasions this season with his late model. Two-time NLRA series champion Cody Skytland piloted Schatz’s Rocket to three top 10 finishes in NLRA and WISSOTA action in August and September.

TULSA, Okla. – Reigning World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Brad Sweet headlines the first wave of Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals entries, which were released to the public on Monday evening.

Taking place Jan. 13-18 atop the clay of the Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla., eight of the 101 entries received thus far are in search of a driver, while 24 are among those who have made the cut into Saturday night’s championship A-main.

Among the entered is Sweet, who will wheel a Rusty Kunz-wrenched, RMS-prepared mount. The Grass Valley, Calif., native has an average finish of seventh among his five A-main starts, with a best finish of third in 2013.

Keeping in theme with the World of Outlaws, the first entries received for the 2020 event came from World Racing Group Director of Broadcasting Brian Dunlap, who will field a pair of cars.

One of the Dunlap entries will be driven by World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series director Casey Shuman, who has five Saturday A-main starts, while the second finds Washington’s Gary Taylor, who has made the show on three occasions.

In terms of the most impressive Chili Bowl resume of those entered so far, that honor goes to Dave Darland, who has 15 A-main starts, two podiums, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes since 1998.

While the list of drivers who have made the cut always reads like a list of current and future Hall of Fame drivers, there are currently 15 on the list taking their first crack at the Chili Bowl.

Continuing the trend of attracting talent from nearly every discipline, Australia’s James Davison is among the list of Chili Bowl rookies.

From Formula Ford, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Indy car racing, and select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the 33-year old racing veteran will be aboard a Hayward Motorsports mount for his first shot at the Golden Driller.

With the number of drivers entered expected to swell rapidly as teams wrap up this week’s 79th annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at California’s Ventura Raceway, the deadline for the discounted early entry fee of $150 is Friday, Dec. 13.

After that, the prices per entry goes to $200.

2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Entry List (as of Nov. 25)

0G-TBA
0K-Don O’Keefe, Jr. (Pittsboro, IN)
00S-Randy Sterling (Morrisdale, PA)
1G-Kyle Cummins (Princeton, IN)
1K-Brayton Lynch (Springfield, IL)
1R-Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA)
2B-Tyler Hewitt (Noblesville, IN)
2BX-Brett Becker (Odessa, TX)
2C-Seth Carlson (Stafford, CT)
2D-Matt Sherrell (Owasso, OK)
2G-TBA
2L-Landon Simon (Avon, IN)
2N-Weston Gorham (Colleyville, TX)
2ND-Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)
2W-Wyatt Burks (Topeka, KS)
4M-Michelle Decker (Guthrie, OK)
5D-Zach Daum (Pocahontas, IL)
5H-Jack Hawley (Menifee, CA)
5TBA-TBA
5TBA-TBA
5K-Justin Peck (Monrovia, IN)
07W-Mitchel Moles (Fresno, CA)
7-Shannon McQueen (Tehachapi, CA)
7J-Shawn Jackson (Bear, DE)
7M-Brody Roa (Bueno Park, CA)
7MF-Chance Morton (Coweta, OK)
7T-TBA
7X-Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, CA)
8-Alex Sewell (Broken Arrow, OK)
8B-Colin Deming (Hobbs, NM)
8J-Jonathan Beason (Broken Arrow, OK)
8K-Josh Hawkins (Whitehouse, TX)
8M-Kade Morton (Coweta, OK)
9H-Emilio Hoover (Broken Arrow, OK)
9JR-Derek Hagar (Marion, AR)
11-Cale Conley (Vienna, WV)
11A-Andrew Felker (Carl Junction, MO)
11E-Cory Elliott (Bakersfield, CA)
11F-Michael Faccinto (Hanford, CA)
11P-Laydon Pearson (New Castle, OK)
11T-Larry Petersen (Wahiawa, HI)
13G-James Davison (Melbourne, VIC)
14E-Jake Neal (Omaha, NE)
14F-Cameron Hagin (Broken Arrow, OK)
14TBA-TBA
14X-Jody Rosenboom (Rock Rapids, IA)
15D-Andrew Deal (Caney, KS)
17B-Ryan Bickett (Romona, SD)
17T-TBA
17W-Shane Golobic (Elk Grove, CA)
19-Tanner Thorson (Minden, NV)
19B-Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN)
20-Tadd Holliman (Murray, NE)
21-Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK)
21D-Justin Dickerson (Pittsboro, IN)
22C-Charlie Crumpton (Bixby, OK)
22S-Sean McClelland (Owasso, OK)
22X-Steven Shebester (Mustang, OK)
28-Ace McCarthy (Tahlequah, OK)
28Q-Sean Quinn (Clovis, CA)
32-Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA)
32D-Casey Shuman (Rattlesnake Bend, AZ)
32T-Trey Marcham (New Castle, OK)
35X-Tyler Robbins (Collinsville, IL)
41-Oliver Akard (Ft. Myers, FL)
46-Kenney Johnson (Bethany, CT)
46X-Jeffrey Champagne (Westfield, MA)
47-Alex Bright (Collegeville, PA)
47X-Danny Stratton (Reading, PA)
49-Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY)
50-Daniel Adler (St. Louis, MO)
51-Curtis Jones (Sand Springs, OK)
51X-Joe Walker (Grandview, MO)
52-Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)
56D-Mitchell Davis (Auburn, IL)
57W-Dustin Golobic (Elk Grove, CA)
63-Michael Pickens (Auckland, )
68B-Blain Peterson (Essex, IA)
72-Eric Fenton (Jenks, OK)
72C-Chris Tarrant (Rockwall, TX)
72X-Jeff Wheeler (Rockwall, TX)
75-Bryan Stanfill (Bakersfield, CA)
75X-Mike Griffiths (Melbourne, VIC)
77-Colby Copeland (Roseville, CA)
77W-Ryan Bernal (Hollister, CA)
80-Joe Spillman (Austin, TX)
81-Colten Cottle (Kansas, IL)
83-Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA)
84M-Alex DeCamp (Locust Grove, OK)
85-Matt Moore (Edmond, OK)
91-Jeff Stasa (Kingman, KS)
92-Josh Most (Red Oak, IA)
93-TBA
95-Chris Andrews (Tulsa, OK)
97W-Kaidon Brown (Sydney, NSW)
97X-Austin O’Dell (Rochester, IN)
98-Ryan Padgett (Anadarko, OK)
99K-Robert Carson (Concord, CA)
117-Jack Dover (Springfield, NE)
155-Ryan Truitt (Dewey, OK)
321-Chad Winfrey (Gladstone, MO)

CARROLLTON, Mo. – TruStar Energy will serve as the primary partner of Mason Daniel next season as he prepares to embark upon his first full season competing with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

“TruStar Energy is why we are going racing with the World of Outlaws,” Daniel said. “The Outlaws features the best drivers in the sport and it’s a dream to be able to compete with the series. Our main goal is just to bridge the gap and get up to speed with those guys. We want to be up to speed quickly and hopefully start performing right away. We will have that opportunity thanks to TruStar Energy.”

TruStar Energy, which is a Fortistar Company, is one of the largest developers of infrastructure for CNG fueling stations.

“We’re extremely grateful and excited for the support of TruStar Energy and we can’t wait to showcase the company in 2020 as we embark upon the World of Outlaws trail for the first time,” Daniel said. “The last couple of years has been a climb and we’re glad to have TruStar Energy on board for our biggest season yet.”

Daniel relocated to Missouri prior to the 2018 season when he earned the North American 360 Rookie of the Year Award from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. This season he made the transition to 410ci winged sprint car competition.

“It was a big adjustment period, but overall I think it went well,” Daniel said. “We still have stuff to get used to. We mostly competed with the World of Outlaws this year when we ran a 410. The toughest part was the competition level and getting up to speed with those guys, who have been on tour for 10-plus years. At some tracks we bridged the gap and at some tracks we have more work to do. We made improvement from the beginning of the year and we’re excited for next year.”

Daniel highlighted the year by scoring a Sprint Invaders victory at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, on July 11 and earning his career-best World of Outlaws result of 15th on Sept. 20 at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kan.

“We ran good in a 410 show in Donnellson and should have had that race won, but it didn’t work out and we finished second,” he said. “We took the lead three times and kept getting put back on restarts. We have good speed at that track so it was awesome to go back a couple weeks later in a 360 and win.

“We were good at Dodge City, but a mistake on the start cost us so we had to go to the back. I think we would have had a top 10 if I didn’t make that mistake, but you learn from it. That’s a lot of what racing with the World of Outlaws entails.”

Despite missing races, Daniel finished third in the Rookie of the Year chase at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where he placed 15th in the 410 championship standings thanks to a pair of top 10s.

“Knoxville is a great track and it’s reliable,” he said. “Every Saturday night they are going to run. They had a lot of rainouts this year and we were there for a lot of them. We didn’t get as many races in this year because of that. However, it’s always nice to run there and I think it helped our growth in a 410.”

Retired Netherlands football star Marco van Basten has been benched for a week by Fox Sports for saying "sieg heil" on air.

Van Basten, working as an analyst, was off camera on Saturday when he used the German phrase for "hail victory" that became notorious for its use at Nazi rallies.

Van Basten, who made the comment after a German coach had been interviewed by a reporter, apologised later in the show saying he had "not intended to shock people."

Fox Sports said in a statement on Monday that it distanced itself from the comment, which the broadcaster called "stupid and inappropriate" and said it will not use Van Basten as an analyst this week and will donate his fee to a Dutch institute to promote knowledge about World War II.

The comments came on a weekend in which teams across the Netherlands had agreed to take part in anti-racism protests after Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira was subjected to racist abuse by Den Bosch supporters during last Sunday's Eerste Divisie -- Dutch second flight -- match.

Van Basten was a striker for Ajax and AC Milan and was one of the stars of the Netherlands team that won the European Championship in 1988.

After his playing career, he coached the Netherlands and other teams and was a senior official at FIFA.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

England's innings defeat in the first Test against New Zealand was Joe Root's 14th in 34 Tests as captain, and his personal nadir, with a total of 13 runs across two innings - fewer than he's ever before made at the helm. And, given that the performance came in the opening match of Chris Silverwood's tenure as head coach, it has fuelled the notion that a change of leader might have to be on the cards. But who on earth could be called upon to fill England's breach? We take a look at the candidates, likely and not so likely.

Ben Stokes

Just like his fellow allrounders, Ian Botham in 1981 and Andrew Flintoff in 2005, Ben Stokes looks set to crown a stellar 2019 by being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year next month. And who knows, Stokes could well emulate that duo in other ways too, by taking the helm as England captain - in spite of the best judgment of pretty much everyone associated with the game.

That's not to say that Stokes would necessarily be a bad England captain. He is, by a distance, the least self-centred personality of the three names above - and, in fact, since his career flashed before his eyes in Bristol Crown Court last year, he's prostrated his every fibre to the wider team ethic. He's trained harder, run the twos and threes harder, valued his wicket harder (except with his two innings-changing dismissals in Mount Maunganui, but every rule has its exception, or something).

But given that some men are just better suited to being the dressing-room's sergeant major than its commanding officer, Stokes is surely better off being retained as a hugely influential vice-captain - a role to which he had to beg to be restored, having been stripped of the honour in the wake of the Bristol incident.

That request, to Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, was actually quite revealing - it suggested a character who knew he had immense presence in the dressing room but didn't want to throw his weight around without official say-so. It came across an act of extreme loyalty - to Root, fundamentally, but to the team as a whole - rather than an act of self-aggrandisement.

That said, Stokes did admit to The Times after that revelation that the England captaincy is "not something I could ever say no to" - further proof that, beyond giving his all to every situation he ends up in, he doesn't actually know what's best for him or his team.

Therefore it would be best to nip this notion in the bud right now, before Stokes has a chance to do a "Flintoff at Lord's 2006", and plough his body into submission in a futile 50-over attempt to break his opponents' resolve.

Chances: Please God, no…

Rory Burns

On the one hand Burns is 13 Tests into his England career, and is just about keeping his average above 30 in one of the most ruinously poisonous roles in international sport. Who would even begin to bandy around talk of handing the poor chap an even more poisoned chalice?

On the other hand, Burns is 13 Tests into his England career, which is more caps than all bar two of the other 10 specialist openers to have debuted for England since Andrew Strauss's retirement in 2012.

The honourable exceptions, with 16 and 17 respectively, are Nick Compton (who might well have been a banker had Chris Silverwood's back-to-basics mantra been preached a few years earlier) and Keaton Jennings (who might also have been a captaincy contender had he managed to find any runs outside of the subcontinent). The fact that Burns has made it this far means he's a bona fide veteran now.

And in captaincy terms, Burns actually is a veteran. Because unlike Root, or Alastair Cook, or even Strauss, he would come to the role as a County Championship-winning captain following his success with Surrey in 2018 - a runaway success when you consider his own stellar contribution with the bat: 1359 runs at 64.71, almost 300 more than his nearest challenger.

If he ever got the job, Burns would be the first man to captain England after winning the Championship since Graham Gooch, who won the pennant with Essex in 1986 before his first taste of the England captaincy two years later (although we'll gloss over the fact that, in the wake of a drastic form slump, he handed the captaincy back to Keith Fletcher for that same 1988 season).

It would probably be a terrible imposition. But let's face it, England's top order are already sacrificial lambs - players with enough stickability to take the shine off the new ball and prevent the flightier strokeplayers in the middle order from being blown away too soon, or so the theory goes. And at least in racking up a mightily respectable 390 runs in this summer's Ashes - almost twice as many as Australia's openers combined - the crosshairs that would be trained on Burns' helmet, were he to lead England Down Under in two years' time, would provide the perfect decoy for his team-mates to steal back the urn. Now that's leadership.

Chances: eminently feasible

Jos Buttler

On the plus side, he's the heir apparent in white-ball cricket - Buttler has stood in for Eoin Morgan on six occasions in ODIs already and four times in T20s, most recently against Pakistan at Trent Bridge on the eve of this year's World Cup (how did he fare that day? … oh …).

Even so, with six wins and four losses all told, Buttler is marginally in credit as a leader (and despite two ducks in his last two outings, he actually averages 47.20 to 40.88 in ODIs). He is certainly rated by Morgan as a tactical sounding-board, and the sort of proper cricket brain who, if push came to shove any time between now and 2023, could be trusted not to make a pig's ear of England's precious trophy-winning outfit.

But then there's the challenge of translating all that to Test cricket. For all his world-class attributes, Buttler is currently a luxury batsman at No.7 in England's Test batting order (any higher and he gets a nose-bleed, like most of the men around him). And he is also the third-best Test wicketkeeper on England's radar, behind Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow, both currently banished for distinctly differing reasons.

But perhaps the captaincy would be the making of Buttler at Test level, and of the men around him. Because, let's face it, while both Cook and Root commanded loyalty as leaders (with maybe one notable exception for the former…), neither have ever offered much in the way of strategic nous.

A few funky field placings, a bit of positive white-ball intent. Some sympathetic handling of his long-suffering quicks. A frisson of genius when the team most needs it. There's the bare bones of a good idea somewhere in there. So long as he doesn't pad up to too many straight ones when his turn comes to bat.

Chances: Strong to smoking hot

Stuart Broad

A fast bowler as captain! Sacrilege! England haven't gone down that route in Test cricket since 1984, when Bob Willis last embraced that chilling thousand-yard stare at the top of his mark. It was a state of focused fury that inevitably left David Gower pulling the strings in the field, a role he was finally handed on a permanent basis at Lord's against West Indies in 1984. (Cheers skip…)

Would Broad ever get quite so catatonic in the line of duty? Probably not. He was, after all, England's T20 captain during that brief separation of powers after the 2011 World Cup - when, in the days before anyone at the ECB gave a fig about white-ball cricket, Strauss relinquished the 50-over duties to groom Cook for the top job, and Broad, then aged 25, was handed the honours in the shortest form with a view to … not sure what, exactly.

So Broad did go on to lead England in consecutive World T20s in 2012 and 2014, but with Kevin Pietersen persona non grata at either event, his team were eliminated with a whimper at consecutive group stages, and that was the end of that. He never played the format again after the Netherlands' victory at Chattogram.

On the plus side, Broad talks a very good game (always useful for keeping the press on side). Plus, he gets under his opponents' skin with the precision and subtlety of a hypodermic needle, and tends to save his absolute best for the Australians - not since Ian Botham and, arguably, Darren Gough, has there been a more reliably up-for-it English combatant in Ashes cricket.

On the down side, Broad is 33 already, and until his that'll-show-em performances in the Ashes this summer, he had been looking like the most vulnerable member of an England seam attack that needs to find a succession plan after a decade dominated by his new-ball partnership with James Anderson. If he was ever going to be a stop-gap, that moment surely passed three years ago.

Chances: Highly probable … in a parallel universe

Eoin Morgan

What is it you even want from your captain, anyway? Is it runs? Well, yes, that'd be nice - Root would be looking a whole lot more sturdy right now if he wasn't averaging 27.40 in 10 Tests this calendar year. But failing that, you're looking for a man who, whatever his personal contribution, will improve every player who crosses his path. Whether that's through the right encouragement (or chastisement) at the right moment, a timely show of faith at a start of a key bowling spell. Or a moment of tactical clarity that helps to unpick a finely balanced game.

If the summer of 2019 proved anything (beyond Stokes' world-class credentials and the shortcomings of the ICC's playing conditions), it was that Morgan was the single most important player in that triumphant World Cup campaign. He made the big selection calls (not least where Alex Hales was concerned), he owned the moments when his team appeared to falter. And even if you had wanted to pick holes in his tactics at the pivotal moments, you'd never have made it past his inscrutable poker-face.

One thing that Root has going for him as captain - perhaps the only thing, if we are being harsh but fair - is the unquestionable loyalty of his friends and team-mates in the dressing room. They like and respect him, and want to keep playing for him, even when the results don't go their way.

Morgan, however, hasn't really needed friends in the field. He just needs team-mates, a vital distinction that has enabled him to keep a subtle, and authoritative, air of detachment during his reign.

As for the realities of a Test comeback, well… he hasn't played the format for seven long years, and he hadn't even played a first-class game for Middlesex for three seasons until a less-than-fruitful return to the format late in 2018, in which time he has mustered one Championship fifty in nine matches. And given that his only public misstep during the World Cup came when Kevin Pietersen called out his technique against the short ball, you'd have to assume he'd get a lively greeting if he were ever to don those whites again.

And yet, during Morgan's brief Test career, he was part of a batting line-up that drove the agenda in England's rise to No.1 in the world, and in the process he racked up two hundreds in 16 Tests - a tally that, of all the players who've been tried and discarded since he was in the mix, only Gary Ballance (4) has exceeded. It's hardly riches, but it's a very strict definition of failure.

He wouldn't want the job. He'd be mad to take the job. But has anyone watched Morgan in action in the T20 Blast or the T10 League since the World Cup win? He's been smoking the ball like a man who's found his happy place in life. He's fulfilled his life's ambition, and at the age of 33, he's got a handful of years to savour his status in the game. But might he fancy one last challenge before he calls it quits? You're a long time retired in this sport …

Chances: Go on, you know you want to ...

Authorities in New Zealand believe they may have identified the individual who is thought to have shouted racial abuse at Jofra Archer.

Archer, the England fast bowler, heard the abuse after he was dismissed in England's second innings at the Bay Oval. He reported the comments to stewards and team security at the time.

While authorities continue to scan CCTV footage and have appealed for other spectators to come forward with more information, it is understood by ESPN that someone believed to be the culprit later contacted Archer by direct message on Instagram. As a result, authorities are confident of being able to identify him.

Meanwhile, Ashley Giles, England's director of cricket, said that the team would rally round after after what he described as a "serious incident" that had left their New Zealand hosts very concerned about spectator behaviour.

"It's really unfortunate," said Giles. "It's a shame that sort of thing is still in our society. There was something said from the crowd, from the scoreboard area, which was offensive. Jofra reported this to the steward immediately as he came off. He also reported it to our security as he got back into the changing-rooms. The sense was that it was a racist abuse.

"We're working closely with New Zealand Cricket. They are incredibly concerned that this has happened on their patch. We believe it's an isolated incident but we'll know more once the investigation is finished.

"The tweet that went out [from Archer] was obviously emotional. It hurts. We fully support Jof - there is no place for racism in the game and Jof is part of our team. Whatever the abuse, we're right behind him.

"Our team will rally round him but it's a serious incident. He's a young man making his way in the game and we don't need this sort of thing. I'm hopeful they [NZC] will find out who did it. They're working very hard to find the culprit.

"It's a problem in sport still, clearly, and it's terrible that in this day and age this sort of thing is still happening and when it does happen that person isn't identified much quicker by the people around him.

"It's a good series and played in the right fashion and one person should not ruin that but it's a shame that sort of thing is still in society."

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio says "everything is on the table" when it comes to the quarterback position, including starting rookie Drew Lock this week.

Fangio's remark comes five days after the first-year head coach said it was not "vitally important" for Lock to play this season.

The change of heart follows the team's historically bad offensive performance Sunday. Denver compiled just 134 yards of offense in a 20-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills -- the lowest single-game total for the Broncos since 1992 and the eighth-worst single-game total in the franchise's history.

Asked whether Lock, who is still on injured reserve, could be moved to the roster this week, Fangio said: "It's possible, yeah. ... As far as this week goes, all options are on the table. ... We're just going to make a decision in the next couple days."

So is starting Lock on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers one of those options?

"Possibly, yeah," Fangio said.

At 3-8, the Broncos are on pace for their third consecutive season of double-digit losses -- something that has not happened to the franchise since 1965 to 1967. If Lock is put into the starting lineup, he would be the seventh starting quarterback and the ninth change the Broncos have made at quarterback overall since the start of the 2017 season.

Lock has been on IR since the start of the regular season with a right thumb injury he suffered in a preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He did not participate in a full practice again until Nov. 12. The Broncos have until Dec. 3 to move Lock to the active roster or keep him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Lock was one of two second-round picks for the Broncos in April's draft. If he remains on injured reserve, he cannot practice with the team after Dec. 3.

Fangio has repeatedly said that the 12 weeks Lock did not practice affects the rookie's ability to be ready to play. This week will mark Lock's eighth, ninth and 10th full practices since he returned to practice earlier this month.

Although Lock is physically fine to play, Fangio said he's still evaluating whether Lock is ready for game action.

"Just [want to] see some more practice ... just to make sure he's OK, physically, which he is, and that he's prepared mentally and emotionally to play," Fangio said.

Asked about the public sentiment that Lock should play, Fangio said: "I think we need to make the decision we feel is best, understanding everybody's wants, from your group and the group outside, but we need to make the decision we feel is best for Drew and the team, and we will," Fangio said.

In his third start for the injured Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen was 10-of-25 passing Sunday for 82 yards to go with an interception in the loss to the Bills. He was also sacked four times. The Broncos closed out the loss with five consecutive three-and-outs.

On those last five possessions, which totaled 15 plays from scrimmage, the Broncos had all of 2 net yards combined. Allen's interception also ended the Broncos' only drive that made it to the Bills' 25-yard line.

"We were sluggish offensively, we didn't execute very well ... and when we do get a chance, I make the poor decision on a pick," Allen said Sunday. "When you're trying to find completions out there, it's tough, and I obviously didn't do a very good job of it."

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Lamar Jackson makes his Monday Night Football debut as the quarterback of the highest-scoring team in the NFL, the newly minted favorite for Most Valuable Player and arguably the league's most popular player.

Any suggestion that Jackson would become football's next great young superstar by this point would've drawn laughter one year and one week ago, when he was thrust into the Baltimore Ravens' starting job after Joe Flacco was injured.

In 53 weeks, Jackson went from being a hotly debated question mark to the NFL's ultimate exclamation point.

Jackson has gone from throwing self-described ducks in training camp to sidearming darts just beyond the fingertips of defenders. He has gone from hearing calls for a return to Flacco during a disastrous playoff loss to getting serenaded with screams of "MVP" over the past month. He has gone from being "figured out" -- remember how the Los Angeles Chargers supposedly gave everyone the blueprint to beating him? -- to now being lauded as unstoppable.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a quarterback take that big of a jump from Year 1 to Year 2 that I can remember," said former Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta, who was a radio analyst for Jackson's first NFL start.

Heading into Monday night's showdown with the Los Angeles Rams (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN), Jackson has carried the Ravens (8-2) to their best start since their 2012 Super Bowl season. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to produce at least 2,000 yards passing and 700 yards rushing through the first 10 games, and even that doesn't do Jackson's outrageous start to a career any justice.

Through 17 career starts, Jackson has:

• As many wins (14) as all-time leader Tom Brady had through 17 starts.

• A higher completion rate (63.4%) than all-time leader Drew Brees (60.5%) had through 17 starts.

• A higher passer rating (97.7) than all-time leader Aaron Rodgers (93.7) had through 17 starts.

Like Jackson's rapid-fire style of play, his improvement feels like it has occurred in a blur. One moment, he's being drafted behind Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen. The next, he's outplaying Russell Wilson, Brady and Deshaun Watson.

In talking with coaches, teammates and Jackson himself, his growth has been more subtle.

The first start

That week wasn't a smooth one. Jackson spent a night at the hospital with stomach pains and missed Thursday's practice.

The least memorable part of Jackson's crazy run as a starter is the exact time it all began.

Flacco injured his hip in the game heading into last season's bye, but Jackson said he wasn't informed by coach John Harbaugh that he would take over as the starting quarterback until he returned from his one-week break.

Anyone hoping for a seminal, passing-of-the-torch scene from a Super Bowl MVP to the new franchise quarterback would be disappointed. Harbaugh can't recall exactly how he broke the news to Jackson, and Jackson remembers simply being told Flacco was hurt and he had to step up. His response: "All right, let's go."

"I wasn't excited," Jackson said. "I wanted [Flacco] to get better. He's my teammate, at the end of the day. It was his team. I had to fill in and help out."

Jackson believes dehydration sent him to the hospital. Once he got to the game, he showed few ill effects.

On Nov. 18, 2018, Jackson rallied the Ravens from an eight-point deficit to a 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. He became the first quarterback of the Super Bowl era to rush for over 100 yards in his first NFL start.

So what does Jackson remember the most? An interception thrown on the first drive of the second half.

"I feel like I put us in a bad position, if anything," Jackson said. "I was trying to do too much at the time."

The low point

Jackson became the youngest quarterback to start an NFL playoff game after turning around the Ravens' 4-5 season and helping Baltimore win its first AFC North title in six years. But his promising rookie season ended in disaster.

In a 23-17 playoff loss to the Chargers, Jackson completed 3 of 9 passes for 25 yards in the first three quarters. For the game, he rushed for 54 yards. His passer rating was 2.8. His two fourth-quarter touchdown passes that got Baltimore within one score proved no consolation.

"I watched it to see the mistakes," Jackson said. "It looked like I wasn't in it. I wish I could play it again right now."

The clamor was that every team now knew how to shut down Jackson, which offensive coordinator Greg Roman calls "ridiculous."

Jackson, though, was squarely in the crosshairs of the hometown crowd. It got so heated that fans behind the Ravens' bench area screamed for Flacco to replace Jackson, and players yelled back that Jackson had guided the team to the postseason.

There's a sense that this low point became a large part of Jackson's foundation for success heading into the 2019 season.

"You could kind of see how much he wanted to win and how disappointed he was in himself," Harbaugh said. "More than most any player I've ever been around, he takes it absolutely on his own shoulders when things don't go well. It was, 'This is on me.' I think that's one of the things that motivate him."

The offseason

Ten months after drafting Jackson, the Ravens were all-in, trading the most successful quarterback in franchise history to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round pick. With Flacco gone, the weight of the Ravens' season and future fell on Jackson's right arm.

At every turn in the spring, Jackson faced scrutiny on Twitter.

In April, Jackson's first pitch at an Orioles baseball game was studied. No arm ... stick to running.

In May, Jackson admitted he "sucked" on the first day of organized team activities. And they got rid of a perfectly good QB for this project.

In June, Jackson was picked off twice in the red zone by a corner formerly of the Alliance of American Football. I have a feeling this team is going to feature a roller coaster of an offense buoyed by a stout defense.

Jackson had the same NFL MVP odds (60-1) as Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

It's true that Jackson was wildly inconsistent during offseason workouts. He would throw a perfectly timed deep toss, only to follow it up with a head-scratching pass into the dirt. Then, midway through training camp, the coaches saw Jackson's accuracy and decision-making starting to click.

"He started putting really good practices together, not just a play here or a play there, or wow, he scrambled and nobody can touch him," Roman said. "It was: Wow, that was a really good practice. Did I just see that? Let's see how we do tomorrow. Oh wow, that was pretty good, too."

Where Jackson made his biggest strides was with his mechanics. As a rookie, his stance got very narrow and he was up on his toes. Jackson now plays with a wider base.

"That's the foundation of being a consistent passer is having a solid platform to throw from," quarterbacks coach James Urban said. "He's been very diligent about that."

The encouraging sign for Harbaugh? It was not about change but how Jackson stayed the same.

"The thing I like about him is he does all the regular work," Harbaugh said. "He gets in the weight room and does the same workout as the guys. He does the same conditioning as the guys. He shows up every day early. He likes the process of football. He keeps it simple."

A breakout second year

Jackson immediately changed the narrative of his ability to become a legitimate passer in the season opener.

In the 59-10 rout of the Miami Dolphins, Jackson finished with more touchdown passes (five) than rushing attempts (three). The one touchdown that stood out to Roman was the 83-yard pass to Marquise Brown. The Dolphins dropped eight men into coverage, a look Baltimore hadn't practiced against. Jackson, however, waited for the play to develop in order to complete the deep pass even though he had plenty of chances to take off for a big run.

"That was one of the moments where you said, 'Wow,'" Roman said.

Jackson went on to set new standards for dual-threat quarterbacks, but where he showed his most growth was in Seattle in Week 7. With the game tied at 13 late in the third quarter, Harbaugh saw that Jackson was ticked off coming off the field on fourth down at the Seahawks' 8-yard line. Harbaugh asked Jackson if he wanted to go for it, and Jackson immediately responded, "Yeah, I want to go for it! Let's get it."

Jackson scored on a crucial run up the middle of the defense, thanks to a situation that wouldn't have occurred in his rookie season.

"There probably were moments we could have went for it last year, and I was just jogging off the field; I was like, 'Dang, we'll just get it next drive,'" Jackson said. "Not like I'm not competitive, but it was just different [at Seattle]. I'm a lot [more] comfortable now than I was last year."

This ignited the current three-game stretch during which Jackson has completed 76% of his passes (49 of 64) for 608 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating in wins over New England, Cincinnati and Houston has been 141.9 (out of a perfect 158.3).

In last Sunday's 41-7 rout of the Texans, there was a sequence that characterized Jackson's mentality for many of his teammates. In the second quarter, Jackson was dropped for a 7-yard loss, and he began clapping while sitting on the turf. One play later, Jackson stepped up in the pocket and drilled an 18-yard touchdown pass through a tight window to tight end Mark Andrews.

"I guess that's what he has in his DNA," tight end Nick Boyle said. "He has a great carelessness, which is a good thing. So when something bad happens, he still has a smile on his face and moves to the next play, which is hard for a lot of guys. I think he does that the best I've ever seen."

What comes next?

Jackson is playing as well as anyone in the NFL right now, and the intriguing part is he's only 22. In Week 12, there are only three starting quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins and Darnold) are younger than Jackson.

If Jackson is No. 4 in the NFL in passer rating (106.3) and No. 10 in rushing (788 yards), what does the future hold for him?

"His ability to deal from the pocket is on the absolute right trajectory," ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. "He's getting more and more comfortable to the point where, if he continues to do that and be a threat running, then as a defender, what do you do?"

Roman believes that as Jackson grows as a quarterback, his game will change. Over the course of Jackson's career, Roman expects him to throw the ball more and run less.

"I'm trying to keep it as balanced as I can right now while still accomplishing what we need to accomplish," Roman said. "But you want this to happen for obvious reasons."

Jackson's future will be shaped by his team's continued success and how, if at all, the league adjusts to him. Will the other AFC North teams adapt their defensive rosters to try to slow him down? How long might it be before Roman gets offers to become a head coach elsewhere?

What the Ravens are not concerned about is Jackson himself. Teammates and coaches say that while Jackson is a much different player, he remains the same grounded person.

Last week, Jackson surpassed Wilson as the top candidate for NFL Most Valuable Player per Caesars Sportsbook and learned that he led the initial Pro Bowl balloting by nearly 30,000 votes over Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Yet there he was in the Ravens' training room, even though he had no reason to be there, shaking the hand of every trainer and every player receiving treatment.

"He's one of the most humble guys that I've ever been [around]," cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. "As he's been having more and more success, he's gotten more and more humble."

Jackson called his first full calendar year as the starter a whirlwind, which says a lot coming from someone who routinely makes defenders dizzy.

In some ways, maybe everyone should've seen Jackson's NFL takeover coming. Instead of focusing on a rookie throwing some passes over the heads of wide receivers, more attention should've been placed on Jackson's lifelong passion to win at the game's most important position.

"I feel like I'm just getting started," Jackson told ESPN. "I'm still young. I still got a lot of things to work on. I'm still growing each and every day. I'm trying to become a better person, a better player and an all-time better QB."

The Boston Celtics officially ruled out guard Kemba Walker for Monday night's home game against the Sacramento Kings.

Boston big man Daniel Theis was also ruled out due to an illness.

Coach Brad Stevens declined to say who would start in Walker's place.

Walker was hospitalized after suffering a neck sprain Friday when he collided with teammate Semi Ojeleye during a game with the Nuggets in Denver.

Walker had been listed as doubtful, which was surprising given how serious the injury looked on Friday night.

He is expected to go through a full practice Tuesday.

"Luckily Kemba has done very well," Celtics team doctor Tony Schenna said.

Schenna met with reporters Monday to explain Walker's treatment. The team initially said the star guard had concussion-like symptoms, but he was never diagnosed with a concussion, Schenna said.

"When he landed, he had numbness and tingling in his hands," Schenna said. "He never lost consciousness and he stayed on the floor mostly as a medical precaution."

Schenna said Walker passed concussion tests in Denver on Friday night, and the next day in Boston.

Walker remained on the floor for several minutes after the collision with Ojeleye. Play was stopped as medical personnel from both teams tended to him.

A brace was placed around Walker's neck to stabilize the area, and he was strapped to a backboard before being placed onto a gurney and wheeled off the court.

"He's been good, and he feels good," coach Brad Stevens said Sunday. "It's kind of a minor miracle based on what we saw the other day. But the strain is real, and he's got some soreness in his back and neck. That's it."

Walker had played in 158 consecutive games before Monday

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

The Tampa Bay Rays have re-signed catcher Mike Zunino to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, the team announced Monday.

Tampa Bay acquired Zunino last offseason from the Mariners. He hit nine home runs with a .165 batting average in his first season for Tampa Bay, which lost free agent catcher Travis d'Arnaud to the Braves earlier this week.

Zunino's deal includes a 2021 club option worth $4.5 million.