MON SEVEN

TheSuper Bowlcan't come soon enough for supporters of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. New York Jets fans, however, might choose to skip the game altogether.

They'll witness one of two scenarios play out Sunday: Either their former quarterback and presumed savior of the franchise, Sam Darnold, will lead Seattle to its first NFL championship since 2014 or New England, their hated rival, will add to its stuffed trophy case.

For Jordan Kamzan, a 34-year-old from Long Beach, New York, it's not a difficult choice.

"It could be anyone playing the Patriots," he said, "I would be cheering for him."

Connor Hughes, an NFL reporter who covers the Jets and New York Giants for SNY, put it more bluntly.

"If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, that's when the whole world will just come crashing down on the Jets fan."

The rivalry between the two teams dates to 1960, when both franchises played in the American Football League. It continued once the league merged with the NFL in 1970 and the Jets and Patriots squared off multiple times a year as members of the AFC East.

While the Patriots lead the all-time series 77–56–1, New England has been even more dominant in recent seasons. Since 2000, the Patriots are 40-12 in regular-season games. They also boast six Super Bowl wins and 18 divisional titles over that span.

Jets fans thought theirrival's reign was overwhen legendary quarterback Tom Brady left the franchise in 2020 and coach Bill Belichick parted ways in 2024, but they were wrong. Just two years later, the Patriots areback in the Super Bowl. And they now have a young stud quarterback and coach who figure to cause problems for the foreseeable future.

Drake Maye, a second-year signal-caller out of North Carolina, is in the NFL MVP conversation after taking a 4-13 team last season to the title game. He threw for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and only eight interceptions this year. New head coach Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker who won three Super Bowls as a player, has also been instrumental in the quick turnaround.

The worst part is that the Jets nearly had Vrabel themselves.

"They did everything they could to get him," Hughes said. "So much so that when he was driving to take the Patriots job, they called him and was basically like, 'Is there anything we can do to get you out of that car? Is there anything we can do to get you to take our job? We'll give you more money. We'll give you full control. We'll do anything to get you over here.'"

Vrabel didn't budge. The Jets were forced to pivot to former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who led New York to a 3-14 season in his first year.

"So they are sitting there stuck with Aaron Glenn coming off a three-win season, picking second overall (in the upcoming NFL draft) and having absolutely no hope," Hughes added.

New York has not made the playoffs in 15 straight seasons.

"People can say they are lovable losers, but they are not even that," Kamzan said. "What's there to love?"

Jets fans thought things would turn around in 2018 when they drafted Darnold at No. 3 overall. Instead, Darnold went 13-25 as a starting quarterback and had multiple bizarre incidents off the field that turned into viral memes.

One was when a graphic was shared of Darnold with the words "Out Indefinitely: Mononucleosis" next to him, which was mocked online.

Another was when Darnold said he was "seeing ghosts" while wearing a live microphone during a 33-0 loss to the Patriots on "Monday Night Football" in 2019. Both teams' fans still bring up the now-famous line.

He left the team after the 2020 season and was considered by many to be a bust.

But despite the lackluster play, many fans and analysts don't place the blame squarely on Darnold.

"Everything you could possibly do to make a quarterback fail is pretty much what the Jets did," Hughes said. "You can look at the players he was throwing to, to the guys that were blocking for him and the coaching. It was all bad. … I don't think there was ever a world, when you really look at it, where Sam has success with the Jets."

He always had promise in the league if those other aspects — better talent around him, an offensive coach who can make the game easier — came together. And he's proven that since.

Darnold, after a brief stint as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers, has thrived as a starter with the Minnesota Vikings and now the Seahawks. He was efficient all season, passing for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, and has found a perfect connection with elite receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

In the NFC championship against the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold completed nearly 70% of his passes for 346 yards and three scores with no interceptions.

"It's hard not to feel good for the guy," Corey Celt, a 36-year-old from Commack, New York, said. "As a Jets fan, I don't hold any hard feelings against Darnold. It's a choice between the Patriots and Sam Darnold, and I think picking Sam Darnold is an easy one."

Kamzan didn't hesitate when asked if there are "what-ifs" surrounding Darnold.

"Of course. There's the what-if of, 'If we just had better management, could this guy have been the franchise quarterback?' But what are you going to do? It's the Jets."

For No. 9 Nebraska, a midweek bye in the middle of a difficult Big Ten Conference schedule couldn't have come at a better time.

"We need to get right, get better," Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said. "It comes at a good time for us to get our guys that have been banged up to get them right."

After following 20 straight wins with back-to-back losses to top 10 teams Michigan and Illinois, Nebraska will try to get back into the win column Saturday when it travels to Piscataway, N.J. for another conference clash with Rutgers.

The Cornhuskers (20-2, 9-2 Big 10) haven't played since the aforementioned 78-69 home defeat to Illinois on Sunday. They made 15 of 35 3-pointers but didn't generate enough inside offense, managing just five free throw attempts and getting outrebounded 40-27.

Hoiberg took a postgame swipe at the officials, saying that he felt Nebraska's halfcourt offense was being hindered by non-calls.

"Freedom of movement, that's gotta be enforced," Hoiberg said. "We run a pretty aesthetically pleasing offense but when you're being held, you can't run it. We are going to continue to try and do it and cut with force and do everything we can to get these guys open but it's tough at times when you're out there."

A healthier Rienk Mast should aid the Cornhuskers. Mast didn't play at Michigan after becoming ill and didn't play well against the Illini, hitting just 2 of 10 shots in 25 minutes and finishing with only five points.

Mast is second on the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg, with Pryce Sandfort tallying 17.2 on 47.5% field goal shooting.

While Nebraska has gotten time to rest and reload, Rutgers (9-14, 2-10) still is licking its wounds from a 98-66 blowout loss Tuesday night at UCLA. The

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Scarlet Knights have dropped six straight games, plagued by an inability to consistently get stops.

Rutgers has allowed 85 ppg during the skid and resembled a sieve against UCLA, permitting a ridiculous 1.55 points per possession. That's a 180-degree turn from the defense-first identity the program's boasted during coach Steve Pikiell's 10 years.

"We're young - we have seven freshmen and 10 newcomers - so we're learning," Pikiell said. "You hope they grow and learn that practices matter. Film watching and scouting reports matter. It's a long season and sometimes, guys lose focus on what needs to be done."

First-shot defense has been an issue for the Scarlet Knights, who are allowing opponents to hit 45.7 % from the field and 37.9 % of 3-pointers. By contrast,

Rutgers is making just 40.7 % from the field and only 32.2 % from the 3-point line.

Tariq Francis is scoring a team-high 16.5 ppg for the Scarlet Knights, while Dylan Grant is contributing 10.8. Troubles on the glass haven't helped as

Rutgers is getting outrebounded by two per game.

The good news for the Scarlet Knights is that their schedule, which has featured a spate of likely NCAA tournament participants during their slide, eases considerably after Saturday. They play only one ranked team - Michigan State - in their last seven games.

--Field Level Media

Purdue senior guard Fletcher Loyer shook a shooting slump in a big way last weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, his teammates will look to feed off that persistence as the No. 12 Boilermakers face struggling Oregon in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue (18-4, 8-3 Big Ten) stopped a three-game losing streak with a 93-63 road rout of Maryland on Sunday.

Loyer led the charge with 29 points, which included a 7-for-10 effort from long range. It was a welcome development after he shot just 4 of 15 from deep as the Boilermakers lost to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana by a 13 combined points to close January.

"It's just a win for the team," said Loyer, who is averaging 13.2 points per game this season. "Obviously, you want to make shots, but when it's not going in, it's staying confident and keep moving forward."

Braden Smith followed with 19 points on Sunday and has scored in double figures in 11 straight games entering play against the Ducks (8-4, 1-10).

Still, the Boilermakers know Loyer can provide equal consistency when he's clicking -- and his rhythm typically doesn't stray far for long.

Loyer has 252 made 3-pointers in his career, 29 shy of matching the program record set by Carsen Edwards.

"He's been here for four years," teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn said of Loyer. "We know how good of a shooter he is; we see it every day. It's just trying to get him as many open shots as possible. As a teammate, that's what I'm looking at. If he can catch the ball and shoot the ball, that's the shot we want."

Kaufman-Renn notched a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to boost visiting Purdue to a 65-58 victory against Oregon on Jan. 18, 2025. The first meeting between the schools as Big Ten rivals marked a matchup between Top 20 programs, but the Ducks have sputtered this season.

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Sunday's 84-66 home loss to Iowa extended Oregon's season-high losing streak to eight games, with the past seven defeats coming by double digits.

Injuries sidelined Nate Bittle, Ege Demir, Devon Pryor and Jackson Shelstad vs. Iowa, as Shelstad (hand) and Demir (shoulder) remain out for the season.

"Anything I say, it makes it sound like excuses, you know," Ducks coach Dana Altman said.

While Bittle (foot), the team's leading scorer at 16.3 points a game, returned to practice this week, a return timeframe to game action is uncertain.

Kwame Evans Jr. led the way against Iowa with 18 points in a contest that saw the first start of senior walk-on guard Drew Carter, a one-time Colorado football player.

Altman this week chastised himself for not cultivating more depth on a team seeking its first victory since Jan. 2 at Maryland, Oregon's only win in league play.

Takai Simpkins, who had 16 points Sunday, has provided a steady hand during the slide, finishing in double figures in five of the seven games in which he has played.

As Altman aims to avoid his career-worst losing streak of nine games, set during his first season at Creighton in 1994-95, he's clear that the Ducks' struggles haven't dampened his passion.

"You do this as long as I have, there's always ups and downs," Altman, 67, said. "This is a big down, but I still like coaching, still want to coach. I still enjoy going to the gym every day. Got a great staff. So, no, it doesn't change how I feel about it."

--Field Level Media

A Russian general serving as deputy head of Russian military intelligence was shot and seriously wounded in Moscow on Friday, officials said – the latest in a series of attacks on top military figures.

An unknown attacker fired several shots at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev in a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow and fled the scene, a Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson said in a statement.

The Russian Investigative Committee said its officers are at the scene and investigators are searching for the shooter. The committee has opened a criminal case into what it called the attempted murder of a high-ranking defense ministry official.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Ukrainian government of being behind the attempted murder of Alekseyev, without citing evidence.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the shooting.

Alekseyev has been transferred to a city hospital, the Investigative Committee statement said. He is in intensive care and in a serious condition following the shooting, according to Russian state media.

Alekseyev, 64, is the first deputy head of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate, the GRU. The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.

He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following anerve agent attackin Salisbury, England, which the British government said was carried out by GRU agents to poison a former Russian spy. The EU sanctions describe Alekseyev as "responsible for the possession, transport and use in Salisbury… of the toxic nerve agent 'Novichok' by officers from the GRU," along with sanctioned Russian military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.

Alexseyev has had significant involvement in the war in Ukraine, serving as one of Russia's negotiators in thesecret talkswith a member of the Ukrainian parliament to end Russia's 2022 siege of the strategic city of Mariupol, Ukraine.

A Ukrainian intelligence report on Alexseyev claims he has been responsible for "the organization of the preparation of initial data for launching missile and air strikes on Ukrainian territory," including on civilian targets, as well as being responsible for theillegal referendain the occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine has also accused him of war crimes in Syria.

In 2023, Alekseyev was sent by the Russian military to negotiate withYevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, during the Wagner group's mutiny. At the time, he called Prigozhin's actions a coup as well as "a stab in the back of the country and the president."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a Friday press briefing that the intelligence services were investigating the attack and would report any findings to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added: "We wish the general survival and recovery."

"It is clear that such military leaders and highly qualified specialists are at risk during a war," Peskov said when asked about the security of military officials' residences. "That's a matter for the intelligence services."

A neighbor of Alekseyev told Reuters that she heard several shots around 6:30 a.m. local time Friday. The woman, who only gave her first name as Alexandra, said she "woke up because of shots" and rushed outside the residential building alongside other neighbors. Another resident had already called police, who arrived by 7 a.m., she said.

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Several prominent Russians have been killed by explosive devices or shot dead in Moscow inattacksblamed on the Ukrainian security services since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian strikes continue

Friday's shooting in Moscow comes one day after Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met for trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, where the Russian delegation was led by their military intelligence chief Kostyukov.

The Kremlin on Friday described the trilateral talks as "both constructive and challenging."

Ukraine's negotiation team also said the talks were "truly constructive" in a comment to news agency RBC-Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they'd "agreed that the next meeting will be held in the near future."

But beyond a prisoner swap that took place on Thursday, which saw 314 POWs exchanged, no major breakthroughs were announced by either side.

Despite the diplomatic engagement, Russia's attacks on Ukraine have continued this week.

At least three Ukrainian people were killed and 15 people injured in Russian attacks within the last day, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday. Russia launched two ballistic missiles, five cruise missiles and hundreds of drones overnight into Friday, hitting the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kharkiv.

In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian attack on Friday heavily damaged an animal shelter, according to the city council, which released video showing several animals injured or killed.

Throughout the winter – the coldest one Ukraine has experienced in 20 years – Russia's military has also intensified itsassault on the country's energy sector.

In the capital Kyiv, where temperatures are below freezing on Friday, 1,100 high-rise residential buildings remain without power, according to local authorities. In the two districts of Kyiv that have been hit hard by attacks on energy infrastructure, about half the schools are operating without heat.

"The Kremlin is doubling down on war crimes, deliberately striking homes and civilian infrastructure," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday, as she announced the EU is tabling its 20th package of sanctions against Russia.

"This is not the conduct of a state seeking peace. It is the behaviour of a nation waging a war of attrition against a civilian innocent population," von der Leyen said.

This is story has been updated with developments.

CNN's Victoria Butenko and Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.

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BANI WALID, Libya (AP) — Thousands converged on Friday in northwestern Libya for the funeral ofSeif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and one-time heir apparent ofLibya'slate leader Moammar Gadhafi, who waskilled earlier this weekwhen four masked assailants stormed into his home and fatally shot him.

Mourners carried his coffin in the town of Bani Walid, 146 kilometers (91 miles) southeast of the capital, Tripoli, as well as large photographs of both Seif al-Islam, who was known mostly by his first name, and his father.

The crowd also waved plain green flags, Libya's official flag from 1977 to 2011 under Gadhafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years before being toppled in a NATO-backedpopular uprisingin 2011. Gadhafi was killed later that yearin his hometown of Sirteas fighting in Libya escalated into a full-blown civil war.

As the funeral procession got underway and the crowds swelled, a small group of supporters took Seif al-Islam's coffin away and later performed the funeral prayers and buried him.

Attackers at his home

Seif al-Islam, 53, was killed on Tuesday inside his home in the town of Zintan, 136 kilometers (85 miles) southwest of the capital, Tripoli, according to Libyan's chief prosecutor's office.

Authorities said an initial investigation found that he was shot to death but did not provide further details. Seif al-Islam's political team later released a statement saying "four masked men" had stormed his house and killed him in a "cowardly and treacherous assassination," after disabling security cameras.

Seif al-Islam was captured by fighters in Zintan late in 2011 while trying to flee to neighboring Niger. The fighters released him in June 2017, after one of Libya's rival governments granted him amnesty.

"The pain of loss weighs heavily on my heart, and it intensifies because I can't bid him farewell from within my homeland — a pain that words can't ease," Seif al-Islam's brother Mohamed Gadhafi, who lives in exile outside Libya though his current whereabouts are unknown, wrote on Facebook on Friday.

"But my solace lies in the fact that the loyal sons of the nation are fulfilling their duty and will give him a farewell befitting his stature," the brother wrote.

Since the uprising that toppled Gadhafi, Libya plunged into chaos during which the oil-rich North African country split, with rival administrations now in the east and west, backed by various armed groups and foreign governments.

Gadhafi's heir-apparent

Seif al-Islam was Gadhafi's second-born son and was seen as the reformist face of the Gadhafi regime — someone with diplomatic outreach who had worked to improve Libya's relations with Western countries up until the 2011 uprising.

The United Nations imposed sanctions on Seif al-Islam that included a travel ban and an assets freeze for his inflammatory public statements encouraging violence against anti-Gadhafi protesters during the 2011 uprising. The International Criminal Court later charged him with crimes against humanity related to the2011 uprising.

In July 2021, Seif al-Islam told the New York Times that he's considering returning to Libya's political scene after a decade of absence during which he observed Middle East politics and reportedly reorganized his father's political supporters.

He condemned the country's new leaders. "There's no life here. Go to the gas station — there's no diesel,″ Seif al-Islam told the Times.

In November 2021, he announced his candidacy in the country's presidential election in a controversial move that was met with outcry from anti-Gadhafi political forces in western and eastern Libya.

The country's High National Elections Committeedisqualified him, but the election wasn't held over disputes between rival administrations and armed groups.

Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.