ARLINGTON, Texas -- T.Y. Hilton's introduction to the Dallas Cowboys could not have been any better because it came at perhaps the darkest moment of their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

Facing third-and-30 after Dak Prescott was sacked on consecutive plays and trailing the Eagles 34-27 with 8:02 to play, Hilton made a 52-yard reception, racing by cornerback Darius Slay.

"Third-and-30," Prescott said with a smile. "Find T.Y."

Four plays after Hilton's catch, CeeDee Lamb had his second touchdown reception of the game, a 7-yarder that tied the score with 5:49 to play. The Cowboys would score two more field goals for a 40-34 win against the Eagles, keeping their faint NFC East title hopes alive with two games remaining and perhaps giving them a jolt of confidence should the rivals meet again in the playoffs.

"It's awesome and it sparked us," Hilton said. "If I'm able to do that, sky's the limit for us."

Hilton said he had a feeling before the snap of the ball. When the Cowboys ran that play in practice, Prescott went to him multiple times. When Slay had his eyes on the quarterback and not on him, Hilton, who joined the Cowboys only on Dec. 12, felt even better.

"The ball just took off and I was like, 'Well, here we go,' and that's what I do, man. I just make plays," Hilton said. "That's what I'm here for, continue to make plays, continue to guide those guys and help them as much as I can. And when I get out there, just show that I'm still here."

Leading into the game, Hilton, 33, said he could still run. His 2021 season with the Indianapolis Colts was done in by injury, but after watching his kids play football through the summer and fall, he said his body felt refreshed.

After the game, Hilton wondered on Twitter if the catch was his "welcome to Dallas moment."

Hummmm. I wonder was that my welcome to Dallas moment ??

— TY Hilton (@TYHilton13) December 25, 2022

"That's a guy that's made a lot of big-time catches in his career," Prescott said. "Had a long career and has been very, very successful. Fourth down [earlier in the game] I went to him and he drew the holding call. Right here, third-and-30, yeah, he got even with him as I was releasing it and I knew to put some air under it. I knew he'd go make a play and it would be either that or an incompletion. He obviously went and made a catch."

The third-and-30 conversion was the longest on third down in the NFL since Week 2 of the 2020 season when San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon ran for a 55-yard touchdown on third-and-31, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. In the past 10 seasons, Hilton is tied with Tyreek Hill and A.J. Green for the second-most receptions of at least 50 yards with 17. DeSean Jackson has the most with 30.

Saturday's game was Hilton's first in 2022. He was inactive last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Most of the receiver focus for the Cowboys over the past few months centered on the possible addition of free agent Odell Beckham Jr. He visited the team and met with the medical staff, coaches and players. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones often expressed optimism that Beckham would join the Cowboys and contribute once the playoffs started.

Hilton slipped in almost undercover with a workout that was so good the Cowboys stopped him midway through, knowing he still had juice.

"This is a people business," coach Mike McCarthy said. "Obviously T.Y. is extremely talented, extremely proven. He's played at a Pro Bowl level multiple years, so obviously these types of situations are unique, A, for him to be available and then the opportunity to get a deal going. You couldn't find anything but extremely high praise for him as far as the phone calls that were made. He's been everything plus."

Stephan Bonnar, who helped launch the UFC into the mainstream with his fight against Forrest Griffin in the finals of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show, died at age 45, the promotion announced Saturday.

Bonnar died of presumed heart complications while at work, according to the UFC.

Bonnar and Griffin were both inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2013. Their knockdown, drag-out fight on April 9, 2005, is regarded as one of the most important fights in the history of the promotion. "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series and that fight in particular were critical to landing and keeping the UFC on cable.

The drama of Griffin vs. Bonnar, with both men digging deep in a bloody brawl, has long been an example of what the sport of MMA can be, allowing it to form its own identity separate from other combat sports such as boxing. Griffin won the fight via unanimous decision to earn a six-figure UFC contract. But the fight was so good that UFC president Dana White awarded Bonnar a contract, as well.

"Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," White told UFC.com on Saturday. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Bonnar, a native of Hammond, Indiana, but a longtime resident of Las Vegas, had not fought in MMA since a bout with Tito Ortiz under the Bellator banner in 2014, which headlined what at the time was the most watched Bellator event in its history. Bonnar last competed in the UFC in 2012, a loss to all-time great Anderson Silva. Before that bout, Bonnar was on a three-fight winning streak.

After his loss to Griffin in "The Ultimate Fighter" finals, Bonnar also went on a three-fight winning streak before falling to Rashad Evans, who would go on to become UFC light heavyweight champion. Griffin and Bonnar competed in a rematch of their classic fight in 2006, with Griffin winning again via unanimous decision. Griffin would also go on to win the UFC light heavyweight belt.

In his career, Bonnar faced seven future or former UFC champions: Griffin, Ortiz, Silva, Evans, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida and Mark Coleman. Bonnar named his first son Griffin after his most significant rival, who went on to become a good friend.

Bonnar, who finished his career with a 15-9 record, also did color commentary over the years for the WEC promotion and worked several times as an MMA analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports.

Following his MMA career, Bonnar took up professional wrestling and made multiple appearances with Impact Wrestling in 2019.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In the closing moments of Saturday's game against the Washington Commanders, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan removed his defensive starters from the game.

At that point, the Niners held a 17-point lead, and for all intents and purposes, the game was over.

But that kind of advantage is often a pass-rusher's dream, so when Shanahan made the move, he already knew what was coming next from star defensive end Nick Bosa. A good-natured, if not at least somewhat serious, objection.

"I know he's going to look at me right away when I do that because he wants to keep adding up the sacks, but I had to do that for the Niners," Shanahan said.

In reality, Bosa had already done more than his share in the Niners' 37-20 win. He was again at the center of San Francisco's eighth consecutive win, piling up seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and five pressures. It was the latest addition to Bosa's ever-expanding case for the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award and, according to tight end George Kittle, more fodder for his Most Valuable Player résumé.

"I think today secured his defensive MVP," Kittle said. "I don't know how it doesn't. If you look at what he does every Sunday compared to everyone else around the league whether it's offense or defense, I don't know why he's not in the MVP conversation, too ... Every single day he's just an absolute monster. All the sacks, they're earned and deserved. He's fantastic. He's never not good."

With two games to go in his fourth NFL season, Bosa is putting together his best year. Through the early Saturday games, he leads the NFL in sacks (17.5) and is third in pressures (51) while playing in 14 games. Bosa's 17.5 sacks is a career high for him and tied him with Fred Dean for the second most in franchise history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

The season record for sacks in a season is 22.5, shared by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. Bosa would need to get 5.5 over the next two games to break the record, a mark he says he could "maybe" attain. Aldon Smith's franchise record of 19.5 sacks, however, is a more realistic goal.

"I'm kind of eyeing the 19.5 more than that [NFL record]," Bosa said.

Bosa had a breakout 2021 season in which he posted 15.5 sacks but entered this year believing there was more for him to accomplish. He credits getting more reps under his belt and an increased emphasis on film study for taking his game to the next level in 2022.

The Niners give Bosa the freedom to line up on either side of the defensive alignment, and Bosa studies each opponent carefully to look for weaknesses. He then puts together a detailed rush plan for each opposing tackle that he believes gives him an advantage every week.

"I feel like I have an answer for every type of blocker at this point," Bosa said. "Some better than others obviously, but it's going well."

So well, in fact, that linebacker Fred Warner said Bosa is in the midst of playing the best ball of his relatively young career.

"It's insane the level he's playing at," Warner said. "That's a big reason why our defense is going the way it is because we know it takes all 11 to rush and the coverage works together, but knowing that he's on the field and has that opportunity to get home, you get stickier in coverage and you're able to sit on routes. He's just been playing out of his mind."

Bosa earned his third Pro Bowl nod this week and is aiming for his first All-Pro honor. While he says he's more focused on team goals, he also doesn't shy away from the conversation surrounding the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award, for which he and Dallas pass-rusher Micah Parsons appear to be the front-runners.

"That's a dream," Bosa said. "I've played this game since I was 7 years old, and I played D-line the entire way through. I've watched guys throughout the years and just wanted to be in that position, and I finally feel like I'm kind of living out my dream."

The Las Vegas Raiders got off to a hot start on a decidedly cold night in Pittsburgh with a 72-yard drive that took 14 plays and 8:22 off the game clock and gave the visiting Raiders a 7-0 lead.

It was Las Vegas' initial possession of the game, which kicked off with 8-degree temperatures and winds of 16 mph out of the west/southwest.

Hunter Renfrow took a short pass on the right sideline from Derek Carr, just in front of Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton before zig-zagging around defensive back Tre Norwood and diving into the end zone for a 14-yard score.

The throw by @derekcarrqb ?
The juke by @renfrowhunter ?@Raiders get on the board first!

?: #LVvsPIT on @NFLNetwork
?: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/QFaQ9w8Ajp

— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2022

It was also Renfrow's first TD catch of the season. The 2021 Pro Bowler has only appeared in eight games this season due to injuries.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry will miss at least two more weeks for Golden State as he recovers from a partial dislocation of the left shoulder he suffered Dec. 14 in a game at Indiana.

The 34-year-old Curry, who is averaging 30.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists, has missed the past four games for the defending champions (15-18). The Warriors said Saturday he was reevaluated and is making good progress, with another exam scheduled in two weeks.

The Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day in a rematch of this year's Western Conference semifinals won by Golden State in five games.

Sacramento Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis suffered a right hand injury and will undergo further testing and evaluation on treatment options that will help determine how much time -- if any -- Sabonis will miss, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

X-rays confirmed the injury and the need for further examination after Friday's loss to the Washington Wizards. A timeline on a return could depend on Sabonis' pain tolerance or the need to address a more serious injury, sources told ESPN.

Sabonis injured the hand in the fourth quarter of the 125-111 loss to the Wizards.

He has been a driving force in the Kings' renaissance this season, averaging 17.9 points, a league-leading 12.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists for the current No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

Sacramento hasn't made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, the NBA's longest postseason drought. The Kings are 17-14, three games behind first-place Denver in the West and only one game behind fourth-place Phoenix.

So far, 7-foot Sabonis has had a magnificent season for the Kings. He is one of three players, along with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to average 10 rebounds and five assists this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Sabonis leads the league in double-doubles with 23, and has three games of 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists this season -- more than the rest of the NBA combined, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Sabonis, an All-Star in 2020 and 2021 with Indiana, was traded by the Pacers to the Kings last February in a deal that included guards Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield.

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is expected to return from a groin injury Sunday for the Christmas Day matchup with the Denver Nuggets, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Booker last played one week ago, when he scored 58 points in a comeback win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He landed on the injury report soon after and has missed the past three games with groin soreness.

He missed time earlier this month because of hamstring tightness.

Booker, 26, is enjoying the best season of his career, averaging 28 points while shooting 47.7% from the field and 37% from 3.

Suns-Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET) will cap a five-game Christmas Day slate, which begins with 76ers-Knicks at noon on ABC and ESPN.

The New York Mets and free agent shortstop Carlos Correa are "working through" a medical issue after his physical with the team apparently showed the same right leg concerns that nixed a deal with the San Francisco Giants earlier in the week, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Correa, 28, agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with the Mets just hours after a deal with the Giants was put on hold because of concerns with Correa's lower right leg, which had been surgically repaired in 2014 after he broke the fibula on a slide during a minor league game. In the interim, Correa pivoted to the Mets, who had previously engaged on acquiring the star veteran.

Despite the latest delay, a deal with the Mets is still likely, according to the source, but the contract could be reworked to account for the issue. That reworking could simply be for fewer years and less money or could include language that doesn't guarantee a certain amount of money if Correa misses lengthy time because of the specific leg ailment.

An agreement between player and team isn't official until the player passes a physical and signs a contract, as it's not uncommon for agreements to leak before the team makes an announcement. On occasion, a player won't pass his physical -- or one team views his medicals differently than another -- thus voiding the agreement.

The latter scenario appeared to apply to Correa, but now the Mets apparently have the same concerns the Giants had, hence delaying the official signing. There is no timetable to the sides reworking the agreement, according to a source.

Correa has a .836 OPS over eight seasons in the big leagues and was one of four star shortstops available this offseason in the free agent market. He was set to make the most in total dollars of the four, but now his latest deal with New York is on hold for the moment.

The Athletic was the first to report an issue with Correa's physical with the Mets.

TORONTO -- Despite the initial shock, Daulton Varsho views his trade to the Toronto Blue Jays as potentially being one of the best things that could happen to him.

The former Arizona Diamondbacks slugger was sent to Toronto for veteran outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno on Friday.

"You think you're going to stay at one spot your whole career and usually that never happens," Varsho told reporters Saturday. "I'm glad I have family to be able to help me through.

"My dad [Gary Varsho] got traded so he knows exactly the feeling. He was with the Cubs for a long time and [then] going to Pittsburgh. But it was one of the greatest things for him, so I'm thinking the same thing. I'm coming to this winning team here in Toronto and it's gonna be a lot of fun."

Varsho provides the Blue Jays a much-needed left-handed power bat, in addition to a wealth of versatility. The 26-year-old is under team control for four years.

He hit a career-high 27 homers last season and was a Gold Glove finalist in right field and as a utility player. He also spent some time in center field and made 18 starts as a catcher.

Varsho drove in 74 runs, stole 16 bases and hit .235 over 151 games in 2022.

"I think well-rounded is what comes to mind," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Saturday. "The impact that he's going to have on our team is going to be on every side of the ball -- the base-running impact, the speed, the versatility, elite defense and the fact that he can also catch for us is about as good of a fit as possibly we could have found.

"I think it is the ideal fit for the roster and one that we are very excited about."

Gurriel, 29, is a five-year veteran set to become a free agent after next season. He hit .291 in an injury-plagued season with five homers and 32 doubles.

The 22-year-old Moreno made his big league debut last year with the Blue Jays, hitting .319 with a homer in 69 at-bats. Toronto was deep at the catcher position with All-Star Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen.

"All trades are difficult," Atkins said. "Having to acquire a player of this caliber ... one of the better players in the game last year, you're going to have to be uncomfortable. Including Lourdes Gurriel in the deal was difficult for us, but necessary from their end.

"They were looking to consolidate talent at the major league level as well. The prospect-driven deals [weren't] as attractive to them."

Varsho was among a group of young, talented outfielders on the Diamondbacks, who were 74-88 last season. Atkins said Varsho predominantly will play left field, strengthening a new-look outfield that consists of George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier, who finalized a deal with the Blue Jays on Dec. 15.

"It's gonna be a lot of fun playing with Kevin and George out there [and] having a better idea of how they play," Varsho said.

The prospects of playing alongside Kiermaier especially excites Varsho.

"Definitely, he's a Gold Glover," he said. "It's always fun to be out there with a guy who plays the same way I do, where it's going hard until [you] catch the ball.

"Being able to learn from him because I think he goes really well back. That's one thing I think I struggle at a little bit. But to be able to learn something, maybe something minimal for him throughout his whole career of what helped him and just bounce some ideas off him."

Toronto (92-70) finished seven games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East last season. The Blue Jays have been busy retooling since getting swept by the Seattle Mariners in the wild-card round.

Toronto shipped slugger Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners last month for reliever Erik Swanson. The Blue Jays also signed starting pitcher Chris Bassitt.

"I think our heavy lifting is done but certainly not ruling anything out and would expect incremental improvements," Atkins said. "But very excited about this impact and feel good about the previous acquisitions that we've made as well."

All the staff at Athletics Weekly wish our readers a very merry Christmas

Whether you end up doing some training or are taking a well-earned day off, the staff at AW hope you have a great Christmas.

If you’ve got some spare time on your hands over the festive period why not make the most of it and grab a copy of the latest edition of AW?

The issue takes a look back on an amazingly busy 2022 with exclusive interviews with the AW readers’ choice athletes of the year, plus much more.

With postal strikes affecting mail deliveries, remember there’s also the option to read AW digitally – you can buy and read AW online right now here.

You can also take advantage of our special Christmas subscription offer which costs £24.99 for the first three months and you will receive a free training journal.

If you do venture out on a run or to do some training, let us know! Why not send us a seasonal snap of you in action? Tweet us @AthleticsWeekly or get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.

Happy Christmas!