Jake DeBrusk did not want to see the Winter Classic end as he enjoyed a dream outing at Fenway Park, guiding the Boston Bruins past the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Bruins replicated their 2010 feat – when they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in the previous Winter Classic to be held at Fenway – by downing the Penguins by the same score on Monday.
DeBrusk was the hero with two third-period goals after Kasperi Kapanen gave the Penguins the lead in front of 39,243 fans in the NHL's annual outdoors game.
Speaking to TNT after the game – which the NHL-best Bruins have now won a record three times in four appearances – DeBrusk expressed his gratitude for the chance to play at Fenway.
"I've been lucky enough to play in three of these now, and just look around. I mean, this is Fenway Park all pretty much in yellow," DeBrusk said.
"It's one of those things where you almost don't want it to end."
DeBrusk expected team-mate Taylor Hall to make the decisive contribution after he tied things up by beating replacement goaltender Casey DeSmith just six seconds after a Pittsburgh penalty expired.
While DeBrusk ultimately proved the game-winner by knocking in a rebound with two minutes and 24 seconds left, the goal owed much to Hall's fine work.
"I actually thought it was going to be him [who scored]," DeBrusk said. "I was talking to him on the bench, saying, 'Hey Hallsy, it wouldn't be bad to score your first one at Fenway'."
The defeat leaves the Penguins in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-12-6 record for the season.
Head coach Mike Sullivan lamented fine margins, including an early injury to goaltender Tristan Jarry.
"There's a fine line between winning and losing", Sullivan said. "It comes down to subtle details. There were momentum swings on both sides in all periods.
"I don't have any update on Tristan. Obviously he is being evaluated for a lower body injury. It's tough to lose a guy that early in the game."
Martina Navratilova said she is "not done yet" after it was confirmed she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
Navratilova is one of the most decorated tennis players of all time, having won 18 grand slam singles titles between 1978 and 1990.
She successfully underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has been revealed she is once again battling the illness.
A representative described Navratilova's prognosis as "good", and the 66-year-old said the disease was "serious but still fixable".
Navratilova has pledged to fight, posting on Twitter: "Needless to say my phone and Twitter are both blowing up.
"I will say again – thank you all for your support and I am not done yet."
The Czech also received support from Billie Jean King, who tweeted: "Martina is as brave as she is strong. She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers."
Scott Stallings has revealed his invitation to this year's Masters Tournament was delivered to the wrong person in a case of mistaken identity.
The three-time PGA Tour winner had been expecting official confirmation of his inclusion for the year's first major at Augusta in April.
However, his package was instead sent to another man who shares his name, as well as having an identically named wife and residing in Georgia.
Taking to social media, Stallings posted a message he received from his namesake, who offered to forward the invite to its rightful recipient.
"Literally had been checking the mailbox five times a day and then I got this random [direct message] yesterday," Stallings tweeted.
The original recipient reached out on New Year's Day, writing: "My name is Scott Stallings as well and I'm from [Georgia]. My wife's name is Jennifer too.
"I received a FedEx today from the Masters inviting me to play in the Masters Tournament April 6-9, 2023. I'm [100 per cent] sure this is NOT for me. I play but wow! Nowhere near your level.
"It's a very nice package complete with everything needed to attend. I think we have some confusion because of our names, our wives' names and geographical location."
Stallings' previous best display at the Masters came when he claimed a share of 27th place in 2012, while his last PGA title came at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2014.
The major will be the first of the 2023 season, with players from both the PGA Tour and the breakaway LIV Golf circuit expected to feature at Augusta.
Tom Brady will not be rested for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' final regular season game, with Todd Bowles vowing to field his starters.
Tampa Bay locked up the NFC South with a Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Raymond Jones Stadium, securing a top-four berth for the playoffs.
With nothing but a winning record to play for in Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons, however, there had been questions as to whether the Bucs would choose to protect key players in an effective dead rubber.
Brady stated after victory he wanted to play against Atlanta, and now Bowles has revealed he intends to put his strongest line-up out rather than go the safe route.
"We can get better at a lot of things, so right now I'm planning on playing them," he said on Monday. "We'll see as the week goes forward.
"But we can get better at a lot of things that we need to work on, and we don't need to take our foot off the gas.
"You've got to weigh the pluses and minuses to that. So we'll see how the week goes, and we'll try to make some arrangements or corrections if we need to make them, and we'll go from there."
An 8-8 record this season means that a win against the Falcons can help the Bucs avoid the ignominy of a losing campaign heading into the postseason.
Bowles – who celebrated a second division title in a row with milk and cookies – is aware a third straight win will help the Bucs peak at the right time
"It'll boost morale," he added. "Winning helps, period, whether it's playoffs or regular season. You want to win every game you play.
"Obviously we had some tough ones we lost, we had some tough ones we won.
"But winning the last two the way we did, obviously that builds morale more, and you want to go in on a high note."
Art McNally, the first NFL official to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 97.
McNally spent 23 years as the NFL's director of officiating and was responsible for introducing the instant replay review process and formal training for officials.
He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year and known as "the father of modern officiating", died of natural causes on Sunday, his family confirmed.
"Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
"Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
"But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way."
The list of things that have not gone entirely to plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is pretty extensive.
From offensive line injuries to an inconsistent pass rush and the questionable decision-making of head coach Todd Bowles in his first year in the job, the Buccaneers have had to deal with both misfortune and a host of self-inflicted problems.
Yet the most bemusing issue in what can at best be described as an up-and-down season for Tom Brady following his about-face on his initial offseason decision to retire has been his lack of a rapport with Mike Evans.
Sideline frustration between Brady and Evans has been a common theme for Tampa Bay in 2022, with the latter's struggles seeing him go 11 games without scoring a receiving touchdown.
That frustration was alleviated emphatically on Sunday as Evans exploded for a hat-trick of touchdowns in helping the Buccaneers overturn a 21-10 deficit against the Carolina Panthers and clinch the NFC South with a 30-24 victory at Raymond James Stadium.
Evans caught deep shots of 63, 57 and 30 yards from Brady as he destroyed an injury-hit Panthers secondary.
He created a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, on eight of his 12 targets in a performance that saw him rack up 207 receiving yards. Evans averaged 17.25 burn yards per target, trailing only Christian Watson and Davante Adams among wideouts with at least five targets in Week 17 as of Sunday.
It was belated reward for a season in which Evans, despite consistently appearing out of sync with Brady, he has excelled at getting open. Indeed, heading into Week 17, Evans led the NFL in combined open percentage (56.47) in matchups against man and zone coverage (min. 100 matchups).
His first deep touchdown reception saw Evans surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the season. It is his ninth successive 1,000-yard campaign, tying Tim Brown for the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice (11) can claim to have more consecutive four-figure receiving seasons.
Evans' own record for the most successive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career was also extended, but more important than his individual milestones is the confidence his treble could give both him and Brady as they prepare for the postseason.
The Buccaneers have had precious little on which to rely on the offensive side of the ball, save for their performance when going no-huddle and Brady's ability to lead comebacks in the fourth quarter.
Brady has a career-high five game-winning drives this season and four fourth-quarter comebacks, a tally that is one shy of his career-high in that respect.
But the rekindling of Brady's connection with Evans gives Tampa Bay something to lean on, a route to explosive plays that will be all the more critical in the postseason.
A narrow win over the Panthers won't do much to change perceptions that the Bucs are a team well short of being able to compete for a Super Bowl. However, Brady and Evans connecting consistently downfield improves the odds of them at least doing damage in the playoffs, especially in a possible first-round matchup with a volatile and vulnerable Dallas Cowboys secondary.
It's likely to be the final year of the Brady-Evans partnership in Tampa, one that has resulted in 32 touchdowns since the quarterback left the New England Patriots to head to the Buccaneers.
Though it remains a long shot that Brady's expected swansong with the Bucs will result in a second title in three seasons, his farewell may be extended a few weeks longer than many anticipated if he and Evans can deliver a few more demonstrations of the rapport that had previously made this offense so devastating.
Billie Jean King insists Martina Navratilova is "as brave as she is strong" after the latter was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
Navratilova is one of the most decorated players of all time, having won 18 grand slam titles during a glittering career.
The 66-year-old underwent successful treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has now been confirmed she is battling the illness again.
Navratilova said the diagnosis is "serious but still fixable," while a representative confirmed she will start treatment later this month and subsequently not attend the Australian Open.
King, a 12-time major winner, offered her support.
"Martina is as brave as she is strong," the 79-year-old tweeted.
"She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers."
In preparation for their biggest game of the season, the Tennessee Titans are once again turning to a player who has not even been on the team for two weeks to run the offense.
The Titans are staying with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback for Saturday's clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that will determine the winner of the AFC South.
Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel made the decision on Monday, four days after Dobbs made his first career start in a 27-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
“I think he’s ready for the opportunity and looking forward to it,” Vrabel said.
Thursday’s defeat to the Cowboys marked the sixth straight loss for the Titans, dropping them to 7-9 and just behind the 8-8 Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. The winner of Saturday’s matchup in Jacksonville will secure the division title and fourth seed in the AFC.
Dobbs didn’t do much to impress against the Cowboys, completing 20-of-39 passes for 232 yards with a touchdown and interception. However, he had just been signed off the Detroit Lions' practice squad eight days earlier, so the Titans considered it a good starting point.
"I think that there will be some things that we'll try to add or maybe things that we practiced last week that we didn't run,” Vrabel said. "I think it's just going to be good to have a full week and be able to have first and second down, third down, red zone emphasis — that's probably where him not having been here as much, I think we need to dive into his knowledge of the overall red zone and everything that's going on down there."
Dobbs, a fourth-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, also showed more promise than rookie Malik Willis, who had taken over at quarterback after Ryan Tannehill was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Willis is 1-2 as a starter while throwing three interceptions without a TD pass. His 234 passing yards in his three starts are two more than Dobbs threw on Thursday.
Willis also had the luxury of playing alongside Derrick Henry in the backfield, while Dobbs played last Thursday without the two-time league rushing leader as he was inactive in Week 17 because of a hip injury.
Henry is slated to return for the winner-take-all matchup with the Jaguars.
A trio of Alabama superstars revealed they will be continuing their football careers in the NFL, as quarterback Bryce Young, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and running back Jahmyr Gibbs all announced on Monday they will forego their senior seasons and enter the draft.
Both Young and Anderson could be the number one pick, while Gibbs is considered one of the top running backs in the draft class and is projected to be selected in the first round.
The three made the decision to turn pro two days after Alabama cruised to a 45-20 win over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl to cap an 11-2 season.
Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns – an Alabama bowl record – in Saturday's rout to finish his career as one of the most prolific passers in school history.
In three years with the Crimson Tide, Young passed for 8,356 yards – second only to AJ McCarron's 9,019 yards – and 80 touchdowns – to trail only Tua Tagovailoa's school record of 87.
Anderson is a two-time unanimous All-American, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football. He leaves Alabama with 34.5 sacks and 62 tackles for loss – second only to Derrick Thomas for the most in school history.
Gibbs played one season at Alabama after transferring from Georgia Tech and was named a second-team All-SEC performer in 2022 after rushing for 926 yards and seven touchdowns while adding another 444 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.
Rafael Nadal is "not too alarmed" about suffering back-to-back losses ahead of the Australian Open following his latest United Cup defeat.
The Spaniard suffered a second successive reverse in Sydney, going down 3-6 6-1 7-5 to Alex de Minaur after falling to Cameron Norrie.
Nadal is set to go in search of a record-extending 23rd grand slam title later this month, having won in Melbourne in 2022.
Yet the 36-year-old is not getting hung up on his form, instead taking the losses as learning curves.
"I have two weeks before the Australian Open starts," he said. "I can't say the situation is ideal, but I can't say it's negative.
"I was playing good. I need hours on court, I need battles like this. Days like these two help. I need to keeping fighting.
"I'm not too alarmed, too negative about what happened. I think it was a real chance to lose these kinds of matches."
Nadal won the first set against De Minaur, and was a game away from victory in the decider before succumbing to a comeback.
"Alex played better in the crucial moments. That made the difference," Nadal said.
"I had my chances to win, but I made costly mistakes when I could not afford them. You can not win a match like this while doing that."
Daniel Jones was left to bask in a "special moment" as he received a standing ovation at MetLife Stadium after helping the New York Giants clinch a playoff berth.
The Giants qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016 with a dominant 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Jones has been much maligned since the Giants selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft.
But he completed 79.2 per cent of his passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a further 91 yards and a touchdown as the Giants secured the sixth seed in the NFC.
Jones, in the final year of his Giants contract after they declined his fifth-year option, was removed from the game with seven minutes and 30 seconds remaining, receiving a tremendous reception from the crowd and from his team-mates on the sideline.
"That was a special moment," Jones said. "A lot of guys who've put in a lot of work. We've been through, certainly, some tougher times and it feels good to be on this side of it, for sure.
"Special moment with those guys. Really proud of this team, proud of what we did today. Grateful to be a part of it."
The Giants cannot improve their seeding and have nothing to play for in their Week 18 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.
By contrast, the Eagles need to win to clinch the NFC East and the number one seed in the conference. Defeat for the Eagles would give the Dallas Cowboys the chance to snatch the division and both the Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers the opportunity to clinch the one seed.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll indicated he would not rest his starters and give the Eagles some help in an unexpectedly nervy end to the season for Philadelphia, who suffered a second successive loss at home to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
"You get rest after the season. It's a long season," Daboll said.
"This is the fun part of the season. It's the fun part of the season when you're winning. It's the bad part of the season when you're losing."
Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer, though a representative described the prognosis as "good".
Navratilova won 18 grand slam singles titles between 1978 and 1990, making her one of the most decorated players of all time.
She underwent successful treatment for breast cancer in 2010, but it has now been confirmed she is battling the illness again.
Navratilova said: "This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I'm hoping for a favourable outcome.
"It's going to stink for a while but I will fight with all I have got."
Navratilova, 66, was due to travel to Melbourne this month to work on coverage of the Australian Open, a tournament she won three times.
But with her treatment due to start later in January, it has been confirmed she will not be in attendance.
A statement from a representative explained: "The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month.
"The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment.
"Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth. When it didn't go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage one throat cancer.
"At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.
"Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.
"Martina won't be covering the Australian Open for Tennis Channel from their studio but hopes to be able to join in from time to time by Zoom."
Novak Djokovic was beaten in his first match back in Australia but did at least receive a warm reception from the crowd at the Adelaide International.
Djokovic – who saw a three-year visa ban lifted in November – was playing with Vasek Pospisil in the doubles, and the duo lost 4-6 6-3 10-5 to Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar on Monday, but the fans in attendance chanted "Novak" as they welcomed him back following his absence from last year's Australian Open.
The Serbian will face Constant Lestienne in the first round of the men's singles, but second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is already out after he lost to Alexei Popyrin.
Auger-Aliassime struggled throughout as his Australian opponent, ranked 120th in the world, put in a crowd-pleasing performance to go through 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
Another young star, Holger Rune, is also out after the fifth seed was beaten 2-6 6-4 6-4 by Yoshihito Nishioka.
Quentin Halys set up a potential second-round clash with Djokovic after beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets, while Miomir Kecmanovic, Jack Draper, Roman Safiullin and Thanasi Kokkinakis all progressed.
It was also a bad day for seeds at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, with Alex Molcan beaten 6-2 6-4 by Laslo Djere and Jaume Munar losing 6-4 7-5 to Tallon Griekspoor.
Dutchman Griekspoor will now play Marco Cecchinato after the Italian overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Roberto Carballes Baena set up a last-16 clash against top seed Marin Cilic by defeating fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Filip Krajinovic did make it through a tussle with home favourite Sumit Nagal to set up a meeting with Michael Mmoh, while Benjamin Bonzi will face third seed Emil Ruusuvuori after beating Tseng Chun-hsin.
Patrick Mahomes added yet more achievements to his sparkling resume in the Kansas City Chiefs' narrow Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs were made to work much harder than expected for their 27-24 victory against a Broncos team playing their first game since firing head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Mahomes threw for 328 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in helping the Chiefs come through a surprisingly tough test and improve to 13-3.
Those numbers took him to 5,000 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns for the 2022 season, marking the second time he has surpassed those milestones in a single campaign.
He joined Tom Brady and Drew Brees as the third quarterback with multiple seasons with 5,000 or more passing yards, while only he and Brees have more than one season with 5,000 yards and 40-plus touchdowns.
Now on 5,048 passing yards, he will likely surpass the career-high total of 5,097 he set in 2018 when he won the MVP award in the regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, in which the Chiefs could secure the number one seed for the AFC playoffs.
It would take a remarkable game, though, for Mahomes to better his career-high mark of 50 passing touchdowns, also set in 2018.
While the focus is on the Chiefs regaining a Lombardi Trophy they last won in the 2019 season, Mahomes understands the magnitude of his individual records.
"I mean, obviously it's really cool if you look at the names that are on that list," Mahomes said.
"You're talking about the all-time greats with Drew Brees and Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, so just to be a part of the list that has those names on there, it's a special accomplishment.
"And I'm glad I have the people around me and the coaches around me to be able to do it."
Rafael Nadal suffered his second defeat in as many matches after going down 3-6 6-1 7-5 against Alex de Minaur at the United Cup.
The 22-time grand slam champion, who was also beaten by Great Britain's Cameron Norrie in his opening match, is still seeking his first victory of the season with the Australian Open just around the corner.
Home favourite De Minaur delighted the Sydney crowd by recovering from a set and break down to claim his maiden win over the world number two.
"I think it's definitely up there [as one of my best wins]," he said. "It's one of those achievements that you have unlocked in your career.
"But also, it's a big win for myself, one that I really needed. I'm going to cherish and use, take all the confidence from this and be able to hopefully take it to have a good [Australian] summer."
Spain and Australia are unable to progress to the City Finals, but Nuria Parrizas Diaz levelled the Group D tie with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Maddison Inglis.
The USA, who required just two points against Germany to advance to the next stage, set up a showdown with Great Britain after Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys enjoyed straight-set successes over Alexander Zverev and Jule Niemeier respectively.
Italy moved to the brink of joining them in the City Finals after taking a 2-0 lead over Norway. Lorenzo Musetti overcame Viktor Durasovic in straight sets, while Martina Trevisan edged out Malene Helgo in three.
Greece require one win from their final three matches against Belgium to also advance, Stefanos Tsitsipas hit 12 aces on the way to defeating David Goffin 6-3 6-2 to level the Group A showdown at 1-1.
Poland's winner-takes-all Group B clash with Switzerland is also finely poised at 1-1. World number one Iga Swiatek beat Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-6 (7-3), before Marc-Andrea Huesler's 6-3 6-2 victory against Daniel Michalski.
Kyle Shanahan believes Brock Purdy having to come from behind to help the San Francisco 49ers to a 37-34 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders will be beneficial for the unbeaten rookie quarterback.
The 49ers were expected to brush aside the Raiders, for whom Jarrett Stidham was making his first NFL start at quarterback after they benched Derek Carr, but the anticipated blowout did not materialise.
Instead, the Niners were drawn into a compelling shootout, their league-best defense surrendering 500 yards to the Raider offense as Stidham delivering a stunning debut.
The 49ers trailed 24-14 in the third quarter but, even after overturning that deficit, were still forced into overtime despite Purdy delivering with the game on the line.
Having seen the defense quickly surrender a 34-27 advantage as the Raiders tied the game with 71 seconds remaining in regulation, Purdy gained 52 yards on four completions to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to put the Niners in range for a game-winning field goal, only for Robbie Gould to push his kick wide right.
A Tashaun Gipson interception in overtime gave Gould the chance for a reprieve, his 23-yard kick giving the 49ers a ninth straight win that saw them improve to 12-4 and move up to the second seed in the NFC playoffs.
It marked the first time Purdy, who became the fourth rookie quarterback to win his first four starts since 1950, had dealt with playing from behind.
And Shanahan was delighted to see him come through the experience.
"I think that was great for him," said Shanahan. "We had to come from behind, especially there at the end. Also, he made a ton of plays today, but there's a number that he missed too.
"And that's the coolest part. There were some he'd love to have back. It was never one way too much or the other where he was struggling or doing well, but there were some mixed plays.
"To keep coming back and keep attacking, he never got gun-shy, made some real good decisions too and fought it out throughout the whole game and found a way to win."
Linda Noskova produced the biggest win of her career as she defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 at the Adelaide International on Monday.
The 18-year-old Czech was impressive against the third seed as she recorded her first win against anyone in the top 30 of the world rankings.
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova eased past Amanda Anisimova in just an hour and 15 minutes, winning 6-3 6-0, while Liudmila Samsonova will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the next round after coming from a set down to beat Zhang Shuai 5-7 6-3 6-0.
Irina-Camelia Begu and Elena Rybakina also both came from behind to secure wins, with the latter beating fifth seed Danielle Collins to set up a last-16 clash against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who beat Jaimee Fourlis 6-1 3-6 6-4.
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, 42-year-old Venus Williams comfortably overcame her 21-year-old opponent Katie Volynets 7-6 (7-4) 6-2, and will play China's Zhu Lin next after she eliminated sixth seed Madison Brengle 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
Third seed Leylah Fernandez beat Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-1 6-1 to set up a last-16 tie with Julia Grabher after she defeated Tereza Martincova in three sets.
Eighth seed Rebecca Marino is through after beating Dalma Galfi in straight sets and will now face Ysaline Bonaventure, who eventually put away Caty McNally 5-7 6-4 6-4.
Viktoria Kuzmova led fourth seed Bernarda Pera 5-4 in the opening set when rain stopped play for the day.
New York Jets quarterback Mike White described his side's elimination from the playoff race as "gut-wrenching" after suffering their fifth straight loss in Sunday's 23-6 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Jets had been primed for postseason action for the first time since the 2010 season after sitting at 7-4 following a 31-10 rout of the Chicago Bears in late November.
But their season fell apart amid an awkward period that saw White take over as starting QB from the struggling Zach Wilson.
White had been sidelined for two games due to a rib injury but his return against the Seahawks was not enough to lift the Jets, who have not had a winning season since 2015 (10-6).
Their 12-year playoff drought is the longest active streak in the NFL and now the franchise's longest ever as well, leaving White crestfallen.
"It stings," he told reporters. "It's tough. It's gut-wrenching. It's all of the above. You can use any adjective you want to use to describe it."
White failed to complete a touchdown pass against the 8-8 Seahawks at Lumen Field, completing 23 of 46 passes for 240 yards with two interceptions, while he was sacked four times.
"I was cleared to play by the doctors," he said. "The guys in that locker room deserve a certain standard. I knew what I was signing up for.
"I was cleared by the doctors, I practiced all week. Basically, what I'm saying is, there's a standard those guys deserve. I didn't live up to that standard today."
The game marked two in a row without a touchdown, which White described as "shocking", leaving question marks about the Jets' struggling offense.
Head coach Robert Saleh conceded the situation hurt but was eager to point out some of the positives in his second season in charge after going 4-13 last year.
"No one is hurting more than the people in the locker room, especially me," Saleh said.
"At the same time, I know it's hard to see light at the end of the tunnel, but there are a lot of really cool things to look at for this season. But right now it stings big time."
Aaron Rodgers says the Green Bay Packers' four-game win streak to set up a win-and-get-in scenario against the Detroit Lions "feels really special".
The Packers' season seemed doomed after slumping to a 4-8 record following their 40-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles barely a month ago.
Rodgers finished that Eagles defeat off the field with a rib injury, prompting talk of sitting him out for the season to allow backup QB Jordan Love to gain some experience with little for the Packers to play for.
The four-time NFL MVP, however, vowed to play on despite carrying a few injuries and has helped lift the side to an unlikely 8-8 record capped by Sunday's 41-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
"It feels really special, it does," Rodgers told reporters. "It's been an interesting year.
"It hasn't been my best football at times, but I've been asked to step up my leadership and be someone the guys can count on to keep it together, even when it doesn't seem like there's anything to play for or we don't have a chance to make a run.
"There's been a lot of special moments throughout the year."
Only one team has ever made the playoffs in NFL history after having a 4-8 record.
"It didn't look great for a while and I was resigned to some of those realities being possible," Rodgers said.
"When I took my mind there, I had a peace about it. I had a peace about all of it. Whatever was supposed to happen, I was surrendered to that reality - with also the resolute mindset that we could still get back in this thing.
"I think that's what I'm most proud of, for myself and our team, is that there were a lot of different things that could happen, and we stuck together and we put ourselves in position to do something special."
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