First-time candidates Antonio Gates and Julius Peppers joined nine returning finalists who advanced to the final stage of voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2024.

Gates and Peppers will be joined on the 15-player ballot by five-time finalist wide receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne.

Seven other players returned as finalists -- Patrick Willis, Andre Johnson, Dwight Freeney, Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Darren Woodson and Devin Hester.

Defensive backs Eric Allen and Rodney Harrison, running back Fred Taylor and offensive lineman Jahri Evans made it to this stage for the first time after previously being semifinalists.

The 15 finalists will be trimmed to 10 then to five during the selection meeting early next year. The final five candidates will need to receive 80% of the votes from the panel to get into the Hall.

All fourth quarter, Amari Cooper was campaigning to get back in the game. It wasn't to break the Cleveland Browns' franchise record, but rather to top 300 receiving yards in a game.

He didn't quite reach 300. Instead, Cooper had to settle for 265 yards -- a new Browns single-game record.

"It was a lot of time left, man. A lot of food on the plate there," said Cooper, who sat most of the fourth quarter with 252 receiving yards and a 36-7 lead. "So yeah, I was anxious a little bit, for sure."

After San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had finished shredding the Arizona Cardinals for the second time this season to clinch the Niners' second consecutive NFC West division crown, he received a significant show of support in the race for the league's Most Valuable Player award.

Roughly 30 minutes following the Niners' 45-29 throttling of the Cardinals to improve to 11-3, quarterback Brock Purdy was asked what the case would be for McCaffrey to win MVP. Instead of offering arguments, Purdy provided an endorsement.

"I think Christian should be MVP," Purdy said. "I really do believe that. He does everything for us ... and so in my eyes that's an MVP."

Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is winding down his NFL career, telling the Detroit Free Press he plans to retire after the season.

Bridgewater has been a little-used backup to Jared Goff in his single season with the Lions, appearing in one game to kneel out a victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. But Bridgewater, 31, indicated he has no issues with his role.

For the second year in a row and the fifth time in the past seven years, a transfer quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy.

LSU's Jayden Daniels, who began his college career at Arizona State before transferring to Baton Rouge in 2022, won the sport's most prestigious individual award Saturday night after accounting for 4,946 yards of offense (3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards) and 50 total touchdowns this season.