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🏈 The Football Five
- In one of the craziest games anyone will ever see, the Cowboys (4-7) beat the Commanders (7-5), 34-26. With 3:02 left, Jayden Daniels threw a touchdown to Zach Ertz and ran in the two-point conversion. 20-17, Dallas. KaVontae Turpin returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. 27-17, Dallas. Washington got a quick field goal -- 27-20, Dallas -- and forced a three-and-out. Then Daniels hit Terry McLaurin on a miraculous 86-yard touchdown, only for Austin Siebert to miss the extra point. 27-26, Dallas. Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick for a touchdown. It's only the second game in NFL history with two missed extra points and two kick return touchdowns.
- Patrick Mahomes ripped off a 33-yard scramble, and Spencer Shrader nailed a game-winning 31-yarder to propel the Chiefs (10-1) past the Panthers (3-8), 30-27. It's not the most impressive bounce-back performance after losing to the Bills, but wins are wins. I was impressed by Bryce Young, and so were the Chiefs.
- The Seahawks (6-5) took the NFC West lead with a 16-6 win over the Cardinals (6-5). It wasn't particularly pretty for either team, but Coby Bryant's 69-yard pick six on a horrific Kyler Murray play and some big throws by Geno Smith were enough. Mike Macdonald's defense is one of Cody Benjamin's Week 12 winners.
- Onto college football. No. 4 Penn State squeaked by Minnesota, 26-25. The Nittany Lions' game-clinching drive featured a successful fake punt deep in their own territory and a fourth-down conversion from Drew Allar to Tyler Warren to end it.
- No. 6 Notre Dame thrashed No. 19 Army, 49-14, taking a massive step toward a College Football Playoff spot.
🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...
SAQUON BARKLEY AND THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Eagles (9-2) are performing like the sum of their very talented parts, and there's no part more talented -- maybe in the entire NFL -- than Saquon Barkley. The superstar running back ran for 255 yards, ninth-most in a game in NFL history and a franchise record, as the Eagles literally ran away from the Rams (5-6), 37-20.
- Leading 13-7, Barkley ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. He added a 72-yarder in the fourth quarter.
- Barkley is the sixth player in NFL history with multiple 70-yard touchdown runs in the same game and the first since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.
- Barkley is on pace for an NFL-record 2,151 yards rushing this season.
- Barkley is averaging 83.6 yards rushing per second half this season, on pace to be the highest on record (since 1991). Slow starts be damned, he'll turn things around.
It's Philadelphia's seventh straight win, and there's no answer for Barkley, much less all the other weapons: A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith (who didn't play), and an offensive line that, yes, is a weapon. The defense has made huge upgrades at linebacker, cornerback and safety, though the pass rush needs someone to step up after Brandon Graham's season-ending injury. I've said it for a while now, but I'll keep saying it: Watch out for Philadelphia.
👍 Honorable mentions
- How's this for a potential Christmas gift? The Chiefs could get this key player back before the end of the season.
- No. 12 Duke went on the road and topped No. 17 Arizona, 69-55.
- Did Nikola Jokic have the best miss of the season?
- Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle showed glimpses of the Spurs' promising future in an upset win over the Warriors.
- LaMelo Ball had a career-high 50 points.
- Scotty Pippen Jr. keeps making his dad proud ... in the arena his dad played.
- Maverick McNealy won the RSM Classic.
🏈 And not such a good morning for ...
THE SEC ...
The SEC claims "it just means more," but the results of this weekend likely mean fewer SEC teams in the College Football Playoff.
- No. 7 Alabama got blasted, 24-3, by Oklahoma. It was the Crimson Tide's largest loss to an unranked foe since 1998.
- No. 9 Ole Miss lost to Florida, 24-17, with Jaxson Dart throwing multiple backbreaking interceptions and the Rebels dropping six passes.
- No. 15 Texas A&M lost a four-overtime 43-41 heartbreaker at Auburn.
- Yes, the SEC fined Oklahoma and Auburn for field storming. Boo!
It's the first time three CFP-ranked SEC teams have lost to unranked teams on the same day. It also means No. 10 Georgia is into the SEC Championship Game, where it will face the winner of No. 3 Texas-No. 15 Texas A&M.
The most stunning score has to be the Alabama one. I mean, this is Alabama we're talking about. Still, at 8-3, the Crimson Tide's CFP hopes are minuscule. Shehan Jeyarajah calls it a "total collapse," and John Talty says Kalen DeBoer has lots of questions to answer after his first season in Tuscaloosa, including quarterback.
Alabama's loss is a shocker. Ole Miss' is all too familiar, Chip Patterson writes.
- Patterson: "With Florida and Mississippi State on the schedule for the final two games, Ole Miss spent part of the off-week thinking about the future. ... Instead, Ole Miss let history rear its ugly head Saturday. ... The expanded CFP format was seemingly built for Ole Miss to make its first-ever playoff appearance, and after logging one of its biggest wins in program history the job was seemingly done. But those first appearances can be deceiving."
The SEC might have dreamed of four, five or even six Playoff berths. In Jerry Palm's latest projections, it has three, and Brad Crawford echoes that sentiment in his Playoff lock tiers. Ultimately, Will Backus says, the SEC has been simply average.
... AND ALSO NOT SUCH A GOOD MORNING FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The 49ers are in big trouble after a 38-10 loss to the Packers, San Francisco's largest loss to Green Bay ever.
With Brock Purdy (shoulder) out, the 49ers turned to Brandon Allen, who then turned the ball over twice. But it's more than that.
- Josh Jacobs had 106 yards rushing and three touchdowns, the first 100-yard rusher the 49ers have allowed in 55 games.
- Christian McCaffrey managed just 68 yards from scrimmage, and he also lost a fumble.
- The defense, sans Nick Bosa, allowed 17 points on its first three drives, quickly putting pressure on Allen's undermanned offense.
- Even though the NFC West race is crowded, the 49ers are hamstrung by a 1-3 divisional record. A 3-5 conference record isn't helping their wild card chances, either.
- And, oh yeah, the Bills are next on the schedule.
The 49ers got an "F" in John Breech's weekly grades, and Jeff Kerr says they're going to miss the playoffs.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
- Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it doesn't sound like it will be with the Jets. In fact, he'll likely be benched or placed on IR this season ... despite him resisting getting scans on his injuries.
- Mahomes was fined for making a "violent gesture" last week.
- The Giants called themselves "soft" and questioned their effort in a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers ... and Baker Mayfield celebrated a touchdown by mocking Tommy DeVito.
- Gardner Minshew broke his collarbone.
- Grant Williams (knee) is out for the season.
- Fred VanVleet nearly poked an official in the eye after being ejected.
🏈 College football recap: No. 2 Ohio State thumps No. 5 Indiana, chaos descends upon Big 12
The SEC stole all the drama over the weekend, but only after No. 2 Ohio State quashed any possibility of drama in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes ran rampant over No. 5 Indiana, 38-15, scoring 31 straight points after trailing 7-0 early.
This was dominance in every aspect. Will Howard threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, the Buckeyes allowed just 151 yards and racked up five sacks, and Caleb Downs returned a punt for a touchdown. Even Ohio State's social media team cooked Indiana. The Buckeyes earned an easy "A+" in John Talty's Week 13 grades, and while it was ugly for the Hoosiers, their Playoff hopes are very much alive, especially after the SEC carnage.
There was plenty of carnage in the Big 12, too:
- No. 16 Colorado lost to Kansas, 37-21. The Jayhawks continue to play spoiler, having defeated No. 17 Iowa State, No. 6 BYU and now the Buffaloes in three straight weeks. Colorado no longer controls its Big 12 Championship Game chances, but Travis Hunter is in control of the Heisman race despite the loss, according to oddsmakers.
- No. 21 Arizona State topped No. 14 BYU, 28-23, despite a premature field storm. BYU has lost two straight after starting 9-0.
- Both Colorado and BYU were among Shehan's Week 13 losers.
Also losing this week? Anyone trying to figure out the Big 12 tiebreakers. There are 256 different scenarios in play for the title game matchup, with nine teams still in the race. My brain hurts.
Here's more from around the country:
- AP Top 25 | Coaches Poll
- Conference championship game tracker
- Quinn Ewers is dealing with an ankle injury.
- Rutgers tried to ice the kicker. No. 25 Illinois then threw for a game-winning touchdown instead.
- Nebraska is going bowling for the first time since 2016.
- Tulsa fired Kevin Wilson.
🏀 No. 5 UCLA women stun No. 1 South Carolina, end Gamecocks' winning streak; No. 6 Notre Dame tops No. 3 USC
The sports craziness this weekend wasn't limited to football. In women's college basketball, we had not one but two big upsets in Los Angeles with, No. 5 UCLA beat No. 1 South Carolina, 77-62, one day after No. 6 Notre Dame defeated No. 3 USC, 74-61.
With all due respect to the Fighting Irish, UCLA's win is the headliner. Here's why:
- South Carolina, the reigning national champion, was on a 43-game winning streak.
- UCLA entered 0-20 all-time against AP No. 1 teams.
Six Bruins scored at least eight points, with Londynn Jones' 15 -- via five 3-pointers -- leading the way. Lauren Betts had 11 points and 14 rebounds. UCLA's defense limited the Gamecocks to 24-of-66 (36%) shooting, and Gamecocks starters not named Te-Hina Paopao shot just 5 for 21 (24%).
🏆 Pride, Marta win NWSL Championship
Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute, and the Pride held on from there, topping the Spirit, 1-0, to win the NWSL Championship. Washington had chances aplenty in the second half but put just six of its 25 shots on target and, most importantly, zero in the back of the net.
Marta, the Brazilian legend who has been with Orlando for eight seasons, celebrated emotionally with her mother postgame, and this trophy is a huge addition to her legacy, Sandra Herrera writes.
On the other side, it's a bitter loss for the Spirit, but there's something special building in Washington, D.C., Pardeep Cattry writes.
📺 What we're watching Monday
🏀 Memphis at No. 2 UConn (M), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Mavericks at Hawks, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Ravens at Chargers, 8:15 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 No. 4 Auburn at No. 5 Iowa State (M), 9 p.m. on ESPNU
🏀 Thunder at Kings, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Dayton at No. 10 North Carolina (M), 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2
