🏈 NFL Weekend Recap, Heisman Winner, and More!

Good Morning, Blitzers!

Hope you had a great weekend! There’s a lot to cover today, so let’s dive right in!

WTF Stat: What an insane game, give us these two teams in the Super Bowl!

🏈 Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury during yesterday’s 21-7 win over the Browns. He was removed in the fourth quarter and did not return, with Carson Wentz taking over at quarterback. Mahomes limped off the field at the end of the game. He had been under heavy pressure, being hit multiple times and pressured 21 times in total.

🏈 Travis Hunter, a two-way star for the Colorado Buffaloes, won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the second player in Colorado history to claim the prestigious award. Hunter was a dynamic force on both offense and defense, with 92 receptions, 1,152 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He helped lead Colorado to a 9-3 season after a 4-8 record in 2023, and was honored with multiple awards, including The Associated Press Player of the Year. Hunter finished with 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points, narrowly edging Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.

⚾️ Couple weekend MLB moves:

The Yankees traded for closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes, prospect Caleb Durbin, and cash considerations. Williams, a two-time All-Star known for his elite changeup, has a career 1.83 ERA over 97 relief appearances.

The Oakland Athletics have acquired left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs in a six-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Springs, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, joins the A's rotation after making seven starts in 2024, posting a 3.27 ERA. In exchange, the Rays receive left-hander Jacob Lopez, right-handers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, first baseman Will Simpson, and a Competitive Balance A round draft pick.

NFL Week 15

What You Missed

→ Bills win potential Super bowl preview - The Bills vs. Lions game was the one everyone had circled this past weekend, and it did not disappoint. The Bills pulled out a 48-42 win in a game that saw 1,080 yards of offense - yes, you read that right. QB Jared Goff went 38/59, threw 494 yards, 5 TDs and 0 Interceptions and lost! A crazy game and one that lived up to the hype.

→ Commanders escape with a win against Saints - The Commanders took a 20-7 lead early in the 4th quarter, and this one looked over. Especially after this insane play. The Saints had 3rd string QB Spencer Rattler in, and had not been able to move the ball all day. But the Saints came battling back thanks to an unreal catch by Alvin Kamara on a trick-play and a great 2-minute drive scoring a touchdown. They had the chance to tie the game, but instead went for two (on a very similar looking play as the touchdown), and failed to convert:

→ Ravens stomp Giants - Lamar Jackson went 21/25, 290 yards, and 5 TD passes in a 35-14 win against the Giants. They now turn their attention to upcoming games against the Steelers and Texans.

→ Jonathan Taylor and Colts fumble away game against the Broncos - Just watch the highlight above… Would have put the Colts up 20-7 after a 42-yard TD run, instead Broncos ball. After that play not surprisingly everything went downhill for the Colts as they wound not scoring again and wound up losing 31-13. Maybe we should bring back the WR Larry Fitzgerald hand the ball to the ref celebration after scoring?

→ Buccaneers go to LA and dominate Chargers - This one was a bit of a shock. All season the Buccaneers have been hit-or-miss. They’ve beat the Lions and Eagles, but have lost to the Falcons twice. They had a four game losing streak and now are on a four game winning streak. This was a good barometer game as the Chargers physical, ground-and-pound style of football has really thrown off event he best teams this season. But the Buccaneers passed the test with flying colors, dominating the line of scrimmage and never letting the Chargers get comfortable in a 40-17 win.

What We Learned

→ Jalen Hurts and the Eagles can still pass the ball - Lot of chatter after last weeks win about the relationship between Hurts and AJ Brown. Coming into the game the Eagles had the second fewest passing yards in the NFL (only the Patriots have had less) so the concerns were valid. Well, that changed pretty quickly as Hurts went 25/32 for 290 yards and 2 TDs, while Brown had 8 receptions, for 110 yards and a TD in their 27-13 win against the Steelers.

→ The Packers and NFC North are a lot better than the NFC West - It looked like the Seahawks were starting to figure things out, they had won 4-in a row (three against NFC West teams and one against the Jets). They hosted the 9-3 Packers on Sunday Night Football and we learned real quick that maybe the Seahawks aren’t that good. The Packers were up 20-3 in a blink of an eye and would go on to win 30-13. QB Geno Smith also left with a knee injury so a really tough night for the Seahawks.

→ Are the Cowboys…back? - Yeah they beat up on the Panthers in the 30-14 win. But they’ve won three of the last four, QB Cooper Rush has been surprisingly strong (10 TDs - 3 INTs this season), and their defense looked awfully good yesterday (4 forced turnovers, 6 sacks). They only have a 2.3% of making the playoffs… but you’re telling me there is a chance?

→Will Levis may be done in Tennessee - The former 33rd overall pick threw 3 interceptions in the 37-27 loss to the Bengals, before being benched. The Bengals continue to be one of the most fun teams to watch as Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and DE/TE Sam Hubbard continued their offensive dominance and now move to 6-8 and have 5% chance of making the playoffs.

→ Cardinals run through the Patriots - In a must-win game for the Cardinals, they left no doubt. This one never felt close, as James Connor (16 carries, 110 yards, 2 TDs) and TE Trey McBride (9 receptions, 87 yards) had their way with the Pats in a 30-17 win.

Standouts

→ CB Derek Stingley Jr. - Stingley was matched up against WR Tyreek Hill most of the day and locked down one of the hardest people to cover in man. He had 2 interceptions, 2 passes defended and 2 tackles for loss in the Texans 20-12 win against the Dolphins. The interception above is one of the best plays you’ll ever see from a defensive back. Running stride-for-stride with the fastest player in the NFL and then making an unreal play on the ball. He is really special.

→ WR Davante Adams - In what turned out to be an awesome game against two of the worse teams in the NFL, Adams went off. 9 Receptions, 198 yards, 2 TDs in the 32-25 Jets win against the Jaguars. This is the type of production we were expecting from Adams and QB Aaron Rodgers when they got paired up again. Maybe next season they can be a bit more consistent?

🏈 Tonight

The Bears @ Vikings @ 8:00 EST on ABC and Falcons @ Raiders @ 8:30 EST on ESPN.

Top NBA Games

Mavericks 143, Warriors 133: Luka Dončić led the Mavericks to a 143-133 victory over the Warriors with a season-high 45 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds, recording his 80th career triple-double. He shot 16-for-23, including 4 three-pointers, with 28 points by halftime.

Knicks 100, Magic 91: Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 22 points and 22 rebounds. The Magic struggled with 3-point shooting, making just 9 of 30 attempts.

Lakers 116, Grizzlies 110: Anthony Davis lead the way with 40 points and 16 rebounds. LeBron James, in his return after missing two games due to a left foot injury and personal reasons, contributed 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Austin Reaves added 19 points. The Lakers controlled the game throughout, leading by as much as 23 points in the second half and never trailing.

Full NBA scoreboard here, and standings here.

Top NHL Games

Maple Leafs 5, Sabres 3: John Tavares recorded his 14th career hat trick, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-3 comeback victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Tavares scored twice in the second period and added an empty-net goal. Max Domi and Nicholas Robertson each had a goal and an assist. Dennis Hildeby made 24 saves in his third NHL start, helping Toronto improve to 19-10-2.

Golden Knights 3, Wild 2: Victor Olofsson scored twice to lead Vegas to a 3-2 victory. Shea Theodore also scored, and Jack Eichel contributed two assists, extending his team-leading total to 33 assists. Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves in the win.

Blues 3, Rangers 2: Joel Hofer made 26 saves securing his fourth consecutive win. Robert Thomas contributed a goal and an assist, extending his points streak to seven games. Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues, who built a 3-0 lead by the second period.

Full NHL scoreboard here, and standings here.

On this day in 1983, the New York Yankees named Yogi Berra as their manager for the second time. He initially managed the 1964 season going 99-63 and leading the Yankees to the World Series (they lost in game 7). He was fired after that, many believed because of the Harmonica Incident. George Steinbrenner re-hired him for the 1984 season where he went 87-75, and then was fired after going 6-10 to start the 1985 season.

Friday’s Trivia Time Answer

Bill Belichick had 302 wins in the NFL, which coach had the second most NFL wins when they took over a college job?

B) Lou Saban - Lou Saban had won 95 NFL games before going to the college ranks. See full list here:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/12/11/college-coaches-most-nfl-wins-bill-belichick-list/76923337007/

Check back on Tuesday for today’s trivia answer and more info!