🏈 Statement Games in the NFL, College Football, NBA, NHL, + More!

Good Morning, Blitzers!

Another great sports weekend - we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get right into things!

WTF Stat: QB/TE/RB/KR Taysom Hill had an incredible game in the Saints 35-14 win over the Browns:

- 3 TDs

- 138 rushing yards

- 50 receiving yards

- 18 passing yards

- 42 kick return yards

Plus this impressive career stat:

🏒 Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves has been suspended for five games for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse during a game on Saturday. Nurse was knocked to the ice and left the game bloodied. This is Reaves' fourth career suspension, and the third related to hits he delivered.

🏀 The Dallas Wings won the 2025 WNBA draft lottery, securing the No. 1 overall pick, which is widely expected to be UConn star Paige Bueckers. The Los Angeles Sparks will pick second, followed by the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics. Dallas had a 45.4% chance of landing the top pick, combining their odds with those of the Chicago Sky, as Dallas has the right to swap first-round picks with Chicago.

NFL Week 11

What You Missed

→ Bills beat the undefeated Chiefs - This game was setting up to be like every other Chiefs game this year. A game that was coming down to the wire. Typically their defense makes a big stop and QB Patrick Mahomes leads them down the field to a win. But with the score 23-21 in the 4th QB Josh Allen took the team on his back converting on two key third downs, and a long 4th-down TD run to ultimately put the game away. Final score 30-21.

→ The Bears are still cursed - The Bears lost to the Packers for the 11th straight time, once again in heartbreaking fashion. The Bears had multiple chances to put this one away and even mounted a potential game winning drive, but had the winning field goal blocked losing 20-19 and now fall to 4-6, while the Packers improved to 7-3 despite not playing their best game.

→ Bengals comeback fall short - This one looked like it’d be over early (24-6 at halftime and the Bengals defense couldn’t stop anything). But the Bengals defense stood tall in the second half and the offense made a roaring comeback. A couple of missed field goals and few key plays cost them the win (seems like this has been a theme all year). With under a minute remaining the Chargers had an impressive 4-play, 84-yard drive, with RB Josh Dobbins scoring the winning touchdown. This is also a wild twitter post and I’m here for it:

→ The Lions are out here embarrassing teams - The Seahawks, Cowboys, Titans and now Jaguars have been absolutely dismantled by the Lions. The Lions put up 645 yards of total offense in a 52-6 rout. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (11 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TDS), WR Jameson Williams (4 receptions, 124 yards, 1TD), RB Jahmyr Gibbs (123 total yards, 1 TD) all contributed to the fun.

→ Dolphins and Saints continue to fight back into playoff contention - Dolphins took care of the Raiders 34-19 behind a strong game from QB Tua Tagovailoa (26/36, 288 yards, 3 TDs). The Saints beat the Browns 35-14 Both teams have won their last two games and are still in the playoff hunt.

What We Learned

→ Steelers send a message to the whole league - After a close win against the Commanders last week, Steelers got their second signature win in a row, winning an 18-16 battle against the Ravens. They were helped by three turnovers, a couple of missed field goals, and a questionable late 2-point conversion call, but this one felt like a preview of a matchup we might see in the playoffs.

→ The Rams have the best WRs in the NFL* - *Big caveat being when healthy. Rams WRs Puka Nacua and WR Cooper Kupp combined for 13 receptions, 229 yards receiving and 3 TDs in their 28-22 win against the Patriots. New England made this one closer than it should have been thanks to some strong play from QB Drake Maye, but the Rams are now 5-5 in the tight NFC West.

Surprises

→ Seahawks pull out the win in San Fran - This one was a bit of a shock, it seemed like the 49ers were starting to hit their stride. They got RB Christian McCaffrey back, they had won 2 in a row, plus they just beat up on the Seahawks a month ago, and now they were at home with a reloaded team. But a big defensive stand and an 11-play, 80 yard drive from QB Geno Smith helped them pull off the 20-17 upset.

Standouts

→ QB Anthony Richardson - After being benched the last two weeks Richardson had a great game against the Jets going 20/30, for 272 yards, and a TD in a 28-27 win. He also added 32 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. A feel-good week for Richardson, who was being bashed in the media since his benching. Also, I would not want to tackle this man:

→ QB Bo Nix - Nix and the Broncos completely destroyed the Falcons 38-6. Nix looked unstoppable going 28/33 for 307 yards, and 4 TDs. Nine different players caught passes, this is a scary, scary team right now.

🏈 Tonight

The Texans @ Cowboys @ 8:15 EST on ABC.

College Football Recap

The Shocker

Florida 27 - #22 LSU 16: The Tigers entered the Swamp with a dream of the SEC Championship still in view… Then they gave up 14 4th quarter points and now the dream is dead. The Gators sacked QB Garrett Nussmeier seven times while LSU did not take DJ Lagway down one time. Florida can continue to play the spoiler when they host #11 Ole Miss next week.

Statement Games

#12 Georgia 31 - #7 Tennessee 17: The playoff committee just HAD to give Georgia bulletin board material. After going down 10-0 in the 1st quarter, Georgia outscored the Vols 31 to 7. QB Carson Beck finally lived up to his potential and had himself a game. Nearly 350 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. That’ll get Georgia back in the playoff hunt and the makings of hot ass mess for the 2nd spot in the SEC Championship.   

#8 Notre Dame 35 - Virginia 14: That’s five weeks in a row the Irish have beaten opponents by 18 points or more. Ever since the loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame is playing good football and beating the teams they should beat in a manner that befits a top ten team. Next up: another undefeated service academy, the Army Black Knights. Notre Dame handed Navy its first loss earlier in the season. 

#17 Colorado 49 - Utah 24: Some people (me) have been waiting for the shoe to drop on Colorado and I am stiiiiiillll waiting. The Buffs have one lost one Big 12 game and still hold destiny in their hands to get into the championship and potentially the playoffs. WR/CB Travis Hunter continues to make a big case to raise the Heisman.

#13 Boise State 42 - San Jose State 21: In likely the last tough regular season game for the Broncos, RB Ashton Jeanty and Boise State took a punch early and then went to work on the Spartans. They just have Wyoming and Oregon State left on the schedule, if they win those and the conference championship, they could be in line for a bye in the playoffs.

#21 South Carolina 34 - #23 Missouri 30: Shane Beamer just may find himself with some hardware after turning around the Gamecocks this season. While there may not be a SEC championship or playoff berth, they ruined any shot that Missouri had.

Arizona State 24 - #16 Kansas State 14: While seemingly no one was paying attention, the Arizona State Sun Devils went into Manhattan, Kansas and shutdown the Wildcats to improve to 8-2 on the season and 5-2 in conference play, which is good for 3rd place in the Big 12. They’ll host BYU next week for a shot to move up to 2nd.

That Could Have Been Embarrassing

#20 Clemson 24 - Pittsburgh 20: QB Cade Klubnik scampered for 50 yards in the last minute to save the Tigers’ season and a whole lot of embarrassment if they lost to Pitt. Clemson finishes conference play with a 7-1 record. They now have to keep an eye on Miami, if the Hurricanes falter against Wake Forest or Syracuse, they’ll be in the ACC Championship.

#14 SMU 38 - BC 28: SMU’s undefeated conference record was almost put to the flame by Boston College at home. The Eagles had an opportunity to take the lead late in the 4th quarter but came up short. The Mustangs have two games left against Virginia and Cal for a shot to get to the ACC Championship in its first season in the conference.

#3 Texas 20 - Arkansas 10: The Hogs almost got another upset in Fayetteville, but the Longhorns did just enough to squeak out a win and stay in contention for the SEC Championship and an at-large bid. Quinn Ewers has been underwhelming this season and he’ll need to step his game up to avoid a collapse in the last two weeks.

#1 Oregon 16 - Wisconsin 13: Remember at the beginning of the season when Oregon almost lost to Idaho and Boise State? Well, Duck fans got a fresh reminder that they are not as invincible as they thought. Oregon needed a 4th quarter rally to avoid disaster at the hands of the Badgers at Camp Randall. That all but locks up a Big Ten title game, and likely a playoff, appearance for the Ducks, as long as they take care of business against Washington.

That Was Embarrassing

Kansas 17 - #6 BYU 13: The shoe did finally drop on the Cougars undefeated run… At home… Against the Jayhawks. It looked like BYU would pull another last minute miracle, but Kansas held on to win, setting up a tense few weeks in the Big 12.

#18 Washington State 35 - New Mexico 38: The Cougars could have made some playoff noise… But then let New Mexico score with under 30 seconds to play. A huge womp woooooomp for Wazzou, they dropped to 8-2 on the season and they’ll head back to obscurity.

Video Game Stats

QB LaNorris Sellers (South Car.) - 21/30, 353 yards, 5 TD, INT, 14 car, 53 yards

QB Payton Thorne (Auburn) - 22/32, 286 yards, 5 TD

QB John Mateer (WSU) - 25/36, 375 yards, 4 TD, 9 car, 65 yards, TD

QB Walker Eget (SJSU) - 34/50, 446, 3 TD, 2 INT

RB Shane Porter (UNT) - 13 car, 193 yards, 3 TD

WR Justin Lockhart (SJSU) - 10 rec, 172 yards, TD

WR Jordyn Tyson (ASU) - 12 rec, 176 yards, 2 TD

WR Kyle Williams (WSU) - 9 rec, 181 yards, 3 TD

WR Emmett Mosley V (Stanford) - 13 rec, 168 yards, 3 TD

Top Ten Power Rankings

*Note this isn’t an AP Top 25, this is who I think are the best ten teams after this week. Come at me.

1. Ohio State - W vs. Northwestern, 31-7

2. Oregon - W vs. Wisconsin, 16-13

3. Texas - W vs. Arkansas, 20-10

4. Alabama - W vs. Mercer, 52-7

5. Penn State - W vs. Purdue, 49-10

6. Indiana - Idle

7. Ole Miss - Idle

8. Georgia - W vs. Tennessee, 31-17

9. Notre Dame - W vs. FSU, 52-3

10. Tennessee - L vs. UGA, 17-31

Knocking on the Door: Colorado, Miami

Top NBA Games

Timberwolves 120, Suns 117: Julius Randle hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to finish with 35 points and lead Minnesota to a 120-117 victory. With just 2.1 seconds left, Randle received the ball after a timeout and nailed a 24-foot shot to secure the win. The Suns, were missing Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal due to injury, were led by Devin Booker’s 44 points, but couldn’t hold off the Timberwolves' comeback.

Cavaliers 128, Hornets 114:  Darius Garland scored 25 points and Ty Jerome added a career-high 24 to lead Cavaliers to the win, maintaining their unbeaten record at 15-0. The Cavs became the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0, joining the Golden State Warriors (2016), Houston Rockets (1994), and Washington Capitols (1949).

Mavericks 121, Thunder 119: P.J. Washington led Dallas to a 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City, scoring 27 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds in the absence of star Luka Doncic, who was sidelined with a bruised knee. Washington's performance helped Dallas overcome the Thunder's strong offensive efforts, with Kyrie Irving adding 23 points.

Top NHL Games

Capitals 5, Golden Knights 2: Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick to lead the Washington to a 5-2 victory. Ovechkin now has 866 career goals, 29 shy of Wayne Gretzky's all-time record. In addition to Ovechkin's performance, Logan Thompson made 40 saves in his first game back at T-Mobile Arena, his former home, where he received an emotional video tribute.

Rangers 2, Kraken 0: Jonathan Quick earned his second consecutive shutout, stopping 24 shots in the New York Rangers' 2-0 victory. Quick, who is filling in as the backup to Igor Shesterkin, has won all five of his starts this season. Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones scored for the Rangers, with Lafreniere's goal coming late in the second period off a pass from Artemi Panarin, extending Panarin's point streak to seven games.

On this day in 1997, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays had an expansion draft. both expansion teams selected 35 players. They could could pick any player not on the protected lists of the 28 other teams. The protected list for each team consisted of:

For the first round, 15 players from the rosters of their entire organization—both their 40-man roster, plus all minor league affiliates.

Each team could add three more players to its protected list after each round (three total rounds).

All players in an organization were eligible to be drafted, except those with no prior major league experience who had less than three years service if signed at age 19 or older, or had less than four years of service if signed at age 18 or younger.

Players who were free agents after the end of the 1997 season need not be protected.

Trivia Time Answer

Which NHL player has the most overtime goals in their career?

B) Alex Ovechkin - 26 total for Ovechkin, with Sidney Crosby right behind him at 22, and Connor McDavid who has played half the amount of games, coming up strong with 16.