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🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

THE CINCINNATI BENGALS

After weeks of robust breaks and heartbreaking losses, the Bengals received an enormous break, took benefit and stored their very faint playoff hopes alive. Cincinnati beat Dallas, 27-20, on a dramatic late sequence:

• With two minutes left and tied 20-20, the Bengals ready to punt the ball again to the Cowboys, organising Dallas with an opportunity to take a late lead.
• Nick Vigil broke by and deflected the punt, which went previous the road of scrimmage (making it technically not “blocked”) and bounced ahead. Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye tried to subject the ball and failed, a la Leon Lett a few years in the past. Basically, it was the identical as a punt returner muffing a punt. Cincinnati’s Maema Njongmeta recovered the unfastened ball.
• Three performs later, given new life, Joe Burrow discovered Ja’Marr Chase, who turned upfield and raced into the tip zone for a 40-yard landing.

Burrow and Chase proceed to be exceptional. Chase is on observe to win the receiving triple crown (receptions, yards, touchdowns). Burrow was really glorious, usually in crumbling pockets. Cincinnati has seven single-possession losses this 12 months, so to be on the correct aspect of this one should have felt good.

👍 Honorable mentions

• If they’ll make it there, they’ll make it wherever. Actually, they have already got. Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, Cam Ward and Dillon Gabriel are headed to New York as 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists.
• Invoice Belichick stays in talks with North Carolina about its head-coach opening.
• The Military vs. Navy Recreation will stay on CBS Sports activities by 2038.
• Dave Roberts mentioned Shohei Ohtani‘s return to pitching.
• AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 basketball recruit within the 2025 class, will make his determination as we speak. He is right down to Alabama, BYU, Kansas and North Carolina.
• The Vikings are debuting all-white uniforms.
• The Phillies signed Jordan Romano, the newest piece of a high-upside bullpen.
• Roki Sasaki‘s negotiating window is open.
• The switch portal is open, and it is busy!
• Tennessee is No. 1 within the males’s AP Prime 25 and Coaches Ballot, and the Volunteer ladies are within the AP Prime 25 for the primary time this season. No. 3 South Carolina, in the meantime, has gotten itself again on observe.
• Aaron Bradshaw is again with Ohio State.
• The Avalanche and Sharks swapped goalies.

🏈 And never such a great morning for …

THE DALLAS COWBOYS

Generally, it is simply not your sport. Or your season. The Cowboys are experiencing that.

I really feel for Oruwariye, a man who had simply returned from harm. It is easy to blast him for not getting away from the ball in hindsight. However within the second, when issues are taking place so quick and the ball is true there, that is a lot simpler stated than executed.

The loss hurts, clearly, however DeMarvion Overshown — Dallas’ greatest defender this season — leaving with a knee harm that did not look good is extra devastating. It has been a disappointing, injury-filled, underachieving season: worst-case state of affairs, plain and easy. This season cannot finish quickly sufficient for Dallas.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL playoff image: NFC races tightening up, AFC races getting clearer

As a result of issues have been so busy Sunday evening (thanks, Juan Soto, CFP and NFL), we did not get to do a full deep dive on NFL Week 14. As such, we did not get to provide kudos to a workforce that very a lot deserves them: The Seahawks thumped the Cardinals, 30-18, Seattle’s second win over Arizona in three weeks.

However the NFC West is like Whack-A-Mole. As quickly as one workforce goes down, one other pops again up. The Rams beat the Payments in a thriller, and the 49ers crushed the Bears. So right here we’re:

1. Seahawks (8-5)
2. Rams (7-6)
3. Cardinals (6-7)
4. 49ers (6-7)

All that units up for a wild end, and quarterback play looms bigger than ever, Chris Trapasso writes. It is not simply the division race, both. The NFC playoff image is tightening up, too:

1. Lions (12-1, clinched playoff berth)
2. Eagles (11-2, clinched playoff berth)
3. Seahawks (8-5, NFC West chief)
4. Buccaneers (7-6, NFC South chief)
5. Vikings (11-2)
6. Packers (9-4)
7. Commanders (8-5)
8. Rams (7-6)
9. Falcons (6-7)
10. Cardinals (6-7)
11. 49ers (6-7)

Issues are rather more unfold out within the AFC:

1. Chiefs (12-1, clinched AFC West)
2. Payments (10-3, clinched AFC East)
3. Steelers (10-3, lead AFC North)
4. Texans (8-5, lead AFC South)
5. Ravens (8-5)
6. Chargers (8-5)
7. Broncos (8-5)
8. Colts (6-7)
9. Dolphins (6-7)
10. Bengals (5-8)

🏈 School Soccer Playoff skilled predictions

We have had almost 48 hours to digest the School Soccer Playoff bracket. Now, it is time to fill it out. Our specialists did simply that, and throughout eight projections, there are 5 completely different picks for nationwide champion.

No. 1 Oregon is the choose in 4 of these eight, and the Geese prime Brandon Marcello’s Energy Rankings. (His full projections are above.)

• Marcello: “Oregon is the unquestioned favourite heading into the School Soccer Playoff with an unbelievable resume, together with two top-five wins, and a slew of weapons on offense which have made elite defenses look pedestrian. The Geese personal the nation’s longest successful streak (14) but the CFP committee did not give them a straightforward street with potential matchups in opposition to Ohio State and Texas on the docket earlier than the nationwide championship sport.”

I get that the potential Ohio State matchup looms giant. I get that it might not appear to be a straightforward path, and possibly the CFP format wants to vary. However hey, the Geese do not need to even play within the first spherical, the place nothing is assured and climate will play a significant factor.

There’s additionally loads of uncertainty for No. 2 Georgia: Carson Beck is exploring remedy choices for his injured elbow.

This is extra:

⚾ Juan Soto to Mets influence: What’s subsequent for Yankees, who’s subsequent to signal?

The Juan Soto sweepstakes ended with the Mets because the winner because of the largest contract in MLB historical past. Now, the remainder of MLB is coping with the autumn out.

Nobody is dealing with the noise greater than the Yankees, and Mike Axisa outlined the five-step Plan B for the Bronx Bombers. (Facet notice: only a coincidence that there are additionally 5 levels of grief?)

• Axisa: “1. Get a primary baseman (and one other infielder) — The Yankees obtained among the worst first-base manufacturing in franchise historical past in 2024. … The excellent news is the bar is on the ground, and it should not be tough to improve first base. Going from their 2024 first basemen to even a league-average first baseman in 2025 would add a number of wins to New York’s ledger.”

Free agent choices embrace Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, and there are many commerce candidates, too.

Soto was far and away the crown jewel of the category — the crown jewel of virtually any free company class ever, actually — however there are many large names left available on the market. R.J. Anderson predicted the place the highest 10 remaining free brokers will land.

This is extra:

⚽ UEFA Champions League Matchday 6: Actual Madrid in actual hazard

Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League league part opens as we speak, and it is time for the rubber to hit the street. There are clinching eventualities aplenty, together with Liverpool probably changing into the primary workforce to say its spot within the spherical of 16. It’s going to require some assist, however the Reds can take an enormous step as we speak at Girona (preview right here).

Bear in mind, within the new format, the highest eight groups from the league part are into the spherical of 16. Groups that end 9-24 enter a playoff for the remaining eight spots.

Actual Madrid, shockingly, is in a race merely to be in that prime 24, and Los Blancos — at the moment twenty fourth within the standings — have a main problem as we speak: a go to to undefeated Atalanta.

Kylian Mbappe has struggled mightily in his debut season with Actual Madrid, however in his daring predictions, James Benge says one other star will step up.

• Benge: “Carlo Ancelotti has been in a position to unlock a extra attacking Jude Bellingham with out sacrificing his involvement in possession. … For all his nice technical qualities, there’s something fairly vibey about Bellingham. He senses the moments and lives for them: the final seconds of Clasicos, the bicycle kicks in do-or-die time on the Euros. If Madrid want him on Tuesday, he’ll ship.”

Most — however not all — of our specialists agree that Los Blancos will come by.

This is extra:

As all the time, you’ll be able to catch all of our protection throughout Paramount+, CBS Sports activities Community and CBS Sports activities Golazo Community.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. This is how.
🏀 Miami vs. No. 1 Tennessee (M), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Incarnate Phrase at No. 4 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ACC Community
🏀 Magic at Bucks, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 14 Michigan at Arkansas (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Fresno State at No. 5 USC (W), 9 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Mavericks at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on TNT