🏈 The Soccer 5

1. Getting into this weekend, the Buccaneers managed their playoff future. Then Sunday evening occurred. Tampa Bay misplaced to Dallas, 26-24, handing the NFC South result in the Falcons. The Buccaneers out-gained the Cowboys 411-317 however had two turnovers, together with a devastating Rachaad White fumble to seal the loss. Tampa Bay and Atlanta are each 8-7 after Michael Penix Jr. beat the Giants in his first profession begin Sunday, however Atlanta has the head-to-head tiebreaker.
2. The Ravens took the AFC North lead with a 34-17 blowout of the Steelers on Saturday. Lamar Jackson threw three landing passes, Derrick Henry had 162 yards dashing and Marlon Humphrey had a decide six. Garrett Podell wonders if Baltimore, with its Steelers demons exorcised, are arrange for an enormous postseason run. 
3. The longest lively profitable streak within the NFL belongs to the Vikings after Minnesota squeezed by Seattle, 27-24. Justin Jefferson went for 10 catches, 144 yards and two touchdowns, together with the game-winner from 39 yards out. Sam Darnold was an enormous winner (once more), and Minnesota stays within the operating for the No. 1 seed within the NFC.
4. The NFC West, in flip, went from the NFL’s best division to only one other division race. The Rams lead that race by a sport because of a 19-9 win over the Jets coupled with the Seahawks’ loss. The Cardinals and 49ers had been each eradicated from playoff rivalry.
5. Within the AFC, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Miami are clinging onto playoff hopes. The Bengals thumped the Browns, 24-6, behind three Joe Burrow landing passes, they usually host the Broncos in a must-win Week 17 contest. Jonathan Taylor ran for 218 yards and three scores within the Colts‘ 38-30 win over the Titans. The Dolphins beat the 49ers, 29-17, behind 190 yards from De’Von Achane.

🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS …

The NFL’s most electrifying rookie engineered one other exhilarating comeback whereas undertaking one thing nobody in his lifetime has finished. Jayden Daniels threw for 5 touchdowns, together with the game-winner with six seconds left to Jamison Crowder, and the Commanders pulled off a surprising 36-33 win over the shorthanded Eagles.

• Daniels is the primary Washington participant to throw for 5 touchdowns since Mark Rypien in 1991, and the Commanders wanted each certainly one of them contemplating additionally they had 5 turnovers. It is the primary time since 2002 they’ve gained a five-turnover sport.
• Philadelphia took an early 14-0 lead, however not earlier than Jalen Hurts left, and he didn’t return on account of a concussion. That was the beginning of an avalanche of accidents and exits for the guests that included C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting ejected for a number of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Even Kenny Pickett, who changed Hurts, acquired X-rays on his ribs postgame.
• Philadelphia will rue the accidents, certain, but in addition the missed alternatives: DeVonta Smith dropped a wide-open move that might have put the sport away.
• Washington has 10 wins for the primary time since 2012.

Wow. Daniels doing this in opposition to anybody is spectacular. Him doing it in opposition to arguably the league’s finest protection was jaw-dropping. On a day when operating backs had been stuffed, Daniels had 81 yards on the bottom, together with a 29-yard scramble on fourth-and-11. His preternatural calm belies the truth that he is solely 15 video games into his profession. I haven’t got sufficient superlatives.

Oh yeah, and the Commanders gained off the sphere over the weekend, too: The franchise might return to Washington, D.C. sooner or later after some laws dramatically handed within the Senate.

… AND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIRST-ROUND WINNERS

The primary spherical of the School Soccer Playoff is within the books, and all 4 favored hosts are by means of to the quarterfinals.

• Jeremiyah Love broke off a 98-yard landing run early, and (7) Notre Dame by no means regarded again in a 27-17 win over (10) Indiana. The ultimate rating would not even replicate the hosts’ dominance: They led 27-3 with underneath 5 minutes left. It was a powerful win for the Preventing Irish, however for them to shed their spotty big-game popularity, they want one other one, Dennis Dodd writes.
• (6) Penn State overpowered (11) SMU 38-10, with a pair of early pick-sixes setting the tone. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen led a 189-yard effort on the bottom. Very similar to Notre Dame, although, James Franklin and Penn State want one other win to show they’ve taken a step ahead on the largest levels, Will Backus writes.
• (5) Texas ran for a season-high 292 yards and 4 touchdowns, with Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner each going over the century mark and scoring twice, in a 38-24 win over (12) Clemson. This was a assertion efficiency by a legit championship risk, Chris Hummer writes.

However given all the pieces occurring over the previous few weeks, the efficiency of the weekend belongs to (8) Ohio State, which walloped (9) Tennessee, 42-17. The Buckeyes led 21-0 after 12 minutes and smothered the Volunteers at each flip. Coming off a 13-10 loss to Michigan that rankled nearly everybody related to the scarlet and grey, the offense confirmed simply how good it can be.

There was loads of orange within the crowd, however the Buckeyes quieted these followers rapidly. Jeremiah Smith had a 37-yard landing catch on the opening drive, and Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson each scored on the bottom earlier than the quarter was out. Ryan Day and Chip Kelly had all of it rolling, and John Talty says it will behoove the Buckeyes to maintain Smith — “merely higher than all the pieces Tennessee tried to throw at him” — concerned early and infrequently.

Name it sport plan, name it method, name it no matter you need. Ohio State did not have it in opposition to Michigan nevertheless it discovered it in opposition to Tennessee, John provides.

• Talty: “When this model of Ohio State reveals up, with an attacking offense and a ferocious protection, it has a reliable argument as the very best crew within the nation. This crew regarded free in a approach that it by no means does in opposition to Michigan and performed as dominant a sport because it has all season in a pressurized spot that prompted athletic director Ross Bjork to publicly defend Day earlier within the week.”

The Buckeyes aced Shehan Jeyarajah’s weekly grades

👍 Honorable mentions

🏈 And never such a great morning for …

THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF UNDERDOGS … AND THE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM

The scoreboards do not lie. It was ugly for first-round underdogs within the first 12-team playoff. Positive, Clemson confirmed some battle, and Kevin Jennings has a vibrant future at SMU, however there was little drama in what’s presupposed to be probably the most dramatic motion school soccer can provide.

Folks jumped on it. You knew they might. Lane Kiffin mocked the choice committee — by no means thoughts his Ole Miss crew misplaced to a 4-8 Kentucky crew that beat zero different energy convention groups. You additionally might have argued for Alabama or another crew that simply barely missed the playoff. However the Crimson Tide (9-3) misplaced straight up misplaced to Tennessee and acquired demolished, 24-3, to a 6-6 Oklahoma squad.

Lengthy story quick, the committee acquired it proper, Will Backus says, and do not let the good thing about hindsight change that.

• Any 11-1 Large Ten crew that dominated almost each win and had no dangerous losses — Indiana’s actual profile — goes to make it.
• SMU was a much bigger query, however the Mustangs had zero dangerous losses and made a significant convention championship sport … the place it misplaced on a walk-off 56-yard area aim.

Plus, is not this what is meant to occur? Perhaps to not this extent, however the first-round house groups get the benefit of internet hosting a weaker crew however the disadvantages of (1) having to play that sport and (2) having to win that sport. Do not overlook key particulars, Dennis writes.

• Dodd: “Sorry to burst your bubble, Lane, however what occurred over the weekend has been occurring for 10 years. The CFP’s earlier 20 first-round (semifinal) video games had been determined by a median of three scores (17.85 factors). The 4 first-round video games this yr had been gained by a median of 19.25 factors. … That is soccer, dude.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Previewing School Soccer Playoff quarterfinals

OK, now right here come the massive boys. Perhaps the playoff increasing to 12 was too huge (a minimum of primarily based off this yr’s very small pattern dimension), however now that eight groups are left, we’re due for some actual humdingers subsequent week.

• Fiesta Bowl: (6) Penn State vs. (3) Boise State, Dec. 31 (preview)
• Peach Bowl: (5) Texas vs. (4) Arizona State, Jan. 1 (preview)
• Rose Bowl: (8) Ohio State vs. (1) Oregon, Jan. 1 (preview)
• Sugar Bowl: (7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Georgia, Jan. 1 (preview)

We now have early betting data and Dennis’ early ideas on all 4 video games.

Clearly the Rose Bowl stands out. The Buckeyes and the Geese performed a 32-31 thriller earlier this season, and now Ohio State will get a second probability, this time within the Granddaddy of Them All.

We’re all for second probabilities, so we gave our school soccer specialists second-chance brackets, too.

⚾ Corridor of Famer Rickey Henderson, MLB’s steals chief, dies at 65

Baseball Corridor of Famer Rickey Henderson, MLB’s all-time steals and runs scored chief who performed for 9 groups throughout 25 seasons, died at 65 years outdated.

• Henderson, nicknamed the “Man of Steal,” stole 1,406 bases. That is 468 greater than second-place Lou Brock. That is the identical because the hole between Brock and Jimmy Rollins, who ranks forty sixth all-time with 470 steals. Henderson had thee 100-steal seasons, together with a report 130 in 1982.
• Henderson is additionally the all-time chief in leadoff house runs (81). The stats, merely put, are astounding.
• His ledger consists of 10 All-Star Recreation alternatives, three Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and the 1990 AL MVP. He gained two World Sequence — in 1989 with the Athletics and in 1993 with the Blue Jays — and was a first-ballot Corridor of Fame inductee in 2009.
• Here is how sports activities stars reacted to the information.

The numbers inform solely half the story. Henderson’s persona additionally made him a particular, singular pressure, Matt Snyder writes.

• Snyder: “Rickey had a swagger that was one thing to behold. Again earlier than house run celebrations had been ubiquitous, he would decide at his jersey whereas rounding the bases in model. The ‘cool’ simply oozes out of the display screen, man. There was simply nobody in his ballpark. He homered to set the all-time report for runs scored and fittingly slid into house plate.”

🥊 Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury once more, retains titles

And nonetheless! Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by unanimous determination to retain world heavyweight champion standing. All three judges scored it 116-112 in favor of the Ukrainian, who additionally beat Fury again in February.

Although Usyk did not knock down Fury like earlier this yr, he outlanded the Englishman, 179-144, along with his huge left hand doing a lot of the harm. Brian Campbell says Usyk cemented himself as an all-time nice.

• Campbell: “Even when Usyk walked away for good after such a powerful triumph, it is laborious to shake the concept that we may be watching probably the most purely expert heavyweight the division has seen since — anticipate it — Muhammad Ali. Usyk could not personal devastating one-punch energy, but he landed the larger photographs for 2 consecutive fights in opposition to Fury regardless of giving up a lot by way of dimension and weight. And he is clearly one of many mentally strongest champions with the very best boxing IQ to enter the division in a really very long time.”

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏈 Myrtle Seaside Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA, 11 a.m. on ESPN
🏈 Well-known Idaho Potato Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Spurs at 76ers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Saints at Packers, 8:15 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Pacers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on NBA TV