FOOTBALL

The Los Angeles Chargers had an exciting and important win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.  In the 4th quarter, the Chargers were down 14 points and came back in a dramatic fashion. With only 4 seconds left in the game, the Chargers could have kicked the extra point to tie the game and go into overtime but instead went for the 2-point conversion and won.  The Chargers clinch their first playoff berth since 2013. Chargers 29, Chiefs 28.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has a fractured back but will not require surgery. He’s not expected to play on Sunday against the Rams, but if the Eagles make the playoffs, it’s possible he’ll be healthy enough to continue the season. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will step in on Sunday for Wentz.

BASKETBALL

Houston Rockets’ James Harden scored 50 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. This was Harden’s 4th career 50 point triple-double and the most in NBA history. In what’s been a disappointing year so far for the Rockets, Harden’s performance pushed the team to their second straight win of the season. Rockets 126, Lakers 111.

FOOTBALL

After the Minnesota Vikings disappointing loss on Monday night, the team fired offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo. Quarterback Kirk Cousins said if he had played better, DeFilippo wouldn’t have gotten fired. He said, “had I played at my fullest potential….were probably not having this conversation”.

BASEBALL

Former Major League Baseball All-Star Jose Conseco tweeted out he’d like President Trump to hire him as his next Chief of Staff. He said, “Hey little buddy @realDonaldTrump u need a bash brother for Chief if Staff. Got a secret reorg plan already. Also worried about you looking more like a Twinkie everyday. I will buff you up daily workouts. DM me. #yeswecanseco”

MISC

Former NY Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer has a new show called Daily Mail TV. In the last couple of days, he’s been getting a lot of attention after he accused Nicki Minaj of supporting her brother (who was convicted of raping an 11-year old girl) and also defending her new boyfriend Kenneth Petty who is a convicted sex offender. Minaj is now saying she’ll sue Palmer for defamation, “You better have a good lawyer, #JessePalmer #ArnoldPalmerYou just lied on me on nat’l TV & now you’re being sued. You better be able to back up what you just said about me with FACTS. #SuperFacts #Defamation🥳 #GoodFormVIDEO link in my bio. 😋”

BASKETBALL

The Penn Quakers made history on Tuesday night defeating #17 Villanova Wildcats for the first time since December 10th, 2002. Villanova’s 15 game win streak over the Quakers came to an end thanks to terrific coaching by Steve Donahue and 16 points each from AJ Brodeur and Antonio Woods. After the game, Donahue said, “Still digesting this and catching my breath. So incredibly proud of our guys. There are no words to accurately describe this group of young men. The good news is, we still have a lot of basketball left to play this season. Thank you to everyone who attended, watched, etc.!” Penn 78, Villanova, 75.

Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry is the latest NBA star to support a conspiracy theory. Speaking with The Ringer’s “Winging It” podcast’s co-hosts Vince Carter and Kent Bazemore about the moon landing. Curry said he’s not convinced the moon landing actually happened. NASA has offered to tour Curry when he’s in Houston saying, “There’s lots of evidence NASA landed 12 American astronauts on the Moon from 1969-1972.”Curry indicated he’d take them up on the offer to tour.

FOOTBALL

The Minnesota Vikings/Seattle Seahawks matchup on Monday Night Football was mostly unexciting, except for the controversial call in the fourth quarter when Seahawks’ linebacker Bobby Wagner blocked a Vikings 47-yard field goal with 5:46 left in the 4th quarter and the Seahawks up 6-0. The referee initially threw a flag calling Wagner out for using leverage (using his teammates to jump and block the field goal). It was announced there wasn’t a foul, but if you watch the replay there’s proof of the leverage. The controversy has fans wondering why there are seemingly so many more missed calls this season. Seahawks 21, Vikings 7.

BASKETBALL

Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade is retiring at the end of this season and his best friend and former teammate LeBron James got emotional after they played their last regular season matchup against each other Monday night. In a close game that ultimately went to the Lakers (108-105), LeBron said afterward,  “I have been saying all week that it is bitter sweet. Every possession it was getting closer and closer to (being) the last one. Lots of emotions knowing I’m losing a brother in this game. That’s my guy, man.” The two competitors and friends exchanged jerseys after the game.

FOOTBALL

Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy, the most coveted and prestigious award in college sports. Murray beat out fellow finalists Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. Oklahoma now has 7 Heisman trophy winners tieing the record with Ohio State and Notre Dame for the most of any school. Murray will lead Oklahoma against Alabama in a playoff semifinal game on December 29th. After the season, Murray will forego an NFL career as he’s committed to Major League Baseball and was picked 9th overall in the 2018 draft by the Oakland Athletics.

A couple of crazy games in the NFL this weekend!

The most exciting game was the Miami Dolphins winning with no time left on the clock against the New England Patriots. Called the Miracle in Miami, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw to receiver Kenny Stills, then a lateral to DeVonte Parker who lateraled to Kenyan Drake. Drake ran for a 52-yard touchdown outmaneuvering the New England defense including tight end Rob Gronkowski (who played defense as a precaution against a possible Hail Mary). This is a must watch highlight! Dolphins 34, Patriots 33.

The Dallas Cowboys Amari Cooper tore up the field in an important NFC East win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys traded their 2019 first round pick for the pro-bowl receiver back in October, and since then Cooper has energized the team with Sunday’s game as no exception. With 217 yards and three touchdowns (including the game-winner in overtime), Cooper has helped the Cowboys win their 5th straight game.

BASKETBALL

Sources say LeBron James is interested in Carmelo Anthony joining him on the Lakers. At 34 years old, Anthony has been sitting out the season after the Houston Rockets let him go (while still paying his league minimum salary of $2.4 million). We won’t know if LeBron and the Lakers are serious until after December 15th, however, as Anthony can’t be traded until then.

FOOTBALL

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry put on a show Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars scoring 4 touchdowns, rushing for 238 yards and thrilling everyone with a record-tying 99-yard touchdown run. Henry tied Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett from the Dallas Cowboys for the longest run in NFL history. Titans 30, Jaguars 9.

BASEBALL

Former Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow may play in the Majors this season according to recently hired New York Mets manager Brodie Van Wagenen. Tebow will begin the season with the Class AAA team, but if there’s an injury to the starting lineup, Wagenen thinks Tebow has a chance of stepping up. Prior to becoming the Mets manager, Wagenen was co-head of baseball at Creative Arts Agency and represented Tebow.

MISC

The New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson gave a number of Walmart customers an early Holiday present when she paid off 400 layaway items. The total for all the items came to $93,502. Gayle is the sole owner of the Saints and Pelicans franchises after her husband, Tom Benson, passed away last March. The Walmart store owner said, “It’s a good thing for the community. It’s a good thing for the store.”

GYMNASTICS

USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday thereby allowing it some time to figure out how to pay off all the lawsuits it still owes for the way it handled the allegations against longtime physician Larry Nasser and the 350 girls he molested.

BASKETBALL

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook passed former NBA star (and former Nets coach) Jason Kidd for his 108th career triple-double. He’s now 3rd in NBA history. On the same night, Thunder’s Paul George scored 47 points for a dramatic comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets. Thunder 114, Nets 112.

HOCKEY

The NHL is adding an expansion team in Seattle. With this addition, the League will now consist of 32 franchises. The group is co-owned by David Bonderman, the founding partner of TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group).  The Seattle franchise will be ready to compete in the 2021-22 season.

FOOTBALL

The Washington Redskins have lost two quarterbacks to injuries in the past few weeks and have a somewhat shaky Mark Sanchez now at the helm. The team is still in the playoff mix so considering some other quarterback options, but according to coach Jay Gruden, Colin Kaepernick is not part of the discussion. Kaepernick is still pursuing a collusion case against the NFL and has been unsigned since 2016.

BASKETBALL

Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz, the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, announced he has Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) which, according to his agent, “affects nerves between the neck and shoulder resulting in abnormal functional movement and range of motion, thus severely limiting Markelle’s ability to shoot a basketball.” Fultz will begin physical therapy and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. Many critics believed Fultz’s shooting issues were psychological, but with this new diagnosis, it appears Fultz really has some physical issues and can hopefully get healthy soon.

FOOTBALL

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer will retire after the team plays Washington in the Rose Bowl on January 1st.  At 54 years old, Meyer has spent the last seven seasons with Ohio State (bringing them a national championship in 2014) and six years before that with Florida where he won two national titles. Meyer’s year in Ohio was bumpy, as he was suspended for a few games for not properly reporting a domestic abuse allegation against one of his assistant coaches. With a cyst on his brain leading to constant headaches, Meyer has also had to deal with some significant health issues. Offensive Coordinator Ryan Day will take over on January 2nd.

On Monday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles got the win over the Washington Redskins. The Redskins have had bad luck at quarterback this year with their starter Alex Smith out for the year with a broken leg and then backup Colt McCoy suffering a fractured fibula in the second quarter. Signed by the team just two weeks ago, Mark Sanchez took over. Unfortunately for the Redskins, though, they’ve had too many injuries and too little time left in the season.  Eagles 28, Redskins 13.

FOOTBALL

The College Football Playoff selection committee chose the four teams to compete for the National Championship. As expected, Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame took the top three spots with the final spot going to Big 12 champion Oklahoma.  The Semifinals will be held on December 29th with the National Championship game on January 7th.

On quarterback Aaron Rodgers 35th birthday, the Green Bay Packers fired head Coach Mike McCarthy. In 2010, McCarthy led the Packers to a Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. While no one was particularly surprised McCarthy’s tenure with the team would end, it was unusual for the Packers to fire him with only a month left to go. It was McCarthy’s 13th season with the team.

The New York Giants and the Chicago Bears played one of the most entertaining games of the weekend. Early in the third quarter, in a trick play, Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr threw a 49-yard touchdown to Russell Shepard. A bit later in the quarter, running back Saquon Barkley leaped over a Bears defender. Beckham then caught a touchdown, but before the game ended got criticized for not recovering an on-side kick. In overtime, Saquan Barkley ran the Giants into field goal territory for a 30-27 win.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt was released from the team when TMZ published a video from February showing the star running back shoving and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway. In describing the events, Hunt said, “It was just a long night, and to be exact, it don’t really matter what happened. I was in the wrong.” No word on whether another team will pick up Hunt for the remainder of the season.