Posted Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL games….
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
Green Bay Packers Quiz: 1) Name the only four to throw for 20,000 yards in a Packers uniform. [It’s No. 4 on the list that some might not get.] 2) Name the six to rush for 4,000 yards with Green Bay. Answers below.
College Football
—The first round of the College Football Playoffs started out Friday night in Norman, Oklahoma, 9 Alabama vs. 8 OU.
The Sooners jumped out to a 17-0 lead but by the end of the second quarter, Bama had tied it at 17 on an atrocious pick-six thrown by Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, who had rushed and passed for touchdowns earlier.
Mateer would partially redeem himself with a TD pass early in the fourth to cut Alabama’s lead to 27-24, the Crimson Tide having scored 27 unanswered points, as QB Ty Simpson had a solid game, 18/29, 232, 2-0.
But Lou Groza award-winning kicker Tate Sandell missed a 36-yard field goal that would have kept OU in the game with 2:37 to play, his first miss in 25 tries, and then he missed another 51-yarder in the final two minutes, but it was game over by then, 34-24.
However, Alabama, which now faces No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl, still has zero running game, 28 yards in this one.
As for the committee’s decision to put the Crimson Tide in the Playoff over Notre Dame, it looks OK…for one night.
—Saturday’s action opened with 7 Texas A&M hosting 10 Miami and the Hurricanes (11-2) pulled off the upset over the Aggies (11-2) 10-3.
It was a scoreless first half, A&M outgaining Miami 175-69, as kicker Carter Davis missed two field goals for the visitors.
But then Miami, specifically running back Mark Fletcher Jr., got the running game going with Fletcher ending up with 172 yards on 17 carries, while super freshman receiver Malachi Toney had the game’s only score on an 11-yard pass play* from Carson Beck, atoning for an earlier fumble in the fourth with the game tied at 3-3.
A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (three turnovers) was then picked off in the end zone with 0:24 to play as the Aggies were attempting to tie it.
*I’m still scratching my head why the Beck to Toney play was ruled a pass. That wasn’t a shovel pass…it was a handoff. [OK, it was the slightest shovel pass I ever saw.]
On defense for Miami, Rueben Bain had three sacks and blocked a field goal.
Miami won despite Carter Davis, who had been 14 of 16 on field goals this season, missing 3 of 4, the wind getting into his head. Something to watch as Miami takes on 2 Georgia New Year’s Eve.
–The other two games aren’t worth writing much about. 6 Ole Miss (12-1) easily handled 11 Tulane (11-2) 41-10, after beating them earlier in the year 45-10, as Pete Golding’s defense looked very solid in his first game as head coach after replacing Lane Kiffin. The fans are all in on Golding and it’s great to see.
And 5 Oregon (12-1) destroyed 12 James Madison (12-2) 51-34, in a game that was hardly as close as the final score, the Ducks up 48-13 in this one as Dante Moore passed for four touchdowns and ran for one.
I just haven’t been impressed with Oregon basically all season. Even when they put up a lot of points, I didn’t think the offense was that good.
But last night they looked like a well-oiled machine (despite Moore’s two interceptions).
Yes, we all know JMU didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Life goes on.
—Arch Manning, as expected, is returning to Texas in 2026.
“Arch is playing football at Texas next year,” Cooper Manning told ESPN last week.
“He’s a young man who’s gotten better as the season’s gone on, and not only physically, but mentally, maturity-wise,” coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I would think he’s going to want another year of that growth to put himself in position for hopefully a long career in the NFL. And he’s got some unfinished business of what he came here to do and what he came here to accomplish.”
It’s funny how in the preseason, the talk was Arch would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and after the opening loss against Ohio State, we were all thinking, ‘Ah, maybe not…’
He definitely needs another year. For 2025 he’s thrown 24 touchdown passes with seven interceptions, albeit he looked much better in the second half of the season.
–No surprise that Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is off to the NFL. Love had 1,372 yards rushing, a 6.9 average, with 18 touchdowns on the ground, and a school-record 21 TDs overall. He’s a surefire first-rounder.
–The ACC said it will update its tiebreaker policy after missing out on the College Football Playoff through the automatic conference champion qualifier, but the ACC said it hasn’t hammered out the details yet.
NFL
–In an important Thursday night contest, the Seahawks (12-3) defeated the Rams (11-4) in Seattle, a 38-37 overtime thriller, overcoming a 30-14 fourth-quarter deficit, the Seahawks converting two, 2-point conversions to knot it at 30-30 heading into OT.
The Rams then scored on their opening drive on a 41-yard Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua pass play, but Seattle took it right back down the field, got a TD, and then won on yet another 2-point conversion, this one Sam Darnold to Eric Saubert.
Stafford, in defeat, was 29/49, 457, 3-0, 110.7, with Nacua catching 12 of his passes for 225 yards and two scores. Nacua has a staggering 573 yards receiving in his last three games. [But, boy, Nacua is sure a jerk off the field. I’m not wasting my time with his comments, apologies, etc.]
—Saturday, the NFL obnoxiously went up against the College Football Playoffs and in the early game, the Eagles (10-5) beat the lowly Commanders (4-11) 29-18, as Saquon Barkley looked like his old self, 21 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown, only his third 100-yard game of the season after his 2,000-yard campaign last year. Jalen Hurts looked solid, 22/30, 185, 2-0.
The Commanders shut down quarterback Jayden Daniels. The thing is he can probably play, but they won’t be able to evaluate him in the final three games and he’s supposed to be the franchise quarterback.
–In a stunning finish, Saturday night, the Bears (11-4) beat the Packers (9-5-1) 22-16 in overtime.
Chicago, winners of 7 of 8, the only loss in that stretch to Green Bay, was down 16-6 late in the fourth when Cairo Santos kicked a field goal at 1:59 to cut it to 16-9.
The Bears then recovered an onsides kick and quarterback Caleb Williams, who has become the NFL’s best fourth-quarter comeback QB this season, threw a 6-yard TD pass to Jahdae Walker, the Bears opting to tie it rather than go for two with 0:24 to play.
And then in OT, Williams hooked up with DJ Moore on a 46-yard bomb for the win.
Green Bay lost quarterback Jordan Love to a probable concussion in the second quarter and backup Malik Willis played very well in his place. However, he fumbled a fourth-and-one snap at the Bears’ 36 in overtime, Chicago took over, and four plays later, Moore hauled in the winning TD from Williams, setting off a wild celebration.
—Sunday, the Bills (11-4) held on to defeat the Browns (3-12) 23-20, as James Cook III had 117 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns.
–The Chargers are 11-4, 34-17 over the Cowboys (6-8-1).
–But in a biggie for the pathetic NFC South lead, the Panthers (8-7) beat the Bucs (7-8) 23-20, Ryan Fitzgerald with a 48-yard field goal with 2:20 to play that decided it.
Baker Mayfield has sucked for the Buccaneers after a start to the season that had many chanting ‘MVP…MVP…’
These two still play each other the final week of the season in Tampa Bay.
Meanwhile, for us locals, the Jets (3-12), with draft capital the next two years, lost 26-9 at New Orleans (5-10), the Saints’ Tyler Shough winning his third at quarterback, New Orleans fans thinking the 26-year-old rookie might…emphasize might…be an answer.
And the equally atrocious Giants (2-13) lost to the Vikings (7-8) 16-13, New York generating a whopping 141 yards of offense.
Yup, us New York football fans have a combined 5-25 record this season. Thank God we have the Knicks.
–The Dolphins benched Tua Tagovailoa, who is less than two years removed from signing a four-year extension that averaged $53.1 million, in favor of 2025 seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers.
Tua has thrown for 20 touchdowns but also a career-high, league-leading 15 interceptions and a lousy 88.5 PR. But what will Miami do with him and the contract?
So, Sunday, the Bengals (5-10) beat the Dolphins (6-9) 45-21, Ewers 20/30, 260, 0-2, 66.0, while Cincy’s Joe Burrow was super…25/32, 309, 4-0, 146.5. Otherwise, no one gave a damn about this one.
College Basketball
—Tuesday, 11 Louisville (9-2) fell at 20 Tennessee (8-3) 83-62, while 22 St. John’s (7-3) defeated DePaul (8-4) 79-66 in the Big East opener for both.
But there then weren’t any big college hoops matchups until Saturday….
And No. 1 Arizona (11-0) beat San Diego State (6-4) 68-45.
–But 3 Duke suffered its first loss of the season, now 11-1, falling at Madison Square Garden 82-81 to 19 Texas Tech (9-3), as the Red Raiders came back from 17 down in the second half to pull off the stirring upset.
Christian Anderson had 23 of his 27 points in the second half, while Duke freshman star Cameron Boozer, a presumed one-and-done, missed five three throws and Duke overall was just 17 of 29 from the line. In the end, that’s the difference, flat and simple.
Us Wake Forest fans were watching because we had a one-point loss to Tech this season and the better the Red Raiders do, the better our loss looks come March.
—6 Purdue (11-1) manhandled 21 Auburn (8-4) 88-60.
8 Houston (11-1) had a good road win at 14 Arkansas (9-3) 94-85.
—12 North Carolina (11-1) just got by Ohio State (8-3) 71-70.
–And 22 St. John’s (7-4) suffered a bad loss against unranked Kentucky (8-4) 78-66, Rick Pitino’s Johnnies getting outscored 53-34 in the second half. Not the way Coach envisioned these first 11 games to go as they’ll undoubtedly fall out of the top 25.
Sunday, Wake Forest (9-3) had another must-win game in terms of the selection committee, hosting 13 Vanderbilt (11-0).
Wednesday, Wake had barely beaten Longwood (6-7) 71-68, while Vandy defeated Memphis (4-6) in overtime, 77-70.
Which Demon Deacon team would show up, with the students home for the holidays, homesick players dreaming of getting home themselves for a few days after the game….
Well, it was over early as the Deacs, in one of the more atrocious performances I’ve ever watched, were blown out of their own gym 98-67! Vandy’s Tyler Nickel, 26 points, was 8 of 10 from three, the Commodores hitting 16 from downtown overall, while the Deacs were 4 of 21 from beyond the arc.
But it was more than that. Vandy had 23 assists to Wake’s 8, and the Deacs had 17 turnovers…one lazy pass after another.
This is a deeply flawed team that is going nowhere fast. The Steve Forbes Era is rapidly dwindling to just a few weeks if they don’t turn it around. He could be fired early. Solely my opinion…that almost never happens in college basketball.
Meanwhile, Vandy is interesting…some very nice pieces.
NBA
–Going back to last Tuesday night, the Knicks won the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, defeating the Spurs, 124-113, as OG Anunoby had 28 points and 9 rebounds.
But it was the bench that got the job done in the decisive fourth quarter (35-19 Knicks), as Mitchell Robinson had 15 rebounds in 18 minutes (10 off the offensive glass, keeping possessions alive), Jordan Clarkson had 15 points, and Tyler Kolek had 14 point, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
But the Knicks, after celebrating, played the Pacers in Indianapolis on Thursday, and, expecting a letdown, and fatigue, the Knicks, down 15 in the second half, gutted it out and pulled off the win, 114-113, on a Jalen Brunson 3-pointer with 4.4 to play. A terrific game.
New York then played the 76ers Friday at Madison Square Garden and they ran out of gas, finally, three games in four days, falling 116-107 to Philly (15-11).
The 76ers have a stud backcourt…Tyrese Maxey (30 points) and rookie VJ Edgecombe (23, including a spectacular put-back slam down the stretch). These two are fun to watch (I agree, Mark R., a great foundation).
Jalen Brunson was just 7 of 22 from the field, 22 points, as he clearly looked like he needed a day off.
So the Knicks (19-8) then played the Heat on Sunday night at MSG after I went to post.
[The Sixers won Saturday at home, 121-114 over the Mavs; Maxey with 38, Edgecombe 26.]
–The T’Wolves (18-10) handed the Thunder just their third loss of the season Friday in Minneapolis, 112-107, Anthony Edwards with 26 points and 12 rebounds, OKC 25-3.
—Saturday, the Lakers (19-8) fell to the Clippers (7-21) 103-88, as Luka Doncic went out in the first half with a leg injury, status unknown.
MLB
–Action in the Hot Stove League has cooled off, but January should be busy, with the likes of Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and Cody Bellinger still out there.
The Mets signed Yankees reliever Luke Weaver to a two-year, $22 million deal, a solid move, though he was godawful this postseason. He should be a quality 7th/8th-inning guy capable of closing as well.
–The Padres brought back starter Michael King on a three-year, $75 million contract, another hurler the Mets had reportedly targeted, but I’m guessing they only wanted to give him two years.
I like King, just a solid No. 3 in an ideal rotation. He was limited to 15 starts last season due to injury, but had a 3.44 ERA and the year before he was outstanding, a 2.95 ERA in 173 2/3 innings, finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
–Today, the White Sox landed intriguing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami…a two-year, $34 million contract.
Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, has 246 homers in eight seasons, including a record 56 in 2022. He’s a first and third baseman, though apparently not a real good one and he strikes out a ton. I hope it works out for Chicago. Hell, if he’s Adam Dunn reincarnate, that’s OK.
–Friday, a one-of-a-kind 2025 Topps Chrome autographed gold MLB logo patch Shohei Ohtani card sold for $3 million in a Fanatics Collect auction.
—The Angels settled the wrongful death lawsuit brought against them by the family of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, ending nearly five years of tense litigation between the team and the family of its former player.
The jury began deliberations on Monday, after more than two months of testimony, and on Friday, the two sides reached an agreement before the jury could weigh in. The terms are not public.
Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, after ingesting a fentanyl-laced pill provided by Eric Kay, the team’s ex-communications director. Kay is serving 22 years in federal prison for providing the pill, after being convicted in a 2022 criminal trial that took place in Fort Worth, Texas.
Premier League
In Saturday action, the league with games almost every day of the week during the holidays, Newcastle and Chelsea tied 2-2; Man City whipped West Ham 3-0, Erling Haaland with two goals giving him 19 on the season in league play; Liverpool had a chaotic 2-1 win at 9-man Tottenham; and Arsenal beat Everton on the road 1-0.
Sunday, Aston Villa defeated Manchester United 2-1.
So the table….17 of 38…points
Arsenal 17 – 39
Man City 17 – 37
Aston Villa 17 – 36
Chelsea 17 – 29
Liverpool 17 – 29…staying relevant…
FIS/Alpine
Going back to Tuesday, Mikaela Shiffrin made it 4-for-4 in slalom races this season, getting overall win No. 105 at Courchevel, France.
And then Saturday, Lindsey Vonn took third in a downhill at Val d’Isere (France), so Vonn has a first, second and third in the three downhill races thus far in the 2025-26 campaign.
But wait…there’s more! Vonn had a third in today’s Super G. Go Girl!
Stuff
—NASCAR has had too many tragedies* like the one we had Thursday, when a business jet crashed shortly after takeoff at a Statesville, N.C. airport, claiming former Cup driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children, along with three others.
The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground. It had departed the regional airport (about 45 miles north of Charlotte) but immediately ran into trouble and the aircraft attempted to return and land.
Biffle, 55, won 19 Cup races and a Xfinity Series title in 2002. He was known as a tremendous humanitarian, making countless relief missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, utilizing his helicopter to get to remote areas.
“I had such tremendous respect for Greg as a driver, and we shared countless tough battles on the track,” Jeff Gordon wrote on X. “Like so many others, I was inspired by his tireless relief work during Hurricane Helene. My heart goes out to the Biffle family and everyone hurting.”
*In recent memory…1992 Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki died April 1, 1993, in a small plane crash.
Davey Allison died July 12, 1993, in a helicopter crash at Talladega.
Hendrick Motorsports lost team executives in a plane crash in 2004 that killed ten overall, including Rick Hendrick’s son, Ricky.
Dale Jr. and family survived a plane crash in 2019; their small aircraft having taken off from the same Statesville airport involved in the Biffle tragedy.
—New travel bans imposed by the U.S. government threaten to exclude fans of African nations Senegal and Ivory Coast from attending the World Cup next year.
Senegal’s games against France and Norway in the Group sage are scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, while their game against a playoff team will take place in Toronto.
Ivory Coast (Group E) faces Ecuador and Curacao, both at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia, as well as taking on Germany in Toronto.
Meanwhile, FIFA, after soaring tickets prices triggered a public backlash and calls to halt sales, announced Wednesday it would reduce prices for a small portion of tickets to $60.
But the new price will apply to 10 percent of the tickets allotted to an individual country’s soccer association, which means it applies to only 1.6 percent of all tickets.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/25/71: #1 “Brand New Key” (Melanie) #2 “Family Affair” (Sly & The Family Stone) #3 “American Pie” (Don McLean)…and…#4 “An Old Fashioned Love Song” (Three Dog Night) #5 “Got To Be There” (Michael Jackson…great tune…) #6 “Have You Seen Her” (Chi-Lites) #7 “All I Ever Need Is You” (Sonny & Cher) #8 “Scorpio” (Dennis Coffey &The Detroit Guitar Gand) #9 “Cherish” (David Cassidy) #10 “Hey Girl/I Knew You When” (Donny Osmond…B+ week….)
Green Bay Packers Quiz Answers: 1) Four to throw for 20,000 yards….
Brett Favre (1992-2007) 61655…442 TDs
Aaron Rodgers (2005-2022) 59055…475
Bart Starr (1956-71) 24718…152
Lynn Dickey* (1976-85) 21369…133
*Dickey led the NFL in passing in 1983 for an 8-8 team…4,458 yards. But aside from throwing 32 touchdown passes that year, he also threw 29 interceptions! Good gawd.
James Lofton, 58-1,300, 22.4 avg., was the big receiver then.
2) Six to rush for 4,000 yards…
Ahman Green (2000-09) 8322
Jim Taylor (1958-66) 8207
Aaron Jones (2017-23) 5940
John Brockington (1971-77) 5024…loved watching him….
Tony Canadeo (1941-52) 4197
Ryan Grant (2007-12) 4143
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
