The Eagles held on for a 28-23 win over the Jaguars, Philadelphiaโs fourth straight win. Saquon Barkley had 199 yards from scrimmage, two touchdowns and one ridiculous backwards hurdle that I cannot believe is humanly possible. Nakobe Dean had the game-clinching interception.
Game of the day belongs to the Ramsโ 26-20 overtime win over the Seahawks that included some truly incredible throws โ good and bad โ from Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith. DeMarcus Robinson snagged a one-handed game-winner, and he was only in position to do so because Puka Nacua got ejected for throwing a punch. This game had everything, including a 103-yard pick six by L.A.โs Kamren Kinchens. Los Angeles earned a โB+โ in John Breechโs Week 9 grades.
Dolphins-Bills was a very close second for game of the day, with Tyler Bass nailing a 61-yard field goal late to give Buffalo a 30-27 victory. Josh Allen was terrific, and Miamiโs shorthanded defense was not, landing it in the โlosersโ category of Cody Benjaminโs Week 9 winners and losers.
The Vikings got back on track with a 21-13 win over the Colts.
Good morning to all, but especially to โฆ
THE DETROIT LIONS
Come rain, come shine, come any opponent, itโs all coming up Lions. Detroit improved to 7-1 and maintained its NFC North lead with a 24-14 win at the Packers.
This was the Lionsโ first game outside this season, but they didnโt seem bothered, and Jared Goffย let all the doubters know. After all, why would you doubt this?
Goff completed 18 of 22 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. His 140.1 passer rating over the last six games is the best over any six-game stretch in NFL history.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 138 yards rushing and a score.
Kerby Joseph had a pick-six (his six interceptions are tied for the league lead), and Green Bay scored just one touchdown on four red zone trips.
Brian Branchโs ejection was a low point for Detroit, but otherwise, everything was good in the bad weather.
I love everything about this team, from how they deploy their playmakers to how aggressive their defense is to how theyโre coached and how they approach the game. Jeff Kerr says theย Lions are the best team in the NFL.
Thatโs whatย Dak Prescottappeared to sayย while sidelined by a hamstring injury, and itโs hard to argue. Dallas has lost three straight and is 3-5 this season after aย 27-21 loss to theย Falcons that featured, in addition to Prescottโs comment and injury, CeeDee Lambย hurting his shoulder and Mike McCarthyslamming a tablet in frustration. Prescott and Lamb will get MRIs. (Thereโs no update on the tablet.)
Brinson:โAny other general manager who rolled out this roster, with these variant contract situations, well, theyโd be fired. โฆ The same guy who waited to sign Dak. The same guy who waited to sign Lamb. The same guy who said Derrick Henry was too expensive (because he waited, even though Henry wasnโt). The same guy who didnโt add anything other thanย Ezekiel Elliott โ who wasย inactive Sunday and didnโt travel to Atlanta because of disciplinary reasonsย โ to the running back room this offseason. The same guy who said the team was โall inโ on 2024. The same guy who thought the defense would be fine.โ
Jermaine Burton was benched for skipping walkthrough.
ULM offensive line coach Cameron Blankenship will face disciplinary action after pushing a Warhawks player.
A baseball player who had a verbal agreement with the Padres is 19 years old, not 14.
College football recap: Ohio State holds off Penn State, two other undefeateds fall
Ohio State isnโt the dominant outfit one might have expected leading up to the season, but itโs still getting the job done โฆ and still beating Penn State. The Buckeyes got a goal-line stand with just over five minutes left and then ran out the clock for a 20-13 win, their eighth straight triumph over the Nittany Lions.
Menโs college basketball season preview: Championship picks, Bracketology, more
Weโre soooooo back. College basketball begins tonight, and we have 68 storylines hot off the press!
Letโs start with No. 7 Duke and Cooper Flagg, who open tonight against Maine. Listen, I get it. We talk about Duke and their freshmen year after year. Flagg might just be different, though. Heโs No. 1 on Cameron Salernoโs list ofย top freshmenย โ a really, really talented list โ and, as such, is trying to reverse the recent trend of freshmen-led teams not winning titles.
Will they finish there? We have expert picks for the Final Four and National Championship, with five different projected title winners among our seven experts. I like Gary Parrishโs pick:
Parrish:ย โKansas โย They added two projected starters (AJ Storr from Wisconsin and Rylan Griffen from Alabama) and three other rotation pieces โฆ Combine that with three returning starters (Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams andย Hunter Dickinson) and two top-50 freshmen (Flory Bidunga andย Rakease Passmore), and, again, depth shouldnโt be an issue this season. Simply put, Iโm of the opinion KU has the best roster-construction for winning six straight games in a single-elimination national tournament.โ
And donโt look now, but Jerry Palm already has Bracketologyย up and running.
Oh, and for you night owls, donโt miss No. 8 Baylor at No. 6 Gonzagatonight.
Womenโs college basketball preview: Can South Carolina repeat?
Womenโs college basketball also returns today, and weโre going international for this one, withย No. 20 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 USC andย No. 17 Louisville vs. No. 5 UCLAย in Paris. JuJu Watkins is the shiniest star in The City of Lights: Sheโs No. 2 in Isabel Gonzalezโs top 10 players in the country, and Isabel says her Trojans are one of four teams capable of winning it all.
South Carolina โโExcept for Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks return every key player from their 38-0 season that resulted in the 2024 national title. โฆ Joining MiLaysia Fulwiley in the backcourt are 3-point markswoman Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson, who led the team in steals last season.โ
UConn โโThe Huskies are fresh off making the Final Four with just a seven-player rotation, and this year they could have a few more healthy bodies. Paige Bueckers made a comeback last season and proved to be physically stronger and a better defender.โ
USC โโWatkins is back, along with Rayah Marshall โ the teamโs leader in rebounds and blocks. โฆ They added even more talent with Oregon Stateโs Talia von Oelhoffen and Stanfordโs Kiki Iriafen.โ
Texas โ โTexas has made three of the last four Elite Eights, but this is the first time in a while the team has had this much depth.โ
No. 20 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 USC in Paris (W), noon on ESPN No. 17 Louisville vs. No. 5 UCLA in Paris (W), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 Maine at No. 7 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ACC Network Bucks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV Michigan vs. No. 1 South Carolina (M), 7:30 p.m. on truTV/TNT Buccaneers at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. on ABC/ESPN No. 19 Texas vs. Ohio State (M), 10 p.m. on truTVTBS 76ers at Suns, 10:15 p.m. on NBA TV No. 8 Baylor at No. 6 Gonzaga (M), 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2