Alvin Kamara scored 6 TDs for fantasy managers during Championship Week
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast...
... If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it. Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured their spot in the playoffs after Week 16 and now only three spots remain to be had in the NFC. The Cleveland Browns were unable to defeat the Jets, which would have clinched a playoff spot for them in the AFC for the first time in 17 years. The Browns' loss allowed for the Steelers to clinch the AFC North even after a recent three game losing streak.
Good morning 🤖 https://t.co/VlOJq31ny3— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Tampa Bay Buccaneers) 1609164190.0
Throughout 16 weeks, three teams in the AFC have clinched postseason berths: Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. In the NFC we have four teams that have clinched: the aforementioned Bucs along with Green Bay, New Orleans, and Seattle. With so many spots still up for grabs, we'll see plenty of important games being played in the final stanza of the 2020 regular season. The Dolphins, Browns, Colts, Bears, and Cardinals are all in must-win situations heading into Week 17 while the NFC East crown is still undecided as Washington, the Giants, and the Cowboys can all still stake their claim as division winners.
Alvin Kamara scored six touchdowns on Christmas Day. Today he’s riding his bike around downtown NOLA with a bunch o… https://t.co/nwG58T7vWd— Brett Michael (@Brett Michael) 1609100627.0
While the NFL still has another week before their postseason begins, for fantasy football managers Week 16 was Championship Week and titles were won and lost during a week we saw some huge performances. Alvin Kamara and Davante Adams were absolute monsters in Week 16, and if you had them in your fantasy championship matchup, you're probably spending most of today gloating to the rest of your league.
Kamara amassed 172 total yards and six(!) touchdowns against the Vikings, and Adams hauled in 11 catches for 142 yards and three scores. Kamara and Adams put exclamation marks on the end of their fantasy season's and should head into 2021 drafts as top three options at their respective positions.
You Shouldn't Have Mocked the Belt Mini Series: Davante Adams #GoPackGo https://t.co/LjObluVkkx— Alexander Basara 🇵🇱🐺 (@Alexander Basara 🇵🇱🐺) 1609133213.0
The NBA began their season last week, and we were also treated to a full slate of action on Christmas Day to breakup the unwrapping, unboxing, and food induced naps throughout the day. We saw Jimmy Butler sit out the second half of their game against the Pelicans, as he's nursing an injured ankle, and Zion Williamson dropped 32 points on Christmas Day. The Heat managed to pull off the win however behind a strong outing from Duncan Robinson.
32 PTS | 14 REB @Zionwilliamson put on a show in his first Christmas game 🎁 https://t.co/FK5qk9KRP4— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1608927781.0
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving look ready to dominate the Eastern Conference, as they have Brooklyn rolling early on, and with support players such as Joe Harris, DeAndre Jordan, and Landry Shamet, we saw them handle a good Boston team on Christmas 123-95.
KD and Kyrie's ELITE start 🍿 Kyrie: 31.5ppg/6apg KD: 25.5ppg/4.5rpg The 2-0 @BrooklynNets take on the Hornets ton… https://t.co/dIx4IhvBpw— NBA (@NBA) 1609092001.0
LeBron and the Lakers beat Luka Doncic's Mavericks on Christmas Day and the Clippers bested the Nuggets, but on Sunday the Clippers were embarrassed by the Mavericks as they went into halftime with only 27 points. The Clippers look like a team in need of what Montrezl Harrell left behind, and Harrell is fitting right in with the Lakers as he looks to be assuming a big role with the team right out of the gates with his new team.
There are currently five undefeated teams in the league, but they're probably not the teams you'd expect. Orlando (3-0), Cleveland (3-0), Indiana (3-0), Atlanta (2-0), and Oklahoma City (1-0) are the only teams with goose eggs in the loss column so far. The Celtics and Bucks have both started 1-2, and in the Western Conference the Nuggets have started out 0-2.
Just a wild day in the NBA 🤯 - Mavs blowout Clippers by 51 - Hornets give Nets their first loss - Knicks blowout B… https://t.co/vPsa8AjOlf— Overtime (@Overtime) 1609124427.0
With such a short offseason it's easy to forget some of the new faces in new places including Chris Paul in Phoenix. There is a lot of potential for the Suns to make a jump this year behind the veteran leadership of Paul. We saw him help expedite the progression of young players in Oklahoma City last season, and the Suns are hoping he can do the same for Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. The Suns are 2-1 to start the year and are currently sitting in fourth place in the west.
There have been two recent trades in the MLB that will improve playoff contenders. The Nationals acquired Josh Bell from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitchers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean. Bell had a down year in what was a truncated season last season, but in 2019 he made an All-Star team and smashed 37 homeruns and 116 RBI.
TRADE: We have acquired RHP Wil Crowe and RHP Eddy Yean from the Washington Nationals in exchange for 1B Josh Bell.… https://t.co/k53hxfP6lY— Pirates (@Pirates) 1608838263.0
The Pirates on the other hand gets to avoid a pay day for Bell and bring in to promising young arms. Crowe, a former second-round pick, projects to land in the Pirates rotation this year while the younger Yean (19 years old) will likely require a year or two in the farm system before getting a call up to the show.
The bigger news coming out of the world of baseball came on Sunday night when we learned that the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to send Cy Young winner Blake Snell to the Padres for a package of highly touted prospects. The Padres will add an all-star caliber starter to the top of their rotation to pair with Dinelson Lamet and once Mike Clevinger returns from Tommy John, San Diego will have one of the scariest rotations in all of baseball.
Dodger fans rn: #Padres #BlakeSnell https://t.co/wRu1Yhm2EP— Austin Garmo (@Austin Garmo) 1609130990.0
The Rays fresh off a World Series appearance will add one of the best pitching prospects in baseball in Luis Patino and may get a shot with the pro club as early as this year. Also included in the deal were catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt as well as Cole Wilcox who should need some additional seasoning in the minors before getting a shot with the Padres.
The return for Snell is only as good as the prospects turn out however. So an immediate reaction to this trade is the Padres got the better end of this deal, but with Snell's history of being injury prone combined with the promise of Patino, Mejia, and Hunt we may be singing a different tune a few years down the road.
What's most confusing though is why Snell was on the trade block to begin with, and Monday morning we also saw reports that Kevin Kiermaier, the Rays centerfielder, is also available in trades. Randy Arozarena posted a great postseason, but he's not going to be enough to bring the Rays back to the World Series by himself.
Coach Sean McVay and Quarterback Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast...
... If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it. Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
It's rare this late in the season for so many teams to still be in playoff contention. With most of the games already played on the Week 13 schedule, only four teams have been mathematically eliminated from contention, those being the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a loss to the Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. https://t.co/8wtFVyM5bh— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1607301694.0
The New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs have officially clinched spots in the the post season. Pittsburgh and Green Bay are just waiting to see their names added to the list of teams that have clinched, which should happen in the next week or two. But the large majority of teams are playing for their postseason lives, and the three games left on the Week 13 schedule all have major playoff implications surrounding them.
NFL playoff picture: Saints and Chiefs clinch, and Vikings move into the NFC's No. 7 spot https://t.co/59jRijlZYZ https://t.co/wfDRgfiTOE— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPN Los Angeles) 1607315583.0
On Monday night the Steelers will play the Washington Football Team and the Bills take on the 49ers. Every team in the NFC East has a sub .500 record, including the division leading Giants (5-7); that means that any win can thrust you to the top of the division. Washington is currently just behind them in second place, so a win tonight would go a long way in that division.
*me trying to figure out how the 49ers will win the NFC West* https://t.co/fU0pXeWMnK— Akash Anavarathan (@Akash Anavarathan) 1607297735.0
The 49ers also need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The NFC West has continued to be one of the most competitive divisions in football all season and with both Seattle and Arizona taking losses this week, a win would be even more important to San Francisco to make up some ground.
For the Bills, on the other hand, a loss would be disastrous, as they would then be tied with Miami at 8-4 while the Patriots seemed to have figured it out as they've won two straight and are now sitting at 6-6.
On Tuesday night the Cowboys will face the faltering Ravens, who are at least expected to get QB Lamar Jackson back for this one. On the surface it seems like an easy win for Baltimore, but their recent run of play, even with Jackson in at quarterback, has been lackluster at best.
Ravens' QB Lamar Jackson is expected to come off Reserve/COVID19 list and start Tuesday vs. the Dallas Cowboys, per sources.— Adam Schefter (@Adam Schefter) 1607263799.0
The Ravens are riding a three game losing streak and have allowed Cleveland to assert a three game lead ahead of them for second place in the AFC North and are in the top AFC Wildcard spot. If Baltimore has any chance of getting back to the playoffs, they will need the Lamar Jackson we saw last season during his MVP campaign. If we get more of the 2020 Lamar, Baltimore will need to start thinking about a new OC to replace Greg Roman, or a new QB to replace "Big Truss".
"BIG TRUSS!" —@markingram21 One year ago, Mark Ingram was turned up for his MVP @Lj_era8 🤣 https://t.co/3asitzrAhD— NFL on ESPN (@NFL on ESPN) 1605628581.0
Let's break down the AFC and NFC to see how the playoff picture is developing in Week 13.
AFC
The Steelers, Chiefs, Bills, and Titans lead their divisions. Buffalo is in a tight race in the East, as Miami is right on their heels and have a chance to draw even with Buffalo if San Francisco is able to upset them Monday night. Kansas City and Pittsburgh have significant breathing room and are more concerned about their playoff seeding since both will have spots in the postseason (barring a historic collapse from the Steelers). Tennessee is also in a close division race with Indianapolis, both 8-4 with the Titans holding the tiebreaker. But, luckily for them, they don't have a third team that can chase them down like Buffalo and Miami does.
Bill Belichick and Cam Newton have figured out a very boring and very effective way to win football games in today's NFL. The bad news for the former juggernaut is that over their last four games, three of them are against the Los Angeles Rams, the Miami Dolphins, and the Buffalo Bills. The other is against the Jets in the last week of the season.
Cam “character issues/won’t fit the Patriots way” Newton changing the culture in NE 👀👀 https://t.co/wmNFbvYFXA— PJWalkerQB1 (@PJWalkerQB1) 1607301434.0
Speaking of the Jets, the Las Vegas Raiders were the beneficiaries of the Jets' incompetence that we've seen this entire season. Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs III connected on a deep pass for a game-winning touchdown with five seconds remaining on the clock. Running an all-out blitz, the Jets left cornerback, Lamar Jackson (the other one), on an island with an Olympic level sprinter and it turned out the way you'd expect it to.
"We were down to the wire, and we knew that we needed a play." @__RUGGS and @derekcarrqb combined for the play of… https://t.co/2HDW9UKYS3— Las Vegas Raiders (@Las Vegas Raiders) 1607302801.0
NFC
The Saints are the only NFC team that holds the claim to have clinched a playoff berth already. The Packers shouldn't be too far behind. Green Bay are now 8-3 after this week's win over the Eagles, and their nearest competition in the division is Minnesota who is 6-6. Chicago and Detroit haven't yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention – but c'mon, let's be real; they're done.
Moving on to the Saints' division, it's a pretty similar situation. They're already in, and there's only one other team in the division that can make a playoff push, and that's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa's season has had its share of ups and downs, but they're certainly a team that is able to turn it on and look like a Super Bowl contender at times.
The #Saints are headed to the playoffs!!! ⚜️ https://t.co/DAu3I1jo9o— New Orleans Saints (@New Orleans Saints) 1607289411.0
The Bucs will be vying for a Wild Card spot and should have a strong chance to land one coming off their Week 13 bye. Carolina and Atlanta both currently have a 1% chance of reaching the postseason both sitting at 4-8.
The East, as we've discussed at length throughout the season, is a mess. Because of the current structure of deciding NFL playoff spots, there are currently four teams in Week 13 of the NFL season that are below .500 that have a real chance at reaching the playoffs. They're ALL in the NFC East.
I want to make sure to drive home the point of how much I hate the NFC East and the NFL for allowing this to happen. That means that one of these teams will make it in over someone like the Vikings, Seattle, or the Rams, depending on who falls out of the final Wild Card spot.
Live look at the NFC East https://t.co/7ZQPbX7gH0— Annie Agar (@Annie Agar) 1607300906.0
The only other thing worth mentioning about the East is that Jalen Hurts came in to replace Carson Wentz in the Packers game and did well enough to start a QB controversy in Philadelphia. Coach Doug Pederson is definitely on the hot seat, and his fate may already be sealed.
Starting Hurts the rest of the way doesn't seem like a bad idea considering we've had 12 weeks to see if Carson Wentz can lead this team to a division crown. Considering how low-hanging that fruit is, and how poorly Wentz has done with his chance, Hurts could save the season and Pederson's job.
.@JalenHurts has his first NFL touchdown! #PHIvsGB | #FlyEaglesFly 📺: CBS https://t.co/TuRPDyFU0k— Philadelphia Eagles (@Philadelphia Eagles) 1607298753.0
Saving the best for last, the NFC West has been the opposite of the East. It's been a pleasure to watch all of the teams in the league's best division fight for positioning all season, from the quarterback play of Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray to the impressive coaching we've seen displayed from Kyle Shanahan dealing with a myriad of injuries in San Francisco. And finally, Sean McVay reworking the Rams into a much different team than who we saw in the Super Bowl two years ago.
Sean McVay on taking the lead in the NFC West: “I mean, that means absolutely nothing because there are four games left.”— Jourdan Rodrigue (@Jourdan Rodrigue) 1607301123.0
The Rams and Seahawks are both 8-4, with the Rams holding the tiebreaker. Both are in the driver's seat toward reaching the playoffs, but the Cardinals and 49ers are far from out of it. The Cardinals fell to 6-6 after losing to the aforementioned Rams this week; but for San Fran, they could reach 6-6 with a win against Buffalo tonight in primetime. Neither are close to being out contention with four games left on the schedule, but at least one of them will be left on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs this year.
Kansas City OC Eric Bieniemy and Patrick Mahomes during last year's Super Bowl
Week 12 of the NFL has provided us with some concerns for once mighty contenders.
The Raiders, Colts, and Cowboys all got blown out this week, which doesn't bode well for their confidence moving forward as they are in the midst of battling for playoff positions. A couple games were decided by last second field goals.
The Patriots stole one from the Cardinals on a 50 yard field goal off the foot of Nick Folk. It was setup by a 15 yard penalty by Arizona linebacker, Isaiah Simmons, for a hit on Cam Newton as he was going out of bounds.
The Vikings managed to sneak away with a victory due to a missed field goal from Joey Slye of Carolina. Slye missed a 54 yard attempt as the game came to a close and Minnesota came out with the W, 28-27.
The Bills, Packers, and Saints all won to keep their division leads. The 49ers and Patriots managed to keep their playoff hopes alive with Week 12 wins.
Also congratulations to the New York Giants on moving into first place in the NFC East with their win over the Bengals they are now 4-7.
AFC East Fantasy Performer of the Week
Ryan Fitzpatrick QB Miami Dolphins - 257 passing yards and 2 TDs
The @MiamiDolphins came together and won as a team today. Ryan Fitzpatrick was proud of his squad’s performance aga… https://t.co/BGOiRuaREJ— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) 1606687424.0
AFC East Week 12 Winner
Buffalo Bills - With their 27-17 win over the Chargers, Buffalo kept pace ahead of Miami for the division lead. The combination of Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback have been good enough to keep stacking wins and the Bills cannot afford to let their foot off the pedal the rest of the way.
AFC East Week 12 Loser
New York Jets - Last I checked the news feed Adam Gase is still their head coach. Thus, the Jets are inherently the loser of the week in the AFC East until that statement is no longer true.
AFC West Fantasy Performer of the Week
Tyreek Hill WR Kansas City Chiefs - 13 receptions, 269 yards receiving, 3 TDs
I see you @cheetah. Let’em know they need help to guard you. https://t.co/XoQIxcUKON— shannon sharpe (@shannon sharpe) 1606699041.0
There's really not much to say about Hill's performance on Sunday. All that matters is that the Chiefs' offense looks better than it did last year when they won the Super Bowl.
AFC West Week 12 Winner
Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs not only won behind the stellar performances of Patrick Mahomes (462 yards and 3 TDs) and Hill against one of the better teams in the league in the Buccaneers, but every other team in the division lost Week 12. Barring a historical collapse, KC should already be printing their division champion t-shirts.
AFC West Week 12 Loser
The rest of the division - The Raiders are a team that we've seen fluctuate between a contender and an imposter all season. Now that it's getting down to the wire, Las Vegas can't afford anymore games like the blowout they endured against Atlanta this week. The Broncos played without a QB this week, and the Chargers are already looking forward to 2021.
AFC South Fantasy Performer of the Week
Derrick Henry RB Tennessee Titans - 178 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 6.6 YPC
Most rushing yards in Wk 12: 🔹 Derrick Henry - 178 🔹 Nick Chubb - 144 🔹 James Robinson - 128 🔹 Derrick Henry AFTER… https://t.co/IDJDGuEO7J— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF Fantasy Football) 1606745230.0
AFC South Week 12 Winner
Deshaun Watson - The Houston QB has kept his head up during a tough season. Even though he himself has struggled most weeks in 2020, the perennial pro-bowler got a chance to show the world that he's still elite even his team needs some upgrading. On a national stage on Thanksgiving, Watson threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions in a route, 41-25.
AFC South Week 12 Loser
Indianapolis Colts - While the Texans may not be dead yet, the Colts had the chance this week to establish themselves as the new kings of the South. Instead they got rolled over by Tennessee and Derrick Henry ate their defense alive to the tune of 178 yards. Even though it's still a two man race for the division between the Colts and Titans, Indianapolis knows they need to keep pace with Tennessee or they'll be on the outside looking in come January.
AFC North Fantasy Performer of the Week
Nick Chubb RB Cleveland Browns - 144 rushing yards and 1 TD
#Browns Nick Chubb averages 14.3 yards per carry in the 4th quarter this season. That is not a typo. https://t.co/Q3oF7ab6lR— Browns Rally Possum (@Browns Rally Possum) 1606664026.0
AFC North Week 12 Winner
Cleveland Browns fans - Since their return in 1999, Cleveland has been subjected to some bad football. With only one playoff appearance over the past two decades there hasn't been much to cheer about. Cleveland now sits at 8-3 and Browns' fans are in a precarious position as they'll be rooting for the Steelers on Tuesday night. A Pittsburgh win over the Ravens would give the Browns some more breathing room as they sit alone in second place behind the undefeated Steelers squad.
AFC North Week 12 Loser
Lamar Jackson - Jackson was placed on the Covid-19 reserve list ahead of the Ravens' Week 12 game with Pittsburgh. Additional diagnoses caused the game to be rescheduled. But Jackson will miss this important division matchup and the Ravens, as we just talked about, are at risk of giving up more ground to the Browns if they lose this week.
NFC East Fantasy Performer of the Week
Antonio Gibson RB Washington Football Team - 115 rushing yards and 3 TDs
Antonio Gibson WENT OFF as Washington takes down Dallas on Thanksgiving 👏 🔥 20 Carries 🔥 115 Yds 🔥 3 TDs https://t.co/bnI7RNsTGm— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1606438463.0
NFC East Week 12 Winner
Jerry Jones - I know that Washington had an impressive Thanksgiving day blowout win and the Giants moved into first place in the division this week. But the real winner is Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office because with their loss they're now positioned inside the top five in the upcoming NFL draft. This will allow them to go get a replacement for Dak Prescott and allow them to avoid signing him to the massive contract he's expected to get.
NFC East Week 12 Loser
Ezekiel Elliott - There is no doubt that Elliott can continue to be a productive, if not elite, running back in the NFL. We're just beginning to question whether that's going to be in Dallas next season. Zeke is one of the highest paid running backs in the league and the Cowboys may be resetting the roster if they're unable to come to terms with Dak Prescott in the offseason. Elliott's contract would be one that the team would be very motivated to move on from if that's the case.
NFC West Fantasy Performer of the Week
Kenyan Drake RB Arizona Cardinals - 78 rushing yards and 2 TDs
Kenyan Drake delivered the goods today. 🍽️ https://t.co/4pGTsjVC81— Rotoworld Football (@Rotoworld Football) 1606686167.0
NFC West Week 12 Winner
Seattle Seahawks - Even though the Seahawks haven't played their Week 12 game yet (they play on MNF against the Eagles tonight) they are already the winners in the division from Week 12. The Niners knocked off the Rams who are Seattle's closest competition for the division, and the Cardinals lost a heartbreaker to the Patriots. Considering the Hawks have been on a bit of a slide, Russell Wilson and the gang must feel good about the rest of the divisions' misfortune this week.
NFC West Week 12 Loser
Kyler Murray - As we just mentioned the Cardinals took a hurtful loss this week. In such a tight race for the division and playoff spots this season, Murray needs to will his team to some wins. This was an opportunity to do just that, and he played poorly. Murray only managed 201 total yards passing and rushing combined, threw an interception, and had no touchdowns on the day.
NFC South Fantasy Performer of the Week
Latavius Murray RB New Orleans Saints - 124 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 6.5 YPC
Alvin Kamara managers watching these Latavius Murray TDs https://t.co/QBiSBJETdG— Fantasy Football Today (@Fantasy Football Today) 1606692728.0
NFC South Week 12 Winner
New Orleans Saints - The Saints have won two straight with Taysom Hill filling in for Drew Brees while he's out due to multiple rib fractures. They are riding an eight game win streak overall, and as the Bucs continue to struggle to perform with any level of consistency, New Orleans is beginning to run away with the division.
NFC South Week 12 Loser
Atlanta Falcons - Yes the Falcons just beat the Raiders 43-6, but that's why they're here on this list. It's largely been believed that the Falcons are far better than their record shows, and their Week 12 performance proved that to be true. One can only wonder how their season could've been different if Dan Quinn was replaced by Raheem Morris before the start of the season.
NFC North Fantasy Performer of the Week
Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers - 211 passing yards and 4 TDs
Aaron Rodgers. Effortless. 4 TD passes 🔥 (via @NFL) https://t.co/rabpeV2Dcq— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1606706826.0
NFC North Week 12 Winner
Minnesota Vikings - With the help of the Packers, Minnesota has moved into second place in the division after a 1-5 start to the season. The Vikings will be in contention for a wild card spot the rest of the way out, and Kirk Cousins has started to give them more consistent performances. The Bears and Lions shouldn't be a threat, so the Vikings just need to keep winning to give themselves a chance.
NFC North Week 12 Loser
Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn - The Lions parted ways with coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn following the team's Thanksgiving day loss to the Texans. Detroit is 4-7 this season, but things haven't been trending in the right direction. Although it's a tough beat for Patricia and Quinn, they had plenty of chances to build around Matt Stafford and they failed.
HEY DETROIT THERE'S THIS GUY NAMED ERIC BIENIEMY IN KANSAS CITY THAT IS AVAILABLE.
Eric Bieniemy to the Lions? https://t.co/V2XqvmCXmB— Revived Sports Graphics (@Revived Sports Graphics) 1606616730.0
Top draft picks Joe Burrow and Chase Young during Sunday's game that saw Burrow go down with a season ending injury
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
Taysom Hill, Andy Dalton, and P.J. Walker all lead their teams to Week 11 victories filling in for injured starting QBs. Cleveland moved ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North with their win over the Eagles while Baltimore fell to the Titans. The Steelers continued to roll and now sit at 10-0 atop the NFL. The Colts outlasted the Packers in an overtime thriller as Indianapolis is now positioning themselves as a team nobody wants to see come playoff time as they boast the best defense in the NFL.
Joe Burrow was injured in the Bengals' game against Washington and he miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. This should make Justin Herbert the odds on favorite to win Rookie of the Year if you're interested in a futures bet.
NFL players coming back from torn ACLs: ➖ Joe Burrow ➖ Saquon Barkley ➖ Odell Beckham Jr. ➖ Nick Bosa ➖ Tarik Cohe… https://t.co/9fLMBjuKDx— B/R Gridiron (@B/R Gridiron) 1606147450.0
NFL
Along with the Colts' win this past Sunday, the Seahawks' victory over the Cardinals this week was just as important to keep pace in a competitive division. Both teams currently lead their respective divisions, but their margins of error are slim. The Titans beat the Ravens to match the Colts' 7-3 record, but the Colts hold the tie-breaker over them.
Taysom Hill contributed 284 total yards and two rushing touchdowns in a win over division rival Atlanta. The Falcons couldn't get their offense working all game and New Orleans was able to keep the Falcons' defense guessing all game. Michael Thomas led the way with nine catches for 104 yards.
P.J. Walker helped the Panthers get a win against Detroit showing his mobility and arm strength on a 52 yard strike to D.J. Moore and tossed for 258 yards and a touchdown. Mike Davis had 64 rushing yards and a TD as Carolina won 20-0.
PJ was having fun 😎 https://t.co/psYmAolycu— Carolina Panthers (@Carolina Panthers) 1606148197.0
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Vikings in one of the most surprising outcomes from Week 11 and are now tied with Washington and New York for second place in the NFC East. The Eagles still lead with a record of 3-6-1 but it's truly anyone's prize to win. Ezekiel Elliott had over 100 yards on the ground and Tony Pollard pitched in with 60 yards and a TD. Andy Dalton had three touchdown passes in the game.
Despite an early touchdown pass to DeVante Parker the Dolphins offense stalled under Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins brought in Ryan Fitzpatrick to spell the struggling rookie as their five game win streak came to an end after a loss to the Broncos 20-13.
The Chiefs avenged their only loss on the season defeating the Raiders in a barn burner 35-31 and are now 9-1 on the year and arguably the best team in football even though the Steelers remain a perfect 10-0. Patrick Mahomes threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns, but Derek Carr nearly outdueled him in a losing effort throwing for 275 yards and three TDs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire fantasy owners were happy as he had two scores which has been his Achilles heel all season is a lack of touchdowns.
The multi-TD game for Clyde Edwards-Helaire is here! https://t.co/epv1rYeqfX— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@Yahoo Fantasy Sports) 1606101381.0
A few other notable performances from Week 11 include Keenan Allen finishing with 16 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown. Deshaun Watson had 344 yards passing along with three touchdowns (two passing and one on the ground). Derrick Henry had 133 yards and the game-winning touchdown to beat the Ravens.
DERRICK HENRY CALLED GAME (via @NFL) https://t.co/hYeLwF2xGX— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1606079811.0
NBA
There's been a lot of player movement in the past week in the NBA and there may not have been a more impactful signing than Montrezl Harrell agreeing to terms with the defending champion Lakers. Harrell is the reigning sixth-man of the year and averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the 2019-2020 season.
Lakers really replaced Danny Green, Dwight, & Rondo with Dennis Schroder, Wes Matthews AND Montrezl Harrell https://t.co/H0PeZ2O0UD— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) 1605929348.0
It appears that Anthony Davis will be asked to play more at the center position this upcoming season. Now that Dwight Howard is on his way to Philadelphia and JaVale McGee was traded to Cleveland to make room for the eventual signing of Marc Gasol, Davis will likely be asked to play the 5 more often rotating with Gasol and Harrell.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel proved throughout the 2020 playoffs that he is very adept at finding good lineups with the talent at his disposal and with the league shifting to smaller and quicker lineups, Los Angeles is gearing up for a title defense.
The Clippers will hope to replace Harrell's production with veteran Serge Ibaka who is signing with the Clippers and should provide some nice spacing for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to work in this season.
Serge Ibaka is signing a 2 year $19M deal with the Clippers and will re-unite with his former teammate Kawhi Leonar… https://t.co/s31RE11aMa— NBA Retweet (@NBA Retweet) 1606019596.0
Gordon Hayward in a surprise move is headed to Charlotte to join newly drafted LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are an organization that has struggled with bad contracts weighing down their flexibility to make roster changes. Hayward signed a 4 year deal for $120 million and has struggled to stay healthy since arriving in Boston three years ago.
Goran Dragic signed an extension to remain with the Miami Heat and best friend Jimmy Butler. The Heat and head coach Erik Spoelstra will look to make another run for the Finals, but the Nets, 76'ers and Bucks will be serious contenders to take the Eastern Conference Championship crown from them.
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨I'm glad that I can announce that I'm staying with my #HeatNationFamily 📝❤️🏀🔥 @MiamiHEAT Let’s finis… https://t.co/CH3EzSimPv— Goran Dragić (@Goran Dragić) 1605913295.0
The Golden State Warriors lost Klay Thompson to yet another season ending injury. Thompson missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, and will now miss the entire 2020-2021 season after an Achilles' tendon tear suffered during a workout this past week. All is not lost however for the once dominant Warriors.
Steph Curry will be making his return and he will be joined by a couple new faces. The team's top draft pick was James Wiseman out of the University of Memphis. The big man will add a level of scoring versatility that they haven't had during the Steph years and will make defending the perimeter shooting of the Warriors considerably more difficult.
The @warriors will be without Klay Thompson next year but added Kelly Oubre Jr. to help offset the loss What place… https://t.co/DlLgtSRoOY— The Association on FOX (@The Association on FOX) 1605894922.0
Golden State also traded for Kelly Oubre Jr. sending a future first and second round pick in exchange to Oklahoma City. Oubre averaged 18.7 points per game last season in Phoenix and shot over 35% from three. This is obviously an attempt at replacing Thompson's skill set and shows that the organization feels like they can jump right back in and contend in a deep western conference.
