Axios Sports: NFL Sunday — Sportsperson of the Year — College football

1 big thing: 🏈 Sunday's winners and losers | Monday, December 07, 2020

Open in app View in browser   Presented By OurCrowd   Axios Sports By Jeff Tracy ·Dec 07, 2020 👋 Good morning! Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,872 words (7 minutes).     1 big thing: 🏈 Sunday's winners and losers Baker Mayfield and Rashard Higgins celebrating a TD in Sunday's win over the Titans. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images   The Saints and Chiefs became the first teams to clinch a playoff berth, and the Steelers can join them with a win (or tie) over Washington tonight. But don't listen to me — let's turn to the number-crunching expert himself, Steve Kornacki. 🎥 Watch: Kornacki, whose election analysis made him a star last month, joined the "Sunday Night Football" crew at halftime to break down playoff odds with the clarity — and khakis — we've come to know and love. Winners The Browns' bona fides: Entering Sunday, Cleveland had a great record, but mostly in close wins over bad teams. Then they had the highest-scoring half in franchise history (38) and took care of the Titans with ease. Aaron Rodgers: The future Hall of Famer threw his 400th TD in a win over the Eagles, reaching the milestone 12 games faster than any of the previous six QBs with 400+ TDs. Younghoe Koo: After another perfect day (3-3 FG, 1-1 PAT), the Falcons kicker remains the league's leading scorer (109 points), finding comfort in Atlanta after bouncing around since 2017. Taysom Hill, dual threat: After rushing for 4 TD in his first two starts, Hill finally threw his first career NFL touchdown in an efficient day under center (27/37, 232 yds, 2 TD; 83 rush yds). Carson Wentz leads the NFL with 46 sacks taken in 2020. Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images Losers The Eagles: Philly gave Carson Wentz a contract with $108 million guaranteed, but after another poor performance they benched him in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts, who nearly sparked a comeback and threw a beauty for his first career TD. Chargers special teams: In a 45-0 (!) loss to the resurgent Patriots, L.A. missed one field goal, had another blocked and returned for a TD and allowed a 70-yard punt return TD. Not great. The Jets: I'm kind of running out of things to say at this point. Up four with 42 seconds left and the ball, they still lost thanks to this Derek Carr bomb to Henry Ruggs. Teams facing Dolphins D: With two interceptions against the Bengals, Miami is the only team in the NFL to force a turnover in every game this season. Scoreboard: Chiefs 22, Broncos 16; Saints 21, Falcons 16; Lions 34, Bears 30; Browns 41, Titans 35; Dolphins 19, Bengals 7; Vikings 27, Jaguars 24; Raiders 31, Jets 28; Colts 26, Texans 20; Packers 30, Eagles 16; Rams 38, Cardinals 28; Giants 17, Seahawks 12; Patriots 45, Chargers 0. Tonight: Washington at Steelers, 5pm ET (FOX); Bills at 49ers, 8:15pm ET (ESPN) Tomorrow: Cowboys at Ravens, 8:05pm ET (FOX)     2. ✊🏽 Sportsperson of the year: Activist athlete Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Five activist athletes were named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated, honored for their accolades on the field and dedication to bettering the lives of others off it. Naomi Osaka: The U.S. Open champion wore a different face mask for each of her seven matches, honoring seven Black victims of racial injustice and police brutality "to make people start talking." Breanna Stewart: Seattle Storm's star and this year's WNBA Finals MVP played an integral role over the summer in the ongoing fight against racism, regularly attending protests and successfully lobbying the league to include "Black Lives Matter" on the court in the bubble. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif: The Chiefs' starting right guard helped lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl in 50 years before returning home to Canada — where he remains, having opted out of the season — to put his medical doctorate to good use, working on the front lines of the pandemic at a long-term care facility. Patrick Mahomes: The Super Bowl MVP was not only instrumental in pushing the league to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement back in June, but also helped fund the voting machines that allowed Arrowhead Stadium to become a polling location. LeBron James: The elder statesman of the group, James won his fourth NBA title while launching "More than a Vote," an organization dedicated to fighting voter suppression and encouraging voter education. Go deeper: Sportsperson of the year, the activist athlete (SI)     3. 🏈 College football: Top four hold serve DeVonta Smith had a huge day for the Tide. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images   With just one week of games left until conference championships, the CFP's top four teams all dominated, narrowing the path for any outsiders still hoping to crash the playoffs. Alabama 55, LSU 17: Mac Jones strengthened his Heisman case (20/28, 385 yds, 4 TD) while RB Najee Harris (145 yds, 3 TD) and WR DeVonta Smith (231 yds, 3 TD) became the first Tide teammates with 3 TD in the same game. Notre Dame 45, Syracuse 21: Ian Book (30-3 as a starter) became the winningest QB in school history, breaking a tie with Tom Clements (29-5), Ron Powlus (29-16-1) and Brady Quinn (29-17). Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 10: An inefficient passing day from Trevor Lawrence (12/22, 195 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) was balanced out by a strong ground game (2 rushing TDs) in an easy win. Ohio State 52, Michigan State 12: Justin Fields did a little bit of everything (199 pass yards, 2 TD; 104 rush yds, 2 TD) in a rout of the Spartans. His 104 rushing yards are a career high. Elsewhere: Coastal Carolina 22, BYU 17: The Cougars were this close to earning a last-second victory, but Coastal's defense came up with yet another huge stop to seal the win and improve to 10-0. Game of the weekend. Indiana 14, Wisconsin 6: Like Coastal, the Hoosiers won thanks to a smothering defense that held the Badgers to just two field goals. Iowa State 42, West Virginia 6: The Cyclones' epic season continues as they clinched their first-ever spot in the Big 12 championship (Dec. 19 vs. Oklahoma). Rice 20, Marshall 0: An undefeated season came crashing down for the Thundering Herd, whose QB threw more picks (5) in one game than he had in his previous 192 attempts (4). Go deeper: Week 14 roundup (ESPN)     A message from OurCrowd Accurate, autonomous harvesting may save billions. You can invest now     OurCrowd is opening the door for you to invest in the next great ag innovation. Tevel's Flying Autonomous Robots use cutting-edge AI, 3D-imaging and proprietary algorithms to harvest fruit fast - potentially saving the ag industry billions. Explore Tevel's investment potential.     4. 🏀 College hoops Week 2 action Source: @marquette.basketball (IG) No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Baylor was postponed due to positives within Gonzaga's program, erasing what would have been the game of the weekend. (Gonzaga has since paused all activities and canceled its next four games.) Still, the remaining slate delivered in the marquee's absence. Men's: Marquette 67, Wisconsin 65: The intra-state rivalry rarely fails to live up to the billing and this was no exception, as Marquette's Justin Lewis tipped in a missed FT to win at the buzzer. Kansas 65, North Dakota St. 61: The Jayhawks' backs were against the wall against the winless Bison, but a 7-0 run in the game's final four minutes sealed the victory as they improved to 4-1. Villanova 68, Texas 64: The teams combined to score 13 points in a wild final minute, and Villanova guard Collin Gillespie shook off a poor shooting night with four clutch free throws to hand Texas its first loss of the season. Georgia Tech 79, Kentucky 62: The Wildcats fell to 1-3 as Coach Cal lost to a former assistant — Yellow Jackets coach Josh Pastner — for the first time in his career (previously 17-0 in such games). Arizona celebrates amid a comeback victory. Photo: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images Women's: Arizona 78, USC 77: Arizona followed its close win over UCLA with a gutty, comeback win over the Trojans, led by Wooden award candidate Aari McDonald (30 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) and freshman forward Lauren Ware (12 pts, 12 reb off the bench). USF 67, Miss. St. 63: Guard Elisa Pinzan was just one assist shy of a triple-double (14 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl) as the Bulls upset the No. 6 Bulldogs in OT. Kentucky 72, Indiana 68: In preseason player of the year Rhyne Howard's second game back from a season-opening suspension, she lit up the Hoosiers for 22 points on 50% shooting to keep the Wildcats unbeaten (4-0). Arkansas 83, Baylor 78: The Razorbacks used a huge FT advantage (39 attempts vs. 18) to take down the No. 4 Lady Bears.     5. 📸 This weekend in photos Columbus Crew celebrates advancing to the MLS Cup final. Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images   COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Crew ended New England's dream run with a 1-0 victory, advancing to their third MLS Cup Final in franchise history (watch the decisive goal). Up next: Seattle hosts Minnesota tonight in the Western Conference final (9:30pm ET, FS1) for a spot opposite Columbus in Saturday's championship. Errol Spence Jr. lands a blow on Danny Garcia. Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images ARLINGTON, Texas — Errol Spence Jr. retained his welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in his first fight since a near-fatal car crash 14 months ago. "I basically proved that I'm back and I'm here to stay and I'm the unified champion of the world." Viktor Hovland watches his birdie putt fall on the 18th. Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — 23-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland (-20) sank a birdie on the final hole at the Mayakoba Classic to break a tie and earn his second career PGA victory. Wild stat: Hovland's only other win, at the Puerto Rico Open last February, also ended with a final-hole birdie that broke a tie and got him to 20-under-par.     6. 📊 By the numbers Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images for adidas   🏃🏽‍♂️ 57 minutes, 32 seconds: Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie set a world record in the half marathon, breaking the previous mark by nearly 30 seconds at Sunday's race in Valencia, Spain. ⚽️ 3 American goals: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Gio Reyna (Dortmund) became the first trio of Americans to score on the same day in one of Europe's top five leagues since 2005. One of the scorers 15 years ago? Gio's father, Claudio. 🏒 52 or 56 games: The NHL is targeting a mid-January start to its season, with the goal of completing a 52- or 56-game schedule. 🌳 50–85%: The NBA will not conduct random drug tests for marijuana in the 2020-21 season. Worth noting: various players have estimated that between 50% and 85% of the league uses marijuana. 🎽 $192,000: Former President Barack Obama's basketball jersey from his 1978-79 season at Hawaii's Punahou School broke the record for most expensive high school basketball jersey sold at auction. The previous record? $187,500 for the jersey LeBron James wore on the cover of SI in 2002. Something about No. 23! Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images     7. 🇧🇭 Field trip: Kingdom of Bahrain Thanks for choosing Axios Airlines. We'll be traveling to a new destination each morning this month. Sit back and enjoy the flight. Screenshot: Google Maps Location: Bahrain International Circuit Coordinates: 26.0316°N, 50.5113°E Welcome to the Kingdom of Bahrain, which hosted Sunday's Sakhir Grand Prix — the penultimate race of the Formula One season. Island nation: The small archipelago in the Persian Gulf comprises a combination of 84 natural and man-made islands. Sports manufacturing: As coincidence would have it, the factory and corporate offices for Bell Helmets — worn by various F1 drivers — is next door to the track. Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images Race results: Lewis Hamilton didn't race as he isolates and recovers from COVID-19, which opened the door for someone else to win for a change (Hamilton won 11 of the first 15 races this season). History made: Sergio Pérez became just the second Mexican driver (Pedro Rodríguez) to win an F1 Grand Prix, finally breaking through in his 190th career race. Mercedes drama: George Russell and Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's Mercedes replacement driver and teammate, respectively, led halfway through the race until a disastrous pit stop doomed them. Coming up: The season finale is Sunday in Abu Dhabi.     8. Dec. 7, 1937: ⚾️ Boston trades for Williams Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images   83 years ago today, the Red Sox traded for a 19-year-old minor leaguer named Ted Williams. The backdrop: Williams caught the eye of Boston's GM, Eddie Collins, as a part-time minor leaguer with the Pacific Coast League's San Diego Padres in 1936. In 1937, he earned a starting role and immediately crushed opposing pitchers, mashing 49 extra-base hits in 138 games. "It wasn't hard to find Ted Williams. He stood out like a brown cow in a field of white cows." — Collins The trade: At the Winter Meetings, Boston and San Diego reached a deal to swap Williams for $35,000, two major leaguers (Dom D'Allessandro and Al Niemiec) and two minor leaguers. The aftermath: Williams spent just one season in Boston's minor league system (83 XBH and .366 BA in 148 G) before debuting in the majors in 1939. Go deeper: Williams, Padres gave San Diego a thrill (MiLB)     9. 🏈 NFL trivia Giphy Justin Jefferson is the first Vikings rookie receiver with over 1,000 yards (1,039) since Randy Moss in 1998 (1,313 yards), when he won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Question: Who was 1998's Defensive Rookie of the Year? Hint: His 65 INT are tied for fifth-most all time. Answer at the bottom.     10. 🎥 Weekend's top plays DeVonta Smith with a catch of the year candidate. Photo: Kent Gidley/Collegiate Images/Getty Images   🏈 DeVonta Smith! 🏀 Tip-in at the buzzer! ⚽️ Reyna rocket! 🏈 Carr to Ruggs! ⚽️ Son Heung-min! 🏈 Aaron Jones! 🏈 Fields chasedown! ⚽️ McKennie equalizer! 🏈 (Not) incomplete! 🏀 D.J. Steward! Watch all 10.     A message from OurCrowd Billions may no longer be left to rot. Early investing is open     Every year farmers lose billions of dollars when fruit is left to rot. Tevel's Flying Autonomous Robots deploy on-demand, harvesting fruit at its peak value, accurately and efficiently. Now, you have the chance to invest early. Explore Tevel's billion-dollar potential on OurCrowd.   Talk tomorrow, Jeff "In my mind I'm here" Tracy Trivia answer: Charles Woodson Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend or use your personal referral link https://www.axios.com/referral/sports?code=BbTjEdwGLRoN For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: