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Good morning, everyone! Have you caught your breath yet after those massive NFL showdowns? Carter Bahns here to recap the colossal Week 11 battles in the pros and the multiple marquee college football games that reshaped the postseason picture. There was a whole lot of “good vs. good” on the gridiron, and we’ll sort out what all the results mean.
We also saw a coaching change in the NBA, a couple of top-10 college basketball clashes and some historic fights in the UFC.
Let’s break it all down.
🏈 Five things to know Monday
The Eagles defeated the Lions to cap the NFL’s numerous marquee Week 11 matchups. The Eagles’ win put the finishing touches on a Sunday loaded with playoff implications. Earlier in the day, the Rams jumped ahead of the Seahawks in the NFC West, the Broncos dealt the Chiefs a massive blow in the AFC West race and the Bills (almost entirely thanks to Josh Allen) put up 44 points in a win over the Buccaneers.Oklahoma and Georgia are the biggest winners from college football’s Week 12. The No. 8 Sooners are back into the top 10 of the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in nearly two months, and the No. 4 Bulldogs have their highest mark since Week 2 after their victories over Alabama and Texas, respectively, in a pair of colossal SEC battles. It was a bittersweet day for Oklahoma, though, as it is no longer mathematically alive in the conference title race but still has a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Week 12 featured four CFP top-25 matchups in total, and in the other two, Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh and USC came back to beat Iowa.The Pelicans fired Willie Green amid their abysmal start. The fifth year of the Green era came to a close. A 2-10 record, which included an NBA-record three losses by at least 30 points in their first six games, put the Pelicans off to a miserable start and highlighted the need for change. But will a coaching move solve all of their problems? Injuries and questionable front-office moves suggest a change in leadership also factored into the Pelicans’ disastrous situation.The Mariners are set to make the first major splash of the MLB offseason. Months after they traded for Josh Naylor at the deadline, the Mariners’ attempt to re-sign the star first baseman are all but official. It will be a five-year deal for Naylor, who hit the free agency market after Seattle’s run to the ALCS. This is an indication that the Mariners are committed to making another World Series push in 2026 and could be the first of many moves as they reconstruct one of the best rosters in franchise history.The UConn men and South Carolina women won two of the top non-conference battles of the college basketball season. AJ Dybantsa scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half as No. 7 BYU threatened to erase No. 3 UConn’s 20-point lead, but the Huskies closed the door on the comeback bid for a victory in a highly anticipated non-conference battle in Boston. On the women’s side, No. 2 South Carolina passed its first major test of what it hopes is a national championship season in defeating hot-starting No. 8 USC. The top-10 battles headlined a weekend of five ranked games.
🥊 Do not miss this: Makhachev, Shevchenko victorious in spectacular UFC 322 co-main event
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Islam Makhachev became a two-division champion in taking the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena, and Valentina Shevchenko defended her flyweight title against Weili Zhang to headline a loaded UFC 322 card.
Makhachev won by unanimous decision after flexing his dominant grappling skills and, in turn, became the 11th UFC fighter to hold championships in multiple divisions. Shevchenko made her size advantage clear and secured a unanimous decision of her own in defeating Zhang, who vacated the strawweight championship in an attempt to take the flyweight title.
According to Brian Campbell, Makhachev may now be the greatest fighter in his star-studded camp and Shevchenko is starting to pick up steam in the GOAT debate.
On Makhachev: “It has gotten to the point where Makhachev’s accomplishments might be enough to surpass Khabib [Nurmagomedov’s] perfect 9-0 record.”On Shevchenko: “In what might go down as the signature victory of her incredible career against a two-time former strawweight champion in and fellow future Hall of Famer in Zhang, Shevchenko brought a swift end to any pound-for-pound debate with such a dominant performance.”
🤕 Quarterback injuries, spit-induced fight disrupt otherwise fantastic NFL Week 11
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Unfortunately, quarterback injuries were more than just a footnote in the biggest takeaways from Sunday’s NFL action. The rough day began when Aaron Rodgers left the Steelers’ win over the Bengals with a wrist injury, continued with Michael Penix Jr. exiting from the Falcons’ overtime loss to the Panthers with a knee issue and concluded in the late window when Dillon Gabriel finished the Browns’ loss to the Ravens in concussion protocol.
Injuries were not the only things to send players to the locker room. Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey was ejected for throwing a punch at Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and the players gave differing accounts of what prompted the altercation. Ramsey claimed that Chase spit on him, and while video appeared to back up his claim, the latter denied the accusation. The NFL will investigate.
Don’t let the unfortunate events detract from an otherwise terrific weekend of football, though. Cody Benjamin named these winners from Week 11:
Jaguars: “[The Chargers] were rendered totally uncompetitive in the most impressive showing of Liam Coen’s first season atop the Jaguars, suddenly reviving Jacksonville’s playoff hopes.”Ben Johnson: “Are the Bears playing clean, dominant football? Not necessarily. Are they playing winning football? There’s no denying it. Chicago logged its seventh win in eight weeks on Sunday.”Josh Allen’s MVP odds: “No. 17 put on his cape as a true dual threat to outlast Baker Mayfield’s own heroics, accounting for six scores and almost 350 total yards while spreading the ball to 10 different receivers.”
😅 College Football Playoff contenders survive Week 12 scares
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Week 12 was always going to reshape the College Football Playoff race because of the quartet of ranked matchups. That came to fruition when Texas suffered a potentially catastrophic third loss and Alabama lost traction at the top of the SEC ladder. But a few other games provided some thrill and threatened to turn the CFP picture upside down in surprising fashion. Fortunately for the victors of those games, the upsets did not come to fruition.
Michigan, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M each had to erase second-half deficits to overcome unranked foes. Michigan defeated Northwestern on a last-second field goal from Dominic Zvada, Ole Miss got 224 yards and three touchdowns from Kewan Lacy in a heroic effort against Florida and Georgia Tech moved a step closer to the ACC crown with a come-from-behind win at Boston College.
The Aggies fended off an upset in the most eye-catching fashion, clawing back from a 30-3 halftime deficit for a 31-30 win over South Carolina. David Cobb, who gave Texas A&M a “B” grade for the week, explained why the Aggies’ win could be a turning point for the program.
Cobb: “So often over the past 15 years, Texas A&M has looked the part of a contender for a time before wilting into a heap of mediocrity. There was a feeling of ‘here we go again’ on Saturday in the first half as the No. 3 Aggies hosted a reeling South Carolina team. … But as it turned out, Texas A&M was merely setting the stage for the biggest comeback in school history.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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Travis Kelce is the Chiefs’ new career touchdowns leader. His 84th career score came on a 21-yard grab against the Broncos.Anthony Davis is out for at least 7-10 more days with the calf strain that sidelined him for the last eight games.The Knicks will re-evaluate OG Anunoby in two weeks after he sustained a hamstring injury.Keon Coleman did not suit up for the Bills as a disciplinary measure for his team meetings attendance — or lack thereof.Jets cornerback Kris Boyd is in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen.Team USA got stronger for the 2026 World Baseball Classic with the additions of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Corbin Carroll to the roster. Enrique Hernández, however, will not join Puerto Rico for the WBC as he recovers from elbow surgery.Justin Thomas will miss the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season after undergoing a microdiscectomy to repair a disc injury that caused pain in his hip.Despite the Saints’ 2-8 record, owner Gayle Benson said during the bye week that firing general manager Mickey Loomis would be “ridiculous.”The West Virginia women’s basketball team only had five players available in the second half after a fight led to seven ejections, but that did not stop the Mountaineers from pulling off a 57-49 upset of No. 15 Duke.Watch this mammoth dunk from Victor Wembanyama, who put Draymond Green on a poster after some classic trash talk.The match between the United States men’s national team and Paraguay was a friendly by name only. The USMNT’s 2-1 victory ended shortly after a brawl that prompted an ejection and two yellow cards.The NBA requested multiple teams, including the Lakers, to send in cell phones and documents as part of its continued investigation into illegal sports betting.Maryland will bring Mike Locksley back for the 2026 season and bolster his NIL resources after a second consecutive disappointing campaign.J.K. Dobbins underwent surgery to address a Lisfranc injury in his left foot and could miss the rest of the season as a result.Mike Elko agreed to a contract extension with Texas A&M to become one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in college football.The NWSL Championship is set. Following their semifinal victories over the weekend, Gotham FC will square off against the Washington Spirit for league glory.Devils star Jack Hughes will miss eight weeks after cutting his finger in a “freak accident” at a team dinner.Darryn Peterson is out for the “immediate future” after the top NBA Draft prospect injured his hamstring in Kansas’ win over Princeton.Tennessee is expected to part ways with defensive back Boo Carter, who missed Saturday’s win over New Mexico State and had numerous team rules violations in the offseason.Led by Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez, TCU’s basketball team is looking like contenders after a convincing win over No. 10 NC State.Rory McIlroy won his seventh Race to Dubai title and fourth consecutive season-long crown on the DP World Tour. And Adam Schenk claimed his first PGA Tour win at the Bermuda Championship.
📺 What we’re watching Monday
🏀 Bucks at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on Peacock🏀 No. 5 LSU at Tulane (W), 7 p.m. on ESPNU🏀 SIU-Edwardsville at No. 24 Wisconsin (M), 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network🏈 Cowboys at Raiders, 8:15 p.m. on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2🏀 Rice at No. 20 Tennessee (M), 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network
