Two of the greatest words in the English language lead off today's newsletter: Happy Friday!Let's get right to it. But first, inhale, Vikings fans. Now exhale. It's ok. Good morning to everyone but especially to... THE MINNESOTA VIKINGSThe largest blown lead in NFL regular-season history is 28 points. Last night, the Vikings tried their best to make it 29.Minnesota led Pittsburgh 29-0 with under three minutes left in the third quarter and then nearly blew it all, hanging on for a 36-28 win.How did they get there?The Vikings scored on six of their first eight drives, including two rushing touchdowns by Dalvin Cook and a touchdown pa s from Kirk Cousins to
Y.A. Tittle Jersey Justin Jeffersonto go up 29-0.Late in the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger connected with Najee Harris for a short touchdown. On Pittsburgh's next two drives, Harris ran in from a yard out, and then Roethlisberger found James Washington to cut the score to 29-20.Cousins hit K.J. Osborn on a 62-yard touchdown to make it 36-20, but later threw an interception to set up Roethlisberger's touchdown to Pat Freiermuth.Pittsburgh forced a punt and drove to Minnesota's 12-yard line, but Harrison Smith broke up Roethlisberger's throw to Freiermuth as time expired.This is nothing new. The Vikings have played 13 games this season. Ten of them have come down to the final play.Overall, the biggest takeaway from this game is that the Vikings give this game away and keep their playoff hopes alive, even if Inhale, Vikings fans. Now exhale.AND THE RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTSIt took thePurdue Boilermakersover 70 years to reach the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll. It took them one game to lose it.Rutgerstook down the top-ranked Boilermakers, 70-68, in an early candidate for "Game of the Year." After Purdue big manTrevion Williamsgave his team a 68-67 lead with 3.4 seconds left, Rutgers forwardRon Harper Jr.hit a from just past half court to give the Scarlet Knights their.The Scarlet Knights were coming off a 35-point lo s to Illinois and had previous lo ses to DePaul, Lafayette and UMa s, so this win was , writes college basketball expert David
Jerry Rice Jersey Cobb: Cobb: Honorable mentions: , Thursday in Newark, N.J. It was the Pirates' second top-10 win this season. What a night for college hoops in New Jersey! Seton Hall's next game? Against Rutgers on Sunday.Arizona Coyotes fans, rejoice! The franchise avoided by paying over $1.3 million in previously unpaid tax bills.With Stephen Curry just 10 3-pointers
Ronnie Lott Jersey away from breaking the NBA record, maybe he could take some advice from Hannah Kohn. The Hagerty High School (Fla.) junior , a girls' high school record. And not such a good morning for...THE PITTSBURGH STEELERSFor nearly three quarters, Pittsburgh could not stop the run, allowed receivers to run free in the secondary and generated nothing offensively. By the time they turned things around, it was too late. Now, it might be too late for them to make a playoff push, too. The Steelers dropped from eighth to 10th in the AFC standings with the lo s to the Vikings.The Steelers have , writes our NFL guru Bryan DeArdo:DeArdo: Not so honorable mention:COVID-19 continues its rampage through the NBA. On Thursday, both the Pacers and Raptors canceled practice after Pacers head coach Wednesday night; Raptors team president Masai Ujiri also tested positive. On the player side of things, Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. joined a Rest in peace, Demaryius ThomasLate on Thursday night, in his home in Georgia. He was 33. Thomas made five Pro Bowls and was part of Denver's Super Bowl 50-winning team. He ranks in the top three in franchise history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. On a personal level, I worked for the Broncos during the 2018 season, and as good of a player as Thomas was, he was an even better person. He was constantly smiling and upbeat, profe sional in interview settings and an active presence in the community. I vividly remember how disappointed his teammates were when he was traded
Deebo Samuel Jersey mid-season. They were parting ways with a wonderful human being. Now, sadly, the world has lost him, too.Pete Prisco's Week 14 picks: NFC East, AFC North races tighten for Week 14, and he has bold calls for key games in the NFC East and AFC North.Cowboys at Washington Football Team -- "Ravens at Browns -- and have also called their shots for Week 14. As for me, I took a deep dive into statistics and trends to explain . Who was the most surprising signing of the MLB offseason so far? Our experts weigh in While we wait (and hope) for MLB activities to resume, our MLB experts will be bringing their takes to roundtable discu sions all offseason long. This week's topic: Here's MLB scribe Mike Axisa's answer:Axisa: ".CBS Sports hands out its college football awards The college football regular season has come and gone, and we haven't quite reached bowl season. That's right, people, it's award season! The CBS Sports crew of , led by a pair of key figures whose teams have reached the College Football Playoff.Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan -- Player of the Year: Bryce Young, Alabama -- What we're watching this weekend FridayNets at Hawks (-1), 7:30 p.m. on ESPNCeltics at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN SaturdayNo. 22 Wisconsin at No. 21 Ohio State, Noon on Big Ten NetworkArmy (-7) vs Navy, 3 p.m. on CBS andNo. 11 Arizona at Illinois, 5 p.m. on FoxHeisman Trophy ceremony, 8 p.m. on ESPNWarriors at 76ers, 8:30 p.m. on ABCNo. 14 Houston at No. 9 Alabama, 10 p.m. on ESPN2Sunday Ravens at Browns (-2.5), 1 p.m. on CBS andNo. 6 Villanova at No. 2 Baylor, 3 p.m. on ABC Bills at Buccaneers (-3.5), 4:25
Jerick McKinnon Jersey p.m. on CBS and
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