Month: January 2024

Social media reacts to former Husker receiver’s touchdown catch

A former Nebraska wide receiver made a highlight touchdown catch on Sunday afternoon.

A former Nebraska wide receiver made a highlight touchdown catch on Sunday afternoon. Trey Palmer hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Palmer had four catches for 84 yards with one touchdown for the game. The rookie pass catcher has 37 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Palmer had 71 receptions for a school-record 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns in his one year at Nebraska. The receiver was taken in the sixth round, with the 191st pick overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

You can find social media reactions to the touchdown catch below.

Giants and Eagles scheduled for late Sunday afternoon kickoff in Week 18

The Week 18 game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles has been scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in Week 18 to close out the regular season. The Giants will then head into the offseason while the Eagles move forward into the postseason.

On Sunday night, following the conclusion of the Week 17 games, the NFL finally announced the schedule for its slate of Week 18 games and, on the bright side, the Giants avoided one final primetime outing.

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts will do battle on Saturday night with the AFC South still on the line, while the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will cap things off on Sunday night with the AFC East still to be decided.

The Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are still in a race for the NFC East title but that won’t be decided in a game between the two. Rather, the Cowboys will take on the Washington Commanders while the Eagles visit the Giants.

Both games are scheduled for kickoff at 4:25 ET on Sunday.

The Cowboys and Commanders will air on FOX, while the Giants and Eagles will air on CBS.

The Giants lost to the Eagles, 33-25, at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 16.

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Twitter reacts to Broncos being eliminated from playoff contention despite win

The Broncos were eliminated from NFL playoff contention on Sunday despite their win. Here’s how Twitter/X reacted.

The Denver Broncos defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday afternoon but results elsewhere eliminated the Broncos from NFL playoff contention.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted on Sunday.

Boston Celtics team president Brad Stevens is making a case for NBA Executive of the Year

Stevens has made a number of shrewd moves since transitioning from head coach to the front office.

The Boston Celtics are off to a very strong start this NBA season, sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. While Boston’s stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown deserve the lion’s share of the credit for their All-NBA play, much of the praise is also rightfully going to Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens for the work he has done to assemble the supporting cast that has helped the Jays ascend to such heights.

On a recent episode of their eponymous CLNS Media podcast, Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay discussed how Stevens ought to be in consideration for the NBA’s 2024 Executive of the Year award given the wagon he has put together for Boston.

Stevens has made a number of shrewd moves since transitioning from head coach to the front office.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Commanders up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft

It’s extremely close between the Commanders and Patriots for the No. 2 overall pick. How close?

The Washington Commanders are struggling right now. Washington dropped its seventh consecutive game on Sunday, losing 27-10 to the San Francisco 49ers. However, while fans may be struggling through another lost season, they could celebrate soon as the Commanders continue to move up in the 2024 NFL draft order.

Washington’s loss, coupled with the Arizona Cardinals’ upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles, moved the Commanders up from No. 4 to No. 2. Arizona was No. 2, and the New England Patriots were No. 3. Still, the strength of schedule pushed Washington into the No. 2 position with one week remaining.

Here’s a look at the current top five, with the Chicago Bears (from the Carolina Panthers) having already clinched the No. 1 overall pick:

  • 1. Chicago Bears from Carolina Panthers (2-14)
  • 2. Washington Commanders: 4-12
  • 3. New England Patriots: 4-12
  • 4. Arizona Cardinals: 4-12
  • 5. New York Giants: 5-11

Right now, mere percentage points separate the Commanders and Patriots. Draft positioning goes by strength of schedule, and Washington holds a slight edge as of now. Here’s how close, courtesy of Tankathon.

The only way for Washington to clinch the No. 2 overall pick next week is with a loss to the Cowboys and a Patriots’ win over the Jets. If both teams lose, well, it remains complicated. Tankathon does the math for us.

The Jets and Patriots play at 1:00 p.m. ET next week, with the Commanders and Cowboys playing at 4:25. The Patriots have played hard recently since benching quarterback Mac Jones, and legendary head coach Bill Belichick is chasing Don Shula for the most coaching wins of all-time, so don’t expect Belichick to tank for draft positioning next week.

 

Dolphins set to play Bills for AFC East on Sunday night in Week 18

The date and time are set for the Week 18 battle.

Each year, the NFL waits until the penultimate week of the regular season has been decided to set the final dates and times of the Week 18 slate to make sure the premier matchups get the better time slots.

This year, the final matchup of the 2023 regular season for the Miami Dolphins is a battle with the Buffalo Bills, and due to Miami’s loss and Buffalo’s win in Week 18, that game will decide the winner of the AFC East.

With all of the ramifications that will come from the meeting, the NFL has announced that the game will be played on Sunday night (January 7), at 8:25 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.

The winner of this game will host their first playoff game of the upcoming postseason, which, depending on the result of some other games, could be a third matchup between these two.

Giants-Rams Week 17: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants could not overcome themselves on Sunday, falling to the Los Angeles Rams, 26-25, in a game that featured countless self-inflicted wounds.

It was a maddening display of Murphy’s Law — whatever could go wrong, did go wrong. And it was a theme that played out over all four quarters.

The Giants cost themselves with several huge penalties, missed kicks, dropped passes, poor throws, bad play calls, and just about everything and anything else you could think of.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ most recent defeat.

Offensive snaps: 74
Defensive snaps: 62
Special teams snaps: 30

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard took just five snaps in what’s likely his second-to-last game as a Giant and he dropped a pass that hit him right in the hands. That is not an ideal way to end a career so, hopefully, he gets one final opportunity in Week 17.

With Deonte Banks out, it was Nick McCloud who got the nod, taking all 100 percent of the snaps (joined, once again, by safety Xavier McKinney and linebacker Bobby Okereke). Rookie Tre Hawkins remains relegated to special teams play.

Safety Dane Belton saw 46 snaps in place of the injured Jason Pinnock and certainly made that pay off.

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On this day: John Y. Brown attends first game as owner; Glen Davis born

On this day, new owner John Y. Brown attended his first game since swapping his Buffalo Braves for the Celtics that previous summer.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the anniversary of the final chapter of one of the more odd tales in Boston Celtics history happens to fall and is therefore especially apropos for the first day of the new year.

In 1979, the new owner of the storied franchise, John Y. Brown, attended his very first game as the Celtics’ owner. That in and of itself is nothing especially remarkable, but Brown — former owner of the team which later became the Los Angeles Clippers — had just recently finalized the only “trade” of a franchise in league (and possibly all) history.

To say it another way, from a strictly legal point of view, the Celtics of Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, and KC Jones are actually the Clippers.

Alfa Romeo officially becomes Stake F1 Team

The end of Alfa Romeo’s time in Formula 1 has led to a complete rebranding of the Sauber-run constructor to become Stake F1 Team. Stake will be the title partner for the next two seasons ahead of Audi’s arrival in F1, with the betting, entertainment …

The end of Alfa Romeo’s time in Formula 1 has led to a complete rebranding of the Sauber-run constructor to become Stake F1 Team.

Stake will be the title partner for the next two seasons ahead of Audi’s arrival in F1, with the betting, entertainment and lifestyle brand taking over exclusive naming rights. Alfa Romeo officially becomes Stake as an expansion of the existing partnership that began with Sauber Motorsport AG last season, with a new team logo also unveiled.

“Last season represented the start of Stake’s journey in Formula 1, and the brand’s new role headlining Stake F1 Team represents the natural and exciting next step on this path,” team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said. “Stake not only successfully tapped into Formula 1’s growing fan base to enhance its own community; but also introduced a completely new audience to the sport, something that benefitted not only our team but also everyone else in F1.

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“We had the opportunity to participate in some incredible activations with some of Stake’s ambassadors, including Argentine football legend, Sergio Aguero and Indian-Canadian rapper Karan Aujla. 2024 will be a new page and the chance to do more, better, and reach even farther: we are looking forward to an even more exciting calendar of events in this new season.”

The team describes its new identity as “crafted with the aim of keeping the fans front and center – by bringing a fresh perspective on the intersection of sports and entertainment”, and Stake co-founder Edward Craven says the title partnership will allow Stake to execute a number of special events to try and reach an even wider fanbase.

“We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring an electrifying and brand-new identity into our Formula 1 team, kickstarting the F1 season with a bold team name, Stake F1 Team,” Craven said. “Fueled by deep passion for speed, innovation, and pushing boundaries, we are now ideally positioned to take the team to unprecedented heights from 2024 and beyond.

“The upcoming years will be a thrilling ride with some mind-blowing activations planned that will redefine excitement on and off the track. So, brace yourselves and stay tuned, as Stake F1 Team accelerates towards an exciting future!”

The decision to completely rebrand the Hinwil-based team as Stake F1 Team has been driven by the success of the existing deal in 2023, according to Stake’s chief marketing officer Akhil Sarin.

“The past season has been a testament to the marketing and media value that Stake has brought to the F1 team, especially within the digital landscape,” Sarin explains. “The first phase of this partnership has succeeded in increasing global brand awareness for all stakeholders.

“At Stake, we are prepared to take the team’s reach, fanbase and visibility to unprecedented levels. Our strategy will be focused on delivering unforgettable experiences that highlight our unwavering commitment and dedication to innovation, entertainment, and global connectivity.”

Stake F1 Team will unveil its 2024 car during a launch event in London on February 5 – the same day as Williams and the earliest confirmed date at this stage – and has retained its existing driver line-up of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu for the upcoming season.

NFL Power Rankings Week 18: Eagles fall after latest loss; Ravens reign supreme

We’re looking at the Week 18 NFL Power Rankings and the Philadelphia Eagles are falling after another loss while the Ravens are the top team

We’ve entered the final week of the regular season, and the Baltimore Ravens have firmly established themselves as the best team in the NFL after dismantling the Miami Dolphins, 56-19.

San Francisco is the No. 1 overall seed after a 28-10 win over Washington, coupled with the Eagles loss.

At the same time, Dallas is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 seed after a controversial win over Detroit on Saturday night.

Buffalo, Indianapolis, Houston, Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh all maintained their playoff hopes in the AFC.

In contrast, the Rams, Saints, Seahawks, Buccaneers, and Vikings maintained some hope for a Wild Card slot heading into the regular season finales.

With the Week 18 melodrama set to begin, here are the final NFL Power Rankings of the season and the first Power Rankings of 2024.