It hasn’t always been pretty this season, but the Kansas City Chiefs just find ways to win out of nowhere. That couldn’t have been more true during Sunday’s Week 10 game against the Broncos.
The win was so improbable — the Broncos looking at a 35-yard field goal with one second to go — that it gave the unlikely hero the courage to do something he’s wanted to do since 2022 … ask for Travis Kelce’s jersey.
Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal bulldozed through the Broncos’ kick protection and got his hand on the 35-yard attempt to preserve Kansas City’s perfect record. After the game, he broke down the team huddle for the first time in his NFL career. And then, he went up to the future Hall of Fame tight end.
Once coach Reid finished his postgame remarks, he let Chenal break down the team’s final huddle, a first-time moment in his career. A few minutes later, before his postgame shower, Chenal asked Kelce for something he’s wanted since his rookie season.
Just before Chenal left the locker room, Kelce, still shirtless, gave his teammate the memento he wanted: his red, game-worn No. 87 jersey with his signature and a short message to Chenal written in black Sharpie on the white No. 7.
“I’ve been waiting for the right time,” Chenal said, smiling. “I felt I earned it.
Never in a million years would you think a team with both Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent on their roster would consider playing Bagent over Williams. Not even for a second.
The Chicago Bears might be that one-in-a-million team.
It’s no secret that Chicago has struggled recently. The Bears have lost three straight games since starting the year 4-2 and have only scored 27 points over the last three weeks. That includes the lifeless game Chicago just played against the Patriots.
One would think the team might not overreact to this admittedly awful stretch after Chicago’s start to the season. You’d also like to think they’d be completely committed to the guy they drafted as their franchise quarterback.
Unfortunately, that may not be the case. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Chicago is considering benching Williams for Bagent.
Adam Schefter mentions that the Bears could consider benching Caleb Williams for Tyson Bagent.
Let me be clear: Caleb has been really bad since the bye week, but if this organization pins the struggles on this kid, I will have a meltdown. pic.twitter.com/6WSJmzUXNU
“I would expect that they’ll be some sort of change in Chicago on the offensive side of the football. Is that changing the play caller? Is that changing the quarterback and benching Caleb Williams for Tyson Bagent? I think all these things are being discussed in the building today.”
There you have it, folks. It’s not definite that this will happen, but it sounds like it’s legitimately being discussed. That fact alone is pretty shocking.
We’ll see what the Bears ultimately choose to do when the time comes.
Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes took a major hit on Saturday against Ole Miss as the Bulldogs dropped their second game of the season, putting them awfully close to “First Team Out” territory. So, with that in mind, you would expect every Georgia player to be demoralized as Ole Miss fans stormed the field at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium.
Well, for one Georgia player, that wasn’t exactly the case.
Video hit social media after the game that showed Georgia safety Jake Pope jumping up and down in celebration while surrounded by Ole Miss fans. It was something you’d never expect to see from a college football player — no matter the team.
“What an idiot. What — I mean, just stupid. I didn’t see it until today, but he’s embarrassed by it, he’s upset about it. And that’s obviously a childhood friend of his … hadn’t seen him in forever. It’s not real smart, but to be honest with you, I don’t have time to waste energy on that.”
Pope learned the hard way that you kind of stand out in a crowd while wearing an opposing team’s uniform.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you for giving us a bit of your time.
Did you see the Lions-Texans game Sunday night? If you did, I’m sorry.
I’m not going to lie to y’all — by the time Jared Goff threw his third interception, I tapped out. That game was unwatchable for me! There were seven total interceptions between the two quarterbacks and two fumbles (both recovered by the offense).
I wasn’t subjecting myself to that foolishness. Yes, folks. I am saying I’m too good for sloppy football. Especially when the team I root for isn’t involved. If it’s my team? Maybe I’ll stick it out. Otherwise? No. Absolutely not. Y’all are out of your minds.
This game was exciting, yes. But it was exciting in the same way that it’s exciting to watch a dumpster fire. When you see one, you’ve probably never seen one before. So you’re like, “WOW. A dumpster fire!” But then, you realize what you’re watching. And you’re like, “Huh. This is a dumpster fire.”
That’s the perfect way to describe the Lions’ improbable (and undeserving!) comeback. Detroit made history by being the first team since 1970 ever to throw at least five interceptions, be down by 15 points or more, and still find a way to win the game.
That’s awful. To me, it says much more about the game’s actual quality than it does about how resilient or awesome that comeback was. To pull off a comeback of that nature, your opponent has to kind of stink. And we’re talking about two teams who are supposed to be Super Bowl contenders here. The Lions might even be the best team in the NFL!
I guess it’s great to be able to find a way to win games no matter what. And y’all know I’m a Dan Campbell guy.
But, man. This was bad. I couldn’t do it. Sorry. I do not love football that much!
How do you fix this? I don’t know. But somebody needs to find a way. Because, man, a lot of these games stink.
Never miss a snap with 4th & Monday
What’s the sneaky-good NFL game of the week? Looking to dominate your fantasy league or survivor pool? Get pigskin prognostications, plus the top storylines each week with 4th & Monday, USA TODAY Sports’ expert guide to NFL action, game results and must-see moments.
Sign up here for our NFL newsletter and get that exclusive content delivered to your inbox each Friday and Monday during the season and every Monday in the offseason.
Giannis is a child
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
That was Jaylen Brown’s response after Giannis Antetokounmpo left him hanging on Sunday.
The Bucks’ star elbowed the reigning Finals MVP in the head on an offensive foul during their matchup against one another. Giannis seemed to be making a piece offering to Brown when he did this instead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo elbows Jaylen Brown, then they start talking and then Giannis fakes out a handshake pic.twitter.com/2qYrYJ30Tr
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 10, 2024
I like it! Give me a little bit of spice in my hoops, man. This is fun. I mean, the elbow wasn’t fun. It was kind of dangerous. But it happens! The rest of this is a good time.
Brown got the last laugh with the 113-107 win. Antetokounmpo’s Bucks are 2-8 and still have a lot to figure out at this point.
But it seems the slow start hasn’t broken Antetokounmpo’s spirit. Not yet, anyway.
What’s up, WhatsApp!!!
Hey, gang! We’ve got a WhatsApp channel! No, we’re not going on an international vacation. This is a channel for you to keep up with everything we’re doing at For The Win.
We’ll be posting the latest articles and videos from the site into the channel directly to you, our favorite Winners.
A few weeks ago it looked like the Chicago Bears were in a solid position in a tough NFC North division.
They weren’t at the top, but at 4-2 they were in solid position to make a run if they could just scrounge up a few wins over the next few weeks.
Those next few weeks have not gone well. Chicago has only scored 27 points total in three straight losses. Worst of all? Robert Zeglinski says the Bears are breaking Caleb Williams:
“After a promising start to the year, the Bears appear to be breaking Caleb Williams, and they seem to be quitting on their coaches.
The Bears cannot continue on like this for another eight games. The players have clearly made their statement about how they feel about the current situation. Parading on with no meaningful changes whatsoever (offensive coordinator Shane Waldron getting fired/losing play-calling duties? Eberflus getting fired? Both getting fired?) would be a slap in the face to their current roster and any fans still, somehow, watching them.”
This team has got to have the worst vibe in the NFL by far.
Quick hits: What we learned in Week 10 … Jerry World’s big flaw … and more
With Taylor Swift enjoying a brief break before the Eras Tour concludes with its Canadian leg, the 14-time Grammy winner was back at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to watch the Chiefs take on the Broncos. But from the moment Swift arrived at the stadium, we could see just how much thought and preparation goes into protecting Swift — even during a short walk from a golf cart to elevator.
See, Swift’s outfit for the Week 10 appearance included a plaid red combo with a skirt. As Swift was making her walk down to the elevators, her security team took the lead to tell surrounding photographers to stand up. The guards repeated that command several times as Swift herself slowed her walk until all the photographers were standing.
They were doing that to protect Swift from invasive photos.
Given the slope down that tunnel, the security team acted fast to make sure photographers couldn’t take photos up Swift’s skirt. And while these are credentialed photographers and not paparazzi, Swift’s team was not going to let any invasive photos get taken there — even unintentionally.
It goes to show just how thorough her security is during these games and why we may only see Swift at Chiefs home games during the regular season. Her security knows Arrowhead Stadium so well that they are able to react quickly for a specific situation like that.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve got a great weekend ahead of you.
We’re about an eighth of the way through the NBA season, which isn’t very much. Teams have only played about 10 games or so at this point. There’s not a large enough sample of anything to make any determinations about everything.
But you know how the conversations about this league go. It’s always about who can make it to the end of the race instead of where teams are currently at. Who are the real championship contenders? How do you separate the real from the fake.
The conversation surrounds the usual suspects. In the West it’s the Thunder, Suns, Timberwolves, Nuggets and Lakers. That’s the championship circle at this point.
But in the East? All anyone seems to talk about these days is Boston — especially with the Knicks, Bucks and 76ers all floundering in their own ways. The path for Boston is supposedly easy in yet another all-time bad Eastern Conference.
Regardless of the outcome in this one, you should believe in the Cavaliers. Not just as one of the best teams in the East, but as a strong contender to dethrone the Celtics and make it all the way to the NBA Finals.
Cleveland has given you every reason to believe this season. The team’s +12.1 point differential is the best in the East today. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley all look like All-Stars. Jarrett Allen has been elite defensively and a plus on offense. The wing depth that has been a sore point for this team over the last few years actually seems pretty good now.
Best of all, Kenny Atkinson is pulling the right threads. One of the major problems with JB Bickerstaff’s Cavaliers last season was that the combinations of players he threw together just didn’t work as well as you’d have wanted.
To be fair to Bickerstaff, a huge part of that was health. But it also came down to his overall decision-making.
For example, this season the Cavs’ second most played lineup of Garland, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen plus Isaac Okoro has played 31 minutes together and has a +22.2 net rating. That combination looks awesome together — especially defensively.
Subtle moves like that are what puts these Cavaliers over the top. The talent has always been there, but Atkinson is pressing the right buttons now. Things are working.
Obviously, things will slow down at some point. The Cavs won’t go 82-0. And this team has to stay healthy to remain in that championship circle.
But it’d be a huge mistake for you to overlook the Cavs right now.
Bronny 🤝 NBA G League
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Bronny James should finally have more opportunity to play. The Lakers have sent him to the NBA G League to play for the South Bay Lakers — the Los Angeles affiliate team.
Not only is it a huge deal that Bronny will finally get some reps, but he’s also making a huge difference for the G League already.
South Bay ranked last in attendance the season before last, drawing an average crowd of 441 fans per game. The venue has a small capacity of less than 1,000 people, for what it is worth, but drawing any interest to the Lakers G League affiliate is no easy task.”
I’m not sure I’d count being famous as an accomplishment on its own. But the fact that Bronny is this sort of draw is impressive.
This could be a huge deal for the G League moving forward depending on how long he plays there.
Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you here.
Shoutout to Bengals fans out there. I know today is a bit of a rough day for you. It isn’t every day that your quarterback puts up nearly 500 passing yards and four touchdowns and your receiver catches 11 balls for 264 yards and three touchdowns and you somehow lose the game.
In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like this.
Personally? I blame Zac Taylor. I think you have to. That two-point conversion attempt? Come on, man. What are we doing here?
Look, I get it. You’re trying to end the game. After the Ravens put up 35 points on your defense, you probably don’t trust the unit to get the stop at that point in the game.
I also understand that the officials completely botched this one, too. Two key calls were missed on the attempt — roughing the passer and defensive holding. The gamble Taylor took here probably should’ve paid off with a score or, at the very least, another attempt a bit closer to the goal line.
Instead, the Ravens win. And Taylor’s Bengals — despite all-world performances from his stars — are 4-6. That’s thanks to his late-game decision-making.
Maybe this is just a bit too much Friday morning quarterbacking from me, but shouldn’t you just kick the extra point there? You’ve got to do everything you can to give Burrow and company a chance to win the game without completely risking it. Taylor reversed that and risked everything for a chance to win. Considering where Cincinnati is in its season, that’s far too risky.
Taylor made things way harder than they needed to be. The playoff race isn’t over for the Bengals, but it’s entirely possible the team’s hopes just collapsed along with that two-point conversion.
That may have cost Cincinnati its season. It’ll also probably cost Taylor his job.
The Bucks finally won again
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After a six-game losing streak following a season-opening win, Milwaukee has finally won again.
That’s probably more about the team the Bucks played and less about the Bucks — the Jazz are all in for Cooper Flagg now. But whatever! Take the wins where you can get them, Milwaukee.
Doc Rivers finally shook things up a bit and played Milwaukee’s young guys more. They started Andre Jackson Jr. and played AJ Green a bit more and — whaddaya know! — they were pretty good!
Yesterday, the Milwaukee Bucks were a +19 in Andre Jackson Jr.'s minutes and a +13 in AJ Green's 18.5 minutes.
It's almost like…they are better when they play their young guys!
A win against the lowly Utah Jazz isn’t enough to quell the Giannis trade rumors that have been bubbling up. Legitimate concerns remain about whether Milwaukee can bounce back from its slow start.
But a win is a win. And it’s been a while since the Bucks had one of these. So they’ll certainly take it and run.
Candace Parker is spot on
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In a world where women’s sports is bubbling up in a way we haven’t seen it before, many people are wondering why we’re just beginning to see this explosion. Why didn’t this happen before?
Candace Parker has the answers. It’s because it was buried and the networks that play it now had much to do with it.
Candace Parker criticizes networks for burying women's sports for many years. (via @bbgoriginals)
"The first time they put the Women's NCAA game on ABC was the first year that Caitlin Clark made the championship game. Are you surprised that the viewership was up? Are you… pic.twitter.com/Mt4AiI8tuZ
“The first time they put the Women’s NCAA game on ABC was the first year that Caitlin Clark made the championship game. Are you surprised that the viewership was up? Are you surprised that people actually saw the product? It was buried for so long on ESPN.
…
The NBA doesn’t want to clash with NFL playoffs or NFL opening week. So why would we then put the WNBA? I don’t care if that’s the time slot that they’re giving you. Let’s fight for another one or let’s find something else.”
Couldn’t have said it any better.
Photo Friday: It’s a bird … It’s a plane … No! It’s Spiderman!
(Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s)
OK. This isn’t sports. But I know I can’t be the only one excited to see this awesome Spiderman float in the Thanksgiving Day parade. This looks fantastic.
Quick hits: CFB Spread Picks … The worst of the NFL … and more
Joe Burrow is facing the Ravens in Week 10 again. This time, he’ll be healthy.
Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. It’s hard to imagine the game without him these days.
But that was something he was imagining himself last season after racking up so many injuries during the 2023 NFL season.
Burrow has had multiple injuries in his five seasons in the NFL. Still, after tearing ligaments in his right wrist in Week 10 last season, Burrow said he was legitimately thought about how much longer he could play football, according to Eric Edholm of NFL.com.
“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow told reporters in the offseason. “So that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”
Considering his injury history, it’s hard to blame Burrow for thinking that way.
Put all that together and, yeah, it’s easy to see why someone would question whether they’d want to continue playing football.
But it’s a good thing Burrow never stopped. He’s playing the best ball of his career today despite the Bengals being quite the middling team this season.
If this continues and he can stay healthy, maybe Cincinnati can find itself in a space where it can compete for a playoff spot.
Chiefs fans collectively held their breath on Monday night when Patrick Mahomes planted awkwardly and needed assistance off the field against the Buccaneers.
In the immediate aftermath of the injury, the worst-case scenarios were flowing: Achilles, ACL, high ankle sprain. There was concern for what was ultimately just a rolled ankle. And even Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was ready to err on the side of caution and sit Mahomes out for the rest of the game.
The three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback was having none of that.
After Mahomes left the field, he quickly started to loosen up that ankle — which he had rolled the previous game — and was fine to stay in the game. NFL Films captured the mic’d-up exchange when Reid tried to take Mahomes out, and we know how that went.
Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time this morning.
Picture this: The nation is in disarray after a tumultuous and divisive election season. We’re all exhausted. You turn on the TV and, BOOM. There he is. Steph Curry, in all of his glory, shooting 3-point bombs over defenders tightly draped on his jersey.
That’s a sentence you could certainly have typed in 2016 when the Golden State Warriors were at their absolute apex — the Kevin Durant version.
The version of that team that we watched against the Celtics on Wednesday night is not that version — make no mistake about it. But I’d be lying to you if I said this team doesn’t give me that same peak-Warriors feeling I had back then.
I’m not going to lie to y’all: I thought the Warriors were dead. I thought they were done. Cooked, as they say.
Golden State’s golden trio disbanded when Klay Thompson left. He wasn’t good last season, but he was a key part of that team’s identity. I couldn’t believe it when it happened — most of you couldn’t either.
Usually, when losing a core piece that helped shape a team’s identity for years like Thompson did, it takes a while to recover. You have to find yourself again as a team.
I don’t think anybody had that team pegged as one of the best in the NBA coming into this season. But today? That’s exactly what that team is.
Golden State went toe-to-toe on the road with the reigning champion Boston Celtics and gave one of the best defensive efforts we’ve seen against that team in a long, long time. The Warriors held Boston to 16 second-quarter points — the team’s lowest-scoring quarter this season so far.
The Warriors are impressive again. This looks like a championship outfit. We’re only eight games into the season, but the team’s +15.5 point differential says as much. And, remember, three of those games were played without Steph Curry. He’s the straw that stirs the drink, sure. But the mix of talent is good. It’s working in a way that we all thought couldn’t work again. It’s been fun to see.
There are some caveats to throw in here. The Celtics are not healthy. Jaylen Brown didn’t play for a third straight game because of a hip injury. Kristaps Porzingis has been out all season. If all goes according to plan for Boston, this is not the complete team they’ll be playing with into June.
With that said, this is still a really impressive win. And, it’s way too early for championship predictions, but I know I’d love to see seven more of these things this summer.
Sending love to Pop
Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Gregg Popovich hasn’t been on the Spurs’ sideline recently because of an undisclosed health issue that, quite frankly, has me concerned.
“It’s obviously too soon to jump to any conclusions, and we can take comfort in interim coach Mitch Johnson saying Popovich will be OK. But today especially feels like a good time to send thoughts and well wishes to Popovich. For one, because it’s the human thing to do. But also because Popovich always seems to have us in his thoughts, with a big emphasis on “US.”
Pop has never been shy about using his platform to speak about the most pressing issues facing our country. Even when it hasn’t been the most beneficial for him to do so, he’s delivered strong messages on social issues in times we’ve seemed most divided — like we do today. Popovich frequently uses his voice to speak for people whose voices can’t reach the places his can. Even if that means sparring with the former and future president.”
Wise words, as usual, from Prince.
Dak may be done
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The news about Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury has progressively gotten worse and worse with each update.
First, he was shifted to an injured reserve slot for the Cowboys, signaling that he’d be out for the next four weeks at least. Now, it seems, the quarterback might need season-ending surgery on his hamstring, according to the latest from the Dallas Morning News.
Prescott reportedly suffered a partial avulsion of his right hamstring tendon. To be frank with you, I have no idea what any of that means, but none of it sounds good. It’s apparently bad enough that team officials are trying to determine whether surgery is the right route to go.
At this point, you might as well, Dallas’ season isn’t going great, anyway. There’s no sense in keeping Prescott around and rushing him back to play on a bad hamstring. Just end the season right here.
Maybe next year will be the year, Dallas fans. Probably not. But you never know!
Quick hits: Carrying Caitlin Clark’s torch … Pope Francis is a Saints fan??? … and more
