Payments maintain off Ravens; previewing Ohio State-Notre Dame CFP championship; Dodgers purchase Roki Sasaki

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🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

THE BUFFALO BILLS

Kansas Metropolis, right here they arrive. The Payments are heading to the AFC Championship sport after a thrilling 27-25 win over the Ravens. Mark Andrews dropped a possible two-point conversion with beneath two minutes left in yet one more heart-wrenching loss for Lamar Jackson and Baltimore.

Josh Allen wasn’t spectacular, however he was adequate to be forward of the Ravens after 60 minutes of soccer. His 16 of twenty-two for 127 yards is not an MVP-like day, though he did additionally rush for 20 yards and two scores. James Prepare dinner had a mixed 20 touches dashing and receiving for 82 yards. And Von Miller returned a Jackson fumble 39 yards to arrange a arrange the Payments’ third landing and 21-10 lead going into halftime.

As for all these errors by the Ravens:

• The possession earlier than Andrews’ game-sealing drop, he misplaced a fumble that led to Buffalo extending its lead from 5 to eight.
• Baltimore additionally had two different turnovers — a nasty Jackson interception and a Jackson fumble after a snap gone awry — plus one other failed two-point conversion earlier within the sport. Buffalo did not have a turnover.
• The Ravens had 4 drops and 5 penalties. The Payments had no drops and one penalty.

That is the way you win a sport by which you get out-gained 416-273. And now, the Payments get an opportunity, once more, at revenge towards the Chiefs. It is the fourth time within the final 5 seasons these two have met within the postseason.

• 2023 divisional spherical: The Chiefs received 27-24 after Tyler Bass missed a possible game-tying area purpose.
• 2021 divisional spherical: The Chiefs received 42-36 in additional time. The Payments led by three with 13 seconds left in regulation, however the Chiefs went 44 yards in 10 seconds to arrange Harrison Butker‘s 49-yard area purpose, and Patrick Mahomes discovered Travis Kelce for a landing on the primary possession of additional time.
• 2020 AFC Championship: The Chiefs received 38-24.

All you possibly can ask for is an opportunity, and the Payments — who had been the one staff to beat the Chiefs’ starters this season — have an important one … once more.

As for the opposite winners …

• The Eagles held on for a 28-22 win over the Rams because of a monster day from Saquon Barkley (205 yards dashing, two touchdowns) and a vital sack from Jalen Carter. Jalen Hurts appeared to undergo a knee damage, and although he did not miss any time, he did not do a lot after the damage, both. He is assured he can play within the NFC Championship.
• The Commanders surprised the Lions, 45-31, for the franchise’s first journey to the NFC Championship because the 1991 season. Jayden Daniels is a famous person: 299 yards and two touchdowns passing, 51 yards dashing, zero sacks/turnovers. He is having the very best postseason ever for a rookie quarterback, Jeff Kerr says. Quan Martin had a choose six for a Washington protection that produced 5 turnovers. Extra on this one in a bit …
• The Chiefs beat the Texans, 23-14, turning into the first staff to win a playoff sport regardless of being outgained by 100 yards and never forcing a turnover. The refs most likely helped a bit, however so, too, did the protection sacking C.J. Stroud eight occasions and Travis Kelce (eight receptions, 117 yards, one landing) having a record-setting sport. Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark had been there to see it.

👍 Honorable mentions

• This is the Championship Sunday schedule.
• Steve Sarkisian bought an extension and a elevate from Texas.
• The Falcons employed Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator.
• The Bucks are all in favour of Bradley Beal.
• What a weekend in males’s school basketball! No. 4 Alabama beat No. 8 Kentucky, 102-97, one other high-scoring affair for the Crimson Tide. Elsewhere, West Virginia upset No. 2 Iowa State, Vanderbilt took down No. 6 Tennessee, and No. 1 Auburn eked out a 63-61 win over No. 23 Georgia. Listed below are our winners and losers from the weekend.
• Plus Dayton threw a full-court alley-oop buzzer-beater.
• On the ladies’s facet, No. 2 South Carolina crushed No. 13 Oklahoma,101-60, a record-setting blowout.
• Unequalled produced a thrilling opening weekend, highlighted by Skylar Diggins-Smith making a game-winning 3 within the first sport … and a game-winning foul shot. This is the schedule.
• At UFC 311, Merab Dvalishvili rallied previous Umar Nurmagomedov to retain his bantamweight title, and Islam Makhachev submitted Renato Moicano to retain his light-weight title. Listed below are our takeaways, and listed below are fights that ought to occur subsequent.
• The USMNT cruised previous Venezuela, 3-1.
• Timothy Weah scored a purpose for Juventus, whereas his fellow USMNT stars Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah continued to carry out properly.
• Alyssa Naeher was named 2024 U.S. Soccer Feminine Participant of the Yr.
• Sepp Straka received the American Specific. Abroad, Tyrrell Hatton received the Dubai Desert Traditional.

🏈 And never such morning for …

THE BALTIMORE RAVENS AND THE DETROIT LIONS

Each time you need to imagine within the Ravens, that this is the staff, with its MVP quarterback, nice working sport and stout protection, they do that. Too. Many. Errors. In Jackson’s 5 profession playoff losses, the Ravens have dedicated 13 turnovers and compelled just one. This was the primary time the Ravens had a negative-three turnover differential since … their AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs final season. Becoming.

Jackson and Josh Allen current an interesting research. Each 2018 draftees are unbelievable skills who’ve improved leaps and bounds however come up quick within the playoffs. They’re the high two MVP candidates this 12 months.

However Jackson has 11 turnovers in eight profession playoff video games. Allen has six turnovers in 12 profession playoff video games, and 0 in his previous 4. Each are marvelous gamers, and a number of the performs Jackson made Sunday had been completely jaw-dropping. But it surely’s the errors that haunted Jackson as soon as once more — he admitted as a lot postgame — and Jeff says the Ravens blew their finest Tremendous Bowl probability with Jackson.

Transferring onto the Lions, final 12 months, after they blew a 17-point lead within the NFC Championship towards the 49ers, Dan Campbell emotionally informed them, “This may increasingly have been our solely shot.”

It was refreshingly trustworthy from Campbell then, and it proved prescient after Detroit’s beautiful loss to the Commanders. Campbell was emotional once more, and it is comprehensible, once more. It is a franchise that rose from laughingstock to powerhouse and league darling.

After which this: Jared Goff turned the ball over 4 occasions — thrice in scoring positions — and Jameson Williams threw an ill-advised move on a trick play that resulted in an interception. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson may’ve reached into his deep bag of methods one too many occasions. A protection devastated by accidents had few solutions.

Now you see why it is so laborious to get right here. Now you surprise how laborious will probably be to get again. Detroit has had the nice fortune of retaining its coordinators regardless of its success, however groups are very in Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for head teaching jobs.

You then think about different year-to-year variance — accidents, acquisitions, enchancment/decline, luck, and many others. — and also you surprise: Has Detroit’s championship window closed? Garrett Podell says …

• Podell: “Detroit has now skilled that very same Goff ceiling in consecutive postseasons … He is nice when surrounded by an elite forged of weapons and a top-tier play-caller, however when requested to raise his staff when the lights are brightest — whether or not that is been in Detroit or Los Angeles — he is faltered. … Assuming well being is hard, however one would assume it must be higher in 2025 after Detroit had six defensive starters and 16 whole gamers on injured reserve. … The Lions can be a postseason common going ahead, however … the present window might shut quickly.”

As for the opposite losers …

• You’re employed all 12 months for alternatives like what the Rams had — 13 yards from a visit to the NFC Championship — and you then blow one project, quit one sack, and the season is over. It is a robust one.
• The Texans confirmed actual toughness hanging with the Chiefs, nevertheless it simply wasn’t sufficient. The protection is terrific, and Stroud to Nico Collins is a top-tier mixture. I am excited to see what’s subsequent for Houston, which has holes to fill however is not that distant.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Faculty Soccer Playoff nationwide championship preview, picks

Notre Dame was left for useless when it misplaced to Northern Illinois early. Ohio State seemed lifeless in a rivalry loss to Michigan late.

Tonight, the Buckeyes and the Preventing Irish, towards all odds and storylines following these video games, play for a nationwide championship.

Ohio State is an 8.5-point favourite, and for good motive. Ever since a players-only assembly after that loss to Michigan, the Buckeyes have been on a roll. They hammered Tennessee and Oregon earlier than Jack Sawyer made one of many all-time nice performs in program historical past to seal a semifinal win over Texas. Tonight, Ohio State has the sting in practically each class.

However video games aren’t performed on paper. Dennis Dodd outlines the slim path for a Preventing Irish win, and Chip Patterson has 5 keys for the underdogs, together with …

• Patterson: “Factors off turnovers — Notre Dame has been gaining edges all 12 months because of the very best factors off turnovers efficiency within the nation. … Notre Dame has created extra alternatives than anybody else for these factors with essentially the most turnovers gained within the nation and have accomplished job of balancing that on offense to provide the nation’s fifth-best turnover margin. When wanting on the methods to shut the hole with Ohio State, creating free possessions after which making the Buckeyes pay for his or her errors is a large strategy to degree the taking part in area.”

Listed below are Tom Fornelli’s keys for the Buckeyes, and listed below are his finest bets. We even have picks from all of our consultants.

This is extra:

⚾ Dodgers signal Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott to proceed large offseason

The wealthy get richer, and the Dodgers‘ pockets are seemingly deeper than ever. Los Angeles received the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes Friday and supplemented that coup by signing Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million deal Sunday.

As an beginner worldwide free agent, Sasaki solely obtained a $6.5-million signing bonus regardless of being price way more than that. The 23-year-old righty has a 2.35 profession ERA within the Nippon Skilled Baseball League (Japan) and burst on the scene with a 19-strikeout good sport again in 2022.

Sasaki was the No. 7 free agent in R.J. Anderson’s rankings.

• Anderson: “He combines elite velocity with a devastating swing-and-miss splitter/forkball. Sasaki has dealt along with his share of accidents, limiting him to 33 mixed begins throughout the final two seasons. His incomes potential is totally suppressed due to his beginner free agent classification. Nonetheless, a totally actualized Sasaki has an opportunity to be a direct influence starter within the majors.”

The Dodgers beat out the Padres and Blue Jays, one other notable whiff for Toronto. And no, there was no tampering, although Sasaki does have connections to Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who he’ll now be a part of within the rotation. And what a rotation it’s:

1. RHP Shohei Ohtani
2. LHP Blake Snell
3. RHP Tyler Glasnow
4. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
5. RHP Roki Sasaki
6. RHP Tony Gonsolin
7. RHP Dustin Might

You may discover that record does not embrace Clayton Kershaw, although bringing him again may very well be subsequent.

Scott joins a loaded bullpen behind that rotation. This is R.J.’s scouting report on Scott, who posted a 1.75 ERA and made his first All-Star Sport final season and was the No. 27 free agent within the class.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Mavericks at Hornets, midday on NBA TV
🏀 Timberwolves at Grizzlies, 2:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Baylor vs. No. 1 UCLA (W), 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Celtics at Warriors, 5 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 7 Texas vs. No. 8 Maryland (W), 5:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 CFP championship: (8) Ohio State vs. (7) Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Unequalled, 7:30 p.m. on TNT