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NFL Thursday Preview: Patriots Visit Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rarely have the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves sporting a more impressive offense than their opponent this season, but that very well could be the case on Thursday night when they face the visiting New England Patriots.

New England (2-10) has displayed an anemic offense over its past three games, scoring a total of 13 points. It was shut out for the second time this season in a 6-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Prior to that, the Patriots lost 10-7 to the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after falling 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, New England is the first team in 85 years to allow no more than 10 points in three straight games while dropping all three.

Bailey Zappe was hoping to help the Patriots turn things around when he made his third career start on Sunday, but he ended up completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards. Zappe was starting in place of Mac Jones, who was benched after throwing for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through the first 11 games.

While New England appears to already have enough on its plate, here come the Steelers (7-5) on a short week.

“It’s about rest, recovery, being physically ready to go and mentally. It’s a quick turnaround from (Sunday’s) game to Pittsburgh’s scouting report,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You know, a couple days of trying to get things covered. We’re pretty far into the season, I don’t think there is a lot of new things. It’s more about adapting to what we do against what they do.”

One of those adaptations New England will have to make is game planning for Mitch Trubisky, who will be taking over behind center for Kenny Pickett.

Pickett sustained an ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday. Trubisky threw for 117 yards and a TD on 11-for-17 passing against Arizona, but he knows facing the Patriots will be a challenge.

“They’re always very sound,” Trubisky said of the Steelers’ longtime AFC rivals. “I think their guys up front don’t get a lot of credit, but they’re very good players. … Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday.”

Trubisky will try to provide a spark for a Pittsburgh team averaging the fifth-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.0). New England ranks dead last with 12.3 points per game.

In what is already expected to be a low-scoring matchup, both sides could be without some of their top playmakers, too.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be out for a few weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has not practiced this week.

Demario Douglas (concussion) has yet to practice for the Patriots this week as well, while fellow receivers DeVante Parker (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) were among those limited, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott (thigh).

Running back Najee Harris did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday because of a knee injury. Cornerback James Pierre (shoulder) was also out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (broken hand) practiced in full.

–Field Level Media

Lakers Advance Over Suns

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LeBron James scored 31 points with 11 assists, Anthony Davis scored 27 points with 15 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the semifinals of the NBA in-season tournament with a 106-103 victory Tuesday over the visiting Phoenix.

Austin Reaves scored 20 points for the Lakers, who will face the New Orleans Pelicans in one semifinal game Thursday at Las Vegas. The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Indiana Pacers in the other semifinal, also on Thursday at Las Vegas, with the final set for Saturday there.

Los Angeles improved to 5-0 during in-season tournament games.

Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Suns, who lost for the third time in their past four games after a seven-game winning streak. Phoenix lost two of its five games in the in-season tournament, both against Los Angeles.

Devin Booker and Grayson Allen each scored 21 points for the Suns, with Booker grabbing 11 rebounds. Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel, who was the Lakers’ coach when they won the 2020 NBA title, is 0-3 this season against his former team.

The Suns took a 95-94 lead on a 3-pointer from Durant with 5:45 remaining, but then they went more than four minutes without a field goal as the Lakers took a 102-97 lead with 2:20 remaining after six consecutive points from James.

Durant ended the field-goal drought with a short jumper to bring Phoenix within 102-99 with 1:02 remaining, and Booker brought the Suns within a point at 102-101 on a layup with 30 seconds left.

After missing his first five shots of the fourth quarter, Reaves buried a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left for a 105-101 lead. Durant made a quick layup to get the Suns within 105-103, with Davis making a free throw with 6.6 seconds remaining. Durant missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

The Lakers stormed out to a 33-23 lead after one quarter, assisted by nine Suns turnovers. Los Angeles led 59-47 at halftime after Davis scored 20 points with six rebounds.

After the Suns opened the second half on a 14-0 run, the Lakers’ lead was trimmed to 83-82 through three quarters.

–Field Level Media

The Belmont Stakes Moving to The Spa

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The third and final leg in horse racing’s Triple Crown will have a new venue in 2024 as the Belmont States is set to move to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, one of the oldest most most beloved race tracks in the world.

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Massive renovations at Belmont Park in Elmont, are set to take up to two years at a cost of $455 million, with some speculation that the Belmont could be held at Saratoga in 2025 as well.

“It’s good we have at least an alternative,” New York governor Kathy Hochul said when announcing the move. “Instead of shutting down Belmont (race cards) completely, we can take the races elsewhere in the state.”

The Belmont Stakes will be moving from its regular home for the first time since 1967 when it was held at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens for the last of five consecutive years amid a previous renovation.

The current renovations will include the installation of a synthetic track in place of the dirt track, as well as completely renovating both turf courses.

The 2024 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga will be the 156th running and will see the winner’s purse rise to $2 million from $1.5 million, with the race length reduced to 1 1/4 miles from its grueling 1 1/2 miles.

The 2023 Belmont Stakes winner was Arcangelo, ridden by Javier Castellano. The last time a horse clinched the Triple Crown with a victory in the Belmont Stakes was Justify in 2018, ridden by Mike Smith.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Stevenson Out

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was diagnosed with a high right-ankle sprain and likely will miss “a few weeks,” ESPN reported Tuesday.

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He sprained his ankle in the first quarter Sunday in the 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and did not play the rest of the game.

Ezekiel Elliott is expected to start at running back when the Patriots (2-10) meet the Steelers (7-5) in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Stevenson leads the Patriots in rushing yards (619) and receptions (38) and has four rushing touchdowns.

Elliott, who twice led the league in rushing as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, has run for 429 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Patriots.

New England selected Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

In three seasons, the 25-year-old has gained 2,265 yards on 499 carries with 14 scores. He also has caught 121 passes for 782 yards and a touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Lose; Bow Out of Tourney

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s multi-talented PG Tyrese Haliburton turned a three-pointer into a tiebreaking, four-point play with 1:33 remaining as part of a triple-double and the Indiana Pacers outfinished the Boston Celtics for a 122-112 victory in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament on Monday in Indianapolis.

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The result vaults Indiana into the Eastern finals of the event, which will be played Thursday night in Las Vegas. The winner of Tuesday’s other Eastern semifinal between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks will join the Pacers in Las Vegas.

The Celtics will drop back into NBA regular-season action on Friday.

After a Jayson Tatum jumper produced the sixth and final tie of the fourth period with 1:57 remaining, Haliburton buried his game-changing shot at the shot-clock buzzer as he was being fouled by Jaylen Brown. Haliburton’s subsequent free throw put the Pacers up 109-105.

Indiana then put the game away by scoring the game’s next five points on a Buddy Hield 3-pointer and an Aaron Nesmith dunk, both assisted by Haliburton. Boston, meanwhile, missed three consecutive shots, including 3-point attempts by Tatum and Brown.

The Celtics held the upper hand for much of the first half before the Pacers, the NBA’s highest-scoring team, exploded for 37 points in the third period to go up 85-78. Haliburton had 12 of his team-high 26 points in the quarter, including two of Indiana’s six 3-pointers.

Boston drew even by the 6:07 mark of the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Brown.

Overall, Haliburton shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range to account for a majority of his scoring for Indiana, which connected on 19 treys and outscored the visitors 57-36 from beyond the arc.

The star guard also found time for a game-high 13 assists and a team-high-tying 10 rebounds.

Myles Turner compiled 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who earned the home court in the Eastern semifinals by virtue of having gone 4-0 in group play. Hield finished with 21 points, while Bennedict Mathurin had 16, Nesmith 14, Bruce Brown 13 and Obi Toppin 12.

The Celtics, who had walloped the Pacers 155-104 at home on Nov. 1 and came into the Monday contest on a three-game winning streak, were led by Tatum with a game-high 32 points and Brown with 30. Tatum completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Derrick White had 18 points and a team-high eight assists for Boston, which was missing injured Kristaps Porzingis (calf). Sam Hauser came off the bench for 15 points.

–Field Level Media

Ingram, Pelicans Knock-Out Kings

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SACRAMENTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Pelicans’ forward Brandon Ingram recorded 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists and New Orleans advanced to the semifinals of the NBA’s in-season tournament with a 127-117 knockout-round victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

Herbert Jones scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out for the third-seeded Pelicans. CJ McCollum had 17 points and Trey Murphy III added 16 points off the bench for New Orleans, which beat Sacramento for the third time this season.

The Pelicans will face either the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers or fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in Thursday’s semifinals in Las Vegas. The Lakers and Suns play their quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

De’Aaron Fox scored 30 points and Domantas Sabonis recorded 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the second-seeded Kings.

Malik Monk tallied 21 points off the bench, Keegan Murray scored 14 points and Kevin Huerter added 12 for Sacramento.

The Kings went 4-0 while winning West Group C before succumbing to the Pelicans. New Orleans won West Group B with a 3-1 mark.

The Pelicans shot 54 percent from the field and made 14 of 31 (45.2 percent) from 3-point range. Zion Williamson had 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals for New Orleans.

Sacramento made 44.7 percent of its shots, including 14 of 41 (34.1 percent) from behind the arc.

Valanciunas scored in the interior, Murphy buried a 3-pointer and Ingram and Jones each made two free throws during a 9-0 burst as New Orleans took a 120-105 lead with 3:33 left in the game.

The Kings were unable to get closer than nine in the final minutes.

New Orleans opened the third quarter with a 10-3 run to take a 79-64 on Jones’ 3-pointer with 10:03 left.

The advantage was still 15 after McCollum’s floater with 7:21 remaining before Sacramento scored nine of the next 11 points to move within 89-81 on Sabonis’ basket with 4:56 remaining.

Sacramento later scored eight straight points to cut its deficit to 95-91 with 1:25 left. The Pelicans scored the next five to take a 100-91 lead into the final stanza.

Ingram and Murphy had 13 points apiece as the Pelicans led 69-61 at the break. Sabonis topped Sacramento with 16 first-half points.

–Field Level Media

NFL MNF: Bengals Upset Jaguars

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JACKSONVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bengals PK Evan McPherson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:45 left in overtime to lift the visiting Cincinnati Bengals to a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night.

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The Jaguars (8-4) lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a right ankle injury after left tackle Walker Little stepped on Lawrence late in the fourth quarter. The QB tossed his helmet aside in frustration and left the game for backup C.J. Beathard. Lawrence could not put any weight on his ankle as he left the field.

Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the game.

Beathard fumbled on his first play, but it was recovered by Jaguars receiver Parker Washington. Beathard then directed a drive that ended when Brandon McManus connected for a 40-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in regulation to make it 31-31 and force overtime.

Beathard completed a 43-yard pass to Calvin Ridley down to the Cincinnati 2 in overtime, but Anton Harrison was called for holding to bring the play back. Two plays later, Jacksonville punted.

Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning, making his second career start due to Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, then led the Bengals (6-6) on a drive that ended with McPherson’s game-winning field goal.

Browning had a career game, completing 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.

Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 11 catches for 149 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown.

McPherson kicked a 54-yard field goal with 2:28 left in regulation to give the Bengals a 31-28 lead.

The Jaguars went down the field with little resistance on their first drive of the game, which was highlighted by a 26-yard pass to Christian Kirk. However, Kirk sustained a groin injury on the play. He left the game and did not return.

Travis Etienne ended up capping the drive with a 4-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

Things were tied at 14-all at the break after a pair of rushing touchdowns by the Bengals’ Joe Mixon — from 6 and 2 yards out — sandwiched Lawrence’s 22-yard scoring strike to Evan Engram.

The Bengals captured the momentum early in the third quarter when Browning tossed a perfect pass down the left sideline to Chase, who gave Cincinnati a 21-14 lead with his 76-yard TD.

Lawrence threw for a touchdown and rushed for another to put the hosts ahead 28-21 with 3:10 left in the third quarter. Browning plunged into the end zone from the Jacksonville 1 early in the fourth to set up the tight finish.

NFL: Colts Win with Minshew Mania

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Colts Win; Patriots Shut-Out – NFL Week 13 Results

NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indy’s fill-in QB Gardner Minshew hit Michael Pittman with a four-yard touchdown pass with 2:31 left in overtime as the Colts outlasted the Tennessee Titans 31-28 on Sunday in Tennessee.

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Minshew, who was 26 of 42 for 312 yards with two scores, found Alec Pierce for a 55-yard gain to the Titans 4 on Indianapolis’ only possession of the extra period. Two plays later, Pittman caught his 11th pass of the day to keep the Colts (7-5) in playoff position in the AFC.

Tennessee rookie quarterback Will Levis completed 16 of 33 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, while Derrick Henry rushed 21 times for 102 yards and two scores before leaving with a possible concussion in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee forced overtime when Levis found DeAndre Hopkins for a 3-yard touchdown with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 25. But Nick Folk missed the extra point wide left, preventing the Titans (4-8) from winning in regulation.

Folk gave Tennessee a 28-25 edge with 4:19 remaining in overtime when he drilled a 46-yard field goal, capping a drive that lasted nearly six minutes.

49ers 42, Eagles 19

Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns and San Francisco overcame a shaky first quarter to pound host Philadelphia in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game.

Deebo Samuel caught four passes for 116 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) for the 49ers (9-3), who put together consecutive touchdown drives of 85, 90, 75, 77, 75 and 48 yards in a dominating performance.

Jalen Hurts completed 26 of 45 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown and also rushed for a score for the Eagles (10-2). DeVonta Smith (nine receptions, 96 yards) caught a touchdown pass and A.J. Brown had eight catches for 114 yards for Philadelphia, which had its five-game winning streak halted.

Texans, 22, Broncos 17

Jimmie Ward picked off Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds remaining and host Houston escaped with a victory over Denver, though the Texans did lose a key part of their offense.

Nico Collins posted nine receptions for a career-high 191 yards and a touchdown for Houston (7-5). But receiver Tank Dell suffered what is reported to be a season-ending broken leg while blocking on a Dameon Pierce touchdown run.

Wilson was intercepted three times as Denver (6-6) had its five-game winning streak snapped.

Chargers 6, Patriots 0

Khalil Mack had a pair of sacks to headline a sparkling defensive performance by Los Angeles, which blanked New England in Foxborough, Mass.

The Chargers (5-7) totaled five sacks, two of which extinguished a potential fourth-quarter rally by New England. With the Patriots facing third-and-3 late in the fourth, Eric Kendricks got to quarterback Bailey Zappe for a 2-yard loss. New England opted to go for it on the ensuing fourth-and-5, but its offensive line faltered once again, letting Derwin James Jr. sack Zappe for a loss of 8.

Neither quarterback could find their footing due to rainy, cold conditions. Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert completed 22 of 37 passes for 212 yards, while Zappe finished with 141 yards on 13-for-25 passing. Cameron Dicker kicked a pair of 38-yard field goals in the second quarter to provide the Chargers with all the offense they would need to snap a three-game skid.

Lions 33, Saints 28

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes and visiting Detroit held off New Orleans.

Goff completed 16 of 25 passes for 213 yards and Sam LaPorta caught nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (9-3), who jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter and led the rest of the way.

Derek Carr passed for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Saints (5-7), who lost their third straight game. Carr left the game early in the fourth quarter with shoulder and back injuries in addition to entering concussion protocol. Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston shared the remaining quarterback snaps.

Falcons 13, Jets 8

Desmond Ridder completed 12 of 27 passes for 121 yards and the game’s only touchdown to lead Atlanta past hapless New York in rainy East Rutherford, N.J.

The Falcons (6-6) moved to .500 with their second straight victory and continued to hold onto first place in the NFC South.

The Jets (4-8), meanwhile, benched a quarterback for the second time in three weeks as they lost their fifth game in a row. Tim Boyle went 14-of-25 passing for 148 yards and one interception before being replaced early in the fourth quarter by journeyman backup Trevor Siemian.

Cardinals 24, Steelers 10

James Conner rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to lead Arizona to a win over host Pittsburgh.

Kyler Murray went 13-of-23 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown to flank Conner for the Cardinals (3-10). Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered an ankle injury during the second quarter and did not return. Mitch Trubisky replaced him and went 11-of-17 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown in defeat for Pittsburgh (7-5).

The contest was marred by two severe weather delays, which caused the game to end at about 5:20 p.m. ET.

Dolphins 45, Commanders 14

Tyreek Hill caught five passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns and Miami pulled away for an easy win over Washington in Landover, Md.

Tua Tagovailoa completed 18 of 24 passes for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Miami (9-3), which won its third straight game. De’Von Achane scored two rushing touchdowns and Raheem Mostert added one.

Sam Howell completed 12 of 23 passes for 127 yards and an interception for Washington (4-9). Howell rushed for two touchdowns as the Commanders lost their fourth game in a row.

Buccaneers 21, Panthers 18

Mike Evans racked up 162 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches to help quarterback Baker Mayfield earn a victory against one of his former teams as Tampa Bay beat visiting Carolina.

The Panthers (1-11), playing their first game under interim coach Chris Tabor after the firing of Frank Reich, held the lead for all of 10 seconds in the third quarter. That’s when Evans struck for a long touchdown, and the Buccaneers (5-7) led the rest of the way.

Mayfield was 14-for-29 for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Rachaad White gained 84 rushing yards on 20 carries for Tampa Bay. Evans has now gone over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.

Rams 36, Browns 19

Matthew Stafford passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns and Lucas Havrisik kicked two field goals as Los Angeles defeated Cleveland in Inglewood, Calif., to extend its winning streak to three games.

Puka Nacua had 139 yards of total offense and a receiving touchdown for the Rams (6-6). Kyren Williams rushed for 88 yards and a score for Los Angeles, which remained in the thick of the NFC wild-card hunt.

AFC playoff hopeful Cleveland (7-5) lost for the second straight week, but Joe Flacco played effectively in his first start at quarterback for the team with 254 yards passing and two scores.

Packers 27, Chiefs 19

Jordan Love completed 25 of 36 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns as host Green Bay defeated Kansas City for the Packers third straight win.

Christian Watson caught seven passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns for Green Bay (6-6). Ben Sims also had a receiving touchdown.

Patrick Mahomes completed 21 of 33 passes for 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Kansas City (8-4). Noah Gray had a receiving touchdown and Isiah Pacheco had a rushing touchdown.

–Field Level Media

NFL Monday Night Football Preview

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Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3)
It’s reunion week for Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor, who brings his Bengals into Jacksonville having lost three straight and falling into the cellar of the AFC North. Jacksonville is coached by Doug Pederson, and Taylor’s younger brother, Press, serves as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator of a unit that has star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. In addition to the losing streak, the Bengals lost QB Joe Burrow to a season-ending hand injury. Jake Browning gets the call for Cincinnati with the Jaguars playing their first Monday night game since Dec. 5, 2011. Jacksonville has won seven of its past eight games and sits atop the AFC South. The Jags have the NFL’s fourth-ranked run defense (87.4 yards allowed per game), while Lawrence leads the offense and is coming off a 364-yard passing performance in their 24-21 win at Houston.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | On Jets’ Aaron Rodgers

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

FLORHAM PARK – Whether you’re playing poker or watching NFL football, the old adage remains the same. “If you’ve been playing in the game 30 minutes and don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.”

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Take the New York JAY-EEE-TEE-ESS for example: If you’ve been watching since QB Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles’ tendon four snaps into his debut with the Green Team on September 11th, you know the giant thud the NFL season took even though New York defeated the favored Buffalo Bills, 22-16, that night in overtime. The prognosis for the 40-year old Rodgers was not good. Even a man half his age might struggle with such a gruesome injury.

After pulling off the upset that Monday night, the Jets went into a three-game tailspin but course-corrected to a 4-3 record when the beat their cross-corridor rival NY Giants as October turned to November. Then? Another four-game death spiral to their current 4-7 record in the AFC East and less than a 1% chance of making the NFL Playoffs.

With those odds, in a hand of poker or a season full of football, who is this patsy we speak of?

It’s us.

Rodgers played us like a fiddle.

Rodgers directed a four week gaslight of the gullible media (and NYJ fans) better than George Cukor could’ve imagined on his best day.

Rodgers picked the first game (Nov. 6-7, loss vs LA Chargers) of the Jets’ current four-game slide to seed the thought and the media ate it up.

“Jets’ QB Rodgers Talks December Return”

Of course social media and the hook-line-and-sinker Jets fans took it to new levels before Rodgers could light the gaslight by walking it back in a weekly (paid) interview with ESPN radio man Pat McAfee.

“Obviously, that was said with a little tongue-in-cheek there,” Rodgers told McAfee. “It’d be nice to be able to be back in a couple weeks. That’s probably not anywhere near a realistic timeline.

“It’ll be a few fortnights,” Rodgers said, to set the table for even more speculation and sports talk.

Rodgers did so as he ditched a walking boot or crutches and displayed a no limp policy as he tossed 50-yard bullets with little to zero effort – letting the B-roll flow.

Why?

It’s quite simple: Rodgers was doing what he could do to take the heat off the Jets disappointing season. Obviously, he didn’t know the Jets would skid times four, but he certainly had an idea the meat of the 2023 schedule (vs. Chargers, @Raiders, @Buffalo and v. Dolphins) would be a test far too difficult to allow inexperienced QB ZachWilson to go it alone, never mind letting the New York media hounds and the fans devour Coach Robert Saleh before Thanksgiving.

Rodgers positioned the deflector shield as the weeks of November passed by with Wilson being benched for career back-up Tim Boyle, a fifth-year man out of Eastern Kentucky. All-the-while Rodgers fueled daily stories of jogging, eyeing practice, setting a 21-day practice ‘window’ to convince team doctors he was ready to go, despite his near-record early return and the Jets’ less than 1% chance of playing a meaningful football game.

He knew the media would fall for it, and they did. After all, there was nothing else for Boomer to blabber or for SI to program in Chatbot ai until another 70 days when pitchers & catchers report.

As the jury returns, WWYI will call the smoke-screen a success as Rodgers and the Jets qualified for the Gaslight Bowl. Maybe the game’ll be orchestrated by the late director, Cokor, but they’ll need to resurrect Charles Boyer and the most beautiful Ingrid Bergman in order to stage the show,

Maybe they won’t?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: While in the prime of his longtime run as lead NBA writer at Sports Illustrated, Jack McCallum switched assignments to the weekly Scorecardcolumn and within the creative gems of wacky weekly stories was the mainstay: It was entitled: Sign of the Apocalypse.

The only thing funnier in the entire magazine was Steve Rushin’s closing piece.

Can it be duplicated? No.

Can it be copied? Yes.

Maybe this column should leave the word Apocalypse for McCallum’s legacy, thus pointing a synopsis on oddities in the Year(s) 2023-24 to have a new title? How about “Clues of the Cataclysm” to adorn WWYI for the year ahead?

We’ll start today: Can you BELIEVE what they’re doing to the publication we once loved? Sports Illustrated was a treasure of sports writing, sports and investigative journalism, the best of the best in sports photography and a serious record of the weekly activities in the world of sport.

Walter Iooss Jr. to Manny Milan to John Iacona to John McDonough on the photo trail were rarely matched. The SI photographers fought for access and they were usually rewarded with access. Access beyond anyone’s imagination. The late, great Lou Capazolla made sure everything went well from a technical standpoint. Freelance greats, like the NBA’s Andrew D. Bernstein or Nat Butler often earned cover shots and inside double-truck spreads.

Articles in “SI” were well reported, well written and well edited and fact checked. If I stayed-up late on 100 Sunday nights fact checking with Hank Hersch, I stayed-up another 1,000 nights (and some Monday mornings) with Franz Litz.

Not only were the stories well reported, the writers always seemed to come up with that gem. Every article had a great note or quote that you’d never heard before and it provided insight to the subject being interviewed. SI never failed.

Until now.

From this week’s New York Times: Sports Illustrated has struggled to “adapt to the digital age,” and Monday’s revelation of alleged Artificial Intelligence (generated) articles were “just the latest sign of drift at Sports Illustrated, exacerbated by a relentless pursuit of engagement with the site’s non-journalistic entities,” according to Nerkar & Draper of the Times. SI’s stewardship by Authentic Brands and the Arena Group has been “particularly rocky,” they wrote. Arena’s options for generating revenue are “somewhat limited, encouraging a daily churn of articles.” Employees have “complained publicly” that Arena has been “dismissive of concerns about article quality and a lack of editors — made worse in February when 17 members of the staff were laid off — all while enforcing weekly quotas from writers.” Authentic Brands bought SI’s intellectual property in 2019 and sold a 10-year license to “publish Sports Illustrated to TheMaven, (sic)” which has since been rebranded as the Arena Group. Since 2019, there have been “repeated rounds of layoffs” at SI and “reductions in the circulation” of the print magazine. Hundreds of sites dedicated to individual teams — helmed by non-staff writers (who are) “paid small sums — were created with little oversight and diluted what it meant for ‘Sports Illustrated’ to write something.” … SI’s problems “began before Authentic Brands and Arena,” wrote the NYT. Under its original owner, Time Inc., there “were layoffs — including the last remaining staff photographers at a publication celebrated for its sports photography” — and it went from “being a weekly print magazine to a monthly”

After an initial $1.00 come-on for the first month, a new subscription to Sports Illustrated will run $95.88 for 12 issues with both digital and print access for readers, or digital only at $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year, billed annually. Print only runs $20 for a year (12 issues) or $30 for two years (24 issues).

The result in a damn shame. A once beloved and iconic product/brand in the sports world has been reduced to alleged horse fodder.

It hurts. Yes, it hurts for anyone who thought Sports Illustrated’s best use of AI meant there was a great story upcoming on Allen Iverson.

The BIG EAST and OTHER ASSORTED COLLEGE ITEMS: St. John’s center Joel Soriano, the lone holdover from last year’s team, scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Johnnies to a 79-73 victory over West Virginia on Friday night in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. St. J newcomer Chris Ledlum added a season-high 17 points and Nahiem Alleyne had 12 of his 14 points in the second half for St. John’s (5-2), which has won three straight. … St J’s RJ Luis Jr., a talented swingman who returned in last Saturday’s rout of Holy Cross, is back on the IL. The UMass transfer is suffereng from shin splints and will be out a month, said coach Rick Pitino after the Johnnies’ win over West Virginia.

On Tuesday, Providence used a 13-1 run late in the first half in an 86-52 handling of Wagner. Guard Ticket Gaines scored a team-high 21 points, all on 3-point field goals. Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and six rebounds. The Friars (6-1) held the Seahawks to 27.7 shooting from the field. … ESPN has six BIG EAST teams penciled-in to its early 68-team bracket predictor, namely: UConn, Marquette, Villanova, Creighton, Xavier and Providence. … Xavier has fallen to (4-4) overall while Creighton and Providence have surged to (6-1) on the early season.

Conference leader and defending NCAA champion Connecticut lost to Kansas, 69-64, in its BIG EAST vs BIG 12 showdown on Dec. 1.

HOLIDAY SPIRIT: In the spirit of the holidays – (Psst, Christmas is 22 days away) – you might need a unique gift for your favorite sports (or GOLF) fan. There are two options. First a subscription to this weekly publication. – “While We’re Young (Ideas)” which brings a full column of notes, some great quotes, newsworthy stories or opinions about an issue in the news – usually sports industry news. Secondly, the popular e-Newsletter PGA Tour Brunch will be publishing again – usually six days a week – when the Tour cranks it up at The Sentry in Maui – January 4-7, 2024. Sign-up for one, both or get in touch if you have something else in mind (a business deal for the sports news or golf industry – hint, hint). For insight and an easy navigation tool to follow the Tour —> Click HERE.

NFL POWER RANKINGS: As of the completion of Thanksgiving Weekend competition, there are very few elite teams in the National Football League. While there might be a chance for some team from the middle to become a Cinderella Story, that chance is slim. Here are the best teams:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. Kansas City Chiefs

5. Miami Dolphins

6. Dallas Cowboys

NFL PARITY or MEDIOCRITY: The vast majority of the NFL squads this season are in the valley of unmistaken, god-awful mediocrity. It’s as though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell snuck into Lester Bangs’ mind (played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the fabulous motion picture, Almost Famous), crept into the hellish cages of every football coach every made and stole both the concept and quote of: “You’ll meet them all again on the long journey to the middle.” Yes, the middle of the NFL – too high for. atop draft selection and too low for serious playoff contention. Here are my inglorious middles of each NFL Conference:

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans.

NFC: Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams,

NFL BEYOND HOPE in 2023: These clubs are horrible and will compete for the top one, two or three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the teams are so deplorable not even the No. 1 pick will help much. They are not divided by conference but listed by inverse order of ineptitude:

8. New York Giants

7. Tampa Bay Bucs

6. Washington Commanders

5. New York Jets

4. Chicago Bears

3. Arizona Cardinals

2. New England Patriots

1. Carolina Panthers

EARLY NBA LOOK: NBA teams are approaching the 20-game mark and, by now, the preseason prognostications have been thrown out with the trash. It is time for the NBA Look with More Perspective.

In the East, there are three teams with a very good chance of making it to the 2024 NBA Finals and they are:

1. Boston Celtics

2. Milwaukee Bucks

3. Philadelphia 76ers

In the West, there’s only one team – the Denver Nuggets – and – setting aside serious injuries – they are a lock.

1. Denver Nuggets

Everyone else is playing for a losing bid in the Western Conference Finals.

IN-SEASON TOURNEY: As written once before, there might be a competitive advantage to teams eliminated from the Knock-Out round of the first NBA In-Season Tournament. The teams advancing theoretically play the better teams, while the teams eliminated will play their make-up games against other eliminated clubs.

As noted up top, as fans face a deep and dark December, there is hope on the horizon as we prepare for Pitchers & Catchers reporting day on February 14, 2024 and the first Grapefruit and Cactus League games on February 24, 2024. (2/24). Other important dates for the upcoming ‘24 MLB season are:

March 20-21 – MLB Seoul Series ((Dodgers vs Padres)

March 28 – Opening Day

April 15 – Jackie Robison Day

April 27-28 – MLB Mexico City Series (Astros vs. Rockies)

June 8-9 – MLB London Series (Mets vs Phillies)

June 20 – MLB at Rickwood Field (Birmingham) – (Cardinals vs. Giants)

July 12-16 – MLB All-Star Game Festivities – (Arlington, Texas)

September 15 – Roberto Clemente Day (MLB-wide)