Revenge of the Birds
11/21/2023By: Jeff Yoder
Good Morning
Last night’s Super Bowl LVII rematch was billed as the game of the year, but the Birds got revenge with a second-half comeback. We’ll wrap up Week 11 before sprinting head-first into the holidays with tomorrow’s jam-packed Thanksgiving Preview edition. Stay tuned…
Scheduling Note: The Sportsletter will not be sent from Thursday (Nov. 23) to Sunday (Nov. 26). We’ll return to your inbox on Monday (Nov. 27).
Letter Rip!
NFL
Revenge of the Birds
Eagles Survive Chiefs (21-17) With 2nd-Half Comeback at Arrowhead in Super Bowl LVII Rematch
Ugly. Rainy. And no Taylor Swift. The Eagles-Chiefs clash on Monday night in Arrowhead was billed as the must-see game of the 2023 NFL season, and for good reason. The Super Bowl LVII rematch featured the two teams with the two best records in football, vying for the No. 1 spot in their respective divisions, and it lived up to the hype… sort of. A cold and rain-soaked Arrowhead Stadium was the scene for a tale of two halves. The Chiefs dominated the first half (17-7), but the Eagles defense won the second (14-0) for a narrow 21-17 win. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was held to his worst game of the season, but Philly turned in points on three big drives and let their defense do the rest.
The Go-Ahead Drive
Philly finally connected on a deep pass play to DeVonta Smith for 41 yards — their first deep pass of the game — midway through the 4th quarter. That catch took the Eagles inside the 1-yard line, and a tush-push TD put them on top (21-17).
The Drop Heard ‘Round the World
After back-to-back 3-and-outs from both teams, Kansas City moved the ball past midfield on the final drive. On 2nd down, Mahomes geared up and launched a deep shot for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It wasn’t a perfect ball in stride, but good enough that it should’ve been caught. Valdes-Scantling’s drop would’ve been the go-ahead, and potentially game-winning, touchdown for the Chiefs.
QB Comparison
P. Mahomes (KC): 24/43, 215 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
J. Hurts (PHI): 14/22, 179 total yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Other Top Performers
RB D. Swift (PHI): 15 touches, 107 yards, 1 TD
WR D. Smith (PHI): 6 receptions, 99 yards
RB I. Pacheco (KC): 21 touches, 91 yards
TE T. Kelce (KC): 7 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD
S K. Byard III (PHI): 8 tackles, 1 INT
DT C. Jones (KC): 5 tackles, 2 sacks
Records: Eagles (9-1) / Chiefs (7-3)
Watch: Eagles Get Revenge on Chiefs With 2nd-Half Comeback (21-17)
Other Storylines
SI: Kelce Brothers Share Special Moment on Field After Game
CBS Sports: Eagles Rookie DT Jalen Carter Nearly Makes Incredible Spike INT
Read More
Yahoo! Sports: Eagles Rally Past Chiefs as Late Miscues Cost Kansas City
CBS Sports: Hurts Rallies Eagles Past Red Zone-Deficient Chiefs in SBLVII Rematch
B/R: The 2 Huge Issues That Will Prevent Chiefs From Making Another Super Bowl Run
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NCAA
Early-Season Madness in Maui
The 40th Maui Invitational Sets Up Holiday Week of Ranked College Basketball Clashes
We’re two weeks into the NCAA basketball seasons, and our first batch of holiday action is underway this week. The 40th Maui Invitational — held in Honolulu this year due to the Maui wildfires — tipped off last night with four games and five of the top 11 teams in the nation. Other holiday invitationals are sparring throughout the country, but our focus last night centered around Hawaii where #2 Purdue and 7-foot-4 reigning player of the year, Zach Edey (25 pts, 14 rebs, 3 blks) beat #11 Gonzaga (73-63) with a second-half onslaught. #1 Kansas, #7 Tennessee and #4 Marquee were also winners. Rounds 2 and 3 of the tourney could lead us to a to clash of 1-vs-2 in Purdue-Kansas on Wednesday night. Here’s the recap:
Maui Invitational
#1 Kansas def. Chaminade (83-56)
#2 Purdue def. #11 Gonzaga (73-63)
#4 Marquette def. UCLA (71-69)
#7 Tennessee def. Syracuse (73-56)
Today’s Schedule (Maui Invitational Semifinal)
#7 Tennessee vs. #2 Purdue (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)
#1 Kansas vs. #4 Marquette (10:30 pm ET, ESPN)
Other NCAA Basketball Highlights
#5 UConn def. #15 Texas (81-71)
#16 Kentucky def. Saint Joseph’s (96-88, OT)
Wisconsin def. #24 Virginia (65-41)
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HIGHLIGHTS
USMNT Advance in Concacaf Nations League
The U.S. Men’s National Team advanced to the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League by surviving a two-leg battle with Trinidad & Tobago. T&T won last night’s match (2-1), but it was too little too little on the aggregate scoreline (4-2).
NBA
Hornets def. Celtics (121-118, OT)
*LaMelo Ball (36-9-8) Forces OT With Late Basket
*Giannis Antetokounmpo Drops 42 in Near Triple-Double
Warriors def. Rockets (121-116)
*Steph Curry (32 Points) Dazzles for Dubs
*Clippers Win 2nd Straight After Losing Streak
*Zion Williamson (26 Points) Delivers Highlight Dunks
NHL
Lightning def. Bruins (5-4, OT)
*Brandon Hagel Hits Wrister for OT Winner
*Trevor Moore (2 Goals) Leads L.A. to 3rd Straight Win
*Niko Mikkola (2 Goals) Sparks Panthers)
*Pavelski, Hintz & Marchment Combine for 5-Goal 3rd
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STORYLINES
The USWNT will gather in preparation for two friendlies in December, but they’re not the same team. Alex Morgan and many others won’t be present. With Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz retiring, 10 players from the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup roster have been omitted. (Yahoo! Sports)
Every year when The Game arrives on the calendar, an air of nostalgia bubbles up throughout the Midwest, enveloping college football’s attention in a way that few other things across the sporting landscape can. It’s #2 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan this Saturday. (FOX Sports)
The MLB hot stove is heating up, and the holiday break could be the time where top targets come to terms. Shohei Ohtani is the prize, but Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger and others are available for the highest bidder. (CBS Sports)
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NEWS
- Jets Bench QB Zach Wilson, To Start Tim Boyle at QB in Week 12 Against Dolphins (SI)
- The Professional Fighters League (PFL) Acquires Bellator MMA (B/R)
- Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy Indoor Golf League Postponed to 2025 After Roof Collapse (Yahoo! Sports)
- LSU’s Angel Reese Absent Again for 2nd Straight Game, Kim Mulkey Declines Comment (ESPN)
- Broncos Safety Kareem Jackson Suspended 4 More Games for Hit on Josh Dobbs (CBS Sports)
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SCHEDULE
Today’s Must-Watch List
NBA
Cavaliers at 76ers (7:30 pm ET, TNT)
Jazz at Lakers (10:00 pm ET, TNT)
International Soccer
Canada vs. Jamaica (7:30 pm ET)
Brazil vs. Argentina (7:30 pm ET)
NCAAM
#7 Tennessee vs. #2 Purdue (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)
#1 Kansas vs. #4 Marquette (10:30 pm ET, ESPN)