The Sportsletter - Survive & Advance 🇺🇸

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 30, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

It's a great day in the USA. The Men's National Team needed a win to advance out of the World Cup Group Stage, and you could feel the earthquake across the States when Christian Pulisic put one in the net. Survive and advance. The boys in blue keep kickin'...

Enjoy!

WORLD CUP

Survive & Advance 🇺🇸

Photo: Marvin Ibo Guengoer / GES Sportfoto / Getty Images

Christian Pulisic’s Goal Sends USMNT Past Iran (1-0) & Into World Cup Knockout Stage

Survive and advance! The U.S. Men’s National Team needed a win over Iran in Tuesday’s Group B finale to advance to the Round of 16, and they got it. The Iranian side parked the bus in the first half in an attempt to hold for a draw, but the boys in blue racked up multiple offensive chances before Sergino Dest headed a cross in front of the net for ‘Captain America’ Christian Pulisic (’38) to blast it home. Pulisic suffered an abdominal injury on a collision with the Iranian keeper and exited the game in the second half, but the USA held strong as Iran ramped up the attack. Goalie Matt Turner only needed to register one official save and the USMNT survived, 1-0. They’ll face Netherlands on Saturday in the Round of 16.

Watch: USMNT def. Iran (1-0)

Other World Cup Highlights

England def. Wales (3-0)

Netherlands def. Qatar (2-0)

Senegal def. Ecuador (2-1)

Group B Standings (Final)

England (7 points)

USA (5 points)

Iran (3 points)

Wales (1 point)

Teams Advanced: USA, England, Senegal, Netherlands, France, Brazil & Portugal

Today’s Schedule

Group D: Tunisia vs. France (10:00 am ET)

Group D: Australia vs. Denmark (10:00 am ET)

Group C: Poland vs. Argentina (2:00 pm ET)

Group C: Saudia Arabia vs. Mexico (2:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Christian Pulisic’s Heroic Goal Propels USMNT Into Round of 16

B/R: USA’s Tense 1-0 Win to Advance at World Cup Leaves Fans Exhausted

ESPN: Qatari Official Puts World Cup Deaths Between 400-500

NFL

Week 13 Power Rankings

Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Bengals & Vikings Climb Back Up the Top-10 While Chiefs, Eagles & Bills Remain 1-2-3

It’s another mid-week rendition of our NFL Power Rankings, and the weekly shifts are starting to become few and far between. Our top four teams from a week ago all won while the Vikings, 49ers, Dolphins and Bengals all moved up. Cincinnati is starting to click, and the Ravens dropped out of the top-10 with a brutal loss to the Jaguars. Here’s where they stand heading into Week 13:

NFL Power Rankings (Week 12)

1. Chiefs (9-2) | —

2. Eagles (10-1) | —

3. Bills (8-3) | —

4. Cowboys (8-3) | —

5. Vikings (9-2) | ↑4

6. 49ers (7-4) | ↑1

7. Dolphins (8-3) | ↑1

8. Bengals (7-4) | ↑3

9. Titans (7-4) | ↓3

10. Giants (7-4) | —

Teams 11-20: 11. Ravens (7-4) | 12. Commanders (7-5) | 13. Jets (7-4) | 14. Seahawks (6-5) | 15. Chargers (6-5) | 16. Patriots (6-5) | 17. Raiders (4-7) | 18. Buccaneers (5-6) | 19. Packers (4-8) | 20. Falcons (5-7)

Teams 21-32: 21. Lions (4-7) | 22. Jaguars (4-7) | 23. Browns (4-7) | 24. Cardinals (4-8) | 25. Steelers (4-7) | 26. Colts (4-7-1) | 27. Panthers (4-8) | 28. Bears (3-9) | 29. Saints (4-8) | 30. Rams (3-8) | 31. Broncos (3-8) | 32. Texans (1-9-1)

Biggest Risers: Bengals, Vikings, Raiders

Biggest Fallers: Ravens, Rams, Broncos

Editor's Note: Do you agree or disagree with any of today's Power Rankings? Reply to today's newsletter to share your thoughts.

Week 13 Schedule

Additional Storylines

SI: NFL Power Rankings: Tight Race Brewing at the Top Entering Final Stretch

USA Today: Week 13 Power Rankings: How Far Have Rams & Packers Fallen?

CFB

CFB Playoff Rankings 4.0

Image via @CFBPlayoff

USC Takes Place of Ohio State in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings

We’re two weeks away from solidifying the College Football Playoff picture, and the stakes are high for roughly nine teams still in contention. Michigan’s win over Ohio State knocked the Buckeyes below the cut line, and USC moved up into the top-4. It’ll take a lot for anyone to break up the new top-4 barring a misstep down the stretch. Should USC, TCU or Michigan fail to win out, at least three teams — Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State — are still chomping at the bit. Here’s the new-look playoff picture with two weeks left before bowl season.

CFB Playoff Rankings 4.0

1. Georgia (12-0)

2. Michigan (12-0)

3. TCU (12-0)

4. USC (11-1)

5. Ohio State (11-1)

6. Alabama (10-2)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. Penn State (10-2)

9. Clemson (10-2)

10. Kansas State (9-3)

Full CFB Rankings

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: CFB Playoff Rankings: USC Enters 4-Team Field

ESPN: Rose Bowl Given Wednesday Ultimatum to Determine CFP Expansion in 2024

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Doncic Drops 41-Point Triple Double

Luka Doncic continued his epic 2022 campaign with another scintillating performance Tuesday night in a win against the Warriors (116-113). Doncic had a dazzling stat line with 41 points, 12 assists and 12 boards to go along with four steals and a block.

🏒 NHL: Kraken-Kings Have West Coast Shootout

The Seattle Kraken and L.A. Kings delivered one of the most exciting NHL games of the early season last night with a combined 17 goals. The Kraken came out on top (9-8, OT) thanks to Andre Burakovsky’s overtime winner. Three different players had two goals each.

🏀 NCAA Basketball (Men)

#3 Virginia def. Michigan (70-68)

Marquette def. #6 Baylor (96-70)

🏀 NCAA Basketball (Women)

#1 South Carolina def. #15 UCLA (73-64)

THE STORYLINES

🏈 NFL Top 25 Under 25

Young players are coming right out of the gate and making big impacts in the NFL at an alarming rate. We asked NFL analysts to compile a list of the top 25 players under the age of 25. (ESPN+)

⚾️ Boom-or-Bust MLB Free Agents

Nobody ever accused any Major League Baseball free agent of being a wholly safe bet, so it's perhaps fair to say that any player in any given market is a boom-or-bust type. (B/R)

🏀 The NBA’s 1st Quarter

There are no championships to win, no awards to earn, no reason for comfort and no reason for alarm just yet. The NBA season is only one-fourth old, with plenty of time to see dreams realized… and ruined. (NBA.com)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• MLBPA’s Tony Clark Gets 5-Year Extension as Executive Director (CBS Sports)
• Eagles Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson Suffered Lacerated Kidney on Sunday Night Football (ESPN)
• Brett Favre Seeks Dismissal of Welfare Lawsuit in Mississippi (SI)
• Cowboys Still Interested in Odell Beckham Jr. Despite Plane Incident (B/R)

• Deshaun Watson Accusers Plan to Attend His Return Game Sunday Against Texans (USA Today)

• Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns Out 4-6 Weeks With Calf Strain (NBC Sports)

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