The Sportsletter - No Touchdowns? No Problem

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 28, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

A no-touchdown win and the second NFL coach firing of the season headline today’s edition. We’re football-focused this week with another NFL underdog tomorrow and college football features leading into Conference Championship Weekend (and the Heisman Trophy race). Bowl season is near!

Editor’s Note: Some readers have suggested making our copy slightly larger to improve readability. We’ve heard you, and we’re giving it a try in today’s edition. Let us know what you think.

Letter Rip!

  PICKS  

NFL Pick 'Em Leaderboard (Week 12)

Congrats to this week’s pick ‘em winner, Colin Ahrens! Colin was the only player to hit 14/15 games. A tiebreaker was needed to flush out the rest of the top-5 from a pool of 20-plus who correctly picked 13/15 in a favorites-heavy week. Six players thought they were sneaky by filling out picks after Thursday and Friday games last week. We see you, and you were DQ’d from Week 12. Sneaky…

Pick ‘Em Leaderboard (Week 12)

1. Colin Ahrens (14/15)

2. Peter Gregory (13/15)

3. Dave Stone (13/15)

4. Paul Ryan (13/15)

5. Jason Kirkwood (13/15)

Play The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em (Week 13)

*Winner Gets $50 / Top-5 Make Playoffs

  NFL  

No Touchdowns? No Problem 🐻

Photo: Scott Bettcher / Getty Images

Bears Top Vikings (12-10) on MNF, Become 1st Team in 2023 to Win Game Without Scoring a Touchdown

Six turnovers, one touchdown and a whole lot of kicking. Monday Night Football’s post-Thanksgiving treat was one of those knock-down, drag-em-out NFC North battles that was hard to watch. Josh Dobbs (4 INTs) and the Vikings finally found the end zone late in the 4th quarter to flip the scoreboard from down 9-3 to up 10-9. But with under two minutes to go, Justin Fields hit D.J. Moore for a 36-yard gain and the biggest play of the night. That set up some kneel-downs and a game-winning chip shot for Cairo Santos from 30 yards (12-10). All sorts of bizarre history were made in this one. The Bears now have more wins in prime time (4-3) over the past two seasons under Matt Eberflus than all other games (3-19).

A Pure Kicking Victory: The Bears’ win was the first of the season by any team without a touchdown — just four field goals. It was also Chicago's first win without scoring a TD since 1993.

Turnover Trouble: Both team combined for six turnovers, all from the quarterbacks. Dobbs threw four picks and Fields committed two fumbles. Both teams rank in the bottom-5 of the league in turnovers this season — Vikings (32nd), Bears (T-29th).

Eberflus’s 1st Divisional Win: Chicago's win marked Matt Eberflus’ first division victory in the NFC North since he took over for Chicago. He was previously 0-9.

QB Comparison

J. Fields (CHI): 27/37, 276 total yards, 2 fumbles

J. Dobbs (MIN): 22/32, 196 total yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs

Other Top Performers

WR D. Moore (CHI): 11 receptions, 114 yards

TE T. Hockenson (MIN): 5 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD

DE M. Sweat (CHI): 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks

DE D. Hunter (MIN): 9 tackles, 1.5 sacks

NFC North Standings

Lions (8-3)

Vikings (6-6)

Packers (5-6)

Bears (4-8)

Watch: Bears Escape Vikings With Late FG (12-10)

*Check tomorrow’s edition for the new NFL Power Rankings and an updated look at the NFL Playoff picture.

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: Bears Intercept Josh Dobbs 4 Times in Ugly Win Over Vikings

SI: Lackluster Bears-Vikings Showdown Spoils ‘Monday Night Football’

  NFL  

A Streich-Out in Carolina

Photo: Perry Knotts / Getty Images

Panthers Oust Head Coach Frank Reich After 1-10 Start, And Carolina's Rebuild Hits the Reset Button

Frank Reich’s run as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers is officially over after just 11 games. In a swift move, Panthers owner David Tepper ousted Reich on Monday less than 24 hours after he was spotted leaving the locker room and muttering expletives following a 17-10 loss to the Titans. The Panthers are a league-worst 1-10, and rookie QB Bryce Young — last year’s No. 1 overall pick — hasn’t exactly met expectations. The Panthers also traded this year’s would-be No. 1 pick to move up and select Young last season. And while Reich's run as a head coach hasn't produced results, he's still a solid coach who could be coveted for many coordinator roles.

Carolina's Streich-Out: Monday's announcement was historic as it signaled the first time since the 1970 merger that an NFL coach was fired in back-to-back seasons. Reich was discharged as the Colts head coach last season. He’s also just the six coach since 1970 to be fired before finishing Year 1 with a new team. The Panthers also fired quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley. It’s an offense overhaul. Special teams coach Chris Tabor will serve as the interim head coach.

2023 In-Season Firings: Reich joins Josh McDaniels (Raiders) on this year's list of in-season coaching exits. Expect more coaching vacancies in the next month.

Read More

Sporting News: What Frank Reich’s Firing Means for Bryce Young & Panthers Future

B/R: Ranking Potential NFL Head Coach Openings in 2024 Offseason Following Frank Reich Firing

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

LeBron's Worst Loss Ever?

Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

🏀 NBA: 76ers Hand LeBron Historic Loss

Reigning MVP Joel Embiid (30 pts, 11 rebs, 11 asts) and the 76ers hammered the Lakers by 44 Monday night in Philly (138-94). A double-digit lead (18) after three quarters turned into a bloodbath after the Sixers outscored L.A. 40-14 in the 4th. The 44-point defeat was the worst in LeBron James’ 21-year career.

🏒 NHL: Avs Snowballing Wins to Reach West Summit

With a 4-1 win over the Lightning on Monday, the Avalanche are suddenly back at the top of the West standings with 15 wins and four straight victories. Colorado got a pair of goals from Ryan Johansen last night, and the Avs now have 80 goals through 21 games.

Bonus Highlight: Panthers-Senators Scrum Ends With ALL Players on Ice Receiving 10-Minute Misconduct Penalties

  NCAA   

📈 NCAA Polls: Purdue Takes #1

Men’s Top-25: Purdue, Arizona & UConn Off to Unbeaten Starts; South Carolina Reigns Atop Women’s Top-25

Following a showdown of four top-10 teams last week in Maui, Purdue supplanted Kansas as the No. 1 team in this week’s NCAA basketball AP Poll. The Boilers were victors in Hawaii by beating Tennessee and Marquette, who both remain members of the top-10. In women’s hoops, #1 South Carolina steamrolled a mid-major opponent by close to 100 last weekend. It’s safe to say they have a firm grip on No. 1 in the women’s poll.

Men’s AP Top-10

1. Purdue (6-0) | ↑1

2. Arizona (6-0) | ↑1

3. Marquette (5-1) | ↑1

4. UConn (7-0) | ↑1

5. Kansas (5-1) | ↓4

6. Houston (7-0) | —

7. Duke (5-1) | ↑2

8. Miami (5-0) | ↑2

9. Baylor (6-0) | ↑4

10. Tennessee (4-2) | ↓3

Full Men's AP Top-25

Women’s AP Top-10

1. South Carolina (5-0) | —

2. UCLA (6-0) | —

3. Stanford (7-0) | ↑1

4. Iowa (7-1) | ↑1

5. NC State (7-0) | ↑5

6. USC (5-0) | ↑2

7. LSU (7-1) | —

8. Colorado (6-1) | ↓5

9. Virginia Tech (5-1) | —

10. Texas (7-0) | ↑2

Full Women’s AP Top-25

  STORYLINES   

⚾️ MLB Free-Agent Tracker

Major League Baseball’s free agency period is officially underway, and a few big announcements are slowly coming through. Sonny Gray (Cardinals) and Kenta Maeda (Tigers) are the first two high-profile moves, and we’re all still watching Shohei Ohtani. (CBS Sports)

⛳️ Tiger Woods is Back

After seven months, Tiger Woods is swinging again. The 15-time major champion makes his return to golf this weekend at the 2023 Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas. Woods also hosts the tournament as part of his TGR Ventures. (USA Today)

🏈 College Football Coaching Carousel

How many coaching changes will there be in 2023? The number jumped to 14 on Sunday with five more coaching moves, but the final count will be determined in the coming weeks. Here’s a look at all the changes so far in 2023. (Sporting News)

  NEWS   📰 

• Cardinals Ink Pitcher Sonny Gray to 3-Year, $75 Million Deal (Yahoo! Sports)

• Minnesota Wild Fire Coach Dean Evason After 5-10-4 Start, Hire John Hynes (Athletic)

• Duke Football Coach Mike Elko Welcomed as Texas A&M Head Coach (SI)
• Dodgers Retain Jason Heyward With 1-Year, $9 Million Deal (ESPN)
• Warriors’ Draymond Green Doesn’t Regret Putting Rudy Gobert in Headlock (B/R)
• Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Suffered Fractured Back Against Washington State (SI)
• Bill Belichick Addresses ‘Ridiculous’ Rumor That He Already Has 2024 Job Lined Up (CBS Sports)
• Bills Players Appear to Shove Eagles Fan During Loss in Philly on Sunday (FOX Sports)

• Dolphins Sign Veteran DE Jason Pierre-Paul After Achilles Injury to LB Jaelan Phillips (ESPN)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA

Bucks at Heat (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Warriors at Kings (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

🏒 NHL

Panthers at Maple Leafs (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Rangers at Devils (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Golden Knights at Oilers (9:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

⚽️ Champions League (Matchday 5 of 6)

AC Milan vs. Borussia Dortmund (3:00 pm ET)

Barcelona vs. FC Porto (3:00 pm ET)

Man. City vs. RB Leipzig (3:00 pm ET)
PSG vs. Newcastle United (3:00 pm ET)

*All Matches on Paramount+

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: #8 Miami at #12 Kentucky (7:30 pm ET, ESPN)

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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