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Good Morning 👋
Football week continues with NFL Power Rankings and the penultimate CFB Playoff Rankings. We’ve got a lengthy extended highlights section from a busy Tuesday night, and you won’t want to miss today’s underdog on the 49ers quarterback, Mr. Irrelevant.
Editor’s Note: It’s still the busy season in sports, and that means we’re packing a lot into each and every Sportsletter. If our newsletter is getting caught in your spam or promotions folder, be sure to move us to your primary inbox.
Letter Rip! |
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NFL Power Rankings (Week 13) |
Image via Joe Stella / Media Mobilize |
Eagles Hold No. 1, But Next 2 Weeks Could Shift the NFC Hierarchy
After the Lions’ loss on Thanksgiving Day to the Packers, Detroit’s fall from our top-5 makes room for the Ravens, 49ers, Chiefs and Cowboys to slide up. Don’t assume the Eagles will keep our No. 1 spot the rest of the way. Philly has the 49ers and Cowboys on the schedule in the next two weeks to close out their recent gauntlet. This week’s Thursday Night Football clash features the Cowboys and Seahawks with NFC seeding on the line. We'll also see a battle for an AFC Wild Card between the Broncos and Texans on Sunday. There’s one more month (five more games) to determine the postseason. Here’s how we see ‘em.
NFL Power Rankings (Week 13) 1. Eagles (10-1) | — 2. Ravens (9-3) | ↑1 3. 49ers (8-3) | ↑1 4. Chiefs (8-3) | ↑1 5. Cowboys (8-3) | ↑2 6. Dolphins (8-3) | — 7. Jaguars (8-3) | ↑1 8. Lions (8-3) | ↓6 9. Steelers (7-4) | ↑5 10. Broncos (6-5) | ↑3 Teams 11-20 11. Texans (6-5) | ↓1
12. Browns (7-4) | ↓3 13. Bills (6-6) | ↓2 14. Seahawks (6-5) | ↓2 15. Colts (6-5) | ↑2
16. Vikings (6-6) | ↓1 17. Falcons (5-6) | ↑5 18. Saints (5-6) | — 19. Rams (5-6) | ↑5
20. Bengals (5-6) | ↓4 Teams 21-32 21. Raiders (5-7) | ↓2
22. Packers (5-6) | ↑3 23. Chargers (4-7) | ↓3 24. Jets (4-7) | ↓3 25. Buccaneers (4-7) | ↓2 26. Titans (4-7) | ↑1 27. Commanders (4-8) | ↓1 28. Bears (4-8) | ↑1 29. Giants (4-8) | ↓1
30. Patriots (2-9) | — 31. Cardinals (2-10) | — 32. Panthers (1-10) | — |
NFC 1. EAST: Eagles (10-1)
2. WEST: 49ers (8-3) 3. NORTH: Lions (8-3) 4. SOUTH: Falcons (5-6) 5. WC: Cowboys (8-3)
6. WC: Seahawks (6-5) 7. WC: Vikings (6-6)
In the Hunt: Packers (5-6), Rams (5-6), Saints (5-6), Buccaneers (4-7), Giants (4-8), Bears (4-8), Commanders (4-8) AFC
1. NORTH: Ravens (9-3) 2. WEST: Chiefs (8-3) 3. SOUTH: Jaguars (8-3)
4. EAST: Dolphins (8-3) 5. WC: Steelers (7-4) 6. WC: Browns (7-4) 7. WC: Colts (6-5)
In the Hunt: Texans (6-5), Broncos (6-5), Bills (6-6), Bengals (5-6), Raiders (5-7), Chargers (4-7), Titans (4-7), Jets (4-7) |
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CFB Playoff Rankings (5 of 6) |
Image via @CFBPlayoff Twitter |
The Penultimate CFB Playoff Rankings Are Here — It’s Win & In for the Top-4
One more to go! The fifth CFB Playoff Rankings were revealed last night, and they set the stage for a must-see weekend of conference championships. Four teams control their own fate — #1 Georgia, #2 Michigan, #3 Washington and #4 Florida State — but four other one-loss teams are still lurking behind chaos. Any missteps from the top-4 and we’ll be on the edge of our seats come next Tuesday. Here’s where they stand. Plus, we give a breakdown of each conference championship matchup and the potential CFB Playoff implications.
CFB Playoff Rankings (5 of 6) 1. Georgia (12-0) | — 2. Michigan (12-0) | — 3. Washington (12-0) | ↑1 4. Florida State (12-0) | ↑1
__________________________ 5. Oregon (11-1) | ↑1 6. Ohio State (11-1) | ↓3
7. Texas (11-1) | — 8. Alabama (11-1) | — |
Pac-12: #5 Oregon vs. #3 Washington (Fri. 8:00 pm ET, ABC)
Winner take all! There’s little doubt that the winner of the Oregon-Washington rematch will earn a playoff spot. A victory for the Huskies will complete a perfect regular season. Revenge for the Ducks should earn them the edge and likely be enough to swap places in the CFB Playoff top-4.
Big 12: #18 Oklahoma State vs. #7 Texas
(Sat. Noon ET, ABC)
Texas doesn’t control its own destiny, but a win here for a 12-1 record could give them hope. They’d need a convincing win over OK-State, and a combination of losses by Florida State, Michigan and/or Georgia could create a scenario where the Longhorns sneak in. Texas’ only loss of the year was to #12 Oklahoma by four points.
SEC: #1 Georgia vs. #8 Alabama (Sat. 4:00 pm ET, CBS)
The rivalry’s next chapter! The Bulldogs’ 29-game win streak gets put to the test Saturday against their SEC rivals. Believe it or not, a win by Bama and a loss for the Dawgs — especially an ugly loss — could bump the Crimson Tide into the top-4 and see UGA slip at the wrong time. We view this one as a possible win-and-in game for Alabama. Big Ten: #2 Michigan vs. #16 Iowa (Sat. 8:00 pm ET, FOX)
There’s no playoff hope for Iowa at #16, but Michigan likely needs this win to secure their spot in the top-4. A loss here, even with wins against Penn State and Ohio State, could be catastrophic. If the Wolverines do falter, we might see a playoff void of a Big Ten team — wouldn’t that be crazy?
ACC: #14 Louisville vs. #4 Florida State (Sat. 8:00 pm ET, ABC)
There’s no room for error here with the Seminoles. Florida State may be clinging to the #4 seed, but they’re without starting QB Jordan Travis, and few members of the committee don't view them as the same team they were before his season-ending injury. A loss for FSU is game over. |
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🏀 NBA In-Season Tournament Group Play Mavericks def. Rockets (121-115)
*Luka Doncic (41-9-9) Leads Mavs Knicks def. Hornets (115-91) *Julius Randle Dominates With 25-20 Game
Bucks def. Heat (131-124) *Giannis & Dame Combine for 65 Points
Cavaliers def. Hawks (128-105) *Donovan Mitchell Drops 40
Celtics def. Bulls (124-97) *Jaylen Brown (30-8-6) Helps Boston Advance
Kings def. Warriors (124-123) *Kings Make Miraculous 24-Point Comeback Advanced to In-Season Tournament Knockouts - East: Bucks, Celtics, Knicks, Pacers
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West: Lakers, Suns, Kings, Pelicans
🏒 NHL
Maple Leafs def. Panthers (2-1, S/O) *Toronto Outlasts Florida in 6-Round Shootout
Stars def. Jets (2-0) *Oettinger Makes 27-Save Shutout
Hurricanes def. Flyers (4-1) Oilers def. Golden Knights (5-4) Predators def. Penguins (2-1), OT) *Forsberg Nets OT Winner
Coyotes def. Lightning (3-1) *Carcone Scores Twice for Arizona
Canucks def. Ducks (3-1)
⚽️ Champions League (Matchday 5 of 6) Lazio def. Celtic (2-0)
*Immobile Scores 2 Goals Late Shakhtar Donetsk def. Antwerp (1-0)
Dortmund def. Milan (3-1) Atletico Madrid def. Feyenoord (3-1) *Feyenoord Stumble With 2 Own Goals Newcastle draw PSG (1-1)
*Mbappe Saves Draw for PSG in Stoppage-Time Barcelona def. FC Porto (2-1)
*Barcelona Rallies From 1-Goal Down Man. City def. RB Leipzig (3-2)
*City Overcome 2-0 Deficit in 2nd Half Young Boys def. Crvena Zvezda (2-0)
Advanced to Knockout Stage (7 of 16): Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Dortmund, Man. City, RB Leipzig, Real Madrid, Bayern 🏀 NCAA Basketball #1 Purdue def. Texas Southern (99-67)
#3 Marquette def. Southern (93-56) #12 Kentucky def. #8 Miami (95-73) #5 Kansas def. Eastern Illinois (71-63) |
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🏀 NBA Suns at Raptors (7:30 pm ET) 76ers at Pelicans (8:00 pm ET)
Clippers at Kings (10:00 pm ET, NBATV) 🏒 NHL Red Wings at Rangers (7:30 pm ET, TNT) Capitals at Kings (10:30 pm ET, ESPN+) ⚽️ Champions League
Galatasaray vs. Man. United (12:45 pm ET) Arsenal vs. Lens (3:00 pm ET) Bayern vs. Copenhagen (3:00 pm ET)
Benfica vs. Inter (3:00 pm ET)
Real Madrid vs. Napoli (3:00 pm ET) 🏀 NCAA M: #10 Tennessee at #17 North Carolina (7:15 pm ET, ESPN)
M: #7 Duke at Arkansas (9:15 pm ET, ESPN) W: #18 Notre Dame at #20 Tennessee (5:00 pm ET, ESPN) W: #22 Louisville at #19 Ole Miss (9:15 pm ET, ESPNU) Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar |
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Brock Stock: 49ers QB Rising |
Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images |
From Mr. Irrelevant to Pro Bowl Ready: How the 49ers Struck Gold With Brock Purdy (By Marissa Kasch)
I’ll never forget picking up Brock Purdy in a moment of crisis in one of my fantasy leagues last year. I remember worrying about the game and how he would perform. When he finally took the field, my worries melted away. I realized (I think with the rest of America) this guy can play. Purdy continued his hot start as a rookie, leading the Niners to a strong finish. A finish so strong they ended up on the brink of the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Purdy suffered a torn UCL during the NFC Championship game versus the Eagles and was not cleared until the first week of training camp. Now, he's looking for revenge, for a chance to prove himself with no setbacks this time, and his underdog status has the Niners stacking blowout wins once again.
Mr. Irrelevant
Purdy hasn’t always been perceived as the successful athlete he is now. He was once known as Mr. Irrelevant. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Mr. Irrelevant refers to the guy selected with the last pick of the NFL Draft. And Mr. Irrelevant Week has even become a charity event focused on celebrating the underdogs who wear that crown as former draft-ending picks. The term was coined in 1976, although it's been applied since the draft's inception in 1936. Purdy was the 49ers' last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he embraced the nickname. His hallmark as the 262nd pick in 2022 yielded low expectations in San Francisco, especially one year after the Niners selected QB Trey Lance at No. 3 overall. Purdy's size -- a generous 6'1, 220 lbs. He's among the smallest of NFL quarterbacks. He was also a 22-year-old rookie when he started. At the time, it didn’t seem fathomable that San Francisco even needed a quarterback behind Lance and incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo. So, 49ers fans kept their expectations at an all time low for Purdy.
Purdy Good in San Francisco
Luckily for Niners fans, Mr. Irrelevant didn’t stay irrelevant for long. In fact, he became relevant pretty quickly. Purdy led San Francisco to seven straight wins after his first start last season. This season, the Niners are 8-3, and Purdy is now 16-4 in his career. He has a completion percentage of 70.2% this season and has thrown for 19 touchdowns through 11 games. On the ground, he has rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, Purdy is a capable quarterback who knows how to get it to the right guy. And on a team like the Niners, with Aiyuk, CMC, Deebo and Kittle, the right guy is never far.
A Humble Lifestyle
Purdy’s salary has been a topic of discussion in the NFL this year after he revealed he still lives with a roommate and drives a Toyota Sequoia SUV. His salary is $870,000 and ranks as the lowest starting QB salary in the NFL. In fact, many NFL quarterbacks earn Purdy’s salary in less than one game. Lamar Jackson earns it in 11 minutes. Patrick Mahomes in 16 minutes. Daniel Jones in 19 minutes. Twenty starting QBs exceed Purdy’s salary in just one game. Though he still makes almost a million dollars, Purdy doesn’t live a lavish lifestyle.
Red Hot Revenge
Revenge is a dish best served cold? Not to Brock Purdy. He’s looking for redemption, and he’s coming in hot. With Week 13 already upon us, the Niners sit atop the NFC West with a two-game lead over the Seahawks. However, San Francisco certainly has some challenges left on its schedule. The 49ers will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles this weekend in a rematch of last year's disappointing NFC Championship Game. Then, they’ll face the Seahawks again the next weekend and the Ravens on Christmas Day.
Though these are challenging opponents, Brock's stock has never been higher. He has a chip on his shoulder and he's playing like a man with something to prove. Purdy ranks top-10 in every passing category, and he's in line for a Pro Bowl nod in Year 2. He's already becoming one of the best Mr. Irrelevant players of all-time.
The 49ers are loaded with all the right pieces, but Brock is the rock that holds the foundation together. It's time for this Mr. Irrelevant underdog story to become undeniably relevant. |
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