The Sportsletter - Harbaughs & The Holidays

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 26, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Nothing says Thanksgiving week like family and football! The Harbaugh brothers got together in primetime, and their two teams — in playoff hunts — went head-to-head. Plus, college basketball polls get a facelift with two major upsets, and we’re gearing up for turkey with tomorrow’s holiday primer.

🗓️ Scheduling: The Sportsletter Team will be taking time off for Thanksgiving. The newsletter will not be published on Thursday or Friday (Nov. 28-29). We’ll return to our normal schedule on Monday (Dec. 2).

Letter Rip!

PICKS

NFL Pick 'Em Champs (Week 12)

Congrats to this week’s outright pick ‘em champ, Karlene Porter! Karlene was 11/12 on picks while a large number of players correctly picked 10/12. These five are heading to the playoffs, and Karlene is kicking off the holidays with some perks.

Pick ‘Em Leaderboard (Week 12)

1. Karlene Porter (11/12)

2. Nate Sengstock (10/12)

3. Myron Weinbach (10/12)

4. Jo Ellen Washburn (10/12)

5. Cage Johnson (10/12)

NFL Pick 'Em (Week 13)

🏈 Play The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

NFL

The Harbaugh Bowl 3.0

Photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images

John Harbaugh (Ravens) Improves to 3-0 Against Brother Jim (Chargers) in MNF Win (30-23)

Nothing says Thanksgiving week like family and football! The Harbaugh brothers got together again on Monday night for a renewed sibling rivalry, this time between the Ravens and Chargers. Both teams had seven wins entering Week 12. Jim’s Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 lead before John’s Ravens got rolling on offense. It was still a tight, one-score game until RB Justice Hill busted a 51-yard touchdown run to put the Ravens up (30-16) early in the 4th. The Chargers tacked on a late score, but the game was in hand. Baltimore (8-4) snapped a four-game win streak for Los Angeles (7-4).

Harbaughs Head-to-Head

In case you forgot, younger brother Jim used to coach the 49ers before his recent title run at Michigan. The two brothers even met in Super Bowl 47. John’s Ravens had won both previous meetings, and they had Jim’s number again last night. John is now 3-0 against Jim. The brothers shared a classy moment at midfield before and after the game, but John will have the last laugh at family Thanksgiving.

Fun Fact: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is now 20-5 (.800) in primetime games. That’s the highest win percentage by a quarterback in primetime since the Super Bowl era began.

QB Comparison

L. Jackson (BAL): 16/22, 192 yards, 3 TDs

J. Herbert (LAC): 21/36, 247 yards, 1 TD

Top Performers

RB D. Henry (BAL): 24 carries, 140 yards

RB J. Hill (BAL): 6 touches, 62 yards, 1 TD

TE M. Andrews (BAL): 5 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD

Watch: Ravens Bully Chargers With Run Game in Harbaugh Bowl (30-23)

NFL: John Harbaugh’s Gutsy 4th-Down Call Was ‘Turning Point’ in Ravens Win

NCAA

Holiday Hoops Chaos Has Come 🚨

Photo: Gina Ferrazi / Getty Images

Past Champs — #2 UConn (Men) & #1 South Carolina (Women) — Both Upset to Begin Holiday Week

Chaos on the court has come early for the holidays! In the last 48 hours, both of last year's NCAA champions — UConn (men) and South Carolina (women) — suffered stunning upsets that shook college basketball. On Sunday, No. 1 South Carolina fell to 5th-ranked UCLA (77-62) by a whopping 15-point margin. That was Dawn Staley and SC’s first loss in 43 games dating back to the 2023 Final Four, and UCLA is now No. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history. On Monday, Memphis took down No. 2 UConn with an overtime shocker (99-97, OT) at the Maui Invitational. Dan Hurley got a crucial technical foul in OT that didn't help, either. Is it just early-season woes? Or is there a changing of the guard in college hoops? We’ve also got new polls and plenty of holiday tournaments to track in the days ahead.

🚨 NCAA Upset Alerts

M: Memphis Upsets #2 UConn (99-97, OT)

W: #5 UCLA Upsets #1 S. Carolina (77-62)

*Ends SC’s 43-Game Undefeated Streak

NCAA Basketball Highlights

M: #4 Auburn def. #5 Iowa State (83-81)

W: #7 LSU def. Washington (68-67)

W: #13 Duke def. #9 Kansas State (73-62)

W: #2 UConn def. Oregon State (71-52)

College Hoops Polls

*Polls were released prior to UConn & Iowa State losses

Men’s AP Poll

1. Kansas (5-0), 2. UConn (4-1), 3. Gonzaga (5-0), 4. Auburn (5-0), 5. Iowa State (3-1), 6. Houston (3-1), 7. Tennessee (6-0), 8. Kentucky (5-0), 9. Alabama (4-1), 10. Marquette (6-0) | Full AP Top 25

Women’s AP Poll

1. UCLA (5-0), 2. UConn (5-0), 3. Notre Dame (5-0), 4. South Carolina (5-1), 5. Texas (4-0), 6. USC (4-1), 7. LSU (7-0), 8. Oklahoma (6-0), 9. Kansas State (5-1), 10. Maryland (6-0) | Full AP Top 25

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏀 NBA

Grizzlies def. Blazers (123-98)

Ja Morant Returns for Memphis (22 pts, 11 ast)

Celtics def. Clippers (126-94)

Kristaps Porzingis Returns for Boston (16 pts)

Knicks def. Nuggets (145-118)

OG Anunoby Goes for Career-High 40 Points

Pistons def. Raptors (102-100)

Jaden Ivey Sinks Game-Winner at the Buzzer

Full NBA Scoreboard

🏒 NHL

Golden Knights def. Flyers (5-4, S/O)

Jack Eichel Scores Snap Shot S/O Winner

Devils def. Predators (5-2)

Nico Hirschier Nets 1st Career Hat Trick

Blues def. Rangers (5-2)

Zachary Bolduc (2G), Montgomery’s 1st Win

Lightning def. Avalanche (8-2)

Brandon Hagel (5 Assists) Makes NHL History

Full NHL Scoreboard

STORYLINES

🏈 The CFP Mediocrity Problem

Maybe ballooning the field to 12 teams went a little overboard, at least for this season. The College Football Playoff’s credibility is taking a hit as the race is littered with mediocre contenders down the stretch. (CBS Sports)

🏀 How 2 Games in LA Changed WCBB

Two days in November in Los Angeles, two games that were the season’s most consequential to date. #6 Notre Dame blew out #3 USC on the road before #5 UCLA notched #1 South Carolina’s first loss in more than 500 days. (ESPN)

⚾️ 1 Free Agent for Every Team

Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather around the dinner table, share old stories and, of course, argue about which players will wind up with which teams during this Hot Stove season. Let’s connect some dots. (MLB.com)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Eagles Icon Brandon Graham Out for Season After Suffering Torn Triceps on Sunday (NBC Sports)

⚽️ USWNT Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to Retire from International Play Following Upcoming Friendlies (SI)

⛳️ Tiger Woods Opts Out of His Own Hero World Challenge Event in Bahamas (CBS Sports)

🏁 Formula 1 Approves Addition of General Motors Team Starting in 2026 (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Jets to use Media Group ‘The 33rd Team’ to Help With Coaching & GM Search (B/R)

🏐 Judge Denies Request to Rule San Jose State Volleyball Player Ineligible (ESPN)