Shedeur Sanders wins first NFL start; Cowboys, Chiefs bolster NFL playoff hopes

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Good morning, everyone! Carter Bahns here with your weekend recap. Thanksgiving week is upon us, and the last three days gave us countless sports storylines to be thankful for. That includes some monster performances in the NFL, more drama across the collegiate football landscape, a career to be remembered in the NBA and some offseason MLB trade buzz.

Let’s get right to it.

🏈 Five things to know Monday

1. Week 12 in the NFL was not light on chaos. The trio of overtime games was evidence of that. The Lions needed extra time to defeat the Giants, the Jaguars outlasted the Cardinals and the Chiefs walked off the Colts to complete a late comeback and, very likely, save any realistic hopes of reaching the playoffs. The same can be said about the Cowboys — minus the overtime — after they spotted the Eagles three touchdowns, and managed to escape with a sorely needed win. But for all of the playoff implications and outstanding individual performances, one of the biggest highlights of the day was Shedeur Sanders leading the lowly Browns to a victory in his starting debut. Astonishingly, he is the first Cleveland quarterback to do so in 30 years.
2. Oregon and Oklahoma inched closer to the College Football Playoff with statement wins. The Ducks are up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 poll, and the Sooners cemented their spot at No. 8 with victories over ranked teams in the penultimate week of college football’s regular season. Tuesday’s CFP rankings should offer more clarity on both teams’ margin for error, but the calculus after their wins over USC and Missouri is quite clear — win your regular-season finale, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot in the 12-team field.
3. The Mets and Rangers will swap Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien in an offseason trade. The veterans will be on the move with this transaction reportedly set to be finalized. Semien figures to be the Mets’ Opening Day second baseman, especially since they have reportedly been open to moving Jeff McNeil. Nimmo, meanwhile, is fresh off his best year as a power hitter and brings 25-homer upside and a nice amount of speed to the Rangers’ outfield.
4. Chris Paul will retire after the 2025-26 season. The remainder of the year will serve as Paul’s swan song after he reportedly made the decision to step away from the NBA. The 12-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer teased his retirement before playing his final game in his home state of North Carolina. Now in his second stint with the Clippers, Paul established much of his legacy with the New Orleans Hornets and solidified it with five other teams across a legendary career as one of the greatest point guards of all time.
5. Gotham FC are NWSL champions. Star midfielder Rose Lavelle found the back of the net in the 80th minute for the lone goal of Saturday’s NWSL Championship, pushing Gotham FC ahead of the Washington Spirit for the second league title in club history. Lavelle outshined Trinity Rodman, who entered off the bench for the Spirit and played 33 minutes without taking a single shot in a quiet season finale. Rodman also sustained an injury in stoppage time and was visibly emotional in the closing minutes.

🎠 Do not miss this: Lane Kiffin, Mike Norvell, Justin Wilcox headline major coaching carousel drama

The coaching carousel delivered a new batch of drama nearly every week this season, and things are reaching a boiling point at Ole Miss, where Lane Kiffin remains undecided on where he will work in 2026. LSU and Florida are in pursuit of his services while a return to Ole Miss also remains in play.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments in what has been a whirlwind process for Kiffin, follow along with live updates as the news breaks. Here’s what we know so far:

• The Kiffin family visited Baton Rouge and Gainesville.
• Kiffin denied that Ole Miss gave him an “ultimatum” amid the uncertainty.
• While Kiffin said money will not factor into his decision, LSU is prepared to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football history.
• The decision is set to come Saturday following the Rebels’ game against Mississippi State.

While uncertainty abounds in Oxford, Florida State made a tangible move, committing to Mike Norvell as its coach for the 2026 season. As part of the agreement to run it back, Norvell pledged to make adjustments to his recruiting and player development approaches after a second consecutive disappointment.

Elsewhere in the ACC, California fired Justin Wilcox on the heels of an embarrassing 31-10 loss to Stanford. A promising 3-0 start is far in the rearview with the Golden Bears sitting at 6-5, and Wilcox went five games below .500 over his last four years.

⭐ Chiefs, Jahmyr Gibbs shine in NFL’s Week 12

The Chiefs just saved their season. That’s reality, not an overreaction, according to Tyler Sullivan. Their 23-20 comeback victory over the Colts marked the biggest result from Week 12 and, importantly, keeps them alive in the playoff picture at 6-5 overall.

Jahmyr Gibbs was also a winner on Sunday as the NFL’s top individual performer. The Lions superstar racked up 264 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns to help Detroit fend off a sneaky upset bid from the Giants.

Here are some other key notes from Week 12:

• Winners: Jaxon Smith-Njigba amassed 165 yards to become the Seahawks’ single-season leader, the Bears have another four-game winning streak and the Cowboys erased a 21-0 deficit to beat the Eagles, 24-21, as time expired.
• Losers: J.J. McCarthy threw two more interceptions, the Bengals wasted a solid defensive effort and the Raiders surrendered as many sacks (10) as they scored points.
• Milestones: Dak Prescott became the Cowboys’ all-time passing leader, Derrick Henry passed three Hall of Famers to reach No. 12 on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and Jameis Winston made his first career touchdown reception on an incredible trick play. And T.J. Watt has eclipsed older brother JJ Watt on the NFL’s career sack list.
• Injuries: Patriots tackle and first-round pick Will Campbell was carted into the locker room with a knee injury and Bengals receiver Tee Higgins left the same game with a concussion. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield left the game with a shoulder injury.
• Clinchers: The Giants are the first team eliminated from postseason contention.

👏 Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, BYU among college football’s biggest Week 13 winners

With time dwindling in the race to reach the CFP, teams on the bubble have to take advantage of every opportunity to impress the selection committee. Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and BYU were among those who made Week 13 count in a big way. David Cobb listed each of those teams as winners from this week’s slate. Here’s why:

• Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish swamped Syracuse in a 70-7 blowout. They scored on offense, defense and special teams in the first quarter alone.
• Vanderbilt: A 45-17 trouncing of Kentucky gave the Commodores their second nine-win season in program history. They can hit double digits in the regular season for the first time ever next week.
• BYU: The Big 12 championship remains well within reach for the Cougars, who also strengthened their at-large CFP résumé with a 26-14 win at Cincinnati.

It was not such a good week for Bill Belichick and North Carolina, though. The Tar Heels fell to rival Duke to dash their hopes of reaching a bowl game. Also in the ACC, Georgia Tech squandered its chance to reach the conference championship game with an upset loss to Pittsburgh.

The bottom of the Big 12 also had a rough Saturday. Kansas State’s nightmare continues after blowing a lead at Utah, Kansas lost four of its last five and looks destined to miss the postseason and Baylor was outscored 27-0 in the second half of a loss to Arizona.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Players Era Festival: Rutgers vs. No. 20 Tennessee (M), 1 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Maui Invitational: Seton Hall vs. No. 25 NC State (M), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ Everton at Manchester United, 3 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 24 Kansas vs. Notre Dame (M), 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 14 St. John’s vs. No. 16 Iowa State (M), 4:30 p.m. on truTV
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 2 Houston vs. Syracuse (M), 6 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Cavaliers at Raptors, 7 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Eastern Michigan at No. 6 Louisville (M), 7 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 22 Auburn vs. Oregon (M), 8 p.m. on truTV
🏀 UTRGV at No. 8 Illinois (M), 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏈 Panthers at 49ers, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
🏀 Central Michigan at No. 24 Notre Dame (W), 9 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Rockets at Suns, 9:30 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 13 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 Alabama (M), 9:30 p.m. on TNT
⚽ MLS Playoffs — Western Conference semifinal: Minnesota United FC at San Diego FC, 10 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Players Era Festival: No. 7 Michigan vs. San Diego State (M), 10:30 p.m. on truTV
🏀 Denver at No. 4 Arizona (M), 10:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network