This Week in Sports Talk (TWIST) is our weekly report on the big sports news headlines and major events, plus a preview of what’s up next. For November 13, 2022, here are the weekly top 10 sports news headlines to know: the big stories and major events in sports news this week in the NFL, NBA and more.

weekly top 10 big sports news headlines and major events: November 13, 2022

Since many of us are more interested in sports as a cultural force than in actually . . . you know . . . watching the games, we begin this week with some celebrity news. Matthew McConaughey may be interested in being part of the new ownership consortium for the troubled NFL Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds is interested in buying the NHL Ottawa Senators, should the franchise go on the block. All right, all right, all right . . . If we could only get Adam Driver or Michael B. Jordan interested in buying any sports team they like, our joy would be complete.

1. NFL week 9 highlights.

Courtesy of CBS Sports, here are the highlights of Week 9 of the NFL season, in case you missed any of it. In a word, Week 9 was wild.

Here’s how CBS Sports summed up the state of play as Week 9 came to a close. “Ten of 12 games completed in Week 9 were within one score (eight points or less) in the fourth quarter with four teams (Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets) erasing deficits of 10-plus points.

The Vikings, Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each had a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation. All these games transformed wild division races across the league as fewer teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack.”

• The Jets overcame an early 14-3 deficit to upset the Buffalo Bills, 20-17. Star rookie Sauce Gardner picked off Josh Allen, the Jets and sacked Allen five times. Now Allen is suffering elbow pain and may not play later today.
• Joe Mixon scored a Cincinnati Bengals-record five touchdowns in a 42-21 blowout of the Carolina Panthers.
• Is TB12 back? With no timeouts left, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady led a six-play, 60-yard drive in 35 seconds — capped by a touchdown pass  — to give Tampa Bay a 16-13 win over the LA Rams.
• Los Angeles is now 3-5 and in 10th place in the NFC, 2.5 games behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. The Seahawks are 6-3, and 32-year old Geno Smith has surpassed all expectations after stepping into Russell Wilson’s shoes.
• That last-minute save on Sunday against the Rams also ended up breaking a personal record for the Bucs’ Tom Brady. He reached 100,000 career passing yards and also his NFL-record 55th career game-winning drive, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history.
• The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes defeated the Tennessee Titans, 20-17, in overtime.
• The Minnesota Vikings overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 20-17 win over the Washington Commanders.

2. Aaron Rodgers’ no-good very bad season

Aaron Rodgers, defending regular-season MVP, is having a truly awful season. Last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers (3-6) quarterback had two red zone interceptions. For the first time ever in his career. Rodgers also scored zero touchdowns on four red zone drives. The 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions is Rodgers’ fifth straight loss, tying his personal record.

Success has many parents, and loss is an orphan. You know its bad when celebrity fans throw in the towel. CBS Sports reported this headline: “Perhaps speaking on behalf of Cheeseheads worldwide, Lil Wayne took to Twitter in the wake of Sunday’s [Packers] loss, explicitly burying the team after nine games. And, not only that, but also suggesting Rodgers should’ve long since been traded. ‘RIP to the season,’ the Grammy Award-winning rapper wrote. ‘We should’ve gotten rid of 12 before the season.'”

Wow. I don’t care how many times you’ve been sacked. When Lil Wayne calls you out, that’s really gotta hurt. At least no one can blame the COVID-19 vaccine for Rodgers’ woes.

There’s been one coaching change of note in the NFL this week. The Indianapolis Colts fired Frank Reich on Monday. Then they went straight to the weekend, naming ESPN analyst and former Colt Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim coach for the rest of the season. This despite the fact that Saturday has never coached above the high school level. Hmmmm . . .

3. Thursday Night Football:  Panthers, 25 – Falcons, 15

The Atlanta Falcons entered TNF being tied for the NFC South lead with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So when they met the Carolina Panthers, they were primed to win. Vegas thought they’d pull it off, as did many of us in the football pool. But apparently no one told the Panthers they were supposed to lose . . . and in the end, the upset win wasn’t even close.

4. NFL Week 10 notable games to come

• In another international game, the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers meet in Munich this morning.
• Everyone is watching to see if Josh Allen can take the field today when the Buffalo Bills (6-2) host the Minnesota Vikings (7-1). If his elbow injury keeps him out, Case Keenum will be the starter. Allen missed practice Thursday and spent a limited amount of time on Friday. Reports this morning, though, are that he’s playing this afternoon.
• Philadelphia is the only team that’s still unbeaten in the NFL. The Eagles sit atop the NFC East – today they host the Washington Commanders.
• Texans at Giants. The Giants are coming off a bye week, while the Texans played last Thursday. The New York teams have wildly exceeded expectations this season – will the Cinderella story continue?
• Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers. Can the Packers stop their slide?
• Cardinals at Rams. The Rams’ Matthew Stafford is in concussion protocol, and is questionable to play today. According to ESPN, Kyler Murray, the Cards’ quarterback, is still uncertain, as well. This may be a battle of the backup quarterbacks.

5. Everybody wants OBJ

Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s name is on everyone’s lips right now. The Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants and a couple of other teams are said to be vying to sign him.

You’ll remember that Beckham has been working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was heartbreaking to see him have to leave the field during one of the biggest games of his career. Whoever signs him? Just make sure he gets a customized car, or a huge watch, or some substantial bling. ‘Cause that’s how he rolls, and we love to cover it.

6. Brooklyn Nets name Vaughn head coach, passing on Udoka

The Brooklyn Nets elevated Jacque Vaughn from interim to full-time head coach Wednesday, choosing Vaughn over reported top candidate Ime Udoka. He’s off to a good start as head coach: Brooklyn beat the crosstown New York Knicks, 112-85, in Vaughn’s first game coaching without the interim title.

Meanwhile, the team is currently playing without Kyrie Irving, who was suspended for promoting an anti-Semitic film on his social media account. Irving met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday morning. No word on when he’ll return to the court – he didn’t play last night.

7. NBA standings

In the West, the Utah Jazz sit atop the standings as of this posting, with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies tied for second. Our Golden State Warriors are in 11th place – ugh. And the once-fearsome LA Lakers are second from last place, with a 2-10 record. But it’s still early in the season. Right?

In the East, the Milwaukee Bucks are in the lead, followed closely by the Boston Celtics. The Brooklyn Nets are number 11 (although they’ve done fine without Kyrie in the past couple of weeks). Our hometown Detroit Pistons? Tied with the Charlotte Hornets in last place. Sigh.

8. MLB “hot stove” season starts

With the Houston Astros overcoming the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 last Saturday night to win their second World Series in franchise history (and second in the last six years), MLB talk now turns to the free agent roster.

At the top of the list and facing the most scrutiny is the New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. on the negative side, Judge turns 31 next spring, and he’s suffered injuries and missed many games along the way. But, hey, he hit 62 homers in the regular season. Making him the undisputed top free agent this off-season.

Other big free agent names to watch? The New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom. Shortstop Carlos Correa. Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander. Evan Longoria. And José Abreu.

There’s a lot of chatter that the Angels may trade their star pitcher-slugger Shohei Ohtani. The team denies it, but there’s a long time before the next Opening Day.

The Mets have already locked one of their key players in place. The team inked a five-year, $102-million deal with Edwin Díaz. The LA Dodgers announced a one-year deal with Clayton Kershaw;  he’s spent his entire 15-year MLB career with the franchise.

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have already parted ways with one of their own: general manager James Click is out, and the team is searching for his replacement.

9. College football week 11 highlights

In games between two ranked teams, No. 4 TCU was at No. 18 Texas, and the Horned Frogs go home with a 17-10 win. No. 9 Alabama met No. 11 Ole Miss and avoided an upset with a 30-24 win.

No. 25 Washington was at No. 6 Oregon, and the Huskies upset the Ducks, 37-34.

10. Nike NBA City Edition jerseys are out

This week, the new NBA City Edition jerseys were unveiled. And somehow, every sportswriter becomes a fashion critic when new togs are released. Judge for yourself, but CBS Sports votes for (in this order): the Memphis Grizzlies. The Phoenix Suns. The Washington Wizards. The Atlanta Hawks. And the Portland Trail Blazers.

Personally, while we’re down with the Trail Blazers making the top 5 (love the PDX, love the teal), we’re feeling the Brooklyn Nets (Jean-Michel Basquiat!), the New Orleans Pelicans, the Cleveland Cavaliers (outstanding color palette) and the Miami Heat. Philadelphia, hon, what happened? Seriously? Please try harder next year.

Weekly Top sports news headlines and major events to know: November 13, 2022

That’s our take on the big sports news headlines and major events, and a preview of the week ahead, including what to know about football, basketball and more. Have a great week, dear reader. See you next Sunday.