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 20, 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 20, 2022
1. NFL week 10 highlights.
Courtesy of CBS Sports and our Sports Desk, here are the highlights of Week 10 of the NFL season, in case you missed any of it. The headline is that the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills delivered an epic game of the year in Week 10.
- The Minnesota Vikings (8-1) and the Buffalo Bills (6-3) met in Buffalo and the result was a matchup that seesawed between the two for what seemed like forever. The Vikings ultimately won 33-30, and in doing so, they proved they’re for real. They’ve now won seven straight and lead the NFC North. Meanwhile, it was another crushing loss for Josh Allen and the Bills – the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl at the start of the season, they’re now 6-3 and third in the AFC East.
- The San Francisco 49ers (5-4) defense shut down the LA Chargers (5-4) in the second half for a 22-16 win.
- The Green Bay Packers (4-7) rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and battled their way to a 31-28 overtime upset win over the Dallas Cowboys (6-3). The Cowboys’ collapse was the largest in the fourth-quarter in franchise history. The loss has significantly damaged any hope Dallas had of winning the NFC East – they’re currently in third place.
- The Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1) beat the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7), 25-20. New Colts head coach Jeff Saturday reinstalled Matt Ryan as the starting quarterback, and so far that looks like a good move. Meanwhile, people are calling for the head of Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
- The New York Giants (6-2) beat the Houston Texans (1-7-1), 24-16, led by a stellar performance from Saquon Barkley.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) won the first-ever NFL game in Germany, beating the Seattle Seahawks (6-4), 21-16.
- Miami Dolphins (7-3) quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has come into his own as a starter in the NFL. In the seven games Tagovailoa has started and finished, the Dolphins are 7-0. He completed 78.1% of his passes in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns. Season to date, he’s completed 71.8% of his passes, and has thrown for 2,155 yards with 18 touchdowns to two interceptions. Nice.
- Finally, on Monday Night the last undefeated team fell to earth. The Washington Commanders (5-5) went to Philadelphia and gave the Eagles (8-1) their first loss of the season, 32-21.
2. Thursday Night Football: Tennessee 27, Green Bay 17.
Both the Tennessee Titans (7-3) and Green Bay Packers (4-7) were No. 1 seeds in last year’s playoffs. Both teams went on to lose their first postseason game. Both traded away their star wide receiver during the offseason. But that’s where the similarities end. Tennessee beat Green Bay, 27-17, Thursday for its seventh win in eight games.
Hopes had been high that the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers had regained his mojo after Green Bay’s remarkable come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Instead, the Packers are 4-7, having lost six of their last seven.
3. NFL Week 11 notable games to come
Our Sports Desk reports that Week 11 of the 2022 NFL regular season features some exciting matchups, including these:
- Chicago Bears’ (3-7) quarterback Justin Fields returns to his home state to take on the Atlanta Falcons (4-6).
- The Cleveland Browns (3-6) will play the Buffalo Bills (6-3) in Detroit, thanks to heavy snow in upstate New York. This morning’s report is that the Bills’ home stadium is buried under 77 inches of snow.
- The Dallas Cowboys (6-3) are hoping to get back on track when they visit the Minnesota Vikings (8-1) in what is expected to be the biggest game of the week.
- The Chiefs (7-2) versus the Chargers (5-4) game could be decisive for Kansas City. If they win, they’ve got a clear path to winning the AFC West division title. If they lose, they’ll be in a real race.
- New York Jets (6-3) fans are anxiously awaiting today’s game against the New England Patriots (5-4) in Foxborough. The Jets have a terrible record against the Pats, and Bill Belichick doesn’t tend to lose to young visiting quarterbacks. We’ll see if this breaks that pattern.
- The Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) meet the Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1) – we’ll be watching to see if new head coach Jeff Saturday can win two in a row, and whether the Eagles can return to their winning ways.
- We really love Russell Wilson, which is why it has been so sad to see how he’s fared this season. Wilson and his new team, the Denver Broncos (3-6), continue to have a spectacularly terrible season. This week, a report came out that Wilson has been calling audibles from his Seattle Seahawk days – and his teammates obviously don’t know what he’s talking about at the line of scrimmage. Ugh. The Broncos play the Raiders (2-7) today in what feels like a make or break game for both teams.
4. Whither OBJ?
For those who are watching to see what the next chapter of Odell Beckham Jr’s NFL career will look like (and we know, all of you are), there’s still no word. He tore the ACL in his left knee in Super Bowl LVI, and now his recovery is almost complete. Making him a highly attractive acquisition for a number of teams.
Odell Beckham Jr. arrives to ESPY Awards 2019 on July 10, 2019 in Hollywood. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
The Cowboys, Bills, Giants, Chiefs, Rams and Packers are reportedly the top suitors for his services. For his part, OBJ “wants a multi-year contract on a contender and would prefer warm weather and a big market,” according to CBS Sports. That seems to rule out a return to New York. And given the 6.5 feet of snow in Buffalo right now, we’re guessing that’s not happening either. Watch this space for further updates.
5. FIFA World Cup 2022 final begins in Qatar.
The World Cup begins today in Doha, and will continue until the final match on December 18. The quadrennial event pits the best national soccer teams against each other for the title of world champion, and until now has never been held on the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar is by far the smallest nation ever to host the World Cup.
Qatar is playing Ecuador, even as we write, in the first matchup of the tournament (the host country always plays first). Our Sports Desk reports that there is buzz that this could be the best US team since 2002, and that while this is a young roster, they could make some noise. Team USA plays Wales tomorrow.
The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, site of the FIFA World Cup 2022 final. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
Off the field, this tournament has attracted lots of attention. Qatar is receiving some criticism for cancelling all sales of alcohol in stadiums (and just outside the stadiums) only 48 hours before the start of the tournament. Some are saying this is just proof of the inevitable clash between Western and Islamic culture. We say that since they had 12 years to think this over, it’s a little surprising that they called an audible at the last possible minute.
6. MLB awards week: Judge and Goldschmidt are MVPs
rookie of the year
Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez and Braves outfielder Michael Harris II won Rookie of the Year awards, in the AL and NL respectively, this week. Incredibly, Rodríguez is signed with Seattle through 2034.
manager of the year
On Tuesday, Terry Francona and Buck Showalter won AL and NL Manager of the Year, respectively. It’s Francona’s third time win, and Showalter’s fourth. Francona led the Guardians to an AL Central title with the league’s youngest roster.
cy young award
Justin Verlander capped an incredible comeback season for the Houston Astros with his third career Cy Young Award. The Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara won the NL Cy Young Award, becoming the first player in franchise history to win it.
regular season MVP
Aaron Judge was named AL MVP on Thursday, receiving 28 of 30 first-place votes. Shohei Ohtani received the other two after another historic season. In the NL, the Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt won his first career MVP award.
collusion in Gotham? say it ain’t so . . .
In other Aaron Judge news, the New York Mets and New York Yankees have allegedly been colluding regarding two star free agents. The accusation is that the Mets agreed to not aggressively pursue Aaron Judge, and in return the Yankees committed to staying away from Mets ace Jacob DeGrom. We know the proper response as New Yorkers is for us to shout: NO COLLUSION. But that just doesn’t feel right to us. If fact, those words are actually quite repugnant to us. Not sure why.
7. so, what’s new in Brooklyn this week?
The ongoing drama within the Brooklyn Nets organization has been somewhat sad and fairly entertaining. Here’s what happened this week.
Kyrie Irving is nearing a return from his team-mandated suspension. He’s listed as questionable this afternoon for the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, and may be on the court. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons has missed five of the team’s 15 games this season due to knee issues. Frustration with him is building, according to reports. Apparently, the Nets are questioning Simmons’ “passion for the game.”
And Kevin Durant went off this week in an interview about why the Nets are off to such a weak start this season. “Look at our starting lineup. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me. It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?”
8. NBA highlights of the week
Last Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland scored 51 points, the most by any player in a game this season. He held that title for just a few hours, though, because on Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid scored a career-high 59.
CBS Sports notes that Garland joins LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Walt Wesley as the only Cavaliers to hit the 50-point mark.
9. NHL: the Devils are on fire!
The New Jersey Devils have – fittingly – not lost a match since Halloween this season. They’re on a 12-game winning streak and sitting in first place in their division.
The sculpture “Man of Steel” at the New Jersey Devils Championship Plaza outside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
10. College football week 12 highlights
In week 11, all four undefeated FBS teams won: No. 1 Georgia; No. 2 Ohio State; No. 3 Michigan; and No. 4 TCU.
This week, in the midst of a blizzard that turned Notre Dame Stadium into a snow globe (with flakes falling upward), the Fighting Irish blanked the Boston College Eagles, 44-0.
In other Week 12 news, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU needed field goal drives to do it, but they clinched games against Illinois and Baylor, respectively. No. 2 Ohio State withstood a late charge from Maryland, while No. 1 Georgia held on to beat Kentucky. No. 7 USC also stayed alive in the national title race by surviving an upset bid by No. 16 UCLA.
What does it all mean? The Trojans, Bulldogs, Horned Frogs and the winner of next week’s showdown between the Buckeyes and Wolverines are the overwhelming favorites to make up the College Football Playoff field. The Ohio State-Michigan Game is going to have major implications this year, including possibly who wins the Heisman Trophy. As die-hard Michigan fans, we’ll be glued to the telly and hoping to crush our arch-rivals next Saturday. M Go Blue!!!!
Weekly Top sports news headlines and major events to know: November 20, 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.
