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49ers GM John Lynch went ballistic on live TV after huge Seahawks play

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was one with the fans on Saturday after his team committed a huge defensive lapse against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers trailed the Seahawks 10-3 late in the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The home team looked like it was about get possession back with Seattle facing 3rd-and-17 in their own territory.

Kenneth Walker had other ideas. The Seahawks running back found a razor-thin crease in the 49ers’ defense and sliced through for a first down.

The defensive lapse had Lynch furious — a moment that the ESPN broadcast captured on camera. Lip readers could understand that the audio was not meant to be heard by a national audience.

Walker ran all over the 49ers’ defense throughout Saturday’s game, finishing with 97 yards on 16 carries. His impact felt double that in a low-scoring affair that the Seahawks won 13-3.

Lynch and the 49ers faithful were all likely on a short fuse with the Niners’ offense suddenly disappearing during their biggest game of the season. San Francisco entered the game with 90 points across its previous two games, but could only muster a field goal in a game that determined which team earns the first-round bye in the NFC.

Fans felt the fix was in after Panthers got hosed by several calls

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Several fans felt like the Carolina Panthers were on the wrong end of several calls in their Week 18 clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Panthers entered Saturday’s game with a chance to clinch the NFC South and a playoff berth if they scored a road win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The referees did not make it easy for the Panthers, with some polarizing calls (or non-calls) going in favor of the home team.

The third quarter was when a lot of the alleged chicanery took place. Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble and Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis got into a scuffle midway through the period. Dennis ended up taking off Tremble’s helmet, but did not draw any flags.

Later on in the quarter, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan got called for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty that wiped away what would have been about a 30-yard gain.

During Tampa Bay’s next possession, Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton tripped over his own legs but was saved by a head-scratching defensive pass interference flag.

Fans and media members alike were vocal on X about the Panthers getting screwed by multiple calls.

Considering the Panthers lost 16-14, any one of those calls could have swung the final result with a playoff spot on the line.

The Panthers now need the Atlanta Falcons to beat the New Orleans Saints in their matchup on Sunday if they want to win the division via a three-way tiebreaker with the Buccaneers.

Brady Tkachuk knocked down after wild Logan Stanley sucker punch

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Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was victimized by a punch he did not see coming during the second period of Saturday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

While the Sens were on the attack, Tkachuk and Jets defenseman Logan Stanley got into a skirmish in front of Ottawa’s bench. After being shoved by Tkachuk, Stanley regained his footing as a referee stepped in between the two players. As that was going on, Stanley removed his gloves and landed a blow to the side of Tkachuk’s face, knocking the Senators star to the ice.

Here’s how it all went down.

Tkachuk was understandably furious after taking a shot to the head. He did not seem to be interested in engaging Stanley in a fistfight, considering that he had missed multiple weeks earlier in the 2025-26 NHL season due to an injury to his right hand, which still had wraps on, as seen following his wild encounter with Stanley.

For their actions, Stanley was slapped with a double minor for removing Tkachuk’s helmet and for roughing, while Tkachuk received a penalty for misconduct.

The good news for Tkachuk is that Ottawa defeated the Jets, 4-2. He had an assist on a first-period goal on the power play by Thomas Chabot, and now has 6 goals and 13 assists on the season.

Warriors fans want Steve Kerr fired after his latest quote

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Some Golden State Warriors fans are starting to feel like the team needs to fire longtime head coach Steve Kerr, especially after his latest comments.

Kerr shared a polarizing take this week during his appearance on “The Tom Tolbert Show” about where he feels the Warriors are as an organization. In Kerr’s eyes, anyone who believes Golden State is a true title contender is being unrealistic.

“The key there is, where are we right now, organizationally? … We know we’re not where we were five, six years ago. But we did win a championship three years ago,” Kerr said. “That felt like a post-glory years title. We weren’t quite ourselves, but we were good enough to give ourselves a swing at the plate. Everything fell our direction. We went and got a ring. That was pretty cool.

“… I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all delusional and thinking we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next few years. That’s not realistic.”

Kerr’s comments rubbed several Warriors fans the wrong way. Many folks on social media called for Kerr’s immediate firing, given the veteran coach’s current view of the team.

Kerr speaks the truth that the Warriors are no longer the world-beaters they once were when Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were still torching the nets at Oracle Arena. However, Steph Curry remains a top-10 player in the NBA even at 37 years old. Through 25 games this season, Curry has averaged 28.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-best 4.8 made threes per contest.

Fans understandably believe that with Curry still playing at an All-NBA level, the Warriors always have a chance to compete for a title. With the way Kerr is talking about the present team like they’re also-rans, it’s no surprise some want Joe Lacob to make a change.

Fans react harshly to James Nnaji’s first Baylor points

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The Baylor Bears’ first game in Big 12 play carried a little more intrigue. On Saturday, the Bears paraded controversial center James Nnaji on the court for the first time, drawing extra attention to their meeting with conference rivals TCU Horned Frogs at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Nnaji announced the start of his Baylor career with an emphatic two-handed throwdown in the first half. After senior guard Michael Rataj missed out on passing the ball to a wide-open Nnaji near the rim and bricking a turnaround jumper, Nnaji grabbed the rebound and rose for an uncontested dunk for his first two points in the NCAA.

Here’s the video of Nnaji’s first bucket in Baylor uniform.

Given the controversial nature of Nnaji’s college basketball eligibility, fans are having quite a time making negative comments about him and the Bears online following his basket.

The 21-year-old Nnaji is playing college basketball despite having already competed professionally in Europe and being drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Although he hasn’t suited up for an official NBA regular-season or playoff contest, he appeared in NBA Summer League games.

He was even among the players packaged in the massive three-team trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the New York Knicks in 2024.

As for the Bears, they ended up suffering a 69-63 loss to TCU, with Nnaji finishing with only 5 points on 2-for-3 shooting, 4 rebounds, an assist and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes of action off the bench.

Panthers rookie breaks franchise record during Buccaneers game

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Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is proving to be a promising weapon downfield for the Carolina Panthers, and he’s got a franchise record to back that up.

In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s crucial matchup between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., Panthers quarterback Bryce Young connected with McMillan for a huge 40-yard gain on a 4th-and-8 with just over three minutes left in regulation.

McMillan’s reception not only gave Carolina a fresh set of downs on a drive capped by a Jalen Coker touchdown catch, but it also earned the former Arizona Wildcats star wide receiver a new Panthers franchise record.

McMillan entered the Bucs game needing 79 more receiving yards to break the rookie mark set by wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin in 2014, and he surpassed that mark with that catch late in the fourth quarter.

Benjamin set the previous record in just 16 games and on 73 receptions and 145 targets, while McMillan broke that mark in his 17th game and on 70 catches and 122 targets.

McMillan’s achievement, however, was overshadowed by Carolina’s 16-14 loss to Tampa Bay.

Now, McMillan and the Panthers will have to hope that the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to win the NFC South and clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs.

Report: Raiders plan to move on from Pete Carroll

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The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly headed for another coaching search.

The Raiders came into the 2025 campaign with a reloaded roster featuring a new quarterback in Geno Smith and his former head coach in Pete Carroll. While the team probably won’t be able to move Smith that easily, the team may be planning to cut its losses with Carroll.

According to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, the “expectation” is that Caroll will be “one-and-done” in Las Vegas either via firing or retirement. The Raiders are planning to “cast a wide net” with minority owner Tom Brady once again influencing decisions.

A similar report emerged last month, indicating that Carroll had failed to give the Raiders a proper identity and direction. The team’s situation has only worsened since then.

While nobody felt like the team would be a Super Bowl contender, few could have predicted how poorly the season would unfold for the new-look Raiders. Instead of playing for a postseason berth in Week 18, the 2-14 Raiders enter the final week dead set on maintaining the worst record in the NFL to secure the No. 1 overall pick in April.

The Raiders appear to be headed for an even deeper rebuild amid reports that the team could trade away star defensive end Maxx Crosby. The Pro Bowl pass rusher was sent home for the final two weeks of the season. The decision did not sit well with Crosby, who ended up walking out of the team facility in frustration.

Jason Kelce makes intriguing prediction for the Eagles

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No surprises here. Jason Kelce believes that his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, will be a problem in the NFL playoffs.

The former Eagles star center expressed his supreme confidence in Jalen Hurts and company to win another Vince Lombardi Trophy during Saturday’s “NFL on ESPN” coverage of the game between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“The Philadelphia Eagles will be able to repeat as Super Bowl champions,”  Kelce said.

It’s an unsurprising take from Kelce, who played his entire NFL career donning Philadelphia colors.

“I don’t think that there’s a team out there that I have more confidence in than the Philadelphia Eagles. And to top it off, they’re going to be facing one of these West Coast teams traveling to the East Coast with a bunch of rest this week for a lot of these starters. I feel very confident for the Philadelphia Eagles coming in.”

As things stand, the Eagles enter Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season with an 11-3 record and on track to claim the No. 3 seed in the NFC. But they can also go up as high as No. 2 if they beat the Washington Commanders and if the Detroit Lions defeat the Chicago Bears.

Winning the Super Bowl is always going to be much easier said than done, but the Eagles have been flexing their muscles of late, having won three games in a row, including a 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Referee Brad Allen got roasted for his inexplicable ruling

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Referee Brad Allen straight up got a play completely wrong when announcing a ruling during Saturday’s game between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw what appeared to be a backwards pass toward running back Rico Dowdle during the third quarter of Saturday’s game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. However, the pass was ruled incomplete on the field, even though Dowdle picked up the ball and appeared to have room to run in front of him.

After the play, Allen announced correctly that the ball was ruled a backwards pass. However, he ruled that the play was ruled dead when the ball went out of bounds, which it never came close to doing.

The ESPN broadcast crew was baffled, immediately pointing out that the ball never went out of bounds. Dowdle stopped after picking up the football because officials were signaling incomplete, but it certainly never came close to leaving the field of play.

The error was all the more glaring considering the same crew correctly let the Seattle Seahawks’ controversial two-point conversion play out three weeks ago. Perhaps Dowdle should not have stopped playing when he did, but the officials just made this way more confusing than it had to be.

Some fans may also remember Allen for being in charge of the crew of a controversial Detroit Lions loss two years ago.

Caleb Wilson gets his ankle broken during North Carolina-SMU game

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No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels star freshman Caleb Wilson has quite a collection of amazing plays in the 2025-26 college basketball season, but a moment in the second half of Saturday’s matchup against the SMU Mustangs is certainly not going to be part of his highlight montage.

After switching over to guard SMU star Boopie Miller, Wilson thought he could use his size and length to prevent Miller from scoring. But the shifty Mustangs senior guard knew what he needed to do. 

With Wilson seemingly fully committed to denying the baseline, Miller pulled his dribble back and stepped out of the 3-point line. That quick move nearly sent Wilson to the ground, and by the time he recovered, Miller had already uncorked a shot that found its target.

You can watch the entire sequence here:

Wilson did not get the last laugh either, as Miller and the Mustangs came away with a 97-83 victory at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. It was SMU’s first win against a ranked opponent since Andy Enfield took over as the program’s head coach. Miller led the Mustangs’ charge with 27 points on an efficient 10-for-13 shooting to go along with 12 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal.

Wilson finished the game with 13 points on a 6-for-11 shooting, 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals — and probably a sore ankle.

Passing yards leader Drew Mestemaker has made his transfer decision

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Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the FBS leader in passing yards this season, has made a decision on his new school.

Mestemaker is transferring from North Texas to Oklahoma State, he confirmed to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday. He follows his former North Texas head coach Eric Morris, who he called “the best play-caller in the nation.”

Mestemaker led the country with 4,379 yards and 34 passing touchdowns this season as a redshirt freshman. Naturally, this put him on the radar of many larger schools, but he chose to stick with Morris, who coached him last year.

Morris has also been credited with developing Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward, and John Mateer, which Mestemaker is well aware of. That was a big reason Oklahoma State hired him as head coach in the first place.

Mestemaker was honored as Offensive Player of the Year in the American Conference this season. He helped North Texas to a 12-2 season that culminated in a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl.

Panthers players seemed unprepared for bad weather against Buccaneers

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The Carolina Panthers may have been prepared for Saturday’s win-and-in game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in most regards, but they did not seem to have accounted for the weather in the first quarter.

Panthers players were slipping on the wet turf at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fl. during Saturday’s game. Consistent rain throughout the afternoon created slick conditions that some Panthers players seemed unprepared for.

The most prominent victim of the wet turf was Carolina running back Rico Dowdle, who slipped and fell on a carry without ever being touched.

Dowdle was not the only one. According to ESPN’s broadcast, Carolina running backs Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne both changed to longer spikes after the first drive of the day in response to the field conditions.

Better late than never. The Panthers were probably relieved their running backs did not get hurt or make any serious mistakes during that drive before they finally adapted to the conditions. The Buccaneers notably seemed ready from the start, as none of their players had any obvious issues like this early in the contest.

The good news is the field issues were easily explained, unlike the Super Bowl two years ago. The rain definitely impacted the playcalling, which might be bothersome for the Buccaneers in such an important game.

Panthers not ready to commit to Bryce Young

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Even if Bryce Young leads the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs, the organization might not be ready to make a long-term commitment to their quarterback.

The Panthers have a decision to make on Young’s fifth-year option this season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that the expectation is that the Panthers will pick up that option, but for now, they are not considering a long-term deal.

“The Panthers will pick up Bryce Young’s fifth-year option. It’s about $26.5 million, which is a serious bargain for quarterbacks in this market. That would put him under contract until 2027, but they would most likely want to see more. Their brain trust will get together this offseason to look at the full body of work over the last two years and feel out what he can do well. … They’re open to him long-term, but I don’t expect a five-year deal to come in the next couple months, either.”

The question marks around Young are certainly legitimate. He has thrown for 2,745 yards this season, but only has three games in which he put up at least 200 yards passing. The Panthers saw fit to bench him in 2024, and there were reports that they considered it again in 2025 before he ultimately steadied the ship.

Young is a former No. 1 overall pick who has shown the capability to win games in the NFL. However, he has not really shown the elite ability that the Panthers hoped for. That will make it very difficult to determine if he really is a long-term answer, but Carolina can kick that decision down the road for at least another year for now.

Jalen Suggs gets his headband banned by NBA

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The NBA is putting a stop to Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs’ unusual equipment preference.

Suggs had taken to wearing his headband around his neck early in games. The league weighed in saying that Suggs must wear the headband properly on his head and not as a choker.

Suggs had started to wear his headband as a choker during warmups and for the first few minutes of games. In November, he explained that it stems from his time as a football player in high school, and he simply keeps it on his neck until he feels “into the game.”

It may not seem like a big issue, but the league has weighed in on how players wear headbands before. The NBA took action against so-called “ninja-style headbands” prior to the 2019-20 season, though their usage was much more widespread than what Suggs has been doing with his otherwise legal headband.

Between the league taking action against his headband preferences and getting put on a poster Friday, Suggs is not having the best week.

Ole Miss likely to lose 5 assistant coaches for CFP semifinal

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The Ole Miss Rebels are likely going to have to cobble together a significant part of their coaching staff for the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Ole Miss won the quarterfinal against Georgia with the help of six assistants that have already committed to follow Lane Kiffin to LSU for next season. Of the six, only offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is expected to remain with the Rebels going forward, according to Chase Parham of 247 Sports.

Of the six departing coaches, Weis is arguably the most important, so it should be a relief to have him back. The others include tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox, wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald, and running backs coach Kevin Smith.

On the surface, this might seem like a hit to Ole Miss, but the school might ultimately be fine with it. With the transfer portal open, there were worries that these coaches might be tempted to essentially tamper with Ole Miss players to try to convince them to jump to LSU once the playoff is over. If most of the coaches are out of the building, that will be much less of a concern.

The flipside of the situation is that at least one of the incoming Ole Miss coaches also has some LSU ties. In a certain sense, the situation cuts both ways, though is not quite equal.

The Rebels are set to take on Miami on Jan. 8 at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Report: Browns likely to fire Kevin Stefanski

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The Cleveland Browns appear set to hire a new head coach this offseason.

Coach Kevin Stefanski and the Browns “appeared destined for a breakup” as of Saturday, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. There has been increasing buzz in recent days that Stefanski was likely to be fired by the Browns.

Jones notes that Stefanski is still well thought-of around the league, and few would be surprised if he lands another head coaching job after the Browns let him go.

Stefanski is finishing up his sixth season as Cleveland’s head coach. He is 44-56 overall, though he has a pair of 11-win seasons to his name and has even won a playoff game with the franchise. The Browns signed him to a contract extension less than two years ago.

The possibility of a Stefanski firing has been gaining steam in the last few days. Interestingly, the speculation is coming off the back of an unlikely win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, though it does not change the fact that he has two winning seasons in six years with the franchise.

If Stefanski does get fired, there is thought to be one team in particular that would be very interested in speaking to him about their own head coach vacancy.

Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto has signed with an MLB team

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One of Japan’s top hitters is headed to Major League Baseball.

Kazuma Okamoto, formerly a third baseman for the Yomiuri Giants, has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to reports. Terms of the deal were not available.

Okamoto could be a huge addition for Toronto if his bat translates to the North American game. He is a career .277 hitter in NPB, and has six 30-home run seasons to his name. He only hit 15 last season, but injuries limited him to 69 games.

Blue Jays fans particularly enjoyed one clip that circulated around social media, in which Okamoto hit a grand slam off current Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki.

The Blue Jays are obviously looking to get over the hump after losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers last season. Okamoto, 29, figures to be a significant part of the plan. He hits for a decent average and has plenty of power, which should fit in nicely with the rest of the Toronto lineup.

The Blue Jays largely rotated between Addison Barger and Ernie Clement at third base last season. One has to wonder if this could mean anything for Toronto’s efforts to retain Bo Bichette, who remains a free agent and is drawing interest from a number of other teams.

Former 5-star QB Jaden Rashada is transferring again

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Jaden Rashada, a former 5-star quarterback recruit, is once again on the move.

Rashada is planning to enter the transfer portal after one season at Sacramento State. He played in only two games for the team last season, with injuries derailing most of his year.

Rashada’s agent said the quarterback is looking for a place where he can compete and prove himself.

Initially, Rashada had committed to Florida, but wound up suing the school for allegedly failing to fulfill the terms of an NIL deal. He then spent time at Arizona State and Georgia, but injuries kept him from seeing much of the field. His time at Sacramento State was supposed to change that, but the bad injury luck has continued.

At this point, Rashada will be in search of his fifth school since 2023. Despite his elite pedigree as a recruit, he probably will not be finding many top-tier options this time around. He will still have two years of eligibility remaining, wherever he lands.

Maxx Crosby may be traded by Raiders

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Maxx Crosby may have already played his final game for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Major changes are likely in Las Vegas this offseason, and Crosby could be among them. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, there is a growing belief that the Raiders would be open to trading Crosby as long as the relationship between him and the team remains strained.

Crosby would get the opportunity to play for a contender, while the Raiders would be able to pick up some future draft picks or other useful pieces.

Crosby and the Raiders are on the outs right now over the team’s decision to shut him down against his wishes for the team’s final two games of the season. The Raiders blamed a lingering injury for the decision, though Crosby has done everything he can to try to undermine that argument.

As recently as two months ago, both Crosby and the Raiders shut down any possibility of a trade. Things certainly appear to have changed. The Raiders may be facing an extensive rebuild, and are likely to fire coach Pete Carroll. The 29-year-old pass rusher might not want to have to wait several years for another crack at the playoffs, though he has always been loyal to Las Vegas up until now.

Despite battling through injuries, Crosby still collected 10 sacks through 15 games, marking the fourth time in his career that he has reached double-digit sacks.

Russell Westbrook now NBA’s highest-scoring PG ever

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In a historic milestone, Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook surpassed Oscar Robertson to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer among point guards, reaching 26,711 career points during a 129-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Westbrook, 37, sealed the record with a driving layup in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

He eclipsed Robertson’s mark of 26,710 points, an unofficial record long held by “The Big O.”

The achievement adds to Westbrook’s legendary resume: He already owns the NBA’s triple-double record and recently passed Magic Johnson for seventh on the all-time assists list last month.

Reflecting on that milestone, Westbrook revealed basketball wasn’t his childhood dream.

“I grew up wanting to play football,” Westbrook said, via Yahoo! Sports. “I grew up playing football, taking a bus, going to the park, playing, just being a normal kid in the city.”

Far from slowing down, Westbrook has insisted retirement is not on his mind.

“I just take it day by day,” he stated, crediting his longevity to relentless preparation.

Averaging 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.0 assists this season, the nine-time All-Star continues to defy age and cement his status as one of the greatest point guards ever.

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