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Derrick Henry was stunned after Tyler Loop’s missed field goal

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Derrick Henry had the most fitting reaction after Tyler Loop missed a field goal to cost the Baltimore Ravens in their Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

The Ravens lost to the Steelers 26-24 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., to fall short of the playoffs. Loop missed a 44-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game to help the Steelers hang on for the win. NBC, which was televising the game, caught Henry’s reaction to the miss. The Ravens running back couldn’t believe it.

The Ravens had just improbably converted on a 4th-and-7 to put themselves in position to win the game. They looked like they were going to capitalize on a Chris Boswell missed extra point and steal a victory. But then Loop missed in the exact same manner that Boswell had, allowing Pittsburgh to hang on.

Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson had some notable reactions to the missed field goal as well.

Luka Doncic had the most profane trash talk for Santi Aldama

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Luka Doncic is not exactly a G-rated trash-talker.

The Los Angeles Lakers star Doncic went viral during Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies over his extremely profane smack talk for Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama. In the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., Doncic was whistled for a foul after running over Aldama as Aldama was setting a screen.

Doncic clearly felt that Aldama embellished the contact a bit and responded with a vulgar message. “F–king soft a– b—h,” Doncic could be seen saying on the television broadcast.

Here is the video.

While the Grizzlies were leading 77-72 at the time of the incident, it was the Lakers who got the last laugh. They ended up winning by a final score of 120-114 as Doncic dropped 36 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists (compared to 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists for Aldama).

We recently heard a troubling report about the physical ailments that the five-time NBA All-Star Doncic has been battling recently. But if Sunday night was any indication, both his game and his trash talk are doing absolutely fine.

Steelers fans crediting priest’s holy water for Tyler Loop’s missed kick

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A missed field goal on Sunday night made some Pittsburgh Steelers fans true believers in a higher power.

The Steelers looked like they were about to have their season come to an end in the final seconds of their regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

With a playoff berth on the line, Ravens kicker Tyler Loop lined up for what would have been a playoff-clinching kick for Baltimore. But the attempt went wide right, sending Steelers players and fans into pandemonium at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.

It was an answered prayer for Steelers supporters. Many half-jokingly claimed it was thanks to a priest blessing the field before the game. Hours before kickoff, the clergyman showered holy water onto one of the end zones.

The end zone that the priest blessed happened to be the same one where Loop ended up missing his kick.

Pittsburgh needed a borderline miracle in the final seconds. Loop entered the game without a single field goal miss from within 50 feet all season.

The football gods may have felt the need to humble Loop for his hubris, leading to utter heartbreak for Baltimore.

Fans react to Ravens kicker’s massive choke job vs. Steelers

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Baltimore Ravens fans are never going to forgive kicker Tyler Loop for letting the team down to end their 2025 season.

Loop had a chance to send the Ravens to the playoffs with one kick to close out Sunday’s regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Ravens, trailing 26-24, managed to get within field goal range for Loop. The pressure of the moment clearly got to the rookie kicker as he muffed the 44-yard attempt wide right.

The miss allowed the Steelers to beat out the Ravens for the AFC North crown and become the division’s lone postseason representative. It also cemented Loop’s status as a social pariah in Baltimore for at least the next year.

The reactions to Loop’s miss on the mean streets of the internet were ruthless. Many took the low-hanging fruit and made fun of his kicking ability.

Others imagined how Ravens fans and players would likely treat Loop knowing that he had cost them a playoff berth.

Others joked that Justin Tucker, a social pariah himself for reasons other than football, was probably somewhere smiling, knowing that his replacement was not as clutch as he was.

Loop entered the game having not missed a single kick under 50 yards all season. He had been a perfect 28/28 before the critical miss Sunday against the Steelers.

It’s the second year in a row that the Ravens have had their season cut short in heartbreaking fashion. Last season, Baltimore lost to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round after tight end Mark Andrews committed a brutal drop on a two-point conversion.

Loop knows who to call if he needs someone to talk to about letting an entire city down.

Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers had incredible reactions to Tyler Loop’s miss

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Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers combined to show off the full spectrum of human emotions at the end of Sunday’s game.

Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens had a wild game on Sunday night against Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh won by a final score of 26-24 to claim the AFC North division title after an extremely dramatic ending.

Ravens kicker Tyler Loop pushed a potential game-winning field goal from 44 yards out wide right as time expired in the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. Loop’s miss came minutes after Steelers kicker Chris Boswell blew an extra-point try of his own that left the door open for Baltimore to possibly win it in regulation.

After Loop’s kick missed though, the NBC broadcast showed the reaction of the Ravens quarterback Jackson on the sideline. Jackson, who had thrown for 238 yards and three touchdowns, was totally dumbfounded and could only stare off into space with the blankest look on his face.

Meanwhile, the Steelers quarterback Rodgers had a triumphant reaction of his own on the Pittsburgh sideline.

The butterfly effect of Loop’s shank is obviously significant as it means that the Steelers will host the Houston Texans during the AFC Wild Card round next week. As for the Ravens, their season has come to yet another heartbreaking end (and also with plenty of cruel memes along the way for their kicker Loop).

Tyler Loop, Chris Boswell trade missed kicks in wild ending

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Kickers Tyler Loop and Chris Boswell traded missed kicks in what turned out to be a wild ending for the Week 18, AFC North-deciding contest between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday night that went Pittsburgh’s way 26-24.

The Steelers and Ravens scored two touchdowns apiece in the fourth quarter. Baltimore had scored a touchdown on a 64-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers with 2:20 left to go up 24-20. The Steelers responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Calvin Austin III. The Steelers were poised to go up 27-24, but Boswell missed the extra point attempt wide right.

Baltimore got the ball back and returned the kickoff 41 yards to their 47. They gained 8 yards, but a penalty on Ronnie Stanley pushed them back to midfield. They somehow converted a 4th-and-7 on a pass to Isaiah Likely to set up what was expected to be the winning kick, but then the same thing happened to Loop that happened to Boswell. The rookie kicker missed his kick wide to the right as well, and that ended things in favor of the Steelers 26-24.

Thanks to the missed Loop kick, the Steelers won the game to clinch the AFC North and finish the regular season 10-7. They will host the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Spanish radio call of Devin Booker’s game-winning 3 over Thunder was awesome

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The Phoenix Suns’ stunning victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder apparently came as just as big of a surprise to their Spanish radio announcer.

Phoenix earned an upset win over Oklahoma City on Sunday, prevailing by a final score of 108-105 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz. The loss for the Thunder marked just their sixth of the entire season thus far.

It was an amazing game-winning 3 by Suns star Devin Booker that proved to be the difference-maker on Sunday night. With the score tied at 105 and just 8.2 seconds remaining, Booker went 1-on-1 against OKC’s Alex Caruso and stepped back into a difficult contested triple … which he splashed with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.

Suns Spanish radio announcer Arturo Ochoa also delivered a phenomenal call of Booker’s game-winner. Ochoa got so hyped on the air upon seeing Booker’s shot swish through the net.

Take a listen.

Phoenix has actually been a very pleasant surprise this year, currently sitting at 21-14 (seventh in the West) despite the offseason departures of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. But that had to be one of the best Spanish radio calls we have heard since this one from the MLB playoffs a couple of years ago.

Ravens All-Pro Kyle Hamilton carted off the field after brutal collision with teammate

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Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton left Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers early after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision with a teammate.

Hamilton got hurt early in the third quarter while trying to contest a short pass intended for wide receiver Calvin Austin III. Hamilton slammed into fellow safety Alohi Gilman, leaving both players needing medical attention on the field at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Both players were evaluated for a concussion. While Gilman was able to return to the game, Hamilton ended up being carted off the field. The All-Pro defensive back was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a concussion.

The good news for Ravens fans is that Hamilton was able to walk off the field under his own power and even dapped up Aaron Rodgers before he was carted off.

Hamilton has been one of the Ravens’ most vital defenders over the last three seasons. The Korean-American Pro Bowler ended his season with 105 combined tackles, which ranked second on the team.

Hamilton had a team-best nine tackles Sunday before he was ruled out in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

Keenan Allen had great reaction after earning $1 million bonus

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Keenan Allen was among the players who cashed in on his contract incentives on Sunday, and he celebrated in fitting fashion.

Allen entered his Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos with $1.25 million on the line. If he caught six passes, that would have given him 80 for the season, triggering a $750,000 incentive. With nine receiving yards, he would have had 750 receiving yards for the season, giving him a $250,000 incentive. And two touchdown catches would have given him six for the season, and another $250,000.

Allen was fed the ball early in the game and finished with 7 catches for 36 yards, giving him an additional $1 million. He did a making paper money sign with his hands on the sideline after cashing in on the $1 million.

This was Allen’s 12th season with the Chargers and 13th overall in the NFL. He outperformed the stats he achieved in his lone season with the Bears last year, but he was a long ways away from the career-year he had with the Chargers in 2023. That season, Allen had 1,243 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a career-high 108 catches.

The Chargers have the 7-seed in the AFC playoffs and will face the 2-seed New England Patriots in the Wild-Card Round of the playoffs.

Myles Garrett landed the most fitting endorsement deal for setting the NFL sack record

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Myles Garrett had the perfect endorsement deal lined up for him to record his history-making sack on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cleveland Browns defensive end broke the single-season sack record in the fourth quarter of his team’s season finale at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Garrett cornered Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to notch his 23rd sack of the 2025 campaign, surpassing the previous high of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt.

Garrett’s latest endorsement deal could not have been more fitting. After the game, Jordan Brand announced Garrett as its newest ambassador.

“23 sacks. No coincidence,” the announcement post’s caption read.

As any casual sports fan would know, the number 23 is synonymous with Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. Garrett achieved the record-breaking feat while rocking a pair of “Legend Blue” Air Jordan 11 cleats.

While the match could not have been more obvious, one has to wonder what would have happened had Garrett not gotten to exactly 23 sacks.

Would the deal have been voided had Garrett fallen short? Was there a separate post ready in case Garrett got half a sack, then a full sack, completely bypassing the 23-sack mark? Was Joe Burrow a paid actor for Jordan Brand to take the fall right at the end for dramatic effect? These are questions we’ll never have answered.

Falcons clean house with firing of Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot

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The Atlanta Falcons are looking for a fresh start after yet another disappointing season.

Several reporters confirmed Sunday night that the Falcons were firing head coach Raheem Morris after two seasons with the team. News broke minutes later that Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was also getting the ax after serving as the team’s top executive since 2021.

The move was unsurprising given the Falcons’ inability to escape the treadmill of mediocrity over the past several seasons. Atlanta has never had a winning record in the five years since Fontenot was hired in 2021.

“I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “But I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward.

“The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits.”

The team tallied three consecutive 7-10 finishes from 2021 to 2023 before Fontenot’s controversial pair of quarterback moves. Fontenot green-lit the signing of veteran QB Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in March 2023, then opted to draft Michael Penix Jr. weeks later, which together generated more questions than answers in Atlanta.

Morris inherited the Cousins-Penix QB dilemma when he came aboard in 2023. Under Morris, the team finished with identical 8-9 records and missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

The Falcons did close the 2025 campaign with a four-game winning streak. But the wins started piling up only after Atlanta was eliminated from playoff contention.

With the team still searching for its first postseason appearance since 2017, it’s no mystery why the Falcons wanted to clean house.

Unexpected bench player goes off for 21 points in a single quarter

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Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins channeled his inner Klay Thompson on Sunday to put up the greatest quarter of his young NBA career.

The second-year backup did not play at all in the first quarter of the Pistons’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Jenkins was apparently saving all his strength for the best second quarter of his life.

Jenkins drained a 30-foot three-pointer two minutes into the period, then hit a 32-foot bomb a couple of possessions later. That proved to be a sign of things to come as the Pistons reserve 7/7 from the field and sizzling 6/6 from beyond the arc.

Jenkins’ lone two-point make fittingly came on a three-point play, giving him 21 points in the second. Jenkins also tallied three assists in the quarter.

“It’s everything for me, because that’s what I’m about,” Jenkins said of the support he got from his teammates on Sunday, via The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson. “It was my night tonight. But I’m happy every night we get the win, whoever’s night it is, and that’s the same thing for everybody else on this team.”

The St. John’s product came into the game averaging just 7.0 points per contest as a backup point guard. He tripled that production and recorded a new career high with six triples across just 12 minutes of play.

Jenkins only scored four points outside of the second quarter. His contributions, however, were more than enough to help the top-seeded Pistons secure a 114-110 win over the Cavaliers.

Jenkins entered the season on a two-way contract. If there were any questions about the Pistons offering him a full-time contract later in the year, he answered them in a single quarter.

Indiana has landed its replacement for Fernando Mendoza

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The Indiana Hoosiers already have their quarterback to replace Fernando Mendoza.

Former TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover has committed to the Hoosiers. His commitment comes following a visit he took to the school this weekend.

Hoover likely would not have committed to Indiana unless he knew that Mendoza would be leaving. Mendoza is expected to enter the NFL Draft, where he is contention to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Hoover is a nice addition for IU. He has appeared in 36 career games and has been TCU’s starting quarterback for three seasons. Hoover has passed for 9,629 yards, 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He has also rushed for 8 touchdowns, though he isn’t much of a rushing threat.

Here is a look at a deep touchdown Hoover threw early in the season for TCU:

TCU has gone 9-4 for consecutive seasons, so Hoover’s big stats have translated into wins. Indiana went 11-2 last season and is in the middle of a 14-0 season.

The Hoosiers had Kurtis Rourke at quarterback for their 11-2 season, which was Curt Cignetti’s first as head coach. They added Mendoza via the transfer portal and have been the No. 1 team in the country. They’re hoping that dipping into the transfer portal again will yield fantastic results in 2026.

Fans said the same thing after Raiders landed the No. 1 draft pick

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Fans were saying the same thing after the Las Vegas Raiders secured the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Raiders were locked in to the No. 1 spot after the New York Giants won their Week 18 game against the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 to improve to 4-13 and eliminate the possibility of a tie with the Raiders, who entered their game against the Chiefs with a 2-14 record.

Once the Raiders locked up the pick, fans already started to say that Fernando Mendoza would be the team’s next quarterback.

Mendoza just won the Heisman Trophy and has led Indiana to the College Football Playoff semifinals. There are no guarantees that he will be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he is believed to be in contention for the pick. Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson are also regarded as some of the top prospects at the position.

The Raiders have the No. 1 pick for the first time since 2007, when they selected JaMarcus Russell, who turned out to be a bust. It would make sense for them to try to land a franchise quarterback, one whom they hope will play even better than their last franchise QB, Derek Carr.

Packers get ripped for the saddest field goal ever

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The Green Bay Packers got called out for attempting the saddest field goal ever at the end of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers called timeout with one second left on the clock in order to kick a 24-yard field goal as time expired. The move was pointless, and all it did was turn a 16-0 deficit into a 16-3 loss.

Many were quick to point out that the kick ensured the Packers, who were 13.5-point underdogs, covered the spread.

Others suggested the decision to kick was humiliating and embarrassing for the Packers.

The Packers are entering the playoffs with four consecutive losses and a struggling defense that lost a lot of its punch when Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending injury. One of those defeats was about as painful as it gets, too.

Green Bay is locked in as the No. 7 seed in the NFC. They will need to get things fixed up quickly if they intend to make a deep playoff run.

Jared Verse fined by NFL for his celebration

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Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse will be lighter in the wallet for a fairly silly reason.

Verse was fined $11,593 on Saturday for unsportsmanlike conduct over his celebration as he returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown Monday against the Atlanta Falcons. Verse’s crime was quickly flashing a peace sign in the direction of the Atlanta bench as he sprinted down the field.

Verse’s celebration was subtle enough that he was not penalized on the play, and the fine is the first discipline he faced for it.

The NFL has made taunting a major point of emphasis, though many fans would argue that this is not the sort of thing that needs to be punished. The crackdown has even led to some phantom taunting flags as referees think they see things that did not even happen. In this instance, they missed something that did.

Verse is not one to back down or go quietly when taking on an opponent. He will pay the fine, but it might not serve as much of a deterrent in the future.

Penn State has landed a new quarterback

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The Penn State Nittany Lions have landed a new quarterback for the 2026 season via the transfer portal.

Quarterback Rocco Becht has committed to Penn State for next season. The move makes plenty of sense since Becht has spent the last four seasons at Iowa State and is now following his head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley.

Becht appeared in three games in 2022, which was a redshirt season for him. Then he started in 39 games over the following three seasons. He has racked up 9,274 passing yards with 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions over his college career. He has also rushed for 499 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Iowa State has gone 26-23 over the last three years with Becht at quarterback and Campbell as head coach. Now they will move to a tougher conference in the Big Ten, and they will have higher expectations for winning. Recall that Penn State just fired James Franklin even though he had led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.

Becht had written a note to Iowa State fans two weeks ago to thank them for their support.

Becht likely knew at the time that he would be following Campbell to PSU.

Colts’ Alec Pierce ejected after bumping referee Jabir Walker

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Alec Pierce was having a monster game for the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 18 contest against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, until getting ejected.

The Colts had the ball at the Houston 6-yard line late in the third quarter. Quarterback Riley Leonard targeted Pierce in the end zone, but Pierce caught it out of bounds. The Colts wide receiver protested to the nearby official, trying to say he was pushed out.

Pierce made contact with field judge Jabir Walker during the exchange, so Walker ejected Pierce.

Pierce was having arguably the best game of his career to that point. He finished the contest with 4 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had scored on a 66-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

Making contact with an official triggers an automatic ejection, which is why Pierce was disqualified. Players need to give officials space even when protesting calls, and Pierce learned that the hard way.

Zac Taylor wanted Browns punished for celebrating Myles Garrett’s record-setting sack

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Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor was not exactly the best sport about how the Cleveland Browns celebrated Myles Garrett’s sack record.

Garrett collected his 23rd sack of the season during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Oh. when he cornered Joe Burrow in the backfield. Garrett’s teammates mobbed him to celebrate the achievement, and some players even came off the bench to join in the celebration.

Under normal circumstances, referees might throw a flag for that, but they turned a blind eye to this, seemingly in acknowledgement of the moment. That did not sit well with Taylor, who was “unloading” on the officials after the play.

It is not even clear that the Browns did anything to constitute a penalty. Unsportsmanlike conduct can be called if a player removes his helmet on the field, or if they leave the bench to join in a fight. Nobody seemed to take their helmet off, and this definitely was not a fight.

Garrett’s sack left the Bengals facing a 2nd and long near midfield. Maybe Taylor thought he could get 15 of those yards back in a game Cincinnati was trailing 17-12 at that point. It did not work, and wound up just making him look kind of ornery.

Warriors were furious over the calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received

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The Golden State Warriors were fuming over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting what appeared to be a favorable whistle during Friday’s game.

The Thunder beat the Warriors 131-94 at Chase Center on Friday, but the Warriors certainly seemed to feel that the officiating left a great deal to be desired. At one point late in the first quarter, coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors bench were both appalled at a foul Gilgeous-Alexander drew against Golden State’s Al Horford.

Horford seemingly never made contact with Gilgeous-Alexander, and if there was any contact, Gilgeous-Alexander was arguably the one who initiated it. The Thunder star got the call anyway, though.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s critics would say this is par for the course. The reigning MVP has been dubbed a “free throw merchant” before, though he maintains he does not care about the label. There are other players that also don’t think the label is justified.

SGA scored 30 points in the blowout victory. He went 7-for-7 from the line, so in this game, at least, he did plenty of scoring from elsewhere.

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