© 2025
WAMC
Morning Edition
WAMC
Morning Edition
Next Up: 9:00 AM The Roundtable
0:00
0:00
Morning Edition
WAMC
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WAMC Sports Report 11/25/24: Mayfield mocks DeVito's celebration as Bucs embarrass the Giants 30-7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scores past New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Rich Schultz/AP
/
FR27227
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scores past New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

NFL

Baker Mayfield catapulted into the end zone on a spectacular 10-yard scramble for one of Tampa Bay’s four rushing touchdowns, and the Buccaneers crushed the Giants and new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito 30-7. Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak and extending New York’s skid to six. The Giants’ decisions this week to bench and then release quarterback Daniel Jones did nothing to help the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense. DeVito threw for 189 yards, mostly in the second half. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers dominated in every phase in a near-perfect performance. And Mayfield mocked DeVito's signature celebration after his touchdown.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, including two scores to running back De’Von Achane, and the Miami Dolphins routed the New England Patriots 34-15 on Sunday. The Dolphins (5-6) have a thin margin for error the rest of the season after a 2-6 start but have kept themselves afloat with a three-game winning streak. Tagovailoa, who moved to 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with a league-high 73.4% completion rate and went 29 for 40. Drake Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 221 yards with 26 yard rushing.

Saquon Barkley ran for touchdowns of 70 and 72 yards in the second half and finished with an Eagles-record 255 yards rushing in the streaking Philadelphia Eagles’ seventh consecutive victory, 37-20 over the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley finished with the ninth-most yards rushing in a game in NFL history, largely thanks to his huge TD runs early and late in the second half. He rushed for a 70-yard score on the opening snap of the third quarter, and he added a 72-yard surge up the middle with 2:44 to play. Barkley finished with 302 total yards. He leads the NFL with 1,392 yards rushing.

Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown, and the Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert was wide left on the point-after attempt following a bad snap. On the ensuing onside kick attempt, Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown as the Cowboys ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Earlier in the fourth quarter, KaVonte Turpin returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD.

Anthony Richardson gave the Indianapolis Colts a little bit of everything Sunday. He provided promising glimpses and demonstrated the strong arm that wowed NFL scouts when he was coming out of college. He also made errant throws and took too many chances. And a rash of penalties, drops and the lack of a ground game — outside of his own runs — undid the Colts in a 24-6 loss to Detroit. It was hardly the encore Richardson envisioned after rallying Indy to a win over the New York Jets last week.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Carolina Panthers 30-27 to reach double-digit wins for the 10th straight season. The Chiefs bounced back from last week’s 30-21 loss at Buffalo and won at the buzzer yet again in a season of narrow escapes. Noah Brown caught two TD passes and DeAndre Hopkins also had a touchdown catch. Bryce Young finished 21 of 35 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings, who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears, who lost their fifth straight.

The Houston Texans made mistakes in every facet of the game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to lose for the third time in four games. C.J. Stroud threw two interceptions, the defense gave up multiple big passing plays and Ka′imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied it late in a 32-27 loss. Jimmie Ward had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter and the Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks. Danielle Hunter led the group with a season-high three sacks and Will Anderson Jr. added two in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury. But the offense sputtered for most of the game as Joe Mixon was held to 22 yards on 14 carries.

Bo Nix passed for 273 yards and had two touchdown passes to break the team’s rookie record, and the Denver Broncos finally won in Las Vegas with a 29-19 victory over the reeling Raiders on Sunday. The Broncos at 7-5 took another step toward an unexpected playoff spot with their second victory in a row. Las Vegas is 2-9 and has lost seven consecutive games, their longest skid since the 2017-18 seasons. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew landed hard on his left shoulder late in the game and was replaced by Desmond Ridder.

Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and matched a career high with three touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers trounced the short-handed San Francisco 49ers 38-10. The 49ers team that took the field Sunday bore only a passing resemblance to the squad that beat the Packers 24-21 in the NFC divisional playoffs last season. Injuries left the 49ers without quarterback Brock Purdy, three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa among others. Green Bay’s Jordan Love was 13 of 23 for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Coby Bryant returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown and Leonard Williams had 2 1/2 sacks as the Seahawks tormented Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and Seattle beat Arizona 16-6 to move into a tie for the NFC West lead. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had six catches for 77 yards and the first offensive touchdown against the Cardinals in three weeks. But it was the defense that made the difference for the Seahawks against their division rivals, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Seattle has won six straight and seven of eight over Arizona. The teams play again in two weeks.

On Monday Night Football, the Ravens are in Los Angeles to take on the Chargers at 8:15 tonight.

NBA

Cam Thomas scored 34 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Kings 108-103 in Nets coach Jordi Fernandez’s return to Sacramento. Fernandez served as the Kings’ associate coach the last two seasons under his mentor, Sacramento coach Mike Brown. The Nets’ 19-point first-half lead evaporated, but with the score tied at 88-all after three quarters, they held the Kings to 15 points in the fourth. The Nets went on a 15-4 run after trailing 94-90 early in the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 31 points.

Jaylen Brown scored the Celtics’ first 15 points on five consecutive 3-pointers and finished with 29 points, before Boston withstood a late charge to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-105. Jayson Tatum added 26 points and eight rebounds to help Boston post a season-high fifth straight victory. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 28 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost five of its last seven. The Timberwolves had the ball with 7.1 seconds and a chance to win. Edwards got the inbounds and tried to drive on Brown. But he was cut off, and the ball swung to Naz Reid, who failed to get off a 3 as time expired.

James Harden had 23 points and eight assists, Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 12 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers coasted to a 125-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Jared McCain scored 18 points and Tyrese Maxey had 17 for the Sixers. The 76ers fell to 3-13, an improbable record for a team that opened the season as a strong betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference. The Sixers played again without injured All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, both out with knee injuries. The Clippers won their fifth straight game.

All-Stars Paul George and Joel Embiid both missed Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers with knee injuries. Six-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry also sat out with a bad hip. It's turning into a lost season for the struggling Sixers. The Sixers can only wonder how good they might have been if former stars Ben Simmons and James Harden stayed healthy and happy when they were with the franchise. Both players returned to Philadelphia over the weekend and served as a reminder of how little has changed for the 76ers over the last decade.

Pascal Siakam scored 22 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and nine assists, and the Indiana Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 115-103 victory over the Washington Wizards. Rookie Alexandre Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly each had 17 for the Wizards, who have now lost 11 in a row and have the NBA’s worst record at 2-13. Sarr also had a game-high 14 rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin had 16 points, Moses Brown 15 and T.J. McConnell 12 for the Pacers. Brown, signed last week, scored Indiana’s first eight points and had 11 in the first quarter.

Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 33 points, leading the Miami Heat to a 123-118 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. Bam Adebayo had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Tyler Herro had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Alec Burks scored 15 and Pelle Larsson added 14 for Miami. Kyrie Irving had 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. P.J. Washington scored 21, Naji Marshall had 20, Klay Thompson scored 15 and Dereck Lively II had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Dallas.

Donovan Mitchell and Ty Jerome scored 26 points apiece as the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 17-1 and stayed perfect at home with a 122-108 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Cavs, who opened the season 15-0 before losing at Boston last week, are 10-0 on their home floor for the first since the 2017-18 season, when they won their first 13. Jarrett Allen scored 23 and had 13 rebounds for Cleveland. Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick had 18 points each to pace the Raptors, now 0-8 on the road. RJ Barrett added 16 points and Jakob Poeltl had 18 rebounds for Toronto. Barrett was playing his second game after missing 11 straight with a fractured orbital bo

NHL

Mitch Marner scored twice in a second-period surge as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Utah Hockey Club 3-2 on Sunday night to extend their winning streak to four. The victory, in the lone NHL game on the schedule, came in the first-ever meeting between Toronto and Utah. William Nylander scored his 14th for Toronto. Logan Cooley and Jack McBain scored for Utah, which was playing its first back-to-back games of the season after snapping a three-game losing streak Saturday in Pittsburgh. Toronto captain Auston Matthews missed his eighth game with an upper-body injury. The Leafs have gone 7-1-0 in his absence.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

A wild weekend in Los Angeles set up for a new No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll when it’s released Monday. The question is who will it be? Defending champion South Carolina has been No. 1 for 23 straight weeks after going undefeated last season and winning its first few games of the new season before losing 77-62 at No. 5 UCLA. Sixth-ranked Notre Dame took it to No. 3 USC winning 74-61 a day earlier. Besides the Bruins and Irish, No. 2 UConn can make a case to move up to the top spot. If they do move up to No. 1, it would be the 251st time that Geno Auriemma’s team has held that spot. The last came in the final poll of 2021.

Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks. The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win. No. 6 Georgia moved up two spots, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 Miami rose three and No. 9 SMU jumped four places. Indiana dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 following its first loss.

TENNIS

Jannik Sinner clinched Italy's second consecutive Davis Cup title and capped his breakthrough season at the top of tennis by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (2), 6-2 for a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of the team competition in Malaga, Spain. Matteo Berrettini won Sunday's opening singles match 6-4, 6-2 against Botic van de Zandschulp. The Italians are the first country to win the Davis Cup twice in a row since the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013. The No. 1-ranked Sinner stretched his unbeaten streak in singles to 14 matches and 26 sets. Netherlands reached the Davis Cup final for the first time.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

American 81 UAlbany 77

Fairfield 67 Vermont 66

Florida State 92 UMass 59

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

College basketball is ready for its Thanksgiving Week closeup. The schedule is full of early season tournaments that could create buzzworthy marquee matchups. And many of those come in warm-weather locations. The Maui Invitational in Hawaii turns 40 years old this year. It opens Monday with a field that includes two-time reigning national champion and second ranked UConn. The Battle 4 Atlantis men's tournament in the Bahamas opens Wednesday. It has a field topped by No. 3 Gonzaga. There are also multiple women's events in the Bahamas featuring ranked teams, including the fourth Atlantis women's tournament.

GOLF

Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history. And a eagle-birdie finish for the second straight day made it happen. Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4 million first-place check by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It was the biggest money prize in women’s golf history. Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up check.

FORMULA ONE

Max Verstappen won an unbelievable 19 races last season that included an incredible streak of 10 in a row in what would arguably go down as one of the greatest years in Formula 1 history. And yet it is this year’s eight-win season — his lowest victory total since 2020 — that Verstappen considers a career-defining campaign. Those eight wins were enough to win him a fourth consecutive F1 championship on Saturday night with his easy drive at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The championship made Verstappen only the sixth driver in F1 history to win four or more titles.

© 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Alexander began his journalism career as a sports writer for Siena College's student paper The Promethean, and as a host for Siena's school radio station, WVCR-FM "The Saint." A Cubs fan, Alexander hosts the morning Sports Report in addition to producing Morning Edition. You can hear the sports reports over-the-air at 6:19 and 7:19 AM, and online on WAMC.org. He also speaks Spanish as a second language. To reach him, email ababbie@wamc.org, or call (518)-465-5233 x 190. You can also find him on Twitter/X: @ABabbieWAMC.