>>Cowboys Lose To Falcons Without Elliot And Smith
(Atlanta, GA) — The depleted Cowboys were no match for the Falcons in a 27-7 loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dallas was without left tackle Tyron Smith and running back Ezekiel Elliot served the first-game of his six-game suspension. Atlanta defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn had six of their eight sacks. Both teams are 5-and-4.
>>Packers Best Bears
(Chicago, IL) — Davante Adams 19-yard touchdown reception from Brett Hundley in the fourth quarter clinched the Packers’ 23-16 win over the Bears at Soldier Field. Mitchell Trubisky had pulled Chicago to within three earlier in the quarter on a 46-yard strike to Joshua Bellamy. Trubisky finished 21-of-35 with 297 yards passing. The Bears run game never got on track as they fell to 3-and-6. They host the Lions on Sunday.
>>Steelers Rally Past Colts
(Indianapolis, IN) — Chris Boswell kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired to complete the comeback as the Steelers slipped the Colts 20-17 in Indianapolis. Jacoby Brissett was 14-of-22 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in defeat. Chester Rogers caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Indy has dropped four-of-five and fell to 3-and-7 overall.
>>Devils Rally To Beat Blackhawks
(Chicago, IL) — The Devils erased a 4-1 first period deficit to pull out a 7-5 win against the Blackhawks at the United Center. New Jersey scored five consecutive goals to take a 6-4 lead. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford was pulled after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Jan Rutta lit the lamp and had two assists as Chicago has dropped three-of-four. They host the Rangers on Wednesday.
>>Shake Up Coming To College Football Playoff Rankings
(Undated) — The College Football Playoff Rankings could have a different look when the third edition is released tomorrow. Number-one Georgia got destroyed by number-10 Auburn, 40-17. Number-seven Miami hammered number-three Notre Dame, 41-8. Number-five Oklahoma dominated number-six TCU, 38-20.
>>Tennessee Fires HC Jones
(Knoxville, TN) — The University of Tennessee is cutting ties with head football coach Butch Jones. The school fired Jones yesterday, one day after the Volunteers lost to Missouri, 50-17. The Vols are 4-and-6 overall and 0-and-6 in the SEC. Tennessee has lost five of its past six games. Defensive line coach Brady Hoke will serve as the interim head coach.
>>Cardinals In On Stanton Trade Talks As GM Meetings Begin
(Orlando, FL) — The Cardinals are in on a potential trade for Marlins slugger Giancarlo [[ zjon-CAR-lo ]] Stanton as the GM meetings begin in Orlando. MLB.com reports St. Louis is one of four teams Miami is talking to. The others are the Red Sox, Giants and Phillies.
>>Report: Braves To Hire Anthopoulos As GM
(Atlanta, GA) — The Braves search for their new general manager is coming to a close. The “New York Post” reports the job will go to Alex Anthopoulos. An announcement is expected at the MLB GM meetings, which begin on today. Anthopoulos has been the Dodgers vice president of baseball operations since January 2016. He was with the Blue Jays from 2003-to-2015 and their GM from 2009 on.
>>Kenseth Wins In Phoenix, Keselowski Rounds Out Final Four
(Phoenix, AZ) — Matt Kenseth passed Chase Elliott with 10 laps to go to win the Round of Eight finale at Phoenix Raceway, but it was Brad Keselowski who clinched the spot in the Championship Four. Keselowski earned the final spot after Elliott finished second. Keselowski joins Martin Truex Junior, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch in the winner-take-all championship race this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
>>Illinois Football Skid Hits Eight
(Champaign, IL) — The losing streak is now at eight for the Illinois football team. The Fighting Illini fell 24-14 at home to Indiana on Saturday. Illinois is 2-and-8 overall and 0-and-7 in Big Ten play. The Illini will be on the road this Saturday against eighth-ranked Ohio State.
>>College Basketball Roundup
(Undated) — College hoops tipped off over the weekend. Illinois is 2-and-0 after wins over Southern and Tennessee-Martin. The Illini host DePaul on Friday. The Blue Demons lost to Notre Dame, 72-58. They play Delaware State at home tonight. Northwestern topped Loyola (Maryland), 79-75, and welcome Saint Peter’s to town tonight.