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Good morning! Get the No. 1 pick today.
Stock Report: An ode to the juggernaut Rams
It is very funny to think back to the weeks before this NFL season, when worry emanated from Los Angeles. The Rams were built to contend, led by a refreshed coach in Sean McVay, a new superstar wideout in Davante Adams and the stalwart quarterback Matthew Stafford … who could not get healthy.
Stafford’s back, a long-term issue, forced the 37-year-old to miss most of training camp and the preseason. He even resorted to a fancy wellness chamber parked outside the Rams’ facility. Any rational watcher immediately thought: That’s not good.
That was almost four months ago. Now? Stafford is, of course, having the best season of his career, never more apparent than during L.A.’s 34-7 beatdown of a good Buccaneers team in yesterday’s nightcap. The Rams were up 31-7 at the half and are 9-2, a half game back of the league-leading 10-2 Patriots.
It’s still easy to say this is the best team in football, bar none. Our pals at “The Athletic Football Show” said as much last week in their great Contenders Table episode. Reading yesterday’s slate like a stock report, we must start with the Rams:
- 📈 Rams: I just want to list some stats from their game: Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns (on the season: 30 touchdowns, two interceptions). He was excellent, but so was his defense, which held Baker Mayfield to 9-for-19 for 41 yards and two interceptions before the 30-year-old left the game with a shoulder injury.
- 📉 Eagles: The defending Super Bowl champions, also one of the two teams to beat L.A. this year, looked horrific while blowing a 21-0 lead in a 24-21 loss to the division-rival Cowboys. No 8-3 team has been more miserable than this one.
- 📈 Shedeur Sanders! The Browns’ third starting quarterback, and maybe the most controversial player in the NFL this year, became the first Cleveland QB to win his debut start since 1995 in a 24-10 win over the Raiders yesterday. Sanders, 23, showed flashes of promise while a superhuman defense snuffed out any Las Vegas dreams of a win. The Raiders fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after the game, too.
- 📈 Chiefs: We thought this might actually be the year when Patrick Mahomes’ magic evaporates. No sir. Despite trailing 20-9 to the elite Colts in the fourth quarter, Mahomes and the Kansas City defense rallied to tie the game 20-20 as the clock hit zeroes, then forced a stop in overtime before kicking the game-winning field goal on their only OT possession, advancing to 6-5. It’s easy to wonder if a run starts now.
- 📉 Poor Giants: New York (2-10) became the first team eliminated from the postseason in yesterday’s 34-27 overtime loss to the Lions. The fact that this game went to OT should signal some optimism for Giants fans, but the late-game playcalling even had injured wideout Malik Nabers tweeting frustration. Hm. It’s also unfortunate that this play didn’t end up mattering:
JAMEIS WINSTON RECEIVING TD FROM GUNNER OLSZEWSKI.
NYGvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/A5D17S03R3
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
There was plenty more action yesterday, including those winning Bears. See all of our takeaways here, and take a peek at the playoff simulator, too.
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Stacy Revere / Getty Images
Wings win No. 1 pick, again
One year after selecting Paige Bueckers with the top pick, the Dallas Wings will get another chance to add the best WNBA prospect possible in this year’s draft after procuring the No. 1 slot in yesterday’s lottery. Unlike last year, though, there is no Bueckers as a consensus top pick. See the candidates here, including a former UConn teammate.
Cal fires Wilcox; FSU stays put
Coach Justin Wilcox is out at Cal after nine seasons, one day after an embarrassing blowout loss at the hands of rival Stanford. Wilcox finishes 48-55 in Berkeley, where Nick Rolovich — currently an offensive analyst at Cal and Washington State’s former coach who got fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine — will serve as interim coach. Oppositely, Florida State will retain Mike Norvell despite a second straight disappointing season.
Gordon to miss extended period
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, who’s turned into one of the NBA’s best role players, will miss significant time with a right hamstring strain, the team announced yesterday. The 30-year-old suffered the injury in Friday’s win over the Rockets and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks. Tough scene for a Nuggets team that’s started hot at 12-4. Read more here.
More news
- The Mets agreed to trade outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien. Trade analysis here.
- USMNT forward Christian Pulisic scored the game-winning goal in the Milan derby yesterday. He’s crushing it in Serie A.
- Italy won its third straight Davis Cup, this one without Jannik Sinner.
- The FCS playoff bracket is out, with North Dakota State and Montana State as the top two seeds. See it here.
📰 Find more news here 24/7.
What to Watch
📺 NBA: Cavaliers at Raptors
7 p.m. ET on Peacock
Toronto remains one of the biggest surprises of the early NBA season, sitting 12-5 and second in the East, a half game ahead of the visiting Cleveland team. Great early evening game here.
📺 NFL: Panthers at 49ers
8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
A funny reality in tonight’s game: At 6-5, Carolina is tied for the division lead in the NFC South. At 7-4, San Francisco is a full two games back in the NFC West. It’s a good game, and matters plenty.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Hailey Salvian has the super interesting story today of how the PWHL ruffled its own feathers in a frenzied westward expansion, creating two new franchises in just seven months. Worth your time this morning.
Wait, the Marlins and Pirates are suddenly spending? Why? Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich have an idea.
Always a fun read: our running list of the coolest sports cards of 2025, updated for November’s batch.
McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas cleared the way for something we didn’t think was possible earlier this season: a fifth title for Max Verstappen.
Chris Vannini’s Athletic 136 rankings are a must-read every week. See today’s full list here.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on the Ja Morant-Klay Thompson verbal altercation.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our story on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting disqualified from the Las Vegas GP.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.