Taylor Swift Survives the Snow

Author

John Onderdonk
January 15, 2024

Starting Five

The five sports topics that will be discussed at water coolers across America

1. Taylor Swift Survives the Snow

The Scoop: Taylor rocked a custom jacket to combat negative temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday night. Fans were feeling -22, but were still vibing and swag surfing(?!) as the Chiefs cruised to a 26-7 win over the Dolphins. The cold might have frozen Coach Andy Reid’s mustache and caused Patrick Mahomes’s helmet to shatter, but the biggest news for football fans is that T-Swift is now officially one of us.

Want more details? See the background on Taylor’s Jacket:

What more details? See a full game recap. 
Want the TL;DR? See game highlights.

2. History is Made In Detroit


The Scoop: The Lions 24-23 victory over the Rams is the first playoff win for the franchise since 1992. The victory means so much to the players, staff, and fans who have been working hard for this moment for years. The game was made more interesting by the opponent; Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford was the starter for the Lions for 12 years, and, as Eminem pointed out, knew how much this moment meant to the city of Detroit. In a state that already has a College Football National Championship, things got a little more sweet Sunday Night. 

Want more details? See full game recap.
Want the TL;DR? See game highlights.

3. Texans and Packers Blow Out Opponents to Advance

The Scoop: The Texans dominated the Browns 45-14 and the Cowboys simply had no answer for the Packers offense losing 48-32. While we still need the results from Monday’s games to know what the matchups in the next round will be, it’s clear young quarterbacks CJ Stroud of Houston and Jordan Love of Green Bay are not intimidated by the playoff atmosphere. Both dazzled in their first playoff starts and could be dark horse contenders for the Super Bowl.

Want more details? See full game recaps for the Texans and Packers.
Want the TL;DR? See highlights for the Texans and Packers. 

4. Two GOATS Retire, Tough Task for their Replacements

The Scoop: Alabama’s Nick Saban and New England’s Bill Belichick retired the same week (if you missed our last post, see here). Their replacements were announced last week, with ex-Washington coach Kalen DeBoer taking over at Alabama and ex-Patriot player and coach Jerod Mayo taking over in New England. DeBoer has won everywhere he’s been, most recently taking Washington to the National Championship game. Mayo has been a rising star that the Pats have had their eye on for years as a possible Head Coach. So much so, they had him designated as Belichick’s successor in his contract to keep another team from poaching him. 

Want more details on departing coaches? See Nick Saban retirement interview and Bill Belichick retirement press conference.

5. Buffalo Postponed Game Due to Snow, Doesn’t Stop Bills Mafia

The Scoop: The road conditions were so unsafe, the city of Buffalo urged the NFL to postpone Sunday’s game to Monday afternoon. To handle the snow, Bills invited fans to shovel snow for $20/hour in the stadium. It went as well as you’d expect:

The forecast for tomorrow still looks bleak, but the games must be played!

“Sports” Moments of the Weekend

One thing we love about sports is the funny moments they deliver, here are some rapid fire viral memes, videos, and posts for your enjoyment!

Helicopter Tackle!!!!

Cape Verde scores a late winner against Ghana… and immediately sprints into the crowd

If you know, you know

Klay is having a down year, and his fans are resorting to all time low levels 

Hope no one gets injured in the cold

SMH! The NFL putting games on Peacock is NOT for the kids

What We’re Watching this Week

If you're at a bar, they might be showing these games. Here's what you should know:

NFL Playoffs

Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills
Details: Monday 1/15 4:30pm ET, CBS
Key Players: Steelers: QB Mason Rudolph | Bills: QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs
Storyline: While the game was delayed due to snow, there can be no delaying the hype in Buffalo. Josh Allen steps up in big games, and, facing the Steelers, who have the worst offense of any playoff team, the Bills should be able to roll in the harsh conditions.  

Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Details: Monday 1/15 8:00pm ET, ESPN
Key Players: Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts, WR AJ Brown | Bucs: QB Baker Mayfield, WR Mike Evans
Storyline: The Eagles were one of the top teams in football, but fell off around the end of the season. The Bucs went under-the-radar, winning the worst division in the NFL. A game where the lower seeded Eagles are favored could end up being the most interesting game of the first round.

Tennis

Event: Australian Open
Details: Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles Tennis; January 8th - January 27th
Key Players: Men’s: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz Women’s: Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka

Get Others in the Game

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Until next week,

The Fastbreakk