Saquon Barkley, Eagles thunder past Commanders; Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul preview; NFL, CFB picks

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

With superstars all over the field, the Eagles‘ offense is almost always bound to find an answer. And even if finding it takes a while, a dominant defense can hold down the fort until it happens. Philadelphia surged past Washington, 26-18, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter behind another monster Saquon Barkley performance.

• Barkley ran for 146 yards — his fourth 140-yard rushing game this season, already tied for most in a season in franchise history — and two touchdowns and added 52 yards receiving.
• Barkley leads the league in yards rushing (1,137) and scrimmage yards (1,347) this season.
• In the fourth quarter alone, Barkley had 76 yards rushing and both of his touchdowns. It’s the second time this season he’s had at least 50 yards rushing and two touchdowns rushing in the fourth quarter. No one else has done it even once. He’s a star and a closer.
• There are many standouts on this defense, but let’s shout out Zach Baun (15 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass defensed), Reed Blankenship (10 tackles, one interception) and Jalen Carter, who blew up the game-changing drive — more on that in a moment.

The Eagles (8-2) have won six straight, and what a job they’ve done after a slow start. This defense was downright bad last year, but it’s been rebuilt at linebacker, cornerback and coordinator (Vic Fangio), and Barkley is showing his enormous value. Philadelphia is absolutely rolling.

👍 Honorable mentions

• Rico Dowdle is officially the Cowboys‘ RB1.
• Kyler Murray has been awesome.
• The Lakers are in the top 10 of Colin Ward-Henninger’s NBA Power Rankings.
• We ranked all 30 NBA City Edition jerseys.
• Here’s the All-MLB team.
• The Rays will play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees‘ spring training stadium.
• Here are offseason targets for the Phillies.
• Christian Barmore practiced for the first time since being diagnosed with blood clots.
• Florida‘s Urban Kalvžar is finally eligible.
• Lindsey Vonn is coming out of retirement.
• Kaleena Smith became the first high school women’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Adidas.

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Two weeks ago, the Commanders were the NFL’s best feel-good story. Now, they’re losers of two straight eminently winnable games, and an offense that was shredding everyone has hit its first bump.

Thursday, things swung heavily in Philadelphia’s favor immediately after Washington, instead of attempting a field goal for a potential 13-12 lead, opted to go for it and failed. The Eagles scored 14 points in the next three and a half minutes to blow it open.

But this performance was concerning beyond one major momentum swing.

• Through nine weeks, the Commanders offense had the fourth-highest success rate in the NFL at 51.5%, but that number has since fallen to 44.3%.
• I think Daniels is still being impacted by the rib injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Panthers. Through the first six games, he had a 71.5% completion percentage and 51 yards rushing per game. In four full games since the injury, he’s at 59.1% and 11.5, respectively.
• Thursday, Daniels completed just four passes to wide receivers as the offense was unable to get anything going downfield.

The mini bye comes at the perfect time for Washington, which is still a strong 7-4 and has a manageable finishing stretch. Last night, though, was ugly.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

• LeBron James hinted at retiring sooner rather than later.
• Micah Parsons took a shot at the Giants for letting Barkley get to the Eagles.
• Deion Sanders says he won’t allow his son Shedeur go to the wrong NFL team.
• The Mavericks had yet another heartbreaking loss.
• Here’s why MLB free agency has been quiet.
• A former Suns employee is suing the franchise for $60 million over allegations of harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination.

🥊 Preview of Mike Tyson-Jake Paul; Jon Jones-Stipe Miocic at UFC 309

One of the strangest, can’t-look-but-can’t-look-away boxing matches we’ve ever seen is just hours away. Mike Tyson, 58, faces Jake Paul, 27, tonight at AT&T Stadium. Streaming on Netflix, it’s expected to be among the biggest events in the sport’s history, and Tyson slapping Paul during the final staredown only adds to the hype.

There’s a lot to digest. Tyson’s journey to this moment is truly one-of-one, as Brian Campbell explains, and while he’s the underdog, there are paths to victory, including …

• Campbell: “Tyson’s peek-a-boo style is difficult to defend — Tyson will be very much considered a live dog and knockout threat in the early going. A huge part of that is his deceptive style of ducking forward behind his high guard and exploding with powerful combinations of fight-ending hooks. Even if Paul uses his muscular, 6-foot-1 frame to tie him up when he gets close, Tyson doesn’t need much space to uncork the kind of uppercuts that could be a problem for Paul.”

Brent Brookhouse, meanwhile, has keys to victory for Paul.

Legends like Roy Jones Jr., Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury, Manny Pacquiao and others have made their picks, as have our experts. Here’s more:

• Brent says this is a lose/lose for Paul.
• Taylor vs. Serrano is well worth your time on the undercard

Tomorrow, Jon Jones defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic to headline UFC 309. Miocic, 42, is nearing retirement, and Jones has drawn plenty of ire for refusing to fight interim champion Tom Aspinall for a variety of reasons/excuses. But this fight at New York’s Madison Square Garden still provides plenty of intrigue with arguably the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter facing one of the most accomplished heavyweights ever. Brent has best bets for the event, including …

• Brookhouse: “Over 2.5 rounds (+114) — There are a lot of unknowns heading into Jones vs. Miocic beyond that Jones is a heavy favorite to get the win. I’m leaning toward Jones being more wary of Miocic’s power and all-around skillset than he was of Cyril Gane, and Miocic also being more competent on the ground than Gane if he is taken down. That should lead to the fight going past the halfway mark of Round 3.”

Here’s more:

• Other top fights on the card
• Jones would be willing to vacate his title for “super fights.”
• Miocic is focused amid the noise.

🏈 NFL Week 11 picks: Chiefs-Bills, Ravens-Steelers headline AFC showdowns

Week 11 has plenty more in store. Let’s start with Chiefs-Bills. Garrett Podell has an excellent preview of how Josh Allen will try to combat Steve Spagnuolo‘s defense.

Though Allen said this game is no different than any other, that’s not exactly true. Patrick Mahomes is an underdog — that doesn’t happen much, and he usually wins regardless — and the Bills are getting a key contributor back while the Chiefs just lost one.

So, who wins this clash? In his best bets, Will Brinson says …

• Brinson: “Bills ML (-130) — Allen is 3-1 against Mahomes before the postseason rolls around … And unlike in previous years, you can argue the Bills are the better team anyway. Buffalo’s been more dominant for most of the season, even though Kansas City has the better record. They’re a weird level of undefeated … The Bills have enough firepower to overcome this defense and find a way to win the game on Sunday.”

Just before that, there’s a classic AFC North showdown between the Ravens and Steelers. Lamar Jackson can’t explain his struggles against Pittsburgh, but I think they end this weekend. Here’s what our experts think:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

The CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter is 19-8 after going 1-2 last week. It was our first losing week, and I certainly won’t trust the Jets or the Bears again soon. Let’s bounce back:

• Ravens over Steelers
• 49ers over Seahawks
• Rams over Patriots

🏈 College football Week 12 preview, picks: Georgia bounce back?

We’ve been talking about them all week, from their dismal loss to Ole Miss to them falling out of the playoff bracket to them with their backs against the wall. Now, we’re almost there. Can the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs beat No. 7 Tennessee? (preview) It’ll be a lot easier for Kirby Smart‘s bunch if Nico Iamaleava (concussion protocol) can’t play, and the betting line indicates that may be the case, Dennis Dodd notes.

• Dodd: “Ten points? At least offensively, Georgia’s in disarray. The Dawgs come into this game 15th out of 16 SEC teams in rushing. Only nine other Power Four programs have more turnovers than Georgia’s 15. Carson Beck‘s decline this season is worth a documentary. … Ten points? Not unless walk-on quarterback Gaston Moore takes the field Saturday at Sanford Stadium. … Don’t be surprised if Las Vegas knows beforehand.”

Tom Fornelli’s Six Pack also makes a call on the ‘Dawgs and the Vols, as well as a big one in the Big 12 between Utah and No. 17 Colorado.

Here’s more:

• Big Ten picks | SEC picks
• Jerry Palm’s best bets
• PREVIEWS: No. 3 Texas at Arkansas | No. 20 Clemson at Pitt | No. 22 LSU at Florida
• Trevor Etienne is out.
• DJ Lagway is expected back.

⚽ USMNT beats Jamaica; previewing NWSL quarterfinals

In a game as bumpy as the field it was played on, the USMNT beat Jamaica, 1-0, in the first leg of their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal. Ricardo Pepi scored in the fifth minute, and Matt Turner made a big save on a penalty kick to give Mauricio Pochettino a win in his first competitive match managing the Americans. The second leg will be played Monday night in St. Louis.

There’s plenty more great soccer over the weekend with the NWSL quarterfinals:

• Saturday: Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 12 p.m. (CBS)
• Sunday: Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

The games will feature USWNT stars such as Trinity Rodman (Spirit), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC) and international stars Marta (Pride), Barbra Banda (Pride) and Temwa Chawinga (Current). I enjoyed Pardeep Cattry’s look at how all four teams made it here and Sandra Herrera’s thoughts on which final matchup would be best.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 No. 2 UConn at No. 14 North Carolina (W), 6 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 20 Florida at Florida State (M), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 2 Alabama at No. 13 Purdue (M), 7 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Lakers at Spurs, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🥊 Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, 8 p.m. on Netflix
🏈 Wyoming at Colorado State, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 No. 15 Marquette at Maryland (M), 8 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 9 Arizona at Wisconsin (M), 9 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 21 Ohio State at No. 23 Texas A&M (M), 9 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Grizzlies at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

⚽ Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, noon on CBS
🏈 No. 2 Ohio State at Northwestern, noon on BTN
🏈 No. 3 Texas at Arkansas, noon on ABC
🏈 Utah at No. 17 Colorado, noon on Fox
🏈 No. 20 Clemson at Pitt, noon on ESPN
🏈 No. 25 Tulane at Navy, noon on ESPN2
🏀 Wofford at No. 6 Duke (M), noon on ACC Network
🏈 No. 4 Penn State at Purdue, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 No. 23 Missouri at No. 21 South Carolina, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 Arizona State at No. 16 Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 7 Tennessee at No. 12 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Spurs at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🤼 UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic, 10 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 Kansas at No. 6 BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

🏀 New Mexico at No. 22 St. John’s (M), noon on FS1
🏈 Ravens at Steelers, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Packers at Bears, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 24 Stanford at Indiana, 2 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current, 2:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 13 NC State at TCU (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Falcons at Broncos, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Seahawks at 49ers, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Chiefs at Bills, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Bengals at Chargers, 8:05 p.m. on NBC