Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, December 16.

NFL

There were two games played last night, and I’m obligated to tell you about them. It was really bad football though, so this is going to be quick:

• Minnesota cruised to a 30-12 win over Chicago. The Vikings are now 12-2, tied with Detroit atop the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Bears have lost eight games in a row.

• Atlanta won a very poorly played game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The final score was 15-9… Vegas had a last-second Hail Mary that reached the endzone, but I’d argue it was one of the least-exciting dramatic finishes of the entire 2024 sports year.

NHL

Three games to recap from yesterday on the ice:

• Roope Hintz scored two goals and the Dallas Stars beat the Washington Capitals 3-1.

• Kiefer Sherwood scored all three goals for the Canucks, leading Vancouver to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche with his first career hat trick.

• A rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup final was the game of the night. Florida scored three goals in the third period to beat Edmonton 6-5. The play of the game came from Sam Reinhart, the Panthers leading scorer on the season. Take a look at this one:

NBA

And now to the courts of the NBA:

• Three games ended in one-point margins last night: the Pistons surprised the Heat, beating Miami 125-124 in overtime, the Bulls beat the Raptors 122-121, and the Nuggets escaped the Kings 130-129. Nikola Jokic had another triple-double, no big deal.

• At halftime, the Utah Jazz trailed the Los Angeles Clippers 81-47! James Harden finished with 41 points as the Clips closed this one out 144-107.

NCAA SOCCER

The game was tied 1-1. Marshall and Vermont headed to a golden goal overtime with the NCAA championship on the line. Turn up the volume and enjoy this one. A truly great sports moment:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Dave Clawson announced he would leaving his position as head coach of the Wake Forest football team, effective immediately. With the college sports landscape changing drastically the last few seasons, Clawson joins a growing list of experienced coaches who have decided to step away from the game. The greatest football coach in Wake Forest history, Clawson is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different Division I programs to double-digit wins in a season. A beloved ambassador for both his school and the sport, Clawson will be sorely missed on the sidelines. He will, however, stay on with the Demon Deacons in an advisory role next season.

In other college football coaching news, Sacramento State is exploring the idea of hiring Michael Vick to lead their team. Sac State is making the move up to the FBS level, and according to insider Adam Schefter, are building a new stadium to go along with their $50 million in NIL money. Talk about investing in a program!

The Detroit Lions have been hit with an amazing amount of injuries this season. The latest loss is running back David Montgomery, who will miss the rest of the year.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NCAA BASKETBALL:

• MEN: North Carolina vs (7) Florida, 7 PM on ESPN; Clemson @ South Carolina, 7 PM on SEC Network

• WOMEN: Iowa State @ (4) UConn, 8:30 PM on FS1; (10) Oklahoma vs (20) Michigan, 9:30 PM on ESPN2

SCOOTER’S COFFEE FRISCO BOWL: Memphis vs West Virginia, 9 PM on ESPN

NBA CUP FINALS: Bucks vs Thunder in Las Vegas, 8:30 PM on ABC

Ending today with the best video you’ll see all week. Mr. Oppenheimer, meet the creative geniuses at Pop-Tarts…