Josh Allen adds to MVP lead; Eagles win battle of Pennsylvania; Travis Hunter claims Heisman Trophy

Getty Images

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏈 The Football Five

Color Pennsylvania midnight green. The Eagles thumped the Steelers, 27-13, in a Keystone State battle that proved Philadelphia's mettle on both sides of the ball. Days after criticizing the team's passing game, both DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown caught a touchdown and went over 100 yards receiving, even with Jalen Hurts playing with a broken finger. The Eagles more than doubled the Steelers in yardage (401 to 163) and nearly doubled them in time of possession for their franchise-record 10th straight win. T.J. Watt suffered an ankle injury, but the silver lining is the Steelers clinched a playoff berth.
The Packers smothered the Seahawks, 30-13, behind another efficient Jordan Love outing (229 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers) and 136 yards and a touchdown from Josh Jacobs. This time, the defense starred, too, with seven sacks and two interceptions. This is a really good team. In bad news for Seattle, Geno Smith (knee) left and didn't return.
The Bengals kept their narrow playoff hopes alive with a 37-27 win over the Titans. This game was an absolute mess with 10 turnovers and 26 penalties, the first game in NFL history to hit both marks. But it did give us this wonderful moment: 366-pound T'Vondre Sweat making guys miss and throwing a stiff arm on a fumble return. The Titans benched Will Levis after four turnovers.
The Texans beat the Dolphins, 20-12, over the Dolphins, a crushing loss for Miami's playoff hopes. Houston's defense forced four turnovers, two via Derek Stingley Jr. interceptions.
The Commanders hung on for a 20-19 win over the Saints, with Spencer Rattler's two-point conversion pass glancing off Juwan Johnson's hands with no time left. It's a huge win for Washington in the NFC playoff picture.

🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...

THE BUFFALO BILLS

Sometimes, it's as simple as this: The Bills have Josh Allen. Their opponents do not. The MVP frontrunner augmented his case with 362 yards passing, 68 yards rushing, four touchdowns accounted for and zero turnovers in a 48-42 win over the Lions in a potential Super Bowl matchup.

There are three games in NFL history where a player had at least 340 yards passing, 60 yards rushing, two touchdowns passing and two touchdowns rushing. Allen is responsible for two of them ... in the last two weeks!

It is a joy to watch Allen play. He's still at the peak of his immense physical powers, and he's as good mentally as he's ever been. Want more numbers? Over the last three games, he has zero turnovers, zero sacks, 1,027 total yards and 14 touchdowns accounted for. Those are video-game-on-easy-mode numbers.

That's the thing. Everything looks easy, even though it obviously isn't. Allen's 23 completions went to nine different players, with backup running back Ty Johnson (114 yards) leading the way. Speaking of easy, Buffalo probably earned the easiest "A" John Breech will ever give in his weekly grades.

Things are decidedly less easy for Detroit to swallow. Down 10 with 12 minutes left, Dan Campbell opted for an unwise onside kick. Buffalo's Mack Hollins recovered and returned the ball to the 5, and Allen found Ray Davis for a touchdown on the very next play. The defense -- already ravaged by injury -- may have lost standouts Alim McNeil and Carlton Davis for the year.

Oh, and finally ... Scorigami!

Honorable mentions

Lamar Jackson juked himself out of his own pants.
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame agreed to an extension.
Navy sings second! The Midshipmen upset No. 22 Army, 31-13, in the 125th edition of the rivalry.
The Warriors acquired Dennis Schroder from the Nets. In his trade grades, Sam Quinn says both teams did a solid job.
The Warriors and Mavericks combined for an NBA-record 48 3-pointers in Dallas's 143-133 victory.
What a Saturday in men's college basketball: Dylan Harper Jr. hit a 3 at the buzzer to lift Rutgers over Seton Hall, and Jordan Gainey went coast-to-coast as time expired to to lead No. 1 Tennessee over Illinois. Isaac Trotter has the inside story on the Volunteers' win.
Elsewhere, No. 5 Kentucky beat Louisville, and No. 18 UConn got an impressive victory over No. 8 Gonzaga.
No. 19 Tennessee women's basketball set a Division I record -- men's or women's -- with 30 3-pointers in a 139-59 win over NC Central. It's also more than any NBA or WNBA team has ever made in a game.
Freddie Freeman's World Series Game 1 walk-off home run ball sold for $1.56 million.
Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn.
What a goal by Gio Reyna!
Teddy Bridgewater led Miami Northwestern Senior High School to a state championship in his first year as coach.

🏈 And not such a good morning for ...

JONATHAN TAYLOR AND THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

I don't think I'll ever be an NFL coach. But should I ever find myself there -- and I can't believe I'd have to do this for grown men making millions of dollars -- I'd make sure that my players run past the goal-line, football firmly secured, in both hands if possible. I don't care if there's no one near you. I don't care if you're the only human being on Earth.

In a must-have game for the Colts' playoff chances, Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball inches short while waltzing into the end zone on what would have been a 41-yard touchdown for a 19-7 lead (pending extra point) over the Broncos. Instead, Denver scored the final 24 points en route to a 31-13 win. Denver goes to 9-5 and has a 92% chance to make the postseason, per SportsLine. Indianapolis (6-8) has a 6% chance.

Listen, Taylor is not the only person who made a mistake. Far from it. There were eight turnovers, including a backbreaking, ridiculous double-pass that Nik Bonitto brought back for a touchdown (though Indianapolis never runs that play if Taylor had scored). Maybe Denver still rallies regardless. We'll never know. But Taylor's fumble was by far the most infuriating, dispiriting and damaging.

It's been far too common this year -- Taylor wasn't even the only person to do it Sunday -- and it's inexcusable.

👍 Not so honorable mentions

Nick Chubb broke his foot.
Kevin Stefanski didn't commit to Jameis Winston going forward after Winston threw three interceptions.
Maxx Crosby's season is over (ankle).
The 49ers are likely to suspend De'Vondre Campbell for the rest of the season after he refused to enter Thursday's game.

🏈 Patrick Mahomes leaves with ankle injury

Patrick Mahomes left the Chiefs eventual 21-7 win over the Browns with high ankle sprain and did not return. Andy Reid said his superstar quarterback is "day-to-day" and "probably could've gone back in," but reports indicate he is more likely week to week.

Mahomes went down awkwardly, sandwiched between several players with about eight minutes left. Carson Wentz finished the game.
It's tough timing for Kansas City, which began a three-game-in-10-day stretch, something Mahomes actually complained about last week. The Chiefs play the Texans on Saturday and then the Steelers on Christmas Day -- a Wednesday. It's the NFL's first non-COVID-impacted Wednesday game since 2012.
Though the Chiefs have clinched the AFC West, they are looking to hold onto the AFC's No. 1 seed. Kansas City has a two-game lead on Buffalo, but the Bills hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

🏈 Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy by smallest margin since 2009

He struck the pose exactly one month ago, and on Saturday, he collected the trophy. Travis Hunter is the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, with Colorado's two-way sensation narrowly edging out runner-up Ashton Jeanty.

Hunter earned 2,231 points, including 506 first-place votes. Jeanty garnered 2,017 points. It was the slimmest margin since 2009, when Mark Ingram won over Toby Gerhart.
Hunter played over 120 snaps per game and finished the season with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns as well as four interceptions and 11 passes defended. He's the first full-time defensive player to win the award since Charles Woodson in 1997.
Hunter won both the Bednarik Award (top defender) and the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver), the first player to do so. He earned All-America honors from CBS Sports at cornerback (first team), all-purpose (first team) and wide receiver (second team).
All that leads to a truly incredible highlight package with clutch moments and jaw-dropping feats on both sides of the ball.
Jeanty was very disappointed to not win. At least he still has a shot at a national championship.

Chris Hummer, Brandon Marcello and Dennis Dodd have an incredible story on Hunter's incredible story. Blake Brockermeyer, meanwhile, has early 2025 Heisman candidates.

🏀 Bucks to face Thunder in NBA Cup final

And then there were two. The Bucks and the Thunder will meet in the NBA Cup final after the Bucks beat the Hawks ,110-102, and the Thunder beat the Rockets, 111-96, in the semifinals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists) is playing at an MVP level, and Damian Lillard (25 points) is really coming on. Milwaukee needs more from Khris Middleton, but things are moving in the right direction overall.
Things have been moving in the right direction for a while in Oklahoma City, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 points, eight rebounds, six assists) is a huge reason why. One of my favorite players to watch, Gilgeous-Alexander is never in a hurry, always in control and excellent at all three levels. The Thunder play remarkable defense and have tons of depth.
Rockets GM Rafael Stone says he doesn't want to make a trade, but one may become necessary, even with a bright future for Houston, Sam writes.

Here are our takeaways from Saturday.

🏀 Joel Embiid suffers sinus fracture; Jared McCain also hurt

Things went from bad to worse, again, for the 76ers and their biggest star. Joel Embiid suffered a sinus fracture, and his timeline to return is unclear. Not only that, but rookie Jared McCain -- the biggest positive amid an abysmal start -- is out indefinitely with a torn lateral meniscus.

Both injuries happened in Friday's loss to the Pacers that dropped Philadelphia to 7-16 this season, 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid has played just six games this season due to knee issues and a suspension. While injuries have always been an issue for the 2023 MVP, the facial fractures are incredibly bad luck: He fractured his orbital bone in 2017-18 and again in the 2022 playoffs.
McCain, meanwhile, is averaging 15.3 points, tops among rookies.
The 76ers are still rumored to be active on the trade market.