A post NFL Sunday hangover just hits differently, doesn't it?
There's plenty of weirdness and uncertainty still plaguing our daily lives but yesterday we got to wake up and soak in seven straight hours of NFL games and that's a beautiful thing. I truly missed having an excuse for being a disgusting piece of garbage without an ounce of productivity... so thank you, NFL.
We've got a ton to cover in the wake of Week 1 but first I've got some exciting news for you: Starting today, you'll be getting a double-dose of these daily emails. I'll continue to be with you every single morning but my good bud Tom Fornelli will be hitting you up with CBS HQ PM -- a similar newsletter that brings news with a gambling slant -- moving forward. Be nice to Tom, he's one of my favorite people here at CBS Sports, even if he is a horrible darts player.
You ready to party? Let's get to it.
📰 What you need to know
1. NFL Week 1 full of comebacks and collapses 🏈
We're blessed to have NFL Sundays back in our lives and yesterday basically felt like a holiday on my couch. We were treated to some pretty good football all day long, too, and there were some notable happenings. Let's hit a quick rundown:
- Tom Brady had a lackluster debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He threw for 239 yards and had two touchdowns but was intercepted twice (including a pick-six) as the Saints beat Tampa 34-23. Our Jonathan Jones says don't try to stick a fork in Brady just yet
- Joe Burrow appears be a real one and almost led the Bengals to a dramatic comeback, but his debut was spoiled when kicker Randy Bullock brutally missed a would-be game-tying 31-yard field goal with under 10 seconds left in regulation. Welcome to Cincinnati, kid!
- Cam Newton had himself a nice debut in New England and the Patriots beat the Dolphins, 21-11. Cam must have gotten under the skin of Miami players as they tried to snatch his chain after the game and it led to a pretty heated skirmish on the field
- Philip Rivers' debut with the Colts was a bit of a stinker. He threw two interceptions (including one in the fourth quarter) as Indy suffered an upset loss to the lowly Jaguars
- Mike McCarthy really blew his first game with the Cowboys (and in front of a primetime audience, too) as he made the very questionable decision to pass up a game-tying field goal while in the red zone and down by three in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys were stopped on fourth down and ended up losing 20-17
We also had a couple of dramatic comebacks to start the season, as the Washington Football Team rallied from a 17-point deficit to win 27-17 against the Eagles in their first game under new coach Ron Rivera. Mitch Trubisky had a monster fourth quarter (!) to lead the Bears to a comeback win against the Lions. Of course, for every comeback there's also a collapse... so shoutout to those poor fans who had their hearts stomped on in Week 1.
It feels good to have NFL season in full swing and yesterday was truly a great day for football, and best of all? We've got a couple more games to look forward to tonight. You'll be hearing from Fornelli about those later today.
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2. Nuggets force Game 7 against Clippers 🏀
Well, here's something we never really expected: The Clippers-Nuggets series is heading to Game 7 this week. After LA went up 3-1 in the series, it looked like Denver's run was coming to a swift end but, alas, the Clips have had one hell of a time trying to close this thing out. Here's what went down in Game 6 on Sunday:
- Denver was down by as many as 19 points early in the third quarter before going on a 17-0 run and outscoring the Clippers 30-16 in the third quarter
- With all the momentum going into the fourth quarter, the Nuggets pulled away with a 111-98 victory
- Nikola Jokic finished the game with 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists while shooting 59.1 percent from the field (including 4-of-6 from 3-point range). Our Jasmyn Wimbish said he was the best player on the floor all night
Now seems like a good time to remind you that the Clippers have never made the Western Conference Finals and Doc Rivers has already twice lost a series after leading 3-1. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out whether we're going to get that Battle of Los Angeles conference final that we've been long anticipating, or whether the Clips choke and screw everything up for all of us.
We've got no NBA action tonight since the Boston-Miami series doesn't start until tomorrow. If you want to pass the time, you can read up on five things to know for that Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
3. Dominic Thiem and Naomi Osaka take home US Open titles 🎾
For the first time in six years, we've got ourselves a first-time Grand Slam champion at the US Open. Dominic Thiem had a rough start to yesterday's final round but he ultimately came away as the champ after topping Alexander Zverev in an epic five-set match at Arthur Ashe Stadium .
- Thiem dropped the first two sets but rallied to win 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
- He's the first player to capture a Grand Slam title from two sets down since Gaston Gaudio at 2004 French Open
- The 27-year-old Thiem had lost his three other Grand Slam finals appearances, including earlier this year against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
It was pretty strange to have a Grand Slam final without one of tennis' "big three" (Djokovich, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal) but maybe this could serve as a turning point for the sport. Or maybe Djokovich just has to learn to keep his act together and not fire tennis balls at people's throats.
On the women's side of the tournament, Naomi Osaka, who is just 22, won her third Grand Slam title on Saturday in an epic comeback. She defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Not since 1994 had a player won a US Open women's final after losing the first set.
4. A historic day in MLB ⚾
Don't let playoff basketball/playoff hockey, the US Open and a new NFL season distract you from the fact that baseball is still chugging along in its shortened season as well right now. Yesterday was a pretty historic day for MLB, thanks to a couple of notable developments.
Albert Pujols smacked his 660th career home run on Sunday against the Rockies.
- He's now tied with Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time home runs list and needs just 36 more to tie Alex Rodriguez and move into fourth place
- Pujols: "It's something that I'm going to tell my grandkids, my kids. It's a legacy that's going to live forever. ... To be able to have my name in the sentence with Willie Mays is unbelievable I'm really humbled"
Elsewhere, the Chicago Cubs got a no-hitter from Alec Mills -- the team's first no-no since 2016
- It wasn't the most exciting no-hitter, as Mills had just five strikeouts and generated only five swinging strikes in the Cubs' 12-0 win over the Brewers
- With this no-no coming on the heels of Lucas Giolito's, it's the first time in the history of the sport that both Chicago teams have had a no-hitter in the same reason
Also, this is your reminder that baseball's regular season now has less than two weeks remaining. Crazy, right? There are some compelling races that will be interesting to monitor before we jump into the expanded playoff picture, so that should help keep us occupied as the NBA & NHL playoffs wind down.
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📝 Odds & Ends
- Big Ten presidents met on Sunday but haven't voted on whether to play football this fall
- Mike D'Antoni announced he's not returning to the Rockets next season
- Giannis Antetokounmpo met with Bucks owner Marc Lasry on Saturday to discuss his future with the team. Giannis has previously said he doesn't want to be traded but unfollowed the team and teammates on Instagram over the weekend
📺 What to watch tonight
🏈 Steelers vs. Giants, 7:10 p.m. | NYG +6 | TV: ESPN
🏒 Stars vs. Golden Knights, 8 p.m. | VGK -170 | TV: NBCSN
🏈 Titans vs. Broncos, 10:20 p.m. | DEN +3 | TV: ESPN
📝 Top scores from last night
Aaron Rodgers had himself a day in Minnesota, throwing for 364 yards and picking up four touchdowns as the Packers shredded the favored Vikings.
💵 Winning wagers: Packers +1.5, Over (44.5)
After the Isles opened the scoring in the second period, the Lightning answered 15 seconds later and scored two goals in 12 seconds. Tampa Bay now leads the series 3-1.
💵 Winning wagers: Lightning -154, Under (5.5)
Denver rallied from 19 points down with 22 minutes left in the game to force a Game 7.
💵 Winning wagers: Nuggets +307 , Under (214.5)
Mike Clevinger threw a complete game, seven-inning gem for the Padres to kick off the front half of a double-header, giving up just two hits and earning his second career shutout.
💵 Winning wagers: Padres -176, Push (6)