Fields leads Bears over Patriots on MNF – WSJM Morning Sports

wsjm-2020-podcasts

NFL – National Football League – Week 7
Last Night
Chicago Bears 33, New England Patriots 14

Bears 33, Patriots 14 – Fields, Bears score 23 straight points, beat Pats 33-14
Justin Fields threw for 179 yards and a touchdown and ran for 82 yards and another score, and the Bears defense forced returning Patriots starter Mac Jones back to the bench to give Chicago a 33-14 victory over New England. In a matchup of QB’s from the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship game, Fields outperformed Jones, who led Alabama to victory over Fields’ Ohio State. Fields also outplayed Patriots rookie Bailey Zappe, who came on after Jones managed just two three-and-outs and an interception in his return after missing three games with a high ankle sprain. Zappe led the Pats to back-to-back touchdowns and a 14-10 lead. But Fields answered and the Bears (3-4) led 20-14 at the half. In the second half Chicago ran off 23 unanswered points.

NFL – Colts bench injured QB Matt Ryan in favor of Sam Ehlinger
The Indianapolis Colts are benching starting quarterback Matt Ryan and will start Sam Ehlinger in Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. Coach Frank Reich says Ryan has a separated throwing shoulder though the injury was not the reason he was demoted. Ehlinger started his rookie season on injured reserve, but was promoted to the active roster in October 2021. He supplanted Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles as No. 2 on the depth chart heading into Week 6. Ryan leads the NFL with nine interceptions and has fumbled 11 times this season.

NFL – NFL looking into interaction between refs, Bucs WR Evans
The NFL said it is looking into what transpired between two game officials and Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans in the tunnel of the stadium after the Buccaneers’ 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. A reporter captured a video of side judge Jeff Lamberth and line judge Tripp Sutter approaching Evans as he made his way toward the locker room. There is a short inaudible exchange with Evans, before he appears to write something on a slip of paper handed to him by the officials. A second video appears to show Evans writing on paper as Lamberth stood next to him. According to the CBA agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association game officials are not allowed to “ask players, coaches or any other team personnel for autographs or memorabilia.”

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Chicago Bulls 120, Boston Celtics 102
Philadelphia 76ers 120, Indiana Pacers 106

Bulls 120, Celtics 102 – DeRozan, Vucevic lead way as Bulls beat Celtics 120-102
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and 23 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls wiped out a big early deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 120-102. The Bulls went from trailing by 19 in the first quarter with Jayson Tatum providing an early spark for Boston to leading by 16 near the end of the half. They then went on a big run after the lead dwindled to three early in the third and handed the Celtics their first loss after a 3-0 start. Ayo Dosunmu scored 22. Zach LaVine added 19 points, helping the Bulls stop a two-game skid and pick up their first win since the opener at Miami. Tatum scored 2 to lead Boston.

Sixers 120, Pacers 106 – Harden, Embiid lead 76ers past Pacers 120-106 for 1st win
James Harden had 29 points and 11 assists, and Joel Embiid scored 26 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their first win of the season, 120-106 over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Harden made 10 of 18 shots from the floor and hit two straight 3s in the fourth that pushed the lead to 109-95. Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 19 points and 10 assists. Buddy Hield had 18 points. Tobias Harris scored 18 points for the 76ers.

Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NCAAFB – Michigan’s Harbaugh: PSU’s Franklin ‘ringleader’ in scuffle
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Penn State coach James Franklin acted as a “ringleader” when the No. 4 Wolverines and No. 13 Nittany Lions clashed nearly two weeks ago, dismissing Franklin’s claim that a policy change was needed to keep things orderly beneath Michigan Stadium. Harbaugh said Monday it wasn’t the lack of a policy that caused a problem when the teams exchanged heated words at halftime of Michigan’s lopsided win over Penn State.

NCAAMBKB – Nantz to call last Final Four in ’23, Eagle to take over
Jim Nantz will step away from calling the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after next year and will be succeeded by Ian Eagle. CBS Sports confirmed the move on Monday night. It was first reported by the New York Post. Nantz has been a part of CBS’ coverage of the tournament since 1986. He was the studio host for five years before calling his first Final Four in 1991. The 63-year old Nantz will remain the lead voice of the network’s NFL coverage along with leading its golf team. CBS has The Masters and PGA Championship.

MLB – Love ’em or hate ’em, Series-bound Astros keep on winning
The Houston Astros are off to the World Series for the fourth time in six seasons. It’s a remarkable show of staying power for the franchise, particularly in a baseball era that includes a 12-team playoff gauntlet. Yet the dichotomy of this generation of Astros will probably never go away. The stench of the franchise’s 2017 cheating scandal still lingers. Only five players are left on the roster that were a part of that 2017 team. It’s a team many fans love to hate, but the days of the Astros being a postseason fixture don’t look like they’re ending any time soon.

Tennis – Pegula, Gauff 1st 2 US women in Top 4 since Serena, Venus
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are the first pair of U.S. women both in the top four spots of the WTA rankings since sisters Serena and Venus Williams were up there a dozen years ago.Pegula rose two places to a career-best No. 3 after winning the biggest title of her career at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico. Gauff, who lost in the quarterfinals at that tournament, moved up from No. 7 to No. 4.The last time two Americans were that high in the women’s tennis rankings was the week of Oct. 18, 2010, when Serena Williams was No. 2 and Venus Williams was No. 4.

Olympics – Russian runner stripped of 2012 Olympics title for doping
Ten years after the London Olympics, 400-meter hurdles champion Natalya Antyukh has been disqualified for doping. The Russian’s case means Lashinda Demus of the United States is set to be upgraded to the gold medal. Antyukh was already serving a four-year ban in a previous case judged by the Court or Arbitration for Sport last year. That stripped her results from 2013 to 2015. The new ruling based on historical evidence recovered from a Moscow testing laboratory database further disqualifies Antyukh from mid-July 2012. At age 39, Demus is in line to win an Olympic gold.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Today
Women’s Volleyball
Southwestern Michigan College at Lansing Community College, 6:30 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Tonight
Boys Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Portage Northern
Grand Haven vs. Rockford, 5:00 p.m.
Portage Central vs. Traverse City West, 7:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Vicksburg
Gull Lake vs. Zeeland East, 5:00 p.m.
St. Joseph vs. DeWitt, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Grand Rapids South Christian
Holland Christian vs. GR Catholic Central, 5:00 p.m.
Paw Paw vs. Muskegon Oakridge, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Holland Christian
Hartford vs. Grandville Calvin Christian, 6:00 p.m.
Howardsville Chri vs. Muskegon West Mi. Chr., 8:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Lansing Christian
Lansing Christian vs. Hillsdale Academy, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett vs. Ann Arbor Greenhills, 7:00 p.m.

Volleyball
South Haven at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.