Yahoo Sports AM: Alone at the top
Lest anyone still doubted his place atop tennis' Mt. Rushmore, Novak Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title, solidifying his claim as the GOAT.
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🚨 HEADLINES
⛳️ Tiger's returning: Tiger Woods will compete in next month's Hero World Challenge, which he hosts in the Bahamas, for his first event since undergoing ankle surgery after withdrawing from the Masters.
🏀 Clark passes Plum: Caitlin Clark (35-6-10) had her 39th career 30-point game on Sunday, breaking Kelsey Plum's record for the most in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
⚽️ 300 goals for Mbappé: Kylian Mbappé's hat trick in France's 14-0 rout of Gibraltar on Saturday made him the youngest player with 300 goals between Europe's top five leagues and international games (24 years, 10 months, 29 days).
🏈 Burrow's out for the season: Joe Burrow will miss the rest of the season for the Bengals after tearing a ligament in his wrist during Thursday night's loss to the Ravens.
⚽️ Eight teams left: The Elite Eight is set in the women's NCAA soccer tournament, with Florida State, Pittsburgh, BYU, UNC, Clemson, Penn State, Stanford and Nebraska advancing to the quarterfinals. On the men's side, 16 teams are left.
🎾 NOVAK DJOKOVIC: ALONE AT THE TOP
Lest anyone still doubted his place atop tennis' Mount Rushmore, Novak Djokovic capped another dominant season by solidifying his claim as the sport's GOAT.
Making history: Djokovic, 36, destroyed Carlos Alcaraz (6-3, 6-2) and Jannik Sinner (6-3, 6-3) over the weekend in Italy to win his seventh ATP Finals title, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most all-time. He'd already become the oldest winner ever last year at 35; now he's just showing off.
The big picture: Those were just some of the records Djokovic broke or extended this year as he went 55-6 and won seven titles, his most since 2016.
24 Grand Slams: He won three Grand Slams — and finished runner-up in the fourth — to reach 24 in his career, passing Rafael Nadal (22) and Serena Williams (23) for the most in the Open Era (since 1968).
400 weeks: He passed Steffi Graf (377 weeks) for the most weeks as the world's No. 1 player, having already eclipsed Federer's men's record of 310. When today's rankings come out, he'll be No. 1 for the 400th week in his career.
8 seasons: He's now the year-end No. 1 player for the eighth time, extending his men's record (Pete Sampras, 6) and tying Graf for the most ever.
Age is just a number (for him): Athletes aren't supposed to keep dominating like this at his age. Need proof? He's one of just two players in the top 20 over 30 years old (No. 14 Grigor Dimitrov is 32), and the average age of Nos. 2-10 is just 24.
Looking ahead: Sunday's victory was the 98th title of Djokovic's career, putting him two shy of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Federer (103) as the only men in the 100-win club. Seems to be a safe bet that by this time next year, at 37, he may be ready to pass Federer once again.
🏈 NFL SUNDAY: THE COMEBACK CATS
The Lions won a thriller for the second consecutive week, overcoming a 12-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to beat the Bears, 31-26, and improve to 8-2 — something they hadn't done since JFK was president.
ICYMI: Jared Goff threw a season-high three interceptions as Chicago took a 26-14 lead with just 4:15 left in the game. But he led two touchdown drives in the final three minutes, and Aidan Hutchinson clinched the win with a strip sack for a safety in the waning seconds.
The big picture: Detroit's last 8-2 start came in 1962, eight years before the AFL-NFL merger. Now, the first-place Lions can try to accomplish another long-awaited feat and win their first NFC North title, with their last division crown coming in 1993 when it was called the NFC Central.
More from Sunday:
Broncos country, let's ride: Denver won the battle of red-hot teams on "Sunday Night Football," coming back to beat the Vikings, 21-20, on a last-minute touchdown as their fourth straight victory snapped Minnesota's five-game win streak.
Purdy is perfect: The 49ers cruised past the Buccaneers, 27-14, behind Brock Purdy's career day (21/25, 333 yards, 3 TD), as he became the first Niner to record a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a full game since Joe Montana and Steve Young both did so in 1989.
Another walk-off: The Browns squeaked by the Steelers, 13-10, on Dustin Hopkins' second consecutive walk-off field goal. Cleveland (7-3) has already matched last season's win total.
Another close loss: The Packers beat the Chargers, 23-20, handing L.A. its second consecutive three-point defeat. Five of the Chargers' six losses have come by three points or fewer.
Three straight wins: The Texans beat the Cardinals, 21-16, for their first three-game win streak since 2018.
The other games: Cowboys 33, Panthers 10; Giants 31, Commanders 19; Dolphins 20, Raiders 13; Jaguars 34, Titans 14; Bills 32, Jets 6; Rams 17, Seahawks 16.
Further reading: Winners and losers | Fantasy booms and busts
🏈 A PERFECT STORM: FIVE 11-0 POWER FIVE TEAMS
For the first time ever, five teams in the Power Five have an 11-0 record, which should yield an incredible race to the finish as college football enters the final week of its regular season.
No. 1 Georgia (11-0): The top-ranked Bulldogs routed No. 18 Tennessee, 38-10, for their 28th consecutive win, tying Alabama for the longest winning streak in SEC history.
No. 2 Ohio State (11-0): Speaking of routs, the Buckeyes have won their last two games by a combined score of 75-6 over Minnesota and Michigan State. Next up? Michigan.
No. 3 Michigan (11-0): The Wolverines escaped with a 31-24 win over Maryland, becoming the first team in college football history to win 1,000 games.
No. 4 Florida State (11-0): The Noles remained perfect, but their win came at a massive cost as superstar QB Jordan Travis went down with a gruesome leg injury.
No. 5 Washington (11-0): Another week, another close win for the Huskies, whose 22-20 victory over No. 11 Oregon State clinched them a spot in the Pac-12 title game.
Crowded playoff field: Those five still have company in the hunt for a playoff berth, as one-loss Oregon, Texas, Alabama and Louisville also won on Saturday, setting the stage for a chaotic Rivalry Week.
Week 12 notes:
The final perfect team: Liberty joins the five teams above, improving to 11-0 in their first season in C-USA, but James Madison's perfect season ended with an OT loss to Appalachian State.
Heisman favorites explode: Oregon QB Bo Nix went 24-for-29 with 404 yards and 6 TD, while LSU QB Jayden Daniels went 25-for-30 with 413 yards and 6 TD, plus 96 rushing yards and 2 scores.
Badgers go bowling: Wisconsin's season hasn't been pretty, but the Badgers' OT win against Nebraska clinched their 22nd consecutive season with bowl eligibility, the third-longest streak in the nation behind Georgia (27) and Oklahoma (25).
One state, two huge upsets: New Mexico State (+25.5) crushed Auburn, 31-10, and New Mexico (+22.5) beat Fresno State, 25-17. The lesson? Don't bet against the Land of Enchantment!
Further reading: Winners and losers
🇺🇸 PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA
Las Vegas — Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix for his mind-boggling and record-extending 18th victory in 21 races this season. Just one race left, this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
Naples, Florida — South Korea's Amy Yang won the Tour Championship on Sunday with a tournament-record 27-under par, claiming her fifth LPGA Tour victory, and first on American soil.
St. Simons Island, Georgia — Sweden's Ludvig Åberg was nearly perfect in his first PGA Tour victory, winning the RSM Classic with a 29-under 253, tying Justin Thomas (2017 Sony Open) for the lowest score in PGA Tour history.
🌎 PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD
Ahmedabad, India — Australia beat host nation India on Sunday for their record-extending sixth Cricket World Cup title. No other country has won more than twice.
Hamilton, Ontario — The Montreal Alouettes came back to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 28-24, on Sunday to win their eighth Grey Cup, becoming Canadian Football League champions for the first time since 2010.
Stockholm — William Nylander played the hero all weekend for the Maple Leafs in his home country, recording five points in their 2-0 trip to Sweden including the OT game-winner on Sunday.
📆 NOV. 20, 1902: THE TOUR DE FRANCE IS BORN
121 years ago today, Géo Lefèvre and Henri Desgrange — both former cyclists turned journalists — hatched the idea for the Tour de France while brainstorming ways to sell newspapers.
How it happened: Desgrange had hired Lefèvre to cover cycling for his publication, "L'Auto." At a meeting to discuss how they could boost circulation, Lefèvre nervously suggested that they host a six-day race around the country. "If I understand you right, petit Géo," said Desgrange, "what you are proposing is a Tour de France."
🏀 1997: Mavericks PF A.C. Green played in his 907th consecutive game, breaking Randy Smith's record to become the NBA's Iron Man. He ultimately played in 1,192 straight, still the record*.
🏁 2016: Jimmie Johnson won his seventh and final NASCAR Cup Series championship, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time.
*Active streak: Nets wing Mikal Bridges is the NBA's active leader, playing in all 405 games of his NBA career.
📺 WATCHLIST: SUPER BOWL REMATCH
The Chiefs host the Eagles tonight (8:15pm ET, ESPN/ABC) in a Super Bowl rematch, nine months after Kansas City outlasted Philadelphia, 38-35, in Super Bowl LVII.
Alternate broadcast: Michael Vick joins ESPN2's ManningCast almost exactly 13 years after his 6 total TDs fueled the Eagles' rout of the Redskins during the "Monday Night Massacre."
She won't be there: Pennsylvania-native Taylor Swift was supposed to be in attendance to watch her boyfriend's team take on her favorite team. But her concert in Rio de Janeiro was postponed to tonight due to extreme heat on Saturday.
More to watch:
🏒 NHL: Rangers at Stars (8pm, ESPN+) … First in the Metropolitan vs. first in the Central.
🏀 NCAAM: Maui Invitational (2:30-11:30pm, ESPN2/ESPNU) … Day 1 of the three-day tournament in Honolulu, featuring a stacked eight-team field*.
⚽️ CONCACAF Nations League: USMNT (up 3-0) vs. Trinidad and Tobago (7pm, TNT/Max) … Second leg of the quarterfinals.
*Today's games: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Syracuse (2:30pm, ESPN2); No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Gonzaga (5pm, ESPN2); No. 1 Kansas vs. Chaminade (9pm, ESPNU); No. 4 Marquette vs. UCLA (11:30pm, ESPN2)
⚾️ MLB TRIVIA
Aaron Nola, who's staying in Philly after signing a seven-year, $172 million deal, has 26.0 wins above replacement since his 2018 All-Star season, the fifth-most among pitchers in that time.
Question: Which four pitchers have more WAR since then?
Hint: Three have pitched in his division.
Answer at the bottom.
🍿 TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND
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Trivia answer: Max Scherzer (29.8 WAR), Gerrit Cole (29.6), Zack Wheeler (26.4) and Jacob deGrom (26.1)
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