The top-4 SEC showdown between South Carolina women’s basketball and Texas wasn’t pretty, with both teams combining for 42 turnovers, but the Gamecocks were able to grind out a win.

No. 2-ranked South Carolina defeated No. 4 Texas 68-65 on Thursday, Jan. 15, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, to hand the Longhorns back-to-back losses for the first time since November 2022.

It wasn’t the prettiest win for South Carolina. The Gamecocks had 20 turnovers and their 68 points marked their fourth-lowest total of the season, but it was enough to earn a conference win that’ll likely have seeding implications later in the season. South Carolina and Texas split the regular season series, 1-1, with the Gamecocks winning four of the last six meetings dating back to last season.

The Gamecocks went on a 9-2 run to take a 64-59 lead with 53 seconds remaining in regulation, marking South Carolina’s largest lead of the game. A layup from Texas forward Madison Booker cut Texas’ deficit to three points with 44.8 left, but South Carolina guard Raven Johnson hit a pull-up jumper to push the lead back to 66-61 with 23.2 remaining. Booker got another quick layup and both teams traded a pair of free throws, but the Longhorns weren’t able to knock down a 3-pointer when they needed it most. Texas finished 1-of-9 from the 3-point line.

Joyce Edwards finished with a team-high 14 points. Tessa Johnson added 13 points, Ta’Niya Latson recorded 12 points and Raven Johnson had 10 points. Raven Johnson scored or assisted on 12 of South Carolina’s 20 fourth quarter points.

Booker finished with a game-high 24 points for Texas, while guard Rori Harmon added 16 points. Texas guard Jordan Lee, who fouled out with 2:02 remaining, finished with 10 points.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates for Thursday’s SEC showdown between Texas and South Carolina:

Texas vs. South Carolina highlights

End of Q3: Texas 49, South Carolina 48

Points have been hard to come by in this SEC showdown and Texas has a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Madison Booker has a team-high 16 points, while Rori Harmon is up to 14 points. Texas is shooting 46% from the field, but their turnover woes have continued. Texas is up to 19 turnovers, which surpasses their previous season-high (17) set in a loss to LSU on Jan. 11.

Ta’Niya Latson is the only player to reach double-digits for South Carolina, but the Gamecokcs’ bench is outscoring Texas’ 9-3. South Carolina is up to 18 turnovers. The Gamecocks’ season-high is 20 turnovers.

Halftime: Texas 32, South Carolina 32

We’re all tied up after the first half. Texas entered Thursday’s SEC matchup with the second-fewest turnovers in the nation with 10.5 per game. In the first half vs. South Carolina, the Longhorns are already up to 14 turnovers.

South Carolina has capitalized on Texas’ mishaps and scored 14 points off turnovers. The Gamecocks haven’t played the prettiest brand of basketball either. South Carolina is up to 10 turnovers.

Rori Harmon has a team-high 12 points for Texas. Madison Booker was held scoreless in the second quarter and remains at seven points. Meanwhile, Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, Madina Okot and Ta’Niya Latson each have six points for the Gamecocks.

Both teams are struggling from beyond the arc. Texas is 0-of-3 while South Carolina’s sole 3-pointer came from Tessa Johnson to start the game. The Gamecocks are 1-of-4 from 3.

End of Q1: Texas 20, South Carolina 13

Texas went on a 8-1 run to close the first quarter with a 20-13 lead over South Carolina. The one-two punch of Madison Booker (7) and Rori Harmon (6) have combined for 13 of Texas’ 20 points. Harmon was limited to six points in the Longhorns’ Nov. 27 win over South Carolina.

Thirteen points marks South Carolina’s lowest scoring first quarter of the season. Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson each have four points, but the Gamecocks didn’t score a field goal in the final eight minutes of the quarter. They shot 3-of-13 from the field and 1-of-3 from the 3-point line in the first quarter, finishing with more turnovers (6) than field goals.

Alicia Tournebize makes South Carolina debut

South Carolina forward Alicia Tournebize checked into Thursday’s game with 5:55 remaining in the first quarter as the Gamecocks trailed by one point. The 6-foot-7 forward played professionally in France for a few years before announcing she would join the Gamecocks in December. Tournebize, 18, arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, on Jan. 1 and has been practicing since Jan. 6, according to the Greenville News.

Tournebize was subbed out at the 3:41 mark after picking up a foul in two minutes of work. 

Texas has early lead over South Carolina

We’re underway in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. It’s been a low scoring affair so far, with Texas holding a 12-10 lead over South Carolina with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter. Turnovers have been plaguing both teams to start. South Carolina has five turnovers, while Texas is up to four.

What time is South Carolina vs. Texas?

The No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks host the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. ET at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

South Carolina vs Texas women’s basketball: TV, streaming

Date: Thursday, Jan. 15
Time: 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT)
Location: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, South Carolina)
TV: ESPN2
Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

Texas women’s basketball starting lineup

G Rori Harmon
G Jordan Lee
F Madison Booker
F Justice Carlton
F Breya Cunningham

South Carolina women’s basketball starting lineup

G Tessa Johnson
G Raven Johnson
G Ta’Niya Latson
F Joyce Edwards
C Madina Okot

Texas coach Vic Schaefer not happy with schedule

Texas dropped its first loss of the season to LSU and it doesn’t get any easier for the Longhorns, as they travel to No. 2 South Carolina Thursday. Coach Vic Schaefer voiced his displeasure with the schedule.

‘They obviously have a vendetta against Texas because not only have we started in the league, and I get to play South Carolina twice last year, this year, I get LSU twice,’ Schaefer said.’I have to play South Carolina on the road this year, as well as LSU. I get them back-to-back in the same week. Now, make that make sense.’

South Carolina women’s basketball adds French prospect

The No. 2-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team will have a new addition when it takes on No. 4 Texas on Thursday night. Alicia Tournebize will be available to play, coach Dawn Staley confirmed on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-7 forward played professionally in France for a few years before announcing she would join the Gamecocks in December. Tournebize, 18, arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, on Jan. 1 and has been practicing since Jan. 6, according to the Greenville News. She warmed up with South Carolina before they beat Georgia 65-43 on Sunday, but didn’t take the court. Read Mitchell Northam’s full story here.

South Carolina women’s basketball roster

South Carolina women’s basketball: Keys to win

Meghan Hall: For South Carolina, it has to be utilizing defensive pressure to dictate how fast the team wants to play in transition. The Gamecocks excel at forcing turnovers and turning it into quick points on the other end.
Cydney Henderson: The Gamecocks need to find production from its bench. South Carolina’s bench was limited to two points in their loss to Texas on Nov. 27.

Texas women’s basketball roster

Texas women’s basketball: X factors

Texas G Rori Harmon: Harmon was benched in the fourth quarter during the Longhorns’ loss to LSU. She was 1-of-7 from the field during the game. That cannot happen in back-to-back matchups, let alone during SEC play against No. 2 South Carolina. Harmon didn’t have a great shooting day when these two teams played on Nov. 27, but she did have the game-winning basket and nine assists. If her shot isn’t falling, she’s got to find other ways to contribute. — Meghan Hall
Texas G Jordan Lee: Lee finished with a team-high 19 points in Texas’ first meeting against South Carolina in November and the Longhorns will need similar production, especially if South Carolina zeros in defensively on Madison Booker and Rori Harmon. Lee has reached double-digit points in 16 of 19 games this season, including a career-high 23 points against Missouri on Jan. 1. She’s averaging a career-best 14.8 points this season, nearly a 10-point jump from her freshman campaign.
Texas C Kyla Oldacre: She tallied four points and seven rebounds in the first meeting with South Carolina. Recently, she’s played a lot better, notching double-doubles in back-to-back games, including a performance where she scored 23 points in 20 minutes against Auburn. These games between the Gamecocks and the Longhorns are often decided in the paint, and Oldacre having a great outing could be what gets Texas its second straight win in the series. — Mitchell Northam

Texas women’s basketball: Keys to victory

What are you watching for in this game? What’s going to be the key to a victory?

Meghan Hall: Texas is hard to beat when forward Madison Booker and Rori Harmon get their two-person game going early. Booker also anchors the Longhorns defensively; I’d like to see her cause disruption early and get her teammates involved.
Cydney Henderson: Texas must limit their turnovers if they want to avoid a second consecutive loss. The Longhorns surrendered a season-high 17 turnovers against LSU — Madison Booker had six — which led to 14 points for the Tigers. The sloppiness was uncharacteristic for Texas, which has the highest turnover margin in the nation (13.79) and records the second-fewest turnovers in the country (10.5 per game). The Longhorns must avoid self-inflicted wounds against South Carolina’s stout defense.
Mitchell Northam: These two teams combined for 3-of-13 shooting from 3-point land in the first meeting. While strong interior play has led the Gamecocks and Longhorns to a lot of victories, if someone gets hot from behind the arc, it could determine who wins. Jordan Lee of Texas is shooting 38% from deep in her last five games, while Tessa Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson are both making north of 40% of their 3-pointers on the season.

USA TODAY Sports’s coaches poll: Texas falls, LSU rises

Texas dropped to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports women’s college basketball poll after suffering its first loss of the season Sunday, Jan. 11 to LSU.

The Tigers moved up six spots in the poll, from No. 12 to No. 6 after the victory. UConn continues to hold down the top spot in the poll followed by South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and Vanderbilt.

NCAA women’s basketball games to watch

What other clash will you have an eye on Thursday?

Meghan Hall: The No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats are currently without starter Teonni Key, due to an elbow injury. The Wildcats dropped a game against unranked Alabama, 64-51, and then won a Jan. 11 matchup to beat No. 12 Oklahoma, 63-57. Kentucky’s up-and-down play bears watching as they host guard Liv McGill, fifth in scoring in the nation (23.4 points a game), and the Florida Gators.
Cydney Henderson: I have my eyes on No. 6 LSU and No. 12 Oklahoma. The Sooners are looking to bounce back from back-to-back conference losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky. LSU has been there and done that. The Tigers dropped two consecutive SEC matchups to Kentucky and Vanderbilt, before getting back in the win column with wins against Georgia and an undefeated Texas team. Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk said Sunday’s matchup against LSU will be a “fork in the road”  and called out her team’s “energy, toughness and togetherness.” That approach worked for Kim Mulkey. It remains to be seen if Baranczyk’s rallying cry will work for Oklahoma.
Mitchell Northam: Louisville is going for its 10th consecutive win when it travels to South Bend to face Notre Dame. Meanwhile, the Irish are coming off an impressive double-digit home victory over North Carolina. A win for Hannah Hidalgo and her squad could signal Notre Dame is indeed a contender for the ACC title. A road victory for Louisville would solidify their place atop the conference standings.

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STORRS, CT — The No. 1 UConn women’s basketball team stayed perfect on a night when they honored the 2015-16 national championship team.

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier were among members of the Huskies title team to return to Gampel Pavilion to be inducted as Huskies of Honor on Thursday night. The team was recognized in a ceremony before the game at center court.

It didn’t take long for the current UConn team to take control against Big East rival Villanova and cruise to 99-50 victory. The Huskies (18-0, 9-0) have won 56 consecutive conference games.

UConn forced 26 turnovers including 16 steals. The Huskies had more points in the paint, 58, than the Wildcats in the game.

‘The communication on defense was the best it has been all season,’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. ‘I even told them after the game … the way we were communicating, and how we were helping each other.

‘We created a lot of opportunities for ourselves.’

Sarah Strong had 24 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals in three quarters of play. Azzi Fudd has 14 points, KK Arnold 13 points, seven assists and four steals and Blanca Quiñonez 13 points.

Kennedy Henry had 12 points and Brynn McCurry 11 for Villanova (14-4, 7-2 Big East).

Follow along live with Thursday’s matchup between UConn and Villanova:

Third quarter: UConn 76, Villanova 44

Sophomore sensation Sarah Strong continues to do it all with 24 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals. Azzi Fudd has 14 points, KK Arnold 13 points, seven assists and four steals and Blanca Quiñonez 11 points.

The Huskies have 28 points off turnovers and 44 points in the paint.

Kennedy Henry is leading Villanova with 12 points.

KK Arnold scores five points in 12 seconds

KK Arnold hit a 3-pointer, stole the ball as Villanova drove up the court and drove in for a layup. UConn holds a 57-30 lead.

Second quarter: UConn 45, Villanova 27

The one-two punch of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd is getting it done once again. Strong has 15 points and seven rebounds. Fudd has scored 12.

The Huskies are outscoring the Wildcats 28-2 in the lane. UConn has led by as many as 25.

Kennedy Henry is leading Villanova with 10 points.

First quarter: UConn 26, Villanova 8

Sarah Strong has eight points, three rebounds and one assist to lead the Huskies in the early going. Villanova’s nine turnovers have turned into 11 UConn points. The Huskies have 16 points in the paint.

We are underway in Storrs

Azzi Fudd opened the scoring with a 3-pointer for the Huskies.

Huskies 2015-16 title team honored

Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Morgan Tuck were among members of the UConn championship team to return to be inducted as Huskies of Honor.

What time is UConn vs. Villanova?

The UConn Huskies host theVillanova Wildcats on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. ET at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.

UConn vs. Villanova: TV, streaming

Date: Thursday, Jan. 15
Time: 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT)
Location: Gampel Pavilion (Storrs, Connecticut)
TV: FS1
Stream: Fubo

Villanova starting lineup

UConn starting lineup

Villanova in the house

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If you’re an NFL fan who’s paid social media any mind this week, then perhaps you’ve seen the image of actress Hailee Steinfeld celebrating at a football game in a Denver Broncos jacket.

Big deal? Probably not … if Steinfeld’s husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who’s also the league’s reigning MVP, wasn’t facing the Broncos on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the postseason’s divisional round.

Big deal? Probably not … given the picture of Steinfeld in said Broncos garb was stamped Feb. 7, 2016 − which happens to be the day Denver most recently won a championship, defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, five-time league MVP Peyton Manning’s final game. (If you look closely, you can see part of the Super Bowl 50 logo on the field behind Steinfeld, that game played at Levi’s Stadium − the Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers and, coincidentally, also the site of Super Bowl 60 next month. She also seems to be mocking the ‘Dab’ celebration of former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the league MVP in 2015.)

CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, who will be working this weekend’s game between the Bills and Broncos, apparently asked Allen about the picture of his wife, whom he married last June.

Wolfson wrote on her X account, ‘Asked Josh about this pic and he told me he had no idea it was floating around. Laughed and said she was probably paid to be there. And that he definitely wasn’t going to bring it up at home.’

Allen, who is also pursuing his first Lombardi Trophy, and Steinfeld are expecting their first child this year. No reason to agitate a pregnant spouse, Mr. MVP.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC wild-card round already led to changes for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Philadelphia relieved offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo of his duties (to be clear, he may still remain with the organization). Patullo took over for Kellen Moore at that position in 2025 after Moore took up the head coaching position with the New Orleans Saints.

Some are wondering if that is the last of the changes for the Eagles’ offense.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown struggled against the 49ers with crucial drops and finished with just three catches for 25 yards on seven targets. on Jan. 15, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was asked if he’d be open to trading Brown for the right package or if it was a non-starter.

‘It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J. is a great player,’ Roseman said. ‘My perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency, in the draft, trying to find great players who love football and he’s that guy. So that would be my answer.’

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni confronted Brown during the loss to the 49ers after the offense went three-and-out in a possession. Sirianni downplayed the interaction after the loss.

‘I was trying to get him off the field, because we were about to punt, and that was really it,’ Sirianni said, before continuing. ‘I love A.J. I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him. We’ve probably went through every emotion that you can possibly have together. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together, we’ve yelled at each other. You know, we’re both emotional.’

Earlier this season, Brown took to social media to air his grievances with the Eagles’ offense. During a video game livestream on the website Twitch.tv, Brown told fantasy football managers to drop him and said he was ‘struggling.’

Brown is under contract with the Eagles until the 2029 season, his age-32 campaign.

A.J. Brown stats

Brown just barely made it over 1,000 receiving yards in 2025 but finished with his worst stat line since his final year in Tennessee (2021). Here’s how he did during the regular season:

Targets: 121
Catches: 78
Receiving yards: 1,003
Receiving touchdowns: 7
Yards per catch: 12.9

The 2026 NFL regular season might yet be eight months away, but it’s already squarely in the crosshairs of injured Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The two-time league MVP, now one month removed from reconstructive surgery on the torn ACL and LCL that prematurely ended his 2025 campaign, provided an update on the recovery of his damaged left knee while also signaling his intentions for the fall.

“Rehab’s going great so far – just hitting all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do and getting the strength and the range of mobility back,’ Mahomes said Thursday while being interviewed remotely.

‘The doctor kind of gives you like goals to get to. I just try to maximize those – they hold me back, because I always want to go a little bit further.’

The three-time Super Bowl MVP and six-time Pro Bowler said all of his rehab thus far has occurred in Kansas City. An isolated endeavor in the best of circumstances, Mahomes is pushing ahead with his medical plan at a time when his team is dispersed − the Chiefs missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Since he became the team’s starting quarterback in 2018, Mahomes had never failed to lead the team as far as the AFC championship game prior to this season.

But while he and his teammates are out of the postseason, Mahomes doesn’t plan to miss another significant start.

“Obviously, I think the long term, I mean I want to be ready for Week 1,’ he said. ‘The doctor said that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s gonna happen throughout the process. But that’s my goal, and so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions – you know, you want to be out there healthy and giving us the best chance to win.’

As for the remainder of his offseason football forecast?

‘Obviously, I’ll hopefully be able to do some stuff in OTAs and get to training camp and hopefully be able to do a lot there,’ Mahomes said. ‘So, I’m excited for the process. It’s a long process, but I’m excited for it.”

Prior to 2025, Mahomes had only missed five starts since the start of the 2018 campaign − mostly because the team had the luxury of resting him during regular-season finales on three different occasions.

Statistically, this season was Mahomes’ worst by the numbers since he became QB1 − his 3,587 passing yards, 22 TDs passes, 62.7% completion rate and 89.6 QB rating all career lows. He did establish personal bests by rushing for 422 yards and five TDs − though that was largely by necessity due to K.C.’s weak run game and probably not a performance the team wants its most important player to replicate moving forward.

Mahomes’ health is among myriad offseason issues facing the Chiefs − tight end Travis Kelce’s decision about whether to retire and wide receiver Rashee Rice’s latest legal issues chief among them.

Jim Harbaugh reflected on a second consecutive wild-card playoff disappointment on Jan. 15.

The Los Angeles Chargers have only reached the end zone once in two postseason appearances under Harbaugh, the latest loss a 16-3 defeat to the New England Patriots. Harbaugh subsequently fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and offensive line coach Mike Devlin on Jan. 13. The Chargers coach explained his decision to fire the two coaches at his end-of-year press conference two days later.

“A fresh start, a new direction,” Harbaugh told reporters. “Greg’s a great football mind, had a lot of success, and also a fresh start for him, fresh start for our team, for our offense, both are true.”

Harbaugh later addressed his choice to part ways with Devlin.

“The NFL is unforgiving, it’s unfair, it’s hard,” the Chargers coach said. “That’s the nature of the business. But what we feel like is a direction that’s going to make us better than we’re always striving for that. Whether that’s with players, coaches (and) myself included. It’s a results-oriented business.”

The Chargers scored a combined 15 points in two straight wild-card playoff losses, and were outscored 48-15 in the defeats. Chargers QB Justin Herbert averaged fewer than 234 passing yards the past two seasons under Roman. He never finished a season below 241 passing yards prior to Roman’s arrival.

The Chargers finished the regular season with an NFL-most 32 different offensive line combinations, according to Next Gen Stats. That churn was evident, as Herbert was pressured on an NFL-high 263 of his dropbacks, sacked a career-most 54 times and hit a career-high 74 times. The Chargers finished the regular season with the NFL’s worst pass block win rate and ranked 31st in run block win rate, per ESPN.

Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz said they plan to cast a wide net in search for their next offensive coordinator. Harbaugh told reporters he hopes the next OC will take charge of the offense.

“A head coach of the offense,” Harbaugh said of what he’s seeking. “That person that teaches and installs, puts the players in the in the best position to be successful, and ultimately scores points, number one.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

The Los Angeles Rams have been here before.

One year ago, the Rams traveled to Lincoln Financial Field for a frigid divisional round game against the Philadelphia Eagles, ultimately coming up 22 yards short of a potential NFC championship bid as snow blanketed the field.

This Sunday against the Chicago Bears, however, is a different beast. With the potential of single digit temperatures, snow and 10-plus mph winds, The Rams’ divisional matchup could be one of the coldest games in recent NFL history.

Tom Brady told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd that he expects the cold to be a ‘big advantage’ for the Bears, and that argument makes sense on the surface. But what do the numbers — and the Rams themselves — say about their chances to win this week?

Rams vs. Bears weather forecast

According to The Weather Channel, the high for Sunday in Chicago is predicted to be 18 degrees, with temperatures dropping to two degrees at night with wind gusts of 21 mph. AccuWeather’s ‘RealFeel’ for Sunday night is a predicted minus-13 degrees.

What have the Rams said about the weather?

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is no stranger to playing in the cold spending the first 12 years of his career in the NFC North as a member of the Detroit Lions. He told reporters on Wednesday that ‘there’s something to it,’ when playing in the snow.

‘It feels right when football is outdoors. You’re playing it late in the year. It’s cold. It means a lot,’ Stafford said. ‘So I’m embracing it, I know the team is as well.’

Reflecting on his previous experiences with the cold, Stafford said it’s hard to lump it all together.

‘I think each game is unique,’ he said. ‘You can’t just bunch them all together. I played in Philly back in the day when there was six inches of snow on the ground. I played in other games where it’s just cold and dry. You just have to go figure out what the elements are and how it’s going to affect the ball and go play. We had wind last week, what’s that like? How’s the ball moving when you throw it down the field? All these kinds of things. You figure it out as you go. Each one is its own unique set of circumstances.’

Davante Adams will also be returning to familiar territory as a longtime Green Bay Packers player. He told reporters that there isn’t much advice he can give to his teammates in L.A., where it’s been 70 degrees all week.

‘It’s pretty self-explanatory, I mean it’s gonna be cold,’ he said. ‘… It is what it is. It’s gonna be freezing out there, you just gotta figure it out.’

Head coach Sean McVay jokingly mentioned that he’ll have the whole team get in a giant cold plunge for three hours to prepare, but the focus and gameplan remain the same regardless of the weather.

‘We’re not gonna sit here and waste our emotional energy on things that we can’t control. I don’t have a weather machine,’ McVay said. ‘… We talk about mental toughness all the time and really, controlling the things that we can control. Let’s be present in that three-and-a-half-hour window, let’s control the things that we can control.’

Rams stats in cold weather games

The Rams did have some success in last year’s playoff game in Philly, with Stafford throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns and running back Kyren Williams adding 105 yards on the ground. That game however, was played in 34-degree weather. The snowfall was heavy, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it’s projected to be this Sunday in Chicago.

In the Sean McVay era, the Rams are 2-2 in games played at freezing temperatures with wins against the Denver Broncos in 2018 and New York Jets last season, and losses against the Bears in 2018 and Packers in 2022.

The Bears, meanwhile, are 2-1 this season in games where the temperature at kickoff was 32 degrees or below.

In Stafford’s six career games played in freezing conditions, he’s thrown for 1,519 yards with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Stafford also played a part in ‘the Blizzard Bowl,’ a Week 14 game between the Lions and Eagles in 2013. While his stat line that day wasn’t anything particularly memorable — he completed just 10 of 15 passing attempts for 151 yards and no touchdowns — he was responsible for one of the most iconic plays in the career of Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

As flurries of snow came down in the first quarter, Stafford stood tall in the pocket and split the safeties to find Johnson streaking down the middle of the field. Eagles cornerback Cary Williams immediately dragged Johnson down face-first, and he got back up with ‘a face full of snow.’

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The New York Giants are finalizing a deal to hire John Harbaugh as their next head coach.
The Giants hope Harbaugh will bring stability after a series of short-tenured coaches since Tom Coughlin.

The New York Giants did exactly what they needed to do. That’s something that hasn’t been said about that franchise in quite some time. 

But they got John Harbaugh in the building and didn’t let him leave. Sort of. The semantics of Harbaugh’s logistics don’t matter. What does matter is that the Giants and Harbaugh are finalizing a deal that makes him their next head coach, a little more than a week after the Baltimore Ravens thanked Harbaugh for 18 years of service and a Super Bowl and told him to pack his bags.

The timing could not have been better for “Big Blue.” Needing a new head man since the November firing of Brian Daboll, the Giants took the surest option on the market at a juncture in which they were prioritizing stability. Outside of Mike Tomlin, who won’t be coaching in 2026 – and potentially 2027 – Harbaugh fits that requirement.  

He was scheduled to meet with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday and canceled the interview. The expected contract will be similar to Harbaugh’s Ravens salary and keep him as one of the best-compensated coaches in the game with a five-year deal worth about $20 million annually, Jordan Schultz reported.

Giants make first, biggest splash of NFL’s coaching carousel

The Giants are first to strike in a crowded cycle, and they hired, arguably, the best candidate. It’s their biggest win since Feb. 4, 2012, when the franchise – thanks to Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and a cobbled-together defense – hosted its fourth Lombardi Trophy and second in four seasons.

Absolutely, the Giants benefited from good fortune. Owner John Mara backed the team into a corner a year ago by effectively saying Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were on a short leash in 2025. That left his team somewhat exposed and he had to act after another 2-8 start to the season and numerous blown leads. Harbaugh becoming available, perhaps not as much of a shock as the football world treated it, was not part of Mara’s design. It worked out, though, and the cool cousin of preparation is luck. 

Harbaugh’s hiring, the Giants hope, should end the vicious employment cycle that has plagued the franchise since Tom Coughlin left after the 2015 season. Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge and Daboll didn’t pan out. 

Daboll was thought to have been “the guy.” He made the playoffs in his first season, led the team to its first playoff win since Super Bowl 46 and kept his promise of being a quarterback-whisperer that propelled Daniel Jones’ development. The NFL is fickle by nature. The lesson of his tenure is that there’s more to being the head football coach than worrying about the quarterback.

That’s one reason the Giants prioritized a CEO-style head coach with experience. The names who fit that description in the modern league are few and far between. 

This sort of move has worked for the Giants in the past. Coughlin didn’t have the same level of success as Harbaugh at his first NFL stop with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the coaching lifer joined the Giants at age 58 (Harbaugh is 63). Everybody, especially the New England Patriots, knows what happened during Coughlin’s stay in New York. They have had three winning seasons since then. Only the New York Jets have a worse record than the Giants over the last 10 years, and the Giants play in a division that, until this season, didn’t have a back-to-back winner for 20 years.  

The Giants have a long way to go before reaching Super Bowls, but they hope that Harbaugh moves them closer than many think. They retained Schoen and praised the “young core” in the building, which includes quarterback Jaxson Dart, edge rushers Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, left tackle Andrew Thomas, running backs Tyrone Tracy and Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers. 

Harbaugh not without warts, but his experience is relevant to Giants

Somebody has to maximize that talent, if it’s truly there, and that’s where Harbaugh factors in. 

Dart has a long, long way to go before reaching the level of Lamar Jackson. But Harbaugh – and this is more the Giants trusting Harbaugh to make the right hires around Dart than doing the work himself – at least has experience developing a late-first-round pick into a MVP. 

Should he not become a head coach, Todd Monken, Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Ravens for the final three seasons (Jackson won MVP once, could have been twice), is expected to join him in the same role with the Giants, according to multiple reports. Drawing up plays for Jackson and Derrick Henry will be different than Dart and Skattebo, but he also turned Stetson Bennett into a two-time national champion with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022. 

Harbaugh doesn’t arrive perfectly wrapped. His main issue in Baltimore became that his team too often beat itself, especially on the big stage, and couldn’t hold onto leads, something Giants fans have become all-too familiar with over the years. Leading football games in the fourth quarter would be a change for the Giants. Winnong those in which they lead would go a long way.

Any fan base would become frustrated with a coach whose team consistently became its own worst enemy. Maybe it was on Harbaugh and he can fix it at his next stop. Maybe it was on Harbaugh and he won’t address it – and his tenure in New Jersey will be much shorter than his previous one in Maryland.

There will be contrarians who say Harbaugh coasted for too long in Baltimore. That Ed Reed and Ray Lewis and Marshal Yanda were in the building when Harbaugh took over in 2008. The Giants, in 2026, do not care. 

At long last, an adult has entered the building. The Giants have not won much lately. But they nailed the first step toward returning to victory formation. 

The Los Angeles Rams have been here before.

One year ago, the Rams traveled to Lincoln Financial Field for a frigid divisional round game against the Philadelphia Eagles, ultimately coming up 22 yards short of a potential NFC championship bid as snow blanketed the field.

This Sunday against the Chicago Bears, however, is a different beast. With the potential of single digit temperatures, snow and 10-plus mph winds, The Rams’ divisional matchup could be one of the coldest games in recent NFL history.

Tom Brady told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd that he expects the cold to be a ‘big advantage’ for the Bears, and that argument makes sense on the surface. But what do the numbers — and the Rams themselves — say about their chances to win this week?

Rams vs. Bears weather forecast

According to The Weather Channel, the high for Sunday in Chicago is predicted to be 18 degrees, with temperatures dropping to two degrees at night with wind gusts of 21 mph. AccuWeather’s ‘RealFeel’ for Sunday night is a predicted minus-13 degrees.

What have the Rams said about the weather?

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is no stranger to playing in the cold spending the first 12 years of his career in the NFC North as a member of the Detroit Lions. He told reporters on Wednesday that ‘there’s something to it,’ when playing in the snow.

‘It feels right when football is outdoors. You’re playing it late in the year. It’s cold. It means a lot,’ Stafford said. ‘So I’m embracing it, I know the team is as well.’

Reflecting on his previous experiences with the cold, Stafford said it’s hard to lump it all together.

‘I think each game is unique,’ he said. ‘You can’t just bunch them all together. I played in Philly back in the day when there was six inches of snow on the ground. I played in other games where it’s just cold and dry. You just have to go figure out what the elements are and how it’s going to affect the ball and go play. We had wind last week, what’s that like? How’s the ball moving when you throw it down the field? All these kinds of things. You figure it out as you go. Each one is its own unique set of circumstances.’

Davante Adams will also be returning to familiar territory as a longtime Green Bay Packers player. He told reporters that there isn’t much advice he can give to his teammates in L.A., where it’s been 70 degrees all week.

‘It’s pretty self-explanatory, I mean it’s gonna be cold,’ he said. ‘… It is what it is. It’s gonna be freezing out there, you just gotta figure it out.’

Head coach Sean McVay jokingly mentioned that he’ll have the whole team get in a giant cold plunge for three hours to prepare, but the focus and gameplan remain the same regardless of the weather.

‘We’re not gonna sit here and waste our emotional energy on things that we can’t control. I don’t have a weather machine,’ McVay said. ‘… We talk about mental toughness all the time and really, controlling the things that we can control. Let’s be present in that three-and-a-half-hour window, let’s control the things that we can control.’

Rams stats in cold weather games

The Rams did have some success in last year’s playoff game in Philly, with Stafford throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns and running back Kyren Williams adding 105 yards on the ground. That game however, was played in 34-degree weather. The snowfall was heavy, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it’s projected to be this Sunday in Chicago.

In the Sean McVay era, the Rams are 2-2 in games played at freezing temperatures with wins against the Denver Broncos in 2018 and New York Jets last season, and losses against the Bears in 2018 and Packers in 2022.

The Bears, meanwhile, are 2-1 this season in games where the temperature at kickoff was 32 degrees or below.

In Stafford’s six career games played in freezing conditions, he’s thrown for 1,519 yards with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Stafford also played a part in ‘the Blizzard Bowl,’ a Week 14 game between the Lions and Eagles in 2013. While his stat line that day wasn’t anything particularly memorable — he completed just 10 of 15 passing attempts for 151 yards and no touchdowns — he was responsible for one of the most iconic plays in the career of Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

As flurries of snow came down in the first quarter, Stafford stood tall in the pocket and split the safeties to find Johnson streaking down the middle of the field. Eagles cornerback Cary Williams immediately dragged Johnson down face-first, and he got back up with ‘a face full of snow.’

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