🎧Sports Brief: Remarkable Rookie Rallies the Troops; Battling Bills Aim to Spoil Chiefs’ Dream

Jayden Daniels (5) of the Washington Commanders celebrates with Terry McLaurin (17) after defeating the Detroit Lions 45–31 in the NFC Divisional Playoff at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 18, 2025. Nic Antaya/Getty Images

What’s cookin’, sports fans? Welcome to another edition of the extra large and turbo-charged Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some exciting stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening in the thrilling world of sports.

A commanding NFL rookie leads his surprising troops into Philly for a do-or-die shot at Super Bowl glory, an AFC powerhouse collides with a very familiar foe in a high-stakes legacy-defining showdown, and an American underdog charges the net Down Under in a surprising bid for an unlikely Grand Slam title.

Sports Brief Host commentary: In all honesty, right up to this exact moment in time, I always thought that a Grand Slam was a title for a breakfast thingy at Denny’s which typically includes four items: two pancakes, two eggs cooked to order, two bacon strips, and two sausage links. This is apparently a different kind of Grand Slam. Back to the program.

The starting lineups have just been announced for the NBA All Star team, and a trio of well-respected baseball heroes join a very exclusive club—we’ll tell you who scored a ticket to Cooperstown.

We’ll tear apart each one of these rip-roarin’ stories and we begin in the City of Brotherly Love, where this Sunday, the best rookie quarterback in NFL history tries to do something that’s never been done before, and here’s the lowdown.

Remarkable Rookie Rallies the Troops

Remarkable rookie Jayden Daniels and his Washington Commanders are gonna storm into Lincoln Financial Field to square off against their division rival Philadelphia Eagles, and they’re sure to be welcomed with rousing applause, fond wishes, and gracious hospitality by nearly 70,000 of the best-behaved, most polite, cordial, kindly, and well-mannered fans in the entire NFL. Some people call ‘em barbarians, but your Sports Brief team is far too cultured and well bred for that kind of talk. Ya—we come from good stock.

These bitter enemies have already met twice this year, with each team winning once, and this rubber match is for all the cheddar, bragging rights, the NFC crown, and an all-expense-paid trip to the Big Easy, New Orleans, for Super Bowl 59 and the chance to snag an enormous diamond-studded ring that weighs more than my Aunt Martha’s gold plated dentures.

The Commanders are playing with house money and they’ve got nothing to lose, simply because nobody ever expected ‘em to make it this far. Head coach Dan Quinn has engineered a once-in-a-lifetime turnaround; Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is rugged, quick, and versatile; Joe Whitt Jr.’s D is getting better each and every week; and this team has the right mix of veterans and youth.

Sports Brief Host commentary: Sports Brief head writer Davey Ross initially called ‘em senior citizens and children, but I made him change that. You’re welcome. Back to the program.

Meanwhile, the Eagles offensive line is built like a wall of side-by-side shipping containers, their defensive front is like a herd of charging bull elephants, and grabbing hold of running back Saquon Barkley is like trying to pin the tail on the donkey—especially if you’re wearing a blindfold and the donkey is a Mack truck.

However, word on the street is that quarterback Jalen Hurts is banged up, the Eagles’ passing game has been missing in action, and the Commanders are bursting at the seams with confidence after knocking off the birds when they met last month.

Washington’s fans have been waiting decades to return to the spotlight; the team’s motto is “anybody, anywhere, anytime”; and these two I-95 neighbors don’t need any extra motivation to get up for this one. Winner goes to the Super Bowl, loser goes home, and their fans get 9 months to cry in their Quaker instant oatmeal—the one with raisins, dates, and walnuts. I like that one.

Hey, by the way, we’re rooting for the Commanders—simply because Daniels is gonna try to become the first rookie QB ever to lead his team to the Super Bowl, and we can’t stand the thought of listening to 70,000 screaming maniacs sing “Fly, Eagles, Fly” out of tune, off key, and out of sync.

We’ll power our way now to the other conference showdown and a real humdinger between a pair of very familiar superstar quarterbacks who are each looking to make history.

Battling Bills Aim to Spoil Chiefs’ Dream

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are stampeding into Kansas City on Sunday and they’re gonna be dead-set on knocking the Chiefs from their lofty longtime perch atop the AFC.

We’ve said it before; the highly experienced Chiefs know exactly how to crank it up when the season’s on the line, brilliant coach Andy Reid is always a step ahead, and underrated defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo always has his troops ready to play like a wrecking crew.

Also, QB Patrick Mahomes is money in the bank (you’re money baby and you don’t even know it), tight end Travis Kelce has woken up from hibernation, and defensive tackle Chris Jones is a one-man demolition derby. This team can smell destiny on the horizon and they’re one win away from a history-making shot at an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl crown—GIMME THAT RING!

Meanwhile, Bills QB Josh Allen has single-handedly carried this team on his shoulders but don’t be fooled—this is a deep, versatile, well-coached squad, with a solid running game and a brutal defense.

By the way, these two future Hall of Famers have met three times before in the playoffs, including their legendary 2021 divisional round matchup, and Allen hasn’t beaten Mahomes yet in the postseason. If he’s ever gonna haul himself and his team over that lofty mountain, now’s a good time—but to pull off that kind of haul, he’ll need an industrial-sized, 3-axle U-Haul truck.

The Bills Mafia would love nothing more than a break from the barrage of lake-effect blizzards and an excuse to head south for some of that golden sunshine, a heaping bowl of jambalaya, and just a pinch of some of that good ol’ Southern hospitality.

And we’re rooting for them, too—because we’d prefer to watch a couple hundred goofy car insurance commercials as opposed to watching Taylor Swift jumping up and down in a high-priced Kansas City luxury box.

We head Down Under now to kick back, put another shrimp on the barbie, and root for an unexpected American underdog who’s gonna try to pull off a stunning upset in the first tennis Grand Slam event of the season.

American Underdog Serves Notice at Aussie Open

Sports Brief commentary: In all honesty, right up to this very point in time, I always thought that Underdog was a 1960s cartoon character and I’ve only learned just now that he’s also apparently become a tennis player—and a darn good one at that. Back to the program and let’s find out more.

In just a few hours, 19th-ranked Madison Keys will take to the hardcourt in Melbourne, Australia, to face off against top seed and two-time defending Aussie Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in an epic David vs. Goliath clash.

To get to the finals, Keys shocked the world by fending off match point in the third set and storming back against number two Iga Swiatek in the semis.

Meanwhile, the Belarusian Sabalenka—who also won last year’s U.S. Open—will try to become the first woman in more than a quarter century to snag three straight Aussie Open titles. (She’s no Billie Jean King, but she ain’t half bad.)

For the 29-year-old Keys, it’s only the second Grand Slam final she’s ever played in—she lost in the 2017 U.S. Open—and she’s gonna be looking to shock the world, upset the hard-hitting Sabalenka, and bring home the giant silver cup to Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.! Disney World, Florida oranges, and silver cups—what more could you ask for?

Over on the men’s side of the net, 10-time Aussie Open champ Novak Djokovic was brutally booed after retiring from his semifinal match, following a grueling first-set tiebreak loss to Germany’s Alexander “Sasha” Zverev, due to a muscle tear in his left leg.

Sports Brief Host commentary: I understand. When I was 9, I once tore my jersey sliding into second base during my little league game. Coach wanted to pull me, but I stepped up, shook it off, and led my team to the worst loss in little league history. I have no idea where I was going with that. Er, uh … back to the program.

On Sunday, the second-ranked Zverev is gonna square off against top-ranked Italian Jannik Skinner in the men’s finals for the whole vegemite sandwich—which in case you don’t know, is something they eat over there. Vegemite is sort of like soy sauce mixed with peanut butter and black licorice and if that doesn’t sound appealing to you, well, it’s an acquired taste—kind of like my Aunt Martha’s sardine casserole. Martha’s a good woman, she just eats funky vittles.

We head now to the hardcourt where we’re already past the halfway point of the NBA regular season and the league’s top players have just been chosen for next month’s All Star game, and we think this story is a slam dunk with frosting on top.

Starters Named for NBA All Star Teams

In the Western Conference, 40-year-old LeBron James is gonna be making his record-extending 21st All Star game appearance, and he’ll be joined in the starting lineup by Denver center Nikola Jokic, as well as Suns forward Kevin Durant and Warriors legend Steph Curry.

They’ll also be joined by budding superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and in case you don’t know him yet, give it some time, he’ll grow on you. Right now, his Oklahoma City Thunder squad has the best record in the conference, he’s leading the league in scoring, and halfway through the season, SGA’s got a legit chance to be this year’s league MVP.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference squad is led by Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka the Greek Freak, who topped fan voting for the second consecutive year.

He’ll be joined by Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, whose Cleveland team currently has the best record in the entire league.

By the way, this year’s All Star game starters were chosen using a weighted voting system that combines 50 percent fan voting with 25 percent each from both the media and current players.

Sports Brief Host commentary: Hello … I’m media. Apparently my vote doesn’t count! Thanks a bunch.

The league’s head coaches are gonna vote for the other 14 players to make the squads, they’ll be announced next week, and in case you’re wondering, the league’s annual showcase event takes place in San Francisco on Feb. 16. Stay tuned.

We have just enough time to squeeze in one more story for you right now and if you’re a baseball fan, good news, spring training is less than a month away, but you don’t have to wait that long to find out who’s just been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and here we go.

Terrific Trio Join Baseball’s Elite

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has just elected Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner as the Hall’s newest members, and according to your Sports Brief crew, they’re all extremely worthy of induction.

The legendary Ichiro was a near-unanimous selection—he missed out on only a single vote, which he’s a little salty about—and by the way, he’s the first ball player from Japan ever to earn the honor. In MLB, the trailblazing Ichiro hit .311 for his career, walloped more than 3,000 hits, and he played mostly with the Mariners, the Yankees, and the Marlins.

The man who he beat out for the AL Rookie of the Year award back in 2001, Sabathia, is a former Cy Young award winner and a dominant left-handed starter who pitched for many years with both Cleveland and the Yankees, where he won a World Series ring in 2009.

Meanwhile, Wagner made it into the Hall on his 10th and final try. He’s the first left-handed reliever to win enshrinement, a multiple-time All Star, and he pitched for 16 seasons with the Astros, the Phillies, the Mets, and more. For a number of years, he was the guy you didn’t wanna see charging out of the bullpen when the game was on the line. (Not on account of him having garlic breath or anything; it’s just that he had a wicked 100 mph fastball.)

The trio will be inducted alongside a pair of old-timers, Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were recently voted in by a committee dedicated to baseball’s classic era. In case you want to attend, the ceremony takes place next July in Cooperstown, New York; however, you should know ahead of time that unfortunately, we won’t be there because as best as we can tell—our invitations were somehow lost in the mail.

One more baseball note to share with you right now and a shout out to Sports Brief listener and all-around good guy, Dwight Wilkes, who reminded us last week about the passing of Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker. Ueck was a former major league catcher, the longtime play-by-play man for the Milwaukee Brewers, and an actor who starred in the TV show Mr. Belvedere who died last week at the age of 90. Mr. Baseball was beloved, he brought joy and laughter to many, and he will be sorely missed.

And now, before we shut the studio down and spend all weekend lounging on the couch, shoveling boxes full of good to the last slice, ultra healthy deep dish pizza down our gullets, and gorging on sports, we want to tip our caps to an NFL championship game memory that’s so legendary it’s simply known as “The Drive.”

In case you don’t recall, during the 1986 AFC Championship against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway drove his team 98 yards down the field in just over 5 minutes to tie the score with only seconds left in the game.

The Broncos would go on to win the game in overtime, earn a trip to the Super Bowl, and break the hearts of Browns fans everywhere and they’re still bitter 38 years later. If you’re a Browns fan and you remember watching that day, we feel your pain.

Hey before we hit the hammock with a cactus cooler and a couple of chili dogs, some breaking news to share with you right now from the Sports Brief semi-authentic dugout.

Pete Carroll has just been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders to become their next head football coach. The former coach of the Seahawks, the Patriots, and the USC Trojans has won both a Super Bowl title and a college football national championship. He now becomes the oldest head coach in NFL history and congratulations, Pete—your friends here at the Sports Brief program are gonna be rooting for you every step of the way.

Hey, we’re really out of time now, but we’ll be back again next week with another edition of The Epoch Times Sports Brief.

If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions about the Sports Brief program, we’d love to hear from you, but only if you have gushing, kind, complimentary kudos for the extraordinary, multi-talented, finely attired, clean-shaven, and well-coiffed Sports Brief crew, and you can find us at [email protected].

For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times Sports Brief program is written each week by Davey Ross. Show the love. In the sports world, Davey’s the equivalent of being one of the Beatles. And by one of the Beatles, I mean Pete Best or Stu Sutcliffe. It still counts.

America: Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and engaging rundown of all the sports stories you absolutely need to know about.

Enjoy another great weekend of sports, stay safe, and remember, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, have a superb day today, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on the game. Bye for now.