Sports
The NFL Told Us the Super Bowl Matchup Eight Months Ago
Roger Goodell source: Getty Images The NFL freaking told us exactly which teams were going to Super Bowl LX eight months ago. We just weren’t paying close enough attention. We didn’t squint.
Roger Goodell and company gave us the cheat sheet on Sept. 4, the day the regular season opened with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles beating the Dallas Cowboys on “Thursday Night Football.”
The league posted a cartoon graphic on X that day featuring members of all 32 teams, backs turned toward us and looking toward Levi’s Stadium and a jumbo-sized Lombardi Trophy, with the sun setting over the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Set aside for a moment that the bridge is 50 miles from Santa Clara, Calif. This isn’t a geography lesson, nerds.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley takes up the most space in the image with a row all to himself. The next tier has quarterbacks Brock Purdy of the 49ers, Joe Burrow of the Bengals and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs along with Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Look a little closer and the next row reveals more preseason favorites like the Lions’ Jared Goff, the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
If you had seen this tweet on your cellphone, there’s zero chance you could make out the players in the distance who are the closest to the stadium and the trophy. Crank up the magnification, however, and you see why the hashtags #scripted and #rigged started trending by Sunday night.
Incredibly, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye are at the front of the pack.
“Chills, man … chills,” NFL writer/insider John Frascella posted on X along with the viral image, hours after Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game and Maye’s New England Patriots upended the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game.
We’re not quite ready to put on our tinfoil Guardian caps and fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole, but the main plot lines for this Super Bowl XLIX rematch do feel a little scripted.
Darnold and Maye were both No. 3 overall draft picks who traveled very different paths to the Santa Clara showdown on Feb. 8.
The 23-year-old Maye is already an MVP finalist and will be the second-youngest quarterback to start the Big Game behind only Miami legend Dan Marino in Super Bowl XIX. Darnold, meanwhile, is playing for his fifth franchise since 2020 and just became the first QB in NFL history to win 30 or more games (including playoffs) in a two-season span with multiple teams.
New England head coach Mike Vrabel was canned by the Tennessee Titans after compiling a 68-48 record from 2018-23 (they are 6-28 without him … oops). The three-time Super Bowl-winning Patriots linebacker inherited a team coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons and now has a chance to become the first man to win rings as a coach and a player with the same team.
And what are the odds that a team called the Patriots would play in the Super Bowl during the 250th anniversary year of America’s patriotic founding? A little too on the nose, don’t you think? Or the Seahawks, who took flight in the bicentennial year of 1976, playing for a title in their 50th anniversary season? C’mon, man.
So don’t believe them when they tell you it’s the most unlikely Super Bowl matchup ever — a 4,800-to-1 long shot, according to Pro Football Reference, surpassing the Rams and Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV (4,500-to-1).
Nonsense. You just had to squint to see it coming.
Sports
Graham Ike puts up 20 as No. 12 Gonzaga wallops Washington State
Feb 10, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) dunks the ball against Washington State Cougars forward Eemeli Yalaho (2) in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images Graham Ike scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and added a game-high seven rebounds in just 23 minutes as No. 12 Gonzaga cruised to a 83-53 victory against Washington State on Tuesday in Spokane, Wash.
Freshman Davis Fogle came off the bench to score 17 points and Adam Miller and Mario Saint-Supery added 11 apiece for the Bulldogs (24-2, 12-1 West Coast Conference), who will play Saturday at Santa Clara in a first-place showdown.
Jerone Morton led Washington State (11-16, 6-8) with 15 points. Rihards Vavers added 14 and Ace Glass scored 12.
Gonzaga shot 54.8% from the field (34 of 62) while limiting the Cougars to 39.1% (18 of 46).
The Bulldogs had a 33-7 edge in bench scoring, 50-22 on points in the paint and 31-8 on points off turnovers.
After trailing by 27 at the half, the Cougars pulled within 54-33 on a 3-pointer by Morton with 13:33 remaining.
Gonzaga then went on a 15-0 run, with Emmanuel Innocenti making a dunk followed by a 3-pointer, to leave no doubt. That streak came to an end when Ike was called for a technical for hanging on the rim after a dunk, with Glass making both free throws.
The Bulldogs made almost as many field goals in the first half (21) as Washington State attempted (23) in building a 48-21 lead.
That’s because Gonzaga forced 11 turnovers while committing just three, leading to a 17-0 scoring advantage off miscues.
Miller scored all 11 of his points before the intermission and Ike added 10.
The Cougars tied the score at 6-all on a three foul shots by Morton before Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run, with Braeden Smith making two free throws and a pull-up jumper in the lane.
Another 8-0 run, which included a jumper and a driving layup by Saint-Supery, gave the Bulldogs a 29-13 edge.
And a 9-0 run late in the half, sparked by an Ike dunk, made it 44-19. Fogle completed a three-point play and Miller capped that stretch with a driving layup and two free throws.
The Bulldogs played their eighth straight game without injured forward/center Braden Huff (knee).
Gonzaga swept the regular-season series against the Cougars, also winning 86-65 on Jan. 15 in Pullman, Wash.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Victor Wembanyama's 25-point quarter sparks Spurs' rout of Lakers
Feb 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Maxi Kleber (14) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Victor Wembanyama scored 37 of his 40 points in the first half, Carter Bryant added a career-high 16 points off the bench and the visiting San Antonio Spurs turned a fast start into a dominating 135-108 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Wembanyama put up 25 points in the first quarter — a San Antonio record for any period since play-by-play was tracked.
Dylan Harper scored 15 points and Harrison Barnes added 11 as the Spurs matched a season high with their fifth consecutive victory. Stephon Castle had two points and seven assists in 12 minutes before he departed after sustaining a pelvic contusion in the second quarter. He did not return.
Wembanyama also grabbed 12 rebounds while going 13 of 20 from the floor. He left for good in the third quarter with the game well in hand.
The Spurs won the season series 3-1 over the Lakers, who were missing Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) Deandre Ayton (knee) and Marcus Smart (ankle).
Drew Timme and Luke Kennard each scored 14 points for the Lakers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 15-17. Bronny James had a season-high 12 points in 25 minutes for Los Angeles.
While Doncic missed his third consecutive game, James and Reaves were out on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Spurs were aggressive from the jump, taking a 14-4 lead less than three minutes into the game and going up 47-30 after one quarter.
San Antonio led by as many as 30 points in the second quarter and took an 84-55 lead into halftime. The Spurs tied the second-highest-scoring first half in franchise history, and it was the most scored against the Lakers in a first half in franchise history.
Wembanyama departed for good with 4:13 remaining in the third after scoring his 40th point on a 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 100-68 lead.
The Spurs shot 63.8% from the floor in the first half and 56.5% in the game. The Lakers were shooting 44.7% at the half and finished the game at 48.2%.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA roundup: Pacers pull out OT upset of Knicks
Feb 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) and center Ariel Hukporti (55) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Quenton Jackson scored seven points in overtime Tuesday night for the visiting Indiana Pacers, who outlasted the New York Knicks 137-134 in a back-and-forth clash.
The two teams combined for 39 lead changes, the most in the NBA this season. Jackson finished with 19 points and was one of eight players to score in double figures for the Pacers, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Andrew Nembhard (24 points, 10 assists) posted a double-double while Pascal Siakam had a team-high 30 points.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 40 points while Josh Hart (15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded a triple-double for the Knicks, who have lost two of three following an eight-game winning streak.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who forced overtime by draining two free throws with 0.2 seconds left, had 22 points and 14 rebounds but fouled out when he was called for a moving screen on Jackson with 2:14 left in OT.
Spurs 136, Lakers 108
Victor Wembanyama scored 37 of his 40 points in the first half, Carter Bryant added a career-high 16 points off the bench and visiting San Antonio turned a fast start into a dominating victory over short-handed Los Angeles.
Wembanyama put up 25 points in the first quarter — a San Antonio record for any period since play-by-play was tracked. Dylan Harper scored 15 points as the Spurs matched a season high with their fifth consecutive victory.
Drew Timme and Luke Kennard each scored 14 points for the Lakers, who were missing Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) Deandre Ayton (knee) and Marcus Smart (ankle).
Suns 120, Mavericks 111
Dillon Brooks scored 15 of his 23 points in the first quarter, Devin Booker added 19 points, and host Phoenix broke a three-game home losing streak with a victory over Dallas.
Mark Williams scored 13 points, Oso Ighodaro had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Royce O’Neale chipped in 12 points for the Suns, who led by 31 late in the second quarter before holding on.
Naji Marshall scored 31 points off the bench and Cooper Flagg scored 27 points for the Mavericks, who have lost eight in a row.
Rockets 102, Clippers 95
Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun combined for 48 points as Houston turned a rally to start the fourth quarter into a victory over visiting Los Angeles.
Durant scored 26 points and hit three 3-pointers while Sengun tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Amen Thompson added 16 points and six rebounds for the Rockets, who have won seven of their past 10 games.
Kawhi Leonard totaled 24 points and eight rebounds for his 32nd consecutive 20-point game for the Clippers. John Collins had 17 points and eight rebounds.
–Field Level Media
Graham Ike puts up 20 as No. 12 Gonzaga wallops Washington State
Victor Wembanyama's 25-point quarter sparks Spurs' rout of Lakers
