The A to Z (Weekend Recap Edition)

A is for Arsenal. In what's been a difficult first half of the 2020-21 English Premier League season for the Gunners, Arsenal picked up an impressive 3-1 Boxing Day win over rival Chelsea. Despite the win, Arsenal currently sit in 15th place, just six points clear of the bottom three. 

B is for Brandon Allen. The journeyman quarterback had the game of his life for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday throwing for 371 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Bengals shocked the Houston Texans 37-31. Allen was a sixth round pick out of Arkansas by the Jaguars in 2016 and has since spent time with the Jags, Rams, Broncos and now Bengals. 

C is for Cleveland Cavaliers. After finishing 19-46 last season, the Cavs find themselves 3-0 after their 118-94 win over the 76ers. Cleveland was led by Andre Drummond's 24 points and 14 rebounds. Drummond, who began his career with the Pistons, joined the Cavs via trade back in February. 

D is for Davante Adams. The Green Bay Packers wide receiver decimated the Tennessee Titans defense hauling in 11 catches for 142 yards and 3 scores as Green Bay won big at home 40-14. The game put Adams over 100 receptions on the year (109). He now has five games this season with ten catches or more, and five games where he's scored multiple touchdowns. All told Adams has 109 catches for 1,328 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

E is for Everton. With their 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Boxing Day, Everton has quietly moved into second place in the Premier League Standings, just three points behind first place Liverpool. Everton is set to host perennial powerhouse Manchester City this afternoon. 

F is for First. The Golden State Warriors (1-2) got their first win of the year on Sunday when Damion Lee hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds on the clock and the Warriors held on to win 129-128 over the Chicago Bulls. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 36 points, while Lee finished with 12, all coming on three-pointers. 

G is for Graham. Veteran tight end Jimmy Graham has had a nice bounce back year this season with the Chicago Bears. Following his two-touchdown effort on Sunday in Chicago's 41-17 win over the Jaguars, Graham now has eight touchdowns on the season, more than he accrued in the previous two seasons combined with the Green Bay Packers. Graham, 34, now has 82 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons.

H is for Hornets. LaMelo Ball's Charlotte Hornets (1-2) won for the first time this season as they held off Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 106-104 on Sunday. Ball finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds and a season-high 5 assists.

I is for Indiana Pacers. Paced (see what I did there?) by Domantas Sabonis's triple double (22 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) on Saturday and double double/game winning basket (19 points, 10 rebounds) on Sunday, the Pacers improved to 3-0 on the young season. Sabonis has seen his scoring increase in each of his first five NBA seasons: 5.9 ppg (2016-17), 11.6 ppg (2017-18), 14.1 ppg (2018-19), 18.5 ppg (2019-20) and 24.3 ppg (2020-21).  

J is for Jets. Jamison Crowder caught a touchdown pass and threw for another as the Jets stunned the Cleveland Browns on Sunday 23-16. After an 0-13 start to the season, the Jets have now won two in a row.

K is for Knicks. The Knicks (1-2) got a big night out of Julius Randle (29 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists) as New York shocked the Milwaukee Bucks 130-110 and got in the win column for the first time this season. Through three games, Randle is averaging 23.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists. 

L is for Liberty. Unranked Liberty (10-1) got four rushing touchdowns from Junior quarterback Malik Willis as the Flames doused Coastal Carolina's (11-1) bid for a perfect season, winning the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl 37-34 in overtime. 

M is for Mavericks. Dallas jumped all over the Clippers on Sunday taking a decisive 77-27 lead at the half. The 50-point half-time margin marked the largest of the shot clock era. Dallas went on to win the game 124-73. 

N is for Niekro. Hall of Famer Phil Niekro passed away this weekend at the age of 81. Niekro won 318 games over 24 seasons, made five all-star teams and won five gold gloves. Best known for his knuckleball, Niekro fired a no-hitter in 1973, and made it to Cooperstown in 1997. With 539 wins between them, Phil and his brother Joe are the winningest pair of brothers in Major League history. 

O is for Orlando Magic. The Magic are 3-0 following their 120-113 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Markelle Fultz, the former number one overall pick in the draft, scored a career high 26 points and the Magic used a 43-19 fourth quarter to come away with the win. Orlando is one of just five NBA teams that remain undefeated. 

P is for Passing. James Harden doled out 17 assists on Saturday night in the Houston Rockets' season opener, but it wasn't enough as the Portland Trail Blazers went on to win 128-126 in overtime. Harden added 44 points as well for the short-handed Rockets. 

Q is for Quarterback. With 278 yards passing in Kansas City's narrow 17-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Patrick Mahomes now needs just 260 yards in the season finale to reach 5,000 yards on the season. Mahomes is also just two touchdown passes away from 40 on the year. 

R is for Red Rifle. Don't look now, but Andy Dalton - "The Red Rifle" - has the Dallas Cowboys on a winning streak. After a 3-9 start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys have won three straight and are now tied for first in the NFC East with the Washington Football Team. Dallas dispatched the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday 37-17 behind 377 yards and 3 touchdowns from Dalton. 

S is for Sasser. Marcus Sasser and the 6th ranked Houston Cougars men's basketball team improved to 7-0 on Saturday with a 63-54 win over Central Florida (UCF). Sasser, a sophomore guard, finished with a game-high 19 points. 

T is for Third-String. C.J. Beathard, the 49ers third-string quarterback, threw three touchdowns on Sunday as the 49ers stunned the Arizona Cardinals 20-12 in Glendale, AZ. The 49ers drafted Beathard out of Iowa in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. 

U is for Undefeated. With their 81-63 win over Indiana State on Sunday, the Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team improved to 10-0 on the season. Drake has been led this season by Senior forward ShanQuan Hemphill's 14.3 points per game. Drake takes on Indiana State again tonight. 

V is for Villanova. Villanova's men's basketball coach Jay Wright has tested positive for COVID-19 which has led to the 5th ranked Wildcats pausing all team activities. Villanova was scheduled to play Xavier on January 2nd, but that game has been postponed.

W is for Wilson. 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. ran for a career-high 183 yards and added a 21-yard touchdown reception in San Francisco's upset win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (See "T"). The 183 yards were more than Wilson Jr. totaled in his four previous games combined (168 yards). Wilson Jr. played his college ball at North Texas, but went undrafted despite averaging over six yards a carry and scoring 16 touchdowns as a senior even though he missed his final three college games due to injury. 

X is for Xavier. Following their first loss of the season last week, Xavier's men's basketball team (8-1) returns to action on Wednesday against Seton Hall (6-4). 

Y is for Young. Atlanta's point guard was at it again on Saturday when he scored 36 points in Atlanta's (2-0) 122-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Young is averaging 36.5 points through Atlanta's first two games this season. The Hawks return to action tonight against the Detroit Pistons. 

Z is for Zags. The #1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs got 32 points, including 9 three-pointers, from Senior forward Corey Kispert as the Zags toppled 16th ranked Virginia 98-75 on Saturday. Kispert is averaging a team-best 22.4 points per game this season.