Rams' win has massive playoff implications, plus COVID-19 is starting to wreak havoc on sports again

Happy Tuesday morning, folks. We're through 14 weeks of the NFL season and truly headed into the home stretch. If last night was any indication, it's going to be a wild ride.

Let's get right to it.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

THE LOS ANGELES RAMS

Entering Monday night, Matthew Stafford had never beaten a team five games over .500 in his career -- an incredible 0-17 record. But who needs history?

The veteran gunslinger put together his finest game in a Rams uniform as Los Angeles picked up its best win of the season, defeating the Cardinals 30-23 in a game in which their stars simply played better than Arizona's.

Stafford tossed three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Rams improved to 6-0 when he does not throw a pick.
Cooper Kupp continued his unbelievable season with 13 catches for 123 yards and a score and Odell Beckham Jr. caught a touchdown for the third straight game -- his longest streak since 2015.
Aaron Donald had three sacks, including one with no time remaining to clinch the win.
Los Angeles picked off Kyler Murray twice and held DeAndre Hopkins to just 54 receiving yards.
The Rams did this all without Jalen Ramsey and several other key players who were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The win also prevented Arizona from clinching a playoff spot and tightened up the top of the NFC playoff race. Per NFL Research, this is only the third time no team has clinched a playoff berth through Week 14 since the league moved to a 16-game season in 1978.

It's going to be a thrilling final month across the league.

Honorable mentions:

Kyrie Irving hasn't played this season and remains unvaccinated, but there's reportedly a "renewed belief" Irving will join the Nets this season. Whether that comes via Irving getting vaccinated or New York changing its COVID vaccine requirements is TBD, but his return would be a huge boost for a Brooklyn team that already leads the Eastern Conference.
The college football All-America team came out Monday, and it was no surprise that Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young led the way.
There hasn't been much to celebrate for the Orioles recently, but better days may be ahead: Baltimore has two of MLB's top five prospects, according to our MLB expert R.J. Anderson. That includes the top prospect, catcher Adley Rutschman.
The Raiders' season has gone south, but Las Vegas got some good football news Monday: Allegiant Stadium will reportedly host Super Bowl 58.

And not such a good morning for...

EVERY LEAGUE DEALING WITH COVID-19 OUTBREAKS

If the last 20 months have taught us anything, it's that COVID-19 isn't going away. Professional sports are certainly giving us a good reminder right now. In the NFL, 25 players were added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list, another 11 were placed on the practice squad/COVID-19 list and a Washington staffer tested positive for the Omicron variant -- the first such case connected to the NFL.

All 36 players now on the COVID-19 lists are there because of a positive test -- the highest number of players testing positive in a single day since the pandemic began. You can check out the full list here.

The NBA has been forced to postpone games for the first time this season. The Bulls' game scheduled for tonight against the Pistons, as well as Thursday's game at the Raptors were postponed after Alize Johnson became the 10th Chicago player to enter the league's health and safety protocols. The list of players in the protocols grows seemingly every day, and we're keeping track of it all.
The NHL announced Monday that the Flames' games through at least Thursday are postponed after six players and a staff member entered league protocols. The team's facilities will be shut down as well.

Not so honorable mention:

The Giants clinched their fifth straight losing season with a loss on Sunday. The last time that happened was 1973-1980, when they had eight straight campaigns under .500. Yikes! Take a closer look at the Giants' historic futility.
Khris Middleton suffered a hyperextended knee in Monday's loss at Boston.

The Urban Meyer era in Jacksonville continues to be a disaster 🤦

Here's the final tally from the Jaguars' Week 14:

Points scored: 0
Off-field problems: Uhhhhh... a lot

On Sunday, a long list of reported recent issues between Urban Meyer and his team was leaked, including...

Angered by Meyer's criticism, wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. left the facility, later returned, and then had a heated argument with Meyer during practice.
Meyer called his assistant coaches "losers" during a meeting and challenged their coaching resumes.
Meyer benched standout running back James Robinson after a fumble in Week 13 and only re-inserted him into the game at quarterback Trevor Lawrence's request.

On Sunday, Meyer reportedly threatened to fire the sources leaking information if he finds out who they are (which seems... extremely unlikely at best).

As for his quarterback, when Lawrence isn't being forced to confront his head coach about why one of his best offensive weapons isn't playing, he's doing his best to block it all out:

Lawrence: "There's only so much you can worry about that stuff. There will be a time and a place where that stuff is addressed. I don't know exactly what that is or my involvement. I'm here to play ball and be the best quarterback I can and lead the team. So, I'm going to keep doing that and I think everything will work itself out."

It's an extremely unfortunate situation, but Meyer really has no one but himself to blame. Jacksonville has looked listless during its five-game losing streak (three of the losses have been by 20 points or more), and when Jones Jr. -- who spent five years with the Lions -- is frustrated enough to leave the facility, you know it's bad.

Meyer and owner Shad Khan reportedly met one-on-one after Sunday's loss to the Titans, and while Meyer's future seems uncertain, one thing is certain: This season can't end soon enough for the Jaguars.

Spencer Rattler is headed to South Carolina 🏈

Spencer Rattler started this season as the Heisman Trophy favorite for an Oklahoma team expected to compete for a title. Four months later, he's starting from scratch for a team that has fallen off the national scene in recent years.

On Monday night, the talented quarterback announced he's transferring to South Carolina, where former Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer is the head coach.

It's a perfect fit for both parties, writes our college football guru Shehan Jeyarajah:

Jeyarajah: "Beamer knows Rattler, and just as importantly, knows how to create a favorable situation. After Heisman winner Bryce Young, the second tier of SEC quarterbacks is open for the taking. There's no reason Rattler can't find himself back on among the premier quarterbacks in that conference, and perhaps in all of college football, in due time."

Ranking the best matchups in the Champions League Round of 16 ⚽

Monday's Champions League Round of 16 draw was a wild one. First, there was a technology error that resulted in a few mistakes, including Manchester United drawing Villarreal, both of whom had been in Group F in group play. UEFA rules state teams from the same group or country cannot meet in the Round of 16.

So, the entire draw was redone. We have some absolute sizzlers on our hands:

Red Bull Salzburg vs. Bayern Munich
Sporting CP vs. Manchester City
SL Benfica vs. AFC Ajax
Chelsea vs. Lille OSC
Atletico Madrid vs. Manchester United
Villarreal CF vs. Juventus
Inter Milan vs. Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid

There's a clear best matchup, according to our soccer reporter Roger Gonzalez's Round of 16 matchup rankings:

Gonzalez: "1. PSG vs Real Madrid: Where do we begin? How much time do you have? There are so many juicy storylines here that make this easily the most intriguing matchup. First you've got Lionel Messi facing what was his biggest rival for his entire Barcelona career. Then you also have PSG's Kylian Mbappe facing the team many people think he will potentially join next summer. Want more? How about PSG defender Sergio Ramos going up against his former club? Oh, Hakimi and Keylor Navas too. There is plenty of familiarity here, not to mention Real boss Carlo Ancelotti having coached PSG a decade ago. Fireworks incoming..."

As a Chelsea fan, I'll have my eyes on the Blues' matchup against Lille, which features US national team stars Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) and Tim Weah (Lille).