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Cowboys lose in true Simpsons fashion, plus more details on Juan Soto’s decision

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Cowboys lose in true Simpsons fashion, plus more details on Juan Soto’s decision

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.

Good morning! A big Pulse milestone is coming up this week, and we’d love some input from you. We have a small survey here, and we’re planning to publish some answers. You’re the best.

D’oh! Bengals win a cartoonish thriller

We don’t have to linger much on the details of Cincinnati’s 27-20 win over Dallas last night. Two non-playoff teams duked it out on prime-time television, only really of interest because there was a full “Simpsons”-themed animated simulcast.

Normal stuff. But I want to focus on the final sequence, which was hilarious in real life. We start here:

That’s a punt block from the Cowboys with two minutes left, which would’ve given them prime field position late in a 20-20 game. Instead, Dallas muffed the fumble recovery and gave the ball back to a dangerous Bengals offense. 

Three plays later, this happened:

That’s Ja’Marr Chase/Lisa Simpson taking an out route 40 yards to the house. Game over. 

And with it, Week 14 is officially closed. See our latest Power Rankings here. Onward:

Circling Back: Inside Juan Soto’s decision

The sports news cycle can be frantic. It’s hard for any story, no matter how impactful, to linger more than 24 hours. But Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the Mets — the largest in sports history — has done just that, and we received even more info yesterday.

A few new facts, along with some facets we didn’t have space for yesterday:

  • Picking the Mets over the Yankees, with whom Soto nearly won a World Series last month, is one of those historical before-and-after moments. Ultimately, it was Mets owner Steve Cohen’s personal touch, as Will Sammon wrote, that won over Soto. Also, the money: The Yanks’ final offer to Soto was 16 years and $760 million, about $4M less per year.
  • Any detractor — ahem, Yankees fan — may say Soto will falter a bit without Aaron Judge protecting him in the lineup. Keith Law argues that Soto fits seamlessly into the Mets’ order, though, and will be a force alongside Francisco Lindor. All the Mets have to do now is find some pitching.
  • Vegas also believes in the Mets, as their World Series odds improved from +1200 to +700 after the signing. Oppositely, the Yankees’ odds lengthened from +800 to +900.

We also have the definitive story on how Soto chose the Mets, which you can read here. There is some fantastic insight into every factor of this deal, from Soto’s journey here to the hotel where he camped out to make the call. Make time for that one. 

Oh, and we had a late-breaking report last night that the Mets and Yankees are battling for White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, too. I wonder if the Yankees will overpay here just to win something. 

Let’s keep moving:

News to Know

NBA in talks about European league
The NBA and FIBA are having “ongoing discussions” about starting a European basketball outfit to rival the Euroleague, according to Andreas Zagklis, the secretary general for FIBA. In a news conference yesterday, Zagklis said European basketball is “punching much below its commercial potential.” There is potential for current Euroleague teams to join this new NBA-backed group, should it materialize. Fascinating stuff. More details here.

More news

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Heisman Time: Don’t forget Jeanty

Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Miami’s Cam Ward were announced as Heisman Trophy finalists yesterday, and for once the non-QBs — Hunter and Jeanty — are the favorites.

Hunter is the first two-way player to reach this level since Charles Woodson in 1997, though Woodson was only a part-time offensive player. The potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick has been the trophy favorite for most of the season (currently -2500 at BetMGM), and it’s merited. In the simplest terms, he’s both No. 2 nationally in receiving touchdowns and No. 17 in interceptions. A total throwback, but with eye-poppingly modern athleticism.

That doesn’t mean it’s an easy choice. Jeanty’s 2,497 rushing yards this season rank fourth on the all-time list, ahead of Heisman winners like Marcus Allen and Derrick Henry. He’s the biggest reason why CFP-bound Boise State has snagged its long-delayed title shot. This past weekend, he even changed the minds of some of our Heisman straw-poll voters. Don’t expect a landslide win by Hunter.

(The biggest snub, based on our straw poll? Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo. Too many voters must have turned in their ballots before last weekend’s Big 12 championship. Or maybe there can only be one Cam at a time.)

The ceremony is Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch, Listen and Play

📺 Soccer: Real Madrid at Atalanta
3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
I recommend a refresher on the Champions League table, thanks to the new format. Atalanta sits well above Real for now, even though the latter is favored here.

📺 NBA: Mavericks at Thunder
9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
These are two of the top four teams in the Western Conference, featuring two of the best guards in the NBA. Easy call if you have to choose between this and Magic/Bucks at 7 p.m. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

🎧 The “Until Saturday” crew predicts the winners of the first home games of the 12-team College Football Playoff era.

Pulse Picks

Christian Pulisic is finally opening up, to the surprise of nearly everyone. Adam Crafton has the story of a new docuseries about Pulisic (currently sidelined with a calf injury), who says the stereotype of American soccer players “really pisses me off.” 

The 4 Nations Face-Off is a big deal by itself. But, as Sean Gentille writes, it could also give us a clue about looming Olympic questions. 

Draymond Green’s dunk on Sunday — and subsequent Steph Curry celebration — might have woken the Warriors up, Marcus Thompson II writes. 

Josh Allen’s masterpiece Sunday was the best fantasy football performance ever by a QB. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Juan Soto’s big news, of course. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Richard Deitsch’s review of Tom Brady’s performance Sunday, when the former QB delivered the best moment of his young broadcasting career.

(Top photo: Tim Heitman / Imagn Images)

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