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This year, the NFL made a concerted effort to take some of the Christmas sports viewership away from the NBA, and they made quite the splash by hosting a Beyoncé-starring halftime show. While all eyes were on Bey yesterday, she took the opportunity to tease something coming early next year, via a teaser video shared on social media after her performance.

As far as concrete info, the video doesn’t offer much. It starts with footage of Beyoncé waving an American flag as she sits atop a white horse and the sound of galloping is heard in the background. Then, the date of January 14, 2025 flashes on screen. The post is also captioned, “Look at that horse.”

The ambiguity hasn’t stopped fans from speculating, though. Some believe the third part of the Renaissance and Cowboy Carter trilogy is coming, and that, based on the font choice in the video, it’ll be a rock album. Others wonder if a new set of tour Beyoncé tour dates is on the way. Nothing has been officially announced or confirmed yet, though.

Ahead of her NFL performance, Beyoncé shared a teaser for the show, poking fun at concerns over Netflix’s ability to provide a consistent livestream.

Through four games, the NBA’s Christmas Day slate has given fans four absolutely fantastic games, which included a prime time showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. Thanks to a 31-point, 10-assist outing from LeBron James and a triple-double from Austin Reaves, the Lakers overcame a 38-point outing from Steph Curry in San Francisco en route to a 115-113 win.

This game came amid a weird day for the NBA, as the slate lost some of its luster over the course of the season and as the NFL scheduled a pair of high-profile games on Netflix. But with both of those football games being complete and total duds and the NBA putting on some fantastic hoops, the day ended up looking a bit different from how it was originally anticipated things were gonna go. And apparently, LeBron was feeling himself a bit, as he took a shot at the NFL after his game.

“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James said with a smile on his face and while staring directly into the camera.

Again, there has been a lot said — including by us! — about how the NFL is clearly coming for Christmas in an effort to make it a marquee day on its calendar. But on Wednesday, the NFL had a pretty bad day in terms of putting forth a compelling on-field product, while things couldn’t have gone much better for the NBA.

The Golden State Warriors played host to the Los Angeles Lakers in the primetime game on the NBA’s Christmas Day slate, as we got at least one more LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry showdown on the NBA’s biggest regular season stage.

The Lakers led for most of the game, with the Warriors making a few different runs to keep things interesting, but as has been the case for much of the last month, Golden State’s lack of firepower around Curry caused them problems in terms of sustaining offense — even with Anthony Davis getting hurt in the first half and not returning. That meant the Warriors needed to get creative to try and steal some possessions, which might as well have been a bat signal for Draymond Green to try some shenanigans.

In the early fourth quarter, Green tried to pick up a foul with the Warriors already at the free throw line, as he ran into the arms of Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura, hooked both players with his arms, and dragged them backwards to the floor while throwing his head back. Unfortunately for Green, Scott Foster saw what he was doing and called the foul on him instead.

The replay is genuinely one of the funniest clips from this NBA season, as Green yanks both Lakers down to the ground with him. Richard Jefferson was on the call and couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at Draymond trying to break out a WWE move — after going into it wondering if Green had a legitimate gripe after arguing with Foster.

The Golden State Warriors played host to the Los Angeles Lakers in the primetime game on the NBA’s Christmas Day slate, as we got at least one more LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry showdown on the NBA’s biggest regular season stage.

The Lakers led for most of the game, with the Warriors making a few different runs to keep things interesting, but as has been the case for much of the last month, Golden State’s lack of firepower around Curry caused them problems in terms of sustaining offense — even with Anthony Davis getting hurt in the first half and not returning. That meant the Warriors needed to get creative to try and steal some possessions, which might as well have been a bat signal for Draymond Green to try some shenanigans.

In the early fourth quarter, Green tried to pick up a foul with the Warriors already at the free throw line, as he ran into the arms of Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura, hooked both players with his arms, and dragged them backwards to the floor while throwing his head back. Unfortunately for Green, Scott Foster saw what he was doing and called the foul on him instead.

The replay is genuinely one of the funniest clips from this NBA season, as Green yanks both Lakers down to the ground with him. Richard Jefferson was on the call and couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at Draymond trying to break out a WWE move — after going into it wondering if Green had a legitimate gripe after arguing with Foster.

The Golden State Warriors played host to the Los Angeles Lakers in the primetime game on the NBA’s Christmas Day slate, as we got at least one more LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry showdown on the NBA’s biggest regular season stage.

The Lakers led for most of the game, with the Warriors making a few different runs to keep things interesting, but as has been the case for much of the last month, Golden State’s lack of firepower around Curry caused them problems in terms of sustaining offense — even with Anthony Davis getting hurt in the first half and not returning. That meant the Warriors needed to get creative to try and steal some possessions, which might as well have been a bat signal for Draymond Green to try some shenanigans.

In the early fourth quarter, Green tried to pick up a foul with the Warriors already at the free throw line, as he ran into the arms of Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura, hooked both players with his arms, and dragged them backwards to the floor while throwing his head back. Unfortunately for Green, Scott Foster saw what he was doing and called the foul on him instead.

The replay is genuinely one of the funniest clips from this NBA season, as Green yanks both Lakers down to the ground with him. Richard Jefferson was on the call and couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at Draymond trying to break out a WWE move — after going into it wondering if Green had a legitimate gripe after arguing with Foster.

Beyoncé’s halftime performance at Ravens vs. Texans didn’t disappoint. After a month worth of buildup, Beyoncé took the stage at center field in Netflix’s first-ever Christmas NFL broadast, enterting on a white horse to “16 Carriages,” strutting her way through the stadium with Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tiera Kennedy to sing “Blackbiird,” rocking the stage with “Ya Ya,” then taking the field with a marching band and Shaboozey for “Sweet / Honey / Buckin.”

She danced in front of a denim-clad pickup for “Leviis” joined by Post Malone (of course), then put on a full parade alongside the hometown team’s owner Cal McNair and his wife Hannah Hartland to sing a spirited rendition of “Jolene,” and finally played “Texas Hold ‘Em” for the first time — a fitting finale for the first NFL Christmas game in her hometown. Making the moment even more special was Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy getting to join her on the field as a dancer.

Best of all, those buffering worries we all had were put to rest as the performance concluded with Beyoncé hovering over the field, much like fellow star Rihanna, without a single hitch (other than the ones on the backs of all those pickup trucks!). She also teased… something… coming on January 14 — could this be the long-awaited announcement for Cowboy Carter tour dates?

You can watch Beyoncé’s NFL On Netflix halftime performance on Netflix for a limited time.

When the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule came out prior to the season, one of the eyebrow-raising decisions from the league was to give Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs the Christmas spotlight with a game in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, picking the second-year star over the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. It was a big bet on the Spurs to be improved this year (which they are) and on Wembanyama to meet the moment in his Christmas debut.

Wembanyama unquestionably did just that, as he scored 42 points to go along with 18 rebounds and four blocks, making good on his promise that his Christmas debut would be “a movie.” It was a bit of a slow start for Wembanyama, who struggled to find the range from distance early on, but once he found it he rained in 6 threes (on 16 attempts) and pushed the Spurs to a 7-point halftime lead.

However, the Knicks got a performance to match Wemby from Mikal Bridges, who was lethal with his efficiency, scoring 41 points on 17-of-25 shooting, including six made threes of his own.

He and Karl-Anthony Towns led a New York charge to get back in front in the third quarter, with Towns adding 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting in just 30 minutes of action, as he struggled with foul trouble.

The two teams traded leads in the fourth quarter, but it was the Knicks that were able to come out on top thanks to some big buckets from Bridges and ratcheting up the defense on the Spurs, who couldn’t get enough shots to drop late. New York emerged with a 117-114 win as they were able to run out the clock on a 38-second final possession thanks to two huge offensive rebounds from Josh Hart that sealed the win.

It was an incredible start to the NBA’s Christmas slate, and if there were any doubts that Wembanyama would embrace the stage, he put those to rest with one of the all-time great Christmas debuts. His 42 points put him third behind Tracy McGrady (43) and Wilt Chamberlain (45) on the list of highest scoring Christmas Day debuts, and I’d venture a guess that it’ll be a long time before he’s not part of the NBA’s marquee day of games.

On the other side, the Knicks showed why they’re such a dominant offense, as even in a game where Jalen Brunson was off and Towns was on the bench with foul trouble for 18 minutes, they could lean on Mikal Bridges — who has shaken off those early-season questions about his jump shot and looks like the Bridges of old.

Jimmy Butler’s future with the Miami Heat has been up in the air for some time, as some comments from Pat Riley on the heels of last season sure made it seem like a breakup could be in the cards for the franchise and its former All-Star forward. Now, a new report by Shams Charania of ESPN indicates that he wants a change of scenery sometime in the next month and a half.

On Wednesday morning, Charania brought word that Butler prefers a move out of Miami ahead of the trade deadline this season, which takes place on Feb. 6. Butler, who turned 35 in September, has a player option for next year, but can decline that and become an unrestricted free agent, which Charania reports is the expectation.

Butler has a list of teams that he’d prefer if he gets moved, although there’s no mechanism in his contract that would let him force a trade to a specific team. All of this comes amid a bit of a unique season in Miami, as the Heat sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference at 14-13 with Tyler Herro taking on the role of being the team’s top option on offense. Butler, meanwhile, has been good, albeit not quite as productive as he’s been in years past, as he’s averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in 31.4 minutes per game.

This news coming out on Christmas Day is not the first time that we’ve seen a big-name player’s future come into question on the bigget day on the NBA’s regular season calendar. Two years ago, a report came out that then-Sixers guard James Harden would seriously consider a return to the Houston Rockets if he hit the open market, which did not happen.

The regular season from hell is nearly over if you’ve followed this space. Candidly, I hope you’ve been fading instead of tailing. Week 16 was a prime example, when De’Von Achane took a 50-yard run to the end zone rather than falling down, costing us a win in the process. All of those breaks have gone the other way in 2024 in the worst year on record for this column dating back to 2017.

Alas, some might shut it down. We’ll continue with five picks for Week 17. But first, a look at the carnage.

• Week 16: 0-4-1
• 2024 Season: 30-48-2

Come get these winners.

TEASER: Pittsburgh Steelers (+8.5) over Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams (-0.5) over Arizona Cardinals — Widely Available

We’ll start things off on Christmas Day with Mike Tomlin as a home underdog. It may not be the most fun sweat, but a Wong teaser leg fading the Chiefs on the road right now? With Mike Tomlin and a good defense? Yes, please. On the other side, I like the Rams with the potential chance to the clinch the NFC West this weekend. Count me as an Arizona skeptic.

Cincinnati Bengals (-3) over Denver Broncos — FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers

I’ve been on both sides of Cincinnati games this season, and it’s an adventure. With that said, I tend to enjoy backing Joe Burrow, who is playing out of his mind. Denver’s defense has also struggled pretty significantly in the last two weeks, and the Bengals have some life at home. Throw in a rookie quarterback outdoors on the road in December, and we’re playing the Bengals.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers OVER 48.5 points — ESPNBet

We’ve been riding NFC South Overs all season and, honestly, it’s one of the few things that has brought joy. The Bucs and Panthers have both been firm Over teams in recent weeks and, if you haven’t been tracking, Overs in divisional games have been nearly perfect.

Carolina Panthers (+8) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Widely Available

Part of why I like the Over in this game is that Tampa Bay’s defense… is not strong. On the other side, Carolina isn’t any great shakes, but Bryce Young has played legitimately well at times in the recent past, and the market hasn’t quite caught up on the Panthers.

Buffalo Bills (-9.5) over New York Jets — FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars

We’re laying a big number? In this column? Well, nothing else has worked, so why not? More seriously, we’re getting a favorable number after Buffalo’s hiccup a week ago, and it’s one more chance to fade the Jets.

Michael Vick was officially introduced as the head football coach at Norfolk State University on Monday, as the Newport News native was returning to his home area to coach the Spartans in his first collegiate head coaching job.

On hand for his introductory press conference was a fellow 757 legend, as Hampton, VA native Allen Iverson dropped in to show his support for his friend being named head coach. It was very cool to see two of the greatest athletes to ever come from that area together in such a celebratory moment for Vick, as he gets set to embark on his coaching career.

Iverson spoke with the assembled media in Norfolk afterwards and spoke passionately about why he thinks Vick will succeed, noting his journey in life is something that everyone, not just the kids at Norfolk State, can learn from.

Vick starred at Virginia Tech and became the No. 1 overall pick of the Atlanta Falcons, where he became a Pro Bowler before his career was derailed after he pled guilty to playing a role in a dog-fighting ring in 2007. Vick served two years in prison and has worked with a number of organizations since his release to combat animal cruelty and abuse, rebuilding his life and career in the process, as he returned to football with the Eagles in 2009 and won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. As Iverson notes, Vick’s story is remarkable and he can provide unique insight to the kids he coaches on navigating life as an athlete and teach them important lessons off the field as well.