The best games of 2018

The Georgia and Oklahoma offenses squared off in a great game at the Rose Bowl with huge stakes on the line. Both offenses gained more than 500 yards, but the Bulldogs running game, led by Sony Michel, was able to outlast Baker Mayfield and Co. in two overtimes to win 54-48.

With Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0 in the National Championship at halftime, Nick Saban made a drastic change, benching quarterback Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa. The move paid off for the Crimson Tide, as they scored 20 points in the second half to send the game to overtime tied 20-20. Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to win 26-23 in arguably the greatest title game ever.

Minnesota and New Orleans squared off in a great NFC Divisional Round game that became epic. The teams traded scores late in the fourth quarter, but the game seemed all but over when the Saints took the lead, 24-23, on a field goal with 25 seconds remaining. The Vikings had one last play from their own 39-yard line. Case Keenum threw deep to Stefon Diggs, and Saints safety Marcus Williams inexplicably tried to undercut Diggs, completely missing him at the 35-yard line of the Saints. Diggs ran the rest of the way to lead Minnesota to the NFC Championship after a 29-24 win.

Maybe it wasn't as great a game as the previous year's amazing Patriots comeback, but Super Bowl LII was still memorable. Led by backup quarterback Nick Foles, the Eagles put up a huge offensive day to win 41-33, sealed by a Zach Ertz touchdown with 2:21 remaining. Foles threw three touchdowns and also caught one touchdown on the "Philly Special."

2018 will be a memorable year for Ovechkin, as he not only won the Stanley Cup but also scored his 600th goal. The latter feat happened on March 12 in a great overtime win vs. Winnipeg, as he scored two goals to help the Caps win 3-2.

Miami got an unenviable draw vs. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and fans were treated to an amazing first-round game. The Hurricanes led for most of the second half, but trailing 64-62, Donte Ingram shot a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Ramblers on to the second round.

The game itself wasn't a great one, but the feat accomplished by the UMBC Retrievers over Virginia will be remembered forever. The 16-seeded Retrievers dominated Virginia to win 74-54 in a game that was never really in doubt, marking the first time that a 16 seed defeated a 1 seed in the history of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

The East Region of the NCAA Tournament came down to No. 1 seed Kansas vs. No. 2 seed Duke. Malik Newman and the Jayhawks were able to outlast the Blue Devils in overtime 85-81. Duke had its chances, including a shot at the end of regulation by guard Grayson Allen that rimmed in and out.

Trailing 8-3 in the ninth inning, Cleveland scored five runs on Houston to send the game to extra innings. A Greg Allen home run sent fans home happy in the 14th inning with a 10-9 win.

LeBron James scored 51 points in Cleveland's 124-114 overtime loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but the story of the game on talk radio was a mistake by J.R. Smith. The Cleveland guard had an opportunity to win the tied game after getting a rebound under the basket but dribbled away from the basket thinking his team had the lead at the end of regulation. The Warriors won and would eventually sweep the series.

Soccer naysayers have an easy complaint that the Spain vs. Portugal group stage match ended in a 3-3 tie, but it was still dramatic. The game of stars featured a hat trick by Cristiano Ronaldo, including a game-tying goal in the 88th minute.

Favored to win the World Cup, Brazil came up short in a 2-1 loss to Belgium in the quarterfinals. Belgium jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois came up big to hold off Neymar and Brazil.

After personal and injury issues, many thought Tiger Woods would never again play golf at the elite level. He proved the naysayers wrong late in 2018, nearly winning his 15th major in St. Louis at the PGA Championship. He finished just two shots behind winner Brooks Koepka to finish second at 14-under par.

This game had all the makings of a classic. Rodgers left in the first half with a knee injury, and the Packers trailed Chicago 20-0 in the third quarter. Then the legend returned and went to work. Clearly hobbled, Rodgers closed a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit and pulled off a miracle 75-yard touchdown to Randall Cobb with 2:13 remaining to win 24-23.

Oregon had a game to forget against Pac-12 rival Stanford that included poor clock management and late mistakes. The Ducks led 24-7 at halftime, but Stanford was able to string together a second-half comeback that included an 80-yard fumble return score and 10 points scored in the last 3:10 of the fourth quarter. The Cardinal ultimately won 38-31 in overtime.

Two elite NFC South offenses squared off in Week 3 when the Saints visited Atlanta. The game was a back-and-forth slugfest and tied at 37 by the end of regulation after Brees scored a 7-yard rushing touchdown with 1:15 left. He was able to do it again with 2:55 left in overtime, capping off a seven-plus-minute drive to win 43-37.

The Big Ten and playoff implications were massive when the No. 4 Buckeyes visited No. 9 Penn State. The Nittany Lions led 26-14 with 8:00 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but first-year starter Dwayne Haskins led Ohio State with two huge touchdown passes to win 27-26.

The hype surrounding Patrick Mahomes was building with the Chiefs 3-0 start heading into a Week 4 tilt at Denver. He was welcomed to the world on Monday Night Football with a come-from-behind win at Denver. Trailing 23-13 in the fourth quarter, Mahomes led two touchdown drives that included a left-handed miracle pass to Tyreek Hill for a critical first down. The Chiefs beat their division rivals 27-23.

Colorado visited Wrigley Field for the NL Wild Card Game after both teams lost in Game 163 of the regular season the previous day. The consolation prize went to the Rockies, who overcame an eighth-inning, game-tying run by the Cubs to win on a 13th-inning run, 2-1.

The Red River Showdown has featured some great games, and this year's was no exception. The surprising Texas offense jumped out to a 45-24 lead by the end of the third quarter, as quarterback Sam Ehlinger scored three times on the ground. Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray helped Oklahoma storm back and tie the game at 45 with 2:38 left, but the Longhorns won 48-45 with nine seconds remaining on a 40-yard field goal.

The 5-0 Chiefs went into Foxborough to claim their title as leaders in the AFC, but Tom Brady and Co. had something to say about it. The Patriots dominated the Chiefs defense, jumping out to a 24-9 lead at halftime. However, Mahomes, Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill brought the Chiefs offense back, eventually tying the game at 40-40 on a 75-yard pass to Hill with 3:03 remaining. This game had all the makings of a "last team with the ball wins" contest, and that was the case, as Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal to win 43-40 as time expired.

Game 3 of the World Series was a fun one if you stayed up late enough to watch it. It lasted more than seven hours, as L.A. beat Boston 3-2 on a walk-off home run by Max Muncy. Boston pitcher Nathan Eovaldi still pitched incredibly well in his makeshift relief outing, allowing two runs in six innings on just one day of rest.

It was a classic Big 12 scoring fest when West Virginia traveled to Texas. The Longhorns led 28-27 at halftime, and the scoring continued into the second half. Texas took the lead 41-34 with 2:34 remaining in the game, but Grier completed a 33-yard pass to Gary Jennings Jr. with 16 seconds remaining. Going for broke, the Mountaineers completed a two-point conversion to win 42-41. 

Some are calling it the greatest football game ever played. That's probably hyperbole, but most NFL fans who saw the Monday night showdown between L.A. and KC won't soon forget it. The game was supposed to be played in Mexico City but was relocated back to L.A. due to poor field conditions. The Rams were able to finish on top 54-51 in the brutal offensive onslaught that also included three defensive touchdowns and Madden-like offensive numbers for Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes and Co. The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to score at least 50 points and still lose.

LSU was already celebrating its 10th win of the season near the end of the third quarter, but Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond had something to say about it. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass as time expired after a penalty gave A&M life to send the game to overtime tied at 31. Several amazing overtime plays led to a seventh overtime, and Mond was able to throw a 17-yard touchdown pass and convert the two-point conversion to win 74-72.