The best games of 2019

The game that will live in infamy for Bears fans defined their entire offseason, and it can be argued they still haven't gotten over it. After a hard fought back and forth, the Bears had an opportunity to win down 16-15 with 10 seconds left. Chicago kicker Cody Parkey came on to kick a 43-yard field goal, but the kick was partially blocked before hitting the upright, crossbar, and falling back toward the field to end the Bears season.

One of the best games of 2019 was overshadowed by a controversial no-call. The NFC championship was a true classic in which the Rams advantaged 26-23 in overtime on a 57-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal. However, the game probably would have gone New Orleans' way had the refs called pass interference on L.A. cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman on Saints wideout Tommylee Lewis inside the 5-yard line when New Orleans trailed 23-20 with less than two minutes left. Instead, the Saints had to settle for a field goal to send the game to overtime. The no-call caused the NFL to make pass interference reviewable for the 2019 season.

New England led the vaunted Chiefs offense 14-0 at halftime in the AFC championship before a ferocious comeback by Patrick Mahomes and Co. in the second half. The Chiefs scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a Harrison Butker 39-yard field goal at the end of regulation to tie the game, 31-31. Kansas City would have sealed the game earlier with a pick, but it was called back after linebacker Dee Ford lined up offside. The Patriots got the ball first in overtime and were able to drive down the field and score a touchdown to win 37-31 en route to their sixth Super Bowl title in the Bill Belichick- Tom Brady era.

The Blue Devils were favored to win the Men's NCAA Tournament, but they were nearly knocked out in the second round by No. 9 seed UCF, led by 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. Duke star freshman Zion Williamson scored 32 points, but the Knights had a final play to win  that fell just off the rim. Duke escaped with a 77-76 victory.

Neither team was ready to go home in the South Region Final between Virginia and Purdue. The game featured multiple brilliant performances, including 42 points from Purdue guard Carsen Edwards. The end of regulation featured a miraculous buzzer-beater by Virginia forward Mamadi Diakite to send the game to overtime before the Cavaliers flexed their muscle in extra time to win, 80-75.

Virginia's NCAA Tournament was full of close calls, and the Cavaliers had another classic game in their overtime win over Texas Tech. The teams were tied, 68-68, with the help of a De'Andre Hunter three-pointer for the Cavaliers. Virginia eventually ran away with the game in overtime.

The NHL playoffs started with the bang for Columbus and Tampa Bay. The Lightning got off to a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 1 in Round 1 of the playoffs and still led 3-1 going into the second intermission. The Blue Jackets scored three unanswered goals in the third period, capped off by a Seth Jones power play goal to win 4-3. Columbus won the following three games to complete a sweep of Tampa Bay.

St. Louis Blues fans have been conditioned for things to go wrong in the playoffs, but their Game 7 win over the Stars was the first sign that their fortunes would finally change. The hard-fought series between St. Louis and Dallas in the second round of the NHL playoffs came down to a deciding Game 7 in St. Louis. Goaltenders Ben Bishop and Jordan Binnington stood on their heads for the entire night before Pat Maroon sent the Blues onward by scoring at 5:50 in the second overtime.

A classic seven-game series between the 76ers and Raptors ended with an unbelievable play. Kawhi Leonard already had 39 points when he took the ball with 4.2 seconds and dribbled to the corner before shooting up the game-winner that was helped by the rim.

Toronto lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals following their dramatic series ending over Philadelphia. The Raptors desperately needed a Game 3 win when the series returned to Toronto, and Kawhi Leonard had their backs, scoring 36 points in a double-overtime victory after Pascal Siakam missed a pair of free throws with 7.4 seconds left in regulation.

Netherlands had several opportunities to score but couldn't get on the board in the Women's World Cup Semifinal until the 99th minute when Jackie Groenen scored from long range to take a 1-0 lead over Sweden. The Dutch advanced to face the United States in the World Cup Final, where they were defeated 2-0.

The two best men's tennis players of their age played a Wimbledon Final for the ages. The fifth set featured a 12-12 tiebreak, with Djokovic emerging in a match that took four hours and 57 minutes. The victory gave Djokovic his fifth Wimbledon title.

Auburn true freshman quarterback Bo Nix struggled for much of his first career game but came up big when it counted. The Tigers trailed Oregon, 21-6, in the third quarter but were able to score 21 unanswered points, capped off with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Seth Williams with nine seconds remaining to win, 27-21.

An old-time Big Eight/Big 12 rivalry game between Colorado and Nebraska was an instant classic. The Buffaloes put themselves in a 17-0 hole at halftime but were able to tie the game, 31-31, after scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a 26-yard touchdown by Tony Brown with 46 seconds left. After Nebraska missed a 48-yard field goal in overtime, Colorado kicker James Stefanou made a 34-yard field goal for a miraculous come-from-behind win.

Drew Brees and the Saints escaped with a Week 1 win, but they got all they could handle from the Texans. Deshaun Watson threw three touchdown passes, including a 37-yarder to Kenny Stills with 37 seconds left on a drive that took all of 13 seconds. Trailing 28-27, Brees went to work and got the Saints in position for Wil Lutz to kick the game-winning, 58-yard field goal to win, 30-28.

Mitchell Trubisky struggled most of the day at Denver, but he came up big late in the game when it counted. Denver scored on a 7-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders and added the two-point conversion to take a 14-13 lead over Chicago with only 31 seconds left. Trubisky fixed a terrible day by driving the Bears down the field quickly to allow Eddy Pineiro to kick a 53-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired to win, 16-14.

In a true classic if you like offense, UCLA picked up its first win of 2019 with a 67-63 come-from-behind battle over Washington State. The Bruins were able to overcome an unbelievable nine touchdown passes by Cougars quarterback Anthony Gordon as well as a 49-17 deficit in the third quarter. UCLA scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:07 remaining in the game.

Daniel Jones started the first game of his career in Week 3, and the former Duke signal-caller was worth the wait. He threw two touchdowns and added two more on the ground, including a 7-yard scamper with 1:16 left to take a 32-31 lead over Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston was able to lead the Bucs back down the field and in a position to win, but rookie kicker Matt Gay missed a 34-yard chip shot as time expired.

Detroit's defense gave the Chiefs all they could handle, forcing four fumbles and recovering three of them. However, the Lions made two critical fumbles of their own in the red zone, including a Kerryon Johnson fumble at the goal line that was returned by Bashaud Breeland for a 100-yard touchdown. The Lions still had a chance to win after taking a 30-27 lead with 2:26 left in the game, but Mahomes led the Chiefs back down the field to win, 34-30.

Kansas has established itself as a tough out under head coach Les Miles this season. Case in point: the Jayhawks' October visit to Austin. The Jayhawks wouldn't go away against Texas, eventually taking a 48-47 lead with 1:11 left on a Carter Stanley 22-yard touchdown pass and successful two-point conversion. Texas was able to drive back down the field to win on a 33-yard field goal at the end of regulation, but the Longhorns got all they could handle.