2024 in Review: The best games and matches

The first day of 2024 might have been the most entertaining in the history of the College Football Playoff. First up, Michigan and Alabama needed extra time to decide a winner  in this back-and-forth contest. While J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdowns, the Wolverines' stout defense ultimately was the story. After Blake Corum's 17-yard touchdown run in overtime,  Michigan stopped Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe's power run on fourth-and-3 to secure the victory and pave their way to a national championship. 

This felt like the year Buffalo would finally get the best of the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason. Of course, Patrick Mahomes was still lining up against the Bills. Though Buffalo hosted this anticipated AFC divisional-round contest, it was a tight, back-and-forth affair. The teams totaled nearly the same yardage (368-361 in Buffalo's favor). Mahomes threw two touchdowns, and Josh Allen had one, but it was Isiah Pacheco's 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter that gave the Chiefs a three-point lead. The scoring chances were few down the stretch, until Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard, tying field goal with 1:47 remaining in the regulation. Dare we say, WIDE RIGHT.

The Detroit Lions led 24-7 at halftime of the first NFC Championship appearance since 1991, had totally dominated the host 49ers and could taste the franchise's first trip to the Super Bowl -- which was just 30 game-clock minutes away. Then the second half started. San Francisco scored 27 straight points to take a 34-24 lead and stun the Lions. Detroit did stop the bleeding with under a minute to play, but failed to recover the onside kick. And it was San Francisco, seemingly dead in the near bay, that was headed to the Super Bowl, where ....

.... The 49ers would experience the agony of failing to hold a lead. Though nowhere near as big as the one Detroit coughed up. The 49ers led 10-0, but Kansas City, naturally, responded with the aforementioned Patrick Mahomes under center, to lead 13-10 at halftime. Well played and thoroughly intense, the game marched on. Jake Moody's 53-yard field with 1:53 left in regulation put the 49ers up 19-16. But again, Mahomes' magic reappeared, as he engineered a stellar 11-play, 64-yard drive, finished by Harrison Butker's 29-yard tying field goal. In overtime, Moody's 27-yarder gave San Francisco the lead, but then Mahomes got the ball. Methodically, he moved the Chiefs down the field, with no pass completion longer than 13 yards. In the end, it was a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman that capped the 13-play, 75-yard drive for Kansas City to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs in 19 years.

Arguably, the most entertaining game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament came when the Crimson Tide and Tar Heels met in the Sweet 16 . Top-seeded North Carolina led by eight at the break, but Alabama's Grant Nelson scored 19 of his 24 in the second half, when the Tide clawed back. Nelson delivered a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining in regulation and also made a key block on UNC's star RJ Davis down the stretch, helping Alabama reach the program's second Elite Eight and, eventually, first Final Four appearance.

Caitlin Clark's legendary collegiate career at Iowa ended without a national championship, but she and the Hawkeyes got a second straight crack at the title. In doing so, Clark and her Iowa teammates needed to get past UConn in a March Madness classic. The Huskies' stout defense stymied Clark, especially in the first half. UConn led by six at the half, and Clark didn't make her first 3-pointer until early in the third quarter. With the game tied 51-51 after three quarters, Clark scored seven of her 21 points during the first 2 1/2 minutes of the fourth. Iowa, which got 23 points from Hannah Stuelke held on to face South Carolina in the national final. 

Up 1-0 in this first-round rivalry series, the Knicks delivered one of the greatest playoff comebacks in the history of the storied franchise to close out Game 2.  New York trailed by five within the final 30 seconds of the contest. That's when the fun began. Knicks star Jalen Brunson canned a corner 3 to make it 101-99 with 27 seconds remaining. Then, off a steal and amid a frenzy, the ball got back to Donte DiVincenzo, who knocked down the go-ahead 3 with 13 seconds remaining. After New York's Isaiah Hartenstein  blocked Tyrese Maxey's drive to the goal, teammate OG Anunoby made two free throws and it prevailed in improbable fashion.

These two storied clubs played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in Munich. When the return leg stopped at the Bernabéu, it was Bayern that broke through first via Alphonso Davies' 68th-minute goal. After 87 minutes, it appeared as if the powerful German side would steal the match and series on Madrid's home ground, but veteran Joselu made sure that didn't happen. The venerable favorite came on and scored twice in a span of 3 minutes (88, 90+1) and Madrid held on to stun Bayern en route to a 15th UCL title.

The Timberwolves didn't just eliminate the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs, they did via one of the greatest comebacks in league history.  Minnesota trailed 58-38 early in the third quarter, and did not have history on its side since no NBA team had ever overcome a Game 7 deficit of more than 15 points. However, Anthony Edwards scored 12 of his 16 points during the Wolves' second-half charge, and clamped down defensively on Denver star Jamal Murray. Karl-Anthony Towns   and Jaden McDaniels each scored 23 for Minnesota, which held the Nuggets to 14 third-quarter points and scored 32 of its own in the fourth.

The Panthers had just blown a 3-0 series lead, giving the Oilers all the momentum to make history in Game 7. However, Florida, which failed in its two previous visits to the Stanley Cup Final, was hosting this decisive matchup. And, the intensity and tension was at an all-time high throughout. Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 4:27 into the contest. But less than 3 minutes later, Edmonton tied it through Mattias Janmark. Florida, though, managed to break the stalemate in the waning minutes of the second period via Sam Reinhart's 10th goal of the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky then stopped all nine Oilers shots in the third to secure the Panthers' first Cup.

Another major tournament, another moment of despair for English football. With the sting of the previous European Championship disappointment still lingering, England was in the position to finally claim its first Euro crown. However, Spain was not going to lay down to English supporters could finally rejoice. Nico Williams opened the scoring for Spain just beyond half-time, but the Three Lions showed their mettle and wunderkind Cole Palmer leveled the match on 73 minutes. Now, it felt a result would take a while to determine, but Spanish veteran Mikel Oyarzabal had other ideas, and crushed England's Euro dream with his stretching goal in the 86th that would g ive Spain a record fourth European championship. 

The 2024 calendar year got better for PGA star Scottie Scheffler. Having already won the Masters, for the second time, as one of his six Tour victories this season, Scheffler took his success to the Olympic stage at the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Competing in the Games for the first time,  Scheffler carded a final-round, 9-under-par 62, matching a course record on the Le Golf National track, to win the gold medal . Scheffler, who trailed by as many six shots in the final round, birdied five of six holes down the stretch to top England's Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke. 

No Megan Rapinoe or Alex Morgan and with new coach Emma Hayes in charge, the U.S. women's national soccer team certainly had something to prove in Paris, and exorcise its recent Olympic demons. And, with plenty of pressure to boot, the U.S. regained its spot at the top of the Olympic heap. With new stars Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman shining bright, the  Americans won Olympic gold for the first time since 2012. They certainly had to work in Paris, and it was another newbie star in Mallory Swanson, who scored the lone goal in the 57th minute of the U.S.'s gold-medal match victory over Brazil.

The U.S. men's basketball team was a veteran group, but it didn't cruise through the competition to win gold in Paris as many experts expected. The Americans needed to rally past Serbia in a memorable semifinal contest, then outlast the pesky hosts from France, thanks to 24 points from Stephen Curry, and record a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal . Meanwhile, Kevin Durant became the all-time leading scorer in the history of USA Basketball, which has now won gold in 17 of 20 Summer Olympic Games. 

A 61st straight Olympic victory for the U.S. women's basketball proved to be one for the ages, and nearly a massive upset was recorded by host France. The French gave Team USA's star-studded lineup all it could handle in the gold-medal game, a back-and-forth affair that left American fans anxious after the squad was down 10 in the second half. However, 10 fourth-quarter points from Kahleah Copper, Breanna Stewart's strong defense in the final moments and 21 points with 13 boards from A'ja Wilson was enough for the  U.S. victory. Not before France's Gabby Williams, a former UConn star, sank a last-second basket with her foot on the 3-point line. The American women have won eight straight Olympic basketball gold medals.

Northern Illinois has been one of the most successful non-power conference programs for the past 20 years. However, the Huskies had never beaten a top-10 opponent and were huge underdogs at Notre Dame in Week 2. But, it was NIU's defense that led to the biggest upset in school history -- and in 2024.  The Huskies held the Irish to 286 total yards, sacked Riley Leonard twice, and picked him off two more times, including late in the fourth, which set up Kanon Woodill's 35-yard go-ahead field goal with 31 seconds remaining. NIU, which got an 83-yard touchdown reception and 99 rushing yards from Antario Brown, blocked a second Notre Dame field as time expired to hand the CFP-bound Irish their only regular-season defeat.

With the series tied 1-1 and the Mets down 2-0 in the top of the ninth at Milwaukee in this decisive contest, the Polar Bear was on the hunt. Facing one of the majors' elite closers in Devin Williams, New York made a little noise by putting two men on with one out in the ninth. Pete Alonso, in what might have been his last at-bat as a Met (if we listen to all those trade rumors), lived up to the moment by lining a 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall for an opposite-field, go-ahead three-run homer that eventually gave New York the series. 

Everything a fan could want and expect from a couple of college football heavyweights. This was a back-and-forth contest, but visiting Ohio State led more often than not -- until the end. With the Ducks trailing 28-22 after three quarters, Dillon Gabriel delivered his season-defining moment by darting 27 yards for a touchdown that would lead to 29-28 edge for the hosts early in the fourth. However, the Buckeyes weren't down for long, and Jayden Fielding's 40-yard field goal put them back ahead with 6 minutes left in regulation. But, Gabriel came through again, guiding Oregon on an 11-play, 74-yard drive that was capped with Atticus Sappington's game-winning 19-yard field goal. 

The Cleveland Guardians registered just one victory in their league championship series against the Yankees. But did so in unbelievable fashion. Looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead, New York led 5-3 with two out and a runner on in the ninth. Bruting Guardians' rookie Jhonkensy Noel was called upon to pinch-hit, and the man known as "Big Christmas" crushed a Luke Weaver pitch over the 19-foot-high wall in the left field to tie the game. An inning later, fan-favorite David Fry clubbed a walk-off, two-run homer into the left-field seats to give Cleveland an improbable victory.

A Yankees-Dodgers World Series doesn't need any hype. Two iconic franchises battling each other again for a World Series title. And, the series opened with a bang. Game 1 at Dodger Stadium needed extra innings, where New York went ahead 3-2 in the 10th. But, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame after Mookie Betts was intentionally walked with two out. Up stepped Freddie Freeman, who didn't wait long, shook off a bum ankle, and sent a Nestor Cortes breaking pitch well into the right-field stands for a 6-3 Los Angeles victory and the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. For Dodgers fans, Freeman's no-doubt reaction was priceless and conjured up those Kirk Gibson memories.

This was the highly anticipated matchup between Chicago's Caleb Williams and Washington Jayden Daniels, the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, respectively. However, a majority of the game was dominated by the defenses, and four Austin Seibert field goals had the Commanders up 12-0 late in the third quarter when the Bears' D'Andre Swift darted 56 yards for the game's first touchdown. Chicago then went ahead 15-12 on Roschon Johnson's 1-yard TD run and a successful 2-point conversion with 25 seconds remaining. It appeared the Bears would win their fourth straight and improve to 5-2, but some poor coaching and coverage allowed Daniels to pull off the unthinkable.  Connecting on a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown heave to Noah Brown , who got behind the scrum in the end zone (after being unchecked by the Bears' Tyrique Stevenson, who was busy taunting Washington fans when the walk off, winning play started.  

We noted how Georgia Tech opened the season with a notable upset at the time. Well, it almost closed that portion of the schedule with an even bigger takedown in a rivalry contest that finished past Midnight . Quarterback Haynes King threw for two touchdowns and ran for 110 yards and three more scores for the visiting Yellow Jackets, who led 17-0 at halftime. Georgia, though, rallied to force overtime after back-to-back Carson Beck-to-Dominic Lovett fourth-quarter touchdown passes. The epic marathon eventually ended in an eighth overtime, where Nate Frazier darted into the end zone for the period's only score that kept Georgia's CFP dream from possibly being shattered.

Aiming for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and top-four seed in the College Football Playoff, 10-1 Ohio State was 23 1/2-point favorite and looking to snap a three-game skid to hated rival Michigan. However, the 6-5 Wolverines had other ideas, and played their best defensive game of the season , holding the Buckeyes' potent offense to season lows for points and total yards (252). Michigan led most of the first half until Jeremiah Smith's 10-yard touchdown pass for OSU, just before the break, tied things at 10-10. The game was scoreless in the second half until Dominic Zvada's 21-yard, tiebreaking field goal with 45 seconds left in regulation. Sadly, the game is also remembered for the  post-game brawl, as result of Buckeyes players taking exception to Michigan players planting their field on the field, and police pepper-spray incident that followed. 

Championship Saturday proved to be one of the best in recent memory. The fun really began when Texas looked to avenge its only regular-season defeat by getting another crack at the Bulldogs with the SEC title on the line . There were only two touchdowns scored in regulation, and the Longhorns led 6-3 when Georgia quarterback Carson Beck suffered an elbow injury on the last play of the first half. Little-used backup Gunner Stockton came on and guided the Bulldogs to 10 third-quarter points for a 13-6 lead. The Bulldogs led 16-13 in the game's final minutes when Stockton's ill-advised pass was intercepted and led to Bert Auburn's 37-yard field goal to force overtime. After Auburn's field goal put the Longhorns up in the extra session, Trevor Etienne, on a hand-off from Beck, who returned after Stockton took a hit to the head, burst in from 4 yards with the Georgia winner.