Sarni's Scrolls: NFL History Lessons

Baltimore, Detroit look to past glories

A little NFL history.

When the Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, it will be the first time Baltimore will host an AFC Championship game since the NFL/AFL merger in the 1970 season.

The Baltimore Colts defeated the Oakland Raiders 27-17 in the 1970 AFC Championship Game, played in January 1971.

The game was played at Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street in Baltimore on a field the Colts shared with the Baltimore Orioles.

NFL Films billed the game as the "Duel in the Dust." Watch it on YouTube.

"A rare day for every fan to savor to the full," said legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda.

"This would be a day for The Old Guard of the NFL to meet the Old Guard of the AFL on a brown and barren field of dirt. This would truly be a Duel in the Dust."

John Unitas. Daryle Lamonica. George Blanda. Bubba Smith. Fred Biletnikoff. Ray Perkins. Young Oakland coach John Madden.

The Colts went on to win the Super Bowl in Miami.

From Johnny U to Lamar Jackson. Fifty-four years later, can the home team from Baltimore do the same?

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A little more NFL history.

When the San Francisco 49ers take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, it’ll be with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

 The two teams last met with a spot in the NFL’s title game on the line was 66 years ago, pre-Super Bowl.

Dec. 22, 1957... Kezar Stadium... the 49ers hosted the biggest game in the franchise’s history to date, taking on the NFL Western Conference’s powerhouse Lions in a one-game playoff for a spot in the next week’s NFL championship.

The 49ers took a commanding 24-7 lead in the first half, which they extended to 27-7 early in the third quarter. But the Lions roared back, forcing four 49ers turnovers in the fourth quarter (including Niners quarterback Y.A. Tittle throwing three interceptions) en route to 24 unanswered points and a 31-27 victory.

The Lions went in to beat the Cleveland Browns 59-14 for their fourth NFL title. Yes, Detroit was a dynasty once upon a time.

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College football viewership across the U.S. is dominated by 18 top-tier programs.

Not surprisingly... but the numbers are astonishing.

Number of college football teams that, added up, account for 50% of the total Nielsen-rated game viewership between 2016 and 2023—while the other half was spread across 130-plus schools—according to Sports Media Watch.

 The group of TV viewership heavyweights include six teams from the SEC, four from the Big Ten, three from the Pac-12, two each from the ACC and Big 12, and Notre Dame, an independent.

 Conversely, a mere 10% of viewership emanated from the bottom 71 schools, comprising 53% of the total schools.

The 18 teams in the big-draw group: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Southern California, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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Defending champions Isabeau Levito and Ilia Malinin, along with four-time ice dance winners Madison Chock and Evan Bates highlight the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

The 16-year-old Levito of Mount Holly. N.J., leads veteran Amber Glenn of Plano, Tex., 75.38-74.98 despite a stupid mistake by Levito pulling out of a spin at the end of her short program on Thursday.

"I love her [Levito's] style on the ice," said Tara Lipinski on the telecast. "We call her a ballerina because it really is a ballerina on the ice, the way she moves on the ice, the small nuances... but she still needs to technically deliver."

TV schedule

Friday

■ 4-6 p.m. ET: Men's short, USA

■ 8-11 p.m. ET: Women's free, NBC

Saturday

■ 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET: Free dance, NBC

■ 8-10 p.m. ET: Pairs free, USA

Sunday 

■ 3-6 p.m. ET: Men's free, NBC

Announcers: Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir. Ben Agosto on dance.

Peacock is covering every skater in every discipline.

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NBC airs the first major horse racing event of the year -- the $4.5 million Pegasus World Cup Series, from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Ahmed Fareed will anchor the 90-minute coverage with Jerry Bailey, Randy Moss, Britney Eurton, Matt Bernier, and Nick Luck. 

2023 Preakness Stakes Winner National Treasure is the Morning Line Favorite (9-to-5) for the Pegasus World Cup.

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Tyler Bass: the heartwarming after story.

The Buffalo Bills kicker missed wide right on a 44-yard field goal that would have tied Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs... resulting in a  flood of negativity on social media.

A charity close to Bass' heart came to his defense, and Bills Mafia has stepped up to show support for their kicker and the Ten Lives Club.

The Ten Lives Club, which is a rescue shelter for cats just outside Buffalo, called for an end to the anger being spewed toward Bass in an Instagram post on Monday.

Since that post, donations for Ten Lives Club have been coming in quickly. According to the Washington Post, as of Tuesday afternoon, fans had stepped up in a major way to the tune of more than $90,000 in donations.

ETC.

■ With Doc Rivers coaching again, ESPN is not expected to add a replacement to lead NBA announcers Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Breen and Burke don't need a third person at this time in the season.

■ The Australian Open women's final between Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen airs at 3:30 a.m. ET Friday night... the men's final between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev airs at 3:30 a.m. ET Saturday night.

■ Sinner upset 10-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 to reach his first Grand Slam final. Djokovic lost an Australian Open semifinal or final for first time (20-1).

■ Salt Lake City, one of the country’s fastest-growing cities and sports markets, wants to add an NHL team. Ryan Smith, the owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz (along with their Delta Center) and co-owner of MLS’s Real Salt Lake and NWSL’s Utah Royals, issued a public statement on Wednesday through his Smith Entertainment Group calling on the NHL to initiate a formal expansion process that would consider Salt Lake City, advancing two years of private discussions with league commissioner Gary Bettman.

■ The World Surf League has secured a media rights deal with ESPN that will see all 10 of its events in 2024 streamed on ESPN+.

■ Cristiano Ronaldo apologized to his Chinese fans after his club, the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr, canceled a two-game tour in China because of an injury that would prevent the star from playing. Now also in doubt is a Feb. 1 match in Saudi Arabia against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

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■ Tiesto is the Super Bowl's first in-game DJ.

■ The New York Times is counting Taylor Swift's camera time during TV telecasts. Bills game: 24 seconds. Less than what many people think she was shown.

■ Anheuser-Busch is bringing back its iconic Clydesdales for commercials during the Super Bowl.

■ More people watched the Chiefs-Bills playoff game last Sunday than all five 2023 World Series games combined.

■ The Los Angeles Times is laying off 115 people (20% of the newsroom), including beat writers for the Dodgers, Angels and Clippers.

■ The Kelce Brothers, who are on the cover of People, share their favorite soft drinks: Jason, fountain Coke; Travis, Wild Cherry Pepsi.

■ The NBA is bringing back Bill Walton's alternative telecast, "Throw It Down With Bill Walton," on its League Pass.

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■ Jon Stewart will return to "The Daily Show" as its executive producer and host on Monday evenings beginning Feb. 12 through the 2024 election cycle.

■ All six seasons of HBO's "Sex and the City" are going to stream on Netflix for the first time.

■ The search for DC's new Supergirl is down to Milly Alcock ("House of the Dragon") and Meg Donnelly ("Zombies").

■ Julianne Moore will star alongside Tilda Swinton in "The Room Next Door," the first English language feature from Pedro Almodovar.

■ Billy Joel will perform at the Grammys on Feb. 4. He just releases a new song, "Turn the Lights Back On."

■ "After Midnight," CBS's new late-night show, debuted with decent ratings.

■ Calista Flockhart teased a possible "Ally McBeal" reboot.

■ Monica Baccarin is headlining a "Fire Country" spinoff that is in the works at CBS.

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THEY SAID IT

■ "It was a humbling night, that’s for sure. They put us in our place and you do have to respect the body of work they’ve done so far in this season. They’re the No. 1 team in the league with that record and they’re doing it on both ends of the court." -- Heat coach Eric Spolestra after the Celtics routed Miami 143-110 on Thursday night.