Brock Purdy spoils Philip Rivers' homecoming in Indy; DK Metcalf gets suspended

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Brent Brookhouse here to guide you through all the news you need to know from the sports world.

It's the holiday season, and for my fellow parents, that means a brief respite from early mornings packing lunches and getting the kids off to school. Instead, we can make our days a mix of sports and family. That's certainly the case today, as we get to watch a mix of bowl games, soccer and hockey to fill up our day.

Let's dive into the news you need to know on this Tuesday morning.

🏈 Five things to know Tuesday

49ers run all over Colts. Brock Purdy's five-touchdown night spoiled Philip Rivers' first home game as San Francisco rolled out of Indianapolis with a 48-27 victory that both kept alive the 49ers' hopes for the top seed in the NFC but also clinched playoff berths for the Bills, Chargers and Jaguars.
A national championship repeat for Ohio State? Ohio State's failure to win the Big Ten championship didn't stop them from hoisting the national championship last season. In our attempt to re-seed the CFP bracket, Ohio State continues to operate out of the No. 2 slot. Despite that, the Buckeyes remain the betting favorites to repeat as champions.
DK Metcalf suspended for two games. After his physical altercation with a Lions fan during Sunday's game, Steelers wideout DK Metcalf has been suspended for two games without pay. Metcalf reportedly intends to appeal the suspension, a punishment that voids $45 million in player guarantees. Metcalf claims he previously reported the fan to security when he was a member of the Seahawks.
A holiday gift for your MLB team? It is gift-giving season, and CBS Sports' Mike Axisa took a look at every MLB team to determine the best holiday gift they could receive. Do you agree with what Axisa pinned down as the best thing that could happen to your team?
Chiefs leaving Missouri. The Chiefs are making the move from Missouri to Kansas, with plans to be in their new domed home by the 2031 season.

🏈 How do college football teams prep for the transfer portal?

There's no denying that NIL deals and the transfer portal have combined to dramatically change how college football operates. Look no further than Indiana's two-year rise from irrelevance to the No. 1 seed in this season's CFP to see how quickly those two factors can lead to a complete program overhaul.

But how does a program go about preparing for the start of the short transfer portal window? To find out the answer, CBS Sports' Chris Hummer spoke with TCU director of player personnel Tyler Olker about the process.

Olker: "We're always going to be in the portal, but we don't want to be in the portal near as much as we probably have been. We've taken some really good high school classes the last few years, and we need to let those guys develop. I think anytime you just take a transfer, you're putting kind of a development or a progress stopper in front of some high school kids. We're kind of at the point now where we're going to let these high school kids grow into a role and let them develop. So, we're always going to look to retain our guys before we just jump in the portal to take to take."

🏈 Is there room for a Cinderella in the College Football Playoff?

Tulane and James Madison were not particularly competitive in the first round of this year's CFP. This was a year that saw two Group of Five teams make the playoff, primarily because of the ACC's trainwreck season. It's easy to look at the results of games involving G5 teams and believe a team like Notre Dame or Texas would have been a more worthy inclusion in the field.

The worthiness of G5 teams is a constant source of debate among fans, but the real question isn't whether the G5 deserves representation in the playoff, it's whether a G5 team could ever have the kind of Cinderella run that defines an event like the NCAA's basketball tournament. CBS Sports' Will Backus doesn't believe such an underdog run can come on the gridiron.

Backus: "Moral victories don't count for much in a single-elimination format. Unfortunately for the Group of Five, moral victories are the closest it will get to College Football Playoff success. Modern college football isn't built to support Cinderellas.

"In a bygone era, plenty of Group of Five teams -- or those at an equivalent level -- had meaningful wins at the highest level of the sport. Utah, when it played in the Mountain West Conference under Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham, was a mainstay on the New Year's Six scene. The 2008 Utes, notably, went 13-0 and trounced Nick Saban's Alabama in the Sugar Bowl."

🏀 Why is the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade situation getting so messy?

It seems clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo's time with Milwaukee is coming to an end. But if everyone can see the writing on the wall, why have things quickly devolved into spectacle? As CBS Sports' Sam Quinn pointed out, the issue of superstars wanting a trade does not always have to devolve in the way that such situations so often do. At 11-18, Milwaukee is in 11th place, 2.5 games behind Chicago for the last play-in spot, all while Antetokounmpo has battling injuries. The situation does have the potential to be a negative for both parties, but the damage that it could inflict on Milwaukee is clear.

Quinn: "The ways in which this is going to be detrimental to the Bucks are pretty obvious. The longer the Bucks put this trade off, the less control they'll have over the return. Say we get to the offseason and Antetokounmpo decides he is not willing to sign a contract extension in Milwaukee. At that point, he'll have the leverage to effectively deny trades to most interested parties. At his price point, nobody is trading for him without believing he'll re-sign long-term. If he says 'I'll only play for one team' or 'you have three options, pick one,' there's not much the Bucks can do to stop him. Bucks fans have scoffed at the idea of a Knicks trade since the offseason. They don't think New York has enough to trade. Last summer, when Antetokounmpo had two years of team control remaining, the Bucks would have been able to drum up a real bidding war among smaller-market teams. Next summer, they may have no choice but to take what the Knicks -- or whoever else he prefers -- can offer whether they like the package or not."

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

NBA games on Christmas may be a tradition, but LeBron James said he'd rather be at home with his family than playing in a holiday game.
Things have gone from bad to worse to even worse for the Chiefs as quarterback Gardner Minshew, Patrick Mahomes' backup, is out for the season after suffering an injury on Sunday.
Lions coach Dan Campbell put the blame on his team, not the referees, for the controversial ending to Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Monday was college basketball rankings day. In the Top 25 And 1 rankings, a trio of undefeated teams sits on top, with Michigan at No. 1. Arizona remains No. 1 in the AP Top 25, though Michigan is gaining ground. And in this week's Coaches Poll, Purdue re-entered the top five.
The Bill Belichick experiment at North Carolina is set for another interesting turn as the team is expected to hire Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator.
After a string of scandals, interim Michigan coach Biff Poggi said the Wolverines are a "malfunctioning organization."
In good news for Miami fans, Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher will return for the 2026 season.
The Jaguars are using talk of being a "small market team" as fuel in their playoff push.
Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman has been suspended for two games after his illegal hit against the Cowboys on Sunday.
The classic football rivalry between Notre Dame and USC is officially on hiatus after the two universities couldn't come to an extension agreement. USC legend Keyshawn Johnson was not happy with his school's part in the decision.
Cleveland is the NBA's most expensive team, but they're hovering near the .500 mark on the season. Can the Cavs snap out of their funk?
South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown is set to enter the transfer portal, setting up a potential reunion with new Auburn coach Alex Golesh.
As the Ravens are all but eliminated from the playoff picture, coach John Harbaugh said his responsibility is to "do the job, not keep the job."

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

🏈 Bush's Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville, 2 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Carabao Cup: Crystal Palace at Arsenal, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏒 Penguins at Maple Leafs, 4 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏈 New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Stars at Red Wings, 6:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏈 Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Flyers at Blackhawks, 9 p.m. on TNT/truTV