2018 was one of the best years for sports in recent memory. Some will call it the year of the backup QB. Some will call it the year of women in sports. There have been a ton of exhilarating, hard-hitting, emotional, and blood-pumping moments. We here at PerSources Sports take a look back at the last 365 days in sports and note the biggest and best moments from 2018.
Roll Tide: Tua Tagovailoa leads the Alabama Crimson Tide to a National Championship
The 2018 College Football National Championship saw Alabama go head-to-head with the Georgia Bulldogs. At halftime, Georgia held a 13-0 lead over Alabama. QB Jalen Hurts had only 21 passing yards and 47 rushing yards.
Then came Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa, who hadn’t played any meaningful snaps prior to this game, carried Alabama to a memorable comeback. He’d help cut the deficit to six. After a Georgia touchdown and some field goals, Tagovailoa would tie the game 20-20 and send it into overtime.
With Georgia scoring a field goal in overtime, Tagovailoa on 2nd and 26 would launch a 41-yard TD pass to win Alabama their second championship in three years. – Yaw Bonsu
The Minnesota Miracle: Vikings Score with Zero Seconds Remaining to Advance to the NFC Championship
The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs saw the 13-3 Vikings, led by QB Case Keenum, go up against the 11-5 Saints. New Orleans fell behind 17-0 early in the second quarter. The Saints roared back in the fourth quarter and took a 21-20 lead.
Both teams traded field goals, and the Saints would lead 24-23 with 25 seconds left. This is when magic would start.
With 25 seconds left, Case Keenum hit one pass to Stefon Diggs to set the ball on the MIN 39. From there, with 10 seconds left, in one of the craziest plays in sports this year, Keenum would sling a pass to Diggs for 61 yards and the game-winning TD. After a missed tackle by DB Marcus Williams, Diggs was off to the races to give Minnesota both a win and an NFC Championship berth. – Yaw Bonsu
A Philly Special: Eagles Finally Win the Big One
When leading MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down with a knee injury, the Eagles were written off by everyone outside of Philadelphia. Veteran Nick Foles was looked at as a backup that couldn’t keep up with playoff football. This wasn’t the case.
The underdog Eagles managed to knock off the New England Patriots in the big game. A Super Bowl that turned into a shootout is remembered by the famous “Philly Special.” Up three with 34 seconds left in the first half, facing a fourth and Goal from the New England one-yard line, Doug Pederson elected not only to go for it but to pull out a trick play.
Nick Foles made pre-snap adjustments before moving over to the right tackle. The ball was snapped directly to running back Corey Clement. Clement would turn around and hand it to backup tight end Trey Burton who rolled right to find a wide-open Foles in the corner of the end zone to go up 10. The play would be a key turning point in the game and help get the Eagles the win. – Matt Spirio
Winter Olympics: USA Men’s Curling Steals the Hearts of Americans and the Gold Medal
It’s easy to forget that the Winter Olympics took place at the start of 2018. No moment was bigger than the United States Men’s Curling Team and their improbable run for gold. What started as a 2-4 trainwreck destined for disaster, was quickly turned around by sudden American hero John Schuster. Schuster, who had been shaky for the first six matches, became a household name in the process.
The moment peaked as Schuster knocked of two Swedish stones with his last shot of the round. It left five American stones in position to score, all but ensuring a US Victory. Not many tuned into the beginning of their journey. By the end, millions of Americans were sitting in front of their TVs rooting for something that they had no interest in two days prior. – Matt Spirio
Bracket Buster: #1 seeded Virginia Stunned by #16 seeded Maryland Baltimore County
In the month-long holiday that is the NCAA Basketball Tournament, people all over the country fill out brackets with their predictions for every winner of every game. The 2018 edition had the 31-2 Virginia Cavaliers as the #1 seed against the #16 seeded 24-10 University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers.
Virginia had a 99% percent chance to win against, who many thought, was the worst team in the whole tournament. Nevertheless, that wouldn’t stop the Retrievers from blowing out Virginia 74-54. It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports. It also became the first time a #16 seed beat a #1 seed in the men’s tournament. – Yaw Bonsu
Hail Loyola: Sister Jean and Loyola-Chicago Ramble Their Way to the Final Four
You can always count on March Madness to provide sports fans across the world with a touching, thrilling, dramatic, or even sad experience. My favorite moment of the college basketball tournament and one of my favorite moments in the entirety of 2018 sports was Loyola-Chicago’s March Madness run into the Final Four, as an 11th seed.
This was the first time the NCAA tournament featured Loyola in 33 years. They were at the forefront behind the prayers and motivation of 98-year-old Sister Jean (the men’s basketball chaplain), devoted fans, and Cinderella story lovers.
The team would beat the likes of Miami, Tennessee, Nevada, and Kansas, only to lose to Michigan in the Final Four. Although the championship wasn’t brought home, the amazing underdog story of Loyola and Sister Jean will be remembered for a very long time. – Quinn McGuire
The Capital of the NHL: Ovechkin Wins His First Stanley Cup
Alexander Ovechkin has played in the NHL since the 2005-06 season. He’s the holder of plenty of records including most goals by a Russian-born player, most goals by a LW in a season, most career overtime goals, etc. He’s been widely considered one of the best in the league for years. Until this year, he hadn’t been able to lift the Stanley Cup.
That changed when he brought the Washington Capitals their first ever finals win. It was a beautiful moment to watch the future Hall of Famer lift the cup for the first time and skate around the ice. Plenty of opposing fans had their phones out recording the special moment because they were aware of the greatness in front of them. The scruffy-bearded, tooth-lacking, watery-eyed man achieved a feat that both him and fans will remember forever. – Quinn McGuire
Celtics Playoff Run: Young Guns Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Carry C’s Through Playoffs Without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward
After injuries suffered by Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, and Kyrie Irving, many analysts thought the Celtics’ season was truly over. Every ESPN analyst predicted the Bucks beating the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Boston, relying on Al Horford, rookie Jayson Tatum, and sophomore Jaylen Brown brought the Celtics four wins at home.
Then came the Sixers, who featured ROY Ben Simmons and a top center in Joel Embiid. With the odds against them, Boston’s young talent absolutely manhandled the Sixers. Terry Rozier’s clutch step-back, Al Horford’s game-winner in OT, and Jayson Tatum’s dunk on LeBron James were just some of the many highlights from this run.
The fairy-tale story ended unceremoniously at the hands of LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, it’s worth noting that the Celtics took a banged-up group of inexperienced backups and took the greatest player of all-time to seven games. – Matt Chisholm
World Cup Day 2: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Hat-Trick Makes for Match of the Tournament
When World Cup groups were drawn, it was quickly noted that European powerhouses Spain and Portugal would clash. If you watched this game, you understand why it was such a notable moment. Ronaldo, who had his fair share of struggles up until this game, put an entire country on his back.
A penalty in the fourth minute, paired with a critical error by Spain keeper David Da Gea gave Portugal a 2-1 lead at the half. Spain rallied with two goals to go up 3-2 with time running out.
As the 88th minute came around, Portugal fans held their breathe as Portugal was awarded a free-kick outside of the 18-yard box. With a stroke of brilliance, Ronaldo tied the match. It’d end in a 3-3 tie, but for Portugal, it felt like a win. In the process, a moral hurdle would be jumped by one of the games’ greatest players. – Matt Spirio
Drew Brees Makes History: Saints QB Breaks All-Time Passing Yards Record
Coming into a MNF game against the Washington Redskins, Drew Brees was yards away from making history. 18 years, 254 games, and 496 touchdowns had come down to this. On first-and-10 at the Saints 38-yard line, Drew Brees hit a 61-yard TD pass to Tre’Quan Smith to break the all-time passing yards record at 71,968. In front of the home crowd, his family, and a hall of fame representative, Drew Brees would cement himself in NFL History. – Yaw Bonsu
A City of Champions: The Boston Red Sox Win the World Series
Coming into the season, the Boston Red Sox hadn’t won the World Series since 2013. At the end of the regular season, the Red Sox had managed to achieve a 108-54 record which was the best in the MLB. This red-hot season would continue through the postseason.
The Red Sox would trounce their arch-rivals, the Yankees, in five games in the ALDS. Continuing onto the ALCS, Boston would again dominate. This time the victims would be the Houston Astros in five games. Finally, came the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Even with an 18-inning game, the Dodgers were no match for the Red Sox. Behind Alex Cora’s first season as manager, the Red Sox would defeat the Dodgers 4-1. – Yaw Bonsu
Football Game of the Year: Los Angeles Rams Outlast Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football
Week 11 of the NFL regular season gave us one of the best games in NFL history. We saw the 9-1 Chiefs face off against the 9-1 Rams. Both teams were stacked with offensive weapons, Pro-Bowl caliber favorites, and MVP candidates. It was also the first match-up between two of the best young QBs in the game: Patrick Mahomes & Jared Goff.
The game ended up being the highest scoring Monday Night Football game in its 773-game history. Goff’s 413 yards and four touchdowns were enough to combat Mahomes’ 478 yards and six touchdowns. As a result, the Rams hung on for a 54-51 victory. – Yaw Bonsu
The Lioness Roars Once Again: Amanda Nunes Knocks Out Cris Cyborg to Cement Her Legacy
UFC 232 had two fighters fighting for the title of “Greatest Of All Time.” Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes and Cris Cyborg. In a feather-weight title matchup for the ages, we saw the first ever champion-vs-champion contest between UFC female divisions.
It only took 51 seconds for Nunes to knock out Cyborg. As the fight began, Nunes came out with fast strikes and haymakers that were just too much for Cyborg. A slick right hand would drop Cyborg. After showing some heart, a whirlwind of combos ended Cris Cyborg. This made Amanda Nunes the first-ever female “champ-champ” in the UFC. It was a knockout for the ages, and a victory cementing “The Lioness” as the greatest female fighter of all-time. – Yaw Bonsu
Of course, there were so many incredible moments in 2018 that we couldn’t fit everything on this list. These were some of our personal favorites. As we close the book on one of the best years in sports, we open a chapter to a new one. Here’s to more championships, more dunks, more goals, more home runs, more touchdowns, and more PerSources.
As you go into 2019 remember… PerSources Misses Nothing.
Matt Spirio: Twitter – @MS_PerSources Instagram – @MS_PerSources
Quinn McGuire: Twitter – @QuinnM13
Matt Chisholm: Twitter – @mattpersources Instagram – @mattpersources
Yaw Bonsu: Twitter – @jailbodyaw