‘Nightcaps’ is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday–Friday on OutKick.com.
Our first ‘Football Friday’ of the year with all participants. We’ve made it! Friday night lights tonight. A full slate of college football tomorrow.
And, of course, the NFL returns on Sunday. RedZone. The “Witching Hour.” The Fox and CBS theme songs. Carrie Underwood back in our living rooms Sunday night as we all attempt to win back our money after a day of horrible gambling beats.
Who has it better than us? What a country. What a big, beautiful, perfect country.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: 9/11 IS JUST A HISTORY CHAPTER FOR A NEW GENERATION OF AMERICANS
And that’s important to remember today. It’s the 25th anniversary of 9/11. A quarter-century has passed since the world changed forever, and we’re still trying to find our way back.
We’ll get into it today — just a bit — before returning to our regularly-scheduled programming.
Let’s roll.
Welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where NFL fans spent the evening trying to figure out how to find the Rams-49ers game on Netflix. They’re not happy today.
NFL ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL THANKSGIVING EVE GAME BETWEEN PACKERS AND RAMS WILL BE STREAMED ON NETFLIX
I don’t blame them.
What else? I’ve got some 9/11 thoughts, including the best national anthem you’ve ever heard, and did anyone catch the Miami-FAMU game last night?
Buddy, you haven’t LIVED until you bet on a football team to score OVER 0.5 points in a game where they are so clearly overmatched, you start to feel bad for them about five minutes into it.
What a rush!
Grab you whatever you need to get you though the final day of the work week — dealer’s choice today! — and settle in for a Friday ‘Cap.
Before we get into the serious stuff, I’d like to go ahead and start with last night’s blowout in Australia. The Rams looked lifeless. The Niners looked like a Super Bowl juggernaut (even though they refused to give Christian McCaffrey the ball).
The game, of course, was on Netflix, which means half the country couldn’t find it. The setting itself was cool, but it felt … weird.
Right?
Anyone else get that feeling?
The seats inside this giant stadium were miles away from the actual field. Could you imagine buying a ticket, and THIS is your view?
Yikes. You could hear the difference back here in the states, too. There was NO crowd pop. At all. Go back and listen to the Pats-Seahawks game from Wednesday, and then compare it to last night’s crowd.
It sounds like a different sport.
Look, I know what the NFL and Roger Goodell is trying to do with these international games. I get it. Expand, expand, expand! These owners and commissioners, in every league, are just obsessed with expanding their reach.
But good Lord, can’t we just keep the NFL in the US of A? Football doesn’t need expansion. It’s the most popular sport in America, by a wide margin. Why do we need to grow the game outside the country?
That side of the world doesn’t need football. They have futbol. And they are FINE with it. We should be, too.
Keep the NFL in America. Enough of these international games. It’s nonsense.
“Absolute crazy work for the NFL to put this game in Australia and behind a Netflix paywall. Completely out of reach and un-American.”
That’s my biggest takeaway from last night’s game. That was, clearly, the biggest takeaway from NFL fans back here in the states. Folks were DONE with it by halftime, and I don’t blame them.
It’s the same argument I have when these college teams go to a neutral site for a game. STOP it. You wanna know what makes college football great? The campus atmosphere. Quit going to these giant neutral site stadiums for big games.
And stop going overseas to play an NFL game. We appreciate it way more back home. Trust me.
Now, while the country was unified against the NFL’s decision last night, we were unified in a much different way 15 years ago.
If you watch ONE sports-related thing about 9/11 today, watch this clip of Jim Cornelison singing the national anthem on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
It’s perfect:
Goodness gracious. The best national anthem performance … ever? Just listen to that crowd. Usually, we’re all reserved and quiet for the anthem, out of respect.
There are occasions, though, where our emotions take over. This day, every year, is one of those occasions.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
I was in third grade when the towers were struck. I don’t remember really anything from when I was 8. Bits and pieces, but not much.
I remember that day. Always have.
I remember our teacher putting the news on in our classroom. I remember school getting out early, because America was under attack and we had no idea who was next.
I remember coming home and walking into our living room, and my mom was watching NBC, on those GIANT, flimsy flat-screens from the late-90s, and just sobbing.
I remember having no idea what was happening. But also, at the same time, knowing something was very wrong.
Folks who were born pre and post-9/11 live two very different lives. I assume it’s the same with the Kennedy assassination.
It’s easy to forget who we were that day. How we responded. We’ve lost so much of that in 2026. Everyone is so angry, and so tense, and so combative.
I choose to remember how unified this country was in the days, weeks, months and years after those attacks.
Goodness, I hope we can get back to that one day. Sooner rather than later, preferably.
OK, let’s get the morale back on track and rapid-fire this Friday class into a big football weekend. First up? Anyone see the ‘Canes game last night?
Lordy. 77-7. Could’ve been 177-7, if Miami wanted it. Seriously. The Hurricanes were favored by 50, and somehow covered with ease. FAMU’s team total was set at 0.5.
Yes. You read that right. Zero. Point. Five.
Because I’m a lunatic, I took that bet. And buddy, it was an ELECTRIC cash:
CHA-CHING! I’ve never been so locked in on a FAMU score in my life. I doubt I ever will be again.
Hat’s off to the Rattlers for playing all four quarters.
As for Miami … good job? I guess? I personally don’t think those two teams have any business being on the same field together ever again, especially during the NIL era.
We have to have some standards, right? Goodness.
OK, that’s it for today — and this week!
On the way out, here’s Sophie Cunningham breaking her silence with Colin Cowherd and admitting she’s perfectly fine being a sex symbol, as Colin put it.
Don’t listen to the haters and the losers, Sophie! Do you.
See y’all Monday.
