Mickey Togs

Shake Shack got its humble start out of a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park. Chef Danny Meyer served hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and milkshakes at the stand, which was later converted to a more permanent location. The chain expanded throughout New York and eventually to the rest of the country. Today, Shake Shack has over 377 locations worldwide.

To celebrate the holiday season this year, Shake Shack has released three new limited-edition shakes. 

The Christmas Sugar Cookie shake will feature a sugar cookie-flavored frozen custard topped with whipped cream and holiday-themed sprinkles. The Chocolate Milk & Cookies shake will combine malted chocolate frozen custard with chocolate cookies. The Chocolate Peppermint shake hand-spins peppermint fudge in chocolate frozen custard before being topped with whipped cream and candy cane sprinkles.

Zach Wilson returned as the Jets quarterback on Sunday, replacing the injured Mike White with dreams of not only reclaiming the job he lost but reviving New York’s playoff hopes in the AFC wild card race. 

After Week 15’s matchup with the Lions, it’s clear he failed on at least one account. On his own, Wilson was mercurial guiding Gang Green, flashing both big-time playmaking and head-scratching decisions. 

In the end, however, coaching really did him in, as the Jets’ curious late-game clock management, coupled with a clutch fourth-down Jared Goff touchdown, allowed Detroit to pull off a 20-17 victory at MetLife Stadium.

Down 17-13 after Wilson found C.J. Uzomah for his second TD of the day, the Lions faced a fourth-and-1 near midfield with just 1:49 left to play. That’s when Ben Johnson dialed up a play-action pass, and Goff found a wide-open Brock Wright rolling left. Wright proceeded to rumble his way 51 yards for the go-ahead score, shifting the game into Detroit’s favor.

Forget the six-game win streak or even the seven wins in nine road games. The Knicks have played 16 games, and won 10 of them. Three of the losses, to quality teams in the Trail Blazers, Bucks and Grizzlies, could’ve gone either way. 

Tom Thibodeau’s team is hitting its stride. The most recent example came Friday night, in a 114-91 shellacking of the talented, but underperforming Bulls, the Knicks shaking off an uneven first quarter by out-scoring Chicago by 26 points over the final three quarters. 

Prior to the game, Thibodeau warned his players of how hard it would be to complete the sweep in this rare two-games-in-three-days set on the road, comparing it to a postseason series. 

“When you look at playoffs, it’s the intensity of playing the same team over and over,” he said before the game. “You know exactly what they’re trying to do. So then it’s how hard you compete, it’s imposing your will.” 

“I think guys are building chemistry with each other,” Thibodeau said. “That chemistry is on both sides of the ball.”

The New York Giants took home a victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night but it appeared cornerback Darnay Holmes may have gotten away with a penalty toward the end.

Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke dropped back to pass on fourth down. He narrowly missed a sack and fired a pass toward wide receiver Curtis Samuel who was trying to get open with Holmes draped on top of him. The cornerback somehow avoided a penalty.

The Commanders turned the ball over and the Giants would just take a knee to seal the 20-12 win.

After the game, NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAulay told broadcasters Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth that the officials missed a foul on Washington’s final play.

“It’s clearly a foul,” McAulay said. “He grabs his arm. He plays through the back. It’s clearly before the ball gets there. This is defensive pass interference and it really should be called whether it’s the end of the game, beginning of the game. Doesn’t matter. It’s always a foul and should’ve been called.” 

Gerard Gallant appreciates the way which Jacob Trouba bounces back from his mistakes.

Left unsaid, though, is the amount of times that the Rangers captain has had the opportunity to rebound after making a costly turnover.

Trouba had two more in Monday’s game against the Devils, but the Rangers were able to overcome them in a 4-3 overtime victory for their fourth straight win.

“He’s fine,” Gallant said on Wednesday after practice. “He’s battling hard, he’s competing hard, he’s a big part of our group. He makes mistakes like every other player in the league. Cost us one goal last game, but that happens. That’s part of the game.”  

Trouba rebounds from that real well. That’s what you like about veteran players and a guy like him. He’s not going to let a mistake affect him. If you caused a goal, well move on and get ready for the next shift. That’s what you like about pros like that.”

Trouba’s struggles have been noticed, but there are signs of improvement lately, and big things from here are expected shortly.

The Eagles dominated the Giants from start to finish in beating their division rival 48-22 to improve to 12-1, maintain their lead in the NFC for the No. 1 seed, and clinch a spot in the postseason tournament for the second year in a row.

The Eagles never trailed, starting with a methodical touchdown drive on their first possession, opening up a 21-0 lead in the second quarter before the Giants got on the board. The Eagles led by as much as 48-14 before the Giants got a last-minute touchdown.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts once again played at an MVP level, throwing for 217 yards, rushing for 77, and accounting for three total touchdowns. Hurts became the first quarterback in NFL history with double-digit rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. He also posted a 109.2 QB rating.

Giants QB Daniel Jones was 18 for 26, 169 yards, and one TD. Saquon Barkley started after speculation surrounding a neck issue that cropped up late in the week. His workload was limited and he stayed on the sideline once the score grew so lopsided. Barkley finished with nine rushing attempts for 28 yards and two receptions for 20 yards.

The Giants are 7-5-1 and their Week 15 meeting with the Commanders  (also 7-5-1) at FedEx Field is a rematch of the Week 13 20-20 tie. Next Sunday night’s game stands as the most important game of the season for both sides — almost a playoff eliminator for the loser.

Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score on consecutive possessions and the Buffalo Bills persevered through wet, chilly and windy conditions to beat a banged-up Mike White and the AFC East-rival New York Jets 20-12 on Sunday.

Allen’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox in the closing minute of the second quarter led to Buffalo scoring on four consecutive drives, capped by a pair of field goals by Tyler Bass, including a 49-yarder.

The AFC-leading Bills (10-3) won their fourth straight since a two-game skid, which included a 20-17 loss at the Jets. Buffalo has won at least 10 of its first 13 games for the seventh time in franchise history.

The Jets (7-6) have lost four of six in a slump that has made their  playoff chances shaky. New York, which hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2010, entered the week as the AFC’s seventh seed, a win ahead of New England and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Jets essentially ran out of time to complete a comeback bid. After Greg Zuerlein hit a 26-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining, New York got the ball back at its own 21 with 46 seconds left but Mike White threw four consecutive incompletions.

He finished 27 of 44 for 268 yards and no turnovers, a year after he threw four interceptions in a 45-17 loss to the Bills.

Jacob deGrom has signed a five year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers. The deal has no deferments, a full no-trade clause, and a ‘conditional’ sixth year option. Due to Texas having no state income tax, the actual payout deGrom will receive is substantially higher. 

The Rangers had been a rumored home for deGrom since the talk of his opting out became a more frequent topic earlier this season. The Mets were rumored to be offering a three year deal initially, for a higher average annual value, but this deal is clearly everything that deGrom was looking for: guaranteed years, big money, and a control over his destiny, vis a vis trades.

deGrom, who will turn 35 in the middle of next season, has has an injury riddled recent past, missing half the season in both 2021 and 2022. When he’s been healthy, deGrom has been as dominant as ever, having an absolutely incredible first half in 2021, posting a 1.05 ERA in 15 starts. 

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald added another accolade to his legacy, notching his 100th career sack with a takedown of Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. 

Donald is only the seventh active player to reach the 100-sack milestone, joining six players all drafted multiple years before him. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is coming off five consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks despite primarily playing as an interior defensive lineman. 

Donald came close to retiring after only eight seasons this past offseason, even going as far as submitting a retirement letter to the Rams, but the two sides agreed to a revised contract. Donald revealed in August that he plans to play at least two more seasons, citing the new contract. 

Donald has won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, just like Lawrence Taylor, who had 142 sacks. 

When Graham Gano’s desperation 58-yard field-goal attempt fell far short, the Giants walked off the field at MetLife Stadium with a bizarre and unfulfilling 20-20 tie with the Commanders. 

The Giants once trailed 10-0 in the first quarter and took a 20-13 lead on Daniel Jones’ 6-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins with 11:34 remaining in the third quarter. The Giants could not manage to find another point the rest of the way and that ineffectiveness — and at times ineptitude — on offense is what cost them a chance to enhance their playoff aspirations.

The Giants (7-4-1) halted their losing streak at two games and made sure the Commanders (7-5-1) stayed in last place in the NFC East. So there’s that.

Jones completed 25 of 31 passes for 200 yards and was the Giants’ leading rusher with 71 yards. Saquon Barkley scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter but could not get untracked, rushing 18 times for 63 yards.