18 incredible sports photos from Getty Images this week

The sports world makes for a beautiful palette but individual images can get lost in the constant shuffle. Here are the best Getty Images sports photos from this week.

Dante Pettis of the New York Giants scores on a 33-yard touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 3, 2021, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

It was a two-part equation for the winner of this game to make the playoffs this season. First, either the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys needed to win this game. Second, the Washington Football Team needed to lose their game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants did their part in the early part of Sunday afternoon, winning a close game against Dallas, despite their rough season. In this photo, Dante Pettis of the Giants made a 33-yard catch and dove into the endzone for the touchdown. It has been an unprecedented season for sure, but I was glad that both teams in this game had something to play for to end out the regular season. It was exciting that this NFC East rivalry came down to the wire.

— Elsa

Quarterback Mac Jones of the Alabama Crimson Tide delivers a pass over linebacker Drew White of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first quarter of the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 1, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Going into this playoff semifinal game, everyone expected that Alabama’s quarterback, Mac Jones was going to put up some impressive numbers against Notre Dame. Jones came out firing and put on an elite performance against Notre Dame. In this particular play, Jones was scrambling with the ball while being pressured by linebacker Drew White of Notre Dame. He shot a great facial expression that really conveyed the intensity of the play. It was a real treat to be back shooting on the sidelines for this game. For most of the season, due to COVID-19 safety protocols, photographers have been shooting from elevated positions, but during this game, we were fortunate to be back on the field capturing imagery from the player’s perspective.

— Tom Pennington

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets dunks as Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Paschall of the Golden State Warriors defend during the first half at Barclays Center on Dec. 22, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Kevin Durant’s arrival in Brooklyn last year made for a storyline that simmered while we waited for him to recover from an Achilles injury. I questioned, what kind of talent could he bring to the Brooklyn Nets and could he finally put them on the map? This photo was from the first regular-season game of the 2020-21 season, with Durant playing his previous team, the Golden State Warriors. Finally, that simmering storyline reached its boiling point with his return to the NBA on a new, star-studded team, defeating the Warriors 125-99. Durant played so well that really any photo I took of him in action would have been meaningful, but I really enjoyed being able to see the look on his face during this incredible dunk.

— Sarah Stier

Trey Sermon of the Ohio State Buckeyes carries the ball against Lannden Zanders of the Clemson Tigers in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 1, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Going into this playoff semifinal game, everyone knew it was going to be an intense matchup between the No. 2 and NO. 3 ranked College Football teams. In this photo, running back Trey Sermon of the Ohio State Buckeyes charges with the ball. I really like the action illustrated here, seeing Sermon carrying the ball, his feet off the ground and having made the defender miss the tackle. The pain and defeat on Clemson’s Lannden Zanders’ face says its all. It’s also so rare to get such a clean background in football, but it really helps separate the action and highlight it for the viewer.

— Chris Graythen

Ndamukong Suh of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers takes the field during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 3, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

There are a few different ways to shoot “the come out” at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This season, I haven’t been thrilled with anything I’ve tried so far. It was kind of an overcast day for this game, so I decided to do one wide shot when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out and then go tight for individual run-outs. The players are usually running away from the camera, so I am always hoping for them to turn around for impact, otherwise, I rely on their jersey to tell the story. When defensive end Ndamukong Suh turned towards me and started yelling, I knew that’s why I chose that spot. A little bit of pre-planning mixed with luck always makes for a great photo. 

— Mike Ehrmann

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is showered in water by Damion Lee of the Golden State Warriors during a post-game interview after Curry scored a career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on Jan. 3, 2021, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Steph Curry is my favorite basketball player to photograph – he is always great for pictures. In pre-Covid days, he would get the crowd fired up during games. It was amazing to witness him get a career-high 62 points the other night, and I am sure the entire arena would have been roaring on their feet for him if fans were present. After the game, I noticed Steph was waiting to do a TV interview and saw Damion Lee hiding over by the bench. I knew Lee was up to something, so I kept my camera on him, and as soon as the interview started, Lee ran over and dumped a bottle of water on Steph’s head. The excitement and humor resulted in this photo. 

— Ezra Shaw

Jonathan Ward of the Arizona Cardinals scores a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 3, 2021, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Sebastian Joseph-Day of the Los Angeles Rams douses his face with water before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Dec. 27, 2020, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

George Pickens of the Georgia Bulldogs leaps over the top of Darrick Forrest of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 1, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Ty Johnson of the New York Jets walks off the field after a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 3, 2021, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after receiving his 2020 NBA championship ring during a ceremony before the opening night game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Dec. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Jayden Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers dunks the ball against Rey Idowu of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane during a game on Dec. 21, 2020, at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. Tulsa defeated Memphis 56-49. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans attempts a shot defended by Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the NBA game at Phoenix Suns Arena on Dec. 29, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Pelicans 111-86. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Cambage of the Flyers celebrates with team mates after their victory during the WNBL Grand Final match between the Southside Flyers and the Townsville Fire at the Townsville Stadium, on Dec. 20, 2020, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Princess Ibini of Sydney FC celebrates scoring a goal during the round one W-League match between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC at Bankwest Stadium, on Dec. 30, 2020, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The second half kicks off in the snow during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on Jan. 2, 2021, in West Bromwich, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a COVID-19 precaution. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Decker Dean of USA competes during the qualification round at the Four Hills Tournament 2020 Innsbruck on Jan. 2, 2021, in Innsbruck, Austria. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Gregor Kobel of VfB Stuttgart saves a penalty from Emil Forsberg of RB Leipzig during the Bundesliga match between VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Jan. 2, 2021, in Stuttgart, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)