🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...
THE GREEN BAY PACKERS
Sometimes, good teams let bad teams stick around. This was not one of those times. The Packers scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives en route to a 34-0 trouncing of the Saints. Green Bay clinched a playoff berth and recorded the first shutout of the season in the process.
This one was over basically as soon as it started, and that makes sense considering Green Bay has been one of the NFL's fastest-starting teams recently. Josh Jacobs finished with 107 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, his sixth straight game with a score, and the defense overwhelmed rookie Spencer Rattler, the Saints' third different starting quarterback in their last three games.
Green Bay is very, very good: 11-4 overall and 5-1 since the bye, with four of those five wins by double digits. Jacobs takes no prisoners every time he touches the ball, Jordan Love is taking care of the ball, and the defense creates havoc. In a loaded NFC -- more on that in a bit -- the Packers are a top-tier contender.
😊 Honorable mentions
- Aaron Rodgers says he's willing to take less money and mentor a young quarterback ... if he returns to the Jets.
- Tee Higgins has a new nickname for Joe Burrow.
- Will Brinson was impressed by Michael Penix Jr.'s first career start.
- The Mets brought back Sean Manaea on a three-year, $75 million deal.
- The Red Sox signed Walker Buehler.
- Andrew McCutchen is returning to the Pirates.
- Victor Wembanyama is looking like a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
- Joc Pederson signed with the Rangers.
- The NBA has a 3-point problem, you say? Sam Quinn has 12 potential solutions.
- Sabrina Ionescu joined Unrivaled, a huge get for the upstart 3-on-3 league.
- Tennessee remains atop the men's basketball AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll.
- USC made a jump in the women's basketball AP Top 25.
- Five-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson committed to Florida.
- Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred from Tulane, got a two-year, $8 million deal, a sign of the times per John Talty and Chris Hummer.
- Michigan added transfer quarterback Mikey Keene.
- Auburn landed transfer wide receiver Eric Singleton.
- Pardeep Cattry spoke with Weston McKennie about giving back and adjusting to roles with the USMNT and Juventus.
😡 Not so honorable mentions
- Joel Embiid got ejected after arguing an offensive foul. Credit Wembanyama's flopping, I suppose.
- Anthony Edwards was fined again for criticizing referees.
- Tank Dell tore his ACL, dislocated his kneecap and suffered other damage. The Texans claimed Diontae Johnson off waivers in the aftermath.
- Carson Beck officially underwent elbow surgery, ending his season.
- Notre Dame sacks leader Rylie Mills (knee) is out for the rest of the College Football Playoff.
- Here's why these three candidates will never make the Baseball Hall of Fame, per Matt Snyder.
🏈 NFL Playoff Picture, plus perfect Christmas gifts for every team
A week ago, the AFC playoff picture looked straightforward. Now, the AFC has joined the NFC in jumbled madness, setting up for a thrilling final two weeks.
In that AFC, things look like this:
- Chiefs (14-1, clinched AFC West)
- Bills (12-3, clinched AFC East)
- Steelers (10-5, clinched playoff berth, leads AFC North)
- Texans (9-6, clinched AFC South)
- Ravens (10-5, clinched playoff berth)
- Chargers (9-6)
- Broncos (9-6)
- Colts (7-8)
- Dolphins (7-8)
- Bengals (7-8)
Here are three races we're watching:
- The Chiefs need just one more win -- or one more Bills loss -- to clinch the top seed.
- Pittsburgh has the AFC North lead thanks to a superior conference record (7-3, compared to Baltimore's 6-4). But Pittsburgh still faces Kansas City on Christmas and Cincinnati in Week 18; Baltimore gets Houston and Cleveland.
- There's still a way in for any of the three sub-.500 teams listed above, and it starts with the Bengals beating the Broncos on Saturday. SportsLine gives Miami a 9% playoff chance, Cincinnati a 7% chance and Indianapolis a 5% chance. The Chargers (97%) and Broncos (82%) remain in good shape, but it's far from over.
Over in the NFC ...
- Lions (13-2, clinched playoff berth)
- Eagles (12-3, clinched playoff berth)
- Rams (9-6, lead NFC West)
- Falcons (8-7, lead NFC South)
- Vikings (13-2, clinched playoff berth)
- Packers (11-4, clinched playoff berth)
- Commanders (10-5)
- Buccaneers (8-7)
- Seahawks (8-7)
Zero NFC divisions have been decided. The NFC North is ridiculously loaded, just the second division under the current format with three 11-win teams. The Vikings close with the Packers and at the Lions, setting up for a potentially wild finish.
The NFC West and NFC South are enthralling, too. The Falcons lead the Buccaneers thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker, but Atlanta has no room for error and faces a Commanders team that can clinch a playoff berth this weekend. Meanwhile, the Rams-Seahawks race could come down to their Week 18 meeting in Los Angeles.
Cody Benjamin determined if every playoff team is naughty or nice. Despite the offensive struggles, the defensive injuries and the close calls, the Chiefs fall into the "nice" category, but Chris Trapasso has the five top candidates to stop a Kansas City three-peat.
We've covered the playoff and playoff-contending teams, but there are 13 others simply hoping for better days ahead. Jared Dubin has Christmas wish lists for every NFL team, and for the NFC North team not reaching the heights of their division compatriots ...
- Dubin: "Bears: A coach to put Caleb Williams in position to succeed -- The Bears, for some reason, came into the season with a lame-duck coach in the first season of their rookie quarterback's career, for the third consecutive time. Unsurprisingly, things did not work out. Let's get somebody in there who can scheme Williams into success instead of just relying on him to make plays out of sheer talent."
Could that be Ben Johnson? He's intrigued.
🏈 Reseeding the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff is down to eight teams, and after a one-sided first round, Brandon Marcello reseeded the programs still in the hunt for a title.
The only undefeated team in FBS, Oregon, has been No. 1 for a while, got the No. 1 seed and remains No. 1 seed in Brandon's reseeding. The bad news for the Ducks? They face Brandon's No. 2 seed next.
- Marcello: "2. Ohio State -- We'll admit it: Ohio State's dramatic jump in the rankings is more about 'eye test' than strength of schedule or record. ... That loss to Michigan was abysmal in November, but the Buckeyes again looked the part of possibly being the best team in the country during the 42-17 blowout of Tennessee in the first round. ... It's a shame the quarterfinals will feature the CFP's two best teams, but that's the luck of the draw thanks to Ohio State's incredulous loss to the unranked Wolverines in the regular-season finale."
We'll see which version of the Buckeyes turns up in the Rose Bowl soon enough.
Oh yeah, and for all the Ryan Day angst, he was never going anywhere, Richard Johnson writes.
🥊 Best of UFC in 2024
What a year it was for the UFC. Whether it was a good year or a bad year is up for debate, and our experts indeed debated.
Whatever your stance, there were plenty of memorable moments, and we handed out our "Best of" honors, with Ilia Topuria winning Fighter of the Year. The 27-year-old knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in February to claim the featherweight title and knocked out Max Holloway in October to retain the title. He earned Fighter of the Year, narrowly, over Alex Pereira, as Brian Campbell explains.
- Campbell: "Both victories came against legendary fighters who were ranked in the top 10 P4P at the time of Topuria's knockout finish. With an all-around game, devastating power and the kind of persona that makes it easy to see him as the face of the sport, Topuria has delivered upon all of the ambitious promises he has made."
We also named Knockout of the Year and Fight of the Year.
Looking to 2025, there are plenty of loaded cards, and the first pay-per-view event might just be the best.
📺 What we're watching Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday
🏈 Hawai'i Bowl: South Florida vs. San Jose State, 8 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday
🏀 Spurs at Knicks, noon on ABC/ESPN
🏈 Chiefs at Steelers, 1 p.m. on Netflix
🏀 Timberwolves at Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏈 Ravens at Texans, 4:30 p.m. on Netflix
🏀 76ers at Celtics, 5 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Lakers at Warriors, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Nuggets at Suns, 10:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
