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Good morning, everyone. It’s crunch time. Around this time of year that could mean snow underfoot, munching on delicious holiday treats or last-second gift buying. But for our purposes over the next few minutes it means focusing on those dramatic finishes over the weekend in the NFL or College Football Playoff.
Today’s newsletter was compiled from contributions by Brad Crawford, Bryan DeArdo, Shanna McCarriston, Zach Pereles and Jasmyn Wimbish. Thanks to them all, and let’s get to it.
🏈 Five things to know Monday
Steelers top Lions in controversial fashion; Bears, 49ers clinch playoff berth. The NFL somehow keeps finding new dramatic endings, as the Steelers’ 29-24 win over the Lions came in a manner that even screenwriters couldn’t fathom. After Chris Boswell missed a chip-shot field goal that would have given the Steelers an eight-point lead, Detroit drove down to the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. Then calamity for the Lions. A penalty wiped out an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown. On fourth-and-goal, St. Brown caught the ball at the 1 and lateraled to Jared Goff, who scored as time expired. But the officials ruled St. Brown committed pass interference. Because time expired, the game was over, but our Garrett Podell walks you through how it happened. As a result, the Bears and the 49ers clinched playoff berths, and the Lions’ path just got a lot more narrow.Patriots clinch playoff berth with win over Ravens; Lamar Jackson injured. The Patriots rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter — their largest fourth-quarter rally since that famous Super Bowl win over the Falcons back in 2017 — and clinched a playoff berth with a 28-24 win over the Ravens. Drake Maye threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns. Lamar Jackson exited with a back injury, and Baltimore’s playoff hopes are dwindling.Alabama rallies, Miami holds on in College Football Playoff. Alabama, Miami, Ole Miss and Oregon are heading to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. After falling down by 17 points, Alabama outscored Oklahoma by 27 the rest of the way, with Zabien Brown’s 50-yard pick six providing a huge swing late in the first half. Miami got an end-zone interception by Bryce Fitzgerald. his second pick of the day, to hold off Texas A&M, 10-3. Elsewhere, Ole Miss — with Pete Golding making his coaching debut — crushed Tulane, and Oregon crushed James Madison. Don’t blame the CFP for the imbalance; blame college football as a whole, Tom Fornelli writes.Ex-Michigan assistant coach caught on tape, feds say. Eight months after federal investigators seized thousands of photos and videos as part of an investigation into former co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, an FBI search warrant affidavit filed in federal court details security footage that captured the ex-assistant coach before he allegedly hacked into students’ personal accounts to obtain explicit photos.Anthony Joshua knocks out Jake Paul with jaw-breaking punch. After a slow start, Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round Friday night with a pulverizing right hand that broke Paul’s jaw. There’s no doubting Paul’s bravery, but this should mark the end of him as a serious boxing attraction, Brian Campbell writes.
🏀 Tar Heels, Wildcats dazzle in Atlanta: Winners & losers from robust college basketball weekend
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The CBS Sports Classic lived up to its big-game billing with a memorable doubleheader after North Carolina hung on to beat Ohio State and Kentucky upended St. John’s for the Wildcats’ first ranked win of the season under second-year coach Mark Pope. The return of Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance was momentous after the big man contributed 10 points — including several dunks — and eight rebounds in 17 minutes as a front court weapon.
Isaac Trotter, Cameron Salerno and David Cobb went in-depth on the weekend’s biggest winners and losers, but here’s a snippet from a few of those dozen takeaways:
Winner: Houston makes statement against Arkansas in ranked battleWinner: Texas Tech stuns Duke after 17-point rallyLoser: Penny Hardaway’s noticeable slide continues at MemphisLoser: Rick Pitino discouraged after St. John’s sleepwalks defensivelyWinner: Purdue gets hot from long-range against Auburn
The third-ranked Blue Devils could slip when the AP Top 25 rankings come out later today. There’s also expected changes outside of the top 10 following No. 23 Virginia’s win over Maryland and 13th-ranked Vanderbilt’s 31-point drubbing of Wake Forest.
🏈 Jaguars surge at the right time
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A ton of things happened during this football-filled Sunday. Fortunately, Tyler Sullivan managed to break everything down in his latest overreactions piece. One of the things he addresses is the Bills’ less than impressive win over the Browns and whether or not a major flaw was exposed during their 23-20 win in Cleveland. As for a quick recap, here’s everything you need to know about Week 16:
Winners: The Jaguars have a glide path to the postseason. At 11-4, they are only a game behind the Broncos after the Jags went to Denver and walked away with a 34-20 win. With their 29-24 win over the Lions, the Steelers secured their 22nd consecutive non-losing season, an NFL record. And Mike Tomlin also increased his record of consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career to 19. Elsewhere, the Panthers hold the division lead in the NFC South.Losers: Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones had to face the music following Sunday’s loss to the Chargers which meant Dallas will not compete for a Super Bowl title for a 30th straight season. Where does the Lions’ tough loss leave them in their quest to get back to the playoffs? And there’s little doubt that DK Metcalf’s wallet will be a little lighter after he tried to lay hands on a fan during Sunday’s game. And some of our NFL Today panel suggested he might even have next Sunday off.Injuries: The Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury Sunday night. Testing will determine whether how serious the setback is. Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was carted off the field with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle. Chiefs backup QB Gardner Minshew is feared to have torn his ACL in their loss to the Titans, forcing the team to move to third-stringer Chris Oladokun. Clinchers: In the AFC, the Patriots joined the Broncos by nabbing a berth and the Jaguars do the same tonight if the 49ers beat the Colts, so as of this moment there are still five open slots in the conference. And it’s the complete opposite in the NFC where there are only two spots remain and the Packers and Panthers have the inside track on those. The Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, Rams and 49ers have all punched their tickets. Here is the entire playoff picture through Week 16.
Plus it’s never too soon to think about the 2026 NFL Draft order. Fortunately, draft guru Josh Edwards provided us with an updated look at the first round while informing us of a possible upcoming game that may determine who will have the No. 1 overall pick this spring. We also have an updated mock draft ready for you this morning.
🏆 College Football Playoff down to eight title hopefuls
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The stage is set for next week’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals, including 10-seed Miami’s triumph at Texas A&M and Alabama’s roaring comeback at Oklahoma to avenge a previous loss. Ole Miss and Oregon moved on handily against Tulane and James Madison, sparking nationwide reaction on the Group of Five’s playoff placement down the road.
Meanwhile Michigan’s coaching search continues heading into the holiday week with another top-end candidate staying at his current school. Kenny Dillingham, at the top of the Wolverines’ wish list, agreed to a new deal Sunday with Arizona State amid interest from the Big Ten power. Since firing Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10, a number of targets at have removed themselves from considering relocating to Ann Arbor.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
📺 What we’re watching Monday
🏈 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State, 3 p.m. on ESPN⚽ Fulham vs. Nottingham Forest, 4 p.m. on USA Network🏀 Hornets at Cavaliers, 8 p.m. on Peacock🏒 Canucks at Flyers, 8:30 p.m. on NHL Network🏈 49ers at Colts, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN🏀 Missouri vs Illinois, 9 p.m. on FS1🏀 Grizzlies at Thunder, 10:30 p.m. on Peacock
