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🏈 Good morning everyone, especially…
Minnesota Vikings and (reluctantly) Atlanta Falcons
It hasn’t been a pretty long game, but the Vikings and Falcons both had wins last night, keeping the team on pace. each playoff race.
The Vikings trailed the Bears 30-12. Justin Jefferson got the party started with an early touchdown catch from Sam Darnold and then went on to score. shout out loud Randy Moss is battling cancer. (So was Moss) Before the prestigious match) Minnesota gained 114 yards on the ground with scores from Aaron Jones and Cam Akers, and the defense was relentless.
At 12-2 this season, Minnesota is in the spotlight in the NFC North, just one game behind the Lions, and is also in the spotlight as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Atlanta remains in this section because we believe there is no such thing as a bad win. But this is as close as it gets. The Falcons, on a four-game losing streak, barely held on against the Raiders with a record of 15 wins and 9 losses. Kirk Cousins finally threw a touchdown pass, but struggled mightily on the outside. The Raiders, who are currently on a 10-game losing streak and have third-string quarterback Desmond Ridder, actually drove within Hail Mary range, but their two attempts to the end zone fell incomplete. Bijan Robinson gained 135 total yards and carried an unsightly offense.
Cousins doesn’t look like his old self. He looks like a 36-year-old quarterback with a torn Achilles tendon, but that’s exactly what he is. He can’t move, he can’t drive the ball, and as a result, Atlanta’s offense can’t do anything creative. Atlanta is still one game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South, but Raheem Morris Admitted the Falcons need better quarterback play..
👍 Honorable Mention
🏈 And no such good morning…
detroit lions
The hits continued for the Lions on Monday.
Montgomery is a physical complement to Jahmil Gibbs between the tackles, McNeil not only protects the run admirably but also creates penetration against the pass inside, and Davis is the top man coverage corner on a team with the highest man play rate. . Coverage in the NFL.
It’s a significant loss for all three, but I fear injuries to McNeil and Davis will be the straw that breaks the camel’s (or lion’s?) back. After all, it’s almost possible to build a starting lineup with Detroit’s injured defenders.
DL: Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeil, John Kominsky, Marcus Davenport LB: Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez DB: Carlton Davis, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Ifeetu Melifonwu
This team still has a lot of talent and a great coach, and the culture under Dan Campbell is second to none, but at some point, especially at the Super Bowl level, the X’s and O’s will cover Jimmy and Joe. You may not be able to do it. The Lions are great at what they do.
👎 Not really an honorable mention
🏈 NFL Playoffs Photos: AFC Teams Almost Set, NFC Scrambled
Getty Images
Week 15 did a lot to fix AFC issues. playoff photos. The standings of the surviving teams are as follows:
Chiefs (13-1, AFC West champion) Bills (11-3, AFC East champion) Steelers (10-4, playoff berth confirmed, first place in the AFC North) Texans (9-5, AFC South champion) Ravens (9-5)Broncos (9-5)Chargers (8-6)Colts (6-8)Dolphins (6-8)Bengals (6-8)
According to SportsLine, the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals all have no more than a 7% chance of making the postseason. So perhaps all they can get over the next three weeks is a top-seven seeding.
Unlike AFC, NFC playoff photos In week 15 it got even tougher.
Lions (12-2, confirmed for playoffs, first in NFC North) Eagles (12-2, confirmed for playoffs, first in NFC East) Rams (8-6, first in NFC West) Buccaneers (8-6, first in NFC Vikings (12-2, playoff berth confirmed) Packers (10-4) Commanders (9-5) Seahawks (8-6) Falcons (7-7) Cardinals (7-7) 49ers (6-8) Cowboys (6-8) Saints (5-9)
Those final three teams probably won’t count, according to SportsLine’s projections, but the top 10 will be full of ups and downs.
Detroit leads No. 1 seed Philadelphia with a superior conference record, but there is no margin for error. Things are tense in the NFC West, with Weeks 17 (Cardinals vs. Rams) and Week 18 (49ers vs. Cardinals), with the Falcons still desperate for the Buccaneers to fail. If both teams finish with the same record, Atlanta will There will be a direct tiebreaker, as the Buccaneers, Rams and Seahawks (as of Sunday night) have jumped in the standings, narrowing the Commanders’ lead for the final wild-card spot.
An exciting (and stressful) time awaits!
🏈 Predict the College Football Playoff upset
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Week 15 of the NFL is over, and the first round of the College Football Playoff begins. Host Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas State, and Ohio State are big favorites, but Shehan Jeyarajah We ranked all four games in terms of upset potential.And his most likely candidate is…
Jeyarajah: “(6) Penn State (-8.5) vs. (11) SMU — SMU has quarterback Kevin Jennings (3,050 yards passing, 379 yards rushing, 27 TDs) There are far more offensive playmakers coming into this game, led by running back Brashard Smith, who is a threat both as a runner and a pass catcher as a converted receiver, with a total of eight players on the roster. Player is registered at least 27 Five players have at least four receiving touchdowns on a five-yard reception, not including top receiver Roderick Daniels Jr….The Nittany Lions are low-scoring and defense-first. We need to get on with the game. ”
There is a lot going on with the CFP format, and changes are subject to change. Here’s what’s next for Brandon Marcello. Possibility to change seeds, automatic bidding, and field sizes.
🏈 Dave Clawson resigns at Wake Forest
Usachi
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson resigned from his position A surprising decision was made Monday, just into the Demon Deacons’ offseason. Clawson, 57, will remain at the university as a special advisor to athletic director John Currie.
“After 25 seasons as a head coach and 36 consecutive years of college football, it is a great time for me and my family to step down to this new role within Wake Forest University,” Clawson said in a statement. It’s the right time.” They finished the campaign with 4 wins and 8 losses for the second year in a row. Before that, Clawson led them to a school record of seven consecutive bowl appearances. During that time, he played in the ACC Championship Game in 2021 and won the ACC Coach of the Year award that same season. Overall, Clawson finished 67-69 (32-55) at Winston-Salem.
Of the seven FBS programs in North Carolina; Five will have new coaches. next season. North Carolina (Mac Brown to Bill Belichick) is the most notable change, but Appalachian State, Charlotte and East Carolina also have new faces. of Demon Butler Must Act Quicklywrites Shehan Jeyarajah.
📺 What I’m Watching on Tuesday
🏀 Seton Hall vs. No. 5 LSU (W), FS1 6 p.m.
🏀 North Carolina vs. No. 7 Florida (Men), ESPN 7 p.m.
🏀 No. 25 Clemson, South Carolina (M), 7 p.m. SEC Network
🏀 NBA Cup Finals: Bucks vs. Thunder, 8:30pm on ABC
🏀 Iowa State vs. No. 4 UConn (W), FS1 8:30 p.m.
🏈 Frisco Bowl: No. 25 Memphis vs. West Virginia, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 20 Michigan (W), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2
