If there was any doubt that the landscape of college football has changed, just ask former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson initially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft following the Crimson Tide’s season-ending loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff.
However, Simpson did not submit his official paperwork until January 13 — one day before the deadline for underclassmen to enter the draft.
So why the delay? Simpson was being heavily courted by programs making massive NIL offers to keep him in college, including Miami, Tennessee and Ole Miss.
Those offers gave the 23-year-old pause as he weighed whether to chase his NFL dream or return to college for another season.
“And while nothing was in writing, Simpson remembers Sunday being a blur,” On3’s Chris Low wrote. “He was supposed to go duck hunting after church, but couldn’t do it.
“‘I had a knot in my stomach,’ Simpson said. ‘I didn’t know what to do.’”
Miami Made Massive Offer to Lure Ty Simpson
It’s easy to understand why Simpson was torn. The money being offered would make anyone reconsider.
Miami, Tennessee and Ole Miss each presented offers in the $4 million range, with Tennessee’s potentially reaching $5 million, according to Low. Miami, however, attempted to separate itself by offering $6.5 million.
“I really felt good with my decision to go pro, but that amount of money to play college football again for what amounts to about eight months makes you stop and think,” Simpson said. “I remember my parents telling me that $6 million was more than they had made the whole time they had been married, but the thing they wanted most for me was to be happy.”
Miami’s aggressive pursuit came amid growing desperation at quarterback after missing on Brendan Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech, and Sam Leavitt, who landed at LSU.
“Miami was kind of like, ‘All right, we’re moving on,’ and then they lost out on Sam Leavitt and came back with that big number,” Simpson said. “And then Ole Miss called again and said they could match it.”
As of now, both Miami and Tennessee have yet to land a quarterback from the transfer portal for the 2026 season, with options growing increasingly thin as top prospects commit elsewhere.
Ty Simpson Sought Advice From Nick Saban
Facing one of the biggest decisions of his life, Simpson turned to his former head coach, Nick Saban, for guidance.
Saban offered a simple but pointed perspective, encouraging Simpson to remove money from the equation entirely.
“Take the money out of it,” Simpson said Saban told him. “If everybody was offering you zero dollars, what would you want to do? Would you want to come back and play college ball, or would you want to go play NFL ball?”
That advice settled the decision.
Simpson will now head to the NFL Draft in April, where he is expected to be among the top quarterback prospects.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, a 2005 Mount St. Joseph University graduate and four-year football letterwinner at MSJ, is among candidates to become a first-time NFL head coach.
Minter reportedly interviewed Jan. 13 with the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. Albert Breer reported that the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens also requested interviews with Minter.
Minter was among candidates to replace Sherrone Moore as the University of Michigan’s head coach before the Wolverines hired Kyle Whittingham.
Minter spent two seasons as the Wolverines’ DC under Jim Harbaugh. Minter left Michigan in 2024 to join Harbaugh with the Chargers.
What to know about Minter, who turns 43 years old in May:
Jesse Minter is the son of former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Rick Minter
Rick Minter was UC’s head coach from 1994 to 2003.
Jesse works with his father, currently a senior defensive analyst for the Chargers.
During NBC’s November broadcast of the Chargers’ game against Pittsburgh, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth discussed the two seasons then-Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spent as the Bearcats’ defensive backs coach, as an assistant under then-head coach Rick Minter.

The Kansas City Chiefs rounded out their 2025-26 season back on Sunday, January 4, with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, 14-12. It was a rough way to end a difficult season, but now, the team has several months to prepare for their 2026-27 season and give Chiefs Kingdom that comeback they’re craving.
That final game didn’t end the way the Kansas City Chiefs wanted, and a few flags didn’t go their way, either. One happened against the Chiefs at the two minute, 14 second mark of the second quarter.
At that contentious point in the game, the referees called an “unsportsmanlike conduct” penalty against the Chiefs’ bench, and it led to a 10-yard penalty in favor of Las Vegas. It was a perplexing moment, because the referees didn’t explain the call during the game, and the broadcast didn’t elaborate on it either, leaving the Chiefs scratching their heads. So, it was simply a frustrating moment for Kansas City amid an already difficult game.
NFL Makes Punishment Decision for Kansas City Chiefs Penalty
So, the Chiefs were flagged, and then, the NFL had a decision to make, as to whether to punish the franchise even more. Every week during the season, the league gives punishments to players for actions taken during the previous week’s games. The NFL states on their official website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity.”
Ahead of the season, the NFL and NFL Players Association agree on the set of game-related rules violations that result in these accountability measures. So, it’s a way to keep things safe and fair for players on the field.
But, good news, because the NFL didn’t fine or punish the Chiefs for the incident when they released their roster of punishments for Week 18. So, they aren’t in any additional trouble with the league for that move.
According to research from the NFL’s rule book, “unsportsmanlike conduct” penalties can get up to a $14,491 fine for a first offense and $20,288 for a second. Funds raised from the fine will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
Patrick Mahomes Double Finds New Home
In other news, people are buzzing about Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, who has been getting attention for having a similar look, style of play and number choice as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?
Raiola had been excelling as a sophomore quarterback at Nebraska, but he decision to move on and entered the transfer portal this year. Now, Raiola, No. 15, has picked his next home, and it’s not Mahomes’ college team.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson made his next steps official on Tuesday as the redshirt junior signed his paperwork to submit his name to the NFL Draft and turn pro. Simpson declared his intentions a week ago, but was tempted to reconsider his options after multiple schools made offers to the veteran quarterback to transfer.
Simpson spent time with Chris Low of On3 and detailed that Tennessee and Ole Miss offered him $4 million to transfer, but Miami went over the top with a $6.5 million offer.
“Miami was kind of like, ‘All right, we’re moving on,’ and then they lost out onand came back with that big number,” Simpson told Low. “And then Ole Miss called again and said they could match it.”
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide quarterback decided to stick with his original decision and try his luck in the NFL Draft. He conveyed to Low that he received evaluations from 18 NFL teams with 17 giving him a first round grade after he led the Crimson Tide to the playoffs despite battling multiple injuries.
Simpson admitted to dealing with a bulging disc in his back, bursitis in his elbow, and endured an adverse reaction to medication that inflamed the lining in his stomach. He never missed a start, despite the struggles and ultimately passed for 3567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Crimson Tide quarterback reportedly followed up with head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Tuesday morning to relay his plans for next season.
“KD and Coach Grubb have been so good to me,” Simpson said to Low. “I’m sure they were wondering what was going on because they wanted a decision from me last Thursday so they could start building their roster for next year. I was honest and told them what I’d been offered, but that I just couldn’t do it because of everything I stood for and what Alabama had meant to me and the legacy that I built there. Everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year. But I was a captain. I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes.
“I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama.”
Here’s the Roll Call for Wednesday, January 14, 2026:
Wednesday’s Crimson Tide Schedule:
No Alabama athletics in action
Tuesday’s Crimson Tide Results:
Men’s Basketball: Alabama 97, Mississippi State 82
SEC News:
Consistency, Hard Work and Leadership: Inside Tyler Nickel’s Performance This Season After a Win Over LSU
Did You Notice?
The college football head coaches voted unanimously to expand the eligibility for redshirt years from four games to nine games, meaning players can participate in more games and maintain their redshirt status.
However, this is only a recommendation and will be forth to the Division I committees.
The Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan says the organization intends to pick up the fifth year option on former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, keeping him with the franchise. Young passed for 3011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as he led his franchise to the NFC South division title.
Alabama’s Jessica Timmons was named SEC Co-Player of the Week after scoring 24 points on Jan. 8 versus then-No. 6/7 Kentucky to help UA earn its highest win over a ranked opponent since 1997. She leads Alabama in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game.
On This Day in Crimson Tide History:
January 14, 1965: Quarterback Joe Namath was named captain of the 1964 team, while Ray Ogden was selected as alternate captain in a vote of the Crimson Tide players. Namath was preparing to undergo surgery in New k, great johonor in Beaver Falls, Pa. Coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant had announced he would attend Namath’s special day.
January 14, 2013: Eddie Lacy appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated after Alabama ran over Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game.
Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Ohio State sent four defensive linemen to the NFL Draft following their 2024 national championship season, the consensus was clear: the 2025 defensive front would inevitably take a step back. But on the latest Buckeye Talk podcast, Stephen Means offered a take so scorching it left his co-hosts momentarily speechless.
“I have a hot take. I think the 2025 defensive line was better than the 2024 defensive line,” Means declared.
Better than a unit that produced a first-round pick in Tyleik Williams, a second-rounder in JT Tuimoloau, and two more selections in Jack Sawyer and Mike Hall? The claim sounds preposterous at first blush, but Means laid out a compelling case that deserves serious consideration.
The 2025 defensive line, anchored by unanimous All-American Kaden McDonald and breakout edge rusher Kaden Curry (who tallied 11 sacks), didn’t just fill the massive shoes of their predecessors – they might have outgrown them entirely.
Means pointed to superior depth as a key factor in his argument. “The depth at defensive tackle was better in 2025 you had four guys. Last year you had two and a half and the half guy was playing defensive end until like three a month and a half into the season,” he explained.
This depth proved critical throughout the season. While the 2024 unit relied heavily on star power at the top, the 2025 group brought waves of talented players who kept fresh legs on the field. Taiwan Malone emerged as a force alongside McDonald, while Edric Houston overcame early-season injuries to become a disruptive presence by season’s end.
Andrew Gillis, though initially skeptical of Means’ hot take, eventually acknowledged the remarkable achievement of the 2025 group.
“So, I’m at a nine as well because I think they replaced the defensive line that lost every single starter to the NFL with a defensive line that might have had every single starter that could get dropped into the NFL,” Gillis said.
The potential NFL futures of the 2025 unit support Means’ argument. McDonald is widely projected as a potential first-round selection should he declare for the draft, while Curry’s 11 sacks put him in elite company with Chase Young (16 in 2019) and Tuimoloau (12.5 in 2024) as the only Buckeyes to reach double-digit sacks in the Ryan Day era.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the background of these players. While the 2024 defensive line featured several five-star recruits who had been groomed for stardom, the 2025 unit included several developmental success stories. Curry, in particular, wasn’t widely expected to become the dominant force he emerged as this season.
“The only person in on the Ohio State beat who would have ever predicted that Kaden Courier was going to do what he was going to do this year is Jeremy Birmingham,” Means noted, giving credit to a colleague who had long championed Curry’s potential.
The numbers tell a compelling story as well. McDonald’s production outpaced his predecessor at nose tackle, Tyleik Williams. In 448 snaps across 14 games, McDonald recorded 65 tackles – just four fewer than the team’s top draft prospect – along with nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. By comparison, Williams had more pressures but significantly fewer tackles (46) and comparable disruption stats.
The defensive line’s stellar play wasn’t just about individual achievements. The unit maintained its dominance against every opponent on the schedule, including in the team’s two losses. Against Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Edric Houston “is lighting up the tape,” as Means observed. Even in defeat, the defensive front showed its quality.
Perhaps most impressive was how the unit performed without the element of surprise. Opposing offenses knew exactly who they needed to account for, yet still struggled to contain players like Curry, who Stefan Krajisnik observed “tried to kill the Heisman Trophy winner in the first snap of the game” during the conference championship.
When the hosts rated the defensive line’s performance on a scale of 1-10, both Krajisnik and Gillis gave the unit a 9, reflecting just how dramatically they exceeded preseason expectations.
The debate about which defensive line was better ultimately speaks to the incredible standard of excellence that Larry Johnson has established in Columbus. That a unit replacing four NFL draft picks could potentially exceed their predecessors’ performance is a testament to Johnson’s development skills and the Buckeyes’ recruiting prowess.
Whether you side with Means or maintain that the 2024 group still holds the edge, one thing is undeniable: the Buckeyes’ defensive line in 2025 was something special, and the foundation has been laid for continued dominance in 2026 and beyond.
Here’s the podcast:

Michael Jordan never played pro football, but his legacy even ascends the gridiron. The dynasty run with the Chicago Bulls is enough for sports fans across the world to draw comparisons with clutch plays from players of today’s generation. It happened recently when the Buffalo Bills won a playoff game after trailing in the final two minutes.
The Bills secured a narrow victory in the NFL playoffs wild card round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-24, on Sunday. Quarterback Josh Allen led the team to victory following the script of their many comeback victories this regular season. This earned him the comparison with His Airness from Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard.
“He’s clearly the best quarterback left in the conference, so they were already on notice. But I thought what was so impressive yesterday, like you said, with Superman mode, is like he goes dynamic. I think it wasn’t Superman because it wasn’t dynamic. It was just steady. It was almost like Jordan in the first three peat is Superman mode, and yesterday, Josh Allen was Jordan in the second three peat. Not quite as dynamic, not as spectacular, but just killing you, killing you mid-range here. And, you know, just, and that’s what he did.”
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The Bills’ QB had 273 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 10-yard pass near the end of the game. Josh Allen signed a 6-year, $330 million contract in March last year and justified it against the Jaguars. It wasn’t the 29-year-old’s best game statistically this season, but it had its challenges. Allen required two trips to the medical tent, including one for a concussion test that had to be cleared. Despite this, he completed 28 of 35 passes, not his explosive best, but enough to guide the Bills to the win.
Broussard compared it to Michael Jordan’s second three-peat era. The Bulls legend came back from his first retirement and would lead Chicago to glory again. During his second run, the points scored on average were 30.4, 29.6, and 28.7 points per season. Again, good MVP numbers, but not dominating as the first three-peat. The numbers from the 90-91 season were 31.5, 30.1, and 32.6 points per season. During the 92-93 postseason, MJ would end with 35.1 points in 19 games.
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The comparison from Broussard was done to highlight that Josh Allen’s steady performance and mental ability to deliver in clutch moments reminded him of MJ.
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The Michael Jordan and Josh Allen connection is not new
Allen has now won six times this season when tied or trailing in the fourth quarter, including overcoming two double-digit deficits. It was during his second season in the league when he received a comparison with MJ. It was after Allen had just led another fourth-quarter comeback, his fourth of the season and sixth of his career, “Because Josh Allen’s name starts with a J and end with an N, said left tackle Dion Dawkins about Allen being so good in the fourth quarter.
That was cryptic in the first instance, and later Dawkins clarified. “If you want to go down history lines, fourth quarter starts with J and ends with N, is who? Michael Jordan, but Josh Allen has that Jordan feature in him.” Since then, the Buffalo Bills‘ star has only increased his stock value. Even Michael Jordan couldn’t resist narrating his story.
Allen collaborated with Gatorade for the ‘Is It In You?’ campaign, narrated by none other than Michael Jordan. “So iconic! It’s so cool to be a part of. Having MJ in it is pretty dang cool,” Allen said. Now, we saw another Jordan-like performance from the Bills QB. With the season on the line and Buffalo trailing by four with 3:58 remaining, Allen delivered.

Had the New York Giants lost one of their last two games, the top of 2026 NFL Draft would look a lot different. Because of the way the final weeks of the 2025 regular season played out, the No. 1 overall pick was up for grabs, and a potential sale to the highest bidder was on the table.
That did not materialize, however, as the Giants went 2-0 to close out the year, and the teams that are expected to be in the market to select a future franchise quarterback wound up slotted 1-2.
Here’s how the Top 10 looks now and our early mock draft with the Giants landing the fifth pick. This will be the ninth time in the last 11 years in which the Giants are set to make their initial first-round pick in the Top 10.
1. Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The Heisman Trophy winner is putting on a show for the Hoosiers, who are within one win of an improbable yet impressive national championship. Mendoza is making believers out of the NFL scouts, throwing more touchdown passes (8) than incompletions (5) in two victories for undefeated Indiana. It’s hard imagining Tom Brady advising the Raiders to go in any other direction.
2. Jets: Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Moore still has not officially entered the draft, and his performance in the College Football Playoff semifinal paled in comparison to Mendoza last Friday night. But there’s no question Moore has the tools, the Jets have the need and word that former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola was transferring to Oregon fueled speculation Monday that he may be ready to turn pro.
3. Cardinals: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
Reese is a hybrid butt kicker whose versatility allowed for Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to use him in a variety of ways. You don’t turn away talent, but it’ll take a creative plan to get the most out of the talented playmaker who can rush and play off the ball.
4. Titans: Reuben Bain, Edge, Miami
Bain is the marquee name that most college football fans know, considering his 23 career sacks in three seasons for the Hurricanes. He has recorded four more sacks in Miami’s surprising run to the CFP championship game. His physical gifts have NFL scouts drooling, and he offers some inside rush potential as well.
5. Giants: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Tate is the next great Buckeye receiver. He’s got it all and shined despite not being at 100% this season while also playing opposite sophomore phenom Jeremiah Smith. Tate set career highs in yards (838) and touchdowns (9), and would mesh extremely well with Malik Nabers in an offense looking for more playmaking ability for Jaxson Dart.
6. Browns: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The talented safety can do it all on the back end and he’s a legit leader from jump. How he’d fit in the secondary isn’t the question; given Downs’ game-breaking talent, you take him and fit everyone else around him.
7. Commanders: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
Bailey is the top pass rusher in the country in sacks, total pressures and quarterback hits, and Pro Football Focus has him as their highest graded edge rusher. The Stanford transfer became more of a finisher this season and he will push for the top defender taken.
8. Saints: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Woods profiles as an ideal 3-technique who is exactly what NFL teams go after. He does have the versatility to move up and down the front in the right system.
9. Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Love has great vision and burst at 20 years old, and the sky’s the limit. He has a chance to drum up interest similar to how Jahmyr Gibbs did with the Lions a few years ago. With the way the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson put on a show this season, Love could rise up to ultimately be the highest running back picked since Saquon Barkley.
10. Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Delane started 29 straight games at Virginia Tech before transferring to LSU. He’s positioned to be the top man-to-man corner in this class. Delane is not a finished product, but the tools are there for him to really rocket up boards during the pre-draft process.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — After the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Browns now know where the pick they acquired in the Travis Hunter trade will land.
The Browns officially have the sixth and 24th picks in the draft.
I already looked at players the Browns could target at No. 6 to fill their two biggest needs: offensive line and wide receiver.
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Now it’s time to look at those options for the 24th pick.
First up is looking at wide receiver, where there is a cluster of players behind the top trio of Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon. Which receiver goes fourth might ultimately come down to the eye of the beholder.
Here are two of those receivers who could fit the Browns at pick No. 24.
Denzel Boston, Washington
Height, weight: 6-4, 210 pounds.
2025 stats: 62 receptions, 881 yards (14.2 avg.), 11 touchdowns.
The top options here couldn’t be more different from a style standpoint. Boston brings outstanding size to the position at 6-4, and he knows how to use it.
Like most big receivers, Boston excels in contested situations. He also has elite hands with just five combined drops in his college career according to Pro Football Focus.
What separates Boston from most other receivers with his size is how good a route runner he is. His ability to separate only creates more room for his quarterback.
Where he struggles is getting off the line explosively, which can make it easier for defensive backs to slow his momentum down before he gets started. He will also need to continue building on his skills as a route runner.
However, with 800-plus yards in each of his last two seasons, Boston is a legitimate first-round option, although more suited for the back half of the round because of his concerns.
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Height, weight: 5-11, 190 pounds.
2025 stats: 61 receptions, 919 yards (15.1 avg.), 9 TDs.
We’ve talked about the taller option in Boston. Now it’s time to break down the smaller, but shiftier option in Concepcion. He transferred into Texas A&M after two good seasons at N.C. State and had a great final season.
His play style, like that of Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon, relies on quickness and how well he runs routes. That agility makes him a weapon after the catch as evidenced by his 7.2 yards after catch per reception according to PFF.
Concepcion is surprisingly good at contested catches, winning them at a rate of 66.7% per PFF. He is also a dangerous punt returner, taking two back for touchdowns last season.
However, drops are a concern. He had 19 in his collegiate career, including seven in each of his last two seasons.
But when he catches the ball, he is as dynamic as there is in this class.
Who is the better choice?
The Browns lack size at receiver outside of Cedric Tillman. However, they also lack an “easy yards” guy as Lance Reisland would typically say.
That’s why for me, the choice is Concepcion. He only ranks slightly behind Makai Lemon in my personal rankings because of the drop concerns, which is not a concern with Lemon.
The Browns need a lot at receiver, and that’s why I think drafting two within the first three rounds should be a legitimate option. But above all else, they need a receiver who can make life easy for a quarterback.
Guys like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown are examples that you can be an elite receiver without size. The ability to separate and make plays after the catch is just as dangerous.
That’s why I’m taking Concepcion over Boston.
But in addition, I’d also have interest in Louisville’s Chris Bell in the second round. He was a first-round talent but tore his ACL in November.

Even before the 2025 NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday, the field looked different.
How would the first postseason without Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning since 1998 feel? After a wild-card slate full of late-game heroics and quirky stat lines, exciting is an understatement.
Here’s a recap of the past three days, summarized by the most surprising/bizarre/record-setting stat lines that made for one of the most interesting opening weekends in postseason history.
Lead changes and close calls
The late-game action was unprecedented. There were 12 fourth-quarter lead changes over the weekend, a record for any postseason in its entirety, per NFL researcher Jack Andrade — and we’re only through the wild-card round.
That record was actually set after the first four games, with the New England Patriots-Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans-Pittsburgh Steelers matchups giving us a more tame ending to the weekend.
The Los Angeles Rams-Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars games each saw four lead changes in the fourth quarter (tied for the most ever in a playoff game), while there were three fourth-quarter lead changes in the San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia Eagles game and one in the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers rematch. Those late-game heroics led to four comeback wins in the final three minutes, more than any other postseason.
Four wild-card games were decided by one score or less.
Road teams finished 4-2, the best record for visiting teams on wild-card weekend since the league expanded to a 14-team field in 2020. There was also the first postseason road win in Texans franchise history.
Comeback (or cardiac) Bears
About those comebacks, the Bears overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the Packers, which was the largest comeback in a postseason game in Chicago franchise history and also the most in an NFL playoff game since the 2022 postseason (when the Jags came back from 27 points down to beat the Chargers).
Chicago scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to make it happen, which makes the Bears just the third team in NFL history to score at least 25 points in the fourth quarter of a postseason game (1934 New York Giants and 1993 Eagles), per the team’s Larry Mayer.
Even wilder: The Bears didn’t have a single snap on offense against the Packers with the lead in all three of their matchups this season, yet Chicago won the series 2-1. Coach Ben Johnson has more wins against the Packers in his first season in charge than each of his four predecessors had in their entire tenures.
MVP stat breakers
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye are favorites for the league’s MVP award, and last weekend both earned spots in their franchise’s postseason record books.
Maye’s 37-yard run in the second quarter against the Chargers was the longest by a Patriots quarterback in postseason history. He finished the win with 10 carries for 66 yards, the most by a Patriots QB in a postseason game (previous best was Steve Grogan with 35 yards at Oakland on Dec. 18, 1976).
Stafford, on the other hand, set Rams career records for postseason passing yards and touchdowns. In his fifth year in Los Angeles, the quarterback passed Kurt Warner in both categories during the first quarter of the win over the Panthers. Warner had 2,221 postseason passing yards and 16 touchdowns. With the Rams headed to the divisional round, Stafford has 2,392 postseason passing yards and 18 touchdowns.
A perfect passer
Speaking of quarterbacks, San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings is the first player in NFL history with a perfect 153.8 passer rating in multiple playoff games for the same team, per Andrade. He’s also the only non-QB of the Super Bowl era to register multiple touchdown passes in a postseason career.
On the first play of the fourth quarter against the Eagles, the Niners pulled out a trick play, with Jennings finding Christian McCaffrey deep for a 29-yard touchdown that helped give San Francisco the lead.
Jennings completed more passes over 15 air yards (one) than opposing quarterback Jalen Hurts did all game (0-for-5). Even more fun: He also broke a tie with Manning for the most perfect passer rating playoff games by a Tennessee alum (Manning had just one), per Andrade.
Jennings also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey in the second quarter of the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11, 2024. It makes Jennings a perfect 2-for-2 passer in the NFL, as he has no regular-season attempts in his six professional seasons.
There’s a reason Jennings looks comfortable slinging it. He was ranked as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school in the Class of 2015, per 247Sports. He was ranked ahead of, among others: current Seahawk Sam Darnold (No. 6), current Bengal Joe Burrow (No. 7) and current Raven Lamar Jackson (No. 9).
Looking ahead
Three NFC West teams are in the divisional round (the top-seeded Seahawks, plus the Rams and 49ers). This is the fourth time in the history of the divisional round that one division has three teams in the field, and in all three previous instances one of those three teams advanced to the Super Bowl, per Fox Sports.
Those other instances include the 2022 NFC East (Giants, Cowboys and Eagles), the 1997 NFC Central (Vikings, Buccaneers and Packers), and the 1993 NFC East (Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys).
The most unfamiliar divisional-round foes are the Rams and Bears, who last met in the postseason in the 1985 NFC Championship. Chicago won 24-0 and ended up with the franchise’s first and only Super Bowl ring.
For Rams coach Sean McVay, Sunday’s divisional round game will be his 15th playoff game as a head coach. As noted by CBS Sports’ John Breech, those 15 games have come against 15 different opponents. The full rundown: Falcons (2017); Cowboys, Saints, Patriots (2018); Seahawks, Packers (2020); Cardinals, Buccaneers, 49ers, Bengals (2021); Lions (2023); Vikings, Eagles (2024); Panthers, Bears (2025).
Should the Rams win Sunday, McVay will finally have his first playoff rematch, as Los Angeles will face either the Seahawks or 49ers. The only two NFC teams the Rams have yet to face in the playoffs are the Giants and Commanders.

The NFL playoffs’ divisional round matchups are set in what’s expected to be an eventful weekend of football.
The divisional round kicks off with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Denver Broncos. The San Francisco 49ers travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West playoff bout.
Sunday begins with the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. The divisional round ends with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Chicago Bears in the Windy City.
USA TODAY Sports provides the early predictions for the divisional round of the playoffs:
NFL divisional round predictions, picks
Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
TV: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+
Spread: Bills (-1)
Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY: Bills 22, Broncos 20
Denver’s stingy defense versus Josh Allen and the Bills offense. The Broncos defense will play well and slow down Allen and the Bills. But Denver’s offense ended the year stagnant and will make a couple costly turnovers, which will put its defense in a tough spot.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle
TV: FOX
Streaming: FOX One
Spread: Seahawks (-7.5)
Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY: Seahawks 25, 49ers 20
The injury-riddled 49ers deserve a lot of credit for advancing to the divisional round. George Kittle’s Achilles injury was a sobering reminder of what a healthy 49ers team would’ve looked like. At some point injuries are going to catch up to Kyle Shanahan’s team. A well-rested Seahawks team gets the victory.
Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots
Date: Sunday, Jan. 18
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
TV: ESPN/ABC
Streaming: ESPN App
Spread: Patriots (-2.5)
Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY: Texans 20, Patriots 16
The Texans have a Super Bowl-caliber defense. C.J. Stroud and the offense just have to make timely plays and avoid game-changing turnovers. Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and the Texans defense contain Drake Maye and the Patriots in New England.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, Jan. 18
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV: NBC
Streaming: Peacock
Spread: Rams (-4)
Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY: Rams 27, Bears 20
The Bears ranked 31st in pass rush win rate during the regular season, per ESPN. That’s bad news for Chicago as they try to slow down Matthew Stafford and the NFL’s top offense. The Rams’ prolific offense will be too much for a subpar Bears defense.

No one thought the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to do what they did in the 2025 NFL season. No one except for General Manager James Gladstone, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, and the rest of the team’s brass. This might have been a retooling year for the Jags in theory, but the moves that the front office made last offseason and throughout the campaign painted a simple picture: Jacksonville wants to win now.
And win they did. All of their acquisitions paid off with 13 wins, an AFC South championship, and a home playoff game. Unfortunately, the Jaguars’ season ended the same as 30 other teams’, without the Lombardi in hand. Now, Gladstone, Boselli, and the rest of the braintrust have to figure out how to bring this roster over the hump.
Jaguars have to do some financial finagling
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in great shape for the future. They’re coming off a transformative season and have several young cornerstones in place already. They’ll be able to add to that core with nine picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including four in the first three rounds. Not to mention that they ripped off their eight-game win streak to claim the AFC South without Travis Hunter Jr., who went down with a season-ending knee injury before Week 9.
However, Jacksonville has to worry about the talent they might lose in free agency. And if General Manager James Gladstone wants to bring in any new veteran talent this offseason, he’ll have to cook the books first. The Jaguars are projected to be $10+ million over the salary cap for next year, when accounting for the rookie contracts they’ll have to dole out if they keep all of their selections. Clearly, that’s untenable, but it’s a problem with multiple viable solutions.
What the Jaguars can do
Jacksonville will have to free up that money somewhere, whether that’s by way of contract restructuring or cutting its in-house talent. Thankfully, Gladstone has already shown a creative mind when it comes to NFL accounting, with the Jaguars tweaking Walker Little and Dyami Brown’s contracts last offseason and mending Greg Newsome II’s after trading for him midseason.
He’ll have to open his Excel sheets once again this spring to make Jacksonville liquid again, but there are options available. Contrary to popular belief, cutting Arik Armstead would only offer the Jaguars a little over $2 million in cap relief. However, they could restructure his deal to free up around $10 million. That would get them close to where they need to be. Here are some other actions Jacksonville could take and how much it would save the franchise:
Keep in mind that restructuring contracts is also called the

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The two-week window for college football players to enter the transfer portal closes on Friday, but another important deadline looms for Ohio State before then.
Players must declare for the 2026 NFL Draft by Wednesday.
While standout Buckeyes such as receiver Carnell Tate, safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Arvell Reese and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald have already announced their intentions to forgo another season at Ohio State and declare for the draft, some decisions still loom.
Here’s a look at the four Buckeyes who have yet to announce if they’re heading to the NFL or coming back to Columbus for another season at Ohio State.
Latest Ohio State Buckeyes news
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Ohio State has added a veteran quarterback from the transfer portal. Here’s why:
Max Klare
Max Klare started his collegiate career at Purdue where he spent three seasons and developed into an All-Big Ten tight end. He then transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2025 season.
While helping OSU reach the College Football Playoff, Klare caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns. His best outing came in a November win against Rutgers when he recorded season-highs in receptions (7) and yards (105).
Ohio State’s overhaul of the tight end room has started despite Klare not making a public announcement yet. Will Kacmarek has exhausted his eligibility, and Jelani Thurman has announced he’s transferring to North Carolina.
OSU has countered the departures by adding Mason Williams (Ohio) and Hunter Welcing (Northwestern) out of the portal.
Kenyatta Jackson
Considering what Ohio State’s defensive line is losing this offseason, Kenyatta Jackson’s decision might be the most important of the bunch.
The standout defensive end, who was once a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, recorded 6.5 sacks in 2025 — his first season as a starter for the Buckeyes.
He started alongside defensive end Caden Curry and tackles Tywone Malone and McDonald. Those three are headed to the NFL, putting Ohio State in position to lose all four starting defensive linemen for the second consecutive season. If Jackson chooses to return for another season in Columbus, that won’t be the case.
Ohio State is set to return Beau Atkinson and Zion Grady at defensive end next season. It has also landed a commitment from former Alabama edge rusher Qua Russaw.
Carson Hinzman
Center Carson Hinzman did not take part in Ohio State’s senior day festivities in November, leaving the door open for a potential return in 2026 — which would be his fifth season at the collegiate level.
Hinzman was the starting center for the Buckeyes in 2023 before former Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin took over the job in 2024. However, injuries forced Hinzman back into the lineup, giving him nine starts (six at center) in Ohio State’s run to a national title.
He remained the starting center going into the 2025 season and held the role for all 14 games.
If Hinzman declares for the NFL draft, Josh Padilla would be the likely favorite to start at center next season.
Austin Siereveld
Austin Siereveld’s career at Ohio State started in 2023 when he signed as a four-star interior offensive lineman. He became somewhat of a household name in Columbus when he played both guard spots for the Buckeyes in 2024, helping the unit overcome injuries en route to a national title.
However, his true breakout season came in 2025 when he protected quarterback Julian Sayin’s blindside. Siereveld started all 14 games at left tackle, allowing only 15 pressures and no sacks.
Ohio State is set to return starting right tackle Phillip Daniels, a former Minnesota transfer, next season. If Siereveld departs, Ian Moore — who replaced an injured Siereveld in the second half of a CFP loss to Miami on Dec. 31 — would be a likely candidate to start.
Ohio State has yet to add an offensive lineman out of the transfer portal.

After a crazy Wild Card Weekend, there are now just eight NFL teams left in contention to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
It’s time to move on to the Divisional Round, which means we’ll see the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks in action for the first time this postseason.
I have my bets locked in for all six Divisional Round games, so let’s dive into them.
NFL Divisional Round Best Bets for Every Game
Bills vs. Broncos Prediction
If you’re betting on the Bills, you’re betting on Josh Allen to take over the game. He has done it in the majority of their games this season, including in their first playoff game against the Jaguars, but can he do it on the road against an elite Broncos defense?
The Broncos rank fifth in defensive DVOA, eighth in opponent EPA, and first in opponent success rate. They can stop both the run and the pass, ranking first in opponent dropback success rate and second in opponent rush success rate. Not only that, but they’ve been dominant on the road, sporting a Net Yards per Play of +1.2 at home, compared to the Bills, who are at +0.2 on the road.
Teams have been able to run the ball all over the Bills. They’re 31st in opponent rush EPA, and they give up 5.2 yards per carry, which is also the second most in the league. If Denver leans on its run game, this could be a long game for the Bills.
Pick: Broncos +1.5 (-115) via FanDuel
49ers vs. Seahawks Prediction
I’m not denying the Seahawks are the better team, but a spread at over a touchdown seems a tad steep to me, even with George Kittle out for the 49ers.
I have some concerns for the Seahawks’ offense that regressed in the second half of the season. They now rank 10th in offensive DVOA, 14th in EPA per play, and eighth in success rate. The 49ers rank second, sixth, and third in those three respective metrics. Sure, the Seahawks’ defense is leagues above the 49ers, but is defense alone enough to justify this spread?
Let’s remember, the Seahawks are led by a coach in Mike Macdonald, who is making his playoff debut, and a quarterback in Sam Darnold, who has been known to fail to deliver in big games. The 49ers are led by Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan, both of whom have the experience of making it to a Super Bowl.
I think this game will be closer than the spread indicates.
Pick: 49ers +7.5 (-110) via FanDuel
Texans vs. Patriots Prediction
The Texans’ defense is good enough to lead them all the way to a Super Bowl. Second in the NFL in DVOA, opponent EPA, and opponent success rate. Their offense has struggled against good defenses themselves, but now they face a Patriots’ defense that’s in the bottom 10 in a lot of categories.
Despite beating the Chargers last week, the Patriots’ offense struggled against one of the best defenses they’ve faced all season. Now they face an even better defense in the Texans. They may be able to squeak out a win, but I’ll take the side with the best defense in football that’s getting three points.
Pick: Texans +3 (-120) via DraftKings
Rams vs. Bears Prediction
The Bears’ luck is going to run out sooner rather than later. Their late-game heroics and countless coin flips that go their way that result in them squeaking out wins against superior teams can’t take them all the way to a Super Bowl, especially now that they face a team in the Rams that won’t make the mistakes of the other teams they’ve faced on this one.
The Rams remain arguably the most complete team in football. They’re the only team that ranks inside the top 10 in both EPA per play and opponent EPA per play, and they’re second in total DVOA and Net Yards per Play. By comparison, the Bears are 21st in net yards per play and 16th in DVOA.
The Rams are the far better team, and they’ll prove it on Sunday.
Pick: Rams -3.5 (-112) via DraftKings
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The Buffalo Bills went into Jacksonville as road underdogs and took down the Jaguars in the Wild Card Round. They’re now slight road favorites as they head to Denver to take on the top-seeded Broncos in the Divisional Round.
Denver was an impressive 14-3 this season, including 8-1 at home. The Broncos were able to rest up during the bye week while Buffalo played a back-and-forth game in Jacksonville.
Can Josh Allen and the Bills get over the hump in Denver?
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, a player to watch, betting trends and my prediction for this matchup in the NFL Divisional Round.
Bills vs. Broncos Odds, Spread and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
Bills -1.5 (-105)
Broncos +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline
Bills -122
Broncos +102
Total
46.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Bills vs. Broncos How to Watch
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: TBD
Venue: Empower Field at Mile High
How to Watch (TV): TBD
Bills record: 13-5
Broncos record: 14-3
Bills vs. Broncos Betting Trends
The Bills are 8-10 against the spread this season.
The Broncos are 8-9 against the spread this season.
The UNDER is 10-8 in the Bills’ games this season.
The UNDER is 10-7 in the Broncos’ games this season.
The Bills are 5-4 against the spread on the road this season.
The Broncos are 6-3 against the spread at home this season.
Bills vs. Broncos Injury Reports
Bills Injury Report
Jordan Phillips – injured reserve
Gabe Davis – questionable
Ty Johnson – questionable
Maxwell Hairston – questionable
Terrel Bernard – questionable
Jordan Poyer – questionable
Joshua Palmer – injured reserve
Ed Oliver – injured reserve
Damar Hamlin – injured reserve
Curtis Samuel – injured reserve
Broncos Injury Report
Drew Sanders – questionable
Dre Greenlaw – questionable
J.K. Dobbins – injured reserve
John Franklin-Myers – questionable
P.J. Locke – questionable
Bills vs. Broncos Key Player to Watch
Josh Allen, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has always been a terrific regular-season quarterback, but one of the main knocks on him is that he has yet to reach a Super Bowl. That’s largely due to the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty ruling the AFC in recent years, but even with the Chiefs out of the picture, the Bills still must go on the road if they want to reach their first Super Bowl in over 30 years.
Allen had a strong start to the postseason in Jacksonville. He threw for 273 yards and a touchdown on 28 of 35 passing, and ran for 33 yards and two scores on 11 carries. He didn’t turn the ball over, which will be important on Saturday in Denver.
It also won’t be as easy for Allen and the Bills to move the ball against the Broncos. Denver allowed the second-fewest yards per game (278.2) this season and fewest yards per play (4.8).
All eyes will be on Allen in Denver on Saturday.
Bills vs. Broncos Prediction and Pick
The Broncos have been a well-oiled machine this season. They’ve done enough on offense to win games, and their defense is one of the best in the league.
Bo Nix learned a few lessons last year in Buffalo as the Bills eliminated the Broncos with a 31-7 win in the Wild Card round. Denver has also been terrific at home this season, while the Bills needed a few clutch plays to down the Jaguars in this year’s Wild Card round.
I’ll take the Broncos at home, but the under is a good look as well.
Pick: Broncos moneyline (+102)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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The first week of the 2025 NFL playoffs has proven two things. One, postseason football is incredible. Outside of the New England Patriots’ comfortable 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, every other game went down to the wire. Two, the NFC West is the best division the league has seen in a long time.
The Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers all advanced past Wild Card Weekend. Three teams from the same division have made the Divisional Round of the playoffs just four times in NFL history since 1970: this year’s NFC West, 2022’s NFC East, 1997’s NFC Central, and 1992’s NFC East. Thanks to the Niners’ upset over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams won’t have to face a divisional foe until the Conference Championship. Instead, they’ll face off with the two-seed Chicago Bears next round.
Rams will have to lean on Matthew Stafford
1. Josh Jacobs: 2.9 yards per carry
The Chicago Bears’ defense was highly scrutinized ahead of their Wild Card matchup with the Green Bay Packers. It was understandable, considering they gave up 42 points to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 and were repeatedly gashed on the ground throughout the 2025 NFL season.
However, the Bears’ run defense clamped down on the Packers’ rushing attack on Wild Card Weekend. They allowed Josh Jacobs to gain just 55 yards on 19 carries, including a 13-yard gain. 96 percent of his yardage actually came on seven attempts. The rest were absolutely stuffed down the stretch. To be fair, the Los Angeles Rams have a much more competent ground game than the Packers did this year, but LA might not be able to pound the rock as successfully as initially expected against the Bears.
2. Jordan Love: 5-of-6 on passes between 10-20 yards
The Niners were able to generate a ton of offense by picking on the Bears’ linebackers in the passing game. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco repeatedly ran intermediate routes to expose the middle of Chicago’s defense. Green Bay was able to do the same for the most part.
Jordan Love completed over 83 percent of his attempts between 10 and 20 yards, gaining 85 yards and a touchdown from those passes. This is Matthew Stafford’s bread and butter. He and Rams Head Coach Sean McVay should find little trouble scheming up ways to pick apart the Bears’ defense with medium passes to Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and the rest of the Rams’ weapons.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Finding the right quarterback defines a franchise. With that in mind, I will break down Dillon Gabriel and examine the traits that matter most when considering the future of the Cleveland Browns.
It’s clear that Gabriel’s first NFL season did not unfold the way many expected. His rookie production reflected the natural growing pains that came with adjusting to the speed and complexity of the league.
In 2025, he completed 110 of 185 passes for a 59.5% completion rate, totaling 937 passing yards with seven touchdowns, two interceptions, a passer rating of 80.8, and a QBR of 31.0 across 10 games.
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Those numbers showed inconsistency and difficulty sustaining rhythm within the offense. Still, those struggles did not erase the historic body of work he put together prior to joining the league.
In college, Dillon Gabriel appeared in 64 career games and threw for 18,722 passing yards, while tying the FBS record with 155 career passing touchdowns. He accounted for 189 total touchdowns in his career, and finished second all-time in career passing yards. In his final season at Oregon in 2024, he completed 326 of 447 passes for a 72.9% completion rate, 3,857 yards, and 30 touchdowns, demonstrating efficiency, command, and consistent production against top-level competition.
That résumé showed a quarterback who processed quickly, protected the football over time, and produced consistently, giving reason to believe he had the tools and experience to become a productive NFL player with continued growth and stability.
His skill set aligned naturally with what Kevin Stefanski wanted to do offensively, especially on early downs. Gabriel was most comfortable throwing from multiple launch points, which fit the early-down, play-action boot game where the offense was built around straightforward adjustments and layered levels concepts. Those concepts allowed him to read high-to-low, stay on schedule, and deliver the football on time without needing a perfectly clean pocket.
Stefanski also leaned heavily on 12 and 13 personnel to dictate defensive responses, create favorable match-ups, and simplify the quarterback’s decision making. Those heavier groupings forced defenses to declare coverage and personnel, allowing Gabriel to identify defensive leverage before the snap, find the best match-up after the snap, and get the ball out quickly.
The offense asked him to be efficient, decisive, and accurate, traits that consistently showed up in his game illustrating why he made sense in that system.
Below are a few clips that demonstrate Gabriel’s anticipation and accuracy when given a clean pocket.
Evaluating quarterbacks requires focus on five core areas that consistently show up on film:
Measurables and functional skill set
Impact and leadership
Pre-snap-to-post-snap processing
Anticipation and accuracy
Pocket management and situational awareness
As I evaluate Gabriel (and in a future film review, Shedeur Sanders), I will score each category individually using a 1–10 scale, where 1 indicates the trait does not appear on film and 10 indicates it consistently appears at a high level. These ratings are based solely on this season’s performance. That process will ultimately shape my opinion on whether either quarterback showed the traits, developmental upside, and overall profile to be the future franchise quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Measurables and functional skill set
Coach Riz Score: 6 out of 10
When assessing measurables and functional skill set, I am looking at Gabriel’s tools and traits and how they translate to on-field production. While his were good enough to play early, they did not give him much margin for error as a rookie. Gabriel’s arm strength was solid but not a true separator, his size tightened throwing lanes, and his athleticism was functional rather than dynamic. When his feet and timing were right, he could operate the offense efficiently, especially on boots and rhythm throws, but when things broke down or windows shrank, those physical limitations showed up quickly.
For Dillon Gabriel, the traits were workable and NFL viable, but they required structure, timing, and support to consistently win, which is why the grade sat in the solid, but not special range.
Below is a clip that shows a miss to a wide-open David Njoku because the pocket began to collapse.
Impact and leadership
Coach Riz Score: 4 out of 10
Gabriel’s lack of impact on the players around him was a real issue and directly limited the offense’s ability to find rhythm and build momentum. While he showed composure, professionalism, and a solid grasp of the system, he did not consistently elevate the unit, or create energy when things stalled. The operation often felt steady but flat, with drives struggling to snowball into sustained production. He handled the huddle and managed the offense, but without a strong presence or ripple effect on others.
With Gabriel on the field, the offense lacked urgency and edge. The poise was there, but the impact was not, which ultimately pulled this grade down.
Below is a miss from Gabriel to Njoku that would have had a positive impact on the loss to the Vikings.
Pre-snap-to-post-snap processing
Coach Riz Score: 6 out of 10
Gabriel showed outstanding pre-snap-to-post-snap processing, consistently identifying coverage, understanding defensive movement, and getting the offense into the right answers. He saw the field well and rarely looked confused by what defenses presented.
However, that strength was occasionally offset by a tendency to default to the checkdown even when deeper options were available. The checkdown is an outstanding decision when the deeper routes are covered, but at times he left explosive plays on the field by not pulling the trigger. The processing was strong, but the aggressiveness within that processing needed to continue to grow, which kept this grade from climbing higher.
In the video below, the Browns use a Dash concept to move Gabriel out of the pocket and change the launch point. He does a nice job quickly locating the first level throw, but he has to progress beyond that and hunt chunk plays. Unfortunately, Gabriel misses a big opportunity from Jeudy, who comes open in the third level.
Anticipation and accuracy
Coach Riz Score: 5 out of 10
Gabriel showed flashes of good anticipation and accuracy, especially on rhythm throws and defined reads that allowed the offense to stay on schedule. When his feet were set and the concept was clean, he delivered catchable footballs and generally protected his receivers with placement.
However, his inability or unwillingness to consistently stretch the field hurt his overall effectiveness in this area. At times, deeper throws were available, but the ball either came out late, arrived off target, or did not come out at all, limiting explosive plays and shrinking defensive stress. The anticipation was there in spots, but the lack of downfield aggression and consistent ball placement ultimately pulled this grade down.
Pocket management and situational awareness
Coach Riz Score: 5 out of 10
Gabriel showed solid pocket awareness and generally understood where the football should be thrown within the structure of the play. He felt pressure well enough to avoid unnecessary sacks and made sound decisions in obvious situations, rarely putting the football in harm’s way.
However, his ability to extend plays was more functional than dynamic, and he did not consistently turn broken plays into positive ones. At times, he was quick to settle for the safe option rather than creating an extra beat for something bigger to develop. The situational awareness was steady, but the lack of play extension and feel for when to push the moment limited the overall impact in this category.
Total Evaluation: 26 out of 50
Gabriel’s final grade of 26 out of 50 reflects a quarterback who can function in the NFL, but one who is not yet capable of driving a franchise. He has real strengths that show up on tape. He processes well, understands structure, protects the football, and can operate an offense when the picture is clean and defined. Those traits are why he was able to play early and why his college success was not accidental.
That being said, Gabriel does not consistently elevate the players around him or change the feel of a game when things break down. Physically, his tools are solid but not special, which means his timing and decision-making have to be nearly perfect. When protection fails or windows tighten, the offense too often settles instead of surging.
He sees the field well but can be overly conservative, leaving explosive plays on the field by defaulting to the safe option. In the pocket, he is aware and composed, yet more functional than creative, rarely extending plays into something bigger. The result is an offense that feels steady, but flat.
Gabriel is not a finished product, and there is still room for growth if his confidence and aggressiveness continue to develop. As of now, he profiles as a quarterback you can win with in the right environment, not one you build a franchise around or ask to carry the offense when it matters most.
Next: Same evaluation process on Shedeur Sanders.

Borregales hasn’t quite reached legendary status, but after the last few weeks, any kicker who can consistently deliver like Borregales did Sunday deserves to be celebrated.
“I mean, to go clean sheet, it’s pretty good for your first time out,” Baringer said of Borregales’s perfect postseason debut, which included going 3-for-3 on field goals and an extra point in a 16-3 wild-card win over the Chargers. “It wasn’t easy. It was blowing a little bit, especially in the second half, when we kind of needed that field goal, and then that extra point at the end.”
It’s been a tough few weeks to be an NFL kicker. Baltimore’s Tyler Loop missed a field goal in the regular-season finale that denied the Ravens a shot at the playoffs. Green Bay’s Brandon McManus’s struggles played a role in Green Bay’s shocking wild-card loss to Chicago. And Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott and San Francisco’s Eddie Piñeiro each missed an extra point Sunday afternoon.
Borregales had no such issues. On a chilly and windy night, the guy critics had derided as a warm-weather kicker after some early-season inconsistency was straight and true. He delivered a pair of second-quarter field goals — one from 23 yards and the other from 35 — to push New England out to a 6-3 lead. He added a third-quarter field goal from 39 yards to make it 9-3, and an extra point in the fourth quarter put the capper on a perfect evening.
In an occasionally sloppy affair that featured lots of counterpunching between two relatively even teams, it was New England’s special teams that showed it was capable of being a difference-maker in this postseason. Borregales was perfect. The punt and kick coverage was sharp. Baringer dropped two of his three punts inside the 20-yard line, and Marcus Jones’s shrewd decision-making when it came to working as a punt returner also played a sizable role when it came to field position.
“I thought it was solid,” coach Mike Vrabel said of the special teams work against the Chargers. “We didn’t have a lot of opportunities. I thought Marcus handled the punts extremely well. I thought the decision to let the ball bounce and get a touchback, those are big decisions that we trust Marcus in to come up and catch the punts.
“I thought it was a very clean game from our special teams perspective. They set the table for everything that we do offensively and defensively.”
As for Borregales, he said he was unaware of the struggles of some of the other kickers over the last few weeks, and that there were no nerves in his postseason debut.
“Not really. It’s more excitement really at this point,” he said. “Really just excited to get out there and just do my job really. I do it for everyone in this locker room and all the coaches and everything. Just going out there excited, kind of just in my head, knowing that the kick is going to go through the uprights.
“I mean, at the end of the day, I’m just focused on me. Allowing the Lord to do his work through me,” Borregales added. “He gave me these skills for a reason, and I’m using them in the way he wants me to, and that’s just going out there and letting him take control and praising Him after.”
Borregales was asked about dealing with the cold and wind.
“That’s not a controllable,” he said. “I really just go out there and do what I can do and just make my kicks and do my job.
“It doesn’t matter about the weather,” he said. “Cold weather, windy. It’s just like any other game. Just got to go out there and just prepare for it.”
The legacy of New England’s special teams heroics, especially when it comes to the postseason, is familiar ground. It’s one Borregales — who was three weeks old when Adam Vinatieri delivered the legendary game-winner to beat the Raiders in 2002 — is eager to be a part of. He said the best way he can make that happen is to forget about what happened Sunday night and focus on the divisional round, set for next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
“You’ve just got to just turn the page. Good or bad, you got to turn the page,” Borregales said. “And that’s what we’re going to do this week.”

The road to Super Bowl LX in San Francisco has begun, and the final game of the NFL’s Wild Card weekend features No. 5 Houston Texans taking on the AFC North champion No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, Jan. 12.
Last week, the Steelers punched their ticket to the postseason with a thrilling 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. After Steelers kicker Chris Boswell’s late point-after attempt sailed wide, the Ravens drove down the field and set up for a game-winning field goal, which was missed on the final play by rookie kicker Tyler Loop.
The Steelers are searching to end a streak of six straight playoff losses, stretching back to the 2016 season when they fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
The Texans come in as one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winners of their past nine games dating to Nov. 9. The Texans’ defense is one of the best units in the league and has caused fits for opponents during its current run.
Here is how you can catch all of the action.
What time is the Steelers vs Texans game today
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Venue: Acrisure Stadium
Date: Monday, Jan. 12, 2026
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Game: Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers
What channel is Steelers vs Texans on today?
Monday night’s game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN/ABC, with the game also being streamed on the ESPN app and on NFL+.
Steelers vs Texans odds
The Texans are favored to beat the Steelers in their AFC Wild Card matchup, according to BetMGM’s NFL odds on Friday, Jan. 9.
Spread: (-3) HOU
Moneyline: (-170 HOU)
Over/under: 38
Odds subject to change

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is reportedly getting offers from other schools in the range of $6.5 million to go back on his NFL Draft entry and play another year of college football.
Simpson announced his decision to enter the draft last week, a surprising development considering 2025 was the only season he was the starter.
More news: Lane Kiffin, LSU Turns to Five-Star USC Transfer QB Amid Sam Leavitt Push
The signal caller passed up the chance to lead Alabama for another season — though there were rumors that the Crimson Tide wanted to move onto young arm in either Austin Mack or Keelon Russell — or enter the transfer portal and fetch a multi-million dollar offer.
However, according to new reporting from Nick Kelly of AL.com, Simpson has indeed getting offers from Power Four schools.
Kelly reports that one school has offered $6.5 million, while three other SEC schools have offered at least $4 million for the quarterback.
More news: LSU, Lane Kiffin Land First Transfer QB as Sam Leavitt Decision Looms
Additional reporting from Colin Gay of Tuscaloosa News claims the Miami Hurricanes are the school that offered $6.5 million to Ty Simpson. The U started at $4 million but quickly raised its offer, bringing it closer to what most rookies make over the course of their contracts.
Among the other suitors are Ole Miss and Tennessee, who both put out $4 million offers.
More news: Miami Emerges for Transfer QB Sam Leavitt After CFP Win Against Ole Miss
What will Ty Simpson do?
The Alabama product spent four years at the school, redshirting and waiting three years before becoming the starter. The school holds a special place in his heart, as his draft announcement highlighted.
“I’m proud to be a part of this legacy, to have chosen to be where my feet are, to have learned you can’t be anybody but yourself and to strive to be the best version of yourself every single day,” Simpson said in his announcement.
“There was temptation along the way, temptation to find an easier path. But when you choose Alabama football, there’s a responsibility and a pride that comes with it. It’s something you feel deep down. It’s not a choice to stay at Alabama. You just are Alabama, or you’re not.”
It is hard to imagine any player passing up on this money, especially in the transfer portal era, though Simpson could be the exception, as he can enter the NFL as an Alabama alumnus, having stayed loyal to his school and not suited up for another program.

Jerry Jones, the NFL’s premier mover and shaker, sprinkled table salt onto the rim of his beer can in his makeshift office at Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard. It was a memorable moment before he dispensed an important piece of advice.
“Keep your eyes on Stan Kroenke,” the colorful Cowboys owner said in his familiar Arkansas twang, easing back in his desk chair.
The exchange comes to mind as the Rams celebrate their 10th anniversary Monday of their return to Los Angeles, their audacious relocation closing the book on the weirdest chapter in this city’s sports history.
Kroenke is the owner who solved the Rubik’s Cube that once seemed impossible. He did more than return a beloved franchise that had been in Southern California for 49 seasons. He privately financed a $5-billion stadium in Inglewood, and committed to spending many multiples of that to develop the surrounding campus and a massive Rams village under construction in Woodland Hills.
Before all that came the advice from Jones to keep Kroenke in my line of vision.
I had been the NFL writer for The Times for more than a decade. I had returned to my hometown after five years in Seattle, and five more as a beat writer covering the Oakland Raiders.
With the Raiders, I could tell you all about the roster, down to the third-string right guard. But that depth of knowledge about a given team wasn’t important in Los Angeles. Here, I needed to establish a relationship with every NFL team owner and executive who might someday have something to do with a team moving back to the market. I had to know the politicians, the land-use attorneys, the relocation-minded heavy hitters.
It was a running joke at the commissioner’s Super Bowl news conference — first Paul Tagliabue, then Roger Goodell — that I would stand and ask a question about when the NFL would return to Los Angeles. I had to phrase it differently each year.
“Can you look ahead and tell me what a naming rights deal, which would be the largest in history, would mean to bringing football back to Los Angeles, and is this a game changer?”
“What could happen over the next year that would entice the league to pursue a stadium opportunity in Los Angeles?”
“Are you disappointed Los Angeles has not panned out?”
And in 2015, the year before the Rams moved: “This marks the 20th year without a franchise in the nation’s second-largest market and, coincidentally, the 20th consecutive year I’ve asked this question …”
“I do recognize it already, Sam,” Goodell said to laughter. “Do you want me to finish it for you?”
After the Rams came back in 2016, and the Chargers followed a year later, I playfully asked Goodell, “When will Los Angeles stop getting NFL teams?”
But what Jones said about Kroenke, owner of the St. Louis Rams, stuck with me. He said Stan was the one person with the resources and resolve to get a deal done here. Most important, Kroenke had a team to move.
That was the thing about the two-decade NFL stadium derby. Everybody had their ideal location. Everybody had their financing plan. Everybody had their beautiful venue renderings — man, I could wallpaper City Hall with those — but nobody had the complete solution.
Not even close. Supposedly “laid back” Los Angeles was rife with sharp elbows, daggers plunged in backs and a relentless quest for glory. Oh, to be the hero who reunited Los Angeles and the NFL.
Billionaires tried. Politicians tried. Studio heads and celebrities tried. Tom Cruise (talk about Mission Impossible), Magic Johnson, Garth Brooks … everyone had a plan to build a stadium or attract a franchise. It was the gold rush in reverse. People were already here, and they were determined to lure the bounty to them.
Los Angeles was very valuable to the NFL without a team. We were the boogeyman. The mere threat of a team moving here got its current city to devote public money to a new stadium. That happened over and over around the league.
But there was no public money to be had in Los Angeles, and the cost of a new stadium was no longer measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, but billions. The universe of people willing and able to bankroll that — and who had control of an NFL team — was tiny.
That’s what Jones was telling me during our annual August get-together, when I would pick his brain on an array of topics about the upcoming season. Kroenke had the cash and cajones to bring the Rams back, and this wasn’t fantasy football the way all the other stadium schemes were.
Relocations are terrible. The owners who pack up their teams and leave are forever villains in their old markets. Whether it’s Georgia Frontiere in Los Angeles, Dean Spanos in San Diego, or Stan Kroenke in St. Louis, that’s how they’re seen.
But for fans here, Kroenke is a hero of sorts. It wasn’t a relocation but a restoration.
Imagine the Los Angeles sports landscape in a shoebox, with most of it focused in the downtown area with the Lakers and the Dodgers. Kroenke tilted that box and tapped its side, relocating the center of gravity to Inglewood, where the NFL would move its robust media operation and where Steve Ballmer would build Intuit Dome.
There was a deeply emotional component to the Rams returning. It cut across all demographics, but there was a common story I heard from many men between the ages of 40 and 60: “My dad and I butted heads over almost everything when I was a kid, but what we had in common was a love for the Rams.”
Although it might seem like an obvious winner, putting the nation’s No. 1 league back in the No. 2 market, it was far more complicated than that. Los Angeles is loaded with people who grew up elsewhere.
“This is the Ellis Island of NFL fans,” Howie Long told me once. “Every team is represented here.”
Also, fantasy football exploded when this city didn’t have a team, so a lot of people were more focused on individual players than teams. We didn’t even watch whole games anymore, thanks to RedZone Channel.
So building a fan base is a challenge and remains one, as both the Rams and the Chargers can attest. This town still belongs to the Lakers and the Dodgers, although the Rams — with the winning, investments and community efforts — are starting to transform it into a triumvirate.
What Kroenke has done over the past decade has far exceeded expectations. He rolled into Los Angeles with a reputation as a middling owner who would put a lukewarm product on the field. Instead, the Rams made bold moves from the start, whether making the NFL’s biggest trade up to the No. 1 spot to draft quarterback Jared Goff, or the league’s first swap of No. 1 overall quarterbacks to replace Goff with Matthew Stafford.
There was the eye-popping decision to hire Sean McVay, a coach barely old enough to shave. And a long line of big-money, high-profile free agents, coupled with the gold-nugget draft finds of general manager Les Snead.
What that led to was the Rams playing in two of the last seven Super Bowls, and winning one on their home field. During an 18-month stretch, the Rams won a Lombardi Trophy and two other Kroenke franchises — the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche — also won championships.
That’s a lot of salt on the beer can. Prescient as Jerry Jones was on that day at training camp, even he couldn’t have predicted this.

Former college football player Josh Cardiello, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for rookie camp after his college career ended, has died. He was 30 years old.
Cardiello died last Monday after going into sudden cardiac arrest, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta. He was playing basketball when he collapsed, according to the report.
Josh Cardiello is the second member of his family to die from sudden cardiac arrest as his younger brother, Jacob, died from the same cause in 2021.
“Following the loss of his younger brother, Jacob, to sudden cardiac arrest in 2021, Josh dedicated his professional life to honoring Jacob’s memory through meaningful, patient-focused work,” his father Jay wrote in a social media post, according to WSB-TV. “He was a true patient advocate, especially committed to serving patients living with cardiovascular disease. Josh understood firsthand the burden these diseases place on patients and families.”
A former college football player at Georgia and then UT-Chattanooga, Josh leaves behind a wife and young daughter, according to WSB-TV.
Cardiello played high school football at Buford High in Buford, Ga., winning three straight state championships, before signing to play for the Georgia Bulldogs. He redshirted in 2013 and saw action against Troy in 2014, before transferring from Georgia to Chattanooga ahead of the 2015 season.
He would go on to be a three-year starter for the Mocs, earning All-SoCon honors his final two seasons of college football. Cardiello then joined the Buccaneers for rookie camp before retiring from the sport.

Saturday and Sunday of the Wild Card Round produced some unbelievable games and comeback victories, but several teams got banged up in the process. Let’s take a look at the biggest injuries from winning teams in the opening round of the NFL playoffs—and how these teams will be affected moving forward.
TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles as underdogs, but they lost a key piece of their offense in the process. Star tight end George Kittle was carted off the field in the second quarter and was ruled out shortly after. Postgame, San Francisco confirmed that Kittle suffered a torn Achilles. This is a big blow to the 49ers, who are set to face the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the playoffs. Tight end Jake Tonges will have to step up, and the good news for San Francisco is that he played a big role in games Kittle missed this year.
QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen took an absolute beating for the Bills at quarterback on Sunday. During the game, he went into the medical tent two separate times. In the second quarter, he limped off the field with a leg injury. Later in the contest, he hit his right hand on a helmet and kept shaking it until the end of the game. However, Allen pushed through the injuries and delivered a monster performance. He completed 28 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, and added 33 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Allen will look to recover this week as the Bills prepare to face the Denver Broncos in the second round of the playoffs.
WR Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills continue to get banged up at the wide receiver position. After Joshua Palmer was ruled out of the playoffs with an ankle injury, they lost another wideout in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gabe Davis had to be carted off the field in the fourth quarter and looked very upset as he left the game. His injury hasn’t been confirmed, but it appears he suffered a serious knee injury. Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers, and Keon Coleman will need to step up for the Bills as they look for a receiving threat behind Khalil Shakir.
Read More Fantasy News

The NFL won’t have a repeat Super Bowl champion.
Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles were eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild-card game on Sunday.
Now, the heat will be turned up on coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Sirianni’s job shouldn’t be in jeopardy. He’s been a winner since he arrived in Philly in 2021. Five playoff appearances, three division titles, two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi trophy in five seasons.
But there will be accountability for a stagnant offense that plagued Philadelphia throughout the season and showed up again in a one-and-done performance.
Patullo is the likely scapegoat though there’s plenty of blame to spread around.
“There will be time to evaluate everybody’s performance,” Sirianni said. “Right now, I feel for all our guys in the locker room, all the players, all the coaches, the front office, everybody that works so hard, the fans that come out and support us, Mr. (chairman/CEO Jeffrey) Lurie. I feel for all of us, all of them, and there’ll be time to evaluate everything coming up.”
The Eagles managed just 19 points and 307 yards facing a defense missing its two best players: five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa and four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, among others.
Hurts couldn’t get on track despite an effective run game. Barkley had 106 yards rushing on 26 carries but his success didn’t open things up for the passing attack. Hurts was 20 of 35 for 168 yards with one touchdown. A.J. Brown caught only three of seven targets for 25 yards.
The final sequence summed up the team’s struggles.
Down 23-19, Hurts completed five of his first six passes to move from Philadelphia’s 35 to San Francisco’s 20. After he took a sack, the Eagles faced a second-and-11 with just under one minute to go.
Hurts scrambled out of the pocket and threw incomplete. Fox analyst Tom Brady, who has been one of Hurts’ biggest supporters, questioned his decision. Brady said the “pocket was perfect” but Hurts got “antsy” and escaped, taking away half the field. The seven-time Super Bowl champion added that has been a tendency for Hurts.
On third down, Hurts again threw incomplete. On fourth down, the play call was questionable. Four receivers ran vertical routes against a four-corner defense that’s designed to take that away. Hurts threw incomplete into double coverage, ending Philadelphia’s bid to follow up Kansas City’s repeat with another one.
Patullo followed Sirianni from Indianapolis to Philadelphia and was promoted from pass game coordinator and associate head coach after Kellen Moore left for New Orleans. The Eagles (11-7) dropped from eighth in total yards to 24th and from seventh in scoring to 19th.
Shane Steichen was Sirianni’s offensive coordinator the first two seasons. After he left for Indianapolis, Brian Johnson took over and was fired after one season. Moore came in after spending serving as the OC for the Chargers and Cowboys. Expect Sirianni to look outside the organization if Philadelphia makes a change.
“Anytime you lose, anytime you don’t perform the way you want to as coaches and players, yeah, you’re frustrated,” Sirianni said. What I said to the guys is: ‘Adversity shapes you to who you are if you allow it to.’ There’s a lot to be thankful for, but you’ve got to use this adversity to shape you and that’s for everybody in that locker room: myself, the coaches, the players. Let the pain shape you to what you want to be, and we will use this like we used it at the end of ’22, ‘23 because all that was necessary for ’24. We’ll see what the future holds.”
Resilient 49ers
The 49ers (13-5) lost star tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon and still found a way to pull off the upset in hostile Philly, where they lost the NFC championship game three years ago after Purdy was injured in the first quarter.
Despite losing key players all season, the 49ers keep winning in what has been Kyle Shanahan’s best coaching job yet.
Now, the Niners are heading to Seattle (14-3) to face the top-seeded Seahawks on short rest because the NFL decided to make them play on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Bears will host the Rams on Sunday even though both teams played on Saturday.
The 49ers and Seahawks split the season series with each winning on the road. Seattle won 13-3 in San Francisco in Week 18 with the No. 1 seed on the line for the winner.
“They played us real well,” Shanahan said. “Definitely beat us, but I know we can play better than that. I’m glad we have another shot.”
MVP shows out
Josh Allen displayed why he’s the reigning NFL MVP, leading the Buffalo Bills to a 27-24 comeback victory in Jacksonville.
Despite getting battered by the Jaguars, Allen kept getting up and got his team to the divisional round for the sixth straight season under coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills (13-5) also have to play on short rest next Saturday at Denver.
Patriots dominate
So much for the experts who said New England had a soft schedule and would flop in the playoffs.
The Patriots (15-3) dominated Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 victory on Sunday night. They will host the winner of Monday night’s game between the Texans-Steelers.
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On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.
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Matthew Stafford has spent a career accumulating staggering numbers with more than 64,000 yards passing, more than 400 TD passes and a Super Bowl title.
One accolade he hadn’t achieved until this season was being named a first-team AP NFL All-Pro. Stafford was picked for the team on Saturday, ending the longest wait ever for a quarterback to get that honor for the first time.
Stafford just completed his 17th season in the NFL since being drafted first overall by Detroit in 2009, eclipsing Fran Tarkenton’s 15-year wait for his first All-Pro honor in 1975.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other players had waited 15 years or more for their first All-Pro selection with Stafford tying kicker Gary Anderson for the longest wait. Anderson was also named All-Pro in his 17th season in 1998 when he made all 35 field goal tries and 59 extra points in the regular season before missing a potential game-sealing kick that helped cost Minnesota in the NFC title game.
The All-Pro selection could also boost Stafford’s Hall of Fame case. No modern quarterback has ever made the Hall without getting one of these honors: first-team All-Pro; AP NFL MVP; AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year or Super Bowl MVP.
Stafford now has one and could add another when the MVP is announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 5. From 2013-23, the first-team All-Pro quarterback also won the MVP but that streak was snapped last year when Josh Allen won the MVP after Lamar Jackson was picked as the All-Pro.
Stafford got 31 of the 50 first-place votes from the same panel that picks MVP with New England’s Drake Maye getting 18 and Allen one. Stafford was named on 49 ballots with 18 second-place votes, while Maye was on 47 ballots with 29 second-place votes.
The 37-year-old Stafford was the old man on an All-Pro team that had a strong youthful bent with 22-year-old slot cornerback Cooper DeJean the youngest on the squad. Twelve other of the 31 players to get first-team honors are 25 or younger, with 12 more others between ages 26 and 29.
The only other thirtysomething besides Stafford were edge rusher Myles Garrett, who turned 30 late last month; 32-year-old safety Kevin Byard; 33-year-old offensive linemen Garett Bolles and Joe Thuney; and 34-year-old fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Broncos lead the way
The AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos also had the most All-Pros.
Denver had a franchise record-tying four first-team selections — double the total of the next highest team — with offensive linemen Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz; defensive tackle Zach Allen and special teams standout Devon Key getting picked.
The only other seasons when the Broncos had four first-team selections were 1977 when the team made its first Super Bowl and 1996.
Among the other playoff teams with multiple first-teamers were the Rams with Stafford joined by prolific receiver Puka Nacua; San Francisco’ with its backfield of Christian McCaffrey (all purpose) and fullback Juszczyk; Houston led by defenders Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr.; and Chicago with left guard Joe Thuney and safety Kevin Byard.
The Eagles got second-year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and second-year slot cornerback DeJean on the first team. It marked the seventh team that a team had its top two picks from a draft class earn first-team All-Pro honors within their first two NFL seasons, with Indianapolis the last to do it when Quenton Nelson and Shaquille Leonard made it as rookies in 2018.
Three of the nine teams with multiple first-team All-Pros came from teams that missed the playoffs, including three-win Tennessee getting defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and rookie punt returner Chimere Dike getting picked. Detroit had right tackle Penei Sewell and linebacker Jack Campbell; while Baltimore had safety Kyle Hamilton and punter Jordan Stout.
Five teams had no first or second-team selections with the Carolina Panthers the only playoff team without one after winning the NFC South with an 8-9 record. The other four also had losing records with Las Vegas, the New York Jets, Tampa Bay and Washington getting shut out.
Patriots shut out on first team
The New England Patriots finished tied for the best record in the NFL with Denver and Seattle but had no first-team All-Pros to show for it.
The Patriots became the first team since the AP began awarding All-Pro honors in 1940 to win at least 14 games in a season and have no first-team picks.
New England did have two second-team selections with Maye getting the spot at quarterback and Marcus Jones at punt returner.
The Patriots came close to an All-Pro shutout in 2016 after winning 14 games but Matthew Slater made it as the special teams player. That New England team went on to win the Super Bowl.
Rare rookie makes All-Pro
Dike was the only rookie to earn first-team All-Pro honors this season after averaging 17.3 yards per punt return with two touchdowns.
He became the fourth rookie since 2000 to earn All-Pro honors with the three others among the best in the league at their positions.
Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers pulled it off last season, with Sauce Gardner doing it in 2022 and Micah Parsons in 2021.
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Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.
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Three decisions. One deadline. And an entire season riding on the outcome. Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer awaits the critical decision of three players to choose between NFL teams or spend one more year in Alabama. In fact, these choices will shape DeBoer’s optimistic hopes for a better 2026 season.
The future of linebackers Yhonzae Pierre, defensive back Keon Sabb, and safety Bray Hubbard remains uncertain, as none of the three has confirmed whether they will return or declare for the NFL draft.
Pierre has two years of eligibility remaining, whereas Hubbard and Sabb each have one year remaining. Therefore, securing them for one more season would be a significant boost for a thin linebacker corps, with the NFL Draft deadline for underclassmen set for January 14.
After losing Noah Carter and Qua Russaw, their linebacker room looks thin. Even Jah-Marien Latham suffered a season-ending injury, as did other veteran linebackers, whose eligibility was exhausted.
So, Pierre’s return would be a significant addition. He is a formidable pass rusher, and his 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks were the most by a Crimson Tide defender since Dallas Turner in 2023. Pierre was highly effective over his 616 snaps, earning strong marks from PFF.
His return will bring stability to Alabama’s pass rush, and with an entire offseason remaining, no one knows what Pierre can bring to the team.
Even Alabama’s safety position looks thin with Kameron Howard’s portal move. Now, returning a player like Keon Sabb will be a significant boost for the team, as Sabb’s resume highlights his excellence.
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He recorded a career-high 54 tackles in the 2025 season and 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Sabb also continued his streak of three seasons with at least one interception and added three pass deflections.
The same is the case with Hubbard, who dominated Alabama’s defensive backfield, moving seamlessly from free safety to box as a makeshift linebacker.
Hubbard’s versatility was a game-changer for Alabama’s defense. He was a true ball-hawk, leading the SEC with four interceptions, while also proving his mettle in the box with 79 tackles and three forced fumbles, making him a cornerstone of DeBoer’s defensive scheme.
Significantly, Sabb and Hubbard are the only two defensive players to record over 800 snaps in 2026. If they both return this season, with talented players like Ivan Taylor and five-star freshman Jireh Edwards waiting in the wings, Alabama’s defense will have a strong foundation.
Securing these defensive cornerstones is DeBoer’s top priority as the deadline looms. While the defense faces uncertainty, the picture at quarterback is becoming clearer for Alabama.
Alabama nears major QB decision
Alabama has settled on its quarterback outlook for the 2026 season, as head coach Kalen DeBoer confirms there will be no significant transfer portal additions at the position. After Ty Simpson’s NFL move, the Crimson Tide will narrow the competition to Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, both of whom have returned to the team via the transfer portal.
Austin Mack emerges as the top choice as he is entering his third season with Kalen DeBoer, following him from the Washington Huskies to Alabama.
Though he saw limited action in the 2025 season, he surely has potential. He completed 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He heads to spring practice as the projected starter, benefitting from continuity and familiarity with OC Ryan Grubb’s system.
However, the race is challenging, as Keelon Russell is also in the mix. He is rated as a perfect prospect by 247Sports and flashes elite potential in his short appearances. On top of it, Ryan Grubb already showed confidence in him last spring.
“He’s a very composed player,” Grubb said. “Very young player. Even when it’s not perfect, and things aren’t going Kee’s way, I think he’s able to just slow the game down.”
While Mack has the edge in experience, Russell’s high ceiling ensures this will be one of the most-watched position battles for the Crimson Tide heading into the fall.

Ty Simpson has played his last down in Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama quarterback announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Grateful for every single second. Blessed beyond measure to be able to chase my dreams,” he wrote in a caption alongside of a video of his highlights from youth football all the way to this season with the Crimson Tide.
“Time to roll. Roll Tide.”
Simpson came to Alabama in 2022 and finally became the starter as a junior this season. He impressed most of the way with 3,567 passing yards with 28 touchdowns to five interceptions.
He led the SEC in both completions (305) and pass attempts (473).
Simpson delivered a strong College Football Playoff first-round game on the round against Oklahoma with 232 yards and two touchdowns, but the same couldn’t be said for the quarterfinal against Indiana when he was benched in the second half after getting suffering an injury — which he said was a cracked rib — on a big hit.
He finished 12-for-16 passing and 67 yards.
“Felt like I had a good thing going on that drive when I got hit,” Simpson said after the Rose Bowl. “It kind of changed the momentum for sure. … The competitor in me wanted to make sure I got the first down. Got more than the first down, and then should have been smart and just got down.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Simpson as the third quarterback likely to be taken in this year’s draft behind Heisman Trophy-winning Indiana signal-caller Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Though there are questions about whether Simpson will be a first- or second-round pick, his father, Jason Simpson, told ESPN on Wednesday that all the teams he had been in contact with said they have his son as a Day 1 selection.
Who those teams are is unclear.
“Nobody said second round,” his dad said.

Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson just finished his 14th NFL season, appearing in six games through his first campaign with the New York Giants.
Wilson spent the majority of the year as the Giants’ third-string option behind Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston, but began the year as the team’s starter for its first three games. New York went 0-3 in those games as he completed 58.0% of his pass attempts for 831 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Now, the 37-year-old signal caller is in search of his next NFL landing spot when he becomes a free agent in March.
For the first time in his NFL career, Wilson will be represented by a new agent.
Wilson had been represented by Mark Rodgers since he entered the league as the Seattle Seahawks’ No. 75 overall pick in the 2012 draft. But in preparation for his upcoming free agency, the 10-time NFL Pro Bowler has switched representation to David Mulugheta of Athletes First.
More Football: Jeremiah Smith Reacts to Caleb Downs’ Decision on Ohio State Future
Wilson fully intends on playing again in 2026. He feels his Week 2 performance against the Dallas Cowboys proves he still has what it takes to perform at a high level.
In that 40-37 overtime loss on Sep. 14, Wilson completed 30 of his 41 pass attempts for 450 yards, three touchdowns and one interceptions.

NFL Black Monday has come and gone, leaving seven teams looking for their next head coach.
When the Arizona Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon on Monday, they joined two other teams who canned their head coach on Black Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll, and Cleveland Browns fired Kevin Stefanski on Monday, while the Atlanta Falcons let go of Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot the night before.
John Harbaugh was fired from the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday after an 18-year run, and the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants made coaching changes during the season.
Add it all up and there are currently seven NFL teams looking for new head coaches. Could that change following the Wild Card Round in the playoffs? Maybe. Which teams lose and how they lose could impact any potential future head coach openings.
With six other teams looking for their next head coach, where do the Cardinals fit in? According to one prominent sports media figure, they are not in a good spot.
Colin Cowherd Says Arizona Cardinals are One of the Worst Jobs Available
Arizona’s head coaching availability is not getting any extra hype from the national media. And if we are being honest, it shouldn’t.
On Wednesday’s episode of ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’, Cowherd put all seven of the NFL head coaching openings in three different categories.
The Cardinals did not rank highly. Arizona was tied for last with Tennessee and Cleveland in the ‘Punt’ category.
You can be mad at Cowherd for where he ranked the Cardinals, but if you’re a Cardinals fan, you probably feel the same way.
Arizona has not had a winning season in four years. Once the Bruce Arians era ended, it has been dark times in the desert. Any reasonable observer can see why the Cardinals are in the same company as the Titans and Browns. It is kind of odd that he did not include the Raiders in that category.
Cowherd began describing the ‘Punt’ category by saying, “I wouldn’t take those jobs.”
Now, it’s easy for a multimillionaire in Cowherd to say he would not take an NFL head coaching job, but his point makes sense. Arizona, Tennessee, and Cleveland are not ideal places for success as an NFL head coach.
Cowherd ranked Baltimore as the top opening in the ‘(Almost) Perfect’ category, and Atlanta, Las Vegas, and New York in the ‘Promising’ category.
Why Does Cowherd Have the Cardinals so Low?
It is easy for any sports talking head to throw out generalities about why the Cardinals are a bad job. Arizona’s recent record and overall vibes make it obvious.
But specifically makes the Cardinals head coaching job so undesirable?
Here’s what Cowherd said:
“Arizona has some cap space, but you’ve got to play (Sean) McVay twice a year, Mike Macdonald twice a year, (Kyle) Shanahan twice a year,” Cowherd said Wednesday. “Yeah, good luck with that, and you don’t have a quarterback.”
It is hard to argue any of that!
The three other head coaches of Arizona’s NFC West foes add to the difficulty of this job. You could make the same argument for the Raiders as well. It is just way harder to turn around an NFL team when the divisional competition leaves so little room for error.
The three other teams in the NFC West finished with the three best records in the NFC. That level of dominance won’t continue like that each year, but they won’t fall off a cliff either.
Oh, and the Cardinals do not appear to have a legitimate starting quarterback entering the 2026 season. And the upcoming NFL Draft does not have many clear QB options.
Other than that, everything is fine.

With seven NFL teams in search of a new head coach and numerous prominent coaches available, the coaching carousel is assured to be an interesting aspect of the offseason. No matter what happens, the landscape of the league is assured to look a lot different next season.
Being the head coach of any NFL team comes with a sense of notoriety for how rare a position it is — there are only 32 such jobs. However, every job is not created equal, and some come with more pros than cons, while others are heavier on the risk side.
Below is a breakdown of the pros and cons of each open job, taking into account everything from roster, front office, history, fan base and even geographic location.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Even though some Ravens fans are excited to turn the page from John Harbaugh, there’s no denying his track record of success over the past 18 years. Harbaugh set the standard, and if not for a missed field goal, the 2025 team would’ve made the playoffs.
Pros: The offense is led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Conversely, the defense isn’t as imposing as it was years ago, but it still has talent.
The front office wants to win, will do everything possible to try to win every year and has a history of drafting well.
Cons: The expectations will create instant pressure — it could be Super Bowl-or-bust for the next coach. Jackson may take convincing to lock in on another extension based on how difficult the negotiations were last time around.
Add all that together, and considering the AFC North is often wide open, and leading Baltimore is easily the top job, at least as long as whoever is hired has a personality that fits the blue-collar city.
2. New York Giants
Some may argue that the Falcons are the second-best job, and some may have been even surprised that the job is open at all, but the head coach of the New York Giants comes with a certain cachet.
Pros: Regardless of their record, the Giants will always be one of the NFL’s marquee organizations. And unlike in recent years, Jaxson Dart provides a potential franchise quarterback already on the roster. It’s also pretty easy to convince free agents to come to New York (New Jersey).
Cons: The rest of the roster is suspect and New York has only reached the playoffs twice since its last Super Bowl title after the 2011 season.
Every coach isn’t cut out for dealing with the New York media, and even the national media is often located within the same region. New York could be a sleeping giant (pun intended) if it can find the right fit.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Despite ending the season on a high note, the Falcons still decided to move on from Raheem Morris.
Pros: The obvious pros are skilled players like running back Bijan Robinson and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. when healthy. It’s a team with a budding core and youth on its side.
Cons: The offense performed slightly better under veteran Kirk Cousins down the stretch, the franchise seems to be in a constant state of flux and has a fan base that’s forever scarred by blowing the biggest lead in Super Bowl history.
4. Tennessee Titans
Pros: The Titans’ job does have some upside at the most important position. Cam Ward is entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback, making the roster-building strategy of building around him obvious.
Cons: Tennessee has only won a combined six games in two years and hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2021. There’s just not nearly enough around Ward to sniff contending.
The competitiveness within the AFC South lends itself to a team rising the ranks out of nowhere, kind of like what the rival Jacksonville Jaguars did this season.
5. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders franchise is far from what it was under John Madden or even Jon Gruden, for that matter, but it’s still the Raiders.
Pros: There’s just something about the Raiders that means something. They have a rabid fan base, but attendance in Las Vegas has been a problem at times. And if you win with the Raiders, you’re their king forever.
Cons: However, they play in a loaded AFC West, have a roster that lacks talent and needs a complete overhaul, one that should include trading the best player.
Mark Davis needs a young coach, and he needs to be patient with him.
6. Cleveland Browns
2025 will be remembered in Cleveland as another miserable season for the Browns and also the historic nature of Myles Garrett breaking the single-season sack record.
Pros: There are few fan bases as loyal, though, win or lose. Cleveland is a great sports city that truly cares about its teams, and there’s no true world-beater in the North.
Cons: No coach lasts long in Cleveland, free agents usually need to be overpaid to want to play there and there could be a debate about who the Browns should build around. The first question any coach interviewed will be asked is if they are sold on Shedeur Sanders or would prefer to look to the draft once again.
7. Arizona Cardinals
Pros: The weather? In all seriousness, the Cardinals defense has stepped up at times in recent years and does have some nice young players like Dante Stills, granted he regressed from his rookie year to his third season.
Cons: Any excitement that once existed about Kyler Murray has evaporated after another injury-plagued season, lacking any progress from Arizona’s former first-round pick.
A playmaker like Marvin Harrison Jr. may be enticing, but he’s far from enough to turn the team around quickly. The Cardinals’ job is likely going to be a long journey and has the challenges of a tough division and a stadium atmosphere that can feel like a road game for the home team, depending on the matchup.

La NFL promedió 18,7 millones de espectadores por partido durante la temporada regular, el segundo más alto desde que se comenzaron a registrar los promedios de audiencia en 1988.
El promedio por partido en plataformas de televisión y digitales fue un aumento del 10% respecto a los 17,5 millones de la temporada pasada y un 7% más que en 2023, según la liga y Nielsen. También estuvo cerca del récord promedio de 19 millones, establecido en 1989.
Parte del aumento se puede atribuir a un cambio en la forma en que se cuentan los espectadores. Nielsen comenzó a usar su metodología Big Data + Panel para todos los eventos el pasado septiembre con el inicio de la temporada televisiva actual.
A principios de este año, Nielsen comenzó a medir a los espectadores fuera del hogar para todos los estados excepto Hawái y Alaska, además de incluir datos de televisores inteligentes junto con decodificadores de cable y satélite.
Anteriormente, Nielsen solo medía los 44 principales mercados de medios, que cubrían el 65% del país.
Todos los cinco paquetes semanales de la liga experimentaron aumentos de audiencia. “Thursday Night Football” de Prime Video tuvo las mayores ganancias con un 16%. CBS también tuvo un aumento de dos dígitos con un 11%. “Monday Night Football” de ESPN/ABC y “Sunday Night Football” de NBC aumentaron un 9% y Fox tuvo un incremento del 6%.
Se espera que NBC tenga el programa más visto de la temporada televisiva, ya que transmitirá el Super Bowl el 8 de febrero.

The betting lines have already given their verdicts, and the MVP race belongs to the two quarterbacks who have crafted starkly different narratives this season. Matthew Stafford flipped the race on its head one last time in Week 18, reclaiming favorite status. Meanwhile, Drake Maye’s Week 18 outing sank his standings with Vegas. But is the league going to agree?
The votes are in, and the regular season is wrapped. Now, as February’s announcement looms, we break down the case for both of these stars and talk about a few who came close, but couldn’t cut it in the end. Here’s the last EssentiallySports MVP Ladder for the 2025 regular season.
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Drake Maye: The New England Patriots Hero
Drake Maye didn’t light up the stat sheet in Week 18, but only because he didn’t need to. Against the Miami Dolphins, he went 14-of-18 for 191 yards and one touchdown before the New England Patriots decided to rest their star for the playoffs. In their 38-10 demolition for Week 18, the Patriots just needed efficiency. Maye delivered exactly that, posting a pristine 129.4 passer rating without a pick.
His first touchdown, a play of surgical precision meeting aggression, pushed the lead to 23-10 in the third quarter. Beyond that, he just needed to awaken New England’s ground game like never before. It wasn’t the five-touchdown masterpiece he unleashed against the New York Jets in Week 17, but it was textbook quarterback play from a 23-year-old steering one of the league’s biggest turnarounds.
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And here’s what makes Maye’s season really historic. He’s the only player in league history with 4,000+ passing yards, 70%+ completion rate, and 450+ rushing yards. That trifecta of volume, accuracy, and mobility transformed a four-win dumpster fire into the AFC East champions with a 14-3 record. But Maye’s got even more momentum going for himself.
Week 18 also brought a franchise milestone for him. Maye recorded his 13th game with a 100+ passer rating this season. With that, he passed Tom Brady for the most in a single season in Patriots history. What’s more, this is the first time the Pats have won their division since Brady led them in 2019. And even head coach Mike Vrabel knows what Maye has done for the franchise.
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“He’s been everything that we’ve asked and he continues to get better. He’s not satisfied,” Vrabel said of his quarterback. “So, I know that our success of where we are right now, today, has a lot to do with Drake Maye.”
The Patriots have locked up the AFC’s second seed. They’ll now host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, January 11, for their first home playoff game since January 2019. That’s five years of post-Brady struggles erased in one spectacular sophomore campaign. But there’s a hitch.
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Maye entered Week 18 as the clear favorite for the MVP title, but his 191-yard, one-touchdown performance didn’t sweep Vegas off its feet. Sitting at +140 odds, his muted finale cracked the door, and Stafford charged through.
Matthew Stafford: Ending the Season With a Bang
Matthew Stafford reminded everyone why veterans own January. The 17-year pro torched the Arizona Cardinals for 259 yards and four touchdowns in the Los Angeles Rams’ 37-20 victory over Arizona. With that Week 18 dominance, he capped a season that ranks among the most statistically dominant campaigns in league history. Stafford leads the 2025 regular season with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns against just eight picks.
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One play from Week 18 captured the energy Stafford has instilled in his squad. In the third quarter, the Rams were trailing 20-16 with 42 seconds left on the clock. Stafford threw a dart to tight end Colby Parkinson; he caught it, gained yards, hurdled a defender, and dove straight into the end zone. The Rams took a 22-20 lead on that play and never looked back.
Stafford’s 2025 campaign made him only the 8th quarterback in league history to have a 4,500+ yards and 45+ touchdown season. Of the previous seven, six won the MVP. The only one left out of this elite club was Drew Brees, but only because Aaron Rodgers overshadowed him that year. But beyond this, Stafford also torched a record that had remained unbroken for more than a decade.
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Earlier this season, Stafford threw 28 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception until that streak was broken in Week 13 against the Carolina Panthers. But that shattered Tom Brady’s record of 25 straight from 2010. Stafford now has the longest interception-free TD streak since the league started keeping track in 1978. Even head coach Sean McVay is making the MVP case for him.
“I think Matthew’s the MVP of the league. He played that way,” McVay said after beating Arizona. “Got a lot of respect for a bunch of people in this league, but there’s nobody I’d rather have being the quarterback of the L.A. Rams than Matthew Stafford. His play speaks for itself.”
But even in the face of this praise, the humble veteran chose to deflect the credit towards his teammates.
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“[MVP] is an award that is earned by everybody,” Stafford said. “You can’t just go out there and have a great statistical year and not win any games or do any of that kind of stuff, and there’s so many guys that have contributed to a season like that, and I’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment, so that’s what I’m going to be worried about.”
The Rams have clinched the NFC’s fifth seed. They now travel to Charlotte for a rematch with the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round. Despite being the visiting team, the Rams remain the favorites for this matchup. With -180 odds, Stafford is the favorite to get his MVP title at last. But at the rate he’s going, he’s gunning for the Lombardi as well.
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The Others Who Tried
Trevor Lawrence (+25000) solidified himself as the distant third option after leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to eight consecutive wins and the AFC South title. Sam Darnold (+40000) guided the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC’s top seed but lacked the stats to compete with the frontrunners. Caleb Williams (+50000) also showed flashes and finished second in the NFC with his Chicago Bears, but never gained traction in the race.
The biggest drop remains that of Josh Allen (+50000). At one point, the Buffalo Bills quarterback was the favorite to win MVP a second time, but uneven performances and some shocking losses kept dragging him down. All of them have playoff berths and could finish the postseason with a bang. But as far as the MVP race goes, they’re just honorable mentions at this point.
This is now Matthew Stafford’s race to lose once more. Drake Maye’s season also screams MVP, but can youth outrun experience? February can’t arrive fast enough. The tightest MVP race in years will soon have its verdict, and we’ll find out who takes the crown at last.

The NFL playoffs are just around the corner.
The wild-card round begins this week, with a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers kicking things off.
But is there a

It’s finally playoff time in the NFL.
After a long regular season, 12 teams will take the field for wild card weekend. The postseason slate begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday when Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams face Bryce Young’s Carolina Panthers.
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An NFC-heavy Saturday concludes with a 7 p.m. showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
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Sunday will feature teams like the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Below you’ll find picks for every game — straight up and against the spread — from our panel of columnists, insiders and special contributors:
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Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday.
The redshirt junior led the SEC in completions (305) and pass attempts (473) in 15 games this season, recording a completion percentage of 64.5. The Crimson Tide co-captain threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 93 yards and two scores on 90 carries.
After the news broke, Simpson shared a video on his Instagram that included a speech reflecting on his time with the Crimson Tide. Here’s the video and a full transcript of what Simpson said:

MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — Three people have been arrested in connection with the Nov. 16 burglary at the home of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Medina County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release that a fourth person remains at large and that a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Sanders’ home in Granger Township, a Cleveland suburb, was burglarized while he was playing in his first regular-season NFL game during the second half of the Browns’ 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Approximately $200,000 in property was stolen from the home.
The sheriff’s office previously stated that three people entered the home at 6:46 p.m. Eastern. Surveillance cameras in the home captured video of the people entering different parts of the house. They were wearing masks and gloves and were seen leaving the home just before 7 p.m.
The burglary added Sanders to a growing list of NFL players whose homes have been burglarized during games. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan have dealt with break-ins since the start of last season.
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons ‘ home was also burglarized last month while the team had a road game against San Francisco.
Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, played in eight games during his rookie NFL season. The fifth-round pick started the Browns’ final seven games and passed for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.