NFL Picks, Week 18

We made it!  Not just to 2026, but to the end of a crazy NFL regular season!  When the season started, there were very few, if any, people who would've had the Bears, Patriots, Jaguars and Broncos ALL winning their divisions.  Yet, we're looking at all of those teams having home playoff games.  Meanwhile, the Chiefs, Lions and either the Steelers or Ravens will be watching the playoffs at home.

It's also always so funny to me how, without fail, someone's inevitably gonna have a problem with the Week 18 schedule.  There are three standalone games and three winner-take-all matchups.  So, it stood to reason that those three games would be plugged into the standalone windows.  Yes, CBS and FOX ended up with the short straw, but that's what happens in Week 18 sometimes.  And putting Steelers-Ravens on Sunday night isn't East Coast bias.  It's a rivalry game between two popular teams that they usually have on Sunday night every season (and they probably didn't want to have back-to-back Sunday night games in the same place, so it makes complete sense that they picked Pittsburgh-Baltimore for Game 272).

Panthers (8-8) at Buccaneers (7-9): Carolina-A Carolina win just makes life easier for everybody.  Of course, the Bucs beating Miami would've made this a true winner-take-all, but now we're looking at a situation where a Tampa Bay win and an Atlanta win forces a three-way tie where the Panthers win the division anyway.  That would, of course, also mean that the NFC South winner finishes 8-9 and hosts a 12-win wild card team (likely on Saturday afternoon).  Again, a Panthers win takes care of all that.

Seahawks (13-3) at 49ers (12-4): San Francisco-The winner of this one is the No. 1 seed in the NFC.  And don't think that's a small thing.  Especially for the 49ers, who are hosting the Super Bowl and could literally play their final five games of the season at home.  The difference between No. 1, No. 5 and especially No. 6 is huge for the three NFC West teams, too.  Whoever loses this one has to go on the road to face an East-coast team next week (and probably early Saturday if they're the 5-seed).  The good news for the Seahawks is that they just won in Carolina last week.

Saints (6-10) at Falcons (7-9): Atlanta-I've been saying all season that the Falcons are perhaps the most frustrating team in the league to watch.  Because you never know who's gonna show up!  This is a team with some really bad losses, but has also beaten a bunch of playoff teams.  Imagine what would've happened had they actually shown up for every game!  They'd be running away with the division instead of already eliminated.  Think about this, too: Atlanta can finish in a three-way tie for first or a two-way tie for last!

Browns (4-12) at Bengals (6-10): Cincinnati-Cincinnati seems to be trying to leave the NFL a message heading into the 2026 season.  The Bengals have scored 82 points in their last two games, both of which came against bad teams (Miami and Arizona).  They end the season against another bad team, albeit one that upset the Steelers last week (to set up the Ravens-Steelers showdown for the division).  Don't expect them to do it again.

Packers (9-6-1) at Vikings (8-8): Minnesota-Green Bay is locked into the 7-seed, so I'm curious to see who plays for the Packers and for how long.  One guy we know will play is Trevon Diggs.  Because why wouldn't they end the regular season the same way they started it...by snagging one of the Cowboys' best defensive players?  Anyway, Minnesota actually has a lot to play for.  J.J. McCarthy will start, as they look to finish not just with a winning record, but with a five-game winning streak.  Which, depending on what happens with the Panthers-Bucs game, could be a better record than the NFC South winner (which, of course, has Vikings' fans panties in a bunch about how "unfair" that is).

Cowboys (7-8-1) at Giants (3-13): Dallas-Before all the Travon Diggs drama, the Cowboys had a pretty solid win in Washington on Christmas.  It was an important win, too.  It set them up to finish .500 (which is only possible in the NFL now if you have a tie).  That does matter to them, even though they entered this season expecting so much more.  The Giants already cost themselves the No. 1 pick with their win last week, so this week they'll go back to being the Giants.

Titans (3-13) at Jaguars (12-4): Jacksonville-Jacksonville's exceptional season can really only end one way.  The Jaguars are playing a bad Titans team.  If they lose, they don't deserve to win the division or have a shot at the No. 1 seed.  With the way this season has gone, though, they also don't deserve to not have a home playoff game.  They can't rely on the Colts.  They'll take care of their own business, get the win, then watch the late games to see if they're the 1-, 2- or 3-seed.

Colts (8-8) at Texans (11-5): Houston-When the Colts were 8-2 at their bye week, this certainly wasn't how they were expecting their season to end.  Of course, injuries had a lot to do with their six-game skid, but still, you know they have to be extremely disappointed.  The Colts' fall coincided with the Texans' rise.  Houston will be a very dangerous team in the playoffs, even if they have to go on the road.  That's not a guarantee, though.  They'll do their part, then hope they get some help from the Titans.

Jets (3-13) at Bills (11-5): Buffalo-For their final game at Highmark Stadium, the Bills are bringing back the red helmets!  There's a slight possibility they'll have a home playoff game, but everyone understands that this is pretty much it for the venerable stadium.  Where the Bills are headed next week is obviously still up in the air, but all of that, frankly, isn't relevant.  This is about saying farewell to their longtime home, and they simply can't allow it to end with a loss to the Jets.

Lions (8-8) at Bears (11-5): Chicago-Losing last week wasn't that devastating for the Bears.  Their chances of getting the 1-seed were slim either way, and they have the tiebreaker over the Eagles.  So, all they need to do is beat the Lions and they get the 2-seed (which means a home game against the Packers next week).  I think most fans are excited about the possibility of seeing the Chicago-Green Bay rivalry in the playoffs, especially after that insane game two weeks ago!

Chargers (11-5) at Broncos (13-3): Denver-Had the Chargers beaten the Texans last week, this one would've been for the AFC West (and likely in one of the primetime slots).  Instead, Denver enters the regular season finale with the division already wrapped up.  They still need a win to lock up the 1-seed, though, and don't think that's an unimportant detail.  They very much want the AFC playoffs going through Denver.  And the Chargers know they're going on the road next week either way.

Chiefs (6-10) at Raiders (2-14): Kansas City-Is this Travis Kelce's last game?  (I think yes.)  Is it Pete Carroll's?  (I think no.)  Either way, the Chiefs and Raiders will be happy to leave the 2025 season in the past.  Although, Las Vegas could get a nice consolation prize in the No. 1 pick.  They seemed to understand what was at stake last week against the Giants.  I'd imagine that came into their thought process for sitting Blake Bowers and Maxx Crosby.

Cardinals (3-13) at Rams (11-5): Rams-There's only so much the Rams can do about their playoff fate, which could already be determined by the time they play.  They know they're going on the road next week and know they would much prefer a trip to Charlotte or Tampa than Philadelphia or Chicago.  Even if their seed is already locked in, Sean McVay said the starters are playing.  Which makes sense for a team that's lost two straight and needs to find its groove heading into the playoffs.

Dolphins (7-9) at Patriots (13-3): New England-Remember a decade ago when the Patriots and Broncos were the 1- and 2-seeds in the AFC every year while they had Brady and Peyton?  Well, here we are again, looking at Denver and New England being the top two seeds in the AFC.  Drake Maye might've locked up the MVP last week, and Mike Vrabel's certainly got a strong Coach of the Year case.  They can possibly drop to the 3-seed with a loss, but don't expect that to happen.

Commanders (4-12) at Eagles (11-5): Philadelphia-After these two met in the NFC Championship Game last season, it was probably the hope/expectation that this matchup would decide the NFC East.  That's obviously not how it turned out.  The Eagles have clinched the division and know they're probably the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.  There's still a chance they can be No. 2, though, so they'll have to play their starters (at least at the beginning of the game).  If they were locked in, I'd pick Washington.  Since they aren't, I'm taking the Eagles.

Ravens (8-8) at Steelers (9-7): Pittsburgh-Game 272 is the AFC North Championship Game.  Pittsburgh could've clinched last week, but it almost seems right that they lost to the Browns and set up this one as an elimination game for both teams.  (It's the Ravens' third straight game on NBC/Peacock, BTW.)  With the way the Steelers' season has been going, it's weird to think of them being in this position.  Needing a win to clinch the division or missing the playoffs entirely with a loss.  It's also somewhat surprising to see the Ravens in this position after their terrible start.  All season long, it's been Pittsburgh's division to lose.  That's still the case in the last game.  The Steelers win the AFC North.

Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 162-93-1

Game of the Year, 2025

Ordinarily, I wrap up the calendar year with a countdown of the best games over the past 12 months, capped by my selection as No. 1.  This year, I'm not doing that.  Because No. 1 stands so far above the others that it's not even a contest.  There are others worth mentioning, sure, but they all pale in comparison!

Don't get me wrong.  Those honorable mentions were all exceptional in their own right.  That epic French Open men's final.  The championship game of the Four Nations Face-Off.  Duke-Houston in the Final Four.  Texas A&M and Nebraska in the NCAA women's volleyball tournament.  But none of them are anywhere near the same level as Game 7 of the World Series.

The entire 2025 World Series will go down in history.  Some experts think it was the best ever.  I'm not willing to go that far.  Not when you have 1991, 1975, 1986, 2001 and even 2016.  Maybe I'll change my mind in the future, but, best of all-time or not, it's certainly up there among the best.  Not only did the series go the distance, there were three epic games that were all classics in their own right.  But, with all due respect to Game 3 and Game 6, it's Game 7 that will truly stand the test of time.

First, let's set the stage.  The series went back to Toronto with the Blue Jays leading 3-2.  The Dodgers had a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth when a ball got stuck in the outfield fence with a runner on first, going for a ground-rule double and preventing a run from scoring.  Still, they had second and third with nobody out.  After Tyler Glasnow got the first out, Andres Gimenez hit a line drive to left field that turned into a game-ending 7-4 double play!  And on to Game 7 we went!

Game 7 featured two future Hall of Famers on the mound.  For Toronto, it was Max Scherzer, who started the last World Series Game 7 for the Nationals in 2019.  He became just the fourth pitcher all-time to start multiple World Series Game 7's.  For the Dodgers, it was Shohei Ohtani, starting on three days' rest for the first time in his career.  And, Ohtani being Ohtani, he also led off the game with a single and was on third base when the top of the first ended before he had even thrown a pitch.

Ohtani got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second, but gave up a three-run homer to Bo Bichette in the third.  The Dodgers pulled within 3-2 on sac flies by Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman before Toronto made it 4-2 on Gimenez's RBI double in the sixth.  It would stay that way until the eighth.

In the top of the eighth, Max Muncy crushed one to right field to make it 4-3.  The Blue Jays then turned to closer Jeff Hoffman for a four-out save.  He got the first two, but with one out in the top of the ninth (and Toronto two outs away from the championship), Miguel Rojas (who was on the back end of the game-ending double play in Game 6) hit one of the most improbably game-tying home runs in World Series history.  Game 7 of the World Series was headed to the bottom of the ninth tied 4-4.

After Bo Bichette singled and Addison Barger walked in the bottom of the ninth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to Yoshinobu Yamamoto out of the bullpen.  Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had pitched six innings and thrown 96 pitches to earn the win in Game 6 the night before.  He hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch, loading the bases with one out and setting up an absolutely insane sequence of events.

With the series-winning run on third, the Dodgers brought the infield in.  The next batter, Daulton Varsho hit a ground ball to Rojas at second.  His throw home just beat pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the plate.  The Blue Jays challenged, but the call was upheld.  Toronto was literally inches from winning the World Series.  Ernie Clement, who had a record 30 hits in the postseason, was up next and he hit one to the gap in left center.  Andy Pages, who had just come in for defense after Kirk walked, tracked it down, literally ran over left fielder Kike Hernandez, and made the catch to send Game 7 into extra innings.

LA loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th (without the benefit of the stupid free runner), but failed to score.  After a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th, the Blue Jays turned to their Game 4 starter--Shane Bieber--in the 11th.  With two out, Bieber gave up a solo home run to Will Smith that landed in almost the same spot as the Rojas homer two innings earlier.  The Dodgers had their first lead of the game and were suddenly three outs away from repeating as World Series champions.

But, of course, the bottom of the 11th couldn't be straightforward.  Vlad Guerrero Jr. led off with a double, then Kiner-Falefa bunted him over to third.  Yamamoto wanted no part of Addison Barger and walked him on four pitches, putting the winning run on first, but also setting up the double play.  On an 0-2 pitch, Kirk sent a broken-bat ground ball towards short.  Mookie Betts stepped on second, fired to first to complete the double play, and the Dodgers became the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series.

For a World Series that had a little bit of everything, it was a fitting conclusion.  The two best teams in baseball put on a show that was worthy of the stage.  The World Series as a whole, and Game 7 in particular, were baseball at its absolute best.  And the fans agreed.  Game 7 was the most-watched MLB game since Game 7 in 1991, with a combined 51 million viewers in the United States, Canada and Japan.

Part of what made the game (and the series) so spectacular was how it could've gone either way.  It didn't just go down to the wire.  If one or two plays had gone differently, it would've been the Blue Jays celebrating their first title in 32 years.  Instead, the Dodgers did something that hadn't happened in baseball since the 1998-2000 Yankees...defend a World Series title.  They became the first National League team to do it since the 1975-76 Reds.

So, there really was no other choice.  A spectacular ending to a spectacular World Series between the two best teams in baseball.  Game 7 wasn't just the best game of 2025 across all sports.  It was one of the greatest World Series games of all-time.

Female Athlete of the Year, 2025

Caitlin Clark's two-year reign as the Joe Brackets Female Athlete of the Year is over.  She's still the biggest name in women's basketball, but she missed a big portion of the WNBA season due to injury.  Which actually displayed her value even more.  The amount of time she missed can't be overlooked, though.  She wasn't even the best player in the WNBA this season.

That was A'ja Wilson, who was named AP Female Athlete of the Year.  She led the Aces to the championship, their third in four years.  In doing so, she became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to be MVP, Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, scoring champion and league champion in the same season.  I seriously considered giving her the Joe Brackets award, too, but ultimately, she ended up as just a finalist.

So did another athlete I seriously considered--Aryna Sabalenka.  Sabalenka made the final at the Australian Open...and lost in three sets to Madison Keys.  She made the final at the French Open...and lost to Coco Gauff.  At Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova played the match of her life in the semifinals and beat Sabalenka.  They met again in the US Open final, with Sabalenka winning to defend her title.  She spent the entire year ranked No. 1.

The next finalist is a name you'll be hearing a lot in about six weeks--Mikaela Shiffrin.  She won gold in the team combined at the World Championships, then became the first skier ever with 100 World Cup victories.  Shiffrin ended the 2024-25 season with another win.  So far in the 2025-26 season, there have been four slalom races, and she's won them all.  That's five in a row dating back to the final race of last season.

While we're poised to see a lot of Mikaela Shiffrin at the Milan Cortina Olympics, one of the stars of the Paris Olympics followed up that performance with a 2025 season that might've been even better.  Summer McIntosh won five medals at the World Aquatics Championships.  She set championship records in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM and also took gold in the 200 IM and 400 freestyle.  Swimming against Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle, McIntosh earned the bronze.  She became just the third swimmer in history with five individual medals at a World Championships.

Really, it could've been any of those four.  They were all the best in their sport in 2025.  Track & field, meanwhile, gave us Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet.  It could've been any of them, as well.  But I actually went with another track & field athlete as the 2025 Joe Brackets Female Athlete of the Year.  She may not be a household name, but Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is this year's deserving recipient.

Jefferson-Wooden's breakout season started early.  She was one of the first athletes to sign on with Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track venture.  Grand Slam Track's bankruptcy and long-term viability aside, Jefferson-Wooden was easily one of the circuit's stars in its inaugural (and likely, only) season.  She was the series winner in the Short Sprints group at all three Grand Slam stops, and she was crowned the Racer of the Year.

At the inaugural Grand Slam Track event in Kingston, Jamaica, Jefferson-Wooden won both the 100 and 200.  She won the 100 again at the second meet in Miami, then ran a personal-best 21.99 seconds to beat Olympic champion Gabby Thomas in the 200 at the Philadelphia Grand Slam.  The next day, she ran a world-leading time of 10.73 seconds in the 100.  Jefferson-Wooden followed that up with a 10.75 at the Prefontaine Classic, where she beat Olympic champion Julien Alfred.

Her coming out party had only just begun.  Jefferson-Wooden lowered her personal best to 10.65 while winning gold at the U.S. Nationals.  That time made her the fifth-fastest performer ever in the women's 100.  She lowered her personal best in the 200 at Nationals, too, winning gold in 21.84.  Jefferson-Wooden then added a couple Diamond League 100-meter wins heading into the World Championships, where she was one of the clear favorites.

In the 100-meter final at Worlds in Tokyo, Jefferson-Wooden set a new personal best once again.  She set a championship record with a time of 10.61 seconds, the fourth-fastest in history.  Then in the 200 final, she ran a world-leading 21.68 seconds for her second gold of the meet.  There was one more gold medal to come.  Jefferson-Wooden was on the Americans' victorious 4x100 relay squad, completing the sprint triple.

What makes her 2025 season even more remarkable is the fact that Jefferson-Wooden didn't make the Olympic team in the 200 last year.  She did come home with two medals from Paris (bronze in the 100, gold in the relay), but her goal for 2025 was simply to improve her 100.  That's why she ran the 200 this year.  Because she thought it would help her 100.  

She was right about that.  Running the 200 did improve her 100.  But it did so much more.  It turned her into arguably the best short sprinter in the world--period!  She's never been the most heralded runner.  She's only 5'4 and attended Coastal Carolina.  In 2025, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden didn't give people a choice.  They couldn't not talk about her after she became the first American woman to win three sprint golds at Worlds and became an all-time top performer in both the 100 and 200.

And she's still just 24, so you can bet there's more to come from Melissa Jefferson-Wooden.  That's the great thing about a breakout season.  It's just the start of something special.  We obviously have no idea what lies ahead, but it's easy to envision her completing an Olympic triple in LA.  But it's also easy to envision her not having a year like this again.  Her 2025 season was that good and that historic!

For these reasons, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden gets the nod not just among track & field athletes, but above the other finalists.  She was the USA Track & Field Athlete of the Year.  And now she adds another slightly less official and not-quite-as-significant award.  Congratulations to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the 2025 Joe Brackets Female Athlete of the Year.

Male Athlete of the Year, 2025

Shohei Ohtani had another Shohei Othaniesque year in 2025.  He even added the pitching back in.  Because he wasn't already an otherworldly talent.  Ohtani was the NL MVP once again and once again named AP Male Athlete of the Year.  So, it would be easy to just make him the 2025 Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year, as well, and call it a day, but he's far from the only candidate.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an insane season.  He led the NBA in scoring, then led the Thunder to their first championship in Oklahoma City and was named Finals MVP, becoming just the fourth player in history to win the scoring title, MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.  Then he picked up right where he left off this season.  So, Gilgeous-Alexander definitely belongs in the conversation.

Mondo Duplantis also picked up right where he left off.  He's been taking the pole vault to new heights--literally--for years and he's still only 26!  In 2025, he won another World Outdoor Championship, his third straight and his fifth consecutive global title in five years (2021-25).  On his final attempt of the competition (which came about a half hour after everything else was done and all eyes were literally on him), he sailed over 6.30 meters.  It was his fourth world record of the year and the 14th of his career.  There will be more.  (He has the top 14 marks all-time and 19 of the top 21.  The non-Mondo all-time best mark is 6.16 meters.)

Another player who continued to dominate his sport was Scottie Scheffler.  He won the PGA Championship by five strokes.  He then added another Major at the Open Championship, shooting 17-under and winning by four strokes.  Overall, Scheffler had six titles on the season, was the PGA Tour's money leader and was ranked No. 1 in the world.  Plus, he had a memorable role in Happy Gilmore 2.

So, those are the finalists for the 2025 Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year.  But none of them are the winner.  That honor instead goes to the world No. 1 in a different sport who also won two Major titles in 2025.  And he won them both against his biggest rival, one of which was in the match of the year.  Those are just some of the reasons why the 2025 Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year is none other than Carlos Alcaraz.

When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, it left a void at the top of men's tennis.  That void was quickly filled by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who've combined to win the last eight Grand Slam titles.  Alcaraz busted through the door at the 2022 US Open, winning the title and becoming No. 1 at 19.  He then won Wimbledon in 2023 and two Grand Slams, as well as Olympic silver, in 2024.  Then came 2025, which was the best year of his career.

After losing in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Alcaraz entered the French Open as the defending champion.  He met Sinner in the final, where the rivals played a 5 1/2-hour epic that will go down as one of the greatest championship matches in history.  In any sport.  Sinner won the first two sets before Alcaraz got a late break in the third and took the set, 6-4, to stay alive.  In the fourth set, Sinner had three match points at 5-3, 0-40.  Alcaraz saved them all, then won the set in a tiebreak.  The fifth set also went to a tiebreak, where Alcaraz completed his first career comeback from two sets down to defend his title.

A month later, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the Wimbledon final.  This time, Sinner came out on top, setting the stage for the rubber match in the US Open final.  Not even Federer and Nadal met in three consecutive Grand Slam finals, let alone in the same year!  Alcaraz capped a dominant run through New York with a four-set victory.  The second set of the final was the only set he lost the entire tournament.  With his second US Open title and sixth career Grand Slam triumph, Alcaraz regained the No. 1 ranking, and he finished as the year-end No. 1 for the first time in three years.

The two Grand Slam titles and three Grand Slam finals were just the tip of the iceberg for Alcaraz in 2025.  His year actually didn't start great, either.  He won an indoor hardcourt title for the first time, but that was surrounded by some early-round losses, including a loss in his first match at the Miami Masters.  Then the clay court season started.

Alcaraz won the Monte Carlo Masters.  He'd never previously won a match at the tournament.  Then he made the final in Barcelona.  That would be his last loss until Wimbledon.  Alcaraz won his first Italian Open, snapping Sinner's 26-match winning streak in the process.  Then he won the French Open.  Then the grass-court Wimbledon tune-up at Queen's Club, his first time winning three straight titles.  His winning streak reached 24 before Sinner beat him in the Wimbledon final.

That loss at Wimbledon was followed by wins at Cincinnati and the US Open.  Alcaraz added a victory in Tokyo for his eighth tournament title of the year.  He clinched the year-end No. 1 at the ATP Finals, where he went 3-0 in round robin play and won his semifinal before losing to Sinner in the final.  Overall, Alcaraz went 71-9, won titles on all three surfaces, made the quarterfinals of all four Majors, and earned his 250th career win while getting back to No. 1 in the world.

It's more than just his numbers, though.  Men's tennis was defined by the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic for the better part of 20 years.  Those were big shoes to fill.  Alcaraz and Sinner have filled them and then some.  Their rivalry will define men's tennis for the next decade (at least).  Djokovic is still around, but they've both surpassed him.  Alcaraz was touted as the next big thing, and he's lived up to the hype.  And, in 2025, he got back on top.

While an argument could really be made for either one, I went with Alcaraz over Sinner because he had the edge in their rivalry this year.  They both won two Grand Slams, but Alcaraz was 2-1 against Sinner in Grand Slam finals.  In that epic at the French Open, it was Alcaraz who came out on top.  When we look back at men's tennis in 2025, it'll be Alcaraz's year that's remembered more than Sinner's.  That's why Alcaraz gets the nod.

His 2025 doesn't just stand out among tennis players.  It stands out above the rest.  Any of the others would be fine choices, but their seasons don't compare to what Carlos Alcaraz did this year.  And that's what makes him the 2025 recipient of the Joe Brackets Male Athlete of the Year award.

NFL Picks, Week 17

With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, the NFL decided to have three different teams play on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Dallas also played in the NFL Kickoff game, and the Cowboys always play (usually against the Lions) on the Thursday night after Thanksgiving.  So, this is the Cowboys' fourth Thursday game this season!  That's a quarter of the schedule!  And the Packers have become the Saturday night team.  This is their second straight Saturday night game, and it wouldn't be a complete shock if they end up playing on Saturday again next week.

We obviously won't know which games are picked for Saturday and Sunday night next week likely at least until after the 49ers-Bears game.  If I had to guess, I'd say the chances of seeing San Francisco again are pretty good.  And it could very well be Broncos-Chargers and/or Panthers-Bucs, too.  But that all depends on what happens this week.

Cowboys (6-8-1) at Commanders (4-11): Dallas-Christmas Day in the Nation's Capital.  This matchup looked so much better when it was set in May than it does now.  That's what happens with late-season games sometimes, though.  Washington's been out of it for weeks, while it really depends on the week with Dallas.  The Cowboys looked awful against the Chargers after being eliminated on Saturday, so what will their intensity level be?

Lions (8-7) at Vikings (7-8): Detroit-Detroit is hanging by a thread in the playoff race.  The Lions need to win out just to have a chance, and even then, it's a slim one.  Obviously not how they anticipated this season going.  But I guess that's what happens when both of your coordinators leave to become head coaches.  That wild finish against Pittsburgh basically sealed their fate...and was a microcosm of the Lions' season.  They stay alive, but maybe only for a few days until the Packers play on Saturday night.

Broncos (12-3) at Chiefs (6-9): Denver-When they put this one on Christmas night, it sure seemed like a good call.  The team that's won five of the last six AFC championships against a division rival that made the playoffs last season.  The Chiefs' 2025 campaign has obviously been pretty forgettable.  Denver has held up its end of the bargain, though.  Losing to Jacksonville might've been the best thing for the Broncos.  Especially losing in that way.  It reminded them they aren't invincible heading into the playoffs.  Kansas City, meanwhile, will be down to its third quarterback in as many games.

Texans (10-5) at Chargers (11-4): Chargers-The Saturday afternoon NFL Network special is between two playoff-bound AFC teams.  The Texans aren't officially in yet, but they just need to win one of their last two.  The Chargers play the Broncos next week and would love it if that game is for the division.  At the very least, this one is for seeding between two wild card teams, which looks like the most likely scenario.  I'm taking the Chargers, but with the way Houston's defense has played over the past few weeks, it'll be anything but easy for Justin Herbert & Co.

Ravens (7-8) at Packers (9-5-1): Green Bay-How did the Packers lose that game last week?!  I'm still amazed by that Bears comeback that basically sealed Green Bay's fate as a wild card team.  And a dangerous one at that!  The Ravens, meanwhile, know their playoff chances are on life support.  They need to win out and have Pittsburgh lose in Cleveland this week to get in as the AFC North champions.  Otherwise, Baltimore will be watching the playoffs at home.  Which is exactly what'll happen.

Cardinals (3-12) at Bengals (5-10): Cincinnati-Last week in Miami, the Bengals' offense showed what it can do.  They won't be in the playoffs, which is great news for the playoff-bound teams in the AFC.  They've got a real chance to finish with a 7-10 record and set the stage for next season.  They scored 45 points last week and play home games against Arizona and Cleveland to wrap up their schedule.  Can they match that offensive output against the Cardinals, who've lost seven in a row?

Steelers (9-6) at Browns (3-12): Pittsburgh-Death, taxes and Mike Tomlin finishing with a winning record.  Some things are constants.  And the Steelers can wrap up their first AFC North title since 2020 with a victory in Cleveland.  This is what they envisioned when they signed Aaron Rodgers for one last hurrah.  They're looking at a difficult playoff game as the 4-seed, but that's not a concern for right now.  All they can do is secure the home game.  Which they should this week, rendering next week's showdown with the Ravens meaningless.

Saints (5-10) at Titans (3-12): New Orleans-Don't look now, but the Saints have won three in a row.  They had those back-to-back one-score games against the two division leaders, then took it to the Jets last week.  Yes, it was the Jets.  But it's not like the Saints are a playoff team.  Neither are the Titans, who also took it to their opponent last week in an upset of Kansas City.  Make it four straight for New Orleans, which win or lose next week, has to be encouraged by this finish.

Jaguars (11-4) at Colts (8-7): Jacksonville-Remember when the Colts had the best record in the AFC?  Sure seems like forever ago, doesn't it?  Now it's looking like they'll miss the playoffs entirely.  And it's the Jaguars who have control of the AFC South.  Jacksonville's still alive for the No. 1 seed, in fact.  And with the teams the Jaguars have beaten and the way they've beaten them this season, they're looking like they'll be a tough out on the playoffs.

Buccaneers (7-8) at Dolphins (6-9): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay was 6-2.  The Bucs are 1-6 since.  Here's the crazy thing, though.  None of that will matter if they win both of their remaining games.  Because that would be enough to give them the tiebreaker over Carolina and another NFC South title.  For next week to matter, they need to win this week.  And who knows how the Dolphins will look after two utterly listless performances against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati?

Patriots (12-3) at Jets (3-12): New England-No team benefitted from Denver's loss to Jacksonville more than the Patriots.  Suddenly, Mike Vrabel's squad is right back in the mix for the 1-seed in the AFC.  And that's exactly what they looked like on Sunday night in Baltimore.  What's crazy is that they still haven't clinched the AFC East yet.  The division may go all the way to Week 18.  Finishing off another season sweep of the Jets will set them up to be in the driver's seat going into the season finale.

Seahawks (12-3) at Panthers (8-7): Carolina-Seattle's crazy two-point conversions on Thursday night should've been an indication what was in store last week.  Once the dust settled, the Seahawks were sitting on the No. 1 seed in the NFC...at least for the time being.  If they win out, it's theirs.  But you know the Panthers will have something to say about that this week.  After beating Tampa Bay in that first-place showdown, Carolina now controls its own fate in the NFC South.  They win here, they know all they need is a tie next week to clinch a home playoff game.

Giants (2-13) at Raiders (2-13): Giants-This matchup is just as big as the games between two playoff contenders.  The loser clinches the No. 1 pick in the Draft.  So, the Giants and Raiders both have plenty to play for.  Except they both have more incentive to lose.  Last season, the Giants had a chance to lock up the No. 1 pick and screwed it up by beating the Colts (badly) in Week 17.  That's the sort of thing the Giants do.  They'll win and give the Raiders the No. 1 pick.

Eagles (10-5) at Bills (11-4): Philadelphia-For the first time in two decades, we have a repeat NFC East champion!  The Eagles are the only team in the NFL to have already clinched their division and pretty much guaranteed the 3-seed in the NFC.  So, I'm curious to see if they play their starters and for how long in this one.  It means everything for the Bills, who clinched their playoff spot when the Colts lost to San Francisco and still have a chance at winning the AFC East once again.  Speaking of San Francisco, might this be a preview of a matchup we see again six weeks from now?  There are many who think it could be.

Bears (11-4) at 49ers (11-4): San Francisco-Mike Tirico told a funny story at the end of last week's Sunday night game.  He said how he was at a Bears practice in August and they were talking about how they had the Week 17 Sunday night game, but it would probably get flexed out.  Not only was it not flexed, it has huge implications for the entire NFC playoff race.  The 49ers can get the No. 1 seed if they win out.  The Bears clinch the North if they win, and, if they do, they'll go into Week 18 with a shot at the 1-seed themselves.  So, yeah, it's a massive matchup.

Rams (11-4) at Falcons (6-9): Rams-It's crazy how the NFC is so tight that one crazy loss can change everything.  The Rams went from the 1-seed to the 5-seed and, even if they win out, can see the 49ers jump them.  It doesn't change the fact that they're the best team.  The road will just be a lot harder (potentially).  And it's not like they'll have an easy time in Atlanta.  The Falcons have given good teams tough games all season (and also lost to the Jets).

Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 153-86-1

Making the Olympic Team

We're two months away from the gold medal game of the Olympic hockey tournament in Milan.  That would be a big deal regardless, but it's made even bigger by the fact that this'll be the first Olympics with NHL participation since 2014.  Anticipation is obviously high for NHL players at the Olympics for the first time in a dozen years, especially after the success of the Four Nations Face-Off last season. 

The Four Nations Face-Off was designed to be a little bit of a preview who we might see representing their countries in Milan.  The Olympic tournament will obviously have more teams, though, so this time we'll see all of the NHL's best players (minus the Russians) representing their countries.  And they'll be doing in pretty soon.  The Olympics are right around the corner, and so is the announcement of each team's roster.  They all announced six players over the summer, but we'll be finding out the full rosters soon enough.

In the past, they've announced the U.S. Olympic roster at one of the intermissions during the Winter Classic.  This worked well since NBC broadcast both the Winter Classic and the Olympics, but NBC obviously isn't one of the NHL's TV partners anymore.  So, I don't know if they're planning on doing it again this time or not.  It would seem to make the most sense to do that, though.  Especially since the Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk has already been named to the team and Rangers coach Mike Sullivan will be the coach of Team USA.

While the Four Nations provided a preview of what we'll see in Milan, the roster that we saw at that tournament will not be the same.  The players understood that better than anybody.  Making the team for the Four Nations didn't guarantee you a place on the Olympic team and vice versa.  In fact, being snubbed from the Four Nations roster served as a great motivator for so many players.  And some of them have almost certainly earned a spot on the Olympic team.

Two players who come to mind are Clayton Keller of the Mammoth and the Sabres' Tage Thompson.  Neither was on the team for the Four Nations (although, Thompson was an alternate), but they both represented the United States at the World Championships...and led the U.S. to its first gold medal since 1933.  Keller was the team captain and had 10 points in 10 games.  Thompson scored the winning goal in the final.  They both did everything they needed to do and then some.  It would be a surprise if they aren't on the Olympic team.

So, if they're in, who's out?  My guess would be Chris Kreider and Josh Bailey.  Kreider was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the Four Nations, while Bailey was the last guy to make the team, and a bit of a surprise at that.  Vincent Trocheck could also be vulnerable, but he might stay on for his ability to win faceoffs.  Should a third forward (Logan Cooley?  Matty Beiners?  Jason Robertson?) be added, Trocheck would be the next guy to go.

Quinn Hughes didn't play at the Four Nations, either.  He was on the original roster, but had to withdraw due to injury.  He tried to return for the championship game, but ultimately wasn't added (partly because traveling from Vancouver to Boston for only one game wasn't practical).  Hughes is healthy now, though, and arguably the best American-born defenseman in the NHL.  He'll obviously be on the Olympic team.  Which means at least one of the seven defensemen who did play at the Four Nations won't.

Jake Sanderson was the defenseman added to the Four Nations roster as the replacement.  So, it would stand to reason that he'd be the one to come off with a healthy Quinn Hughes reclaiming his spot.  Although, I think the American defense could look very different.  Because Seth Jones and John Carlson weren't on the Four Nations roster, either, and I can also see one or both of them making the team this time (Carlson was on the 2014 Olympic team...the last with NHL players).

Of the six players who were named to the Olympic roster over the summer, none were goalies.  Which is kind of interesting.  Since goalie is the one position that's pretty locked in.  Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets will be the starter.  Jake Oettinger of the Stars will be the backup.  It's really a question of whether the Bruins' Jeremy Swayman on the Canucks' Thatcher Demko will be the third goalie.  Except that's not really a question, either.  Swayman was the third goalie at the Four Nations and the starter at Worlds.  It would be shocking if he doesn't get that spot.

United States General Manager Bill Guerin basically admitted that when he was asked why there were no goalies among the initial six names.  Everyone already knows who at least two of the three goalies will be, but he didn't want it to look like he was committing to Hellebuyck as the starter.  It also allowed Guerin to name six skaters on the initial roster (Auston Mathews, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy).

There are also several players who would otherwise be locks, but are currently injured.  Matthew Tkachuk has missed most of the season.  J.T Miller and Adam Fox are both out.  Will they be selected anyway, counting on their being back in time for the Olympics?  (Tkachuk was one of those original six chosen over the summer.)  Or will their injuries keep them out and give someone else who wouldn't necessarily have been on the team otherwise a spot on the Olympic roster?

Teams had 23-player rosters at the Four Nations.  At the Olympics, it'll 25-man rosters.  So, assuming they do an even split, that'll be 14 forwards and eight defensemen plus the three goalies.  With that in mind, here are my choices for the 2026 U.S. Olympic men's hockey roster (*-already named to preliminary roster):

Goalies: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Jake Oettinger (Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
Defensemen: *Quinn Hughes (Wild), *Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Brock Faber (Wild), Adam Fox (Rangers), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights), Seth Jones (Panthers), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
Forwards: *Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), *Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), *Brady Tkachuk (Senators), *Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Matt Boldy (Wild), Cole Caufield (Canadiens), Kyle Connor (Jets), Jake Guentzel (Lightning), Jack Hughes (Devils), Clayton Keller (Mammoth), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), J.T. Miller (Rangers), Jason Robertson (Stars), Tage Thompson (Sabres)

Whether it's announced at the Winter Classic or not, we'll know the actual U.S. Olympic hockey roster soon enough.  And, regardless of who's on it, the pressure will be on.  After silver at the Four Nations and gold at Worlds, the United States will be one of the favorites for Olympic gold in Milan.

Survivor's Greatest Athletes

Survivor just crowned its Season 49 winner.  Now the anticipation builds even more for the historic Season 50, which will feature the largest cast (24 people) in Survivor history.  Plenty of athletes and other athlete-adjacent personalities have been on Survivor of the years, but none will be part of that historic anniversary cast.  Which is a shame.  Because, while there's definitely been some stunt casting (Jimmy Johnson), there are other who were definite "players" who'd be worthy of inclusion. 

They're still out there playing the game, living in the jungle, sleeping on dirt with everybody else.  And some of the athletes/sports personalities have played it better than others.  Some have even made Survivor history.  Former Cowboys quarterback Gary Hogeboom found the first-ever hidden immunity idol and used it on himself during Survivor: Guatemala.  Throw in the challenge of being obviously extremely athletic, and it makes you an instant threat.  Especially if you're famous enough to be recognizable (just ask newly-elected Hall of Famer Jeff Kent about that).

Originally, my thought for this post was to cast an all-sports season of Survivor.  But then I opted against it for a few reasons.  Instead, I decided to rank the top 10 athletes to have been on Survivor throughout the series' long history.  Some have authored memorable moments, others are known for their strong personalities or their incredible gameplay.  (And since there are more than 10 athletes who've played Survivor, some tough cuts had to be made.)

10. Cliff Robinson (Survivor: Cagayan)
The late Cliff Robinson is one of the more accomplished former athletes to have appeared on Survivor.  The long-time Portland Trail Blazer played 18 years in the NBA before being cast on Survivor: Cagayan, where he was on the same tribe as eventual winner and Survivor legend Tony Vlachos.  Cliff was voted out the first time he went to Tribal Council because he was percived as such a strong physical threat.

9. Elizabeth Beisel (Survivor: Island of the Idols)
Island of the Idols was such a bad season, for so many reasons.  Elizabeth ended up opting not to attend the reunion because of the controversy surrounding the season...despite being a member of the jury.  She proved to be a great strategic player, though, which allowed her to get far in the game.  Ultimately, she ended up being voted out after somebody else's immunity idol play negated seven votes against them.  It's also highly unlikely she'll ever play Survivor again, seeing as her broadcasting career has taken off and she'll almost certainly be Rowdy Gaines' successor as NBC's Olympic swimming analyst in 2032.

8. Jeff Kent (Survivor: Philippines)
He tried to blend in, but there was one woman on his tribe, Dawson, who recognized him from watching baseball and tried to out him.  She got voted out right after that, but Jeff made it to the merge and was eventually a member of the jury.  His game wasn't flashy, but that was the point.  He made strong alliances, which is what helped him get so far in the game.  (Fun fact: Jeff wasn't the only minor celebrity cast that season.  Lisa Whelchel from The Facts of Life made it to the Final Tribal Council.)

7. Scot Pollard (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Scot went down in history as one of those Survivors who got voted out with an immunity idol in his pocket.  He ended up as one of the main villains that season, which is what led to his blindside while holding an idol.  However, Scot lasted 27 days (which is longer than Survivor currently is) and made it to the jury, so he still had a hand in deciding that season's winner.

6. Crystal Cox (Survivor: Gabon)
At the time, Crystal was an Olympic gold medalist.  She no longer is, having had her 2004 medal in the women's 4x400 relay stripped.  Anyway, Crystal was one of the first athletes to go really far on Survivor.  She ended up making it nearly all the way to the end, getting voted out at the final six with just three days left in the game.

5. Gary Hogeboom (Survivor: Guatemala)
You knew Gary would have to be on this list somewhere!  I settled at No. 5 because of his historic role in finding the first-ever hidden immunity idol...and using it successfully when he was set to be voted out!  It only delayed the inevitable, and the reason he was voted out is because he was such a threat (both physically and socially).  He also gets bonus points for having the foresight to tell everyone his name was "Gary Hawkins," just in case they were football fans and recognized the name "Gary Hogeboom."

4. Noelle Lambert & Ryan Medrano (Survivor 43)
These two are a package deal, so they go together.  Noelle, obviously, had a leg amputated.  Not only did it not hold her back, she was one of the best physical players out there.  Her threat level is actually what ultimately got her voted out in eighth place.  That was one spot better than her ally Ryan, who was voted out in ninth both because of his physical prowess and lack of talking strategy with anybody.

My favorite thing about this pair, though, is what their Survivor friendship turned into.  Noelle played D1 lacrosse at UMass-Lowell both before and after losing her leg, then transitioned to para-track & field.  She represented the U.S. at both the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics.  Ryan has cerebral palsy, which qualifies him for the Paralympics, so Noelle encouraged him to try para-track & field as well.  He ended up winning two silver medals in Paris.

3. Brad Culpepper (Survivor: Blood vs. Water, Survivor: Game Changers)
Brad competed alongside his wife (a returning player) on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, and didn't do well.  He pissed off a lot of people, got voted out early, and ended up out of the game after losing at Redemption Island Arena.  (His wife, meanwhile, ended up finishing second.)  Still, Brad was such a strong character that the former NFL defensive tackle was brought back for Survivor: Game Changers.  In Game Changers, he played an entirely different game with an entirely different result.  Brad had a strong alliance, controlled a lot of votes, and won immunity when he needed to.  Ultimately, he made it to the Final Tribal Council and finished second.

2. Eva Erickson (Survivor 48)
Three players from Survivor 48 are coming back for Season 50.  Eva isn't one of them, even though she should've been.  The former hockey player and Brown Ph.D. candidate (she checked after the shooting and said she was fine, but also provided the chilling update that she was in the same building and had left just 15 minutes earlier) was the first openly-autistic player in Survivor history and ended up becoming a fan favorite.  Not only that, she didn't have a single vote cast against her the entire game and finished as the runner-up.

1. Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Winners at War)
When it comes to athletes on Survivor, Ethan's the OG.  He played minor league pro soccer before winning Survivor: Africa, where he used his $1 million prize money to found the charity "Grassroots Soccer."  He later returned for Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Winners at War, the historic, all-winners 40th seasons.  Ethan's return trips weren't as successful, but the fact that he was invited to come back twice in all-returner seasons (including the all-winners season) speaks to his place in the Survivor pantheon.  He's also a ridiculoulsy nice guy and a two-time cancer survivor.