🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

THE GREEN BAY PACKERS

Generally, good groups let unhealthy groups stick round. This was not a type of occasions. The Packers scored touchdowns on every of their first two drives en path to a 34-0 trouncing of the Saints. Inexperienced Bay clinched a playoff berth and recorded the first shutout of the season within the course of.

This one was over mainly as quickly because it began, and that is sensible contemplating Inexperienced Bay has been one of many NFL’s fastest-starting groups not too long ago. Josh Jacobs completed with 107 yards from scrimmage and a landing, his sixth straight recreation with a rating, and the protection overwhelmed rookie Spencer Rattler, the Saints’ third totally different beginning quarterback of their final three video games.

Inexperienced Bay may be very, superb: 11-4 total and 5-1 for the reason that bye, with 4 of these 5 wins by double digits. Jacobs takes no prisoners each time he touches the ball, Jordan Love is taking good care of the ball, and the protection creates havoc. In a loaded NFC — extra on that in a bit — the Packers are a top-tier contender. 

😊 Honorable mentions

😡 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Playoff Image, plus good Christmas presents for each crew

Per week in the past, the AFC playoff image seemed easy. Now, the AFC has joined the NFC in jumbled insanity, establishing for an exhilarating closing two weeks.

In that AFC, issues appear like this:

1. Chiefs (14-1, clinched AFC West)
2. Payments (12-3, clinched AFC East)
3. Steelers (10-5, clinched playoff berth, leads AFC North)
4. Texans (9-6, clinched AFC South)
5. Ravens (10-5, clinched playoff berth)
6. Chargers (9-6)
7. Broncos (9-6)
8. Colts (7-8)
9. Dolphins (7-8)
10. Bengals (7-8)

Listed here are three races we’re watching:

• The Chiefs want only one extra win — or yet another Payments loss — to clinch the highest seed.
• Pittsburgh has the AFC North lead because of a superior convention report (7-3, in comparison with Baltimore’s 6-4). However Pittsburgh nonetheless faces Kansas Metropolis on Christmas and Cincinnati in Week 18; Baltimore will get Houston and Cleveland.
• There’s nonetheless a means in for any of the three sub-.500 groups listed above, and it begins with the Bengals beating the Broncos on Saturday. SportsLine provides Miami a 9% playoff probability, Cincinnati a 7% probability and Indianapolis a 5% probability. The Chargers (97%) and Broncos (82%) stay in good condition, however it’s removed from over.

Over within the NFC …

1. Lions (13-2, clinched playoff berth)
2. Eagles (12-3, clinched playoff berth)
3. Rams (9-6, lead NFC West)
4. Falcons (8-7, lead NFC South)
5. Vikings (13-2, clinched playoff berth)
6. Packers (11-4, clinched playoff berth)
7. Commanders (10-5)
8. Buccaneers (8-7)
9. Seahawks (8-7)

Zero NFC divisions have been determined. The NFC North is ridiculously loaded, simply the second division underneath the present format with three 11-win groups. The Vikings shut with the Packers and on the Lions, establishing for a probably wild end.

The NFC West and NFC South are enthralling, too. The Falcons lead the Buccaneers because of the head-to-head tiebreaker, however Atlanta has no room for error and faces a Commanders crew that may clinch a playoff berth this weekend. In the meantime, the Rams-Seahawks race might come right down to their Week 18 assembly in Los Angeles.

Cody Benjamin decided if each playoff crew is naughty or good. Regardless of the offensive struggles, the defensive accidents and the shut calls, the Chiefs fall into the “good” class, however Chris Trapasso has the 5 prime candidates to cease a Kansas Metropolis three-peat.

We have lined the playoff and playoff-contending groups, however there are 13 others merely hoping for higher days forward. Jared Dubin has Christmas want lists for each NFL crew, and for the NFC North crew not reaching the heights of their division compatriots …

• Dubin: “Bears: A coach to place Caleb Williams in place to succeed — The Bears, for some purpose, got here into the season with a lame-duck coach within the first season of their rookie quarterback’s profession, for the third consecutive time. Unsurprisingly, issues didn’t work out. Let’s get someone in there who can scheme Williams into success as a substitute of simply counting on him to make performs out of sheer expertise.”

May that be Ben Johnson? He is intrigued.

🏈 Reseeding the School Soccer Playoff

The School Soccer Playoff is right down to eight groups, and after a one-sided first spherical, Brandon Marcello reseeded the packages nonetheless within the hunt for a title.

The one undefeated crew in FBS, Oregon, has been No. 1 for some time, acquired the No. 1 seed and stays No. 1 seed in Brandon’s reseeding. The unhealthy information for the Geese? They face Brandon’s No. 2 seed subsequent.

• Marcello: “2. Ohio State — We’ll admit it: Ohio State’s dramatic bounce within the rankings is extra about ‘eye take a look at’ than energy of schedule or report. … That loss to Michigan was abysmal in November, however the Buckeyes once more seemed the a part of presumably being one of the best crew within the nation throughout the 42-17 blowout of Tennessee within the first spherical. … It is a disgrace the quarterfinals will characteristic the CFP’s two greatest groups, however that is the luck of the draw because of Ohio State’s incredulous loss to the unranked Wolverines within the regular-season finale.”

We’ll see which model of the Buckeyes turns up within the Rose Bowl quickly sufficient.

Oh yeah, and for all of the Ryan Day angst, he was by no means going wherever, Richard Johnson writes.

🥊 Better of UFC in 2024

What a 12 months it was for the UFC. Whether or not it was a great 12 months or a foul 12 months is up for debate, and our specialists certainly debated.

No matter your stance, there have been loads of memorable moments, and we handed out our “Better of” honors, with Ilia Topuria profitable Fighter of the 12 months. The 27-year-old knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in February to say the featherweight title and knocked out Max Holloway in October to retain the title. He earned Fighter of the 12 months, narrowly, over Alex Pereira, as Brian Campbell explains.

• Campbell: “Each victories got here in opposition to legendary fighters who have been ranked within the prime 10 P4P on the time of Topuria’s knockout end. With an all-around recreation, devastating energy and the sort of persona that makes it simple to see him because the face of the game, Topuria has delivered upon all the formidable guarantees he has made.”

We additionally named Knockout of the 12 months and Struggle of the 12 months.

Trying to 2025, there are loads of loaded playing cards, and the first pay-per-view occasion would possibly simply be one of the best.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday

🏈 Hawai’i Bowl: South Florida vs. San Jose State, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Wednesday

🏀 Spurs at Knicks, midday on ABC/ESPN
🏈 Chiefs at Steelers, 1 p.m. on Netflix
🏀 Timberwolves at Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏈 Ravens at Texans, 4:30 p.m. on Netflix
🏀 76ers at Celtics, 5 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Lakers at Warriors, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Nuggets at Suns, 10:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN