NFL playoff bracket finalized; CFP championship preview

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🏈 Good morning to everybody however particularly …

THE NFL PLAYOFF TEAMS

The NFL playoffs are set. Here’s the AFC field and the way they received there:

1. Ravens (clinched No. 1 seed and bye final week)
2. Payments (clinched berth with Jaguars‘ 28-20 loss to Titans; clinched No. 2 seed and received AFC East with 21-14 win over Dolphins)
3. Chiefs (clinched No. 3 seed final week)
4. Texans (clinched berth with 23-19 win over Colts; received AFC South with Jaguars’ loss to Titans)
5. Browns (clinched No. 5 seed final week)
6. Dolphins (clinched No. 6 seed with loss to Payments)
7. Steelers (clinched berth with 17-10 win over Ravens and Jaguars’ loss to Titans)

And here’s the NFC field:

1. 49ers (clinched No. 1 seed and bye final week)
2. Cowboys (clinched No. 2 seed and received NFC East with 38-10 win over Commanders)
3. Lions (clinched No. 3 seed with Cowboys’ win)
4. Buccaneers (received NFC South with 9-0 win over Panthers)
5. Eagles (clinched No. 5 seed with Cowboys’ win)
6. Rams (clinched No. 6 seed with 21-20 win over 49ers)
7. Packers (clinched berth with 17-9 win over Bears)

So here’s the first-round schedule, with an early thought on every recreation:

• No. 5 Browns at No. 4 Texans, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. | NBC
  CJ Stroud is totally terrific. So is the Browns’ protection.
• No. 6 Dolphins at No. 3 Chiefs, Saturday, 8 p.m. | Peacock
  The Dolphins don’t just like the chilly, and it is going to be hovering round zero levels that evening in Kansas Metropolis.
• No. 7 Steelers at No. 2 Payments, Sunday, 1 p.m. | CBS
  Buffalo (5 straight wins) and Pittsburgh (three straight wins) are driving excessive.
• No. 7 Packers at No. 2 Cowboys, Sunday, 4:30 p.m. | Fox
  The highest two landing passers of the 12 months — Dak Prescott (36) and Jordan Love (32) — meet.
• No. 6 Rams at No. 3 Lions, Sunday, 8 p.m. | NBC
  Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff each face their former group, the primary such matchup in NFL playoff historical past.
• No. 5 Eagles at No. 4 Buccaneers, Monday, 8 p.m. | ABC
  Let’s speak concerning the Eagles …

Some groups are surging into the postseason. Others are limping — actually and figuratively — and the Eagles are a type of squads. Philadelphia benched a lot of its starters earlier than halftime with the offense doing nothing and the protection stopping nothing in an eventual 27-10 loss to the Giants. To make issues worse, A.J. Brown suffered a knee injury in the first quarter.

The Eagles have misplaced 5 of their final six video games. Utilizing defensive success price (a measure of down-to-down effectivity), solely the Commanders have been worse over that span. The move rush — dominant final 12 months — is milquetoast. The linebackers and secondary are a whole mess. It isn’t significantly better on offense: twenty fifth in success price over the past six weeks, proper behind the Jets and Giants.

The slate is cleaned within the postseason, but it surely’s actually ugly proper now.

This is extra on the playoff groups …

😄 Honorable mentions

😞 And never such a superb morning for …

NFL TEAMS ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS

Week 18 will be as brutal as it may be stunning. You’re employed for months and months — years and years, actually — for video games like this, all to lose in agonizing, infuriating vogue. That explains the slumped seems to be of devastation on the Jaguars’ sideline after a 28-20 loss to the Titans eradicated Jacksonville from playoff competition.

Once we discuss a recreation of inches, we discuss Trevor Lawrence coming up inches short on fourth-and-goal late. We discuss Lawrence lacking Calvin Ridley by inches on a possible lengthy landing on Jacksonville’s remaining drive of the season.

However we additionally should discuss the way it by no means ought to have gotten up to now. The Jaguars misplaced 5 of their final six video games. For all of the “recreation of inches” speak, this was a recreation of means too many yards allowed and means too many errors.

• Derrick Henry, likely playing his final game with the Titans, ran for 153 yards and a landing.
• Ryan Tannehill, additionally doubtless taking part in his remaining recreation with the Titans (and solely taking part in as a result of Will Levis was harm), threw two landing passes. He had two all season getting into Sunday.
• Lawrence threw two interceptions, one off an terrible drop by Evan Engram, one other off an terrible throw to (or miscommunication with) Zay Jones. The Jaguars’ offense completed this season with the fifth-most anticipated factors misplaced on turnovers.

I nonetheless imagine in Lawrence, who needs to get healthy, and the Jaguars must put money into his line and vast receivers over what can be a really lengthy offseason.

Listed below are the 5 different groups that have been eradicated over the weekend:

• Considered one of Arthur Smith‘s remaining acts as Falcons coach was yelling at Dennis Allen postgame following a late Saints landing in a 48-17 beatdown that eradicated Atlanta from the playoffs. The clock struck midnight on Smith (actually, the firing was introduced at 12:02 a.m.) after three 7-10 seasons and 0 playoff appearances. Our coach and GM tracker is up and working.
• The Seahawks and Saints have been eradicated with the Packers’ win. The Seahawks want defensive assist. The Saints are in wage cap hell (once more) after placing collectively a win-now roster that did not even make the playoffs (once more).
• The Vikings have been eradicated after shedding to the Lions. All eyes can be on the quarterback plan with Kirk Cousins set to hit free company.
• The Colts have been eradicated by shedding to the Texans, however issues are trying up. I can not look forward to a wholesome Anthony Richardson in Shane Steichen‘s offense.

As for groups eradicated way back, the first 18 picks of the NFL Draft are set. The highest 5 can be … 

1. Bears (by way of Panthers)
2. Commanders
3. Patriots
4. Cardinals
5. Chargers 

😕 Not so honorable mentions

🏆 Nationwide championship recreation preview, predictions

After which there have been two. No. 1 and No. 2, to be precise.

Michigan faces Washington tonight in the national championship game, and we’ve got Tom Fornelli’s final best bets of the season. His recreation choose?

• Fornelli: “From an effectivity standpoint, Michigan matches up properly with Washington’s offense. … The Wolverines have one of the best protection within the nation, thanks primarily to their excellent line of defense. It is merely higher than your offensive line and runs deep. … Washington has glorious gamers on protection at each degree … but it surely does not boast the depth of Michigan’s expertise pool. Choose: Michigan -4.5“

Tom additionally notes, although, that when you could have Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk, particular person expertise can merely make sufficient performs to win, and I cherished this Dennis Dodd story on Penix.

Michigan’s largest title, in the meantime, is its coach. Is that this Jim Harbaugh‘s final recreation at Michigan? Will he face self-discipline for a pair of controversies? What sort of coach even is he (aside from a profitable one)? Dennis dove deep on one of the game’s great enigmas.

We even have keys to victory for Michigan and for Washington and what both teams need to fix.

Buckle up. Figuring out which faculty would be the final champion from a four-team discipline ought to make for a wild experience in Houston tonight.

🎾 Rafael Nadal withdraws from Australian Open

Rafael Nadal‘s remaining season is off to an inauspicious begin. The 22-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from the Australian Open with a hip injury.

• After lacking primarily all of 2023 with a hip damage he sustained within the final Australian Open, Nadal returned at the Brisbane International, advancing to the quarterfinals.
• Nonetheless, he suffered a “micro tear” in his hip. This damage is to not the identical space that was operated on in June 2023. 
• Nadal, 37, now doubtless units his eyes on the French Open in Could. He has received 14 titles at Roland Garros.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏈 CFP Nationwide Championship: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 1 Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Suns at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV