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 acquired 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 sport:

• No. 5 Browns at No. 4 Texans, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. | NBC
  CJ Stroud is completely 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 yr — 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 discuss in regards to 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 lots 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 cross rush — dominant final yr — is milquetoast. The linebackers and secondary are a whole mess. It is not a lot better on offense: twenty fifth in success price during the last six weeks, proper behind the Jets and Giants.

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

This is extra on the playoff groups …

😄 Honorable mentions

😞 And never such a very good morning for …

NFL TEAMS ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS

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

Once we discuss a sport 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 “sport of inches” discuss, this was a sport of approach too many yards allowed and approach too many errors.

• Derrick Henry, likely playing his final game with the Titans, ran for 153 yards and a landing.
• Ryan Tannehill, additionally seemingly taking part in his remaining sport with the Titans (and solely taking part in as a result of Will Levis was damage), threw two landing passes. He had two all season coming 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 have to spend money on his line and vast receivers over what will likely be a really lengthy offseason.

Listed here are the 5 different groups that had been eradicated over the weekend:

• One among 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 had 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 had been eradicated after dropping to the Lions. All eyes will likely be on the quarterback plan with Kirk Cousins set to hit free company.
• The Colts had been eradicated by dropping to the Texans, however issues are trying up. I am unable to await 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 will likely be … 

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

😕 Not so honorable mentions

🏆 Nationwide championship sport 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 now have Tom Fornelli’s final best bets of the season. His sport choose?

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

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

Michigan’s greatest identify, in the meantime, is its coach. Is that this Jim Harbaugh‘s final sport at Michigan? Will he face self-discipline for a pair of controversies? What kind of coach even is he (apart 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 area ought to make for a wild journey 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 harm he sustained within the final Australian Open, Nadal returned at the Brisbane International, advancing to the quarterfinals.
• Nevertheless, he suffered a “micro tear” in his hip. This harm is to not the identical space that was operated on in June 2023. 
• Nadal, 37, now seemingly units his eyes on the French Open in Might. 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