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Good morning! Find someone who looks at you the way Wild Berry looks at Cinnamon Roll.
While You Were Saturday-ing: Hot seats and hot treats
It’s that weird time of year when there’s a bunch of football across multiple levels on Saturdays, so let’s get caught up quickly.
Yesterday, the Chargers clinched a playoff bid in Jim Harbaugh’s “miraculous turnaround” of a first season, blasting New England 40-7 on the road.
- Will that humiliating loss change the Patriots’ apparent plan to bring back 3-13 head coach Jerod Mayo for year two? Chad Graff says it’s Mike Vrabel time. (I think they should look into UNC’s Bill Belichick.)
- Another turnaround in progress: Somehow, Cincinnati is still alive. Yesterday, Joe Burrow found Tee Higgins with a minute left in overtime to put away Denver. Next week, the Bengals need 1) a win in Pittsburgh and 2) a Broncos loss to Kansas City’s backups.
Saturday also gave us the greatest (and second) Pop-Tarts Bowl of all time. In the speedy-breakfast showcase, No. 18 Iowa State posted its first 11-win season ever by beating No. 13 Miami 42-41.
Let’s keep moving, but not before paying our respects to Cinnamon Roll, whose memory was celebrated last night by comrade Wild Berry:
Mouth Heaven gained another angel! 💙 #PopTartsBowl pic.twitter.com/0hkfozfgjU
— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 29, 2024
NFL Watch Guide: All eyes on the NFC today
This week’s holiday gifts may be unwrapped, but we have more blessings today on TV — including one of the year’s biggest games. All times ET:
1 p.m.
Cowboys (7-8) at Eagles (12-3) — A perfect setup here. Philadelphia needs two wins the rest of the way and a little help to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Dallas, arguably the Eagles’ most-hated foe, has been feisty even without Dak Prescott and would love to play spoiler on the road. Delicious. TV: Fox
4:25 p.m.
Packers (11-4) at Vikings (13-2) — Monster stakes for both teams. Green Bay can further prove its contender status and position itself for second place in the division, while Minnesota has a division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC still in play. Plus it’s a classic rivalry anyway. I expect a banger. TV: Fox
8:20 p.m.
Falcons (8-7) at Commanders (10-5) — Again, huge playoff implications for both teams. The Falcons can clinch the NFC South with a win and a Buccaneers loss, while the Commanders can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie, or a Buccaneers loss or tie. TV: NBC
Let’s move on:
News to Know
Brown out in Sacramento
The Kings fired coach Mike Brown in a stunning move Friday, one day after 13-18 Sacramento blew a 19-point lead to the Pistons. Brown, 54, delivered the Kings their first winning seasons in nearly two decades in his first two years on the job, but fell short of lofty internal expectations as this season got underway.
As Anthony Slater and Sam Amick detail, there is a strong sense around the league that Brown was scapegoated for bigger organizational issues. Read their piece primarily for the deeply reported intel about Brown’s awkward final days, but stay for the Michael Malone spice. 🌶️
Cleveland restructures Watson’s deal
The Browns and Deshaun Watson agreed to restructure his contract in a way that signals the QB will return in 2025, and gives the team more financial flexibility down the line. More on this and other NFL nuggets in Dianna Russini’s weekly column.
As for imminent on-the-field happenings, Mike Jones has you covered today for top storylines for the rest of Week 17.
More news
- Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, are expecting their first baby. Decoy made an appearance in the announcement!
- Athletics president Dave Kaval is stepping down from his role, the club said Friday, after he oversaw their search for a new home. Read the full story.
- World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler will miss The Sentry, which starts Thursday, after a broken glass punctured his hand while preparing Christmas dinner. He needed surgery — ouch.
- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama wrapped his week in New York with some chess in Washington Square Park. Hip.
What We’re Watching: My best and worst sports-related shows and movies of the year
Here’s what I watched — or wish I hadn’t! — this year. Can’t wait to jump into 2025 with you all! — Hannah Vanbiber
Best
ONLY if you’re a die-hard NFL fan
- “Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants“ — Do you like “The Office” but wish that instead of a comedy set at a paper company, it was a tragedy set in a sports complex? Very little football here and very much dudes arguing in conference rooms.
Worst
- “Christmas in the Spotlight” — I can’t decide if this Taylor-Travis knockoff was so bad it was good or if it was just so bad.
- “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” — Tom Brady saying he was done with football in 2022 was more plausible than this plot.
- “Untold: The Murder of Air McNair” — Netflix’s “Untold” series is a wealth of top-notch sports reporting, but this one left me with more questions than answers.
- “Mr. McMahon” — An expertly produced history of the WWE, but it fails to chip beneath the slimy veneer of the titular Vince McMahon himself. Worse: The production was hampered by the fact that horrendous allegations against him came out partway through filming. They needed to pivot but weren’t really able to.
Others I watched this year (out of 5 stars)
Pulse Picks
Some sports media goodies for you today: Andrew Marchand published his inaugural “Golden Clickers” awards, designed to highlight the good, the bad and the monumental from the 2024 sports media year. Meanwhile, Richard Deitsch dropped his top NFL media stories of the year. Click.
Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored last night in his return from injury and now needs 26 goals to pass Wayne Gretzky’s career record. Can he still get it done this season?
Meg Linehan, Steph Yang and Jeff Rueter recapped the U.S. women’s national team’s wild 2024, naming their top player and game of the year.
Starter Corbin Burnes’ deal with the Diamondbacks, the fourth-largest overall contract for a pitcher ever, is great for both the team and player, Eno Sarris writes.
Part 2 of Jayson Stark’s end-of-year Strange But True series dropped yesterday, featuring the most mind-blowing hitting and pitching feats of the year — plus the five most ridiculous games.
Try today’s Connections: Sports Edition beta.
Most-clicked in the newsletter Friday: Our newser on Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga stepping down because of the challenges of the NIL era.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Anthony Slater and Sam Amick’s deep-dive into Mike Brown’s final days with the Kings.
(Top photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
