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While You Were Saturday-ing: Chargers flail, Ravens coast as playoffs kick off
No time to waste amid a packed football weekend. Notes from the start of the NFL postseason yesterday:
First, the Texans’ defense carried the team to a 32-12 upset win over the Chargers as Justin Herbert stumbled through possibly the worst game of his career. L.A.’s quarterback threw four interceptions, one more than he had over the entire regular season. 🤯
“JUST LIKE THEY DREW IT UP!”
C.J. Stroud makes things happen after the bad snap 😱
📺: #LACvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/II2oMnkbM1— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2025
In the late game, the Steelers’ defense — which is the highest-paid unit in the league — couldn’t contain the Ravens’ run game. Derrick Henry exploded for 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson rushed for 81 yards (with 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air).
Onward:
Redefined: A fitting debut
Throughout college football history, to even compete for an FBS championship has required first being clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the country.
In a lot of ways, the 12-team College Football Playoff was guaranteed to change what it means to be a champ. But who expected this much change right away?
- After Notre Dame lost to four-TD underdog Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Irish’s path to the CFP was only described with technically not eliminated, but c’mon. Fast forward and that’s 13 straight wins, including Thursday’s semifinal comeback against Penn State.
- But their upcoming opponent might be an even better example. In November, Ohio State’s second loss was supposed to shatter the Buckeyes’ spirit. Instead, it pissed them off, spurring their CFP stampede through Tennessee, Oregon and — on Friday night — Texas by a combined 111-52. The latest highlight: “One of the biggest plays in Ohio State’s storied history.”
As of now, there’s no argument that any other team is one of the two best. (Apologies to Northern Illinois.) That’s true even though neither of these finalists would’ve made a four-team CFP.
In a way, this season has cooperated perfectly with the new format. If this had played out like 2018, when Alabama and Clemson were virtually fated to meet at the end, adding games to the CFP could’ve felt like delaying the inevitable.
But thanks to this season, no matter what happens on Jan. 20, future coaches can credibly tell their players they ain’t out of it yet.
More:
On Tap Today: Remember to take some couch breaks
We are not even halfway through this fantastic weekend of football. Quick previews for today’s slate, along with some Good Bets, a vain attempt to save face on my part (odds via BetMGM):
Broncos (10-7) at Bills (13-4)
1 p.m. ET on CBS
Buffalo is a huge favorite here for good reason. There may be no scarier offense than the Bills’ unit thus far, and as long as Josh Allen is alive and well it’s hard to see anyone holding them under 24 points. Rookie Denver quarterback Bo Nix will have to have his best game in order to snatch a road win here. I just don’t see it, but I’ve been wrong plenty. “The Athletic Football Show” crew says this might be a better game than people think, though, which is influencing my pick.
Good Bet: Broncos (+9). Just a huge line for a playoff game.
Packers (11-6) at Eagles (14-3)
4:30 p.m. ET on Fox
Both Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love should play, which is a relief for fans wanting a good game. Both of these teams also run the ball extremely well, and I’m curious to see if Saquon Barkley has any pent-up energy after sitting out Week 18 with the NFL yardage record in play. It’s tempting to pick Philly in a romp here, but I can’t rule out this Green Bay team — which our data shows to be the best underdog Super Bowl candidate — and its prowess to make hay on the road during the postseason. This will be close. Good
Bet: Eagles (-5.5). Birds escape with a cover late.
Commanders (12-5) at Buccaneers (10-7)
8 p.m. ET on NBC
Washington has had a dream season, while Tampa Bay just won enough to top a bad NFC South. This makes for an interesting mix as the playoff format mandates wild-card teams, no matter the record, to play on the road against a division champ with a lesser record. Ben Fawkes’ piece on home-field advantage in the postseason came into play here for me, but even with the home-field boost, I think the Bucs are too flawed in this one. Give me Jayden Daniels winning this one late, again.
Good Bet: Commanders (+140).
Pulse bets record overall: 28-42-1
News to Know
MLB bans fans who interfered
The two Yankees fans who pried open Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts’ glove during Game 4 of the World Series are indefinitely banned from attending any MLB games. They are now subject to arrest if found to be in attendance at any MLB property or event. In a letter, MLB wrote that the fans’ conduct “posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior.” Full details here.
More news
- Former LSU standout Kyren Lacy is facing criminal complaints of negligent homicide and felony hit and run after a fatal car crash last month.
- At 38 years, four months and seven days old, French tennis player Gael Monfils became the oldest player ever to win an ATP Tour title. Read our full story.
- Cooper Flagg dropped a career-high 42 points in Duke’s 86-78 win over Notre Dame yesterday, an ACC single-game freshman record. It was the first 40-point game by a Blue Devil since 2006 (JJ Redick).
- After being sidelined for two-plus months, Paolo Banchero scored 34 points in 27 minutes for the Magic on Friday in their 109-106 win over the Bucks.
(Top photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
