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. This is the AFC discipline and the way they obtained 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 gained 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; gained 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 is the NFC discipline:

1. 49ers (clinched No. 1 seed and bye final week)
2. Cowboys (clinched No. 2 seed and gained NFC East with 38-10 win over Commanders)
3. Lions (clinched No. 3 seed with Cowboys’ win)
4. Buccaneers (gained 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 is 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 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’ll 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 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 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 harm within the first quarter.

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

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

This is extra on the playoff groups …

😄 Honorable mentions

😞 And never such a great 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 trend. 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 rivalry.

After we speak about a recreation of inches, we speak about Trevor Lawrence developing inches brief on fourth-and-goal late. We speak about Lawrence lacking Calvin Ridley by inches on a possible lengthy landing on Jacksonville’s remaining drive of the season.

However we additionally should speak about 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 approach too many yards allowed and approach too many errors.

• Derrick Henry, seemingly enjoying his remaining recreation with the Titans, ran for 153 yards and a landing.
• Ryan Tannehill, additionally seemingly enjoying his remaining recreation with the Titans (and solely enjoying 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 consider in Lawrence, who must get wholesome, and the Jaguars have to put money into his line and huge receivers over what can be a really lengthy offseason.

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

• Certainly 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 nil 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 shedding to the Lions. All eyes can be on the quarterback plan with Kirk Cousins set to hit free company.
• The Colts had been eradicated by shedding to the Texans, however issues are wanting 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 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 within the nationwide championship recreation, and now we have Tom Fornelli’s remaining finest bets of the season. His recreation choose?

• Fornelli: “From an effectivity standpoint, Michigan matches up effectively with Washington’s offense. … The Wolverines have the perfect 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 wonderful gamers on protection at each stage … nevertheless it does not boast the depth of Michigan’s expertise pool. Decide: 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 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 many recreation’s nice enigmas.

We even have keys to victory for Michigan and for Washington and what each groups want to repair.

Buckle up. Figuring out which faculty would be the final champion from a four-team discipline ought to make for a wild trip 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 harm.

• After lacking basically all of 2023 with a hip harm he sustained within the final Australian Open, Nadal returned on the Brisbane Worldwide, 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 Could. He has gained 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