The NFL's harebrained division does it yet again
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Good morning! Root for a rival today. Coming up:
- 🏈 NFC South drama
- 😡 An irate coach
- 🏀 NBA disappointments
Football: The ultimate NFL Saturday, sort of
The duality of NFL drama was on full display yesterday.
In one game, the 7-9 Buccaneers hosted the 8-8 Panthers in a Floridian downpour with the NFC South hanging in the balance. (Scientists called it a “Category 5 NFC South moment.”) In the other, the 13-3 Seahawks visited the 12-4 Niners with both the NFC West and the conference’s playoff-opening bye on the line.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has to deal with plenty of workplace annoyances just like any of us, but Saturday showed why he sometimes has the easiest job in the world: Whether the matchup is a figurative and literal slopfest or a clash of titans, the NFL is never not the main character of the American sports scene. And it’s not even as if the games have to wind up being that good:
- Bucs 16, Panthers 14. The rain was constant. The officiating was gobsmacking. The play-calling was occasionally just as weird, with the Panthers trying an ambitious flea flicker that failed miserably and resulted in a Tampa Bay fumble recovery. Carolina ran for just 19 yards, tied for second-lowest by any team in a game this season. The division remains undecided and is, naturally, now in the hands of the 6-10 Saints and the 7-9 Falcons. If Atlanta beats New Orleans today, the Panthers are in. If the Saints win, the Bucs take the division. Either way, an 8-9 team gets it.
- Seahawks 13, 49ers 3. Third downs told the story here. The 49ers converted two out of nine (and missed on two fourth downs, too). The Seahawks connected on six of 13, but that undersells how backbreaking many of their conversions were. The Niners allowed a 19-yard Kenneth Walker III run on a third-and-17, keying a clock-killing drive in the late third and early fourth quarters. Meanwhile, the Seattle defense was a wall and finished the game by repeatedly throwing Niners offensive linemen into Brock Purdy’s face. Seattle takes the No. 1 seed, and San Francisco settles for a wild-card spot. The Seahawks are now , after thanks to their bye, home-field advantage and the AFC’s lack of a clear top team. (.)
Great for Seattle, but I can’t stop thinking about the NFC South. This division came into existence in 2002. By the end of today, it will have produced three of the NFL’s five sub-.500 playoff teams in this period. That doesn’t even tell the whole story, as one of the others, the 2020 Washington Football Team, pulled it off at 7-9 in the fluky pandemic season. The 2014 Panthers (7-8-1) and 2022 Bucs (8-9) did it the old-fashioned way, as has this year’s eventual champ.
How does this keep happening? I asked lifelong Georgian and college football newsletter author Jason Kirk, who took the assignment seriously:
💬 One part of the long-term answer: Expectations in this college-sports-first region have always been much lower for most of our pro sports teams than they are in other parts of the country. Also, NFC South ownership has usually been quite bad.
Congrats to someone on advancing in a few hours. Remember, Cs get degrees.
News to Know
Shrewsberry reprimanded for charging at ref
The ACC publicly reprimanded Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry for aggressively confronting an official after the Irish’s loss to Cal late Friday night, although he avoided a suspension. Shrewsberry erupted after what, in all fairness, was a bad call that cost Notre Dame the game. You still can’t do this:
More news:
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James Nnaji — the 2023 NBA Draft pick whose return to college hoops sparked controversy — made his Baylor debut yesterday. He was met with loud boos.
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The Blue Jays signed Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million deal. A significant signing.
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Diane Crump, the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby, died Thursday night. Make time this morning to read about her legacy.
Watch Guide
📺 NFL: Saints at Falcons | 1 p.m. ET on Fox
There is very little on the line for these two teams, but so much on the line for the Buccaneers and Panthers. Here is your full guide to Week 18 playoff scenarios.
📺 CFB: Wisconsin-River Falls vs. North Central (Ill.)
Stagg Bowl for the DIII national championship | 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Football on a Sunday night? What will they think of next? North Central is angling to win its second title in a row and fourth out of the past six. But UW-River Falls and its incomprehensibly fast-paced offense stand in the way. Read Chris Vannini on the underdogs.
📺 NFL: Ravens at Steelers | 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
With the AFC North hanging in the balance, Lamar Jackson returns for Baltimore. T.J. Watt is back for Pittsburgh, which is still missing the suspended DK Metcalf and has approximately nothing behind him at wide receiver. Is this the final meeting between Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, at least in their current jobs? Maybe.
Pulse Picks
As 2026 begins, these NBA players have done the most to fall short of our hopes and expectations: Meet John Hollinger’s All-Disappointment Team.
This magnetic train set is the hit of Christmas in our house. Was it meant for me? No. Do I build tracks while my daughter is asleep? No comment. — Chris Branch
🎥: When is it time to part with a Super Bowl coach? The Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and Ravens’ John Harbaugh are in rare territory heading into tonight’s big matchup, as Mike Sando explains.
I bought my wife this Wirecutter-rec’d neck fan for Xmas and am now the early leader in the clubhouse for best husband of 2026. Better luck next year, everyone. — Patrick Iversen
Our staff ranked every men’s hockey team’s jersey for the Milan-Cortina Games. Click.
Shout out once again to compact discs in the year 2026. Rosalia’s “Lux” has three songs on CD that aren’t on Spotify, for instance. — Jason Kirk
Power plays are booming across the NHL largely because teams are prioritizing selective shooting. Excellent reporting from Fluto Shinzawa.
Was reminded again this week my Vari standing desk was an actual life-changer. Your back will thank you. — Chris Sprow
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Chris Branch’s garment bag recommendation.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Russini’s look at the NFL coaching carousel, and more.
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