Sports
Men’s AP Top 25 poll reaction: Highlights, what’s next for every team
After a break in the last week of the 2025 calendar year, the men’s AP Top 25 poll has returned in 2026.
Nebraska rises from No. 13 to 10 while Michigan State falls from No. 9 to 12 — the top 10 otherwise remain in tact, with Houston and Gonzaga swapping spots, and BYU rising one.
Florida and USC fall out while SMU and UCF crack the rankings following big wins over North Carolina and Kansas, respectively.
Let’s run through statistical highlights and the next game for each of the Top 25 teams.
All times Eastern. All stats courtesy of ESPN Research unless otherwise noted.
Previous polls: Preseason | Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
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Previous ranking: 1![]()
2025-26 record: 14-0
Stat to know: One of six unbeaten teams in Division I, the Wildcats’ 14-game win streak is tied for their third longest to start a season in program history. They had 21 straight wins in 2013-14, 16 straight in 1931-32 and 14 straight in 2012-13.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Kansas State, 9 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 2![]()
2025-26 record: 13-0
Stat to know: The Wolverines are 3-0 against AP-ranked teams this season, winning all of them by 30 or more points. That makes them the first team in AP poll history with three straight 30-point wins against AP-ranked teams. They are the third team in AP poll history with three 30-point wins against ranked teams in a season, joining 1993-94 Minnesota and 1996-97 Kentucky.
What’s next: Tuesday @ Penn State, 7 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 3![]()
2025-26 record: 14-0
Stat to know: Another one of the six unbeatean teams in D-I this season, the Cyclones are tied with their 2013-14 selves for their best start in program history. The 14-game win streak is also tied for the second longest active win streak in D-I, with Miami (OH) — only Nebraska has more with 18.
What’s next: Wednesday @ Baylor, 8 p.m., Peacock
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Previous ranking: 4![]()
2025-26 record: 14-1
Stat to know: The Huskies have rattled off 10 straight wins this season, their longest single-season win streak since they closed out 2023-24 with 13 wins in a row — and the national championship. This is also their second 14-1 or better start in the past 15 seasons, along with the 2022-23 national championship-winning season.
What’s next: Wednesday @ Providence, 5 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
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Previous ranking: 5![]()
2025-26 record: 13-1
Stat to know: Braden Smith now owns the Big Ten career assists record, passing Cassius Winston with 12 assists in the win against Wisconsin.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Washington, 8:30 p.m., BTN
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Previous ranking: 6![]()
2025-26 record: 13-1
Stat to know: Duke has won 13 of its first 14 games in a season for just the sixth time in the past 15 years.
What’s next: Tuesday @ Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
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Previous ranking: 8
2025-26 record: 13-1
Stat to know: Kingston Flemings had a team-leading 19 points, 6 assists and 5 steals in Houston’s narrow win against Cincinnati. He’s the only freshman in Division I with more than one game of 15 points, 5 assists and 5 steals this season, after racking up 21 points, 5 assists and 8 steals against Florida State on Dec. 6.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Texas Tech, 9 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 7
2025-26 record: 16-1
Stat to know: Since first joining a Division I conference in 1963-64 (the Big Sky back then), Gonzaga has won 90 games by at least 30 points in conference play. The next-closest D-I team to win like that, in that span, is Kentucky with 71. Mark Few is responsible for 79 of those 90 wins, since he became the head coach in 1999-2000. The next closest team to win like that, in that span, is Belmont with 38.
What’s next: Thursday vs Santa Clara, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2
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Previous ranking: 10
2025-26 record: 13-1
Stat to know: BYU has won 10 straight games, its first such streak since it had 10 straight during Jimmer Fredette’s senior season in 2010-2011. This is, overall, the Cougars’ best start to a season since that 2010-11 season, when it also started 13-1.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Arizona State, 9 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
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Previous ranking: 13
2025-26 record: 14-0
Stat to know: Nebraska got its first home win in an AP-ranked matchup since defeating Kansas in 1991. The win against Michigan State on Saturday is its second ranked vs. ranked win overall this season, after defeating then-No. 13 Illinois on the road on Dec. 13. The Cornhuskers had won just three ranked matchups in program history before this season. Their 18-win streak (dating back to last season) is the longest active win streak in Division I and the longest in program history.
What’s next: Monday @ Ohio State, 6:30 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 11![]()
2025-26 record: 14-0
Stat to know: This is the second time in school history that Vanderbilt — another of the six unbeaten men’s D-I teams — has started a season 14-0. The other time was in 2007-08, when it started 16-0.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. Alabama, 9 p.m., ESPN2
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Previous ranking: 9
2025-26 record: 12-2
Stat to know: Jaxon Kohler owns Michigan State’s longest double-double streak (5) after the loss to Nebraska, after Paul Davis had seven straight between 2004-06.
What’s next: Monday vs. USC, 8:30 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 14
2025-26 record: 11-3
Stat to know: Alabama has now had 34 games in which it has made 15 or more 3s under Nate Oats (since 2019-20). The Tide trail only North Florida (36 games) in Division I in this respect.
What’s next: Wednesday @ Vanderbilt, 9 p.m., ESPN2
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Previous ranking: 15
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: There have been four instances of a Texas Tech player scoring or assisting on at least 50 points in a game over the past 15 seasons — all belong to Christian Anderson this season. Those are also the four highest games in terms of “points created” by a Texas Tech player over the past 25 years.
What’s next: Tuesday @ Houston, 9 p.m., FS1
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Previous ranking: 18
2025-26 record: 11-3
Stat to know: Head coach John Calipari is now tied with Rick Barnes for most career wins among active coaches, with 846.
What’s next: Wednesday @ Ole Miss, 9 p.m., SEC Network
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Previous ranking: 20
2025-26 record: 11-3
Stat to know: Illinois has 14 straight wins over unranked opponents, tied for its longest such win streak in the past 20 seasons (last done February-November 2024).
What’s next: Thursday vs. Rutgers, 8:30 p.m., BTN
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Previous ranking: 12
2025-26 record: 13-2
Stat to know: The Tar Heels allowed 97 points in the weekend’s 14-point loss to SMU — the most they’ve allowed against an unranked team since Wake Forest scored 98 in 2022. The 14-point margin is also their largest as a ranked team against an unranked team since they lost by 21 to Louisville in 2019.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ACC Network
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Previous ranking: 23
2025-26 record: 13-1
Stat to know: Georgia leads the nation in scoring (99.4 points per game) as well as blocks (7.9 per game).
What’s next: Tuesday @ Florida, 7 p.m., SEC Network
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Previous ranking: 25
2025-26 record: 12-2
Stat to know: Iowa’s 12 wins are the team’s most through 14 games since 2020-21 (12-2).
What’s next: Tuesday @ Minnesota, 8 p.m., BTN
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Previous ranking: 16
2025-26 record: 11-3
Stat to know: Louisville is now 1-3 on the road this season, following Friday’s loss to Stanford. It was 9-2 on the road last season. There is a bright spot, though: The Cardinals are 10-0 at home or at a neutral site this season.
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
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Previous ranking: 19
2025-26 record: 10-4
Stat to know: Tennessee lost its SEC conference opener on Saturday despite shooting better than Arkansas from the field (49% vs. 42%) and from the 3-point line (38% vs. 30%). The Vols lost the game at the free throw line, going 12-for-23 (53%) compared to the Razorbacks’ 88% (29-for-33).
What’s next: Tuesday vs. Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN2
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Previous ranking: 17
2025-26 record: 10-4
Stat to know: Darryn Peterson has scored 103 points in 128 minutes of playing time so far this season. Those 103 points are the fourth most through five career games in Big 12 history, behind Michael Beasley (150), Trae Young (141) and Kevin Durant (112).
What’s next: Tuesday vs. TCU, 8 p.m., ESPN
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Previous ranking: 21
2025-26 record: 12-2
Stat to know: Virginia was 13-for-33 from beyond the arc in Saturday’s 15-point win over NC State — the Cavaliers’ sixth game this season attempting more than 30 3s, their most in a season since at least 1996-97.
What’s next: Wednesday vs. California, 9 p.m., ACC Network
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Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 12-2
Stat to know: SMU’s 97-83 win over North Carolina this past Saturday was the Mustangs’ first victory against a Top 25 team since the 2021-22 season. It snapped a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
What’s next: Wednesday at Clemson, 9 p.m., ESPNU
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Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 12-1
Stat to know: UCF’s 81-75 victory over Kansas this past Saturday marked the second time the Knights defeated a ranked Jayhawks team at home in the past three seasons.
What’s next: Tuesday at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Sports
His lack of filter earned him figure skating fame. It also got him canceled.
David Lease was a guilty pleasure in a sport that loves drama but avoids conflict. Then came the crash.
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Sports
Let’s play myth-busters for the NFL playoffs: 14 teams, 14 things that aren’t quite right
The NFL playoff field is set, and you know these teams. For months, you’ve been watching them, talking about them and drawing conclusions about them. But some of those conclusions are wrong.
It’s not your fault. The week-to-week nature of the NFL lends itself quite naturally to missing the forest for the trees. You see a team one week, notice something about it, watch that same team a week or so later and notice the same thing again. And then you just figure that thing to be true — that it’s part of what defines that team.
But what we’re doing here — with the 18-week regular season concluded and four months’ worth of data to sort through — is step back, look at the bigger picture and figure out which of the things we think we know about each playoff team might not, in fact, be true. For some of these teams, our conclusions might be encouraging. For some, they might be cause for concern. But hopefully this offers at least a little bit of a different way to look at all 14 playoff teams as they get ready to prove us all right or wrong (or a little of both).
So here are our annual playoff myth-busters, with a big assist from ESPN researcher Paul “Hembo” Hembekides and the ESPN Research team. Let’s start with the NFC, and teams are ordered by seeding.
Jump to a team:
BUF | CAR | CHI | DEN | GB
HOU | JAX | LAC | LAR | NE
PHI | PIT | SF | SEA

NFC
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Myth: Their run game isn’t good enough.
The Seahawks finished the season ranked 27th in the NFL in offensive rush EPA, which backs up the seasonlong narrative that they weren’t running the ball consistently well and relied too much on their (admittedly outstanding) defense and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle scored the third-most points of any team in the regular season but finished outside the top 10 in rushing yards per game despite tying for third in rush attempts. Its 4.1 yards per carry was better than only seven teams (although three of those clubs also made the playoffs).
Why it’s a myth: They’ve run the ball a lot better over the second half of the season.
From Weeks 10 through 18, Seattle’s running backs ranked fourth in the league in offensive rush EPA, behind only those of the Ravens, Rams and Patriots. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet combined for 2,183 scrimmage yards. Yes, other teams use two-back rotations that were more productive this season. The Rams’ Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 2,315 scrimmage yards. The Steelers’ Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell had 2,314. But the point is not that Seattle runs the ball better than anyone, it’s that it runs it well enough — and better as the season has gone along.
Smith-Njigba is a brilliant and vital player, but his highest target-share game of the season came in a September loss to the 49ers. The Seahawks’ offense began to ask more of its run game and less of Sam Darnold, Smith-Njigba and the pass game in the second half, and conclusions we were drawing about them in the first half might not hold up in the playoffs.
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Myth: Caleb Williams‘ inaccuracy hurts the offense.
The Bears had a dominant run game this season. Their defense excelled at taking the ball away. And Williams — their brilliantly talented second-year quarterback — made some fourth-quarter magic in big wins. But his completion percentage of 58.1 is abysmal and ranked 32nd in the league among qualified starters. In this day and age, it’s tough to imagine a team winning a Super Bowl with a quarterback who isn’t completing 60% of his passes.
Why it’s a myth: Williams has improved significantly at avoiding negative plays.
Williams led the NFL with 40 throwaways, which obviously affect completion percentages but aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Five of the top seven completion percentage games of his season actually came in Bears losses, while they won nine of his 10 worst. He had the league’s second-lowest pressure-to-sack ratio (behind Brock Purdy), his pressure-to-interception ratio was third best, and he threw nine touchdowns when pressured (behind only Justin Herbert‘s 10) to just one interception. Sure, his completion percentage when pressured was 36.4 and surely drags down the overall number. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
New coach Ben Johnson stressed to Williams when he got the job last year that, while avoiding interceptions was something he did well as a rookie, there were other negative plays he had to get better at avoiding if he and the offense wanted to have success. And Williams is doing an excellent job of staying away from interceptions and sacks, especially when he has faced pressure this season. That’s a benefit to the offense no matter what the overall completion percentage says.
2:20
Should the Bears be worried about the Packers matchup?
Damien Woody, Dan Orlovsky and Rex Ryan discuss why the Bears could run into trouble in their wild-card matchup with the Packers.
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Myth: Saquon Barkley is the key to the offense.
This time last season, the Eagles were a juggernaut on their way to a Super Bowl title. The key to the whole thing was Barkley’s historic season. He had 2,005 rushing yards, 2,283 total yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns in the 2024 regular season to lead an Eagles offense that was one of the best and most efficient in the league. This season, Barkley’s production dipped significantly, down to 1,140 rushing yards, 1,413 scrimmage yards and 9 total touchdowns. An Eagles team that was fourth in offensive efficiency in 2024 ranked 19th in that same category in 2025.
Why it’s a myth: It’s actually Jalen Hurts.
While last season’s offense seemed to center around Barkley and the Eagles’ ability to generate explosive plays in the run game, this season’s offense seems to much more closely follow the performance of the team’s Super Bowl MVP quarterback. Barkley is averaging 91.5 scrimmage yards in Eagles wins this season and 81.4 in losses. He’s averaging 3.9 yards per carry in wins and 4.7 in losses. Seven of his touchdowns have come in the Eagles’ 11 wins, whereas he has five in losses. In other words, there doesn’t seem to be evidence of a dramatic difference in Barkley’s performance in wins versus his performance in losses.
Hurts, on the other hand, sees a great deal more variance. In Eagles wins, Hurts has a 64.2 QBR, a 5.1 completion percentage over expected (NFL Next Gen Stats), 19 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. In losses, he has a 38.2 QBR, a 0.1 CPOE, 6 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions. Just a lot of evidence to suggest that Philadelphia’s success in 2025 is tied much more closely to Hurts’ performance than it is to what Barkley does.
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Myth: They can’t possibly beat the Rams again.
Carolina’s Week 13 home upset of the Rams was one of the more surprising results of the entire regular season. The Rams came in as the hottest team in the league, having won six games in a row to get to 9-2. They had beaten the 49ers, Seahawks and Buccaneers in the previous three weeks and seemed poised to take control of the NFC playoff race. But on that rainy Sunday in Charlotte, Matthew Stafford threw two early interceptions and lost a crucial late-game fumble. Bryce Young threw two fourth-down touchdowns (and one third-down TD pass), and the Panthers got out with a 31-28 victory.
It felt a little fluky at the time, and with the Panthers limping to their division title with an 8-9 record, it feels unlikely to happen again in the wild-card round.
Why it’s a myth: The Panthers can kind of beat anyone.
Sure, they can also lose to anyone. They were 8-9, after all. But Carolina had eight wins as an underdog this season, by far the most in the NFL. (The Steelers, Bears, Jaguars and Falcons each had five.) The Panthers will be the seventh team with a record of .500 or worse to host a wild-card game. Of the previous six, four won the contest.
The 2008 Chargers beat the Colts. The 2010 Seahawks beat the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in the Marshawn Lynch “Beast Quake” game. The Tim Tebow Broncos of 2011 knocked off the Steelers. And the 2014 Panthers beat the Cardinals. The last two teams to host a wild-card game with a regular-season record of .500 or worse did lose — the 2020 Washington Football Team to the Buccaneers and the 2022 Buccaneers to the Cowboys. But the overall record of 4-2 certainly shows it can be done.
Carolina’s big wide receivers were a problem for the Rams’ cornerbacks in the first matchup and could be again if the Panthers can do a good enough job of keeping the Rams’ rush off Young. All I’m saying is it wouldn’t be the most stunning potential upset of the first round.
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Myth: Matthew Stafford should win MVP because Drake Maye played a soft schedule.
It appears the MVP race is down to Rams veteran Stafford and Patriots second-year star Maye. The knock on Maye has been that he didn’t beat anyone especially good. The only teams in the playoff field the Patriots beat this season were the Bills (to whom they also lost) and the Panthers (who finished the season with a losing record).
Stafford led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes, threw eight interceptions and had a Total QBR of 71.0 — fourth best in the league. Maye had 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdown passes, 8 interceptions and a league-leading Total QBR of 77.2.
Why it’s a myth: Maye has just simply been better.
Total QBR adjusts for opponent quality in its calculation, so the fact that Maye finished first in the league in that category and Stafford fourth has nothing to do with strength of schedule. It also should matter that Maye played better against the soft parts of his schedule than Stafford did against his. Just look at games against NFC South opponents. The Patriots went 4-0 in those matchups, and Maye turned the ball over a total of three times. The Rams went 2-2 against the NFC South, and Stafford turned it over six times, including the fumble that probably cost the Rams the game against Carolina.
Overall, Maye was considerably better than Stafford in common opponent games. They played six of them. Maye was 6-0 with an 81.6 QBR and a 4.3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Stafford was 4-2 with a 57.8 QBR and a 2.3 touchdown-to-interception ratio against those teams.
The only number that shows Stafford obviously better than Maye this season is the touchdown passes. But don’t forget that a somewhat stunning 16 of Stafford’s touchdown passes were 4 yards or less (Maye had nine) and eight came from the 1-yard line (Maye had three). Maye also had four rushing touchdowns, while Stafford hasn’t had one since 2022.
Give the award to Stafford if you want, but don’t do it because of relative strength of schedule. Maye had the better year, even once we adjust for that.
1:25
Why Orlovsky is ‘slightly’ worried about Bo Nix in playoffs
Dan Orlovsky and Rex Ryan break down the concerns they have for Bo Nix and the Broncos heading into the playoffs.
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Myth: Christian McCaffrey just had his best season as a 49er.
In a season in which it felt like every significant player on the 49ers missed time with injury, McCaffrey did not. He played in all 17 games and was second in the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,126. That included 1,202 rushing yards on 311 carries and 924 receiving yards on 102 catches. Only five players in the league caught more passes than McCaffrey; four were wide receivers and one was a tight end. The next highest reception total among running backs in 2025 was Bijan Robinson’s 79.
McCaffrey also had 17 total touchdowns (10 rushing, seven receiving), which put him third in the league behind Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs. Simply put, CMC was a rock when the Niners needed one. The only year in his career in which he posted more scrimmage yards was his 2019 season in Carolina, and the only two years in which he had more touchdowns were 2019 and his 2023 season in San Francisco.
Why it’s a myth: Well, 2023 happened … but his efficiency also wasn’t great this season.
McCaffrey averaged only 3.9 yards per carry this season. That figure ranked 39th in the NFL, right behind Isiah Pacheco and ahead of Chuba Hubbard. And the 49ers’ run game was very average, ranking 22nd in rush EPA. McCaffrey’s contributions as a receiver are what made his season special and helped win fantasy leagues and drag the banged-up 49ers into the playoffs. But overall, his 2025 season doesn’t hold a candle to 2023.
The starkest difference is in early-down efficiency. On first and second down in 2023, McCaffrey averaged 5.4 yards per carry, had 1,337 rushing yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns. This season, those same numbers were 3.9 yards per carry, 1,064 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. Workmanlike, for sure, but not spectacular.
Again, McCaffrey was what the 49ers needed him to be this season — a volume eater and target mismatch in the passing game. But he’s not the explosive early-down difference-maker that he was a couple of years ago when the 49ers made it all the way to overtime in the Super Bowl.
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Myth: They don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had that famous quote a little over a year ago about how he wants “to vomit” when people ask him about his No. 1 wide receiver. LaFleur’s point was that it doesn’t matter — that he and QB Jordan Love trust whoever’s out there and that he kind of likes having an interchangeable group of WRs that he can mix and match depending on the week and the opponent.
The Packers didn’t have a single receiver with more than 55 catches, 724 yards or 6 touchdowns in 2025. Last season, their team leaders in those categories had 55 catches, 857 yards and 7 touchdowns. The year before it was 64, 793 and 8. You get the idea.
Why it’s a myth: Christian Watson.
Watson missed the first six games of this season while recovering from a knee injury, which has been his biggest problem as a pro. He returned around the same time that the Packers lost tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending injury and helped fill in a lot of the explosive-play element their offense lost when Kraft went down. Love’s QBR is 77.7 when Watson is on the field and 69.5 when he’s not. His completion percentage over expectation is 5.5% when Watson is on the field and 2.5% when he’s not, per Next Gen Stats. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is 5.5 with Watson and 3.0 without. And in the 10 weeks this season in which Watson has played, Love’s QBR of 76.7 is the second best in the NFL, behind only Purdy.
The 34th pick in the 2022 draft, Watson has the profile of a No. 1 WR. Injuries have kept him from consistently performing like one, but when he’s out there, the effect he has on Love and the offense makes a strong case that he is a WR1.

AFC
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Myth: Their record in close games is going to catch up with them.
The Broncos were 11-2 this season in games decided by eight points or fewer. They are proud of this. They do not view it as luck, and coach Sean Payton has said as much in news conferences. Players on the team have told me when I’ve covered their games this season that this was a major point of emphasis in their offseason. They were 2-6 in one-score games last season and wanted to be the kind of team that finished close contests off. They believe they’re better equipped than their opponents to stay strong in the fourth quarter and make game-deciding plays in game-deciding moments — especially in home games at Denver’s high altitude.
All of that might be true, but decades’ worth of data says this is the kind of thing that’s prone to regression and won’t stay the case if we give it long enough. Just look at the Chiefs, who went 11-0 in one-score games last season (12-0 if you count the playoffs) and were 1-9 in one-score contests in 2025. If it can catch up to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, you have to think it could catch up to anyone.
Why it’s a myth: It isn’t the 2026 season quite yet.
The natural regression to the mean when it comes to a team’s record in one-score games doesn’t have to happen in the same season. Over the past 10 seasons, 11 of the 20 teams to participate in the Super Bowl have had winning percentages better than .700 in their one-score games in that regular season. I just mentioned the Chiefs, but the Eagles — the team that beat them in the Super Bowl — were also 8-2 in one-score regular-season games in 2024. In 2022, when those same two teams met in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs had been 7-3 and the Eagles 7-1 in one-score games that regular season. The last Broncos team to win the Super Bowl, going back 10 years, was 9-3 in one-score games that regular season. The Panthers team they beat in that Super Bowl had gone 7-1 in one-score games.
Payton’s point has seemed to be that there’s some sort of art to winning close games, and that really good teams are just better at it. There’s also a mentality a team can develop over the course of a season that convinces it that it’s good at such a thing, and that could help in the critical moments in a league in which the week-to-week margins are so small. Point is, we have a lot of history that tells us teams that are great in one-score games can and do get to the Super Bowl.
2:04
Stephen A.: The Steelers got lucky in win over Ravens
Stephen A. Smith explains why his enthusiasm for the Steelers is tempered after they defeated the Ravens to win the AFC North.
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Myth: The Patriots’ run defense is going to be a liability in the playoffs.
New England’s run defense was a big talking point early in the season. Until Tampa Bay’s Sean Tucker got 53 yards against the Pats in Week 10, no opposing running back had reached 50 rushing yards in a game. From Weeks 1 through 11, they ranked fifth in the NFL with 2.2 yards allowed before first contact per rush and 14th with a defensive rush success rate of 57.7%.
But from Weeks 12 through 17, the Patriots had one of the worst run defenses in the league. Over that six-week stretch, New England ranked 31st with 3.0 yards before first contact allowed per rush and 32nd with a 45.2% defensive rushing success rate. A team such as Buffalo, which rushed for 118 yards in its Week 5 loss to the Pats and 168 in its Week 15 victory in Foxborough, could be positioned to take advantage of a weakened Pats defense in a postseason matchup.
Why it’s a myth: Milton Williams.
The big defensive tackle signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Patriots in March in free agency. He got injured in the team’s Week 11 game against the Jets and didn’t return until Sunday’s season finale against the Dolphins. That likely explains a lot about why the Patriots struggled so badly against the run from Weeks 12 through 17. New England spent big to sign Williams, who was drawing interest from multiple teams, and the numbers when he’s on the field vs. when he’s not indicate why that was a good idea — and why his return bodes extremely well for New England’s chances of shoring up that run defense in the playoffs. The Pats also expect to have injured linebacker Robert Spillane back in time for the postseason, which will help even more.
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Myth: Trevor Lawrence is fixed and one of the best QBs in the league.
Lawrence threw 15 touchdown passes against just one interception in his final six games of the regular season. The Jaguars won their last eight games to secure a division title, and entering Sunday, they were still in position to potentially get the 1-seed in the AFC playoffs (though they did not). The first pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence appears to finally be living up to his potential under first-year coach Liam Coen and has led the Jaguars to their second 13-win season in team history — first this century.
Why it’s a myth: The stats say Lawrence is pretty much the same guy he has always been.
Lawrence’s Total QBR for the season was 58.3, 15th best in the league and just a smidge ahead of where he has always been. From 2022 to 2024, his year-by-year Total QBR numbers were 56.1, 56.9 and 56.1. His completion percentage over expectation (Next Gen Stats) last season was minus-4.0, which ranked 33rd in a 32-team league. This year? It was minus-2.7, which ranked 28th.
Now, this isn’t a criticism. Heck, the guy who’s 33rd in CPOE is Caleb Williams, and his team is the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. But the idea that Lawrence is playing better than he ever has isn’t supported by the underlying numbers. Coen should be given credit for figuring out the whole picture around him and putting him in an offense that minimizes his weaknesses and maximizes his strengths. The Jaguars’ rushing differential has seen the greatest year-over-year improvement of any team in the league. They were outgained by 525 rushing yards last season, and their rush differential was plus-501 this season.
Lawrence is the same player he has always been, just with a better structure around him. It’s not necessarily that he’s fixed; it’s that maybe the Jaguars are.
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Myth: This is still a classic Steelers defense.
T.J. Watt returned from a punctured lung for the regular-season finale against the Ravens. Cameron Heyward played inspired football Sunday night at age 36, looking determined to make sure this wasn’t his or Aaron Rodgers‘ final game. Nick Herbig. Alex Highsmith. Patrick Queen. Jalen Ramsey. The names, man. The names give it the feel of a vintage Steelers, big-play defense that can get after quarterbacks and get the big stops in the big moments.
Only five teams in the league had more sacks than the Steelers’ 48. Only three had more takeaways than their 27.
Why it’s a myth: This team is way too reliant on sacks and turnovers.
The Steelers ranked 14th in the league in opponent points allowed per drive at 2.1 — which is fine, kind of middle of the pack. On drives on which they didn’t record a sack, however, that average points per drive goes up to 2.5, which ranked 23rd in the league. Their defense basically doesn’t win unless it gets a sack.
The team also isn’t great at scoring when it doesn’t generate a turnover. Pittsburgh scored the 15th-most points in 2025, but it was third in scoring off turnovers behind only the Jaguars and Bears. A whopping 25.4% of Pittsburgh’s points this season came off turnovers. Only the Browns (25.8%) had a higher such percentage, and they scored only 279 points (the Steelers had 391).
There is no doubt the Pittsburgh offense needs its defense’s help. And the defense provided enough to get this team to 10 wins and a division title when Baltimore’s rookie kicker missed from 44 yards Sunday night. But it feels like another season in which the playoff competition is going to make Pittsburgh look very run-of-the-mill.
Myth: C.J. Stroud isn’t the same player he was two years ago. In 2023 when the Texans snagged the division title, Stroud was Offensive Rookie of the Year and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. He threw for 4,108 yards that season, along with 23 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. But his production dipped in 2024. And this season, he missed three games with a concussion and is averaging about the same number of passing yards (217.2) as he did last season (219.2). He also threw just 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Why it’s a myth: He’s still great when it matters and still isn’t getting much help. Stroud had the seventh-best QBR in the fourth quarter and the seventh best on third down in the entire league. He also had the seventh-best QBR when outside the pocket, which is of particular importance because the overhauled Houston offensive line still isn’t doing much to protect him. That unit ranked 30th in pass block win rate, ahead of only the Lions and Chargers. The OL also ranked dead last in run block win rate, which backs up the numbers that say the Texans’ run game isn’t helping anything, either. Houston’s 108.9 rushing yards per game ranked 22nd in the league. It ranked 28th in the league at 3.9 yards per rush and 24th in the league in yards before first contact per rush. The Texans are winning with defense, but when their offense has a good game, it tends to be because of Stroud, not in spite of him. Myth: Their run defense will keep them from getting to the Super Bowl. Buffalo has struggled to stop the run all season. Only the Commanders, Giants, Jets and Bengals allowed more rushing yards this season than the 136.2 per game the Bills did. No one allowed more rushing touchdowns than the 24 Buffalo allowed, either. And it was 26th in defensive rush success rate and 31st in defensive rush EPA. No matter how you slice it, the Bills’ run defense this season was terrible. Why it’s a myth: They might not have to play a great running team in the playoffs. With Baltimore failing to make it into the field, the Patriots are the only playoff team besides Buffalo that ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards per game. (And they had to run for 243 in Sunday’s regular-season finale to get there.) The Chargers ranked 12th, the Broncos 16th, the Jaguars 20th, the Texans 22nd and the Steelers 26th. Buffalo wouldn’t be the worst run defense ever to reach the Super Bowl. (The 2006 Colts allowed 173 rushing yards per game in the regular season and were worse across the board in just about every metric.) But it would be one of the worst. The good news is, there isn’t a team in the AFC that’s nearly as good at running the ball as the Bills are. Myth: They ask too much of Justin Herbert to carry their offense. The story of the Chargers’ season has centered on their offensive line injuries. Both starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, have been out with season-ending injuries for quite some time. Even though he sat out the final game, Herbert was contacted 206 times — 34 more times than the next most contacted QB in the league (Maye). Only Geno Smith and Cam Ward were sacked more than the 54 times Herbert was dropped. He threw the most touchdowns when pressured (10) of anyone in the league, but only Joe Flacco and Sam Darnold threw more interceptions (7) when pressured than Herbert’s six. Why it’s a myth: Their offense isn’t that pass-heavy. The Chargers dropped back to pass on 48.8% of their offensive plays, the 20th-highest rate in the league. Heck, the Steelers had a higher percentage of pass plays than the Chargers. Just 63.6% of their offensive yardage came via the pass, which was also the 20th-highest figure in the league. The Chargers ranked 12th in the league in rushing yards per game, even with their top two running backs having missed huge chunks of the season with injury. They’re just kind of a middle-of-the-road offense overall. Herbert does get hit too much, but it’s not because they’re putting him in an unusual number of vulnerable situations.
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Sports
Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in first T20I of three-match series – SUCH TV
The first T-20I of the three-match series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be played at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka today.
The first match is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM PST.
Salman Agha and company will be looking to get used to the conditions because they will play all of their games of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka.
Though Pakistan are without some key faces like Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi, who are playing in the BBL. But they still have a strong squad.
Similarly, Sri Lanka are ready to produce some good games as they have almost all players ready.
On the other hand, Pakistan team skipper Salman Ali Agha has expressed the hope that the players will perform well.
“The series will enable us to adjust to the weather and conditions of Sri Lanka ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.”
“We have good players in our squad who are future prospects. We want to give them opportunities, and I am hopeful they will deliver strong performances in the series.”
The other two matches will be played on 9 and 11 January as preparations intensify for the World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March. The first ball of the match will be bowled at 7pm local time.
The series will help the national selection committee finalize Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the mega event.
Pakistan will play all their WC fixtures in Sri Lanka, making the forthcoming series a vital opportunity to adapt to local conditions.
Salman Ali Agha will continue to lead the T20I side.
The side has already won two tri-series tournaments and bilateral T20I series against Bangladesh, West Indies and South Africa in 2025 under Agha’s leadership.
In the recent times, Pakistan have won three of the last five T20Is against Sri Lanka, which include win in the knockout match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in Dubai and tri-series final in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan:
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (C), Usman Khan (WK), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad, Salman Mirza.
Sri Lanka:
Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (WK), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (C), Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana.
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