by Zak Drapeau 1/12/2026 Sportz Nation Photo by Greg M. Cooper/ Associated Press via Masslive.com Game Summary The Patriots defense played one of their best games all season as New England outclassed the Los Angeles Chargers to a 16-3 home victory. The name of the game for both sides was defense as the Pats themselves wouldn't score a touchdown until the 4th Quarter. The game was a chess match through and through with the real deciding factor being the Patriots' special team

Joseph McLaughlin 1/10/26 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Dominik Zawartko/Clutchpoints. For the first time since 2019, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will be a visiting team in the Wild Card round as they travel to Duval County to face Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills, after five consecutive AFC East championships, lost the division race to the New England Patriots and finished the season with a 12-5 record as the No. 6 seed.  The Bills will face a red-h

Photo Credit to Dominik Zawartko via Clutch Points After finishing the regular season with a strong 14-3 record, the 2-seeded New England Patriots will be taking on the 7-seeded Los Angeles Chargers during Wild Card Weekend. Coming into this matchup, the Patriots are currently -3.5 point favorites with the moneyline sitting at -185. As for the Chargers, they are the underdog in this contest, coming in with a moneyline of +154. The game is scheduled for Sunday night at 8:20 p.

by Joseph McLaughlin 1/9/26 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Mike Dinovo/Imagn-Images. Another chapter will be written in the National Football League’s oldest and most historic rivalry as the No. 2 seed Chicago Bears host the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round in Primetime Saturday night. The playoff game will mark the 213th contest between the two teams, the 19th played in Primetime, and the third time in NFL postseason history.  It is a matchup that would h

Photo Credit to Jaren Kawada via Clutch Points In what should be one of the more intense and unpredictable games of the Wildcard round, the 6-seeded San Francisco 49ers are heading to Philly to take on the defending champion and 3-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, despite having the better record at 11-6, are 5.5-point favorites according to DraftKings, with the moneyline holding at -238 as opposed to the 49ers' +195. The game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Janua

by Zak Drapeau 1/8/2026 Sportz Nation Photo by Grant Halverson/ The Los Angeles Times After a crazy situation that saw the Panthers lose the Wildcard game that win it back just a day later as 3 teams tied for the NFC South crown, the Panthers won it by a series of tiebreakers and earned a Home Playoff game. Coming to Carolina will be the 5th-seeded Rams who were one of the best teams all season but couldn't win the NFC West division even with a 12-5 record. Being one of the b

by Zak Drapeau 1/7/2026 Sportz Nation Head Coaches Photo by Patrick Smith/ Getty Images John Harbaugh (Ravens) The most shocking firing of the week is for sure Harbaugh. After 18 seasons, 12 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl victory and a combined record of 180-113, the Ravens have decided their future is better off in the hands of someone else. Their most recent season being the "final straw" after an 8-9 record and missing the playoffs. I will save most of my thoughts on t

by Zak Drapeau and Joseph McLaughlin 1/2/2025 Sportz Nation Steelers at Ravens (Sunday @ 8:20) Photo by Nick Wass/ Associated Press The final regular-season game of the 2025 season on Sunday Night Football will be a win-or-go-home match for the AFC North title between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Two teams that couldn't be more different besides their historical greatness, the Ravens and Steelers, will battle in Baltimore after Pittsburgh won their other matchup of the year in W

by Zak Drapeau 1/31/2025 Sportz Nation Here's a look at my list of my Top 24 Athletes of 2024 , with guys like Shohei Ohtani, Connor McDavid and a slew of Summer Olympians dominating the list. Without an Olympic event this year, this list will be compiled of mostly athletes in the big sporting leagues such as NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, various Soccer leagues and others. In the fourth year of doing this list, I am a bit biased toward the top sports leagues but will always give credi

by Zak Drapeau 12/12/2025 Sportz Nation In two days time the Colts will be playing one of their toughest games of the season in Seattle against a white-hot Seahawks team. This game will come after losing back-to-back AFC South games and in the midst of a 3-game losing streak. The game comes after one of the most disappointing losses of the season in Jacksonville when new Colts-legend Daniel Jones went down with a torn achilles in the 2nd Quarter of their 36-19 loss to the Jag

by Zak Drapeau 12/2/2025 Sportz Nation Graphic Made on tiermaker.com Tier 1 Elite Teams Tied-1. Seattle Seahawks 9-3 (Won 6 of last 7) Problems: Sam Darnold once a month Solutions: Rest of Team The Seahawks have the most complete team in football and probably the best defense as well. With their only loss in the last two months coming against the other team tied for 1st, it's clear they are a REAL Super Bowl Contender. This team will truly go as far as Sam Darnold allows

by Zak Drapeau 11/18/2025 Sportz Nation 1. Philadelphia Eagles -- 8-2 (Won 4 in a Row) Last Week: 16-9 Win v DET After winning 4 in a row including a tough battle with the Lions, not only are the Eagles #1 but their defense is certainly atop the league as well. ______________________________ 2. Los Angeles Rams /\1 8-2 (Won 5 in a Row) Last Week: 21-19 Win v SEA Photo by Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times Everything is clicking for the Rams right now after 5 wins in a r

by Zak Drapeau 11/11/2025 Sportz Nation 1. Philadelphia Eagles /\2 Last Week: 10-7 Win at GB 7-2 ( Won 3 in a Row) Last night wasn't pretty but it was a good example why the Eagles may not be everyone's "Best" team in the league but why they are the safest. The Eagles' defense is the strength of this team and even though their offense hasn't matched it's success yet, they are still great and seemingly getting better. __________________________________ 2. Detroit Lions /

by Zak Drapeau 11/4/2-25 Sportz Nation 1. Buffalo Bills /\4 6-2 Last Week: 28-21 Win vs KC Photo by Tina MacIntyre-Yee/ Democrat and Chronicle This week's rankings probably have the closest bunch at the top that I've ranked since the season started. To be frank, any team in the Top-11 could be seen as the best in the league but for my money, the Bills statement win over the Chiefs has earned them the top spot. The Bills needed to fix some things in their BYE Week 7 and a

by Zak Drapeau 10/28/2025 Sportz Nation Graphic by tiermaker.com Tier 1: Super Bowl or Bust 1. Detroit Lions -- 5-2 (Won 5 of Last 6) Last Week: BYE Week What else is there to say besides the Lions are the CLEAR best team in the league to this point. Jared Goff should get some MVP votes, Dan Campbell has been one of the best Head Coaches of the last half-decade and they've only lost on the road to the Packers and Chiefs. __________________________________ Photo by Joe Sarg

by Zak Drapeau 10/25/2025 Sportz Nation MVP: Baker Mayfield Runner Up Patrick Mahomes Photo by Lon Horwedel/ Imagn Images Oddsmakers have Mahomes as the run away favorite for the MVP award right now but that has to be about the league's biasness toward him. Mayfield has almost identical stats, a better team record and is doing it with a much more injured and inexperienced receiving core. Mayfield has led his team to a 5-2 record and the #4 seed with his top options, Mike Ev

by Zak Drapeau 10/21/2025 Sportz Nation 1. Detroit Lions /\1 5-2 Last Week: 24-9 Win vs TB After a week away from the top spot Detroit regains the status after their decimation of the Buccaneers. Whether they were give home town advantage in penalties at the end of the game or not, the Lions were by far the better team and is the better team in the NFL than any other, with one of the strongest defenses in the league and lucky enough to be one of the least injured....

by Zak Drapeau 10/14/2025 Sportz Nation 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-1 Last Week: 30-19 Win vs SF Photo by Peter Joneleit/ Associated Press For the third week in a row we have a new #1 as the Buccaneers take the crown. Even without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield is looking like the MVP of the league. With Todd Bowles taking care of the defense and Baker running the #6 offense, this team will be rolling and only getting better when they get healthy. ______________

by Zak Drapeau 10/7/2025 Sportz Nation Photo by Joseph Maiorana/Imagn Images 1. Detroit Lions /\2 4-1 Last Week: 37-24 Win at CIN...

by Zak Drapeau 9/30/2025 Sportz Nation 1. Buffalo Bills -- 4-0 Last Week: 31-19 Win vs NO The gap between #1 and #2 is now as close as...