Joseph McLaughlin 1/14/26 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Brian Fluharty/Imagn-Images. The Boston Sports landscape has been buzzing as of late. The Red Sox made it to the postseason for the first time in four years in October, Drake Maye and the New England Patriots won their first playoff game since Super Bowl LIII, and Jaylen Brown is leading the Celtics from a rebuild to championship contention with a Jayson Tatum return coming in the near future. This is all great stuff, but

Photo Credit to DiazTwinsMMA/Instagram The UFC looks incredibly different from how it did at the start of 2025. Whether it be its switch from Pay-Per-View on ESPN+ to Paramount+ or the division contenders themselves, the sport is in a fantastic place going into a new era. Looking at the champions, I think there could be a major mix-up in who holds the belts come the end of 2026. Very few are viewed as "unbeatable," which is a new concept for the sport as a whole. With fighter

Scoring in college basketball has been harder to come by than ever this season. With tighter defensive schemes, fewer freebies at the rim, and little margin for error, there are no easy buckets—every point has to be earned. Yet even in a league where offense feels suffocated, a handful of blue-chip studs have found ways to force the issue, bending defenses and stuffing stat sheets night after night. Some are household names living up to the hype; others are unexpected standou

by Zak Drapeau 1/12/2026 Sportz Nation Graphic by Jaren Kawada via Article on clutchpoints.com In the final matchup of Super Wildcard weekend, the 12-5 Houston Texans will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh tonight at 8:15 EST. The Texans are being favored by 3 points in the game with the Over/Under set at 38.5, which is the lowest of any game this weekend. Texans The Texans' identity has been their defense this season under Demeco Ryans which has

SATURDAY: 22 KANSAS AT WEST VIRGINIA Photo by Kathleen Batten/AP Photo Saturday afternoon, the West Virginia Mountaineers hosted the Kansas Jayhawks in an afternoon matinee. The senior tandem of Honor Huff and Brenen Lorient combined for 41 points in West Virginia’s 86-75 victory over Kansas. West Virginia has now won three of their last four, beat their first ranked opponent of the season, and handed the Jayhawks their second consecutive loss. The first half was full of ti

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

Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty After a few weeks of speculation, the Atlanta Hawks’ eagerness to move Trae Young went from rumor to reality in the blink of an eye. Just three days after reports surfaced that Atlanta was actively exploring trade options, the Washington Wizards emerged as Young’s preferred destination—and almost as quickly, the deal was done. After eight seasons as the face of the Hawks franchise and a fan-favorite in Atlanta basketball, Young is headed to Washington

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 Note From Author: I will be drafting based on all ORIGINAL Picks. Meaning the Browns are back at number 2 with the trade between the Jaguars and them never occurring. I am also taking in account for future potential and not redrafting SOLELY on 2025 performance, although their 2025 season will be heavily impactful toward this exercise. This is NOT my picks for Rookie of the Year odds nor my opinion of who had the best rookie seasons, rath

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

Photo Credit to Auto Racing 1 With the 2025 Formula One season officially coming to a close, it's time to reflect on just how good each driver was this season. Though there were a fair share of disappointing performances among the grid, many of the drivers exceeded expectations, making it all the more difficult to put into an order. Nevertheless, what better way to cap off a season with limitless memories than reflecting on each driver's season? Before we get into my ranking,

by Zak Drapeau 1/6/2025 Sportz Nation Photo by Adam Hunger/ Getty Images 1. Fernando Mendoza QB 6'5" 225 lbs. Indiana Las Vegas Raiders With Pete Carroll being fired yesterday after one, terrible year on the job, the Raiders will be entering the offseason ready for a fresh start, and with valuable pieces to start with. The bigger question we should be asking is if the Raiders should trade away their pick or take one of the top QBs. I believe they should look for a trade d

Photo by Frank Dodson/LATimes The Boston Celtics weren’t supposed to be here. Ranked third, written off as a temporary placeholder in the East, and forced to navigate a long stretch without their franchise player: Boston has quietly flipped the script. At 23–12, the Celtics have done more than survive—they’ve competed at the toughest level, defended their identity, and won, leaning heavily into the best version of Jaylen Brown we’ve ever seen. On paper, this doesn’t look like

by Elias Meredith 1/4/26 Sportz Nation SATURDAY: 22 FLORIDA AT MISSOURI Photo by James Biggerstaff/Imagn Images Saturday night, the Florida Gators and the Missouri Tigers faced off to kick off SEC play. Junior guard Anthony Robinson II led Missouri to an upset win over their conference rival, dropping 19 points and 8 rebounds in the victory. A great bounce back game from a Missouri club who came off a 53-point loss to Illinois in their previous game. The game stayed close thr

Credit to NFL YouTube Page This is it; after a long season of ups and downs, the New England Patriots will wrap up an incredible regular season with a matchup against division foe the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots, who stand at a record of 13-3, are still in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC, while the 7-9 Dolphins will be looking to play spoiler to the party. There is still a lot at stake for both teams, so let's get right into the preview! Injury Report Credit to Kenneth R

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