Photo Credit to Charles LeClaire, Eric Canha Round two of the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs is officially here, with the 2-seeded New England Patriots taking on the 5-seeded Houston Texans. New England, coming off a gritty 16-3 win over the LA Chargers, will be looking to exploit what is an elite Houston defense. As for Houston, who is coming off a 30-6 blowout win over the Steelers, the defense will need to step up once again with the offense banged up. The game is set to kick off on

by Zak Drapeau 1/16/2026 - Sportz Nation Photo by Steven Bisig/ Imagn Images Game Preview A rematch from only 2 weeks ago, this game should be one of the closest of the week and the only divisional matchup in the Divisional Round. These NFC West rivals played twice this year and split the series, but when the stakes were at it's highest in a Week 18 game that was for the #1 seed in the NFC and the NFC West title, it was the Seahawks that played stronger on their way to a 13-3

Photo: Justin Ford/GettyImages Just four years ago, Ja Morant electrified the league for 27 points per night, earning NBA Most Improved Player honors, and cementing himself as the face of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise. He wasn’t just a rising star; he was marketed as the future. Fast-forward to 2026, and that future hasn't panned out much at all. Off-court gun incidents leading to suspensions, fractured locker-room chemistry, injuries, and stretches of subpar play have shif

by Joseph McLaughlin 1/16/26 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Landon Haaf via Denver7Sports and AP Photo. After a thrilling Super Wild Card Weekend, the NFL Playoffs are down to their final eight teams, all in search of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. The Divisional Round weekend will feature four games, the first of which will pit the No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills against the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos. The Bills and Broncos face one another in the postseason for the second consecutive y

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