Photo Credit: Matt Stone/Boston Herald. With the late bye week, Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel got a chance to catch his breath. After all, he had done a lot of work for his former team: He led the Pats on a 10-game winning streak, reinvented the team’s culture, and turned a 4-13 team into one of the best teams in the NFL. He and the team deserved some rest, but Vrabel made his expectations clear this week. “It’s time to get back to work,” he said to Scott Zolak in an interv

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

The 2025 rookie class came in with plenty of hype at the top, but there's been a lot more unfolding quietly in the margins. While several first-rounders are still finding their footing and trying to prove their draft stock was warranted, a group of late first rounders, second-round picks and undrafted hopefuls have wasted no time proving they belong. These weren’t the prospects you heard being argued over all summer long. Yet, some of these guys are paying dividends for playo

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/11/2025 Sportz Nation Start 'Em (Matt Hylen) Quarterbacks Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Lamar Jackson at CIN I did not think I would have to include a player of Lamar Jackson's caliber here, as he is a must-start usually every week, but here we are. Jackson has, to say the least, been terrible the past few weeks in fantasy. Though he bounced back last week, the previous three weeks have been brutal. I expect Jackson to keep the momentum g

bby Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen and Joseph McLaughlin 12/11/2025 Sportz Nation Quarterbacks (Zak Drapeau) Photo by Gregory Fisher/ Imagn Images Josh Allen at NE Joe Burrow vs BAL Jalen Hurts at LV Matthew Stafford vs DET Lamar Jackson at CIN Jaxson Dart vs WAS Drake Maye vs BUF Dak Prescott vs MIN Patrick Mahomes vs LAC Brock Purdy vs TEN Jayden Daniels at NYG Trevor Lawrence vs NYJ Caleb Williams vs CLE Sam Darnold vs IND Justin Herbert at KC With his Burrow-like performances si

by Elias Meredith 12/10/25 Sportz Nation VCU VS NEW MEXICO Photo by UNM Athletics Wednesday night, the New Mexico Lobos traveled across the country looking to extend their five-game winning streak to six in a matchup against the VCU Rams, who have won four of their last five. The Lobos are hopping on a flight back home happy after a gritty 81-78 win over VCU. The first half was action-packed, as the game stayed within single digits throughout the half as the teams traded blow

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/10/2025 Sportz Nation Zak's Picks Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 (Bantamweight Championship) Photo by Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images If any former champion deserves an immediate rematch, it's Merab, and I believe he'll get it. Whether their trilogy concludes in the first half of 2026 or at the White House card is up for debate. Due to the lack of drawing power either of these men has, I can actually see this fight being before the ca

by Joseph McLaughlin 12/9/2025 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Leigh Bacho/Getty Images The fantasy football playoffs are officially here, and now is the time that every fantasy manager has prepared for. If your team made it to the postseason, congratulations and best of luck in your championship quest. If you did not make the playoffs, that is okay. There are still important games to win to avoid whatever punishment your friends created for last place. Whatever group you are in,

Photo Credit to Bryn Lennon - Formula 1 via Getty Images That's it, the 2025 Formula One season is officially in the books, and what a season it was! With a new champion crowned, it marks the end of what will go down as one of the most unexpected and unpredictable seasons we have had in the sport. Drivers and teams alike fought until the very end, with many exceeding expectations. All eyes are now pointed toward 2026, but before we close out 2025, let's analyze some winners a

Playmaking is one of those things we think  we understand because there’s a number for it in the box score. Toss a few lobs, hit the corner shooter, rack up 8–9 assists a night and boom—“elite playmaker.” But the guys on the rankings live in different categories. Some don’t just share the ball, they protect  it. Some bend and re-bend defenses, probe without panicking, and finish games with assist-to-turnover ratios that make coaches want to frame the stat sheet. Being a good

by Elias Meredith 12/8/25 Sportz Nation Saturday: Michigan State vs Duke Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Last Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils once again proved themselves to be a legit national championship contender. Duke defeated the Michigan State Spartans 66-60 in a packed Breslin Center filled with rowdy Michigan State faithful. The impressive victory made Duke 10-0 on the season, which is the best start to a season under the leadership of head coach Jon Scheyer, and

Photo Credit: Steve Senne/Associated Press. In New England’s Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the visiting Patriots found themselves down 10-7. It was a slow start for the red-hot Patriots and nothing seemed to go right.  Drake Maye threw a pick-six, the Bengals were moving the football, everything pointed to an off-day for New England as Cincinnati took a 2nd & 5 snap from their 33-yard line. Bengals Quarterback Joe Flacco surveyed his options downfield before

by Zak Drapeau 12/6/2025 Sportz Nation * Not counting Conor, Jon Jones or Amanda Nunes Honorable Mentions: To Aspinall, Kevin Holland and Alexander Volkanovski Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC 10. Justin Gaethje How fitting that the first entry on our list will be headlining the first Numbered Event of 2026. Justin Gaethje has long been around the top of the Lightweig division and even though he is one of the best fighters in the world, his draw-ability is due to his style. O

by Zak Drapeau 12/5/2025 Sportz Nation SEC Championship Georgia at Alabama Photo by John David Mercer/ Imagn Images While our next Conference Championship will be the most watched, the SEC Championship is almost always most crucial when it comes to CFB Post Season games and this year is no different. For the 4th time in the last 8 seasons, Georgia and Alabama will go head to head for the crown in the SEC in Atlanta. Having already faced each other once this season, Alabama ha

It’s been just over five weeks since tip-off, and the point guard position has been dictating the pulse of the season, especially when it comes to scoring. It seems every team has a floor general putting on a show night after night. These are the ten point guards that have so far controlled the pace, elevated their teammates, and flat-out taken over games when their number was called. But with plenty of basketball still to be played, this list is far from permanent: for now,

by Elias Meredith 12/4/25 Sportz Nation MINNESOTA VS 22 INDIANA Photo by Matt Krohn/Imagn Images Going into last night’s game against Indiana, the Minnesota Golden Gophers were on a three-game losing streak going into their first conference and AP top 25 matchup of the season. That did not faze the Golden Gophers, as they came out victorious, defeating the Indiana Hoosiers, 73-64, handing them their first loss of the season in the process. It was a total team effort for Minne

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen, and Joseph McLaughlin Quarterbacks (Zak Drapeau) Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/ Imagn Images Josh Allen vs CIN Dak Prescott at DET Matthew Stafford at ARI Jared Goff vs DAL Lamar Jackson vs PIT Baker Mayfield vs NO Jalen Hurts at LAC Joe Burrow at BUF Patrick Mahomes vs HOU Bo Nix at LV Daniel Jones at JAX Jordan Love vs CHI Trevor Lawrence vs IND Caleb Williams at GB Justin Herbert vs PHI For the first time that he is healthy enough to be on this list, Lam

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Start 'Em (Matt Hylen) Quarterbacks Photo Credit to AP Photo/David Dermer Jordan Love vs CHI Love finally came out of his slump last week on Thanksgiving, producing a stellar 234-yard and 4 TD performance. This is the kind of play managers have been hoping for from Jordan Love, who is talented enough to break down any defense. Look for Love to have another great week against a Bears defense that is bottom-10 in football in fantasy points allowed

by Zak Drapeau 12/3/2025 Sportz Nation Photo Generated by UFC via Fox News Special Report Main Events 1. Tom Aspinall vs Alex Pereira ( Heavyweight Championship ) With Dana White reiterating that Jon Jones can not be trusted to be on this card, Aspinall vs Pereira has to be the most wanted fight for this event. Alex Pereira has been the biggest name in the sport for 2 years now and for him to move up a division and challenge for the Heavyweight Championship would be an All-Ti

Photo Credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Sports Images. This is it, the fantasy football playoffs are a week away, and this is many teams’ final chance to punch their ticket to the dance. If your team is currently on the bubble, with this week deciding your fate, or if you have secured your spot and are planning for the playoffs, here is my list of players to watch this coming weekend.   Quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (WAS ) - There are not too many options at quarterback left thi