Good Morning! Today is Monday, January 6th. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

NFL

The regular season is officially over. Before we get to the playoff preview (coming later this week), let’s run through the highlights from week 18:

• The Baltimore Ravens clinched the AFC North on Saturday with a blowout victory over Cleveland. And later in the evening, Cincinnati looked much stronger than the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers. But would the Bengals get the help they needed to join the postseason circus?

• No, they would not. Bo Nix set the rookie passing touchdowns record and the Denver Broncos demolished the Carson Wentz version of the Chiefs. Congrats to Denver on clinching the final playoff spot! Your reward is a trip to Buffalo… best of luck.

• Mike Evans tied Jerry Rice’s record with his 11th consecutive season of 1,000 receiving yards. And with their win over the Saints, the Bucs officially won the NFC South, eliminating the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta was out anyway, losing to the suddenly optimistic Carolina Panthers– speaking of the Panthers, Bryce Young may have pulled off the coolest play of the year in the victory:

• The rest of week 18 was mostly about draft picks and milestones. In what may have been his final NFL game, Aaron Rodgers threw his 500th career touchdown pass. The Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers on a last-second field goal, ending an 11-game losing streak against their rival. And Tennessee clinched the first overall pick, thanks in large part to the New England Patriots beating the Josh Allen-less Buffalo Bills. After a messy first season in charge, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was fired shortly after the game.

• There was one last game, however, and it meant a lot. Sunday Night Football saw the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings take on the 14-2 Detroit Lions for the number one seed in the NFC. A high-scoring shootout was expected between these super-powered offenses… but the home team shut it all down. The Lions kept the Vikings out of the end zone, standing strong on multiple fourth down attempts and holding Minnesota to just 9 points. Meanwhile, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored four TDs, leading the Lions to a 31-9 win and the best regular-season record in franchise history. Detroit earned a first-round bye and bumped Minnesota to the five-seed, where they’ll take on the LA Rams in round one. A potential rematch looms in the near futurek:

NBA

Let’s check in on the NBA, shall we?

• We had a clash of the titans this weekend, as Victor Wembanyama faced off against Nikola Jokic on back-to-back nights. The Nuggets and Spurs split the games, and the two stars did not disappoint:

• Welcome back Kawhi Leonard! The oft-injured superstar made his season debut on Saturday for the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 12 points in an LA victory.

• How about the Oklahoma City Thunder! OKC took down the Boston Celtics on Sunday, winning their 15th game in a row.

• And then there was this super cool alley-oop that I thought was worth sharing:

HOCKEY

After breaking his leg earlier this season, Alexander Ovechkin has been back on the ice for five games– with another tally on Saturday, the 42-year old has now scored four times since his return to action. Just 23 more to break Wayne Gretzky’s record!

The World Juniors is a massive hockey tournament. With that as your context, I’m going to let this highlight speak for itself. Enjoy:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

17-year old Luke Littler has become the youngest-ever winner of the world darts championship. So now you know that for your next trivia night.

North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker hadn’t started a game since his freshman year of high school. But with the transfer portal and bowl-game opt outs, he got an opportunity to lead the Mean Green in the First Responder Bowl on Friday. Although North Texas lost, Mestemaker was a star. He threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns, with a 70-yard touchdown run. Remember the name!

Disgruntled Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill may be on the move. “I'm out, bruh. It was great playing here but at the end of the day, I have to do what's best for my career,” Hill said after Sunday’s loss.

Down under in Australia, the United States has won the United Cup. In this unique mixed-team event, Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz led the US to a win over Poland in the finals. Don’t worry if you missed the beginning of the tennis year– the Australian Open starts on Sunday.

As tennis begins the new season, so does golf. Hideki Matsuyama started 2025 by posting a -35 and winning The Sentry in Hawaii, setting a PGA tour record with the low score. I also played golf this weekend– it did not look like this:

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA: Suns @ 76ers, 7 PM on NBA TV

NHL:

• Capitals @ Sabres, 7 PM on NHL Network

• Panthers @ Avalanche, 9 PM

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FCS CHAMPIONSHIP: North Dakota State vs Montana State, 7 PM on ESPN

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at basketball,” –Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, when asked on where he stands among other players in the league