Tough day for the no one watches women’s sports crowd
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s game day!
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Sunday Scroll covered everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington. Whether you’re rooting for the Wolverines, howling for the Huskies, or just hope both teams have fun, check it out then hut, hut, head into today’s news.
— PWHL Minnesota forward Grace Zumwinkle, honoring the State of Hockey after scoring a hat trick in her team’s Saturday home opener, which was attended by a record-setting 13,316 fans. Tough day for the “no one watches women’s sports” crowd.
NFL playoffs
🏈 Signed, sealed, delivered
The GIST: The NFL regular-season finale brought shocking spoilers, unfortunate injuries, and, at long last, the setting of the 14-team playoff field. Ready that TikTok buffalo chicken dip recipe: the postseason is just around the corner.
AFC: Thanks to the Tennessee Titans’ surprise win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, all seven AFC playoff berths were secured before Sunday Night Football kicked off. But the Buffalo Bills’ late night dub over the Miami Dolphins earned them the AFC East title and the No. 2 seed, just behind the top-ranked Baltimore Ravens.
- The Jags’ elimination helped the Pittsburgh Steelers return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus and handed the Houston Texans the AFC South title, sending rookie quarterback (QB) C.J. Stroud’s squad to the postseason for the first time since the 2019 season.
NFC: Entering the weekend with “win and you’re in” scenarios, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers took care of business, beating the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, respectively, to advance. Bucs QB Baker Mayfield had himself a $1M day, while Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay successor Jordan Love proved he has it all under control under center. Out with the old…
- Over in the NFC East, the battle for the division crown devolved into a mid-off, with the Dallas Cowboys topping the Washington Commanders to clinch the conference’s No. 2 seed while the reigning NFC champ Philadelphia Eagles choked against the already eliminated NY Giants and will settle for the No. 5 seed. Womp.
NFL
🏈 The end of an era
The GIST: While playoff contenders look ahead to next weekend’s postseason kick off, the next few days will likely be focused on the teams who didn’t make the cut. Today is known as “Black Monday,” when eliminated squads often cut ties with their head coaches (HC).
- And this year, two legends of the game are on the hot seat:
New England Patriots HC Bill Belichick: The winningest active HC, Belichick is reportedly on his way out after a dynastic 24 seasons in New England. Belichick made nine Super Bowl appearances with the Pats, winning six of them (both records) but has suffered a brutal fall from grace, going a dismal 4-13 this season, his worst-ever showing as an HC.
- True to form, Belichick has remained tight-lipped about his future, but he did confirm he’s scheduled to meet with Patriots ownership as early as today. Dun, dun, dun…
Washington Commanders HC Ron Rivera: Rivera was twice named NFL Coach of the Year (2013 and 2015) but never quite re-found that form after taking over as Washington’s HC in 2020. “Riverboat Ron” notably led the Commanders through a tumultuous culture change in that first year at the helm but has struggled with QB management over the last few seasons. Now it’s almost certainly time for a changing of the guard.
🎾 World No. 4 Coco Gauff defended her Auckland Classic title with yesterday’s finals win over world No. 23 Elina Svitolina. On the men’s side, Spain’s Rafael Nadal withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open due to a new hip injury.
⚽ Chelsea striker and Australian national team star Sam Kerr suffered an ACL injury during training camp in Morocco, making her the latest women’s player to suffer the injury. Devastating.
⛷️ California’s AJ Hurt reached her first-ever Alpine skiing World Cup podium with yesterday’s third-place finish in Slovenia. The 23-year-old raced up from 16th by posting the fastest overall second run.
🏆 Thanks to two goals from forward Isaac Howard, Team USA defeated Sweden 6–2 on Friday to win their sixth IIHF World Junior Championship. Red, white, blue…and gold.
🏒 Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard was placed on the injured reserve with a fractured jaw sustained in Friday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils. There is no timeline for the 18-year-old’s return.
🏀 After serving a 12-game suspension for striking another player, Golden State Warrior Draymond Green returned to the team yesterday and is expected to be back on the court soon.
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Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🏒 What to check out
The PWHL home opener schedule, which runs until January 13th. Get in on the thrilling action.
⚽ What to watch
Under Pressure (Sweden’s Version). This TV program follows the Swedish women's national team during their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup journey.
📽️ What to see in theaters
Iron Claw. Starring Calvin Klein’s latest star, Jeremy Allen White, and Zac Efron, the film has generated plenty of buzz. Pack the tissues.
Question of the Day
Now that the NFL Playoff field is officially set, who’s your early pick to win it all? Choose from the options below or reply to this email with your Super Bowl winner.
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