Our First Look at NFL Wild Card Round Matchups

We also have three players to watch in tonight’s NBA and NHL action

In today’s newsletter…

1. Leading Off: Week 18’s impact on the NFL playoffs and draft

2. Game of the Day: East’s top two teams face of for first time

3. Scouting Report: Celtics’ Brown is coming off 50-point game

4. By the Numbers: First look at NFL Wild Card matchups (4 of 6 home teams start as underdogs)

5. Overtime: Two NFL records fell on the last day of the regular season

1. Leading Off

Both teams competing for the No. 2 seed in the NFC lost yesterday, as the Bears played most starters but fell to the Lions and the Eagles rested Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and other starters and were defeated by the Commanders. Chicago ended up as the second seed based on it’s head-to-head win and will host Green Bay, while Philadelphia is at home against San Francisco and would travel to Chicago if both teams win.

With both the Packers and 49ers banged up, it could be that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni wasn’t worried about who his team played first. But Eagles fans, thorough as they are, will certainly criticize their coach if Philadelphia ends up having to play at Soldier Field in the Divisional Round. The decision could have also cost Barkley $250,000, as he was just 87 yards short of earning a bonus for gaining 1,500 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Six of the seven playoff teams in the AFC won yesterday, including the Steelers in a win-to-advance matchup for the division against the Ravens. The lone loss was the Chargers, who fell to the No. 1-seeded Broncos. In the NFC, Atlanta’s victory over New Orleans gave the NFC South to 8-9 Carolina based on a tiebreaker — the Buccaneers and Falcons also finished 8-9. The win didn’t save Atlanta coach Raheem Morris’s job, though, as he was fired last night after two-plus seasons and a 20-25 record.

With the playoff bracket set (we give you a full breakdown with early odds in today’s By the Numbers), the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Seahawks, are the favorite to win the Super Bowl at +420. The Rams are just behind at +430, followed by the Broncos (+650), Eagles (+850), Patriots and Bills (+1000), Texans (+1100), and Jaguars (+1500).

On the other end of the spectrum, both the Raiders and Giants won, which secured the No. 1 draft pick for Las Vegas and dropped the Giants to fifth. The Jets have the No. 2 selection, followed by the Cardinals and Titans.

— Abe Rakov

2. Game of the Day

East’s Top Teams Meet for 1st Time This Season as Both Squads Deal With Injuries

The top two teams in the Eastern Conference face off for the first time this season in the midst of a slow stretch for both. Detroit, which has led the way for most of the season, is just three games up on New York after three losses in its past five games. The Knicks haven’t made up any ground though, as they’ve lost three in a row and four of seven. New York is also the worst team in the NBA against the spread while on the road at 4-11.

The Knicks are 2-3 since Josh Hart went out with an injury after the Christmas Day win over the Cavaliers, and Jalen Brunson has scored below his season average in three of his past four games. Detroit will be without starters Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris for at least the next week. Cade Cunningham has picked up the slack, scoring above his season average in five straight games.

Knicks (23-12, 7-8 Away) vs. Pistons (26-9, 12-3 Home)
7pm on Peacock

The Odds

• Spread: NYK (-2.5, -110), DET (+2.5, -110)

  • 70% of the money and 52% of the bets are with NYK

  • ATS | NYK (road): 4-11, DET (home): 8-7

• Moneyline: NYK -142, DET +120

• Total (235.5): Over -110, Under -110

  • NYK: 21-15, DET: 17-17

Head-to-Head

Players to Watch

• NYK G Jalen Brunson | Points: 29.5 (29.3 - 31, 24, 29, 28, 34), Reb: 3.5 (3.3 - 4, 2, 4, 3, 3), Ast: 6.5 (6.5 - 4, 5, 8, 10, 5)

• NYK C Karl-Anthony Towns | Points: 21.5 (22.0 - 23, 20, 12, 36, 11), Reb: 11.5 (11.8 - 14, 7, 12, 15, 14), Ast: 2.5 (2.9 - 2, 4, 4, 1, 1)

• DET G Cade Cunningham | Points: 28.5 (26.6 - 27, 31, 27, 27, 29), Reb: 5.5 (6.3 - 6, 8, 5, 5, 5), Ast: 9.5 (9.7 - 7, 11, 11, 9 ,17)

• DET G Ausar Thompson | Points: 12.5 (11.6 - 8, 12, 7, 6, 8), Reb: 6.5 (5.7 - 8, 2, 2, 6, 6), Ast: 2.5 (2.6 - 2, 2, 3, 1, 0)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

3. Scouting Report

Brown, Coming Off 50-Point Effort, Scored 3 Points Per Game More in December than November

• Celtics G Jaylen Brown (vs. Bulls)

  • Brown scored a season-high 50 points in 146-115 blowout over the Clippers on Saturday, shooting nearly 70% from the field. He improved his scoring average by more than three points per game from November to December, notching 30+ points in 10 of his past 12. Brown hasn’t faced the Bulls this season, but Chicago has struggled on defense throughout this campaign and is 26th in points allowed at over 122 a night.

  • Points: 29.5 (30.1 - 50, 29, 23, 37, 30), Reb: 6.5 (6.3 - 3, 10, 6, 7, 3), Ast: 5.5 (5.0 - 5, 4, 10, 4, 4)

  • CHI - L1 (7-3 L10) | Points Allowed: 122.1 (26th), Reb Allowed: 45.2 (21st), Ast Allowed: 27.8 (24th)

• Trail Blazers F Deni Avdija (vs. Jazz)

  • Avdija notched his third triple-double of the season in a win against the Spurs on Saturday, scoring 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He scored at least 27 points in three of his past four games, with the lone miss being against the defending champion Thunder, and has double-digit assists in four of five. Avdija managed just 19 points in a 136-134 win over the Jazz in October despite shooting 50% from the field, but has scored above that mark in 25 of his 31 games since. Utah has given up 120+ points in 10 of its past 12 matchups.

  • Points: 26.5 (25.7 - 29, 34, 17, 27, 24), Reb: 6.5 (7.3 - 11, 7, 7, 9, 7), Ast: 6.5 (7.1 - 10, 11, 7, 11, 10)

  • UTA - L3 (3-7 L10) | Points Allowed: 126.8 (30th), Reb Allowed: 44.8 (19th), Ast Allowed: 30.1 (30th)

• Rangers LW Artemi Panarin (vs. Mammoth)

  • Panarin is coming off two goals and an assist in a win against the Panthers in the NHL’s Winter Classic outdoor game. He earned at least one point in three straight and four of the past five, and is averaging 3.4 shots per game in that span. In Panarin’s only game against Utah this year, he had a goal on one shot in a 3-2 loss.

  • Shots: 2.5 (3.1 - 5, 3, 1, 4, 4), Anytime Goal: +150 (0.4 - 2, 0, 0, 0, 1), Assists: 1+ (0.7 - 1, 2, 1, 0, 1), Points: 1.5 (1.0 - 3, 2, 1, 0, 2)

  • UTA - L1 (5-5-0 L10) | Goals Against: 2.91 (12th), Shutouts: 1 (19th), Shots Against: 25.2 (28th)

*Player stats are shown as: Today’s total (Season average - last 5 games from most recent to oldest)

4. By the Numbers

First Look at NFL Wild Card Weekend Odds, 4 of 6 Games Feature Home Underdogs

NFL

• No. 7 Packers (9-7-1, 4-4-1 Away) vs. No. 2 Bears (11-6, 6-2 Home)

  • GB (-1.5, -104), CHI (+1.5, -118): 73% of the money and 67% of the bets are with CHI

    • ATS | GB (road): 3-6, CHI (home): 5-3

  • Total (46.5) | GB: 9-7 (23.0 ppg), CHI: 7-9 (26.6 ppg)

• No. 6 49ers (12-5, 7-2 Away) vs. No. 3 Eagles (11-6, 5-3 Home)

  • SF (+3.5, -114), PHI (-3.5, -106): 67% of the money is with PHI but 59% of the bets are with SF

    • ATS | SF (road): 7-2, PHI (home): 4-4

  • Total (46.5) | SF: 10-7 (25.7 ppg), PHI: 6-10 (22.6 ppg)

• No. 5 Rams (12-5, 5-4 Away) vs. No. 4 Panthers (8-9, 5-3 Home)

  • LAR (-10.5, -102), CAR (+10.5, -120): 54% of the money and 57% of the bets are with CAR

    • ATS | LAR (road): 5-3, CAR (home): 5-3

  • Total (46.5) | LAR: 9-7 (30.1 ppg), CAR: 7-10 (18.3 ppg)

• No. 7 Chargers (11-6, 5-3 Away) vs. No. 2 Patriots (14-3, 6-3 Home)

  • LAC (+3.5, -110), NE (-3.5, -110): 68% of the money and 75% of the bets are with NE

    • ATS | LAC (road): 3-5, NE (home): 4-4-1

  • Total (45.5) | LAC: 7-9 (22.8 ppg), NE: 10-6 (28.3 ppg)

• No. 6 Bills (12-5, 5-3 Away) vs. No. 3 Jaguars (13-4, 7-2 Home)

  • BUF (-1.5, -105), JAX (+1.5, -115): 57% of the money and 55% of the bets are with JAX

    • ATS | BUF (road): 4-4, JAX (home): 7-1

  • Total (51.5) | BUF: 8-8 (27.9 ppg), JAX: 9-7 (27.9 ppg)

• No. 5 Texans (12-5, 5-3 Away) vs. No. 4 Steelers (10-7, 6-3 Home)

  • HOU (-2.5, -128), PIT (+2.5, +104): 82% of the money and 73% of the bets are with HOU

    • ATS | HOU (road): 4-4, PIT (home): 5-3

  • Total (39.5) | HOU: 5-11 (23.8 ppg), PIT: 8-8 (23.2 ppg)

NBA

• Bulls (17-18, 7-9 Away) vs. Celtics (22-12, 10-5 Home)

  • CHI (+11, -112), BOS (-11, -108): 65% of the money and 59% of the bets are with CHI

    • ATS | CHI (road): 8-8, BOS (home): 8-7

  • Total (234.5) | CHI: 16-19 (118.3 ppg), BOS: 16-18 (117.0 ppg)

• Hawks (17-20, 11-9 Away) vs. Raptors (21-15, 11-8 Home)

  • ATL (+3.5, -106), TOR (-3.5, -114): 61% of the money and 51% of the bets are with ATL

    • ATS | ATL (road): 12-8, TOR (home): 7-12

  • Total (236.5) | ATL: 21-16 (119.0 ppg), TOR: 14-22 (114.4 ppg)

• Warriors (19-17, 8-12 Away) vs. Clippers (12-22, 8-9 Home)

  • GS (+1, -108), LAC (-1, -112): 67% of the money and 60% of the bets are with LAC

    • ATS | GS (road): 8-12, LAC (home): 6-11

  • Total (222.5) | GS: 20-16 (115.0 ppg), LAC: 17-17 (112.3 ppg)

• Jazz (12-22, 4-11 Away) vs. Trail Blazers (16-20, 7-9 Home)

  • UTA (+6, -110), POR (-6, -110): 72% of the money is with POR but 52% of the bets are with UTA

    • ATS | UTA (road): 6-9, POR (home): 9-7

  • Total (244.5) | UTA: 21-13 (119.8 ppg), POR: 19-17 (116.3 ppg)

5. Overtime

In the News

• With the regular season complete, all 18 of the non-playoff teams in the NFL now know their place in the April draft. The Raiders are No. 1 and the Vikings are 18th. The Chiefs will have their best pick since 2015 at 10th (though they moved up to 10th in 2017 to draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes), while the Rams get the Falcons’ 13th selection.

• The Browns’ Myles Garrett notched his 23rd sack of the season yesterday, breaking the record of 22.5 that was held by Giants’ Hall of Famer Michael Strahan (2001) and Steelers’ edge J.J. Watt (2021). Garrett’s previous high was 16 back-to-back in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and he has registered double-digit sacks every season except his rookie campaign. He has spent his entire nine-year career with Cleveland. Jaguars kicker Cam Little also made history with his 67-yard field goal yesterday, which set the record for the longest outdoors. Little has the overall record at 68 yards, which he set against the Raiders in Week 9.

• Despite complaints that non-College Football Playoff bowl games don’t mean as much anymore, viewership was up 13% compared to last season. The leader was the now consistently viral Pop-Tarts Bowl, which drew 8.7 million viewers, ESPN’s biggest non-CFP or New Year’s Six bowl audience since the 2020 Citrus Bowl and nearly two million better than last season.

• As we start a new year, CBS Sports looked at the top 25 college basketball stories of 2025. No. 25 was Rutgers failing to make the NCAA Tournament despite having two picks taken in the top five of last year’s NBA Draft (Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey), while their top story was the SEC having one of the best college basketball seasons in history for any conference, capped off by Florida’s title.

What to Watch (times ET)

• 6:30pm: No. 13 Nebraska vs. Ohio State [MCBB] on FS1

• 7pm: Knicks vs. Pistons on Peacock

• 7:30pm: Illinois State vs. Montana State in college football’s FCS Championship on ESPN

• 8:30pm: Nuggets vs. 76ers on Peacock (or No. 24 USC vs. No. 9 Michigan State [MCBB] on FS1)

• 10pm: Warriors vs. Clippers on Peacock