The NFL is heading back to Munich. After playing games in the German city in both 2022 and 2024, the NFL announced Wednesday it will return to Munich in both 2026 and 2028 for regular-season games.
The move is part of a multiyear partnership with both the city of Munich and FC Bayern Munich. Games will be hosted at Allianz Arena, where FC Bayern Munich plays its home games.
FC Bayern Munich confirmed the partnership, with the mayor of Munich, Verena Dietl, expressing excitement over “spreading the enthusiasm” for American football in the city.
“I’m delighted about the extension of our contract with the NFL and it once again shows the importance and strength of Munich as a sporting city. The previous games not only won the hearts of the fans, but also strengthened our successful cooperation with the NFL. Together, we’re committed to promoting American football in Germany and spreading the enthusiasm for the sport far beyond the stadiums. I’m looking forward to the upcoming games in 2026 and 2028, which will not only bring top-class sport, but also valuable impetus for grassroots sport in our city.”
The NFL has played regular-season games in Munich two other times. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers played at Allianz Arena in 2022, with the Bucs coming out on top. Two years later, the Carolina Panthers beat the New York Giants in Munich.
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Germany is no stranger to hosting NFL games at this point. In addition to those two contests, the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons played a regular-season game in Berlin earlier this year. The Colts won thanks to a tremendous performance from running back Jonathan Taylor.
The NFL has not announced which teams will take part in the Munich game in 2026 or 2028.
In recent years, the NFL has pushed to expand play outside the United States. The league has scheduled a number of international games each year, with six taking place during the 2025 NFL season. The NFL has played at least one game in the United Kingdom regularly since the 2007 season and has expanded international play to Brazil, Spain and Mexico, among other countries, in recent seasons.
The 2026 Munich game marks one of six international games announced by the NFL for next season. In addition to playing in Germany next year, the NFL will also play in Australia, Brazil and Mexico. The league will also play two games in the United Kingdom in 2026.
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The league announced the Los Angeles Rams will play in the Australia game and that the Jacksonville Jaguars will appear in one of the games in the United Kingdom, but have not revealed any other teams taking part in international games next season.
Welcome to the knockout rounds of the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, where eight teams — four from each conference — compete in win-or-go-home quarterfinal matchups. The winners advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, where they’ll have the chance to compete for the right to etch their names into NBA Cup history, for the chance to hoist all 35 pounds of it, and for whatever bragging rights come along with being the third victors of this still-buffering competition.
Before the back half of our quarterfinal quartet tips off, let’s take a fresh look at the lay of the land in the West as we return to our irregularly scheduled tournament, already in progress:
Where we left off in the West
We detailed that frantic final evening of group-stage play, with three of the four quarterfinal spots still up for grabs. There was drama in Denver, where the Spurs had to roar back from an 18-point third-quarter deficit against the Nuggets to keep their hopes alive.
Thanks to monster second halves from Devin Vassell (21 of his team-high 35 after intermission) and Julian Champagnie (15 of his 25), San Antonio exploded for 80 second-half points without superstar big man Victor Wembanyama and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, stunning Nikola Jokić and Co. to score a 139-136 win to improve to 3-1 in West Group C, eliminating Denver and Houston to secure their spot in the knockout round.
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Things were also tight — somewhat uncharacteristically so! — in Oklahoma City, where the upstart Suns continued their pleasantly surprising strong start to the season by pushing the defending champion Thunder to the limit.
Down by as many as 15, Phoenix charged back in the fourth quarter, getting hot from long distance — Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie combined for five of the Suns’ six fourth-quarter triples — and cutting OKC’s lead to a single point multiple times. Time and again, though, the hosts had the answer — typically in the form of letting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander size up his man and go to work.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s chosen to celebrate winning nearly everything there was to win last season — the exception, of course, being the NBA Cup! — by coming back even better, poured in 15 of his game-high 37 points in the final seven minutes, capped by a pair of free throws with 4.7 seconds left to finish off a 123-119 win. With the victory, Oklahoma City finished atop West Group A at 4-0 — and, by virtue of their +75 point differential across the four victories, with the No. 1 seed in the conference.
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The loss dropped Phoenix to 3-1, but it didn’t knock them out of the competition. Thanks to doing what so few teams have managed this season against OKC — namely, not getting blown out — the Suns wrapped up group play with a +31 point differential, which was large enough to edge out the Memphis Grizzlies (who also went 3-1, but finished +14) for the West’s wild-card spot.
That cemented the conference’s final four, setting up a Thunder-Suns rematch in the 1-vs.-4 game, and a very intriguing matchup between the high-scoring Los Angeles Lakers — the winners of West Group B — and a Spurs team that’s gone an impressive 8-3 since losing superstar center Victor Wembanyama to a left calf strain.
What to know about Suns-Thunder (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
We should probably start with this: In case you missed it, the Thunder are, like, really good.
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Oklahoma City enters the quarterfinals on a 15-game winning streak, and at 23-1 on the season — just the third team in NBA history to open a season with wins in 23 of its first 24 games. The other two: The 1969-70 New York Knicks, who went on to win the NBA championship, and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went on to set the all-time single-season record of 73 wins that OKC’s now chasing.
With Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein manning the back line, and Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace and all manner of other havoc-wreakers stationed at the point of attack, the Thunder lead the NBA in defensive efficiency to a comical degree, allowing 6.8 fewer points per 100 possessions than the second-place Rockets. That gap is the same as the one between No. 2 Houston and No. 21 Chicago.
(Worth noting: Hartenstein will miss the quarterfinal matchup with a right soleus strain that has cost him the last five games. Also worth noting: The Thunder won all five of those games and have blown opponents out by nearly 21 points-per-100 with him off the floor this season.)
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With Gilgeous-Alexander at the controls, Oklahoma City also features a top-five offense, despite All-NBA No. 2 offensive option Jalen Williams missing the first 19 games of the season recovering from offseason wrist surgery. Since Williams’ return — which came, coincidentally, in that group-stage-concluding win over the Suns — he’s averaging 17.8 points in 29 minutes per game with a 32-to-6 assist-to-turnover ratio. And in the minutes when SGA sits — during which the Thunder’s offense had plummeted considerably — they’ve scored like a top-five offense with J-Dub on the ball.
All of which, y’know, would seem to make for pretty tough sledding for the Suns … particularly considering they’ll enter the matchup without leading scorer and assist man Devin Booker, who’s sidelined by a right groin strain. Add in the ongoing absence of Jalen Green, whom Phoenix imported from Houston in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets, with a strained right hamstring, and it feels unlikely that Phoenix will have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs.
And yet: “Unlikely” has kind of been the Suns’ stock in trade this season.
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Have to deal with Wembanyama after he’s opened the season tearing everybody apart? No problem: Just tailor a picture-perfect traffic-jam gameplan to disrupt, dislodge and discombobulate him, holding him to a season-low nine points and handing the Spurs their first loss.
Trail by seven late against the Wolves? No problem: Just rip off nine straight in the final 1:19 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Lose Booker early in the first quarter of a road game against Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and the Lakers? No problem: Dillon Brooks (whose usage rate has skyrocketed to Jordanian levels sans Booker this season) will just score 23 of his 33 points in the first half … and Gillespie will hit five of his eight 3-pointers in the second to stake the Suns to a blowout win.
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It’ll likely take everything the Suns can muster to hang in with the Thunder again: stellar shot-making from Gillespie, O’Neale, Brooks and Grayson Allen; Brooks going goblin mode defensively to short-circuit his Canadian national teammate SGA; generating extra possessions on the offensive glass and by creating turnovers (hey there, Mark Williams, Jordan Goodwin and Ryan Dunn); head coach Jordan Ott coming up with a way to throw some sand into the gears of what’s been an incredibly smooth-running OKC machine.
It’s a lot to expect; the odds of getting it all to go right are astonishingly small. But the Suns have been outperforming expectations and beating the odds all season. Why stop now?
What to know about Spurs-Lakers (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
The first time these two teams played this season, the Lakers were missing James and Reaves … so Luka just went ahead and put up 35-9-13 with five steals and a pair of blocks in a come-from-behind win.
The Lakers have been on a roll since getting James back from his early-season sciatica-induced absence, going 6-1 with him in the lineup. He’s helped stabilize non-Luka stints, with L.A. outscoring opponents by 13 points in 82 minutes when LeBron and Reaves take the wheel while Dončić gets a breather, according to PBP Stats. Even while still working his way into playing shape and occasionally looking like an about-to-be-41-year-old in the process — a career-low 28% of his shot attempts have come at the rim, and he’s making them less often than at any point since his rookie season — LeBron has fit productively into the fold for head coach/erstwhile podcast partner JJ Redick.
He’s slotting into a complementary role alongside Dončić and Reaves, posting by far the lowest usage rate of his career (he’s actually fourth on the Lakers, behind Nick Smith Jr.!) and the lowest average time of possession in the 13 seasons for which Second Spectrum publishes tracking data. He’s looking comfortable working off the ball, he has a sparkling 53-to-13 assist-to-turnover ratio, and L.A. has scored like the NBA’s best offense with him on the floor.
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And when the Lakers need him to crank it up — like they did in the fourth quarter against the 76ers on Sunday — it looks like he’s still got some gas in the tank:
There’s been a bit less gas, however, on the defensive end of the court, where the Lakers rank 20th overall in points allowed per possession — and where they’ve been worse with their big three on the floor. It’s a problem that first reared its head after Dončić arrived in California last season …
… and it’s remained one thus far this season. Lineups featuring Luka, LeBron and Reaves have been outscored by 15 points in 108 minutes, allowing 121.9 points per 100 while struggling to generate turnovers and conceding a ton of 3-pointers. That could be a problem against a Spurs team that has ranked 12th in long-distance attempts and ninth in 3-point makes per game since Wembanyama left the lineup, with Vassell, Champagnie, De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes all shooting better than 38% from beyond the arc in that span.
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Fox — who missed the first meeting against the Lakers working his way back from an offseason hamstring injury — has been fantastic, averaging just under 26 points and seven assists per game on .614 true shooting since Wemby’s injury. Rookie Dylan Harper — who missed that first meeting, too — continues to get into the paint seemingly at will, fresh off a 22-point, six-assist performance in Monday’s win over the Pelicans. Castle, who’d been off to a phenomenal start to his sophomore season before going down with a hip injury, returned to the lineup against New Orleans, putting up 18-5-5 in 23 minutes in his return.
The Spurs, obviously, would love to have their 7-foot-infinity top gun back on the floor for this win-or-go-home contest; unfortunately, Wembanyama’s not quite ready to roll yet. Even so: A San Antonio side that now has its full complement of backcourt firepower for the first time all season could pose major problems for a Lakers defense that’s yet to prove it can consistently get stops with its own top guns on the floor.
What comes next?
The winners of the single-elimination quarterfinal games will advance to Las Vegas, where the semifinals will be held on Saturday. The championship game for the NBA Cup will take place Tuesday.
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That championship game will be the only one in the entire tournament that won’t also count toward participants’ regular-season record and statistics. For those two teams, it will count as Game 83. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will each play one regular-season game against one another, too, with the games coming on Thursday, Friday, Sunday or Monday.
Making the quarterfinals guarantees every player on the participating teams a payout; to the winners, though, go greater spoils, with the tournament champion taking home the biggest bank.
For the inaugural in-season tournament, the prize pool operated in nice round numbers: $50,000 for each player on teams that lose in the quarterfinals; $100,000 for players on teams that lose in the semifinals; $200,000 for players on the team that loses in the final game; and a crisp $500,000 for everyone on the team that hoists the NBA Cup. The math has changed a bit year-over-year, thanks to a passage in the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players union stipulating that those prize payouts rise by a “growth factor” tied to any increase in the basketball-related income (BRI) that the league generates.
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BRI has gone up over the past two seasons; thus, so have the payouts:
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🚨 Headlines
⚾️ MLB Draft Lottery: The White Sox won the MLB Draft lottery, earning the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft after entering the night with the best odds of any team. The Rays, Twins, Giants and Pirates round out the top five.
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⚽️ Messi wins MVP: Lionel Messi won his second straight MLS MVP, becoming the first player in league history to win the award in consecutive seasons and just the second to win the award multiple times, period.
⚾️ MLB Winter Meetings: Kyle Schwarber is signing a five-year, $150 million deal to stay in Philly and Edwin Díaz is joining the Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million deal, giving the two-time defending champs the best reliever on the market.
🏈 Rivers returns to Indy: The Colts signed Philip Rivers to their practice squad as a potential replacement for Daniel Jones (Achilles). Rivers, 44, hasn’t played since 2020, when he led the Colts to the playoffs in his 17th NFL season.
⚽️ USMNT to face Senegal: The Americans will play Senegal in Charlotte on May 31 in their penultimate World Cup tuneup. Their other three tuneups will come in Atlanta in late March (against Belgium and Portugal) and in Chicago in early June (against Germany).
🎓 Private equity has arrived on campus
(Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
College sports’ rapid transformation from amateur endeavor to professional industry has taken another leap forward in the wake of Tuesday’s news: private equity has officially arrived on campus.
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A landmark deal: The University of Utah is finalizing a first-of-its-kind agreement with PE firm Otro Capital to create a for-profit entity that will operate the university’s athletics business and is expected to generate upwards of $500 million in capital, reports Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
The venture is centered around the creation of Utah Brands & Entertainment LLC — a private, independent offshoot of the athletic department whose primary goal is to generate more revenue across areas including ticketing, concessions, corporate sales and sponsorships.
In a fascinating wrinkle, the university — which retains majority ownership of the new entity — is allowing prominent donors to purchase a stake, essentially formalizing their status as boosters. Indeed, the $500 million figure includes both Otro’s nine-figure cash infusion and commitments from donors.
The big picture: The early NIL era was heralded as the culmination of a decades-long fight against the myth of amateurism. Turns out it was just the beginning, with schools now set to share revenue directly with athletes and enlist outside capital partners — like Utah is doing — to help navigate this brave new world.
Here’s Ross:
The emergence of private equity in college sports is a long time coming. For the last two years, as university athletic departments face mounting financial stressors, dozens of schools pursued private capital or equity deals, including conferences as a whole — most notably the Big 12 and Big Ten. However, when these projects reached the finish line, they were stymied for various reasons.
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For instance, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has twice presented such a deal before his presidential board. Big Ten officials nearly reached the point of a vote on a $2.4 billion capital deal before at least two schools — USC and Michigan — scuttled the project.
Yormark’s pursuit of a capital deal caught the attention of Harlan and Utah administrators, who, more than two years ago, began the process that resulted in the potential deal with Otro.
Looking ahead: There are only so many more ways to continue closing the gap between college and pro sports, and one of the biggest — collective bargaining — may be on its way. Athletes.Org released a detailed framework on Monday for what a college sports CBA could look like, and dozens of athletic directors are meeting this week at an annual conference in Las Vegas where collective bargaining will be a main topic of conversation.
🏈 NFL power rankings
(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)
The top of our NFL power rankings held steady this week outside of two scorching-hot newcomers to the top 10, which replaced two reeling teams.
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Moving in: The Texans (8-5) jumped seven spots to No. 7 (and climbed into the AFC playoff picture) after winning their fifth straight game behind the league’s best defense. The Chargers (9-4) jumped three spots to No. 10 after winning five of their last six and gutting out Monday’s overtime victory against Philly.
Moving out: Speaking of the Eagles (8-5), they fell five spots to No. 12 after Jalen Hurts’ five-turnover performance resulted in their third straight loss. The Colts (8-5), meanwhile, fell 12 spots to No. 22 after losing their third straight game, losing Daniel Jones for the season and losing their grip on a playoff spot.
🇺🇸 Orlando, Florida — The Magic overcame a game-opening 15-0 deficit to beat the Heat, 117-108, and advance to the NBA Cup semifinals. Desmond Bane (37-6-5) led the way for Orlando, scoring exactly 37 points for the third time in his last six games.
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The nightcap: The Knicks also advanced after cruising past the Raptors, 117-101, behind Jalen Brunson (35-3-4) and Josh Hart (21-6-4).
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates his game-winner. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
🇮🇹 Milan, Italy — Liverpool beat Inter Milan, 1-0, on an 88th-minute penalty to climb into the top eight of the Champions League table three-quarters of the way through the league phase.
Elsewhere: Tottenham beat Slavia Prague, 3-0, on two penalties and an own goal; Atalanta came back to beat Chelsea, 2-1; Barcelona beat Frankfurt, 2-1, on a brace from Jules Koundé in a three-minute span.
Calgary goalkeeper Eric Tu dives into the pile of teddy bears. (Leah Hennel/Getty Images)
🇨🇦 Calgary, Canada — Fans of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen showered the ice with 26,828 stuffed animals on Sunday during the team’s 30th annual Teddy Bear Toss, which remains one of the great traditions in sports.
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Teddies for charity: Since their inaugural 1995 toss — triggered by the team’s first goal in each annual game — the Hitmen have collected 508,300 teddy bears, which they then donate to local hospitals and charities.
🏀 Wilson named TIME Athlete of the Year
(Kanya Iwana/TIME)
Aces superstar A’ja Wilson was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the second straight WNBA player to earn that honor after Caitlin Clark in 2024.
Unmatched résumé: Wilson won her record fourth WNBA MVP in 2025 after leading Vegas to their third title in four years. She also won her second straight scoring title, second WNBA Finals MVP and third DPOY, all while being a “culture shifter” whose impact merely begins on the court.
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While refusing to relinquish her supremacy on the basketball court, Wilson has managed to extend her power far beyond the field of play, a trick that only a precious few athletes can pull off. LeBron. Ali. Serena. A’ja. “A’ja isn’t a rising star anymore,” says philanthropist Melinda French Gates, whose publishing imprint released Wilson’s best-selling memoir, Dear Black Girls, in 2024. “She’s at the center of her own solar system.”
OKC beat Phoenix, 123-119, late last month. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
🏀 NBA Cup Quarterfinals
The knockout round of the in-season tournament continues tonight with two Western Conference matchups. First up, the historically-hot Thunder host the Suns (7:30pm ET, Prime). Then it’s Spurs at Lakers in the nightcap (10pm, Prime).
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Best start ever? OKC (23-1) is one win away from matching the 2015-16 Warriors for the best 25-game start in NBA history.
⚽️ Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
Today’s Champions League slate is headlined by a heavyweight clash between 2023 champion City and 2024 champion Madrid (3pm, Paramount+), both of whom currently sit second in their respective domestic leagues.
Best of the rest: Defending champion PSG visits Athletic Club (3pm, Paramount+) and Premier League leader Arsenal, the lone undefeated team in Champions League play, visits Club Brugge (3pm, Paramount+).
🏈 Overtime Nationals
Powerhouse programs Corner Canyon (Utah) and St. Frances Academy (Maryland) will go head-to-head tonight (7pm, ESPN2) in the inaugural Overtime Nationals High School Football Championship at Baltimore’s Under Armour Stadium.
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What’s at stake: In addition to owning the title of National Champion, the winner of the game will also receive a $250,000 donation to their school.
More to watch:
🏒 NHL: Rangers at Blackhawks (7:30pm, TNT); Kings at Kraken (10pm, TNT) … Connor Bedard is thriving (40 points, sixth-most in the league), but Chicago has lost eight of 10.
🏀 NCAAW: No. 11 Iowa at No. 10 Iowa State (7pm, ESPN) … The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last nine games in the Cy-Hawk Series.
🏒 Women’s Hockey: USA vs. Canada (7pm, NHL) … Edmonton hosts Game 3 of the Rivalry Series after the Americans won the first two games at home.
⚽️ Women’s Champions League: Barcelona vs. Benfica (12:45pm, Paramount+) … One of five matches to close out the penultimate Matchday of the group stage.
With the back-to-back AL Cy Young set to hit free agency next fall, Detroit must act aggressively this offseason to try to build a legitimate World Series contender for what might well be Skubal’s final year with the team.
After seven straight years of reaching at least the AFC Championship, the Chiefs are 6-7 and looking like a good bet to miss the playoffs entirely. Maybe that’s just the medicine they need after coasting for so long on Patrick Mahomes’ arm and Steve Spagnuolo’s game-planning.
The Greek Freak hasn’t formally requested a trade yet, but it certainly seems like we might be heading that way. So it feels prudent to gauge what each team could theoretically offer the Bucks for their two-time MVP.
Trivia answer: Kenley Jansen (334 saves)
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The true do-or-die time has come for the Kansas City Chiefs. They could be eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15.
Before the season, the Chiefs missing the playoffs seemed very unlikely. The thought of them having three meaningless games at the end of the season was inconceivable. But with a loss to the Chargers it’s possible the Chiefs can be officially eliminated in Week 15. There are multiple ways in which it could happen, but the cleanest is if the Bills, Jaguars and Texans win in addition to the Chargers beating the Chiefs.
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Even if the Chiefs aren’t mathematically eliminated after a loss this week, the odds of them making the playoffs would be microscopic. It’s not like they have a great shot even with a win. According to NFL.com, their playoff odds would rise from 12% to 19% by beating the Chargers.
On the other hand, the Chargers’ playoff odds would rise to 93% with a win. It has been a very good season for them, overcoming injuries to put themselves in great position for a playoff spot. One of their biggest wins came in Week 1, when they knocked off the Chiefs in Brazil. Winning Sunday would clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs, though that probably won’t be necessary.
(Yahoo Sports/Grant Thomas)
The Chargers overcoming injuries for a 9-4 start is commendable, but the story of the NFL season has been the Chiefs and their dip to a 6-7 record with four games remaining. For those hoping to see the Chiefs officially out of the postseason picture, Sunday could be the day.
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Here are the other Week 15 games that will have the biggest impact on the playoff picture:
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Had we known three months ago this Week 15 game would be a potential clincher for the AFC East championship, it would not have made sense. The Bills were expected to win the division by multiple games.
But there was a twist. It’s the Patriots, at 11-2, who can clinch the AFC East with a win over the 9-4 Bills. The Patriots already beat the Bills in Buffalo this season, part of a 10-game winning streak. It seems like an AFC East title is almost inevitable for the Patriots, so aside from the celebration of ending the Bills’ streak of five division titles in a row, the win might be more important in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Patriots and Broncos are tied for the top spot, and each of those teams has a tough game on Sunday.
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Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos
The Broncos have a great shot to win the division. DVOA’s projections have them at a 91.6% chance to win the AFC West. But Denver also doesn’t want to open the door for the Chargers to make a late push. The Broncos also are pushing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and this week could provide more clarity in that race.
Denver will have a challenge with the Packers, who took over first place in the NFC North with a win over the Bears in Week 14. The Packers have only an outside shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and a Week 16 game at Chicago should practically decide the NFC North championship. Perhaps Green Bay might get caught looking ahead a bit.
Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams
It seems like the Lions and Bears are destined to meet in Week 18 with one NFC playoff spot on the line. There’s a long way to go before then, and a win over the Rams would put Detroit in better position to push for a playoff spot. The problem is the Lions haven’t had a two-game winning streak since Week 5. Detroit is coming off a win over Dallas in Week 14.
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The Rams are in a tough spot this week. The Lions are a quality team. But Los Angeles’ game of the season comes four days later when they play at the Seahawks in Seattle on a Thursday night. The Rams and Seahawks are tied atop the NFC West at 10-3. Like the Packers, maybe the Rams will be looking ahead a bit.
Due to Jones’ injury last week, the Seahawks suddenly found themselves with a much easier game in Week 15, before their Rams showdown. If the Seahawks can beat a shorthanded Colts team at home on Sunday, then follow that up with a win over the Rams on Thursday, they would have the inside track to win the NFC West and also get the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They’ll be rooting for a Lions win Sunday as well.
At 6-7, the team has some work to do if it’s hoping for another Super Bowl run. It’s a surprising result considering many expected the Chiefs to be a championship-caliber team coming into the season.
“It’s been a tough f***ing go-around for the past two days. You put in all this f***ing work in hopes that it pays off and right now it just, for whatever f***ing reason, man, it’s little things. It’s, I dunno. Discipline.
“I feel like I’ve always had the answers in years past, and this year I just can’t find them. And I keep thinking if I show up to work and put in the work, and I fix the issues through my practice habits and through perfecting the game plan and my fundamentals and what I’m being taught and go out there and try and play my ass off for my guys next to me, it’s all going to come together like it has in years past. And this year it’s just not, man.”
That’s a surprisingly bleak comment from a player who has generally provided excitement and energy to the Chiefs throughout his career. Kelce is the type to get fired up and motivate others. He was unable to do that here, a sign the Chiefs’ struggles are perhaps more legitimate than people realize.
Kelce was adamant that he’s going to keep working hard to try and turn the season around, but he admitted looking at the playoff picture was “a tough reality.”
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While the Chiefs can still rally to claim a postseason spot, the team can also be eliminated in Week 15. It would take a lot for that to happen, but wins by the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Texans, combined with the Chiefs loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, could get it done.
If that does happen, it would mark the first time since 2014 the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. The team has played in the postseason in every year of Patrick Mahomes’ career. Kelce has missed the playoffs just once over his 13 years in the NFL.
At 36, it’s unclear how many more seasons Kelce has left in the league. After a bit of a down year last season, Kelce has seen his numbers tick up in 2025. But the veteran made at least one crucial mistake in the team’s loss to the Texans, bobbling a pass that was intercepted as the Chiefs were trying to make a comeback.
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Kelce admonished himself on “New Heights,” calling the result of the play a “s***ty feeling.”
With the season winding down, the Chiefs are going to have to win some tough games if they hope to reach the playoffs. After the 9-4 Chargers come to town in Week 15, the Chiefs will take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The AFC West-leading Denver Broncos are on tap for Week 17, with the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders on the schedule in the final week of the regular season.
While two of those teams have a combined four wins this season, the other two are among the best in the AFC. If the Chiefs are going to make the playoffs, they’ll have to prove they can beat the best the AFC has to offer.
A television drama about the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is in development by Starz, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The show will tell “the inside story of Shohei Ohtani’s translator Ippei Mizuhara, who journeys from unemployed drifter to international icon only to find himself tangled in a gambling scandal that rocked the sports world.” That’s one way to describe what federal prosecutors and IRS agents described as a years-long run of fraud and theft, all at the expense of his close friend.
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It will also touch on the relationship between Mizuhara and Ohtani, which dates back to Ohtani’s rookie season with Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters when he was 18 years old.
In June, Mizuhara began serving a 57-month prison sentence for stealing nearly $17 million to pay off gambling debts while employed by Ohtani, which he was ordered to pay in restitution. Mizuhara, 40, was charged with bank fraud and tax fraud, for which he faced up to 33 years in prison.
While working with Ohtani, Mizuhara reportedly ran up $40.3 million in net losses from 19,000 wagers made with bookmaker Mathew Bowyer during a period between December 2021 and January 2024.
As Ohtani’s interpreter, de facto handler and friend since the Los Angeles Dodgers star came to the U.S. in 2018, Mizuhara covered his losses by secretly withdrawing funds from the bank account that received his client’s MLB salary until it all fell apart after the Dodgers’ 2024 season opener.
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Mizuhara went to great lengths to preserve his access to both Ohtani and his money, including impersonating him while calling a bank to send his bookie a six-figure wire transfer. Foreign players often depend on their interpreters for more than just baseball, and Mizuhara’s influence reached the point that Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, spoke to his client only through Mizuhara, granting him a high degree of control over Ohtani’s finances.
Alex Convery, who wrote the 2023 movie “Air” about Michael Jordan’s relationship with Nike, will be the showrunner and writer. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” director Justin Lin will serve as the show’s director. Sportswriter Albert Chen is a co-executive producer.
No details about a potential release date were announced.
Welcome back to the world’s most accurate power rankings, where this week we will place the eight NBA Cup quarterfinalists into so perfect an order they barely even have to play the tournament to sort it out.
That is right: We ranked the eight teams remaining in the NBA Cup field from from least likely to most likely to win the single-elimination extravaganza. Bet accordingly, or don’t. I can’t guarantee winnings.
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What I can guarantee is that these are the best damn NBA Cup quarterfinal power rankings around …
NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Oklahoma City (-15.5) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
The Suns (14-10) are playing better than anyone anticipated, hovering above .500, holding firm to a play-in tournament berth in the crowded Western Conference through the season’s first quarter. They are 3-4 in their last seven games, playing more like the team we imagined them to be, with a -4.7 net rating.
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Devin Booker missed their last two games, including a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets, with a strained groin. He is questionable for Wednesday’s Cup quarterfinal against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder, then, will host the hobbled Suns, and since every team but the Portland Trail Blazers has befallen the same fate against the defending champions, I cannot say I am in love with the Suns’ odds.
As Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said, suggesting his team needs a kick in the you-know-what at the campaign’s quarter-point, “I’m demanding more urgency from the whole team. I’m demanding more scrappiness. When we do that … we’re a completely different team, and we can compete with anybody.”
That has been, for the most part, true, as Toronto has held its own in the Eastern Conference, seizing a home playoff seed through the season’s first 25 games. Like the Suns, the Raptors have struggled of late, losing six of their last seven games, playing more like the team we envisioned, and like Phoenix, Toronto has been missing a key contributor to its rotation, as RJ Barrett (knee) has missed his last nine games.
Statistically, the Raptors have been about as good with Barrett on the court (+2.7 points per 100 possessions) as they have been without him (+2.5), which jibes with what we have seen from them — and what they have said — over their recent rough patch. I think this is a team that needs everyone, and, as Rajaković said, needs everyone pulling in the same direction, away from the lottery, to stay competitive.
They were not that against the New York Knicks in their Cup quarterfinal loss, falling 117-101. If you wanted an early look at what the Raptors might look like in the playoffs, if they make it, that was it.
The Heat play faster than everyone else, mostly without screens, driving and cutting and rotating and spacing, and this brand of ball has led to significant improvements on the offensive end, where they rank 13th after falling into the bottom 10 last season. The arrival of Norman Powell has helped in that regard.
“You have to learn how to be in the best shape of your life, really,” Jaime Jaquez told The Athletic of the requirements necessary to play inside of their new system. “You just have to be really well-conditioned.”
Apparently they are. In addition to their freshly learned offensive responsibilities, the Heat are playing the same stout defense they did last season, ranking in the top 10 on that end. The resulting net rating (+3.0) has been good for a 14-11 record and a reservation in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
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There is some question about how well their style travels. They are now 4-8 on the road, including three defeats in Orlando, where they lost their Cup quarterfinal, 117-108. It might be easier for the Heat to run opponents out of the gym when they are in Miami, where South Beach serves as a visitor’s distraction.
NBA Cup quarterfinal: ORL 117, MIA 108 (Magic advance to Cup semifinals vs. Knicks on Saturday)
The Magic were humming in the absence of an injured Paolo Banchero, got the former No. 1 overall pick back and then lost Franz Wagner to what appeared to be a severe injury. It is frustrating beyond words.
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“You never want to see anybody go down, but that hurt my heart watching him hit the floor,” said Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. “I’m just praying everything is going to be OK with him. You just don’t like to see that happen to anyone, especially [Franz], who tries to do everything the right way at all times.”
The official diagnosis for Wagner: A high left ankle sprain. It looked worse. Scratch him from the NBA Cup moving forward. “His return will depend on how he responds to treatment,” the Magic’s statement said.
Orlando is +1.3 points per 100 meaningful possessions this season when Wagner is on the floor without Banchero, and they are -6.3 points per 100 non-garbage possessions when the reverse is true, according to Cleaning the Glass. That didn’t not bode well for their chances against Miami, but apparently Banchero learned from watching Wagner in his absence, and Desmond Bane made sure the Magic got the job done.
NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Los Angeles (-4.5) on Wednesday (10:05 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Really, the Spurs have yet to show us what they are fully capable of, vacillating between the absences of De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, plus a few other injuries. Still, they are 16-7, squarely in the hunt for a guaranteed playoff seed, and owners of a healthy +3.8 net rating, both good for fifth in the West.
“We’re having a good year right now, and we still haven’t had our whole team,” said Stephon Castle, a Rookie of the Year. “It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. Guys are getting more comfortable and more shots when guys are out. Obviously we want the whole team together to get to our full potential.”
That may be possible on Wednesday, when Wembanyama is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles a few weeks removed from straining his left calf. His availability for the Cup quarterfinal remains uncertain.
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Nobody but the Thunder has a better defense than when Wembanyama is on the floor for San Antonio, and that defensive rating falls to a bottom-10 figure when he is off the court. The offense has hummed along at a top-10 pace in Wembanyama’s absence, but they will need their full complement of defenders — with a healthy 7-foot-5 alien in the middle — in order to send the Lakers packing.
NBA Cup quarterfinal: vs. San Antonio (+4.5) on Wednesday (10:05 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James form the most dangerous offensive trio in the game, especially since James looked more like himself with a 29-point performance Sunday.
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“Just at 40 years old, I mean, it just takes a while for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,” James said upon returning to his All-Star form. “And so it felt good tonight to kind of feel like myself a little bit, being able to run and jump and cut and catch my second wind a lot faster tonight. Hopefully that stays.”
Hopefully that stays. A forever mantra in L.A., where James will turn 41 years old later this month. Because, as long as he is on the floor, James provides the Lakers with a third offensive option who could command a double team, and there are not enough defenders to put two on Dončić, Reaves and James.
The defense remains a concern, though, as the Lakers rate 21st on that end (116.2 points allowed per 100 possessions). It is hard to imagine them seriously contending for a title with their existing personnel, but at the same time it is hard to imagine anyone slowing each of the Lakers’ three dynamos in a must-win game, because, and this may be oversimplifying it, James and Dončić know how to pull these games out.
NBA Cup quarterfinal: NYK 117, TOR 101 (Knicks advance to Cup semifinals vs. Magic on Saturday)
The Knicks welcomed OG Anunoby back from a left hamstring strain for three victories against the Raptors, Magic and Utah Jazz. When he is on the floor with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 30.5 points per 100 possessions, operating like the league’s best outfit on both ends of the floor, and that is a welcome sign for New York.
Of course, when Towns and center Mitchell Robinson share the floor, the Knicks are also outscoring opponents by 7.8 points per 100 possessions, another healthy number. To have a pair of starting-caliber lineups to choose between is far from the worst problem for Knicks head coach Mike Brown to have.
Either way, the Knicks have lived up to the hype as favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference. They, too, have defensive concerns, ranking in the middle of the pack on that end, given the limitations of Brunson and Towns, though they have been one of the league’s better defenses at home this season.
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“We’ve done a great job of protecting our home court,” said Josh Hart, whose Knicks are 13-1 at Madison Square Garden. “This should be the hardest place to play in the NBA, and we want teams to know that.”
The Knicks didn’t need home court Tuesday night, dropping the Raptors 117-101.
Oklahoma City (23-1) actually believes its mantra. The Thunder wake up each morning in service of performing their jobs, which is to win basketball games, and no previous victory will assure them of the next. So they must give forth a full effort. And their full effort is better than anybody else’s almost every single night.
“Our team has been way more of the same than different,” Daigneault said of his defending champions. “The only difference might be a little more confidence — internal confidence and assuredness. I think the chemistry and continuity help with that. But it feels the same. The same things we’ve emphasized.”
There is little else to say about this team, other than that they are apace to be the greatest of all time.
Snap share stock report time! This is where I examine snap share data from every single team and highlight some players who may have seen a notable spike or dip in playing time and/or usage.
Troy Franklin: MASSIVE STOCK DOWN
Unless there’s a mysterious, unknown injury that we’re not privy to, it appears Franklin is quietly being benched. His 25.7% snap share was a season low and a stark contrast to when he played a season high 50 total snaps just four weeks ago.
In fact, he’s been trending down in snap share since that Week 9 high mark, going from a 79.4% snap share to 73.8% to 66.1% to 52.9% before bottoming out last week with a 25.7% snap share.
His 15 routes run was fewer than the 18 run by blocking tight end, Adam Trautman.
I wish I could tell you that the rookie Pat Bryant was the primary beneficiary but that is far from the case. Bryant played just 49% of the snaps in Week 14, a big downturn from his 70% snap share the week prior.
So who is eating into both of their play time you ask?????
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Lil’Jordan Humphrey: STOCK UP
After floating between Denver’s active roster and practice squad last year (remember he played under Sean Payton in New Orleans as well), Humphrey signed with the Giants where he also floated between call-ups before the team cut him in November.
Denver picked him up and activated him Week 11, when he played a small 14.5% of the snaps. That seemed innocuous enough, but then in Week 13 his role saw a small tick up (20%) before he played a very chunky 38% of the snaps in Week 14.
His nine routes run isn’t nearly enough to justify an add off the free agent pool but it’s just enough to block EVERY receiver not named Courtland Sutton from fantasy relevance.
Jack Bech: STOCK UP
I’ve been extolling the virtues of Bech for WEEKS now and it finally started to blossom last week.
Bech played a season high 81% of the snaps last week and as a result posted season highs in targets, receptions and yards (6/6/50).
He’s worth an add but not worth a start this week, going up against Philly’s Quinyon Mitchell.
Isaac TeSlaa: STOCK UP
With Amon-Ra St. Brown banged up, it seemed like the entire fantasy industry was in on the explosive rookie. Then, with ARSB suddenly and unexpectedly back in the lineup, most everyone sent TeSlaa back to their benches. But we all, me included, downplayed the absence of Kalif Raymond. With Raymond out TeSlaa recorded a 77% snap share, his highest snap percentage all year long (barring what he did the week prior when Amon-Ra got hurt).
TeSlaa ran the third-highest number of routes on the Lions and did what he does: score a touchdown; a 3/2/20/TD slash line is soooo him.
Let’s see if Dan Campbell saw enough in that game where TeSlaa can supplant Raymond moving forward, and why not, considering that’s likely where the team is heading anyway. If Campbell does, wheels up on the rookie.
Adam Thielen: STOCK … UP?
He only had one target with one catch and four yards (still better than DJ Moore’s Week 15 output, sadly), but the former Viking/Panther/Viking played a good amount. His 47% snap share was somehow the second-highest among Pittsburgh wide receivers.
He played 65% of his snaps out wide and 35% in the slot, indicating Thielen will likely be used in both two- and three-receiver sets.
And on top of that, of his 24 total snaps played, he only ran 10 routes, indicating his already strong role in the run game. Given these clues, it’s fair to assume his role in the pass game will only expand in the weeks to come.
Quinshon Judkins: STOCK DOWN
The rookie played just 45% of the snaps, one of his lowest non-injury snap shares all season. Now, the team did put Jerome Ford on IR, potentially balancing out his snap share, but it’s not a good sign that fantasy managers are relying on an injury to open up snaps for Judkins.
It’s possible Judkins has hit a rookie wall. Over his first six games, he averaged 4.3 ypc, 77.8 rush yards and scored five times. Over his last six games, his numbers have fallen across the board: averaging 3.2 ypc, 52.8 rush yards and only scoring twice in that span, with both scores coming in the same game against the lowly Raiders.
Jaylen Wright: STOCK UP
Once De’Von Achane hurt his ribs and exited the game, it was Wright — and not Ollie Gordon II — who took over. Wright (50.8%) also doubled up Gordon’s snap percentage (25.4%).
Mike McDaniel post-game said Achane avoided major injury and was available to come back in if he was needed. *Narrator voice* He was not needed. The Dolphins jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead and led 24-7 through much of the third before ultimately winning in a blowout, 34-10.
Because of game script, it’s absolutely fair to wonder if there are any real takeaways in terms of backfield split. That being said, I don’t mind gambling on a guy in Wright who is an athletic freak: 210 pounds, 4.38 40 time, 38-inch vertical.
Bhayshul Tuten: STOCK DOWN
The rookie took two snaps, had two carries for five yards, fumbled the rock and was sent to the Upside Down, never to be seen again (3.2% snap share). As a result, Travis Etienne Jr. played a season-high 72% of the snaps.
ETN has slowed down over his last six games (3.9 ypc) but on the season, he’s averaging 4.6 ypc versus Tuten’s 3.6 ypc.
Blake Corum: STOCK NEUTRAL
I know, I know, I know; how can a guy who just broke out with a 128-yard, 2TD day not see his stock go up??? From a strict snap share perspective, Corum has seen almost no movement in play time, hovering just north of 30% snap share pretty much all year long.
I really like Corum as a prospect and the team seems determined to give him goal-line carries but I’m going to be bold and tell you to not chase the points. He’s been HYPER efficient on limited touches against TB, CAR and ARI; three extremely soft run defenses. He’s got Detroit this week, a top 10 defense versus the run, and Seattle next week, a team that allows a league-best 3.55 ypc to opposing backs.
OTHER SNAP SHARE NOTES:
Mitchell Tinsley: With Tee Higgins working through the concussion protocol, watch for Tinsley to potentially have a large role in this week’s game against the Ravens. Higgins missed the Baltimore game from a few weeks ago with a concussion as well, a game where Tinsley only played 66% of the snaps but still collected nine targets.
Harold Fannin Jr.: David Njoku injured his knee and never returned to the game. Remember, he was dealing with a knee injury earlier in the year as well. His Week 15 availability is very much in doubt. Fannin as a result played a whopping 92% of the snaps. Not that you weren’t already going to, but he’s a must-start this week versus Chicago.
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Jerry Jeudy: He’s the only receiver you can trust in CLE. The team has decided to work in Isaiah Bond, Gage Larvadain and Malachi Corley and, while Cedric Tillman has seen his snap percentage impacted, Jeudy has played more than 80% of the snaps in three of his last four games. He enjoyed a 88% snap share this past week.
John Bates: Zach Ertz unfortunately tore his ACL and his loss is massive for the Commanders, as he actually led the team in routes run. With Terry McLaurin missing so much of the season, Ertz was second on the team in targets, receptions and yards. Bates is most likely the next man up, although Ben Sinnott could also see a bump up in playing time, too. Neither is an add at this moment, but just keep an eye on it.
The fantasy football trade deadline has passed, but Justin Boone’s playoff rankings can help in your pursuit of a championship. These will be his final rest-of-season rankings and value charts. You can use them as a guide to help manage your roster, whether you’re debating waiver adds, drops or otherwise.
The fantasy football trade deadline has passed, but Justin Boone’s playoff rankings can help in your pursuit of a championship. These will be his final rest-of-season rankings and value charts. You can use them as a guide to help manage your roster, whether you’re debating waiver adds, drops or otherwise.