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Jared Goff is tied with MVP frontrunner, Pro Bowler and intertwined trade counterpart Matthew Stafford for the lowest interception rate in the league this season. Goff has thrown only five interceptions while amassing the second-most passing touchdowns (32) of any quarterback in the league during the 2025 campaign.

Through 15 games, he also ranks third in passing yards (4,036), fifth in completion percentage (68.6%), second in passer rating (109.4) and, according to Next Gen Stats, tied for fifth in EPA per dropback (+0.15).

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Goff has done all of that while playing behind a Detroit Lions offensive line that has taken a step back, and particularly struggled on the interior, this season. Yet, he might miss out on the playoffs.

He’s on the outside looking in of the 2026 Pro Bowl rosters, too.

So is division rival Jordan Love, who is tied with Stafford for first in EPA per dropback (+0.20), according to NGS. Like Goff, Love has suffered some heartbreaking losses this season. But, in that advanced metric, both are ahead of two of the NFC’s Pro Bowl quarterbacks: the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold, who are tied for seventh (+0.12) and tied for 10th (+0.08) in EPA per dropback, respectively.

If the rudimentary QB wins stat was a factor, then it’s fair to ask why Prescott got the nod over Goff and Love, given that the six-win Cowboys have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

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As for Darnold, as great of a story as he continues to be, his 24 passing touchdowns are only one more than Love’s 23. Plus, Darnold has thrown 13 interceptions, whereas Love has tossed just six picks.

Darnold’s interception rate (3.1%) is more than double Love’s (1.4%). Love notably completed a franchise record-tying 20 straight passes in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8, and his 66.3% completion percentage is the second best of his career.

Goff and Love each have a convincing case for this year’s Pro Bowl Games. They’re among the biggest snubs.

[Read: 2026 Pro Bowl rosters announced]

The Pro Bowl Games include a skills competition and a 7-on-7 flag football game that’s scheduled for Feb. 3 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, which will host Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8.

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Long gone are the days of a “real” Pro Bowl, but the exhibition unraveled into glorified two-hand touch over the years anyway. Nevertheless, a Pro Bowl nod is still meaningful in the league.

That said, it’s not a foolproof measuring stick for player excellence. The Pro Bowl Games rosters are determined by a combination of votes from coaches, players and fans. Each group accounts for a third of the consensus vote.

An accomplished player with just an OK season can occasionally receive the All-Star tag line because of name recognition or lifetime achievement. It’s an imperfect system.

Here are the rest of the snubs…

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Indianapolis Colts TE Tyler Warren

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers earned a spot on the AFC roster despite making a mere eight starts and averaging 13.5 fewer receiving yards per game than he did during his head-turning rookie campaign. Bowers is a stud, but Warren’s body of work this year is more impressive. He’s caught 66 passes for 748 yards and four touchdowns. He’s second among all tight ends this season in yards after the catch (467), behind only Arizona Cardinals star Trey McBride (520), per NGS. Oh, and he’s rushed for a score and, according to Pro Football Focus, lined up three snaps at QB.

New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave

It’s hard to argue with the NFC’s Pro Bowl receivers this season. But there’s definitely an argument to be made for Chris Olave, who has enjoyed a bounce-back season while starring in an offense that’s turned from Spencer Rattler to Tyler Shough under center. Olave has dipped back into the 1,000-yard receiving pool, and he’s got as many contested catches (16) as Cincinnati Bengals standouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, per PFF.

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Miami Dolphins C Aaron Brewer

Brewer was at the heart of a Dolphins offensive line that paved the way for Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane. Among all NFL centers with at least 500 offensive snaps this season, Brewer ranks second in PFF run blocking grade, one spot behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey and three spots ahead of the Baltimore Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum, both of whom made the AFC roster. Also, Brewer has allowed just one sack this season, per PFF.

Los Angeles Rams RG Kevin Dotson

The Rams’ run game is in some desperate need of Pro Bowl representation. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum have formed quite the one-two punch in L.A. They’ve been running behind one of the best offensive lines in football this season. Dotson is a force to be reckoned with at the point of attack. He can carry his power to the second level as well. There’s no reason why Dotson couldn’t have joined Atlanta Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom and Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney on the NFC roster.

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Baltimore Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley

Joe Alt is awesome. He’s played in only six games for the Los Angeles Chargers this season, though. His spot should be occupied by someone else, like Stanley. While the Ravens have had trouble at guard this season, their tackles have been solid. Stanley has conceded the sixth-fewest pressures (23) of any AFC tackle with 700-plus offensive snaps this season, per PFF.

Philadelphia Eagles DT Jordan Davis

The voters selected the wrong Eagles defensive tackle. Jalen Carter is a game-wrecker, but his linemate, Jordan Davis, has simply had a better season. Davis blocked a potential game-winning Rams field goal in Week 3 and then returned it for a walk-off touchdown. He batted down three passes in a Week 11 victory over the Lions. He dropped weight before the season, and his trimmed-down physique has invited a rare Year 4 leap. Davis’ 65 total tackles, 9 TFLs and 4.5 sacks are all career highs.

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Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cameron Heyward

In the AFC, Heyward should have been in over Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones. At 36 years old, Heyward has followed up his fourth first-team All-Pro campaign with another age-defying run. This time, he’s piled up 66 total tackles, 8 TFLs, 6 passes defended and 3.5 sacks. For reference, the 31-year-old Jones is responsible for 24 total tackles, 9 TFLs, 2 passes defended and 4 sacks. Jones has generated five more pressures (53) than Heyward (48) this season, per PFF, but Heyward has proven superior in run defense.

Jacksonville Jaguars OLB Josh Hines-Allen

It’s time the Jaguars are given their flowers. Their only Pro Bowler this season is long snapper Ross Matiscik. That’s not reflective of an 11-4 Jacksonville team that’s playoff-bound with a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Trevor Lawrence has been a prolific dual threat of late, but the Jags’ defense needs more love. Hines-Allen has seven sacks to his name, and, maybe more importantly, four turnovers caused by pressure, per NGS. His pressure rate (15%) is significantly higher than Pro Bowler T.J. Watt’s (9.8%).

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Jacksonville Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd

Staying in Jacksonville, Lloyd can’t be ignored, either. He’s picked off five passes. Four of those interceptions arrived over the first five games of the season. One of them was a 99-yard pick 6 in a Week 5 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. That went down as the longest defensive touchdown in Jags history. Lloyd has made a handful of critical plays in run defense, too. To top it off, he’s logged 22 pressures on 84 pass rushes, resulting in a pressure rate of 26.2%, per NGS.

Miami Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks

The AFC’s linebackers are Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans and Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens. Brooks should have gotten the edge over both of them. For one, he leads the NFL with 169 total tackles and 93 solo tackles. But he’s more than just a tackle vacuum. Those tackles mean something, especially against the run. Of the linebackers with 100 or more run defense snaps this season, Brooks is tied for fifth in run-play stop percentage (9.7%), according to PFF.

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Chicago Bears CB Nahshon Wright

Wright’s coverage stats don’t jump off the page — PFF has him down for seven touchdowns allowed, after all — however, it’s hard to discount the special season he’s having for an opportunistic Bears defense. Wright has intercepted five passes, including one that he took 74 yards to the house in Week 1 versus the Minnesota Vikings, and forced a pair of fumbles. Speaking of fumbles, he’s recovered three of them.

Houston Texans S Jalen Pitre

Yes, Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is on the AFC roster. It still feels like the Texans’ secondary deserves more of a Pro Bowl presence. The unit has had a Texas-sized hand in Houston giving up the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (176.1) this season. Corner Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock warranted consideration. Fellow safety Jalen Pitre was due for selection. He’s been dynamite in the slot and in the box. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage this season, according to PFF, and he’s picked off four passes, defended a total of 11, and combined for 66 tackles.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers S Tykee Smith

Whatever could go wrong has gone wrong for the Arizona Cardinals, and that’s made it hard to measure Budda Baker’s effectiveness in a truly porous defense out there in the desert. Perhaps another safety could have taken his place on the NFC’s roster. Either that or Antoine Winfield Jr. could have been passed up by his teammate, Tykee Smith. Smith has been electric in 2025, with 13 passes defended, a pair of sacks and 94 total tackles.

Seattle Seahawks P Michael Dickson

Washington Commanders punter Tress Way made his third Pro Bowl. Dickson would have been a better pick for the NFC. Although Way has dropped more punts inside the 20-yard line (27) than Dickson (20) this season, Dickson’s hang time (4.56 seconds), the best among NFC punters per PFF, is much longer than Way’s (4.22). That’s played a role in only 38.8% of Dickson’s punts being returned, according to PFF.

The New York Jets have placed quarterback Justin Fields on injured reserve due to a knee injury, potentially ending his tenure with the team. Head coach Aaron Glenn announced the news Tuesday.

Fields wasn’t likely to play again this season regardless of his injury status. The Jets benched him in favor of Tyrod Taylor following a Week 11 loss to the Patriots that concluded a 2-7 record with Fields as the starting quarterback. He has been inactive the past three games due to what the team called knee soreness.

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The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason, hoping to revive the career of the former first-round pick. Instead, Fields was benched midseason and now is a cut candidate in the offseason ahead of the second year of his contract.

In nine games with the Jets, Fields completed 62.7% of his passes for 139.9 yards per game with seven touchdowns and one interception. He added 383 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns on the ground.

New York’s offense has been largely ineffective, regardless of whether Fields, Taylor or Brady Cook has started at quarterback. The 3-12 Jets enter Week 17 ranked 28th in the NFL with 18.8 points scored per game. Fields started in two of seven games in which the Jets scored 14 points or fewer.

We’re back hoops fans with another Yahoo Fantasy x Arena Club drop for Week 10. Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Slab Packs are a brand-new weekly drop featuring real, graded trading cards of the hottest fantasy performers in the NBA.

If you’re new to Arena Club, here’s the lowdown. Arena Club is the premier online marketplace for sports cards, giving collectors a way to rip packs virtually, buy and sell graded cards and track their entire collection — all in one place. Whether you’re in it for the hobby, the thrill or the chase, Arena Club brings the excitement directly to your screen.

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[Rip your exclusive Yahoo Fantasy + Arena Club slab pack here]

Each week, Arena Club curates real, graded NBA cards and builds two types of Yahoo Fantasy Slab Packs:

Every pack contains a graded card of an active NBA player — but the real treasure is the weekly Chase Cards, featuring some of the top fantasy basketball performers from the past week. These limited-edition hits can reach values up to 20x the cost of the pack.

Weekly NBA Slab Packs go live Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET and close temporarily at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The window will reopen at the start of the Christmas Day NBA slate at 12 p.m. ET and close Friday morning. It’s the ultimate mid-week boost for fantasy hoopers and collectors alike.

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To top it off, use promo code YAHOO at checkout for 20% off your first slab pack or card purchase on ArenaClub.com or the Arena Club app.

This Week’s Featured Players

Rip a slab pack today for a chance to pull one of the week’s biggest fantasy basketball stars:

Kevin Durant, Rockets (Gold only)

Houston may be struggling but managers of KD aren’t this season; he’s averaging 52.7 fantasy points over the past week.

Jalen Brunson, Knicks

Brunson has had some heroic performances — both in fantasy and real-life — nailing the game-winner against the Pacers last Thursday while dropping 47 on the Heat to wrap last week.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

The reigning MVP has OKC in a position to make history this season. SGA is averaging 67.2 fantasy points over the past week thanks largely to 32.7 points per contest.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

The Joker has seen a downtick in scoring over the past few games but that almost never stops him from putting up big fantasy totals. He started off this week with a 14-13-13 triple-double with 5 stocks for 68 fantasy points.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (Silver only)

Wemby is being eased back into action off the bench after returning from injury a few weeks back. On a per-minute basis, the Spurs big has been insanely efficient, still averaging 44.2 fantasy points per game despite playing 20 minutes per contest.

Weekly Drops. Real Cards. Real Value. Real Thrill.

With new cards releasing every week based on real fantasy performance, the Yahoo Fantasy x Arena Club partnership delivers a constantly refreshing lineup of NBA stars — and the chase cards you’ll be talking about all season.

Don’t miss this week’s release.

Rip your slab pack, hit a chase card, and upgrade your collection today!

[Get your Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Slab Pack now]

For the Atlanta Braves, 2025 was an avalanche of disappointment.

Entering the season on a seven-year postseason streak, the Braves were considered championship contenders, the National League’s best chance at unseating the juggernaut Dodgers. With a strong core of experienced position players, the NL’s reigning Cy Young in Chris Sale and a pair of superstars coming back from injury in Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, Atlanta began the season with 93.4% playoff odds, according to FanGraphs.

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Instead, a depleted, injury-plagued Braves club trudged to a shocking 76-86 record and a fourth-place finish in a down NL East.

Thankfully, the autopsy is pretty straightforward. Sale and key rotation piece Spencer Schwellenbach both spent long stretches on the IL. The same was true for third baseman Austin Riley, who underperformed when available. Strider looked rusty and out of sync upon his return from Tommy John. Stalwarts such as Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Marcel Ozuna and Sean Murphy all struggled offensively. The emergence of NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin was an invigorating development, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the simple fact that too many important players spent too much time watching baseball instead of playing it.

But the future, at Truist Park, is not lost.

Because as disappointing as last season was for Atlanta, the club’s front office has conducted business this winter like a team fully expecting to contend in 2026. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is clearly treating 2025 as a blip, an aberration, a fluke. With the new year still a week away, Atlanta’s head honcho has arguably done more to reinforce his roster than any other exec.

The Braves have signed six MLB free agents, a tally that ranks second so far this offseason behind the Cubs. To that sextet, Atlanta has guaranteed more than $106 million, the fifth-largest outlay as of Tuesday. The spending itself is not particularly shocking — the Braves have always run a top-10 payroll under Anthopoulos — but the team’s unflinching aggression is a reminder that the Braves are still a formidable presence in the National League.

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To be fair, none of Atlanta’s additions was significant enough to warrant an in-person, jersey-unveiling press conference. But the Braves are undoubtedly a better, more complete and deeper team now than they were two months ago.

[Get more Atlanta news: Braves team feed] 

Former Padres closer Robert Suárez was probably the newsiest acquisition, with the soon-to-be 35-year-old flamethrower joining on a three-year, $45 million contract. It’s a long commitment for a reliever approaching his baseball golden years, but Suárez still throws absolute gas and has been one of the league’s most reliable closers over the past few years. His 76 saves since the start of 2024 are the most in baseball.

But don’t expect that number to rise much higher, as Suárez won’t begin the year as Atlanta’s closer. That’s because the Braves also re-signed Raisel Iglesias, their longtime closer, on a one-year, $16 million deal. He’ll continue to handle the ninth, and new skipper Walt Weiss will deploy Suárez in the Swiss Army knife, fireman role. Veterans Joel Payamps and Danny Young were also brought in on one-year deals to bolster a bullpen that finished 19th in baseball with a 4.19 ERA in 2025.

Anthopoulos and Co. have been busy refurbishing the offensive side as well. Back in November, Atlanta  swung a one-for-one deal with Houston, acquiring utilityman Mauricio Dubón in exchange for defensive wizard Nick Allen. Dubón isn’t a particularly good hitter, but he provides a lot of defensive versatility and is a perfectly capable bat. The Braves followed that deal with a pair of more needle-moving signings in shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.

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Kim spent the final month of 2025 with the Braves after the club claimed him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. That move was motivated by the hope that Kim wouldn’t activate his opt-out and Atlanta would have itself an every-day shortstop for 2026. Instead, the Korean glovesmith decided to test free agency, a smart decision as it turned out. Kim, who was set to receive $16 million, ended up back in Atlanta on a one-year, $20 million deal.

That’s a hefty investment for a player who was both hurt and bad in 2025, but Kim has been an average big-league hitter for most of his career while providing ample value at the game’s most difficult infield spot. For the Braves, whose shortstops finished dead last in baseball a year ago, with a putrid 56 wRC+, it’s a price worth paying.

Yastrzemski, who joined on a two-year, $23 million deal, is an unspectacular yet remarkably consistent corner outfielder. The 35-year-old has been worth at least 2.0 bWAR in every one of his seven big-league seasons and has a career .809 OPS against right-handed pitching. Although he’ll likely sit against most lefty starters, Yaz will provide depth in the corners behind Acuña and Jurickson Profar while mixing in at designated hitter.

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That Atlanta has DH at-bats to dole out is a development in its own right. Since Opening Day 2023, Marcell Ozuna has started 445 of Atlanta’s 502 games, postseason included. Now a free agent for the first time in his career, Ozuna usually hit enough to justify clogging up the Braves’ DH spot. But at this point, a reunion feels unlikely, as the Braves can use that space to cycle through Yastrzemski, Profar and whoever isn’t catching that day (Murphy or Baldwin).

With Opening Day still three months away, the Braves seem pretty much finished with offseason business. Anthopoulos added a pair of every-day bats, a valuable utility guy, two high-leverage relievers and some potentially useful pitching depth. Atlanta could enter the season with its current assortment of ballplayers, and prognosticators and projection systems alike would consider this a playoff team.

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But if the Braves want to push the issue, there’s still one more area ripe for a splash: the starting rotation. Sale, now fully healthy, will lead the line as he prepares to hit free agency at season’s end. Behind him, there’s Strider (looking to recapture his pre-surgery form), Schwellenbach (missed the last few months of ‘25 due to a fractured elbow), Reynaldo Lopez (made just one start in ‘25 before undergoing shoulder surgery) and youngster Hurston Waldrep (impressed in a nine-start sample but remains unproven). Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes follow as depth options.

If things break right, that’s a really interesting group with tons of upside. It’s also a group that has shown to be particularly susceptible to the injury bug. That’s what derailed Atlanta’s plans last season, and the same thing could easily happen again.

To lessen that possibility, the Braves could add one more impact starter to the group. Such a move, given the organization’s middling farm system, would probably have to come via free agency. Atlanta is already over the luxury tax by around $6 million, according to Spotrac. Cashing out for a big arm such as Zac Gallen, Tatsuya Imai or Framber Valdez would push the Braves well over the tax, something the organization is wary of doing.

But money is just money, and the Braves cannot afford another disappointing season. They’ve done a good job, so far this winter, of avoiding a replay of 2025, but one more big swing could make them quite a formidable character in 2026.

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Could Kyle Shanahan walk away as the coach of the year after this season? Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano, Jori Epstein, and Frank Schwab discuss the Coach of the Year race and break down the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Indianapolis Colts on MNF. Closing things out, the crew breaks down Frank’s latest playoff projections before talking about their “One More Thing”.

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(3:43) – 49ers beat Colts on MNF

(17:13) – Mike Tomlin coaches 19th straight non-losing season

(30:55) – Who is the Coach of the Year?

(45:04) – Frank’s playoff projections

(56:41) – One More Thing

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Nate Tice is joined by the Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia to reveal their Christmas wish lists for eliminated NFL teams. With 14 teams already eliminated, the duo pick nine of the most interesting teams at the bottom of the NFL pecking order and provide the next big move they need to make as they climb back towards relevance. Sheil highlights the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. Nate provides offseason fixes for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets. Nate & Sheil wrap up with a lightning round of biggest needs for a few the rest of the eliminated teams, including the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders and more.

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(4:45) – Browns

(12:40) – Chiefs

(22:20) – Cowboys

(31:35) – Titans

(38:55) – Giants

(50:05) – Dolphins

(57:45) – Vikings

(1:06:40) – Raiders

(1:09:45) – Jets

(1:15:20) – Lightning round!

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Despite an injury scare last week, Josh Allen is good to go.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback said Tuesday that he “will be playing, planning on playing” against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. That came after he went down with a foot injury in last week’s game, and the injury kept him out of Tuesday’s walk-through.

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“I mean, [it’s] still sore,” Allen said, via ESPN. “Walk-through today, so really not practice in general. So yeah … feeling good.”

Allen went down awkwardly while trying to avoid a sack late in the first half of the Bills’ 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He was tripped in the backfield and immediately started twisting his foot in clear pain before hopping back up.

Allen received an X-ray on his foot at halftime but was cleared to return to the game. He did not end up missing a snap and finished the game. Allen went 12-of-19 for 130 yards in the win, which was the team’s fourth straight and got them to 11-4 on the season.

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Allen didn’t seem bothered by the injury on Sunday, either.

“We’re gravy, baby. It’s all good,” Allen said on CBS after the win.

Allen has thrown for 3,406 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions so far this season, his eighth in the league. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the fourth time in his career on Tuesday, too.

The Bills have already clinched their seventh consecutive playoff berth, though they trail the New England Patriots in the AFC East. They’ll need some help from New England over the next two weeks in order to win the division again. They haven’t finished outside of first in the division since 2019.

While Mitch Trubisky is the Bills’ backup, it sounds like Allen will be ready to go on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. That should help the Bills’ chances of catching the Patriots significantly.

As the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers were playing a December game with playoff implications at Soldier Field on Saturday night, James Madison raced to put up as many points as it could after falling behind 34-3 in the first half of a first-round College Football Playoff game against Oregon.

The Bears pulled off an improbable comeback, complete with an onside-kick recovery and a game-ending, 46-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to DJ Moore that ripped through the wind in overtime. Meanwhile, JMU made a 51-34 loss look closer than it actually was.

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Oregon-JMU averaged 4.4 million viewers, according to ESPN PR, which reported that, earlier in the day, Ole Miss’ 41-10 win over Tulane averaged 6.2 million viewers.

That game bled into the start of Eagles-Commanders, which kicked off an NFL Saturday doubleheader on Fox. Both of the games with Group of Five teams and NFL overlap drew significantly less viewership than the other two games in the first round of the CFP.

Those of course featured marquee matchups that proved far more competitive. They also didn’t go up against an NFL schedule.

Alabama-Oklahoma, which saw the Crimson Tide rally from 17 points down, averaged 14.9 million viewers, and Miami-Texas A&M, which showcased a defensive standoff in a blustery College Station, averaged 14.8 million viewers, according to ESPN PR.

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Both were one-score games in the fourth quarter. Alabama capped its comeback for a 34-24 win. Miami buckled down at the goal line with an interception in the end zone to clinch a 10-3 victory.

Alabama-Oklahoma was on ABC, with an 8 p.m. kickoff Friday. It was the most-watched CFP first-round game on record, per ESPN PR. (This is Year 2 of the 12-team playoff.)

Miami-Texas A&M was on ABC, with a 12 p.m. kickoff Saturday. It peaked at 19.3 million viewers, per ESPN.

Neither of those games conflicted with the NFL’s Saturday slate.

Ole Miss-Tulane and Oregon-JMU were both on TNT. ESPN and TNT Sports have an agreement that allows TNT to sublicense select CFP games from ESPN.

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TNT had two first-round CFP games last season and two more this time around.

Group of Five auto-bid teams suffering blowout losses to at-large power conference teams stirred up more questions about the format of the playoff.

So will the viewership numbers, however, those were likely also affected by an NFL takeover Saturday.

Pittsburgh Steelers wideout DK Metcalf was suspended for two games following a sideline altercation with a fan during the team’s 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 16, the league announced Monday.

As a result, Metcalf will miss the final two games of the regular season. He appealed the suspension, but it was upheld Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

“Metcalf’s actions violate league policy, which specifies that ‘players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day and … if a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held accountable,’” the league said in a statement, in part.

The suspension will cost Metcalf $277,778 per game, or $555,556 in total salary.

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The upheld suspension also raises a considerably more significant financial risk. It will void $45 million in future guaranteed money over the next two years, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Metcalf’s current four-year, $132 million contract notes that if he “fails … to practice or play with the Club for any reason,” including a suspension, his guarantees will “be null and void,” according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Metcalf could still earn that money over the next two seasons, but it’s no longer guaranteed. Metcalf had $25 million of his salary guaranteed next season and $20 million guaranteed in 2027.

Steelers reportedly remain committed to Metcalf

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday after Metcalf’s suspension was upheld that “the Steelers have already reaffirmed their commitment to Metcalf for 2026 and beyond.”

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Of course, reaffirming a commitment and a binding contract are two different things. And the Steelers still have the option of voiding that previously guaranteed money if they’re compelled to part with Metcalf for whatever reason.

But Metcalf’s 28 years old and in his physical prime, and the Steelers signed him to that contract because they want him on their roster. Per Pelissero’s report, nothing has changed on that front.

Pelissero also reported Tuesday that neither the NFL nor the Lions will take action against the fan because “there was no violation of the fan code of conduct.”

The incident occurred in the second quarter of the contest Sunday at Ford Field. While the Lions’ offense was on the field, Metcalf approached a fan sitting in the front row and wearing a blue wig. After exchanging words with the fan, Metcalf appeared to throw a punch at the fan’s head. It was unclear whether the punch connected.

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While the incident was captured on the broadcast, it was not seen by officials.

Because of that, Metcalf was not penalized and was not ejected from the contest. He finished the game with four catches and 42 yards on nine targets.

The contest ended in dramatic fashion, as a last-second touchdown by the Lions was taken off the board due to a penalty. Officials needed to chat for multiple minutes to sort out the situation, which resulted in the Steelers winning the game.

The fan was ejected from the contest, per the Detroit Free Press. The fan claimed Metcalf threw a punch because the fan taunted the wideout with his full name, DeKaylin Zecharius.

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[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed]

On Monday, however, sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network that the fan used a derogatory term when taunting Metcalf about his mother. That source also claimed the fan called Metcalf “something we both know you don’t call a Black man.”

Metcalf and the fan reportedly have history, as the wideout apparently reported the fan to NFL security in 2024, when Metcalf was a member of the Seattle Seahawks. The team traveled to Detroit to play the Lions in Week 4 last season.

The fan’s attorney released a statement Monday calling the allegations against the fan, Ryan Kennedy, “completely false.”

“Ryan Kennedy categorically denies using the “N-word,” the “C-word,” or any racial, misogynistic, or hate-based slur during the incident that occurred on December 21, 2025 at Ford Field during the Pittsburgh Steelers-Detroit Lions game.

“These allegations are completely false.”

Metcalf did not speak with reporters after the game, leaving the locker room quickly. When asked about the situation after the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he’d heard about the altercation but had not seen it. At the time, Tomlin said he had not talked to Metcalf about the incident and wasn’t going to comment further.

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During his Tuesday news conference, Tomlin said that although he doesn’t condone Metcalf’s actions, he supports the wide receiver.

Following Sunday’s game, the NFL said it would investigate the altercation. The league was expected to make a quick decision on the situation, which led to Monday’s announcement.

The Steelers enter this week’s contest against the Browns with a 9-6 record. They currently hold the lead in the AFC North, which they can secure with a win over Cleveland. That would lead to the team’s third straight postseason appearance.

In that scenario, Metcalf would be eligible to return for Pittsburgh’s first playoff game next month.

The 2025-26 offseason has had moments in which it moved swiftly, such as the domino effect we saw early on with the high-leverage reliever market. But we’ve also seen it drag, and that’s the way things have been going the past few weeks. As we sit just days away from the new year, it’s the starting pitching market that’s moving significantly more slowly than the rest.

The night before Thanksgiving, the Toronto Blue Jays made the first big splash, signing right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal. Toronto later added right-hander Cody Ponce, who is returning to the States after a successful tenure in the KBO.

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But beyond Cease and Ponce, we’ve seen little movement for starting pitchers. Most of the notable starting pitching action so far has involved teams retaining their starters, with Shane Bieber opting in with the Blue Jays and Shota Imanaga and Brandon Woodruff accepting qualifying offers from the Cubs and Brewers, respectively.

Two other names returning to their old stomping grounds are Michael King, who re-signed with the Padres on a three-year, $75 million deal, and Merrill Kelly, who returned to the Diamondbacks on a two-year, $40 million deal.

But with just a few days left in December, the majority of the top starting pitchers in this free-agent class — names such as Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Zac Gallen and Tatsuya Imai — are still available. And while teams are interested and engaged with those players, they’re clearly taking their time.

The lack of movement in the starting pitching market could be due to a number of reasons.

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One is that teams want to exhaust all their options on the trade market before they make the financial commitment to acquire one of the top free-agent starters. If teams can move prospect capital to add someone such as Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera or Washington Nationals southpaw MacKenzie Gore instead of spending $100 million-$200 million to sign Suárez or Valdez, many will see that as a win.

We’ve already seen a few trades of this nature, with the Boston Red Sox acquiring Johan Oviedo and Sonny Gray, the Houston Astros acquiring Mike Burrows and the Baltimore Orioles paying a significant prospect price to acquire three years of Shane Baz.

Meanwhile, for the teams looking for the best of the best options, Tarik Skubal remains a tantalizing possibility. While the Tigers would demand a haul to move their ace, there’s no denying that any team with both the prospect capital and the starting pitching need would be very interested — even for a one-year rental.

The other factor hovering in the background of this year’s offseason is the uncertainty of what lies ahead after next season, with a potential lockout on the horizon once the collective bargaining agreement expires. With teams unsure of what the future holds, some might be trying to protect themselves by avoiding having too many multiyear deals on the books after 2026.

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Even so, the next starting pitching domino to fall will likely be Imai, whose posting window expires at 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 2. The 27-year-old right-hander from Japan is considered one of the best starters available, and his signing will likely spur some movement in the markets for Suárez and Valdez, as well as for others such as Gallen, Lucas Giolito and Nick Martinez.

Plenty of contending teams still need starting pitching, including the Cubs, Mets and Giants, so eventually this stalemate will end. As the calendar turns to January, especially with Imai’s deadline looming, expect the action on the starting pitching market to pick up.

After all, pitchers have only about seven weeks left before spring training begins.