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Many teams have to make a decision about their head coach as the season closes. And all of them have to at least consider the Jacksonville Jaguars’ success story.

One coaching hire can flip a franchise’s fortunes, and the Jaguars seem to have found a good one. Liam Coen’s first regular season as an NFL head coach ended with a division championship. The Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 41-7 on Sunday to improve to 13-4 and win the AFC South. Coen should be considered on a short list of candidates for NFL Coach of the Year after the job he did this season.

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Jacksonville isn’t a marquee franchise, so the mess Coen stepped into might be understated. The Jaguars had double-digits in wins just once since 2007 and had just two playoff berths since then. Shad Khan has been one of the NFL’s worst team owners. He hired Urban Meyer, after all. But the Jaguars, who had a messy coaching search with Coen secretly meeting with Jacksonville after he had agreed to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator, found the right formula.

[Get more Jaguars news: Jacksonville team feed]

It wasn’t pretty early. It seemed Coen was pushing Trevor Lawrence hard, which led to some awkward moments. Eventually it paid off, with Lawrence having one of the best sustained stretches of his career. He played well again Sunday, throwing three touchdowns in the first half to get Jacksonville going. He has turned it around without Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft who suffered a season-ending knee injury. Coen’s play-calling has helped transform the Jaguars’ offense. Lawrence accounted for 38 touchdowns this season and looked like a different quarterback in the second half of the season.

Sunday’s game didn’t start well for the Jaguars. They lost 18 yards on their first possession and punted. Cam Ward then drove the Titans downfield and he scored on a 7-yard run. Ward was hit at the end of that run and hurt his shoulder, and without much to play for the Titans weren’t going to leave the first overall pick of the 2025 draft out there to risk further injury.

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After that the Jaguars took over. Lawrence threw a couple touchdowns. Jacksonville’s defense, which has been great at creating turnovers, had a pick 6 of Titans replacement QB Brandon Allen. That made the score 21-7 and it was just a matter of time before the Jaguars had their division-clinching win.

A division title isn’t the Jaguars’ ceiling this season either. They won 34-20 at the Denver Broncos, who entered Week 18 as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, in Week 16. Jacksonville finished the season with eight straight wins and should feel it can beat anyone in a wide-open AFC.

Nobody thought of the Jaguars as Super Bowl contenders before the season. One home run coaching hire changed everything. Other teams missing the playoffs this season will take note.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from the early games of the Week 18 schedule:

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WINNERS

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers didn’t really deserve the NFC South championship after losing in Week 18 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Atlanta Falcons made sure they could back into it.

The Falcons got a blocked punt early and a big interception in the fourth quarter to fuel a 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints that gave the Panthers the NFC South title. The Saints scored late but couldn’t secure an onside kick, leading to a celebration in Carolina.

It was a weird game, with each team playing on behalf of a division rival. If the Falcons won, the Panthers were division champs. If the Saints won (or there was a tie), Tampa Bay took the NFC South. But for a division that produced the fifth losing team to make the NFL playoffs, it was fitting that there was a goofy ending to the race.

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The Falcons played well late in the season to rally for an 8-9 record. But the question will be why it took them so long to play their best, and why it happened after they were out of the playoff race. They could compete for a division title next season, after they gifted the Panthers this season’s crown.

Houston Texans: The Texans didn’t seem to care about getting the No. 5 seed in the AFC, which seemed strange, but they got it anyway.

The Texans got a 38-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts on a field goal in the final seconds and then a defensive touchdown on a pitch play with time expired in a game that Houston played in a surprisingly passive manner.

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The Texans needed a Jaguars loss to win the AFC South, and even though that was unlikely, getting a win to seal the No. 5 seed in the AFC and a wild-card matchup against the AFC North champion seemed worth chasing. The Texans did not agree, and didn’t go all out to win. Nico Collins was inactive due to rest. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was removed for Davis Mills in the second half. The Texans’ defense, the No. 1 unit in the NFL, was strangely flat against the Colts and their rookie quarterback Riley Leonard.

But Mills saved it. He directed a late drive after the Colts took a lead, and Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a field goal in the final seconds to secure a win, the No. 5 seed and a trip to either Pittsburgh or Baltimore next weekend. Even though Houston seemed unconcerned about its matchup, getting the weakest of the four AFC division winners seems worthwhile.

Myles Garrett: It took until the final minutes of the season, but Myles Garrett finally got the sack he needed to set the NFL’s single-season record.

Garrett got around left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and he got to Joe Burrow for the sack as Burrow stepped up in the pocket. That was Garrett’s 23rd of the season, pushing him ahead of Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the record.

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Garrett is a deserving holder of one of the NFL’s most coveted records, especially for the monster season he has had.

The Browns also won the game, which has been rare for the team despite Garrett’s heroics. Cleveland got two touchdowns from its defense, and while the Shedeur Sanders-led offense didn’t score any touchdowns, the Browns got a drive late in the game to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired. That came after a touchdown by Ja’Marr Chase to give the Bengals a late lead. Cleveland beat the Bengals 20-18 to head into the offseason with a win, and to allow Garrett to properly celebrate his new record.

LOSERS

Matt Eberflus: The Dallas Cowboys’ season is thankfully over. For Eberflus, Dallas’ defensive coordinator, it might be the end of his time with the Cowboys altogether.

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Eberflus was not given a great situation, with Micah Parsons being traded right before the season. But Eberflus didn’t do much to elevate his unit. The final game of the season was more of the same in a 34-17 loss to a New York Giants team that was alive for the first pick of the draft (which goes to the Las Vegas Raiders with the Giants’ win). Jaxson Dart had a strong finish to his rookie season, with 231 yards passing and two touchdowns, with 32 yards rushing. New York had 380 yards of offense despite having multiple players out with injury.

If Eberflus is fired, Cowboys fans won’t remember his one season running the defense fondly. The only good news for the Cowboys, a mediocre team that finishes the season 7-9-1, is that a new coordinator probably won’t be much worse.

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Clayton Tune: Week 18 can be a time for backup players to audition for other teams and put something good on tape for the offseason. Tune had that chance, in a very difficult situation Sunday, and it didn’t turn out well.

Tune, starting at quarterback for a Green Bay Packers team that rested starters, got swarmed by the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers had 12 yards of offense at halftime. They finished with -7 net passing yards. Tune was 6-of-11 passing for 34 yards, taking four sacks for a loss of 41 yards, and the Vikings won 16-3.

Green Bay didn’t care much about the outcome and it showed. The Packers were locked into the No. 7 seed and wanted to rest starting quarterback Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis. The Vikings played well late in the season and finished 9-8 with the win. The only bad news was after J.J. McCarthy had a solid first half with 174 yards, the oft-injured quarterback left Sunday’s game with a hand injury, leaving Max Brosmer to fill in.

The Packers will move on quickly from the Vikings loss and focus on the playoffs. Tune will hope that somehow his number gets called again in the NFL, and with better results.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers’ dramatic return to the NFL might not be temporary after all. While the 44-year-old is retiring from the game as a player … again … he could remain in the league as a head coach.

Following Rivers’ return to the league, the veteran has reportedly received head-coaching interest around the NFL, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Teams have reportedly done research into Rivers and started making calls about him as a coach, per Rapoport. It’s reached a point where Rivers could get at least one interview from a team this offseason.

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Entering Week 18, two teams — the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans — have openings at head coach. That figure is expected to grow following Sunday’s games. Some coaches could be dismissed before the day is done, while others will be let go Monday.

Rivers’ résumé as a player is impressive. During his first stint in the NFL, Rivers passed for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns. Those figures rank eighth and sixth, respectively, in NFL history.

After five years off, enough time to make Rivers a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he shockingly returned to the NFL after Colts quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending injury.

Considering the circumstances, Rivers played surprisingly well down the stretch, completing 63% of his passes, with four touchdowns against three interceptions in three games. With the Colts eliminated from postseason contention, Rivers was benched in favor of rookie Riley Leonard in Week 18.

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Leonard had an encouraging first start, combining for three touchdowns, but couldn’t lead the Colts to a win over the Houston Texans in Week 18. Indianapolis fell 38-30 despite the mostly strong performance from Leonard.

Following that announcement, Rivers made it clear his playing days are over. He implied he would go back to coaching high school football in Alabama. Shortly after his first retirement from the NFL, Rivers began coaching high school football.

But with Rivers returning to the NFL, there’s some thought that maybe he would consider remaining in the league as a head coach, per Rapoport. That’s been a barrier in the past, as teams reportedly considered Rivers last offseason, but were told he wasn’t considering making the jump to college or the pros.

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When Rivers announced his return to the NFL after five years away, he instantly became one of the biggest stories of the 2025 NFL season. If that short stint as the Colts’ quarterback leads to a head coaching position next season, it would be a fitting way for Rivers’ improbable comeback to continue.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s rocky first season as the Minnesota Vikings’ starter appears to have ended early. The 22-year-old McCarthy is questionable to return against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 after taking himself out of the contest with a right hand injury.

McCarthy appeared to take himself out of Sunday’s game after throwing a screen pass in the third quarter. After the play, McCarthy motioned to the sideline that he needed to come out of the game.

While it was initially unclear why McCarthy needed to leave the contest, the Vikings later ruled him questionable to return due to a right hand injury.

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McCarthy missed the team’s Week 17 game after sustaining a hairline fracture in his right hand in Week 16. Despite the injury, McCarthy returned to practice ahead of Week 18. After being limited in practice Wednesday, McCarthy turned in a full practice Thursday, and was deemed healthy enough to start the contest.

[Get more Vikings news: Minnesota team feed]

After leaving the game in the third quarter, McCarthy was replaced by rookie Max Brosmer, who took a sack on his second passing attempt of the day.

Brosmer remained in the game on the Vikings’ next offensive drive, a sign McCarthy could be done for the day.

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If that’s it for McCarthy, it ends a roller-coaster season for the first-year starter. After being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season while recovering from knee surgery.

Despite a successful season with Sam Darnold under center in 2024, the Vikings allowed Darnold to leave in free agency, paving the way for McCarthy to open the season as the team’s unquestioned starter.

That decision backfired. Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season, while McCarthy struggled to find his footing as an NFL starter. McCarthy also battled injuries again, limiting his time under center.

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In his nine starts prior to Week 18, McCarthy completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. McCarthy did not throw a touchdown or an interception before leaving in Week 18. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 182 yards before exiting Sunday’s game.

The Vikings went on to win the contest 16-3 after the Packers’ offense couldn’t get much traction with third-string quarterback Clayton Tune getting the start.

The Vikings will be forced to make a tough decision in the offseason. McCarthy had moments of brilliance during the season — a Week 1 comeback win over the Chicago Bears and a three-touchdown performance against the Washington Commanders in Week 14 stand out — but too often failed to elevate his game enough to lift the offense to its previous heights under Darnold. After ranking ninth in points per game last season, the Vikings fell to 26th in the metric in 2025.

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Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will need to decide whether McCarthy showed enough in his first healthy season to warrant another shot as a starer or whether the team needs an upgrade at the position.

The Vikings still has a strong defense and multiple offensive playmakers, so an upgrade at quarterback could go a long way toward the team getting back into contention as early as next season.

Indianapolis Colts wideout Alec Pierce was well on his way to shattering a handful of career-highs Sunday before being forced out of the game early. After nearly catching his third touchdown of the day, Pierce was ejected after making contact with an official.

The incident occurred with under two minutes to play in the third quarter. Pierce attempted to haul in a pass in the back of the end zone, but was pushed out of bounds by a Houston Texans defender. Pierce, looking for a flag, got up to talk to an official about the play. As Pierce extended his arm out behind the official, his shoulder bumped the official’s arm. The ref immediately threw a flag, and disqualified Pierce from the rest of the game.

The broadcast seemingly disagreed with the penalty, with J.J. Watt calling it “harsh.” Play-by-play man Ian Eagle threw it to former NFL ref Gene Steratore who noted, “It’s not a lot of contact.”

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The ejection ended a career-day for Pierce, who hauled in four passes for 132 yards and two scores earlier in the contest. That was only two yards off his previous career-high and marked just the second time in his career Pierce scored multiple touchdowns in a game. Had he been allowed to keep playing, there’s a decent chance Pierce would have exceeded his previous career-high of 134 receiving yards.

There’s also a chance he could have helped the Colts win the game. After leading most of the way, the team coughed up a late lead, eventually losing the contest 38-30.

While he didn’t get to realize that dream Sunday, he picked a tremendous time to post his best-ever game. Pierce is set to hit the free-agent market in the offseason, and stands to make quite a bit of money there. Though he’s never had a 1,000-yard season as a receiver, Pierce has proven to be one of the game’s best deep threats. He’s led the NFL in yards per reception in each of the past two seasons.

Given Pierce’s ability to get open deep, there’s bound to be some teams that are convinced he could take a huge step forward in a good offense. Pierce hasn’t had many opportunities to play with elite quarterbacks over his career, and could really benefit from joining a team with an accurate, deep-ball passer.

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But that will have to wait until the offseason. Following Pierce’s early exit in Week 18, the next time he’ll take the field could come with a new team next year. If he can build off his career day — and his strong second half — Pierce could wind up being one of biggest free-agent additions of the offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts didn’t have anything to play for on Sunday afternoon, but Riley Leonard sure made the most of his first start with the franchise.

The former Notre Dame star went off in the Colts’ 38-30 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, which officially ended their season. Leonard went 21 of 34 for 270 yards with three total touchdowns in the loss, and repeatedly kept the Colts in it at NRG Stadium.

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Leonard’s first touchdown of the day was a long one. He found a wide-open Alec Pierce for a 66-yard score just three plays into their opening drive of the game.

Leonard found Pierce again in the corner of the end zone just before halftime, too, which cut the Texans’ lead back to just three points.

Leonard came out of halftime and kept it himself for a touchdown right away. That score put the Colts back in front.

In the end, it was the Texans who pulled out the narrow win. Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds and then Tommy Togiai ran back a fumble for a touchdown on the Colts’ last-ditch attempt. The win pushed the Texans to 12-5 on the season, which gave them the No. 5 seed in the AFC.

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DJ Giddens led the Colts on the ground with 30 yards on eight carries, and Jonathan Taylor had 26 yards on 14 carries. Pierce had 132 yards on four catches. He had a third touchdown later in the game, this time on the ground, but he was actually ejected for bumping into an official.

Leonard’s day wasn’t perfect. He threw an interception early in the fourth quarter and lost a fumble on a sack in the first half. And, the Colts couldn’t quite grab the win. Still, Leonard more than held his own.

Why didn’t the Colts do this earlier?

Instead of turning the offense over to Leonard a few weeks ago, when they were still in contention for a playoff spot, the Colts’ front office opted to make a shocking call to 44-year-old retired quarterback Philip Rivers — a man who, while undoubtedly has a strong case for Hall of Fame enshrinement, hadn’t played in the league for five years.

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Rivers did just fine in his three games starting for the Colts. He threw for 544 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions over that span, and completed 63% of his passes. Considering the circumstances, it was about all the Colts could have hoped for.

But, most importantly, he couldn’t lead them to a single win.

Rivers went 0-3 as a starter for the Colts, who quickly fell out of playoff contention despite starting the season 8-2. After last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which marked the team’s sixth straight, Rivers insisted he was done playing in the league for good this time.

So with nothing left to play for, the Colts finally went to Leonard, the player they selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft last spring.

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So, what do the Colts do from here?

The good part for the Colts is that they have months to figure this question out. But there is no real easy answer for them at quarterback.

Daniel Jones is recovering from a brutal Achilles injury he suffered earlier this season, and he’s set to become a free agent. There is belief that the Colts are going to try to sign him again, which could solve their problems fairly quickly. That is dependent on several things, though, including both Jones’ desire to return to Indianapolis and his health.

The Colts do have Anthony Richardson, the former Florida quarterback they selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023. But Richardson went down with a scary injury after a workout band snapped and hit him in the right eye earlier this season. It marked just the latest injury for Richardson, who has largely struggled to stay on the field during his time in the NFL.

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While the Colts could turn elsewhere to bolster their quarterbacks room, be that in the draft or in free agency, Leonard may have played his way into the conversation on Sunday afternoon. With his rookie season now complete, and Jones recovering from a serious injury before free agency, there is a window for him to make a move and take over the starting job in Indianapolis.

The question, however, is whether the Colts want that. Considering they didn’t give him the opportunity a few weeks ago with meaningful football left on their schedule, he may have a lot more work to do.

The transfer portal is open and chaos is already ensuing. The portal opened on January 2nd and by midday there were over 4,500 Division I athletes in the portal. Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey explain the importance of the portal and how fans should view it. They also look at programs like Kentucky and Penn State and discuss what fans should expect from their teams in the transfer portal. Plus, they discuss the three different ways teams attack the transfer portal and what version works best.

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Then, they look at a team whose coaches are caught between the CFP and the transfer portal for a rival school. Andy and Godfrey discuss the on-going drama at Ole Miss and if they expect all of the assistant coaches to continue coaching through the CFP. Will some of them just stay recruiting with Lane Kiffin at LSU rather than going back to Ole Miss? The guys discuss how, although Ole Miss is a unique situation, the concept of CFP coaches pulling double-duty between game prep and recruiting is consistent across all four playoff teams. Plus, Andy and Godfrey take a look at the SEC’s poor performance in the postseason. They discuss if the depth in the league is overrated and how the conference should be viewed going forward.

Later, the guys take a look at Tulsa’s innovative approach to transfer portal recruiting. Tulsa has launched the Portal House. A house they rented out, revamped and are having their coaches live in to use exclusively for recruits. They are also creating their own reality show from it. Godfrey and Andy discuss this intriguing approach.

Get prepped for the transfer portal madness with College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 – Understanding the transfer portal

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4:23 – Can Will Stein revamp Kentucky in the portal?

9:33 – What should be expected from Indiana in the portal?

14:13 – Three kinds of ways teams recruit

16:52 – Penn State’s portal expectations

23:47 – Difference of O-Line in the portal

33:11 – Ole Miss coaches returning for CFP semi?

37:51 – Portal distracting CFP coaches

43:48 – SEC overrated?

58:00 – Tulsa Portal House

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

If, before this season, you had asked either of the long-suffering fanbases of the Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints if they’d like to see their team playing in a Week 18 game with the NFC South title on the line, they’d have said yes, yes, please yes, without even bothering to clarify any further. But in one of those careful-what-you-wish-for moments, yes, the NFC South title was on the line, but no, neither the Saints nor the Falcons were involved.

Because both the Buccaneers and the Panthers finished the season 8-9, a series of tiebreakers made the Saints-Falcons game a proxy battle for the NFC South crown. Atlanta hung on to win a messy 19-17 game, sending Carolina to the playoffs and Tampa Bay home for the season. Carolina now plays in the postseason for the first time since 2017, and claims its first division crown since 2015, and the Panthers have the Falcons to thank for the final touches.

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The Falcons-Saints rivalry is one of the weirder in the NFL, full of hate and disrespect, though also notably free of large-scale success. Sunday’s game marked the 113th regular-season meeting between the two, and naturally, the two teams came into the game with 56 wins apiece. In all those games, though, there’s never been one quite this strange, with playoff implications that didn’t involve either team.

Both Atlanta and New Orleans entered this game on unexpected, irrelevant late-season runs — New Orleans has won its last four games, Atlanta its last three. And both teams played the first quarter like they’d forgotten how the game of football works. A fumble, an interception, two sacks, a blocked punt, a touchdown called back by penalty … the opening quarter was ugly and, for the Panthers and Bucs, maddening.

The Falcons struck first, Kirk Cousins finding a wide-open Drake London in the end zone late in the first quarter:

But despite the quarterback mismatch — Cousins, the 14-year veteran matched against rookie Tyler Shough — the game ground down into a defensive war of attrition and field goals. Both teams had touchdowns called back because of offensive penalties. After Shough scrambled his way to a second-quarter touchdown to close the score to 10-7, the game remained within one possession for most of the rest of the way.

As the game rolled on, the teams with the most interest in the outcome watched nervously. Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, for one, was locked in:

The Saints managed to hang around despite the absence of notables like Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara and the in-game loss of Taysom Hill. Shough, who has grown more comfortable throughout the season, nonetheless struggled to move the ball on a consistent basis. And just when New Orleans appeared to be driving toward a potential game-winning score with only a handful of minutes remaining, Shough floated a pass that Atlanta’s Dee Alford plucked out of the air and returned for 59 yards and an eventual field goal.

Given one more last-ditch drive, Shough orchestrated a 65-yard touchdown in just 1:41, capped by a beautiful one-handed touchdown grab by Ronnie Bell that closed the score to within two points. But the Saints failed to convert the onside kick, and Atlanta ran out the clock and Tampa Bay’s season. Shough finished the day 23-of-35 for 259 yards, one touchdown and that crucial interception. Cousins, in what may or may not be his last game as a Falcon, was 18-of-32 for 180 yards, plus a touchdown and an interception.

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Although the specifics of this game were largely unimportant in the grand scheme of the season, both teams have elements to build on for 2026. Both defenses far outplayed their offensive counterparts, with New Orleans recording four sacks on Cousins and Atlanta’s young defense shutting down Shough and the beleaguered Saints.

The Saints might have found at least a stopgap solution in Shough, who — that late interception notwithstanding — has developed into a serviceable quarterback in the final games of this season. Atlanta, on the other hand, has more consequential decisions at the quarterback position. And given the fact that Atlanta finished 8-9 alongside the division leaders, but managed to eliminate itself from the postseason weeks ago, the Falcons have a lot to regret from this lost season. But they should at least get a nice thank-you gift basket from the Panthers.

If he hadn’t already done it, Cam Little would have broken the record for the NFL’s longest field goal on Sunday.

Instead, the Jacksonville Jaguars kicker now owns the two longest field goals in NFL history.

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With three seconds remaining in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Titans, the Jaguars took over on downs at the Tennessee 49-yard line after the Titans failed to convert on a fourth-down pass. When you’re the Jaguars with Little on your roster, that makes for an easy decision: Send out the kicking unit.

That’s exactly what the Jaguars did. And Little paid off the decision with a 67-yard field goal that split the uprights with room to spare.

The kick gave the Jaguars a 31-7 halftime lead and sent the home crowd in Jacksonville into a frenzy. The Jaguars cruised to a 41-7 victory to secure the AFC South title.

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The field goal was the second-longest in NFL history. The longest? Little hit a 68-yarder in a Week 9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

[Get more Jaguars news: Jacksonville team feed]

That kick came in the climate-controlled confines of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Sunday’s 67-yarder took place outside. And Little stands alone with the two longest kicks in league history. Both are longer than the previous record of 66 yards by former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

And with the playoffs looming, the Jaguars can confidently look to Little if they need to kick from even longer. Little hit a 70-yarder in the preseason that would have obliterated Tucker’s previous record.

It didn’t count in the record book, of course. But Little’s capable. And the Jaguars will go into the postseason with one of the league’s most valuable weapons in the kicking game.

Rocco Becht is following Matt Campbell to Penn State.

According to ESPN, Becht will play his final season of college football in State College. Penn State hired Campbell, the longtime Iowa State coach, after a 54-day coaching search that concluded at the end of the regular season.

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Becht has been Campbell’s starting quarterback for the past three seasons. The son of former NFL tight end Anthony Becht has appeared in 42 games across four seasons at Iowa State. In 2025, he was 205-of-339 passing for 2,584 yards and 16 TDs with nine interceptions.

[Get more Nittany Lions football news: Penn State team feed]

His numbers were down from 2024, when Iowa State had current Houston Texans wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins on the roster. A season ago, Becht was 271-of-456 passing across two more games for 3,505 yards, 25 TDs and 9 interceptions.

Penn State was entering the 2026 season needing a starting quarterback as Drew Allar returned to school in 2025 for his final season of eligibility. However, Allar suffered a season-ending injury midway through the season and Ethan Grunkemeyer took over as the starter.

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Grunkemeyer entered the transfer portal himself after the Nittany Lions’ Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson.

Becht will be a bridge starter for Campbell at PSU with one season of eligibility remaining. He’s also not the only quarterback coming over from Iowa State, either. Alex Manske, a three-star recruit in the class of 2025, is also transferring to Penn State.

Additionally, tight ends Gabe Burkle and Benjamin Brahmer have committed to Penn State from ISU. Brahmer was the team’s leading receiver with 37 catches for 446 yards and six scores, while Burkle had 26 catches for 302 yards over nine games.

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Iowa State went 8-4 in 2025 as Campbell completed a decade with the Cyclones. He’s the winningest coach in school history with a career record of 72-55 since coming over from Toledo after the 2015 season. Penn State hired Campbell to replace current Virginia Tech coach James Franklin after Franklin was fired following a three-game losing streak that dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3 halfway through the season.

With all due respect to Saturday’s high-stakes action, for Sunday night’s regular-season finale there was only one choice.

The historical footage of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry isn’t particularly grainy, having begun just before the turn of the millennium, but Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s two battles per year are loaded with lore. A wacky AFC North season had to come down to an on-field, win-or-go-home primetime installment that the football world will be watching.

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Since our attention will be captured, we might as well have a wager a few on the game, just to see if we can’t make some memories for when we look back at this particularly intense chapter between these modern-classic foes.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM.

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5, 41) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Lamar Jackson is back practicing in full, something the market expected in opening this line at a field goal or more last Sunday night.

While Baltimore got a big win with Tyler Huntley at the helm in Green Bay last Saturday, the Ravens’ average expected play level is obviously higher with Jackson, and it changes the projected point spread from around a pick’em to where you’re having to lay points with the Ravens on the road. What complicates things is the level of reliance on the version of Jackson we’ll get — and how long we’ll get it for.

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Even at the best of times for Jackson, the Steelers have been able to slow the Ravens’ offense during his MVP-caliber seasons:

• Jackson’s career averages:

  • 56.6 rushing yards per game

  • 35 rushing TDs in 115 games

  • Fewer than 2.0 sacks per game

• Jackson’s averages against Pittsburgh:

  • Almost 3.0 sacks per game

While the Steelers’ defense has left something to be desired this season, at 21st in Expected Points Added per Play (EPA/Play), in the Week 14 matchup in Baltimore, Pittsburgh’s was third-best, forcing -0.15 EPA/Play, while limiting the damage from Derrick Henry to 94 yards on 25 carries and no touchdowns.

While a few judgment calls went against the Ravens at home, it was clear that a point spread of -5.5 gave Baltimore too much credit. Four weeks later, and there’s been only a two-point adjustment to the line for the shift in home field.

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Part of that may be stemming from the absence of DK Metcalf — the field-stretcher for Aaron Rodgers — which was felt last week in a loss at Cleveland, and Metcalf had his best game as a Steeler in Week 14. He’s also averaged just 50 yards in his other 14 games this season, and where the Steelers were able to gash the Ravens was when the veteran quarterback was able to check Pittsburgh into plays that left the defense confused, leaving wide-open options.

[Check out all of Yahoo’s sports betting content here in our new betting hub]

All season long, the assumption has been made that the Ravens would eventually flip a switch and match their output to their power rating in the market, but even at their healthiest that hasn’t been the case against other playoff-caliber opponents.

One win, where the already-clinched Packers weren’t able to match the Ravens’ desperation and aggression, doesn’t confirm the high regard that Baltimore carries here, considering the Ravens have blown fourth-quarter leads to the Bills early and the Patriots late.

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Even if the Ravens do manage a 10-point lead on the road, there’s always room for Rodgers to make this game close late, but it’s more likely that we’re in for the usual tightly-contested game that John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin have found themselves in for almost two decades.

Pick: Steelers +3.5

Player props

Lamar Jackson under 232.5 passing and rushing yards (-115)

We’ve cited the historical numbers for Jackson against the Steelers, and while the names may change on Pittsburgh, the general game plan shouldn’t. While a sore Jackson may give Baltimore a better chance to win than Huntley, it doesn’t mean he’ll be freely running, since he hasn’t done as much of that this season anyway. Plus, there’s always the chance that Jackson can’t make it through all 60 minutes.

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Jonnu Smith over 2.5 receptions (+100)

Pat Freiermuth was the leading receiver for the Steelers with Metcalf unavailable last week, but he was used as a field-stretcher up the middle, catching three of five Rodgers’ passes. The other big change in personnel for Pittsburgh is the season-ending injury to fellow tight end Darnell Washington. Once he went out, Smith became Rodgers’ outlet, catching all five targets but for just 12 yards.

Marques Valdes-Scantling longest reception over 16.5 yards (-118)

Throwing conditions are never any good in Cleveland in December, but Rodgers tried to get the ball deep down the field to Valdes-Scantling anyway. Despite catching three passes for no more than nine yards, MVS had an average depth of target of 13.0 yards from his team-high nine targets in the absence of Metcalf. Against the Ravens’ secondary, prone to coverage breakdowns, there could be some more success if Rodgers keeps looking to stretch the field with his former Packers teammate.

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Anytime touchdown

Zay Flowers (+160)

After seven total touchdowns in his rookie season, it had been a frustrating stretch of more than a season and a half for anyone invested in Flowers to score, as he found the end zone just five times in 30 games despite 210 targets and 19 carries, while other lesser-talents were scoring at an unusually high rate relative to their overall usage. However, Flowers has scored in three consecutive games, including an 18-yard rushing touchdown, and a mathematically improbable stat line might be starting to correct itself.

With so much attention expected to be paid on Henry after his scoring splurge last week, and the Steelers’ reputation for spying well on Jackson, Flowers should find some single-coverage opportunities against the Steelers’ aging secondary.

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Kenneth Gainwell (+195)

While Jaylen Warren is the likely goal-line option each week, Gainwell can score in a variety of ways (four times on the ground and three through air), as he’s turned into a key security blanket for Rodgers. From a matchup perspective, Gainwell had eight touches/targets in the red zone in Week 14 to just two for Warren, scoring on one of four carries, while being a main character in the passing game with seven targets.

Jonnu Smith (+450)

The Steelers have started handing the ball off to Smith, and while I’m not sure what the football reason is for this, we don’t argue with the strategy — we just bet it. That evident desire to get Smith the ball alone might be enough to make them a valuable long-shot bet, but the injuries mentioned above also moves Smith up the hierarchy for a big-bodied scoring option for Pittsburgh.

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You can find more valuable betting analysis from Yahoo Sports betting contributor, Matt Russell, at THE WINDOW.