With just two Sundays left in the 2020 NFL regular season, it’s all about the push for the playoffs over the next seven days.
The action on Christmas Day and Boxing Day has already delivered plenty of drama, and Sunday is gearing up for more of the same.
So from No. 1 seeds to wild-card races, here’s what we’re watching for in the NFL on Sunday.
Chiefs, Packers can lock up No. 1 seeds
Under the new playoff format that sees seven teams from each conference qualify for the post-season, the No. 1 seed is more vital than ever as it represents the only team that will get the first round of the playoffs to rest up.
The teams in the driver’s seat for those coveted seeds are currently the Chiefs and Packers, and both can lock up a first-round bye on Sunday.
For Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, it’s simple: a win for heavily favoured K.C. at home against the Falcons and the defending Super Bowl champions will secure a weekend off.
With both the Bills and Steelers two games behind the Chiefs, if Andy Reid’s team somehow doesn’t get it done this weekend against the Falcons, they’ll have another chance next weekend with a victory over the Chargers.
Unlike the Chiefs, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will need some help in order to clinch the top seed in the NFC.
A win over the Titans in a tough Sunday night matchup in Green Bay would not be enough, as the Pack need the Seahawks to drop their crucial NFC West clash against the Rams (more on that later).
With Seahawks-Rams scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET, Rodgers and Co. will know before the Sunday nighter gets underway at Lambeau Field if they’ll have a chance to clinch the NFC’s top seed.
MVP watch continues
Speaking of the Chiefs and Packers, Mahomes and Rodgers are also the frontrunners in the 2020 MVP race. So as their teams battle to secure the No. 1 seeds in the NFL, keep an eye on how the two signal-callers are performing in what could end up being a pretty tight battle for MVP.
According to Odds Shark, Mahomes is the favourite heading into Week 16’s Sunday action at -300, while Rodgers trails as second-favourite at +260. Bills standout quarterback Josh Allen rounds out the top three at +900.
Via Odds Shark
Mahomes is undoubtedly in pole position to win the second MVP award of his short-yet-stellar career, but this race is far from finished.
Four division titles hang in the balance
The New Orleans Saints’ huge win over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day, fuelled by a historic Alvin Kamara performance, wrapped up the NFC South title for the Saints and clinched the fourth division title of the season.
That means half of the division crowns still hang in the balance heading into Week 16’s Sunday action, and the day’s games will go a long way in deciding when or how the remainder of the divisions will be settled.
The matchup with the biggest divisional consequences on Sunday is a massive game between the Seahawks and Rams that could end with a champ being crowned at the final whistle: a win by Russell Wilson’s team would see the Seahawks capture the NFC West title for the first time since 2016. A win by Sean McVay’s Rams, however, would mean the fate of the division won’t be decided until next week.
The AFC North could be just as intriguing: as the Steelers slump, the Browns surge. Cleveland can clinch its first playoff berth since 2002 on Sunday, but a division title for the first time since 1989 isn’t out of the question. While a Steelers win Sunday would clinch the division for Pittsburgh, a Steelers loss to the Colts and a Cleveland win over the Jets – which they’ll have to do without four wide receivers due to COVID-19 – would mean Week 17’s game between the Steelers and Browns will be for the AFC North title.
On behalf of NFL fans all over the world: yes, please.
The NFC (L)East can be decided in Week 16, too, and finally put the other three teams out of their misery. If Washington can beat Carolina and the Giants lose to Baltimore, the Football Team will be division champions — and we can finally leave this terrible division behind us.
Finally, the AFC South. The Titans and Colts are in a dead heat through 15 weeks of the season, with both teams at 10-4. Tennessee, however, holds the tiebreaker over Indianapolis and can clinch the division with a win at Green Bay on Sunday night plus a Colts loss.
Depending on how things unfold on Sunday, all eight divisions could have champions come day’s end. More likely, though, is that at least one of the remaining division titles up for grabs will come down to the final weekend.
Wild card race living up to its name
The addition of a third wild-card spot has led to a pair of very tight races in both conferences that, thanks to some unexpected and insane results on Saturday night, will come down to the final week of the season.
In the AFC, the Dolphins still sit in the third wild-card spot after an unlikely last-second victory over Las Vegas on Boxing Day that eliminated the Raiders and would’ve left Jon Gruden fuming.
Miami now sits one game ahead of the 9-5 Ravens, who currently sit on the outside looking in, and the Dolphins hold the tiebreaker thanks to a better win percentage in conference games. Baltimore needs a win over the Giants on Sunday to keep pace with Miami for the final AFC post-season berth, and to push the race to a final and deciding weekend.
In the NFC, a Saturday evening upset loss to the 49ers by Kyler Murray and the Cardinals means the Bears could leapfrog Arizona into the conference’s final wild-card spot on Sunday with a win over the lowly Jaguars.
The Cardinals’ Week 16 loss could prove decisive: if Arizona and Chicago finish the season with an identical record, the Bears hold the tiebreaker (better record against common opponents) and would make the playoffs.
So keep an eye on the Bears and Ravens on Sunday – if they both win, it sets up what will undoubtedly be a dramatic climax in the race for the final wild-card spot in both conferences.
The battle for the top pick in 2021
And what a battle it is.
The Jets had the best road to the top pick in next spring’s draft until a shocking win over the Rams last week allowed the Jaguars to leapfrog Gang Green for the honour of picking the top 2021 NFL prospect, presumably Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Can the Jets be worse than the Jaguars over the next two weeks and get back into top position for the No. 1 pick before the season comes to an end?
If we were to wager, we’d bet no – neither of these teams look primed to win another game this season. But as last week showed all too well, anybody can win on Sundays – even the Jets or Jaguars – so we can’t always count on the seemingly improbable.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
