North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns and added 121 yards and two more scores on the ground as the Bison continued their dominance over the FCS ranks, winning their 10th national championship with a 35-32 win over top-seeded Montana state on Monday night.

The Bison sprinted to a 21-3 halftime lead after Miller scored two rushing touchdowns and added a 1-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Lance.

The Bobcats, who came into the game undefeated, came back behind Walter Payton Award winner Tommy Mellott and cut the lead to three at 28-25 early in the fourth quarter on a spectacular 44-yard touchdown run.

Mellott had 135 yards on 14 carries and threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns for the Bobcats, who were seeking their first national championship since 1984 and now have lost six straight games to North Dakota State, all in the playoffs, including a heartbreaking second-round defeat last season when they had an extra point attempt blocked in overtime.

North Dakota State dominance

Each of North Dakota State’s 10 championships has come in the last 14 seasons. The Bison won their first title in 2011, and it was the first of five straight titles. James Madison won the FCS crown in 2016, but the Bison rattled off a three-peat, beating the Dukes in 2019, becoming the first team in college football to end the season 16-0.

In 2021, NDSU beat Montana State 38–10 for their 9th title but were routed in the title game the following season by South Dakota State, the first of their two consecutive championships.

The only thing more embarrassing that the New York Giants’ 100th season was John Mara’s explanation the day after it ended.

Hours after releasing a statement that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen would return for the 2025 season, the Giants co-owner essentially constructed the plank the two will walk next season should things not turn around.

“It better not take too long (to improve the product),” Mara told reporters Monday, “because I’ve just about run of patience.”

Everyone else is already there, John.

Letting Schoen and Daboll return is defensible, given the proper messaging and rationale. Except instead of offering a rebuttal, Mara essentially prefaced why he would have to fire them next season should the winning ways not return. It’s exactly the type of dysfunction that has plagued the franchise for the better part of decade and portends to do so for the future.

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“I understand, believe me, that that’s not going to be the most popular decision in Giants land, but we believe it’s the right decision for us going forward,” Mara said.

Schoen and Daboll are 18-32-1 with one playoff appearance and a playoff win in that first season. Daboll was named NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts in 2022, when the team started 7-2, largely thanks to a defense that performed better than expectations. But that season’s defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, and Daboll couldn’t get along, and now Martindale is at the University of Michigan.

Since that start, the Giants are 12-31-1 (including the playoffs). Desiring continuity is admirable, but regression – to this degree – should be unacceptable. But Mara’s poor choices (hiring Dave Gettleman as GM, then Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge as HC) have created a revolving door in northern New Jersey, and only now has Mara sought to stop it.

“When you start over, you really set yourselves back,” Mara said. “And when you have a belief in the two individuals that are leading the organization, you have to have the patience to stay with it. And again, if we’re standing here, if I’m standing here a year from now and we’re having the same conversation, I’ll take the heat for it. But I still think – we still believe – that it’s the right decision going forward.”

This was the same media session in which he said his patience was thinning. Two songs, one singer. And a nightmare for the fans.

Sure, Daboll has had a tough hand with Daniel Jones at quarterback, and his injuries and poor play led to Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock and Tyrod Taylor all stepping into the starting role over the course of the last two seasons. But the offense has never been explosive outside of two late-season victories against the even more directionless Indianapolis Colts in the ’22 (38 points) and ’24 seasons (45 points), respectively.  

Mara didn’t blame anyone else for the Giants’ shortcomings. But he sure did talk himself in a circle. He should take notes from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a guy who knows a thing or two about winning (recent results aside).

“This whole situation is on me,’ Kraft said while addressing media Monday, a day after the Patriots moved on from Jerod Mayo after one season. ‘I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first. And now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.’

There’s a level of introspection, humility and confidence there that Mara would do well to emulate.

Mara has his own ideas of what he’d like to see fixed this upcoming offseason. Here’s a brief recap of what he said:

He was disgusted by the defense and basically put the blame on coordinator Shane Bowen.
Daboll should give up offensive play calling (though the coach later said that he brought it up in their meeting).
He wouldn’t say whether the roster Schoen inherited from Gettleman is better than the one they ended this season with.
The Giants definitely didn’t tank against the Philadelphia Eagles’ backups, with Tanner McKee at quarterback, after playing themselves out of the No. 1 pick a week prior.
Schoen and Daboll remain the right people for their jobs.

Schoen’s first two draft picks, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, have been underwhelming at best and disasters at worst, considering they were the No. 5 and No. 7 overall picks, respectively, in 2022. But Mara liked the 2024 draft class, which included Malik Nabers at No. 6 and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round (second-round safety Tyler Nubin also looked promising).

Schoen said Monday he respects ownership too much to be reckless with money this offseason. But with the heat turned up, expect a free-agency spending spree on players who will not live up to their contracts, as has become a Giants tradition at this point, and handicap the future regime – just like Gettleman did to Schoen before the former was graciously given the chance to retire instead of Mara having the stomach to fire him.

Rinse. Repeat. Give out free sodas during the last game of the season as an “Oops, our bad!”

Here’s that word again: dysfunction.

Maybe Mara is so forward-thinking that another year of futility will finally yield a quarterback of the future in a 2026 draft class that figures to have better prospects at the position. Anybody could tell you the Giants were desperate for a passer. The owner saying it out loud makes the price to acquire one – through free agency, the draft or a trade – that much steeper.

In a division that changes hands every year, the Giants haven’t won the NFC East since the 2011 season. The sad realization is that the franchise has largely been a joke since. That changing anytime soon feels impossible with Mara at the top of the organization, and co-owner Steve Tisch – who owns 50% of the team but leaves the football side to the Maras – seems content enough to collect checks and keep his own family name lucrative and relevant.

Over the last 10 seasons, the Giants are 57-106-1. The New York Jets, the team the Giants share a stadium with but act like they’re better than, have one fewer win over that span. Only the Jacksonville Jaguars have won less often.

That is the company John Mara has chosen to keep. Unless he changes his ways – or, really, gets out of the way – they’ll remain in the NFL’s basement.  

The 2024 NFL postseason field is finally set.

It only took a year of planning and strategizing (in most clubs’ cases anyway), and 272 regular-season games to settle the AFC’s and NFC’s playoff entries – all of them vying for a spot in Super Bowl 59, which will kick off at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

Which are best equipped to survive what will likely be a very difficult road to the “Big Easy”? We’ve ranked all 14 teams that still have a chance to play on Super Sunday, from worst to best, in terms of their championship viability.

14. Denver Broncos

Firstly, dap ‘em up. Almost no one – me included – gave them even a remote shot to get this far with a rookie quarterback (Bo Nix), a lack of topflight offensive weaponry, an unproven defense or a salary cap crippled by the early release of Nix’s predecessor, Russell Wilson, last March. Props, Sean Payton.

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Now, let’s be real – given, after all, cold reality is about to set in. The Chiefs effectively waved the Broncos, who failed to clinch a wild card in Weeks 16 and 17, into the postseason Sunday – because Kansas City and everyone else in the field would rather be potentially game-planning for the Broncos than Joe Burrow and the scalding Cincinnati Bengals, who would have qualified had Denver lost in Week 18. Regardless of who obtained the AFC’s No. 7 seed, a Super Bowl trip was always going to be a tough assignment given the path, at minimum, would require wins at Buffalo and Arrowhead to even reach the conference title game.

Good work, Broncos, but your job – for this season anyway – is just about done.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers

The only teams on longer losing skids than Pittsburgh’s four-game free fall are the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, aka the clubs slotted to choose first and second, respectively, atop the 2025 NFL draft. Woof. The Steelers haven’t only failed to win lately, they’ve generally been noncompetitive, losing those last four by an average of 13 points. The defense has largely been MIA over the past month, while Wilson has simultaneously resembled the quarterback who appeared washed in Denver – guilty of head-scratching turnovers and baffling clock management on top of a general inability to move the ball through air with any regularity.

It’s hardly an encouraging state of affairs for a franchise eight years removed from its most recent postseason victory. However …

Recent struggles aside, Wilson has more than his share of playoff stripes, while veteran defenders such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick won’t shrink from what’s ahead. And that would be the Ravens, whom the Steelers had beaten eight times in nine meetings … prior to a 34-17 setback at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 21 anyway. Still, perhaps no other team has the ability to routinely render Baltimore star Lamar Jackson a mere mortal – and that capability alone should give Pittsburgh a Steel City brawler’s chance … of at least making the divisional round.

12. Houston Texans

A group that appeared to be on a steep ascent toward a championship level – something that H-Town hasn’t enjoyed since the Oilers were an AFL powerhouse in the 1960s – has decidedly plateaued after what seemed a promising breakthrough in 2023. Offensive injuries and a too-often disjointed attack – one often undermined by a shaky line – have led to something of a regression by QB C.J. Stroud, last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. The defense has been slightly more dependable overall yet has also surrendered at least 26 points in four of Houston’s last eight games.

The home game conferred by the AFC South crown could help, as might a wild-card matchup against a Chargers team that also doesn’t have much collective experience in these situations. But hard to envisage a best-case scenario for the Texans beyond a second consecutive trip to the divisional round.

11. Washington Commanders

No shade directed at QB Jayden Daniels. At all. None. But there have been 116 starts by quarterbacks in the Super Bowl … but not one has been by a rookie.

Perhaps Daniels can be the one to break that mold. It’s very easy to build a case that his NFL debut is the best a first-year quarterback has ever had. He’s the primary reason a franchise that’s been lost in the wilderness for most of the past three decades suddenly finds itself elevated to relevance in what seems like a meaningful and sustainable manner. But let’s not saddle Daniels, Washington’s leading rusher in 2024, with the Jackson comp. Sure, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is just about the next best thing already and will doubtless carve his own identity – and that may well involve being a better and more dangerous passer than young Jackson much earlier on Daniels’ NFL arc.

Also, it’s not fair to characterize the Commanders as a one-man band. WR Terry McLaurin is a Pro Bowler, and first-year HC Dan Quinn has had a huge hand in resetting the culture while getting the most out of a defense that has few recognizable names outside of future Hall of Fame LB Bobby Wagner.

Still, history is an important guidepost. Washington likely has enough firepower to notch a postseason win. But the Bucs are a very tough matchup out of the chute. And the rookie passers who have historically had the most success in the playoffs – think Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Russell Wilson or Ben Roethlisberger – have essentially had complete teams around them, ones that weren’t necessarily reliant on a green QB. Washington isn’t that kind of outfit, so very high bar for Daniels and OC Kliff Kingsbury – he’s never experienced a postseason victory in his five seasons on NFL coaching staffs – to clear immediately.

10. Los Angeles Chargers

Who’s got it better than them? Maybe “future us” first-year boss Jim Harbaugh admitted after guiding a team into postseason for the fourth time in his five seasons as an NFL head coach. And the Bolts have many of the attributes that can portend playoff success – toughness, discipline, capability to run the ball, plus a quarterback (Justin Herbert) who can easily take over a game yet will rarely lose one.

Clearly a team on the rise, the Chargers seem ahead of schedule in Year 1 under Harbaugh as they take aim at the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy. And opening at Houston seems like as favorable a matchup as they could hope for. Still, Harbaugh’s team has yet to prove it can consistently compete with the league’s elite, and it certainly doesn’t seem to possess the explosiveness to stick around if a generally stingy defense fails to contain some of the league’s more combustible offenses – particularly on the road.

9. Green Bay Packers

Be nice to see a bit more appreciation for my NFC Super Bowl pick in preseason. Few 11-win teams are able to fly under the radar like this group, which has few weaknesses, one of the league’s top coaches in Matt LaFleur (probably also underrated) and nearly reached the NFC championship game last season, QB Jordan Love’s first as leader of the Pack.

Though there won’t be any more games at Lambeau Field this season, don’t expect the NFC’s seventh seed to shy away from being road warriors given their success there in the 2023 playoffs. (And, for what it’s worth, the last time the Packers won the Super Bowl to cap the 2010 season, they did it as the conference’s lowest-seeded entry.)

But there are major drawbacks this time – namely having to win at Philadelphia and then Detroit to merely make the NFC title round. And a team that was swept by the Lions and Vikings this season and also lost to the Eagles hasn’t exactly proven it’s able to hang with heavyweights. Love, who had to leave Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears after banging his throwing elbow, and the Packers also aren’t carrying the same load of momentum that propelled them into January a year ago. And Green Bay’s outlook certainly won’t be improved now that WR Christian Watson and CB Jaire Alexander have been lost to knee injuries.

8. Minnesota Vikings

It’s been a great season. Great. Unexpected. Perhaps a major building block toward the Lombardi Trophy that has forever eluded this franchise.

But is a letdown already setting in? To win 14 games but have to start the playoffs on the road as a wild card is literally unheard of – and the Vikes must return to Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, where they’ve already lost to the Rams once this year. Also, Minnesota’s protagonists have much to prove. HC Kevin O’Connell is a brilliant, rising star who previously coaxed 13 wins out of his 2022 edition … which summarily lost to an average New York Giants team in the wild-card round. QB Sam Darnold has been a revelation in 2024, but he’s also never started in the playoffs and had one of his worst games of the season Sunday night, when the NFC’s No. 1 seed was within grasp.

The Vikings are explosive, opportunistic – particularly an unrelenting defense tied for the league lead with 33 turnovers generated – and have one of the NFL’s truly unique and lethal weapons in WR Justin Jefferson. Yet it’s hard to drum up too much confidence that those elements can underpin an extended playoff run, particularly coming off a deflating performance at Detroit when so much was at stake.

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7. Los Angeles Rams

The NFC West champions are largely rested, fairly young and fresh – particularly a blossoming defense – yet experienced in key spots, specifically HC Sean McVay, QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp, the Super Bowl 56 MVP.

After employing O’Connell as his offensive coordinator for two years, we’re going to give an edge to McVay in the wild-card coaching matchup given the insights he’ll have into his protégé – even though both men will doubtless be considering ways to break tendencies. But McVay’s 7-4 postseason record and pair of Super Bowl trips are tough to ignore. His team is also flush with playmakers – keep an eye on rookie Pro Bowl OLB Jared Verse – and, despite suffering its share of injuries over the course of the season, has steadily gotten guys back, including the inspirational return of TE Tyler Higbee from a gruesome knee injury suffered in last year’s playoff loss.

But keep an eye on Stafford. The 36-year-old had a fairly quiet season by his standards and really seemed to tail off in December – throwing one TD pass over his final three starts, while failing to pass for 200 yards or post a QB rating of even 85.0 in any of them.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You’d think a team that won the Super Bowl four years ago – albeit with Tom Brady but also several players who are still here – and has won the NFC South every season since, the last two with QB Baker Mayfield, would get a little more respect. You’d think a team that handed Detroit one of its two losses this season and nearly beat the Lions in Motown during last year’s divisional playoff round would get a little more respect. You’d think a team that has been among the league’s most dominant over the final third of the season would get a little more respect.

Alas.

That’s not to say anybody should bet the mortgage on the Bucs winning it all. Though they can score with anybody, the defense is about as underwhelming as it’s been since HC Todd Bowles came to town. And injuries have deprived them of key players like WR Chris Godwin and, just over the weekend, S Jordan Whitehead, who was hurt in a car accident.

Still, there’s a fearlessness to this team – which certainly stems largely from Mayfield – and little reason to believe a Krewe that was nearly in the NFL’s final four last season isn’t capable of making another significant championship push.

5. Buffalo Bills

Aside from its inherent benefits, how important was the No. 1 seed in the AFC? Consider that the Bills were one of two teams in the league that didn’t lose at home this season … the other being the Chiefs, who edged out Buffalo for home-field advantage. Still, if all goes as planned, the Bills will be at Highmark Stadium for at least the next two weekends before hitting the road for Arrowhead or – perhaps – hosting the AFC championship game if K.C. somehow flames out.

The perennial AFC East champs will be a very tough out, the squad’s “everybody eats” philosophy indicative that a threat could come from anywhere, even if MVP candidate Josh Allen and RB James Cook are the primary offensive threats. They can beat you in a variety of ways, the first team in league history to post at least 30 rushing and 30 receiving touchdowns. Buffalo also led the league in turnover differential (+24) by a wide margin – that included 32 takeaways, third in the league – which tells you the Bills are more than content to embarrass you but unlikely to compromise themselves.

Still, aside from a checkered playoff history (recent and distant), this team is hardly bulletproof. Can anyone really adequately pick up the slack if Allen has a bad day? Will a defense that allowed two forty-burgers in the past five weeks hold? Maybe and hopefully if you’re a Mafia member.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Granted, retired C Jason Kelce is gone (from the lineup anyway), and transcendent RB Saquon Barkley is present for duty. Otherwise, there are ample similarities between the 2024 Eagles and 2022 Eagles, who came up just short of winning Super Bowl 57. Philadelphia can be dominant on offense and/or stifling on defense, coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit ranked No. 1 overall by a sizable margin after surrendering fewer than 280 yards, on average, per week.

Unsurprisingly, after finally being plugged into an offense worthy of his copious talents and propelled by perhaps the league’s best line, Barkley has been more than a difference-maker here. His mere presence creates easier and increased opportunities for WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert, who rejoined the lineup Sunday.

However, also like 2022, QB Jalen Hurts has battled injury down the stretch, sidelined by a concussion since Dec. 22. He’s quietly crafted his most efficient season as a pro, and early indications are that he’ll be ready to play this Sunday when the Packers come to Lincoln Financial Field. But the rust factor could be an issue, and there will likely always be concerns about Hurts’ ability to pass his team back into a game if it falls into a sizable deficit that reduces the Barkley threat – and that’s not a far-fetched problem in a field that includes the Lions and Buccaneers, who have no problem posting 40 points, while Green Bay and Minnesota are also certainly capable of running up the score quickly.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Is anyone playing better? They’ve won four straight, by an average of 23 points, since a Week 14 bye. Good luck finding an offense that has more ways to beat you – even if Pro Bowl WR Zay Flowers (knee) misses time. After being the team’s early season Achilles, the defense has gelled – allowing fewer than 11 points and 250 yards over the past month while forcing six turnovers (including two pick-sixes). Even struggling K Justin Tucker has stabilized.

Oh yeah, Jackson is probably the best football player on the planet.

But before going all in on the Ravens, one must consider their recent postseason flops. They’re 2-5 in the playoffs since Jackson came aboard in 2018 – he missed one of those losses – and he’s decidedly not been the same player when the chips are on the table. The AFC North champs will likely have to win road games at Buffalo and Kansas City in order to reach the Super Bowl. And to do that, they’d be wise not to lose sight of their identity – looking at you, OC Todd Monken – and that means running the ball, whether by feeding RB Derrick Henry or some designed gallops for Jackson, who can loosen up a defense like no other. Also, Ravens supporters can’t be thrilled to see the Kryptonite Steelers, much as they’ve scuffled lately, as the opening assignment Saturday night.

2. Detroit Lions

Their rash of injuries is a clear and present concern, and they continued to mount in Sunday night’s clinching effort for the NFC’s No. 1 seed – rookie CB Terrion Arnold (foot) and G Kevin Zeitler the latest starters to be cast in doubt.

But there have already been signs of the cavalry, LB Alex Anzalone and PR/WR Kalif Raymond returning to the lineup in Week 18. And the possibility remains that DE Aidan Hutchinson might be able to return for the Super Bowl after breaking his leg three months ago, while RB David Montgomery has held out hope he can come back from an MCL injury.

Yet all the focus on injuries here also detracts from what this team has accomplished – like winning a club-record 15 games while posting 70 touchdowns (only three teams in NFL history have produced more in the regular season). QB Jared Goff, one of the offense’s five Pro Bowlers, is a proven playoff commodity. And Detroit’s prospects for going all the way – the Lions are the only team that has played for the entirety of the Super Bowl era, which started in 1966, but never reached Super Sunday – are greatly enhanced by that first-round bye and the knowledge that the next two games would be at Ford Field, which has developed into one of the league’s best home-field advantages.

All that aside, there’s an undeniable aura to this team – one cultivated by coach Dan Campbell and his seeming devil-may-care persona, though don’t miss his calculated approach to game-planning or the confidence and, yes, “grit” he’s imbued into the best Lions team its fans have seen in nearly seven decades.

It must be noted that defense – even a little bit in crucial situations – does often win championships. And the three teams that scored more TDs than Detroit (2007 New England Patriots, 2013 Broncos, 2018 Chiefs) all came up short. Yet Sunday night’s victory against Minnesota provided fresh evidence that, despite so many absent starters, coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit can rise to the occasion.

These Lions might finally be ready to be kings of the NFL jungle.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Admittedly, as far as 15-2 regular seasons go, it wasn’t overly impressive. The Chiefs didn’t even rank in the top 10 league-wide in point differential (+59) – and would’ve only barely made it had they not punted entirely on their 38-0 loss Sunday to Denver. They’re quite strong up the middle on both sides of the ball but, with the exception of CB Trent McDuffie, there are a fair amount of issues on the outside – whether it’s protecting QB Patrick Mahomes, generating pressure, pass coverage or even consistency from the receivers.

But let’s not give a team that’s won three of the previous five Super Bowls (and lost another) short shrift. Remember, it was doom and gloom last year following their Christmas loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead. Yet Andy Reid, Mahomes and Co. found a way to close the season on a six-game heater – the average margin of victory was 6.8 points, sufficient to hoist the franchise’s latest Lombardi Trophy.

The defense remains topnotch if perhaps not quite as good as the 2023 version. K.C., already in the midst of what’s effectively a two-week rest period for the primary players, is already relatively healthy. And when you’re talking about Super Bowl viability – once again, few things are more important than having to win one fewer game than your competitors … while staying home to do so.

But maybe nothing is more notable here than a championship core’s motivation to pull off the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat, which Mahomes – he’s never failed to lead Kansas City to the AFC championship game since becoming the QB1 in 2018 – Travis Kelce and Chris Jones have been fixated on for nearly a year. Legacy and history are unparalleled motivators for the great ones.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

“Super” wild-card weekend used to mean something. Putting the moniker – a loose exaggeration of “expanded,” since the number of playoff teams went from six in each conference to seven following the 2020 season – ahead of the upcoming wild-card round might be a little far-fetched, though. 

The seeding in the AFC played out in a way that “Harbaugh Bowl Pt. 4” did not come to fruition. In the NFC, there will be no first-round rematch between East rivals Washington and Philadelphia. But it’s the playoffs, and the time to complain has ended.

Let’s instead embark on what has become one of our favorite wild-card week traditions and rank the six games this weekend from worst to first by watchability. 

6. No. 7 Denver Broncos at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+) 

Salute to the Broncos, who did not wilt down the stretch thanks to the improved play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who would be a shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year had Jayden Daniels not been in the same draft class. 

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But their task Sunday is a tall one. Josh Allen is the MVP favorite for a reason, and although Buffalo’s defense does not always show up at the same level as the offense, head coach Sean McDermott should scheme his guys into favorable enough situations against the Broncos offense. Allen will be well-rested. In an oxymoronic way, the Broncos may not have the horses to hang in this one. 

5. No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4 Houston Texans (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) 

Death, taxes and the Texans playing the Saturday afternoon game to open the postseason. The Texans don’t look like the team that made the divisional round last year, and without Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, C.J. Stroud simply doesn’t have the weapons. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter saw Stroud, the former Ohio State signal-caller, twice as Michigan’s DC and came out on top both times. Defense will rule the day in this one, so finish your errands early by Saturday evening, because this one could come down to the wire. The action before that might not be too exciting, though. 

4. No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video) 

The NFL was benevolent enough to give Amazon a decent matchup for its first-ever playoff broadcast, and let’s hope Al Michaels doesn’t take his benching by NBC from a year ago too hard. The call may not be the most enthusiastic for this one, considering Michaels’ periodic grouchiness in the booth and that Kirk Herbstreit will be calling the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between Texas and Ohio State the night prior. 

This AFC North rivalry would usually garner a higher ranking, but the Steelers are on a four-game losing streak and their offense was the reason they almost dropped a spot or two on this list. And the Pittsburgh defense does not look like a traditional one. More than a little Mike Tomlin magic will be needed to pull off the upset – or even make it a close game with MVP candidate Lamar Jackson rolling and Derrick Henry ready to make his Baltimore postseason debut. 

3. No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX) 

The health of Jalen Hurts (still in the concussion protocol) is the determining factor in this ranking. If he doesn’t play and it’s Kenny Pickett or Tanner McKee, it might be tougher on the eyes, even with Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and the vaunted Philadelphia O-line. 

The Eagles’ defense should be able to contain Josh Jacobs and the Packers’ rushing attack to some degree, and without wideout Christian Watson, quarterback Jordan Love – nursing a throwing hand injury – lacks a true deep threat. Never count out Matt LaFleur’s ability to scheme up some positive plays on the ground, but it may be too great of a hill to climb. 

2. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN) 

For some reason, ever since ESPN picked up a wild-card weekend game, it feels like there has been something missing. Maybe everybody’s spent by the time the game rolls around. Maybe the league doesn’t award the Disney property the best matchup. Or maybe it’s just bad luck. But that should turn around this time. 

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will square off against his former boss in Sean McVay. The Rams’ starters on offense are playing on one week’s rest, which they’ll need to compensate for their defense; it should be a bounce-back game for Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson and the Vikings’ offense. Whoever has the ball last wins? 

1. No. 6 Washington Commanders at No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) 

Points, points, points. Defenses are not the strong suit of either of these teams, even though both head coaches come from that side of the ball. There aren’t many better watches currently than Daniels at the moment, as he’s busted out of his rookie slump and will return to Raymond James Stadium, where he made his NFL debut four months ago. 

And speaking of good watches, Baker Mayfield developing into the player he is has been delightful. Bucky Irving could be a household name by the end of the contest. Mike Evans, pockets much heavier after extending his 1,000-yard streak, will face off against longtime foe Marshon Lattimore, the ex-New Orleans Saint who was acquired by the Commanders at the deadline with the goal of locking up an opponent’s No. 1 in this exact scenario.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Of all the things that have made John Cena one of the the prominent names in wrestling history, an underrated aspect of him is his honesty. What you see on screen and in the ring is what you get outside of it.

So when John Cena talks about the uncertainty of capturing a 17th WWE championship – which would be the most in company history – he means it. 

When he came out for the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix, back in Southern California where his wrestling career began, fans probably expected him to announce his quest for history and lay out the plans to face some of the biggest names and champions. Instead, Cena wasn’t so sure. He was hopeful, yes – but plenty of doubt rests in his mind. 

He doesn’t see it happening, and his time is almost up.

“I just want to set realistic expectations for everyone,” Cena said. “I will give you everything I got. You got my word, I always have. I’ve always given you everything I have. I just don’t know what that looks like.”

When Cena announced in July he would be ending his wrestling career for good in 2025, the speculation and hope from the WWE universe was that the decorated star would capture the top prize in the company one last time, and by any means necessary. In a time where anyone will make a case that someone is being buried on the roster over a veteran just getting the title because of the name, people want Cena to bury anyone and everyone on a path to No. 17.

The only problem is, Cena shuns any thought of it.

“I know how hard it is to go from the bottom to the middle of the menu to the semi main event to get that spot,” he said. “What I didn’t want to do – in the last time we share some time with each other – is walk in and demand it, because that’s not fair to the current WWE locker room. That’s not fair to the audience, and that feels bad.”

It’s hard to come to grasp with, but it is also refreshing. Cena understands he isn’t the same person that could put in main event performances night in and night out. He is 47 and about to turn 48 just after WrestleMania 41 in April. 

Yes, Cena is just one year older than CM Punk, but he clearly isn’t showing signs of ending his time soon. He’s putting in the work to make a claim for a championship shot and make sure he can continue his run past 2025. Meanwhile, Cena is just trying to make sure his body can hold up for the next 358 days.

Starting the farewell tour in the Los Angeles area is a bit coincidental, since it was less than 10 years ago the city saw something similar. It is very reminiscent of how Kobe Bryant did his last season in the NBA. After giving basketball all he could and becoming one of the game’s and Los Angeles’ greats, Bryant wasn’t chasing a championship to go out on top. That Lakers team actually won only 17 games and finished last in the Western Conference. 

But what that last season of basketball was for Bryant was to just take a moment and appreciate all he did for basketball. He was given tributes and standing ovations in every city he traveled to, and during the grind of that 82-game season, was doing everything he could to make sure he could make it to the end. And did he ever, putting up one last signature performance in his last time lacing up the sneakers.

It’s just about the same when it comes to Cena. As much as it would be sweet to win one more, he doesn’t need to and doesn’t have to. Would his legacy be tainted if he didn’t win gold in his final year of competing? No, the overall consensus about him won’t change.

That’s where most WWE fans are missing the point of this entire run. Cena didn’t have to come back for one last dance; no one would’ve had a problem if he just decided wrestling was in the past. This farewell tour is all about celebrating the accomplishments and moments that helped Cena become the main event of the century, and showing us glimpses that Father Time hasn’t completely caught up to him yet. 

Just like how basketball fans soaked in every last fadeaway jumper, every wrestling fan should take a moment to show appreciation and gratitude in every last Attitude Adjustment and Five-Knuckle Shuffle. It doesn’t need to be done chasing for championship gold for it to be special, it’s already going to be a remarkable ride.

Of course, Cena couldn’t leave the window completely closed. He will be competing in the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match, which would guarantee him a WrestleMania 41 title shot should he win the match for a third time. The odds are slim, but Cena can’t be counted out. Who knows? Maybe he’ll have an epic final performance just like Bryant.

However, if the Royal Rumble comes and he doesn’t win, that’s OK. If he doesn’t get a shot at Elimination Chamber, that’s OK. And if he doesn’t end WrestleMania with gold in his hands, that’s OK.

It’s remarkable that Cena gave more than two decades of greatness to this form of art. 

“We spent like 23 years together,” Cena said. “This is our last time to get together and make some noise. Whatever comes to that, comes to that.

“I just want to get us together one more time to have a good time.”

There are likely generations of fans that will be emotional seeing the man they grew up with ending his career, and younger ones that are going to marvel at the fact they got to see Cena in their life. No matter how this run ends, it will be one that will be cherished in the lives of WWE fans for as long as they can remember. 

So the time is now. Enjoy every second of it.

Pause for a moment and soak in this absurdity. 

Penn State’s senior All-America tight end is the most – take your pick – intriguing, fascinating, dominating player left in the College Football Playoff. He’s a matchup deficit for every opponent, no matter what defenses throw at him. 

He’s a WWE superstar prancing around his fiefdom, knowing full well no one can touch him. Only there’s nothing fake about this all too real unicorn on the college football stage. 

Or as Boise State coach Spencer Danielson plainly admitted, “The best way to try to negate (Warren) is to affect the quarterback.”

In other words, if you can’t pressure Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, there’s no answer for Warren. Now everyone finally gets to witness this rare player in all his glory, on the sport’s biggest stage Thursday in the CFP Orange Bowl semifinal against Notre Dame.

“I’m glad I’ve got another week with these guys,” Warren said after Penn State’s CFP quarterfinal win over Boise State. ‘I’m trying to play every play like it’s the last one.”

Welcome Notre Dame, to defending the indefensible. Be prepared to fail — like everyone else.

“Obviously a difficult matchup problem,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman says matter-of-factly.

And he’s not overselling it. 

If you haven’t seen Warren before – because who among us didn’t tune out Penn State in early November after yet another loss to Ohio State? – you’re in for a remarkable revelation. 

Like Warren, a former high school quarterback, leaping and scoring from the three — soaring over Illinois defenders and into the end zone while lined up at quarterback. Or doing it again, from the same spot on the field, against Washington. 

Or the 48-yard touchdown run on quarterback power against Purdue, where he hit the edge and got into the second level and ran away from the defense. Not one defender touched him.

Or completing a pass, then catching a throwback pass, for a 40-yard gain against Purdue. On the same play, while lined up at quarterback.

Or playing center – yes, everyone, center – against Southern California and lined up eligible in the formation, snapping the ball and running a streak down the center of the field. He caught the ball in the end zone while flipping over the safety, yet another 50-50 ball where 6-feet-6, 260 pounds has the advantage. 

Because 6-6, 260 always has the advantage. That catch against USC was one of 17 in the game. That’s right, seventeen. 

Warren has had at least six catches in nine of Penn State’s 15 games. He has four 100-yard games, eight touchdowns and is averaging almost 12 yards per catch. He also has four rushing touchdowns while lining up in the backfield.

Now imagine game-planning this rare weapon in the biggest game of the season.  

Boise State tried everything to keep Warren from changing the course of the game, including double teams, rolling coverages, and using ends and linebackers to jam and redirect at the line of scrimmage. Nothing worked when it mattered most, when Boise State couldn’t affect the quarterback on critical plays. 

Two plays – two dagger touchdowns – where Warren’s size and speed took over. Where the unicorn made a play that only he can.

The first came on Penn State’s initial drive of the game, on second-and-long, when Warren had the time to run from the left side of the formation all the way to the right corner of the end zone. Allar threw the ball to a point in the back corner, and Warren outran pass-off zone coverage to go get it.

And deftly tapping his feet inbounds before lumbering out of the end zone. 

Later in the third quarter, after Boise State had closed to 17-14 and had momentum, Warren caught another touchdown pass on third-and-long — this time in man coverage, high-pointing an Allar throw in the back of the end zone over safety Ty Benefield for a gut-punch of a score.

Again, gently getting two feet inbounds and completing the catch before crossing the back line.

Now, the problem for Notre Dame: the Irish are just as limited in coverage of Warren. Like everyone else in college football. 

But Notre Dame has seven sacks in playoff wins over Indiana and Georgia, and despite size limitations (and injuries) on the defensive line, has been able to manufacture pressure and affect the quarterback. 

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke had an elite season, but struggled mightily against the Notre Dame pass rush (and coverage) until the Irish played soft with a 24-point lead. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, making his first career start, played about the same, the Irish constantly harassing and limiting in his impact. 

The plan for Notre Dame is the same as the plan for Boise State: affect the quarterback, and affect Warren’s chances of changing the game.

Needless to say, it doesn’t always work.

“He’s not just a big guy who can run. He’s long and has a rare catch radius, and he can run right over you,” said Boise Sate safety Alexander Tuebner. “He finds ways to make plays no matter how you cover him.”

This is your unicorn, everyone. And it’s darn near impossible to defend the indefensible. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

The Los Angeles Chargers are signing running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to multiple reports.

The 29-year-old Elliott was released by the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the team’s regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders. Elliott reportedly requested his release, and it was the second time in three seasons that the Cowboys released the veteran running back.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Elliott was an instant star for the Cowboys after the team selected the Ohio State standout with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He led the NFL in carries and rushing yards in two of his first three seasons. His 322 carries for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns during his rookie season remain career-highs.

As his on-field production dipped, the Cowboys released Elliott after the 2022 season and he was picked up by the New England Patriots. He had 955 total yards and five touchdowns with the Patriots before hitting free agency last offseason and signing a one-year deal to return to the Cowboys. During the 2024 season, Elliott was a backup to Rico Dowdle, who posted a 1,000-yard rushing season. Elliott, meanwhile, had 74 carries for 226 yards. Both numbers were career-lows.

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With running back Gus Edwards sidelined with an ankle injury, the Chargers could elevated Elliott to the active roster as a backup to J.K. Dobbins. The Chargers face the Houston Texans on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

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