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The Green Bay Packers started the season by losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and finished the season the same way.

Green Bay lost 22-10 against the Eagles in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. Philadelphia controlled most of the game in what was the Eagles’ second win of the season over the Packers. The two teams previously met in Week 1 in Brazil.

The Packers’ loss means the offseason has arrived for Jordan Love and company. What’s next for the Packers as they prepare for the 2025 season? USA TODAY Sports explores.

Packers key free agents 2025

Josh Myers, C

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Myers started 16 games and played 1,008 snaps. He’s a durable center with an established rapport with Jordan Love. He allowed one sack and 29 pressures this season, per Pro Football Focus.

Isaiah McDuffie, LB

McDuffie’s 97 tackles ranked second on the team. He also had three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The linebacker started all 17 regular-season games for Green Bay.

Eric Stokes, CB

Stokes started seven games this year. The reserve cornerback played 54% of the team’s defensive snaps. He allowed 403 yards and gave up three touchdowns.

Packers offseason preview: 3 moves to make

Cornerback

The Packers placed Jaire Alexander on injured reserve due to a PCL injury. Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell are entering free agency so Green Bay needs to add depth at the position.

Defensive end

The Packers’ 35% pass rush win rate ranked 26th in the NFL. Rashan Gary totaled 7.5 sacks but Green Bay lacks consistency on the opposite side along the defensive line.

Wide receiver depth

Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are entering the final year of their respective contracts. The Packers need some insurance at wide receiver. Earlier in the season, the Packers suspended Doubs for ‘conduct detrimental to the team’ after he was upset with his opportunities. Watson tore his ACL in Week 18, leaving his 2025 status cloudy.

Packers draft needs

Defensive end
Cornerback
Wide receiver

The Packers have seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

A new report shared with the Trump transition team and shown to Fox News Digital recommends drastic steps to curtail the Iranian regime just days away from the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office.

‘President-elect Trump now has the unique opportunity to push back on the regime in a moment of its significant decline. By using diplomatic, informational, military, and economic means to hold Tehran accountable, he can promote regional stability and a new Middle East,’ Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, CEO and founder of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital.

The UANI report, titled ‘A 100 Day Plan for the Incoming Trump Administration on Iran’ is a blueprint for the administration to employ against Iran and has been shared with the Trump transition team, according to its authors.

‘Since 1979, Iran has been the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, the major cause of instability in the Middle East, and has brutally repressed its people with impunity,’ Wallace said.

The report recommends that the incoming Trump administration take a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach across, as Ambassador Wallace said, the diplomatic, informational, military and economic sectors alongside allies to properly hold Iran accountable for its regional destabilization efforts.

Iran fears the incoming Trump administration, said co-author of the report Jason Brodsky, adding he believes there is a strategic opportunity for Washington and its allies to capitalize on that fear to advance U.S. interests.

‘Rushing into premature diplomacy risks undermining that dynamic,’ Brodsky, policy director of UANI, told Fox News Digital. 

The report outlines several specific policy prescriptions in order to weaken Iran and argues that the U.S. government should first build a pressure campaign against Iran which will sharpen the regime’s choices.

In this new policy approach, the United States should learn from Israel’s experience since Oct. 7 about how to strike the Islamic Republic militarily without triggering a wider war.

‘If the Israelis can do so without triggering a wider war, so can the U.S. government,’ Brodsky said.

The authors assert that President-elect Trump should deliver a major policy address to warn Tehran that the U.S. would not hesitate to use military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if it takes steps to further advance its capabilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in early December enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels. French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran’s nuclear program is nearing the ‘point of no return’ with many seeing it as a method to build leverage against the incoming Trump administration.

Additionally, the report’s authors say the incoming Republican administration could also use targeted strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, Quds Force and Intelligence Ministry assets inside Iran if Iran or its proxies harm Americans. Targeted strikes should also hit Iran’s repressive apparatus through cyber and kinetic means if security forces violently suppress innocent protesters, as happened in 2009 after the disputed presidential election and in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the morality police for not covering her hair with a hijab.

U.S. strikes or retaliations against the regime, the report notes, have been non-existent or focused on the Islamic Republic’s proxies.

‘That dynamic only emboldens Iranian decision-making to calculate the benefits of these operations against Americans outweigh the costs and to doubt the U.S. resolve to defend its interests. The incoming Trump administration should reverse that calculus and one way to do so is to start holding Iran’s regime responsible on Iranian soil for the terrorism of its proxies,’ Brodsky explained. The U.S. should also build a military defector program and encourage political and military actors across the Islamic Republic, including within the Revolutionary Guard and other security forces, to defect from the regime. 

A key source of Iranian revenue is provided by its vast oil exports and allows Iran to sustain its terror across the Middle East through its ‘Axis of Resistance’ proxy networks. In 2024, Iran exported 587 million barrels of oil, an increase of 10.75% compared to the previous year due to OPEC cuts and lack of sanctions enforcement. 

Claire Jungman, co-author and director of the Tanker Tracking Program and chief of staff of UANI, told Fox News Digital that Iran’s oil exports have surged to nearly 2 million barrels per day—the highest in five years—under President Biden’s administration, reflecting weakened sanctions enforcement and the impact of billions in unfrozen assets. 

‘The incoming Trump administration has a critical opportunity to halt Tehran’s illicit revenue streams and restore maximum pressure on the regime,’ Jungman added.

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is a key source of regional Islamist terror groups including Hezbollah and Hamas, the group responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. The State Department estimates that Iran provides some $100 million annually to Hamas and helps fund Hezbollah with about $700 million a year.

UANI cautions against some in Western capitals who wish to seek negotiation with Tehran and views this flawed approach of endless negotiations as a way Iran can buy time and avert pressure. Ambassador Wallace said the previous maximum pressure campaign worked, and it’s time to reapply this policy as the regime faces setback after setback as it became embroiled in regional conflict with Israel after October 7th.

‘With the loss of its proxies and the support of the Iranian people … the Iranian regime’s days are numbered and, inevitably, the brave Iranian people will rise against the weakened corrupt mullahs,’ Wallace said.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House comes at a critical moment for America’s energy future. We are experiencing unprecedented demand for reliable power to fuel burgeoning technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. That demand is expected to grow exponentially over the coming years. In President Biden’s Washington, Democrats have lurched further and further to the left in a failed attempt to excite his political base by pushing unrealistic dreams of an electric grid powered only by unpredictable wind and solar. Fortunately, Trump understands that our energy security, technological edge, and national security are at stake. We have already seen the premium that the new administration places on good energy policy with the announcement of the brand-new National Energy Council.

The amount of energy used by AI data centers alone is expected to skyrocket over the next decade. Every time a new technology is announced, or there is a breakthrough in quantum computing, there is a corresponding increase in energy demand. Other countries around the world, particularly China, are building massive data centers and the energy infrastructure necessary to power advancements in AI. Meanwhile, America’s energy sector has been hamstrung for four years by policymaking that has sought to restrict and contract energy production rather than unlock its full potential.

With the past as prologue, Trump’s first term and his record on supporting reliable nuclear power as a vital energy source provide cause for optimism about the new direction of U.S. energy policy. Trump has a track record of delivering results on nuclear power and demonstrating what is possible when we put America first.

Within the first six months of his first term, Trump announced an initiative to unlock the power of American innovation on the industry. He said, ‘First, we will begin to revive and expand our nuclear energy sector — which I’m so happy about — which produces clean, renewable and emissions-free energy.’

In 2019, Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) finalized loan guarantees that totaled $12 billion to finance the construction of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. This was the first nuclear plant to begin construction in the U.S. in decades. This accomplishment was not just about creating jobs or expanding our production capacity. It was a downpayment on our future technological innovation.

That same year, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum to establish the United States Nuclear Fuel Working Group. It was a meaningful acknowledgment that there are national security implications around the need to produce nuclear power. Ultimately, the administration proposed a Uranium Reserve Program at DOE to ensure that America has a secure energy future.

Trump’s forward-looking approach also provided an important counter to China. Previous administrations had ignored the efforts that China was undertaking to dominate both the global nuclear and AI markets. The Trump administration, however, took concrete action to restrict nuclear exports to China and was successful in convincing allies to buy nuclear technology from America rather than China.

Many Democrats in Washington want you to believe that their green agenda is the only way forward and refuse to entertain any other ideas, no matter how worthy they are. Most Americans already understand the reality that powering AI and other future technologies with only solar and wind power is a fantasy. They are unreliable, uneconomical, and unable to provide the amount of power America needs. Thankfully, President Trump has already laid much of the groundwork to protect existing nuclear capacity and invest in the future. We now have a real opportunity to add nuclear capacity through new plants or by reviving shuttered plants that we desperately need. However, we must ensure that our existing nuclear fleet, which has seen a number of closures in the past decade, is preserved. This two-fold strategy will provide the additional around-the-clock power we need, support the current infrastructure, and power technological innovation.

Energy policy does not exist in a vacuum. It is inextricably tied to America’s technological future and global economic leadership. Protecting existing nuclear capacity and expanding it means we can power more AI, more quantum computing, and more technological innovation at home, all with power that runs around-the-clock in every weather condition. Every advancement in nuclear technology strengthens our national security and ensures we don’t cede our technological edge to China or Russia.

During a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Trump touted the benefits of nuclear energy and pledged to embrace it as an energy source. He said, ‘I will do rapid approvals for new energy infrastructure, and we will embrace all forms of energy including nuclear. Nuclear is a great energy.’ China is aggressively expanding its industrial and technological infrastructure. We can’t let inadequate energy capacity hold us back. I am confident that the team that President Trump has assembled, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Bergum at the Department of the Interior and Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright at DOE, understand this.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Republicans will hold confirmation hearings this week for more than a dozen high-profile administration picks for President-elect Trump’s next term, including those for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D.

Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense pick, will have one of the first hearings on Tuesday, when he will go before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m. and face questions from both Democrats and Republicans. 

Rubio and Noem were tapped by Trump to be his Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, respectively. Noem will appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday at 9 a.m., while Rubio is set to face the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at 10 a.m. 

Other Tuesday hearings include those for Doug Collins to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior. 

Trump also chose Pam Bondi for attorney general, John Ratcliffe to direct the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation and Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy. Hearings for each of them will be on Wednesday. 

Eric Turner, who Trump tapped to be his next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Scott Bessent, whom the president-elect announced as his pick to lead the Treasury Department, have hearings scheduled for Thursday. 

The hearing blitz comes as Republicans prepare to confirm as many Trump nominees as they can, as quickly as they can. 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., explained his hope to confirm his choices promptly, on ‘Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street’ on Friday, saying, ‘In the past, the minority party has not obstructed at least a handful of high-ranking Cabinet members to be approved in the first week. So I’m hopeful that Secretary of State, as well as Department of Homeland Security, will be approved either on the day of the inauguration, the day after or that week, as well as a few others — Department of Defense.’

‘So, I’m hoping we get to it quickly and that we don’t muddle it around. And I still have my fingers crossed that that’s going to happen. As far as the two that I’m in charge of, I’ve seen no resistance on the Republican side. And some indication that we may get some Democrat support as well,’ he added. 

Republicans are particularly motivated to confirm Trump’s national security team, especially in the wake of a recent terror attack in New Orleans, Louisiana, in which 14 were killed, and 35 people were injured. 

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Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos’ season ended Sunday after the Buffalo Bills routed Denver 31-7 to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Payton and the Broncos head into the offseason optimistic about their future. The Broncos exceeded expectations with rookie quarterback Bo Nix and ended their long playoff drought. Nix finished the regular season as a NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and cornerback Pat Surtain II is in the Defensive Player of the Year conversion.

However, the offseason has arrived for the upstart Broncos squad. What’s next for the Broncos as they prepare for the 2025 season?

USA TODAY Sports explores.

Broncos key free agents

Javonte Williams, RB

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Williams lost snaps to Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime toward the end of the season, a sign the team is prepared to let him walk in free agency. He did finish the year as Denver’s leading rusher and is a capable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Cody Barton, LB

Barton’s had at least 100 tackles in each of the past three seasons. He tallied 106 tackles his first year in Denver, the second-best total on the team.  

Ja’Quan McMillian, CB

McMillian emerged as a key member of Denver’s secondary. The slot corner had two interceptions in each of the past two seasons. He’s allowed under a 65% completion rate in all three years as a Broncos DB. He’s an exclusive rights free agent.

Broncos offseason preview: 3 moves to make

Tight end

The Broncos didn’t have a tight end catch produce above 20 receptions. Nix often makes plays off-script. A tight end security blanket would work to his benefit when he tries to extend plays and look for open pass catchers.

Running back

The Broncos haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Phillip Lindsay in 2019. Denver used a running back by committee approach this year. Williams led the team in rushing and he’s scheduled to hit free agency.

Defensive line

Zach Allen was Denver’s most impactful defensive lineman. Malcolm Roach and D.J. Jones had 43 tackles and 42 tackles, respectively. But Jones is scheduled to hit free agency.

Broncos draft needs

Tight end
Running back
Defensive line

The Broncos have seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft:

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 6
Round 6 (from PHI)
Round 6 (from ARI)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Mike Evans capped off his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season and Baker Mayfield enjoyed career-highs in passing yards and touchdowns. However, their superb seasons ended at home at the hands of the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 at home in the NFC wild-card round. The loss officially sends Tampa Bay on vacation.  

What’s next for the Evans, Mayfield and the Buccaneers as they prepare for the 2025 season? USA TODAY Sports explores.

Buccaneers key free agents 2025

Chris Godwin

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Godwin’s season was cut short after a season-ending ankle injury. Rookie Jalen McMillan’s emergence could make Godwin expendable. Godwin had three straight 1,000-yard seasons before his season-ending injury in 2024. He registered 50 catches and five touchdowns in seven games before he went down.

Lavonte David

The Bucs signed David to a one-year deal in March of 2024. David capped off his third-straight season of over 120 tackles. The Bucs might want to sign the veteran linebacker to another short-term deal again this offseason. David had 40 more tackles than Tampa Bay’s second-leading tackler.

Ben Bredeson

Tampa Bay had one of the best offensive lines in the league. Bredeson played 1,126 snaps at guard and allowed just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus. The Bucs ranked in the top six in both pass and run block win rates, per ESPN.  

Buccaneers offseason preview: 3 moves to make

Edge rushers

The Bucs re-signed Shaq Barrett in December after Miami released him. The move was a sign that Tampa Bay knows they need enhancements at edge rusher. Defensive tackles Calijah Kancey (7.5) and Vita Vea (7) led the team in sacks.

Bolster secondary

The Bucs’ pass defense ranked 29th in the NFL, and their turnover differential was negative five. The team’s seven interceptions ranked near the bottom of the league.

Linebacker

If the Bucs choose to re-sign David, he will be 35 years old at the start of next season. Tampa Bay must start grooming a linebacker who can take over in the middle.

Buccaneers draft needs

Edge Rusher
Linebacker
Offensive line

The Buccaneers currently have six picks in the 2025 NFL draft:

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 7

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

It was the doink for the divisional round.

The clank off the bright yellow upright echoed through the Tampa night, ending the Buccaneers season and extending the Commanders’ magical run, sending them to the divisional round for a battle against the Detroit Lions.

Zane Gonzalez was the Commander in chief for Washington on wild card weekend, knocking through a 37-yard field goal for the win.

In typical Commanders’ fashion, the win wasn’t without drama. Becoming kings of the fourth-quarter comeback, the team penned another dramatic story that ended in triumph.

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Washington has cycled through four kickers this season, with Austin Seibert, Greg Joseph and Cade York all either getting injured or unable to lock down the job.

That opened the door for Gonzalez, who certainly appeared to feel the pressure. The kicker fidgeted on the sideline, messing around with his socks and shoes before finally attempting the kick. Regardless, he delivered the team’s first playoff win in 19 years.

The Commanders have been known as many things since then. They had a controversial name, a terrible record and an even worse owner. They’ve been bottom dwellers and nameless. They’ve redefined the franchise this season, shedding those previous labels week after week.

Now they’re finally winners.

2025 NFL playoff bracket: How things stand after latest wild-card games

Commanders radio call of Zane Gonzalez’s kick

Here’s how it sounded on the Commanders’ radio broadcast with Bram Weinstein and London Fletcher.

Zane Gonzalez stats

Gonzalez is in his sixth NFL season and is playing for his fourth team. The kicker hadn’t appeared in a game since 2021 before signing with the Commanders earlier this season. He was 17-for-17 on extra points and 5-for-7 on field goal attempts in six regular season games.

However, when called upon in the playoffs, he was a perfect 3-for-3, with a long of 52, and converted on both extra point attempts to send the Commanders to the divisional round.

Zane Gonzalez contract

Gonzalez signed a one-year, $1,125,000 deal with Washington earlier this season, according to Spotrac. He is slated to become a free agent when the Commanders’ season ends. Considering his heroics, perhaps he won’t be on the unemployment line for long if he even gets there in the first place.

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Trailing by 32 points with a little more than a minute and a half left in the first half against the SMU Mustangs on Sunday, the Pitt Panthers won the second half by a resounding 54-10 to match the biggest comeback in NCAA women’s basketball history.

A women’s college basketball team been able to overcome more than a 30-point deficit only one other time. Texas State overcame a 32-point deficit against the University of Texas-San Antonio on Feb. 18, 2006.

But Pitt’s victory was arguably more impressive.

Unlike Texas State, Pitt did not require overtime in order to win. The Panthers won the game 72-59, a 13-point margin.

Essentially, this was a thorough second-half beating from Pitt. Here’s how it went down:

What happened in the second half?

The second half got off to as bad a start as possible for SMU. The Mustangs failed to record a single point in the third quarter, being outscored 28-0. They were a combined 0-for-11 from the field with five turnovers. Pitt, meanwhile, shot 11-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.

The Mustangs still led entering the fourth quarter, but the momentum had totally swung in Pitt’s favor. SMU did shoot better in the fourth quarter, tallying 10 points, but it was far too late.

SMU shot 7% from the field in the second half, hitting only one shot, a 3-pointer from Zanai Jones with 6:49 left in the game. That gave SMU a 54-52 lead, the team’s last lead of the game.

Who led the Panthers in scoring?

Mikayla Johnson and Khadija Faye led Pitt with 22 and 21 points respectively. SMU’s Nya Robertson was the game’s top scorer with 23 points.

Is this the biggest comeback in NCAA history?

For women, yes. It is tied with Texas State’s 2006 victory over UTSA at 32 points for the largest comeback in NCAA women’s Division I history. However, there was a bigger comeback on the men’s side.

On Feb. 22, 2018, Drexel overcame a 34-point deficit against Delaware to end a four-game losing streak. In the first half, Delaware was shooting 62% from the floor and 63% from three. However, junior Tramaine Isabell dropped 22 points in the second half, nearly outscoring Delaware by himself in the final 20 minutes. Drexel won the game 85-83 with Isabell hitting the game-winning free throws with 2.2 seconds left.

When does Pitt play next?

Pitt’s next game is on the road against the defending NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks. The game is set for Thursday, Jan. 16, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The NFL playoffs are in full swing. Wild card weekend features six games across three days with action in both the conferences. Twelve of the 14 playoff total teams took to the field to determine who advances to the next stage of the postseason: the divisional round.

With the current playoff format, only one team in each conference earns a first-round bye. In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs had the week off by way of securing the No. 1 seed. In the NFC, the Detroit Lions had a week off after winning the NFC North title in Week 18 of the regular season.

Both the Chiefs and the Lions will be back in action for the divisional round of the playoffs. The winners from wild card weekend advance in each conference as the field narrows from 14 to eight teams.

Here’s the schedule for the NFL divisional playoffs.

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NFL divisional round schedule

AFC

Saturday, Jan. 18, 4:30 pm: No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 4 Houston Texans
Sunday, Jan. 19, 6:30 pm: No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens

NFC

Saturday, Jan. 18, 8:00 pm: No. 1 Detroit Lions vs. No. 6 Washington Commanders
Sunday, Jan. 19, 3:00 pm: No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams OR No. 5 Minnesota Vikings

NFL playoffs schedule

Divisional round: Jan. 18-19
Conference championships: Jan. 26
Super Bowl 59: Feb. 9

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The opposing fans jeered JuJu Watkins when she was shooting free throws.

They let out a pronounced groan when they thought she traveled. They booed even louder when, as the tension of the tight game rose, a Maryland player was whistled for a foul against her.

But the most telling reception Watkins heard Wednesday night came when she was introduced before the game for visiting USC.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY