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Good morning! New Year’s resolutions start today in my book. Also, we have a new look. Please clap. Coming up:
🏈 NFL playoff field is set
❌ Black Monday has already begun
🎾 Tennis drama
Brackets: Everything’s in place
The NFL regular season’s final day is defined by three things: who’s making the playoffs, who’s getting fired and who’s getting the No. 1 draft pick. Let’s start today with the first — and happiest — one: Who’s in?
Here’s our bracket, with notes to follow:
The No. 1s
Denver clinched the AFC’s top seed with a 19-3 win over the Chargers yesterday, capping what has been an incredibly impressive season for a team we thought might contend for a wild card. Instead, yesterday’s victory tied the 1998 Broncos for the franchise’s most regular-season wins. That team won the Super Bowl, by the way.
Seattle earned its spot Saturday.
The No. 2s
Two other surprises! In the NFC, the Bears are the second seed despite a loss to Detroit yesterday. No one expected them to be here in Ben Johnson’s first year. Now they’re hosting a playoff game.
In the AFC, 14-win New England is your No. 2 seed. Also a shock compared to preseason expectations … under a new head coach with a second-year quarterback making a huge leap. Symmetry. Huh.
We’re going with more nebulous groupings from here, by the way.
Dangerous
Let’s put the Bills, Texans, Jaguars, Rams, 49ers and Eagles here. All teams with good quarterbacks and/or defenses that could easily win a playoff game or two. Philadelphia is the defending champ, too. The playoff team list is deep, which is great for us viewers.
Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images
Un-dangerous
We have to make space here for whatever happened in Pittsburgh last night, a 26-24 Steelers win over the Ravens that featured three touchdowns, one missed extra point and one missed field goal in the final four minutes of the game. It was delightfully entertaining and simultaneously made me believe neither of these teams deserves to get into the playoffs.
Congrats to the AFC North champion Steelers, though. And to the NFC South champion Panthers, who got in thanks to a Falcons win over the Saints.
Best games
The entire playoff slate should be good, but if you need to start carving out time early, pick these two:
Bills at Jaguars, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
49ers at Eagles, Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET
It’s going to be a fun few weeks. Let’s take a quick news break before getting to the other NFL tidings of the day:
News to Know
Hector Rematal / AFP via Getty Images
Djokovic resigns from org he co-founded
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic announced yesterday he will step away from the Professional Tennis Players Association due to “ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way (his) voice and image have been represented.” Djokovic co-founded the PTPA five years ago, though he has been slowly distancing himself as the group has launched a lawsuit against the six most powerful organizations in tennis. Get up to speed here.
Djokovic resigns from org he co-founded
Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is heading to No. 1 Indiana to replace Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, highlighting an elite day on the portal recruiting trail for the Hoosiers, who play Oregon in the Playoff semifinal Friday. What a stretch. Also, late last night, Texas Tech earned a commitment from Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was No. 1 on The Athletic’s transfer QB rankings.
More news
American speed skater Greta Myers, just 21, nearly missed out on the Olympics after getting disqualified in yesterday’s trials. She was allowed to redo the event, and now she’s heading to Milan.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will miss “some time” with an upper-body injury sustained last night. More details here.
Meanwhile, the Sharks gave center Alexander Wennberg a three-year, $18 million extension. It’s an important move for the surprise playoff contender.
Pink Slips: Black Monday arrives early in Atlanta
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Now we get to the arguably more dramatic part: Who got fired? Or, on the flip side, who got to barely keep their jobs?
A quick smattering:
The Falcons fired both coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, signaling a major front-office overhaul for a team that went 8-9 this year. Guess who will have a big hand in deciding the future? Matt Ryan.
In Las Vegas, Pete Carroll said he wants to return next year despite a horrific season that landed the Raiders the No. 1 pick in the draft. Our Dianna Russini reported yesterday that Carroll will likely lose his job, though. Honestly tracks.
In Indianapolis, both coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will stick around despite an in-season collapse that saw them desperately turn to 44-year-old Philip Rivers for help. James Boyd has a strong column arguing against Ballard’s continued employment.
Somehow, Jets coach Aaron Glenn appears safe despite coaching the team to what may be the worst season in franchise history. Also, this team did not record an interception all season, a first in NFL history. Glenn was an NFL defensive back! How is this possible?
Yesterday’s Browns-Bengals game was a strange one, both on the field and via the tea leaves. In that same report above, Dianna mentioned Cleveland is leaning toward moving on from coach Kevin Stefanski, while Bengals coach Zac Taylor still has internal support despite a third straight lost season. Joe Burrow’s comments after the game made it clear 2026 is do-or-die, though. Read his full thoughts.
Oh, and amid all that, Myles Garrett broke the NFL single-season sack record. The ensuing game stoppage to celebrate the milestone made Taylor mad, too. Weird.
Expect plenty more coaching news today. Almost done:
Watch Guide
📺 NBA: Knicks at Pistons
7 p.m. ET on Peacock
The top two teams in the East here. It’s an easy call to watch.
📺 Unrivaled: Lunar Owls vs. Rose
8 p.m. ET on TNT/HBO Max
Unrivaled’s second season begins today, with two games this afternoon (1 p.m. ET and 2:15 p.m. ET on truTV), but this feels like the correct starting point. The Rose are reigning champions of the still-new three-on-three women’s league. We have a full dossier of what to expect here.
📺 NBA: Warriors at Clippers
10 p.m. ET on Peacock
Golden State is treading water. LA is digging out of an ugly early season hole. Big names are here. It’s a good game.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Dylan Buell / Getty Images
How much are college football players actually getting paid in NIL dollars this offseason? Sam Khan Jr. conducted a wide survey of powerful people to come up with some reliable numbers. These are wild.
C.J. Moore is back with this weekly men’s college basketball top 25, which this week pays homage to a Michigan team so dominant Vegas oddsmakers can’t keep up.
Forget 1967, James Mirtle writes. Auston Matthews’ latest feat — breaking the Maple Leafs goals record — should be celebrated for what it is, not what franchise lore surrounds it.
Jim Bowden picks MLB’s seven most-improved teams of the offseason. No. 1 on the list: Baltimore.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry losing it on referees after the Irish’s loss against Cal.
Most-read on the website yesterday: NFL Week 18 live blog.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.