Give Bo Nix a standing O.

The Denver Broncos won their 11th consecutive game, clinched a playoff berth, and became the first team in the NFL this season to post 12 victories with an inspiring triumph at Empower Field on Sunday.

And it was not in spite of their embattled young quarterback.

It was largely because of their scrappy young field general.

Sure, the Broncos defense showed up again as one of best units in the NFL, with reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II instantly flipping the momentum like that in the third quarter with one of the most breathtaking interceptions you’ll ever see.

Yet for all of the heat (and three more sacks) the Broncos put on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, and for the problem Denver’s D had in containing Josh Jacobs (14-yard TD catch, 40-yard TD run), the 34-26 outcome begged for a different type of pressure.

Ultimately, in a game that featured six lead changes, the Broncos had to prove that they could not only keep up with the Packers, but one-up them, too.

Enter standing ovation. It wasn’t too long ago, like on a Thursday night in November with the Las Vegas Raiders in town, that they booed Nix at the Broncos home park as the offense struggled like something awful. Cool thing. He never flinched. Nix won the game, gave his defense props, grinned and said something witty.

‘I’ve been booed before and I’ll be booed again,’ he said on that night.

Look at him now. Talk about changing a narrative.

Nix was fabulous on Sunday, passing for 302 yards and 4 TDs, without a pick. The second-year pro had the third-highest passer rating of his career (134.7). And even better than the numbers: the presence.

Whatever you thought about Nix before Sunday – the Broncos won their previous five games by a combined total of 17 points – needs to be adjusted with Denver currently holding the No. 1 seed on the AFC side of the playoffs.

Sure, Sean Payton’s team has won so many close ones, when the defense kept the game close with shut-down action or, big-time splash plays. The previous Sunday at Washington, Nik Bonnito closed out the overtime win with a magnificent deflection as he rushed Marcus Mariota.

No, you don’t want to go into January without a championship defense. And the Broncos unit, coordinated by Vance Joseph, is exactly that.

Yet winning big in the NFL also involves having a balanced team, where a capable offense and special teams can complement an outstanding defense. And vice versa.

There’s also the notion that to win a big game against top competition, at some point the quarterback must make a big-time throw. And Nix, growing up before our eyes on a huge stage, didn’t just make a throw in getting the best of Green Bay.

He made a throw. Then another one. And another one. Then another…

He used his feet, too, to avoid sacks (zero sacks), buy time and set up big plays.

‘There’s so many plays to reference,’ Payton said during his postgame press conference.

Three that screamed wow:

– In the second quarter, Nix fired a bullet through a tight window to Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a five-yard touchdown. Humphrey was low to the ground, just across goal line, and there were multiple defenders invading his space. But the throw was perfect. Like something we saw in the World Series from LA Dodgers MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

– At the end of the third quarter, Nix threw a strike over the middle to Troy Franklin, his former Oregon teammate, for a 23-yard touchdown. Again, perfect throw at the right time. It capped the longest drive of the night (11 plays, 75 yards) and put the Broncos back on top – for good.

– Early in the fourth quarter, with Denver clinging to a 27-26 lead and facing a fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 41-yard line, Payton went for broke. As he explained his guts afterward, Payton insisted that his decision was not about analytics. I believe him for a couple of reasons, one being Nix was on fire. Payton dialed up a sideline streak for Courtland Sutton, similar to the route they missed with on the previous play.

Sutton stretched to haul in a rainbow throw for 26 yards. One replay review and three plays later, they scored again as rookie running back RJ Harvey ran it in for a 4-yard TD that provided the final margin.

Yet it was also evident in that sequence that Payton has some serious trust in his young quarterback. Maybe the options in that situation were limited, but not unrealistic as a field goal try from nearly 60 yards would have had a Mile High boost. Yet Payton not only had the faith to go for it, he put the onus on Nix to make that throw. After all, it wasn’t Drew Brees, who will likely be revealed as a first-ballot Hall of Fame finalist in the coming weeks, slinging it on Sunday. It was the quarterback they booed a few weeks ago.

Done.

‘It’s not easy for him after so long with one consistent quarterback, who was absolutely dominant in this league, to take a younger guy and trust him,’ Nix said. ‘I really appreciate that.’

Nix has surely demonstrated that his temperament is built for dealing with adversity and thriving under pressure. And he is undoubtedly gaining more confidence with each success, which is compounded by the trust that teammates – and that goes for defensive players, too – have developed with Nix.

Payton, mindful of the series of crunch time heroics (including the crazy comeback against the New York Giants in Week 7, when Denver won 33-32 with a 33-point fourth quarter) has been around long enough to realize what they can do for psyche.

As they went back and forth on Sunday, Payton insists there was no panic.

‘That’s the habitat we’ve been living in,’ he said. ‘And so, when you get comfortable operating in those games, you don’t think anything of it.’

Nix realizes that progress is a breathing testament to the synergy with Payton. The son of a coach, Nix praises Payton for allowing him to be his “authentic self” and connecting their competitive vibes.

‘I can tell by the way he’s calling it,’ Nix said of the strategy. ‘Then my job is to turn around and protect him, keep his calls safe.’

Now that’s synergy. Nix knows. In many corners outside the Broncos headquarters, the expectations have been rather reserved, despite the NFL’s longest winning streak. Never mind that Denver had won 10 games in a row and 11 straight at Empower Field. They still entered the game on Sunday as a home underdog.

During the week, when someone asked about apparent slight, Nix quipped, ‘My mom thinks we’ll win, so that’s all that matters.’

Turns out, Nix’s mom was correct.

No, her son doesn’t have the resume that Hall of Famers John Elway and Peyton Manning built, including their Super Bowl titles with the Broncos. But Nix’s mom can surely envision the potential of winning a championship.

And not because Bo Nix would just be going along for the ride.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on  X: @JarrettBell

Former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Paul Wiggin, who played 11 seasons for the Cleveland Browns before going on to a lengthy coaching career in college and the NFL, has died at the age of 91.

Wiggin had a short-lived stint as an NFL head coach, replacing a legend in Kansas City. He later returned to the college ranks, where he coached star quarterback John Elway at Stanford and was on the losing end of ‘The Play’ in 1982.

A two-time All-American at Stanford, Wiggin was a member of the Browns’ 1964 NFL championship squad. After retiring as a player in 1967, he joined the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff. He spent seven seasons as an assistant before being named to succeed Hank Stram as the head coach of the Chiefs in 1975.

But perhaps his greatest legacy came later after he was fired by the Chiefs and eventually returned to Stanford. Wiggin was on the sideline for one of the craziest endings in college football history − a 25-20 loss to rival Cal in which the Bears scored winning touchdown on a series of laterals as time expired with the Stanford band prematurely on the field.

‘I think it’s tragic that a Cal-Stanford game had to come down to this,’ Wiggin said at the time. ‘In our hearts and our minds, we won the game. We know we won the game.’

Wiggin also served as defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings before moving to the Vikings front office and remaining with the franchise for nearly 40 years.

In 2005, he was named to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame, where he was its fourth-oldest living member at the time of his death.

‘Paul Wiggin represented everything the NFF College Football Hall of Fame aspires to honor, specifically excellence on the field, leadership on the sidelines, and a lifelong commitment to the game,’ NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. ‘His impact on college football spanned generations, and he leaves behind a legacy that will long be remembered. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing.’

The College Football Playoff committee’s job used to be to select the four best teams for the bracket. No automatic bids, although conference championship games provided a useful data point.

Then came the 12-team playoff, and five automatic bids barged their way into the bracket. A worthy idea, but realignment and bloated conferences damaged this concept. The CFP format probably requires fine-tuning after seeing Tulane and James Madison clog the first round.

I’m all ears for the burgeoning idea the 12-team playoff ought to be an attempt to gather the 12 best teams. No auto bids. No conferences are guaranteed a spot. And, if I might be so bold, no athletic directors involved in choosing the 12 best teams.

Here’s my 12-team playoff bracket, with seeding, for this season. No ADs or television executives were consulted in the compiling of these picks:

What my 12 best teams CFP bracket would look like

1. Indiana: The nation’s only undefeated team possesses only strengths, no weaknesses.
2. Georgia: The Bulldogs are peaking as the postseason arrives, and they have a better collection of wins than Ohio State.
3. Ohio State: The defense remains as good as any. Questions center on the offense, as coordinator Brian Hartline juggles double duty with OSU and USF, his new job.
4. Texas Tech: Never mind the Big 12 jersey patch. This defense could wreak havoc in the SEC or Big Ten. Quarterback Behren Morton would thrive in any conference, too.
5. Oregon: The Ducks weren’t on Indiana’s level in a midseason loss, but being one step below the Hoosiers is still pretty good.
6. Ole Miss: The offense performs as well as any in the bracket, and keeping coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. for the playoff was key. Ole Miss is a defense away from being elite.
7. Texas A&M: The Aggies appear to be on the downslope of their peak. Texas A&M is good in a lot of areas, great in none, but you can’t deny their 11 wins.
8. Notre Dame: Twelve best teams means the Irish are not only in the bracket, but hosting in Round 1. My eyes detect vast improvement from Notre Dame since Week 1.
9. Oklahoma: The Sooners are the opposite of Ole Miss, with an elite defense that gives them a chance against anyone, but a suspect offense that says they won’t last ‘til the end.
10. Miami: When we see the best of Carson Beck, we see a team nobody in this bracket would wish to face. The Hurricanes played well in November. Just keep Beck hot.
11. Alabama: The Crimson Tide peaked in October. They lack a run game. Quarterback Ty Simpson’s performance is slipping. A respectable defense supplies what’s left of Alabama’s engine.
12. Texas: Three losses shouldn’t be ignored. Three wins against top-15 opponents should not be ignored, either. Pair them together, and out pops a 12-seed.

Four-team college football NIT

Anyone up for a college football NIT?

You’re probably thinking, “What’s the point?” Well, what’s the point of bowl games? What’s the point of the basketball NIT? Programming!

I’m elevating four teams up from bowl games and into a mini tournament for the right to declare, “We’re No. 13.”

My first-round NIT games will be played Dec. 13 at a pair of sunny bowl venues. Put the NIT title game at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, as a prequel to the playoff quarterfinal game that evening. NIT title to be played at an even sunnier bowl venue.

Here’s my NIT:

1. BYU: The billionaire oil tycoon that keeps going on your TV and telling you college sports are broken and only he can fix them stood between BYU and a Big 12 title. Fair enough, but the Cougars achieved enough without Big Oil’s help for an NIT No. 1 seed.
2. Vanderbilt: Before you mercilessly mock my idea of a four-team NIT, consider I’m giving you up to two more opportunities to watch Diego Pavia, instead of a single bowl game.
3. Utah: Kyle Whittingham is stepping down after a good, long ride at Utah. Let’s give him his “Last Dance,” in the NIT.
4. Tulane: Can’t spare room in my 12-best-teams playoff bracket for the Group of Five this year, but there’s room in the NIT for a Tulane team that beat the ACC’s champion.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

DJ Lagway was a source of hope for Florida football entering the 2025 season, a potentially transformative quarterback who fans dreamed of leading the Gators back to national prominence.

More than three months after his team’s season opener, the former five-star recruit is now headed elsewhere.

Lagway announced on Monday, Dec. 15 that he intends to enter the transfer portal, with his decision coming two months after Florida coach Billy Napier was fired seven games into his fourth season at the school.

Lagway said in a message posted to social media that he made the decision to leave after “much prayer, reflection, and thoughtful consideration.”

After taking over as the team’s full-time starter as a freshman during the 2024 season, Lagway rallied the Gators to wins in their final four games to salvage an 8-5 record and help Napier keep his job.

The promise he showed as a freshman didn’t translate to a breakthrough sophomore season. Lagway dealt with injuries for much of the spring and summer, which slowed his development and preparation heading into his second college season. He struggled for large stretches of the 2025 season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions for a Florida team that finished 4-8 and fired Napier after a 3-4 start.

Coming out of Willis High School outside of Houston, Lagway was the No. 7 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He chose the Gators over USC, Baylor, Clemson and Texas A&M.

After missing out on Lane Kiffin, who opted instead to go to LSU, Florida hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall as its next coach. Napier, meanwhile, was hired as the head coach at James Madison.

Despite his inconsistent play last season, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Lagway will likely be one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal due to his physical attributes, high ceiling and flashes of production he has shown in his brief college career.

Mariah Carey is going to the Olympics.

The Grammy-winning superstar will perform at the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics, organizers announced Monday, Nov. 15. The opening ceremony will be Feb. 6 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan.

‘Ciao! Get ready for Milano Cortina 2026. See you at the Stadio San Siro on the sixth of February for the Olympic Opening Ceremony,’ Carey said on Instagram.

Carey is the first performer at the Opening Ceremony to be announced. The ceremony is being produced by Balich Wonder Studio, with organizers saying it will combine ‘Italian spirit, innovation (and) emotion.’

‘Together, music and sport will give life to an Olympic Opening Ceremony where Harmony becomes an expression of collective energy, a symbolic space where communities come together, transcend boundaries and recognize themselves as part of the same vibrant momentum of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mariah Carey’s participation further underscores the international breadth of the Ceremony and its messages,’ organizers said.

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You’ve heard of love at first sight.

For Quinn Hughes, who made his Minnesota Wild debut on Sunday, this was love from first time on the ice.

Two days after acquiring the 2024 Norris Trophy-winning defenseman in a blockbuster trade from the Vancouver Canucks, the Minnesota crowd showed Hughes why it is known as the State of Hockey. Hughes was cheered from the moment he skated out for warm-ups. Each time he touched the puck, the crowd roared with applause.

It was the kind of reception that could go a long way in convincing Hughes to make Minnesota his permanent home.

‘That was pretty special, honestly,’ Hughes told reporters. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. It was very cool. I know it’s a hockey market, but that was exciting.’

Hughes has made no secret that he hopes to play on a team with his two younger brothers one day. But after a 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins, the newest member of the Wild opened the door on potentially signing a long-term extension to stay in Minnesota when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.

‘I mean, extremely open minded,’ Hughes said. ‘They have an amazing core. I’ve only been here four hours, but getting to know some of the guys and how energetic and positive some of the guys are. And then Minnesota being so close to Michigan (where Hughes grew up) and the state of hockey and the passion here. Just seeing how the fans reacted to me as well in warm-ups. And then obviously, I have a lot of time for Billy (Guerin, the Wild’s GM) for ‘sacking up’ and making the deal like he did and how he valued me.’

In other words, don’t plan a 2027 reunion party in New Jersey, where brothers Luke and Jack play, just yet.

Part of the reason why there was talk of Hughes wanting to play with his brothers was because he wanted to get out of the mess that has engulfed Vancouver for the past two seasons. Given the choice, Hughes probably would have preferred to join his brothers in New Jersey. But on Friday, the Devils were not willing to give up the kind of assets needed to acquire Hughes.

Instead, the Wild sent a hefty package that included a Zeev Buuim, Marco Rossi and a first-round pick for the 26-year-old.

‘Billy was full in,’ said Hughes. ‘There were other teams that could have probably have thrown in certain packages too, but at the end of the day they didn’t want to do that … I’ll remember that Billy did that. I think that was his first offer. Obviously, I want to do what I can here and prove him right. With how he handled me with the four nations last year too gave me a glimpse of what a good person he is. He was a big reason why I wanted to come here.’

One game in, Hughes is already making Guerin’s big gamble look good. Hughes had a goal and three shots in a 6-2 win against the Bruins on Sunday. Taking a pace in the slot from Ryan Hartman, Hughes snuck a wrist shot through the five-hole for his first goal in a Wild uniform.

‘The crowd was electric from warm-ups to the introduction and then throughout the game,’ coach John Hynes said.

‘Warm-ups was the loudest I’ve ever heard it since I’ve played here,’ defenseman Brock Faber said. ‘Obviously everyone’s excited. The state of Minnesota is excited.’

Equally exciting is the impact that Hughes has made on an up-and-coming team that seems ready to pop. The Wild went all-in during the summer when they signed Kirill Kaprizov to an NHL record extension that carries a $17 million cap hit. But this trade made it clear that they have a championship on their minds, despite being in a competitive Central Division where Colorado and Dallas are the top-two teams.

‘I think it’s going to take, four, five, six games, but once we get rolling, we’re going to be hard to beat,’ said Hughes, who was paired with Faber. 

If you didn’t think the Wild were a Stanley Cup contender before, you certainly did now that they have one of the best defenseman on the planet. And they better. After all, the Wild have two seasons to prove to Hughes that this could permanent home for him.

Already, he seems to be warming up to the idea of staying around.

‘Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited for this chapter,’ said Hughes, who admitted he doesn’t have the proper winter attire for Minnesota winters. ‘Definitely have some shopping to do.’

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament regional rounds had elite play, high-stakes matches and an historic upset.

Texas A&M is going to the Final Four after shocking the volleyball world by eliminating No. 1 overall seed Nebraska in a five-set thriller. The No. 1 overall seeded Cornhuskers had their formally undefeated season and hopes for a sixth program title squashed.

No. 1 seeds Kentucky and Pittsburgh and No. 3 seeded Wisconsin will join the Aggies in Kansas City for the national semifinals, which will be played at the T-Mobile Center on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Which program will win a national championship? As the teams prepare for their toughest tests yet and continue their push for a national title, here are the winners and losers from the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds.

Winners

Texas A&M’s upset of No. 1 Nebraska

The Aggies had an answer for nearly everything the Cornhuskers unleashed. Texas A&M deployed a tempo offense, service pressure and timely blocks to disrupt the usually surefire Cornhuskers. Even after withstanding a two-set Nebraska rally to even up the match, which included 10 Cornhuskers set points and three Aggies match points in the fourth set, Texas A&M hit the gas in the final set to end Nebraska’s perfect season. The Aggies responded to every push from Harper Murray and Rebekah Allick and held standout Andi Jackson in check. Kyndal Stowers had 25 kills to lead three Texas A&M players with double digits in the category. The Aggies had 30 total blocks and nine aces.

No. 1 seeds sweep in the Sweet 16

All four No. 1s made outlasted their opponents during the Sweet 16. Kentucky easily moved past Cal Poly, Pittsburgh grinded out a win over Minnesota, Texas edged out Indiana and Nebraska cruised past Kansas. The Jayhawks had the roughest day among the ousted teams. They had 22 attack errors, six service errors and finished the match with a .029 team hitting percentage.

Pitt’s excellent pancake kill against Minnesota

No. 4 seed Minnesota gave No. 1 Pittsburgh all it could handle, despite the Panthers walking away with a 3-0 victory. Pittsburgh earned every point during an intense back-and-forth matchup that had a stunning 23 ties. Nothing represented the type of match it was more than a sequence in the second set when Minnesota’s Jordan Taylor sent a ball flying over the net. Several Pitt players couldn’t stop it until Brooke Mosher saved the possession with a perfectly timed pancake that sent the ball back over to the Gophers for a crafty kill.

Texas A&M’s libero dig kill vs. Nebraska

Texas A&M’s gritty win against Nebraska was so incredible it doesn’t feel real. Not only did the Aggies eliminate an undefeated team, but they survived a five-set slugfest with the No. 1 overall seed. The match required some serious stamina and even better effort and attention to detail. Look no further than Tatum Thomas’ impeccable slide to get under the volleyball and push it up and over the net for a rare libero dig kill.

Standout performances in the reginal rounds

Several players had standout performances during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. Texas outside hitter Torrey Stafford had a tournament performance for the ages in the Sweet 16, including 19 kills on 28 swings and a blistering .679 hitting percentage. Her hitting percentage was the fourth highest in NCAA tournament history for regional, semifinal or national championship match. She also added eight digs and four blocks. During the Elite Eight, Pitt’s Brooke Mosher gets the nod for her all-around day. Mosher had four kills on .500 hitting, three, seven digs and four blocks.

• Other Sweet 16 top performers
  • Ava Martin, Creighton: 23 kills on .388 hitting
  • Mimi Colyer, Wisconsin: 27 kills on .373 hitting | 10 digs
  • Kiara Reinhardt, Creighton: 15 kills on .737 hitting | 3 blocks
  • Rebekah Allick, Nebraska: Nine kills on 1.000 hitting | 3 blocks
  • Kenna Wollard, Purdue: 23 kills on .457 hitting | 10 digs | 5 blocks
  • Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh: 19 kills on .366 hitting | 8 digs | 3 blocks
  • Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M: 9 kills on .316 hitting | 5 digs | 12 blocks
• Other Elite Eight top performers
  • Mimi Colyer, Wisconsin: 22 kills on .296 hitting | 5 digs
  • Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M: 24 kills on .250 hitting | 6 blocks
  • Kenna Wollard, Purdue: 15 kills on .344 hitting | 13 digs | 4 blocks
  • Una Vajagic, Wisconsin: 15 kills on .458 hitting | 8 digs | 2 blocks
  • Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M: 25 kills on .327 hitting | 16 digs | 2 blocks
  • Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh: 23 kills on .333 hitting | 4 digs | 2 blocks
  • Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky: 18 kills on .326 hitting |12 digs | 3 blocks
  • Harper Murray, Nebraska: 25 kills on .255 hitting | 3 aces | 9 digs | 2 blocks

Losers

Nebraska previously undefeated season ends without a title

Since 1981, there have been four programs to finish a season undefeated and win a national championship: Long Beach State (1998), Nebraska (2000), Southern California (2003) and Penn State (2008, 2009). This year’s Nebraska Cornhuskers will not join that list. The Cornhuskers racked up 33 consecutive victories to open their season, tying the second-most wins by a Nebraska team since 1981, before being eliminated Sunday. Texas A&M handed Nebraska its first home loss since 2022 (63 home matches) to advance to the Final Four.

Cal Poly’s Cinderella run ends during the Sweet 16

After upsetting No. 5 BYU and No. 4 USC in back-to-back five-set thrillers, the Mustangs didn’t have enough against No. 1-seed Kentucky. Cal Poly was swept, 3-0. The Mustangs were unable to get their offense and defense on the same page from one set to the next. Standouts Kendall Beshear and Emma Frederick, who had been fantastic all tournament, weren’t enough to overpower Kentucky. (Cal Poly had few solutions for the Wildcats’ depth or Lizzie Carr and Eva Hudson, who had 20 combined kills and nine total blocks.) By the time the third set ended, the Mustangs had finished with a .114 team hitting percentage and 19 errors.

No. 2 seeds eliminated by No. 3 seeds during the Sweet 16

For the first time since 2009, not a single two-seed team advanced to the Elite Eight. They were all eliminated by the three-seeds during the Sweet 16. Arizona State lost to No. 3 Creighton, SMU lost to No. 3 Purdue and Stanford lost to No. 3 Wisconsin ― all by the score of 3-1. Louisville tried to hold off No. 3 Texas A&M, but was defeated, 3-2, in an absolutely wild reverse sweep. The Aggies fought back and grinded through, including unleashing a stunning nine blocks during the fourth set to secure their place in the Elite Eight.

The pain of losing in the Elite Eight

In the Elite Eight, Kentucky fended off a Creighton team that ran out of steam. For the second straight season, the Bluejays were bounced one round shy of the Final Four. A late tournament loss is a painful reality, and Bluejays freshman Abbey Hayes was overcome with emotion post-match. Hayes, who was comforted by a hug from sophomore Saige Damrow, could not hold back the tears as the team walked to the locker room. Later, senior Ava Martin tried to encapsulate why the loss hurt so much.

‘Our big thing is playing with joy, and I really hope other people can see that because we just have so much fun playing out there together,’ Martin said. ‘That’s just what makes it so hard. We just love each other so much, and we love the sport of volleyball. We’re just happy to be out there doing it.’

• NFL Week 15 featured some painful outcomes for teams that lost superstars to injuries, with Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons among those who were hurt.
• The Chiefs, Bengals and Vikings joined the growing list of teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention.
• The Rams and Broncos became the first two teams to seal postseason berths, with each atop its conference playoff picture.

The 32 things we learned from Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season:

0. The number of points scored Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals – in a game they had to win in order to remain on the postseason fringes. Remarkably, the Stripes took the bagel against the Baltimore Ravens despite running 71 plays and holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes. A virtually impossible set of circumstances. It was the first time the Bengals have been shut out since 2017. So much for tying up so much money in QB Joe Burrow and WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, though the latter was unable to play after returning to the concussion protocol for the second time in three weeks.

1. The number of times the Kansas City Chiefs have missed the playoffs in the last decade – that regrettable outcome clinched with Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The last time K.C. fell short was 2014, coach Andy Reid’s second season with the club.

2. The number of teams that clinched playoff berths Sunday – the first secured this season – the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos both punching their tickets to the Super Bowl 60 tournament. Neither team has yet to win its division but both are in position to win their respective conference’s No. 1 seed.

2a. The New England Patriots botched their opportunity to clinch the AFC East in a come-from-ahead loss to the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

3. The number of teams officially eliminated Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings falling by the wayside – well before they took the field Sunday night – along with the Chiefs and Bengals.

4. But Sunday was a very painful one beyond the league’s shifting playoff ramifications – several superstars suffering injuries likely to run the gamut as it pertains to long-term consequences.

5. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL near the end of Kansas City’s loss, an injury that would have ensured he wouldn’t play in the AFC championship game for the first time since he became the team’s starter in 2018 … though K.C.’s loss had also certified that outcome. One of the more remarkable runs in league history comes to an end on that front.

6.Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons may have suffered a similar fate as Mahomes – and his loss would be far more damaging in the context of this season given the Packers have had the look of a team that could win the Super Bowl.

7. The Pack were up 23-21 at the end of the third quarter when Parsons went down in Denver. Not only did they eventually succumb 34-26, but the loss dropped them from second place overall in the conference (and first in the NFC North) to seventh, though 1½ games up on the still-dangerous Detroit Lions.

8. The length of the Washington Commanders’ losing streak entering Sunday … before they snapped it by beating the New York Giants 29-21.

8a. The length of the Giants’ losing streak after losing to the Commanders on Sunday.

9. Yay, NFC East … which will almost certainly have its first repeat division winner since 2004 after the Philadelphia Eagles pillaged the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0. Yet even the reigning champs currently seem like the least-bad team of the largely uninspiring quartet.

10. Speaking of concerning injuries, the Rams have their own relative level of concern despite locking up a playoff berth. But WR Davante Adams’ hamstring injury could be a huge setback – especially with LA set to play at Seattle on Thursday night.

11. Currently even with an 11-3 record, though the Rams beat the Seahawks in Week 11, Thursday night’s winner will not only move to the top of the NFC West but also takes possession of the conference’s No. 1 seed. Seattle certainly appears to be the healthier team, if a slightly more erratic one than LA.

12. Commanders LB Von Miller’s place on the NFL’s all-time sack list – the stat became official in 1982 – after he reached 136½ on Sunday. Miller moved a half-sack ahead of Hall of Famer Jared Allen.

13. What a day for Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, who threw a career-high five TD passes in the AFC South leaders’ 48-20 rout of the New York Jets. Lawrence also rushed for 51 yards and another score. It’s almost like this guy should have been a No. 1 overall draft pick. Wait.

14. If the season ended today – it doesn’t – the New York Giants would own the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft.

15. But it sure looks like the Raiders, who fell from the No. 1 spot to No. 2 this weekend, might have to make the G-Men an offer. Las Vegas gained all of 75 yards – total – at Philadelphia en route to its seventh consecutive loss.

16. Here’s a wild stat regarding Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson: Sunday, he joined Chris Johnson as the only players to have multiple games in the same season with multiple rushing TDs of at least 50 yards in those contests.

17. The longtime jersey number of Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers – with the permission of predecessor Daniel Jones and the league – which he wore Sunday at Seattle.

18. The number of seasons Rivers has now played in the league, by virtue of being on the Colts’ active roster – to say nothing of playing an entire game at Lumen Field. And Rivers, 44, provided a valiant effort while passing for 120 yards and a TD in an 18-16 loss to mighty Seattle with just a few days of prep and five years of rust and extra weight … even if all this hullabaloo will keep him out of the Hall of Fame now until at least 2031.

19. But while Indy maybe got a shot of adrenaline and hope that this season can be salvaged, the reality is that the Colts (8-6) continued to spiral after their 7-1 start and are starting to cement themselves into eighth place in the AFC – not where any team wants to be, particularly one that’s reaching for the brass ring.

20. Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward has thrown multiple TD passes in successive weeks after he hadn’t done it all season prior to December. Didn’t help his team avoid a 37-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers … but progress!

21½. The number of sacks Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett now has, extending what was already his career high after he registered 1½ Sunday at Chicago.

22½. Garrett needs just one more QB takedown to tie the single-season record shared by T.J. Watt and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.  

23. The jersey number of Rams RB Kyren Williams (88 total yards, 2 TDs), who had a much bigger day than Lions counterpart Jahmyr Gibbs – a big key to LA’s victory. Gibbs had 58 yards and didn’t manage to score as Detroit continued to lose touch with the NFC playoff field.

24. However Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had himself a day (13 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs), the USC product shining near his old haunting grounds even if it wasn’t enough to produce a victory.

25. But it did produce a spot for ARSB in the record books, the Detroit star becoming the first player ever to record at least 90 receptions in each of his first five NFL seasons.

26. The jersey number of Houston Texans RB Jawhar Jordan, a second-year player who made his regular-season debut Sunday – after being promoted from the practice squad 24 hours earlier – and rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries.

27. Guess who will be the No. 1 pick on your fantasy waiver wire this week?

28. More importantly, if Jordan can actually be a factor in a Houston offense that got a three-TD passing day from QB C.J. Stroud in Sunday’s 40-20 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals, this team could legitimately be the AFC’s best by the team the playoffs start.

29. The Texans (9-5) remain on track to become the fifth team since 1990 to qualify for postseason despite an 0-3 start.

30. It’s been a tough year for the Cards, but it will wind up a significant one for TE Trey McBride, who had 12 catches for 134 yards and two TDs in defeat Sunday. The receptions and TDs matched McBride’s personal bests in an NFL game, while the yardage total beat his previous career high by 1 yard.

31. McBride now has a league-best 105 receptions and became the first tight end in league history to hit the century mark in successive years. McBride and Travis Kelce are the only tight ends with multiple 100-catch seasons in the NFL, Kelce managing it three times. With 12 catches over the final three games, McBride will break Zach Ertz’s single-season record for tight end catches.

32. And with his 16th consecutive game with at least five receptions, McBride set a new positional record after being tied on that front with Kelce.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – The New England Patriots made the big plays and ran the ball as well as the team ever has. Rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson had two touchdowns of more than 50 yards. Quarterback Drake Maye had two rushing scores for the first time in his young career. And the Pats set a new team record by averaging 9.8 yards per attempt (246 rushing yards total). 

In the grand scheme of the 2025 season and playoffs, none of it mattered much. 

The Patriots fell to the Buffalo Bills, 35-31, on Dec. 14. The loss snapped their 10-game win streak. It also meant the “hat and t-shirt” plans to celebrate their first AFC East title since 2019 had to be delayed until at least next week, when a “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Baltimore Ravens looms. 

“I think it’s tough to look back at all the other things, but this definitely can be a kind of kick in the butt,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “We’ve had things go our way and everything go our way the last 10 weeks, so this is definitely a reality check. That’s a good football team. We went toe to toe with them in every aspect, but we have to give them credit. We’ve got to get a lot better from this fast.”

Patriots’ defense overpowered by Josh Allen’s second-half performance

The issue for New England was, primarily, the inability to stop the Bills after the first quarter. Mike Vrabel’s team forced three punts to start the game. They then proceeded to watch the Bills, led by reigning MVP Josh Allen (three passing touchdowns) at quarterback, score five consecutive touchdowns. A 21-0 first-half lead, accomplished after a 52-yard sprint by Henderson, and 24-7 advantage evaporated. 

“We were going to need 60 minutes to beat this team,” Vrabel said. 

Instead, the offense supplied a sublime and efficient first 30. Maye waltzed into the end zone twice in the first quarter. 

There are throws Maye wants back but the lesson from this loss is more obvious, he said. 

“At the end of the day, gotta keep the foot on the pedal and keep it going and kind of don’t let them dictate. It starts with me,” he said. “And we kind of felt during the week that we had a chance this was going to happen, and just gotta keep our foot on the pedal. It happened in the first game, they came back, came back.” 

Maye was referencing the Patriots’ Week 5 victory when they took a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter only to have Buffalo tie it 10 minutes later. The difference between the two outcomes is that Maye and the offense sustained a drive at the end of the game to give Andy Borregales a chance to kick the game-winning field goal. 

This time, however, Maye couldn’t make the clutch play. After Henderson’s touchdown run, the Pats went three-and-out and turned the ball over on downs on their final possession. Maye lacked the confidence he often exudes that makes him look like a 10-year vet, let alone somebody with just 26 career starts. 

“We just have to be better when we’re up,” Maye said. “It starts with me making some throws. And from there, like coach says, no naps, (we’re) not relaxing. I didn’t feel like we relaxed, just didn’t make enough plays. Credit to them. And I think it’s one of the things that we’re emphasizing during the week. And gotta do a better job.” 

Interference calls loom large late in Bills comeback

The story of the game wouldn’t be complete without some involvement from the referees. After Henderson retook the lead for the Pats, the Bills faced a third-and-4 from near midfield. Allen looked to deliver the ball to Keon Coleman, who was battling cornerback Carlton Davis. Davis broke the play up but one of the back judges ruled that the corner had tugged on Coleman’s jersey from behind. 

Vrabel wouldn’t assign blame to anybody other than his own team. 

“The same guy thought it was a penalty the same way,” Vrabel said. “So, it’s a judgment call. Whether I disagree with it or not doesn’t matter. He called it. That’s how this thing goes.” 

Two plays later, Cook sliced his way into the end zone for the final go-ahead score. All of that came after another questionable pass interference call on cornerback Marcus Jones, despite Khalil Shakir coming down with the 37-yard completion anyway as the Bills trailed 24-21. 

“We just played a playoff game, the first one, and it’s cool because it wasn’t a real playoff game, but the stakes were a playoff kind of thing,” Davis said. “Like I said, it’s good for us to learn this and make some corrections going into this backstretch.”