Greetings from the sports desk, located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark is busy consoling Karl the Kraken, who has returned brokenhearted after a brief fling with a South Sea squid named Serendipity. It turns out Serendipity seduced Karl only to abandon him for a sea serpent named Snarkton. Let’s check in on Karl…
He’ll be fine.
Now, as it’s Christmas week, Sammy and Karl will have to settle for watching something other than hockey for a few days. Once upon a time, the NHL had a packed Boxing Day (December 26) schedule—a major tradition in Canada. However, since the 2011-2012 season, the league gives all teams December 24 through 26 off.
The NBA and NFL, however, have no such pause. The NBA has long showcased a slate of high-profile Christmas Day games, and the NFL has followed suit in recent years. This scheduling, however, has proven problematic. For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs are playing three games in just 11 days this holiday season. This isn’t ideal for player health, and the league should be embarrassed by the excessive travel it imposes—not to mention Taylor Swift’s logistical challenges.
More importantly, with injuries mounting across the league, the NFL appears less like Last Man Standing and more like Is Any Man Left Standing? Beyond the financial motivations (“Look — we’re on Netflix today!”), what real purpose does this relentless scheduling serve? Surely, even the most dedicated fans can take a day off to spend time with family. If not, that’s a bigger issue. Also, the NFL should consider that Patrick Mahomes is the league’s undisputed star right now. Overworking him could backfire spectacularly.
This year’s Christmas Day games were hardly memorable. The Kansas City Chiefs started strong and cruised to a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the victory, Kansas City secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Steelers—already assured of a playoff spot—have been lackluster in their past three games. In the second game, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Houston Texans 31-2, claiming first place in the AFC North.
NFL Playoff Picture
The postseason outlook remains muddled, but some certainties are emerging:
AFC: Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo have all clinched playoff spots, with Buffalo securing the AFC East and likely the #2 seed. Baltimore has also secured a spot, as has Houston, the AFC South champion. Currently, the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos occupy the final two playoff spots, but the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals remain in contention. The Broncos and Bengals face off on December 28, with Denver needing a win to guarantee their spot.
NFC: The Detroit Lions can clinch the NFC North title and home-field advantage with a win against the San Francisco 49ers on December 30. The Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East champions), and Green Bay Packers have all secured playoff berths. In the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers share 8-7 records, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after defeating Tampa Bay twice this season. In the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams lead the Seattle Seahawks by one game, with the two teams set to face each other in the final week.
Stay tuned as the playoff race tightens—and enjoy the rest of the week!
