CFP beatdowns spark debate on G5 participation; Seahawks revenge; 1st place Panthers; Tua benched

TRENDING FAN CONVERSATIONS FROM THE WEEKEND IN SPORTS

DECEMBER 15 - 21, 2025

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Group of Five College Football Playoffs hopes vanish as Oregon and Ole Miss deliver absolute beatdowns to JMU and Tulane, sparking debate over if G5 automatic bids deserve a spot in the playoffs. But larger issues loom over the state of College Football.

After Oregon dismantled James Madison 51–34 and No. 6 Ole Miss smoked Tulane 41–10, it’s fair to argue that G5 schools have no business being a part of the CFP. Of course, these arguments are loudest from the schools that source a lot of talent from G5 schools and the likes of Notre Dame or Texas who were left out of the Playoffs. However, G5 schools are not the problem here, as P4 schools have blown out other P4 schools in the Playoffs (i.e. Ohio State 42-17 win over Tennessee in 2024). The problem here is uncapped NIL, unlimited transfer portal and bloated conferences. College Football is booming in popularity but is arguably in more turmoil than ever before thanks to back-room deals and TV contracts strong arming the sport. We have head coaches publicly begging billionaires for money, conference championship games losing all meaning, players hitting the transfer portal yearly, and conferences growing so big that teams hardly play half the conference anymore.

NFL

Seattle Seahawks get sweet overtime revenge against the LA Rams with first ever OT walk-off two-point conversion, vaulting them into first place in the NFC West. Rams receiver Puka Nacua stays red hot, going for 225 yards in their loss but makes a foolish decision to call out officiating on a tweet immediately after the game, that he quickly deleted after the internet already did its thing.

After trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, Seattle stunned the Rams 38–37 in an instant classic that featured Puka Nacua’s 225-yard receiving day and ended with Eric Saubert’s historic catch for the game winning two pointer. The win clinches Seattle a playoff berth and fans were just happy to see Kenneth Walker come alive again with 164 all-purpose yards. This Seahawks defense continues to prove to be as legit as it gets after facing a gauntlet of rushing attacks the past three weeks and not allowing a single 12+ yard run to the Colts, Falcons, or Rams. They’ve now defeated three 10-win teams (Texans, Jaguars, Rams) and there should be no debate they are the favorites to come out of the NFC at this point, regardless of how many ghosts Sam Darnold might see when he’s under pressure. As for Puka, this guy is unbelievable and the dominant play remains as marvelous as his tweet calling out the refs before the ink was dry on the game.

Miami Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa following disappointing prime-time loss to Pittsburgh. Debate sparks among fans around who is more to blame for Miami’s struggles as Tua’s 2024 extension quickly rots into one of the worst contracts ever. Dolphins left with potentially $99 million in dead cap depending on the timing and path for cutting ties with the once-promising QB. 

The surprising demotion moved the $212 million quarterback to third-string status after his 15 interception and abysmal 37.2 QBR season. The move marks a massive shift in Miami’s long-term strategy as they are now faced with a decision on how to best move on from the quarterback knowing no one in their right mind would take on Tua’s contract. The best move appears to be a post-June 1st trade where the Dolphins also include draft picks to reduce the dead cap hit to $15 million in a desperate attempt to make Tua a problem for someone else. Criticism from analysts and fans alike revolve around how Tua is the least of the problems in Miami, with coaching that seems tremendously incompetent and questionable roster construction on both sides of the ball. Either way, the Dolphins find themselves in the mix for a new QB in an uninspiring 2026 quarterback draft class.

Carolina Panthers claw their way to 8-7 and into first place of the NFC South following a narrow 23-20 victory over Buccaneers thanks to a game sealing interception. The Panthers head into week 17 with control of their own destiny to win the NFC South for the first time since 2015. Bryce “Carolina Reaper” Young continues to lead more late game heroics and Rico Dowdle hits 1,000 rush yards on the season despite not starting his first game until week 5. The Buccaneers move to 1-6 since their bye week.

When Bryce Young is playing this clean, with no interceptions in four of the last five games and just under half of his passing touchdowns on the year coming in that span, the Panthers somehow don’t need him to pass for 200 yards to win games. Young has thrown for under 200 yards 11 times this season, including in six of their wins. Sleep on Carolina all you want, they took out a healthy Packers, Rams, and potent Cowboys offense. Their defense has remained steady, surrendering fewer than 18 points in five of the last eight games. Also, the fan anointed “Carolina Reaper” nickname for Young is a banger! To Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers better have already started the search for their next head coach and their sights better be dead set on Seattle’s Klint Kubiak.

Pittsburgh Steelers survive late game chaos to lay shock around the NFL world with a 29-24 win over the Detroit Lions. Mike Tomlin extends his 19 straight seasons without a losing record as the Steelers are winners of three straight behind Rodgers playing his best football and Jaylen Warren scampering for 143 yards and two rushing scores.

Still absolutely unbelievable the refs broke the huddle reviewing the sequence of events on the final play and start their address to a stadium packed with Lions fans, “the ruling on the field is a touchdown,” (fans erupt) and proceed to immediately spin zone that into an offensive pass interference, no touchdown, game over final verdict. The calling for Tomlin’s job after this season is still in full force among the fanbase but the Steelers are now primed to win the AFC North, have played much better football as of late, the offense has scored 27+ in four of their last five, and the defense just held a feared Lions rushing attack to 15 yards. That said, on Tomlin’s side of the ball, it’s still unpredictable what they’ll bring week to week. As for Detroit, it’s very obvious the Lions miss Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, despite a little more offensive prowess since Dan Campbell took over the more play calling. They are now 1-6 when Jahmyr Gibbs is held under 3.5 yards per carry, which is happening more often, and the defense is getting gashed weekly. Detroit started as Super Bowl favorites and are now on their last finger holding onto playoff hopes.

Chicago Bears snatch a 22-16 overtime victory over Green Bay and secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2020 in Ben Johnson’s first season. Packers collapse at the end after botching an onside kick and fumbling an overtime snap to set Chicago up for their game winning drive. Jordan Love exited in the second quarter with a concussion, only complicating the extensive injury list for the Packers. More self-inflicted wounds and costly missed penalties plague Green Bay’s season, as the internet broke out over a missed hold that would have resulted in a sack of Caleb Williams on the game winning touchdown.

Look away Packers fans, we’ve seen this before. Anyone around for the 2014 NFC Championship where Green Bay fumbled the onside kick and proceeds to give up a deep, game winning touchdown had to relive the pain. Chicago benefited from a CVS receipt of improbable things to go their way to pull off the win and they got a couple clutch field goals in heavy winds from Cairo Santos. The “Cardiac Bears” continue to live up to the nickname, winning another game in the final minutes and if nothing else, this team continues to prove their new culture under Johnson is a for real recipe for success. On the flip side, despite another mostly strong outing from Malik Willis filling in for Love, the Packers cannot catch a break with injuries while still hunting to secure a playoff bid with two weeks left. Unfortunately for the Packers, the Rashan Gary extension is a complete bust and trusting Keisean Nixon to be their top cornerback remains a downfall of the defensive roster construction.

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs got Wemby back and immediately proceeded to end the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak. Despite a loss to the Knicks in the NBA Cup, the Spurs went 9-3 without their star center and their 6-game win streak since the NBA Cup is the longest active streak in the NBA.

Of course Wemby gets all the talk around San Antonio but let it be known how well De'Aaron Fox, second year guard Stephon Castle and rookie Dylan Harper have played this year. They’ve entered “becoming a problem” levels as Fox is dropping 22.1 points a game, Castle is up over 18 a game, and Harper is shooting just under 48% from the field. The Spurs are pacing for a 61 wins season right now and it’s clear this team hasn’t even begun to tap into the height of their potential. The Thunder dynasty might already be in full effect but the Spurs have to be on watch for next up, especially having an all-world, do everything, 7’4 center in Wemby. Add in that Castle is rapidly ascending into a top 25 player in the league and already a fan favorite in San Antonio.