a cat's meow and a cow's moo, I can recite them all
Week 17!
Jared Goff on his Christmas gifts to O-line:
"It's hard when you got guys giving out Toyota trucks to try and keep up with that but I got them a nice YETI package with a ton of Wagyu, steaks and beef. I hope they like it."
The term "Wagyu" literally translates to "Japanese cow" (和牛) in Japanese. "Wa" means Japanese, and "gyu" means cow.
Wagyu beef is graded based on its marbling, color, texture, and fat quality. The highest grade is A5, which represents the pinnacle of flavor and quality.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt was lowest-graded NFL owner.
The team was promised a renovated locker room. When they returned this season after winning the Super Bowl only new chairs were added. Players were told they "went too far in the playoffs" and they didn't have time to renovate.
Dallas’ mayor, Eric Johnson, suggested on social media that the Kansas City Chiefs should consider relocating to Dallas after voters in Missouri rejected a tax plan to help pay for stadium renovations.
Arrowhead Stadium, a 52-year-old structure, will be one of the host sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Netflix has secured a U.S. broadcast partnership with FIFA for the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031, marking a significant move into sports programming.
The platform also set a new U.S. streaming record for an NFL game during its debut broadcast, attracting over 24 million viewers on Christmas Day.
According to Nielsen, the Ravens-Texans game pulled in 24.3 million viewers, while the Chiefs-Steelers game followed closely with 24.1 million.
Although these numbers were slightly lower than last year’s Christmas Day games on traditional networks, they surpassed the 23 million average for Peacock’s streaming-only playoff game in January.
The highlight of the day came during Beyoncé’s halftime performance, dubbed the “Beyoncé Bowl,” which drew 27 million viewers—Netflix’s highest peak audience during the games. The show’s production and energy rivaled that of a Super Bowl halftime performance.
Netflix broke the previous U.S. streaming record for a regular-season NFL game by a margin of seven million viewers. The prior record, set less than three weeks earlier by Amazon Prime Video, was 17.29 million for a Lions-Packers game on December 5.
To secure these NFL broadcasts, Netflix reportedly pays $150 million annually, which includes rights to Christmas Day games in 2025 and 2026.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s Christmas Day slate also saw impressive numbers.
LeBron James commented on the competition with the NFL, saying,
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.”
The LeBron James vs. Steph Curry matchup averaged nearly eight million viewers, leading an overall 84% increase in NBA viewership compared to the previous year and marking the league’s largest holiday audience in five years.
Next up for Netflix is its highly anticipated partnership with WWE. The platform has signed a 10-year, $5 billion deal to stream live WWE events starting January 6. For comparison, “WWE Raw” on USA Network averages under 2 million viewers weekly.
Numbers with Bet Openly
33: Lions QB Jared Goff has thrown 33 TD passes this season. 0 of those 33 have come in the 1st quarter of a game.
9: With two weeks left in the season, Brian Thomas Jr now leads all rookie WRs with 9 Touchdowns. Xavier Worthy is close behind with 8, followed by Marvin Harrison Jr with 7.
1: Ravens EPA allowed per dropback rank: Weeks 1-9: 28th, Weeks 10-16: 1st
2 [TRIVIA]: Prior to Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa starting in Week 16 this season, who were the last two left-handed quarterbacks to start the same week? (Hint: it was 2012.)
Quotes
“Everyone's going to say statistically the other guy should win but if we rewind back to last year Josh had all the stats and he [Lamar Jackson] won.”
Bills RT Spencer Brown
"I don't think he'll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not. I don't pull no punches on that.”
Eric Dickerson not rooting for Saquon Barkley in record chase
"I got hit in the throat...I don't know if the coaches saw me, even though I got hit in the throat and the face."
QB Caleb Williams on delay in between snaps during final drive
“Where’s the toughest place to field a punt? Pittsburgh? No. Buffalo? No. Denver? No. Cleveland. Wind off lake and fan jerseys in stands are same color as the football.”
As he walked away from his presser Thursday, Sean Payton stopped to quiz media
Picks
Saturday, 12/28 at 1pm
Chargers at Patriots +5.5 (O42.5)
Since Week 10:
The Chargers have allowed 14 passing touchdowns, tied for the most in the NFL.
Their performance against the pass has declined significantly:
First half of the season: Top 5 in yards per attempt.
Second half of the season: Dropped to the bottom half of the league.
Drake Maye’s Performance:
Over the last three games:
Averaged 7.8 yards per pass attempt.
Added 100+ rushing yards to his season total.
Comparison: Joe Burrow and Josh Allen average 7.6–7.7 yards per attempt.
Maye is heating up and has a favorable matchup on Saturday.
Justin Herbert and Patriots Defense:
Herbert is coming off one of his best games of the season.
The Patriots pass defense struggles:
22nd in yards per attempt allowed.
31st in Defensive Value Over Average (DVOA).
29th in adjusted sack rate for 2024.
Patriots Recent Performance:
Allowed 28.2 points per game over their last five games.
The over hit in four of those five games.
Saturday, 12/28 at 4:30pm
Broncos +3.5 at Bengals (O50)
Team Comparison:
Broncos rank 9th in DVOA, while the Bengals are 17th.
Weighted DVOA (recent performance):
Broncos: 6th
Bengals: 13th
Broncos hold a significant edge in overall efficiency.
Joe Burrow’s Performance:
Burrow has impressive stats and would be in the MVP race if the Bengals had more close-game wins.
Key for Denver: Prevent the Bengals from scoring 40+ points.
Defensive Matchup:
Denver plays the most man coverage in the NFL, which matches well against Burrow:
Burrow averages 8.4 yards per attempt vs. zone but drops to 6.8 vs. man.
EPA per dropback: 0.29 vs. zone, 0.09 vs. man.
Browns' success against Burrow last week, using man coverage, sets a precedent.
Bo Nix’s Performance:
Strong record against weaker pass defenses:
7-0 straight-up and against the spread against bottom-half pass defenses.
Averages 29 points per game in those matchups, with 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and three rushing scores.
Struggles against stronger defenses:
3-4-1 against the spread, with fewer than 200 passing yards per game.
Coaching Advantage:
Sean Payton has a strong record as an underdog, covering the spread over 60% of the time in his career.
Saturday, 12/28 at 8:10pm
Cardinals at Rams -6.5 (O47.5)
Week 2 Recap:
The Rams were blown out 41-10 by the Cardinals in Arizona.
Key injuries impacted the Rams: Puka Nacua missed the game, and Cooper Kupp exited early.
Rams’ Season Turnaround:
Started the season 1-4, struggling offensively without their top weapons.
Since then, they have gone 8-2, losing only to the Eagles and Dolphins.
Can clinch the NFC West with a win on Saturday.
Cardinals’ Recent Performance:
Have struggled, going 1-4 over their last five games.
Offense has relied heavily on the ground game in recent weeks.
Both top running backs are questionable for Week 17, which could severely limit their offense due to a regressed passing game.
Game Expectation:
Rams are likely to make a strong statement against a Cardinals team with no playoff aspirations.
Record
ATS: 40-46-4 (-9.6u)
O/U: 44-36-2 (+4.04u)
Highlights
Caleb Williams throws a dart to Keenan Allen for 45-yard touchdown
Vita Vea brought the BOOM
Saquon Barkley rips a huge run for the touchdown!
Drake Maye beating the Bills' blitzes and SIM pressures