Author: nfltalk

  • Beyond the Box Score: The one concern for Ohio State going into the College Football Playoff

    Beyond the Box Score: The one concern for Ohio State going into the College Football Playoff

    Aside from the Big Ten Championship against Indiana, the Buckeyes have been dominant all season. On both sides of the ball, they have beaten their opponents into submission.

    When you watch Ohio State play, it’s hard to find a weakness on the team. They’re historically great defensively, they have weapons all over the field on offense, and they have the best head coach in college football.

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    However, there is one concern that I have going into the Playoff, and it’s a legitimate one.

    Julian Sayin has thrown interceptions in back-to-back games. The pick he threw against Michigan didn’t amount to anything more than a measly three points in a game the Buckeyes dominated 27-9. Sayin’s pick against Indiana also amounted to three points, but that was the difference in the Big Ten Championship.

    Sayin has not only been a really good quarterback for most of this season, but he’s also been mistake-free. In nine Big Ten games during the regular season, Sayin had zero turnovers in seven of them. For a redshirt-freshman taking over as the starting quarterback with two alpha dogs at wide receiver, Sayin has more than lived up to expectations.

    But my worry is that his interceptions in the Buckeyes’ last two games are noteworthy enough to become an issue in the Playoff. The stages Sayin is playing on are only getting bigger, and the mistakes, if they occur, will be magnified.

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    This Ohio State team can absolutely repeat as national champions. They should, arguably, repeat as national champions. The talent on this team is the best of any of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff.

    It all comes down to the quarterback, though, and Sayin has thrown six interceptions this season. That’s not that many to panic about his overall performance, but at the end of the day, having a difference-maker at…

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  • Week 15 Instant Reactions: Rams-Lions a fantasy football party — but Jahmyr Gibbs doesn’t get the invite

    Week 15 Instant Reactions: Rams-Lions a fantasy football party — but Jahmyr Gibbs doesn’t get the invite

    Rams, Lions offenses go nuclear — but Gibbs goes quiet

    If you were hunting fantasy points, Rams-Lions was a full buffet. The Rams took it, 41-34, in a game that felt like every drive ended in fireworks — and the box score backed it up. Jared Goff threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but Detroit’s day was oddly lopsided. David Montgomery scored, yet both he and Jahmyr Gibbs were basically 30-yard rushers and neither back cleared 40 rushing yards. That matters — especially if you started Gibbs, because this was a straight bust: 58 total yards and no touchdowns in a game where these teams combined for 75 points. Nobody would believe that outcome until it smacked them in the face.

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    Detroit’s passing tree was as condensed as it gets. Amon-Ra St. Brown went nuclear with 13 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets. Jameson Williams ripped seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Khalif Raymond had one for 20. That’s it. Every other reception went to Amon-Ra, Jameson or Gibbs. If you had the wideouts, you’re celebrating. If you had Gibbs, you’re staring at your lineup as if it betrayed you.

    On the Rams side, Matthew Stafford tossed 368 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both scored, both hit 70 rushing yards and Kyren added an extra touchdown to separate the two. Puka Nacua led the way with nine catches for 181 yards on 11 targets, but the real playoff needle-mover is Colby Parkinson: five catches, 75 yards and two touchdowns while staying a featured piece out of 13 personnel. Parkinson has been a top-five tight end over the last five weeks in half-PPR; he needs to be in your lineup.

    Davante Adams also pulled up with what looked like a significant hamstring injury mid-route. If he’s trending out for Thursday at Seattle, you need a pivot plan now.

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    Instant reaction: Colby Parkinson is the tight end people are not thinking about, and the Rams’ 13-personnel…

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  • NFL Week 15 injuries for bettors to know include Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith

    NFL Week 15 injuries for bettors to know include Jayden Daniels, Geno Smith

    We’ve reached Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season, and while some teams aim to make late-season pushes into the postseason, others are keeping one eye on the upcoming NFL Draft and the other on their roster to see which players should and shouldn’t return. Making things more complicated at this stage of the year is injuries, and there are quite a few notable ones for bettors to know for Week 15. Here’s a breakdown of the most important injuries of Week 15, as well as what NFL betting lines look like per the latest DraftKings Sportsbook odds. We will update this post with inactives lists for every team prior to kickoff. All times Eastern.

    Ravens at Bengals (1 p.m. ET)

    Star Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins is out this week with his second concussion of 2025, both of which have occurred over the last month. The Ravens need a win to try and keep pace with Pittsburgh for the division lead after dropping two games in a row to fall to 6-7.

    The Ravens are 2.5-point favorites, while the total is very high at 51.5.

    Raiders at Eagles (1 p.m. ET)

    Kenny Pickett will be under center for the Raiders against his old team,as the former first-round pick will start in place of the injured Geno Smith, who’s dealing with shoulder and back injuries. The Eagles will again be without star tackle Lane Johnson, which is bad news against Maxx Crosby. 

    Vegas is a 12.5-point underdog here, with the total at just 38.5.

    Cardinals at Texans (1 p.m. ET)

    Marvin Harrison Jr. headlines another lengthy injury list for the Cardinals, who have lost five in a row and are just 3-10 on the year. The Texans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, having won five in a row, but they are without veteran running back Nick Chubb against a lackluster Arizona defense.

    Houston is a 9.5-point favorite, and the total sits at 42.5.

    Chargers at Chiefs (1 p.m. ET)

    The Chargers aren’t the only AFC West team with issues on the offensive line, as two Kansas City starters are…

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  • 2025-26 college football bowl confidence picks, predictions: Game rankings from proven expert

    2025-26 college football bowl confidence picks, predictions: Game rankings from proven expert

    The 2025-26 college football bowl season kicked off on Saturday when Washington defeated Boise State, 38-10, in the LA Bowl. Even with that, many college football bowl confidence pools remain open, and there are 45 more bowl matchups (including all College Football Playoff games) as the college football bowl schedule includes some stylistically intriguing battles. No. 12 BYU, who just missed out on the College Football Field, will play No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 27. Other matchups that day include Penn State vs. Clemson (-4.5), UConn vs. Army (-7) and LSU vs. Houston (-3). 

    BYU is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest college football bowl odds, but will they actually show up motivated after it looks like they weren’t given serious consideration for the 12-team playoff? Motivation is always a factor during bowl season and it’s something that you’ll need to consider as you make your college football bowl confidence picks along with opt-outs, transfer portal news, injuries and many more factors. Penn State’s Zane Durant and Tennessee’ Chris Brazzell, for example, are among the players who have already opted out.

    Before entering any college football bowl confidence pools, be sure to see the college football picks from SportsLine’s Thomas Casale.

    New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins:

    A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has been sports betting — and winning — for more than 30 years.

    So before filling out your college football pool picks or making any college football bets, you need to see Casale’s college football bowl confidence picks. He has analyzed each bowl matchup and ordered every game by level of confidence. He’s sharing his…

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  • Alex Anzalone draw biggest fine of week, for hit after Lions fumble recovery

    Alex Anzalone draw biggest fine of week, for hit after Lions fumble recovery

    The NFL levied 18 fines for violations of the on-field rules in Week 14. The biggest went to Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone.

    Anzalone drew a $17,968 sanction for “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.” It happened in the second quarter, after Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson fumbled after a four-yard gain on third and 21.

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    The video shows Anzalone swooping in after the recovery with a flying leap into Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Booker. Booker immediately reacted, throwing out his hand and looking for a penalty to be called on Anzalone.

    That didn’t happen. But the NFL saw it, and reacted accordingly.

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  • The 2025 All-American team, converting five iterations into one consensus roster

    The 2025 All-American team, converting five iterations into one consensus roster

    The 2025 All-American team, converting five iterations into one consensus roster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

    Accolades and awards season has arrived. Before we award the Heisman Trophy, the All-American team is one that will be debated and, in some cases, contested.

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    Five national media outlets, CBS Sports, USA Today, On3, The Athletic, and Pro Football Focus, created different All-American teams. Between the five there is a consensus All-American team can be created.

    Each outlet put together a compelling roster. Of those five rosters, 13 players can hang their hat on being a consensus pick. The remaining roster spots are not necessarily contested; they just were not the consensus.

    The consensus All American Team

    On offense: Quarterback Fernando Mendoza (IND), running backs Jeremiyah Love (ND) and Ahmad Hardy (Mizzou), wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (OSU) and Makai Lemon (USC), tight end Eli Stowers (VANDY), offensive lineman Spencer Fano (UTAH), Emmanuel Pregnon (ORE), Logan Jones (IOWA), Olaivavega Ioane (Penn St), Carter Smith (IND)

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    On defense: Edge rushers David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Cashius Howell, interior defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (OSU) and A’Mauri Washington (ORE), linebackers Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Arvell Reese (OSU), and CJ Allen (GEORGIA), safeties Caleb Downs (OSU) and Louis Moore (ND), and cornerbacks Mansoor Delane (LSU) and Leonard Moore (ND).

    In the case of Jeremiyah Love, Ahmad Hardy, Makai Lemon, Jeremiah Smith, Eli Stowers, David Bailey, Kayden McDonald, Cashius Howell, Jacob Rodriguez, Arvell Reese, CJ Allen, Leonard Moore and Mansoor Delane, all were consensus picks.

    Quarterback, offensive line, the second interior defensive lineman, and safety were much less agreed upon. In some cases,…

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  • Week 15 NFL anytime touchdown scorer picks, back Ashton Jeanty to score

    Week 15 NFL anytime touchdown scorer picks, back Ashton Jeanty to score

    Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty is one of the rare rookie running backs selected in the first 10 picks of an NFL Draft who hasn’t had a monstrous rookie campaign. However, few running backs have been selected by a team with an offense as dysfunctional as Las Vegas’ has been the majority of the season, with the Raiders ranking last in the NFL in scoring at 15.1 points per game. When the Raiders do score, it’s often because of Jeanty, and at +175 odds at DraftKings, the SportsLine Machine Learning Model has Jeanty as one of its top values for Week 15 anytime TD scorer bets at online sports betting sites. 

    The model also has a few other top picks for Week 15 anytime touchdown scorer bets, including Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt and Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins to cash for Week 15 anytime TD scorer bets. Targeting anytime touchdown bets is one way to approach Week 15 NFL betting at online sports betting sites. With NFL props available for almost every player in every game at DraftKings, the SportsLine Machine Learning Model can help you find value to add to your Week 15 NFL picks. 

    Best Week 15 NFL anytime touchdown picks:

    Ashton Jeanty, Raiders (+175)Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (+120)Jayden Higgins, Texans (+310)

    Ashton Jeanty, Raiders (+175)

    Jeanty played 70% of snaps last week for his sixth straight week reaching that snap percentage. The rookie played 96% of snaps the week before, as Las Vegas’ poor record hasn’t limited how much it wants to utilize Jeanty. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is the Raiders’ unquestioned top playmaker, and he’s accounted for 38.1% of the team’s touchdowns this season. The Raiders play the Eagles, who have allowed at least one touchdown to the opposing team’s running back in back-to-back weeks, and Jeanty is the only Raiders player with a rushing touchdown this season.

    Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (+120)

    Hunt has continued to play the majority…

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  • Where to watch Army vs. Navy Game 2025: TV channel, kickoff time, stream, location

    Where to watch Army vs. Navy Game 2025: TV channel, kickoff time, stream, location

    On Saturday, the winner of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy will be solidified as Army and Navy renew their storied rivalry on CBS to cap college football’s regular season. The Midshipmen (9-2) and Black Knights (6-5) each beat Air Force this season to set up a winner-take-all showdown as the annual round-robin between the service academies concludes with the 126th edition of the Army vs. Navy Game.

    Navy won last year’s battle 31-13 to take hold of the trophy and snap a two-game losing streak against Army. The Black Knights will be hankering for revenge and entering with some momentum after bouncing back from a 1-3 start to win five of their past seven. Navy also enters with some wind at its back after beating AAC stalwarts South Florida in Memphis in its past two games. 

    Another victory would give the Midshipmen back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history with a bowl game still ahead. Navy is led once again by star quarterback Blake Horvath, a multi-dimensional senior who has already surpassed 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing. Army’s attack is led by quarterback Cale Hellums, who enters with 1,078 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. 

    2025 Army vs. Navy Game uniforms: Black Knights, Midshipmen will honor 250 years of service in 126th meeting

    Robby Kalland

    In the NIL era and mass transfer era, this storied rivalry has become even…

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