This is the first January edition of The Lineup, a newsletter recapping many of the most important developments in the world of sports. This edition recaps the AFC and NFC Championship games, previews the Super Bowl, discusses new head coach hirings, debates MLB spending, recognizes the MLB Hall of Fame inductees and recaps the Australian Open.
Leading Off: National Football League
Death, Taxes and Mahomes – An AFC Championship Recap, by Justin Schwartz
In yet another down-to-the-wire playoff thriller, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29. This marks the fourth time in the last five years that the Bills had their season ended at the hands of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With this victory, Kansas City gets one game closer to becoming the first team in NFL history to three-peat, while Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his squad are, once again, sent packing.
Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy played a big factor in the game, totaling six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Worthy’s impact was poetic given that, in the 2024 NFL draft, Buffalo traded pick no. 28 to Kansas City– which they used to select Worthy.
Mahomes provided another clutch performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards and three total touchdowns. This also marked the first time Mahomes had two rushing touchdowns in his career, and fittingly did so on the big stage.
The game was neck-and-neck throughout. Whenever the Chiefs scored, Buffalo responded right back; Allen and Mahomes battled throughout. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Mahomes drove downfield and set up Harrison Butker for a 35-yard field goal to go up by three. With the ball in his hands, Josh Allen failed to come through, not converting a fourth down– and Kansas City punched their ticket to New Orleans.
This game reinstates the biggest fact about the Chiefs: everyone seems to be better than them until they are face-to-face with the two-time defending champions. Can Philadelphia change that?
NFC Championship Recap, by Stefan Duncan
For the Washington Commanders, this was no easy game. Two talented players in the Philidelphia Eagles backfield, running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts, cause chaos for any defense. This was on full display as the Eagles dominated Washington in the NFC Championship Game, securing a massive 55-23 victory to advance to the Super Bowl.
Hurts led the charge with 246 passing yards, a passing touchdown, and three rushing touchdowns, showcasing his dual-threat ability to the world and quieting a season of doubters. Barkley added to the offensive explosion with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including an electric 60-yard score on his first carry.
The Eagles’ defense was equally impactful, forcing four turnovers. Linebacker Zack Baun did it all, racking up 12 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovery.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels made history this postseason despite being sent home. In the playoffs, Daniels threw for 822 yards, the most ever by a rookie and broke his franchise’s single-season playoff record of 774 yards set by Joe Theismann in 1983.
Daniels continued to shine in the playoffs, completing 29-of-48 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown in the Championship game. He threw an interception but added 48 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, becoming the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to record both a passing and rushing touchdown in a playoff game.
The Eagles now set their sights on the quarterback Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, aiming to crown their strong season with a championship victory for the first time since 2018.
Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Preview, by Pat Sypher
The Kansas City Chiefs entered this season with one goal in mind. To be the first threepeat in NFL history. Several teams have gotten close. The mid-60s Packers, the early 90s Cowboys, and the early 2000s Patriots are a few examples, but none of them were quite able to hoist the Lombardi for three straight seasons.
After beating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs set themselves up for a Super Bowl matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
Despite their 15-1 record in the regular season, many were concerned that this was the worst the Chiefs have looked in a while. Many referred to their plus-59 point differential, a historically low mark for a team that only lost one regular season game, as evidence of their struggles. They won several games by narrow marks, but their ability to win these close games has been a major positive for them.
The Chiefs’ biggest edge over their competition in this postseason has been their prior playoff experience. They have the NFL’s second all-time postseason receiving leader in Travis Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl MVP in Mahomes, and, most importantly, head coach Andy Reid has the second most postseason wins in NFL history with 28. The ability to excel under the postseason pressure is a monumental advantage.
The Chiefs’ defense has been the highlight of their team. When you give superbly talented players like linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerback Trent McDuffie, and defensive tackle Chris Jones to a defensive mastermind like Steve Spagnuolo, they are bound to be dominant.
The Chiefs’ blitz-heavy defense and unexplosive, but efficient offense matchup very well against the Eagles. As they head into New Orleans, it’s hard to imagine them planning on stepping too far out of their comfort zone.
The Birds to The Big Easy – A Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Preview, by Tommy Mullen
After defeating the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game, head coach Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles are headed to Super Bowl LIX. It is their second Super Bowl appearance in the last three years and, their third in the last eight, dating back to their Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots.
After a disappointing end to last season and the retirement of potential Hall of Famers, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, things quickly turned around in Philadelphia. Signing All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley in the offseason has paid major dividends.
Barkley put together one of the greatest seasons by a running back in NFL history, rushing for 2005 yards and scoring 15 total touchdowns. They also signed linebacker Zack Baun, who finished the season as an All-Pro and rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been key pieces on defense.
This high-powered offense does not only consist of Barkley’s greatness; Philadelphia has consistently had one of the best offensive lines in football. Saquon and this line are accompanied by a plethora of big names. Dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts leads the flock along with a top wide receiver duo in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.
The Eagles also have one of the best defenses in the NFL, finishing second in scoring and first in yards amongst all 32 teams in the NFL. Along with the additions of Baun, Mitchell, and DeJean, Darius Slay, Reed Blankenship, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Davis, have all been massive contributors.
The Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII on February 9th in an attempt to take home their second Lombardi Trophy.
A New Savior in Chi-town – The Ben Johnson Hiring, by Tyler Steinberg
The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus in November after a rough 14-32 record during his tenure. Following the firing, the Bears started their search and, on Jan. 21, they found their answer.
Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was handed the keys to the Bears franchise following an impressive two-year stint calling plays for the Lions. Johnson was regarded as the top coaching candidate available by many teams and there’s a reason why.
In 2024, The Lions finished second in total offense, second in passing offense and sixth in rushing offense. They also averaged 33.2 points per game, the best mark in the NFL. Johnson has proven that he is a brilliant play-caller and has completely changed the outlook of a Lions franchise.
Rebuilding the Chicago Bears will be no easy task but Johnson has pieces to build with. Most notably, last year’s first overall pick, quarterback Caleb Williams and star receiver D.J. Moore and defensive pieces like cornerback Jaylon Johnson, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and defensive end Montez Sweat. Still, Johnson must address many needs before the Bears are ready to take on the premier teams in the NFC.
Kevin O’Connell Extension, by Alex Leppo
On Jan. 21, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell agreed on a 5-year, $60 million extension. Coming eight days removed from a heartbreaking Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the extension locked in O’Connell as the Vikings leader through the 2029-2030 campaign.
Since being named head coach in 2022, O’Connell has brought success to Minnesota, propelling the team to a 34-19 record. After moving on from veteran Kirk Cousins in the off-season, the Vikings were viewed as possibly the worst team in the NFC North. Just weeks before their season opener, rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus, leaving the Vikings with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback.
Despite the uncertainty, the Vikings got off to a 5-2 start, showing signs of optimism. The team’s success continued, winning nine straight games and leaving them with a star-studded matchup against the Lions in Week 18 to determine the top NFC playoff seed.
The marquee matchup resulted in an ugly loss to the Lions. The Vikings exited Detroit as a 14-3 no. 5 seed traveling to Los Angeles for a wild card game– a vast difference from the one seed. The Vikings never recovered from the loss and now have many question marks following the season.
Even with a late-season collapse, they believe O’Connell is the right guy for the job; he will look to build on his prior success in Minnesota and win a championship.
Jags and Raiders Hires, by Max Moughan
After an abysmal, injury-ridden 4-13 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson finished 22-29 in three seasons with the team. Jacksonville’s outlook seemed promising after his initial 2022 season, highlighted by a 27-point comeback Wild Card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
They have been nothing short of a disappointment since. On Jan. 24, they gave the head coaching vacancy to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
Before taking the Jaguars coaching job, the Buccaneers offered Coen a contract that would have made him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in NFL history. Before finalizing the deal, Coen secretly took Jacksonville’s offer, leaving Tampa in the dust.
The Buccaneers’ offense thrived last season with Coen as the play caller, ranking fourth best in the NFL (29.5 points per game). Quarterback Baker Mayfield had a career season in 2024; with quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s recent struggles, Jacksonville must hope Coen can revitalize Lawrence the way he did for Mayfield.
Head coach Antonio Pierce also finished with a 4-13 record with the Las Vegas Raiders, leading to his job termination. After earning the full-time role this year following a stint as the interim to finish the 2023 season, Pierce quickly lost control of the locker room. Superstar wide receiver Davante Adams requested a trade and shipped up to New York while the Raiders underwent a mediocre season.
Pierce will be replaced by Pete Carroll, who famously coached the “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawks. In those 14 seasons, he made 10 playoff appearances and two Super Bowls, winning one.
That consistency is something Raiders fans have been yearning for, having only 2 playoff appearances since their 2003 Super Bowl loss. Carroll will get the opportunity to build a roster around rising star tight end Brock Bowers and elite edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The organization hopes Carroll is the jackpot Vegas needs.
Pats and Jets Hires, by Quinn DiFiore
Two division rivals locked in their future head coaches this past week. Mike Vrabel, a former player for the New England Patriots, inked his contract to become the team’s newest head coach on Jan. 13. As a player, Vrabel was influential in three Super Bowl wins for the Patriots and was named an All-Pro in 2007.
Once his playing days were over, he was offered a coaching job by Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Vrabel opted to return to his alma mater, Ohio State University, to begin his coaching journey.
After a couple of years working his way up the ranks, he was offered an NFL head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel spent six seasons with the team, posting a 54-45 regular season record and a 2-3 mark in the playoffs.
Vrabel’s direct competition, the New York Jets, hired former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their newest head coach on Jan. 22. Glenn was also a former player for the team he is now a coach of, spending eight seasons with the team and earning two Pro Bowl selections.
After his playing days were over, he returned to football as the general manager for the Houston Stallions, an indoor Texas football league. He then returned home to the Jets as a personnel scout for two NFL seasons.
He spent his next couple of years as a defensive coach for both the Cleveland Browns and Saints before being hired as the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator under head coach Dan Campbell. Glenn completely transformed an underperforming Lions defense, going from 31st in points allowed to seventh in just four years. These two former players should keep this division competitive for a long time.
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The Cleanup Spot: The College Football Playoffs
National Championship Game Recap, by Tommy Jacobellis
Ohio against the world. Two months ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes were written off as dead after being embarrassed by the Michigan Wolverines, their biggest rivals. Head coach Ryan Day’s job was in question, and now he goes to sleep as a National Champion.
Ohio State defeated a gauntlet of powerhouse programs, including Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and finally, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, to officially crown itself the king of college football.
The Buckeyes’ high-powered offense was too much for Notre Dame and was ultimately the deciding factor in this game. The Irish jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but that was the last time they would be in front all night.
Ohio State would go on to score 31 unanswered points to take a commanding 31-7 lead. Ohio State was dominating in the trenches, as Notre Dame battled some injuries and was light up front. Transfer running back from Ole Miss, Quinshon Judkins, ran for 100 yards, scoring two touchdowns on the ground and another in the air.
Notre Dame’s Cinderella story was not going to end without a fight, and after a few explosive plays, the Irish were back in it. Quarterback Riley Leonard, who was an absolute warrior throughout the game, stormed the Irish down the field twice, making it a one-possession game with just three minutes to go.
Needing a first down to win the National Championship with two minutes remaining, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard silenced the critics, throwing a perfect deep ball to phenom true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The number one recruit in the nation made the game-winning grab to help bring the hardware back home to Columbus for the first time in eleven years.
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A Pitcher’s Duel: Spending in Major League Baseball
Why Big Market Spending is Good for Baseball, by Lucas Baquero
The objective of all major league sports is to have a large and steady flow of money. Despite massive penalties accrued from the competitive balance tax, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to relentlessly spend to repeat their success in 2026.
The spending the Dodgers have done should be fueling other teams to spend. Everyone knows they have a lot of money, but other teams may have more money than they display. A lot of the lower payroll teams right now have the money to spend but haven’t.
For example, a few bottom-10 payroll teams, such as the Cleveland Guardians, Washington Nationals, and Detroit Tigers, are owned by ownership groups worth over $3.8 billion. Although they play in lower-tier markets, these groups surely have the resources to field a highly competitive baseball team.
Additionally, these lower market teams gain a lot of money through revenue sharing.
“Under the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiated in 2022, each MLB team pools 48 percent of local revenues with the total amount split equally between all 30 teams. This results in each team taking in 3.3 percent of the total—an estimated $110 million, if not more,” as noted in The Tribune.
Each owner every year getting about $200 million should be covering payroll. That pool of money only increases when the Dodgers spend, and pile on more revenue. The bottom line is, if you cannot spend like the big boys, you should not be an MLB owner.
The Deferred Money Debacle, by Mike Duda
Imagine signing a contract to achieve a childhood dream of making the big leagues, but over 97% of that contract will not be seen in your bank account until a decade later. This situation describes the contract of the face of Major League Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
In the offseason, Ohtani signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract in late 2023. However, the Dodgers decided to defer $680 million of it.
Deferring part, or all, of a contract simply entails putting off some of the payment until a later date, as Othani did just a year ago. Given the nature of the MLB with no salary cap, fans expect absurd contracts.
Less than two months ago, superstar outfielder Juan Soto signed a deal with the New York Mets that broke Ohtani’s record and could amount to over $800 million. That is perfectly fine, as long as the team can afford it, like the Mets can with Soto. However, the Dodgers, the MLB’s most controversial team, clearly cannot afford the absurd contracts they inked this decade.
Major League Baseball currently circulates nearly $2 billion in deferred contracts across the league. The Dodgers, one of 30 teams, account for over half of that amount at $1.0445 billion.
“It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things they’re doing,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner commented when referring to the Dodgers and their deferred money.
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers trot out an all-star lineup from top to bottom every night because they sign players they can’t afford. Thus, commissioner Rob Manfred needs to stop contracts that contain deferred money to return America’s pastime to the fair, competitive game that everyone loves once again.
Suzuki, Sabathia and Wagner Elected to Hall of Fame, by Andrew Caruso
The results of the Baseball Writers Association of America’s voting for 2024 were revealed on Jan. 21. Three players, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, received the 75% of votes required for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ichiro and Sabathia were elected in their first year of eligibility, while Wagner was elected in his 10th and final year.
Suzuki, the first Japanese-born Hall of Famer, fell one vote short of becoming the second player elected unanimously. In 19 MLB seasons spent with the Mariners, Yankees and Marlins, he was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year and AL MVP. He also holds the MLB single-season record for hits with 262 and is a member of the 3000-hit club, attaining the mark in 2016.
Sabathia spent 19 seasons as a starting pitcher with the Indians, Brewers and Yankees. Throughout his career, the southpaw became a six-time All-Star, the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner and a two-time MLB season wins leader. Sabathia was also a key member of the Yankees 2009 World Championship team, being named ALCS MVP. He is also among three left-handers in baseball history to have 3000 or more career strikeouts along with Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
Wagner spent 16 seasons as a left-handed reliever with the Houston Astros, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. A seven-time All-Star and the 1999 NL Rolaids Relief Man award winner, Wagner is one of eight relievers in baseball history to accumulate 400 or more career saves, retiring with 422.
The Class of 2025’s accomplishments will be celebrated when they are inducted on July 27 in Cooperstown, NY, forever cementing their place among the greatest players in the game.
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The Closer: The Australian Open
Mayhem Down Under, by Chris Dodway
After 15 days of tennis, the Australian Open concluded on Jan. 26 with the spectacle bringing many surprises throughout the draw. It was a damp start to the first week in Melbourne with inclement weather plaguing the venue for the first several days.
Despite this, fantastic tennis ensued. Several young phenoms rose, including Jakub Menšík of the Czech Republic and Joao Fonseca of Brazil. At 19 and 18 years old, respectively, the teenagers pulled off shocking top-10 upsets in the search to make a name for themselves.
Young Americans made sure to get in on the fun as well. The 19-year-old Learner Tien managed to stun No. 5 Danil Medvedev in the match of the tournament, while 20-year-old Alex Michelson defeated two top-20 players to reach the fourth round.
The fun didn’t stop there for the American women finding themselves back on top of the World Tennis Association. Madison Keys claimed her first major title in phenomenal fashion, including taking down the No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka.
Keys faced a tough draw and handled business beating a shocking four top-10 players on her way to the top. This title made Keys the first American woman to win a major title since Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open run in 2023.
On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in the final, claiming his third grand slam title. Zverev remains unable to get over the hump, despite some luck in the semis, with Novak Djokovic having to bow out early with an injury. It truly feels like the next generation of tennis may be here and here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin, Dan Aulbach and Marley Pope
Graphic: Cara Lacey
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