Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur continues his playoff streak, as the team clinched a postseason berth with a commanding 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. This marks the fifth playoff appearance in LaFleur’s six seasons, with the only exception being Aaron Rodgers’ final season in 2022, when the Packers fell short in the last game against the Detroit Lions.

With an 11-4 record, the Packers can secure another 13-win regular season—LaFleur’s fourth—if they win their final two games against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

Packers’ Standout Performances
The Saints, hindered by injuries to key players like Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara, struggled from the start. Green Bay capitalized with a 21-0 lead after scoring touchdowns on their first three drives—a feat they hadn’t achieved since 2020.

• Josh Jacobs’ Consistency: Jacobs extended his rushing touchdown streak to six games, tying for the second-longest in Packers history. He finished the game with 69 rushing yards, one touchdown, and 38 receiving yards.
• Takeaway Leaders: Keisean Nixon’s strip-sack and Zayne Anderson’s first career interception highlighted Green Bay’s defensive prowess. Their 28 takeaways this season rank third in the NFL.
• Depth in the Run Game: Nine Packers players had rushing attempts, including tight end Tucker Kraft and rookie Chris Brooks, who scored his first career touchdown. This level of participation hasn’t been seen since 1953.

Saints Struggle Amid Elimination
The Saints (5-10) were eliminated from playoff contention before the game and delivered a lackluster performance. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi’s hopes for a permanent role took a hit as New Orleans failed to score in the first half for the second consecutive game—a first since 1997.

• Offensive Woes: With rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler starting, the Saints managed just 12.8 points per game in five contests without Derek Carr, compared to 24.5 with him. Rattler has been sacked 17 times in five games.
• Defensive Failures: Missed tackles, penalties, and explosive plays plagued the defense, allowing the Packers to dominate.
• Season Outlook: New Orleans has now endured double-digit losses in two of the past three seasons, a stark decline for a team that hadn’t lost 10 or more games since 2005 before 2022.

The Packers remain playoff-bound and poised for a strong finish, while the Saints face a challenging offseason to rebuild and regain competitiveness.

The 49ers’ resounding victory over the unfortunate Chicago Bears on Sunday gave them a chance to look like Super Bowl contenders for the first time. However, the Niners’ odds of making the playoffs worsened despite the win.

For San Francisco, especially in the NFC West, it was a difficult weekend for their hopes of qualifying for the NFC playoffs. Despite improving to 6-7, the Niners’ odds of winning the division were reduced by one percentage point from the previous week to 4% according to the Athletic’s playoff model. They still had a 6% chance of making the playoffs overall.

Using various statistical models or projections doesn’t seem to improve the situation significantly. San Francisco has an 8% probability of making the playoffs, according to NFL.com’s NextGenStats model. The Niners have a 2% chance of winning the division and a 4% chance of making the playoffs, according to the Washington Post’s most pessimistic prediction.

The Niners’ three blown leads in their divisional matchups and the prolonged consequences from them are the primary causes of the lower odds, despite their victory.

The division-leading Seattle Seahawks improved to 8-5 on Sunday by defeating the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 in the Valley of the Sun. That earned Seattle their third division victory of the season and kept San Francisco two games behind them.

If Seattle defeats the Rams on the road in Week 18 and records one additional victory (hosting the Packers and Vikings before traveling to play the Bears), the Niners will not be able to win the division, even if the 49ers finish 10-7, which would put their division record at 3-3. A victory over the Rams would give Seattle four NFC West victories, and since the teams have split their two games this season, division record will be the next tiebreaker.

In the meantime, the Rams advanced to 7-6 by defeating the Buffalo Bills 44-42 in a shootout in Inglewood. The Rams will end their schedule by playing the Jets away from home before hosting the Cardinals and Seahawks, but the 49ers can even the score in their Thursday night matchup. The Rams, who are now 2-1 in the division, could sweep their next three games and defeat the 49ers for a division title even if they lose; the final two victories would give them four NFC West victories.

Given that the Washington Commanders are 8-5, the 49ers still have a chance to earn a wild card berth. However, the 49ers will need to lose two of their next four games (at the Saints, hosting the Eagles and Falcons, and then at the Cowboys) in order to even have a chance of catching up to Washington. Although it seems unlikely, it is undoubtedly conceivable.

Regardless of your point of view, the 49ers will not be in charge of their own fate and will want assistance from some of their NFC opponents in order to maintain their prospects of making the playoffs.

The investment group for FC Cincinnati stated that Caitlin Clark is contributing to a bid for a Cincinnati-based National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team.

“The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing women’s professional soccer to our city,” the announcement read.

“Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region and influence as an athlete and a role model for women and girls around the world make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL.”

Cincinnati joins Cleveland and Denver as the third finalist for an expansion bid.

The amount that Clark contributed to the proposal has not been made public.

According to 2024 Sportico data, the average NWSL team is worth $104 million. At $250 million, Los Angeles’ Angel City FC is the league’s most valuable team, while the Chicago Red Stars are the least valuable at $53 million.

Clark’s investment would certainly surpass her whole yearly WNBA pay if it were even close to 1% of the average franchise’s total worth.

The Impact Of Caitlin Clark On Men’s Basketball In Detail

In the first year of her rookie deal with the WNBA, Clark earned $76,535 in salary. She will earn $78,066 next year.

Joining the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which will take place during the WNBA summer, gave Clark the opportunity to augment her basketball revenue. Clark was apparently being offered more than $1 million by Unrivaled. Clark, however, declined. Like other WNBA players, she declined chances to play professional basketball in Europe.

This offseason, Clark played a little amateur golf, but she has mostly been going to Taylor Swift concerts and other athletic events, such as Butler University college basketball games, which are coached by her boyfriend.

It will be April 2025 before she reports to training camp for her second WNBA season.

Clark is thought to have numerous more sources of income from endorsement deals, though.

Over the course of eight years, Clark’s endorsement contract with Nike is worth roughly $28 million. This contract covers Nike marketing initiatives, product endorsements, and promotional appearances.

She also has agreements with Goldman Sachs, Wilson Sporting Goods, Gatorade, Bose, State Farm, Buick, H&R Block, Topps, and Shoot-A-Way.

Hy-Vee even makes a cereal that she calls “Caitlin’s Crunch Time.”

Since Clark keeps her spending habits under wraps, not much else is known about her lifestyle. However, if the city wins the expansion franchise, everyone will know if she is responsible for her investment in the Cincinnati FC proposal. Clark’s involvement as an investor might influence the choice.

Swift and Clark were recently featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Inspiring Women special edition issue, which highlighted eight women in leadership roles, including several athletes.

Clark appeared in all 15 of the WNBA’s most watched games from the previous season.

The willingness of Cincinnati residents to support a professional women’s soccer club might therefore have a significant impact on her financial future if that secures her investment group the NWSL team.

In 2023, Cincinnati’s median household income was $54,314. In 2022, the median household income in the Cincinnati metro region was $75,062, which is somewhat higher than the median for the entire country. Women make up more than half of Cincinnati’s population.

The WNBA does not have a team in Cincinnati. It does, however, have FC Cincinnati, a men’s professional soccer team in Major League Soccer. The city’s only professional sports teams are the Reds of Major League Baseball and the Bengals of the NFL.

Since turning pro, Clark’s fiercest WNBA competitor has already acknowledged having financial difficulties.

In an October social media post, Chicago Sky star Angel Reese acknowledged that she is unable to use her WNBA earnings to cover her rent. Reese earned $73,439 as a rookie with the Sky, but her annual rent of $8,000 is $96,000.

Reese said to her audience, “I just hope y’all know,” that “the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think that pays one of my bills. Literally. I’m trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. Let me do the math real quick.”

“I’m living beyond my means!” Reese said with a laugh after realizing her pay and what she was paying.