Sports Hype Guide

  Getty Images The Vikings are in trouble . Not just for their season, which effectively got flushed down the drain with a 19-17 loss to the Bears on Sunday — but their future is suddenly looking very bleak at the QB position. J.J. McCarthy didn’t just have a bad game by his standards. It was an awful affair both in terms of the box score, but more alarming  how  McCarthy played the game. It’s foolish to look at the score and assume McCarthy played “okay,” simply because he managed to keep the game close and throw a touchdown in the fourth quarter. That’s a trait to be fair, and we’ll discuss that later — but the Vikings passing attack was marred by inaccuracy, poor decision making, and throws that might work in college, but simply don’t in the NFL. It wasn’t until late in the game that the Minnesota QB passed the 100 yard mark in passing, and up until the fourth quarter his stat like was a terrifying 10-for-20, 76 yards, and 2 interceptions. That shouldn’t happen when yo...

The Arizona Cardinals' 2025 season has been a roller-coaster, highlighted by steep downward plunges. A 2-0 start to the campaign was followed by five one-score losses heading into a Week 8 bye. An impressive Week 9  prime-time pummeling  of the Dallas Cowboys got things back on track. But, in reality, that was a minor upswing for an even sharper plummet. The Cards have been shellacked in back-to-back games by division opponents, losing  44-22  to the Seahawks, then  41-22  to San Francisco on Sunday. The out-of-control coaster ride has coach Jonathan Gannon answering questions about his job status in Year 3. "Not controllable for me," Gannon said of "hot seat" rumors,  via the Arizona Republic . "I didn't hire myself, I'm not going to fire myself. So seriously, I know it comes up. That's the business we're in. If you don't want to be in that business, we laugh, we joke, go work somewhere else. I'm going to control the controllables f...

  Eumir Marcial (right) will fight for flag and country despite his status as a professional. —POC PHOTO Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino believes the noninclusion of medal-rich events in the Thailand Southeast Asian (SEA) Games may put Team Philippines in a tough challenge to match its medal haul two years ago. “It’s gonna be an uphill climb, but we will try our best,” Tolentino said on Monday. The Philippines garnered 58 golds, 86 silvers and 116 bronzes in the previous edition held in Cambodia, good for fifth overall behind Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the host country. Matching at least the gold output from the last SEA Games will depend on how it can make up for some of the events that traditionally favor Team Philippines. Already out is 2024 Paris Olympics double-gold gymnast Carlos Yulo, who is skipping the SEA Games after a rule that will limit him to just two apparatuses for the men’s individual events. Big expectations But Tolentino said pro box...

  Getty Images Mark Schofield   is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1. As the 2025 NFL season rounds into the closing stretch, the playoff picture is taking shape. Sunday’s slate of games changed the picture in a few different ways, in both the AFC and the NFC. Let’s dive in. What are the AFC playoff standings? Here are the current AFC playoff standings, with a new team at the top of the pile. Denver Broncos (9-2) New England Patriots (9-2) Indianapolis Colts (8-2) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) Buffalo Bills (7-3) Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) Houston Texans (5-5) Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) Baltimore Ravens (5-5) Miami Dolphins (4-7) Cincinnati Bengals (3-7) Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) New York Jets (2-8) Cleveland Browns (2-8) Tennessee Titans (1-9) At the top of the standings, Denver’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs moved them to 9-2, and atop the AFC standings. Both the Broncos and the Patriots have matching 9-2 records, but Den...