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The Seahawks win the bleakest game of the season, and Jimmy Butler hangs on

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
The Seahawks win the bleakest game of the season, and Jimmy Butler hangs on

The Pulse newsletterđź“Ł | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Register here to get The Pulse straight to your inbox.

Good morning! Score some points today.

While You Were Sleeping: A real nightcap

This week already saw the first shutout of the season and some scorigami in the first half, but now it’s happening too the lowest scoring game of the NFL season: Last night’s 6-3 puntfest that kept the Seahawks’ postseason hunt alive.

  • We don’t need to dwell on it, but the Bears lost their 10th straight game – and looked it, gaining just 179 yards. In the chaotic final seconds, Caleb Williams threw his first pick into his last 354 passes.
  • Seattle now needs a Cardinals win against the Rams tomorrow to set up a Week 18 game for the NFC West crown. More scenarios here.

However, there was some relevant news late last night: Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is interested in the role of Bears head coachper Jeff Howe. Fascinating.

Meanwhile, all the excitement was in college football, as the bowl season has a new overtime record: Toledo beat Pitt 48-46 in six OTs. Further:

Across the pond: Man U is…dead? Read on

Imagine the Kansas City Chiefs are at .500 while the Panthers are 11-4. We have a version! There are a lot of crazy, simultaneous storylines going on in the English Premier League at the moment. Example: The modern dynasty Manchester City is in seventh place in the table. They have never finished lower than fifth in the last 15 years. Nottingham Forest were promoted in 2022. You are in third place! 🤯

Boxing Day means we are approaching the halfway point. The indomitable Phil Hay is here to make sense of it all.

The seventh city melts our brains. On the Leicester Scale of Impossible, where would this team be that doesn’t end up in the Champions League?

Phil: At the start of Season 11 on steroids. Now? More like seven or eight because they just can’t get around the corner. I suspect they’ll get there, but this was a weapons-grade meltdown.

Liverpool are now clear favorites. Biggest threat to them?

Arsenal. Chelsea have wildcard potential and I wouldn’t discount them, but Arsenal are really getting going for the first time and so the pressure will come from there.

Man U sit in 14th – FOURTEENTH – after the other terrible defeat. Where do they end?

I would give (new manager) Ruben Amorim and United a break until next season. He can make small, incremental changes to this squad, but if the club doesn’t manage his recruitment comprehensively, things won’t go well for him.

Want more Prem? Read Phil in The Athletic FC, free every day in your inbox.

Interesting facts

Butler remains seated
Heat president Pat Riley said yesterday that the team “will not trade Jimmy Butler,” adding that the rumors “have become a distraction for the team.” ESPN reported earlier this week that the six-time All-Star would prefer to move to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Butler, 35, has been out since December 20 and could miss more time due to illness. Read the full report.

Bridgewater back in the NFL
Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has signed with the Lions, weeks after leading his high school alma mater in Florida to a state championship. Bridgewater started coaching the team in February and said he plans to return to that role after the NFL season. The 32-year-old played for six teams, including Detroit, during his first 10-year stint in the league before retiring after the 2023 season.

More news:

  • Jim Larrañaga, Miami men’s basketball coach resigned yesterday, citing the challenges of the NIL era, less than two years after leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four.
  • After a 13-17-4 start to the season, the Red wings Head coach fired Derek Lalonde and set Todd McLellan to fill the position.
  • Two-time NWSL champion and UWSNT midfielder Yazmeen Ryan was traded from NJ/NY Gotham FC to the Houston Dash for a historic fee.
  • The NFL MVP odds has tightened significantly following Lamar Jackson’s performance on Christmas Day: Josh Allen is now a -250 favorite, while Jackson has narrowed the gap to +160.
  • The Lakers Warriors The Christmas play attracted 7.76 million viewers, making it the Most-watched NBA game of the regular season in five years.

Happy GIFmas: GIF s – Housery

Today, let’s wrap up this week’s GIFs series. I hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. Friday treats in inbound:

Wish #6: Chris Branch, The Pulse

đź“ť I just want to win next year Thanksgiving meal design.

From Emily Olsen:

This GIF of Portland Thorns Sophia Smith is right up your alley. Smith provided many gold medal-worthy moments for the USA this year, but this meme-fodder moment showcased her prowess in sh-housery.

Three minutes after Smith was substituted in the game against North Carolina, she tried to hide a ball that was thrown out of play. That moment earned her a second yellow card, resulting in a suspension, but cemented itself in NWSL tradition.

I have a feeling you’ll need to take a page from the book of dark arts written by Megan Rapinoe to achieve a victory this time next year after choosing cornbread dressing this year…

Wish No. 7: Patrick Iversen, Prime Tire

đź“ť For Formula 1 in 2025, I would like the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to take a little more of a back seat. Fewer rule controversies, fewer arbitrary dismissals, fewer “Swear glasses.“Let the fantastic year of racing come to us and keep the microphone.

From Torrey Hart:

I can somewhat understand that because I try to stick to my strengths as an editor – and that means staying out of the way of fun F1 things like your newsletter! I hope that your wish will come true.

The Good Bets: Pop-Tarts, Outlook and Positioning

If these tips fail, don’t compare them to Branch’s overall results. Just for fun I (Jason) only choose Saturday football. Lines via BetMGM.

college

  • No. 13 Miami (-3.5) vs. No. 18 Iowa State
    I reckon the irregular sticks are normal. Frightening! Outside of the playoffs, this game features two of the four biggest draws of bowl season: potential No. 1 pick Cam Ward and the Pop-Tarts Bowl spectacle, now with a working toaster trophy.
  • #17 BYU vs. #23 Colorado OVER 54.5
    And here we have the other two biggest draws: Heisman winner Travis Hunter and another potential No. 1 pick, Shedeur Sanders. (Betting theory: Deion is going for a high-scoring game in his QB son’s college finals.)

Read more: Bowl schedule | Playoff predictions

NFL

  • Bengals (-3) vs. Broncos
    The NFL’s passing yardage leader, Joe Burrow, and Co. somehow still have a chance at the playoffs. Feels like the number 7 that no one wants to play.
  • Patriots (+4) vs. Chargers
    Cross-country travel is particularly tough for West Coast teams, which must start at 1 p.m. ET. Los Angeles will likely get the win, but the result may not be pretty.

Read more: Expert tips

Overall heart rate record: 25-36-1

Watch and play

đź“ş NHL: Colorado at Utah
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2
Come for the good division play and stay to further explore the Utah Hockey Club, which had a respectable season in its first year. There is hope in a once-frustrated franchise.

đź“ş CFB: Texas A&M vs. USC
10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This is the Las Vegas Bowl, where two big-name programs are bowing out after disappointing seasons. The Trojans have also already suffered significant portal losses. Watch out for clutter.

Try today’s Connections: Sports Edition beta.

Get tickets for games like these Here.

Pulse picks

Before tomorrow’s Alamo Bowl, Don Pompei spoke with ten people he worked with Deion Sanders During his time in the NFL, he tried to make the connection between Neon Deion and Coach Prime. Insightful.

Jayson Stark released Part I of his “Strange But True 2024” series yesterday MLB’s team, game, inning and homer of the year. Today he has the strangest injuries of 2024.

Perfect for browsing on the weekend: our collector employees shared this Top 5 trading card purchases from their personal collections this year.

Mark Lazerus argues it’s time NHL to think bolder when it comes to Winter Classic venues, as was the case with the Lake Tahoe game in 2021. He has 10 modest suggestions.

A uncomplicated NYT cooking recipe To help you recover from this week: lemony barley soup. (But if you need it, you can also find 26 latke recipes here.)

Most clicked on in the newsletter yesterday: The link where the full rerun of BeyoncĂ©’s Christmas halftime show will eventually be available on Netflix. Check out.

Most read on the site yesterday: A bit dated, but good: Zak Keefer’s profile of Troy Aikman from September.

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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