Lions clinch playoff berth with wild win over Packers; previewing conference championship weekend, NFL slate

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...

THE DETROIT LIONS

Never change, Dan Campbell. Never change, Detroit Lions. I love watching your football team. The NFC leaders topped the Packers, 34-31, on Jake Bates' walk-off 35-yard field goal in one of the best and most entertaining games of the season. The victory keeps the 12-1 Lions atop the NFC, and they've also secured a playoff berth.

Detroit led 17-7 at halftime, but Green Bay went touchdown-forced interception-touchdown within the first four minutes of the second half to take a 21-17 lead.
The Lions took the lead back, 24-21, but later failed on a fourth-and-1 at their own 31-yard line. Four plays later, the Packers were back in front, 28-24.
Then came a thrilling finish. The Lions marched right down the field for a touchdown. The Packers nearly answered back, but an offensive pass interference led to them settling for a field goal. 31-31.
Detroit's offensive machine came right back, and, facing fourth-and-1 with 43 seconds left at the Green Bay 21, could have easily kicked a field goal. Instead, Campbell went uber-aggressive, and Jared Goff made a dramatic, falling-down handoff to David Montgomery, who picked up seven yards. Bates split the uprights two plays later.

I love it. Man, what a fun, fun team that never compromises in its approach. Even the fourth-down attempt deep in its own territory was the "right" decision using win probability added. The one at the end wasn't, but it is exactly what the Lions embody, and guess what? It worked. Detroit converted four of five fourth downs, including two for touchdowns.

It's a bummer someone had to lose, and the Packers will certainly be frustrated by yet another close call against one of the league's best. Jordan Love was excellent. You could not ask for more out of a football game, and I hope that sets the tone of this weekend.

👍 Honorable mentions

Bill Belichick interviewed for the North Carolina coaching job. And even if it was just a publicity stunt, it worked, Will Brinson writes.
Nikola Jokic passed Magic Johnson for third-most triple-doubles in NBA history.
Khris Middleton will make his season debut tonight.
Bad news: The 76ers stink. Good news: You can watch them for just $5!
Here are the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees.
Luis Severino and the Athletics agreed to a three-year, $67 million deal, the largest in franchise history.
Utah State is hiring Bronco Mendenhall.
Jake Retzlaff, the first Jewish starting quarterback in BYU history, landed an NIL deal with Jewish food/drink company Manischewitz.
Here are the nine biggest flips from National Signing Day.
Our transfer portal tracker is up and running.
Manny Pacquiao headlines the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame class.
Hannah Hidalgo dropped 30 points, and No. 10 Notre Dame handed No. 4 Texas its first loss this season, 80-70, in overtime.
Flau'jae Johnson is partnering with Unrivaled.
The WNBA expansion draft to help the Golden State Valkyries build their roster is tonight! Here's how to watch, how it works, which teams have the most to lose and how GMs are preparing.
The WNBA is coming to Toronto! The Tempo will begin play in 2026.
Matt Snyder broke down the Hall of Fame chances for the Classic Baseball Era candidates, including Dick Allen, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant.
Here's the Club World Cup draw.

😕 Not so honorable mentions

Matt LaFleur and a Lions fan had a heated exchange pregame.
A federal judge issued an order for bootleg vendors selling counterfeit Knicks and Rangers gear outside of Madison Square Garden to stop immediately.
Zack Martin will have season-ending ankle surgery.
Freddie Freeman had ankle surgery. He should be ready for spring training.
Lonzo Ball wonders if Big Baller Brand shoes contributed to his injury woes.
Storm star Jewell Loyd requested a trade after an investigation of the coaching staff found no evidence of alleged mistreatment of players.
Why were the Orioles nowhere to be found in the Juan Soto sweepstakes?
Texas didn't identify (and therefore couldn't punish) anyone who threw debris onto the field in the October loss to Georgia. What a surprise!

🏈 Previewing conference championship weekend, potential College Football Playoff impact

Welcome to a historically exciting college football conference championship weekend. Not only are there massive College Football Playoff ramifications, but these games should be awesome, too. All nine games have a spread of six points or fewer, the first time there's not a single conference championship game with at least a touchdown spread since 2006 ... which only featured five games.

Regarding the CFP, here's where things stand:

Tonight's Mountain West Championship Game -- No. 20 UNLV vs. No. 10 Boise State -- is essentially a play-in game.
Tomorrow's Big 12 Championship Game -- No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State -- is essentially a play-in game.
Tomorrow's SEC Championship Game -- No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas -- is a rematch of the Bulldogs' October blowout win. The winner will get a bye.
Tomorrow's Big Ten Championship Game -- No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon -- features the Ducks trying to remain the sport's lone undefeated team and lock up the No. 1 overall seed. Tom Fornelli has a deep-dive preview.

But the biggest one is the ACC Championship Game. No. 17 Clemson faces No. 8 SMU, and the Tigers can "steal" a bid, as they are currently well outside the bracket but would join with a win as ACC champions. And if that happens, selection committee chair Warde Manuel said it's "possible" SMU would be knocked out, only adding to the ACC's angst after Miami fell out of the picture. However, if Clemson wins and SMU stays in, Alabama could be bumped out. Drama!

Tom's Six Pack has best bets for this weekend's action, and the ACC Championship Game is his "Lock of the Week."

Fornelli: "To this point, the best defense the Mustangs have faced is Duke, and -- surprise! -- they had their worst performance of the season that day. They turned the ball over six times but somehow won by a point, thanks in part to two missed Duke field goals. It's doubtful we'll see six turnovers here, but we should see SMU struggle to move the ball. ... I know Clemson lost to South Carolina last week, but it's not as if the Tigers were overmatched. They simply came up short in a rivalry game. Toss in the fact that this 'neutral' site is much more of a home game for the Tigers, and since they absolutely have to have it, I'm going with Dabo Swinney and the boys. The Pick: Clemson +2.5 (-110)"

Finally, speaking of CFP angst, the Big Ten and SEC have concerns with the current committee and are pushing for change.

🏈 NFL Week 14 picks: Crucial battles in NFC, AFC West

Week 14 may be full of byes (Fantasy owners, I hope you've already clinched a playoff spot!), but there are plenty of excellent games.

Let's start with a key NFC West battle, when the 7-5 Seahawks face the 6-6 Cardinals. Seattle got a physical, sloppy 17-7 win in this matchup two weeks ago. This time around, Tyler Sullivan says ...

Sullivan: "I believe that we'll look back on this game and say that this is where the NFC West was won. ... Currently, I like the way that Seattle is playing, particularly on defense. Over the last three games, they are holding opponents to just 14.7 points per game. Meanwhile, Geno Smith has never lost against the Cardinals in his career (5-0). Projected score: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 24 | The pick: Seahawks +2.5"

Moving from the NFC West to the AFC West, the Chiefs can't keep getting away with this, right? Right?!?! Kansas City has five walk-off wins this year, and last week, the Raiders botched a game-winning opportunity. Now here come the Chargers. Can Los Angeles break whatever curse the Chiefs have on their opponents?

Here's what our experts say on that and more:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

We here at the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter went four-for-four last week, hopefully giving you something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving weekend. We're 24-10 on the season. This weekend, we like ...

Vikings over Falcons in Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota
Titans over Jaguars
49ers over Bears

🏀 Western Conference first-quarter grades

After covering the Eastern Conference yesterday, we're moving to Western Conference first-quarter grades.

The East only put two teams in the "A" range. The West has four, which makes sense considering the West also has nine of the top 13 teams in Colin Ward-Henninger's latest NBA Power Rankings. Those four at the top of the class are:

Rockets: A
Grizzlies: A
Thunder: A
Warriors: A-

The Warriors are the Warriors, though what's been most encouraging is the guys around Stephen Curry ... and a defense that has transformed into one of the league's best. The Thunder look awesome, as expected. The Grizzlies, finally (mostly) healthy, are also back on track after a bevy of injuries over the past few seasons. But the Rockets? Houston has arrived early. Brad Botkin writes on one of the league's early surprises.

Botkin: "Any criticism you have of the Rockets is splitting hairs. ... The decision to sign vets like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet to support the young guns looks brilliant, as does the hiring of Ime Udoka, who has created maybe the clearest defensive identity in the league. Tari Eason and Amen Thompson are a spectacular defensive duo, and they both do more offensively than you hear about. To that point, even though Houston's offense doesn't look great on paper, it doesn't lack punch. Jalen Green, though he's all gas and no brake, and Alperen Sengun can dominate games offensively, and VanVleet is a rock."

Now if only they can be a little nicer to the refs. 😉

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 WNBA expansion draft, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Conference USA Championship: Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Bucks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Mountain West Championship: No. 20 UNLV at No. 10 Boise State, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏈 American Athletic Championship: Tulane at No. 24 Army, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 19 Illinois at Northwestern (M), 9 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Timberwolves at Warriors, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏈 Big 12 Championship: No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State, noon on ABC
🏈 MAC Championship: Ohio vs. Miami (OH), noon on ESPN
🏀 No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 5 Marquette (M), 1:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 SEC Championship: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas, 4 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 6 USC at Oregon (W), 4 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Tennessee vs. No. 17 Iowa (W), 7 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Sun Belt Championship: Marshall at Louisiana, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Big Ten Championship: No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon, 8 p.m. on CBS
🏈 ACC Championship: No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 22 Louisville vs. No. 2 UConn (W), 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 4 Kentucky at No. 7 Gonzaga (M), 10 p.m. on ESPN2

Sunday

🏀 Maryland at No. 8 Purdue (M), noon on BTN
🏈 Browns at Steelers, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Falcons at Vikings, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 1 Kansas at Missouri (M), 1 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Virginia Tech at No. 8 Duke (W), 4 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 21 Illinois at No. 12 Ohio State (W), 4 p.m. on BTN
🏈 Seahawks at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Bills at Rams, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bears at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 25 UConn at Texas (M), 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 9 Duke at Louisville (M), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 UCLA at No. 12 Oregon (M), 6 p.m. on BTN
🏀 No. 3 South Carolina at No. 9 TCU (W), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Chargers at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on NBC