NFL playoff picture takes shape; Michigan introduces Kyle Whittingham; Maxx Crosby's Raiders future in doubt?

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Good morning, everyone! Carter Bahns here. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend and are ready to put a bow on 2025. A few NFL teams already have their sights set on 2026 after falling out of playoff contention in Week 17, and if your favorite team is part of that group, I extend my sympathies.

As we enter the final week of the year, we'll take a look at the NFL playoff picture, analyze Michigan's coaching hire and cover all the other important notes from the post-Christmas sports slate.

Here we go.

🏈 Five things to know Monday

1. The NFL postseason picture took shape in Week 17. All but two playoff spots are locked up after the penultimate week of the regular season. One berth remains up for grabs in the AFC and NFC apiece, and it is quite possible that the Steelers let one slip away on Sunday with their upset loss to the Browns. Both No. 1 seeds will be up for grabs next weekend, as will the NFC South and AFC North crowns. Take a look at the full playoff picture ahead of Monday's Rams-Falcons game with Los Angeles trying to improve its playoff position.
2. Michigan announced Kyle Whittingham as its next football coach. Less than a month after stepping down from his post as the longtime coach at Utah, Whittingham accepted the Michigan job as the replacement for Sherrone Moore. At 66, he may not be a long-term solution for the Wolverines, but he is among the most highly regarded coaches in college football and should deliver a much-needed culture overhaul to a program that has been marred by scandals this decade. Among Whittingham's first tasks at Michigan is to keep quarterback Bryce Underwood on board.
3. Maxx Crosby will evaluate his future with the Raiders after being shut down for the season. The Raiders placed Crosby on season-ending injured reserve due to a knee issue he sustained earlier in the year, and he reportedly did not take kindly to the decision. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end "vehemently" disagreed with the move and, after undergoing a minor procedure on his meniscus, will contemplate whether to remain in Las Vegas or seek a move elsewhere. If Crosby demands a trade, the Cowboys, Ravens, Chargers and Bengals figure to be among the defense-needy teams who could be in his market.
4. Austin Reaves will reportedly miss at least four weeks with a calf strain. The NBA's calf injury epidemic took another victim. The Lakers' second-leading scorer suffered a grade 2 strain in the Christmas Day loss to the Rockets, and his absence could spell serious trouble for a team that is already on a three-game losing streak. Reaves is in the middle of a career year and averages 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
5. Ranked teams went 4-1 in bowl games over the weekend. And the only loss came in a battle between two top 25 squads. No. 21 Houston took down LSU in the Texas Bowl, No. 19 Virginia defeated Missouri in the Gator Bowl, No. 25 North Texas squeaked past San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl and No. 12 BYU pulled off a comeback win over No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Meanwhile, Clemson lost to Penn State in a Pinstripe Bowl matchup that featured two downtrodden preseason national championship hopefuls, and the Tigers' defeat added more uncertainty to an already bleak long-term outlook for Dabo Swinney.

📊 Do not miss this: Where Kyle Whittingham, new hires rank among Big Ten coaches

The caliber of coaching in the Big Ten got even stronger with the latest batch of moves on the carousel, which saw four programs undergo staff turnover. Whittingham's arrival at Michigan gave the Wolverines an apparent immediate upgrade, and while the same cannot be said with absolute certainty for Penn State, Michigan State and UCLA, each of those teams made exciting moves that could quickly prove beneficial.

Chip Patterson ranked the 18 coaches in the Big Ten after the recent hires, and two of the newcomers stand in the upper half of the conference.

• Kyle Whittingham, Michigan: No. 4
• Matt Campbell, Penn State: No. 8
• Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State: No. 11
• Bob Chesney, UCLA: No. 16

From Ryan Day to Mike Locksley, you can see the rest of Patterson's Big Ten coach rankings here.

🏈 NFL Week 17 takeaways include Seahawks' dominance, Steelers' missed opportunity

The penultimate week of the NFL regular season saw numerous teams lock up playoff berths and division titles. But some of the squads that learned their postseason fate are disappointed with the result. Here's everything you need to know from Week 17:

• Winners: A sixth consecutive win for the Seahawks (27-10 over the Panthers) kept the NFC's No. 1 seed in play. They control their own destiny and would lock up the first-round bye if they defeat the 49ers next week. On an individual level, Drake Maye is a winner this week after throwing five touchdown passes in the rout of the Jets. The Patriots quarterback is squarely in the MVP race and trails only Matthew Stafford, according to DraftKings oddsmakers.
• Losers: The Steelers squandered a golden opportunity to win the AFC North with a 13-6 upset loss to the lowly Browns, and they must now get past the Ravens in a winner-take-all Week 18 showdown. The Packers made the wrong kind of history in their 41-24 loss to the Ravens, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose three games in which they did not punt. Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker had a week to forget, too, when he missed a field goal and extra point in a four-point loss to the Texans despite entering the game as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
• Clinchers: The Packers and Texans clinched postseason berths while the Bears, Broncos and Patriots won the NFC North, AFC West and AFC East, respectively. On the flip side, the Colts fell out of playoff contention and became the first team in 30 years to start a campaign 8-2 and miss the postseason. The Lions are also out of the playoff hunt.
• Injuries: Not only did they suffer a bad loss to the Browns, but the Steelers also lost tight end Darnell Washington to a broken arm.
• Milestones: Congratulations are in order for Derrick Henry, who became the NFL's all-time leader in 200-yard rushing games with his seventh: a 216-yard explosion against the Packers. Trey McBride made tight end history with 119 catches on the year, good for the most in a season by anyone at the position. Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike broke Tim Brown's 37-year-old record for the most all-purpose yards by a rookie with 2,317.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• Matt LaFleur pumped the brakes on the Malik Willis hype and committed to Jordan Love as the Packers' quarterback.
• A lack of playoff implications won't stop Dak Prescott from suiting up for the Cowboys' season finale against the Giants.
• Multiple teams will attempt to pursue Joe Burrow via trade this offseason, sources told Jonathan Jones.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the Bucks' lineup on Saturday after a three-week absence due to a calf strain, and he threw down a garbage time windmill dunk that sparked a postgame altercation.
• The NBA handed out suspensions to Jose Alvarado (two games) and Mark Williams (one game) for throwing punches in an on-court fight during Saturday's matchup between the Suns and Pelicans.
• Lane Kiffin explained how his assistant coaches are balancing time between LSU and Ole Miss amid the Rebels' College Football Playoff run.
• Hot stove season continues with the Reds signing outfielder J.J. Bleday and trading for outfielder Dane Myers. The Cubs also made a move, landing reliever Hunter Harvey.
• Tom Izzo expressed concern over the loophole that allowed Baylor to sign former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji.
• Watch as United States Men's National Team star Christian Pulisic becomes Serie A's co-top scorer with his 10th goal of the season for AC Milan.
• The USMNT and Crystal Palace can breathe easily knowing that star defender Chris Richards avoided a serious injury. He will return for Palace's match on New Year's Day after being stretchered off last week in the EFL Cup.
• At long last, Florian Wirtz netted his first goal with Liverpool.
• The TGL season opened with Atlanta Drive GC posting a 6-4 win over New York Golf Club.

📺 What we're watching Monday

🏈 Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State, 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Southern at No. 20 Illinois (M), 3 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 UMass-Lowell at No. 25 Iowa (M), 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Dartmouth at No. 22 Florida (M), 6 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Pittsburgh at No. 20 Notre Dame (W), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Cornell at No. 9 Michigan State (M), 7 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Cavaliers at Spurs, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 18 North Carolina at Boston College (W), 8 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 Rams at Falcons, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 6 Michigan at Oregon (W), 9 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Mavericks at Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m. on NBC