The Titans want to keep onto the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and beating the Texans in 7 days 18 has to be of the utmost precedence to hold that declare.
The Tennessee Titans are beautifully poised to keep their hold as the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff photo heading into the postseason.
All they require to do is go on the road and knock off the lowly 4-win Houston Texans in Week 18.
It seems like an easy proposition. Nevertheless head coach Mike Vrabel will not want a repeat of what took place the final time these two AFC South rivals confronted, a surprising 22-13 victory for Houston, paired with the fact the Texans have shockingly gained two of their very last three video games.
But it’s crucial to bear in mind that 7 days 11 defeat was in the center of what turned into a hard stretch for Tennessee, a time when the crew wasn’t any place near to healthy.
It is attainable the Titans are setting up to get healthier now.
Let’s just take a look at some of the most up-to-date damage news, as properly as your up-to-date betting odds and how you can observe this frequent-period finale.
Which is it. The team is having healthful at the proper time soon after using a lengthy wave of accidents.
Of program, the largest harm ponder is the position of functioning again Derrick Henry, who has been poised to arrive off wounded reserve following suffering a foot fracture before this year.
And though some may argue the initially-round bye would be the greatest for Henry to have one much more week’s rest, ought to Tennessee protected the No. 1 seed, it is nonetheless hard not to get fired up in excess of one thing like this:
Titans vs. Texans odds, spread, around/less than & betting decide on Week 18
Having Henry back again for 7 days 18, assuming he performs a huge load, would effectively make the variance from a scrappy but susceptible Texans defense.
Nonetheless, the oddsmakers at WynnBET dropped Tennessee’s favorable line from -11 details down to -10, although it is an awfully large unfold anyway for a road favorite.
Tennessee’s moneyline is nevertheless a whopping -525, while Houston is at +400.
The around/under is 42.5.
Our first prediction for the matchup was possessing the Titans not only masking, but profitable large by a rating of 28-10.
CBS will broadcast Sunday’s contest concerning Houston and Tennessee, which will kick off at 1 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium on Jan. 9. NFL Community and Paramount+ will also broadcast this AFC South showdown.
With the division secured but the No. 1 seed even now up for grabs, it is not yet apparent if Tennessee will get pleasure from a first-spherical playoff bye through the Wild Card round.
The way things stand now, it would.
Nonetheless, here’s the remaining agenda for this season’s NFL playoffs:
The Chiefs took a hit in last week’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. They fell to 11-5, second in the AFC behind the Tennessee Titans, who are also 11-5. To make matters worse, the Chiefs’ 6-5 conference record puts them behind the Titans (7-4) in the conference. They also lost their head to head, so the only chance the Chiefs have of picking up the No. 1 seed is to beat the Broncos in the final week of the season while the Titans lose.
The reason this means so much is simple. The Chiefs are 7-2 at home, whereas they’re 4-3 on the road. The home field advantage at Arrowhead is tangible, and while the Chiefs have the talent to beat just about anyone in the NFL, any edge helps in the playoffs where things get weird. We’re also in uncharted territory with an 18-week season, so staying in friendly confines would be helpful.
MORE: Chiefs playoff picture breakdown
All of this, however, is moot if the Chiefs lose to the Broncos on Saturday. Denver is 7-9 on the season, but it’s been a rough second half of the year. They were beaten by the Chiefs 22-9 when these two teams first met in Kansas City, and that was in a poor showing for Patrick Mahomes. The Broncos had 404 yards to the Chiefs’ 216, but three turnovers ultimately did the Broncos in.
While the season is over for Denver in terms of playoff hopes, there’s a lot to build off of there. It was fairly widely accepted that the Broncos’ 3-0 start was a mirage caused by a bizarrely easy strength of schedule, but looking ahead to next season it’s clear there are several key holes to be filled. They won’t have an overwhelmingly impressive draft pick, so the Broncos will have to be smart to address those needs, specifically at quarterback with Teddy Bridgewater’s 1-year deal expiring and Drew Lock showing signs of improvement down the stretch. Lock is expected to start against Kansas City.
Here’s what you need to know to watch Chiefs vs. Broncos this Saturday, including kickoff time, TV channels, and the full Week 18 NFL schedule.
Chiefs vs. Broncos will be broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 18. This game is going to have a different feel to it, with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Laura Rutledge on the call. John Perry will be ESPN’s rules expert.
Chiefs vs. Broncos is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. This will be one of ESPN’s nationally televised games, as the network begins to broadcast more games heading into Wild Card Weekend.
The night started with the Christmas carol “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” playing while a packed crowd at the Forum in Inglewood nervously wondered if they’d get to watch history happen.
Games in mid-December during the marathon of an NBA calendar rarely have stakes like this. But if the Lakers could win — something they had done 20 consecutive times before — they’d celebrate on the court with a ceremony and in the locker room with champagne.
1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers team photo at the Forum
(Los Angeles Lakers)
On Sunday, Dec. 12, 1971, the Lakers won their 21st consecutive game, setting the record for the longest winning streak in NBA history.
“I’m sure glad it’s over,” Wilt Chamberlain said that night.
Yet the Lakers’ winning streak wasn’t close to ending. And the record they set — the longest winning streak in team sports — is still standing 50 years later.
The Lakers would win 33 straight games, an unfathomable achievement that spanned the course of 65 days during the team’s magical championship season, the franchise’s first after relocating from Minneapolis in 1960.
Lakers guard Jerry West (14) is fouled by Rockets guard John Vallely after driving around a screen by center Wilt Chamberlain on Dec. 27, 1971.
(Associated Press)
The Lakers scored 4,069 points during the streak, beating their opponents by an average of 16 points per game. Only one team, the Phoenix Suns, took them to overtime. And 24 times, opponents couldn’t keep the margin inside 10 points.
Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Pat Riley and Bill Sharman — the names on their own are legendary. But as part of the 1971-72 Lakers, they combined to create an accomplishment that’s still standing strong thanks to a combination of excellence, talent, time and place.
“If that 33-game winning streak at the time happened today with all the social media and coverage,” Riley, a backup guard on the team, told The Times, “it would be probably be almost unbearable to do.”
Riley should know. The Miami Heat team he helped assemble, with LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade, ripped off 27 consecutive wins in 2013. The Golden State Warriors pushed up against the fringes of the Lakers’ streak, winning 28 in a row over two regular seasons in 2015.
It hasn’t been close to being threatened since then.
“I’ll be honest. I don’t want to see it broken — at least during my lifetime,” said Jim Cleamons, a rookie on the Lakers’ 1971-72 team. “It’s like Joe DiMaggio. I don’t think anybody is going to beat his 56-game hitting streak, so I don’t want anybody to beat our 33-game winning streak. I’ll be honest about that. I don’t want to see it broken.
“I’m just sorry it wasn’t a little bit higher. I would have like to have really put it out there.”
All winning streaks before it and after it have started the same way — following a loss. But only the greatest streak in professional team sports could start with a loss like this.
Elgin Baylor wasn’t just a Laker at the time — he was the Lakers. He followed the team to Los Angeles from Minneapolis, bringing with him an electrifying style of play that would be mimicked by the NBA’s most exciting players for generations to come.
Lakers coach Bill Sharman yells instruction from the bench during the 1971-72 season.
(Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times)
That version of Baylor was gone, an Achilles injury and achy knees slowing the Lakers’ most dynamic player to a crawl. Sharman, the Lakers’ new coach, wanted to make a change and move the 37-year-old Baylor out of the starting lineup.
Baylor, having played in only nine games before the winning streak began, instead retired. He made the decision after the Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors by four points on Oct. 31, 1971.
“He was not getting the kind of results that he expected of himself,” Goodrich said. “When you’re that good — boy, he was that good — and you start to see your skills diminished a little bit. … And while you can still make a contribution, I think that, you know, his benchmark was so high for himself.”
It was hard to fathom, especially for West.
“My buddy, my friend, my cohort for so many years, I just sat there and said to myself, ‘How the hell is this going to be without him in the locker room?’ ” West remembered wondering. “It just was a shock for me. I had no clue, absolutely no clue that he was going to retire. None. I said, ‘What?’ when I heard about it. … How did this happen? Why?
“That’s why it was so shocking for him not to be there. But as I say, they don’t cancel school when a teacher leaves. So, they’re certainly not cancelling a basketball season, that’s for sure.”
For Sharman, it wasn’t the first time the team’s coach was in the midst of a challenge. Before he lost Baylor, he needed to first convince West to shoot less and distribute the ball more. Admittedly, that sell was easier than the other one he needed to make.
He needed to convince Chamberlain to wake up early.
Sharman was the inventor of the “shootaround” — a morning practice on game days designed to increase players muscle memory and focus before competition. It also meant an extra trip to the arena, with Chamberlain firing back that Sharman would see him at the Forum once per day — either for practice or the game.
Like the best jokes, it was full of truth.
But Sharman had Chamberlain’s respect from his time as Bob Cousy’s backcourt partner during the Boston Celtics’ dynasty. Sharman believed in work ethic, a tone he set during the team’s training camp in Hawaii.
After a lunch with Chamberlain, he got the Lakers center on board.
Like West, he also convinced Chamberlain — owner of another iconic record, his 100-point game — to sacrifice on offense to anchor the Lakers’ defense and rebounding, while playing quarterback for Sharman’s fast-break offense.
After Baylor’s retirement, Sharman turned to West and Chamberlain to be the team’s co-captains. West felt he’d play better without the responsibility, so Chamberlain took on the task alone, he wrote in his autobiography, “Wilt: Just like any other 7-foot black millionaire who lives next door.”
With Chamberlain as the captain and young Jim McMillian replacing Baylor in the starting lineup, the Lakers eased into their new reality with a tight win at home against the Baltimore Bullets.
“McMillian stepped in. He fit right in — a good quality scorer, a very, very good defensive player,” Goodrich said. “And so, at that point, you know, there was there was no drop off. And we were off.”
They wouldn’t lose again for more than two months.
Legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn narrated a record with highlights of the team’s 33 wins, praising the Lakers for catching their rhythm with a 40-point win in Philadelphia for their fifth consecutive victory.
“One of the best games in the history of the Lakers,” Hearn exclaimed that night.
If there were questions about Chamberlain’s buy-in to Sharman’s plan, he answered them against the Boston Celtics, managing to dominate despite scoring only three points in two shots and one trip to the free-throw line.
Chamberlain finished that win — the Lakers’ eighth in a row — with 31 rebounds, 10 assists and, according to Hearn, 13 blocked shots for one of the strangest triple-doubles in NBA history.
“It was pretty to watch, I’ll say that. It was pretty to watch,” West remembered. “Everyone shared in different ways. And I’ll never forget that before the season started, Bill Sharman asked me, he said, ‘I want you to lead the league in assists.’ I said, ‘I’ll try, if I can.’
“After my knee injury, I wasn’t the same player at all. I think I averaged almost 26 points a game even that way. But these games were easy because you just didn’t feel the pressure to score all the time and it got easier for us. Everyone had a role and they performed it.”
West and Chamberlain were the veterans. Goodrich was the scorer. McMillian provided the two-way support. Happy Hairston was a rebounding machine. Flynn Robinson, the team’s sixth man, could really shoot, and Riley was equally fearless and ferocious. John Trapp and Leroy Ellis reveled in the dirty work.
The Lakers kept piling up wins, even more impressively considering of how differently the NBA was scheduled in 1971-72. The winning streak began with victories on three straight nights. The first five games of the 33 were played in six days. The first eight wins? That happened in 10 days. Add in commercial travel the morning following games, and the physical demands were incredible.
“I think that’s a pretty incredible stat that the a lot of people don’t realize,” Goodrich said.
They fell into routines, Goodrich leaving the court after the same made shot before every game and West playing in the same sneakers throughout the run.
By the time the Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 12, people certainly realized the stakes. A win would break the Milwaukee Bucks’ record of 20 straight wins during their championship run the season before, immortalizing Sharman’s team. The fans counted down the final seconds before the 21st win in the streak.
Lakers guard Gail Goodrich (25) and center Wilt Chamberlain (13) defeated guard Dave Wohl and the 76ers during their 33-game winning streak.
(Associated Press)
The postgame locker room was a wild scene, Hearn and partner Lynn Shackleford interviewing players while they celebrated.
“I believe this is the greatest thrill,” Sharman said.
Owner Jack Kent Cooke told Hearn he nearly suffered a heart attack as the Lakers desperately held on.
“But it was all worth it, wasn’t it?” he said to Hearn.
Ten days later in Baltimore, the Lakers got 37 points and nine assists from West to pass the 1916 New York Giants with 27 straight wins. Those Giants had won 26 without a loss, though there was a non-counting tie during their streak.
And in Atlanta on Jan. 7, the Lakers were as dominant as ever, making 58{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of their shots while six players scored in double figures in a blowout win against Pete Maravich and the Hawks.
It was the team’s 33rd win in a row.
Two days later in Milwaukee against the defending NBA champions, the Lakers would finally lose 120-104.
“We went into the locker room after the game and it was over with, the 33 wins a row,” Riley said. “We got on a plane.”
The season would end with another victory that ended another streak: The Lakers finally won an NBA championship after losing seven finals in the first 11 years since moving to L.A. But the memory of the 33-game win streak would always linger.
“Some 2½ months without losing a game,” West said. “Pretty remarkable.”
NFL supporters are heading to have to be weaned off football a bit about the next pair of weeks. There was a extend exactly where there was a pro or faculty game on each and every day, but that time is drying up as Week 18 arrives.
Week 18 will mark the first time that neither a “Thursday Night Football” NFL recreation nor a college soccer contest will be on the air for viewers. As a substitute, they’re going to have to wait around to see any form of motion until eventually Saturday afternoon when the Chiefs just take on the Broncos.
There is always a gradual winnowing of primary-time games late in the NFL time. The league likes to timetable most of its game titles — and all the consequential kinds — on the closing working day of the season. Why? Mainly because it produces pleasure and unpredictability in the playoff image. That will make Sunday pleasurable, but Thursday could be a drag for these hoping for an fascinating, late-season Thursday game.
Here is everything you will need to know about “TNF” in 7 days 18 and what you can observe with the system concluded for the season.
Is there a ‘Thursday Night Football’ match tonight?
No, there is not a “Thursday Evening Soccer” game on Thursday, Jan. 6. The very last Thursday night time video game of the yr aired on Dec. 23, when the Titans defeated the 49ers 20-17 in a closely contested fight.
The NFL usually hosts Thursday night video games from Weeks 1 via 16. It ignores the final two months of the period to stay clear of providing just one staff a relaxation edge likely into the playoffs. It also helps prevent the teams from having relaxation down sides likely into a likely important late-time game.
That claimed, the NFL does have two Saturday online games in the primary-time window scheduled for 7 days 18. That will give soccer lovers a couple of additional alternatives to enjoy stand-on your own online games with no “TNF” or “Monday Night Football” in Week 18.
“Thursday Night Football” will return to action in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL time, for each typical. There will be a Thursday evening recreation, the NFL’s year opener, in 7 days 1, but that has been a “Sunday Evening Football” contest in the past. So, technically, the plan would not return until eventually 7 days 2 of the 2022 year but there will be Thursday soccer starting up in 7 days 1.
Week 18 PICKS: In opposition to the unfold | Straight up
NFL routine 7 days 18
7 days 18
Sport
Kickoff time
Tv set channel
Chiefs at Broncos
4:30 p.m. ET
ESPN, ABC
Cowboys at Eagles
8:15 p.m. ET
ESPN, ABC
Game
Kickoff time
Television channel
Packers at Lions
1 p.m. ET
Fox
Colts at Jaguars
1 p.m. ET
CBS
Washington Football Workforce at Giants
1 p.m. ET
Fox
Bears at Vikings
1 p.m. ET
Fox
Bengals at Browns
1 p.m. ET
CBS
Titans at Texans
1 p.m. ET
CBS
Steelers at Ravens
1 p.m. ET
CBS
Jets at Expenditures
4:25 p.m. ET
CBS
49ers at Rams
4:25 p.m. ET
Fox
Seahawks at Cardinals
4:25 p.m. ET
Fox
Panthers at Buccaneers
4:25 p.m. ET
Fox
Patriots at Dolphins
4:25 p.m. ET
CBS
Saints at Falcons
4:25 p.m. ET
Fox
Chargers at Raiders
8:20 p.m. ET
NBC
Sports activities on Television set currently
Jan. 6 will mark the very first Thursday without having soccer due to the fact Aug. 26, after the NFL preseason ended and just days in advance of the higher education soccer season began. As these kinds of, football fans will have to settle for some other sporting activities to check out. There is some marquee NBA motion on Thursday, with TNT airing a doubleheader involving the Knicks and Celtics and Suns and Clippers, so that will almost certainly be the major draw for these hunting for fill-in programming.
Here is a glimpse at what you can observe in the course of the time slot typically occupied by “Thursday Evening Football.”
NBA: Knicks vs. Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Suns vs. Clippers (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
NHL: Bruins vs. Wild (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
NCAAM: Illinois vs. Maryland (7 p.m., ESPN2) and Stanford vs. UCLA (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
This Tuesday, December 4, the 2021-22 NBA season carries on with 5 game titles, which include the Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings pay a visit to the LA Lakers.
Match working day kicks off with the San Antonio Spurs browsing the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, already with Rajon Rondo to fill in for Ricky Rubio‘s absence, using on the Memphis Grizzlies.
Afterwards in the working day, the Knicks host the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden, two teams that will need speedy victories to steer clear of slipping further away from the playoffs.
The Suns enjoy at the Smoothie King Centre in what looks like an imminent earn in excess of the Pelicans, barring an upset.
Also, the Lakers, who have received their past two online games to return to a .500 report, host the Kings.
The Wisconsin Badgers are on the highway tonight from the #3 Purdue Boilermakers tonight. The Badgers have played just just one sport in the earlier two weeks thanks to covid scenarios in each the Badgers’ system and opposing teams’ systems.
The Badgers are coming off a slim victory about Illinois Condition at residence and now a great deal enjoy at Mackey Arena, a put they have struggled mightily, to enjoy the no. 3 workforce in the nation.
Wisconsin vs Purdue Odds: Unfold, Moneyline, Over/Beneath
The Badgers are regarded 13-point underdogs towards the Boilermakers tonight, according to the most recent odds from WynnBET. The odds that the Badgers address the 13 points are -115 (guess $100 to acquire $115). The odds that the Boilermakers include the distribute are established at -105 (guess $105 to earn $100).
The moneyline for this video game favors the Boilermakers bigtime to earn the recreation outright tonight, regardless of the score, with their odds at -800 (wager $800 to earn $100). The odds for the Badgers to get outright are set at +600 (bet $100 to acquire $600).
The over/under for this game is set at 140 points. The odds for the in excess of and the less than are established at -110 every single.
Wisconsin vs Purdue Prediction Tonight
I believe the Badgers are going to have their palms complete tonight. Not only will they have to enjoy just one of the top teams in the place that is loaded with expertise, but they will also have to participate in at Mackey Arena, a house of horrors for the Badgers. Wisconsin hasn’t defeated Purdue there because 2014 and is 5-42 all-time at the venue. Their very last acquire arrived versus North Carolina in the NCAA Event last 12 months, so not even from Purdue.
With this kind of a youthful team, I feel it is likely to be extremely hard for the Badgers to get a acquire on the highway, specially with how they have been taking part in recently.
I’m absolutely sure Johnny Davis will come all set to enjoy and hopefully, Davison can get very hot tonight, but the Badgers are however desperately wanting for that third scoring menace. Steven Crowl place up 21 details versus Illinois State, but will he be in a position to continue on that enjoy? It could be difficult specifically with Purdue trotting 7’4″ Zach Edey out there.
Unfortunately for the Badgers, I feel this could be a tough a person. I’d choose Purdue masking, the moneyline, and the more than tonight.
You can capture the Badger sport tonight on the Large 10 Network (BTN) at 6:00 PM CT.
Wisconsin vs Purdue Reside Stream
For these that are seeking for streaming choices, FuboTV is 1 possibility to consider, primarily considering the fact that they are currently supplying a seven-day totally free trial for new end users. Today’s Wisconsin video game can be streamed are living on Fubo Tv set.
