Starting Five

The five sports topics that will be discussed at water coolers across America

1. Legendary Coach Bill Belichick’s Future Uncertain

The Scoop: New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, quite possibly the greatest NFL coach of all time, is apparently on the hot seat. Local media this week said that Patriots owner Robert Kraft has already decided to move on from Belichick after the conclusion of this season. Belichick, who signed a lucrative multi-year deal prior to this season, has racked up six Super Bowl victories in the last 23 years with 9 Super Bowl appearances, both of which are NFL records for a Head Coach. He also has the third most wins (300) of any head coach and is closing in on the all-time record.

Though the Patriots are in the middle of a disappointing 3-11 season, sources clarified that Robert Kraft has not made up his mind on Belichick’s future and that the end of the season could determine the outcome. When asked about whether his future has been decided, Belichick, in classic fashion, said, “Yeah, getting ready for Kansas City. That’s what I’m doing.”

Conversation Starter: Would you consider firing the greatest coach of all time after two losing seasons?

2. NFL Playoff Race Heats Up

See here for live simulation estimating the probability of each team’s path to the playoff.

The Scoop: Heading into the last three weeks of the NFL regular season, the race is heating up for the 32 teams to claim one of the 14 playoff spots. Three teams have clinched spots (San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys), but it’s anybody’s game for the remaining 11 spots. See below for the key things to watch for in each of the NFL’s two conferences:

AFC: In the American Football Conference, the Ravens, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Jaguars are heavy favorites to secure playoff berths by winning their respective divisions. The Cleveland Browns put themselves in the driver’s seat with a win this weekend to secure a “Wild Card” spot (which is awarded to three of the best teams in each conference who did not win their division). Other teams vying for a spot include the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, and Cincinnati Bengals.

NFC: In the National Football Conference, the 49ers, Eagles, Lions, and Buccaneers are projected to win their divisions, but the Cowboys might regain the division lead if the Eagles lose their Monday Night Football matchup today. The wildcard teams from the NFC will be either the Eagles or the Cowboys plus two teams from among the Vikings, Packers, Saints, Rams, and Seahawks.

Conversation Starter: Which fringe team would you most like to see make the playoffs?

3. Texas Brings Home Women’s Volleyball Championship

The Scoop: For the second-straight year, the Texas Longhorns are Women’s Volleyball National Champions. In the first women’s volleyball game to be televised on ABC, the Longhorns swept Nebraska in front of a record crowd of nearly 20,000. Texas had quite the path to the championship, capping off the run with three consecutive victories over red-colored No. 1 seeds: Stanford, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.

This Texas team cited resilience as a key to its success. Fifth-year senior Asjia O'Neal, who got her fifth service ace of the afternoon on match point to launch Texas' celebration, had been through two open-heart surgeries and used her struggles as motivational fuel to lead her team to greatness. She described the victory by saying, “We were playing with so much confidence and joy. I was smiling because I was so happy with how we were feeling. You just feel it. I felt we were going to win that match.”

Conversation Starter: Now that women’s volleyball is experiencing a meteoric rise to national prominence, what other sport would you like to see featured on a bigger stage?

4. Pistons Are NBA’s Biggest Loser

The Scoop: The Detroit Pistons are on the verge of making history, but not the good kind. They are on a streak of 23 consecutive losses after being manhandled by Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Friday. This loss means they are only five games away from the all-time NBA record of 28 consecutive losses, a feat owned by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The losing streak has gotten so bad that Wingstop is doing a promotion for five free wings whenever the Pistons finally win a game.

Conversation Starter: Do you think the Pistons can win a game before setting an infamous record?

5. Top Teams Solidify Themselves in College Basketball

The Scoop: It was about as crazy of a week as you get in college basketball outside of March with multiple marquee matchups. #3 Purdue knocked off #1 Arizona for their first win over a #1 team since 2000 while #14 Kentucky beat #9 North Carolina in a thriller. Michigan State eviscerated #6 Baylor while #2 Kansas rallied to fend off a challenge from Indiana. We’re in for a wild ride the rest of the season with this quality of college hoops, and it’s not even Christmas.

Conversation Starter: Who is your way-too-early pick to win it all in March Madness?

“Sports” Moments of the Weekend

One thing we love about sports is the funny moments they deliver, here are some rapid fire viral memes, videos, and posts for your enjoyment!

In case you thought Taylor Swift wasn’t just a normal person like the rest of us, she also hates the refs

“Everybody has those days. Everybody knows what, what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. Everybody gets that way.”

Timberwolves Brazil social media account is unhinged

Y i k e s…

“FIRMLY GRASP IT!!!” - Mahomes to his receivers

The Chicago Bears’ season in a nutshell…

Who says kickers aren’t athletes?

“Look at how they massacred my boy”

“You like that,” but on steroids

Double technical foul alert

The duality of ball

What We’re Watching this Week

If you're at a bar, they might be showing these games. Here's what you should know:

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) vs Seattle Seahawks (6-7) (Monday Night at 8:15 ET): As the Eagles try to solidify their hold on the NFC East, the Seahawks are fighting for their playoff lives. Star Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts is listed as questionable, which could play a significant role in determining who wins this one.

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The Fastbreakk