Sports

Sports Updates – January

John Ramsey, Reporter

January 13, 2026

The NFL Playoff Picture is now complete! As well as updates with Basketball and College Football.

National Football League (NFL) – The NFL’s regular season has ended and the playoff seeding is set. The first seeds are the Seattle Seahawks (NFC) and the Denver Broncos (AFC). These teams will get a first round bye, therefore they do not play a team until the divisional round. For the American Football Conference (AFC) Wildcard games, the 2 seed Patriots will play the 7 seed Chargers. The 3 seed Jaguars will play the 6 seed Bills. Finally, the 4 seed Steelers will play the 5 seed Texans. In the National Football Conference (NFC) Wildcard games, the 2 seed Bears will play the 7 seed Packers. The 3 seed Eagles will face the 6 seed 49ers. Finally, the 4 seed Panthers will play the 5 seed Rams.

National Basketball Association (NBA) – The NBA is about halfway through the regular season. In the Eastern Conference the Pistons, Knicks, and Celtics lead. For the Western Conference the Thunder, Spurs, and Nuggets lead. As of now, many current star players are injured, such as Nikola Jokic, Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James. This could affect the remaining teams playoff pushes going into the second half of the season.

College Football Playoffs (CFB) – The College Football Playoffs has two teams remaining: Indiana University (IU) and University of Miami (Hurricanes). As of now, IU has never participated in a National Championship and this is the Hurricanes first time returning since 2003. So far, Indiana has not had a loss throughout the 2025-2026 season, while the Canes have lost 2. ESPN had 12 reports predict the outcome of the game; 11/12 predicted that IU would be victorious.

Cites-

https://rockytopsportsworld.com/blog/benefits-playing-sports-child/

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/tag/the-pulse/?source=athletic_pulsenewsletter&campaign=16301218&userId=30674484

https://www.nba.com/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/indiana-miami-college-football-playoff-national-championship-game-preview-2026/

About the Contributor

John Ramsey, Reporter

Hello, my name is John, and this is my first year being a part of the Dragon Spectrum. I am in 8th grade and I’ve been at Flagstaff Academy since Kindergarten. I like playing sports, being outside, and traveling. My favorite food is spaghetti and my favorite color is green.