Sports this 'n' that

The more things change, the more they stay the same in the NFL.

When Week 16 began Saturday, the New England Patriots were the #3 seed in the AFC. This morning, they need only win one more game, and they'll have their precious spot at #1.

How?

New England beat Buffalo, 24-12, on Sunday. Then, the players watched Philadelphia beat Houston, at the time the #2 seed. New England owns a tiebreaker over Houston based on a win over the Texans in September. Kansas City, which is #1, lost their second straight, getting blown out in the second half by Seattle. New England also owns a tiebreaker over the Chiefs based on a 44-0 blowout win in October at Foxborough. The Patriot win snapped a two game losing streak, and they close at home vs. the Jets in what is likely Todd Bowles' final game as Jets coach next Sunday.

But, that ain't all.

Pittsburgh fell out of the #4 seed in the AFC after losing to New Orleans, 31-28. Couple that with Baltimore beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night, and the Ravens move into the #4 spot as AFC North leaders with a week to go. Baltimore plays resurgent Cleveland next week, and a win there locks up the division.
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If you wanted more proof that oddsmakers aren't the sharpest tools in the drawer some weeks, the last two days were proof positive.

Let's say you have a betting ticket that you got from a friend. Three teams (Tennessee, New England, LA Rams) were favored by 10 points or better, and only one, the Rams, covered. In the 15 games played the last two days, six underdogs beat the spread (Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, & the Giants). That says the games yesterday & Saturday all had meaning, and that there was no such thing as a meaningless game on the schedule, except for tonight's Monday Night Football season finale between Denver & Oakland.
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All four NFC divisions have been decided, with Dallas beating Tampa Bay Sunday to clinch their 3rd NFC East title in five years. However, Dallas is locked into the #4 seed behind New Orleans, Los Angeles, & Chicago. The Cowboys have only won one playoff game since Troy Aikman swapped his shoulder pads for an announcer's blazer and microphone. The Wild Cards are still up for grabs with a week to go. Meanwhile, only one AFC Wild Card is secure, that belonging to the Los Angeles Chargers despite losing to Baltimore. The Patriots are the only division winner in the AFC, as everything else will be decided next Sunday. If Kansas City's recent collapse continues, the Chargers could sneak into the #2 seed.
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WWE would like you to believe they are actually listening to you. That was the message being sent on television last week, but given how frequently Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon changes his mind, this era of good feeling could only last a few weeks, if that.

On the other hand, some movies out now have a decided WWE presence.

Former champion John Cena appears in "Bumblebee", the latest in the "Transformers" movie series, serving as a prequel to the series. This, and a part in a Jackie Chan movie, would explain why Cena grew out his hair in recent months. Braun Strowman, currently unable to actually compete due to an elbow injury despite winning at TLC last week, will be on the big screen starting tomorrow in "Holmes & Watson", Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly's spoof of Sherlock Holmes. The ongoing "Marine" movie series produced by WWE, which began on the big screen with Cena, is now direct-to-video, and the sixth installment in the series is the fourth for its current lead, Michael "The Miz" Mizanin, joined this time by Becky Lynch & Shawn Michaels.

Meanwhile, there are some fans hoping that McMahon will finally step aside to focus on rebooting the XFL, due to relaunch in 2020. Like, d'ya really think that's gonna happen? File it under wishful thinking.