The Bengals lost a playoff game. In news that may or may not be related, the sky is blue. Of course, there are teams out there who may be feeling even worse this Monday. At least Cincinnati did not lose at home (like the Steelers). At least it did not get hosed by the refs (like the Lions). At least it was not historically bad on offense (like the Cardinals). And at least it did not lose by 39 points (like Florida State).

All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag

AFC North . The maximum possible number of teams (three) made the playoffs from the AFC North. Only one remains. Of course, no more than two had a chance of still being alive at this point since Baltimore and Pittsburgh had to play each other on Saturday night. Still, it was a bad weekend for the division. The Steelers turned the ball over three times in a sloppy 30-17 home loss to the Ravens. One day later, Cincinnati watched its playoff losing streak hit seven with a 26-10 setback at Indianapolis. The Bengals have not won a postseason game since 1991; that's 24 years for those counting. And now the AFC North's only representative left (Baltimore) has to play at New England. The Ravens are +7 underdogs.

Detroit Lions . Detroit lost its playoff game at Dallas on Sunday, and the officials sure didn't help. Calls too numerous to discuss went the Cowboys' way, none more important than a picked-up pass interference early in the fourth quarter. Had the flag stayed, the Lions-already leading 20-17-would have had a first down long into Dallas territory with 8:25 remaining in the game. Instead, they were forced to punt, and the home team promptly marched on a 59-yard drive that ultimately produced the game-winning touchdown in a 24-20 Cowboys' victory. Detroit, which led 14-0 at one point, finished with eight penalties and three turnovers. Dallas is a +7 underdog at Green Bay next weekend.

Jameis Winston . The meme heard 'round the world right now is Winston's untouched fumble late in the third quarter of the Rose Bowl. Oregon's Tony Washington picked it up and raced 58 yards for a touchdown to put the Ducks ahead 45-20 en route to their dominant 59-20 win. Winston, who had been undefeated in his entire career at Florida State, threw for 348 yards, but that was mainly because he attempted 45 passes. He was also picked off once as the Seminoles turned the ball over a ridiculous five times in the first-ever national semifinal game. Oregon is a -7 favorite over Ohio State in the National Championship.

LeBron James . At least Cleveland head coach David Blatt has an excuse right now: LeBron has missed the last four games due to knee and back issues, and he is likely to be out for a total of two weeks. The Cavs are 1-3 in this stretch, with losses to Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Dallas. They also lost Kyrie Irving to tightness in his lower back during Sunday's 109-90 loss to the Mavericks. Irving will join LeBron on the sidelines for Monday night's road contest at Philadelphia. Cleveland is 19-15, which leaves it fifth in the Eastern Conference and 6.5 games back of the first-place Hawks. The Cavs are -4.5 favorites over Philly, and they are still +400 favorites to win the NBA title.

Kevin Ollie . In March, Ollie and Connecticut were on top of the world as surprise champions of college basketball. Fast forward nine months and the head coach has hit a rough patch both personally and professionally. Ollie's wife filed for divorce over the weekend, citing a marriage of 16 years that has "broken down irretrievably and there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation." On the court, UConn is a mediocre 7-5 (0-1 in the American Conference) following a 3-0 start. The Huskies at least managed to win at Florida 63-59 last Saturday. They are +8000 to win the National Championship.

Philadelphia Flyers . Since Christmas, the Flyers have zero wins, four regulation losses, one overtime loss, and one fine for illegal traveling. Is that bad? It's not good! The NHL restricted any travel from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26, but Philadelphia did not want to travel on the day of its Dec. 27 game (8:00 p.m. faceoff) at Nashville. General manager Ron Hextall made the call to bite the bullet and travel illegally, prepared to accept the inevitable fine. It turned out an extra day did not matter as Philly went down to the Predators 4-1. The team's five-game losing streak also includes setbacks against Arizona, Colorado, Carolina, and New Jersey. The Flyers are +8000 to win the Eastern Conference.

Chelsea . A week ago, Chelsea drew against Southampton, but second-place Manchester City could not capitalize (City endured a draw of its own versus Burnley). The Blues left the door open yet again last Thursday, when they got embarrassed by Tottenham Hotspur 5-3. This time Man City seized its opportunity to tie for the Premier League lead as it got past Sunderland 3-2. The Blues and Sky Blues both have 46 points to top the table, on which Manchester United has climbed into third place-nine points back of the leaders with 37. City is a -120 favorite in Saturday's match against Everton.

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