#defense

#defense

The 49ers offense, which had taken the Kyle Shanahan attack to new heights since their bye week, was limited to a 48-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro with 1:06 left in the first half. It's kind of hard to expect to really win the game if we're not going to score more than a field goal, tight end George Kittle said in the aftermath. Shout out to Eddy, though. Thank you for making it.

Nuñez isn't a household name, and his stat line won't turn heads. But by the end of 2025, he was doing things that stood out in other ways. The Bronx native made the most of every opportunity, showing off elite defense, disruptive speed and a late-season power surge. If that version of Nuñez shows up in spring training, he'll be tough to keep off the field.

After punting on their first two possessions, the Giants scored on their final six non-victory formation drives. Jaxson Dart impressively responded from his worst game as a pro last Sunday (7-for-13, 33 yards, five sacks, INT in a 16-13 loss to Minnesota). He completed 22 of 30 passes for 207 yards (no touchdowns or picks), rushed for two touchdowns and 48 yards on nine carries (the last three were kneels) and was sacked only twice.

LOS ANGELES -- As running back Omarion Hampton waltzed into the end zone in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Chargers' 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, it put a bow on one of the Chargers' most impressive wins of the season. The Cowboys had nothing to play for -- eliminated from the playoffs a day before -- but they jumped on the Chargers' stout defense early.

Porter poured in a game-high 28 points and Brooklyn sustained its December defensive surge Tuesday night, holding the Philadelphia 76ers to 40.7% shooting while forcing 17 turnovers in a 114-106 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The victory improved the Nets to 9-19 and marked just the second time this season they've put together consecutive wins, a small but telling sign of traction for a team still finding itself.

Hoerner is a staple of the Cubs' elite defense, winning his second Gold Glove Award in 2025. He totalled 14 outs above average (OAA) and a fielding run value of 12, both of which were twice as high as any other second baseman in the game. His ability to play shortstop at a high level adds even more value and has other teams eyeing him as a trade target.

I think, honestly, I could do so much more,

"Just doing my job. Playing fast. Playing hard. Simple as that," Carter said. "Nothing too much."

A confession: I did not know that Jordan Walsh, the Boston Celtics' young forward, was the second coming of Moses Malone. I did not realize that he could ably step into the shoes of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics' superstar forward, who went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks last May. Salvation, it turns out, was already sitting at the end of the bench, averaging three minutes a game.

Oh, yeah, I'm pretty eager,

The Rams are regarded as a Super Bowl contender - but first they have to make the playoffs. Coach Sean McVay's team can clinch a playoff spot if they defeat the Detroit Lions on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Rams are 10-3, lead the NFC West and hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC. A win over the Lions would guarantee a playoff spot for the seventh time in McVay's nine seasons.

The Cowboys are the 19th best team by DVOA, which feels about right. With 14 teams making the playoffs, that means they're just on the outside of that threshold. It's worth noting that three of their four remaining opponents all rank below them in DVOA, as do two of the teams ahead of them in the conference standings. Let's highlight special teams real quick, because it's been bad.