This fantastic weekend of football, plus tennis' new villain

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Good morning! Juuuuuust a bit outside.

What a Weekend: It’s a beautiful time to be a football fan

The land of football riches awaits us over the next three days, dear reader. Sure, we’ve issued similar sentiments at times in the past few weeks, but the most meaningful football of two separate seasons lies before us.

Consider:

• Tomorrow: Two NFL divisional-round playoff games
• Sunday: Two NFL divisional-round playoff games
• Monday: CFB national championship

Five legacy-defying games across three days. This is why we watch, right?

Let’s get briefed for tomorrow’s slate, along with some Good Bets (odds via BetMGM):

Texans at Chiefs
4:30 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN

It’s truly difficult to form a coherent opinion about this game. Both of these teams skated through the early parts of the season, playing meh football but winning anyway. Both of them have also looked like the best versions of themselves lately. What’s guiding me the most: Since 2018, when Patrick Mahomes took over as starting quarterback, the Chiefs are 4-0 off byes in the playoffs. Plus, they are healthy for the first time in a while.

Good Bet: Chiefs (-8.5). I think KC runs away with this one.

Commanders at Lions
8 p.m. ET on Fox

Call this The Grit Bowl. Both teams have been nails in pressure situations this year. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of the best rookie QBs to ever grace the league, while Detroit has muscled through some of the worst injury luck en route to the No. 1 seed. The Commanders have already had a dream season no matter the result here. I think they bow out proudly.

Good Bet: Washington (+9.5). Sike? I just couldn’t pick Daniels & Co. to lose by double-digits. I suspect this is a late backdoor cover. Sue me.

Pulse bets record overall: 30-43-1

Want more? Jeff Howe talked to a group of NFL coaches and executives and got predictions for all four NFL playoff games this weekend.

News to Know

Uecker dies at 90
Legendary Brewers play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker died yesterday at 90 years old, sending the entire baseball universe into mourning. He was so much more than just a team’s announcer; his comedic chops led to acting roles, including his memorable appearance in the movie “Major League.” But as our poignant obituary notes, Uecker — no matter the outside fame — was forever linked to the Brewers. He was a Milwaukee native, a Milwaukee Brave for a short time and the team’s broadcaster for 54 years. Read the full obituary here. RIP Ueck.

Brady plans to stay at Fox
Tom Brady’s current reality — working as both a minority owner of the Raiders and Fox’s lead on-air analyst — won’t change anytime soon, his agent told Sports Business Journal. It presents an ethical quandary for league officials, as our sports media wizards detailed here, but it appears everyone will just deal with it for now. I remain dubious, as does Richard Deitsch.

McCarthy’s offseason begins
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned to on-field training, Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said yesterday, addressing what will be the biggest offseason question for this team. Minnesota selected McCarthy with the 10th pick in last year’s NFL Draft, but the rookie missed the entire season with a torn meniscus in his knee. Whether he can start next year will shape how the Vikes address free agent Sam Darnold, who had a career year while leading the team to a 14-3 record. More context is here.