It was hyped as the “Game of the Year” in the NFL.
Thursday Night Football didn’t just live up to our expectations.
It shattered them.
The first Thursday game between 11-win teams in NFL history felt like a playoff game from the opening kick-off.
The remarkable plays, massive momentum swings, and a thrilling overtime ending that came down to the final play of the game won’t be forgotten anytime soon by those of us that watched it.
The Seattle Seahawks could be found as long as +5500 to beat the Los Angeles Rams outright live at FanDuel down 16 in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks’ win probability was as low as 2.7% with 9:04 left trailing 30-14 in their comeback win over the Rams.
Seattle’s chances of earning the #1 seed in the NFC are now 52% (LA now at 21%). Seattle’s odds dropped to 4% when they trailed by 16 points.
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 19, 2025
For perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers can be found at +5500 to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel this morning.
Now that the dust has settled, let’s recap where we stand.
After becoming the first team in NFL history to win a game on a two-point conversion in overtime, Seattle clinched its first playoff berth since 2022.
The Seahawks are now one game up on the Rams for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and first place in the NFC West.
Seattle controls its path to a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage if it can win out against the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks to win the NFC West division title flipped from +195 to -135 at FanDuel.
Meanwhile, LA went from -150 as the favourite to win the NFC West to +270 as the second choice.
Matthew Stafford, who went 29-of-49 for 457 yards and three touchdowns to give his team a chance to win the game in OT, remains the MVP favourite although at slightly worse odds from -260 to -220 this morning.
Interestingly, the Rams remain the Super Bowl favourite, although their odds to win it all climbed from +370 to +490 at FanDuel following the loss.
Seattle remains the second choice to win the Super Bowl after an adjustment from +700 to +550 overnight.
An epic Thursday Night Football showdown that had a playoff atmosphere set the stage for a busy weekend with massive implications that kicks off on Saturday night with a double-header on TSN.
Speaking of playoff football, the College Football Playoff is set to crash the party with four first-round games beginning with an SEC showdown between Alabama and Oklahoma tonight on TSN.
I’ve got six days left to get my Christmas shopping done, but tonight is the second of five straight days of football.
It looks like everybody is getting Crave gift cards this year.
Let’s set the stage for the first round of the College Football Playoff and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet in this Morning Coffee for Friday December 19th, 2025.
Alabama, Oklahoma Set To Kick Off College Football Playoff on TSN
If I’ve learned one lesson this college football season it is to expect the unexpected.
Now the question is whether the unpredictability of the regular season carries over to the Playoff.
Six teams are set to make their first playoff appearance.
No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 10 Miami, No. 11 Tulane, and No. 12 James Madison.
On the flip side, there are four teams that will compete in the CFP for the fifth time in No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, No. 8 Oklahoma, and No. 9 Alabama.
Despite losing to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship, the Buckeyes remain the FBS National Championship favourite at +200 at FanDuel.
The Hoosiers are a close second choice at +310.
Georgia, which will join Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas Tech in the semi-finals thanks to a bye, is the third choice to win it all at +550.
No. 5 Oregon, which will play No. 12 James Madison in the first round on Saturday night, gets a slight edge at +750 to win the title over the Red Raiders at +850.
No other team is shorter than +2000 to win it all.
While the Ducks must play one more game than Texas Tech, they’re currently -20.5 for Saturday’s clash with James Madison.
No. 6 Ole Miss is -17.5 versus No. 11 Tulane.
No. 7 Texas A&M is -3.5 versus No. 10 Miami of Florida.
No. 8 Oklahoma is -1.5 versus No. 9 Alabama.
The action kicks off with a rematch between the Sooners and Crimson Tide tonight.
ESPN Analytics gives Alabama a 51 per cent chance to win this game outright, but the spread has flipped from the Tide -2.5 to Oklahoma -1.5 at FanDuel.
It’s hovering around a pick’em across the board.
When these teams met on November 15th, Alabama outgained Oklahoma by 194 yards, but three turnovers ultimately cost them in a 23-21 loss.
More importantly, the Tide have struggled of late, failing to record at least 300 yards in each of their last two games while beating Auburn and then losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Oklahoma’s defence leads the FBS with 41 sacks.
The Sooners’ pressure paid off in their regular season meeting with the Tide.
Simpson might not be at full strength and after the disappointment of the SEC Championship Game loss to the Bulldogs it’s fair to wonder how much the Tide have left in the tank heading into this game.
If Alabama can’t establish the run against a tough Oklahoma defence, Simpson could be in trouble again.
With the total hovering at 41.5 and shaded to the under, defence and special teams will be critical in a game that could come down to field position and turnovers.
Then there’s home-field advantage with Oklahoma potentially gaining an edge with tonight’s game being played in Norman.
The Sooners have never won a playoff game.
What better way to get their first playoff victory than at home against their SEC rival Alabama?
I’ll lock in Oklahoma to win outright at -110 as a FanDuel Best Bet for the first game of the College Football Playoff.
Enjoy the football, everyone!
