Jaguars continue hot streak with win over Jets as Zach Wilson gets benched | Grading CFB coaching hires

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Happy Friday everyone! I hope you're doing well and enjoying the holiday season with your teams giving you much to cheer for.

Let's get right to it.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Road game. Short week. Following an emotional win. Awful weather.

None of it mattered. The Jaguars keep on getting the job done. Trevor Lawrence and Co. eased past the Jets, 19-3, and have won four of their last five.

After fumbling on his first drive, Lawrence finished with 229 passing yards, 51 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He has 13 total touchdowns since Week 12, most in the NFL.

Evan Engram caught seven passes for 113 yards. It's his most ever at MetLife Stadium despite that being his home stadium from 2017-21, when he was a member of the Giants.

The three points allowed were the Jaguars' fewest in an away game since 2017.

Riley Patterson was terrific, converting all four of his field goals and his lone extra point despite the adverse weather conditions.

With the Jaguars' win, the Bengals clinched a playoff berth, and the Colts were eliminated from postseason contention

Thanks to this hot stretch -- and the Titans' four-game losing streak -- Jacksonville controls its destiny in the AFC South with two games remaining: at Houston and against Tennessee, who likely will be without Ryan Tannehill.

Honorable mentions

Chase Young is returning for the Commanders.

Michael Porter Jr. will return tonight for the Nuggets.

Manchester City beat Liverpool, 3-2, in the League Cup.

Jayden Daniels is returning to LSU.

Desmond Ricks

committed to Alabama.

One day after flipping from Notre Dame to Oregon, Peyton Bowen flipped to Oklahoma.

And not such a good morning for...

ZACH WILSON AND THE NEW YORK JETS

When it rains, it pours. Both the weather and the boos.

After seven drives and three first downs, Zach Wilson got benched for practice-squad call-up Chris Streveler. Streveler's first drive alone resulted in four first downs. Unfortunately for the Jets, that drive ended like almost all of Wilson's: with no points.

That's how bad it's gotten for Wilson, the No. 2 pick in 2021, and, in turn, for the Jets, who went into their bye week 6-3 and wake up today 7-8.

Wilson, who was only playing because Mike White (ribs) wasn't cleared, went 9-of-18 for 92 yards and an interception. He also took three sacks. Among 33 qualified quarterbacks this season, he ranks 33rd in passer rating, 33rd in completion percentage, 33rd in on-target rate and 32nd in touchdown-to-interception ratio. Yikes.

With the loss, the Jets

fell to 10th in the AFC standings, and their playoff hopes are hanging on by a string.Remember, they're on an 11-year playoff drought, longest in the NFL.

There's not a whole lot else to say that the first bullet point doesn't cover. Wilson's inaccuracy makes the Jets fairly easy to defend, as seen by the measly four rushing yards they racked up in the first half. The Jets were hoping to ride their defense and stay afloat with White out, but with Wilson, staying afloat seems nearly impossible.

Not so honorable mentions

Tua Tagovailoa was snubbed from the Pro Bowl despite winning the fan vote.

Vince Wilfork is the latest former Patriot to criticize Mac Jones

The weather for the NFL games this weekend is... not great.

NFL Week 16 picks: Huge Giants-Vikings clash; Dolphins end skid?

The Giants have been one of the best feel-good stories this season. In their first year under Brian Daboll, they weren't expected to be a playoff team. But here we are in Week 16, and if the postseason started today, the Giants would be in it thanks to a resurgent year from Saquon Barkley, a league-low-tying 13 turnovers and some close-game magic. The Giants have won eight one-possession games. The only team that's won more is the team they face this week, the Vikings, with 10. As a result,

Pete Prisco expects another close one in his picks for this week.

Prisco: "The Vikings have clinched their division, while the Giants are playing for a wild card spot. The Giants are playing consecutive road games, while the Vikings got an extra day of rest. The Minnesota defense is a major issue, though, which is why the Giants will hang around in this one. It's close, but the Vikings take it.Pick:Vikings 27, Giants 26"

The Packers, meanwhile, are finally showing some signs of life with two straight wins, but picking up a third straight will be no easy task against theDolphins. Here's what Jordan Dajani expects:

Dajani:"Miami has lost three straight, andTua Tagovailoa hasn't completed more than 57 percent of his passes during this losing streak. However, I was actually impressed with what I saw from the Dolphins against theBuffalo Bills last week. ... The Dolphins return to Miami for the first time in a month, where they are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS. I'll take the Dolphins.The pick:Dolphins -4. Projected score: Dolphins 28-23"

Here are all of our experts' picks:

Pete Prisco | John Breech| Jordan Dajani |

Tyler Sullivan

Trevor Bauer reinstated after suspension reduced

Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer has been reinstated immediately after his 324-game suspension was reduced to 194 games by a neutral arbitrator.

Bauer last pitched June 28, 2021. Shortly thereafter, he was accused of assaultand placed on administrative leave by MLB. In February 2022, it was revealed that he wouldn't face criminal charges, and in April,

MLB issued a 324-game ban(equivalent to two seasons). It was the longest suspension under MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

Bauer has served only 144 games of his suspension, but the arbitrator essentially gave him credit for the time he missed in the 2021 season while placed on administrative leave.

Bauer will not be paid for the first 50 games of the 2023 season to make up the difference.

The Dodgers have until Jan. 6 to activate Bauer or release him.

Grading college football hires: Six new coaches in 'A' range

The college coaching carousel has finally stopped spinning, and that means it's time to hand out grades for all 24 new hires.

Let's start at the top: Six coaches earned a grade in the "A" range from Dennis Dodd, including...

Dodd: "Matt Rhule, Nebraska |A+ -- By all accounts, Rhule was AD Trev Alberts' No. 1 choice. Rhule first turned down Nebraska. Alberts deserves a bonus himself for landing what might be the best name on the board. Rhule is a proven turnaround artist (see: Temple, Baylor) who will be in his element in Lincoln."

Only one other move, Luke Fickell to Wisconsin, earned an A+.

Of course, not every school can nail every hire, and the school Fickell left might have missed the mark.

You can see all of the grades here.

NBA blow-it-up rankings and latest Wemby Watch

Believe it or not, the worst place to be in the NBA is the middle. Chasing the play-in tournament year after year may seem fun but, you're really not going much of anywhere. Take it from me, a Wizards fan.

At the end of the day, some teams (*cough* Wizards *cough*) need to blow it up. Start anew. See what you can get for your veterans and see if you can build a team that competes for championships, not first-round exits. So, with Christmas nearly upon us and the NBA season more than two months old, Sam Quinn has revealed his "blow-it-up" rankings, and... would you look at that! The Wizards are first!

Quinn: "Washington's commitment to winning 35 games instead of 25 used to be cute. It's about to get dangerous. ... The Wizards are going to be a 20-win team in two or three years. ... They can choose to get there proactively and productively by trading Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma for value while they have the chance and letting Kristaps Porzingis

walk at the end of his contract. Or they can have tanking forced upon them when their best players age or injure themselves out of productivity. For now, the choice is theirs. In a couple of months, it won't be."

I could not have said it better myself. Two other teams joined Washington in the "Can I offer you this lit match?" tier, and they absolutely belong there as well.

Of course, the ultimate prize teams hope will kickstart their rebuild isVictor Wembanyama.You can read our latest Wemby Watch here.

What we're watching this weekend

Here's the NFL Week 16 schedule. Here's the college football bowl schedule.

Friday

Bucks at Nets, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV Grizzlies at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

Here's the NBA Christmas schedule.

The NFL on CBS

This weekend, it's a special Saturday slate of the NFL on CBS, headlined by a big one in Foxboro, when Joe Burrow and the Bengals look to keep it rolling against the Patriots, while the Bills try to pick up a tough road win against the Bears.Watch Live

Sunday, the NFL on CBS decks the halls with football, and a special Christmas Day matchup in California featuring the Broncos taking on Baker Mayfield and the Rams.Watch Live

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2022 CBS Interactive Inc.

1401 West Cypress Creek Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309