Le Journal

The NFL playoffs have been wildly entertaining, and there’s plenty to glean for teams that were left sitting at home, like the Minnesota Vikings. From incredible quarterback play to elite defense to hiring referees who obviously need a new contact lens prescription, Minnesota has a lot of lessons to take away from the Divisional round.

LONDON — GG Jackson has plenty of talents. Scoring instincts, physical tools, and a rapidly improving feel for the game all sit comfortably on that list. Accents, however, do not. Before getting into the patience, defense, and behind the scenes development that have defined his season in Memphis, it is worth acknowledging that even as Jackson sharpens his NBA craft, some skills may remain works in progress. GG Jackson tries out his British accent 😂 https://t.co/3UEowMOCot pic.twitter.com/GRDO2Im3Fx— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2026 Beyond the joke, Jackson has carried himself with a positive, lively energy throughout the trip, pairing that openness with a growing sense of professionalism. He has been engaged, present, and comfortable in the environment, reflecting a level of maturity for a player still early in his NBA career. In a setting like NBA Europe, where routines are disrupted and attention increases, Jackson embraced the experience rather than being distracted by it, treating the trip as another opportunity to learn, represent the organization, and continue his progression. Jackson’s season has been a quiet lesson in patience, both from the outside looking in and from inside the Grizzlies organization. For a fanbase that saw flashes of his scoring talent early in his career, the wait for consistent minutes this year has been deliberate, sometimes frustrating, but developmental by design. After a 2024–25 season disrupted by a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot that limited him to just 29 games, Jackson’s offseason started earlier than most. He made a point of it. “Well, guys like me, Jaylen (Wells), Cam (Spencer), we all came back a little bit earlier than others,” Jackson said. The focus was clear. Defence first. “And just mainly defense for me, that was huge last year. I kind of was a liability on the court. And that was my biggest thing coming into this year. I didn’t want to be a liability. And being a young guy, second round pick, I know defense is the one way I can stay on the floor.” That self awareness has shaped everything about Jackson’s progression. The Grizzlies coaching staff have not rushed him, even when the offensive talent was obvious. Instead, they prioritized habits that would hold up at NBA speed. Head coach Tuomas Isalo has been candid about how nonlinear that process can be for young players. “Well, even though the production has come recently, the work he’s been putting already started in the summertime where he was in the gym constantly,” Isalo said. “With young players, you want to see the results right away. But it doesn’t always happen like that.” There was a stretch where Jackson was doing the right things without the obvious payoff. No rotation security. Limited production. That was intentional. “Even though GG was doing the right things, the results weren’t there yet in terms of rotation minutes or production,” Isalo said. “Because of this, it was very important for him to play with hustle in the G League. He got reps there, and then he brought back a completely different type of confidence.” That confidence is now showing up both in the numbers and in Memphis’ lineup data. According to Cleaning the Glass, Jackson has taken a massive leap as a finisher, converting 78 percent of his attempts at the rim, up from 50 percent last season. That improvement is not just about touch. It is about intent and physicality, something Jackson alluded to when discussing his post injury adjustment. “Coach Tomas stressed it not only to me but to everybody. Aggressive but patient,” Jackson said. “He always told me my superpower is getting downhill. Coming back from rehab, I added a little more weight, and I’m just trying to use it differently instead of floating around the three point line. My dad gets mad about that.” Whether it is the NBA or high school basketball, some truths are universal, and disappointing your dad remains near the top of the list. There were positive signs in London, with…

As the saying goes, the NFL is a copycat league. If an offensive system works for one team, other teams are going to copy it. If an assistant coach pans out as a great head coach, other teams will try and duplicate that hiring model. All with the goal of reaching the league’s mountaintop: The Super Bowl. The New England Patriots are 60 minutes away from that mountaintop, with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the Denver Broncos standing in their way. Even if Drake Maye and company fall short this weekend, their turnaround will be a model that other underwhelming teams will look to next year, as they went from last place in the AFC East, to the brink of the Super Bowl. With that in mind, here are three teams that could complete a similar turnaround from last place this season, to something bigger in 2026. Tennessee Titans If there is a team that could follow New England’s path, the Titans might be the most likely candidate. It starts with the quarterback. New England entered this season with Maye, the third-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft who showed flashes during his rookie campaign. But Maye exploded this year, becoming an MVP candidate, one of the league’s more efficient passers, and a true threat in the downfield passing game. In Cam Ward, the Titans are hoping for a similar second-year leap. But beyond Maye, the Patriots had something else going for them heading into 2025, which was an incredible amount of cap space. New England had money to spend, and they spent it, bringing in players like Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, Stefon Diggs, and more, to revamp a roster that needed help on both sides of the ball. According to Over the Cap, the Titans have over $80 million in effective cap space, the most in the NFL for 2026. The head coach component is a final step the Titans need to conquer. Mike Vrabel looks to be the perfect coach right now for the Patriots, and his first season in Foxborough. As for the Titans, is Robert Saleh that head coach? Now the question might shift to whether the Titans can find their version of Josh McDaniels. New Orleans Saints There are, for sure, some differences between the New England Patriots heading into 2025, and the New Orleans Saints heading into 2026. One is the head coach component. The Patriots rolled into 2025 with Vrabel, an experienced coach for sure, but one starting on his first year in Foxborough without a uniform and pads on. In Kellen Moore, the Saints have a rising second-year coach, and one rooted on the offensive side of the football not Vrabel’s defensive background. Then there are the financials. While the Saints are working their way out from the dire financial position they faced just a few seasons ago, they are still over the cap heading into next season. New Orleans can get cap compliant rather easily — as outlined in this piece just three moves (a Chase Young restructure, a Juwan Johnson restructure, and a Chris Olave extension) — would get them under the cap before they do anything else. But there is a difference between being cap compliant, and having the kind of financial freedom the Patriots had just one year ago. Still, there is one thing the current Saints and last year’s Patriots have in common. The hope at quarterback. Tyler Shough took over midway through the 2025 season from Spencer Rattler, and has shown more than enough to hold the job heading into next year. And with the Saints slipping down the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft order thanks to a strong finish to the season, they are out of the range of Fernando Mendoza anyway. That likely means rolling into 2026 with Shough and building around him in the draft, and with what they can accomplish in free agency. New York Giants In New York, we might have a winner. The financial piece is a question: At the time of publication, the Giants are just under the salary cap, with a little under $2 million in cap space according to Over the Cap. (Over the Cap also indicates that they…

The NFL’s final four for 2026 is set. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots will play for the AFC Championship on Sunday afternoon, followed by round three of the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Los Angeles Rams, this time with the winner going to the Super Bowl. No one would have predicted this final four at the start of the season. The Rams were the highest-ranked team of the four in the preseason Super Bowl odds, and even they were only No. 9 overall. It feels like a truly wide open field, with any of the four plenty capable of winning the whole thing. I went 3-1 with my picks in the Divisional Round last weekend, which followed my 5-1 mark in the Wild Card Round. Being 8-2 for these playoffs sounds pretty good to me. Let’s see if I can keep it going in the conference finals. Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks prediction, NFC Championship Game Both Rams-Seahawks games came down to the wire this year, and their Week 16 showdown (which the Seahawks won in overtime) might have been the single best game of this NFL season. Round 3 has the makings of an instant classic, and Seattle should feel good about their chances with homefield advantage, a much better special teams unit, and a dominant defense that rivals Denver’s as the league’s best. To this point, the Rams haven’t played anything close to their best game in the playoffs yet: the Panthers played them a little too close in the Wild Card round, and the Bears nearly pulled out an impossible backdoor victory in the Divisional Round. Still, the Rams have already won two road games in this postseason, and shouldn’t feel deterred going into Seattle against a team they’ve already played well against. The Rams have way more upside in their passing game with Matthew Stafford throwing to Puka Nacua, and the defense should be ready to bring the pressure against Sam Darnold. I just trust Stafford and head coach Sean McVay to figure out solutions in high leverage spots because we’ve seen them do it so many times before. I’m not sold on Darnold’s ability to be a Super Bowl quarterback regardless of how good the Seahawks defense is. The Rams will have to put up lots of points to win and avoid a big special teams mistake, but I think they have it in them. Pick: Rams Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots prediction, AFC Championship Game Bo Nix’s season-ending ankle injury still feels as shocking and heartbreaking as it did on Saturday night when Sean Payton announced it. Jarrett Stidham takes over as quarterback for the Broncos, and he’s about to make his first start since the final weeks of the 2023 season when he was backing up Russell Wilson. Denver’s success this season always felt like it was much more about the defense than it was about Nix, and we’re about to see the gap between him and a replacement level QB. I would feel better about Stidham if he wasn’t starting opposite Drake Maye. Maye has had a season for the ages, but he didn’t look great against the Texans in the Divisional Round win last week. It still feels like Maye still has a signature performance left in him before his playoff run ends, and doing it in Denver would be incredibly impressive. The Patriots offensive line needs to hold up, particularly on the left side, against a Denver defense that led the league in sacks with 11 more than second-place. I think Maye is ready the world how good he really is, and I don’t think Stidham can match points with him. The Patriots have played just about the easiest schedule in NFL history this year, and Nix’s injury is their latest lucky break. I’m not totally sold on the Pats as a great team yet, but it’s hard to pick the team starting Jarred Stidham when the other side has someone as awesome as Drake Maye. Pick: Patriots

After losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 of the 2023 season, Kirk Cousins admitted that the Minnesota Vikings’ 0-3 start bothered him. “I hope my boys find something they’re as passionate about as I am about football,” he said, referring to his sons Cooper and Turner, “but I hope it doesn’t torment them the way football torments me.