Black Monday Fallout, CFP Chaos & Full NFL Playoff Picks | Episode 262

If you don’t stay down and you never quit, come on over here and sit on The Far End of the Bench.

Episode 262 is our first show of 2026, and somehow it already feels like we’ve lived through three seasons. The NFL regular season is over. Black Monday did what Black Monday always does. The College Football Playoff semifinals delivered exactly the chaos everyone pretends they want. Olympic hockey rosters are finally out. And now, the NFL playoffs arrive — where opinions turn into receipts.

This episode is about transition points: when seasons end, when decisions matter more than excuses, and when structure starts separating real contenders from teams that were just along for the ride.

Black Monday: Fired, Safe, and Everything in Between

Seven head coaching jobs opened across the NFL landscape, and the timing of those firings mattered almost as much as the names themselves. Some organizations ripped the Band-Aid off early. Others waited until the regular season clock hit zero. And a few teams showed us exactly who they are by refusing to change anything at all.

There’s a real argument that firing a coach early gives you a head start. You can evaluate assistants, start conversations, and quietly position yourself before the full market explodes. The flip side is patience — letting the postseason play out and seeing which surprise names shake loose.

What this cycle makes clear is that not every franchise is actually trying to win the same way. Some teams are selling vision. Others are selling comfort.

The Bengals Problem: Stability or Stagnation

Almost immediately after blowing a must-win game at home against Cleveland, Bengals owner Mike Brown released a statement defending Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin.

That told us everything.

In Cincinnati, one Super Bowl run has bought lifetime job security. It doesn’t matter that the roster has been passed by. It doesn’t matter that the window is shrinking. It doesn’t matter that elite coaches are available. The organization values familiarity over urgency.

This isn’t emotional. It’s structural.

If you’re content repeating the same process and expecting different results, eventually the bill comes due. And when you’re doing that with a Hall-of-Fame-level quarterback, the margin for error disappears fast.

CFP Chaos Was the Point

The College Football Playoff semifinals delivered exactly what the sport needed — even if it made people uncomfortable.

Miami didn’t fluke their way here.
Ole Miss didn’t panic.
Indiana didn’t just beat Alabama — they embarrassed them.

This isn’t randomness. This is what happens when programs commit to the trenches, when players fully buy in, and when coaches refuse to coach scared.

Indiana’s Statement Game

Indiana beating Alabama 38–3 wasn’t just an upset. It was a declaration.

Kurt Cignetti has turned a historically irrelevant program into the most disciplined, ruthless team in the country. This roster blocks, finishes, and plays angry — even with a massive lead. They’re not satisfied. They’re not sentimental. They’re not playing not to lose.

They’re playing to end you.

And that’s why they’re dangerous.

Oregon vs Indiana: Pressure vs Proof

Oregon thrives as the underdog. Indiana thrives on imposing its will.

This rematch has everything — elite quarterback play, dominant defensive fronts, and coaching philosophies that couldn’t be more different. Oregon is built to punch back. Indiana is built to suffocate.

No matter who wins, this game feels like it might crown the national champion by proxy.

Olympic Hockey: Best-on-Best Is Back

For the first time since 2012, Olympic hockey is truly best-on-best again — and the roster decisions already have people fired up.

Canada brought the stars. McDavid. MacKinnon. Crosby. Makar. That part is obvious. But the omissions matter. Leaving off proven playoff grinders in favor of cleaner fits signals a philosophical shift — one that could open the door for opponents.

The goaltending decisions are where the criticism gets real. Snubbing Avalanche goalies Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood in favor of familiarity feels less like strategy and more like loyalty.

Meanwhile, Team USA enters with a legitimate advantage in net. Hellebuyck, Oettinger, and Swayman give the U.S. depth, flexibility, and margin for error — something Canada does not have.

This roster isn’t about flash. It’s about fit. As Herb Brooks famously said, you’re not looking for the best players — you’re looking for the right ones.

Regular Season Pick ’Em: Niko Runs the Table

Before turning the page to the postseason, the regular season deserves its flowers — and its accountability.

Niko finished the final week a perfect 4–0.
I finished 0–4.

Final tallies through 17 weeks:

• Niko: 54–14

• Jimmy: 47–20–1

No spin. No excuses. Just the scoreboard.

And now the playoffs arrive, where the points get heavier and the margin for error disappears.

How the NFL Playoff Pick ’Em Works

This isn’t a traditional bracket challenge.

Points are awarded for teams advancing, not for perfectly predicting matchups:

• Wild Card Round: 2 points per team

• Divisional Round: 5 points per team

• Conference Championships: 10 points per team

• Super Bowl Representative: 15 points

This format rewards conviction, foresight, and understanding which teams are actually built for January and February football.

🔮 NFL Playoff Picks

Before getting into the picks, it’s important to understand how we’re thinking about the playoffs. This isn’t about guessing the exact path. It’s about identifying which teams can survive each round.

Quarterback play under pressure. Trench depth. Coaching competence. And whether a team has already proven it can win when things go wrong.

Wild Card Round (2 Points per Team)

📊 Graphic Placeholder: Wild Card Picks

Wild Card Weekend is about survival, not dominance.

This is the round where bad offensive lines get exposed, young quarterbacks see playoff speed for the first time, and teams built on gimmicks suddenly look very normal.

Our picks prioritize teams that protect the quarterback, tackle consistently on defense, and don’t panic when the script breaks. Matchups lie in this round. Structure doesn’t.

Divisional Round (5 Points per Team)

📊 Graphic Placeholder: Divisional Picks

This is where the playoffs actually start.

By this point, the weakest teams are gone and the margin shrinks fast. Talent gaps close. Execution matters more than hype.

At this stage, we’re betting on quarterbacks who can win without their A-game, teams that can run the ball when everyone knows it’s coming, and coaches who understand clock, field position, and risk.

Talent alone doesn’t win here. Discipline does.

Conference Championships (10 Points per Team)

📊 Graphic Placeholder: Championship Picks

This is the legacy round.

The stadiums are louder. The calls are tighter. One mistake swings everything.

These picks are based on quarterbacks who have already won at this level, defensive fronts that can collapse the pocket without blitzing, and organizations that don’t flinch when the moment gets uncomfortable.

This is where proof matters more than potential.

Super Bowl Pick (15 Points)

📊 Graphic Placeholder: Super Bowl Representative

This is the ultimate conviction pick.

If the script is gone, if the game gets weird, if chaos takes over — this is the team we trust to still be standing. Not because they’re flashy. Not because they’re hot. But because they’re structurally sound and mentally built for the moment.

Player of the Week

Niko: Zeke Nnaji
Twenty-one points, eight rebounds, two blocks against the 76ers — clearly elite, or at least elite enough to convince a rebuilding team he’s the missing piece. Satire at its finest.

Jimmy: Taco Dowler (Montana State)
Eight catches. 111 yards. The game-winning touchdown in overtime. The FCS National Champion Bobcats don’t win without him. Big moments matter more than big markets.

Benchwarmer of the Week

Niko: College Basketball Eligibility
If you’ve been drafted and played multiple Summer League seasons, you shouldn’t magically regain eligibility. Figure it out.

Jimmy: The Cincinnati Bengals
Blow a must-win game, then immediately defend the status quo. That’s not leadership. That’s fear.

Final Thoughts

This is the best stretch of the sports calendar — where reputations are tested and narratives harden. The regular season is over. The safety nets are gone. Now we find out who actually belongs.

Episode 262 is live now.
If you don’t stay down and you never quit — you know where to sit.