In many parts of the world, winter has finally hit, so what better way to spend your weekend than to sit in front of the television and watch some great sports action.
This weekend is full of important contests. We’ll see the final week of the regular season in the NFL, with many games having playoff implications.
In the NBA, we’ll see the long-awaited return of one of the league’s superstar players, along with a slate of good games. We can’t forget a weekend full of NHL action and some college hoops as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the top sporting events for the upcoming weekend. Happy viewing!
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – January 8 – January 9
NFL Action
For the first time in NFL history, we’ll see a Week 18 in the regular season. Now that the NFL schedule has 17 regular-season games, we get to see the 18th week. While many of the playoff spots are already occupied, there are still a few vacancies.
Many of this weekend’s games will have some sort of playoff implications, whether it be moving up or moving down in the playoff field or whether or not you get into the playoffs.
On Sunday, there are two AFC games with huge playoff implications. The first one is the Indianapolis Colts at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With a win, the Indianapolis Colts are in the playoffs. A win by Jacksonville brings on all sorts of chaos within the AFC playoff field.
The other game with huge implications is the Los Angeles Chargers visiting the Las Vegas Raiders. These two AFC West rivals are both 9-7. If the Colts win, the winner of this one gets in, and the loser goes home.
If the Jaguars win, the Raiders and Chargers can both get into the playoffs if they tie. We could see something we’ve never seen before if the Jaguars would get lucky enough to beat the Colts.
The Baltimore Ravens play the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, and both of these teams are still alive for a playoff spot. The winner of this one still has a shot at the seventh and final AFC playoff spot; however, they need a lot of things to happen to get in.
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams. The Niners need a win or a New Orleans Saints loss to get in. The Saints play the Falcons, and they need a win and a Niners loss to get in.
The Rams win the NFC West with a victory over the Niners. With six teams having already clinched in the NFC, their playoff race isn’t near as wild as the AFC’s.
NBA Action
On Sunday night, we’ll see a huge game, as the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Golden State Warriors. Cleveland has risen towards the top of the Eastern Conference as their rebuild is finally starting to pay off. The Warriors have one of the best records in the NBA, but the main storyline in this one is the impending return of Klay Thompson.
Thompson is slated to play for the first time in nearly two years after recovering from ACL and Achilles injuries. There will be a huge ovation when Thompson finally takes the floor on Sunday night.