Hooked on Sports

Today on the podcast, John offers your official preview of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Sunday. He breaks down how they got there, the key individual matchups to watch, the keys to victory for both teams, and finally, his official pick for the Super Bowl.

Today on the podcast;

John discusses the biggest stories going around the NBA ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, including a shakeup of the cores in Memphis and Utah, plus a busy day on Tuesday for the Chicago Bulls, then where could we see Giannis Antetokounmpo be traded to if the Milwaukee Bucks trade him.

Then, with the 2026 NFL head coaching carousel coming to an end, John offers his grades for each of the ten head coaching hires in the NFL over the past three weeks.

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John’s favorite NFL Sunday of the whole season has arrived, Conference Championship Sunday, and by the end, we will know the two teams that will play in Super Bowl LX in two weeks.John discusses why the two matchups (Patriots vs. Broncos and Rams vs. Seahawks) are fitting ends to the AFC and NFC seasons, and the key things to look out for in the two games and tells who he thinks will win these two games.He also discusses the Baltimore Ravens hiring Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be their next head coach and successor to John Harbaugh.

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John is all over the wild weekend in sports, from Indiana’s runto perfection, NFL Divisional madness, the NFL coaching carousel, and MLB free agency news.

1:00 Indiana defeats Miami in the national title game tocement a legendary Cinderella run to a championship and complete a perfect 16-0 season.

12:45 Broncos defeat Bills in wild back-and-forth DivisionalRound matchup, Bo Nix breaks an ankle in his bone, Bills fire head coach Sean McDermott.

21:41 Bears incredible season ends despite more 4thquarter heroics from Caleb Williams, Rams survive mistakes and advance to NFC Championship, Bears offseason questions.

30:57 Seahawks throttle 49ers, showcase of their roster,while Patriots trounce Texans in rain, snow, and wind in Foxboro

37:12 Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski, Dolphins hire JeffHafley, and Titans hire Robert Saleth as the new head coaches of their respective franchises, plus potential favorites for the Steelers and Browns vacancies emerge.

45:45 Dodgers sign Kyle Tucker, Mets sign Bo Bichette, RedSox sign Ranger Suarez, Carlos Beltran’s Hall of Fame Day?

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John discusses the implications of the New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh to be the team's next head coach, from who could potentially fill out his coaching staff, to the perception of the franchise, and how the Giants could compete in the NFC East in 2026.

Then, he previews the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs as he locks in his picks and predictions for the weekend slate of games. Can Josh Allen carry the Bills to the AFC Championship Game, will the Seahawks defense prove they are championship-caliber against the Kyle Shanahan's 49ers, will the Texans continue their inspired play against the Patriots, and can Matthew Stafford and the Rams overcome the elements to defeat Caleb Williams and the Bears on a cold night in Chicago?

In today's podcast,

John discusses the developing story from Pittsburgh that Mike Tomlin will no longer be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers following a 19-year stint with the franchise that saw zero losing seasons, the takeaways and offseason questions facing teams like the Steelers, Eagles, Chargers, and Packers, who were the best performers of Wild Card Weekend, the coaching carousel, including the rumors of John Harbaugh potentially coaching the New York Giants, as well as Mike McDaniel and Kliff Kingsbury getting interviews, the curious case of the Titans, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game set between Indiana and Miami, the Diamondbacks trading with the Cardinals for Nolan Arenado, the Cubs signing Alex Bregman, and the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes heating up with the Mets placing a formal offer for his services.

Today on the podcast,

John discusses the state of the NFL's coaching carousel as eight teams will need new head coaches for the 2026 NFL season and beyond with the Raiders, Browns, Ravens, Dolphins, and Cardinals joining the pool of head coaching vacancies since Black Monday began, and the fascination behind the John Harbaugh sweepstakes and how the Giants and Dolphins HC searches have his candidacy as a factor.

Then, John will pick all of the NFL Wild Card Weekend games, including some fascinating matchups, with four of the matchups featuring teams that did not see each other during the regular season.

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John recaps the insane drama in the AFC North as the Pittsburgh Steelers escaped as division champs after one of the craziest 4th quarters in a game you'll see, why the Steelers won and the Ravens lost, and what it means for both franchises going forward. He also discusses the roster construction of the Seattle Seahawks as the franchise rode that to the No. 1 seed in the NFC after they defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West, then how the playoffs stack up with the matchups set for Wild Card Weekend, the Carolina Panthers winning the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons firing both GM Terry Fontenot and HC Raheem Morris and why they got fired, and how unusual this regular season was across the NFL, with the stars that are not in the tournament this year.

Today on Hooked on Sports:

John looks ahead to what will be a dramatic weekend of football in the NFL, featuring two winner-takes-the-division games, with one game deciding the No. 1 seed in the NFC between the Seahawks and the 49ers for NFC West supremacy, while the AFC North will be decided on Sunday night between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also goes in depth on the NFC South battle between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Panthers can clinch with a win, while the Bucs need a win and a Falcons loss to the Saints to win the division.

Then, John makes all of his picks for Week 18 of the NFL season against the spread and straight up.

Today on Hooked on Sports:John discusses some of the biggest games of Week 16 in the NFL, including battles for first place in the NFC West (Rams vs. Seahawks) and NFC South (Buccaneers vs. Panthers), a battle of first place teams in Denver as the Broncos host the Jaguars, and a key Sunday Night Football matchup with AFC East, AFC North, and potential No. 1 seed in the AFC potentially at stake as the Ravens host the Patriots.Then, John will pick every game in Week 16 in the NFL both straight up and against the spread