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5-at-10: NFL ratings keep falling in playoffs, QB-first model fading, NCAA winners/losers from draft declarations, Rushmore of modern-day right-handed hitters

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) makes a catch over New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams on his way to the game-winning touchdown during the second half of a divisional round playoff game Sunday in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-24.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) makes a catch over New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams on his way to the game-winning touchdown during the second half of a divisional round playoff game Sunday in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-24. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) makes a catch over New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams on his way to the game-winning touchdown during the second half of a divisional round playoff game Sunday in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 29-24.

By Jay Greeson 13 min read

NFL future

We wrote Monday about the thrilling games and what it means.

Well, it was entertaining, and we documented a lot of the gambling angles and celebration and heartache that accompanied the wild finish in Minnesota.

That drama, however, both on the screen and in the betting community that has long been an NFL staple did not save the league from another mighty slap across the popularity face. (To be fair, most of the NFL “gamblers” are fantasy football players and we’d guess that 90-plus percent of the fantasy football players play during the regular season rather than the playoffs.)

Still, in a year that reconfirmed the league’s ratings slide from 2016, last weekend was dreadful news. Dreadful. For the league, the owners, team management and of course the players.