If you woke up today expecting the "safe" bets to cruise through, I hope you didn't put money on it. Honestly, it’s been one of those days where the script got tossed out the window about five minutes after kickoff. Between the NFL Divisional Round tension and some genuinely bizarre results across Europe, the football game scores today are looking more like a fever dream than a predictable Sunday in January.
You've got title contenders in England slipping on banana peels, while in the States, the playoff pressure is basically reaching a boiling point. It's chaotic. It's messy. And frankly, it's why we watch.
The Premier League Chaos: Villa Park Stunned
Let's start with the biggest shocker across the pond. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa had won 11 straight games at home. Eleven. Villa Park was essentially a fortress where visiting teams went to die. Then Everton showed up today.
Basically, a defensive disaster class cost Villa the game. Pau Torres coughed up the ball right on the edge of the area, and Emi Martínez—usually the hero—fumbled a shot he’d normally catch in his sleep. Thierno Barry was just sitting there, waiting to poke it in for a 1-0 Everton win. Villa had plenty of chances to level it, but Morgan Rogers apparently left his shooting boots in the locker room. This loss keeps Villa seven points back from Arsenal, and you could practically hear the collective groan from Birmingham all the way in London.
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Meanwhile, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United played out a 0-0 draw that was... well, it was a 0-0 draw. Wolves are still buried at the bottom of the table, but they’ve managed to go five games unbeaten now. It might be too little, too late, but they aren't going down without a scrap.
NFL Divisional Round: The Road to the Super Bowl
Over in the NFL, we are right in the thick of the Divisional Round. If you missed Saturday’s action, you missed a bloodbath. The Seattle Seahawks absolutely dismantled the San Francisco 49ers 41-6. It wasn't even a contest. Mike Macdonald has that defense playing like the Legion of Boom 2.0. On the AFC side, the Denver Broncos edged out the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in an overtime thriller that probably gave half of Colorado a heart attack.
But let’s talk about football game scores today specifically.
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As we speak, the New England Patriots are hosting the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. This is a massive legacy game for Drake Maye, who has been hearing MVP chants all afternoon. On the flip side, C.J. Stroud is dealing with a major handicap because his top target, Nico Collins, is out with a concussion. It’s 34 degrees and dropping in Foxborough. Expect a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair where the first team to 20 points probably books their ticket to the AFC Championship.
Later tonight, we’ve got the Chicago Bears taking on the Los Angeles Rams. The line opened with the Rams as 3.5-point favorites, but Soldier Field in January is a nightmare for warm-weather teams.
Europe’s Heavy Hitters: Roma and Atletico Roll On
Italy and Spain didn't want to be left out of the drama. In Serie A, AS Roma took care of business against Torino with a 2-0 win. New signing Donyell Malen found the net in the first half, and then Paulo Dybala did Dybala things—curling a left-footed beauty into the corner at the 72-minute mark to seal it. This win pushes Roma into the top four, and Gian Piero Gasperini finally looks like he has this squad humming.
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In La Liga, Atletico Madrid eked out a 1-0 win over Alaves. It wasn't pretty. Alexander Sorloth headed home a cross from Pablo Barrios early in the second half, and then Atleti basically parked the bus for 40 minutes. Classic Simeone.
Quick Hits: Other Scores and Notables
- Valencia 1-0 Getafe: José Gayà scored in the 84th minute to finally drag Valencia out of the relegation zone.
- Celta Vigo 3-0 Rayo Vallecano: A complete thumping.
- Bologna 1-2 Fiorentina: A massive away win for the Viola.
- Parma 0-0 Genoa: A result that helps absolutely no one.
What This Means for the Week Ahead
The ripple effects of today’s scores are going to be felt all week. In the Premier League, the title race just got a lot less crowded because Villa, Man City, and Liverpool all failed to win this weekend. Arsenal is sitting pretty at the top, and they didn't even have to break a sweat today.
If you're following the NFL, keep an eye on the injury reports coming out of the Patriots-Texans game. With the AFC Championship on the line next week, any lingering stings from today's cold-weather hits will be magnified.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should be tracking the updated NFL playoff bracket immediately following the conclusion of the Rams-Bears game tonight. In the Premier League, watch the mid-week transfer rumors closely; several teams that struggled today, specifically Aston Villa and Newcastle, are reportedly looking to bolster their depth before the January window shuts. Finally, check the "Probable Pitchers" or equivalent lineups for the upcoming Champions League fixtures, as today's domestic results might force managers to rotate their stars more than they initially planned.