Five things to know this morning



1. The slightly clearer playoff picture: Sunday both clarified and muddled the playoff picture. The Lions are out, but the Bears couldn’t punch their ticket. The Cardinals’ hopes are still alive. Check here for the latest in playoff scenarios.

2. Cam Newton is grown up. His play in the Panthers’ win over the Saints showed not a young man trying to find his spot in the league, but a mature leader of his team. It was his defining game.

3. Loss puts Jim Schwartz’s job in question. Despite having a record of 4-1 in their division and an abundance of talent, the Lions will not make the playoffs, raising questions about who should be coaching the team next year.

4. Cowboys-Eagles to prime time. Dallas’ win on Sunday set up a de facto NFC East Championship on Sunday, so NBC moved the game to Sunday night. Likewise, the Packers and Bears will play for the NFC North and with a later start time.

5. Peyton Manning breaks record. After a storybook season, Peyton Manning broke the NFL’s single-season touchdown pass record. Here are five fast facts about his record.

Bonus: Aaron Rodgers is really, really good at photobombing and Tom Brady still can’t get a high five.

The big number of the day: 24 — Carolina’s Luke Kuechly had 24 tackles in the Panthers’ crucial win, which is more than the years he has been alive.

What’s still on tap for today? Come back for plenty of playoff discussion, how the Patriots are winning without Rob Gronkowski, and the Monday Night Football game between the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.

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