Are the Detroit Lions afraid of winning? They have lost so many games of late, and you just cannot make up the fashion in which they have lost them. Of course, the weekend was even worse for the likes of Notre Dame basketball. Let’s take a look at the teams and players that could really use a Christmas break.

All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag.

Detroit Lions. Detroit makes Tony Romo look like Mr. Clutch (then again, Romo was kind of clutch on Sunday—but that’s a different story). The Lions fell to the Giants 23-20 in overtime and have now lost nine consecutive games in either December or January under head coach Jim Schwartz. They have lost five of their last six contests and are eliminated from postseason contention despite once being in relative control of an NFC North division that was there for the taking. In each of its last five setbacks, Detroit has blown a fourth-quarter lead. The Lions are +3.5 underdogs at Minnesota in Week 17.

New Orleans Saints. Remember earlier this month when Drew Brees said the Saints have been the best road team in the NFL since 2009? Awkward. Maybe it was true—at least in terms of record—at the time, but it sure isn’t anymore. The Saints, whose 34-7 loss at Seattle led to those post-game comments from Brees, have now lost two more games in succession away from home. They fell at St. Louis in Week 15, and on Sunday they lost what may have been a virtual NFC South title showdown at Carolina. Brees engineered a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to put his team in front by three points with 6:37 remaining, but the Panthers answered with a Cam Newton scoring strike to Domenik Hixon with 23 ticks left on the clock. Carolina, a 17-13 winner, will clinch the division with either a Week 17 win or a New Orleans’ loss. The Saints are -13 home favorites over the Bucs.

New Jersey Nets. Well, that was fun while it lasted. The Nets, who had been 5-13, won three games in a row and four of five upon the return of point guard Deron Williams from an ankle injury. However, they may be falling upon hard times again sooner rather than later due to a fallen big man. Brook Lopez sustained a broken foot in Friday’s 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia and will miss the rest of the season. Widely regarded as the best offensive center in the NBA, Lopez was averaging 20.7 points per game along with 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. New Jersey is 9-17, good for 11th place in the Eastern Conference. And how about this for some more bad news: Atlanta has the option of switching draft picks with the Nets as part of the Joe Johnson trade! NJ is still a +160 favorite to win the woeful Atlantic Division.

Mack Brown. Texas would really like to send Brown out on top with an upset of Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The longtime head coach would probably like that, too. But he won’t like this: three Longhorns, two of considerable importance, will miss the Dec. 30 contest due to academic ineligibility. Running back Daje Johnson, offensive tackle Kennedy Estelle, and running back Jalen Oversteet are out. Johnson, a dangerous pass-catcher out of the backfield and return man, had 757 all-purpose yards in 2013. Estelle started eight games at right tackle. The ‘Horns are +14 underdogs against the Ducks.

Notre Dame. Weekends don’t get much worse than the one Notre Dame’s basketball team just endured. On Saturday at Madison Square Garden, the Fighting Irish improbably squandered an eight-point lead over third-ranked Ohio State with less than a minute left in the game (and they had the ball up by eight). Leading scorer Jerian Grant had three turnovers, a missed free throw, and a foul in the final 58 seconds. The Buckeyes ended on a 14-3 run to steal a 64-61 victory. On Sunday, Grant channeled his inner Everett Golson and announced on the school website that he is no longer enrolled at the university because of poor academic judgment. Grant was averaging 19.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Notre Dame is +30000 to win it all; Louisville and Michigan State are +550 co-favorites.

Fulham. Fulham is not exactly a contender in the English Premier League, but a win or even a draw against Manchester City would have been a monumental occasion for one of the little guys. It also would have been big for Fulham as it tries to stave off relegation as one of league’s bottom three teams. The Lilywhites fought back from a quick 2-0 deficit to tie Man City at 2-2 in the 69th minute on Saturday, but City scored two late goals in a five-minute span to survive. Fulham is 19th out of 20 teams in the standings. It would have been 17th and currently outside the relegation zone with a win. Manchester City is a -149 favorite over Liverpool on Thursday; a draw is +225.

Marian Gaborik. Gaborik channeled his inner Kobe Bryant over the weekend, and I’m not talking about winning championships. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward had missed 17 straight games with a sprained knee before returning on Saturday night. He promptly suffered a broken collarbone during a 6-3 win over Philadelphia and was placed on the injured list, out indefinitely. Gaborik has five goals and seven assists in 18 games this season. Columbus is 15-17-4, second to last in the Metropolitan Division and fourth to last in the Eastern Conference.

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