Happy Tuesday, all! We're officially down to eight NFL teams contending for the Super Bowl.Let's get right to it. CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. Good morning to everyone but especially to... THE On Jan. 31, 2021, the Rams traded for , announcing their intentions to go all-in on a championship. Over the next several months, they doubled down, adding big-name veterans who could contribute immediately.So far, so good.The Rams jumped out Lonzo Ball Jersey to a 21-0 halftime lead and breezed to a . Stafford, making his 186th career start (including the postseason), earned his first career playoff win with ease. After throwing eight interceptions over the last four weeks of the regular season, Stafford was turnover-free, threw two touchdown pa ses and ran for a score as well.-- a November free-agent addition -- caught one of those touchdowns pa ses (the other went to , because of course it did.) Beckham Jr. also completed a 40-yard pa s to .Speaking of Akers, he and combined for 113 rushing yards. Five months ago, no one would have expected either would suit up for the Rams this season. But Akers made a miraculous recovery from a torn Achilles suffered in July and Michel was acquired from New England shortly before the regular season started, a move that has proved very valuable.-- acquired from Denver in November -- had a team-high six total tackles (three for lo s) and his first postseason sack since 50 (when he won Super Bowl MVP.)The Rams have bigger fish to fry, starting next week at the defending-champion . For now, though, the Rams are one step closer to their ultimate goal -- and they got there in impre sive fashion Jaxson Hayes Jersey . Honorable mentionMiles Bridges scored a career-high 38 points, including , as the Hornets beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. And not such a good morning for...THE Twenty two minutes and one second. That's all it took for the Cardinals' night to shift from "slow start" to "season over." After 's stunning pick-six, the scoreboard read 21-0. The yardage count read Rams 163, Cardinals -1.Yes, one.But even those eye-popping discrepancies don't fully encapsulate , writes our expert Tyler Sullivan: Sullivan:Remember when Arizona started the season 7-0? They wound up going just 4-7 after that.We can point to Murray's injury from earlier this season. We can point to 's injury. We can point to ' injury. But in the end, they're just more excuses for a team that has consistently failed down the stretch under Kliff Kingsbury. Over the last two seasons, the Cardinals are...12-2 in games 1-7, good enough for the best mark in the NFL7-13 after that ... 25th in the NFLYikes. Last night proved the epitome of that trend. Murray was erratic and uncomfortable in his playoff debut, and that was before he handed the Rams a touchdown with E'Twaun Moore Jersey a truly awful pick-six as he was flung to the ground in his own endzone. Jr.'s three-yard return made it the shortest pick-six in playoff history. The blowout final score is a surprise. But given Arizona's track record the past two seasons, it's surprise that the Cardinals are flaming out early, looking closer to pretender than contender.Not so honorable mentionNovak Djokovic is already , and his status for the other Grand Slams if he remains unvaccinated.Mike Mayock is Previewing the divisional round The divisional round is set and we already have ready for you.All four games present their own intrigue, but it's hard for anything to top Bills-Chiefs on Sunday night, writes our NFL expert Bryan DeArdo.DeArdo: Here' Eric Bledsoe Jersey s :SATURDAY at , 4:35 p.m. ET on CBS and at , 8:15 p.m. ET on FOXSUNDAYRamsatBuccaneers, 3:05 p.m. ET on NBCBills at Chiefs, 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS andStay tuned for our picks and predictions of the games later this week. NBA midseason awards: Plenty of MVP candidates We're roughly halfway through the 2021-22 regular season and the frontrunner for MVP remains unclear. But don't take it from me, take it from our eight-person NBA expert panel, which . Here's how they divvied up the MVP voting:Nikola Jokic: 3Giannis Antetokounmpo 2Stephen Curry: 2DeMar DeRozan: 1I certainly wouldn't complain if Jokic took it home given his play so far. Entering play Monday, Jokic was the only player in the top 10 in points per game, rebounds per game and a sists per game.When Jokic is on the floor, the Nuggets outscore their opponents by 9.7 points per 100 po se sions, a rate that would be first in the NBA. When Jokic isn't on the floor, the Nuggets by 11.7 points per 100 po se sions, a rate that would be last in the NBA. It's hard to get more "valuable" than that.Jamal Murray hasn't played this season Jarrod Uthoff Jersey and Michael Porter Jr.played just nine games before a back injury. Jokic has carried Denver to a 22-20 record, good for sixth in the Western Conference. He has played just as well as (and, in some areas, better than) he did last year when he, you know, won MVP.The panel Rookie of the Year, where Evan Mobley was the only unanimous selection among player awards. Our latest Bracketology as Gonzaga climbs to No. 1 in AP Poll Monday brought two much-anticipated rankings: a new AP Poll and our Jerry Palm's latest Bracketology. Let's start with , where there was plenty of drama -- well, as much drama as a midseason poll can provide. Gonzaga is your new top team in the nation, with Auburn climbing up to No. 2, tying the program's highest ranking ever.The Tigers actually received more first-place votes (36 to 25) than Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs got slightly more points overall