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The 49ers beat the Seahawks by a combined score of 48-20 this season and both games felt more lopsided than the scores showed. The loss of Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks only exacerbates the Seahawks' struggle to cover the middle of the field, and the 49ers' weapons are the healthiest they've been all season with Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell ready. Watch out for the screen game.

The only advantage the Seahawks have here is at quarterback, and Geno Smith won't have enough time to get the ball down the field against the 49ers' pass rush. As much as I've enjoyed Pete Carroll coaching his heart out this year, this game would be much better with the Lions involved.

I take more away from the Jaguars' Week 18 adventure than the Chargers' letdown against the Broncos. With the playoffs on the line, needing a comeback, the Jaguars offense recorded exactly one first down in its final five drives before the improving Jags defense won the game. Travis Etienne will be more productive this week, but the Chargers defense is healthier than it's been all year and built to slow down the pass. I believe in Brandon Staley's game-planning.

Mike Williams is trending toward playing and his status looms large. I trust where Justin Herbert is at his stage of development more than Trevor Lawrence, and Herbert should have the easier matchup overall.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Chargers WR Mike Williams (back) has been downgraded to out for Saturday's wild-card game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team announced Friday.

The Dolphins limped to the finish line. If Teddy Bridgewater was starting this game, much less Tua Tagovailoa, I'd give the Dolphins a chance to attack Buffalo's weaknesses in the secondary. If Skylar Thompson starts this game, take a touchdown away from Miami. The familiarity here could also help Miami, a division matchup in which it already played the Bills even twice.

The Dolphins have enough pass rushers up front (Christian Wilkins, Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips) to bother Josh Allen, although consider it a bad sign he was back to World's Destroyer Mode last week against the Patriots. Keep an eye on the injury report here beyond quarterback. Left tackle Terron Armstead's status remains uncertain, and Xavien Howard didn't look 100 percent last week after missing Week 17 with a knee injury.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Seventh-round quarterback Skyler Thompson will start Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel announced Friday. He added the team is optimistic Teddy Bridgewater will be active and serve as the backup.

Kirk Cousins gets hit more than any quarterback in football. That was the case during the Vikings' tight win over the Giants just three weeks ago and will be the case again with the Vikings on Sunday without right tackle Brian O'Neill. All season, the Giants made due with scheme over talent. But with Dexter Lawrence dominating alongside Leonard Williams, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale can get truly wild with his blitzes and stunts. They are healthy and peaking at the right time. When the Vikings have the ball, the coaching matchup should be a fascinating back-and-forth. When the Giants have the ball, give Brian Daboll the edge.

I've been picking against the Giants all year as they searched for the right mix of players and cohesion. They finally found it in December. This receiver group is good enough. The Vikings played more man coverage and blitzed more late in the season, but they are ultimately a passive defense that struggles against RPOs. I hate picking the trendy upset of the week, but the Giants wanted this matchup for a reason. It will be cruel when Minnesota's first one-score loss of the season comes when it matters most.

This Ravens defense is built to stop the Bengals. They are rangy, athletic and versatile on the outside, the rare team that can slow down the Bengals' weapons. It happened a week ago, and the right side of the Bengals' offensive line isn't going to give Joe Burrow the time he needs. Baltimore stops the run so well the Bengals will become one-dimensional. Burrow will still make plays, but this will be the toughest defense Cincinnati faces in the AFC.

Luckily for the Bengals, 20 points should be enough to win. It's concerning that the Ravens were able to run the ball well at times last week even with so many starters out. The Ravens will try to slow down the pace and limit possessions because they know they are an inferior team, assuming Tyler Huntley starts at quarterback. If Anthony Brown is in, take four more points away from the Ravens. The familiarity of the two sides is an equalizer and would be on upset watch if Lamar Jackson was right, but there’s not much reason to believe that will be the case.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: On Friday, the Ravens officially ruled out Lamar Jackson for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, while Tyler Huntley is a "game-time decision."

This game is about the Cowboys. They are the up-and-down team that has shown a top-five scoring offense and defense, rarely at the same time. The Bucs have shown neither, a remarkably consistent defense that makes the opposition work and a Tom Brady offense that relies on short passing and converting on third-and-3. They haven't played well for more than a quarter at a time all season; why start now?

I'm not worried about Dak Prescott's meltdown in Week 18 and the Cowboys' odd effort in that game. I am worried about the Cowboys defense springing leaks at cornerback, linebacker and defensive tackle. Will Dan Quinn be confident enough in his personnel to mix up the Cowboys' looks snap-to-snap? Will Brady give Micah Parsons a chance to get the passer? I'm taking the Cowboys because their average game is better than the Bucs', but there's also only one team here with championship experience. I don't feel good about picking either team.

Tom Brady returns to the NFL playoffs as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.

It was a trying season for the Buccaneers, who won the NFC South despite a lackluster 8-9 record. But can Tampa Bay capture some Brady postseason magic in a first-round matchup against the Mike McCarthy-coached Cowboys? Or will the Cowboys, who are favored in this matchup, pick up a road win on wild-card weekend? The game is scheduled to kick off Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium.

Here's a look at the betting details and USA TODAY's NFL staff picks for the Cowboys vs. Buccaneers first-round postseason game on wild-card weekend:

Cowboys at Buccaneers odds, moneyline and over/under

HOW TO WATCH:When do the NFL playoffs start? Matchups, game times, TV info leading up to Super Bowl 57

Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 13

Mike McCarthy's recent playoff record might make most bettors think twice about backing Dallas here, but this is a Buccaneers team that backed into the playoffs. The Cowboys are an aggressive defense that can yield big plays, but Dan Quinn should have a better plan for Mike Evans than the Panthers did Week 17.

Safid Deen: Cowboys 31, Bucs 27

This could be Tom Brady’s last game. Maybe ever. The Bucs are a shell of themselves from their Super Bowl run in 2021, and so is Brady. There’s not as much reliable offensive line help or a tight end like Rob Gronkowski to rely on. The chemistry with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin has been hindered, and Brady isn’t throwing the ball as further as he used to despite his numbers this season. The Cowboys have lost their last two games, both in the season openers, against Tampa Bay. But their defense and two-headed monster at running back with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard will end that streak.

Richard Morin: Buccaneers 25, Cowboys 23

I learned a long time ago not to bet against Brady — especially not in the playoffs. The Buccaneers still have a winning record at home and defeated the Cowboys on the road in September. Meanwhile, Prescott may be the most hot-and-cold quarterback in the NFL right now.

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YBOR CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — Chillum Mushrooms and Hemp dispensary, the first in the United States to sell “magic mushrooms,” has halted sales of their fungal products after the Florida Dept. of Agriculture expressed concerns over safety.

Chillum opened in Ybor City in September. When it opened, it was the first hemp dispensary in Tampa Bay, then it added mushroom products, though they did not contain psilocybin, which is a controlled substance in most states and federally.

Billing themselves as the first mushroom dispensary in the nation, Chillum said they sold mushroom grow kits, spores, and mycology cultures, as well as functional mushrooms and “magic mushrooms.” The company said the mushrooms would make you trip, even without psilocybin.

In December, the Florida Department of Agriculture investigated the products, due to the advertising claims and that the mushroom used, Amanita Muscaria, was not a regulated product. A statement to the press released by Chillum on Friday said they were halting sale of their fungus due to an order from FDACS, but that it was Chillum’s own faux pas that led to the halt.

“Although these ingredients are legal by law they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe to consume,” Chillum’s statement read in part. “And that is where Chillum made their mistake. By telling people that the effects of consuming this mushroom would result in a micro dose effect or a trip, Chillum sealed their own fate.”

FDACS investigated the mushrooms after the Chillum webstore “encourage[d] customers to ‘consume’ the mushroom,” the statement read. As a result, FDACS inspected the products and stopped sales because “the psychedelic ingredients in the mushroom” might be poisonous.

“This is our fault,” Carlos Hermida, founder and owner of Chillum Mushroom Dispensary, said. “They inspected us because we are subject to their inspections due to our hemp license which includes hemp and all prepackaged foods. They didn’t raid us or anything, they were quite nice and just wanted to see what we were up to.”

Hermida continued, saying that after inspections by FDACS, the department said the ingredients were poisonous.

“Ingredients in the Amanita Muscaria is poisonous and the truth is there is A LOT of bad info out there on this mushroom and psychedelics in general. We don’t blame them for the stop sale. I think a testament to the fact that the Department of Agriculture was just doing their job is the fact that they let us send back all the product,” Hermida said. “They put the stop sale down on about 40k worth of Amanita Muscaria product and they were nice enough to allow us to return it to our manufacturer.”

Nothing will sour your postseason prospects like an embarrassing road loss to the Washington Commanders. Dak Prescott was bad, the defense couldn’t get off the field, and the special teams set the Dallas Cowboys behind the eight-ball before the game even got started. There was nothing to like about the Cowboys’ performance in Washington, but that doesn’t mean the season is over and it doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Dallas must now look ahead to the Wild Card Round after getting the No. 5 seed in the NFL Playoffs, with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staring back at them. Let’s make some bold Cowboys predictions for this playoff showdown against the Buccaneers.

Cowboys beat Tom Brady for the first time in his career

Tom Brady’s career 7-0 record against the Cowboys is a big hurdle for Dallas to clear. Legendary quarterbacks like Brady or Aaron Rodgers have been a thorn in Dallas’ side for years in the postseason. Slaying that dragon this year and getting the franchise’s first road playoff win since 1992 would be a huge boost for the team at the outset of the postseason.

There are a lot of reasons to believe that this is the year Dallas does that. First of all, this isn’t the Bucs squad that obliterated the Cowboys in this year’s opener. They’re banged up. Offensive linemen Ryan Jensen, Robert Hainsey and Nick Leverett plus safety Logan Ryan and nose tackle Vita Vea are all working their way back from various levels of injury ahead of Monday night. All those players being less than 100% plus the season-long loss of Shaq Barrett leaves the Bucs with a lot of question marks.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are as healthy as they’ve been all year.

Another reason the Cowboys should be optimistic Monday evening is Kellen Moore’s track record for making adjustments upon seeing a defense for the second time. Look back at the Cowboys’ first and second matchups with the Eagles and Giants. Dallas scored 23 and 17 points, respectively, against New York and Philly back at the beginning of the year. When the Cowboys crossed paths with their divisional opponents again, they scored 28 and 40, respectively.

Yes, Dak Prescott was available for the latter pair of games, but the offense as a whole was so much more potent once Moore had a game worth of tape to make a plan off of. He has that for Tampa Bay now as well. The Cowboys will win by a touchdown in the first round of these playoffs.

Dallas’ second round is in San Francisco

Dallas’ win over Tampa Bay won’t be the only “upset” in the first round. The San Francisco 49ers will cruise past Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks, but keep an eye on the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. The last time those two teams met on Christmas Eve, the Vikings squeaked by with a 27-24 win. That game was in Minneapolis.

The Giants have played good football lately, spurred on by some of the best quarterbacking Daniel Jones has done in his career. Sprinkle in whatever level of belief you have in Kirk Cousins’ nationally televised games curse and suddenly this looks like a tough game for the Vikings to win at home.

So, what does a win for New York in Minnesota mean for the Cowboys? It means their toughest opponent comes up in Round 2. The Giants would head to Philadelphia to play their third game of the season with the Eagles, while Dallas would go to San Fran to take on the team that bounced them from last year’s playoffs.

We’ve seen a lot of positives in a short amount of time from Brock Purdy, but we still haven’t seen him in the postseason. That’s a big test that Mr. Irrelevant still has to pass, but he would have to fail it pretty extraordinarily to drag the 49ers down significantly. For Dallas, the path to the Super Bowl almost definitely runs through San Francisco sooner or later. Don’t be shocked if the Giants make it sooner.

Mike McCarthy is not coaching for his job

The Cowboys are one of the few franchises in the NFL that can arguably claim that every year is a “Super Bowl or bust” type year. That might not have been the sentiment at the beginning of this season, but the Cowboys placed themselves amongst the best teams in the NFC as the year wore on.

The team is set to change a lot after this year. Tony Pollard will be a free agent and Ezekiel Elliott might be a cap casualty because of his pricey contract. Dalton Schultz is liable to leave if Dallas isn’t willing to commit long term, Tyron Smith doesn’t have much longer in the league, and Leighton Vander Esch is due for another contract as well.

There’s a lot of pressure on Mike McCarthy to win this year because there’s no telling what the team looks like next year, plus Cowboys fans are starving for postseason success in general. Some might think that McCarthy needs to win multiple games this postseason to keep his job, but that is unlikely to be the case.

The Cowboys have won 30 games in the last three years under McCarthy. Postseason success trumps anything that could be accomplished in the regular season, but that level of success especially amidst a lot of injury turmoil at quarterback during that period should give McCarthy plenty of job security. If the Cowboys go out to Tampa Bay and lay an egg that might change, but don’t expect the Cowboys to make a change at head coach unless a real tragedy occurs in the first round of these playoffs.

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, NFL Playoffs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady

The NHL knows the power of Bolts Nation but true magic comes when Tampa Bay Lightning fans cheer a couple in bed. The Columbus Blue Jackets on fall, on Tuesday night, but the show was outside also. Fans exiting Amalie got an eyeful of pure passion. Alberto Castellon caught the action on his Instagram LIVE. With curtains open, an energetic female can be seen engaged in truly identifiable act. Her co-star isn’t seen but the crowd slowly begins to realize he’s there. In the video, you can hear more Bolts faithful start to notice. Cheers of appreciation grow, in salute of their efforts. The energy was electric inside and out as Tampa Bay Lightning fans cheer a couple in bed.

Headlines That Didn’t Make The Story

Guess Vasilevskiy wasn’t the only one taking shots.

I bet she can smooth the ice better than a Zamboni.

Goooooaaaaaaallllllll!!!!

Lord Stanley would be proud.

Champions have this kind of stick work.

Here’s another “Black, White Or Other” story of Florida just being Florida! Jamie Thompson was arrested by Lee County Sheriff’s Office after according to them, he attacked a man with a weed wacker.

Thompson, did some work at the man’s home and after the victim said he didn’t have any money to pay, Thompson got angry and headed to his truck. After grabbing a weed wacker from the truck, he headed back to the house. Thompson then chased the victim after the yard and even around a neighbor’s car. The victim suffered several cuts to his face and Thompson fled the scene.

He was arrested and has been charged with aggravated battery.

Family-Friendly Lodge Coming To Florida

Floridians don’t have to drive to LaGrange, Georgia anymore. Because Great Wolf Lodge is finally coming to Florida! The first Florida location will be a little south from us in Naples. A Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson said the 20-acre complex will feature 500 hotel rooms and a 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. The Lodge also includes miniature golf, family bowling, a climbing wall and dance parties.

According to the company, Great Wolf Lodge will be located on City Gate Boulevard near the Paradise Coast Sports Complex at the Collier Boulevard exit of I-75 in Naples.

Great Wolf Lodge South Florida’s opening date is summer 2024. [Source Naples Daily News]

Check out some of the activities The Great Wolf Lodge has below:

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