World Sports Report – Japan Edition: Last Week in US Sports (Dec 1–7, 2025)

All times in JST – Perfect for Japanese Fans Staying Up Late

WorldReport.press Japan Desk | December 8, 2025

Konnichiwa, sports fans across Japan! From Tokyo to Sapporo, last week was absolute fire for American sports viewers – with most big games landing in prime late-night/early-morning JST slots on DAZN, NHK BS, J SPORTS, and Abema. Here’s your full English-language recap with Japan-friendly broadcast times.

NFL Week 14 – Midnight & Early-Morning Drama

The NFL delivered several games perfectly timed for Japanese audiences:

• Houston Texans 27–24 Kansas City Chiefs Monday Dec 8, 12:15 PM JST (Sunday Night Football) C.J. Stroud outdueled Patrick Mahomes in a playoff-atmosphere classic. Houston’s defense forced three turnovers, including a game-sealing interception. One of the biggest upsets of the season!
• Buffalo Bills 39–34 Cincinnati Bengals Monday Dec 8, 8:20 AM JST Josh Allen accounted for 4 total TDs in a wild shootout.
• Other key results: Packers def Bears, Browns (Shedeur Sanders) pulled an upset, Steelers snatched AFC North lead.

Only four weeks remain – the playoff race is tighter than the Tokyo subway at rush hour!

College Football Playoff 2025 – Historic Bracket Drop

Announced Sunday morning JST (Saturday night US time), the 12-team CFP bracket shocked the world:

1. Indiana Hoosiers (13-0) – No. 1 overall seed & first-round bye (biggest Cinderella story ever!)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) – bye
3. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)
4. Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1, Big 12 champions)
5. Oregon Ducks (11-1)
6. Ole Miss Rebels (11-1)
7. Texas A&M (11-1)
8. Oklahoma Sooners

First-round games: Dec 20–21 JST (kickoffs from around 4:00 AM – perfect weekend breakfast viewing) National Championship: Jan 20, 2026 – Atlanta

NBA Emirates NBA Cup – Knockout Stage Set

Group stage wrapped up with high drama:

• Boston Celtics def Toronto Raptors 121–113 (Jaylen Brown 30 pts)
• New York Knicks def Orlando Magic 106–100 (despite Franz Wagner injury)

Quarter-finals this week: Wed & Thu mornings JST (from 11:00 AM) – live on DAZN Semi-finals & Final: Dec 14 & 17 in Las Vegas

NHL – Connor McDavid Hat-Trick Madness

Friday late-night JST (Thursday night North America): Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Seattle Kraken Connor McDavid recorded his 34th career hat-trick, including an unreal toe-drag finish that’s already gone viral across Japanese hockey Twitter. Oilers are now surging up the Pacific Division.

This Week’s Japan Viewing Guide (All times JST)

• Thu Dec 11 – Rams @ 49ers: 12:15 PM (Thursday Night Football)
• Sat Dec 13 – Army vs Navy classic: 7:00 AM
• Dec 20–21 – CFP First Round: from 4:00 AM onwards
• NBA Cup Quarter-finals: Wed/Thu 11:00 AM starts

Stay up late, grab the onigiri and strong coffee – American sports season is in full swing!

Tags: US sports Japan December 2025, NFL Week 14 JST, Indiana Hoosiers CFP No.1 seed, Connor McDavid hat trick, College Football Playoff bracket Japan time, American football Japan fans

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