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In this week’s episode of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talk about the exciting finishes and the huge number of injuries in Week One of the NFL playoffs. They are also joined by former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe to discuss his contention that the team cut him loose due to homophobia, cowardice, and general discomfort with his gay-rights advocacy. Finally, they discuss college football’s scintillating bowl season and the end of the BCS.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned on the show:

• On Saturday, the Colts overcame a 28-point second half deficit to defeat an injury-ravaged Chiefs team.
• Discussing injured Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said, “When I was playing football, he would be back in the game. The doctors now are taking a much stronger approach to this issue.”
• Tony Schwartz argues in the New York Times that our “fascination with football, and our acceptance of its costs, is a measure of … our infinite capacity for denial.”
• The Packers, Colts, and Bengals were slow to sell out their playoff openers.
• Chris Kluwe wrote a post for Deadspin titled “I Was an NFL Player Until I was Fired by Two Cowards and a Bigot.”
• Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer denied Kluwe’s allegations, and the team has appointed an investigator to look into the ex-punter’s claims.
• In September 2012, Deadspin published a letter from Kluwe advocating in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative to allow gay marriage and rebuking state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr.
• Kluwe says that NFL teams’ preoccupation with avoiding distractions may have led them to blacklist Kerry Rhodes.
• Curt Flood met resistance from management, and possibly other players, for his efforts to invalidate the reserve clause.
• The final slate of Bowl Championship Series games has been highly entertaining with Central Florida upsetting Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, Michigan State beating Stanford in the Rose Bowl, and Oklahoma improbably upsetting Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
• During the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Ohio kicker Josiah Yazdani had a perfect onside kick.
• Auburn coach Gus Malzahn began creating his innovative offensive scheme as a high school coach.
• The sad plight of former LSU coach Curley Hallman shows that, even in high school, coaches aren’t allowed to fail.
• Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel explains how the new college football playoff system will work.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Carolyn Nugent’s uterus: 

Mike’s Carolyn Nugent’s uterus: Tracing the origins of “The Little Sisters of the Poor” as a term of scheduling strength derision.

Stefan’s Carolyn Nugent’s uterus: Who’s worse, CNN’s Piers Morgan or the former Australian cricketer who flung balls at him?

Josh’s Carolyn Nugent’s uterus: Are you a bad person if you care about college football recruiting? The answer is yes.

Podcast production and edit by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Casey Butterly.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.