UNDATED (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has a very sore right ankle. Jalen Hurts has a bum right shoulder. Even so, neither quarterback is complaining in the lead up to Sunday’s NFL conference championship games. Mahomes went through a normal morning walkthrough Wednesday and then headed out for an afternoon practice, four days after a Jacksonville pass rusher landed on his ankle and forced him to hobble off the field in pain. The Chiefs host the Bengals in the AFC Championship on Sunday. Hurts said Wednesday that his shoulder is still sore, though he didn’t seem concerned. The Eagles will host the 49ers in the NFC Championship, also on Sunday. The winners of the conference title games will meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
UNDATED (AP) — It’s been 25 years since both NFL conference championship games were this evenly matched from an oddsmakers standpoint. The San Francisco 49ers are 2 1/2-point underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the NFC championship game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. In the AFC title game, the Cincinnati Bengals are 1 1/2-point favorites on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. The previous time both conference championship games featured spreads under 3 points was 1998. The Packers were 2 1/2-point favorites at San Francisco in the NFC game. The Broncos were 2 1/2-point favorites at Pittsburgh in the AFC matchup. Both road teams won.
UNDATED (AP) — Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the start of the playoffs. Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Bengals QB Joe Burrow also are finalists for MVP. San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons are the finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy’s NFL career started with the moniker of “Mr. Irrelevant” and the weeklong trip to Newport Beach to celebrate the player picked last in the draft. With one more win, Purdy’s rookie season in the NFL will end on the brightest stage of all as a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers. It’s been an improbable nine-month journey from the trip to Disneyland, golf tournament, and a roast where he received the Lowsman Trophy as the last draft pick to the NFC title game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy will try to become the first rookie quarterback ever to reach the Super Bowl.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Jaylen Forbes scored 25 points and Jalen Cook added six points in the overtime as the Tulane Green Wave beat the Wichita State Shockers 95-90 on Wednesday night. The Green Wave are now 13-7 on the season, while the Shockers moved to 10-10.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Joe Toussaint scored 22 point, Seth Wilson hit a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and West Virginia beat Texas Tech 76-61, the Red Raiders’ eighth consecutive loss. Erik Stevenson scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds — the fifth-year senior guard’s first career double-double — for West Virginia. After the Mountaineers got off to a slow start, coach Bob Huggins replaced his entire starting five, and West Virginia’s play improved. Stevenson made four straight free throws, including two on a technical foul, for a 22-21 lead and Tre Mitchell’s 3-pointer made it 33-28 at halftime. Obanor led Texas Tech with 20 points and eight rebounds. WVU's Kedrian Johnson and Texas Tech's Pop Isaacs left the game in the second half and did not return due to injuries.
UNDATED (AP) — Bill Self knows this isn't the same Kansas team that won the national championship last season. But the coach hasn't had to go through many stretches like this in his 20 seasons with the Jayhawks. Kansas has lost three games in a row for only the fourth time under Self. All of those losses were to ranked Big 12 opponents, with two on the road. The 16-4 Jayhawks play their SEC/Big 12 Challenge game Saturday at struggling Kentucky, which beat them 80-62 last year. They will be trying to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 1988-89. That was their first season under coach Roy Williams.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jon Rahm struggled to a 1-over 73 at Torrey Pines South while Sam Ryder, Aaron Rai and Brent Grant all shot 8-under 64 on the more forgiving North Course to tie for the first-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Rahm is ranked No. 3 in the world and trying for his third win in as many starts. He made a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole and was continually left frustrated on the harder South Course. Rahm earned his first PGA Tour victory at Torrey Pines in 2017 and then won the U.S. Open on the South Course in 2021.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brandon Vazquez scored to lead a U.S. lineup with seven starters making their international debuts, but the Americans lost 2-1 to Serbia in their first match since the World Cup. Veljko Simic scored the go-ahead goal in the opening minute of the second half for Serbia, which gave debuts to 14 players. Eight Americans in all debuted during a lively friendly that felt like spring training. The American team is in transition with interim head coach Anthony Hudson running the show while U.S. Soccer Federation determines the future of coach Gregg Berhalter, whose contract expired last month.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2)Alabama 66 Mississippi St. 63
Final (3)Houston 82 UCF 71
Final (4)Tennessee 70 Georgia 41
Final (13)Xavier 82 (19)UConn 79
Final Texas A&M 79 (15)Auburn 63
Final (23)Providence 79 Butler 58
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Orlando 126 Indiana 120
Final Philadelphia 137 Brooklyn 133
Final Atlanta 137 Oklahoma City 132
Final Milwaukee 107 Denver 99
Final Washington 108 Houston 103
Final Minnesota 111 New Orleans 102
Final Toronto 113 Sacramento 95
Final Portland 134 Utah 124
Final L.A. Lakers 113 San Antonio 104
Final Golden State 122 Memphis 120
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Toronto 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Ottawa 2 N-Y Islanders 1
Final OT Carolina 3 Dallas 2
Final OT Columbus 3 Edmonton 2
Final Seattle 6 Vancouver 1