LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lamar Jackson was a near-unanimous choice for his second AP NFL Most Valuable Player award announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night. Christian McCaffrey ran away with the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award. C.J. Stroud won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award in a landslide. Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The Browns took home four awards. Quarterback Joe Flacco was AP Comeback Player of the Year. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski edged DeMeco Ryans for AP Coach of the Year honors by one first-place vote. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award.
UNDATED (AP) — Millions of Americans will find something to be excited about when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. That’s before even factoring in the influence of Taylor Swift. Four in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very excited for at least one part of the Super Bowl day’s festivities. That could be the game, commercials, halftime show or the Puppy Bowl, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — When the Super Bowl was in the balance in the fourth quarter a year ago, coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs put a twist on their frequent pre-snap motion. That led to two wide-open touchdown passes that helped the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 for a Super Bowl title. Kansas City returns to the big stage to take on San Francisco in a game that should feature players on the move at the snap at a staggering rate based on how Reid and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan use motion to create mismatches for their offenses.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — First-time candidate Julius Peppers headlines the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that has a distinctive defensive feel. The star defensive end was joined by another elite pass rusher in Dwight Freeney and do-everything linebacker Patrick Willis in the modern era category announced Thursday night. Prolific receiver Andre Johnson and dynamic returner Devin Hester also got voted into the Hall from the group of 15 finalists. Two more defensive players got in on the senior category, with linebacker Randy Gradishar and defensive tackle Steve McMichael getting the necessary 80% support.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will be chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee next season. Manuel has served on the committee for the past two years. He will replace North Carolina State AD Boo Corrigan as the chairman. The playoff expands from four to 12 teams next season. The CFP also announced six additions to the 13-person panel: athletic directors Pat Chun of Washington State, Carla Williams of Virginia, Mack Rhoades of Baylor and Hunter Yurachek of Arkansas. Also joining the committee will be former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and former Arizona State and NFL star Randall McDaniel.
UNDATED (AP) — Baylor is hiring former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a senior consultant to head coach Dave Aranda, a person with direct knowledge of the move told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was being finalized. The 63-year-old Patterson was coach at TCU for 22 years before being pushed out during the 2021 season. He went 181-79 while leading the Horned Frogs — the winningest coach in program history. Baylor is coming off a 3-9 season that has raised the pressure on Aranda, who is entering his fifth year as the Bears coach.
UNDATED (AP) — College football’s busy recruiting calendar created a particularly hectic first few weeks on the job for all the head coaches who switched schools over the last month. Nick Saban's retirement last month set off a chain reaction that resulted in head coaching changes at Arizona, Washington and San Jose State as well as Alabama. That doesn’t even factor in Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. New coaches had to re-recruit prospects who had signed to play for a different staff and now were free to look elsewhere.
UNDATED (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic left Detroit to join a now even-more-formidable contender in New York. Gordon Hayward is leaving Charlotte for one of the NBA's best surprise stories this season in Oklahoma City. Doug McDermott was once traded by Indiana to San Antonio, and now, the Spurs have traded him back to the Pacers. None of those shooters were making playoff plans when Thursday started. Trade deadline day in the NBA gave them and plenty of other players an entirely new outlook, plus might have even reshaped the start of the playoff push as well.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Sahith Theegala returned from a lengthy weather delay to finish off a 6-under 65, taking the early lead in the unfinished first round of the Phoenix Open. Five days after weather shortened the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to 54 holes, storms followed the PGA Tour to the desert. A chilly morning gave way to wind and heavy rain that left pools of water on the greens at TPC Scottsdale. The Stadium Course was deemed unplayable around noon, leading to a delay of 3 1/2 hours. About half the field was able to finish the first round. Andrew Novak was 5 under through nine holes. S.H. Kim and Shane Lowry each shot 67.
THURSDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (8)Arizona 105 Utah 99
Final UAB 76 (20)FAU 73
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Golden State 131 Indiana 109
Final Orlando 127 San Antonio 111
Final Dallas 122 New York 108
Final Minnesota 129 Milwaukee 105
Final Chicago 118 Memphis 110
Final Phoenix 129 Utah 115
Final Denver 114 L.A. Lakers 106
Final OT Detroit 128 Portland 122
Final Cleveland 118 Brooklyn 95
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 4 Winnipeg 1
Final Boston 4 Vancouver 0
Final Florida 4 Washington 2
Final Calgary 5 New Jersey 3
Final Carolina 5 Colorado 2
Final N-Y Islanders 6 Tampa Bay 2