KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called this season perhaps the most challenging of his career on Thursday. His numbers were down, Kansas City went through a stretch where it lost five times in eight games, and Mahomes was caught on camera on several occasions getting after officials and teammates alike. But that adversity just might have served the Chiefs well. They have overcome it all to reach the AFC championship game for the sixth straight year. They are headed to Baltimore to play the Ravens for a spot in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson is one star AFC quarterback whom Patrick Mahomes has never run into in the postseason. Jackson could match Mahomes this season with his second MVP award. But he's only now making his first appearance in the AFC championship game. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are in it for the sixth straight year. They'll take on Jackson's Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. The Ravens have the NFL’s best record this season. It’s a fascinating matchup made even more so by the presence of Mahomes and Jackson.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are a plus-140 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook to win it all. San Francisco would be favored over either team that comes out of the AFC title game — Baltimore by 1 1/2 points or Kansas City by three points. The 49ers are 7-point favorites to beat the Detroit Lions in Sunday's NFC championship game. Deebo Samuel's shoulder injury has created uncertainty for San Francisco. Baltimore is a 3 1/2-point favorite over the Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
UNDATED (AP) — Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott are finalists for The Associated Press 2023 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 8. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. The Cleveland Browns have finalists in four categories: Myles Garrett for Defensive Player of the Year; Kevin Stefanski for Coach of the Year; Joe Flacco for Comeback Player of the Year and Jim Schwartz for Assistant Coach of the Year.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their new head coach after an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick. Morris is a familiar name in Atlanta, having served as the Falcons’ interim head coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after the firing of Dan Quinn. He previously coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons. The Falcons interviewed 14 candidates to replace Arthur Smith, who was fired after three straight 7-10 seasons. They settled on Morris, who has a record of 21-38 as a head coach.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales to become their new head coach Thursday in hopes that he can end a six-year playoff drought. The Panthers are 31-68 since 2018, tied with the New York Jets for the worst record in the league during that span. Canales becomes the seventh head coach to lead the Panthers since owner David Tepper took over in 2018. He inherits a team that went 2-15 last season and does not have a first-round draft pick in 2024. The 42-year-old Canales has spent only one season as an NFL coordinator.
UNDATED (AP) — College football has always been a what-have-you-done-lately business, but these days — fueled by nonstop hot-seat coverage and constant social-media scrutiny —- a coach’s stock rises and falls like a roller coaster. When Jim Harbaugh took a pay cut from Michigan after the 2020 season, getting another chance to be an NFL head coach seemed like a long shot for him. Now, coming off a national championship, he has landed one of the best NFL jobs available. It is doubtful Kalen DeBoer would have even been considered as a replacement for Nick Saban a year ago. Now he's the Alabama coach.
UNDATED (AP) — The college football coaching carousel revved up again in January, starting with the sudden retirement of maybe the greatest head coach of all time. Since Nick Saban stepped down at Alabama on Jan. 10, seven major college football jobs have opened, including at three schools to make the playoff. That increased the total number of changes to 28. Never before had a team made the College Football Playoff or BCS championship game had to replace its head coach the next season. Michigan is the first national champion to replace its coach following the season since Nebraska in 1997.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has crashed into the safety nets after losing control while landing a jump during a World Cup downhill. Shiffrin’s arms were flailing as she landed in a patch of soft snow on the upper portion of the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina, Italy. The American slammed into the net at high speed and rebounded back onto the snow. Medics tended to Shiffrin immediately and she eventually got up and limped away for more care. Shiffrin has a record 95 World Cup wins.
THURSDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Oregon St. 83 (9)Arizona 80
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Utah 123 Washington 108
Final Indiana 134 Philadelphia 122
Final Boston 143 Miami 110
Final New York 122 Denver 84
Final Minnesota 96 Brooklyn 94
Final Sacramento 134 Golden State 133
Final L.A. Lakers 141 Chicago 132
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 6 Arizona 3
Final Detroit 3 Philadelphia 0
Final Montreal 4 N-Y Islanders 3
Final OT Boston 3 Ottawa 2
Final Carolina 3 New Jersey 2
Final OT Dallas 4 Anaheim 3
Final Nashville 3 Minnesota 2
Final Edmonton 3 Chicago 0
Final Columbus 5 Calgary 2