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{{ timeAgo(‘2023-01-21 15:22:02 -0600’) }}
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Adam Friedman, National Recruiting Analyst
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Penguins defenseman P.O. Joseph and older brother Mathieu Joseph, a forward for the Senators, lived out a childhood dream when they played each other for the first time in the NHL on Friday night in Pittsburgh.
Neither player recorded a point in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win, but they did enter the box score together when they drew coincidental high-stick penalties while their parents, Frantzi Joseph and France Taillon, watched from the stands.
P.O. Joseph sheepishly admitted his brother probably didn’t deserve a penalty, admitting he might have accidentally high-sticked himself.
“I don’t know if they thought this is going to be funny or something that we’re both going to get a penalty at the same time,” Mathieu Joseph said. “But stuff happens. I’m sure my parents had a good laugh about it, but I didn’t think it was funny.”
Their parents certainly did have a good laugh, as captured by video.
https://t.co/TuROav5aMJ pic.twitter.com/eUIabS51PC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 21, 2023
It’s not the first time two brothers have received penalties in the same game.
In 1997, Keith and Wayne Primeau got into a fight with each other in a Buffalo Sabres-Hartford Whalers game in Connecticut and went to the box.
And in 1992, Brent and Rich Sutter each got unsportsmanlike conducts in the second period and then roughing penalties against each other in the third during a Chicago Blackhawks–St. Louis Blues matchup.
Information from ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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The NFL playoffs’ divisional-round schedule for the 2022 season is stacked with great matchups, and we have you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game and a bold prediction for each matchup.
Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a big stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a game projection. Matt Bowen picks out a key game-planning matchup to watch in every game, and Kevin Seifert tells us what to know about the officiating. Finally, Seth Walder and Eric Moody give us final score picks for every game. Everything you want to know is here in one spot to help you get ready for a loaded weekend of NFL playoff football.
Let’s get into the full divisional slate, including Trevor Lawrence vs. Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, an NFC East battle in Philadelphia, two high-octane offenses facing off in Buffalo and a pair of elite pass-rushers getting after the QB in San Francisco.
Note: New for this season’s playoffs, each team will be guaranteed a possession if a game goes to overtime.
Jump to a matchup:
JAX-KC | NYG-PHI
CIN-BUF | DAL-SF
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET | NBC | Spread: KC -8.5 (52.5)
What to watch for: The Chiefs had nearly 500 yards against the Jaguars when the teams met in November, and that’s with Kansas City committing three turnovers and losing a possession when the Jaguars recovered an onside kick. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he was anticipating a much different version of the Jaguars this time around, and there’s good reason for that. Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell was on the staff of the Bucs in 2020 when Tampa Bay allowed more than 500 yards to the Chiefs during a late-season game and then shut down Kansas City several weeks later in Super Bowl LV with a completely different game plan. — Adam Teicher
Bold prediction: Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence will combine to throw 10 touchdown passes. Mahomes had four in their previous meeting in Week 10 and has thrown 11 TD passes in his past three playoff games. Lawrence is coming off a four-interception, four-TD performance in the wild-card victory over the Chargers. It might take 40 points to win this game. — Mike DiRocco
Stat to know: Generating pressure was one of the keys to Jacksonville’s late-season surge. The Jaguars had a 38.6% pressure rate during their five-game win streak to end the regular season, which was second best in the NFL over that span, and they sacked Justin Herbert three times in the wild-card round. But the Chiefs led the NFL in pass block win rate (74.7%), and Mahomes is No. 1 in the league in QBR (84.7) and completion percentage (77.2%) when he doesn’t face pressure.
Bowen’s game-plan key: The Jaguars need to find a way to isolate receiver Christian Kirk against man coverage, which the Chiefs threw at Lawrence 66.7% of the time in these teams’ regular-season meeting. Kirk has the agility to shake coverage and get open on high-percentage throws. Read more at ESPN+.
What to know for officiating: Referee Shawn Hochuli’s regular-season crew threw the second-most flags in the league (14.6 per game). That included 10 flags for roughing the passer, tied for second most in the NFL. The Chiefs have been especially sensitive about roughing calls since a Week 5 call against defensive tackle Chris Jones overturned a fumble recovery. — Seifert
Betting nugget: Jacksonville is 8-5 outright and against the spread as an underdog, tied for the most underdog wins in a single season in the Super Bowl era. And coach Doug Pederson is 6-0 ATS and 5-1 outright as a playoff underdog. No other coach has as many playoff games as an underdog without an ATS loss in the Super Bowl era. Read more at ESPN+.
Moody’s pick: Chiefs 37, Jaguars 27
Walder’s pick: Chiefs 34, Jaguars 27
FPI prediction: KC, 78.5% (by an average of 9.2 points)
Matchup must-reads: Why Doug Pederson is the perfect coach for the Jaguars … How Andy Reid saved the Kansas City Chiefs … Pederson unsure Jags are ‘cockroaches,’ but they ‘keep fighting’
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: PHI -7.5 (48)
What to watch for: The Giants come in riding the momentum of a 31-24 upset win over the Vikings in the wild-card round, while the Eagles are trying to get back to dominant form after going 1-2 to finish the regular season. All eyes are on the right shoulder of Jalen Hurts and how it will respond to contact. He was not listed on the injury report this week but is not believed to be 100 percent healthy. Good friend A.J. Brown said the vibe around Hurts is “he’s ready to go, ready to do whatever it takes to get it done.” With the benefit of a couple of weeks’ rest, expect more designed runs for Hurts after the coaches stayed largely away from them in the regular-season finale. — Tim McManus
Bold prediction: The Giants will score a special teams return touchdown. It’s only right in this season of surprises that they get one now. They haven’t had one yet this season — or since 2015 for that matter. Now seems as good a time as any for no reason other than they’re due. — Jordan Raanan
Stat to know: Hurts (760) and Daniel Jones (708) combined for 1,468 rushing yards in the regular season, providing the most ever in a QB playoff matchup. It’s also the first playoff matchup in which both quarterbacks had 700-plus rushing yards in the regular season. Jones got the majority of his rushing yards via scrambles (402, third most), while Hurts relied on designed rushes (434, third most).
2:18
Why Stephen A. thinks the Giants are ‘going down’ vs. the Eagles
Stephen A. Smith explains why the Giants won’t beat Jalen Hurts and the Eagles on Saturday.
Bowen’s game-plan key: Looking for an X factor player who could play a role in the Giants’ upset bid? Receiver Richie James has seen at least six targets in each of his past three games, and New York should try to get him loose off the ball against man coverage and let him use his catch-and-run traits to make plays in big spots. Read more at ESPN+.
What to know for officiating: Referee Clete Blakeman’s regular-season crew tied for the fourth-most flags in the NFL at 14.4 per game. But it threw only 30 flags for offensive holding, tied for the fifth fewest. That could be of note for the Eagles, who committed the NFL’s fourth-most holding fouls (30), as they try to slow the Giants’ active defensive front. The Giants drew the NFL’s fourth-most offensive holding calls during the regular season (24). — Seifert
Betting nugget: New York is 17-5 against the spread and 14-8 outright as a playoff underdog in the Super Bowl era. That’s the most wins, the best winning percentage and the best cover percentage by any team as a playoff underdog in the Super Bowl era. Read more at ESPN+.
Moody’s pick: Eagles 33, Giants 31
Walder’s pick: Eagles 34, Giants 10
FPI prediction: PHI, 80.1% (by an average of 9.9 points)
Matchup must-reads: Respect for Giants QB Jones is ‘going up’ around the NFL … How GM Howie Roseman built the best roster in the league … ‘We have an elite quarterback’: Giants laud Jones after victory … Sanders is having the breakout year he always knew he could … Hurts: ‘Got a bounty on me every week’
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: BUF -5.5 (49)
What to watch for: The Bills and Bengals will meet in Orchard Park, New York, after the regular-season meeting between the two teams in Cincinnati was initially postponed and then canceled because of Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest on the field in the first quarter. Both teams come into this game riding long win streaks (nine for the Bengals and eight for the Bills), making this the seventh-ever playoff meeting between teams on winning streaks of at least eight games, and the first before the conference championship round. The Bills are 4-0 in home playoff games under coach Sean McDermott, while the Bengals won two playoff road games in 2021. — Alaina Getzenberg
Bold prediction: The Bengals will force three turnovers. They have forced 11 turnovers in the postseason in five games dating to last year’s wild-card win over the Raiders. With Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen turning over the ball at a high rate, Cincinnati’s opportunistic defense will be looking to bait Allen into risky plays. Allen turned the ball over three times in the wild-card round after leading the NFL in turnovers during the regular season (19). Per Elias Sports Bureau, only two players have led the league in turnovers and still reached the conference championship round over the past 45 seasons (Eli Manning in 2007, Jim Kelly in 1992). If Cincinnati can successfully create turnovers, the Bengals will have a good chance of returning to the AFC title game. — Ben Baby
Stat to know: Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase has nine straight games with at least seven receptions, the fifth-longest streak since the 1970 merger (including playoffs). And Buffalo receiver Stefon Diggs has three 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs with the Bills — the second most in Buffalo history behind Andre Reed’s five — after going for 114 yards in the team’s wild-card win.
Bowen’s game-plan key: The Bengals should look to blitz slot cornerback Mike Hilton to generate pressure on Allen. Cincinnati blitzed defensive backs at a rate of 10.7% this season, 10th most in the league, and Hilton can be a disruptor in those spots. Read more at ESPN+.
What to know for officiating: Referee Carl Cheffers’ regular-season crew tied for the fourth-most flags in the NFL at 14.4 per game. The Bengals committed the NFL’s third-fewest penalties during the regular season (95) but were flagged for seven in their win over the Ravens in the wild-card round. The Bills, who ranked No. 19 in the NFL during the regular season with 115 flags, got out of the wild-card round with only three penalties. — Seifert
Betting nugget: Cincinnati is 15-4 against the spread on the road since the start of last season, including 7-2 ATS this season, 7-1 ATS in its past eight games and 4-0 ATS in its past four games on the road. And the Bills are 3-7-1 ATS in their past 11 games. Read more at ESPN+.
Moody’s pick: Bills 27, Bengals 24
Walder’s pick: Bills 31, Bengals 20
FPI prediction: BUF, 65.2% (by an average of 4.5 points)
Matchup must-reads: Bengals say LT Williams has dislocated kneecap … Miller brings Super Bowl trophy to motivate Bills … Bengals owner wants to keep Burrow for long haul … Untold tales on the making of Bills star Allen … Bengals, Burrow not buying underdog tag vs. Bills … Hamlin at Bills facility almost daily as he recovers
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET | Fox | Spread: SF -4 (46.5)
What to watch for: Niners quarterback Brock Purdy has passed every test placed before him to this point, but the Cowboys’ defense represents the biggest challenge Purdy and the 49ers’ offense have faced. The Cowboys led the NFL in pressure percentage (39%) and finished second in sacks per dropback (8.6%) during the season. Purdy has handled pressure well in a smaller sample, with four touchdown passes and no interceptions when under duress since becoming the starter in Week 14. How he handles what Dallas throws at him will go a long way in determining a winner in this classic playoff rivalry. — Nick Wagoner
Bold prediction: Brett Maher will make a 47-yard field goal to win the game against the 49ers to send the Cowboys to their first NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season. After missing four point-after attempts in the wild-card win against the Buccaneers, all eyes will be on Maher. And he will show the form of the kicker who set the Cowboys’ record for points in a season and missed just three field goal attempts and three PATs during the regular season. Now that is bold. — Todd Archer
Stat to know: Dallas’ Micah Parsons and San Francisco’s Nick Bosa know a thing or two about getting after the quarterback. Parsons led all defenders during the regular season with 74 pressures, while Bosa ranked third with 58. And Parsons led all edge defenders in pass rush win rate this season (30.4%), while Bosa ranked ninth (21.5%). Bosa topped the NFL in sacks with 18.5, while Parsons was seventh (13.5).
1:30
Woody downplays extra rest for 49ers: ‘Nobody cares!’
Damien Woody and Bart Scott think that the rest disparity between the Cowboys and 49ers won’t play a role in their divisional matchup.
Bowen’s game-plan key: Can Dallas get quarterback Dak Prescott to the edges? I really like the idea of Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore scheming more play-action and boot concepts. This season, including last week’s wild-card game, San Francisco has allowed 8.1 yards per attempt on play-action throws and 7.9 yards per attempt on boot play-action. Both rank 22nd in the league. Read more at ESPN+.
What to know for officiating: Referee Bill Vinovich’s regular-season crew continued its long streak of throwing the fewest flags in the NFL, averaging 10.9 per game. That trend has typically extended into the postseason as well. It will be tested in this game, though. The Cowboys committed the NFL’s sixth-most penalties this season (125), while the 49ers were close behind with 120 flags. Vinovich threw four flags for roughing the passer, and only one referee (John Hussey) threw fewer. — Seifert
Betting nugget: Dallas has lost seven straight playoff games as an underdog (2-5 ATS). Its last playoff upset was in the 1992 conference championship game against San Francisco (+4). And while Dallas is 13-5 ATS on the road since the start of last season, San Francisco is 8-1 ATS as a home favorite this season (8-2 ATS overall at home) with six straight covers. Read more at ESPN+.
Moody’s pick: 49ers 34, Cowboys 27
Walder’s pick: 49ers 30, Cowboys 28
FPI prediction: DAL, 53.2% (by an average of 0.9 points)
Matchup must-reads: Prescott rebounds with ‘statement game’ in Cowboys’ wild-card win … 49ers’ Purdy would join rare club with win over Cowboys … Jerry Jones draws comparison to ’90s dynasty after Cowboys end road playoff skid … How DeMeco Ryans of 49ers became prime NFL head-coach candidate … Cowboys sign kicker Vizcaino amid Maher’s woes
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{{ timeAgo(‘2023-01-21 12:32:39 -0600’) }}
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With the early signing period in the rearview mirror, the recruiting focus has turned to underclassmen recruits and emerging prospects looking to make a name for themselves. The yearly Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcases are one of the first opportunities for highly recruited players to flaunt their off-season development and future stars to make a name for themselves alike.
Here are some takeaways from the recent EdgyTim and Boom Best of the Best MLK Day showcases.
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Clint Cosgrove, National Recruiting Analyst
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Joao Ferreira rescued a point as Watford recorded a 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham but the result did little to help their automatic promotion chances from the Sky Bet Championship.
In addition to Ferreira’s superb equaliser from 20 yards, which cancelled out Shane Ferguson’s first-half opener, Watford clipped the visitors’ woodwork on two occasions on what proved to be a frustrating afternoon for the Vicarage Road crowd.
Slaven Bilic’s side sit third but are 13 points behind second-placed Sheffield United, and an almost unbridgeable 18 from leaders Burnley.
Norwich continued their superb start under new boss David Wagner with a 4-2 victory at Coventry.
Having thrashed Preston 4-0 in Wagner’s first league game in charge, the Canaries raced into a 3-0 lead inside 18 minutes through a Michael Rose own goal and strikes by Onel Hernandez and Josh Sargent.
Coventry reduced the deficit to one with quickfire hits from Jamie Allen and Kasey Palmer – all five goals coming inside the opening 26 minutes – before Kieran Dowell added a fourth for Norwich in the 65th minute.
Wigan remain rooted to the bottom of the table after suffering a second home defeat to Luton in the space of four days – with the Hatters easing to a 2-0 win.
Having won on this ground in midweek to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup, Luton started the brighter and took only 11 minutes to open the scoring through Harry Cornick.
The visitors doubled their lead nine minutes after the restart when Elijah Adebayo collected a return pass from Cornick before slotting past Ben Amos with ease, leaving Wigan boss Kolo Toure winless from his last seven games.
Dwight Gayle ended his 50-match goal drought as Stoke claimed their first points of 2023 with a 4-0 thrashing of Reading.
Will Smallbone’s smart early finish paved the way for the Potters, with the influential Tyrese Campbell doubling his side’s advantage in the second half before Jacob Brown added a late third.
An impressive performance was rounded off by Gayle, who scored his first goal since December 2020.
Preston inflicted a fifth-straight league defeat on Birmingham in a 2-1 win at St Andrew’s that saw referee Rebecca Welch make history.
In the first Championship game to be refereed in full by a female official, first league goals of the season from Ryan Ledson and captain Alan Browne in the opening 15 minutes won it for Ryan Lowe’s side.
Substitute Lukas Jutkiewicz made it a nervy finish when he reduced the arrears late on, but North End held on.
Jay Fulton’s late equaliser earned Swansea a point from a 1-1 draw at QPR.
Jamal Lowe’s goal on his full debut – against his former club – put Rangers ahead after 27 minutes. But the Welsh side hit back thanks to a well-worked goal with nine minutes remaining from their first shot on target.
Blackburn battled their way to a 1-1 draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate, despite having captain Daniel Ayala sent off.
The visitors went in front after 54 minutes through Bradley Dack, but City levelled 14 minutes later as Rovers goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski could only a parry a Zak Vyner shot from outside the box and Antoine Semenyo slotted home the rebound.
Blackburn were reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute when Ayala received asecond yellow card for pulling back Nahki Wells as he threatened to break clear, but the visitors reorganised well and deserved their point against improving opponents on a decent run.
Cardiff’s slide towards the relegation zone continued following a 1-0 home defeat against Millwall.
Following a pre-match protest against owner Vincent Tan, Tom Bradshaw’s first-half strike condemned the Bluebirds to another loss.
Meanwhile, Blackpool’s game against Huddersfield was postponed because of a frozen pitch.
Plymouth resumed their charge for promotion with a 4-2 win against Cheltenham in Sky Bet League One.
The Pilgrims had only managed to pick up two points from their previous two games, but they returned to winning ways to stay top of the table.
Goals from Dan Scarr and Ryan Hardie put them 2-0 in front after 28 minutes, but the Robins pulled one back through Taylor Perry.
Callum Wright made it 3-1 after the hour mark, but Cheltenham continued to push with Alfie May aiming to spark a comeback with his goal, before Sam Cosgrove restored the two-goal cushion in the final 10 minutes.
Six goals were also scored in Shropshire as Shrewsbury eased past a struggling Cambridge 5-1.
Captain Luke Leahy kicked off a dominant afternoon scoring from the spot and Jordan Shipley added another just before the break.
Matthew Pennington’s sixth goal of the season extended their lead before Joe Ironside pulled one back for the U’s.
Christian Saydee restored the three-goal lead before Leahy capped the game off with a stoppage-time goal, leaving Cambridge third-from-bottom.
Sheffield Wednesday remained second after Marvin Johnson’s first-half strike helped them edge to a 1-0 win against Fleetwood.
Ipswich lost ground on the top two after Cameron Brannagan’s strike made it back-to-back wins for Oxford.
Leif Davis quickly cancelled out Yanic Wildschut’s opener, but Brannagan struck in the 83rd minute to secure a 2-1 home win.
Derby extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games after beating play-off rivals Bolton 2-1.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Conor Hourihane both scored for the Rams, with Kieran Sadlier earning a stoppage-time consolation for the Trotters.
Sixth-placed Barnsley also continued their push for the play-offs with a 3-1 win against Accrington.
James Norwood, Jack Aitchison and Jordan Williams all scored in the opening 20 minutes for the Tykes, but Tommy Leigh’s stoppage-time penalty denied them a clean sheet.
John Mousinho got off to a winning start as Portsmouth manager as they beat Exeter 2-0 at Fratton Park with goals from Marlon Pack and Joe Morrell.
Forest Green remain rooted to the bottom of the table after fellow strugglers MK Dons came from behind to beat them 2-1.
Myles Peart-Harris put Rovers ahead but a double from Mohamed Eisa either side of half-time picked up three points for the Dons.
Nine matches failed to beat the cold snap in Sky Bet League Two but the mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash between Stevenage and leaders Leyton Orient survived.
Unbeaten in four league games, Stevenage took the lead after just six minutes thanks to Jamie Reid’s header and five minutes later doubled their lead through Jordan Roberts.
Orient’s misery was compounded just before half-time when Idris El Mizouni saw red after picking up a second yellow card.
Luke Norris made it 3-0 in stoppage time, which helped Stevenage cut the gap at the top to just two points.
The three teams propping up the division were in action in the remaining two games.
Gillingham moved off the bottom with a 2-0 victory at Colchester, with first-half goals from David Tutonda and Tom Nichols.
The Gills were replaced at the foot of the league by Rochdale, who lost 2-0 at Hartlepool.
The visitors faced a tough task when Ethan Ebanks-Landell was shown a straight red for a high challenge after 51 minutes.
Hartlepool quickly took advantage with a goal three minutes later from Josh Umerah, and Jack Hamilton doubled the lead.
Rochdale finished the game with nine men when Sam Graham was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time.
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As the divisional round of the N.F.L. playoffs begins on Saturday, the teams with the highly coveted home-field advantage will enjoy all the typical luxuries of playing at home, including sleeping in their own beds and the promise of loud fans cheering for them. The teams that play in colder climates — including Kansas City, Philadelphia and Buffalo — have another advantage: knowing not to stand near the sideline heaters for too long.
“You have layers of stuff on, so you can’t really feel the direct heat, but then you smell something,” said Ike Boettger, an offensive lineman for the Bills. “You just smell that burning cloth smell and you know that somebody got a little too close.”
When the temperature drops late in the N.F.L. season, minor sideline fires and singed skin have become rites of passages. For some players, the smell of burned cotton, the sight of melted cleats and the occasional seared body part are synonymous with winter football.
“I mean, if you didn’t do that, you didn’t play football in cold weather,” said Scott Chandler, a retired tight end who spent nearly five seasons with the Bills after starting his N.F.L. career in sunny San Diego. “Just like little kids find out by touching the stove that it’s hot, you got to learn the same way as football players.”
The fires extend past the players. Last January, a Falcons public relations staff member, Gaby Moran, was on the sideline for a game against the Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. With windy conditions and snow in the air, and the temperature in the 20s, another Falcons employee yelled to Moran that she had caught on fire.
Moran said she looked down to find the bottom of her jacket ablaze, ignited by the giant heater she had been standing near to stay warm. “We just started patting the bottom,” Moran said. “I completely forgot to stop, drop and roll.” A trail of feathers from her damaged jacket flew as she ran to the locker room to fetch a new one.
For many players, seeing members of the team’s medical or communications staff also suffer the wrath of the sideline heaters often prompts laughter and makes the cold more bearable.
“That was always my favorite,” said Lee Smith, a retired tight end who played 10 seasons in Buffalo, Atlanta, and Oakland. “The doctors and stuff over there with the heater; I hope all the doctors’ khakis get burned.”
The heaters, of course, aren’t the only place for players to seek warmth, though they might do the job the quickest. Sideline benches are often heated with slots for players’ hands and feet. There are also helmet warmers, hand warmers like those available at your local gas station and oversized jackets delivered quickly by the team staff as players come off the field.
Many linemen also try to stay warm by staying on the field during timeouts and other breaks, huddling together in something similar to a pyramid formation with players rotating to face the brunt of the wind. Some players lather themselves in Vaseline or weather guard cream and wear latex gloves designed for doctors and nurses underneath their football gloves.
Some players purposefully wear less when the temperatures plummet, at least long enough to show off. Before the Seattle Seahawks’ game against Kansas City in December, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf told reporters he didn’t care about the cold and might come out shirtless. On game day, he fulfilled that promise with some teammates as they took the field for warm-ups, despite temperatures under 12 degrees (and ample face and head coverings).
The no shirt or no sleeves move in the cold is often seen as a way to display toughness. Some players see the strategy as nonsensical.
“I’m going to show my toughness when I put my hands on you,” Smith said. “If I saw a defensive end out there in his swimming trunks before the game while it was snowing, that sure didn’t intimidate me; made me think that guy’s a goofball.”
Boettger, who played college football in frigid temperatures at the University of Iowa, remembers burning the inside of his helmet once by leaving it on a warmer for too long. So playing for the Bills wasn’t much of an adjustment.
The coldest game he said he ever played in happened in December in Chicago, when the temperature was below 10 degrees along with a 20-mile-an-hour wind. Boettger placed his helmet on a warmer that was not working that day, and when he tried to put it back on, the cushions on the inside were frozen.
Still, Boettger said he had always been a fan of cold weather games because they keep defenses from playing as fast as they would typically and make some opposing players uncomfortable.
“The best part about it is the big guys usually are fans of it and the small guys usually absolutely hate it because we got more built-in insulation,” said Boettger, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 236 pounds.
Ten of the N.F.L.’s 32 teams have domed or retractable roof stadiums. Each time a game is affected by significant snow or rain, questions arise about the merits of playing football outdoors. Earlier this season, the Bills’ game against the Cleveland Browns had to be moved from Buffalo to Detroit because of snow. (The Lions play in a dome.)
“It’s always been a part of the game,” said Smith, who is opposed to playing football indoors. “You could make the same argument for the South Florida heat. I promise you it’s harder to go from Buffalo to Miami than Miami to Buffalo.”
As teams build stadiums, many consider adding a dome so as to have more control of the climate on the field (and to make a stronger case for hosting major events like the Super Bowl). But not all teams are seeking to escape the cold. In 2026, the Bills plan to unveil a $1.4 billion stadium with no roof.
So don’t get too close to the heaters.
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Kris Rhim
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As conference play in the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season continues, we’re seeing some clear separation at the top of many leagues. Others see multiple teams battling for the top bid (see: the Big 12). Every game matters for the tournament selection committee.
Some of this weekend’s key matchups are a chance for some teams to try to get back into a rhythm. Some are an opportunity to extend recent winning streaks. And some aren’t make-or-break, but simply guaranteed to be fun. Here’s what to watch, and why.
12 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN
Why this game matters: Duke has a 3-5 record against Quad 1 teams, a top-30 NET ranking and strong quality wins (Xavier, Iowa, Ohio State). But a 3-3 mark in its last six games and Jeremy Roach‘s toe injury — he’s missed the last three games — means this Blue Devils team has to avoid a rocky stretch to feel confident about securing a solid seed on Selection Sunday. A win against Miami at Cameron Indoor Stadium (the Blue Devils are 9-0 at home this season) in a turbulent first season for new coach Jon Scheyer matters.
Impact player: Isaiah Wong (16.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG 1.6 SPG) has been a star for a Hurricanes team vying for the ACC crown. With Wong on the floor, Miami (10th in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom) has made 57.3% of its shots inside the arc this season.
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Isaiah Wong nails deep 3-pointer from downtown
Isaiah Wong nails deep 3-pointer from downtown
Stat to know: Only Louisville has a higher turnover rate in ACC play than Duke (20.2%), which has committed a turnover in every five possessions thus far.
Score prediction: Duke 73, Miami 69
1 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS
0:17
Jalen Wilson reaches career-high 36 points with 3-pointer
Kansas’ Jalen Wilson hits a new career high in points with a 3-pointer against Kansas State in overtime.
Why this game matters: The Jayhawks entered the weekend in a three-way tie for first place (with Iowa State and Kansas State) in the Big 12, but a TCU squad that’s 1-3 in its last four games is aiming for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament. A road win would be a momentous addition to the Horned Frogs’ résumé, but another loss could extend the ongoing slide that might eventually send them to the NCAA tournament bubble.
Impact player: Before the 2022-23 season, Bill Self challenged Jalen Wilson to play like an All-American. Wilson has responded, with numbers — 20.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG — that have made him a true Wooden Award contender. After scoring a career-high 38 points in his team’s 83-82 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday, he might be the only player in the country who can catch Zach Edey in the national player of the year race.
Stat to know: In Big 12 play, TCU is No. 2 with a 54.8% mark inside the arc, but last in the conference with a 24.7% mark from the 3-point line.
Score prediction: Kansas 84, TCU 74
2 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN
0:16
Cason Wallace elevates for powerful flush
Cason Wallace elevates for an impressive slam dunk against Georgia.
Why this game matters: The Aggies are tied with Alabama for first place in the conference. They and the Wildcats, however, were listed in Joe Lunardi’s “first four out” category in the latest bracketology. Every game matters right now for both.
Impact player: Cason Wallace, a projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA draft, per ESPN, has been crucial in Kentucky’s recent defensive turnaround. Its last two opponents, Tennessee and Georgia, both failed to exceed 100 points per 100 possessions. With Wallace on the floor in those two games, the two teams connected on just 29% of their 3-point attempts, per hooplens.com.
Stat to know: Texas A&M has won five of the games in its seven-game winning streak by double digits. Score prediction: Kentucky 78, Texas A&M 70
2 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC
0:17
Jaime Jaquez Jr. elevates for big-time block
Why this game matters: This might not be the make-or-break game in the Pac-12 championship race, because UCLA is so far ahead. But the winner of this game — UCLA is fifth and Arizona is 15th in the NET rankings — will enhance its shot at competing for a top-two seed in the NCAA tournament.
Impact player: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (16.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG) has helped the Bruins leap ahead of the pack in league action. He’s made 58% of his shots at the rim and 49.5% of his jump shots inside the arc, per hoop-math.com.
Stat to know: UCLA is one of just two teams (Alabama Crimson Tide is the other) that are undefeated at home and on the road. The Bruins’ only two losses this season — against Illinois and Baylor — happened at a neutral site.
Score prediction: UCLA 82, Arizona 78
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HONOLULU — This year’s Polynesian Bowl was loaded with elite talent, including seven five-star prospects. And while most of them are already known commodities from a scouting standpoint, several prospects helped their rankings stock with their performances throughout the week of practice and in Friday night’s game on NFL Network. Rivals.com’s Woody Wommack and Corey Gibson share the prospects that impressed this week and will see a move up in the final rankings as a result.
Despite being one of the nation’s top offensive linemen and a signee of the two-time defending national champions, Hughley was snubbed from the other two major all-star games. Because of that, he came into Hawaii looking to prove a point and he wasted no time doing it. One of the biggest knocks on Hughley is that he’s too thin, but most college offensive line coaches will tell you that they would rather add weight to a frame like Hughley’s than take it off of an overweight player. With what Georgia has done with players like Broderick Jones and Amarius Mims bodes well for Hughley at the next level.
Another offensive lineman who has helped his stock this week is Fano. The future Utah Ute has taken a workman like approach and has surprised with his ability to play all three offensive line positions. That’s exactly the type of thing that will not only help him see the field early in college, but make him more attractive to NFL teams down the road. Fano has great technique as a pass blocker and should be a great fit with the Utes.
Reescano is already firmly established as one of the nation’s best backs but he probably needs to be a little higher in the Rivals250 after a great week of practice and a 104-yard performance on the ground and added four receptions in the game on Friday night. Reescano has a great build and despite being tall for a running back he keeps a low pad level when the ball is in his hands. He also is a threat in the passing game and showed it during the week of practice. Lane Kiffin loves to feature backs in his offense and Reescano looks like a perfect fit in Oxford.
Despite being ranked as a four-star and heading to Utah, the defending Pac-12 champions, Blocker has kept a low profile on the national scene. He changed that this week, impressing during drills with his change of direction and size. In Friday night’s game he made a great play on defensive to read opposing quarterback Nico Iamaleava‘s eyes and nab an interception in the first quarter and then he also showed his willingness to come up and make physical plays, finishing with three tackles, including one for loss. Utah has done a nice job of developing players on defense in recent years and Blocker looks like a great fit with the Utes.
There aren’t very many true centers at the high school level but that’s exactly what Hatchett is and he’s shown that he’s one of the best in the country at his position over the last month. After impressing at the Under Armour Game, Hatchett did the same once again in Hawaii, impressing with his footwork and technique during drills and team work. Hatchett is from an area of the country that doesn’t get much love on the national scene, so the fact that he came in on a mission to impress and achieved it shows that he’s headed in the right direction heading into his college career at Washington.
Kema is another under-the-radar prospect that will move up the rankings at his position after showing off his ability as a pass blocker during the practices. Kema keeps a low profile on the field but showed good fire during the competition portions of practice and finished his blocks with aggressiveness when the situation called for it. Oklahoma State did a nice job nabbing Kema late in the process and it looks like they got a good one.
Afalava is listed as a strongside defensive end but might be on the verge of growing into a full-time defensive tackle at the next level. While he’s added weight since the last time we saw him, he hasn’t lost any bit of the quickness off the ball that makes him a problem for opposing offensive line. Playing inside at times during the week, Afalava flew off the ball and showed a nice array of pass-rushing moves. His versatility and ability to get after the passer should help him see the field in Berkeley.
At the Under Armour Game at the beginning of the month, it was Michael that played an excellent game and drew praise and on Friday night in Hawaii, it was Andrew that put on show, earning defensive MVP honors. Linebackers aren’t given a lot to do during the week at all-star events, so the spotlight is really on them when the game kicks off. Neither disappointed as Michael delivered some crushing hits and Andrew recorded two sacks and forced a fumble. The pair of former UCF commits are now considered Maryland leans, but with the way they played during the all-star season it wouldn’t be surprising to see some late schools try to make a late push.
Last year it was Julian’s brother Jonah that took the Polynesian Bowl by storm, helping his rankings stock by dominating the event and then going to Arizona and making the All-Freshman team in the Pac-12. Julian has great length and is quick off the edge and has also shown the ability to play in space. Ranked as just a two-star coming in, Savaiinaea’s trajectory could be similar to his brother’s and he’s headed to Tuscon with the arrow pointed up.
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Woody Wommack, Social Media Director
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The playoffs are here! Matchups are set for division round, so we’re looking at the key questions as the postseason continues and teams attempt to inch one step closer to the Super Bowl.
What is worth looking at from a betting perspective? And which are the best plays to help you make smart wagering decisions?
Betting analysts Doug Kezirian, Tyler Fulghum, Joe Fortenbaugh, Anita Marks and Erin Dolan, fantasy and sports betting analysts Eric Moody and Andre Snellings, ESPN Stats & Information’s Seth Walder and Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz offer their insights into the games with tips and picks.
Note: Lines are from Caesars Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.
Fortenbaugh: My favorite play is to tease Kansas City down to -2.5 and pair it with Philadelphia -1.5, but I’d lay the points with the Chiefs as well. We all know about Andy Reid’s success when coming off a bye week, but the angle here is Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Kansas City passing attack challenging one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. This is a bad matchup for the Jaguars.
Fulghum: I agree with Joe that teasing the Chiefs down to -2.5 is a strong play. The Patrick Mahomes Tax is very real. The Chiefs, essentially, win 80% of their games but because the market respects Mahomes so much as the best QB in the NFL, Kansas City often has to cover slightly inflated numbers, especially at home. I’m not quite comfortable laying that big number with the Jags (eight outright wins as an underdog this season) and Doug Pederson (6-0 ATS as a playoff underdog) on the other side.
Dolan: I’m shying away from the spread. Jacksonville has gone 7-3 ATS down the stretch and Pederson’s playoff experience gives the Jags a chance to cover. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have not been profitable against the number this season, sporting a 3-5 ATS mark at home. If anything, take a look at Kansas City (-5) in the first half given the turnover debacle for Jacksonville against the Chargers. Plus, the Chiefs were up by 13 points at the half in the only meeting this season. This total continues to rise after opening at 51.5, so I am looking at the anytime touchdown scorer market. Jerick McKinnon stands out with at least one touchdown in six straight games, including eight receiving and one rushing in that stretch. Mahomes should light up this Jags defense through the air. He posted 331 passing yards on them in November. Shop around for the best lines for his passing yards. Overall, it’ll be a player prop game for me.
Schatz: I think this number is very close to what it should be but if I needed to pick a side, I would go with the Chiefs -8.5. The Kansas City offense is, of course, the best in the league. The Chiefs’ defense has improved over the course of the year, up to 15th in weighted DVOA, which gives less strength to early games, and the Jaguars’ defense has not improved (30th in pass defense DVOA). The Jaguars also have some specific weaknesses that suggest a Chiefs win; for example, Jacksonville had the worst defense in the league against tight ends this season and was the worst against passes in the “short middle” area of the field.
Snellings: I like over 53 points for the game, the Chiefs over 29 points, plus Mahomes over 310.5 yards passing and Mahomes over 2.5 passing touchdowns. The Jaguars’ passing defense is suspect, and Mahomes averaged 331.8 passing yards in the past 11 games, outside of the season finale when he had a light workload. Mahomes lit the Jaguars up for 331 yards passing and four touchdowns in their Week 10 meeting. The Jaguars’ offense is much improved of late with Trevor Lawrence on a run; it has averaged 27.2 PPG in its past five outings including the playoffs. Jacksonville should put enough points on the board for Mahomes and crew to have to keep scoring, pushing the Chiefs over their point total and the overall score over as well.
Moody: I’m gravitating toward the over in this matchup. The Chiefs rank among the top offenses in multiple statistical categories, including points per game (29.2). Pederson has had a tremendous impact with Lawrence and the Jaguars’ offense, averaging 24.2 points per game during the regular season. It is a matchup Reid is salivating over because Jacksonville’s secondary is one of the worst in the league. The over has been 4-0 in the Jaguars’ past four games against winning teams. This game will feature a lot of scoring.
Kezirian: The only concern I have is the health of Jalen Hurts. If he looked sharp in his Week 18 return, then I would love this play. Philly was favored by 7.5 at the Giants earlier this season and now you get the same spread at home. Given Hurts had another week off, I am going to play Philly and hope he looks that much better. I also doubt the Giants’ pass rush will be able to dominate the trenches like it did against Minnesota. The Vikings offensive line was banged up but the Eagles have a strong interior offensive line. I expect a decent number of points and Philly to win by at least two scores.
Fortenbaugh: I’d tease Philadelphia with Kansas City and would also lay the points with the Birds. Now that the fugazi Vikings have been eliminated from contention, it’s time to say goodbye to “Minnesota Light,” aka the Giants. New York is now 10-4-1 in one-score games this season and enters the 19th game of the season with a +1 point differential. Translation: This team isn’t as good as people think. Further, Philly was laying 7.5 points at New York back in mid-December. Now the Eagles are at home, off a bye and still laying 7.5? I see value in the Eagles.
Fulghum: I like the Eagles to beat the Giants for the third time this season and advance to the NFC Championship Game, but I’m a bit concerned about the halted momentum of the team heading into the postseason. There’s a lot to like about the Giants, on the other hand. They’re playing with house money. They are extraordinarily well-coached. They are 14-4 ATS this season, including 11-2 in the underdog role. This is team is legitimate in regard to exceeding market expectation, and I think it will do so again in this game with a competitive effort and a cover.
0:42
Why Joe Fortenbaugh is betting the Eagles giving the points
Joe Fortenbaugh explains why he is taking the Eagles over the Giants.
Schatz: I’ve been driving the Philadelphia Eagles bandwagon since the preseason and I’m not going to stop now, but I actually think Giants +7.5 makes for a better spread pick. The Eagles have declined a bit in recent weeks. Their pass defense, for example, ranked first in DVOA in Weeks 1-9 but just 14th in Weeks 10-18. At the same time, the Giants’ passing game is trending in the other direction: 15th through Week 9, then fifth in the league from Week 10 through the wild-card round. The Eagles’ passing game has also declined in recent weeks, even if you remove the Gardner Minshew games, but this is not matched by a similar improvement from the Giants defense. The Giants’ defense is awful, particularly against the run, and has been all year. This game features the No. 1 run offense DVOA (Eagles) and the No. 32 run defense DVOA (Giants). That’s a big reason why I think the Eagles will take the victory, but the quietly successful Giants passing game could keep it closer than expected.
Walder: I’m mildly wary of Hurts’ health, but think the Eagles are the far, far superior team in general. As a result, I’m looking at an alternate line such as Eagles -16 at +213: In a world where Hurts is uninhibited, I like Philadelphia’s chances to roll. I just can’t get over the quality of the Eagles roster. My recent exercise of ranking the 100 most valuable players in the NFL featured 12 members of the Eagles. Twelve! Philadelphia has the edge at quarterback, offensive weapons, secondary and in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Giants have had a nice run but I think it may end ugly to a far superior team.
Moody: Being in the NFC East, the Giants and Eagles are very familiar with one another. As the top seed in the NFC, Philadelphia has a lot of pressure on it coming into this game and Hurts isn’t 100 percent because of a shoulder injury. Having said that, the Giants have played well on the road. New York is 10-1 against the spread in its past 11 road playoff games. Despite what people think, the Giants will keep this game close. New York was defeated by only six points by the Eagles in their most recent meeting.
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Fulghum: I’m on the record saying I believe the Bengals are the superior football team at this point in the season to Buffalo. If you wager by adhering to how the markets move, the “sharp” side or the “right” side in this matchup is Buffalo. It opened as a 4-point favorite and money moved that a full point its way by midweek. This is going to be the stubborn IKBTY — I Know Better Than You (trademark pending) — bet on my card for the divisional round. I’m going to take the points with Cincinnati and sprinkle a little on the ML upset. If you think I’m crazy, I don’t blame you at all.
Dolan: Bengals with the points. The Bills have been bet up to -5.5 due to three six-figure wagers coming in at Caesars. The Bills have major turnover issues. Josh Allen‘s three turnovers were turned into 18 points for Miami. One could argue that both teams played poorly in the divisional round, failing to cover yet beating backup quarterbacks. I agree with that sentiment, but the Bengals have been profitable all season with a 12-5 ATS record. The Bengals have won nine straight games, beating tough opponents including the Chiefs. This is too many points for two great teams to go head-to-head.
0:47
Will the Bengals cover the spread against the Bills?
Tyler Fulghum explains why he likes taking the points with the Bengals vs. the Bills.
Schatz: Although the Bills finished the year No. 1 in our DVOA ratings at Football Outsiders, I’m also going to take Bengals +5.5. The Bengals finished fifth in our ratings, and the gap between these teams is smaller than the line for this game, even after accounting for the offensive line injuries in Cincinnati. I’m expecting to see both teams with long, sustained drives, especially given that both offenses are very strong on third down and both defenses are stronger on first and second down than on third.
Snellings: Bengals +5.5. I believe the Bengals are the best team in the AFC this season, so getting points in the matchup is a bonus. But don’t take my word for it — the Bengals in this Burrow-led contending era are a team that very rarely loses by more than five points. This season, of 18 games (including the playoffs), they only lost by more than three points once. In fact, you can extend back to the late last season and Bengals +5.5 would be 26-1 in their past 27 games (including 5-0 in the playoffs).
Moody: I’m taking the Bengals and the points. Last week, it was surprising to see the Bills barely win against a Dolphins team with its third-string quarterback. In their past six playoff games, the Bengals are 4-1-1. Cincinnati is a very talented team that matches up well offensively and defensively with the Bills. The Bengals could outright win this game, but I believe it will close.
Fortenbaugh: I’m laying it with the 49ers. They’ve got two extra days of rest, home-field advantage, a better defense and the ability to get their elite pass-catching unit into wide open space. Did you see how many wide receivers were running free in the Seattle game? Brock Purdy doesn’t need to be Joe Montana. He just needs to play clean football.
0:37
Why you should take the 49ers to cover
Doug Kezirian explains why he believes San Francisco will cover against Dallas.
Fulghum: I’m also on record saying San Francisco is the best football team in the entire NFL. I’m going to lay the points with the 49ers. The 48-hour rest advantage, the dominant defense, the fully healthy and extremely dynamic playmakers on offense — this team is absolutely stacked. Dallas is, admittedly, dangerous. Dak Prescott played excellent football against Tampa Bay and Micah Parsons can wreck any game. The 49ers, though, are a superior roster with a superior scheme on offense. As long as they do not hurt themselves, they should be able to overwhelm Dallas like they have each of their past 11 opponents.
Schatz: San Francisco is the No. 1 team in weighted DVOA, which lowers the value of earlier games to get a better idea of how teams are playing now. The Cowboys rank seventh in that same metric. But, in particular, look at where the teams are trending in just the past few weeks. The 49ers offense ranks No. 1 in pass DVOA since Purdy took over at quarterback in Week 13. Meanwhile, the Cowboys pass defense was third in the league in Weeks 1-9 but ranks only 16th if we look at Weeks 10-19. (If you flip to the other side, both the 49ers’ pass defense and the Cowboys’ pass offense have improved in recent weeks.) Both teams rank in the top five in pass rush win rate, and so I expect things are going to get harder on these quarterbacks under pressure. When that happens, I have more trust in the 49ers to make sure Purdy can find open receivers. Add it all up, and I’m on 49ers -3.5.
Moody: I’m drawn to the total in this matchup. The 49ers’ offense is mauling its opponents. There has been only one game since Week 12 in which San Francisco failed to score 33 points or more. Neither the 49ers nor the Cowboys lack offensive playmakers. In San Francisco’s past four games, the over is 4-0, while in Dallas’ past six games following a win against the spread, the over is 5-1.
Marks: I’ll buy the 49ers down to -3. Give me Kyle Shanahan over Mike McCarthy seven days a week, and twice on Sunday night! The 49ers are rested (three extra days), yet the Cowboys have to travel for their fourth straight road game (five of past six). The 49ers have won 11 straight games by a point differential of +179, with Purdy at the helm for seven of them. Prescott looked good against the Bucs, but the 49ers are an entirely different animal. The Bucs rank 26th in the NFL in turnover rate while the 49ers rank third-best! Prescott tosses two picks in this game, the Cowboys lose, and Dallas fans spend the entire offseason debating if he is the guy.
Walder: I’m somewhat torn on the game and total, but I do like 49ers to win the first quarter (+103). If we look at the first-drive efficiency — when coaches often script plays — these two teams are wildly different: The 49ers EPA/P on those opening drives is 0.17, a very strong number. The Cowboys are at -0.05. And that’s a not a Cooper Rush problem: Dallas has actually been even worse on its opening drives with Prescott on the field.
Moody: Travis Kelce over 79.5 receiving yards. It would be surprising if Andy Reid didn’t try to exploit this matchup against the Jaguars, who have had trouble defending tight ends all season. Kelce led the Chiefs with 152 targets and will be busy Saturday afternoon against Jacksonville. He has averaged 78.7 receiving yards this season.
Marks: Mahomes over 2.5 passing TDs. Mahomes tossed four TDs in Week 10 against the Jags and Jacksonville’s red zone defense ranks 24th in the NFL while K.C.’s red zone TD rate is second-best at 70%.
Fulghum: Ezekiel Elliott under 34.5 rushing yards. Elliott is no longer the lead back in Dallas and the Cowboys staff (smartly) realizes it. Since the Cowboys’ Week 9 bye, Tony Pollard has out-snapped Elliott in six of the eight games they have played together — including the wild-card win in Tampa. Elliott is averaging a meager 2.6 YPC over his past 72 rushing attempts covering five games. Not only is Dallas a road underdog in danger of falling into a negative game script, but the 49ers also boast the league’s best run defense. This is an extremely adverse environment for Zeke to be productive and efficient.
Schatz: I want to go with Kelce’s over so badly. The Jaguars are terrible against tight ends. But 79.5 yards with -135 odds is too much. Instead, let’s take Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. over 17.5 receiving yards. The Chiefs are 28th in DVOA against running backs in the passing game and 31st against passes in the short middle of the field. Let’s see some Texas routes and halfback choice, not just dump-offs and screens. Etienne has at least 17 receiving yards in four of his past five games and caught three passes for 28 yards when these teams played in Week 10.
Snellings: Christian McCaffrey over 105.5 total rush + receiving yards. McCaffrey is an electric back who is high-usage in both the running and passing games for the 49ers. He’s central to all they do. Not including the last game of the regular season, McCaffrey has at least 136 total yards in five of his past six games.
Marks: Dallas Goedert over 47.5 receiving yards. The Giants are one of the most blitz-happy teams, which leaves them vulnerable in other areas. Defending TEs is one of them, and they allowed T.J. Hockenson to post 129 yards last week. The G-Men are 31st in cover rate, and have allowed 608 YAC to the position.
Schatz: 49ers -3.5 is my best bet. I just think the 49ers are too good on both sides of the ball right now. Some team might finally figure out how to cover those 49ers receivers so they aren’t so wide open. I don’t think the Cowboys are going to be that team.
Walder: Frank Clark over 0.25 sacks (+200 at FanDuel). Clark was decent in 2022: just 5.0 sacks but a 16% pass rush win rate at edge — right about average for a starter at the position. The key to finding value at this price — and my sack model makes the right number +130 — is the spread. The Chiefs being 8.5-point favorites means they are more likely to be ahead — and when opposing offenses are behind, they are forced into more frequent must-pass situations and into taking greater risks. That’s when sacks happen.
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Last Updated: 21/01/23 1:23pm
Toto Wolff believes he is living in Christian Horner’s head “rent free” and thinks speaking about the Red Bull chief is a “waste of time”.
The Mercedes chief and Horner have publicly sparred several times, with Horner making digs at Wolff during an award ceremony in December, joking that his rival was the Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards.
When asked about what he thinks of their rivalry during an interview with The Times, Wolff said: “I am living in his head rent-free. The guy is obsessed.
“Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”
The rivalry between the pair came to a head during the 2021 season when Mercedes and Red Bull were battling it out for the championship.
There was certainly no love lost between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Red Bull boss Christian Horner during the 2021 title tussle
The season ended in controversial fashion, when Michael Masi made a contentious safety car decision which allowed Max Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton to the title.
Wolff opened up about the frustrations after the Abu Dhabi race and said the decision taken by Masi during the race breached the “principle of fairness”.
“At the end of the race, an individual (Masi, who has since been replaced) took decisions that were not reflected anywhere in the rule book and were so drastic that they made the outcome unbelievable.
“That is a moment when you fall out of love with the sport…the principle of fairness was breached.
Take a look at some of the best overtakes from the 2022 season.
“The FIA took the guy out of the job because it was a human error. But it’s done and dusted now. I still think about it a lot, but not with anger; it is just incomprehensible how it came about.”
During the 2022 season, Wolff and Horner had disputes over bouncing cars, illegal flexible floors and the cost cap row.
In August 2022, Martin Brundle spent time with Christian Horner at his country home to discuss all things Red Bull
During an exclusive interview with Sky Sports in August 2022, Horner was asked about his rivalry with Wolff and said “it’s very easy to pull his chain”.
“Toto is Toto. He’s done a phenomenal job with Mercedes. He’s obviously come into the sport from a very different background to me, he’s very much from a financial background,” he said.
“And it’s very easy to pull his chain, and you can see it. Sometimes it affects him. So of course when you’re competing, and last year was so intense and of course it was the first time he’d ever been in that situation, it’s always interesting to see how people react.
Natalie Pinkham, Simon Lazenby, Karun Chandhok and David Croft select their favourite races, overtakes and most improved drivers and teams from Formula 1 2022.
“And when they’re smashing headphones and so on, you can see that you got to them.”
Asked if he thought he was a better team boss than Wolff, Horner added: “That’s not for me to judge…
“I’m focused on what I’m doing, you guys are judge and jury. Sometimes we get judged by Sky but that’s not for me… I’m focused on what I’m doing and he’s focused on what he’s doing.”
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The vision may break down, however, when the tours try to figure out how to divide revenue. Men know their tour is more profitable and have long resisted equal partnerships with the women’s tour.
Gaudenzi said more men, especially the younger generation, understand the importance of equality and are much more open to the concept of joining forces with the women than they were when he played in the 1990s.
“They understand the value, you just have to show them the business case,” he said.
He added: “We are in the entertainment business, so we have to entertain people, not ourselves.”
Also, the plan de-emphasizes smaller tournaments, where players can collect appearance fees. A few of those are the most successful and popular events on the tour, such as the Estoril Open on the Portuguese Riviera, where players love the packed stadiums, seaside setting and full embrace of some of the region’s wealthiest companies, as well as the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Ackman said much of the maneuvering he has seen represents old-world thinking. That is partly why he aligned with the players, who have the most incentive to push for change. They stars of the show but receive roughly 15 to 25 percent of the revenues — about half of what athletes in other sports receive.
“Tennis is an oligopoly, and oligopolies are not innovative, and nonprofit ones are even less innovative,” Ackman said.
Through his philanthropic fund, Ackman is helping to bankroll Djokovic’s Professional Tennis Players Association, a new players’ union, and the Winners Alliance, a player-controlled, for-profit entity, though he said he has no designs on profiting from tennis.
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Matthew Futterman and Lauren Hirsch
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Fans shows support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin
Is there a storybook ending to the tale of the 2022 Buffalo Bills? The disruption phase of every traditional narrative arc continues to linger, and now the Cincinnati Bengals await as the next Big Bad on their quest to Super Bowl riches and resolution.
The NFL has little time for supposed fate, and yet a cocktail of Mother Nature, near-tragedy, A-lister injury, a three-decade-long wait for Lombardi redemption and all the inbetween nuances of football’s any given Sunday-any given snap mantra threaten to merge as the perfect imperfect finale.
As an on-field product Sean McDermott’s side persist to test the boundaries of full throttle every-down aggression, the face of which has been quarterback Josh Allen and an unerring belief in his mutant arm and ability to decapitate a defense no matter the circumstance.
They have become quintessential movie theatre football at both ends of the spectrum, from climactic deep-ball haymaker to one-too-many fearlessness. They teeter on the edge of chaos, more often than not though out-weighing sloppiness with devastating execution. And the NFL loves them for it.
January 22, 2023, 7:00pm
Live on 
There was 1.54 on the clock in the second quarter of their Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins, the Bills facing a third-and-eight in the wake of a sack generated by the 256th Josh Boyer blitz of the day. Ken Dorsey’s reply was to dial up and disguise a quads concept (four receivers aligned to one side of the field), Khalil Shakir mirroring Gabe Davis’ curved inside release into an out before subtly transitioning to a post-route downfield; Allen had already wound up (granted, he needs little wind up) and dunked on an exposed secondary with the most Allenest of moonballs to meet the path of his receiver, only for the rookie to fumble a would-be 54-yard catch and likely walk-in touchdown.
Highlights of the the Miami Dolphins’ clash with the Buffalo Bills in the Super Wild Card game
The Bills had been up 17-6; it would have been game out of sight against a Skylar Thompson-quarterbacked Miami, who instead closed within three points by half-time before taking the lead on a fumble return immediately after the break and forcing back-to-back punts as Allen whiffed an easy third-and-seven completion to a crossing Shakir having missed an open Davis on his endzone-bound out-and-up pattern.
It was frenetic, Orchard Park could not settle, it was ‘what next?’ Bills football.
The Boyer blitz was unrelenting as he elected to throw every available Miami body at blunting the story’s main character. That he resorted to daring Allen to beat him was – while potentially a blueprint to luring 2018 Allen-esque mistakes against Cover 0/1 – testament to the ‘only so much you can do to slow him’ potency he has developed under center.
Buffalo’s superpower is their never-ending bucket of splash plays with which to snatch back momentum should it ever leave them. For every erratic Allen quirk a retaliating masterpiece is to be expected. They found a way again.
Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano were burning up the turf as they flew from tackle to tackle, Leslie Frazier barely flinched on the sideline while stylishly rocking the slanted beanie hat to leave his headset ear exposed, Allen was starting a new club as the only quarterback in the league willing to pick a fight with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam was plotting his heroic game-icing fourth-and-six pass breakup. On the edge, high-charged Bills football.
Watch the best plays from an incredible 2022 season by Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen
Staring down a challenge has become part of their identity, They have needed it more than ever this year. And here they still are.
On Sunday, they face the Bengals for the first time since Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during their Week 17 Monday Night Football matchup. Harrowing scenes had seen Bills players and personnel being consoled on the field as they watched, and said their prayers, while medical staff administered CPR to their team-mate and brother, before taking a knee together at mid-field as Hamlin was transported to local hospital in Cincinnati and placed in intensive care overnight.
It prompted a league-wide outreach of support as the nation held its breath for the 24-year-old, who by Thursday had been reported to have opened his eyes and displayed remarkable progress before doctors removed his breathing tube on the Friday as Hamlin was able to talk with Bills players and coaches over FaceTime.
A draining week made for emotional scenes that weekend when the Bills hosted the New England Patriots in their regular season finale, Orchard Park playing stage to a flood of No 3 shirts and hats in tribute to Hamlin as Allen and co. dedicated the performance to the second-year safety, who would encapsulate his staggering improvement by tweeting a picture of him watching on from his hospital bed.
Nyheim Hines scores an incredible second kick-off return touchdown for the Buffalo Bills against the New England Patriots
The rest was storybook stuff. On the opening play of the game, returner Nyheim Hines would punch the open lane and tear away for a 96-yard touchdown from kickoff to the sound a raucous Bills mafia. He would do it again in the third quarter, this time bouncing through multiple would-be tacklers to race home for a 101-yard score as a fired up city erupted once more. As if it the script could not get any better, Hines’ opener marked the team’s first return touchdown in three years and three months. A reminder: Hamlin wears No 3.
“If you want the truth, it was spiritual,” said Allen. “It really was. Bone-chilling. It was special.”
Fully-fledged magic could yet reach greater heights as John Brown proceeded to celebrate his 42-yard touchdown catch on the next drive by gifting the ball to one of the Bills trainers responsible for saving Hamlin’s life on the field that night.
To focus on football when football had temporarily lost all meaning or importance was a glowing reflection of an already tight-knit family that now had something else to galvanise them. And it hasn’t been their only obstacle.
A look at some of this season’s best plays from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
In November, seven feet of snowfall in just 24 hours resulted in the Bills having to fly to Detroit for a relocated home matchup against the Cleveland Browns, before returning home and then heading back to Detroit to face the Lions on Thanksgiving four days later.
They battled treacherous conditions again in December when another snowstorm left players having to dig out their cars, the more pressing concern being the loss of at least 39 people in the area. The Bills have since surprised local resident Jay Withey with Super Bowl tickets in reward for his efforts in saving 24 people during the storm by breaking into a school to provide shelter.
Elsewhere away from the field, 2022 saw the Bills position themselves at the forefront of support for the local community following a racist shooting that resulted in the death of 10 black people in a supermarket in May, before rallying around tight end Dawson Knox in the wake of the death of his younger brother Luke in August.
The Buffalo Bills family show support for Damar Hamlin ahead of their game against the New England Patriots
On the field, many people’s pick for the Super Bowl was dealt a setback in Week Two when star defensive back Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury, before Hall of Fame-bound edge rusher Von Miller was also ruled out for the year with a knee injury picked up on Thanksgiving.
Four straight Super Bowl defeats from 1990-1993 remain an unyielding point of reference. So too does the Kansas City Chiefs breaking Bills hearts with 13 seconds left in last year’s Divisional Round matchup after Buffalo had spent the best part of a year devising a plan for Patrick Mahomes on the back of their AFC Championship Game defeat.
Allen attempts throws of 20+ yards at a preposterous rate and plays with interception fire like few others, while the Bills defense has itself been among the most susceptible to downfield bombs-away passes all year. They are box office, with some story to tell.
In Joe Burrow they meet a master of narrative demolition. But can anybody thwart these charged up Bills?
The NFL playoffs continue on Sky Sports this weekend, with divisional round double-headers on both Saturday and Sunday night; watch Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills on Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL from 8pm
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Former WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart will meet with the Seattle Storm, New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics once the league’s free agency period opens Saturday night at midnight ET, sources told ESPN.
The meetings will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, where Stewart is playing for the club team Fenerbahce, sources said.
Stewart’s free agency comes at a critical moment for the WNBA, which has been debating issues around player compensation, charter air travel and overseas commitments for years.
She has spoken publicly on all of these issues in the past, but has only tweeted several cryptic messages filled with emojis as she approaches her own free agency, which has led to rampant speculation around the league about what she values most in this decision.
The free agency of Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, who is expected to meet with the Sky, Lynx, Liberty and Storm, is expected to factor into Stewart’s decision as well, sources said.
The Liberty seem to have been positioning for a run at Stewart, who has won two titles with the Seattle Storm, by trading for former WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones last week.
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Jaden Rashada, a top quarterback prospect in the 2023 class, has been released from his national letter of intent by Florida and is now free to sign with another team, a source told ESPN.
Rashada, who was the highest-rated signee in the Gators’ 2023 class in December, asked for his release after a reported $13 million name, image and likeness package fell through.
State law prohibits universities in Florida from providing or arranging NIL compensation. Deals are therefore made through third parties known as collectives.
The Associated Press reported that the Gator Collective terminated its agreement with Rashada, which was to be paid out over four years.
Rashada never enrolled in classes and asked for his release earlier in the week.
The No. 27 player in the ESPN 300, Rashada becomes the highest-ranked uncommitted prospect in the 2023 class.
National Signing Day is Feb. 1.
Rashada, who is from California, was originally committed to Miami before flipping his commitment to Florida.
He received offers from a number of Power 5 programs. According to 247 Sports, he took official visits to LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss, in addition to Miami and Florida.
The Gators are thin at the quarterback position with Rashada now off the board.
Last year’s starter, Anthony Richardson, declared for the NFL draft. His backup, Jalen Kitna, was dismissed following his arrest on child pornography charges.
Florida signed Wisconsin transfer and former top recruit Graham Mertz in December. He’s expected to compete with former Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III for the starting job.
On3 was first to report that Rashada was granted his release.
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A football game is really contested among four teams: two offenses and two defenses. In recent seasons, though, explosive offenses have dominated much of the coverage. Each playoff team’s chances are usually discussed in terms of offensive output, while defenses need to be as dominant as the 49ers’ to define a team’s identity.
The Bills and Bengals are capable of scoring outbursts and came away with wild-card wins last week as big favorites. But both teams failed to cover the spread after struggling to contain opponents that started backup quarterbacks.
The remaining playoff teams are as evenly matched as they have been all year, and that’s especially true of the offenses. Of the eight teams left in the postseason, seven finished the regular season in the top 10 for offensive efficiency, while only five have top-10 defenses. Those stronger defenses should provide the edge in this weekend’s divisional round matchups.
Last week’s record: 2-3-1
All times Eastern.
No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1 Kansas City, 4:30 p.m., NBC
Line: Kansas City -9 | Total: 52.5
The Jaguars have played their best when they’ve been expected to do the least. After starting with a 3-7 record that left Jacksonville way outside the playoff picture, the team won six of their final seven regular-season games to force its way in. In the wild-card round against the Chargers, Trevor Lawrence threw four picks in the first half, seemingly burying the Jags with a 27-0 deficit. But the Jaguars rallied for one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history.
By that logic, the underdog Jaguars could put on another show in a game they’re not expected to win — playing top-seeded Kansas City, who had the N.F.L.’s best regular-season offense. Because Kansas City has been so good, the team has laid big numbers in game after game and won a lot of games it failed to cover. In its last nine home games, they are 1-7-1 against the spread. That could be because the market is giving them too many points for home-field advantage. It also could be a consequence of a defense that likes to get aggressive when playing with a comfortable lead.
Kansas City’s defense — which ranks 20th in passing defense, per Football Outsiders’ Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (D.V.O.A.) metric — takes more chances with their pass rush when ahead. It’s a high-risk, high-reward scenario that can often end games with a quarterback sack or give up big plays late. Time running down, playing from behind, that’s when Lawrence and company have shined. Pick: Jaguars +9
No. 6 Giants at No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m., Fox
Line: Eagles -7.5 | Total: 48
All season, the Giants thrived on climbing back into games they trailed, with four fourth-quarter comebacks in the regular season. But Daniel Jones may have given the best performance (301 passing yards and 78 rushing yards) of the wild-card weekend, when the Giants scored four touchdowns and played from ahead most of the way in an upset of the Vikings. The lead owed as much to the team getting back defensive starters from injury and their limiting the Vikings’ big plays.
The defense will have to re-up on that effort against the Eagles and Jalen Hurts, who enter the game rested thanks to last week’s bye. The Eagles beat the Giants in both of their regular-season meetings, but those games are probably not terribly predictive: The Giants had significant offensive-line injuries in the first meeting (Philadelphia won, 48-22), and they rested their starters in a 22-16 loss in Week 18.
Despite Jones’s dual-threat abilities and the re-emergence of running back Saquon Barkley in contract seasons for both, the Giants feasted on a loser’s schedule this season. Against top-10 defenses, the team went 2-4-1. Those games were all within reach: All but one were decided by eight points of fewer.
Philadelphia ranks sixth in defensive D.V.O.A. and first in passing D.V.O.A., and the Eagles are particularly dangerous pass rushers: They are the N.F.L. sack leaders (70), led by Haason Reddick’s 16 and three other players with double-digit totals.
The line opened at 7, and sharp action on the Eagles quickly moved it to 7.5. Since then, the Giants have taken the vast majority of the money, but the line hasn’t gone back to 7 yet. It’s possible that by kickoff this spread gets even bigger, not smaller. Pick: Eagles -7.5
No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 2 Buffalo Bills, 3 p.m., CBS
Line: Bills -5 | Total: 48
The Bills should be playing on emotion in this rematch of the Week 17 game that was canceled after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the contest. Hamlin reportedly will be in attendance on the Bills’ sideline for the first time, and that could give a major morale boost. But the Bills have struggled with turnovers, particularly when quarterback Josh Allen’s opportunistic throws ignore easy, clock-controlling short pick-ups.
The Bengals have locked up opponents late thanks largely to defensive adjustments made in-game by the coordinator Lou Anarumo that limit big plays long enough for the Bengals’ offense to do damage (and in some cases, defensive linemen have forced turnovers that led to touchdowns).
Cincinnati may need the help putting up points. The offensive line’s injury woes continued last week when Jonah Williams went down with a knee injury in the wild-card win over the Ravens. Williams and Alex Cappa, another starter on the line who injured his ankle in Week 18, did not practice Wednesday. Joe Burrow has adapted to the pressure: He’s been getting the ball out in an average of 2.49 seconds, the second fastest in the league behind Tom Brady.
Buffalo’s defense hasn’t been as strong in the last half of the season, especially since losing Von Miller to a knee injury in November, and they’ve been forced to blitz more than they probably want to. Miami exploited Buffalo’s secondary, with the receiver combo of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill getting 113 yards on 10 catches. If Skylar Thompson can do that, imagine what Burrow can do with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase spreading the field. Pick: Bengals +5
No. 5 Dallas Cowboys at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 p.m., Fox
Line: 49ers -3.5 | Total: 46
The Dallas Cowboys notched their first road playoff win in 30 years last week to set up this throwback to the rivalry games of the 1990s. There have been some stylistic updates for both franchises, though.
Brock Purdy is not Steve Young, and he hasn’t had to be. The 49ers have won 11 straight, with the rookie backup Purdy under center for seven of those games. His bevy of options, from tight end George Kittle to running back Christian McCaffrey to Deebo Samuel, are fast and hard to tackle, and they rack up yards after the catch.
This won’t be an offensive bonanza for either side, though, after both teams absolutely wrecked their opponents in the wild-card round. The market has made the San Francisco a 3.5-point favorite, the narrowest spread of the weekend, and the total of 46 points is its lowest. The 49ers’ Nick Bosa and Cowboys’ Micah Parsons are the two leading contenders for the defensive player of the year, so these quarterbacks should be pressured more than they have been all season.
Dak Prescott is the better of the two quarterbacks, but he’ll need his running backs, Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott, to help keep the 49ers’ defense honest. San Francisco is better at defending the pass than the rush, and went 2-4 in games in which they allowed 99 or more yards on the ground. Assuming the 49ers are able to neutralize receiver CeeDee Lamb as well as other teams have recently, the Cowboys may need to rely on Dalton Schultz, and for Prescott to avoid a disaster turnover. It’s a lot that needs to go right, but that’s why Dallas is getting the points. Pick: Cowboys +3.5
A quick primer for those who are not familiar with betting lines: Favorites are listed next to a negative number that represents how many points they must win by to cover the spread. Buccaneers -2.5, for example, means that Tampa Bay must beat the Seahawks by at least 3 points for its backers to win their bet. Gamblers can also bet on the total score, which is whether the teams’ combined score in the game is over or under a preselected number of points.
Betting-market data is taken from Action Network’s Public Betting data, and lines are taken from Unabated’s real-time-odds tracker.
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David Hill
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Even since last summer, Arizona and Stanford were two of the frontrunners for four-star linebacker Leviticus Su’a.The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout loved the coaching staff in Tucson, the P…
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Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Concern exuded from Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open press room. It was two years ago, the summer of 2021, and he was fielding question upon question about his nagging oblique injury.
“I know it’s a tear of the muscle. Definitely,” Djokovic professed to reporters. “I don’t know if I’ll manage to recover in less than two days. I’m not sure I’ll be able to play the next match.”
Hours earlier, during his third-round clash against American Taylor Fritz, Djokovic had suffered a nasty fall when he slipped on the white-painted “MELBOURNE” lettering behind the baseline on Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic returned to the court after undertaking an extended medical timeout but was significantly hampered in his movement. He constantly rubbed the right side of his abdomen and attempted to stretch the muscle between almost every point. He winced as he tracked down balls, giving up on plenty that were struck only a few feet either side of his racket. The two-sets-to-love advantage he had established disappeared in the blink of an eye, and his title defence looked to be in tatters.
A week later, inches from where he’d suffered that fall, Djokovic raised the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup aloft. He had not only managed to win against Fritz, but somehow he orchestrated four more victories en route to a record ninth Australian Open title.
There are some serious parallels between what happened two years ago and what looks to be transpiring here in 2023.
Djokovic tweaked his left hamstring against Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal of the Adelaide International earlier this month, clutching at the muscle before calling for a medical timeout.
The Serbian star recovered to win the match, before beating Sebastian Korda in a grueling final, but his status for the Australian Open was anything but certain. Concerns only mounted when he cut short a practice match against Medvedev a few days later in Melbourne, citing further discomfort in the hamstring.
But when Djokovic’s name was announced to a capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, he was there, sporting a significant amount of strapping on his left thigh and hamstring, but nevertheless ready to battle first-round opponent Roberto Carballes Baena.
The feeling of déjà vu continued Thursday when Djokovic returned to the Melbourne press podium following his second-round win over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud.
“I am worried. I cannot say that I’m not. I have reason to be worried,” Djokovic admitted. “My situation with my injury is not ideal, [and] I don’t know how my body is going to react. I hope for a positive outcome.”
Djokovic took a medical timeout midway through the second set against Couacaud after pulling up gingerly on a missed return of serve. And just as he had done 24 months earlier with his oblique, he then took any pause in play to stretch out his troublesome muscle.
After losing the second set in a tense tie-breaker, Djokovic reeled off 12 of the next 14 games to win the match and advance to the third round, where he will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.
“Two years ago I had similar circumstances here in Australia and I had to deal with that. The good thing we have in Grand Slams is always a day off between matches, so at least you have some time to try and recover and get ready for the next match. That’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’m not practicing on the days between because I’m trying to give myself more time for my leg to be in somewhat of an ideal state for performance on a high level.
“My physio and medical team have been doing everything possible so that I can be able to play every match. I’ll take it day by day, match by match, and see how it goes.”
Questions were raised in 2021 about the true extent of Djokovic’s injury. Some had speculated he was perhaps lulling his opponents into a false sense of security and that he wasn’t as hampered as he had made it seem.
That notion was immediately put to rest in the aftermath of his straight sets win over Medvedev in the final, when he revealed the degree of the damage — a 25-millimeter tear, which had increased from 17 millimeters when he first “felt it snap.”
The extent of Djokovic’s hamstring injury won’t be revealed by his camp so long as he’s still in contention for the title, but his detractors will no doubt raise the same queries should he continue his winning run.
And it seems, in many ways, like a theme right now — the all-time greats of the sport, willing themselves to the finish line, even when the deck is stacked against them.
Rafael Nadal refused to throw in the towel against American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round, despite trailing two sets to love and battling a hip injury. Andy Murray, metal hip and all, clawed his way back from two sets down against crowd favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis to win an epic five-hour, 45-minute encounter — the second-longest match ever played at the tournament, and by far the longest of Murray’s career.
The recently retired Roger Federer isn’t here, but the 20-time major champion, who many believe to be the greatest player of all time, boasts a startling feat of never once retiring hurt from a tennis match. Across his singles and doubles career, he played 1,749 matches.
And then there’s Djokovic. We know he’s hurting. We also know he won’t lay down.
“There’s two choices — leave or keep going,” he said after the win against Couacaud. “I know matches are only going to get tougher for me from here [but] I’m going to keep going. I’m going to try to play and compete.”
As Djokovic proved in 2021, he should never be written off.
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Instead, Farrell has focused on the long and tortured relationship between the Argentine firm Burzaco led, Torneos y Competencias, and the Fox unit with which it had entered into a joint venture to control soccer rights. What started as bribes to a handful of South American soccer officials had, by 2011, expanded to nearly a dozen men who threatened to cancel lucrative contracts for the popular Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana tournaments — which had been sold for far under market value — if they did not receive their annual bribes.
In 2010, Burzaco said, he told López about the bribes at a beachside hotel in Florida, where both men had traveled to watch the Super Bowl. Burzaco testified that he told López a second time during a meeting in Fox’s corporate headquarters in midtown Manhattan later that year. In 2012, after Martínez took over the unit’s Latin American operations, Burzaco said he filled him in on the bribes over coffee at a Dean & DeLuca cafe in Rockefeller Center.
One of the primary recipients of bribes was Grondona, who at the time served as a FIFA vice president, the chairman of the soccer body’s finance committee and the president of the Argentine soccer association. According to Burzaco’s testimony, when FIFA in October 2011 opened bidding for the English language rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, López reached out to him to tell him Fox planned to bid. López, Burzaco said, then asked him to reach out to Grondona “to let him know that any help would be welcome.”
Burzaco, eager to help his primary commercial partner, which helped keep Torneos solvent by hiring it to produce sports content throughout Latin America, did as he was asked. Grondona, he recalled, said he would do what he could but that it would be difficult because FIFA was under intense scrutiny in the wake of its controversial votes a year earlier awarding World Cups to Russia (in 2018) and Qatar. Regardless, Grondona soon relayed the news that the rights were as good as Fox’s.
“Mr. López was very excited,” Burzaco recalled on the stand, saying López called it his “best accomplishment within Fox.” According to Burzaco, a number of other Fox officials, including Chase Carey, then in line to take over the company, and the Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch himself all expressed delight at having acquired the prize.
As for Grondona, he summoned Burzaco for a private meeting in Buenos Aires immediately after awarding the World Cup rights to Fox.
“‘Look, Alejandro, I did this favor to you and Fox,’” Burzaco recalled him saying. “‘But this is the last time I do it for free.’”
Grondona, who had been one of the primary targets of the Justice Department investigation, died of an aortic aneurysm in July 2014. Seven months later, FIFA announced that Fox had been awarded rights to the 2026 World Cup, too. This time, ESPN hadn’t even been allowed to bid.
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Ken Bensinger
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MELBOURNE, Australia — It was 4 o’clock on Friday morning at the Australian Open, and Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis were still playing tennis.
It was not a particularly rare marathon match or a vagary of the tournament’s distant time zone. At the U.S. Open last September, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were still playing at nearly 3 a.m.
Professional tennis is the only major sport that puts athletes through all-night competitions and requires them to return less than 48 hours later and put their minds and bodies back on the line.
It is a longstanding problem. But as matches stretch later into the morning hours, increasingly players are pushing back, citing concerns for their physical and mental health, and performance. Not to mention fans who are falling asleep in the stands or on their sofas around the world.
“It’s crazy,” Jessica Pegula, the American women’s star, said on Friday.
Murray’s 5-hour, 45-minute victory over Kokkinakis in the second round ended at 4:05 a.m. It was the third-latest recorded finish in the history of professional tennis, surpassed only by Alexander Zverev’s victory over Jenson Brooksby in Acapulco, Mexico, last year that ended at 4:54 a.m., and by Lleyton Hewitt’s victory over Marcos Baghdatis at the 2008 Australian Open that ended at 4:34 a.m.
It will be one of the highlights of the 35-year-old Murray’s late career. But he experienced it, unnecessarily, with mixed emotions.
“If my child was a ball kid for a tournament, and they’re coming home at 5 in the morning, as a parent I’m snapping at that,” Murray said. “It’s not beneficial for them. It’s not beneficial for the umpires, the officials. I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players.”
He added later, “Rather than it being like epic Murray-Kokkinakis match, it ends in a bit of a farce.”
It has been a particular challenge at the Australian and U.S. Open, where both a men’s and women’s singles match are scheduled in each night session, a great move for both gender equality, ticket sales and star power.
In 2008 when Hewitt finally defeated Baghdatis at the Australian Open in a match that started just before midnight and ended not long before sunrise, Hewitt’s post-match news conference didn’t begin until 5:30 a.m.
“Obviously, going on that late is not easy for anyone, any players, because it does throw your whole rhythm and clock out quite a bit,” Hewitt said at the time.
The toll is heavy on athletes, support staff and spectators with regular jobs, even though a very informal poll of fans coming out of the Murray match at 4:15 a.m. did not reveal any outrage.
“We would never leave early,” said Kathie Griffith from Canberra, Australia. “Fantastic tennis.”
Requiring play into the middle of the night seems contradictory to the sport’s increased focus on supporting players’ mental health. Nick Kyrgios, the Australian star, said his series of late matches at last year’s U.S. Open were particularly draining.
“I was always last match, going on court at 10 p.m., finishing matches around, like 1 a.m., then doing media and treatment and eating,” Kyrgios said. “I was not going to sleep before 4 a.m. every night. And I felt as if, you know, I was going out night-clubbing or something. It was like I’m not even getting enough sleep to go and perform the next day.”
Decompressing from a late match is a challenge.
“I’m staring at the room,” Kyrgios said. “You’ve got so much adrenaline, and it’s incredibly hard to wind down and to do it on a daily basis potentially seven times to win a Grand Slam. It’s exhausting, for sure.”
The sport has never had a formal collective discussion about a better, saner approach. There are guidelines on both the men’s and women’s tours about not starting matches after midnight, but that still does not preclude long-after-midnight finishes. And while the men play best-of-three sets on the regular tour, they continue to play best-of-five at the four majors in part because that remains a point of separation for the Grand Slam tournaments.
Switching to best-of-three for the men (the women already play best-of-three everywhere) would be one of the most effective ways of controlling finish times. But there are less extreme measures available, including starting play earlier, establishing a curfew or playing one singles match in a night session instead of the customary two.
Long matches are becoming more common, and there are multiple factors. Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, said the institution of the 25-second shot clock, intended to speed up play, has not necessarily worked that way. “A lot of players are taking full time now between points because they can see the time,” he said. “There’s also the equity of play with so many good players.”
Nicolás Pereira, a coach and television analyst, thinks the recent widespread use of analytics in professional tennis may also have made matches more even.
Tiley said the sport should consider changes like reducing changeover times or cutting the time between points to 20 seconds. But the biggest obstacle still seems to be that the Australian Open and U.S. Open schedule a men’s singles match and women’s singles match in each night session. That is for gender equality in a sport that was a front-runner in that area but also for entertainment value. If one match is a rout or ends early because of an injury, the other could still be a classic.
Tiley said that market research showed that offering just one match on a court in an evening session would be risky.
“I think you lose a lot with broadcasters and with fans who would be buying a ticket to risk seeing one match where one player can potentially blow out another player,” he said on Friday in an interview. “All the data and research we have on that indicates that it’s an option that would have a significant impact on the success of the event. We have a number of examples where our first match has gone 56 minutes and if that was your only match that night, I think you start to run a risk in terms of the value you provide.”
The French Open, which started night sessions in 2021 that featured only one match, has sparked complaints about gender inequality by scheduling mostly men’s matches in that slot (best-of-five generally gives you more content than best-of-three). But with an 8:45 p.m. start, there have been some late finishes in Paris, too, leaving spectators without public transport and players with the too-familiar late-night routine.
Another option in Melbourne and New York would be to schedule one singles match each night, alternating men and women, and pair that match with a doubles match that could be moved to another court if the singles match turns into a marathon.
Tiley said the problem is that the doubles events do not start until several days into the tournament. “You’d miss the first three or four nights with that,” he said, also expressing resistance to the idea of scheduling an exhibition doubles match to supplement the main singles match.
“I think you would erode interest and the data shows us that,” he said.
But Tiley, like Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open tournament director, agrees that late finishes like Alcaraz’s in New York and Murray’s in Melbourne are problematic. “Finishing that early in the morning is not ideal,” Tiley said. “I completely empathize with anyone who has to be there that late.”
Tiley said the Australian Open could be open to a curfew like the one at Wimbledon, which because of a town edict requires matches played under the lights to be stopped by 11 p.m. But Tiley said players traditionally have been resistant to the idea of stopping a match for the night once it begins.
That was once routine at the French Open and Wimbledon when there were no lights and certainly seems a better solution than testing players’ limits and reducing their chances of recovering well for subsequent matches. Alcaraz did manage to win last year’s U.S. Open after beating Marin Cilic and Sinner in matches that finished after 2 a.m., but that is an exception, and that draining effort could have contributed to Alcaraz’s recent struggles and injuries.
“If the players want to have a curfew, fine we’ll have it,” Tiley said. “We are open to anything, and we always have been. It’s not a new thing. We’ve always made adjustments.”
The Australian Open did recently move up the start of the night sessions to 7 p.m. from 7:45 p.m. But that clearly was not enough change to avoid, in Murray’s words, a “ridiculously late” finish.
Matthew Futterman contributed reporting.
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Christopher Clarey
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Union Berlin have agreed a deal with Celtic worth up to £10m to sign right-back Josip Juranovic.
The initial fee is understood to be £7.5m plus add-ons and the Croatian has been given permission to travel to Germany to complete the move to the Bundesliga side.
The 27-year-old had been a target for Chelsea this January, while Spanish sides Barcelona and Atletico Madrid had also been looking at a move for him.
Celtic had wanted to keep Juranovic in Glasgow and held talks over an improved new contract. However, neither party could reach an agreement before he departed for the World Cup in Qatar.
The former Legia Warsaw defender now looks set to depart the Scottish Premiership side after joining in August 2021 for a reported £2.5m.
Celtic have already announced the signing of Canada right-back Alistair Johnston on a five-year deal.
The Hoops paid an initial fee of £3.5m for the CF Montreal defender, who has already made three appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side since joining at the start of the month.
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window closes at 11pm in England and at midnight in Scotland on Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
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