Author: nfltalk

  • Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs QB practices fully again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship game

    Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs QB practices fully again Thursday, ‘on track’ for AFC Championship game

    Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes practiced fully again Thursday after being a full participant in Wednesday’s session. Head coach Andy Reid made it seem as though the 2022 First-Team All-Pro quarterback won’t be very limited in the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

    “He felt good in the walkthrough,” Reid said of Mahomes on Thursday, ahead of the practice session. “He’s on track. His feet are doing OK right now, so he still can move then. So he’s not just throwing with all arm. But he’s got a good enough arm. You’ve seen him do it even when there’s no ankle issue, so he’ll throw some balls where he’s flat-footed.”

    Reid thought Mahomes did a “nice job” in practice Wednesday and felt comfortable with what was being asked of him. Mahomes felt he had a good day as well, even saying he felt “probably better than I expected.” Overall, it’s been a positive stretch for Mahomes, who left his press conference Wednesday without either a walking boot or a noticeable limp.

    “I still feel like I can do a lot of things,” Mahomes said Thursday. “We’ll see as we get closer and closer — and we’ll see during the game. You can’t fully do exactly what you’re going to be in those moments in the game, but all I can do is prepare myself the best way possible — and then, when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over and you can make those throws when you need to.”

    However, he still isn’t sure how close he will be operating to his full capacity come Sunday evening. 

    “We’ll see during the game,” Mahomes said when asked what he thinks he will be able to do against the Bengals. “All I can do is prepare myself as much as possible. I’m going to prepare my body the best way during the week to be in the best position possible.”

    He said his rehab continues with “one of 8,000 different devices” to speed up his recovery when he eventually leaves the…

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  • With a sparkling stadium and surging program, San Diego State makes an easy case for Pac-12 expansion

    With a sparkling stadium and surging program, San Diego State makes an easy case for Pac-12 expansion

    SAN DIEGO — J.D. Wicker is standing on the top concourse of one of the biggest parties in the country. What else would you call San Diego State’s new stadium, which equates to the latest lob pass for what the school hopes is a slam-dunk entry into the Pac-12?

    On its best day, which projects to be every game day , college football is almost a sideshow in new Snapdragon Stadium. The main event is the craft brew-infused vibe that San Diego State’s athletic director has, well, crafted.

    “There’s more bars in that stadium than there are in most cities,” said Aztecs coach Brady Hoke.

    That isn’t entirely why San Diego State enters 2023 as the next hottest realignment candidate, but elite concessions certainly do not hurt. Taps or no taps, Wicker’s vision of a 35,000-seat boutique stadium reflecting the city’s culture, history, food and brew — built on one of the country’s most expensive pieces of real estate — was going up regardless.

    Snapdragon opened last year on time and under budget — rebranding, renewing and rallying a 126-year-old institution. At the same time, in and around “America’s Finest City,” the planets have (re)aligned. When USC and UCLA left for the Big Ten, San Diego State in a flash became the best, brightest, most geographically desirable school to fill what is now a gaping hole in Southern California for the Pac-12.

    After years of priming itself in hopes the West Coast’s flagship conference would notice, SDSU doesn’t have to flirt anymore. The moment has met SDSU, roaring down I-5 from Los Angeles to meet the school on what seems to be the Aztecs’ terms.

    “We basically went from, ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job. Your break is coming,’ to, ‘You’re the only team in Southern California that plays FBS football that isn’t in…

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  • Breaking down Mel Kiper’s first projection for the Lions

    Breaking down Mel Kiper’s first projection for the Lions

    The first mock draft projections from ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. are now public. Kiper has been one of the prominent faces and voices of the NFL draft media for decades, and his takes are always interesting.

    This mock draft flows into a couple of defensive selections for the Detroit Lions with their first-round selections at No. 6 and No. 18.

    Kiper has these five players off the board when the Lions go on the clock at No. 6 overall:

    1. Bears – Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

    2. Texans – C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

    3. Cardinals – Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama

    4. Colts – Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

    5. Seahawks – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

    At six, Kiper turns to Texas Tech EDGE Tyree Wilson. A long-armed, powerful player who led the Red Raiders with seven sacks in each of the last two seasons, Wilson brings a strong presence to the Lions defensive front. As Kiper notes,

    Wilson, the top true defensive end in this class, would help both. He can use his burst at the snap to beat offensive tackles on passing downs or use his 6-foot-6 frame to hold up against the run. An edge-rushing duo of Wilson and Aidan Hutchinson would be formidable, with surprise rookie James Houston working in on obvious passing downs.

    At No. 18, Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez gets the nod. It’s later than Gonzalez is typically projected, but that’s a positive development for the Lions. Like Wilson, Gonzalez has unusual size for his position but a very high athletic ceiling to go with some impressive on-field credentials at both Colorado and Oregon.

    Story originally appeared on Lions Wire

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  • College Football Transfer Portal 2023 Rankings: Head Coaches

    College Football Transfer Portal 2023 Rankings: Head Coaches

    Which head coaches are going to new places and who should be the best of the lot? They might not be in a transfer portal, but like the top prospects, a few key coaches moved around.

    Transfer Portal 2023 Rankings: Head Coaches

    Contact/Follow @ColFootballnews

    Okay, okay, there isn’t a transfer portal for college football head coaches, but the ones at new gigs were out there in the mix – just like the players who switched schools – and they found new landing spots that will make them very, very big this season.

    No, really. Why are there coaches lumped into a thing about the college football transfer portal? If you go through the lists of where all of the top prospects are going, the new head coaches in new places had a whole lot to do with the moves.

    How do the head coaches who changed jobs rank? Who’ll make the biggest impact and who were the best gets of the bunch? There were six college football head coaches who left for other college football gigs, and we’ll throw in a former NFL head man, too.

    2023 Transfer Portal Rankings
    QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG/C
    DE/EDGE | DT | LB | CB | Saf | Coaches

    7 Scott Satterfield

    New School: Cincinnati
    Former School: Louisville

    This worked for all sides. Louisville – at least parts of the fan base – was ready to move on, the school got the guy it wanted before hiring Satterfield, and the former guy landed in a sweet new gig. The pressure will be on, though. Satterfield didn’t exactly light it up at Louisville, and now he has to keep the success going at Cincinnati as it goes into the Big 12.

    6 Jamey Chadwell

    New School: Liberty
    Former School: Coastal Carolina

    This sort of makes sense. Think of it this way. Billy Napier turned Louisiana into a national thing and a Sun Belt powerhouse, and he parlayed that into the Florida job. Chadwell turned Coastal Carolina into a national…

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  • Ranking the greatest NFL conference championship games: Where does Bengals-Chiefs 2021 thriller rank all time?

    Ranking the greatest NFL conference championship games: Where does Bengals-Chiefs 2021 thriller rank all time?

    Given what we witnessed during the first 20 weeks of the 2022 NFL season, fans could be in for an extremely memorable championship weekend. 

    The four survivors from last weekend’s divisional round — the 49ers, Eagles, Bengals and Chiefs — will play this weekend for the right to represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl LVII. Among the big storylines entering championship weekend include the Bengals’ quest at a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, Patrick Mahomes’ injury status following Saturday’s win over the Jaguars, and the continued — and unexpected — success of 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. 

    There’s a very good chance that one or both of this weekend’s games will one day crack the following list of the greatest conference championship games in NFL history. Several all-time classics made the list, including the 2021 overtime thriller between Cincinnati and Kansas City.  

    20. 1999 NFC Championship: Rams 11, Buccaneers 6 

    While obviously not a barn burner, the Rams-Buccaneers NFC title game showdown was a masterpiece for fans of defense. Led by future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Derrick Brooks, the Buccaneers shut down the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense for most of the game. With the Rams’ defense also playing lights out, the Buccaneers’ defense would need to shutout one of the greatest offenses of all-time in order to reach the Super Bowl. 

    Unfortunately for them, the Buccaneers were victims of a perfectly-thrown pass from Kurt Warner that fell into the waiting arms of Ricky Proehl, whose 44-yard touchdown catch propelled the Rams to the Super Bowl. 

    19. 1983 NFC Championship: Washington 24, 49ers 21 

    The two most recent Super Bowl champions, Washington and San Francisco battled for the right to face the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. Down 21-0, the 49ers staged an epic rally behind Joe Montana’s three fourth quarter touchdown…

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  • What Scott Rolen’s induction means for other HOF hopefuls, plus American Tommy Paul reaches Aussie Open semis

    What Scott Rolen’s induction means for other HOF hopefuls, plus American Tommy Paul reaches Aussie Open semis

    Good morning to everyone but especially to…

    SCOTT ROLEN

    The wait is over and the meteoric rise is complete for Scott Rolen. He is heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame after his sixth year on the ballot. He’ll join Fred McGriff, who was voted in by the Contemporary Era Committee in December, in the two-man 2023 class.

    Over his 17-year career with the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, Rolen racked up seven All-Star Game nods, eight Gold Gloves, the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year and the 2001 Silver Slugger. He also won the 2006 World Series with St. Louis.Rolen’s 70.1 career WAR is 10th all-time among third basemen.Rolen received just 10.2% of the vote his first year on the ballot, lowest ever by a player eventually voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received 76.3 percent this time around, five votes above the 75 percent threshold.

    Rolen is unsure whether he’ll choose a Phillies or Cardinals hat for his plaque… or if he’ll have no logo at all. With 10 years eligibility available to players, it’s not all about who makes it. Gaining votes is a huge storyline, too — as evident by Rolen’s story — and several notable names did well there:

    Todd Helton — 72.2 percent (11 votes shy of induction) in fifth yearBilly Wagner — 68.1 percent in eighth yearAndruw Jones — 58.1 percent in sixth year

    Carlos Beltrán garnered 46.5 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, normally a solid number but, in this case, one complicated by his role in the Astros‘ cheating scandal. Where Beltrán’s vote share goes from here will be one of the biggest stories of the 2024 ballot, and our Matt Snyder examined what that ballot will look like here.

    As for active players with Hall-of-Fame potential, Matt took a look at more than 50 names and…

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  • Eagles land 2 dynamic defenders in Mel Kiper’s first 2023 NFL mock draft

    Eagles land 2 dynamic defenders in Mel Kiper’s first 2023 NFL mock draft

    The 2023 NFL draft is fast approaching and even with the Eagles preparing for the NFC Championship Game, scouts within the organization are doing their due diligence on potential prospects.

    Thanks to some draft night wizardry from Howie Roseman, the Eagles traded the No. 16 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.

    We tracked the Eagles’ picks via Tankathon, and after New Orleans went 7-10, Philadelphia locked down a top-ten selection.

    ESPN’s legendary draft guru, Mel Kiper, Just released his first mock draft of 2023, and he has Philadelphia reloading on defense with their two first-round picks.

    10. Philadelphia Eagles (via NO) Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt

    Pittsburgh Panthers Vs Tennessee Volunteers

    A talented defender, Kancey would be the shortest defensive tackle on the Eagles’ current roster.

    The Miami, Florida native was a unanimous All-American, the 15th in Pitt program history, and the first player to accomplish the feat since Aaron Donald (2013).

    Kancey recorded 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 11 games.

    Kancey’s 2022 tape is extremely impressive, and I moved him way up my Big Board. He wreaked havoc the past two seasons, racking up 13.5 sacks when lined up as a defensive tackle, the most in the country. At 6-foot, 280 pounds, he’s undersized, but so was former Pitt tackle Aaron Donald. (To be clear, he’s not Donald, but he’s still pretty good.) We know Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman invests heavily in the D-line, and Kancey would fit next to 2022 first-rounder Jordan Davis.

    30. Philadelphia Eagles Brian Branch, S, Alabama

    Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

    Kiper has Philadelphia using their second first-round pick on a versatile safety from Alabama.

    Philadelphia made a preseason trade to acquire safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, but he…

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  • 2023 NFL playoff schedule, updated bracket, dates, times, TV channel, live stream for Championship Sunday

    2023 NFL playoff schedule, updated bracket, dates, times, TV channel, live stream for Championship Sunday

    The NFL playoffs roll on to the conference title games after the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals routed the Buffalo Bills on the road on Sunday and the San Francisco 49ers held off the Dallas Cowboys. 

    The divisional round of the 2023 NFL playoffs kicked off on Saturday as the Kansas City Chiefs and a hobbled Patrick Mahomes held on to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-20, and the Philadelphia Eagles absolutely destroyed the New York Giants, 38-7. 

    After a week off, each conference’s top-seeded teams entered the fray this weekend and both moved on. The Chiefs, the AFC’s top-seeded team each of the last four years, will now be playing in the AFC Championship Game for a record fifth straight year. On the NFC side, after their convincing win over their rivals, the top-seeded Eagles will be making their first appearance in the NFC title game since the 2017 season. 

    Two more teams look to punch their tickets into the conference championship today.

    This year will mark the fourth Super Bowl played in Arizona and the first since the Patriots rallied to defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. 

    Super Wild Card Weekend

    Saturday, Jan. 14

    (4) 49ers 41, (7) Seahawks 23(4) Jaguars 31, (5) Chargers 30

    Sunday, Jan. 15

    (2) Bills 34, (7) Dolphins 31(6) Giants 31, (3) Vikings 24(3) Bengals 24, (6) Ravens 17

    Monday, Jan. 16

    (5) Cowboys 31, (4) Buccaneers 14 

    Divisional Round

    Saturday, Jan. 21

    (1) Eagles 38, (6) Giants 7(1) Chiefs 27, (4) Jaguars 20

    Sunday, Jan. 22

    (2) 49ers 19, (5) Cowboys 12(3) Bengals 27, (2) Bills 10

    Championship Sunday

    Jan. 29
    NFC Championship
    Eagles vs. 49ers, 3:05 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV)

    AFC Championship
    Chiefs vs. Bengals, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, stream on Paramount+)

    Super Bowl LVII

    Feb. 12
    AFC champion…

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