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NFC Championship Game Preview

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Los Angeles Rams (14-5) at Seattle Seahawks (15-3)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET
Seattle, Lumen Field

NFC Championship Game appearances: Seahawks 4 (3-0), Rams 12 (5-6)

Series History: The Rams are 2-0 against the Seahawks in playoff games. They won in Seattle, 27-20, in the wild-card round in the 2004 season and again during the 2020 wild-card round (30-20).

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LA Rams coach Sean McVay celebrates his 40th birthday Saturday before leading the Rams into Seattle in search of his 11th playoff victory, which would be one more than Don Shula, currently the youngest to win 10 games in league history.

The Rams are the No. 5 seed in the NFC largely because of their No. 1-ranked scoring offense. They didn’t always look the part last week at frigid Chicago, but they averaged an NFL-leading 30.5 points per game in 2025.

Seattle, which split two regular-season games with the Rams by three total points, led the NFL in scoring defense and allowed just over 17 points per game.

In the Seahawks’ 38-37 overtime win over the Rams earlier this season, they fell behind by 16 points before Sam Darnold caught fire and led a comeback. Darnold is expected to play through an oblique strain, but this isn’t likely the defense he would choose to face with a Super Bowl trip on the line.

In a playoff game last year with Minnesota, Darnold was sacked nine times and committed a pair of turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown, in a 27-9 defeat in Inglewood, Calif.

In Week 11 this season, Darnold threw four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the host Rams, though he nearly rallied Seattle to a victory before Jason Myers’ 61-yard field-goal attempt as time expired faded wide right.

On Dec. 18 in Seattle, Darnold was sacked four times and threw a pair of picks before the epic rally and victory.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford already has a Super Bowl ring. He led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes this season, and he didn’t have Davante Adams in L.A.’s last meeting with Seattle. Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions. Puka Nacua led the NFL with a career-high 129 receptions and ranked second with 1,715 receiving yards in 2025.

Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Super Bowl LVI Most Valuable Player with the Rams, is only the third player in the past 16 years to win the award and face his former team. Santonio Holmes (2010 with the New York Jets against Pittsburgh) and Von Miller (2024 with Buffalo against Denver) were the previous two.

NOTEWORTHY

This season’s dramatic trilogy between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks will come to an end when the NFC West rivals battle in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, with the winner claiming a spot in Super Bowl LX.

Ironically, the Super Bowl will be held at the home of another bitter rival, the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks (15-3) dispatched the 49ers for the second time in three weeks during the divisional playoffs, with the Rams earning a return ticket to Seattle with an overtime victory at Chicago.

The Rams (14-5) held a 16-point fourth quarter lead in Seattle in Week 16, only to watch the Seahawks mount a furious rally and win with a two-point conversion in overtime. That ultimately led to Los Angeles needing to win three playoff road games to reach the Super Bowl.

They have completed the first two legs of the journey, but will enter the third as a slight underdog.

ODDS AND TRENDS
The Seahawks are a consensus 2.5-point favorite, with the margin chalked up to their significant home-field advantage at raucous Lumen Field. The line has held steady throughout the week at BetMGM, where Seattle has been backed by 72% of the total spread-line bets while Los Angeles has drawn slightly more money at 51%.

The moneyline has also seen split action. The Rams (+120) have been backed by 56% of the total bets, with the Seahawks (-145) supported by 62% of the money.

The total points line opened at 47.5 but has shifted slightly to 46.5 with the Under backed by 85% of the money.

PROP PICKS
–Rams WR Puka Nacua 100+ Receiving Yards (+114 at DraftKings): Los Angeles was without Davante Adams and Seattle still had no answer in Week 16 for Nakua, who torched the Seahawks for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 receptions. Nakua was targeted 16 times — twice as many as any other Rams pass catcher. He had eight catches for 75 yards in the first meeting.

–Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed Over 1.5 Rushing Yards (-145 at BetMGM): This somewhat offbeat prop pick has been the most popular at the book. The special teams standout has struggled to get heavily involved in the passing game since being acquired from New Orleans in November. However, he was used twice on end-arounds last weekend, ripping off 30 yards on one carry and losing six on the other. With backup running back Zach Charbonnet out, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak could get more creative with Shaheed.

KEY STAT
Six of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s 14 interceptions during the regular season came against the Rams.

INSIDE EDGE
The Seahawks don’t blitz often, but they regularly brought extra pass rushers at 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy last week while racking up a pair of sacks, five quarterback hits and seven passes defensed. Opponents regularly try to bring the heat against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who lacks mobility at 37 years old. But he also led the NFL with 18 touchdown passes against the blitz this season, according to Inside Edge’s Remarkable engine.

RAM TOUGH
The Rams have had Darnold’s number. In a playoff game last year while with Minnesota, Darnold was sacked nine times and committed a pair of turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown, in a 27-9 defeat during a game that was moved to Glendale, Ariz., because of last year’s wildfires in Los Angeles.

In Week 11 this season, Darnold threw four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the host Rams, though he nearly rallied Seattle to a victory before Jason Myers’ 61-yard field-goal attempt as time expired faded wide right.

On Dec. 18 in Seattle, Darnold was sacked four times and threw a pair of picks as the Seahawks fell behind by 16 points in the fourth quarter. He then led a miraculous comeback and found backup tight end Eric Saubert for a two-point conversion in overtime of a 38-37 victory.

Darnold credited the Rams’ defense for having a “really good scheme” that disguises their coverages. He said a key will be “staying on schedule … staying positive on first and second down.”

“It’s win or go home at this point,” Darnold said. “But we look at it as another game. We trust our process throughout the week.”

ROAD WARRIORS OR ROAD WEARY?
The Los Angeles offense, which led the league in yards (394.6 per game) and scoring (30.5) during the regular season, struggled with a cold and hostile environment in Chicago last Sunday.

It will be even louder Sunday, but not colder, in Seattle.

“When you go into the environment that we’re going into here on Sunday in Seattle, everybody’s gotta be on the same page and communicate,” Stafford said. “That’s what offense is all about. You gotta have 11 people working as one.”

Adams, who led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns in the regular season, missed the last game against Seattle with an injury.

“This is the biggest game,” Adams told reporters this week. “Whatever game you’re currently in is the biggest game of the year. But this is, obviously, the biggest game right here. They took care of business against us last time. It’s tough being on the sideline … even though we did take care of business on offense and had a good day. But it’s time to finish it off this time.”

INJURY REPORT
Darnold was a limited participant in practice all week but wasn’t given an official game injury designation on Friday.

“Just attacking rehab these last couple days,” he said. “Obviously, will be throughout the week; just got to continue to prepare and get my body right for Sunday.”

Darnold tweaked his oblique in practice last week, but wasn’t called on to do much in the rout of the 49ers. Darnold was 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and was turnover-free.

“Feel like the process is going right along where it should be,” Darnold said on Friday. “Feeling really good for Sunday.”

Backup running back Zach Charbonnet, who led the Seahawks in the regular season with 12 rushing touchdowns, suffered a torn ACL in his knee against the 49ers and is out for the rest of the season. Starter Kenneth Walker III carried a heavier load against San Francisco, rushing for 116 yards and three touchdowns.

The Seahawks also have an injury concern at left tackle, with the top three candidates ailing. Starter Charles Cross left in the third quarter last week with a foot injury and didn’t return. His backup, Josh Jones, wasn’t active against the 49ers with knee and ankle issues and third-stringer Amari Kight, a rookie, played the final 17 snaps but missed practice time this week with a knee issue.

Cross resumed full practice activity on Friday and should be set for the NFC title game. Jones is listed as questionable, and Kight is considered doubtful.

Seattle ruled out linebacker Chazz Surratt (ankle) while listing fullback Robbie Ouzts (neck) as questionable.

The Rams are relatively healthy, with only linebacker Byron Young (knee) considered questionable among active players. Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein, on injured reserve but designated to return, will remain sidelined because of an ankle injury.

PREDICTION
The Seahawks earned a bye with the No. 1 seed, but they enter Sunday with far bigger injury concerns with Charbonnet out and Darnold and Cross playing through ailments. The Rams held double-digit leads in both regular-season meetings, with Seattle constantly playing from behind. The loss of Charbonnet is significant, especially in the red zone, and Darnold has yet to prove he can beat an elite, healthy opponent in the postseason. –Rams 27, Seahawks 24

–Field Level Media

Ex-Pats’ QB Stidham on the Spot

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi found out about his starting quarterback’s fractured ankle when his son told him on their drive home from Sunday’s game.

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“I didn’t believe him,” Lombardi said, “but I got it confirmed.”

That’s how suddenly the news hit after the Broncos’ 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in the divisional round. Several players and coaches had left the stadium when head coach Sean Payton trotted back out to deliver the bad news about Bo Nix.

It puts career backup Jarrett Stidham in the eye of the storm when the Broncos take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Payton has been vocal about the belief Denver holds in Stidham, who hasn’t started a game since 2023.

“Obviously it means a lot anytime you step into a situation like this,” Stidham said Thursday. “For myself, I just want to go out there and play the absolute best I can for the guys in this locker room. That’s all I really care about. So yes, it’s great to obviously have the support of the guys around me. Thankfully, I have a ton of amazing guys, amazing human beings in the locker room, but also amazing football players, so really excited.”

Of Stidham’s four career starts, two came with the Broncos in 2023 in place of an injured Russell Wilson. He hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game since the end of that season, and he has not taken a snap in the playoffs.

“I think we’ll just see how the game unfolds,” Stidham said of getting in a rhythm against the Patriots, the team that drafted him in 2019. “That’s obviously up to Sean, how he wants to call the game to start out.

“Just really excited to get out there, and I think once the ball is snapped, that first play, it’s just football at that point so it’ll be fun.”

Payton believes Stidham holds one similarity to longtime NFL quarterback Mark Brunell.

“I’m not making the comparison, but Brunell had this calmness about him when he was our (backup),” Payton said. “… Brunell just had that moxie, and so if it wasn’t your starter and he stepped in, there was this smooth operation. I would say Stidham has that ability to step right in, calm things down, here’s what we’re doing, break the huddle. (Wednesday’s) practice was a perfect indication of it.”

Just because Stidham has less experience in high-pressure situations doesn’t mean the Patriots will necessarily pressure him more, Lombardi said.

“I’m not sure they’ll look at Jarrett and say they want to pressure him more than another quarterback,” he said. “You’re always preparing in your mind for if a team really starts gassing you up in that way, so you always try to have a plan for that.

“This is going to be the biggest game most of these guys have been a part of in their career, so we’re expecting to be at our best.”

–Field Level Media

It’s Official

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Red Sox officially signed left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suárez to a five-year contract through the 2030 season with a mutual option for 2031. Boston’s 40-man roster is now at 40.

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Suárez, 30, made 26 starts for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025, going 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA (56 ER/157.1 IP) while setting career highs in strikeouts (151), innings pitched, and quality starts (17). The left-hander’s career-best 4.0 FanGraphs WAR tied the sixth-best mark among National League pitchers, while he ranked seventh among that group in ERA (minimum 150.0 IP). He also ranked in MLB’s 98th percentile during 2025 in hard-hit percentage (31.1%) and 95th percentile in average exit velocity (86.5 miles per hour). Signed by Philadelphia as an international free agent in April 2012, the Venezuela native has gone 53-37 with a 3.38 ERA (286 ER/762.0 IP) and 705 strikeouts in 187 career Major League games (119 starts), all with the Phillies (2018-25). He was named a National League All-Star in 2024 and won the 2022 Fielding Bible Award among pitchers.

In 11 career Postseason games (eight starts), Suárez has gone 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA (7 ER/42.2 IP), .203 opponent batting average (32-for-158), and 44 strikeouts. He has allowed 1 or 0 earned runs in 10 of those 11 outings, including 5.0 scoreless innings with just three hits allowed in Game 3 of the 2022 World Series against the Houston Astros. During the 2025 Postseason, he earned the win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series by allowing one run over 5.0 innings of relief in the Phillies’ 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 18

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The Orlando Magic in Berlin

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – It’s been a little more than 40 years since the NBA China Friendship Tour, a six-week extravaganza when the NBA league office (the great Matt Winick, yours truly) and friends (Red Auerbach, Pete Newell, Ed Badger, Bill Blair) played host, coach, trainers and tour guides to the Chinese National Team as they visited the USA back in September of ‘85 in hopes of improving their game.

Long story short, as we say, the tour bounced from home base (Queens College, NY) to Princeton, NJ, Hempstead, NY, West Lafayette, Indiana, Beloit, Wisconsin, Lower Merion Township (Philly, PA),  Washington DC and Springfield, Massachusetts to take part in training camps underway for each NBA team bouncing basketball in close proximities to those towns. (That included: NJ Nets, NY Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Washington (then Bullets; now Wizards) and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the annual Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame game in Springfield.

It was at Beloit and the Chicago Bulls training camp where we first saw Michael Jordan in person.

That tour was the beginning of the modern day NBA “going global.” Yes, there were plenty of prior examples, like Auerbach taking teams to train in the former Yugoslavia, or the Bullets playing a pair of exhibition games in China in 1979 as a part of “Ping Pong Diplomacy, but the NBA China Friendship Tour was a true beginning to then-Commissioner David Stern’s “one day at a time” method of moving the NBA closer and closer to worldwide awareness and prominence in the sports world.

The reason this story is the lead item to this week’s missive?

The NBA continued its efforts with a pair of Global Games in Europe with the Memphis Grizzlies playing the Orlando Magic Thursday in Berlin, Germany (118-111, Magic) and then a game Sunday (Noon ET) at 02 in London. The game in Berlin allowed the Magic brotherly tandem of Franz and Moritz Wagner to play in front of their home country fans for the NBA’s first regular season game in Berlin.

What seemed like a mountain to climb in 1985 is now a full-speed global lay-up of regular season, preseason and summertime clinics, not to mention the FIBA and USA Basketball efforts all over the world. Nowadays, a quarter of the NBA rosters are filled by international players, and as you’ve read in this column before, many of those players are the very best in the league.

Come NBA All-Star Weekend, we’ll see a team of international All-Stars compete against a couple of USA-based All-Star squads in what could be the beginning of an improved All-Star Weekend. Come February 13-15, it’ll all be on display in Los Angeles (Intuit Dome).

In August 2027, the FIBA World Cup (32 teams) will be contested in Qatar and in 2028, the Olympic Games will be played in Los Angeles.

David Stern’s vision when he watched the 1985 Chinese National Team warming up at Queens College has been fulfilled ten times over, and in such a relatively short timeframe. It’s a damn shame Stern (passed away in Jan. 2020), and FIBA’s (Executive Directors) Stankovic (passed away March 2020) and Patrick Baumann (died suddenly in 2018, at age 51) aren’t around to see this day come.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The University of Miami will play Indiana University for the College Football national championship on Monday. As part of the alternate coverage of the event, the ACC Network will deliver extensive on-site studio programming surrounding the Hurricanes bid for the title, which coincidentally will take place at Hardrock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The pre-event coverage will be highlighted by appearances from North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, who will join the network’s coverage as a special guest analyst.

Belichick will contribute analysis on ACC Network’s signature football studio show ACC Huddle, offering fans his unmatched perspective on championship preparation, in-game strategy and postseason success, complementing ACC Network’s established roster of analysts throughout National Championship weekend.

Sunday – Championship weekend coverage gets underway Sunday with the head coaches news conference, featuring Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti previewing the National Championship matchup.

At 8:00pm ET, ACC Huddle Championship Preview airs on ACC Network with anchormanTaylor Tannebaum being accompanied by analysts Mac Lain, Eddie Royal and Jimbo Fisher to break down every angle of the Hurricanes–Hoosiers showdown. Immediately following, a special edition of the ACC Network Football Podcast debuts at 9:00pm ET, hosted by former Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel and former Georgia Tech captain Roddy Jones.

Monday – On game day, ACC Network will celebrate with more than seven consecutive hours of live programming from Hard Rock Stadium. Coverage begins at 5:00pm with Inside ACCess at the National Championship, hosted by college football reporters and ACC insiders Andrea Adelson and David Hale.

ACC Huddle at the National Championship follows at 6:00pm ET, with over 90 minutes of in-depth pregame coverage. Tannebaum hosts alongside Huddle analysts Mac Lain—who played in the 2016 CFP National Championship with Clemson, Virginia Tech Hall of Famer Royal, 2013 national championship–winning head coach Fisher and eight-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick. The coverage also features ACCN host Kelsey Riggs Cuff, ACCN college football analyst Tom Luginbill, and College Football Hall of Famer Mark Richt, the legendary former Miami quarterback and head coach.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: With the Indiana Hoosiers and Fernando Mendoza making an unexpected journey to the CFP national championship game, the most frequent media day question was the typical “how does it feel” and “what about your return to Miami?” After three or four iterations of that subject came up on media day, the topic finally got around to tickets. With Miami playing a home game and Indiana fans traveling as if the game’s outcome depended on it, ticket prices are in the stratosphere – the $6,000 to $16,000 range.

Putting the questions together, Mendoza answered: “I would say it feels great. Tickets are definitely a problem because there’s so many family members that want to come to the game. However, I’ve attempted to not let it sink in so I can stay in the present moment.

I kind of stay in the football mindset that I want to stay in. Although that — there’s so many externalities to this game, playing Miami in Miami, that you can get wrapped up in all the emotion. However, I want to keep it focused on football and really kind of force it to not sink in,” he said.

It can sink in next week or the week after, but I just want to focus on football right now to give my team the best chance, and that’s the same with all my teammates.”

GOTTA HAVE HEART: Golfing legend Sir Nick Faldo is heading home, from Cleveland to England after successful open heart surgery. Said Faldo in a January 16 social media post: “Headed home. After two weeks in Cleveland, Nick Faldo, and his wife, Lindsay, are on their way home following a successful, scheduled preventative open-heart surgery to repair his enlarged aorta, performed by world-renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. Lars Svensson at The Cleveland Clinic. We are deeply grateful for Dr. Svensson and his exceptional medical team. Nick is now looking ahead to returning to his golf course design work and to the Masters Week in Augusta, GA, where he will be celebrating “Six back in ‘96.” Home never felt so good.

Sam Coffey (Manchester City file photo)

THIS JUST IN: From The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry to Boston College to Penn State to the professional NWSL’s Portland Thorns to the USA Women’s National Team to – now – Manchester City, Sam Coffey (daughter of former NY Daily News columnist Wayne Coffey) is getting better and better to the point where she’ll be a team leader for both Man City and the USWNT. From Man City’s (Swedish-born) manager Andree Legertz: “There’s something with American players which I really like,” he said. “Their energy. [Sam Coffey] has leadership in her, an intensity in how she’s playing and training. That is something that can help us grow. She’s a great passing player, covering a lot of ground in defending. Aggressive. There’s a lot of things in her that will fit well in our team.”

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: This week, world No.1 pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters announced she was joining Nike, making Swoosh history as the 18-year-old is the brand’s first sponsored pickleball athlete. Get ready for Air Lob Anna Leigh.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: Last week, just before post time, the world learned of the passing of Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist/legend Bob Weir. I placed two of his songs from his final appearance (60 year anniversary at Golden Gate Park) in the main section of last week’s missive.

This week, I’ve had a little time to process Weir’s passing and wanted to put one more music post up in memory of Weir, Jerry Garcia and the Band. This acoustic clip is from 1987. It was a seven song set (all online) and it concluded with Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door the Bob Dylan song that seems so fitting. Joan Baez joined Garcia and Weir on stage and I make note, she just celebrated her 85th birthday on January 9th.

Indiana Earns Its Championship

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MIAMI GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report0 – Fernando Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, Mikail Kamara had a key blocked punt and Indiana won its first football national championship with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday night in South Florida.

Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted the Hurricanes’ Carson Beck with 44 seconds left as the top-seeded Hoosiers (16-0) put an exclamation point on their rags-to-riches story.

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Indiana went 9-27 over a three-season span earlier this decade, but the Hoosiers are 27-2 in two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti.

Riley Nowakowski rushed for an Indiana score, and Isaiah Jones fell on the blocked punt in the end zone. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards for the Hoosiers, who were the designated home team despite the contest being in the Hurricanes’ stadium.

Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries for 10th-seeded Miami (13-3). Beck connected on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and the costly interception, while Malachi Toney made 10 catches for 122 yards and a TD.

Miami trailed 10-0 before Fletcher ran wide of right tackle and scurried 57 yards for a touchdown with 11:06 left in the third quarter. It was the longest run of Fletcher’s career.

Later in the quarter, the Hurricanes were in punt formation and Kamara got his left hand on the slow-moving boot from Dylan Joyce. Jones recovered the ball in the end zone to give Indiana a 17-7 lead with 5:04 left in the period.

The Hurricanes responded from that blow with a 10-play, 81-yard drive. Fletcher scored from the 3 on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull Miami within three.

Indiana then twice converted on fourth downs on the next drive to push its lead back to 10.

On fourth-and-5 at the Miami 37-yard line, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for 19 yards and a first down.

Then on fourth-and-4 from the 12, Indiana called on Mendoza to keep the ball and he secured the first down, broke a tackle and then lunged into the air and across the goal line to make it 24-14 with 9:18 remaining in the game.

Miami answered with an eight-play, 91-yard march. Toney took a reverse 22 yards for the score to trim Indiana’s lead to three with 6:37 left.

Mendoza completed third-down throws to Omar Cooper Jr. for 14 yards and Becker for 19 yards on the ensuing drive, setting up Nico Radicic’s 35-yard field goal with 1:42 left.

The Hoosiers limited Miami to 69 yards and three first downs while taking a 10-0 halftime lead.

Indiana got on the board on Radicic’s 34-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the opening quarter.

The Hoosiers increased their lead to 10 with a 14-play, 85-yard drive. Nowakowski bulled in from the 1 with 6:13 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

The “U” – Visitors in Name Only

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MIAMI GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It’s a technicality, but Miami will be the visitors in every meaning of the word when it faces Indiana in Monday night’s College Football Playoff national title game. The top-seeded Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites over the No. 10 Hurricanes despite the game being played in Miami’s home stadium in South Florida and the Hurricanes will be placed on the visiting sideline and wearing white uniforms.

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In other words, not the usual “home” environment at the stadium in which Miami is 13-1 over the past two seasons.

“I’m sure some guys might get confused and start running to the other sideline mid-game,” Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck said, laughing. “But at the end of the day, once you step on the lines, between the field, it’s the same size end zone, same 100 yards, and it’s going to come down to the execution.”

Hurricanes star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. can feel the oddness of standing on the opposite sideline.

“I know that’s probably going to feel a little weird,” Fletcher said. “But just spot the ball. We play on that grass.”

As for being home underdogs, standout defensive end Akheem Mesidor says to bring it on.

“I’ve been an underdog my whole life, so being an underdog in this last game — being an underdog in every game we played in the playoffs — really doesn’t mean anything to me,” Mesidor said. “It might fuel me a little bit, but at the end of the day, I just want to play football and show that we are the best team in the nation.”

Star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. said the general sentiment that Miami faces long odds is providing big-time fuel.

“Motivated by being an underdog is a lot,” said Bain, the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. “I feel like that’s been our whole journey, the whole story of the whole playoffs. We like it. We don’t want nobody to believe in us. The people that believe in us is just the program, and that’s all we need.

“Everybody in that room putting on pads is helping us try to get to our better goal and that’s all we need. It’s going to be a little different not having the same sideline and things like that, but no matter where we at, we going to get the job done.”

Miami reached the final with wins over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss. The Hurricanes are seeking their sixth national crown, last won in the 2001 season.

Indiana, which received a first-round bye, has walloped No. 9 Alabama and No. 5 Oregon by a combined 94-25 in its first two playoff games. The Hoosiers are looking for their first national title.

–Field Level Media

$4,000 “Get In” Price for CFP

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MIAMI GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Monday night’s title game between Miami and Indiana will be the most expensive ticket in the history of the College Football Playoff.

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The get-in price for two seats together at the 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium as of 5 p.m. ET on Monday was more than $4,000 across several secondary ticketing platforms.

  • SeatGeek: $4,109
  • Ticketmaster: $4,080
  • Vivid Seats: $4,028
  • StubHub: $4,217

Premium services were even more, topping out at $16,000+ for a single seat.

The get-in price at SeatGeek had risen approximately $900 from just a few hours earlier on Monday afternoon, according to tracking on the platform by Field Level Media.

That is on pace to smash the previous high on record of $1,830 on TickPick for last year’s title game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, according to Front Office Sports.

Contributing factors to the record price include Miami playing in its home stadium, which is also the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and that Indiana boasts the largest living alumni base in the United States at more than 800,000.

The No. 1 Hoosiers are seeking their first national title in program history while the Hurricanes are seeking their first since the 2001 season. Indiana is a consensus 7.5-point favorite.

–Field Level Media

Gunn, Vaaks Take Big East Honors

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NEW YORK – CJ Gunn of DePaul and Stefan Vaaks of Providence earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors.  Gunn poured in a career-high 31 points – including seven 3-pointers – to go with seven rebounds in the Blue Demons’ lone contest of the week – a home win over Marquette.  Vaaks averaged 22.5 points and 4.0 assists in two games for the Friars.
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BIG EAST Player of the Week
CJ Gunn, DePaul, G, Sr.
Gunn had a career-high performance in DePaul’s win over Marquette, pouring in 31 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists.  The 6-7 guard connected on 11-of-23 from the floor, including a career-best seven 3-pointers for the Blue Demons.  Gunn scored six of DePaul’s final seven points down the stretch to seal the win in their lone contest of the week.  The seven 3-pointers tie him for fourth-most in program history.  Gunn’s 31 points were the most by a Blue Demon since Dec. 29, 2022 and it marked the seventh 30-point performance of the season by a BIG EAST player; the fifth in a conference game.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Stefan Vaaks, Providence, G, Fr.
Vaaks shined for Providence, averaging 22.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in a 1-1 week.  The 6-7 guard connected on 50.0% (16-32) of his shots from the floor, including five 3-pointers, and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line.  Against Villanova, Vaaks tallied 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting (three 3FG) in 37 minutes of play.  He finished his week with 24 points  and a season-best seven assists in a home win over Creighton.  He has scored in double figures in each of his 18 games this season, including tallying 20 or more points in each of his last three outings.  It marks the second time Vaaks has earned BIG EAST weekly honors as a freshman.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Tarris Reed Jr., UConn, C, Sr. 
Reed averaged a double-double in a 2-0 week for UConn.  The 6-11 senior averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 assist, while connecting on 54.2% (13-24) of his shots from the floor.  Reed finished with 21 points, nine boards, and three blocked shots at Seton Hall.  Last time out at Georgetown, the senior recorded a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks.
Jamier Jones, Providence, G, Fr.
Jones averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in a 1-1 week for Providence, connecting on 57.1% (16-28) shots from the field.  Against Villanova, the 6-6 newcomer scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting.  In a win over Creighton, Jones logged his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go with three steals.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, F, Sr.
Ejiofor averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while connecting on better than 65% (15-23) of his field goal attempts in a 2-0 week for the Red Storm.  The senior forward tallied 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in a win over Marquette.  Last time out in a win at Villanova, Ejiofor finished with 17 points, seven boards, an assist, and a blocked shot.
Devin Askew, Villanova, G, Sr.
Askew averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in a 1-1 week for Villanova.  He connected on 54.5% (12-22) from the floor, including 6-of-11 from the perimeter.  In a win at Providence, Askew scored 20 points and dished out seven assists.  Last time out against St. John’s, the 6-5 guard tallied 21 points and four rebounds, while making 6-of-10 shots from the floor (3-4 3FG).
Tre Carroll, Xavier, F, Gr.
Carroll poured in 29 points to go with nine rebounds and five blocked shots in Xavier’s lone game of the week – a home win over Butler.  The 6-8 forward connected on 12-of-22 shots from the floor in 34 minutes.  His five blocked shots were a career-high and the most by a Musketeer this season.

New England Plows Its Way to Denver

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, defensive cornerback guru Marcus Jones returned an interception for a score and the New England Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship Game with a 28-16 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday in cold and snowy conditions in Massachusetts.

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New England intercepted Houston’s C.J. Stroud four times in the divisional-round matchup, as Carlton Davis III picked off two passes and Craig Woodson had one. The Patriots forced five turnovers while advancing to their 16th AFC title game and their first since the 2018 season playoffs.

New England will play at the top-seeded but banged-up Denver Broncos next Sunday.

Kayshon Boutte made a stellar touchdown grab and DeMario Douglas and Stefon Diggs also had scoring receptions for second-seeded New England. Maye completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards while also throwing one interception and losing two fumbles.

Stroud committed seven turnovers (five picks, two fumbles) in fifth-seeded Houston’s two postseason games. He completed 20 of 47 for 212 yards and one touchdown Sunday.

Christian Kirk had a scoring catch for the Texans, who are 0-7 all-time in the divisional round of the playoffs. Will Anderson Jr. recorded three sacks and forced two fumbles and Danielle Hunter had two sacks and one forced fumble.

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The Texans played without three-time 1,000-yard receiver Nico Collins (concussion). They also lost standout tight end Dalton Schultz (calf) in the first quarter and second-string tight end Cade Stover (knee) in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots figure to be slight road favorites in the AFC title game after the Broncos lost standout quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle.

Houston trailed by 11 at halftime but moved within 21-16 late in the third quarter on Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals of 25 and 51 yards just as the snow picked up.

But New England regained momentum when Boutte made a one-handed 32-yard touchdown grab from Maye to give the Patriots a 12-point lead with 12:58 to play. Boutte beat Texans standout cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. on the play.

Davis exited in the fourth quarter for New England due to a head injury.

New England led 21-10 at halftime as the Texans were hindered by Stroud’s four interceptions.

The Patriots struck first on Maye’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Douglas with 9:35 left in the first quarter.

Houston scored the next 10 points on Fairbairn’s 25-yard field goal in the opening quarter and Stroud’s 10-yard touchdown throw to Kirk with 12:51 remaining in the half.

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Two-plus minutes later, Stroud was under pressure and threw the ball up for grabs. Jones intercepted it and returned it 26 yards for a score to give New England 14-10 lead.

Later in the quarter, Maye tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Diggs with 3:12 remaining in the half.

–Field Level Media

 

Rams Defeat da Bears

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Luck Runs Out on Mighty Bears Effort

CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – Rams’ FG kicker Harrison Mevis booted a game-ending 42-yard field goal with 3:19 left in overtime and Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns to lift the visiting Los Angeles Rams to a 20-17 victory against the Chicago Bears in an NFC divisional playoff Sunday.

The Rams advanced to face the host Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game on Jan. 25. Chicago finished a resurgent season under first-year coach Ben Johnson.

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Los Angeles drove for the winning field goal after Kamren Curl intercepted Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw three picks, including two to Cobie Durant.

Los Angeles took a 17-10 lead on Kyren Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run with 8:50 remaining in regulation. After gaining just 89 yards on six drives following its opening possession, the Rams marched 91 yards in 14 plays. Puka Nacua’s 2-yard run on 4th-and-1 from the Chicago 5 set up the Williams score.

Chicago drove to the Los Angeles 2 on its ensuing possession but Omar Speights thwarted the threat by breaking up Caleb Williams’ fourth-down pass intended for Luther Burden with 3:03 remaining.

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The Bears forced a Rams punt, which set up the latest display of Chicago’s late-game heroics. The Bears, who set an NFL record this season with seven comebacks while trailing in the final two minutes, tied the game on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Cole Kmet with 18 seconds to play. Williams released the pass from around the LA 40 amid a heavy Rams pass rush.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was 20-for-42 for 258 yards while Kyren Williams gained 87 yards on 21 carries. Nacua had five catches for 56 yards and Colby Parkinson had three receptions for 56 yards.

Caleb Williams was 23-of-42 for 257 yards and two scores. D’Andre Swift rushed 19 times for 76 yards and Colston Loveland caught four passes for 56 yards.

The teams played to a 10-all tie in the first half. Los Angeles opened the scoring when Kyren Williams rushed for a 4-yard touchdown with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter, punctuating a 14-play, 85-yard opening drive.

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The Bears attempted three fourth-down conversions in the first half and capitalized on just one — a 3-yard touchdown pass from Williams to D.J. Moore on the first play of the second quarter.

Cairo Santos connected on a 48-yard field goal with 1:10 to go in the quarter to give the Bears their first lead at 10-7. Los Angeles responded with a Melvis 32-yarder on the last play of the half.

The Rams and Seahawks split a pair of regular-season meetings, with each team prevailing on its home field. Los Angeles edged visiting Seattle 21-19 in Week 11 before the Seahawks returned the favor with a 38-37 overtime victory in Week 16.

–Field Level Media