Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Digital Sports Desk

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Feb 2

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – In the depths of a freezing cold winter, there are two things New Englanders can count on to brighten their spirits. Groundhog Day and Fenway Truck Day. No matter what forecast that damn rodent, Pennsylvania Phil, has in store, when the Boston Red Sox equipment truck is loaded up on Van Ness Street and begins its 1,480 mile trip to Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida.

Groundhog Day is (today) Sunday, February 2 while Fenway Park Truck Day is (tomorrow) Monday, February 3. The truck will be loaded starting at 7:00am and is scheduled to leave around 1:00pm. This will be the 28th straight year that Milford native Al Hartz will drive the 53-foot truck, which will carry an assortment of baseball equipment and supplies, including:

  • 20,400 baseballs
  • 1,100 bats
  • 200 batting gloves
  • 200 batting helmets
  • 320 batting practice tops
  • 160 white game jerseys
  • 300 pairs of pants
  • 400 t-shirts
  • 400 pairs of socks
  • 20 cases of bubble gum
  • 60 cases of sunflower seeds

The celebration of Truck Day has been a Red Sox tradition since 2003, signaling the unofficial start of Spring Training. Boston’s Pitchers & Catchers report on Wednesday, February 12 while other Major League clubs report anywhere from February 9 (Chicago Cubs – traveling to Tokyo for games against the LA Dodgers – March 18/19) through February 13. For the most part, full squad workouts begin Monday, February 17. The Dodgers have scheduled their first spring training dates for February 11/15).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Boston is a tough town, known very much as a “Hockey Town,” but it’s also a large community of figure skating families as nearly every single New England Mom or Dad has memories of taking the youngsters to the local rink (outdoor or indoor) with the kids dreaming of skating for Olympic gold. New England, along with the rest of the Figure Skating world community – a very tight knit group – are all mourning the loss of legends, friends and family in the freak airplane accident. American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Blackhawk military helicopter collided less than a mile from the runway at Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport where the Wichita to DC flight was within seconds of landing safely. Instead, all souls aboard both the jet and helicopter experienced true horror and immediate death. Then, another air catastrophe in the same week as a Medivac transport jet crashed in North Philadelphia, killing all six aboard the Learjet 55. They were all Mexican nationals returning home after a child was treated in Philly.

The American Airlines regional air flight originated in Wichita, Kansas just a few days after the U.S. Figure Skating Championship and subsequent Development Camp, held for the most promising young skaters in the country.

Two Boston area teenage skaters, two coaches and two parents from The Skating Club of Boston (Norwood, MA) were on the flight that crashed Wednesday into the Potomac River in DC after a midair crash with an Army helicopter, the club confirmed. A total of 14 members of the US skating community were aboard among the 67 passengers and crew.

Ice skating coaches and former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and VadimNaumov were aboard the flight from Wichita, coming home from the camp that followed the national championships, which ended last Sunday. Shishkova and Naumov were both coaches at The Skating Club of Boston, and had been with the club since 2017, according to Doug Zeghibe, the club’s executive director.

Shishkova and Naumov were a married couple, settled in Boston, who competed for Russia in pairs skating in the 1994 Winter Olympics and placed fourth. Later, they won their gold medals ‘94 World Championship.

The young skaters were identified by the club as Spencer Lane and Jinna Han and they were accompanied by their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han. All six were a constant presence at the skaking club, often 10-plus hours at a time, six days a week.

The Skating Club of Boston is the third-oldest club in the country and is a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating. In 2020, the club closed its Soldiers Field Road facility it had occupied since 1938 and moved to a fabulous three-rink headquarters in suburban Norwood, Massachusetts. Unlike most New England ice rinks, the Skating Club is dedicated 100% to figure skating, as opposed to sharing the ice time with men’s and women’s hockey.

The club has a rich history as home of Tenley E. Albright, the first American woman to win gold medals at the Worlds (1953) and Winter Olympics (1956). After her skating career, Dr. Albright went on to study medicine at Harvard Medical School where she held a faculty appointment as Lecturer in the Program of Surgery.

The great Dick Button also skated at Boston when he was enrolled at Harvard. A native of Englewood, New Jersey, Button, a five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Button, who later became a fixture of American figure skating coverage as a TV network color commentator, was the only male skater to simultaneously hold the Olympic, World, North American, European and US National Championship titles.

Button passed away this week at the age of 95, providing the figure skating community another kick in the teeth as they mourn some 20 deceased colleagues, six from the Boston area.

BAD MEMORIES: The horrific Wichita to DC plane crash reminded some of the February 15, 1961 crash that killed 18 members of the U.S.A. world figure skating team, along with sixteen coaches and relatives of the skaters. Those dear souls were lost when Sabena Flight 548, traveling from New York’s Idlewild Airport to Brussels, crashed on approach to Brussels.

TIDBITS: The NHL, according to ESPN, is expected to significantly raise its team salary cap over the next three seasons, according to a memo the League and the NHL Players’ Association sent to teams. … According to the memo, obtained by ESPN, the salary cap for 2025-26 will rise to $95.5 million, with a floor of $70.6 million. In 2026-27, it is projected to increase to $104 million with a floor of $76.9 million, and in 2027-28, it will again go up to $113.5 million with a floor of $83.9 million. … The NHL’s current salary cap is $88 million with a floor of $65 million. … The minimum team salary or ‘floor’ is important to keep teams from operating at an incredible low salary in years when they feel they can not be competitive.

The Washington Wizards are experiencing their second 16 consecutive loss streak of the 2024-25 season. The first was November 2 through December 5 and the current losing streak began January 3. (The Wizards faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis as press time was calling).

Super Bowl LIX commercial spots on FOX Sports are going for $8m. Just think of the good one could do with $8m bucks.

TOP NBA COACHES, RANKED by TL: There’s been a list of the “best” NBA coaches floating around. It’s pretty good, but here’s a TL Sunday Notes version to ponder. The thoughts are for the whole body of work, over their careers, for the Top 6 and a tip of the hat to the younger generation in the second half dozen:

  1. Erik Spoelstra, Miami
  2. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio (heavy on the body of work side, and a get well soon)
  3. Steve Kerr, Golden State
  4. Nick Nurse, Philadelphia
  5. Rick Carlisle, Indiana
  6. Tom Thibodeau, NY Knicks

THE NEXT GREAT CROP of NBA COACHES:

  1. Ime Udoka, Houston
  2. Joe Mazzulla, Boston
  3. Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City
  4. Ty Lue (he’s actually been terrific for a while), LA Clippers
  5. Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland
  6. Mike Malone, Denver

THIS JEST IN: The National Hockey League just announced that Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak was named the NHL First Star of the Month for January. Pastrnak led the NHL in scoring in January, totaling 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points. The 27-year-old recorded points in 12 of the team’s 14 contests, with four three-point games. Pastrnak started February even hotter than January as he registered his first hat trick of the season and an assist to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

The 6-foot, 200-pound winger has played in all 53 games with the Bruins this season, notching 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points overall. He leads the team in goals, assists, points, points per game (1.15) even strength goals (18), even strength points (47), power play goals (6) and power play points (14) this season.

Currently in his 11th season with the Bruins, Pastrnak has skated in 727 career NHL games, totaling 372 goals and 416 assists for 788 points with a plus-135 rating. The Havirov, Czech Republic native was originally drafted by Boston in the first round (25th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver asked by radio mogul Dan Patrick for “the wildest ideas” about the game cited discussions on awarding only two free throws for fouls on three-point field goal attempts. Then, Silver noted that he was in the minority on another idea. That being reducing the NBA game to a 40-minute game, with four 10-minute quarters. Silver cited the fact international basketball (FIBA) rules call for 40 minutes. … Repercussions from a change to a 40-minute NBA game is the fact every NBA record, dating back to 1946, would be signed, sealed and engraved into the books. Team game records, scoring records, most or fewest points scored, rebounds, assists and everything in between would be enshrined. The NBA would need to begin a new record book as Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game mark would be chiseled into stone.

Luka to Lakers; Davis to Mavs

by

DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Lakers and Mavericks have surprised the NBA world with a midseason trade of All-NBA players, with ESPN reporting early Sunday morning that the teams had completed a trade that will send Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and Anthony Davis to Dallas.

Embed from Getty Images

Both players have faced injuries this season.

While the two stars are at the center of the deal, the Lakers will also get Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris while the Mavericks will receive Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick, per the report.

ESPN reported that the Utah Jazz are also involved in the trade and will get Jalen Hood-Schifino and a pair of second-round picks in this year’s draft.

Doncic, 25, has averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 22 games (all starts) this season.

The 31-year-old Davis has put up averages of 25.7 points, 11.9 boards, 3.4 assists and 2.1 blocks across 42 games (all starts).

–Field Level Media

Reid and Mahomes Lead KC Chiefs (Again)

by

Digital Sports Desk’s Super Bowl LIX Coverage

NEW ORLEANS – (Staff and wire Service Report) – There was a time coach Andy Reid was a sympathetic figure, a champion of the regular season seemingly destined to be an all-time bridesmaid on the NFL sideline.

Through 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reid reached one Super Bowl (2004) and lost the NFC Championship Game four times. It’s why owner Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles decided another voice was necessary and fired the coach with the most wins in franchise history.

Reid, 66, was reborn in Kansas City, where he — eventually — became synonymous with the Super Bowl and became the all-time wins leader of a second franchise.

The Chiefs didn’t reach the AFC title game until Reid’s sixth season in Kansas City, and since the Chiefs turned that corner, they have not looked back. They’ve won the AFC West division nine consecutive years and Reid hasn’t lost a postseason game since the 2021 AFC Championship to the Bengals.

There was a chance meeting along the way — Reid and a gunslinger from Texas Tech, quarterback Patrick Mahomes — that didn’t hurt the evolution of the Chiefs from doormat to dynasty. The pair won their first Super Bowl after the 2019 season.

That’s not top of mind for Reid this week, according to Mahomes. He said Reid has tunnel vision. A hot topic during the open week before heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX and a chance at a third Super Bowl victory in a row? Perfecting their snap cadence.

“That’s the stuff he focuses on,” Mahomes said. “I think the only time I’ve heard (Andy Reid) say [three-peat] is to the media whenever you all ask him about it.”

Come Monday and the start of the big-game festivities in New Orleans — a backdrop for the Chiefs’ bid to become the first team in league history to win three consecutive Super Bowls — the questions will start fast and furious. Reid will be seeking that historic win against his former team, the Eagles, on Feb. 9.

And Reid, now with 301 victories combined between the regular season and playoffs, and Mahomes — 17-3 in the playoffs and bidding for his fourth Super Bowl ring — are on the verge of adding to their shimmering legacies. A fourth Super Bowl ring for Mahomes would put him in a three-way tie for second-most all-time with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

It would also be over halfway to Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins.

“I think you always want to leave a legacy and make your imprint on history, but more than anything, you just want to accomplish a goal that you have with your teammates,” Mahomes said. “When you start (training camp) in St. Joe, your goal is to win the Super Bowl. We know it’s a hard process, we know it’s a hard week in and week out, but I’m proud of how our guys have went about that process. We know it’s not going to be easy, this team we’re playing is a really good football team, but we’re going to go out there and put our best effort out there and play as a team. Hopefully, that’s enough to get a win.”

Before the season and while wading through questions and rumors about retirement, Reid signed a new pact that runs through 2029 and made him the league’s highest-paid coach. With win No. 18 of the season this week, Reid could be just 22 shy of George Halas (324) for third on the NFL’s all-time wins list.

And by Sunday night, Reid could have four Super Bowl wins as a head coach, tying Steelers coach Chuck Noll for second on the all-time list and two shy of Bill Belichick’s record six rings. Belichick won two more as an assistant coach and has 333 victories as a head coach, second to Don Shula (347).

“We all know that’s out there but what matters is how you take care of business,” Reid said of the historic ramifications of another Super Bowl win in an interview with Rich Eisen of the NFL Network this week. “What’s going to help you is that you focus in and take care or business today while we’re doing our practices or in the meetings we have today. Take care of that and everything else you let the chips fall where they may.”

–Field Level Media

 

Pastrnak Stays Hot, Bruins Win

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s David Pastrnak registered his first hat trick of the season and an assist to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

Embed from Getty Images

The Bruins never looked back after Pastrnak scored a go-ahead goal in the first period before increasing the Bruins’ lead to three on two occasions during the final frame.

The star winger is riding a 10-game point streak. He was named thr NHL’s “First Star” of the month of January.

Pavel Zacha had a goal and an assist, Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle each scored, and Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras each dished out two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game skid.

Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in the win.

J.T. Miller scored two goals for New York less than 24 hours after being re-acquired in Friday’s blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Jonny Brodzinski netted the other.

The 31-year-old Miller was playing his 342nd regular-season game as a Ranger and his first in 2,533 days (Feb. 25, 2018).

New York’s goalkeeper, Igor Shesterkin, stopped 19 shots.

After losing a 1-0 lead, Pastrnak flipped the score back in Boston’s favor with 2:51 left in the first, taking a Brandon Carlo feed from behind the goal line and quickly snapping it glove-side.

The game’s first two-goal lead was established 3:39 into the second when Coyle was stationed outside Shesterkin’s crease to deflect an Andrew Peeke point shot.

Tatum Beats Buzzer and Pelicans

by

NEW ORLEANS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum added 27, including a tie-breaking jumper with 0.2 seconds left, as the visiting Celtics held off the New Orleans Pelicans 118-116 on Friday night.

Tatum added 10 assists, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White scored 16 points each and Luke Kornet had 11 off the bench for the Celtics.

Trey Murphy III scored a season-high 40 points, Jose Alvarado added 20, CJ McCollum had 17 and Brandon Boston Jr. 10 for New Orleans, which lost its fifth straight game. Pelicans starting point guard Dejounte Murray had to be helped to the locker room after injuring his lower right leg in the first quarter. He did not return.

New Orleans trailed by five after three quarters, but Alvarado hit a 3-pointer to open scoring in the fourth. The Pelicans got within two points four more times, with the Celtics answering on the first three. On the fourth occasion, Murphy made a short jumper to finally pull New Orleans even at 114 with 1:37 left.

Brown and McCollum exchanged baskets before Tatum dribbled down the clock and swished the game-winner from 21 feet.

Four Celtics scored during a 9-6 run to start the third quarter, increasing the Celtics’ lead to 68-59. Murphy made two 3-pointers, and Alvarado and Karlo Matkovic made one each as the Pelicans took a 77-75 lead.

Brown scored eight points and White and Payton Pritchard scored three each as Boston took a 91-86 lead going into the fourth.

Murphy scored 16 points to help New Orleans take a 34-31 lead at the end of the first quarter.

New Orleans led by five twice early in the second quarter, but Kornet made consecutive baskets to complete a 6-0 run and put Boston ahead by one point. The Pelicans regained the lead briefly, but Tatum made consecutive 3-pointers to start an 8-0 run that gave the Celtics a 47-42 lead.

New Orleans closed within one point twice, but White and Tatum each made a 3-pointer to help Boston extend the lead to nine. Murphy’s 3-pointer trimmed New Orleans’ deficit to 59-53 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

NOLA’s Super Bowls of the Past

by

NEW ORLEANS — (Staff and Wire Service Report) – When the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles meet in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans will make history by tying Miami for the most Super Bowls hosted (11).

But it’s the games themselves that have produced plenty of history for the Crescent City.

In the city’s first Super Bowl (IV), the Chiefs made their only previous title game appearance in New Orleans at Tulane Stadium, which was the site of three Super Bowls before the Superdome came along.

The previous year, the New York Jets made Joe Namath a prophet by upsetting the heavily favored Baltimore Colts and demonstrating that the AFL and the NFL were more competitive than had generally been accepted, with the merger of the two leagues approaching.

When Hank Stram’s Chiefs rolled into New Orleans and upset the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings in the last game involving the AFL, it further solidified the incoming teams’ legitimacy.

Fast forward 43 years, and the last Super Bowl played in New Orleans made history as the first one in which the two head coaches were brothers when John Harbaugh led the Baltimore Ravens against Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers.

But it became notable for another, more bizarre reason when a power outage knocked out the lights inside the Superdome early in the third quarter.

In between the first and last Super Bowls in New Orleans, the Crescent City was the site of:

–the first Super Bowl titles won by the Cowboys and the Steelers;
–another Cowboys title in the first Super Bowl played indoors once the Superdome opened;
–the Eagles’ only previous appearance in a New Orleans Super Bowl in a loss to the Raiders;
–the Bears’ only Super Bowl title;
–the 49ers’ last Super Bowl title with Joe Montana;
–the Packers’ first post-Lombardi title;
–and the Patriots’ and Tom Brady’s first title in the first post-/911 Super Bowl.

[Read more…] about NOLA’s Super Bowls of the Past

Jets Beat Bruins, 6-2

by

BOSTON – Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele capped a two-goal effort with the eventual game-winner and Wakefield, R.I., native Parker Ford scored in his NHL debut as the visiting Jets beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 Thursday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Scheifele’s second goal 35 seconds into the third period marked the 328th of his Winnipeg career, tying him with Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov added a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for Winnipeg, which is on a five-game win streak.

The Jets scored four third-period goals and found the back of the net on two of four power plays in the game (50 percent).

Elias Lindholm led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, while Brad Marchand also scored and added 14 penalty minutes.

Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 shots in Boston’s second consecutive loss and third in a five-game span (2-3-0).

The Bruins climbed out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game when Lindholm buried a shorthanded goal off Pavel Zacha’s faceoff win 11 seconds into the third. Winnipeg never trailed after Scheifele took an Ehlers feed down the middle to provide an answer just 24 ticks later.

Ehlers was credited with the Jets’ insurance goal less than a minute later, poking the puck off Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei’s stick and into an open left side of Korpisalo’s net at 1:17.

Ford extended Winnipeg’s lead to 5-2 at 5:57. After Alex Iafallo settled down a Logan Stanley centering feed in the slot, the former Providence College captain cashed in with a wrister.

Connor scored an empty-net goal with 36.6 seconds remaining.

Namestnikov lifted the visitors to a 1-0 lead just 2:55 into the first, putting home a power-play goal from low on the left side. Cole Perfetti’s shot from the wing created a rebound that Nino Niederreiter sent to Namestnikov across the crease to bang into an open side of the net.

Minutes after a Josh Morrissey snipe past Korpisalo was called back due to offside, Scheifele doubled Winnipeg’s lead with a goal that counted, tipping in Neal Pionk’s point shot at the 11:31 mark.

Marchand scored his second goal on the man advantage in as many games to bring Boston within one at 15:34. The Bruins captain slid down from the top of the left circle and snapped a shot past Hellebuyck.

–Field Level Media

C’s Win with Porzingis’ Career Night

by

BOSTON – Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 34 points and collected 11 rebounds to help Boston breeze to a 122-100 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Porzingis made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts, including 8 of 14 shots from behind the 3-point arc. His eight 3-pointers tied his career high.

YouTube player

Porzingis had 26 points in the first half, when he made 6 of 8 shots from behind the 3-point arc.

Jaylen Brown added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who also received a 22-point performance from Derrick White. White made four 3-pointers.

The Bulls didn’t have leading scorer Zach LaVine, who is averaging 24.0 points per game. Chicago coach Billy Donovan said LaVine will miss multiple games to be with his wife to prepare for the birth of their third child.

Chicago guard Coby White returned from an ankle injury and scored 16 points in 31 minutes. It was White’s first game since Jan. 19.

Patrick Williams came off the bench and contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Bulls, who were playing the first game of a three-game road trip. Chicago will play at Toronto on Friday and at Detroit on Sunday.

Sam Hauser (hip) and Al Horford (toe) didn’t dress for the Celtics, who avoided a third straight home loss.

Boston was 18 of 44 from 3-point range (40.9 percent). Chicago was 37 of 92 from the field (40.2) and 15 of 49 (30.6 percent) from 3.

The Celtics scored the game’s first 10 points and led 26-23 after one quarter. Boston scored 41 points in the second quarter to build a 67-51 halftime lead and was up 96-76 after three quarters.

Boston’s lead peaked at 24 points late in the third quarter. Chicago failed to get closer than 16 points in the fourth.

Boston has won three of the four games between the teams this season.

–Field Level Media

NFL’s Pro Bowl Teams

by

ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NFL announced on Wednesday the players participating in each of the on-field and off-field skills competitions that make up the 2025 Pro Bowl Games taking place Thursday and Sunday in Florida.

Embed from Getty Images

The 11 skills challenges are worth three points apiece for a total of 33 available. Points from the flag football game on Sunday will be added to Thursday’s score to determine the winner between the competing AFC and NFC sides.

“Passing the Test” is a combination of quarterbacks throwing at various targets in 40 seconds, and teammates answering questions about current Pro Bowl players to try to add more time (10 seconds for a correct response).

The AFC quarterbacks are the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Patriots’ Drake May and the Steelers’ Russell Wilson. The trivia partners are the Texans’ Nico Collins, the Dolphins’ Jonnu Smith and the Browns’ Myles Garrett.

The NFC QBs are the Lions’ Jared Goff, the Vikings’ Sam Darnold and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield. Their trivia partners are the Packers’ Josh Jacobs, the 49ers’ Fred Warner and the Bucs’ Mike Evans.

“Safety Catches” pits a wide receiver, tight end and defensive back from each side trying to catch passes while running an obstacle course.

For the AFC: WR Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), TE Brock Bowers (Raiders) and DB Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans).

For the NFC: WR Justin Jefferson (Vikings), TE Trey McBride (Cardinals) and DB Jaylon Johnson (Bears).

“The Big Spike” pits lineman spiking the football for power and impact.

The AFC participants are OL Rashawn Slater (Chargers) and Joel Bitonio (Browns) and DL Quinnen Williams (Jets). The NFC participants are OL Chris Lindstrom (Falcons) and Frank Ragnow (Lions) and DL Dexter Lawrence (Giants).

“Relay Race” features four players from each squad running 40-yard dashes with a football instead of a baton to hand off.

The AFC relay runners: RB Jonathan Taylor (Colts), CB Pat Surtain II (Broncos), DE Danielle Hunter (Texans), FB Patrick Ricard (Ravens), FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers), ST Marvin Mims (Broncos), LB Joey Bosa (Chargers), CB Denzel Ward (Browns), WR Jerry Jeudy (Browns), LB Kyle Van Noy (Ravens), LB Nik Bonitto (Broncos) and SS Derwin James (Chargers).

The NFC relay runners: RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), CB Jaycee Horn (Panthers), DE Micah Parsons (Cowboys), SS Brian Branch (Lions), CB Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks), ST KhaDarel Hodge (Falcons), DE Nick Bosa (49ers), RS KaVontae Turpin (Cowboys), WR Malik Nabers (Giants), LB Bobby Wagner (Commanders), LB Jared Verse (Rams) and SS Budda Baker (Cardinals).

“Helmet Harmony” tests players knowledge of their NFL teammates.

The AFC participants: Cameron Heyward and Miles Killebrew of the Steelers; Dion Dawkins and Connor McGovern of the Bills; and Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton of the Ravens.

The NFC participants: Vita Vea and Tristan Wirfs of the Buccaneers; Jonathan Greenard and Brian O’Neill of the Vikings; and Rashan Gary and Xavier McKinney of the Packers.

“Dodgeball” features four teams of seven players and has a total of six points available.

AFC players: Jeffrey Simmons (Titans), Logan Cooke (Jaguars), Ronnie Stanley (Ravens), Chris Boswell (Steelers), Joe Mixon (Texans), Isaac Seumalo (Steelers), Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens), Patrick Queen (Steelers), Quenton Nelson (Colts), Zaire Franklin (Colts), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), James Cook (Bills), Ross Matiscik (Jaguars) and Trey Hendrickson (Bengals).

NFC players: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), Erik McCoy (Saints), Leonard Williams (Seahawks), Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Robert Hunt (Panthers), Taylor Decker (Lions), Jack Fox (Lions), Kyle Juszczyk (49ers), Tyler Smith (Cowboys), Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings), George Kittle (49ers), Andrew DePaola (Vikings), Brandon Aubrey (Cowboys) and Byron Murphy (Vikings).

“Punt Perfect” tests the punting accuracy of a one punter and one non-punter from each conference. AFC: Cooke (punter) and Humphrey. NFC: Fox (punter) and Juszczyk.

The Madden NFL 25 Competition features the AFC’s James and Thomas, and the NFC’s Jefferson and Parsons.

The “Great Football Race” consists of five challenges in a relay race. The AFC is represented by Garrett, Linderbaum, Slater, Boswell, Matiscik and McGovern. The NFC participants are Parsons, Ragnow, Wirfs, Aubrey, DePaola and McCoy.

The “Tug-of-War” features the AFC’s Nelson, Seumalo, Bitonio, Stanley, Dawkins, Hendrickson, Hunter, Simmons, Heyward, Q. Williams. The NFC is going with Lindstrom, Tyler Smith, Hunt, O’Neill, Decker, Gary, N. Bosa, Lawrence, Vea, L. Williams.

Flag football rosters:

AFC: Burrow, Maye, Wilson, Mixon, Taylor, Cook, Ricard, Chase, Jeudy, Collins, Thomas, Bowers, J. Smith, Linderbaum, McGovern, Van Noy, Bonito, J. Bosa, Queen, Franklin, Humphrey, Ward, Surtain, Stingley, Fitzpatrick, Hamilton, James, Mims, Killebrew.

NFC: Goff, Darnold, Mayfield, Gibbs, Jacobs, Robinson, Juszcyk, Jefferson, Nabers, Evans, Smith-Njigba, McBridge, Kittle, Ragnow, McCoy, Verse, Greenard, Van Ginkel, Warner, Wagner, Horn, Johnson, Murphy, Weatherspoon, McKinney, Baker, Branch, Turpin, Hodge.

–Field Level Media

Chiefs Beat Bills for Super Bowl LIX Bid

by

KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Harrison Butker kicked a tiebreaking 35-yard field goal with 3:33 remaining as the Kansas City Chiefs recorded a wild 32-29 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday to reach the Super Bowl for the third straight season.

Patrick Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) as top-seeded Kansas City eliminated the Bills from the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had six receptions for 85 yards and one score.

The Chiefs will face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Kansas City will be looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Mahomes completed 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards and added 43 on 11 rushes as the Chiefs won their ninth consecutive postseason game.

YouTube player

Josh Allen was 22-of-34 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the second-seeded Bills, who were trying to earn their first Super Bowl appearance in 31 years.

James Cook rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns while Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel had scoring receptions for Buffalo.

Kansas City drove 51 yards in eight plays to set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.

The Bills faced fourth-and-5 from their own 47-yard line on their next possession when the Chiefs heavily blitzed Allen, and his desperation throw for Dalton Kincaid fell incomplete with 1:54 left.

Two plays later, Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco took a short pass 10 yards for a first down. The Bills then had a chance to force a punt on third-and-9, but Mahomes hit Samaje Perine out of the backfield for 17 yards to clinch the victory.

Buffalo took a 22-21 lead on Cook’s 1-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The ensuing two-point conversion try failed.

The Bills later had possession, but Allen was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 41-yard line, giving the Chiefs the ball with 12:55 remaining in the game.

Just five plays later, Mahomes ran to the end zone for a 10-yard score and followed with a two-point conversion pass to Justin Watson to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left.

Buffalo answered and tied the score on Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Samuel on fourth-and-goal with 6:15 to play.

Kansas City held a 21-16 halftime lead.

The Chiefs drove 90 yards in nine plays on their first possession, with Hunt scoring on a 12-yard run.

Buffalo scored the next 10 points on Tyler Bass’ 53-yard field goal in the opening quarter and Cook’s 6-yard TD run with 10:25 left in the first half.

Kansas City took a 14-10 lead on Mahomes’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Worthy with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Mahomes added a 1-yard scoring run with 1:55 to go to give the Chiefs a 21-10 advantage.

Buffalo responded with Allen’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hollins with 23 seconds remaining in the frame. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

–Field Level Media