Bills' Stefon Diggs: Paces pass catchers in win

Good morning to everyone but especially to... PATRICK MAHOMES AND THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS... When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jaguars, it didn't look good. Not for the rest of that game, and not for any potential games going forward. Yet, as he so often does while...

Despite his impressive work as the Panthers' interim head coach, Steve Wilks was not chosen to be Carolina's permanent coach. The job instead went to Frank Reich, who was fired by the Colts nine games into the 2022 season. Wilks expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be the Panthers head coach for their final 12 games of the season, saying he will always be a fan of the team in a statement he tweeted on Friday morning.

We're down to just three games left in the NFL season and Sunday's matchups in the conference title games are as good as it gets. We've got a rematch on the AFC side as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals. On the NFC side, the Philadelphia Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers.

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!. The NFL regular season ended on Jan. 8, which means we've now gone 18 days without a coach being hired. There are five open coaching jobs and not one has been filled yet. It's been so long that I'm starting to think that some of these teams are planning to go into 2023 without a coach, which might actually be better than what they had last year.

Kelce (back), who was listed as a full practice participant Friday, is listed as questionable for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports. Though Kelce handled every rep in the Chiefs' final practice of the week, the tight end's official questionable designation...

Longtime college basketball analyst Billy Packer has died, his family announced Thursday night. Packer, 82, spent 34 years on Final Four broadcast teams, 27 of them with CBS as its Emmy award-winning college basketball analyst before his last Final Four in 2008. Packer's son, Mark, told The Associated Press that...

For the second year in a row, the 49ers are knocking on the door of the Super Bowl. Last season, their dreams of a title slipped through their fingers as they couldn't hang on to their fourth-quarter lead over the eventual-champion Rams. Fast forward to this year's campaign, and you'll...

Castano (shoulder) cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Miami designated Castano for assignment last week as the corresponding 40-man roster move for its completion of a free-agent agreement with veteran starter Johnny Cueto. The 28-year-old left-hander holds a 3.89 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 45:28 K:BB ratio in 85.2 career innings at the MLB level.

Wilson (lower body) won't play until after the All-Star break, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports. Wilson, who sat out Thursday's contest against Pittsburgh after getting injured Tuesday versus Colorado following a shot block, will miss at least the next two games. The Capitals return from the break Feb. 11 in Boston. Wilson has supplied two goals, one assist, 13 shots on net and 33 hits in eight appearances this season. Anthony Mantha stands a good chance to stay in the top-six forward group of the Capitals until Wilson is able to return.

Hurst (calf) was limited at practice Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports. Hurst practiced fully Wednesday, so the tight end's addition to the Bengals' injury report makes his status worth tracking as Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs approaches. He dealt with a calf issue back in December, but it's unclear if his listed limitations Thursday are indicative of a setback in practice or a case of workload management.

The San Francisco 49ers will try to reach the Super Bowl for the eighth time in franchise history when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFC Championship Game on Sunday. San Francisco (15-4) is appearing in the conference championship game for the second straight year and third time in four seasons. It suffered a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 after defeating Green Bay two years earlier. Philadelphia (15-3) is playing for the NFC title for the first time since 2017, when it routed Minnesota 38-7 and went on to win its first Super Bowl championship. Eagles vs. 49ers is the first of two games in the 2023 NFL playoffs on Sunday.

For anyone who likes David vs. Goliath stories, Super Bowl XXX is right down your alley. The Cowboys, winners of two of the previous three Super Bowls, were massive favorites over the Steelers, who were hoping to snap the NFC's run of 11 consecutive wins in the big game. Heavy...

Gordon has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Cleveland due to right knee soreness. Gordon has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last six appearances, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game over that stretch. However, he's dealing with a knee issue that will sideline him for the first time since Dec. 27. Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) is also out, so Kenyon Martin, Garrison Mathews and Tari Eason will likely see increased run Thursday.

Rubio chipped in five points (2-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt), three rebounds, seven assists and one steal over 17 minutes during Thursday's 113-95 victory over the Rockets. Rubio continues to play a limited role off the bench and has not scored more than nine points in any of his games. However, he was able to dish out a season-high seven assists in the win. The fact he remains limited even with Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) sidelined tells you everything you need to know about his role moving forward. The Cavaliers want to have him up and running come the playoffs, meaning he could be locked in at no more than 20 minutes per night, at least for the foreseeable future.

Wilson (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's showdown with the Penguins, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports. Wilson exited in the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche and did not partake in Thursday's morning skate, but is officially a game-time call. The 28-year-old winger has two goals and three points in eight games -- alongside a paltry minus-7 rating.

The NFC Championship is here as the San Francisco 49ers will face the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday. This is the first meeting between these two teams since Week 2 in 2021. The 49ers won, 17-11, but much has changed since then. Jalen Hurts has evolved into one of the...

Voth has avoided arbitration with the Orioles and signed a one-year contract Thursday, which includes a club option for 2024. Voth will be guaranteed $1.85 million with this new deal, and the 2024 option is worth $2.45 million with escalators that could add another $500,000. The 30-year-old right-hander struggled out of the gate last season with Washinton before moving on to Baltimore and registering a sharp 3.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 17 starts and five relief appearances covering 83 innings. He projects to operate in a swingman role again for the O's in 2023, shuffling between long relief and emergency starting/opening duties.

Due to NFL rules, the Houston Texans must wait until after Sunday's NFC Championship Game to interview DeMeco Ryans a second time for their vacant head coaching position. In the meantime, the Texans had to figure out whether Ryans would actually want the job. According to a league source, Houston and team owner Cal McNair weren't sure whether Ryans, who once sued the Texans for negligence, would ultimately want to be the head coach for the team.

Vlasic missed Friday's game against Carolina due to an illness, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. The illness held Vlasic out of the lineup for the first time this season. The Sharks play in Pittsburgh on Saturday before entering their All-Star break.

Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday. The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up some playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.