Vikings' Akayleb Evans: Evaluated for concussion Sunday

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.

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...

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.

During a full slate of NBA games Wednesday night, there was only one matchup that had the potential to feature two players who have both won back-to-back MVPs. It was neither of the nationally televised games, though both of those matchups had their own built-in storylines as part of the league's "Rivals Week." It was the Denver Nuggets against the Milwaukee Bucks, where the two players who have combined to win the last four MVP awards were set to face off. But with the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic didn't play, neither did Jamal Murray or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a 107-99 loss against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee.

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...

Chris Paul led the Phoenix Suns to within two wins of the NBA championship in 2021, but things haven't gone as planned since. Phoenix suffered an embarrassing second-round Game 7 home loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks last season. Now they're hovering around .500 with Paul posting career-lows in scoring (13.7 points per game) as well as most value metrics. Phoenix acquired Paul hoping for an immediate push. Two years later, his window appears to be closing.

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...

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.

After a chaotic week which saw teams near the top of the bracket losing almost every night, there are some changes in the latest bracket update. Purdue and Alabama are still the top two overall seeds. Both were tested this week but came away with wins. Kansas State remains on the top line despite a loss at Iowa State. Arizona moved up to a No. 1 seed after Kansas lost at Baylor for its third straight defeat.

Wilson (lower body) was absent from practice Saturday, per Samantha Pell of The Washington Post. Wilson didn't play Thursday after suffering a lower-body Tuesday against Colorado. It appears that his status is in question for Sunday's contest in Toronto. Wilson has played in just eight games this season, logging two goals and an assist.

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.

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.

Toews (illness) is practicing Saturday, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports. Toews sat out Thursday's game versus Calgary, the second time this season he was unable to suit up. Toews, whose name has been bandied about in trade rumors, has 13 goals and 27 points in 45 games this season. The 34-year-old vet should be good to go versus Edmonton on Saturday.

Nurkic (calf) is questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Raptors. Nurkic left Wednesday's matchup against Utah in the third quarter due to left calf soreness and is considered a question mark for Portland's next game. If Nurkic is ultimately ruled out Saturday, Drew Eubanks would be a candidate for increased playing time.

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.

Love (back) won't play Thursday against the Rockets, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. After getting added to the injury report late Thursday, Love will ultimately sit out against the Rockets, putting Dean Wade and Cedi Osman in line for more minutes. The veteran's next chance to return to the court will be Friday against the Thunder.

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.

Doncic (ankle) will not return to Thursday's contest against the Suns, NBA writer Marc Stein reports. Doncic picked up a left ankle sprain three minutes into Thursday's matchup with Phoenix and he won't return, finishing with only one rebound. Expect Josh Green, Spencer Dinwiddie and Tim Hardaway to all see an uptick in minutes for the remainder of Thursday's contest. The severity of Doncic's ankle injury is uncertain at this point.