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AFC championship game preview: Ravens look to change narrative; Chiefs aim for another Super Bowl appearance

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AFC championship game preview: Ravens look to change narrative; Chiefs aim for another Super Bowl appearance

The AFC’S top-seeded Baltimore Ravens may be the hottest team in football, winning eight of their last nine, their lone loss coming in Week 18 while key players rested. 

But the Kansas City Chiefs should not feel like an underdog.

Despite being the third seed, this is their sixth consecutive AFC championship game.

Let’s look at what to watch for in this matchup.

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Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs shakes hands with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) of the Baltimore Ravens after the Chiefs defeated the Ravens 27-24 in overtime to win at Arrowhead Stadium Dec. 9, 2018, in Kansas City, Mo.  (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The pressure is on, but not on who you may think

There’s no question the Chiefs have gotten plenty more eyeballs this season thanks to Taylor Swift. And just prior to the postseason, many wondered if their heightened popularity and stardom was affecting their play on the field.

But nobody is facing more pressure than Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Jackson is likely going to be named the NFL MVP for the second time in his career next month, but his main bugaboo has been his lack of success in the playoffs.

Entering this postseason, he was 1-3 in playoff games. This is his first trip to the AFC title game. It’s Patrick Mahomes’ sixth, despite him being just 15 months older than Jackson.

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Jackson signed a $260 million contract extension in the offseason after requesting a trade, and it’s off to a nice start. But the main question about him has yet to be answered.

Mahomes has answered plenty of questions.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after rushing for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium Jan. 20, 2024, in Baltimore. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

The injury report favors Baltimore

In Week 11, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews reportedly cracked a fibula, and even head coach John Harbaugh thought the injury was “season-ending.”

But the Ravens took him off injured reserve Friday, making him active for Sunday. 

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While Isaiah Likely has emerged at tight end and it’s unknown what Andrews’ role and snap count will be, the Ravens aren’t complaining about having two options.

Chiefs’ All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thuney will be out with a pec strain. We saw what happened when the Chiefs had an injury-compromised offensive line in the 2021 Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, combine that with question marks about the wide receiving corps. 

Speaking of which …

Lamar Jackson (8) of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates with Mark Andrews (89) after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at M&T Bank Stadium Nov. 20, 2022, in Baltimore. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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Can the Chiefs hold onto the ball?

The Chiefs have hurt themselves with dropped passes all season. They led the NFL in drops, and Mecole Hardman had two fumbles in the divisional round, one of which rolled through the end zone and resulted in a touchback.

RAVENS’ MARK ANDREWS ACTIVE FOR AFC TITLE GAME VS. CHIEFS JUST WEEKS AFTER DEVASTATING INJURY

But Travis Kelce is still Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice has filled in nicely.

But all it takes is one costly misplay, and we’ve seen plenty throughout the season.

Yet there is one guy who is doing everything he can so far to bring the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl.

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Rashee Rice (4) of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a third-quarter touchdown catch with Travis Kelce (87) against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Dec. 10, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.  (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Travis Kelce is getting hot

Kelce had an up-and-down season after setting career highs in every category last year. It was the first time since 2015 he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards. He was 16 shy while missing two games. 

The star tight end had 303 yards receiving weeks 6 and 7 combined but totaled 459 in his final nine games. He had under 50 receiving yards in five of those contests.

So far in the playoffs, though, he’s been vintage Kelce, catching 12 passes for 146 yards and two scores, both of which came last week. 

This is par for the course for Kelce, a stud no matter the situation. 

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Was it Swift that slowed him down? Or maybe he rushed back from that hyperextended knee he suffered two days before the season started? In any case, he’s picking a good time to get hot again.

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of a game against the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park Nov. 5, 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany. (Ralf Ibing/firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

Kickoff is Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Kick back, relax and enjoy the show.

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LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka’s departure, return to PGA Tour

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LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka’s departure, return to PGA Tour

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Brooks Koepka may have returned to the PGA Tour following a stint at LIV Golf, but do not expect the Saudi-backed league’s other biggest stars to join in.

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to staying put when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a preseason press conference.

“I had no idea, no idea that that would happen.” DeChambeau said. “No idea what the penalties would even be. Right now, I’ve got a contract. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at LIV Golf this year.”

 

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Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm walk to the eighth green during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 2, 2022.  (Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch)

“I made a decision to come out here and spend more time at home, and I’m not giving that away. I’ll be on LIV for years to come,” added Smith, who won the 2022 Open Championship shortly before officially committing to LIV.

DeChambeau and Smith each left in 2022, but Rahm was perhaps the biggest surprise. Once very outspoken against LIV, he joined the league in December 2023.

In August 2024, he shut down rumors of buyer’s remorse to Fox News Digital, and that still appears to be the case.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league and my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again,” Rahm said.

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Koepka’s decision came weeks after he revealed he would be leaving the rival series.

“I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career,” he wrote on social media. “When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the @PGATOUR, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA TOUR. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.

Brooks Koepka, of the United States, acknowledges the crowd on the 5th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, July 17, 2025. (Peter Morrison, File/AP Photo)

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“I believe in where the PGA TOUR is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake,” he continued. “I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”

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Koepka said he planned to be at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open in the coming weeks.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Koepka’s return sparked the Returning Member Program for those who left the company and may decide to follow in Koepka’s footsteps.

Rolapp said Koepka agreed to a few conditions upon his return to the PGA Tour. It included a “five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $50–85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour,” according to Rolapp. Koepka will also make a $5 million charitable donation to an organization yet to be determined.

Brooks Koepka during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)

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Koepka became the first person to return to the PGA Tour after defecting for LIV.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks

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Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks

Luka Doncic and LeBron James were listed as questionable for the Lakers’ back-to-back game Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic because of left groin soreness, James because of left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica.

Also, checking the stat sheet before the game, the Lakers were listed as one of the worst three-point shooting teams and one of the worst defensive shooting percentage teams in the league.

Well, Luka played and LeBron played and the Lakers shot lights-out from three-point range and were solid across the board on defense while i rolling over the Hawks 141-116 at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic felt soreness in his groin when the Lakers played at Sacramento on Monday night and was unsure about playing Tuesday. But he played and delivered 27 points, 12 assists and five rebounds.

James didn’t play in the second game of a back-to-back game last week at New Orleans and San Antonio and said he will be listed as TBD, to be determined, in such scenarios. But James played against the Hawks and nearly produced a triple-double with 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

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Coming into the game, opponents were shooting 48.8% from the field and 37.4% from three against the Lakers, ranking them 28th and 26th, respectively, in the NBA.

The Hawks began the game ranked fourth in three-point shooting, making 37.4%, and they were ranked eighth in field-goal percentage, making 43.6%.

All of the above made for a bad recipe for the Lakers entering the game.

But when the game started, none of that mattered to the Lakers, who held the Hawks to 45% shooting and 28.3% from three-point range.

The Lakers shot 55.9% (19 for 34) from three-point range.

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The Lakers’ big lead was sliced to 11 points in the fourth.

But back-to-back three-pointers by James and Marcus Smart, both off passes from Doncic, and a Doncic basket gave them a 19-point lead, and they never looked back.

The Lakers scored 81 points in the first half, a season-high for points in a half, a half in which they opened a 23-point lead and had the Hawks reeling from the beginning.

Doncic missed just one of his six three-pointers in the first half. Gabe Vincent came off the bench and missed just one of his four three-pointers in the first half.

Rui Hachimura had missed the previous seven games with a right calf strain but was back in action against the Hawks. He had seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.

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ETC: The Lakers signed guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 Bufkin played in seven games for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League team, where he averaged 28.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists over seven games. He has appeared in 27 career NBA games over two seasons with the Hawks. “You know, during the stretch, we’ll have opportunities during this 10-day,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said…. Backup center Jaxson Hayes didn’t play against the Hawks because of left hamstring soreness. Redick said Hayes got some “imaging” Tuesday on his injury and that the Lakers will have “more information” going forward.

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Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports

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Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports

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Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports.

Tomlin’s decision on Tuesday came after a blowout loss against the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs. It marked the Steelers’ seventh straight postseason defeat.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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