Everything the Denver Broncos have worked for is now in front of them. They have conquered the regular season and have the best possible position heading into the NFL postseason.
West
Bill Maher trashes Karen Bass, Cali officials for response to fires: 'Fiddling in Ghana while the city burned’
HBO host Bill Maher trashed the local government for how officials are handling the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles in the closing monologue of his show on Friday.
The “Real Time” host slammed local officials for not being prepared and prioritizing DEI initiatives over competent fire response. He also savaged the city’s Democratic mayor, Karen Bass, for being out of the country when the blazes began in LA County.
“L.A.’s mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned,” Maher said.
CALIFORNIA FIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
HBO host Bill Maher ripped Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for her wildfire response this week. (Bob Riha Jr / Contributor | Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer)
Maher went after the government for not having the resources to fight the fires, sharing an article from Axios about how complicated it was to get water out of fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood in L.A. particularly ravaged by the inferno.
The host saw this as a weak excuse, stating, “I’m sure it is. I’m sure it’s very complicated. That’s why I pay 13 percent of my income in the state every year to people who I assume were working on things like this.”
Maher ripped Bass’ excuse for being unprepared. He quoted her saying the fires were so bad because of “eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least 14 years.”
The host ridiculed the line, saying, “Yeah, that’s not that long a time. Maybe look in the history books to see how our ancestors handled it back in 2011.”
He also hammered Bass for cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Bass cut $17 million from the LAFD’s budget, having originally wanted to cut $23 million.
CALIFORNIANS ‘ANGRY’ AMID DEVASTATING WILDFIRES, ASKING WHERE HIGH TAX DOLLARS WENT: LOCAL RESEARCHER
People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
As Maher noted, Bass insisted that the cuts didn’t affect the city’s preparedness. In response, he brought up LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley’s “slightly different take.”
“She said, ‘We are screaming to be properly funded,’” the host said, adding, “And yes, the budget was cut, and it did impact our ability to provide service.”
He then mocked the city for appearing to prioritize DEI initiatives among its first response units. “We just got our a—kicked by fire, something neanderthals fought to a tie. The good news is our fire chief is a lesbian,” he said, mentioning Crowley again.
Maher clarified he sees nothing wrong with there being a lesbian chief but suggested that she was chosen because of her sexual identity. “Or maybe they really wanted a lesbian in that job and she’s just the best lesbian for the job, and with essential services, that’s not good enough.”
LA FIRES: LORENZO LAMAS SHREDS CALIFORNIA’S LACK OF PREPARATION AS ‘ABSOLUTELY DESPICABLE’
To back up his hunch, Maher read from Crowley’s LAFD bio, which stated, “Chief Crowley leads a diverse department… Creating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities…”
The host savaged the bio, stating, “Well, you didn’t exceed my expectations, which was that the whole city wouldn’t burn down. But it’s telling that diversity was mentioned twice before we get to ‘while’ – ‘while striving’ to meet ‘expectations.’”
Maher savaged his home state as a place that “spends money and gets nothing, which is why you may have noticed when the fires broke out, no one escaped by high-speed rail.”
“We have the highest marginal tax rate in America, higher than almost all other states … What is included for that? Breadsticks? Because it clearly doesn’t cover fire,” he said. “That’s government’s job. Protect us from crime, violence, theft, fire. I’m not saying Alabama would have done better with fires by fighting them with prayer in school, but look me in the eye and tell me anyone could have done worse.”
Read the full article from Here
Continue Reading
San Francisco, CA
Here’s what Kittle’s possible yearlong recovery from torn Achilles could look like: UCSF doctor
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The San Francisco 49ers are advancing to the NFC divisional, but without tight end George Kittle who suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
The injury ended Kittle’s season. The recovery will be painful and extensive, something that, according to medical experts, could take anywhere between nine to 12 months before Kittle gets back on the field.
On the field, fans knew something was wrong, and medical experts watched and feared it was his Achilles.
“When you see that they slow-mo on his leg and you see his calf muscle go up and he grabs his leg and see him hit the ground – a lot of the time players know what that is,” said Dr. Nirav Pandya, UCSF Orthopedic surgeon.
MORE: Bay Area doctor shoots down ‘baseless’ claim that 49ers injuries are caused by EMF from substation
A Bay Area doctor has shot down a viral claim that the 49ers’ countless injuries are being caused by electromagnetic fields from a nearby substation.
Dr. Pandya specializes in sports medicine. He broke down what Kittle’s medical team is gearing him up for.
“It’s a very painful surgery early on – you are basically going on your ankle, you are sewing these tendons together, immobilizing them, and then you are working through this period of getting that mobility back,” said Dr. Pandya.
According to Nature Review’s research, 30% of sports injuries are Achilles tendon injuries. Dr. Pandya said recovery could be impacted by techniques.
“There are some newer techniques that players like Aaron Rogers who got back in six months, and what is happening in these surgeries is that you are using stronger devices, you are allowing rehab a lot earlier. So, a lot of it will be based on what the surgeon does that he goes, and sees and sometimes you can push that timeline a little bit earlier but for players like him who plays tight end, and sometimes wide receiver, it may take longer because he is stressing that repair a lot more than let’s say a quarterback,” said Dr. Pandya.
Immediately after surgery, Dr. Pandya said patients like Kittle will be placed into physical therapy.
“They will be doing a lot of manual work early on to facilitate the recovering of the tissues and then loading him in the gym,” said Julian Cisneros, physical therapist and owner of Peak Physio.
MORE: Brock Purdy, 49ers eliminate defending Super Bowl champion Eagles with 23-19 win in wild-card game
San Francisco 49ers fans and Philadelphia Eagles fans hosted a dual watch party at neighboring bars in San Francisco.
Cisneros treats these types of injuries and said it will be almost a year of PT and will happen in phases, with the first one being light resistance.
“It would be light resistance, just trying to go through a full range of motion nice and controlled, slow and steady, making sure his Achilles tolerate that,” said Cisneros.
“Standing under his own body weight on a flat-level surface and raising up those heels nice and high. This would be more load, and once he completes that, we would start elevating him so he can really lengthen that Achilles again and we will give him weights to hold,” said Cisneros. “And then we can start incorporating more plyometric movements with balancing here, and then we will get him on the track or on the field and going through sprints, jumping progressions.”
One of the last phases is to “start incorporating more plyometric movements with balancing,” said Cisneros.
Dr. Pandya is projecting Kittle could be back during the early part of next season, anywhere between September and October.
The good news is that Dr. Pandya says it is very unlikely after full recovery Kittle will re-injure his Achilles.
Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Now that we’ve got some separation from the regular season and a week without Broncos football being played, I’m ruminating on what the Broncos are going to do on the field in the playoffs.
One of the big things I love about cheering for this team today is just how dynamic and cunning the coaching staff is on both sides of the ball. Sean Payton is the real deal, both as a head coach first and foremost and as an offensive coordinator. He’s constantly shifting the team’s game plan to match opponents, keep them off balance, and take advantage of weaknesses that show up on film.
As a guy who loves to play armchair coach during the season a bit, I’m going to share some ideas I have that seem like somewhat obvious tweaks to this offense we are likely to see in the postseason.
Go with the hot hand at running back
One issue I see on offense is the disparity at times in who is getting carries at running back when you look at the production on the field. Most of the last few games have seen Jaleel McLaughlin produce more consistently than RJ Harvey in raw run play production. I think one obvious thing we may see Sean Payton do is to let McLaughlin have more carries if he stays hot.
That’s not to say that I’m down on Harvey. I just think when a guy is producing, you should adjust to give that guy more carries at the running back position. RJ Harvey is a talented back who produces both on the ground and through the air (especially in the red zone).
The only aside I can see about this idea is that it is possible that McLaughlin and Harvey aren’t interchangeable from a play-call perspective. It is possible
Punish man / off coverage looks with quarterback scrambles
Bo Nix is a scrambling weapon with the ball. In the playoffs, if the defense wants to sink coverage or play man Nix will need to be quicker to take the ground yards. For much of the regular season, we’ve seen Nix stay very disciplined with wanting to throw the ball down the field on scrambles. There’s a fine line to walk with this, as sometimes you need to just punish defenses for ignoring your athletic capability.
Nix ran 83 times in 2025 and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. He easily could have had 100 carries with a more aggressive approach. Keeping Nix healthy means it is a much better idea for him not to take the risk in the regular season. He’s pretty good at taking angles out of bounds or sliding and knowing when to do that to avoid big hits, though.
The Broncos’ offense doesn’t really scare anyone, but adding this wrinkle in the postseason should help open things up quite a bit.
Get Mims and Franklin some deep shots
Easily the most frustrating thing about the Broncos’ offense this season has been their inability to connect on their deep shots. Nix hasn’t dialed in his accuracy deep down the field yet, which is a shame. The Broncos end up in a lot of man coverage situations and rarely are able to capitalize.
In the postseason, it is time to change that. We have both Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin, who are superb deep pass targets with killer speed. If the Broncos can get their run game production geared up, they absolutely will have opportunities to hit these deep plays.
Bonus No Bull thoughts on Sean Payton
Don’t get lulled to sleep by the last few games of the season. Everyone who knows football sees the same thing I have in my game reviews: Payton kept things vanilla on purpose.
It is a hard thing to watch a team go run, run, pass ad nauseum (am I right, Broncos fans who “enjoyed” the Dan Reeves era with John Elway?). That was strategic, not senile.
Sean Payton is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game (with all due respect to Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid, and Sean McVay). He knows exactly where this team is at and what is at stake in the postseason. The Bills are going to have to go back to some old tape to try to sort out what our offense is about.
No matter what they prepare for, I expect a good dose of plays that they won’t know are coming. The world at large may think that the Bills are Goliath. That’s just fine. Payton knows exactly how dangerous a team can be when everyone thinks your team is a bunch of young Davids.
SEATTLE – The Seattle Seahawks are hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday in a prime time rivalry game in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
This will be the Seahawks’ second consecutive game against the 49ers, having beaten them in Week 18 to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC, earning a first-round bye. They now meet again, this time with the winner advancing to the NFC Championship.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) is congratulated by head coach Mike Macdonald during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn
Keep reading for details on the Seahawks vs 49ers playoff game, and how to watch it live.
When is the Seahawks vs 49ers playoff game?
The Seahawks and 49ers will face off in the NFC Divisional Round at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Where is the Seahawks vs 49ers playoff game?
The Seahawks have homefield advantage after securing the #1 seed in the NFC, with the 49ers traveling to Lumen Field in Seattle.
What TV channel is the Seahawks vs 49ers playoff game on?
The Seahawks vs 49ers playoff game will air on FOX 13 in the Seattle area. You can watch Gameday on FOX 13 for pregame coverage and postgame analysis.
The game is also available to watch with a subscription to FOX One or NFL+.
What radio station is the Seahawks game on?
To listen to the game, fans can tune into Seattle Sports 710 AM, KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, the Seahawks mobile app, SiriusXM 226, 225 or 88, and on the SiriusXM app.
Steve Raible and Dave Wyman will call the action with Jen Mueller as the sideline reporter.
More on the Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC after beating the 49ers in Week 18, winning 13-3 in a hard-fought defensive battle.
The teams now meet each other in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, after San Francisco took down the defending Super Bowl champions in the Wild Card Round, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seahawks and 49ers also met at the beginning of the season, where the Niners came out on top 17-13. The Hawks are currently on a seven-game winning streak, but got a bye week as the No. 1 seed.
MORE SEAHAWKS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Mike Macdonald happy to be done watching games, now preparing Seattle Seahawks for 49ers rematch
Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba named AP first-team All-Pro, 4 named to second-team
Businesses in Seattle’s Pioneer Square gear up for Seahawks playoff game
Seattle Seahawks confident in Sam Darnold after he flopped in his playoff debut last season
Browns request interview with Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, per report
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Detroit, MI12 minutes ago
Detroit Auto Show opens as industry pares back splashy debuts and leans on test tracks
San Francisco, CA24 minutes ago
Here’s what Kittle’s possible yearlong recovery from torn Achilles could look like: UCSF doctor
Dallas, TX30 minutes ago
FC Dallas Opens Preseason as Eric Quill Sets the Tone
Miami, FL36 minutes ago
Man in critical condition after he’s stabbed near ATM in Miami
Boston, MA42 minutes ago
Massachusetts Senate to finally debate Boston Mayor Wu’s contentious tax shift bill
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Politics9 hours ago
Rep Ro Khanna demands prosecution of ICE agent in Minneapolis fatal shooting
World10 hours ago
Syrian army sends troops to rural Aleppo to stop any SDF attempt to regroup
News10 hours ago
Iran acknowledges mass protest deaths, but claims situation under control as Trump mulls response
Videos19 hours ago
The Mayor of London explains why he thinks London is getting safer | BBC Newscast
News20 hours ago
Video: What Our Photographer Saw in Minneapolis
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology7 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Montana3 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Dallas, TX5 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Delaware4 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Iowa7 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Virginia3 days agoVirginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB