Sports
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.
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.
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)
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.
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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.
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.
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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Sports
Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak behind Victory Wembanyama’s incredible Game 1 performance
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The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds , three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling, double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double-overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a large hand in it late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player before the start of the series, came through in the clutch on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds remaining in the game, his sprint to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs got off to a four-point lead in extra time, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder used that momentum, as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. “Wemby,” though, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response on Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it, while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer on the other end, and despite drawing up a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s attempted alley-oop to Castle with just 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime, while the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks in the end.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead.
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Sports
High school softball: City Section Monday playoff scores, updated schedule
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
First Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6
#20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2
#10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0
#18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2
#20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3
#14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0
#15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33
#20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7
#14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7
#18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round
DIVISION I
#16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice
#9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo
#12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez
#13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth
#14 LA University at #3 Port of LA
#11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock
#10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield
#15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall
#9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez
#12 Fremont at #5 Symar
#20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne
#19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt
#11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta
#10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate
#18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell
#9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood
#12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East
#20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy
#14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES
#11 Westchester at #6 Torres
#10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES
#15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson
#9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine
#12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value
#20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park
#14 Franklin at #3 Santee
#11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo
#10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College
#18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION
#8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro
#6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham
#7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds; Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
Sports
Ex-NFL star implores Russell Wilson to hang it up: ‘Do your TV thing’
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Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
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New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
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