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Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts look to add to their legends in Rams-Eagles showdown

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Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts look to add to their legends in Rams-Eagles showdown

Matthew Stafford played in one Super Bowl with the Rams and won. Jalen Hurts played in one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short.

Both quarterbacks aim to return to the NFL’s biggest stage.

One will take a step toward that goal on Sunday when the Rams play the Eagles in an NFC divisional-round game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“I’m enjoying the hell out of it,” Stafford, a 16th-year pro, said of the preparation. “I know the guys on our team are doing the same.

“Just trying to lead as best I can to help us give ourselves the best chance we can to get a win and keep it moving.”

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Hurts, a fifth-year pro, is similarly wired.

“I don’t play the game for anything other than to win,” he told Philadelphia reporters this week.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dominated strategy discussion in the lead-up to the game, specifically focused on whether he could come close to repeating his 255-yard rushing performance against the Rams in November.

But Stafford and Hurts could dictate which team moves on to play the winner of Saturday’s game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts have met at SoFi Stadium in 2023 and 2024, both Philadelphia victories.

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(Michael Owens / Getty Images)

Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams are 1-4 against the Eagles.

Twice, Hurts played a key role in defeating them.

In 2023, he passed for 303 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in a 23-14 victory at SoFi Stadium.

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Two months ago, also at SoFi Stadium, Hurts passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 39 yards in a Barkley-dominated 37-20 win.

Hurts’ ability to pass and run on designed and off-schedule plays makes him “a nightmare,” to play against, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

He’s very calm back there in the pocket,” Shula said. “He has a great O-line that he trusts and he’ll stand back there forever if you let him.”

And if the pocket collapses?

“He’s able to find the little holes here and there, the little creases,” Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said. “He doesn’t always want to run. Sometimes, he can just make that big play, which is different from most quarterbacks.”

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In last Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers, Hurts completed his first six passes. But his next seven fell incomplete. In the second half, he completed seven of eight, finishing the game with 131 yards passing and two touchdown passes.

“He wins,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told Philadelphia reporters this week. “He’s been playing efficient, and we do what we need to do to win every game.

“And Jalen does what he needs to do to win every game, and will continue to do that and not apologize for it.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stiff arms a Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stiff arms a Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine during the Eagles’ wild-card playoff win on Jan. 12.

(Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)

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Hurts’ role, and the Eagles’ approach, is different every game, the quarterback told Philadelphia reporters.

“And you just want to go out there and do your job, take advantage of opportunities,” he said, adding, “Ultimately, it’s about winning the game. We’re talking about playoff football.”

In each of the last two games against the Eagles, Stafford passed for more than 222 yards and two touchdowns.

In last Monday’s wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he completed his first 10 passes and finished 19 of 27 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

His most savvy play might have been his decision to flick the ball forward just as he was about to be sacked in the second quarter with the Rams holding a 10-3 lead. Officials initially ruled that Stafford had fumbled and that the Vikings had returned it for a touchdown. But upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass.

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“You don’t coach that,” McVay said. “That’s not something that we would be telling a young quarterback to go ahead and do if that same situation arises. Matthew has earned the right to be able to do some things differently.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass against the Vikings at State Farm Stadium.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass during an NFC wild-card playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 13.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford’s “talent and his know-how” stand out, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told Philadelphia reporters.

“He’s still one of the top passers in the league,” Fangio said. “Very, very smart, can read coverages better than most, if not one of the top two or three.

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“Still has tremendous arm talent. Can put the ball anywhere.”

Stafford and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay were Detroit Lions teammates for seven seasons.

Slay, a 2017 All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl pick, went against Stafford in practice, watched him in games and has played against him twice since signing with the Eagles in 2020.

Stafford remains a top-five quarterback, Slay said.

“I don’t know why folks [are] leaving him out of that conversation,” Slay said, “because there’s not many quarterbacks that have the arm talent, the guy that’s seen every coverage that’s possible, and can make all the throws.”

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The Eagles must pressure Stafford, sack him on occasion and disrupt the Rams’ pass routes, Slay said.

“Because if they’re not disrupted enough, it’s going to be a good day for him,” he said, “and we don’t need a good day for him.”

Stafford is 5-1 in postseason games with the Rams. Hurts is 3–3 in the playoffs.

Three seasons ago, Stafford achieved a career highlight when he passed for two touchdowns in the Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

A year later, in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for another only to see the Eagles fall short in the final seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Whichever quarterback emerges with a victory Sunday puts another Super Bowl appearance within reach.

“I think back to the first day of training camp, how you’re feeling, and all the things that are going through your mind,” said Stafford, who will turn 37 two days before the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. “Looking at the end of the calendar and thinking about how long of a journey that is is sometimes overwhelming and a little bit daunting.

“But to be here now, to have worked through all the things that we’ve worked through as a team and as an individual, to get to this point and have the opportunities that we have in front of us is really fun.”

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo makes NBA history with 83-point game

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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo made NBA history on Tuesday night.

Adebayo scored 83 points, all while setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. It is the second-highest scoring game for a player ever, only to Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game.

“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game.

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Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.

He finished 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

After the game, he was seen in tears while he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game.

“Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore,” Adebayo’s girlfriend, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, wrote on social media, “but at least it gives me something to go after.”

MAGIC’S ANTHONY BLACK MAKES INCREDIBLE DUNK OVER FOUR DEFENDERS IN HISTORIC NBA GAME

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Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrates during the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026, in Miami, Florida.  (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The NBA’s previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters: one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes, Kobe Bryant, who had exactly that many through three quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.

He wound up passing Bryant for single-game scoring as well. Bryant’s career-best was 81 — a game that was the second-best on the NBA scoring list for two decades.

Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter against the Wizards, breaking the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tying the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.

He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — of 41, set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.

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Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.

Adebayo’s 43-point first half was the NBA’s second-best in at least the last 30 seasons — going back to the start of the digital play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

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Kings lose in overtime to the Boston Bruins

Charlie McAvoy scored 39 seconds into overtime and Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots on Tuesday night to earn the Boston Bruins their 13th straight victory at home, 2-1 over the Kings.

Mason Lohrei scored midway through the third period to break a scoreless tie. But the Kings tied it five minutes later when Drew Doughty’s shot from the blue line deflected off the heel of Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and into the net.

It was the seventh straight time the teams had gone to overtime in Boston.

In the overtime, Mark Kastelic blocked a shot in the defensive zone and made a long pass to David Pastrnak, who waited for McAvoy to come into the zone. The Bruins’ defenseman and U.S. Olympian, who went to the locker room at the end of the second period after taking a puck off his mouth, skated in on Darcy Kuemper and went to his backhand for the winner.

Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings, who entered the night one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The victory kept Boston in possession of the East’s second wild-card spot.

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Swayman tied his career high with his 25th win of the season. The Bruins haven’t lost at the TD Garden since before Christmas.

After the game, Kings forward and future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar stayed on the ice to shake hands with the Bruins after what is expected to be his last game in Boston.

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Jon Jones requests UFC release after Dana White says legend was ‘never’ considered him for White House card

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Mixed martial arts legend Jon Jones ended his retirement from UFC simply because he wanted a spot on the “Freedom 250” fight card at the White House in June. 

But, when UFC CEO Dana White announced the card during UFC 326 this past weekend, Jones wasn’t among the fighters. As a result, he has requested a release from his UFC contract. 

White was candid when asked about Jones following the UFC 326 card. 

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Jon Jones of the United States of America reacts after his TKO victory against Stipe Miocic of the United States of America in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, 2024 in New York City.  ((Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images))

“Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys a hundred thousands times, was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House,” White explained, per CBS Sports. “Some guy with Meta Glasses filmed him talking about his hips – that his hips are so bad. And I don’t know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones retired because of his hips. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, doctors say he should have a hip replacement.”

White added that “the Jon Jones thing is bulls—,” saying that he texted the fighter’s lawyer saying he would never be on the White House card despite Jones saying he was in negotiations for it. 

UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT

The Meta Glasses incident White is referring to came from a viral video, where Jones, unaware he was being filmed, discussed issues with his hips to a fan. 

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On Monday, Jones composed a thorough response to White’s comments about him and the White House Card. He previously posted and deleted social media explanations, but Monday’s appeared to be his final statement on the matter. 

UFC President Dana White speaks after UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center on Feb. 21, 2026.  (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight,” Jones, who retired a heavyweight champion in 2025, said. “So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready. 

“I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m ‘done’ is disappointing. Especially when as recently as Friday UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number.”

Jones finished his statement by saying he “respectfully” asks to be released from his UFC contract.

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Jon Jones enters the ring before facing Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, New York. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up,” he wrote. 

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.

Jones is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all time, owning a 28-1-1 record, which includes his last bout with Stipe Miocic, knocking him out to take the heavyweight title belt. He is also a two-time light heavyweight champion. 

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