Sports
NFL playoff power rankings: Top 4 quarterbacks remaining in the postseason
There are four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs – all with hopes they will reach the Super Bowl with victories next weekend.
The San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game, and the Baltimore Ravens will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
The 49ers are back in the conference title game after last year’s debacle against the Philadelphia Eagles that saw multiple injuries affect the offensive side of the ball. The Lions are in the conference title game for the first time since the 1991 season. A lot has changed in the organization since then.,
The Ravens are hosting their first conference title game ever. A win would mean the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since the 2012 season. The Chiefs have now made six consecutive conference title games, which have yielded two Super Bowl rings since the 2019 season.
Before the games kick off, take a look below for the list of the top remaining quarterbacks.
4). Brock Purdy, 49ers
Brock Purdy, #13 of the San Francisco 49ers, looks to pass as he warms up prior to an NFL divisional round playoff football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may be leading the best team left in the NFL postseason, but out of the four quarterbacks remaining in the playoffs, he is ranked last going into the conference championships.
Purdy’s 59% completion rate, 252 passing yards and touchdown pass against the Green Bay Packers did not do enough convincing. He had one touchdown pass in the team’s 24-21 victory. He has a whole host of weapons, including Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
McCaffrey showcased just how dangerous he could be as he scored two rushing touchdowns. Purdy threw a touchdown pass to Kittle that helped eke out the win. However, there is definitely room to change the minds of naysayers with a big game against the Detroit Lions as if leading San Francisco on a game-winning drive was not enough.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan praised Purdy.
“There was times that we were all off at times,” Shanahan said, via Yahoo Sports. “… I thought everyone who had a few plays that stuck out, that either ended a drive or it was why we didn’t get a first down — same thing on defense, even on special teams — but everyone who did do that stuff made a huge play at the end in all three phases to get us back into it.
“Brock, he made some big plays in this game, missed a couple — but leading us down on that last drive and getting the win, that’s all you can ask for.”
3). Jared Goff, Lions
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, #16, throws the ball during an NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been here before. He has led Detroit on an improbable run to the conference championship game and has a matchup against the 49ers – one of the best teams in the league. Goff has NFC title game experience as he led the Los Angeles Rams to a victory over the New Orleans Saints in the 2019 game.
Now, Goff is on a new team and is one win away from getting back to the Super Bowl. Goff’s big game experience could be a difference maker against the 49ers. He had 287 passing yards and two touchdown passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Lions’ 31-23 win.
“It’s exciting,” Goff said of getting back to the NFC Championship. “We joked in there after the game. Ironically, the last time a lot of us played in it was against each other. It was me with the Rams against (Lions head coach Dan Campbell) with the Saints. (Lions linebacker Alex) Anzalone was there. (Lions defensive coordinator) Aaron Glenn was there. Yeah, so it’s exciting.
“And not just for me, but for our whole team and it’s something that we’ve – it’s not, I don’t want to say this arrogantly, but we expected to win the first game, we expected to win this game and now we get to go to a game we expected to be in against a really good team at their place and we’re going to come into it expecting to win. It’ll be a tough game, but It’ll be fun.”
2). Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs, dodges Micah Hyde, #23 of the Buffalo Bills, during their AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
For the sixth consecutive time, Patrick Mahomes has led the Chiefs to a conference championship. Mahomes and the Chiefs might be seen as the perennial favorites to make the Super Bowl once again, but this season has been a little bit different.
Kansas City was ninth in yards gained and 15th in points scored. It was the first time they finished outside the top 10 in points scored since the 2016 season, when Alex Smith was still the starting quarterback. There has been far more trials and tribulations in 2023 for the Chiefs, but they have come out with victories at home against the Miami Dolphins and on the road against the Buffalo Bills.
The pressure will be mostly off Mahomes as all eyes will be on Lamar Jackson as he tries to break through and lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl. He may be able to take advantage and win the game.
“There’s no weakness there,” Mahomes said of the Ravens’ defense. “It’s going to take our best effort. Defense, offense, special teams, they do it all. It’s always a great challenge, and that stadium is going to be rocking, so we’re excited for the challenge.”
1). Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Lamar Jackson, #8 of the Baltimore Ravens, celebrates after rushing for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 20, 2024 in Baltimore. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was the MVP favorite after the season and proved Saturday night against the Houston Texans that he is more than capable of taking the team to the next level as the best quarterback left in the postseason.
Jackson had 152 passing yards and two touchdown passes as well as two scores on the ground. Baltimore showed no ring rust. Baltimore is also hosting the AFC Championship for the first time in its history. Jackson has the chance to do it all in front of the home crowd.
He said he was motivated a little bit with the knack on him being that he only had one playoff win.
“I saw it. Yes, I see it, but it is what it is,” Jackson said. “I don’t really care about what people say. I’m trying to win day in and day out. Every time I’m on that field, I’m trying to play to the best of my abilities. Those guys just had our team number in the past, but it’s a different team. Like I’ve been saying, we just have to stay locked in on what’s ahead of us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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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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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.
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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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