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Stunningly, this was the first time in Hopkins’ pro career he was held without a catch. It may be stunning, but it’s not surprising after Hopkins’ usage dwindled down the stretch of the regular season. The 32-year-old’s legs seem to be gone. Nuk’s experience and sure hands could still prove an important factor in the AFC Championship Game, but statistical expectations need to be minimized.
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Like clockwork, 35-year-old Kelce woke up for his best game of the year as soon as the calendar turned to “playoffs.” His 117 yards were a new season high, and broke his tie with Jerry Rice for the most 100-yard performances in playoff history (Kelce now has nine). Despite the stuffed stat sheet, Kelce is visibly not the same player he was in his prime. He looked a bit like Russell Wilson in the open field this afternoon. He’s just so savvy at finding the soft spots in the defense. He will be an AFC Championship Game X-factor regardless of opponent.
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ATL Defensive Coordinator
A helpless observer to the Jets’ slow-burn 2024 fiasco after they scapegoated Robert Saleh, Ulbrich is short on actual coordinating experience, but he profiles as a trusted lieutenant for Raheem Morris. Ulbrich worked alongside Morris for five years in Atlanta under Dan Quinn. He’s a stabilizing hire, not someone who is being brought in to shake things up. We assume Morris will mostly function as his own boss.
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And with that, the Chiefs have now made the AFC title tilt all seven years Mahomes has been starter. Stupefying. As was the case all season, it wasn’t necessarily a “convincing” win. It was also never really in doubt. Regardless of who wins Baltimore/Buffalo’s heavyweight fight Sunday, the talk all week will focus on the Chiefs’ supposed vulnerability. It’s just that, the next time we see it this season will be the first. Giddy up for what should be another classic.
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Both players came into the weekend listed as questionable, with Mixon downgraded throughout the week with an ankle injury and Woods missing all three practices with a hip injury. Also active for the Texans is linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Inactive for the Texans are RB J.J. Taylor, LB Devin White ,DE Jerry Hughes, G/C Kendrick Green, G Nick Broeker, and DT Kurt Hinish.
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Allen has four years left on his deal, which is a front-loaded contract. Rapoport said he “would not be surprised at all” if the Bills gave Allen an adjusted deal that would offer him more money sooner after the Bills’ QB1 played at an MVP caliber level, again, this season. Allen has the Bills within one game of playing for the AFC Championship next week, and was one of four quarterbacks to total 40-plus touchdowns this season.
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Rapoport reports Flowers had a “promising” workout with the team on Friday, which could put him on track to return in the AFC Championship Game should the Ravens beat the Bills on Sunday. Flowers is officially doubtful heading into the game, and has been trending on the wrong side of playing after missing an entire week of practice.
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It was reported last week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Bengals had an interest in the former Bears head coach, but the Falcons became the first team to officially have an interview with him after they shared the news via their social media accounts. Eberflus went 14-32 during his time as the Bears’ head coach, but he rose to prominence as a respected defensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018-2021. Eberflus’ defense ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in three of his four seasons with the team, and ranked 12th in EPA per play over that span. Despite the Bears’ struggled in 2024, Eberflus’ defense also ranked 13th in points allowed and finished 13th in EPA per play. Eberflus could also see growing demand as teams begin to fill their head coaching vacancies in the coming days/weeks.
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Head coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal on their quarterback situation days after their playoff loss to the Ravens and will likely dance around the issue until we get closer to free agency. That said, Dulac is of the opinion that Fields could be the QB1 next season due to his age, and the success he enjoyed during his six games as a starter this season. Fields posted a 4-2 record as the Steelers’ starter, and threw for 1,106-5-1 while completing a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes. On the flip side, Dulac also points out that Russell Wilson “was brought here to end the playoff victory drought, and it didn’t happen,” and a reason to move on from the 36-year-old vet. There’s a lot to play out in the coming weeks/months, but the Steelers’ re-upping with Fields this offseason rather than overspending on an underwhelming QB market would make a lot of sense for both sides.
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Schefter also reports that “at least one team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow try to trade for Tomlin.” Any trade for Tomlin would require his approval, as the veteran head coach currently has a no-trade clause baked into his current deal. It’s a bold move by the Bears, but one that clearly shows their desire to nail their next head coaching hire after cycling through four different head coaches and interim head coach Thomas Brown since 2013. When asked earlier about the possibility of approving a trade to another team, Tomlin simply said, “Save your time.” We also know the Steelers don’t have any plans to move on from Tomlin, as previously reported by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Barring an unexpected turn of events, Tomlin, who signed a three-year extension last offseason, will remain with the Steelers in 2025.