Category: Sport

Over 200 of the world’s best drivers have assembled at the Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the 24-hour endurance race known as the Rolex 24. The 64th annual iteration of the Rolex 24 will run on Saturday, Jan. 24, and Sunday, Jan. 25, and you can watch the whole thing live, complete with 24 hours of rotating commentators offering play-by-play analysis.

Comprehensive coverage of all 24 hours of this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway will be streaming on Peacock, and you can catch the first hour on Saturday and the last two hours on Sunday on NBC. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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How to watch the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona:

Dates: Jan. 24-25

Time (on NBC): 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. ET (Saturday) and 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. (Sunday)

Time (on Peacock): 1:30 p.m. Saturday through 2 p.m. Sunday

Location: Daytona International Speedway

Channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, and more

What channel is the Rolex 24 at Daytona on?

The 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona race is a 24-hour race; NBC will be providing coverage of the start and finish of the race, with broadcasts from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday and 12 – 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. Peacock will be streaming flag-to-flag coverage of the entire 24-hour race starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

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Where to stream the Rolex 24 at Daytona:

Coverage of the first hour and final two hours of the Rolex 24 at Daytona race can be streamed on NBC with a subscription to platforms like DirecTV, or you can watch the entire 24-hour race on Peacock. Peacock will also be streaming the the Michelin Pilot Challenge Race on Friday, live from Daytona.

Heading into Week 18, Aaron Rodgers was nothing if not pragmatically optimistic.

The days on his Pittsburgh Steelers contract were dwindling. The future of head coach Mike Tomlin was a subject of public debate. And the franchise he quarterbacked was cornered into a de facto playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale. Any direction you looked, there was something finite hanging in the balance. But in what registered as at least a mild surprise, Rodgers spoke to reporters like a man who didn’t see a definitive near-term conclusion to his football career … so long as he didn’t want it to end.

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“I’m thinking about this week, but obviously I’m 42 years old and I’m on a one-year deal, so you know what the situation is,” Rodgers told reporters. “Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play.”

Rodgers gave a slight shrug and chuckled.

“Not a lot of options, but — there will be options I would think. Maybe one or two if I decide I still want to play.”

[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed]

He then punctuated the thought by opening the door to a return.

“I’ve enjoyed this experience,” Rodgers said. “Everybody in Pittsburgh has been fantastic to me on and off the field. It’s really what I was hoping for, for this experience. It’s been even better than I was hoping.”

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A few days later, the Steelers would beat the Ravens and make the postseason, before getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans. All in all, it culminated in a season that felt like Rodgers, Tomlin and the Steelers squeezed about as much as they could have expected.

Then Tomlin left, via a resignation that felt like a surprise to ownership. And maybe to Rodgers, too, given that any thought of his return seemed so strongly bound to whether Tomlin would continue to guide Pittsburgh. When that changed, logical speculation — and that’s all we’ve been left with thus far on the Rodgers front — was that a new head coach would mean a new quarterback. Whatever options were on the table for Rodgers, they appeared to have shrunk by one.

Then came Saturday, when the Steelers went against their historical hiring template and locked in 62-year-old Mike McCarthy, a candidate who can fit more than one forward-looking ideology.  On one hand, McCarthy is a seasoned veteran coach who can come in and try to energize an aging roster that is still very much built to win now. On the other, he could be tasked with developing the franchise’s next young quarterback. Without a bridge starter currently on the roster, it will be difficult for McCarthy to achieve both of those responsibilities.

Unless, of course, McCarthy can find a veteran who knows his system and can come in and help with both tasks. Maybe a quarterback who McCarthy previously helped develop into a star? One who already has spent a season in the Pittsburgh quarterback room with 24-year-old Will Howard, who showed promise in limited reps during his rookie preseason and has the support of the front office as a prospect worth some continued development?

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That sounds like a fit for Rodgers. And perhaps the renewal of a 2026 option that appeared to be extinguished when Tomlin resigned.

Of course, that doesn’t mean McCarthy was hired with any kind of specificity of luring Rodgers back for another season. While some of Pittsburgh’s players gave Rodgers high marks as a teammate in their exit interviews, the work to find the next long-term starting option is clearly near the top of the priorities for ownership and general manager Omar Khan. And that wouldn’t have changed even if Tomlin had remained. One way or another, 2026 was always going to be geared toward either figuring out if the next young quarterback is already on the roster (in the form of Howard) or if the Steelers liked any of their draft, trade or free-agency options.

McCarthy’s arrival won’t change that mindset. The real factors of change at the quarterback spot will instead be pressed against the options Pittsburgh has available. If McCarthy is a head coach Rodgers will play for, it gives Pittsburgh at least one more year of a bridge starter to either weigh Howard as a prospect, or find someone in the 2026 draft who is worthy of being selected and then groomed. And there’s certainly some deep-value intrigue over the coming draft class of quarterbacks.

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The Steelers won’t have a shot at Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and their first-round draft pick at No. 21 overall might not be high enough to land Alabama’s Ty Simpson, either. But after that tandem, there are some interesting quarterbacks who could be seen as worthwhile projects with upside. Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss (if he can’t force another year of NCAA eligibility) will draw a significant amount of study from NFL teams. As will a quartet of others who were previously considered to be first-round picks — and potentially very high first-round picks — until hitting stumbles in their final seasons: LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Miami’s Carson Beck, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, among others.

For now — and we’ve yet to go through the draft-sifting process, so take this with a grain of salt — only Mendoza cuts the figure as a Day 1 rookie starter. Simpson could round into that kind of prospect, or one who has a shot to earn a starting job during his rookie season. The rest? Most personnel opinions appear to be placing them on a developmental track to possibly get a shot with a year or more of work from further down the depth chart.

If any of those players are in the Steelers’ future, McCarthy’s hiring makes a lot of sense given his history with helping quarterbacks grow into starters. And it also makes sense that Rodgers would be a fit, so long as he continues to be in a year-to-year contract mindset and actually wants to play for McCarthy again.

In that latter vein, both McCarthy and Rodgers have said very nice things about each other in the least few years, each gaining the perspective of working with new people and in new places. Those familiar with the pair have told Yahoo Sports in recent months that the rekindled admiration is real, with both having come to terms with their own mistakes and frustrations that ultimately played a part in McCarthy getting fired late in the 2018 season after coaching the Green Bay Packers for nearly 13 years.

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But burying the hatchet in the NFL guarantees nothing. Even if Rodgers wants to play again and McCarthy would like to have him in 2026, the veteran quarterback doesn’t know what the rest of the league landscape will look like in even a few weeks. There’s a chance the Los Angeles Rams win a Super Bowl and Matthew Stafford decides to pull a John Elway and retire. Should that happen, the Rams will still be very much in the middle of a Super Bowl window and not have an obvious starting quarterback on the roster. And then there is the Minnesota Vikings, a team Rodgers was very interested in playing for last offseason. They are looking for someone to come in and compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job next season.

Add the Steelers to that mix, and you have exactly what Rodgers was talking about when he focused his gaze on 2026. Not a lot of options — but certainly some interesting ones.

When people talk about how the 2026 NBA Draft class is shaping up to be something more than special, this is the kind of stuff they’re talking about.

Saturday saw three different freshman finish with more than 40 points: No. 13 BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with 43 against Utah; No. 6 Houston’s Kingston Flemings with 42 points against No. 12 Texas Tech; and No. 11 Illinois’ Keaton Wagler with 46 against No. 4 Purdue. All three performances set a new freshman scoring record for their program.

It’s a day that could very well be unprecedented. Per ESPN, it’s the first time in at least 20 years that three freshmen each scored 40 points or more on the same day.

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In the case of Dybantsa, Utah coach Alex Jensen had some high praise after the game, calling him a “generational talent” and saying it’s the first time all season he’s seen his own players quit down the stretch.

Oh, and No. 5 Duke’s Cameron Boozer posted 32 points and No. 20 Arkansas’ Darius Acuff posted 31. So that’s also five freshmen with at least 30 points on Saturday.

Each of the five above players have been projected by various outlets as lottery picks for the 2026 NBA Draft, with Dybantsa and Boozer standing out as potential candidates for the first overall pick. Their main competition, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, was out with an ankle injury Saturday.

There are plenty more star freshman prospects in college basketball this season, including No. 22 UNC’s Caleb Wilson, who posted a ho-hum 20 points in a win over No. 14 Virginia.

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It’s becoming quite clear that even with a lottery preventing any team from guaranteeing itself a top-four pick, being at the top of the odds could still offer a franchise-changing result. For example, the Washington Wizards, owners of the NBA’s worst record at 10-34, currently have a 14% chance to pick first, 13.4% for second, 12.7% for third, 12% for fourth and 47.9% for fifth, and can’t pick lower than that.

That gives them better than 50% odds for one of Dybantsa, Boozer, Peterson or Wilson, with plenty of fallback options at fifth.

Craig Kimbrel, a reliever with an all-time résumé, is joining the New York Mets after a rough couple of years.

The 16-year veteran has agreed to a minor league deal (with a spring training invite) with the Mets, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. If he makes an appearance with the team during the regular season, it will be the 10th MLB team he suits up for.

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Kimbrel has a career 2.58 ERA and is fifth on the all-time saves list with 440 (second among active players, behind Kenley Jansen’s 276). It’s been years since his prime, though, and the past couple seasons have been particularly turbulent.

He posted a brutal 5.33 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, then began 2025 with a return to the Atlanta Braves. He was designated for assignment in June, after 18 minor-league appearances and one inning with the the big-league club. He landed days later with the Texas Rangers and made 24 Triple-A appearances, but was released in August without an MLB promotion.

Kimbrel then joined the Houston Astros, who were desperate for bullpen help and ultimately used him in 13 games, but missed the playoffs. A 12-inning season with a 2.25 ERA doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, but MLB collectively made it clear that Kimbrel isn’t valued anywhere near what he once was. He has played for seven different teams in the past five seasons, not counting the Rangers.

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Now, he can potentially join a Mets bullpen currently going through an overhaul. The club lost All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, but responded by signing Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to deals totaling $71 million.

It’s been an active offseason for New York beyond that, with additional free-agent deals for infielders Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco and trades for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, second baseman Marcus Semien and outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

With those additions, the Mets will be looking for their first NL East title since 2015. BetMGM currently has them as division favorites at +175, just ahead of the reigning division champ Philadelphia Phillies at +180. Overall, they have the fourth-best World Series odds at +1300, behind the Dodgers (+225), New York Yankees (+1000) and Seattle Mariners (+1200).

A week away from the one-year anniversary of Luka Dončić shockingly being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the All-NBA guard finished with 33 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists in a 116-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks. This was Dončić’s second time back in Dallas since being traded, but his first since the firing of former general manager Nico Harrison, the architect of Dončić’s infamous departure.

LeBron James finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on 8-for-16 shooting on a relatively quiet night for the future Hall of Famer. Rui Hachimura finished with 17 points off the bench, including a number of key late fourth-quarter buckets. Starters Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart combined for 26 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

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“Everybody had a great game,” Dončić said about the team’s 26 assists on 40 made field goals. “The ball was shared.”

Coming into Saturday night, though, the biggest talking point was the return of Dončić to the place he called home for seven seasons. There were no tears from Dončić this time, nor was there a tribute video or standing ovation from the American Airlines Center crowd, but Dončić’s importance to that arena, the Mavericks and city of Dallas as a whole will never be diminished.

“The significance of this will probably be there for the rest of his career,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters before the game. “This is where it started for him, made his first Finals appearance, where he was drafted.”

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“It’s always going to be emotional,” Dončić added. “I really appreciate how they cheered for me when I was introduced and that is always going to be a special place for me. I was here for seven years.”

After a slow start which saw the Lakers miss seven of their first 10 shots, with minimal ball movement against a Mavericks defense intent on slowing Dončić down, the Slovenian superstar responded aggressively to Dallas’ array of coverages, scoring 12 points and guiding Los Angeles to a nine-point lead after the opening frame.

Los Angeles opted for a 2-3 zone against a Dallas team ranked in the bottom five in every 3-point shooting category, aiming to keep its opponent closer to the rim to prevent downhill drives. The Mavericks, despite their shooting troubles, opened the second half on a furious 16-0 run to take the lead — and stretched it to 15 at one point — but could not hold on, with the Lakers roaring back in the fourth on a 25-5 run.

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Los Angeles avoided a two-game skid on the third stop of its eight-game road trip, and will travel to Chicago next.

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“The intent to play the right way was there throughout the game,” Redick said. “Some errors, I would say, but basketball is an imperfect game and there will be errors. Our team stayed with our intent to play the right way.”

Max Christie led a balanced Dallas scoring attack with 24 points, with Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams also finishing in double-digits. But in the end it was Luka’s night.

“I always want to win no matter what,” Dončić said. “But this one obviously is a little different.”

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The Lakers, who have been battling inconsistency and injuries lately, are desperately seeking some rhythm. Since a Jan. 6 win over the Pelicans,  Los Angeles has lost six out of its last 10 games, ranking just 18th in offensive efficiency and 22nd in defensive efficiency, according to Cleaning the Glass. It is also without star guard Austin Reaves, who has been out since late December with a left calf strain. In his absence, the Lakers have turned to veteran guard Smart — in addition to the insertion of sharpshooter LaRavia into the starting lineup. Reaves is expected to rejoin the team over the next 10 days, according to Redick.

For Dončić, who has essentially shouldered the entire Lakers offense, the anticipated return of Reaves will be met with open arms. Dončić, who currently leads the NBA in scoring with 33.4 points per game, is also leading the team in assists (8.7) and is second in rebounds (7.8). According to Stathead, there have been only four players in NBA history who have averaged at least 30 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in a season: Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook and Dončić. Despite Los Angeles’ recent struggles, the team is still a top-10 halfcourt offense and is 5.4 points per 100 possessions better with Dončić on the floor.

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Even with the win, the Lakers’ need for reinforcements is becoming clearer by the day with the trade deadline less than two weeks away, especially if Los Angeles wants to remain competitive in the Western Conference. The Lakers (27-17) are now tied in the win column with the Houston Rockets, who sit in fourth place. The team could benefit from an upgrade on the wings, adding size and two-way ability to a team lacking quality depth right now.

Ohio State is expected to hire Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Saturday, meaning that the Buckeyes are poised to have former NFL head coaches coordinating their offense and defense in 2026.

Smith, who received NFL head-coaching and OC interest this cycle, spent the past two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OC and the three seasons before that as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach.

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Saturday’s news arrived hours after the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. McCarthy will replace Mike Tomlin, who stepped down from his post earlier this month, voluntarily ending his 19-season tenure and signifying the start of a new era in Pittsburgh.

At Ohio State, Smith will replace Brian Hartline and inherit a star-studded Buckeyes offense that features a Heisman finalist at quarterback in Julian Sayin and an All-American at receiver in Jeremiah Smith.

Hartline accepted the USF head-coaching job last month but stayed with Ohio State for the Big Ten title game and its short-lived College Football Playoff run.

Ryan Day is going back to the NFL well, which brought him defensive coordinator Matt Patricia last offseason. Initially, that hire was scrutinized heavily. But Patricia, who won three Super Bowls as a New England Patriots assistant before his failed Detroit Lions head-coaching stint, made the most of a talent-laden Buckeyes defense that allowed a mere 9.3 points per game this season, the fewest of any FBS team.

Patricia hadn’t worked in college football since 2003, when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse. Similarly, Smith hasn’t had a non-NFL job since 2010. At the time, he was a defensive intern/administrative assistant at Ole Miss, where he primarily worked with the team’s linebackers.

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The following year, Smith began his long climb up the Tennessee Titans’ coaching ladder. He stuck with the Titans from 2011-20, starting as a defensive quality control coach and eventually coordinating the Titans’ offense during the 2019-20 campaigns. Smith got the most out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw a career-high 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in 2020. That season, running back Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns, as the Titans averaged the fourth-most points per game (30.7) and the second-most rushing yards (168.1) in the NFL.

While Smith led the Falcons from 2021-23, though, they never had a top-10 offense. And they didn’t come close in Smith’s first or third seasons at the helm. Atlanta went 7-10 each year he was head coach.

Tomlin hired Smith ahead of the 2024 season. The bar was low when Smith took over the Steelers’ offense, and he raised it for two seasons while the franchise’s revolving door at quarterback continued to swing, with the trio of Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers starting all but one game.

During Smith’s brief stay, Pittsburgh leaned heavily on 13 personnel, or three-tight end packages, at least until Darnell Washington went down late this season.

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Pittsburgh ranked 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game last season. This time around, however, the Steelers dropped to 26th with 103.3 yards per game on the ground. That said, they found something with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell down the stretch, averaging 149 rushing yards per game over the final four regular-season games, as they took the AFC North crown and returned to the postseason.

But Smith has been criticized over the years for not prioritizing specific playmakers on his teams. There were moments in Falcons games when running back Bijan Robinson was inexplicably absent. And during this Steelers season, tight end Pat Freiermuth’s limited targets became a talking point.

Smith will have plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal in Columbus. He’ll have to press the right buttons at the right moments, although that’s much easier said than done.

Kevin Huerter’s 3-pointer with one second remaining gave the Chicago Bulls a 114-111 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

The Bulls earned their win over the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference on a night where a celebration was already scheduled with the retirement of Derrick Rose’s jersey at Chicago’s United Center.

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Outscoring the Bulls 30-22 in the second quarter, the Celtics took a 58-52 lead at halftime. However, Chicago rallied to go on top 73-72 on an Isaac Okoro layup midway through the third quarter. Boston briefly regained the lead on an Anfernee Simons 3-pointer, but the Bulls then went on a 16-8 run to close out the frame.

Chicago maintained its lead through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter until the Celtics went back on top 100-99 on a layup by Jordan Walsh. The two teams then traded the lead on 3s from Boston’s Derrick White and the Bulls’ Patrick Williams before Chicago again built a four-point margin with 5:29 remaining in regulation.

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[Get more Bulls news: Chicago team feed]

Both teams had difficulty generating offense during the next five minutes, but Jaylen Brown broke through for two baskets in a two-minute stretch to tie the score at 111-111 with 14.2 seconds left in the game.

Out of a timeout, the Bulls worked the ball around the left side of the arc from Josh Giddey to Coby White, who then passed to Huerter in the corner for the game-winner. The Celtics could not get a shot in the final second of the game.

Chicago is on the fringes of playoff contention, tied for the No. 8 seed in the East at 23-22. The Bulls have won four consecutive games and six of their past eight. Boston (28-17) lost the second end of back-to-back games after defeating the Brooklyn Nets in double overtime on Friday night.

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Derrick Rose’s stellar Bulls career honored

Rose’s retirement ceremony was highlighted by a video message from Michael Jordan. The 15-year NBA veteran joined Jordan as one of the five players to have their number retired in franchise history.

The others to have their jersey raised to the rafters are Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan and Bob Love. Celtics legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell also had his No. 6 retired across the NBA.

A Chicago native, Rose was the No. 1 overall pick by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft and played seven years for the organization. He won Rookie of the Year honors and was named MVP for the 2010-11 season, just his third in the league. The Bulls went 62-20 that season, tied for the third-best record in team history and the only Bulls club to win 60 games without Jordan.

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At 22, Rose is the youngest player to ever win MVP. Only 15 other players have won Rookie of the Year and MVP honors during their NBA careers.

Jay Vine overcame an Australian problem to win Australia’s biggest cycling race.

With about 96 kilometers to go in the final stage of the Tour Down Under, the Australian cyclist and his teammate Mikkel Bjerg crashed into a kangaroo that had run into the peloton, an incident that also took out three other riders. Vine was able to continue racing, but Bjerg had to retire.

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The crash left Vine behind the pack and forced him to catch up after exchanging bikes with teammate Ivo Oliveira. Vine worked his way back into position to notch his second Tour Down Under title.

Here’s how it all played out:

Vine recapped the crash in his post-race interview:

“Everyone asks me ‘What’s the most dangerous thing in Australia?’ and I always tell them it’s kangaroos, because they wait and they hide in the bushes until you can’t stop, and then they jump out in front of you. Point proven today.

“Two of them blasted through the peloton as we were probably doing 50km an hour. One of them stopped and went left, right, left, right, left, right and I ended up hitting its backside as it was a flailing around on the ground. It’s one of those things, bad luck, but luckily I’m OK.”

Vine entered the final stage with a significant lead of 1:03, but it had already been a tough race for his UAE Team Emirates team. The seven-man team lost two riders, Jhonatan Narváez and Vegard Stake Laengen, to separate crashes in the previous stage.

UAE announced Saturday that Narváez had been hospitalized with several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures, while Laengen had also been taken to the hospital with a suspected rib injury. Narváez would have entered the final stage in second place if healthy.

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That left UAE with only five cyclists for the stage, and that number was down to three by the end with Bjerg felled by the kangaroo and Juan Sebastián Molano also having to pull out.

Vine was relieved those bad breaks didn’t prevent the win:

“This year, we started off really positive and we just had more and more bad luck as the race went on. Today was never going to be easy and I’ve been saying all week it’s not over until it’s over, but geez it’s definitely proven to be never over until its over in this race for us.”

Meanwhile, FloBikes reports the kangaroo appeared to be OK, though it seemed shaken up and frightened as the cyclists attempted to pass it.

Miami’s leading tackler is running it back for an eighth college football season.

According to CBS, linebacker Mohamed Toure will come back to the Hurricanes for the 2026 season. Toure had 84 tackles and three tackles for loss in 2025 as the Hurricanes made it to the national championship game against Indiana.

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It was Toure’s first season with the Hurricanes after he transferred from Rutgers. Toure was Rutgers’ leading tackler in 2023 when he had 93 stops and 9.5 tackles for loss along with 4.5 sacks. He missed the 2024 season after he tore his ACL.

That was Toure’s second ACL tear in his left knee. He first tore his left ACL ahead of the 2022 season and missed that year too.

[Get more Hurricanes football news: Miami team feed]

Those knee injuries, his limited appearances as a freshman and the COVID-19 pandemic are why he’s able to play an eighth season of college football. He was in the same recruiting class as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travon Walker, the Dallas Cowboys’ George Pickens and the Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley.

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Toure appeared in two games as a freshman in 2019 — players can appear in up to four games and still redshirt — and was granted medical redshirts for the 2022 and 2024 seasons. All players in school during the 2020 season were granted an extra season of eligibility because of the pandemic.

So while Toure’s 2026 season will be the sixth season he’s played a snap in, two of those seasons officially haven’t counted. And he’s not even the longest-tenured player on Miami’s roster in recent years. Cam McCormick played his ninth and final season of college football in 2024 for the Hurricanes. The tight end officially enrolled at Oregon ahead of the 2016 season before receiving multiple medical redshirts and playing his final two seasons at Miami.

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Toure’s return is also a boost for a Miami defense that loses edge rushers Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain. The Hurricanes secured a commitment from Missouri edge rusher Damon Wilson earlier in the week and have also added Ohio State defensive lineman Jarquez Carter and Boston College safety Omar Thornton.

The top-seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos, will host the No. 2 seed New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in the AFC championship game.

The Broncos prevailed in overtime in a wild divisional-round game against Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills, winning 33-30 but losing Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in the process. The Patriots, as 3.5-point home favorites, took care of C.J. Stroud and Houston Texans by a 28-16 score and beating the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the wild-card round.

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Is this where the bounceback season ends for Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel in New England? Can backup Jarrett Stidham do enough to help a vaunted Denver defense reach a Super Bowl?

Ben Fawkes gathers insight from oddsmakers for the game, and our team of NFL handicappers provides its favorite wagers on Sunday’s matchup.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM.

What oddsmakers are saying

“We opened Patriots -5.5, I would’ve had Patriots -1.5 with Nix starting. To me, this is exactly what was called for, since I feel like the difference is close to 4 points ATS from Nix to Stidham. Currently, sitting at New England -5 and a total of 42. We opened the total 40.5, pretty much all of the money on the total has been on the over. Early action on the side has been people willing to lay points with New England, but more money has come in on the Denver money line. From a futures standpoint, we are in a good shape to both.” — Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata

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“We opened Patriots -4.5, went up -5.5, now back down to -4.5. These are two very defensive-focused teams, but you put in new QB, you also increase the chances of an interception or turnovers. Total probably would’ve been 43.5, opened 40.5, sharp action pushed it to 42.5. How much is Bo Nix worth to this line? We probably made him 4.5 to 5.5 points of value, but the market is pricing him closer to 6. I wouldn’t be surprised to see sharp money on Broncos as we get closer to game time.” — Joey Feazel, head of NFL trading at Caesars Sportsbook

Best bets

Matt Jacob: During the regular season, the Patriots faced three opponents that qualified for the playoffs: Pittsburgh, Carolina and AFC East rival Buffalo (twice).

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The Patriots split home games in consecutive weeks against the Steelers (21-14 loss in Week 3) and Panthers (42-13 win in Week 4). Then they went to Buffalo in Week 5 and scored a 23-20 upset win, only to lose the Week 15 rematch 35-31 (after squandering 24-7 halftime lead).

So in 18 weeks, New England played exactly one road game against a playoff team. To be fair, the Pats won that game — part of a perfect 8-0 road record. But look at the competition (and the results).

New England throttled two terrible teams (Tennessee and the New York Jets) by a combined score of 73-23. The victory margins in its other six road triumphs: 6 points (Miami), 6 points (New Orleans), 6 points (Cincinnati) 5 points (Tampa Bay), 4 points (Baltimore) and 3 points (Buffalo).

Now is a good time to mention that the Patriots not only faced just three playoff teams in the regular season, but the Bills (11-6) and Steelers (10-7) are the only two that finished with winning records.

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So why is New England a 5-point road favorite in the AFC Championship Game against a Broncos squad that went 14-3 in the regular season (same as the Patriots), 8-1 at home and earned the No. 1 seed and first-round bye?

I get it: Nix (ankle) is out and Stidham is in. It’s less than ideal for the home side. But Stidham has spent the past two seasons in Denver. He knows Sean Payton’s offense. And he got every single first-string rep in practice this week.

Most importantly, Stidham will be supported by a ferocious defense that ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed, third in points allowed and recorded 11 more sacks than any other team.

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On Sunday, that defense will be getting after a sophomore quarterback making his first postseason road start — a QB who was sacked 47 times in the regular season, 10 more times in two playoff games and fumbled 14 times (with six coming in the last two weeks).

Forget the points. The Broncos are winning this outright.

Bet: Broncos money line (+210)

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Jacob: If I believe that Denver will spring the upset in Sunday’s AFC championship game, it means I also believe that Stidham will meet the moment. Because you know exactly how Vrabel is going to scheme this game defensively: load the box, stop the run and dare Stidham to win the game with his arm.

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In other words, Vrabel gets to make the first chess move. And I’m confident that his counterpart — Broncos coach Sean Payton — will respond to that move by letting Stidham wing it. Honestly, Payton doesn’t have much of a choice.

For one thing, even with Bo Nix under center, the Broncos struggled to run the football all season. Beyond that, the Patriots’ defensive strength is stopping the run — which they proved in playoff wins over the Chargers (22 carries, 87 yards) and Texans (22 carries, 48 yards).

So expect Stidham to put the ball in the air often and expect him to have success — just as he did in each of his four NFL starts: 36 passes, 219 yards; 32 passes, 224 yards; 34 passes, 272 yards; 34 passes, 365 yards.

Bets: Jarrett Stidham over 31.5 pass attempts (-120); Jarrett Stidham over 192.5 passing yards (-115)

Jacob: A quick check of the box scores reveals an Achilles’ heel for Denver’s otherwise sensational defense: It struggles to contain tight ends.

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In the last eight games, the following tight ends have found space against the Broncos:

Kansas City’s Travis Kelce (nine catches in Week 11; five catches in Week 17); Washington’s Zach Ertz (10 catches in Week 13); the Raiders’ Brock Bowers (four catches in Week 14); Green Bay’s Luke Musgrave (four catches in Week 15); Jacksonville’s Brenton Strange (five catches in Week 16); and Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid (six catches in the AFC divisional playoffs).

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During this two-month stretch, only Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden Jr. failed to produce — he had two receptions in Week 18. Of course, Gadsden’s QB that day was Trey Lance, not Justin Herbert.

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Although Maye and tight end Hunter Henry connected just four times in two playoff games, I expect the duo to exploit this glaring weakness in the Broncos’ defense.

Bet: Hunter Henry over 3.5 receptions (-150)

Matt Russell: There’s definitely value in all things Broncos, and all things Stidham in the prop market, but let’s lower the bar for what Stidham can do. What’s the inexperienced quarterback’s best friend? The safe throw, the checkdown.

It’s been a while since Stidham played a regular season game, but in 2023, in his first start under Payton — a win over the Chargers — Stidham threw it to the running back eight times. A week later, in a losing game-script against the Raiders he checked it down to Javonte Williams nine times, and Samaje Perine four more. That’s 21 throws to tailbacks in two games.

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Luckily for Stidham, he has a viable pass-catching tailback in RJ Harvey, who caught 356 yards worth of passing during his rookie season, and 48 more last week against the Bills.

The Patriots just faced two teams that barely throw the ball to their running backs, so they should see a different type of threat on Sunday — one that could clear his receiving yardage total on one play. After a 6-0 divisional round on my player props last week, let’s stay hot with the safe option for Stidham.

Bet: RJ Harvey over 17.5 receiving yards (-115)

Michael Fiddle: Stidham takes over as the starting QB despite not throwing a regular season pass since 2023.

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For the Broncos to succeed, Payton will have to deliver a masterclass. I expect Denver to lean on the ground game with Harvey emerging as a multi-level playmaker and dual threat to run and catch short passes. I expect Payton to work the clock and try to limit turnover-prone situations — mainly downfield aggressive pass plays.

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New England’s defense excels at pressuring the opposing quarterback and forcing sacks; Stidham has struggled when pressured in his limited action. I think the best way to fade Stidham is to pivot to the player props and take him under 32.5 pass attempts. We have seen this number increase by two attempts since opening, and it has certainly hit the ceiling.

At plus money and a ceiling number, I think this line closes at 31.5 with bettors paying vig to play the under. This is my favorite bet on the card currently.

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Bet: Jarred Stidham under 32.5 pass attempts (+110)

Ed Feng: Stidham started four games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In each season, he benefitted from a veteran QB getting benched the last two games of the season. After my mathematical adjustments for opposing defenses, Stidham rates as NFL average over these four games. This is excellent for a career backup and good enough for some starters like Nix.

I’m not saying Stidham is as good as Nix, as this is a small sample size of data — Denver is worse off not having Nix. I like a 3.9-point adjustment from bookmaker consensus, and the data suggests that is high if anything. Overall, my best model has New England by 3 on the road in this game.

Bet: Denver +4.5