Will injuries hurt either the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl LX matchup? Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, Charles Robinson and Ben Fawkes break down the latest intel from both sides and give their game predictions. Plus, the guys explore the possibility that Matthew Stafford wins MVP and retires. What would that mean for the Los Angeles Rams? Hear about that and more on today’s huge preview episode!
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(1:20) – Injury updates ahead of Super Bowl LX
(12:15) – Rams and 49ers to play in Australia in 2026
(18:09) – Eagles part ways with OL coach Jeff Stoutland
(22:30) – Could Matthew Stafford retire?
(32:23) – Tom Brady have issues getting into the HOF?
On today’s Kevin O’Connor show, we’ve got a trade-deadline special! Kevin O’Connor is joined by Tom Haberstroh to dissect any and all movement in the league before the 3 PM ET buzzer, going through the biggest winners and losers in what may be the weirdest trade deadline in NBA history.
First, the pair discuss the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to retain Giannis Antetokounmpo, and what that means for the landscape of the NBA–and for the future outlook of the Golden State Warriors, especially after the anticlimactic end of the Jonathan Kuminga saga. Were the Warriors the biggest losers of the trade deadline? Will another team arise in the summer to win the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes?
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Next, they discuss the James Harden trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and if this move can bring the city of Cleveland to the Finals once again.
Then, they muse on what exactly made this deadline so weird: multiple All-Stars being traded to bad NBA teams. They ask: why are bad teams trading for good players? Why are the Utah Jazz putting their top-8 protected first round pick in jeopardy? Why such a paltry return for Anthony Davis, who was traded for Luka Doncic just last year?
Plus, they cover all the bases with the more local trades made, from the Chicago Bulls picking up 9 second round picks to the Boston Celtics acquiring their long-coveted big man in Nikola Vucevic. Plus more questions: why didn’t the Sacramento Kings trade for Ja Morant? Why did the Philadelphia 76ers let go of Jared McCain? All that and much, much more on today’s KOC Show!
(0:16) Trade deadline instant reactions (4:33) Giannis not traded by Bucks (10:39) Warriors trade Kuminga to Hawks (25:49) Cavs get James Harden (43:34) Wizards acquire Anthony Davis (48:22) Clippers trade Zubac to Pacers (55:57) Jazz trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. (1:02:18) Ja Morant stays in Memphis (1:07:45) Timberwolves trade recap (1:10:18) What are the Chicago Bulls up to? (1:13:05) Celtics trade Simons for Vucevic (1:19:04) 76ers trade Jared McCain to OKC
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) brings the ball up the court against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Nate Tice, Matt Harmon & Charles McDonald are LIVE from San Francisco to give their final thoughts and predictions for Super LX as they find the strengths and weaknesses of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
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The trio kick things off with the latest non-Super Bowl news from around the NFL, including Jay Glazer hinting at a potential Maxx Crosby departure on Yahoo Sports Daily and Philadelphia Eagles offensive line guru Jeff Stoutland departing, leaving Philly with major shoes to fill.
Next, the three hosts dive into the Super LX matchup, previewing each side of the ball’s top matchups to watch, key injuries, predictions for the game and more.
Later, Prime Vision’s Sam Schwartzstein joins the group to give his analytical insights on the game before Nate, Matt, Charles and Sam give their final Hail Mary bold predictions for the game.
The show wraps up with conversations with Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels & Bijan Robinson.
The fantasy football season isn’t over until the NFL season is over. Fantasy analyst Joel Smyth goes over his favorite Yahoo Daily Fantasy plays for Seahawks versus Patriots.
Drake Maye, QB, Patriots ($33)
Drake Maye’s salary is only 6% more expensive than Seahawks QB Sam Darnold ($31) and yet he has averaged 39% more fantasy points per game. In DFS solo matches, you almost always need at least one quarterback in your lineup. I’d rather go Maye over Darnold here for a few reasons, that being the first.
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The second point is that, yes, the Seahawks defense has been amazing, but so has the Patriots’ passing defense. When Christian Gonzalez has been healthy, the Patriots are tied for the No. 1 spot in the NFL for yards allowed per dropback. Lastly, the rushing ability. Especially if you want a QB in the “Superstar” spot, they need rushing production or to perfectly balance his targets between his receivers to be the top scorer. Maye scrambled more than any quarterback this season, but in the playoffs specifically, he has run 24 times for 20 extra fantasy points.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seahawks ($16)
This is not a shoo-in play. Shaheed has seven games this season with fewer than 10 receiving yards. The other side of the coin is what you play him for. He only needs one play to hit with 11 of 12 TDs in his career coming on vertical routes, and he adds the special teams potential with it. With Klint Kubiak in 2024, Shaheed led the entire NFL in air yards per game.
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Seattle Seahawks D/ST ($15)
Just a quick comparison, Cooper Kupp and Kayshon Boutte are $19 and $18, respectively. They have scored 113.9 points and 132.3 points. The Seahawks defense is up to 203 points on the season. It’s against a great opponent and comes with inconsistent scoring production, but that low floor comes with a high ceiling, the key to DFS lineups. For cheap, you can have a “player” who’s scored 30, 21, 21, 19, and 16 points in singular games this season. Double-digit points itself would be great, a mark Mike Macdonald’s defense has hit in over half of the games this year.
Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots ($14)
When looking for value in a solo contest, your best shot is going after the player with the best TD odds. That would be Hunter Henry. At only $14, Henry has scored eight touchdowns, 23% of Maye’s passing scores. The Patriots’ TE ranked third in red-zone targets among the position this year, with a 34% team target share.
It’s officially Day 1 of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games and there will be medals handed out. One has already been won, while there will be podium setups and anthems for winners of the women’s 20 km skiathlon, women’s 3000m speed skating, men’s big air snowboarding, and women’s normal hill ski jumping.
Lindsey Vonn continues her preparation for Sunday’s downhill, and the U.S. women’s hockey team looks to improve to 2-0 as they face Finland, which was affected by this week’s norovirus outbreak.
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Here are the top stories of the day so far:
1. Franjo von Allmen earns the first gold of the Milan Cortina Games
Kyle Neogmir was the top American, finishing 10th.
2. Lindsey Vonn ready to go for gold
Lindsey Vonn finished her second training run on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s downhill event, eight days after she ruptured her ACL. The 41-year-old skiing legend finished with a time of 1:38.28, two seconds faster than her Friday time. That put her third among skiers who finished before weather canceled the remainder of training. American Breezy Johnson posted the fastest time of the day.
3. Eileen Gu bounces back to qualify for women’s slopestyle final
The 22-year-old Gu was a silver medalist in the event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and also took home gold in big air and halfpipe. She fell during her first qualifying run on Saturday and needed a strong showing in run No. 2 in order to finish within the top 12.
4. Switzerland vs. Canada in women’s hockey still on after positive norovirus test
The Swiss women’s hockey team has placed itself in isolation after a player tested positive for norovirus following a group play win over Czechia on Friday, the Swiss hockey federation announced.
The Swiss team’s decision to isolate was described as a precautionary measure, made in consultation with experts and its on-site medical team. Switzerland is scheduled to play its second match against Canada on Saturday at 9:10 a.m. local time, with a clash against Team USA following on Monday.
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Highlight of the morning
Franjo von Allman and his gold medal-winning run in the downhill:
The U.S mixed doubles curling pair of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin will compete for a medal after winning their two round-robin matches on Sunday and advancing to the tournament semifinals for the first time in team history.
In the first, they defeated Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill, 5-3. That put Team USA in position to clinch a trip to the playoff round, finishing among the top four teams in the field. But the duo still needed to either defeat Sweden on Sunday or Italy on Monday.
Facing Isabella and Rasmus Wranaa in Sunday’s second match, the U.S. fell into an early hole, losing the first end 3-0. Thiesse and Dropkin tied the match by taking the second end 3-0, but Sweden went back on top with a 1-0 win in the third end.
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Team USA gained the edge in the next two ends by a combined 4-0 advantage, presenting Sweden with a considerable uphill climb for the remaining three frames. However, the Wranaa duo rallied in the sixth and seventh ends with a combined 3-0 score to even the match at 7-7 going into the final frame.
In that eighth end, Dropkin executed a double takeout that clinched the frame and the match for him and Thiesse, making them the first U.S. team to play in the Olympics’ mixed doubles curling semifinals.
Korey Dropkin celebrates Team USA’s win with Cory Thiesse over Sweden to advanced to the semifinals in the mixed doubles curling competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
With their two wins, the U.S. has a 6-2 record in the round-robin portion of the tournament, second behind Great Britain’s 8-1 mark. Italy (5-3) and Sweden (5-4) are the other two teams advancing to the medal round.
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Great Britain came into Sunday’s session already clinching a trip to the playoffs with its 7-1 record, but added another win over Norway.
Thiesse and Dropkin brought a 4-0 record into Saturday’s play, yet were defeated by Great Britain and suffered an upset loss to South Korea. As a result, the U.S. needed two more wins to advance.
However, the U.S. fell behind Estonia early after losing the first end 1-0. They evened the match by prevailing 1-0 in the second end. That began a back-and-forth exchange which left Team USA at a 3-2 disadvantage going into the sixth end.
That sixth frame turned out to be the crucial one for Team USA. Thiesse had an opportunity to get three points, but her stone hit a guard and stopped just short of the house. That meant the U.S. would only finish the end with one point to tie the match at 3.
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But Thiesse and Dropkin finished their late surge by winning the next two sets. In the seventh, the U.S. prevailed when Kaldvee’s throw attempting to knock a stone out of the way sailed wide. And in the eighth, Team USA placed a stone just at the top of the button. Kaldvee tried again to knock the rock away, but her throw didn’t push it far enough.
Team USA’s final match of the round-robin session will be Monday versus Italy at 4:05 a.m. ET, but its place in the semifinals is already set. The medal round will begin later Monday at 12:05 p.m. ET with the matchups to be determined by final draw.
With the NBA trade deadline behind us, it feels like a good time to check back in on the Eastern Conference. To start the season, I had a sneaking feeling the East would be more fun than many expected. I think we can agree they have overdelivered on those expectations. The majority of these teams have played with fire and desire, a belief they are better than each other, jockeying back and forth all season long.
Which brings us to recent events where the top of the East faced off. The Detroit Pistons, standing alone at the top, beat the New York Knicks by 38 points at home on Friday. Those same Knicks took that, continued on the road and beat the Boston Celtics by 22 points on Sunday. If you look at the top-six teams in the East, each has won at least six of its last 10 games with five of them winning seven of their last 10.
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As we turn the corner and prepare for the upcoming sprint to the playoffs, as fun as the East has been, who is ready to truly take it?
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks have won nine of their last 10 games. (David Butler II-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
The top of the East
The Pistons have turned their booming ascent to the top of the East into a steady metronome. It can almost feel like a broken record at this point, but the Pistons have continued to rely on their identity to stay at the top. It’s why they elected to build on the margins at the trade deadline instead of taking a big swing. It’s not just the consistent play of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, it’s the fact that teams know what is coming and have to beat them.
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Detroit is going to get after you defensively with physicality, activity and pressure; anything you get will be earned. On the other end, the Pistons are going to attack the paint (second in the NBA in points in the paint with 56.9, second in paint touches per game with 27.4), forcing you to continue to guard. And the most impressive part has been their resilience. The Pistons have yet to lose more than two games in a row this season and, as teams have tried to trap Cunningham, have found different ways to respond.
The Knicks flipped a stretch of losing 9 out of 11 games into winning 9 of their next 10 games, the only loss coming to Detroit. A lot of that had to do with their overall self-awareness and understanding that to get to where they want to go, the defense had to play at a certain level. During this 10-game stretch (since Jan. 20), the Knicks have the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA (100.8).
Simplifying their pick-and-roll defense to try to keep the ball in one direction has given them a boost — as will the addition of Jose Alvarado — but it’s been the commitment to activity and help defense that has allowed the trend to stick. Do the Knicks now have enough lineup versatility and defense behind Jalen Brunson to finally put all the pieces together?
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The Celtics have thrived by doing their best to control what they can control and avoid beating themselves. Jaylen Brown’s career year has played a large part in their consistency, but do not downplay the process. This is a team that leads the NBA with the fewest turnovers per game (12.1), working to limit mistakes. This is also a team that leads the NBA in opponent points per turnover (14.1), is fourth in opponent fast-break points (13.2) and second in opponent points in the paint (40.8) — which means whatever you thought would be easy does not exist. The Celtics compete on both ends, which has presented a tough formula to deal with on a nightly basis.
What does the addition of Nikola Vučević mean? Look at him as adding more to what the Celtics already do rather than purely elevating them. His ability to space speaks for itself, but it’s easy to forget he can screen, roll and post, too. That should be a useful weapon for the Celtics if teams want to try and switch against them. He can win matchups and be a focal point with second-unit lineups. While he may not be as much of a hub as he’s been in previous spots, his passing ability should fit in once the Celtics get teams in rotation.
The question is, will the defense hold up? The Celtics have the infrastructure with their personnel and scheme to protect the paint and rotate around Vučević if teams try to attack him 1v1. But they will have to find a comfort with his pick-and-roll coverage, at the level or in drop, as the Knicks had a good time poking at him with Brunson and Alvarado on Sunday.
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Here come the Cavs?
That brings me to the team that could and should shake things up the most in the East: the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite high expectations before the season, the Cavs have survived a lot of injuries to find themselves as the No. 4 seed in the East with the addition of James Harden.
The key element in adding Harden next to the play of Donovan Mitchell is further unlocking Cleveland’s offense. Darius Garland is a tremendous talent, but being able to stagger two All-NBA talents will feel a little bit different to opposing defenses. This should unlock Jarrett Allen (and Evan Mobley upon return) as rollers, which should create advantage basketball for Cleveland.
Harden can start and end possessions, and his pace in pick-and-roll allows for a more natural short roll for Allen. The question is how many teams will switch against them, and is this the move to take them over the top?
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Best of the rest
The Toronto Raptors have consistently produced on both ends of the floor thanks to the play of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. How much does that mean this year for a playoff run? Can they find a way to make the top teams in the East pay on both ends?
The Philadelphia 76ers have played the long game, leaning on Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as Joel Embiid comes along (and boy has he come along). Will that be enough to make them a team you don’t want to deal with in the postseason?
Playoff series tend to come down to matchups, and we are dealing with a whole lot of teams that believe they can beat each other. Sit back and watch how this comes to a crescendo down the stretch. The conference is wide open.
Kevin O’Connor is joined by Dane Moore to talk Timberwolves on today’s Kevin O’Connor Show. What’s behind the meltdown in Minnesota?
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Next, KOC is joined by Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Drew Carter to talk all things Celtics—particularly what needs to be done to right the ship after trading for Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline.
Then, KOC mulls over the question: is this year’s Charlotte Hornets team the new Indiana Pacers? What is the key to their newfound success?
Plus, KOC is joined by Swish Theory’s Matt Powers to chat Draft Class—which draft prospect has improved most in the new year? How does AJ Dybantsa bring BYU out of a 4-game losing streak? That and more on today’s show!
(0:14) Dane Moore talks Timberwolves (30:40) Drew Carter on Celtics (1:07:20) Are the Hornets this year’s Pacers? (1:13:21) Matt Powers joins KOC’s Draft Class
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 24: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talks with Julius Randle #30 against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 24, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Can Seattle make another run at a Super Bowl? Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano talks about that possibility with former Seahawks RB and Super Bowl champion Robert Turbin on today’s episode. Later, Ben Fawkes joins the show to break down the big game from the New England Patriots’ side of the ball before closing the show out with their “One More Thing”.
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(1:30) – Robert Turbin on the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory
(22:45) – Super Bowl LX reactions: What’s next for Patriots?
MILAN — A faulty medal podium is causing some unexpected headaches for skaters at the Winter Olympics. After the medal-winning teams from the United States, Japan and Italy ascended the on-ice podium to receive their medals in Sunday night’s team event, several skaters reported that the surface of the podium damaged their blades, necessitating varying degrees of repair and sharpening.
In most cases, skaters cover their blades right after coming off the ice, to prevent damage to the blades. But the positioning of the podium Sunday night required skaters to skate out to the podium and then immediately step onto the damaging surface.
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“We didn’t realize once we were on the podium that there was something weird about the surface of the podium,” said Italy’s Marco Fabbri, who won a bronze medal Sunday night. “There were some small stones, almost. We couldn’t feel it on the podium. But then as soon as we we stepped down (onto the ice) everyone was like, ‘I cannot move anymore, I cannot slide anymore.’ It was like the same feeling as having some glue under the blade. And so today we had to sharpen the blade. So it was a little bit stressful.”
The need for skaters’ blades to be precisely tuned is obvious; properly sharpened blades allow for the graceful turns, spins and jumps that characterize Olympic skating. Different skaters prefer different degrees of sharpness and feel depending on the preferred ratio of “bite” (that is, grip on the ice) to “glide” (speed on the ice). Any force that blunts the blade — like, say, an unexpectedly rough surface — risks damaging that delicate balance.
“If it’s a small nick, it’s not the biggest issue. A couple passes to sharpen it and the stone to tune it would take care of it,” says two-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen. The key, though, is ensuring the skater’s comfort in the most crucial routines of their life: “I want to trust my blades are in tip-top shape. I want to be confident they’ll do exactly what I expect.”
The Milano Cortina Organizing Committee released the following statement on the podium matter to Yahoo Sports:
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“During the Figure Skating Team Event medal ceremony, the anti-slip surface of the podium caused some damage to the athletes’ skates. Milano Cortina 2026 is taking steps to replace the surface to prevent a reoccurrence.
“To minimize the impact of the damage to athletes’ preparations and in agreement with ISU, Milano Cortina 2026 has made a skate-sharpening service available and offered an additional training session to the impacted National Olympic Committees. We also understand that some NOCs have offered their services to the impacted athletes from other countries in a true example of the Olympic spirit.
“Milano Cortina 2026 apologizes for the inconvenience caused and reiterates its commitment to ensuring the best possible conditions for all athletes.”
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Amber Glenn’s coach, Damon Allen, told Yahoo Sports that her skates are ready to go:
