The Chicago Bulls and host Charlotte Hornets ought to be frustrated teams when they meet on Thursday night.
But the agitations come for different reasons.
The Bulls lost 116-110 on Tuesday night at Indiana, with a three-game winning streak ending when they couldn’t protect a 21-point lead.
The Hornets will be back home from a 2-2 trip that concluded with blowout losses to Utah and Phoenix on back-to-back nights.
The Bulls might be missing chances to make more gains in the Eastern Conference standings. The Charlotte game will mark the seventh contest in a row against an opponent currently with a .500 record or worse.
Donovan said when the stakes seem to rise during a game, the Bulls don’t always react with a higher level of play.
The Bulls haven’t put together a four-game winning streak all season.
The result of the game in Indiana was stinging.
Similar to how they were when they embarked on their trip, the Hornets are a wounded bunch. Gordon Hayward missed the Phoenix game with a hamstring strain, joining LaMelo Ball and Cody Martin on the sidelines.
Charlotte gave up 22 baskets from 3-point range at Phoenix. The Hornets made just six 3-pointers.
The Bulls have been without backup guard Goran Dragic because of non-COVID illness.
The Bulls own a 106-88 home victory against Charlotte from Nov. 2. That result gave Chicago a 5-4 record, but the Bulls lost the next game and haven’t been above .500 again.
Kelly Oubre Jr., who is out with a hand injury, was the game’s top scorer that night with 24 points for the Hornets.
The USC Trojans (14-6, 6-3) will host the UCLA Bruins (17-3, 8-1) at the Galen Center on Jan. 26 at 6:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton calling the action.
USC’S STELLAR STRETCH — USC won a school-record 73 games over the last three seasons (22 in 2020, 25 in 2021 and 26 in 2022). The previous school record for wins in three consecutive seasons was 71 (2016-18). The three consecutive seasons of 20+ wins also equals the school record for most consecutive 20-win seasons set from 2016-18.
WINNING WAYS — USC’s 73 total wins the previous three seasons tied for the third most among all Power 6 basketball programs, trailing only the last two NCAA champions Kansas (83) and Baylor (81). Also, USC’s 160 wins the previous seven seasons ranked 13th among all Power 6 conference teams.
ENFIELD LEADING THE WAY — USC head coach Andy Enfield is in his 10th season at USC and has compiled an 197-124 record. His wins total ranks fourth on USC’s all-time wins list, trailing only Sam Barry (260), Forrest Twogood (251) and Bob Boyd (216). Including his two seasons as the head coach at FGCU (2012-13), Enfield has compiled a 238-152 record.
FACING No. 8/No. 7 UCLA — The UCLA Bruins (17-3, 8-1) are coming off their first conference loss of the season, a 58-52 setback at Arizona on Jan. 21. Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Six Bruins are averaging at least 8.4 points per game. UCLA defeated USC 60-58 on Jan. 5 at Pauley Pavilion. In that game, USC rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to take the lead with 30 seconds left, only to have UCLA’s Jaylen Clark hit a second-chance three-pointer to get the lead back for the Bruins. USC has won 5 of its last 8 games with UCLA and its last four at the Galen Center. USC trails 114-146* in the all-time series with UCLA (1 win later vacted due to NCAA penalty, original record 115-146).
WASHINGTON STATE ON DECK — USC’s next game will be vs. the Washington State Cougars (9-12, 4-6) at the Galen Center on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. Washington State has lost its last two games following a season-best three-game winning streak. The Cougars will host Arizona and Arizona State before traveling to Los Angeles. Guard TJ Bamba leads Washington State in scoring with a 15.2 points per game average. USC lost 81-71 at Washington State on Jan. 1, snapping a 12-game winning streak against the Cougars. USC leads the all-time series 81-49.
PRIME TIME TROJANS — USC is 10-0 this season when the tip is set for 7 p.m. PT or later.
IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE — USC held California to 27.7 shooting on Nov. 30, the lowest by an opponent since holding Stanford to a 25.4 shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. USC allowed Washington State to make a 2022-23 opponent high 49.1 percent of its shots on Jan. 1, but has held 4 of its last 7 opponents to under 37 percent shooting. USC has held 12 of its 20 opponents this season to under 40 percent shooting. USC is holding its opponents to a 38.5 shooting percentage this season, 10th in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC’s defense has held the opposition to 38.8 FG percentage, 3rd in the country.
THE TOP STACK IN THE PAC — USC is third in conference regular season wins among Pac-12 teams for the past six seasons (since the 2017-18 season). USC is 66-37, Arizona is 67-36, while UCLA is 68-33 in that stretch, through games of Jan. 23. Next up would be Oregon at 63-36 and Colorado at 58-42.
ENJOYING THE HOME COOKING — USC is 9-1 at the Galen Center this season, losing the opener to FGCU on Nov. 7, then winning the next 9 games. The 9-game home winning streak is USC’s longest single-season home winning streak since beginning the 2016-17 season 9-0 at the Galen Center. The last time USC won 10 or more in a row at home in a single season was the 2015-16 season when it won the first 15 games at the Galen Center.
USC HOSTING A BLOCK PARTY — USC has 112 blocks this season, led by Joshua Morgan’s 51 blocks. USC is averaging 5.6 blocks per game, tied for 13th in the country. Morgan’s 51 blocks this season lead the conference and rank 8th in the country. Morgan had 7 blocks vs. FGCU on Nov. 7 which tied him for fifth on USC’s all-time single game blocks list. He matched that total with 7 blocks at Cal on Nov. 30. USC as a team has registered 583 blocks over the last four seasons which ranks 6th nationally.
PETERSON PROVIDING THE ASSIST — Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is third among Pac-12 players with 95 assists. Peterson is one of two players nationally (Jalen Pickett of Penn State) averaging at least 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
JEKYLL & HYDE FROM WAY OUTSIDE — USC made 38.9 percent of its 3-pointers at Arizona State on Jan. 21, its sixth game this season making at least 38 percent from 3-point range. In those six games USC has made 45.2 percent of its 3-pointers (56-for-124), while it has averaged 24.6 percent from beyond the arc in the other 14 games (56-for-228).
CLANCY ON THE CALL — Former USC basketball great Sam Clancy will join Jordan Moore, the voice of Trojan basketball, on the radio broadcast of the game vs. Washington on Feb. 4.
THE FOUL TRUTH — USC committed 23 fouls in the 81-66 loss at Arizona on Jan. 19 and fell to 0-4 this season when committing 20 or more fouls in a game. USC committed more fouls than its opponent in 5 of its 6 losses this season. USC has averaged 20.0 fouls in its losses and 15.6 fouls in its victories.
TOEING THE LINE — USC made all 14 of its free throw attempts at Arizona State on Jan. 21, tying for the third most makes from the charity stripe in a game without a miss in school history. On Jan. 19 at Arizona, USC made 66.7 percent of its free throw, snapping a streak of 5 consecutive games making 70 percent or more from the charity stripe, USC’s longest such stretch since an 8-game stretch in the 2016-17 season. USC has made 72.4 percent of its free throws this season, its best team FT percentage since the 2017 team made 74.1 percent of its free throws. USC has shot higher than 70 percent for a season from the free throw line twice in the previous 15 seasons.
UTAH VALLEY TRAVELS DOWN I-15 TO TAKE ON SOUTHERN UTAH ON THURSDAY NIGHT
Utah Valley continues WAC road play on Thursday as the team travels down I-15 to play in-state foe Southern Utah at the America First Events Center in Cedar City. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Le’Tre Darthard matched a season high with 25 points and Trey Woodbury scored 19 to lead Utah Valley to a 76-74 road win at Grand Canyon on Saturday night at GCU Arena in Phoenix. Fuller was also in double figures with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds with two steals. Aziz Bandaogo had seven points and seven rebounds, while Blaze Nield had five points off the bench.
Utah Valley has won 13 of its last 14 games over a nearly two-month period. During that stretch, Utah Valley rattled off 11 straight wins. The 11-game streak began with an 88-78 win over Long Beach State on Dec. 3 and came to an end in an 85-80 loss to Seattle U on Jan. 14. UVU’s 11-game streak is the second longest streak in school history. The 2011-12 team holds the longest streak in team history at 13 games.
Utah Valley’s seven straight road wins is tied for the third-longest road win streak in the nation. The Wolverines have not lost a road game since falling at Boise State on Nov. 26. UVU’s seven-game road win streak includes wins at BYU, Northern Arizona, Oregon, UT Arlington, UTRGV, California Baptist, and Grand Canyon.
Utah Valley is the top shot blocking team in the nation with 137 blocks and a 6.5 blocks per game average. The Wolverines sit ahead of Iona (6.2 bpg.), Illinois (6.1 bpg.), Washington (6.0 bpg.), Auburn (5.9), and Florida (5.9). Utah Valley also ranks fourth nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.62) and ninth in rebounds per game (40.10).
Aziz Bandaogo ranks in the top-8 nationally in six statistical categories. He ranks fourth in blocks (58), sixth in rebounds (219), seventh in blocks per game (2.76), ninth in double doubles (10), 10th in rebounds per game (10.4), and 10th in defensive rebounds per game (7.62). BROADCAST INFORMATION Thursday night’s game at Southern Utah will be broadcast live on the ESPN+, which is available on the ESPN+ app and at ESPNplus.com. The game will also be broadcast over the Utah County airwaves on ESPN 960 AM with Jim McCulloch on the call.
ABOUT SOUTHERN UTAH Southern Utah enters Thursday’s game with 14-7 overall record and a 6-2 record in WAC play. SUU holds a 9-1 record at home this season with its only blemish an 86-83 setback to Montana State on Nov. 30. The team is a perfect 4-0 at home in WAC play this season. SUU’s two WAC losses came on the road at Tarleton and Seattle U. The Thunderbirds dropped an 81-60 decision at league leading Seattle U on Saturday night. Senior guard Tevian Jones recorded a double-double in the loss to Seattle with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Maizen Fauseet was also in double figures with 16 points against the Redhawks. Jones leads the team in scoring at 19.6 points a game, which ranks 27th nationally. He also leads the team from long range with a 55-of-143 mark this season (38.5 percent) and fronts the squad with 32 steals. Senior guard Harrison Butler (11.6), Fausett (11.5), and sophomore center Jason Spurgin also average double figure scoring. Butler leads the team on the boards, pulling down 6.5 rebounds a game. As a team, SUU holds the second-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 86.0 points a game. The team gets to the free throw line a lot, ranking eighth in the country in free throw attempts per game (24.4) and 10th in free throws made per game (39.33).
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE THUNDERBIRDS Utah Valley and Southern Utah will meet for the 12th time on the basketball hardwood. The game will mark the first meeting between the two teams as conference foes. SUU has won four straight over the Wolverines and holds a slight edge in the overall series, 5-4. UVU’s last win in the series was an 85-75 win in Cedar City on Nov. 22, 2014. UVU holds an all-time 2-3 record against the Thunderbirds in Cedar City.
Nevada women’s basketball begins a two-game road swing on Thursday, facing San Jose State at 6 p.m.
Larry Burnett will have the call on 94.1 FM/1450 AM with a 20 minute pregame show prior to tipoff. Fans can also listen live online through the Varsity Network. The game will be available to watch on NBC Sports Bay Area and live stats can be accessed through Stat Broadcast.
The Pack is looking at having multiple players pass the 500 career point mark. Junior forward Lexie Givens surpassed the 500 career point mark on Jan. 21 against Fresno State. Sophomore guard Audrey Roden is just 12 points away from reaching the half century mark for points. She would be just the third player under head coach Amanda Levens to score 500 points at Nevada by their sophomore year.
One third of Nevada’s roster has posted at least one double-double this season, led by Alyssa Jimenez with five. She is the first player to post five double-doubles in one season since Terae Briggs in 2018-19. Jimenez (18 points and 11 rebounds) posted her fifth double-double of the season on Jan. 19 against Colorado State and her third straight game with a double-double. Ormiston (15 points, 10 rebounds) had her second double-double of the season on Jan. 19. They are the first Nevada duo to post a double-double in the same game since Briggs and Teige Zeller on Feb. 21, 2018.
Givens produced back-to-back double-doubles for points and rebounds in the 2022 Nugget Classic on Nov. 25 and 27, earning All-Tournament team honors in the process. She was the first Nevada player since Briggs in 2018 to post a double-double in back-to-back games. Victoria Davis and Jimenez came up with double digit numbers in points and rebounds against Idaho on Dec. 3, becoming the first Nevada duo to collect a double-double in the same game since 2019.
Nevada has had one fourth of its roster have at least one career 20-point outing. Ormiston has registered a career-high 26 points on two occasions, most recently on Jan. 21 against Fresno State. Roden scored 20 points on Jan. 21 against Fresno State while dropping a career-high 27 points on Dec. 3 against Idaho, hitting the game-tying 3-pointer.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE San Jose State is looking to build off its first conference win of the season, defeating Utah State 77-59 on Saturday. The Spartans, who snapped an eight-game losing streak on Saturday, average 55.7 points per game while grabbing 32.4 rebounds per game.
Marisa Davis-Jones, who has started in all 19 games for the Spartans, leads the team with 11.4 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. Jada Holland adds a scoring spark for San Jose State, scoring 10.1 points per game.
The Seattle Pacific Falcons begin their second loop through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball schedule this week, heading onto the road for stops at Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.
SPU visits the Wildcats in just-reopened Nicholson Pavilion on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. Then on Saturday, it’s off to Idaho and a stop at the Johnson Sports Center to take on the Nighthawks at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time.
Both games will be the openers of doubleheaders that also include the Falcon men. Seattle Pacific and Central Washington tangle at 7:30 p.m. in Ellensburg. Saturday’s game in Nampa starts at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time.
The Falcon women (11-6, 6-3 GNAC) are coming off a home split last week. They went down to the wire against No. 6-ranked Western Washington before coming up short, 58-53. But they bounced back on Saturday, using a 14-1 run in the third quarter to take charge on the way to a 64-53 win against Simon Fraser.
SCOUTING THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS: 13-4, 6-3 GNAC (tie 3rd) All-time series: SPU leads, 51-36. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 70, CWU 63 (Dec. 31, 2022 at Seattle). Last CWU series win: CWU 63, SPU 55 (Feb. 26, 2022 at Ellensburg).
Wildcats in a nutshell: Redshirt senior 6-foot-3 center Samantha Bowman went for 32 points, 22 rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots, and one steal in playing all 45 minutes of last Saturday’s 79-77 overtime victory at home against Northwest Nazarene. She has double-doubled in 17 of Central’s 18 games this season, and now averages 20.6 points and 15.8 rebounds. Sophomore 5-4 point guard Valerie Huerta averages 18.7 points per game. When they played at SPU on New Year’s Eve afternoon, Bowman had 20 points and 16 boards; Huerta’s numbers were 16 points and five assists. Asher Cai, a freshman 5-9 shooting guard, contributes 13.4 points per game. She had 14 in the December game.
The Henderson State women’s basketball program will travel to Ada, Okla. to face East Central on Jan. 26, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. inside the Kerr Activities Center.
REDDIES REPORT Henderson (9-8, 6-5) went cold in the second half last time out in the loss to Ouachita Baptist 69-59. The Reddies had three players reach double-digit scoring figures, led by Abbie Jiles with 16. HSU struggled to rebound the ball as OUA outrebounded Henderson 41-28 and had 18 second-chance points compared to the Reddies, who had two.
Ashley Farrar scored ten points against Ouachita Baptist, recording her fifth consecutive double-digit point game. The senior guard is averaging a team-high 19.6 points a game and is shooting 45.8 percent from the field. Jiles (12.2) and Gracie Raby (11.3) are also averaging ten or more points an outing, with the team scoring just under 70 points a game.
The Reddies fourth rank three-point attack, which is shooting 34.3 percent from the field, will take on the worst three-point defense in East Central, who is allowing its opponents to shoot 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. HSU has shot well from deep recently, making 47 triples in its last five games, including ten against Ouachita Baptist, and is averaging 8.1 per game.
Henderson and East Central last met in the first round of last year’s GAC Tournament. The Reddies would advance to the next round after eliminating the Tigers in a 79-66 contest. Jiles led the team that evening with 22 points and nine rebounds. HSU is currently riding a two-game wins streak over ECU, though the Tigers lead the all-time series 14-10.
SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL The Tigers got a win over their rivals Southeastern Oklahoma State 65-58, to improve to 6-9 overall and 3-8 in the GAC. ECU’s two other wins in conference action came against Southern Arkansas and Northwestern Oklahoma State. East Central is led by interim head coach Heather Hurt who took over this season after spending nine years as the assistant coach.
ECU’s Mackenzie Crusoe runs the Tigers’ offense, averaging a team-high 14.1 points a game and 3.5 assists. This season, East Central has made its trips to the foul line count as they rank third in the GAC in free-throw percentage, converting at a rate of 75.9. The Tigers average 65.7 points a game and are shooting 38.1 percent from the field this season.
Henderson State will spend three days in southern Oklahoma when it plays East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma St. in a span of 48 hours. Up first is the Tigers from inside the Kerr Activities Center in Ada, Oklahoma Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
REDDIES REPORT After trailing by 16 points in the first half against Ouachita Baptist Monday, Henderson stormed all the way back to take the lead with 4:55 remaining in the game before OUA pulled it out, 74-69. The loss to the Tigers marked the first time since 2018 that HSU’s men have fallen to their cross-street rival.
Alvin Miles was a big reason the Reddies were able to get back into Monday’s contest, scoring 15 of his season-high 19 points in the first half to stay within reach. After being below the 10-point scoring average for four games, Miles (10.2) rejoins Franck Kamgain (14.1) and Tomislav Miholjcic (10.4) as the only players on the squad to average double figures.
Back on January 5, Henderson claimed its biggest win of the season after defeating Oklahoma Baptist on the road, 75-72. Since then, the Reddies have lost five of six and have scored 70 or more once. Those numbers have HSU averaging 69.2 points per game, which is 10th in the GAC.
Henderson’s defense continues to be among the top-half of the league, holding teams to 68.5 points per game while shooting just 43.5 percent from the field, which is fifth and sixth in the GAC, respectively. The Reddies are also sixth with a plus-0.71 turnover margin, averaging 13.1 giveaways per game while forcing 13.8 turnovers.
Outside of last season’s game in Ada that saw HSU win 90-71, the recent matchups between East Central and Henderson have yielded classics. 2020 on East Central’s home floor had the Reddies pull out a five-point overtime victory while 2022 had the red-and-gray pull out another overtime victory here in Arkadelphia, 70-69. Thursday’s contest will be the 35th all-time meeting as both teams have won 17 of the head-to-head matchups.
SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL East Central comes into Thursday’s contest losers of its last two by a combined 28 points. Most recently, ECU lost at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State – HSU’s opponent on Saturday – 83-71. The Savage Storm went 18-of-23 from the free-throw line compared to the Tigers’ 10-of-15.
Graduate student Quinton Johnson II established himself as the scoring leader of the group after putting up 20 against SE, bringing his average to 14.4 points per game. Johnson II has scored in double figures in six of the seven contests he has participated in this season. The Tigers’ second leading scorer, junior Keyon Thomas, is shooting 51.6 percent from the field while also averaging 1.5 steals per game, which is 13th in the conference.
East Central owns the fifth ranked scoring offense (74.4 points per game) and third ranked scoring defense (65.9 ppg) in the league. The Tigers are also shooting 47.8 percent from the field, which is third best in the conference, while holding opponents to a league-low 40.3 field-goal percentage. Henderson will have to try to get after them on the glass, where they are 10th in combined team rebounds (31.6) and last in team offensive boards (6.8).
The following are the NFL transactions for Wednesday, January 25. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.
FANTASTIC FINAL FOUR: For the first time in NFL history, each of the four teams playing in the Conference Championships, presented by Intuit TurboTax, enter the weekend with 14-or-more wins, including postseason – the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (15-4) and PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (15-3) in the NFC and the CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4) and KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3) in the AFC.
San Francisco led the league in both total defense (300.6 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (16.3 points allowed per game) this season. The 49ers are looking to become the fourth team in the past 10 seasons to lead the NFL in total defense and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining Denver in 2015 and Seattle in both 2013 and 2014.
Philadelphia ranked second in the NFL in defense this season, allowing 301.5 yards per game. The Eagles also led the league with 70 sacks, tied for the third-most ever by a team in a single season. They can become the fifth team since 2000 to lead the league in sacks and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining Denver in 2015, Pittsburgh in 2010, the New York Giants in 2007 and Seattle in 2005.
Kansas City led the league in both total offense (413.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (29.2 points per game) in 2022. The Chiefs can become the fourth team in the past 10 seasons to lead the NFL in total offense and make the Super Bowl in the same year, joining the Chiefs in 2020, the Patriots in 2017 and the Broncos in 2013.
Both Philadelphia and Kansas City earned the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences and with victories by each team on Sunday, it would mark the 14th time since the NFL began seeding teams in 1975 that both top seeds faced off in the Super Bowl, and the first time in five years.
Cincinnati is looking to return to the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons after its victory at Buffalo last week in the Divisional Round. Last year, the Bengals captured road victories at No. 1 seed Tennessee and No. 2 seed Kansas City to earn a trip to Super Bowl LVI.
With a win on Sunday at Kansas City (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+), Cincinnati can become the first team since the NFL began seeding teams in 1975 to defeat the No. 1 seed in its conference in consecutive postseasons. The Bengals would also become the second team ever to win two road playoff games in consecutive seasons, joining the 2009-10 New York Jets.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES: Kansas City head coach ANDY REID is set to make his 10th Conference Championship appearance, tied for the second-most ever by a head coach. After leading Philadelphia to Super Bowl XXXIX and Kansas City to Super Bowls LIV and LV, Reid can become the ninth head coach in NFL history to appear in at least four Super Bowls.
Reid enters Sunday with 20 career postseason victories and can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (20 postseason wins) for the second-most playoff wins by a head coach in NFL history. Only BILL BELICHICK (31 wins) has more.
The head coaches with the most career postseason wins in NFL history:
HEAD COACH
TEAM(S)
POSTSEASON WINS
Bill Belichick
Cleveland, New England
31
Tom LandryHOF
Dallas
20
Andy Reid
Philadelphia, Kansas City
20
On the opposite sideline in the AFC Championship game will be Cincinnati’s ZAC TAYLOR, looking to become the third head coach in NFL history to appear in two Super Bowls within his first four seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE GIBBS and MIKE TOMLIN.
Taylor can also tie Gibbs (six postseason wins) for the most playoff wins by a head coach within his first four seasons in NFL history.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
MINING FOR GOLD: The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS are aiming for their second Super Bowl appearance in four years and eighth overall in franchise history.
The 49ers have 36 total playoff wins and with a victory at Philadelphia on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes), will tie the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (37 wins) for the most postseason wins by a franchise in NFL history.
The franchises with the most postseason victories in NFL history:
TEAM
WINS
SUPER BOWL TITLES
New England
37
6
Dallas
36
5
Green Bay
36
4
Pittsburgh
36
6
San Francisco
36
5
Rookie quarterback BROCK PURDY has won each of his first seven career starts, including playoffs, and last week became the fifth rookie quarterback ever to start and win in the Divisional round. With a win on Sunday, Purdy will become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to start and win a Conference Championship game and the first rookie quarterback ever to start and win three postseason games.
Running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY has 310 scrimmage yards (103.3 per game) and three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in three career postseason games, with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each contest.
If he reaches those marks again on Sunday, McCaffrey will become the sixth running back in NFL history with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of his first four career postseason games.
The running backs with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in the most consecutive postseason games to begin a career in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
GAMES
Marcus AllenHOF
L.A. Raiders, Kansas City
7
Terrell DavisHOF
Denver
7
Curtis MartinHOF
New England, N.Y. Jets
5
Arian Foster
Houston Texans
4
Devonta Freeman
Atlanta
4
Christian McCaffrey
Carolina, San Francisco
3*
*Active streak
Defensive lineman NICK BOSA led the NFL with a career-high 18.5 sacks this season. With a 49ers victory on Sunday, Bosa will become the sixth player to lead the league in sacks and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic.
The players to lead the league in sacks and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season since 1982:
PLAYER
TEAM
SEASON
SACKS
Aaron Donald
L.A. Rams
2018
20.5
Vic Beasley
Atlanta
2016
15.5
Kevin Carter
St. Louis Rams
1999
17
Lawrence TaylorHOF
N.Y. Giants
1986
20.5
Richard DentHOF
Chicago
1985
17
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
FLY, EAGLES, FLY: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES are aiming for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and second in six seasons.
Quarterback JALEN HURTS totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in last week’s Divisional tound victory, after leading all quarterbacks with 13 rushing touchdowns in the regular season. With another rushing touchdown against San Francisco on Sunday (3:00 PM ET, FOX/FOX Deportes), Hurts will become the first quarterback in NFL history with 15 rushing touchdowns in a single season, including playoffs.
As a team, Philadelphia led the league with 32 rushing touchdowns in the regular season, tied for the second-most by a team in a season in the Super Bowl era. Last week, the Eagles totaled 268 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
With two rushing touchdowns on Sunday, the Eagles will tie the 1962 GREEN BAY PACKERS (37 rushing touchdowns) for the most rushing touchdowns ever by a team in a single season, including playoffs.
After leading the league with 70 sacks this season, Philadelphia totaled five sacks in the Divisional playoffs. With five sacks in the Conference Championship, the Eagles will tie the 1985 CHICAGO BEARS (80 sacks) for the second-most sacks ever by a team in a single season, including playoffs.
The teams with the most sacks in a season in NFL history, including playoffs:
TEAM
SEASON
SACKS
Chicago Bears
1984
82
Chicago Bears
1985
80
Philadelphia Eagles
2022
75
Philadelphia can also become the first team in NFL history to record at least five sacks in nine games within a single season, including playoffs.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
JOE & JA’MARR: The CINCINNATI BENGALS are aiming for their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and can become the fourth different franchise since 2000 to appear in consecutive Super Bowls, joining Kansas City (2019-20), New England (2003-04 and 2016-18) and Seattle (2013-14).
Quarterback JOE BURROW is 5-1 in six career postseason starts and with a win at Kansas City on Sunday (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+) would tie RUSSELL WILSON (six wins) for the most postseason wins by a starting quarterback in his first three seasons in NFL history.
The starting quarterbacks with the most postseason wins in their first three seasons in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM
WINS
Russell Wilson
Seattle
6
Joe Burrow
Cincinnati
5*
Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh
5
*In third season
Burrow, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, can also become the fourth quarterback selected No. 1 overall to win consecutive Conference Championships, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers TROY AIKMAN (1992-93), TERRY BRADSHAW (1974-75 and 1978-79) and JOHN ELWAY (1986-87 and 1997-98).
Wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE has 513 receiving yards in six career postseason games (85.5 per game), the second-most ever by a player in his first two seasons. Only CHARLIE BROWN (643 receiving yards) has more. In each of his first six playoff games, Chase has recorded at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards.
With five catches on Sunday, Chase will become the second player in NFL history with at least five receptions in each of his first seven career playoff games, joining WES WELKER.
Additionally, Chase can become the fifth player ever with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his first seven career playoff games, joining Brown, ERNIE MILLS, JULIO JONES and Welker.
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS —
KANSAS CITY OF CHAMPIONS: The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS will be making their fifth consecutive AFC Championship game appearance and are aiming for their third Super Bowl appearance in four years and fifth in franchise history.
Quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES led the NFL with 5,520 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes this season and with a win against Cincinnati on Sunday (6:30 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+) can become the fifth player ever to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown passes and make the Super Bowl in the same season, joining TOM BRADY in 2007 and Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING in 2013, DAN MARINO in 1984 and KURT WARNER in 2001.
The players to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown passes and advance to the Super Bowl in the same season in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM
SEASON
PASSING YARDS
TD PASSES
Peyton ManningHOF
Denver
2013
5,477
55
Tom Brady
New England
2007
4,806
50
Kurt WarnerHOF
St. Louis Rams
2001
4,830
36
Dan MarinoHOF
Miami
1984
5,084
48
Tight end TRAVIS KELCE totaled 14 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s Divisional round victory, his seventh consecutive postseason game with at least 95 receiving yards, the longest streak in NFL history. He enters Sunday with 1,389 career postseason receiving yards, tied with ROB GRONKOWSKI for the third-most in NFL history.
The players with the most postseason receiving yards in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
RECEIVING YARDS
Jerry RiceHOF
San Francisco, Oakland Raiders
2,245
Julian Edelman
New England
1,442
Rob Gronkowski
New England, Tampa Bay
1,389
Travis Kelce
Kansas City
1,389
Last week also marked Kelce’s fourth consecutive playoff game with a touchdown reception and he can join Gronkowski (six consecutive games from 2014-17) as the only tight ends ever with a touchdown reception in at least five straight playoff games. He can also tie Gronkowski (15 touchdown receptions) for the second-most career postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (22) has more.
The players with the most postseason touchdown receptions in NFL history:
PLAYER
TEAM(S)
TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS
Jerry RiceHOF
San Francisco, Oakland Raiders
22
Rob Gronkowski
New England, Tampa Bay
15
Travis Kelce
Kansas City
14
Defensive end FRANK CLARK recorded his 12th-career postseason sack last week, tied for the fourth-most since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. With a sack on Sunday, Clark will surpass TERRELL SUGGS (12.5 sacks) for the third-most NFL postseason sacks since 1982. Only WILLIE MCGINEST (16) and Pro Football Hall of Famer BRUCE SMITH (14.5) have more.
The players with the most NFL postseason sacks since 1982:
