12 hours agoThe Kansas City Chiefs defense played well in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship on Sunday. The Chiefs picked off Joe Burrow twice while adding five sacks on the way to punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. Kansas City was led by Chris Jones, who contributed two sacks, while Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson added an interception each. Kansas City will now have two weeks to get ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com

12 hours agoKansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore caught three of his seven targets for 13 yards in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. Moore also contributed a clutch 29-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter that set the Chiefs up for the eventual game-winning field goal with three seconds left on the clock. Moore saw extra work with JuJu Smith-Schuster leaving with a knee injury in the second quarter as the rookie's seven targets were a season-high. The rookie wideout now has four catches for 13 yards across his team's two playoff games this postseason. He has two weeks to prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com

12 hours agoKansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made all three of his field goals and added two extra points in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. Butker drilled field goals from 43, 24, and 45 yards out. His final field goal of the game came with three seconds left in the game and broke a 20-20 tie, propelling the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. Butker has hit all five of his field goals in his two playoff games this postseason. He will now have two weeks to get ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com

12 hours agoKansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman caught two of his three targets for 10 yards and added seven yards on two carries in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship on Sunday. Hardman was making his first appearance in a game since injuring his pelvis in Week 9. He didn't make it through the contest unscathed, however, as he appeared to aggravate the injury after making a catch in the third quarter. Hardman's status for the Super Bowl is now in question, although he has two weeks to rest up.--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com

15 hours agoThe Arizona Cardinals will interview New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for their head-coaching position on Tuesday, according to a source. Kafka is also a candidate for the Indianapolis Colts' head-coaching gig and previously interviewed with the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans. He's a popular candidate this cycle after an impressive first year as the Giants' play-caller. The 35-year-old began his NFL coaching career with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 and earned a promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2018-19 before adding the title of pass-game coordinator last year. Arizona also plans to interview Lou Anarumo and Brian Callahan this week and have already looked at Ejiro Evero, Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn, Vance Joseph and Sean Payton.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero

15 hours agoUpdating a previous report, San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) will undergo surgery to fix a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but he should be healthy in six months. Purdy suffered the torn UCL early in the NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and only returned to the game after Josh Johnson suffered a concussion and couldn't continue. It won't be a traditional Tommy John surgery but more of a simple repair, but it doesn't mean he'll be fully ready to rock in training camp as he looks to compete for the starting QB gig with Trey Lance, who broke his fibula and suffered injured ankle ligaments early in 2022. Jimmy Garoppolo (foot) is scheduled to be a free agent. Barring an outside addition at the position, Lance will likely be the favorite to start in the 2023 regular season opener.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport

15 hours agoThe Indianapolis Colts intend to bring Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan in for a second interview this week for their head-coaching position. The Arizona Cardinals have also requested to interview Callahan for their head-coaching vacancy this week after the Bengals lost in the AFC Championship to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He's expected to interview with the Colts on Wednesday and with the Cardinals on Thursday. Callahan has been Cincy's offensive coordinator since 2019 and previously was the quarterbacks coach for the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions. The Colts are also bringing in Rich Bisaccia, Ejiro Evero, Raheem Morris and Jeff Saturday in for second interviews.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport

15 hours agoKansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (concussion) is in the league's concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship on Sunday. Sneed usually covers the opposing team's top wide receiver, so his status for the Super Bowl in two weeks will be one to monitor. The 26-year-old left the game in the first quarter and never returned, but the Chiefs secondary was still able to keep the Bengals' high-powered offense in check. If he's able to clear the protocol and play in the Super Bowl, Sneed will most likely be tasked with shutting down Philadelphia Eagles pass-catcher A.J. Brown on the outside.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - James Palmer

15 hours agoThe Las Vegas Raiders haven't given quarterback Derek Carr's agent permission to talk to other teams, according to league and team sources familiar with the situation. It's notable because the Raiders have to trade or cut Carr before Feb. 15, when the $32.9 million base salary for 2023 and $7.5 million for 2024 money become fully guaranteed. The 31-year-old was benched for the final two games of the season, and he left the team completely while also saying goodbye to the organization on social media. Carr is pretty much holding all the cards, since he can veto any trade. If the Raiders simply cut him, they'd have a dead salary cap hit of $5.625 million and nothing in return. In 15 games in 2022, Carr had a 60.8% completion percentage, 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and career-high-tying 14 interceptions. A change of scenery could be good for him, and plenty of teams will be looking for a veteran QB.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Vic Tafur

15 hours agoCincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow just completed his third NFL season and is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. He has lived up to expectations to this point after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. Burrow led the Bengals to the Super Bowl last year and advanced to the AFC Championship this season. Cincy will surely pick up his fifth-year option this spring, unless they sign him to a big contract extension first. "Yeah, I think that starts now internally," head coach Zac Taylor said when asked about Burrow being eligible for a second contract. The 26-year-old had a 68.3% completion percentage, 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 16 regular season games in 2022. He'll easily be a top-five QB1 target for fantasy managers heading into 2023.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Talk - Myles Simmons

16 hours agoSan Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and will be out six months, according to a source. The 49ers are recommending surgery, but Purdy is seeking second medical opinions and no official decision has been made on surgery yet. San Fran had terrible injury luck at the QB position this year, as former first-rounder Trey Lance suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage to his ankle early in the year before Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in December. Garoppolo will be a free agent, so it's likely that Purdy and Lance will be competing for the starting job this summer. The 23-year-old Purdy was great in eight starts, completing 67% of his passes for 1,667 yards, 14 TDs and two picks, but Lance is probably still the favorite in the long run.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter

21 hours agoThe NFL informed teams on Monday that the 2023 salary cap will be a record $224.8 million per club, according to sources. It's up from $208.2 million in 2022, $182.5 million in 2021 (COVID adjustment), $198.2 million in 2020 and $188.2 million in 2019. In the last collective-bargaining agreement over the last decade, the salary cap grew at a rate of around $10 million per season, so the leap from 2022 to 2023 is significant. The salary cap is collectively bargained between the league and Players Association each year based on projected league revenues.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero

21 hours agoKansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon was held in check in the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship on Sunday. McKinnon carried the ball only four times for one yard and caught two of his four targets for 17 yards through the air. The 30-year-old also recovered a fumble in the contest. It was a disappointing performance for McKinnon, especially with receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Kadarius Toney (ankle) and Mecole Hardman (pelvis) all getting hurt during the game. In the Chiefs' two playoff games, McKinnon has only 15 carries for 26 yards and two catches for 17 yards. There's a chance his workload could be reduced even further, too, if Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) comes off Injured Reserve to play in the Super Bowl in two weeks.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com

21 hours agoAtlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts' (knee) rehab/recovery from a season-ending right knee injury is "on schedule," according to tight ends coach Justin Peele. The 22-year-old Pitts needed surgery for a Grade 2 MCL sprain in late November after getting hurt in Week 11. The good news is he's on the right track and could be able to take part in all of the team's offseason workouts, barring a setback. In his second NFL season in 2022, Pitts caught 28 of his 59 targets for 356 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games played before his knee injury. He's been an extremely frustrating fantasy starter the last two years, but he's still young and had over 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season. If the Falcons figure out some stability at the quarterback position, Pitts could easily break out in 2023 if he's healthy.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Josh Kendall

21 hours agoThe Arizona Cardinals requested an interview with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan for their head-coaching position, according to a source. Callahan is also a candidate for the head-coaching job for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. The Bengals were eliminated from postseason contention in the AFC Championship on Sunday by the Kansas City Chiefs, so Callahan will have time to interview with the Colts and Cardinals this week. He's been Cincinnati's offensive coordinator since Zac Taylor took over as head coach in 2019. Callahan previously worked as a quarterbacks coach for the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions. In addition to Callahan, the Cardinals also asked for permission to interview Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo on Monday.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero