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After four months, we finally have the NFL's cream of the crop. Twelve teams embark on a playoff journey for the right to call themselves champions and hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell helped the Hawkeyes defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, but the 22-year-old received some devastating news afterward.
Campbell's grandfather, William Smith Jr., who was 76, died Friday night after a car struck him as a pedestrian, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. He was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Campbell's parents decided not to tell him until after the game so he could have "one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeye teammates," the school said, via Adam Hensley of Hawk Central.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement:
Our hearts are with Jack and his entire family as they grieve the tragic death of their grandfather and father, William Smith, Jr. We know Mr. Smith was a strong influence on his grandson and a faithful Hawkeye football supporter. All of us -- players, coaches and staff members -- will keep the Campbell family in our thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time.
Campbell played a significant role in Iowa's 21-0 win over Kentucky, posting one sack, 10 tackles and two tackles for a loss.
He had an outstanding 2022 campaign for the Hawkeyes. In 12 games entering the Music City Bowl, he had posted one pass breakup, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, 115 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss.
Campbell was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also became the first Hawkeye to take home the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
Cleveland Cavaliers stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland have been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Chicago Bulls, per cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.
Mobley is dealing with soreness in his right ankle, and Garland suffered a sprained right thumb in Thursday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. Garland has been receiving treatment on his thumb, per Fedor.
Mobley entered Saturday having appeared in all 36 games for the Cavs this season. However, he suffered a sprained right ankle during training camp practice on Oct. 1 and missed some time.
The 21-year-old is in the midst of a solid season after an impressive rookie year that saw him finish second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes.
Mobley averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks in 69 games last season while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor. So far this season, he's averaging 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor.
The 2021 third overall pick was a huge reason why the Cavaliers finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 record and were on the verge of making the postseason for the first time since 2018.
When the USC product is sidelined, veteran Kevin Love and Cedi Osman see more playing time.
As for Garland, he missed time earlier in the season after suffering an eye injury on Oct. 19 that knocked him out of the team's next five games. He also missed a Nov. 4 win over the Detroit Pistons with a left knee sprain.
The 22-year-old is equally as important to Cleveland's success. Through 30 games, he's averaging 21.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists while shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from deep.
With Garland sidelined, Caris LeVert and Raul Neto figure to see more playing time alongside Donovan Mitchell. According to Fedor, LeVert will be in the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup alongside Mitchell, Love, Jarrett Allen and Lamar Stevens.
The Cavaliers are 22-14 this season, fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They'll need Mobley and Garland to remain healthy, especially following the addition of Donovan Mitchell, who should help them contend for a playoff spot.
Joe Mixon is feeling confident ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals showdown with the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
"At the end of the day, what people got to realize and understand, we the big dog of the AFC, and that's just what it is," he told reporters Saturday. "For anything to happen, it goes through us."
The Bengals (11-4) are the defending AFC champions, though they are currently chasing the Bills (12-3) in the standings. And while Mixon is confident, he isn't taking the Bills lightly.
"The Bills, what better team would you be able to go up and put your best against?" he said. "It's a great opportunity for us, but at the same time, I know our guys, we [are] ready."
So are NFL fans for a clash between two of the league's best teams.
Bryce Young was crowned the Sugar Bowl MVP as No. 5 Alabama cruised to a 45-20 victory over Kansas State on Saturday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
In what's widely expected to be his final college game, Young went 15-of-21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
The Crimson Tide fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter following an 88-yard touchdown run by Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn. The Alabama offense subsequently woke up, dropping 35 unanswered points.
Young was the driving factor behind that turnaround.
The turning point came after Kansas State turned the ball over on downs on the Alabama 2-yard line inside the final minute of the first half.
Young completed passes of 28, 22 and 12 yards as his team took a 21-10 lead into halftime. He carved open the Kansas State secondary with surgical precision.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner didn't take long to get Alabama on the board in the second half, either. He floated a 32-yard pass in the end zone to Ja'Corey Brooks as the lead swelled to 18 points.
In terms of his 2023 NFL draft stock, Young didn't stand to gain too much by suiting up in the Sugar Bowl. He's the B/R Scouting Department's highest-ranked quarterback and the eighth-ranked prospect overall in this class.
With such an impressive performance, the junior might have firmly planted himself as the top quarterback on the board.
Ohio State's C.J. Stroud has quite the task ahead to match Young's showing Saturday night in the Peach Bowl against reigning national champion Georgia.
Bryce Young couldn't call it a career with Alabama without enjoying one more prolific performance.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner went 15-of-21 for 321 yards and five touchdowns as the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide beat No. 9 Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday.
As you'd expect, Young was singled out for praise on social media. He put on quite the show for prospective suitors in the NFL.
Through it was only the second quarter, Alabama's final scoring drive of the first half might have been the game's turning point.
An incomplete pass by Kansas State quarterback Will Howard turned the ball over on downs at the Crimson Tide's 2-yard line. The Wildcats had nothing to show for a possession that ate 10:30 off the clock.
Meanwhile, Young needed only 51 seconds to march the Alabama offense 98 yards down the field. He hit Jermaine Burton for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put his team up 21-10.
Within the first two minutes of the second half, the Tide's lead had swelled to 25 points thanks to a pair of quick-fire touchdowns. Kansas State had no chance from there.
Any season that doesn't result in a national championship is considered to be a disappointment by many Alabama fans. They'll enjoy Saturday's victory, but the team's emphatic performance might lead even more to wonder what could've been were it not for that Nov. 5 loss to LSU.
If history is any indication, the Crimson Tide will be right back in the hunt for the College Football Playoff in 2023. Young will leave a massive void in the offense, though.
Barring a major addition through the transfer portal, the quarterback battle will likely come down to Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Milroe filled in for an injured Young earlier this year, while Simpson went 4-of-5 for 35 yards in his limited action.
Whomever wins the job will have huge shoes to fill.
Atlanta Falcons practice squad wide receiver Cameron Batson was arrested early Saturday morning in Atlanta after allegedly fighting with police officers and fleeing the scene of a traffic stop.
According to ESPN, the Atlanta Police Department stated in a release that Batson was pulled over at 2 a.m. ET on Saturday for speeding and failing to maintain his lane on an interstate. Officers on the scene determined that Batson was intoxicated.
Batson allegedly resisted arrest, and an officer fired his gun during the struggle, but no one was hit. Police say Batson then got into his truck and drove away before crashing, fleeing on foot and ultimately getting subdued and arrested.
The Falcons released the following statement on Batson's arrest: "We have been made aware of an overnight incident involving Cameron Batson and are currently gathering information from law enforcement agencies. We take this matter seriously and have no further comment at this time."
Batson, 27, originally signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2018.
He spent four seasons with the Titans, registering 22 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns in 27 games from 2018-2021. He also returned 16 kickoffs for an average of 19.4 yards.
After a torn ACL cut Batson's 2021 season short, he signed with the Falcons in free agency ahead of the 2022 campaign. The move reunited Batson with Arthur Smith, who became Atlanta's head coach after previously serving as the Titans' offensive coordinator.
The Falcons released Batson in August, but he then signed with the practice squad and has spent the entire 2022 season in that role.
The 5-10 Falcons will host the 4-11 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in their second-to-last game of the season.
The Arizona Cardinals announced Saturday that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will not play in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury.
Hopkins had been listed as questionable on the Cards' injury report after not practicing Friday.
The 4-11 Cardinals have little to play for over the final two weeks of the 2022 regular season, as they have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
If anything, it would behoove the Cardinals to lose their final two games of the season to improve their draft position. Perhaps they considered that while weighing whether to sit Hopkins this week.
The 30-year-old veteran missed the first six games of the season due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, but he hit the ground running upon his return. Despite playing in only nine games this season, Hopkins has racked up 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on pace for more than 120 receptions and 1,300 yards over a full 17-game season.
Last week's 19-16 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was Hopkins' worst game of the season by far, as he finished with only one reception for four yards on 10 targets. Before that, Hopkins had recorded at least 60 yards or a touchdown in every game he played this season.
Third-stringer Trace McSorley started at quarterback for Arizona against Tampa since starter Kyler Murray is out for the season with a torn ACL and backup Colt McCoy was also unable to play due to a concussion. With Murray and McCoy both still out, the Cardinals announced Friday that they will start journeyman David Blough at quarterback against Atlanta.
Hopkins is one of the Cardinals' most important players, and they made a big investment in him in 2020 after acquiring him from the Houston Texans. They extended his contract by two years and $54.5 million, tying him to the team through the 2024 season.
There isn't much sense in risking Hopkins' health in meaningless games since he will either return as the Cards' No. 1 receiver in 2023 or get dealt for some assets to aid in a rebuild.
With Hopkins out Sunday, Blough's top options at wideout will be Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Greg Dortch, Robbie Anderson and A.J. Green.
