Chiefs players reveal favorite SZA, Kendrick Lamar songs ahead of Super Bowl LIX halftime show

Several Kansas City #Chiefs players weighed in about their favorite songs by SZA and Kendrick Lamar ahead of the Super Bowl LIX halftime show

The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in an epic showdown in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9.

While many NFL fans are looking forward to the Chiefs’ matchup against Philadelphia, many casual observers around the country are excited about the highly-anticipated Super Bowl halftime show, which will feature Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter SZA and acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar.

This week, Kansas City’s players weighed in on their favorite songs by SZA and Kendrick Lamar in a video that was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs’ official account.

Check out which songs were popular among Kansas City’s players:

While the Chiefs and Eagles won’t get the chance to watch the halftime show, SZA and Kendrick Lamar are clearly idols for many of Kansas City’s players.

Stay tuned to see if the Chiefs can complete the NFL’s first-ever Super Bowl three-peat when Kansas City takes the field against the Eagles on Sunday.

The Warriors have invested in (very) veteran players like no other team in the NBA

HoopsHype presents how much money every NBA team has invested for the future in players who will be older than 35 years old.

The Golden State Warriors invested in a very veteran player yet again this trade deadline, acquiring the disgruntled Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, a protected first-round pick and more.

The problem for Golden State is that Butler is 35 years old and is joining a Warriors nucleus that already features a 36-(soon to be 37)-year-old Stephen Curry and a 34-(soon to be 35)-year-old Draymond Green. That means if Golden State makes what would be a miraculous run at a championship this year, they’d be led by a core that would be roughly a combined 107 years old by the upcoming Finals in June. According to our research, that would give Golden State the oldest Big Three in league history to win an NBA title.

How wise that investment will wind up being for the Warriors remains to be seen, but at least owner Joe Lacob is giving his current group one more shot with a still-effective Butler, so he deserves some credit there.

Even so, we looked up how much NBA teams have invested in players who will be 35 or older after the 2024-25 season, and Golden State has by far the most committed, with a whopping $289.9 million (combining what is owed to Curry, Butler, and Green). That’s a huge amount more than the team that finished with the second-most money invested in 35-plus-year-old player seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers, at $165.9 million. In third, the Milwaukee Bucks at $121.8 million, followed by the Boston Celtics at $104.4 million and the Los Angeles Clippers at $91.6 million rounding out the Top 5. That’s particularly troubling for Philadelphia as its roster has various players who aren’t that young but who are pretty injury-prone.

Others are taking the opposite approach, instead investing in their youth, teams like the Houston Rockets, who notably avoided trading for veterans this deadline because they reportedly want to see how far they can take it with their current group. Houston has $0 invested in player seasons over 35 years old and just $41.1 million invested in the 30-34 years old block. The Oklahoma City Thunder are another young team with $0 invested in players older than 35, and they are one of the favorites to win a title this year, so kudos to Sam Presti for how strong of a young roster he’s built, with so much draft capital left to play around with.

Also of note from our research, Boston has an enormous $510.6 million invested in player season between age 30 and 34 while the New York Knicks have $427.0 million in that group.

Below, check out how much money NBA teams have invested in player seasons 35 years old or older, as well as in players between 30 and 34, 25 through 29 and 25 and under.

Reworking the offensive line named the Ravens biggest 2025 NFL off-season move

Reworking the offensive line was named the Baltimore Ravens biggest 2025 NFL off-season move to make

The Ravens have started their offseason retooling, and one of the most significant decisions will involve star left tackle Ronnie Stanley and his future with the franchise.

Baltimore will have 21 free agents and several looming contract scenarios that will significantly impact shaping this roster.  NFL.com looked at one big offseason move for the 30 teams who didn’t make the Super Bowl, and “continuing to rework the offensive line” was the Ravens’ task.

Stanley is coming off his first injury-free season in his nine-year career, and Baltimore wants to reward the offensive tackle with a huge payday. Stanley will undoubtedly have a team with a ton of money looking to add him to a potential playoff team. Rosengarten is one of the top young right tackles in the NFL and could move to left tackle if Stanley departs. Patrick Mekari is another soon-to-be free agent whom Baltimore could re-sign, with the versatility to play inside or outside. Daniel Faalele has enormous potential, and the Ravens could use a first or second-round pick on an interior offensive lineman or another tackle.

Vikings reporter with insight on Jaguars’ Grant Udinski and work with QBs

On a recent appearance on 1010XL, Vikings’ reporter Ben Goessling provided insights into Jaguars’ OC Grant Udinski and his work with QBs.

New Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has been a very fast riser in the coaching ranks at still just 29 years old.

Recently on the ‘Helmets and Heels’ radio show on 1010XL, Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune provided some insight into Udinski and the success he’s had with quarterbacks.

“He’ll say this,” said Goessling about Udinski, “‘I’m young, I don’t have kids, I don’t have a family yet, so I can be the guy, whatever hours of the day you need something, I’m here to talk with you. This is what I’m all in on and what I’m invested in.’

“That level of commitment to players is probably the thing that sticks out most about him and that’s what you’ll hear a lot of quarterbacks say about him. He will do whatever he possibly can to make a player better and have them more prepared for what they have to do on Sunday.”

Part of that commitment, as Goessling would also mention, was that last offseason and into training camp, Udinski and rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy would routinely have late night conversations, where Udinski answered whatever questions McCarthy had.

During Udinski’s time with Minnesota, he was promoted during each of the three seasons he spent with the team. And in addition to working closely with the quarterbacks, he also worked closely with head coach Kevin O’Connell.

The Vikings’ offense under O’Connell ranked ninth in points per game last season and veteran quarterback Sam Darnold would have a career year in Minnesota.

A top priority for head coach Liam Coen, Udinski, quarterbacks coach Spencer Whipple, and pass game coordinator Shane Waldron will be getting Trevor Lawrence back on track.

How to go about doing that was the main question that owner Shad Khan asked all of the head coaching candidates, and Coen’s answer helped separate him from the rest.

Of course, there’s a lot that goes into that answer, but in part, it will include building the offense around Lawrence, as Coen mentioned, and we can glean from Coen’s time with Tampa Bay that a strong run game is an important factor as well.

“How do we make Trevor Lawrence and this offense as dynamic and explosive as we can be? We’ve got to build it around him, we’ve got to make every part of this about improvement, and he will be a part of that process,” Coen said during Monday’s introductory press conference.

“He’s earned that right. I cannot respect his toughness and mentality and work ethic more than I do already from afar. This will all be about Trevor.”

Will Jawaan Taylor play in Super Bowl LIX? Injury updates for Chiefs OL

Kansas City #Chiefs offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor is dealing with a knee injury ahead of Super Bowl LIX. Here is the latest.

The Kansas City Chiefs are about to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

The Chiefs can’t afford to be without any of their starters, particularly on the offensive line which will have its work cut out for it against the Eagles’ ferocious pass rush.

Right tackle Jawaan Taylor was listed on Kansas City’s injury report this week ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

Will Taylor be healthy enough to play on Sunday?

Jawaan Taylor injury update

Taylor has been resilient, playing through a knee issue that stuck with him through the latter half of the season.

While the issue with his knee has kept him on the Chiefs’ injury report, it hasn’t kept him off the field in the postseason. He was a full participant in all of Kansas City’s practices this week and is expected to start in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Eagles.

How long will Jawaan Taylor be out?

Taylor is not expected to miss Super Bowl LIX. Barring an unlikely last-minute setback, he will be starting against Philadelphia on Sunday.

Chiefs tackle depth

It is projected that Kingsley Suamataia or Ethan Driskell could back up Taylor in today’s championship game. However, both are rookies and are not expected to play a major role in the game plan, which will emphasize the most experienced players.

UFC 312 live updates: Results, round-by-round coverage of every fight

Check out live round-by-round updates and official results from UFC 312 in Sydney.

UFC 312 (pay-per-view, ESPN2/Disney+, ESPN+) takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). UFC 312 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) takes place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

The main event features a rematch between middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and the man he beat to win the title, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC). In the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) puts her title on the line against unbeaten challenger [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET for the early prelims on ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN2/Disney+ and 10 p.m. ET for the main card on pay-per-view (via ESPN+).

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC 312 lineup, results

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland – for middleweight title
  • Champ Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez – for women’s strawweight title
  • Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
  • Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/Disney+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Tom Nolan
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Wang Cong
  • Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)

  • Kody Steele vs. Rong Zhu
  • Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef
  • Anshul Jubli vs. Quillan Salkilld

UFC 312 odds: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland

Oddsmakers have set Du Plessis as a moderate favorite to win the rematch against Strickland. Here’s a look at three of the biggest online sportsbooks.

  • BetMGM: Du Plessis -220, Strickland +180
  • FanDuel: Du Plessis -215, Strickland +180
  • DraftKings: Du Plessis -218, Strickland +180

UFC 312 odds: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez

Oddsmakers are slightly favorite Suarez to dethrone Weili as strawweight champion. Here’s a look at three of the biggest online sportsbooks.

  • BetMGM: Suarez -165, Weili +135
  • FanDuel: Suarez -146, Weili +124
  • DraftKings: Suarez -155, Weili +130

UFC 312 predictions: Complete main card

Check out the MMA Junkie predictions for the UFC 312 main card with one staff member believing neither championship will change hands.

UFC 312 expert pick: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland

Check out MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom’s complete breakdown of the main event.

UFC 312 expert pick: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez

Check out MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom’s complete breakdown of the co-main event.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Texas Tech at Arizona odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s Texas Tech at Arizona odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-4, 9-2 Big 12) visit the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats (16-6, 10-1) Saturday at McKale Memorial Center in Tucson. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the Texas Tech vs. Arizona odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The Red Raiders have won 7 consecutive games, including a 73-59 win as 7.5-point home favorites against the Baylor Bears Tuesday with the Under (143) cashing. G Chance McMillian scored a game-high 19 points, while going 5-for-11 behind the 3-point line. Texas Tech has covered 3 in a row and is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last 6 games. The Under is 5-2 in the past 7 outings.

The Wildcats are looking to avenge a 70-54 loss Jan. 18 in Lubbock against the Red Raiders. F JT Toppin finished with game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (16) as Texas Tech covered as a 4.5-point favorite with the Under (150) connecting. The Red Raiders closed with a 17-2 run to snap a 6-game personal streak to the Wildcats, who were led by G Jaden Bradley’s 11 points.

That loss at Texas Tech snapped a 7-game win streak for the Wildcats, but they responded with a 5-game win streak, covering in all 5 wins. The most recent victory was an 85-74 decision as 3-point road underdogs at the BYU Cougars Tuesday. The Over (153) hit, the third consecutive Over cash for Arizona — which is 4-1 O/U during the current win streak.

Heading into Saturday night’s contest, Texas Tech’s Toppin (ankle) carries a questionable tag. He is second on the team with 14.9 points per game (PPG) — behind McMillian’s 15.5 — while leading in rebounds at 8.4 per game.

Arizona F Trey Townsend (undisclosed) is also listed as questionable. Townsend is fourth on the team with 9.0 PPG, while adding 4.1 rebounds per game.

– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+

Texas Tech at Arizona odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:11 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Texas Tech +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Arizona -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
  • Against the spread: Texas Tech +3.5 (-115) | Arizona -3.5 (-105)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 150.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Texas Tech at Arizona picks and predictions

Prediction

Arizona 76, Texas Tech 71

Moneyline

ARIZONA (-160) is worth a look as a moderate favorite in this ranked Big 12 matchup against Texas Tech (+135).

The Wildcats were blown out in the first meeting in Lubbock, but they’ve played their best basketball of the season since that setback.

The Red Raiders have been on a roll, but Arizona is a tough place to play.

Between this play and the Arizona spread below, divvy up 1½ units however you see fit.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Against the spread

I like ARIZONA -3.5 (-105) in this revenge game.

The Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in the past 5 outings, and 8-2 ATS across the past 10 games since ringing in the new year.

It won’t be easy. Texas Tech is 5-1 ATS in the past 6 games, and 4-1 ATS in 5 true road outings this season.

But I like ARIZONA -3.5 (-105) in front of the home crowd.

Over/Under

UNDER 150.5 (-110) is the way to go.

The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 games for the Red Raiders, while going 5-2 across their previous 7 outings. That includes the win vs. the Wildcats Jan. 18 in Lubbock.

While the Over has hit in 3 in a row for Arizona, the Under has still split 7-7 in the past 14 outings since mid-December.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / DukeFlorida / Florida StateGeorgia / Iowa / KentuckyLSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / WashingtonWisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School

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Commanders’ Jayden Daniels nails quarterback silhouette challenge

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels proves he watches film when he nails the quarterback silhouette challenge.

When the Washington Commanders drafted Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Chicago Bears fans became arrogant because they selected Caleb Williams. As the season progressed, it became increasingly clear that the Commanders had the right guy under center.

Not only did Daniels break records and set new ones, but he transformed an entire franchise, with the help of Adam Peters and Dan Quinn, of course. Daniels’ talent is evident every time he’s on the field, but what you might not know about him is how much he studies the game of football.

Daniels proved just how much film he watches when he participated in the quarterback silhouette challenge in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl XLVII.

In the game, Daniels is shown a black-and-white video of a quarterback through some part of his progression. In some cases it’s a drop-back, in others it’s a scramble, and Daniels’ job is to guess who the quarterback is from just this image.

Daniels got every single video correct. Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Aaron Rodgers, and he gives a distinguishing characteristic of each player indicating how he knew who it was.

Jayden Daniels is going to have a long and illustrious career in the NFL. Not just because he’s a talented player who can get the job done, but because he studies the game, learns from it, adapts his own game and decision-making to what is happening, and he is incredibly humble about all of it.

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UFC 312: Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2 preview show live stream with Farah Hannoun

Before the fights get underway, join MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun for a live-streamed preview of UFC 312 in Sydney.

UFC 312 goes down Saturday night with two championship fights atop the bill, and before the fights get underway, Farah Hannoun will host a live-streamed preview show right here at 5 p.m. ET.

The main event features a rematch between middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) roughly a year after Du Plessis claimed the 185-pound title with a split decision win over Strickland. And in the co-main event, strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (25-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) puts her title on the line against [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

UFC 312 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+) takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Below is the full UFC 312 lineup:

UFC 312 main card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland – for middleweight title
  • Champ Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez – for women’s strawweight title
  • Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira
  • Rodolfo Bellato vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado

UFC 312 preliminary card (ESPNews/Disney+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Tom Nolan
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Wang Cong
  • Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria

UFC 312 preliminary card (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Kody Steele vs. Rong Zhu
  • Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef
  • Anshul Jubli vs. Quillan Salkilld

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Mike Tomlin’s loyalty could impact Steelers’ QB decision, per insider

Insider Jeremy Fowler reports that Mike Tomlin’s loyalty to Russell Wilson may complicate the Steelers’ chances of re-signing Justin Fields.

Fans hoping to hear news about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially re-signing QB Justin Fields may be disappointed.

NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that while Fields may be the better and more favored option in Pittsburgh, HC Mike Tomlin remains loyal to Russell Wilson. And it is this loyalty that may present itself as a roadblock to bringing back Fields in 2025:

“Coach Mike Tomlin seems to have a loyalty to Wilson that could lead the team in that direction, though. Plus, Fields could have a sneaky good market and price himself out of Pittsburgh.”

Insider information should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it is troubling news nonetheless.

Wilson usurped the QB starting role in controversial fashion, as Fields had led the Steelers to a 4-2 start to the 2024 season, while the former finished out the season with a less-than-impressive 6-6 record, including the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

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