NFL

No real surprises here after the Chiefs emerged from their playoff bye mostly healthy. Kansas City starts its hunt for a three-peat at home against the Texans in the Divisional Round.

Both players came into the weekend listed as questionable, with Mixon downgraded throughout the week with an ankle injury and Woods missing all three practices with a hip injury. Also active for the Texans is linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Inactive for the Texans are RB J.J. Taylor, LB Devin White ,DE Jerry Hughes, G/C Kendrick Green, G Nick Broeker, and DT Kurt Hinish.

The interview was conducted virtually considering the Bills are just 24 hours from a home playoff game against the Ravens. The Bears, Jets, and Saints have also been linked to Brady during the new coaching cycle, although the Jaguars were the first to complete one.

The Bears have not been shy about their coaching searches this offseason, with Flores now the second coach interviewed for their head coaching position from within the division. Flores has been linked to three different franchises already as the coaching cycle begins to take form, previously interviewing with the Jets and Jaguars.

The former Jets head coach has been a name of consistent interest around the league for the numerous vacant head coaching positions, with is most recent interview completed by the Cowboys. Saleh was fired by the Jets in October after more than three seasons with the franchise. The Jaguars have also been linked to Saleh during this coaching cycle and it appears he will have an opportunity to land on his feet with a change of scenery.

Allen has four years left on his deal, which is a front-loaded contract. Rapoport said he “would not be surprised at all” if the Bills gave Allen an adjusted deal that would offer him more money sooner after the Bills’ QB1 played at an MVP caliber level, again, this season. Allen has the Bills within one game of playing for the AFC Championship next week, and was one of four quarterbacks to total 40-plus touchdowns this season.

Rapoport reports Flowers had a “promising” workout with the team on Friday, which could put him on track to return in the AFC Championship Game should the Ravens beat the Bills on Sunday. Flowers is officially doubtful heading into the game, and has been trending on the wrong side of playing after missing an entire week of practice.

It was reported last week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Bengals had an interest in the former Bears head coach, but the Falcons became the first team to officially have an interview with him after they shared the news via their social media accounts. Eberflus went 14-32 during his time as the Bears’ head coach, but he rose to prominence as a respected defensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018-2021. Eberflus’ defense ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed in three of his four seasons with the team, and ranked 12th in EPA per play over that span. Despite the Bears’ struggled in 2024, Eberflus’ defense also ranked 13th in points allowed and finished 13th in EPA per play. Eberflus could also see growing demand as teams begin to fill their head coaching vacancies in the coming days/weeks.

Head coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal on their quarterback situation days after their playoff loss to the Ravens and will likely dance around the issue until we get closer to free agency. That said, Dulac is of the opinion that Fields could be the QB1 next season due to his age, and the success he enjoyed during his six games as a starter this season. Fields posted a 4-2 record as the Steelers’ starter, and threw for 1,106-5-1 while completing a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes. On the flip side, Dulac also points out that Russell Wilson “was brought here to end the playoff victory drought, and it didn’t happen,” and a reason to move on from the 36-year-old vet. There’s a lot to play out in the coming weeks/months, but the Steelers’ re-upping with Fields this offseason rather than overspending on an underwhelming QB market would make a lot of sense for both sides.

Schefter also reports that “at least one team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow try to trade for Tomlin.” Any trade for Tomlin would require his approval, as the veteran head coach currently has a no-trade clause baked into his current deal. It’s a bold move by the Bears, but one that clearly shows their desire to nail their next head coaching hire after cycling through four different head coaches and interim head coach Thomas Brown since 2013. When asked earlier about the possibility of approving a trade to another team, Tomlin simply said, “Save your time.” We also know the Steelers don’t have any plans to move on from Tomlin, as previously reported by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Barring an unexpected turn of events, Tomlin, who signed a three-year extension last offseason, will remain with the Steelers in 2025.