Sports
For Seahawks' Mike Macdonald, no need for a 'Super Bowl handbook'
Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald looks on after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images The Seattle Seahawks are heading to their fourth Super Bowl since 2006, but neither Mike Holmgren nor Pete Carroll are walking through that door.
Instead, the job of preparing his team for Super Bowl LX falls to 38-year-old Mike Macdonald in just his second season as a head coach at any level.
Asked Monday what he expects the biggest challenge of the next two weeks to be, Macdonald replied, “It’s easy to say ‘process,’ but the days are gonna look a little bit different. So it’s really the intent behind what we’re trying to do every day. Just staying focused on the things that we can control, because there is so much extra. That comes with the territory. It’s exciting. It’s an opportunity to kind of get it right.”
Macdonald’s Seahawks held off the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in an instant classic NFC Championship Game on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Much of Macdonald’s day-after press conference focused on what comes next. He said the players will have off Tuesday and Wednesday, but they were in the building Monday to discuss logistical things related to the Super Bowl week schedule.
A longtime assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald said he would soon reach out to his old boss, John Harbaugh, for advice about what’s on the horizon. Macdonald joined Baltimore in 2014, which came after the franchise’s only Super Bowl trip under Harbaugh.
Macdonald also joked that he’s watched about five plays’ worth of New England Patriots tape. There will be ample time for game-planning in the days to come, but Macdonald insisted nothing fundamental should change about the Seahawks’ approach.
“I think one of the differences about how we’ve ran our program this year and the last few years is we don’t have a, ‘Hey, this is the Super Bowl handbook. This is how you handle all the things.’ Our mentality is, ‘Hey, look, we’re all in this together going into this experience and this is how we want to take it day by day and kind of get through all these hurdles, so to speak.’ Those guys will be right along there for the ride and leading the charge.”
The Seahawks do have one player who knows how to negotiate Super Bowl week and come out a champion on the other side.
When the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, wide receiver Cooper Kupp was voted Most Valuable Player after catching eight passes for 92 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Kupp, 32, shared what he would tell his teammates about handling the distractions and extracurriculars of Super Bowl week.
“You take care of it and then you get ready to play football,” he said. “You’re inserting it into part of your day, but you know that around that stuff, you still gotta go out there and be present, be where your feet are. When it’s time to do the media thing, do the media thing, handle your business, protect the team, then you’re gonna move into football stuff and be where your feet are in that regard.”
Kupp acknowledged “it was cool” for him to beat his former team in the penultimate game of the playoffs. Earlier in the day, a column in The Athletic reported that members of Kupp’s camp believed the Rams badmouthed him in league circles after unceremoniously cutting him after the 2024 season — warning against signing the oft-injured former Offensive Player of the Year for more than the veteran minimum.
The rival Seahawks didn’t listen, inking Kupp, a Washington native, to a three-year contract in March worth $45 million.
“For the story to be what it was, that it had to be through the Rams to be able to get to where we wanted to go, in the NFC championship in that moment, the script writers did a great job with that one.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bennett Stirtz excels as Iowa knocks off Northwestern
Feb 8, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Bennett Stirtz scored a career-high 36 points and Tavion Banks added 13 as Iowa defeated visiting Northwestern 76-70 on Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa, to extend its winning streak to six games.
Iowa (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) eclipsed last season’s total for overall and conference victories behind a plus-12 rebounding margin and a 16-point edge in points in the paint.
After leading by as many as 14 points after halftime, the Hawkeyes saw the Wildcats draw within three on Nick Martinelli’s jumper with nine minutes left to cap a 7-0 run.
Iowa limited Northwestern to four field goals the rest of the way.
Stirtz, who has scored at least 20 points in each game during the streak, consistently had the answer. He swished a stepback 3-pointer to push the advantage to nine points with 3:38 remaining, while his layup put the Hawkeyes up five with 1:40 to go.
The Wildcats (10-14, 2-11) cut the deficit to 74-70 on a Martinelli trey with 29 seconds left but Cooper Koch got open for a breakaway dunk off the ensuing inbounds pass.
Northwestern entered Sunday averaging 8.2 turnovers per game this season, fewest in NCAA Division I. The Wildcats had eight giveaways in the first half and 10 for the game
Martinelli paced Northwestern with 21 points. Freshman Jake West added a career-best 18 of 7-of-8 shooting, including a fast-break dunk over Alvaro Folgueiras, who stands seven inches taller. Tre Singleton chipped in 10 points for the Wildcats before fouling out.
Martinelli, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, and reserves Angelo Ciaravino and Arrinten Page each were whistled for three fouls in the first half.
Iowa took advantage, hitting 17 of 22 free throws en route to taking a 39-35 lead into halftime.
Stirtz shined in the closing minutes. His driving layup with 3:40 left in the first half ended a field goal drought of 3:53 and started a stretch in which he scored 10 successive Iowa points in less than two minutes.
Stirtz influenced the game even when he didn’t score, as Jayden Reid was called for a technical foul for trash-talking Stirtz after knocking the ball away on a layup attempt.
Banks grabbed a game-high seven rebounds while Ciaravino led Northwestern with five boards.
Iowa stretched its home winning streak against Northwestern to 11 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ilia Malinin powers US past Japan to team figure skating gold in Milan
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin of the United States celebrates after winning the team figure skating event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics MILAN, Italy — Ilia Malinin lifted the United States above Japan to the top of the podium of the figure skating team event at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday, where home team Italy captured bronze.
With the U.S. and Japan tied going into the men’s free skate, the 21-year-old Malinin was not at his best but was still good enough to lead the U.S. to a second successive Olympic team title.
Malinin had been expected to perform seven quads in his free skate but ended up attempting only five, and even those were not flawless as he stumbled out of his quad Lutz. He turned two planned quads – including the quad Axel – into triples.
But he salvaged his program with a huge quad toeloop followed up by a quad Salchow, both in combinations.
His score of 200.03 was almost 40 points less than his season’s best but still good enough to defeat Japan’s Shun Sato, who went after Malinin but was unable to match his rival’s technical ability.
The U.S. finished with 69 points, one more than Japan, while Italy took bronze with 60 points.
JAPAN FIGHT BACK
Japan came into the final day of the team competition trailing the U.S. by five points but their gold medal hopes were given new life with stunning performances from Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara in the pairs and Kaori Sakamoto in the women’s free skate — leaving them tied with the U.S heading into the final men’s free skate.
The Japanese pairs world champions opened with a triple twist lift and Miura was left punching the air in delight as the duo closed their program with Kihara lifting her above him into their final pose — a performance that earned them a season-best 155.55 from the judges.
“We were trying to aim for about 145 or a little bit higher, and when we saw that it was 155, there was so much joy… we were overwhelmed with emotions,” a teary-eyed Miura told reporters following the rousing performance which left Japan trailing the U.S. by just two points with two segments to go.
Japan pulled into a tie with the U.S. when Sakamoto delivered a spellbinding performance that earned her top place in the women’s free skate with 148.62 points.
American Amber Glenn had to settle for third behind Sakamoto and Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova after she endured two botched landings at the start of her routine – a result which wiped out the United States’ lead heading into men’s free skate.
“I just physically didn’t feel great,” Glenn said.
“My legs were feeling heavy, I was tired. I just didn’t feel my best.”
U.S. hopes of defending their gold medal from Beijing then rested on the shoulders of self-described “Quad God” Malinin, who made up for his disappointing short program on Saturday by winning the point America needed to top the podium.
Malinin remains the runaway favorite to win gold in the individual event at his first Olympic Games.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Scottie Barnes does it all as Raptors roll Pacers
Feb 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) dribbles downcourt against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Scottie Barnes scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the decisive third quarter and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Indiana Pacers 122-104 on Sunday afternoon.
Barnes also led everyone with 14 rebounds and four blocked shots to help the Raptors sweep the four-game season series from the Pacers. After trailing by two at halftime, Toronto took over the game with a 44-26 advantage in the third quarter.
RJ Barrett contributed 20 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 17 points for the Raptors, who have won three of four on their five-game homestand. Brandon Ingram and and Immanuel Quickley each scored 13 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 10 points and 10 rebounds in his Raptors debut.
Pascal Siakam scored 18 points for the Pacers, who have lost four straight. Jay Huff added 15 points, Jarace Walker provided 13 points, Ben Sheppard scored 12 and T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard each notched 10.
Toronto led 21-20 after one quarter, but lost starting center Collin Murray-Boyles to a left thumb injury. He had two points and one blocked shot before leaving for good with 3:47 left in the first quarter.
Jackson-Davis, obtained in a trade with the Golden State Warriors, entered the game in the second quarter and immediately got a steal and assisted on Barnes’ running layup.
Siakam’s layup gave the Pacers a six-point lead with 2:06 to play in the second quarter and they led 48-46 at halftime.
Toronto solved Indiana’s defense by getting out in transition and scored the first eight points of the third quarter. Barnes led the Raptors’ charge and his rebound was followed by a running two-handed dunk to boost the lead to 13 with 6:53 to play. Quickley padded the margin to 19 with two consecutive 3-pointers.
Indiana’s Johnny Furphy collapsed after his dunk with 2:57 left in the third quarter cut Toronto’s lead to 80-68. He was helped off the court before being taken to the dressing room in a wheelchair with what the team said was right-leg soreness.
Toronto led 90-74 after three quarters.
The lead reached 21 when Jackson-Davis converted a free throw with 7:58 to go in the fourth quarter. The Pacers never got closer than 16 the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
Bennett Stirtz excels as Iowa knocks off Northwestern
Ilia Malinin powers US past Japan to team figure skating gold in Milan
