Sports
Matthew Stafford's MVP, return announcement highlights NFL Honors
Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks on field before the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Matthew Stafford played it coy minutes before the NFL Honors event kicked off Thursday night by saying he still had to figure out if he would return for an 18th season.
Less than two hours later, Stafford was narrowly named NFL Most Valuable Player and was on the stage in San Francisco, surrounded by his four daughters.
It was time to reveal the secret he was keeping as he addressed his daughters.
“You are unbelievable cheerleaders for me and I appreciate it,” Stafford said to the girls. “I am so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me and I can’t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we’re out there kicking ass.”
Stafford then looked toward the audience as Rams coach Sean McVay jumped out of his chair in celebration.
“I will see you guys next year,” said Stafford, “and hopefully I’m not at this event and we’re getting ready for another game (Super Bowl LXI) at SoFi.”
Stafford edged New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the MVP balloting and was the biggest winner at the annual awards showcase that leads up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns was the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year after his record 23-sack season.
Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots was named Coach of the Year after guiding the club to a 14-3 regular-season record and a Super Bowl berth in his first season with the team.
Washington Commanders veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was named Comeback Player of the Year.
Carolina Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger took Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Guard Joe Thuney of the Chicago Bears won the inaugural Protector of the Year award.
Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place MVP votes and 366 total points to beat out Maye, who had 23 and 361, respectively. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the 2024 MVP, received two first-place votes and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had one.
Allen was third in the balloting with 91 points. McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (49) was fifth.
It marks the first time Stafford has won the award in 17 NFL seasons, the first 12 with the Detroit Lions and the last five with the Rams.
Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, hadn’t previously committed to return for 2026.
Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns in 2025 despite playing through back issues. He didn’t miss a game and was intercepted eight times in 597 attempts.
The big disappointment was the Rams falling to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
“This team was really special and it didn’t end the way we wanted it to but I will never forget it,” Stafford said.
To the surprise of nobody, Garrett was a runaway winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award. His record-breaking season allowed him to win the top defensive player honor for the second time in the past three seasons.
“It doesn’t start with me,” Garrett said. “It starts with great teammates, a great organization, great coaches and I’m thankful for every one of my teammates who got me up here. It’s not possible without them and their blood, their sweat, their tears.”
The other finalists were defensive end Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans, linebacker Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions and defensive end Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers.
Vrabel earned the top coach honor over a stellar group of finalists that included Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars), Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears), Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks) and Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco).
“It’s an honor to be recognized amongst the great coaches of our league,” Vrabel said in a video. “Ultimately, my name will go on this award, but this award belongs to a building and a staff and ultimately it belongs to the men in the locker room who believed even when they couldn’t see it.”
Wagner earned the Man of the Year award for his charitable work, specifically his work toward helping identify signs of a stroke. His mother died in 2009 from complications of a stroke.
“She is and will forever be my rock,” Wagner said. “She’s the reason why I’m standing here. She’s a person that had confidence in me when I didn’t even have confidence in myself.”
McCaffrey was limited to four games in 2024 due to Achilles and knee injuries. He was injury free in 2025 and rushed for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven scores.
“This is huge honor,” McCaffrey said. “Anytime you have to come back from injuries it’s extremely tough physically, emotionally and mentally.”
The other comeback candidates were Hutchison, Lawrence, New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Smith-Njigba wasn’t in attendance with his focus on Sunday’s game. He led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards while catching 119 passes, including 10 for scores, in his third season with the Seahawks.
The others finalists were Maye, McCaffrey, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.
McMillan had a strong rookie season with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the No. 8 overall pick out of Arizona.
Scheswinger racked up 156 tackles — sixth most in the NFL — and had 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. He was a second-round draft pick out of UCLA.
The Protector the Year was a first-time award. Buffalo Bills star left tackle Dion Dawkins pushed hard to get it added to the list of accolades. Thuney took the honor in his first season with Chicago and 10th NFL campaign overall.
“I’m not a one-man operation,” Thuney said. “… I really appreciate all the former O-linemen who played in this league, the unsung heroes of the past who laid the foundation for those of us to play the game we love.”
NFL Honors award winners
Most Valuable Player
–Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Offensive Player of the Year
–Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle
Defensive Player of the Year
–Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland
Offensive Rookie of the Year
–Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina
Defensive Rookie of the Year
–Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland
Comeback Player of the Year
–Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco
Coach of the Year
–Mike Vrabel, New England
Assistant Coach of the Year
–Josh McDaniels, New England
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
–Bobby Wagner, LB, Washington
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oklahoma, West Virginia see momentum opportunity in Crown championship
Mar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser reacts to a called foul against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Imagesduring the first half This time last year, Nebraska took home the inaugural College Basketball Crown trophy. The winner of Sunday’s championship game in Las Vegas between Oklahoma and West Virginia will hope to carry similar momentum into next season.
Oklahoma (21-15) endured a nine-game losing streak in the heart of Southeastern Conference play, ultimately dooming its NCAA Tournament chances before finishing as the first team left out of the 68-team field.
The Sooners face former Big 12 rival West Virginia on Sunday in the program’s first championship game since their 1991 NIT final loss to Stanford. For Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, the decision to accept the bid wasn’t a tough one, and so far, it’s paid off.
“I’m not going to lie, it was a very hard Selection Sunday,” Moser said. “The emotions were very raw, because of how much these guys battled through when no one else believed. We felt we should have been in (the tournament), but that’s for a later discussion. We could either talk about that, or we could show them why they made a mistake.”
After beating Colorado 90-86 in overtime on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, Oklahoma got 21 points from Xzayvier Brown in its 82-69 victory over Baylor on Saturday. Nijel Pack’s 16.6 points per game pace the Sooners, while Brown adds 15.5.
West Virginia (20-14) beat Creighton 87-70 in the semifinals on Saturday to earn its first 20-win season since the 2019-20 campaign. One more victory would give the Mountaineers their first postseason tournament title since winning the 2007 NIT.
First-year head coach Ross Hodge’s team flirted with the NCAA Tournament bubble all season. When that dream fell short, there were no doubts about heading to Las Vegas.
“There was no conversation that needed to be had about playing,” Hodge said. “These guys love each other. They love the university. They love the state of West Virginia. It’s their heart and their gratitude that is directly responsible for us to be in the position that we’re going to be in (Sunday).”
Freshman DJ Thomas scored 20 points in the Mountaineers’ win over Creighton — his second most this season. Honor Huff leads West Virginia with 15.9 points per game, followed by Brenen Lorient’s 11.8.
Nebraska followed up its CBC title last season by winning a school-record 28 games this season, including the first two NCAA Tournament victories in program history.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves face D-backs, seeking third straight series win
Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Martin Perez (33) throws against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The visiting Atlanta Braves can begin the season with three straight series wins for the first time since 2018 when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.
Atlanta took two of three from both the Kansas City Royals and the Athletics and will finish a four-game set on Sunday. The Braves outscored Arizona 19-2 across their first two wins of the series before falling 2-1 on Saturday.
First-year manager Walt Weiss is far from worried about superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., but a .161 batting average through nine games has been an unwanted surprise.
“His swing looks kind of late,” Weiss said. “But they all go through ruts. We’ve seen all these guys go through ruts before. When he gets rolling, it’s going to be fun to watch. But he seems kind of late to me, right now.”
Atlanta’s pitching staff has allowed just three earned runs across the last four games and will turn to veteran Martin Perez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) in the series finale.
Perez, 35, threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief on Tuesday against the A’s. After signing a minor league contract with the club in January, Perez had his contract selected as a dependable left-handed arm who can be plugged into the starting rotation.
“(Perez) is just a crafty veteran,” Weiss said. “He knows how to pitch. He’s a salty veteran. He’s been a good pitcher in this league for a long time. He threw the ball really well for us in that relief appearance last time out, so I expect him to be good again.”
Perez is slated to make the 280th start of his career and fourth against Arizona. He’s 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in three appearances against the Diamondbacks.
Arizona, meanwhile, can stamp a successful first homestand of the season. The Diamondbacks swept the Detroit Tigers and have bounced back from a 17-2 Thursday loss to Atlanta with a pair of competitive outings.
Still, offense has been an issue for manager Torey Lovullo’s club. Albeit a small sample size, Arizona is batting just .204 and has failed to score more than two runs in any of the last four games. For Lovullo, an emphasis needs to be placed on honing in on pitches around the plate.
“If we zone in, try not to do too much, wait for our pitch, it’s the art of hitting and the beauty of baseball. When you do it, it’s sweet music,” Lovullo said. “When you chase, you get yourself into bad counts.”
Both of Arizona’s runs were unearned on Saturday. Rookie Jose Fernandez has been a bright spot, batting .333 with two home runs for the Diamondbacks.
On the mound Sunday, Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 7.50 ERA) will look to bounce back after allowing five runs across six innings in a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks won 7-5. Pfaadt, 27, is 2-0 with a 5.66 ERA in four career starts against the Braves.
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
Sports
A's manager Mark Kotsay wants better effort against Astros
Apr 4, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) pulls Athletics pitcher Luis Morales (19) out of the game during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images The Athletics will be looking for better results on Sunday as they host the Houston Astros in West Sacramento, Calif., with each team vying for its first series win against a divisional opponent in 2026.
It’s been a tale of two blowouts so far in this first meeting between American League West rivals this season, with the A’s taking the opener 11-4 on Friday night and Houston responding with an 11-0 shutout on Saturday.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay is looking for a better effort from his team after that big loss.
“We didn’t do anything well today,” he said postgame on Saturday. “That game was reflective of, in my opinion, past performances that we feel like we have put behind us, and we need to put behind us as a team.”
He was critical of the pitching staff’s performance after five pitchers combined to give up 18 hits, walk 13 batters and strike out only five.
“This is not reflective of the expectation level of our staff right now,” Kotsay said. “We talk about beating ourselves all the time. Today, we completely beat ourselves.”
The A’s are second in walks in the majors with 47 as a staff in eight games, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels (48). Kotsay said his pitchers need to start locating their offspeed offerings better.
“You’ve got to be able to keep big-league hitters off-balance,” he said. “You’ve got to have some type of secondary (pitch) you can throw in the zone for a strike and land it and get ahead.”
He’ll also be hoping for an improvement from Jacob Lopez as he makes his first home start of 2026.
Lopez (0-1, 6.75 ERA) struggled for control as he walked five batters and gave up three runs in four innings of a 4-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
He did not take a decision in either of his previous two career starts against Houston, putting up a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits.
If the A’s are able to pull out a victory, they will win their first series of the young season after starting 1-5 against the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.
Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 1.29 ERA) will take the mound for Houston for the rubber game. McCullers picked up the win in his season debut on Monday against Boston, striking out nine and allowing one run over seven innings. Over 15 starts against the Athletics in his career, McCullers is 7-3 with a 3.32 ERA.
“He kept attacking,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after McCullers’ outing against the Red Sox. “He set the tone from the very beginning. He was going to control the at-bats.”
McCullers has been in the Houston organization for his entire career, drafted in 2012 and debuting in 2015. He was an All-Star in 2017 when the Astros won the World Series, but he has thrown more than 100 innings in a season just once since 2018 while battling multiple injuries. He missed the 2019, 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
He will be looking to build on the work of Tatsuya Imai, who worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in Houston’s win on Saturday to set up Sunday’s decisive Game 3.
Last season, the Athletics won the head-to-head series with Houston 8-5.
–Field Level Media
Oklahoma, West Virginia see momentum opportunity in Crown championship
Braves face D-backs, seeking third straight series win
