McCaffrey vows to play in NFC title game

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey missed his second straight practice with a calf injury but said he will be available for the NFC title game.

McCaffrey played through the calf injury during a divisional round win over Dallas but hasn’t practiced this week. When asked Thursday if there was any chance he wouldn’t play on Sunday against Philadelphia, McCaffrey said “zero.”

McCaffrey said he will go through walkthroughs and go over the plays with running backs coaches Anthony Lynn and Bobby Turner even though he can’t practice.

“It’s the same process for me but just lowering the physical load,” he said.

McCaffrey’s backup, Elijah Mitchell, also missed a second straight practice with a groin injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he remains hopeful that both will be able to play on Sunday.

McCaffrey leads the 49ers with 1,403 yards from scrimmage and 12 TDs in the regular season and playoffs despite not joining San Francisco until Week 7. He has scored at least one touchdown in eight straight games.

Bengals’ pair misses practice

CINCINNATI — Alex Cappa and Jonah Williams didn’t practice Thursday, making it more likely the Bengals will again start three backup offensive linemen in Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Chiefs.

Right guard Cappa (ankle) and left tackle Williams (dislocated kneecap) haven’t practiced at all this week.

Max Scharping, a free agent signed before the season, started his second game at right guard in Cincinnati’s 27-10 win over Buffalo in the divisional round last week, and Jackson Carman, a converted guard, played in place of Williams.

Hakeem Adeniji, a sixth-round pick in 2020, started his third game in place of right tackle La’el Collins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game Dec. 24.

The Bengals thrived behind the makeshift line, with quarterback Joe Burrow passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns while being sacked just once. Joe Mixon rushed for 105 yards and a TD.

Panthers hire Reich as head coach

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Frank Reich is returning to the Carolina Panthers as their coach, more than 27 years after starting the franchise’s first game at quarterback in 1995.

The Panthers announced Thursday they’ve agreed to terms with Reich to become the sixth head coach in franchise history. An introductory news conference was set for Tuesday.

Reich was chosen among nine candidates who interviewed for the job, including former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and this season’s interim head coach, Steve Wilks.

The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired on Nov. 7 after a 3-5-1 start. The Colts went to the playoffs twice as a wild-card team under Reich, going 1-2 in the postseason.

Quinn returns as Cowboys’ DC

FRISCO, Texas — A shuffling of the coaching staff for the Dallas Cowboys won’t include defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who is returning after another year of receiving interest from teams seeking head coaches.

Coach Mike McCarthy said the club’s decision not to renew the contracts of six members of his staff, including one with deep ties to him in Green Bay, hasn’t affected his relationship with owner/general manager Jerry Jones or the rest of the Dallas front office.

The Cowboys, who finished 13-6, reached the playoffs for a second consecutive season and won a road game in the postseason for the first time in 30 years.

Still, Dallas’ divisional-round losing streak reached seven games, the longest since the 1970 merger, with a 19-12 loss at San Francisco. The Cowboys haven’t advanced to an NFC championship game since the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.

BRIEFLY

JETS: The New York Jets have hired former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator. The team announced the hiring Thursday of the 43-year-old Hackett, who replaces Mike LaFleur. Hackett went 4-11 in less than one season as head coach of the Broncos. Hackett’s arrival will fuel some speculation about whether the Jets could pursue Aaron Rodgers, whose playing future is uncertain. Hackett served as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019-21 with Rodgers as the quarterback.

LIONS: Outside linebacker Jessie Lemonier, who appeared in seven games for the Detroit Lions in 2021 in a brief NFL career highlighted by a sack of Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, has died. He was 25. The Lions disclosed his death in a statement Thursday, adding they confirmed it with his family. They did not provide any details. Lemonier was signed to the Lions practice squad before the 2022 season, days before being released by the Los Angeles Chargers.

NFL: The NFL is expanding its partnership with the Players Coalition to address issues of racial and social justice with a five-year extension and a $15 million grant through its Inspire Change initiative. The agreement comes as the league and its teams say they have surpassed a $250 million commitment to combat systemic racism. The NFL says that goal was reached four years ahead of schedule. The Players Coalition is an independent nonprofit aimed at social justice and racial equity. The group works with 1,400 pro athletes, coaches, and owners across sports leagues.