Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has two major offensive players at his fingertips in receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The two are the first pair of Bengals wideouts to gain 1,000 yards in back-to-back season since Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in 2006 and 2007. They've combined to catch 18 touchdown passes and will look for when Cincinnati plays at Kansas City on Sunday in the AFC championship game for the second straight year. But their futures in Cincinnati aren't a given, considering the Bengals are famously frugal and will have to pay up to keep Burrow around.

Today is Saturday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2023. There are 337 days left in the year.

Authors, journalists and filmmakers take what may seem mundane or complicated and bring it to life through engaging storytelling. Each year, I highlight interviews that stuck with me throughout the year.

 Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 24 points — seven during a crucial late surge — in No. 25 New Mexico's 81-73 victory over Air Force on Friday night. Jaelen House had 19 points and six steals for the Lobos (19-3, 6-3 Mountain West). Morris Edeze added 15 points and eight rebounds. Rytis Petraitis led Air Force (12-10, 3-6) with 19 points. Ethan Taylor had 17.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and will not participate in the 2023 Pro Bowl, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced officially. Tagovailoa was diagnosed with his second concussion of the 2022 season more than a month ago, after a Dec. 25 loss to Green Bay. 

The San Francisco 49ers got a jolt offensively when they made the bold decision in October to trade four draft picks to add Christian McCaffrey to an already deep group of playmakers. The Philadelphia Eagles made an aggressive trade of their own to supercharge their offense when they added game-breaking receiver A.J. Brown in a draft-day trade. The two moves by the NFC powerhouses are big reasons why the Niners and Eagles are set to meet in the conference title game in Philadelphia on Sunday with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.

ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, coming off the team's fifth consecutive NL East title, signed a contract extension on Friday that runs through the 2025 season.

Four of the best tight ends in the NFL will be on display in Sunday's conference championship games. In the opener, Dallas Goedert of the Eagles will face the 49ers and George Kittle, while the nightcap features Travis Kelce of the Chiefs and Hayden Hurst of the Bengals. They have all been instrumental in helping their teams reach the precipice of the Super Bowl, though all do it in different ways.

The Six Degrees of Steve Wilks is a quick and easy way to connect the dots of racism in the hiring of NFL head coaches. From Kliff Kingsbury to Lovie Smith to Matt Rhule to Jim Caldwell to Jeff Saturday to Frank Reich, it shows just how hard it is for Black coaches to crack the top ranks. 

Changes to U.S. rules about the monitoring of Northeast commercial fishing activities are going into effect this month with a goal of providing more accurate information about some of the nation's oldest fisheries.

Nick Sirianni is getting his flowers figuratively instead of thrown at his face. The chest-bumping, sideline-prancing, expletive-tossing head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles has won over a tough city that questioned his credentials and mocked his introductory news conference when he was hired two years ago.

Rookie Chet Holmgren got hurt last summer and will miss the entirety of this season. But evidently, his rehab has been going extremely well since four NBA players say he should start next month’s All-Star Game. It doesn't make much sense, but the voting by NBA players for their own All-Star Game rarely does.

Today is Friday, Jan. 27, the 27th day of 2022. There are 338 days left in the year.