The Vikings and 49ers both had to navigate through several injuries in the second half of the 2019 NFL regular season to get to the point of playing each other in Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game (4:35 p.m. ET, NBC).  There have been a few questions about the status of key players, returning or otherwise for No. 6 seed Minnesota and No. 1 seed San Francisco heading into the game. Here’s breaking down who’s in and who’s out and what it means for the matchup to determine who advances to next Sunday’s NFC championship game. This will be updated with the official inactives before kickoff. NFL PLAYOFF PICKS: Straight up |…

Joe Burrow just finished his Heisman Trophy-winning senior season at LSU with a national championship. In putting up the greatest individual season by a college quarterback ever, he cemented his status as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft. That means Burrow, 23, is trading the Bayou Bengals for the Cincinnati Bengals, who hold the top pick and a need a new franchise quarterback. Let’s hope he enjoyed that victory cigar after beating Clemson, because he is literally stepping into the next-level challenge of trying to get his new team to a Super Bowl. NFL MOCK DRAFT 2020:Burrow first of three QBs taken in Round 1 With LSU, Burrow won back-to-back College Football…

All eyes will be on New Orleans on Monday night when the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers face off in the 2020 College Football Playoff national championship game. LSU is currently favored by 5.5 points over Clemson, and the total is one of the highest in the history of national title games at 69.5. There are sure to be plenty of fireworks, and in addition to betting on the game itself, you can bet on player props and more exotic options. Fans can bet on whether famous alumni of both schools will be shown on the air, and there are multiple wagering options regarding President Donald Trump. MORE: Get the…

The NFL playoff bracket for the conference championship round of the 2020 postseason was finalized when the Packers beat the Seahawks on Sunday night to close the divisional round, which featured its share of notable results. While the 49ers had little trouble running over the Vikings on their way to the NFC championship game a day before the Packers joined them with their win over Seattle, the AFC championship game matchup is a surprise. MORE NFL PLAYOFFS:Complete TV schedule, results | Picks & predictions The Titans, a week after upsetting the Patriots on the road and guaranteeing a new team will win the Super Bowl this year, pulled off an even more shocking upset against the Ravens. …

On Saturday, 18 January, the highly anticipated Adidas and Beyoncé’s Ivy Park collaboration will release its first drop. Little has been announced in the way of product, although it has been confirmed by Adidas that there are two collections, one Adidas x Beyoncé and the other by B’s fashion label Ivy Park. There will be athleisure and performance product, with four footwear styles expected to be released, although Adidas has not confirmed which shoe style for which drop. On its social media channels Adidas featured a promo video, which gave insight into the collection, which is expected to feature a colour palette of orange, maroon and cream hues. According to…

Tony Cascarino says he has ‘grave concerns’ about Harry Kane’s career after the Tottenham forward underwent surgery on a serious injury, fearing he could end up like injury-plagued Michael Owen. The England captain has been ruled out until April at the earliest, and could even miss out on Euro 2020, after he ruptured a tendon in his left hamstring. Kane suffered the problem during Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Southampton, and he has since gone under the knife to fix the problem and begin a lengthy rehab process. It’s the latest big injury for the striker who has struggled with his fitness throughout his career at Spurs – although it so…

Jose Mourinho has said Christian Eriksen can leave Tottenham with his head held high, amid reports of a January transfer to Internazionale. The boss has backed Danish ace Eriksen after he received boos from supporters in recent games, and insisted the playmaker has ‘given everything’ for Spurs. The Denmark international’s career in north London is set to come to an end when his contract expires in the summer, although he could depart this month if a club are willing to cough up some cash. And reports in Italy suggest Eriksen has agreed a deal to join Inter in the January transfer window, rather than wait until the end of the…

Mino Raiola reportedly held talks with Marcus Rashford’s agents with a view to possibly representing the Manchester United forward. Rashford is currently represented by his brothers: Dane Rashford and Dwaine Maynard, who created their own agency. David Ornstein, of The Athletic, reported that the kingpin agent met his brothers in a meeting early last year – and both parties impressed each other during the talks. Speaking on the Chapman and Ornstein podcast, it was claimed Rashford’s representatives were keen for advice on how to grow their younger sibling’s profile in the game. The news may come as a blow to Ed Woodward and co, with Mark Chapman insisting United were…

Everton have announced a deal has been struck over the naming rights for their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. The Blues revealed that Alisher Usmanov’s holding company, USM, will pay the club £30million this year for the option of becoming the ground’s main sponsor. Usmanov, 66, who sold his shares in Arsenal for a reported £550million in the summer of 2018, is a long-time business partner of the Toffees’ majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and has been linked with buying a stake in the club. Usmanov’s holding company USM already sponsors the club’s Finch Farm training ground and the Russian tycoon has now ploughed in further money with an agreement…

Tottenham and Newcastle secured their places in the fourth round of the FA Cup with wins against Middlesbrough and Rochdale respectively. Both the Premier League sides scored early goals to make their nights more comfortable after needing replays at home to progress. Giovani Lo Celso put Spurs 1-0 up against Middlesbrough in the third minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tomas Mejias tried to play a quick ball from defence but it went straight to Lo Celso, who found the bottom corner with a clinical strike. Spurs doubled their lead in the 15th minute when Erik Lamela carved through Boro’s defence and stroked the bell home with the outside of his…