Ravens hire Jesse Minter; UFC, Zuffa Boxing to make Paramount+ debut

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Good morning and happy Friday! Carter Bahns here to close out the week after a news-heavy Thursday that saw an NFL coaching hire, a blockbuster baseball trade, the most significant signing in NWSL history and a big-time transfer commitment for Miami.

With much of the country bracing for a heavy dose of winter weather, there could not be a much better time to sit on the couch and take in a huge weekend of sports. NFL conference championship games will give us plenty of entertainment while we’re stuck indoors, and we’re about to usher in a new era for combat sports on Paramount+ as UFC 324 and Zuffa Boxing 01 will clock in from Las Vegas.

Stay safe, keep warm and enjoy your Friday newsletter.

🐦‍⬛ Five things to know Friday

1. Jesse Minter is the new coach of the Ravens. Baltimore answered the question about whether it would stick with the Harbaugh coaching tree for its next hire. Minter is set to return to the Ravens as a first-time head coach after serving as a defensive assistant for John Harbaugh and most recently as the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh. We graded the Ravens as winners on the coaching carousel after this hire, which looks like a perfect fit with upside.
2. The Rangers pulled off a blockbuster trade, acquiring MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals. Texas sent five prospects, including 2025 first-round draft pick Gavin Fien, in return for Gore in a major offseason trade. Gore made his first All-Star team last season and racked up 185 strikeouts across 159.2 innings with the Nationals, and he slots squarely into the top half of the Rangers’ rotation behind Jacob DeGrom. We graded both sides of this trade, which is the biggest move of the hot stove season for both clubs.
3. Zuffa Boxing debuts tonight on Paramount+, followed by UFC 324 on Saturday. The Zuffa Boxing era begins with a middleweight bout between Callum Walsh and Carlos Ocampo — a fight which we foresee ending in a Walsh victory. The attention turns Saturday to UFC 324, wherein Paddy Pimblett gets his first shot at UFC hardware with the interim lightweight title on the line. He squares off against Justin Gaethje in the first UFC event of the year and the first to unfold exclusively on Paramount+. Check out our picks for the highly anticipated card.
4. Trinity Rodman will stay in the NWSL on a new deal with the Washington Spirit. Interest from overseas cast doubt on whether Rodman would continue to play on American soil, but she put those concerns to rest by re-signing with the Spirit on a deal that makes her the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world. Rodman’s $2 million-per-year contract is a massive one for the NWSL, which retains its biggest star through 2028.
5. Miami landed the top available defensive transfer, securing a commitment from Damon Wilson II. The Hurricanes filled a major need on their defense with Wilson’s pledge, identifying an heir to Rueben Bain Jr. as the leading edge rusher on one of college football’s most ferocious fronts. Wilson, the No. 8 overall player and No. 2 edge rusher in the transfer portal, is onto his third school in three years after stints at Georgia and Missouri and is fresh off a breakout season in which he ranked third in the SEC with nine sacks.

🏈 Do not miss this: NFL conference championship preview

The penultimate weekend of the NFL postseason is upon us. By the end of the day Sunday, we will know the teams participating in Super Bowl 60. The conference championship round begins Sunday at 3 p.m. when the Broncos host the Patriots and concludes at 6:30 p.m. in an NFC West showdown between the Seahawks and Rams.

Here is everything you need to get ready for the AFC and NFC title games:

• Expert picks: The Broncos may be 4.5-point underdogs without Bo Nix, but that did not stop two of our NFL writers from picking them to advance to the Super Bowl. Our staff is even more split on the NFC Championship with eight experts predicting an upset in favor of the Rams.
• Tale of the tape: Drake Maye gives the Patriots an obvious quarterback advantage over the Broncos. The other positions, though, are much more level. Seattle and Los Angeles have a couple of evenly matched rosters, as well, with the No. 1 scoring offense squaring off against the top scoring defense.
• Historic matchup: If Denver wins on Sunday, it will likely be the defense’s doing. The Broncos’ 71 sacks and Patriots’ 58 sacks allowed are combined for the most of any two teams in a playoff matchup in NFL history. But don’t sleep on the New England defense, either.
• X-factors: Everyone knows about the Rams’ prolific passing attack and the Seahawks’ stingy defense. But what about the other critical, less-heralded matchups that will determine the NFC champion? Here is one X-factor for each team.
• Smack talk: Sean Payton was outwardly confident about his team’s chances against New England, leading Kayshon Boutte to fire a shot back in response to the comment from Denver’s coach.

📈📉 Houston (sky)rockets in NBA Power Rankings

A three-game winning streak came to an end in overtime on Thursday but not before the Rockets lifted off in Brad Botkin’s weekly NBA Power Rankings. Victories over the Timberwolves and Spurs in the span of less than a week made a statement that Houston is a legitimate threat toward the top of the Western Conference.

• Botkin: “I worry about the point guard situation like everyone else, but Houston is a top-five offense and defense with the ability to completely obliterate you on the offensive glass. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant is doing his usual normal 26 PPG on just about 50/40/90 splits.”

The seven-spot jump made the Rockets the biggest movers in the rankings. Below are the top five teams in the pecking order (hello, Houston!), and you can see the full rankings here.

1. Thunder (last week: 3)
2. Nuggets (4)
3. Spurs (8)
4. Timberwolves (2)
5. Rockets (12)

😬 UEFA Champions League Panic Meter

UEFA Champions League action returns to Paramount+ next Wednesday with the final matchday of the league phase. Arsenal stands atop the table with 21 points as the only team to notch seven wins in seven games. It’s safe to say the Gunners, guaranteed to finish in the top two, are not sweating things heading into their match against last-place Kairat. That is not the case for the teams on the top-eight and top-24 bubbles, though.

Francesco Porzio measured the level of panic surrounding Barcelona, Inter Milan, Napoli and Benfica entering the league-phase final matchday.

Here’s why Napoli (9/10 on the panic meter) will be biting their fingernails this week:

• Porzio: “Only a win can assure them qualification, while with the draw they need to hope for some positive results coming from elsewhere. It’s Napoli’s fault to be here at this point but it’s not over yet.”

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚽ Pisa at Inter Milan, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ American Express, second round, 4 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏀 Rockets at Pistons, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Lightning at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🎾 Australian Open, third round, 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🥊 Zuffa Boxing 01: Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo, 9 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Nuggets at Bucks, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video

Saturday

⚽ Torino at Como, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Sunderland at West Ham United, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Wolverhampton Wanderers at Manchester City, 10 a.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏀 Maryland at No. 10 Michigan State (M), Noon on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 7 Nebraska at Minnesota (M), Noon on FS1
🏀 No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia (M), Noon on ESPN2
🏀 Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke (M), Noon on The CW
🏀 No. 1 UConn at Seton Hall (W), Noon on NBC Sports Network
⚽ Cagliari at Fiorentina, Noon on Paramount+
🏀 Villanova at No. 2 UConn (M), 12:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Liverpool at AFC Bournemouth, 12:30 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Army at Navy (M), 1:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 West Virginia at No. 1 Arizona (M), 2 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Lazio at Lecce, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Knicks at 76ers, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 11 Illinois at No. 4 Purdue (M), 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma State (M), 4 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
⛳ American Express, third round, 4 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏀 Warriors at Timberwolves, 5:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ Women’s international friendly: United States vs. Paraguay, 5:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 6 Houston at No. 12 Texas Tech (M), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Canadiens at Bruins, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏒 Red Wings at Jets, 7 p.m. on NHL Network Alternate
🏀 San Francisco at No. 8 Gonzaga (M), 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🎾 Australian Open, round of 16, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Lakers at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🤼 UFC 324: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, 9 p.m. on Paramount+

Sunday

⚽ Cremonese at Sassuolo, 6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Aston Villa at Newcastle United, 9 a.m. on NBC Sports Network
⚽ Parma at Atalanta, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Manchester United at Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. on NBC Sports Network
⚽ Napoli at Juventus, Noon on Paramount+
🏒 Avalanche at Maple Leafs, 1:30 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 No. 12 Ohio State at No. 10 Iowa (W), 2 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏀 USC at No. 7 Michigan (W), 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network
⚽ AC Milan at Roma, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 AFC Championship: Patriots at Broncos, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 5 Vanderbilt at No. 2 South Carolina (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 4 Texas at Arkansas (W), 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 3 UCLA at Northwestern (W), 4 p.m. on Big Ten Network
⛳ American Express, final round, 4 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏈 NFC Championship: Rams at Seahawks, 6:30 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Panthers at Blackhawks, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🎾 Australian Open, round of 16, 8 p.m. on ESPN2