Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill and Fred Warner are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro Team.
The 49ers’ McCaffrey and Warner and the Dolphins’ Hill received first-team votes from all 50 members of a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league.
“No freakin’ way,” Warner said of being a unanimous pick for his third selection overall. “Wow, that’s special.”
Running back McCaffrey and linebacker Warner are joined by three San Francisco teammates: left tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson earned his second All-Pro selection, receiving 45 first-place votes. Dallas’ Dak Prescott and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy each received two first-place votes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen got the other one.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald becomes an eight-time pick, tied for most by a defensive player and tied for fifth-most overall. Cowboys right guard Zack Martin is a seven-time choice and Eagles center Jason Kelce earned his sixth selection.
Fourteen players are first-timers, including three from NFC East champion Dallas: wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who missed being a unanimous choice by one vote; cornerback DaRon Bland and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
The New England Patriots did not have a player voted to the team.
BILLS: Buffalo wide receiver Gabe Davis and reserve safety Taylor Rapp will not be available for Sunday’s playoff game against Pittsburgh, Bills Coach Sean McDermott said.
Davis, who finished second on the team with 746 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches, sustained a knee injury in Buffalo’s season-ending and AFC East-clinching 21-14 victory at Miami on Sunday. Rapp made perhaps the biggest play of the game despite a calf injury, intercepting Tua Tagovailo to end the Dolphins’ final drive.
Without Davis, quarterback Josh Allen’s target options include Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir and Trent Sherfield, who caught a deflected pass for Buffalo’s first TD while filling in for Davis.
STREAMING FLAP: Outrage over an NFL playoff game being shown exclusively on a subscription streaming service has reached the political realm.
Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat, is pushing the NFL and NBCUniversal to make Saturday’s wild-card matchup between the Chiefs and Dolphins available to all cable customers, not just those who shell out extra for Peacock. Saturday night’s game in Kansas City marks the first time a streaming service holds exclusive broadcast rights for an NFL playoff game.
In a letter to both corporations, Ryan said that national audiences “will be forced to choose between signing up for yet another expensive streaming service or missing out on a major playoff game.”
“It’s a disgrace,” reads Ryan’s letter, which the Congressman sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and to Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports. “Fans already face exorbitant prices to watch every game during the regular season; they don’t deserve to be squeezed even further by greedy corporations.
“This bait-and-switch is particularly egregious for consumers who already pay for NBC as part of their cable package. Since Peacock is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, this exclusive deal essentially double-charges loyal fans to watch games they thought they had already paid for.”
STEELERS-BILLS: It’s looking more likely that lake effect snow will coat the field and swirl through Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Sunday afternoon when the Buffalo Bills face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s also more likely that fans heading to the game will face very tough driving conditions. Forecasters are increasingly confident that lake effect snow will pound the Buffalo area Sunday. Snow could fall at a near-blinding rate at times, blown around by wind gusts up to 45 mph.
“With that blowing, drifting snow, 1 to 2 inches per hour, and reduced visibility, travel is going to be treacherous,” said Dan Kelly, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Buffalo office. “Don’t take any unneeded risks.”
Kelly said the lake effect snow is likely to start Saturday, first blowing north of the city before snow bands drift south by Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
COMMANDERS: Washington has an agreement in place to hire 49ers executive Adam Peters as its new general manager, according to a person with knowledge of the move who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the hire.
Peters, 49, will be in charge of the organization’s football operations moving forward. He was considered one of the top candidates available and also drew interest from the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders for their vacancies. He spent seven years with the Niners, first as VP of player personnel and then the past three as assistant GM working under John Lynch.
Before returning to the Bay Area he grew up in, Peters won three Super Bowls: two with New England as a scouting assistant and then one in Denver from his eight years with the Broncos. Peters was one of two finalists for the job along with Chicago AGM Ian Cunningham.
RAVENS: Mark Andrews was back at practice for Baltimore after missing the final six games of the regular season because of an ankle injury.
The three-time Pro Bowl tight end went on injured reserve after he was hurt early in a Nov. 16 game against Cincinnati. The Ravens officially designated Andrews to return to practice Friday.
“Did individual, that was it,” Coach John Harbaugh said. “So we kind of ramp from there. We’ll get into next week and we’ll have a better idea.”
Andrews had 45 catches for 544 yards and six touchdowns this season. Baltimore was able to keep winning in his absence, and second-year tight end Isaiah Likely filled in admirably. Likely caught five TD passes in the final five games of the regular season.
LIONS: Punt returner and receiver Kalif Raymond will miss Detroit’s wild-card round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams due to a knee injury.
The Lions ruled out Raymond along with backup tight end James Mitchell, who has a hand injury, and backup cornerback Jerry Jacobs.
Rams safety Jordan Fuller is questionable with an ankle injury, while star Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is questionable with a knee injury, but the record-setting rookie did some work during practice Thursday and Friday.
TITANS: Tennessee conducted a virtual interview with Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, their first conversation with a candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy.
The Titans fired Mike Vrabel on Tuesday after six seasons and having won just six of the past 24 games.
Callahan, with 14 years of experience in the NFL, has been the Bengals offensive coordinator since 2019 and is credited with aiding in the development of quarterback Joe Burrow.
PANTHERS: Carolina has conducted virtual interviews with four potential head coaching candidates, including two from the Baltimore Ravens.
Carolina interviewed Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald this week. The Panthers also interviewed their own defensive coordinator, Ejiro Evero.
Carolina’s interim head coach, Chris Tabor, interviewed for the job on Wednesday. Tabor took over for Frank Reich, who was fired following a 1-10 start to the season.
Teams can conduct virtual interviews this week only with coaches working for teams that failed to make the playoffs, or teams with playoff byes. The Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have a bye. The Panthers finished with the league’s worst record at 2-15.
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