Speaking publicly for the first time on Saturday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and well wishes he has received since he suffered a cardiac arrest while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2.

Hamlin said now was "the right time" to speak after the Bills' season ended and because he needed time to recover and gather his thoughts.

"It was just a lot to process within my own self – mentally, physically, even spiritually. It's just been a lot to process," he said. "But I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all the love, all the support and everything that's just been coming in my way."

Hamlin then said he has come to peace with what happened on the field when he collapsed after making what appeared to be a routine tackle of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who struck Hamlin squarely in the chest.

"What happened to me on Monday Night Football I feel is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world," he said in a five-and-a-half-minute video posted on his Instagram account.

Hamlin appeared in the video almost a week after he made his first public appearance during the Bills’ playoff loss to the Bengals last Sunday. He was shown on the video board holding up his hands in the shape of a heart, in what has become his signature gesture, while also pumping up the crowd.

Titled 'Thank You: A message from Damar Hamlin' the video opens with Hamlin walking into view, placing down a jacket and taking a seat in a dimly lit room with the word 'Bills' prominently displayed behind him. Hamlin shows no after-effects of the injury while wearing a white T-shirt with the name of his charitable foundation, Chasing Millions, printed on the front and with a gold chain with the initials ''DM'' hanging around his neck.

Hamlin thanked his teammates, training staff, and the medical staff at both the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Buffalo General Medical Center, where he split his recovery. He also thanked those who donated more than $9million to his charity over the past four weeks.

"While I'm so thankful to everybody, I know that it isn't enough just to be thankful. This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world," Hamlin said in closing the video by making a heart sign with his hands.

This year's NFL conference championships have provided a fascinating line-up of potential Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

In the AFC Championship Game, Patrick Mahomes is hosting Joe Burrow in a repeat of last year's matchup, with both men having already been to the big game.

Meanwhile, in the NFC, Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy have each played just two postseason games, green enough both to provoke excitement and concern in equal measure.

Three of these QBs were confirmed as MVP candidates this week, with Purdy the obvious exception as 'Mr Irrelevant', enjoying a fairytale story that would surpass just about any other.

So, which of the four is best placed heading into this weekend, and who can expect to be playing in Arizona in two weeks' time?

Brock Purdy, 49ers @ Eagles

It is safe to say Purdy did not expect to be playing in this game when he was selected with the final pick of the 2022 draft.

Injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo have catapulted the rookie into the spotlight, and he has not disappointed, winning his first seven starts to extend the 49ers' streak to 12 straight victories – a team's longest sequence entering a conference championship since the undefeated New England Patriots in 2007.

Purdy, at 22, will become the youngest QB to start a game at this stage of the season since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, while he is only the fourth to do so having started five or fewer regular season games.

But given this inexperience, Purdy is the one remaining QB who likely will not be handed complete control of the offense, instead asked simply to consistently put the ball in the hands of the 49ers' outstanding skill players.

Christian McCaffrey, like Purdy, has won every start since joining the 49ers in a mid-season trade from the Carolina Panthers, scoring an offensive touchdown in each of his past eight – one shy of both Ezekiel Elliott's 2022-best streak of nine.

Since his first start, McCaffrey ranks third in the NFL for offensive touches (234); since Purdy's first start, he ranks first (136).

Even with McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel each highly effective targets through the air, the 49ers have shifted their focus to the run game with Purdy under center.

They have run the ball on 50.1 per cent of plays since Purdy's first start, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL and the highest of any team who made the playoffs. Prior to Week 14, that figure was 43.2 per cent.

It is unlikely the 49ers move away from that now against an elite defense that leads the league by a considerable margin in sacks (75), sack yards (517) and sack rate (10.7 per cent).

Purdy may need McCaffrey and Co. to carry him through this round, but a Super Bowl appearance would only encourage those Tom Brady 2001 comparisons.

Jalen Hurts, Eagles vs 49ers

Hurts' appearance on this stage is clearly not as surprising as Purdy's, but few could have foreseen the Eagles QB as the Goliath to his opponent's David back when the season began.

The third-year star has delivered on his potential in 2022.

Hurts' ability to run with the ball was never in question, and this year his 14 rushing TDs rank third among all players, with Josh Allen his nearest rival at QB on a comparatively meagre eight.

But there has crucially been progress in the passing game as Hurts posted career-best marks by just about every metric in the regular season – 66.5 completion percentage, 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing TDs, 1.3 interception percentage and a passer rating of 101.5.

Last week, in the Eagles' playoff opener against the New York Giants, he threw two TD passes and zero picks for a rating of 112.2.

Having missed two games and two Eagles defeats, Hurts heads into the NFC Championship Game with a 15-1 record as a starter this year, no doubt confident of improving that mark further against the 49ers.

In an intriguing battle that pits the league's best run offense (47.0 per cent success rate) versus its second-best run defense (32.1 per cent), Hurts can provide the X-factor.

The 49ers have shown few signs of weakness this year but did so against Marcus Mariota, another running QB, whose Atlanta Falcons ran the ball on 69.6 per cent of plays in Week 6 and were successful 43.6 per cent of the time.

The Eagles will have been watching the tape from that matchup to give Hurts the best possible chance to find joy against an otherwise fearsome defense.

Joe Burrow, Bengals @ Chiefs

Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton dubbed the Chiefs' home stadium, so terrifying for so many visiting teams, "Burrowhead" as Cincinnati prepared for their return in the AFC Championship Game.

Burrow went into Arrowhead last year and got the better of Mahomes, leading the Bengals to a third conference championship win in three attempts all-time.

Although the Los Angeles Rams then defeated the Bengals in the Super Bowl, Burrow has continued to show himself to be the man for the big occasion, taking down the much-fancied Buffalo Bills last week.

He has won five of his first six playoff starts, with only Brady (7-0), Russell Wilson (6-1) and Mahomes (6-1) winning six of their first seven since 1995.

So calm and composed, Burrow is an outstanding passer, ranking second in the league with his 68.2 completion percentage this year and third with his 85.9 well-thrown percentage.

His problem has long been a lack of protection from the Bengals' offensive line, with Burrow taking a league-leading 148 sacks since his debut season in 2020 – a campaign that was cut short by ACL and MCL tears sustained in one hit.

But Burrow took just one sack against the Bills, and the Bengals are consistently doing a better job in giving their QB time to make the pass – albeit with his help.

The Bengals have allowed a pressure rate of just 32.4 per cent this year, the fourth-best in the NFL, as Burrow has taken just 2.46 seconds to release the ball, the fifth-fastest average among QBs with 100 attempts.

It is Burrow's ability to work this quickly while maintaining a league-low pickable pass percentage of 1.53 that cuts him out as a star capable of again going to Kansas City and withstanding all they throw at him.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs Bengals

Mahomes is the one man who cannot be planned for. If he is on his game, there is surely no stopping the Chiefs superstar.

Happily for the Bengals, he was a long way from the Mahomes everyone knows in the second half of last year's AFC Championship Game, and his hopes of performing at peak level will be limited by injury this week.

A high ankle sprain would rule out just about any other QB, but Mahomes, no doubt determined to put right what went so wrong last year, is set to play.

Mahomes completed only eight of 18 passes after halftime in the Chiefs' 2021 defeat, throwing two interceptions for a remarkable passer rating of 12.3.

That was the sixth-lowest rating in the second half of a playoff game this century – not the sort of company the best QB in football is used to keeping.

But that passer rating in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, when Mahomes was playing with an injury, was up at 110.7.

Even as he hobbled around the field, Mahomes was able to finish a fourth postseason game with a completion percentage above 70.0 (72.3) and multiple TD passes.

Only four players – Brady (six), Drew Brees (six), Troy Aikman (five) and Joe Montana (five) – have had more such performances. Mahomes has played just 12 playoff games in his career.

If that is the sort of form the Bengals can expect to find Mahomes in this week, with revenge on his mind, all the focus on that ankle might count for very little.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is still in concussion protocol and will miss next week's Pro Bowl Games, according to ESPN.

The 24-year-old QB entered the protocol for the second time this season on December 26 after suffering a concussion in the Dolphins' loss to the Green Bay Packers the day prior.

Tagovailoa remained in protocol for Miami's final three games including their Wild Card Game defeat to the Buffalo Bills. Five weeks on, he will also miss the upcoming Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas on February 5.

The third-year quarterback had been named as a first alternate for the AFC team for the Pro Bowl Games, with either Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow to miss due to their participation in Super Bowl LVII.

The quarterback also suffered a concussion in Week 4, prompting a joint NFL and NFLPA review and an alteration of the league's concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa missed five games throughout the season due to concussion, but impressed when available, with a regular-season completion rate of 64.8 per cent for 25 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. The Fins went 8-5 in games Tagovailoa started.

The QB's repeated concussions prompted speculation Tagovailoa may retire, but that has been shut down, including by his father Galu.

"That's [the Dolphins'] guy. They love him," Galu told KHON2 News. "We love them and what they're doing and how they are helping with his recovery and trying to get him back."

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst has been cleared to play in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs after overcoming a calf injury.

Hurst had been limited at Bengals practice on Thursday but was a full participant on Friday before not being listed in their injury report.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor indicated Hurst was available, having been limited for precautionary reasons. Hurst had missed three games with a right calf injury which he tweaked in Week 13 against the Chiefs.

"I thought he had a good practice today," Taylor told reporters on Friday.

The Bengals tight end had 52 receptions for 414 yards for two touchdowns during the regular season, adding nine receptions for 104 yards and one TD in their two playoffs games.

"He brings a lot of energy, always knows what he's doing, brings physicality, reliable in the pass game," Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said on Thursday.

"Just a trustworthy, reliable, explosive player. Love to have him."

The Kansas City Chiefs will have Patrick Mahomes under center for Sunday’s AFC Championship game – not that there has been much doubt this week.

Despite suffering a high ankle sprain in last weekend's 27-20 Divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes was able to practice three times this week and declared "I'm ready to go” on Wednesday.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that Mahomes would play in the AFC title game for the fifth year in a row on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals.

"He looks good," Reid said on Friday. "I mean, he's moving around good. He's going to go out and play."

After Mahomes said on Wednesday that he would be fit, the quarterback began fielding questions about how much a sprained ankle might change his effectiveness or style of play.

"I feel like I can still do a lot of things," he said. "We'll see as we get closer and closer, and we'll see during the game.

"You can't fully do exactly what you're going to be doing in those moments in the game [in practice], but all I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over."

Mahomes returned to last Saturday’s game to help lead the Chiefs over the Jaguars, but he was clearly limping and was unable to pull off some of his signature improvisation due to his injury.

After a week of rehabilitation, neither Mahomes nor Reid are willing to say publicly if the 2018 NFL MVP will be able to run the entire playbook.

"We have enough in the game plan where you can kind of pick and choose where you want to go with it," he said. "You have a variety of things that you can go to. Obviously, you don't use all the plays in the game plan, but they're available and so if you have to go a certain direction, you can go that direction with the calls."

Meanwhile, the Bengals are not expecting Mahomes to be any less potent.

Cincinnati pass rusher Sam Hubbard said: "We're preparing for Patrick Mahomes like he's 100 per cent, because I'm sure he's going to be playing 100 per cent. That's all you can do."

Steve Wilks was left "disappointed but not defeated" after the Carolina Panthers appointed Frank Reich as head coach.

Wilks missed out on landing the job on a permanent basis after guiding the team to a 6-6 record following Matt Rhule's firing in October.

Reich was installed on Thursday, but Wilks took the blow of being overlooked on the chin.

"The sun rose this morning and by the grace of God so did I," Wilks tweeted on Friday. "I'm disappointed but not defeated.

"Many people aren't built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.

"It was an honour for me to coach those men in the Carolina Panthers locker room as the interim head coach.

"I do wish Frank Reich all the best. I will always be a fan of the Carolina Panthers Football Team."

Wilks took over after the Panthers fired Rhule following a 1-4 start to the season.

He was Carolina's defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach at the time.

Wilks went 3-13 in 2018 with the Arizona Cardinals in his only previous head coaching experience in the NFL.

Patrick Mahomes acknowledges he will be relying on "adrenaline" to carry him through an AFC Championship Game in which the Kansas City Chiefs will be thirsty for revenge against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain last week, an injury that could have ruled the Chiefs quarterback out for the rest of the postseason.

But the MVP frontrunner is set for a swift recovery after his return to practice this week went "better than I expected".

Mahomes is still restricted in his movement, however, as he said on Thursday: "I feel like I can still do a lot of things, but we'll see as we get closer and closer.

"We'll see during the game. You can't fully do exactly what it's going to be like in those moments in the game.

"All I can do is prepare myself the best way possible, and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline takes over and you can make those throws when you need to."

The concern for the Chiefs is the Bengals won this game last year, again at Arrowhead Stadium, when Mahomes was fully fit.

This is the first time a conference championship has been repeated in consecutive years since the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens played back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2011 and 2012, with both of those in Foxborough.

However, the teams split those games. The Steelers, against the Houston Oilers in Pittsburgh in 1978 and 1979, are the only team to have beaten the same opposition at the same venue in successive conference championships.

The Bengals will be confident of joining that company, however, as they have won all three of their conference championship appearances, a record only bettered by the 5-0 New York Giants.

Cincy are also 3-0 in their past three games against the Chiefs, although the margin of victory has been just three points on each occasion. No team have ever won four consecutive games against a single opponent by exactly three points.

If nothing else, this is familiar territory for the Chiefs, who will have hosted five AFC Championship Games in a row.

No other team in either conference have hosted more than three straight championships, although Kansas City are 2-2 over the first four.

The San Francisco 49ers know all about playing on this stage, but Brock Purdy most definitely does not.

The Niners visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, their record 18th appearance in the conference championship in the Super Bowl era.

Yet they will do so with the youngest starting quarterback in a conference championship since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

And 22-year-old Purdy – 'Mr Irrelevant' in the 2022 draft – might have feared the prospect of facing a fierce Eagles defense this week as key team-mates Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel managed injuries.

Losing either player would represent a huge blow to Purdy and the 49ers; losing both is unthinkable.

Fortunately, coach Kyle Shanahan has continued to speak with optimism of their chances of playing in Philadelphia, while McCaffrey added on Thursday there was "zero" chance of him missing this game.

On the other side of the field, the Eagles, who go into the game rated as narrow favourites, know a thing or two about playing without their leading stars.

QB Jalen Hurts missed two weeks towards the end of the season with a shoulder injury but was able to return in time to hit the ground running in the postseason.

The number one seeds in the NFC showed exactly why they are that by beating the New York Giants 38-7 in the Divisional round last week.

That tied the Eagles' biggest ever playoff win, which had come by the same scoreline in their previous NFC Championship Game appearance against the Minnesota Vikings. After that victory, they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Given the strength of the two defenses, this matchup should be a little closer – although perhaps not as close as the last time Hurts met Purdy.

Hurts' Oklahoma held off a comeback from Purdy's Iowa State for a 42-41 win in the 2019 college season.

That remains the only game in the past 10 seasons between Power 5 QBs in which both threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 50 yards and a TD.

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has informed teams that he is no longer pursuing a head coaching job and will remain in his current position in 2023.

The update was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Thursday, after Quinn had interviewed for head coach roles with the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos this offseason.

The Cowboys' defense has been transformed under Quinn the past two seasons, ranking seventh in scoring in 2021 (21.1 points allowed per game) and fifth this season (20.1).

Quinn was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2021.

Addressing the positive news for the franchise, head coach Mike McCarthy expressed his relief in retaining one of his most valuable assistant's.

"We're all extremely excited to have Dan back," he said. "I spoke with Dan a short while ago, and this is big for us.

"It gives us continuity, definitely in what we established these last two years, to build off of that. And frankly, on a personal note, I can't tell you how thankful I am."

The Cowboys head into the offseason looking to improve on a promising – but ultimately disappointing – 2022 campaign. After a 12-5 regular season record, Dallas handled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round but lost 19-12 to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Sunday.

Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore continues to be interviewed for head coaching jobs.

Despite keeping Quinn and head coach Mike McCarthy in place, the Cowboys’ coaching staff will have several new faces in 2023 after the club chose not to renew the contracts of six assistants.

Among the coaches not returning next season are assistant head coach Rob Davis and senior defensive assistant George Edwards, along with offensive line coach and former Miami Dolphins head man Joe Philbin.

Edwards and Quinn have been given most of the credit for developing two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.

A journeyman defensive line coach from 2003-2012, Quinn rose to prominence as the coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks’ defenses in 2013-14, led by the "Legion of Boom" secondary.

The Seahawks made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in those two seasons and secured one title.

Quinn left Seattle to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, a job he held for six seasons with a 43-42 record and one Super Bowl appearance.

The Carolina Panthers have reached an agreement with Frank Reich to take over as their new head coach.

Reich, a former Panthers quarterback who started the first three games of the franchise’s inaugural season in 1995, spent four seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before being fired nine games into the 2022 campaign.

The 61-year-old becomes the sixth permanent head coach in Panthers history and the first with an offensive background, a likely selling point for an organisation that has been marred by instability at quarterback since it last reached the playoffs in 2017.

Reich compiled a 40-33 regular-season record with Indianapolis and reached the playoffs in 2018 and 2020.

The Colts finished 9-8 in 2021 but failed to make the postseason after a stunning loss to a 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars team in the finale, and got off to a 3-5-1 start this season when Reich was dismissed on November 7.

Prior to taking over the Colts, Reich served as the offensive coordinator during the Philadelphia Eagles' 2017 championship season and was instrumental in the development of quarterback Carson Wentz, who finished third in MVP voting after throwing for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns in his second NFL campaign.

The Panthers own the number nine pick in this year's draft and are expected to strongly consider taking a young quarterback after finishing 27th in the NFL in passer rating while starting three players (Baker Mayfield, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold) at the position.

Mayfield was ultimately released in December and Darnold is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Reich fills a void created when Matt Ruhle was fired five games into the season after going 11-27 in two-plus years.

Interim coach Steve Wilks, who went 6-6 after Ruhle's ousting to move Carolina within one game of NFC South champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reportedly was a finalist for the permanent job before team owner David Tepper decided on Reich.

According to NFL.com, Wilks is expected to pursue other opportunities and will not remain on staff.

The Panthers are the first of five teams that let go of head coaches during or after the 2022 season to name a replacement. The Colts, the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans are still looking to fill vacancies. 

The Dallas Cowboys have confirmed the exit of six members of their staff roster, including assistant head coach Rob Davis and offensive line coach Joe Philbin.

The Texas franchise saw their NFL season come to a close in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional round last weekend.

That has signalled the start of an offseason shuffle among head coach Mike McCarthy's ranks, with half-a-dozen faces among those who will depart the team.

Alongside Davis and Philbin, running backs coach Skip Peete, defensive assistant George Edwards, analytics coach Kyle Valero and assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett are also leaving.

"We thank these men for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cowboys," McCarthy issued in a statement.

"Each of them represented our team and organisation at a high, professional level with class and commitment to making our team better.

"These were difficult decisions to make because of the great respect I have for each of them as a coach and person of character, combined with the experiences we've all gone through together.

"This is the hardest part of the business, and we wish them nothing but the best."

With a 12-5 winning record in the regular season, the Cowboys finished second in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles.

They defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a resounding 31-14 Wild Card round victory to start their postseason campaign, but will now continue their wait for a first Super Bowl appearance since the 1995 season.

Former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has been hired as the new offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.

The experienced 43-year-old, who previously worked with Jets head coach Robert Saleh at the Jacksonville Jaguars, struggled in his maiden year in Colorado.

That saw him relieved of his duties before the close of the campaign.

Now though, Hackett will head back to New York, where he will reunite with Saleh after the Jets limped to a miserable end in his sophomore season.

The Jets went 5-2 across their first seven games of 2022, but then lost all but one of their final eight to post a 7-10 losing record for the campaign.

Hackett will bring him a storied career that has seen him help lead teams to three Conference Championship games in his role as an offensive coordinator (Jaguars in 2017, Green Bay Packers in 2019 and 2020).

The move also sees him follow in the footsteps of his father Paul, who spent a stint between 2001 and 2004 with the Jets under Herm Edwards.

Under Hackett's watch as OC, the Packers led the NFL in scoring in 2020 with a 31.8 points per game average, while his 2017 Jaguars offense led for rushing yards per game at 141.

His arrival comes alongside the announcement that Keith Carter will also join the Jets as their offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien has rejoined the team over a decade after his previous stint.

The ex-Houston Texans head coach spent five seasons as part of Bill Belichick's staff between 2007 and 2011.

During that time, he helped the Patriots to a winning record in each campaign, plus two AFC Conference Championship crowns.

Following a dismal 2022 season that saw the Patriots miss out on the playoffs with an 8-9 record, Belichick is delighted to have O'Brien back on-board.

"I am looking forward to working with Bill again," New England's head coach said. "He is an outstanding coach and an asset to our staff."

The return of O'Brien to the Patriots' staff will raise question marks over the future of Joe Judge, who succeeded Josh McDaniels following his move to the Las Vegas Raiders last year.

O'Brien joined the Patriots in 2007 as a coaching assistant, before holding various positions such as wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach.

The 53-year-old also spent seven seasons in charge of the Texans, earning four AFC South titles during his tenure.

He also spent time with Penn State, and most recently worked as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with Alabama under Nick Saban.

Star San Francisco 49ers' running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell sat out Wednesday's practice session while Deebo Samuel was limited ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

McCaffrey was absent with a calf contusion while Mitchell missed out with a groin issue. Samuel was set to sit out the session with an ankle injury but participated in individual drills and was later listed as limited.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said there were no guarantees that the trio would be available for Sunday's game, although he expressed confidence.

"I expect them to but there's no guarantees, especially with it being the NFC Championship Game," Shanahan told reporters.

"I think there's a better chance they'll be ready since there's nothing guaranteed after this. So, hopefully. We'll keep our fingers crossed."

On Samuel's ankle injury, Shanahan added: "It's been there for a little bit. I think it'll be alright but it concerned us enough to not let him go today."

All-Pro receiver Samuel, who had two receiving touchdowns from 56 receptions for 632 yards along with three rushing touchdowns in the regular season, was bullish that he would be available to play.

"It's just kind of sore," Samuel said. "We're just being cautious and just trying to get ready for Sunday."

Shanahan also said defensive lineman Charles Omenihu was in line to play despite his arrest on suspicion of misdemeanour domestic violence on Monday.

"We're letting the legal process take care of itself so if he's healthy, he'll play this week," Shanahan said.

The Niners take on the Eagles in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Two days after Andy Reid said Patrick Mahomes would play in Sunday's AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback reiterated his coach's sentiment.

'"AFC championship week," Mahomes said Wednesday. '"I'm ready to go."

Mahomes confirmed he would play four days after sustaining a high ankle sprain while being tackled by two Jacksonville Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter of Kansas City's 27-20 divisional-round win.

He sat out Saturday's second quarter but after X-rays during the game came back negative, he returned in the second half to lead the Chiefs to a fifth straight AFC title game.

An MRI on Sunday showed no structural damage, and Mahomes said the right ankle is doing much better.

"It's doing good," he said. "I've done a few days of treatment, a few days of rehab. I'm excited to get on the practice field and kind of test it out and see where I'm at. But it's feeling good so far."

Wednesday marked the first of three practices for the Chiefs in preparation for the Bengals. Reid said Mahomes would go through a full practice without any limitations, so it appears the team is not too concerned with the injury.

Before practice, Mahomes was named a finalist for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

The 2018 NFL MVP led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes while helping the Chiefs to an AFC-best 14-3 record.