TMZ Sports - Page 18

Brett Favre isn't just impressed by the Patriots -- he's basically gassing up New England like it's 2004 again.

The Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports that New England's turnaround with quarterback Drake Maye and coach Mike Vrabel has been dramatic ... to the point where the rest of the NFL might start sweating.

"They're in the shadow, but for how long?" Favre said.

Is Sunday's NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks the unofficial Super Bowl? Matt Hasselbeck believes so ... telling TMZ Sports that their showdown features the two best teams remaining in the NFL.

The former Seahawks quarterback chopped it up with Babcock ahead of Championship Sunday ... and in the convo, he made the bold proclamation about round three between these NFC West rivals.

"This, to me, in a way, is the Super Bowl," Hasselbeck said. "No offense to whoever represents in the AFC next week. Like I said, best offense vs. best defense."

A Denver Broncos legend is telling fans not to sweat Sunday's AFC Championship Game -- because Jarrett Stidham is ready for the big stage!!!

Two-time Super Bowl champion Rod Smith spoke with TMZ Sports this week about Stidham stepping up at quarterback after Bo Nix fractured his ankle ... and he's confident in the backup.

"I really honestly believe if this doesn’t go our way, he won’t be the reason," Smith said.

"His first completion, watch what happens to the crowd. They're going to freaking go nuts and he's just going to build. It’s going to feed into his confidence and he goes out there and plays an excellent football game."

We can just skip to Feb. 8 now -- former NFL player Marcellus Wiley just gave his Super Bowl LX matchup prediction to TMZ Sports ... and it's bad news for Rams and Broncos fans.

We caught up with the defensive end in Los Angeles this week, just ahead of the AFC and NFC Conference Championships.

When we asked Wiley -- who is currently recovering from hip surgery -- about the Super Bowl, he said even though we were literally in L.A. and he should pick the Rams, he's going with Seattle over New England.

Bad Bunny won't be attending a dress fitting prior to his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in just a few weeks ... because we're told he's not wearing a gown despite reports.

Here's the deal ... a rumor has been circulating online that the "DtMF" hitmaker planned to wear a dress for his performance in Santa Clara on February 8 -- a controversial move which no doubt would've upset people even more than the announcement that he would headline the show did.

However, production sources tell TMZ ... he's not wearing a dress during the show -- though they wouldn't say what he is wearing.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won't be tipping off this afternoon against Steph Curry's Warriors -- the NBA has postponed the matchup -- after a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement spurred on civil unrest Saturday morning in Minneapolis.

"The National Basketball Association game scheduled for today between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed," the NBA announced a short time ago.

"The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community."

The shooting occurred shortly after 9 AM local time, when 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was involved in a confrontation with a group of feds ... which turned deadly.

Rasheed Walker -- an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers -- has been arrested on gun charges after he tried to check a bag at LaGuardia Airport which contained a firearm and ammunition ... TMZ has confirmed.

The 4-year NFL veteran was arrested at the New York City airport Friday morning and booked on 2 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and 1 count of criminal possession of a firearm.

He appeared in Queens County Criminal Court and has been released on his own recognizance ... no bail necessary.

Walker's attorney, Arthur L. Aidala, tells TMZ his client mistakenly believed he could travel with his gun -- which is legally licensed in Wisconsin.

Naomi Osaka is hanging up her racket on the 2026 Australian Open ... revealing she must exit the competition due to an injury.

The tennis champ shared the news on her Instagram Story Saturday just hours before she was set to face off against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis. She said she must "address something [her] body needs attention for" following her last match ... but did not reveal what exactly happened.

She continued ... "I was so excited to keep going and this one meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart, but I can't risk doing any further damage, so I can get back on the court." She thanked her fans and team for their unwavering support before signing off.

Jason Luv absolutely demolished Adam22 during their Friday night match in Miami -- and it didn’t even last 2 minutes!

Check out the video ... Luv looks fierce and ready to fight his nemesis, throwing some punches at Adam as he cowered low, shielding his head and looking like he was on the brink of defeat. He didn't put on any poker face ... because he was KO'd within 72 seconds!

The matchup didn't come close to the drama between these two -- Adam is married to adult star Lena The Plug, who filmed a saucy scene with Luv a few years back, just months after she married Adam.

Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett are both beloved by fans, but only one can walk away from UFC 324 as champion ... so, we asked both, who's it gonna be?!

Babcock chopped it up with both main event fighters ahead of their main event, interim lightweight title fight on Saturday ... pitting 37-year-old Gaethje against 31-year-old Pimblett.

"I'm excited to go out there and teach this young kid some lessons," Gaethje said. "I love how confident [Paddy] is. I love how fickle the fans are, and how quickly they forget how good I am, and how dangerous I am. Man, I'm pumped."

Gaethje says he plans to rely on his experience, and he's ready to go to a dark place to win the fight.

"I gotta rely on my technique and my skill level. I've been in this position so many times. Twenty-five minutes in time, so I gotta go out there and be perfect," Justin said.

The Denver Broncos may be home underdogs without their starting quarterback … but don’t expect them to make any excuses with coach Sean Payton calling the shots.

Former Pro Bowl offensive lineman Terron Armstead -- who spent nine seasons with Payton in New Orleans -- tells TMZ Sports he believes the Broncos remain unfazed entering Sunday’s AFC Championship game.

“He embraces challenges and it goes down into the entire team,” Armstead said. “He doesn’t let nobody use built-in excuses. It’s like, ‘You’re dealing with a shoulder injury, so it’s OK if you lose this rep.’ No, that’s not OK,” Armstead told Babcock.

That’s why Terron believes the news of Bo Nix fracturing his ankle was released immediately after the game ... rather than waiting for the injury report.

Payton was ready to start the challenge, naming Jarrett Stidham starter … and now “it’s Stiddy season,” according to Armstead.

That never-back-down philosophy wasn’t always something he appreciated, though. He said he didn’t like Payton much early on because he was tough to play for.

Now?

“I can’t be more thankful for the guy,” Armstead said. “I love Sean Payton for life.”

Broncos fans might be saying the same thing if Denver defeats the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Armstead also shared a funny exchange between them from when he retired. Peyton called to congratulate and suggested he consider coaching because he would be “incredible” in the league.

“Sean, thank you, but get off my phone,” Armstead replied, explaining that he’s not willing to work until three or four in the morning like the rest of Peyton’s staff.

We also had Armstead join the TMZ Live stream … talking Bad Bunny's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, Aaron Rodgers, Fernando Mendoza and more.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt would love it if he didn't play his last down with quarterback Fernando Mendoza -- he tells TMZ Sports "it would be fun" to join forces in the NFL.

We caught up with the 22-year-old while he was working an honorary shift at Raising Cane's after taking home the National Championship against the University of Miami this week ... and asked him what it would be like if the duo ended up in the same locker room at the next level.

And considering they connected on 15 touchdowns during their perfect season together ... yeah, he's on board.

"He could spin it," Sarratt said. "He's a great guy, great teammate, great player. I wouldn't mind playing some years with him at all."

Only Bert Kreischer could equate Baker Mayfield to a walking, talking pressure cooker … and mean it as the highest compliment.

TMZ Sports caught up with the comedian this week in NYC ... and he declared the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback the king of pressure -- and yes, he meant it literally.

"There's always pressure on Baker Mayfield, that's the way Baker Mayfield lives," Kreischer said. "He s***s with pressure, he pisses with pressure, he drinks with pressure, he takes his daughter to school with pressure -- that's why he's so f***ing great."

Kreischer went on to hype Mayfield as a "coal waiting to pop into a diamond" as the QB prepares to enter the final year under his current contract.

Alex Honnold will have to wait another day to try and climb one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world ... and it's all because of safety concerns.

Netflix announced Friday that Alex's highly-anticipated climb on "Skyscraper Live" was unable to proceed due to weather.

The announcement came just minutes before the event was supposed to start at 5 PM PT ... and Netflix says Alex will try to scale the skyscraper Saturday at 5 PM PT.

Netflix says, "Safety remains our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding."

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tough road ahead of 'em ... this according to Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, who tell TMZ Sports replacing Mike Tomlin is gonna be a tall order.

We spoke with the retired NFL centers (Maurkice on the left, Mike on the right) this week ... as the Steelers continue to search for their new head coach after Tomlin decided to it was time to go after 19 seasons.

"I think it's gonna take some due diligence, and it's just a whirlwind going on right now, and coach, one of the best coaches to ever coach the game, walked away on his terms," Maurkice said.

Ryan Wedding, Canadian Olympic snowboarder-turned-alleged international drug kingpin, is back in the United States of America after being arrested in Mexico City Thursday night ... and there's video of the moment he walked off the plane, surrounded by federal agents.

Wedding, who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, landed at Ontario International Airport on Friday, about 40 miles outside Los Angeles.

The 44-year-old was rocking a black baseball cap with a black vest, grey undershirt and a pair of jeans with his hands cuffed out front as he walked off the jet and across the tarmac.