SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Day in and day out, Drew Lock and Joshua Dobbs have had a front row seat to watch Sam Darnold and Drake Maye emerge as leaders at quarterback in two different parts of their careers.
Darnold, in his eighth season, has had a resurgence in Year 1 with the Seattle Seahawks after stints with four other teams, notably failing to pan out as the No. 3 pick by the New York Jets in 2018 from USC.
Maye finished second in MVP voting in just his second year with New England after being drafted eighth out of North Carolina in 2024. Both are ready to lead their teams in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Few are as close to either quarterback as their backups. Lock, who is on his third team in six seasons, said watching Darnold blossom at this stage of his career has given him hope that he can still pan out as a starter.
“The perspective is perfect. You have to be ready for when that time comes for yourself, and do everything you can to prepare for whenever that time comes,” Lock said. “You’re never gonna know — it’s not up to you. It’s about being ready.”
Dobbs, who is on his sixth team in seven years, said he watched Maye take the Patriots from 4-13 last year to AFC champs and grow in the process.
“He’s himself. He’s authentic. He’s an authentic leader,” said Dobbs, who played at Tennessee. “He’s himself every day. He pushes the guys to get better, to see the game from his perspective. He takes himself out of his comfort zone in order to interact with different guys in the locker room.”
While the football world has all eyes on Darnold and Dobbs for what they’ve accomplished this year, the quarterback tandem was quick to credit their backups for their success on the field.
Darnold said that Lock, who played his college ball at Missouri, sees aspects of the game that both he and the coaching staff miss. Maye said that the support of Dobbs has meant the world to him.
The backups expressed appreciation for being noticed in their roles, even though it’s as the No. 2 guy in the room.
“I try to be myself, provide input when I see something, and if I don’t, I’m never the person that has to be heard,” Dobbs said. “I’ve had some unique experiences in the NFL, and it’s been cool to be able to have a great QB room and great young teammates around me that are open and willing and listening to all the older veteran presences in the locker room.”
While Dobbs watched Maye take off in a way that won’t happen in his career, Lock and Darnold had similar career paths. Both bounced around a handful of teams before earning their stripes.
Despite the relatable journey, the pair of Seahawks don’t dwell on the past and have cherished the road to the Super Bowl.
“We don’t give each other the sob stories about the years prior,” Lock said. “If anything, it may be about a couple football things that we’ve learned, but we both know each other’s story. We both understand that. We both have been there. I think it goes without being said. We kind of understand it.”
Both Darnold and Maye have been in the headlines the whole week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, playing a large role in taking their teams to the final game of the season.
It’s been awesome to watch, for Lock and Dobbs. But neither would mind a top job in some future season.
Said Dobbs: “I know given an opportunity to start with a team and get the reps, OTAs, minicamp, training camp and into the season, that I can go out and play some really good football and lead the team to a lot of victories as a starting quarterback.”
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Lyle Alenstein is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
New England Patriots quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) warms up during an NFL football practice, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin's quest for Olympic figure skating gold might not be so easy after all.
Same goes for his American team.
Yuma Kagiyama landed a pair of near-perfect quads, one in combination with a triple toe loop, and scored 108.67 points in his short program on Saturday night. That topped Malinin in the segment — he was second with 98.00 — and helped to keep the Japanese team within distance of the defending champion U.S. heading into the final day of competition.
Thanks to a brilliant free skate by Madison Chock and Evan Bates later in the night, the U.S. ended the day with 44 points. Japan was five points back going into the men's, women's and pairs free skates to decide the medals Sunday.
“You know, I think I got to buckle down and see what happens and get better next time. We will work it out," said Malinin, the two-time and reigning world champion, who is unbeaten in his last 14 full competitions stretching back more than two years.
Malinin will have to work it out in a hurry: The U.S. is sending him back out for the free skate on the decisive day.
Japan is likewise sending Kagiyama back out for his free skate.
“I did watch his skate,” Malinin said of Kagiyama, also his biggest rival in the individual competition later in the Winter Games, “and I was so happy for him. He was so happy. It looked like he was enjoying every single moment. It’s just so unreal that all of us are here on the Olympic stage. I really feel so much energy and so much excitement.”
Given the lineups for Sunday, for all practical purposes, the U.S. and Japan are in a duel for gold. But the race for the bronze medal is also tight with Italy standing on 37 points, Canada two points back and Georgia with 32.
The top five teams advanced after short programs, and the Canadians squeaked through thanks to Stephen Gogolev's personal-best 92.99 score. Kevin Aymoz was unable to match him for France, leaving his team one point below the cut line.
“I’m focusing more on myself," Gogolev said, "and obviously that is going to translate to the highest ranking possible for the team.”
As for Malinin, he had stalked through the tunnels inside Milano Ice Skating Arena before his Olympic debut, wearing a black tank top that read “Quad God,” the nickname borne of the way that he performs his otherworldly four-revolution jumps.
The 21-year-old wunderkind did not attempt the quad axel, the 4 1/2-revolution jump only he has ever landed in competition, on Saturday night and did a shaky version of a triple instead. Malinin hit a big opening quad flip and finished his program with a quad lutz-triple toe loop, getting bonus points for the combination in the second half of the program.
But when his score was read, Malinin seemed almost stunned that Kagiyama had beaten him — and by a 10-point margin.
“That's only 50% of my full potential here,” Malinin said.
Kagiyama opened with a quad toe-triple toe combination, landed a quad salchow and finished his short program with a peerless triple axel. And unlike Malinin, when Kagiyama's score was read he jumped out of his seat with clenched fists raised high.
“I always receive good motivation from Ilia because he is one of the skaters who created this figure skating moment,” said Kagiyama, who was second to Malinin at the Grand Prix Final in December. "I always think that I want to catch him.”
The U.S. has been on a mission since the 2022 Beijing Games, when its Olympic triumph was overshadowed by a Russian doping controversy. The ensuing investigation held the gold medals in limbo for more than two years, until Chock and Bates were part of the American squad that finally received them in a ceremony during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
It was only fitting that Chock and Bates would perform — and win — both of their programs during the team competition.
Their free dance, a flamenco-styled program set to “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi western “Westworld,” had the crowd on its feet by the end. Their season-best score of 133.23 points gave a big boost to a U.S. squad in need of some momentum.
The Japanese have long been considered its biggest rivals. And they have lived up to those expectations with winning short programs from Kaori Sakamoto and the pair of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara to go with Kagiyama's triumph Saturday night.
All of them will be on the ice once more for the Japanese team Sunday.
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea will be back in pairs for the U.S., while Amber Glenn will replace Alysa Liu in the women's free skate.
“We’re really excited to cheer on our team,” Chock said. “I think our team is incredibly strong, arguably the strongest it’s ever been, and I have the utmost faith in them, and I’ll be proud of them no matter what the outcome is.”
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react to their scores after competing during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States wave to the crowd before the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Stephen Gogolev of Canada competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
