Rams hold off Buccaneers rally, advance to NFC championship gameVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Matthew Stafford stood on the sideline helplessly watching Tom Brady be Tom Brady, leading another exhilarating comeback. This time, though, the seven-time Super Bowl champion left too much time on the clock, giving Stafford a chance to create some playoff magic of his own. Turns out, 42...
Another short postseason, another uncertain offseason for Aaron Rodgers, PackersVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers heads into another offseason of uncertainty after one more frustrating finish to a brilliant year. Rodgers drove the Green Bay Packers to a touchdown on the game’s opening possession, then couldn’t get them back in the end zone the rest of Saturday night. Their...
Gould’s FG on final play gives 49ers 13-10 upset of Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Robbie Gould lived up to his name. On a field littered with snow flurries, Gould made a 45-yard field goal Saturday night as time expired and the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the top-seeded Packers 13-10 and possibly ended Aaron Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay. Gould...
FG as time expires lifts Bengals past Titans, into AFC championship game
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Cincinnati Bengals just keep ending postseason droughts, and their latest victory has them in their first AFC championship game in 33 years. Rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the fourth-seeded Bengals past the top-seeded Tennessee Titans, 19-16, on Saturday to...
Bills headed to KC for high-profile AFC title game rematch
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Stefon Diggs walked off the field inside Arrowhead Stadium back in October with two very distinct feelings: elation that his Bills had avenged an AFC title game loss to the Chiefs and the conviction they would meet again. Get ready for the latest throwdown between two...
Ravens part ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday night he is parting ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale. “After several productive conversations, Don and I have agreed to move forward in separate directions,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “We have had a great run on defense, and I am very proud...
Titans activate Derrick Henry for playoff game vs. BengalsVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will have Derrick Henry on the field for their AFC divisional game with Cincinnati after moving the NFL’s 2019 and 2020 rushing leader from injured reserve to the active roster. The Titans (12-5) made the roster move Friday after watching Henry practice since Jan....
Tom Brady, Buccaneers take another crack at Rams in playoffsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are excited about another opportunity to face a regular-season nemesis in the playoffs. The defending Super Bowl champions host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round Sunday, looking to avenge a pair of losses to the only team...
Top-seeded Titans eager to start playoff run with Bengals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have survived using more players than any NFL team in a non-strike season and still earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They’re as rested and healthy as they’ve been all season, and now they have back Derrick Henry, the NFL’s top rusher in 2019...
N.Y. Giants name Joe Schoen of Buffalo Bills as their new GM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Joe Schoen was at the top of the New York Giants’ list of candidates when they started their search for a new general manager, and the Buffalo Bills assistant GM never left that spot. The Giants hired the 42-year-old Schoen as their general manager Friday. It...
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay arrested on misdemeanor
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay was charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property after he broke a vacuum and other items during an argument, putting his status for Sunday’s divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in question. Police in the Kansas City suburb...
Healthy Titans RB Henry will see banged-up Bengals D-line
CINCINNATI — If Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry returns for the playoffs Saturday, he’ll be running into a Cincinnati Bengals defensive line that is already banged up. The Bengals had been relatively healthy until last week in the first-round playoff win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Stalwart defensive tackle...
Mike Preston: With so many NFL openings, it’s past time for more Black coaches to be hired
BALTIMORE — Black coaches are good enough to be coordinators in the NFL, but not head coaches. That’s the message the league has been sending, with hopes that it will change this year. There were eight openings soon after the regular season ended Jan. 9, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike...
NFL’s wild-card round TV ratings increase 21% over last yearVideo
TV ratings for the NFL’s wild-card round increased 21% over last year despite most of the games not being in doubt going into the fourth quarter. The six games averaged 30.5 million viewers, making it the second-highest average for the postseason’s opening weekend over the past six seasons. CBS and...
Eagles say Jalen Hurts will be their starting QB next seasonVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles say Jalen Hurts will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2022. “We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a first-year starter and second-year player, and leading this team to the playoffs,” general manager Howie Roseman said Wednesday, just three days after...
Chiefs keep leaning on Jerick McKinnon, other unsung playersVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jerick McKinnon probably shouldn’t have been surprised to spend all season buried on the Chiefs depth chart. The journeyman running back had been passed over plenty of times before. Start with those early years in Minnesota, when he backed up Adrian Peterson. An injury to the...
Foot feels fine as Derrick Henry preps for Titans’ playoff returnVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Derrick Henry, the man who literally ran the Tennessee Titans to the AFC championship game two years ago, is ready to play again. The 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year says his surgically repaired right foot, fixed with a steel plate, feels no different than...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield has surgery, starts road to ‘true self’
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield has shifted into comeback mode. The Cleveland Browns quarterback had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury that affected his play, led to a disappointing season and raised doubts about his future. Mayfield posted a video on social media...
Bruce Arians fined $50,000 by NFL for slapping helmet of Bucs safety Andrew AdamsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Bucs coach Bruce Arians has been fined $50,000 by the National Football League for slapping the helmet of safety Andrew Adams during Sunday’s 31-15 win over the Eagles in an NFC wild-card playoff game. Arians said he was trying to prevent Adams from getting a penalty for...
Jaguars’ Lerentee McCray arrested, charged with eluding police in high-speed chase
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Lerentee McCray made an obscene hand gesture at a police officer, fled a would-be traffic stop and then reached speeds of 100 mph and crossed three lanes of traffic during an ensuing chase, authorities said Tuesday. McCray, 31, was arrested early Sunday, booked...
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott apologizes for condoning fans throwing objects at refsVideo
FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott apologized Tuesday night for his comments that condoned Dallas Cowboys fans throwing objects at NFL officials after the team’s playoff loss, with the quarterback saying in a series of tweets that he deeply regretted what he said after the game. When initially asked about objects...
Improving defense propels Aaron Donald, Rams onward to Tampa BayVideo
LOS ANGELES— Matthew Stafford was nearly flawless in his first career playoff victory. Odell Beckham Jr. made huge plays as a receiver and as a passer in his own first postseason win. Yet the Los Angeles Rams (13-5) are headed to Tampa Bay on Sunday to play for a spot...
Cardinals face offseason questions after late-season strugglesVideo
The two-month, slow-motion collapse of the Arizona Cardinals will no doubt cause some soul searching and tough questions in the coming days, weeks and months for the franchise. The most obvious and pressing: Is this Kliff Kingsbury-Kyler Murray marriage really going to work or not? The notion that Kingsbury could...
Packers set for 49ers rematch after winning September thrillerVideo
It was the rally that sparked the Green Bay Packers toward the NFL’s best regular-season record. The Packers had split their first two games — a blowout loss to New Orleans and a home victory over Detroit — before visiting San Francisco for a Sunday night matchup. After getting the...
Browns’ McDowell arrested on public exposure, other charges
Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Malik McDowell, who was given a second chance by the team after serving jail time, was arrested Monday in Florida on charges of beating a police officer and public exposure. Police in Deerfield Beach, Fla., said they were responding to a “naked male walking near a...
