Matt Stafford propels Rams past Cardinals in playoff routVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in his first playoff victory, and the Los Angeles Rams roared out of the wild-card round with a 34-11 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp...
Las Vegas Raiders oust GM Mike Mayock after 3 seasons
The Las Vegas Raiders fired general manager Mike Mayock after three seasons and will begin a search for a coach and GM following their second playoff berth in the past 19 seasons. The Raiders announced the move to get rid of Mayock on Monday, two days after losing their wild-card...
D-line thinned by injuries as Bengals prepare for Titans
CINCINNATI — After the Bengals won a playoff game for the first time in three decades last Saturday, coach Zac Taylor and a few players delivered game balls to three Cincinnati sports bars as a way of thanking fans who stuck with them through the bad times. “I think the...
Chiefs open up offense against Pittsburgh, eye Buffalo next
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had to learn to dink and dunk their way through this entire season, contrary to every instinct of go-for-broke quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as opposing defenses simply refused to let themselves get beaten deep. You can bet they relished the opportunity to open...
Niners hold off Cowboys in NFC wild-card playoff gameVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Deebo Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers have started another playoff run after hanging on in a frantic wild-card finish against Dallas. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will have to keep waiting for that elusive deep trip in the postseason. San Francisco’s versatile receiver ran 26 yards...
Allen-led Bills throttle division rival Patriots, 47-17Video
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The lingering sting of being embarrassed on home turf by the New England Patriots didn’t sit well with defensive end Jerry Hughes and the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday night, the Bills did something about it by erasing any doubt of who now rules the AFC East....
Fresh off retirement, Weddle likely to get plenty of action in Rams’ thin secondaryVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams must play without both of their starting safeties in their opening playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Leading tackler Jordan Fuller is out for the season with a right ankle injury, and Taylor Rapp is in the NFL’s concussion protocol....
Tom Brady throws 2 TDs as champion Buccaneers dominate EaglesVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — As the game clock expired, Tom Brady raised his arms in triumph along the sideline, whirled and tossed a football into the stands. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their jubilant 44-year-old quarterback took the first step on what they hope will be a journey back to the...
Allen throws 5 TD passes as Bills throttle Patriots in AFC wild-card gameVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills erased any doubt about who now rules the AFC East. Allen set a team playoff record with five touchdown passes, including two to Dawson Knox, and Devin Singletary ran for two scores in the first half of a 47-17 throttling...
Bengals hold off Raiders to end lengthy playoff droughtVideo
CINCINNATI — Paul Brown Stadium nearly shook in triumph. The city of Cincinnati might have, too. Its latest hero, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, merely seemed to shrug after leading his team to its first playoff victory in 31 years, 26-19 over Las Vegas on Saturday in an AFC wild-card game....
Raiders, Bengals looking to end long playoff skidsVideo
CINCINNATI — Either the Raiders or Bengals will win a playoff game Saturday, and that will be news in itself. Postseason success has been elusive for both teams for a generation. The frustration for one will end Saturday when they meet for an opening-round playoff game in Cincinnati. The Raiders’...
Column: And then there was 1 … black coach in the NFL
And then there was one. David Culley didn’t even last a calendar year with the Houston Texans, as dysfunctional an NFL team as there is. Culley spent 43 years as an assistant in college and pros, but his tenure as a head coach ended after just 17 games. With his...
Bills DE Jerry Hughes primed for ‘slobber-knocker’ against PatriotsVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — If this is the end of the line for Jerry Hughes’ career, the Buffalo Bills defensive end is primed for the playoffs. Whether it’s facing the rival New England Patriots for a third time in seven weeks or the prospect of playing in potentially sub-zero temperatures...
Texans fire David Culley after just 1 season as coachVideo
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have fired coach David Culley after just one season, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the move hadn’t been announced. His firing comes days after Houston closed a...
BetMGM: Patriots vs. Bills / NFL betting odds, lines & predictions for Wild Card Weekend
By BetMGM Betting / The Buffalo Bills (10-6) play the New England Patriots (10-6) on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 8:15 p.m. EST at Highmark Stadium in the AFC Wild Card Round. CBS will broadcast. The Bills are betting favorites in this matchup, with the spread sitting at -4.5 (-110). The...
These aren’t the same Eagles the Buccaneers beat in Week 6
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles are a better team than the one that lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Still, there are plenty of reasons why the defending Super Bowl champions are 8 1/2-point favorites in Sunday’s NFC wild-card game. High among them is the fact the...
NFL sees big TV ratings increase from 2020 seasonVideo
An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years. The 272 regular-season games averaged 17.1 million viewers across television and digital platforms, that is a 10% increase over 2020 and is the league’s highest average since...
Draft picks key Bengals’ resurgence, return to playoffs
CINCINNATI — Many in Cincinnati scoffed when the Bengals passed on elite Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell to take Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft last spring. Cincinnati sorely needed offensive line help, and Sewell seemed an obvious choice. Chase, like Sewell, sat out the...
Veteran safety Eric Weddle rejoining LA Rams for playoffsVideo
LOS ANGELES — Safety Eric Weddle is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs. Weddle turned 37 last week, and he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2019 season, but the Rams signed him to their practice squad Wednesday to address their glaring...
Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia making case to remove interim tagVideo
HENDERSON, Nev. — Rich Bisaccia had just completed his first game as interim coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in mid-October, a 34-24 road win over the Broncos, and star running back Josh Jacobs described the atmosphere on the sideline. “It was like (there was no) anxiety. It was weird....
Busy, crucial offseason begins for Jets’ Zach WilsonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson is heading into the offseason armed with a lengthy list. The New York Jets quarterback intends to work on his weaknesses and solidify his strengths after a down-and-up rookie season. Wilson is keeping the specific to-do items on the list to himself, hoping the...
49ers-Cowboys playoff rivalry resumes after long waitVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan was a teenager watching on the sideline when the heated playoff rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers reached a fever pitch with three straight NFC title game matchups. Now Shanahan will take a starring role when one of the NFL’s great...
Speeding, erratic driving led to Geno Smith DUI arrestVideo
BELLEVUE, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence came after the Washington State Patrol pulled him over for going 96 mph in a 60 mph zone and driving erratically across several lanes of traffic, according to an arrest report released Tuesday....
Giants fire Joe Judge as coach after 10-23 record in 2 yearsVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have cleaned house, firing coach Joe Judge a day after general manager Dave Gettleman retired. The Giants announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, ending some brief speculation that the owners planned to hire a new general manager and let him determine the...
Browns bringing Mayfield back as starter after poor season
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield didn’t lose his starting job after a losing season. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Tuesday the team expects the quarterback to return as its starter next season and rebound after an injury-filled, sub-par 2021 that raised questions about Mayfield’s future with Cleveland. Mayfield tore a...
