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...
Injury-plagued Ravens couldn’t hold on after strong start
BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson described his ankle problem as day to day, even though there are no more games for the Baltimore Ravens to prepare for. At least the weekly injury reports can stop now. From start to finish this season, the Ravens practiced and played under a cloud of...
After regulars rest, playoff-bound Bengals prep for Raiders
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals wanted to be rested and ready for the first round of the playoffs so they didn’t play many of their key starters in the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Star quarterback Joe Burrow watched Sunday’s game from home, and many starters either got a...
Hall of Fame receiver Don Maynard dead at age 86
Don Maynard, a Hall of Fame receiver who made his biggest impact catching passes from Joe Namath in the wide-open AFL, has died. He was 86. The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed Maynard’s death on Monday through his family. Maynard was the main target for Namath with the New...
Jaguars earn top overall selection for April’s NFL draft
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 3-14 record this season earned them the top spot in April’s NFL draft, the second consecutive year they will pick first. The tentative order of the first round, not including teams in the playoffs, was announced Monday by the NFL. Playoff results will determine where the 14...
Dave Gettleman out as New York Giants GM, says he is retiring
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Dave Gettleman has retired as general manager of the New York Giants after a fourth straight double-digit losing season. The Giants announced the 70-year-old Gettleman retired Monday, a day after New York (4-13) dropped its season finale 22-7 to Washington. It was the sixth straight loss...
Raiders vs. Chargers: Raiders were this close to settling for a tie and bumping Steelers from playoffs
Just how close were the Las Vegas Raiders to settling for a tie against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, which would have kept the Steelers out of the postseason? Really close, according to their coach, Rich Bisaccia. But a timeout by Chargers coach Brandon Staley with 38 seconds...
Vikings fire GM Rick Spielman, coach Mike Zimmer
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer on Monday, after a second straight absence from the playoffs for a 61-year-old franchise still seeking a title. The move came a day after the 45th anniversary of Minnesota’s last Super Bowl appearance, after owners Zygi...
Bears opt to make sweeping changes, fire GM Ryan Pace, coach Matt Nagy
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy on Monday, hoping new leadership in the front office and on the sideline will lift a struggling franchise. Nagy’s fate seemed sealed as the Bears struggled through a 6-11 season that ended with a loss at...
Dolphins fire coach Brian Flores after 3 seasons
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Back-to-back winning seasons were not enough for Brian Flores to keep his job as coach of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins fired Flores on Monday, a somewhat surprising move that came less than 24 hours after the team finished a 9-8 season. Flores went 24-25 in...
Daniel Carlson’s FG as OT expires sends Raiders into postseason
LAS VEGAS — It seemed only fitting the Las Vegas Raiders needed every second of an overtime game to earn their first playoff berth since 2016, a microcosm of their roller coaster season. And as they’ve done five other times this season, the Raiders won on the final play of...
Denver Broncos fire coach Vic Fangio after 3 losing seasonsVideo
DENVER — The Denver Broncos are looking for a new head coach to lead them out of a six-year playoff drought and a half decade of losing seasons that marks the most protracted plunge by a Super Bowl champion in NFL history. The Broncos fired Vic Fangio after he went...
