NFL category, Page 79
Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy are chasing greatness and the greatest in Tom Brady and Joe Montana
Patrick Mahomes is chasing Tom Brady. Brock Purdy is playing in the shadow of Joe Montana. Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs seek to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls when they...
Washington Commanders hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach, AP sources say
The Washington Commanders have an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to hire him as coach, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet announced the move. Quinn, 53,...
Early money heavily on Kansas City Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champions
LAS VEGAS — Minutes after beating Baltimore 17-10 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Super Bowl, Travis Kelce had a message to send. “The Chiefs are still the Chiefs,” Kelce said. Bettors agree. The early money is heavily on Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to repeat as Super...
Repeating in NFL used to be more common, but Chiefs aim to be first back-to-back champs in 19 years
Repeat championships in the NFL used to be more common. Over the first 39 Super Bowls, it happened eight times. But no team has done it since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won two in a row following the 2003-04 seasons. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs...
From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacleVideo
LOS ANGELES — Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour. For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which...
Seahawks to hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coach
RENTON, Wash. — It was a defensive-centric head coach that brought the Seattle Seahawks their only Super Bowl title. The Seahawks are hoping a newer — albeit much younger — version can return them to the elite of the NFL. The Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald...
Bud brings back Clydesdales as early Super Bowl ad releases offer up nostalgia, humor, celebritiesVideo
NEW YORK — Budweiser is bringing back some familiar characters this year in its Super Bowl ad. The perennial Super Bowl marketer is bringing back fan-favorite characters the Clydesdales and a Labrador — a nod to the Labradors that starred in earlier commercials during advertising’s biggest night. Some advertisers are...
49ers-Chiefs showdown offers rare Super Bowl rematch
The San Francisco 49ers finally climbed back up the playoff mountain to return to the Super Bowl only to find a familiar foe waiting for them. When the Niners get a second shot at a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, it will be a rare title game rematch...
Chiefs back in Super Bowl because of simplified offensive approach
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was a moment back on Christmas Day, long before the Kansas City Chiefs could even start thinking about playing in the Super Bowl again, when Patrick Mahomes broke the huddle in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders. His team was in total disarray. Players...
NFL playoffs, conference championship games draw highest viewership average on record
LOS ANGELES — The television audiences for the NFL playoffs and last Sunday’s conference championship games are the highest on record going back to 1988. According to the league and Nielsen, the first three weekends of the postseason averaged 38.5 million viewers on television and digital platforms, a 9% increase...
Lions OC Ben Johnson staying put after interviewing with Commanders, Seahawks
DETROIT — Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has decided to stay with the team and turn down potential opportunities to be an NFL head coach next season, leading the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks to turn to other candidates. Two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press...
Analysis: Despite all the heartbreaks and mistakes, the future looks bright for the Lions and Ravens
The Detroit Lions lost their huge halftime lead and the Baltimore Ravens lost both their composure and the football just inches from advancing to Super Bowl 58 next week on the Las Vegas Strip. Too bad, too, because both teams looked every bit the high-rolling risk-takers that the betting houses...
Las Vegas’ 1st Super Bowl is driving record prices on the secondary ticket market
LAS VEGAS — Tickets on at least one secondary-market site were the most expensive in Super Bowl history on Monday, underscoring the anticipation of the game’s Las Vegas debut between the defending champion and what likely is the most popular team in the West. Oh, and the great possibility Taylor...
Lions lament blowing big lead in chance to reach 1st Super Bowl
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions had their best season in generations. Players, coaches and at least some fans are not ready to celebrate at the moment. The Lions let an opportunity slip to play in the Super Bowl for the first time, becoming the first team to lose...
Analysis: Hard to blame Lions’ Dan Campbell for staying true to his aggressive self
Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness bit his team. The Detroit Lions blew a 17-point halftime lead and missed an opportunity to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history because their head coach stuck to the same philosophy that helped him turn a perennial loser into a championship contender....
The 49ers showing off comeback ability on drive to Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have turned into the comeback kids this postseason. The only team that didn’t pull off a second-half rally in the regular season has done it in back-to-back weeks in the playoffs, capped by one of the biggest comebacks in conference championship game...
Analysis: Ravens fail to reach Super Bowl after dominant regular season
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Less than 24 hours after Baltimore’s season ended with a loss in the AFC championship game, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton was dealing with both physical and emotional pain. “Body is sore, heart sore,” he said. “But we move on.” The Ravens head into the offseason lamenting...
Chiefs finally show what they can do when they play error-free ball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs kept making dumbfounding mistakes all season — dropped passes, penalties, miscommunication — and each time, Patrick Mahomes confidently insisted they were oh-so-close to putting it all together. Seems as if they finally did. In three playoff wins, two on the road in...
Taylor Swift-inspired flight numbers offered for Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl
MIAMI — Taylor Swift was born in 1989. Travis Kelce wears jersey No. 87. American Airlines and United Airlines took notice. Whether you’re a Swiftie or a member of Chiefs Kingdom, if you need flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas and the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, a few...
Lamar Jackson after falling to 2-4 in the playoffs: ‘I’m not frustrated, I’m angry’
BALTIMORE — With a trip to the Super Bowl just one victory away, the Baltimore Ravens looked nothing like the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL before thrashing Houston in their playoff opener. Worse, Lamar Jackson bore little resemblance to the quarterback who...
The Super Bowl is set: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will face Brock Purdy and the 49ers
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Las Vegas with a chance for a rare repeat while facing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch from four years ago. The Chiefs beat Lamar Jackson and the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, in the...
Penn State will be represented by Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII is set, and at least one former Penn State player is going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Penn State will have three former players vying for a Super Bowl ring when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off on the sport’s biggest stage in...
Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions to advance to Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers rallied from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions, 34-31, on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the...
Browns hire former quarterback Ken Dorsey as their offensive coordinator
CLEVELAND — Ken Dorsey has control of Cleveland’s offense again. The former Browns quarterback — and former Buffalo coordinator — has been hired by coach Kevin Stefanski as the team’s offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Sunday. Dorsey was fired as Buffalo’s offensive...
Mahomes, Kelce are headed to the Super Bowl after Chiefs shut down Ravens 17-10Video
BALTIMORE — The first quarter was vintage Patrick Mahomes, picking apart the Baltimore defense with quick passes, with Travis Kelce on the other end of several of them. Then the Kansas City defense — now elite after some shaky seasons in the past — took over. Finally, when Mahomes needed...
