Brock Purdy, 49ers oust defending Super Bowl champion Eagles
PHILADELPHIA — Brock Purdy threw a go-ahead 6-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey late in the fourth quarter, San Francisco used a trick play on a TD toss from wide receiver Jauan Jennings and the 49ers eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles with a 23-19 wild-card victory Sunday....
Matt LaFleur, Packers face uncertain future after blowing big lead in wild-card loss
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur was more interested in talking about his team’s future than his own a day after the biggest playoff collapse in the franchise’s storied history. How long the two are connected remains uncertain. LaFleur said Sunday that he spoke briefly with team president and CEO...
49ers’ George Kittle carted off with right Achilles tendon injury in playoff game against EaglesVideo
PHILADELPHIA — San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was carted off the field with a right Achilles tendon injury late in the first half of Sunday’s wild-card playoff game at Philadelphia. Kittle was pushed out of bounds on a 6-yard reception and grabbed the back of his lower right...
Josh Allen leads Bills to 1st road playoff victory in 33 yearsVideo
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Josh Allen took a pounding, doled out punishment and delivered the Buffalo Bills their first road playoff victory in more than three decades, 27-24 over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC’s Wild-Card opener Sunday. With linebacker Devin Lloyd bearing down on him, Allen found Brandin Cooks for...
Caleb Williams rallies Bears from 18 points down for 31-27 playoff win over rival Packers
CHICAGO — Caleb Williams came through in his playoff debut, throwing a go-ahead, 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining, and the Chicago Bears rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the rival Green Bay Packers, 31-27, in a wild-card playoff game Saturday night. The NFC North champion...
Stafford’s late TD pass lifts Rams past Panthers 34-31 in the wild-card round
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left to lift the Los Angeles Rams to a dramatic 34-31 wild-card round win over the Carolina Panthers in the opening game of the NFL playoffs Saturday. Stafford finished 24 of 42 for...
Former QB Matt Ryan to lead search for Falcons’ new coach and GM as president of football
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons on Saturday named former longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to the newly created role of president of football. Ryan, who holds most of the team’s passing records after he spent 14 years as the starter, was announced to the new role after interviewing on Friday. Ryan...
Matthew Stafford gets first nod for AP All-Pro; Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba are unanimous choices
Matthew Stafford beat out Drake Maye, while Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were unanimous choices for the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team. Bijan Robinson is the running back while Christian McCaffrey earned the All-Purpose spot. Ja’Marr Chase is the third wide receiver and tight end Trey McBride...
Bills CB Tre’Davious White says he’s found new perspective on life in return to Buffalo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Tre’Davious White arrived in Buffalo in 2017 driven to be the best and began entertaining visions of one day wearing a Hall of Fame gold jacket before two debilitating injuries stopped the cornerback’s rising trajectory. It took time, bouts with depression and spending a year away...
Baltimore Ravens interview Kevin Stefanski and Klint Kubiak for head-coach vacancy
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens interviewed former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski and Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for their head-coaching vacancy Friday. The Ravens fired John Harbaugh earlier in the week after 18 seasons at the helm. They interviewed two Denver assistants — Vance Joseph and Davis Webb...
NFC playoff breakdown: Sam Darnold, top-seeded Seahawks face stiff competition
Sam Darnold erased one big blemish on his resume when he led the Seattle Seahawks to a 13-3 win at San Francisco in Week 18 that secured the NFC West crown and the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed and the first-round bye. A year ago, Darnold had the Minnesota Vikings...
AFC playoff breakdown: Conference looks wide open with no Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
These are the first AFC playoffs without Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady since 1998, another reason it’s seen as a wide-open field without a prohibitive favorite to raise the Lamar Hunt Trophy on Jan. 25. All four division winners were new this year with Denver, New England, Jacksonville...
Eagles host 49ers in wild-card round as they seek a repeat Super Bowl title
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles declared from the first day of training camp and throughout another season that included an NFC East title that the word “repeat” is not part of the locker-room vernacular for the 2024 Super Bowl champions. “We’re not defending nothing,” offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said. However the...
Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel, the quirky, inventive coach who they once viewed as their future
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday following a 7-10 season in which Miami missed the playoffs for the second straight year. The decision ends McDaniel’s four-year tenure in Miami, a period defined by soaring expectations that ultimately went unfulfilled. “After careful evaluation and...
Packers QB Jordan Love believes he’s learned from previous playoff disappointments
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of avoiding interceptions throughout this season. However, he hasn’t been nearly as effective in that regard during his playoff career. The Packers’ chances of extending their season beyond this weekend depend in part on how...
After years of trying to hire him, 49ers’ Mike Shanahan now faces Eagles’ Vic Fangio in wild-card game
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When Kyle Shanahan took over as coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, one of his first targets for defensive coordinator was Vic Fangio, only to be turned down when he made the request to the Chicago Bears. When Shanahan was preparing for DeMeco Ryans...
Analysis: Stakes high as Ravens move on from stability of John Harbaugh era
In three decades of existence, the Baltimore Ravens have had two primary owners, two general managers and three coaches. Stability like that is hard to achieve in the NFL and should not be taken for granted. Now the franchise heads down an uncertain path after firing John Harbaugh. It’s a...
Josh Allen says he knows where he needs to improve as Bills prepare for playoff opener vs. Jags
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen’s sore right foot feels better, and the Bills quarterback’s mind is refreshed as Buffalo prepares to open the playoffs on the road for the first time in six years. With the exception of a game-opening handoff in a regular season-ending 35-8 win over the...
Why 2025 is the year of the 1st-round quarterback in the NFL
The 2025 NFL season was dominated by first-round quarterbacks with old veterans like Matthew Stafford and a new generation featuring Drake Maye and Caleb Williams taking center stage. The playoffs should be no different with a record-tying 12 of the 14 teams that qualified for the postseason set to use...
Ravens fire longtime coach John Harbaugh after season-ending loss to SteelersVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh has been fired after 18 seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ coach. Owner Steve Bisciotti said Tuesday he relieved Harbaugh of his duties after the Ravens were one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season. They went 8-9 and missed the playoffs after entering...
Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Whitt Jr. are gone from Commanders
Coordinators Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. are both gone from coach Dan Quinn’s staff with the Washington Commanders after a 5-12 season, a team official with knowledge of the moves told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the staff...
Joe Burrow’s Bengals face plenty of questions after missing playoffs for 3rd straight yearVideo
CINCINNATI — While the Cincinnati Bengals looked as if they were on track to being an AFC powerhouse in 2022, they’re now facing their third straight season outside of the playoffs. The Bengals have kept their core of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins intact. But not much else...
Texans’ defense sets franchise records, prepares for Steelers in playoffs
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans wrapped up the best defensive season in franchise history with a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Now the Texans (12-5) will look to build on that stellar performance when they open the playoffs next Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston’s ferocious defense,...
Ravens have a lot to ask themselves after a season with Super Bowl hopes ended with an 8-9 record
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A few months ago, the question was whether the Baltimore Ravens finally could perform in the playoffs like they had in the regular season. Instead, the heartache simply came earlier. From Week 1 at Buffalo — when they blew a 15-point lead in the final four...
Raiders fire Pete Carroll after 3-14 season, will look for a new coach for 3rd straight year
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll on Monday after just one year, meaning they will enter their third consecutive season with a new coach in charge. Carroll expressed high hopes upon taking over, saying he was used to double-digit victories and he expected the same in...
