Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy set for college-era rematch in NFC title tilt
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy could be primed for a shootout in the NFC championship game. It’s the first time Hurts — the league MVP finalist for the Philadelphia Eagles — and Purdy, the ” Mr. Irrelevant ” rookie sensation for the San Francisco 49ers, have matched up...
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins power Bengals into AFC championshipVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow says the Cincinnati Bengals’ championship window should stay open for years. “The window is my whole career,” the franchise quarterback said matter-of-factly after the Bengals clinched their second straight AFC North title. His confidence is understandable given the offensive weapons available: Receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee...
Bills’ Damar Hamlin speaks publicly for 1st time in video, thankful for supportVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Damar Hamlin released a video Saturday in which he says he’s thankful for the outpouring of support and vows to pay it back, marking the first time the Buffalo Bills safety has spoken publicly since he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on...
Bold trades keyed offensive jolts for 49ers, EaglesVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers got a jolt offensively when they made the bold decision in October to trade four draft picks to add Christian McCaffrey to an already deep group of playmakers. The Philadelphia Eagles made an aggressive trade of their own to supercharge their offense...
4 of NFL’s best tight ends on display in conference title games
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes headed up the tunnel inside Arrowhead Stadium to have X-rays taken on his sprained right ankle, and Chad Henne trotted onto the field in the second quarter of their divisional playoff game against Jacksonville, it was obvious who the backup quarterback...
Inside the most dysfunctional Patriots season under Bill Belichick: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’
BOSTON — Light rain cut through a thick, gray fog choking Foxboro when Bill O’Brien walked into Patriots headquarters Monday to end the team’s search for its next offensive coordinator. O’Brien’s second interview was his final step toward a long-awaited reunion with the franchise that launched his NFL career. Soon,...
Eagles, 49ers ride Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy to brink of Super Bowl
PHILADELPHIA — The late-game meltdowns stick in San Francisco. Take the Super Bowl against Kansas City following the 2019 season. The 49ers became the third team in Super Bowl history to cough up a 10-point lead in the second half and lost to the Chiefs. Or last season’s NFC title...
Bengals confident returning to ‘Burrowhead Stadium’ to face Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have lost three straight games to the Cincinnati Bengals, including last year’s AFC title game, when they blew an early 21-3 lead in an overtime defeat before a sea of stunned fans inside Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes, who expects to lead the...
Carolina Panthers hire Frank Reich as new head coach
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with Frank Reich to become their new head coach on Thursday. The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired on Nov. 7...
Hurts puts MVP talk behind him, focuses on NFC title gameVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Asked about being an NFL MVP finalist, Jalen Hurts revealed, “I didn’t know.” Nick Sirianni pounded his fist on a table in mock disgust and cracked “Oh man!” when queried about his finalist snub for Coach of the Year. In other words, individual awards don’t mean a whole...
Purdy goes from ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ to brink of Super BowlVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy’s NFL career started with the moniker of “Mr. Irrelevant” and the weeklong trip to Newport Beach to celebrate the player picked last in the draft. With one more win, Purdy’s rookie season in the NFL will end on the brightest stage of all as...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes to practice as usual on sprained ankleVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes walked through Arrowhead Stadium as if nothing was amiss Wednesday, his sprained right ankle hardly hampering the All-Pro quarterback as he began preparing for the AFC title game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes went through a normal morning walkthrough and then headed...
Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson, Patrick Mahomes among AP NFL MVP finalists
Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting...
Mahomes the old man among 4 championship game QBs
Patrick Mahomes will be the old man among the starting quarterbacks in the conference title games. The 27-year-old All-Pro for Kansas City is the oldest member of one of the youngest groups of starting quarterbacks to make it to this round. The other three scheduled starting QBs on Sunday are...
Bengals O-line subs excel ahead of AFC title gameVideo
CINCINNATI — Coach Zac Taylor says he never doubted the toughness of the Bengals offensive line, no matter how many backups had to be pushed into service to replace the injured starters. “We’ve had confidence throughout,” Taylor insisted Monday, a day after Cincinnati dominated Buffalo to advance to the AFC...
Chiefs’ decision to trade Tyreek Hill opened future for success
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The decision Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach faced at the conclusion of last season was shockingly simple yet brutally difficult: Do they sign wide receiver Tyreek Hill to a long-term deal or trade him away? Two options. Yet two very different ways to chart...
AP source: Bill O’Brien agrees to return as Patriots offensive coordinator
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill O’Brien has agreed to return to the Patriots as their offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized. O’Brien spent the past two seasons...
Disrespected no more, Bengals prepare to face Chiefs again
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals went into Buffalo feeling disrespected and played their most complete game of the season. With tickets on sale last week for a potential neutral-site Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs AFC championship game, the Bengals came into a snowstorm and dominated the second seed. Cincinnati’s 27-10 win...
Dak Prescott, Cowboys stuck in divisional-round rut another year
FRISCO, Texas — For all the progress of the first road playoff victory in 30 years, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys still can’t get out of their divisional-round rut. Now they have another year to think about it. “They’re all independent,” the Dallas quarterback said after dropping to 0-3...
Analysis: Defense still wins in the NFL playoffs
Defense stills wins in the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals advanced to the conference championship games with excellent defensive performances Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles also had a standout defensive effort Saturday night. While high-flying offenses led by star quarterbacks get most of the attention, defense matters. It...
49ers beat Cowboys to advance to NFC title game
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Christian McCaffrey scored on a go-ahead 2-yard run in the fourth quarter and San Francisco’s defense did the rest, sending the 49ers to their second straight NFC title game with a 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The 49ers (15-4) used back-to-back long scoring...
Bengals return to AFC championship after 27-10 rout of BillsVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals threw a big wrench into the highly anticipated travel plans of the Buffalo Bills, their fans and perhaps even the NFL offices. Burrow threw two touchdown passes, and Cincinnati’s defense swarmed Josh Allen on a snow-slicked field in a 27-10...
Chiefs’ Chad Henne delivers with Patrick Mahomes hobbled in playoff win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The experience is evident in the salt that peppers the beard of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne. The 37-year-old journeyman has hung around the league for nearly 15 years, his days as a starter in Miami and Jacksonville long distant memories. For the past five...
AP source: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes suffered high ankle sprain
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes suffered a right high ankle sprain in the Kansas City Chiefs’ divisional playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, a person familiar with the nature of the injury told the Associated Press on Sunday, but the All-Pro quarterback expects to play in next weekend’s AFC...
Bills’ Hamlin attends 1st game since collapse, waves to fansVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made his first public appearance since going into cardiac arrest after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals three weeks ago, waving to fans from a stadium suite on Sunday as the teams met again for an AFC divisional playoff game...
