Rams to play Super Bowl in home stadium after big 4th quarter vs. 49ersVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Travin Howard made a game-sealing interception with 1 minute, 9 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a spot in the Super Bowl at their home stadium next month with a thrilling 20-17 victory over...
While NFL plays title games, world waits on Tom Brady retirement decisionVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — While the NFL conference championship games went on without Tom Brady for only the second time in 11 years, the world waits for the greatest quarterback of all time to make his future plans official. An announcement is expected soon and a person close to Brady told...
Bengals erase 18-point deficit, advance to Super Bowl after win in Kansas CityVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Evan McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 9 minutes, 22 seconds left in overtime after Joe Burrow kept his cool while leading a furious second-half comeback to get the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years with a...
Chicago Bears hire Steel Valley grad Luke Getsy as offensive coordinatorVideo
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator Sunday, raiding the staff of rival Green Bay to find the assistant they feel is best suited to install a successful scheme for Justin Fields. Getsy, a Steel Valley graduate and former Pitt quarterback, spent the past...
Bengals alums reflect on 1988 ‘shuffle’ to Super Bowl
CINCINNATI — C.J. Uzomah caught a touchdown pass in the Bengals’ wild-card playoff win and broke into the “Ickey Shuffle,” an end-zone celebration dance so famous there’s a whole Wikipedia page devoted to it. Uzomah was paying homage to Ickey Woods, who starred as a rookie running back for the...
Vikings reportedly speak with Jim Harbaugh about head coach vacancyVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Jim Harbaugh might be taking a step toward returning to the NFL. Harbaugh and the Minnesota Vikings had exploratory conversations about the team’s coaching vacancy Saturday, a person with knowledge of the process told the Associated Press. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team...
49ers-Rams rivalry leads to NFC title game matchup
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay arrived in California five years ago, a pair of hot-shot young coaches with a shared history and similar offenses taking over struggling franchises. Shanahan took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl his third season, and he has them a...
Tom Brady’s career achievements
It’s been an incredible career for quarterback Tom Brady, there’s certainly no denying that. Here are some highlights and stats from one of the longest and most productive NFL careers of all time. Super Bowl appearances 10: Super Bowl 36, Super Bowl 38, Super Bowl 39, Super Bowl 42, Super...
AP sources: Despite reports, Tom Brady hasn’t made up mind
TAMPA, Fla. — Only Tom Brady could turn a retirement decision into must-see drama. Despite reports that he is retiring, Brady has told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he hasn’t made up his mind, two people familiar with the details told The Associated Press. It’s unknown when he’ll make an announcement,...
Rams’ Aaron Donald: ‘Only thing I am lacking is being a champion.’
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald is firmly in conversations about the top pass rushers in NFL history. The Los Angeles Rams’ superstar defensive tackle knows that he is on another list that he would like to remove himself from — great players who haven’t won a championship. As the Rams...
Nathaniel Hackett brings Broncos pizzazz, maybe Aaron Rodgers?
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — George Paton sees Nathaniel Hackett as the booster shot the Denver Broncos desperately needed. Through nearly 20 hours of interviews in Green Bay and Denver and on Zoom, Paton said it became clear Hackett “was the right leader for the Denver Broncos and really the perfect choice...
Giants hire Bills O coordinator Brian Daboll as head coach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their head coach Friday. Daboll, 46, replaces Joe Judge, who was fired two days after the Giants finished a 4-13 season, their fifth straight double-digit losing season. Daboll spent the previous four seasons as...
Young, hungry Bengals off to Kansas City to face grizzled Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have been in this position before. Walking across the cold Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, dressing in their revamped locker room, strolling through the narrow tunnel and spilling onto the field for the AFC title game. In fact, the Chiefs have done it...
Star-studded LA Rams host surging 49ers in NFC title game
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Aaron Donald has been around long enough to know he might not get this chance again. The same goes for everybody in the Los Angeles Rams’ constellation of stars around him. Late in his eighth NFL season as the best defensive lineman of his generation, Donald’s career...
Former Penn State kicker Robbie Gould shining in ‘Goulden’ years with 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on Robbie Gould three years ago, the kicker had a decision to make. He could re-sign or hang up his cleats after a long, successful career and head back home to the Chicago area to be with...
Mike Macdonald returning to Ravens as defensive coordinator
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Mike Macdonald as their defensive coordinator, bringing him back from the college ranks after a season at Michigan. The Ravens announced the move Thursday night. The 34-year-old Macdonald was Michigan’s defensive coordinator last season, when the Wolverines won the Big Ten and...
Byron Leftwich could be leaving Bucs to become head coach of JaguarsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Byron Leftwich could be the Jaguars’ first choice again. The Bucs’ offensive coordinator, who was Jacksonville’s first-round pick in 2003 as a quarterback out of Marshall, could be hired as the Jaguars’ next head coach. There are some items to clear up contractually, but Leftwich and the...
AP source: Broncos finalizing deal with Packers OC Hackett
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos are finalizing a deal to hire Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was...
AP source: Bears hire Colts DC Matt Eberflus as head coach
CHICAGO — Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press, tasked with turning around a franchise mired in mediocrity for much of the past decade. The person confirmed the move to the...
Former Pitt lineman Brian O’Neill among Pro Bowl injury replacementsVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry and Minnesota Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill were selected as injury replacements for the Pro Bowl. The Titans and Vikings made the announcements Wednesday. Landry is replacing Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers), and O’Neill is replacing Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)....
13 seconds turned into $223,000 and counting for Buffalo children’s hospital
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Twitter account Chiefs Kingdom Memes suggested on Monday that Chiefs fans donate $13 to The Patricia Allen Fund, Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s foundation benefiting John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, members of the Chiefs Kingdom rallied in a big way. Brayton Wilson, a reporter...
AP source: Vikings hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager, according to a person with knowledge of the process, taking an innovative turn by bringing in an analytics expert from Cleveland’s front office who once worked on Wall Street. The person spoke to The Associated Press on...
Chicago Bears hire Ryan Poles as general managerVideo
CHICAGO — Ryan Poles made the Chicago Bears this time. Poles was hired as Chicago’s general manager Tuesday, almost 15 years after he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and then failed to make the final roster. Poles spent the previous 13 seasons in the Chiefs’ front...
NFL divisional round averages record 38.2 million viewersVideo
NEW YORK — The four NFL divisional round playoff games had the highest average viewers on record with 38.2 million tuning in on television and digital platforms. Every game over the weekend came down to the final play. Besides it being the highest average for the divisional round since Nielsen...
AP source: Coach Sean Payton resigns from New Orleans Saints
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, whose 15-year tenure with the club included its only Super Bowl championship and also a one-season suspension stemming from the NFL’s bounty investigation, intends to retire from coaching. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday that...
