Joe Burrow takes hits, Bengals take wins in playoffs
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow took another beating against the top-seeded Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday. However, he still managed to push and will the Cincinnati Bengals to within one game of the Super Bowl. Now Burrow is faced with the task of outdueling Kansas City...
Bills add ’13 Seconds’ to history of heartbreaking losses
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After “Wide Right” and “Music City Miracle,” the Buffalo Bills begin the offseason adding a new entry into their history of playoff heartbreak: “13 Seconds.” That’s how much time separated the Bills from securing the next step in their Super Bowl aspirations. Instead came a stunning...
Poised and confident, Patrick Mahomes has Chiefs back in AFC title game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You could spend about a year describing the frantic two minutes that led to overtime between the Bills and Chiefs on Sunday night, when Kansas City rallied for a heart-pounding 42-36 victory to reach its fourth consecutive AFC title game. Or you could use two words:...
Chiefs-Bills thriller shows what elite quarterback play is all about, raises overtime questions
When it comes to great endings in Pittsburgh Steelers playoff history, there are plenty to chronicle. • The Immaculate Reception • Santonio Holmes’ catch at the end of Super Bowl XLIII • The comeback against the Browns at Heinz Field • Jim Harbaugh’s near Hail Mary in the 1995 AFC...
First Call: Antonio Brown mocks Bucs’ defeat; possible candidate for Steelers defensive coordinator; AFC/NFC title game odds
Monday’s “First Call” checks in on Aaron Rodgers’ state of mind as Pittsburgh Steelers fans join the rest of the NFL in wondering what will become of his career after this season. We also give you Antonio Brown’s latest social media hilarity. Some interesting gambling odds for the NFL’s conference...
Chiefs rally past Buffalo, 42-36, in OT in wild playoff gameVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a never-say-die showdown between two of the NFL’s top teams, and two of its bright young quarterbacks, the Bills and Chiefs played a classic Sunday night decided by one of them calling tails and the other making him pay for it. Josh Allen’s decision on...
Return to Tampa Bay next season no lock for Tom BradyVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — If Tom Brady played the last game of an unprecedented career, he ended with one of his toughest losses after a stunning comeback. Bloodied and battered by the Los Angeles Rams, the 44-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champion rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back from a 27-3 deficit,...
Rams hold off Buccaneers rally, advance to NFC championship gameVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Matthew Stafford stood on the sideline helplessly watching Tom Brady be Tom Brady, leading another exhilarating comeback. This time, though, the seven-time Super Bowl champion left too much time on the clock, giving Stafford a chance to create some playoff magic of his own. Turns out, 42...
Another short postseason, another uncertain offseason for Aaron Rodgers, PackersVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers heads into another offseason of uncertainty after one more frustrating finish to a brilliant year. Rodgers drove the Green Bay Packers to a touchdown on the game’s opening possession, then couldn’t get them back in the end zone the rest of Saturday night. Their...
Gould’s FG on final play gives 49ers 13-10 upset of Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Robbie Gould lived up to his name. On a field littered with snow flurries, Gould made a 45-yard field goal Saturday night as time expired and the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the top-seeded Packers 13-10 and possibly ended Aaron Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay. Gould...
FG as time expires lifts Bengals past Titans, into AFC championship game
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Cincinnati Bengals just keep ending postseason droughts, and their latest victory has them in their first AFC championship game in 33 years. Rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the fourth-seeded Bengals past the top-seeded Tennessee Titans, 19-16, on Saturday to...
Bills headed to KC for high-profile AFC title game rematch
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Stefon Diggs walked off the field inside Arrowhead Stadium back in October with two very distinct feelings: elation that his Bills had avenged an AFC title game loss to the Chiefs and the conviction they would meet again. Get ready for the latest throwdown between two...
Ravens part ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday night he is parting ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale. “After several productive conversations, Don and I have agreed to move forward in separate directions,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “We have had a great run on defense, and I am very proud...
Titans activate Derrick Henry for playoff game vs. BengalsVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will have Derrick Henry on the field for their AFC divisional game with Cincinnati after moving the NFL’s 2019 and 2020 rushing leader from injured reserve to the active roster. The Titans (12-5) made the roster move Friday after watching Henry practice since Jan....
Tom Brady, Buccaneers take another crack at Rams in playoffsVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are excited about another opportunity to face a regular-season nemesis in the playoffs. The defending Super Bowl champions host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round Sunday, looking to avenge a pair of losses to the only team...
Top-seeded Titans eager to start playoff run with Bengals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have survived using more players than any NFL team in a non-strike season and still earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They’re as rested and healthy as they’ve been all season, and now they have back Derrick Henry, the NFL’s top rusher in 2019...
N.Y. Giants name Joe Schoen of Buffalo Bills as their new GM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Joe Schoen was at the top of the New York Giants’ list of candidates when they started their search for a new general manager, and the Buffalo Bills assistant GM never left that spot. The Giants hired the 42-year-old Schoen as their general manager Friday. It...
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay arrested on misdemeanor
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay was charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property after he broke a vacuum and other items during an argument, putting his status for Sunday’s divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in question. Police in the Kansas City suburb...
Healthy Titans RB Henry will see banged-up Bengals D-line
CINCINNATI — If Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry returns for the playoffs Saturday, he’ll be running into a Cincinnati Bengals defensive line that is already banged up. The Bengals had been relatively healthy until last week in the first-round playoff win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Stalwart defensive tackle...
Mike Preston: With so many NFL openings, it’s past time for more Black coaches to be hired
BALTIMORE — Black coaches are good enough to be coordinators in the NFL, but not head coaches. That’s the message the league has been sending, with hopes that it will change this year. There were eight openings soon after the regular season ended Jan. 9, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike...
NFL’s wild-card round TV ratings increase 21% over last yearVideo
TV ratings for the NFL’s wild-card round increased 21% over last year despite most of the games not being in doubt going into the fourth quarter. The six games averaged 30.5 million viewers, making it the second-highest average for the postseason’s opening weekend over the past six seasons. CBS and...
Eagles say Jalen Hurts will be their starting QB next seasonVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles say Jalen Hurts will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2022. “We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a first-year starter and second-year player, and leading this team to the playoffs,” general manager Howie Roseman said Wednesday, just three days after...
Chiefs keep leaning on Jerick McKinnon, other unsung playersVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jerick McKinnon probably shouldn’t have been surprised to spend all season buried on the Chiefs depth chart. The journeyman running back had been passed over plenty of times before. Start with those early years in Minnesota, when he backed up Adrian Peterson. An injury to the...
Foot feels fine as Derrick Henry preps for Titans’ playoff returnVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Derrick Henry, the man who literally ran the Tennessee Titans to the AFC championship game two years ago, is ready to play again. The 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year says his surgically repaired right foot, fixed with a steel plate, feels no different than...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield has surgery, starts road to ‘true self’
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield has shifted into comeback mode. The Cleveland Browns quarterback had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury that affected his play, led to a disappointing season and raised doubts about his future. Mayfield posted a video on social media...
