NFL category, Page 181

CLEVELAND — Down at least five players and three assistant coaches, the Cleveland Browns will try to become a playoff team again. Unable to practice most of the week because of covid-19 cases and protocols, the Browns said Saturday that offensive line coach Bill Callahan and assistant line coach Scott...

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns rang in the new year by practicing. With everything else that transpired over the past week, that was a major victory. They’ll go for an even bigger one Sunday. After days of positive covid-19 tests, disruptions and delays, the Browns found some normalcy and reopened...

During the summer, with baseball just returning from its hiatus and the NHL and NBA scrambling to build “bubbles” to complete their interrupted seasons, many scoffed at the prospect of the NFL going through a four-month schedule on time. Without cancellations or significant delays, too, likely even to the staging...

Cleveland Browns chief of staff Callie Brownson will fill in for wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be the second time Brownson has been called on by coach Kevin Stefanski. Earlier this season, she became the first female in NFL history to handle...

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tested positive for covid-19 and is expected to miss Sunday’s regular-season finale at Buffalo. Coach Brian Flores shared the news with Fitzpatrick’s teammates during a Zoom meeting Thursday, safety Eric Rowe said. Fitzpatrick’s positive test was first reported by NFL Network. “It...

Through plenty of potholes, seas of empty seats and enough piped-in crowd noise to make broadcasts sound like sitcom laugh tracks, the NFL is about to put the wacky and worrisome 2020 season in its rearview. A final slate of games Sunday will determine the other half of the expanded...

NEW ORLEANS — It’s apparently no accident Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders is wrapping up his first season in New Orleans with a chance to reach his fourth Super Bowl — all with different teams. “I just think I positioned myself on good teams,” Sanders said after practice on Wednesday. “If...

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins need a good game Sunday to ensure they get to keep playing, and that’s especially true for Tua Tagovailoa. With another dud, the rookie quarterback might be watching the final minutes from the sideline again as Miami tries to clinch a playoff berth at Buffalo....

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Don’t let the Buffalo Bills’ polite talk about how the Patriots were merely the next opponent on their schedule fool you. For the team’s longest-serving players who have known mostly failure when facing New England, Buffalo’s 38-9 primetime beatdown of the Patriots on Monday, bore the...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Derrick Henry has been running into lots of NFL records, and now he is a game away from joining another exclusive group. Only six men have led the NFL in rushing in consecutive seasons since the league went to a 16-game season, and no one has managed...

CLEVELAND — With their biggest game in years just days away, the Cleveland Browns added two more players to their lengthy covid-19 list. Starting safety Andrew Sendejo and rookie tight end Harrison Bryant were placed on the list Tuesday, giving Cleveland eight players on the list. It is not yet...

Facing fourth-and-goal at the 1 in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams, the New York Jets turned to veteran Frank Gore — along with rookie Mekhi Becton. The critical play called for Gore to run behind Becton, a 6-foot-7, 363-pound left tackle and the 11th overall pick in...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Josh Allen passed for four touchdowns and the Buffalo Bills became the first AFC East foe to sweep the season series with the New England Patriots in two decades with a 38-9 victory on Monday night. A week after unseating the Patriots as AFC East division champions,...

BALTIMORE — A year ago, the Baltimore Ravens already had wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs as they headed toward the final week of the regular season. Baltimore rested many of its starters in that meaningless finale, a luxury derived from its stature as the team...

CLEVELAND — The Browns had handled so many of 2020’s obstacles, navigating the coronavirus minefield and overcoming injuries while becoming one of the NFL’s biggest surprises. In 24 hours, it all fell apart. They fumbled. Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the New York Jets, which came after Cleveland lost six players...

LOS ANGELES — Saturday’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals set a record for the largest audience to stream an NFL game. The game, which primarily was streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch, delivered an estimated 11.2 viewers and had an average minute audience of 4.8...

HOUSTON — Frustration boiled over for star J.J. Watt after the Houston Texans dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday. Samaje Perine ran for two touchdowns, including a 3-yard score late, to give the Cincinnati Bengals their first road win in more than two years with a 37-31 victory over...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Brian Daboll should immediately remove Bills receivers Cole Beasley and Stefon Diggs from his list of potential references if Buffalo’s offensive coordinator hopes to land a head-coaching job any time soon. For entirely selfish reasons, Beasley and Diggs weren’t prepared this week to provide Daboll glowing...