Washington beats the Eagles 20-14, captures NFC East title
PHILADELPHIA — Just call the Washington Football Team division champs. Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes and Washington beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 Sunday night to capture the lowly NFC East. “This one’s special just because of how hard it was,” said Washington coach Ron Rivera, who overcame a form...
Browns, Bucs among newcomers as NFL playoff schedule comes into focusVideo
Welcome to the postseason, Cleveland. Cleveland? The Browns ended their string of non-playoff seasons Sunday with a tighter-than-expected 24-22 victory over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who sat many of their starters. Cleveland returned to the NFL in 1999, made the playoffs in 2002, and then, zilch. Until now. “It’s a...
NFL Week 17 roundup: Giants outlast Cowboys, stay in running for NFC EastVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants won. Now they wait. Rookie Xavier McKinney intercepted Dallas’ Andy Dalton in the end zone with 1:15 remaining, giving the Giants a 23-19 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday and a chance at an unprecedented, six-win playoff berth. New York’s postseason chances...
Ravens rush for 404 yards, steamroll Bengals to get into playoffsVideo
CINCINNATI — As one of the NFL’s worst covid-19 outbreaks sidelined star players, and injuries hit others, the Baltimore Ravens didn’t look like a playoff team in late November. But as quarterback Lamar Jackson came roaring back, so did Baltimore. After a Dec. 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with...
Report: Carson Wentz will seek trade from EaglesVideo
Here we go again. Another week, another report about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz being disgruntled and wanting out. Only this time, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Wentz will seek a trade regardless of whether the Eagles stick with Jalen Hurts as their starter. This is because his relationship with...
Cowboys, Giants need win and Washington loss for playoffsVideo
Playing with a backup quarterback and a defense that finally has found itself, the Dallas Cowboys are the hottest team in the NFC East entering the final weekend of the regular season. It might not be good enough to get them back to the playoffs. The Cowboys (6-9) will try...
NFL races go down to the wire in AFC South, NFC East
As the calendar turns to 2021, the NFL is experiencing pretty much what it covets. Try two division races and five wild-card berths out of six still undecided. Not to go unnoticed, naturally, is that the league is about to finish an entire schedule on time, with a few postponements...
On Football: From 2020’s best play to its weirdest moment
The Associated Press will hand out its individual NFL awards on the night before the Super Bowl in Tampa. Until then, here are some off-the-beaten-track honors to consider. Best game: In Week 9, the first professional matchup of Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray lived up to the hype. The two...
Syracuse and Broncos great Floyd Little dies at 78Video
Floyd Little, the great running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, died. He was 78. The Pro Football Hall of Fame said he died Friday night at his home in Nevada. No cause was given. “Floyd Little was not only a Hall of Fame running back,...
Browns down 2 more coaches for Steelers game because of covid issuesVideo
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...
Alvin Kamara on covid-19 list, could miss Saints’ playoff opener
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints have placed running back Alvin Kamara, who leads the club in both yards rushing and receiving, on their COVID-19 reserve list. The move means Kamara is unavailable for Sunday’s regular-season finale at Carolina and also could miss the Saints’ first playoff game if...
Browns get to practice as ‘weight’ of Steelers game sinks inVideo
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...
A season often in doubt to end on time, no cancellationsVideo
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...
Browns female executive Brownson to fill in again as coach Sunday against SteelersVideo
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...
Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick tests positive for covid-19Video
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...
New York makes exception to allow fans at Bills playoff game
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York is making an exception to its restrictions on large gatherings to allow about 6,700 fans to attend a Buffalo Bills home playoff game in January as long as all test negative beforehand. That’s about 10% of the stadium’s capacity. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the football...
Covid-19 changed NFL in 2020; some shifts are permanentVideo
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...
Emmanuel Sanders, Saints looking like good match as playoffs nearVideo
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...
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will start at Bills, but will he finish?Video
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....
Bills’ dynamic duo of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs ‘just scratching the surface’
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Receiver Stefon Diggs isn’t content with how he and quarterback Josh Allen have teamed up to rewrite several pages of the Buffalo Bills’ single-season record book. Acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March, Diggs likes to remind people this is only the dynamic duo’s first...
Bills’ rout of Patriots punctuates breakthrough seasonVideo
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...
Titans’ Derrick Henry poised to repeat as NFL’s rushing leaderVideo
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...
Browns add 2 more players to crowded covid-19 list ahead of game with SteelersVideo
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...
No preseason, no problem as NFL rookies shine in strange yearVideo
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...
Bills earn 1st sweep of Patriots since ’99 with 38-9 winVideo
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,...
