Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Penguins’ western sweep, Tristan Jarry’s brilliance, AFC playoff stunners
In this week’s “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden is playing hurt. Why should he be different than anyone else in the Pittsburgh sports scene? Mark is really sick. But he joins us anyway for this week’s podcast. Kinda like the Penguins, right? Everyone is injured. But they are managing to win....
Packers hold off Seahawks to reach NFC championship gameVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers connected with Davante Adams eight times for 160 yards and two touchdowns, Green Bay’s spruced-up defense fended off a spirited Seattle rally and the Packers held on for a 28-23 victory Sunday night to reach the NFC championship game for the third time in...
Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson elected into Hall of FameVideo
Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships in the 1990s, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The hall announced his selection Sunday night as part of a centennial class that was chosen on Wednesday by a special committee. Former Pittsburgh Steelers...
Patrick Mahomes tosses 5 TDs, Chiefs rally from 24-0 hole to top TexansVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes stalked up and down the sideline like a field marshal rallying his troops, the brilliant young quarterback imploring the Kansas City Chiefs to stay together even as the Houston Texans were on the verge of taking them apart. The Chiefs already faced a 24-0...
John Steigerwald: Lamar Jackson deserved better from Ravens teammates
Lamar Jackson can’t win the big one. If you haven’t heard that yet, be patient, you will. After the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, Jackson is 0-2 in the NFL playoffs. Of course, he’s one of those athletic, mobile quarterbacks, who many observers just can’t...
As Ravens move on after stunning playoff loss, they look back and ahead: ‘It was fun, man, while it lasted’Video
BALTIMORE — Cornerback Marcus Peters was one of the first Ravens to head to his locker late Sunday morning, pack up his belongings and acknowledge that the end had well and truly come. “It was fun, man, while it lasted,” he said before a legion of cameras and microphones, but...
AP source: Browns hiring Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski as next coach
CLEVELAND — The Browns didn’t pass on Kevin Stefanski a second time. Cleveland is hiring the Vikings’ offensive coordinator to be its new coach, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday. Stefanski agreed to accept the position a day after Minnesota was beaten 27-10 by...
Patriots WR Julian Edelman arrested for vandalism in Beverly Hills
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — New England Patriots star Julian Edelman was arrested in Southern California on suspicion of misdemeanor vandalism after jumping on the hood of someone’s car, authorities said Sunday. Edelman, 33, caused unspecified damage when he jumped on the vehicle Saturday night on a commercial block of Beverly...
Derrick Henry, Titans run over Ravens, advance to AFC title gameVideo
BALTIMORE — With his bright red shoes and relentless running, Derrick Henry grabbed the spotlight and wouldn’t let go. When he was done leading Tennessee into the AFC championship game Saturday night, he did a lengthy victory lap around the Baltimore Ravens’ home, slapping hands and taking selfies with Titans...
Browns still coachless, team starts contacting potential GMsVideo
CLEVELAND — The interviews are over. The wait continues. The Browns are still coachless. After meeting with eight candidates over the past two weeks, Cleveland still hasn’t decided on a choice for its next coach. The uncertainty could carry through another NFL playoff weekend for a team that began this...
Niners stymie Vikings for 1st playoff win in 6 yearsVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Richard Sherman anticipated the route for an interception and then watched the San Francisco 49ers run eight straight times for the touchdown that put them in control of their first playoff game in six years. The dominant defense and powerful running game that carried the Niners...
Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes headlines Texans-Chiefs playoff tiltVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs knew they were in the market for a quarterback a couple of years ago and, with several first-round talents available, they invited Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes for visits. Both were put through their paces. They scribbled plays on...
Aaron Rodgers knows time to win 2nd Super Bowl is running outVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl nearly a decade ago. The time to capture a second is running out. “It’s on my mind every day,” Rodgers said. “That’s why we play the game. That’s why you put in the time in the offseason. That’s why...
Former Titans see game vs. Ravens as chance to avenge lossesVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chris Johnson’s rookie season ended at Baltimore with his ankle so injured he missed the Pro Bowl. To Eddie George, a divisional-round loss to the Ravens after the 2000 season ranks as possibly his most painful. The Titans playing the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round Saturday...
Kyle Shanahan, Kirk Cousins on opposite sides for playoff meetingVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kirk Cousins starting the 49ers’ first playoff game at Levi’s Stadium was how coach Kyle Shanahan planned it when he took over in San Francisco in 2017. The surprise is Cousins is starting for the Minnesota Vikings instead of the Niners when the teams meet in...
Fantasy football industry looking into NFL Wild Card Weekend controversy
Controversy during last week’s NFL Wild Card Weekend wasn’t limited to pass-interference debates and arguments over the overtime format. No, it bled into the fantasy football world as well, courtesy of two former reality TV stars. A pair of alumni from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” — Jade Roper Tolbert...
After signing with Chicago Bears, Pitt product J.P. Holtz looks ahead to NFL future
When the call came, J.P. Holtz didn’t hesitate to get his things packed. The Shaler Area and Pitt graduate was released by the Washington Redskins in early September and was scrambling to try to catch on with the Chicago Bears a few days later. “It was pretty crazy,” Holtz said....
Giants coach Joe Judge, old-fashioned at 38, wants blue-collar teamVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Joe Judge has every intention of bringing old-fashioned, blue-collar football back to the struggling New York Giants. Roughly three minutes after being introduced as coach of the Giants, the relative unknown 38-year-old disciple of two of football’s coaching greats set out to answer the question of...
Ravens, Lamar Jackson launch playoff run against underdog TitansVideo
BALTIMORE — Containing Lamar Jackson has been virtually impossible for opposing defenses this season, and now the task falls on the Tennessee Titans to find a way to slow down a versatile quarterback who is equally adept at running the ball and throwing downfield. “Other than try to tie his...
NFL doctor calls Eagles’ Carson Wentz ‘heroic’ for reporting concussionVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The NFL’s chief medical officer called Carson Wentz “heroic” for reporting his concussion during Philadelphia’s playoff loss and disputed the notion the league’s system failed the Eagles quarterback. “I think what Carson Wentz did is heroic and should be highlighted as an example of how an unbelievably skilled...
Mike McCarthy gets chance with another iconic franchise in DallasVideo
FRISCO, Texas — Mike McCarthy used to drive by the statues every day when arriving for work at Lambeau Field, so there never was much need to tell him what he was getting into as coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Nearly 10 years after winning a Super Bowl with one...
New Panthers coach Matt Rhule faces major QB decisionVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the biggest decisions new Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule will have to make is choosing a quarterback, a move that could determine the direction of his tenure and the franchise’s future for years to come. Rhule said Wednesday he spoke to Cam Newton after accepting...
Browns continue coaching search, interview Eagles’ Jim SchwartzVideo
CLEVELAND — Jim Schwartz began his NFL career as a gofer with the Browns. If he comes back, he can boss people around. The Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, who started as a scout and errand runner under coach Bill Belichick in Cleveland, interviewed Wednesday to be the Browns’ next coach....
Patriots QB Tom Brady thanks fans, says still has more to prove
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady apparently is not retiring. Not that many thought he was going to walk away from the game, especially after finishing the season with a pick-6 in a loss to the Tennessee Titans in a Wild Card game Saturday night. Brady in a post Wednesday...
How Titans defeated Patriots and can they beat Ravens, too?
The last time we caught up with old friend Jon Burton (formerly of WTAE-TV) on the “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, it was mid-August. The Pittsburgh Steelers were getting ready to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 of the preseason, and Burton was covering it for News Channel 5 in...
