Ravens hire Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as head coach
Before they even began the process of interviewing more than a dozen people for their coaching vacancy, the Baltimore Ravens knew plenty about Jesse Minter. Now he has the job. The Ravens hired the 42-year-old Minter on Thursday, about two weeks after they fired longtime coach John Harbaugh. Minter is...
The AP NFL MVP finalists are Allen, Lawrence, Maye, McCaffrey and Stafford
NEW YORK — Christian McCaffrey is the first player to be a finalist for three AP NFL awards in the same year, joining Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford in the running for The Associated Press 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player award. McCaffrey and Maye are also...
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold feeling ‘really good’ after playing with oblique injury in divisional round
RENTON, Wash. — After playing with an oblique injury in the Seattle Seahawks’ 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, quarterback Sam Darnold said he has felt “really good” in the days since the victory. “Just attacking rehab these last couple days,” Darnold said Wednesday. “Obviously,...
After 4 NFC title game losses with Packers, Davante Adams resumes chase of ‘mythical thing’ for Rams
LOS ANGELES — Davante Adams reached the NFC Championship game four times during his eight seasons with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Every time, Green Bay came up just short of the Super Bowl, and Adams still feels the pain. “It just feels almost like a mythical thing to me...
Bills owner feels team hit ‘proverbial wall’ after latest playoff loss
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula felt his team hit what he called “the proverbial wall” in leading to his decision to abruptly fire coach Sean McDermott this week. Speaking at a season-ending news conference on Wednesday, Pegula said he made up his mind immediately following a...
Broncos players express faith in backup QB Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix’s injury
DENVER — Bo Nix’s season was done in the snap of an ankle bone, a freefall off an emotional mountaintop after leading the Denver Broncos to a 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in the AFC divisional round Saturday. But there is no time to mourn. The AFC’s No. 2-seeded New...
Kenneth Walker III will need to carry load for Seahawks
SEATTLE — After he rushed for his third touchdown in the Seattle Seahawks’ 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs, Kenneth Walker III chucked the ball into the crowd. Walker, who tied Shaun Alexander’s record for TD runs in a playoff game, was grateful for his...
Broncos backup QB and ex-Patriot Jarrett Stidham is all that’s keeping New England from Super Bowl
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — All that stands between the New England Patriots and their first trip to the Super Bowl since Tom Brady left is a backup quarterback they already know pretty well. The team that Brady led to six NFL titles — and 13 conference title games — will play...
Reports: Steelers coaching candidate Jeff Hafley reaches agreement with Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins and Jeff Hafley have reached an agreement to make the former Boston College head coach and Packers defensive coordinator their coach, according to multiple reports Monday. The Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed Hafley for their head coach opening last week, according to reports. Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was...
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet out for remainder of playoffs with knee injury
SEATTLE — Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a knee injury that requires surgery, coach Mike Macdonald said in a local radio interview Monday. Charbonnet injured his knee during Saturday night’s 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional...
Jarrett Stidham set to join Roger Staubach, Frank Reich and 4 other QBs to make 1st start of season in playoffs
Bo Nix’s broken ankle has placed Jarrett Stidham into most unusual territory. After throwing no passes and taking four offensive snaps all season, Stidham will take over as starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game against New England on Sunday. Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in...
Bills fire Sean McDermott after 9 seasons of falling short of reaching Super Bowl
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017, envisioning the day of looking out his office window and seeing a throng of fans celebrating a Super Bowl victory. That possibility ended Monday, when McDermott was abruptly fired by team owner Terry Pegula after a nine-year tenure in...
Rams shake off wild TD pass by Caleb Williams to force OT, beat Bears to reach NFC title game
CHICAGO — Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday night to advance to the NFC championship game. Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass...
Maye throws 3 TD passes, Stroud has 4 INTs as Patriots top Texans to advance to AFC title gameVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years. In Mike Vrabel’s...
Bo Nix breaks his right ankle late in Broncos’ playoff win, will have season-ending surgery
DENVER — Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver Broncos’ divisional-round victory over Buffalo on Saturday and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of...
Green Day to open 60th Super Bowl with anniversary ceremony celebrating generations of MVPs
LOS ANGELES — The NFL is marking the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl with a hometown opening act. Green Day will kick off the big game with an opening ceremony Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the league announced Sunday. The performance will celebrate six decades...
Seahawks dominate 49ers from opening kick, advance to NFC title game
SEATTLE — Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Kenneth Walker III rushed for three scores and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to the NFC Championship game with a dominant 41-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and got his...
Bo Nix out for season after breaking ankle in win over Bills
DENVER — Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Josh Allen’s deep throw in overtime, and Bo Nix led the Broncos into position for Wil Lutz’s 24-yard field goal that sent Denver to the AFC Championship game with a 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. The downside: Nix will have season-ending surgery...
Seahawks know what to expect in 49ers as teams played 2 weeks agoVideo
RENTON, Wash. — For the Seattle Seahawks to host another playoff game and move closer to the fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, they will have to dispose of a familiar foe. Very familiar. The top-seeded Seahawks (14-3) host the San Francisco 49ers (13-5) in the NFC’s Divisional round...
Broncos host 1st playoff game in a decade, face banged-up BillsVideo
DENVER — After the Buffalo Bills ended the Denver Broncos’ season with a 31-7 thrashing in the playoffs last year, Sean Payton resolved to return the postseason party to Denver with its mile-high air and thunderous, stadium-rattling crowd. “We talk about earning seeds and trying to get all edges. It...
Analysis: John Harbaugh, set to take over Giants, will look to have better 2nd actVideo
John Harbaugh is heading to Broadway, aiming to make his second act even better than his first. Harbaugh didn’t have to wait long after the Baltimore Ravens fired him last week following 18 seasons. He had plenty of options and chose the New York Giants. His contract was still being...
Bears’ Caleb Williams presents an elusive challenge for Jared Verse, Rams defenseVideo
LOS ANGELES — When Jared Verse begins to elaborate on the methodology of sacking Caleb Williams, it’s quickly obvious the Los Angeles Rams star edge rusher has been thinking about this monumental task quite a bit. “You just have to keep rushing,” Verse said. “You have to keep running. Honestly,...
Texans’ fearsome foursome fuels pass rush as Houston prepares for Patriots
HOUSTON — Asked how he’d describe Houston’s pass rush to someone who hasn’t seen the Texans play before, coach DeMeco Ryans took a few seconds before landing on an answer. “It’s like four Tasmanian devils just wrecking everything that’s in front of them. That’s how I look at our guys,”...
Texans’ top-ranked defense looks to slow down Drake Maye and the Patriots in divisional matchup
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye made his first NFL start against the Houston Texans. The New England Patriots’ second-year quarterback has come a long way in the 15 months since. “That feels like, shoot, 10 years ago. It’s been a long journey,” Maye said. “Running out there with the first-snap...
Rams collide with resurgent Bears in divisional round matchup featuring high-powered offenses
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Ben Johnson spent plenty of time studying Sean McVay’s offense, though not necessarily for a moment like this. Back then, he wanted to know what worked for Jared Goff. Now, he’ll try to stop Matthew Stafford. And the stakes are high with the Chicago Bears set...
