Texans bring DeMeco Ryans’ swarm defense into Kansas City
HOUSTON — When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him. It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll...
Eagles’ Saquon Barkley faces Rams again after big 1st game
PHILADELPHIA — Sean McVay dissected the ways the Rams could stop Saquon Barkley — only the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history — when he considered the consequences if they did not. “If they get a bead on what you’re doing,” McVay, the Super Bowl champion Rams coach said, “they...
Stage set for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Bills’ Josh Allen to square off in divisional roundVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Baltimore coach John Harbaugh has enjoyed the fortune of competing on the NFL’s biggest stages to appreciate the setting and magnitude of what’s on the line for the Ravens and Bills in Buffalo on Sunday. There’s the quarterback matchup pitting arguably the NFL’s two leading MVP...
Vikings face more QB questions with Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthyVideo
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have entered yet another offseason with significant questions around their quarterback depth chart, an unsettledness that was supposed to be calmed last year when they drafted J.J. McCarthy. Sam Darnold played so well over 16 games after McCarthy’s rookie-year-robbing injury that the Vikings were...
Texans visit Chiefs in divisional round, 5 years after matchup during KC’s run to Super BowlVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid remembers quite well the previous time the Texans visited Kansas City for a divisional playoff game. He was still considered among the best coaches to have never won the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes was still a young, record-setting quarterback full of potential. The Texans...
Lions aim to kick off run to Super Bowl vs. Commanders
DETROIT — The Detroit Lions are riding high, elevated to a status they’ve never had as Super Bowl favorites. Detroit will host the Washington Commanders on Saturday night in the divisional round as the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, an advantage it earned by...
Cowboys reportedly add familiar name to list in coaching search
The Dallas Cowboys requested permission to interview Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in their search to replace Mike McCarthy, a person with knowledge of the team’s plans said Thursday. The Cowboys also are planning to interview two former NFL head coaches in Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier, the person...
Ravens history is filled with big road victories in the playoffs. Now they need anotherVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey approaches cold weather with a defensive back’s mindset. “I’ve always wanted to play in like 3 feet of snow, to where all they can do is run the ball,” he said this week while preparing for Sunday night’s playoff game at Buffalo....
Kicker Zane Gonzalez educates about OCD after viral momentVideo
ASHBURN, Va. — A national television audience watched Zane Gonzalez adjust his socks on the sideline and fix his hair multiple times before putting his helmet on and taking the field to kick the winning field goal in an NFL playoff game Sunday night. Those watching did not see Gonzalez...
Eagles ban the fan caught on camera berating Packers supporter
PHILADELPHIA — Lincoln Financial Field is known for being an intense environment to play in. But at the Eagles-Packers contest on Sunday, a man was caught on camera taking that too far. Packers fan Alex Basara of Chester County posted a video of an Eagles fan using language that is...
Lions’ investments in running game paying off as they prep for CommandersVideo
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions were built to run. Detroit’s longest-tenured players, offensive tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow, were first-round picks in 2016 and 2018. In general manager Brad Holmes’ first draft with the Lions in 2021, he selected two-time All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell with the...
Bills brace for playoff test of stopping Ravens’ Derrick HenryVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills coach Sean McDermott joked that Buffalo could use five 300-pound linebackers in assessing what it might take to stop Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. Linebacker Terrel Bernard was a little more realistic Wednesday, saying it’s going to require all 11 defenders swarming the running back. Even quarterback...
Colts will play in the NFL’s 1st regular-season game in BerlinVideo
The Indianapolis Colts will play in the first regular-season game in Berlin. The NFL announced Wednesday that the 2025 Berlin game will be played at Olympic Stadium. The Colts’ opponent and date of game will be announced later. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Munich in 2022...
Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin connection has blossomed for the CommandersVideo
ASHBURN, Va. — When the Washington Commanders had to have it — fourth down, trailing in the fourth quarter of a playoff game — Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin in the end zone for a touchdown. That moment marked the pinnacle of the rapport between the dynamic rookie quarterback and...
Fox will stream next month’s Super Bowl on Tubi for free
LOS ANGELES — Fox will stream the Super Bowl on Tubi for the first time, giving streamers and cord cutters a chance to watch the big game on Feb. 9 for free. Tubi was acquired by Fox Corporation in 2020. It is a free, ad-supported streaming service. It is the...
Veterans Hopkins, Brown provide big boost to Chiefs wide receiver groupVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins midway through the season, when the two-time defending Super Bowl champs had lost wide receivers Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice to injuries, and the hope was that the three-time All-Pro could help to stabilize a position group that...
Browns name Tommy Rees offensive coordinator
CLEVELAND — Tommy Rees went from being a ball boy for the Browns to running their offense. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski hired Rees as his offensive coordinator Wednesday, promoting him after firing Ken Dorsey following a season in which the Browns went 3-14 and averaged a league-low 15.2 points. Rees...
Browns sued by city over possible move from Cleveland to proposed domed stadium in suburbs
CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s fight to keep the Browns from moving from downtown and into a proposed dome in the suburbs has taken yet another legal turn. The city has filed a lawsuit to stop the NFL team from leaving Cleveland’s lakefront when its stadium lease expires after the 2028 season....
Lions reach new pinnacle after finally finding right leaders
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Sheila Ford Hamp stepped up to support general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell when the Detroit Lions were 4-18-1 under their leadership. Back then, there were doubts Detroit got it right. In Hamp’s first year as team owner, she gave Holmes his first chance...
Commanders move quickly from revelry to focus on next game
ASHBURN, Va. — Jayden Daniels has not seen any of the fervor around the Washington area since the Commanders delivered the franchise’s first playoff win in 19 years because the stellar rookie quarterback works hard to keep stuff like that out of his head. “I kind of stay in my...
Broncos QB Bo Nix already thinking about his next steps with rookie season in booksVideo
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In 1983, the Denver Broncos went on the road to Seattle and lost a wild-card playoff game 31-7. There was a rookie quarterback named John Elway who played that day. Things worked out pretty well for the future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl winner. Bo...
Deion Sanders, Jason Witten floated as Cowboys coach options
Deion Sanders and Jason Witten are two of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ former — and favorite — players, and both have been floated as potential replacements for coach Mike McCarthy. Jones and McCarthy agreed Monday to part ways after five seasons together. McCarthy was on an expiring contract and...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes watched playoffs while awaiting his child’s birthVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes had his mind on the playoffs even as he was awaiting the arrival of his third child. The Chiefs quarterback said Tuesday that his wife, Brittany, let him watch some of the wild-card games Sunday while they were waiting for her to give birth....
Houston Texans cut ties with former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
The Houston Texans have cut former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The Texans claimed Johnson off waivers after the Baltimore Ravens released him in Week 16. The Ravens cut Johnson after he refused to go into the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was upset by his role...
Rams overwhelm Vikings in wild-card playoff game moved to Arizona because of L.A. wildfiresVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Rams overwhelmed the Minnesota Vikings, sacking Sam Darnold an NFL playoff record-tying nine times to win 27-9 Monday night in an NFC wild-card game that was moved out of Southern California because of devastating wildfires. Rookie Jared...
