Blitzing with ‘Spags’: Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo is mad scientist of pass rush
NEW ORLEANS — Every once in awhile, when an unsuspecting offense is least expecting it, Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid will inch his way toward the line of scrimmage, then take off like a thunderbolt toward the quarterback the moment the ball is snapped. It looks so simple, the...
NFL players’ union boss Lloyd Howell: ‘No one wants to play an 18th game’ in regular season
NEW ORLEANS — An 18-game NFL regular season isn’t a slam dunk. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell pushed back on it Wednesday even though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly talked about it as if it’s inevitable. The two sides haven’t had formal discussions about expanding the season, which would...
Vic Fangio remade the Eagles defense and now looks for his elusive Super Bowl title
NEW ORLEANS — Vic Fangio’s coaching career started in the 1970s as a high school assistant in Pennsylvania and has taken him across the country in various stops as he grew into one of the most innovative defensive coaches in the game. Now at age 66, Fangio is at the...
More than 1/3 of Black NFL players surveyed by AP discouraged by lack of Black coaches
ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin paused for a moment to think while speaking to a reporter after a practice this season. “Now that you mention it,” McLaurin said, “I’ve never had a Black head coach in high school, college or the NFL. Coordinators and position coaches...
Former Eagles franchise QB Carson Wentz faces former team in Super Bowl
NEW ORLEANS — Carson Wentz once again will mostly be a spectator on the sidelines during a Super Bowl appearance by the Philadelphia Eagles. Seven years after he watched his backup Nick Foles win the MVP after delivering the Eagles their first Super Bowl title, Wentz is back on the...
NFL referees union calls allegations of bias toward the Chiefs ‘insulting’Video
NEW ORLEANS — The head of the union representing NFL officials called allegations that officiating crews are biased in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs or any other team “insulting and preposterous.” NFL Referees Association executive director Scott Green released a statement Tuesday thanking commissioner Roger Goodell for dismissing the...
Andy Reid reveals plans for coaching future with Chiefs
NEW ORLEANS — Coach Andy Reid doesn’t plan to leave the Kansas City sideline any time soon. As Reid prepares the Chiefs for their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons, the 66-year-old put to rest any talk that he was ready to hang it up if Kansas City wins...
At this bar in the heart of South Philly, it’s Chiefs over Eagles who reign as fan favorites
PHILADELPHIA — Nestled in the eye of South Philadelphia, just about a dozen blocks from where Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Eagles play each weekend, sits a corner bar that’s stuffed on game days with locals who have backed this year’s Super Bowl team for decades. Just not the...
NFL stenciling ‘Choose Love’ in an end zone for the Super Bowl to uplift country after tragedies
NEW ORLEANS — The NFL is stenciling “Choose Love” in the back of one of the end zones at the Superdome for the Super Bowl on Sunday in an effort to encourage the country after a series of tragedies over the first six weeks of the year. “The Super Bowl...
Trump to attend Super Bowl in New Orleans
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday, according to the White House. It will be his first trip as president to the game, as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Trump’s trip was confirmed by a White House official...
Role players often have major impacts on Super Bowl winners
NEW ORLEANS — The Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs isn’t lacking for star power. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are among the most recognized players in the NFL thanks to their stellar play, numerous commercials and Kelce’s pop star girlfriend, and the Chiefs have...
Travis Kelce is in no hurry to retire even if the Chiefs win another Super Bowl
NEW ORLEANS — Travis Kelce has no plans to retire anytime soon even if the Kansas City Chiefs win a third straight Super Bowl on Sunday. The future plans for the 35-year-old Kelce have been a lingering question as his fame has risen off the field thanks to his relationship...
Cooper Kupp says the Rams intend to trade him. He’s disappointed to end his 8 years with the team
LOS ANGELES — Receiver Cooper Kupp says the Los Angeles Rams are attempting to trade him after eight seasons with the club, and he doesn’t like the move. The Super Bowl 56 MVP made the announcement on social media Tuesday, saying the Rams told him they “will be seeking a...
Super Bowl might hinge on fierce interior pass rushes for Chiefs, EaglesVideo
Once Josh Allen backpedaled from the shotgun snap after the Buffalo Bills had just gone ahead of Kansas City, this crucial 2-point conversion play late in the third quarter of the AFC championship game quickly turned into chaos. Allen retreated to the 14-yard line, sized up the pressure and desperately...
Roger Goodell says perception that officials favor Chiefs is ‘ridiculous theory’Video
NEW ORLEANS — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell disputed the perception that officials favor the Kansas City Chiefs, saying it’s a “ridiculous theory.” Goodell addressed several topics, including diversity, an 18-game season, international expansion, Tom Brady’s dual role as a broadcaster and co-owner and more during his annual news conference that...
Controlling owner Josh Harris says Washington Commanders name not changing
ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris said Monday the team name is not changing. Harris said the name is here to stay after inheriting it when he and his group bought the team from longtime owner Dan Snyder in 2023. “I think it’s now being embraced by...
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett requests to be traded so he can have chance at Super Bowl
CLEVELAND — Star defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns with the hope of better positioning himself to win a Super Bowl, according to a statement he sent to media outlets Monday. The Browns finished last in the AFC North with a 3-14 record, and...
Eagles, Chiefs arrive in New Orleans for Super Bowl weekVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have landed in New Orleans for Super Bowl week. They exited their planes to sunshine and temperatures in the 60s on Sunday afternoon, a week before their matchup Feb. 9. Players and staff made their way down movable staircases from...
Former LSU receivers score 8 times as NFC tops AFC in Pro Bowl Games, 76-63Video
ORLANDO, Fla. — With Olympic flag football three years away, this much is becoming clear: the U.S. team should want a former LSU receiver on its roster. The four ex-Tigers competing in the Pro Bowl Games scored a combined eight touchdowns in a flag football game that capped the NFC’s...
Raiders hire Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator
Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision said Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the hire. Kelly was the offensive coordinator on Ohio State’s national...
2-time defending champ Chiefs become NFL juggernaut fans love to hateVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs were once the lovable NFL underdogs, led by the good-natured coach who couldn’t win the big one, the plucky quarterback with the Kermit the Frog-like voice, and the superstar tight end with charisma to spare. Five years after their first trip to...
Column: Nick Sirianni deserves more credit than he’s getting for Eagles’ Super Bowl runVideo
NEW YORK — Nick Sirianni is the forgotten man when credit gets doled out for the Philadelphia Eagles’ surge to their second Super Bowl in three years. But the coach deserves recognition for shepherding Philly to their 17-3 record through 20 games entering Super Bowl LIX, especially considering he began...
Jeff Thomason left construction site to join Eagles in Super Bowl 20 years ago
PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Thomason was in a work trailer in South Jersey 20 years ago ready to start another Monday morning on a construction site of a new housing development. His phone rang. It was Tom Melvin, a Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach. Thomason played three seasons with the Birds before...
A.J. Brown felt like ‘paid actor’ in Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to Chiefs
PHILADELPHIA — A.J. Brown lingered with some of his Philadelphia Eagles teammates outside the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room like any fan who had even a hint of a chance to hug it out with LeBron James. Sure enough, James spotted Brown, Darius Slay and other Eagles players, threw his...
Analysis: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts a prolific winner, but ultimate victory awaitsVideo
Jalen Hurts flashed a rare smile when Nick Sirianni screamed on the podium after the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC championship game: “All he does is win.” Hurts has been criticized throughout his career, but numbers don’t lie and Sirianni is right. Hurts is a winner. He’s 89-27 as a...
