Bucs safety, Pitt and Central Valley product Jordan Whitehead injured in car accident, out Sunday
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead was injured in a car accident Saturday and will not play against the Saints on Sunday. The Buccaneers placed Whitehead on the reserve/non-football injury list and signed safety Ryan Neal from the practice squad. Whitehead, a Pitt and Central Valley product,...
Ar’Darius Washington has been right in the middle of Baltimore’s late-season improvement on defenseVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Before Baltimore’s game at Houston on Christmas Day became a rout, the Ravens’ defense was put to the test. It was fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, and on a swing pass to Joe Mixon, safety Ar’Darius Washington swooped in unblocked, stopping the running back along the...
Vikings’ passing attack keeps ascending thanks to former Pitt star Jordan AddisonVideo
EAGAN, Minn. — Jordan Addison lined up in the slot and ran a simple 5-yard hitch route for the Minnesota Vikings last week in the third quarter against Green Bay, selling his complete stop so well that Packers safety Javon Bullard relaxed his coverage for a costly second. Addison suddenly...
On Football: Baker Mayfield’s success in Tampa Bay has turned him into a coach-builderVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay and became a coach-builder in the process. Mayfield’s success with the Buccaneers in 2023 helped Dave Canales become head coach of the Carolina Panthers after just one season as an offensive coordinator. Mayfield has played even better under Liam...
Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa ‘unlikely’ to play Sunday against Jets
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to miss his second straight game when the Miami Dolphins travel to face the New York Jets on Sunday in a matchup with playoff implications, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday. Backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is again in line to start...
Jets interview Mike Vrabel Ron Rivera for coach, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for GM
The New York Jets interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Friday for their coaching vacancy. Vrabel is the second known coaching candidate to meet with the Jets, who announced they completed their interview with him. New York also spoke to former Washington and Carolina coach Ron Rivera on...
Ravens vs. Browns is expected to be a mismatch. So is Jackson vs. ZappeVideo
There are many reasons Baltimore has a chance to win a division title this week while Cleveland is near the bottom of the league. For example, consider the matchup at quarterback. Lamar Jackson is in the mix for his third MVP award and second in a row, with a chance...
Bailey Zappe to start at quarterback for Browns’ season finale in Baltimore
BEREA, Ohio — Bailey Zappe will be quarterback No. 4 and No. 40 for the Browns. He was selected by coach Kevin Stefanski to start Saturday’s season finale at Baltimore, making him the fourth quarterback to start this season and the 40th since Cleveland returned to the NFL as an...
Pro Bowl rosters include 9 Ravens, 7 Lions, 6 Vikings and Eagles and no Patrick Mahomes
Nine Baltimore Ravens, including two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, were selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The Detroit Lions are next with seven players and the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles each have six players on the NFC roster. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t selected to the AFC roster...
Azeez Al-Shaair was in ‘really dark place’ after Trevor Lawrence hit
HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said he was in a “really dark place” and wondered if he’d ever play football again in the days after he was suspended for three games for his hit on Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence that left the quarterback with a concussion. Speaking to reporters...
Chiefs to start Carson Wentz at QB against Denver, which would clinch playoff berth with win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs will start backup Carson Wentz at quarterback on Sunday in Denver in a game that means nothing to Kansas City, which has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but could mean everything to the Broncos. Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced...
Dominant season for the NFC North will leave a 14-win team as a wild card
There’s never quite been a division like this season’s NFC North and there has never been a wild-card team like whoever loses the division title showdown between Detroit and Minnesota. Led by the Lions and Vikings, both 14-2, the NFC North is set to be the winningest division since the...
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni set to rest Saquon Barkley in finale, end chance at NFL rushing record
PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley appears set to sit out the Philadelphia Eagles final regular-season game Sunday, denying the running back his chance at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record. Barkley would finish the season with 2,005 yards rushing, just 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards...
Future of sports world integrates technology advancement, soaring revenue, fan experienceVideo
Editor’s note: One-fourth of the way through this century, TribLive is looking ahead to the next 25 years, using the events of the past 25 as a road map of what possibly is to come. This installment of the occasional series looks at the future of sports. Payment to college...
Willie Thrower: New Kensington man cast the mold for the modern NFL quarterback 70 years ago
Willie Thrower didn’t talk much about his place in NFL history. Not even with his family. His son, Melvin, was in junior high before he learned about his father’s watershed moment. On Super Bowl Sunday in 1988, Melvin Thrower sat with his father in their New Kensington home and watched...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower cast the mold for the modern NFL quarterback 70 years ago
Willie Thrower didn’t talk much about his place in NFL history. Not even with his family. His son, Melvin, was in junior high before he learned about his father’s watershed moment. On Super Bowl Sunday in 1988, Melvin Thrower sat with his father in their New Kensington home and watched...
