First-year coach DeMeco Ryans transforms Texans with relentless mindsetVideo
HOUSTON — DeMeco Ryans was in high school when a coach told him if he wanted to make a career out of football, he would have to show great energy on every single snap. Ryans took that message to heart and now in his first year as coach of the...
Helmet manufacturer: Mahomes’ shattered lid in playoff game ‘did its job’Video
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The manufacturer of the helmet that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shattered during their AFC wild-card game with Miami says it “did its job” by protecting the league MVP “during a head-to-head impact in unprecedented cold temperatures.” The game Saturday night was the fourth-coldest in NFL history....
Browns shake up offensive staff, coordinator Alex Van Pelt, 2 other assistants gone
CLEVELAND — For the second straight year, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has made a major offseason change to his staff. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has parted ways with the team, leaving just days after Cleveland was blown out in the wild-card round by Houston and following a season in...
Bills’ schedule could be disrupted with another snowstorm forecast to hit region
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mother Nature might not be through complicating the Buffalo Bills’ playoff schedule, leaving coach Sean McDermott assessing his options Tuesday. McDermott said the team, for now, is still scheduled to practice Wednesday and Thursday, while monitoring a forecast that projects a lake-effect storm dumping nearly 2...
Ravens hope their bye has them refreshed and healthier for their playoff opener against TexansVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Leave it to Roquan Smith, Baltimore’s chatty linebacker, to put the enormity of the postseason into words. “I don’t feel pressure at all, but some do say pressure bursts pipes and makes diamonds,” Smith said. “I know a lot of guys in there like diamonds, so...
Eagles center Jason Kelce intends to retire after 13 NFL seasons, AP sources say
PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce stood on the sideline in tears as the final seconds ticked off in his likely final NFL game. Kelce embraced his long-time offensive line coach. He removed his helmet once the game ended — a Philadelphia Eagles loss that completed a harrowing season-ending collapse — and...
3rd Chiefs-Bills playoff meeting in 4 seasons highlights NFL’s divisional round
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will have a third shot at Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. This time, Buffalo gets to play at home. And there won’t be a Super Bowl rematch between Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. At least not this season. Mahomes will...
Baker Mayfield throws for 337 yards and 3 TDs to lead Buccaneers to NFC wild-card rout of Eagles
TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead the resurgent Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 32-9 wild-card playoff victory over Jalen Hurts and the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. The Bucs (10-8) won for the sixth time in seven games to...
Overachieving Rams head into brighter future after playoff loss
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams improved more quickly and won more games than almost anybody expected this season. That didn’t make their one-point road playoff loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday any less painful in the moment. But once the sting wears off, Matthew Stafford and his...
Heisman winner Caleb Williams formally leaves USC, enters NFL draft as potential No. 1 pick
LOS ANGELES — Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams has formally entered the NFL draft, leaving Southern California after two prolific seasons. Williams made his long-anticipated announcement on social media Monday, the final day for underclassmen to enter the draft. He is widely considered the favorite to be the No. 1...
Future gets cloudy for Cowboys after another playoff flop
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jerry Jones has watched his Dallas Cowboys lose their playoff opener twice as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The club’s owner and general manager endured the Dez Bryant catch that wasn’t in Green Bay when Dallas appeared good enough for a deep run but lost...
Analysis: After another playoff failure, only Bill Belichick can save Cowboys
Jimmy Johnson showed more passion for winning on television than any of the Dallas Cowboys did on the field. Now, Jerry Jones should turn to another coaching icon to save his franchise. Speculation about Bill Belichick has ramped up. He’s already the odds-on favorite to be the next coach in...
Stunned Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t address Mike McCarthy’s future after wild-card loss
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ashen-faced Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wasn’t ready to discuss the future of coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Dak Prescott or anything else after a stunning playoff loss to Green Bay. “This is one of my (biggest) surprises since I’ve been involved in sport, period,” Jones said after...
Jared Goff leads Lions to 1st playoff win in 32 years, 24-23 over Matthew Stafford, Rams
DETROIT — Jared Goff threw for a touchdown and completed a game-sealing first down against the team that cast him away, and the Detroit Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years, beating Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 on Sunday night. The Lions...
J.J. McCarthy entering NFL draft, skipping senior season after leading Michigan to national title
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — J.J. McCarthy, Michigan’s national-championship winning quarterback, is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. McCarthy made the announcement Sunday, a day after being begged to stay. “The decision was not easy and how could it be — I love my teammates, I love my...
Jordan Love and the Packers pull a wild-card stunner, beating Dak Prescott and the Cowboys 48-32Video
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns, Aaron Jones ran for three more, Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a score and the Green Bay Packers handed the Dallas Cowboys their first home loss since the 2022 opener in a 48-32 wild-card stunner Sunday. Romeo Doubs...
Baker Mayfield focused on defeating Eagles in playoffs, not his future with BuccaneersVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — A rejuvenated Baker Mayfield said he is focused on defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, not the future of a career he has revived by leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft arguably has had his best season as...
Jim Harbaugh set to meet with Chargers next week about their head coach vacancy, AP source saysVideo
The Jim Harbaugh derby for NFL teams is about to heat up. A week after leading Michigan to a national title, Harbaugh will meet with the Los Angeles Chargers about their head coaching vacancy this week, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke to...
Patrick Mahomes leads Chiefs past Dolphins in near-record low temps
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown, had his helmet shattered when he took a hit in the second half and proceeded to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 26-7 rout of the Miami Dolphins in the fourth-coldest game in NFL history Saturday...
Joe Flacco’s incredible run in Cleveland ends with 2 pick-6s
HOUSTON — From the couch to the playoffs, Joe Flacco had an incredible run with the Cleveland Browns. But his stretch of success came to a sudden end Saturday, when the Browns lost 45-14 to the Houston Texans in a wild-card playoff matchup. Flacco had interceptions returned for touchdowns on...
Patrick Mahomes’ helmet shatters during Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had his helmet shattered on a hit from Miami Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott during Saturday night’s frigid AFC wild-card playoff game. With a game-time temperature of minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit, the game was the fourth-coldest in NFL history, and it was...
Stroud becomes youngest QB to win a playoff game as Texans rout Browns 45-14Video
HOUSTON — As the games get bigger, C.J. Stroud just keeps getting better. The rookie became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and the Houston Texans returned two interceptions by Joe Flacco for scores in a 45-14 rout of the...
RB Aaron Jones rebounds from injuries to help Packers into postseason
GREEN BAY, Wis. — This hasn’t been a typical season for Green Bay’s Aaron Jones, but the veteran running back has regained his peak form just in time to help the Packers reach the playoffs. Jones, 29, bounced back from hamstring and knee injuries to rush for at least 112...
Joe Flacco’s remarkable comeback has Cleveland buzzing, Browns believing
CLEVELAND — Joe Flacco still struggles to process this re-found fame, an unexpected rebirth in a city where he was once despised and now adored. It’s all happened so fast for the quarterback who fell from his couch, landed in Cleveland and then the playoffs. “Crazy,” the soon-to-be 39-year-old Flacco...
Mark Andrews back at practice for Ravens after missing 6 games
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Mark Andrews was back at practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Friday after missing the final six games of the regular season because of an ankle injury. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end went on injured reserve after he was hurt early in a Nov. 16...
