NFL Week 16: Lions secure 1st division title since 1993 with win over VikingsVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions clinched their first division title in 30 years, using two rushing touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and 106 receiving yards and a third-quarter go-ahead score by Amon-Ra St. Brown to overtake the injury-ravaged Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday. Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Minnesota’s Nick Mullens at...
Amari Cooper has franchise-record 265 yards receiving to lead Browns to win over TexansVideo
HOUSTON — Amari Cooper set a franchise record with 265 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion to move the Cleveland Browns closer to a playoff berth with a 36-22 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Cooper’s performance moved him atop the Browns’ record book ahead...
Josh Allen accounts for 3 touchdowns as Bills escape with victory over Chargers
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Josh Allen continues to reach milestones in his sixth NFL season, but he’s more concerned about getting the Buffalo Bills back into the playoffs. Allen did his part Saturday night by rushing for two TDs and throwing for one, but it took a 29-yard field goal by...
Cowboys, Dolphins seek to cement contender status with win
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — At various times this season, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys have looked like contenders or pretenders. Both teams are 10-4, have offenses and defense ranked near the top of the league and have taken care of lesser competition — sometimes winning by eye-popping margins....
Michael Pittman Jr. speaks out on hit from Steelers’ Damontae Kazee
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. did not appreciate the violence of a hit he took from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee until he saw video of the play. Pittman, the Colts’ leading receiver, cleared the concussion protocol Friday and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at...
Raheem Mostert’s journey to Dolphins’ touchdown record is one of persistence and drive
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert grew up idolizing Ricky Williams. He and his brother wore Williams’ No. 34. In last Sunday’s win over the New York Jets, when Mostert scored the first of his two touchdowns, he broke Williams’ single-season Dolphins rushing touchdowns record. The...
Giants sign veteran kicker Mason Crosby after placing Cade York on injured reserve
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Veteran kicker Mason Crosby signed Friday with the New York Giants, who have been hit hard by injuries at the position. Cade York was expected to kick for the Giants in Monday’s game at Philadelphia but instead he was placed on injured reserve with a quad...
Browns LB Anthony Walker Jr. has surgery; status unclear past Sunday
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns starting linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. had arthroscopic knee surgery, knocking him out of Sunday’s game at Houston and putting his playing status in question as Cleveland aims for a playoff berth. The team said Friday that Walker, one of the captains, had the procedure Thursday,...
Matthew Stafford’s Rams start strong, hold off Saints 30-22 to surge forward in NFC playoff raceVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Puka Nacua had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards and a score and the Los Angeles Rams surged forward in the NFC playoff race with a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night....
RB Saquon Barkley, Giants aim to end road skid in Philadelphia
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley enjoys taking the trip down the New Jersey Turnpike to play the Philadelphia Eagles. Facing the Eagles (10-4) is always a challenge. Driving into Lincoln Financial Field, the fans will scream and throw things at the New York Giants team bus, and that’s just...
Matchup between Browns and Texans will likely be Flacco vs. Keenum with Watson and Stroud injuredVideo
HOUSTON — When the NFL schedule was released in May, the game between the Browns and Texans on Sunday was expected to be an intriguing matchup. Deshaun Watson, Houston’s former star quarterback, would square off for Cleveland against rookie C.J. Stroud, the Texans’ new franchise signal caller. As these teams...
Report: New England footballs deflated, but don’t blame Patriots this time
The special teams footballs used in Sunday’s game between Kansas City and New England reportedly were underinflated — not by the Patriots, this time — an ironic throwback to the Deflategate scandal that captivated the football world for parts of three seasons and led to penalties against the team and...
Baltimore’s defense faces its biggest test yet when the Ravens take on Brock Purdy and the 49ersVideo
It’s one of the biggest debates of the 2023 NFL season: Brock Purdy, superstar or game manager? His next opponent already sounds convinced of the answer. “Seems like he gets a lot of hate from the stuff that I see. I don’t know why,” Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “You...
Joe Flacco giving the Browns a steady presence and leadership with a playoff spot in reach
BEREA, Ohio — Joe Flacco looks much different, younger and a little less like his new coach. The beard is gone. “It was a mess,” said the Browns’ freshly-shaven quarterback. While his facial hair may have been a bit unkempt, and made him a taller lookalike to Browns coach Kevin...
Trevor Lawrence still in concussion protocol as Jaguars prepare to play without star QB
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence was in the facility but still in the NFL’s concussion protocol Wednesday, leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars preparing to play without their star quarterback for the first time in three seasons. Coach Doug Pederson said Lawrence is “progressing well” but declined to speculate on Lawrence’s chances...
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers activated from IR as next step in rehab. He won’t play again until next seasonVideo
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers will remain on the practice field to continue working on his return for the New York Jets but for next season. Coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday the four-time NFL MVP was being activated from the injured reserve list, a move that’s merely the next...
Analysis: Eagles in world of hurt, uncertainty after 3-game losing streak
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts might have the answer why the once-mighty Eagles have slid from 10-1 and the top of the NFC to 10-4 and fighting for a division title amid a three-game losing streak. A streak in which they failed to score more than 19 points. A streak that...
Longtime Chiefs offensive lineman Ed Budde dies at age 83
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ed Budde, who spent 14 years playing along the offensive line of the Kansas City Chiefs and helped the franchise win its first Super Bowl with a victory over Minnesota in 1970, died Tuesday. He was 83. The family announced his death through a statement issued...
Backup QBs on display across NFL as teams push toward postseason
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Joe Flacco was at home a month ago, all but ready to accept his 15-year NFL career might be over. Then came a phone call from his agent with an invitation to a workout with the Cleveland Browns. A commercial flight and practice squad deal later,...
Falcons again benching QB Desmond Ridder; Taylor Heinicke to start vs. Colts
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons are removing quarterback Desmond Ridder from the starting job for the second time this season after his continued turnover woes in the team’s latest loss. Taylor Heinicke was listed as the starter in the updated depth chart released by the team Tuesday for this week’s...
Aaron Rodgers’ return will come next season with Jets out of playoff hunt
Aaron Rodgers’ quest to make an improbable return this season for the New York Jets appears over. The 40-year-old quarterback said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday he’s not yet 100% healthy in his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon and is still a...
Drew Lock’s late TD pass rallies Seahawks to victory over sliding EaglesVideo
SEATTLE — Drew Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left to cap a 92-yard drive, and the Seattle Seahawks stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 20-17 on Monday night, ending a four-game skid and getting back into NFC playoff contention. Seattle (7-7) rallied behind its backup...
Analysis: AFC-leading Ravens to be tested in Christmas showdown at San Francisco
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are playoff bound, and by the time this month is over, they should have a good sense of what the competition will be like in the postseason. The Ravens grinded out a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville on Sunday night to...
Analysis: Browns overcoming major injuries, defying odds while stacking up wins
CLEVELAND — “Only in Cleveland” is a catchphrase attached to the many negative moments in the city’s checkered sports history. The Browns are changing its meaning this season. On Sunday, they pulled off another improbable win — their sixth by four points or less — by rallying for 13 points...
Chiefs WR, New Kensington native Skyy Moore goes on IR with knee injury
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve Monday, ending what had been a disappointing second season for the New Kensington native who was a 2022 second-round draft pick. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in the day that Moore had some...
