Analysis: After beating Steelers, Stefanski and Browns are on to Cincinnati as his future remains uncertain
Kevin Stefanski’s thoughts are on to Cincinnati and not on what might happen after the Cleveland Browns’ season finale. Stefanski’s future continues to be one of the central topics in the midst of another disappointing season. However, the Browns haven’t looked like a team that is playing out the rest...
Bengals defense takes another step with strong performance versus Arizona
CINCINNATI — Facing the seventh-ranked passing game in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals’ maligned defense turned in its best performance of the season in Sunday’s 37-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Bengals emptied their bench in the fourth quarter with a 30-point lead, and Arizona was able to move...
John Harbaugh hopes Jackson can return after Tyler Huntley’s big win: ‘If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing’
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh said he had some coaches and players over to watch the Steelers-Browns game that could have eliminated his Baltimore Ravens from the playoffs. When the Browns won, saving Baltimore’s season for now, the reaction was what you’d expect. “It was uncorked, man. It was...
Andy Reid plans to return as Chiefs coach next season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that he plans to return next season, batting away any thought of an impending retirement by making a tongue-in-cheek joke about his status with a franchise he has led to three Super Bowl titles. “I mean, I think...
Eagles outlast Josh Allen and Bills in rainy win, keep NFC’s No. 2 seed in playVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Once again, the Eagles defense dragged its offense to the finish line. The Eagles squeaked out a 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills on a cold, rainy evening at Highmark Stadium thanks to Vic Fangio ‘s dominant unit. Despite going up, 13-0, in the first half,...
Philip Rivers is happy he got 3 ‘bonus games’ even if he’s made his last start for the ColtsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers has made the postgame walk to answer tough questions dozens of times over his previous 17 NFL seasons. This time seemed different. With the Indianapolis Colts having been eliminated from the postseason for a fifth consecutive year even before Rivers and his teammates took the field...
Back from brink, Ravens get another chance to make playoffs against Steelers
The relationship between football fans in Cleveland and Baltimore has been a fraught one, to say the least. For one day, they were on the same side. The Ravens are still alive for the postseason after their 41-24 victory at Green Bay on Saturday night and Cleveland’s 13-6 win over...
Ja’Marr Chase has 2 TD catches as Bengals breeze past Cardinals
CINCINNATI — Ja’Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes from Joe Burrow, who threw for 305 yards as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals, 37-14, on Sunday. Chase finished with seven catches for 60 yards and became the first player in NFL history with at least 80 receptions, 1,000 receiving...
NFL Week 17: Drake Maye has career-high 5 TDs passes in Patriots’ rout of Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Drake Maye threw a career-high five touchdown passes before getting the rest of the game off in the third quarter, New England scored a TD on its first six drives and the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated on the road by dominating the New York...
Derrick Henry torches Packers to keep Ravens’ playoff hopes alive
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Derrick Henry rushed for a season-high 216 yards and matched a career high with four touchdown runs as the Baltimore Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Green Bay Packers, 41-24, on Saturday night. Henry had three touchdown runs in the first half and...
Rams WR Puka Nacua on criticizing refs: I’ll ‘never let it happen again’
LOS ANGELES — Rams players enjoyed the day off they got for Christmas, perhaps no one more than Puka Nacua. The previous week, the star receiver was fined $25,000 by the NFL after he made critical comments about officials during a livestream and then again in a social media post...
Texans clinch 3rd consecutive playoff berth with win over Chargers
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — C.J. Stroud threw for two long touchdowns on Houston’s first two drives of the game, and the Texans went on to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-16, on Saturday and clinch a third consecutive playoff berth for the first time in franchise history. The Texans (11-5) won...
Ravens facing must-win situation and probably missing Jackson as they visit playoff-bound Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — This is what it has come down to for the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore will miss the playoffs for just the second time in the last eight years unless it wins its final two games on the road and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose Sunday at Cleveland. The...
Lions are out of the playoff race, Packers are among 11 teams in and 3 spots remain open
The Lions are staying home for the playoffs, the Packers are in the postseason and only one spot remains open in the NFC. Detroit’s dismal performance in a 23-10 loss to Minnesota on Christmas eliminated the Lions (8-8) and allowed Green Bay (9-5-1) to clinch at least a wild-card berth....
Bo Nix’s late TD pass helps finish off win over Chiefs as Broncos move closer to division title
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bo Nix ran for a score before throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to R.J. Harvey with 1:45 left in the game, and the Denver Broncos held on in the closing seconds for a 20-13 victory over the banged-up Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. Nix finished...
Vikings eliminate Lions from playoff contention by forcing 6 turnovers, racking up 5 sacks
MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Addison took a jet sweep handoff 65 yards for the game-sealing touchdown with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left after the Minnesota Vikings forced six turnovers and eliminated the Detroit Lions from contention for the playoffs with a 23-10 victory Thursday. Harrison Smith, the 14th-year veteran safety, had...
Raves’ Lamar Jackson doubtful, Packers’ Jordan Love questionable for matchup Saturday
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Lamar Jackson is listed as doubtful for Baltimore’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night as he continues to deal with a back injury that knocked him out of the game against the New England Patriots last weekend. The two-time MVP quarterback hasn’t practiced...
Dak Prescott throws for 307 yards and 2 TDs to lead Cowboys past skidding Commanders
LANDOVER, Md. — Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders, 30-23, on Thursday. Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) cut the...
Jaguars CB Jourdan Lewis to have season-ending foot surgery, AP source says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis will have season-ending foot surgery, a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the team has confirmed Lewis’ status. Lewis injured his foot in a 34-20...
This Christmas, David Overstreet II is ‘where he needed to be’ to honor father’s legacy
FRISCO, Texas — David Overstreet II has faint memories of his father, but he was told stories about the type of man he was. The Cowboys’ cornerbacks coach was just 13 months old when David Overstreet I died in 1984 in a car crash in Winona, Texas. His father was...
College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership
Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year. A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on...
Packers QB Malik Willis says he’ll be ready if Jordan Love isn’t available against Ravens
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis said his throwing shoulder is feeling better, and he expects to be available for Saturday’s game against Baltimore if starter Jordan Love remains in the concussion protocol. “I try to take it one day at a time, but I would...
Jets place QB Justin Fields on injured reserve, ending disappointing season
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Justin Fields’ season is officially over. And perhaps, too, his brief tenure with the New York Jets. Coach Aaron Glenn announced Tuesday that Fields was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury that sidelined him the past three games. “It wasn’t getting as better...
Shedeur Sanders continues to focus on present, not on how Cleveland Browns might look next seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — Plenty of people have opinions on where Shedeur Sanders factors at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns heading into next season. The person at the center of the debate, though, isn’t spending time looking ahead to 2026, especially with two games remaining this season. “I live in the present....
Travis Kelce’s possible final home game for Chiefs: A bittersweet Christmas showdown
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce has played 96 regular-season home games for the Kansas City Chiefs. The next one might be the last. The 36-year-old Kelce, who was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the 11th time Tuesday, will be inside Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night for a Christmas...