Lions lament blowing big lead in chance to reach 1st Super Bowl
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions had their best season in generations. Players, coaches and at least some fans are not ready to celebrate at the moment. The Lions let an opportunity slip to play in the Super Bowl for the first time, becoming the first team to lose...
Analysis: Hard to blame Lions’ Dan Campbell for staying true to his aggressive self
Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness bit his team. The Detroit Lions blew a 17-point halftime lead and missed an opportunity to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history because their head coach stuck to the same philosophy that helped him turn a perennial loser into a championship contender....
The 49ers showing off comeback ability on drive to Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have turned into the comeback kids this postseason. The only team that didn’t pull off a second-half rally in the regular season has done it in back-to-back weeks in the playoffs, capped by one of the biggest comebacks in conference championship game...
Analysis: Ravens fail to reach Super Bowl after dominant regular season
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Less than 24 hours after Baltimore’s season ended with a loss in the AFC championship game, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton was dealing with both physical and emotional pain. “Body is sore, heart sore,” he said. “But we move on.” The Ravens head into the offseason lamenting...
Chiefs finally show what they can do when they play error-free ball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs kept making dumbfounding mistakes all season — dropped passes, penalties, miscommunication — and each time, Patrick Mahomes confidently insisted they were oh-so-close to putting it all together. Seems as if they finally did. In three playoff wins, two on the road in...
Taylor Swift-inspired flight numbers offered for Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl
MIAMI — Taylor Swift was born in 1989. Travis Kelce wears jersey No. 87. American Airlines and United Airlines took notice. Whether you’re a Swiftie or a member of Chiefs Kingdom, if you need flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas and the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, a few...
Lamar Jackson after falling to 2-4 in the playoffs: ‘I’m not frustrated, I’m angry’
BALTIMORE — With a trip to the Super Bowl just one victory away, the Baltimore Ravens looked nothing like the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL before thrashing Houston in their playoff opener. Worse, Lamar Jackson bore little resemblance to the quarterback who...
The Super Bowl is set: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will face Brock Purdy and the 49ers
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to Las Vegas with a chance for a rare repeat while facing the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch from four years ago. The Chiefs beat Lamar Jackson and the No. 1-seeded Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, in the...
Penn State will be represented by Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII is set, and at least one former Penn State player is going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Penn State will have three former players vying for a Super Bowl ring when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off on the sport’s biggest stage in...
Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions to advance to Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards and a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers rallied from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions, 34-31, on Sunday and reach the Super Bowl. The 49ers (14-5) scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the...
Browns hire former quarterback Ken Dorsey as their offensive coordinator
CLEVELAND — Ken Dorsey has control of Cleveland’s offense again. The former Browns quarterback — and former Buffalo coordinator — has been hired by coach Kevin Stefanski as the team’s offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Sunday. Dorsey was fired as Buffalo’s offensive...
Mahomes, Kelce are headed to the Super Bowl after Chiefs shut down Ravens 17-10Video
BALTIMORE — The first quarter was vintage Patrick Mahomes, picking apart the Baltimore defense with quick passes, with Travis Kelce on the other end of several of them. Then the Kansas City defense — now elite after some shaky seasons in the past — took over. Finally, when Mahomes needed...
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce sets NFL record for postseason receptions with big 1st half against RavensVideo
BALTIMORE — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has set an NFL record for most career catches in postseason play. With his seventh reception in the first half of Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, Kelce brought his total in the playoffs to 152. That broke the...
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year — Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s Dave...
Patrick Mahomes faces Lamar Jackson for 1st time in playoffs with Super Bowl berth on line
BALTIMORE — Patrick Mahomes has already defeated an impressive list of quarterbacks in the playoffs: Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson, Ben Roethlisberger, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa. And of course, Josh Allen, who was eliminated for the third time by Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last week....
Man convicted of manslaughter in the killing of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith
NEW ORLEANS — A man who shot former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith following a traffic crash nearly eight years ago has been convicted of manslaughter. The jury deliberated for more than four hours and reached its verdict in the retrial of Cardell Hayes just after midnight Saturday, news...
Final 4 teams in NFL playoffs rely heavily on tight ends
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Few people proselytize about the importance of tight ends more than San Francisco’s George Kittle. He helped the NFL create a “holiday” to honor the position each October and launched the annual Tight End University where scores of players gather to share tips of the trade....
Deebo Samuel cleared to play for 49ers in NFC title game vs. Lions
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was cleared to play in the the NFC championship game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday after leaving last week’s game with a shoulder injury. Samuel was a full participant in practice Friday and has no injury designation as...
Panthers part ways with coaches Chris Tabor and James Campen, AP source says
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are parting ways with former interim head coach and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, as well as offensive line coach James Campen, a person familiar with moves told the Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday night because...
After 53 years, Baltimore again serves as AFC championship game host
BALTIMORE — The last time Baltimore hosted an AFC championship game, the city was enjoying quite a sports renaissance. The Orioles had won the World Series a few months earlier. Then the Colts followed with a Super Bowl title. Even the local basketball team made an appearance in the NBA...
Ravens activating TE Mark Andrews ahead of AFC championship game
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are activating Mark Andrews from injured reserve, and coach John Harbaugh said he expects the star tight end to play in this weekend’s AFC championship game against Kansas City. Andrews injured his ankle in a Nov. 16 win over Cincinnati. Although he was...
Chiefs-Ravens matchup features star quarterbacks, stingy defenses and potential Hall of Fame coachesVideo
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took a different route to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. They’re going on the road. After hosting this game five straight seasons, the No. 3 seed Chiefs had to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo and now...
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year, including Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s Dave...
Football Footnotes: The ideas of ‘Chiefs fatigue’ and Steelers fans adopting the Lions
For “Football Footnotes” this week, we explore the concept of “Chiefs fatigue” and why it’s time for Steelers fans to become a part of #OnePride from Detroit the rest of the way in the NFL playoffs. “Chiefs fatigue” is something that has been talked about in the NFL ether since...
Final 4 NFL playoff teams not afraid to invest at less-coveted positions
In a season full of satisfying moments for Detroit Lions fans, an amusing one occurred in mid-December, when coach Dan Campbell had a chance to gloat a bit about the team’s most recent draft. The players in question were running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta, both of...
