NFL category, Page 240

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Seven trips to the postseason and no wins can wear on a person. Los Angeles Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth has managed to keep his sense of humor. “This is the furthest I’ve been in the playoffs, even though we didn’t play last week,” Whitworth said....

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s bid to lure Bruce Arians out of retirement and back to the NFL included a pitch from baseball manager Joe Maddon. The 66-year-old Arians, a longtime Steelers offensive coordinator, grew up in York, not far from Maddon’s hometown of Hazelton. He and the Chicago Cubs...

FRISCO, Texas — Tavon Austin’s fresh start with the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t much different than the stale final season the versatile receiver endured with the Los Angeles Rams. The difference is Austin has a chance to change the feeling — against his former team, in the divisional round of the...

NEW YORK — The New York Jets hired former Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase as their head coach Wednesday night, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press. Gase was 23-26 in three seasons with Miami, including a playoff game in 2016, before being fired last week. It...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers said thinking about how to defend against the Los Angeles Chargers has kept him up at night. “Over the bye, I had a dream about not setting the edge,” Flowers said this week. “I woke up, and it was a nightmare.” New...

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Foles is in a unique situation, a Super Bowl MVP trying to lead his team to a second straight championship knowing he most likely will play somewhere else next season. Nothing about what Foles has done for the Philadelphia Eagles is ordinary. “I’m not worried about the...

CLEVELAND — The Browns didn’t have to go far to find their new coach. Freddie Kitchens was already in the building. The 44-year-old Kitchens, who had a dazzling eight-week run as the team’s interim offensive coordinator, is finalizing a contract to become Cleveland’s ninth coach since the franchise’s 1999 rebirth,...

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas running back Pooka Williams has been granted diversion in a domestic battery case. The Kansas City Star reports Williams appeared in court Wednesday. If he successfully completes diversion, the domestic battery charge would be kept off his record. An affidavit alleges that Williams punched an 18-year-old...

PHOENIX — The Arizona Cardinals have hired former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury as their head coach, a move aimed at providing guidance for young quarterback Josh Rosen and resuscitating the worst offense in the NFL. The Cardinals announced the hiring Tuesday after a long interview earlier in the day,...

PHILADELPHIA — When the Philadelphia Eagles went to New Orleans in Week 11, their leaders lost their composure before the team lost the game. Carson Wentz walked off the field punching at the air after throwing one of his three interceptions, an uncharacteristic display of frustration by the third-year quarterback....

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Most NFL teams with a head coaching vacancy this winter seem to be looking for the next Sean McVay. The original is still hard at work for the Los Angeles Rams, hoping to justify his enormous influence on the football world with a big postseason run....

TAMPA, Fla. — Bruce Arians is the latest coach entrusted to transform the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers into winners. The 66-year-old came out of a one-year retirement Tuesday to fill the team’s fifth coaching vacancy in a decade. Arians replaces Dirk Koetter, who was dismissed Dec. 30 after leading the...

INDIANAPOLIS — Pat McAfee watched those two agonizing bounces in Chicago on Sunday and immediately tried to put Cody Parkey’s missed field goal in perspective. He thought about the 27 death threats he received after missing a couple of costly kicks during one game in college. He felt horribly for...

“Doink.” Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey missed a game-winning field goal in the final seconds against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. And everyone in Philly is celebrating and piling on. Parkey’s kick struck the left goal post and then bounced off the bottom of the post failing to go...

The NFL’s wild weekend of wild-card games demonstrated that even in this age of explosive offenses, defense still dominates in the playoffs and it often comes down to a toe, a few fingers or even a 40-year-old hamstring. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s season — and maybe career — ended when he...

NFL official Sarah Thomas is set to be the first women to officiate a NFL playoff game on Sunday. Thomas will work the Los Angeles Chargers - New England Patriots matchup in Foxborough, Mass., joining Ron Torbert’s crew as a down judge, according to Football Zebras. Thomas became the first...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs defense had been hearing all season about how bad it has been and how it was the biggest threat to an offensive juggernaut falling short of the Super Bowl. Then, the Chiefs shut down the Oakland Raiders in Week 17. Now, the...

NASHVILLE — The Green Bay Packers are turning to fast-rising offensive whiz Matt LaFleur to aid Aaron Rodgers and end a two-year absence from the postseason. LaFleur accepted an offer Monday to become the next head coach of the Packers, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person...

The NFL’s strong regular season of TV ratings continued into its opening weekend of the postseason. The league said on Monday that there was an average of 28.4 million viewers for the four wild-card round games, which is a 12 percent increase over last year. The Philadelphia Eagles game against...

PHILADELPHIA — Cody Parkey got an excuse he probably won’t use. Parkey’s missed 43-yard field goal in the final seconds that gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 16-15 upset win over the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game officially was ruled a block by the NFL. Video showed Philadelphia’s Treyvon...

CLEVELAND — Matt Eberflus has a past with the Browns. Maybe he’ll have a future as well. One day after his Indianapolis defense held quarterback Deshaun Watson and Houston’s offense to just seven points in an AFC wild-card win, Eberflus became the sixth candidate to interview for Cleveland’s open coaching...

CHICAGO — Nick Foles hit Golden Tate with a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 56 seconds remaining against the NFL’s stingiest defense, lifting the Philadelphia Eagles past the Chicago Bears 16-15 on Sunday in the final wild-card game. Former Eagles kicker Cody Parkey hit the left upright and...

INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Reich stuck with his old-school philosophy even when the Indianapolis Colts were losing games in September and early October. The Indianapolis Colts first-year coach insisted even in an increasingly pass-happy league, a balanced offense would turn them into real AFC contenders. Over the past 11 weeks, the...

BALTIMORE — The Los Angeles Chargers kept Lamar Jackson grounded, and by the time the rookie got the passing game going it was too late for the Baltimore Ravens. Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, and Los Angeles harassed and hounded Jackson during a 23-17 victory Sunday in the opening...

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 137 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Dallas Cowboys hung on for a 24-22 wild-card win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. The playoff win by the Cowboys (11-6) was the first for Elliott and quarterback Dak...