Football Page 77 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Week 16 Numbers Game: History, trends and records on the line Sunday
Denver has 12 consecutive home wins and the NFL's longest active win streak as the Broncos attempt to keep their stride toward the AFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs. ,Ahead of Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Denver's winning streak stands at 11 and Jacksonville has won five in a row to jump to the...
Five NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat as Playoff Picture Comes Into Focus
A breakdown of the NFL coaches most at risk of being fired as playoff races heat up, from Kevin Stefanski to Mike McDaniel....

Patriots clinch playoffs with win; Ravens in must-win territory
The New England Patriots will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs when they visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night., ,The Patriots (11-3) are coming off last Sunday's 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills....

C.J. Stroud, Texans chase playoffs, encounter reeling Raiders
As the Houston Texans keep climbing, their playoff hopes are following suit.,The Texans have won six straight games as they prepare to host the skidding Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. ,Houston (9-5) has vaulted to within one game of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South lead and a game ahead of t...

Cards, Falcons riding backup QBs down stretch of frustrating seasons
Neither the Atlanta Falcons nor the Arizona Cardinals have the record they thought they would have at this point of the season.,Ahead of their meeting in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, the teams are also not using the starting quarterbacks they assumed they would have.,Atlanta (5-9) is led by 37-year-o...

Soaring Jaguars brace for test against AFC-leading Broncos
The Denver Broncos were considered an AFC front-runner entering the season. The Jacksonville Jaguars were not remotely on that radar.,And yet both teams find themselves as division leaders with three weeks left in the regular season ahead of Jacksonville's trip to face Denver on Sunday.,The Broncos ...

Defenses present challenges for young Vikings, Giants QBs
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart knows that he is in for a challenge Sunday against the visiting Minnesota Vikings and their aggressive defensive coordinator, Brian Flores.,What does Dart see when he studies film of Flores' defense?,"Just chaos," Dart said. "Chaos -- just trying to disguise d...

NFC North roots for Steelers, Aaron Rodgers against desparate Lions
Not everyone is rooting for the Lions to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but most NFC contenders are on the black-and-gold bandwagon this week. ,Detroit (8-6) sits in the tenuous No. 8 spot looking up at the NFC seven-team playoff field with three regular-season games remaining and the fate of at l...

Rookie QBs in spotlight for Jets-Saints Week 16 meeting
The New Orleans Saints have gotten a lift since turning to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough as a starter., ,The New York Jets (3-11) are hoping to get a lift from rookie quarterback Brady Cook when he makes his second start against the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans., ,The Saints (4-10) have won two...

Cowboys face must-win game against surging Chargers
The Dallas Cowboys are well aware of the task they are facing with three regular-season games remaining.,The Cowboys must win all three and have the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles lose all three of theirs or Dallas will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.,First up is not being el...

Dolphins change QBs while Bengals don't ahead of matchup
The Miami Dolphins are making a change at quarterback while the Cincinnati Bengals maintain they are not as the teams prepare to face each other on Sunday afternoon in Miami Gardens, Fla.,The Dolphins (6-8), who were eliminated from playoff contention with a 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on ...

Playoff berth within Bills' grasp in matchup vs. hapless Browns
The Buffalo Bills look to clinch a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive season on Sunday when they visit the Cleveland Browns.,The Bills (10-4) also have an eye on first place in the AFC East after overcoming a 21-point deficit in a 35-31 victory over the New England Patriots (11-3) last Sunday...

Giants QB Jaxson Dart: Being treated like a RB 'nothing new'
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart shrugged off comments from the Washington Commanders ahead of the teams' matchup last week, saying they viewed the rookie as a running back.,As seen on the televised docuseries "Hard Knocks," Commanders coach Dan Quinn said of Dart, "The (Giants) QB, he's a ru...

Bears expand stadium site search into greater Chicago area, NW Indiana
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for the site of their next stadium beyond the 326 acres they own in Arlington Heights, Ill., to the greater Chicago area that includes Northwest Indiana, president and CEO Kevin Warren declared Wednesday in an open letter released on the Bears' social med...

Rams star WR Davante Adams doubtful for clash vs. Seahawks
Rams star receiver Davante Adams is listed as doubtful due to two leg injuries for Los Angeles' NFC West showdown with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.,Adams aggravated a left hamstring injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions. He also is battling a kn...

Surprise Panthers square up with South kingpin Buccaneers
Home for the holidays, the Carolina Panthers entertain the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon with control of the NFC South on the line. ,Since the start of the 2021 season, the Buccaneers can claim ownership of the South, holding at least a share of the division lead for 73 of the 87 weeks wi...

Packers, Bears take fierce longtime rivalry into spotlight
The Chicago Bears will be looking to solidify their lead in the NFC North when they host the injury-riddled Green Bay Packers on Saturday in the second meeting in three weeks between the longtime rivals.,The Bears (10-4) are a game behind the Los Angeles Rams for the best record in the NFC, have a h...

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes expected back sooner than you think
Safe to say, nobody is brave enough to occupy the parking spot reserved for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. ,His post-op return to team headquarters is only days away.,Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder and Mahomes are scheduled for their first r...

Chiefs confront missing Mahomes formation, try to turn page to Titans
For all of the reasons that Kansas City coach Andy Reid might not want to take the Chiefs to Nashville this week, his all-time 3-9 record against the Titans doesn't even make the list. ,Kansas City limps to Tennessee in what is the start of a new chapter on Sunday. The Chiefs closed the book on a st...

Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa, will start rookie QB Quinn Ewers
The Miami Dolphins are benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and will start rookie Quinn Ewers on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Mike McDaniel announced on Wednesday.,The Dolphins (6-8), eliminated from postseason play, signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212 million extension in Jul...