the-nfc-championship Page 2 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The playoffs will not be easy for the Ravens and 49ers
The end of the NFL regular season is always a sad day. It signals that only four weeks of NFL games remain until the second week of September. That means I have to spend my next seven months of Sunday afternoons with commercials since there is no RedZone for the rest of the season. (Also, RedZone on...

Patrick Mahomes is entering his Donovan McNabb era
The Kansas City Chiefs can point to a myriad of issues behind their offensive struggles, including Matt Nagy’s playcalling, but their rapid disarmament over the last two years has hit them where it hurts. If you’re searching for a culprit for Kansas City’s offensive demise and fall from the top 10 i...

Week 13 NFL Takeaways: A Byemaggedon Sunday still had lots of spice
There is no committee in the NFL that votes on the best team. In the pros, every result actually does matter. To qualify for the NFL’s 14 playoff spots, teams either have to finish atop a division or win enough games to get in as a wild card. While every game counts, there are some, even on the regu...

Firing Frank Reich isn't going to fix the Carolina Panthers
In 1995, the Carolina Panthers had the best season of any expansion franchise in the history of the NFL. They went 7-9 during a year in which they did not have a home stadium, and played those eight games at Clemson. The next season they went 12-4 and played in the NFC Championship Game, and the 200...

The curse of the Detroit Lions may finally be over
This week marks the 60th anniversary of William Clay Ford becoming the majority owner of the Detroit Lions on the same day JFK was assassinated. That inauspicious timing fits the Lions franchise. The Kennedy family curse has nothing on the Ford family’s. Between 1952 and 1962, Detroit had won three ...

ESPN and other networks need to chill with all the Cowboys propaganda
The Dallas Cowboys are off to another hot start, and the hype train has kicked into high gear after two impressive wins to start the 2023 campaign. ...

Green Bay’s patience with Jordan Love should make Trey Lance envious
Green Bay took the Jordan Year literally. Early in 2023, general manager Brian Gutekunst read all the stars and tea leaves, glanced at Aaron Rodgers’ advancing age — not to mention his diminishing mobility and prima donna behavior — and named the Packers’ latest first-round QB pick, Jordan Love, as ...

Trey Lance ends up behind Mr. Irrelevant, Jets draft bust on 49ers depth chart
Kyle Shanahan has been watching Trey Lance practice for three years. He knows a great deal more about the young man than I ever will. If Shanahan is willing to write off the loss of first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023, and be done with Lance on the San Francisco 49ers, he must certainly have a ...

Deebo Samuel chucks up deuces on national radio host Zach Gelb
Some days you wake up, and you’re just not in the mood for anybody’s shenanigans, no matter how innocent they might be. San Francisco 49ers All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel must’ve been in one of these moods when he appeared on “The Zach Gelb Show” on CBS Sports Radio. During the interview, which...

The Celtics find an even better way to lose than just getting swept
Remember the “Minneapolis Miracle?” You might, but if you don’t it’s when the Minnesota Vikings pulled out a last-second win in the divisional round over the Saints when the entire New Orleans secondary decided to reenact a Three Stooges routine. However, it doesn’t really get the play that, say, th...

Epic upsets, stellar QBs, and the most notable sports moments of the first half of 2023
Take a deep breath before I reveal a stunning fact, it’s almost June. Some of you were just pulling out the trusty snow blower and now it’s swimsuit season — I hope your diet went better than mine....

A team should reach for Bijan Robinson in the NFL Draft
No position in the NFL has more turnover than running back. Most teams have switched to a by-committee approach rather than one superstar. And even the 49ers have suitable backups to Christian McCaffrey. With the NFL Draft two weeks away, former Texas standout Bijan Robinson will be the first tailba...

Get ready to hate the 49ers' defense again in 2023
The San Francisco 49ers hit the jackpot, reportedly agreeing on a deal with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, this deal is worth $84 million over four years. That’s a nice pay increase for the Pro Bowler while the rich get richer in San Francisco....

Ranking every NFL player's performance on <i>Saturday Night Live</i>
Coming off his second Super Bowl victory, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hosted Saturday Night Live on March 4. Among the many lovable characters the NFL has to offer, Kelce has to be one of the least camera-shy. Love him or hate him, the man knows how to rile up audiences. Whether he’s m...

The best HC-QB tandems that never won a Super Bowl together
As we enter Super Bowl week, memories of the best players and teams and coaches to ever win the big game. Maybe you think of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, or perhaps Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll. ...

Screw the future, the 49ers already had their QB of the present without the NFL Draft
One of the most interesting quarterback situations in NFL history is unfolding in San Francisco. It’s a good problem to have, but an annoying problem nonetheless. Winning a Super Bowl is next to impossible without a solid quarterback. If there’s one team in the NFL currently designed to win a future...

How long until Tom Brady unretires again?
No team with a shot to win the Super Bowl next season wanted a quarterback who’ll be 46 when he plays his next NFL game. That’s gotta be why Tom Brady is retiring. After a prolific 20-year career with the Patriots and a three-year run with the Buccaneers, Brady said in a video on social media Wednes...

These white offensive assistants became NFL head coaches since Eric Bieniemy’s 1st AFC Championship Game
Super Bowl 57 already has a ton of storylines. Andy Reid will be facing a franchise that he once led to football’s biggest stage. Travis and Jason Kelce are making history as the first brothers to play against each other in the game. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are the first two Black quarterbac...

Are the Jets trying to lure Aaron Rodgers to New York with Hackett hire?
The 2023 New York Jets are going to have a different quarterback than they did in 2022. I’m not a fan of the team, but even I’d be damned if the Jets opted to compete for an AFC East title with Joe Flacco, Mike White, or Zach Wilson again next year. Luckily, Gang Green is seen as the frontrunner for...

The NFC Championship Game’s weakest links
The Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers have been the NFC’s two-headed monsters all season. For the majority of this season, they’ve been the kaijus of the conference. However, the bigger they are, the harder the fall — and one of these behemoths has to end the weekend with a gaping hole in ...