FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — After the Falcons flopped again, general manager Terry Fontenot had to explain to team owner Arthur Blank how he planned to overcome the failure of his Kirk Cousins Experiment. We can guess how that conversation went based on what Fontenot said during his news conference Thursday.

Yes, the Falcons signed Cousins with the...Read more

PITTSBURGH — I have seen the future. It's the past. It's Lamar Jackson again at the Steelers goal line with a chance to win or lose the game.

That's what my crystal ball tells me, anyway, forecasting Saturday night's renewal of the NFL's fiercest rivalry: Steelers-Ravens.

I'm just the messenger.

You already know these teams hate each other....Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts returned to action Wednesday with the expectation that he will report no post-concussion symptoms Thursday and thereby present himself for duty Sunday afternoon, when the Eagles host the Green Bay Packers.

While the availability of any starting quarterback logically means that the team will be the best version of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams receiver Demarcus Robinson, who was arrested in November, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

Robinson is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 24 at the Van Nuys Courthouse.

TMZ.com first reported the charge.

Robinson ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — If the Vikings beat the Rams on Monday night, they will earn their first playoff victory in five years.

If the Vikings lose, they will experience one of the worst forms of sporting regret — knowing they had the makings of a championship team and failing to pull themselves to the second rung of the playoff ladder.

For all of ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The ghosts of past playoff collapses haunted the 49ers this season, so much so that a 6-11 record assured them of no postseason horrors this year.

Three of their first five defeats came by blowing fourth-quarter leads against NFC West teams, and the 49ers never recovered.

“When I go back to the hardest thing for me ...Read more

NEW YORK — Lamar Jackson wasn’t in a mood to celebrate.

Sure, his Baltimore Ravens had just clinched the AFC North with a Week 18 victory over the Cleveland Browns, but Jackson arrived at the postgame podium still in uniform, rather than wearing one of shirts or hats commemorating the division crown.

“I’m focused on the wild-card game....Read more

LOS ANGELES — Coach Sean McVay and Rams players kept their focus Thursday on preparing for their NFC wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Still, their hearts were with those affected by the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California.

"This is bigger than the game of football," McVay told reporters during a news conference in ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders, after firing Antonio Pierce on Tuesday and Tom Telesco on Thursday, are one of six teams searching for a new coach and one of three looking for a new general manager.

Time is of the essence. The Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Patriots and Saints are also in the coaching market. The Jets and Titans are on the hunt for a general...Read more

Less than 48 hours after firing Nick Sorensen as defensive coordinator, the 49ers have turned to someone familiar as a potential replacement.

The team has interviewed former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh and current Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend for the opening.

Based on what coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday, he’s just ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Coach Sean McVay and Rams players kept their focus Thursday on preparing for their NFC wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Still, their hearts were with those affected by the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California.

“This is bigger than the game of football,” McVay told reporters during a news conference ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Frank Wycheck was right: His brain had been ravaged by football.

Researchers at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center have determined that the onetime NFL star and Northeast Philadelphia native, who died at age 52 in December 2023, had Stage 3 of the degenerative brain disease, Wycheck’s family ...Read more

The agent for Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who recently expressed a desire to leave the team, said his client is now committed to the Dolphins.

Hill had a postgame outburst in which he indicated to the media that he wanted out from the team in the visitors’ locker room at MetLife Stadium, following the Dolphins’ 32-20 loss...Read more

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said the team is comfortable moving forward with Kirk Cousins as its backup quarterback, but will remain open for trade offers.

“We gave Kirk Cousins two years guaranteed,” Fontenot said Thursday, in his first public comments since Cousins was benched. “When you do that, you ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders fired general manager Tom Telesco on Thursday after just one season.

Telesco, who held the same position with the Chargers from 2013-23, was hired in January 2024 to replace Dave Ziegler. The Raiders were 4-13 his lone season at the helm.

Telesco, 52, deserves credit for his first and only draft with the team. He ...Read more

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups this week. Lines according to FanDuel Sportsbook (O/U = over/under). Record last week 12-4 (.750); season 189-83 (.695). Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, the record against the spread last week would have been 9-7 (.563); season 144-126-2 (.533). Times Pacific.

...Read more

This is our 34th season of NFL picks in the Miami Herald in a tradition founded in 1991, and we thank you for coming along for the ride as always. We wrapped 10-6 both straight-up and against the spread in Week 18. That included five ‘dogs-with-points in covers by the Panthers, Cowboys, Bears, Saints and Rams. Also called Texans’ win over ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Ravens Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers will not play in Saturday’s wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach John Harbaugh announced Thursday.

Filling the void left by Baltimore’s leading receiver will also be a collective effort.

“We’ll move guys around,” Harbaugh said. “Guys will play spots based on ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Few in the NFL have a game face as menacing as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. It’s as if he is back in middle school and the bully took his lunch money, or another student said something bad about his mom.

It’s time to fight. The scowl has become part of his persona.

“That’s his natural face,” said his older brother, Eddie...Read more

PITTSBURGH — This Steelers-Ravens showdown needs no endorsement from me. It's a playoff game. But it's also fraught with bigger-picture implications on both sides.

For starters, it feels like one of the more significant games of Mike Tomlin's career.

A loss, especially a lopsided one, arguably would mark the low point of Tomlin's 18-year ...Read more