TAMPA, Fla. — In a situation such as this, I am journalistically obliged to preach calm.

Yes, the Bucs are in first place. Yes, they are huge favorites in the regular-season finale against New Orleans. Yes, they are on the verge of a franchise-record fifth consecutive postseason appearance.

But in the any-given-Sunday environment of the NFL,...Read more

LOS ANGELES — This NFL season is not lacking drama, but it's running a little short on intrigue.

Sometimes, three-quarters of the 32 teams still have at least a flicker of hope heading into the final weekend of the season. This year, 15 teams already have been mathematically eliminated.

Still, there's drama to be had, and the league has ...Read more

CHICAGO — As a dense fog encircled Soldier Field on Thursday, three words flashed above the disjointed stadium's entrance, via dual video boards:

GROWTH REQUIRES CHANGE

That message was equal parts ironic and appropriate.

Ironic because Soldier Field, which has housed the Chicago Bears since 1971, owns a comically complicated relationship ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Days after Dana Stubblefield’s 2020 rape conviction was reversed by an appellate court because of “racially discriminatory language” by the prosecution during the trial, an attorney for the former San Francisco 49ers star said he expects Stubblefield to be released from custody within days.

Attorney Allen Sawyer told The ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy’s bruised throwing elbow will keep him out of the 49ers’ season finale Sunday at Arizona, but coach Kyle Shanahan relayed positive word Tuesday about his quarterback’s long-term prognosis.

“He’s most likely going to miss this week but no long-term issues. The UCL is fine,” coach Kyle Shanahan said...Read more

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 17:

Winner: Armchair quarterbacks

The final week of the NFL regular season is always fascinating.

By waiting until Sunday night to release the Week 18 schedule, the league builds suspense for the final...Read more

The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will square off at Ford Field in Week 18 with the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the NFC North title on the line.

As if the occasion wasn’t enticing enough, how’s this: Per Elias Sports, the game will feature the most combined wins (27 if Detroit loses to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, 28 if the ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif.— The two quarterbacks playing at Levi's Stadium on Monday Night Football threw the ball a combined 16 times before a ball hit the turf.

And that is an apt summation of the defense that was being played in a primetime matchup between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers.

Detroit and San Francisco quickly traded ...Read more

Andy Reid spoke to reporters Monday for the first time since the Chiefs clinched the AFC’s top playoff seed, and he didn’t show his hand about the lineup for the regular-season finale at Denver.

“The players have been off and they’ll be coming back in (Tuesday),” Reid said. “Then I’ll be able to talk to them about playing times.�...Read more

The Jets are currently without a full-time general manager.

But that hasn’t stopped owner Woody Johnson from setting up interviews for Gang Green’s vacant head coaching position.

The Jets are scheduled to interview former Panthers and Commanders coach Ron Rivera this week, according to NFL Network. In addition, former Jets coach Rex Ryan ...Read more

CHICAGO — Perhaps Pete Carroll’s age feels like a legitimate deterrent to some. He is, after all, a septuagenarian, turning 74 in September 2025. Do the Chicago Bears really want to roll those dice and unite with a gray-haired coach whose NFL career likely won’t reach the end of this decade?

Shouldn’t they be aiming to go younger, ...Read more

The Falcons had a chance to show the nation on prime-time television that they were a legitimate playoff team.

They slugged it out with the Commanders before falling 30-24 in overtime on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.

Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tossed the his first NFL touchdown pass to tie the game with 1:19 to play. The ...Read more

SANTA CLARA – George Kittle will charge Monday night onto the only home field he’s known as one of the NFL’s marquee players, the 49ers’ crowd will go wild, and the stage will be set, yet again.

The show goes on, even if the 49ers (6-9) are ending their NFC Championship reign and perhaps passing the torch to Levi’s Stadium’s final ...Read more

Do you know who Austen Pleasants or Charlie Heck are?

Don’t worry about it. Before this week, I didn’t either, and knowing practice-squad-level offensive linemen is my thing.

Either way, we’ll likely hear their names often on Monday Night Football, as one of those newcomers will be protecting 49ers’ quarterback Brock Purdy’s ...Read more

Charvarius Ward will join the list of 49ers missing Monday night’s game against the Lions at Levi’s Stadium after the team ruled him out Sunday afternoon.

The veteran cornerback and his girlfriend, Monique Cook, have been expecting the birth of a baby boy. The team cited personal reasons for Ward’s absence after coach Kyle Shanahan ...Read more

CLEVELAND -- Josh Allen would never.

Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t dare.

That was the running sentiment about the Miami Dolphins playing what amounts to a playoff elimination game on Sunday — and maybe even next week — without the team’s franchise quarterback.

But what if the quarterback didn’t have a choice?

Some people are acting like...Read more

Tyler Huntley started the 2024 season on the Cleveland Browns.

By late August, however, the Browns had released the quarterback. The Broward County native subsequently returned to the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens — the team on which he got his NFL start. Then the Miami Dolphins lost franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Austen Cashman returned from Chicago to his Twin Cities roots for the holidays. Sunday was his 10th day back home. He was an early attendee along with family and friends for Sunday’s Vikings-Green Bay showdown in U.S. Bank Stadium.

“We get here early in order to watch Blake work out on the field, and that’s also where the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It hung there like it would never come down, like gravity had left the building, like someone had injected the football with helium.

Isn’t that the way this entire Vikings season has felt — inexplicably buoyant?

Facing third-and-2 with 1:49 remaining in a showdown with the Packers on Sunday, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell,...Read more