PITTSBURGH — It is one thing to get off to slow starts in the regular season, which the Steelers have turned into an art form.

It is another when it happens in the postseason, which the Steelers have turned into a nightmare.

Slow starts have plagued the Steelers all season, especially on offense, where they haven't scored a touchdown on ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Dolphins need a culture change. Badly.

I fear what the Dolphins’ locker room will look like when offensive tackle Terron Armstead and defensive tackle Calais Campbell, the most respected veterans on the team, aren’t there next season.

My fear is that the power will fall into the wrong hands.

Before the season ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you had been in the Carolina Panthers’ locker room Monday morning on clean-out day and knew nothing about the team, you would have wildly overestimated one thing.

That one thing would have been the Panthers’ record for the just-concluded 2024 season. Given the positive vibes and the endless questions about how great ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan is changing out 49ers defensive coordinators for the fourth time in five years.

Nick Sorensen, like his immediate predecessor Steve Wilks, won’t return to that role after one season in it, a league source confirmed. Sorensen could be retained on Shanahan’s staff in another capacity for a fourth season. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For the first time in two weeks, the Chargers had both of their leading rushers on the practice field Tuesday, and the team didn't stop at stocking the backfield with only J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott made his Chargers practice debut Tuesday after being signed to the practice ...Read more

CHICAGO — The losses have far outnumbered the wins under Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ watch. The misses — at this point three years into his tenure — have been as prolific as his hits. The coach firings are adding up.

But at their end-of-season media availability to wrap up a 5-12 campaign, Bears Chairman George McCaskey ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — After the Chicago Bears put in a request to interview Mike McCarthy on Monday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys have denied the request a little over 24 hours later, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

While McCarthy’s contract with the team technically expires on Wednesday, the Cowboys will have until next ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — You can fault the San Francisco 49ers for many things this season. There are too many to list.

But make no mistake about it: they were professionals until the end.

(Save for DeVondre Campbell, of course.)

And as this team heads into a pivotal and critical offseason, that professionalism shouldn’t be overlooked.

...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Vikings signed quarterback Daniel Jones to their active roster Tuesday. They waived quarterback Brett Rypien to make room for the former Giants starter, whom they added to their practice squad Nov. 27 after he’d been released by New York.

With Jones’ signing, the Vikings could receive a compensatory draft pick if he ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty made the obvious decision official Tuesday afternoon by declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.

In a graphic posted to Jeanty’s social media posts, he thanked the Boise State coaches and community, as well as friends and family, before saying straightforwardly: “I’m excited to ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While I was at Kansas City International on Saturday afternoon working through what eventually became five canceled flights to Denver, I felt some flickering envy of the Chiefs when they got liftoff after a four-hour delay.

Turns out the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, who already had clinched the AFC’s ...Read more

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions expect to have their offensive tone-setter back soon.

Asked Tuesday if he anticipates running back David Montgomery being available for Detroit's first postseason game — which is scheduled to be played either Jan. 18 or 19 — head coach Dan Campbell said, "I do." The opponent for that matchup is still ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Rams on Tuesday made several roster moves in preparation for Monday night’s NFC wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Veteran safety John Johnson III was designated to return from injured reserve, and running back Royce Freeman was signed to help make up for the loss of Blake Corum, who was placed on injured ...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — Does firing Ryan Grubb get the Seattle Seahawks closer to the Super Bowl?

With this decision, and any others, that's the only thing that matters. Because the goal was never to reach 10 wins by surviving a rival resting its starters for a tournament for which you failed to qualify. It wasn't to go 7-1 on the road, as impressive...Read more

CHICAGO — For those seeking promising news about the Chicago Bears’ work-in-progress coaching search, the word out of Detroit is that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will get permission to partake in preliminary interviews this week, free to step away from his playoff preparation between Thursday afternoon and Saturday evening to ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders fired coach Antonio Pierce after his first full season Tuesday.

The club had high hopes for the former NFL linebacker, who led the team to a 5-4 record after replacing Josh McDaniels on an interim basis in 2023. Pierce, 46, was named the team’s full-time coach in January 2024.

His success did not carry over into the...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Maybe Tyreek Hill doesn’t want out of Miami just yet.

At least that’s where the Dolphins brass stands as of Tuesday, as general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel wrapped up the 2024 season with a news conference Tuesday, two days after the Dolphins season came to a close and Hill expressed his frustration ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Officially, Jalen Hurts remains in the concussion protocol five days before the Eagles host the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card round playoff game.

But the tea leaves seem to be trending in a positive direction for the Eagles more than two weeks after Hurts suffered a concussion early in the first quarter of the team’s Week ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is entering another round of head coaching interviews.

“Any time you’re mentioned in head coaching conversations or receive requests, it’s an honor,” Flores said Tuesday, while adding that he is “locked in” on the Vikings' wild-card matchup with the Rams on Monday night.

On...Read more

Colt McCoy may be one of the lucky ones, but his 12-year existence in the NFL is not because he opened the right fortune cookie.

For every college football coach in America, McCoy should be studied on “How To Football.”

Earned a scholarship at the University of Texas. Sat behind Vince Young. Excelled when given the chance. Made an NFL ...Read more