LOS ANGELES — The Chargers will open the NFL's wild-card weekend, and the Rams will close it.

The Chargers will play at Houston at 1:30 p.m. PST Saturday, and the Rams will play host to the loser of Sunday night's Minnesota-Detroit game on "Monday Night Football" at 5 p.m.

The rest of the playoff schedule, times Pacific, is as follows:

...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Danny Dimes ain't walking through that door. Neither is Josh Johnson nor Case Keenum.

But, hey, Malik Willis might be.

Now that Week 18 is in the books, we can say two things about the Eagles' pursuit of another Super Bowl ring:

— They are a much better team than they were the last two times they advanced to the NFL's ...Read more

DETROIT — The Minnesota Vikings came at the king.

And missed.

For the second straight year, the Detroit Lions are NFC North champions, and for the first time since the 1970 merger, they’re NFC regular-season champions, too. The Lions secured a first-round bye and the No. 1 seed at Ford Field Sunday night, winning one of the most highly ...Read more

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The worst thing that could have happened to the New England Patriots under Jerod Mayo happened first and it happened last.

They won.

Four months ago, the Pats opened this season by bloodying the Cincinnati Bengals for their biggest upset in almost a decade. It felt like a franchise returning to its roots, yet ready for ...Read more

MIAMI — It looks like the Miami Dolphins’ star receiver might want out.

Just minutes after the Dolphins suffered a rather humiliating 32-20 loss to the New York Jets, Tyreek Hill was asked about his message to the team in the offseason. The eight-time Pro Bowler, instead, responded questioning his own future in Miami.

“This is the first ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Justin Herbert flailed his arms in mock frustration as teammates pulled him to his feet. Even a 41-yard scramble couldn’t satisfy the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback.

Stopped four yards short of the end zone on his career-long scramble, Herbert only celebrated when the Chargers sealed a 34-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (4-...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Maybe this wasn’t quite the bang the Seattle Seahawks envisioned.

But they got what they came here for, holding off a late drive from a Los Angeles Rams team playing mostly backups to emerge with a 30-25 win at SoFi Stadium.

The game wasn’t decided until a Jimmy Garoppolo pass fell incomplete on a fourth-and-3 play at...Read more

The Kansas City Chiefs emphasized resting their stars Sunday after already clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

Good thing. Because this result would’ve been concerning if that hadn’t been the circumstance.

As it was, Kansas City’s 38-0 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday should be shrugged off quickly, especially with the NFL ...Read more

GLENDALE, Ariz. — One of the most underachieving, disappointing, and downright bizarre seasons in San Francisco 49ers’ history finally expired Sunday.

Final score: Cardinals 47, 49ers 24.

Final record: 6-11, bad enough for the NFL Draft’s 11th overall pick and the NFC West’s cellar.

Of course, the defending NFC champions 49ers did not...Read more

The New York Jets’ disappointing 2024 season mercifully ended after Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

However, Gang Green defeated its division rival in Jeff Ulbrich’s final game as interim coach.

After forcing four turnovers defensively and four Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes, the Jets (5-12) defeated the Dolphins (8-9) 32-20 on...Read more

BOSTON — The New England Patriots have fired Jerod Mayo after his first season as head coach, team owner Robert Kraft announced Sunday.

Mayo’s firing comes at the end of a 4-13 campaign, one of the worst in franchise history. Mayo, 38, was hired less than a year ago and named Bill Belichick’s successor after the 2023 season.

The Patriots...Read more

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Bufffalo Bills are better than the New England Patriots at everything. That includes losing.

In a game that seemed neither team wanted to win, the Patriots squeaked it out 23-16, losing out on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bills, who had already locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, had ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — With the regular season in the books following a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants, the Eagles’ wild-card matchup is set. The No. 2-seeded Eagles will take on the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers next weekend at Lincoln Financial Field to kick off the postseason.

In the Packers’ 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears that ...Read more

GREEN BAY, Wis. — At long last, the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers.

Cairo Santos made a 51-yard field goal as time expired Sunday at Lambeau Field to lift the Bears to a 24-22 victory in their season finale. Santos, who had a potential winning field-goal attempt blocked in the previous Bears-Packers meeting in November, raced around...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The Bucs are in the playoffs.

We say that simply for those of you who A) turned off the TV, B) destroyed the TV or C) hid under the covers.

Playing one of the ugliest games of the year, the Bucs overcame injuries, penalties, a turnover and a botched punt to come from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-19 and clinch their ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers completed their regular season collapse with flying colors. Now they’re on to the postseason with about as little momentum as a playoff participant could possibly have.

After a miserable 19-17 loss to the Bengals on a frigid Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers are now mired in a four-game losing streak...Read more

MIAMI — Whether the Miami Dolphins qualify for the playoffs, or not ...

Whether South Florida’s NFL franchise produces a winning record for the fifth straight season, or not ...

Whether Tua Tagovailoa is shelved for Sunday’s game because of his lingering hip injury or not, the Dolphins will walk away with tons of lessons from this season...Read more

BALTIMORE — It was Christmas night in Houston, but Marlon Humphrey’s wish had yet to be fulfilled.

“I want that AFC North,” the Ravens’ uninhibited cornerback said after Baltimore’s blowout of the Texans. “It feels good to get that hat and T-shirt.”

Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, it was delivered amid a joyous but moderate...Read more

The Chiefs’ charter plane to Denver finally took flight after nearly a four-hour weather delay on Saturday.

Kansas City International Airport halted its flight operations early Saturday afternoon because of icy conditions on its runway and taxiways.

That left the Chiefs sitting aboard their plane for nearly four hours beyond their planned ...Read more