SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The NFL’s softest schedule awaits. Upgrades are coming to a still star-laden roster. Year 9 is officially loading for San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

Go ahead, dare to envision that sixth Lombardi Trophy. The 49ers are absolutely aiming for Super Bowl LX, held at Levi’s Stadium...Read more

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier had quite the self-assured take on the offensive line play to start the 2024 NFL season.

Coach Mike McDaniel “and I were talking about this the other day with the offensive line how every year, you guys are like, ‘not good enough, not good enough’ but then, offensively we’re a pretty ...Read more

BALTIMORE — As some Steelers players showered, changed and walked toward the team bus late Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, others remained in the visitors' dressing room, soaking in the silence.

Najee Harris wore a pair of headphones that definitely weren't necessary. A fan whirred overtop George Pickens' locker stall.

For a season ...Read more

CHICAGO — One thing is for certain as the Chicago Bears continue through this high-stakes search for their next head coach: They have lost the benefit of the doubt.

That is among Bears fans, naturally, who have seen their team flounder under the oversight of Chairman George McCaskey and have taken note that, since McCaskey took charge in 2011...Read more

Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Washington Commanders to a 23-20 win over the Bucs in an NFC wild-card game Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium.

Gonzalez’s kick from the left hashmark hit the right upright and went over the crossbar, ending Tampa Bay’s season short of the division round for just the second ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Ravens were successful in almost every phase in beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14, in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card game, but pass coverage in the secondary is still a primary concern.

Pittsburgh had touchdowns passes of 30 and 36 yards in the third quarter to pull within two scores with 3:24 remaining in the third ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Remember all that talk about how fortunate it was that the Chargers secured the AFC's fifth seed so they could start their postseason march here?

Well, the Houston Texans remember it too.

"Oh, that? Don't know what you're talking about," Texans tight end Dalton Schultz said, feigning ignorance before easing into a wide smile. "...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Only Jordan Love knows for certain what he saw when he dropped back on first down late in the second quarter, with the Green Bay Packers down 10 points but already inside Eagles territory and still on the move. There was no receiver in the middle of the field who was open, but Love threw the ball to the middle of the field ...Read more

BOSTON — If your car breaks down, you call a tow truck.

If your lights go out, you call an electrician.

If your football team breaks down and the lights go out on its culture, identity and ability to punch above its weight, you call a coach like Mike Vrabel.

Well, the New England Patriots did. Vrabel answered.

And lucky for them, he’s ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A few dozen pieces of green confetti floated around Lincoln Financial Field as the Eagles wrapped up a playoff win.

En route to a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Eagles got the band back together on offense and played the hits. They used Saquon Barkley early and often, dominated on defense, and used their ...Read more

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Denver Broncos got Buffaloed. In the biggest moment, the outcome still hanging in the balance, the refs screwed Sean Payton again in a playoff game.

That’s what I want to write. There is no way Bills receiver Tyler Johnson had control of the ball with a knee in bounds as he slid across the back of the end zone. There is ...Read more

BOSTON — A new regime has arrived in New England.

The Patriots are hiring Mike Vrabel to become their newest head coach, sources confirm to the Boston Herald.

Vrabel, a Patriots Hall of Famer and ex-Titans head coach, was considered the team’s top candidate as soon as they fired Jerod Mayo an hour after the team’s Week 18 win over the ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since the advent of the Patrick Mahomes Era, the Chiefs are 15-3 in the postseason — a diametric contrast for a franchise that had won just one of its previous 12 playoff games and tormented its fan base into what might be called rational paranoia.

In this astonishing span, the Chiefs have played in four of the last five ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Raiders are several days into their search for a coach, something we’ve often written since the NFL franchise moved to Las Vegas.

The mission for team owner Mark Davis and minority owner Tom Brady, who appears to be calling the shots, is to find the right person for the job for years to come. To finally bring stability to ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson strode into M&T Bank Stadium clad in all black on Saturday night. It turned out to be an appropriate motif for the voodoo burial he was about to oversee.

Baltimore entered its wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers winners of four straight but with questions over whether Jackson’s regular...Read more

BALTIMORE — Make it eight years in a row the Philadelphia Steelers were unable to win a playoff game. Make it five losses in a row to end this once-promising campaign.

This time, it was their rival Baltimore Ravens, who beat them for the second time in four weeks, a 28-14 snoozer that was the franchise’s sixth consecutive postseason loss. ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025.

And, perhaps interestingly, in a much better position than they were a year ago.

The Chiefs currently have the second-best odds to win the upcoming Super Bowl, according to BetMGM, behind only the Detroit Lions.

And those...Read more

TEMPE, Ariz. — The sky was clear Saturday when the Rams went through drills in preparation for their NFC wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The conditions at the Arizona Cardinals’ training facility offered a stark contrast to what the Rams faced a few days earlier, when smoke from wildfires billowed during practice at their ...Read more