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Instant analysis of 49ers' snow-covered 35-10 loss to Bills

Sports / Football /

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Picturesque snow fell to the ground, then so did Christian McCaffrey. Inevitably the San Francisco 49ers dropped as well for a third straight defeat, 35-10, on Sunday night against the AFC East-clinching Buffalo Bills.

The 49ers’ upset bid had life until McCaffrey left with an unspecified knee injury on their second ...Read more

Michael Cunningham: Kirk Cousins was supposed to fix the Falcons, but now he's hurting them

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ATLANTA — A few unhappy Falcons fans booed Kirk Cousins when his third-down pass hit the turf at the feet of an open receiver early in Sunday’s game. A larger group of dissatisfied supporters heckled Cousins when he nearly threw an interception in the end zone and missed his target on back-to-back plays. The jeers were loud and widespread at...Read more

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Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich does not shut the door on potentially benching Aaron Rodgers

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NEW YORK — In the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray is trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive Feb. 2 repeatedly.

The Jets are in a time loop of their own, but none of the Gang Green players are laughing amid a disappointing 3-9 season, which culminated in Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Following the game, ...Read more

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'He has to grow up': Another Steelers game, another George Pickens controversy

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CINCINNATI — If you thought after taking two taunting penalties while flirting with an ejection, Sunday might finally be the time for George Pickens to step up and take some personal accountability, well ...

“Nah, honestly, I can just keep running my routes, keep playing,” Pickens said to the question of whether there’s anything he ...Read more

Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Eagles, Saquon Barkley grind out a 24-19 victory over Ravens as their winning streak hits eight

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BALTIMORE — As the stakes rise and the playoff picture comes more clearly into picture, the Philadelphia Eagles are surging at the right time.

An early deficit borne out of a sluggish offensive start wasn’t enough to trouble them en route to a statement 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Now 10-2, the Eagles’ eighth straight victory may...Read more

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Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Also, victorious. Bucs beat Panthers in OT.

Sports / Football /

Do you want to talk about the interceptions?

How about the penalties? Or the missed tackles? Or the horrific punting/kickoffs?

Let’s start with the scoreboard.

Tampa Bay won. Unbelievably. Also, undeservedly. The Bucs beat the Carolina Panthers 26-23 in overtime Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., despite playing one of their worst games in memory. ...Read more

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Tarheeb Still's second interception lifts Chargers over Falcons

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ATLANTA — Tarheeb Still’s modest wave toward the stunned crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium wasn’t just a parting shot to the home fans. It was the rookie cornerback saying hello.

The former fifth-round pick grabbed two interceptions, including a pick he returned 61 yards for the deciding touchdown, in the Chargers’ 17-13 win over the ...Read more

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Rams rally in second half behind Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams to beat Saints

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NEW ORLEANS — They ran three plays in the first quarter.

They were shut out in the first half.

It was anything but easy for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the Big Easy.

Still, Matthew Stafford passed for two second-half touchdowns and Kyren Williams ran for another as the Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints, 21-14, at the Caesars ...Read more

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Seahawks emerge from mess of game with win vs. Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Had one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history — Aaron Rodgers — been able to hit a wide-open Garrett Wilson in the end zone midway through the second quarter, this game might have been over almost before it started.

Instead, Rodgers’ misfire helped set the stage for one of the more amazing Seattle ...Read more

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Lions sign former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to practice squad

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DETROIT — With injuries stacking up defensively, the Detroit Lions have brought in a number of reinforcements in recent days.

Add a former All-Pro safety to that list.

Jamal Adams is signing with Detroit's practice squad, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News. ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the move and further explained the ...Read more

Nancy Lane/Boston Herald/TNS

Takeaways from Patriots' heartbreaking last-minute 25-24 loss to Colts

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ defense couldn’t hold when it mattered most in Sunday’s 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots led 24-17 when the Colts got the ball at their own 20-yard line with 5:34 left in regulation. They went 80 yards on 19 plays before quarterback Anthony Richardson hit wide receiver Alec...Read more

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Vikings make up ground, overcome the Cardinals 23-22 with a late touchdown

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Vikings didn’t score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and heard boos from the home crowd in their first game at U.S. Bank Stadium since Nov. 3. They ended the day with the stadium at full volume, roaring after Shaq Griffin picked off Kyler Murray to seal a one-point win.

They rallied for a 23-22 victory over ...Read more

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Steelers slam door on reeling Bengals with huge 2nd half

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CINCINNATI — A new highest-scoring half in AFC North history, the most prolific first half of Russell Wilson’s stellar career and, in the end, a Pittsburgh Steelers victory with their most points since 2018 that likely knocks the Bengals out of playoff contention.

Wilson finished with 414 yards — second-most of his NFL career and most by ...Read more

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Dave Hyde: In biggest games, Dolphins keep lacking 'DNA to handle adversity'

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He left the game, the kind of game he was brought here to win, the kind of the game he helped revive a 2-6 season to have, still talking how he wanted this team to be. And it isn’t. It never has been under him.

“Tough-minded individuals can learn from the things that kept us from the victory column this game and utilize it in the last five ...Read more

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America/TNS

Vahe Gregorian: Chiefs' latest absurd win has a new meaning, and it's not reassuring

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’re willing to squint and suspend disbelief and fully embrace the notion that you make your own luck, there’s a smidgen of a case to be made that the Chiefs’ latest wacky win wasn’t so much because of a fluke as because of a nimble response to it.

And that they didn’t eke past visiting Las Vegas 19-17 on ...Read more

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La Velle E. Neal III: Wrong, wrong, wrong. About the Vikings. About the NFC North. About Sam Darnold.

Sports / Football /

MINNEAPOLIS — Let’s begin with a simple, declarative statement regarding the NFC North:

We were wrong.

Not we, as in you and me. We, as in scribes for this paper, the paper of record for the Upper Midwest. We didn’t realize just how strong this division was going to be and how the Vikings would contribute to that.

A skeptical eye was ...Read more

David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Marcus Hayes: Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to Baltimore in a possible Super Bowl preview

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PHILADELPHIA — In mid-September, John Harbaugh's team was 0-2, thanks to a home loss to Gardner Minshew and the Las Vegas Raiders. They'd just made it to the AFC championship game last season and had a trip to Dallas looming. Things looked bleak.

"The NFL is a race to improve," said Harbaugh, who, in his 17th season, is the second-longest ...Read more

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Jason Mackey: Motivated by dad's battle, Steelers safety DeShon Elliott has a style that fits here

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PITTSBURGH — Like any kid growing up in Dallas, DeShon Elliott wanted to be like Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, at least until he switched to defense full-time once he arrived at the University of Texas.

At home, Elliott's hero was similarly predictable: his father, Arme.

Arme Elliott was a truck driver, owned a corner store...Read more

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Raiders coach Antonio Pierce on final play vs. Chiefs: 'We heard a whistle on our sideline'

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As his team’s frantic last play from scrimmage was unfolding against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was under the impression officials had called the play dead.

“We heard a whistle on our sideline,” Pierce said Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Raiders’ gut-wrenching 19-17 loss. ...Read more

Emily Curiel/Kansas City Star/TNS

Sam McDowell: Chiefs enacted emergency plan after Patrick Mahomes' outburst vs. Raiders. What next?

Sports / Football /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes paced up and down the Chiefs’ sideline, yelling toward everyone yet no one in particular.

His first-half pep talk, a waste.

His body, bruised.

His frustration, public for all to see.

If you didn’t know any better — if you didn’t check the date on this column — you might have guessed I ripped the...Read more