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Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips arrested on suspicion of drunken driving
MINNEAPOLIS — Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was arrested Friday night on suspicion of drunken driving.
Phillips, 44, was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis around 9:45 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from State Patrol Lt. Jill Frankfurth. He "showed signs of impairment" and registered a blood alcohol ...Read more

T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith have been placed in the NFL concussion protocol after suffering head injuries against the Patriots
PITTSBURGH — Steelers outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are in the NFL concussion protocol following Thursday night's game against the Patriots.
Highsmith left the game in the first quarter and did not return. His injury was first reported as a neck injury.
Watt was injured early in the game and left for a few plays, but he ...Read more

NFL bans Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro from the sideline on Sunday
PHILADELPHIA — Dom DiSandro won’t be permitted on the Eagles sideline for Sunday night’s game at the Cowboys.
The Eagles chief of security can travel with the team and perform all of his other game-day duties. But after his altercation with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw last Sunday, the league ruled after a meeting with the Eagles that ...Read more

NFL DFS Week 14 optimal lineup
Devising the perfect Daily Fantasy Sports strategy for the NFL can be a challenge, which is why I'm here weekly to assist.
On DraftKings, it's important to remember you're playing full-point PPR with bonuses if a player surpasses 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards or 100 receiving yards.
Here is my optimal lineup for Sunday's $2.75 million ...Read more

Vahe Gregorian: Why the best version of these Chiefs can still repeat as Super Bowl champs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twelve games into the NFL season, the most realistic view of the 2023 Chiefs is that they are one confusing team about which there can be no valid consensus or conclusions made ... or real way to know what’s ahead.
Just when you think you’ve got a bead on them, wham, they twist another way.
At 8-4 with five games to go...Read more

Chris Perkins: Through custom cleats, Dolphins show what's on their minds and in their hearts
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s not easy for Dolphins quarterback Mike White to go out to eat with his family. His 2-year-old daughter, Millie, has a peanut allergy. Consequently, they must always be aware, they must always be vigilant.
“It changes the way you think about things and, honestly, the way you live,” he said.
White is among ...Read more

NFL suspends Chiefs receiver Justyn Ross
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL announced Friday that it has suspended Kansas City Chiefs receiver Justyn Ross for six regular-season games for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy relating to his involvement in a domestic violence incident from October.
However, because Ross spent the last five weeks on the Commissioner Exempt List, ...Read more

Bills coach Sean McDermott cited 9/11 hijackers as an example of teamwork. Now he regrets it.
A day after meeting with his players, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters Friday that their "support was clear" after he apologized for referencing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during training camp four years ago.
The comments — in which McDermott is said to have used the hijackers as an example of individuals who were ...Read more

Ron Cook: The Steelers have officially hit rock bottom
PITTSBURGH — It is one thing to lose a football game.
It is something much worse to be ridiculed on national television.
The Steelers took a well-deserved beating on the Amazon Prime telecast Thursday night on their way to an embarrassing 21-18 home loss to the New England Patriots that left their playoff hopes on life support and turned up ...Read more

Giants DC Wink Martindale: Things are 'fine' with coach Brian Daboll but 'I can't predict the future'
NEW YORK — Wink Martindale said his relationship with Brian Daboll is “fine,” but the Giants’ defensive coordinator can’t say what will happen when the season ends.
“As far as where I’m gonna be at, no one knows that,” Martindale said Friday morning. “I say we, [my wife Laura] and myself, worked long enough and hard enough in ...Read more

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco won't play Sunday vs. Bills
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coming off one of his most productive games of the season, Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will miss the next one.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Friday ruled out Pacheco from playing in Sunday’s home game against the Buffalo Bills. Pacheco suffered a shoulder injury in last weekend’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, a game ...Read more

Seahawks WR DK Metcalf 'trying to learn something new' with ASL
RENTON, Wash. — When Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf began taking American Sign Language lessons earlier this year, his intent was simple — he wanted to learn something new, and find a way to exercise his mind away from the football field.
But lately, Metcalf has started to realized that his ASL exploits have taken on a bigger meaning.
...Read more

Dylan Hernández: A 'more aware' Sean McVay is helping Rams exceed expectations this season
LOS ANGELES — Shortly after his midweek news conference, I reminded Sean McVay that the over/under for Rams wins in Las Vegas sportsbooks before the season was just 6 1/2.
I was certain the Rams would fall short of that — way short, actually — and now I'm about to have to buy dinner for Artis Twyman, the team's vice president of ...Read more

Bailey Zappe leads Patriots to 21-18 win over Steelers with impressive first half
Quarterback Bailey Zappe had the Patriots looking like a completely different team in the first half of his second start of the season Thursday night in a 21-18 win over the Steelers.
Zappe won’t be losing his grip on the starting job anytime soon after going 14 of 21 for 196 yards with three touchdowns in the first half. Zappe’s ...Read more

Greg Cote's Week 14 NFL picks
We anticipated a dip after going a surreal 14-2 both ways in Week 13 and saw one, but survived it pretty well. The 8-5 straight-up didn’t delight me. but the hard-fought 7-6 ATS was a plus. Endured some close-call near misses but ended strong by nailing Packers and Bengals with the points in Sunday and Monday night covers to end the week. Let�...Read more

Former NFL player Sergio Brown pleads not guilty to murder of his mother in Chicago suburb
CHICAGO — Former NFL player Sergio Brown pleaded not guilty to murdering his mother during an arraignment Wednesday.
Brown was charged with first-degree murder for the September death of his mother, Myrtle Simmons-Brown, who prosecutors said he lived with in Maywood.
The 35-year-old who played for seven seasons as a safety for the New ...Read more

Sam Farmer's Week 14 NFL picks
The Los Angeles Times' NFL writer, Sam Farmer, examines this week's matchups. Lines according to FanDuel Sportsbook (O/U = over/under). Last week's record 7-6 (.538); season 116-77 (.601). Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, the record against the spread last week would have been 7-5-1 (.583); season 92-97-4 (.487). Off: ...Read more

Dieter Kurtenbach: If you don't take Brock Purdy's MVP candidacy seriously, you don't know football
It shouldn’t be surprising that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is now the betting favorite to win NFL MVP this season.
After all, he played a nearly perfect game and out-dueled the previous betting favorite for the award, Jalen Hurts, in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The truth is that with five weeks to play in the regular season, there is no clear...Read more

Marcus Hayes: David Carr was almost right about Jalen Hurts: The MVP is at stake Sunday night in Dallas, not Hurts' job
PHILADELPHIA — David Carr is being a self-promoting and willful idiot, but there is a kernel of truth in his misevaluation of MVP candidate Jalen Hurts.
Carr, who failed as an NFL quarterback for a decade and now opines for the NFL Network, said Tuesday that the Eagles would be wise to immediately bench Hurts in favor of backup Marcus Mariota...Read more

Chris Perkins: Are the Dolphins, at this point, legitimate Super Bowl contenders?
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In the past week, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey have both said this Miami Dolphins team has the potential to be just as good as or better than the Super Bowl champion teams they were on, the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs and 2021 Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
So, it’s worth asking: Can we legitimately use the words “Miami...Read more