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Tag: Football

  • Patriots punch ticket to 12th Super Bowl with gritty 10-7 win

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    DENVER — Drake Maye handled the sloppy, snowy conditions better than the home team and he scored New England’s only touchdown on a 6-yard keeper, propelling the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl with a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game Sunday.

    Maye threw for just 86 yards, but ran for 65 and iced the win with a 7-yard keeper on third-and-5 in the waning minutes to send the Patriots (17-3) to the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel’s first year as coach.

    The Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game, on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

    “I’m just proud of this team,” said the 23-year-old Maye, who’s the second-youngest starting quarterback to reach the Super Bowl, behind only Miami’s Dan Marino. “Don’t have many words. Just thankful for this team. Love each and every one of them. It took everybody.”

    Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jarrett Stidham, starting in place of an injured Bo Nix, with 2:11 remaining for New England’s second takeaway. The first set up the Patriots with a short field and led to Maye’s touchdown scamper that tied it at 7 heading into halftime.

    With Nix looking on from a suite following ankle surgery Tuesday in Alabama, Stidham made his first start in more than two years. His first completion since the 2023 regular-season finale was a 52-yard dart to Marvin Mims Jr. to the New England 7 that set up Courtland Sutton’s 6-yard touchdown catch.

    That was Stidham’s highlight as he turned the ball over twice and finished 17 of 31 for 133 yards with the TD.

    “I was super excited for the opportunity and just hate that we fell short,” Stidham said.

    New England, which went 4-13 last year under Jerod Mayo, became the third team in the Super Bowl era to win a conference championship with 10 points or less. Buffalo beat Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC title game, and Los Angeles beat Tampa Bay 9-0 in the 1979 NFC championship game.

    Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a playmaking linebacker for the Patriots, could become the first person in NFL history to also win as a head coach for the same franchise.

    “I won’t win it. It’ll be the players that’ll win the game,” Vrabel said. “I promise you, it won’t be me that’ll win it, and I promise you that I’ll do everything I can, and our staff, to have them ready for the game.”

    The Broncos (15-4) finished one step shy of fulfilling Sean Payton’s preseason prediction of a trip to Super Bowl 60, and he pointed the finger right at himself.

    He said he regretted his call on fourth-and-1 from the New England 14 in the second quarter when a chip-shot field goal before the snow came in would have given Denver a double-digit lead. Stidham’s throw to running back R.J. Harvey was incomplete and the Broncos’ early momentum vanished.

    “There’s always regrets,” Payton said. “Yeah, I mean, look, I felt like here we are, fourth-and-1. We felt close enough … So, yeah, there’ll always be second thoughts.”

    The Broncos were left clinging to a 7-0 lead that was short-lived. Elijah Ponder recovered Stidham’s backward pass at the Denver 12, setting up the tying touchdown two plays later.

    “I thought I threw it forward and obviously the replay said differently,” Stidham said. “Probably should have just eaten the sack and let (Jeremy) Crawshaw punt the ball and flip the field.”

    Both kickers missed two field goals in the frigid conditions with Denver’s Wil Lutz and New England’s Andy Borregales wide on long tries just before the snow came in at halftime. Lutz’s 45-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter was tipped by Leonard Taylor III.

    The Patriots’ victory was their 40th in the playoffs, breaking a tie with the San Francisco 49ers for the most in NFL history.

    It was sunny at kickoff with a temperature of 26 degrees, but by halftime the snowflakes began falling and grounds crews had to use snowblowers to mark the hashmarks and yard lines by the fourth quarter, when it was 16 degrees.

    “It was a lot of fun out there,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “Snow game, for the conference, to go to the Super Bowl — it doesn’t get any better than that. I felt like I was a little kid out there just playing in the snow.”

    And the Patriots had the most fun of all.

    “What an atmosphere out here,” said Maye, in his second NFL season. “Battle of the elements. Love this team. How about the defense? I love each and every one of them.”

    The Patriots have allowed 26 points across three playoff games. The only team to allow fewer points over three playoff games before a Super Bowl appearance was the 2000 Ravens, who allowed just 16 points.

    After gaining just 72 yards in the first half, the Patriots opened the second half in swirling snow with a 16-play, 64-yard drive that ate up 9 1/2 minutes and ended with a 23-yard field goal by Borregales that proved the difference.

    Stidham, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2019, made his first start since the 2023 regular-season finale. The Broncos were the only team in the league that didn’t give their backup QB any snaps or handoffs the last two seasons.

    The Patriots have averaged 18 points per game in the playoffs, the fewest by any team to make the Super Bowl since the 1979 Rams, who averaged 15.

    “I’ll take an ugly win before I take a pretty loss,” Diggs said. “Nobody’s satisfied. Happy, but not complacent. We’re blessed to be where we are, but we know there’s more out there for us.”

    Coming up just short of a trip to the Super Bowl will drive Denver, said Surtain, who suggested: “This is not the last time we’re going to be here. We’re going to just keep on building and getting better.”

    Nix, who had 11 game-winning drives in his first two NFL seasons, got hurt on Denver’s final drive in overtime against Buffalo last week, and this title game will always be dogged in Denver by the what-ifs.

    “It (stinks),” linebacker Alex Singleton said. “We’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.”

    Patriots: LB Robert Spillane (ankle) left in the first quarter.

    Broncos: WR Pat Bryant left with a hamstring injury in the second quarter.

    —

    This story has been corrected to show Maye ran for 65 yards and not 68.

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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  • Keeler: Here’s why Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham makes Patriots fans in Denver nervous

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    Justin Grant had Tedy Bruschi on his back and Brock Osweiler on the brain.

    “I don’t like the storyline with Jarrett Stidham,” he told me as we shivered on the second-floor deck at Jackson’s LODO early Saturday night.

    Then he corrected himself.

    “I hate the storyline,” Grant continued, adjusting his bright blue Bruschi replica Patriots jersey.

    “Why?” I wondered.

    “Because we drafted him. And he gave us two years and then he left. And now he’s, like, the guy who’s coming in. I just don’t like the storyline.”

    New England rolls an MVP-caliber quarterback into Denver — only to get beaten by a Broncos backup? Justin’s seen the movie before. He always ends up crying at the end.

    The last time Grant, who calls Colorado Springs home but grew up in Maine, saw his beloved Pats at Empower Field was November 2015. When Osweiler rallied the Broncos past Tom Brady in the snow.

    Talk about your classic PTSD — Pats Traumatic Stress Disorder.

    “I’m 0-and-1, man,” Grant laughed on the eve of the AFC Championship between the Broncos and Patriots. “We don’t have a good record here.”

    Sure don’t. The Pats are tied with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories (six) since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. But they’ve never won a postseason game in Denver (0-4). Brady went 0-3. Empower Field was the one mountain too high for even the GOAT to climb.

    New England Patriots fan Brian Kureta screams among his fellow fans on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Jackson’s LODO in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

    “Honestly, man, after losing two Super Bowls to Eli Manning and one to Nick Foles,” Grant’s friend Jordan Buck, a Pats fan from Lakewood, told me, “I’m not overlooking anybody. But you’ve got to be confident in your squad, so I like my team’s chances.”

    Love them, though?

    Not after Osweiler. Or Foles. Or Eli twice.

    “Yeah, (Stidham) hasn’t played in a long time,” Buck shrugged. “But I mean, he played for us for three years, so he knows us well.”

    What did Broncos fans and Pats fans have in common Saturday? Stidham, who’ll make his first postseason start against New England in place of injured Broncos QB Bo Nix, was on the lips of both teams’ fans the hours before the biggest football game at Empower Field in a decade.

    New Englanders packed into Jackson’s LODO for a pep rally just within shouting distance of Coors Field. Most of the shouts were distinctly of the NC-17 variety.

    Patriot Pat signs New England Patriots fan Sumaya Faggan's bag on Saturday at Jackson's LODO in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
    Patriot Pat signs New England Patriots fan Sumaya Faggan’s bag on Saturday at Jackson’s LODO in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

    “I LOVE DRAKE MAYE!” a Patriots fan cried.

    “(EXPLETIVE) THE BRONCOS!” Another screamed.

    The “Night Before” rally was a brainchild of the Pikes Peak Pats fan club. PPP typically hosts a night-before primer on the eve of an AFC title game in Denver, but it’s been a while. January 2016 brought roughly 700 Front Range Pats fans together. PPP president Anne Stone told me they were expecting at least 1,000 this time around — if not more. With the sun setting and temps falling at 5:15 p.m., a line of at least 100 patrons was seen snaking out from the front door of Jackson’s and around the block.

    Near the DJ stage on the second floor, the Patriots’ “All-Access”  television show did a live shoot for the locals back in Beantown. Pat Patriot danced in one corner. A giant ice sculpture of the New England logo rested in another. Former New England kicker Adam Vinatieri, the Patriots’ honorary captain for Sunday, showed up for his “All-Access” cameo as faithful waved tiny cardboard heads of New England rookie tackle Will Campbell.

    “We all we got?” Vinatieri asked.

    “We all we need!” they cried.

    “We all we got?” Vinatieri repeated.

    “We all we need!”

    “That’s what I’m talking about!” Vinatieri said.

    Former New England Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan signs autographs for fans on Saturday at Jackson's LODO in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
    Former New England Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan signs autographs for fans on Saturday at Jackson’s LODO in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

    It’s OK to roll your eyes. But not at the cause. PPP ran a raffle during the rally on Saturday, with a plethora of signed Pats items, in order to raise money for the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers Memorial.

    As a Boston native, Stone’s accent is thicker than chowdah, bless her, with a laugh that lilts like a fly ball onto Lansdowne Street. She moved to the Front Range 30 years ago when her husband got a new gig — and never left.

    The Pikes Peak Pats Club started in 2006. Stone became president a year after that. PPP counts about 90 active members now. Before the pandemic, it was closer to 400. Things are more transient now, with East Coast military transplants looking for a good watch pah-ty coming and going as Uncle Sam ships them in and out of the Springs.

    “It’s good,” Stone said. “You get to meet new people all the time.”

    Pats owner Robert Kraft has even visited PPP tailgates and parties over the years, although he wasn’t on the guest list for Saturday’s rally.

    And if Stone’s got any PTSD, deep down, she sure as heck wasn’t showing it.

    “To tell you the truth, in all honesty, I think a lot of people, all of my Pats friends, everyone’s hearts are broken for poor Bo Nix,” Stone said. “Some of us are old enough that he could be our son. Here was a 25-year-old who spent the night crying. It’s just awful.”

    A pause.

    And cue the “but” …

    “That being said, I don’t think we’re a shoo-in,” Stone continued. “I do think we’re going to win. That’s my gut reaction. You know what they say: ‘Any given Sunday.’ It’s true. And we don’t have good luck (in Denver).”

    Oh and four.

    As in, uh-oh and four.

    “That worry you?” I asked Grant.

    “Yes, it does,” he replied. “It worries me a lot.”

    He just wishes Stidham would stop giving him that old Osweiler vibe.

    “So hopefully,” Grant said nervously, “history doesn’t repeat itself.”

    Stiddy as you Bo, man. Stiddy as you Bo.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Packers Offensive Tackle Rasheed Walker Arrested on Gun Possession Charge at LaGuardia Airport

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker has been arrested after police say he presented a firearm for inspection without proper credentials at LaGuardia Airport.

    Port Authority police said Walker was arrested Friday morning after they responded to a request for a firearms check at LaGuardia’s Terminal C. Police said the 25-year-old had checked in at Delta and had presented a firearm for inspection without proper credentials.

    Arthur Aidala, the lawyer representing Walker, said his client voluntarily disclosed an unloaded, secured firearm upon his arrival at the airport. Aidala said Walker was arrested because his license wasn’t valid in New York.

    “We are confident the matter will eventually be dismissed,” Aidala said via email.

    The Packers’ season ended Jan. 10 with a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

    Walker has been Green Bay’s first-team left tackle for the last three seasons and has started 48 games since the Packers selected him out of Penn State in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Walker just completed the final year of his contract and is set to become a free agent in the offseason. He has started each of Green Bay’s four playoff games over the last three seasons.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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    Associated Press

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  • Some Patriots fans happy to miss storm for AFC Championship in Denver

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    A lot of lucky Patriots fans are leaving town before the snowflakes even start falling this weekend.

    They’ll be in Denver for the AFC Championship while the rest of us are getting buried by a significant winter storm — though getting back home could be tricky.

    “It’s exciting to see what’s about to hit Boston, but we’ll be watching from afar,” said Paul English, who was before boarding a plane to Denver with his family Friday.

    It’s the AFC Championship or bust for droves of fans heading west before New England gets clobbered with a classic winter wallop.

    “It seems like there’s a lot of hype this week for it. I’m kind of expecting that our plane is going to be like 100% Patriots fans,” Mike English said.

    With the Patriots in Denver to face the Broncos in the AFC Championship, we’re checking out the city and gauging the impact of the city’s high altitude on football performance.

    The popular Boston-to-Denver flights are even more so this weekend. The Foxboro faithful are trying to get to and from the Mile High City, where the Patriots and Broncos will compete for the chance to play in the Super Bowl, as a massive winter storm rips across the country.

    “Air travel is going to have a lot of problems this weekend, if anything close to the forecast comes to fruition,” said Seth Miller, an airline industry analyst.

    At Logan Airport in Boston, the height of the storm is set to coincide with the playoff game, so returning home is the real concern.

    “Folks who are booking a red eye home from Denver Sunday night after the game, or trying to come back Monday morning, there is a very good chance some of those flights are going be delayed or canceled,” Miller said.

    Not everyone in Terminal C Friday was flying to Denver. One woman said she loves the Patriots, but is going someplace warmer.

    “I want to get away from the cold weather. I don’t want to jump back into it,” she said. “We’re getting ready to have a big storm this weekend here, why would I want to go to Denver?”

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    John Moroney

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  • NFL to review Tyreek Hill’s deposition as league probes wife’s abuse claims

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    Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill catches a pass in the first half against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Monday, September 29, 2025. Hill suffered a serious knee injury during the game.

    Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill catches a pass in the first half against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Monday, September 29, 2025. Hill suffered a serious knee injury during the game.


    PHOTO BY AL DIAZ

    adiaz@miamiherald.com

    The NFL will be reviewing parts of Tyreek Hill’s deposition in his divorce case as the league probes the star wide receiver for alleged domestic violence during his marriage, including accusations that he tried to punch his wife’s stomach while she was pregnant.

    In court on Wednesday afternoon, attorneys for Hill and his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, told Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Spencer Multack that they had reached an agreement on providing Hill’s deposition transcript to league officials. The attorneys said the deposition will be handed to the NFL with some portions redacted.

    In August, Multack issued an order to shield evidence in the case from being made public. The deposition may not be released publicly, and its use would be “limited strictly” to the NFL investigation, according to court documents.

    A month later, Vaccaro, 29, filed an amended divorce petition, alleging eight incidents, including that Hill shoved her to the floor, ripped her hair out and tried to punch her stomach while she was pregnant. The couple was married for a year-and-half at the time of the divorce filing in April 2025. They had their daughter in November 2024.

    The trial for the divorce — and domestic-violence claims — is expected to start in June, Multack noted in an order filed in January.

    READ MORE: NFL to interview Tyreek Hill’s wife amid domestic violence allegations, records show

    Vaccaro went to court in December asking for Hill’s deposition to be released to the NFL before her scheduled interview with league officials. The NFL is investigating Hill, 31, for possibly violating the league’s personal conduct policy, according to court records.

    Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) talks with his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, before the start of his NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J.
    Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) talks with his wife, Keeta Vaccaro, before the start of his NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com

    The December filing marks the first time details about the NFL investigation have been publicly discussed. The NFL generally does not disclose which players are being investigated. From the document, it appears Vaccaro is cooperating with the probe.

    READ MORE: Tyreek Hill’s wife says marriage was marred by physical abuse, divorce file shows

    The couple’s contentious divorce proceedings have painted an unflattering picture of Hill, who has faced previous allegations of violence toward women dating back to his days at Oklahoma State University.

    In recent weeks, the judge admonished Vaccaro for purchasing a $196,000 Bentley as she asked the NFL star for almost $40,000 a month in temporary support and more than $325,000 in child support, according to Us Weekly.

    READ MORE: After years of chaos, Tyreek Hill says he’s cleaning up his life. ‘I lost my true self’

    Hill is recovering from a major knee injury, and a suspension would also likely affect his market value if the Dolphins release him.

    Hill, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 against the Jets, made $27.7 million this season. He’s due to make $29.9 million next season, but none of that money is guaranteed and the Dolphins aren’t expected to retain him on that contract.

    Grethel Aguila

    Miami Herald

    Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.

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    Grethel Aguila

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  • Judge grants Duke’s bid to block QB Darian Mensah’s transfer until Feb. 2 hearing in contract fight

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    A judge has granted Duke’s request for a temporary restraining order blocking quarterback Darian Mensah from enrolling to play football at another school until a court hearing set for early February.

    The school filed a lawsuit Monday in Durham County Superior Court against Mensah seeking to block his efforts to transfer and reach a contract with another school to play elsewhere next season. The complaint came three days after Mensah reversed his previously announced plan to return to the Blue Devils after leading them to the Atlantic Coast Conference title.

    Judge Michael O’Foghludha signed an order Wednesday that prevents Mensah from enrolling elsewhere, signing a licensing deal with another school or taking any other action breaching the two-season contract Mensah signed with Duke running through 2026.

    The order, formalizing a verbal ruling from Tuesday’s hearing, didn’t grant Duke’s additional request seeking to block Mensah from entering his name into the transfer portal entirely. But he otherwise can’t take additional steps in the process of reaching a deal to play at a new school, with the order designed to “preserve the status quo” until a Feb. 2 hearing.

    “Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same,” Duke said in a statement Wednesday. “The court-ordered temporary restraining order issued (Tuesday) ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations.”

    The school argued its contract with Mensah — signed in July 2025 — paid him for exclusive rights to market Mensah’s name, image and likeness (NIL) tied to playing college football. Duke’s lawsuit argued that the contract requires parties to go through arbitration before any dispute can be resolved.

    “This case arises out of the decision of a star quarterback in the increasingly complex world of college athletics,” the complaint states in its opening. “But at its core, this is a simple case that involves the integrity of contracts.”

    In an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday, sports-law attorney Darren Heitner, who has worked with Mensah, noted Duke’s request for a temporary restraining order preventing Mensah from entering the transfer portal had been denied. Later in the day, however, Heitner said on social media that Mensah “is not, for the time being” allowed to enroll or play football elsewhere before a decision by a different judge set to preside over the next hearing.

    Mensah, who transferred in from Tulane and even faced his former team, finished second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks by throwing for 3,973 yards while ranking tied for second with 34 passing touchdowns.

    The Mensah-Duke case is the latest in what is becoming a more frequent occurrence in the revenue-sharing era of college sports: legal fights over contracts between schools and players seeking to transfer.

    Earlier this month, Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announced plans to transfer before changing his mind two days later, coming amid multiple reports that the school was prepared to pursue legal options to enforce Williams’ NIL contract.

    And in December, Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II filed a lawsuit claiming the athletic department at Georgia was trying to illegally punish him for entering the portal in January 2025.

    ___

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  • Keeler: How can Broncos’ Jarrett Stidham beat Patriots? Gary Kubiak, Bubby Brister see a path

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    Eight no mountain high enough.

    “Oh shoot, I mean, he knows what he’s doing,” Gary Kubiak said of quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who’s slated to start Sunday’s AFC championship against New England. “He’s been preparing with Sean (Payton), he’s been preparing with Bo (Nix), each and every day.

    “I just think, as a coach, and I’m sure Sean (and Bo) have done that, just remind the kid what kind of team he’s on.”

    Funny how history rhymes, isn’t it? Kubiak wore No. 8 as John Elway’s understudy for almost a decade. Stidham now sports that same 8, Kubiak’s old number, as Nix’s relief, one cruel ankle twist away from the throne, over the last two seasons.

    Speaking as one No. 8 to another, our man Kubes, who coached the Broncos to the franchise’s last Super Bowl win a decade ago, offered Stidham eight simple words of advice.

    “Just get in there,” the ex-Broncos backup QB told me by phone earlier this week, “and do your job.”

    Handed the keys to a stock car in the middle of the race? Thrust into the driver’s seat on short notice? Asked to drive your team to the Super Bowl? Kubes has been there.

    Kubiak was Elway’s stand-in from 1983-91, the Cal Naughton, Jr. to John’s Ricky Bobby, a couple of buds shaking and baking all over the AFC West. While Elway was forging one of the great QB careers in NFL history, years of preparing and processing alongside No. 7 molded Kubiak into a championship coach.

    “Sometimes, you’ve got stretches where you may go a year or two years (of not playing),” Kubiak said. “Or you may get out there in a crazy spot.”

    Kubes landed one of the absolute craziest, right at the very end. He was carrying the clipboard for Elway at the ’91-’92 AFC Championship Game in Buffalo when the Broncos icon had to leave the game with a deep bruise in his right thigh.

    Kubiak had already made up his mind before the playoffs that the 1991 season would be his last, that he would retire whenever the ride came to an end.

    “And all of a sudden, there I am in the game,” the former Broncos signal-caller recalled. “It was kind of ironic for me, (spending) all those years backing up John, here I am playing in the AFC Championship Game and had a really good chance to win.”

    Gary literally went into that contest cold. Although he does remember it being surprisingly warm for upstate New York in mid-January.

    “It was an unseasonable 32 degrees in Buffalo,”  he laughed. “I couldn’t have played if it was cold. My back was too bad. I’m glad the Good Lord gave me a game I could play in.”

    Kubes played admirably, too. No. 8 completed 11 of 12 throws for 136 yards. His touchdown run with 1:46 left got the Broncos to within 10-6 before the extra point.

    Denver recovered the ensuing onside kick, but, alas, on the next play, Steve Sewell fumbled the ball back to Buffalo. Three missed field goals at Rich Stadium proved fatal. The Broncos ultimately fell, 10-7.

    “Our defense was really good (in ’91) — a lot like this Broncos team,” Kubiak said. “We were in a lot of low-scoring games. We missed a few plays in the second half. We had ourselves in a position there at the end and unfortunately, the ballgame got away from us … we had our opportunity, but it just didn’t end the right way.”

    How can this one end better? Kubiak likes that Payton doubled down on Stidham publicly, and almost immediately, after getting the worst injury news imaginable.

    “I used to tell my teams, when you’re a coach, you’re going to go through some QB issues and lose a QB,” Kubiak explained. “And I used to always remind guys that when you start to worry about what’s going on at other spots on the team, then you don’t take care of your job. Just stay focused on your job, what you do. ‘We’ve got Stiddy here, he’s going to be ready to play.’ You have to stay focused and (then do) what you have to do to help him out.”

    Bubby Brister went 4-0 as Elway’s No. 2 in the fall of 1998, keeping things afloat as the Broncos eventually repeated as Super Bowl champions. Brister told me Tuesday that he thinks 90% of the battle for Stiddy, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, will be half mental.

    “I believe Jarrett knows he can do the job,” Brister said via text. “He also knows he has a great team and staff around him. Not to mention Sean Payton is in his ear, one of the best ever at calling plays.

    “To top it off, (there’s a) big advantage playing at home with our awesome fans and at Mile High. Just go play! Just go do your job.”

    Even if that means jumping on a moving train. Sportradar says Stidham is only the seventh NFL QB since 1950 to start a playoff game during a season in which he never started once.

    The last three guys who’ve been thrust into that position since 2000 — Joe Webb (Minnesota, 2012), Connor Cook (Oakland, 2016) and Taylor Heinicke (Washington, 2020) — went 0-3. Their average stat line? 216 passing yards, one passing TD, two picks.

    Their teams scored 10 points, 14 points and 23 points, respectively. That’s about 16 per game. Which is asking an awful, awful lot of your defense. Even one as good as Vance Joseph’s.

    “He’ll be all right,” Kubiak said of Stidham. “The thing I always go back to is, it’s all about the team.

    “Denver’s got a great football team. Stidham, that’s Sean’s hand-picked guy. He trusts him. And he’s on a great football team. It’ll be fun to watch the young man. He’ll do a great job.”

    Eight no valley low enough. And just because Frank Reich was a leprechaun doesn’t mean you can’t get lucky all over again.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • In the NFL, winning seasons and playoff appearances don’t always equate to job security

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    Winning isn’t everything. Winning the Super Bowl matters most.

    Sean McDermott became the latest coach to learn that harsh reality when the Buffalo Bills fired him after falling short in the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

    McDermott led the Bills to the playoffs eight times in nine seasons, but they didn’t make it past the AFC championship game, losing twice to Kansas City.

    Now, Buffalo looks for a coach who can help the franchise capture its first Lombardi Trophy.

    McDermott turned the Bills into a perennial contender, but couldn’t secure that elusive Super Bowl victory so he’s out. It happened to Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, John Fox in Denver, Andy Reid in Philadelphia, among many others.

    John Harbaugh was fired two weeks ago after missing the playoffs despite a successful, 18-year run in Baltimore that included winning one Lombardi. He quickly landed with the New York Giants.

    Doug Pederson was fired by the Eagles following one losing season that came after three straight playoff appearances, including the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

    Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the Chargers after the team went a league-best 14-2 in 2006 but lost in the divisional round.

    Ultimately, it comes down to winning the biggest prize. There are only 32 head coaches in the NFL and not a lot of job security.

    McDermott’s abrupt dismissal opens an attractive vacancy in Buffalo. The next coach inherits 2024 AP NFL MVP Josh Allen, who is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Running back James Cook was the NFL’s rushing champion. The defense was No. 1 against the pass.

    There’s plenty of talent on the Bills. But the team needs to find the missing piece. It’s not just the head coach. General manager Brandon Beane, who was also promoted to president, needs to give Allen more playmakers. The Bills lack an elite wide receiver. It’s been their primary need since Stefon Diggs was traded to Houston after the 2023 season.

    C.J. Stroud threw four first-half interceptions in Houston’s 28-16 loss to New England in the divisional round and the Texans failed in their seventh bid to reach the AFC championship game.

    After winning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, Stroud has regressed. Still, he’s led the Texans to playoff wins in each of his first three seasons.

    The Texans need to give Stroud more help. The offensive line struggled and the run game was nonexistent. Stroud was also missing standout receiver Nico Collins against the Patriots and lost tight end Dalton Schultz early in the game.

    “The quarterback position is going to get the most eyes, most attention. We understand that,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “In this league, that’s what it is. C.J. understands that as well. Throughout the season, I thought he did a really nice job of coming in and learning a new offense, new scheme. I thought he picked it up well. We got better as the season went along and he made some plays to allow us to win a lot of football games as well. I’m not going to let the bad plays there in that game (against the Patriots) dictate to me who C.J. is. I know who C.J. is. I know what he’s capable of doing.

    “We just keep looking to get better. No one feels worse about the situation than C.J. He feels bad for the team. He feels like he let the team down, and I just told him, ‘Keep your head up and you keep moving forward.’ We all want it better. We can’t go back in that game right now and run it back and play it again. We just learn from it. What do you learn from it? That’s my main message to him is, what do you learn from that and how do you make that a priority and getting it fixed and improving and getting better?”

    ___

    On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.

    ___

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  • Indiana completes undefeated season and wins first national title, beating Miami in CFP final

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    Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone, and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season, and the national title.Related video above: Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s campus for the school’s watch partyThe Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.Indiana would not be denied.Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 10-point lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who bloodied Mendoza’s lip early, then came to life late behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.The College Football Playoff trophy now heads to the most unlikely of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that endured a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.Indiana finished 16-0 — using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.In a bit of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.Players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles away from Miami’s campus, “The U” — certainly don’t come around often.Two fourth-down gambles by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown carved the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in position to shine.The first was a 19-yard-completion to Charlie Becker on a back-shoulder fade those guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a decision and play that wins championships.Cignetti sent his kicker out on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team huddled on the field, and the coach drew up a quarterback draw.Mendoza, not known as a run-first guy, slipped one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then left them, going horizontal and stretching the ball out — a ready-made poster pic for a title run straight from the movies.

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. —

    Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone, and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season, and the national title.

    Related video above: Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s campus for the school’s watch party

    The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.

    Indiana would not be denied.

    Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 10-point lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who bloodied Mendoza’s lip early, then came to life late behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.

    The College Football Playoff trophy now heads to the most unlikely of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that endured a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.

    Indiana finished 16-0 — using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.

    In a bit of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.

    Players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles away from Miami’s campus, “The U” — certainly don’t come around often.

    Two fourth-down gambles by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown carved the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in position to shine.

    The first was a 19-yard-completion to Charlie Becker on a back-shoulder fade those guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a decision and play that wins championships.

    Cignetti sent his kicker out on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team huddled on the field, and the coach drew up a quarterback draw.

    Mendoza, not known as a run-first guy, slipped one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then left them, going horizontal and stretching the ball out — a ready-made poster pic for a title run straight from the movies.

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  • 15 games for your at-home Super Bowl party to keep the fun going from kickoff till the final whistle

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    As a participant in multiple affiliate marketing programs, Localish will earn a commission for certain purchases. See full disclaimer below*

    Sure, the big game is the main event, but your Super Bowl party can be a real celebration! Make your at-home bash unforgettable by keeping your guests laughing, playing, and entertained from kickoff to the final whistle. Shop our top picks of Super Bowl party games.

    Pop-A-Pass Electronic Arcade Football Toss Game

    Pop-A-Pass Electronic Arcade Football Toss Game

    Let your guests compete for party champion with this fast-paced electronic football toss. It features multiple targets with different point values, electronic scoring, a countdown timer, and announcer commentary. Start the competition and see who wins.

    Inflatable Football Throwing Target with Blower

    Let your guests throw like the pros with this stadium-style inflatable target that looks like a football field. It has three target holes, side netting, and mesh backing for nonstop play and easy ball pickup. It inflates quickly so you can start playing right away.

    Cornhole Bean Bags Set with Tote Bag

    Cornhole Bean Bags Set with Tote Bag

    Set up a football-themed cornhole game and see who comes out on top. This set will fit right in with your party decor, and guests of all ages can play to see who reaches 21 points first.

    Inflatable Receiver Touchdown Toss Game

    Inflatable Receiver Touchdown Toss Game

    Host a football showdown at home with this touchdown toss game. Guests compete for MVP by throwing the best touchdown pass. Players take turns throwing four footballs and keep score on the dry-erase board.

    FlikIt Football Tabletop Game

    They can try tabletop football with this fun FlikIt game. Players take turns flicking their ball toward the opponent’s end zone. It’s a game that can be played by sports fans, young and old.

    Your City’s Sports Trivia Game

    Your City’s Sports Trivia Game

    Test your knowledge of your hometown sports team with this trivia game. Each deck has over 500 questions and fun facts, so everyone will have a real challenge.

    Partico Football Bingo Game

    Anyone can win this game! Choose a Bingo master to call out numbers between the actual game plays, and guests can race to fill in the winning pattern. Get ready for some lively competition.

    Guess Who? NFL Edition Board Game

    Guess Who? NFL Edition Board Game

    See who can prove their football knowledge first. In this game, players guess their opponent’s mystery NFL player by asking the right questions and using their detective skills.

    XXL Giant Football Toss Game & Tailgating Chair Combo – 8′ Tall

    Invite your guests to try this football toss game, which works like cornhole. After tossing the football, try for extra points by kicking it between the posts. If you’re playing indoors, clear any breakables first. The game and chair combo stands 8 feet tall.

    2-in-1 Football Party Cards

    Use these game cards with a pen or pencil. Guests can write their predictions and score commercials and plays during the game. The cards are double-sided with prompts for playing.

    Sinkoo Football Squares Pool Poster

    These pool posters make tracking the game more fun. Guests pick numbered squares that match possible final scores, and the poster shows who wins.

    Pin The Football on The Goalpost Poster with Stickers

    Try pinning the football on the goalpost instead of the tail on the donkey. Put on the blindfold, stick the sticker on the poster, and whoever gets closest to the outline wins.

    Drinking Game for Adults

    This drinking board game brings plenty of laughs with 89 prompts to keep everyone entertained, and maybe a bit tipsy, while you watch the game. Two to eight people can play at once.

    Franklin Sports NFL Football Target Toss Game

    Franklin Sports NFL Football Target Toss Game

    Step into the quarterback role with this football target toss game. Aim for touchdowns to score big. Play solo or in teams using the mini football target, and keep track of points with the built-in two-player scoring.

    Franklin Sports NFL Football Target Toss Game

    This game sets up in a minute and is a fun way to introduce kids to football. Players race to get rid of their cards by using action cards to challenge their opponents and empty their hands.

    * By clicking on the featured links, visitors will leave Localish.com and be directed to third-party e-commerce sites that operate under different terms and privacy policies. Although we are sharing our personal opinions of these products with you, Localish is not endorsing these products. It has not performed product safety testing on any of these products, did not manufacture them, and is not selling, distributing, or making any representations about their safety or caliber. Prices and availability are subject to change from the date of publication.

    Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.

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  • C.J. Stroud’s 4 Interceptions Dig a Hole the Texans’ Defense Can’t Get Out of in Loss to Patriots

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    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — One interception after another, C.J. Stroud dug Houston into a deeper hole.

    And this time the Texans’ defense couldn’t save them.

    A week after Stroud committed three turnovers in a wild-card victory over the Steelers, the Houston quarterback threw four interceptions in the first half on Sunday to hand New England a 28-16 victory and a spot in the AFC championship game.

    “Ball security is everything, especially the way our defense has played all year, and it’s something that I’ve done a pretty good job of up to this point,” Stroud said. “I think my whole team trusts me. They believe in me. Today just wasn’t my day, and I’m appreciative of my teammates having my back once again.”

    Houston turned the ball over a fifth time when running back Woody Marks — a hero of the wild-card win — fumbled on the doorstep of a potential touchdown while trailing 21-13 in the third quarter.

    “We’ve done a great job all year protecting the football and running the ball well. That’s been our formula,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “To come here when we needed it most, and we didn’t protect the ball — it’s tough to think that you’re going to win a game and you turn the ball over five times.”

    On a cold afternoon that mixed rain and wet snow, Houston’s top-ranked defense hassled Drake Maye all game, forcing four fumbles (recovering two) and sacking him five times. The MVP contender finished 16 for 27 for 179 yards, but he also threw for three touchdowns.

    “When the snowflakes stop, I think it’s a little easier to throw the football, got a little better grip,” Maye said. “I think C.J. probably would say the same thing. We both probably had some throws that were tough, it was tough to get a grip on it.”

    The Texans only had 12 giveaways during the regular season and had a plus-17 turnover differential that was second-best in the league. Stroud threw one interception and fumbled five times at Pittsburgh last week, losing two, but the defense also scored a pair of touchdowns in the 30-6 victory.

    “For us to come out in these past two games and have the amount of turnovers we’ve had, it’s not winning football,” Ryans said. “So we’ve got to find a way to not have that, clean it up and get it fixed.”

    That will be a job for the offseason, with Houston reaching the playoffs for a franchise-record third straight year but losing in the divisional round each time.

    “We’ve got to play better football when we get in this moment. For the past three years, we have not,” Ryans said. “It’s not a magical elixir that’s going to happen to get past the divisional round.”

    The Texans took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter despite an early interception that cost the them a potential field goal. After forcing New England to punt, Stroud’s next pass was picked off by Marcus Jones and returned for a touchdown.

    The 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year was also picked off on the next possession, just four plays later, and again coming out of the two-minute warning. In their last seven possessions of the first half, the Texans had four interceptions, two three-and-outs and one touchdown.

    “I think I’m a pretty self-confident person,” Stroud said. “I think when (the mistakes) started to pile up, I tried my best just to stay locked and realizing I’ve just got to be there for my teammates. … I’m just grateful my teammates were picking me up.”

    What might have been most damaging was Marks’ fumble at the Patriots 17 in a one-score game. After stripping the ball from Maye at the New England 33, Houston ran four plays before Marks — who ran for 112 yards and a touchdown last week — gave it right back.

    Though the Patriots only scored seven points off the Texans’ turnovers, the giveaways also twice took Houston out of position for a field goal and possibly more.

    Ryans said he never lost faith in his quarterback.

    In a sideline interview at halftime with his team trailing 21-10, the Texans coach said: “C.J. needs to understand: This team has his back. The first half is over. As bad as it looked, we still have a second half to go finish.”

    Afterward, Ryans said, “C.J. is our guy. I believed that he could come back out in the second half and flip it. I believed that he could play better, and he did that in the second half. He did play better.”

    Only a little bit better, though.

    After completing 10 of 24 passes for 124 yards and the four interceptions in the first half, Stroud finished 20 of 47 for 212 yards. More important, he led the Texans to 10 points in the first half and just a pair of field goals in the second.

    “We’re in this thing together from day one. It doesn’t change for me,” Ryans said. “When things don’t go your way, you have bad performances, it’s not a time to point fingers or say it’s on one person. … We stick together.”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Maye throws 3 TD passes, Stroud has 4 INTs as Patriots top Texans 28-16 to advance to AFC title game

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    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years.

    In Mike Vrabel’s first season as coach, the Patriots (16-3) will take on the Broncos (15-3) in Denver next Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl.

    The Patriots will make their 16th conference championship game appearance and first since their run to their sixth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 season. New England has won its last nine divisional round games.

    Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two in cold conditions in which snow and rain fell throughout the game. One of Maye’s fumbles set up Houston’s first touchdown.

    “Just proud of the guys,” Maye said. “Battled the elements. This is New England. This is what we’re trying to embrace and we want to embrace all season long. Props to our defense, played a hell of a game. We’ve got to protect the football better, but we made enough plays to win it.”

    Carlton Davis III had two interceptions for New England. Craig Woodson added an interception and fumble recovery.

    “They bring it every week,” Maye said of his defense. “It’s fun to watch. And we could help them out some more, but just proud of the guys. Enjoy this one, and we’re back on the road.”

    The eight combined turnovers — Woody Marks also lost a fumble for Houston — were the most in a playoff game since 2015 when the Cardinals and Panthers combined for eight in the NFC championship game.

    The Texans (13-6) have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans. The franchise is now 0-7 all-time in this round.

    Stroud finished 20 of 47 with a TD pass. All of his interceptions came in the first half as he became the first player with five or more INTs and five or more fumbles in a single postseason. Will Anderson forced two fumbles for the Texans.

    Leading 21-16 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots stretched their lead to 27-16 when Kayshon Boutte got behind Derek Stingley Jr. and pulled in a diving, one-hand catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

    The Texans had the ball with 5:48 to play, but punted on fourth-and-18 at their own 21 with 4:18 remaining.

    New England’s next drive took the clock under two minutes. But the Texans turned it over on downs when Stroud’s fourth-down pass to Xavier Hutchinson was batted down by Robert Spillane.

    With the Patriots leading 7-3 early, a series of miscues produced the next two scores.

    Maye was strip-sacked by Danielle Hunter deep in Patriots territory, but left tackle Will Campbell fell on the ball and the Patriots punted.

    The Texans gave it right back when Stroud’s deep pass along the sideline was intercepted by Davis III.

    Maye fumbled again when he attempted to run on a busted play and had the ball stripped by Tommy Togiai and recovered by Azeez Al-Shaair. Six plays later, Stroud linked up with Christian Kirk on a 10-yard touchdown pass.

    But on Houston’s next drive, Stroud was rushed up the middle by K’Lavon Chaisson and he lofted a pass that was intercepted by Jones and returned for the score to put New England back in front.

    Later in the quarter, the Patriots’ lead increased to 21-10 when they capped a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 7-yard TD pass from Maye to Stefon Diggs.

    Jones scored on an interception return for the second time this season. It was the first of his career in the playoffs and first for New England in the postseason since Asante Samuel had one vs. Indianapolis on Jan. 21, 2007, in the AFC championship game.

    Texans: TE Dalton Schultz (calf) left in the first quarter and didn’t return. … LG Tytus Howard limped off and RB Woody Marks exited with a shoulder injury in the second quarter. … TE Cade Stover left in the fourth with a knee injury and didn’t return.

    Patriots: LB Robert Spillane left in the first quarter with a thumb injury, but returned. … RB TreVeyon Henderson was shaken up after a second quarter run before jogging off. … S Craig Woodson exited after his INT with a head injury, but returned. … RB Rhamondre Stevenson left in the second quarter with an eye issue. … Davis left in the fourth quarter with a head injury.

    ___

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  • How a Sixtysomething Coach from a So-So School Turned Indiana into World-Beaters

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    There was little reason to think that Indiana would turn into the new Alabama—or that Indiana would humiliate the old Alabama in the Rose Bowl, 38–3. Cignetti had been an assistant to Nick Saban at Alabama, but that was nearly two decades ago. He’d left Tuscaloosa for a low-paying job as head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Division II school, and then moved on to Elon University; from Elon, he went to J.M.U. When he came to Indiana, he brought many of his assistants and the core of the team from J.M.U. with him.

    He’s toned down the boasts since then. Cignetti has said that he leaned into a more arrogant persona in part to give Indiana fans—which is to say, basketball fans—a reason to talk about the football team. Now he can let his team’s results speak for him. This is the first college-football season to feature a twelve-team playoff. On its way to the title game, Indiana has beaten Ohio State, Alabama, Penn State, and Oregon (twice). It has won the Big Ten, the Rose Bowl, and the Peach Bowl, and is heavily favored to win the championship. It could become the first team to go 16–0 since 1894.

    How? Everyone is trying to figure out the blueprint. Maybe it has to do with Cignetti’s attention to detail, his emphasis on execution and not making mistakes; he obsesses over things like hand placement and how many inches a player should step. Or maybe it’s the culture of the team: Indiana’s coaches tuck in their shirts, and players are expected to have solid handshakes. Or the recruiting: Cignetti used the transfer portal to build a team largely out of overlooked players by focussing on past productivity instead of raw athletic traits—except for those traits that he believes really matter, such as joint mobility. Or maybe it’s his coaching staff: Cignetti has hired coördinators and coaches who are especially good at developing players. Or it could be continuity and experience: Indiana’s starters have, on average, played more than four years of college football, and much of the coaching staff has been with Cignetti for a long time. Or is it accountability? Cignetti is known to have high expectations. Others point to faith: the quarterback, Mendoza, seems to begin every sentence by praising God. Or maybe it’s the doubt from outsiders: the players call themselves a “bunch of misfits” who are proving everyone wrong. Or possibly it’s simply common sense: practices are brief and hyperefficient, because Cignetti has the radical idea that healthy, rested players are better than exhausted, injured ones. (He could be on to something!) Maybe Indiana made a deal with the devil. (Bobby Knight?)

    I like to think that it has something to do with Cignetti’s infamous expression on the sideline. It’s the same half scowl whether his team has just scored or been stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Every once in a while, he’ll pop his left eyebrow.

    It serves a purpose, that face. Cignetti is not unfeeling; he is capable of enjoying a moment. After Indiana beat Oregon, an on-field interviewer took it for granted that Cignetti was already concentrated on beating Miami, until Cignetti told her, “I’m really not thinking about the next game, I’m thinking about cracking open a beer.” His game face, though, serves as a reminder to focus and move on. Cignetti has said that he asks his players to approach every play, from the first one in the first game to the hundred-and-fiftieth of the season, the same way. “I can’t be seen on the sideline high-fiving people and celebrating, or what’s going to happen, right? What’s the effect going to be?”

    It’s possible, of course, that high-fiving people would have a galvanizing effect: players sometimes respond to joy, or to anger, better than they do to stoicism. Just look at Mendoza, Indiana’s quarterback, who is so ebullient that his smile seems to strain with happiness. But part of Cignetti’s power seems to stem from predictability and routine—the same expressions, the same gameday conversations, the same Chipotle order every day (rice, beans, and chicken, no toppings, side of guacamole).

    “Repetition is the mother of learning,” he likes to say. Repetition makes skills automatic. It helps players improve. And the awareness that you have been there, that you have done it before—even if, really, you haven’t—is the best, perhaps the only, way to deal with the uncertainty inherent in football. “I don’t have any idea what they’re going to do,” Cignetti said before playing Oregon in the semifinal, at that press conference with Lanning. “They don’t know what we’re going to do. As I sit here right now, I know everything we’ve practiced, but I have no idea what that tape is going to look like the day after. And that’s every game,” he went on. “That’s football. There are a lot of variables.”

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  • Broncos Advance to AFC Title Game, Beating Bills 33-30 After McMillian’s INT in Overtime

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    DENVER (AP) — Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Josh Allen’s deep throw in overtime, and Bo Nix led the Broncos into position for Wil Lutz’s 23-yard field goal that sent Denver to the AFC championship game with a 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

    McMillian’s pick was Denver’s fifth takeaway of the game — the Broncos went into the playoffs at minus-3 in turnover differential. McMillian wrested the ball away from Brandin Cooks at the Broncos 20-yard line when a field goal would have won the game for Buffalo.

    The Broncos (15-3) will face either New England or Houston for the AFC title next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High, where top-seeded Denver has won 14 of its past 15 games.

    “We played a really good football team,” Nix said. “They played really well tonight. They gave us a great shot on a short week after a tough game last week, so hat’s off to them. We found a way to win again and our defense made stops and I’m just proud of our guys. I’m just proud of this organization. I’m proud of the way we compete, we fight.

    “We’re just never out of it and I think that’s just the character piece. It wasn’t always pretty, we had a good lead and they came back and it wasn’t looking good, but the fourth quarter and overtime, we just found a way to win.”

    Broncos coach Sean Payton lamented Denver’s sputtering offense and 1-for-4 performance in the red zone: “We weren’t good in the red zone. But we were good enough when it mattered.”

    The Bills (13-6) were flagged for pass interference twice on Denver’s final drive.

    Former Broncos kicker Matt Prater nailed a 50-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation, knotting it up at 30-all. That came after Nix’s 26-yard touchdown throw to Marvin Mims Jr. with 55 seconds left had given Denver a 30-27 lead.

    Allen, who hadn’t turned the ball over in his previous six playoff appearances, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. P.J. Locke also picked off Allen.

    “Extremely difficult,” a teary-eyed Allen said afterward. “I felt like I let my teammates down.”

    The Bills failed once again to reach the Super Bowl with Allen under center even though Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson weren’t standing in his way this time as that trio of franchise quarterbacks all missed the postseason party.

    Payton insisted the game should have ended earlier in overtime when a Denver defender was held in the end zone before Allen escaped from the end zone on second-and-9 from his 8.

    Coming off the first road playoff win of his career, Allen’s first three turnovers helped Denver built a 23-10 lead before he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman and a 14-yarder to Dalton Kincaid to give Buffalo a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.

    Allen also fumbled the ball at the Denver 23 late in the fourth quarter but right tackle Spencer Brown recovered the loose ball, setting up Prater’s 31-yarder for a 27-23 Buffalo lead.

    Also in the second half, Allen threw an interception when P.J. Locke cut in front of wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who appeared to be wide open for what would have been a 43-yard touchdown.

    The Broncos scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the first half to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room, and they got their third takeaway just two plays into the second half on Bonitto’s strip-sack of Allen that was recovered by Malcolm Roach at the Bills 17, leading to Lutz’s short field goal to make it 23-10.

    Nix’s 29-yard TD pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey broke a 10-all tie and then Bonitto stripped Allen of the ball after a long scramble up the middle. Devon Key recovered for Denver with 2 seconds left before halftime and Lutz’s 50-yarder as the half expired made it 20-10.

    The Broncos’ other touchdown in the first half came from an unlikely source. They went ahead 10-7 when Nix threw to tackle-eligible Frank Crum, a second-year pro from Wyoming, Allen’s alma mater. He caught the short pass and tumbled into the end zone for a 7-yard score.

    James Cook ran for 117 yards on 24 carries but lost a fumble.

    When the Broncos lost to the Bills 31-7 in Buffalo last playoffs, Payton said, “We have to figure out how to get these games at home.”

    They did it by leading the league in sacks (68), tying a franchise record with 14 regular-season victories, winning 11 one-score games and having 11 comebacks.

    “We weren’t ready last year,” Payton said. “But we were ready today.”

    Bills: Inactive for the game were two defensive starters: S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) and LB Terrel Bernard (calf). … LB Dorian Williams (neck) got hurt covering the opening kickoff and was taken via ambulance to a hospital. … C Connor McGovern was cleared to return just before halftime after being evaluated for a concussion. … DT Ed Oliver, who just returned to the active roster, went out late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The seven-year veteran was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 28 with a left biceps tear that required surgery. He suffered meniscus damage while rehabbing and had another procedure on Dec. 29.

    Broncos: WR Pat Bryant sustained a concussion on Denver’s initial drive after he caught three passes for 32 yards. … WR Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring in the second quarter.

    The Bills head into another offseason wondering what it’ll take to get to the Super Bowl.

    The Broncos host their first AFC championship game in a decade, since the “No Fly Zone” defense that helped them win Super Bowl 50.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Minnesota Gophers bring back career rushing leader Mohamed Ibrahim to coach running backs

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    Minnesota has brought back all-time leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim as running backs coach, one of eight new hires to the staff announced Friday by coach P.J. Fleck.

    Ibrahim, who spent six years at Minnesota and the 2023 season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, worked with the Gophers in 2024. He was running backs coach at Kent State last year. Ibrahim finished his college career with 4,668 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns, which was also a Gophers record.

    Another former Gophers player, Isaac Fruechte, was hired as wide receivers coach after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Dakota for the last two seasons. Fruechte played for Minnesota from 2012-14 and spent three years in the NFL with the Vikings and Lions before beginning his coaching career.

    Fruechte replaces Matt Simon, who was not retained after finishing his ninth season under Fleck with the Gophers. Simon also served as co-offensive coordinator, so that role will now be handled solely by Greg Harbaugh Jr. Simon was one of four primary position coaches and eight assistants overall who won’t return in 2026.

    Another notable addition was Matt Limegrover as assistant offensive line coach. Limegrover was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Gophers from 2011-15 under coach Jerry Kill, before departing for Penn State. He was most recently the offensive line coach at Kent State from 2023-24.

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  • Tracking 2026 Super Bowl ticket prices

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    There’s less than a month to go before Super Bowl 60 kicks off in Santa Clara, California. While the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are still vying for a spot in this year’s Super Bowl, fans from around the country are looking ahead at ticket prices for the big game. Video above: Trailer released for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 Halftime ShowThe California Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl twice before, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium and in 2016 at Levi’s Stadium — where this year’s game will be played Sunday, Feb. 8.The 49ers have a shot at playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, making ticket options on the secondary market quite pricey at this stage in the game. Before kickoff of Saturday’s NFL divisional round playoff games, the most expensive tickets for the Super Bowl were found on SeatGeek at $110,300 in a field box. The site also has tickets listed for as much as $84,947 in a sideline VIP section.StubHub has field box seats, like SeatGeek has listed, but at a lower price. For seats in a VIP section on this site, it is $64,947. Three other sites have hundreds of listings for Super Bowl tickets, at much lower prices than SeatGeek and StubHub.But they shouldn’t be considered a bargain. The most expensive ticket on VividSeats is listed at $27,694, right on the 50-yard line a few rows back from the field.The most expensive ticket on Gametime is listed at $23,161 at the 35-yard line, 10 rows back. The most expensive ticket on Ticketmaster is listed at $27,281, though the location is not quite as prime as the previous two sites. This ticket is in Section 110, around the 20-yard line and 37 rows back from the field. Looking for the cheapest way for you and a friend to see the big game? The get-in price falls quite a bit. The cheapest pairs of tickets on these five secondary sites run from the $6,000 to $8,000 range. VividSeats: $6,078 each for two ticketsGametime: $6,665 each for two tickets StubHub: $6,906 each for two tickets SeatGeek: $7,991 each for two ticketsTicketmaster: $8,184 each for two tickets At this point, prices for Super Bowl 60 are the highest seen in quite some time. Last year, when Super Bowl 59 was held in New Orleans, ticket prices were dropping considerably the closer it got to game time. That could be the case this year, too, depending one which teams advance to the AFC and NFC conference championships after this weekend’s divisional round.

    There’s less than a month to go before Super Bowl 60 kicks off in Santa Clara, California.

    While the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are still vying for a spot in this year’s Super Bowl, fans from around the country are looking ahead at ticket prices for the big game.

    Video above: Trailer released for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show

    The California Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl twice before, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium and in 2016 at Levi’s Stadium — where this year’s game will be played Sunday, Feb. 8.

    The 49ers have a shot at playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, making ticket options on the secondary market quite pricey at this stage in the game.

    Before kickoff of Saturday’s NFL divisional round playoff games, the most expensive tickets for the Super Bowl were found on SeatGeek at $110,300 in a field box. The site also has tickets listed for as much as $84,947 in a sideline VIP section.

    StubHub has field box seats, like SeatGeek has listed, but at a lower price. For seats in a VIP section on this site, it is $64,947.

    Three other sites have hundreds of listings for Super Bowl tickets, at much lower prices than SeatGeek and StubHub.

    But they shouldn’t be considered a bargain.

    The most expensive ticket on VividSeats is listed at $27,694, right on the 50-yard line a few rows back from the field.

    The most expensive ticket on Gametime is listed at $23,161 at the 35-yard line, 10 rows back.

    The most expensive ticket on Ticketmaster is listed at $27,281, though the location is not quite as prime as the previous two sites. This ticket is in Section 110, around the 20-yard line and 37 rows back from the field.

    Looking for the cheapest way for you and a friend to see the big game? The get-in price falls quite a bit.

    The cheapest pairs of tickets on these five secondary sites run from the $6,000 to $8,000 range.

    • VividSeats: $6,078 each for two tickets
    • Gametime: $6,665 each for two tickets
    • StubHub: $6,906 each for two tickets
    • SeatGeek: $7,991 each for two tickets
    • Ticketmaster: $8,184 each for two tickets

    At this point, prices for Super Bowl 60 are the highest seen in quite some time. Last year, when Super Bowl 59 was held in New Orleans, ticket prices were dropping considerably the closer it got to game time.

    That could be the case this year, too, depending one which teams advance to the AFC and NFC conference championships after this weekend’s divisional round.

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  • Tracking 2026 Super Bowl ticket prices

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    There’s less than a month to go before Super Bowl 60 kicks off in Santa Clara, California. While the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are still vying for a spot in this year’s Super Bowl, fans from around the country are looking ahead at ticket prices for the big game. Video above: Trailer released for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 Halftime ShowThe California Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl twice before, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium and in 2016 at Levi’s Stadium — where this year’s game will be played Sunday, Feb. 8.The 49ers have a shot at playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, making ticket options on the secondary market quite pricey at this stage in the game. Before kickoff of Saturday’s NFL divisional round playoff games, the most expensive tickets for the Super Bowl were found on SeatGeek at $110,300 in a field box. The site also has tickets listed for as much as $84,947 in a sideline VIP section.StubHub has field box seats, like SeatGeek has listed, but at a lower price. For seats in a VIP section on this site, it is $64,947. Three other sites have hundreds of listings for Super Bowl tickets, at much lower prices than SeatGeek and StubHub.But they shouldn’t be considered a bargain. The most expensive ticket on VividSeats is listed at $27,694, right on the 50-yard line a few rows back from the field.The most expensive ticket on Gametime is listed at $23,161 at the 35-yard line, 10 rows back. The most expensive ticket on Ticketmaster is listed at $27,281, though the location is not quite as prime as the previous two sites. This ticket is in Section 110, around the 20-yard line and 37 rows back from the field. Looking for the cheapest way for you and a friend to see the big game? The get-in price falls quite a bit. The cheapest pairs of tickets on these five secondary sites run from the $6,000 to $8,000 range. VividSeats: $6,078 each for two ticketsGametime: $6,665 each for two tickets StubHub: $6,906 each for two tickets SeatGeek: $7,991 each for two ticketsTicketmaster: $8,184 each for two tickets At this point, prices for Super Bowl 60 are the highest seen in quite some time. Last year, when Super Bowl 59 was held in New Orleans, ticket prices were dropping considerably the closer it got to game time. That could be the case this year, too, depending one which teams advance to the AFC and NFC conference championships after this weekend’s divisional round.

    There’s less than a month to go before Super Bowl 60 kicks off in Santa Clara, California.

    While the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears are still vying for a spot in this year’s Super Bowl, fans from around the country are looking ahead at ticket prices for the big game.

    Video above: Trailer released for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show

    The California Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl twice before, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium and in 2016 at Levi’s Stadium — where this year’s game will be played Sunday, Feb. 8.

    The 49ers have a shot at playing the Super Bowl in their home stadium, making ticket options on the secondary market quite pricey at this stage in the game.

    Before kickoff of Saturday’s NFL divisional round playoff games, the most expensive tickets for the Super Bowl were found on SeatGeek at $110,300 in a field box. The site also has tickets listed for as much as $84,947 in a sideline VIP section.

    StubHub has field box seats, like SeatGeek has listed, but at a lower price. For seats in a VIP section on this site, it is $64,947.

    Three other sites have hundreds of listings for Super Bowl tickets, at much lower prices than SeatGeek and StubHub.

    But they shouldn’t be considered a bargain.

    The most expensive ticket on VividSeats is listed at $27,694, right on the 50-yard line a few rows back from the field.

    The most expensive ticket on Gametime is listed at $23,161 at the 35-yard line, 10 rows back.

    The most expensive ticket on Ticketmaster is listed at $27,281, though the location is not quite as prime as the previous two sites. This ticket is in Section 110, around the 20-yard line and 37 rows back from the field.

    Looking for the cheapest way for you and a friend to see the big game? The get-in price falls quite a bit.

    The cheapest pairs of tickets on these five secondary sites run from the $6,000 to $8,000 range.

    • VividSeats: $6,078 each for two tickets
    • Gametime: $6,665 each for two tickets
    • StubHub: $6,906 each for two tickets
    • SeatGeek: $7,991 each for two tickets
    • Ticketmaster: $8,184 each for two tickets

    At this point, prices for Super Bowl 60 are the highest seen in quite some time. Last year, when Super Bowl 59 was held in New Orleans, ticket prices were dropping considerably the closer it got to game time.

    That could be the case this year, too, depending one which teams advance to the AFC and NFC conference championships after this weekend’s divisional round.

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  • NFL sees increased viewership for wild-card round, eyes more for divisional games

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    After double-digit increases in its regular-season and wild-card playoff round ratings, the NFL is looking for another large bump in ratings during this weekend’s division round.

    The league and Nielsen said last weekend’s six wild-card games averaged 32 million viewers, a 13% jump from last year. It was also the most-watched opening weekend of the NFL playoffs since the field expanded to 14 teams in the 2020 season.

    Overall, it was the most-watched wild-card round since the 2015 season and the fifth highest since average viewer numbers started being tracked in 1988.

    Five of the games saw increases compared to the same time frames a year ago while the sixth game was even.

    The regular season averaged 18.7 million viewers per game, a 10% increase. It also was the second-highest average on record.

    Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events last September with the start of the current television season.

    Earlier this year, Nielsen began measuring out-of-home viewers for all states but Hawaii and Alaska, along with including data from smart TVs along with cable and satellite set-top boxes.

    Nielsen previously measured only the top 44 media markets, which covered 65% of the country.

    “It was a great weekend of football all around,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. “Every year, there’s a new set of stars and players emerging. You have (New England’s) Drake Maye, who’s a potential MVP and on the other end you have an established star like (Los Angeles Rams QB) Matthew Stafford, who may be the other MVP favorite playing a heck of a game with the fourth-quarter comeback.”

    Last year’s four divisional matchups averaged 37.1 million viewers. The record for the NFL’s second weekend of the playoffs is 40 million, set two years ago. That was led by the Kansas City-Buffalo matchup, which averaged 50.4 million, making it the most watched divisional or wild-card game on record.

    Fox averaged 37.5 million for the Green Bay-San Francisco Saturday night divisional matchup two years ago, which was the most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game on record.

    The 49ers will face the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, which drew some criticism in some quarters because they played in Philadelphia in the late afternoon Sunday window and have a short week. Meanwhile, the Rams and Chicago Bears both played on Saturday.

    The Rams and Bears though will close the weekend on Sunday night on NBC.

    The last time at least one team didn’t have a short week between the wild-card and divisional rounds was the 2018 season.

    “We have teams every week playing from Monday night to Sunday,” Schroeder said. “That’s just the way it breaks every year, which is some team on Sunday has to play Saturday the next weekend. We work very hard with our football ops team and making sure we’re starting with what’s competitively fair.”

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • 49ers’ Brock Purdy gets another chance at Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks D that shut him down in Week 18

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    SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Two of Brock Purdy’s worst performances in an otherwise stellar career came when he matched up against a Mike Macdonald-coached defense.

    Now thanks to one of his more memorable moments when he led the short-handed San Francisco 49ers to a fourth-quarter comeback in a wild-card win at Philadelphia, Purdy gets another chance against Macdonald’s defense.

    The 49ers (13-5) will take on Seattle (14-3) on Saturday night in a divisional round matchup two weeks after the Seahawks clinched the division title by shutting down Purdy and the San Francisco offense in a 13-3 win.

    “He just does a good job of making the quarterback have to earn everything,” Purdy said. “I feel like there’s not a lot of easy gimme plays out there. You have to play quarterback for four quarters, be smart with the ball and go through your progressions truly. Then on top of that, the front, how they coach up the front with the push in the pocket, playing pretty deep to short on a lot of things and not allowing you to have a lot of explosive plays across the board. You have to go earn every single yard.”

    This will be the fifth time that Purdy and the 49ers will face a defense run by Macdonald with the first coming on Christmas night in 2023 when Purdy threw a career-worst four interceptions in a 33-19 loss to Baltimore when Macdonald was defensive coordinator for the Ravens.

    Macdonald turned that success in Baltimore into a head coaching job in Seattle starting in 2024, setting up two matchups each season against the 49ers.

    Purdy got the best of the first matchup when he threw three touchdown passes in a 36-24 win last season in Seattle. But the Seahawks won the rematch in 2024, holding the Niners to just 17 points. Seattle allowed only 20 points in the two games this season as the Seahawks have been able to slow down San Francisco’s running game while playing primarily nickel defense with two deep safeties to cut down on big passes.

    Purdy overcame two interceptions in the season opener to lead a fourth-quarter comeback for a 17-13 win but managed just 127 yards passing in the rematch in Week 18.

    In five career matchups, Purdy has a 79.7 passer rating with six TD passes and eight interceptions.

    “It’s a huge challenge, but the challenge is on us,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “We got to run the ball better; we got to be better on third down so we can get more ops to run the ball. That’s really the biggest thing is we got to stay on the field so we can keep calling runs then hopefully, you can get the defense to commit another guy in the box, which helps other things.”

    Purdy has performed well in the postseason and has a chance to become the sixth player ever with at least five straight playoff games with 250 or more yards passing and a touchdown.

    But he has been at his best in clutch moments.

    The Week 1 comeback in Seattle capped by an improbable 4-yard TD pass to Jake Tonges with 1:34 left was one of just four fourth-quarter comebacks by Purdy in 14 opportunities. Purdy ranks near the bottom of the league with a 63.8 passer rating when the Niners trail by less than eight points in the regular season, but he has risen to the moment when those chances have come in the postseason.

    He engineered a comeback win in the 2023 division round against Green Bay and did it again last week in Philadelphia, when his 4-yard TD pass to Christian McCaffrey with 2:54 to play provided the go-ahead score in a 23-19 win.

    Purdy also led San Francisco to a 17-point comeback against Detroit in the 2023 NFC title game, and threw a go-ahead TD pass and led two go-ahead drives for field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime in Super Bowl 58 when the Niners fell 25-22 to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

    In all, Purdy has a 115.1 passer rating in his comeback attempts in the playoffs.

    “I can’t say enough about Brock’s poise and his competitiveness there at the end of the fourth quarter,” Kubiak said. “I think Brock would tell you he didn’t play his best game for the first three quarters of that game. … But when it came down to the drives that mattered, the fourth quarter, the pressure of that moment, he was locked in. He didn’t blink. That’s kind of who he’s been his whole career to me.”

    ___

    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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  • Mike Tomlin stepping down as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

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    Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has informed the team that he is stepping down from his position.

    Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, thanking Tomlin for his contributions to the team.

    “During our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our Head Coach,” Rooney said.  

    “Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career.”

    PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the fourth quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

    Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images


    Tomlin also issued his own statement, thanking the organization, players, and fans for their support during his tenure.

    “This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support.

    “While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.”

    Since Tomlin stepped down while under contract, the team will retain his coaching rights. 

    Tomlin resigns after wild-card round defeat

    Tomlin’s resignation comes less than 24 hours after the Steelers lost 30-6 to the Houston Texans in the AFC wild-card round.

    Pittsburgh’s last playoff win came against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 playoffs. Since then, Pittsburgh has lost its last seven postseason games. Tomlin’s seven-game postseason losing streak ties former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak by an NFL coach.

    Steelers coaching search 

    Including Tomlin, the Steelers have only employed three head coaches since the 1969 season. Chuck Noll served as head coach from 1969 through the 1991 season, giving way to Crafton, Pennsylvania, native Bill Cowher, who helmed the position from 1992 through the 2006 season. Both Noll and Cowher have since been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    During Tomlin’s 19 seasons as head coach, he famously never finished with a losing record, with his teams finishing at a .500 record or better during his entire tenure.

    Tomlin became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at 36 years old, leading the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals, a record later surpassed by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay after McVay won Super Bowl LVI in 2021.

    Tomlin’s Super Bowl victory in his second season as head coach made him the fastest Steelers coach to win a championship.

    AFC North coaching turnover

    Within the span of nine days, three of the four teams in the AFC North have made head coach changes. 

    Kevin Stefanski was fired by the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 5 after going 46-58 during six seasons as the team’s head coach. One day later, the Baltimore Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. His final game was a 26-24 loss to the Steelers in Week 18. 

    Now, after Tomlin announced he is stepping down, Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor is the only returning coach in the division.

    Overall, nine NFL teams have head coaching openings. 

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