Super Bowl in Las Vegas further cements NFL’s relationship with city it once shunned
LAS VEGAS — A meeting scheduled in the 1980s between the NFL and sportsbook directors sparked hope in Las Vegas that their relationship would soon take a much more positive turn after decades during which the league kept the city at arm’s length. When all it turned out to be...
Japan wants everyone to know: Taylor Swift will make it in time for Super Bowl
TOKYO — Taylor Swift, who is holding concerts in Japan through Feb. 10, will make it in time for the Super Bowl to see her partner and football superstar Travis Kelce play. To make sure all her fans know, the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has sent a message on...
Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, AP source saysVideo
Kliff Kingsbury is joining the Washington Commanders just in time for their latest search for a franchise quarterback. The Commanders are hiring Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the...
Patrick Mahomes Sr. — father of Chiefs QB — arrested in Texas on suspicion of DWI
Patrick Mahomes Sr. — the father of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — was arrested by Tyler, Texas police Saturday on suspicion of “driving while intoxicated, third or more,” according to Smith County online records. Per those records, bond for the elder Mahomes was set at $10,000 on Sunday...
NFC outlasts AFC in Pro Bowl Games showcasing flag football
ORLANDO, Fla. — All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill catching a pass over the middle and flashing world-class speed on the way to scoring a touchdown. Receiver Keenan Allen taking a lateral from C.J. Stroud, juking a defender to buy time before throwing across the field to tight end Evan Engram...
Steve Wilks, 49ers reach Super Bowl after roller-coaster run as defensive coordinator
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Steve Wilks has had a roller coaster ride in his first season as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Faced with a tricky task of taking over a successful defense that still had the same position coaches and system of his predecessor DeMeco Ryans, Wilks...
Chiefs’ sustained success boosts small businesses’ bottom lines
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Anthony Oropeza still remembers the day Travis Kelce walked into his studio at the InterUrban ArtHouse in suburban Kansas City, where some of his acrylic and mixed media works were hanging from the walls. Kelce was helping to deliver a grant for the community arts hub,...
How the Chiefs have become The New America’s Team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The polarizing moniker still is applied to the Dallas Cowboys these days, regardless of whether it rings as true as it did during their 1990s heyday, when Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith led them to three Super Bowl titles in a four-year span. “America’s...
The Chiefs have built one of the NFL’s best defenses in part because they traded away Tyreek Hill
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It has taken two full years to accurately evaluate one of the most important deals that the Kansas City Chiefs have ever made, when they traded game-breaking wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a package of draft picks. The Chiefs knew that if...
Loss to Chiefs still stings, but Ravens have no choice but to move on toward a busy offseasonVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It’s always tough when your offseason begins just before the Super Bowl. When Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh met with reporters Friday, it was clear last weekend’s loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game still stung. “Every single team in...
Baker Mayfield helps NFC to early lead over AFC in revamped Pro Bowl Games
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield beat Houston’s C.J. Stroud in the Precision Passing skills challenge, helping the NFC build a 12-6 lead over the AFC on the opening night of the 2024 Pro Bowl Games. The made-for-TV Pro Bowl Skills Show, aired Thursday night from a fieldhouse on...
Senior Bowl features well-traveled QBs, other top prospects
MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are a well-traveled group, most of whom have moved from one Power Five program to another. Led by Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix, all seven have spent this week leading up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl working on their next landing...
Chris Shula, grandson of Don Shula, to be Rams’ defensive coordinator
LOS ANGELES — Chris Shula, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, will be the Los Angeles Rams’ new defensive coordinator, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet...
Browns give Titans permission to interview Bill Callahan, who’s expected to join son, AP source saysVideo
CLEVELAND — There are now two Callahans with the Titans. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan is leaving the Cleveland Browns to join his son Brian’s staff with the Tennessee Titans, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Thursday night. Callahan has informed the Browns that he’s...
Seahawks hope they’ve found ‘disruptor’ with new coach Mike Macdonald
RENTON, Wash. — There wasn’t anything personal with John Schneider’s heavy rooting interest for the AFC championship game last weekend and wanting to see Kansas City, and not Baltimore, in the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks general manager was simply thinking about the future of his organization and the desire...
Patriots hire former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, promote DeMarcus Covington to DCVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Fired Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been hired for the same job with the New England Patriots, giving first-time head coach Jerod Mayo an experienced voice on offense. The team also confirmed the widely reported promotion of defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive...
Ravens hire Zach Orr as defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald’s departure to Seattle
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Zach Orr as their defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald left to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week. The Ravens announced the 31-year-old Orr’s promotion Thursday. He was Baltimore’s inside linebackers coach the past two seasons and also...
Packers hire Jeff Hafley away from Boston College to become their defensive coordinator
Jeff Hafley is leaving his job as Boston College’s head coach to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. The Packers announced Wednesday night that Hafley will take over for Joe Barry, who was fired last week after three seasons as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. Hafley went 22-26 at Boston...
Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy are chasing greatness and the greatest in Tom Brady and Joe Montana
Patrick Mahomes is chasing Tom Brady. Brock Purdy is playing in the shadow of Joe Montana. Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs seek to become the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls when they...
Washington Commanders hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coach, AP sources say
The Washington Commanders have an agreement with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to hire him as coach, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not yet announced the move. Quinn, 53,...
Early money heavily on Kansas City Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champions
LAS VEGAS — Minutes after beating Baltimore 17-10 on Sunday to clinch a spot in the Super Bowl, Travis Kelce had a message to send. “The Chiefs are still the Chiefs,” Kelce said. Bettors agree. The early money is heavily on Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to repeat as Super...
Repeating in NFL used to be more common, but Chiefs aim to be first back-to-back champs in 19 years
Repeat championships in the NFL used to be more common. Over the first 39 Super Bowls, it happened eight times. But no team has done it since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won two in a row following the 2003-04 seasons. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs...
From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacleVideo
LOS ANGELES — Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour. For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which...
Seahawks to hire Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as new coach
RENTON, Wash. — It was a defensive-centric head coach that brought the Seattle Seahawks their only Super Bowl title. The Seahawks are hoping a newer — albeit much younger — version can return them to the elite of the NFL. The Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald...
Bud brings back Clydesdales as early Super Bowl ad releases offer up nostalgia, humor, celebritiesVideo
NEW YORK — Budweiser is bringing back some familiar characters this year in its Super Bowl ad. The perennial Super Bowl marketer is bringing back fan-favorite characters the Clydesdales and a Labrador — a nod to the Labradors that starred in earlier commercials during advertising’s biggest night. Some advertisers are...
