After 53 years, Baltimore again serves as AFC championship game host
BALTIMORE — The last time Baltimore hosted an AFC championship game, the city was enjoying quite a sports renaissance. The Orioles had won the World Series a few months earlier. Then the Colts followed with a Super Bowl title. Even the local basketball team made an appearance in the NBA...
Ravens activating TE Mark Andrews ahead of AFC championship game
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are activating Mark Andrews from injured reserve, and coach John Harbaugh said he expects the star tight end to play in this weekend’s AFC championship game against Kansas City. Andrews injured his ankle in a Nov. 16 win over Cincinnati. Although he was...
Chiefs-Ravens matchup features star quarterbacks, stingy defenses and potential Hall of Fame coachesVideo
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took a different route to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. They’re going on the road. After hosting this game five straight seasons, the No. 3 seed Chiefs had to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo and now...
NFL reaches ‘major milestone’ with record 9 minority head coaches in place for the 2024 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. That mission finally seems to be paying off. Four minority head coaches have been hired this year, including Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, New England’s Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce and Carolina’s Dave...
Football Footnotes: The ideas of ‘Chiefs fatigue’ and Steelers fans adopting the Lions
For “Football Footnotes” this week, we explore the concept of “Chiefs fatigue” and why it’s time for Steelers fans to become a part of #OnePride from Detroit the rest of the way in the NFL playoffs. “Chiefs fatigue” is something that has been talked about in the NFL ether since...
Final 4 NFL playoff teams not afraid to invest at less-coveted positions
In a season full of satisfying moments for Detroit Lions fans, an amusing one occurred in mid-December, when coach Dan Campbell had a chance to gloat a bit about the team’s most recent draft. The players in question were running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta, both of...
Playoffs give Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown chance to shine
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown wrote goals in a notebook before the season started and reads them daily. How’s he doing on the list? “Good,” St. Brown said Thursday. “Great, actually.” He accomplished at least two goals, having at least 1,500 yards receiving and...
49ers out to avenge title game losses; Lions seek 1st Super Bowl spot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers have been waiting a year to get back to the NFC championship game after last season’s disappointing loss. The wait for the Detroit Lions and their fans has been far longer, with the success-starved franchise one step away from its first Super...
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte charged in illegal sports gambling scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. — New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested Thursday on charges related to illegal online gaming while he was underage and played at LSU, authorities said. Boutte is accused of creating an online betting account under a fake name and then placing more than 8,900...
Falcons hire Raheem Morris as coach, pass over Bill Belichick
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach after an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because...
Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott lead NFL awards finalists
Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott are finalists for the Associated Press 2023 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 8. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the...
Bengals promote QBs coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t need to search far and wide to find their next offensive coordinator. The franchise simply promoted quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher. Pitcher formally was handed the job Thursday, one day after Brian Callahan left to take the head coaching gig with the Tennessee Titans. The...
Panthers agree to hire Dave Canales from the Buccaneers as their new head coach, AP sources say
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach, according to two people familiar with the situation. Canales has informed the Buccaneers that he is taking the job, although there are still details that need to be...
The NFL’s final 4 QBs are often 1st-round picks — but not this time around
Joe Theismann won one Super Bowl and played in a second with Washington after entering the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick with another franchise. He starred for a coach Joe Gibbs, whose path to the Hall of Fame featured three championships with three starting QBs — including one selected...
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey practices; Mark Andrews full participant
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was back at practice Wednesday after missing last weekend’s divisional playoff game with a calf injury. The Ravens listed Humphrey as a limited participant. It was a pretty encouraging injury report, with Sunday’s AFC championship game against Kansas City coming up....
Lions QB Jared Goff going home to face 49ers in NFC title game
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Jared Goff is California cool, staying easy breezy in good times and bad. The veteran quarterback, who is from the San Francisco Bay Area, has led the Detroit Lions to the most success they’ve had in generations with two playoff victories in one postseason for the...
Major questions loom for Raiders’ Antonio Pierce, Tom Telesco
HENDERSON, Nev. — Major decisions are coming in the next several weeks and months that will shape the Las Vegas Raiders’ future. But this was a day for Antonio Pierce to enjoy. He and new general manager Tom Telesco were officially introduced Wednesday after owner Mark Davis removed the interim...
Jim Harbaugh returning to NFL to coach Chargers after leading Michigan to national title
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Jim Harbaugh will be the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving Michigan after capping his ninth season as coach of college football’s winningest program with the school’s first national championship since 1997, according to multiple reports. ESPN reported it’s a five-year contract. Harbaugh made...
Browns hiring former NFL back Duce Staley to coach team’s running backs, AP source saysVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns filled one of the vacancies on their coaching staff while bracing for a possible major departure. Coach Kevin Stefanski hired Duce Staley, a 10-year NFL veteran, as his new running backs coach, a person familiar with the addition told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Staley...
AFC title game means reunion for Ravens’ John Harbaugh, Chiefs’ Andy Reid
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh once defeated his own brother in a Super Bowl, so going up against someone he used to work with might not be all that emotional. Still, there’s plenty of respect between the Baltimore coach and his counterpart this weekend: Kansas City’s Andy Reid. “Obviously,...
Bills fans donate to charity benefiting stray cats after Tyler Bass misses FG in playoff loss
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Stray cats are benefiting from Tyler Bass’ field-goal attempt going astray. Down as the Buffalo Bills kicker felt after missing a potential game-tying 44-yard attempt wide right in the final minutes of a 27-24 divisional playoff round loss to Kansas City on Sunday, Bass can be...
Lions get look at 3-time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz in practice to see if he can play in NFC title game
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions tight end Zach Ertz practiced with his new team Wednesday, potentially making the three-time Pro Bowl player available for the NFC championship game in San Francisco. The 33-year-old Ertz agreed to a deal with Detroit earlier this week to add much-needed depth. Lions coach...
Titans hire Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their head coach, tasked with trying to turn them back into winners and groom Will Levis into their franchise quarterback. The Titans announced Wednesday their hiring of the first of 10 candidates that they interviewed....
Harrison native has never missed a Super Bowl. He’s set to attend for 58th time
Harrison native and mega-Steelers fan Tom Henschel isn’t letting recent physical ailments deter him from continuing his streak of attending every Super Bowl. “It’s my 58th year going to a Super Bowl,” Henschel said Tuesday. “He’s determined to go and on a mission,” added Regina, his wife of 47 years....
Chiefs’ winning formula: Surround immense star power with draft steals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs had not even made it through two plays against Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs when Mike Edwards, already playing in place of injured safety Bryan Cook, clashed helmets with Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and had to leave their...
