National Football League News and Rumors
Packers thrash Ponder-less Vikings to advance in big Lambeau Field victoryDoug Farrar, yahoo.com The Green Bay Packers have been beset by injuries on both sides of the ball all season, and as a result, they've been the NFL s forgotten team when it came to ranking the best and brightest in the Super Bowl hunt. After Saturday night's 24-10 wild-card … |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers showed how dangerous they can be when they're at full strength Saturday night, overwhelming the Minnesota Vikings 24-10 in an NFC wild-card game that was never really close. |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com Green Bay 24, Minnesota 10: You know how the most important part of the Hippocratic Oath is primum non nocere, or "do no harm"? Probably you do, because they kept showing that promo for that show about the schizophrenic doctor called Do No Har… |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com Tony Dungy says Texans head coach Gary Kubiak has a big job ahead of him in getting his team ready to face the Patriots next week. Earlier in the season, New England blew out Houston, so the Texans will have to make some adjustments. The Texans need to … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Saturday’s start of the postseason went according to form, as the division champion No. 3 seeds in each conference advanced by winning at home, eliminating the wild card No. 6 seeds. But the similarities between the two games end there. In Houston, the … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com When the Packers played the 49ers in the opener, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was quiet for three quarters. And because he didn’t wait that long Saturday night, Rodgers will have a chance to settle the score. In a performance even Greg Jennings‘ sister w… |
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Did the Texans right the ship after their 19-13 wild-card win over the Bengals? Austin Murphy says we'll know the answer next Sunday, when Houston re-visits New England. |
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This time, Adrian Peterson didn't run wild on the Packers. Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and John Kuhn scored twice in Green Bay's 24-10 wild-card victory over Minnesota. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Thanks to Joe Webb’s introduction to the forward pass, we’re counting on external means for drama tonight. We may have found it in the person of for-now Oregon coach Chip Kelly. The plan was for him to have a perfunctory lunch with the Eagles, then di… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com In Cincinnati's 19-13 wild-card loss to the Houston Texans, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton's day was defined by one underthrow and one overthrow, and a whole lot of bad throws in-between. With 11:10 left in the first half and the ball on his own 38-yar… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com OK, as it turns out, having a quarterback helps. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is carving up the Vikings, helping the Packers to a 17-3 halftime lead in their Wild Card playoff game. Rodgers is 14-of-18 for 205 yards, with the touchdowns coming on s… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Packers don’t have running backs with the pedigree of Adrian Peterson. But they’re using theirs with effectively, nonetheless. The Packers took a 7-3 lead on a replay-reviewed touchdown run by DuJuan Harris. Harris, cut earlier this year by the Ja… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Joe Webb’s playoff debut went as you might expect, and as many Vikings drives this year went without him. They ran the ball, and kicked a field goal, and lead the Packers 3-0. Their first eight plays with their backup quarterback were runs, two of them … |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster accounted for 178 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown as the Houston Texans advanced to the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs with a 19-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium on Saturday afternoon. T… |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com So, 23 years now, and a guaranteed extra 365 days (at least) on that 8,400 day playoff winless streak for the Bengals. Yikes! They sure do suck. Matt Schaub played just OK but still completed 29/38 passes, Arian Foster ran for 140 yards, and J.J. Watt c… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The good news for the Houston Texans is that they won their wild card playoff game against the Bengals. The bad news is that now they have to return to New England, five weeks after they were blown out there — and having done nothing to suggest they can… |
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Sam Eifling, deadspin.com We'd scoff if anyone other than Adrian Peterson were to say, as Adrian Peterson did this week, that he doesn't just want to break the single-season rushing record, he wants to obliterate it. Actually, the way he put it to Marshall Faulk on the NFL Netwo… |
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Andrew Das, nytimes.com Commentary and live analysis of Saturday night's N.F.C. wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. |
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Packers 24, Vikings 10Jan 5
The revitalized Packers' ground game is paying dividends. DuJuan Harris and John Kuhn have first-half touchdowns and Green Bay has kept Adrian Peterson in check. |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com The opening of the Barclays Center hasn't been without its challenges. Even after most of the ideological debate—lawsuits over eminent domain stalled the project for years, affordable housing advocates vociferously protested the development—dissipated… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com The Minnesota Vikings will be without starting quarterback Christian Ponder for Saturday night's playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Ponder is unable to extend his right (throwing) elbow and had been listed as "questionable" on the tea… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Earlier today, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell won’t consider a reinstatement request from Saints coach Sean Payton until after the Super Bowl. Not so fast, the NFL says. According to league spokesman Greg Aiello, no t… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Browns are waiting to find out if Chip Kelly will be their next head coach, but that’s not stopping them from checking out possible general managers to team with Kelly or whoever else becomes their head coach. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that t… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com The Houston Texans had dominated the Cincinnati Bengals through the first quarter-and-a-half of their wild-card matchup, at least in yardage. Starting their second drive of the second quarter, the home team at Houston Reliant Stadium had well over 100 t… |
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If Woody Johnson hires his new general manager by Tuesday — and he’s apparently getting close to picking San Francisco’s Tom Gamble — then the Jets’ stalling tactic of not making Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson available last Monday has allowed the o… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com If you can’t get in front of a TV today or you want even more than the TV has to offer, you’re in luck: Both of today’s wild card playoff games will stream live as part of Wild Card Extra right here at NBCSports.com. Wild Card Extra features the liv… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Brian Kelly says leaving Notre Dame "isn't an option." Alabama's Nick Saban says he has no "unfinished business" in the NFL. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com At the start of the 2012 season, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was on the hot seat, a year removed from a 3-13 debut season. Now, he’s not. But he also doesn’t have much job security. Despite reports and speculation that Frazier will be getting a new… |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com Cincinnati at Houston (NBC), 4:30 p.m.: The Texans may have the superior record but they backed into the playoffs, losing three of their last four, while the Bengals haven't lost a game by more than one point since Week 9. Plus, it'd be more fun if they… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Ron Rivera got another chance. But it may not be that good of one, and it’s only making their new general manager wait a year for his. Panthers owner Jerry Richardson decided to keep Rivera after a Saturday meeting, despite Rivera’s 13-19 record, whic… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Cincinnati strong safety Chris Crocker is inactive for the Bengals' AFC wild-card playoff game against Houston. |
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Michael C. Wright, ESPN.com The Bears, looking north of the border at a noted quarterback guru from the Canadian Football League, will reportedly interview Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman for their head coaching position. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com After playing more on special teams than on defense during the regular season, inside linebacker Barrett Ruud will be a starter in the postseason. As we noted would likely be the case thanks to the Texans’ injuries at the position, the team has official… |
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Former NY Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff would be a perfect fit as NFL television analystJan 5
While Rex Ryan heads home from Paradise Island with his tattoo tucked between his legs, Woody Johnson peers up from under his desk wondering if it’s safe to come up for air and Mike Tannenbaum ponders his next move, there is one man walking out of the F… |
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Sam Eifling, deadspin.com For a summer in college I interned for the sports department of the Columbus Dispatch, which sent me for a few days to cover Cincinnati Bengals training camp. The 1990s had just come to a close—a dismal era even by the Bengals' standards—and the beat … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com With 10 days to go before players with NCAA eligibility remaining must declare their intentions for the NFL draft, Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd remains undecided. Boyd’s father, Tim Boyd, told the Post and Courier that Tajh has been told NFL teams view… |
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Trevor Pryce, nytimes.com One of Ray Lewis's former teammates, Trevor Pryce, writes about what makes the Ravens linebacker, who plans to retire after the season, extra special. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The good news is that I beat MDS in the regular-season picks contest by 11 games. The bad news is that I can still get blowed blew blown out in the postseason edition of the series. MDS joined PFT Live this week to review our picks for the wild-card ga… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Below is a Saturday afternoon look at the NFL head coach and general manager rumor mill: Arizona Cardinals: After firing Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals were believed to be the early favorites to land former Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who signed with th… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Oregon coach Chip Kelly remains the first choice of the Cleveland Browns in their head-coaching search, and the team expects to know whether Kelly will take the job soon. “Be ready for something to happen today,” a source told the Cleveland Plain Deal… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com If the Browns don’t hire Chip Kelly to be their next coach, Cleveland could opt for a defensive mind instead of an offensive specialist. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton remains in the mix for Clev… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Both of the coaches who have led their team to Monday’s college football national championship game have been linked to NFL rumors. Both of them attempted today to downplay any interest in leaving college for the pros. Alabama’s Nick Saban, who claime… |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com If there's one thing we learned while sifting through the assorted vitriolic, typo-ridden responses to the Why Your Team Sucks series, it's that many fans have no perspective when it comes to their favorite teams and players. Morals go out the window (&… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman doesn't generally need any incentive to be lippy and contentious on the field -- that's just the way the second-year man from Stanford does things. But it's safe to say that when Sherman takes the field agains… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The latest name to emerge as a candidate for the Eagles’ head-coaching vacancy is Gruden. But not Jon Gruden. The Eagles are expected to seek permission from the Bengals on Monday to talk to their offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden, ESPN’s Adam Schefte… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com We noted this week that the Packers’ receiving corps is as healthy this week as it’s been since the very start of the season. That has them feeling pretty good about themselves. “It makes us very dangerous,” Greg Jennings told the Associated Press… |
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles' front-office brass left for Arizona on Saturday to continue interviews for the team's coaching vacancy. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Everyone except the Jets is talking about Rex Ryan’s notorious tattoo. The Pats have added QB Mike Kafka to their offseason roster. The Dolphins didn’t make it to the postseason, but some have received postseason awards from the South Florida Sun-Sent… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Add a fourth (actually fifth) name to the Eagles jam-packed Western tour. They’re meeting with Chip Kelly today, then announced upcoming meetings with Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seahawks defen… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Lest anyone think they’re being played for suckers, the Eagles want to make sure you know they have plenty of other business in Phoenix. The team just issued a statement, making it clear they had more people than Chip Kelly on their list, by leaving his… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On the two-year anniversary of PFT Live, it was fitting to welcome to the show Broncos executive V.P. of football operations John Elway. After all, he took that job two years ago, too. While some (including me) were skeptical, Elway has knocked it out … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Give them credit for drawing up plays that keep the pressure on opponents. Oregon coach Chip Kelly and his agent, David Dunn, are working the system to its fullest, in an effort to extract the best deal possible. Word leaked out last night that Kelly wa… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Buffalo Bills coaching search went into overdrive Friday, when team officials interviewed three candidates, including Oregon's Chip Kelly, one of college football's hottest prospects. |
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Toni Monkovic, nytimes.com The Giants' quarterback, general manager and coach pointed to the impact of receiver Hakeem Nicks's injuries in a disappointing 2012 season. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The disclosure of Rex Ryan’s wife-in-Sanchez-jersey-while-Tebowing tattoo could be having its intended effect, even if the effect wasn’t specifically intended. According to Newsday, former Browns and Eagles G.M. Tom Heckert has canceled his interview … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Perhaps as stunning as the news that the Browns are close to a deal to make Chip Kelly their next head coach (we won’t not believe it until someone says it’s 95-percent certain) was the Friday night report that Browns CEO Joe Banner has informed quart… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When Buccaneers cornerback Eric Wright recently returned from a suspension and faced a fairly aggressive grilling from the local media without a lifeline from the team’s P.R. department, the speculation commenced that the Bucs have decided to move on fr… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The New York Jets have begun their search for Mike Tannenbaum's replacement. |
