FOXBORO, Mass. — Somewhere near the top of the list of reasons Mike Vrabel chose Robert Spillane to be the heart of his defense is trust.

Vrabel can trust his inside linebacker and captain to relay the right play-calls and make the right checks. He can trust Spillane to lead with his voice inside the huddle and as much violence as possible on...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers’ plan at wide receiver this season was draped in maroon and gold.

The Niners were supposed to ride into this postseason on the backs of two Arizona State products, a Tempe two-step atop the wide receiver depth chart designed to torment defensive coordinators from Seattle to Philadelphia.

Brandon Aiyuk (...Read more

Steve Ross now can give his Miami Dolphins something they haven’t had in his 17 years as team owner:

Trust.

The inbred oddities and chronic dysfunction that has kept his organization spinning in a mediocre place has a chance to change with Thursday’s firing of coach Mike McDaniel. It means Ross cleaned out his organization in recent weeks ...Read more

MIAMI — Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.

South Florida’s flagship sports franchise — the one once-proud and associated with the Perfect Season, with Don Shula and Dan Marino — continues in a quarter-century ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The spectacular one-handed catch looked like the kind of play that could only be made with sudden adjustment. A reaction with no thought or practice required.

But that's not how it went down for Rams star receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua's fourth-down touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in the regular-season finale had its ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson’s schedule has been so packed with preparation for Saturday’s playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, he hasn’t had a lot of time to mark the occasion with his family.

“Yeah, hard to say this week,” Johnson said Thursday when asked how his wife, Jessica, and children Emory, Kennedy and ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — When the Steelers got the ball back with 2:20 remaining in Sunday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, there was little doubt from Aaron Rodgers they were going to win the game.

Rodgers loves being in those situations because he grew up in Northern California watching the superstars of his youth deliver in the clutch.

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LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby had surgery on his left knee Wednesday and expects to make a full recovery.

The 28-year-old defensive end, who was shut down and placed on injured reserve with two games remaining in a season when he battled a lingering knee issue, had said this week he was visiting famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. ...Read more

NEW YORK — Fans of the Raiders and Jets could be watching their future quarterbacks in Friday’s Peach Bowl.

Indiana and Oregon will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals in one of the most significant QB matchups in years.

Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and Oregon star Dante Moore, the likely two top quarterbacks ...Read more

The Miami Dolphins will now be looking for a new head coach, along with searching for a permanent general manager.

The Dolphins fired coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday, pivoting from the first few days after the end of the season, after it appeared he was remaining at the helm when he addressed the media during a news conference Monday afternoon....Read more

Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for the NFL wild-card playoffs.

All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Last week, Farmer posted a 9-7 (.563) record. He posted a 173-99 (.636) record over the regular season.

Using point spreads with the scores Farmer ...Read more

Our 34th year of NFL picks in the Miami Herald did not set any personal records, put it that way. Or even top our previous year’s totals for that matter. An unusually unpredictable season on the field showed in our picks as we managed a just-OK .646 overall but narrowly failed to top .500 against the spread — a huge downer. Week 18 reflected...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — For most of professional football’s history, few people among the millions who tuned in every Sunday and every Monday night actually understood what was happening on the field. There was a quarterback, of course, dashing and rugged, the clear leader. There were collisions of giant bodies. There were smaller, faster men with a ...Read more

DENVER — His wife thinks he’s a few Nix shy of a load.

See, the other day, an old acquaintance of Jamie Teumer’s rang him up with the most indecent of Denver proposals.

“I’ll send you $5,000 for Broncos playoff tickets,” the voice said. “Or a blank check.”

We’d love to tell you that Teumer replied by screaming “How dare ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Amazing what one kick can do, isn’t it?

John Harbaugh would still be coaching the Baltimore Ravens if Tyler Loop had made that 44-yard field-goal attempt Sunday.

Instead, Loop’s miss kicked Harbaugh clear out of Baltimore — although it seems obvious that anything short of a lengthy playoff run would have ended Harbaugh’s...Read more

BALTIMORE — So … now what?

The Ravens on Tuesday expressed urgency for change as they parted ways with John Harbaugh, ending the second-longest coaching tenure in the NFL.

Harbaugh’s departure also opened something far more complicated and equally exciting: Who will now be the Ravens’ most significant hire since 2008, the ever-...Read more

BALTIMORE — When there’s an available name with the gravitas and resume like John Harbaugh, the coaching carousel can spin quickly.

Multiple teams with active coaches have already inquired. ESPN reported that nearly a quarter of the league’s teams called Harbaugh’s agent, Bryan Harlan, within 45 minutes of the Ravens firing their ...Read more

CHICAGO — Rome Odunze needed to keep his hands busy on the sideline. With the seasons changing in Chicago and cold weather arriving, that gave the second-year Chicago Bears wide receiver something to do on game days.

While he was sidelined with a foot injury over the last five weeks, Odunze joined the Bears equipment staff in being the person...Read more

CHICAGO — From the sound of things, Tyrique Stevenson could get another opportunity to help a leaky Chicago Bears secondary Saturday night.

The third-year cornerback did not play Sunday when Jared Goff passed for 331 yards in the Detroit Lions’ 19-16 victory. Secondary coach Al Harris said it was strictly a football decision and defensive ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Todd Bowles stated his case plainly Monday, saying three consecutive NFC South titles should count for something even if his team missed the playoffs this year.

Apparently the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs agreed.

Bowles confirmed Wednesday that he is returning as Bucs head coach for the 2026 season, his fifth at the helm ...Read more