NFL

AP Pro Football WriterJoe Staley thankful to be back in playoffs with 49ersBy JOSH DUBOWSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Joe Staley was moved to tears as he ran off the field during the San Francisco 49ers' division-clinching win in Seattle to end the regular season.Years of lopsided losses to...

AP Sports WriterBrowns interview Bills offensive coordinator Brian DabollBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (AP) Brian Daboll spruced up his resume and improved as a coach since the previous time he was in Cleveland nearly a decade ago.The Browns haven't changed much.Daboll, who got his first offensive coordinator position in the...

AP Pro Football WriterAP source: Cowboys pick McCarthy to replace Garrett as coachBy SCHUYLER DIXONFRISCO, Texas (AP) Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl and went to the playoffs eight straight years while coaching two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for similar results from McCarthy with...

AP Sports WriterLA Rams fire veteran defensive coordinator Wade PhillipsBy GREG BEACHAMTHOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been fired by the Los Angeles Rams after three winning seasons.Phillips announced Monday on Twitter that the Rams are not renewing his contract. The 72-year-old says he...

AP Pro Football WriterCarson Wentz led injury-depleted Eagles until he couldn'tBy ROB MAADDIPHILADELPHIA (AP) Carson Wentz helped the Philadelphia Eagles overcome one injury after another until he ended up on the sideline.A season that began with Super Bowl expectations ended early because most of the players who gave...

AP Sports WriterChiefs prepped for Texans in pseudo-rematch of Week 6By DAVE SKRETTAKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Chiefs will welcome the Texans to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday for the divisional round of the playoffs, a rematch in name only of their Week 6 nail-biter won by...

AP Pro Football WriterVikings, like Texans, work OT to advance in NFL playoffsBy BARRY WILNERWorking overtime paid off for Minnesota and Houston this weekend.One day after the Texans rallied from a 16-0 deficit to beat Buffalo 22-19 in an AFC wild-card game, the Vikings stunned New Orleans 26-20 on...

Eagles QB Wentz leaves wild-card game with head injuryPHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz left the NFC wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks with a head injury and was questionable to return.Wentz appeared to take a helmet-to-helmet hit from Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Wentz was checked...

AP Sports WriterCook, Vikings upend Saints 26-20 in OT in NFC playoffsBy BRETT MARTELNEW ORLEANS (AP) Kirk Cousins hit tight end Kyle Rudolph with a 4-yard fade on third-and-goal in overtime, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled out a 26-20 victory over the Saints in the wild-card round of...

Eagles TE Ertz cleared to play with injured ribs, kidneyPHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has been cleared to play with an injured kidney for the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.Ertz, the team's leading receiver with 88 catches for 916 yards, will be...

Eagles WR Ertz cleared to play with injured ribs, kidneyPHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has been cleared to play with an injured kidney for the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.Ertz, the team's leading receiver with 88 catches for 916 yards, will be...

AP Sports WriterBills enter offseason feeling pain of playoff collapseBy JOHN WAWROWORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Josh Allen expects he'll be carrying the weight and pain of his first playoff loss for the foreseeable future.Standing at a podium in the Buffalo Bills' field house on Sunday, the second-year quarterback...