Still playing: Bills, Bucs risen from Super Bowl droughts

In the 1990s, the Bills buffaloed their way to four successive — if not successful — Super Bowls. No other franchise has managed that. About a decade later, the long-downtrodden Buccaneers swashbuckled to an NFL title. Ever since, pretty much nothing for those teams. Until now. Next weekend,...

Column: Brady moves on, making history with every throw

Tom Brady is one win away from the Super Bowl, two wins away from a seventh ring. If that doesn’t get you excited about the final weeks of the strangest NFL season ever, perhaps the thought of Brady heading to Green Bay next weekend to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will. Lambeau Field will be as...

Saints' Brees exits playoffs, perhaps career, on sour note

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly two hours after the New Orleans Saints' season had ended, Drew Brees stood on the Superdome field in street clothes, throwing passes to his children while his wife, Brittany, captured images of those moments with her cell phone. Brees routinely throws the ball around with his kids...

Chargers hire Rams DC Brandon Staley as head coach

COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Staley won't have to move that far for his first head coaching opportunity. Staley agreed to become the Los Angeles Chargers' coach on Sunday night after one season as the defensive coordinator for the crosstown Rams. The Chargers made the decision to hire Staley after...

Brady, Bucs, end playoffs for Saints, Brees, 30-20

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tom Brady's best game in three tries against New Orleans kept the Buccaneers moving on in the NFL playoffs, and has Saints quarterback Drew Brees headed home — perhaps for good. Brady and the Bucs' offense turned three of four Saints turnovers into touchdowns and Tampa Bay beat...

The Los Angeles Chargers have hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as head coach

Brady vs Rodgers, possibly Mahomes vs. Allen in title games

Tom Brady will take on Aaron Rodgers in a matchup of quarterback legends in the NFC title game. The AFC championship could feature two of the top young QBs if Patrick Mahomes is healthy enough to start for Kansas City against Buffalo's Josh Allen. An enticing final four in the NFL was set up Sunday when Brady's...

Chiefs' Reid: QB Mahomes 'doing good' after concussion

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes had enough wits about him after a concussion knocked the star quarterback from the Kansas City Chiefs' divisional-round playoff win over the Cleveland Browns to get a rather clever hashtag trending on Twitter. “HenneThingIsPossible,” it read. It was a...

Gutsy or insane? Depends on the outcome of tough calls

Gutsy or insane? Depends on the outcome. Andy Reid's gamble on fourth-and-inches at the Kansas City 48 with 1:14 remaining in Sunday's 22-17 divisional-round win over Cleveland fits the category. That it succeeded will become legend among Chiefs fans. Had it failed, well, who knows? The fact Reid had backup...

After losing Mahomes, Chiefs and Henne hold off Browns 22-17

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion and were in danger of losing the game. Then their defense and Chad Henne — their defense and Chad Henne?! — along with a gutsy call by Andy Reid kept their hopes of a Super Bowl repeat alive, holding off...