Matthew Stafford and Odell Beckham Jr., prolific stars with little postseason notoriety, propelled the Rams to a wild-card round victory over the Cardinals on Monday.
Tag Archives: Football
Why Can’t We Turn Away From the N.F.L.?
The exploding viewership for N.F.L. games and the league’s ever-expanding season resist all scandal and reason. Our columnist asks why.
Is the Arizona Cardinals’ Title Drought the Result of a Curse?
The Arizona Cardinals, owners of the longest championship drought in major American sports, enter the N.F.L. playoffs with, some say, a curse the team won’t acknowledge.
What We Learned in the N.F.L.’s Wild-Card Round
The 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo managed their game plan just well enough to upset the Cowboys, but blowouts in the rest of the wild-card matchups showed the folly of playoff expansion.
Cowboys Come Up Short Against 49ers Long Before Clunky Finish
The No. 6-seeded 49ers upset the No. 3-seeded Cowboys after a chaotic final drive that will prolong Dallas’s disappointment.
Tampa Bay Takes Eagles Out of Their Game and Out of the Playoffs
Quarterback Tom Brady’s record in the playoffs improved to 35-11 as Tampa Bay clamped down on the league’s top rushing team.
How Sunday’s Games Affect the NFL Playoff Picture
The Eagles ran up against the Buccaneers’ fearsome defense. Now the 49ers and Cowboys will square off ahead of the Steelers and Kansas City in prime time.
How to Watch the NFL Playoffs Today
The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots will visit the Buffalo Bills.
What to Watch For in Saturday’s N.F.L. Playoff Games
The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots will visit the Buffalo Bills.
The Buccaneers’ Offense Works Because of This Man (and Tom Brady)
The offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has customized the Buccaneers’ offense to its hodgepodge of stars, injury replacements and holdovers.
N.F.L. Playoff Predictions: Our Picks in the Wild-Card Round
The postseason’s first weekend will see the third matchup between the Patriots and the Bills, and for the Cardinals and the Rams.
How Big Sports Leagues Are Trying to Woo the Gamer Generation
Here’s what sports marketers are doing to win back a lost generation and save the future of fandom.
The Reason Every N.F.L. Playoff Team Will Lose
Only one of these teams will prove us wrong.
Giants GM Gettleman to Retire; Coach’s Fate Uncertain
In a little over four years as the Giants general manager, Gettleman failed to hire a successful head coach. His replacement may soon get the chance.
Don Maynard, Hall of Fame Receiver for Champion Jets, Dies at 86
He teamed with the quarterback Joe Namath in a passing attack that took New York to an upset victory in Super Bowl III against the powerful Colts.
The N.F.L Coaches Fired So Far in 2022
The Bears, Vikings and Broncos all fired their coaches after losing seasons and prepared to remake their franchises. In a surprising move, so did the Dolphins, who finished with a winning record.
Raiders Beat Chargers to Claim Playoff Spot
In an odd game in which a tie could have sent both teams to the playoffs, the Raiders outlasted the Chargers in overtime, eliminating their division rival.
What We Learned From Week 18 in the N.F.L.
Matthew Stafford’s late-game miscues sank the Rams against the 49ers, and the Colts laid an egg against the Jaguars, leaving the door open for the Steelers to sneak into the playoffs.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ Starters Launch Into Playoffs
Both teams assured of playoff berths, the Philadelphia Eagles rested their starters while the Dallas Cowboys set records with theirs.
How Kansas City’s Win Affects the N.F.L. Playoff Picture
Angling for the top seed in the A.F.C. with a win, Kansas City’s much maligned defense forced a fumble and returned it for a third-quarter touchdown.
Novak Djokovic and Fellow Star Vaccine Skeptics Are Increasingly Scorned
The tennis star is the latest target of a public outcry against vaccine skeptics and stars wanting special treatment. Denied entry to Australia, he awaits a hearing Monday on his deportation.
N.F.L. Week 18 Picks Against the Spread
Division rivalries should decide playoff seeding as the Eagles host the Cowboys, the 49ers try to extend their win streak to six against the Rams, and the Chargers and Raiders play the weekend’s only true elimination game.
Eric Dickerson: ‘The N.F.L. Is Another No-Good Entity.’
Eric Dickerson talks about why some former players hate the N.F.L., his assumption that he has C.T.E., and why his single-season rushing record isn’t his most unbreakable.
This Is the N.F.L. Season That Ran Too Long
The N.F.L.’s final-week schedule usually builds to a Sunday night crescendo. But with only one true elimination game, Week 18’s bloat should feel anticlimactic.
Washington Football Team Plans Name Unveil Even as Bad News Mounts
Two days after fans at the team’s stadium fell when a railing collapsed, the team announced a Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — launch date for its long-awaited rebranding.
How Week 18 Could Shape the N.F.L. Playoff Picture
In the N.F.C., Green Bay has clinched the bye, but a divisional race and a wild-card spot are still up for grabs. In the A.F.C., things are messier.
What We Learned From Week 17 in the N.F.L.
Burrow-to-Chase can do damage in the playoffs, and Tom Brady and the Buccaneers aren’t exactly where they want to be at this point in the season.
Antonio Brown Storms Off Field During Buccaneers’ Win Over Jets
The receiver shed his jersey, threw it into the stands and left. Afterward, Tampa Bay Coach Bruce Arians said, “He is no longer a Buc.”
Dan Reeves, Coach Who Reached (but Lost) Four Super Bowls, Dies at 77
After playing and coaching with the Dallas Cowboys, he went on to great success — if no championships — with the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons.
John Madden Left a Voicemail for the Giants That Became N.F.L. Lore
Madden was many things over a legendary career, but he was always a football coach first.
N.F.L. Week 17 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread
Teams get two tools to deal with the coronavirus surge: shorter quarantines for players who test positive and no Thursday night games.
How John Madden Became the Face of a Video Game Empire
Madden, who died Tuesday, helped bring to life a series of football video games that has generated $7 billion in revenue since 1988.
Maxwell, Omicron, Madden: Your Wednesday Evening Briefing
Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
John Madden, Football Enthusiast, Was Peerless in the Booth
He woke up each season hungry for the game, and shared his enthusiasm for it as if hosting a feast.
The Eagles, at 8-7, Suddenly Have a Good Chance to Make the Playoffs
With a new coach and a second-year quarterback, the formerly pass-happy Philadelphia Eagles have morphed into a gritty option-running team. They have a good chance to make the playoffs.
John Madden Is Remembered as the ‘Soundtrack’ of the N.F.L.
Football fans, broadcasters, video-game enthusiasts and others paid tribute to the legendary coach and football ambassador.
John Madden, Hall of Fame Coach and Broadcaster, Is Dead at 85
He was one of football’s most recognizable ambassadors for decades, on the field, in the TV booth and as a video game entrepreneur.
John Madden, Hall of Fame Coach, Is Dead at 85
Madden was one of football’s most recognizable ambassadors for decades.
What We Learned From Week 16 in the N.F.L.
The Bills’ offense and defense worked in tandem to take first place in the A.F.C. East from the Patriots, and an ailing Baltimore team saw its playoff chances dwindle.
The Jets Have Something to Build On. The Giants Do Not.
The Jets beat the even more hapless Jaguars as Zach Wilson flashed his talent on the ground. The Giants, still shuffling their backup quarterbacks, lost to the Eagles.
The A.F.C. East Is Still Josh Allen’s Division
The Buffalo quarterback threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns to help vault the Bills to first place and to the No. 4 seed in the conference.
N.F.L. Christmas Schedule: What to Watch For in Today’s Games
The Cleveland Browns visit the Green Bay Packers, and the Arizona Cardinals host the Indianapolis Colts.
Inside the Mind of Kyler Murray
He is the N.F.L.’s Gatsby, mysterious and magnetic, with a brain hard-wired to win. Ask him about the touchdown pass he meticulously mapped out in his mind five days before he threw it.
Jonathan Taylor Won’t Win MVP. But His Value Is Undeniable.
The Colts star is the N.F.L.’s most outstanding player, but barring a huge shift he won’t be its M.V.P.
In a Disrupted N.F.L., Teams Scramble to Adjust Their Routines
Extra rest can be a bonus, but in a league in which every second is charted and planned, too much time can create its own problems.
What We Learned From Week 15 in the N.F.L.
The Dolphins looked capable in their sixth consecutive win, the hapless Lions were kings for a day, and the Steelers showed up again.
Postponed Games and Increased Testing as Covid Continues to Impact Athletes and Teams
The N.B.A. and N.H.L. announced a new round of game postponements, and the N.F.L. again adjusted its testing policies, as a Covid-19 surge continued to dog athletes.
Unfulfilled Promise
A start-up football school called Christians of Faith, later known as Bishop Sycamore, recruited players from tough neighborhoods with talk of academic help and a path to glory. But the path only led them back to where they started.
N.F.L. Week 15 Picks Against the Spread
Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers will trade deep shots, Covid-19-depleted teams will do battle for playoff spots and the Patriots and Colts’ throwback matchup should deliver.
Vincent Jackson’s Widow Hopes Speaking About His C.T.E. Warning Signs Will Help Others
The ex-N.F.L. player Vincent Jackson was found dead in a hotel room days after his former team won the Super Bowl. In light of his C.T.E. diagnosis, his widow recounted Jackson’s decline.