CHICAGO — With Soldier Field shaking ever so slightly during Saturday’s miraculous comeback in the wild-card round against the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears can say with confidence the fourth phase is back.

That’s the term former coach Lovie Smith used about 20 years ago when urging the home crowd to be rowdy (just not when the ...Read more

DENVER — Thomas Payton worked in insurance. Casualty claims, specifically. Because of that, Sean Payton said his father raised him with as little danger as possible.

The Paytons had no trampoline, growing up in Naperville, Ill. No swimming pool. No motorcycle. Thomas Payton’s kid knew every possible sharp corner that existed in their home. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The main topics at the end-of-year press conference at the NovaCare Complex Thursday afternoon were mainly centered around why Kevin Patullo was no longer the offensive coordinator of the Eagles, what Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman wanted in his replacement, and what the next evolution of the team’s offense might be.

But ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Fred Warner’s comeback is on hold — for a week or, perhaps, until next season.

Warner was officially ruled out Thursday from the 49ers’ divisional-round visit to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, three months after his right ankle fracture.

When coach Kyle Shanahan announced Tuesday that Warner was cleared ...Read more

There is a specific kind of insanity reserved for playoff games between two teams from the same division. It is a distinct flavor of madness, separate but amplified by the usual January anxiety.

These teams do not just play each other; they live together: they share the same atmospheric rivers, the same East Coast apathy toward everything in ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Giants scored their biggest win in years by landing their No. 1 target:

John Harbaugh is expected to be New York’s next head coach.

Harbaugh, 63, agreed late Wednesday night to coach the Giants, and the two parties were working Thursday to finalize an agreement to make it official, a source told the New York Daily News.

The...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Thursday spoke publicly for the first time since tearing knee ligaments in the team’s mid-December loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon Daniel E. Cooper performed surgery the evening after the ACL and LCL injury, and Mahomes has already ...Read more

CHICAGO — After a Chicago Bears victory, fans across the city keep hitting refresh on their social media feeds. It usually takes an hour or so for the Bears’ social media team to prepare the video, bleeping out the swear words and whatnot.

When coach Ben Johnson’s postgame speech hits social media, it’s a must-watch. Johnson’s victory...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The worst kind of mob is the one that is displacing its aggression. Then again, maybe every mob is that kind of mob. The more unhinged the vitriol, the more concentrated its direction, the more likely it is driven by fears and frustrations that are much more difficult to reconcile than the ones that have bubbled to the surface. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — He played 12 seasons in the NFC North before he was traded to the Rams, so quarterback Matthew Stafford is no stranger to cold-weather games.

On Sunday night, when the Rams play the Chicago Bears in an NFC divisional-round at Soldier Field, game-time temperatures could include a wind-chill below zero degrees.

Stafford, citing ...Read more

BALTIMORE — “I have the power.”

As Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti explained Lamar Jackson’s involvement in the coaching search Tuesday, he drew a clear line, one that will help shape the franchise’s next phase as it attempts to replace 18-year head coach John Harbaugh. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will have input, and the ...Read more

Fred Warner is back on the 49ers’ practice field and looked energetic during the media viewing portion Wednesday, though he was listed as a limited participant in the session.

The 49ers opened his 21-day practice window on Tuesday, allowing him to rejoin drills with his teammates and let the 49ers track his progress back from fracturing and ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — It may be a pie-in-the-sky hope, but if former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t land one of the head coaching jobs — Browns, Titans, Falcons or Ravens, so far — he’s interviewing for, he could have interest in becoming the Buccaneers offensive coordinator.

McDaniel, 42, is scheduled to interview with head coach ...Read more

CHICAGO — Caleb Williams not only kept the Chicago Bears’ playoff run alive with a fourth-quarter, fourth-down completion to Rome Odunze, he created a viral moment: the Jumpman pass.

A quick back story: During the Bears’ 31-27 come-from-behind win Saturday in a wild-card-round game against the archrival Green Bay Packers, the Bears faced ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Giants told the world John Harbaugh was in their facility on Wednesday and they weren’t going to let him leave.

Then he left.

The organization has leaked incessantly about how hard they are working to land the former Baltimore Ravens head coach. Their desperation has created an enormous amount of pressure for them to hire ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers have one of the best head-coaching jobs on the market to offer any coach who applies to fill the vacancy left by Mike Tomlin. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, as it might actually be the best job on the market once it is examined closely.

In the wake of Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach, there have ...Read more

Lynn Jones didn't have a question ready.

The 64-year-old veteran reporter for the Jacksonville Free Press was attending Jaguars coach Liam Coen's postgame news conference Sunday after his team's 27-23 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Three other reporters had already asked game-specific questions when the microphone was passed to Jones, who ...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy’s record is flawless in Seattle, a fantastic 4-0 with annual victories in the 49ers’ regular-season visits.

His biggest win there could come Saturday, when the No. 6-seed 49ers (13-5) try to upset the No. 1 Seahawks (14-3) at the NFL’s rowdiest outdoor amphitheater, Lumen Field.

“As I’ve played you...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said he wasn't shocked by Mike Tomlin's decision to step down after 19 seasons, but he had no intention of parting ways with his longtime head coach after another early playoff exit.

"I was certainly willing to take another run at it next year with Mike," Rooney said.

That's what ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — In September 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a clear path to push the reset button on the franchise.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury in a loss to Seattle to drop the Steelers to 0-2. Many franchises would have embraced a complete rebuild at that moment, but Steelers management did everything...Read more