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Chiefs not worried about Patrick Mahomes’ toe - NBC Sports

Patrick Mahomes was grimacing — and limping — after the Chiefs’ second touchdown Sunday. He injured the big toe on his left foot, needing attention in the blue medical tent in between series. But that became a footnote (pun intended) when the Chiefs’ quarterb…

Patrick Mahomes was grimacing — and limping — after the Chiefs’ second touchdown Sunday. He injured the big toe on his left foot, needing attention in the blue medical tent in between series. But that became a footnote (pun intended) when the Chiefs’ quarterback departed with a concussion with 7:11 remaining in the third quarter. The bad news for the Chiefs is the uncertainty regarding Mahomes’ status for the AFC Championship Game. He will have to receive clearance from an independent neurologist before he can return. The good news for the Chiefs is they don’t expect his toe to affect him. Yeah, I think hell be OK there for right now with the toe part, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, via Charles Goldman of The Chiefs Wire. I think well be alright there. The practice reports Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will provide an indication of where Mahomes is in his bid to lead the Chiefs to a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Kevin Stefanski on Rashard Higgins’ fumble-touchback: “Our rule is to not reach the ball out” - NBC Sports

The worst rule in football reared its ugly heard on Sunday in Kansas City, stinging the Browns on a play that looked like it was going to be a touchdown for Cleveland but ended up being a touchback for the Chiefs. After the game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski …

The worst rule in football reared its ugly heard on Sunday in Kansas City, stinging the Browns on a play that looked like it was going to be a touchdown for Cleveland but ended up being a touchback for the Chiefs. After the game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about the play. I will never ever doubt Rashard Higgins effort or our guys effort,” Stefanski told reporters after the game. “Our rule there is not to reach the ball out when it is first and goal, and he knows that. Again, [I] appreciate his effort. He battled like he always does, but we have to fight that urge because it is such a big loss if it does end up being a touchback.” Stefanski is right. And the Browns’ internal rule is accurate, given the nonsensical NFL rule that would have given Cleveland possession at the spot of the fumble if it had gone out of bounds at the one-inch line but that gave the Chiefs possession on their own 20 because the ball went into, and out of, the end zone. The biggest problem with the rule is this: It penalizes effort. Yes, there’s a chance that a fumble into the end zone will be recovered by the defense. If it is, then the defense should get the ball. If it isn’t recovered before it goes out of play, the rule should be no different than it is if the ball goes out of bounds in the 100 yards of green.

As Ravens plan to part ways with Mark Ingram, he’ll be a healthy scratch tonight - NBC Sports

Mark Ingram‘s time with the Ravens is, as a practical matter, over. Yes, he’s still on the team. Yes, he’d possibly play again this year if a rash of injuries forced him into the lineup. But if there was any doubt about his future, there should be none now. A…

Mark Ingram‘s time with the Ravens is, as a practical matter, over. Yes, he’s still on the team. Yes, he’d possibly play again this year if a rash of injuries forced him into the lineup. But if there was any doubt about his future, there should be none now. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Ingram will be a healthy scratch for tonight’s playoff game against the Bills. “Ingram is fully healthy and is said to understand that this is a business decision for Baltimore due to salary-cap considerations,” Schefter says. The business decision is this: Ingram has a base salary of $5 million in 2021. Surely, he’ll be cut before that number hits the cap on March 17. Under the 2020 CBA, if Ingram were to suffer a serious injury that would prevent him from playing for the Ravens or anyone else in 2021, he’d be entitled to $2 million. Also under the CBA, the first $1.2 million of that payment would count against the salary cap. (The other $800,000 would be treated as player benefit costs.) Thus, the Ravens are trying to avoid an unnecessary cap charge in 2021 of $1.2 million by putting Ingram on the field again. With J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards getting it done at the tailback position, it’s a no-brainer for a team that is poised to part way with Ingram, anyway. Then again, it’s only $1.2 million dollars. If the Ravens saw real value in playing Ingram as they pursue a championship, they would. Clearly, they don’t. In 2020, Ingram had a career-low 72 carries and a career-low 299 rushing yards. With 7,324 rushing yards since entering the league in 2011, Ingram ranks 60th on the all-time rushing list, with more yardage than Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly, DeMarco Murray, Curt Warner, Robert Smith, Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson, and Arian Foster.

Drew Brees says playoff matchup with Tom Brady was “inevitable” - NBC Sports

When Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers in March, many people noted that his arrival in the NFC South would lead to a chance to match up with Saints quarterback Drew Brees on multiple occasions. The two quarterbacks have been in the league for a long time, …

When Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers in March, many people noted that his arrival in the NFC South would lead to a chance to match up with Saints quarterback Drew Brees on multiple occasions. The two quarterbacks have been in the league for a long time, but their head-to-head matchups were limited because they were in different conferences, but they played twice in the regular season and this weekend’s results have them set for a third meeting in New Orleans next weekend. It’s their first postseason matchup and Brees, who turns 42 this week, said that it feels like things have been building to this since Brady came to Tampa. “Yeah, don’t take it for granted,” Brees said in his postgame press conference. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity. And listen, the minute that he signed with the Bucs and came in the division, you felt like that was going to be a team to contend with, that was going to be a team that had playoff aspirations and beyond, just like us. So, I guess it was inevitable.” The Saints won their two regular season meetings with the Buccaneers, but Tampa hasn’t lost since their Week 13 bye. The Saints counter that with being about as healthy as they’ve been all season and the stage is set for a memorable meeting of NFL icons.

2021 NFL Playoffs scores, bracket for Wild Card Weekend: Browns beat Steelers; Saints, Ravens advance to Divisional Round - NBC Sports - Misc.

The 2021 NFL Playoffs are underway and Super Bowl 55 is right around the corner! Here are the final scores, results and updated bracket after Wild Card Weekend. Check out the full 2021 NFL playoff schedule here. 2021 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Scores Saturda…

The 2021 NFL Playoffs are underway and Super Bowl 55 is right around the corner! Here are the final scores, results and updated bracket after Wild Card Weekend. Check out the full 2021 NFL playoff schedule here. 2021 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Scores Saturday, January 9  (7) Indianapolis Colts 24, (2) Buffalo Bills 27  (6) Los Angeles Rams 30, (3) Seattle Seahawks 20 (5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, (4) Washington Football Team 23 Sunday, January 10 (5) Baltimore Ravens 20, (4) Tennessee Titans 13 (7) Chicago Bears 9, (2) New Orleans Saints 21 (6) Cleveland Browns 48, (3) Pittsburgh Steelers 37 Saturday, January 16 (6) Los Angeles Rams at (1) Green Bay Packers, 4:35 p.m. ET (5) Baltimore Ravens at (2) Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC Sunday, January 17 (6) Cleveland Browns at (1) Kansas City Chiefs, 3:05 p.m. ET (5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (2) New Orleans Saints, 6:40 p.m. ET 2021 NFL Playoffs Bracket Eight teams remain. We'll see you in Buffalo on Saturday night. #DivisionalRoundpic.twitter.com/0jVGNzEPXQ — #SuperWildCard on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 11, 2021  Read more about how the 2021 NFL Playoffs format works here. Click here to see the full 2021 NFL playoff schedule and be sure to check out ProFootballTalk for more on the 2021 NFL Playoffs as well as game previews, recaps, news, rumors and more.

Bruce Arians: Some younger defenders “might have relaxed” with Alex Smith out - NBC Sports

The Buccaneers got a better game from the Washington Football Team than most expected on Saturday night. Coach Bruce Arians, who isn’t bashful about pointing fingers, points his finger at the defense for a subpar showing against a Washington Offense that reli…

The Buccaneers got a better game from the Washington Football Team than most expected on Saturday night. Coach Bruce Arians, who isn’t bashful about pointing fingers, points his finger at the defense for a subpar showing against a Washington Offense that relied on Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. “I think some of our guys — I dont think veterans did, but some of our younger guys — might have relaxed when Alex Smith wasnt playing,” Arians told reporters after the 31-23 win. “I kind of kept preaching at them, This kid can run, he can do a lot of things. He almost beat us with his legs.” Arians had plenty of praise for Heinicke, whose surprisingly strong performance won rave reviews and had some considering the possibility of a second straight Tom Brady exit from the wild card round. He was very elusive,” Arians said of Heinicke. “We knew he was going to scramble around [and] there was going to be bootlegs and scrambles. We were really hoping for Alex because we knew that part of the game wasnt going to be in there. He got out of some really good spots and he made some really good plays. He had a lot of poise. They were hoping for Alex Smith? During the week, Arians sounded fearful of Alex Smith. “Were not playing a 7-9 team,” Arians said. “Were playing a 4-1 team. When Alex Smith plays theyre a 4-1 team. Were playing Alex Smith.” What Arians didn’t say was that he apparently feared Washington would become a 1-0 team with Heinicke starting. If Arians said that to his players, he didn’t say it loudly enough.

Josh Allen: One playoff win’s not good enough - NBC Sports

The Bills won the AFC East for the first time since 1995 this season and they won their first playoff game since that year on Saturday. Quarterback Josh Allen was 26-of-35 for 324 yards and two touchdowns in a game played in front of Bills fans for the first …

The Bills won the AFC East for the first time since 1995 this season and they won their first playoff game since that year on Saturday. Quarterback Josh Allen was 26-of-35 for 324 yards and two touchdowns in a game played in front of Bills fans for the first time this season. Allen, who also ran 11 times for 54 yards and a score, said that he is “super excited for the fan base” after the win and that he’s not sure if “the guys really understand the meaning and impact of winning a playoff game for this franchise.” They’ll get a chance to figure that out this week as they prepare for another home game against an undetermined opponent. “We want to win more,” Allen said, via Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. “One’s not good enough for us and we have to find a way to put our best foot forward this week and try and execute next week no matter who we play.” If the Bills are going to double up on playoff wins, the defense will need to tighten up after allowing 472 yards and turning a 14-point lead into a nailbiter. Allen took a couple of late sacks and nearly lost a fumble in that fourth quarter, so there are things to clean up all around.

The Zach Pascal fumble triggered four mistakes in officiating - NBC Sports

Facing fourth and 10 from his own 37 with 50 seconds left in Saturday’s Super Wild Card opener, Colts quarterback Philip Rivers found receiver Zach Pascal for a first down. When Pascal, who went to the ground to make the catch, got up and tried to run, things…

Facing fourth and 10 from his own 37 with 50 seconds left in Saturday’s Super Wild Card opener, Colts quarterback Philip Rivers found receiver Zach Pascal for a first down. When Pascal, who went to the ground to make the catch, got up and tried to run, things got interesting. What happened next sparked four different mistakes by the NFL’s officiating function. First, when Pascal got up (untouched) and tried to advance the ball, he fumbled it. Buffalo recovered, putting it two kneel-downs away from victory, since the Colts had no timeouts. The officials missed that Pascal had gotten up before he fumbled, ruling Pascal down by contact. Second, the NFL’s in-house review function failed to realize that the play needed to be reviewed, forcing the Bills to take a timeout and hoping that executive V.P. of officiating Al Riveron would realize that the play should be reviewed and should be overturned. Third, the ruling on the field should have been overturned, but it wasn’t overturned. How was it not overturned? It’s clear and obvious that Pascal wasn’t touched before he got up, it’s clear and obvious that the ball was out before he was tackled again, and it’s clear and obvious that the Bills recovered the fumble. Fourth, the final explanation from referee Brad Allen — that the Bills won’t be charged a timeout because the replay review was activated by the league office — is simply incorrect. The league office buzzes and speaks to Allen. Allen would have known if he’d been contacted by the league before the Bills called a timeout. The first three mistakes hurt the Bills. The fourth one helped them, allowing them to call a timeout later when they didn’t like the look they were getting from the Colts on second and 11 with 14 seconds left. The NFL’s officiating department already has chimed in with an explanation that conveys the magic words but provides no real explanation: “[T]he ruling on the field is that the runner was down by contact. The was no clear and obvious visual evidence to overturn the ruling, so it stands.” With all due respect, that’s incorrect. And if the Colts had managed to win the game, the league office would be dealing with the wrath of Buffalo fans for weeks if not months if not years to come.

Report: Alex Smith’s injured calf remains sore - NBC Sports

It sounds less and less likely by the day that Alex Smith will play Saturday against the Buccaneers. The Washington Football Team listed him as questionable Thursday, and he remains questionable Friday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Smith’s injured …

It sounds less and less likely by the day that Alex Smith will play Saturday against the Buccaneers. The Washington Football Team listed him as questionable Thursday, and he remains questionable Friday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Smith’s injured right calf still is sore and “hasn’t loosened up.” It comes down to how Smith feels pregame Saturday night. Regardless, it’s clear Smith is not 100 percent and won’t be 100 percent by kickoff. Washington wants to give Smith, who is 5-0 in his last five starts and has seven career playoff starts, every opportunity to play. But Taylor Heinicke, who took most of the first-team reps this week, is 100 percent. So what percent Smith is better than a 100 percent Heinicke? It sounds like a lose-lose for Washington in its first playoff game since 2015. Smith started a win-or-go-home Week 17 game, but he threw two interceptions and apparently came out of the game worse for wear. Heinicke did not join the team until December and has one NFL start, which came in 2018 for Carolina. There appears a real chance Heinicke’s second career start comes in his first playoff game.

Report: Josh McDaniels will not be Texans’ next head coach - NBC Sports

The Texans have hired a General Manager. Now, they turn their attention to getting a head coach. Bill O’Brien, fired in October, previously held both roles. The Texans’ hiring of Nick Caserio as their new G.M. immediately brought speculation that Patriots off…

The Texans have hired a General Manager. Now, they turn their attention to getting a head coach. Bill O’Brien, fired in October, previously held both roles. The Texans’ hiring of Nick Caserio as their new G.M. immediately brought speculation that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels might follow from New England. Caserio was the Patriots former director of player personnel, and Caserio and McDaniels were teammates at John Carroll University in the Cleveland area. In another tie, Jack Easterby, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, also came from the Patriots. But John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports the Texans have no interest in McDaniels as their head coach. “McDaniels will not be the Texans next head coach,” McClain writes. The Texans interviewed former head coaches Jim Caldwell and Marvin Lewis before Caserio’s hiring. They interviewed Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady earlier this week and plan to interview Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Tennessee offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after their teams are out of the postseason.

Olivier Vernon out for playoffs with ruptured Achilles - NBC Sports

The Browns defensive line will be missing a significant piece when they head to Pittsburgh for next Sunday night’s playoff game. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that defensive end Olivier Vernon ruptured his Achilles during Sunday’s 24-2…

The Browns defensive line will be missing a significant piece when they head to Pittsburgh for next Sunday night’s playoff game. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that defensive end Olivier Vernon ruptured his Achilles during Sunday’s 24-22 win over the Steelers. Vernon was carted to the locker room early in the fourth quarter. Vernon had two tackles for loss and a sack in Sunday’s win. He had 36 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery over all 14 games he played this season. The injury will keep Vernon from playing and it will also impact his offseason. Vernon is set for free agency and the timing of the Achilles rupture will create some question about when he’ll be able to get back on the field.

Dwayne Haskins passes through waivers unclaimed - NBC Sports

A year and a half after he was a first-round draft pick, no one wants Dwayne Haskins. At least, not at his current contract. Haskins, the former Washington quarterback, passed through waivers today. All 31 teams had the opportunity to claim him, and all chose…

A year and a half after he was a first-round draft pick, no one wants Dwayne Haskins. At least, not at his current contract. Haskins, the former Washington quarterback, passed through waivers today. All 31 teams had the opportunity to claim him, and all chose not to. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s not a team out there willing to sign Haskins, who is now a free agent. It just means no one wants to pay him the more than $4 million guaranteed that was remaining on his rookie contract. At a lower cost, someone may sign him. Haskins was a major disappointment in Washington, which took him 15th overall last year. But Washington was far from the only team that thought highly of Haskins heading into last year’s draft, and all it takes is one team to think it can still get something out of his undeniable talent.