NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Chargers placed seven players in the Pro Bowl, including safety Derwin James, one of six rookies across the league to make the game. James, a first-round draft choice, will be joined on the AFC squad by veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back Melvin Gordon, defensive end […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots were able to downplay the significance of their defeat at Miami in Week 14 mostly because of the crazy final play it took for the Dolphins to grab the victory in the closing seconds. But after showing multiple shortcomings in its 17-10 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday , New England suddenly looks nothing […]

PITTSBURGH Ben Roethlisberger didn’t want to use the word “crossroads.” He did anyway. His team mired in a three-game losing streak and with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on the other sideline Sunday — a sight that typically signals doom for Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers — the longtime quarterback understood his team’s […]

CHICAGO — Mitchell Trubisky threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Jackson ended Aaron Rodgers’ NFL-record streak without an interception and the Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North with a 24-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Bears (10-4) secured their first playoff appearance since the 2010 team won the division, and clinching with a […]

PITTSBURGH — The words tumble out of Sean Davis’ mouth casually when describing Rob Gronkowski, as if they come up regularly in conversation when the Pittsburgh Steelers safety and his teammates are discussing New England tight end Rob Gronkowski. Words like “beast” and “freak,” all spoken with a mixture of admiration, respect and frustration. There’s another […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — More times than not, the sight of Rob Gronkowski approaching the end zone has signaled good things happening for the New England Patriots. Yet there was the image of Gronkowski awkwardly crashing to the ground in a desperate attempt to prevent Kenyan Drake from crossing the goal line during Sunday’s last-second 34-33 loss to […]

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The celebratory mob scene in the corner of the end zone broke out far from Ryan Tannehill, leaving him in the open field, running and screaming as he waved his arms. Since he couldn’t find anyone to hug, he flopped to the grass on his back, the job done and the game […]

MIAMI — Ryan Tannehill was heading out the door when someone noted the predicted high temperature of 83 for Sunday’s game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. “Not quite hot enough,” Tannehill responded with a smile. Turn up the heat. That’s what the Dolphins tend to do when the Patriots play in Miami. While […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — For each of the past two seasons, the identity of the Patriots defense didn’t become clear until late in the year. Both times the group had stumbles early, followed by steady improvement. Those leaps were aided at least in part by the increased contributions of newcomers or role players that previously had much […]