7:53 PM ET Alaina GetzenbergESPN ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Entering Week 18, all the Buffalo Bills needed to clinch a second straight AFC East title was a win against the 4-12 New York Jets. Despite the Jets keeping things close at times thanks to Buffalo’s offensive struggles, the Bills got the job done with a
NFL
5:03 PM ET Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN MIAMI — Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle set an NFL rookie record for receptions in a single season Sunday against the New England Patriots, reeling in his 102nd catch of the season on the fourth play of the game. Anquan Boldin previously held the record when he caught 101 passes
4:37 PM ET BALTIMORE — Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt tied Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season sack record with 23 seconds left in the first half of Sunday’s 16-13 overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens. The win kept the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive in Ben Roethlisberger‘s likely last regular-season game as the Steelers’ quarterback. With
4:14 PM ET JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars will be making the first pick in the NFL draft for the second consecutive year. The Jaguars upset 14-point favorite Indianapolis 26-11 at TIAA Bank Field to pick up their third victory of the season, but the Detroit Lions’ upset of Green Bay ensured that the
2:14 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN DETROIT — The Detroit Lions didn’t hold anything back in their last game of the season Sunday, and a couple of trick plays resulted in long touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers. Down 7-0 late in the first quarter, quarterback Jared Goff handed the ball off to rookie receiver Amon-Ra
12:00 PM ET ESPN staff Several NFL playoff spots are still in play in Week 18, along with a couple of division titles. We’re projecting the final 14 postseason teams and their seedings all day long — along with the two-team race for the NFL draft‘s top pick. Six divisions are already clinched, and the
12:26 PM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos‘ search for a quarterback in the post-Peyton Manning era has been a costly affair. Costly in a record that has leaned decidedly toward a growing pile of losses, costly in the erosion of any sort of patience among the team’s faithful and costly to the head
11:08 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Antonio Brown‘s attorney says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers terminated the wide receiver’s contract this week for failing to show up for a doctor’s appointment that he could not make, calling the move a “surprise attack” in a series of tweets. “We were in the midst of scheduling an appointment
10:22 AM ET ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the second time in four years the Denver Broncos‘ ongoing postseason drought has cost the head coach his job. The Broncos, after a 7-10 finish, fired Vic Fangio on Sunday as they missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said he
8:10 AM ET The Carolina Panthers are expected to target former NFL head coaches Jay Gruden and Bill O’Brien in their search for a new offensive coordinator, league sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Panthers also are expected to be interested in talking with Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell about their vacancy at the position,
10:33 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — With an 8-yard throw to Corey Clement in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, Dak Prescott established the Dallas Cowboys‘ single-season record for touchdown passes with 37, breaking Tony Romo’s record. It was Prescott’s career-high fifth touchdown pass of the game, giving the Cowboys a 37-20 lead
9:16 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have extended the contract of defensive tackle Vita Vea, the team announced Saturday night. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter it is a four-year deal worth $73 million, with $42 million guaranteed. The Bucs already agreed to pick
4:48 PM ET FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Defensive end Shaq Lawson, a former first-round draft pick whose playing time was reduced in recent weeks, was released Saturday by the New York Jets. Lawson, 27, was a healthy scratch in two of the past three games. His release was inevitable, as he was due to count
4:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — About 24 hours before a season-defining game against the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers welcomed back most of their secondary on Saturday afternoon. After placing five defensive backs on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, the Niners activated four of them over the past couple of days,
3:20 PM ET Turron DavenportESPN Close Covered Eagles for USA Today Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times Played college football at Cheyney University HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans have declined to activate running back Derrick Henry for the regular-season finale against the Houston Texans. Tennessee still expects Henry to be back in time for the
1:39 PM ET PITTSBURGH — A day after activating their top wide receiver, the Pittsburgh Steelers also got their starting center and a cornerback off the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Steelers activated center Kendrick Green and cornerback Joe Haden from the reserve list Saturday but placed wide receiver James Washington on it. Under return-to-play protocols adopted
12:51 PM ET Associated Press Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and will miss Sunday’s season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Ward was already questionable with a groin injury suffered in Monday’s loss at Pittsburgh. The fourth-year cornerback had three interceptions this season, including a 99-yard return
11:21 AM ET The Carolina Panthers are planning to keep head coach Matt Rhule for the 2022 NFL season, and he will begin a thorough search for an offensive coordinator next week, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Saturday. Rhule, 46, has a career record of 10-22 heading into Sunday’s season finale against the Tampa