The Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots into Raymond James Stadium tonight for the national anthem and a little football. Odds makers have installed the Patriots as 5-point favorites, but this year’s model has a few chinks in the armor, especially the league’s lowest-ranked defense.
Being a kicker in the NFL is hard enough. Doing it for a New England Patriots franchise that has enjoyed some of the most clutch kicking performances in NFL playoff history is something entirely different. Such is the position Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is in as New England prepares for what could be a close Super Bowl matchup between its No. 1 ranked offense and Atlanta’s No. 1 defense. The Patriots have won their four Super Bowls by a total…
Bill Belichick can be pretty tight-lipped around the media. When it comes to his dad, he can’t stop talking. The New England Patriots coach was asked about his late father’s influence during a news conference Tuesday at the team hotel. The answer lasted 4 minutes, 37 seconds. “A long answer to a short question,” Belichick said, managing a slight smile. “I’m famous for that.” Steve Belichick was a long-time assistant coach at the Naval Academy, where he was responsible for…
Not even the grandest of American sports spectacles is immune to the nation’s deep political divisions. Patriots fans have spent nearly two full seasons being reminded of the close friendship between President Donald Trump and their team’s three top figures — owner Robert Kraft, star quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick. As the Super Bowl approaches, that has put the typically united Patriots Nation at odds over how hard to celebrate a team chasing its fifth Super Bowl win…
Two teams took the first step toward the Super Bowl on Saturday. With Houston and Seattle moving on, two more games will set up the NFL’s Elite 8. Here are Sunday’s matchups. Miami (10-6) at Pittsburgh (11-5), Sunday at 1:05 p.m. (CBS) Miami is making its first playoff appearance since 2008 and is looking for its first postseason win since the wild-card round in 2000. Quarterback Matt Moore will make his first postseason start for the Dolphins with Ryan Tannehill…
The New England Patriots are now down to their third-string quarterback, but they still had enough to hold off the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots survived a Miami comeback to hang on for a 31-24 win Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Jacoby Brissett stepped into Coach Bill Belichick’s offense after starter Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury. Garoppolo was filling in for the suspended Tom Brady. Garoppolo was injured late in the first half after throwing for 234 yards and three touchdowns…
The National Football League has made things interesting for bookmakers and fantasy football players. Earlier this week, the league revised the manner in which teams report their injuries. For years, injury reports have listed players as “probable,” “questionable,” “doubtful,” and “out.” Beginning this season, the “probable” designation will go away. Why the change? The NFL concluded “95 percent of the players who were listed as ‘probable’ in prior years actually did in fact play in the game.” New England Patriots’…
