NFL Previews

Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan met as assistant coaches with the Houston Texans in 2008, driven to pursue the kind of Super Bowl success experienced by Kyle’s dad, Mike Shanahan, more than a decade earlier. LaFleur and his Packers trek to San Francisco to face Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers Saturday night for a spot in the NFC Championship game in a showdown of systems derived from the elder Shanahan’s scheme. Based on what he

With no ground to gain in the AFC playoff picture by beating the host Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs are in preservation mode in the regular-season finale. Well, at least partially. Blaine Gabbert will start in place of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and multiple regulars are headed for plenty of rest in a game head coach Andy Reid said would be used as a good audition for younger players. Gabbert said he

The Buffalo Bills were three games behind the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East with five games remaining. Now the Bills stand one victory away from their fourth consecutive division crown when they face the suddenly reeling Dolphins on Sunday night at Miami Gardens, Fla., a primetime main event that serves as the last game of the NFL regular season. Buffalo (10-6) sprinted to the finish with four straight wins, while the Dolphins (11-5) have

On the brink the of the playoffs, a preseason feel surrounds the regular-season finale between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif. With a wild-card spot clinched, the Rams take a nine-game regular-season losing streak to the 49ers to San Francisco, where Carson Wentz replaces starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. San Francisco (12-4) clinched the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and plans to keep

The Las Vegas Raiders can extend their winning streak against the visiting Denver Broncos to eight games when they meet on Sunday afternoon. The Broncos (8-8) last defeated the Raiders (7-9) in the regular-season finale on Dec. 29, 2019. Las Vegas beat Denver 17-16 in the season opener on Sept. 10. Since then, major changes have altered each team. Among those impacted by the in-season overhaul were both starting quarterbacks in Week 1. Jimmy Garoppolo

Philadelphia hasn’t won on the road since before Thanksgiving, and the Eagles didn’t beat anyone in December except the New York Giants. The Eagles (11-5) will try to sweep their NFC East rivals and collect their first away win since Nov. 20 when they face the Giants (5-11) again in Sunday’s regular season finale in East Rutherford, N.J. Despite a 1-4 December, a win still could give Philadelphia its second straight division title if the

For the second year in a row, the Seattle Seahawks enter the final week of the regular season needing a win and a big assist. A loss last week left the Seahawks in the same predicament they were in at this time last season: They need a victory over a division opponent and a Green Bay Packers loss to make the NFL playoffs. Things worked out for the Seahawks last season, but can they go

Green Bay can clinch a playoff berth with a victory against visiting Chicago on Sunday afternoon in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers (8-8) have won five of their past seven games to gain control of their playoff fate. They are coming off a 33-10 win on the road against the Minnesota Vikings last week and only the Bears can block Green Bay from claiming a wild-card spot. One more win to close the regular season

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick might be unsure what the future holds, but he realizes now certainly isn’t the time to get sentimental. Belichick has patrolled the New England sideline for the past 24 seasons, but doubts have doubled that he’ll return for a 25th as the Patriots prepare to face the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass. NFL Network reported last Sunday that Patriots owner Robert Kraft has yet to