Chiefs take playoff experience into Sunday night vs Steelers
The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was just becoming one of the NFL's best tight ends.
Brady, Bucs rout Panthers 32-6 to clinch NFC South title
Tom Brady threw for 232 yards and a touchdown, Antonio Brown made a grand return to the lineup after missing the last eight games and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-6 on Sunday to clinch their first NFC South title since 2007.
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Lower cap leads to more cuts than usual in NFL
(AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)If it seemed as if NFL teams have been shedding contracts nearly as fast as signing them in recent weeks thatโs because itโs almost true. โI think the unprecedented part being, for the first time in modern era, the cap decreases instead of increases,โ Rams general manager Les Snead said. Adoree Jackson got a three-year deal worth a reported $39 million from the Giants after Tennessee refused to pay his $10.24 million fifth-year option. In one of the more curious cases, Miami cut Kyle Van Noy one year into his four-year, $51 million deal, leaving about $36 million unpaid. Van Noy then returned to New England on a two-year, $12 million deal and the Patriots will also get a fourth-round compensation pick in next monthโs draft based on the deal Van Noy signed last March.
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Barrett, Gronkowski agree to deals to stay with Buccaneers
Linebacker Shaquil Barrett and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement 11 months ago to help Brady win No. 7 in his first season with the Bucs, are the latest players to agree to terms to stay with the team. Agent Drew Rosenhaus represents both players and confirmed the deals to The Associated Press on Monday. He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Tampa Bay in free agency in 2019 and has 27ยฝ sacks in 31 regular-season games since joining the Bucs. Gronkowski played nine seasons with Brady in New England before retiring after the 2018 season.
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Brady signs extension, frees salary cap space for Buccaneers
FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady leaves the field an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, in this Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, file photo. om Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Buccaneers that provides the Super Bowl champions with much-needed salary cap relief and will help the seven-time NFL champion reach a goal of playing until hes at least 45. (AP Photo/Brett Duke, File)TAMPA, Fla. โ Tom Brady has agreed to a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that provides the Super Bowl champions with much-needed salary cap relief and will help the seven-time NFL champion reach a goal of playing until heโs at least 45. The five-time Super Bowl MVP capped his first season with the Bucs by leading Tampa Bay to its first championship in 18 years. Davidโs contract, of which $20 million is guaranteed, includes voidable years that make it salary cap friendly.
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Millions of taxpayers still waiting for 2019 refunds to arrive, report says
As people get ready to either file their tax returns or receive refunds from returns already filed for 2020, the IRS is still dealing with a big problem. In mid-February and based on data through Jan. 30, the IRS said it hadnโt yet processed 6.7 million individual income tax returns for 2019. The issue is so serious that the House Ways and Means Committee is asking the IRS to return the deadline for 2020 returns beyond April 15. AdIt remains unclear how much longer those anticipating their refunds from 2019 will have to wait, or if this yearโs deadline will be extended. But for the IRS, it could be difficult to focus completely on 2020 in the coming months with millions of 2019 returns still not processed.
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Bucs hope to keep core together to chase another Super Bowl
The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 to win the Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already thinking about what itโll take to repeat as Super Bowl champions. If Brady, Arians and general manager Jason Licht have their way, Gronkowski, Brown and Fournette wonโt wind up being one-season rentals. โHopefully we can keep the band together, have an offseason and actually know what weโre doing (entering next season),โ Arians said. It changed our entire football team.โAdBrady said Arians, who also has two Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach, deserves credit, too.
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Brady wins 5th Super Bowl MVP award with vintage performance
He was the Super Bowl MVP. In 2002, Brady burst onto the scene with his first Super Bowl MVP award by beating the then-St. Louis Rams. And it was then that this march to a Super Bowl victory officially began. At 25 and coming off his first Super Bowl win, Mahomes had Chiefs fans thinking this would be the beginning of a dynasty. Like a five-time Super Bowl MVP.
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Gronk, AB, Fournette team up for Super Bowl TDs, Bucs top KC
Brady wound up with his seventh NFL championship and was the Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time. โAll week he made us believe we were going to win,โ Fournette said. โHe was amazing and just did it all: blocked, ran, just had an incredible season,โ Brady said. Brady's seventh Super Bowl triumph broke a tie he held with three members of Vince Lombardi's great Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s for most NFL championships. "There's nothing that he can't do: new team, new scheme, first year with a new team and going to the Super Bowl and winning it all.
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Tom Brady wins Super Bowl No. 7, Buccaneers beat Chiefs 31-9
The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 to win the Super Bowl. With help from old friend Rob Gronkowski and a ferocious defense, Brady and the Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions. The GOAT earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP award and extended his Super Bowl titles' record in his 10th appearance, nine with New England. Stunningly, it was easier than any of his previous Super Bowl victories, which came by an average margin of five points. They won three road games as a wild card to reach the Super Bowl, and joined the NHL's Lightning as a 2020 season champion.
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Chiefs, Bucs relatively healthy heading into Super Bowl
Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins (14) catches a pass during NFL football practice Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. (Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP)TAMPA, Fla. โ The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head into the Super Bowl on Sunday relatively healthy. Tampa Bay did not list anybody as out on the final injury report. AdThe Buccaneers listed wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end Cameron Brate as questionable.
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Brady, improved defense keys to Bucs winning Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady during NFL football practice, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. (Kyle Zedaker/Tampa Bay Buccaneers via AP)TAMPA, Fla. โ Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wonโt be denied. The 43-year-old six-time Super Bowl champion may no longer be the best quarterback in the NFL, however, heโs shown in his first season with the Bucs that heโs still good enough to lead a team to the NFL title game. You want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl.
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AB says he's grateful for 2nd chance provided by Buccaneers
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)TAMPA, Fla. โ Antonio Brown says heโs grateful to be back in the NFL, let alone preparing to play in the Super Bowl. โI just think it was my only chance to be able to prove โ not only to the doubters, but myself โ Iโm still a high-end football player, still love the game,โ Brown said. Arians initially opposed the idea of adding Brown, saying during the offseason that the receiver wasnโt a good fit for the Bucs. He's the most accomplished wide receiver Brady has had to throw to since the Patriots had Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who also had a reputation of being difficult to play with, more than a decade ago. โHe has a great love for the game, is a real perfectionist about how he plays, how he takes care of himself.
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No longer old 'Shady,' Bucs' McCoy has shot at Super repeat
โFirst of all, I've got to let you know that I'm the rabbit's foot,โ McCoy said with a big grin. โIf I get two championships, I mean, with all my resume, it might be over,โ McCoy said. There were some off-field issues, too, including being accused by an ex-girlfriend of physical abuse โ allegations McCoy vehemently denied. AdHere he is again, a victory away from a repeat โ even if he's far from a focal point on offense. While the timing didn't seem right in Philadelphia, McCoy saw what Tampa Bay was building โ starting with Tom Brady.
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Super Bowl could be farewell for several pending free agents
Kansas City and Tampa Bay have several starters, including some notable pass catchers, scheduled to become free agents next month. So the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Buccaneers will serve as a farewell for several players with their current team. Brown signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Tampa in late October and has been a model citizen since. He has 45 receptions for 623 yards and seven touchdowns after signing a one-year, $9 million deal. He turned 34 last month and might be willing to sign another one-year deal to stay in Tampa.
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Brady, productive drafts fuel Tampa Bay's run to Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs with a elastic band around his legs during an NFL football workout Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston but dared to dream of signing Brady if the six-time Super Bowl champion decided to leave New England as a free agent. Of course it was Tom Brady, not thinking he would become a free agent,โ Arians added. AdโNaturally, I think you envision every year in the offseason you want to make some moves that hopefully get your team into the Super Bowl.
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Brady's parents survived COVID-19, will attend Super Bowl
The Buccaneers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. โIโll be very excited to know my parents will be in the stands for the game on (Super Bowl) Sunday. Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Shaquil Barrett, Antonio Brown, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh are the only players on the current roster with previous Super Bowl experience. The team that wins is not going to be the most experienced team, itโs going to be the team that plays the best,โ Brady said. โSo weโve got to prepare the best, weโve got to execute the best, weโve got to perform the best under pressure.
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Retirement age? Super Bowl coaches just getting started
Theres no retirement age in the NFL, and thats a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay. (AP Photo/File)Thereโs no retirement age in the NFL, and thatโs a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay. The Bucs signed Brady, now 43, to a two-year contract that created a small Super Bowl window. Now, the Bucs get to face Kansas City at home โ the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in its normal venue. New Englandโs Bill Belichick is the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl.
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NFC Matchups: Where else to start but Brady and Rodgers?
But Gronk in particular has always been a big-play guy in big games for Brady, and Green Bay doesn't have linebackers who excel in coverage. Green Bay will do some blitzing, though not as much as Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles figures to do. Unlike Brady, Rodgers can create outside the pocket, and he's especially dangerous when doing so. Veteran placekicker Mason Crosby is solid, making all 16 field goal attempts, but missed four PATs for Green Bay. Tampa Bay's Ryan Succop, now in his 12th pro season, made 28 of 31 field goal tries but missed five extra points.
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Brady, talented Buccaneers playmakers developing chemistry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates his touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in New Orleans. Don't forget Antonio Brown, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at midseason and has contributed to the teamโs run to Sundayโs NFC championship game at Green Bay. Then thereโs Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson, a couple of late-round draft picks roughly half the age of the 43-year-old quarterback. The more that Iโve been around Mike, Chris, Antonio, Scooter (Miller), Tyler, Mick (Jaydon Mickens) โ the better it gets,โ Brady said. Tyler makes a great catch,โ Arians added.
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Saints' Brees sees playoff clash with Brady's Bucs as fate
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts after a touchdown by Alvin Kamara in the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Chicago Bears in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)NEW ORLEANS โ Drew Brees periodically discusses his long, extraordinary NFL journey in terms of fate and destiny. โOther than that, thereโs not a lot of bad aboutโ the Saints, Brady said. I think the quarterback-receiver relationship is really important.โStill, no defense has had more success against Brady this season than the Saints. The Saints gained 2,265 yards rushing during the regular season and added another 123 yards in their playoff opener against Chicago's formidable front.
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Bucs, Browns, Bills out to follow footsteps of champ Chiefs
Aside from winning the final Super Bowl before the merger in 1970, the Kansas City Chiefsโ biggest claim to fame for over half a century was team founder Lamar Hunt coining the phrase Super Bowl. Three long-downtrodden teams โ the Browns, Bills and Buccaneers โ have made it to the divisional round this weekend and are certain they have as good a chance as the Chiefs, Packers, Saints, Ravens or Rams of winning Super Bowl 55. Thatโs heady stuff for a franchise that has never made it to the Super Bowl. I think Bills fans, including myself, didnโt think he was going to be this good this good this early. And he has proved a lot of people wrong.โNo, thereโs no comparing this Bills team to those of his playing days, Thomas said.
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Brady outduels Heinicke, leads Buccaneers past Washington
Brady threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers past Washington 31-23 in their NFC wild-card game Saturday night for their first playoff victory since the 2002 season. Brady was critical of his play and the offense's performance in the red zone but relished picking up his 31st career postseason win. โCertainly a lot to improve on, but great to get a win,โ said Brady, who was 22 of 40 passing. โWeโre thrilled with the win,โ Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate said. In his only other game at Washington in 2016 with Pittsburgh, he had eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
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Rodgers leads Pack to top of NFC after draft disappointment
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)The NFC playoff field features the usual cast of quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 45, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Feb. 6, 2011, at Arlington, Texas. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 48, 43-8 over the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, 2014, at East Rutherford, N.J. Last year: No. The Bearsโ leading tackler left in the first quarter of the Green Bay game with an elbow injury. DBs Buster Skrine, rookie Jaylon Johnson and Deon Bush missed the loss to Green Bay.
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Tom Brady excited, ready to lead Buccaneers into playoffs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass during an NFL football practice Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TAMPA, Fla. โ New team, same ole Tom Brady. Brady led New England to the Super Bowl nine times in 20 seasons, appearing in 41 playoff games and winning 30 โ both records. โWhen he first signed I said, โOK, weโll be a 40 (touchdown) and 10 (interception) team,โโ Arians said. โItโs a never-ending thing with him, the perfectionist, to get everything right in practice,โ Arians added.
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Brady throws for 4 TDs, Bucs pull away from Falcons 44-27
โIt meant the world for him to get that record and, then, to have an easy touchdown," Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. Brady joined Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Dan Marino as the only players with multiple seasons of at least 40 TD passes. โWhatever happens for me as a quarterback is reflective of what we do as an offense,โ Brady said. " The latter trimmed Atlantaโs deficit to 30-27 before Brady put the game away with two late drives. Brown had his most productive day since joining the Bucs midway through the season with 11 catches for 138 yards.
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Brady-led Bucs top Lions 47-7 to end 13-year playoff drought
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Detroit. The Bucs (10-5) set a franchise record with 588 yards and snapped the NFLโs second-longest postseason drought behind Clevelandโs 18-year run that can end Sunday. RECORD WATCHBrady has thrown a franchise-record 36 touchdowns and set a personal record with 348 yards passing by halftime. Tampa Bay set team records in points (34) and yards (410) in the first half. Lions: Stafford left the game with an ankle injury after he was 2 of 3 for 17 yards on his only possession.
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Brady, Buccaneers bounce back with 46-23 win over Panthers
Brady threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, Ronald Jones set a franchise-record with a 98-yard touchdown run, and the Buccaneers bounced back from a dreadful defeat with a resounding 46-23 win over the Carolina Panthers. Panthers coach Matt Rhule described Bradyโs play as โeliteโ and โfantastic.โThe Bucs ran the ball just five times last week. Tampa Bay racked up 544 yards on offense and outgained the Panthers 322-35 in the second half and outscored them 29-6. Chris Godwin had 92 yards receiving for the Buccaneers (7-3), who swept the season series and handed the Panthers (3-7) their fifth straight loss. Rhule said the Panthers were unaware the ball had hit the ground or else he would have just had Bridgewater spike the ball.
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Brees throws 4 TD passes, Saints rout Brady, Buccaneers 38-3
Brees threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns, regaining the NFL career TD pass lead and lifting the New Orleans Saints into first place with a 38-3 rout of Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. The Saints intercepted Brady twice in a 34-23 season-opening win, with Janoris Jenkins returning one for a TD. โWe didn't play well in any phase of the game,โ Brady said. But with Tampa Bayโs offense sputtering and one of the leagueโs stingiest defenses unable to slow down Brees, New Orleans pressed on. Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (three catches, 41 yards) returned after missing one game with a broken right index finger.
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Brown practices, excited for opportunity with Buccaneers
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)TAMPA, Fla. โ Antonio Brown says heโs grateful to be back in the NFL and reunited with Tom Brady. He brings out the best in people around him,โ Brown, wearing a Brady TB12 hat during a video conference call, added. The receiver said those relationships will help him make the most of his opportunity with the Bucs. He also thanked Brady for steering him to motivational speaker and life coach Tony Robbins, who worked with Brown on anger issues. โI had good trainers, good people around me in my corner who kept me encouraged, that kept me motivated,โ the receiver said.
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AP source: Antonio Brown agrees to 1-year deal with Bucs
TAMPA, Fla. โ Suspended receiver Antonio Brown has agreed to return to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the contract had not been completed. The addition of the volatile seven-time Pro Bowl selection bolsters an already formidable arsenal of playmakers for Tom Brady. Tight end Rob Gronkowski and running backs Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy have also joined Brady in Tampa Bay, which hasnโt made the playoffs since 2007. Brown signed with New England after a tumultuous short stay with the Raiders ended with the receiver demanding and being granted his release during training camp.
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Freeman, Miller, Thomas among big NFL names still unsigned
Freeman is still unsigned as Week 1 of the NFL season begins. Several familiar names and players on roster bubbles took turns on the unemployment line with some finding new jobs. Adrian Peterson was cut last week by Washington, but quickly landed in Detroit. Here's a look at notable available players at each position:QUARTERBACKSBlake Bortles, Cody Kessler, DeShone Kizer, Trevor Siemian, Drew Stanton. WIDE RECEIVERSAntonio Brown, Dez Bryant, Mohamed Sanu, Hakeem Butler, Quincy Enunwa, Chester Rogers, Demaryius Thomas, Jermaine Kearse, Ryan Grant, Jordan Matthews, Laquon Treadwell.