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KYLER MURRAY

Browns missing key players as they prepare for 5-0 Cards

Keeping slippery Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray under control is a difficult challenge for any defense — even in the best of circumstances. Cleveland had an all-star roster of injured players not practicing Wednesday as it began preparing for Murray and the unbeaten Cardinals (5-0). NFL sacks leader Myles Garrett, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were among a group of key Cleveland players kept off the field because of injuries.

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Cardinals all-out recruiting pitch brings Watt to the desert

J.J. Watt has agreed to a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Watt was released last month by the Houston Texans. But the more he looked at his options, the more the Arizona Cardinals made sense. Watt said the team's recruiting pitch was “strong and heavy” when trying to entice the edge rusher to the desert. Watt said he'll always remember Houston fondly, but he's eager to start the next phase of his career with the Cardinals.

Bills among the NFL's 4 defenses peaking in the postseason

Buffalo Bills' Micah Hyde (23) celebrates with teammates after an NFL divisional round football game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Leslie Frazier’s faith in his Bills defense never wavered even at the lowest point of Buffalo’s season. It was mid-November and the Bills were entering their bye week on the heels of a 32-30 defeat at Arizona. In the NFC, the Packers are allowing an average 306 yards offense over their past seven outings. Here comes Patrick Mahomes, should he clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, and the league’s top-ranked offense.

Brady and Bucs, plus Bills and Rams win NFL wild-card games

The first tripleheader of NFL wild-card games saw Tom Brady extend his postseason record for victories to 31 with a 31-23 win for Tampa Bay at Washington on Saturday. After a quarter-century, the Bills got one of those triumphs that Brady collects — and they even figured out how to stop a Hail Mary. The previous playoff win was over Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. And it came in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 24 years, with a limited number of fans in attendance (6,700) for the first time this season. The Ravens averaged an NFL-best 191.9 yards rushing per game and their 3,071 yards rushing were third highest in NFL history.

Wolford, defense lead Rams past Arizona 18-7, into playoffs

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods, left, catches a pass against Arizona Cardinals middle linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) during the first half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. It ended with the inexperienced quarterback fearlessly leading the Los Angeles Rams back to the playoffs. And though Wolford capably did his part, everybody in the Rams' jubilant locker room realized they owed this achievement to a dominant defense that scored as many points as the Rams' offense — and a couple more than the Arizona Cardinals — in Los Angeles' 18-7 victory Sunday. Wolford passed for 231 yards and rushed for 56 more, producing many moments of excitement in place of injured Jared Goff. Wolford racked up 47 yards rushing in the first half — more than Goff managed in any game of his five-year career.

Murray returns from ankle injury, can't rally Cardinals

Left tackle Justin Herron left with an ankle injury. — Browns defensive end Olivier Vernon suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. — Lions offensive linemen Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jonah Jackson left with concussions and defensive tackle Nick Williams injured an ankle vs. Minnesota. — Giants linebacker Blake Martinez left briefly after appearing to injure his left ankle or foot in the third quarter. — Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson (wrist) and cornerback Greg Martin (hamstring) left the game.

The Latest: Henry runs for 2k, Titans' doink wins AFC South

Henry came into Sunday’s regular season finale needing 223 yards rushing to become the second man in franchise history to reach 2,000. He came in as the NFL’s rushing leader for a second straight season with a career-best 1,777 yards rushing. The Green Bay Packers have set an NFL season record for second-quarter points. With the run Newton also passed Grogan for the single-season team record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Newton entered the game 26 yards behind Grogan, who had 539 rushing yards in 1978.

Jared Goff to miss Rams' season finale after thumb surgery

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)LOS ANGELES – Jared Goff will miss the Los Angeles Rams' season finale against the Arizona Cardinals after undergoing surgery on his right thumb. Goff could return a week later if the Rams make the playoffs, coach Sean McVay said Monday night. Los Angeles will clinch a playoff spot with a victory, or if the Chicago Bears lose to Green Bay. Goff played the rest of the game with the injury, but had surgery to insert screws in his thumb on Monday.

Week 1 ICYMI: Browns bad as ever; Kyler makes a comeback, Dak dominant

These Cleveland Browns looked a lot like THOSE Cleveland Browns - the ones the fast-growing bandwagon of Browns fans thought, or at least hoped, had been left far back in the rearview mirror. The Browns lost 43-13 to Tennessee to drop to 1-19-1 in openers since 1999. And that is about all Browns fans had to be thankful for after Week 1. ___CONTRACT TALKS: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might want to hurry and get Dak Prescott's name on that dotted line. He finished 22 for 25 to record the highest completion percentage (88) by a quarterback in his NFL debut.