Latest news with #AFCChampionshipGame
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Bills Receive Bad Update Regarding James Cook
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Buffalo Bills are entering the 2025 NFL season as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league. After making a run to the AFC Championship Game last year, Josh Allen and company will look to take the next step into the big game. Looking at the roster, the talent is there for the Bills to win a championship. However, there are some major questions that need to be answered about the future. One of those questions has to do with the future of standout running back James Cook. James Cook #4 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium on December 01, 2024 in Orchard Park, New... James Cook #4 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium on December 01, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. More Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images Cook and the team are heading into the final year of their contract together. While the two sides have discussed a possible extension, they haven't been close. Read more: Bills Urged to Pursue Major Move for Three-Time Pro Bowl Defender That has led to a realization that the 2025 season might be Cook's last year in Buffalo. Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer has revealed a bad update for the Bills regarding Cook. "That's why the Bills already tried to get him signed," Breer wrote. "They had talks earlier in the offseason and my sense is that the two sides were never very close to finding real common ground. Which explains how quiet it's been on the Cook front since that flurry of Buffalo extensions." During the 2024 NFL season, Cook put together a big-time year for Buffalo. His presence on the ground helped take a lot of pressure off of Allen and the passing game. In the 16 games he played, Cook carried the football 207 times for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 258 yards and two more scores. Read more: Steelers, Aaron Rodgers Situation Receives Bombshell Prediction At just 25 years old, Cook still has a lot of good football left in him. The Bills will likely make another attempt to work out a deal with him at some point, but the two sides may be too far away to come to a compromise. Should Cook hit the open market, there are a lot of teams that would have interest in him. For now, all Buffalo can do is try to get something done and work towards winning a championship with him on the roster in 2025. This will be a situation worth monitoring in the coming weeks and months. Cook's future is still very much up in the air with the Bills at this point. For more Buffalo Bills and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
NBC Sports
9 hours ago
- General
- NBC Sports
Bills OC Joe Brady: It feels like Dalton Kincaid lived here this offseason
The Bills' 2024 season ended when tight end Dalton Kincaid couldn't reel in a pass from Josh Allen in the AFC Championship Game and General Manager Brandon Beane said a short time later that Kincaid 'didn't have the year that he expected or we expected.' Beane went on to say that Kincaid has 'to continue to work on his play strength' after dealing with injuries over the course of the year and it appears that Kincaid took those words to heart. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was asked about what he's seen from Kincaid at a Tuesday press conference and he said there's been both quality and quantity for the tight end. 'I feel like he lived here this offseason . . . credit to him in the weight room and working with the medical team. Looks like Dalton Kincaid,' Brady said, via Dan Fetes of WHAM. A return to rookie form would be a welcome development for Kincaid and the Bills as they try to get over the hump this season.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NFL.com Predicts Bills Will Finally End Super Bowl Drought In 2025
Predicts Bills Will Finally End Super Bowl Drought In 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Buffalo Bills appeared to be closer than ever to reaching the Super Bowl with Josh Allen last year, but again, they fell at the final hurdle. Advertisement Now, as 2025 approaches, following an offseason that has seen the defense receive several upgrades, particularly to its pass rush, and Allen acquire another weapon in Joshua Palmer, the Bills' roster appears to be, on paper at least, Super Bowl-caliber. But under Sean McDermott, can this version of the Bills do something that the teams of the early 90s couldn't and finally break through? Eric Edholm ranked all teams without a Super Bowl win, and named Buffalo as his top candidate to break their drought. "Everyone knows the Bills' story: four straight Super Bowl appearances, no victories," Edholm writes. "But that doesn't tell it all. Buffalo has played multiple playoff games each of the past five seasons, losing twice to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in that span. Painfully close to a dream deferred, yet still so far from the elusive rings. Advertisement "But with Josh Allen, those dreams can't be shelved. With a pretty loaded roster, the 2025 Bills have a real opportunity to fulfill their Super Bowl dreams." Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17).© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Bills have been a dominant force in the regular season over the past few years, but when it comes to the playoffs and, in particular, the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo has seen its season end at the hands of Patrick Mahomes four straight times. Is this upcoming season the time when Allen and Co. can finally bring it all together and not only make the Super Bowl, but win it? They have the roster to do it, but the mental scars of previous failings will be hard to overcome. If Allen can put on the Superman cape, then who knows? Maybe he will be the one to finally end Buffalo's title drought. Advertisement Related: Bills Predicted to Replace James Cook In 2026 NFL Draft Related: Bills Super Bowl Safety Earns 'NFL-Best' Praise From Analyst This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Bills game-by-game predictions: Is a perfect season in play?
The Buffalo Bills are favored in all 17 of their regular-season games for 2025. This comes after Josh Allen won the MVP in 2024 and the Bills made it to the AFC Championship Game — where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. But for now, we're talking regular season, which is when the Bills own the Chiefs and when Allen owns Patrick Mahomes. And so it's easy to see Buffalo finishing at the top — and certainly near the top — of the AFC standings. Let's work our way through every game of Buffalo's 2025 season to predict and analyze what's on the horizon for Sean McDermott, Allen and the Bills. Week 1: vs. Ravens, Sunday, Sept. 7 Well, the dream of an undefeated season didn't last long. This year is sure to be a great one for the Bills — I picked them to win the Super Bowl — but they're going to get punched in the mouth to start the season. Buffalo beat the Ravens in the divisional round of last season's playoffs and this will be Baltimore's revenge. We won't see any sort of mistake like Mark Andrews' late-game drop on a two-point conversion. To the contrary, we'll see a devastatingly sharp and brutal performance from the Ravens. Result: Loss, 0-1 record Week 2: at Jets, Sunday, Sept. 14 QB Justin Fields is new. Coach Aaron Glenn is new. GM Darren Mougey is new. It's going to take some time for the Jets to pull things together, and they're not going to surprise everyone in 2025. Allen is going to come out firing to ensure that the Bills don't drop into an 0-2 hole. Result: Win, 1-1 Week 3: vs. Dolphins, Thursday, Sept. 18 The Dolphins might be the NFL's biggest disappointment this year. Their secondary is likely to be one of the worst in the NFL. Their offensive system seems to be flagging. Their quarterback can't stay healthy. Their star receiver doesn't seem to want to be there. So, yeah, I see the Bills winning comfortably here. Result: Win, 2-1 Week 4: vs. Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28 The Saints don't have a quarterback. They drafted Tyler Shough, who is supposedly pro-ready at age 25. But if he is so ready for the NFL, why did he go in the second round? McDermott is going to be ready for Shough and coach Kellen Moore's Saints. This is another easy win for the Bills. Result: Win, 3-1 RELATED: Can Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough fill void left by Derek Carr's retirement? Week 5: vs. Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 5 Like the Jets and Saints, the Patriots have a new head coach. Mike Vrabel is beloved around the league, but he inherited an untalented roster. One offseason — even one with frivolous spending and high draft picks — isn't going to convert New England into the type of team that can handle the Bills right away. This one goes to Buffalo. Result: Win, 4-1 Week 6: at Falcons, Monday, Oct. 13 The Falcons sharpened their teeth at the end of the 2024 season and nearly found their way into the postseason. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got his feet wet and looked … like a rookie. And while I expect Atlanta to have a good season, I also expect the Bills to handle the NFL's middle class. And that's where the Falcons stand: in the (upper) middle class. Result: Win, 5-1 Week 7: Bye Week 8: at Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 26 The Panthers are one of the teams I'm expecting to have a surprisingly good season — even making their way to the playoffs. Few will believe what they're capable of until they see the Panthers log a big win or two. Well, here's one of them. Carolina will have to work hard on defense to bottle up the Bills, but the Panthers will show their leaps-and-bounds improvement from last season. The Bills will be stunned. Result: Loss, 5-2 McKenna: 2025 NFL playoff predictions, from wild-card round to the Super Bowl Week 9: vs. Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 2 This game is always a classic. And it's almost always a Bills win — when we're talking about the regular season. So I'm not overthinking this one. It'll be a tight contest, but the Bills are going to be the better team in 2025. I'll take Buffalo at Highmark Stadium. Result: Win, 6-2 Week 10: at Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 9 By this point, Miami's season will likely have gone from bad to worse. The Bills will capitalize, throwing the ball all over the place and putting up a lopsided score. Result: Win, 7-2 Week 11: vs. Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 16 The Bucs have a real shot at taking down Buffalo, but if the Bills drop a loss to a team like the Panthers, then they won't overlook anyone for the rest of the season. So here's a quality win for the Bills against an unfamiliar NFC opponent. It might end up being a shootout, given how good these two offenses could be. But this will be another incredible year for Allen, who will outduel Baker Mayfield. Result: Win, 8-2 Week 12: at Texans, Thursday, Nov. 20 After a fairly calamitous 2024 season, the Texans fired OC Bobby Slowik, who as recently as 2023 was considered a hot head coaching candidate. That paints a picture of how high and low Houston's offense has been over the past two years. The Texans have been too inconsistent to see them upsetting the Bills in this game. I'm taking Buffalo and offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who will probably be a head coach in 2026. Result: Win, 9-2 Week 13: at Steelers, Sunday, Nov. 30 The Steelers might have Aaron Rodgers. They might have Kirk Cousins. They might not have either. I'm not sure if it matters all that much. Pittsburgh, long one of the league's calmest and coolest organizations, has shown signs of desperation this offseason. And it's an ugly look for the Steelers. They're in for a topsy-turvy season. The Bills will win this one. Result: Win, 10-2 Week 14: vs. Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 7 If this were the beginning of the season, you could make a case that maybe Cincinnati would start slow, like it always seems to. But in this case, the Bengals are sure to be fully operational. This will be a shootout, with Cincy's defense unlikely to be impressive. But I think the Bengals can score enough points here to upset the Bills. Result: Loss, 10-3 Week 15: at Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 14 There's always one divisional game that sneaks up. The Bills will have already beaten the Patriots at this point. It'll be an away game for Buffalo. It'll be five weeks since the Bills' bye. This matchup will be a real chance for the Patriots to rally behind Vrabel and Drake Maye to get a quality win. It would be an upset, one that both teams will think about during the 2026 offseason. Might the Patriots again turn into real challengers in the division? Result: Loss, 10-4 Week 16: at Browns, Sunday, Dec. 21 It's impossible to say which quarterback will start this game for Cleveland. Deshaun Watson is trying to make a comeback. Joe Flacco might be the best QB in the room. Shedeur Sanders is … Shedeur Sanders. None of that really matters. The Bills will absolutely flatten the Browns. Result: Win, 11-4 Week 17: vs. Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 28 The Eagles are going to have a tough time getting wins in their division. The Commanders are set to have a big year, and I'm higher than most on the Cowboys, who have a real shot at the playoffs. So when the Eagles play outside their division, they'll come with desperation. And we're talking about the Super Bowl winners here. So yes, a desperate and talented Eagles team will beat the Bills in Buffalo. Result: Loss, 11-5 Week 18: vs. Jets, Flex Game The Bills will probably be jockeying for playoff seeding at this point — and because they lost to the Ravens, who will be a contender for the AFC's No. 1 seed, they'll need every win they can get. So Buffalo can steamroll the Jets to finish the season and make their way into the postseason on a high note. Result: Win Final Record: 12-5 Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Chiefs' Travis Kelce Receives Taylor Swift Themed Motivation for 2025
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Travis Kelce is coming back for at least one more year with the Kansas City Chiefs during the upcoming 2025 NFL season. After a painful loss in the Super Bowl last year to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce simply could not walk away. He has shared that the loss in the big game was one of his main reasons for returning. However, he is also looking to bounce back from a down season. During the 2024 campaign, Kelce caught 97 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. His 823 yards were the lowest of his entire 11-year career. Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas... Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. More Photo byHeading into the 2025 season, the Chiefs need more from Kelce. He's also receiving some motivation regarding his girlfriend, Taylor Swift. Read more: Chiefs' Travis Kelce Disrespected in 2025 Tight End Rankings In a segment on ESPN, "SportsCenter" anchor Hannah Storm provided some Swift themed motivation for Kelce entering what could end up being his final year in the NFL. "Can I just say, he's gotta keep up with his girlfriend, who can do a three-and-a-half-hour concert without skipping a beat. And she does it back-to-back nights," Storm said. Recently, Patrick Mahomes also spoke out about Kelce's future. He doesn't think the star tight end is necessarily done playing after the 2025 season. "If it's the last ride, you would never know," Mahomes said. "The way he's talking about football, the way he's talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year. He doesn't seem like a guy that, it's his last ride or he's tired of the job. He's in here, he's working. I know his body feels good. I think it feels better than even last year before going into last season." Mahomes ended his discussion about Kelce with a warning to the rest of the NFL. "I think he's motivated to go out there and have an even better year." Read more: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Reveals Huge Rashee Rice Injury Update At 35 years old, Kelce has put together a career among the best tight ends to ever play. If he can bounce back and have another big-time season and lead Kansas City to another Super Bowl win, his legacy would jump even further. Behind the confident comments from Mahomes and the extra motivation to keep up with his girlfriend, Kelce could be primed for a big-time 2025 season. Everything will kick off for the Chiefs on Friday, Sept. 5 in Brazil against the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers. For more Kansas City Chiefs and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
