Brady Bunch: QB has taken over 200 teammates to Super Bowl
There are veterans who joined up for one final run at the title, and wide-eyed rookies who were thrust into the Super Bowl spotlight. AdHALL OF FAMERSThree of Brady’s Super Bowl teammates have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame with more likely to come down the road. Julian Edelman and Deion Branch, who both won Super Bowl MVPs with Brady, are tied for the most catches with 24 apiece. MISSING RINGSOnly two players went to the Super Bowl with Brady more than once and never got a ring out of it. COMMON NAMESA few first names have stood out more than others when it comes to Brady’s Super Bowl teammates, led by the nine Brandons: Bolden, Browner, Deadrick, Gorin, King, LaFell, Meriweather, Mitchell and Spikes.
Bills earn 1st sweep of Patriots since '99 with 38-9 win
The last division opponents to sweep the Patriots were the Jets and Dolphins in 2000. The Patriots’ 19 straight seasons without losing both games to a divisional opponent was an NFL record. The Patriots closed to 10-9 on Newton's 9-yard TD run in the second quarter, but Nick Folk missed the extra point and the Bills pulled away from there. INJURIESBills: S Jordan Poyer was helped off field late in second quarter to be evaluated for a head injury. … LB Josh Uche exited in second quarter with a foot injury.
Akers runs wild, Newton benched as Rams rout Patriots 24-3
These Rams even looked good enough to contend for a chance at some actual Super Bowl redemption later this season. “We’ve got a lot of respect for them, but it’s a totally different year,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. New England managed only 220 total yards — just 62 in the second half with a series of misbegotten drives. Akers' yards mostly came in big chunks during the biggest rushing game by an NFL rookie this season and just the ninth 150-yard game against a Belichick-coached defense since 2000. But Young opened the second quarter with an interception by Donald's disruption up front, taking it all the way back for the third-year linebacker's first NFL touchdown.
Russell Wilson, Travis Kelce among NFL Man of Year nominees
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) talks at the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Seattle's star quarterback Russell Wilson and Kansas City's standout tight end Travis Kelce are among the 32 finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)Seattle's star quarterback, Russell Wilson, and Kansas City's standout tight end, Travis Kelce, are among the 32 finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. “The 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees remind us that even in the face of adversity, players continue to raise awareness and use their voice and platform to positively impact their communities. “Being nominated as the Chiefs' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is one of the greatest honors of my professional career,” Kelce said. As an organization captain, he directs a team of active NFL players who are committed to using their platform to help address the clean water crisis.
Wilson has 3 TDs before injury, 49ers crush Patriots 33-6
– Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 112 yards before leaving with an ankle injury and the San Francisco 49ers dominated in a 33-6 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. San Francisco (4-3) has followed back-to-back losses with two wins and is 3-0 on the road. New England fell to 2-4 for the first since coach Belichick’s first season in 2000, when the Patriots went 5-11. Following a Patriots punt, San Francisco was pinned inside its 15. The lead grew to 23-3 with just under a minute to go before halftime on a 16-yard run by Wilson.
Patriots rally around Belichick amid COVID-19 outbreak
The New England Patriots have canceled practice amid reports that a third player has tested positive for the coronavirus. – The New England Patriots activated quarterback Cam Newton from the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list on Wednesday. Three Patriots remain on the COVID-19 reserve list: cornerback Stephon Gilmore, defensive tackle Byron Cowart and practice squad DT Bill Murray. New England players say they have found an ally in coach Bill Belichick amid growing local criticism of the NFL’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Bill has done a good job of (saying), ‘Hey, this is forever kind of changing, it’s very fluid,’” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said.
Chiefs-Patriots game off after Newton positive for COVID-19
– The NFL postponed this week’s game between New England and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after “positive COVID-19 tests on both teams.” Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton and Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu were both added to the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list released on Saturday afternoon. It is the second game this weekend that has been affected by COVID-19. After an outbreak on the Titans, the matchup between Pittsburgh and Tennessee was postponed — originally for a day or two, and then until Oct. 25 as the positive tests accumulated. But if a player tests positive and is asymptomatic, he can return 10 days after the initial positive test or just five days if he has two consecutive negative tests. I think we all knew at some point we might get some positive tests.
Chiefs' high-octane offense has wide variety of playmakers
Five different players caught at least four passes, led by wide receiver Sammy Watkins with seven grabs and tight end Travis Kelce with six. Four different players caught the TD passes, including fullback Anthony Sherman, who grabbed what amounted to an underhanded shovel pass. In all, Mahomes tried to connect with 11 different players during the 34-20 rout of the defending AFC North champions. Watkins was so magnanimous in the offseason that he restructured his contract to help the Chiefs free up some cap space. Those are definitely coming in every game, a different one — ones that we haven't practiced.
The Latest: Seahawks' Diggs ejected for helmet-to-helmet hit
(AP Photo/John Froschauer)The Latest on Week 2 in the NFL (all times EDT):___8:55 p.m.Seattle safety Quandre Diggs was ejected late in the first quarter Sunday night for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New England’s N’Keal Harry. Multiple flags were thrown and after a few minutes of deliberation, referee Craig Wrolstad announced Diggs had been ejected. Watkins made an 11-yard catch to convert a third down when Desmond King started to bring him down and Denzel Perryman landed a helmet-to-helmet hit. San Francisco lost both defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to left knee injuries earlier in the game. Brady struggled in an 11-point loss to New Orleans in his first NFL game not in a New England Patriots uniform.
Newton feeling thankful, not pressure taking over as Pats QB
– There are a lot of things Cam Newton is feeling as he prepares to take the field Sunday to succeed Tom Brady as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. “Pressure is when you’re looking at your children and you’re saying you’re 31 and you don’t know. “So for me, I’m elated, I’m excited, I’m all that and a bag of chips because I knew that if God didn’t show favor over me, man, who knows where I’d be right now,” he said. It was just four years ago that Jacoby Brissett became the first Black quarterback to start for New England in 2016. A lot of eyes will be on him, including from his new teammates who will also be reveling in seeing Newton take the field.
AP source: Cam Newton to be Patriots starting quarterback
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton walks to the field for an NFL football training camp practice, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. Cam Newton is officially the new starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. A person familiar with the situation said Thursday that Newton was announced as the starter during a team meeting. The move was expected after the 2015 league MVP outperformed second-year Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer during training camp. Theres been some things that a lot of people may have not known about me prior to (joining the Patriots), Newton said.
Patriots hope winning still in fashion for new QB Newton
But whether Cam Newton and Bill Belichick can take the New England Patriots back to the Super Bowl is going to be more about football than fashion. The Patriots have turned to the former Panthers quarterback to replace Tom Brady, who defected to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 19 years, six Super Bowls and three NFL MVP awards. Newton gets his fresh start in New England after nine seasons in Carolina, where his own MVP-winning career had stalled because of injuries. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Newton peaked in 2015, when he was the NFL MVP after leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance. If he's healthy, he gives the Patriots something even Brady didnt: a mobile QB who challenges defenses to chase him and bring him down.
Brady, Patriots don't get usual R&R heading into playoffs
FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, file photo, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Orchard Park, N.Y. In making his NFL playoff debut against the Texans this weekend, second-year Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets an opportunity to show how far he's come since his last trip to Houston 14 months ago. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)
Brady, Patriots don't get usual R&R heading into playoffs
(AP Photo/David Dermer, File)Tom Brady and the defending champion New England Patriots aren't getting their usual bye week to rest, relax and recharge. The Patriots host the Tennessee Titans on Saturday and the Buffalo Bills visit the Houston Texans to kick off wild-card weekend. Not only did Jackson set an NFL single-season record for yards rushing by a QB, but he also threw 36 TD passes. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4). ___Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL