JUAN THORNHILL

With the departure of Mathieu and Dan Sorensen in free agency, Thornhill is the only safety on the roster with much experience in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense. “I love it, being the oldest guy in the room with a bunch of rookies,” the 26-year-old Thornhill said after a sweltering practice during Kansas City's three-day mandatory minicamp. “I need to lead the way, take on that role.”He had a great role model himself in Mathieu, who arrived in Kansas City around the same time Thornhill was drafted. Sometimes playing this game, it can feel like there’s a lot of pressure on you, but we don’t want that pressure. That’s when you make a lot of plays, when you’re comfortable and bonding on the field.”Make no mistake: This is a big year for Thornhill.

The popular narrative was that the Kansas City Chiefs signed Justin Reid in free agency to replace Tyrann Mathieu.

The Buffalo Bills are lobbying the NFL's competition committee to change the overtime rules for playoff games.

The best season of his five-year career earned Mixon election to the Pro Bowl and helped the Bengals go from worst to first in the AFC North — and ultimately to their first Super Bowl in 33 years. Despite terrible offensive lines and various leg injuries, Mixon rushed for nearly 3,000 total yards in his first three NFL seasons. After winning three nail-biters in the playoffs, the Bengals face the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. And now he's savoring every moment of his Super Bowl journey. And this is just the start of it.”____More AP Super Bowl coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/super-bowl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Running back Joe Mixon overcame injuries and suffered through four losing seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals on his road to the Super Bowl.

The resurgent Kansas City defense shut down Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos and the Chiefs beat Denver 22-9 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was added to the active roster from the COVID-19 list on Saturday, and the three-time All-Pro was listed as questionable for Kansas City’s regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Chad Henne and rookie Shane Buechele threw touchdown passes to help the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Arizona Cardinals 17-10 in a preseason game Friday night.

FILE - Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce smiles before the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal has not been announced. The competition that (Fitzgerald) provided me coming into the league, me coming to Kansas City Travis gives me that same kind of competition day-in and day-out, Mathieu said. Travis still comes to work wanting to get better, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, so you love that part. The rookie broke one of his orbital bones before arriving in Kansas City, Reid said.

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)

(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