NICK FOLES

To the Super Bowl winner goes the spoils of opening the entire schedule at home.

The Chicago Bears have placed quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list, likely sidelining him for the finale and ending his rookie season.

Mackenzie Salmon 'overreacts' to the biggest storylines in the AFC after Week 16 action in the NFL.

The realization of what the season has become seemed to sink in for always optimistic Pete Carroll. Barring a confluence of unexpected results playing out over the next three weeks, it seems almost certain the Seattle Seahawks won’t be going to the playoffs for only the third time in Carroll’s tenure. “We will overcome the issues and get back to playing and focus on the things that make us have a chance, by practicing well, studying hard, caring and loving this game,” Carroll said.

Without Bill Belichick, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and is on pace to throw a career-high 53 touchdown passes at age 44.

Justin Fields is set to make his first start for the Chicago Bears.

Drawing outside the lines.

The Chicago Bears have signed first-round draft pick Justin Fields to a four-year contract.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the easiest and maybe most significant selection in franchise history when they chose Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II (12) sets up to block during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bears placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 setting up a potential messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson on Tuesday, setting up a potential messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense. “Hey, we love Allen Robinson,” general manager Ryan Pace said recently. Again, the franchise tag is an option for us.

Brady is shooting for his seventh ring when he leads the Buccaneers (14-5) against the reigning champion Chiefs (16-2) in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday. Brady's postseason record includes a 33-11 mark, 14 conference championship appearances and 10 trips to the Super Bowl. If the Bucs dethrone the champs, Mahomes would become the sixth quarterback Brady has beaten multiple times in the playoffs. Although he’s not showing his age, 43, Brady will be the oldest to play in a Super Bowl, displacing Colts kicker Matt Stover, who was 42 in Super Bowl 44. Unlike Warner, he wasn't going to get ahead of himself and talk about anything but the Super Bowl title in front of him.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)Chad Henne came off the bench cold in the heat of a tense playoff game and delivered the game-sealing plays for Kansas City in his most consequential performance in a win since 2013. He got the nod again the following week in a playoff game against Green Bay with a limited number of plays on a wrist band. JEFF HOSTETLER: Hostetler had started just two games in almost seven full seasons for the Giants when Simms injured his foot in Week 14. FRANK REICH: Two years after losing to Hostetler, the Bills relied on a backup to make it to their third consecutive Super Bowl. He threw for 725 yards and six touchdowns in wins over Minnesota in the NFC title game and New England in the Super Bowl.

“My coaches were on board, they all did a great job with the spot, with the calls, everything — they were spot-on. It was a great job.”That play is part of a pick-6 of great jobs — and great flops — with gutsy calls. PHILLY SPECIALThe Eagles led New England by three points approaching halftime in the Super Bowl for the 2017 season. Philadelphia went on to win its first Super Bowl. The Packers then won their second Super Bowl.

Now, after nine NFL seasons and little success on the field, the Jacksonville Jaguars owner is taking a more hands-on approach to fixing the franchise's most glaring problems. Khan is handling the search for his next coach and general manager mostly alone, with some help from Jaguars President Mark Lamping. “This time around, I think I have a much better sense myself,” Khan said Monday after firing coach Doug Marrone. “What's evaded the history of the Jags really has been a franchise quarterback,” Khan said. Khan kept Marrone in place after firing general manager Dave Caldwell in late November, but ultimately decided on a clean sweep.

Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson (39) celebrates at the end of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Minneapolis. Cairo Santos, who converted all four of his kicks, stretched his streak to 22 straight field goals made. The Bears then intercepted a last-snap heave by Cousins into the end zone to drop the Vikings to 3-5 at home this year. When the Vikings beat them 19-13 five weeks ago in Chicago, the Bears managed two first-half field goals and needed a kickoff return touchdown by Cordarrelle Patterson to stay competitive. Vikings: play at New Orleans on Friday.

The Houston Texans were the first team to fire their head coach and general manager this offseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired their longtime GM, and the head coach is probably not far behind. The quarterback situation, whether it's the existing starter or the team's ability to acquire a franchise QB (i.e. I would expect him back with the Cowboys, possibly on a second franchise tag. If so, a new head coach would presumably have a motivated, and still relatively young, franchise QB.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, in Chicago. Cousins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 104-yard kickoff return by Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson to beat the Bears 19-13. “We’ll try to keep building on it now, and it’ll be so important to keep stringing these together if we can. It was the longest kickoff return in franchise history, surpassing Gale Sayers’ 103-yarder against Pittsburgh on Sept. 17, 1967. Cousins completed 25 of 36 passes with two touchdowns to Thielen, who has nine on the season.

“I don’t ever remember having our own defense score more than our offense,” Nagy said. “That’s that’s that’s hard to do. But the offense has averaged 16 points per game in Foles’ four starts since, and he’s getting little help from the players around him. The offensive line struggled against the strong front of the Rams (5-2), producing just 2.9 yards per carry. Foles was sacked four times, twice at the hands of former Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd, and he threw two interceptions.

Josh Reynolds and Gerald Everett caught touchdown passes from Jared Goff, and the Rams won a matchup of dominant defenses, beating the Bears 24-10. After his first sack, Floyd jumped up and went toward the Bears sideline, shouting and gesticulating at the team that let him go. We’re just one tight unit right now.”The Rams led 10-3 at halftime after holding the Bears to 126 yards. ... TE Tyler Higbee was inactive with a hand injury, missing his second game since 2016. Johnny Mundt had a career-high 47 yards receiving in his absence, including a career-best 34-yard catch in the second quarter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)CHICAGO – Nick Foles beat Tom Brady again, Cairo Santos kicked a 38-yard field with 1:17 left and the Chicago Bears beat Tampa Bay 20-19 on Thursday night after Brady seemingly lost count of downs on his final play. The three-time MVP was seen screaming on the sideline late in the third quarter after an ugly drive for Tampa Bay. Ryan Succop kicked four field goals, including a 25-yarder to give Tampa Bay a 19-17 lead with 4:49 remaining. And Tampa Bay lost for the first time since the opener at New Orleans.

“To join a team and to be embraced the way that I’ve been embraced — it’s been amazing for me,” Brady said. Brady threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns and helped Tampa Bay overcome a 17-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 38-31 last week. Indianapolis won 11 games that season, with Arians going 9-3 as interim coach while Pagano was battling leukemia. Getting it back in gear won't be easy this week, considering Tampa Bay ranks second against the run. “That happened to be a game there, where we were just struggling to get it going," coach Matt Nagy said.

The Falcons surrendered a 16-point advantage in the final 6 1/2 minutes to the Chicago Bears, who got three touchdown passes from backup quarterback Nick Foles and pulled out a 30-26 win on Sunday. It would have seemed downright improbable — if it hadn't happened for the second week in a row. The former Super Bowl MVP won it with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Miller with 1:53 remaining. He tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Graham to make it 26-16 with 6:20 to go. But Foles got his chance after Trubisky threw an interception in the third quarter that led to a Falcons field goal, pushing the lead to 26-10.

Life can turn quickly in the NFL, just ask any of the four teams in the AFC South. Here are four things to watch for as you watch this game over scrambled eggs and a stack of pancakes....4. London callingThis will be the Texans' first trip as a franchise over to London, making them one of the final teams to make their initial trip overseas. The Jags, meanwhile, essentially have London as their home away from home, playing one "home" game there in each season since 2013. SPREAD: Texans -2PREDICTION: Texans 19, Jaguars 16SEASON RECORD: 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATSListen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Getty ImagesHOUSTON - Justin Reid stopped Leonard Fournette on a 2-point conversion attempt with 36 seconds left, and the Houston Texans held on to edge the Jacksonville Jaguars 13-12 on Sunday. The Texans led 3-0 after a field goal with about two minutes left in the first quarter. FOR KICKSThe Jaguars tied it with a field goal with about three minutes left in the first half. Houston took a 6-3 lead into halftime thanks to another field goal as time expired in the second quarter. But they only got one play off after that before the field goal as coach Bill O'Brien didn't call a timeout despite having two.

Luckily for fans, the season just started and there are still 15 more games to be played in Week 1. ET)Fresh off his MVP campaign, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back with his sights set on the Super Bowl. The deciding factor in this matchup will come down to how the Vikings offense fares against the Falcons' quick defense. Despite concerns over his knee, running back Todd Gurley is still one of the best running backs in football. It should give Watson more time to find receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who may be the best receiver in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who took as the team's starter after Carson Wentz tore his ACL in early December, won Super Bowl LII honors after passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns, and catching another touchdown from tight end Trey Burton, in the Eagles 41-33 win over the New England Patriots. Hide Caption