NFL -- USA

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Harbaugh and Stefanski right back to work​

The New York Giants were one of two teams to sack their head coach mid-season and they acted swiftly after Harbaugh was released by the Baltimore Ravens upon missing out on the play-offs.

Harbaugh was the most sought-after coach during this cycle after an 18-year spell with Baltimore and the 2013 Super Bowl champion interviewed with Atlanta and planned to meet with Tennessee.

But the Giants were the first team to welcome the 63-year-old to their training facility and they agreed a reported five-year deal, making Harbaugh one of the NFL's highest-paid coaches.

Stefanski interviewed with the Giants, Baltimore, Tennessee, Las Vegas and Miami having twice been named Coach of the Year during six seasons in charge of the Cleveland Browns.

But the 43-year-old will replace Raheem Morris as the Atlanta Falcons coach on a reported five-year contract.

 

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Steelers target fourth coach since moon landing​

'I don't know if he jumps straight into another job' - Tomlin reaction
Harbaugh was the second-longest serving coach in the NFL behind long-term divisional rival Mike Tomlin, who chose to end his 19-year spell with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they lost in the first round of the play-offs.

The Steelers are now looking for just their fourth head coach since 1969 and are reportedly scheduled to speak to former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, plus former Miami head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive co-ordinator Brian Flores.

They are also one of several teams who have interviewed or are hoping to interview Packers defensive co-ordinator Jeff Hafley, Los Angeles Chargers defensive co-ordinator Jesse Minter and Los Angeles Rams defensive co-ordinator Chris Shula.

The Baltimore Ravens have interviewed multiple candidates, including Flores, his Miami successor Mike McDaniel and ex-New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who returned to his former role of San Francisco 49ers defensive co-ordinator last year.

The Rams' pass-game co-ordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Seattle Seahawks offensive co-ordinator Klint Kubiak have been interviewed by multiple teams, including the Ravens.

McDermott, 51, was the Buffalo Bills coach for nine seasons but despite having star quarterback Josh Allen and winning the AFC East on five occasions was unable to reach a Super Bowl.

He was sacked after the Bills' 33-30 play-off overtime defeat by the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.

 

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Browns to make Durde first British head coach?​

'Right now, I'm having the time of my life' - Seahawks' Durde

The Cleveland Browns are the third AFC North team hiring this cycle and have interviewed McDaniel as well as Baltimore offensive co-ordinator Todd Monken and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive co-ordinator Grant Udinski.

Atlanta and Cleveland have interviewed Seattle's British defensive co-ordinator Aden Durde, who has helped the Seahawks clinch the NFC's top seed and go within one win of the Super Bowl having booked a spot in next Sunday's NFC Championship game.

The Tennessee Titans were the first team to fire their head coach this season and are believed to have spoken to McCarthy, McDaniel and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

 

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Will there be a new Shula at Miami?​

The Miami Dolphins have spoken to Saleh and Buffalo Bills offensive co-ordinator Joe Brady, but an exciting prospect for Miami fans is Chris Shula as he is the grandson of legendary coach Don Shula, who led the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, including what remains the NFL's only unbeaten season (1972).

Saleh, Shula and Morris are among the coaches the Arizona Cardinals have reportedly requested interviews with about succeeding Jonathan Gannon.

They have also been linked with former Atlanta coach Arthur Smith, who has spent the past two seasons as Pittsburgh's offensive co-ordinator.

Rams offensive co-ordinator Mike LaFleur and Kansas City Chiefs offensive co-ordinator Matt Nagy have also attracted a lot of interest, with both being interviewed by the Las Vegas Raiders.

They have also spoken to Carolina Panthers defensive co-ordinator Ejiro Evero, who was born in Colchester, as they look for Pete Carroll's replacement.

 

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Seahawks to face Patriots in Super Bowl 60​

Seahawks see off Rams in thriller to advance to Super Bow

ByBen Collins
BBC Sport journalist
25 January 2026
The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 after claiming a thrilling victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

The NFC Championship game was a shootout in Seattle, with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and Rams counterpart Matt Stafford both throwing three touchdown passes before the hosts held on for a 31-27 win.

Meanwhile, defences dominated the AFC Championship game as the Patriots ground out a 10-7 win in a blizzard at the Denver Broncos.

Quarterback Drake Maye, Stafford's main rival for this season's Most Valuable Player award, ran in New England's only touchdown as they secured a record-extending 12th Super Bowl appearance and their first since Tom Brady led the franchise to its sixth NFL championship in 2019.

This year's NFL title decider will be a rematch of 2015, when the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24 to deny them back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

This is the fourth time Seattle have reached the NFL showpiece, with their solitary championship coming in 2014.

Super Bowl 60 takes places on Sunday, 8 February in Santa Clara, California, at the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

 

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Seahawks prevail in Rams trilogy​

Sam Darnold, centre, had never won a play-off game before this season

As divisional rivals in the NFC West, Seattle and Los Angeles had already met twice this season and not only did they win one apiece, they were separated by just one point and one yard in total.

Another hard-fought contest was anticipated for the trilogy match-up and it delivered, with the Rams left to rue some costly errors against the NFC's top seed, who had this season's joint-best record of 14-3 (with New England and Denver).

After Seattle's Kenneth Walker scored the opening touchdown, Kyren Williams' reply put the Rams 13-10 up, but some poor game management allowed the Seahawks to lead 17-13 at half-time following a touchdown by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the league for receiving yards.

A muffed punt by LA resulted in Seattle going 24-13 up and Jake Bobo's score sparked a run of four straight touchdowns as the two teams traded blows in a thrilling third quarter.

LA's Davante Adams and Puka Nacua scored either side of former team-mate Cooper Kupp, who was Super Bowl MVP as the Rams became NFL champions in 2022.

That meant Seattle, who conceded the fewest points this season, led 31-27 heading into the final period and LA's best chance to regain the lead came during a drive lasting more than seven minutes.

Colby Parkinson dropped a Stafford pass when the tight end seemingly had a free run into the end zone and, despite then edging within six yards of Seattle's end zone, the Seahawks' defence stood firm as the Rams spurned three chances to punch the ball in.

 

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Vrabel's instant impact with resurgent Patriots​

Patriots beat Broncos in brutal blizzard to reach Super Bowl

New England may have won six Super Bowls, sharing the NFL record with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they had to rebuild after Tom Brady joined Tampa Bay in 2020 and legendary coach Bill Belichick left after a 4-13 record during the 2023 season.

Less than two hours after another 4-13 season ended last January, owner Robert Kraft made the bold decision to fire Jerod Mayo before letting Mike Vrabel bring in his own coaching staff.

That decision has paid off immediately. Little was expected of the Patriots in pre-season but they improved to 14-3, with that 10-win swing tied for the biggest turnaround in NFL history.

Denver also went 14-3 and secured the AFC's top seed but had to give back-up quarterback Jarrett Stidham his first start in two years after Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in last week's Divisional Round win over Buffalo.

And although he threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton in the first quarter, two Stidham turnovers proved decisive, while Maye again showed maturity beyond his years.

Denver's defence led the league for sacks this season and although they sacked Maye five times, he made some key plays with his legs.

The 23-year-old scrambled out of the pocket to earn some crucial first downs and scored the Patriots' only touchdown after Stidham fumbled right in front of the Broncos' end zone.

Maye then kept a New England drive going for more than nine minutes in the third quarter, resulting in what proved to be the game's decisive score from kicker Andy Borregales.

In just half a quarter, the entire field was covered in snow, and Denver's Wil Lutz missed a 45-yard field goal before Stidham's desperate deep shot was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez with just over two minutes left.

That gave New England the chance to become the first team to reach the Super Bowl after 13 losses in the previous season.

And having won three Super Bowls as a linebacker with the Patriots, 50-year-old Vrabel could now become the first man to become an NFL champion as a player and a head coach with the same team.

 

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Is the evil empire back? How the Patriots rebuilt a broken dynasty​

Are Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye the new Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at the Patriots?

Paul Higham
BBC Sport Journalist

Look who's back!

Seven years after they lifted a sixth Lombardi Trophy, the New England Patriots have come roaring back to relevance to make Super Bowl 60, and the rest of the NFL is nervous.

For two decades Tom Brady and Bill Belichick mercilessly terrorised the league year after year, winning those six Super Bowl titles from nine appearances in an era of unrivalled dominance.

Finally relief came, as Brady departed, Belichick followed and the dynasty crumbled into obscurity as four-win also-rans with seemingly no way back.

But then, a meteoric return to the top this season, powered by head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye, has plenty of NFL fans backing the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara on Sunday, doing so out of pure fear at the thought of the league's 'evil empire' rising again.

 

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The fall and rise of the Patriots empire​

In a league built to promote parity, the Patriots continually found ways to win - missing the play-offs just twice during Brady and Belichick's 19 seasons together, and one of those the legendary quarterback missed through injury.

There were 18 divisional titles, 13 Conference Championship appearances leading to nine Super Bowls and Lombardis - a definition of dominance that still has NFL fans suffering with PTSD (Patriots Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Belichick masterminded a top-10 defence 16 times and Brady led a top-eight offence for 14 straight years, including one of the best in history in 2007 that came up a Super Bowl short of a 19-0 perfect season.

A snarling, hooded Belichick was all business all the time and slipped into the villain role with ease, so some NFL fans rejoiced when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs came to the rescue, playing the role of Luke Skywalker and the rebel alliance to help defeat the evil Patriot empire.

And that looked like it would be that as Belichick struggled without Brady. A rare first-round pick spent on Mac Jones in 2021 proved a false dawn as the Pats made the play-offs but were thrashed by Josh Allen's Buffalo.

 

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Where the Super Bowl will be won and lost​

ByPaul Higham
BBC Sport journalist

In terms of the pre-season betting odds this is the most unlikely Super Bowl match-up for years, but there's no denying the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots deserve to be here.

The pair have shown different strengths and weaknesses but throughout an unpredictable season they have had long winning streaks and shown enviable consistency.

The Seahawks are the 4.5-point favourites in Santa Clara but in terms of the numbers there is not much between them at all, so expect this one to be a close call.

It could come down to a play here, a play call there and perhaps the finest of margins making the biggest of differences - Super Bowl's can by won and lost in the blink of an eye.

So let's see how the two sides match-up, what the key battles will be and exactly where Super Bowl 60 will be decided.