The Houston Texans announced the firing of head coach Lovie Smith on Sunday, just hours after he told the media he expected to retain the role for next season.
Smith was promoted in February after spending one season as the Texans' associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
In a rebuilding season following the trade of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans appeared destined all season for the worst record in the league and the top overall pick in the coming NFL Draft.
They produced a stirring late comeback in Sunday's 32-31 win against the Indianapolis Colts to finish the campaign 3-13-1, handing the first pick in the draft to the Chicago Bears (3-14) in the process.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Smith said it is ridiculous to propose intentionally losing a game at this level.
"This is an option that I had," he said. "So you say, 'hey guys ... all that you've been working for your life, you play to win, forget that. Lose the game on purpose.
"That will be a hard one to get by. They won't expect me to say that. I didn't. What we work on each week, our game plan, has been to win the game. It's kind of simple as that. That's what we follow through on the day.
"It's pretty simple – we play to win the game. It's kind of simple as that."
When asked about if he expected to return for a second season at the helm, he said: "Do I expect to be back? Yes, I expect to be back."
That notion was shot down hours later, with Texans general manager Nick Caserio announcing he personally had made the decision to fire Smith, and would instead hire a new head coach for the third time during his three years in charge, and the fourth consecutive year overall with a new head coach for the franchise.
The statement read: "On behalf of the entire organisation, I would like to thank Lovie Smith for everything he has contributed to our team over the last two seasons as a coach and leader.
"I'm constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time. It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program that can sustain success over a long period of time.
"We aren't there right now. However, with the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I'm confident in the direction of the program moving forward."
NFL: Cowboys upset Commanders on missed kick
Austin Seibert missed a game-tying extra point attempt with 21 seconds remaining, leaving Jayden Daniels’ miraculous late touchdown pass irrelevant as the Washington Commanders were handed a 34-26 loss by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for their third straight defeat.
Down 27-20 with 33 seconds remaining, Washington (7-5) started a drive at its own 14-yard line. On the first play, Daniels found Terry McLaurin downfield near the right sideline, and the wide receiver outran three Dallas defenders while getting a key block from Noah Brown to spring him for the stunning score.
Seibert booted the extra point wide left after a low snap, however.
Washington then attempted an onside kick, but Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown to pad the final score.
Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, made field goals of 41 and 51 yards but failed to connect on another 51-yard attempt and missed two extra points in the second half.
Daniels’ touchdown pass to McLaurin will likely be forgotten, but was nearly as improbable as his Hail Mary that beat the Chicago Bears on Oct. 27. The star rookie finished with 275 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus added 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Starting in place of the injured Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns to help Dallas (4-7) end a five-game losing streak, though the Cowboys gave him plenty of help.
The Cowboys returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard scamper with under three minutes remaining, and Dallas’ defence forced three turnovers.
Barkley runs for 255 yards in Eagles' seventh straight win
The Philadelphia Eagles expanded their lead over second-place Washington in the NFC East by rolling to a 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams behind a historic performance from Saquon Barkley.
Barkley set an Eagles' single-game record with 255 rushing yards and delivered two long touchdown runs to lead Philadelphia (9-2) to its seventh straight win. The standout running back's rushing total is the most in any NFL game since Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs ran for 259 on Jan. 3, 2010.
Barkley ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter to give the Eagles a 20-7 lead, then put the game out of reach with a 72-yard sprint to the end zone with 2:44 left that staked Philadelphia to a 37-14 advantage. He became the first player with two rushing scores of 70 yards or more in a game since Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars did so in 2009.
The Eagles also got a 13-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Gainwell in the second half, while A.J. Brown racked up 109 yards and a touchdown on six catches on a night where Philadelphia accumulated a season-high 481 total yards.
Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson and Cooper Kupp for Los Angeles (5-6), but the Rams couldn't slow down Barkley and the Eagles' high-powered offence in the second half and lost for just the second time in their last six games.
Philadelphia had three touchdowns and a Jake Elliott field goal on its first four drives after half-time to break open a close game. The Eagles had taken a 13-7 lead into intermission on Jalen Hurts' 6-yard touchdown pass to Brown late in the second quarter.
Puka Nacua finished with 117 yards on nine catches for Los Angeles, while Kyren Williams rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Chiefs pull out another late win, edge Panthers on last-second field goal
The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their lone loss of the season by doing just what they've done throughout much of 2024.
Spencer Shrader knocked home a 31-yard field goal as time expired as the defending Super Bowl champions moved to 10-1 with a 30-27 victory over the pesky Carolina Panthers.
Coming off last week's 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City blew an 11-point lead after three quarters before marching 57 yards in seven plays in the closing stages to set up Shrader, filling in for the injured Harrison Butker, for the tie-breaking kick.
Patrick Mahomes put the Chiefs in position for the deciding points with a 33-yard scramble to the Carolina 22-yard line with 39 seconds remaining. The star quarterback also threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Noah Gray, to help give Kansas City its eighth one-score victory of 2024 and fifth in games decided in the final minute.
Carolina (3-8) scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter but came up just short in its bid for a third straight win. The Panthers tied the game at 27-27 when Chuba Hubbard scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left and then ran in the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 21 of 35 attempts for 263 yards with a third-quarter touchdown pass to David Moore, who recorded 81 yards on six catches.
Seahawks shut down Cardinals, forge first-place tie in NFC West
Coby Bryant's 69-yard interception return for a touchdown highlighted a superb defensive display for the Seattle Seahawks, who moved into a first-place tie in the NFC West by posting a 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Seattle (6-5) also registered five sacks of Kyler Murray, including 2 1/2 by Leonard Williams, while holding the Cardinals to two Chad Ryland field goals to end a four-game winning streak Arizona (6-5) brought into Lumen Field. The win, the Seahawks' second over an NFC West opponent in as many weeks, tied them with the Cardinals atop the division.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had six catches for 77 yards for Seattle and scored the game's only touchdown when he hauled in a 3-yard pass from Geno Smith in the second quarter that gave the Seahawks a 7-3 half-time lead.
The defence extended the margin on Arizona's opening drive of the second half, as Bryant picked off Murray's pressured pass and raced down the sideline and into the end zone with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Jason Myers missed the extra point to keep Seattle's advantage at 13-3.
Murray did manage 285 yards on 24-of-37 passing, with Trey McBride accounting for 133 of those yards on a career-high 12 receptions. The Cardinals were just 3 of 12 on third downs, however, and mustered just 49 yards on the ground.
Smith finished 22 of 31 for 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Levis leads Titans to upset of AFC South-leading Texans
Will Levis threw for two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 70-yard pass to Chig Okonkwo in the fourth quarter, to help the Tennessee Titans earn a surprising 32-27 road win over the AFC South-leading Houston Texans.
Levis shook off a third-quarter interception that Jimmie Ward returned 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Texans a 24-23 lead by rallying the Titans in the fourth. With 9:35 left to play, the second-year quarterback hit a wide-open Okonkwo in stride on a short pass, and the tight end raced untouched through the Houston defence for a touchdown that put the Titans up 30-27.
Houston (7-5) had a chance to tie it late, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal attempt with 1:53 remaining. The Texans did get the ball back shortly afterward, but quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked in the end zone by Harold Landry for a safety that extended Tennessee's advantage.
Stroud also threw a pair of interceptions that contributed to the Texans' third loss in four games. The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year did connect with Cade Stover and Nico Collins for first-half touchdowns while finishing with 247 yards on 20-of-33 passing.
Levis also found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter and completed 18 of 24 attempts for 278 yards. Tennessee (3-8) also got a big performance out of Tony Pollard, who rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, to stop a two-game losing streak.
Collins recorded 92 yards on five receptions in his second game back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him five games.
Lions run over Colts for ninth straight win
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two touchdowns, David Montgomery ran for another and the Detroit Lions dominated both lines of scrimmage en route to their ninth consecutive victory, a 24-6 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts.
After emerging as the Super Bowl betting favourites earlier in the week, Detroit followed last Sunday's 52-6 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars with another all-around performance to improve to 10-1. That matches the best record in franchise history after 11 games, set in 1934 in the Lions' debut season in Detroit.
Gibbs had 21 carries for 90 yards, while Montgomery logged 37 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards. Jared Goff threw for 269 yards while completing 26 of 36 attempts, while a suffocating Detroit defence held the Colts to just 11 first downs to the Lions' 26.
In his second start back from a two-game benching, Anthony Richardson completed just 11 of his 28 passes for 172 yards against Detroit's stout defence as Indianapolis (5-7) was dealt a fourth loss in five games.
Richardson was Indianapolis’ leading rusher with 61 yards on 10 attempts.
The Colts did play Detroit on even terms through the first 1 1/2 quarters, with the Lions owning a slim 7-6 edge until putting together a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped by Montgomery's 6-yard touchdown run late in the first half.
Detroit's defence then took over in the second half as the Lions began to pull away. Gibbs finished a 10-play, 79-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to put Detroit up 21-6 late in the third quarter, and Jake Bates tacked on a 56-yard field goal in the fourth.
Giants releasing embattled quarterback Daniel Jones
The Daniel Jones era in New York has officially ended.
The Giants agreed to Jones’ request to be released Friday morning, ending a rocky partnership that lasted nearly six seasons.
Giants president John Mara said in a statement that Jones’ release “would be best for him and for the team.”
“Daniel has been a great representative of our organisation, first class in every way,” Mara said in the statement. “His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.”
The Giants benched Jones in favour of Tommy DeVito during their bye week. On Thursday, Jones told reporters he takes “full responsibility” for not winning more as the captain of one of the NFL’s signature franchises.
After learning of his new role, however, Jones asked the team to be released.
Jones signed a four-year, $160million contract extension before the 2023 season. Jones will go through the waivers process, but teams are likely unwilling to pay the rest of that contract. If he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants will absorb a salary cap hit of around $20million by releasing Jones.
Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft and has started 69 games over the last six seasons.
The former Duke quarterback had his best season in a contract year in 2022, throwing 15 touchdowns to just five interceptions and adding 708 yards and seven scores on the ground.
Jones has thrown eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season for the 2-8 Giants and ranks 32nd among qualified quarterbacks with a 79.4 passer rating.
Browns score late touchdown to end Steelers' streak in snowy contest
Nick Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown in heavy snow with 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned division rival Pittsburgh 24-19 on Thursday night, ending the Steelers' five-game winning streak.
Chubb's score came in his first game against the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-3) since the running back sustained a season-ending left knee injury on a carry last year at Pittsburgh.
The Browns (3-8) had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and were down 19-18 before getting the ball back with 3:22 remaining after Pittsburgh punter Corliss Waitman shanked a 16-yarder.
With snow piling up and covering the yard lines on the field, Cleveland's Jameis Winston completed a third-down pass to Jerry Jeudy to the Pittsburgh 9. Two plays later, Chubb barrelled into the end zone.
The Steelers had one last chance, but quarterback Russell Wilson's Hail Mary on the final play was knocked down by Browns safety Grant Delpit in the end zone, touching off a wild celebration at Huntington Bank Field.
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