Shaquille Leonard has found a new home.

The free agent linebacker agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

The 28-year-old had also met with the Dallas Cowboys, but ultimately decided to join the reigning NFC champions.

The Eagles, who visit the Cowboys on Sunday, suddenly need to shore up their defence after surrendering 456 yards in yesterday's 42-19 drubbing by the San Francisco 49ers in the highly anticipated NFC championship game rematch.

Since Week 11, Philadelphia is 31st in rushing defence, permitting an average of 162.3 yards per game on the ground after boasting the league's top-ranked rushing defence prior to its Week 10 bye, yielding 66.3 rushing yards per game.

The hope is Leonard, who was surprisingly waived by the Indianapolis Colts on November 21, can recapture the play that made him one of the top defenders in the league.

Leonard was voted to the AP All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018, then again in 2020 and 2021, but his injuries limited him to just three games last season and his production has dropped significantly.

After spending his first six seasons in Indianapolis, he was then cut by the Colts last month after complaining about his lack of playing time.

He had started the first nine games of the season for Indianapolis, registering 65 tackles with two going for loss.

In 70 career games, Leonard has 15 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

Bill Belichick is still the right coach for the New England Patriots despite their struggles this season.

That is the view of Duron Harmon, who played for the Patriots between 2013 and 2019, winning three Super Bowl rings in that time.

All of those triumphs came under Belichick's guidance, with the 71-year-old having been head coach of the Patriots since 2000.

His 24th straight season in charge has proved a dismal one, with the Patriots sinking to a 2-10 record.

New England have lost their last five games including their 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.

Their displays have cast doubt over the future of veteran coach Belichick, but Harmon – who is on the practice roster at the Cleveland Browns – does not think making a change is the right solution.

"I just think it's timing," he told Stats Perform. "How many organisations do you know that are this successful for this long? That's life.

"You look at all the great organisations, the [Chicago] Bulls when they had their run, then eventually, you've got to go through [hard times]. 

"That's just a part of sports that happens because when you're at the top, everybody's gunning for you. Everybody's trying to figure out how to get better.

"They're taking from you, they're taking coaches from you. They're taking players from you. That's sports, it's life.

"We've come where it's time for the Patriots to be on the other side for a little bit. I think if there is one person that can reverse it and turn it the other way, it's the man that's right there, and that's Bill Belichick – he's done it before.

"If he has the, I don't want to say patience, but if he wants to go through that again, I think he's the man to do it."

Harmon also believes Belichick would choose to stay on with the Patriots, rather than end his tenure on a low ebb.

He added: "Besides Tom Brady, he's the most competitive person I know. People don't realise, Bill is a competitor. He loves to win, but he hates to lose even more. And you can kind of just see it in his demeanour.

"Losing is not a part of his nature and I can't see him just going out like this.

"I think this would be the motivation. He does everything there. He's the coach, he's the front office. It's all on him."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will reportedly miss two-to-four weeks with a right ankle injury he sustained in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pickett will undergo surgery Monday and will be evaluated further following the procedure, leaving open the possibility he could be sidelined for a period longer than his initial timetable. 

Pickett was injured on a scramble attempt near the goal line during the second quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals. The second-year pro was ruled out at half-time and had his right foot in a walking boot while on the sidelines during the second half.

Veteran Mitch Trubisky replaced Pickett and will start the Steelers' game against the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Trubisky began last season as Pittsburgh's No. 1 quarterback before being displaced by the then-rookie Pickett after four games. The former Chicago Bears' first-round pick went 2-3 in five overall starts in 2022 while compiling 1,252 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions over seven total games.

Pickett completed seven of 10 passes for 70 yards before exiting to extend his franchise-record streak of pass attempts without an interception to 218, the longest streak of any quarterback this season as well. The 2022 first-round pick has not thrown an interception in eight consecutive starts to help put the Steelers in position for a playoff spot in the AFC.

At 7-5, Pittsburgh is one of four teams currently tied in the race for the conference's three wild card spots. The Steelers trail the first-place Baltimore Ravens by two games in the AFC North with five left to play.

For the season, Pickett has thrown for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62 per cent of his pass attempts in 12 starts. 

Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell will reportedly miss the rest of the season after fracturing his left fibula in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

The severity of the injury was reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The injury occurred with about four minutes remaining in the first quarter when his leg was rolled over during Dameon Pierce's 3-yard touchdown run.

Dell remained on the ground in obvious pain and was helped onto a car, unable to put any weight on his left leg. He covered his face in a towel while being driven off the field.

As one of the favourite targets of fellow rookie C.J. Stroud, his injury is a big loss to Houston's offence.

The 24-year-old is second on the Texans with 47 catches for 709 yards. Among all rookies, his seven touchdown receptions are the most in the NFL and are also a franchise record.

He had a career-high 149 receiving yards and entered Week 13 as the third rookie in league history with at least five catches and a TD reception in four straight games.

After losing 13 games each of the last two seasons, the Texans are one of the bigger surprises in the NFL this year, as Sunday's win improved their record to 7-5.

Gardner Minshew threw a touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with less than three minutes remaining in overtime as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 for their fourth straight win.

The Colts had to score a touchdown to win after Nick Folk made a 46-yard field goal to put the Titans 28-25 in front with four minutes, 19 seconds left on the clock.

Minshew led his side down the field in a 71-yard, seven-play drive which culminated in a four-yard pass to Pittman. The Colts now have a 7-5 record and remain in the play-off race in the AFC.

The Denver Broncos suffered a blow in their bid to make the post-season as their five-game winning streak came to an end against the Houston Texans.

Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving, including a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds remaining to ensure the Texans held on for a 22-17 win.

A miserable campaign for the New England Patriots hit a new low as they were shut out twice in a season for the first time in franchise history, with two field goals from Cameron Dicker giving the Los Angeles Chargers a 6-0 win.

It was a different story in New Orleans as the Detroit Lions beat the Saints 33-28 to improve to 9-3, their best record after 12 games since 1962.

Sam LaPorta enjoyed career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown, while Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr to injury in the fourth quarter after he was the victim of a penalised hit from Bruce Irvin.

Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt as the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Jets 13-8, while the Arizona Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 for just their third win of the season in a weather-delayed contest.

Tyreek Hill caught two touchdown passes, the first from 78 yards, as the Miami Dolphins thrashed the Washington Commanders 45-15 to improve to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns as his side downed the Seattle Seahawks at home in a high-scoring 41-35 win.

The 30-year-old completed the winning play for the Cowboys, finding Jake Ferguson with just minutes left to win their fourth game in a row.

Prescott threw for just 299 yards, while his opposing quarterback Geno Smith threw for 334 yards, matching Prescott with three touchdowns.

The Seahawks led at halftime 21-20, thanks to two touchdowns from DK Metcalf and one from Zach Charbonnet, with Smith grabbing his own touchdown just two minutes into the second half.

But the Cowboys refused to go away, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter through Tony Pollard to stay within touching distance.

In the final quarter, Metcalf ran over for his third touchdown for the Seahawks, giving his side an eight-point lead with less than 15 minutes left.

But the Cowboys rallied again with two field goals and the Ferguson touchdown pushing them to nine wins on the season.

Aaron Rodgers has taken the next step towards a potential return before the end of the season, as the New York Jets designated the star quarterback to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.

The move allows Rodgers, recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon he suffered in the Sept. 11 season opener, to resume practising and gives the Jets a 21-day window to return him to the active roster.

NFL.com reported earlier this month that Rodgers was targeting the Jets' home game against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 24 as a potential return date. The four-time NFL MVP, who turns 40 on Saturday, has stated that he would only play again this season if physically able and if the Jets are still in the playoff race.

New York currently sits two games behind the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC's final wild card spot after losing its last four games to drop to 4-7. 

Jets coach Robert Saleh said that it's still unclear whether Rodgers will be back this season, as he categorised the decision to open the veteran's practice window as the next part of the rehabilitation process.

"This isn't so much getting ready to play as it is a progression in his rehab," Saleh told reporters Wednesday.

Saleh added that Rodgers will be limited to light throwing drills this week and has yet to be cleared for contact.

"What he will be doing in practice is no different than what he'd be doing on (a side field) as (the media) watch it," he said. "With regards to certain drills and individual, being able to throw ... instead of throwing with staff members he'll be throwing with teammates.

"There's no added risk to it. There's certain things he's been cleared for that we're going to allow him to do."

Should Rodgers play again in 2023, it would complete a remarkably speedy recovery from a serious injury, as Achilles tears generally require a rehab period between nine and 12 months.

Rodgers was injured on the Jets' third official play from scrimmage of the season when he was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd in New York's Week 1 win over the Bills, bringing a sudden and shocking ending to one of the most anticipated player debuts with a new team in NFL history.

The Jets acquired Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, the team he spent his first 18 seasons with and led to a Super Bowl title in 2010, in April.

Rodgers' injury has greatly dampened hopes for a Jets team that entered the season with very high aspirations, with inconsistent quarterback play a major factor in their disappointing record.

The Jets rank 30th of 32 teams in scoring at 14.8 points per game and 31st in total offense with Zach Wilson seeing the majority of time as Rodgers' replacement. Saleh benched Wilson in favor of journeyman TIm Boyle for last week's 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. 

Indianapolis star running back Jonathan Taylor is scheduled to undergo thumb surgery and is expected to miss multiple weeks, The Athletic reported Tuesday.

The Colts expect Taylor to miss two or three games, so they do not plan on placing the former All-Pro on injured reserve.

Taylor will have the operation on Wednesday.

The news of Taylor’s injury came as a surprise after he played throughout Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and carried the ball twice during the game’s final drive. He finished with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Taylor’s absence comes at a crucial time for the Colts, who have won three straight games and cling to play-off hopes in the AFC at 6-5.

The 2021 rushing champion missed the first four games of the season while recovering from an ankle injury suffered in 2022.

Zack Moss, who excelled in Taylor’s absence in September, is expected to start and see the lion’s share of work in the backfield.

A mid-season trade acquisition from the Buffalo Bills last year, Moss leads the Colts with 672 rushing yards this season and has six total touchdowns.

In seven games this year, Taylor has 551 yards from scrimmage and has found the end zone five times.

The Colts play road games against the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals over the next two weeks before returning home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 17.

Cairo Santos landed his fourth field goal of the night in the closing moments as the Chicago Bears edged past the Minnesota Vikings for a final score of 12-10.

Santos landed the decisive kick from 30 yards with 10 seconds remaining to decide the defence-dominated NFC North clash.

Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs was intercepted four times as they lost to the Bears for the first time in seven meetings.

Despite his problems, Dobbs found TJ Hockenson to put the Vikings ahead for the first time with less than six minutes remaining.

Fields fumbled for the second time in the quarter on the following drive, but moved the Bears into position for Santos’s winning kick.

The defeat dents the Vikings’ hopes of claiming the divisional title, dropping them to 6-6, behind the 8-3 Detroit Lions.

Carolina Panthers have sacked head coach Frank Reich after starting the new season with just one win in 11 games.

Reich was appointed in January but made little impact and Saturday’s 17-10 defeat to Tennessee Titans extended the worst current record in the NFL.

The Panthers confirmed that special teams co-ordinator Chris Tabor will take over as interim head coach, with senior assistant Jim Caldwell becoming special adviser to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who assumes play-calling duties.

Panthers owner David Tepper said in a statement: “I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well.”

Travis Kelce made NFL history as the Kansas City Chiefs recorded an entertaining victory in Week 12.

The Chiefs fought back from 14-0 behind to win 31-17 at the Las Vegas Raiders, improving their 2023 record to 8-3.

Kelce hauled in six catches for 91 yards to help launch the comeback, with Rashee Rice adding eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Sunday's game saw Kelce become the fastest tight end to reach 11,000 receiving yards in NFL history, achieving the feat in 154 games.

The 34-year-old only needed 15 yards to reach the landmark and comfortably passed that in Las Vegas, taking his career total up to 11,076.

Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez held the previous fastest mark after hitting 11,000 after 191 games.

Kelce is only the fourth tight end ever to reach the total. He still has a while to go to catch Gonzalez (15,127) in yardage, but is moving ever closer to Jason Witten (13.036) and Antonio Gates (11,841) in the TE standings.

"We went down 14 points, and it's a tough thing to come back from that," said Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

"Our guys battled back, and I'm proud of them for that."

A prime-time matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field is up next for the Chiefs, who are top of the AFC West as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The Denver Broncos (6-5) are their closest challengers in the division.

Frank Reich didn't even make it to December in his first season as coach of the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers announced on Monday that Reich has been fired.

"I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers," team owner David Tepper said in a statement. "I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well."

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor takes over as interim coach, while offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will be in charge of play-calling.

The decision came one day after a 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans dropped the NFL-worst Panthers to 1-10.

The 61-year-old Reich, who coached the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-2022, was hired in January to help improve the offense, but the team is struggling to score points and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young isn't playing well.

Carolina is 30th in total offence with an average of 265.9 yards per game and has scored 10 points in each of its last two contests and 15 or fewer in each of its last five.

Young has not topped 200 yards passing in each of the last four games, and has thrown for 1,877 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 74.9 QB rating in his first 10 games.

The Panthers passed on C.J. Stroud and selected Young first in April's draft after trading wide receiver D.J. Moore and four draft picks - including their first-round pick in next year's draft - to the Chicago Bears for the top pick.

This is the second year in a row the Panthers fired their coach mid-season after Tepper fired Matt Rhule last October after a 1-4 start.

Carolina will finish with a losing record for a sixth straight season since Tepper bought the franchise in 2018 for $2.275million.

Devon Holland’s 99-yard interception touchdown stole the show in one of the plays of the year as the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 34-13.

Holland’s stunning run came after Jets quarterback Tim Boyle launched a hail Mary pass on the stroke of half-time, the Dolphins safety snatching the ball on his own one-yard line.

There was barely a finger laid on Holland as he went went the length of the pitch, evading the Jets defence and giving the Dolphins an 11-point lead following a second quarter touchdown from Tyreek Hill.

The touchdown came just after Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted by Brandin Echols and the Dolphins pulled away in the second half.

Two fourth quarter touchdowns from running back Raheem Mostert, including a 34-yard run, gave the Dolphins an unassailable lead and back-to-back wins.

Tagovailoa threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, moving the Dolphins to their eighth win in 11 games and a two-game cushion over the Buffalo Bills at the top of the AFC East.

Dak Prescott threw for four touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys eased to a 45-10 Thanksgiving victory over the Washington Commanders.

Tony Pollard added a seven-yard touchdown run while DaRon Bland rounded things off with a 63-yard interception return for a score – his fifth of the season to set an NFL record.

The win lifts the Cowboys to 9-3 and stretched their home-winning run to 13 matches.

For the Commanders, who have lost eight of their last 10 matches, Sam Howell threw for 300 yards and ran for a touchdown.

The Green Bay Packers beat NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 29-22.

Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson from 53 yards on the first play of the game and ended with three touchdown passes.

Opposite number Jared Goff struggled against the Packers defence, fumbling three times – one of which was returned for a touchdown by Jonathan Owens.

The Indianapolis Colts waived former Defensive Rookie of the Year Shaquille Leonard on Tuesday, ending the three-time All-Pro’s tenure with the team that drafted him.

The surprising move comes after Leonard, who had undergone two back surgeries to repair a nerve injury, complained about his lack of playing time.

Leonard was voted to the AP All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018, then again in 2020 and 2021, but his injuries limited him to just three games last season.

“Indy, I want to thank you for accepting me and my family with open arms," Leonard wrote on social media. “These past six years has been nothing but incredible! Through the good times and the bad y'all stood by my side. I apologize for not bringing that (Lombardi) trophy back to the 317.”

A second-round pick out of South Carolina State, Leonard has been known as a sideline-to-sideline tackler with a reputation for creating turnovers.

In 70 career games, Leonard has 15 sacks, 12 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

“Shaq is the ultimate competitor and has been a fan favorite since he arrived as a rookie in 2018,” general manger Chris Ballard said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful for his contributions to the team and the city of Indianapolis over the last six seasons.

“We wish him the best and he will always be a valued member of the Horseshoe.”