New England Patriots

Tom Brady still hasn't forgotten his drop in the New England Patriots' Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star said on his Let's Go! podcast that he's reminded of the play every time he sees an Eagles fan:

Trailing 9-3 in the second quarter, New England ran a trick play that freed up Brady down the sideline. However, Danny Amendola's pass bounced off the legendary quarterback's fingers, leading to a fourth down.

Although the Eagles scored on their next drive to take a 15-3 lead, it's difficult to say whether Brady's mistake was a turning point or cost the Patriots the Super Bowl. It was only the first half, and the AFC champions eventually took the lead in the fourth quarter anyway.

But after the success of the Philly Special, the ball falling to the turf despite Brady's best efforts is one of the most enduring images from that game.

No matter what else he has achieved on the field, it's not hard to see why the future Hall of Famer continues to reminisce about the moment.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is tuning out anything related to the NFL's head coaching carousel.

McDaniels told reporters he "know[s] nothing" about teams requesting to interview him. For the moment, his priority is preparing for Sunday's playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported Dec. 26 that McDaniels was gaining traction as a candidate for head coaching vacancies. 

New England ranks ninth in offensive efficiency this year, per Football Outsiders, and Mac Jones has been the standout quarterback from the 2021 draft class. Jones threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the regular season.

Add that to the NFL's general affinity toward Bill Belichick's top assistants, and the rumors surrounding McDaniels were inevitable.

It seemed like the 45-year-old might have forfeited his right to be a head coach target ever again when he spurned the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.

Indianapolis made an official announcement on Feb. 6, 2018, about agreeing to a deal with McDaniels to make him its next head coach. The day haven't even ended before the Colts announced he reversed course and wouldn't be taking the job.

McDaniels told WEEI's Ryan Hannable in December turning down the offer was the best choice for him at the time and in retrospect.

"You move forward and you do everything you can within your power to make those decisions the right ones," he said. "That’s what I’ve tried to do every day. I certainly have no regrets about what has transpired since then."

The Athletic's Jeff Howe spoke to a general manager who acknowledged McDaniels "did burn some coaches with the Indy deal" but that his return to New England was more justified "when you really know the dynamics of why he went back."

Given his age and resume, it may only be a matter of time before McDaniels gets a third shot to run his own team, even if that opportunity doesn't come this offseason.

Bidding for a Tom Brady rookie card is expected to hit seven figures.

Lelands is auctioning off a 2000 Playoff Contenders autographed insert of Brady. The starting bid was a cool $250,000 and the price tag has already climbed to $369,364 at the time of writing, with 20 days left in the auction.

TMZ Sports reported the final number could hit $2 million.

Lelands said the card has received an 8.5 overall grade and that the overall package is "one of the finest examplars of this much-coveted issue to come to market."

Another version of the Brady Playoff Contenders rookie fetched just under $556,000 last year.

The 44-year-old is destined for the Hall of Fame, widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, and might be adding an eighth Super Bowl triumph this season.

If you were looking to collect one of Brady's rookies, don't expect the cost to come down anytime soon.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase did more than help the Cincinnati Bengals clinch the AFC North title with Sunday's 34-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

He also became the favorite to take home the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

DraftKings Sportsbook provided updated odds Monday, and Chase is listed at -225 (bet $100 to win $44.44). New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is now listed at +175 (bet $100 to win $175).

Quarterbacks often take home individual awards, but the two players and teams have trended in opposite directions of late.

Cincinnati has won three straight and will host at least one playoff game after clinching the division. New England has lost two of three and is in wild-card position after falling behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

Chase, who has 79 catches for 1,429 yards and 13 touchdowns on the campaign, was unstoppable against the Chiefs with 11 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Kansas City often left him in single coverage, and Joe Burrow didn't hesitate to unleash throws downfield and let the receiver make plays.

The performance moved Chase into the record books:        

As for Jones, he stands out compared to his fellow rookie signal-callers and has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,540 yards, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

While there is no doubt his situation with the Patriots was better suited for immediate success than that of Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars), Zach Wilson (New York Jets) and Justin Fields (Chicago Bears), he has taken full advantage of it and played New England into the postseason picture.

Still, he had four interceptions during a two-game losing streak prior to helping his team defeat the lowly Jaguars on Sunday. He also attempted a mere three passes during a win against the Bills right before the two-game losing streak that dropped the Patriots out of first place in the AFC East.

The Offensive Rookie of the Year now seems to be Chase's to lose, and another dominant performance in the Week 18 matchup with the Cleveland Browns would clinch it.          

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is keeping any New Year's resolutions close to the vest.

When asked by a reporter to state his resolutions Friday, Belichick declined:

"They would all be personal, so they probably wouldn't mean anything to you anyway," Belichick said.

While the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach was mum on New Year's Eve, one can only assume a seventh Super Bowl win is high on his wish list.

First, the Pats must find a way to clinch a playoff spot over the final two weeks of the regular season, and they could do that this weekend.

The 9-6 Patriots can ensure themselves a playoff spot with a win over the 2-13 Jacksonville Jaguars coupled with either a Miami Dolphins loss or tie to the Tennessee Titans or a Las Vegas Raiders loss or tie to the Indianapolis Colts.

An AFC East title remains a possibility, but New England's chances of winning the division took a significant hit last week when it fell 33-21 at home to the Buffalo Bills.

The Pats still have a chance if they win out and Buffalo loses at least one of its two remaining games, but the Bills will be huge favorites at home against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets.

Even if Belichick and the Patriots have to settle for a wild-card berth, it would be considered a major win given that they are led by a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones and missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record last season.

Reaching the Super Bowl with a rookie under center is a tall order, but with Belichick at the helm and an elite defense in place, the Patriots won't be an easy out in the postseason if they qualify.

New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden revealed on Instagram Thursday that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 after Super Bowl LII. He added that he has been cancer-free since undergoing surgery.

Several of his Patriots' teammates showed support for the veteran on Instagram, including Jonnu Smith, James White and Damien Harris.

Bolden told reporters Thursday that he was diagnosed with a type of carcinoma and was motivated to reveal his diagnosis because, at the time, he didn't think he "was going to play another down in the NFL."

"[I] lost the majority of function on the right side of my face and continued to play," Bolden said. "It was just my face, it wasn’t the rest of my body, so I was OK with it.”

The two-time Super Bowl champion went undrafted out of Ole Miss and joined the Patriots in 2012. He spent the first six seasons of his career in New England before joining the Miami Dolphins for the 2018 season. 

Bolden appeared in all 16 games for Miami in 2018, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to catching three passes for 13 yards and one score. The Louisiana native then rejoined the Patriots for the 2019 season before opting out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns. 

Bolden is in the midst of his most productive season since 2015 despite being behind Harris on the depth chart. He has 36 carries for 176 yards, in addition to 37 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown in 15 games.  

The New England Patriots placed linebackers Matt Judon and Ja'Whaun Bentley ahead of their Week 17 clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted a record-high 106 players across the NFL landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The NFL and NFLPA agreed to amend the league's COVID-19 protocols to allow for vaccinated and asymptomatic players to return more quickly amid the surge of new cases.

Judon appeared to downplay (warning: link contains profanity) the likely time frame for his absence.

Thanks to their 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots fell out of first place in the AFC East. At 9-6, they still occupy a wild-card spot but have yet to clinch a postseason berth.

New England is a 15.5-point favorite over Jacksonville at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Jags are clearly overmatched on paper, but the Houston Texans' 41-29 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers showed how teams eliminated from the playoff hunt can relish the role of spoiler.

Missing Judon and Bentley would be a big setback for the Patriots defense.

Judon punched his ticket to a third straight Pro Bowl with a team-high 12.5 sacks through 15 games. Bentley's 88 tackles, meanwhile, are second on New England, only two behind leader Kyle Dugger.

That's a lot of production the Patriots would have to replace.

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The Buffalo Bills moved into first place in the AFC East after beating the New England Patriots 33-21 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

On Monday, an AFC executive provided his thoughts on the Pats' performance. 

"New England could not go toe-to-toe with Buffalo," the executive said, per The Athletic's Mike Sando. "They needed an element to boost them—special teams, or the weather, or something like that—and they did not have it. It’s tough to beat Buffalo when their formula for four downs is hitting."

New England's defense in particular had no answer for Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who completed 30 of 47 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns despite missing wide receivers Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley after they were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Allen also added 64 rushing yards.

New England excelled running the ball, with Damien Harris rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns, but rookie quarterback Mac Jones completed just 14 of 32 passes for 145 yards and two interceptions.

Buffalo also outgained New England 428-288 and possessed the ball for over 35 minutes. The Bills also led for the game's final 39 minutes.

The Pats may have been a step or two behind the Bills on Sunday, but they did go toe-to-toe with Buffalo earlier this year, taking down their AFC East rivals 14-10 on a cold and windy December night in Orchard Park, New York.

New England called for 46 rushing attempts versus three passes as the Pats ran for 222 yards. Allen struggled throwing in the windy conditions, going 15-of-30 for 145 yards and one touchdown.

However, the Bills are now in the driver's seat for the division crown. While both teams have 9-6 records, Buffalo has the tiebreaker edge thanks to a better division record. The Bills are also playing good football after an uneven first 13 games that saw them start 7-6.

Meanwhile, the Pats are going in the wrong direction, losing 27-17 to the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 18 before falling to Buffalo. They are still in great position to earn a playoff berth, but New England's chances to win the division are now out of its hands barring a Buffalo loss.

The Bills will close the season by hosting the Atlanta Falcons (7-8) and New York Jets (4-11) at Highmark Stadium. The Pats will host the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13) before visiting the Miami Dolphins (7-7), who play at the New Orleans Saints (7-7) on Monday.