Football

Brett Favre isn't just impressed by the Patriots -- he's basically gassing up New England like it's 2004 again.

The Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports that New England's turnaround with quarterback Drake Maye and coach Mike Vrabel has been dramatic ... to the point where the rest of the NFL might start sweating.

"They're in the shadow, but for how long?" Favre said.

Is Sunday's NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks the unofficial Super Bowl? Matt Hasselbeck believes so ... telling TMZ Sports that their showdown features the two best teams remaining in the NFL.

The former Seahawks quarterback chopped it up with Babcock ahead of Championship Sunday ... and in the convo, he made the bold proclamation about round three between these NFC West rivals.

"This, to me, in a way, is the Super Bowl," Hasselbeck said. "No offense to whoever represents in the AFC next week. Like I said, best offense vs. best defense."

A Denver Broncos legend is telling fans not to sweat Sunday's AFC Championship Game -- because Jarrett Stidham is ready for the big stage!!!

Two-time Super Bowl champion Rod Smith spoke with TMZ Sports this week about Stidham stepping up at quarterback after Bo Nix fractured his ankle ... and he's confident in the backup.

"I really honestly believe if this doesn’t go our way, he won’t be the reason," Smith said.

"His first completion, watch what happens to the crowd. They're going to freaking go nuts and he's just going to build. It’s going to feed into his confidence and he goes out there and plays an excellent football game."

We can just skip to Feb. 8 now -- former NFL player Marcellus Wiley just gave his Super Bowl LX matchup prediction to TMZ Sports ... and it's bad news for Rams and Broncos fans.

We caught up with the defensive end in Los Angeles this week, just ahead of the AFC and NFC Conference Championships.

When we asked Wiley -- who is currently recovering from hip surgery -- about the Super Bowl, he said even though we were literally in L.A. and he should pick the Rams, he's going with Seattle over New England.

Brandin Cooks is still fired up over the uber-controversial potential-catch-ruled-interception ... and he’s not holding back!

The Buffalo Bills wide receiver (momentarily) reeled in a deep ball in overtime of Sunday’s Divisional Round matchup with Denver, which would've put the Bills in field goal range -- except Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian yanked the ball away.

Referees controversially ruled it an interception in favor of McMillian ... but Cooks disagrees, telling NFL Network he caught the ball, full stop.

“At the end of the day, it was a catch,” Cooks said. “Not just what it looked like, but what it felt like. You see examples throughout the league all year and in previous years, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. If that was a catch, then there’s no-brainer that this was a catch.’”

Stefon Diggs' ex-girlfriend, Aileen Lopera, filed to dismiss her paternity and child support lawsuit against the New England Patriots' star receiver ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lopera -- AKA Lord Gisselle -- filed the docs this week, requesting the case be dismissed without prejudice.

Lopera's lawyer, Tamar Arminak, told us on Wednesday, "The matter has been resolved."

Us Weekly was the first to report on the dismissal.

Philip Rivers apparently didn't have to unretire to play for the Colts at 41 years old, 'cause there was an available quarterback in Indy this whole time -- courtesy of Caitlin Clark!!

The Indiana Fever star showed off her arms on her Instagram story, throwing several passes to her player development coach, Rob Dosier -- with hooper Jaden Terry playing defense -- in the Pacers' training facility.

It was pretty impressive -- and she knew it, too -- as she left a message for all the scouts who might be watching.

Bo Nix is breaking his silence after breaking his ankle at the end of his AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills ... saying, "What started as one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been a part of ended with some of the most devastating football news I’ve ever received."

The second-year quarterback took to Instagram Wednesday afternoon after undergoing surgery Tuesday in Alabama ... writing, "This is not how I imagined my season would come to an end."

"I can’t express how much this team and organization mean to me and how much I believe in them. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys."

Looks like Cardi B didn’t just fall for Stefon Diggs -- she fell for football too!!!

The Patriots star receiver couldn’t stop gushing about Cardi while speaking to reporters on Wednesday ... making it clear how much he appreciates having the rap queen as one of his loudest cheerleaders.

"She's an amazing supporter of just me and the Patriots," Diggs said. "She wasn't a football girl before, but I converted her over. I'm just thankful to have her in my corner."

The man who allegedly shot New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd outside of a restaurant in November 2025 was indicted on several charges -- including attempted murder -- on Wednesday ... as the NFL player continues to deal with complications from the injuries he sustained.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced on Wednesday that 20-year-old Frederick Green was charged in the New York State Supreme Court on one count of attempted murder in the second degree, one count of assault in the first degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

"As alleged, Frederick Green fired two shots outside of a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, nearly turning a physical altercation into a fatal one," Bragg said.

John Harbaugh was officially introduced as the head coach of the New York Giants on Tuesday ... and the 63-year-old admitted it felt "really great" to know the leader of the free world is on board with his hiring.

Harbaugh was asked about President Donald Trump's push for his employment during his first date with the N.Y. media ... and coach was well aware of the Jan. 10 endorsement via Truth Social.

"I'll tell ya, I also noticed on that post he said 'And John take the job,' so I thought John Mara had something to do with it," Harbaugh said.

It's time for another Guess Who! Can you guess which former porn star is a huge University of Miami Hurricanes fan?

You may know this past adult-film actress for her sounds in the bedroom ... but now she's taking those screams to the gridiron, with her full-throated support of the team that's more than likely heard her howl like a hurricane ... life really does come full circle.

The Hoo-Hoo-Hoo Hoosier fans turned Bloomington into a madhouse Monday night, losing their minds celebrating in the streets ... after Fernando Mendoza and the football team snagged the school's first-ever CFP title!

The game was close ... but the #1 ranked Hoosiers, thanks to a late stop, secured the 27-21 win over the #10 ranked Hurricanes, and then the mayhem!

Thousands of fans flooded downtown Bloomington, shutting down the streets and turning the place into an all-out block party!

Abella Danger was feeling the emotions after the Miami Hurricanes fell short of winning their sixth National Championship Monday night ... sharing a video of herself crying as she walked through a crimson confetti shower to exit the stadium.

The adult film star/Miami student took to social media not long after Carson Beck threw the game-sealing interception to the Indiana Hoosiers, and you can tell how disappointed she was with the end result.

"I hate this," Danger said as the Hoosiers celebrated, "I hate this!"

Jake Paul got some one-on-one time with President Trump at the College Football Playoff Championship on Monday ... and he seemingly used it to brief POTUS on his broken jaw recovery.

El Gallo was spotted hanging in No. 45 & 47's Hard Rock Stadium suite at some point in the Indiana Hoosiers' huge win over the Miami Hurricanes ... and during the chat, he was caught on video rubbing his face.

Unclear what exactly was said ... but since Trump is a big fan of combat sports and the Paul bros, we take it he was aware of what the fighter went through just weeks prior.

Denver Broncos star Bo Nix was surrounded by support after he learned his season was over ... with his wife sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the young quarterback after beating the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Nix's wife, Izzy, shared the image to her social media followers on Monday ... which shows the second-year signal-caller sitting on the floor with his right cleat removed.

As reported, Nix fractured his right ankle on the second-to-last play of the game ... meaning he will not be able to suit up for the remainder of the Broncos' Super Bowl run.