Football

Tom Brady made a surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Wednesday night -- all thanks to Kendall Jenner!

It's all in the clip -- the supermodel video-called the 7-time Super Bowl champ during her interview on 'The Tonight Show' to get his analysis on both teams heading into Super Bowl LX -- the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

Tom walked Kendall and Jimmy through his thoughts on each team ... which Kendall pretended to follow along with, leading to laughs from the audience. At the end of his analysis, Kendall decided she'd go with the "underdog" Pats.

Bill Polian is setting the record straight regarding his alleged role in Bill Belichick's Pro Football Hall of Fame snub ... saying he voted to induct the 6x Super Bowl-winner, and he's got proof!

The longtime NFL executive and HOF'er read a statement on SiriusXM NFL Radio, saying he voted to enshrine Belichick, adding ... "the Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed that fact through the auditors of the selection process."

All this comes after the 83-year-old couldn't get his story straight during two interviews on Tuesday ... hours after news broke that BB didn't make the cut. Polian first told Sports Illustrated he voted "yes" on Bill's candidacy ... but later told ESPN he was not 100% certain, saying he was 95% sure.

Bill Belichick isn't letting his Hall of Fame snub keep him down -- the eight-time Super Bowl champion is out on the recruiting trail, gearing up for his second year at North Carolina.

Mekai Brown, a four-star recruit out of Connecticut, shared a photo of himself alongside the legendary coach ... stating it was from a visit on Wednesday.

Despite the internet being up in arms about Belichick not being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, it doesn't seem like he's letting it stop him from doing everything he can to build on his first year with the Tar Heels.

Bill Belichick -- arguably the greatest football coach of all-time -- has inexplicably come up short his first time on the Hall of Fame ballot ... meaning the man with 8 rings will NOT be going into Canton this year!

As you'd expect, upon hearing the ludicrous news, everyone around the sport was left questioning ... how?

Belichick's resume is unmatched. He is a 6x Super Bowl-winning head coach, and he won two more as an assistant for the New York Giants. Bill was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year three times, and he won 333 games as an HC, including the playoffs.

Stefon Diggs is going to the Super Bowl for the first time ever ... and no one is happier about it than his girlfriend Cardi B.

In a video shared on the Patriots Instagram account, the rapper screams, “We going to the Super Bowl! Let’s go!”

Diggs' New England Patriots secured their ticket to the big game after defeating the Denver Broncos 10-7 Sunday in the AFC Championship.

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.