NFL

Think Stefon Diggs' game-winning touchdown grab was nice?? Ya ain't seen nothin' yet ... so says his old college coach.

TMZ Sports spoke with Randy Edsall -- who coached Diggs during his 3 seasons at Maryland -- and he wasn't one bit surprised by Stefon's late-game heroics ... noting he's been making insane plays for years.

"He was a tremendous, tremendous competitor. The bigger the moment or the bigger the opportunity, the more you knew he was gonna make something happen."

Edsall praises Diggs' "swag" and "bravado" ... and says that confidence rubbed off on his teammates. But, coach makes it clear this is just the beginning for Stefon.

"I don't think he's reached his full potential ... I think he can be a great one, and I think as long as he continues to stay humble and stays hungry, the sky is still the limit for him."

Blake Bortles is no joke ... despite what Jadeveon Clowney thinks -- so says Broncos DB Bradley Roby who thinks the Jaguars QB has a real shot to beat the Patriots.

He's just gonna have to outsmart one of the greatest minds in the history of professional football to do it ... Bill Belichick.

Roby picked off Bortles for a TD when they squared off last year (as he was quick to remind us!) -- and says Belichick will be just as prepared when they square off on Sunday.

Still, Roby thinks Bortles has a real shot to establish himself as an elite QB if he can outduel Tom Brady ... but it ain't gonna be easy.

A 22-year-old Philadelphia Eagles fan was arrested Saturday for allegedly attacking a police officer -- and his HORSE -- after being thrown out of the Eagles game.

Cops say Taylor Hendricks got the boot from the Eagles vs. Falcons game for being drunk and not having a ticket -- and on his way out of the stadium, he went berserk on a mounted police officer.

Hendricks allegedly punched the police horse in the face REPEATEDLY -- and then attacked the human officer.

He was eventually arrested for aggravated assault, illegally taunting a police horse, simple assault and defiant trespass. He was booked at a nearby station and bailed out the next morning.

Hendricks is due back in court on Jan. 30 -- and according to FOX 29, prosecutors could add animal cruelty charges to his list of problems.

Listen up, Saints fans ... Willie Roaf is about to tell you why it's okay to stop sobbing after that terrible loss to Minnesota and actually cheer the hell up.

Obviously the Who Dat nation is down in the dumps right now after rookie safety Marcus Williams let Stefon Diggs scoot to the end zone and beat NO in the divisional round of the playoffs.

We talked to Roaf and asked him what he'd say to dejected Who Dats, and he told us it all has to do with the future.

"We got a great football team. We're young. You gotta lock Drew Brees up and they're right there for the next few years."

Roaf also had words for fans getting on Williams -- who's getting it so hard on social media he disabled his IG comments -- saying MW made a mistake, but he's still a beast.

"The kid had an outstanding football season. All those guys played probably better than we expected."

FYI -- Roaf is an entrepreneur now ... listen to him talk about his new business below, that is, if you can stop crying over the game long enough to listen.

Welcome to "Solid Profanity-Laced Advice for Marcus Williams" .... starring Asante Samuel.

Remember, Samuel dropped a possible Super Bowl winning interception in '08 -- only to bounce back STRONGER the following seasons, leading the NFC in picks in '09 and '10.

So, what pearls of wisdom is he dishing out to New Orleans Saints DB Marcus Williams -- who missed that key tackle on Stefon Diggs on Sunday???

There's a lot of good stuff in this video ... but the best line is this:

"If I was him, my mindset is ... 'That sh*t is over with. F*ck everybody that don't believe in me.'"

Danica Patrick has officially confirmed what TMZ already knew ... she's dating Aaron Rodgers!

After we posted a photo of the two out at dinner in Arizona, Danica spoke with the Associated Press and announced the new supercouple.

"Yes, Aaron and I are dating."

Patrick says the two met at the ESPYs back in 2012 -- and have apparently stayed friendly.

Danica says she's a longtime Chicago Bears fan -- but has always rooted for Aaron individually. She now says, "I am probably going to cheer for the whole team."

The hottest item in Philly is a DOG MASK ... with costume shops throughout the city scrambling to stock up so fans can wear K9 heads to the NFC title game this weekend.

TMZ Sports spoke with the 5 top costume shops in the Philly area ... and they've all said their phones are ringing off the hook asking about the masks Chris Long and Lane Johnson wore to celebrate their "underdog" victory over the Falcons.

One shop in particular -- Masquerade -- says they've already gotten 20 calls about the masks before the store even opened this morning (plus 10 fans who came to the store in person), and now they're working to get a shipment before Saturday.

Derek Lee of D&J Costumes and Entertainment says the makers of the exact German Shepherd mask Long and Johnson wore are all sold out ... so the store has ordered masks from other breeds in case fans wanted to branch out.

Some of the stores are worried about the timing -- because if the dog-mask shipments come in after Sunday (and if the Eagles lose) ... they'll be screwed!

The social media harassment has gotten so bad for Saints rookie safety Marcus Williams ... he disabled his Instagram comments.

Everyone's seen the play by now ... Williams missed a tackle on Stefon Diggs in the waning seconds of Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game, allowing Diggs to bolt to the end zone for a 61-yard game-sealing TD.

All he freakin' had to do was touch the guy.

The reaction from fans on the net has been brutal ... including racial slurs.

Some haters got personal -- "i hope you become sterile and your wife leaves you for a male stripper."

Another person wrote, "Don't come back to NOLA, we don't want yo ass."

Williams -- who had a great season and a solid game before the mistake (he had an interception earlier) -- obviously doesn't wanna hear it on IG, and after the game he officially nuked his comments section.

Gonna be a long off-season.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane was arrested for DUI over the weekend in Washington ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 27-year-old former Super Bowl champ was arrested and later booked Sunday morning at 5:30 AM in the Seattle area. Bail was set at $1,000.

He was released a short time later on his own recognizance, according to official records.

Lane had a decent career with the Seahawks until he lost his starting job earlier this season. The team reportedly tried to ship him to Houston, but he failed his physical -- killing the deal.

Going to the Eagles playoff game this weekend? Better hit the costume shop first ...

The team is encouraging fans to bring dog masks to Lincoln Financial Field in Philly on Sunday -- to keep the whole "underdog" theme going as they face the Vikings.

Of course, Chris Long essentially started the dog mask thing by rocking a German Shepherd head after they beat the Falcons this weekend.

Now, the team has sent a message to fans -- "Doggone it, you better believe dog masks will be allowed at @LFFStadium this weekend. Just make sure to take them off when you go through security."

Broncos WR Carlos Henderson was arrested for possession of marijuana after a routine traffic stop on Sunday ... where he tried (and failed) to eat the evidence, according to cops.

It all went down Sunday afternoon in West Monroe, Louisiana ... when Henderson was a passenger in a car pulled over for speeding.

Cops noted a strong smell of weed coming from the car ... but Carlos and the driver, Alejandra Aviles-Jimenez, both denied possessing or smoking weed inside the vehicle.

But when a search of the car turned up weed around the passenger seat and what appeared to be the remainder of a joint, cops checked their tongues -- and Henderson's "contained a thick green residue."

Carlos said he smoked earlier in the day, but insisted he did not try eating any weed before (or during) the stop.

Cops weren't buying it ... and booked the former Louisiana Tech star, while letting Aviles-Jimenez go with a speeding citation. Henderson was later released on bond.

Wanna know what's worse than betting on the Steelers and the Saints Sunday??

Losing both bets to a giddy Nick Young ... and having to pay up with your whole team watching!!

That's exactly what happened to Draymond Green yesterday -- after the Warriors superstar went 0-for-2 betting football with Swaggy P on their way to Cleveland.

Draymond almost seemed in denial following the crazy ending to Vikings-Saints. Swaggy, of course, was PUMPED.

The man behind some of the biggest names in rap is giving Cole Beasley props for the track he dropped earlier this week ... but says there's a different NFL star who's got his attention.

TMZ Sports spoke with Kevin "Coach K" Lee -- who runs the label, Quality Control Music, and has worked with huge names like Migos, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty and a TON more.

Coach K says he heard a few bars from C.B.'s "80 Stings" and didn't hate it ... but reveals he gave a serious look to fellow NFL star Melvin Ingram -- who goes by the alias SupaMel.

The wild ending to the Vikings/Saints playoff game cost a lot of people a lot of money ... and it all came down to that extra point play.

The spread before kickoff was 5.5 in favor of the Vikings -- meaning if you bet the Vikings, they had to win by at least 6 points for you to collect on your bet.

So when Stefon Diggs caught that insane last-second pass with time expiring to put Minnesota up by 5, Vikings betters thought the extra point was a gimme ... and would be money in the bank.

Now the twist -- the players clearly thought the game was over, as both teams started to leave the field. But when officials explained the extra point play was mandatory, both teams returned ... but the Vikings apparently didn't wanna put salt in the wound ... so they took a knee instead of kicking the field goal for the extra point.

Final spread -- 5 points. Hope you bet on the Saints.

BetOnline.ag -- one of the biggest betting websites -- tells us that the kneel on the extra point favored a majority of gamblers ... 'cause 63% of people on their site bet on the Saints getting 5.5 points.

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick seem to be rounding out the first lap of their rumored romance -- 'cause now they're dining together out in the open ... as seen here.

The Packers QB and NASCAR driver were spotted grabbing a bite Saturday night at The Mission Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, accompanied by a small group of people.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Aaron and Danica sat next to each other, but didn't show off any kind of PDA while there. We're also told other patrons recognized them, but left them alone.

Rumors have been swirling about the reported couple, who apparently got together shortly after the holidays. Word around town is ... things are moving fast with Aaron after Danica split from her BF of 5 years, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., late last year.

Looks like they have plenty of time on their hands to cozy up -- Aaron's season is over after the Packers didn't make the playoffs, and Danica's set to retire soon. Kismet!

Everyone in Philly was feeling competitive AF this weekend during the Eagles' playoff game against the Falcons ... including 76ers star Joel Embiid.

Embiid got a little rough with an Eagles fan Saturday during a tailgate at the game, when the guy pushed the NBA star and intercepted an incoming pass to him in the lot.

Safe to say, Embiid wasn't having it ... he shoved the dude right back.

Embiid -- who's 7 feet tall -- doesn't usually back down against fans who challenge him in sports. He definitely didn't hold back while playing one-on-one with folks 2 summers ago.