NFL

Super emotional scene in the Titans' game Thursday ... Corey Davis played despite his older brother's death Wednesday -- and cameras caught the WR in tears at one point in the evening.

Davis' bro, Central Michigan football legend Titus Davis, tragically died Wednesday at the age of 27 after a lengthy battling with a rare form of kidney cancer.

Corey decided to play a little more than 24 hours later ... because he said that's what his big bro would have wanted.

And, at times during the night, the 25-year-old's heavy heart was apparent.

"As he was laying there all he kept telling my sister was to tell me to play, regardless of what happens," Corey said after the game. "He just kept telling me to play, throughout the whole process. That's my biggest fan."

Corey balled out considering the circumstances ... catching 5 passes for 67 yards in Tennessee's 34-17 loss to Indianapolis -- and afterward, he explained just how much Titus meant to him both on and off the field.

"Since I was a little kid I was always chasing after him and trying to be like him," Davis said. "I wore his number every year to copy him. He thought it was annoying, but I looked up to him tremendously."

"That was my idol, my hero. I tried to honor him tonight."

Davis continued, "I obviously miss him and wish he was here, but I know he's in a better place and that he was with me today."

Heartbreaking stuff.

Tom Brady is new to Florida ... so how'd the G.O.A.T. handle his first huge storm?! Here's a hint ... he didn't secure his jet skis, and they floated hundreds of yards away.

Brady met with the media Thursday afternoon ... and he was asked how he dealt with Tropical Storm Eta -- which slammed into Tampa early this morning -- wreaking havoc.

"The hurricane, that was a trip last night for me," Brady said.

"I had a dock and it broke, floated away. I had these jet skis on, I saw those things sitting in the middle of the bay and I was going, 'Wow, that's pretty surreal' and I was kinda laughing. 'Well, you'll get the jet skis back.'"

"A lot of people are dealing with a lot worst than that, but just waking up and seeing kinda what happened to the yard, it got pretty messed up. Be really nervous if a big one hit!"

Of course, Eta caused flooding and lots of property damage ... and was even responsible for 1 death, according to reports.

Tom -- who was raised in California and spent his entire professional career in New England -- says he is NOT looking forward to the next one ... but has learned a valuable lesson on storm preparation.

"It happened pretty quick, I thought you had time to prepare for these things but apparently you don't, They're just kinda on you and then you just gotta deal with it so we pushed the schedule back today."

"Fortunate everyone made it safe and sound. Good lesson learned for someone who's been in the northeast for a long time."

So, did Brady get his jet skis back?

"They got fixed. We dragged 'em back. They were about 300 yards away at someone else's house and I got a bunch of messages from people that were like, 'Hey man, are your jet skis...?' Ya know, they floated down and found their way into someone else's dock. They got lodged, so I was very lucky."

How freaky of an athlete was teenage Todd Gurley?? The Atlanta Falcons star ACCIDENTALLY qualified for Team USA Track and Field in high school!!!

The 26-year-old running back explained the whole story to NFL stars Cam Jordan and Mark Ingram on their "Truss Levelz" podcast on The Players' Tribune this week ... and the tale is WILD!!!

Gurley says he taught himself how to run hurdles while he was attending Tarboro H.S. in North Carolina ... and he got so good at it, one of his track coaches asked him to come down to Myrtle Beach, SC to run in a race.

"I'm like, 'All right, cool,'" Gurley said.

Turns out, the race was a qualifier for Team USA Track and Field ... and Gurley ended up winning it with damn-near no prep!!!

"I guess that was like the pre-trial for the USA team," Todd said of the race. "Bro, I did not know! And, I end up winning. And they was like, 'All right, you got your passport? All right, we 'bout to go to Italy for a whole week.'"

"I'm like, 'What?! Why y'all didn't tell me this?!'"

Gurley says he didn't place during his races with Team USA ... but he said the trip was super memorable -- and he's still pals with some of his teammates to this day!

As for his track career after that, Gurley said he got offers from Cornell and Princeton to bail on football and run for their teams -- and he says he SERIOUSLY considered it.

Great news for John Elway ... the Denver Broncos legend has recovered from his bout with COVID and is set to return to the team facility on Friday.

60-year-old Elway tested positive for coronavirus on Nov. 3rd after experiencing what the team described as "minor symptoms."

He's been working from home and self-isolating ever since, the team says.

But now, things have taken a turn for the better, according to KUSA's Mike Klis.

"GM John Elway has recovered nicely from COVID and is cleared to return to his office tomorrow," Klis said.

He also noted Broncos CEO Joe Ellis -- who also tested positive for COVID last week -- "is still battling symptoms and is not yet cleared to return.

For what it's worth, the team believes both Elway and 61-year-old Ellis contracted the virus OUTSIDE the team facility.

The Broncos have a game this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that's also had some recent COVID drama.

Good news for the WNBA ... Patrick Mahomes' unborn daughter already has a basketball hoop in her room!!!

The NFL superstar's fiancee Brittany Matthews is already putting together the nursery for their baby girl -- complete with 2 bassinets and a crib -- and it looks awesome!

There's a marble side table, pink drapes, some cool wall decor -- and a pink hoop by the door!

Unclear exactly when the baby is due -- but if she was 12 weeks when they announced the pregnancy in September, the kid would be due around April 2021.

The Kansas City Chiefs QB began dating Brittany back in high school and they've been together ever since.

Brit and Patrick -- who got engaged earlier this year -- recently said the wedding won't take place until 2022.

"We have a few dates nailed down but we'll be having baby in 2021 and we plan to do a wedding and all wedding things in 2022."

Matthews said the two weren't "trying" to get pregnant this year -- but admitted they weren't exactly "being careful either."

Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Titus Davis -- who broke Antonio Brown's WR records at Central Michigan -- has died after battling a rare form of cancer.

He was only 27.

Titus -- older brother of Tennessee Titans wideout Corey Davis -- went public with his diagnosis in July, revealing he was suffering from a rare and aggressive kidney cancer called Renal Medullary Carcinoma.

He underwent chemotherapy to battle to illness -- but ultimately passed away on Wednesday. He's survived by his 2 sons.

Titus was a monster during his 4 years at Central Michigan from 2011 to 2014 -- racking up 3,700 receiving yards and 37 TDs during his career, setting school records in both categories.

He's the only player in college football history to have 8 or more touchdowns in four different seasons.

Titus signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 -- where he was a member of the practice squad. He also spent time as a practice squad player with the NY Jets, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills.

Titus' former college coach Dan Enos issued a statement on Davis' passing -- saying he's "heartbroken."

"On the field, he was a phenomenal athlete and competitor. He was also a great friend and teammate to many."

"From the first moments we started recruiting him, we at CMU football knew he was something incredibly special. He was a joy to coach and to be around. My deepest sympathies are extended to his family during this difficult time."

Brett Favre says the Eagles' woes since winning the Super Bowl in 2018 can be explained pretty simply -- they screwed up the Carson Wentz vs. Nick Foles decision.

You'll recall ... back in the '17 season, Wentz had Philly rollin' -- he led the Birds to an 11-2 start -- but he had to sit the bench the rest of the way due to an ACL injury.

Foles went on to lead the team to a title over Tom Brady's Patriots in Wentz' stead ... but the Eagles decided to turn back to Carson when he was healthy the following season nonetheless.

And, when it came time to either pay Foles to keep him around or let him walk after the 2018 season ... Philly chose to punt -- and now, Favre says that was a decision that doomed the franchise.

"I actually thought that they should have kept Nick Foles rather than Carson Wentz just based off of production and where they got to," Favre said on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday.

"You know, they won a Super Bowl with Foles. And, that was a little bit surprising."

Foles hasn't done much of anything since he left the Eagles for Jacksonville ... he had an injury-plagued season with the Jags in 2019 and now he's sputtering with the Bears this year.

But, Wentz hasn't been much better ... the Eagles were 9-7 in 2019 and are just 3-4-1 this year -- AND Wentz leads the league in interceptions this season with 12.

Favre says injuries to the QB's weapons have played some role in Wentz's struggles ... but he explained Carson should be just flat-out better regardless.

The Minnesota Vikings say they are shutting down plans to allow fans at their 4 remaining home games -- explaining it's just too dangerous right now.

The Vikings have only allowed 250 fans at U.S. Bank Stadium at home games so far this season ... but have been pursuing options to allow thousands more to attend -- with COVID-19 protocols in place.

But Wednesday, the team announced it is canning those plans in light of rising COVID infection rates in the state of Minnesota.

"We will no longer pursue hosting more than 250 fans for the remaining 2020 Vikings regular-season home games," the team said.

"While we have worked hard to develop a safe and responsible plan to bring back a limited number of fans, our decisions have been based on medical guidance with public health as the top priority," the team said in a statement.

"We take seriously Minnesota's rising COVID infection rates and increasing hospitalizations and believe closing the final four home games to fans is the right decision to help protect our community."

"You can go down to practice and hit each other and be in close contact -- but you have to have plexiglass in between you and the guy next to you in the locker room?"

That's Aaron Rodgers pointing out some apparent "double standards" in the NFL's COVID protocol -- and asking the question, "Are we doing all this based on science?"

The Green Bay Packers QB got very candid about the league's coronavirus plan during an appearance this week on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... explaining why he thinks some of the rules are more about optics than safety.

"I just think there’s some double standards," Rodgers said.

"You can dap up a guy after the game, but you can’t eat at the same lunch table as a teammate? You can go down to practice and hit each other and be in close contact, but you have to have plexiglass in between you and the guy next to you in the locker room?"

"I just think some of those things to me just don’t really add up. Like I understand what we’re tryin' to do, we’re trying to get every game in and stay healthy. But, I think just some of those things, ... I just think that some things make sense and then some things don’t make a lot of sense."

Rodgers says he also thinks it's weird that players can't talk to opponents after a game -- despite incredibly close contact during the 4 quarters of action.

"There’s spit and sweat and all this stuff and we hit and we're tackling -- and we can't go and talk to somebody who we know on another team?"

Odell Beckham is officially on the road to recovery ... the star receiver and the Cleveland Browns just announced he underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL.

Beckham shredded the knee early in the Browns-Bengals game back on Oct. 25 ... and he was finally able to go under the knife Tuesday to repair the issue.

The Browns said in a statement the operation -- performed by world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews down in Florida -- was a complete success.

"Beckham is expected to be ready for the 2021 season," the team added.

Beckham appeared to be pleased with the results of the surgery as well ... he posted a pic of himself post-op and wrote, "Sit back relax n watch how God work.....Now let the journey begin."

Beckham was having his best year as a Brown before the injury ... logging 319 receiving yards and 4 total TDs in 7 starts.

The wideout has vowed to come back stronger than ever ... writing on his social media page earlier this week, "Adversity.... it’s nothin new to me!"

Get well soon!

Ya wanna know what Bill Belichick hates more than losing?? Coffee and everything about it -- the smell, the taste and even java-flavored treats.

Like ... the dude freakin' LOATHES the stuff with a burning passion.

Here's how we know -- the New England Patriots coach came clean on his disgust for joe in an interview with WEEI's "Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria Show" on Tuesday ... and it basically turned into a roasting session on all things coffee.

"Look, I mean I understand I am probably missing it, but I just don’t like coffee," Belichick said.

"I can’t stand the smell of coffee. I don’t like coffee ice cream and I like every sweet that has ever been made. But, that’s not one of them."

"I don’t like coffee-flavored anything."

He didn't stop there.

"I just don’t have the taste for it. I've tried, but it just doesn’t work for me. My grandmother put a glass of milk and poured like probably a thimble of coffee and I couldn’t even drink that."

"It’s just one of those things I didn’t develop a taste for. I didn’t develop a taste for scotch either. I tried that. I just couldn’t develop a taste for it," he added.

"Nothing against coffee. Nothing against Dunkin' Donuts. Nothing against anything, it’s just not for me."

"If I'm putting together a roster, that's the type of quarterback that I want."

Saints star Demario Davis is going to bat for Drew Brees ... telling TMZ Sports he sees absolutely no decline in the QB's game whatsoever.

In fact, the linebacker says he believes the critics who are calling the 41-year-old washed are actually FUELING Drew to a monster season this year.

"You can see him channeling it," Davis told us of how Brees is handling the criticism.

The QB began the year not looking quite like himself -- he was checking down a lot and not exactly pushing the ball up the field at will -- and it had many wondering if Brees was done.

Things got so dicey for a while there ... some called for backup Jameis Winston to take over the starting reins in New Orleans.

But, Brees has turned things around recently -- the Saints are now proud owners of a 5-game win streak -- and Davis says he ain't surprised one bit.

"I don't know where the negative feedback be coming from," Davis says. "If people just look at the numbers, he's been as efficient this year as he's ever been."

"And when you look at somebody that's able to do that week in week out, go out there and be that efficient, if I'm putting together a roster, that's the type of quarterback that I want."

Through 8 games so far this season, Brees has 2,120 passing yards, 17 passing TDs and just 3 INTs. His QB rating is a whopping 110.3.

"He's the reason why we've had as much success as we had," Davis told us.

There's more ... Davis also spoke with us about the presidential election results -- and he even offered up a message of encouragement to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris!

THOU SHALT NOT CUSS -- NOT EVEN IN A FOOTBALL HUDDLE!

That's one of Tim Tebow's commandments -- and it led to an incredible moment during his run with the NY Jets, when Tim refused to call a play called an "Oh Sh*t Screen."

Tim's former Jets teammate, Nick Mangold, told the story about a moment during the 2012 season on BroBible's "Endless Hustle" podcast ... and it's pretty hilarious!!

"We had a play that was a 'Y Oh Sh*t' screen, where the tight end actually fakes like he fell down on a running play, hops up, runs back over, throws back to the tight end and it's usually wide open," Mangold said.

But Tim -- who's never committed a single sin in his life --  refused to drop the s-bomb while calling the play in the huddle.

"He goes through the whole formation and gets to the last play: 'Y, Alright Screen' ... you guys know what it is.'"

"And we’re like, 'No Tim, what is it?' ... then he goes, 'No, I’m not going to say it.'"

Seems the whole team jokingly tried like hell to coax Tebow into saying the word -- but he stayed strong and refused to let the expletive fly.

The way Mangold tells the story ... it was all in good fun, but Tebow never wavered!

In the end, Mangold said the team got in trouble for taking too long in the huddle.

The Steelers have placed Ben Roethlisberger on the COVID-19 list ... but it's NOT because he tested positive.

The 38-year-old QB is reportedly considered a "high-risk, close contact" person -- after Steelers tight end Vance McDonald tested positive for COVID on Monday.

Along with Big Ben, 3 other Steelers were placed on the COVID list for possible exposure -- offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels and linebacker Vince William.

Long story short ... Ben and his 3 teammates will have to isolate for the next 5 days -- and if test results come back negative, they should all be good to play against the Bengals on Sunday.

Until then, the players are not allowed inside the Steelers facility.

As for Vance McDonald, his situation is different since he tested positive on Monday -- he could be required to miss more time, depending on other test results and other factors.

If McDonald was experiencing symptoms -- he must isolate for at least 10 days ... and have 72 hours with no symptoms before he could be allowed to return to the team.

WARNING: THIS IS KIND OF GROSS!!

Tennessee Titans star Taylor Lewan showed off the scar he now has after docs cut open his knee to fix his torn ACL ... and the damage caused by the scalpel is GNARLY!!

Lewan suffered the initial injury back on Oct. 18 against the Houston Texans ... and he recently went under the knife to get the whole thing fixed.

And, in an effort to keep all of his followers in the loop on his recovery process ... he decided to reveal what the post-surgery damage looked like.

In the pic Lewan posted Monday night, you can see the scar is long -- running about 7 inches from just above his knee cap to just below it.

The wound is still bloody, too -- and it, unfortunately, went right through a dope tattoo the 29-year-old had.

But, Lewan stayed positive nonetheless, captioning his pic, "Stitches out today!!"