NFL

Matthew Stafford is a favorite to win MVP this season ... and he's sure as heck the No. 1 guy in the locker room, too -- 'cause Rams defensive end Larrell Murchison tells TMZ Sports the whole team rides "with Nine."

The 37-year-old quarterback is having one of the best seasons -- if not THE best -- of his career in 2025 ... and as of right now, the sportsbooks have him as the leading candidate to take home top honors at the end of the year.

He's thrown for 4,179 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just five interceptions ... and it's not just the spectators that have been wowed -- Murchison says he's just as impressed.

Despite a rough year for Kansas City, Chiefs Kingdom and the Swiftes still made noise for Travis Kelce's chances in the NFL's Pro Bowl ... as the team announced Taylor Swift's fiancé led the entire league in fan voting for the second consecutive year.

The Chiefs shared the news on Tuesday morning ... hours after the submissions for the 2026 game were cut off. It hasn't been the best year for Kelce -- he has 803 yards and five touchdowns -- but we're assuming the voters weren't breaking down game footage when making their decision.

Of course ... we all know it wasn't just Chiefs backers who helped Kelce achieve that mark -- but also the work of the Swifties, who have also infiltrated the fanbase amid the Swift/Kelce romance.

Disgruntled San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk drew a lot of attention after sharing a video of himself driving by Levi's Stadium allegedly going 104 MPH ... and his actions have not just caught the eyes of those online ... but also the police.

A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Police Department tells TMZ Sports they are "aware" of the clip making rounds on social media.

"At this point, the video is being reviewed, and further details can be provided when available."

According to a local outlet, the speed limit on the road Aiyuk was seemingly flying down is 40 MPH, meaning he would have been driving 60 MPH over the legal speed limit.

DK Metcalf has been hit with a hefty punishment for his role in an altercation with a Detroit Lions supporter on Sunday ... with the NFL suspending the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver two games.

The penalty was announced on Monday -- the league said the ban was for "conduct detrimental to the NFL for initiating a physical confrontation with a fan."

Brock Purdy is in the giving mood this holiday season -- the 49ers quarterback gifted fans some brand spanking new cars and a whole bunch of cool items!!

The fourth-year quarterback teamed up with Toyota for the awesome moment ... bringing the families to the team facility to receive their new toys.

Purdy first revealed some goody bags, which included the team's new rivalry jerseys and a football.

Caleb Williams had a special gift for his buddy and popular music video director Cole Bennett over the weekend ... and took some MAJOR shots at the Green Bay Packers in the process.

Fresh off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over their hated rivals, the Chicago Bears quarterback gave the jersey he wore in Saturday's game to his friend ... complete with a personal message for the Lyrical Lemonade founder.

Along with his signature, Williams also included a heartfelt note of love and motivation ... while also targeting the Pack.

A rogue firework abandoned its assignment and went shooting toward the field at "Sunday Night Football" ... and it appears the errant explosive nearly hit someone standing on the turf.

According to eyewitnesses, the scary moment went down prior to the Baltimore Ravens' home matchup against the New England Patriots ... as player introductions were underway.

While the pyrotechnic devices were supposed to shoot up to the sky, one had other plans ... and went straight to the grass.

12:18 PM -- Ryan Kennedy is coming out against the claims he reportedly used a slur towards Metcalf during Sunday's game -- with his attorney issuing a statement Monday afternoon -- denying those allegations.

"At no point before, during, or after the incident did Mr. Kennedy use racial slur or hate speech of any kind," a statement provided to TMZ Sports said. "The claims suggesting otherwise are untrue and are not supported by video evidence, eyewitness accounts, or any contemporaneous reporting."

"Despite reports in the media last night and today, Mr. Kennedy has not used such language during any interaction with Mr. Metcalf or any other players in the past."

The statement concluded by saying that, since "this matter will now likely be the subject of formal legal proceedings, Mr. Kennedy will not comment further at this time."

The Detroit Lions fan on the receiving end of a punch from Pittsburgh Steelers star DK Metcalf is speaking out ... insisting he simply called the player by his full name before the incident -- but DK is reportedly claiming something much worse was said.

The Detroit Free Press found the man in the stands after everything went down on Sunday ... and he told the outlet he was "a little shocked" by what happened.

"He doesn't like his government name. I called him that and then he grabbed me and ripped my shirt. I'm a little shocked. Like everyone's talking to me. I'm a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby."

DK Metcalf might have nerves of steel ... but, a Detroit Lions fan got on his last one -- and video shows him taking a swing at the guy!

The wild moment went down late in the second quarter of the Lions matchup against DK's Pittsburgh Steelers ... with the CBS broadcast first showing a tense convo between the veteran wide receiver and a DET fan in a bright blue wig.

Metcalf then quickly reached up with his closed right fist ... seemingly landing a glancing blow on the fan's face before walking away.

The Buffalo Bills have experienced tons of heartbreak in the playoffs at the hands of the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes over the years, but with KC set to miss the postseason for the first time since 2014 ... Andre Reed is excited about his former squad's chances.

We caught up with Reed -- who was helping give away bikes at a Raising Cane's event earlier this week -- and while he was bummed to see Mahomes go down with a torn ACL ... he knows what it means for the Bills.

"The last two weeks, man, they came back from 21 down last week," Reed said. "When you got No. 17, who's got an S on his chest, man, you got a chance. And could this be the year that they go all the way to have a shot at playing in the Super Bowl this year? Obviously, I think so."

The Kansas City Chiefs might be eliminated from the playoffs, but they're still making highlights off the field ... with head coach Andy Reid's wife, Tammy, helping out the community in a big way this holiday season.

TMZ Sports is told Mrs. Big Red was part of the annual Raising Cane's bike giveaway ... a nationwide endeavor to help hook kids up with more than 4,000 new sets of wheels and helmets.

We caught up with Tammy at the event at Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City ... and she explained why charitable efforts like these mean so much.

49ers' Deommodore Lenoir was a no-show at a holiday toy drive for kids with Down Syndrome, according to a spokesperson for the event, who tells TMZ Sports the CB blew off the party ... but a rep for the player says that just ain't true!

The function was held on Monday in Santa Cruz, CA, where Lenoir was expected to collect toys for children with special needs, in partnership with SET Magazine, The Matthew Foundation, CelebEvents Inc., and Women of the NFL.

However, Lenoir didn't show up ... and organizers aren't happy, accusing the defensive back of ignoring their calls as they desperately tried to contact him, leaving the kids disappointed.

However, Lenoir's representative tells a different story, chalking the situation up to a misunderstanding and refusing to label it a "no-show."

Simone Biles' dog breeder is receiving a ton of backlash for cropping her new Doberman Pinscher's ears and docking its tail ... telling TMZ Sports he's gotten death threats over something he says is "common practice."

We spoke with the owner of Regal Empire Dobermans after fans and PETA slammed Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, for buying a puppy that underwent the procedures.

William Regal is also dealing with the blowback ... telling us people have made seriously menacing comments toward him, and have attempted to have his company shut down.

12:31 PM PT -- Puka Nacua was just hit with a hefty punishment for criticizing refs this week ... as he was just fined $25,000 over the controversial comments.

Another day, and Puka Nucua is back in hot water ... this time after taking a shot at the referees on social media after the Rams' 38-37 loss on Thursday Night Football, only to quickly delete the post!

The Rams' star receiver -- who had a huge game on the field -- posted the message on X just a few minutes after his Rams squad lost to the Seahawks on a two-point conversion in overtime, which didn't come without controversy thanks to a ruling on the play that resulted in points for Seattle.

"Can you say I was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol." Puka wrote, referencing something he recently said during his stream with Adin Ross, where he accused refs of making calls simply to get some TV airtime.

Former NFL player Myles Jack was arrested after a bizarre incident at a home in Texas on Tuesday ... when cops say the linebacker broke out of a second-story window and fell to the ground before being taken into custody.

According to the Frisco Police Department, officers responded to a welfare concern around 5:40 AM ... and when they got to the scene, gunshots were heard inside the residence.

Officers established a perimeter and evacuated other homes in the area ... and said at one point in the incident, they observed a man later identified as 30-year-old Jack break a window, climb out, and plummet to the ground.

Adin Ross is speaking out on the backlash Puka Nacua faced after his controversial stream appearance ... saying the idea to do what many considered an antisemitic dance was all his -- and he's allowed to make those jokes because he's Jewish.

Ross spoke about the matter outside the UFC headquarters on Thursday night ... in an attempt to take the heat off the Rams superstar, who apologized earlier in the day for his actions.

"To all the people on Twitter going at Puka, I did that," Ross said. "I'm Jewish, you know. It's the same way that my Mexican brother here will crack Mexican jokes, I can stereotype a dude, do my own Jewish sh*t."