NFL

The Dallas Cowboys have to be happy their season is over ... but, there was one more embrassing moment their team had to endure -- 'cause their kicker smashed a ball and hit one of their cheerleaders in the head.

During a second quarter kickoff, Brandon Aubrey -- Dallas' usually sure-footed kicker -- kicked a ball that sailed out of bounds ... already a penalty, which was bad enough.

But, it gets worse ... 'cause the ball careened out of bounds -- and found the back of a cheerleader's head. She falls to the ground, knocked over by the sheer force of the ball, and the people hurry to her check on her.

Vikings vs. Lions is one of the most consequential regular season NFL games in league history ... a game so important, there surely will be no choreographed dancing from Camryn Bynum and his teammates, right?

WRONG!

TMZ Sports caught up with the standout defender just days before the highly anticipated matchup between the 14-2 squads -- which will determine the NFC North winner and recipient of a first-round playoff bye (while the loser will be the 5th seed!) -- and asked the 26-year-old safety if he had anything special planned.

Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson have both landed college head coaching jobs in the last few weeks ... and Rod Woodson tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be happier to see it.

The Hall of Famer called the hirings "refreshing" ... particularly after years of watching ex-NFL stars get passed over for gigs all across the country.

Woodson, of course, knows the landscape well ... while he's currently working as a broadcaster for Baltimore Ravens games, he's dabbled in the coaching world throughout the last couple of decades -- and he understands just how hard it is to get a sideline job.

The Titans are in desperate need of a quarterback, but Chris Johnson is advising his former squad to still take Travis Hunter in the spring's NFL Draft -- telling TMZ Sports Tennessee would be "absolute fools" to pass on the Heisman Trophy winner.

If the season ended today, the 3-13 Titans would have the No. 2 overall pick ... and many pundits believe they should be targeting a signal-caller like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward there -- as their QB play has been dreadful this year.

But, Johnson thinks it'd be a huge mistake to miss on Hunter for one of the young arms ... explaining to us he thinks the two-way Colorado star could change everything for his ex-team.

Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II nearly had a panic attack after taking his teammates out to dinner this week ... when his fellow Seattle players ran up a whopping $155,000 tab -- all before finding out it was a hoax.

The Seahawks had one last outing ahead of their Week 18 matchup against the L.A. Rams ... hitting up Ascend Steak & Sushi to chow down on everything they could get their hands on -- as well as some expensive booze.

When it came time to pay, the players presented Murphy with the damage ... showing him a fake receipt of $155k.

Eric Dickerson is setting the record straight on Saquon Barkley ... saying even though he was pulling for his single-season rushing record to survive, he's a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles running back.

E.D. made headlines last week ... when he admitted he didn't want the 27-year-old to surpass his record of 2,105 yards.

The current rushing king faced backlash from several notable folks -- including fellow former running back LeSean McCoy, who claimed the legend was hating on his own position group during a segment on his FS1 show, "The Facility."

Saquon Barkley continues to make the New York Giants lives a living nightmare -- on and off the football field -- starring in a new ad clearly throwing shade at the team's owner for a comment he made on Hard Knocks during the NFL offseason.

The Eagles star running back dropped the new Unisom advertisement on his Instagram ... which showcases SB reading a lullaby to fans who "were having trouble sleeping."

"Rockabye baby, awake in your bed," Barkley said. "As the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football. Not for me, though; goodnight to you all."

Despite calls to further postpone the Sugar Bowl, the game is set to kick off in five hours ... and the New Orleans Police Department says they're confident the city will safely host the big game following the Bourbon Street terror attack which killed at least 14.

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick appeared on the Today show where she was asked if her police force was ready for the Notre Dame vs. Georgia playoff game ... after some, including the state's Attorney General, called on officials to postpone the game.

"We are not alone," Kirkpatrick said. "We are in partnership with many other partners. Both local, federal, military, police will be here. We are gonna have absolutely 100's of officers and staff lining our streets, lining Bourbon Street, lining the French Quarter."

New Orleans Saints star Cam Jordan is doing his part to help his community following the New Year's Day tragedy -- making a large financial contribution to the victims of the attack.

The 35-year-old defensive end shared his condolences shortly after the news broke Wednesday morning ... and hours later, he revealed he was teaming up with the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the city to help those affected.

Jordan wrote a $25,000 check to support the families who lost loved ones ... as well as the dozens who were severely injured in the attack.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was more like Santa Paws this holiday season ... 'cause he treated team WAGs Olivia Culpo and Kristin Juszczyk to some pet-centric gifts -- personalized portrait rugs of their beloved furry pets!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Kittle contacted designer Angel Arreola to make special pieces for the wives of his teammates, Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Juszczyk.

The theme was pretty obvious ... their four-legged friends.

Matthew Stafford is pulling out all the stops to make sure he's not the next athlete targeted in the recent string of burglaries -- TMZ Sports is told the Rams quarterback invited police officers and NFL security to inspect his L.A. area home for any potential weak spots.

Law enforcement sources tell us league staffers and cops met at the Super Bowl champ's residence this month to scope out his current setup ... and provided tips and safety measures on what his family can do further to deter crooks from targeting his pad.

While Stafford himself was not present, we're told the NFL specifically asked the cops about the South American burglary crews believed to be behind all the hits ... as well as how they can work together to make it more difficult for the criminals to execute their operation.

Week 18 might be meaningless to the Eagles, but Chris Johnson tells TMZ Sports he'd still advise Saquon Barkley to suit up ... and go chase history!!

After a 167-yard performance against the Cowboys on Sunday, Barkley is now just 101 yards away from Eric Dickerson's all-time single-season rushing record of 2,105 ... but with nothing on the line for Philadelphia, many have wondered if the tailback will play.

Birds fans would love to see him rest up and be ready for the playoffs ... but Johnson -- a former Titans superstar who once rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009 -- said this week he'd advise Barkley to put on his helmet.

The NFL Pro Bowl fan voting period is officially over ... and which player got the most love?? None other than Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The league just shared the results of the voting process that ended Dec. 23 ... with Taylor Swift's boyfriend coming out on top with 252,200 total entries.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs was a close second with 250k ... and Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels followed with 242K.

Tom Brady and his son sure ain't going into 2025 looking pasty -- the legendary quarterback and Jack decided to leave their shirts behind during their last golf outing of the year ... and the GOAT looks as good as ever.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner shared a snap of his time on the course on Tuesday ... essentially twinning with his 17-year-old as they both rocked short shorts and backward caps.

"Perfect way to end the year," the picture read as the Brady boys looked off in the distance.

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension for his brutal hit on Trevor Lawrence is over ... and the the six-year NFL veteran revealed he met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other league higher-ups to own up to his actions and defend his character while serving his punishment.

The 27-year-old released a statement on X ahead of Houston's Week 18 matchup against the Tennessee Titans ... in which he stated his play on the former No. 1 overall pick and the fight that ensued "was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me."

"That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment."

Janet Jackson's paying homage to one of her career milestones ... 'cause one of her dancers grabbed her chest from behind during her recent show -- and, it's pretty clearly a throwback to her 1993 album, "Janet."

The singer-songwriter took the stage at Resorts World in Vegas Monday ... and, while outfitted in a tight black leather bodysuit, a dancer came up and ran his hands over Jackson's chest ... while Ms. Jackson looked ready to get 'Nasty' with it.

The Vegas pose calls back to the cover of her 1993 album "Janet," which showed Jackson facing the camera with her arms up in the air, with two hands cupping her bare breasts from behind -- the wide release only showed her from the neck up, but the limited edition featured the full photo. The image was also on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine that year.