NFL

If Jalen Hurts uses more of his arm and less of his legs on Sunday -- Isaac Bruce tells TMZ Sports Los Angeles will likely score another playoff win.

The former Rams superstar spoke with us about the massive Divisional Round tilt with the Eagles just days before it goes down at Lincoln Financial Field ... and he insisted that forcing Hurts to throw will be the key to victory.

Bruce told us if the Philadelphia signal-caller gets up into the range of 40 pass attempts ... it should result in a dub for his old squad.

2:40 PM PT -- Taylor made her way to her box ... cheering on her man from her normal suite -- alongside another famous companion, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.

Check it out ... Clark's sitting in the row behind Tay -- and, it looks like she's decked out in Chiefs red. She recently chatted with Travis and his bro Jason Kelce on their "New Heights" podcast ... so, not shocking she's cheering on her new pal.

Taylor Swift's heading into some cold weather in Kansas City today ... but, she's bringing the heat with her outfit to cheer on her man, Travis Kelce!

The Buffalo Bills' best player this weekend might just be Mother Nature -- because according to Andre Reed, the freezing temps could help his former team tremendously against the Ravens.

The massive playoff matchup will go down on Sunday at Orchard Park -- where weather experts are predicting temperatures to be in the teens.

While both squads are relatively familiar with that kind of chill -- Reed told TMZ Sports on Friday he thinks it'll benefit Buffalo far more.

Forget Rookie of the Year, Joe Theismann tells TMZ Sports Jayden Daniels might just be the NFL's MVP!!

The former Washington quarterback shoveled praise on the Commanders' current signal-caller during a sit-down with us this week ... saying the 22-year-old truly should be in consideration for the league's highest honor.

"Obviously I think he's a runaway choice for Rookie of the Year," Joe told us, "but I keep saying, 'Why not let him be considered for an MVP as well?' He's had that kind of year."

Calvin Johnson -- a guy who knows a thing or two about great wide receiver play -- is loving what Amon-Ra St Brown's doing this year ... telling TMZ Sports the Lions wideout is helping keep the NFC's top seed on track!

We caught up with the legendary Detroit receiver ahead of his former team's Divisional Round matchup against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders ... and he gushed over ASB.

He told us that while Dan Campbell deserves a whole lot of credit for getting things going in the Motor City ... it's St. Brown who's carried over the head coach's message onto the field.

A.J. Brown's gone from reading Jim Murphy's words to hearing them in person ... the Philadelphia Eagles superstar just had a face-to-face meeting with his favorite author!!

The get-together happened on Friday at the Eagles' NovaCare Complex -- less than a week after Brown sent the internet into a tizzy for reading Murphy's "Inner Excellence" on the bench of Philadelphia's 22-10 playoff win over Green Bay.

Murphy was reportedly in the building for an interview about Brown's now-viral moment ... and at least one journalist captured them chopping it up in a hallway.

Classy move from Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh ... he took time out of his busy schedule this week to thank wildfire first responders with a sweet meet-and-greet.

The 61-year-old headed up the PCH and dropped in on an LAFD base camp near the Palisades on Thursday night to express his gratitude for those battling the flames ... and check out some footage from his visit, it was awesome.

Harbaugh introduced himself to firefighters and officials with his full name and a handshake, despite the guys knowing exactly who he was.

A pair of Green Bay Packers legends are going to bat for Sterling Sharpe ... insisting this week the former wide receiver "absolutely" belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Both Brett Favre and LeRoy Butler made no bones about it during sit-downs with TMZ Sports this week ... saying the 59-year-old is more than deserving of a bust in Canton later this year.

Both -- who played with Sharpe in the 1990s -- actually seemed stunned it's still even a question ... with Butler telling us if Sharpe's seven-year career hadn't been cut short by injuries, "He'd be the G.O.A.T."

Denzel Ward loves his Cleveland Browns team, but he tells TMZ Sports it needs just one more thing to be competitive -- consistency at the quarterback position!!

The 27-year-old cornerback got candid with us out in New York City on Thursday ... openly admitting his team simply has to have better play from its signal-callers if it wants to get back to the playoffs anytime soon.

"I don't think we're too far off," Ward said. "We just need to solidify that position."

The New England Patriots might've technically satisfied the Rooney Rule requirement, but NOT the spirit ... according to longtime NFL executive/GM Rod Graves who says the Pats made a joke of the policy.

TMZ Sports spoke with Graves, who after decades working in the NFL as a league executive and general manager, now serves as the Executive Director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an org. dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within pro football, about the much-debated rule that says teams must interview a minority candidate before hiring a coach.

Robert Kraft's football team interviewed two Black head coach hopefuls, Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, before ultimately hiring Mike Vrabel ... who was expected to land the job from the moment the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo.

Sad news from Russell Wilson ... his beloved dog has died.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced the heartbreaking update on his Instagram page just minutes ago ... revealing his Great Dane, Prince, passed away on Friday morning.

"I got you my rookie year," Russ said in an emotional note to his late pup, "& you have been a blessing to our family with so many memories, hugs, and kisses from our 4 kids and us."

Some notoriously tough Philadelphia Eagles fans just proved they have a soft side ... they're raising some funds for Los Angeles wildfire victims -- in spite of their scheduled faceoff with the L.A. Rams on Sunday.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe tells TMZ Sports ... a group of Eagles supporters who congregate on Reddit created a charity earlier this week in an effort to assist people in need in the Rams' hometown.

The fans who helped kick things off made it clear they wanted to put the playoff matchup aside to make sure Angelenos felt supported, even from those thousands of miles away.

8:57 AM PT -- TMZ Sports just spoke with Michael Lombardi ... and he called all of the rumors surrounding Bill Belichick nothing more than "fake news."

UNC general manager Michael Lombardi broke out his wet blanket Thursday and threw it all over rumors that Bill Belichick could leave Chapel Hill for the NFL ... insisting the coach is staying put.

Speculation that The Hoodie might bolt reached a boiling point on Thursday AM -- after it was revealed Belichick does NOT yet have a binding contract with the Tar Heels.

Travis Kelce sure sounds like a guy who's in love ... 'cause he just raved over his relationship with Taylor Swift -- straight-up admitting he "couldn't be happier."

Stephen A. Smith grilled the Kansas City Chiefs superstar on his feelings for his girlfriend for several minutes during a recent sit-down on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" ... and check out some of the 35-year-old tight end's answers -- he certainly seems smitten.

Kelce told the ESPN analyst he and Swift are "in a strong relationship" ... and because of it, he's "as focused as I've ever been on my job."

Sam Darnold didn't torpedo his chances at a big payday after two bad games to finish the season ... at least that's what NFL super-agent Leigh Steinberg thinks -- telling TMZ Sports he believes the Minnesota Vikings will stick with him as the franchise quarterback.

Darnold -- the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 -- had a career resurgence in the 2024-25 campaign ... throwing for more than 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns as he led the Vikes to a 14-3 record.

His hot streak fizzled out down stretch, though ... with the team's Super Bowl dreams coming to an end after a poor outing against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Monday.

Drake Maye didn't get a ring to cap off his rookie season, but his longtime girlfriend did -- the New England Patriots quarterback just proposed to Ann Hudson -- and she said yes!!

The two announced the happy news on Wednesday on their Instagram pages ... with the couple revealing the 22-year-old signal-caller got on a bent knee while out at a beach.

Maye set up some roses, pillows and champagne for the occasion ... and was clearly thrilled Hudson agreed to be his forever partner by the sea.