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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks three days after losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Kyle Shanahan announced the decision on Wednesday to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense. Shanahan called it a “really tough decision” but said he wants to find a coordinator who was a better scheme fit for the talent on San Francisco's defense. "We felt pretty strongly that this was the decision that was best for our organization,” he said. Passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak will become offensive coordinator in New Orleans, running backs coach Anthony Lynn will be run game coordinator in Washington, assistant defensive line coach Darryl Tapp will take over as defensive line coach in Washington and assistant offensive line coach James Cregg will become offensive line coach in Las Vegas.

Persons: Steve Wilks, Kyle Shanahan, Wilks, Shanahan, ”, ” Shanahan, DeMeco Ryans, Steve, Patrick Mahomes, Nick Bosa, Klint Kubiak, Anthony Lynn, Darryl Tapp, James Cregg, ___ Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, Super, Kansas City Chiefs, San, Niners, Chiefs, Kansas City Locations: SANTA CLARA, Calif, Houston, San Francisco, Green Bay, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington, Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Christian McCaffrey ran away with the AP Offensive Player of the Year award announced at NFL Honors on Thursday night. Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt for AP Defensive Player of the Year. First-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes are three and third-place votes are one. Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, outgaining both Jalen Carter and Kobie Turner by two first-place votes. Anderson and Stroud are the fourth teammates to win the offensive and defensive rookie awards in the same season.

Persons: — Christian McCaffrey, Francisco’s, Myles Garrett, T.J, Watt, Nacua, Will Anderson Jr, outgaining, Jalen Carter, Kobie Turner, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Kevin Stefanski, DeMeco Ryans, Stefanski, Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, Jim Schwartz, Schwartz, Mike Macdonald, Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Lamar Jackson, McCaffrey, Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Maxx Crosby, Garrett, Bland, Stroud, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Sam LaPorta Organizations: LAS VEGAS, AP, outpacing Dolphins, NFL, Stroud, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, Texans, Anderson, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Houston, Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Cowboys, Ravens, NFC, 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, AFC South, Lions, AP NFL Locations: Stroud

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Steve Wilks has had a roller coaster ride in his first season as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. But the season will end with Wilks calling plays in the Super Bowl with the task of slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Wilks then joined the Niners staff, while the Panthers had a 2-15 season and fired coach Frank Reich after 11 games. Wilks is now headed to his third Super Bowl as an assistant coach, having lost previous trips in the 2006 season with Chicago and the 2015 season with Carolina when he was a defensive backs coach. While Wilks is focused on the task at hand, he did take time to send out a message on social media after the Niners won the NFC title game.

Persons: — Steve Wilks, DeMeco Ryans, Wilks, Patrick Mahomes, Jahmyr Gibbs, ” Wilks, We’ve, Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, “, ” Warner, hasn’t, ” Bosa, it’s, ”, Frank Reich, Lynch, “ He’s, ” Lynch Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, NFC, Detroit, Niners, NFL, Ryans, 49ers, Super, Panthers, Chicago, Carolina, Twitter, Warner Locations: SANTA CLARA, Calif, takeaways, Carolina

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has decided to stay with the team and turn down potential opportunities to be an NFL head coach next season, leading the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks to turn to other candidates. Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Johnson informed teams he would not be leaving the Lions. One of the people familiar with the situation said the Washington brass is still meeting with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Their 34-31 loss to San Francisco on Sunday paved the way for teams to hire Johnson or Glenn. It’s unclear if they’ll pivot to former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, their own offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy or someone else after missing out on the opportunity to hire Johnson.

Persons: Ben Johnson, Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Glenn, Dan Campbell, Campbell, ”, Jared Goff’s, DeMeco Ryans, they’ve, Dan Quinn, Bobby Slowik, Mike Macdonald, Anthony Weaver, Mike Vrabel, Eric Bieniemy, Pete Carroll, Quinn, Macdonald, ___ Whyno, Tim Booth, ___ Organizations: DETROIT, — Detroit Lions, NFL, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, Associated Press, Lions, Seahawks, NFC, San, Miami, Boston College, Dolphins, Detroit, Houston Texans, Seattle, AP Locations: Washington, San Francisco, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Tennessee, Seattle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The National Football League has urged teams for years to hire more minority head coaches. “The league has been struggling to raise the percentage of head coaches of color, particularly Black head coaches,” Lapchick told The Associated Press. Rivera believes the success of existing minority head coaches in the 2023 season “absolutely” impacted the number of minority hires this year. Rivera, like many minority head coaches, hopes that one day color won't be an issue. “There are enough good coaches now where we can start saying, 'Hey, let’s just call everybody a head coach, not necessarily minority head coach.

Persons: CHARLOTTE, Richard Lapchick, “, ” Lapchick, Rooney, Morris, Canales, “ I'm, ”, Ron Rivera, ” Rivera, — Morris, Pierce, Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles, Houston’s, Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, Rivera, Bowles, Ryans, Tomlin, McDaniel, let’s Organizations: National Football League, The Institute, Diversity, NFL, Associated Press, Rams, Falcons, Buccaneers, New York Jets, Lebanese Locations: N.C, Carolina, Washington, Mayo, Tampa, Mexican American

Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott are finalists for The Associated Press 2023 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb are the other two finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and also ran for 821 yards and five scores. Cowboys edge Micah Parsons and cornerback DaRon Bland, Raiders edge Maxx Crosby and Steelers edge T.J. Watt join Garrett as finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik also are finalists for Assistant Coach of the Year.

Persons: Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, CeeDee Lamb, Jackson, McCaffrey, Purdy, Myles Garrett, Kevin Stefanski, Joe Flacco, Jim Schwartz, QB C.J ., Will Anderson Jr, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Maxx, Watt, Garrett, Crosby, Parsons, Bland, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Nacua, Bijan Robinson, Jalen Carter, Kobie Turner, Joey Porter Jr, Devon Witherspoon, Anderson, Houston’s DeMeco, Detroit’s Dan Campbell, San, Kyle Shanahan, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, Deshaun Watson, Ryans, Campbell, Harbaugh, Shanahan, Schwartz, Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken, Bobby Slowik, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Tua Tagovailoa, Damar Hamlin, Rob Maaddi Organizations: Associated Press, 49ers, Dolphins, Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Houston, AP, Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, AFC, Prescott, NFL, NFC, Green Bay, San, Detroit Lions, The Cleveland Browns, The Houston Texans, New York Jets, Texans, Browns, Baltimore, Raiders, Maxx Crosby, Steelers, Lions, Rams, Falcons, Eagles, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bills, Flacco, Voters, Twitter Locations: Dallas, Green, San Francisco, QB C.J . Stroud, Stroud, Detroit

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Houston Texans ended their season the same way they started it: with a loss in Baltimore. After going 3-13-1 a year ago, the Texans rode a terrific season by rookie quarterback C.J. “Proud of our guys for their effort throughout this entire season, for getting to this moment,” rookie coach DeMeco Ryans said. They deserved to win,” Stroud said. That all but signified the end for the youthful Texans, who had rookies accumulate 2,536 snaps on offense this season — second most in the NFL behind the Carolina Panthers.

Persons: C.J ., Cleveland, “, DeMeco Ryans, “ It’s, Stroud, That’s, ” Stroud, They’ve, ” Ryans, ” Houston's, Steven Sims, Lamar Jackson, Isaiah, Houston Organizations: BALTIMORE, The Houston Texans, Texans, Ravens, AFC South, AFC, Browns, NFL, Ohio State, Carolina Panthers Locations: Baltimore, C.J . Stroud, Houston

HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie C.J. Stroud impressed fans across the country with his poise and calmness in leading the Houston Texans to a win over Cleveland in his playoff debut. At just 22, he became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game. “I’ve been this way since I’ve been a child… I’ve always been the youngest in my family. Stroud threw for 242 yards in that game but failed to get the Texans in the end zone in the 25-9 loss.

Persons: Stroud, “ He’s, Bobby Slowik, “, ” Stroud, Lamar Jackson, ”, Jackson, he’s, “ I’ve, I’ve, … I’ve, Slowik, ” Slowik, DeMeco Ryans, ” Ryans, ” Stroud’s, Jordan, ” Jordan, FanDuel, “ It’s, we’re Organizations: HOUSTON, Houston Texans, Cleveland, Baltimore, Saturday, Browns, “, Chargers, Cleveland’s, Stroud, NFL, Houston, Ravens, Texans Locations: Houston, Stroud, Los Angeles

Ryans took that message to heart and now in his first year as coach of the Houston Texans he’s demanded his team display the same relentless mindset. Bill O’Brien was fired after the Texans opened the 2020 season 0-4 and Romeo Crennel finished out the 4-12 campaign. Defensive back Kareem Jackson also spent two years playing alongside Ryans in Houston and has enjoyed seeing how players react to him as a coach after rejoining the Texans last month. “And it’s the same way now with him being a coach, the energy that he brings, his positivity, his aura, you want to play for a coach like that. Ryans and Stroud bonded almost immediately, and the quarterback has credited Ryans for easing his transition to the NFL.

Persons: Ryans, Houston Texans he’s, It’s, ” Ryans, He’s, Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel, David Culley, Lovie Smith, “, ”, oddsmakers, Jon Weeks, ” Weeks, Nick, …, Steven Nelson, Kareem Jackson, ” Jackson, C.J ., Stroud, ” Stroud, he’s, “ I’ve, it’s, they’ll, Ryans hasn’t Organizations: HOUSTON, Houston Texans, Texans, Baltimore, AFC, Cleveland, Nelson, Ryans, Houston’s, Stroud, NFL Locations: Houston, Ryans, C.J . Stroud, Cleveland

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. Josh Allen and the Bills have a third chance to get their first playoff win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. After a winning regular season, Pro Picks aims to rebound from a losing start in the wild-card round. LIONS, 23-20KANSAS CITY at BUFFALOLine: Bills minus 2 1/2Finally, the Bills get the Chiefs at home in January. BILLS, 24-23Last week: Straight up: 2-4.

Persons: Rob Maaddi, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Gardner, Johnson, Lamar Jackson, Stroud, DeMeco Ryans, FanDuel Sportsbook, Jackson, it’s, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Garoppolo, it’s Brock Purdy’s, Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, Love, Matt LaFleur’s, Aaron Jones, Romeo, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk, Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Mayfield, Russell Gage, he’s, Jared Goff, Mahomes, They’re, ___ Organizations: AP Pro Football, Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, 49ers, Green Bay Packers, HOUSTON, BALTIMORE, Texans, Cleveland, Ravens, Houston, RAVENS, SAN FRANCISCO, San, Packers, Dallas, The Cowboys, All, BEST BET, 49ERS, TAMPA BAY, DETROIT Line, Philadelphia, Lions, Bucs, Rams, The Lions, LIONS, KANSAS CITY, BUFFALO Line, Chiefs, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Miami Locations: Stroud, Baltimore, San Francisco, Charvarius, TAMPA, DETROIT, Tampa, Philadelphia, KANSAS

Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and the Houston Texans returned two interceptions by Joe Flacco for scores in a 45-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns in a wild-card matchup Saturday. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft last April, is also the highest-drafted rookie QB to win in the postseason. Stroud threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns before halftime as the Texans built a 24-14 lead. With the Texans up 45-14 with nine minutes to go, Stroud’s work was done, and he was replaced by Davis Mills. Two plays later, Stroud connected on a short pass with Collins for a 15-yard score to put the Texans on top 10-7.

Persons: Stroud, Joe Flacco, Nico Collins, Brevin Jordan, Dalton Schultz, Michael Vick, Steven Nelson, Christian Harris, Davis Mills, DeMeco Ryans, Kevin Stefanski, Flacco couldn’t, Mark Sanchez, Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson, Collins, Devin Singletary, Kareem Hunt, Hunt, Singletary, Houston’s, John Metchie III, Flacco, Harrison Bryant, Jordan, Stroud’s, Schultz, Derek Barnett, Nelson, Harris, LG Joel Bitonio, Noah Brown, LB Denzel Perryman, ___ Organizations: HOUSTON, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Stroud, Falcons, Packers, Texans, NFL laughingstock, AFC South, Flacco, Browns, New York Jets, Houston, Seahawks, LB Locations: Stroud, Cleveland

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesJared Goff bounced back from three picks to lead Detroit to a comeback win over Chicago last week. Jordan Love rallied the Packers to a comeback win last week over the Chargers. COWBOYS, 31-16SAN FRANCISCO at SEATTLELine: 49ers minus 7The 49ers (7-3) are healthy and back to playing at a championship caliber. VIKINGS, 24-21Last week: Straight up: 8-6.

Persons: Rob Maaddi, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, FanDuel, Kenny Pickett, Jake Browning, Joe Burrow, it’ll, Josh Allen, Geno Smith, Tua, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Bailey, Tommy DeVito, QB C.J ., DeMeco Ryans, Desmond Ridder, Derek Carr, Winston, Bryce Young, Carolina’s, Shaquille Leonard, Patrick Mahomes, They’ve, Aidan O’Connell’s, Kyler Murray, QB Dorian Thompson, Robinson, Myles Garrett, Russell Wilson, Mark Andrews, Justin Herbert can’t, Joshua Dobbs, Justin Field, ___ Organizations: AP Pro Football, Detroit Lions, Lions, Green Bay Packers, NFC, Chicago, Packers, Chargers, The Packers, Dallas, Washington, San, Seattle, LIONS, PITTSBURGH, CINCINNATI Line, Steelers, Bengals, BEST BET, STEELERS, BUFFALO, PHILADELPHIA, Eagles, Super Bowl, Kansas City, Chiefs, 49ers, Bills, WASHINGTON, DALLAS Line, Cowboys, Philadelphia, Giants . COWBOYS, FRANCISCO, SEATTLE Line, Seahawks, Rams, 49ERS, MIAMI, NEW YORK JETS Line, Dolphins, Jets, DOLPHINS, NEW YORK, Line, Patriots, Giants, PATRIOTS, JACKSONVILLE, HOUSTON Line, AFC South, Jaguars, Texans, JAGUARS, ORLEANS, ATLANTA Line, Falcons, New Orleans . FALCONS, Panthers, Titans, Tennessee, Chicago . TITANS, TAMPA BAY, Pro, Buccaneers, BUCCANEERS, LAS VEGAS, Raiders, CHIEFS, ANGELES RAMS, ARIZONA, Cardinals, RAMS, CLEVELAND, DENVER Line, Broncos, Browns, BRONCOS, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, Ravens, underachieving Chargers, RAVENS, MINNESOTA, Vikings, Bears, Detroit, VIKINGS Locations: Minnesota, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington, New York, QB C.J . Stroud, New, CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, Chicago, TAMPA, INDIANAPOLIS, KANSAS, BALTIMORE, CHICAGO

☆ No kicker? No problem: RB Ogunbowale kicks field goal in Texans' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 5, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Dare Ogunbowale (33) kicks a field goal during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium. The Texans' strategy was sent into disarray when kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn suffered an injury and was unable to compete in the second half, forcing Ogunbowale to assume place-kicking duties for the home team. With the game tied at 30-30 in the fourth quarter, Ogunbowale stepped up to take his shot and sent a 29-yard field goal through, prompting special teams coordinator Frank Ross to run on to the field as the Texans sideline erupted in celebration. For him to be able to kickoff as many times as he did... and also for him to kick the field goal -- we were confident he could make it from there and he proved us right. "It's a big-time win for us," said Stroud, as the Texans improved their record to 4-4.

Persons: Troy, Dare Ogunbowale, Ka'imi Fairbairn, Ogunbowale, Frank Ross, DeMeco Ryans, he's, C.J, Stroud, Tank Dell, We've, Amy Tennery, Clare Fallon Organizations: Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NRG, Texans, Tank, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, USA, Troy Taormina, Stroud, New York

PinnedQuarterbacks, top-10 trades and a bull market for running backs headlined the first round of this year’s N.F.L. The Carolina Panthers chose Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at No. After the Texans picked Stroud, they struck again, leaping from pick No. One unexpected development was the move toward running backs, a position that has been devalued in the N.F.L. But teams picked other quarterbacks or filled other needs, this year’s reminder that pre-draft speculation is just that.

☆ Still work to do says Goodell as old problems resurface
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Instead, he was grilled about the league's painfully slow progress when it comes to inclusion and diversity, particularly among head coaches. During last year's pre-game address, Goodell acknowledged that the NFL had fallen short when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Another persistent headache for the NFL are concussions, which jumped 18% during the 2022 regular season after three years of decline. The league came under intense criticism for its response to a concussion suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in September. "Anytime we can change the protocols to make it safer for our players we're going to do that," assured Goodell.

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