Sports·Roundup
The New England Patriots have fired coach Jerod Mayo after one season, beginning another reboot for the franchise just a year after it parted with longtime coach Bill Belichick.
Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers throws 500th career TDThe Associated Press
· Posted: Jan 05, 2025 6:13 PM EST | Last Updated: 10 hours ago
Head coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots after his team defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-16 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. (Getty Images)The New England Patriots have fired coach Jerod Mayo after one season, beginning another reboot for the franchise just a year after it parted with longtime coach Bill Belichick.
Owner Robert Kraft announced the firing in a statement shortly after New England closed its 4-13 season with a 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills. Kraft called it “one of the hardest decisions” he’s had to make.
A former Patriots linebacker who worked as an assistant under Belichick, Mayo started the season with a strong endorsement from Kraft. But he struggled to get the most out of a young roster that included rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
New England’s win, combined with the Tennessee Titan’s loss to Houston, gave this year’s No. 1 pick to the 3-14 Titans.
The firing comes on a day the league’s playoff picture became clear.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South and the Washington Commanders locked up the NFC’s No. 6 seed.
A 27-19 comeback victory over New Orleans for Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the Buccaneers secured the NFC’s final playoff spot. The Denver Broncos were playing to lock up the AFC’s last opening in Sunday’s late afternoon schedule.
Tampa Bay’s win eliminated Atlanta, which lost to Carolina in overtime. The Buccaneers will be the NFC’s No. 3 seed if the Los Angeles Rams lose to Seattle. If the Rams win, they’ll be the fourth seed.
The Commanders beat Dallas 23-19 behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s two touchdown passes. Washington will play either the Buccaneers or the Rams on the road in the wild-card round.
Green Bay, which lost 24-22 to Chicago, will be the seventh seed and visits No. 2 seed Philadelphia. The Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in the season opener in Brazil.
The NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed will be decided when the Lions (14-2) host the Vikings (14-2) on Sunday night. The winner clinches the division, the top spot and a bye next week. The loser gets the No. 5 seed and travels to either Tampa Bay or Los Angeles for a wild-card game. Detroit clinches if the final game of the regular season ends in a tie.
The AFC’s playoff picture became more clear on Saturday when the Baltimore Ravens beat Cleveland to clinch the North and the No. 3 seed. The Kansas City Chiefs already locked up a first-round bye, the Buffalo Bills are the No. 2 seed and the Houston Texans are No. 4.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be either the fifth or sixth seed. If the Los Angeles Chargers beat Las Vegas, they’ll be No. 5. The Chargers would drop to No. 6 with a loss.
The Broncos needed a victory over Kansas City to secure the seventh seed. If Denver loses, the Dolphins get the final spot with a win over the Jets. The Bengals need Denver and Miami to lose to earn the last playoff spot.
Rodgers hits 500 TD milestoneAaron Rodgers became the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 career regular-season touchdown passes, accomplishing the feat in the second quarter of the New York Jets’ game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
On first-and-goal from the 5, Rodgers dropped back and then ran forward in the pocket to buy some time before zipping a pass to Tyler Conklin in the end zone to give the Jets a 7-6 lead with 7:57 left before halftime.
He joins Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508) as the only players to reach the milestone.
