Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 for their sixth straight victory.

C.

Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee Sunday.

The Buffalo Bills have grown accustomed to spending the first month of the season leaning on backups stepping up on a depleted defense.

Some of the 18 NFL teams that missed the playoffs last year have reason to hope for much greater success this season.

Justin Jefferson earned the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history for all his accomplishments on the field over four seasons with Minnesota.

Defense became the focus of the NFL draft in the second round after a record-setting 23 offensive players were selected on Day 1.

The Buffalo Bills have agreed to trade their top receiving threat, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans in an offseason deal, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.

The Kansas City Chiefs have become known for big-name stars such as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Joe Burrow threw for a season-high 348 yards and had two touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals won their fourth straight, beating the Buffalo Bills 24-18 in a key AFC matchup.

Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and the Buffalo Bills hung on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 on Thursday night.

The Buffalo Bills haven’t looked like Super Bowl contenders in a month.

Travis Etienne rushed for 136 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the jet-lagged Buffalo Bills 25-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score, and the Buffalo Bills brought Miami’s unbeaten start to an emphatic end, beating the division rival Dolphins 48-20.

Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing, and Bills coach Sean McDermott said whatever lingering issues from last season that raised concern and confusion over the absence of Buffalo’s top receiver a day earlier have been resolved.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen declined to push the panic button while explaining how unresolved issues stemming from last season led receiver Stefon Diggs to show his displeasure by skipping the team’s start of mandatory practices.

Von Miller knows Stefon Diggs’ competitive makeup all too well to buy into the narrative the Bills receiver wants out of Buffalo.

The Buffalo Bills showed signs of taking a step back despite a season in which they matched a franchise record with 13 wins and won their third straight AFC East title.

The Buffalo Bills ended a season in which they overcame much adversity by producing a dud in a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and the divisional round of the playoffs.

Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes, the Bengals swarmed Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on a snow-slicked field and Cincinnati advanced to its second straight AFC championship game with a 27-10 win.

The AFC championship game will be played on a neutral site if the Chiefs and Bills reach that point.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday night’s game, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game against the Cincinnati Bengals that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.

Josh Allen threw a go-ahead, 5-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs late in the first half and Buffalo beat the Cleveland Browns 31-23 after the NFL moved the Bills’ home game to Detroit due to several feet of snow blanketing western New York.

Bills coach Sean McDermott says Josh Allen will miss practice because of an injury to his throwing elbow, but the star quarterback could play against the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

Josh Allen is nursing a sore right throwing elbow, leaving cause for concern over the Buffalo Bills starter’s status against the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

The Jets’ defense shut down Josh Allen, Zach Wilson threw a touchdown pass and Greg Zuerlein kicked a go-ahead 28-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining to lift the New York Jets to a stunning 20-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Aaron Rodgers frustrations were familiar after the Green Bay Packers lost their fourth straight game.

Stefon Diggs ran his mouth before running past Green Bay’s secondary as he led the Buffalo Bills to a 27-17 win over the Packers, who are off to their worst start eight games into a season under Aaron Rodgers.

The downturn in offense from the first two weeks of the NFL season hasn’t touched all corners of the league with a handful of players and teams putting up staggering numbers.

Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes, including three to Stefon Diggs, and the Buffalo Bills rolled past Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans 41-7 in their home opener.

The joy tight end Dawson Knox experienced in signing a four-year, $53.6 million contract extension with the Buffalo Bills was undercut by the recent death of his younger brother.

A person with direct knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $96 million.

Shaquille O’Neal will return to the city where he helped the Los Angeles Lakers win three straight championships.

The Chargers’ Justin Herbert hit Baltimore’s Mark Andrews with two touchdown passes to leading the AFC to a 41-35 victory over the NFC in the return of the Pro Bowl.

The fun and games surrounding the Pro Bowl haven’t stopped some of the NFL’s top players from thinking about the racial inequities spotlighted by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the league.

Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for Josh Allen’s sloppiness and the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Here are some athletes who were money in the bank for sports bettors this year: Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Jonathan Taylor set a franchise record by scoring five touchdowns in the Indianapolis Colts’ 41-15 rout of the unraveling Buffalo Bills.

Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky returned to Soldier Field and led the Buffalo Bills to a 41-15 victory over his former team, the Chicago Bears.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes during the first half of the NFC championship NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. Rodgers received 44 votes, followed by Buffalo’s Josh Allen with four, and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 MVP, with two. ___9:52 p.m.For turning around a moribund Cleveland franchise, overcoming injuries and COVID-19 concerns, Kevin Stefanski is The Associated Press 2020 NFL Coach of the Year. Ad___9:20 p.m.Justin Herbert is the latest quarterback to win The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award. ___8:08 p.m.Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has won The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award.

The Kansas City Chiefs won their first NFL title since 1970 when they beat San Francisco in last year's Super Bowl. What we get Sunday is a matchup of dynamic offenses and overlooked defenses, the top two teams in the conference. Kansas City (15-2) has the confidence of a reigning champion and a charisma few NFL teams can match. That could provide an edge over Bills rookie Tyler Bass — except that Bass has been very reliable all season. Buffalo punter Corey Bojorquez and Kansas City rookie Johnny Townsend were two of the most dependable in the AFC.

Funny thing: Even after firing him, Reid suspected deep down that McDermott was destined for big things. McDermott has the long-suffering Buffalo Bills playing in their first AFC championship game since beating Kansas City on Jan. 23, 1994, when they advanced to their fourth straight Super Bowl. They love football in Buffalo and he's really done a nice job with that whole program.”Not surprisingly, the job McDermott has done with the Bills neatly parallels the job Reid has done in Kansas City. Both have surrounded them with playmakers, such as the Bills' Stefon Diggs and the Chiefs' Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. McDermott never harbored any animosity toward Reid when he was fired from the Eagles on Jan. 15, 2011.

The Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31-26 to advance to the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay (14-5) is the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. The prize is much different this year, though, because the Super Bowl will be played in front of a far smaller crowd than usual. The first Super Bowl in 1967 was played in front of 61,946 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Eagles backup Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, a sign of things to come in the Super Bowl against New England.

The Ravens and Lamar Jackson were stymied for the much of Saturday night by a hustling, relentless Buffalo defense. Then, the biggest miscue on a night of missteps for the Ravens effectively put an end to an otherwise memorable season. In the end, however, the Ravens got blown away on a windy night by a team that chased Jackson all over the field. 1-ranked rushing game generated 150 yards, but Jackson was limited to 34 yards on nine carries with a long of 15 yards. Throwing under duress for much of the game, Jackson went 14 of 24 for 162 yards with an interception and three sacks.

Aside from winning the final Super Bowl before the merger in 1970, the Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest claim to fame for over half a century was team founder Lamar Hunt coining the phrase Super Bowl. Three long-downtrodden teams — the Browns, Bills and Buccaneers — have made it to the divisional round this weekend and are certain they have as good a chance as the Chiefs, Packers, Saints, Ravens or Rams of winning Super Bowl 55. That’s heady stuff for a franchise that has never made it to the Super Bowl. I think Bills fans, including myself, didn’t think he was going to be this good this good this early. And he has proved a lot of people wrong.”No, there’s no comparing this Bills team to those of his playing days, Thomas said.

In a season in which the Bills busted numerous slumps, Allen became Buffalo's first starter in a quarter century to win a playoff game. Made enough plays to win,” Allen said. The Colts responded with a seven-play, 75-play drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Pascal. Rivers’ pass for Michael Pittman glanced off the diving receiver’s fingertips on fourth down. Facing fourth-and-3 from the Colts 26, Allen drew defensive end Kemoko Turay offside with a second left on the play clock.

The Los Angeles Rams are leading the Seattle Seahawks 23-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Rams have taken a 20-10 halftime lead over the Seahawks in their wild card game at Seattle. Metcalf to cut the Los Angles Rams' lead to 13-10 in the second quarter of their wild card game. The Buffalo Bills are taking a 17-10 lead over Indianapolis into the fourth quarter at Buffalo. Washington won the middling NFC East despite a 7-9 record to earn a home wild card game.

(AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File)Dynamic defensive star Aaron Donald and unstoppable tight end Travis Kelce were unanimous choices Friday for The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team. Donald, who has helped the Los Angeles Rams to the top-ranked defense in the NFL, earned his sixth All-Pro selection. “I think the best display of greatness is making people around you better,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Donald. Joining Donald and Kelce were 15 players returning to the squad, and 14 newcomers. Rounding out the offense were Cleveland right tackle Jack Conklin (second selection), and Washington right guard Brandon Scherff (first).

While the Chiefs get another week’s rest, the six other AFC playoff teams get going this weekend. For just the second time since the 1970 league merger, every team in the AFC playoffs has at least 11 wins. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 54, 31-20 over the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, 2020, at Miami. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 43, 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1, 2009, at Tampa, Florida. Their pass rush is nearly nonexistent with 19 sacks, the fewest by a playoff team since Denver had 19 in 1979.

Young and Jefferson made the Pro Bowl, and surely more rookies would have joined them as alternates at the league’s now-canceled all-star game. “It’s crazy unusual for a rookie, I think, to have the type of leadership that Chase has, genuine leadership,” Washington quarterback Alex Smith said. “I think a lot of young guys, especially high picks, I think you feel pressure to do it some way or somehow. “Talk about a rookie coming in, starting every game and just being focused,” Browns Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio said of Wills. “We’re growing and we’re starting to get a hang of the game,” said Dolphins right tackle Robert Hunt, a second-round pick and one of six Miami rookies starting on offense.

DENVER – Donning gray caps that declared them AFC East champions for the first time since 1995, the Buffalo Bills acted like this was old hat. “To be the team and to be the quarterback on the team that does it, obviously feels really good. “But there’s still a lot on the table.”Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said he received a congratulatory email from Marv Levy, the last Bills coach to win the AFC East. He also missed the 51-yard field goal attempt way to the right on Denver’s opening drive. Broncos: visit the Los Angeles Chargers, who they rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat on Nov. 1 with a touchdown as time ran out.

1 conference seed is tight, with the Packers one game ahead of the Saints, the Rams and Seahawks one game behind. Drew Brees will be active after missing four games with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung, making for an intriguing matchup with Patrick Mahomes. The Bills (11-3) scored twice in a 17-second span in the third quarter to ice their fourth straight victory that officially ended the New England Patriots’ 11-year reign atop the division. The Ravens have run for at least 100 yards in 36 straight games, seven short of the NFL record set by Pittsburgh from 1974-77. Baltimore is averaging 173.8 yards on the ground and topped 200 yards in each of the past two games.

His 28 TDs passing rank second most on the team list, and five behind the single-season record set by Kelly in ’91. Acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March, Diggs now has 100 catches to match the Bills’ single-season record set by Eric Moulds in 2002. The Steelers continue to resemble nothing of the team that set a franchise record by winning its first 11 games. The game was decided midway through the fourth quarter after Buffalo’s Tyler Bass hit a 23-yard field goal to put the Bills up 26-15. SACK STREAKThe Steelers extended their sack streak to a 70th consecutive game to break the NFL record set by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1999 to 2003.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton (27) celebrates with teammate Daniel Sorensen (49) after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)NEW YORK – With nearly all NFL teams already a quarter of the way through the regular season, there are four teams off to a 4-0 start: the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills. And those teams maintained the top four spots in the latest AP Pro32 poll. “Still good enough to beat the Patriots to keep Kansas City unbeaten, and still good enough to complement a very, very good defense.”The Seahawks followed at No. “You could not have overestimated the leap Josh Allen would make in his third NFL season,” said Jenny Vrentas of The Monday Morning Quarterback.

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (90) celebrates after recovering a fumble by the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020, in Las Vegas. Shaking off a second-quarter stinger, Allen threw two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Buffalo Bills to a 30-23 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Las Vegas (2-2) lost its second straight game and first inside the shiny new $2 billion Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas gave the ball back to the Bills by way of punt, fumble, downs and another fumble before scoring on its final possession. Las Vegas had allowed scores on nine straight non-kneeldown drives.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, left, looks to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)The Latest on Week 3 in the NFL (all times EDT):__8 p.m.Russell Wilson threw for 315 yards and five touchdowns without an interception as the Seattle Seahawks edged the Dallas Cowboys 38-31. -Tim Booth reporting from Seattle__6:15 p.m.Russell Wilson has thrown three touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett and the Seattle Seahawks have a 23-15 halftime lead over the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson capped his big first half with a 1-yard toss to Lockett with 7 seconds left in the half. Out of 48 NFL games so far in 2020, 10 have included paying customers.

(AP Photo/John Froschauer)The Latest on Week 2 in the NFL (all times EDT):___8:55 p.m.Seattle safety Quandre Diggs was ejected late in the first quarter Sunday night for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New England’s N’Keal Harry. Multiple flags were thrown and after a few minutes of deliberation, referee Craig Wrolstad announced Diggs had been ejected. Watkins made an 11-yard catch to convert a third down when Desmond King started to bring him down and Denzel Perryman landed a helmet-to-helmet hit. San Francisco lost both defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to left knee injuries earlier in the game. Brady struggled in an 11-point loss to New Orleans in his first NFL game not in a New England Patriots uniform.

(AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Josh Allen led three consecutive first-half touchdown drives, and the Buffalo Bills overcame their own sloppiness and injuries to two starting linebackers in a 27-17 season-opening win over the New York Jets on Sunday. Allen finished 33 of 46 for 312 yards in becoming Buffalo's first player to top 300 yards since Tyrod Taylor had 329 in a 34-31 overtime loss to Miami on Dec. 24, 2016. Allen also scored on a 2-yard run, though his fumbles proved costly with both coming inside Jets territory. After driving the Bills on three consecutive scoring drives, Allen closed the first half by fumbling at the Jets 12. The Jets finished the game without starting running back Le’Veon Bell, who was ruled out in the second half due to a hamstring injury.

FILE - Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater watches during an NFL football camp practice Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers invested $63 million over three years in Bridgewater, and the QB has proclaimed, “this definitely feels like my team." I remember everybody was hurting in practice," Diggs said. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who worked with Bridgewater while with the Saints, is confident Bridgewater can be thrive in Carolina. “Knowing what I know now, I would just go back and tell myself the moment I was on the ground screaming in pain, ‘life is just a race,’” Bridgewater said.