Kyle Hightower | AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Kyle Dugger intercepted Teddy Bridgewater and returned it 39 yards for a go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter, and the New England Patriots kept their playoff hopes alive by rallying to beat the Miami Dolphins 23-21 on Sunday. Mac Jones had touchdown passes to Tyquan Thornton and Jakobi Meyers to […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — It was 2020, the NFL draft was looming, and the world was on the brink of going into hibernation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Burrow was in Miami walking out of a steakhouse with then-Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia following a pre-draft dinner. He glanced up and saw someone else […]

The Patriots’ 27-13 win over the Cardinals on Monday night will be remembered most for the injury to Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. If New England (7-6) ultimately secures a playoff spot it will also be recalled as the game that saved its season. The victory moved the Patriots into the seventh playoff position and final wild-card slot […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — If the Patriots are going to fix their ongoing issues on offense, they will have to start by perfecting the things they’ve been struggling to do consistently over their first 12 games. On Tuesday, coach Bill Belichick doubled down on what he said during an appearance on Boston’s WEEI radio on […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills had done everything this season, except earn a victory in their division. They’re hoping their first will be the one that helps put them back on the path to winning it again. Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and the Bills beat the New England Patriots 24-10 on […]

BOSTON (AP) — Camera phones throughout Boston’s TD Garden were fixed on the seats adjacent the Celtics’ bench as the Prince and Princess of Wales sat courtside in the city’s hallowed arena on Wednesday. Yet it was the Celtics’ reigning basketball prince who ultimately owned the night. Jayson Tatum had eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 49 […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The most recent time the Bills faced the Patriots, they left little doubt about their status as the pacesetter in the AFC East. Buffalo walked off the field with a 47-17 win in the wild-card round of the playoffs this past January, demoralizing a New England team that was celebrating being […]

BOSTON (AP) — Marcus Smart laughs when he thinks about how far Jaylen Brown has come since he was a rookie. There were moments during that 2016 season when he remembers a 19-year-old Brown at times recklessly driving 1-on-5 and throwing up wild shots at the rim. “His excuse was: ‘When everybody is telling me […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The NFL went 10 weeks and hundreds of kicks without a player returning a punt for a touchdown. Marcus Jones made the first of the season one to remember. The New England rookie returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with 5 seconds remaining and the Patriots outlasted the stunned […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots returned from their bye week very much in the AFC playoff picture. But so is everyone else in an AFC East that suddenly has the most parity in the NFL. Entering Week 11 it’s the only division in the league featuring all four teams with records above .500. New […]

BOSTON (AP) — Grant Williams dubbed himself “Batman” after he helped the Boston Celtics neutralize Nuggets star Nikola “Joker” Jokic during a win in Denver late last season. The Celtics relied on their offense to keep the reigning back-to-back MVP from getting his revenge. Jayson Tatum had 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists and […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — As a rookie NFL quarterback, Mac Jones approached nearly everything he did last season like a sponge. The formula was uncomplicated: Take in the information, concepts, plays, and instructions as presented, then execute as asked. It helped him set the standard among the league’s first-year signal callers, as he led the […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick believes he doesn’t truly get a clear picture of the identity or potential of his team until sometime around the Thanksgiving holiday each season. New England isn’t quite to that point as it enters its bye week. But the Patriots coach isn’t short on information about a group that […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — When Patriots linebacker Matt Judon is lined up alongside Lawrence Guy, he expects good things to happen. As teammates in Baltimore early in their careers, they often took turns clearing paths for one another to get the quarterback. “When I see him in the gap, I know I can wrap around […]

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 36 points and 12 rebounds, including some late free throws to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 123-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Malcolm Brogdon added 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Jaylen Brown scored 16 points for Boston, which has won two of […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots meet for the second straight year with their seasons at a crossroads. Last year, both were coming off bye-week breaks entering Week 15 when the Colts — 7-6 at the time — hosted a Patriots squad that was 9-4 and riding a seven-game winning […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick wanted to see how Mac Jones began the practice week before making a decision about who would play quarterback for the Patriots this week. On Thursday, he said he’d seen enough to make that call, saying Jones will be the Sunday’s starter against the Jets. “That’s the decision, so […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones believes he deserves to start the Patriots’ matchup with the Jets on Sunday. Whether he’s definitively been told that he will is a different matter. “I plan to start every game that I’ve ever played in, Whether that was in pee-wee football or third string at Alabama,” he said […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones is back for the New England Patriots. But his return hasn’t alleviated their uncertainty at quarterback. In fact, it may have made it even murkier with the Patriots suddenly in the cellar of the AFC East they used to dominate. Coach Bill Belichick was noncommittal Tuesday on what direction […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Plenty has changed for the New England Patriots offense in the three weeks since Mac Jones took his most recent snap at quarterback. Two other players have had a chance to lead it. One of them, Brian Hoyer, joined Jones on the sideline following a concussion. And the other, rookie Bailey […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick has never hidden his affinity for football history. New England’s coach is enamored with the game’s evolution and contributions by its pioneers, their names etched like hashmarks in the annals of the sport where he’s spent nearly four decades. After the Patriots’ win at Cleveland last week, Belichick asked […]

BOSTON (AP) — A scandal off the court cast a shadow over the Boston Celtics entering the preseason. On the court, they opened the regular season looking like a team still very much capable of contending for a championship. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points and the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The idea that rookie Bailey Zappe could supplant Mac Jones as the Patriots’ starting quarterback was preposterous in the aftermath of his first career victory. It still feels far-fetched following a second productive outing by Zappe during New England’s 38-15 win over Cleveland on Sunday. But there’s no denying the Patriots’ offense has […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — For the third straight week, who will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback is an open question. Mac Jones returned to the practice field Wednesday, but was listed as a limited participant as he continues to recover from the ankle injury that has sidelined him each of the past two games. He […]