INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts made it official Monday: quarterbacks coach Marcus Brady has been promoted to offensive coordinator.

He will become the NFL's third Black offensive coordinator, replacing Nick Sirianni who took the Philadelphia Eagles head coaching job last week. The other two Black offensive coordinators are Kansas City's Eric Bieniemy and Tampa Bay's Byron Leftwich. Those two teams will meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7.

Brady had been the Colts quarterbacks coach each of the past two seasons after serving as Indy's assistant quarterbacks coach in 2018. He spent the previous 16 seasons in the Canadian Football League - the first seven as a player, the last nine as a coach and six of those as the offensive coordinator with the Montreal Alouettes or Toronto Argonauts. Brady was part of Grey Cup championship teams in 2009, 2010 and 2017.

Read More...

The Centers for Disease Control published a scientific paper jointly authored with the NFL on Monday detailing efforts the league made to get through the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

The paper references what the league did in terms of limiting the spread of COVID-19 among its 32 teams. The study says elements can be applicable beyond the NFL to limit the spread of the virus, including "to settings such as long-term care facilities, schools, and high-density environments."

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Tom Brady has a new team, in a new town. The destination is the same: another Super Bowl.

At home, too.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) It took the Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating decades to make their third Super Bowl appearance.

Now, the defending champs are headed there for the second straight year.

Matt LaFleur put the game in the hands of his defense instead of All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a decision that will be questioned in Green Bay for years.

With a spot in the Super Bowl on the line, LaFleur opted for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 8 when trailing by eight points with just over two minutes remaining in the NFC championship game.

LAS VEGAS (AP) Oddsmakers like Kansas City to win a second straight Super Bowl, making the Chiefs a field goal or better favorite to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Westgate Superbook and the Station Casinos chain opened the game with the Chiefs favored by 3 1-2 points, with an over/under total of 57 1-2 points. The William Hill chain and Circa Sports opened the Chiefs a 3-point favorite, with a total of 57 points.

Aaron Rodgers was lamenting the sudden end of a remarkable season he'll treasure long after he's retired, running through a list of Green Bay Packers teammates he's grown the closest to.

"There's a lot of guys' futures that are uncertain, myself included," Rodgers said, managing a slight laugh as if to momentarily soften this harsh reality in the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC championship game. "That's what sad about it most."

Josh Allen played a huge role in getting the Buffalo Bills to their first AFC championship game in 27 years.

The third-year starter was the first to acknowledge he needs to be much better for the Bills to take the next step.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has already started making some of the tough decisions he believes can help Baltimore negotiate the leap from playoff qualifier to Super Bowl champion.

After releasing running back Mark Ingram and quarterback Robert Griffin III last week, DeCosta announced Monday that the Ravens won't re-sign All-Pro long snapper Morgan Cox. The 34-year-old Cox was the initial component of a highly successful placekicking unit that includes holder Sam Koch and second-team All-Pro Justin Tucker, the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history.

PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired longtime NFL assistant Alfredo Roberts as their new tight ends coach.

Roberts replaces James Daniel, who retired earlier this month after 17 seasons with the Steelers and 27 overall in the NFL. The team made the announcement on Monday.