New England wide receiver Julian Edelman admits he is sore but not concerned after catching 10 passes for 100 yards in Saturday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs that sent the Patriots to their fifth straight AFC title game.
Edelman was seen heading to the X-ray room after the 27-20 AFC divisional-round playoff victory, but there was no indication he would be in trouble for the title game against either the Denver Broncos or Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Everyone’s sore,” said Edelman, who was playing for the first time since breaking a bone in his left foot on Nov. 15. “I finished the game and feel good enough to get ready to prepare for next week.”
When asked if he needed X-rays after the game, Edelman said no, according to ESPN.com. When asked to clarify if he had X-rays, Edelman said that players couldn’t discuss injuries.
Edelman said he was nervous but excited in his return to the playoff game after a long absence.
“I was like a kid waiting to open up presents on Christmas or Hanukkah,” Edelman said.
Edelman was on the field for 52 of 59 offensive snaps and quarterback Tom Brady targeted him a team-high 16 times.
“I know the offense and Tom knows me,” Edelman said.
—Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not be at full strength but he was able to handle all of the offensive plays in Sunday’s divisional-round playoff game against the Denver Broncos.
The Steelers listed Roethlisberger as questionable on Friday’s injury report with a sprained AC joint and ligament damage in his right shoulder, but he was active and started Sunday’s game.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning on NFL Network that Big Ben threw the ball well in practice on Friday and should be fine to run the entire playbook.
Roethlisberger suffered the injury to his right shoulder after a hit from Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict during the Steelers’ 18-16 wild-card win last week.
—Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was active and made his return in Sunday’s NFC divisional-round playoff game against the Carolina Panthers.
Lynch missed the previous eight games with an abdominal injury and was listed as probable on Friday’s injury report.
Lynch rushed for 20 yards on six carries and caught two passes for 15 yards as the Panthers held off a furious Seahawks rally to survive 31-24.
Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn was active after being listed as questionable on Friday. Ginn was out in the regular-season finale with a knee injury. He did not catch a pass in Sunday’s game.
—The Tennessee Titans will release defensive coordinator Ray Horton from his contract, and Horton will be hired as the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator, the Tennessean reported.
Horton’s departure from the Titans comes after an issue that led to Horton reportedly being “insulted.”
The Titans released Horton from his contract one day after he was passed over for the head coaching job that was given to Mike Mularkey.
Horton requested a release from his contract, and it was granted by Titans president and CEO Steve Underwood.
Horton will join Hue Jackson’s staff in Cleveland, according to John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance which promotes NFL minority hiring.
Horton served as the Titans’ defensive coordinator for two seasons, but Dick LeBeau was hired last season as assistant head coach for the defense. LeBeau is likely to remain on Mularkey’s staff with the Titans.
—The Miami Dolphins are expected to hire Clyde Christensen as their offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
Christensen, who has spent 14 seasons on the coaching staff of the Indianapolis Colts, will work under new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday night.
Christensen, 59, was the Colts’ quarterbacks coach the past four seasons and worked with Andrew Luck. He also served three seasons as offensive coordinator with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis and seven seasons as the Colts’ wide receiver coach.
—The New York Giants plan to hire Adam Henry, who was Odell Beckham Jr.’s college position coach, to be their wide receivers coach, according to multiple reports.
Henry spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers as wide receivers coach. He was LSU’s wide receivers coach from 2012 to 2014.
Beckham played under Henry for the final two years of his collegiate career that resulted in the star wide receiver being a first-round pick.
A source confirmed to ESPN.com on Sunday that Adam will join the Giants under new head coach Bob McAdoo.
—The Arizona Cardinals’ dramatic 26-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in Saturday night’s playoff game is the highest-rated divisional-round game ever.
According to Fast National data from the Nielsen Company, the NFC divisional game on NBC posted an 18.8/33 household rating.
In addition, NBC’s Packers-Cardinals telecast (8:16-11:41 p.m. ET) averaged 33.7 million viewers to rank as the second-most watched Saturday primetime divisional game ever (34.2 million viewers for Denver Broncos-New England Patriots game on CBS on Jan. 14, 2012).
The household rating and viewership for the Packers-Cardinals game both are up 9 percent over last year’s primetime Saturday NFC divisional playoff (17.2/29 and 31.0 million viewers for Carolina Panthers-Seattle Seahawks on FOX).
Viewership peaked at 38.7 million (21.8/40 rating) for the game’s dramatic conclusion from 11:15-11:41p.m. ET, featuring Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary to tie the score on the final play of regulation and the 75-yard catch-and-run by Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to set up his game-winning, 5-yard TD on a shovel pass two plays later.
—Clete Blakeman made his own decision before the start of overtime Saturday between the Cardinals and Packers when he opted to attempt a second coin toss, the NFL said.
Blakeman, the referee in the divisional playoff game at University of Phoenix Stadium, chose to redo the toss before overtime when his initial attempt was called out by all four Packers’ captains at midfield when it did not flip.
“There is nothing in the rulebook that specifies (a required flip),” NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement. “But the referee used his judgment to determine that basic fairness dictated that the coin should flip for the toss to be valid. That is why he re-tossed the coin.”
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers called tails. Blakeman tossed the coin but it did not flip, landing on heads, just as it was presented to the players.
Rodgers said when Blakeman picked up the coin to flip it again, he should have been offered a chance to call “heads.”
—Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb was released from an Arizona hospital and plans to return to Green Bay.
Cobb announced he was leaving the hospital via Twitter.
“I’m feeling much better. Thank you for all the prayers and support.”
Cobb was hurt in the first quarter of Green Bay’s loss to Arizona. He was caught on camera spitting up blood on the field. The Packers ruled him out for the game with what was termed a chest injury.