Zak Keefer

LAS VEGAS — The has a repeat champion for the first time in 19 years. The , with a third Super Bowl triumph in five seasons, cemented the league’s modern-day dynasty with a 25-22 overtime win against the on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This one, the same as the last two for Kansas City and its superstar quarterback , came with a stirring second-half comeback and, this time, with some late heroics in overtime. ’s 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime put the 49ers…

LAS VEGAS — After ’s three-yard touchdown grab clinched the third Super Bowl win in five seasons, it all went dark. “I blacked out,” Hardman said on the Allegiant Stadium field an hour later. “After I caught it, I can’t remember a thing that happened next.” What happened next: a mob of teammates rushed toward him while the elation of back-to-back world championships started to sink in. Same as the previous two, required a 10-point second-half comeback, and again, Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ veteran…

Athletes First is directing its NFL Draft prospects not to participate in any cognitive testing in the pre-draft evaluation process this year. One of the leading agencies representing players, Athletes First emailed NFL teams last month to notify them of the decision. Three executives for two different NFL clubs confirmed that they received the email. “After much internal discussion, the agents at Athletes First have directed our draft prospects to respectfully pass on participating in any cogn…

The truth is never let it get to him, even as draft day neared and the questions started coming and the conversation around him shifted. “Look at my perspective,” he’d say later. “I’m about to get drafted regardless of that dang test.” He was right — Stroud, the Ohio State quarterback who was among the top prospects in last year’s NFL Draft, still went second to the , and in a matter of months, the 22-year-old would put together one of the most prolific seasons by a rookie quarterback in league…

Picture him, just 9 years old, walking the streets of San Francisco each morning, dropping off his younger sister at school, then hustling back home to take care of his baby brother. His chair in Mr. Klaus’ third-grade class sits empty, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. Picture him, summoning the courage to write a letter to the man he kept hearing about — “You run just like your pops!” they’d tell him on the football field — but rarely saw. Then stamping that letter. Then mailing it to h…

OAKLAND — The quarterback wasn’t there. No mention of his name across two hours. Maybe there was no need. The mere prospect of a pairing had already served its purpose — driving news cycles, stirring speculation, drumming up intrigue around a longshot bid for the White House by an outsider intent on defying political norms. But running for Vice President of the United States? Advertisement This not only defied political norms, it strained credulity. It was all but impossible to envision Rodgers…

Most afternoons he’d sit solo in the back corner of the locker room, eating alone while teammates gathered for lunch inside the cafeteria. He seemed unbothered by the bustle surrounding him — music thumping, reporters mingling, players hollering back and forth as practice neared. Advertisement Vontae Davis slumped on his stool in silence, his back to the room, picking at his food from a Styrofoam takeout box. The scene spoke to his role on the field — a lockdown cornerback, Davis often worked o…

LAS VEGAS — While the glow of a magenta floor lamp bounces off his satin Super Bowl LVIII jacket, collects himself. Eight years later, the memory still stings. Give the man a minute … Newton sits up in his seat, locks eyes with two of his former teammates, then starts to relive the most agonizing moment of his football career. “We blew it, bro,” he says. “ I blew it.” Advertisement The 2015 NFL MVP is in a room at the end of a long hallway inside Caesar’s Palace, tucked away from bustling black…

The last time we saw him in this type of setting — cameras on, microphones hot — Andrew Luck had tape on his ankle and tears in his eyes. He was broken. We were stunned. This time, almost five years removed, he wore a navy sportscoat and trendy glasses, belting out that hyuk-hyuk-hyuk laugh of his. He admitted how excited he was pulling into the Colts’ facility Friday afternoon, thinking back to where he used to park before practice. He bragged how proud he was that both of his daughters were bo…

The phone call Adam Schefter always feared came on his first Sunday at home in five months. It was early March, and ESPN’s senior NFL reporter had recently flown back from Indianapolis after a week at the scouting combine. He was about to sit down for breakfast with his family when his cell buzzed. Advertisement It was his boss, Seth Markman. “We lost him,” was all Markman could muster. For years, Schefter had known the call might come — when your close friend and colleague is diagnosed with Sta…