Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him via Twitter @SeifertESPN.
The NFL Referees Association on Tuesday joined league commissioner Roger Goodell in dismissing suggestions that officials favor the Kansas City Chiefs when working their games.
A day after Goodell called it a “ridiculous theory,” NFLRA executive director Scott Green said in a statement that Goodell’s comments were “spot on.”
League rules prohibit officials from speaking publicly except in postgame pool reports that are monitored by the league. But Green, a retired referee speaking on behalf of the officiating union, pointed out that crews don’t work more than two of any team’s games.
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“It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team,” Green said. “NFL officials are graded every week, on every single play of each game. These grades are the determining factor as to who receives postseason assignments. The NFLRA commends its members, who all strive to do exactly what all 32 NFL teams do, which is to excel at their jobs so that they are working the last game of the season — the Super Bowl.”
Goodell and other league officials have said the league will likely expand its replay assist program to include some calls that have drawn attention around Chiefs games, most notably quarterback slides. Those options will be discussed by the league’s competition committee.
“There are many things that fans can worry about over a 17-game season,” Green said, “such as coaching decisions, player injuries, the weather and, yes, even close calls on incredible plays made by incredible athletes. But you can rest assured that on every single down, NFL officials, both on the field and in the replay booth, are doing everything humanly possible to officiate every play correctly.”
Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Hall of Famer and former player Tony Boselli as the franchise’s executive vice president of football operations.
Boselli, who has been part of the team’s radio broadcast as a color analyst since 2013, will join head coach Liam Coen and the eventual new general manager in reporting directly to owner Shahid Khan. The trio will be tasked with collaborating and aligning on all major football decisions.
“I’ve had a bunch of different roles in this organization, everything from a player to an ambassador, to helping on season tickets, to doing radio,” Boselli said. “You name it, I’ve done everything. But this is really the job I’ve dreamed about and I can’t thank Shad Kahn and his family more than giving me the honor or giving me the privilege. And it’s really an honor to be in this role and that he would trust me and his family would trust me with this responsibility.
“And I can’t tell you how dang excited I am. I mean, this is a dream come true for me.”
Boselli served as an adviser to Khan in the team’s search for a head coach after Khan fired Doug Pederson on Jan. 6, and now he’ll work alongside Coen and Khan in finding a new general manager. Trent Baalke, who had been the GM since 2021, and the team parted ways on Jan. 22.
“Few people have better relationships throughout the NFL, know the game, and understand the value of strong team identity and culture as well as Tony Boselli,” Khan said in a statement. “Tony has a wealth of football acumen that we respect and need, and his counsel will be tremendously valuable to me and our football leadership team during this current rebirth and for many seasons to come.”
Boselli’s primary responsibilities will be player engagement, football technology, football travel and logistics, equipment, sports performance, team security, and football communications. He’ll also be the liaison between football operations and the business side of the franchise.
“My job is to help other people have success, to move the ball down the field to go score,” Boselli said. “And it’s not about me. It’s about the organization. It’s about the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s about the Khan family. And every decision I make, every piece of advice I give will be through the lens of one thing: Is it good for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Khan family and does it help us win football games?”
Boselli, 52, was the first-draft pick in Jaguars history, going second overall in 1995. He played seven seasons and was a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1990s Team. Boselli was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars head coach Liam Coen hired Green Bay Packers linebackers coach/run game coordinator Anthony Campanile to be the team’s defensive coordinator.
“Anthony Campanile represents exactly what we want to be as a defensive unit and football team,” Coen said in a statement Thursday. “He brings an aggressive defensive mindset and a system that is adaptable to our players and allows them to play fast and physical.”
In addition to Campanile, Coen interviewed Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Minnesota pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones, and Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant.
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Campanile, 42, has spent the past five seasons as an NFL assistant coach, first with the Miami Dolphins as linebackers coach (2020-23) and then with the Packers last season.
The Packers ranked seventh in the NFL in rushing defense at 99.4 yards per game allowed and third in the league in yards per carry (4.0) this season. In Campanile’s four seasons in Miami, the Dolphins gave up an average of 4.2 yards per carry (10th in the NFL) and 106.4 yards per game rushing, the sixth-best mark in that span.
Campanile spent six seasons as a high school coach in New Jersey, including five seasons at Don Bosco Prep — three as defensive coordinator, two as offensive coordinator — before joining Rutgers as a defensive assistant in 2012. He also coached tight ends and receivers in his four seasons at Rutgers.
Campanile also spent three seasons at Boston College (2016-18) and one at Michigan before joining Brian Flores’ staff in Miami.
The Kansas City Chiefs are chasing history. Only the Philadelphia Eagles are standing in their way.
The Chiefs are the NFL ninth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls and are trying to become the first to win three straight championships in the Super Bowl era when they meet the Eagles on Feb. 9 in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).
Kansas City went 15-2 during the regular season, tying for the best record in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. It was still underwhelming at times. Eleven of the Chiefs’ wins came by one score, and they ranked 11th in point margin per game at 3.47.
But they managed to win a ninth straight AFC West championship, clinch the AFC’s top playoff seed and earn the conference’s only first-round postseason bye. Playing both of their playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans 23-14 in the divisional round before winning the AFC Championship Game over the Buffalo Bills 32-29.
The victory over the Bills was the 17th straight for the Chiefs in games decided by one score. The streak is an NFL record and dates back to 2023 when they won their final three postseason games by seven points or fewer.
Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, we assess the biggest questions surrounding this Chiefs team. — Adam Teicher
How well can the Chiefs defend the Eagles’ tush push?
Judging solely by how they defended the play against the Bills in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs have reason to believe they can hold up well. Allen and Buffalo tried it six times against the Chiefs but converted twice. One stop came on fourth down at the Kansas City 41 in the fourth quarter when the Chiefs trailed by a point. They used the favorable field position to score the go-ahead touchdown, though the Bills would eventually score a TD of their own to tie the score at 29-29.
“The [defensive] line has to be dominant,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said after the game on how the Chiefs defended the tush push. “Your two [nose guards] and your two ends have to be physical on the inside. We were very successful tonight in limiting Josh Allen on the QB sneaks.”
Kansas City hasn’t fared as well in defending quarterback Jalen Hurts on the tush push. He used it to score two touchdowns against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII two years ago. Hurts also used it to score the winning touchdown against Kansas City in the fourth quarter of a Week 11 regular-season game last season. — Teicher
How does Eagles running back Saquon Barkley change the game plan for Chiefs offensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?
I expect Spagnuolo to get an additional defender in his front against Barkley, which would reduce the split-safety shells the Chiefs like to use. Whether it happens with pre-snap alignment or a safety spinning down late, Kansas City simply needs more bodies in the box. That means playing a heavier dose of man-free coverage and three-deep zone coverage to add the cut-off defender near the line of scrimmage.
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Plus, the Chiefs must win the edges to limit the Eagles’ run game. Philly will use pin/pull concepts to get Barkley on the perimeter, often from condensed sets. Spagnuolo can put his defensive ends in a wide-9 or 7-technique, which won’t allow the Eagles to crack or pin inside as easily. It also means matching on the backside to take away the run-pass option throw for quarterback Jalen Hurts. — Matt Bowen
What is different about this Chiefs team than the past two Super Bowl teams?
Kansas City won the past two championships with much different styles. This season’s group is much closer to the 2023 team. The Chiefs, for the second straight season, are far less explosive offensively than they were in many of the years since play
How will the Chiefs’ offense adjust to attack the Eagles’ defense?
The same way they’ve attacked every defense this season: very, very precisely. One week after Travis Kelce’s divisional round performance deemed “Playoff Kelce” is back like he never left, he had two catches for 19 yards against the Bills. In that same game, Mahomes had two rushing touchdowns for the first time in his career. His 11 carries were also a single-game high for him. The Chiefs, who now have accumulated an impossible wealth of postseason experience and a deep bag of offensive styles, are ridiculously good at finding a few things that opponents will struggle with, then relentlessly turning those screws.
Against the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, the Chiefs took advantage of predictable man coverage in the low red zone, throwing multiple touchdown passes off the same pre-snap motion meant to put the Eagles’ secondary in communication binds. I wouldn’t be surprised if much of the same occurs on the interior this time, where backup linebacker Oren Burks and starting safety Reed Blankenship have been the most tested Eagles defenders. And, of course, Mahomes’ legs will never fail him in the postseason. — Ben Solak
It could be, but I bet it’s not. While it would be fair to say the 35-year-old Kelce has lost a step — his 8.5 yards per reception and three touchdown catches were his lowest regular-season totals since his 2013 rookie season when he had zero catches — he remains incredibly productive.
Kelce’s 97 catches in 2024 marked his seventh consecutive season of 90 receptions or more, and he remains a fundamental piece of coach Andy Reid’s offense. His 117-yard outing against the Texans in the divisional playoff round shows he can still turn it on when it matters most. Kelce’s chemistry with Mahomes is also difficult to quantify — his presence frees things up for Kansas City’s talented receiving corps in ways that are not always perceptible. Plus, Kelce is under contract for 2025 and stands to collect $17.25 million. Even with an potential acting career in his future, it would be tough for Kelce to walk away from that kind of cash as well as a chance at a possible four-peat. — Jeremy Fowler
