Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his “long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football,” Sam Farmer has covered the NFL for 25 seasons. He’s a two-time winner of California Sportswriter of the Year and first place for beat writing by Associated Press Sports Editors, and has had unique assignments such as climbing Mount Rainier with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, traveling with an officiating crew, spending a week behind the scenes with Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, sitting in the “Monday Night Football” booth, piloting the Goodyear blimp and watching games on Sunday alongside John Madden. Farmer, a 1988 graduate of Occidental College, began his career at small papers in the Pacific Northwest before moving on to the San Jose Mercury News, where he was an Oakland Raiders beat writer for five seasons. At various times, he has also been a beat writer covering the NBA, PGA Tour, and college football and basketball.
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The Chiefs, aiming to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row, made it back to the big game against the Eagles with a 32-29 win over the Bills.
Broadcaster Jim Nantz lucked into calling Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes versus Josh Allen duels.
Pete Carroll knows how to create winners, and his arrival in Las Vegas signals a major shift for a Raiders franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 22 years.
Kobe Bryant’s passion for his beloved Eagles brings back memories on a date Philadelphia also battles Washington for the NFC title and another Super Bowl trip.
In high school track, Saquon Barkley witnessed a girl win a race that had to be rerun. She was disqualified in the rerun, leading Barkley to give his medal to her.
A leg injury to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts could prove costly against the Commanders, and the Bills appear poised to break their playoff stigma against the Chiefs.
The Bills have beaten the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs four times in the regular season but are winless in three playoff games as Buffalo aims to break that curse.
L.A. Times NFL writer Sam Farmer analyzes the conference championships between the Eagles-Commanders in the NFC and Bills-Chiefs in the AFC.
Saquon Barkley rushes for more than 200 yards against the Rams again as the Eagles advance to the NFC championship game against the Commanders.
Three home teams are heavy favorites in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Bills are the exception, with the Ravens a slight favorite in Buffalo.