Atlanta Falcons

Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield are doing their part to make sure individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can get the assistance they need -- the two NFL stars donated $50k each to a relief fund.

The Falcons and Buccaneers quarterbacks made the combined $100k contribution to Team Rubicon -- a veteran-led humanitarian organization -- to help people who dealt with the impacts of Helene after its landfall back on September 26.

"We stand with those who have been affected," Mayfield said. "Honoring the lives lost and the families that are still in distress. Together, we can make a difference."

The stands of the Saints vs. Falcons game Sunday looked more like the inside of a UFC Octagon ... as multiple people got into violent fights.

One of the scarier ones happened near the top of Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium- when about four guys began scuffling with one another.

Video from the scene captured by a bystander shows two men in a wrestling match over some seats ... a guy in a No. 11 Falcons jersey was trying to beat up a dude in a red shirt just feet away.

The Eagles suffered a crushing last-minute defeat on "Monday Night Football" at the hands of Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons ... and their star running back, Saquon Barkley, is acknowledging his key fourth-quarter drop might have cost Philadelphia the game.

Barkley met with media members at his locker following the 22-21 defeat ... and almost immediately, the $37.75 million man took ownership of a crucial third-down drop that would have iced the contest for Philly.

"I dropped the ball," he said. "Let my team down today. Shouldn't have put my defense in that position, make that catch the game's over."

Matty Ice is putting his career on ice for good -- former NFL MVP Matt Ryan is officially retiring from professional football after 15 seasons.

The Atlanta Falcons great -- who played all but one season with the organization -- released a heartfelt goodbye to the game on Monday ... saying it was time to hang up the helmet.

"Today, 16 years after being drafted, my childhood dream has officially come to an end," Ryan said.

1:10 PM -- Bijan Robinson is perfect no more ... Marquette just ruined the NFL star's previously unblemished NCAA tournament bracket.

The No. 2-seed Golden Eagles defeated No. 15-seed Western Kentucky, 87-69, making it the only game so far that Robinson hasn't gotten right.

What a run!!!

NCAA tournament bracket already busted? Bijan Robinson can't relate -- the NFL superstar is perfect through Day One!!

The Atlanta Falcons tailback didn't get one of his 16 picks wrong on Thursday -- somehow nailing Oakland's upset over Kentucky AND Duquesne's big victory over BYU.

The feat is incredibly rare ... out of the 22 million-or-so brackets that were filled out this week -- less than 2,000 remain unblemished!!

The 22-year-old was thrilled to be right ... he posted a pic to his Instagram page late Thursday night, flashing a million-dollar grin with the caption, "They said it was crazy."

"Yessirski," he added.

The running back will have quite the hill to climb in order to stay undefeated going forward. He's got No. 11-seed North Carolina State and No. 12-seed Grand Canyon advancing to the Elite Eight ... as well as his alma mater, Texas -- a No. 7 seed -- winning the whole thing.

But, hey, if the guy made it this far this good, perhaps the choices aren't that wild after all!!

His NFL team, meanwhile, celebrated the feat with a late-night tweet Thursday -- writing, "A PERFECT bracket for @Bijan5Robinson on day one?! 🤯"

Tip-off for Day Two is just a couple hours away -- if you need betting tips for the afternoon, probably best to check out Robinson's bracket above!!

Barring something unforeseen in the next few days, Bill Belichick will NOT be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons ... the NFL org. is reportedly set to hire Raheem Morris instead.

The former New England Patriots head man had been considered the favorite for the open gig throughout the early parts of January ... this after interviewing for the job twice in a matter of days earlier this month.

However, something changed in the last week ... and now, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Falcons will hire Morris -- the LA Rams' defensive coordinator -- instead.

The Falcons were believed to be the only team without a head coach who interviewed Belichick this offseason.

Only two franchises remain without a head coach at this point, but both -- the Commanders and the Seahawks -- do not appear to have interest in Belichick.

Of course, The Hoodie could always be a defensive coordinator somewhere this season ... though it appears more likely the 71-year-old takes the year off, before trying to resume his pursuit of the NFL's all-time wins record in 2025.

Rob Gronkowski says there's plenty of heat left on Bill Belichick's fastball ... telling TMZ Sports his former head coach is still every bit the "powerhouse" he used to be.

"I think, 100 percent, he's still the great Bill Belichick," the Patriots legend said. "No doubt about that."

Of course, it's all come into question recently ... after Belichick struggled to find success in New England following Tom Brady's departure.

In his four seasons without the GOAT under center, Belichick recorded just a 29-38 record ... and only made one playoff appearance.

Now that he's officially out of Foxborough, though, Gronk says he believes Belichick can prove once more he's still the best ever to put on a headset ... telling us if he gets a hold of a roster with stars on it, watch out.

"If he goes to a team with great players with great talent, he will be successful," Rob said, "because he's still the powerhouse coach that we all have seen throughout the years."

For now, Belichick seems more likely than not to end up in Atlanta ... he already interviewed for the Falcons' vacant job earlier this month -- and, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he'll have a second meeting with the team's brass this weekend.

As for The Hoodie's replacement in New England ... Gronkowski had nothing but good things to say about Jerod Mayo -- telling us all he's heard so far about his former teammate is that he's become a helluva a leader on the sidelines.

There's much more with Gronk ... we also talked to the NFL legend about his upcoming Super Bowl party, Gronk Beach, at Encore Beach Club on Saturday, February 10.

The 5,000-person strong pool party/music festival will have all kinds of entertainment, including Afrojack and DJ Irie, in addition to other surprise musical guests.

In past years, Rob's brought some of his famous to the party ... like Travis Kelce, Julian Edelman, Guy Fieri, Deebo Samuel, Johnny Damon, Camille Kostek and even Bill Belichick!

Here's your chance to party with Gronk ... don't drop the ball!

Ryan Clark tells TMZ Sports if the Atlanta Falcons are looking to get better quickly ... acquiring both Justin Fields and Bill Belichick would be a heck of a place to start.

Of course, the Falcons appear to be exploring the idea of bringing both guys on board this offseason ... and Clark made it clear to us this week he'd have no qualms with either addition.

"I could see that being a match in Atlanta that would work not only for a coach," the 44-year-old ex-Steelers defensive back said, "but also a player."

As for how possible it'd be ... it seems it could very well go down. After all, the Falcons have already interviewed Belichick for their vacant head coaching role ... while Fields appears to be available via trade in Chicago after the Bears locked up the No. 1 overall draft pick through the Carolina Panthers.

Clark seems confident Belichick would want Fields under center, too ... knowing the coach loves to acquire talent that's previously performed well against him.

"Justin Fields played absolutely out of his mind against Bill Belichick last year," Clark said.

As for the rest of the coaching carousel around the NFL, Clark said he could envision Jim Harbaugh landing in L.A. ... and he told us he could also see big shakeups coming in Dallas and Philadelphia too.

It's the most nerve-wracking time of the year for NFL coaches on the hot seat -- Black Monday -- and some guys are already without a job ... including Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith.

The Commanders made their announcement just minutes ago ... saying after four seasons with the franchise, it was time to move on from Riverboat Ron.

Rivera went 26-40-1 during his time on the sidelines ... including one playoff appearance in 2020 after winning the NFC East. He won Coach of the Year honors that same season.

During that period, Rivera fought a bout with squamous cell carcinoma, but did not miss a single game while receiving treatment.

The Commanders will be a sexy option for coaches -- they have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft ... and new owners Josh Harris and Magic Johnson are eager to turn the franchise around.

The team has hired former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers to help with its coaching search, according to reports.

As for Smith, the Atlanta Falcons decided to give him the ax on Sunday ... after going 7-10 each of the past three seasons.

Falcons head coach Arthur Blank addressed the move in a statement ... saying, "Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good."

"We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations."

"After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position."

Chilli de TLC y el actor Matthew Lawrence no son tan públicos acerca de su romance como solían ser, pero no dejes que el silencio te engañe, su relación sigue en pie y se están preparando para algunas fiestas compartidas.

Fuentes cercanas a la pareja le dicen a TMZ que Chilli y Matthew recientemente pasaron su segundo Día de Acción de Gracias juntos, con la cantante cocinando algo de comida para ellos. Matthew aparentemente quedó impresionado por la habilidad culinaria de la artista.

Ellos han estado juntos a larga distancia por un tiempo. Ella está en Georgia y él en Los Ángeles, pero han encontrado el tiempo para verse tanto como pueden.

Chilli y Matthew estuvieron juntos el jueves por la noche para el show de TLC en Las Vegas, y ambos fueron a un partido de los Atlanta Falcons juntos el mes pasado.

Échale un vistazo al video del partido, se puede ver a Chilli y Matthew bailando "Crank That" de Soulja Boy, ¡con el nieto de Big Boi!

Las cosas parecen ir muy bien para la pareja. Nos dicen que van a pasar la Navidad juntos este año, otra señal de que esto será una relación larga.

TLC's Chilli and actor Matthew Lawrence aren't as public about their romance as they used to be, but don't let the quiet fool you -- their relationship is still booming, and they're gearing up for some shared holiday cheer.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Chilli and Matthew recently spent their second Thanksgiving together, with the singer cooking up some grub for them, and Matthew was apparently blown away by the meal.

They've been doing the long-distance thing for a bit -- she's in Georgia, he's in L.A. -- but have still made time to see each other as much as they can.

Chilli and Matthew were together Thursday night for TLC's show in Vegas, and they both went to an Atlanta Falcons game together last month.

Check out the vid from the game, BTW -- that's Chilli and Matthew groovin' to Soulja Boy's "Crank That" ... with Big Boi's grandson!

Obviously, things appear to be going great for the couple ... and we're told they're gonna spend Christmas together this year, too -- another sign they're in this for the long haul.

T.I. stood on business with all ten toes after a club attempted to capitalize off his viral spat with his son, King ... letting the owners of the establishment know he came to shut the party down!!!

Tip and King had been previously scheduled to appear at Atlanta's Elleven45 Lounge for its "R&B Wednesdays" but just one day before the event, the rapper learned a flyer to promote the event included a photoshopped image of Tip holding King in a headlock.

The image was meant to poke fun at King flipping out on his parents during Sunday's Atlanta Falcons game inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium suites over claims he grew up more rugged than he actually did.

T.I. confronted everyone at Elleven45 Lounge, letting them know it wasn't cool, and threatened the whole appearance would be cut unless things changed.

In his outrage, Tip stated the city of Atlanta was still his -- and regardless if the club honchos were homegrown or outsiders, they'd abide by his rules!!!

Turns out, Tips' fury worked ... because the club promoter changed the flyer and the event went on as planned Wednesday.

T.I., King and Domani all pulled up to the event, and all looked to be well with the fam bam.

T.I. se alteró luego de que un club trató de sacar provecho de su disputa viral con su hijo, King, haciéndole saber a los propietarios del establecimiento que vino a cerrar la fiesta.

Tip y King habían sido previamente programados para aparecer en Elleven45 Lounge de Atlanta para su "R & B Miércoles", pero solo un día antes del evento, el rapero se enteró de que un volante para promover el evento incluía una imagen de Tip sosteniendo a King con una llave de cabeza.

La imagen estaba destinada a burlarse de King, atacando a sus padres durante el partido de los Atlanta Falcons del domingo dentro de las suites del Mercedes-Benz Stadium, sobre las afirmaciones de que creció más robusto de lo que realmente lo hizo.

T.I. se enfrentó a todos en Elleven45 Lounge, haciéndoles saber que no estaba bien, y amenazó con cortar toda la aparición a menos que las cosas cambiaran.

En su indignación, Tip declaró que la ciudad de Atlanta seguía siendo suya, y que independientemente de si los responsables del club eran de la ciudad o de fuera, ¡se atendrían a sus reglas!

Resulta que la furia de Tips funcionó, porque el promotor del club cambió el volante y el evento se llevó a cabo como estaba previsto el miércoles.

D.L. Hughley le aconseja al hijo de T.I. y Tiny, King, que escuche la voz de la razón y comprenda por qué su colapso durante un juego de los Atlanta Falcons es "vergonzoso" para sus padres.

TMZ Hip Hop habló con D.L. el lunes en el aeropuerto LAX, donde llamó al estallido de King, insistiendo en que creció medio pobre, lo que es absolutamente "insultante" para los logros de vida de Tip y Tiny.

En caso de que te lo hayas perdido, King terminó sometido por su padre dentro de su lujoso palco en el estadio Mercedes-Benz, resultado de King afirmando que conocía la vida en el trap por haber crecido en la casa de su abuela e incluso experimentado ver cucarachas que se le arrastraban por la cara.

D.L. menciona que King creció como estrella de reality a través de "The Family Hustle" de VH1 y que cualquier cucaracha que haya encontrado eran ¡actores pagados!

Como padre, D.L. piensa que las palabras de King cortan aún más hondo de lo que parece en el video. Afirma que todos los padres decentes se enorgullecen de que sus hijos estén alimentados y limpios, que la infancia de King pasa esa prueba con creces.

D.L. nos cuenta que sus propios hijos ni siquiera soñarían con expresar tal falta de respeto; son mayores y saben mejor las cosas.

King seguía furioso en redes sociales, a un día después de enfrentarse a sus padres, pero D.L. está seguro de que eventualmente se dará cuenta de lo tonto que es todo esto.

D.L. Hughley's advising T.I. and Tiny's son, King, to listen to a voice of reason, and understand why his meltdown during an Atlanta Falcons game is "embarrassing" to his parents.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with D.L. Monday at LAX, where he called King's outburst -- insisting he grew up half-poor -- absolutely "insulting" to Tip and Tiny's lifetime accomplishments.

ICYMI, King ended up in his father's headlock inside their luxury suite at Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- the end result of King claiming he knew about the trap life from growing up at his grandmother's house, and even experienced roaches crawling on his face.

D.L. says King grew up a reality star via VH1's "The Family Hustle," and says any roaches he encountered were actually paid actors!!!

As a father himself, D.L. thinks King's words cut even deeper than they seemed in the video. He says all decent parents take pride in their kids being fed and clean, and D.L. says King's childhood passes that test with flying colors.

D.L. tells us his own kids wouldn't dream of spewing any such disrespect -- he says they're older and know better.

King was still fuming on social media -- a day after squaring off with his parents -- but D.L. is certain he'll eventually come around and see how silly this all is.