Football

Good news, Niners fans ... former San Francisco DB Donte Whitner says he's expecting a walk in the park for his ex-team on Sunday -- telling TMZ Sports the 49ers will beat the Lions by more than three touchdowns!!

Whitner says he's anticipating the final score to be 37-14 ... and it's all, in part, due to his confidence in Brock Purdy -- who he says is a top three or four quarterback in the NFL right now.

"I'm not expecting it to be close," Whitner said of the NFC Championship Game.

Of course, Purdy and the Niners didn't look their best last weekend against the Green Bay Packers ... they needed a late score in the fourth quarter to pull out the win despite being a heavy favorite heading into the game.

But, Whitner tells us he thinks the rain played a huge role in that ... promising, "You won't see that same 49ers football team this week vs. the Detroit Lions."

Whitner -- who logged snaps for the Niners from 2011 to 2013 -- also praised the hell out of Purdy during our conversation ... saying he has no idea why the 24-year-old signal-caller gets so much criticism from national pundits.

"When I go back and I analyze the film on Brock Purdy, he does everything you want him to do as a quarterback," Whitner said.

"How can you continue to beat this kid down when he was the last pick in the draft and he's shown all the qualities and capabailities to be a top franchise quarterback."

Buenas noticias para los fanáticos de los Niners. El ex DB de San Francisco Donte Whitner le dice a TMZ Sports que espera que los 49ers le ganen a los Lions por más de tres touchdowns.

Whitner dice que anticipa que el marcador final será de 37-14, y todo, en parte, por su confianza en Brock Purdy, a quien considera entre los tres o cuatro mejores mariscales de campo de la NFL en este momento.

Por supuesto, Purdy y los Niners no se vieron en su mejor momento el fin de semana pasado contra los Green Bay Packers. Necesitaron una anotación en el último cuarto para sacar la victoria a pesar de ser un gran favorito.

Pero Whitner nos dice que cree que la lluvia jugó un papel importante en eso y promete: "No verás el mismo equipo de fútbol de los 49ers esta semana contra los Detroit Lions".

Whitner, quien registró broches para los Niners entre 2011 y 2013, también elogió a Purdy durante nuestra conversación, diciendo que no entiende por qué el señalador de 24 años recibe tantas críticas de los expertos nacionales.

"Cuando vuelvo atrás y analizo la película de Brock Purdy, hace todo lo que quieres que haga como quarterback", dijo Whitner.

"¿Cómo puedes seguir machacando a este chico cuando fue la última elección del draft y ha demostrado todas las cualidades y capacidades para ser un quarterback a franquicia de primer nivel?".

Shawne Merriman says the Chargers knocked it out of the park with their Jim Harbaugh hire ... telling TMZ Sports he believes his ex-team now has a feeling of, "'Hey, we can go out and win a championship now!'"

The former pass rusher was fired up when we spoke with him shortly after the Bolts named the ex-Michigan coach their new head man ... explaining to us he thinks L.A. is now a real-deal Super Bowl contender.

Merriman says the roster Harbaugh is inheriting is "the most talented team to never make the playoffs" ... and he's expecting a turnaround to happen relatively swiftly.

"If I'm Jim Harbaugh, I'm licking my chops," Merriman said. "I'm walking in there one day like somebody just handed me the keys to a Ferrari and I'm about to slam on the gas, right?"

As for the fit, Merriman previously expressed concerns about Harbaugh's ability to connect with young players at 60 years old ... but it seems those qualms have been squashed since the hiring process officially kicked off a few weeks ago.

"It's just a match made in heaven," he said. "I don't think there could've been more of a perfect storm."

Merriman also expressed gratitude that his former team passed on the opportunity to sign Bill Belichick ... believing the fit just wouldn't have worked in the City of Angels.

Chandler Jones' jewelry shopping spree didn't stop with iced-out Jesus pieces ... TMZ Sports has learned the NFL star also just got a chain that's worth $1 MILLION too!!

We're told the former Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher reached out to Gabriel Jacobs this week after coppin' the religious bling to get even more new drip made ... and, as he normally he does, the celeb jeweler came through big time.

Jacobs made Jones a chain that's loaded with 300 carats of diamonds that, as you can see, shine ultra bright.

Unclear what Jones paid for it, but Jacobs says it's worth $1.1 million!!!

Even though the bill for all the recent jewelry certainly wasn't cheap ... Jones, of course, can afford it, as he earned over $131 million in NFL contracts after recording 112 sacks and 34 forced fumbles in 12 seasons.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are clearly well aware they have plenty of detractors ... but the Chiefs star admitted he and his boo talk about how important it is for their relationship to block out all of the "outside noise."

Kelce made the revelation while chatting with reporters about his off-field life on Friday -- just two days before Kansas City takes on Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.

After one media member asked if he and Taylor had discussed the growing criticism they've received as they've gone more and more public with their love ... he said matter-of-factly, "The only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise."

"That's all that matters."

Kelce also said at the press conference there have been newfound challenges and critiques he's had to deal with this year as his star power has risen exponentially ... although he said he's been able to compartmentalize it all for the most part, allowing his teammates to believe in him.

Tyreek Hill's circle is a lot smaller now -- 'cause the Miami Dolphins superstar said he had to fire a bunch of people off his team this week ... including the "f***ing bonehead" who filed divorce documents without his approval.

Hill and Keeta Vaccaro's union appeared to be coming to an end after just a few months ... when Broward County records in Florida showed the Super Bowl champ submitted the petition for the dissolution of his marriage -- which he later refuted.

The 29-year-old receiver cleared the air on a Twitch stream Thursday night ... saying he never gave his people the green light to file the papers.

"I just gotta say that it sucks that A, yeah, a lot of our stuff is public record," Hill said. "But behind closed doors, a lot of people got fired, too, for just doing things without a 'yes.'"

"It sucks that me and my wife gotta go through that. Like yeah, public records says it and right now we're in a spot of fixing it -- I fired the f***ing bonehead that did that mistake. Now it sucks."

Hill explained he had to confront his wife over the mishap ... saying they have another vacation planned too, so he wanted to make sure everything was good between them.

The two later shut down any speculation of a split ... posing together hours after the reports went public.

Travis Kelce and Chiefs Kingdom won't like this ...

An extremely talented Baltimore fan is hoping to bring some good Taylor Swift juju to his favorite team ... by painting a mural of the pop star decked out in a Lamar Jackson jersey!!

The artist goes by dlordink on social media ... and at some point, after it was revealed the Ravens would take on the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game this weekend, he got the idea to try to use Swift's good luck powers for his squad.

The painter threw up the artwork at Unlimited Art Studio in Havre de Grace, Md. ... and he said on his TikTok page he and another designer spent three hours perfecting it.

Afterward, he was clearly pleased with how it all turned out ... writing in a caption on a pic of the wall, "Tag @taylorswift & @killatrav in the comments and let them know how good she looks in @new_era8 @ravens purple."

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.

El Super Bowl LVIII se va a celebrar en Las Vegas, y la NFL va a ofrecer su mejor espectáculo en la Ciudad del Pecado, ¡con Tiësto como el primer DJ presente en el mayor evento deportivo del año!

El jueves, la NFL anunció que la superestrella internacional estará entreteniendo a los aficionados durante los calentamientos previos al partido y las pausas en el juego.

"Cada año, buscamos elevar la experiencia en el estadio para nuestros fans", dijo la NFL, "y con nuestro primer Super Bowl en Las Vegas, parece apropiado abrazar el legado de DJs icónicos en la ciudad trayendo el estilo característico de Tiësto a nuestro mayor evento."

Tiësto es considerado por muchos como el "padrino de la Música Electrónica Bailable (EDM)" y está entusiasmado con la oportunidad y dice estar preparado para ofrecer un show épico.

"Es aún más increíble que sea en mi lugar favorito: Las Vegas", dijo el artista de 55 años.

Por supuesto, Las Vegas es conocida por sus increíbles fiestas protagonizadas por algunos de los mayores artistas musicales del mundo, y ahora los afortunados fans tendrán la oportunidad de ver a Tiësto en el estadio Allegiant el 11 de febrero.

"Gracias a la NFL por contar conmigo", dijo el DJ. "¡No puedo esperar para festejar con todos ustedes en el gran partido!".

Tiësto, que ha generado más de 11.000 millones de streams en todo el mundo y ha vendido más de 36 millones de álbumes, será el quinto DJ que pinche durante los calentamientos de la Super Bowl, pero el primero que lo hará durante el partido.

Super Bowl LVIII's goin' down in Las Vegas, and the NFL's delivering the full Sin City experience ... tapping Tiësto to serve as the first-ever in-game DJ for the biggest sporting event of the year!

On Thursday the NFL announced the international superstar will be on the 1s and 2s, entertaining fans on Super Sunday ... during pre-game warm-ups and breaks in the game.

"Each year, we look to elevate the in-stadium experience for our fans," the NFL said, "and with our first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, it seems only fitting to embrace the legacy of iconic DJs in this city by having Tiësto bring his signature style to our biggest event."

Tiësto -- considered by many the "Godfather of EDM" -- is pumped for the opportunity, and says he's ready to give an epic performance.

"It's even more incredible that it's in my favorite place - Las Vegas," the 55-year-old said.

Of course, Vegas is known for its amazing, over-the-top parties starring some of the biggest musical acts in the world ... and now fans lucky enough to be at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, get to see Tiësto.

"Thank you to the NFL for having me," Tiësto said, "I cannot wait to party with you all at the big game!"

Tiësto -- who has generated over 11 billion streams worldwide and sold more than 36 million albums -- will be the fifth DJ to play during Super Bowl warmups ... but the first to spin in-game.

Great news for people who can't get enough of Travis Kelce -- the Kansas City Chiefs tight end just landed yet another commercial ... teaming up with Patrick Mahomes to sell some sammiches.

Taylor Swift's boyfriend shared his latest ad campaign with Subway on Thursday ... a short clip that primarily focuses on the superstar quarterback raving about pairing subs with the chain's new footlong cookie.

Mahomes addresses the camera in the spot ... saying, "There's nothing better than a Subway series footlong -- except when you add a new footlong sidekick."

"This might be my favorite sidekick ever," the two-time Super Bowl MVP adds ... as the camera cuts to Travis, who's clearly jealous of being replaced by a snack.

Mahomes and Kelce are one of the most dominant duos in NFL history -- they even broke Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski's career record with 16 postseason touchdowns this past weekend ... so the ad couldn't come at a more relevant time.

The Subway partnership adds to Kelce's growing list of endorsements he's landed after becoming a household name ... joining companies like Experian, Pfizer and State Farm who have used him in commercials over the past year.

In fact, Kelce also joined Mahomes for an ad with the insurance giant last year ... so they've really liked the idea of packaging themselves together lately.

It's been an incredible ride for the Ohio native -- he's won two Super Bowls, hosted "Saturday Night Live" and is dating the biggest star on the planet.

Jason Momoa seems ready to put his singing and dancing skills on display for millions ... 'cause he's moving and grooving in a new Super Bowl ad with some iconic '80s references!

Aquaman himself was spotted filming in Santa Clarita with Zach Braff and Donald Faison Wednesday -- and if you check out the pics, you'll notice he's clearly bringing the excitement to this new T-Mobile ad with a huge smile on his face and jazz hands at the ready.

While Zach got up close and personal with JM -- basically singing right into his face -- DF got his own special moment with Momoa ... getting a crisp high-five from the 44-year-old. Hope your hand's doing OK, Donald!

As for the choreography ... Momoa's got it down. He starts by sashaying his way down the drive toward the street, singing into a fake microphone while he's at it before ripping open his button-down to reveal a black tank top.

The team seems to be dancing to a parody version of "Flashdance...What A Feeling" ... the song from the final scene in the film "Flashdance" -- Jason even leans back right at the end to pay homage to Jennifer Beals' iconic water scene in the film.

We know what you're all wondering ... it doesn't look like they drench Jason with a hose or anything at the end of the commercial -- but, hopefully, they already shot that part???

The crew seemed to appreciate the guys' efforts either way ... with the trio getting a rousing standing ovation at the end of the routine.

Speaking of routine ... these ads are becoming kind of a regular thing for Braff and Faison. They've done parodies of "Oh What A Beautiful Morning," "I Feel Pretty," and even roped the great John Travolta into one featuring a "Grease" parody.

Taylor Swift has been trending these past couple days for all the wrong reasons -- somebody cranked out a bunch of X-rated/NSFW AI photos of her ... and they're absolutely wild.

Here's the deal ... tons of different mockups and renderings depicting fake Taylor in a bunch of sexual situations have been flooding Twitter over the past 24 hours or so, and they all come from artificial intelligence programming. And yes, they do look somewhat real, too.

The "photos" show AI Taylor in graphic fashion -- whether it's her being groped and fondled by fans/players at a Kansas City Chiefs game ... or, in some instances, more explicit sex.

In all the AI KC renderings that are circulating, fake Taylor is basically being tossed around and used as a sex prop -- and she's depicted in red paint, and often fully nude as well. There are other AI offerings that are surfacing too ... and she's again being sexualized.

While some pervs are relishing in the images -- and trying to crank out even more, it seems -- more than enough Swifties have come out in fierce defense of their hero/idol.

In fact, that's exactly why "PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT" is trending on X right now ... it's her fans who are denouncing the flood of AI photos, pointing out she's being victimized here.

Not just that ... but it looks like the Swifties are flagging accounts that are allegedly spreading all this -- and while X tends to let porn slide, it does appear that moderators on the site are flagging these and yanking them. Some accounts also seem to be getting dinged.

Of course, Taylor herself hasn't addressed this yet -- and frankly, she doesn't need to ... it's very much so beneath her. But the fact these AI porn pics made their way onto the internet in the first place signals a dangerous time for stars. Your image/likeness is in the wind!

We've seen other instances of AI trying to impersonate/replicate stars -- be it through music or otherwise -- and now ... deep-fake images showing them in gross settings is the latest.

Scary times we live in ... but at least T-Swift has her army fully behind her in this cause.

Taylor Swift ha sido trending estos últimos días por todas las razones equivocadas, y es que alguien lanzó un montón de fotos porno de ella usando la IA y son absolutamente salvajes.

Este es el asunto, toneladas de diferentes maquetas de una falsa Taylor en un montón de situaciones sexuales han estado inundando Twitter en las últimas 24 horas y todas provienen de la programación de inteligencia artificial. Y sí, también parecen algo reales.

Las "fotos" muestran a una Taylor de IA de forma explícita, ya sea, siendo manoseada y acariciada por aficionados/jugadores en un partido de los Kansas City Chiefs o, en algunos casos, en situaciones sexuales más gráficas.

En todos los renders que circulan, la falsa Taylor Swfit es básicamente manoseada y utilizada como accesorio sexual y se la representa con pintura roja y a menudo también completamente desnuda.

Aunque algunos pervertidos se deleitan con las imágenes y tratan de sacar aún más, al parecer, más que suficientes Swifties han salido a defender ferozmente a su heroína.

De hecho, esa es la razón por la que el hashtag "PROTECT TAYLOR SWIFT" es tendencia en X en este momento. Son sus fans los que están denunciando la avalancha de fotos IA, señalando que está siendo víctima aquí.

No solo eso. Parece que los Swifties están marcando las cuentas que supuestamente están difundiendo todo esto, y aunque X tiende a dejar pasar la pornografía, parece que los moderadores en el sitio están marcando estos sitios y los están removiendo. Algunas cuentas también parecen estar siendo marcadas y rechazadas.

Por supuesto, la propia Taylor no ha abordado esto todavía y, francamente, no necesita hacerlo, es muy bajo para ella. Pero el hecho de que estas fotos porno de AI lleguen a Internet sugiere un momento peligroso para las estrellas. ¡Su imagen está en el viento!

Hemos visto otros casos de IA tratando de suplantar y/o replicar estrellas, pero estas falsas imágenes de celebridades en contextos desagradables es lo último.

Ezekiel Elliott was at a Texas bar over the weekend when a violent fight broke out ... and now, cops tell TMZ Sports they're investigating if members of the NFL star's crew were involved.

According to Frisco Police Dept. documents we obtained, the disturbance happened at around 1 AM at Concrete Cowboy -- a nightclub located a few yards from the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco.

Video shot by a patron at the establishment shows as Elliott was talking with a woman, several people got into a brawl just feet away.

You can see in the footage, at one point during the squabble, a man appears to throw a punch that lands squarely on another man's back.

Officers wrote in an incident report that "a male and a female were physically assaulted by a large group of males" in the fracas. An FPD spokesperson added in a statement that witnesses alleged "members of Elliott's group may have been involved."

Cops, however, said a probe into the allegations is still ongoing ... and detectives are "still working to confirm the details of the incident."

Elliott is, of course, very familiar with the Frisco area ... he played for the Cowboys for the first seven seasons of his career, before he joined the New England Patriots in 2023.

Patrick Mahomes says dating a popstar and hosting "Saturday Night Live" hasn't changed Travis Kelce one bit ... telling reporters Wednesday his best bud has remained even keel despite all the newfound fame.

The Chiefs quarterback praised his tight end for not letting all the attention get to his head during his weekly meeting with media members ... explaining Kelce has "just been himself the whole time."

"He's still Travis Kelce," Mahomes said. "He still will walk through the stadium and treat every single person like they're his best friend. And he's going to be like that in the locker room every single day."

"It hasn't been any different."

Of course, Kelce's life has completely changed since he won his second Super Bowl last February. He drew a ton of laughs on "SNL," earned features in a bevy of new commercials ... and, as you already know, he got into a relationship with Taylor Swift.

But Mahomes was adamant that "Travis has always been Travis" throughout it all.

The 28-year-old signal-caller also had a bunch of nice things to say about Kelce's "SNL" appearance ... telling reporters he was super happy to watch Kelce live out a lifelong dream.