The Rams and Patriots join the other 30 NFL clubs who’ve been in offseason mode for weeks now. While the draft on April 25 is still two months away, there’s plenty of important dates teams and fans need to keep in mind. The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 26, the franchise-tag deadline on March 5 and the start of free agency on March 13 are just a few marquee dates on the league calendar....
Professional pigskin prognostication already faces the challenge of the league’s unpredictability. Now there are more factors to consider in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. How much does home field help with lesser or no fans? How will certain teams perform after limited offseason work? As with every season in the NFL, it’s best to take things week by week, game by game. Based on what we know going into Week 1, here’s how we see the full slate of 16 contests playing out....
That should make Week 2 a little easier to handle another full slate of games. What’s notable is having three massive favorites on the board while the rest of the matchups call for one-possession spreads. Whether the number is big or small, here’s helping you navigate through it all. Here’s also hoping to build on some solid but unspectacular initial returns: (Game odds courtesy of FanDuel) NFL POWER RANKINGS: Big bumps for Steelers and Saints, but how about that NFC West?...
The Thursday Night Football matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks is and a chance for the nation to get a look at 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy – who has made the rise from Mr. Irrelevant to starter for a Super Bowl contender in a hurry. There are three games on Saturday, including a prime-time showdown between the Dolphins and Bills in the AFC East. Buffalo has a two-game lead in the division....
That has changed. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the game; meaning that matchup with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes II will be put on hold. It’s still worth watching, however, knowing second-year quarterback Jordan Love will make his first NFL start. It’s not the only good matchup on the schedule. Who will win the battle of Ohio? Cincinnati and Cleveland meet in a matchup of teams trying to keep pace in the super-competitive AFC North....
On that note, let’s go through the best ones to target this Thursday: NFL Player Prop #1: Donovan Peoples-Jones Over 2.5 Receptions (+116) Donovan Peoples-Jones recorded six catches during Week 1 on 11 targets. In Week 2, though, the New York Jets defense completely shut him down, holding him to no catches and just one target. The main reason Peoples-Jones struggled so much was due to the Jets’ excessive use of zone coverage....
There isn’t much the running back and tight ends can’t conquer, be it a blitzing linebacker or a defensive back gunning for their legs. Take them out of their element, however, and they all look like fish out of water. That’s exactly what Pantene did, enlisting the fathers to do their daughters’ hair in a series of Super Bowl 50 commercials. It’s cute comedy at its finest. MORE: HS yearbook photos of Super Bowl 50 stars | Panthers fans make corny rap videos...
One of the teams we predicted would reach the Super Bowl this season, Kansas City, is sitting pretty with a first-round bye in the AFC bracket. The Chiefs, though, have the second best odds to win the Super Bowl behind the top-seeded Ravens. The NFC is even more of a jumbled, loaded mess, making predictions for that side of the bracket extra challenging. The 49ers and Saints, two of the top three seeds, enter the playoffs with the same odds to win the Super Bowl....
The postseason field expanding by one team each in the AFC and the NFC to a total of 14 has brought more teams into realistic contention over the closing stretch. Based on the current standings, here’s an updated look at what each conference tournament would look like if the playoffs started now: WEEK 13 NFL PICKS: Against the spread | Straight-up predictions NFL standings for Week 13 AFC playoff picture Who would be in?...
Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Tuesday at the close of the league's fall meetings in Washington that the size of the postseason field would not be increased before the 2015 season. Trying to do it for next season is impossible because of scheduling issues, but it is one of the "priorities" for the competition committee next year, NFL.com reported. MORE: New-look Pro Bowl uniforms | More games in London | NFL’s worst team: Giants or Jags?...
The last time we looked at the teams from Nos. 1-32 right after Super Bowl 53, we had no idea how improved or weakened each would become after free agency and the 2019 NFL Draft. Now that we think we know who is better and who is worse, here is a new edition. With the new power rankings come hints about who is in for a playoff rise or slide....
While preseason games do not mean much, it does allow coaches to try out various schemes and field players deep on the roster chart who can then stake a claim to the starting roster. The game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals had its fair share of winners and losers. Here are some who did their prospects no harm and others who might need to recalibrate. Winners and Losers from Dallas Cowboys v Arizona Cardinals Winner: Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys More than his performance on the field, what would have heartened the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff was Michael Gallup’s versatility....
Preseason games may not feel important to people, but they serve so many purposes. Both rookies & veterans, fighting for roster spots. Season-ending injuries to star players. Breakout players that become superstars and yes, even awkward interviews during gameplay. The 2021 preseason might not have had foreheads split open, like from that 2010 game, but we did see important events happen. Baltimore Ravens RB JK Dobbins is officially out for the season, which means we’ll be expecting more runs from their QB Lamar Jackson....
The appeals process could allow Beckham to play Sunday night before a decision is made, but it’s unlikely the suspension is completely wiped away. The best fantasy owners can hope for is that Beckham is forced to miss Week 17, which wouldn’t matter for most. MORE: Week 16 fantasy football rankings:Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers Odell Beckham Jr.’s suspension, fantasy outlook For now, we’re leaving Odell Beckham Jr....
Bears head coach Matt Nagy is on the hot seat this season and needs a big performance out of his squad in 2021 to keep his job. Nagy has already announced Andy Dalton as the Bears’ starting quarterback, much to the disappointment of fans in the windy city. It seems like it will be a matter of when, not if, rookie sensation Justin Fields takes over the starting role from Dalton this season....
But after roster cuts, the Browns are one of the most talented teams in the NFL. They have the best running back duo, a top-five offensive line and a retooled defense. Here’s a look at the Browns’ depth chart ahead of the new season. Cleveland Browns 53-man roster Cleveland Browns offense The Browns offense is as good on paper as any offense in the NFL. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will lead the charge as the NFL’s most dynamic one-two punch....
The committee will discuss the proper inflation of footballs and the protocol with which the footballs are handled, as long as the league’s Deflate-gate investigation has been completed. Fisher said they will have their annual meeting with Wilson to discuss the footballs. MORE: Latest on NFL’s Deflate-gate investigation | Change coming? Another hot-button topic will be the so-called “Calvin Johnson rule,” as it applied to Dez Bryant’s non-catch catch against Green Bay in the playoffs....
All of this wouldn’t have been possible if not for the NFL players, who even during these tough times have week in and week out doled out top-drawer performances to the delight of their fans. Here are the best players and the runners-up at each offensive skill position at the mid-season point: NFL’s best quarterback: Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) Since Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll gave him the license to kill, Russell Wilson has been on a rampage, lighting up opposing defenses with his pinpoint accuracy and big-play ability....
“What kind of hurts him is all the other crimes related to NFL players, the domestic violence and the assaults,” says Michael DelSignore, a defense attorney in Fall River, Mass., where jury selection for Hernandez’s trial in the 2013 death of Odin Lloyd began Friday. MORE: Disgraced athletes | Images of Hernandez investigation “The idea of (potential jurors) idolizing the players has gone down a few notches,” continued DelSignore, who has analyzed Hernandez’s cases in Sporting News and has blogged about them....
