Posts

But to everyone’s surprise, both teams are heading into their Week 3 clash in a relatively comfortable situation and on the back of two good performances in their opening couple of games. Which teams are playing on ‘Thursday Night Football’ tonight? The undefeated Carolina Panthers will travel to NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans on Thursday night. The Panthers look like one of the best teams in league with an incredible defense that puts pressure at an exorbitant rate....

Officials at at the NFL brain bank at Boston University confirmed the diagnosis on Wednesday, ESPN.com reported. MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2015 | Football helmets part of the problem? Robinson, 25, hanged himself in Philadelphia in March. According to family lawyer Ben Andreozzi, Robinson suffered several concussions during his two-year stint in the NFL. Scientists have linked concussions to CTE and other mental health disorders, many of which can lead to suicide....

The development is well-timed with the end of college football’s regular season and the beginning of bowl season leading into the College Football Playoff semifinals. A lot of top pro talent will be on the field when Trevor Lawrence and Clemson face Justin Fields and Ohio State, and while DeVonta Smith and Alabama battle Notre Dame. Here’s how we see the picks from 1-32 playing out now. The top 18 picks are based on the current draft order, according to Tankathon....

It was announced on Thursday by the NFL that it planned to hold a preseason shortened from four games to two because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the players’ union memo, the league held a conference call that night to discuss its rationale. The NFL said that it kept two preseason games to facilitate COVID-19 testing and to provide an abbreviated “acclimation period” for players to help prevent injury....

The Vikings quarterback suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury at practice (UPDATE: The Vikings called it a dislocation and an ACL tear), and he was taken away in an ambulance. Minnesota players reportedly “freaked out.” MORE: NFL backup QB ranking They weren’t alone. Perhaps an indication of the amount of respect for Bridgewater around the league, fellow players took to Twitter and wished for his well-being as news of the injury developed....

After Monday night, here are where the division leaders, wild-card teams and contenders stand, with 26 of 32 teams still alive for the playoffs with three weeks left. MORE: Week 15 playoff scenarios AFC No. 1 seed — Patriots (11-2): First place, East. New England wasn’t able to wrap up the division by beating Baltimore because Miami won, but it did bolster its hold on the first seed with Oakland losing and Kansas City still a game behind....

Though 10 NFL teams have clinched playoff berths, only Washington is locked in its spot (NFC’s No. 4 seed). Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of playoff scenarios as Week 17 approaches. Stay with us, now … PHOTOS: Best of Week 16 | MORE: Sunday NFL scoreboard, stats AFC Steelers (9-6) — Sunday’s loss in Baltimore was a knockout blow. Pittsburgh now needs a Week 17 win in Cleveland and a Jets loss in Buffalo to sneak back in for a wild-card spot....

The NFL continues to push ahead on expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, with the switch possibly taking place as early as the 2015 season. According to one report, the plan is gaining support in league circles. “I think there’s a lot of momentum for it,” a source told The Washington Post's Mark Maske for Thursday's editions. “I don’t know for sure if the votes are there yet (among the owners) or not....

Aside from the season-opener, there are several storylines that should make the division an intriguing affair this year. Here’s what to expect from the NFC North this time around. Chicago Bears The Bears have lost defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to the Denver Broncos, with Chuck Pagano coming in as replacement. Chicago’s defense should again be its best asset, with former Packers safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and former New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine moving to Illinois in the offseason....

The No. 1 team, the Cardinals and the hottest recent risers, the Chiefs, were both on a bye. But there was plenty that got remixed behind and around them. All the way through the bottom, a few surprises changed the hierarchy. Here’s how Sporting News sees how all 32 teams stack up against each other going into Week 13: MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture after Week 12 NFL power rankings Arizona Cardinals 9-2 (previous ranking: 1) The Cardinals rolled into their Week 12 bye with the best record in the NFL, managing their offense well without Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Chase Edmonds....

Because this is the NFL, a league in which change is the only constant, expect another big shake-up to the hierarchy next season, with some playoff teams fading and some surprise teams rising. Although New England and Los Angeles are a little behind in their planning for 2019, there is little reason to believe either team will slip too much next season. MORE: SN’s latest mock draft for 2019...

Beginning at roughly 1 p.m. ET Sunday, a full hour after the waiver claim period following roster cuts, teams were able to begin establishing their 10-man practice squads. (Teams participating in the NFL’s International Player Development Program were allowed to sign one additional international player to their practice squads.) MORE: Minimum salary, rules for NFL practice squads An NFL practice squad typically is made up of rookies and undrafted free agents who the team recently cut....

New England, though, actually showed some vulnerability before getting things perfect in the playoffs, as its 11-5 record was its “worst” in nine seasons. The NFL’s reigning dynasty still won the East by four games. Will the competition get better enough to make the Patriots sweat? 2019 NFL PREDICTIONS:Standings, playoff projections, Super Bowl pick Based on SN’s picks for the entire 2019 season, here are our predictions for the AFC East....

In the 2020 off-season, the Bears had declined the fifth-year option on Trubisky’s rookie contract. In retrospect, this move typically occurs when a team chooses not to give them an extension. On the other hand, however, it could also mean that the Bears would like to give him a contract that wouldn’t give Trubisky as much money as his fifth-year option did. Had the Bears taken the option, Trubisky would have made around $24....

As attitudes toward the drug soften, and science slowly teases out marijuana’s possible benefits for concussions and other injuries, the NFL is reaching a critical point in navigating its tenuous relationship with what is recognized as the analgesic of choice for many of its players. “It’s not, let’s go smoke a joint,” retired NFL defensive lineman Marvin Washington said. “It’s, what if you could take something that helps you heal faster from a concussion, that prevents your equilibrium from being off for two weeks and your eyesight for being off for four weeks?...

There’s some reason for that. The favorite, the Green Bay Packers, have the best quarterback in the league (Aaron Rodgers) surrounded by top-flight talent. While the Chicago Bears can boast the best wide receiver combination (Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery), the Detroit Lions still have the most dominant wide receiver (Calvin Johnson). Sure, Adrian Peterson might give the Vikings the league’s top running back, but to catch up with the other teams on the scoreboard — and the standings — they’re figuring to field much improved firepower this season....

They range from savvy former pro head coaches to unproven college-jumping schemers. It was a difficult task, then, to pare them down to which five will have the most immediate impact on their inherited offenses: Hue Jackson, Bengals. If you thought Jay Gruden was hard on the players from ‘Hard Knocks,’ Jackson’s more tough-love style is a different kind of demanding. Jackson’s primary objective is reestablishing the consistency of the power running game to set up more big plays in the speedy passing game....

The highlight of Sunday’s slate of late games in Week 11 was Patriots vs. Raiders, a game at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium. With a 33-8 win, New England built on its typical, comfortable cushion in the AFC East. Oakland failed gain ground on AFC West-leading Kansas City, which lost Sunday in New York against the Giants. Sunday’s night cap was an NFC East showdown in Dallas, where the shorthanded Cowboys lost to the powerful Eagles, who improved their NFL-best record to 9-1....

Earlier this week, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said the Bears did it when he played, and they went so far as to designate a "dive guy" to go down on the field. Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker on Wednesday denied Urlacher's claim. Nonetheless, the league clearly is not happy that this became a topic of conversation, and wants to nip it in the bud before it can overshadow the play on the field in Week 1....

The Redskins linebacker is currently out for the season with a torn left Achilles. MORE: Disgraced athletes | John Oliver rips Redskins Though Galette wouldn’t be playing anyway, the Washington Post reports he will be docked two game checks because of the suspension. When he was a member of the Saints, Galette was arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery after an alleged incident with a female acquaintance. Charges were later dropped, but he was released from the Saints in July....