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That makes it another good time to expand our latest Sporting News first-round 2021 NFL mock draft. Now we know picks No. 1 through No. 24, with six teams eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend. We also know there will be plenty of top pro talent on display between Alabama and Ohio State on Monday night. Here’s breaking down all the projected selections, based on the updated draft order according to Tankathon:...

There already has been plenty of pick movement in 2022, from deals made in last year’s draft to recent blockbusters involving marquee quarterbacks and wide receivers plus future considerations. But you can bet some teams are waiting to maneuver up and down the board to adjust to the events of draft night. Sporting News mock drafts are written trade-free with the exception of this one to avoid an additional level of educational conjecture....

Amid anti-racism protests in the United States and around the world after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month, the NFL apologized for not listening to its players earlier. Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, starting in 2016, in protest against racial injustice and police brutality, but that was the last season the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback played in the NFL. Hyde, a former teammate of Kaepernick’s on the 49ers, said the quarterback should be signed by another team....

Now, the team has announced that Doug Williams has been promoted to senior advisor to team President Jason Wright. Williams has been with Washington since 2014 as a front office executive. In 2020, he was promoted to senior VP of player development. Now he will support Wright, who was the first Black team President of any team in the league. NFL News: Williams was a previous star QB for Washington Washington is very familiar with Doug Williams, as he was the QB for the team between 1986 and 1989....

MORE: Get the latest NFL Week 16 odds, lines & more here Five AFC teams are 9-5 or better, but there are only four playoff spots remaining. Nine NFC teams are fighting for the four remaining playoff spots. The AFC has some big matchups this week, including the Raiders-Dolphins and Colts-Steelers matchups. The NFC West matchup between the Seahawks and Rams also is huge for seeding purposes. It is another fun week, and SN is on a hot streak with our straight-up picks....

Titled “Take A Knee My Ass,” McCoy first performed the single during a Nov. 8 concert in Branson, Mo., and posted the video to his official Facebook page. The clip went viral, with more than 3.8 million views as of Friday evening, receiving both positive and negative reviews depending on one’s stance in the polarizing protesting-during-the-national-anthem debate. The song begins around the four-minute mark in the video. MORE: NFL’s Most Hated list...

San Francisco meets Philadelphia in the NFC championship game in the early matchup at 3 p.m. on Fox. The Eagles routed the New York Giants 38-7 in the NFC divisional playoffs. Philadelphia is making its eighth NFC championship appearance; it’s first under second-year coach Nick Sirianni. Jalen Hurts threw a pair of TDs and added another rushing TD despite playing through a shoulder injury. The 49ers beat the Cowboys 19-12 in the NFC divisional championship and are making an 18th appearance in the NFC championship game....

Dallas remains in first place for now thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker Week 7 home win over Philadelphia. But the most recent results have set up what’s shaping up to be a de facto division championship game when the Cowboys travel to face the Eagles in Week 16. MORE: NFL Week 15 picks Here’s a breakdown of the different ways left for the Eagles to clinch their third consecutive preseason trip:...

The Giants blew their opportunity to earn at least a wild card by losing in Philadelphia on Thursday night. That allowed the Cowboys to clinch the NFC East and top seed with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. New York did, however, clinch a playoff berth when Tampa Bay lost. The Dolphins, whose playoff hopes plunged when Ryan Tannehill got hurt, clinched a playoff berth with their win and the Broncos’ loss....

The postseason field expanding by one team each in the AFC and the NFC to a total of 14 has made more things interesting for the final three games. Based on the current standings, here’s an updated look at what each conference tournament would look like if the playoffs started now: WEEK 15: Where every team rates in Sporting News’ latest NFL power rankings NFL standings for Week 14 AFC playoff picture Who would be in?...

Whether it’s within the division or in the conference wild cards, the NFL has to have a means to break ties without playing an extra game. Baseball could do the now-defunct Game 163, but NFL teams playing an 18th win-and-get-in game is a non-starter given the preparation and rest that is so essential to a game with the physicality of football. The league has a series of tiebreakers to determine which team will go to the playoffs in the event of a tie record....

The Titans (9-7) were cold before Week 17, needing to hold off the Jaguars to end a three-game losing skid in order to take the top AFC wild-card berth. The Chiefs (10-6) are riding a four-game winning streak that has them back on track after dropping four straight games to begin the second half of the season. Both offenses are run-oriented and operated by mobile passers in Marcus Mariota and Alex Smith, whose respective tight ends, Delanie Walker and Travis Kelce, are their most reliable receivers....

The AFC No. 2 seed Chiefs are in the penultimate round at home for a fourth consecutive year, looking to advance to a third straight Super Bowl. Their opponent on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, CBS), the Bengals are crashing the party, making their first conference title game appearance in 33 years after winning the AFC North. The NFC is down to an all-West affair, with the No. 4 seed Rams hosting the No....

There’s still a significant separation from the best and worst teams, but because this is the NFL parity party, there’s also a muddled middle of disappointing and surprising teams. The league has provided another wild ride and the roller coaster is bound to continue in the first Week 18. Here’s how Sporting News sees all 32 teams stacking up against each other going into the finales: MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture for Week 17...

The Eagles and Seahawks have joined the Packers and Panthers as teams that have taken control of their tough divisions early in the season. Philadelphia is doing it with explosive offense, while Seattle has rediscovered its dominant defense. Both flocks of birds are flying out fast and physical, and they can be expected to keep up the speed and momentum in their respective playoff pushes. The Cowboys and Giants are helping the Eagles look good, while the 49ers, Cardinals and Rams sitll don’t have what it takes to clip the Seahawks....

The number one overall pick of the 2019 draft went three-for-eight for just 12 yards, adding a four-yard rush. The former Oklahoma signal-caller was twice flagged for false starts and went down in the end of zone in a bid to avoid getting sacked for a safety. However, Cardinals first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury insisted the rookie quarterback had shown encouraging signs. “I thought he made really good decisions,” he told NFL....

With the Cardinals trailing by four points at home against and 11 seconds on the clock, Arizona had a first-and-10 from the Bills’ 43-yard line. With no timeouts left, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went for a Hail Mary, taking the snap before scrambling to buy time and then heaving the ball upfield as far as he could. Despite being covered by three Bills defenders, Hopkins somehow caught the pass and managed to hold onto it, giving the Cardinals a 32-30 win....

Comissioner Roger Goodell was asked about this idea at the NFL fall meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Wednesday and downplayed it. “… For us, the competitiveness of our game is obviously critical,” Goodell said (via ESPN). “I don’t think that is solved with a (draft) lottery, I think that is solved by all the issues we try to deal with on a regular basis through the competition committee and the league in trying to make sure our league is competitive....