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The Cowboys’ latest regression to mediocrity cost coach Jason Garrett his job. He was replaced by Mike McCarthy, who was used to taking his Packers teams consistently to the playoffs. Dallas’ offense was explosive enough to win more games last season. But a red-hot 3-0 start was marred by a weak end, allowing the Eagles to take the division instead. The biggest concern was the Cowboys not being able to finish out close games....

Winners and losers from Lions and Bills Winners Craig Reynolds, RB, Lions Keep an eye on Craig Reynolds. He is not even listed on the Lions’ depth chart but he came into the game swinging. He had six carries for 49 yards and a touchdown. He showed power, patience, and explosiveness in his brief looks. If he continues to play at this level, the Lions will have no choice but to find a place for him....

Two of Jones’ three older brothers serve in the military, and one of them wouldn’t be able to leave his base to join the family in Chicago. “If all of them couldn’t go,” Jude Kelly recalled his former player saying, “then I couldn’t go, because we all are going together.” MORE: SN draft central | Latest Mock | Late-rising prospects | Sleepers That’s typical, Kelly said. For those who know Jones, the only things less surprising than the spectacular athletic ability he showed at February’s Combine are the deep family ties and the generous, humble nature he exhibits for everybody everywhere....

Love, 22, was selected 26th overall in the 2020 NFL draft as Rodgers’ successor. The veteran quarterback didn’t take this lightly. He had a phenomenal season last year and won the MVP award. Rodgers threw for 48 touchdowns with only five interceptions and 4,299 yards passing. But a rift between Rodgers and the Packers’ front office during the offseason and the quarterback’s subsequent holdout meant that Love took all first-team reps for most of training camp....

The league is getting “intense interest” in the Thursday night package, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with NBC, Turner and Fox possible bidders in addition to the incumbent, CBS. MORE: Images | Why is nobody criticizing Cam? Did you see him? | LINEMAKERS: Bills at Patriots odds, props Not surprisingly, the NFL will come out the big winner no matter what happens. Analysts told THR the rights package could bring in $600 million annually — double what CBS is paying the league this year....

MORE: Scoreboard | Best of Week 4 photos | Vinnie Iyer’s picks | David Steele’s picks NFL WEEK 4 SCORES All times ET Monday night New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:30 p.m., ESPN | Preview MORE: Chiefs’ McKnight tears Achilles COMPLETE Green Bay Packers 38, Chicago Bears 17 | Recap | Stats | Highlights IYER: Rodgers, Packers spell victory R-E-L-A-X Baltimore Ravens 38, Carolina Panthers 10 | Stats | Highlights...

Here’s a breakdown of the NFL’s latest playoff field and seedings, looking at the contenders on the brink of joining the potential postseason party: NFL POWER RANKINGS: 49ers, Seahawks surge as NFC contenders; Raiders, Steelers flirt with worst NFL standings after Week 9 AFC playoff picture Buffalo Bills (6-2), first place, AFC North. The preseason Super Bowl 57 favorites stumbled for a second time in a division road game, losing at the upstart Jets in Week 9....

The NFL is shifting back into “No Fun League” mode, with the league’s competition committee deciding that taunting should be an emphasis from officiating crews entering the 2021 season. While taunting has always been on the books as a 15-yard penalty, this year we could see more flags fly for players talking a little smack to one another. What that means? Less taunting, less fun, more penalties. How annoying....

Up 28-24 with 13 seconds left, the Jets somehow decided to leave Las Vegas speedster Henry Ruggs in one-on-one coverage with undrafted rookie corner Lamar Jackson, with absolutely no help over the top. Look closer. There were only three Jets defenders back in coverage on the play, with the other eight sent on a zero blitz, on third-and-10 from midfield, when the Raiders needed a touchdown. How strange is that play call?...

The 2019 NFL Draft class will feature at least two elite defensive line prospects in Houston’s Ed Oliver and Ohio State’s Nick Bosa in what should be a defense-heavy top of the draft. MORE NFL DRAFT GRADES:Best, worst of selections for all teams NFL Mock Draft 2019 New York Jets: Ed Oliver, DT, Houston Oliver is the 2019 NFL Draft’s best prospect, and he has Ndamukong Suh-like potential. He’s a defense-changing player who could be one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL as soon as he steps on the field....

Even though MVP stands for Most Valuable Player, this award is usually given to the best player of the NFL season. It’s not like the value part isn’t important, because only quarterbacks have won the award since 2013, and with the NFL becoming more of a passing league in the last decade, there’s nothing to suggest that this will change in the short term. On that note, let’s take a look at the five biggest favorites to win the MVP award for the 2021 season....

And there might be more to Andrew Luck’s calf injury than has been reported. Those stories and more in Tuesday’s edition of NFL News and Notes. Three things that matter Antonio Brown returns to training camp Antonio Brown opened a new chapter in his strange preseason Tuesday, returning to the Raiders’ training camp in Napa, California. Accompanied by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and followed by the production crew for HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” Brown said he was excited to be back....

There were a few swing games that went in our favor last week and a few others that did not. There are four double-digit spreads to consider this week, balanced out by seven games for which the separation is fewer than four points. Without further ado, here’s our latest fearless forecast for upcoming NFL results. All odds are courtesy of SportsInsider.com. MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends from Sports Insider...

It wasn’t that long ago that the Seahawks and 49ers were considered two of the most dangerous teams in the NFC. But headed into this week’s “Thursday Night Football” matchup, the former NFC West powers find themselves in a struggle to avoid the moniker of worst in the conference. MORE: NFL’s best 25 under 25 | Seahawks intoxicated by Marshawn-Lynch product On one end you have the Seahawks, coming off close losses to the undefeated Bengals and Panthers....

Based on the standings and taking into account tiebreakers, here are how things are looking in the AFC and NFC. WEEK 12: NFL scores, highlights NFL playoff picture AFC No. 1 seed — Steelers (9-2): First place, AFC North. Pittsburgh stills hold the conference record tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed after its win over Green Bay on Sunday night, which followed New England’s win over Miami earlier in the day....

Week 12 saw more reshuffling at the two most wide-open spots in each conference. The Steelers slid out of position in the AFC, while the Giants and Falcons faded from the NFC. Here’s where every team stands with just over a month left in the regular season. MORE: Shockers of the NFL season | LINEMAKERS: Week 12 bad beats AFC Who’s in: Patriots (10-1), first place, AFC East — New England got handed its first defeat in Denver, so it can focus on making sure it doesn’t also cede this seed to Denver or Cincinnati, rather than thinking about perfection....

Cleveland has put together a roster good enough to reach the playoffs, while the Pittsburgh Steelers look to rebuild after Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell departed. The Baltimore Ravens will again put faith in Lamar Jackson and a long season ahead looms for the Cincinnati Bengals. Here’s what to expect from the AFC North this time around. Cleveland Browns According to Oddschecker, the Browns are 6/4 favorite to win the division, fractionally ahead of the Steelers....