TAMPA, Fla. — You were cheering, weren’t you? When Baker Mayfield spun out of the pocket, picked up a first down and tried to split two defenders with the end zone in sight, your pulse quickened and your blood pressure spiked. It’s okay, you can admit it.

Yes, yes, yes … NOOOOO!

Mayfield was stripped, the ball bounced into the end ...Read more

DENVER — Anybody got Drew Brees’ number?

Kidding! Sort of.

“He’s a first-rounder, drafted by Sean Payton,” Bubby Brister, the former Broncos quarterback, texted me Tuesday morning when I asked about Bo Nix’s miserable Monday night in Kansas City. “He has a great team around him and some of the best fans in the league.”

Mind ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Facing second-and-goal at the Denver 15-yard-line on the Chiefs’ first drive of the season, Travis Kelce was Patrick Mahomes’ primary target as the play unfurled.

But Kelce was well-covered and secondary choice Rashee Rice also was getting what Mahomes called a “lot of attention.”

“So it just opened up perfectly ...Read more

Great players don’t need perfection to ruin an opponent’s afternoon. No, they just need a helmet, a pulse and a good game plan.

Case in point: George Kittle and Nick Bosa in the 49ers’ 27-7 Week 1 beatdown of the Rams.

Kittle is fresh (as in January 2026) off a ruptured Achilles tendon. Bosa was dragging around a knee that has seen its ...Read more

NEW YORK — The NFL season is underway — and with plenty of takeaways already.

It can be easy to overreact to Week 1, especially after a slate of games that totaled 791 points, tying the scoring record for an NFL opening weekend.

While that incredible rate of offense surely won’t maintain, quite a few more concrete developments stood out,...Read more

CHICAGO — News that Mike Ditka was back in Chicago and paying attention to the Bears from his Streeterville condo was almost as heartening as stories of Pope Leo XIV keeping up with the White Sox from the Vatican.

They’re a couple of Chicago legends who did the unthinkable. One of them won a Super Bowl with the Bears, a feat which has never...Read more

NEW YORK — With injuries mounting in their wide receiver room, the Jets are adding a veteran to its practice squad.

The Jets will sign Sterling Shepard to their practice squad.

The move comes after rookie wideout Omar Cooper Jr. suffered an ankle injury that is likely to sideline him. NFL Network reported that Cooper sustained an ankle ...Read more

We live in an era in which humanity has automated nearly every facet of existence.

We have self-driving cars, generative AI and quantum computing, but forget your reusable bag at the supermarket and society punishes you by handing over $100 worth of groceries in one of modern civilization’s great structural failures: the handleless paper bag....Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kenneth Walker attempted to turn the corner on fourth down, still literally two yards behind the scrimmage, still literally two yards from the Chiefs turning the ball over on their own half of the field, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes raised his arms in the air.

He knew.

He’s seen it.

But this team hadn’t seen a ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Broncos wore all-white uniforms on Monday night. It made it easier to see their black eyes and bloody noses.

Given an opponent and stage to prove last season was not a fluke, Denver got punched in the face.

A mirror was held up to one of the best teams in the AFC, an organization with Super Bowl aspirations, and the ...Read more

MIAMI — Quarterback Kirk Cousins has started 168 of the 175 regular-season games he has played during his 15 seasons in the NFL.

That kind of seasoned experience creates a keen awareness, one that would allow the veteran quarterback to identity something — or someone — he can exploit, and do so.

During Las Vegas’ 27-13 win against the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — There are lots of words one could use to soft-pedal a critique of the Eagles’ offensive line in Week 1.

Uneven. Inconsistent. Uncharacteristic.

They are words that allow a little leeway, words that grant some level of benefit of the doubt. That is to say, they are words that one may feel desperate to err toward after a ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — Jason Garrett is either such a fan of the Dallas Cowboys that he’s OK with blatant homerism, wants to set expectations for the team so high that there is no way it can reach them, or he’s plain stupid.

The former coach of the Cowboys is now an analyst for NBC Sports, and before the Cowboys’ season opener on Sunday ...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In this case, travel wasn’t an excuse.

Was there one, actually?

Another Los Angeles NFL team came out flat on opening day. This time, the Chargers were on home turf, well rested, facing an Arizona Cardinals game with a new coach and new quarterback, favored by 9 1/2 points in Las Vegas and given a win probability of ...Read more

DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t look tired.

He says he didn’t feel tired, either.

And in the aftermath of the Detroit Lions’ 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in their season opener at Ford Field on Sunday, it appeared the only thing that Detroit’s Pro Bowl running back found exhausting were the questions about his Week 1 ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs began their 2026 campaign with a 31-10 blowout win over the Denver Broncos Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. It was Kansas City’s first victory of any kind in 295 days.

Let’s dive in:

Turning point: Kenneth Walker, as advertised

Facing fourth-and-1 from their own 40-yard line, as he already had...Read more

DENVER — Denver Broncos coaches approached Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees about potentially coming out of retirement to face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game last season, a source with knowledge of the situation acknowledged to The Denver Post. Brees ultimately declined after experiencing wrist discomfort, telling the...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles are placing left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve, NFL sources told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday.

Dickerson will miss at least the next four games with a knee injury after his struggles in the season-opening 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders. The 27-year-old offensive lineman was ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — If you just focus on the scoreboard, you might convince yourself it wasn’t so bad.

After all, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still had a chance against Cincinnati in the final minutes. And, it should be pointed out, it was a road game against a team with playoff aspirations. Also, it goes without saying, half the teams are going to ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Mike McCarthy said it was his decision to make cornerback Joey Porter Jr. inactive on Sunday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers coach would not commit to a timeline for when Porter will play in a game.

Porter, who was removed from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 30 and is medically cleared from a back injury, was listed ...Read more