TAMPA, Fla. — Hope is just around the corner. To get there, keep walking past the pestilence and turn left at the hellfire.

And should you arrive, it’ll be nothing but rainbows and shutouts for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Yes, the team that went 0 for September may have been reborn in November. Following an unconventional win at Carolina ...Read more

DENVER — The race is on in the AFC West.

The Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 in Denver on Sunday with a goal-line stop as the clock expired.

Here are five observations from immediately after the game:

The late stop. Again.

A Chiefs comeback fell short.

What’s new?

Well, maybe the drama of it. The Chiefs got within 1 ...Read more

DETROIT — There was chaos. And then there was quiet.

Eerie, uncomfortable silence.

And as Jack Campbell, the heart-and-soul leader of the Detroit Lions’ defense, lay motionless on the turf at Ford Field, face down after an awkward tackle early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NFC North showdown against the Minnesota Vikings, it was a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For much of Sunday’s game between the Rams and the Chargers it was impossible to distinguish:

Which team had arrived at SoFi Stadium winless?

The Chargers, who had not won a game since last season, looked the part.

But so did the supposedly we’re-ready-to-make-a-run Rams.

The Rams showed life at the end of the first half ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New England Patriots got the expected result in their 24-19 win over the Miami Dolphins, even if their process took some unexpected twists and turns.

After shockingly trailing 13-3 at the half, the Patriots’ offense turned on the boosters in the second half, scoring touchdowns in three straight possessions on the ...Read more

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Friday that he was excited to have quarterback Lamar Jackson back. Two days later, his mood was decidedly different.

Jackson returned from a left ankle injury, and his first game in 28 days lasted just one play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

The two-time NFL Most Valuable ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Safe to say, most of us have never seen anything like Tampa Bay’s 16-0 win on Sunday.

At least when it comes to a contest not involving pee wee-sized football players.

On a rain-soaked afternoon, the Buccaneers took advantage of four interceptions and a stellar running game to throttle the Atlanta Falcons and move within a ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions showed some serious poise to knock off the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Sunday.

After losing several key players to injuries, the Lions scored a go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff to wide receiver Jameson Williams with 4:35 remaining to win their third ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their decades-long home dominance of the Cleveland Browns and took over sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 27-6 victory on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

It was the 23rd consecutive year the Browns have lost a regular season game in Pittsburgh. After beating the Steelers in ...Read more

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Las Vegas Raiders stopped their four-game losing streak Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium — even though they struggled to stop the New York Jets for much of their matchup.

The Raiders evened their record again with a 38-33 victory over the Jets, who totaled 439 yards from scrimmage and had a 276-97 edge at ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you needed any more evidence that the Carolina Panthers think something is wrong with this team, Friday morning provided it.

At 10:14 a.m., the morning after a 27-19 loss to Green Bay on “Thursday Night Football,” the Carolina Panthers issued a stark press release.

The news was jarring: Defensive coordinator Ejiro ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — This is not the perfect spiral the Chargers were expecting. It's a downward one. Week after week, loss after loss.

They are 0-6 for the first time since 2000, back when Jim Harbaugh was one of their quarterbacks, not their head coach. So even though they're rested after a week off, they're also on edge heading into Sunday's game...Read more

SEATTLE — Even after the Seahawks traded for left guard Quenton Nelson, one question lingered — could they still make a run at Nelson’s former Colts teammate, running back Jonathan Taylor?

News that broke from ESPN on Saturday indicated it may be more of possibility than it appeared a few days ago.

ESPN reported that the Colts “are now...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The visiting team on Sunday looks good on paper, talented enough to perhaps make this matchup one of the most important games of the Steelers’ season.

Then again, we’re talking about the Cleveland Browns.

Maybe that line of thinking is a product of my environment. For the majority of my life, playing the Browns signified a ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Bills quarterback Josh Allen has rushed for nearly 3,500 yards after contact in his NFL career.

The Ravens should sit with that for a moment.

Before another encouraging assessment of practice, before declaring themselves ready to respond to consecutive defeats that featured double-digit collapses and demanded uncomfortable ...Read more

SEATTLE — For three quarters a week ago Thursday, Rome Odunze appeared on his way to giving more evidence to those tempted to tag him with the dreaded label of “first-round bust.

For the first 45 minutes as the Chicago Bears tried to hold off the New England Patriots, the former University of Washington receiver — who led the nation with ...Read more

CHICAGO — If you want to say the Chicago Bears have gone all-in on this season with their major swing to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, no problem.

In weighing the possibility of the blockbuster deal that was finalized Thursday night, general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger because he views it as a move that better ...Read more

BALTIMORE — For the first time in 28 days, Lamar Jackson will play a football game.

Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Friday that the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will return to action Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Jackson, who practiced fully for a third straight day Friday in Owings Mills, has missed the past three...Read more