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Troy Renck: Time for Broncos' Sean Payton to prove he's worth $18 million by outcoaching Seattle's Mike Macdonald
DENVER — You could count on one hand the number of times Sean Payton seemed relaxed in his Friday news conferences last season. Maybe one finger. Like the middle one.
That is what made Friday interesting and further proof of his comfort level with his second Broncos team entering its first game of the season. He entertained questions, both ...Read more
Paul Sullivan: No pressure, Caleb Williams. The Bears QB only has to lift an entire city on his shoulders.
CHICAGO — Black-and-white photographs and grainy videos are all you ever see of Sid Luckman.
The greatest quarterback in Chicago Bears history, who retired in 1950 after leading the team to four NFL championships, played in an era so far removed from today’s game, it’s impossible to compare him to any modern QB, much less one of our own. ...Read more
Mac Engel: How Cleveland's Amari Cooper remains the Dallas Cowboys big win, and big loss
Sometimes a team will make a trade knowing they are giving up a good player with the idea being, “Let him be good someplace else.”
Ultimately, that’s how they felt about No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper. They let him be good someplace else, and on Sunday in Cleveland it’s apt to bite them in their smug faces. If Cooper goes off and ...Read more
Jets coach Robert Saleh says it is 'fair' to rule Haason Reddick out of season opener vs. 49ers
NEW YORK — The Jets acquired Haason Reddick in late March to help bolster their pass rush.
But they will be without the two-time Pro Bowler in the season-opening game against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Reddick, who has been holding out looking for a new contract, has still not reported to the team facility. When asked ...Read more
LZ Granderson: To win like the Rams, take risks and learn from losses
LOS ANGELES — Every leader in every business hits a crossroads. In that regard the Los Angeles Rams' Les Snead is no different. It's how he decides which way to go that sets him apart — and perhaps there's a lesson in that for all of us.
At the season opener against the Lions on Sunday night, for the first time in a decade, Los Angeles will...Read more
John Clay: Prediction: With Joe Burrow healthy, the Bengals will be back in the Super Bowl
Joe Burrow has a new haircut. You might have seen it. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has gone bleached blond. Why? Burrow said he was bored. Said he was in the mood for something different.
You know what would be something different? A healthy Joe Burrow for a full 17 games and the postseason. That didn’t happen in 2023. The Bengals ...Read more
Mike Macdonald's journey to coaching Seahawks rarely strayed from football path
RENTON, Wash. — In Mike Macdonald's 37 years — an age that makes him the youngest head coach in the NFL in 2024 and the youngest in Seahawks history — the one constant has been football.
"Actually my first memory is throwing a football," he said in August following a training-camp practice.
He paused, trying to recall more vividly that ...Read more
Sam McDowell: How does Chiefs' Travis Kelce defy age? These behind-the-scenes stories explain.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Some 55 hours before his 12th NFL season, Travis Kelce walked into a crowded media room at the Chiefs’ practice facility that had been waiting for his arrival.
He’d been here, in a similar room, for the first time more than a dozen years earlier, a teleconference introduction of a third-round draft pick that came ...Read more
Greg Cote: Dolphins own Miami's heart, but Dolfans deserve new heroes -- and new glory days
MIAMI — You never forget your first love, so it is often said. For many or us, that first love was sports.
That one magical year that made us smitten. A certain player, maybe. A championship season. A memory that never left. That one team that was, is, interwoven in your life’s timeline. The team that helped raise you and never left you. ...Read more
Eagles-Packers analysis: Saquon Barkley's 3-TD debut sinks Green Bay in São Paulo in 34-29 win
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Amid the serenade of whistling fans, the occasional rhythm of a Brazilian drum line and the low rumble of a muffled PA announcer, the Eagles opened the 2024 season with a shootout victory over Green Bay Packers at Corinthians Arena, 34-29.
As Braden Mann and the Eagles’ kickoff unit took the field, the months of ...Read more
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey says little, says enough about MNF opener plan after August calf injury
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Christian McCaffrey insisted Friday his calf is feeling “much better” and his Achilles is “not a concern for me,” even though he has remained limited in this week’s practices leading into the 49ers’ season opener Monday night.
Any doubt in his mind if he will play against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium...Read more
David Murphy: Why are the Eagles playing in Brazil? You may not like the answer.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Why?
The question is as difficult to ignore as the traffic here in South America's largest city. It hangs in the air like the smoggy veil of wildfire smoke that has shrouded the sky for much of the week.
It has been stated openly by players and muttered privately by staffers. The two head coaches have mostly ignored it. ...Read more
From player to coach, Jim Harbaugh imbues his Chargers with a fighting spirit
LOS ANGELES — Mike Riley can laugh about it now — that time his starting quarterback fought his teammate.
As Riley, the then-Chargers head coach recalled it, the team was on its way to its fourth consecutive loss. The Chargers failed to score a touchdown in a road game against the Oakland Raiders. Chargers safety Michael Dumas, who Riley ...Read more
Ravens vs. Chiefs was most-watched NFL season opener ever, NBC says
BALTIMORE — The AFC championship game rematch between reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and defending Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes brought in a huge national television audience.
The host Kansas City Chiefs’ thrilling 27-20 win over the Ravens on Thursday night was the most-watched NFL kickoff game ever, according to NBC, ...Read more
Brian Flores' ongoing legal battle with Giants bigger than Vikings DC's football outcome on Sunday
NEW YORK — Brooklyn’s Brian Flores is returning on Sunday to the site of the alleged “sham” head coaching interview that he received with the Giants more than two years ago.
On the surface, the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator will simply be drawing up pressure packages to try to outsmart Brian Daboll’s offense in their season ...Read more
Steelers QB Russell Wilson misses practice again, leaving door open for Justin Fields to start opener
PITTSBURGH — Much of that Russell Wilson excitement from last week when he formally was named "QB1" by Mike Tomlin has dissipated. Sure, Wilson could receive treatment on his problematic calf — he declined to say if it's the right or left — and wake up Sunday ready for action in Atlanta.
But it's looking more and more likely the Steelers ...Read more
Dolphins give Jalen Ramsey massive contract extension; cornerback questionable for opener vs. Jaguars
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Make Jalen Ramsey the latest to receive a lucrative contract extension from the Miami Dolphins.
Ramsey and the Dolphins agreed to a three-year extension. The deal is worth $72.3 million, according to NFL Network, to make him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback once again. It includes $55.3 million guaranteed.
The $24.1 ...Read more
Jason Mackey: Steelers' Pat Freiermuth should be able to celebrate his extension in a big way
PITTSBURGH — With the uncertainty surrounding the Steelers' quarterback situation on Sunday in Atlanta, the seemingly real possibility that Russell Wilson's debut with the team could be delayed due to a lingering calf issue, general manager Omar Khan made a wise move by ensuring Pat Freiermuth will take the field with a contract extension ...Read more
Mike Preston: Ravens have grit, but they need to fix familiar problems to dethrone Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Ravens showed a lot of heart in a 27-20 season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium, but that desire takes a team only so far in the NFL.
The Ravens need to get more out of their playmakers on both offense and defense to go deep into the postseason. Kansas City will, which is ...Read more
Joe Starkey: Russell Wilson will lead the Steelers to 10 wins -- unless it all comes apart
PITTSBURGH — Buyer beware: I had Kenny Pickett pegged as a "breakout player" last season.
He turned out to be a breakdown player.
That said, I'm mostly excellent at predicting Steeler seasons. So is everyone else, of course. It's not exactly nuclear physics. They'll win about nine games and either barely make or barely miss the playoffs — ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Sam McDowell: How does Chiefs' Travis Kelce defy age? These behind-the-scenes stories explain.
- John Clay: Prediction: With Joe Burrow healthy, the Bengals will be back in the Super Bowl
- Mike Macdonald's journey to coaching Seahawks rarely strayed from football path
- LZ Granderson: To win like the Rams, take risks and learn from losses
- Eagles-Packers analysis: Saquon Barkley's 3-TD debut sinks Green Bay in São Paulo in 34-29 win