Quarterback Bailey Zappe had the Patriots looking like a completely different team in the first half of his second start of the season Thursday night in a 21-18 win over the Steelers.

Zappe won’t be losing his grip on the starting job anytime soon after going 14 of 21 for 196 yards with three touchdowns in the first half. Zappe’s ...Read more

We anticipated a dip after going a surreal 14-2 both ways in Week 13 and saw one, but survived it pretty well. The 8-5 straight-up didn’t delight me. but the hard-fought 7-6 ATS was a plus. Endured some close-call near misses but ended strong by nailing Packers and Bengals with the points in Sunday and Monday night covers to end the week. Let�...Read more

CHICAGO — Former NFL player Sergio Brown pleaded not guilty to murdering his mother during an arraignment Wednesday.

Brown was charged with first-degree murder for the September death of his mother, Myrtle Simmons-Brown, who prosecutors said he lived with in Maywood.

The 35-year-old who played for seven seasons as a safety for the New ...Read more

The Los Angeles Times' NFL writer, Sam Farmer, examines this week's matchups. Lines according to FanDuel Sportsbook (O/U = over/under). Last week's record 7-6 (.538); season 116-77 (.601). Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, the record against the spread last week would have been 7-5-1 (.583); season 92-97-4 (.487). Off: ...Read more

It shouldn’t be surprising that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is now the betting favorite to win NFL MVP this season.

After all, he played a nearly perfect game and out-dueled the previous betting favorite for the award, Jalen Hurts, in Philadelphia on Sunday.

The truth is that with five weeks to play in the regular season, there is no clear...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — David Carr is being a self-promoting and willful idiot, but there is a kernel of truth in his misevaluation of MVP candidate Jalen Hurts.

Carr, who failed as an NFL quarterback for a decade and now opines for the NFL Network, said Tuesday that the Eagles would be wise to immediately bench Hurts in favor of backup Marcus Mariota...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In the past week, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey have both said this Miami Dolphins team has the potential to be just as good as or better than the Super Bowl champion teams they were on, the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs and 2021 Los Angeles Rams, respectively.

So, it’s worth asking: Can we legitimately use the words “Miami...Read more

CHICAGO — Justin Fields didn’t feel the need to debate whether the speculation about his Chicago Bears future is fair.

He has been around Chicago long enough to know the noise comes with the territory, even as it heads toward a fever pitch this month. With five games to play in the NFL season, the Bears have major decisions ahead, and many ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — We have reached the point of the NFL season when many national media hot-take guys begin to pontificate about just how great Steelers fans have it and how thankful they should be that Mike Tomlin is the coach of their favorite team.

It is almost always done in a condescending tone and almost always framed as "you spoiled, ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The fate of the team is still to be determined. So, too, is the future of the head coach.

The quarterback, on the other hand, may have already cashed in.

We’re 12 games into the Baker Mayfield era in Tampa Bay, and the quarterback’s decision to sign with the Bucs appears to have paid off handsomely. His stock is not nearly ...Read more

BOSTON — Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss at least a few weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain Sunday versus the Chargers, according to ESPN.

The Pats’ leading rusher twisted his ankle on a first-quarter tackle Sunday that caused him to fumble. After the play, he could not put any weight on his right leg, had to be ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick, facing two misdemeanor gun charges, on Tuesday was granted judicial diversion, the Los Angeles City Attorney's office said.

Kendrick, 23, was arrested in October in Hollywood and charged with carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a loaded firearm.

Kendrick appeared in court Tuesday, and Judge...Read more

NEW YORK — Brian Daboll surprisingly named undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito the Giants’ Week 14 starting quarterback even though veteran Tyrod Taylor (ribs) is cleared for contact and practicing.

“I just thought Tommy earned it,” Daboll said.

The head coach said he believes DeVito gives the Giants (4-8) their best chance to win next ...Read more

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, injuries and roster depth, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders.

Here are the rankings heading into Week 14:

1. San Francisco 49ers (9-3, No. 4 last week)

Last week: Win vs. Eagles,...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The most troubling part of Kenny Pickett's ankle injury isn't the impact it will have on the Steelers' playoff push. Mitch Trubisky might not be better as his replacement running the offense, but he hardly can be worse. Mason Rudolph might even be better.

No, the worst part of Pickett's injury is the uncertainty it creates about ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Over the last five-plus seasons with the sorcery of Patrick Mahomes, what looked like late-game predicaments often morphed into magic for the Chiefs.

So much so that you could almost expect the preposterous. And even figure they had their opponent right about where they wanted them when they were facing, say, a 27-19 ...Read more

Each week I'll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define "widely available" as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you have ...Read more

Following Sunday’s 13-8 debacle against the Falcons, Robert Saleh told reporters he needed more time to decide who the Jets starting quarterback will be during this week’s game against the Texans.

After starting Tim Boyle the last two weeks and benching him for Trevor Siemian, who also struggled, they are considering going back to Zach ...Read more

Move over, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. There’s a new leader in the race for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award: the increasingly relevant Brock Purdy.

Purdy is now the betting favorite at many gambling sites. Caesars Sportsbook has him leading the field with 3-to-1 odds after the 49ers demolished the Eagles Sunday afternoon in ...Read more