NEW YORK — John Harbaugh is benching Jameis Winston to start J.J. McCarthy at quarterback in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.

McCarthy confirmed an ESPN report of his imminent first Giants start by posting a photo gallery with the caption “It’s time” on TikTok early Wednesday afternoon. Then McCarthy, 23, took the first snaps at ...Read more

A day after the Tennessee Titans released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott after an alleged incident involving a gun at the team's practice facility, coach Robert Saleh defended the veteran player as "a good man" who "had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act."

The Titans announced Elliott's ...Read more

Allen Bailey, a former defensive standout with the Miami Hurricanes and a 10-year NFL veteran, has died.

Bailey’s death was first reported Tuesday by TMZ. Bailey’s brother, Alford Bailey Jr., told TMZ his family believes Bailey died of natural causes.

He was 37 years old.

Bailey signed with the Hurricanes in their 2007 recruiting class ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Put away the holochess board, C-3PO is going to the 2027 Super Bowl!

An animated "Star Wars" version of Super Bowl LXI featuring characters from the galaxy far, far away will air live, simultaneously with the game, on Feb. 14 on Disney Channel and Disney XD, the NFL announced Monday along with partners ESPN, Lucasfilm and Disney...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the Kansas City Chiefs bolted to a 9-0 first-quarter lead over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, they largely did it with an increasingly familiar formula.

It was forged by five carries, including a 33-yard touchdown run, by the revelation that is Kenneth Walker III. And it was enabled by Patrick ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The team of medical lawsuit winner Chris Maragos now has a Chris Bosh problem.

Before we address how the progression of the blood clot through Jalen Hurts’ body will affect the Eagles’ profile as an organization, we will first address the larger issue.

Jalen Hurts is a 28-year-old and recently married. He now faces a ...Read more

CHICAGO — Ben Johnson just kept calling plays. The Chicago Bears coach didn’t know his quarterback started 12-for-12 passing in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.

All Johnson knew was that things were clicking on the first two drives.

“You’re doing what you feel like is going to help your guys out, but when I reflect back, it’s...Read more

Six weeks is enough.

That’s roughly 40% of the fantasy regular season, which means the statute of limitations on “it’s still early” has officially expired.

We’ve seen enough snaps, targets, coaching decisions and offensive dysfunction to distinguish a temporary slump from a season-long problem.

Your patience isn’t a virtue anymore...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Of all the surprises, both good and bad, for the San Francisco 49ers in 2026, one stands out above the rest:

The defensive line.

It’s not even particularly close.

The 49ers broke training camp in August with nine defensive linemen. Six immediately broke down, followed shortly by their backups. In all, the Niners have...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles won’t face any heat from the NFL for their handling of Jalen Hurts’ potentially season-ending injury.

The NFL concluded, in news first reported by The Athletic and later confirmed by the Associated Press, that the Eagles clearing Hurts to play in Week 5 despite having a superficial blood clot in his ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jay-Z is going to star in his own Super Bowl halftime show, according to a report.

Roc Nation, an entertainment and management agency founded by Jay-Z, is partnered with the NFL and has worked with the league on its major music programming since 2019. As the NFL’s “live music entertainment strategist,” the Grammy Award-winner...Read more

LOS ANGELES — U2 is coming to SoFi Stadium for the first time — and performing during a Rams game for the first time in nearly 25 years.

The legendary Irish rock band will headline the halftime show for the NFL's first Thanksgiving eve game as the Rams host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25. The game will stream live on Netflix.

The only ...Read more

DENVER — When he sees Bo Nix, Justin Anderson sees a man fighting The Bear. Only not the Chicago kind.

“When our attention gets locked onto threats, we activate our sympathetic nervous system, which is the defensive posture,” Anderson, a venerated sports psychologist, told me over the phone Monday as we discussed Nix, the Broncos’ ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — If you are wondering if Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will do to Brian Schottenheimer what he did to Wade Phillips the day after a horrendous Sunday night loss in Green Bay in November 2010, no.

Jerry is not going to fire Schottenheimer right now.

Wade was fired in the middle of his fourth season with the team, and the...Read more

SAN DIEGO — “We’re going to look at everything,” Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Sunday when asked if he might relieve offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel of his play-calling duties.

It’s study week as well for owner Dean Spanos and president of football operations John Spanos as they ponder why their 10th year in L.A. ...Read more

MIAMI — And then there were two winless NFL teams.

Tennessee’s 26-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, which seemingly contributed to former Colts general manager Chris Ballard losing his job on Monday, leaves Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers as the NFL’s remaining winless teams in 2026.

Even though the season’s still young, the Miami...Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers’ undefeated record survived Monday night, courtesy of a 23-17 victory over the embattled Washington Commanders.

And a 20-3 halftime lead proved enough of a cushion. Barely.

The 49ers (6-0) didn’t finish off the Commanders (1-4-1) until Keion White and Romello Height barreled past midfield and...Read more

Mike Evans departed the San Francisco 49ers’ game against the Washington Commanders Monday night before halftime with an Achilles injury, further depleting a wide receiver corps that was already thin.

The free-agent signee was seen stretching his lower legs shortly before his final catch of the half. On the play in question, Evans looped ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Following a weekend in which weekslong anti-government protests spiraled into destruction and violence around France, the prevailing feeling around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ facility on Monday sounded familiar.

“Hey,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said, “we got a game on Sunday.”

Graham and others largely ...Read more