ORLANDO, Fla. — Roarrrrrrr-lando!

Can you feel it, Orlando?

Can you hear it?

Can you sense the teal tidal wave beginning to roll down I-95, hanging a right on I-4 and heading straight toward the City Beautiful?

Because I can.

And I have an announcement to make as we prepare for the first Sunday of the 2026 NFL season:

I am officially ...Read more

CHICAGO — The viral video was a Chicago sports fan’s dream.

Caleb Williams, with his beard freshly shaved, mustache remaining, looked into the TV camera and pointed. The camera panned from Williams in his front-row seat behind the Cubs dugout to the dugout itself, where Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong waved to his fan club before coolly ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Whether he was in shock or denial or simply thought he could summon his indomitable will to the cause, Patrick Mahomes’ first instinct after he was helped up and off the Arrowhead Stadium field with a horrendous knee injury last December was to lobby to get back in the game.

Even as it was being made clear hours later ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Their relationship was a joke.

Literally.

At least, that’s how it began.

“I just tried a couple jokes on him when he was first here and he laughed,” Ben Skowronek said. “I figured out, you know what, we’ll probably be friends.”

And they are.

The special teams guy and the iconic quarterback, an incongruous match if...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — The person who deserves his due credit for his role in one of the greatest plays in the history of the sport is not the quarterback who threw the ball, or the receiver who caught it, but the man who tried desperately to stop it and ultimately gave it up.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive back Brandon Carr played 13 years in ...Read more

RENTON, Wash. — No matter what else happens, Drew Lock will always have a spot in Seahawks history as the quarterback they received as part of the Russell Wilson trade.

Lock was one of three players and five draft choices who came to Seattle from Denver on that momentous date of March 8, 2022.

The team regarded Lock as more than just a throw...Read more

SEATTLE — The injury bug bit Sam Darnold just five plays into the season opener against the Patriots on Wednesday night. The quarterback was injured after landing awkwardly on a sack by former Seahawk and current New England linebacker Dre'Mont Jones.

Darnold was transferred to Harborview that night. The most recent report says that he is ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears receiver Rome Odunze was again a limited participant in practice Friday and has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

Odunze injured his right calf last week in practice. He sat out practice Monday and Tuesday before returning to the practice field Thursday and Friday ...Read more

CHICAGO — Of all the narratives surrounding the Chicago Bears the last two years, none has been further from the truth than the notion D’Andre Swift would not be a fit for Ben Johnson’s offense.

That was bandied about after Johnson was hired in January 2025. Then the team’s depth at running back — with Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai �...Read more

Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown will miss at least the next four games.

The Patriots are placing Brown on injured reserve with the high ankle sprain he suffered in Wednesday night’s loss to the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported on Friday.

The Patriots play the Steelers, Jaguars, Bills and Raiders. The earliest Brown is ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Rams did worse than arrive late.

They didn't show up at all.

Amid a weeklong barrage of criticism, the Rams didn't land in Melbourne for their season opener Thursday until 28 hours before kickoff while the San Francisco 49ers had been there all week.

Turns out, the 49ers were smart, and the Rams were sorry.

The 49ers were...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The Bucs have outstanding depth at receiver, though much of it is provided by first- and second-year players.

That depth will be tested in the regular-season opener at Cincinnati. Receiver Jalen McMillan is doubtful with a knee injury, head coach Todd Bowles said Friday. And he’s not alone. Running back Sean Tucker is nursing ...Read more

NEW YORK — Former Giants running back LeShon Johnson was sentenced to a five-year prison sentence for operating an illegal dogfighting ring.

The 55-year-old who rushed for two touchdowns during his 1999 season with Big Blue was convicted on six felony counts involving the possession, selling and trafficking of animals used for fighting in ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jersey numbers are often personal to players, and the Dolphins are no different. One rookie linebacker’s number was inspired by former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, another player would prefer to wear No. 13 but he can’t because it’s retired by the Dolphins, and another player, who can’t get his desired...Read more

DENVER — It is not time to donate Patrick Mahomes’ body to science fiction.

But can we have an honest discussion about how he has played the past two seasons?

Mahomes is an all-time great. But he has not played that way of late, especially against the Broncos.

Chiefs fans never hesitate to let Broncos Country know that Mahomes is ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Season opening games are a throwback to the old days, according to Ravens first-year coach Jesse Minter.

He’s right.

At least against Indianapolis, which will host the Ravens on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium (1 p.m.), Minter has some idea of the Colts’ tendencies because the Chargers played them in Week 7 last year, when Minter...Read more

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Rams arrived here as the star-studded favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.

They left star-crossed, stunned and searching for answers on their long flight back to Los Angeles.

The Rams sleep-walked through much of the season opener against the rival San Francisco 49ers, who sent the Rams to a 27-7 defeat ...Read more

MELBOURNE, Australia – No worries, the 49ers enjoyed a season-opening win like no other in their 81-year history.

This 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams came with all the pomp and circumstance befitting the NFL’s regular-season arrival in Australia, before a sold-out crowd of 100,021 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Once all the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Breece Hall had never dealt with a groin injury.

So when he strained his right groin during an Aug. 17 practice, the Jets’ star running back admits he “freaked out.”

Three weeks later, Hall is healthy, practicing fully and expecting to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Titans.

“It was actually a very good two-...Read more