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

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams lost much more than a game to the Arizona Cardinals.

They lost four key players because of injuries.

Receiver Davante Adams suffered a ruptured hamstring and will be sidelined six to 10 weeks, defensive lineman Kobie Turner sustained a groin strain and will be out several weeks and defensive lineman Poona ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Buffalo Bills defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been suspended one game by the NFL for spitting in the direction of two Las Vegas Raiders players during Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium.

Gardner-Johnson was bickering with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and was captured by video cameras spitting as Bowers walked away.

It...Read more

DENVER — The Denver Broncos are sticking by their quarterback despite growing calls for him to be replaced.

Bo Nix will remain Denver’s starter, coach Sean Payton said Monday morning on a conference call with reporters. While there has been no indication Payton has considered making a change at quarterback, Nix’s struggles have been ...Read more

Jalen Hurts’ medical situation is more serious than initially believed, as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has been diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs, his agent and the team announced Monday.

Hurts is out for the season as he receives treatment, ESPN and NFL Network reported after the announcement that Hurts was diagnosed ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts is out indefinitely and could miss the remainder of the 2026 season, according to a statement released Monday morning by the Philadelphia Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn.

According to the statement, further medical testing revealed multiple blood clots in Hurts’ lungs. He has been diagnosed with deep vein ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins have 12 more chances to avoid book-ending the 1972 Perfect Season with the Imperfect Season, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-17.

Avoiding infamy needs to become head coach Jeff Hafley’s top priority because that kind of blemish doesn’t come off a resume for anyone involved.

That means the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — If the Eagles emerged from Sunday with anything more than another participation-medal loss, it lay in the continued synergy between the backup quarterback and the franchise receiver.

It began in the last game of last season. The game was relatively meaningless, and so DeVonta Smith was the only starter who played. That’s ...Read more

ATLANTA — When Caleb Williams walked into Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson’s office earlier this week, the quarterback kept it brief.

“I walked in his office, dapped him up and said let’s get this thing going this week,” Williams said. “I walked out after that.”

That was all Johnson needed to know his quarterback was ready. Well, ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The questions no longer matter. The answers are starting to sound the same.

One week, the key word is execution.

Another week, it’s adversity.

On Sunday, the theme was finishing.

And the common thread is despair.

“We have no more margin for error,” head coach Todd Bowles said solemnly.

Yes, the Buccaneers lost again ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — There are more than a few areas where Mike McCarthy’s influence can be noticed in the Steelers’ 4-2 start. His coaching in Sunday’s overtime win against the Buccaneers, however, did not contain many.

After pushing most of the right buttons over the past few weeks, McCarthy made a handful of questionable decisions, and the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Other than the missing 23 carats of diamonds, the replica Super Bowl LVI rings fans received on Sunday at SoFi Stadium looked like the real thing.

That’s more than the Rams can claim.

The team that opened the season as the overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl LXI continued to look like a cheap imitation.

They did not ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bruised, battered and beaten, the Chargers limped into their bye week with a sixth straight defeat, starting a season that held so much promise in the heady days of July and August but now, in mid-October, seems like a lost cause.

Their 22-6 loss Sunday to the Chiefs was another exercise in futility.

The opening minutes ...Read more