SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There’s often a moment leading up to a loss when the doubt creeps in, the confidence gets rattled and the composure gets compromised.

There were probably many of those moments for this young Miami Dolphins team, which unraveled in the third quarter, allowing 21 straight points in San Francisco’s 35-13 win.

But the ...Read more

Patrick Mahomes looked more like himself.

The late-game fortune looked pretty reminiscent, too.

The Chiefs used the best outing from Mahomes in more than two years for a 33-30 overtime win against the Colts in a game built for Sunday Night Football.

Here are five observations from immediately after a great game at Arrowhead Stadium:

1. The...Read more

DENVER — In 10 feet of Empower Field grass, the Denver Broncos defense found plenty of real estate to make a stand.

They’d played much better than Monday night’s Kansas City disaster class through 30-plus minutes Sunday against a dangerous Jacksonville offense, and yet a 10-3 game felt in danger of slipping out of reach when the Jaguars ...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams carried lofty expectations coming into his third season, and they only grew when he engineered a 59-point season-opening win.

That all came crashing to a halt with 7 minutes, 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter Sunday in a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field when Williams ...Read more

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Las Vegas Raiders made the kind of egregious mistake Sunday that has led to far too many losses the last few seasons.

This time, they immediately atoned for their error.

The result was a 26-14 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium and their first 2-0 start since their last playoff campaign of 2021.

...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — If you’re just interested in drama and entertainment, it was an interesting afternoon of football at Raymond James Stadium.

If, however, you live and die with the scoreboard?

This one took months off your life.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew leads in the third and fourth quarters, waited out a two-hour lightning delay at the ...Read more

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Sunday afternoon in the Music City, the Tennessee Titans wound up singing the blues.

While the Titans went up, 20-17, on a 32-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles got the ball back with one minute, 56 seconds left to play.

Jalen Hurts, who threw two interceptions earlier in the game, ...Read more

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — This is certainly not what anyone expected from Mike McCarthy’s offense.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers were “herky-jerky” in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons — those were McCarthy’s words — then they were just plain ol’ choppy-dropsy in Sunday’s 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots at ...Read more

NEW YORK — The rain poured. The New york Jets blew a 10-point lead. And Green Bay stunned them in overtime.

On a soggy day at MetLife Stadium, the Packers (1-1) defeated the Jets (1-1), 20-17.

Geno Smith completed 27 of 41 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Jordan Love completed 16 of 29 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns...Read more

Minnesota Vikings Receiver Justin Jefferson initially seemed prescient.

During his media session with local reporters last week, Jefferson said “there’s definitely potential to create some big, explosive plays” against a Chicago Bears defense that looked vulnerable in a Week 1 win against Carolina.

Quarterback Carson Wentz’s first pass...Read more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams exited Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter with a right hamstring injury, and the Minnesota Vikings closed out a 9-3 win at Soldier Field.

With the Bears trailing 6-3 midway through the fourth quarter, Williams had the offense moving into the red zone, looking to take the lead. Moments ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Carolina Panthers had Bryce Young at quarterback Sunday, and he’s never better than when he’s playing Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons had Cooper Rush at quarterback, because their top two QBs were hurt.

That was the biggest difference in a nutshell Sunday, as the Panthers blew out the Falcons, 34-3, to even their record at 1-1...Read more

Professional football games usually require a buildup of careful parsing, subtle tactical deduction and the kind of respectful coach-speak that makes an opponent sound like the eventual Super Bowl champion.

Not this game.

The 49ers shouldn’t just beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in their home opener; they should walk all over them. The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald will play on Monday night against the New York Giants, but Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua did not practice and is questionable for the game at SoFi Stadium, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.

"He's got a little bit of soreness in that groin, being smart with him as a skill player," McVay said. "Whether or ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers made a point to declare his confidence in DK Metcalf earlier this week.

“I’m not worried about DK at all, man,” the Steelers quarterback said Wednesday. “I love DK. He’s one of my closest friends on the team, and I’m going to keep feeding him.”

But while Rodgers might not be worried, it’s easy to ...Read more

CHICAGO — Asked for his initial reaction, a front-office official for another team didn’t hesitate after watching the Chicago Bears offense in the season opener.

“That was some ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ (stuff) right there,” he responded.

It was an off-the-cuff comparison for Ben Johnson’s offense — which scored the second-most ...Read more

DENVER — The Broncos had spent the first half chasing the Packers around Empower Field at Mile High. Green Bay put together scoring drives of eight, 10, nine and eight plays, and Denver found itself trailing 23-14 early in the second half, with its 10-game winning streak in jeopardy of coming to a whimpering end at home.

But during a timeout ...Read more