Ravens rule out Marlon Humphrey, Tyler Linderbaum, Ronnie Stanley, Marcus Williams
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens ruled out four key players for their game Sunday at Cincinnati. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (foot), center Tyler Linderbaum (ankle), tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee) and safety Marcus Williams (pectoral) will miss the game. Humphrey also missed the season opener last weekend against Houston, and...
Detroit high schools produced most NFL players; Texas top state
Sauce Gardner’s hometown is practically an NFL factory. There were 19 players from Detroit high schools on NFL rosters for opening week, the most of any city. Bradenton, Fla., had the second-most players (17), followed by Houston with 16 players. “Detroit football is tough. It’s real gritty and grimy there....
Bears coordinator to miss game; coach Matt Eberflus to call defense
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams will miss Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay for personal reasons, coach Matt Eberflus said Friday. Eberflus, a former defensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts, will call the plays on defense. “I’ve done it for 12 years total,” Eberflus said. “Really...
Sources: Eagles’ Avonte Maddox has torn pec, likely out for rest of the seasonVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Avonte Maddox has what is believed to be a torn pectoral muscle, which likely would sideline the Eagles cornerback for the rest of the season, NFL sources said. Maddox, a Pitt product, underwent an MRI Friday morning and is expected to seek a second opinion, one source said....
Vikings’ Alexander Mattison calls out racial slurs after loss to Eagles
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison received more than 60 “disgustingly disrespectful messages” through social media that included racial slurs and encouraged suicide, the fifth-year player said Friday in the aftermath of the team’s most recent loss. Mattison, who is Black, revealed on an Instagram Story post that...
Analysis: History suggests 0-2 start is too difficult to overcome in the NFLVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Two losses in five days already puts the Minnesota Vikings in a big hole that’s been difficult for NFL teams to overcome. Since 1990, only 31 of the 270 clubs (11.5%) that began a season 0-2 advanced to the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals recovered from losing their first...
Browns safety Juan Thornhill back at practice, could face Steelers
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns starting safety Juan Thornhill returned to practice, a promising sign for the defense going into Monday night’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thornhill, one of the Browns’ key offseason acquisitions, sat out the 24-3 win in the season opener against Cincinnati with a calf injury....
Jalen Hurts, D’Andre Swift lift Eagles past Vikings
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and threw a 63-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith, D’Andre Swift ran for 175 yards and a score, and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles held off the turnover-prone Minnesota Vikings, 34-28, on Thursday night. Hurts, the MVP runner-up, shook...
Jets’ Zach Wilson stepping in for Aaron Rodgers with renewed confidence, swagger
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Zach Wilson was in the middle of the locker room Thursday talking about taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers when a teammate shouted and made the New York Jets quarterback grin. “Zach, we love you, bro!” It was a light moment, but one that was...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson is healthy this time and gets his shot to face the Bengals in CincinnatiVideo
BALTIMORE — When the Baltimore Ravens’ season came down to two big games at Cincinnati eight months ago, Lamar Jackson was absent with a knee injury. “Very tough,” the star quarterback said this week. “One, I was injured. Two, I wasn’t able to travel with my guys and support them....
Extra-large Browns rookie Dawand Jones set for colossal MNF matchup against Steelers star T.J. WattVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns rookie Dawand Jones does everything extra large, so it’s no surprise his first NFL start will be on a colossal stage. Monday night. In Pittsburgh. Against Steelers star T.J. Watt. Are you ready for some football? “Can’t wait,” Cleveland’s unassuming 6-foot-8, 375-pound right tackle said...
Bills’ Josh Allen wants to put turnover woes behind him through actions, not words
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen was short on apologies and promises on Wednesday in attempting to put behind lingering frustrations of his four-turnover dud that cost the Bills in a season-opening loss at the New York Jets two days earlier. The only way the quarterback can prove he’s better...
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, coming off big game vs. Steelers, earning respectVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Defenses preparing to face the San Francisco 49ers have plenty to worry about with three playmakers who have been All-Pros in recent seasons. There’s running back Christian McCaffrey, who once topped 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Then there’s Deebo Samuel, who had...
Panthers coach Frank Reich encouraged by Bryce Young’s Week 1 outingVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s going to take more than a season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons to change coach Frank Reich’s mind about Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Although Young was intercepted twice in Carolina’s 24-10 defeat on Sunday, Reich said he was encouraged by the play of the...
‘Thursday Night Football’ will use AI to help viewers better understand the action on the field
Amazon Prime Video took a different approach during the offseason as it looked to improve its coverage of “Thursday Night Football.” While most networks review the film, go to college, or seek input from teams on different ways to broadcast games, Prime Video’s production, tech, and engineering teams visited Tel...
NFLPA renews call for natural grass to help prevent injuries after Rodgers gets hurt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NFL Players Association wants the league to switch all its fields to natural grass, calling it “the easiest decision the NFL can make.” Executive director Lloyd Howell issued a statement Wednesday morning saying NFL players “overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that grass is...
Jets’ loss of Aaron Rodgers is reminiscent of other QB injuries for Super Bowl contenders
Longtime New York Jets fans are all too familiar with the pain that comes from having a promising season derailed as soon as it started by a quarterback injury. Twenty-four years to the day from when Vinny Testaverde’s ruptured Achilles tendon in the season opener ruined the 1999 season for...
Ex-NFL receiver Mike Williams dies 2 weeks after being injured in construction accident
TAMPA, Fla. — Former NFL receiver Mike Williams, who was injured in a construction accident two weeks ago and later put on a ventilator, died Tuesday, his agent said. He was 36. Williams, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills from 2010-14, died at St. Joseph’s Hospital...
Analysis: Josh Allen’s turnover troubles too much to overcome for BillsVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The many assurances Bills quarterback Josh Allen provided in April and repeated throughout the summer over how he was placing an emphasis on cutting down on turnovers suddenly seem like empty promises entering Week 2 of the season. There, in the early hours of Tuesday morning,...
Zach Wilson steps into the huddle again for the Jets with Aaron Rodgers injuredVideo
OK, Zach Wilson, you’re up. Again. With Aaron Rodgers out for the rest of the season with a torn left Achilles tendon, Wilson takes over as the New York Jets’ starting quarterback. “We’ve got a lot of faith in Zach,” coach Robert Saleh said during a video call Tuesday. “We’re...
Ex-NFL Media journalist sues league, alleging longstanding institutional discrimination
A former NFL Media journalist is accusing the league of refusing to address what he calls longstanding institutional discrimination and said his contract was not renewed because he repeatedly voiced concerns regarding equity and racial injustice. In making his allegations in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal...
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has torn left Achilles tendon, out for season
Aaron Rodgers has a torn left Achilles tendon, and the 39-year-old New York Jets quarterback will miss the rest of the season, coach Robert Saleh announced Tuesday. An MRI revealed the four-time NFL MVP’s injury, confirming what the Jets feared after their 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo on Monday night....
Jets lose Aaron Rodgers to an Achilles tendon injury, then rally to stun Bills in overtimeVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game with an Achilles tendon injury just four plays into his debut for the New York Jets, who rallied behind their defense and stunned the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in overtime on Monday night when rookie Xavier Gipson returned a...
Aaron Rodgers carted off after 4 plays with Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the New York Jets lasted four snaps. And now the four-time MVP and a shell-shocked fanbase will have to see how long he might be sidelined. Rodgers injured his left ankle when he was sacked by Buffalo’s Leonard Floyd and fell awkwardly...
Browns lose starting tackle Jack Conklin for season
CLEVELAND — Jack Conklin kept Deshaun Watson from harm. He couldn’t protect himself. Cleveland’s starting right tackle suffered a “major” left knee injury in the first half of Sunday’s win over Cincinnati and will miss the remainder of the season, a major personal blow and significant one for the Browns....