Tom Brady gets win, passing yards record in return to Gillette
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Playing as a visitor at Gillette Stadium wasn’t the only big change for Tom Brady on Sunday night. The seven-time Super Bowl champion, six with the Patriots, struggled in the rainy conditions much of the evening. He was booed — often. Being Brady, he also won. Brady...
Ravens knock Broncos from unbeaten ranks with 23-7 routVideo
DENVER — Lamar Jackson threw for 316 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to a diving Marquis Brown, and the Baltimore Ravens used a relentless defense to swat the Denver Broncos from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 23-7 win Sunday. The Ravens (3-1) won their third consecutive game...
In Stefanski’s return to Minnesota, Browns defense dominates Vikings, 14-7Video
MINNEAPOLIS — After winning the NFL’s Coach of the Year award in his first season with Cleveland, Kevin Stefanski now has a victory over his old team in Minnesota to highlight the start of his second year. The Browns are finally on the rise behind their steady young leader on...
NFL roundup: Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley lead Giants past Saints for 1st winVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley ran for a 6-yard touchdown in overtime after Daniel Jones passed for a career-high 402 yards, and the New York Giants rallied for their first win of the season, 27-21 over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Saints, playing in New Orleans for the...
Browns defense dominates Vikings in coach Kevin Stefanski’s return to MinnesotaVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Myles Garrett and the Cleveland defense produced another dominant performance, giving coach Kevin Stefanski a victory over his old team as the Browns beat the Minnesota Vikings, 14-7, on Sunday. Garrett was credited with one-half of Cleveland’s two sacks and four hits on Kirk Cousins. Greedy Williams became...
Ravens activate Le’Veon Bell, put Wolfe on injured reserveVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens activated running back Le’Veon Bell from the practice squad and put defensive end Derek Wolfe on injured reserve Saturday. The Ravens play at Denver on Sunday. Bell was one of three prominent veterans Baltimore brought in to help the backfield after injuries to...
Ultimate chess match on tap as Tom Brady faces Patriots for 1st timeVideo
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady’s legacy is forever steeped in each of the six Super Bowl championship banners he had a part in hanging above New England’s Gillette Stadium. Yet he might as well be playing in front of a mirror when he returns to face the Patriots. Everything will...
Buccaneers’ Rob Gronkowski out for Sunday’s game at New EnglandVideo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski will miss his return trip to New England because of a rib injury. A person familiar with the situation said Gronkowski did not travel with the Super Bowl champions for Sunday night’s anticipated matchup with the Patriots. The person spoke to the AP...
Mark Madden Hot Take: Brady-Belichick meeting has massive hype but won’t prove anything
Sunday night marks the Super Bowl in October. It will be disappointing, like many actual Super Bowls, but for different reasons. Tampa Bay’s visit to New England has little chance to be a good game. It’s billed as the showdown between the greatest quarterback ever and greatest coach ever. But...
Sportsbooks say Tom Brady-Bill Belichick matchup attracting heavy bettingVideo
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Sportsbooks say Sunday’s showdown between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is shaping up to be the most heavily bet on NFL game of the regular season. Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion, returns to Gillette Stadium for the first time as a member of the visiting...
Bears waiting until game time to announce QB against Lions
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears will wait until game time to announce their starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against Detroit, choosing between Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields. Both quarterbacks are dealing with injuries, but Fields has been able to go through full practices the entire week while...
Joe Burrow says Bengals improving every weekVideo
CINCINNATI — After rallying the Bengals to a late win over the Jaguars, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said with matter-of-fact confidence that he is getting better every week. The stats and his dauntless performances under pressure seem to suggest it’s not just talk. The unflappable second-year quarterback, playing on a...
Tom Brady showing his personality with BuccaneersVideo
Reporters who covered Tom Brady for two decades in New England rarely expected anything enlightening or entertaining to emerge from the quarterback’s mouth. Keep to the straight and narrow, reveal nothing about yourself or your team, and just win. So when Brady began cracking wise as a Tampa Bay quarterback...
Injuries force Packers to utilize depth on O-line entering Steelers gameVideo
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line looks quite a bit different from last year’s version. But it again is withstanding multiple injuries to provide capable protection for reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari hasn’t played all season as he recovers from a torn...
Running wild: Browns’ Hunt a ‘devil’ when he has the ballVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Arms flailing, legs churning while kicking up grass and dirt as his dreadlocked hair flies from under his helmet, Kareem Hunt’s got a running style that is unorthodox and unique. He fights for every yard — every inch — like it’s a personal turf war. “Runs like...
Bengals shake off slow start, beat Jaguars on last-second field goal
CINCINNATI — Evan McPherson kicked a 35-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Cincinnati Bengals a 24-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, spoiling Urban Meyer’s Ohio return. Joe Burrow passed for 348 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bengals (3-1) overcome a 14-0...
Giants’ Saquon Barkley staying the course with rehab, pleased with progressVideo
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Coming off a torn ACL, Saquon Barkley is the first to admit he is not back to being the running back who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. Through three games, the 24-year-old Barkley has 39 carries for 134 yards and...
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson misses 2nd straight practice with back issueVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson missed practice for the second straight day Thursday because of a back issue. Jackson was listed on the Baltimore Ravens’ injury report. “He’s dealing with a little back flare-up,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said before practice. “I don’t think it’s anything serious, but we’re...
LeSean McCoy to retire as member of Philadelphia Eagles
Harrisburg native and former Pitt star LeSean McCoy will officially retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, the team announced. McCoy, an all-time franchise great at running back, will be honored at Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field as the Eagles Legend...
Ravens activate 1st-round pick Rashod Bateman, Justin Houston
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens activated receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin from injured reserve Wednesday and activated defensive lineman Justin Madubuike and linebacker Justin Houston from the reserve/covid-19 list. Bateman, a first-round draft pick this year, had been out with groin problems, and Boykin had a hamstring...
Browns’ Kevin Stefanski heads ‘home’ to face VikingsVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski won’t be swinging through any old neighborhoods or dining at a favorite restaurant when he returns to Minnesota — his NFL home for 14 seasons — this weekend. Those will have to happen another time. “Business trip,” the Browns coach said. Partly. While Stefanski isn’t...
Emmanuel Sanders quickly fitting in with Bills after 2-TD outingVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Emmanuel Sanders paused the start of his inaugural training camp session with reporters to adjust the strap of his new Buffalo Bills cap, which was dipping down on his forehead. “Like my head done got smaller,” the receiver said with a laugh. “OK, you all going...
Why NFL TV ratings are rebounding this season
LOS ANGELES — The National Football League is defying gravity in the changing television universe. Three weeks into the 2021 season, overall viewing of the NFL is up 9% over the comparable period last year according to data from Nielsen and the league’s partners, with an average of 16.9 million...
How is Tom Brady still throwing like he’s 24 and setting records?
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady glanced down and extended his right throwing arm. Seated in the patio area of the Bucs’ training facility, the 44-year-old rubbed it like a genie’s lamp, awaiting more granted wishes. Now in his 22nd NFL season, Brady’s arm has passed footballs nearly 46 miles and...
Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Jaguars’ Urban Meyer set to meet again, this time in the NFLVideo
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow didn’t play much in three years under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. But there is still much mutual respect and admiration, so much so that Meyer, as a rookie NFL coach, went to Burrow for advice last spring about how to handle his new quarterback, top...